Prime Gaming - June 2022 | Phenixx Gaming

With blind hatred for the world and the pain of simply being here, I and Prime Gaming return for another month. I’ll get to running down the games available with Prime in a moment. However, players of GTA Online, Rainbow Six Siege, World of Tanks, and several other regulars can pick up in-game items/packages. Notable additions this month are a few different (at the time of writing) League of Legends items, and things for Splitgate, Lineage II: Aden, Gwent, and even Pokémon: Go, the latter of which will continue for some months at least.

Moving on from that monkey business, I wish I could Escape From Monkey Island, It is alas (me matey), the final game in the series (I believe) until the proper sequel to LeChuck’s Revenge. Often criticized for its controls, the first of the Guybrush-led games to make it to consoles fell foul of making the finale in the point-and-click series no longer a point-and-click game. Though the biggest fault is the much lambasted Monkey Kombat, a not so witty finish to the Mortal Kombat series as one might have hoped when designing Escape From Monkey Island. Finish out your collection with this month’s offering.

Continuing the adventure and story-driven games, next up is Across the Grooves. This is a short visual novel about Alice who receives a vinyl from her ex, Ulysse, which sends her back in time to the last time she saw him. Attempting to track him down in the modern-day, you’ll interact and spend time with a number of characters you’ll have to trust with information about the record, itself a fable among musicians and fans alike. Despite having a usual hatred for visual novels, Across the Groove‘s art direction of half watercolor and one part colorized courtroom sketch is matched with an interesting premise. I’d give this one a look on a lazy afternoon.

Throwing yourself down a cliff in a car full of scaffolding that you drive like you stole it, is how I describe every WRC game as it quintessentially distills the core of rallying to a T. This month with Prime you can pick up WRC 8, the one prior to my yearly (thus far) review of crashing as a man yells at you in German about “sex-hundred,” I’ve no idea. Joking about how the Germans say a number aside, this is always something I have trouble recommending because Rallying takes a specific temperament over other racing games. It is worth trying, I guess, since you get it anyway with Prime.

Shakespearean London, astrology, and twinges of Blackadder (minus Flashheart) give me the feeling that Nyamyam’s Astrologaster will be a number of people’s go-to game this month. Simon Forman (a doctor and astrologer) lines his pockets as history and fiction play out during his many consultations with regular patients and one-timers with attempts at humorous dialogue. In days of phlebotomy or leech-based bloodletting, it might seem normal to look to the stars for the physical and mental issues of patients. While the gimmick does sound initially enticing, it quickly becomes a game of reading what is literally stated at the top of the screen. It is a Robert Langdon-level mystery.

It was a toss-up whether to end this month on hatred or happiness, I chose happiness. Whoever decided Far Cry 4 (the next free game) should have eagles that swoop down on you every 3.7-femtoseconds should be sent to climb mount Everest in budgie smugglers and grandad slippers. Following the success of Far Cry 3, Ubisoft has been digging that same well several times to varying degrees, as Troy Baker’s Pagan Min is another psycho with a smile. As a game, Far Cry 4 would be fine. As a story, it isn’t too offensive, but if I have to deal with another eagle in my life, I will personally force-feed that designer some fowl.

Rounding out our month of June, Calico will have you running a café and exploring a wholesome community full of relaxing though slender gameplay. Aesthetically pleasing with its pastel colors and life-simulator bait of running the day-to-day of a business with social interactions being the focus, Calico is the… purrfect idea for escaping the nightmares of the outside world. At least it would be. As many noted on release (and since) bugs and glitches are common though not exclusive and can have quite a damper on playing. As it turns out, it may even dampen the closing moments of this month’s article.