Review: Dead Alliance, Killing Floor 2 and Phantom Trigger — Roundup

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Every week numerous games release on Xbox One. While many are substantial experiences like Injustice 2 and Tekken 7, there are a few hidden gems here and there. Many of these smaller games have either caught the public’s eye or are just stellar titles which all Xbox One owners should try out. This week we’re going to be discussing Dead Alliance, Killing Floor 2 and Phantom Trigger. All of these titles are unique in their own way so be sure to dig a little deeper about each one if you get the chance.


Dead Alliance

Today seems to be the day of the zombie shooter. We have Dead Alliance and Killing Floor 2 coming to Xbox One. Let’s start off with Dead Alliance. Dead Alliance is a fast-paced, multiplayer first-person shooter set in a post-apocalyptic world where former military bases have been turned into the only remaining city states. Your objective is to build your squad and take control of bases across maps infected with zombies, using the dead themselves as weapons against your opposing faction. Armed with a variety of loadouts that include guns and pheromone grenades, you’ll face off against enemy armies and gruesome, man-eating killers. The trick is to use the zombies against your opponents rather than wiping them out. Sure, you’ll have to destroy the undead if they’re directly attacking you but throwing a chemical grenade to send them into a house where you know a few of your foes are hiding is a better strategy. The game is less about shooting and more about who can control the zombies the best. Unfortunately, as unique as that concept sounds, the game runs horribly on Xbox One. Much like Maximum Games’ other endeavors, the game feel like it’s not even a stable 30 FPS on the console. If I were to guess I would say it’s just under. This makes aiming incredibly difficult and Dead Alliance feels like an unfinished games. Some of the animations are very basic as well. Despite how addictive Dead Alliance is, the title needs much more polish and many more months of development. Additionally, in a world where 60 FPS is the norm for competitive shooters, 30 FPS just isn’t acceptable anymore. Destiny had the same problem. Hopefully the developers to continue to work on the title because it’s an incredibly solid concept which just needs much more technical work.

5/10

Xbox One

Killing Floor 2

Killing Floor 2 is another zombie shooter but it’s much more polished than Dead Alliance. The focus here is more on cooperative play while you take on deadly zombies. You can’t control them or do anything, you just have to wipe them all out. And boy, is there an endless supply of the undead in Killing Floor 2 or what? We initially played the game on PlayStation 4 and Windows 10 so we were looking forward to trying out the Xbox One port. For the most part, despite some stutters, the game maintains a solid 60 FPS. Shooting and using melee weapons is a blast and it’s even better with friends. For those who don’t know about the franchise, in Killing Floor 2 players descend into continental Europe where the outbreak caused by Horzine Biotech’s failed experiment has quickly spread and gained unstoppable momentum, essentially paralyzing the European Union just one month after the conclusion of the events in the original Killing Floor. A group of civilians and mercenaries have banded together to combat the outbreak and established privately-funded operation bases across Europe. You travel from map to map basically wiping out zombies in the most gruesome and efficient manner possible. Killing Floor 2 is a lot of fun and if you’re into mindless action that requires some strategy when it comes to managing your weapons and purchasing necessary upgrades, then this is the game for you. You’ll have an absolute blast despite the occasional performance issues.

8/10

Xbox One

Phantom Trigger

Phantom Trigger is a rather hardcore neon-looking slasher with some role-playing elements. Do you remember a game called Hyper Light Drifter that came out a few months ago? It’s like that but a little more basic. The game begins with your character, Stan, collapsing and being transported to a strange and mysterious world. You have to figure out what’s real as you follow the story of Stan on a journey through surreal and twisted worlds. The title revolves around combat in order to solve puzzles and destroy foes. You have your blue sword, your green whip and your red knuckles. Certain challenges involve repeating patters presented to you using the appropriate color and so on. The combat has to be the most difficult part which can also become frustrating. Some of the enemies do a lot of damage so expect to die often. Luckily, the checkpoint system is fairly lenient so you won’t have to backtrack entire levels because you keep on dying. While Phantom Trigger may not be as good as Hyper Light Drifter, it’s still a solid entry which will appeal to many gamers due to its gorgeous visuals. The pixelated environments are filled with wonder and the use of colors is remarkable. If you’re looking for a solid, but hardcore experience between those heavy hitters, then be sure to check out Phantom Trigger.

8/10

Windows 10


If you’re going to pick up one of these games, we would recommend Killing Floor 2 and Phantom Trigger. They’re definitely the most expansive experiences out of them all. To be honest, you can’t go wrong with any of these games. They all appeal to different types of gamers and this selection has a title for everyone. Buy all of them if you can because they’re all worthy.

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