Raycevick Recommends: July 2019

F1 2019 by Codemasters

Yeah, it's quite a shocker. I'm recommending... a sports game?

Well, it's really a driving game that just happens to be released yearly. I hadn't touched an F1 game since 2013 and even then, I hadn't really taken those earlier games seriously. It was a combination of not having the time to get invested, and having lost track of open wheel racing years ago.

However, with the Netflix series F1: Drive to Survive grabbing my attention (which I've also recommended), I looked up Codemasters' latest game and its presentation update was enough to intrigue me.

What I've got six hours in is a game is that I can already see myself playing for many more hours to come, though I have a feeling if I had bought 2018, I'd be less impressed, which is kind of the nature of sports games. But 2019's slightly dated mechanics like the interviews, emails, and repetitive practice challenges, fail to obstruct the phenomenal driving model, AI, and action on track. Playing this game makes you really understand why F1 drivers lose their marbles earning something as pedestrian as 5th place, because the effort required to get in that spot is harder than it is to get 1st in most racing games.

Dusk by David Szymanski

This upcoming recommendation goes for both the game itself, and it's soundtrack. For those who long for the days of 90s shooters like Quake, Half Life, and Unreal, this game is sure to bring nostalgic memories with intuitive old-school level design, wide variety of enemies, and fun as fuck weapons.

But for those who don't care for its cramped environments and simplistic feedback, then you should still listen to the soundtrack by Andrew Hulshult. It's as moody and atmospheric as it is earthshaking with guitars that'll remind any DOOM/Wolfenstein/Killer Instinct fans of a certain Aussie God. 

The Mother Road by Chelsea Wolfe

This entry is of only a single but hopefully entails what's to come from Chelsea's latest album, because it's a hauntingly beautiful melody, as anyone familiar with Wolfe's work (which I believe I've also recommended before), that also has more of a build-up compared to previous acoustic tracks.

While I'll always be partial to the distorted destruction of songs like Carrion Flowers, there's an intrigue in this song that'll hopefully have you as curious about this latest album as I am. 

BONUS

Chernobyl by HBO & Sky

I include this show as a bonus 4th entry because lets face it, being the highest rated show on IMDB of all-time and set to dominate aware shows, it's probably already been recommended to you, and I'm not here to convince you it'll be revolutionary or a life-changing experience to watch. I don't like putting the pressure of "YOU HAVE TO WATCH THIS" because it already sets people's expectations from where it'd otherwise be.

However, I do believe after completing it that the show's currently worth all the praise it gets, and especially for those captivated by tragedy, it's of the highest recommendation.