Game Review · Purchased May 5, 2024 · $12.09 CAD via PSN
Memorrha. Photo: Steam
The Setup
Memorrha is a quiet, atmospheric puzzle-adventure about piecing a broken world back together, built around environmental storytelling rather than dialogue or exposition, in the same general lineage as games like Gris or Rime.
The Review
At just over twelve dollars, this was one of the smallest financial commitments in my entire year, and it delivered a genuinely distinct mood and visual identity that a lot of much more expensive games never manage. The puzzle design is not the deepest or most challenging in the genre, but that was never really the point, the game is more interested in atmosphere, sound design, and the slow reveal of its world than in testing your problem-solving skills.
Games like this live or die on whether the specific mood they are chasing lands for you personally, and this one landed for me: a short, contemplative experience that felt worth the handful of hours it asked for.
What I Liked
Distinct, moody atmosphere and art direction
Strong environmental storytelling with minimal reliance on dialogue
Extremely low financial risk given the price
A satisfying handful of hours rather than an overstuffed runtime
What I Didn’t
Puzzle design is fairly light, not a game for anyone wanting a real mechanical challenge
The mood-first approach will not land for players who want a stronger narrative throughline
The Verdict
Rating: 4/5
A small, low-risk purchase that delivers a genuinely distinct atmosphere you do not get from bigger-budget titles. Easy to recommend at this price specifically.
Hardware Review · Purchased April 29, 2024 · $391.72 CAD via Amazon
The Sony WH-1000XM5 in black. Photo via Best Buy Canada.
I want to be upfront about something before this review even starts: the WH-1000XM5 is not a gaming headset, and that is exactly why I bought it.
The Background
I already owned a dedicated gaming headset before this purchase, and it was fine for what it was. What it was not was a headphone I wanted to wear on a flight, during a work call, or on a walk. By spring of 2024 I had decided I wanted one really good pair of noise-cancelling headphones that could do double duty across my actual life, gaming included, rather than a gaming-specific headset that only made sense at my desk. Sony’s flagship XM line has been the benchmark in consumer ANC headphones for several generations running, and the XM5 is the current version of that reputation.
I paid close to full retail at $391.72, picked up from Amazon in late April. In hindsight, that was the one mistake in this purchase: these go on sale often enough, sometimes $100 or more off, that patience would have paid off. If you are considering the same pair, it is worth watching prices for a couple of weeks before buying.
Living With It
The noise cancelling is the headline feature and it delivers. Airplane cabin noise, HVAC hum, open-office chatter, all of it gets flattened to a low murmur, and the transparency mode (for when you need to hear someone talking to you without taking the headphones off) is genuinely useful rather than a gimmick. Sound signature is clean and slightly warm, not the bass-forward tuning a lot of consumer headphones lean into, which I personally prefer for long listening sessions since it does not fatigue the ears the way an aggressive bass boost can.
Comfort is where these earn their keep for me. I use them for hours at a stretch, gaming in the evening after wearing them all day for work calls, and the clamping force and ear cushion padding hold up without the hot-ear feeling some over-ear headphones give you after a few hours.
The genuine complaint, and one that shows up in basically every review of this generation, is that Sony dropped the folding hinge design from the XM4. The XM5 collapses flatter but does not fold in on itself, so the case is noticeably bigger and less pocketable in a bag. It is a small thing until you are the one repacking a carry-on around it.
For gaming specifically: these connect over Bluetooth, not a wired connection with a dedicated gaming DAC, so if you are chasing the lowest possible input latency for competitive play, this is not the tool for that job. For anything else, story-driven games, general couch gaming, streaming, they sound excellent.
What I Liked
Best-in-class noise cancelling for the price bracket
Comfortable enough for genuinely long sessions
Clean, accurate sound signature that does not fatigue over time
Multi-device pairing makes switching between PS5, phone, and laptop painless
What I Didn’t
No longer folds flat, bigger case than the previous generation
Bluetooth-only means it is not ideal for latency-sensitive competitive gaming
I paid full price when patience would have saved a real amount of money
The Value Verdict
Rating: 4/5
As a headphone that has to work across my whole day, not just gaming, this was the right call, and the audio and noise cancelling quality genuinely justify the price bracket. The only real ding is on me: buying at full retail when a sale was probably two or three weeks away the whole time. If you want one pair of headphones to do everything reasonably well, this earns its reputation. If you specifically want a gaming headset, look elsewhere first.
DLC Review · Purchased March 11, 2024 · $12.31 CAD via PSN
PowerWash Simulator: Warhammer 40,000 Special Pack. Photo: Steam
The Setup
On paper, this is the strangest pairing in PowerWash Simulator’s entire crossover catalogue: the grim, ultra-serious tone of Warhammer 40,000 meets a game about cheerfully spraying grime off objects with a pressure washer.
The Review
That tonal mismatch is exactly why this became one of the most talked-about packs in the game’s community. Cleaning centuries of grime and battle damage off Space Marines, Titans, and other iconic 40K hardware, rendered in PowerWash Simulator’s cheerful, low-stakes visual language, creates a genuinely funny contrast that the developers clearly leaned into rather than shying away from. It helps that the underlying level design and attention to the source material’s iconography is just as careful here as in the more conventionally “fun” crossovers like SpongeBob or Back to the Future.
What I Liked
A genuinely inspired, funny tonal mismatch that works better than it has any right to
Strong attention to Warhammer 40K’s distinctive iconography
One of the most talked-about packs in the whole crossover line for good reason
What I Didn’t
The joke and appeal depend heavily on knowing Warhammer 40K’s tone well enough to appreciate the contrast
Same short runtime as every pack in this series
The Verdict
Rating: 5/5
Genuinely one of the standout packs in the whole PowerWash Simulator crossover line, and easily my favourite of the five I bought this year specifically because the concept should not work and absolutely does.
DLC Review · Purchased February 16, 2024 · $17.91 CAD via PSN
Jurassic World Aftermath Collection. Photo: PlayStation Store
The Setup
A stealth-adventure VR experience set in a dinosaur-infested Jurassic Park facility, distinguished by a cel-shaded, comic-book art style rather than attempting photorealism, bundling both included episodes into one collection.
The Review
The art direction is genuinely the standout feature here: sneaking around a facility while avoiding raptors hits differently when the whole world looks like it stepped out of a graphic novel, and it holds up better over the course of the game than a more realistic art style might have on comparable hardware. Tension-building is well handled throughout, with a strong sense of danger even though the actual dinosaur encounters are more about evasion than direct confrontation. Where reviews (and my own experience) landed more critical was pacing across the back half of both included episodes, where the core stealth loop starts to feel a bit repetitive before the credits roll.
What I Liked
Distinctive, well-executed cel-shaded art style
Genuinely tense stealth gameplay in the front half
Both episodes bundled together for a reasonable price
What I Didn’t
Gameplay loop wears thin by the later stages
Overall runtime is on the shorter side even with both episodes included
The Verdict
Rating: 3/5
Reasonable at this price for a good tension-building VR experience, just do not expect a long campaign or a lot of mechanical variety across the runtime.
Vonado Review · Purchased February 11, 2024 · $92.99 CAD via Vonado
A comparable Death Star-themed compatible-brick build. Photo via USABLOCKS.
Before I get into any of the individual Vonado builds in this series, this is the right place to explain what Vonado actually is, because it colours every review in this category.
The Background
Vonado is not LEGO. It is a brand that manufactures Lego-compatible building brick sets, often based on designs originally created by hobbyist builders in the “MOC” (My Own Creation) community, then produced and sold at a significant discount to what an officially licensed LEGO Group product would cost at a comparable scale. This particular set, a compact Star Wars build built around the classic “escaping the Death Star aboard the Falcon” scene made famous by LEGO’s own sets over the years, was the smallest and cheapest of a much larger February 2024 haul that I will be covering across the next several posts.
I want to be direct about this upfront: if you go into a Vonado purchase expecting an official, licensed LEGO product, you will feel misled. If you go in understanding exactly what you are buying, a well-made compatible alternative built by a company that clearly loves the same source material, it is a genuinely reasonable way to get more Star Wars building into your collection for less money.
Living With It
At this price point, you are in small-to-midsize set territory: a compact ship model plus a slice of Death Star trench or hangar detailing, not a massive standalone display piece. Brick quality on Vonado’s smaller sets has generally matched what reviewers report across the compatible-brick space: clutch power (how snugly the pieces hold together) that is very close to genuine ABS LEGO plastic, with the occasional looser tolerance on smaller or more detailed pieces compared to official parts.
Build time here was an evening, not a weekend project, which made it a nice low-commitment entry point before diving into the much bigger sets that arrived in the same order. If you are curious about the compatible-brick space and do not want to gamble a few hundred dollars finding out whether you like it, a set at this scale and price is exactly the right place to start.
What I Liked
Genuinely close to official LEGO brick quality and clutch power at this scale
Clear instructions, no need to hunt for a digital manual
Manageable evening-length build, a good low-stakes entry point into the brand
Meaningfully cheaper than an equivalent official Star Wars set of similar size
What I Didn’t
Occasional looser tolerances on smaller detail pieces compared to genuine LEGO
Not a display centrepiece on its own, more of a nice addition to a larger collection
Requires accepting upfront that this is a compatible clone, not a licensed product
The Value Verdict
Rating: 4/5
As an entry point into Vonado’s whole catalogue, this delivered exactly what it needed to: proof that the brand’s smaller sets are worth trusting before committing real money to their much bigger builds. Reasonable value, honest about what it is, and a fun single-evening build.
Vonado Review · Purchased February 11, 2024 · $197.99 CAD via Vonado
A Razor Crest compatible-brick build. Photo via USABLOCKS.
If someone asked me to justify the entire Vonado experiment with a single set, this is the one I would point to.
The Background
The Razor Crest, Din Djarin’s gunship from The Mandalorian, is one of the most consistently requested Star Wars vehicles in brick form, and LEGO’s own official versions have a well-earned reputation among fans. Vonado’s version, listed at roughly 1,383 pieces on their retail listing, is a clear compatible alternative aimed at the same audience, priced well under what an equivalent-scale officially licensed LEGO Star Wars ship typically runs.
I bought this as part of the same large February order as the previous entries in this series, and out of that entire haul, it is the one I would recommend to someone else without hesitation.
Living With It
The scale here is the right size to actually feel substantial once built (roughly desk-shelf sized, not a small trinket) while still being an achievable weekend build rather than the multi-day undertaking some of the larger sets in this series turned into. Hull detailing on the ship’s distinctive asymmetric silhouette came through clearly, and the set includes an opening cargo bay and cockpit area, giving it real play value beyond just sitting as a static display piece.
Piece quality across this build was consistently strong, with landing gear and articulated panels that held together securely rather than feeling loose or fragile, a common complaint leveled at cheaper compatible-brick sets in general but one I did not run into here. What makes this the standout value of the whole haul is simple math: at roughly $200 CAD for a large, detailed, 1,300-plus piece ship, you are paying meaningfully less than an equivalent official LEGO Star Wars vehicle at similar scale and piece count typically costs.
What I Liked
Best price-to-scale ratio of any set in my entire 2024 Vonado haul
Strong piece quality and secure clutch power throughout
Genuine play value with an opening cargo bay and cockpit, not just static display
Achievable weekend build rather than a multi-day project
What I Didn’t
Still not a licensed product, some purists will always prefer paying more for the official version
Minifigure-scale accessories tend to be the weakest point in compatible-brick sets generally
The Value Verdict
Rating: 5/5
This is the set in my entire 2024 collectibles haul that I would buy again without a second thought. It hits the sweet spot of scale, detail, price, and build satisfaction better than anything else in this series, official or otherwise.
Vonado Review · Purchased February 11, 2024 · $637.99 CAD via Vonado
A Coruscant-themed diorama compatible-brick build. Photo via USABLOCKS.
At a certain price point, a building set stops being a toy and starts being a piece of home decor you happened to assemble yourself.
The Background
Large-format Star Wars dioramas, scenes depicting the Battle of Coruscant, the Jedi Temple, or the Senate district in sprawling, multi-thousand-piece detail, are a well-established genre within the MOC (fan design) community, with different builders and compatible-brick manufacturers producing their own interpretations at various scales. What I purchased from Vonado sits in that tradition: a Coruscant-themed display diorama, the fourth and priciest item in the large February order that runs through much of this series.
Sets like this are explicitly designed around presentation rather than play. There is no cockpit to sit a minifigure in, no opening cargo bay, nothing to actually do with it once assembled beyond looking at it, and the price reflects scale and part count rather than mechanical complexity.
Living With It
The build itself took the better part of a weekend, mostly due to sheer part count rather than any particular technical difficulty, section by section, layer by layer, in the way large diorama builds typically go. Once finished, the impact is real: this is a genuine centrepiece, the kind of thing that makes people stop and look when they walk past a shelf, in a way that smaller vehicle builds simply cannot match regardless of how well detailed they are.
The honest tradeoff is exactly what you would expect from a display piece at this price: it requires real, permanent shelf real estate, more than any single vehicle in this series, and once built, it is genuinely difficult to relocate or repack without risking damage to the more delicate architectural elements. This is a “pick its final spot before you start building” kind of set, not something you casually rearrange.
What I Liked
Genuinely impressive as a display centrepiece, more visual impact than any single vehicle build
Consistent with the strong scale-for-price value seen across the rest of this Vonado order
Detailed architectural elements that read clearly as Coruscant even at a glance
What I Didn’t
Zero play value, purely a display object
Requires committing real, permanent shelf space before you even start building
Delicate once assembled, not something you want to relocate often
The Value Verdict
Rating: 4/5
Judge this one entirely on whether you have the shelf space and the desire for a genuine centrepiece, because that is the whole pitch. If you wanted something to actually handle and rebuild, this was the wrong category to shop in from the start. If you wanted a showpiece, it delivers.
Vonado Review · Purchased February 11, 2024 · $427.99 CAD via Vonado
A Thunderjaw compatible-brick build. Photo via FantasMall.
Some of the best entries in a compatible-brick catalogue exist specifically because the official license holder never got around to making them.
The Background
LEGO has released exactly one officially licensed Horizon product: the Forbidden West Tallneck set (76989), a mid-size build that came out to solid reviews but left an obvious gap for fans of the game’s other, more aggressive machines. There has never been an official LEGO Thunderjaw or any similarly named “Thunder Claw” set. What I bought is a fan (MOC) design manufactured and sold as a compatible kit through Vonado, filling a hole in the official catalogue that LEGO itself has simply never addressed.
This arrived as part of the same large February order as the Star Wars sets earlier in this series, and at $427.99 it represented a real step up in both price and ambition from those smaller builds.
Living With It
Machine-creature builds like this live or die on articulation, and this is where the set earns its price tag. The legs, head, and tail all have genuine poseable joints rather than being fixed in one aggressive dinosaur-esque stance, which meant I could actually pose it in a way that matched reference art from the game rather than settling for whatever the instructions defaulted to. Getting that kind of mechanical complexity right, with joints that hold their pose under the model’s own weight instead of drooping, is a genuinely harder engineering problem than a static ship or building, and it shows in both the piece count and the build time, which ran closer to a full weekend than a single evening.
The tradeoff for all of that is durability handling: with this many articulated joints, this is not a set you want younger hands or a curious pet handling roughly, since the connection points that allow posing are inherently a little less rigid than a fully fixed structure would be.
What I Liked
Fills a real gap, there is no official LEGO equivalent at this scale or price
Genuinely impressive articulation and poseability for a brick-built creature
Shell and plating detail translates the source game’s design language well
A satisfying weekend-length build rather than a quick evening project
What I Didn’t
Poseable joints mean less structural rigidity than a fixed-position build
Not something to display somewhere it might get bumped or handled roughly
A meaningful price jump from the smaller sets earlier in the same order
The Value Verdict
Rating: 4/5
For a Horizon fan, this is close to essential specifically because nobody else has made it. LEGO’s own catalogue leaves this exact machine on the table, and Vonado’s version fills that gap with a genuinely well-engineered build. Just budget real assembly time and a stable shelf for it once it is done.
DLC Review · Purchased February 3, 2024 · $12.31 CAD via PSN
PowerWash Simulator: SpongeBob SquarePants Special Pack. Photo: Steam
The Setup
Bought one day after the Back to the Future pack, this crossover sends you scrubbing down Bikini Bottom locations, the Krusty Krab included, using the same core PowerWash Simulator gameplay loop.
The Review
Of the five PowerWash crossover packs in my 2024 haul, this is the one I would call the most charming purely on aesthetic fit: SpongeBob’s exaggerated, colourful art style translates into the game’s cleaning mechanics in a way that feels almost purpose-built for it, grime and grease disappearing off cartoonishly oversized objects with the same satisfying visual payoff the base game is built around. The attention to specific, recognizable Bikini Bottom locations shows the same level of care the Back to the Future pack demonstrated a day earlier.
What I Liked
Aesthetic and gameplay loop fit together unusually well
Consistent quality with the rest of the crossover line
What I Didn’t
Same short-content-for-the-price tradeoff as every other pack in this line
Appeal is entirely tied to fondness for the source material
The Verdict
Rating: 4/5
Cheap, short, and well made, consistent with everything else in this DLC line, and a personal favourite among the five packs I bought this year specifically for how well the visual style fits the gameplay.
DLC Review · Purchased February 2, 2024 · $12.31 CAD via PSN
PowerWash Simulator: Back to the Future Special Pack. Photo: Steam
The Setup
The first of five separate PowerWash Simulator crossover packs I bought across 2024, this one lets you scrub down the DeLorean and other Back to the Future locations using the base game’s signature power-washing gameplay loop.
The Review
PowerWash Simulator’s crossover packs have become a genuine phenomenon within the game’s community specifically because they are so consistently well produced: a handful of new levels built tightly around the licensed property, recognizable music cues and voice work where licensing allows, and level design that clearly understands what made each specific piece of media memorable in the first place. The Back to the Future pack nails the small details, cleaning grime off the DeLorean’s iconic panel lines feels specifically satisfying in a way a generic vehicle would not.
What I Liked
Faithful, detail-oriented level design
Short but genuinely well-crafted content
Strong recognizable music and audio cues
What I Didn’t
Very short additional playtime for the price if you are not already invested in the base game
A pack you either want specifically for the license or can easily skip
The Verdict
Rating: 4/5
If you already own the base game and like the property, these packs are short but polished, which turned out to be the norm across every single one I bought this year.
The Compulsive Canadian Gamer 