Giants: Citizen Kabuto

NOTE: I'm an hard reviewer. I only review the game after I finish it at least once, and give 3 stars to a 'good' game but that I wouldn't play again. 5 stars is absolutely epic. Why? Because there are too many games to "lose" your time but only a pack of them does really worth your time. CGK is a decent action/humor game for its time. I have very good moments with it, specially early. In the lasts stages it becomes very repetitive. The history is pretty simple and easy to follow and the controls are ok. It only supports automatic saving, but it wasn't a problem for me. I had a lot of technical problems (graphics + mouse sensibitily problems) until I installed the unofficial patch 1.5, and still I had few bugs, but I least I could play it. The most annoying is, in Windows 8.1, once you go in, you cannot control the game at all. You need to Ctrl+Alt+Del, then Esc, and then clicking fast on the CGK program, in the Window's task bar. Again, while fun, I wouldn't play this game unless I were really bored, and just in the case I wouldn't completed it.

We tend to throw the word “underrated” around a lot, but it's rarely been more true than for this game. Allowing you to play as three different species, each with their own gameplay, Giants is ambitious, sometimes even masterful, and most people ignore its existence. The atmosphere is unique and great. The game, very cartoonish in tone, is full of quirky characters and humor (sometimes surprisingly dark and mature), and most cutscenes got a chuckle from me. In contrast to that, its musical score and art direction are quite melancholic, and often beautiful in their own right. The game uses an impressive graphical technology, which shows its age but allows for huge environments, good lighting effects, and detailed character models with superb animations. For a game based off so many different gameplay types, which is usually a sign that none of them are good, they all work surprisingly well. None of the weapons are hitscanning and the shooting can get a bit janky, but all things considered, the controls, while complex, feel really sleek 95% of the time, the movements are enjoyable and the attacks feel powerful. Right now, I make the game seem like a masterpiece, but is it flawless? Eeeh, nope. First, the RTS parts of the game can feel a bit lackluster, since some of the features of your base are never used in the campaign, saved for the multiplayer component. My main problem is the often frustrating difficulty (unadjustable, btw). The enemies are many, accurate, hit hard, die slowly, and ammo depletes quickly. You often end up trying to snipe enemy units from the safest distance, constantly backtracking to resupply. You also have to finish levels in one setting without dying, since there's no manual save option. Fortunately, the most difficult levels take place in the first half of the game, and for the most part, Giants: does a good job of keeping you interested, constantly throwing new things at you, and you'll never give up on it until the very end.

One of the most enjoyable gamesI have ever played, really very veeeery fun to play, I have not laughed so much in many years to come in a game, and the hours of joy I spended with my friends in LAN are so memorable, I have not encountered any game like this, its a jewel worth the playing and the graphics are stiil quite nice, hope there where a giants 2 in the way... enjoy you dont get dissapointed...

There are a few parts (especially the Kabuto levels) That don't feel quite finished. Other than that, Giants is truly one of the best games of it's time. Not to mention that the cut scenes are absolutely histerical! Worth $6 several times over if you haven't played it before.

This third-person shooter/strategy game makes for a short, but fun and memorable play. It has its problems, but they didn't stop me from playing until 2:00 AM. GRAPHICS 4/5: Not bad. Insofar as the terrain is not very detailed, all the bright colors and variations thereof make the game visually very spiffy. My biggest and only problem with the game's appearances is actually with the targeting reticule; oddly enough, the point where you actually fire seems to be a little below and to the right of where the reticule is centered. That's not usually noticeable, but it can be frustrating when you think your aim is dead-on and your last round still misses, or when it hits the hill you're hiding behind instead of the target. SOUNDS 4/5: Nice weapon noises, great recorded dialogue. Music is limited to a few tracks, but it's generally decent. GAMEPLAY 3/5: If you like running around and blowing stuff up, you'll love this game. That said, there are some flaws that mar an otherwise enjoyable experience. First, ally AI stinks. The Meccaryns who back you up when you're playing Baz have an annoying tendency to fly into walls, and you can't give them complicated commands of any kind. You also cannot split them up; you must command all of them to do the same thing. The offspring of Kabuto have it worst, though; it's unusual for them to actually attack enemies in the area they are in. Instead, they tend to just sit there and get shot at, which is about all they are good for. Second, faction balancing leaves a fair bit to be desired. Ironically, the Meccs, the faction you begin play with, are the most easily killed and have the most difficulty destroying enemy bases. Sea Reaper Delphi, on the other hand, has some difficulty healing without a body of water nearby and tends to get swarmed because she cannot travel with any allies. Her spells, for the most part, are less useful than her weapons. Kabuto is the easiest to play with, since he's basically impervious to small arms and can heal himself by eating all enemies. Third and last, YOU CANNOT SAVE YOUR GAME. I cannot stress this enough; whenever you die, you are returned to the start of the mission. Given how often you die while playing the Meccs and/or Delphi, I cannot emphasize strongly enough how bothersome this is. STORY 5/5: It's nonsensical and hilarious. What's not to like? In short, it's not a bad deal for six bucks.