My review of Anodyne:-

3 stars - People Are Strange

A glowing, open door. An invitation? A necessity, perhaps...

Across conceptually abstract locales, Young's adventure is quite surreal indeed, with a subtle touch of malevolence – the 'something seems a bit off here' factor. The visuals and soundscape effectively contribute to building up an atmosphere which will comprise many hues and flavours, from lighthearted humour to seriously dark moods.

Anodyne's abstract narrative is in stark contrast to the game's straightforward gameplay, which is your typical action-adventure adhering to the retro formula - which sees exploration, combat and puzzles all taking place from an overhead perspective, with most actions revolving around the use of two primary items, a broom (your weapon!) and shoes for jumping. Oh, and there will be a lot of keys to find, but the main collectables are the game's cards which will unlock various gates to other dimensions. The platforming elements can be a pain when playing with a keyboard, and I admit this has led me to installing the game on my Android mobile device, which allowed me to handle the jumping as if using a gamepad. However, to say that this is Link's Awakening 2.0 would be a bit of a stretch, for while the game's mechanics are certainly old school Zelda-like, Anodyne would fit better in a category of titles that would include The Stanley Parable, first because of its experimental narrative steeped in metaphor, but also because of its rather unexpected post-game gimmick, which I won't spoil for you but suffice to say that I thought it was quite fascinating and it kept me playing for a while longer. Speaking of playtime, this game kept me busy for roughly 10 hours, which felt about right. That's 3.5/5 stars for me.

The world of Anodyne may just be a variegated collection of thoughts, feelings and memories, but if delving into and exploring a somewhat tortuous psyche doesn't sound unpalatable to you, then I would invite you to give this game a try... it may well resonate with you.

this is a review of your collective.

your games are currently not playble.... return to castle wolfenstein. and more. i love the idea. can you plee allow castle wolfenstein to work. otherwise dont sell it. i have spent a few dollars on your awesome content but if it doesnt work dont upload. i sent my last 6 bucks on castle wolfenstein.... please

just reinstalled return 4 times doesnt work, any tips????? im not trying to be cunt but if this thing doest run ima need cash back


just uninstalled 4 games to get this and..... no one cares

some one shoud be employed to wtch ur forrums, you dont want them ABUSED do you???? money back now


hello? anyone care about customers?

Otlaws Review

Hit me, barmen, one more time

Oh, man, do I love this game. Liked it as a kid, revered it more and more as the time passed. So what’s it all about? The authors took the concept “Every bullet counts” quite literally, so you may kill anyone in one or two shots. The problem and the main attraction is that they may kill you just like that too. You say you die too often playing on bad (i.e. normal)?! It better SHALL because it was designed to be that way.

And what about weapons? It’s golden classic: knifes, revolver, rifle, single/double-barrel and sawed—off shotguns, dynamite and GATLING GUN. Though you wouldn’t use the last much cause it’s bolted to the floor and fixed cowboy is a dead cowboy.

The music? It’s just godly, it’s this Sergio Leone style and you pass windy streets feeling like Clint Eastwood, enter saloons, banks and undertaker offices guns blazing like Clint Eastwood, stay in a passenger car with bullets flying all over the place and feel… Well, you got it, didn’t ya?

The purpose of the game is simple: find three keys and kill Big Boss though usually you just kill everyone in the whole level as well. Just in case, ya know? Sometimes you have to jump or solve some puzzles, but it’s definitely not Tummy Rider or Freddy Forkass if I name these games correctly.

Last thing to mention is this: mesmerizing cutscenes that justify third walkthrough of the game for me. Lucas Arts Magic, stylish, beautifully drawn, and intelligent… Man, do I love this game.

My review for System Shock: Enhanced Edition

3 Stars: Nostalgia in Every Sense

Why forcing users to release reviews for your games? Except for the lack of reviews you have here on GOG. You shouldn't do this. Users are mostly writing fake reviews just to make them look cool and get the reward.

It's like you're underpaying people for reviews but you call it a contest so no one will bother.

Lords of the Realm 2
----------

Let slip the cows of war.

Cows are central to my war effort.

Swords and soldiers, weapons and warriors? They matter as well. I mean, they certainly have their place in the grand scheme of things, but cows are the real backbone. My war-drums are the thunder of a thousand bovine hooves.

Because Lords of the Realm 2 is a game of economic balancing masquerading as a game of military warfare. Battles are won with strong armies, but armies don't feed themselves and troops don't grow in vats. The same population that provides your soldiers also makes your blacksmiths and your farmers. If everybody is drafted into your army, who will feed and arm them? On the flip side, if everybody is busy tending turnips then who goes off to war?

It's this balancing act which lies at the base of every decision. It's very easy to misjudge things – you send half the town away to war, knowing it'll be an easy win, and six months later they are still sieging the castle while the harvest rots in the field. Should you have sent less people? Would a smaller army have had a chance at capturing that county?

Like I say, it's a constant economic balancing act. As for the rest of the game, it holds up well. The battles are fun and the characters nicely defined – you can recognise the difference between, say, the treacherous Countess or the brash Knight. The controls haven't aged very well and some of the difficulty options are quite well hidden, but there’s an easy charm to the game that transcends its creaking bones.

So give 1996 another chance, but remember - the sickle is mightier than the sword.

Wrote this at the last minute and wasn't sure of the posting etiquette - edit onto my first review or make a new post? I flipped the coin and came up paranoid that it might be missed as an edit.

Sid Meier's Pirates! - PRIVATEER. noun: a pirate with good PR

SWASH. verb
to swagger with a drawn sword

BUCKLER. noun
a small shield

SWASHBUCKLER. noun
stock character
to nance flamboyantly in inadequate armour

Sid Meier’s Pirates! promises that there shall be buckles and, by golly, that they shall be swashed. Sid Meier’s Pirates! has never seen a cuirass and wouldn’t know how to fasten one if it did. Sid Meier’s Pirates! thinks that duels are won with comedically-timed swinging crates.

Sid Meier’s Pirates! puts an exclamation point in its official title.

It’s everything that the name promises - a ridiculous romp through naval battles and ballroom dances. You begin as a callow boy seeking the man who stole his family and end as a privateer who forgot his family existed about three weeks in. You’re sure they’re fine. They’ve probably gone to live on a farm somewhere.

The main thrust of the game is hunting other ships for fun and profit. You pick your prey - British, Dutch, French or Spanish - and use their deaths to curry favour with their enemies. Then you romance said enemy’s daughter and milk the poor girl for map fragments, before kicking seven bells out of her other suitors and swanning off on another caribbean murder cruise. Eventually your men get moody, so you split the take and go your separate ways - you to recruit another crew, them to do whatever it is unemployed sailors do down the docks in 1660.

Pirates! technically has a plot to follow: Marquis de la Montalbán kidnapped your family when you were a kid and you’re looking to learn where he stashed them. Once I almost got as far as finding my sister.

Once. Because Pirates! is a glorious open ocean and it’s so easy to find yourself following the horizon instead, so easy to chase after the top ten wanted pirates. There are cannons to fire, crew to hire, ships to board and their captains to duel. There are barroom brawls cheered on by feisty barmaids. There is a ballroom dancing minigame.

There is an exclamation mark in the official title.

First of all, some clarifications. The following story-review was made based on my experience with the original Baldur's Gate series, I, II and their respective expansion. I've noticed that GOG, at the moment, has only the newer enhanced editions available in it's game catalogue. I don't own these games so therefore I cannot recommend them, obviously, because I haven't played them. This is the reason why this review is being posted only on this thread (and not on the game page) and I don't consider it as being part of the contest. The reason why I wrote it is because recently I've finished the original game and when I saw the title of the contest, I was hit by an wave of inspiration. I will post the following review here just for the reading pleasure of anyone willing to spend a few minutes until it's end.

Thank you and I hope you enjoy it.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A Baldur's Gate Review

The sun was sending it's last rays over us, as a gentle and warm reminder that the day was about to end. We were hoping to finish the quest, for which we were hired in Beregost, before the sundown. It seems we will have to camp near the nearby forest for tonight and resume our search in the morning.

As I looked over to my companions, a good night rest seemed more and more as an excellent plan. Our encounters with bandits in the last days left us pretty tired and defenseless. Hmm ... something is wrong with this iron shortage. These raiding bands must be connected with what is going on down in the Nashkel mines, I thought to myself. We will have to investigate into this matter in the near future, but for now, we must rest.

We started approaching the forest, looking for a place to set up the camp. Minsc will probably seize this opportunity to show us his famous Rashemen stew. It was the only thing he spoke about in the last days, that and his hamster Boo. I have to admit that at first, it seemed ... odd, to see this gigantic ranger being so overprotective about his fury little friend, but in the end, he is a ranger, so it's understandable.

As we approached the forest, a strange musty smell came from the trees. It seemed that I was the only one that felt it from our party. As we were about to start the fire and set up the camp ... it happened.

An axe flew a few inches from my left arm and the next thing I heard was Kivan yelling:

"Ambush !!"

Right away, our party was attacked by five ogres, three flanking us and two attacking head first from the front. We were caught unprepared. I turned and started giving orders at the party, trying to quickly organize it:

"Imoen, run back a few meters and attack the one on the right, draw his attention, hurry ! Kivan, stay behind me and keep an eye on the left flank. In case they get too close, use your spear !"

I turned to Minsc and by the time I was about to gather my breath to give him an order, he was already charging the ogres in the front of us, with his bastard sword swinging in the air, guided only by the boiling blood of his berserker rage. Seconds later, he slashed right through an ogre's chest. A red mist began to form as blood started gushing out.

I turned to the left flank and started to quickly think what had to be done. It was too late to protect me with my Shield spell. I remembered my Color Spray spell, so I cast it on the two ogres on our left. Seconds later, they fell to the ground, unconscious as dozens of colored lights emerged from my fingertips. It seemed that Lady Luck was on our side today.

I was overconfident, and I was punished for this within seconds. With my right eye, I caught a glimpse of something coming my way, fast ! A spiked club hit me and quickly after, I fell to the ground. For a moment, I felt no pain as I tried to regain control of my senses.

Right away, I heard our cleric Viconia starting her healing spell over me. Her voice had something soothing, which calmed me every time she spoke. I could hear the arrows from Imoen's bow flying towards the ogre near me, splitting the air in their quest to pierce the enemy's vital parts. Kivan's spear started dancing above me, trying desperately to defend his comrade in arms. As I said, Lady Luck was present among us that night. The ogre finally started to back away, wounded by the attacks of my desperate companions.

Within seconds, I regained my strength as a warm and cold sensation started to enter my body. As I was getting up, I turned to Viconia and gave her a quick nod ... she smiled telling me "What will you do when I won't be around ?". Even though she is a drow, she was always different with me than with everyone else.

I looked upon my attacker, noticing that he was at his end, patiently awaiting the final blow. I raised my hands into the sky and suddenly, I threw them forward, unleashing a Magic Missile. Three silent rays of red light flew in front of me, seeking their target ... the ogre fell to the ground with his eyes wide open, as my missiles pushed into his chest.

I turned to Minsc, just to see him standing over the bodies of the two ogres, which had the misfortune of meeting the famous ranger. Covered in blood, he smiled at me and said: "Butt kicking for goodness, right ?". The unconscious ogres on our left were dealt with quickly, as they laid defenseless on the ground. What mattered at this moment was that ...

We were alive !

I looked at the sky and noticed the stars. It was a clear night and the smell of the spring was present all around us. These are the moments which find their place in the songs of bards, songs of great deeds ... and great people.

But ... at the same time, a strange feeling was creeping inside my mind ... as if, none of this ... was real. It couldn't be !

"What an adventure !" - the bards would have said.

I closed my eyes and lowered my head. I knew it wasn't real, but it was an experience no one can forget. I opened my eyes as I was standing in front of my computer ... writing ...

Baldur's Gate is a game with many tales, similar, to the one I've just told. A rich and original story, memorable characters, an open world and the famous AD&D 2nd edition game mechanics will make playing this game an experience to be remembered.

And if at the end, it leaves you wanting for more, don't despair ! Baldur's Gate II with it's expansion comes to close the chapter of an already epic adventure. A higher level cap, access to high level spells, limitless tactical decisions, new classes, new characters, new locations and ... I almost forgot ... David Warner's unforgettable voice as Jon Irenicus, the famous antagonist, will make you discover the rare gem that Baldur's Gate truly is.

I know that by today standards, Baldur's Gate can be labels as an "old" game, but what this game has is ... substance. Something that I find more and more lacking in today's games. Nevertheless, the Baldur's Gate community has managed to produce various mods during the years, notably the widescreen mod, which will make the game even more enjoyable.

With these being said, I'm afraid that this is the moment where we have to part ways ... my dear reader.

Baldur's Gate ladies and gentlemen ... imagination at it's finest.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

And another one! I did this one for a recently released game as per the previous parameters (wow that was by accident) because there was A LOT of "noise" around this release. And a ton of reviews. So here's one people on the fence can get a second look at without having to wade through 70-odd pages on the game card here.

Also, I hope this actually gets posted. I always pared my previous reviews down to the required limit. Because I copy / pasted this one I didn't notice until just as I hit submit that I was way over. So I'm not sure what happens or even if this one will "count" (be post on the game page by GoG). Regardless, at least a few people might get a look at the review here. So, without further adieu...


No Man's Sky: A (Hopefully) Controversy Free Review 3 Stars


So, No Man's Sky. This one blew my mind the first time I read a half page blurb about it in a gaming magazine, 3 years ago. I thought it was going to be the game that dragged me into the next (now current) console generation. So naturally, my mind was utterly blown and I was ecstatic when I saw it was going to be releasing on GoG. Did it live up to my expectations? Read on.

First and foremost, performance. I was one of the lucky ones. My chipset supported SSE instructions (which the game now supports for all chipsets I believe) and this one played fine straight out of the box. I have a middling "gaming" (-ish) computer, several years old and a GPU to match. At 1080P the performance is about what you'd expect for a new "AAA" style game. Pretty good, and not enough to detract from my enjoyment. If you think you can play the Witcher 3 on a 5 year old system, with a GPU two generations out of date, at 4K - you're going to be disappointed here as well. Ironically it seems that the bleeding edge systems were the ones that had odd performance issues out of the gate, at least based on reviews I read.

So did I enjoy the game? Yes, in fact. But that comes with several caveats. The game is really NOT the open world action space sim I thought it would be. It's far more of an exploration, survival and crafting-lite game. To that end, there is indeed space combat as well as some ground based FPS action. It's all serviceable and actually backed up by the ability to craft fun upgrades for both your on foot and in space personas. There's enough there to scratch an RPG type itch and I for one found the "lasering" of resources enjoyable.

Is there a bit of repetition? Of course, and boredom can set in. But that's almost inherent in games of this type. The crafting and exploration isn't as deep as something like Don't Starve and the space combat is a bit mundane. But all and all there was enough there for me to actually enjoy the game. Combine that with the ever present quest for the next ship, search for uber-upgrade and discovery on an exciting planet that offers resources and crafting "recipes" you previously were unaware of and the game is compelling if only for a short time.

It suffers a bit from its own scope (the universe seed idea is fantastic, but it really serves to accentuate that you're doing the same thing over and over). Again, nearly every game is a victim of this to some extent but here it's magnified over, literally, an entire impossible universe sized expanse. Was it worth it? This one is more difficult to say. For me, yes, but your mileage may vary. I factored into the game the value of my support for GoG landing something like this. The $60 price of admission included my desire to see titles like this launch and become viable DRM free. Without that, you may feel a bit jilted. For me, I was happy to get to play the dream come true. Even if it wasn't exactly as amazing once it made the leap to the real world.

I can't take the suspense!

Yet another month and still no sign of our codes. Any news about it? ;)

Yup yup, I was looking forward to using that 9.99 dollars gift code during the Fall Sale ...

Did it totally drop off the map? Or have others received theirs and I'm the only winner without one?

Uhm... :D
So have you guys received any message about the winnings? I mean I was in the honorable mentions for july or something like that, with The Solus Project review.