To cut a long story short, System Shock 2 is a legendary game, a rare gem of the very end of the 90s. System Shock 2 is a 3D sci-fi horror stealth action game with strong RPG character development elements. While the visuals may seem rather dated by modern standards, the angular and "roughly cut" appearance of the game characters seem spot-on for a game like System Shock 2 and only adds to the horrifying atmosphere that the setting of the game is filled with. The sounds of the various enemies you're going to encounter are at least as terrifying. Where the game truly shines, however, is its gameplay. While the game focuses on action with pronounced stealth elements, it also gives the player an opportunity to develop the character in a variety of ways, choosing between three distinct character classes, each of which is associated with its own unique playstyle, and giving the player the option to develop various skill trees. The atmosphere of the game is always tense - the enemies are plenty and strong, the mysterious events surrounding the player are developed carefully and slowly enough to build suspense and keep the adrenaline level high. In conclusion, System Shock 2 is a unique game which deserves to be loved and played through at least once by every loyal fan of truly great old games out there, and it's finally DRM-free on GOG!
Being a "child of the 80s-90s", I was looking forward to seeing Giana Sisters: Twisted Dreams because it was aimed to be the rebirth of one of the most memorable (even if not one of the most widely known) C64 platformers of the 80s/early 90s - Great Giana Sisters. For those of you who don't know, Great Giana Sisters was a platformer done in Super Mario Bros style (some would argue "too much in SMB style", but I believe GGS was a great game in its own right). Giana Sisters: Twisted Dreams is not a remake of the old game, it's a brand new game set in the same setting, with modernized gameplay, gorgeous HD graphics, and awesome dual soundtrack which features remixed elements from familiar tunes as well as new music in the same style (which, by the way, alternates between a retro style and a rock style depending on the game mode - more on this in a second). New innovative gameplay elements feature a dual world that changes with a push of a button, alternating between two different versions, each with its own graphics, music style, as well as set of objects, monsters, and traps. In order to complete levels, switching back and forth between levels is necessary to properly lay the way forward through the mazes of the game world. Gameplay feels a bit faster paced than the original GGS, which is, I believe, a good thing, and with some new moves and attacks such as the forward dash, the game feels faster than the original GGS and arguably some of the Mario games, even though not as fast as Sonic games. Subjectively, the new GS:TD game feels similar to the pace of Klonoa platformer games from PS1/PS2 (for those of you who played the games). Overall, Giana Sisters: Twisted Dreams is a fun and beautifully made side-scrolling platformer that is worth of the fame of the Giana Sisters title. It offers many classic elements to the fans of the original game while renovating the gameplay with new elements that blend well with the original game mechanics. The high definition 3D graphics are nothing short of gorgeous, and the sound track is both true to the game setting and done in good style (in both versions, the retro and the rock). Personally I would highly recommend this game to all the fans of the original game (except, perhaps, to those diehard fans who believe that pretty much any modernization of a classic game is automatically a failure, no matter what), and I highly recommend this game to people who never played Giana Sisters in the past - it is a good introduction to the game that, I hope, will also make you want to look up some information about the classic original game and maybe even get a chance to play the original game too. A definite five star rating game and an insta-buy from me!
