Had a really fun time with this one. The difficulty can be downright crushing at points, but I found that everything else more than makes up for it. The atmosphere, music, visuals, even the FMV cutscenes all create a memorable science-fiction world. The gameplay itself, despite some antiquated controls, feels genuinely satisfying. Punchy guns, destructible environments, and a deliberately methodical pace make you feel more like the Terminator instead of John Woo, if that makes sense. You're a hulking mass of crimson armor and high-powered weaponry, and the gameplay reflects that. Highly recommended for anyone that wants a grimy action game. Just be aware that it'll put you through the wringer more than a handful of times before you can really start dishing out pain.
Call of Cthulhu: Dark Corners of the Earth is a tough sell for me. On one hand, it's a brilliant representation of Lovecraft's work, combining some genuinely oppressive atmosphere with unsettling creatures and a sense of foreboding so thick you could cut it with a spoon. On the other hand, it's actual gameplay feels stapled together from a variety of genres in a way that never really feels cohesive, with several moments almost completely breaking the atmosphere it works so hard to create. That, combined with obtuse mechanics that are either broken or terribly obscure, and a litany of technical issues on modern hardware, force me to cautiously recommend Call of Cthulhu: Dark Corners of the Earth. If you're willing to put up with the immense lows that you will endure, what you'll find is a commendable game that'll stick with you for months after you finish it, for better and for worse.
Like someone else noticed, the game's gibbing and overall violence are it's sole strength. For what it's worth, it's really damn good. Limbs, heads, and torsos get blown open in gruesome fashion. I frequently took a shotgun and a high-caliber pistol into every mission just for a chance to tear some people up. Being made on the Quake II engine, movement is quick, guns feel good to shoot, and combat is satisfying enough to get you from one level to the next. But that's just it -- it's satisfying enough. I found myself realizing just how identical every firefight started to feel around the halfway point. Most enemies have the same few set behaviors, despite separate skins. Things do eventually get shaken up with bullet-resistant armor and high-powered weapons, but it's a minor challenge at best. You're free to pick an arsenal of weapons to bring into every mission, but you'll eventually just resort to grabbing whatever each enemy uses as their primary weapon once you run out of ammo. By the time I hit the final boss, I was almost wishing that it could've ended sooner. The story is typical fare, and at the very least there's some self-awareness of it. It mostly exists just to string you along and connect the various levels, of which there's some decent variety. Underground subways, trains, high rise buildings, and villages are just some of the places you'll go. It could be worse, really. The final few levels took place in what I can only describe as thematically appropriate areas. I won't spoil them for you. Overall, you could do a hell of a lot worse than Soldier of Fortune. I enjoyed my time with it, and I'm glad I played it. Having said that, I won't try to up-sell you on a mostly generic shooter. If you're a gore-hound, this game is essential. If not, maybe look elsewhere.
Sometimes I look at F.E.A.R. 2 and I get reminded of an idea I had when I was younger. Instead of focusing exclusively on Alma, maybe the F.E.A.R. series could've been an anthology, each one focusing on some new paranormal phenomenon mixed with great gunplay. Instead, we got this and F.3.A.R. Mind you, F.E.A.R. 2 isn't a terrible game. Far from it. It's competent, the game feels nice to play, it's a decent length for what you pay for. But it's one of those games that feel wholly unnecessary, barely achieving a fraction of what made it's predecessor so fun and engaging. It feels more cartoony, with less environmental interactions and more jelly-like blood sprayed everywhere. The paranormal sequences are amplified ten-fold, and while some moments are genuinely unsettling compared to the first game's admittedly terrible jumpscares, it's not the majority of the experience. Not even gonna touch the story with a ten foot pole. While I appreciated the audacity they had to attempt an ending like that, it really comes off as being in poor taste while setting up the third game for failure. Some positives: there are some sequences involving a mech which are pretty fun, and they continue into the third game. The DLC bundled with this game is a kind addition. Some new weapons are incredibly fun to use, and both the school level and final boss are visually interesting. I still had fun. Don't get me wrong, I had fun. And I'd even say that you'd have fun if you gave it a shot too. Just don't go into it expecting anything like the first F.E.A.R. game. I remember preferring F.E.A.R. 2 when I was younger, if that means anything.
And it was pretty entertaining. You follow the globetrotting Lara Croft as she gathers pieces of the Excalibur sword from Arthurian legend while exploring, shooting, platforming, and puzzle solving. For the most part, I had a fantastic time. My favorite levels were probably either Kazakhstan or Tokyo. Both are pretty unique when set against the more traditional ruins you explore. I'd highly recommend not turning on "next generation" mode. It caused me nothing but performance problems with negligible benefits. The levels where you ride a motorbike are pretty bad. There were several points where I'd just stick to one part of the road, hold down the fire button, and wait for enemies to stop spawning. It always worked. I played on the Normal difficulty. It's pretty linear, but I didn't mind that. If you've played previous entries in this series, that might be a turnoff. I don't have much else to say! I got this on sale for a dollar and frankly I felt it was more than worth it.
I had a really fun time with Tyrian 2000. It's a vertical shooter game that lets you upgrade your ship between levels along with occasional branching paths depending on if you match certain criteria in some levels. The better your guns are, the more your ship will heat up, requiring that you find a careful balance between firepower and energy to cool everything down. You're not restricted to beating everything in one sitting, as you can save and load between missions. I don't have much else to say! I liked the music, I liked the graphics, the weapon upgrades encouraged me to experiment with a variety of bullet types, and I liked just how much "game' there is. You're not gonna be finishing this in an afternoon. The story isn't anything special, but it's fine enough for getting you from point A to point B. The game is also completely free! If you're at all interested in playing this or have an interest in vertical shooters, try it.
Kane and Lynch 2: Dog Days is less of a game and more like an interactive movie. You really ought to know this going in, because otherwise I think your money is better spent elsewhere. That being said, Kane and Lynch 2: Dog Days is a self-contained sequel to Dead Men that completely changes it's tone and presentation into something far more sinister, gritty, and effective. Whereas Dead Men was a bombastic crime thriller, Dog Days is CCTV footage of a gang execution. This change is for better and for worse. The game-play hasn't improved much from the sequel. You'll still be shooting and nothing but, minus squad mechanics in favor of an improved cover system. However, instead of globe-trotting while committing heists, you're stuck in the slums of Shanghai. Instead of a firm camera behind Kane's shoulder, you're looking over Lynch's shoulder as a real cameraman would, with all the visual and aural distortions that implies. When you're sprinting, the camera shakes to a nauseating degree. Explosions and certain guns peak and blow out the audio to an almost painful degree. The camera even floats around during conversations or sits still when there's no action, just like how a real camera would. Kane and Lynch's adventure in Shanghai feels like something we shouldn't see. If you don't appreciate that idea, however, you're going to hate this game. The game is somehow shorter than Dead Men, has a notoriously divisive ending, and doesn't really fix any issues from the first game. The darker tone - including a larger emphasis on horror, oddly enough - may be too much for some in combination with the game's visuals. Kane and Lynch 2: Dog Days is a game that I find really fascinating. Visually, I can't think of anything else that commits to it's style as much as this. There's a concept here with a ton of potential. If you can look past the game's issues, I think you'll find something special. I wouldn't blame you for passing on it, though.
Kane and Lynch: Dead Men is not a great game. It's not a terrible game, either. You'll be following the adventure of the titular Kane and Lynch - a former mercenary and his watchdog, respectively - as they become embroiled in a simple contract that gradually spins out of their control. You'll shoot things with Lynch, tell Lynch to stand somewhere and shoot things, or tell Lynch shoot the same person you're shooting at. You'll shoot cars, guys in suits, cops, more cops, Cuban soldiers, thugs, and so on. Sometimes you'll use grenades. It's not fantastic. If you're looking for interesting mechanics, varied challenge - or just variety in general, really - you really ought to pass on this and the sequel. That being said, as a solo experience, I did feel compelled to finish it. The story is threadbare, often jumping from location to location with just enough dialogue for the transitions make sense. Some of those locations are, admittedly, pretty interesting. Without spoiling anything, the first 2/3rds of the campaign will have you raiding nightclubs, engaging in gunfights on open streets, and besieging corporate buildings, which fits with the same sort of action-crime-movie motif the game has going for it. But then you go to Cuba and any personality the game had vanishes immediately. You won't play for the story. I sure didn't. Thankfully, Kane and Lynch have a lot of potential as interesting characters with a decent amount of chemistry between them, something that would be expanded on in the sequel. Kane is a cool-headed, remorseful family man while Lynch is a medicated sociopath that can't seem to stay calm at the absolute worst moments. The two play off each other decently enough throughout the adventure and thankfully don't overstay their welcome. In short, Kane and Lynch: Dead Men is a hard sell unless you're willing to look past a few issues. I had fun, but I wouldn't highly recommend it. The sequel, Dog Days, is a more interesting game overall.
