Star Trek Voyager: Elite Force, if not the best non-Interplay Star Trek game of all, is at least my personal favourite due to how it immerses you as the star of your own Star Trek adventure and goes out of its way to make you feel like you're participating in an episode of the eponymous show. Elite Force II continues what worked about the original, but also puts its own spin on things resulting in an equally enjoyable time. Elite Force II continues the story of the Hazard Team by having them be dismantled after returning to Earth. After spending years as a Starfleet Academy teacher, Alex Munro is requested by Jean Luc Picard of the Enterprise-E to start the Hazard Team again, setting him on a path that thrusts him and the Enterprise into a conspiracy involving an alien weapon called the Exomorphs. Like EF1, it's an enjoyable Trek yarn with likable characters, faithfulness to the franchise, and cool environments. It also has a few subtle nods to the then-most-recent Trek show, the simply titled Enterprise, such as Andorians being an enemy in some levels and an LCARS profile mentioning the NX-01. Gameplay wise, it plays similar to EF1, but there are a few tweaks here that make it flow better: Notably, the Tricorder plays a massive role in the game, being used for hacking minigames, scanning objects, and unlocking doors. The use of the Tricorder is much appreciated and make you feel less like a gun-toting action hero and more like a Starfleet officer. Also, weapons need to vent out after a couple shots and the enemies are a bit more intelligent than they were last time. The level design however is the star here: These are some fantastic, sprawling levels with wide open spaces, various styles, and tons of secrets to collect. Highlights include a Borg sphere, a downed Excelsior-class ship, alien ruins, and a smuggler station. They're brilliantly done overall and tons of fun to navigate. Overall, Elite Force II, like its predecessor, is a must-play.
[note: played on Steam and Xbox] Forget about Adi Shankar's wretched try-hard spiteful edgy political hate-fiction masquerading as a TV adaptation of Devil May Cry and take a look at where it all began instead, because Devil May Cry is, as the review title implies, one of the best action adventure game franchises of all time, if not THE best (tied for that spot with Tomb Raider). Barring one entry, these games still hold up as some of the best titles of the 2000s, with tight gameplay, level design, and a cool sense of style. What makes Devil May Cry, Devil May Cry 3 and Devil May Cry 4 so enjoyable is their premise: You don't just kill enemies. You have to style on them. You are given firearms with infinite ammo, and various melee "Devil Arms" ranging from gauntlets, to swords, to nunchaku to more outlandish creations, and you have a "style" metre that tracks how well you're doing in a level. You must slash, launch, juggle, slash, charge up a melee attack, break blocks, dodge, taunt, pummel and more to raise up your style level and get as much points as humanly possible to upgrade your abilities as protagonists Dante and Nero for future engagements, and unload the best possible combo of attacks on unsuspecting Devils. This sounds rather easy, but in reality, Devil May Cry is a lot like sex: It's easy to learn, yet hard to master. The enemies are ferocious, and have patterns you have to memorise and attacks you have to dodge. And only by memorising each attack pattern discovering which combo is best for an enemy can you truly become a master of the Devil May Cry franchise (or at least, a really good player). Combine this with some shockingly well written and deep stories with a hidden message about family that reveals itself in each game, some really bloodpumping soundtracks, and a delightful embracing of the admittedly silly premise, and you have a must-play for any self-respecting gamer. Avoid Devil May Cry 2, however. That game is rough.
In the UK in the 1990s, one of the most popular subgenres of shooter game was the Top-Down style: inspired by Gauntlet, this subgenre had players control their characters from an overhead view and kill anything that moves as they make it to the next area. The series that popularised this was Alien Breed, and in 2009 and 2010, Team17 returned to this franchise for a really strong modernisation for digital distribution services like Xbox Live Arcade and Steam. The Alien Breed Trilogy is a gamer's game: You. Challenging difficulty. Tons of enemies. And a goal you must accomplish by killing said enemies. The controls feel tight and responsive, with the mouse and keyboard working great with the isolated view and the movement feeling tight. The weapons you get your hands on are also really good; with a powerful shotgun and flamethrower being the highlights of the lot. And the enemies are varied, enjoyable to fight, and instantly recognisable thanks to their distinctive bodies, meaning you'll have no difficulty identifying a Medic or a Mauler. Oh, and there's a story too. It's nothing special, just an excuse for you to venture forth and blast aliens, but it gets the job done and the voice acting is pretty competent. Overall, whenever it goes on sale, I recommend giving The Alien Breed Trilogy a go. It's a fun, addictive series of shooters with a good atmosphere and twitch gameplay. Really, the main fault is that the game sometimes crashes and you have to do everything in your power to get it to work. Otherwise, it's a good time. Now if only Team17 remastered the original trilogy of Alien Breed, The Horror Continues and Tower Assault...
Tomb Raider is one of the best action adventure games of all time, and this remaster in my opinion does it justice. Graphics-wise, it stays true to the original artstyle whilst updating it for a modern system and Lara's new model couldn't have been better. Gameplay-wise, it still holds up, with some creative puzzles, fantastic platforming challenges, and though the combat is the weakest aspect of these games, the new controls do make it more bareable. Speaking of the controls, they are the biggest thing that the Remasters do: Include a modern control scheme for those who want a less-hassleful playthrough. Admittedly, although they do take some getting used to for those accustomed with the classic "tank" controls, I find they work pretty well and are great both with a mouse and a keyboard (barring some rather painful camerawork) and a controller. However, those who despise these new controls can also swap to the classic ones, so ultimately in my opinion, it is a win-win. Now, in today's rather... politically toxic climate, there's always the question of censorship. Thankfully, the game is BARELY censored and presented mostly as it was in 1996 with some minor censorship, with nought but a one-time disclaimer warning about "harmful stereotypes" and how Crystal Dynamics don't like them and how these stereotypes make you Kill John Lennon or something. (South Park references FTW) Of course, there are genuine flaws here. Notably, there are a few graphical issues across the three games (such as the Tomb Raider III shotgun being represented as the one from 1 & 2 and the retro graphics being locked at 30fps), and if you own these here on GOG, the EULA you have to agree to may not gel with you as seen on the most helpful review here. However, whether you take the EULA flaw to heart and buy this elsewhere, or just do it here and get it over with, this modernised, yet faithful collection is a must for wannabe Tomb Raiders and longtime fans.
One of several games released in a blitz of Star Wars: The Phantom Menace tie-ins, Episode I: Racer is one of the best anti-gravity racing games of all time and one of the most accessible. Themed after the movie's signature scene, the Boonta Eve Pod Race on Tatooine where deuteragonist Anakin Skywalker demonstrated his expert piloting skills, Episode I: Racer expands on this premise by having the player pick from one of many different Racers (including Anakin himself) and race their way to fortune and glory in several intergalactic racing tournaments. Although a Joystick is beneficiary, I find that the basic keyboard controls feel so good, that it's easy to pick up, pick a Racer, and play. Speed and course wise, Episode I: Racer is unmatched. Not only are the various locales that the player visits in their quest for glory and fame expertly designed and very much built around the "ancient, yet familiar" artstyle that The Phantom Menace embodies, but the tracks in these locales are easy to learn, and yet hard to master. And thankfully, the Podracer craft the player has access to are more than up to the challenge, with exquisite movie-like sound design, a wide field of view and intense velocity making you FEEL like you're a speedster cruising through The Galaxy and avoiding the various traps and pitfalls therein. Are there faults? Yea, you might find the fastest routes possible eventually and the game will end up losing its lustre, but overall, Star Wars Episode I: Racer is a must play racing game and worth looking into if you're a fan of The Phantom Menace and larger Prequel trilogy as a whole. It is speedy, intense, and a blast to play.
The popular sequel to Blood Omen, Soul Reaver took the Legacy of Kain series into the third dimension and did so in style. Boasting addictive gameplay, incredible art design, unique music and the same high quality writing, voice acting and story as last time, Soul Reaver still stands the test of time. And this remaster does it and its 2001 follow-up Soul Reaver 2 justice. The modern controls and map are much appreciated and the visual update is as good as Saber and Crystal Dynamics' last remaster, Tomb Raider 1 - 3 Remastered. However, what makes this collection a must-buy despite the jank (which will get patched out) is the amount of content on display: You not only get both Soul Reaver and Soul Reaver 2, but also explorable cut levels, scripts for each game, the soundtracks, concept art and more. Soul Reaver 1&2 Remastered gives you maximum bang for your buck and because of this, it's a must-buy.
Legacy of Kain: Blood Omen is simply put, one of the best games from 1996. Unfortunately, it took a long time for it to get a digital rerelease as it was developed by Crystal Dynamics and Silicon Knights and Published by Activision, as such being stuck in copyright limbo for years before Crystal Dynamics got the rights again and rereleased it on GOG. And I'm happy they sorted it out, because my opening statement was no exaggeration. Blood Omen is a strong Zelda-influenced 2D action adventure game, with a beautifully desolate world to explore, tons of enemies to fend off, spells and weapons to master and some well-designed dungeons. Where it differs from its inspiration is that the titular protagonist Kain (voiced brilliantly by Simon Templeman) is a vampire, and so the player is encouraged to satiate their inner bloodlust by sucking the blood out of certain enemies and NPCs to heal themselves and to suck the souls of ghosts of said enemies and NPCs to recharge their magic. This twist on the formula, coupled with a focus on combat (though you do push bricks and solve puzzles), makes it stand out from its contemporaries, and the actual gameplay itself still holds up and is easy to pick up and play despite somewhat clunky controls (controller is VERY recommended). However, the star of the show here is the storyline: Blood Omen's story is one of the best gaming narratives, introducing us to Kain, the World of Nosgoth, Vorador, the Sarafan and the Circle of the Nine, all of whom are explored in great detail here and fleshed out in the sequel, Soul Reaver. Kain himself is a fascinating character to play as, and the people he meets are just as brilliantly realised and well-acted with a cast of screen and stage actors giving the game another edge over its contemporaries. So yeah. Don't let the fact that the sequels switched to 3D scare you away from Blood Omen: It's a killer action title with a strong plot, and is more than a recommendation from me: It's a must-play.
Although I feel the original version of the first game hasn't aged that well, the original Resident Evil 2 and Resident Evil 3: Nemesis are what made me a horror fan. Although the Tank Controls might be clunky for those looking in, in the context of the fixed camera angles and pre-rendered backgrounds, they work like a charm, giving the games a deliberate pace that neither slows down to a crawl nor goes hyper-fast. Further more, they succeed as survival horror games: Not only are they easier to get into than Alone in the Dark (the game that inspired it), but the creature designs are top notch, and scare sequences timeless. For example: There's a certain sequence in Resident Evil 2 involving a door in the shed. I'd dare not spoil, but people who played the games will know what I'm talking about. Combined with genius puzzles, and you have a series worth getting into, even with all the rough edges. I have no idea why GOG didn't also bring over the Gamecube era (REmake1, Zero and 4), but these three games, coupled with the Gamecube era which is available on Steam, honestly make for a perfect purchase.
One of Obsidian Entertainment's more obscure titles, Alpha Protocol was slatmmed on release for jankiness, but garnered a cult following for its plot, writing and innovative choice system only to then become abandonware due to copyrighted music. And now this year, GOG has preserved it with a brand new and improved version. And it's worth the preservation IMO. The game is very influenced by Mass Effect, being an action Role Playing title with Third Person Shooter combat and a choice system, but Alpha Protocol adds to the choice system concept by making it so that there are no "good" or "bad" choices: just results. Every choice you make has both benefits and downsides, and can influence the plot in many different ways. And THIS is why Alpha Protocol is a cult game: The amount of choices you're given is unparalleled, and when coupled with a damn fine plot and script by Obsidian regular Chris Avellone, it makes for one of the best RPGs of the seventh generation. Really, I think the reason critics lambasted it (and why I'm giving it a very high four stars) was because of the janky combat and flawed AI, but the former can easily be remedied with a mod that fixes the aiming reticules. If you're looking for a unique Role-Playing experience, or are all for games preservation (which you should be), or both, Alpha Protocol is a must-own.
