Scorn definitely isn't a game for everyone. I wouldn't even consider it to be a real game, despite having some puzzles and combat - it's mostly a walking simulator inside a painting of H. R. Giger. Just like Giger's works, Scorn is very morbid, dark and sometimes outright disgusting, but not overly so, creating a really dense atmosphere or a rotting, half-organic world which was left by its past inhabitants. From a gaming perspective, don't expect much. There are a few simple puzzles which are reused throughout the game. There is no real inventory for multiple items, so anything the character carries is used right away. The combat mechanics are also very sluggish, taking a long time to aim, shoot and reload, and ammunition/health is relatively rare. This is by design, as combat is mostly optional and Scorn definitely isn't designed to be a first-person shooter. Scorn mainly lives from its art and interactive storytelling. The artwork and level design is simply amazing, often I've just stopped and looked around y taking in every little detail the developers put in there. The storytelling part though is the one I'm really not content with. You get some ideas about what most parts of the world were used for, but Scorn leaves you with more questions than answers after finishing it. There's no text or any other clues inside the game which tell you anything about the inhabitants, present and past. You actually have to buy the deluxe edition to get the art book, which gives some details about Scorn, but doesn't tell a cohesive story either. As a conclusion, if you like dark and gory horror and Giger's art - definitely play Scorn! If you are more into complex/challenging gameplay or don't like the genre, skip it. From the devs, I'd really like to have a DLC that goes deeper into the story, giving more details on the world and how all that what you see in Scorn happened.
I haven't bought the game on GOG, but I own the original CD release, which should be identical to what you get here (including the screen resolution limit, which is 1024×768 in-game, but only 640×480 in the menu). The general look and feel of the game was already a bit outdated at the time of the original release, and that's one reason I won't give it five stars. The other negative point is the audio. The sound effects are "strange" and repetitive, clicking on a unit/building will play the same sound every time for each type. After the original Outpost release, a round-based management game which was never completed and had numerous game breaking bugs, Sierra released this game. First of all, except for the general setting, the colony management idea and the title, the commonalities end here. Outpost 2 is rather a real-time strategy game which also requires you to manage your base and keep your colonists happy. A big factor that adds to the overall challenge are different types of disasters that can happen randomly, like electrical storms, tornadoes, volcanic eruptions and earthquakes. Also, in the late campaign, you'll encounter an even deadlier event in addition to these disasters. In contrast to it's predecessor, you can play two different factions with slightly different units, the colonies Eden and Plymouth - each one has their own campaign, with a slightly different storyline and ending. The differences only affect military units, the colony management generally works equally for both factions. There is still a small community supporting the game, with some patches available as others stated. So of you're into classic RTS games, give this one a try - even if it's old and looks/sounds cheap, the gameplay makes up for it and is certainly worth a few bucks.
First of all - this game is free, at least if you don't buy the deluxe package. If you like the horror genre and point-and-click adventures which are not too hard to solve, play it. Still unsure? Read on. The game itself is quite short, depending on your adventures experience it'll take you 3 to 5 hours for a complete playthrough. It is set in the same "universe" as Stasis, some kind of sidestory, but mostly unrelated to the other game's events. Visually, the game is on par with many other recent isometric adventure games, using a mix of pre-rendered backgrounds, 3D characters and short video cutscenes. You play Hadley, a pregnant women which was brought to a Cayne Corporation facility againt her will. After barely escaping a deadly "fetus extraction procedure", Hadley tries to escape the desolated research facility. On her way, there are a lot of PDAs to find, containing much of the story's content in the form of personal diaries. This way of telling the story fits, but there are many gaps in the narration and some hints on Stasis which you won't understand if you haven't played that game. You still need to read the PDA texts, as they sometimes contain hints for the puzzles. Sadly, if you later look for a specific information, you need to walk to and use each PDA again, as there is no readily accessible journal. The puzzles are relatively easy to solve. Useable items are well highlighted on the screen. Some puzzles aren't really logical, like -SPOILER- using fine protein powder on an ID card to craft a replacement fuse out of it. As noted before, some hints are well-hidden in the PDAs, so read them carefully and take notes of any numbers you encounter to safe yourself long, slow walks through all the rooms. The ending is also relatively unsurprising, yet quite unsatisfying as it leaves some open questions. There are some secrets in the game. If you like to get the permanent achievements for those, play CAYNE on Steam where it's also free.
