I remember it so well: the winter of '99, and I was a strapping young teenager. My local computer store didn't have much in the way of gaming software, but it did have Thief: The Dark Project on the shelves. It certainly looked different than the other G-rated titles on the shelf and it was a b***h to run on my computer at the time if the PC Gamer demo CD was any indication. I never did get the game; I simply couldn't run it properly and by the time I got a computer that could run it all that was on my mind was Unreal Tournament 2004 and Resident Evil 4. I finally decided to pick up the Thief trilogy thanks in no small part to my favourite Polish Intelligence Network operative (*cough* mando *cough*) and, it was well worth the wait. The gameplay is smooth for something made 23 years ago and I still think that nothing outside of Thief Simulator comes close to replicating it...yet. The Dark Engine still has amazing sound propagation and would make your 7.1 surround system work to its fullest from the rich detail a game weighing in at less than 800 MB can muster. The story, while slow to build itself up, actually does a great job of establishing who Garrett is and where he is before the real fun starts. Garrett's gotta pay the rent. Things need to be 'relocated,' then so be it. Garrett has some help; old-school toys like water and moss arrows meet newer items like mines, gas arrows, and even flash bombs to case a joint and rob it blind. This is a world where the steampunk era is just around the corner, where flame-lit torches and stone floors clash with electric lighting and magical spells. If you have been watching Gloomwood's development like I have then you know that it is called, "Thief with guns." If you want to get a glimpse of what that title will be, or if you're interested in a first-person title that's a little bit different, pick this up. It runs like a dream and costs less than a small coffee when it's on sale. My inner teenager couldn't be happier.
...If you're not on a budget. If so, check out Underrail (which I can also recommend). In short, this game is what my mind likes to remember Fallout and Neverwinter Nights being like when I first played them 20-ish years ago - a beautiful colour palette, a sweeping and epic story, characters that DEMAND you role-play them in order to get the most out of their skills - all with the modern flourishes like HD graphics, stereo audio, multiplayer (co-op) and an adjustable camera. Remember, I am talking about a CRPG so these things would have been absolutely mind-blowing back in the day. Much like another CRPG that I hold dear to my heart, Battletech, D:OS 2 takes the classic formula and brings it into the modern era. I absolutely adore it but I can understand why the idea of a turn-based, wall-of-text game might not appeal to some. The story, without spoiling too much, begins in a prison. The Divine, conduit of the Seven Gods, is dead. You have been arrested for engaging in Sourcery - the use of magics that attract demons known as Voidwoken. This simple premise takes characters, none of whom can claim to be truly evil or good, on an adventure that will shape all of Rivelleon and may bring about the rebirth - or final end - of some of the races that inhabit this land. The character and story building are why most would play in the first place and here, at least, it shines. Each character you can have in your party have their reasons for wanting power and may eventually try to kill you for it. They, and you, have shady backgrounds that make for interesting dillemas at key points in the story. You can be a hero, a villian, a self-serving a**, or something in between. If you like fantasy stories that have heroes and villans be one in the same (which includes some of your own party members - maybe even you) enjoy deep character development over dozens of hours and love the stragetic planning that comes with turn-based combat then Divinity: Original Sin 2 is for you.
It's been a while in the waiting, but Control has finally dropped and it is everything I wanted (so far) for it to be: foreboding, atmospheric, and d**n pretty on the eyes. (Not that that has any real bearing on my review; it's just nice to know that my RTX card finally has something to do.) The controls are nothing to write home about but I mean that in the best way possible. They feel much like any other TPS and are fluid enough to make the player feel like any deaths received are not the fault of clunky or unresponsive controls. The colour palette is an interesting blend of concrete, blood and blinding white light - all of which reinforce the brutalist architecture of The Oldest House and helps reinforce the theme of a fish way, way out of water. I have read some reviews describing the acting as, generously, wooden. This would be a complaint of mine were it not for the fact that this game wears its references on its sleeve. The acting couldn't be more out of Twin Peaks or Requiem For a Dream if it tried - again reinforcing this atmosphere of "something" being wrong with the world. The largest source of reference, to anyone in the know, comes from the SCP Wiki. In my opinion, the Federal Bureau of Control is what happens when the Unexplained Instances Unit gets the funding it needs and has the firepower to make the SCP Foundation and the Global Occult Coalition turn the other way. (Check out the wiki articles and The Exploring Series on Youtube if what I just typed has gone completely over your head.) This game is probably one of the most foreboding (which does not mean scary) games I have played in a long time. It's a shame that the developers decided to let Epic have it for a year. Had it been released on all platforms last year it could have generated more buzz. It's still a great title, but in my opinion should only be purchased on sale. The developers need to know that we will not tolerate turning the PC market into another console market.
Wow...just, wow. In the holy trifecta of retro revamp shooters - Amid Evil, Dusk and Ion Fury - this one actually uses a retro engine rather than recreating a retro look with a modern engine. (For the record I think that the trifecta should be a tetratych since Project Warlock kicks serious a**.) I don't think there is anything I can type that Youtubers LGR, Civvie 11 and Gmanlives haven't said - hell, they convinced me to buy the game! If in doubt over whether or not you should pick this game up, check out the channels above to have your mind expanded like that mushroom trip in the hills you swore not to tell anyone about. Also consider that this game costs less than half of what a AAA game costs while delivering a campaign twice the length.
In 2016, I made a personal vow that I would not buy the bug-laden, feature - devoid mess that was No Man's Sky. It promised too much for an indie studio to deliver, it's development and PR was opaque (to be polite) and it's MSRP was laughable, considering EA and Activison were having a hard time trying to convince players to drop the same amount on games that, while arguably as barren as NMS 1.0 were at least playable. Fast forward 3 years, a number of free updates and an excellent leave-it-on-the-table PR revamp I finally decided to give this game a try. While I cannot speak to how the game perfomed before 2019 I can say that in it's current state it more or less delivers what it promised. The controls are fairly smooth though it is clear that they were designed around a controller rather than a mouse / keyboard or HOTAS setup. The shooting, while not great, is at least passable - a feat for a new company having to contend with seasoned FPS / TPS developers. NMS, unlike other games that attempt to try to play in both first- and third-person persepctives, actually animates the character models correctly in each. (*cough* *cough* fallout *cough*) The game, otherwise, plays in a similar style to many other exploration / trading games; every system contains a space station where you can trade weapons, ships, materials and learn each species' respective languages - making trade easier and opening missions for the player. The only nitpick that I cannot forgive (besides the price - see below) is the inventory / crafting system. Hello Games created an intricate and fairly complex crafting / inventory system but allotted too few slots to allow for proper experimentation until the player is DEEEEEEP into the game or strikes it lucky and finds some exosuit upgrades. In short, I'm glad I waited and cannot recommend this game enough - when it's on sale. Asking a AAA price for an indie game that needed three years extra bake time is asking too much.
