I enjoyed The Longest Journey. The story was superb, the characters were great, and the problem solving was top notch. Dreamfall has two out of these three. There really isn't much of a 'game' in this game. The makers of the game added stealth and combat to a title that really didn't need it. They are also poorly implemented. The stealth sections are boring and unnecessary. The combat sections have more to do with luck or seeing breaks in the system than with actual skill and they are also quite boring. There isn't much problem-solving or puzzles in Dreamfall, either. You can count on one hand the times you will need to solve a puzzle whereas The Longest Journey had them in spades and were enjoyable. Honestly, it's pretty much just an interactive movie. That, however, is where it shines. Even by today's standards, the visuals are very nice and appealing. They are a wonder to look at. The set design and costume design are incredible and not many games have wowed me like that. The voice acting is top notch. Nobody is phoning it in and everybody sounds exactly how you think they would. Sound effects and music are pretty wonderful. The writing is also quite great. If you wanted to know how the story continued after TLJ, you will not be disappointed. Basically, I give 5 stars to the looks, the feel, and the sounds; I give 1 star to the gameplay. That being said, I have very high hopes for the release of Dreamfall Chapters next year.
I've played a few tower defense games here and there but generally have found them not very fun. It all changed with Defender's Quest. This is the most addicting fun I've had in awhile. The gameplay is very easy to learn but you'll also find that your strategy will change with almost every level. I recently finished the main game and have started on the new game + mode (which adds a ton of new things to do) and I can't wait to sink another 50 hours into this game. The writing is excellent with a story that is unique and full of humor. You will actually care about the characters by the end of the game, too. The music is also really well done and characteristic of a fantasy setting. If you have a powerful enough laptop, I can't recommend putting it on your laptop enough for getting in a good 15 minutes while you're waiting for something.
I wanted to like this game but I just could not finish it. I put maybe five hours into it so I feel qualified to write a review. The game starts out fine enough and it feels like something you should play but the mechanics start to wear on you. Your character, Kurt, is possibly one of the slowest moving characters in videogame history. I feel that if he were faster, I might have enjoyed it better. Most of the game feels like tedious trial and error; while that is appealing in some titles, it is not in this one. Too many deaths suffer from twitch gameplay in a title that doesn't feel like it should have twitch gameplay. The music is so-so. It ranges from nearly toe-tapping jazz to late 90's video game spaz. There are plenty of secrets and hidden items to be found but you won't want to try to reach them as the risk vs. payoff is imbalanced. If there is one good thing I can say about the game, it is that the bosses are interesting. The rest of the enemies in the game are very uninspired. I'm giving this a three as the price is not too high and the visuals are appealing.
