Soul Reaver needs no introduction - it's Soul Reaver. But playing it again after all these years has been a blast, especially with the widescreen support, mouse controls and updated models. Some areas are showing their age (the Silent Cathedral especially is something I've always loved in concept and always hated actually playing through), but some are greatly improved by the simple inclusion of better controls. The platforming segments that required jumping up pillars in a circle are especially improved, not because you necessarily fall off less but because getting back up again is as quick and easy as it should be. That said the swimming camera is a little janky because it's different to the standard mouse controls. As theatrical as the dialogue is, it's still fantastic - there's a logical flow to the whole thing, and as Raziel uncovers more dirty secrets he's all too happy to air them out with his brothers. Plus it's always a pleasure to hear Michael Bell and Simon Templeman going head-to-head, and Tony Jay is a welcome addition to any story. As of yet I've not played the SR2 remaster, but I'd be hard-pressed to find a way that could even be improved upon, so we'll see.
I got into Sunless Sea because the idea of going mad and eating your crew sounded intriguing. I stayed with it because of the fascinating and detailed world they constructed around it, but also because of the music (alternatively haunting and dramatic) and the added bonus of linking your game account to your Fallen London account. The actual in-game bonuses granted by this link are few and far in between, but the Zee provides some fascinating insights into London, and vice-versa. The difference is that while you can dip into Fallen London throughout the day, Sunless Sea IS your day. Movement is slow, death is sudden and progress is frequently reset, so expect to spend a lot of time tracing and re-tracing your steps. The map changes every time you die, with a few notable exceptions (generally a few things near London, or anything you've discovered if you decide to inherit the map), so the rogue-like element is still very much in play. Just be warned that you won't be dropping in for a short play session, at least not without the save feature (which costs you points if you manage to survive long enough to retire). Overall though a fascinating game and one I wish my work schedule allowed me to keep playing.
Am I being shameless by getting the free DLC before even buying the game? Sure. But it's actually very clever marketing by CDPR: they've pretty much guaranteed that when I do buy The Witcher 3, it'll be through them! First, off to finish TW2...
Beautiful aesthetics and a moving soundtrack, surprisingly fluid controls (the place evokes Xen but it plays much better) and an engaging story which starts as an adventure through an alien landscape and winds up being something largely more profound, if you know where to look. Here's a hint : those letters on the wall aren't Easter eggs, they're signposts to the real story. But first you have to learn to read them, which is what the first playthrough is for - also to just enjoy the story as presented to the narrator's niece. Play-through is pretty short if you're not sticking around for achievements, but it's no accident the game ends on level 6. Fun and challenging gameplay, plenty of well-hidden secrets and a sense of immersion I can't wait to test on VR, just as soon as that becomes feasible. Certainly had its frustrating moments, especially in the ice cavern, but overall a great game and well worth the purchase.
This is far and away one of the best platformers I've ever played, and I've been platforming since 1986. Not without its flaws, certainly, and I've only played the 3DO version, but when I saw this I knew I had to buy it on the spot. Crisp (if low-res by today's standards) graphics, amazing and catchy music, and a special ending for completionists like myself. Just be warned, for the first few levels you WILL trip over your own feet any time you touch the Run button - but once you get with the program (and you get to know the levels better), this is one of the best and fast-paced platformers you'll ever touch.
I came across the demo of this when it first came out, only to dig it up a couple of years ago in a bargain bin. The mostly-text dialogue and the graphics may show their age by now, but the game is solid - so solid that I played it 2 or 3 times in a row just to try to access more endings. You do get the impression that your choices have real consequences in-game and the end is a satisfying wrap-up (not to mention multiple). The weapon and upgrade system is novel and useful, but doesn't require you to focus only on builds. I'd buy it and play it all again if I had anywhere near the time required.
I can't tell you how many times I've played this game. I can't tell you how many different ways I've started and how many different evolutions my character has undergone. I can't tell you how many times a lumbering zombie has made me leap out of my skin, or how on many sleepless nights my trips to the toilet were peppered with hallucinations every time I went to open a door or a floorboard creaked. I can't tell you how many times (or how badly) my spine tingled on hearing some of the creepier voice-work, or just how badly my stomach lurched as the floor (sometimes literally) dropped out from under me. But I can tell you that this game was a bargain at full price and that it's even more of one now - even for me, though I still have the original disc, box and manual. This game took scope, ambition, depth of character, a living and breathing (and dying and decaying) world and put them all together and just made it all work. Full voice-acting for all characters and logs, models which remain creepy even while terribly aged (creepier than the much prettier rebuild, even), music just dripping with atmosphere and, let us never forget, those god. damned. psychic. monkeys. Buy it. Install it. Play it. Then play it again. And if it's not 2am and you aren't hallucinating, you're not doing it right.
I fondly remember the excitement when this very trailer came out. It made the game look amazing. Vision, potential, fresh new ideas and even vaguely realistic character animation! Then I played the demo. Long. Drawn out. Frustrating. And completely blanketed in green. I bothered to finish the first level once. Never again. Consider this more a review of the demo and the trailer, but as far as I've heard elsewhere that's all you really need to play. Maybe I'll try the full thing someday. But no time soon.
Clearly I'm not the only one who remembers this. Truly a masterpiece of its time. Ever larger hordes of aliens, a scant handful of ammo and... never enough keys! This was one of those games that was still possible to lose because you simply didn't open the right doors. Not because you didn't open the right door 3 levels ago, but because you've been wasting your keys. Every one counts, so don't just go opening them left and right or you'll find yourself wasting entire clips on doors - and there are barely enough to fend off the aliens! Tower Assault was hard as hell, but with one little advantage - using the password gives you 50,000 credits, far more loose change than I ever had at the halfway point... But I digress. A truly legendary pair of games.
Having whittled away a good part of my youth on Battle Isle 1 and having later discovered Incubation I spent ages on the demo alone. Also, I only mentioned this very week that GOG needed more Incubation, and lo! I love you guys :D
