I am one of the people who have not played this game prior to its GOG.com release. It was only $10, and looked interesting, so I decided to buy it. Moments into the game, the surface was incredibly boring, but I decided to stick with it. And, all I can say is this: This is the best game I have played, if not one of them. This is a game that does take a while to build up, but only a short while, and once it does, it is possibly one of the best games you will ever have the joy of playing. Played Super Metroid, Castlevania, Dark Souls, or any of those? You have no reason not to play this; everything about this game, you will love. If you have not played those? You probably will still love this, if you do not mind games that take a long time to beat and are quite a challenge. Bear in mind that, like I just said, this game is very long; it took me 24 hours to beat the game, and that was with heavy guide usage. Oh, and, by the way, prepare to use a guide/wiki. This game has hints, but they're scattered everywhere, and sometimes are all the way on the other side of the ruins from where you need to be. I suppose it's supposed to make you 'clean up' the areas that you've visited in order to progress, but it's a little annoying. Regardless, whether you use a guide or not, the game is still amazing. The gameplay is great, with interesting, yet solid platforming, fun combat, incredible bosses (I do really mean this. They're really hard, as well!), and a ton of content. For its current price of $15, you are really getting a lot more than the price of entry. Probably the best way to describe this game, once you've gotten sucked in, is, just fun. It's fun. It's fun when you're trying to get that treasure past a room full of spikes. It's fun when you've finally found out what that puzzle to get the flail whip is, and you retrieve it, and now have the best overall weapon in the game. The game puts secrets everywhere, and challenges, and expects you to solve them and have fun doing so. Most modern games don't do this. Either they're too afraid of scaring customers away, or they want the ride to be smooth. La Mulana, on the other hand, knows why we enjoyed Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, Super Metroid, or A Link to the Past. It knows what made these fun, despite their seemingly user-unfriendlyness, and it uses it to its advantage. This is a game you will just have fun with. If this was released on the SNES or the Playstation years ago, it would not have just fit in; it would have been heralded as a classic, to be remembered for years to come. It probably will be remembered as that in the future, as well; this is the very definition of a classic, a game that got everything 'fun' right. Maybe my review wasn't for the best, and I am trying to keep it spoiler-free. Regardless, this is a game that everyone needs to play, at least to see if it is to their fancy. If you like Metroidvania games, you already know the answer: buy this game right now, and play away. If you have never played them, well, try it anyway. Who knows, it might just be that game you will never forget, for years to come.
Many other games are great, and there are definitely other great sandboxes. But, for some reason, ARMA 2 stands out the most. It still stands, since I added it to my game collection two years ago, as one of the greatest, if not THE greatest sandbox game I have played. It literally gives you soldiers, weaponry, vehicles, a game engine that can incorporate all of these into missions, and then lets you do whatever you want. And, when I mean whatever you want, I really mean it. Want to make a mission where you and three friends attack and secure an enemy base? You can do that. Want to make a mission where you drive a humvee around and do SecOps? You can do that. Want to make (or, most likely, play) a mission where 50 players all go co-op while trying to secure an entire 225 square km map from enemy AI? Definitely. Want to attach a tank and several heavy machine guns to a bus and blaze through the countryside? That's considered simple. Want to make a zombie mod? Who would possibly think of that? And, of course, there is much, much more. If you can think of it in a military setting, you can do it. Aside from all that, the game comes with its own missions. There is the singleplayer campaign, which is fun to play with a few friends, and some missions as well. And, of course, there are always other player's missions, which number in the thousands. Even if you are not the creative type, there is something for you to do in this game. There are tons of mods (including the by now well-known DayZ), ranging from add-ons (ACE) to complete total conversions. This is a game best played with friends. If you do not have those (unfortunate for you), then there are still many other things to do. And, who knows? Maybe you'll make your own friends through ARMA 2, and you'll get the group of friends you wanted. For those that already do have real-life friends, with the game now on gog.com, it's even easier to get this game set-up for LAN. And, if you have not played ARMA 2 on LAN, it is THE LAN game. Three warnings before you buy this game, however. One, you will need a lot of patience. If you are used to instant gratification, well, simply put, this game isn't for you. Second, the controls are clunky, but you can definitely get used to them, as me and my friends have. After a while, they're perfectly fine. Third, this game is VERY demanding. Do not be surprised if you consider 20 FPS a good framerate after a while. Overall, even if you don't care for the realism aspect, ARMA 2 is a game you will most likely love. If you are not patient, or cannot develop patience, stay away. On the other hand, if you love true sandbox games, military things, blowing stuff up, silliness, seriousness, system hogs, huge multiplayer battles, zombie co-op, teamwork, playing soldier, or some to all of the above, you will most likely have no choice but to love this game. And, for $24? It's a damn steal. Buy this game (after doing some research first). I, several friends, and the entire ARMA 2 community will be grateful for it. Welcome, soldier. Pick your gear, and get ready for the time of your life!
