I enjoyed the heck out of Luftrausers and when I saw Northernlion try this game, I knew I was gonna pick it up. And I wasn't left disappointed! While made by other people, the gameplay does resemble Vlambeer's little dog fighting game but adds greater enemy variety, boss fights, and a story. You fly your jet in a (absolutely gorgeous) 2D plane, dodging enemy bullets, shooting down enemies with your guns, missiles, and special weapon, trying to accomplish goals like destroying all enemies, reaching a target score, escorting an NPC, etc. And even though the story won't win any prizes, it is reasonably engaging, plotted well enough, and more ambitious than a lot of games of this ilk tend to be with a couple of cool moments that are breathtakingly animated. And there's a talking cat in it. Consisting of about 40 missions, each endlessly replayable, Jet Lancer's campaign provided me about 6 hours of playtime after which a new game plus unlocked, which I'm sure I will put the same amount of time in, if not more. The gameplay is fast, frenetic, and will make you feel like the greatest pilot who ever lived, after dodging a dozen enemy fighters, twice as many missiles, and about a thousand projectiles with a well-timed barrel role and thrust of the afterburners, or the worst one to ever live when you crash your jet into the ocean because you switched out the module that prevents you from doing that for better rockets. The only thing I was disappointed by was the jet customisation options. None of the five alternatives to the default missile or special weapon felt anywhere close to as useful, so you'd end up trying them once before going back to the way your jet was kitted from the very start of the game. I'd love to see some Luftrausers-esque modules added in a future expansion. And holy hell, the soundtrack is amazing. Scored completely by Fat Bard, Jet Lancer might be the first game I've played that has a math rock soundtrack, and it absolutely slaps.
This expansion - and that is what it is, not what publishers usually pass off as DLC - leads Geralt of Rivia to the picturesque duchy of Toussaint where he has to investigate a series of mysterious killings, reconnect with old acquaintances and hunt some gnarly beasts. Same old, same old, one could say. And really that's what you get. More of what makes The Witcher such an incredible game: Involved story-lines, engaging quests, be it the main one or those on the side, new monsters and gear, and a new layer of character development, all set in a beautiful new mediterranean environment, littered with cities, monsters, and of course quests. This expansion lays the Witcher series to rest perfectly -- with a wink and a smile and a sense of closure you rarely get from games. It couldn't have been done any better. And yet I can't help but feel sad to abandon the Path after so many years. I will miss Geralt and his friends, although I'm sure I'll return eventually. If you've played The Witcher 3 and you liked it, there is virtually no reason to not play this. It's expansive and I enjoyed enxploring every last bit of it. And I left it with a smile on my lips and a tear in my eye. It's really good, you guys.
