Pretty good AVN, definitely seen worse. Good enough for me to collect all the scenes and do some alternate paths to conclusions for alternative versions. As other reviews have stated, this one does not shy away from heavy topics. Every character struggles with their own demons, some bigger than others and the game does not pull punches in that regard. The first time playing the story definitely made a heavy impact on me and is it biggest strength. Unfortunately once you start digging deeper you start to see that the logic behind the game is a bit lacklustre. There are story elements that largely get solved off camera that really should have been fleshed out a lot more, (Matt and that weird grey dude at the end, same with Jan) Additionally your choices are to a certain extend cosmetic and after the main gutpunch in the story it largely goes on rails and your input on the sparse choices you make from then on for the majority of the characters. Furthermore, because this originally appears to have been split in separate seasons, which apparently isn't uncommon for AVNs nowadays, you see stylistic changes in between the chapters as the developer gets better at their craft. Backgrounds can be very bare at times. Finally, apparently there was a license issue with one of the songs so part of it is without music and it all looks a bit amateuristic. That also means that you may want to grab the offline installer and store this game somewhere, not sure if the license for the current music tracks is perpetual or not. Still if you want an AVN where the story is worth reading and you can overlook the rough paintjob then you can't go wrong with this. Just make sure you are in a good place mentally to deal with the heavy subject matter.
If you are looking for a deep space game ala Elite then this is probably not going to scratch that itch, but if you want a fun arcady style space shooter with some interesting special abilities this is definitely worth a go. Basically think Everspace but I daresay slightly tighter controls The story is a bit out there and may have a plot hole or two but all in all I think this is an underrated gem. I got it at a discount but I wouldn't have begrudged paying the full price either. The special abilities like teleportation mean that you can have quite frenetic battles with lots of enemies without feeling outmatched. that is not to say that there is no challenge, there are a fair few battles and events that can give you a run for your money though mostly this is about manouverability, which, though the controls are tight, seem to be missing things like being able to move straight up and down. the glide mechanic kinda makes up for it but being used to Everspace and ED that did take getting used to. Graphically it looks very nice, very much reminiscent of everspace, nice effects and very cohesive Soundscape is fab. weapons sound and feel punchy, music is very good and the main theme is epic. length, for me is just right, long enough to beable to sink your teeth in it but not so long I got bored with it. one of the few games I actually finished. all in all I'd say a 4,5 and because of the sound track and gog doesn't do halve stars I will round it up to the full 5.
very much fills the cyberpunk genre, interesting stories as you would expect from cdpr. unfortunately I still run in to annoying bugs and crashes. Driving is a nightmare without mods. still I have had a lot of fun with it and if you get it on their usual discount then it is worth a purchase.
love the atmosphere of the game and am having a lot of fun with it. there are a lot of different styles to play with though iit uses main styles and variations there of. if you like deck builders and want one that is a bit odd then this one might be for you.
I picked this game up on disc not long after it came out. The description and title piquing my interest. What I found was a fascinating world, an art direction that easily moves from hauntingly beautiful to twisted horror reminiscent of Clive Barker's monstrosities. The story and dialogue are equally haunting and filled with melancholy. This world is dying and many denizens have either accepted it, or just try to maintain the status quo, prolonging the inevitable for just a bit longer. And then there is you, a small spark of potential in this bleak and dying world, To save yourself you have to bring color back to the world but this actually speeds up the destruction of the world. And so begins a game of cat and mouse and careful resource management to get enough color to escape while avoiding being taken down by the brothers. The premise alone could make for a truly fascinating game but unfortunately the gameplay lets it down. Quite a few bits of gameplay information you get throughout the game are incorrect as parts were not actually programmed in or removed but these changes weren't reflected back in to the game. In general the tutorial is sparse and you will heavily rely on trial and error. Save often and use multiple save games, you will need them. The controls are a bit clunky at times, especially the painting can be unnecessarily frustrating. Having to draw figures on the screen has never been one of the best mechanics in my opinion and the void does not improve on it. The boss fights can be very challenging at the best of times and downright impossible if you are not fully prepared for it. Though the game claims multiple endings they are all very much alike and equally disappointing. And yet, having said all that I would recommend it. The world and feel of the game is fascinating. If you have the patience for it, it is a wonderful world to explore and definitely a game that I would classify as a work of art.
Regardless of my title I absolutely adore this game. The amount of time I have spent getting to know it and playing it is immense. I love the strategy and the fact that to win you have to be a cold, calculating bastard. You and an alien race have a mutual enemy? why not create a treaty to destroy them, make sure the penalty for not reaching destroy quota is pretty hefty and start with killing off the enemy around your 'ally' so you are sure they fail and you cash in on the penalty clause. Thanks for the creds bug face. Is the enemy too strong? Why not make a peace treaty and send an agent to do the dirty work for you? Or if you do not have the cash but you do have an asteroid that is tapped dry? Why not crash it against an enemies one. Sure you kill everyone on your own asteroid as well but who cares, the aliens are another asteroid down and it has all been 'a tragic accident' so the peace treaty still stands. Ahh using the trappings of treaties against thine enemies, what could be better. And yet I can't give it perfect marks, why? Because, even though the core is so good, it could have been so much better still if they put a bit more time in the alien races. in effect all their buildings have pretty much the same function as yours, yes they look different and each race has it's own strengths and weaknesses up to a point but not that different. The diplomacy, though perfectly functional could be better if your side could actually put pressure on the alien races. as it stands now, your own diplomat is useless for as far as I've experienced. The game describes that selling ore on the blackmarket is illegal and punishable but I've never been penalised ever not even when the tetracorp ship is on my main asteroid. So you don't even feel like you are having to be sneaky about it. And finally, you will always be human and cannot play any of the other races. Still I do still play it every now and then and still have an old 98 machine running for that sole purpose. (which I can now bin woohoo) So to me this is a solid 4 star though I so want to be-able to give it 5
Space Rangers is very good, it has a large diversity, big universe and plenty to keep you occupied. Personally I love the text based adventures in this game. The problem with this release however is that it is the vanilla version instead of the improved "reboot" version. Next to missing quite a few extra missions, gameplay wise the in game search feature which lets you find out where the best equipment and deals are to be found is missing and I dare say broken. In conclusion yes, a good game but not the best variant of this game. GOG go get me reboot please :)
Compared to modern day RPG's this is probably a bit dated but it's story is everything I look for in an RPG, it's gripping and very enjoyable. the characters are fleshed out and it feels like a lot of time and care has gone in to developing them. The game play has it's flaws, some battles are ridiculously hard even after patching. (mercurio springs to mind) and sometimes is becomes a bit repetitive but the story always made me follow through to the end and enjoy it. To pen and paper players this may not be exactly what you expect but just like pen and paper the story carries the game and that it does well. I'm well chuffed to find this on GoG as my second disk has a rather bad scratch on it and I've been itching to play this one again.
