A great game, but currently with many bugs and issues. I have a lower end of the requirement of PC and with very low settings, but it runs playable still. Now the important part: The game atmosphere and story lines are amazing. It is very true of one of my childhood (teenagehood) tabletop roleplaying game: Cyberpunk 2020. Lore is there, but it is also updated and targets our current political issues around the world. There is a lot of background world building through adverts and chats, if someone spends time to immerse into it. The main mission and story is great too, again something very much on the top. Important issues had been touched again, with a good sense. Side missions adds a layer and reflection to the main mission, complement and extend on the problems talked in these. The world is large and gritty. True cyberpunk place (and not just a GTA thing). Both the city and the neighbouring badlands are well-fleshed. The character background gives good enough differences in dialogues (and it is true to the original lore of three large classes in Cyberpunk 2020's America's), but don't get mistaken: V is a personality by herself (himself). It shapes V's background somewhat but not V's overall personality. This is not as much different as in Witcher, which main protagnost has his own personality too (somewhat more customisation here though). The skill progression system is nice and very interesting - and it gives so many options to approach a situation. Item progression is not ideal though. It is somewhat immersion breaking finding better gear at a random street gang member than an elite Arasaka team. And here is some advice and wish list for devs: Please do a modding that is open ended. This game environment is great and could be a tool to tell Cyberpunk stories in digital form. I think the community would react such decision great, where people can tweak their own version of the game.
Dragonfall is even better than the original story of the Shadowrun Return. They nearly made every aspect of the original game better in the expansion. I think you could say that Shadowrun game is as much as a light novel as a game, and that is especially true to Dragonfall. Here the characters are much more complex, living personalities than in the original game, and definitely something to be compared with Planescape Torment. Also the morals are much more blurry than it was in the original game, it is a hard time to antagonize the Corporations all the time when you meet some Shadowrunners with cruelty can't compared by the corp wagers. You meet all kind of different issues that is worthy to think after you played the game, racism - Humanis Policlub, different political views, anarchy vs hierarchy and all this in a more digestive personal level, through the stories of the characters which makes it so alive. As a game play it is a solid squad tactical game as the original Shadowrun. The missions might be slightly more better with much more way to solve it. Most of the skills have meaning now, with many extra information or solution available if you possess the right skill. Decking is more fun than in the original game.
Alpha Centauri is one of the jewels of the gaming industry. It is true the game is a version of Civilization (I wouldn`t simply call it a clone). But much more than that... There are differences of the regular civilization game playing, like the map`s sea level system - a global warming could sink you low altitude cities. Also with the technological advantages you access components for the units, and you are able to plan own unit types depending on your need (weapon, armour type, chassis and the engine, plus special abilities - like psi training or non-lethal weapons, etc). If I remember this was the first Civilization clone using an UN like political system where the members could postpone international laws (like for example raising or lowering the sea level by melting the polar ice or cooling down the temperature). But aside of the innovative addition to the Civilization game experience there were the theme of the game with the awesome videos of the Secret Projects - the wonders of Alpha Centauri (some of them reminds me of the movie called Barakka). The Factions are well-thought with coherent philosophies of their own (often conflicting one or two other Factions). They also possess some innate modification of game statistic - like production, population growing, science bonus, etc. With this each Faction has it`s unique strategy which you can refine by selecting the different attributes of governmental and social approaches (much alike what the Civ 4 uses). There are also different ways to win the game: economical, military - domination, diplomatic, and the scientific/secret project which uncovers the past and the fate of the planet. I do recommend to any players who love civilization style games, who are ecological sensitive, who love science fiction (in an almost hard sci-fi setting). I envision my future free time would again filled by this game...
