When Call of Pripyat was first released, it turned out to be the most surpisingly stable S.T.A.L.K.E.R. game up to date. Of course it still had its fair share of problems, but those are fairly easily fixed with the help of mods that improve on an already great game, just like the previous entries in the series. The game itself is set a short time after the events of Shadow of Chernobyl and you play as Major Alexander Degtyarev, an experienced S.T.A.L.K.E.R. now working for the Ukraine Security Services, who has been tasked with investigating why an operation planned by the Ukrainian army that involved getting to the center has failed despite all the safety precautions and supposed safe routes in the air. As usual, the atmosphere is outstanding, especially when you get to the ghost town of Pripyat where you can almost sense the original inhabitants still living on in the abandoned buildings, the music also adds plenty to the game as well. Also, if you're gonna mod the game, do check out the Complete mod as it is basically a compilation pack of some of the best mods for the game and it ain't hard to install either as it comes in an installer program, the previous games have also gotten their own Complete pack from the same team and are recommended there as well.
I have such fond memories of watching my big sister and my mom playing the original version of this classic, which you can switch over to with a simple button press and get to enjoy the nostalgic graphics and user interface once more. Everyone's pretty much familiar with the story of Guybrush Threepwood, the young and slightly dimwitted young man who comes to Mêlée Island to become a pirate not knowing that he's about to be drawn into a battle against the dasterdly ghost pirate LeChuck while also trying his best to win the heart of Elaine Marley, the governor of the island. Its packed with the same humor as you would expect from a Monkey Island game and it still makes plenty of gamers laugh themselves to death, especially the Insult Swordfighting. This is a perfect example of how you do a remake of a game, while also still letting players enjoy the old version.
Tex is back and as usual he is still that wise cracking smartass of a private detective that he's always been, but maybe not so for 7 years and Tex can't remember anything of that. As usual for the game series, you go around in a 3D enviroment with FMV cutscenes every now and then to progress the story where you also like in the older games get to pick Tex's response to the characters he meets, including some of his old mutant friends. The game is also packed with the same humor as before and thus will make you either chuckle or even outright laugh wildly at the silly situations Tex will find himself in. If you ever get stuck with a puzzle or don't know what to do, then there's a handy hint system in place that detracts points whenever you take a hint, there is also a flashlight that on the casual gamemode will make certain important flashlights glimmer. If you're a fan of the Tex Murphy games and had been longing for a proper sequel after the cliffhanger in Overseer, then this is an adventure you simply must not pass up at all.
Redline was for its time a rather unique game that blended FPS and driving together in a post apocalyptic future. The gun that you're using is actually several weapons in one, it switches barrels and even has a saw installed that you can use for dealing with the freaks you will encounter, you can even use the saw to fly around in multiplayer. Also each vehicle you will be driving has its unique set of weapons, some of which include mine laying for dealing with pesky punks on your tail as well as side weapons for those drive by shootings.
Painkiller: Black Edition is a great throwback to the good old days of mindless FPS action. All you need to know is that you're Daniel Garner who is trapped in purgatory and has been charged by the heavens to stop Lucifer from starting the Unholy War by fighting legions of horrific demons as well as his generals before facing the devil himself in order to get into heaven, where Daniel's wife is waiting for him. With a rocking soundtrack to get your adrenaline flowing as well as some of the most satisfying weapons ever made for a FPS at your disposal, you will find yourself grinning like a maniac as demons get impaled on walls and turned into giblets by rockets on your path of destruction and salvation.
This is a really REALLY good sequel to the classic strategy game Syndicate. It is set some time after the first game and the corporation you created has successfully taken over the world and inserted mind control chips in almost every single civilian out there. But soon things start to go very wrong, some sort of virus cripples the EuroCorp chips and now there are people known as Unguided running around on the streets and shooting up everyone they see. There's also the small problem of the Church of the New Epoch, a very fanatically religious group that also want to rule the world and intends to wipe EuroCorp out. You are free to pick your sides and they each offer a different take on the various cybernetic modifications you will be making to your agents. And there's certainly no shortage of weapons of mass destruction here either, you even get nuclear grenades that can completely and utterly demolish a building. Are you prepared to step in the dystopian future that is Syndicate Wars?
