It evokes the same feeling of FTL, but is quite a different experience -- and both games are great in their own rights. Just like FTL, you can have a perfect run, and only a short lapse in concentration is enough to bring down the house of cards. But you always feel like YOU could have done something better, and this is what gives this game a "just one more try" quality. Complete with clean graphics, great sound/music, and tight/fun mechanics, this game is an A+. I remember thinking the game was unfairly hard at times. Then when I rethought certain strategies, I found myself going for perfect runs even on Hard mode (which will be challenging). Between turns you will see where your enemies are attacking next. It then falls upon you to find the best way to eliminate them, or sometimes, just control the situation so it doesn't get out of control since you only just need to survive for a certain number of turns. Direct damage is only so effective since often you'll get swarmed. So you'll need to find ways to push enemies to attack each other, block enemies with your own units (leveraging your own health to protect objectives), etc. The mini-scenarios have a lot of variation, so there are effectively an infinite number of scenarios and you'll never replay the same map twice. Also like in FTL there are different mechs, with different abilities, and diffent pilots who have different perks, along with secret characters to unlock. Like I said, this is a great title that I played until I got a perfect run with each squad. However, even after that, you can then build your own custom squads. A must have for any strategy fan.
I played this with little expectations, and was super impressed. This game, much like the Doom 2016 reboot, understands that people want fast, brutal, and unrelenting action. While there is a place for tactical cover shooters, this game goes for the opposite. While there certainly is a enough exploration if you care for it to find collectables etc, you're just as able to blast through it without the extra perks and upgrades. Unlike Doom, Wolfenstein offers stealth for certain parts of the game if you wish to take that route (at times you'll need to). You'll visit really cool locations, face all sorts of monstrosities (Nazi armour makes them look like wraiths, giant genetic horrors, robots and mechs) and the game does a great job actually telling a story building up characters (both protagonists and antagonists). Personally, I liked the base game better (NewOrder), but I did enjoy the DLC too. They feel different in tone (OldBlood also seems to distill the base game to really emphasize the action heavy, crazy scenario type stuff), but you can't go wrong with either, both are great. I own this on Steam, but if the price is right I'll be happy to pick up DRM free. Sadly, the sequels took this awesome reboot in the wrong direction. Wolfenstein 2 New Collosus faltered despite being playable, but Young Blood was laughably bad. Alas, we'll always have new blood and old blood.
Dishonored did something unique, and succeeded. I had no expectations for it, and found myself exploring the whole world and replaying it to experience all it has to offer. Even the DLC, typically I pass on the typical mini-challenges, but really enjoyed these ones (house burglary still an achievement I'm proud of). Cool world, cool mechanics (first person stealth or combat, coupled with magic powers including a blink), multiple paths, full non-lethal playthrough option. Interesting levels. DLC to let you play from another character's perspective and expands the universe by filling in events happening in other parts of the world. Each level gives you some objectives, and then it's up to you on how to complete it -- many games claim this, but finishing the goal often boils down to one, maybe two, ways to ultimately complete it. Each level is like a large sandbox, where your actions can influence other parts of the map. Also for those who are completionists, it IS possible to get it all done (as long as you don't botch something up), so you don't need to worry about hidden timed events that force you to play faster than you'd like. So take your time, and enjoy methodically getting around the map. Playing this game evokes feelings of Half-Life, Half-Life 2, Thief, Bioshock... all while doing it's own thing. High praise from me. It's a game I played through multiple times fully: first on 'hard' difficulty as a blind playthrough, then on 'very hard' to experience the other ending, then I went to hunt for all missed achievements. Years later when I replayed again, it held up just as well. I own it on Steam, but if I ever need a DRM copy, I would no hesitate to buy it again.
Firstly I want to say: I've finally found it... As a kid I played the demo of this on one of those multi game demo cds and remember being extremely disturbed by it (the seemingly dead rat scare, the creepy spider, and just the disgusting look of everything), but also very intrigued -- the imagery stuck with me, but anytime I brought this up in retro pc gaming discussions, no one even heard of it. I'm giving this a 5 star for what it was, and still delivers. You are playing an old game, so it feels dated, but it is playable. The premise is sort of Franz Kafka's "Metamorphosis" realized as an action game. You move around strictly with arrow keys, and need to navigate the world. However, normal clutter and litter poses obstacles you need to overcome, and certain things become completely lethal (burning, poison, predators). The whole idea of it is pretty repulsive, so if you don't like bugs and gross things, you'll be uncomfortable playing this -- however that's really what it's all about for me. Yes, crawling over dead rats in a mouse trap is nasty, but it's the best way to get around the poison. Yes, that spider is disgusting, and burning it with a lit cigarette to avoid getting eaten is tense. Yes, crawling over other dead roaches who took the bait is disgusting, as well as crawling under the pipes and seeing a roach infestation. The whole thing is very gross, and if that appeals to you, get it, it's what retro pc gaming is all about. If you've played Myst, you know what that era of games felt like. Again, it is a bit janky by today's standards, but definitely still playable. And I will give the devs credit because it's not just top down, they incorporate 3D perspective, even though you're just looking at 2D stills. If you've never tried, but like retro games, you should add this one to your library. This is what GoG is all about, bringing back old hidden gems -- just like those roaches hidden in your pipes and floorboards.
I was debating 3 or 4 stars, but I think 4 is more appropriate. While I found myself frustrated many times with the punishing difficulty (forget about an enemy for a second and boom, half your health is gone or worse), I did choose "Harder" (3 out of 5 difficulties). While the fantasy of being the Terminator is sort of there, on these higher difficulties, you'll find yourself being the hunted rather than the hunter... frantically on the move to avoid enemy fire, while trying to kill them as fast as possible just to stay alive. The inability to look forward with your mouse makes enemies shooting you from the edge of the screen a bit annoying. So why the 4 stars then? Well the game has some good music, interesting level design (even though many levels end up having some sort of "arena" where you need to battle a bunch of guys that spawn in -- I would have liked some more of the platforming actually since some sections were quite interesting), fluid gameplay, good sound design, good animation (for example, blood splatter along the walls, interactable terrain, etc), secrets, collectibles... In the end, when it comes down to recommending or not, I always ask myself "would I replay this" and "would I recommend it to my past self"... both answers yes. Although, I may play it on 2/5 or even 1/5 (the baby difficulty). I do enjoy a good challenge, but I think 2/5 is probably a good enough balance, considering dying forces you to repeat the whole level, which can be a pain in arena sections that spawn 4-5 waves of increasingly difficult bad guys, giving you little time to recoup. Now that I've beaten it, when I replay this, it'll be on easy mode, so I can roleplay as a merciless robot, tearing through all that stands in his path. Because on "harder" it's amazing the humans didn't defeat the robots given some of the technology they have available to them. All in all, a cool little game, with a decent length, good challenge, and decent replayability.
Fellow Doom2 fans rejoice, and get this game. Where Doom3 disappointed, and Doom (2016) pleasantly surprised me but didn't quite scratch the itch, this is the game I was looking for. I never played Quake, but I can see why people compare it more to that (x,y axis aiming, flashlight, swimming, destructible environments). What made Doom great wasn't it's ultimate simplicity, but it's fast and visceral gameplay -- and that's what this game captures. Fast and fun. The music is great if you're into metal (as a classical musician, I am when I play Doom at least). Cool enemies, cool level designs, a lot of loving details put into the game (cigar crosshair <3), plenty of secrets to explore... Just overall very well done. If you look at this game and get a nostalgic itch, know that the devs don't disappoint. If you're a millenial who missed the good ol' fps days (which ended sometime between xbox and xbox360 to estimate), I would recommend you give this a try nonetheless.
Without spoilers, I can say you should get this if you enjoy platformers. It delivers on NES Ninja Gaiden gameplay while finding the right sweetspot for difficulty (by today's standards, it's about 3/10 for difficulty I'd say -- as someone who's finished games like SMeatBoy (all levels), Celeste (C-sides), Hollow Knight (5th pantheon) -- but this is not a bad thing, not every game needs over the top difficulty.) The levels are well designed, bosses are interesting, characters are surprisingly interesting (I didn't expect this game to have a story that genuinely had me interested, and then pleastantly surprised me), great music, fun mechanics. So the game is very good. I know by me saying "I can't say more without spoiling" is a spoiler in itself, but I will just say that this game is really a great package. I saw some Shovel Knight comparisons, which is fair in spirit. They definitely have some similarities, but this game definitely stands on its own. If you like old school nostalgia platformers, this game is a must own, but even if you're not from the early 90s era of gaming, this is a game you will enjoy, as you can tell the devs really cared about this project. It's not a perfect 5/5, but I can't give this 4 stars.
