I actually already owned this game before picking it up here on GOG, because a copy of it was given free with a CD Sampler disc from PCGamer back in the day. So I knew this game was right up my alley as far back as a decade ago, though I never played or heard of it before then. Of course I was familiar with some of the games in the Sid Meier's Civilization series (Revolution back on PS3, mainly), but I've had a steady disinterest in those games for a while now. Colonization, though, I don't know what it is about it but I always have to come back for more, so I picked up a GOG copy so I'd always have a digital version I could access without worrying about where I put that old magazine disc. I say I don't know what it is about the game that I love, but that isn't really true. I know exactly what I love about it. It's just so friggin' charming. I mean the sprite work is nice, and sprite art in general is something I honestly feel is timeless, and the music is fun to listen to on repeat and you really get a sense that you're conquering the new world. Colonization might be a dirty word, but I dare anyone to play this game and not love it a little bit.
I have actually already watched the entirety of this game played through on YouTube once before, many years back. When I realized there was a "Safe" difficulty, I put aside my reservations and finally put in my own 8h30m to beat the game myself. The Safe difficulty certainly takes away a lot of the tension and (obviously) difficulty of the game, but I don't actually ever play horror games to be scared. I play them because they have interesting worlds, characters and concepts, which means I tend not to play many of them at all because they're designed around tension and extremely dangerous enemies that will instakill you the moment you get in their sights. But enough about that, my preferences for difficulty aren't that important because I'm here to talk about how well-written the story for this game is. Simon might come off a bit whiny, but I feel like he's a fairly likable person at his core. The game will, of course, test your own moral code at several places in the story. There are no right or wrong answers, philosophers would argue about which is the better option all day like it's the trolley problem, but you will have to make some hard calls. The game will also force you into a few right at the start because of Simon's ignorance about his situation and the requirements to progress. That is probably my least favorite part of the story, that you are given no choices in that regard, but it's very early on in the game and is set aside. The game will ask you to make decisions, though, that I would argue should be difficult (and if they aren't difficult for you, then I don't think I want to know you as a person because either you're incredibly boring and can't connect with a piece of fiction or you're a sociopath and neither is appealing). I know you're probably thinking "I don't want to", but I feel like if you want to engage with a good story a little mild discomfort shouldn't dissuade you. It's up to you, but I loved Soma. I have very VERY few complaints.
I put this as a three-star as a sort of "in-the-middle" neutral review to make sure people understand something (hope that doesn't sound confrontational, this is just meant as a PSA for those who don't read descriptions fully; which is also not meant to sound confrontational or accusatory, I don't care what you read, I'm just trying to help you out). This "Enhanced" version, a term I use loosely as it doesn't really contribute much of anything worth noting, actually includes the original Neverwinter Nights Diamond Edition (the complete edition of the game, basically). The store link for Diamond in my library has been changed to lead to here and I checked the description: it does indeed state that you will get the original version unaffected if you want it. I can't recommend the original Neverwinter Nights highly enough. I played it before I even knew what "D&D" was and there have been few RPGs that have ever been even close to the love I feel for this game. Even the sequel pales by comparison. It is a masterpiece of world-building, as well as storytelling, and once you realize you can use custom maps to create your own unique armor sets and items (complete with their own descriptions and abilities) or even just your own short and fun little campaign or "breath of fresh air" relaxation spot, this game becomes something you'll want to come back and play every year. Diamond Edition itself is a five-star game. I only avoid giving the Enhanced Edition anything more because from what I've heard it's nothing special and I don't want to give a good review to a version I cannot personally verify. At the same time I won't give a poor review to a game I love without personal experience, either. They haven't raised the price to a ridiculous height, so I see no reason you should avoid picking this up. $20 is a steal for this game and GOG is a good way to buy it, DRM-free, as it was back in the day (well... more or less; start-up disc DRM was a thing by then, I think).
Nothing amazing. I didn't really make the D&D connection until I saw Githyanki in the story (I only know of them from Neverwinter Nights 2, the second game in a series I hold dear from my childhood). Like I said, it's not exactly what I'd give out awards for. It was relatively short, but the gameplay wasn't bad at all. The story didn't stun me, but it kept me engaged at least, so that's sort of a plus. Truth is, I barely remember the story. I bought the game dirt cheap, at a used games store, for PS2 and all I could think while playing it was "this feels like an inferior version of Lord of the Rings: Return of the King" mainly because it lacked co-op. The game probably could have handled it, but the developers just decided this three-character game should be a single-player experience, I suppose. I don't mean to crap on the game and if you can pick it up for like $5 you will most likely enjoy the experience, but unless you really love D&D worlds, it's not going to stick in your mind long after you played it. It cannot compare to Neverwinter Nights' story, Lord of the Rings: RotK's co-op gameplay or stun you with its now-dated graphics. The world itself is nice, but pretty standard fare generic fantasy and I honestly don't remember much more than a cave/ruins, a forest area where I think elves lived and a wizard's tower crumbling under an assault. That all sounds much more interesting that I considered it to be, I think.
I thought this game would play out more like XCOM in that you follow a linear narrative and recruit/improve characters as you went along. That would have been fun, to have an XCOM-style game with the aesthetics of the Wild West, but instead what the game turned out to be was a segmented storyline similar to what an RTS would do. If you've ever played Warcraft 3 or Age of Mythology (or presumably the Starcraft series), you probably know what I'm talking about. While the missions (scenarios) are longer than those of an RTS game, they are still relatively short and all progress with your characters (gear, money and wounds-turned-useful-scars) is lost when you start another scenario to continue the story. It's not a deal-breaker, the game is still fun and I haven't even finished it yet (three scenarios done with about five or so hours of continuous gameplay), but instead of forcing the character to play pre-determined characters with names and backstories, it would have been even better to follow a narrative that let you build up your own story as well. The story's interesting, though, and would have still been worth keeping even if it had been changed more towards my personal preference, but having more text-based story content would have increased the length of the game while still being a lot of fun, much like what the Shadowrun series does. As for gameplay, like other reviews have noted, overwatch doesn't exist in this game. Even Shadowrun has overwatch, but enemies in this game are the only ones who get it and if you get within the red circle around them (it'll show up if you hover over a tile close enough) they'll take a free shot at your character. Fights sometimes drag on because the equipment you're carrying doesn't do much damage and some enemies have higher health (doing 1 damage per turn gets old when accuracy is so low). Anyway, while it isn't perfect, it's fun. I feel like I won't play it again for a while until I want to relive the story.
I would easily rate this game five stars. In fact, I did. Does it have flaws? Of course. It's an older game, you'll probably experience some sort of compatibility issue (although I say that just in general because it's an older game, I've literally never had a crash or error or compatibility issue occur with this game, not even when I first played it as a teenager). I adore this game. It's a great RPG with mediocre voice-acting, excellent crafting (any item can be converted into a blueprint and have its materials swapped for another of the same type, i.e. - heavy iron armor converted to heavy steel armor or something along those lines) and interesting gameplay. Now, I can't lie to you, I've never beaten this game without cheating. It's hard. Enemies are 9 times out of 10 more powerful than you are and will smash Zak into tiny little pieces, no matter how good you get at the game. Save often and don't feel bad if you die. Unless you forget to save, because you should not have done that. The game is just plain charming, though, flaws and all. The world isn't overly-complex like most RPGs, but it's interesting and you'll find a few surprises along the way. If you think an enemy might be around the corner or you want to test yourself against a giant enemy you just KNOW is going to annihilate you, save first and have at it. The game is meant for you to take your time and experiment, explore, etc. In that sense, it's a true RPG experience. It presents a story, gives you your ultimate goal and slowly lets you head towards that goal as you gain power with extra objectives along the way. I highly recommend, if you choose not to cheat, that you work hard to gain as much experience as possible by completing every objective before moving on. It's probably not a game for everyone, but if you can love the original Resident Evil for its B-movie voice acting, ever enjoyed Two Worlds or just don't care that much about perfection and can enjoy the goofs, give Evil Islands a shot.
The game itself was kinda unnecessary, but it was also pretty fun when I played it. For $3, I can promise you it's worth it, but maybe not for $15 unless you really like the hell motif or you like Johnny or Kinzie that much. It has a lot of references to the first game and a few others (it's hell and you are a thug who has killed people throughout the series) which as someone who knows the entire plot, I appreciated. I recommend it. It's fun. I do wish this had been an expansion to Saints Row 3 or 4, as having access to hell powers and weapons would have been cool in the main game and this story was a little short. Not as short as others might claim, but still, it leaves you wanting a little more.
