So, this could basically be explained as a light adventure game where you, as the title suggest, go on a hike. You are on an island and your goal is to make it to the top of a tall mountain that is at the center of said island. You play as a cute bird named Claire and you can interact with certain objects on the island with tools like sticks, shovels, buckets and pickaxes. In order to scale the mountain you need to collect golden feathers that acts as Claires stamina meter and makes it possible for you to climb, sprint and flap your wings as you paraglide through the air. On your journey you meet various characters who will either give you tasks, present challenges or just chatting away. It's all rather adorable and the visuals are simple yet gorgeous. I played ASH together wth a less skilled player who had no problem handling the controls of ASH (we played the game on a Nintendo Switch console). The camera can get a bit annoying but since the game is so easy (and forgiving) it never becomes a real problem. ASH is a short game and will be over in a couple of hours. If you are in need of a relaxing gaming session or just feel down and need something cheery to pick you up, ASH is a solid recommendation. It basically feels like a gaming alternative to a hot cup of chocolate.
I bought Hellblade on GOG but played it on my Xbox. It's a game rather suited for playing with a controller but anyway: Hellblade is a third person adventure game where you play as Senua, a mentally ill woman on a quest to save her dead lovers soul by challenging Hella, a semi-deity from the old norse pagan faith (the Aesir faith to be precise). Senuas travels takes her through dark, cold and unhospital lands and Senua is also forced to use both her wits and her ability as a warrior to combat enemies which (I assume) are the souls of deceased nordic warriors as well as other godlike creatures. Hellblade is a very linear game, something that I find very positive as linear games almost feels like a dying breed these days. While the graphics aren't exactly AAA-material, the facial animations of Senua are absolutely top notch and the voice acting is great. The combat is simplistic and consists of light attacks, strong attacks, parrying and dodging and is generally more frustrating than fun once it becomes challenging. The game often spawns enemy behind you that attacks you instantly and the camera has a tendency to block your view at the most inconvenient times. Besides fighting there are some simple puzzles to solve but most of your time is dedicated to the story and the portrayal of Senua's psychosis and crippling self-doubt. The developers have bragged about their unique take on mental health issues and while the setting (and heroine) could indeed be regarded as unique, the actual mechanisms are a lot more familiar. Voices in your head? Check. Odd mirages and visual artifacts? Check. Unsettling flashbacks? Check. None of this is very interesting nor is it really scary either. The constant chatter in Senua's head gets tiresome after a while and prevented me from enjoying the more quiet and slow parts between combat that could otherwise have a melancholic charm to it (such as when wandering through shipwreck ridden beach or a misty forest). Not a bad game though!
Men of Valor came out in 2004 and boy have things changed in the last 16 years. You play as Dean Shepard, a marine soldier in the Vietnam war and you follow Dean and his squad mates through 13 missions that ends with the onslaught of the Tet Offensive of 1968. The gameplay is simple and like Call of Duty, but a lot less refined and much slower. The running speed in MoV kinda feels like sneaking in comparable games. Most of the time, Dean and the others are in the jungle, surrounded by thick foliage and tree lines which makes for a rather odd surrounding in this traditional corridor shooter. Enemies are dumb as bricks and pops out from the bushes, seemingly at random which makes for many frustrating encounters where an enemy comes straight out of nowhere (there is no way to predict which way they'll come from besides trial and error) and if you are unlucky, a VC gunman will chip away half your health bar with one shot. Most of the times however, the enemy is too dumb to even run in the right direction and starts spraying in random directions. The plot and narrative of MoV are a lot better than the gameplay, especially the written correspondence between Dean and his father discussing Deans experience in 'Nam and his parents fears and worries regarding their son thay plays between missions. Likewise, when Dean dies (and he does plenty of that), you are treated to a letter of death notification sent by the US Military to Dean's family that describes how he fell (this changes between missions). It gives a depth to an otherwise hollow experience. The racial dynamics of MoV (Dean and most of his squad mates being black) is interesting and feels progressive for it's time. Sadly, the vietnamese are not exactly depicted in the most flattering light with a rather nasty depiction of a prostitute woman as one example. The fact that Deans squad mates yell insults such as "die you rice eating motherf*ckers" and "choke on this you pukes" (gooks) doesn't make things better.
Wolfenstein 2 might not be as innovative as the previous game but it's still a great shooter with that juicy B-movie action vibe to it. With the right hardware, the game runs butter smooth and the actual shooting is awesome. Gory, pulsating and full of adrenaline although maybe a tad too easy at times. Blasko is now en route to America in an attempt to rid it of the nazi regime and the local henchmen (the Klan). The game sometimes feels like a love letter to Tarantino movies and sometimes it's just weird in it's change of pace and tone but for the FPS lovers it's a solid recommendation.
This game is more interesting than 'good' in the traditional sense but for those that seek variation I strongly recommend it. You play as a tribunal judge during the french revolution and the game starts off as fairly simple court simulator where you read through the charges, check the evidence, interrogate the suspect and call witnesses to the stand. You can choose between acquital, prison and the guillotine for the accused at the beginning (but no fines or penal labor) until the revolutionaries withdraw the possibility of dishing out prison time so now it's just death or nothing at all. This makes things a lot more complicated as most would guess and before long you start having to take different societal factions into account as you will otherwise face the blade yourself. Parallel to your court work, your character does his own fair share of political intriguing to strenghten your position in the post-revolutionary country. You are a gifted orator and can use your skill to manipulate both crowds and separate individuals to convince them to support you. The game thus morphs into a political scheming simulator where your conscience and sense of justice seldomly has the final say in court. Certain cases will probably evoke more feelings than others (such as an obvious antisemitic plot to get rid of an old jewish business man) and you soon learn to save up some political goodwill in order to judge more fairly in these cases (if you so choose). Later in the game a new mini-game that focuses on military battles takes up a lot of your time and the game becomes a lot less interesting towards the end but nevertheless We. The Revolution is a fascinating game that I can honestly recommend. If nothing else, it makes for terrific discussion materials amongst your pals!
Sadly, this game feels rather 'meh' compared to the previous game despite the obviously higher production value. The inventory system is a complete mess and the whole looter shooter-shtick just isn't very funny. The gameplay (shooting and swordplay) is pretty good but feels increasingly repetitive and there is absolutely nothing to mix the gameplay up. Many of the guns lacks impact and the whole idea with intentional misses (basically a percentage risk that is different with different guns and power-ups) is just boring. Every mission plays out the same and the story is rather thin. Lo Wang is just dull as a character, his quips are cringe-worthy and there is zero fun punchlines in the game. Visually the game looks rather good and plays pretty smoothly on a powerful computer but you can expect random fps-drops. All in all, it's an average shooter but a disappointing sequel.
I backed this game on Kickstarter and now I could finally try it out. The gameplay is fast-paced and the shooting is gritty. You can swap between polygon modeled enemies or classic sprites and I recommend the sprites. Whenever you shoot something there is a satisfying cascade of blood and the death animations are just as gory as a classic Doom-fan would like them. The performance is still not very good considering the visuals but otherwise this game is heading in the right direction.
I've played through the game and the physics are still very impressive while the rest of the game sadly isn't very good. Fighting enemies is rarely fun unless you manage to blow up buildings on top of them, the story is dumb and the environments are mostly dull and without much life to them. It is, however still a decent game at the end of the day as long as you focus on demolishing things and then run away (which you can usually do without much problem). In certain missions you are given a mech suit and can use it to wreck havoc on enemy fortifications by simply plowing through them. That never gets old, neither is seeing larger buildings finally collapsing after a final whack with your trusty sledgehammer on the right supporting column.
Played this game from start to finish which takes a couple of hours. You play as some sort of religious monk who manages to upset your cult and therefor starts to fight to kill everyone else... kind of. It's an FPS and you have three different weapons at your arsenal (your bare fists not included): some sort of shock rifle that fries enemies, a flame thrower and a nail gun. The first two looks kinda cool while the third one is the gun that actually inflicts some damage at the bullet sponges that rushes you. Enemies are dumb as rocks and uses no tactics whatsoever besides standing still and shooting or rushing your position. There are weird plant-like enemies that you can use to lure enemies into traps - which can be mildly entertaining. The game is rather dull but the environments are cool and kinda reminds me about the Painkiller-games. Sadly, the game is a technical trainwrecks and getting a decent framerate is not gonna happen. The developers promised to keep updating the game which they haven't, neither on Steam or GOG. Is it worth playing through? If you want a short, brainless activity to engage with while listening to podcasts? Sure. If you have limited time (and funds): stay away.
