SupCom: FA is one of, if not the best, grand real-time strategy games in existance. It looks great, has unique factions (albeit mostly in visuals, rather than function) and has extremely compelling gameplay. SupCom without the expansion suffers from some exploits and greatly rewards turtling strategies. The economy rework rebalance made in Forged Alliance really allowed the game to truly shine and makes fighting over resources an actual fight, instead of just securing a few mass points and then turtling your way to experimentals (super units). The physically modeled shots add great fun and variety to the battlefield, where the lay of the land actually matters. Tanks can't fire over crests for instance, so placing your armies correctly can help sway the battle. I've even seen long-distance artillery shells accidentally down aircraft! That's how deep the simulation goes. The AI is not the greatest, but can be modded to make for a real challenge even on non-cheating levels. If multiplayer is your jam, Forged Alliance Forever (FAF) is a portal used by thousands of players the world over to fight for fun or competitive ladders STILL to this day. That's how good this game is. You would do yourself a HUGE disservice not getting this game if you have any interest in RTS games. I don't own it on GoG because I still own the real box, so I don't need it on GoG, or it would be an instant purchase. GET IT!
The visuals and music of the game is spot on and really emulates the late 80's, early 90's arcade racers. The mechanics, however, are absolutely subpar and makes the game a bore to play. The main mechanic of the game, Slipstreaming, barely ever comes into play, and when it does, it usually leads to you shooting forward into the back of another car. There's 0 requirement for skill, as the rubberbanding in this game is off the charts. The AI will always be either right behind you or slightly in front of you, and as long as you finish a race without crashing 20+ times, you *will* win. The racing mechanics are completely absent. There is no skill in placement or cornering. As long as you drift, it matters not where on the road you are. Most opponents will just zip by behind you as you drive on the straights. They have nowhere near the speed you have, even if you repeatedly crash. Stay away from this game. It looks and sounds great, but the mechanics are just not there.
As an "old school" gamer, starting in the mid 80's with games, I find Shantae to be a great little gem. It's long enough to keep you entertained, but short enough to not feel like a slog. It could possibly have been longer, but that's down to taste. I found it to be pretty spot on for range. The writing and story is relatively average. I'd say on the upper regions of average with a fair few good laughs sprinkled in here and there. Graphics and sound are very well done, although it runs in 4:3 and looks somewhat pixelated, leading to a very SNES like aestethic. Gameplay is solid and I rarely found anything to complain about as it came to enemies, puzzles, platforming challenges and gameplay in general. There are a few mind boggingly strange designs in the conversation trees where you are given a "Yes" and "No" choice on things that are truly not a choice at all. The game will even tell you so if you choose "Wrong". Strange mechanic indeed. There are also far too many confirmation windows for my taste. Especially saving and warping at the warp squids. If I've walked up to a squid and chosen to warp, why on Earth must I confirm this again, and the choice defaults to no? I can't tell how many times I've accidentally cancelled a warp because of this. Outside of these small quirks I'd say Shantae: Risky's Revenge is a must have for people who like SNES-era platformers.
