This reboot of the titular Leisure Suit Larry features a charming art style and point-and-click adventure gameplay that never get too frustrating. It's absolutely brilliant to just have Larry appear inexplicably in the modern age. His escapades translate perfectly into some cute tongue-in-cheek satire as he tries his hand at online dating. Gameplay-wise, many of the common issues from Sierra games-past are solved: you can never enter an unwinnable state and the game conveniently offers to highlight interactive items. Dying brings you right back so there is no penalty if you want to experiment. Almost all the puzzles in the game have varying levels of hints. A plus is there is minimal moon logic. However, most of the game is a fetch quest for items other characters specifically ask for. Many of the remaining puzzles almost solve themselves. It's still entertaining, but less ingenuity is required than other adventure games. It mainly rewards careful observation and good memory. The sex jokes aren't as overdone as in the sequel. I surely laughed out loud, especially on one particular date. The satire is paced well enough not to get stale. The game generally runs well on WIndows 10. There are a few minor bugs and typos but nothing that detracts from the experience. The Overall, a decent game that definitely gets better as you get into it. It's a fun experience, but not exactly a must-play.
I honestly had low expectations of this game but was pleasantly surprised. The more time you spend with it, the more this game starts to shine with great gameplay design and decent humor. The jokes might not be for everyone, but it is a very well-balanced experience that avoids many of the typical problems with adventure games. The game pits the titular Larry Laffer on an island-hopping adventure to save the love of his life and so much more. These games are known for being naughty, and there are plenty of sexcapades and horny jokes. Too many, really. Almost every screen has a penis in it. Some characters get downright cringe with their sex jokes; this might even be intentional to make you dislike certain antagonists. But give it a chance. Eventually the humor does evolve and become more clever. Establishing Larry as basically warped to the modern day from the 80s opens the door to many interesting scenarios. It's never quite rolling on the floor funny, but you will get a few laughs here and there. The gameplay is the star for me. There is very little "moon logic" in this game; some moments feel absolutely absurd but make sense in the context of the Larry universe. There are many quality of life features, like a to-do list and the ability to highlight all interactive items in any screen. Crafting items is also ingeniously integrated in a crafting app which takes a lot of the trial and error guesswork out of mixing items together. However, it does remove a layer of difficulty as you essentially know the answer and just need to find the right item. I never got stuck for very long and did not need a guide. There is one potentially annoying minigame and an honestly frustrating maze section. These are thankfully optional and you can skip them at absolutely no cost. The epilogue of the game is genuinely interesting. There are a few bugs and typos, but nothing that breaks the game. Overall, a surprisingly good experience that exceeded my expectations.
The original Doom is one of the most-ported games of all time thanks to its simple and addictive gameplay. The premise is simple: blast away all the monsters before they kill you. You're encouraged to move quickly to dispatch your enemies and collect whatever goodies they may have been guarding. There are health and ammo pickups all over each level and you'll definitely need them. Although a must play, the game is a product of its time. While the levels space out the action and secrets very well, they are mostly mazes with few memorable features or landmarks. Texturing sometimes feels random from room to room. The general mood and atmosphere is still there thanks to some creepy texturing and good use of lighting. The weapons are iconic, and the shotgun is satisfying. You will find appropriately powerful weapons to deal with each tier of enemy. You will often find power-ups that give you bonuses like temporary invulnerability or superhuman strength to tear demons apart with a single punch. All in all, a great monster blasting game that is easy to play for a short or long time. Each level can be completed in just a few minutes if you need a quick fix.
Never played before; there is no nostalgic bias when I say this is one of the best designed adventure games available. The atmosphere is undeniably Indiana Jones. You visit exotic locales all over the world in a race against the Third Reich to uncover the secrets of Atlantis. You spend some of your adventure with a female colleague, and the dynamics between the leading characters are immersive and fitting. While Harrison Ford does not reprise his role as Indy, the voice acting in the game is fantastic and not overly goofy or cartoony. The true gem of this title is the gameplay. Puzzles generally have rational and rewarding solutions, with no "moon logic" to speak of. The game also provides helpful and intuitive feedback on your actions to help guide you. I never found myself trying every item on everything out of frustration as I have in most adventure games. Unique amongst LucasArts titles, this game features death, three gameplay branches, and multiple endings to explore. This encourages you to replay the game, make decisions carefully and save often. The deaths are few and predictable; just enough for variety but not saturated with danger like in Sierra Online games. Overall, this is definitely worth experiencing especially for the small fee on GoG. This the best Indiana Jones gaming experience money can buy.
The world of Arx is atmospheric and immersive. The sprawling dungeon heavily encourages exploration. Coupled with excellent sound design, you will satisfyingly tiptoe through unknown areas in a way that cannot be matched by modern waypoint-centric games. Player agency and interaction is key: you must think and pay attention when you play this game! You are always rewarded for picking up on the slightest details, such as noticing books that might be useful to certain NPCs. Arx also uses verticality, with hidden items on ledges you can retrieve with telekinesis or levitation. Magic is performed by actually drawing runes with the mouse cursor. Your spell catalog grows impressive and powerful with intuitive rune combinations. However, it can be finnicky to get shapes to register–especially during battle! Thankfully, you can store up to three spells to instant cast. Character-wise, you have your typical melee, mage and ranged builds. You should specialize: magic is the easiest, while ranged/thievery is the hardest. Compared to other games, it takes a surprisingly large investment in lockpicking and stealth to be viable. Unfortunately, the GoG release is quite buggy on modern Windows. I initially struggled to get the game launching at all. Beyond that, crashes are common so save often. The sound occasionally cuts out and can be resolved by toggling EAX or restarting. Some textures have ugly black backgrounds when they should be see through. Past the technical issues, I found the game's lore and plot a bore. The premise of humanity being forced underground has potential, but I never felt strong investment in any of the characters. The combat experience varies. Lower enemies fall swiftly to your blade or powerful spells with ease. On the other hand, tougher bosses drag on and become more of a chore than a genuine challenge. The final boss of the game is one of the least satisfying fights I have seen in any game. All said, worth trying out.
The Blade Runner aesthetic comes to life with the impressive pre-rendered backdrops and cut scenes. Your choices and actions drive the game to one of over a dozen endings. At first glance, the game seems like a simplified point and click adventure game. You cannot even use items like in other games; it's mostly a pixel hunt. But beyond that simplicity is a compelling story and a world that really pulls you in. The closet modern parallels would be games like Heavy Rain and Detroit from Quantic Dream. The style of gameplay works well for the detective main character. Be sure to save often - your character can be killed or arrested if you make mistakes!
While I know the Fallout brand and premise from pop culture, this was the first time I actually played a game in the series. Your vault opens its doors for the first time since the nuclear apocalypse and it is up to you to find a replacement water chip so your people survive. This simple quest evolves into wide exploration of the California wasteland and gives way to a sinister plot that you must unfurl to save humanity. You piece together the backstory by discovering clues and exploring atmospheric locations. While I can appreciate this, the story ends up feeling a little thin for an RPG, especially for today's standards. By the same token, character development is non-existent. You have the option of recruiting companions for your journey but they are essentially goons-for-hire and offer nothing in way of unique conversation or plot devices. You do meet interesting folks, though interactions are brief and repetitive. Every town seems to be ravaged by criminal overlords that you can trick and double-cross in the same exact way. The gameplay is typical isometric RPG-flair: mouse-driven movement and combat with plenty of skills, attributes, and traits to juggle. Not all skills and attributes are as viable as you might think, though it is generally flexible enough to offer variety for different playthroughs. The pre-rendered graphics hold up well, and this release does support higher resolutions. Locations are dreary and atmospheric, but extremely repetitive, as you might imagine in a wasteland. Be careful where you save. If an NPC had to move aside to let you through, reloading will actually reset that NPC's position. For example, your starting vault has an armory that you can talk your way into. I saved in the armory after returning with the water chip, only to reload and get shot by the guards for supposedly breaking into the armory. The game was unwinnable at that point. Overall, good game, but not a must play.
This game improves on the first in every way. Good quality voice acting really brings the characters to life. The story feels very much on par with animated super hero plots. The Lego medium is embraced well, with the right peppering of humor here and there. The gameplay works well for the most part, though it is similar to other Lego games: beat up bad guys, smash up the environment, and build contraptions out of Lego bricks. One major difference is that you have free roam over Lego Gotham, which looks gorgeous and is full of collectibles to discover. The different suits and character abilities lend themselves to different gameplay mechanics and puzzles, though sometimes they feel a bit contrived. For example, having a "power suit" right next to an explosive door that leads to another suit is hardly puzzling or exciting. There are some polish issues that persist from other Lego games: - Terrible AI that can sometimes get stuck - Platforming can be frustrating, especially with awkward camera angles - If your characters get physically stuck, you have to start the level over The combat is not as deep as the Arkham series, but is made enjoyable by the various characters you can play as and the combo system that lets you perform finishing moves. Overall, it's a decent experience and worth trying if you want more Batman in your life. This is best played with a twin-stick controller.
Batman has great potential in LEGO form, as evidenced by the absurd and hilarious LEGO Batman movie that came out quite some time after this game. However, this game is a fairly average and bland experience that adds nothing to the typical LEGO game formula. Danny Elfman's famous Batman theme on the title screen definitely gets you excited for some crime-fighting. But it only goes downhill from there. Like most LEGO games, the gameplay loop is smacking enemies, collecting studs, and assembling random pieces of floating debris into useful objects. Along the way, you will encounter multiple playable characters and suits to offer different abilities. For example, some objects can only be destroyed with explosives. Some abilities, like gliding or magnetic shoes, help you reach specific areas. Unfortunately, the potential is wasted on arbitrary puzzles that focus too much on co-op. These non-puzzles are usually of the "Let's pull these levers at the same time and see what happens" variety. This gives some utility for multiplayer, but makes single-player an absolute chore as you're at the mercy of the AI's help. It's especially frustrating in areas with respawning enemies. Gotham itself is surprisingly bland. The environments stray away from LEGO brick charm, but lack any real artistic flair that justify going for realism. Button mashing to work your way through enemies and random smashables gets old very fast. The game does not follow any existing source material plot, which should open the doors for some wild adventures. There is some humor and cuteness, but nothing worth playing through to experience. I could see the appeal to younger audiences, and it plays decently well on a controller. There just isn't anything here if you missed this. I recommend trying the second game which is far superior and a fun experience.
I played System Shock 1 & 2 back-to-back; this sequel improves on the original in almost every tangible way. The highlight by far is the atmosphere. Excellent use of lighting, sound design, and audio logs combine to keep you on the edge of your seat most of the time. SHODAN is genuinely creepy and the new organic, hive-mind antagonist really ups the horror factor. Mutilated bodies line the halls you scour for clues to survive. Not for the faint of heart. This entry adds more of an RPG element, and your only means of skill points is by completing objectives and careful exploration. You must choose wisely to specialize in your preferred gameplay styles. Most choices are valid, and you even get to toy with psionic powers; these are obviously the precursor to plasmids in BioShock. Resources and ammo are scarce, but not too scarce. The eagle-eyed and frugal can amass a decent arsenal from exploration and repawning enemies. Weapons also degrade, which adds some utility and narrative to the random weapons you find. Still, pistols melting after a few magazines feels out of place. They can be fixed with the maintain and repair skills, which should have been one skill in my opinion. Melee weapons never degrade, but melee combat feels a bit clumsy and imprecise. Unfortunately, the first half lacks some variety. Many similar corridors and mostly the same few enemies. I also felt less "oomph" to each deck's objectives compared to the first game. For what it's worth, the game tends to throw curve balls before it gets boring. The ending sequences in particular are quite creative. Nonetheless, fumbling in the dark while hive-minded enemies finish each other's sentences around the corner is quite a memorable experience and never gets old. People compare this to Deus Ex. While similar, this is linear survival horror through-and-through with a focus on creepy narrative and constant tension. It's not for everyone. But if you like scary games, then this should be on your list.
