This was on my "to play" list for quite some years. Overall, a surprisingly immersive and engaging experience. Not for faint of heart: there are mutilated bodies everywhere. World-building and atmosphere are the game's highpoints and stand strong to this day. Citadel station immerses the player easily thanks to excellent lighting design, compelling backstory, and an ever-present sense of tension and despair. The game follows a linear plot and you must explore to uncover the clues to SHODAN's schemes and how to stop them. Exploration rewards you well with plenty of additional backstory, items, and weaponry. SHODAN is a menacing villain, who instills far more dread than the typical 90s bad-guy. Between her visage, unsettling communications, and relentlessness, SHODAN is classic and memorable. The gameplay is a mx of between first-person combat, puzzle solving, and implant-driven cyberspace romps. Of course, no one in the 90s could use the internet without cybernetic implants. The game boasts a strong variety of weapons, items, and implants to aid your cause. Enhanced edition includes mouse-look but it is unresponsive; otherwise you can drive turning and moving with the mouse like an old-school dungeon crawler. It can be awkward to aim or react quickly. On the plus side, there are many interesting enemy types and plenty of ammo to go around. Puzzles are usually "you're getting warmer"-style guessing games, with a few genuine brain-teasers here and there. Cyberspace is easily the weakest part of the game; unfortunately, it is required to progress. The 6 DOF movement and wireframe virtual world might have been spectacle at the time, but it is a chore to play. Nonetheless, you can change the difficulty of each part of the game individually, in case one would break your experience. All in all, this is a journey worth taking. Though, I did find the final stretch underwhelming.
(NOTE: Based on experience with the PS4 version. I will not comment on technical glitches as that may differ on the PC version) The game starts off with the right mood. You are a fledgling vampire, trying to make sense of what on Earth is going on around you. London feels dark and foreboding. Then... you eventually encounter combat for the first time. "That's... it?", I thought, as I emerged victorious in a completely uninteresting fight. And thus begins the theme of the game. The atmosphere of the world, the graphics, the characters, the story... all are decently compelling. In fact, if this game were a movie, it could be a memorable vampire thriller. The thought of a surgeon, a man of science, coming to grips with the supernatural is enticing, for sure. However, the gameplay just falls absolutely flat. For one, the combat is just a chore. While occasional enjoyment can be found in whooping ass, combat is extremely unresponsive and your character will either feel grossly underpowered or stupidly overpowered. Enemies have a tendency to float across the ground to grab you from afar; guns go right through walls so don't bother with cover. Enemies only become more annoying as the game goes on, especially in tight spaces. To advance your character, you spend XP like many RPGs. However, combat gives you a laughably small amount of XP: to the point of making difficult fights pointless. This tempts you to "embrace" friendly NPCs for a massive XP boost. Alternatively, you can *make everyone as sick as possible so you can get credit for healing them.* Healing the sick rewards tons of XP. It is truly more perverse than simply sucking blood. Still, crafting medicine is a chore as ingredients can be hard to find. The world building and characters are compelling with excellent voice acting. Shame about everything else. Unless you want to tough out dull, frustrating gameplay for the story, feel free to skip this one.
This sequel improves on the original in almost every tangible way. - The story unfolds in a much more compelling way - Side characters feel more important to the world - Strong variety in the locations you visit - Combat is improved - Much more variety in the enemies you face, and there are even bosses - The graphics are improved, with full 3D towns - You can save at any time While the story isn't complex, it is enjoyable to get lost in the world of Twinsun once again. The game starts you off with familiar characters, and quickly introduces enough mystery and intrigue to really pull you in. Before you know it, you catch the scent of evil most foul and journey to uncover the truth. The universe established by the first game is expanded with some great lore and memorable characters. You will gather many interesting inventory items in your quest. There are multiple weapons and other items to help you in and out of combat. Compared to the first game, the items this time around feel like they have a bigger impact on your quest overall. Towns have jumped to 3D. Still, the camera cuts/transitions as if you were in an isometric zone. Twinsen controls the same in full 3D, with plenty of enemies and NPCs to interact with. However, NPC draw distance is limited. It also possible to cause enemies to respawn by triggering certain camera cuts. Combat was the worst point of the first game, but has improved here. You still have tank controls and stun locking is key, but you have more utility available. You can "sidestep" and your "aggressive" stance is far more viable. Enemy attack patterns vary beyond just spamming gunshots. By the end, your arsenal of spells and weapons, including a shield, make combat a cinch. However, it would be nicer to offer stronger combat overall than shower the player with workarounds. Combat here isn't bad, but is rarely exciting. All in all, this was my first play through and I really enjoyed it. Not flawless, but definitely worth playing.
This game shows very well with vibrant artwork and strong voice acting. The environments are richly detailed, and it definitely has that 40s action movie flair. Your main hub location is a panoramic view of the main island, which is a nice touch. There is some toilet humor that usually wraps up in the protagonist being too innocent to get the joke, though he's simultaneously shown to be a bit of a ladies man. Another running gag is incorrect stereotypes, such as gorillas or pygmies being in the wrong locale. This is famously taken to an extreme, when you make a gorilla disappear by convincing him he cannot exist in the Amazon. Though not always that bad, there is obscure logic throughout the game. This causes a lot of backtracking to head scratch over puzzles. Plus, you have to page through your inventory and items just persist forever, meaning you will spend a lot of time thumbing through your inventory and experimenting with random items that may be completely useless. I still enjoyed most of my time with this game, and for a free game you cannot deny the value. Worth a try if you're into LucasArts-styled adventure games.
You take the role as the least interesting member of the Denton family, hot on the trail of terrorists who just destroyed your home and everything you hold dear with a cloud of pseudo-scientific nonsense. In your quest, you meet one ugly, forgettable character after another as you travel around the world picking up the sloppy seconds of the conspiracies laid bare by the first game. Harsh, perhaps, but the story and world-building this time around is nowhere near as compelling, especially if taken on its own merit without the first game. This entry veers more towards ultra-futuristic fantasy; the skills are dropped in favor of simplified "biomods", and ammo is universally shared between all weapons. This makes it less enticing to try different playstyles and there is no rare ammo to reward you for exploration. The combat is less sluggish than the first game, but many weapons feel underpowered and your nonlethal options are limited. That said, there is still enjoyment to be had. There is some quirky humor here and there, and the game is just engaging enough to keep you going. However, a lot hinges on nostalgia from the first game, especially when revisiting characters or locations. The idea of a black market for biomods adds an interesting touch on the game. This means another faction to deal with, and the enhancements are interesting. Ultimately, there seems little difference to which factions you side with until the final act of the game. This isn't much different from the first game, but the game gives you the illusion of pledging allegiance when it does not actually matter. Despite the flaws, I have played through this multiple times.
The opening music still gives me goosebumps to this day. This game is an absolute labor of love and an inspiration to all game developers. First, the world of Morrowind puts unique spins on the usual medieval RPG tropes. The land feels lush and almost alien, with massive mushrooms and bizarre creatures dotting the landscape. The lore and history of the world is deep, with a plethora of government bodies, religious sects, and cultures to discover. Exploring Morrowind is totally engrossing, and the story is quite creative. Second, you have unparalleled freedom. You're set loose to your own devices after the first few minutes. It can be overwhelming for some players, but I find the lack of "go to this marker right now" to be liberating. Indeed, there are no markers or waypoints to tell you where you "need" to go. It is completely up to you to pursue what you find the most compelling, for better or worse. That extent of player agency lends itself to some unique world-building. Characters give you real directions to places, and it is up to you to follow them... or not. Often you will be distracted by caves and other places to explore along the way. Most important details will be tracked in the journal, but it may be difficult to find old entries if you strayed for too long. The lack of way markers may make it frustrating at times to find items or people of interest. The skills system is vast and perhaps overwhelming. Unlike most RPGs, in Elder Scrolls your strength is not just based on a single level; your proficiency in each skill is independently tracked and leveled. Unfortunately, this means if you start the game with poor combat skills then fighting becomes tedious. You will find yourself "missing" enemies often, which is unintuitive and not an issue in later Elder Scrolls games. Most playstyles are viable, and your playstyle affects which factions you can join. Eg. You must be a decent mage to excel in the mage's guild. Must try at least once.
This was my first foray into "The Witcher" series. Though common medieval tropes abound, the game is compelling and your choices do have some weight on the outcome of your quest. The game is full of interesting quests and characters, and your loyalty or neutrality to certain factions matters. The graphics are perfectly serviceable. Geralt himself has a bland presentation and personality, which is odd considering the sheer volume of women who throw themselves at him at a moment's notice. Yes, bare-bosomed friends await you at every turn. The elephant in the room is surely the combat. There is a specific rhythm to the combat which means you have to press attack at certain times or your combo ends. It is satisfying to land a powerful combo and pulverize your enemies, but the system takes getting used to at best and may put off players at worst. Overall, the combat did not lessen the experience for me. Additionally, there is a complex skills system, as well as alchemy to give you a specific edge in combat. It takes some cautious planning to invest in the right skills at the right time, as Witchers also carry two blades: silver for monsters, and steel for everything else. Sometimes it feels a little redundant to invest in the same skills for a different material of sword. You can find weapons in shops and as loot from enemies, but most weapons you find are completely useless. You never need to use anything other than your Witcher swords. There are also bombs and traps to experiment with, but they are never required. Aside from armaments, you will also collect alchemical ingredients to concoct potions with. Rummaging through people's houses will net plenty of food, which is mostly useful for bartering or gifts to NPCs. You will also find copious amounts of alcohol, which may be given to certain NPCs or consumed in drinking contests. It's mildly interesting, but it takes too long to sober up. All in all, an above-average experience if you can stomach the combat.
Ion Storm accomplished something truly special here. You take the role as JC Denton, a super soldier who finds himself entangled in a deep global conspiracy. Travel the world and uncover the invisible hands that pull the world's strings. There are plenty of games and films with dystopian near-future settings, but Deus Ex presents a vast wealth of lore, characters and world building that is rare to find in a single entry. Plus, whether it's politics, technology, or philosophy, everything is presented in a relatable and plausible way. For example, the first mission gives you opportunity to capture a terrorist leader alive; he then makes some valid points grounded in real-life history. Everything in the game has a familiar basis, which saves things from devolving from overly-futuristic fantasy. This presentation is extremely compelling, as you find yourself questioning the motives of the powers-that-be right alongside JC. Also, the sheer amount of content means you will return to Deus Ex time and time again, finding something new with each playthrough. The world is intricately designed, and you are often rewarded for going off the beaten path. The immersive world and story stand strong despite a dated visual presentation. While perfectly serviceable, the characters are blocky and stiff even by the standards of when this game was originally released. The environment geometry tends to be simple but captures a strong mood thanks to good use of lighting and shadow. The music is absolutely gorgeous and, at times, haunting. Gameplay-wise, it's an RPG at heart with skills and inventory to manage. You can invest in your desired playstyle, which can be anything from a pure-stealth, non-lethal approach to a walking tank equipped with rocket launchers and flamethrowers. Though, expect clunky combat unless you invest accordingly. The game features "augmentations" which give you superhuman abilities and an additional level of customization. Overall, a must play.
At first, it might not seem obvious what changed in this "HD" remaster. Playing through, you will get the same feeling and experience that you had when booting up cc1.exe for the first time. Therein lies the magic: Emberheart Games managed to capture the spirit perfectly while subtly improving the entire presentation. This is the gold standard for pixel remasters or 8-bitish work. Comparing side-by-side to the EGA original, you will see much improved colors and animation all around. But until then, you would swear to anything that this is exactly how the original felt. Besides visuals, the gameplay and sounds are as identical as they can be within Unity3D. Very rarely, sprites will be offset from the blocky pixel grid. This never hurt gameplay for me per se, but I have extremely rarely taken damage when I would not in the original DOS game. That may be caused by floating point imprecision in Unity, whereas I assume the original was all fixed point math. The game's original three episodes are here plus a bonus fourth. The original game can be quite challenging. Some levels require careful planning to progress or you can actually get stuck and need to restart. The goal of the game is to collect every crystal in every level. You can take up to three hits of damage, but you get a sizeable bonus for finishing a level without taking a hit. This version also offers different difficulty options, which can change the way you approach the game. Going through the game with less ammo than usual is a fun and interesting challenge. This version also adds achievements, online leaderboards, and a level editor. Personally, I could do without achievements but I suppose it is the modern trend. The online leaderboards never seem to load for me, so it is almost a moot addition. The level editor is interesting, but I did not see any way to share levels across the internet. That would really make this the perfect package. Still, if you loved crystal caves, you can't go wrong here.
Make your mark on the city of angels as a newly reborn child of Cain, untangling your newfound powers and the vast secret societies that surround you. This is an extremely immersive world full of interesting characters, compelling lore, and memorable dialogue. However, it is not without faults, especially with regards to combat. First, you must select a clan; this dictates much of your play style. Perhaps you would try clan Brujah, known for their rage and prowess in combat. Or maybe the Malkavians are more your style, who use their insanity as a weapon to subvert their foes and avoid combat entirely. Your clan and gender choices also determine your character's appearance. Unfortunately, there is no further customization outside of third-party mods. Though, you only see your character during embrace and melee combat so take it as you will. The game abounds with memorable characters and plenty of quests. Most characters have excellent voice acting, distinct personalities, and great facial animation. The relatable SoCal neighborhoods are full of life and vampires are able to blend in perfectly with the nightlife. The game progresses through four neighborhoods, each acting as a hub. The later hubs are much smaller in size than the first two. There are plenty of skills which may seem daunting, and it is easy to make poor investments in your first playthrough. Typical staples like hacking and lockpicking are here, as well as various combat skills and special vampiric powers. You can also invest in your personality, like making yourself more seductive or intimidating which affects some dialogue. Combat is a bit clunky. Melee switches to a third-person perspective and there is a certain rhythm to landing attacks. Ranged weapons feel clumsy, even after investing skill points. Stealth is the most consistently satisfying option. Your choices also carry consequences and you can only play neutral for so long. Overall, an engrossing experience worth trying at least once.
