Tropico 4 is already a solid game, and while I've never been very keen on the incessantly released DLC that adds little content (with the exception of Modern Times), this complete package adds at least another twenty five to thirty hours to the experience. Each of the smaller DLC's (the bulk of this package) adds an outfit, a trait for character creation, and then a new building and a new standalone mission. None of the smaller DLC's have a big impact on the game, but all of them together is essentially an entire expansion pack. Buy this instead of Tropico 5, there's little difference except this game has WAY more content and is a LOT less expensive.
Outlast is an impressive indie title made by a team of a dozen people. Considering this, the game really is quite remarkable. Outlast shines in the graphics department, the audio fidelity is terrific with atmospheric sound design, voice acting is believable and appropriate, gameplay and design is polished and playable. Where Outlast's faults lie is the scare factor. This game isn't scary. It can be, but when it is, it's not trying to be. The developers just don't seem to get horror. The problems begin to appear about halfway through the (5-6 hour) adventure trekking through a horrifically sinister asylum. Jump scares appear all too often, predictable and heavy handed when they leap at your screen, you'll begin to see them coming a mile away and will no longer be phased by these scripted scares. To top it off, not only will the game desensitize you to jump scares, but each of these scares are accompanied by cheesy sound effects, like a woman screeching, or what sounded like an animal of some sort in another. There are no animals or women encountered in the game, making jump scares all the more silly and immersion breaking. Speaking of desensitization, there are blood and guts laying around EVERYWHERE. This isn't 1968, guys, blood and guts isn't all that spooky to modern day horror fans. The liberal application of gore in this game isn't disturbing or scary at all, it's cheesy and lazy. The atmosphere would have been 10x better if the developers had replaced all of the repetitive (literally, they use the same models and textures for blood and guts throughout the entire game) gore with ACTUALLY creepy things or stuff that was relevant to the story. In the end, Outlast is a fine example of an indie title. Having high production values, great writing, great voice work and sound design in general, but lacking in the most important factor for a horror game: actual horror.
