Penumbra Overture is realistic, genuine and dark. It constantly dangles a thick atmosphere that makes you believe you're in real danger, when the next actual monster encounter is still an hour away. It's that kind of horror that makes Penumbra, and it's successor: Amnesia, excellent horror titles. Black Plague was able to accomplish the same philosophy, but ended quite weak where it started so strong. It's sad that the plot of Black Plague is so disappointing, not to mention the last few minutes of the game are excruciatingly poor; trying to be something it isn't, and then throwing us all for a 'twist', which ended up feeling rushed and anti-climactic. Requiem isn't even a Penumbra game, it's just a first-person puzzler, so I wouldn't bother with it unless you're aching for puzzles. Overture is still one of my favorite horror games, and Black Plague, while flawed, is a gem of a game. If you played Amnesia and would like some similiar horror, buy this now. You won't regret it.
I don't have any nostalgia for this game, having first played it when it was added to GoG. I adore this game for 1 reason: it is terrifying. The sound design, the dated graphics, the setting, the hopelessness, it all combines to create such a genuinely stressful experience. If this game were to be remade I don't think it would be as scary. The dated fidelity of the sound and graphics add immensely to the authenticity of this game's scare factor. The only issue I have with SS2 is the same problem other similar games (Deus Ex, and the new Prey) have: the complex character advancement is inherently unbalanced and it is very easy to pigeon hole yourself into one of a few overpowered builds each playthrough once you discover them. There's a power creep effect where the longer the game goes on, the player becomes exponentially more powerful than everything around them until eventually nothing is challenging anymore. Of course, that is part of the appeal with these kinds of games, and balancing the system would require sacrificing the freedom given to the player (which would be extremely detrimental), so it's a necessary flaw in the genre some would say.
The game is by far, one of the greatest RTS games ever made, if not THE greatest RTS game. Of course I'm not sure if you can call it that, the game blends so many elements, that you could say it defined its OWN genre. The design is brilliant, the graphics were good for it's time and still look decent today, and the humor is not to be missed. This game defined the phrase, "It's good to be bad!", because yes, yes it is. There is no major flaw in this game, and I really think that Bullfrog caught lightning in a bottle with this gem. While not all of their games lived up to their own expectations, let alone this game's, they had a decent run and gave us something that will surely live on in the hearts of many gamers. Dungeon Keeper 2's design is addictive, smooth, and entertaining. The sound effects are unique, and dynamic, and the character models each have their own personality. One of the few classics, that can actually be called, A Classic. If you're hesitant to buy this game, ask yourself two questions, 1. Do I want to play as the bad guy? 2. Do I want to play a game that is at times, very silly? If you answered yes to both, then buy it. These are the only two aspects of this game that I could think of as being potential problems to some gamers, that would deter them from buying them. Of course there is the graphics issue, but please, never judge a game by its graphics, especially NOT this one. The graphics are dated, but they hold up well. NOTE: If you wish play a game similar to Dungeon Keeper, but more modern, then check out Evil Genius. It's a game that is HEAVILY inspired by Dungeon Keeper, but does not follow its medieval theme.It's a great game as well, though not as exceptional as Dungeon Keeper 2, it does surpass pretty much all games that try to imitate DK/DK2's design.
