The only and most important reason for the low score is the fact that this game is broken on Linux. Under Steam i works fine. But the GOG version is not only not updated it is missing dependencies on Linux. The developers seems to have abandoned the game. So in short: DO NOT BUY it here (I'm sad to say)! Beyond this the game is fun and very addicting. Do your own ship designs in a semi open universe where your ships and faction compete against others for resoruces and dominance. The design part and testing of such is the most fun bit IMHO. It is a small and focused game but it has an ability to make you loose time. For more info, go read the reviews on Steam (the only version which actually works).
In Rail Route game you assume the role of a 'Trainmaster'. Take responsibility for the local train network. Supervise tracks, signals and switches. Make sure all trains arrive at their destination on time. The game has a very minimalistic but extremely functional GUI. As a player you can change the challenge on the fly. There is a very comprehensive tutorial to take part in. You can even make your own stations and maps. There is a lot of content to dig into here. It works flawlessly on Linux.
Nowdays I prefere more relaxed games. Especially indie titles which support Linux nativly with a fairly long life span. This is such a game. It is an open management sim (light) with good graphics and nice sound. It installs well and plays very nice on my Linux system. Not too big in size. The player is given a firm grasp over both difficulty and creative freedom. There is also mod support. The game is very stable. Some mods can create instabilty but in general the game is exceptionally well crafted. This is one of those games I come back to all the time. It is nicely presented and offers a comfortable difficulty curve and lasts a long time. You can play in many different ways and it has several settings to set up each gaming session as you want it (at that particular time). As of writing this review there are three well crafted DLC's to buy. They each add well made content like: fresh water fish, cold water creatures and such things.
I am very partial to indie games. In particular those who support Linux nativly. If they also belong to the science fiction genre I get really happy. In this case we have a very small but also extremly well focused game title. I have had very little problems with it. It installed well and runs equally good (on Linux in my case). You take on the roll as a "space miner" in the rings of Saturn. This means taking control of your own old spaceship and going out to the rings and finding asteroids worth breaking down for profit. Various raw materials and minerals including water. There are friends and foes in the shape of fellow miners, pirates and much more. There are known and unknown places if interest. Dive deeper to get more profitable rocks. But it costs fuel (reactor mass) and should something happen the way home can be very dangerous, not to mention long. You can upgrade your ship and if the money are plentiful even buy a new one. There are also skilled people to hire. The ship equipment can be tweaked in order to eek out maximum performance from your invested money. On the surface the game loop can be somewhat repetative. But you soon learn new skills and go deeper which will get the blood pumping when you least of all expect it. But in the end the worst enemy is your own greed and inability to do the right thing at the right moment. I like this game alot. It ticks all the boxes: Indie, Linux, GOG, portable, sci-fi and semi-open world with alot of freedom. I find my self coming back to it often. The fact that it is very well presented is an extra plus in my book. I play it with an extra layer of immersion. This comes in the form of an soundscape from background radio chatter noise (I play an MP3 in VLC). If I were to ask for anything it would be a bit more content: more equipment, a bit more to do, alot clearer raw materials market and a bit more depth. Oh, and a better tutorial for sure. Not perfect but close...
TF1 was the second title in Urban Games library. It had several nice concepts and dragged the genre kicking and screaming into the world of 3D. It began on shady ground but got better in time. I think TF2 will end up the sam way. With aloth higher fidelity of graphics and good sound the game feels fresh. It looks and sounds fantastic. The enginge it self is clearly improved, no matter what people say. It runs butter smooth. However, even if the UI has improved compared to previous game, it is still a repeat of earlier misstakes. Everything has taken a leaf from the book of Apple and Microsoft. It flat as papers. There are NO distinction between forground and background. Text and words denotes buttons and tabs. It is a horrible design even if the colour scheme is better. Some default opening positions of windows are very strange. They hide buttons. Name fields are to short. Some buildings have questionable behaviour and can create frustration. But the improved world creation and many other features still makes it a good game. Which will improve as it matures. Wait a while and but it a bit later, after a few patches. At full price it is only worth it too people really into this genre. It is good, but could have been much better. It also requires that you have gcc 7.1 if you are a linux user. It will not start otherwise.
Fairly nice looking and sounding strategy game where you build a colony on Mars. The foundation is here - no question. But there are a clear lack of content and buggs and questionable design choices. The game is fairly stable. Personally I have not had any issues at all. It runs on Windows, Mac and Linux ( I run Linux). I find the both the graphics to be perfectly fine. The sound and music is very fitting but it could perhaps be "more" of it. The basic premise is good. Plan and execute a colony on Mars. A number of factors decide the level of difficulty. There are a lot of things you can do to suit your own play style. Mods are supported from the get go. It is early days but I have tried 28 of the best at time of writing. There are however some issues here too even if I personally have not encountered any. Alot more patches and free content as well as DLC are planned and in the works. The devs as well as Paradox are listening and responding. I have no doubts at all all issues will be fixed with reasonable time. I have played well above 30 hours, both with and without mods. I'm happy with my purchase. I like the game even if the lauch was a bit shaky. So in general I recommend the game.
I got this game on sale at a quarter of its original price. With all DLC. I was ready for a new X- experience. It seemed good to begin with. Fairly good graphics. Ok music. A great vista when first introducing the ship. But it all stops here. The tutorials are badly designed. Badly presented overall. The GUI is Horrible. All these aniamtions when sitting down and standing up. BAD! The cockpit is VERY busy graphically. Enormous amounts of info not needed at all times. ALOT of background graphics which looks good but competes for attention and removes view from the game it self. These devs are good at space sims but they essentially knows nothing at all about interaction with users in a meaningful way. I next tried to use the highways which was like slipping on ice. Horrible system the way it is designed. I'm a huge fan of space games. Especially sandbox variants. But this game managed to kill any form of interest in a matter of minutes. I so wanted to like it. But it squarly falls into one of them "avoid at all cost" categories. All those who give it more than average (2.5 stars) is quite missguided I think. Not going to refund. Call it a donation hoping for the next X-game (please be ALOT better). But until then totally wasted money. Go watch youtubers play this game before buy. This is a very digital title. Either you like it and forgive it despite serious flaws OR you disslike it very quickly due to a horrible UI and mechanics. The only plus I can give is the fact that it seems stable and supports Linux nativly. Never, ever buy this game at full price!
We all know it. OpenTTD could need a modern revival. Is that Transport Fever? The answer is 'Perhaps'. The base game is good. The player is tasked with creating a transport empire. The graphics and attention to detail is good. BUT, a lot of less good details detracts from an otherwise good experience. Long loading times and loss of FPS is a few. Very small and sometimes dumb UI is another. Strange simulation logic and a lot more makes this a less good game from what it could have been. I hope the devs address these issues very soon. In time it could go from OK to great. Time will tell. At the current time I would hold off since the game is only passable, I'm sad to say. I wonder who playtested this before release (if at all). Why spend so much time doing a game and then ignore so obvious issues before release? Oh, one good thing is that it has support for Linux. Sad however the rest probably means it becomes a less good member of the Linux gaming family (for now). The keyword here is 'Potential' IF (and only if) the devs care enough.
Space action game with fairly simple mechanics. Good graphics and fantastic music. Runs well and keeps you interested even if some aspects of it are a bit slimmed down. Procedural content keeps some variation. For both good and bad you are however stuck on one plane. Camera can sometime make things a bit confusing. In general I do like it. It has a nice feel to it. The story is a bit thin but it will do I guess. Being an indie game from a small studio this is an achievement of sorts. Even more content in the future could extend life of this gem quite a bit. Well worth both your money and time.
The Freespace saga is perhaps one of the best told on the computer platform. Part one is a bit dated when it comes to graphics, but the story is simply HUGE and involving. The second part (FS2) has a greatly updated engine, now freeware in the form of Open Freespace) and nearly as good story. The total package lays the ground of one BIG scifi story and lots of action as well as fun. In my opinion freespace has yet to be outdone. So far nothing comes close. This one goes to the computer game history!
