It's MGS on PC, plain and simple. And the VR missions! Plenty of fun to have, once you master the clunky controls.
MAFIA II DEFINITIVE EDITION is like playing your favorite crime drama period piece. While not on the technical level of a modern GTA, it's got a compelling narrative and solid gameplay wrapped in a noir package that any fan of crime fiction would be a fool to overlook. And it didn't take 50 hours to complete; always a plus.
I played the original version of Postal 2 as a teenager and loved it. To me it was the South Park of video games. Now, in 2024, it's plain to see how the trends, tastes, and technology of modern gaming have left Postal 2 behind, but I'm here to tell you the game holds up anyway. Especially this release, which includes the Apocalypse Weekend expansion. This is great because the expansion extends the story and adds new weapons, enemies, and locations to the mix. There's even an option to play the base game and expansion as one continuous campaign, which makes the new features available in the base game! I hadn't played Apocalypse Weekend until picking up the GOG release, so even as someone returning to a childhood favorite I found surprises and new reasons to chuckle around every corner. Most technical aspects of the game have aged as you would expect, but Running With Scissors have kept it running smoothly. I played the entire seven days of the campaign with no crashes or glitches. The humor is often woefully dated and likely to offend even to this day, but it's really not something worth getting mad about. The game doesn't take itself seriously, and neither should you. It's a big, stupid, fun FPS with enjoyable weapons, over the top violence and gibs, and the kind of jokes you don't want your grandmother to hear. I had an absolute blast revisiting Postal 2 and experiencing the expansion conent for the first time. I regret nothing.
I'm gonna be frank: I can't complain too much about a game that GOG gave to me for free, but I also can't seem to play the game. I mean this in the literal sense. I CANNOT get past the first screen, and I've no idea why. Perhaps this review doesn't need to exist because I'm doing something horrendously wrong--please let me know if am--but for now I can only rate the game as low as possible. Now let me tell you why. Here's my experience with the game: I installed it, launched it, and sat through the vaguely amusing intro to find myself looking at the first playable screen. There stands my character, and close to him is a guard that I need to talk to. I left-click him and get a message like "He doesn't seem to be making the right impression." Mystified, I right-click the guard and initiate a conversation. I need to show him some documents. This is when I discover that I have no idea what I'm doing. I can only left- and right-click to talk to the guard or walk to either side of the screen. No buttons on the entire keyboard do anything and there are no on-screen menu buttons to click on. I can't show the guard my papers, I can't progress to the next screen. Game over. Oh, and I can't exit the game without using CTRL+ALT+DEL, which really grinds my gears. Maybe I'm doing something wrong, maybe the game is glitching, all I know is I hate that freaking guard, and I hate that awful music. Please, let me know if I'm missing something. I don't normally play point-and-click adventures, so perhaps there's something obvious to other gamers that is less obvious to someone like myself. When I'm able to get past the first screen I will update the review.
Synidcate Wars belongs to a franchise known for a specific style and approach that is undoubtedly polarizing. Without going into great detail I can say that I find this game's control scheme to be stiff and often unresponsive. Even when I get my character moving along at a good clip and gunning down enemies, I feel the experience is wanting. It's simply not enjoyable, in my opinion. On the plus side, the dated graphics and sound design still create an effective atmosphere that makes you *want* to play the game and immerse yourself in its world. Too bad it plays so badly. If you've already successfully played through another game in the series then Syndicate Wars might be a better experience for you.
Red Faction is a dream come for true for any fan of first-person shooters looking to imagine they're in the plot of Total Recall. While I cannot vouch for the quality of the GOG release--I still own and use the original CD version--I can say that Red Faction is a surprisingly engrossing story told in a fun FPS that allows you to destroy just about anything. Couple that with an excellent selection of cheats codes and you'll find yourself passing hours without furthering the plot. What are you waiting for? Get your butt to Mars!
