TopcatPlayer's already excellent review gives players a good sense of what to expect, so I'm not going to repeat what's already been written. However, there are a couple of additional, technical things that prospective buyers should be aware of. First, despite this being an interactive movie, there are no subtitles available, so if you're hard of hearing or deaf this might not be playable for you. Second, audio levels are all over the place; the FMV sequences are at a lower volume than some of the audio sequences you'll click on later - so be warned when dialing that phone sex operator! Third, there is only one save file (although my game saved to the cloud easily). Finally, navigation can be cumbersome; even when using a map to walk around the house, unskippable POV cut scenes of your movement become repetitive, time consuming, and tedious. Additionally, backing out of some areas (such as the desk computer in the study) take you too far out, requiring you to then click on the sub area you were in to begin with. Overall, it's a decent, if slightly odd, experience (having characters refer to you as "the Viewer" and talk about your voyeuristic tendencies is just, plain, strange). Recommended while on sale.
Forget the rest of the X-Com series; Enforcer plays like the third-person love child of Alien Shooter and Painkiller (with maybe a touch of Mobile Suit Gundam). In this third-person shooter, you are the "Enforcer," a machine built specifically to destroy alien invaders. Wave after wave of aliens come at you fast and furious while you try to eradicate every green-blooded baddie and the transporters they're warping in while also rescuing hostages, collecting weapons upgrades, health upgrades, and bonus letters (that unlock special, alien-free bonus rounds). To make things even more frantic, you're only allowed to carry one weapon at a time. Each kill drops collectible "data points" that can be used between rounds to purchase permanent improvements to your weapons and mech suit. Like the Alien Shooter and Painkiller series, Enforcer is completely brainless, but an absolute blast to play. Turn down the in-game techno soundtrack, crank up the metal, and go spill some green blood!
Breach and Clear is a turn-based strategy game in which you control four members of a squad of your own design. While there is no over-arching story, the game offers plenty of scenarios and challenges to overcome. Pros: - 3 types of gameplay ("Terrorist Hunt," "Bomb Defusal," and "Escape Plan") across 35 settings (in 7 campaign scenarios). That's 105 levels in the core game. Also: 7 specialized squads, dozens of unlockable weapons. Several personnel types (Medic, Intelligence, Weapons Sergeant, et al), each with their own perks and preferences. - Many welcome details, such as first-person perspective views using number keys and the ability to drag and move paths that have already been placed - Thoughtful, often complex level design, with a clever mix of random and strategic mob placement, offer challenge and extend playability - Permadeath option (yay!), and a "Memorial" area where you can view your fallen heroes Cons: - Tutorial is so bare-bones that B&C has an unfair reputation for being shallow, when it's just that players are never taught correctly about the deeper features and functions available to them. - B&C's rating system, from 1 to 4 stars, is based mostly on how fast you complete each level, instead of also factoring in the number of survivors at a level's completion. - Rarely, soldiers refuse to open doors, and enemy AI can be wonky. - There is no real story to speak of. The Bottom Line: It may sound like I'm complaining, but I'm really only nitpicking. This is a solid effort that provides a lot of hours of fun. It's just that Breach and Clear is so close to being a really special, great game that it feels like a bit of a shame that the developers didn't feel the need to take better care of it after the birthing process. As it stands, though, B&C is a very, very good game, but one which requires some time, online research, and experimentation to truly see its depth. (Condensed from my Steam review)
Shadows is on PC?!? I played the N64 version to death and, not only was this was an instant buy, but I found it surpasses the N64 version (already considered a classic game) in every way. The controls aren't as wonky as legend has it (certainly not as awkward as in the Gothic series), and you can jump, duck, run, strafe, fire alternate weapons...all the usual goodies are here, although levels can appear pretty sparse. There are six different camera angles, so you can play à la Duke Nukem 3D, or à la Laura Croft. Controls can't be reconfigured, but multiple gaming styles are taken into account: keyboard players, gamepad users, and keyboard/mouse combos (as I prefer) are all supported. Plus: Kill Wampa (those yeti-like creatures from TESB)! Take down AT-AT walkers with tow cables! Fly in space! Fight on a moving junkyard train! Fly a jetpack! Fly a jetpack while battling freaking Boba Fett! Battle giant droids! Ride a 74-Z speeder ("swoop") bike from Return of the Jedi! Get killed by a Sarlaac Pit! Bottom line: Empire of the Shadows is an action flight sim, a first-person shooter, a third-person shooter/action game, a game of find-the-collectibles (called "challenge points"), and more...and it's all set to one of the most adrenaline-pumping soundtracks in the history of gaming. It's also playable in 1920x1080, and looks razor sharp (although the FMV cut scenes(!) are in a lower rez). Other games in the Star Wars universe may have excelled in specific genres (such as Dark Forces) but, for my money, no single game has encompassed the feeling of actually being inside the SW universe in the same way Shadows does. It's a special game with its own plot; every level has its own feel, and I'm thrilled to be able to play it again. (PROTip: The amazing soundtrack, while not advertised on the storefront, is available in ogg format in the game's directory.)
Full review at gog dot com/forum/lilly_looking_through/full_review_yes_i_hate_myself_a_little By now, everyone knows: "Lilly Looking Through" is charming, beautifully animated, and very fluid. The music has an ethereal quality that doesn't distract. In a nice touch, as you put on or remove the time-changing goggles the music changes too, depending on which "time" you're in. Every Indie game is a labor of love, but this one feels so much more so, and so special (even to the point of being developed and voiced by a family) that it really does pain me that I can't recommend it at full price. Yes, it's obvious a lot of work went into it. Yes, I hate myself a little. However, how do we learn, grow, and improve, if not from our mistakes? How will we ever know about those mistakes if people constantly bury the truth in favor of praise for our hard work? I'd rather have a constructive criticism than an insincere "attaboy" any day. With that in mind, here's the game as I see it: "Lilly" is incredibly short (only a bit over two hours), with repetitive puzzles and a cliffhanger ending that reveals some structural flaws. The first hour was such a joy; unfortunately, the game's short play time, repetitiveness, and ending completely undermined that joy. There's more to it than that, but GOG's character limitations prevent me from posting it here. Please read the full review.
Pixel Junk Monsters (PJM) is the game that introduced me to the Tower Defense genre (Attn: GOG - more, please!) on the PSP, and I can't believe it's finally on PC! It plays like most Tower games: you have a "gate" (here called a "Flock") that needs defending from invaders (or, "creeps") via offensive towers that you place. Creeps can come via ground or air, and in varying strengths. The strategy comes in deciding which type of towers to place, as they may target certain creeps differently (or, in some cases, not at all), and where to place them. Killing creeps (usually) leaves coins behind that you can use to upgrade your towers or build new ones. Where the game differs is that, instead of your cursor doing all the work, you control a main character who must navigate the battlefield to pick up coins without taking damage. This is my least favorite part of PJM, as he moves slowly and sometimes you can't get to the coins before they vanish forever. That said, this is one of my favorite tower defense games, and this is a solid version. The game features both gamepad and mouse support, three islands with multiple levels each, and branching paths with good replayability value. The graphics are crisp, bright, and (like the game itself) absolutely charming. PJM is a welcome game on GOG, and a great addition to your collection.
