In a sea of retro shooters, Amid Evil stands out as a particularly well-executed example.
I've yet to play a perfect one, and PREY '17 is no exception - but it's still one of the best examples of the genre I've had the pleasure of enjoying. I'll throw another hat on the "System Shock successor" pile. If you can get past the name and its associations with another good, totally different and otherwise completely unrelated game (and if you're looking for an IS specifically), I think PREY is very much worth your time.
All the Witcher games are great, but this one is my favorite for its balance of world-building and engaging story. If you love the genre, don't pass this one up.
But no, I wouldn't suggest buying it just yet. Management let the game out before it was done, and it's really just not there yet. Underneat the issues there is a genuniely fantastic game - which I highly recommend you give a chance *once it's clear the issues have been resolved.*
Another on the pile; KOTOR 1 and 2 are some of the best Star Wars experiences available. Disney says these aren't canon - well I say their stuff isn't. If you enjoy the format of Bioware RPGs, well - these are the ones that put them on the map for me, and nothing in the Star Wars universe has lived-up since.
Another on the pile; KOTOR 1 and 2 are some of the best Star Wars experiences available. Disney says these aren't canon - well I say their stuff isn't. If you enjoy the format of Bioware RPGs, well - these are the ones that put them on the map for me, and nothing in the Star Wars universe has lived-up since.
I love a good Immersive Sim (what the current top review calls 0451), and I enjoyed this one more than most. There are a few derpy bugs* that, alas, will never be fixed - the source code to this game was lost - but if you can look past those, what you'll find is a game truly worthy of the Deus Ex title. Clearly not as ground-breaking for its time as the original, Human Revolution still represents a return to form for the series after the very underwhelming second game. More about the journey than the destination (the last act is a bit meh), I really enjoyed my time with this stylized (and stylish) look into the near future. IIRC, I've actually bought this game three times - for Xbox, for MacOS when that was my only computer, and finally on Steam - and while I wouldn't do that again, I still think I got my money's worth. At less than three bucks (on sale at time of writing) you'd be hard-pressed to find more sneaky immersive sim goodness for your dollar. *One bug that stands out to me has to do with alignment of sights on some weapons, most notably the sniper rifle. IIRC adding a silencer does something to break the weapon.
Gameplay: Great. It's Deus Ex with good graphics. What's not to love? Graphics: Great, if not all that well optimized. This is a pretty game. (Adam's head is strangely large, though - maybe to make sure all that crispy facial hair detail is visible on consoles?) Story: MEH. Meeeeeehhhhhhhhh. From premise to pacing, this game's narrative is an absolute mess. There are isolated stories and segments that are quite good - but as a whole, there just isn't any cohesion. Interesting things are teased, introduced, and promptly forgotten about. Conclusion: Not as good as Human Revolution overall, but very worth it on sale, especially at less than five bucks at time of writing. A great diversion to get into while you're waiting for Cyberpunk 2077 to finish baking post-release.
There was Shadowgrounds. This game is genuine fun! If you like "isometric" shooters, this is a good one. I can't recommend the sequel, Survivor, though - they added physics and the optimization is super bad.
Having not been much of a fan of Deponia, I was a little dubious diving into another Daedelic adventure title. A few parts feel generic, flat, or forced as in the aforementioned title, but at least for me personally, this game succeeds far more with its attemts at charm - most of the time, in fact. Contrary to my expectations, I really enjoyed this game. The story has a classic fairlytale feeling to it - thought without spoiling anything, the final chapter has some pacing issues. As far as what actually happens, I think the ending is solid - it just has a very slow build up to a very abrupt conclusion. That bit of jarring pace aside, I think the story is a good one and the characters are fun to interact with. Like many point-and-click adventure games, this one does involve some hot-spot hunting and obtuse puzzle-solving; if you're a fan of the genre it's nothing you haven't seen before. If you're down to go on adventure with a sharp little girl, this one's totally worth it - especially on sale.
