This is why we play video games. Action. Adventure. Storytelling. Soundtracks. Artwork. There are more reasons, as well, but these apply directly to this game. I originally bought this game to play on my Xbox 360. And then I kicked Microsoft to the curb and bought this game again for my Playstation 4. And as soon as this game because available on GOG.com, I peeled off more bills to get the chance to play this game on the ONLY platform that truly deserves it: The Almighty PC. I am forever in GOG's debt for bringing this to us DRM free. Just go ahead and buy it here and thank me later. Now, if we can just get Rise of the Tomb Raider and Shadow of the Tomb Raider here...... *wink, wink, nudge, nudge*
The original Tomb Raider adventure wrapped neatly in the TR: Legends engine. That's all you need to hear. If you like classic Tomb Raider, you want this game. And with it on PC and DRM free? Yeah, this one's a no-brainer. Just click "Add To Cart" and get it over with.
This one caught me by surprise. I'd never heard of this game before, and I was of the opinion of "well, what the heck, why not?" when it was offered as a freebie for a limited time. I was expecting thirty minutes of blandness and that I would uninstall and forget it existed. Are the graphics amazing? No. Is the music showstopping? No. Is the story a literary masterpiece? Of course not. But this game is strangely engaging as a light RPG with good mechanics and good controls. Not PERFECT controls, by any means, but certain more than adequate. I usually enjoy games with much more depth. But this one had me by the ear and I felt compelled to keep playing until I finished it. While I did get this as a freebie, and the game is cheap even when not on sale, I could easily see paying half again what GOG has it priced currently. This is a $15 game at a $10 price tag. And if it goes on sale, it's even more worth it. I tend to take my time with games, not getting in any hurry when exploring. So, while the page here says it's 18.5 hours of gameplay (22 hours with side quests), I probably spent a solid 25-30 hours enjoying this little diamond in the rough. I highly recommend it.
I'm glad to see that GOG.com gives equal access to people of all walks of life and political views. That being said, you will not catch me playing this game again ever. Because I don't play with crap, I flush it. Does the game look like it should be fun? Yes. But it's not. And a game should never be put out with the sole purpose of pushing politics, yet that seems to be the goal here. I keep reading other reviews calling this an "Antifa simulator", and they're pretty much on point. The graphics give me a nostalgia for the classics I played as a kid, but this game doesn't deliver anything beyond the appearance of a good type. And, to be perfectly honest, I can't remember a single other game that was as lacking in the entertainment department as this one. Unless you count that one that was on Steam for a while "Watch Paint Dry: The Game". Yes, that really happened. And... actually, no, that game was better than this one because that game made me laugh about how ludicrous it was. Sound-wise... merely okay. Nothing special, but not something to make your ears bleed either. Controls.... Probably about what you'd expect for a game that is meant to look like a game out of the golden era of gaming (a.k.a. NES, SNES, Genesis). And lastly, gameplay.... Boring. Repetitive. Unimaginative. And to echo some of the sentiments voiced in other reviews I've seen, I wouldn't get this game again for free. Heck, I wouldn't take it if you PAID ME for to take it. I don't encourage developers who make crappy games. Especially crappy games designed to bolsters bad feelings and encourage burning down the property that others have spent their life savings on. Here's an idea: Burn down your own crap and leave other people's stuff alone. AND LEARN TO MAKE GOOD GAMES, FOR PETE'S SAKE!
I usually avoid games that aren't in my comfort zone, but I'm glad that I went ahead and tried this one. The graphics are low-key, but they don't have to be Unreal Engine quality to make this little gem shine. This is one of those games where you don't know what to expect from one moment to the next, and even if you think you know what's going to happen, you're probably wrong. Oxenfree, while rather short and simple, makes up for it's shortcomings with originality in design. And it's a design that works very well. You'll mostly just be along for the ride, since there's no chance of getting killed. But it's more of an interactive graphic novel than a true game. I usually demand danger from my games, like the Elder Scrolls series or the Far Cry series. But Oxenfree pulled me into an entirely different direction that was new and refreshing. So I encourage you to take a trip on the side-scrolling mystery/adventure. Only.... you may want to wait for it to go on sale. Like I said, it's short, and $20 is just a little steep.
First off, let me just say, I love this game. It's a very serious subject, and a very well done perspective on it. Kudos to the makers. Now let's get the standard scoring out of the way. Graphics: A-. Mostly 2D with perspective effects, "pencil" sketching adds to the atmosphere. Music: A. Very well done, perfectly suited to the style of the game. Sound FX: B+. Most of them are top notch, but some of them feel like they've just been recycled from certain post-apocolyptic titles. (I swear I heard some of the Fallout New Vegas effects in there.) Gameplay: A-. Yes, it's great, but there are a few things that bug me. For instance, there's no way to tell what skills the characters have, or what occupations pertain to which skills when you create a new character, until you get your game started. If you get into the game and don't like the skills each of your chosen characters have, you have to go through the whole process of setting up a new game map, picking characters, etc. The only *major* things that I don't care for in this game are that, when scavenging, you can only have one character bringing in loot. Probably just a game balance thing, but it still is a gripe for me. Also, I realize they weren't going for this particular style, but.... in scavenging mode, I would have preferred being in first person. Personally, it just has a more "real" feel to it when I'm viewing the scene from my character's perspective. Also, those little bits of "graffiti" in the game? The ones with trash like "F@#k the war!"? Yeah, sure, they might be more realistic to the average person, but believe it or not, some of us would have preferred a language toggle to switch off profanity. The "mature" toggles in games seem to be something we've lost, like with the original Unreal Tournament, or with the N64 classic Perfect Dark.
