I was surprised to read quite a few reviews critical of this game, because I absolutely loved it from the beginning. Showcasing much enhanced graphics, combat mechanics, and even more interesting storyline, the Witcher 2 brings an overall better game experience then its predecessor in every way. The graphics are far, far superior, and the combat is much more interesting; more freedom of movement and they got rid of the clunky "get in position" before Geralt swings his sword mechanic, which lead to several accidental, silly deaths in the first game. The story takes off right where The Witcher ended. While it's not necessary to play the first game, I would recommend you do to acquaint yourself with the lore and enjoy the game even further. In this regard, the series include a very nice feature where it detects Witcher 1 saves and adjusts your experience based on decisions made during the first game, plus a few rewards as well; this cross-game feature carries over to the third game too from what I've read. Assassins of Kings keeps the virtues that made the first game great; meaningful decisions that are completely up to the player, crossroads, plenty of side quests, alchemy, and a revised, very interesting skill tree that will keep you thinking about how to distribute your hard-earned talents. While the main story is. in some ways, quite linear, it's riddled with many decisions you have to make that will have a lesser or higher impact. Additionally, there are 2 main paths in the overarching story that are very different and give the game real replay value (I will probably play it again at some point in the future). Now, not all was good. There were sections in the game - Loc Muinn was particularly bad - where I got a considerable number of crashes to desktop. While the auto-save was spot on and I never lost significant progress, it's a shame CDPR didn't take the time to iron these issues out. This is probably a 9.5/10.
So, in this review I would like to address people like myself who may be wondering whether they should bother with the old Witcher games or just jump straight to the 3rd instalment of the series. I'm not too keen on fantasy, I haven't read the Witcher books, and I didn't find the Netflix show appealing. However, The Witcher 3 is meant to be a masterpiece by CDPR. Whilst I was told there's no need to play the first games to enjoy the 3rd, I thought I'd be best to learn some lore. The story starts where the books end. A criminal organisation raids the Witchers' base and steal their secrets. Your mission: chase them and recover the secrets. The plot thickens as you go along and it's really good. I wasn't too fond of the gameplay at first, but as you learn all the features you start to realise the depth of it. You can customise combat style, weapons, craft items; very complete and fun to experiment with. Moreover, you get to make your choices during the game and they come with consequences. There are a number of optional side quests that will give you extra hours of gameplay too. I've already finished the game and this is a solid 9/10. Now, while it does show its age, it was never a deterrent for me. The reason why I'm not giving it full marks is because of a few things I found annoying. Firstly, there were moments in the game where you wanted to make a choice, but it wasn't obvious. I had made up my mind about who was guilty in a certain case, but couldn't find the way to exonerate a suspect. Turns out I had to go to a party first, and the connection between the 2 just wasn't obvious. Secondly, there were a few crashes here and there, especially on chapters 4 & 5, so make sure you save regularly. Lastly, some dialogs are a bit clumsy and having to access your big inventory via character dialog is something I hope will be parted with in the second game, which I intend to play soon. All in all, a brilliant game with a few flaws.
Darq is a fantastic puzzle game. Just like the title suggests, it's got an extremely gloomy atmosphere, some scare jumps here and there, and boasts a certainly dark sense of humour at times. However, do not let the tags misguide you, there's barely any action or adventure here, 99% of the game, and its main selling point is puzzles. While I don't know if they are pioneering this type of puzzle, I found them to be very original and fun to solve. There have been a few times when I got stuck, but it was my fault for not trying certain navigation options. You see, in Darq you get to navigate the different chapters in all 3 dimensions, which means your character may have to go towards you. While it won't jump out of the screen, it will reveal areas of the map that you didn't know existed. Sound, graphics, some gruesome artwork and scenes tie it all together making this a very cohesive and artistically sound game; it reminds me a bit of the film "Nightmare before Christmas" by Tim Burton. The complete edition comes with 2 DLCs. Each of these is the equivalent of a chapter and they are a nice addition to the 6 the base game comes with. If there's anything I can hold against Darq is its length vs the current price. I find £16 to be a little steep considering you can finish the game in a few hours and there isn't that much replay value other than trying to complete all the achievements, since the puzzles will be the same every time. Still, your time will be well spent here; highly recommended. 9/10.
So, I got this game because I thought it sounded good. A story-driven game to chill with; driving a hover car and delivering parcels on a dystopian city, what's not to love? And let me tell you this, the city of Nivalis, the atmosphere of the game, and driving are really well done. Non-stop rain, a great FPV, the constant humming of the other vehicles around you... even the pixel art is fitting! There's one big problem though, the story is abysmal at best. You're this, holier than thou i**ecile who's just arrived to Nivalis from "The East" and who is apparently expecting a red carpet and everything to just fall from the f***ing sky. And yes, you ARE this character, because right away you will notice you have no choice in what Rania says in her interactions; you're just in for the ride. Was a dialogue option too much to ask? This leaves the player with just the choice of driving to point A or point B. Regarding the dialogues, most of them are drawn-out, boring, and very inconsistent. You'll have Rania talk to someone, lecture them about what they should or shouldn't do, and when asked for help she'll say it's none of her f***ing business; so pretty much like contemporary activists. If you're not going to do anything or help in any way, then why are you meddling to begin with, you little tw*t? Again, if I had a say in it, I'd be invested, but I don't. This is a constant problem with the game, to such extent that I started to strongly dislike Rania and make decisions that I thought were antagonising to her character. Sure, I'll save the posh idi*ts and let the doctor die. The final nail in the coffin is how this game is self-contradicting. This is a ruthless city run by sc*mbags. However, our whiny hero, who has no skills, has managed to refurbish her apartment and bought a lifetime supply of pizza within her first shift. I was going to buy the DLC, but after playing the base game I'm going to give it a hard pass. It only gets 2 stars because the city is good.
The setting is really simple: it's WWI, you're stuck in a bunker, and you're French. Horrifying, isn't it? Hold on, you need to know more? Ok, so, in addition to the above, it turns out there's a monster stalking you. Now, unlike the Kaiser's mates on the trench lines, this nice fella won't accept a white flag to end the conflict, so the traditional French strategy is out of the question; you need to get out of there. This is where the fun begins. You're told what the goal is (leave the bunker) and then you are left on your own, with very little ammo and your wits to figure out how to do so. There are some critical items you need to break free, but in order to get these you will have to solve puzzles and get other intermediate items that will eventually lead to you finishing the game. Throughout you will have to strike a balance between not making too much noise to avoid attracting the monster's attention, but be quick enough in your "mini-raids" so that the lights don't go off. Because there's an issue; the generator that keeps the lights on needs refuelling, and refuelling it will only give you so much time. In addition to this, you have a limited inventory, so you need to optimise what you go out with so that you have the tools you need, but at the same time enough space to loot as much as you can. The bunker is divided in different sections and the only safe place is the administration office, and boy are you going to love the administration office. I bet half my playtime was me crouching in there, both doors locked. The atmosphere and story are truly brilliant. The bunker is really well done with a lot of good details, and I love the fact that they didn't forget that there was still a war going on outside. The one thing I will say; you will need to have some diapers at hand because there's no other practical way of playing it. Once you've finished the game you get access to a lot of settings to customise the experience, so the replay value is there. 9.5/10.
