This is a solid casual game. I call this game casual because it's not too challenging and it's not too complex either; it's just very fun to play. Everything this game offers is at least good. I especially loved the art style and soundtrack. The shooting mechanics and the tactical depth, albeit relatively simple, they work very well in this context. Rating: nuts and bolts. *Editors' Pick & solid game award* http://pixelloot.com
I have to admit that at first I was impressed with the game. It does a lot of things right: it has a nice resource system where you store up a wide variety of materials, rich technology tree, cool spaceship customization, etc. It even has espionage (take that Stellaris). It has mercenaries implemented in a fun way. The game even looks pretty, so what went wrong? Well, the game is unpolished and unbalanced, not to mention the AI, is pretty meh. Extra research points don't carry over to the next tech. Technology trading can be very frustrating because you don't want to take a technology that make you unable to research other variants of it which you would've preferred instead. In a single war, you can conquer and assimilate countless planets without much objection from the existing population. The ideology system, which is strongly related to the morality system, doesn’t make all that much sense and seems quite imbalanced. And there is more but I'll stop here. This game doesn't require much more to be a really good game but since the game is "gold" I doubt that we will see much improvement in the future if at all. Rating: This game is a can of wormholes. Recommendation: You can probably find something else you like more. http://pixelloot.com
This is a silly adventure game, in which the emphasis is on story rather than puzzles. So expect a walking simulator with lots of jokes (many with the same theme). Maize treads a fine line between being boring and funny but it manages somehow to keep you playing. The FOV is very small and it can make finding items a bit difficult. Rating: Corny but not really aMAIZEing. Recommendation: Overall an OK game with which I had fun. *Editors' Pick* x1 http://pixelloot.com
Made by the same team that created LIMBO, INSIDE is, in a way, its successor. This time they used more than black and white, but even though they used colors, the world depicted is even darker, more mysterious, and eerie. I absolutely loved the ride this game gave me, even though the puzzles were easier than LIMBOs'. Rating: LIMBO + color - puzzle difficulty = INSIDE *Editors' Pick* x1 http://pixelloot.com
This short adventure game is more of an atmospheric story which intends to make you feel. The puzzles are very simple but in this context it’s OK. The game requires a controller to play and I got stuck in one puzzle because of the way my Steam controller was set up. By the way, you can even play it co-op on the same machine. Even though I’m not crazy about the story, its implementation, including the visual artwork and the universe in which it takes place, was very good. Rating: No Mr. Bond, I expect you to cry! *Editors' Pick* x1 http://pixelloot.com
The dystopian world envisioned in this game contains things that I'm sure will happen in real life in the future, which is both scary and... no, it's just scary. The point-and-click part is pretty OK, meaning the objects are rarely hard to find. The game is pretty light in moon logic ("twisted logic that seems tailor-made to frustrates you" - urbandictionary.com) and I only got stuck really badly a few times. Even if it looks dated, this is a modern game with good artwork, story, and some interesting characters. Rating: I for one welcome our new AI overlord! *Editors' Pick* x1 http://pixelloot.com
I bought this game because I like the visual novels that Telltales makes and it had very good ratings. I was extremely surprised by the universe I just entered and I loved it. I won’t say anything else about it because if more people can be surprised by it, it’s well worth it. Like all other Telltale games the engine fells old and choices don’t really matter, but at least you can pause it whenever you want. The story is OK but it’s the setting that really makes this game. The only real complaint I have is that the “next season” spoilers are unskippable. Rating: Insanity Wolf. Recommendation: This is definitely one of the better visual novel games out there. http://pixelloot.com
This game has a simple premise, get the convoy to the destination. You control a "commander", which can move wherever you want, unlike the convoy that can only go on roads. The commander can "call in abilities" which can help your convoy reach its destination; you can also pause at any time and choose a different route for the convoy and also its composition or upgrades. This is a pretty fun and well-made game that actually has a story. Its casual nature makes it great if you just want to play a quick game. Rating: More like "tower attack", amirite? Recommendation: You can try this even if you're not into "tower defense" games. http://pixelloot.com
The change from 2D to 3D made the game clunky. The game is still beautiful but less so than 1 & 2. The story is boring and the ending is something that you would see in the middle of a game, not in the end. The puzzles are easy. You no longer upgrade you characters, which I'm fine with. I loved Trine 1 & 2, but 3 is pretty meh unfortunately. Rating: ¯_(ツ)_/¯ Recommendation: ¯_(ツ)_/¯ http://pixelloot.com
This game wanted to be the successor of Baldur's Gate, and succeeded in doing a lot of things right. The mechanics are really good and I wouldn't dare going into detail here but I will say a few things about them. Characters have abilities/spells that they can use a limited number of times per rest (when your party heals and gains some specific bonuses) or combat. It might seem a bit weird in the beginning but it adds an extra level of depth and the opportunity to balance the game. There is "sneaking" but it's quite ineffective compared to other RPGs from the same genre, which actually gives the game a good balance and realism but it's not very interesting and it has limited usefulness. The game also has options for a ton of quality of life improvements, like unlimited inventory and you can loot a large area at once, among some of them. The main story is not told all that great, you're being thrown into it very sudden and you're being told how to feel about it. With time the story and the lore of this world will grow on you and I believe the story gets better; I also liked The White March story line. I would like to say here that The White March not only brings you lots of new locations and stories but it also adds mechanics to the game, so I strongly recommend that you play with it. I liked the graphic art style but the sound track was unimpressive. You get to have a stronghold, which I find really cool; I don't think that this is a spoiler because you have a stronghold button on the interface from the start, it just doesn't do anything until you have control over it. Rating: Barbarian SMASH!!! *Editors' Pick 2X & solid game award* http://pixelloot.com
