Dungeon Rats is a straightforward, linear dungeon crawler from the makers of Age of Decadence. It's smaller in scale than that game, but it's set in the same world and uses an improved version of the AoD combat system. Dungeon Rats is heavily focused on turn-based combat, and it's quite hard. The default difficulty setting is called "Murderous Psychopath" but this can be turned down. In Dungeon Rats you will fight battle after battle, and die often. You will have to reload many times and try to find new ways to win using every resource at your disposal. Did I mention it's hard? That's by design. Dungeon Rats also has a satisfying-if-thin storyline to propel the game along, and for those already familiar with the universe of AoD, it's a nice addition. Considering the game's price, I find Dungeon Rats to be an excellent value. I've gotten more enjoyment out of it than I have out of many more expensive titles.
After completing two full playthroughs of Age of Decadence I can happily say it is *arguably* the best cRPG ever made. It's more than just a game, in fact; it's a work of obsessive passion. As you play you will become enmeshed in the product of the authors' dedication. By rights AoD should be the cRPG GOTY for 2015, but of course that won't happen because Iron Tower doesn't have a huge investment company behind it to buy positive media coverage. I'll give you a little more specific information to help you decide whether or not you want to buy AoD. Essentially the game is trying to simulate a pencil-and-paper RPG experience using a computer, albeit for one solo player character. There are no "followers" or "companions." It's otherwise rather like Fallout 1 and 2, for reference, or the more recent Shadowrun games, or Wasteland 2, so if that's the kind of experience that appeals to you, you should try AoD, no question. Combat is turn-based and exceptionally good, although it can be hard until you learn how it works. On the other hand, you can play a weakling or a pacifist and avoid combat completely if you so choose. You will be forced to make difficult choices throughout the story, and the consequences of those choices can be profound. This is probably the most delightful aspect of AoD. You can re-play it over and over, backing different factions and different characters each time. Each time you will discover encounters and new outcomes. In fairness not everyone will like AoD. If you're looking for an action game where you play a superhero who can max out every skill and eventually wipe the floor with every enemy the universe has to offer, AoD is probably not for you. If you want a game that constantly tells you exactly where to go and exactly what to do when you get there, AoD is probably not for you.
Desperados is an excellent game marred by all the worst characteristics of the RTS genre. At its best it pushes you to utilize many different strategies. At its worst it is a hopelessly frustrating click-fest. I can't help but recommend it for the excellence of it's good parts, but that's not to say it doesn't have some considerable flaws. CONS: Your characters have no AI of their own, so unless you're telling them what to do at all times, they stand immobile like masterless puppets. They won't even defend themselves when attacked. No active pause (barring use of the TIMELESS cheat code, which I recommend) means you cannot issue orders to your characters while the action is stopped. You have up to six characters in your party at one time, and you're supposed to control them all simultaneously while battling dozens of enemies in real-time. It can be a nightmare. PROS: Great Old West setting backed up by sumptuous graphics. The character movements and backgrounds are similar to what you might have seen in games like Baldur's Gate. They look superb and really immerse you into the game. During the course of the game you gather a party of six characters. All are interesting, charismatic individuals with unique abilities. This allows you to use them together in many different combinations to achieve your objectives.
KotOR is Neverwinter Nights with lightsabers, which is sometimes fun, but often nonsensical. The game is very linear despite some superficial choices you have about the order you proceed from planet to planet. I managed to play KotOR from start to finish one time, but I couldn't manage to get through it a second time. It's fairly fun, just not that compelling. The best thing about the game is a droid called HK-47. Be sure to investigate when you first spot him.
Chaos Overlords is a very unusual turn-based strategy game. It takes place entirely within a grim, futuristic, crime-ridden megacity. There are several different game modes, but generally speaking the goal is to become the undisputed crime boss by conquering the urban grid one sector at a time and eliminating your competition. To accomplish this goal you hire gangs. There are many different kinds of gangs, and each has a distinct character. Some specialize in combat, some specialize in intimidating businesses so they pay you protection money, and some specialize in creating Chaos, which is to say they generate income through criminal activity, be it simple robbery, extortion, vice, or systematic financial fraud. The nature of the gangs ranges from humorous, to high-tech robotic, to frightening and supernatural. Chaos Overlords is the kind of game that has relatively simple rules on the surface, but a whole lot of complexity underneath. You can learn to play very quickly, but it will take time to master the nuances of the system. The nice thing is that it remains fun even after you do. When you combine an interesting and memorable cyberpunk setting, consistently fun gameplay mechanics, an excellent user interface, and engaging characters in the form of the different gangs, you get Chaos Overlords: an essential title in the library of anyone who enjoys the turn-based strategy genre.
Quite simply, in Colonization your empire-building has a point to it. Your goal is simple: declare independence from the King and win the revolution. No world conquest, no economic victory, no diplomatic victory...it's a very focused mission for a game. I bought the original when it first came out in '94-'95, and I've never really stopped playing it.
There's no doubt about it: lots of people really love this game. I had high expectations due to all the praise it receives, but I have to say I was disappointed. If, like me, you're looking for a space combat simulator, Freespace 2 is not for you. It is strictly arcade-mode. Now, that's not necessarily a bad thing if that's what you're into, but if you're looking for realism and depth, you'll be let down. If I judge Freespace 2 simply for what it is rather than what I wish it had been, it still comes up short, mainly because the controls are ridiculously over-complicated (possibly to mask the inherent simplicity of the gameplay) for an arcade point-and-shoot. There are dozens of different buttons to push for all sorts of trivial ship functions that should be and would be automated in an real starship. If you love spending hours acclimating to an unintuitive UI, you might enjoy that, but I didn't. Freespace 2 is, frankly, my most disappointing GoG purchase so far. I made it through about 10-12 missions, became completely bored -- not frustrated, not aggravated, not anything except bored -- and I haven't fired it up one time since.
