Comparing Sniper Ghost Warrior 3 to the previous games - I honestly don't have a problem with the open world setup, as you're free to engage your objectives an means you see fit. The hardline instant fail-state where certain missions are a bust all because you got made, I would have to agree. The dialogue and quality of voice acting isn't quite as good as the last two games, they felt like solid licensed tie-in games for the Sniper motion picture franchise. Beyond those issues, Sniper Ghost Warrior 3 still offers that tactically focused modern military action experience you would come to expect of Sniper Ghost Warrior franchise as a whole. Having had a taste of all games across platforms, it's a toss up between Sniper GW 2,3 and Contracts for the best the franchise has to offer. If you're looking for tactical, I'd quite comfort recommend Sniper Ghost Warrior alongside Sniper Elite and Hitman - Although this franchise a superior thinking man's alternative to Call of Duty and Battlefield than proper stealth.
Pretty slick shooter. The manner in which the story flows, certainly invokes the original 007: Golden Eye with a little CoD4: Modern Warfare on the side. For a linear story flow, it plays better than what EA and Activision have been shovelling as of late. For the most part, it's a solid oldschool single player modern military action game with some simcade ballistics (when wielding sniper rifles). Compared to Sniper Elite, the original Ghost Warrior leans more toward arcade than a tactically focused simulation shooter. If you prefer more tactically focus affair (in a modern setting) as opposed to the Michael Bay inspired action extravaganas CoD and Battlefield are pushing - Definitely give the Sniper: Ghost Warrior franchise a go!
Cyberia was okay, fun set piece moments here and there. Redneck Rampage was awsome. Oh wait... We're talking about Cyberia 2... Demo was okay... Yeeeah... That first sequence in this full version... Firstly. What numbskull holds a gun like an idiot with a flashlight??? Finally... I WAS BLASTING THE MAIN F#$@ING DOOR KRUDDAMMIT AND NOTHING HAPPENED!!! You don't really have to go all THAT far to run into moments where you're giving yourself self-inflicted cranial trauma... Whatever Cyberia did right, this sequel trashes the entire franchise in mere minutes!
SOMEONE DOESN'T KNOW THEIR LEFT FROM THEIR RIGHT!!! No, really! The inverted horizontal axes is gets old fast, especially when you're trying to break in your setup and learning the game! Aside from that aformentioned annoyance and the tutorial glitching out when introducing an unmanned chopper... Otherwise, this spiritual successor reboot or however the hell you want to market Comanche '21 is actually surprisingly good! My only experience with the Novalogic franchise was Comanche 4 and that felt arcadey for it's time... The way Comanche '21 is setup with individual firing bindings feels more akin to an action game like CoD. But, the manner in which the chopper handles using CH HOTAS (Fighterstick / ProThrottle / ProPedals) setup surprises me somewhat, given how smooth it feels! Haven't played the multiplayer (not inclined to), but as impressions go - Technical standpoint, it's a little rough around the edges with the odd quirk (nothing gamebreaking). Presentation is pretty slick. Gameplay is smooth and offers some interesting features. Overall, Comanche '21 is definitely a solid chopper action simulation experience I haven't seen since Comanche 4!
CP77 on my PC (Win 11 / Ryzen / RTX 3060) runs pretty pretty smoothly. Though there are a few rough edges (nothing a bit of sanding and filing can't fix, figuratively speaking), otherwise the game is a nice and stable experience all-round. Mind you... CP77 reminds me a hell of lot of Borderlands, being hard on the eyes at first. Like the borderlands games, once my eyes adjusted to the visuals it was smooth saling - A damn quicker than Borderlands! Beyond that, Cyberpunk 2077 is the kind of game that presents players with that conundrum good RPGs are known to have: "Der...Whudduidonow?!??". There's only a few other modern games that respond to said conundrum well: Elden Ring and of course Witcher III. I've seen other Triple-A's crash and burn answering that one - But it comes down to having a combination of interesting content to explore and intuitive systems at the player's disposal. CP77 seems to have that balance down nicely. The last time I played a gripping first-person ARPG was the original Deus Ex. Once set loose upon NC, you'd be forgiven for thinking there's nothing to do. But, hang around long enough and you will likely find some action around the corner in no time (more or less). Character levelling feels a lot like Deus Ex. Quests have an interesting style of presentation to them with conversations that flow immersively enough to feel natural. Overall, I'd go so far as to compare this to Deus Ex's level of captivating story content and Elden Ring's overwhelming degree of freedom. Cyberpunk 2077 though not without it's flaws, is a decent game and a very interesting experience overall. If you find futuristic neo-noir interesting and you can afford to be curious... This game definitely worth checking out!
If you're going to get this one PC, play it safe and make damn sure your rig's specs meet the recommended requirements as a bare minimum because you could easily run into technical difficulties - Unfortunately, I cannot specifically comment on the PC version as I was attempting to run it on a Windows 7 machine where it crashed out of the gate every time (even now). I can give you general insight into the game having both the XBOX and PlayStation releases. Now that's out of the way... Launch: I can't say I refunded my PS4 copy of the game in anger from being cheated, because I enjoyed what was present and traded it in once NMS had played out all it had to offer. Foundation / Pathfinder: I was curious and found my brief return a mildly satisfying one with the introduction of base building, vehicular mayhem and the introduction of my favourite mode - Permadeath! Next to the Present: Yeah, yeah, I know! Curiosity killed the cat... I bought it on XBOX however many months later and was pleasently surprised by the overhaul. With No Man's Sky having been overhauled to deliver the experience (more or less) promised from 2016 - curb you enthusiasm if you're looking for the next Han Solo power fantasy! This game is geared more toward the late Arthur C. Clarke's brand of science fiction with heavy focus placed on exploration and discovery. But! It's NMS is bo no means a perfect experience, but despite all that NMS' constantly evolving design shows the dev's striving to deliver a better one. If the idea of going on a space odyssey (either with familiar company, complete strangers or all on your own) appeals to you, then maybe give No Man's Sky a look in (assuming you're able to, technology permitting).
It certainly captures the spirit of the Warcraft II with a bit of it's sequel, but comes across sound like a very faint nod to Warhammer presenting a story dialogue with of the most cartoonish humour (the good variety) - The prologue to the Order campaign starts off like something out of one the Ultima scripts, then the protagonist cuts off the narrator in the a cheeky way indicating that this game is going to have you chuckling. Loria's controls are very similar to Blizzard's modern RTS titles offering a rather slick user experience along with rather clever AI with some pretty impressive pathfinding (for the most part). Occassionally the odd unit can get stuck on terrain, but the handling of combat is pretty slick with the attack move. The soundtrack is very reminscent of Warcraft II with it's own unique flare. Overall this game is pretty stable even on a MacBook Pro Mid 2015. I'm a little disappoint there is currently no multiplayer, but upon hearing the possibility of it's implimentation down the road has my attention piqued - So with that note, watch the patch notes like a hawk! Would I recommend Loria? For those looking to get into a fantasy RTS experience that harkens from the genre's golden age, you will not be disappointed with this one as it has plenty to offer!
