Ok, I wanna start by saying that the biggest drawback of 198X is its short length. This will only take you a chilled session to finish. You may find some of the levels challenging, but you definitely won't lose sleep over it :P However, as far as artistic games go, 198X is a very nice experience indeed. The homage Hi-Bit Studios does to old school gaming is quite heartfelt, with its 5 levels sprawling all different game genres from back in the day, with a nice story that makes you connect with that feeling of going to the arcades and just becoming immersed in all the different visuals and sounds, forgetting all about life's troubles. I liked it very much, but I find that this kind of game is more akin to watching a movie than a playing a game. But if you like gaming experiences like The Stanley Parable and also have a deep-rooted love for 80's gaming, then by all means give this one a go! Now, here's hoping they finish a sequel, and make it a larger game ^^
I always loved the Quake 2 story and setting. Don't know if as much as Doom, but I've always had a serious crush on the Strogg. They have that horde single-consciousness feeling inspired by the Borg from Star Trek, but much more gruesome. Destroy them, or be assimilated. They're one of my favorite FPS villains, and playing this back in the day was amazing. Quake 2 really was genre setting in its day, and despite being quite dated for today's standards, it's still a lot of fun to play to this day. When I bought this GOG pack I had the opportunity to try out both mission packs of the game for the first time. And I gotta say The Reckoning won't disappoint you. Levels are great and I really liked the few additions it brought to Quake 2. Ground Zero is more of a mixed bag for me. For the hardcore Q2 fans out there, it's certainly more challenging, but levels aren't as fun as in the previous mission pack, and it looks a bit less polished. Overall, I had a blast remembering how amazing Quake 2 was back in the day. Don't let the Makron win, kick some cyborg ass!
So, maybe this PC port is not the best way to play SFA2, but if you don't any other way to play this gem, go for it! SFA2 is my favorite in the Alpha series, building on what the first game established. Probably Alpha3 is the best game overall, but I always liked better the less complicated feel of Alpha2, with probably the biggest downside being it doesn't have a roster as large as Alpha3. However, it's got a lot of charm, and it's a very solid fighter from the late 90's. If you're a Street Fighter fan in any capacity, you just have to try this out.
Can't say if I like this one more than the original Unreal Tournament, but both are at the top of what arena shooters were in the early 2000's. Since it's an arena shooter, its single player is more ladder oriented than following a particular story, and that might throw off some people. But the maps and game modes are excellent, and it's very much worth the play, even on single player only. The Onslaught mode is the real innovation here when compared to previous UT titles, and it's a very nice addition indeed. It's got a nice price tag these days, so it's worth having a look.
Well, I remember when this game first came out, and how it got trampled on the reviews. Despite that, I always wanted to play it, because I was such a big Unreal fan. My expectations were not very high because of that, and when I finally got to play it, I could see why it wasn't much appreciated more than fifteen years ago, when it came out. Don't get me wrong, it's not a terrible game by any means. I had fun playing it, graphics are nice and the gameplay works fine, even if uninspired. However, it's very mediocre AND it completely wastes the Unreal license. There's almost nothing left of the soul of the first game, and it doesn't handle well what few elements it incorporated, namely the Skaarj, who are little more than walking tanks on this one and not the agile predators they were in the first game. I'd still advise people to play it, even if for its price tag. That's why it gets four stars instead of three. Overall, a serviceable shooter from the earlier 2000's that does little with the potential of its name, but will still keep you distracted until you finish it.
