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Like stated above, this is a cute platformer/simple metroidvania that has allot of charm and Saturday morning cartoon energy. It's not overly difficult and I think it can be enjoyed by both kids as well as adults. With 4 player co-op option available I can see me playing this with my nephews. :) In short, simple charming fun for the whole family :)
As the title states, this is a escape room game. You go from room to room an solve puzzles to progress. The twist however is that YOU are strapped to wheel chair and need to use a laser pointer to guide a little girl through the puzzles. This was originally a VR game for the PS4 so all the movement was done through tilting your head. The games story goes for a minimalistic and mysterious style. No long dialogues only vague hints on what is going on. Also, regardless the review about this being a child torture game. It id not and the person claiming it is clearly never played it.
The first two are classics of point and click adventure gaming. If you like surreal settings and old school puzzle solving get this collection. It truly is a one of a kind experience :)
First of, regarding the control issues the previous reviewers where mentioning, this is not a button masher that lets you grind through enemies with ease. Honestly I had no issues with the controls (I can only assume the reviewers where having some hardware problems) and as much it pains me to use the "git good" argument, but the game does demand of you to pay attention to the combat. Attacks have weight to them and tend to have a wind up time so you need to plan out your attacks. Mastering the doge is necessary as you can loose most of your health very fast even when hit by the common fodder enemies. This is the main draw to the game but also it's greatest issue to some people as not everyone likes to repeat a section again and again just to get the correct pater in a fight and beat the boss. But if you are the kind of person who like Dark Souls style games, you should find the game to be very enjoyable.
So, Dawn of War 2. Is it a good game? Yes. Does it play differently than the first one? Yes. Was it controversial at launch? VERY YES!!! This is a case of the developers following trends that where popular at the time. RTS games where becoming a very niche genre and MOBA's where starting to take the gaming world by storm. So Relic took some elements from those games and the result was Dawn of War 2. Gone is the base building and resource management has been degraded to a bare minimum. You still take over strategic points to gather them though. In the campaign you can take up to four squads of units (you have six types in total, so you can mix it up depending on your strategy). In a way replicating the table top original. During gameplay your squads earn levels and you can find Diablo style loot drops to equip on your units. There is some time management going on as in the story you are trying to take over control over invaded planets. Each time you go on a mission you use up a day, which gives your adversary's a chance to take over a sector. However, if you manage to get a high score and do side objectives you may be rewarded with a deployment bonus thus doing more than one mission during one day. Basically babies first Total War :) Now on to the drama. Does the game have DRM? It depends if you count multiplayer matches needing to use Galaxy as one (unfortunately, bot matches also requires it as you are basically setting up an online game). Unfortunately this version of the game is based on the later Steam release. The original GfWL release had LAN options but where removed after migrating to Steam. The only way the DRM purists would be satisfied was if the whole multiplayer/Skirmish mode was gutted from the game. In the end the campaign requires no such connection's and can be enjoyed completely offline.
As the title states, when starting the game I had this weird sense of being taken back in time to the PS2 era of gaming. The action is silly as well as the story and characters, going for that classic 90's edgy comic book design. Your character has guns, "magic" and several gadgets of destruction to take care of the local hellspawn infestation. The levels are linear but with lots of branches with hidden secrets to collect. The combat is classic TPP action with some modern elements sprinkled here and there. In short the game is very Arcady and like stated in the beginning feels like a game from the early 2000's that got a modern graphic treatment. If you want some fun action through a 8 to 12 hour story campaign (depends on if you want to 100% it) you will get it and more. :) Now, it's not all flowers and sunshine. The game has some technical issues and you might come across some bugs that will force you to reload a checkpoint. Not to mention you can tell when you reach a "Dev's where run out of money!" moments. Still, if you can get passed that you will get allot of fun
This is a game clearly made by fans of the survival horror genre with allot of inspirations from Resident Evil. That is: exploring a level, solving puzzles, conserving ammunition's, inventory management etc. (no locked camera angle though) If you want some of that classic Resi style goodness, get the game! You wont be disappointed. One warning though, the game clearly had a budget so it wont have all the bells and whistles that AAA games have. Check some gameplay videos to have a clear idea of how it looks.
TL;DR: The game is awesome. Fun in solo and co-op. The drawn sprites are full of detail and beautifully animated. Story takes place 10 years after the last game with the Syndicate coming back with new leadership and Axel steps up with new and old allies to kick them into shape. The highest reviews score it low do to online multiplayer not being available on launch. It is now so you might just ignore most review bombers.
I'll admit I bought the game knowing little to nothing about it (Learned about it the day before) and bought it mostly as a sign of support for the developers. I was pleasantly surprised when I got a fun game out of it. The game is semi open world with turn based battles that use a hex system ala Wild Arms 4 (move between hexes to get close to an enemy and attack them, cornering enemies by cutting of escape paths, using special attacks to interrupt the enemies turn etc). At first the system looks stupid simple but eventually you will start making up some crazy, one turn kill strategies (necessary on higher difficulties). The setting is rather unique and if I had to compare it to something it would be the old Phantasy Star games. Sword and Sorcery mixed with hard sci fi. Clerics casting fireballs at heavy mechs with rocket launchers are a common occurrence here. What I found funny is how self aware the story is. The characters tend to poke fun at classic JRPG tropes only to have brutal reality punch you in the gut. It never goes full grim dark though. If I had to criticize something it would be the clear lack of polish at places. The game was clearly made on a budget which is very visible in the character animations and some model designs. Some HUD elements look like place holders sometimes. It's nothing game braking but if you are one of those people paying attention to such things it might hit you on the eyes.