For my own personal & mental well-being, I am compelled to come back to this game and play it to completion at least once per year. This is the best video game I have ever played - nothing else comes close. Endlessly satisfying & immersive gameplay, deeply engrossing story & characters, and most importantly a VERY strong emphasis on player freedom & choice. ***************************************************************************************** REQUIRED TWEAKS FOR MODERN SYSTEMS: Kentie's 'Deus Exe' & Kentie's 'Direct3D 10 renderer' - download & install both. They update the engine to run with D3D10 under Win 10/11 and add necessary graphics tweaks (like FOV and UI scaling) whilst keeping the game itself vanilla. Without them, I have encountered numerous graphical issues such as texture warping & screen tearing. ***************************************************************************************** Perfect video game. You owe it to yourself to play Deus Ex.
I first played Myst (1993) for the first time last year, so no nostalgia-goggles here - Myst is an absolute classic, and every bit as good as people say. In my opinion, it’s perfect - it just gets everything right: the visuals, the atmosphere, the puzzles, the music. It's immersive in ways VERY few games are, and its world and story is still very engaging to this day. I’ve played a few point-and-click adventure games over the years, but none have gripped me like Myst. My main issue with similar games is how often the puzzles border on the absurd and unfair. In Myst, the puzzles are difficult, but never obtuse - every puzzle feels deliberate and never too punishing. It’s a real joy to play, but still gives your brain a good workout at times! This remake is all of the above…except more beautiful, and with freedom of movement. Personally, I adore the original Myst aesthetic. The pre-rendered backgrounds of the original have an elegance and charm to them that can never be replaced. However, there’s no denying that this remake looks STUNNING. The level of detail is jaw-dropping at times, and thinking of the hours of work that must have gone into making each individual asset truly amazes me. I’ve read that a few people dislike the CGI characters - personally I think they fit this version quite well, but there is an option to change back to the classic FMV characters in the menu! Also, another review claims that Rime is not included, but it definitely is! Not sure if this was an update or what, but it is included. Overall, this is a stellar remake and probably the best way to play Myst. It does exactly what it sets out to do: bring Myst up to modern standards with impeccable graphics and presentation - it does that perfectly. Super immersive, beautifully recreated worlds with stunning levels of detail and gameplay that’s stood the test of time- well worth picking up regardless of whether or not you've played Myst before. Just brilliant! Time to play Riven!
What a shame. This is my all time favourite FPS and it refuses to install on my Windows 7 tower and my Windows 10 laptop, despite meeting the system requirements. What a joke, Nightdive, please fix this.
This game is HARD. It's hard to figure out how to play, it's hard to figure out what is even happening, it's hard to even kill some enemies and it's ridden with bullshit deaths (and a death of an agent can mean the potential loss of money, inventory and respect from your fellow organisations). HOWEVER! This game, in my opinion is in the leagues of games like Alpha Centauri, Dungeon Keeper and even the action/strategy classic, Total Annihilation. X-COM Apocalypse is a very divisive game, you either love it or hate it, and for me, I love it. Sure it has it's bullshit moments, but UFO and this are simply the absolute pinnacle of space strategy games. X-COM Apocalypse is kinda like XCOM: UFO meets Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri, with the inclusion of separate organisations that are either allied with you, or want to actively kill you, and also the inclusion of being able to pay these said organisations off for favours or safety (however, Apocalypse came out in 1997, AC came out in 1999!). The game, at first may be a bit boring and insanely difficult (prepare to get absolutely DESTROYED INSTANTLY if you try to go into battle all guns blazing), I mean seriously the game is hard even on the lowest difficulty, so feel free to git gud quickly, BUT, do not give up! Keep playing, take it slow and make sure your poor agents have stuff to keep them alive. The best strategy I can give you is to, at first, just KILL KILL KILL, then slowly get into stunning and capturing aliens, instead of trying to capture live aliens immediately. Even still, the game is TOUGH. Like, proper tough. But hell, so was UFO and that game is a masterpiece. Either way, BUY THIS GAME! It's great! Great style, gameplay and music. Also seeing the sign popup to notify you that you've completed a level is absolutely exhilarating. It's like reverse PTSD and makes you feel like you've genuinely accomplished something. The only other games that gave me this kind of feeling is System Shock 2, Fallout 2 and VtMB. BUY!
LIES! Gog, get your Goddamn act together. Most of the stuff you sell is top notch, but a lot of it is sold on lies and old has-been's trying to get a quick buck! Case and Point: INTERSTATE 76 and CARMAGEDDON 2. Disgusting that you can sell these, broken, horribly buggy messes on you store front. Car2 won't even start.... GET IT TOGETHER.
THIS. THIS is the real-time, First-Person, action mech-game I always wanted, but never found, and could you expect less from Looking Glass? Based on the legendary System-Shock engine (first previewed in 1994 with System-Shock), Terra Nova has you take control of a new recruit for a secret rebel organisation as you slip nicely into your brand new super-high tech mech suit as you find yourself on a series of what are practically action-sandbox maps (think Gun-Metal but in first person and made in 1996), allowing you to basically pick how you go about each mission. At the beginning of the game, all you have is basic weaponry and armour, as well as a drone to either scout out areas by way of keyboard control or waypoint control. Terra Nova also allows you to drop an auto-turret at will which will help you with defence especially early on, however later you amass an arsenal of complex arm-mounted weaponry and new mech-suits allowing energy and HP upgrades as well as longer jump-jet flight time and advanced movement. The game is superlative for it's time and really paved the way for FPS games in general in the future. Looking Glass were so far ahead of the times in terms of gameplay elements and especially graphics. Unlike the engines predecessor, System-Shock, the game is fully 3D, at all time, and allows a freedom of movement that was only just becoming the 'norm' in FPP games (soon to be revolutionised with the iminent release of Quake). Mechwarrior 2 is an incredible game in my opinion, but it's 'hands-off' movement controls and lacklustre (even by 1995 standards) graphics and unsatisfying shooting mechanics really make THIS the penultimate mech game. It's an absolute pleasure to play, even today, just like every Looking Glass game from the era and is by far my favourite FPP/Simulator game ever made. A true forgotten classic, even more so than System Shock, but the absolute best of it's genre. Incredible game. 5/5 (A+)
Ion Storm Dallas' last effort was Anachronox, and although it shows in places, it's still the best RPG of it's era. The story is funny, with dark undertones, then characters are very fleshed out for a game using the Quake II engine, and overall is a blast to play. Compared to FF7 which is, in my opinion, a poor game (more a technical feat than a gaming feat) it holds up very well. I could easily play through the majority of Anachronox and come out very pleased, than play 10 minutes of FF7 and come out feeling bored and useless. Tom Hall really outdid himself with this game, and feels like a fitting end to Ion Storms, bitter-sweet legacy. Following in the footsteps of Deus Ex and Diakatana was both a blessing and a curse. No one was sure if Anachronox was going to be good or bad. Sure, it's following Deus Ex, (one of) the greatest video game(s) ever made, but it was also wallowing in the trainwreck/aftermath of the awful Diakatana, also developed by Ion Storm Austin. Unfortunately, although hype was moderate and reviews were very positive, Anachronox faded into obscurity and didn't sell all that well. Despite this, it's up on GOG and I couldn't be happier. The game is undeniably a superlative experience, unlike most RPG's from it's era, Anachronox is actually fair, allowing you to progress at whatever speed you like, but, like Deus Ex, rewards you for your exploration allowing you to do sub-quests for random passer-by's that, although can result in a big reward, are often time consuming and aren't needed to complete the overall game. Battling feels very nice, even today. What most 3D, turn based RPG's lack(ed) was that you never felt very powerful. In the Final Fantasy series for example, although I was doing crazy attacks and spins, I never felt like I hurt the guy, whereas in this, you do, even if you come out with hp: 30/400. One of my favourite games ever made, PERIOD. Fantastic experience, I'm having so much fun with it. Get past the dated graphics and enjoy!!!!
Thief is almost a perfect game. Almost. The gameplay is absolutely solid, feels better than most games made today, the weapons feel great, the characters and voice acting is better than most movies, the graphics look a bit dated but have lots of charm, and the engine feels great. The level design is also beyond incredible. Most levels are dense, rich, open mazes that feel meticulously designed and perfected. Like Deus Ex, it's younger brother, the game allows you to go about levels as you wish, sometimes letting you explore the perimeters before diving into the meat of the game and allowing you to plan your attack. You could knock everyone out and go through the front door, or steal the key off the guard and swim through the sewers. For 1998, this was revolutionary and it still feels fresh today. What also feels fresh is the fact that your character, Garrett actually TALKS! Yes, Gordon Freeman, Link and Claude might be great because they don't speak, but it's truly refreshing to hear your character talk in a game made around the same time, especially as the voice acting is so superb. The voice acting of Garrett is just amazing and will simply never age. If you can find a way to get this game working with the cutscenes, you'll have a way better experience. All the weapons seem very well designed, but it's also were this game falls short. The blackjack for example is supposed to be used to knock out unsuspecting guards, however, getting close enough to hit them over the head without them or one of their friends seeing is a real pain as, if spotted, all it seems to do is agitate them, so quicksaving will be used frequently and there is no other way to knock them out without them finding out or harming yourself. Over all though, the game is phenomenal and these are very minor problems. Would highly recommend to anyone who enjoyed Deus Ex or SS2 or really any oldschool FPP/RPG/FPS games.
How easy in this day and age to simply add some sort of mouselook into this game? Honestly, this game is genuinely quite fun, and just acts like a top down Postal 2, which is good, however, if you're like me and like to play nearly every game with a mouse AND keyboard, then you're shit out of luck. This game does support mouse, however it's so poorly implemented and butchered that it's just not fun. The game itself is very fun, kinda reminds me of the older GTA's but, surprisingly it's more fun. The character models and art design are great, the overall design of the controls are awful. I hear the updated Postal on steam implements mouselook, but here it's nearly unplayable with it. It took me so long to realise you can only go LEFT AND RIGHT with the mouse(!!), pointing the mouse in any other direction makes Postal Dude spin out of control and forces you to quickly drag the mouse left or right to either walk straight or shoot your intended target. Using the arrow keys or WASD to move is also completely butchered, forward isn't locked to where you're stood facing, so it basically shoots itself in the foot by making mouselook almost useless! I can't even recommend using a game pad to play the game because the mouselook is still works it way in. I managed to play the first level using my Xbox 360 controller, but it took me at least 4 tries due to the plain dumb control scheme which caused me to die time and time again. Overall, it is a decent game, and can be quite fun, however this should be a game you play to let of some steam after a shit day at work, however the controls will infuriate you even more! It's sad the enhanced edition never made it onto GOG, because I much prefer GOG to steam. Kinda sad, I can't recall a single person that had heard or played this game back in the day and I think the controls had a big part to do with that. I have no idea why GOG are selling this for £4.69, that is simply way too much you can just buy it on Steam for £1.60. Shame, man.
