I think that Metro 2033 is a very interesting, very lovingly made game and you should definitely play it. The game may turn you off initially because the gunplay and movement is ever so janky and the voice acting, though competent, features a lot of the stereotypical Russian accents which can give you some bad impressions. But stick with it for a while and soon enough you'll warm to Artyom's likable narration as you get sucked into this wonderfully atmospheric trip, pushed forward by Artyom's need to find answers. You'll see some excellent level design and pacing, great lighting and sound and varied gameplay that ranges from shooting to stealth to puzzle solving and even a bit of roleplaying. Not much of it is groundbreaking, but all of it is perfectly accessible, well implemented and easy-going. Which might sound like I'm damning the game with faint praise a bit, and to some extent that's the case (hence 4 stars and not 5). The gameplay doesn't reach the heights that I've seen in some other games. Don't let that dissuade you though, since the creativity in this game is well worth it alone.
- Homeworld 1: I'm gonna be harsh... Get over it and play the 1999 version. If you give it a chance, the overall audio-visual experience created all those years ago can still sweep you off your feet.. This game has a horror element that got lost with the remaster and you don't want to miss out on this. The audio is mindblowing and did not need ANY rework, ANY new voice acting, nothing; it was perfection. It's up to you, I'm just telling you that when you play the remaster then you are not experiencing what makes this game so special! - Homeworld 2: The remaster works better for this game, but HW2 is also the game that needed improved textures the least. The thing is that when I'm busy playing the game then I'm not really caring that much about the textures on the ships because I'm usually not zoomed in enough for it to shine. So in practice the difference between the original game and the rm is just not that impressive, I mean the effects in original Homeworld 2 still look really good as well so that's a wash too. I'm giving it four stars because I think the total package on offer here is worth the money, but by and large that's on account of the original games being that good. The remasters per se aren't really worth it I don't think.
Some tips for new players in the early game: - Get the Crusader or the Jester as soon as you can and unlock their stress relief skills. This is the biggest game changer early on, because now you can play around the stress mechanic. - Take as few risks as possible. Don't open objects that you don't have the right reagents for. Keep torches fully active at all times. Don't clear out rooms you don't need to. - Healing is only needed when a hero is seriously dropping low. Don't waste turns trying to keep everybody topped off, it is not effective. - Gain an advantage by choosing the lowest and shortest dungeons possible and add one or two party members who have some upgrades. - Stun skills are really powerful, especially if they can reach the casters who most typically cause stress. Try to maximize their accuracy early on. - Don't waste your money on quirks and stress relief early on, if you manage your party right you will be able to focus mostly on upgrading your heroes and this is the best way to make dungeons easier. - The first few dungeons are by far the toughest since you have no stress relief and no advantages at all. Losing a few heroes is absolutely fine. Try to not lose the Crusader. The game really isn't that tough and you can gradually take more risks as you become more powerful. But yeah, the game is obviously a recommend from me, it's a tons of fun and super addicting. Love how it flows, there's no messing around with checkpoints or save scumming, skill and class design is great, difficulty is well balanced, awesome art, I could go on, just buy it.
Not many games from the late 90s stand the test of time well, but Deathkarz is a racer that still rocks. It has a slick, stylized look with exuberant lighting and cool car designs. The tracks are memorable and although there aren't many, they stand out with their distinct tile sets, superb pacing and well tuned difficulty. My favorite are the Grand Keys Medium and the Red Planet Long, but I really like all of them. Speaking of difficulty, the game is very clever because there are lots of factors that determine it. Track size, car class, car team and championship all impact how tough a race is going to be, which makes the game very replayable. Sometimes you'll play a game and you can just tell that it was properly playtested, well, Deathkarz is one such game. The AI will cheat, for instance you start in the final position every race. The leaders in a race will also never destroy each other, and at takeoff they will accelerate way faster than you are able to. But those are well-considered compromises because as a player you have a lot of advantages too. You can selectively kill enemies, take dirty shortcuts the AI cannot, and use power ups way more intelligently than the AI. All this translates into a thoughtful, balanced game that eventually feels fair and focuses entirely on fast and fun gameplay. The excellent sense of speed contributes to this as well as the nice music. The cars all handle differently and the driving has enough depth that you can get better and eventually become a Deathkarz pro! This is not a game you'll necessarily play for ten hours every day, but it's a game you'll keep installed forever and come back to every so often. Play it with a game pad, steering wheel or keyboard; you can do whatever you want. It's not particularly fussy about hardware either. Just don't forget to reboot your system after installation or the game will hang for some reason.
