Starts-off well and keeps you engrossed for a few hours, once you get to 50+ population, the game really starts to reveal all of its flaws. Some examples: My goats bred like rabbits then suddenly dropped off a cliff after I culled their population by slaughtering a relatively small % of them. I have no idea why, so now my 4-5 stables are mostly empty. Hunters get tired and hungry because they chase animals into the wild and don't bother to take any supplies, and no camping or control over the "group" of them is possible, outside of the resource limit and work area you can set - which is what you do for every...single...resource. Dogs are useless, at least they don't cost anything and show-up on their own. But c'mon. I still have no idea how Watchtowers work, or why they are even worth building. Sheep seem to be the rarest of rare exotic animals in the game. Good luck finding or buying them while your people freeze in the winter as a result. You need to plant a TON of "cereal" fields (these are grains) in order to acquire enough straw to get you through a winter without running out - but your people will get over-worked quickly and be in a constant state of low morale. Populations seem to stagnate around 50 or so, it takes forever to get to 70 or 80, and then it's a constant battle to fight all of the balance and resource issues, only some of which are mentioned above. The game is a huge time sink, with little reward. I've never been so underwhelmed to reach the Copper or Iron Age, at that point the game becomes such a bore and a slow, painful micro-management exercise, that I had a hard time even caring. Graphics are nice, music is nice, the UI is fine, but there are way too many issues with the game to recommend it right now, or ever, as I don't know how the developers can possibly address all of the problems with this game. That said, I may try to start over, try diff strategies, but for now I need a break.
I love the story of the Aztecs and the Conquistadors, in particular Hernan Cortes epic (and horrific) adventure. Just all of the medival strategy, back-stabbing, well-done character back stories, sense of accomplishment, fun TB combat, excellent music...such a worthwhile, fun game, and change of pace. Normal combat difficulty is brutal, in particular for new players, my advice is to drop to easy difficulty until you learn the finer points of the game, it is very playable that way (and still just challenging enough too be fun). Love the artwork, music, characters, their stories and moral dilemnas they pose, the setting and the combat is really well done. There are some minor annoyances, most of all the balancing, but I can get past it easily for what is otherwise a great game. You're basically re-creating the story of Cortes as his budding replacement, as you march on Mexico after starting out on the island of Hispaniola, building-up the strength of your small expedition and wiping out threats as you go, and dealing with rebellions and thievery, etc.., The game has a deep RPG aspect to it, you can be an aggressively cruel conqueror, or a peaceful diplomat (mostly), just make sure you bring along people who will go along with your methods!
What more can I say about it? Completing the raids fully, the bosses, the engraving and skill system, the graphics and voice-acting, and most importantly the combat, are all well-done and the game becomes quite addictive, starting around level 7-8. The game starts slow, but give it some time and it really shines. I don't really understand the negative reviews, the game runs flawlessly for me as well. I didn't pay much attention to the convoluted story, but may in the future with another build, but the objectives and pacing are very wel done.
I love old Quake II engine games, from Quake II to the original Soldier of Fortune, to Anachronox. Sin fits right in with those classics, a late 90's action FPS that was thankfully built on an engine that still performs well today . Lauded by gamers when it was released, it flew under the radar of Half Life, Doom, Quake and Quake II, among others of the time. Set in a modern environment (office buildings, warehouses, sewers etc..,) you're tasked with hunting down the leader of a crime syndicate who throws his minions at you while you find keys, rescue hostages and avoid security alarms on the way. You'll have a voice-linked helper a la Deus Ex/System Shock 2 to guide you through. That said the game has plenty of action and minimal but well-placed/logical/easy puzzles. I also didn't experience being "lost in the level" nearly as much as I do in some of these older games, the maps are excellent. I got this game running in hardware mode on Windows 10, by choosing "Default GL," running in compatibility mode for XP2, and downloading the "steam patch" on the Gaming Wiki for openGL. (all of these might not've been necessary, but after fiddling around quite a bit, those 3 things seemed to work). Definitely worth the $10, or buy it on sale if you like old school shooters made in an era just before truly modern 3D engines with physics and high res textures came onto the scene.
Read the other positive reviews, one of my favorite "old" PC games to play, as it's almost infinitely replayable, relaxing, fun, kooky, campy, everything a good video game should be. It's kid-friendly as well. Picking it up for $5 or $1.50 on sale is a bargain either way.
You haven't truly lived a full life if you haven't played this game at least once, start to finish (including the 2 excellent expansions). In 2002 this game was the first-of-its-kind, and revolutionized RPG games, Morrowind is really where it all started, and it still does it better than most games today with the exception of the refinements technology 12 years ago couldn't accomplish. Incredible Dunmer ruins, spooky-as-hell tombs, intelligently scripted quest and NPC sequences, great crafting and magic, amazing scenery and hand-placed objects, memorable characters, unforgettable moments and sequences that, at the time, compared to nothing else I had ever played in a 3D world. To this day Morrowind is superior to Oblivion and Skyrim in my opinion - aside from the combat balancing and some other refinements - it drops you into a world where every little detail is lovingly crafted and produced...sandstorms to water splashing-up on a boat, the eerie moan from the humongous Striders (the early version of fast-traveling) and the first truly open 3D world that is still one of thee, if not thee, top PC games ever made. You will want to mod the game up a bit today, making it even better, mostly graphics and balancing mods, which are easy to install and maintain. I used the big, thick guide book back in the day, to learn all of the secrets, and there are many, but by today's standards you should be able to figure them all out if you take your time and enjoy it as it was meant to be enjoyed. Only something like Deus Ex could stand up to it back then in terms of first-person, 3D immersion. There really is nothing better than experiencing Morrowind and its escapist nature in a dark room on a cold winter night - again you haven't lived if you haven't played it!
MOH: Allied Assault is easily one of the most enjoyable FPS/Action games I've ever played. From the epic and creative opening scene depicting the Normandy Beach Invasion from Saving Private Ryan, to the reasonably challenging and hectic street firefights and corridor battles, this game never let's up. The game uses a modified version of the Quake III:Arena engine, has some excellent level design for its time, great scenarios, and a wonderfully dark, brown, old European atmosphere that makes it as bleak as it can be familiar. The War Chest has hours and hours of fun, as MOH:AA had two excellent expansions, although they (appropriately) deviated from the run-n-gun street fights of AA, involving more tank and air scenarios. This game always brings back great memories, as I've beaten it multiple times (it's length is perfect, not too long, not too short) and I remember every single level and detail of them. The multiplayer is quite fun despite the fact I don't play such games online much, but it was so good that it just doubles the entertainment value of it (Normandy Beach map!). The great location-based damage and realistic weapons from the time really make for tight action and perfect execution. Any fan of FPS/Action games must own this game, or else your life will continue to have a great, deep void.
