Lack of last DLC cuts off access to some of the best mods. Without it, this 10+ years old game is worth 10$ at most. For such practices Stardock is at my blacklist.
The game captures TT original quite nicely. We are finaly able to play with Primaris SM, though the selection of units is somewhat lacking - looking forward to expansions. Overall very solid WH40K title. As for data mining, it's a "feature" of Unity engine and all games using that engine collect anonymous usage data. You can download a software from Unity's page to prevent this. Developers can't disable that feature, so blaming them is irrational.
I've played Cyberpunk from day one and with every patch it's getting better and better. Not only bugs are being splattered under heavy corporate bug hunters boots, but the world feels more alive (not to mention driving cut scenes not being as stiff, like taken from a 90s game). After revealing Keanu Reeves involvement I was looking for a dark, dystopian future, close to Gibson's inspired Johnny Mnemonic, but CP77's world was a pleasant surprise. At first glance it doesn't seem as grim, but as you explore and immerse yourself in the world you bring out it's ugliness. And as you find out, J-Bones words, despite passage of time, are still accurate: “Treating the disease is far more profitable than curing it.” In game there are a lot of reference to Johnny Mnemonic, from Ripper dock that looks and have same views as Spider, hearing talks about data curries to mono fiber arm weapon, but it doesn't lack other memorable moments, like CJ's bike chase. CP77 shines when it comes to story side, it has great plot and excellent side quest that lets you really discover and feel the world around you (for well over 100h). Combat is excellent, quick, dynamic, no matter whether you prefer to enter with your guns blazing or Hitman's silent assassins style. And that cyberdeck of yours opens up many more possibilities to explore. Driving is very well done, especially the bike's and feels very natural. Car models are very detailed, you can even see brake lines if you play with the camera angles. The only thing I don't like is leveled items. Such atrocities should be left for MMOs … And don't hesitate to increase detail level. On my previous computer the game ran fine on ultra despite ~30-35fps on average. Even in dynamic fights it was perfectly playable (could be part of optimization for older consoles).
With the latest patch (4.3), and few mods, X Rebirth is finally a worthy member of the X family. The are still some unpatched bugs (like Titurel's engines), but most of them are covered by mods. Compared to previous X iterations, you are limited to piloting only one craft (an M3+ Eclipse to be exact), but fortunately it's highly customizable. You can change you craft to nimble fighter, durable corvette or something in between. You can even change the cockpit, a substitute to piloting different crafts ;). You can even attach mods to weapons to alter theirs performance. Unfortunately you can't pilot capital ships, but you can land on them and how the big boys do battle (capital ship bridge mods is very nice in such situations). Capital ships in X:R are also much better then in previous games. With wide array of weapons (not limited by arch speed of slowest weapon in turret) they are deadly to both fighters and other capital ships. Huge stations with many landing pods will take a while to get used to, but the game is worth it.
Solid game in Battletech Universe, but not without flaws. The game looks nice, but deviates far too much from Table Top rules. When you change something that was working for over 30 years, you're bound to get into trouble (balance issues). Fortunately most of the questionable choices made by the devs can now be corrected by mods (there are a few mods aiming to restore CBT/TT rules), but a cost of playing solo (multiplayer does not work with mods). CONS: - small maps, favouring medium/close range engagements (mitigated to some degree by mods) - mods not supported in multiplayer (for now) - long loading times (mod Turbine aims to correct that) PROS: - easily moddable (basic parametres, harpoints etc.) - quite a few mods restoring proper mechanics
2 stars, only because Baldur's Gate itself is a solid 4 star game and classic version is included (I don't have to wory anymore to scratch my spotless 6cd version in CD/DVD/BR drive I don't have). These "enhanced versions" are nothing more than ports to newer version of Infinity engine. That itself would be nice, adding items highlightnig and many more nice features, but the execution is poor. Sprites borders look terrible, only after disabling both options and enabling nearest neighbour scalling the game looks "right". Images in game have the feeling of being just upscaled from compressed original images. Not to mention additional, unwanted content. I would understand restoring cut content, but adding mods ... What I would really love to see is a true BG:EE remade in Unity engine. That would really bring that classic to the 21st century (waiting for someone to say "challange accepted" :) ).
