Good day, persnickety mfs. You're probably reading this review because you don't want to end up like the other cockroaches who are having a full blown temper tantrum over purchasing this game, thinking it would be Dead Space all over again, or criticising it for being too "hard." Let's get this out of the way. It doesn't run very well. I downloaded a mod for this on Nexus mods and had no problems after. The game's story and setting felt like a unique experience, and I don't say that very often. The entire aesthetic is, really. Just look at the armor of the main character. It's incredibly weird, but in a good way. Lookin like some deep sea diver with a metal pusspuss in the middle. At last, something different than the typical trendy designs. On the topic of characters, I thought the ones in here were excellent. Excellent voice acting, well-done, deliberately placed development and evolution. The consciousness imbued into the suit of armor (you can't really call this a "woman"), comes off as robotic and algorithmic at first. But then, the circuits may develop flesh, so to speak. Actually, I liked the combat in this. It took time to get used to, but it turns out that's a part of playing video games. You have to learn the system and how to work with it if you want to enjoy it. I've seen b*tching about slow movement, unfairness in combat etc. I got no such impression. In fact, I don't remember being bothered even once. Maybe it's because I knew I was playing Cronos and not another game. I can't be entirely sure. The inventory challenge was enjoyable and not to the detriment of the game in my opinion. It turns out you can upgrade your inventory strategically to make it more manageable. I like optimizing and thinking about this sort of thing, but you may not. Whatever. What really gets me with this game is the enemy design and variations. Seriously, with this setting, you can get away with some of the most grotesque, hideous, evil monstrosities. The potentials for diabolical creativity here seem endless. Yet, it felt squandered. I was underwhelmed with the enemy variety and mechanics. They felt a bit like placeholders. They didn't have a lot of character. If you've ever played Saya no Uta, they all pretty much resemble the backdrop of gore surrounding Fuminori while he sits there depressed discussing murder plots with his loli waifu. Maybe hire the equivalent of a newgen H.R. Giger next time. Someone who salivates at the thought of murderous, otherwordly creatures. If this aspect was up to par, I might just have rated it 5 stars. Overall, what can I say. The game held my attention. I actually looked forward to playing it and I wanted to see what would happen. The ending I got seemed kind of unsatisfying and short, but I don't think it ruins the rest of the time I had with the game. This is one that I'd probably play again in the future to get the other ending, if that means anything to you. Cronos is one of the better titles I've played recently. It's not mesmerizing, but it's damn good in my opinion and worth a playthrough.
Age of Decadence is something of its own. Besides the Thief game itself, this is the only RPG where I genuinely felt like I was roleplaying a thief. It was not just a class that I selected to boost certain characteristics, but essentially an entire campaign flavor wrapped into a single selection that carried on throughout the rest of the game. In other words, this is true roleplaying. With lower budget graphics, no voice acting, and in my particular playthrough, minimal violence, Age of Decadence managed to keep me immersed and hooked to the point that I finished it rather quickly, and that's rare for me these days. The game is not heavy in exploration. In fact, you're oftentimes transported to set locations by the game after certain choices are made in dialogue. Despite typically liking exploration in RPGs, I persisted because of other factors that make this game appealing. You really have to think about how you're going to build your character and what strategies you're going to enact to navigate the world and the situations that you find yourself in. If you appreciate the strategy that goes into carefully building a character and don't mind occasional devastating setbacks, then this is a good game for you. It was made with respect for your intelligence and ability to make decisions in mind, and because of this, it was a highly stimulating experience. Unfortunately, I was completely underwhelmed with my ending. It fell flat entirely and I hope you get a different one. Overall though, this is one of the better RPGs I've played in recent times and I'll likely revisit again in the future.
I remember playing the first game many years ago now. Although I've changed immeasurably these past years, I'm glad to see A Plague Tale has not. Here still stands a testament to burning, righteous anger and unflinching desire carried on by the will to see the one you love protected regardless of the lives it may cost. This game is absolutely beautiful, with a stunning, gripping selection of characters and accompanying voice actors to bring them to life. The cut scenes are highly immersive; you may be jarred back into action when the cut scene suddenly changes to gameplay once more as if you were watching a movie that suddenly transformed into a video game. The haunting, intense soundtrack permeates the outskirts of the story unfolding before you: a highly dramatic, continuously depressing and stressful narrative. There is no peace. There is only the hope of peace, and that hope is crushed over and over again until it's nearly impossible to conjure how anyone in the world could still harbor it. Yes, A Plague Tale is not open world like every other game of this generation is attempting to do. Here you will find linearity and a story-driven medium that sticks to its own formula. The gameplay can sometimes become repetitive, the puzzles are not incredibly fun, and the rats pissed me off more than once. But still, I played on to beat the game. And these days, I rarely finish them. Because what kept me coming back was wanting to see how this story of Hugo and Amicia unfolded. What kept me coming back was the intensity: seeing a human go to the extremes of vindinctive violence and even sadism when pushed too far for too long. In the heat of this chaos, there is no time to take a universal perspective; there is only you and the people you care about and the people who are trying to destroy you. Sacrifices are made and irreversible scars were obtained, but A Plague Tale had its characters hold their ground to the bitter end regardless of the cost. 5/5.
I was fascinated with Diablo II as a kid because of what looked like a grim reaper on the front. Convincing my parents to buy it for me, I eventually got around to playing it while being scared shitless. Later on, I also got a hold of the first Diablo CD, but never got around to playing it. Diablo IV coming out convinced me to give this classic a try. Unironically, I got more addicted to this game than I did to Diablo IV. Nothing beats the focused precision of these older games nor the atmosphere they're capable of invoking with such primitive technology. Their mechanics and graphics can be critisized for being "outdated" all they want to; Diablo held my attention until the very end which most modern games of not capable of doing. This in itself is a massive achievement, and a testament to Diablo's timelessness. Quite simply, the game is actually fun. Isn't that what these things were designed for? One would think so, but the picture becomes obfuscated and less intelligible when you begin to compare the present with the distant past. In short, give this a playthrough if you dare. I credit early titles like this influencing my taste for such a dark and ominous aesthetic. It's 2023 and my heart was still racing fighting the low-res bosses in this gem.
One of the best video gaming experiences I have ever had. There is nothing quite like S.T.A.L.K.E.R., especially Shadow of Chernobyl. The atmosphere of dread, bleakness, and loneliness is so palpable in this video game that it should be perceived instead of described, especially with the addition of some mods. The giddy sense of exploration you get venturing into every little nook and cranny of the post-apocalyptic wastelands of Chernobyl and the surrounding forestation and apartment complexes, as well as the frightening encounters with the residents therein will make you forget all about the weird dialogue and other "flaws" that this game has. When I played S.T.A.L.K.E.R., it felt like I was really inside of it... a part of it. It's not exactly an RPG by gaming mechanics, but it really felt like a roleplaying game in a pure sense. In other words, I actually felt like a S.T.A.L.K.E.R. while playing. It's highly immersive. Do yourself a favor and play it. Don't go in expecting a high intensity, in your face, AAA FPS. Instead, sit back and enjoy getting the opportunity to venture alone and vulnerable, deep into the mysteries of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant to uncover who and what you really are. There really is not much like this in the video game world, perhaps with the exception of Metro, and even that is not open world like this one is. Now get out of here, S.T.A.L.K.E.R.
The main thing I can say about this game is that it's best played with an open mind. Throw out your preconceptions of what you think a good open-world RPG is and just try it out. You might actually like it. But definitely pick it up on sale. I haven't played the Gothic games before, but from what I've heard they have that strange awkwardness and clunkiness that is also present in ELEX. It was hard to get used to at first. The dialogue between characters seemed contrived and forced. The melee combat was certainly no dark souls and is bound to piss a lot of players off. The plot wasn't exactly compelling or unique. After pushing through the first few hours, none of that really mattered to me though. ELEX has a beautiful, vast world that is a lot of fun to explore and actually rewards exploration. The areas seemed to all be varied and unique, and it suprised me that a small team was able to create a landscape and environment with very minimal repetition and a surprising amount of intricacy. This was one of my favorite features of the game. Once I accepted the fact that I wasn't playing one of the more modern RPGs that tries to outdo its predecessors in every way possible with a massive budget, I really started to enjoy ELEX. Give it a chance. You will either hate it and never play it again, or it will start to grow on you when you realize you can't play many other modern RPGs that are this strangely flawed. It kept me coming back to see the game fully completed, and although I will probably be moving onto another game now, I will probably replay it in the future and enjoy entering a different faction with another build. The replayability in this game isn't limitless, but it's at least worth a solid 1-2 playthroughs for the experience.
