What this is: A choose your own novel in 3D environment, some simplified puzzles (move the box over, stand on it to reach item), high school drama, simplistic butterfly effect time travel story. Liked: * banger soundtrack * good looking visuals, it has a timeless cartoon feel * Kate's bullies subplot (first half of the game) is actually interesting * very nice voice acting, especially Chloe (Ashly Burch) * I find it a brave design decision to expect _all_ players liking a certain character * some of the characters are well-written, up to chapter 4 Didn't like: * final decision retroactively makes earlier decisions irrelevant * time travel effects are mostly used for shock value, and are never explained. I found the euthanasia scene especially distasteful * the game works with emotions, and expects the player to like Chloe to a certain extent. If this is not the case (which happened with me), emotional impact is nearly non-existent * which is a problem, since Chloe is not easy to like. Very selfish, reckless, irresponsible. * the protagonist is quite annoying. Judgemental internal monologue, quick to accuse others without thinking * writing quality takes a deep dive later in the game, especially in chapter 5 Recommended? Maybe. I would actually recommend it to younger players (under 23) who are closer in age to high school drama. If you are looking for interesting environmental interaction, player agency or fun puzzles, you will not find them here.
I think originally this was supposed to be a "good girl gone bad" story, but some bits were added on top so the game can be sold as a more general game. Liked: * Jennifer is, on some paths at least, a likeable character * female character models are fine (not super unbeliveable) That's it? yeah, that's it. Didn't like: * writing ranges from very low quality to nonsensical. Jennifer is as gullible as a six year old, in other scenes she is cheating or suckerpunching men twice her size without any character developement happening in between. * almost all love interests in the game are horrible, with blackmail, forcing the PC into situations with only bad choices (that's why I think this was supposed to be a corruption game originally). There is one (1) love interest who is friendly at least, but even she is a student of the PC. * if you try to go for the few reasonable options (there is one or two), the game will be super short, because there is not a whole lot of content for them * I also feel that the game is still missing parts which were originally planned. In the first chapter a female stalker is introduced, later an exhibitionist lady also appears. Neither of these plot threads go anywhere. Recommended? In general, no. In my opinion a visual novel requires strong character writing, and this doesn't even have traces of it. If you are specifically looking for a corruption story, where the protagonist is blackmailed into doing things? Well, maybe, at a big discount, but consider the short playtime before buying.
Far Cry-style open world FPS, a buddy movie plot, inventory management intensive looter-shooter mechanics, some nice scripted quests with good quality NPCs. Total playtime was net 57 hours. LIKED * no bigger bugs (with 1.5) * the writing, especially main NPCs, is very good, CDPR has the best crew in the industry currently * voiceover is superb * quests are enjoyable to play * weapons are fun to use, there is a meaningful difference between guns, melee and hacking * clothing, car and weapon designs are very good * the city looks very good in general * even shorter side quests support sneaky and combat approaches (no dialog solutions though) * NPCs act very lively, this is truly step up from anything I have ever seen (small things like smoking or handshake) DIDN'T LIKE * the main story is shockingly short and linear (10-15 hours) * the game has very few dialog scenes. Actual conversations are limited to quests, you cannot even ask questions to the fixers when doing gigs * the player agency is minimal. There are not many meaningful, important choices in the game (less than ten!). This is a great letdown from CDPR! * looter-shooter mechanics (level scaled enemies and level scaled loot) add inventory management tedium, and ruins sense of progression * there are not many developed NPCs with enough screen time (4-5?) * the recognizable locations in the city are done well, but between them there is a grey goo generic city, where it is easy to get lost. A quest hub design would have worked better than open world * the enemy variety is lacking, there are only six types (melee, hacker, shooter, robot, drone). It is possible to offer better enemy variety with human only opposition (ie. Wolfenstein TNO) In general I had a good time with this game, but the lack of player agency, few meaningful decisions and few conversations with NPCs is a very bad surprise from CDPR, especially considering that these were their forte until now.
I enjoyed this game very much. But I would only recommend it to players who mostly enjoy quests, atmosphere and dialog, not interesting combat or up-to-date visuals. Some tolerance for backtracking is needed. The BAD * visuals. The game is from 2007. Even though it aged more gracefully than it's direct competition (KotOR2, Oblivion, Jade Empire), it is fifteen y/o. Take it or leave it. * backtracking. The game doesn't have fast travel, and some quests require back and forth. UNDECIDED * the combat is RPG combat, not ARPG. It offers choices: apply oil/potion, choose steel or silver sword, choose strong or fast style. If you choose well, you win, that easy. It doesn't require reflexes or much player input like W2 or W3. Tolerable. * intimacy cards. (you can say no to the women tho) GOOD * Vizima and surroundings is a nice city. Probably top 3 still. Packed with content, lively, cool NPC schedules, atmospheric filters/color palettes. Still holds up today, and compared to the direct competions (ie. New Vegas or Denerim from 2010) it is on a different level. * the plot is very good, and well paced. I especially liked that the big reveal is not spelled out by an NPC, and that it is not save the world. * quest design is brilliant. This is true in general, but I would like to highlight that the Vizima confidential quest is probably the biggest quest in the trilogy, and is truly masterful. * I really liked the shades of grey NPCs in the game. I consider them even better than Witcher 3! Foltest, Jacques, Sigfried or Abigail are interesting and not cartoon villains. * the game rewards talking with NPCs. Old women add bestiary entries (so you can extract body parts from monsters), herb lore (so you can harvest). Bringing presents to NPCs or having a drink with them gets you other rewards. * the alchemy system used is my personal favorite from the trilogy. Potions last long, but your available inventory slots act as a nice cap for most of the game.
Very good FPS, somehow manages to mix the best parts of old and new games. It is not a corridor shooter with time-wasting cinematics which are popular today, but has a more captivating story and a unique atmosphere which was rare back then. GOOD * graphics aged well (partly due to _not_ having much cinematics) * the levels are nice to explore, not a corridor/rail shooter * unique atmosphere, with very nice props (commercials, music, posters) * nice voice acting (Atlas, Tenenbaum) * spooky at places, mainly in the first few hours * the combinations of force powers and weapons are interesting BAD * late game mook enemies are bullet sponges * changing between weapon and force powers (plasmids) could be better * character developement is clunkier than the System Shock games * enemies are introduced skillfully, but very soon dealing with them becomes routine. The horror aspect disappears soon. Folks who don't like horror game can try it out because of this. * the very first combo you get (electricity+wrench) is effective for the big majority of the game. Perhaps too effective. TIP When playing the regular version, not the re-master, add " -dx9" to the shortcut target field. This will fix the strange screen (otherwise the bottom 1/4 of the screen is cut) At the time of writing the game is €19.99 at full price. Even though I bought it at the winter sale, I honestly think this worth full price. Solid 10-12 hours of fun.
In short this is a nice New Vegas style CRPG with Firefly atmosphere. Is it as good as New Vegas? Let's see: LIKED * exploration! Very often you start hiking with the aim of finishing a quest, but.. what's over there? Let's take a detour! * quests usually have multiple solutions (violence, stealth-hacking-lockpick, dialog) * the game looks good (except for the faces). Congrats for the armor, weapons and environment * I like combat in this game, much better than New Vegas or Fallout 3 * there are no badly written companions, and I actually liked two of them, which is rare * voiceover is brilliant. Probably the best VO since Bloodlines * you can save everywhere. Good job! DIDN'T LIKE * cities are lifeless: constantly repeated banter; few, mostly idle NPCs; many permanently closed doors * I like the feel of the combat, but the game is too easy * in the last third of the game there are a few annoying fetch quests UNDECIDED * writing quality is not consistent. Mostly better than average, with a few high points * most big quests have an "everyone is happy" ending, which goes against the mood * enemies are level scaled * this is a joke setting. If someone wants mature themes or a realistic representation of "capitalism bad, mkay", look elsewere. By the end of the game it became clear that this is not an AAA game. What it has is good quality, but it misses that final touch. I mean the faction armors look great, but you will start to notice that there are not many non-faction armors. (a Firefly game without a duster?) Marauders look the same in every planet, keep loot in the same containers, live in the same containers. You will hear the same banter over and over from commoners and your crew. There are planets which show up in your navcomp, but you cannot visit them in game. Stuff like that. Alltogether I like this game very much. Worth 60€? Probably not, considering Witcher3 is €30, New Vegas is €20, Deus Ex is €20. Wait for a discount, for ~20 this is a steal.
A nice FPS with memorable environments, nice atmosphere which is let down by mediocre and repeatative action sequences. THE GOOD * good looking, graphics aged very well * very well optimized * no bugs at all * brilliant work on sounds and music * Columbia is a very memorable setting. Early 1900's + sky cities are rarely (if ever) used in western gaming * story is ambitious _for a video game_, and it is well told * Elizabeth is very well implemented. The only game I know where a sidekick NPC is actually useful and fun to have around THE BAD * big open spaces + AI which hits you with a pistol from 300m. Players will spend lots of time pixel hunting for the enemy. * only two weapons at a time + low ammo reserves... I mostly used what the enemies drop, and the game is doable this way. But using my favorites would have been more fun. * the opposition is very repeatative, players fight the same enemy types over and over * the usual plot holes common in these types of stories are there. * not much replay value. This is a story-game, which is known after one playthrough. Gunplay is not interesting enough to make a second run appealing * very lazy save system, no manual saving allowed. Shame. I would recommend this to players who don't mind long intros and non-interactive sequences in FPS games. The story is probably more memorable for those who didn't read much sci-fi. It is not bad at all, bad personally I find it a bit overrated. Does it wroth €55? For an eight year old game? Hell, no! But for €10-15 it is a good buy.
Liked * level design is better, the environment is more believeable. Less "arena-like" * combat is still fun * stealth is not too much. The right amount between action scenes. This game is really close to my favorite (Escape from Butcher's Bay) * less boring cinematics and minimal-interaction scenes! * game is stable, no bugs or glitches encountered * no lockpick/hotwire minigame! Yay! Didn't like * bossfights are predictable and boring (there are only two) * support cast is a step back from TNO (Fergus/Wyatt is more interesting than Wesley, J/Tekla is more interesting than Kessler, Deathshead/Engel is more interesting than Helga/Rudi Jaeger) * even shorter than TNO, about 7-8 hours only In general I liked it better than The New Order. Less cinamtics->more actual play, no lockpick/hotwire, no "press E to take her hand" scenes. In general I had a good time, and feel that this is an improvement over TNO in every way.
Not really FPS, not really stealth game, not really RPG, but a mix of all three. The game is the only one I know which does Die Hard 1-2 style very well. Combat is too deadly to go into a fair fight, so you spend lots of time in air vents, sewers, hiding behind tables and trying to be sneaky. But ultimately hell brakes loose, and then it's time to separate the enemies, pick them off one by one, make those revolver shots count. (at least, until mid game. By that time you can build yourself an FPS hero) GOOD * very well written NPCs. Outstanding job! * voice acting is great * support for lethal, non-lethal, stealth play * looks good (except for that gold tint everywhere) * level design is brilliant (multiple approaches, different kinds of roadblocks, etc.) * initial setup is unique (security manager of a mid-sized company, not merc or gun-toting gangster) * some of your choices matter in the game * great style, art BAD * the hacking minigame is used much too frequently (you can skip the big majority of it, but _not_ all) * the boss fights seem tacked on/out of place * music is unimaginative * restart test patience (first person intro cinematic+ mandatory tutorial area+ walk in the offices. Minimum 30 minutes before the game begins) UNDECIDED * story is workmanlike. Gets the job done, but not spectacular * main plot is a railroad (following leads mostly), sidequests help * character advancement is great for the most part, but there are some useless picks * the bonus XP for melee takedowns ruins the XP progression (but this can be avoided with some self discipline) * there are no melee weapons for some reason, only brawling takedowns This was a good buy, I heartily recommend it. But be sure to make a master save when the first real mission starts to skip the intro on replays.
PROs * looks good * combat difficulty seems to be well-tested. Not undoable, but provides a challenge * levels are well designed, and varied (border crossing, force labor camp, moonbase, etc.) * combat is fun in general. Well done! * entertaining support cast (Fergus, Max, Klaus) * antagonists are built up well, they are actually scary and unsettling * original atmosphere and tone (ww2 won by germans) CONs * lot's of cutscenes and "press E to advance", low interactivity scenes. This is not good for replays, and sometimes it gets in the way of the fun * Blazkowitz is boring compared to the support cast * levels are very linear. You have to visit sections in a given order. If you try to be creative, you will have to backtrack to areas you already visited. * the game has first person Super Mario jumping/sliding parts, which are not easy with a keyboard (shift+alt+S to slide) * not enough feedback provided for stealth * optimization if very good, no hangups, no freezes (tested on hotfix version from the "two pack") * no bugs found (some clipping with guns dropped by enemies) UNDECIDED * there is a lockpick/hotwire minigame. Luckily you can ignore these (shortcuts/goodie areas) * weapons and armor is removed between chapters, even when it doesn't make sense * game length is 8-12 hours. I find it a bit short, especially compared to the size, but it depends on the buyer. Overall a nice retro shooter with a bit too many cinematics for my taste. Recommended, but I advise waiting for a discount!
