Overall, I had a good time with it. But there's a significant amount of problems I had with Alan Wake. Firstly, the controls: I'm not the only one to point this out, but unlike others I did in fact learn to compensate - but making terrible controls as a "feature" is not a smart design decision. It's uncomfortable and jarring stuff like that that makes people give up on a product and never give it a chance to show them the good parts. Secondly, the camera: Yep. It's terrible. Just like many other reviewers have stated, the camera is an active impediment to enjoying the game. I get that you're not supposed to feel comfortable in a survival horror game - but Alan Wake ISN'T survival horror. It's an action game with gimmicks and a creepy atmosphere. Thirdly, the repetitive combat: Yes, I agree with many of the reviewers here - the Taken are more annoying than frightening. I'm betting that the game was better when it first came out as episodic content, rather than having to slog through it all at once. Fourthly, the checkpoint save system: I really, truly despise checkpoint save systems. They're lazy, and they're not fun at all. There were several points in the game where I would have loved to have a quick save slot so I didn't have to redo two or three minutes every time I messed up (the moving vehicle boss monster sections come to mind). Another point was when I was on stage, I'd beaten the Taken, and had quit out so I could get some things around the house done - but when I booted Alan Wake back up, I'd discovered it hadn't save immediately after the victory, so I was forced to do part of that fight again. Fifthly, Alan himself is... not interesting. I liked Barry and Pat Maine a great deal more, and the Thomas Zane story sounded almost more interesting than Alan's. The manuscript pages were sometimes horrible to read, real hackneyed, cliche stuff. The game earns an extra star for introducing me to Poets of the Fall (which I somehow missed when I played Max Payne 2).
As someone who isn't a Myst fan, the "FPS" version better suited my preferred way of controlling a game. The puzzles were generally fun and not too difficult. Though I caution that the rocket ship puzzle really, really needs to have the mouse speed turned down in order to make it doable, and the monorail puzzle is... well, I think it may be best to use a walkthrough. There's also a puzzle later in the game with valves that can be a bit frustrating. However, nitpicks aside, the story is compelling and interesting, and the freedom wander around in 3D and just look at things, appreciating them for what they are is very satisfying.
That said, it's not terrible. It has fun moments, some of the weapons are really ingenious and fun to use. Most of the levels are well designed, it's just that you can tell they were basically ported from the Quake 1 engine, and they suffer for it. The absolutely most irritating thing about the game is the babysitting of the stupid companions - and make no mistake, you'll be doing it all the way through the game. Daikatana might have merited three stars had it not been for the companions. Four if the plot had been in any way interesting (the time bending nature of the Daikatana was a neat way to tie in levels that had no logical relation to one another, but that's it). I recommend giving it a go, and seeing the parts that were good, contemplating what might have been, and then forgetting about it like the rest of the world has.
Baldur's Gate 2 is a good CRPG, I grant you that. Is it the genre defining RPG? According to a good deal of people, yes. But not me. It approaches greatness, but never quite steps over the line. It's a big world, with lots to explore, plenty of side quests, lots of loot to kit your characters with, and decent options. I'd give it a .5 boost if I could just for the option to kill Harpers (I absolutely hate their arrogant pretentiousness). Some of the characters are quite likeable, like Yoshimo. Most of them, especially the ones from BG1, were not (excluding Minsc, of course). Somewhere along the way though, there's a feeling that something is wrong with BG2. And I know what it is. Irenicus is a pathetic and uninteresting villain. When I beat the game, he was a pushover to boot. BG2 suffers from some of the same problems as BG1, but the worst ones it has managed to shed. It's worth a look, if you can stand the AD&D rules (I love them, personally).
Good: It can be enjoyable. Some of the characters are likeable. The plot isn't entirely cliche. Makes a decent prologue to BG2 when used in the BG Trilogy mod. Bag: Most of the characters are unlikeable. The plot has humungous holes (***SPOILERS***Where did the dopplegangers come from, and why were they working for Sarevok? Why did Sarevok reveal his plan in his diary?***END SPOILERS***). Graphics and animations are ugly, and were even back then. Interface is hideous. The difficulty is unfair, requiring knowledge of the rules, and the wisdom to run from encounters. Port of AD&D rules that BioWare should be ashamed of. Should you spend money on it? It depends. Do you worship the ground BioWare walks on? If yes, then you should definitely play BG. Do you like the AD&D rules set, love the Forgotten Realms world, and aren't daunted by unfair challenges? Then yes. Are you planning on playing this along with BG2 as part of the BG Trilogy mod? Then also yes. Otherwise, you can probably pass on it. CRPG enthusiasts can skip it and play BG2, which is superior in almost every way aside from the BioWare cliches that always crop up in their games (for better or worse). Those of you who don't care for the AD&D rules, can't tolerate the older graphics, and are horrified by the thought of having to run away from experience point generating monsters should probably play Dragon Age: Origins.
Alien Shooter 2 is a fun, but almost criminally short timewaster. It has a variety of weapons to use, and a variety of statistics to upgrade. Driving sections let you squish aliens under tires. It's bloody, it's simple, and it doesn't disappoint.
Waking Mars is a gem. A game more concerned about telling a compelling story through an ingenious gameplay mechanic than with flashy graphics and the latest facial capture software is breath of fresh air. Waking Mars focuses on raising Biomass in each level, and there's a minimum amount to bypass the level (as well as a maximum Biomass). There are different endings, and Biomass and certain specific actions undertaken by the player are necessary for the "better" endings. It's a great story, and it shows that human interaction with aliens doesn't have to be at the end of a plasma rifle in the 40 watt range.
I enjoy the Far Cry series. They're challenging FPSs that don't hold you hand, and they usually have a nice big world to explore. Far Cry 2 has a wonderful sandbox feel to it, and the graphics are fantastic, even now. The weapon degradation adds another layer of complexity and difficulty, the conflict diamond-based economy is like a punch in the gut about the severity and monstrosity of the situation presented in the game, and the driving is fun and immersive. However, the plot is disjointed, and I can't help but feel like Far Cry 2 should have had more RPG elements (but specifically, a dialogue tree). The nonlinearity of the plot is either a great idea, or a bad one depending on how you feel about it, and while I like it, I'm not sure the execution lives up to expectations. My main issue with the game is the respawn times of the enemies. It's like as soon as you get out of line of sight, they're back, and it makes getting around a pain in the neck. The gameplay seriously drags because of it. Worse, the length of the game makes it unwelcome after a while. Wait, it's a long game you say? Why is this a bad thing? Well, to be frank, I sank about 30-40 hours into the thing, and I feel that a proper FPS should be somewhere in the 10-20 hour range lest it one become overcome by the feeling that it is a never ending slog - which is how Far Cry 2 feels after the 15 hour mark.
Escape from Butcher Bay is one of the best FPS games ever made, hands down. Fun combat, good stealth sections, wonderful atmosphere, and you play as Riddick. Certainly, that last could be a negative if you don't care for Vin Diesel and his movies - but the Riddick movies are a guilty pleasure of mine. The re-release here is pure pleasure, and the updated graphics and unchanged gameplay is pure awesome. And then... then there's Dark Athena. It's a short expansion that adds nothing to Butcher Bay, and doesn't really do much to set up anything interesting in the larger Riddick universe. Mercs capture Riddick. Riddick must kill them all to escape. It's not bad per se, but it's sort of a waste of time. The atmosphere that BB had, and the well written antagonists aren't present. It feels like a generic FPS dressed up in a Riddick costume. It just feels shallow and disappointing, and it's enough of a letdown to drop my rating by one star. Had this simply been the original game redone, it would get five stars. If it still had that terrible DRM (and thank you GOG for removing it!) I'd drop it to three. If you're an FPS fan, you owe it to yourself to experience the incredible Butcher Bay.
I'm kind of embarrassed I didn't review this sooner, seeing as how I bought and played a handful of levels of it back in 2011... but I I'm going to just come right out and say it: I was immediately repulsed by the art design, the lack of volume control on the music (which itself wasn't pleasant, but I was willing to put up with for the sake of getting into the right "mindset" for the game), the large and mostly empty levels, the horrid and repetitive enemies, and the mind numbing amount of searching it takes to find anything in the game. That wandering search for keys kills any sort of pacing the game has. One of the reasons Blood, Duke 3D, and Heretic are so damnably fun is that they're fast paced, and it doesn't take a whole lot of wandering the levels to find keycards, keys or runes. They know better than to overstay their welcome. Redneck Rampage overstays its welcome in every single level, and my recollection of it is boring travel with a yellowish landscape interspersed with fighting exceptionally ugly sprites. All the while being assaulted with awful music so loud that it drowns out what little dialogue there is (you CAN turn it off however, but then... you're wandering in silence, which makes it even more boring). I can't recall much about the weapons, but that in itself isn't necessarily a bad thing. They most likely function as intended, but they didn't leave a lasting impression on me one way or another. One day, I may give Redneck Rampage another go, and see if my opinion changes, but I feel a lot like I wasted my money and my time with it, and absolutely nothing in the game managed to mitigate my antipathy toward it. I'm probably being too hard on Redneck Rampage. It likely never intended to be anything more than a mindless shooter, and for many, it undoubtedly fulfills that niche well. My problem is that I bought the game after seeing so many 5 star reviews and fond memories others related - but RR didn't live up to the expectations they created.
