[Review originally written in 2011 for X360 version] After dragging myself through the mediocre FEAR2 in 2009, my expectations were insanely low. I didn't expect it to be this bad. Let's get the positives out of the way first: tight controls & quite challenging difficulty. Phenomenal sound design; those with a 5.1 surround system or headset are in for a real treat. There, all done. Everything’s downhill from here. After shaking my head in distaste at the terrible presentation & starting up the single player, I was greeted with cringe-worthy voice-acting in a poor effort to gain the player's interest. The story’s a nonsensical mess. The levels get progressively more generic as one ends & the other begins. Carrying the same 2 guns throughout the entire game save for a few encounter-specific occasions where the game conveniently places a sniper rifle or rocket launcher to use against an enemy type that requires such treatment. There's nothing to hold one's interest other than some mildly entertaining mech shootouts (think of the same battles in FEAR2 minus the thrill). Completing the campaign as the silent & generic Point Man unlocks Fettel, who offers an admittedly more exciting experience as it does spice up the foul-tasting main course. Alas, this campaign counts as one of the most tedious, unsatisfying experiences I’ve ever encountered in my 30+ years of gaming. Abysmal story, piss-poor voice-acting, lackluster level design, failed attempts at horror & a cover mechanic ripped straight from Killzone 2. Every single thing about it reeks of sour milk & pus squeezed straight from a cancerous breast-like blob on life support. FEAR3 is what happens when some dollar-sniffing bloke in a suit says: “Let's not break a sweat. Put in some generic shooter stuff, prison & sewer levels at the start, focus on multiplayer because that's hot nowadays." This is shooter #596451 with a FEAR stamp on the front of the box. A proper and final insult to fans.
DreadOut is an insulting sleep-inducing waste of time. As other reviews have pointed out: you're better off watching a playthrough on Youtube instead of allowing yourself to get suckered in hoping to get a satisfying Fatal Frame-like experience out of it. Dreadful. Spend your catch elsewhere to scratch that horror itch.
First impressions were positive; set in a mansion with zombies, puzzle item hunts, locked door & strange keys, limited saves, weapon & ammo conservation. A mere few hours in though it becomes abundantly clear that Them and Us loses focus & momentum rapidly and manages to feel just all over the place in terms of thematics and gameplay. As one exits the mansion suddenly the game delves into the world of magic potions, portals leading to other dimensions, and more of that unscary fantasy nonsense... What makes classic survival horror great is the ability to deliver on consistency. Them and Us incorporates elements from yesteryear's inspirations, but fails to capitalize on them. Instead of being a Greatest Hits type of thing, it's more of a collection of sub-par B-Sides and demos, if you catch my drift. Even if I can tell a lot of effort was put into it, Them and Us is just a mess. For a modern survival horror title that remains focused until the very end, get Tormented Souls here on GOG instead.
This is arguably what the real DOOM³ should've been. Gameplay, level-design, atmosphere, secrets... All top-notch. In particular, the soundtrack (available on Bandcamp) by Aubrey Hodges deserves the highest praise as it just nails the game's ethereal horror atmosphere. Do not hesitate, DOOM 64 is stellar. It is, in my book, the definitive 90s old-school DOOM experience.
HROT, at least in its current dual episode form, is a dark gloomy retro shooter that ticks every box of gloriously satisfying gaming goodness. Enemy & level design, atmosphere, soundtrack (FLAC release in the future, please!), etc. Plus it has its own unique sense of humour. I keep coming back for more. This game is spectacular, a modern retro-themed classic. Thoroughly excited about Episode 3 and the final release. Four stars as it's still in development.
