I got this game for 3,99 with low expectations and boy, I had a blast. Game is set in the 80´s and you can choose between russian or usa agent. In short you will be running your spionage team trying to locate enemy cells and critical info to progress Getting documents and connecting critical info (usually coded names) to unveil enemy spies identities or cities is an important part of the game (can be skipped) As you develop your base you will need more agents for printing money, crafting items, training to get better, work on panels and way more In missions you start undetected take down your enemies quetly or remain unsee. Of course you can be detected by enemies or civilians. You can also go in rambo style but is not recommended because your people will get injured and need time to recover their hp...or just die. Most missions can be completed undetected and in this game, being stealthy does feel truly rewarding. Huge variety of weapons, plenty of skills to choose to develop each character and a surprising wide quantity of portraits for agents. Some things that happened to me: one of my agents left me and eventually she joined the enemy. In was able to track her down and "dispose" of her. I discovered some moles between my spies...before missions so I brainwashed the guys. Brainwashing shines in this game as you discover new techs and pay fot the "treatments". I knocked unconscious many enemy spies, extract them (carrying them to the evac vehicle) and instead of "disposing" of them after interrogation, I started to brainwash them. You can get them to join you, use a control phrase to take control of that agent in future missions (you need to release him/herafter the "treatment"), turn him/her into a kamikaze to blow up an enemy cell, and many more. In short, for discounted price this game a treat for tactical turn based lovers who also enjoy stealth games.
Baldurs gate 1 has here its spiritual succesor. Music, combat, characters and plot are all 8.5-9 of ten for me. More choices and skills when levelling up would make this game even better.
Game is fun, characters are interesting and the setting the (very well depicted) rather unique Warhammer 40000 world. Standard difficulty feels that way. Forget about the truly hard encounters you could suffer in Pathfinder WOTR´s standard difficulty. Daring difficulty feels a step up. So, my point is: difficulty is better calibrated than in previous installments. Exploring in this game is fun,like it was for me in Pathfinder Kingmaker, and there is no time limit like there was in Kingmaker. Tactical combat is deep and levelling up is almost a chore since you will level up oftenly and you will have to decide what perks you choose for your party members. Some people see this as a chore, I see it differently: no two games will ever be be the same. If you dont like your party members you can use custom recruits and even ditch the former. Game has flaws and its far from perfect, but it delivers a ton of fun. I had waited for years for Eiyuden Chronicle (Suikoden spiritual succesor) to be released and here I am with 200 hours into Rogue Trader.
...Not for everyone. Some would rate it poorly. Getting to the point, worst parts: -Graphics are not the strong suit. -Crashes sometimes. -Its a rinse and repeat game. Good parts -Tactical rpg combat, not complicated/hard (like Dungeon Rats or Age of Decadence) but not simplistic (like Suikoden I and II) -Zombie survival apocalyptic setting. -You have to manage your shelter, build upgrades, dealing with survivors, recruiting people (or not). -You have to scavenge everyday, collect all kind of food, fuel and supplies to keep your people not unhappy. It can be hard...and fun. Surprises guaranteed. Wont spoil them. I will just say that one of my playthroughs ended abruptly when one of my fellow survivors shot my character dead because of shelter -very- low morale. After 30 ingame days some would get mad at it, but I could not do other than laugh, clap my hands and start a new game. You know enough, if interested, pick it up on sale.
Be warned. It is hard to grasp the mechanics of this game. I came here straightforward from Conquistador and the first days I was really close to uninstall this game and start over a new game in Conquistador. And boy, I am glad I didnt do it. Shield factor is important and changes completely the way to aproach battles. Archers factor, they are lethal. You will have to learn how to deal with that (demoralize, mostly) Setting camp, asigning chores to your hird is not a copy of Conquistador. Is more complex and will make you think things twice. Very good story. Amazing music. This time, unlike Conquistador, your main character has a real presence in battle. You create him/her from scratch assigning points to stats (similar to other rpgs) and choosing a few abilities. As you progress you will be able to choose more abilities (there is a huge lot of abilities). Your main character will play a major role in all your fights, be warned. I disagree with people claiming this game is easy. I played in Ragnar Lothbrook difficulty (not even the most difficult)and get my ass kicked too oftenly. Even when you are really strong and well equipped some random encounters can be an insane challenge (I am looking at you, wolves in England...what where devs thinking?) So...easy? My halls. The game provides a few characters which are totally fine. If you dont like them, you can ditch them later. And you can even create almost every member of your hird (very early in game)if you feel like it. Total freedom. I came here expecting Conquistadores 2 and I found Wasteland 2 in viking era and I am so happy about that.
I was new to the expeditions saga when I tried this game. I got confused and didnt get the hang of it, so I quit playing. Almost a year later i gave it another shot and this time I got totally into the game. -Combat system is entertaining, that being said, once you really get how the game works it wont be truly challenging but for some combats where your starting position will intentionally be bad. -Class system and abilities and very clear in this game. You cant make your characters jack of all trades in this game. A class will do its thing but wont be able to do what other classes can do. -As others said, charm, lots of charm. Tons of charm. -As others said the game is divided in two parts, being the first one smaller and meant to work as an erxtended tutorial. You can skip this part selecting "mexican campaign" in the menu and starting in the "new world" right away. -You can choose to be a warmongering conqueror or just help the tribes opresed by aztecs (not to forget they sacrificied human people). Or perhaps join forces with the Aztecs? Then betray them? Maybe you will feel like sacrificing one of your crew in some misterious cave.All that, you can do. -Biggest flaws for me are: 1)your character wont take part in battles and is there (mostly)to provide stat points which will be considered to resolve quests one way or other (outside battles, your character can, however, treat injured party members) 2) Every class member is absolutely equal to the other in combat. Only difference is traits ("personality" traits) which will make your party members react to your actions consequently. Simply put: addictive tactical rpg (once you learn the mechanics) and tons of charm. In a sale, go for it.
I bought this game in Steam due to massive great critics you can find here, there and everywhere where users can rate a game. I did not find a single thing to keep me interested: the map is huge but it is empty, dialogues in tows are almost nonexistent, the way to level up is repeating the action (you get running points for running) which might be cool (Skyrim) but it is not, you are thrown into a vast empty world (as said) where savege animals, cannibals or thieves will hunt you down. In theory you will get stronger overtime and enjoy the game as many claim. And it may be true... ...but just in case, dont get fooled by the positive reviews (amazing how great the game gets rated on Steam but the discussion forum is dead long ago) and look for gameplay on youtube and less pasionate opions. This game stands as the only game I returned on Steam. Did I play too little time? Perhaps, but NOTHING kept me interested to endure. I have played in the last 2-3 years (for the first time, no nostalgia) games like Mount and Blade, Jagged Alliance 2, Fallout2, Arcanum, Vae Victis, Age of Decadence, Dungeon Rats), Hard west, Shadowrun. Dead State Reanimated, Siege of Dragonspear, etc... and loved most of them or at leat enjoyed them. Sometimes I fpund controllers or gameplay confusing but there was something that kept me coming back, maybe music, perhaps story, sometimes characters or the setting. Nothing made back to Kenshi, but perhaps it is the best game ever as many reviewers claim, just be careful.
If you are into the classic period and strategy games, this game is mandatory. It seems the game was bad at first, but not anymore. It runs smoothly and is almost perfect. What fails is the lack of information about how to do things. There is a tutorial but themany parameters this game uses will cause a confusing first playthough. How do I raise my levies? How do I increase my levies? Should I annex Veneto or turn them into a tributary? Or tribal vassal? Feudatory?Whats that! Whats up with expansive agression? And tyranny!And...stabiliuty? So, yeah, players looking for want inmediate experience will quit. If you stay, you will discover the best game about Rome so far. Let me tell you some awesome things I´ve experienced in my many hours of Imperator. -Etrurians allied with Cartaghe at the first stages of the game. -Cartaghe reduced to almost nothing by Egypt. -Cartaghe taking over Spain making your mid game very complicated -I made Archimedes roman emperor -Civil wars when becoming an empire (as rome) are almost unavoidable. They have gone in all ways: easy win, hard win, close defeat and my favourite: Thrace declaring me war while fighting a hard civil war in ironman mode (no saves, my friend) -Every game evolves in a different way for most nations, sometimes Boi (for example) will be powerhouse, sometimes a small nation, sometimes will be absorbed by one of many belicose neighbours. -That consul with high martial skill gets mentagra (small sickness which drains health slowly)and whe he/you seeks treatnent, it backfires and he gets brain damaged. -When I got to rectuit a foreign character with Argead blood he got castrated after another "sucessful" illness treatment. ...that is just playing as Rome. Playing like a greek nation, egypt or hibernia is completely different thing. There is so many things you can do in this game, so many. If its on a sale, get it. I bought it for 10 euros and ended up purchasing all expansion packs. Best game purchase ever!
This games excels at creating a west-sci fi atmosphere. Its a world which reminds me a bit of the first dark tower book by Stephen King: it is west dark creepy world where evil creatures roam out there. This game also is very good when it comes to voice acting and art design. There is more life in many of those portraits (pretty or ugly)than at others game plot. The tactical game is a bit tricky at first but its really easy to master and if you use properly the skill sistem (mostly cards you equip your charcters with. Also perks, the game can be brutal with injuries penalty, but thats easy to avoid just selecting an option to get enhanced perks when the wound is healed). It could be better but is enough for me, and if you get the game on a sale, its perfectly fine. The game is divided in campaigns being some of them better than others. Its a guilty pleasure to play a campaign with a guy and then playing the next casmpaign to chase and ultimately murder that guy you were playing previously. The cons are clear for me: I would ha liked more depth in the tactical combat and longer campaigns, which can not be too long because there is a point in all of them when you get really powerful (by getting more and better cards and getting access to better weapons) Still, I rate 5 stars because of the unique atmosphere, nice music, great voice acting. If you can buy it cheap, its worth trying for tactical combat lovers.
