This review is based on my first four hours with the game, so my opinion may change later. Technical Performance: The developers did a solid job using Unreal Engine. It’s not flawless, but it performs better than most games out there. The game runs smoothly, and my PC doesn’t sound like a jet engine. The only issue I’ve noticed so far is a strange graphical glitch during cutscenes, it looks like V-Sync isn’t working properly on single objects in zhe Scene. Outside of that, gameplay is clean and stable without Issues. Atmosphere and Setting: I really enjoy the japanese setting. The village, environments, and character designs are beautifully crafted and create a strong, immersive atmosphere. The sound design and music are excellent so far. Hearing enemies from a distance or as they approach is intense and thrilling. The japanese voice actors are outstanding. Combat System: You have a fast attack and a heavy one. The heavy attack can paralyze enemies for a few moments, making them more vulnerable, so you can follow up with quick strikes. There is also a dodge button and a counter mechanic. Countering isn’t too difficult, you can lock onto enemies, which widens the timing window for blocking (but also drains your mental stability). So far, the enemies I have encountered were stunned afterwards, similar to using the heavy attack on R2. Weapon Durability and Tension: Weapons can break, but you can repair them. It hasn’t been a major issue yet and i have three pipes atm., but I suspect it encourages avoiding unnecessary fights later on. That said, it’s genuinely thrilling to be trapped in a tight space and forced to flee from an enemy. The game does a great job of making you feel vulnerable. Power-Ups and Shrines: You can find power ups in form of trinkets or buy them from shrines, which also serve as save points. One example is a power up that reduces enemy vision and another one giving you more health, helping you sneak through tough situations or just survive them. To buy them, you trade items for “Praying Points”, the game’s currency. Some items exist just for this purpose, while others are healing items, so you’ll need to think carefully before selling. Puzzles and Exploration: The puzzles I have encountered so far had a good balance, not too easy, not too hard (on the hard difficulty). They aren’t spoon fed and the character doesn’t talk to herself to give hints. No radio guy either. Nothing on the map has been marked that I wouldn’t have checked myself, which keeps exploration rewarding. Story and Themes: I haven’t seen much of the story yet, but the intro hints at themes of parental abuse. A small note involving foxes, the present shrines and something else i will not spoiler, also suggests something more that will go in in that regard. It’s still relatively early, but the tone is promising. Price and Value: Yes, the game costs €80, which is steep, but so far I’m satisfied with what I’ve gotten. (They’re lucky I’m doing my spooky month.) I ’m genuinely glad Konami delivered a proper single-player experience without microtransactions or shady practices. That they gone back into that is kinda incredible, after they went full in with Pachinko and NFTs. I’ll update this review after a full playthrough
The Game is really really creative and beautiful, from a technical Standpoint it is also one of the good running Unreal Engine Games, but it still has some Issues here and there in the Cutscenes, i recommend not using the upsaling Options. The biggest Flaw i just can get over are the "real Time Mechanics" in the Battle, you have to avoid Damage by Blocking, Jumping or Dodging. The Damage Output is too high from Enemies, if you don't. It is just so annoying that they implemented this Mechanic. An Option for a real turn based Battle System would have been great. So if you don't like such quick Time Events, avoid this Game.
This and Sim City 2000 are my absolute favourites. The Region Mechanic and that you can specialize Cities is a very clever Feature and i wish SC2000 had the same. I rebought it here, as it is one of my most played Games on Steam and it is definitely a Title i will hold on forever. The Graphics are still nice enough and the Game is deep enough to make Micro Decisions, but not too much that it will overwhelm you. The only bad Point is, that it is very US centric, everything is blocky, it would benefit from more roundiness, as you can find it in more natural evolved european Cities. It also has a Feature to import your Sims and follow them
I played 3 hours so far and it is way better than i thougt. Yeah, you often don't see at first from where an enemy is shooting you, but this is part of the Viernam War scenery and pretty well done. The enemies are hiding in the gras, behin trees and even play dead man to ambush you. The sound design is very well done for such a game, explotions, shootings, people shouting stuff. Also in the visual department it does a well job for the engine. You see airplanes going around throwing napalm, jets shooting rockets and the small assets, as helicopters and tanks, are nicely done (for the engine). The best approach is to proceed slowly and with caution, but keep an eye of the enviroument and when you hear an airplane on a field, run, as napalam is not far. You can get some NPCs that follow you and can heal you. Play it with Eduke and you will have a really nice experience. I can see that over 30 Levels can become a bit repetive over time. But overall, i have to give the game five Stars, it does a nice job depicting the vietnam war and its themes.
This is a very well done Addion for Neverwinter Nights and worth the Money. The Campaign is made very lovely with a lot of Quality in Details, be it Connections to older D&D Games, the Map Layout, or the awsome new Music. I am glad and grateful this has been done. You could see this as a Neverwinter Nights X Icewind Dale in a very good Sense. I can really recommend it!
Die Mortal Kombat Titel sind eine sehr hoch gehaltene Serie, die damals einen unglaublichen medialen Hype hatte, seien es die Pogs, Filme, Soundtrack CD oder speziell in den USA die Diskussion um Gewalt in Videospielen. Was mir persönlich am meisten gefällt an der Serie, der Stil, Sound und die Atmosphäre. Der tribale Sound des ersten Teils ist grandios, die Kämpfer sehen echt cool aus und die digitalisierten Protagonisten sind bis heute sehr nett anzusehen (haben damals ebenfalls einen Trend gesetzt). Fokusiert man sich nun aber auf das Spiel selbst, so ist die Luft eigentlich sehr schnell raus. Die Spezialmanöver gehen nicht wirklich toll von der Hand und Kombos scheinen recht unausgeglichen zu sein, entweder es klappt garnicht oder man hat seinen Gegner chancelos in einer Kette aus der man nicht mehr rauskommt und unglaublich Schaden anrichtet. Zum Üben gibt es eigentlich keine Methode, denn die Schwierigkeitsgrade könnten auch glatt nicht existieren. Speziell im zweiten Teil liest der PC die Eingaben des Spielers aus, so dass man keine Chance hat. Gewinnen geht größtenteils nur indem man die KI per Exploit mit immer dem gleichen Trick kaltstellt - Das macht so keinen Spaß. Die Titel kosten nicht viel, so dass man hier nicht viel kaputt macht und zu zweit macht es sicherlich mehr Spaß. Die Konkurrenz mit Street Fighter macht dies deutlich besser, die Kombos gehen flotter von der Hand und man hat eine bessere und faire Lernkurve, da man den Schwierigkeitsgrad hochgradig einstellen kann. Auch liest die KI nicht die Eingaben. Fazit, abartig geiler Stil, schlechtes Gameplay und KI. Lieber den Film schauen und den Soundtrack + More Kombat anhören (sehr zu empfehlen).
I played this game only once on the PSX, but it holds a special place in my heart. The music and atmosphere are simply breathtaking. Whether it’s the party gathered around a campfire, engaging in dialogue as distant animal sounds and the crackling fire fill the background, or the beautifully imagined world filled with empires, tribes, deities, and dragons—everything is masterfully crafted. The story is rich with twists and well-developed subplots. One of them shares the same ending as the original Prey, which is particularly striking. The game begins with Princess Nina, who sets out to find her missing sister, driving the first main storyline. Later, the narrative shifts to the second major plot, where you play as Fou-Lu, the reawakened god emperor. The graphics are solid for their time: 2D sprites in a 3D environment with appealing textures. In battles, enemies stand out with smoothly animated sprites in various sizes, truly impressive! You explore a variety of environments, many beautiful in their own unique way. The turn-based combat system shines with a clever combo feature for spells. For example, combining a Tornado and Fire spell creates a spectacular Fire Tornado. True to JRPG style, you can discover powerful summons with breathtaking attacks and even transform into a dragon as Ryu (Son Goku Style). Oh, there is also a fishing mini game 😉 When the game ended back then, or at least I faced the last battle, I felt a deep sense of sadness, as I wasn’t ready to leave its captivating world. So, I never finished the game (I knew the two possible outcomes). In a way, this kept the game’s world alive for me, never truly ending.
I would say, this Game is a 7/10 in a good Way. Compared to other Jump and Runs, as Mario 64, it is more simplistic and streamlined. The new 360 Controls fit this Game really much, the remastered Graphics are good, i personally like the smooth Original Mode, as it gives Croc a more characteristic Shape. With the D-Pad you can control Croc as it was in the original, sometimes good to adjust Croc in certain Situations. You can Attack with a Tail Swing or stomp down when in Air. Croc has also a quick Turn. Most Levels are beatable between 3-10 Minutes, the first World is pretty easy, but Difficulty goes up and some of the Plattforming becomes pretty hard at the second World. You have two Exits, the normal one and one you can open with five Crystals you have to find in the Level. You can also save your fluffy Friends to make it 100%. Geting all special Exits grants you a Secret Level in each world. Thats all and thats great! Not 100 Bananas a 6 Colors. Also not a lot of Dialog for the Story you have to read. The Game respects the Time of an Adult and its streamlined Design is good for Younglings that have to learn such Games. The Extras and overall Presentation are really nice, but take a huge Amount of the overall Size (20 GB Videos), i guess you could try and delete them ;) That Room when the Game starts is really lovely done. I can really recommend it. I wasn't sure if i will give it 4/5 Stars, but compared to other Games, i want to play further and i have fun doing it. Yes, there are better Jump and Runs, but this one has a good Sweet Spot in the Design. So 5 Stars because i recommend this Game.
This Game basically is a Beat'em Up. I tested the Dreamcast Version before i bought it, compared to it, it feels snappier. I guess the Lag mentioned in the other Review is true, as i wasn't getting hit as much and my Hits landed more often. Also, everything is available from the Start, imo a good Thing! To the Game itself: You choose your Jedi (or other Character) and than you just beat your Enemies, as stated, it is Beat'em Up. So you follow the linear Level, in wich Power Ups and some Stuff to collect are around to find. There are two Power Ups for the Sword, one makes it large, so you can hit Enemies easier. Also a Shield, that one is very useful in Situations with many Enemies to deflect their Shots and to not get hit too often. Also really helpful against Bosses. You can collect up to four Shields and there are enough around, so use them. You can block with your Sword and if you time it good enough deflect the Laser Shot to kill your Enemy, for some it is even required to do so. You can lock on to your Enemy, by doing so you are circling around. You have three Buttons to Attack and you can make the typical Combos of X X Y etc. The Levels are diverse and fun enough, you also have some Mini Games. Overall, the Games delivers what it promises, its not an AAA Releaes and the Price Tag for what it is, is acceptable. I take one Star out for some Minor Bugs, as the Main Menu Music restarts when Browsing through the Options (this is the same as in the Dreamcast Version). I think they lowered the Yoda Laugh when collecting Items, this feld less prominent when playing this Version.
