Baldur’s Gate happens to be the prequel to my favorite game of all time. As you’ve probably heard many great things about this title already, I’ll try to focus on the more ANNOYING ASPECTS. - Go on an epic adventure that will take you from Level 1 all the way to… Level 8?! The game is designed for LOW LEVEL characters, so even after 70 hours, having done most side quests, my party was around Level 8. Don’t go in expecting to battle dragons, giants or archmages. - Game uses the 2nd edition of Advanced Dungeons and Dragons, which can be COUNTER-INTUITIVE. For example, in every other role-playing-game your Armor Class, Saving throws and Chance to hit get higher as you become more powerful, but in Baldur’s Gate their numbers go down. - While the game world is huge, the wilderness areas are mostly EMPTY, with only a couple of interesting encounters sprinkled around in each location. Most of the fun activities take place in the towns of Beregost, Naskel and Baldur’s Gate. - There are around 25 companions you can recruit during your journey, though only a few are actually interesting AND USEFUL. In no particular order, I liked Kagain, Viconia, Edwin, Kivan, Coran, Yeslick, Baeloth and Safana (her sexy voice won me over). They’re nowhere near as fleshed out as the companions from the sequel, having very little dialog with each other, or the people we meet. - The dated graphics and complicated rules make Baldur’s Gate a hard game to get into for new players, even if playing on Story Mode. To that end, I highly recommend getting a mod called “GIBBERLINGS3 TWEAKS ANTHOLOGY”, which helps customize the game rules to your liking. Don’t be scared by the many options, as there’s readme explaining each one in detail. - On the subject of mods, I also recommend “Bg1 NPC project” which adds more banter to your companions. “Portraits portraits everywhere” adds tiny portraits to all the people you talk to. They’re all compatible with the Enhanced Edition.
Singularity is a product of its time. Its levels are linear, its color palette is dull, movement is slooow and you can only carry 2 weapons at a time. It features yet another silent protagonist that has military training but can’t sprint for more than 5 seconds. I also have mixed feelings on the fact that it uses a checkpoint system for saving progress, however the checkpoints are frequent enough that I can overlook it. Luckily, other aspects of the game shine through. Those linear levels I mentioned earlier, they’re much more tense and atmospheric than the open-worlds we’re used to now. Gunplay feels responsive and satisfying, which comes as no surprise considering the game was made by Raven Software, the developers of “Soldier of Fortune”. But the real highlight of this show is the TMD (Time Manipulation Device). Similar to Half Life 2’s Gravity Gun, the TMD sees a lot more usage here, from relying on it during combat encounters to using it for some minor puzzle solving. In the end, my biggest gripe with Singularity is that it’s too short. I found its campaign entertaining enough to wish it lasted longer. If you do try it out, be sure to do something about that narrow FOV. I used “Widescreen Fixer” myself, though I heard “Flawless Widescreen” also works.
It’s impossible not to see the similarities between Shadow Warrior 2 and the Borderlands series. They both focus exclusively on shooting, looting and leveling up your character. Gameplay is the most important aspect in a looter shooter, and thankfully Shadow Warrior 2 nailed it. The combat is fast-paced and frenetic, just like in the first game. There are even more weapons, which can now be upgraded with gems (don’t get too attached to these gems, as you’ll be constantly swapping them out and selling off in favor of better ones). Just like in Borderlands, there’s now a heavy emphasis on elemental damage (fire, ice, electrical, toxic). My biggest issue with this game is the lack of variety in the places I visited. There are only a few locations, which get reused over and over again. Although it was never the exact same map, I was constantly seeing familiar sights. At some point I realized I could just run past most enemies and go straight for the objectives. Enemy groups would stop chasing me after a short while, making traversal of large maps a trivial matter. If you’re a fan of Shadow Warrior (2013), Doom (2016) or any of the Borderlands titles, you’ll easily look past this game’s flaws and have a great time with it, either in solo or co-op. My advice is to invest early on in Karma Harvester (great skill for leveling up faster), Serene Mind (mana regeneration skill) and Healing Flame (healing magic skill). After unlocking it during the story, put at least one point in Second Chance, it’s (literally) a life saving skill. As for weapons, I always kept at least one with each of the elemental types (fire, ice, electrical, toxic), just in case.
What if the Cold War went hot in 1989? This action packed strategy game aims to answer that very question. Just like in the Red Dawn movie (1984), Soviet troops invade the USA and it’s up to a rag tag military group to push them back. This is a fast paced strategy game, one that has NO base building and NO resource gathering. You are instead given a number of points to call in troops and battle the enemy. Whenever you take casualties those points are (slowly) given back to you, meaning you can still make a comeback even after losing half of your army. The key to winning battles is to have an assortment of units that are good against vehicles, infantry and aircraft. I mostly relied on the M1A1 Abrams heavy tanks and M2A2 Bradley armored transport vehicles during the campaign, with a couple of anti-air and repair vehicles sitting in the back. The most important skill needed to succeed is to be able to (quickly) split up your units into 2 or 3 groups, as some missions will require attacking/defending multiple locations simultaneously. Wasting precious seconds during these key moments can spell DEFEAT. The single-player campaign is well made, often giving you side objectives to complete while encouraging you to try different approaches and not rely on the same tactic each time.
(The Good) Even though the game takes place in a desert city, it made me think back to movies such as Apocalypse Now, Platoon, Full Metal Jacket. The atmosphere is tense and the game doesn’t shy away from showing you the horrors of war. There’s a certain beauty to this fictional version of Dubai, which has been ravaged by sandstorms and has become a warzone for you to traverse. I really enjoyed the soundtrack (which has lots of guitar riffs), seeking it out online to listen to during my spare time. (The Bad) The actual gameplay is that of a standard cover based shooter, in which you and your two A.I. squadmates mow down hundreds of enemies. There’s regenerative health, the restriction of only carrying 2 weapons at a time along with a few turret sections, which were the norm back when this game came out. Also worth mentioning is that Spec Ops: The Line uses a checkpoint system to save progress and is a very linear game. Almost like a corridor shooter. (The Conclusion) If you’re okay with staying in cover and taking pot shots at the enemy, you will enjoy this game. It doesn’t outstay its welcome, lasting only 6-7 hours. Still, during that short time it had me hooked, making me think about some of the gruesome things I’ve witnessed long after I had finished the game.
One of the worst PC ports ever made for a game. Even after installing ‘Gentlemen of the Row’ along with several other mods, it’s still barely functional. By far the worst offender is the constant CRASHING. With or without mods, the game randomly crashed on me. The framerate is choppy, vehicle handling is unresponsive, loading times are long and the list just goes on. After a while I just gave up on trying to fix this mess.
This is a fast-paced shooter where you need to constantly be on the move. The action takes place in ARENA like areas, similar to those found in Doom 2016, Painkiller, Bioshock Infinite. Enemies are diverse and require you to change your playstyle when engaging them. Some of the abilities employed by the enemies include: hovering in the air, using shields, turning invisible, resurrecting fallen comrades or having only one weak point on its back. Just like in old-school shooters you’re allowed to carry an arsenal of weapons, with the most FUN being the SWORD. You also get access to 3 upgrade trees: first is for your weapons, second is for your skills (move faster, hit harder), third is for your magical spells (heal yourself, stun enemies). Game takes a long time to complete, though be warned that combat encounters can become repetitive. That’s why it’s best to not play it for long periods. Also, be aware that level design is very linear. Being able to MANUALLY SAVE your progress is something I always appreciate in a game and Shadow Warrior delivers. On a final note, be sure to play the DirectX 11 version, as that’s the better looking one.
Battlefleet Gothic Armada can be a fun game, as long as you know what you’re getting yourself into. The videogame emulates the tabletop game it is based on, meaning that the battles take place on a 2D plane, similar to a chess board. The “Armada” found in the title’s name is misleading, as you only get to bring around 5 or 6 ships to a battle. Although there are ways of hiding your ships during a fight, the A.I. always knows where you are. While playing the singleplayer campaign, avoid Convoy missions. My personal favorite mission types were Cruiser Clash and Assassination. (Tip: you can cheese the game by saving before ending your turn, then reloading that save till your favorite mission types appear the next day) System requirements are quite high for such a simplistic game. Even on a powerful PC, expect long loading times. Get this game for the singleplayer campaign, since multiplayer has moved on to Battlefleet Gothic Armada 2.
- The cel-shaded artstyle of this game immediately made me think of “Borderlands”. It’s what keeps “Gunslinger” from looking dated, even after all these years. - The gameplay is linear, there’s only ever one path to take. Luckily, the gunplay makes up for it, being fast and energetic. I can’t explain it in words but it feels so satisfying to shooting bandits. There’s also bullet time (a slow-motion button). - While the story campaign is a bit short (6-8 hours), there’s never a dull moment. If you’ve never played another Call of Juarez game before, don’t worry, Gunslinger doesn’t require previous knowledge of the series. - Finally, I highly recommend using these TWEAKS. Go to “%LOCALAPPDATA%\techland\cojgunslinger\out\Settings\Video.scr” and open the file with Word or Notepad. 1. Change your FOV (Field Of View): Add the following line at the end of the file, then replace YourFieldOfView with a value between 80 and 110 degrees (the default FOV is 82.72). ForcedHorzFov(YourFieldOfView) 2. Disable the BLACK BORDERS at the edge of your screen: Add the following line at the end of the file. DisableScreenBorder()
Disclaimer: I played The Evil Within 2 first, which undoubtedly influenced my opinion of this game. I consider the sequel a much better product overall. The Evil Within’s biggest draw for me was the idea of everything taking place in a Virtual Simulation. Think of “The Matrix” or “Inception” but with a tense and foreboding atmosphere. This is sure to keep players on edge, as the environment itself or the laws of physics can change right before their eyes. It also excuses the existence of certain video game mechanics, such as saving your progress or upgrading yourself. My biggest complaint is the lack of ammo and healing items. Having played survival horror games before, such as the old “Resident Evil” and “Silent Hill” trilogies, I found The Evil Within MUCH STINGIER with its ammo and healing items. Stealth kills, ammo conservation, grouping enemies together for area of effect attacks never seemed to be enough here. This is only made worse in later levels, where the game dials up the action exponentially, with enemies coming at you from all sides. I admit, I only managed finishing the game by using cheats to give myself ammo, healing and… matches (for some reason I really enjoy burning the corpses in this game, it feels so cathartic). I also had to use a FOV fix, as the field of view on PC is terrible. The fix can be found over at http://www.flawlesswidescreen.org/ Some other minor nitpicks would be: - the clunky controls - moving and aiming always seems a bit laggy; - the annoying checkpoint system - one fatal mistake can set you back 5-10 minutes; - confusing boss fights - there's a lot of trial and error in figuring out when I need to run from a boss or stay and fight; sometimes I can just shoot it till it dies while other times I need to get creative in taking a boss down;
