Pharaoh in it's original form was a micro-management wonder. It's clunky to run on modern machines so I was very much looking forward to this version. In gameplay it runs much the same, the core of the city management seem to run well in the background and much like the original. I also found the encyclopedia and tutorials an appropriate update for a modern player. Sadly, that's where the good news ends. Here's a list of a few things that actively make the gameplay worse than the original. CAMERA CONTROLS - You can't rotate the camera around the map, as such you lose a lot of building space. OVERSEER INFORMATION - The redesign of the overseer panels are far worse than the originals giving you less information than you actually need with no tooltips to make up for it. Most notably what how difficult it is to work out how many unemployed you have in the city. Is it this symbol? No idea, let's hover over...oh, there's no tool-tip...well let's hope it it. Most of the other overseer information is sadly lacking too, which means you don't have all the information to manage the city as effectively as you could. CAMPAIGN 'STORY' - It feels like the story, such as it was in the original has been gutted for the campaign. The introductions to each section of the campaign aren't narrated as well as the original and feel pretty basic. To sum up, this is very pop culture as a remake. It looks pretty, but the substance is sorely lacking. That said, with a few tweaks and improvements there's an awesome game here. Though, for now, I'd recommend you go and find the original instead. This just is not as good.
ST:BC is a game I have played, over and over again. It is just in my opinion the BEST star trek game ever. You take the captain's chair and command a Galaxy class starship through a campaign which features the Cardassians, Romulans, and more familiar star trek races. The campaign is really interesting and about as well written as a standard TNG episode. The real gem here though is in the 'Quick Battle' mode. This mode allows you to engage in fun and engaging Three-Dimensional space battles. Want to know what happens if an Akria class goes up against a Romulan Warbird? Go to it. Want to play the Cardassians trying to retake DS9, go for it! And the cherry on top...and I haven't yet tested it, but GOG is awesome so I'm sure I'll find a way...the mods available for Bridge Commander are extensive and add hours upon hours of more content. THANK YOU GOG for bringing my absolute favourite game of my childhood to a digital platform at last!
The basic gameplay system is set up for this to be a fantastic game. The tactical acumen required to play this game well are well thought out. Sadly, the game feels shallow, short and unfulfilling. I love the BSG franchise and would have loved nothing more than to give this an outstanding review. I managed to get through the campaign in less than a day and found myself disappointed with the lack of ship variety and upgrades. In the cold, harsh light of day the fact is that this game doesn't feel like a full game. Unless you splash on DLC you're left with a very basic and somewhat boring campaign. The real shame here is that it could have been an amazing game. The tactics and the gameplay are fun...at first. It's a really great ship combat sim. There's just not enough here to justify calling this a good game. It's fair to middling and doesn't fulfil.
This isn't a city builder. It's smaller than that, more intimate. Banished is a village builder. In many ways it's incredibly simple. It's straightforward. You have one task and only one: help your villagers survive. Your first playthroughs will be focused on learning how everything fits together. You will see your population die, you will see the empty village as a remnant of your failure. As you learn the game you'll get better. You'll learn to perfect your village building. You'll become better able to balance expanding your population and managing your resources. Ultimately, this is a game I keep returning to because I love how relaxing it is. This game is a pure experience and alway worth playing. It is difficult, but it's fair. Any mistakes will be your mistakes, not that of silly AI.
In gameplay, Grimrock plays exactly like Stonekeep with improvements (side-stepping and beginning party). I've not yet finished it, but after about thirty hours it's a really strong really enjoyable First person RPG.
Including the most recent, SC4 is in my opinion the most in depth and polished to date. Beware though this is a game where micro-management is key. You'll need to be taking care of everything. If you don' enjoy that, don't buy it.
