This is (almost) like Ace Combat. The almost being nitpicking (I can't expect a 3-persons team to add cutscenes, or have the GUI polished to the max). But everything about the flight and combat itself... Wow... WOW. The dogfight is top-notch. The bosses (e.g. air cruisers) are awesome (even if none came to the size and awesomeness of some from AC5). The missile alert is SPOT ON: Once you figured what it shows, you'll have a very good idea from where the 3 missiles dogging you are coming from. I've only played the campaign right now, and it is quite pleasing, even if the dogfight means I'm missing some of the comments from my squadron. They have the same environmental comms where you hear comms from the enemy. Anyway, I don't know if the devs are working on a Project Wingman 2, but I'm already willing to pay for it. Now, I may need to take a break, because I've spent the last evening and this morning on it, and I need to calm down the excitation of being in the middle of 20 vs. 20 planes dogfight while being mowed down by freaking railguns. Mandatory nitpicking for Project Wingman 2: I'd like to customize by plane (e.g. colors, or even colors of my plane's or missiles' trails). Also, I'd like to be able to give commands to my squadron (as in AC5).
I've got this game on Epic, and enjoyed the puzzles, and exploration of a space station. The visuals are beautiful, and too be fair, I'm a sucker for the NASA-style realistic visuals of the equipment, and everything. This is mostly a linear story (from what I played), where you progress by solving puzzles, and moving through the space station. You play as SAM, and artificial intelligence only able to see through onboard cameras, and software 3D maps, and you're tasked help the Dr. Fisher investigate what happened to the space station and its crew. If my memory serves, I had reached a point between different countries parts of the station. Still... All in all, Epic Games says I played 4 hours. And I stopped playing the game because of a bug (which happens, so no big deal), and a design problem (single auto save) that made the aforementioned bug a critical issue: In got stuck in a puzzle because I activated it, moved away from the room, and when I came back, I was unable to solve it properly, nor reset it to its initial state. If I had had access to save games, I would have reloaded the save a few rooms before, and continued (and probably finished) the game, avoiding triggering the bug. But you have only ONE save, and you have NO CONTROL over it. So, my only way out of it was to restart from start. And, frustrated, I never went back. Perhaps I will enjoy it through a walkthrough video on Youtube, or something... Needless to say, this "one autosave only" design choice ruined my experience, and I'd wish the developers would consider dropping this forever. But if you avoid that bug (and I assume most will never encounter it), then it's an awesome space thriller, story-driven game, 4 stars. Of course, I removed one star because of that bug.
TL;DR: Why are you still reading this? BUY AND PLAY! To summarize, Chris Avellone is part of it. Inon Zur is part of it. Using Pathfinder rules. I've bought the Imperial Edition of this game FOUR times. One for me, and the others as a gift for my tabletop RPG mates. As of today, among just three of us (the other is currently unavailable to play it), we have a combined 155 hours of play. I REGRET NOTHING. Owlcat Games did a gorgeoous, Baldur's Gate-like game, using the Pathfinder rules, and a Pathfinder campaign. The graphics are beautiful, as is the music. And the story is immersive. Being able to both play the team, and also rule over a savage land, and make decisions both as a group leader with your companions, and as a barony ruler, is awesome. This game has (almost) the right combination of combat gameplay, story gameplay, rulership gameplay, exploration, intrigue. For my taste, it is a bit low on companions/roleplay gameplay (I was spoiled by BioWare's Mass Effect/Dragon Age dialogs, and characters, sorry), but, well, the recipe is almost perfect. This needs to happen again. I'm still at 80 hours of play, and I already want all of them to make next game. Tell me they'll work on a Mass Effect game, and TAKE MY MONEY!!! P.S.: There are bugs, but nothing critical, and most of them were resolved in the following days after the release (kudos to the developers!) P.P.S.: You CAN provide a custom portrait for your character. The option is too small, and easy to miss. This would be THE ONLY gripe I truly have with this game. Some of my friends missed this, and now have to continue their gameplay with the old game-provided portraits (which are cool but...). WE NEED to be able to change/update our PC portrait at any moment, PLEASE. P.P.P.S.: Like Pathfinder, this game is rich in rules, enabling a lot of customization (changing character classes, etc.). But we need more. We need additional classes and races. Arcanists, Dhampirs, etc..
Eisenwald seems like a more "gamey" version of Mount & Blade: Warband. The map is smaller, not a sandbox. Combat is turn-based. The story seems stronger. Graphics are better. The combat is quite interesting: I *hate* turn-based combat. And yet, in this game, it doesn't really get in my way, probably because the choices are so restricted, and because it's "an action is one click" There are a few problems with that game that means I'm currently giving it its third and last chance before I move on. 1 - Difficulty is frozen: My first try was on Normal, and when I got trashed in the second mission, I found no way to lower it to Easy. 2 - Easy difficulty seems not much more different than Normal: My second playthrough was in easy, and I... got trashed in the tutorial, because... 3 - Mistakes are punishing: In my second playthrough, on Easy, I tried to keep money by dismissing my 2 mercenaries. Bad idea. The last combat became impossible to win. And despite visiting every village, I've found no new mercenaries to hire. 4 - NPCs are... unrelatable. On the second mission, suddenly, all my vassals are fighting among themselves. Th way to solve that is so stupid I'd rather kill all those dumbsticks, because, SRZLY, the management needs to be renewed (In my third playthrough, I'll actually try that... If the game lets me do it, kudos!) I want to love this game. I want to follow the story, and learn what happened. But I can't defend this game because the story and roleplaying are such a thin layer over the game mechanics, and because the game mechanics get in the way. If you buy this game for the story/characters: - Play in Easy - Be prepared to revert your actions/choices, so save often, and never overwrite our saves I'll update that review after my third playthrough.
I can see the appeal of the game. It is beautiful, in every aspect. But this isn't a space simulation, not even an arcady-one: *If you thought playing X-Wing, or Wing Commander, or a space version of Ace Combat, you can certainly pass this game.* I made that mistake, and I'm now uninstalling the game, never to touch it again. Let me explain: When you play X-Wing, Wing Commander, or Ace Combat, everything is moving around. The speed of the enemy is similar to yours. So you have to use your skills to lure your enemy in the right position for attack, all the while avoiding doing the same. X-Wing was slower, and Ace Combat was quite faster in this. Combat was dynamic, and you needed to use spacial perception to know which movement of yours would result in which position for every ship. Everspace doesn't give you the same speed: Enemies are faster, more maneuverable, and come in waves and surround you, overwhelming you. They don't make mistakes, they are not lured in any weaker position. They just fire at you, constantly, and it feels like they never miss. YOU CANNOT DODGE. The "combat GUI" is overwhelmed by the actual FX of the games, be them explosions, missiles, whatever. So I found it difficult to know which enemy I had locked. Or not. If you believe "your skills" matter, don't delude yourself: You soak damage, and you punch enemies by putting the cross-hair in the right place, and hope the enemy dies before you do. *All this made combat a confusing exercise in soaking damage, which is boring and frustrating. * Add to it the fact the game is unforgiving: For me, mistakes were fatal, and sent you right back at the beginning. So experimenting in alternative tactics was very costly. So I did not experiment. I guess this game has its public, and can certainly imagine it being successful, and players enjoying it. It's just not a space combat sim in any way you can imagine.
This game appeared out of nowhere in my collection. I go to the GOG page, and I discover ... what? I'm supposed to be the last free, virile man, in a world now dominated by evil women intent on destroying manhood? Seriously? Men are the victims, here? I can't wait for the Nazi Concentration Camp Simulator and how Nazis were the victims of cunning jews, communists and homosexuals who somehow rebelled and took over the 3rd Reich, leaving me, the last blonde, strong-jawed aryan on this planet to thwart their evil plans! Just after the awesome Triangular Trade Simulator, where I will defend my trusty boat and my loyal crew against hordes of hostile slaves armed with chains pouring out of my cargo hold, trying to topple their rightful masters. *Disgusting*. Is there a way to ask for a refund, and have this piece of crap removed from my library? Because I never bought it, and it is surely spending too many pixels on my screen.
TL;DR You still have not played this game? What's wrong with you? The cons: 1 - The game is linear (for this game, not sure it is a con, but...) 2 - some puzzles/combat are on a few occasions a bit too much 3 - A crash at the endgame, easily solved by decreasing graphics settings (which were at the max) The pros: * - EVERYTHING The story, which you discover as the game goes on, is tragic and beautiful. The protagonist, Senua, and her life, will touch you, stirring emotions like few characters in video games (or movies) did before. The supernatural, which is both impressive, and at the same time, real (as in: this could really have happened in 900 AD Scotland). The ambiguity of what really happens, and what only happens in Senua's mind. The visceral, yet simple, combat (Senua's being thrown away by a massive hit on the face, then her attempt to rise again, is still a haunting image). The soundtrack, haunting and moving (now part of my commute playlist). The graphics... Don't get me started on how beautiful this game is. The art, portraying extremes from a peaceful village in spring to the desolated reaches of Hell. The acting, wonderful (the main actress, Melina Juergens, is supposed to be a video editor, and she simply shines in her role of Senua). The portrayal of mental illness, which is both humbling and enlightening. The ending, which leaves you to ponder what really happened, and brings closure, once you realize it (at least, in both of my two competing headcanons versions, it did). Despite it making no sense (because this is a complete, self-contained story), I want a sequel. A prequel. Whatever. I want more of Senua. Of Dillion. More of this game's background, mythology. Someone needs to write a story based on the game (not a movie, please, a story, that can be told), so it can be shared beyond the gaming community. I guess this is a testament on what Hellblade brings in. Not everything is perfect, but make no mistake: this is a monument of video gaming.
I've bought this game on X-Box 360 and it still haunts enough to tell your about it. The graphics/sound: Decent for that time (but awful dialogues) The gameplay: You play a dude "hero", fighting monsters. Boooring. The quest: Never got past generic quests and generic monsters, and put down the game out of disappointment and boredom. The original motivation (revenge?) was so poorly introduced you won't care. The Background: There's a level of silliness so naive it is just baffling. Let me tell you the intro. There will be "spoilers" (ahem). If you have any ambition in story or scenario creation (for a novel, a RPG, whatever), then this is EXACTLY what you need to NOT do. So... You are some kind of dumb dude from a village of fishermen that knocked up the daughter of some other dude with a baby. I use the word "dude" because the writer failed utterly to make me interested. And "dumb" should be understood as a medical condition: The hero is really, really limited in brain power. Instead of trying to make yourself appear a responsible future father, you decide to learn to fight (because mercenary life is a fulfilling one when you have a family?), and kill some crabs. You get to convince your fiancée's father you're worthy (I killed crabs and pixies!), then she announces out of the blue that, while pregnant, she wants to explore the world before the baby comes out, because after, she won't be able to. After all, who, in medieval times, full with monsters, orcs and demons, wouldn't want to explore the world while pregnant? Hopefully, some pirates come to the village, slaughter everyone, including your fiancée. And you feel suddenly filled with righteous vengeance, and go the continent to... avenge. Or something. Then, silly generic quests. That's the thing: I am not even kidding. The writer tried to build pathos using a generic my-fiancée-is-deeeaaad story overwhelming with stupid irresponsibility, then send you out in the world for revenge. :-(
Like all Telltale games I've played (and I've played a few), this is a storytelling game, where immersion matters. The other reviews focus on the story or the characters. I will focus on how a braindead design decision throws you out of the story immersion. Telltale Games: This is for you. Indeed, the history would have been interesting if I had been able to change the subtitle languages (and indeed, the whole game language) to English. But I couldn't. I am french, but I have familiarity enough with English to understand MOST of the conversations. Of course, in some cases, I miss something. And in storytelling games based on drama, there's a lot of opportunity for some important words to slip by. This is why I rely on subtitles (the other reason being translation, no matter their quality, are always of lower quality than the original language). So, when I'm hearing English text, my brain is in English-mode. And when I miss some word, I look down at the subtitles and... They are in french, which makes me switch context (costly operation, both for threads and brains) and throw me out of game immersion. And of course, as the grammar is different, the words are, half the time, in different order. I understand the need for simplification, but sometimes, one goes too far (do we need to talk about Win8's horrendous UI decisions?). The frustrating part is: You know the options are there. Indeed, I own the games (TWD S01 and S02) on Steam and XBox 360!, and on Steam, the games are in english! I actually launched the two games one after the other!). The only thing I ask would have to CHOOSE THE FREAKING LANGUAGE. But apparently, this is too hard. The solution offered (change your Windows settings) is unacceptable (and anyway, it came to late). Despite having them on Steam, I bought those games on GOG, not knowing the languages were broken there, BY DESIGN. And I even bought Batman TWICE. I'd ask for a refund if I could. Apart this, the game seems playable.
