One of the best Open-World games of the last decade, and for many fans the best in the entire series! Just Cause 2 has you playing as Rico Rodriguez, a shoot-first-ask-questions-later hero, who specializes in... toppling El Presidente's level megalomaniacal dictators. This game is packed full with adrenaline. There's no time for subtelty or stealth here - you grapple in on your grappling hook inside a base, attach thermal detonators to some explosive structures, set them off, watch the fireworks, and shoot any survivors. All without a moment to breathe. After the dust has settled you can sit in the ruins and watch one of the most beautiful sunsets that your PC could render. Just another day in the glorious life of Rico Rodriguez. This game is strict high-octane action and fun! fun! fun! There is no ambitious plot, but the developers are not trying to convince you otherwise. Just plain and simple chaos, mayhem and merriment. And Panau (the open world in Just Cause 2) is one of the biggest playgrounds a player could wish for. Don't think any longer about this. It's a great series, It's a fenomenal, nostalgic title. It's a good price for what you're gonna get in the end (+all DLC's). And it's a game that many waited for years to be able to finally play it on GOG! Go buy it now and wreak some havoc!
Im very sorry to say, but so far my experience with this title was mediocre to say the least. Maybe comparing it to Thief is a bit unfair. After all Thief is a masterclass in gaming development. The problem here is that the crators of Gloomwood do everything in their might to make that comparison valid! It not only sports the look and atmosphere of Thief. It straight up copies almost every mechanic of Thief: leaning, noises on surfaces, distracting by throwing bottles, the shadow crystal mechanic, and you can even pick up cheese wedges. For some it may be great, but for me it is simply unoriginal - it falls back TOO MUCH on the beloved classic. Unfortunately it lacks a certain something. Although Gloomwood borrows heavily from Thief it doesn't quite give the same feel. The demo holds you by your hand, you walk through pathways instead of exploring a level and learning it manually, you're not encouraged to think for yourself. The existence of different weapons frankly contradicts the stealth/survival aspects. You have a cane-blade, a revolver and a rifle, coupled with quite a lot of ammo. Technically you can sneak past enemies but there is no difference in that approach compared to open conflict. The game does not favor one over the other - which ultimately makes stealth pointless. The game even suggests you kill at least half of the enemies. There is also no drawback to using loud guns - even if jumped by 3 guards you can easily blast them into oblivion with your rifle. But it's not dynamic enough to make gunplay fun. What's the point? There is also no story whatsoever. You don't know who or where you are. Your goals are nonexistent. You are obviously walking after curfew and massacring the local guard unit. Are they oppressing you or are they just doing their job? What is the motive behind your actions? Where are you going and why? Absolutely no explanation for any of the above here... Lastly, for a game that sells itself as survival horror, it's quite mild.
Legacy of Kain Blood Omen has been legally tied for so long, that I almost (almost...) lost hope it will ever find it's way to GOG – where it clearly belongs! This is as old and as good as it gets. I remember checking GOG regularly for any updates on this, since trying to get back to this true gem of a game without modern support was difficult at best and impossible at worst. The game for all intents and purposes is similar to Diablo, but released a little earlier. It has great graphics for its time, an engaging story and interesting characters. Although there are similarities, Blood Omen does its own thing confidently. Most importantly however it is the first game released in the fenomenal Legacy of Kain series, which is by many gamers and critics alike (yours truly included) considered one of the best plots in all of gaming history. The events in this game are also probably the most crucial for the whole Legacy of Kain story. Many things that happen here (and are only rarely mentioned later) send out ripples for the whole land of Nosgoth and especially its two paragons - Kain and Raziel. So finally Blood Omen has found its rightful home on GOG! And it completes the Legacy of Kain library. Also for its fame, goodines and almost abandonware status, at this price it should be an obligatory, no-brainer buy for any fan of old-school gaming or great video game plots!
The game shows A LOT of promise. I actually really liked it. It's atmospheric. It's tense. It can also be scary in certain situations. The enemy design in this game is creepy (I like that!), and if you don't pay attention to your surroundings they can easily jump you. I had 2 instances of returning to previously cleared areas only to get jumped by 4 enemies that seem to spawn right behind the door. Normally this could be bad, but the demo level is actually quite easy and the enemy placement is mostly predictable. Besides they can't pursue you through closed doors, so if you're quick enough, there is always breathing space in a jam. Because of that, those sudden bursts of enemies in areas that you considered safe was quite refreshing (and it happens rarely). As someone mentioned - the invenory screen is similar to Deus Ex. Nothing to add. I love it. I miss this type of inventory in modern games... Now the few flaws... there seems to be a general problem with the lighting. 1. In certain areas (mostly one's with windows out into space) there were bright flashes of light from the walls/ceiling. I can asume it's a glitch with light from the star clipping through solid walls. Not really game breaking but it kills the atmosphere. 2. At times the game is a bit too dark. I get that it creates the effect, and important things mostly stand out, but sometimes you can't see nearly enough. Maybe up the gamma just slightly or introduce a rechargeable/limited use light source (like Aliens vs Predator 2)? Also subtitles don't show when enabled. I never played the original so I have no idea what Cyberspace does. I found and cleared one out, and have no idea what it did. The game never communicated to me what it was supposed to do. All in all this game looks great and plays very smooth. Frankly - I can't wait to try out the full experience! I just hope that the few hiccups will still get cleared. Night Dive shows a lot of hope, but we're not out of the woods yet!
