I just found the melee combat to be really, really satisfying and fun. Especially after a little practice, you can get into an amazing flow where you are just thrashing guys and countering everything, taking out 4 or 5 guys in a row, just like in a Kung Fu movie! On top of that, tons of cool environmental interactions, bashing guys against stuff, throwing them off rooftops, into containers, etc. Probably my favourite melee combat in recent memory. The story is fine, pretty predictable. The open world city is very cool to look at but doesn't have a ton happening on the street level (compared to GTV 4 or 5), but I actually thought the driving was pretty cool, it fits the sort of over the top nature of the action. You can drift around corners at insane speeds, and the game encourages you to bash other cars into oblivion. I came into this game knowing nothing about it, but it was on super sale and the reviews were positive so I took a chance, and I can say it was absolutely worth it. If you think you might be interested in a kung fu game with some elements of GTA and maybe a touch of the Matrix, this game is worth a shot. 5 Stars, because what this game does well (melee combat), it does brilliantly.
I have a good internet connection, so I'll just say we can all agree the DRM aspect of this game sucks, though it hasn't affected me personally. But that said, the game is just fun as hell. Huge levels, just like a million ways to approach the situations, stealth, combat, trickery. Shooting people in the head is not very productive in this game, but it's damn fun. I've never played a previous hitman game, so I can't make any comparisons to those, but I would recommend this to any fans of games like Deus Ex, Dishonored, Thief. It's a sort of stealth/action/puzzle game, just really opened ended. And a ton of replayablity. Again, with DRM issues. But since you've read most of the reviews, you know what the online situation is. If you can choke that part down, the game is awesome. It's a 5 star game, but I'll dock 1 for the DRM crap.
I came into Terraria with no knowledge of it, save for looking at the screenshots on the store page and reading the reviews on GoG. I was expecting a kinda chill, low-key building/sandbox game with some light combat and survival elements, something fun to play while watching soccer or netflix or something. As it turns out, it's a good thing I played a lot of Mario back in the day, because this game is a fast-paced, merciless, (especially when you unlock hardmode!), aggresively action packed platformer. With building and crafting fun stuff like that thrown in for good measure. The first 4 or 5 hours were hellish, as the game has no tutorial of consequence, no instruction, and the controls are not necessarily intuitive. The option to pause the menu in the crafting screen is a godsend, but the game fails to explain what the options do, you just have to experiment. So, pro-tip: at least when you first start, have the game pause when you open the inventory. Once I figured that out, I could actually play the game. And what a game!!! Once I got acclimated to the world and understood both how it worked and what I was trying to accomplish (again, the game does not do a good job of explaining this), I just lurched from amazing discovery to amazing discovery. From finding the underworld, to accidently spawning crazy bosses, to finding a magic sword that shoots energy beams, experimenting with different herbs, looting treasure chests, crafting custom armor, hanging paintings on the walls in your house, learning to fly(!!!) (Yes it's as awesome as it sounds), this game just keeps the surprises and joy coming and coming. Let it be said, this game is not easy. Especially as you go through the game, you will reach a couple points with significant difficulty spikes. So bring your patience, and your tolerance for dying. It's a game you learn by doing, experimenting, and embracing. Playing with Keyboard and Mouse is difficult at first, but after 225 hours, I love it. 5 STARS
So, if you have played one Lego game you have kind of played them all. Know that going into this game. If you enjoy the style, or this is your first Lego game, you will probably enjoy Pirates a ton. It's from the period before Lego used voice acting, so it's full of silly, charming and frankly adorable cut scenes using only mime. The levels are pretty large, with several sections in each one, and if you played a Lego game before you know the game is bursting with secrets and extras and plenty of bonus content if you just can't get enough Jack Sparrow. So it's a great Lego game, and because it's a PC Lego game, it is pretty unstable. The GoG version is much better than the terrible Steam port which is essentially unplayable, but the very first level especially is still incredibly buggy and has multiple places where crashes are somewhere between possible and likely. If you can manage to get through the first level, later levels are more stable, but you are still prone to the odd crash here and there, and in a game with no saves in the middle of story levels, (and some story levels are pretty lengthy), you can lose progress at the drop of a hat. I'm not sure it would be possible to 100% this game without either divine intervention or just playing a console version. Ultimately, I have a hard time really scoring this game. I think it's in the upper echelon of Lego games (I have them all in one form or another) in terms of fun, charm, accessibility, cuteness, and humor; and it's great to play with kids or a younger niece, nephew or cousin. It has local co-op, and you can play with a controller and a keyboard and everyone can have fun. But the crashes are just plain awful, bordering on unacceptable, especially in a game with no quick saves or anything. It's not as horrible as Harry Potter 1-4 in terms of technical problems, but it's not far above it. I can't give this game more than 3 stars, because the crashes are just that bad. Caveat Emptor.
If you didn't play the first game, this game will make no sense, it is about the most direct sequel I've ever played. The plot picks up about 6 hours after the first game ended, so if you haven't finished the first game....well, you've been warned. Took me 92 hours to finish, completing every quest I could find and exploring pretty thoroughly. If you played the first one, you know exactly what you are getting here. Tons of "flavor", unique dialogue from virtually NPC (though most of it is filler and not necessary to move the plot along), interesting (if sometimes slow) tactical combat. You will be revisiting the same locations, seeing the same people, fighting some of the same monsters. If you loved the first game, this one will scratch the itch....if you were lukewarm on the first one, know that this one is more of the same. The first game is basically an extended introduction to the plot, this game is where the story really comes to fruition. It's very clear that the two games were originally meant to be one massive game, but it would have come in at 150 hours or more and even I am put off by that kind of commitment. I personally enjoyed the story to this game much more than the first, as the stakes are much larger and it really does feel like an epic story of good vs. evil. The combat is exactly the same as the first, the only difference being the introduction of "chain" attacks, which I might have used 10 times total in the entire game. So again, if you liked the first game's combat, you will enjoy this one. I definitely thought this game was tougher than the first one, there are a couple fights (especially towards the end) that are very challenging, you will need to maximise your team's skills in order to succeed. The final boss is also much more fulfilling and difficult than the first game, in my estimation. It's not a flawless game, the plot is a little cliched in spots, and your mileage with the character tropes may vary. Also the soundtrack is literally the exact same for 85% of the game, so don't expect anything new there. But all in all, if you enjoyed the first Trails in the Sky and really want to see what happens after that ridiculous cliffhanger the first game ends on, you should probably pick this up and see what happens. 4 stars for being fun, but minus 1 for reusing a ton of assets and not exactly expanding on the concepts of the first game.
It's a short game, like maybe 6 hours. The combat can be clunky....but it's fun! I would definitely recommend a controller, it just works better. The controls are pretty tight when you get them down, it becomes second nature very quickly. When you get a head of steam up, and you are flying over and under obstacles, banging through doors, frantically heading for the exit, people shooting at you, it's all very immersive. The graphics look fantastic, really bright, nice details, very interesting visual experience. As other people have stated, the story is nothing to write home about, though it hints at a very interesting world. I think I liked it more than most, but maybe I'm easy. It's definitely not Planescape: Torment storytelling, but that's not what you're here for anyway. I think this is a game where you will be able to tell after about 30 seconds if you are into it or not. It's probably not for everybody, if you are looking for serious puzzles or serious FPS combat this game will let you down. But if you want to just run your ass off, bounce off a wall, grab a fence and GET OFF THAT ROOF, double quick, there is a lot to enjoy here.
When this game came out in 2000, it was probably the greatest game of all time. I would daresay, 16 years later, it is still in the top 5. There are 42 pages of reviews on here, most of them 5 stars. There is nothing I can add that hasn't already been said. Buy it, play it, finish it, play it again (did anyone mention the multiple endings?!) in a different way. It is a masterpiece, the absolute peak of pc gaming, now and forever. This is the absolute definition of a Good Old Game.
Took me roughly 75 hours to complete, finishing about 90% of sidequests, etc. So in terms of value for dollar, it is a winner. This is a game for people who are into world building, conversation, and overall "feel". There is a ton, a TON of dialogue in this game. Every character, npc, and shopkeeper will have a long, involved dialogue to go through. Most of it is largely "fluff" and not really related to the main game, other than adding "flavor" to the world. If you enjoy reading, exploring, and generally soaking up a game, you should enjoy this. I'm not an anime fan, but the graphics are pretty, and fit the game well. Character and monster designs seem pretty cool. Fun animations. The soundtrack is fantastic , on par with any classic FF score. You will hum the music in the shower without realizing it. I personally found the combat to actually be the most fun part of this game. A lot of people claim it is repetitive, but I enjoyed gaining new powers and finding the best orbment combinations and unlocking the higher tier spells. You can avoid battles you don't want to fight, and there is no grinding involved whatsoever, unless you want to. I will say the game is maybe a tad easy on the normal setting, I don't believe I died once, though the final dungeon has some good challenges. As for the bad...this game takes a while to get going. It is probably 2 or 3 hours into the game before it really starts in a proper way. There is a ton of exposition, tutorial, and endless conversation in the early portion of the game. Also, once you get to the higher levels and learn which skills and techniques are best, you can find yourself using the same strategies over and over again (at least till the final dungeon, where new tactics are needed.) Finally, this is the first part in a trilogy of games. So after you finish this, you will immediately want to get Trails chapter 2 and see what happens. To say this ends on a cliffhanger is an understatement. I love it, and I can't wait to finish the next game!
