'The Void' is made by the same guys who brought Pathologic to us (they also made Knock-knock, which I highly recommend), and it shows. It's very atmospheric, gloomy, creepy and dark, but also has a very dry sense of humor and quirkyness It also has a very unique, but very counter-intuitive gameplay. Just as with Pathologic, everything feels VERY different from anything you might have encountered within a game. When is comes to the world, which the game takes place in, it is a welcome change, since it really pulls you in, and doesn't let go. When it comes to quest objectives and controls it's just baffling. Everything is very cryptic. Basically it is a puzzle based adventure game with some action aspects, 'resources' to collect and foes to defeat. These parts never really stand apart though. It could be a good thing, since the game feels very coherent, but on the other hand, it just doesn't feel natural or intuitive. It's more like a strange experiment on gameplay, or a gameplay type invented by kind of an abnormal mind. Uniqe, of course, but also very alienating.
My review is based on the STEAM version. Sorry GOG. you were late :( For those who just dropped in: Space Rangers - A War Apart is a HD version of Space Rangers 2 and it's expansion. Featuring some new music, systems, quests, gear, etc, and tweaked gamedynamics. Is it any good? The gameplay is still basically the same: The known world is under attack by the "Dominators" (self producing robots with exceptional AI), and your task is to... Well, Your main quest is to wipe the out of existence, but since you start out, with an extremely weak ship and a very inexperienced pilot, first you have to roam the endless space, checking out planets, where they can give you quests, for that, you earn money and experience, also reputation, so VERY SLOWLY you can build your character up to the task. What makes Space rangers fascinating is the dynamically changing, living and breathing universe. EVERYTHING is observed and remembered by the program. Not just your actions, but also that of the miriads of other AI pilots, doing basically the same things as you. Tech changes, prices rise and fall, it's pretty bedazzling. Also there are a lot of totally different types of games put into the main one, representing the different quests (TBS, RTS, Text based adventure, Arcade Shooter, Economy sim, trading sim, rpg. So why just four stars? Instead of a sequel, this is a remake. Keep that in mind. They DID tried to expand the world and the possibilities, however it also feels like unneccesary options are littered through the whole game . The economy also took a blow, As I literally was drowning in cash after awhile. This doesn't really happen in SR2 I reckon. Maybe because I got delivery jobs through almost the ENTIRE GAMEPLAY. Something is very wrong with the random generator, or maybe the only expanded the world, and forgot to make more substance to it. Also the game is pretty buggy and prones to crash. Still, I imagine, if you're new to Space Rangers, you might like it better.
Maybe it wasn't such a hot idea playing this right after The Swapper. I was hoping for a puzzler with platforming elements, but instead, this is a HARDCORE platformer, with simple puzzles thrown in. That's not really a bad thing, just something to be clear about. The game itself is all about precision jumping, like any oldschool platformer, but the enjoyment factor is brought down by two big issues: Insane difficulty "curve", and floaty controls. The game shows no mercy, it doesn't give you any time to warm up, it throws you against nearly impossible odds very fast. Which would be easier to overcome, if the controls didn't feel kind of "off". I cannot describe better, that most of my gameplay consisted of me, furiously tapping the direction keys back and forth do make those jumps perfect ('case if they're not, you'll die). Yes, I play with the keyboard, I managed to finish the latest Rayman games with it, and had no problems at all. I heard, it might be better with a gamepad, but I'm not sure I'll get one just for this. To be honest, I often get back for more beating, when a game's as difficult as this, but at one (presumably early) point, I just decided to give it a longer rest. Probably wont finish it anytime soon. But it looks nice, I have to give it that.
I remember spending countless hours on this one. I love the dark, futuristic, industrial setting, so I thought this pretty little game would be a great fix. And It turned out to be Puzzle Game. Well, based on the screenshots, it looks like the game looks like your average early 2000's 3rd person shooter/platformer thingy, but it's pretty far from it. If there is anything like it, I would say Lost Vikings. For anyone not familiar with it: In lost Vikings, you control three little guys, in a platforming-like environment. You can swith between them on the same level, and all of them have different, unique abilities. Abilities you need to deal with certain, level specific traps, machines and foes. The goal is to get ALL of your characters through the level simultaneously, with the power of good teamwork between them. And that's pretty much the same game here. It's a very unique concept and I wonder why only a so small amount of games decided to use it. Definitely worth a try, especially if you like puzzle games, epic sci-fi plots, and if this version of the game has the latest patches installed with (the original release I had was REALLY buggy).
This is what I love about GOG: One day, System Shock 2 finally gets released, everyone goes crazy, but life doesn't sop there. Each week we get more and more games, one day you get to buy an old classic, the next day you'll be introduced to a brand new, exciting indie gem... and some days you bump into games like Ultimate Body Blows (it had about 9 votes on it's request page As far as I remember). Still, This unpredictibility is what makes GOG for me:) Anyway, on the game itself: There isn't much to say. The body blows "series" were two very average fighting games trying to capitalize on the StreetFighter craze of the time. Originally, they've been released on the Amiga, where they became quite popular for some reason. Soon they compiled the two games together, reworked the graphics a tad bit, and released on pc also, under the name of Ultimate Body Blows. It is a very "meh" gmae on every possible aspect. The graphics are okay, but the gameplay is unbalanced and clunky. the controls are a little stiff (a common problem with many pc fighters), and the fighters are pretty bland to be honest. You might want to buy it for the sake of nostalgia, but the price is a little too high for a game such as this. If you really want to play some budget, pc exlusive street fighter clone from the early 90's, I suggest grab Superfighter instead. That one's for free.
So Avernum is finally here. The whole series. After the Geneforge series, I guess it was just a metter of time. For starters: this is one of the longest running sagas when it comes to CRPGs. The original Exile I (which have later been remade into Avernum) came out in the mid '90s! This is the series that put Spiderweb software on the map, and ever since this is considered their definitive work. So what it is exactly? Avernum takes place in the underground land of... well Avernum, where your party of (fully customizible) characters had been casted away (thus the original title Exile). And it takes three whole games to get back on the surface. One might think, that this must be the most epic dungeondrawler ever, but it's as far from a rougelike as possible. You see, there are established towns cities raised by the generations of banished folks, so the game is much closer to the Bioware AD&D classics. Almost everyone has a word or two to say to you which makes the games pretty immersive. There are also a lot of things to do besides quests. Secrets a scattered all around the place, and you can even set up a market, as far as I remember. The game is also extremely openended, you can basically ignore the main quest for as long as you want to, and you're free to do whatever you want... ...which bring me to my first problems with the game. It is VERY easy to get lost in all this stuff. The journal and map system are a bit vague, and I often found problematic to get back to some people after I've completed their errands. They stay put, I just forget who they are and where they are. This takes away from the immersion as well as two other aspects. These later two has to do with the budget of the games. Which are obviously very low. There is no voicework to speak of. I got used to read immense paragraphs of texts, but a little "hello" or some battlecries and such would've been a huge improvement. Also, the graphis are butt-ugly. They are functional, but they have no personality whatsoever. I have to say, these are the dullest looking games I've ever come across. This made me remove one whole pont from the maximum five. I'd be really happy to see another remake :) In the end, I'd strongly suggest this series for a try to all RPG fans, just keep in mind, they might need some time grow on you.
this game is EPIC. Did you catch that? The premise is epic: you are Twinsen (an ordinary citizen), you have to save your whole world Twinsun, by defeating the ruthles dictator Dr Funfrock, who turned everything into an orwellian nightmare... An orvellian nightmare which looks stunningly cute a pleasing. I don't know what it is about french adventure games. There is always a tyrant, you always have to aid the underground rebellion, and you save the world. Maybe it is a historycal thing? Still, during all this ruckus, the world is stunningly beautiful. Beyond Good and Evil anyone? The gameworld is epic: you must travel around the whole planet: the Cities, the seas, the underground dungeons, the secret military bases, the hot deserts at the poles, and the icebelt in the middle (Twinsun has two suns. One at each othe poles). The characters are epic: there i a mildly busy life at every location, and weird creatures you can bump into. Elephant and rodent like humanoids, and Queeches, which are quite normal humanlike beings, just like twinsen. A lot of NPC's have a few funny lines, and I can still remember a lot of them from the top of my head. The mood is epic: besides the large scale, the music is what makes the game so much larger. I think the main tune is one of the most memorable of all the PC adventures I've ever played. It's up there with the Monkey Island theme. As soon as you see the first menu, the open see, the boat, the little istand, the lighthouse, and you hear this music, calling you to a grand adventure... I just can't describe how excinting it is every time I start up this game! The gameplay is... um... not very epic :( Don't get me wrong, in this isometric action-adventure, you have truckloads of foes to destroy, dozens of secrets to reveal, lots and lots of puzzles, so there's no problem with the quantity. What makes the experience kind of bittersweet, are the controls. This is the Resident Evil kind of control scheme, where you move you character like it's a tank or a turret. VERY annoying, and takes quite a time to get used to it. And in places where you get into isometric, time based jumping puzzles, this steps to another level of all kinds of terrible. That is why it has to be only four stars. Simply, this part of the game is just dated. On a sidenote: Some also say, that the game is sickeningly cute, and requires a special taste... Screw them! If you have a heart, this game will warm it up. That's it, but thought i need to address it before the final verdict: This game is EPIC.
I'm not going to describe the game in great detail. There are other reviews doing that better than I could ever. I'm only going to say, that this game still holds up. You see, I was just playing with the latest installment of Modern Warfare, and got really frustrated at a certain level, where I died way too many times. I said myself: enough is enough, and wanted to play something to relieve the stress. I reinstalled Painkiller Black Edition to do a few levels, I remembered how much I liked it. I breezed through almost the entire game in one sit. It was just as good as I recalled. Since that I tried the other installments: Overdose, resurrection, Insurrection Oversurrection, etc. They all suck. Terrible, terrible games. I also Completed Painkiller HD. And you know what? It wasn't very good either. I don't know what it is exatcly about this game which makes it stand out this much. The concept is seemingly simple, yet noone but the original developer would be able grasp it. I hear comments like, "Great, this is such a simple game!". Well, it might be simple to play, but underneath the surface, this is a masterfully executed, and carefully calculated work of art. This game stands the test of time. I bet it'll hold up for a long time.
As the panel on the right suggests, this game is a part of the Still Life series. The very first part, in fact. This time, you play P.I. and amateur artist Gustav Mcpherson, (granddaddy of Victoria from later installments), and you're after a vicious murderer in gloomy old 1920 - somnething Paris. The good part - Very strong mood, the setting looks very modern and monumental, also mysterious and dark. The graphics on the background are atmospheric and well done. The lentgh of the game (at least for me) is ideal for an adventure. The story itself starts out really well. The clues you collect slowly unfolds the reasons behind the guesome crime... The bad part - ...and in some weird twists, it just shoots itself off from the ground of reality, which takes away from the enjoyment. But the real problems are with the game mechanics. All things that SHOULD NOT be present in a point'n'click adventure game are in here. Pixelhunting, some timed events, endless dialogue trees, too easy and way too obscure puzzles, which makes the difficulty curve look like a rollercoaster. Final thoughts - definitely not a bad game, I think for the atmosphere alone it worths playing it though once, but just in case, keep a walkthough near. Without it, the game might provide more frustration than satisfaction.
