Swat 4 is astounding. When I pick up any of my preferred FPS titles, I expect to plow through hordes of enemies and expending enough ammunition to bankrupt your average mob. Well, Swat 4 is not like most other shooters. When I open up Swat 4, I load up with my favorite non-lethal equipment and get ready for a delightfully tense, and slow paced experience. Every action should be thoughtful and deliberate, lest you should end up losing that hostages you tried so hard to protect. Delving into the criminal underworld was never so exciting. Furthermore, the multi-player experience was always phenomenal. Grab a few good friends and have a rip roaring good time. Each player may have a unique and important role, which requires a great deal of communication, coordination, and proper timing. Certainly you can lone wolf it if you feel so inclined. But Swat 4 rewarded teamwork with so much more than simple success. It made the effort invested in working together, really and truly fun. Stacking up, breaching doors as a team. coordinating an arrest, screwing up and getting your buddies killed, all wonderful memories! The game does an excellent job making you work for that successful mission. And when you cuff that last perp, you feel like you really earned that cheesy one liner you had been saving for this very moment. I have played very few shooters so unique and tense as this incredible title. Welcome back Swat 4!
Frozen Synapse is an outstanding little strategy game. It operates on a play by email turn system, which permits a player to take plenty of time to plot their actions. As a result, games can last anywhere from ten minutes to two weeks. It fast won me over as I was able to play as many matches as a wished while entering my moves in my free time throughout the day. The players are also granted almost total freedom of actions, which makes all the difference in a game where even the smallest and most subtle movements can determine if a match is won or lost. However, this does not create a daunting learning curve as the game includes the ability to plot out a turn and simulate the results based upon what you expect your opponent to do. In this way, you can plot out the worst case scenario of your opponents potential moves and witness the results. When, after running simulations and plotting your final actions, you commit to them. After your opponent does likewise, the turns will be executed at the same time, and you evaluate the results. The game also utilizes an exceptionally simple aesthetic. No useless clutter on the maps, and no distractions. The result is neither bland nor boring, but rather a beautiful simplicity that matches the gameplay well. This when coupled with the fantastic soundtrack by Nervous_Testpilot, supplies a wonderful atmosphere for the game. Finally it is important to note that Frozen Synapse has fortunately retained a small devoted group of players. This ensures that matches can still be found online with relative ease. I enjoyed Frozen Synapse immensely, and if you have an affinity for strategy games, then this one is certainly worth your time.
I was pretty late to the X-COM scene, not discovering it until around 2006 or 2007 when a friend had insisted I play it. It was not too long before the very unforgiving game won me over. I fell in love with the immense freedom it gave the player on the battlefield. Often rewarding inventive methods of defeating enemies, be it through altering the landscape around you or experimenting with different load-outs and teams. The ability to build, manage, and defend bases all while balancing available resources was intriguing and rewarding. And naturally the ability to rename soldiers/sacrifices added some great entertainment value as well. Needless to say, I was suitably impressed! With the arrival of the Firaxis version; "Enemy Unknown", I was skeptical. I learned they had removed many of the mechanics and features I had enjoyed so much in the original. When I did pick it up I found that it was actually very enjoyable in its own right. While I lamented the loss of much of the freedom I enjoyed in the original, I found that Firaxis had (in my opinion) made it far more approachable and user friendly. With flashy graphics and enjoyable combat, it was a pleasurable experience. But all the same I still missed the freedom of "UFO defense". Xenonauts came as a bit of a surprise to me though. At first glance it appeared to be just a clone of the original X-COM with updated graphics (which initially I was not very impressed by). And for quite some time I ignored its development. Incidentally it was the same friend who introduced me to the franchise that suggested Xenonauts. And when I saw it was on sale in the Humble Bundle, i decided I ought to give it a try. After 40 hours I can safely say it was a great experience and a truly worthy successor. The story is very well done, base building and geoscape events are satisfying, and I even ended up thoroughly enjoying the art. I would argue that it offers a welcome polish to the formula of good old X-COM. And I highly recommend giving it a shot!
When I try to discuss the matter of "atmosphere" in games, I can not help but bring up the S.T.A.L.K.E.R series. I recall spending hours exploring the surface world expecting an emission at any moment, and the excitement of delving into old bunkers not knowing what lies in waiting in the dark. On many occasions I recall leaping in my seat as I was set upon by some grotesque horror, which earned me more than a few odd looks from anyone nearby. It proved to be a very satisfying experience, one which I can certainly recommend!
Of the hundreds of games I have played over the years this is the game I find myself returning to year after year. With many scenarios, great multi-player, and beautiful music/art, it is easily the greatest in the series. The game mechanics are genius and its easy to find oneself playing for hours. The only cause for disappointment is that it is difficult to set up online games with friends. GOG has it listed at a pretty good price and I highly recommend you give it a shot.
