This is a Kickstarter funded remake of the classic Sierra adventure game, Leisure Suit Larry 1. If you know what that's like, you know what you're getting. If you don't, the premise is that you're a clueless computer programmer looking to lose his virginity in ersatz Las Vegas. The game is driven by not-really-logical inventory and action puzzles, and there's many great error messages when you try to do something that won't result in you advancing the plot. The art is based on the codified versions of the LSL world that the series would develop much later on in its lifespan, that weren't around in the original incarnations of the games. The voice acting is superb, mostly. The characters are pretty good updates, but too much attention was given to the Kickstarter backers, and their personal vanity characters really detract from the game. This kind of thing was seen in a number of the 2014 era Kickstarter games, so it is what it is. There's plenty of cheap deaths, and save scumming is still a requirement for the mandatory casino aspects of the game. Not much has been done to change the structure of the game except for a new scenario around the mid point that's just there for padding out the runtime. Al Lowe's classic off-color humor is found throughout and this is probably Reloaded's biggest strength, however... the drama surrounding this game and the people who made it is really sad. Basically, this game was the game that made Al Lowe swear off game development forever. I can't really blame him. It ended up affecting a number of old school Sierra devs for asinine reasons as well. This seriously taints my enjoyment of the game, and I don't think I'll ever play it again because of that. On it's own merits, this game probably falls in the better half of the LSL family of games, but doesn't even remotely aspire to the operatic heights of LSL7. The game is a 3/5 on its own accord but I'm unsure what to make of it otherwise and I won't ever be revisiting it.
I played this for about 20 hours, but ultimately it was beyond my skill level. However, I can't really begrudge the game, because appreciated what it set out to accomplish. This is a really super ambitious first attempt by the developers, and I feel they nailed it in that regard. If you look at the big name open world RPG's out there on the market today, there really isn't a whole lot of competition. I liked the roleplay options, character building, story, and the lore that is based on historical events and culture, but ultimately, because of the combat difficulty, it's not for me, and that's ok. I firmly believe that not all games have to be for all players, and the more specialty games that cater to more niche audiences are a good thing. I definitely will give it a solid 4/5 because there was a lot to love. I recommend this game for more higher skilled players, and I want to add that the swordplay realism mods looked fantastic. I'll watch the rest on Youtube or Twitch or whatever, but I gave it an honest shot, and feel I got my money's worth for what I did experience.
Do you like FMV games? Do you like non-linear storytelling? If you answered a booming, thunderous, resounding YES!!! to both those questions, this game is most likely made just for you. The premise is that you're investigating an old police database of snippets of videos to construct a narrative, however the database itself isn't organized and has a pretty limited search function. The thrust of the narrative is you picking through these short videos looking for search terms to find more videos. The videos themselves are well acted and well executed, and I thought the story was decent enough, however, once you figure out the big reveal, it rests on a pretty silly trope that I won't get into here. Don't look for any kind of resolution or definitive answer from the ending, either. It's weird, introspective, lonely, and sad, but there's also not much to it once you figure out the magic trick they're trying to pull. All in all, I didn't have any expectations going in, I enjoyed it enough and the price is good. 3/5.
It's hard to explain but Pathologic 2 is simultaneously a remake of Pathologic 1, a sequel, a reimagining, and a game unto its own. It's probably one of the strongest contenders for "games as art" and in this case, a device to induce a kind of performance art... starring you, the player. The most important thing to remember is that this game wants you to quit. Much like our deranged overlords on this ball of mud, it wants you to give up and not reach the finish line. Don't let it. You will learn the hard way how to keep on preserving. The story is a tragic one, but a testament to the tenacity of the strength of the human spirit. Will you not like it, but you can do it. It may seem hopeless, but there is hope. There's never been a better time than before to play this game.
This is a point and click adventure, set in the world of Homestar Runner. It's not great. However, I give it a 4/5 because it's basically a more interactive version of the cartoon. It's dated, but it's nostalgia, and the jokes are mostly well written in a style I like. OK, so why do I recommend it? Telltale went under, and a rapidly growing number of their games were delisted due to licensing agreements lapsing, possibly forever. I wanted to pick up a DRM free copy of the Strong Bad game, just in case. It's $19.99 USD and other Telltale games do NOT go on sale before they're delisted. Will they come back one day? It's impossible to know, but I don't think this is the last we've seen of them. Anyways, the Strong Bad game isn't that good or anything, but I think old school fans of the web series should take note. If you like Homestar, you should most likely check it out in some DRM free form or another, or maybe a Youtube video will suffice, but if you aren't a fan, I recommend you avoid this game. It's pretty much a fans only affair. 4/5. (Also, I can't believe this game is over 10 years old now! Where does the time go?)
For $2,99 USD you're basically buying a "support the devs" DLC. The squirrel character is neatly written beneath the extremely silly exterior, but you might find him too silly to care. So, despite their character arcs, it's still a chivalrous talking squirrel knight with a skeleton cat steed. HOWEVER!!! it basically turns most combats into escort missions, so maybe it's actually an awkwardly designed optional challenge mode DLC instead. I thought the cons of complicating combat in an already hard game outweighed the pros of added depth and lore to the strange setting of Divinity. It's not the worst DLC ever made, the price is pretty low, and the developer is great, but... thanks but no thanks. 2/5.
