I'd rate the game at 4/5 stars, but knocked off a star because the GOG version is missing the customization options available on Steam because of a bug. As you play, you unlock different colors, trophies, and logos to display on your soldiers. Unfortunately, those options are reset back to the standard everytime you start the game, but only on the GOG version. Aside from that, the game is fun. It's like XCOM in ancient Rome, with more emphasis on RPG aspects like storytelling and core character development. You have basebuilding activities, and can upgrade the armor and weapons of your characters. Many of the battles require you to just kill everyone on screen, but I liked that there were also many battles with different objectives. For example, one mission had you setting ships in port on fire. You can kill 0 enemies and still win as long as the ships are burning. Other objectives include killing a specific leader, rescuing someone and getting them to the edge of the map, etc. One negative is that the game felt too long. Maybe an odd complaint, but by the time I hit Gaul, I was rushing through just to finish the story. I also felt the equipment upgrades were a bit too much. I generally kept the same armor and weapons throughout the game and upgraded those as needed. But the game throws hundreds of "recipes" for different types of armor and weapons, and I barely used them. The UI could use some work, especially when sorting equipment. If I want to know which weapon has the highest Retaliation chance, I have to click through each one. The sorting is a bit limited considering all the different abilities attached to weapons and armor. Negatives aside, it's an enjoyable game, and well worth the purchase. Although it's not needed to enjoy the game, I'd also recommend the DLC, as the Gladiator class adds some interesting abilities.
Disco Elysium is essentially a point and click adventure game where you play as a detective trying to solve a murder. That sounds normal. The game is anything but normal. The graphics are excellent, and the voice acting is superb. The music is subtle, except when it's not, and then it's brilliant. To start, your character has been on an alcohol and drug bender that has rendered him with no memory. Aside from serving as an easy way to introduce the world and characters, the amnesia lets you play as crazy as you want. Select the oddest of dialogue choices to try and convince everyone you're a disco god who is on the police force as a side job. Or try to play it straight and narrow, and ignore the side quests that demand you drink alcohol or do drugs. However, drugs and alcohol provide bonuses (and maluses) that you might need to get the information from a witness. The plot is intriguing, and like any good mystery, it seems anyone could be the murderer. It's a slow burner of a game, and there is no direct action, no mini games, nothing but an RPG where every action is based on your character's skills and previous interactions. Getting information from a witness might give you a +3 on your check to tell if the suspect is lying or telling the truth. It appears to have some replay value based on your cop type and interactions with others. I've only played through the game once while trying to be a normal cop. I plan on playing again soon with a completely different build and just be as crazy as possible. Great game if you like slow paced adventure games set in an incredible world.
If the Hallmark Channel made romantic movies for guys, this would be it.
Nantucket is a great little game set in an unusual time. You play as Ishmael from Melville's classic Moby Dick, and set out to hire a crew to take down the white whale. The game has you starting out in a small ship with a small, inexperienced crew, and little money. The goal is to find where the whaling lanes are, hunt them, and sell their meat and blubber for money. You use the money to upgrade your ship, and gain experience hunting whales to upgrade your and your crew's skills. There are also minor quests, like transporting cargo to a different city or scouting out rumors of whale locations, that provide money and experience. There are distinct side quests as well, that tell a story and provide unique items that will provide bonuses to your crew. In addition to the above, there is the main quest that requires you to investigate what happened to the crew of your old ship as you search for Moby Dick's location. It will take you from Australia to England in search of clues. Overall, it's an enjoyable game with only a few negatives. The first is that there is no recommended level for the side and main quests. You can get a quest that is unbeatable for your current level, with no way of knowing beforehand. It's not a big deal if you just reload a previous save, but if you're playing in iron man mode your save is deleted upon dying. The combat is alright, going a little too much into RNG instead of skill, or maybe I'm no good at it. It seemed like the best way to win was go all attack and leave the other classes at home. Your character can multi-class, so you can swap on the fly if you need healing instead of attack, but your crew don't have that ability. The positives (atmosphere, music, artistry, and overall gameplay) definitely outweigh the negatives, and this game is a solid buy.
This game is one of my favorites of all time. The writing is excellent, and the characters are delightfully different and memorable. It hits all the right spots of the Robin Hood legend (disguises, stealing from the rich, archery, King Richard's ransom, etc.). There is limited (druid) magic in the game, however, so if you're expecting something striclty realistic, you will be disappointed. I have no idea if this game is worth it if you've never played it before. But I can replay the game every couple of years and still thoroughly enjoy it. I even bought a physical version of the Nine Men's Morris board/pieces because of this game.
This review was played entirely on 1.06, so I missed any crap before, and any fixes after. I also intentionally didn't watch many trailers, interviews, gameplay videos, etc. I went into the game expecting an Open World RPG, and that's generally what I got. From a technical standpoint, the game was fine for me. I had 3 crashes in about 100 hours, and 2 of those were when loading a saved game (saves were fine), and the other was when exiting the game. There are plenty of bugs, but I didn't see anything game breaking. I missed some side quests because of bugs (I assume...the next step never triggered despite waiting the appropriate time), but they were minor. The world building was excellent, and is both the best and worst part of the game. It is the best because the game sets you up for some great things. The big corporations (Arasaka and Militech) are on the verge of war, the Mayor of Night City just died and there is a new election coming, advertisements everywhere, the different areas of the city are actually different, and you can tell what are of the city you're in just by looking around. It's the worst because none of that really matters. You can attack Arasaka or Militech all game, and nothing changes. Despite having some quests regarding the Mayoral election, you change nothing. Any urgency from the main quest is pure illusion. You can do side quests forever despite being in a serious time crunch to complete the main quest. The characters are memorable, but I wasn't emotionally invested in them. The plot is well written, but is limited to just the main character. I don't need to save the world, but if I'm going to attack gangs' clubs and work with mayoral candidates, I want to see the long lasting impact of those decisions. I played the game to completion, and did most of the side quests/gigs/hustles, which means I enjoyed the game overall. But it didn't do anything better than previous games in this genre.
Deus Ex: Human Revolution is a great game that gives the player the flexibility to complete the game in a multitude of ways. The game scales in difficutly very well for most of the playthrough. As you gain EXP and Praxis Points, you can upgrade your character's abilities. Improve your hacking skills, shooting skills, gain the ability to silently take down multiple opponents, sprint quietly, see enemies through walls, turn invisible for a few seconds, reduce your damage taken, etc. Overall, you will use most of the new abilities as you gain them, opening up new ways to complete the different levels. For example, you can improve your damage resistance to take on the 5 guys and 1 robot guarding the door you need to get through. Or you can improve your hacking skills to force the robot to attack the other 5 guards. Both ways get you through the door, and both are viable in the game. The plot is good, and takes place mainly between Detroit and Shanghai, with a few other locations. The world building is great, and you can read newspaper clippings and ebooks to learn more about the growing tension between those with augmentations (and their history) and those without. With the added DLC of the Director's Cut, the game is a solid 30 hours or so if you take your time and try to discover most/all of the nooks and crannies. The only negative thing I will say is that the scaling is pretty broke by the end of the game. I was essentially a god by the end of the game, and even on the highest level of difficulty, the final couple of levels were easy. Perhaps I nailed the perfect build, but there was minimal challenge by the end. Which isn't terrible, as sometimes it's great to see your character grow to be a badass. But it did make the final boss battle a bit underwhelming. Overall, a great game and well worth picking up.
Loved this game from my childhood, and it still holds up today. I don't think a newcomer could step in and enjoy it unless you enjoyed other games from this era. If you played it back then and enjoyed it, you'll enjoy it today.
Game had promise, but is still filled with bugs, crashes, and non-sensical missions that make you lose money. It has officially been abandoned by the devs. The first few hours are fun while you're learning. Then it sucks.
Overall, the game is good. There's a nice strategic layer above the tactical battlefield. The better you do in battle, the more experience points you gain. You can spend these points to increase the money and troops after each battle, lower the cost of new equipment or veteran replacements, increase the size of your army, etc. You also need to build up and equip your army. While this layer isn't super in-depth, it is a nice way to have a more vested interest in your troops. Having built up a specific division over the course of many battles keeps the game interesting over the course of the long campaign. The battles themselves are well done. Some are minor, and can be completed in a few in-game hours with only a few divisions or a single corps. The major battles (Antietam, Gettysburg, etc.) take place over the course of several days with changing (and new) fronts. Do well in the minor battles, and you can give them various maluses like decreased size of the enemy army, inferior equipment, or lower experience levels. The AI in the battles is solid, but not spectacular. Like most AIs, it seems to do better in defence than attack. In the beginning of battles it seems to do well, but eventually it just seems to peter out. It will send its cavalry and skirmishers to harass your troops as you approach, and I've had an entire division tied down by single AI skirmisher unit. But it fails to adjust to your troops movements once you decide on a flank to hit hard. Its line will remain relatively unchanged even as you move divisions from one side to the other to outnumber the enemy. I've lost only a few battles on the normal level, and most of those were because of a time limit. The AI isn't bad, but once you figure out how the cover system and other intricacies of battle work, you will consistently win against larger armies. Still, it's a fun game that reminds me of Sid Meier's foray into the Civil War, and that is one of the best compliments I can give.
