This game rocks. It's like a nice, solid season of television. The plot had me really hooked. Thorton is the man. Much has been said about how much the story can change based on your decisions. Even as someone who doesn't replay many games, I look forward to giving Alpha Protocol a second or even third run. I will happily recommend this game based on the sole playthrough though. I already got my money's worth. MAIN POINTS - I really enjoyed the rhythm between gameplay and reading dossiers. Admittedly, my eyes glaze over when games throw a whole bunch of reading material at me, but Alpha Protocol's parses out its reading in the correct doses and the information contributes heavily to roleplay and decision-making. - Stellar voice acting across the board. - I've never been much for shooters, but the field agent template was fun. I couldn't help but want to be James Bond. - The game is not TOO long. I finished my first playthrough in about 22.5 hours. I'm cursed to enjoy million-hour RPGs with too many things to do, but Alpha Protocols is more managable. I don't feel like this review is doing the game much justice, but I can heartily recommend it. It's as good, if not better than anything else I've played from Obsidian (Pillars of Eternity, Tyranny, Fallout: NV, Pentiment, Outer Worlds). In particular, it scratches the game itch as stuff like Cyberpunk 2077 and Vampire the Masquerade: Bloodlines, though maybe that's just me. I happily purchased this as the full price of $19.99. It would be a steal if you got this on sale.
There's something really soothing about Pillars of Eternity. My playthrough is one of my fondest memories.
I gave this 5-stars because of the game's charm and x-factor. Make no mistake: This is a deeply flawed experience. Compared to Morrowind and Skyrim, it has the biggest flaws. The potato faces are infamous. The AI causes much unintentional comedy. The absence of immersive, in-story fast travel options is quite unfortunate. The lack of skill requirements for guild advancement is silly. Leveled loot steals the fun out of exploration and much of the game's unique gear. By aggressively leveling up all enemies with you, it attains the remarkable achievement of being the only RPG I've ever played that makes getting stronger unfun. I love Souls games and Monster Hunter, but Oblivion's default difficulty can get tedious. And yet nothing is more motivating than Patrick Stewart giving you the call to adventure. It is so cool to hear Sean Bean and Terence Stamp. And nothing beats the charming ensemble cast carrying the setting on their backs: Jonathan Bryce; Linda Canyon; Lynda Carter; Ralph Cosham; Catherine Flye; Gayle Jessup; Wes Johnson; Michael Mack; Elisabeth Noone; and Craig Sechler. Forgive me if I overlooked any names; I know there are other actors in the Shivering Isles DLC, but I just haven't gotten around to it yet. This brings us to the next thing. It's an Elder Scrolls game -- there are a million things to do before you even scatch the surface. Role-players may have mixed feelings about the execution. Few quests give genuine choice the way other RPGs do. In fact, choice is largely confined to whether you finish a quest or even touch it at all Sadly, this and especially Skyrim aren't games that meet you halfway. It's more like you meet them 60 percent of the way, or at times even 90 percent of the way, but that final 40 or 10 percent can be very special. Fortuantely, Oblivion's writing is very strong, and in my experience, excels in laser-focused riffs on genres.
My elevator pitch for this game is, "What if Homer Simpson were a cop." And like the Simpsons at its best, Disco Elyisum brings forward sharp satire wrapped around an earnest, empathetic approach to character and setting. It is an easy recommendation for anyone wanting an interactive novel. There is no combat in spite of the two armed, superstar cops you see in the art above. That's okay. This game is all about storytelling.
Way of the Samurai 3 scratches three kinds of itches. 1) Collecting cool loot; 2) making meaningful role-play options; and 3) learning a pretty rad combat system. It's a good fit for people who enjoy story-based games, but don't want to necessarily commit to an RPG that lasts forever. Playthroughs can last less than an hour if you only focus on the story events called "Inklings." Blindly obtaining the True Ending can take a while if you're playing blind, however. The narrative isn't Shakespeare, but it remains a simple, charming Samurai epic. The music is really nice. The combat is rewarding once you understand the mechanics and settle on a "stance," though enemy AI is admittedly pretty simple. Finishing a playthrough or dying lets you save your game and carry all your assets into New Game+, and so on. The grind is quite nice! I hate replaying games, but I liked this flow. There's a lot to do, so you don't have to accomplish everything to get value from your purchase. I would be remiss if I didn't mention the games' flaws, however. The negative reviews currently on GOG *aren't wrong*. There's backtracking, a finicky camera, an ending that crashes unless you skip it with the select button, fetch quests with items in semi-randomized locations, an inconvenient sleep and save system, an immensely frustrating "Random" option for Blacksmiths, the aggressive "RB" option for scenes are more ambiguous than anything in Mass Effect 2...If it sounds like a lot of flaws, it's because it is, and yet I loved Way of the Samurai 3. This game just works, and I would've been fine buying this at full price instead of on sale. Nonetheless, it may not be for you. You really have to be in the mood for the good stuff if you're going to go through the trouble of mentally compartmentalizing the bad. Like I said, you're playing this for loot, role-play and combat. Pass on the game if you're not in the mood for this, or if you expect to hold a low tolerence for its flaws.
I cannot emphasize this enough: Banner Saga is a legit role-players' game. The experience is about making tough decisions, and living with the consequences. The autosave feature isn't too aggressive, but there are minimial opportunities to save-scum. This is a tough-minded game. I found myself cursing at the computer multiple times because [REDACTED], [REDACTED] and [REDACTED]. I am still mad at myself for making a certain choice. Nonetheless, I eventually took those events for what they were. This story is brutal, but never mean-spirited or cynical. Do yourself a favor, play this completely blind, and never attempt to reload a bad decision. Banner Saga isn't the game for you if you don't find this approach compelling. The writing is strong, and the setting is convincing. It works as well as it does because the cast is likable. These aren't the most original characters, but I grew attached to my squad, and I hoped against hope that they would all make it out alive.
It's worth the full price of $19.99, but there are enough flaws that you should hold out for a sale if possible. Bloodlines lives up to its reputation with an engaging story, amazing NPCs, rock-solid voice acting, and great soundtrack. Combat is...fine. This isn't a FromSoftware game. It's okay, but becomes tedious toward the end because of some lengthy areas. Also, a couple of side quests were bugged, even with the unofficial patch that comes with the game. This is a flawed masterpiece, but I gave it a 5 anyway to reflect its strengths. If there was a 4.5 option, I'd have chosen it. When you buy Bloodlines, it should be because you want to experience some great writing, engaging characters, and a convincing setting. I'm saying this as someone who has a love-hate relationship with vampires, and never had a goth phase in life. It's really awesome, you guys.
Dragon's Dogma is not perfect. The difficulty scales erratically. It is easy to lose track of items in storage. The stat system is a min-maxer's nightmare. Miscelleanous quests can be canceled without reasonable warning because of your progress in the main story. There is only one save file, so you can't juggle different characters, unless you attempt to make a backup copy. The storytelling is enjoyable--if you come in with low expectations. The game's goofy, unintuitive relationship system makes it possible to accidentally bond with the the wrong person. And yet I would buy a sequel first day. Dragon's Dogma is rad. If Dark Souls is about rendering fantasy combat as a grim chess match, this is about making the player feel like a medieval superhero. Want to scale a cyclops and stab him in the eye? Want to annhilate foes with tornados? Want to wield a massive sword like Guts from Berserk, sprint up on a pack of goblins, and wipe them out in one blow? Boy, you better believe one of the appearence pre-sets for men is literally just Guts from Berserk. I cannot emphasize enough: The developers nailed this combat system. It's fluid, fun, and allows for so many interesting builds. Dragon's Dogma won't be for everyone. Multiple aspects--from item management to the sloppy storytelling--feel underdeveloped. That said, buy it on sale if you're remotely interested. It's a steal for 10 bucks. Here's hoping a lot of people buy the upcoming Switch version, and Capcom announces a sequel.
