I hate to give this a 3 out of 5 because there's a lot to like here in terms of the gameplay but there's so many nitpicks I have that I have to hedge my recommendation, though I give it a tentative thumbs up for those craving more Doom Eternal - with a few caveats. Let me just say first and foremost that I am running Metal Eden on a potato. I'm running a 1050 TI with 32 gigs of RAM and I'm still getting a VERY respectable frame rate with very few stutters or hitches. I am not a frame rate snob, but I do play games similar to this and for the most part, Metal Eden runs quite well. I am honestly shocked by how well it runs. I was surprised to learn that it was made using Unreal Engine 5, given how many people have brought up performance issues in games using UE5. I won't say to not believe the people who have issues with performance - because computer hardware configurations are as unique as the day is long, but given my hardware, I feel like the gameplay experience is absolutely worth recommending for those of you who are interested in a movement shooter that definitely leans on the modern Doom titles. That being said, there are some pretty significant (and weird) bugs here. If you are the kind of person who can tolerate those types of things and you love movement shooters, absolutely pick this one up. Except...well, I'll come back to that. For those of you expecting an AAA polished experience where you aren't going to fall through floors (occasionally) or can't deal with getting stuck after a door closes on you, maybe this isn't the game for you. It is not perfect by any means. It is more than a bit janky at times. If I were a bit less charitable, I would say that there's more than a bit of polish that Metal Eden could stand to deal with. I hate to be *that* guy but it definitely feels like it could stand another few rounds of QA. And I hate to be THAT guy because there's a lot about this that I really like. Frankly, I love movement shooters with double jumps and air dashes. In some ways it feels like this is EXACTLY what I'm looking for. So yeah, I absolutely think it's worth picking up. Maybe not at the $50 price tag it's going for but it's still worth a buy if this is your type of game and you can deal with the rough edges. Except... I feel like the one thing that Metal Eden forgot to crib from Doom Eternal and other shooters that it is clearly influenced by is probably it's environment design. And maybe this is the biggest nitpick of them all. Maybe you don't care about environments or art and you're a pure skill gamer whose only interest is the gameplay, This section probably isn't for you. But hey, maybe it is. I think probably the greatest sin Metal Eden has is in how boring its art design is. And I would imagine that is for a couple of reasons. After all, your level won't run poorly if you don't have much in the way of decoration in it. But the whole game kind of feels like a tunnel broken up by arenas. Except for the times when you're riding the skyhook from Bioshock Infinite. Or doing very basic wallrunning. Like from that one game - Ghost Dog: Way of the Samurai or whatever it's called. Anyway, grab it if it's $15-20.
They made Silksong too hard to spite the shitposters who said Hollow Knight was too easy. This atrocity is all your fault, Joseph Anderson. 10/10 game.
Make no mistake, I think that Troublemaker is worth picking up. That being said, there are some fairly massive caveats to my positive review and I feel like if you are looking for something much more polished mechanically, this is not that game. Troublemaker is absolutely janky to all get out in terms of combat but this feels like such a rich experience that I feel like it almost is worth experiencing regardless. The game is first & foremost a brawler. So, how is the combat? Well, speaking as someone who grew up with the polished action of Final Fight & Double Dragon, it doesn't feel great. Its combat system feels probably the closest to the melee combat of Sleeping Dogs but with less polish. Like someone else said, the animations are pretty stiff and it doesn't have the visceral punch that you might expect from something like Sifu or Godhand or the Yakuza games it's been compared to. That being said, I love the experience of being in this world. So much to the point that I don't really care that the combat isn't that great. With Troublemaker, you are experiencing someone's (relatively) unfiltered vision. It's punk as F. Which is good, because Budi is a rotten punk kid. The game is named after him, after all. So while I cannot recommend it based solely based on its combat which is a very hefty aspect of this game; for those who enjoy life simulation games with some combat, this is absolutely going to be your jam. Yakuza gets thrown around a lot but I really feel like we're moreso at the crossroads of Shenmue & Persona. And bearing that in mind, there's so much to enjoy here. 20 minutes in, I picked up a package of Indomie noodles and I have no idea if they even sponsored the game or if the devs just love Indomie noodles. That is the kind of game you're getting here. Because it feels like a love letter to Indonesia at its heart. For that I cannot recommend Troublemaker enough. I genuinely am so excited to see what Gamecom Team puts out next.
If Ashes 2063 seems like it might be up your alley, I can confidently say that it absolutely is. It's Fallout 3 meets Doom. And if that's all you need to know, just go ahead and download it. It's great. If not, Ashes 2063 is a post-nuclear adventure packed with action and exploration. And while it does lean heavier towards the immersive sim genre, this still feels closer to a Doom style game than Deus Ex. That isn't to say that it feels exactly like Doom but it gets closer to "thinking-person's shooter" territory even if you need to think fast and act faster when the bullets start flying. The environments feel very meticulously designed and given the length of time Ashes 2063 has been in development for, that is not surprising. It's the kind of mod that you can feel a lot of consideration was taken. And not just with the levels but also the world. It's the kind of design that you could talk endlessly about - which is why there are so many breathless video essays talking about how great this game's environments are. Like RagnarRox put it - it feels like it's the perfect marriage of STALKER, Fallout & Doom and it's hard to disagree with that sentiment. And this is coming from someone who very seldom plays mods but I'm telling you that if you love those types of games, Ashes 2063 is absolutely worth the investment of time to get in to. But what is a shooter without shooting and Ashes 2063 handles its core gameplay aspect as well with the weapons feeling very impactful and lethal. It feels like a very brutal game in terms of its violence but the violence feels very appropriate given the world the game exists within. I won't say it is this deadly serious piece of fiction, but if you're looking for an experience that captures the feeling of surviving the post-apocalypse in the 70s & 80s, look no further than Ashes 2063.
If you like brawlers and are looking for a pretty good homage to Final Fight BUT ESPECIALLY Streets Of Rage 2, here you go. The presentation is very solid and while I didn't personally love the music, it feels very appropriate for Fallen City Brawl. That being said, there are a few issues worth mentioning. Your gameplay experience can vary wildly based on the character you play as. My first time playing was as Iron Jackson which ended with me hitting a game over at the first boss. So I started again as Sgt. Clay and was able to play through to the end in one sitting. In my experience, speed was absolutely the advantage here. I'm interested in trying to play through it a few more times to see what is really different between the characters but I think you should be aware that depending on your play style, you can have a really bad time, depeinding on who you choose to play as. Honestly, I was able to largely breeze through it as Sgt. Clay. And I'm really not very good at these types of games. Additionally, it is a rather short experience. We're talking like, 30-45 minutes. When I arrived at the ending, it definitely felt more than a bit anti-climactic. If you measure your entertainment value by time played, depending on how you play, you may feel a bit underwhelmed. There's also a few weird things with the hitboxes where it definitely felt like I should have been hitting enemies and was absolutely missing them. While it primarily happened when the characters were on the ground, it did happen when I was standing and throwing punches. In fact, I'd sometimes be on top of a character, throwing a punch and it would miss after connecting with the first one. Suffice to say, it felt a bit janky at times. Still, I enjoyed it quite a lot and while it's definitely not an AAA brawler, it was never going to be given its humble roots and I think that if you enjoy this type of experience, it's worth checking out to see if it's your thing.
But maybe not too difficult. After all, I saw people speedrunning this thing without getting hit a single time mere days after the game released. Perhaps I just suck at video games. In which case, maybe this will also be too hard for you. Does that mean you should ignore this if you think it looks cool? No. While it is quite difficult it's still an enjoyable experience. But you should have known that coming from the team that brought you Blasphemous. In fact it almost feels bizarre playing this after years of Metroidvanias with upgrade pathways. You are provided with a reasonably varied toolset of moves and are told "that's it. Go finish this." So it feels a bit strange attempting to double jump only to be reminded that doesn't exist in this game. Not that I'm complaining. It does, for the most part, feel like a fast & fluid platformer with roots in the original Ninja Gaiden. I'm only speculating here since I never really played any of those but I can say that the best way to play this is rushing forward, swinging your sword with abandon and making precision jumps through the stage as fast as possible. Almost as though you yourself ARE the ninja. You must become one with your gamepad. I think perhaps my biggest complaint here is the music, however. I mean, it's competent but I can't really say I love it. It's perfectly adequate hard rock. Maybe it's a little progressive. You know, it's fine. It certainly doesn't have the same urgency that the classic NES soundtrack does. Maybe I'll see how well it plays to that and get back to you on that one. Still, it's a pretty damn good game. My gut says to give this one 4 stars but I feel like I'd be doing that solely because of personal issues I had. I think most people who enjoy this genre and give this one a shot are definitely going to have a great time with it. If it looks cool to you, grab a copy. if $25 USD is too steep, I would say to wait for a sale but it's for sure worth picking up.
I don't buy games new. Ever. But when I saw that GOG was getting SH2 Remake, I knew that I had to pony up for this. If only to continue encouraging Konami to keep supporting GOG as a platform. So yes, if you are like me and you see this on sale for NEARLY 70 DOLLARS, I would say that it is probably worth picking up. Even still, I feel very annoyed that I am being made to pick SH2 remake up on GOG for $70. I am primarily giving my 5 stars for the fact that we're getting a new game from a developer like Konami on here and largely no other reasons. Make no mistake, this game has problems up the wazoo. Do you have less than optimal hardware? Enjoy running this on the lowest settings possible. The reviews which slag this one off for performance aren't joking. Despite the fact that SH2R is caked in fog, this runs like absolute dog water. I remember a time when fog was apparently used to improve performance but apparently the game is rendering each fog particle individually. Obviously this is what is really going to engage the player. But even still this is seemingly a reasonably faithful retelling of Silent Hill 2. More importantly it's here on GOG. I'm not joking when I say that feels like a minor miracle. If you are a great supporter of the platform and love Silent Hill 2 like I do, this one is absolutely a must buy. The question I would pose to you, though - is it worth buying at its suggested retail price of NINETY FOUR CANADIAN DOLLARS? Absolutely not. No way. No how. I picked up Silent Hill 2 on the PS2 for $20 and everyone knows that's the optimal way of playing this game. The pricing is absolutely embarrassing and under no circumstances should you buy it for what they're asking for on here. Make no mistake - it's a great game but you've played it before. Even if the combat system is different, I'm confident in telling you that what they're asking for on every digital platform is unquestionably too much. While it's absolutely worth purchasing, wait for a sale
I hate to rate this a 4 because of how much I loved about it. Don't get me wrong - this is a genuinely phenomenal piece of work in terms of art and presentation but I think most seasoned adventure game vets will find this a bit disappointing because of how easy it is. And I hate to dock this marks for that because of the sheer scope of presentation on display but I want my 4/5 to speak towards the abject quality of Rosewater. The art is phenomenal and the work that has gone in to this is unquestionable but in terms of gameplay, I have to admit that it feels like I'm largely sleepwalking through the puzzles. And if you play adventure games for the puzzles, I don't know if you're going to love this. I'm relatively early into the game (about an hour or so) but so far, I haven't experienced a lot of the classic point & click adventure game experience. That being said, there's a ton about Rosewater that absolutely is worth picking up for. I've previously mentioned the art and the work that's on display here is palpable. This is an absolute testament to how far you can push AGS if you try. Overall, the voice acting is extremely competent. And this is a minor complaint but I kind of wish our heroine may have had an accent that was more in line with the western theme but overall, very solid all around. Again, I hate to rate this lower than a 5 because of the sheer work that is on display here. but as a game, so far I'm not really feeling my experince. Don't get me wrong - the story that's here is enjoyable and if that's more of what you're interested in, don't hesitate to pick up a copy. If you love westerns, grab a copy. But if you grew up with adventure games and expect to bang your head against the wall for months at a time trying to guess the next step in an obtuse 16 step puzzle, you may come out of this a bit disappointed. But even if you did, I think there's plenty otherwise to enjoy here and I would wholeheartedly recommend that you experience this for yourself.
I'm sorry but the very fact that Asylum exists as a product in its final form is 1) very funny to me and 2) reason enough to give it 5 stars. I don't really care at this point. I've been following the project since it was first announced before the Kickstarter and the fact that it's come out is a minor miracle as far as I'm concerned. Don't take this review as being objective or an assessment of the game in general because I have no idea how it is. All I know is that it's here and it's real and at this point I'm actually glad it's here. This is the Duke Nukem Forever of adventure games. And even though I have no doubt it's going to be nowhere near as terrible as that, we have in our hands living history here. And that, as far as I'm concerned, is worth celebrating. | Even if the game's terrible - which I doubt it will be - we have before us a testament to man's hubris. This is not just an artifact of historical value but real-life vaporware made manifest. I don't mind confessing that I am more than a bit awestruck that it exists. There have been entire empires that have risen and felled in the time that it's taken to come out. There is something amazing in how insane that is.
As hyperbolic as the title may be, I think that Sleeping Dogs is one of the few open world games out there that may live up to the hype. Primarily due to a, not well-written but definitely strongly executed story. You've seen it about 1000 times before if you've ever watched a John Woo film. While it isn't particularly unique, it finds itself driven by a strong cast of characters performed by excellent actors that do exactly what they need to in this story. One of the lynchpins to Sleeping Dogs' success is its open world. Which is good because you're going to be driving around it a lot. There is no fast travel here which some may look as a negative but if you think about it, you're here for the journey, not the destination. Enjoy the ride. While there is a nice diversity of cars, you'll probably find yourself leaning towards the faster vehicles. Fortunately, most of them actually handle reasonably well, especially the motorbikes which allow for even more efficient travel across the map. My largest critique would likely be aimed towards the combat. While it serves as the primary driving force of gameplay here, the combat is probably the weakest aspect of Sleeping Dogs. There is a reasonably large variety of melee moves - and you will be using your fists for 90% of the runtime here - fights often find our hapless player mashing the punch button with the occasional counter and grapple thrown in to spice things up. Of course, the graphics probably are not what they used to be back in 2014, but if you're in the market for a game from 2014, something tells me that fidelity is not something you're particuarly worried about. That being said, it's probably not for everybody but I think that if you enjoy open world games, Hong Kong action flicks or Asian gangster movies, this will probably be up your alley. It is absolutely worth picking up, even at its regular price, but given how often it seems to go on discount, it's absolutely a bargain at any price on here.
