Like most I played this (and probably most other Apogee games) as a shareware version in the 90s, so I only knew the first few levels. Getting the to play the full version was great and the HD facelift makes the game highly playable in modern systems, while still preserving the charming, old school aesthetics we all know and love. Up to halfway through the second episode the game is fun, creative and exciting. However towards the end of the second episode and for most of the third, it's like they ran out of steam and just started throwing stuff together to have a full game. The backdrops get repetitive and uninspired but most importantly, level design suffers greatly leading to some annoying and frustrating situations, including some minor bugs. The controls are also slow and a bit stiff compared to a modern action-platformer. Overall, and despite these shortcomings, Monster Bash is still fun and absolutely worth playing. A true remake would be amazing though. Until then, I'm happy to purchase "HD" versions of all these Apogee games from my childhood.
I don't play sports video games but I do like old school arcade games and this is just that: quick, fast-paced action on top of a simple soccer game. It is fun, simple and addictive. HOWEVER: it has bugs and glitches, gamepad support is poor and the keyboard cannot be reassigned, the interface and menus are very barebones, and the settings are very basic. It seems to work well enough in ultrawide resolution though! Regarding gameplay, it's powered-up, trimmed down soccer but I wished they went the NBA Jam route and included flashier, arcadey moves (perhaps charged by a meter?). Defending is very awkward because the marker is not easy to see, so it's hard to track which player you're controlling and especially so in 2 player mode, but the most annoying issue is how clunky player switching is and will almost never send you where you want. A less significant issue is that there doesn't appear to be much skill difference across teams. The game is pretty fun nevertheless, 3/5 as it is but it could be great with some improvements.
Like everybody said this game is similar to Max Payne and Alan Wake, but ironically one of its weakest features are the controls/mechanics. The setting is about supernatural events and abilities and so combat is mostly based on throwing stuff, dodging and shooting, but in many parts the sheer amount of enemies and their massive shields results in the controls feeling clunky and stiff. Beyond that, the combat mechanics are very repetitive and do get boring quickly, not unlike Alan Wake but not quite as cinematic. One of my biggest complaints is that saves are based on checkpoints so if something goes wrong, you restart from all the way back. Enemies don't respawn right away but it kills the mood. Other than that, the graphics are excellent, the art direction and aesthetics are great and the story is quite good and interesting. It seems like it was written in a convoluted way, somewhat reminiscent of dream logic on purpose, to emphasize the "weirdness" of the setting and the bureau's work. But hey, it works! Even though I did enjoy this game, the large amounts of repetitive combat were pretty annoying and the clunky controls combined with respawn points make it just a bit frustrating as well. I really wanted to like this game but ended up finding it just OK. I'd say it's worth checking out at least for the visuals and story.
The game starts off with potential, it has an interesting atmosphere and great artwork, but soon degrades into a sequence of arbitrary steps. From far-fetched item combinations to useless item descriptions, to extremely awkward and ambiguous writing. The story is OK but mostly incoherent, following dream-like rules, and despite this the game constantly reprimands the player for attempting possible solutions (that often make more sense than the game's intended solution). The voice acting is unimpressive, but in particular the main character is overacted and melodramatic. For some odd reason the game seems to contain a lot of (English) grammatical errors and awkard phrasing that disrupts the overall experience. On the other hand, the music and sound design is nice but it is not enough to save the game. As an old-school adventure gamer that's been around for a while, I found this game annoying and a bit frustrating. It baits you into playing, because it looks good, but the execution is clunky and awkward. You can safely skip this game.
I don't get the hate. As a veteran of BG and BG2 myself I was honestly surprised at how decent this version is. Running BG on anything more recent than an early 2000's computer required a bunch of mods and tweaks and the result was a playable but somewhat unstable experience (BGTutu and Nvidia degreenifier? No thanks). Yes, the mods were free, and their significance has never been played down by the community. The Enhanced Edition however does more than just package a bunch of "free" mods together: as of this review, this is arguably the best BG & Tales of the Sword Coast experience available. It is smooth, it is sleek, it is stable. Yes, they changed the UI, tweaked some rules, added a bunch of nonsense companions and some new locations. Who cares? Just ignore them! The graphics can be zoomed to look as small or big as you want, and the game looks fantastic even on high resolutions and ultrawide screens. NPCs come pre-scripted to attack and use spells and abilities automatically, but this can be easily customized or turned off (this is why they "cast spells", they are not ignoring commands!). Even as a long time fan I have to admit that at least for modern systems, this is the best BG1 & TotSC experience available despite the changes, and it runs flawlessly in both Linux and Windows. The additions are crappy and should be ignored, but the core game is still as relevant as it was back then. Considering that people still pay $60 for generic 10 hour games I don't think $20 for this is bad, but if you see it on sale it is a no brainer.
When BG2 was released 20 years ago it changed everything: no other game had the scope, the impact, the variety, the depth or the appeal. BG2 may not be the pinnacle of writing, but it is the first computer RPG to get every single thing right: exploration, adventure, interaction, dialogue, storytelling, tactical combat, all wrapped up in a serviceable implementation of AD&D 2.0. BG2 was for many years the measuring stick of cRPGs and I think in many ways it still is. Years later the game required several mods and patches to run in modern systems, and it was possible to get a decent but less than ideal experience. At first the EE seemed like a cheap cash grab but I am glad I gave them a chance. After playing both BG EE and BG2 EE, I can honestly say these are the definitive editions and despite some questionable choices, Beamdog managed to give these games at least another decade of life and potentially introduce them to a whole new generation of gamers. As of 2020, this is the most polished, smooth and stable version of BG2 I ever played. It also comes with some quality of life modifications (larger item stacks, quick loot bar, etc.) and the graphics scale beautifully even in high ultrawide resolutions. I have found zero technical issues and apart from some cosmetic changes and new menu screens, the game is the same I played back then. I do not care much for the new Enhanced Edition content, but at least the new companions are not terrible. The difference in writing and style is noticeable in the new content but it doesn't stand out horribly. You can however easily skip all of that and just play the game as before. Despite its age, BG2 is still as engaging and fascinating as ever. It has that special *something* that makes it unique, even if in some ways it does feel a little dated. This here is a rejuvenated version of a timeless classic that is still relevant - and a must play - in 2020.
First of all this game is beautiful, the backdrops are all made out of cardboard, paper and other materials and painstakingly photographed, and the characters are all stop-motion animated. This is what got me and my wife into the game in the first place. The story is quite good and interesting, decently written with acceptable dialogue lines. As an adventure game it is good, but not mind blowing: the puzzles are pretty straightforward and require some amount of backtracking. It is overall a very decent adventure game worth playing... but for us it has one issue: while the game clearly approaches some delicate topics, such as parenthood and pregnancy, it takes a somewhat dark turn towards the end that becomes quite preachy with all and a strong opinion/statement disguised as a game element. The idea of using media such as games as a platform for one or another PERSONAL agenda honestly bothered us. I do think that games, as an art form, can also provide some insight and awareness for social issues (eg.: The Cat Lady, a game about depression and loneliness or Fran Bow, a game about child mental illness), but this game wants you to pick a side on a matter of personal choice. This soured the game a little bit and also cheapened the ending and the writing quality. Ultimately 99% of the game is good, it has very, very nice graphics and OK gameplay/puzzles, but like I said the ending is unsatisfactory and compromised by a decision to meddle in personal opinions.
I have played many cRPG"s since the days of Baldur's Gate and Fallout. More often than not these are very fun games. Every once in a while an incredibly well designed game comes out and manages to balance all aspects from writing and narrative to gameplay marvelously. This is the case with games that become the measuring stick of a generation, such as Baldur's Gate 2 and Pillars of Eternity. Rarely do we get to experience truly special cRPG's that while imperfect, push the envelop of traditional media and defy our expectations of games and literature, and simply sit at the far end of that measuring stick. This was the case once with Planescape: Torment, a unique game with thoughtful narrative, high quality writing and elaborate RP-mechanics. I suggest we name Tyranny the PS:T of our generation: it has the most unique mythology we've seen in games in years, the writing is excellent, the RP-mechanics are deeply fleshed out, the world truly responds to our choices and actions, and, despite not being a very long game (40ish hours), it manages to deliver a true literary experience rarely found in cRPG's anymore. If you like any of these things, you should most definitely play Tyranny. It is a shame we don't get many games like these anymore but here's hoping Obsidian will be *allowed* (by their new corporate overlords) to release excellent, thoughtful games like these in the future, even if they don't appeal to a wide crowd.
Now this truly is a GOOD OLD GAME. Forget everything you think you know about the infamous Episode 1: this game is the true legend. Essentially it's a high speed racer in the style of F-Zero and other console games, but the controls (keyboard) are incredibly tight and responsive, gameplay is flawless and tracks are all superb and full of little twists and secrets. There simply is no other game like this for the computer, period. I haven't played this in a long time because it was hard getting it to run on anything modern than an early 2000's computer, so thank you GOG for that too. I confess I haven't yet tried this version of the game, but I will update my review if for some reason it doesn't run well. The game itself, though, is excellent and strongly recommended. And don't mind the ugly, early 3D polygons; you'll be going so fast it won't matter.
