Artinuis

Anyone who enjoyed Diablo 2 (especially the Median XL mods) will find the game they have been looking for in Path of Exile. There are many things that make PoE great, but the one that stands out the most is build diversity. You can make literally dozens of characters that all have real, functionally different play-styles. If you get bored of one character, there's always another build to try (whether based on Keystone passives, or unique items). Finding combinations of passives, skill gems, support gems, and unique items that work well together is the core strategy aspect of this game. Oh, it's also FREE and (starting October 23) will be available (for FREE) on Steam. The game will continue to receive meaningful updates (skills, uniqes, new playable areas, etc.) *frequently* for the forseeable future (1 year+ guaranteed). The negative aspects are as other reviewers have mentioned: non-negligible desynchronization issues sometimes causes unpreventable deaths, and issues with item crafting feeling more like gambling than upgrading. The developers have already stated that they do not like the current crafting system, and have hinted that the system will be changed or even overhauled, whereas the desync issue is their biggest headache and may not be entirely fixable based on how their server/client system currently operates. These problems, among a small selection of minor issues, are why I did not give it a 10/10. Regardless, as a long time ARPG player, I can safely say that PoE has set the bar higher than all who have come before.

Fiendishly difficult, but every death teaches you something. The game is still in beta as of Dec 2012, and requires a donation for beta access (there is an alpha version that is free and is fully functional and fun in its own right). Many times in a round I'll find myself scratching my head for a full few minutes trying to decide the best course of action. The strategies and tactics are surprisingly deep, however there are many optional (yet reward giving) tutorials in the form of (sometimes infuriatingly difficult) puzzles to help players learn advanced tricks and character/race tips. The downsides are mainly in the lack of features as it is still in beta, and for this reviewer, a sense of difficulty almost unto exasperation with the game. However, fans of Dungeon Crawl: Stone Soup and crawler games et al. will find a welcome addition to their rouge-like repertoire.

While simplistic in appearance and controls, a relatively* great amount of depth is to be found in the gameplay's strategy. *[I say relatively because the game is so cheap (I picked the game up on Steam during a sale where it was 60% off (~$3))]. The game perfectly captures the rogue-like draw of finding, yes, loot. It's more than the +/+ or +/- "longsword" loot variation, the game incorporates unique character modifiers and elemental type damages, as well as their corresponding resistances (or vulnerabilities) for both you and monsters. As far as the hacking and slashing go, there is plenty of it if you choose a melee character, but there are also wizard and archer classes. Additionally you can effectively be two classes, say a primary melee, but also carry a bow. I suspect that most of the negative reviews are due to the incredibly steep difficultly at the very start (first few turns) of most runs. While I don't mind swinging out of the gate, it can be a bit frustrating having to start 10, 15, 20, or more games before you get one that starts doing well. The game gets easier as you go through the first two floors, then picks up the difficulty again near the end, making the difficulty curve like an upside-down bell curve. All said, the game is often frustrating until you get a character that can survive for half a floor, at which point the game turns into one of the most enjoyable rouge-likes I've ever played.