Was pleasantly surprised by this one. Dynamic game play, lots of weaponry and vehicles, and well written main story. Blow Stuff Up = FUN! RECOMMEND! P.S. FOV can still be adjusted 2023 through JustFOV Program! Console Porters - include the FOV Slider for PC Players!
TLDR: Would i recommend a game i have to spend a few hours in order to make playable? NO. Decent game which was not made for PC Gamers. I had to spend several hours to make the game work and behave acceptably, so that obviously poisoned my further experience. So take this review with a grain of salt. However. Developers. I am a PC Gamer. More than that, i am your client. And as such i expect specific things in a game when i give you money for it. Instead, i ended up doing your job and fixing things left by your ignorance. 1. The V-Sync is broken and not working as of the date of this review (mid-2022). Good thing NVIDIA control panel has the ability to force V-Sync in specific applications. 2. The Frame rate is locked at 60 FPS (and 30 FPS in cut scenes). Took me a few hours but i found a solution in the form id5Tweaker (thank goodness for that!). 3. The field of view setting is maxed out at 100 (with no weapon scaling) and still looks claustrophobic. Once again - id5Tweaker saved the day there! 4. So in conjunction with a broken V-Sync, 60 FPS, and a field of view of a box the game was looking pretty crappy from the get go. A self-speaking failure for a first impression indeed. But that's not all. 5. So why isn't there a Save Game feature? Wasn't this invented like 100 years ago and used in the original Wolfenstein? Developers, why do you like forcing me to start over and over and over from some ambiguous checkpoint. Do you think i enjoy this experience? Or do you like causing pain? 6. Speaking of check points and inability to save - in a few instances, after i died, i spawned in a new location which i did not reach on the map. Now there is a story submersion bummer if there ever was one. 7. Why can't i skip the intro videos? Am i paying to watch commercials every time the game starts? Yes, i do know "id" made it. Thank you. Got it. Get me playing already! The story is good, the cut scenes are very well made (though limited to 30 FPS), the main characters modeled oh so well and believable (except the protagonist, whose aloof look and cute grimaces make me want to vomit). Indeed, Set Roth's dialogue writing, animation, and voice acting pretty much makes this game and is of superior execution. The game play is - how should i put it - ok, but lacks proper pacing and rhythm; it's juts all over the place. So all in all, developers, i understand your directives came from top, but don't you find it strangely uncanny that in a game about tyrannical overtake, you are rubbing your supporters of freedom of basic control right from the start? And you also like to cause pain? Makes me think about your character and moral values.
Good, albeit overrated game. I would suggest Prey as a better alternative, although set in a Sci-Fi setting. Anyway: Story - Kill Lenin Mechanics - Stealth Skill Tree - Meh Inspirations - Thief, Undying, Bioshock The story is good, well written and presented in a spectacular way. The two smaller Campaign about the Master Assassin Daud are pretty impressive too. The game claims you can play as you like, but even though you can approach a door from the street level or rooftop, the main mechanisms are split between a silent approach and a bombastic entry (which is obviously more lethal to the protagonist). Good stuff. I enjoyed sneaking around a lot. Now to the skill tree. Once you got two main skills (like time freeze and blink) and upgraded your tool of the trade (depending on your approach), there is little use for the upgrades or other skills you can gain, and this part of the game feels lackluster. Compared to "Prey" - the skill tree is uninspired. Good Game. Recommend!
Definitely the best of the series, alas the last, and actually is an exemplary Adventure. My minor nitpick with this one (as well as with Runaway 2) is how quickly it departs from a Physics Nerd protagonist and represents him as a kind of a dumb ass bad boy. Basically, Brian - the protagonist - is like a different character in each implementation of the game. Otherwise - even if you haven't played previous parts, you can dive into this one without being lost. Good plot too.
Good Adventure, but i will not suggest it to new players who should look for more friendly staples. The story is somewhat strained in the beginning, but past chapter 1 it gets better, and the ending actually remedies the lopsided start. The puzzles are ok for the most part, some are believable, others - well, you gotta stretch your imagination and bend the rules a bit to count them valid puzzles. The main problem is the intentional item hiding on the designer's side. Terrible pixel hunting. Sometimes the protagonist enters an area and covers the item which is already hard to spot by default. I mean, Dev's, this game is oldish, i get it - but why would you hide things from the player in an Adventure genre? Why? I played all 3 games of the series. The last implementation is the best and resolves pretty much all my complains for the first two parts.
I was looking for a race game with a career path (race for money, buy cars, repair, etc.). This isn't it. However, it's a fun and solid arcade street race game! RECOMMEND!
Good. Plot could have been taken deeper, but instead felt rushed and a bit flat without a tangible closure at the end. The dramatic ending was also thrown off by the tediousness of the hard end-puzzle. Super voice-acting, creative visuals, atmospheric backdrop and theme. RECOMMEND.
I will recommend it for $1. It simply isn’t worth more. The game offers very fun mechanics of economy and management. And even though it lacks depth, the pitfall is that while offering solid mechanisms in plantation management and trading, it for some reason concentrates on getting paintings. I would welcome this game more warmly if it did the reverse and offered masterpiece-hunting as a secondary mechanic – not the main focus of the game. Also, the game lacks a tutorial and tooltips / info of functions, and it becomes repetitive very fast. If you like something similar but deeper and better made (also – well aged) look into Patrician 3.
It's alright for what it is - simple and light RTS with unit-building (and no Building-building, from what i see). Although i only played against the PC (be aware - from what i hear - there is no online community for this game).
Continues to be innovative! Very cool puzzles and overall solving mechanic in this episode. Also, this season so far really feels continuous. My favorite ending (?) is here :)
Specific to this Season: I did not enjoy the controls! (Both keyboard/mouse and controller). Beginning seems forced, probably due to the design choice to shock and defamiliarize the audience. But stick with it – I finished the Season, and IS GOOD! Sam is still Sam, and Max is still ol' Max! :) Season 3 is pretty weird (wouldn’t be Sam and Max otherwise) and good. I enjoyed it as well as other seasons, although I think Season 2 is my favorite so far. Sam and Max and other characters become more familiar and more lovable, the level of professional voice-acting should be an example to 99% of today’s games out there. The plot is ridiculous, and funny, yet is an integrated part of the entire satirical whole, where puzzle solving is outrageous and ingenious at the same time, while being absurdly logical, implausible, improbable, and ludicrous. If for some reason you are reading this review without playing Season 1 and 2 – I HIGHLY RECOMMEND trying those. It might be odd at first, but stick to it and the series will reward you.
Once again, solid conclusion to the Season, which seems longer than Season 1 (although, I might be mistaking). Full of surprises, Season 2 arches nicely, uniting partially revealed main story and subplots of other episodes. Characters are more developed, voice acting is superb, jokes witty and pleasant, and Max – well – is Max! ENJOY!
In essence, this is Assassin’s Creed. And I don’t like Assassins’ Creed. But if you’re a fan of Assassin’s Creed – give yourself (and this game) a Thumbs Up! Is Shadow of Mordor an RPG? Definitely No. There are no dialogue trees, no character selection, and all side “quests” or more properly – missions, degrade into assassinating an urk, or whatever. Is it Open World? Not really. While the scale of the map is extensive, there is no element of exploring (think Fallout 3 / New Vegas), and all the locations you discover are by no means locales (like villages with interesting NPC’s) but rather places where the aforementioned target for your assassination is awaiting his doom by your hand. Is there Character Development? (Potential spoilers) Eh . . . There are skill points you spend to “develop” your character, but all the progress concentrates on combat skills and weapons (obviously, since we already established that this is not an RPG, and skill point cannot be sunk into trade skill, or speech, ect). I see this more in the same venue as weapon upgrading, not character “development.” Having said all of this, here’s where I see Computer Gaming. When I want a story – I read a book. When I seek atmosphere – I listen to music. When I require a mental challenge – I play board games with friends. A Computer Game is unique in that it is able to unite all of those things together. A good computer game can, at least. Middle Earth – Shadow of Mordor is not that game. While having decent mechanics and a good story it simply does not have a good gameplay. You get the gist of what the entire playthrough will be like in the first 15 minutes or so – run, kill, run, kill, upgrade, run, kill more of the same – no rest for you, because you’re dead or something. Ahm, ok. I don’t find such a gameplay fun, which unfortunately I have to bear through to uncover the story. Speaking of which. The Story is not only the plot but also the telling. Shadow of Mordor’s pace is sheer madness – there is no pause, no place to take a break, the urks are constantly spawning, the bosses continually appearing if you’re killed, and so on. So, of course it is different for everybody, but I want my Tolkien story told by a gray-bearded Socrates looking grandpa, who is peacefully puffing on his cavendish cherry-wood pipe, while turning the burning coals in the fire and sipping his chamomile tea, NOT by a speed-junky, who yells out an extremely abridged “Hobbit” in 3 seconds while flying past me on a motorcycle. That’s Shadow of Mordor’s story-telling. So in short, i feel like the game is punishing me for wanting to uncover the plot of the story. I simply can't move through the main plot at my own speed - i need to do that by grinding through irrelevant, monotonous, repeatative assassination missions. And that is just not my idea of fun. Sounds more like work and a waste of time - unfortunately, to get through the story i am forced to those tedious things. To Devs / Publishers: When porting, please, start implementing FOV sliders for PC Gamers. Yes, we PC Gamers get it – Consoles are the future, and console owners are your target group. But here’s the thing – we, PC Gamers, still pay you money. Why not make us happy, and throw in a freebie in the form of the NORMAL, expanded FOV. Instead of this Game, try these for an RPG experience: Fallout 3 (+ New Vegas) Dragon Age Origins Games Similar to Shadow of Mordor, but which i think are better: Saints Row the Third Darksiders Red Faction: Guerrilla Red Faction: Armageddon Just Cause 2 And of course i highly recommend reading Tolkien - BOOKS RULE! P.S. Finally finished it. Really had to force myself to play at times - ok story, but the grindy gameplay just ruins the joy.
Good 4X. Although if you are not waging war, gameplay becomes somewhat boring, since you cannot overtake Star System any other way, such as through influence. Good 4X.
If you are playing Season 2, then you have probably played Season 1. Well, Season 2 does not disappoint. Episode 1 is nice and twisty, while the entire Second Season progresses smoothly and develops into a very well-written story. Sam and Max and other characters become more familiar and more lovable, the level of professional voice-acting should be an example to 99% of today’s games out there. The plot is ridiculous, and funny, yet is an integrated part of the entire satirical whole, where puzzle solving is outrageous and ingenious at the same time, while being absurdly logical, implausible, improbable, and ludicrous. But if for some reason you are reading this review without playing Season 1 – I HIGHLY RECOMMEND trying it. It might be odd at first, but stick to it and the series will reward you.
Solid conclusion to Season 1. Overall, this is a Great game, and unfortunately fell under the radar. Absolutely Recommend. You might also enjoy and/or appreciate the inspiration behind Edna and Harvey.
A Great game, but unfortunately fell under the radar. To those who has never played the original (Classic), this might seem a bit strange. The writing is dense, and the wordplay of jokes might be overwhelming and complex – some of the humor truly is designed for a written medium, not a video game. However, with each episode, the linguistic complexity of dialogues subsides, bringing it closer to the level of the target audience – video gamers. And even though I love and appreciate the advance depth, intelligence, and wit behind satiric constructs of the series, dumbing it down as the Season progresses helps to bring in the audience (alas, perhaps, too late). Nonetheless. Solid Adventure – puzzles range from easy to medium, voice acting is exemplary, plot of the First Season is fun and fit the mood of the protagonist duo Sam and Max (and the lore, of course), characters are lovable and well developed. Some of the music gets pretty annoying and repetitive – staying, in fact, unchanged, from episode to episode – but that’s a minor price to pay for a great Adventure. Absolutely and Highly Recommend. You might also enjoy and/or appreciate the inspiration behind Edna and Harvey.
Very solid, classic Adventure. I like Shadow of the Templars more for its historicity and a mystical atmosphere. The Smoking Mirror has a Mayan theme at its core, but its implemented more satirically, so the mysticism and historical relevance does not come through as in the first Broken Sword. Nonetheless, very good game. Excellent dialogue and exemplary narration throughout, fun situations and puzzles, which range in difficulties from easy to medium, flashed out characters, and lovable and charismatic protagonist whose company makes the hours spent in game worth every minute. P.S. Played the Original (you get it for free as a DLC once you buy Remastered), because I was disappointed in the BS-1’s Director’s Cut. Enjoyed the original tremendously, and from what I know, BS-2: Remastered does not change the narrative and plot (as BS-1: Director’s Cut did) but introduces minor visual UI improvements and the Diary, along with a comic-strip style narration, basically. So, don't hesitate to play the Remastered. ENJOY!
Director's Cut is actually that - CUT - although with improved visuals. Director’s Cut also changes the narration by altering the story from the very beginning. Instead, I suggest you Play the Classic (Original) version available as a free DLC. (Tip: In SCUMM VM Set the Graphics to OpenGL (No Filtering) / VGA / Fullscreen Mode). The game aged extremely well. Superb and intelligent dialogue writing, phenomenal voice acting, massive amount of content, long and fulfilling Adventure, grabbing mysterious plot, cute hand-drawn animation. Alas, a somewhat hurried ending. If you’re an adventure aficionado – you’ve already played it. If you are a novice in this genre – it is a must - for it really is worth a dozen of most contemporary-made Adventures.
5.5 hrs on record Third in a Blackwell Series. Took a bit over 5 hours to complete. A tiny bit more polished than previous chapters, although with a couple of hard-handed inconsistencies i narrative. The story is more complex and builds on previous plots. Short but nice, with minimal inventory interaction.
Second game in a series. Very good voicing, not hard. Story is overall better than in the Legacy, improved dialogue and music. Finished in about 7 hrs.
Seemingly simplistic, Kingdom: Nothing Lasts (aka Classic) achieves an impressive depth by using its limited components with extreme agility and thought. Surprisingly well designed and superbly balanced, this visually one-dimensional game is a joy to play. And if you have a controller – you can play Kingdom with just one hand! Tip: If you're new to Kingdom - begin with New Lands. HIGHLY RECOMMEND.
Seemingly simplistic, Kingdom: New Lands achieves an impressive depth by using its limited components with extreme agility and thought. Surprisingly well designed and superbly balanced, this visually one-dimensional game is a joy to play. And if you have a controller – you can play Kingdom with just one hand! HIGHLY RECOMMEND.
It aged ok. A casual model designer more than anything else. No strategy really. My favorite two phases are Cell and Space Exploration. I still recommend because this is an example **** project pulled off. Quite a fit!
