Skizzzo63

I LOVED the original Half-Life. It was amazing; best game of its era. I thought Black Mesa (BM) would improve the experience; I was wrong, it made it worse. - First of all, BM feels old, "dated". Being a copy of a 1998 game it's normal, in a way. But one expects BM to improve on it and feeling fresher. It doesn't. It looks and feels worse than Half-Life 2. The game-play feels like the old HL, just with more tedium and less spark. - Second, they remade most maps, making them LONGER and often more convoluted. Do you think traipsing over a 3 miles long corridor or tunnel is more fun than a 1 mile long one? Nope: it's more boring and feels a chore. Actually a good chunk of BM feels like a chore, while most of HL felt like thrill and adventure. - BM is a typical example of "Just because you can (e.g. make longer levels), doesn't mean you should". It looks like BM developers believe "The more the better". Nope: the more I play BM, the more I hope it ends soon. Curiously, the first and latest chapters are the worst: at the beginning you have long samey corridors, vents and tunnels; at the end you have a looong and tedious battle with a (seeming un-killable) boss (Gonarch), and a looong and a bit less tedious ascension in a maze-like conveyor-belt "factory", with puzzles galore. I would give these chapters a 4. The middle game is quite better, with lots of action and variety and correct chapter length. All in all, I cannot give the whole game more than a 6 - being generous. Let's just say I was really glad it ended.

It's a good shooter, sometimes a pretty fun one. But it's not a great one. It lacks a "wow" factor the first Crysis had. Speaking as a PC gamer, it feels like it has been "dumbed down" somehow for consoles. The campaign is relatively short (10-15 hrs). Enemies are reactive, although not really smart. Weapons are varied and satisfying. Although you are in metropolis (NY), most of the time it doesn't feel like it: you feel like you're in a strictly confined urban area. Usually you can choose among several paths, but sometimes you can just go down a corridor. All in all, a good and fun shooter, with the suit offering tactical options. But while playing I often had the feeling it could have been more, something great... but it hasn't.

Supraland is a real gem: funny and cute, enchanting and full of ideas... and when you consider it was made by just one man, it's really astonishing! Usually I'm not a fan of platformers nor puzzle games (I hate the first, and I'm lousy with the second), yet here I managed most platforming and I was able to guess around half puzzles by myself. This means that, without a good walkthrough, I would have been utterly stumped (as I usually am with puzzle games). Thanks to Internet help, though, I was able to finish the game and enjoying myself. Why just 7, then? Mostly because the game drags on for too long (for me, at least), and at around half it became a slog: I wanted to finish it as soon as possible. - Perhaps because of all the puzzles when I couldn't figure out the solution, and I had to switch to the walkthrough over and over. - Perhaps for all the monsters that popped out frequently and had to be dealt with, breaking the pace. IMHO there's too much to do: puzzles to solve, enemies to kill (but they respawn), areas to explore, secrets to find, upgrades to get... over and over again. It's like with some open world games, so filled with activities they feel like a job in the end. But that's just me :-) Maybe you will have the best of time - especially if you're good with puzzles.

This game is immediately overwhelming and punishing (in the second mission already). Or maybe I just ****, who knows. Besides that, the weapon crafting system (a crucial part of the game) is never explained. Hence the player is left wondering what X does and where Y goes - resulting in being under-powered and dying. You could experiment, of course... save for the fact that when you die, you LOSE all of the weapon parts you used. That strongly discourages experimentation, so it goes against the game own focus.

Good game for masochists. Or for people who has lots of time to waste (for repeating the same sections and enemies again and again after every mistake). Alas, I'm neither. The game itself is well done, but it's exacting and punishing (that's how Souls-lover like them, I suppose). You cannot change the difficulty, you cannot save any time you want, and many moves (e.g. parrying) require exact timing - or they don't work. And to improve your stats (spending the stingy Tar currency), you need to grind A LOT, killing the same enemies over and over and over. And over. So, unless you're really good and you can kill a boss without dying dozens of times (i.e. not me), this games is much more stress than fun. After I died and lost my gains, currency and bonuses for the Nth time, because I couldn't handle an enemy, and I had to restart that whole section for the third time, I simply told the game "Fxxx You!" and deleted it. Yeah, much better. :-)

The Cons made me stop playing, so I couldn't find any Pros yet. * You cannot remap keys. SERIOUSLY? I hate WASD, it makes me move like a drunken monkey. * Bad optimization. My PC is well within recommended specs, yet the game runs at 10-15 fps max, very jerky. * The first enemy is a friggin' BOSS, in a small arena, and she moves all the time. Add the jerkyness mentioned above, and she killed me before I could put a dent in her long health-bar. ---> My judgment: not worth my time. YMMV.

Prey is sublime: it's gaming as an art form. Like Deus Ex and Bioshock, it creates a fantastic and believable world, and gives you almost total freedom: you can develop your character the way you want, go wherever you want when you want (with some limits at the beginning), play the way you want, surmount obstacles with the tricks you prefer... and you can plan your strategy at your leisure. Prey immerses the player in this awesome space station (the architecture is breath-taking), it gives him lots of tools and toys, and it lets him play freely with them. It's no surprise some people replay it many times: it's because the game allows you to make what you want of it.

In its original form, Mooncrash is a game for masochists. For people who likes to be constrained and punished. I played it with mods to make it easier and without a timer, and I still often found it stressful and frustrating. Prey (the main game) is sublime: it gives you almost total freedom, you can develop your character the way you want, go wherever you want when you want (with some limits), play the way you want, surmount obstacles with the tricks you prefer... and you can plan your strategy at your leisure. Not here: in Mooncrash every character is limited in his own way, resources are random so you might not find what you need for your play-style, you will often lack what you need or want, and on top of this the ticking timer will push you towards avoid exploring. It's rage-inducing. With Prey you are given a vast and wonderful world, and the freedom to enjoy it however you like. With Mooncrash, you are limited at every step you take. Some might find this a delightful challenge, I found it infuriating. Thank God for the mods: without them, my score would be ZERO (because I would have never finished the damn thing). *** EDITED: Score lowered to 5 (from 6) When playing with my third character, I got the Hemorrage trauma: this makes you bleed any time you jump or run, so you're stuck with slowly walking (good luck when you have an enemy on your heel!). I searched for the healing gel anywhere, nope (resources are RNG). Therefore I'm forced to play NOT jumping, NOT running, NOT falling, because the devs thought it would OK handicapping your character without any way to heal him (you could use a Medical Operator, but they are nowhere to be found). WTF! Because of bugs or game quirks, I had to repeat my final mission (Volunteer) 7 or 8 times; I was close to give it up for good. When I finally got it and I finished the game, I felt elated because I would never ever have to play that game anymore.

Supraland is a real gem: funny and cute, enchanting and full of ideas... and when you consider it was made by just one man, it's really astonishing! Usually I'm not a fan of platformers nor puzzle games (I hate the first, and I'm lousy with the second), yet here I managed most platforming and I was able to guess around half puzzles by myself. This means that, without a good walkthrough, I would have been utterly stumped (as I usually am with puzzle games). Thanks to Internet help, though, I was able to finish the game and enjoying myself. Why just 7, then? Mostly because the game drags on for too long (for me, at least), and at around half it became a slog: I wanted to finish it as soon as possible. - Perhaps because of all the puzzles when I couldn't figure out the solution, and I had to switch to the walkthrough over and over. - Perhaps for all the monsters that popped out frequently and had to be dealt with, breaking the pace. IMHO there's too much to do: puzzles to solve, enemies to kill (but they respawn), areas to explore, secrets to find, upgrades to get... over and over again. It's like with some open world games, so filled with activities they feel like a job in the end. But that's just me :-) Maybe you will have the best of time - especially if you're good with puzzles.

It was quite ok, clever and ironic and challenging but not too hard... until the Snek puzzle (similar to Snake game): this is luck-based, since you might find yourself locked in your own lines - and you will, several times. After a handful of tries, I quit in frustration. A puzzle games should be based on thinking and creativity, not pure luck. I have better thing to do than waste my time repeatedly attempting such a stupid puzzle: stopped and uninstalled. Too bad, since it seemed really well done. But getting stuck like this even in the first area, made me think "I have better games to spend my time with".

It's very complex, and tutorials give just basic instructions. Nothing about management of the game, logistics, orders, and how to get equipment. After reading some articles for Enlisted beginners, I was none the wiser. I think it requires lots of study and practice and delving into it... but I'm not in the mood for that.

This game has evolved. People's opinion about it has (mostly) not. When it came out, it was quite buggy and disappointed most of the players (hence the horrible ratings). But don't let the past fool you: the developer worked hard at it, and nowadays (it's 2021) the game runs smoothly and bug-free (on PC, at least, I don't know about consoles, but I presume it has been fixed there as well). And it is a beautiful game: I enjoyed it a lot, and I'm considering a second run (something I seldom do). It's kind of a mix between an urban Far Cry, Call of Duty, and a bit of Deus Ex. So, if you're doubtful about it, don't listen to most of the old reviews, and try to read some recent ones. You might discover a great, fun game :-)

TL;DR: Competent - but linear - gameplay, convoluted story, terrible items management and saving system. I know I'm in the minority, but I found BI disappointing. Mind you, it's not bad, but I found its gameplay to be... average. After having loved both Bioshock (BS) 1 and 2, I found BI less entertaining, more linear and less strategic. The visuals are stunning, sure, but: the gameplay is similar to many other games, you need to search everywhere for money (otherwise your weapons and vigors will remain weak), you can go on those rails-in-the-sky only when the game decides you can. And, you cannot plan in advance your boss battles (like you could in BS 1-2): the heaviest enemy, the Handyman, jumps around like crazy, so setting traps is useless; you better run around and jump on and off the rails. Again, this doesn't mean is bad, just... not much fun. I'd give the gameplay a 7. The real issues are 2: item managements and saves (or lack of it): - The item management is AWFUL: you can only carry TWO weapons (!), you can fast-switch only TWO vigors, and you have only FOUR slots for gears. That means, every time you meet a different enemy, you should stop the game and select different vigors and gears for best effects. It breaks the flow and immersion (BS 1-2 were much better at this). - The saving system is TERRIBLE: there's only checkpoints, and they're often far away. Besides, it's easy not noticing the "Saving" icon, so you often don't know the last time the game saved your progress: you could easily lose two hours of play, and the game may not even inform you. Sometimes I played for hours (even when I wanted to stop), just to arrive to a point where I was sure the game saved. Truly infuriating. Hence, to me items management and saving system do not deserve better than a 4. I mean, they did a lot better in BS 1-2, why oh why BI become way worse?!? In the end, I'd make an average and my vote is 6. What a pity. BI could have been great, but an average gameplay and some really stupid interface choices almost ruined it. And what about the story and Elizabeth? Well, the story is original and interesting, but the way it's narrated doesn't work much. It's confusing and not fluid. Elizabeth has personality, but I didn't like her much: she's often pouting or angry looking at me (hey, I'm saving your bacon, lady!), and she doesn't develop a good relationship. Alyx in Half-Life 2 was a way more captivating companion, someone I truly cared about; Elizabeth... c'mon, lady, do I have to look for you half the game? Do I really?!?

Rated 3 because this game is extremely punishing, unhelpful and frustrating. It's a pity because the idea is original, the visuals are breath-taking, and the concept of parkour could be fun - and it is when it all goes well. But many times it doesn't: often you don't know what to do or where to go, sometimes you are followed by shooting cops, and you have to go by trial and error. Add to this the frustrating checkpoint-only save system, and many times you have to repeat the same sequence over and over. It quickly turn from fun to agony. Compare this with a game like Warframe, where the parkour is well implemented and the game is forgiving your mistakes, and you might think ME's developer wanted to punish their players. Because in ME there's no way in hell you'll be forgiven: you either get everything right, or you cannot progress in the game, period. In my copy (bought on GOG), not even the cheat codes worked. No way, Jose: you have to suffer to the very least. After hours of frustration, I stopped playing ME at half game: I dislike not finishing a game, but ME had become the opposite of fun.

My real vote is 4, but since this is an indie project created by a lone individual, I'd give it one more point (after all, comparing it to AAA games wouldn't be fair). Yes, I suffered for most of the game, and I couldn't wait for it to end. I would happily RUN to the end if I could - but I couldn't, since in this game you cannot run, EVER. So this is literally a WALKING simulator - and a jumping platformer. I have to say I HATE platformers, so my vote could be influenced by that. So in this game you WALK (a lot!), you JUMP (often), and you solve some simple puzzle. Nothing else. The gameplay is this simple, and it gets boring soon. The game is totally linear, too: you must follow the preset direction and sequence of events, no more, no less. There's no strategy or creative thinking involved. You just follow the path, read some bits of story, until the end. On the plus side, the music is nice and evocative, the vistas are interesting (although the engine looks like something from the 2000s), and the story makes you want to know what happened on the planet. But even the story is disappointing in the end. All in all, the game could have been worth a 5 or even a 6, if it would have been shorter. I would have enjoyed it much more if it lasted like three hours. But with a gameplay so basic, the boredom of walking a lot, and the continuous platforming, it becomes a chore fast. So I spent the last 2 to 3 hours wishing it would just end - and tempted to quit it. Thank god I received it for free from Epic Games. But even being free, I was disappointed. The developer had nice ideas and you see he put a great effort into it (the world is built with care). But it looks like he put lots of the same gameplay, again and again, to make the game longer: this way, instead of making the game more satisfying, it just made it more boring.

I know I'm in the minority, but I didn't like much this expansion. And it's not because I don't like BioShock: I played (and enjoyed) both BS 1 and 2 multiple times. Honestly, I don't get why Minerva's Den is so celebrated. I found it boring, repetitive and uninspiring (compared to the full games, of course). I couldn't wait for it to end, so I could go to my next game (Bioshock Infinite, if you wanna know). Let's put aside, for a moment, the fact that it crashes every now and then (at the beginning, at least). If you quick-save often, this is just a minor hassle. The real problem is, you have to do the very same stuff over and over again, and in environments that all looks the same: brownish-gray, smallish and cramped. Gone are the vast places that you could explore at your leisure, find always something new, and use to set up elaborate strategies against your enemies. Here you just have to: kill splicers, kill Big Daddy, use Little Sister to get Adam, kill more splicers, acquire new powers - rinse and repeat. Oh, and the story is nothing to write home about, IMHO. Besides, the course of action is almost always pre-set; I mean, you don't have much freedom about what to do next. You have to go to A, but you lack power B, so you need to go to C, find that power, and then go back to A. All in all, it's not bad. It just feels mediocre, repetitive and boring - especially when you already have enjoyed the vastly superior experience of BS 1 and 2. Since most people seem to love Minerva's Den, though, YMMV. But be warned, because you might not :-)

What a mess. Gameplay is dull and frustrating, weapons are unresponsive, movement is jerky, what you have to do is often unexplained or unclear... All in all, this is the least fun game I've played in ages. At the second "boss battle" I encountered (quite early on), I just quit: I had only a pistol... to handle a boss?!? (and flying ghosts too!). Other issues: - When you get the machine gun (huge recoil), you lose the rifle (but you don't know it), so after mowing down 2 or 3 enemies (MG bullets last that long), you remain with just the pistol. WTF! - Enemies often swarm you, but don't worry: you never die (on Normal difficulty at least). So you feel overwhelmed and immortal at the same time! - You can't kill MG-wielding enemies with bullets: you have to use explosives, BUT: grenades are rare, so you can go toward them (while they are bullet-spraying you) to plant TNT on them. Best strategy ever (NOT!). Maybe the game improves in later levels, but I highly doubt it. It seems the devs were either too constrained, or they had no idea what makes a game fun. Only positives are: - The game makes you feel how awfully horrible WWI must have been (but moments later it becomes ridiculous, so you lose immersion anyway). - Atmosphere and level design are decent. Thank God I got this game in a cheap bundle. But honestly, it's not even worth the time I spent downloading it.

I both loved and hated this game. Loved it because it looks wonderful (especially for a budget title!), the story is captivating, the narration is cute, and the feeling of jumping and grappling around is exhilarating. When it works, it's really great! Hated it because it can be really frustrating with the grappling - especially in the latter third. Maybe I'm too lousy with a mouse - but I've been a gamer for over twenty years, so I don't think I **** that much. The problem is that you have to hit precise spots in sequence to move forward, and you have no room for errors: a tiny mistake and you have to restart the section (autosave points can be frustratingly distant sometimes). The second or third time is still ok (the environments are amazing), the tenth could become maddening. In the end, I had to resort to cheats to finish the game; I just couldn't progress without it. I think this is unforgivable for any game. The player should at least have an option for having unlimited grapples (maybe linked to a number of collectables). Instead of helping the player enjoy their game, the developer decided to not offer this option, hence "punishing" the player who's not skilled enough. Clever thinking! Without this problem with the grappling, my vote would have been an 8 or even 9. Considering the frustration I would give a 6, but since it's a new small developer, in the end my vote is 7. A note to the developer: next time, keep in mind players primarily want to have fun.

I am deeply disappointed with Portal 2. To the point that I feel almost "painful" playing it, it feels a bore to me, and I'm hoping it will end soon (could I stop playing? Yes I could. But I like finishing stuff - I'm OCD that way ;-). In a few words, I find Portal 2 boring, extremely linear and soulless. Level after level, test chamber after test chamber, there's only one way to go, one solution to the puzzles, and nothing to discover or stumble upon (save for some minor Easter eggs). It's like a giant "connect the dots" game: the dots are neatly drawn, you only have to connect them. Yes, some puzzles are hard (to me, at least), but I cannot see creativity there because once you found THE solution, it's the only one possible. There's no point in experimenting, or looking for alternate ways. In one word, it feels like a drag (though I admit it gets a little better and a bit more creative with the gels). Lastly, I loved GlaDOS mean personality in Portal 1. While here I find Cave's comments funny and quirky, they're way less entertaining and unique than GlaDOS one-liners in Portal 1. I see I'm in the minority, and it's fine. It's all subjective. But Valve, oh Valve... what have you become?

Despite all of its cons, I was amazed by its pros: - Beautiful and immersive world. It's a game that feels like you really are in a world of its own. Not just a "place" (like Deus Ex or BioShock locales), but a real, wide and surprising world. You could roam around and just soak in all the beauty and details. - Options. Yes, missions are all similar (not to mention the never-ending checkpoints), but you are mostly free to tackle them the way you want. SInce it's not script-based, no event ever plays in the same way: you could try to tackle a mission ten times, and it would develop differently every time. - Combat options. The above it's true for combat as well: you have many weapons to choose from, but you have to compromise (due to its three-slots system). So you have to choose your combat style and choose the weapons accordingly, forcing you to adapt your combat style to the resources available. Save for trying a different weapons setup later, and invent a different approach. Almost limitless combinations. I won't go into the negatives here, because they have already been discussed a lot. I just add that, despite the hours of fun I had (I think 60 hours of gameplay), this game left me with a sense of sadness in the end. Maybe it was because the final part is mostly linear (and after all the previous freedom it feels oppressive); maybe because it felt like all my previous efforts - in the end - amounted to nothing. I don't know. I mostly had a blast playing it (with the occasional frustration), but it left me with this tinge of sadness - so I don't know if I want to play it again (like I thought I would, while playing it). Anyway it was a hell of a ride, and I'm truly grateful for this experience :-)

It's not really bad... but it isn't enough good too. And it's a pity, because it could have been much better. There's a great story, and characters, and good levels, and nice weapons, and evil enemies... it's just all that doesn't come together in a fully enjoyable game. If you're an FPS aficionado and find it cheap, give it a shot. I had fun playing it, and there were some great moments. But, at the same time, it left a kind of "Meh" feeling, and disappointment for the wasted potential. BTW, I'm talking about the single player experience; I didn't try MP.

I liked this game; I even played it twice (something I seldom do). So don't trust all the complaints, get enough info and judge for yourself. Yes, it's not as good as the original Deus Ex. It's simpler, easier, more straightforward; it's like a "kiddish" version of DX. But it's still fun, and it offers more choice and complexity than most games. I loved planning my strategy and executing it with style (even repeating a level to try different approaches). It's a game where thinking is more important than shooting. In short, if you don't expect it to be "DX2", you'll be likely to enjoy it. My main complaint is that it's too easy: even on the hardest difficulty, short after the beginning you have most weapons and enough biomods to not worry about enemies: you just have to be careful and plan your strategy, and you'll suffer minimal damage (unless something takes you by surprise - and it happens).

If you like to be constantly blown up - even on the Easy difficulty - with no (apparent) reason, this is the game for you. Apart from this, and the frustration to be shot at from enemies you just cannot see (because of the horrendously pixelated foliage / environment), this game can be moderately fun. But it's anyway worse than other games using the same Build Engine, so you better spend your money and time playing those: Duke Nukem 3D, Shadow Warrior, etc.

There are three types of games: - the good ones let you choose different ways to reach an objective (e.g. Deus Ex, Bioshock, Sniper Elite); - the mediocre ones force you through a single, linear way; - the bad ones let you think you can choose, but punish you when you try a way that's not what the designer intended. Alas, Iron Storm is the third type of game (most of the time, at least). When you try something different, it hinders you in unfair ways (you slow to a crawl, you meet invincible enemies...). Some levels are good (the trenches, the town), but some are quite awful (the underground facility, the train), or confusing and frustrating (the final Reichstag). On top of this, you have a few bugs, and an irritating unbalanced difficulty (I played on Easy... and it was sometimes too easy, and sometimes very hard!). Its "saving grace" is you can fast save anywhere; and trust me, saving often it's the only to way to finish this game while keeping your sanity. The premise was good and the game has some interesting ideas and atmosphere, but it also has uninspired locales and gameplay: in the end, it's a game that could have been good, but it's seriously flawed. Try it if you find it cheap and you have low expectations, but prepare to be frustrated.

Although I love FPS, I have never been much of a fan of the Doom/Quake series (but I quite liked Doom 3 atmosphere and gameplay). But Quake IV was a real let down. I kept pushing myself through it, not having much fun at all, and wondering "Why am I doing this? Why bother?"... but I did, hoping the game would end soon. Go figure. And when I finished, I was relieved! It's not a bad game per se, it's just... meh. And hours of meh don't make for a great experience. You just run around, kill monsters, find switches, go back (a lot), kill monsters again, same old, same old. Graphics are good, but Doom 3 was way better and immersive; here there's no mystery, no atmosphere, it looks like just a lame excuse to shoot stuff. If you don't need imagination and inspiration at all, and you just want to shoot and kill stuff, then you might like it - good for you ;-)

Wow. This was bad. It's one of the few games I left unfinished - and it happened at the beginning, no less! Ok, I loved Unreal (the first), I even liked the "Return to Na Pali" expansion (although way less good than Unreal), so maybe I had high expectations, but IMHO this is just plain awful: boring, uninspired, repetitive, soulless. I played user created maps/levels that were way more fun and entertaining than this. There's no "awakening" here, the game is fast asleep, and most likely so will be you ;-) In the few hours I spent playing it, I had no fun at all: and for a game, that's the death knell.