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Since its inception, Shadow Warrior - as a close cousin of Duke Nukem 3D - always has the "touch" of an over-the-top (gameplay wise), non-sensical (narratively speaking) and self-conscious (inside jokes) video game. SW2 is all of that, plus a complete shift from linear missions to non-linear ones, combining procedural level generation and random enemy placement for maximum replayability - which is good on theory, but can be both a blessing (more play !) and a curse (will that game ever end ?) The good news is all that is built on top of a rock solid "gun" feel that can be customized to fit your playstyle using upgrades. A quick note on upgrade though, contrary to consumables, they tend to "stack up" so you might be tempted to sell them. Resist that temptation since money will not be an issue and instead wait until you have access to Crafting (so you can convert low level upgrades into higher level ones). Also, learn their different effects, how they can affect both your damage output and you "shooting flow" since at higher levels of difficulty they can really make a huge difference :) One quick tip for upgrades (that took me about 50 hours to "find") is the ability to use a filter to sort the upgrades by parameter ! (It's on the top right of any upgrade list). So instead of checking each upgrade entry, use the filters !

Firewatch is way more than just a "walking simulator". I think there is a thematic thread about what is means to take care of someone else. First your character has trouble with this, then there is your supervisor, and the whole mystery about the missing person... The environment is not just a huge national park but also a psychological landscape you traverse, filled with unanswered questions, and sometimes paranoia. There is a mystery to unveil indeed, and that's only part of the whole experience. It's a game that you can play to take a reflexive vacation from other games. A game that doesn't ask you to master a core mechanic but to explore the difficulties of figuring things out, especially the relationships between people.

As an "old" video game player who experienced the early FPS, I thougth Strafe was for me. It was, and it wasn't. The novelty of "random levels" wears off pretty quickly, and dying (mostly because of "deprecating" twitch skills) led me to play only using the Easy level. The game started to be enjoyable (and "understandable") for me even with all its defaults (like the weak game feel, the unreadable map, the weird save system...) So for me it wasn't the "rinse and repeat" type of game it is supposed to be ; but more a "play-it-in-one-go-and-that's-enough". So recommended, but with caution.

Hard West was a pleasant surprise in the realm of tactical shooters ; trading the "usual" randomly generated characters / levels with crafted ones. The campaign is split into different chapters, each one following one character (and its eventual bunch) with their own goals and (cursed) path. The combat is satisfying, even if the presentation of relevant informations on the battlefield can be improved. Aside of choosing a set of two weapons (and 3 other items) for your character, you may spend some time on the Cards screen to give them active or passive abilities that can totally make the difference. It's a really neat and thematically relevant idea, properly implemented.

Well, I sincerely tried several times to give Lichdom Battlemage its chances, but I simply ended up not being excited by it. Maybe it's the magic / runes system that is too complex to approach and memorize, maybe it's the slugginess of combat, maybe it's the slot-machine feel of rewards, maybe it's the Excel feel of crafting spells... For me its was either : do a turn by turn game ; or make it more like the old Heretic / Hexen. Or maybe I'm just getting to old for this.

Overall, Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel is very enjoyable and a worthy heir of the previous titles. Keeping the over-the-top, unhinged tone, the game is also noticeable for many gameplay improvements that make it stand appart, especially the high/low gravity that allows you to do long controlled jumps (and taking advantage of it through gear), the space with or without air that modifies the burning effect, the new laser guns that be as good at close, medium and long range, the ice effect and finally the new characters. The only part I wasn't so happy about is that you cannot really play the game by only following the main storyline, because your character will eventually hit a difficulty wall with enemies with a level "way higher" than yours and also bosses that cannot be defeated until you level up... turning playing into grinding if you want to make your way through the end.

Among the several changes in the design, XCOM 2 introduced time constraint, and even if I initially found it punishing, it actually forced my to play "by the rules" of the game, and develop tactics to overcome this new challenge. IMHO, the solution (sort of) of time constraint, is to have in your team, at any time, a long range sniper and a hidden ranger to act as a spotter. After that, any combination of soldiers you put "in between" could deal with most of the game situations. My first completed campaign relied on a diverse team combining the previous two plus grenadiers, medics and hackers. My second campaign was run entirely with rangers (one hidden, and up to 2 blademasters) and sharpshooters (one sniper and up to 2 gunslingers) - and it was damn fun ! Another aspect I really like in this game is the fact that "each person count", be it a soldier, a scientist or an engineer. Also, the fact that the game can be modded and the community offered many tools or gameplay variants greatly expands the experience. I here may recommend mods like Gotcha ! that completely changed the dynamics of the encounters. So, onwards to War of the Chosen !

To be fair, the novelties introduced in Enemy Within contributed to make the game fresh, exciting, deeper but also more complex and less accessible. It took me some time to explore some possibiliies offered by the Meld (genetics and cybernetics) on top of regular or psi soldiers ; and I ended up betting on mobility (especially jumps) to get cover or flank enemies, and additionnal defense ; since you are rarely pressed by time (except maybe defuse bomb missions). Since I player XCOM Enemy Unknown, Enemy Withing and XCOM 2 in a row ; I finally prefered the way XCOM 2 was designed, even on the controversial parts.

Even if I'm an "old gamer", I never had the chance to play the original XCOM. Nonetheless, this reboot entirely satisfied my preference for squad-based tactical turn-based games, like FallOut Tactics did in the past. Even in "easy" difficulty, the game is hard and may require a lot of strategy guides and videos to watch in order to grok how the game is supposed to be played, especially how to deal with visibilty, pod triggering, cover and flanking ; and of course the details of base management. Even if I started many (many) campaigns, I actually finished only two, but they were very satisfying (except maybe for the last boss). I strongly recommend you to play Enemy Unknown before diving into Enemy Within.

Well, the first Breach & Clear had a good intention if not a good execution. This one felt completely derivative and uninspired (or maybe I'm getting sick at games that relies on zombie shooting)...

Ok, I "recommend" Breach & Clear, less for its qualities than for its issues. Breach & Clear is an ambitious game with a strong promise (Close Quarter Combat simulator designed with the help of specs ops from around the world)... that falls short on many aspects. I will put aside the fact that it takes too much time to equip your squaddies with either a shotgun or a scoped gun, and that most of the upgrades are like +x aiming or something. I think that the biggest problem of the game comes from the interface (inappropriate camera, confusing controls) and little annoying things like : you cannot order a guy to occupy the same position left by another guy in the same turn (even if this seems to be basic tactics). So, good intention but poor execution.

Enslaved was under my radar until I heard about the interesting way they designed Trip, the supporting character that is both an escort mission and a powerful ally in her own right. Entirely inspired by the classical legend of the Monkey King, Enslaved gives it a modern spin, in a post-apocalyptic context. The characters are well rounded and quite relatable. Gameplay wise, it blends platforming and combat, that gets a completely different treatment. At first, platforming feels great (especially with the fake time pressure at the beginning) but after a while you realize that it's mostly impossible to fail (except while associated with time limit or timing) because graps are highlighted and kinda "magnetic"; plus you have invisible walls that prevent falling. On the other hand, the combat feels ok at the beginning but quickly ramps up, forcing you to learn how to combine moves, staff punches and shots. Even if the game is some kind of a "storyplaying", I think there is a missed opportunity. Monkey is a strong and agile character that can climb almost anywhere... but during combat, he's suddenly way less agile. It's not possible to exploit the environment or even jump over an enemy to take him from behind - to do that, you'll have to perform a ground roll with slow recover. For me that's the lowest point of the game, that is otherwise really enjoyable.

I really enjoyed playing Never Alone and being immersed in Alaska Natives' folklore. The game is part story-playing, part documentary, and even if it is short by industry standards, it's a game quite inventive, with strong theme about friendship, courage and respect that you can play with your kids.

Solaris is an interesting exemple of good intentions that falls short on execution.

"You brought this on yourself" - Truth is, I wouldn't have played Spec Ops: The Line if I hadn't heard about what makes it unique in the shooter realm. In a nutshell, it's a third-person shooter set in Dubaï that starts as your everday-shooter... and ends up being a political, social and cultural commentary on war, heroism and videogames - and this last one is the strongest achievement of Spec Ops: The Line. Both the gameplay and the story are in service of the theme of the game, obviously borrowed from Hearts of Darkness. Aside of the super-obvious sequences that puts the theme "in your face", I invite you to appreciate the more subtle work on the verticality of level design, the writing of the lines, and also the evolution of certains ingame mechanics. Can't really say more without spoiling too much of it.

Mirror Edge has many qualities, among them the fact that it exists in its own design space as a parkour game, has distinctive and readable aesthetics and can be very rewarding. Unfortunately for me, my coordination skills aren't that sharp anymore and some trick moves relying on wall run and side jump required many attempts to complete, so the chase at the end of the game was a wall of difficulty and acted as a stop sign for me. I'd have love to be able to finish the game by myself, but my only solution is to watch the ending on youtube. Sad.

I've player Wolfenstein: The Old Blood right after The New Order and it was kinda... disappointing at first. I actually took me some time to get rid of the idea that is was the same Wolfenstein I've been playing for years, with the setting being mostly in germany during wartime, and the plot revolving around scientific stuff mixed with occult stuff... But after a while, some parts became more enjoyable, especially the episode in the city, at the tavern, when you meet Helga and things derails. For me, it's a "middle of the road" expansion, with some novelties in weaponry (a sniper rifle at last !) and enemies, but is way to much safe / relying on nostalgia to really want me to replay it again. (Plus, some glitches and no VSync for me)

There are many things I like about Wolfenstein The New Order: - the bold fictional move into dystopian "what if" alternate reality, that places it aside games like Half Life 2 or Bioshock - the effort put into making this alternate reality credible with many reference to pop culture (music, movies) and events - the carefully weaved story writing and level design, with many twists and turns, change of scenery, in pacing, and in time. - the fact that BJ Blazkowicz is no more a cartoon figure but a deeper character - a modern shooter gameplay, that allows you to either sneak or blast your way in - a progression system based on challenges that kinda rewards your play styles like Skyrim does There are still some aspects that weren't that much satisfying, like the on-screen wheel to select weapons (I've seen myself dying too many times while trying to land on the weapon I wanted...) and the boss fights are not really the highest points of the whole experience. Anyhow, a very good game!

Using exfiltration / hacking gameplay as a foundation, Republique tells a compeling yet tragic story, that blends political and science fiction, and is supported by a cast of deep characters that you can empathize with. The overall plot is kind of a puzzle for you to solve using several findings (books, audio recordings, mails, etc) and it's part of its appeal. At first I found the challenge quite light (except for some parts in the 4th and 5th episode) but in retrospect it was a wise choice to keep a steady progression and a good pacing. Yet I still have one critic: camera placement and the navigation between them is sometimes confusing or may require some back and forth to reach to the one camera you wish to use.

It is often said that it is harder to convey emotion through gameplay than words or visuals, but Epistory disprove that. By using the typing as a core mechanic to progress within the game, and carefully choosing the words to type, as a player, we literally "play" the story threads, and can sometimes foreshadow the ending. Progressing in the game "feels" like reading a book, almost with the tactile sensation of turning the pages. The art style is just perfect, and on top of that, overcoming the waves of enemies by typing fast and switching powers is really rewarding. It is almost as if you can feel the power of the words coming from your tip of your fingers. Congratulations to the team!

To fully appreciate Dear Esther, you have to let go of what a game should be, and embrace the pacing. Things can be mysterious, but there is no mystery to solve. I think the most important thing is to not try to make "sense" of the island, but become like a paper boat on water, wander where the paths lead you, and feel different emotions. I think is not possible to fully experience the ending if you don't let go beforehand.

Well, I'm not entirely impartial when it comes to squad-based turn by turn tactical games since I love them. For me, Steamworld Heist is a perfect blend of familiar and novel. Tying the aiming and shooting mechanic to an actual player skill and not a random roll is just perfect! The whole game takes about 11 hours to complete, and it's always a pleasure to try a new one, a little bit harder at each time, to test out new strategies (team composition, item selection, field tactics). It's a very complete and satisfying game, and I had something to wish, it would be non narrative adventure, where you start with all the characters, and build up your team on several missions. But that would be a cherry on a top of a cake :)

This "game" is a joke : play it ... if you can run it ! First, I tried Cargo 3 on a mid-range laptop from 2011 (core i5 ; 520 mx ; 1366 x 768) and it wasn't possible to have a decent framerate even with all options off so I put it aside for like one or two years... Then I recently changed for strix laptop from 2017 (i7 ; 1050 Ti ; HD) and retried Cargo 3 again. To my horrified surprise, both the framerate and the rendering were **** - whereas other recent and more demanding games like Doom 2016 or Alien Isolation runs smoothly and beautifully. I can't fathom what the developers were aiming at, or why the publisher even released the game ; I have a "Trash" folder at my steam account, this "game" goes straight to it.

I came to Soma with some assumptions from the previous Frictional games (namely Amnesia) - both good and bad. First, I really liked the fact that, after establishing your "character" in his "everyday life", the developers screws the player and left him alone to figure out almost... everything. For me Soma is a good sci-fi interactive novel that tries to answer - or at least explore - the ramifications of deep questions about what it is to be human ; not unlike Talos Principle and with winks at popular games like Bioshock. And because of that, even if I find the "monsters" kinda scary, they are not really meaningful and more... something to get past in order to further your exploration and understanding of yourself and the situation you're in. Many times I wished I started the adventure without them, just to enjoy the journey at my own pace.

I really like when a game focuses on one core idea and properly execute it. Aside the fact that we can discuss the gaminess of Layers of Fear, the main experience could be "wandering inside the twisted mind and horrible memories of a painter trying to achieve a masterpiece". And the great visual and mechanical idea is to mess with the mind of the player by changing the layout of the house behind his back. Once you enter the workshop room with the blank canvas, anything goes. Every room, every object, every note is a piece of a narrative puzzle for you to complete and interpret - and at the same time, your progression seems to influence your final painting. After completing the game, many questions remains, like who is the character we play ? By leaving these question and many other open to interpretation, the game continues to haunt us in a terrifying but satisfying way.

Pandora : First Contact was on my wishlist for a long time, and it was a pleasant surprise. It took me a while to figure out how the underlying system works (since there is no manual) and test different strategies, with different factions. This systemic exploration was fun and my first military and scientifc victory really felt great. Unfortunately, even if I find the micro-management of units and cities during the early game is really engaging, past the Messari invasion, most of the progression is mostly "+ something" or "+ %" hitting "End turn" many times because I don't have to move units anymore, cities are on autopilot and everything works as planned. So after 100 h I can see this game as a nice 1 to 2h engaging early game trying to beat you own achievement, but not that rewarding during the mid and end game (that's personal). And raising difficulty will just give the IA more potency, but won't make it "smarter" actually.

Silent Age has a nice mix of common sense / lateral thinking puzzles, spiced up with the time travel mechanics - in direct lineage from Day of the Tentacle (except for comic aesthetics and the absurd tone). The story is well written, many plot twists are foreshadowed through environmental storytelling so the end of the story is very satisfying for the observant player.

The first time I've tried to play Far Cry 2, I was kinda overwhelmed and confused by the sheer size of the world and the long stretches to go from point A to point B so I've waited to have more time at hand to dive in. So years after, I finally managed to properly play the game and it was both satisfying and... puzzling. Among the strong point of Far Cry 2 is - of course - the core gameplay of shooting, the rendering of an african country (especially the blinding light and sensation of heat, the heavy rains, and majesty of its landscape), and the dereliction (palpable in either Malaria, weapon degradation, and also progressive loss of humanity). Another great feature of the game is the immersion in a civil war setting, with several factions (UFLL, APR, civils and mercenaries, weapon dealers) you're kinda "forced" to work for in order to get medication, gain weapons, reputation, money, and potentially reach your objective and leave the country. Many gray areas here where - as one would say - it is kind of difficult to distinguish good from evil, where there is only human need of survival, instinct of greed and drive to power. All of this led to a somewhat strange place : on one hand, I enjoyed the traversal (either by foot, by car or by boat), but not so much the random encounters that acted more as disturbance in the appreciation of landscape in a disconnected, tourist way. Like many of FPS, I played it consciously in order to "get to end", but with a growing feeling of not really knowing where I was standing in the bigger picture, questioning my own morality (if not mortality in the face of such dreadful odds) and only left with my role as a hired gun working for the highest bidder, somewhat becoming a dark character. For me, the most satisfying moment was the "heart of darkness", just after the prison, near the end, where everything somewhat fell in place. Evocation of Conrad's book acted as a huge relief, completely changing my perspective of the game - kinda like Bioshock ending. So in my opinion, Far Cry 2 is a great game, not because it is an open world FPS, but because it makes you experience "the horror" and crushing power of an historical context than can lead people to commit atrocities. At some point, it's not possible to play Far Cry 2 solo storymode "for fun" - except if you embrace both the absurd and the madness.

The original SiN (no pun) offered a fresh and distinct experience the time it went out. SiN Episodes started with many interesting choices : episodic distribution, dynamic difficulty adjustment, source engine, but if the result is not "bad" it's not "great" either. The level design is somewhat inventive in the "corridor shooter" style, but the enemies have a smell of déjà vu and the combat is not that engaging. The storytelling is mostly done througth forced dialog and cutscenes which is kinda dated now. All in all, I think SiN Emergence actually lacks memorable moments.

Even if Singularity is not very long (8h) and the storyline is linear, it's a very pleasant shooter. It is obvious that the title borrows many ideas from predecessors, both in mechanics (Half Life), player progression (Dead Space) and setting (Bioshock, Metro 2033), the game manages to have its own identity and is very satisfying to play : once you got the Time Manipulator, it is possible for you to approach each encounter with a very distinct style, ranging from classical shooter up to combos like : deactivate barrel, carry barrel, lock enemies in time, reactivate barrel, throw barrel, shoot barrel - and wait until every single enemy is blasted off. The game features three endings, that you could just explore by reloading the last scene. Replaying the game is still interesting since the progression system allows you to use knowledge of Time Manipulator augments to adapt to your playstyle. So even if Singularity is not a "great" FPS, it is a decent one with a very good execution. Raven still got it !

Even if I found the game disappointing, I must recognize that the environments are beautifully rendered, the look and feel of the sniper rifle satisfying and having a supporting character quite enjoyable sometimes. Unfortunately, S:GW2 is an "execution" game : most of the time you follow a predefined path in the maps, and you're told which targets to kill, in what ordre. So you don't really have to worry about recon, strategy or tactic that much. It's very different from Sniper Elite where you have a lot of agency in that matter. On top of that, the game is pretty short and the storyline not that exciting. So, in solo play, it's more a "filler" in between more consistent games.

Invisible Inc is a very good surprise. I usually enjoy team-based tactical games, and this blend of stealth and hacking is really engaging for me. I think the game truly shines by the way it manages tension. During a mission, even if you can crawl and hack your way discretely to your objectives, the alarm level still rises and you're only a turn away from a very stressed situation where guards surrounds you and make you sweat like hell. In between mission, since you have a time limit, you'll have to make tough choices between gaining access to facilities, acquiring money, items or improving your agents. Depth and replay value comes from the procedural map generation and the multiple improvements for your agents (skills, augments, items) or your IA (programs), The art direction is excellent and really contributes to the game's readability (an important feature since you have to monitor multiple agents, sometimes in different places, and also the Incognita network).

One thing I really like in ARPGs is when you could play a "Pet Master" - simply summoning and directing your own wild bunch to take care of business while enjoying the scenery and hunting treasures. Grim Dawn is no stranger to that and it's a blast. I got the game in early access, so I had plenty of time to try out the classes, their flavor and several mix of them (a nice reminder of Titan Quest, that is still one of my favorite game). And once the game was finally released, it came with a new class, the Shaman, that just perfectly complement the Occultist to suit my shameless laid-back * style of play. So, if you want to give it a try, here are the foundations : start with the Occultist and develop the Familiar and Hellhound branches ; when you reach level 10, jump to the Shaman and go for the Briarthorn branch. You can complement these three with one or two other skills you might find useful or enjoyable. For the devotions, start with Shepherd's Crook. The balance between "class" and "skill" levels is up to you. On my own, I usually spend 2 points in the Class (for character stats) and 1 point a Skill ; and sometimes saving points for later. But with the Spirit Guide that can help you re-spec your skills, you can do as you please. What you will do most of the time is send your creatures to scout places and eventually attract or attack foes. So bind a key with Pet Attack and be sure that at least Hellhound then Briarthorn are set to Aggressive. What you choose to do with you character (close combat, ranged combat...) is up to you since it matters only 5 to 10% of the time ; you really can experiment here with any combination of weapons, armors and components. Nevertheless, since no "build" is made perfect, you might encounter some resistance with "infuriated" enemies than can steal a percentage of your pets' health (thus creating a stasis in combat) ; and of course, champions and bosses - not mentioning, champions that can summon infuriated creatures. * Some might say that this style of play is not very ARPG-y since you don't have to frantically click your mouse to hit enemies like in the good old days, but merely give orders to your faithful minions to carry on the good word. Well, since I've been playing ARPGs since Diablo, I consider this style of play a well deserved treat.

It's a given that in the Rogue genre, almost everything is random and your endgame comes from unforgiving mistakes at first and bad luck at last. Ironcast is no different, and after about 20 games, I was only able to confront the boss once, and died a glorious death "so close to beat him". Is there any winning strategy in this game ? I'm not sure. What I've learned so far, is that Defense is key to survival. If you let your guard down, you will suffer. Oh boy, yes you will. So Defense and Energy Upgrade are a must, but be wary of Energy cost, since some Defenses requires 3 Energy et other ones 4 Energy - this might not seem a lot, but when you are 1 Energy short, you pay a big price in Health, that will later transfer in Golden Bars in the workshop - those precious Bars you need to upgrade. What about Weapons ? Whatever your choice, you need one to be used against strong armor and little to no movement (single shot with high damage), and one against fast movement and little to no armor (multiple shots with low damage). Splash damage can be good, as long as you are not in a mission where you have to preserve any component of an enemy Ironcast - just check the splash damage is under the current opponent Defense level. One note about Cooling. It's used for Weapons, Defense and Movement. Even if the initial reserve is fairly high, if you use them a lot, you'll be short soon, and working a machinery without Cooling is like setting yourself ablaze. On my own, I like to play the first character (Defense and Movement bonuses) with the second Ironcast (Energy weapons) and play like a tower (almost no movement). I usually bet on upgrading Energy reserve up to 12, Defense then Weapons (same ones, but better if available) ; and on the abilities offered each time you reach a level : Cooling + Defense + Golden bars bonuses. My only weakness is that at a certain point, my weapons might not be up to the task.

I've played Bulletstorm twice and enjoyed it much more the second time. As a FPS, Bullerstorm is very well crafted : the moving, aiming and shooting are very satisfying in terms of sensations. On top of that, the sliding, lassoing and sim-locking are very fun to use and the game rewards you big time when you do "skillshots" with tons of points. As a story, Bulletstorm feels like a frantic futuristic action movie, with ups and downs, twists and turns, and memorable sequences (ah ! the gigantic wheel !) and most of all : an excellent pacing. I think the pleasure I got from playing the game mostly comes from its pacing and the wild swings between tension and release, almost like a roller-coaster in a fun fair ! It's a good thing that People Can Fly have now a clear path to make Bulletstorm 2 !

It's not really an evaluation, much more a tribute for a game I played a lot and still enjoy playing it :) Even if replaying it kinda feel repetitive, after a while you just feel "cosy at home". Even if the enemies sometimes lacks variation, hunting for your favorite set of weapons and exploring new builds is still fun. On my own, I mostly play Mordecai with a rapid-fire Torment repeater, a multi-pellet Masher revolver and an explosive Wrath sniper rifle. Once I got these three, the whole game is a joyful ride (plus, repeaters and revolvers feed the same weapon skill bar, so why not taking advantage of it?) I also found the "alternate stories" really interesting each one on its own. I really love the mood and pacing of Jacob's Cove (the zombiesque twist on Borderlands). Even if the more recent instances of the title (namely Borderlands 2 and Borderlands Prequel) are better balanced and provide more challenges, the original title is still strong on its feet.

To be fair, I've played Call of Juarez twice in easy mode. The game has many qualities, even if some aspect of the gameplay are sometimes confusing or frustrating. First, it's a story-driven game ("aka constrained"). It's like a journey into the legends of the Wild West along with bounty hunter Silas Greaves. The recreation of the old west is pleasant and inventive. If you pay attention to the story, the game ending might not be a complete surprise, though. The most pleasant part of the gameplay is (in my opinion), to shoot with two revolvers in your hand. You can still aim and there is no strange "left click for left gun / right click for right gun" scheme. Just click and deliver. Two other mechanics are also interesting : Focus (time slows down and enemies are highlighted) and Cheat Death (time slows down and you can either lean left or right to dodge bullets). You feel like the real deal. On the other hand, the game suffers from the fact that sometimes you just can't see who's shooting at you unless you expose yourself to receive a bullet and track down the shooter (the same problem that plagues ROTT Redux). A last note about the Duel section. The game mechanics completely changes here, you have to position your hand to gain speed, and place a moving target on your opponent to gain accuracy. Once you feel you you have enough of both, you can either shoot before your opponent (not honorable) or shoot after he has drawn and dodge a bullet (honorable). Even if the mechanic is inventive, you really cannot capitalize on it since a duel is kind of draining (especially if you loose) and can drive you out of the game. But it's a good game anyway :) At least one I enjoyed from the CoJ serie !

First I'd like to thank Amplitude Studios for such an engaging and deep game ! To be fair, I've discovered the "rogue" genre pretty lately, with Darkest Dungeon (that already **** more then 130 hours) and Dungeon of the Endless is very satisfying, pushing me to experiment with heroes, objects and modules all the time (I even made an Excel sheet to keep track of and analyse all game elements !) DotE is also an ambitious game, with several many core gameplays : Rogue (you explore random generated dungeons and gather objects), Party-RPG (you command a group of 2 to 4 heroes that can level up and acquire skills over time), Tower Defense (you can build module to create resources, buff your characters, attacks or debuff your enemies), and probably a spicy hint of "Civ-Like" with the industry / science / food and fog resources to manage. I'd like to share with you some strategy tips to help you get pass the first hours with the base ship : # Level layout You start in a single room along with your crystal holding Fog resource that you can use to light up rooms. Then you must explore the dungeon in order to find the only elevator to the next level. In a really door-monster-treasure fashion, you open a door to enter the next room. Opening a door acts as a "turn" to generate resources, research new modules or improve them, and cooldown heroes powers. Lighting up a room allows you to build and activate modules, and enemies cannot spawn in lit rooms. Since Fog is a scarce resource, it's important to decide what rooms you keep lit, and which ones you take the risk of leaving in the dark (that way, you can decide from where the enemies will come, and how many enemies might come in a single turn) # Resources You need Industry to build modules (both major and minor), Science to research new modules and upgrade them, Food to either heal or level up your characters, and Fog to light up rooms. So it's a good idea to build an Industry module first, to create enough Industry in order to build Science then Food modules. Later in the game, at the beginning of a level, depending on how many resources you have stored, you might change this order. Sometimes it's better to build multiple modules, sometimes it's preferable to build one with a hero than can Manipulate and add its Intelligence to boost the module. # Heroes There are many heroes in the game, sharing similar stats (hp, regen, running speed, defense, power, intelligence) and DPS based on weapon speed and weapon power. It's really up to you to play them in order to know what are their strengths and weaknesses. On my own, I prefer to play with : - 1 character than can run fast to open doors, eventually running back to a fall back fighting room or crystal room, and finally carry the crystal to the elevator. - 2 characters than can each stay in a fall back fighting room to operate major modules (productivity boost) and eventually kill enemies and grab Fog. - 1 last character than is usually slow but very powerful in the the crystal room, to eliminate the enemies that succeeded in reaching the room and threat to destroy the crystal. # Enemies Well, there are all sorts of enemies : the one who preferably target heroes, modules or crystal ; and the ones that debuff heroes. At the beginning it's preferable to use all your heroes packed to eliminate the enemies, then as you progress through the dungeon, identify fall back room that will support heroes in combat and leave here a guy who can operate along with one major and minor modules (the choice is up to you), and first-contact rooms that will tenderize the enemies for the hero to finish. - For the tenderizing room I usually combine modules that can target every enemies with low to mid damage like Lacrymos (Reduces Defense & DoT) with Neuro (Slows), Seblaster (Explosion) and Tesla (Shock). After than, each enemy hp is pretty low so it's easier for the hero in the fall back room to finish them. - For the fall back room I usually combine support modules like Regen and high rate fire weapons like Blaster, Machinegun. With that, you should be prepared but there are no decisive strategy and many times you'll have to take risks and react quickly to not be overrun by enemies :)

If I was enthusiastic about Alan Wake, the second opus American Nightmare is a major disappointment. First of all, the game is mostly a shooter. You basically start with some arsenal, and get more powerful weapon as you go. Plus, there are boxes with ammuntion that auto-refills, thus loosing the pressure of trying to get out the shooting as much as you can. Alan Wake turned badass is a bad idea. Second, the game features only 3 maps, with the same characters and the same puzzles that you will play to death thanks to a time loop. Yep. The first time when you go back at your starting point, you ask yourself what you did wrong. Then the second time, you feel the game is just playing with you nerves and just want to finish it as soon as possible and forget it. Really, Alan Wake's American Nightmare should be played only to see how an otherwise great licence can crash and burn due to unwise design choice.

Alan Wake is one of these games that takes you by surprise. I really enjoyed playing it. The main character is a writer à la Stephen King, going on vacation to solve a writer's block issue, and immediately confronting his inner demons in the most terrifying way, along with the disappearing of its wife. The story is delivered mostly during cinematics (and this time, it's not a problem since the story is solid and the character is a writer). Then the player goes from safe place A to safe place B wandering into darkness and escaping light-sensitive foes. The game succeeds in capturing the powerlessness of the character, with a constant balance between fight of flight. And rewards exploration in a good way (weapons, ammunition, novel pages, tv serials, etc.) But what is really good about the game, is that the gameplay and the world makes sense regarding the main character. Burning foes with your light before shooting or evading them is a very nice game mechanic. Setting the horror in a otherwise peaceful environment is very powerful. Alan Wake is a very good example of an action / adventure game made right, along with a solid character and story. Play it !

The strange thing about Dead Island Riptide, is that I globally enjoyed it way more than Dead Island, mostly because the game adressed most of the negative aspects of its predecessor : - You start at level 14, and already can enjoy firearms in the first hour of the game (after that you still have to wait a long time to get your hand on a simple revolver). - The survivors are way more active, and as a player, you can bond with them during the numerous sieges where they have to defeat an horde of zombies. It's way more easy to go on a mission alone to help the ones that you saw struggling at your side. You really feel like a hero and not an errant boy. - The maps are less open and more structured, with "hubs" connected by "corridors", with the occasional "maze" sections. You don't have to exit the map / quest panels to see where you have to go, making navigation more fluid. - The "Dead Zone" barracks are a nice way to offer side-quests with greater risks for greater rewards. (There are so many references to movies in this game it feels like a tribute). Unfortunately, Dead Island Riptide is not devoid of not-so-good aspects : - Zombie stills respawns, sometimes in a very annoying way. - The boss in the lab (no spoil at this point), feels too hard to beat with no clear progression for the player to see.

First I'd like to say that I love B and Z movies, and like to play games where I have to survive a zombie apocalypse (or any kind of apocalypse, like Fallout, Metro or Stalker). Dead Island seems to got it all, but many choices in the game ruined the experience for me in spite of its qualities. This game has major deal-breakers for me : - Zombies respawns (almost at the same place). Not only it kills the fantasy of globally reducing the threat and leaving some places safer, but it becomes annoying after a while to cut through them again (and again...). I know it's a fairly common choice in games with leveling and role-play, but I just don't like it. I don't feel rewarded by money and loot. The better reward for me would have been : a simple "gone forever" zombie. - Lack of direction in open world. Even with quest and flags, I found the navigation pretty confusing : I had to go back and forth between the quest page, the map page, and the radar icon just to figure out how far a mission goal was. Add to this the relative "openness" of the world and I got myself lost and confused too many times for my taste. - Getting no assistance from the survivors. Except the introduction, most of the times I do the dirty work for all the survivors. The story tells me I'm immune, but considering the fact zombies are respawning, some brave assistance in the field would have been appreciated. If you add on top of this the fact some "missions" are self-centered (like "bring me champagne" from the russian girl) you just want them to die of their stupidity right here for not contributing to the greater effort. Dead Island has also minor negatives aspects ; - The way weapons are assigned on slots and selected by the mouse during play are counter-intuitive. Many time I found myself struggling with a simple equip action, or abandoning weapons for a moment just to switch one in my hand with one in my bag-pack. - It takes a looong time before you can get firearms so you have to bash or slash your way through hundreds of zombies before you can start to choose between a close combat and a ranged weapon. - The weapons become useless after a while due to leveling up and that bothers me. It's nice to have to manage your durability or ammunition resources, but it quickly turns to busywork at the workshop and number comparison. It's very common in RPGs, Some people like this, I just don't. - The world is filled with luggages with mini loot. I don't find fun the fact of searching each one of these, but if I don't I might just run out of money to repair and upgrade a more efficient weapon. I'm really sad the game didn't work out for me, because I enjoyed the idea of playing it.

Even if I cannot properly play RTS due to frantic multitasking, I enjoyed the first missions of Infested Planet. It's hard to do a fair review of the game since the pressure was too hard to actually explore all the options the game had to offer (unlike classical TD) One interesting aspect of the game is that the alien nests have spawn blobs and tower with a visible range, so if you're cautious enough, you may approach your target being undetected (otherwise, a steady flow of critters will converge to you). Another design aspect of the game is that the alien behavior clearly looks like liquid flow, so it sometimes appears you're dealing with rivers going wild (or plumbing issues). I feel there is some kind of hidden gameplay here, but wasn't able to access it. All in all : a good RTS if you appreciate being pressured from all sides ;)

I didn't know the Darkness comic book before playing this game, but I think the developers did a good job transposing the universe. The "shooting" part of the gameplay is decent-to-good (weapons are pretty classic) and the real meat of the game / twist of the genre comes from the supernatural powers granted by the Darkness, in shape of two "snakes" on both side of the screen. During the shooting, you can do things with the snakes like grabbing, throwing, destroying, slashing, etc. The controls are a little bit complex to manage at first, but you'll eventually get used to it and it's really fun. An interesting game mechanic is tied to light : the Darkness hates the light, so when you're exposed to it, you temporarily lose your powers - this leads to interesting level layout (otherwise pretty linear), light deactivation puzzles and even enemy types carrying light to weaken you. Now we're talking challenge. The game follows a single storyline, that has many twists and turns that will deepen it, and eventually question you up to the ending where you take the final decision, depending on your perception of the events. Even if the cinematics / dialogs are a little bit long, I found this final part rewarding.

I was intrigued and somewhat excited by the trailer of the game, so I gave it a try. Unfortunately for me, I tried the first level using mouse and keyboard and I wasn't able to properly control the rock, not to mention complete the level. After moving to the gamepad the game felt a little better and I found rolling the rock challenging enough for my (average) reflexes. But when the gameplay expanded to include building towers, I felt overwhelmed and not that excited about. It's not that the game is bad or something, just that it is definitely not for me.

Mixing puzzle/platform genre with zombie shooting wasn't an easy task, but Deadlight does a fair job in blending them. The atmosphere and pacing of the first hours is captivating, nicely oscillating between tension an relief. Unfortunately for me, the "platform" part of the game became too hard during the underground survival tutorial, where I couldn't manage to execute properly an (apparently) simple roll action to avoid blade traps on walls. It's a little sad because previously the game was really challenging and forced me to retry many times until the rewarding "eureka" moment. So, if you're really into platformers, give it a try.

The main difference between the two Costume Quest games mostly lies in story and settings, and not much on gameplay that is very similar. Since I really liked the first episode, I should have appreciated this one; because once I have found an engaging gameplay, I really like to play it again in sequels. But in a strange way, Costume Quest 2 had a complete opposite effect on me. Maybe it's because of the long launch, the counter-intuitive main screen, the "knock on doors for candies or combat" part or the "too-fine / too hard" controls, I don't know. I felt the pleasurable experience from the first Costume Quest somewhat vanished. Even if I do appreciate hard and punishing games that presents tough challenges, doesn't help you a bit, and reward your efforts with mastery; I wasn't expecting Costume Quest 2 too challenge me that much when I only wanted a laid-back, relaxed play time.

Even if I encountered many choke points, I definitely recommend the third opus of S.T.A.L.K.E.R. One thing this game gets (almost) right, is to give more directions and explanations to the player in specific areas (while leaving others in complete dark or drown under a lengthy description). I really appreciated the feedback on your status. Plus, you don't start as with amnesia or as go-fetch guy for a faction. You are basically sent into the Zone to investigate the lost of helicopters, and while sticking to your duty, you end up accepting some missions in order to get resources, that would come handy to use the services of the mechanic guy. Since most the overall gameplay is a mix of exploring, talking, retrieving and shooting ; your best friend is definitely the guy who can repair and upgrade your gear (who happen to deteriorate quite fast) and he's not cheap. Unfortunately, the "tools" missions are not located into the map, so it's better to check online walkthroughs and note the locations so you won't loose too much time and end up too weak for not finding them. The one and only part that feels quite out of place (date?) is the dialog window. Even if some characters can give you precious information, it breaks the flow and too often you end up with the same answers. All in all, the experience of being a "stalker" is quite nicely rendered, in a slightly more inviting way than the first two games. I don't think there is a better strategy to "win", except maybe upgrading your armor and helmet to death, and finding / sticking to one combination of gun x ammo in a specific type (pistol, shotgun, smg, rifle, etc) then upgrade it to suit your play style. Always travel light (between 25 / 30 kg) to run long distance with caffeine boost ; and you should be OK.

I've played S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Clear Sky just after discovering Shadow of Tchernobyl. Except some improvements in the rendering engine (mostly lighting) and the interface (HUD and Inventory), the gameplay is mostly the same, so you won't be lost in this new opus. The most important element of gameplay provided here is the Mechanic guy, who can repair and upgrade your equipment (armor, weapons). Being able to customize your gear early really add to the game. In spite of this, I encountered a huge difficulty wall after cleaning the "swamp". After emerging from a huge pipe, I'm confronted with about 20 soldiers and a huge machinegun. This was a halt for me and I never succeeded in exploring what the game had to offer. I didn't like it because I played leisurely in easy mode (that was hard enough for me). I would have accepted it after like 4 to 5h of play, like in Shadow of Tchernobyl, when you emerge inside the soldier camp ! So in spite of its qualities, I really cannot recommend this game who doesn't want to be played even in easy mode.

I've discovered S.T.A.L.K.E.R. years after its release, and it took quite a time to figure out how to play it properly. I won't mention the almost permanent "dying" due to gunshots, radiations, and various anomalies - that's part of the experience : wandering inside the Zone, a perimeter around the nuclear plant of Tchernobyl, full of mutants, factions and hazards. So S.T.A.L.K.E.R. is a "quicksave/quickload" game in old-school fashion (even in easy mode). I liked the design of the wasted lands, and the warring factions, but not loved it. Trying to find your way to Strelok isn't picnic. So far, I've understood that the main strategy is to : - find a serie of guns (pistols, machineguns, rifles, shotguns...) for which you can gather enough ammo ; and upgrade the most efficient ones - always keep a nice amount of bandages (bleeding), syringes (radioactivity), medikit (heal) and food (eat) otherwise - gather artefacts to keep the best ones in your belt and resell the other ones. The best I've found (for me) were the ones reducing radioactivity & bleeding ; and boosting endurance. - never pack more than 50 kg of stuff otherwise you'll lose stamina too quickly (because you'll have to go back and forth alot of time in this game - no teleport). The game lacks some clear information about what is important to play properly, you're basically left alone. But since it takes about 30 min / 1h to die stupidly, it takes time to figure out the whole thing. Another dissapointing aspect of the game is the dialog window and the inventory window, two modes not that exciting. Plus, the game still run while you use your inventory, so sometimes you die without knowing why. Despite these negatives elements (and the fact I wasn't able to go farther than a "locked" checkpoint), the first instalment of the serie was quite engaging and pleasing in its punishing ways ;)