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I love GTA Online - if it is in an invite-only session with a group of pals. There's lots to do, and plenty of in-game money to be made. Plenty of stuff to buy and customize. That is pretty much the extent of the positives. Now for the negatives. There's a lot of them! 1. Forget the public lobbies. They are filled with cheaters. I do not mind those using tanks and being jerks in general - it is Grand Theft Auto. It is a game of mayhem, and designed to be that way. It's the cheaters I have a serious problem with. Everything from duping players, dropping billions of in game dollars, and ruining the game for everybody. Plus innocent people get banned in the process. Just use a private lobby. Side note - If you have a thin skin, and are easily offended, do not play the game. The players are absolutely awful. Screaming over the mic and flamewars consisting of how many ways they want to have sex with your mother or how **** is their homeboy. 2. Rockstar is aggressively pushing Shark Cards with extremely expensive in game items that take days to grind for. This is why people cheat in the game. The payouts in the missions are a joke, and it seems with every patch or DLC, the payouts get worse. Therefore, making items extremely difficult to grind for. 3. Loading screens. More loading screens. Getting booted from jobs. Glitches. 4. It can get boring at times, especially when grinding. Lots of fetch quests. If you are a single player looking to boost your score, forget it. Grinding sp missions cost more in bullets than what it pays out. Which means you have to be selective in the missions you do to maximize payouts. In all, GTA Online is one of the most toxic, if not the most toxic game I have ever played other than probably League of legends. Play with some pals, and you should be set.

Hearts of Iron 4 is a great gateway for understanding the other games I simply could not understand. I tried Arsenal of Democracy and Hearts of Iron 3, but had no idea where to start. This game showed the way, and the other games now make some sense now that I am able to navigate the interface. + Great graphics, sound and streamlined interface. Focus on production is a clever idea. Love how Paradox took the time to add a national focus and alternate history information such as generic fascist/communist leaders - No budgets. Diplomacy is weak. No way to automate some more mundane tasks. I am having a wonderful time with this game, and already sunk in 30 hours. I can see lots of replyability with this game.

TL:DR - Buy the game. Now. Seriously. No... just do it. The best $15 you will ever spend. I loved Harvest Moon as a young teen, and when I saw this on GOG, I nearly fell out of my chair. Then I fired up the game... it was a lot more than Harvest Moon. It was amazing. Lots of depth, plenty of things to do, lots of secrets, and plenty of surprises hit me dead in the face.

Pros: Very large, extremely detailed world. Character switching is a lot of fun. Plenty of cars to choose from. A lot of things to do. Obviously, a lot of work was put into the making of this game. Works quite well on my lower end machine. It appears to have a lot of replay value. Cons: Very large game size. Long installation/update time. Cheesy storyline filled with cliches and stupidity (Perhaps that was by design, but still not my cup of tea). Some glitches here and there, but expect patches as time goes on. I would recommend this game. Is it perfect? Far from it. Is it awesome? You bet.

This game is not Tiger Woods. If you want a Tiger Woods clone, stay far, far away from this game. With that said, this game aspires to be a realistic golfing simulation, and the recent patches are inching closer to that realization. Sadly, getting there is so far, far away. The graphics are still choppy. The environment, although improved, could use more atmospheric help. I do not mind the lack of spectators, but I can see people seeing that as amateurish game development, especially in the tournament mode. The lack of choosing equipment, shaping your swing, and character makes this two-dimensional, but then again, I can understand the focus on the gameplay. Which leads to the next part - the controls, while not terrible, can use refinement, especially when the hand-holding features are limited (which I do not mind). I want to get the "feel" and be able to get precise shots. All in all, this game shows promise to be a good game if they continue to develop it, add features to add to realism and accuracy, it can really go places. I am personally really enjoying the game despite its flaws. If you are looking for a highly polished golf game, you might want to sit this one out. Otherwise, if you are like me and just want to play some golf on your PC, then give this a try. It seems the developer is trying their best to patch things. Time will tell.

Shadowgate had remakes over the years, and each had its own quirks and qualities. This remake is no exception. When I first saw this version on Greenlight, I could not hit the "yes" button enough. The screenshots and teaser videos was more than enough for me to get very excited. When release day finally came, I was not disappointed. Lots of familiar moments with lots of changes. The art is beautiful, the music repetitious but very nice. Strangely enough, the classic NES soundtrack is available as an option as well (I personally loved it). For an old man like me, this game is heaven-sent and sends me back to my childhood. Question is, will this game hold up to a very fickle, modern gaming audience? I want to say "yes", but chances are, it will probably fly under the radar. It's a point and click puzzle solver, yet it is not anything like Myst. This is something to experience if one has not already. I would personally recommend it, but I have to remember that's my own strong bias talking, and I have to remember this game will not be for everybody. Therefore, if you want an FPS dungeon crawler with fluid action, this game is not for you. If you do not like puzzle games such as Myst, this game is not for you. Otherwise, give this game a go. It's a nice experience. Really. === tl;dr === Pros: Stunning artwork, easy to use interface, lots of help, good music, responsive controls. Lots of puzzles to solve! Cons: Point and click adventure. May be too short for the experienced puzzle solver. Some may be turned off by the fanboys.

Everything about this game is beautiful. Insanely hard levels, yet well-balanced. The controls can get nutty at times, but that's a very minor complaint when all the other overwhelming positives crush it. The music is absolutely stunning. Character designs are awesome. Lots and lots of levels, extras, and save points right when you need them. This is one of my top platformers, although it will be extremely difficult to top Super Mario Bros. 3 - my top rated platformer of all time on any platform. I highly recommend this game. It's the right price, and sadly, flies under the radar.

Tropico 5 is different from 4. That's a very good thing, Considering 4 had an easy formula to follow to win rather easily, now it seems a lot more variables are added to the game to cause the tried and true formulaic routine not so cut and dried. I wanted more opportunity for things to go wrong, and feel more rewarded when my decisions become successful. So far, it seems to offer that, and cuts away some of the fluff from 4 (which admittedly, I kind of liked). Now for the bad aspects. The game crashes for me. The graphics are very outdated and is not pretty to look at. It could have used better character customization. I do not really care for the pre-defined first names. I want to name my dictator, thank you. Conclusion? I would not buy it full price. Wait for a sale.

Before you begin, if you cannot tell a story and make it flow, do not bother getting this software. Out of the box, the game maker looks very exciting. With minimal coding required to make something work, it is very easy to be seduced into the magic world of making RPG's. Then the learning curve hits you in the face, especially if you are a complete newbie. So do not fall for the pitches. Feature packed, you can extend the capability even more with scripting. Furthermore, with the nearly endless array of resource packs both home-brewed, free, restricted and commercial, your imagination can run wild. With those positives, there's one gigantic problem with it. Resolution. 640*480 simply does not cut it. If one wants to release a game commercially, this will be a serious hindrance. In a competitive market, it is very difficult to stand from the crowd if all you get is a stretched/pixelated piece of garbage on the screen, regardless of how cool your epic quest is. Which is moot by and large, because very few games made with this software can compete in the marketplace to begin with.

I am a big fan of the Myst and Aura series. I saw this and found a Soviet-era puzzle game interesting. I was not disappointed. Another plus, the price is right - $10. If you like puzzle games, pic this up. It has a very immersive atmosphere as others pointed out.

This game is a mindless time waster. Simplistic interface, very grindy, and lots of impatient people. Just like real life! I looked forward to the next "food upgrade" while my cash and buzz drop to nothing as I am the only employee doing everything from cleaning the toilets only to rush back and make a pizza. It reminds me of Lucille Ball runs a restaurant. It can get really funny.

Completely worthless. The multiplayer is not multiplayer. You take "turns". No online option, either. Do not waste your money on this pile of garbage.

The graphics are absolutely stunning, controls are just fine, and I did not run into any major bugs. The storyline is also very good, and it is obvious the creators took the time and effort to create a premium game for the premium price it demanded. Problem is, that's where the game falls short it is not worth the premium price because there is no replay value. Extremely linear game play, weak enemies and a short campaign made me want more. This game has been around long enough that the hype has died down considerably, and people have moved on so it is on sale quite often. Buy it then.

This is a lot of fun, and takes the gore to another level. Controls are smooth, graphics are pretty, and lots of options. The story mode is rather dumb, though. For the first time in a while, the amount of game for the price is well worth it. Not many beat-em-up games are on the PC, and this filled the bill for my fill of mindless violence.

I did not play the older Hitman series, but decided to give this one a go when it was on sale. My very first impression was a very nicely rendered playable cut scene. The levels are very linear, and was hoping for a more sandbox style of game play. All the same, the levels are challenging, and allows for several ways to take targets out. The storyline is fun, predictable, and cheesy at times, but is still fun to watch it unfold. If this is on sale, give it a try too, you will have a good time. tldr: Great graphics, average and linear game play.

This game when first released created a lot of excitement for me. The large maps where the Sims can freely walk around, improved graphics, a large user base, and plenty of options to let your imagination run wild. As expected, tons of expansions were added along with store-bought items. Yes, this game is extremely expensive if you add it all up, and Maxis has made a boatload of money from it. Now the end-of-life has arrived with another on the way. Yes, that means more expansions and nickel and diming you to death. This game gave me endless hours of fun, and if you are willing to open your wallet and spend a pretty penny to get the "maximum" fun from it, I highly recommend it.

Like Mortal Kombat, I plunked untold hoards of quarters in the Street Fighter II machines. A little later, the game would be released to SNES, and I would play that for hours. Fast forward many years later, and I see this little gem released on Steam. The graphics are explosive, the combos are not easy to pull off, and the online mode is tons of fun. If you like the old-school beat 'em up games, this is for you.

I really enjoyed this game, and was pretty late into buying it. At the time, I did not have the computer required to run it, but when I did, I had a lot of fun. The missions get tedious and boring at times, but the open world without consequences is always something to go back to. The PC port has some annoying bugs, and even after a few years, the graphics are still decent.

This game is not designed to be serious, thought provoking, or realistic. It is all about fast cars, humor, crudeness, shallowness, and lots of explosions. When I need mindless fun, this is my go to game. I did not notice any serious bugs, crashes or other annoyances (that I could see). I bought this game on sale with a ton of add-on's, and the price was right. I would recommend this to anybody wanting to wind down and have an escape from reality for an hour or two. Buy it if you haven't already, yes, even when Saints Row IV is on the way later this year (how is that possible with THQ is in liquidation?).

The good: Intuitive interface with large and pretty graphics. I really like the snap grid for easily laying out my city. I am a fan of the auto-connection for utilities (but takes away the challenge of planning infrastructure/costs). The finite resources is an interesting idea, and am curious how that will play out in the long run once resources are exhausted. The multi-city region to connect to others is not a new idea, but the way it was executed was clever, and I like that a lot. The multi-player aspect seems like it could be fun, but I will steer away from it until I get used to the game. The bad: I am not a fan of always on DRM's. If you do not like this type of DRM, steer far, far away from this game. I was not happy when I saw this requirement in the agreement, but knew what I was getting into before plunking down $59.99 which by the way, is NOT what this game is worth. I wish the city limits were larger, but I can easily see expensive DLC's being released to compensate for this and other obvious missing features such as subways. In all, I am pretty satisfied with this game. Again, if small city sizes and intrusive DRM's are not your bag, this is NOT a game for you.

CitiesXL had some promise to be a half-way decent city builder. Things like outdated graphics, wonky interface and silly intros can be overlooked with the positives such as huge maps, multiple cities, and very intense management. Once the bugs become apparent such as the HUGE lag, you just want to click "uninstall" in the Steam client, which is exactly what I did. Now CitiesXL "Platinum" has been released. Instead of repackaging a mediocre game, why not address the severe bugs? it does not matter anyway; Sim City is due next month. I cannot wait.

This game is not bad at all. Lots of fun, predictable storylines, stuff to do, and a good time waster. This reminds me a lot of a cartoon-like Skyrim. The game is shallow, but lots of fun. Downsides? Very dated graphics, unintuitive keyboard mapping. Otherwise, not a bad game, but NOT worth the $59.99 retail price. Buy this on sale.

I will say first and foremost the graphics are very pretty. Beyond that, it is a decent multi-player game. The single-player is very bad, and the story line is even worse. It was helpful for learning the basics, but that is about it. It played more like a cheesy action movie than a game with fancy shooting gallery fill-in's. If you like multi-player war games, you will like Battlefield 3. Otherwise, do not waste your time or money. Oh, and one more thing - the DRM is very annoying, and is worse (yes WORSE) than Diablo III's.

After spending $59.99 for Diablo III, I was reluctant to get this game. I am very glad I bought it. This game is plain FUN. Lots of loot, varied critters, interesting looking levels, and plenty of nail-biting moments. The graphics are cutesy/simple and very pleasing to the eye. Bosses are fun and creative! Downsides? Very minor ones. The mechanics are simple - kill monsters, grab loot, sell it, and gain experience. Over and over. The storyline is rather thin, and frankly, is not necessary to play the game. I would recommend this highly!

This game, much like Pride of Nations and others that use the same engine are frustratingly, mind-meltingly complex. Every conceivable detail is taken into account, and I literally spent several days trying to understand the interface (I still do not fully understand it). After spending literally hours trying to get supply lines, assigning leaders, checking terrain, setting up orders, trying to gather intelligence, terrain, weather, finances, reinforcements, attrition, and all the rest of it, I could finally actually move men into enemy territory. If you have a life, are not a hardcore history buff, or just like the casual gaming, this game is NOT for you. I had this game for about a year and still do not understand it. However, if you do have the time, patience, and know-how, you can laugh at people like me and enjoy it a lot.

Beautiful graphics, very rough levels, some funny moments, and plenty of levels. I have not encountered any bugs that stood out like a sore thumb, was happy with the DRM free goodness. I cannot think of any serious downsides other than maybe redundancy and frustratingly difficult levels.

I avoided this game for the longest time because it was not available on Steam. After some reviews and seeing others talk and play it, I had to try it out. I was not disappointed. The building, exploring, solving problems, and making neat/weird contraptions is a lot of fun. I spend countless hours running around, getting killed by mobs and frustratingly searching for resources to make cool stuff such as diamond and gold. The community is huge, and seems there is almost a cult of personality around the developer. I have not interacted much with this community, but may at some point. Putting all of that aside, one gets to the downsides. Graphics are not the best (perhaps that is intentional), the music is horrific, and I encounter bugs such as re-spawning in a weird place. If you are into explosive action, sex, neat cutscenes, and all the rest of it, do not bother with this game - it will bore you to tears. Otherwise, if you want something different, laid back and fun, give this a go.

The idea is great, and to finally get religions made me exited. Then I installed it. Woah, bugs galore. Putting the bugs aside (such as animation problems), it still does not address the shallow gameplay and quirky AI. Is the expansion worth it? Only if you really, really like Civ V.

The game is a quick-paced, button mashing adventure. It has a very arcade-like feel, which adds to the charm. The graphics feel dated, and two-dimensional at times, but this game is obviously not going for ultra-realism. However, in an odd way, it brings that nostalgic feel. It is a very average game, but sometimes, average works.

So far, this game has been a lot of fun. First, the graphics are pretty, and the game play is surprisingly fluid on my mid-level machine. The story is interesting, well-written, and characters seem to interact well (for a video game). This is a rarity in the gaming world, and I find that a breath of fresh air. Now for the downsides. Every once in a while, I experience crashes and glitches. The cut scenes seem to abruptly start and stop. So I am trying to move Max around, and realize it is a cut scene. Then the cut scene ends without warning, and I realize people are shooting at me. Slight annoyance. Oh, and lastly, the price is very steep; $59.99. Is it worth the price? I would say yes, if and only if you are willing to live with the cut scene stop and go and the DRM, which is slightly less annoying than Diablo III.

Civilization V attempted something grand, and lost its way. While the game has wonderful graphics, hex grid, and intense battles, there is much to be desired. Depth was simply stripped away for a more action-based experience. This game never felt like a grand strategy game to me. Hopefully, the new expansion pack will address some of the shortcomings, but in my opinion, it is too little, too late.

I really wanted to like Civilization V, it did not match the depth and complexity of the Civilization IV series. The graphics are dated, but that is about it; everything else is legendary. The opening music used in Civ IV somehow pumped me up, and made me feel like I can conquer the world. which is what this game is all about. Yet it is very difficult to do. I recommend this to anybody and everybody.

This title, despite having a botched launch day (with numerous outages), is not a bad game. It is by far nowhere near the hype (as usually that is the case), but still fun to play. The graphics are pretty to look at, the enemies are everywhere, and is massively multi-player. The storyline is predictable, cheesy, and much like an action cartoon script. That is OK, considering the game that it is, and I do not expect an epic tale. I knew the downsides from the outset, such as a no offline mode (which is understandable with the real-world currency feature), no character customization, and the go here, hack-this-slash-that, grab-this routine. Overall, I am satisfied with this game, but it is by far, not the best I have ever played.

First and foremost, Tropico 4 does have any serious breakthroughs in the graphics department. They are dated indeed, but that does not really matter, because the game is simply a lot of fun. Plenty of challenge to last for countless hours, and once you are done with that, play around with a sandbox mission or two. No, it is not your typical city building game, but that is a positive all the same. a lot of people say it is like Tropico 3. I never played Tropico 3, so if it is the same, maybe stick with that one.

This, was by far, one of the biggest disappointments I ever experienced in a game since the release of Robocop for the NES. The games themselves I loved as a kid, and Midway got rich from the quarters I fed those machines over the years. To finally have this game on PC, I figured it would be like Mortal Kombat Trilogy for the N64, which was by the way, a really good port. Then I fire up this game and immediately notice the broken controls, poor interface, no controller mapping, no resolution display options, and a very grainy/stretched piece of garbage on my screen. $9.99 wasted. Stay far away from this, and it seems many are, judging by the lack of reviews. That is a good thing.

I purchased this game when released, and overall, my experience with the game has been by and large, a positive experience. The graphics are impressive, and I did not experience any significant bugs. The action is for the most part flows at a fairly quick clip, but the "hacking" of terminals becomes a rather mundane task. The story lines are not bad, but are predictable and somewhat humorous at times. One of the very first things I did notice when firing up the game for the first time was the lifelessness. Cars do not move, and has the traffic flow of North Korea - none at all. People aimlessly walk around, and the whole vibe of the cities seem, well, lifeless. Enemies are similar throughout, and while challenging at times, the mechanics are the same. Hide behind this, shoot that. Not that is a negative, but adding that to the lifelessness makes the experience, well, weird. Still, I would recommend this game, but not at the price I purchased it for.

I did not play the previous versions of the game series, but decided to give this game a try based on the overwhelmingly positive response this particular title received. When I first loaded the game after spending a whopping $59.99, I was not disappointed with a eye-popping eye candy. Craggy rocks, very realistic flowing water, ultra-detailed characters, and the list goes on. After playing this for a while, I noticed the game is little more than a bunch of "fight this", "fetch that" sequence of missions scattered all over a very large map. Not that I mind that, but the story lines are thin and haphazard. More challenging puzzles in caverns, keeps and the like would have made this game a lot better as well. Overall, this game is very nice, but it certainly is not the best by any means at all. What really brought down my score is the sheer number of bugs in the game. Broken quests, buggy caves and wonky character interactions.