whitespider999

This game has a unique feel about it. The skill tree is second to none, and the ability to read minds is a fantastic feature. The world is a little more open than fable and a little more closed off than KOA-reckoning. Loot is randomized and often quite satisfying. The game's design is a little scattershot, veering from interesting to poor in equal turn. Combat is simplistic, however the amount of interchangeable skills counterbalances this. Art direction is also inconsistent, with some sights being breathtaking and others being generic. The music is sweet - however it's also disconnecting and times, and never feels empowering. A strong game that has some extreme lows and extreme highs in rapid succession. Recommended to those who want something a little different in tone, and are willing to put up with some major pacing issues.

Two worlds is a clunky game, with an unexciting world and poor game balance. This is somewhat offset by the size of the landmass and the amount of content in the game. Recommended to tolerant players who don't mind a lot of jank. What they get in exchange is a lot of almost mindless wander-time. Most of which they will be extremely overpowered.

Mass effect 3 is a fitting conclusion to the mass effect saga. It boasts significantly improved gameplay fluidity and mechanics, as well as a more varied campaign. The story is emotional, hard hitting, and diverse. The games visuals have been improved a lot, and the pc version looks quite spectacular despite and aging core engine, and runs smoother than the previous games to boot. In terms of streamlining - which I hate - the game is in between mass effect 1 and 2, the major disappointment in the game is the planet exploring, which has been stripped down. Imported save games determine a lot, from entire characters no longer existing in the story to conflicts that play out entirely different.Multiplayer is fun, and is not required to get the best ending in the game. In the end, mass effect 3 is special. As good as mass effect 2 in storytelling, and almost as good as mass effect 1 in rpg-like skill/item medications and exp distribution. My favorite in an acclaimed series.

Stacking is an intelligent and charming puzzle game with adventure elements. It has semi-open-ended solutions - not entirely dissimilar to deus ex. The visuals are charming except for the framerate which is capped at 30fps - this causes me to experience eye strain. Double fine know charm and wit, what they need is an understanding of what pc gamers need. Score open to change based on future patches. Score when issues are fixed = 8/10.

Earth Defense Force Insect Armageddon has very little to recommend. It's kind of like dynasty warriors without the strategy, or serious sam without the personality and level design. The pc version also has a 30fps cap. I played this game for as long as my sanity (And eyes at 30fps) could endure. Which was about 45 minutes. Out of all the games I have reviewed so far - this has been played for the shortest length. I understand this game is not being sold at a full retail price. However I find it hard recommending this game to anyone at any price. Even children deserve more credit than this.

Skyrim is a flawed masterpiece - a game that stands above far more perfect games in it's ambition. Most games lose some of their shine as they hit the 3rd or 4th in the series. What makes skyrim an exception? Elder scrolls started with an ambition, and with each game they take one step closer toward it. To create an interesting 'world' that a player will want to explore every inch of. And betheda are world builders like literally no other company on the planet. In this specific case, evolving a single cause creates a progressively more awe inspiring outcome. Skyrim is filled with quality content. Sometimes a short cave, sometimes a 2 hour journey into the heart of a unexpected tale. You never know what will lie around the next corner. And unlike all the previous elder scrolls game, this content is now more varied, more interesting, and more attached to story. And while skyrim never reaches some of the peaks in oblivion, and some of the world building imagination of morrowind - the consistency of it's high quality content - dwarfs those two games combined. Skyrim is magical, it's exciting, it's sweeping, it's majestic, and sometimes it's mundane. It's a fantasy life. And it's got 500,000 game bugs. I play skyrim, with it's 500,000 game bugs, and I enjoy it immeasurably more than games that are flawless and clean, and bug free. Because those games don't feel like realizing a grand dream. They feel like games.

This is my personal favorite 'arcade shooter', -- to elaborate on what that means; A game that is primarily like quake 1 or serious sam. Shoot waves of enemies, hit switches, complete game. There is a story in this game, however it is throw away and disjointed. The gameplay however, feels fantastic. Far more than the even more recent serious sam 3. The setting is superb, and the visuals are breathtaking and cutting edge to say the least. The visuals/world and physics add this incredible layer of chaos and the pumping techno music, and pumping techno lighting make the game feel like a cyberpunk rave. If you are sensitive to flashing bold lights and electronic music. Don't play this, you will have a seizure. If you are not - and this kind of thing gives you a buzz - it might be the best game of this type for you as well. It even has an rpg-like upgrade system, and a reason to explore the world attached to it - in the form of glowing orange collectibles that act as 'xp' or 'currency' for upgrades. The biggest downfall is the repetition of the enemies. Best played in short spurts.

A strong puzzle game, with an increasing amount of depth. Just take note, this game does not feature the emotional resonance of something like bastion or the ending of braid - or limbo. That's not to say it does not have some great music and personality - It does. There are some slight comparisons with the 2d metroids as well. And the game does evolve into a much deeper thing about 1 hour in. In the end, this is recommended for puzzle game fans more than art-indie-game fans.

Absolutely the direction dlc in fallout 3 should have universally gone. And consequently the best dlc for fallout 3. My only complaint is the length, which is a little short. It has a few standout moments that are very memorable as well.

One of the best dlc expansions ever released. While the actual island is not that large in terms of space - (still pretty big) - it's a absolutely beautiful world. And unlike the dialog in oblivion, this game is seriously quirky.

A passable dlc with a interesting premise and some corridor roaming. It's basically the same as a big underground area - with lot's of generic doorways and whatnot. The presentation and story bits of the dlc make it worthwhile.

Gives you a bunch of semi-useful item dlc. Fun if you have money to burn and play on harder difficulties. Since this gives you a large boost with some pretty strong equipment.

The middleground of the bunch. A new worldspace that is different and interesting. Some extra content that is interesting. A completely separate story that is mildly interesting. The graphics take a big hit for some reason in this dlc. The red rocky landscape is really low resolution. It's passable. And fun to explore. One thumb up, one thumb sideways.

These are guns. For new vegas..... Nothing more to say. Get them if you want some more guns for new vegas. Don't get them if you don't want some more guns for new vegas. For the record, mods add like 50,000,000 guns to new vegas. And these are some guns that you pay for. Yeah.....

Hit and miss. It does some interesting things badly. It removes what makes the original game so liberating and mixes in some new styles that don't work - however are refreshing. It's frustrating, yet kind of cool. Again, it's worth getting all the dlc for this game. This is ultimately a weak link - however it's worth playing.

Short and underwhelming. This removes a large part of the freedom in the host game. It still has some great moments - however it kind of misses the point. Recommended for people who can't get enough new vegas - it's nice having the entire package to keep extending this great game. However this is a weak link.

One of the best dlc's on the market, right up there with red dead redemption's undead nightmare and episodes from liberty city and shivering isles. This is the best dlc for the entire fallout franchise. Bar none. With some of the most quirky characters, it is absolutely huge - with worthwhile content. Lot's to do. Interesting quests (for the most part). It expands on the game in all the right ways. The humor is more hit than miss - and a lot of the game carries back into vanilla new vegas. Totally and utterly recommended. I would even say essential to the new vegas package.

I subjectively dislike this game. I objectively think that this game has some of the tightest fighting mechanics and some of the smoothest online implementation in the fighting genre. However the subjectivity kicks back in again when I realize that I don't really care if it has tight fighting mechanics. Mortal kombat might be a slower more methodical, less skillfull game. However the story mode kept me engaged. For people like me who play games for involvement based on something other than competition. This is about as disconnecting as it gets. So what route do I go? Do I not review this at all, and only leave the scoring to the fans of the genre? Must this genre be so polarizing? If street fighter had a story mode with anime cutscenes (like in the trailer for the game) - telling the stories as you went along in the singleplayer mode. I would love the hell out of this game - and since it's a mythos that was expanded brilliantly with the original anime/manga movie - it can be done. I even think the fans would enjoy it, and just play the online/arcade for the pure fighting. So from that standpoint, I don't recommend this game to people who want this genre to expand. I do recommend this game to traditionalists who want a great looking, fast paced, competitive fighting game with smooth online. The pc version is also great, with a smooth framerate and visuals that upscale fantastically to the higher resolution most pc gamers play games at.

Borderlands dlc's are for the most part - impressive - like mini expansions. This one does some right, some wrong. It's the most repetitive and mindless of the bunch. The environment is stunning - and small in size and scope. Only really taking up a few areas. Interestingly - this dlc makes the mindless killing kind of more fun than vanilla. By giving you some extra-generic objectives like 'collect brains' x number. The major flaw is the lack of any improved loot over vanilla. And since that's one of the few things you 'actually think about' in borderlands - that's a pretty big issue. It's also stylistically on par - quality wise, with the main game. Which is good.

Since this is relevant to pc games, know this first. The game has been capped at 30 frames per second, this can be removed via the latest patch and a -60fps command. So I won't mark that against the game. The game also requires a very powerful pc to be able to run at 60 frames per second. It is choppy and unplayable on lower end hardware. If you have a duel core cpu and a low end gpu, take this as a warning. Now, onto the actual game. La noir is a breath of fresh air, taking cue's from adventure games in it's mystery solving, focus on clues, and providing you with the successful illusion that you are solving them. It tells a long and involved story though a string of murders you have to solve, that delves into the territory of serial killers, police corruption and more, and it allows you to travel around an open world while doing so. This alone is enough to cement this game in an interesting heavy rain territory. However it goes a step further by introducing some facinating and downright impressive face animation mapping technology - and implements it in an innovative and involving way. You have to actually study peoples faces to gauge their honesty/personality, and make final decisions that rely entirely on your very own instincts. Putting actual detective skills in the players hands is so worthy of praise - that it makes other game's "new and innovative features" seem dull and lifeless in comparison. When you are as ambitious as this game is however - there will always be a price. In this case the main issue this game has is the outcomes for failing/succeeding. They mostly lead to the same results. Guess wrongly? You still progress in the same way minus a few points that can unlock intuition points (a free answer, basically). This makes your actual detective skills feel consequence free. And that's a shame. In the end, what the game does provide - is unique. Entertaining. Sometimes emotional. An experience like nothing else on the market. If you don't have a monster pc - get the ps3 version instead.

I experienced the very same technical issues as all of you had. Worse - even. Since the game negatively scales when running dx11 and AMD crossfire. However slapping an extremely low score on this game due to the poorly implemented dx11 mode - would be reasonable if that meant you where unable to play the game smoothly . Direct x 9 mode runs flawlessly, and runs incredibly well. So even people without the exact hardware needed to run dx11 mode - are still able to play this game at a vastly better visual standard than everyone else. The game itself is incredible, one of the best of 2011. Arkham asylum was already a great game with a great combat system, it was structured almost like an oldschool metroid game. With progression tied to gadgets. This game opens up, and gives you a hubworld, it still has that metroid structure - it just combines it with elements of open world games. And this combination is so great it's intoxicating. Every single piece of this game is individually fantastic, now tie them all together. And you have a game that is truly worth the asking price. And then some. Involving plot. Check. Open world. Check. Enjoyable gameplay. Check. Variety. Check. Poetically mindblowing visuals. Check. 9/10?. Check.

You know what should truly sell you on deus ex? Reading the negative reviews on metacritic. Then cross-compare them with the positive reviews. Then add a dash of common sense and ability to analyse and read between the lines. Now, onto the actual review. Deus ex - has been my favorite game for the past 12 years. And I play a lot of games. Why? It's sure visually aged poorly, it's kind of clunky. So surely that means I deduct a few points right there? No. Deus ex is the true definition of a masterpiece, it gives you true options - options that the lesser masterpiece human revolution can't even match. It still stands alone as something incredible - the only problem is that now people have to look past the age (if they are coming in fresh). Each hub (or sectioned level) offers hundreds possible 'ways' to achieve a simple goal. Let me explain - It's like this; there is a simple thing you need to do. You need to infiltrate a building and get past all the guards in the building so you can download an important document (this is hypothetical). Now, there are about 10-15 different 'ways' you can get into the building and each 'way' has branching 'options'. So options, lead to options, lead to options. You take choice 5 out of 15 and go through the sewers instead of the top, no strike that - you decide going above ground is best, so you get a crane and lower the shaft so you can sneak across onto the roof - no strike that, you decide to go full force and shoot everyone in your path - no strike that, you decide to go to the building manager and get a keypass, now when you open the caravan that the manager is in, it has cameras inside it, so you hack those cameras to work for you. You then threaten the manager with information you have on him, that you picked up off a nearby computer - then you walk past the guards and enter the keypass into the door slot. You walk strait in, and decide to open a vent that leads you to the roof, in which you plant explosives that might distract the guards. You walk up to the heavily guarded entrance to your objective - and you remotely detonate the explosive, all the guards run towards the threat and you walk into the room. Problem solved. Now, that thing you did was one of a few hundred things you could have done to achive that same 8 minute objective. Now you have 30 hours of incredible globe trotting, storytelling, twists turns, cities, exploration - all with that very level of freedom options. It's mindblowing. That's what you need to understand when you boot up deus ex and see some janky graphics and blocky models. No, this is not just 'some first person shooter' dig deeper. And find one of the true miracles of gaming. This game needs a 999/10 score made specifically for it. Masterpiece is a painful understatement. This is a revolution in gaming that never took off. So far ahead of it's time that nothing else can quite match it. I truly hope the developers of human revolution make another deus ex game - because I think they had the right idea. They did not 'quite' pull off 'deus ex'. But I have a feeling they are heading towards something great. And that's promising.

I usually write long detailed reviews. This won't be a long review. I am... tired. I am exhausted. People love this game, it sold more than skyrim. That's the current state of our society. This review I am writing, it's meaningless - It won't change anything. Those people who play this game, are far greater in numbers than us. They don't care about metacritic. What's the point? Why am I even writing this. I guess... there is hope. We do exist. People do understand that the few of us who actually like to feel, and think, and imagine - want something. Games are getting made that appeal to us. And there are probably just as many games that appeal to us as there are games that appeal to the 'mainstream casual consumer'. So.. maybe we are not doomed.

A vastly superior game to the already promising original. This game refines in all the right ways, tells a great story and feels great to play. Even by today's standards. It might still be the best implementation of bullet time in a game. It also ditches some of the more clunky aspects of the original - leading to it being more timeless.

Borderlands is a tricky game to nail. When I was first playing it - I was loving it. The inventive look, feel, combination of diablo and halo, the style, the humor. Even while playing the game for extended lengths I felt so incredibly comfortable mindlessly ticking off quests and collecting loot. It's a very simple and primal game. Looking back on borderlands leaves less of an impression than actually playing it however. The game has a kind of emptiness to it. A void that leaves no impression. For me emotions leave the strongest memories (I don't know if it's just me?) and the generic nature of borderlands story and quests makes the game feel a lot like high powered junk food. You enjoy it while you are munching on the fat and sugar - you feel kind of depressed and regretful after. My time in borderlands was fun - however fun itself is not exactly 'meaningful' in the same way discovering a talking dog in skyrim was, or experiencing a betrayal in the witcher 2, or choosing between destroying a colony or saving it in mass effect. If borderlands had more meaningful quests and a story - it might have left a mark. A fondness. However I can't give a game a 9/10 or a 8/10 if it simply fills my time, nomatter how mindlessly entertaining that filling was. I need something more. I hope borderlands 2 finds more of a compromise.

One of the best directions this series went. Final fantasy XII has what i consider the most enjoyable combat/gameplay/freedom of the entire series by a insurmountable margin. The European shades and character designs clash perfectly with the hint of japanese that peeks out. If my viewpoint had weight, I would suggest they keep this as the next gen look/feel. The world feels grounded and makes the magical have a context - instead of making everything over-the-top and never having the power of that transition between the two. Basically, this game does everything so much better than other final fantasy games except one super important thing - the story itself. It's a little lacking, and the connection to the characters is a little less significant throughout the coarse of the game. World - 10/10 Gameplay - 9/10 - Story - 7/10

My favorite jrpg. An even more fantastic story than 3, feels more offbeat, daring, involving, magical, and the characters are more memorable. A masterpiece.

One of my favorite jrpgs. And the core combat mechanics are only passable. It's the story, originality, characters and presentation that make this game great.

I mark down almost every one of my favorite games. I am HUGELY against being a traditionalist who 'only likes' games of the 'golden era'. When a game ages, I don't give it a 10/10 simply because I loved it when i first played it. I rank it against everything that has come after. That said, this game truly does defy time. A thrilling and truly epic storyline that dances around many highly regarded stories since. This game is a gem. A true gem. When it comes to this game vs planescape torment - however. Things get tricky. As a game - BGII is the winner. As a creation - Planescape torment holds all the ambition. Both tell grand stories. They just have different strengths.

The only other 'interesting' red faction game after the original. RFG does a lot right. It gives you a free roaming world, most of which you can level. It scatters most generic activities around, and basically gives you the keys to do whatever you want. Unlike the original red faction, this game takes away the ability to destroy the actual ground, and lets you destroy anything on top of it - I would have preferred both. The side content is mostly just 'go here and destroy this' 'destroy this is 30 seconds' 'bring there people over here' 'kill these guys'. It all get's repetitive really fast. That's why this game is best enjoyed in small spurts, a few generic quests and a dull storyline mission are perfectly fine if you just use them as an excuse to collect some parts for upgrades and level as much as you can. If you want a story focused game with quality side content. Look elsewhere.

This game comes very close to the perfect game. It's actually mature, it's realistic in decisions and never resorts to black and white "good" "evil" choices. The only small issue is that some quests are of a far lower standard than other quests - whereas in the witcher 2 - all the quests are of a high standard. However this game is almost twice the length. So it evens out in the end. The combat is a little more methodical than the witcher 2, it's different. Although I probably prefer the witcher 2's combat.

When I review game - I review them vs the current gaming climate. Rather than what I thought when I first played them, thereby eliminating "nostalgia factor". When I first played max payne - it was a 10/10. Just thought I would clear that up first. Ok, now onto the actual game. Max payne was fresh on so many levels, it had it's own individual method of storytelling, the -then- inventive and HUGELY satisfying bullettime effect - and a really dark noir tone. It still holds up reasonably, although I now notice the seams a little more. The comic sections hold up incredibly well - however the blocky models and some clunky moments stand out a little more. Max payne 2 definitely refined this with some grace - however this game - for the most part holds up really well. On the PC.

My first real gaming console was the master system (before that I just had an old atari 7xxx), however that was short of rpg's. When I finally begged my mother to get a megadrive, I still kind of stuck to the "non rpgs". It took a while for me to finally get around to playing this game. And when I did, it took almost no time for me to suddenly realize that i had been missing a lot - by playing conventional platformers and action games. It's funny because now I look back on turn based rpgs and much prefer open world games like skyrim. However back then - a turn based rpg was incredible because it did not involve me running around and jumping on heads - it involved actual storytelling and characters. And even to this day, shining force II is a very charming game. Perhaps not the level of chrono trigger or the snes rpgs that followed - still, the combat is also quite simple - yet balanced really well. The reason I give this a 7 instead of a 10, is because when I review games - I don't let nostalgia affect the score (otherwise morrowind would get a 11/10 instead of 8/10). I only score games vs how they actually hold up vs the current gaming climate. Load the game up now, clear the slate of memories - how does the actual game hold up. And it's a 7 - which is excellent. Shining force 3 on the saturn was also a better game - however I only managed to play that recently via a translation patch. I wish I had played SFIII when it first came out.

I am not really a platformer fan. Back in the megadrive/snes (and before) days - I was more comfortable playing 'shining force' than super mario world. Chrono trigger over sonic. This game however, is just so fine tuned, so charming, so well designed - so incredible. That it won me over. I probably won't go back to the old platformers. I will - however - go back to this game. I'd argue it's a better overall game than any of those classics. Oh, it also looks utterly incredible due to the incredibly drawn visuals and animation.

Diablo 2 is the definitive loot-action-rpg. It has the perfect balance of drops, sizeable maps, and rich atmosphere. In the end - however, the thing that separates diablo 2 from countless other similar games is that diablo 2 takes itself seriously. It tells a story, it has a darkness and a sense of place. A dungeon feels like a road to some destination rather than just a 'level'. Which is surprising considering most of the levels are randomly generated.

This game is incredibly addictive, has an insane amount of content, and one of the best valued dlc's in the history of best valued dlc's. There are some problems with steam achievements unlocking (of which there is hundreds) and the game can get repetitive when played for hundreds of hours. Still, if you liked randomly generated game worlds with randomly generated loot - this could end up being something you adore just as much as me. The snes graphics might put off some - give it time. It really does grow on you.

This came out around the same time as orcs must die, and while I think orcs is a superior core game. This game has excellently integrated multiplayer that really is why you should play. If you do have 3-4 people you can play this with - then it is a excellent game. It's major downfall - for me, is that it's feature light. And even if you spend 3 times the games original price on dlc - it will still lead to you playing the same maps over and over with the same limited traps. The loot, and leveling encourages you to grind away at this game - however it get's repetitive. It's still a top game that will become better and better as more content is released. I feel a fuller featured sequel could be exactly what this game needs to go from great - to fantastic.

This game is one of my favorite tower defense games, period. The core mechanics are addictive, well balanced, and fun. This is no easy game, and the game balance starts to become less razor tight as you head into the unlockable harder modes. However the time I spent with this game was irreplaceable.

One of the most ambitious stories in gaming. In fact, if this was a film I can imagine it being "eternal sunshine of the spotless mind" kind of great. Yes, it looks like a snes game. Yes the gameplay is poor at best. And yes, I give this a 10/10 purely on it's ambition. Which consumes and overwhelms everything around it. Negatives be damned, this is a masterwork. A private, intimate, masterwork.

This game has worse climbing mechanics than infamous as well as a more simplistic city. In fact this game's city is probably it's worst feature. They reduced the detail on nearly everything so that widespread destruction could take place without nosediving the framerate, the problem with this approach is that you get what is barely a step up from an old flight simulator so that you can throw a lot of npc's and cars on screen at once. Also the pc version was a quick-port. So it has a lot of problems. Get past these and the core game is very fun, the method of storytelling is hit-and-miss, however most of what is there is interesting. The problem is that these smaller stories don't come together to create a compelling 'whole' all that well. The thing that stands out the most in this entire package is the unlockable powers. There is a absolutely huge amount of them, far higher than any other game can claim. And while this might be overkill, I am fine with that. I think prototype 2 needs to raise the detail levels a bit, change the method of storytelling - or at least tweak it, and make the core city more interesting. As for the powers, they already have a knack for that. So I am comfortable with what they do so long as it's not reducing them.

Little bits of genius infused with a purposeful hate for the player. It's fun messing around with, however completing the game multi-times, and proclaiming it the best game ever made. Says more about the player than the game.

I personally think heavy rain is a masterpiece. Not as a game - but rather an experience. I was absolutely riveted by every single moment - I completed the entire thing in two sittings - and my heart sank when I knew it was over. And while there is some occasional voice acting quirks, overall it's a thriller that I would embrace as a fantastic film, and I am film lover who just spent the past few years in film school. My main issue with the game is that it was not quite far reaching enough as I would have liked in some late-game-story elements.

The ign review sold me on this game. It seemed to do everything I wanted in this kind of game, and mechanically - it comes quite close. However like prototype and the original infamous, this game is repetitive and mindless more than it should be. And this makes the experience drag. In the end, it's just not all that special. The editor for user created content is a stroke of genius - however it's never really been used all that imaginatively either. The world design is probably the biggest highlight, as it's far less plain than prototypes extremely simplistic city - however it's very small and mostly a single visual note. The framerate in this game is also very choppy and removes some of the flowing momentum that you should be feeling.

Bioshock 2 is more of the same, or perhaps less of the same. However since the original bioshock's world was so staggeringly inviting and original, more of the same in this context is not bad. I guess what I am saying is that it takes more than two games set in the same world for genre fatigue to set in. This game also makes some mild improvements to the gameplay and mechanics, it's story is solid - although not as masterful as the originals - and the game still maintains a sense of emotional weight. It's major downfall for me is it's length, and a more enclosed world that feels a little more like a rails-first-person-shooter than bioshock has any right to feel. I enjoyed the heck out of this game - although it's absolutely a step in the wrong direction.

The setting defines this game. While it might not have as many options or pathways as the intelligent deus ex - what it does do is create a world you have never seen before, tell a story you have never heard, and give you gameplay that is slightly more simple version of the masterpiece that is system shock 2. This game stands tall, defies time and aging - and stands as a beacon of light and a template for creating original worlds.

Terribly optimized for a pc to the point of being broken. Even to this day it fails to run on many hardware config's at a playable framerate. If you want to play this game, make sure you are running a quad core cpu with a high clock rate and a single - powerful gpu. Crossfire produces negative scaling, Sli is buggy, and a duel core cpu will produce a scattershot fps. The plus side to all of this mess is that it's far better looking on the stray computer than does meet all these requirements. The game itself fantastic, with an involving (albeit well tread) story, with great action, and a weighty physics system. If this game runs well on your system - 10/10. If it runs poorly. 0/10.

I am so departed from this game's audience, that I fail to understand the target demographic's attraction to what is essentially a mix of 'barbie' and 'whatever soap you choose to make it'. This is one of the few games I cannot be objective about. Nothing struck me as insightful, engaging, entertaining, fun, progressive, or meaningful. I guess it was original for it's time. And that has to count for something. Right?

For it's respective slot in history. This game was still fresh. It modernized the aging world war 2 template with 'just' enough storytelling and presentation upgrades to make the air feel fresh again for a breath or two. It's still not all that memorable, and supremely short. Get it for the multiplayer. Which is hopefully still active.

Ask yourself these questions before deciding to pay 10 dollars for this game. What do you value more, gameplay or art? Raw fun or emotion? If you answered, gameplay and fun instantly. This game might not be for you. If you came somewhere in the middle, then this game will truly test which side you truly prefer. Like most of you, I am in the middle. I enjoy the gameplay like anyone else. However I also think games are - for the most part - emotionally and artistically stumped. Far more than music, traditional art, and film. This very short game is less stumped - the tradeoff is that there is no gameplay. Just your own interpretation based off obscure poetic narration and what are essentially cave paintings. One day a game could incorporate compelling gameplay AND this kind of emotional and artistic integrity. If you want that, and enjoy poetry, music, and mystery. Get this. If you don't want that. Don't get this. My score reflects the value i place on both the experience I was given, which was more emotional and personal than countless other games of a far longer length - and my support for this direction in gaming. 1 point was deducted due to it being a 75minute to 3 hour (depending on your curiosity) length.

A huge step up in atmosphere and depth over the original. This game is gold plated. And remains the pinnacle of the series. And yes, these games have not aged that well - however compared to other games released in 1998, what is on show visually is still impressive once you put aside the blocky models.