Recent reviews by BinarySemaphore

Fantastic and rewarding looter/shooter!
This is a top tier arcade-style space combat game.

Spacecraft + module build options are diverse allowing for multiple play-styles.
There are so many options for different lanes of progression and the game does a great job at giving you several goals to work towards.

The art style and scenery are beautiful and there's enough variation to keep things fresh.
It's a joy to fly and fight in this universe.

The story is enough to keep you engaged and is so far really fun, and I like the voice acting and their style of semi-animated comic-like cutscenes.

The main story is alright. It's pretty fun even though the story is a bit blah.
I was leaning towards a negative review, but where this really shines, and what pushed me towards a positive review for me, was the city of Dazra and its outskirts.

The location brings a new style of exploration the base game doesn't have.
Many POIs have unique architecture and style, from common buildings and large facilities to great monolithic temples and communities cut in and out of rock pillars.
As density reduces the further out from Dazra you go, there's decent stretches of beautiful nature between POIs with primitive roads and little spots to explore.

There's tons of interesting side quests (including some that have hidden solutions - yes more of that please).
Not all the characters or quests are bangers, but most are fun and immersive.

If you just fly in and play the main story, I can see why so many have a negative impression.
For me, the locations and side quests were enough to win me over.
I hope one day Bethesda can make their main campaigns as good as their side quests (if only - ugh!).

If you like Elder Scrolls or Fallout games and enjoy space themes you'll enjoy Starfield.
It's easy to get immersed and there's a lot to do.

There are a few major missing things like easier inventory management and local maps (you can use scanner to find path though), but mods will probably fill in those gaps.

Of note, the game doesn't do a great job of telling you about all the mechanics and tricks available, so definitely give things a search online and you'll probably find a way to do it (ex: walking around your ship while in space - hold E, holstering a weapon - hold R, ledge grabbing to climb, etc).

It can be clunky as you'd expect from a Bethesda game, but overall I'm loving the heck out of it.

Hack the planet!
Gameplay is a blast with the remote controlled jumper and quadcopter.
This is a great take on the Watch Dogs universe: not taking itself too seriously and having fun with the concept.
Story runs full speed ahead and takes you to great places all around a beautiful rendition of the bay area and beyond.
There's tons to do and a rewarding tech tree.

Bottom line, if you liked the whimsical movie Hackers (1995), this game is your chance to live in that world <3

Great game with friends. Solo isn't bad.
Water super awesome.

The game had its ups and downs while devs were trying to increase the scope of the game. For the most part, exploration-wise, they've nearly returned to form and grown it significantly. If you enjoy exploration, crafting, some light survival/combat, and building bases/ships (yes you can essentially build a mobile base), then give the game a try. The DLC for exploration isn't free, but give the demo included a try (there's no time limit). The community is good too.

In terms of exploration, they do a good job of populating the maps with interesting content, some of it random and small, but some themed and kind of connected. Additionally, there are several hand crafted maps you can gain access to, solving puzzles and enjoying the well built areas. There's loot to be had all over, including underwater!

Edit:
The updates just keep rolling out! Story elements, in-game achievements/diary, re-balancing, and a tech-tree coming soon. There's just no stopping the love the devs are pouring into Ylands. They work very hard to incorporate community feedback into each update (along with dev diaries to keep everyone updated and show what their process is).
Community is still rock solid, with so many helpful and talented people.

Words cannot describe. I recommend going in blind.
A space mystery that will lead you to grand places; this is a detailed handcrafted pleasure to explore.
If you love adventure and discovery, do yourself a favor and play.
10/10 story and universe.

Was always an enjoyable game for me, much like Alessandro's Noctis. The updates have been amazing; a bit surface level still but together make for a variable and vibrant experience. I used to only recommend this to a specific kind of player, and while that's still somewhat true, the game certainly appeals to a larger audience now (in a very good way).
Well done!

Fresh visuals, interactive landscapes (entire planets), clean UI, and overall concept make Astroneer a very good game.
Progression for unlocking and building tech has been refined over early access and is pretty polished today.
End game can suffer a little, as you'll run out of things to "work" towards, but exploration and base building can remain fun for the imaginative.

If this looks fun, then you're right!
If this doesn't seem like fun or make sense, find a friend or someway to play for a couple hours and you'll understand.

The solid foundation, simple concept, and tight controls really allow players to build on this game.
For casual or competitive players, there's a ton of meta-gameplay to learn and pull off in satisfying and fun ways.