Recent reviews by ɠųąཞɖıąŋ ąŋɠɛƖ!

This is it - the one that started it all. Day Z, which started as a mod, is a fleshed out zombie survival game with buckets of depth, strong atmosphere, and serviceable graphics. The game comes with its own server, modding capability, and tons of in-game crafting. Combat is good with shooting-play that is fine and melee that is OK. Enemies consist of traditional zombies, wild fauna and, of course, other players that will attempt to troll, grief, abuse you at almost every opportunity. Maps are large, and reasonably populated. Hazards extend beyond combat with fall damage, rain, cold, infections/illness and starvation/thirst. The game has reasonable verticality and a wide array of unique environments. Weapon variety and customization abounds. You can repair in-game items, rebuild automobiles and explore a post-apocalyptic world that is rife with undead and human conflict. Sounds great right?

Unfortunately, however, as far as games go, Day Z has developed not one real whit over the past 4 years. In actuality, it hasn't developed much far beyond its Arma mod roots. The game coasts on its reputation and its status as a "first mover". Graphics are just that, serviceable, with clumsy animations and in-world events unnecessarily contributing to deaths (doors...lol). Characters often clip into walls, or floors or, objects. The game has a funny sense of humor when it comes to starvation/thirst or infection/illness. You'll eat more than a platoon of soldiers but are at the mercy of poor game logic as you're stuck foraging for a pot/pan but can't find one in a kitchen full of pots and pans. Illness pops up out of nowhere and sometimes glitches will result in an inability to improve resulting in a slow death. Most buildings/houses are bare and empty boxes with little to no exploration, storytelling or intrigue to be had.

Day Z is a fun diversion but without more positive human interaction, plot and/or exploration, it can become tiresome quickly.

Worth a look.

7/10.

(mini-review).

Visually stunning, atmospherically sumptuous, and imbued with an emotive soundtrack The Vanishing of Ethan Carter is a open-world lite story-based game, filled with plot twists and allegorical storytelling. The title follows supernatural investigator Paul Prospero as he searches for the titular child, who has gone missing in the rural, forested community of Red Creek. As the investigation proceeds from scenic locale to locale, a macabre, supernatural story unfolds. The game ending is suitably thought-provoking, if albeit ambiguous. The title employs an innovative sequencing mechanic during each murder investigation. Secrets abound throughout the solitude of each melancholic set piece. While little replayability is available and the title itself is quite short (4-6 completionist), the game runs reasonably well (4K, UIltra 60 fps) and is well worth a purchase on a Steam sale.

Recommended.

8.5/10.

The Quarry is Supermassive's perfect sequel to Until Dawn. It's a "choose your path" path selection horror title with a great blend of scares and comedy relief. The plot is both familiar and new and the characters/protagonists are quite likable. The game has not one, but two different supernatural elements (no hallucinating gas here!) and it's easily one of the top five most beautiful games I've ever seen. The Quarry is easily more beautiful than 99.9% of the fare out there, in fact, with stunning lighting, great shadows and excellent facial motion scans/captures.

The game is technically demanding since it produces nigh-photorealistic graphics. At 4K, ultra, my Radeon VII could only manage a meager 40 fps, consequently, I reduced the resolution to 2K on the second playthrough, where I netted 55 fps. The game is stable and didn't crash for me at all. I also did not experience any severe glitches or bugs. The actor/actress likenesses are absolutely uncanny and each performer produces fantastic voice over work. The soundtrack is great and the sound effects add to the excellent atmosphere.

Good character exchanges are peppered throughout a fairly good story. Choices are often relevant and impactful. The game is short, lasting about 8 hours, on average. Replayability is limited and there is obviously no real online multiplayer to speak of. I doubt there'll be any DLC for the game. The game's high cost might put off some players when presented with the prospect of a 20 hour game. People need to understand that this game is less of a recurring product and more of a special experience.

Sure, I may only net 18-22 hours out of this game but that's kind of the point with a game like this one. This isn't L4D 2 multiplayer. This isn't a pachinko machine like Apex. This isn't pay to win slots like Vindictus. This is a story, presented in state of the art graphics/sound/cinematography and if you're ok with staring at 7 Days to Die for days and days, that's ok, but they're not the same kind of game.

You can't compare a game with buildings that look like card board boxes to something like this that looks like something out of the future.

If you have the disposable income, this game is a worthy pickup. If not, wait for a sale and pick it up immediately. The game is totally worth it.

Recommended.

8.5/10.

Dying Light 2 was a game almost 7 years in the making, designed to exceed its predecessor in every possible way, and yet it fails to live up to that conceit. Dying Light 1 was a surprise hit, with DLC and add ons to spare but this game struggles to hit the same high notes. The game itself does several things extremely well but fails in numerous other areas and, consequently, the game feels like just another diversion, rather than a special experience. While Techland might fix the game in time with updates and DLCs, I and many gamers won't be around to see the improvements come to fruition.

(Unusually long loading time)...

To start, the game is attractive but not stunning. Lighting through the UE 4 engine is particularly good. Textures range from excellent to blurry mush and most 3D character models are par for the course for a game that's been made in the past 4-5 years (i.e. they're serviceable but not stunning). Movement animations are acceptable, except for the laughably bad swimming animations. Facial and behavior animations are poor and closer to the original game's rather than a modern, 2022 AAA title.

(A grating cut scene)...

Character designs are ok, but not terribly inspired. Some characters have particularly charismatic designs like Hakon and Lawan but most just exist as typical game filler fare. Zombie designs are also serviceable but not particularly gruesome or fearsome except for the muscular volatiles. The city of Villedor is attractive and entrancing at times. More often than not the city's designs simply make little to no sense. Villedor feels less like a city most of the time and more like some giant playground sandbox.

(Another obnoxious cutscene)...

The game's title track and soundtrack are *excellent*. Some of the in-Bazaar or advertisement tunes are catchy but ill-suited to the game's identity. Voice acting ranges from great (Lawan, Aiden etc) to cartoonishly poor. The game has a large, expansive world, with tons of explorable buildings and locales, ranging from cathedrals, towers, underground facilities, as well as cramped city streets. Unfortunately, most areas are reused again and again throughout the game and once you've seen one area, you'll likely see it rehashed again.

(Even more pointless black-screened loading)...

Despite the reasonably large world and competent, if unspectacular graphics, the game demands monstrous system performance. Nothing short of a 3080 or 6800 XT will produce great framerate at higher resolutions. Despite running Resident Evil Village at 4K ultra and 60 FPS, I could barely run this game at 45-50 FPS at 4K/High. This is surprising since the game looks worse in every conceivable way from characters, to world models, to textures...you name it. As badly as this game runs on console, it hardly runs better on PC.

(Another grating cutscene)...

Despite its poor optimization, Dying Light 2's greatest sins stem from its awful plot and a miserable litany of bugs. The story focuses on Aiden a pilgrim that enters Villedor looking for his sister. What transpires soon after is a cocktail of cringe worthy brother-sister flashbacks, a wholly unimpressive villain, mixed with an endless parade of insipid, asinine MMO-like side quests that completely obliterate any player's interest in the game's outcome. The game's bugs are legion, with game breaking bugs appearing almost each time I started the game.
Bugs ranged from post cutscene black screen application panics, map locations being reset after restarting the game, key press bind becoming locked until a restart, character glitching, and more.

(Another unusually long black-screened loading screen)...

In fact, the game is so buggy that my friend and I had to restart the game half a dozen times just to fix issues the game had developed during gameplay. More embarrassingly, Dying Light 2 has an obsession with peppering a never-ending stream of constant cutscenes at the player, that often take forever to recover from and that obliterate gameplay momentum. It doesn't help that the last leg of the game probably constitutes more than 20% cutscene. In an open-world game, this is painful.

(Two characters blather to each other like statues)...

Why am I recommending this game if it has poor performance, maudlin graphics, a stream of game-breaking bugs and weak plot? The parkour in the game is still stellar. Exploration does still abound and when you manage to find a way to get to some isolated spot on the top of a skyscraper or within some other location, you feel accomplishment. Melee combat is well executed, even if guns were inexplicably removed. Acrobatic combat is well done and a variety of updates, upgrades and specializations abound.

(The game's action spikes...so of course its time for a momentum-crushing cutscene)....

Additionally, the game can be great fun with a friend, either as you both work together to clear zombies (quite gorily), or whether you laugh at each other as the glitches and plot points keep coming. Just don't expect replayability or an end game once the main storyline is completed. The game upticks the difficulty level and hints at better loot but the loot never comes and there are almost no areas left to explore once you complete the main quest. Maybe the DLC will change that but the decision to push Level 9 characters/gear when almost no end game exists is puzzling at best.

(Oops...game panics and your character is stuck in a crouch animation...better restart!)...

Still, the co-op components are fun and the parkour and melee combat are sublime, making Dying Light 2 a worthy pick if you can get on a deep sale. At full price however, this game is dead on arrival.

Worth a look.

7/10.

(mini-review).

I keep coming back to Spyder hoping for the day when the team matures into the sophisticated, AAA studio I hope it can be. This game is not that step however. The title has good graphics, although facial animations and mo-cap are amateurish. The game performs reasonably well, with good optimization. Game play is similar to Assassins Creed, but without the much needed verticality. However, where the game fails spectacularly is the story. The story is basically a fantasy take on Avatar, with plenty of European hate and native love. You could predict the story's outcome without playing a full minute. If the game play and presentation are above average but the story is wholly unsatisfying - what's the point?

RPG filler if on discount, but not really worth spending much time on, considering the wealth of better titles. That part where you riff on European architecture, armor, weaponry and atmosphere just to rain on about how the culture is evil and damned. Hilarious.

Skip - Decent if you're desperate for an open world RPG and you grab it on sale.

Not worth the time. You'll find better games elsewhere.

5.5/10.

(mini-review).

I completed the original GFW disc version. The remaster is the same game, with slightly improved graphics. While not as lovingly crafted as the predecessor, the game still holds up reasonably well, although it is more unstable and crashed for me a few times. The game exploits the amazing setting, atmosphere and IP of the original and only gives us a few interesting components: playing as Delta, the Big Sisters and a new big bad - Lamb.

Unfortunately, the game lacks the clever plot, inspired map design and pacing of the original. The endings, although varied are comparatively unsatisfying and the game is ultimately just an elaborate DLC for Bioshock 1. While the game is worthy of purchase, it should be procured on Steam sale, if possible. 2K Marin simply didn't have Ken Levine's talent in adding to the Bioshock tapestry.

Good not great.

Recommended.

8/10.

(Mini-review.)

I own the original jewel case Complete edition and I've logged well over 250 hours with that version. I also own the game on iOS and have logged well over 50 hours on the iPad.

Heroes of Might and Magic III is a strategy classic that has been endlessly emulated, not only by its four successors (on various platforms), but also by other franchises like Age of Wonders, Disciples and more. The game blends an insane number of magical items, spells, units, factions and hokey music/artwork to create a quintessential ode to TBS fantasy fare. The game has been graphically remastered, albeit quite minimally and still allows players to play using single player campaign, single player scenario, multiplayer hot seat and default multiplayer. While the game is missing several expansions and the Conflux faction, the game is still great fun and a worthy classic to pick up for one's Steam collection.

Highly recommended.

9/10.

This will review get me some dirty looks/snide comments but I've played enough other games not to be wowed by this perma-Alpha. Start with the good, the game has an insanely destructible environment with hundreds upon hundreds of formulas/ingredients and blueprints for world building. You can create everything from primitive scrap clothes all the way to sci-fi futuristic weapon tracking systems. You can build underground bases and you can host a game-instance where you can control the zombie population, the spawn cycles, as well as speed/damage of all threats. You can micromanage everything about the game experience, including your character's appearance. On the surface, this ultimate freedom (It's Terraria/Minecraft with zombies!) sounds amazing until you realize two game-breaking issues:

The game is an Alpha and it has no end game. You can build whatever you want but eventually you *will* get overrun, unless you just have a world that lacks weekly blood moons and has only in-game populations instead. That means the game gets old fast for the vast majority of the population. Secondly, the game is a buggy, bloated mess. It runs badly, looks worse and will crash more often than you even think it will. Loading times are multi-five minute chunk affairs and the game engine is awful with many players complaining of nausea playing the game (I was one). I just completed House of Ashes on 4K Ultra at 100+ fps. Sure, it's a linear campaign but the graphics are an order of magnitude better than this title. Meanwhile, this title may have a huge dynamic world but it's awful looking and very likely to crash. 4K Ultra framerate for an almost decade-old Alpha? 38 fps. GTA V, by contrast, has an equally large world and runs at 80 fps, 4K Ultra and looks miles and miles better, with far better reliabilty.

Wait for State of Decay 3. Sure, you might not be able to create your own arrows or build Mordor underground but at least it's not some perma-Alpha crapbox with no end game in sight.

Not worth the time. You'll find better games elsewhere.

6.5/10.

(mini-review). (Spoilers).

House of Ashes is another addition to SuperMassive's horror anthology series. The game is more of the same. If you liked previous DA titles, then this title will be sure to please. If you didn't like either of the first two iterations, then this game will unlikely change your preconceptions. Unlike the previous 2 outings, however, this title has a physical and tangible threat. No gas/inner demon memes here. The game is absolutely gorgeous, oozes atmosphere and has flashes of creative brilliance. The title is also insanely optimized putting out state of the art visuals at 4K Ultra 100+ fps. A complete, technical triumph. The largest complaints against the game are its short length (about 7 hours), which is skimpy, even by DA anthology standards and the uncharacteristic lack of character control/agency. Previous DA games gave you the opportunity to play various characters and affect the story from various angles. Not so, in HoA. You play about 5 characters and some definitely get preferential treatment. It's also possible to miss large tracts of branching story elements through a single play through.

All in all, it's tough to recommend HoA at its current price. However, played in co-op with a friend for some laughs and at a half off discount, SuperMassive's DA anthology still demonstrates a successful niche formula.

Worth a look.

7/10.

(mini-review).

(Note: I have over 100 hours in the iPad version of PvZ and have finished the game numerous times.)

An absolute classic, PvZ is a lovely game of pure creativity, zany whimsy and addictive strategic gameplay. The Steam version, however is shameful and should be yanked. The game not only requires Origin to run (despite its diminutive 46 MB installation size) but it also produces horrible framerate, catastrophic flickering glitches and constant crashing, unless you roll up your sleeves and utilize one of many fixes online. You're better off picking up the same version on iPad since it runs quicker, looks better and can be carried anywhere.

On iPad: 9/10.
On Steam: 4/10.