Recent reviews by codemacabre

Take on Mars has evolved massively since I first bought it in 2013. Driving my rover in the Victoria Crater for the first time was jaw-dropping and I still get that same sensation whenever I return to the red planet.

The game is a detailed simulation, focusing on the science, technology and management of a Mars space program. It is generally a slow-paced, thoughtful affair. Admittedly, I left the game alone for some time as I didn't want to spoil everything before the full release, so I've only dabbled slightly in the co-op / manned missions, but despite the feature-creep of survival elements, the game's focus still appears to be managing the budget and tech for scientific.

Most negative reviews seem focused on bugs and stability, which I've never had much of an issue with (even in Early Access), but Bohemia interactive have a great reputation for supporting and updating their games for a long time, so I have faith that any issues will be solved soon.

If you're a space buff and want to try your hand at believable missions at a fictional space agency in the vein of NASA / ESA / ROSCOSMOS / etc., this is exactly the game you've been looking for. However, if you're more interested in an extraterrestrial co-op survival experience, you should probably look elsewhere (Empyrion / Space Engineers are more likely better options).

Taken on its own, Deus Ex: Mankind Divided is a decent game; a large, interesting, semi-open world to explore, a branching storyline with multiple ways to progress through it. It's visually very nice and there's certainly plenty to do.

However, when compared to its predecessor, Deus Ex: Human Revolution (which is not without its own problems), this feels small, hollow and very much 'more of the same'. While it does fix many of DX:HR's problems, it introduces some of its own; but the main issue I found was an overarching lack of interest. I found myself getting bored as I progressed through the storyline. I'm now fairly close to the end with little desire to endure the painfully long loading times to finish.

It is definitely recommended, especially if you own a PC that's likely to speed up the load times (I've found it excruciatingly slow on my medium-spec PC), and if you either have more patience than me or haven't played the prequel, it's even more highly recommended. Just don't expect a masterpiece.

Cryptic, thick with a mysterious, haunting atmosphere, Pathologic is more than just a game. The soundtrack and autumnal colour palette, the marionnette-esque animation and the arcane narrative (even with this redux version's improved translation) evoke such a strong sense of place.

Admittedly, it is not an easy game to play. It can be hard to know exactly what to do and where to go, there's a lot of walking across the city and it has a narrative-induced time limit. Some might say it has dated visuals (which I personally love). But despite all of this, Pathologic has a magic-realism tale of murder, corruption and disease worthy of classic Russian literature status wrapped in an ambitious, unique first-person adventure.

This was a hard review to write; Pathologic is my favourite game of all-time, alongside System Shock 2. I love this game so much, but probably half of those who read this will hate it. No review can expain how brilliant Pathologic is better than Quintin Smith's three-part diary, 'Butchering Pathologic'. I recommend reading his excellent dissection of this masterful game if you're undecided after my brief review.

I wanted to give it a chance; surely it couldn't be as bad as all that?

After around 2-or-so hours, I've had enough. Duke's weirdly likeable 'jerk'-hero from the '90s has been devolved into a disgusting depiction of a macho, sexist, adolescent power fantasy in the worst possible way. Duke's character has always been a bit gross, but this is taking it to the next level. I could almost ignore all that if there was a competent shooter underneath it, but it's poorly optimised, is reductive, has awkward clunky movement, is full of annoying QTEs, has unnecessary regenerating health... the list goes on. It basically contains everything that has been criticised in the action/FPS genres in recent times.

For a classic (Build engine) FPS reboot done right, try the excellent Shadow Warrior, which has immensely satisfying movement and combat and portrays a one-liner-spewing 'jerk'-hero well. Give this one a miss.

As a huge fan of Atrium Carceri and the other musicians on Cryo Chamber's dark ambient label, I was excited to see his soundscapes translated to explorable worlds in The Old City: Leviathan. I was not disappointed.

As with Atrium Carceri's albums, the story is told ambiently; a rich and mysterious hybrid of the psychological, mythological and post-apocalyptic, presented through powerful environments. The claustrophobic tunnels, intricate dioramas and dreamlike palaces all contrast wonderfully, taking the player on a journey (and showcasing the fantastic graphics).

(Note: while I don't have an issue with it, it's worth mentioning that there is very little interaction within the game, so if you suffer from anti-walking-simulatoritis, it's probably best to avoid. However, if you are interested in unravelling a decent short story with superb soundtrack and (at times breathtaking) visuals, this is one of the greats.)

Favourite aspect: the soundtrack; worth the price of the game alone.

Least favourite aspect: I can't help cringing when storytelling relies on finding journal entries and notes scattered around the world. The story is original and ultimately worth several playthroughs to fully understand, but the 'torn-apart diary' device has started to feel more and more strained every time I see it in games.

A gorgeous, extremely atmospheric adventure, with light survival-horror elements. The story is a decent take on supernatural mystery (think Tunguska meets Chernobyl) and leaves enough open to interpretation without being obtuse, with narration by brilliant voice actors (including Sean Bean, but the others are equally powerful).

Favourite aspect: the entirely diegetic navigation system (physical map and compass, no HUD elements) which (in my opinion) has only been bettered by Miasmata.

Least favourite aspect: while at times quite natural, the 'threat' (no spoilers here) did verge on feeling a bit out-of-place and 'gamey'; not necessarily that bad, but in comparison to the rest of the game, was the only immersion-breaking aspect.