Nylige anmeldelser av Arson Aardvark

This is a worthy successor to Civ 5, flat out. They've streamlined so many of the best features of 5 to create a smoother experience. People aren't wrong about the AI and diplomacy, though. I started my game on the Chieftain difficulty just to learn some of the tweaks and new features, but I'd typically play on Prince or King in Civ 5. The AI was quick to go to war with me by turn 40, no less than 3 DOWs on the same turn. AI will throw some senseless strategies at you until you push them back, and once you've kissed and made up, they come begging for resources (Especially if you've taken their city to teach them a lesson). The agenda system will need some patching. The AI relies solely on their diplomatic prejudices and it can basically seal you off on your own for the entire game if you don't play a certain way. I took a domination approach with Gorgo because if I wasn't being straight up attacked, my cities were repeatedly being proselytized to from competing religions. They routinely ignore warnings to stop, so I had to teach them all a lesson in Spartan military strategies. I look forward to getting into the higher difficulties, where the AI would be expected to do these things and create actual challenges. I'm very happy with the released product, though. Civ has never mastered the AI/diplomacy functionality, so I'm really glad the other elements are so polished. I will probably update this in 20-40 hours of more gameplay.

All the elements are there - futuristic cyberpunk, Michael McCann score, enhanced augmentation system, and refined art direction. It's just not coherent. The story is jumbled, almost forced. Things take a long time to get rolling, and then it all comes to a grinding halt. Sometimes it's even hard to identify the story's actual arc. Protagonists and antagonists don't receive backstory at all. The game basically starts with a bunch of unnamed, unexplored characters talking about something we have no frame of reference for. It's just not fleshed out well, or at least not enough to fully explain everything in your average playthrough. It was a long wait for this game, and it simply didn't deliver an experience reminiscent of Human Revolution. It's definitely playable, and enjoyable if you dig deep enough, but I can't recommend it at this price point ($60).

Nah, I didn't feel like leaving my bed for 3 days, anyway.

This game comes with a voucher for Zoloft.

This is one of those special-place-in-my-heart games that elicits some kind of catharsis every time it's played. The setting, gameplay, soundtrack, dialogue, artwork - it all comes together in this strange culmination of dark justice. Max Payne loses in the end, whether he wins or not. He's doomed from the start, and a lot of games don't torture their heroes this much. So from the beginning you're in this nothing-to-lose mentality alongside our protagonist. The mechanics even support this idea, as you can restart from the last point of death if you mash the quicksave button like an underlying arc from a Lost episode. Events replay like you went back in time a few seconds prior to your blundered encounter and decided to duck left instead of right. The gaming community criticized this feature when it released all those years ago, and people are still kind of iffy on it because of its linear drive. This game really is a comic come to life. The setting is as much a character as Max is, rife with loneliness and torment - slowly picked apart by what can only be described as a 100-year winter. New York City is the target of the Norse Gods' "♥♥♥♥-this-place-in-particular" ice beam of misery, effectively isolating Max and a thousand goons to do glorious battle in Thunderdome 2.0. The reason this game is and will always be timeless is because you don't need to inject yourself into 2001 to appreciate this title for all that it is. It's a story that can be told over and over.

I put a hi-tech scope on my '43 Mosin Nagant.

10/10 would neo-commie again.

The devs work hard to update the ♥♥♥♥ out of this game, and I've never seen a dev put out so much DLC since I bought the game nearly 2 years after release. There's nothing better than bucket brigading 12 duffle bags of assorted treasure with three other people. Coke, gold, cash, jewelry, black market weapons. Eat your heart out, HEAT.

Female co-worker never requires a vacation. 10/10 gender inequality.

Silly comment canon aside, this game is really worth the money. It's a great freshman release from some truly grateful devs. They even send you a thank you note in-game. It's a simple and elegant design and the tutorial is super helpful. A slam dunk for $5 (Summer sale price). Highly recommend.

I've never control+alt+deleted out of a game so many times because I was too furious to see the quit option in the main menu.

10/10 will never finish

Buggy as all hell. Cursor randomly disappears and doesn't come back when you absolutely need it. Sometimes it appears during a game when it's not supposed to...and doesn't go away. Sound flickering during cutscenes, causing lag. There's so much detail in-game it's sometimes hard to even see the monster in front of you. It lends to the hectic nature of "the chase," but sometimes it's just nauseating trying to focus on any one thing. The voice communication is amazing. Crystal clear like the person is in the room with you. If you haven't purchased a new graphics card in the past 3 years, might wanna get this for console. I didn't buy any DLC because it consists entirely of useless cosmetic features that you won't even notice in game..and most of them are 5 ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ dollars. That being said, it's easy to find a game. The load times are a bit long, and you can level up your toons in solo mode so that you don't embarass yourself in multiplayer.

Alien: Isolation delivers a proper return to the Alien franchise that recent games have failed to do. As a survival horror game, it quintessentially achieves the skin-tingling terror and anticipatory fear one would gather from the teasers and trailers for this story. Graphically sound, the attention to detail and environmental realism are adorned with "the little things" that reconcile the original film material with 21st century appeal. You can read hand-written letters left posted to living quarter walls, make out vacation photos of lost crewmen and women, and generally immerse yourself in a world spawned by the late and great H.R. Giger. Voice acting leaves a bit to be desired, but generally the star of this story is the ambience and music. A score fit for a classic blockbuster film accompanies your masochistic need for relentless and punishing survival horror. User interface and movement are janky at times, but seem tuned to your constant need to be quick about finding hiding places and crafting equipment in exaggerated speed. The game is terrifying, and I find myself unable to play for extended periods of time - mostly because I'm a ♥♥♥♥♥, but also because the idea of an 8-foot "perfect organism" stalking you is nervewracking. My main gripe is that the motion tracker is different from the one in the films. The iconic noises and screen are abandoned for something newer and sleeker, perhaps canon considering the time period of the game's setting, but nevertheless disappointing. The immediate availability of perhaps costly DLC is irresponsible and upsetting, but expected in today's triple-A title economy. Get this one to appease your bruised fandom of the franchise, and cast the previous titles to the wayside.

I first reviewed this game upon one of its first major sales - 50% off during the winter sale. I live up north on the Canadian border, so playing this game while it was at times a lower temperature outside than it was in the game came to be incredibly immersive. I had written 10/10 would frostbite again. Since that time, the game has undergone several updates, patches, and content upgrades. Most notably of the additions is Pleasant Valley. I didn't think the game could become more trying on its median difficulty, but I was proven wrong. This game is still early access, but has come a long way since its initial offering. New crafting, plantlife, and items lend to increased survival options. There are still missing mechanics that bug me - no jumping, incredibly slow crouch speed (stealth is not necessary so far, so perhaps it will become so) and purely defensive hand-to-hand combat mar some of the more beautiful facets of the overall product. Some rock and snow formations only 6 inches high can prevent you from moving further. I'd like to see a jump or vault action to overcome some of these minor, unrealistic obstacles. The close combat system is kind of weird, and daunting. It's more of a pray-you-never-have-to-use-it deal, as odds are stacked completely against you if you find yourself underneath a vicious wolf. If you win, the wolf likely scurries off, merely wounded but by no means incapacitated. You're left bleeding and very susceptible to exposure, as if you weren't already. It might be easier, and more engaging, if it were real-time combat. Despite that, the wolf population was skimmed a bit in one of the patches so its not as much of a threat. I still love this game. I can't wait to see what they'll do with the story mode. Definitely recommend.