Recent reviews by Doom

Do I recommend this game? Yes but with caveat(s).

First off is the good though. Overall it's a solid game with a relatively short but very satisfying single player campaign that supports co-op. The final mission felt like I was a miniature in a table top miniature game of Warhammer 40,000. It was setup masterfully and followed the "rule of cool" with some truly excellent cutscenes. The addition of which chaos based faction they used this time was also impressive as they actually did them justice mechanically. I'm very hopeful for the game going forward as I find the game fun for the most part especially the multi-player for long term enjoyment of the game.

Now the caveats are things I have issues with the game:

Combat - Unlike the original Space Marine game they significantly changed the combat around. In the first game you maintained your health by consistently damaging enemies and getting execute kills. This rule still applies in Space Marine 2 but with one exception in "temp health" you can get back unless it goes away. However unless you have an execute ready on an enemy more often then not you don't regenerate the health back and are always losing HP over time to the enemy. Executing regularly restores your armor but considering your armor does next to nothing to actually mitigate damage it's like temporarily placing a fresh piece of paper over a torn piece of paper. In single player the player has access to an ability which regenerates health but in co-op and multiplayer this doesn't exist. So you are forced to use the only other means to reliably heal in medical kits which can be rare and never heal to full. To top it off you are encourage to use the parry mechanic which is clearly broken in registering the timing. So often that you're better off dodging. If you fail to dodge or parry you end up losing 2/3 of your health to one strike.

Co-op - There is a Co-op campaign that's tied to the main single player campaign. It's classes are tied to the same 6 multiplayer classes but with a different progression track which has talent trees and weapon upgrades. The issue with these is actually being able to upgrade items as well as the class balance issues. Namely there's several difficulties but your weapon upgrade paths simply stone wall at a certain point until you progress the difficulty. The issue is there's such a spike in difficulty with frankly so much nonsense balance in enemy HP and numbers it feels insane not to give player access to any additional power before them. We ran 4 attempts on the 3rd difficulty level and got crushed each time including once on the extract pad because it wouldn't leave until I bled out and the last survivor was overrun. It's frankly enraging the problems with the difficulty, weapon, and class balancing in the co-op mode.

Multiplayer - I enjoy the multiplayer quite a bit but it's not without it's issues. Namely it's limited to 3 maps and 3 modes and only space marines vs chaos space marines like in the first game. However it's balancing is completely different and encourages faster games and combat. In multiplayer class balance differs from co-op but mostly they are well balanced though some are a tad weaker then others. The only other real issue with multiplayer is there simply isn't as much cosmetic upgrades for the chaos space marines as there is for regular loyalist space marines.

Epic Online Services/Matchmaking - Epic Online Services wasn't listed or advertised before hand and is required to for cross play but can be uninstalled. However I've seen unconfirmed discussions regarding this as causing issues with match making which I have experienced especially when swapping game modes.

The game probably should've had some more development time specifically to address balancing issues. But I'm hopeful for the future content coming down the pipeline. I still recommend the game but know it's a different experience to the original.

Where do I begin?

I bought the original Dark Souls Prepare to Die edition on Steam and had nothing but issues with it considering it's a terrible console port. I attempted Dark Souls 2 after getting it on sale but felt the game was needlessly petty. I ended up buying several other "Souls Like" games such as Nioh but couldn't get into them after such awful experiences.

After much back and forth coupled with the points made by friends if I was going to play any Dark Souls to start with Dark Souls 3. Well I decided to do just that and for the first time I can say I actually enjoyed myself. There were parts that were extremely aggravating for sure as well as bosses I struggled on where other "difficult" bosses I breezed through. For the most part though the game while difficult didn't feel petty.

I have to agree, if you think Souls Like games aren't for you this is probably a great place to start. It's fairly linear with just enough exploration incentives as well as secrets. As always like most From Software games and a trait of most Souls Like the story is told mostly via text on the items. So if you're actually interested into what's going on I'd have to direct you to go find a Youtube video explaining the lore which is interesting and varied. It's just not really explained in game.

I still largely stand by my original review but after all this time since launch the game is marred by issues. In a game that is co-op focused the highest performing weapons shouldn't be nerfed. Instead the lowest performing weapons should be buffed. The CEO recently stated they believe they've gone too far.

They release new Warbonds at a steady rate but the content in these warbonds doesn't make sense, comes out broken, or has mediocre items not really worth spending money on or farming the credits. They also consistently fail to address stability issues with the game constantly crashing as well as a litany of bugs.

Sometime my friend says is the devs are very lucky this game is fun. Because if it wasn't the gaming community simply wouldn't stand the state that it's in.

Original Review:

Hell Divers 2 is a solid game and an improvement on the original but not without it's issues:

Pros:
- New camera angle of both 3rd person and 1st person ADS is a massive improvement over the originals isometric viewpoint as well as not having the screen locked to the players allowing far more freedom of movement.
- The graphics and aesthetic are brought over from the original but it's how it all meshes together during the actual game play that solidifies an impressive art direction.
- New more linear progression system with player selection regarding stratagems compared to the 1st game where you unlocked them based on the missions you were doing.
- Affordable price tag, absolutely worth the money.

Mixed:
- New currencies that lock content behind artificial walls. Both the free currency (war bonds) and paid currency (super credits) are obtainable by playing the game.
- Some progression is locked by war bonds which limits your personal arsenal significantly and takes quite some grinding to unlock content which feels like artificial hobbling.
- Developers never really fixed the difficulty "spikes" that accompany changes in difficulty tiers which feels rather significant and unexpected at times.

Cons:
- Stability and performance issues. The game even now has crashes as well as visual glitches.
- Missing content from the original title. Every sequel should be an improvement over the original with all the previous content plus new ones. Currently we are missing weapons (more on that later) and an entire enemy faction.
- Certain stratagems are just very bad even though they appear to be "high tier" like the 380mm orbital bombardment. There needs to be tweaks to make them more effective overall in certain aspects. Nothing like watching a charger shrug off a 500kg bomb going off right behind it.
- Content locked behind a "paid" war bond progression system. You have to grind up enough super credits by unlocking in the free battle pass as well as in game to earn enough to access the paid system. It's good that this can be earned in game but with gameplay effecting options from weaponry to boosters such a system has never sat well with me.
- Rootkit level DRM/anti-cheat in a co-op game primarily to prevent people from editing game files (which could be encrypted instead btw) to give themselves content you'd otherwise have to pay for. Had I known it was this level I wouldn't have bought the game and advise anyone whose staunchly against this type of DRM/anti-cheat to steer clear until the Developers change it.

I do recommend the game especially if you've got a solid 3 other friends to play with. It's a fun experience even if it can be frustrating at times.

I realized I never reviewed this game around when it released.

Honestly, I don't know if the expansion did anything to make it better but just save your money. The story is garbage and the developers did everything they could to make the game worse with every patch.

You either die making quota or you live long enough to find out what happens when you don't.

So with the release of Counter-Strike 2 and the removal of CS:GO I figured it's time to review the game.

Let's preface this with that the game isn't bad and is still largely Counter-Strike at it's heart. But there have been good and bad changes to CS2 from CS:GO.

The Good:
- Changes to the server tic infrastructure system in game is a big change that has had a large effect on hit detection. Several guns have become competitive.
- The graphical upgrade speaks for itself. It's like a fresh coat of paint on what was there without losing the feeling.
- The changes to smoke grenades are a big deal and change things tactically.

The In-between:
- Changing the load out and limiting what guns you have access to is a intriguing choice. CT players can bring both M4's now at the cost of alternate options.
- There have been tweaks to maps. This is both good and bad. Some boxes and objects can be shot through more easily now. There are new hiding/play/ambush spots while existing ones were removed.
- The new buy menu is nice but tracking how much money you have has been an issue. I like where it's gone but it needs more tweaking.
- There's been some debate that weapon spray patterns have changed. I haven't exactly seen it but have noticed with the hit detection changes weapons feel different.
- Unsure how I feel about the ranking changes. Each map under the regular comp mode has it's own "ranking" you earn after 10 wins. Otherwise premier is the "primary" mode now with it's own CS rank number which is different from the existing Silver to Global Elite system used before.

The Bad:
- The new UI is.... bad. That's it it's just bad. It's far harder to determine damage done to each opponent then before.
- The loss of content from CS:GO is pretty significant. Many maps are not in competitive rotation. It's various alternate modes are gone.
- Most skins were transferred over but some skins got hit negatively in the change. I'm not even talking about a value perspective but an actual visual perspective.
- A host of bugs and other issues have plagued the game on it's official launch.

As it stands now it appears rather then keeping CS2 in a "expanded beta test" to really refine the game they pushed it out quickly and forced it on everyone. The game definitely needs work and I wouldn't consider it a proper sequel to CS:GO. I hate to say it but it's very similar to Overwatch 2 in that it's more like CS:GO 1.5 and not CS2. I expect things will change over time but it hasn't been a great start. So I wouldn't recommend playing the game right now until they fix some of the bigger issues.

Edit: Updated rank information/thoughts once more info became available.

For people wanting a more serious review (note, played game prior to steam release):

Will I like this game? If you liked Vampire Survivors and or are just a fan of bullet hell games then you'll like it.

Is it really free? Yes, it's a fan made game consisting of intellectual property of COVER corp. Hololive brand which means it can not be monetized. So it really is 100% free.

How does it work? As straight as vampire survivors. You play the game, earn currency, upgrade power, and unlock characters.

How is it different? There's a limit to "straight" upgrades like in Vampire Survivors. There's a "gacha" system (think Genshin Impact rolling for characters) to get new characters and upgrade their power. This is also a way to get additional outfits.

Who makes it? It's a fan game made by fans for fans. The primary developer is Kay Yu (@Kaynimatic on Twitter/X) who now leads a small team that makes the game.

What is Hololive? Hololive is a name brand Vtuber (streamer who uses a anime avatar) agency, in terms of subscribers and reach probably the biggest of them all. Every thing in the game is a reference to a joke, meme, or history of Hololive since it's inception 5 years ago.

Will it continue to get updates? It appears so. He still has plenty of characters to add. Hololive consists of "8" Generations of Japanese streamers, 3 generations of English streamers, 3 generations of Indonesian streamers, and 21 male streamers under the Holostars brand. Of which 2 English generations, all the ID generations, and 4 of the JP generations are in the game.

Honestly, I'm regretting not playing the first game. I'll likely pick it up at some point because of how good this game is. Not that it's at all required for enjoying the second's story.

Let's start with the pros:
$50 price tag - In an era where most AAA games are being pushed out for $70 with additional $10-20 worth of "live service" battle passes and content this game is not only economical but you still get everything. The higher cost editions simply unlock content early.

No Live Service - mentioned above this game has a clear ending. Yet it retains it's replay-ability with the systems they created. There's reasons to go back to worlds using the adventure mode. There's procedural generated content that randomizes the game enough to make it easy to come back to.

Great co-op - While the game can be played single player it's also got 3 man co-op which is quite fun.

Souls-like light - The game has a lot of systems people who enjoy the Dark Souls style games will enjoy. It's less punishing by not removing your currency on death. Also since enemies are procedurally generated there's less memorization regarding levels and areas. Though memorization still matters regarding enemy move sets there's less emphasis on it overall. Otherwise difficulty is in enemy damage, your survive-ability, and ammunition conservation.

Graphics/Aesthetics - The graphics are great and the different area's all have their own distinct feeling. Unlike some games where there's visual confusion with everything going on I have never really had that kind of problem with this game. Aesthetically the area's all fit very well into what they are meant to be.

Show Don't Tell - For the most part the developers have adopted this approach to the game's lore and items. It rewards exploration and investigation. There's a reason there's an inspect item option and usually will lead you to secret locations and rewards. If you see a door you can't open it's usually a shortcut, take a moment to explore the area and you'll be rewarded.

Randomization - They built replay-ability into the game in a great way. When one boss has potentially 4 different rewards based on what you do before the boss fight as well as during the fight there's great reasons to go back to fight that boss. Alternate rewards besides usually bosses can have alternate move sets as well making the fight different from before.

Cons:
Mechanics - Some of the mechanical issues with the game are tied to various things. I like the Sci-Fi area of N'Erud aesthetically for what it portrays but mechanically it's open area's aren't implemented as well as the other worlds. Some of the materials you receive simply aren't used in amounts close to how you receive them while others are used far too much yet you barely get them.

Story - Overall the story is fine, while I listed Show Don't Tell as a pro for the game at the very end of the game it lacks critical exposition for the ending. Which is kind of disappointing.

3 Man co-op - I enjoy the co-op but this game like a great many has adopted the 3 man co-op rule. When you have 4-5 friends all playing at the same time this usually leaves someone out.

Armor - Armor plays a role but not as much as accessories. It'd be nice for a transmog type system to be implemented at some point so you can look a certain way while retaining the benefits of the armor of your choice.

At this point they can create DLC in the game in the form of new archetypes, new worlds to explore, and new weapons. If they do this I can easily see myself throwing money at them for it.

A game made by 3 people giving us the experience Battlefield 2042 should have.

I find it hard because I generally want to recommend these types of games. But I'm struggling to recommend Potion Permit because the best description I can come up with is "Charming yet dull and tedious."

Pros:
Excellent pixel art - If you enjoy pixel art styles then the art speaks for itself.

Straightforward game play - If it looks like a duck and quacks like a duck. There's no surprises here.

Contained story - Games like this where inspiration could be seen coming from Stardew Valley with more open ended story aspects (Goal X, now do whatever you want as you work towards it) this game has more of a linear experience.

Cons:
Difficulty - Or specifically, lack thereof. The most challenging aspect of this game is it's combat which is more annoyance then challenge.

Repetitive & tedious - The various things to do in the game quickly become very repetitive. Each day boils down to the following:

First wake up, if the alarm is going off go treat the sick townspeople in the clinic.
Second, go out and farm what you need (potion mats, wood, stone).
Third, return to town and hit the bathhouse (takes 2hr of clock but fully heals and energizes you)
Fourth, go back out to farm. Once out of energy return to town and talk to villagers to increase reputation. Spend rest of the time fishing (which doesn't require energy)
Fifth, go back to the house and craft potions to sell to the capital for money.
sixth, go to sleep and repeat after the game saves.

Sprinkle in the occasional towns people event or linear progression event and you've got the game. It quickly becomes boring. Especially with how much grinding is required to get much of anything in the game and to progress.

Boring - The town itself isn't lively and honestly pretty boring. Every event is tied to either story progression (unlocking areas etc) or villager reputation progression. There's no large scale town events. No calendar system to really tell how much time is passing.

Have I gotten my money's worth? Yes by sheer hours. I feel like much of the games grind like nature could be reduced which would cut the play time down but would be a more enjoyable experience. As it stands once I fully complete the story (which I will shortly) I don't expect to ever play the game again without some massive changes (which are unlikely). Honestly, pick it up on sale if you like games of this type. But it's not what I expected in both good and bad ways.