Recent reviews by Swift Kid

Having arrived at this game from Infra, my hopes for a similar experience were high. Thankfully, Obenseuer is alive with detail, and only continuing to evolve with new/refined ideas. Prospective players should note that the overall gameplay loop can get very grindy, almost to the point of becoming boring. I personally suggest one balances their time between the many tasks this game asks of the player, so as to not get too bogged down in the repetitiveness of the whole thing, lol.

Thankfully, there is lots to see in Obenseuer, and plenty of people to talk to. When this runs out, however, one is not left with much of a game, unfortunately.

I haven't played much - however, when a game can hold my attention for more than five minutes, I consider that an achievement, in and of itself. The story is well written, the characters seems to have depth, and the central plot is engaging.

There are some elements about this game which let it down, especially when it comes to the gameplay mechanics/controls. As someone else wrote, this game desperately wants to be more than it is - it presents itself in real-time 3D, with static, 2D controls. What results is a weird juxtoposition of elements that, truthfully, don't work together. I would suggest an eventual remake this game, when the dev(s) have more experience, because I don't believe this is a "full realisation" of the artist's intent.

I haven't felt this way about a game since Minecraft.

Black Mesa is a clear improvement upon the original Half-Life entry. Graphics aside (which are great), the level design has been expanded, particularly during the Xen sequence. However, apart from some relatively minor difference in artistic direction, Black Mesa is, for all intents and purposes, a faithful remake of the game that started it all.

I used to spend hours staring into the abyss. Now, I spend hours staring at cookies.

I'm not usually one for playing games from "start to finish", as it were - however, every so often, one stumbles across a game that takes them by surprise. The Talos Principle is one of few games to join that list, and I'm glad I picked it up. Other than that, I have nothing more to add that hasn't already been included in the reviews of other players.

If you like basic puzzle solving, with an intricate and philosophically-grounded story, then this game is obviously for you.

Play this over the bastardised source version. Then play Black Mesa.

I did my part to support Nice Cream, did you?

Most would know, by now, that Hitman Contracts was somewhat of a rushed product; it reused a ton of content from Hitman: CN47, and Hitman 2: SA, including whole missions. Contracts plays just as well, however, as the other two games, and has great atmosphere.

Contracts uses an episodic format to move you through the levels, and doesn't seem to assume any prior knowledge of the Hitman series. For this reason, you could play Contracts as a newcomer to the series, and not be confused. Each episode packs a punch in terms of atmosphere, and the level design is intricate enough to facilitate several approaches to any one level. Finally, the issues pertaining to AI that were present in Hitman 2: SA, have been addressed in Contracts, making for a fairer, more enjoyable experience.

All in all, Hitman: Contracts is a short; atmospheric; challenging game that offers a respectable amount of flexibility in regard to assassinating your targets.

It's so cheap - you lose nothing by trying it out.

This is my favourite Hitman game in the series. Completing it on the PS2 was a big achievement for me, because here's the thing - the game is bloody hard.

Like Codename: 47, learning the boundaries for sneaking; using the 'fibre wire'; taking out targets, etc. takes a little bit of time. Whilst this holds true for every Hitman game, it's made even more difficult here by the unpredictable, hyper-aware AI used by the NPCs. Unfortunately, this can make for a super frustrating experience when you're trying to get the best ranking for each mission.

I really like the level design in this game, and think that it's second only to Contracts. Each mission manages to capture a different emotion. For instance, I found myself feeling slightly on-edge by the oppressive, brooding appearance of the St. Petersburg levels.

If you're up for a challenge, and appreciate the early 2000's era of PC gaming, then this game is right up your ally.