Recent reviews by Todd "God" Howard

Short, difficult and fast. Amazing soundtrack, takes a few hours to complete but each level offers replayability and different ways to complete it. Has a weird, sarcastic and sick humor that goes well with the cyberpunk-esque vibe. Needs practice to be mastered and once you learn the basics it becomes a great shoot-them-up

7.5/10

Fun little Dungeon Crawler / Roguelike, has interesting mechanics but sadly it is not optimized at all. Some of its downsides are that it is capped at 60FPS, at 720p (maybe even 480p), the game looks ugly and plays clunky, it is just a port of the web game, which means it carries on a lot of its limitations. Runs are quick and can vary immensely, from having a good spawn with decent items to the absolute worst, and that is part of its charm. Fun but gets boring quickly. A mediocre game for the price, the upgraded version (Rebirth), is way better

5/10

The second game in the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. franchise, Clear Sky is supposed to act as a prequel for Shadow of Chernobyl and lay the ground or Call of Pripyat. It is a good game but a bad S.T.A.L.K.E.R. game, many of the things that make people like the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. games is how hard they are on maximum difficulties, which is how they are supposed to be played, enemies die with 1/2 shots but the character also dies with 1/2 shots, which make approaching situations and planning how and when the player is going to engage the hostiles vital, this does not matter in Clear Sky, for one ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ mechanic that absolutely ♥♥♥♥♥ the whole game and makes it a ♥♥♥♥-show, ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ grenades, if you stay behind cover for more than 10 seconds, enemies will launch a grenade that will travel up to 40 ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ meters and land right on your feet every ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ time, that one mechanic ruins the whole game, introducing fake difficulty, no matter how you approach an encounter, or how good you are, grenades will land at your feet every couple seconds so you must run like a chicken on Adderall and hope for the best. A single mechanic ruined the whole combat experience, with is vital on a S.T.AL.K.E.R. game. This game is mediocre in terms of story and mechanics, but shines on graphics, factions, world and exploration (compared to the other S.T.A.L.K.E.R. games and considering this game was made almost 15 years ago) Conditions such as weight, visibility, noise, ammo type, resource management, artifacts, radiation, anomalies and several in-game factions add to the experience and are vital to succeed. Other than that it is a classic S.T.A.L.K.E.R. game, hard, unforgiving, with tense moments, stressful scenarios, scary tunnels and mutants, and of course inventory management, making sure you are carrying the correct weapon, armor and ammo at the correct time, counting your bullets, having the correct meds at the correct time and keeping track on your vitals. This game is decent, but a bad S.T.A.L.K.E.R.

If you want to experience the franchise that inspired all modern "slavic" FPS simulators such as Escape from Tarkov and Metro play the other games, but if you are looking for a hardcore and unforgiving FPS experience, this is for you.

But devs, come on, 15 years have passed and you haven't fixed your ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ grenades, it is the main reason this game is broken, the AI is more A than I.

6/10

Unlike Inertia, this game's predecessor, Exertus is absolutely horrible. Not only does the game recycle most of Inertia's levels, but butchers them, making them unplayable due to a range of poor decisions and horrible mechanics. Movement is the main focus of platformer/parkour games, it worked on the previous game but on Exertus the movement feels like mouse-acceleration but on keyboard, it is weird and does not work. The new levels are boring and due to poor level design and absolute horrid illumination it is hard to see what is going on, or where should the character go to proceed to the next level. Also, there is no real sense of completion, no decent achievements or unlockable levels, everything is ready for the get-go with badly designed levels recycled from the previous game. Finally, the addition of new "powers" breaks the game completely, there is no need to actually follow the path when 2 "powers" just send you flying to the next level, completely ♥♥♥♥♥ the whole concept of a platformer and parkour game, and even this new mechanic is extremely badly designed and it ends up feeling like trying to fly a plane with severe parkinson.

At least the achievements are easy to grind can get 100% in under 40 minutes without having to actually play a single level, which is ridiculous.

Just buy Inertia instead, its better, cheaper, and actually playable.

2/10

S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Shadow of Chernobyl is a true classic. It is the spiritual predecessor and inspiration of the Metro franchise and most survival FPS games such as DAYZ, Escape From Tarkov, etc. With brutal and hardcore FPS mechanics the player needs to be careful in every battle, since loosing focus or ignoring an enemy for just a few seconds can mean a quick death (enemies 2-3 tap you). Inventory management, choosing the right ammo and the correct way to approach an enemy means the difference between winning or loosing a battle. The "open world" S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Shadow of Chernobyl offers is pretty empty with some relics and random encounters filling it up. But the open world, story and combat mechanics are secondary on a S.T.A.L.K.E.R game. The real beauty and value of all the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. games is the impeccable atmosphere they have paired with an amazing sound design they make the player feel like they actually are inside the exclusion zone of Chernobyl. The developers actually went into Chernobyl and replicated almost every single building to perfection, which gives this game a really authentic feel. The lighting, footsteps, original Russian dub, mechanics, inventory management, brutal and unforgiving combat experience and eerie atmosphere is what makes S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Shadow of Chernobyl such a great game and why even today it is considered a cult classic and it is the inspiration of most hardcore/tactical FPS games. This game delivers a tense, frustrating but overall rewarding experience, a feeling only the Metro franchise manages to replicate (and only partially). The game has a lot of issues being mostly age related issues, being an old game, the mechanics are old, the graphics are old, the dub is extremely scuffed, the animations are clunky, the story is mediocre, the is no fast travel at all (some quests make you run across the whole map just to get one item and then run all the way back for a few rubles), combat is completely broken (you can waste 2-3 mags on a enemy or 1 tap him, and enemies do the same to you, it works on a randomized system with horrible bullet deviation and recoil mechanics), and finally some areas are either extremely easy (Garbage) or almost impossible to get over (Chernobyl Plant). I played on maximum difficulty to get the authentic experience and I recommend it. Somehow the charm S.T.A.L.K.E.R. has is precisely its extremely weird mix of hardcore FPS with clunky and outdated mechanics/graphics.
Overall S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Shadow of Chernobyl is an amazing game if you have no problem with older games and a few bugs. It delivers a fun and rewarding experience for any Metro fan, hardcore FPS fan and/or player who loves to experience older games and cult classics. Worth it for its full price 100%, but sales are very common and you can get all 3 S.T.A.L.K.E.R. games (Shadow of Chernobyl, Clear Sky and Call of Pripyat) for under $20
8.5/10

Fun time-waster inspired on the TV Series Squid Game. Extremely clunky but it is fun to spam the voice chat


5/10

Dagon captures perfectly the hopelessness and cyclopean nature of H.P Loveraft's books. Dagon was written in 1917 and published in 1919 and is the beginning of what would be worldwide known as the popular Cthulhu Mythos, a collection of books and short stories written by Lovecraft, the creator of cosmic horror. It has the classic elements of some of his later work such as The Call of Cthulhu, The Shadow over Innsmouth and The Dunwich Horror and they are all represented perfectly on this game. All the dialogue of Dagon is the actual short story, which lasts about 30 minutes to 1 hour, the dialogue is presented with amazing scenes which perfectly represent the grittiness and disgusting environments that Lovecraft wrote so vividly on his books.
Overall Dagon is an extremely faithful adaptation to Lovecraft's work.
It is a short and free game and a must-play for anyone who was read at least some of the Cthulhu Mythos or is familiar with Lovecraftian cosmic horror.

9/10

Main Game:
Fallout 3 is the game that best captures the soulless and desolate nature of the Post-Nuclear Earth. Fallout 4 Boston is too bright and untouched and New Vegas Las Vegas y filled with jokes and overall a happy vibe. Fallout 3 Capital Wasteland shows a wold filled with hopelessness, empty spaces and death at every step. Visually Fallout 3 has not aged well, released in 2008 the game is 13 years old and looks below average, with mods the game looks decent. The story is nothing amazing, simple story (the Lone Wanderer goes in search of his missing Father). Side quests, perks and exploration are what makes Fallout 3 a great game, it features the classic Bethesda exploration, similar to Oblivion, Skyrim, Fallout 3 and Fallout New Vegas, the world is filled with hundreds of locations and dozens of quests that are (as always) more enjoyable than the main quests. Combat is clunky, visuals are off, and all those resources that you could use building settlements in Fallout 4 or cooking food or crafting ammo in Fallout: New Vegas have no use at all in Fallout 3, other that to build less than 10 custom guns. Animation is excellent coming from a 2008 game, voice acting is pretty good, environments are interesting and the atmosphere is perfect for a Fallout game. The sound is also excellent, specially in places like the Dunwich Building or the Metro Tunnels, the sound is creepy and adds to the tension. In terms of gameplay Fallout 3 feels more like Skyrim and Fallout 4 than it does to Oblivion or New Vegas, meaning is a game focused on exploration and action rather than the core RPG elements of Oblivion and New Vegas, this does not mean is a bad game, its just not a full fledged RPG. Overall the core game of Fallout 3 is very good, having great atmosphere, sound, animation, voice acting, exploration and side quests but lacking on the main quests, combat, graphics and core RPG elements.
8.75/10

DLCs:
1. Operation: Anchorage: This DLC is extremely mediocre, its completely linear, features a extremely basic story (featuring the Chinese invasion of Alaska in the Fallout universe) and it misses on many opportunities to expand the game canon or provide any unique lore. It offers great new guns and armor but that is all.
6/10

2. The Pitt: The Pitt is amazing, the story is a throwback to the old Fallout 1 and Fallout 2 games, featuring dark humor and sensitive topics presented in a sarcastic way. The story is very good (the Lone Wanderer dresses as a slave and goes inside The Pitt to free the slaves and find a cure for the plague), with memorable characters gives both S.T.A.L.K.E.R and Mad Max vibes. The gameplay is a bit linear but it gives an amazing experience nevertheless.
8/10

3. Broken Steel: This is a must get DLCs since it allow the player to keep playing Fallout 3 after the ending, without Broken Steel the game ends and there is no way to return to the Capital Wasteland. This DLCs continues the main story by making the player survive at the end, so the Lone Wanderer can keep playing instead of dying at the end and it improves on the storyline, by having the Brotherhood of Steel processing the water at Project Eden and distribute it across the Capital Wasteland. Broken Steel is a solid DLC
8.5/10

4. Point Lookout This is the best DLC Fallout 3 has, it is amazing in every single way. First of all it features a new map filled with amazing locations and characters, being set in a mysterious island filled with voodoo magic and mind control (it feels extremely similar to Fallout 4 Far Harbor). The main questline is amazing, the side quests are extremely good as well (featuring everything from a geologist who explores the island to chinese spies hiding in a submarine nearby), the locations and dark and interesting and is even better than the main game in many aspects
9.5/10

5. Mothership Zeta: A controversial DLC, it throws away the whole Fallout atmosphere and replaces it with sci-fi spaceships filled with aliens and a goofy questline. The characters are funny but not memorable, the story is goofy, the combat is goofy, everything about this DLC is goofy and somehow it is still canon. Mothership Zeta is a DLC loved by many and hated by many, I personally liked it, although it does not make sense in a Fallout game, even less in an atmospheric and depressing game such as Fallout 3. One positive feature is it has dozens of audio logs of the any captives in the alien ship and it is very interesting.
5/10

Overall: Fallout 3 has startup issues, it does not work in most Windows 10 64 bit systems since it need Games For Windows Live to run which is a discontinued live service, this can be fixed with a .zip but can be very frustrating. If you manage to make it run, it is an amazing experience that is completely worth it, the atmosphere and sound design are extremely good and it offers 100+ hours of content. Objectively Fallout: New Vegas is a better game, with more fledged mechanics, better storytelling and smoother gameplay, but I will always have a soft spot for Fallout 3 since it was my first Fallout game and the atmosphere and exploration of the Capital Wasteland remains unmatched.

9.5/10

Red Dead Redemption 2 is an amazing game with the most dynamic open world yet, this game exceeds in almost every aspect, except for a few. The graphics are amazing, the game looks incredible at max settings and runs perfectly, not a single stutter or visual problems. Atmosphere is on point, the game is a living, breathing environment in which each NPC follow their own routines and everything builds up to make RDR2 feel like a living world instead of a game. The story is amazing, develops over time and is one of the best stories as far as character development goes, you get to experience situations which change the perspective and behavior of the gang over time, with each member having their own vision, ethics and ambitions. Movement is smooth on foot but horses can be glitchy sometimes and using the keyboard to control horse movement is not ideal. The same goes for the shooting mechanics, feel extremely simple and boring since dead eye does 99% of the job and bullet travel is not the best, melee has cool animations for feels rushed and shooting in first person is simply terrible. First person mode is an abomination, the only use it has is while riding horse or to appreciate the environment, other than that is weird and the animations are horrible. Side quests and activities are amazing, rather than throwing them all at once at map markers and activating them as soon as the player visits the area as in Fallout, The Elder Scrolls or Cyberpunk 2077, the approach to side quests is extremely dynamic, they appear with time and follow various amazing storylines that develop over days and some of them have multiple parts which take a few weeks in game to complete. Easter Eggs and detail is the best I have ever seen next to The Witcher 3 detail and easter eggs. Random Honor Encounters are also dynamic and fun, from the blind man to bandoleros trying to steal Arthur's money. Collectibles are fun but some of them can be extremely tedious, felt like the submerged caches of The Witcher 3 all over again, with dozens of rocks,bones and items to collect all across the map, legendary animals on the other hand were amazing same as legendary fish. Overall Red Dead Redemption 2 is an amazing game, one of the best Open World games in fact, some mechanics are clunky and Red Dead Online is a horrible cash grab and complete garbage, simply horrible, but overall the game is amazing and I highly recommend it

Red Dead Redemption 2: 9.25/10
Red Dead Online 2.5/10

Little Nightmares is a short yet amazing indie/horror/puzzle game. Its atmosphere is its main strength, achieved with a combination of great sound, dark environments and indie art. The combination of these three elements provide a unique and refreshing experience. Overall Little Nightmares is a great game, a bit overpriced due to its price/length ratio but its quality justifies it.

8/10