Recent reviews by Necro

Space Marine 2 has turned into exactly what I wanted as a sequel. Solid campaign that does the setting justice whilst keeping approachable to new fans to the Warhammer universe. Amazing visuals and every mission in the campaign is a set piece. Whilst personally I haven't had performance issues there does seem to be a good amount of room for additional optimisation, being able to use FSR helps keep framerates within a good range.

Additional modes (PvP and PvE) have a really good sense of replay-ability with different difficulties and plenty of progression for your class/weapons and tons of customisation in both modes too.

PvP feels classic and reminds of Halo 3, no faffing about in pre-game lobbies or watching animations of your Space Marine posing at the end of the match, you get in, you play and then you wait for the next one which is a breath of fresh air.

My only gripe right now is that there could be a bit more weapon variety but it appears that future content will bring this in (although hopefully at a good pace and content amount).

Overall, a solid sequel that's fun, can be challenge and plenty of options to make your Space Marine a part of the fantasy and live the chapter you like the most.

I only get angry 12/10 matches.

One of the most unique games I've played in a decade. It feels familiar and yet entirely new with it's approach to story telling, interaction and movement. Pure fun from start to finish and when you do, you just want more.

Great soundtrack with an eerie yet wholesome atmosphere that brings to life a story with no spoken words but all the character you'd expect.

A cat, and a mini robot take on the biggest task possible, what more could you ask for.

Being a fan of the Assassin's Creed franchise since the original, I took a dive into the recently re-imagined combat system to see how it held up against it predecessors.

I have to admit, the game feels very lifeless from the get-go. There's a lot to do, but it's all shallow mechanics that are repeated an un-godly amount of times. Searching for treasure in a location, or killing a captain in a camp, you just end up doing the exact same gameplay loop over and over again.

The voice acting is absolutely terrible, the story is unoriginal and vapid. Character animation looks like something from around 10+ years ago and cutscenes are outright laughable.

The mercenary system appears to be a weak attempt at copying off the back of Shadow of Mordor with zero complexity to it whatsoever. The loot system doesn't feel rewarding as weapons and armour are dropped at your feet every 5 seconds.

The ship combat, while nice to see a return from Black Flag, doesn't improve or innovate above Black Flag.

The visuals, are fantastic however but eventually all locations look the same, rolling hills, rocks, and trees.

The game as a whole feels like someone copy-pasted the first island, and slapped in into a massive map and claimed that there's "plenty to do". Nothing has substance, nothing has true meaning. Looking back at other RPGs, many quests make you connect with the world or the characters, while in Odyssey it feels like it's filling time and ticking a very very very long checklist of minor things to complete towards the 100% completion rate.

I wouldn't recommend this game to anyone, it's a shallow grind-fest of a mindless gameplay loop with no likeable characters.

A constantly evolving competitive shooter, introducing new operators, maps, mechanics and updates. All for free.

The only take-back is that the Year pass isn't worth it, if you play often enough gaining renown to buy new operators is easy enough, it just gives you them straight away rather than waiting a week.

Fantastic game with a very high skill ceiling which allows for constant self improvement.

Kingdom Come: Deliverance really does set itself apart from the traditional Role Playing genre. It had a unique charm to its world, characters and gameplay and while it consists of typical RPG conventions there is a lot to be found in this historically authentic game.

One of the major attractions to KC:D is the complete lack of fantasy/high-fantasy. Typically, RPGs involve some form of magic, races, gods, demons etc. The complete lack of such grounds the player in a more realistic setting and grounded history. There are liberties taken for the sake of gameplay and narrative but there is only so much a developer could do to prevent the game from becoming peasant simulator.

The story, while typical of the 'low-born individual must rise to the ranks of nobility and honour' the perspective of a real-world setting changes everything. You can tell that it's a climb, rather than simply flying to godliness after a single quest. Your quest carries you through a series of events that see you in the service of a lord and tasked with fighting back from a common foe.

The main character Henry, while feeling attached to him as a player, can be rather bouncy when it comes to his personality and often doesn't reflect the abilities and nature of the player - which is a huge shame. For example, if you are to lean towards a more criminal play style Henry will still act as if he is a upright citizen of Bohemia. If you were to play a morally good, sword-faring knight then it would come in line with how he reacts and acts within the narrative of the game. So the inconsistency can be rather jarring at times. This is further emphasised when say, you pull back from the main quest and experience the country, people, level up, level your skills and so on, Henry will still act like an absolute dunce at times. Which can get rather annoying pretty quickly.

The side-quests I found, were more engaging as they rely on your skills. From reading to alchemy to first-aid there are a number of ways to solve small, interesting issues, fights, and mysteries. Henry becomes more alive through these, he react more human-like by complaining, becoming angry, having a sense of humour and so on. There's a great deal many to do and while some are very similar to others, it's clear that side-quests (not activities as they're made to be repetitive) have been given good thought and planning.

The skill system is similar to that of the Elder Scrolls series; repeat something enough times and you will get better at it. Even go so far as to split weapon types. Being able to drink better, read better and ride your horse better all come into play at some point in the game and can be extremely rewarding. There are two main skills that are nowhere near as strong as the others.

Archery: I wouldn't say practically useless, but it clearly highlights that you're no Legolas and that's impossible to be in a historically accurate game. It's annoying, gets you killed, time consuming and well, rubbish. I wouldn't invest too much of your time at all to be honest.

Stealth: It would make sense to focus on a stealth play though as they're usually the best way of cheesing the game. But it's clunky, unresponsive, unrealisticly realistic and can put you through some hell at times. If you want it to be good, get good at it.

Combat is certainly different and personally I like the approach of directional attacking, parrying and combo moves, It's a rewarding combat system that just needs some more attention paid to it to make it truly amazing. Locking on could be improved significantly and fighting more than one foe at a time can often get you killed and lead to huge frustration. There needs to be some new changed in the sequel which Warhorse have admitted. But I like the change and skill dependency, it's more engaging and makes you think more about your moves.

Graphics are pretty good, just don't expect much from the frame-rate. Cry Engine is good at making beautiful scenery and detail but it's nothing to go crazy about when turning around can drop your frame=rate by 10-20fps.

Now the biggest issue is the issues themselves. Bugs. Now KC:D has received a huge amount of backlash for the amount of bugs that exist and there are so many I can't list them. But personally, I expect these things in an open-world RPG. It will not be perfect, it's Warhorse's first major title and they have listened, made changes, improved and said they will try better the next time around. However some of them should have been addressed much before the release date as it has clearly put a lot of players off returning to it in a much better state, or refunding it outright.

All-in-all, this is one great game. There is a huge amount of talent, love, care and respect put into this game. It's uniquely different setting places it apart from the competition and I hope that the sequel will evolve into something even better. It is a very good way to spend your evenings and complete over a series of days/weeks. You can take your time and enjoy the world, characters and gameplay like so few other RPGs.

Jesus Christ be praised.

Monster Hunter: World admittedly started off with a very rocky launch, connection issues were spreading like wildfire disconnecting players mid-way through quests, just before you got that sweet kill on a Rathalos to finish off your Great Sword build. Unfortunately, this carried on for quite some time, months to be honest. It didn't stop there either, since launch there have been a variety of connection issues that have plague the PC version that seem relentless in their attempt to squander our effort of hunting down monsters.

However, this isn't to say that Capcom aren't trying. One of the largest commendations I can give to this publisher is the updates that we have received throughout the course of its life so far on Steam, fixes have been implemented frequently to resolve an extremely annoying problem and it appears that (for the most part) we're finally in a bit of a safe place right now. Perhaps more could have been done post-launch to ensure this wouldn't happen, some have suggested that as Capcom are a Japanese company they aren't familiar with Steam or internet connectivity/servers however it's a pretty poor excuse considering the line-up of games that Capcom have published with multiplayer components. Alas, we're are here now and hopefully this is the end of it.

Negativity aside, what really makes this game so unique? Well it's fresh, Monster Hunter has been fairly exclusive and finally being brought to PC, it's burst into a genre that practically doesn't exist and those games that do have nowhere near the production budget and value to match Capcom. Joined with the fact that this is a years-old franchise there's been a great deal of love and development placed into perfecting the perfect hunt.

The world is captivating, each biome feels completely different. Yes, there's a forest but it's more than that; It's dense and alive with a variety of creatures, plants and other small critters that react to their impending doom of a giant T-Rex that sneezes fire. Multiple levels that travel from the forest floor all the way to the top of an immense tree set the stage of grandeur as every hunt is a set piece, chasing a monster across the map through trees, rivers and grass in a world that literally everything is twice your size leaves you with a sense that you're out of your depth hunting even the smallest of monsters. But over time you (metaphorically) become bigger, your weapons and armour become stronger and harder hitting, and each time you believe you're at the top of the food chain there's another monster ready to eat you for breakfast.

The sense of jolly cooperation is prevalent throughout my experience in this game. I've always been met with 3 other hunters all aiming to get to the same goal utilising various mechanics, potions, skills and more to work together to take down a creature that could mistake you for its child. Nothing feel more satisfying than watching your fellow hunter mount on the back of a Diablos as you cheer him on, waiting for the opportunity for it to fall over, leaving all 4 of you to wail on it like there's no tomorrow. Playing this game with friends is an endless boon of cinematic moments and cooperative synergy that works every single time.

There's also a lot to be said about the mystery behind the game too. I went through 90% of the game avoiding forums and guides to attempt to figure out how certain systems work, and where there should really be more information on hidden elements and monster stamina, it's rather rewarding eventually figuring out how something works, or how to perfect a new weapon.

Ultimately, I could go on and talk about so many different aspects about Monster Hunter: World. But it really comes doen to experiencing this game for yourself, there's so many moments that leave you breathless at the marvel. Hear-pounding hunts as you run out of your last potion against the toughest monster you've faced so far, only so much can be translated into words. So if hunting giant monsters with giant swords in a giant world sounds like your kind of bag, then this is certainly the game for you.

Oh and if that hasn't sold you, your best friend through this entire game is the most innocent and helpful dude that could ever grace video games. Your very own feline friend - Palico.

Happy Hunting!

Fans of the first Divnity: Original Sin will feel welcome with open arms to the Larians' second installment with familiar mechanics and combat system while retaining the feeling of a completely new game.

D:OS 2 is a significant step up from its predecessor; new layers to the old combat mechanics such as elevated surfaces to gain combat advantages, a greatly increased list of spells and skills as well as physical and magical barriers on top of health meters. Visually the game is rich in colour and spell animations, often your screen will be bursting with crystal blue and crimson reds enriching the impact of every spell.

The game has taken a more serious tone which does contrast with D:OS 1, my first impressions were that of confusion and almost alienation and I enjoyed the mix of comedy and a sprinkle of seriousness from time to time but after a brief 30 minutes I felt that it suited the games newly formed aesthetics.

Once again the idea to think-outside-the-box is prevalent, using spells on objects outside of combat so gain an item or to progress a quest. Again, Larian has managed to keep a constant feel to the game mechanically while throwing on additional ideas to keep your expereince fresh.

The story continues some time after that of the previous game with a nod here or there (I am around 15 hours into the game so this may expand later). As nice as it would be to hear people sing songs about our heroes in Rivellon, the game certianly feels like it's own; able to stand on its own two feet without the need of self refrences to keep the story interesting.

The biggest bonus of all which came at a unexpected turn was the fact that the game was entrirely voiced, again adding to the rich expereince the game provides and to no smal feat by the studio too.

My biggest downfall however would be the dialouge options. In D: OS 1 you would be able to sift through all/most of the dialouge without being cut off. Now the game seems to have taken a more organic flow; what you say may cut off options from the NPC you speak to, leading to the idea of choosing your words wisely. Personally I wish to sift through, listening to all the NPC has to offer and not be hindered by what I may say.

Overall, a fantastic welcome back to the series, a fantasticly refreashed combat system, a good story so far and a unique and mysterious world to explore that earns a solid 8/10. (As abritrary as number scores are.)

A fantastic game to play with both friends and on your own. ArmA has a teeming player-base with plenty of mods from DayZ to Epoch and much, much more. Dozens of servers with different types of game modes.

The engine however is something that, even though it doesn't ruin the game, could really do with some changes come ArmA 4, populated servers only have between 20-30 frames a second.

8/10, an absolute blast of a game.

I played it like a damn fiddle.
Not bad, not worth the hype. 7/10