Recent reviews by RyanS

So in 3.1 hours I have completed the entire campaign with minimal difficulty, I think I conceded maybe 100 points across all of the games in the campaign. The mechanics are extremely simple and the only real difficulty is keeping your sense of orientation while using the clunky controls. The multiplayer includes bots, the same bots that could barely ever score a goal against me, which makes it practically pointless. Hopefully they do a lot more to add things to the game because right now it is more like a half-realised minigame than a real game.

You will probably get a few hours of fun, maybe more if you aren't great at this style of games (I was decent at rocket league and a lot of it translates, honestly) or if you enjoy the multiplayer but I think it will get old, fast.

Typical Paradox DLC. Adds nice features and is clearly a big improvement to the game that would have taken time and effort. Unfortunately it will get review bombed for being "too expensive" but when there are people out there spending the same amount (and often FAR more) on useless aesthetics I really don't think a fully fledged DLC is overpriced.

This game is okay which, as far as tennis games go, is the best you are going to get. It is important to remember that this is being made by a single person and not a AAA studio, despite that it is better than direct competitiors such as AO tennis and the earlier tennis elbow 2013. Unfortunately, the controls on a controller are really quite abysmal and completely counter intuitive - I highly suggest remapping the keys to be more akin to the top spin 4 mappings. This is something you can do in game to try and improve the experience - I have normal shots on A/X, Topspin on B/Circle, Slice on X/Square, Acceleration on Y/Triangle and then use RB/R1 for drop shots, LB/L1 for Lobs and RT/R2 for aggressive lobs.

One real shame is you can't make combination bindings for controller (For example RT+X for a drop shot and RT+Y for a lob would be amazing. Similary, being able to use RB or LB to shorten shots would be nice too).

Edit:

As you can see from the developer response, they are aware of the poor controller controls and are looking at remapping them. This will be a huge improvement but understandably might take a while to implement for a single dev.

This game has actually managed to get worse since its release. I played it on release and while it was buggy and the lag infested - the core gameplay concepts were decent and the game was fun at times.

They have since implemented an essence system which quite honestly could not be a worse system.

On the basis of this being an early access: Definitely recommend
On the basis of this being an enjoyable gaming experience: Cautiously recommended

This game is by no means perfect and there are a lot of annoying ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥. However, the developers are being incredibly proactive and transparent about dealing with these.

The game is essentially Warband 2.0. If you are expecting a groundbreaking game compared to the first then you WILL be disappointed. That isn't what is advertised and it isn't what you will get.

Some features are barebones such as smithing and diplomacy. That is the price of early access.

With that said:

The combat is far smoother than Warband.
The graphics are good for a modern game.
The map has been massively improved and upscaled.
There are a lot of quality of life features.
The modding community is already incredibly active.
The campaign is as addicting and satisfying as Warband.

Crusader Kings II is strange in that it doesn't conform to conventional gaming norms. Do not expect a game in which you can overcome any odds, do not expect any kind of inherent advantages that only your playable character receives. You will get unlucky, you will at some point experience an inbred dwarven character and in some instances you might just look at your Liege lord the wrong way and find yourself on the downward slope to landlessness.

However, should you stick with the game and learn its intricacies then you will find a game like no other. A game in which you can take a lowly house and re-write history by becoming a true force. Alternatively you may decide that growth is not your aim and instead choose to rule a house in another way. The possibilities are near endless.

A common complaint is that the DLC is too numerous and too overpriced and I can understand where people are coming from. However, the DLC that you can choose to purchase isn't a couple of hours of extra gameplay like in other titles but rather completely transformative features that completely redefine the game that you are about to play. Without making the DLC pay to play the developers would not be able to put out such oustanding content. It is DLC done right.

Dont judge a book by its cover comes to mind.

For some reason I made an absolutely pathetic review for this game so I'm re-doing it. This game has always been one of my favourite games and for good reason. The story is easily the best of any star wars game and the characters are all easy to love.. or to love to hate. Overall this game is a must buy!