Recent reviews by TheWizardOswald

If you like any kind of crafting or management games, give this game a chance. It looks childishly simple on the surface, but its one of the deepest simulations you'll ever play.

Back in the past, I did not buy this game, based on the bad reviews. Then the new reviews came in. 'Its much better now'. So I deceided to give the game a chance. Dont believe those reviews. This game is most probably the most overpriced peace of crap I ever spent money on.

Firstly there is the grind. I get it, No Mans Sky is a survival/mining game and grinding is a part of it. It is just not well balanced as a whole. I dont mind some grind, but not if it is virtually inflated grind. I dont mind grinding for a ship, I do mind grinding for the materials to move said ship only 100 meters away, especially if moving it to another planet has give or take the same cost. This 'maintenance' grind conflicts with the casual atmosphere the game breathes. The world is kinda pretty, exploring it should not be punished as hard as it is punished now.

Secondly, and most importantly, the drones. The planets are filled with drones. These drones dont pose any real threat, unless you start mining. Once you do while they are around, they will start a fight you cant win. They will keep calling reïnforcements untill you either escape or die. I dont mind the concept as is so much, but more how manny there are. They are not a looming danger that pops up every now and then, requiring you to stay on your guard, they are ALWAYS there. They are ALWAYS hugging you. Its a constant game of trying to lose their attention, mine a few blocks, then loose the drone who immeadiatly gets attracted to your mining again. It is hard to put into words how frustrating, and not in a fun 'obstacle to overcome' way, they are. They pretty much feel like virtual mother in laws.

If they could properly fix those things, maybe by patching in a seperate difficulty setting, I think the game could be a properly enjoyable casual game. That beeing said though, even if they fix the game, its value is nowhere near the 55€ they are charging now. This is not a AAA game and they cannot fool anyone in thinking it is. There are plenty of other games out there that provide simular, better executed versions of this concept for a fraction of the price. My recommended buy price is 15-20€, IF they fix the aformentioned obstacles so you actually can have some fun.

This game is not Fallout New Vegas. Fallout NV still remains my favorite 'modern' fallout game. However, it would be unfair to compare those two games. Bethesda's strongest point have never been the momorable characters. The sure can craft great worlds, Skyrim was beautifull, and few devs manage to build a world as interesting and complex as the one in Morrowind. However, even there, Bethesda can be a bit of hit and miss. Their true strong focus has always been to build the framework itself that makes great open-world survival games possible. And the truth is, Fallout NV is not a Bethesda game, nor is it an Obsidian game. Obsidian took an already great game (Fallout 3), and enchanced it with their prime quality immersion building and storytelling. Obsidian are masters when it comes to that. Much of that magic gets lost when applying those skills on a less stellar engine, like what they did with Pillars of Eternity. Great game, big recommendation, but no masterpiece. In the same vain, Fallout 4 does not feel like an improvement on an already existing game, rather it felt like the devs tried to take the game in a somewhat fresh and interesting direction. My personal take? They succeeded masterfully. Could it be improved upon storywise? Yes, certainly. What a dream would come true if the good folks at Obsidian would cooperate once more with the great folks at Bethesda. Chances are slim, with Obsidian receiving all the credit for F:NV, while not recognising F:NV would not have been if it wasn't for Bethesda's framework to build and improve on, one can only dream. This game is no Skyrim, nor is it a F:NV, but it sure feels like my initial playtroughs of fallout 3. Unfamiliar, fighting with established conventions, but somehow finds a way to stick to you. I highly recommend this game.

ECO - 2/5 not worth the money

Eco is a fresh take on minecraft, adding a few interesting twists
to make this game conceptually interesting to say the least.

Even as some of those design choices offer some good experiences
missing in minecraft, they come not without compromise. On top,
the game feels not yet balanced in any way yet.

At its current price (higher then minecraft, which is a superior game),
I cannot recommend the game. 20€ would be pushing the price range,
IF they manage to polish the game by release. Right now, 15€ is a more
reasonable price.

IF you have a group of active friends (min 3-4) who are looking for a
casual-ish coop survival game to play with each other, this game might
be worth it.

Pros:
[+] Your actions affect the ecosystem.
[+] You can actually 'win' or 'lose' the game, which provides a goal
not present in most other survival games.
[+] The game has a worked out 'profession' system, helping the game
have an actual economy.

Cons:
[-] The game looks really casual, however can be really grindy.
Too grindy for the expectations a game like this creates.
[-] Finding a server that is both populated, welcoming to newcomers,
and not filled with players that crash your planets ecosystem
can be hard.

Subnautica - 2/5 not worth the money

Even if the game most surely has its moments, for the vast majority
of players this game could at best be a short but welcome break from
their more serious gaming. At its current pricepoint however, I cannot
recommend it. I would rate it at 15€.

Pros:
[+] The immersion of the game is extremely well done. The graphics are
well done and the sound effects/music is superb.
[+] Base building is both fast, meaningfull and does not require too
much of a grind.
[+] Verry casual. Can be fun to play if you need a break from more serious
games.

Cons:
[-] Game breaking bugs, often caused by lazy programming. For example,
the render radius of creatures is so small, they practicly spawn on
top of you. Even worse, I had shipwrecks render on top of my seamoth
multiple times, basicly forcing me to reload the last save. This kind
of bugs do not belong in a released title.
[-] Not always clear what to do next. While I would applaud that in a
more adult-oriented game, this has been an annoyance in a game as
casual as this one. Especially since there is not much else to do.
[-] Too easy endgame. Even the rare large behemoth class monsters are
an annoyance at best. Even for a casual game.
[-] No guns. Playing the game without them focusses attention on how
usefull they would have been in a situation like this.
[-] Resources do not respawn. You can run out of them.
[-] The story is boring and cliche. The only good plottwist in the game
is extremely predictable.
[-] As far as survival games go, this one has almost no replay value.
[-] The devs have verry outspoken political oppinions, and are not afraid
to push them to its playerbase, even if both their reputation and the
quality of their game suffers from it.

4/5 recommended

While the game is clearly still in the early stages of early access,
this is most probably one of the most promissing early access titles
I have played. If you like building games and/or survival games,
I would most certainly recommend at least trying it out.

PRO
- You can design the ships you fly yourself, and oh boy is this part
of the game done well. You will get really attached to 'your' ship.
- You can walk around in your ship while it is moving. This part is so
stable you will not even notice its moving unless you take a look
out of the window.
- Considdering everything is built up by small building blocks, this
game is really beautifull.
- In a time where most games are dumbed down so much your IQ drops a
few points just playing the game, this game keeps the game complex
enouph to keep it interesting.
- Developers are actively engaged with their users. I have never seen
such a helpfull dev team. I even have seen them roll out patches the
day after they appeared on their discord, even if the bug had only
an inpact on a minority of players.
- Development is slow but steady, with updates rolling in biweekly.
- At the current price, this game is a bargain. If the devs continue
the way they currently are, this game will be worth much more upon
full release.

CONS
- The community is really small right now. For some reason this game has
not attracted much media attention yet.
- This is really early alpha. A lot of things are still missing, some controls
are wonky and you will encounter a lot of bugs.