Recent reviews by aldero

DUSK is truly worthy.

DUSK is unapologetic, uncompromising, and totally unforgiving. Buttery-smooth controls, fearsome weaponry, a bestiary of malevolent monsters and another brilliant soundtrack from Andrew Hulshult make DUSK an instant classic.

Final DOOM is an unforgiving dominatrix that brutalises and punishes you at every turn, making you patiently wait for that momentous shot of the BFG; the lone glimmer of hope that illuminates your path through the sea of blood and bone.

But you knew exactly what you were getting into when you entered this dungeon. She had laid the super shotgun on the table from the very beginning, challenging you to slaughter the heinous hordes of Hell. When you spend enough time in this dungeon, you start to love the pain, for the pain fills you with a primal lust for vengeance.

And trust me, son, once you act upon vengeance, you become a force of divine judgement. Final DOOM, more than any other entry in the series, makes you truly work for the hallowed title of the Doom Slayer. You're gonna love it, Marine.

DOOM is a revelation, standing tall as an exceptional entry into the franchise, the genre, and the medium.

It drips with polish and exudes outstanding craftsmanship, yet it still carries itself with an endlessly-charming and endearing sense of irreverence and brazen confidence. The spirits of Romero and Carmack live on through DOOM, and the game can not be described as anything other than badass.

Grim, yet hilarious. Unforgiving, yet enthralling. Tough, but fair. Rip, and tear.

Quake Champions is built on the withered bones of an ailing genre, with the blood of crooked business practices flowing through its veins, and the corpulent flesh of questionable design philosophies comprising its strange visage.

Bethesda and Saber Interactive's approach to this game is downright cynical, but I won't give you a rant about that; everyone already dislikes them by now. It's my review, so I'll just be briefly talking about my own experience.

It's flawed. Deeply flawed. To a point, the flaws overshadow the moments where the game is great. I've always had my issues, ever-present as they are, but looking back on over two years of highs and lows, the good stuff really sticks as being memorable and ball-crushing in the best way possible.

Depending on how you see it, the game is dead. Even then, I'll still honour it at its funeral.

An absolute gem that I highly recommend.

The superb writing, costume design, production design, sound design and acting all come together to paint a picture of a lived-in and textured world that beautifully compliments the original game. Who would have thought; video game movies and short films can be good if you actually try to make a good movie.

For Kolechia.

There are two kinds of people in this world; those who have played Quake and those who haven't yet.

Trust me, you won't regret buying this phenomenal game.

Yeah, this game is one highly subjective piece of personal expression. Needless to say, it's not going to resonate with absolutely everyone in the same way that The Stanley Parable did. It's short but very, very sweet if you are at all interested in that kind of thing.

This game details a story that is really about Davey Wreden and the people around him, and nothing else. It's an arthouse game, if you will, that centers around the implications of humanity, human emotions, relationships and expression through art. If that doesn't particularly strike a chord with you, you might want to give this one a pass. Alternatively, if you would like to play an interactive piece of human expression that solely emphasises the feels, get this game immediately.

Don't make the mistake that I made and buy this game. The games included are not only not moddable, but censored and lacking certain pieces of content, at least in regards to Doom 3. On top of that, this game is surprisingly vulnerable to just straight-up not working. My copy of the game just started crashing at launch at the point when I had already clocked in about 18 hours of play. Fan-freakin'-tastic.

Sure, this bundle includes Ultimate Doom, Doom II (with No Rest For The Living) and a remastered version of Doom 3 that has a significant amount of graphics, engine and performance-related improvements with some superficial negative changes to the original Doom 3 experience that can simply be rectified with a few mods, but the same can be said for a singular copy of Doom 3 that you can buy individually. That's where my main problem with the game lies; the upsides of the BFG edition are only ever expressed through a few more dollars that you just saved, but even then, you'd be better off buying the Classic Doom Bundle and Doom 3 individually. Here's why.

First off, the inclusion of Ultimate Doom and Doom II. It's great, isn't it! You get a neat little collection of two legendary games that defined generations to come and are still fun to play to this day and Doom 3... but, as I said, just buy the Classic Doom Bundle. Not only do you get Ultimate Doom and Doom II, you also get Final Doom and Master Levels for Doom II for, like, two extra dollars. It's worlds better than the copies of Ultimate Doom and Doom II included in the BFG edition for two extremely important reasons. For one, the BFG edition copies are censored. For two, the BFG edition copies ARE NOT MODDABLE. On the other hand, the copies included in the Classic Doom bundle are absolutely moddable. That's right, folks, the BFG edition is not moddable.

Second off... well... Doom 3 is Doom 3. It has its audience and I won't really be doing a full review of the separate game here, but if you ask me, just do yourself a favour and buy Doom 3 by itself when it goes on sale for about $2.49. Sure, it's missing the exclusive Lost Mission pack... but... I wouldn't give a scrap of an iota of any interest. I just don't care about it, to be honest. And yes, Doom 3: BFG Edition has some pretty significant changes to its singleplayer such as the changing-up of already-delicately-structured combat into an inconsistent mess and the complete omission of certain elements such as the Hazmat Suit. These changes don't exactly help to strengthen the initial construction of Doom 3's singleplayer. To be frank, they really weaken the whole survival-horror aspect of the game.

Believe me, you're not saving yourself any money here with this bundle. Just walk on by.

Astounding, said my intrigued and puzzled brain and my simultaneously broken and warmed heart.

I don't care where you're from or how deep your wallet is, this experience of a game is absolutely worth your time and money. Trust me... it will be.

Short review, this game is a generation-defining game that reshaped the entire FPS genre with it's story, engine, physics, characters, atmosphere and environments. It's a very enjoyable, well-realised and fast-paced landmark of the genre.

I recommend this game with every fiber of my body.