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Showing 1-7 of 7 entries

Not Recommended

205.8 hrs on record (144.9 hrs at review time)

It's unfortunate that I have to give Cities Skylines 2 the thumbs down. As one of many players and enjoyers of the first title, Cities Skylines 2 was ( in theory ) the best game I would ever play since the release of the original from nearly 9 years ago. The improvements to traffic and cim AI have not been realized in the product we received. Production chains are dysfunctional and issues that originate in the first title ( ie. industries importing goods from abroad rather than buying from local suppliers ), are still present here. The addition of new zoning types has been wonderful, but the lack of big-box retail, mixed ( commercial + office ) zoning cuts the new feature shorter than its full potential. The addition of parking as a core mechanic in city management would be incredible, if we were given more options for parking ( especially when there is a lack of underground parking for mid-to-high density residential structures ). Public transportation is a chore to manage, despite the new UI displays for tracking their performance. Traffic and transportation overall, however, is hampered by the odd path-finding calculations which result in cims traversing 10 km to work and back on foot rather than taking a car or the bus. That's on top of the scaled simulation which only actively uses a fraction of your real population to simulate around the world.

Cities Skylines 2 feels like an Early Access release. It is not a complete product and one that is dotted with bugs and issues throughout. The lack of promised modding support on a timely schedule is simply stacked atop an already bad experience. I would highly recommend any prospective buyer to instead purchase Cities Skylines 1 and explore the countless mods on the Steam Workshop which features creators from all across the world.

Posted 10 February.

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Recommended

6.6 hrs on record (4.4 hrs at review time)

An Explorer's Guide to : CRYING SUNS

Originally posted by ItsAkea:
"Taking a more 'macro-like' stance on the FTL-like formula, Crying Suns blends the unforgiveness of space with mutated humanoids, cults that praise AI, and fast-paced strategic space combat."

Category

Notes

Rating

Graphics - "A New World to Explore"

Upon playing the Demo ( there is one of those for this game ), I was instantly captured by Crying Suns' art style. The blend of 3D and 2D assets in this pixelated world fits near perfectly. Characters and backdrops, while maintaining the same pixel-art flavor, have good resolution, allowing for the style to include various details and allow you to see features without the classic 'block-head' super pixel-art style. Combat is where the shift to more 3D assets in the scene, with the camera panning to reveal the clashing battleships and their squadrons of fighters, drones, and various other ships such as tanky frigates and long-range cruisers. The effects are well done with remote bomb drones blowing apart asteroid clusters and with weapons having a satisfying flash trail ( all varied on weapon ).

Audio - "The Effects and Music"

The sound work for this game, in my opinion, is quite well done. Buttons and text have the nice tactile sci-fi clicks and beeps, battleship weapons have a satisfying crack and punch, and the game overall sounds and thus feels responsive. There is no voice acting in the game, however, opting for text-based dialogue which, depending on the player, will be varied ( in my opinion however, is perfectly
fine ). Crying Suns has a mix of somber musical tones that are iconic for a sci-fi / mystery / horror feel of setting and more pumping techno tracks for investigative and combat scenarios. While I believe the music does well to blend in the different screens you will be mingling about ( whether that is the menu, mapping the stars, investigating the cause for a parasite-like disease, or skirmishing with a band of pirates, it does begin to grow ever so repetitive. This might be due to the nature of the game with you reaching the same screen-types repeatedly on your quest, however I believe it also includes the similarity between some tracks.

Gameplay - "An Ability and Comfort"

As noted, Crying Suns is very much an FTL-like game. You will spend much of your time clicking through dialogue, navigating planetary bodies and stars, and commanding your various squadrons and weapons to bear on the enemy. This is much more of a casual, 'sit back and enjoy,' type of game, allowing you to pause, think, and read through the stories of various characters and their communities. Action does, however, pick up in combat scenarios where you can be barely scraping by a hostile battleship in a neck-and-neck race to who can deal 20-points of damage first. In my opinion it has a nice mix of these more intense events with the slower, more thoughtful planning that you must employ to ensure the safety of your ship, your crew, and yourself.

Storyline - "To go From A to B"

In Crying Suns you play as the clone of Ellys Idaho, an exact replica of the former Imperial Admiral who passed some time ago in some unknown way. You are woken by Kaliban, an OMNI ( Artificial Intelligence ) who is tasked the responsibility of maintaining the small, isolated, and cloaked cloning facility on the barren planet of Gehenna in the Outer Rim. He explains that the facility has since lost connection with the Empire's capital, Elyseum and that he has awaken the you to take command of an imperial battleship to discover what has happened. Quickly upon leaving the planet and with Kaliban waking the rest of the crew, you find the once empire-friendly space teeming with pirates, isolated and diseased colonies, mutated humanoids known as the Scrappers, and various other organizations that brew in the remains of what was once imperial space. Many of these organizations have a constant obsession, Neo-N - a pure form of energy developed by the OMNI intelligences long ago, and the OMNIs themselves. 20 years ago, the OMNIs, and thus their technology, shutdown mysteriously, collapsing the once great empire and plunging humans into their possible extinction.

Multiplayer - "To Making New Friends"

Crying Suns is completely a single-player game and so it won't be rated on this category.

Replayability - "For Infinite Experiences"

As a rogue-like game with various randomizations to the anomalies and characters you will meet along the way, Crying Suns has potential for decent replayability. As you progress through the story and its chapters, more ships will be made available for you to take command of. In addition, expeditions, events, and various anomalies can lead you to discovering unique officers whom you can take aboard your ship in a new start or new adventure. With these combined features alongside the potential for expansion by the development team, Crying Suns is staged to deliver many hours of value ( however this also depends on you reading text, conducting battles, and planning your route in various sectors ). Events will replay, however, and you will find yourself bumping into similar if not same encounters occasionally.

Composite Score

Crying Suns holds itself as a solid game that initially suprised me with its demo ( which I encourage you to try if this game is interesting to you, your progress WILL carry over to the game if you choose to purchase it ). A unique blend of characters and a semi-dark setting give a very nice backdrop painted with bright stars and rendered planetary bodies that shadow over your battleship. Combat feels tactile and fluid, with quick moves and counters sometimes being your saving grace in a tough skirmish. Characters are well done, rendered in a high-resolution pixel style that gives detail in their clothes and style ( especially Kaliban ). Equally, character animations are well made, fluid and fitting in with the art style. Overall, I recommend this title for those with an interest in games such as FTL or other story-rich rogue-like games. I will update this review should I bump into anything along the way, but until then, stay safe! LONG LIVE THE OMNI GODS! --- Thanks for Reading!

Posted 20 September, 2019. Last edited 20 September, 2019.

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Recommended

899.7 hrs on record (406.2 hrs at review time)

*To be Reviewed*

Posted 24 November, 2017.

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Not Recommended

2.2 hrs on record

An Explorer's Guide to : AVEN COLONY

Originally posted by ItsAkea:
"While Aven Colony presented on the face an interesting and beutiful city-builder game, it has faced struggles with replayability and diversity compared to other builders like it."

Category

Notes

Rating

Graphics - "A New World to Explore"

Many people take graphics as one of the largest - if not the - factors that determine the success of a video game.
With my experience in Aven Colony as a Pre-Alpha to Launch player I have found this to be a fairly strong point in the title. Whether you are surviving through the dust storms in Sandy Gulch or slicing theough the colordul and alien forests of Vanaar, there are quite a few locations that you will travel to and build across. While the graphics have been reported to stall framerates on lower-end systems, my experience was pleasant and I found many of the locations creative and very instilling of a fantasy-like sci-fi world. Packed with beautiful and unique environments, I hold this as a strong point in this title.

Audio - "The Effects and Music"

Something that a city-builder needs - in my opinion - is a good set of audio which comes in both effects and a soundtrack to make the experience immersive and interactive. A city-builder game is a simple form of strategy at its core which is built up with periods of thinking and planning as you construct your space colony. In my experience with Aven Colony I have found the effects to be decent, with nothing extraordinary included. There are the rapid beeps of your console when alerts occur and the occasional pulse to notify you of mail or messages. Environmental effects are decent as well with nothing that eally stood out to me. The dialogue in the game amongst the characters is decent as well with not an incredible amount of development and character but it is nice to hear conversations. Music wise is where I believe this game hits a small rock, as it can get repetative and rather boring if you play after some time in the game.

Gameplay - "An Ability and Comfort"

Aven Colony is - at its core - a city-builder game. What I find important in a builder comes through its mechanics,
detail, and diversity. To hit this right off the bat, this is not a Cities: Skylines. This game is more relateable to the ANNO ( or Dawn of Discovery ) titles however without the expandability, multiple factions, complex supply and civilization trees, and diplomacy. This lack of content compared to others in its field are what bring this game below what I believed it would be. The structures you will construct are not very diverse ( although each structure can be upgraded twice ). You will find yourself constructing the same structures in every playthrough ( with exceptions depending on the biome ). The lack of diplomacy or trading also impacts the gameplay as it remvoes the feeling of a living world that can be interacted with ( to clarify, there is trading with the colony ship, however it is simply "send x of y and I'll give you x of y" with no control ). Should additional features and aspects be covered and added to the game, I would have enjoyed it more and played it for much longer.

Storyline - "To go From A to B"

You are the governor. Elected by the people aboard a colony ship that has long since left Earth to find a new home for humanity among the stars, you are placed in charge of constructing colonies across the alien planet of Vanaar.
As you do, you are guided along by several characters in the game who will give you quests and missions to complete while also explaining some of the alien environments that you shall discover. There isn't much of a solid story, however as city-builders typically leave that to you, the story in Aven Colony may seem more of as an extended tutorial and mission generator than a story. The characters may not always be memerable however there are attempts to form connections with you as the player and the characters as your advisors and members of the colonization effort.

Multiplayer - "To Making New Friends"

Aven Colony is a single-player only experience and thus Multiplayer gameplay cannot be rated for.

Replayability - "For Infinite Experiences"

How fun can it be to institute your own rule over the populace of a colony ship as you conquer an alien planet through use of robot drones and plasma cannons? Well, after logging quite a bit of my time into the Alpha and Beta versions, as well as a bit into the post-launch, I cannot say very much here. Depending on your playstyle a single biome in story mode can take anywhere from an hour to four ( I did not attempt multiple measurements, times will vary ). However once completing the story and seeing all there is that Aven colony offers, there is not much else to do. There is a sandbox mode that can be played however - as explained earlier with the lack of diversity and deeper mechanics - but I found this to be repetative and boring after the first few playthroughs.

Composite Score

While Aven Colony makes an attempt at an innovative, sci-fi city-builder game, it snags a few catches along its way up the ladder. Compared to the giants already in the industry, there isn't much new to offer outside of its landscapes and concept ideals. Should Mothership Entertainment improve this game over time or look to a sequal in the series, I would recommend adding additional features to make the world more alive. Adding additional interactions with the colony ship ( trading, upgrading, persistant storage even, anything can be done ), possibly including completitions with other colony ships and worlds, fleshing out the structural mechanics ( new buildings, specalizations ), and adding ways to influence your very own, unique colony can all contribute to this. I do wish to see this game and its IP grow, however, and am looking forward to what Mothership Entertainment will be planning for the future. I cannot recommend this game at full price, however I would recommend picking it up on sale if this is the type of game you are looking for.--- Thanks for Reading!

Posted 8 August, 2017. Last edited 10 August, 2017.

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Recommended

34.8 hrs on record (25.5 hrs at review time)

Welcome, to the Hearth!

Heya guys, and gals, and welcome to my little review on Stonehearth, a lovable Early-Access title brought to you from the developers at Radient Entertainment, an indie-game studio based in Los Altos, California.

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Initially when I first stumbled upon Stonehearth, it was after the dark ages seen from similar titles, notebly the game Castle Story from Sauropod Studios. An early access game as well, and with a similar feel initially, the game suffered quickly due to lack of development and the $30.00 price tag on a -usually- broken and unsatisfying experience. Coming to Stonehearth, I was a bit relictant to try a new title under the Early Access title and with the same feel.

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So let's get into it, what is Stonehearth all about?

Stonehearth is a meshed combination of a City Builder but with a mix of RPG and Adventure elements. Your journey begins as one of the two (current) races available to play (four are planned so far in total). Starting out, you and your handful of citizens (Hearthlings) are tasked with constructing your very own "city on a hill", a home in the wilderness of one of two (current) biomes.

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The Races and Factions

There, at this time, is only a single race playable in the game which of course, are the humans. However, the humans are split into two factions (currently) with a third planned in the future. The human factions that are known about now are:

The Ascendency

Originally posted by Stonehearth Official Wiki:
"Earnest and hardworking, loyal and well-rounded. Citizens of the Ascendency chop, build, and farm, confident that the known world is theirs to inhabit."

The Ascendency are the basic human faction, based off of Eastern European countries they are home to the temperate biome and start their crafting tree around the Carpenter, a specialist who uses wood resources to create works from tools and weapons, to building components and decorations. They don't do well in the desert however, due to their heavy dependance on wood resources.

Raya's Children

Originally posted by Stonehearth Official Wiki:
"The scattered people of the mountains learned early that to survive, they needed each other - and preferable as many others as they could reach. Now, though the members of their trading cities and traveling caravans pride themselves on ascetic disciplin, visitors find them generous hosts with access to goods from all over the world."

The second released human faction, named the Raya's Children, are designed from a more Middle Eastern resemblance. Living a life in the vast deserts in the world, they have learned to cope with the lack of wood and traditional building materials found elsewhere. Instead of a Carpenter, they begin with a Potter, an artisan skilled in crafting bricks of clay and stone to form efficient housing solutions.

Th Northmen's Alliance (NOT RELEASED)

Originally posted by Stonehearth Official Wiki:
"Brave and handy, the men and women of the north live for the sight of a new dawn over unexplored territory. Armed with compass and hatchet, they form strings of small, defensible settlements and pride themselves in their tenacious adaptability."

The third faction planned for the human race are the Northmen's Alliance. Based on the Vikings from northern Europe and the surrounding tundras, they are a hardworking collection of natural-born explorers and fighters. They are home to the tundra biome, and additional details for them have yet to be released.

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Gameplay

The game begins with the main menu, as every game should. Upon stating up a new game you are presented with the choices you shall make, the biome you choose to inhabit, people you choose to play as, and the difficulty to which you would like to play as. It is a simple process, freshened up from a traditional selection screen by being presented to you in the form of a story book, with the choices you make appearing to fill the blanks of the story.

Once past, you are sent into the Expedition Roster, a list of several Hearthlings which you will start with. Each Hearthling comes with a randomly rolled attribute set spread across three categories.

Mind - Useful for those who will become your fine artisans and crafters, Mind stats help these Hearthlings advance in their career as well as gives a boost to their ability to craft Fine items, creations which are adorned with supreme craftsmanship.
Body - Granting bonus stats to boost Hearthling health and movement speed, a high Body stat is excellent for Footmen and combat specialists, but also those who will greatly benefit from the passive speed boost, ie. Farmers and Trappers.
Spirit - A key for those going into combat, Spirit attribute points grant a boost to Hearthling courage and morale. High Spirited combat specialists will stand firm in combat, even after sustaining injuries.

If you happen to have unfavorable traits, you can try again for as many times as you like with the 'Roll new citizens' button, regenerating all seven Hearthlings. Once finished, on the right side you are greeted by a list of various items for purchase, and a small budget of initial gold for you to purchase things or take along with you on your journey.

With your citizens ready to depart and your expedition supplies tied down and stowed for your adventure, it finally comes time to select your site to begin! With reach game of Stonehearth, the maps are randomly generated using seeds, viewable at the bottom of the screen. You can reroll maps for as many times as you wish, alike the Expedtion Roster. To note with your location as you move your cursor over the map, the highlighted box around your cursor represents the actual in-game map, which although seems small compared to the world map, offers plenty of space for your city's development and then some. On the right side, you will also see three major variables which change on the area you select.

Trees and Plants - This is pretty self-explanetory on the fact that this value shows how many plants and trees are located in the settlement region you have highlighted.
Wildlife - This factor represents the amount of creatures found in the highlighted region, useful for your trappers who will need animals in order to efficiently trap and harvest them.
Minerals - This final factor represents the amount of ores, stone deposits, and the etc. which are readily located in the highlighted region. You can always however, mine for ore in a region with little to no Mineral rating, it just takes some time.

Once you have your region selected and good to go, you can embark on your journey!

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The Review Part

A simple, yet equally complex game, Stonehearth is a game easily loveable by Adventure, RPG, City-builder, and Strategy fans. Built in a voxel art style with a friendly and cute feel to it, it is aesthetically pleasing and especially for those who run the game on higher graphics settings. Keep in mind that there are faults of course, various quirks and bugs are present as you can expect with an Early-Access title, however the weekly Development Team reports and progressing updates are great! There are currently a collection of simple quests and side-missions to keep you interested along with a developing story in the works. Overall I again, highly recommend this title, and encourage you to try it out!

Thanks for reading, happy building!
- Kyoko

Posted 11 December, 2016. Last edited 28 December, 2016.

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Recommended

452.0 hrs on record (264.0 hrs at review time)

To make a long review short... This game is fantastic, and you'll hate every hour you spend on it.

--- To Begin ---

I have been a part of the Space Engineers community for quite a very long time. Although at first, the game was still being developed (as in... Before weapons, detonations, and the etc existed at all). By then, I enjoyed the game for a while however was never extremely hardcore into it. This all ended up changing around the past month and so however. With the introuction of new community groups, factions, and of course mods, (also of course the content being added every week) the game has never had a segment of any real 'boredom'.

--- Graphics ---

The graphics on this game are done pretty well for many of the Sandbox Sims I have seen out and around. It is noted though, that to run this game on higher graphics settings you -will- require an at least decent PC to run this game sufficiently. There are of course a few glitches with the Early Access still above, such as a few lighting and shading bugs here and there, and the occasional block bug ot glitch. Overall though, the graphics and physics are all well and nice to look at (for the hours you will spend in the realms of space), of course.

--- Gameplay ---

The gameplay is something that will vary depending on you yourself. If you enjoy building new (NOT FEATURED!)land, orbital, or space creations; enjoy exploring the infinite fields of asteroids, (NOW FEATURED!)planets, moons, and simply space; and would want to join the already growing and very friendly, creative and supportive community, then this is the game for you! The gameplay is fairly simple to a certain degree, the building being commonly referred to as 'minecraft in space'. This, however, changes drasticly past the simple placement of blocks, such as the production chains from mineral ore, to basic materials that can be processed into components that then are used to build and create each block in the game. This is a game where commonly you would want to play with a friend or even more (the more the better!).

--- Community ---

The Space Engineers Community is one of (if not the) most active and creative communities I have grown to be a part of on Steam. The Workshop houses hundreds of thousands of player-made creations ranging from spaceships of combat, commerce, and civilian use, as well as stations of all types, ground vehicles and orbital ships, as well as now including land bases. There are also an array of hundreds of player factions, from pirates and mercccenaries of war, to civilian trading corporations and industrial commerce administrations. There is never a shortage of player-created factions, and it is always a great idea to find one that suits your interests best, and join in to meet other and new friends, and to share designs, tips, and your own universe experiences.

--- Concluding ---

Overall, Space Engineers is a wonderful game. Although there are of course bugs, errors, and situations that occur, this is still in Early Access. The game itself is doing quite well so far, and I, alike many many others, are excited to see what will be released next. The release of planets today is a revolutionary new feature as well (Although it is a bit of a framerate kill on weaker PCs). Multiplayer still does have a bit of connection and server bugs, however it is functional and does work for the majority (though most problems I have experienced were from the server hosts themselves).

All in all, a great game, and I recommend it for any space, simulator, or sandbox fan.

Always remember, have fun! Fly Safe! (^-^ )7

Posted 12 November, 2015. Last edited 12 November, 2015.

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Recommended

438.5 hrs on record (274.9 hrs at review time)

10/10 - IGN

Posted 1 November, 2015.

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Showing 1-7 of 7 entries