Recent reviews by Joe

I feel like this is just one of those games I need to impulsively make my friends experience without context. It's short and sweet, and then you can say "so that's how fish is made!" and then you're good.

I usually feel obligated to justify my reviews on Steam.

Not this one. Game bad. Better, maintained alternatives are easy to find.

As a legendarily mediocre table tennis enthusiast, I can say my skills transfer over. Within several minutes of my first playsession, I started to make the same mistakes I make in real ping pong, and couldn't've felt better making them. It broke through my expectations, just like real ping pong in vr except I don't have to run and pick up the ball everytime. Eleven out of ten, ha.

Two ways of looking at this game:

1.) Literally every indie developer seeks to create something this gorgeous. I wish I made this.

2.) It's like that ancient browser game where you make chemical explosions except it's also a rouge-like.

Just buy the game. It's good, and does not tell the player anything. It's cruel and wonderful and refreshing and I enjoy it. Very nice.

RoR2 is the juiciest, most enjoyable rougelike I've ever played. The gameplay is unique and interesting, and there's never a dull moment. And the sountrack, oh the soundtrack, it is absolutely amazing.

Please, please nominate this game for best OST 2020.

FTL is my first and all-time favorite Rougelike, for good reason. I love the setting, the art, a general vibe of flying through the galaxy on a mission to keep the Federation alive. Moreso though, there is one thing that this game gets absolutely right in my personal opinion:

FTL is an extremely unforgiving game. Especially on the harder difficulties, FTL is a game that even experienced veterans will generally lose about %70-%80 of the time. This is intentional on the devs' part. You really feel as though you're on a desperate suicide mission, using every trick you can to stay alive. It's a wonderful experience, and wins in this game feel great.
Meanwhile, the tricks you use to get there are great. The variety of systems that you could use in this game make every run feel different. It's great. The game is also very fluid because of this, every choice you make having a lasting impact on the rest of your run.

Also the soundtrack SLAPS

The most outright addictive logistics/factory building game to date;

Satisfactory is an understatement.

Okay, considering I recently passed the 1k hour mark, I feel it's about time I make a review for this game.


Yesssss:

• The empire creation in this game is more dynamic and immersive than anything you'd find in the genre, enough to the extent that empire building within itself is something you could spend solid time on, from attempting to optimize a build to really spending time making yourself something to roleplay.
  
  
• The tick-based gameplay flows very nicely, and makes for a significantly different feel for multiplayer especially then a traditional turn-based would. Grand strategy meets real-time in the best way possible, and combat in particular feels significantly more organic.
  
  
• The game's many interlocking systems, from traditions to ethics to civics to trading, federations, ship modules, research, etc. all are balanced in a way that i feel lends it self to a beautiful complexity that will make you feel like commanding a real empire. I cannot stress enough how enjoyable the numerous complexities of this game interweave, just take my word that well- it requires some high-level thinking.
  
  
• Again, the immersion- i cannot stress enough how everything from the empire creation to unique story events and unique empires make everything you'll enounter in every galaxy you generate feel very refreshing. I've been playing the game for ages and have basically memorized every unique event, planet, empire, and other entities but despite so, i still enjoy the story Stellaris and its writers go out of their way to tell, which i appreciate even if it isn't part of the core gameplay loop.

Nooooo:

• Okay, let's address the elephant. Online multiplayer runs like garbage . The best part of this game is the immersion and tactile strategy of multiplayer sessions, that often operate on the scale of a D&D campaign due to the nature of the game. When you have a bunch of real players commanding the unknown aliens in your galaxy, Stellaris plays like no other game and the experience is fantastic... Until one or more of your players inevitably begins having synching errors, making what should be fast-paced gameplay halt to a barely playable crawl before even getting to the late game.
  The Stellaris devs are wonderful, but the game is, fundamentally, poorly optimized for multiplayer and it is difficult to get around this limitation, even with higher-end equipment.
  
  
• The game is kindof shallow without a lot of the DLC, Utopia and Leviathans being borderline required if you want to have any fun in the lategame. While the scale of the game is undoubtedly immense, it can definitely feel shallow without the DLC. Fortunately, large sales often put both the original game and almost every DLC (with the exception of the most recent) on sale for a significant markdown, but still.

But I still love Stellaris. It's sci-fi empire building glory gameplay loop never ceases to captivate me. I just pray that online multiplayer will get better as time passes.

I'm not going to say anything about the gameplay. Frankly, if you want to try it and have an extra Terabtye of storage space, pick it up when is goes on sale for $10 (Because IT REGULARLY GOES ON SALE FOR %80 OFF). Do not buy it for full price.

Approved for viewing of citizens class 5 and above by the Arstotzkan Government. Glory to-