Recent reviews by HZ

Fun little free-to-play puzzle game to kill an hour or two with. Main selling points are the cute art and the soundtrack. The puzzle system is a pretty basic one, having a limited number of move/actions you can make in the puzzle in order to reach the end point and move on. Story is pretty skeletal, but you get some extra tidbits of character development/interaction by hitting the "Advice" button on each puzzle. The boss level at the end was both a fresh change of pace and challenging. I probably spent more time trying to beat the last level than I did the rest of the puzzles in the game.

Overall, would definitely recommend for someone who enjoys puzzlers or cute demon girls whose looking for a quick game to play. If there was more content, I could definitely see this being a game worth at least a few bucks!

This is an incredibly fun shooter with some unique elements that help separate it from other games in its niche.

Pros:
-Sound design is both fantastic and crucial for the game. Knowing whether or not the foot steps you're hearing outside of your building are on sheet metal, wood, or mud may make the difference between you covering the right window or getting shot in the back of the head. It also adds a lot to the element of suspense/fear in the game, as it doesn't take long to begin associating certain sounds with dangers ahead.
-Gun design and selection is great. The different, accurate reload animations are really cool, and there's a lot of representation of guns you don't see very often in shooters in this game. The antique nature of the guns in the game also lends itself to slower, more methodical firefights instead of full-auto spray fests every game. The cheaper, lower-tier guns are also not bad by any means. I have gotten more kills in this game with the entry level single shot shotgun and Nagant revolver than I have with the bomb lance or the Mosin Nagant Avtomat.
-A near-perfect coop game for friends. Having a pre-made squad in this game is easy to do, highly encouraged, and makes the game way more fun.

Cons:
-The game definitely has some serious bugs at times. My friends and I have had issues with getting stuck in windows and walls mid-vault, having out-of-body experiences where you are able to move around and see things, but your character model is stuck in place, random network connectivity issues, and more. It is very sporadic, and can be a very frustrating experience at times.
-The ELO/matchmaking system is very confusing, and the information for it doesn't seem to be available to the public. There are games where we will come across people who can insta-headshot all 3 of our party members with Caldwell Uppercuts from 30+ meters away, and there are games where we will only come across poverty-tier free hunters with hatchets and Nagants. It seems like it would be random, but it tends to be a trend for games where we'll encounter one group every single game for the night and the other group every single game for the next. We've also had games where we loaded in and never encountered a single other party during the game. Not sure if this was because it was late at night and player count was down or if there was some kind of connectivity issues for other groups, but it takes a lot of the tension out of the game.
-This game CHUGS CPUs and RAM. I was playing on an i7-6700k overclocked to 4.6ghz and 16gb of 2400mhz DDR4 RAM and it was easily using 70%+ of my CPU and RAM with only the game, Steam, and Discord open. If I had a Chrome tab or something opened, it would crash my PC consistently. I've since upgraded to a Ryzen 7 3800x and 32gb of 3200mhz DDR4 RAM and it handles it significantly better.

Overall, this is a game that requires a ton of practice, a ton of experimentation and trial & error to learn everything there is to know. I still don't know it all and I've got 100+ hours in the game at this point. Did you know poison crossbows will kill flocks of birds? Or fold immolators in half like a lawn chair? Did you know that fusees are the perfect budget answer to hives and armored, especially in lower level hunters who haven't unlocked antidote shots?

A really fun time waster of a game. There's lot of QOL improvements compared to the original Autochess.

Some features I like:
-Can leave games without punishment (nice for when a game drags on and I don't have time to finish it)
-Solo/bot games to practice new strats
-Things like moving units, attaching items, etc. all much cleaner and easier than Autochess
-UI much more user friendly than Autochess

Biggest complaint is there are certain subtle mechanics like gold interest and whatnot that really aren't explained in the game, so I'd recommend reading up on these online if you plan to take it seriously.

Overall a fun game.

Believe it or not, this will be a serious review, though I feel silly for doing so.

Pros:
-Puzzle mechanics are fun and challenging
-Adjustable difficulty
-Art is good (yes, the actual art, not just the fact it has tiddies)
-Replayability in the form of a NG+-esque mode
-Has trading cards
-There is a *patch* to *replace content* that was stripped for the Steam release, if that's your thing

Cons:
-English voice acting isn't stellar imo
-Dating sim aspect can get grindy/tedious with having to wait for various times of the day and jumping from girl to girl just to pass time
-Upgrades can be maxed out relatively quickly assuming you do well on the dating sim/VN portions of the game
-If you're only in it for the pr0n, just go on the internet and look up the gallery. Seriously, it's 2019, why would you pay for that alone?

It's a pretty fun puzzle game that just happens to also have anime tiddies in it. If that sounds like your cup of tea, then this is a great choice. Gameplay is similar to Bejeweled (standard match 3+ of the same color/shape) with some additional mechanics and changes in some rules.

Overall, pretty fun game.

Pros:
-Cute art style
-Fitting soundtrack
-Runs well even on low-end PCs
-Fun gameplay concept
-Good for casual/new players
-Fun character writing
-KB/M and controller support
-End credits sequence is neat
-Has trading cards

Cons:
-Price is too high for what you get (Wait for a sale! In my opinion, at least 50% off to get your value for it)
-Gameplay concepts are introduced and never fleshed out or used again in some cases.
-Little/no replayability
-Entire game can be completed in <2 hours

Overall, I really like the concept of this game. Anyone who is a fan of games like the Katamari series will most likely enjoy it as well. I would really enjoy seeing more and larger levels with this style of gameplay. Unfortunately, this isn't the case in this game at the time of me writing this review, and I doubt we'll see anything in the form of free DLC for it to add these. I was able to 100% this game in under 2 hours, which seems incredibly light for the amount that you spend for it.

I would recommend picking this up, however, I would definitely wait for it to go on sale.

It's a walking simulator, but anything other than that would be in poor taste.

Essentially, it's a lightly interactable tribute to the victims of those who suffered from this terrible tragedy. The game runs well, the music and sound is nice, and you will finish it in ~15 minutes.

Pick it up on a Steam sale if you're curious, but know you're picking it up for what it is, not for gameplay, achievements, cards, or anything like that.

Runs well and everything, but the story is definitely not for everyone. Story-wise, you're basically in for hours of girls passive-aggressively snarking at each other. Very few of the characters are actually likeable. Also, the menus for changing sound/display options are kind of difficult to read given the font used.

I don't personally recommend it, but it's just not for me. Doesn't mean it's an outright bad game!

VA-11 Hall-A is an incredibly experience, and a great balance between a visual novel and a game.

Pros:
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-Great soundtrack. The game contains mostly various synthwave and synthpop tracks that are all enjoyable in one way or another. There is a jukebox mechanic that allows you to select what songs play in what order during your shifts, which allows you to customize the experience of the bar you're working in. You can choose the more hard hitting, fast paced stuff to make the experience feel intense, or you can choose the more nostalgic and lighthearted tracks to make it feel like a hole-in-the-wall cozy bar.
-Unique art-style. VA-11 Hall-A definitely takes a lot of influence from anime/manga/visual novel stylings, but does give it a unique spin so that you don't feel like you are looking at copy-pasted characters from any anime from the past 10+ years.
-Fun easter eggs and hidden content. There are quite a few nifty things you can find in the game that make the game feel that much more fun to play, and can offer some help when it comes to replayability. References to pop culture in dialogue, fake websites/apps in-game, and drink descriptions, hidden items not on the menu, and secret clients that can only be unlocked under certain circumstances.
-Game length. I personally feel the game went on for just the right amount of time without dragging on too long. You can finish the game in ~10 hours or so, depending on how fast you read, how much time you spend on the hidden content, and how much time you spend on the side content like customizing Jill's apartment. You do feel like you get your money's worth out of the game, which is not always something that can be said from VN related titles.

Cons:
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-Replayability is limited. When it comes down to it, you are only going to want to go through the story of this game so many times. The game does its best to help as mentioned above, and it does offer some different endings and scenes depending on things like Jill's financial situation and whatnot, but as with most VNs you are only going to want to go through this experience so many times.
-Gameplay is limited. This isn't as much a complaint from me, as I greatly enjoy VNs for the most part, but it is worth mentioning that this game is not high-intensity action-packed gameplay. You do get to mix drinks on your own, but it's not as if you are timed in how quickly you can make them, nor do you have to do any QTEs to go through the motions of making the drinks. You will never have to serve more than a maximum of two drinks at a time. This adds up to it being like I said in the beginning, a comfortable experience, as opposed to a high-octane adventure.

Overall, if you like VNs, or if you want a game that is easy to just sit back and take in without having to stress out over it, definitely give this game a shot!

In short, Bully is an amazing game that suffers from both its age and the fact that it was ported from console to PC very poorly. However, I still feel that it is a game that is worth, at the very least, picking up during a Steam sale.

Pros:
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-Great storyline. The plot is fun and while it uses a lot of the same plot devices and stuff that other games of its age used, it does it in some refreshing and entertaining ways.
-World is fun to explore. One of the biggest complaints I have about most open world games it that they have a hard time balancing the world being too cluttered or small to the point that they are not fun to stray from the main path on, or they are too large without enough interesting content to fill them. Bully strikes a good balance, with plenty of content aside from the main storyline to keep yourself occupied as well as reasons to go outside of the main drag. Different clothing options and hairstyles are available only from certain parts of the map, both core and side missions are scattered throughout the map and have you travelling through many different areas without feeling like there is a ton of backtracking. Things like arcade cabinet minigames, tagging spots, and collectibles are available throughout the map. Sure, not all of the buildings are explorable, and you can't just chat up every NPC you encounter in hopes of stumbling on a hidden side quest, but there is enough content to give the world life.
-Mission variety. It is incredibly refreshing to have a game where there are more than 3 mission types. Missions range from stealth exploration, to vandalism, to races, to just beating fools up. One mission you may be killing rats with a sling shot in the library, the next you may be breaking into an insane asylum for a prison break. You may be taking incriminating photos of staff, then you are in Biology performing fake dissections on animals. It makes it so you rarely ever think "♥♥♥♥, it's one of THESE missions".
-Music. The music isn't mind-blowing or anything, but it usually fits decently well with the scenario at hand and you can usually tell what's occurring based upon the track playing in the background.
-Importance of in-game time. This was a really cool feature that I'd love to see in more games. There are only certain times of day that you can go to class, go to sleep, and perform certain missions. There are also missions that can only be performed during certain days in-game (i.e. Halloween and Christmas). It really helps bring forward the immersion that they want you to feel in this environment. If you are going to do a mission that involves breaking into the school after hours, it won't let you start the mission until the school is closed. It's the little things that count.

Cons:
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-Graphics have not aged well. This is definitely an older game, and it looks the part entirely. Textures are muddy at times, faces look weird. Though it should be mentioned this really doesn't detract from the gameplay. You have no problem seeing your objectives or reading the mini map. Just don't expect it to look great.
-Frequent crashes to desktop. This is the biggest detractor this game has. As many other reviewers have stated, this game suffers from a pretty bad crashing issue. On average I can play about 20-30 minutes before the game crashes, requiring the process to be ended in Windows Task Manager. For reference, I am running Win10 x64 Home Edition. I have tried most of the fixes I can think of; Windows, driver, & BIOS updates all done, game is set to run as Administrator and in WinXP SP3 compatibility mode, game has been reinstalled on both the boot drive and a secondary drive, checked in Steam for local file integrity, none of which have fixed the issue. My best recommendation is to save very often, as losing progress is super frustrating in this game. Which brings me to my next point.
-Missing a lot of convenience features. This is mostly due to the age of the game, but I feel it should be said that there are many convenience-related features that would have made playing through this game much more enjoyable. There is no auto-save feature, nor is there a way to save from the Esc menu. Instead you have to save at fixed locations that you unlock throughout the game. If you fail a mission, there is no restart option, instead you have to travel back to the location that the mission starts at in order to reinitiate it. These wouldn't be as big of a deal if it wasn't for the frequent crashes.
-Visual performance issues. Very frequently you will have things render and pop-in from out of nowhere, certain textures will become see-through for no reason, FPS will drop even on capable hardware, etc.. The game also seems to have an inconsistent micro-stutter that makes vehicle travel very annoying at times.
-Audio quality. The lip-syncing is pretty bad, which was the norm at the time. You can very easily tell when certain voice actors were recorded with lower quality microphones and equipment, as they will be very distorted and noisey. Audio balance is very inconsistent, with NPCs right next to you being whisper quiet while two NPCs having an argument across campus will be deafeningly loud. Sometimes the audio doesn't load at all for dialogue during cutscenes. It's forgivable, but definitely noticable.
-Random game quirks/bugs. One of the biggest things I've noticed in this respect is both PC and NPC pathing. trying to engage someone in dialogue may result in them walking in place for a few seconds, thus freezing the entire interaction until they fix themselves. Characters will get stuck in doorways, or in crowds of other NPCs. The nice thing is I never had this happen during any of the escort missions of the game, but if I had I would imagine it would be quite frustrating.
-Bad mouse & keyboard support. The option to use them exists in the game, and it is how I played through it, but they are by no means good. The mouse is incredibly clunky and unresponsive, basically making it feel like you're using a mouse with all the functionality of a controller joystick. This isn't noticed in regular movement, but during most of the classes that involve use of the mouse, vehicle steering and combat, and aiming projectile weapons this becomes a very serious issue. If possible, I'd recommend using a controller for this game.

As I said above, this is a great game that suffers from being older and from being a terrible console port. Even so, it has so much charm, humor, and worthwhile content that I cannot help but recommend it.

STALKER is, to put it bluntly, a mix of Metro and Fallout. And while I enjoy those two series in their own respects, STALKER will always hold a special place in my heart.

You play a character inside of a highly radiated Chernobyl area, with your own goals to accomplish - not just including the main storyline. Maybe you want to strike it rich by hunting and selling strange objects that the most dangerous parts of The Zone create - artifacts. Maybe you want to join up with a faction within The Zone to best restore order to its people. Maybe you want to be a lone wanderer, stopping only to sit by the campfire and rest after a long day of near-death experiences. All of this is possible through the STALKER series.

Pros:
-Great atmosphere and environment. You really feel like you're walking through an irradiated wasteland, combing through the wreckage in search of survival.
-Gunplay is pretty clean. The weapons are relatively realistic, and you can aim effectively through the ironsights in first person. Guns are able to be upgraded and modified to fit various roles.
-Exploration is fun. There are quite a few areas in STALKER that if you just blow through the main storyline, you will definitely miss. Even small things, like finding hidden stashes can be an enjoyable break from the main goal. Hunting artifacts is a great way to allow the player to upgrade their loadout and make some cash, and navigating anomalies is quite the harrowing experience
-Fantastic mods. There are some great mod packages available for the STALKER games that make it so much better, and fix a lot of the things I have to complain about. Most people recommend Call of Pripyat Complete for your first play-through, but afterwards you can experiment with mods like Misery - though Misery tends to be kinda broken without tweaking it.

Cons:
-Aged performance. It's pretty obvious this game was designed to run on a machine much less powerful than the average person's gaming PC these days. Graphics are definitely not the best in vanilla. With most modern hardware, running this game vanilla may experience a micro-stutter in visual performance. Many of the mods available for this game fix this issue.
-Terrible English voice acting. If you're going to play this game, do yourself a favor and change the language to Russian with English subtitles. The English voice acting is nothing short of cringey.
-Occasional item clipping/glitching issues. Occasionally, you may notice some issues with dead bodies, dropped items, props, etc. glitching through each other. I have seen pigs hitting the sky box, and I've seen boxes sinking into the earth before. I've never had any that were game-breaking, however.