Recent reviews by snarkqueen

I streamed this game for Extra Life just a couple days after it was released. It immediately drew me in with its gorgeous art style and music, punched me in the feels, and then pulled me along to find out what happened next! The environment is full of things to discover, intuiting how to navigate the terrain and puzzles with minimal UI to distract you, and leaving you wondering when the next conflict will jump at you. I also recommend acquiring the extra items like the art book if the visuals are what appeal to you most--there are full pages of nothing but plant designs! Half of my Steam Awards nominations are unapologetically for Neva.

Please note the hours I have put into this game. I've been playing for 3 years now, and I am very particular about MMOs. I also don't like to spend money without justification. The only money I spend in RIFT on a regular basis is when I feel like I want to buy a new mount or some kind of consumable. You don't have to pay anything to enjoy this game or have access to the content.

I have played most of the content solo, but it is much faster and more fun if you have friends to play with you. One of the new features Trion has implemented is sorting new players into starter guilds (defiants or guardians) on each server (shard). This helps new players find other players, so don't stress about being lost.

There are many people in the game, despite other statements in the reviews. Many of the older, larger guilds have died out, but there are lots of smaller, newer ones that are active and growing. Find them and you'll find the happy, thriving player base that makes the game enjoyable.

You don't have to buy the Soul packs to play effective character builds. You don't have to be a patron to get things accomplished -- it just expedites some tasks and adds conveniences. You don't have to have full raid gear. Trion has simplified many facets of the game in the time I have played it, mostly for the betterment and greater enjoyment of the game. If you feel like you DO need to buy the soul packs and expansion goodies, wait until there's a sale. You can get everything you want for a fraction of the price if you don't suffer from instant gratification issues.

Immerse yourself in the story-rich world of Telara. Explore everywhere. Talk to NPCs. Delve into the Achievements to find fun rewards for doing things that aren't in your quest log. I hope to see you in the game!

Grade: 60/100
Difficulty: Can you navigate with WASD and click a mouse? Can you read beyond a 4th grade level?
Pros: There are lots of details, and I am jealous of anyone who owns THAT many books and records. There are also some nice 90's references for those of us who grew up in that decade.
Cons: The atmosphere makes you feel like something is going to jump out at you at any moment -- but nothing ever does. There is the occasional thunder and a few of the lights flicker a little. But otherwise it's just you and your snooping about the house. Listening to any of the cassette tapes you find is something you do at your own risk. The vocals will make your ears bleed.
Replayable: No, because the story is not worth it. In fact, the story is what ruined this game for me. It focuses heavily on the younger sister, who is just your average unhappy teenager who falls in with the ever-in-trouble rebel at school -- and ultimately leads to terrible life decisions and a hugely anticlimactic ending. Do not waste your money on this game unless it is at least 75% off -- you will feel cheated otherwise.

Grade: 88/100
Difficulty: Despite having beaten this game back when I was in high school, there are still a few puzzles I trip over and get frustrated trying to complete. Some are obvious, others take a bit more patience.
Pros: Old school game nostalgia. A fairly intriguing storyline.
Cons: The voice acting is pretty terrible, and either too quiet or too loud in comparison to the game's music. The graphics are quite dated. Some of the hints are harder than their puzzles.
Replayable: For the hell of it? Absolutely. Just try to ignore how awful the voice acting is compared to today's games and take some aspirin for a few of the puzzles.

Grade: 40/100
Difficulty: Painfully easy. You don't even have to use the different skill buttons if you have auto-attack enabled. Worse, you can click a point on your map and your character automatically heads there. Easiest RPG I've ever encountered.
Pros: If you enjoy looking like you're a high school kid dressed up for cosplay, you might enjoy the character appearances. The simple format of the game makes it easy to pick up as well. So if you want a reasonably pretty game to play on the fly to kill time -- this might work.
Cons: This is a Final Fantasy wannabe. From the chocobo-doppleganger mounts to the kidlike character appearances. They nickel and dime everything of value, so F2P is only going to be worthwhile for the first 10 levels. Good luck finding your quest line at that point, too. It seems to drop you like a bad habit. They also, unfortunately, let players have little shop spaces which they then proceed to line the main cities with. It's like reading through 4chan subject titles.
Replayable: Not worth investing real money in, therefore no.

Grade: 72/100
Difficulty: Awkward controls, which adds to the mess and makes it a challenge to complete some of the goals.
Pros: Lets you vent your displeasure of the holiday season in a 'fun' way. Co-op makes it more entertaining.
Cons: Could have more content. The music is aggravating as hell. Physics are overly wonky/sensitive which complicates a few game elements.
Replayable: At least until you get sick of making a bloody mess. Or finish all the achievements.

Grade: 92/100
Difficulty: Easy, intuitive controls -- yet challenging to execute in places.
Pros: Each level has a theme and those themes are lovely. Despite any failures, the game flow makes it easy to pick up where you left off and to improve on tricky spots until you succeed and make more progress. Most of the puzzles are challenging without being impossible, no matter how impossible they appear at first.
Cons: A little guidance to figure out what you're supposed to do in some spots would have been helpful. Edit: There is a broken level. Not sure if it's been fixed.
Replayable: Absolutely. This is the fun sort of puzzle game that never gets old and is fun to show off to friends.

Grade: 80/100
Difficulty: Moderate. Most of the controls are easy, and you can't die. But certain places require precise timing and angles -- that makes it a little harder to accomplish a few goals.
Pros: Despite being a simple game, it's very pretty to look at. The various objectives are a pleasant challenge.
Cons: You will need a guide/walkthrough to finish all of the achievements unless you have an incredible streak of dumb luck.
Replayable: Not likely after completing all of the challenges, but certainly fun the first time through.

Grade: 92/100
Difficulty: This varies depending on what class you are playing and which map -- as well as the quality of fellow players in the game at the time.
Pros: YOU CAN BE A DINOSAUR. AND KILL THINGS. AND RAWR! (Come on, that's the reason you want to buy the game in the first place. Admit it.) Some of the human classes can be fun, too. They have some unique skills which make a serious dent in dinosaur health.
Cons: The servers which set the matches to 500 kills should be banned. Because once the dino team reaches that number, everybody bails from the game -- and the defeated humans never get a chance to get revenge, leaving them bitter and unhappy with the game. People who don't understand how to work as a team can also make the game suck in ways you never imagined. Lacking in quality DLC for the human team.
Replayable: Definitely. Recommended that you bring some friends into the game with you, but be prepared to be on opposing teams if things become unbalanced.

Grade: 40/100
Difficulty: Convoluted, at best.
Pros: Promises of customization and a pretty world...
Cons: ...which are lies, lies and more lies. You pay for anything and everything, right from the start, and the delivery of the promised things falls very short. Most people I know who have tried this game also reported buggy computer problems associated with the installed files that cleared up once they uninstalled the game.
Replayable: No. Do not recommend. Find a real MMO, not this sorry excuse.