Recent reviews by Charles R Norris

From a board game creator standpoint, this application is the single best way to prototype and playtest a new boardgame. Gone are the days of tediously hand crafting complex games, having to constantly throw away components in order to make balance updates during playtesting. I can't recommend TTS enough for those of you who want to bring a new board game into the world.

It's not perfect, but it's playable, regularly fun, actively developed, and full of other players here in Q4 2023.|
If you like a fast paced shooter, features vehicles, that has room for teamwork in small squads, functions around the old capture the flag mechanic, and rewards marksmanship/reflexes, you'll probably like this game.

It's not the most compelling game in the BF franchise, but it's adequate. What follows is fairly critical, but I'm recommending the game to you and will continue to play it regularly until EA abandons development on it or they do something catastrophically stupid.

Having played since BF1942, I'm of the opinion that this is one of the most arcade like they've produced, which isn't really to my taste. I'm increasingly interested in Military Simulation (milsim) titles, titles that reward teamwork and strategy over marksmanship. Battlefield was the gateway drug to that world and I'm thankful to the franchise for their pioneering work that has lead to such a vibrant selection of games and gaming communities.

Guns in 2042 are still too laser like, lacking recoil and insufficiently punishing range, though the developers have been improving that. Player mobility is superhuman, fast and agile, with no stamina bar to contend with. Balance of some weapons and vehicles are out of wack. All of this is well covered by the community, especially by some dedicated youtube and twitch content creators. To EA's credit, patches tend to make things better.

Where the game seems stuck is with the lobby/queue system, which I truly despise. The inability to play a specific map and instead being forced into a rotation is an unwelcome departure from previous BF titles. I understand the why of this decision, and there are solid points in its favor, but the reasoning is insufficient in a world where some maps are regularly unfun to play on. The game's current popularity will probably make a change to this system very unlikely.

The first MilSim i've played and immediately adored. The game is genuinely deep and complex, proving a lot of opportunity for players to develop specialization in key categories of play. The emphasis on teamwork and communication is masterfully integrated into game-play and doesn't feel forced or artificial.

As of the date of this review, the game is decently stable and well optimized, miles ahead of triple A titles like 2042 when it comes to load speeds and stability.

Most importantly, for a category of game that is notorious for having a steep learning curve, the community is welcoming and remarkably helpful. Experienced players regularly embrace the opportunity to teach new folks the ropes.

A superb multiplayer turn based strategy, well supported by the Steam community, featuring an evergreen player base and very high replayability.

The best game for convincing your teenager to drive with more appreciation of just how dangerous trees, cliffs, and guardrails can be.

Below Zero is a fairly terrific follow on to the original SubNautica, one of the best games I've ever had the opportunity to play. Nothing I've previously encountered compares to the sense of genuine discovery and exploration that subnautica delivers on so powerfully. It's a beautiful game, visually speaking, full of creative and engaging use of colors, fitting for the sometimes familiar, sometimes bizarre alien world's flora and fauna.

What frustrations exist are all excusable. Sure, pipe chains don't like to behave consistently, sometimes causing one to die of drowning or predator attack. Sure, the sea truck gets hung up on unconstructed buildings that should have no physical interface with objects. Sure, the recyclotron doesn't actually recycle everything it should - it's all quite excusable and doesn't significantly deter play or even interfere with immersion.

Awesome game. 4.5/5

DE brings meaningful quality of life improvements to AOE II which was already one of the top 2 best RTS games ever made. Here's to hoping DE brings new interest to a game that merits all the attention it can get.

As of fall, 2020, DOS2 is the most perfect incarnation of tabletop RPGs in video game form. The stand out quality of this game is the combat mechanics, and while everything else about the game is solid, what keeps me recommending it to others is the joy of a tough battle with friends.