Recent reviews by captainrampage

NOTE: I've only played about 2 hours of TSW!

Train Sim World is, overall, a great experience. There are some slightly disappointing factors, but there are also some outstanding improvements so lets take a look at the pros and cons of this rendition of Train Sim...

Pros:
Incredible graphics (gotta love Unreal Engine 4)
Life-like engines, detailed to nearly every single switch, lever, and button.
Immersive sound (may need to crank your volume, but the quality is there)
Freedom (you can walk just about anywhere within a the railroad operating bounds)
Service mode (there are many different tasks to perform, though the number of tasks varies between trains, some have hundreds and others only have about 20)

Cons:
Very few scenarios (most of which are tutorials)
Bugs here and there

I've been a fan since the good ole 18 Wheels Of Steel days, and my goodness has it been a ride.

As of 2022: having pre-ordered the game in 2016, I can honestly say this game was the most worth-while purchase I have ever made. Officially the only game I've actually put more than a thousand hours in. If you're debating the purchase here is an easy way to tell if ATS is right for you: do you like driving? Do you love 18 wheelers? Do you want to one day drive a big rig? If any of those is yes, I recommend the purchase. I played with keyboard and mouse for the first couple years, upgraded to controller, and finally got a wheel/pedals and shifter and can run through all 18 gears on my beautiful retro w900 with the help of mods. It wasn't until this year, and it took an entire dedicated month but I can now create mods and am learning about animation. I don't forsee ever getting tired of the game, and hope it's here for the long haul.

Now there are a couple things I would like to note so you're not unpleasently surprised: AI is very basic and makes terrible decisions so you'll occasionally find the highway stopped for a confused car in the slow lane, or you'll get randomly break checked no matter how much you slow down. And there is very little notice (especially in Cali) for the speed limit changes and exits, so keep your eyes peeled and start your jake as soon as possible to get your rig safely slowed down. This is a small nitpick but I have to put it out there: in the default game (I've since gotten the know-how to make them myself) there are no backup floodlights on the trucks, and no option to mount them at the shops, that's a no-go irl.

When it first released, ATS was severely lacking content, and we were confined to the Golden State, which I was fine with given the anticipation. As time rolled on, SCS delivered a number of free followed by paid DLC states which expanded the horizons for our trucking addiction. I was blown away at the promise they saw through; free truck DLC's. And we finally have my most anticipated truck, mainly for nostalgia, the Cascadia. Rollable windows was a nice touch.
Development-10/10

All in all the content is there, the quality is there, and the devs keep on trucking. If you're a ETS fan this still scratch that itch for them large ant-eater rig drivers.
Content-8/10 (more trucks and states, fuel the addiction)

Gameplay is simulator standard, with some pleasent unique additions. Customisation is not a feature in many simulators, but as you build up your trucking company you can modify the performance and visuals of your rig broadening your array of cargo and jobs. You even hire drivers that you assign trucks (you won't see these on the road so don't throw too much money into their rigs) and eventually you even get the option to buy your own trailers to load and haul cargo for greater profit at the expense of maintenance. Careful, those loans pile up fast.
Gameplay-9/10

Overall ATS gets a 10/10 from me.

(Updated score: 15/10)

If you want to learn to sail a ship like a pro into the sunset or desperately try to manage the sails in a heavy storm, then this simulator is for you.

Some Notable Features:
- Insanely realistic physics, sails, and overall simulation
- Assortment of vessels to choose from and customize
- Fairly impressive graphics
- 1:1 scale world with multiplayer events and challenges with leaderboards

10/10

NOTE: I've played a decent bit of the Early Access and understand the views of those who are now condemning Lego Worlds' new direction, and I advise you read this review before deciding whether the game is ACTUALLY worth purchasing. It is also important to note that I have only played through a small portion of the new, updated version of the game.

Review Update: It appears the initial galaxy is just a means of a tutorial grounds, and is meant to train players to use the various tools that they'll be using once they're freed to the open world part. That's just what I'm getting from it, at this point. (I'll have to wait to finalize the review, as my middle mouse button doesn't work, and that's essential for one of the tutorials.)

In the Early Access we were given a demo of the game, in essence, but we were not told that what we were given was a mere demo to what was to come. Understandably, there is a great deal of hatred towards the release update and many previous fans now dislike the game to no small degree. That being said, I find the reviews unfair to Lego Worlds entirely, as the game has had a LOT of effort put into it and a lot of thought as well.

Why did Lego Worlds go from an open world styled brick sandbox to, what seems to be a linear, almost story driven experience? Well, while a large portion of the community are, no doubt, adults who love Lego from their childhood and want a digital spans to build whatever they want, in the end, this product is designed for children. Not many children would appreciate the objectiveless spans available in the previous version, hence the big update for release which focused on implementing gameplay and objectives that kids might actually enjoy.

I myself am a teenager, so I still like the Lego games, and I also liked the open world we were given in Early Access, but I am personally appalled at the fact that so many people were quick to give negative reviews for a change that was intended to improve the game for its intended audience. I fully understand their positions, and I hope they understand mine, but the game is different, not worse.

In conclusion, I think the easiest way to fix this is to provide an update that allows those who like the liniarity to continue playing the campaign-like mode, and those who prefer open world the option to play in a sandbox mode. As for at this moment, should you buy it? The answer is of course subjective, if you're looking for a fun and unique Lego game then I'd have to say yes, it is a good Lego game and allows players to do all sorts of creative things you couldn't do in other Lego games. Though I do recommend this game, and would have recommended it in its previous state, I must warn you that there is a decent possibility that the game will drastically change back to the way it was, or get additional game modes, but that remains to be seen.

(Third review after a couple years of playing...)

Simply the best game I can think of, the devs are dedicated to updating and improving this already wonderfull game, it provides great entertainment and permits you to put your creativity to use.

Waste of money? No, in fact, this would be one of the few games I consider an actual benefit for spending money on.

This is a huge, creative universe builder game that will entertain those who wish to build, play co-op, or survive. (Or all at once.)

10/10

There's a lot of drama and sad faces about decisions the devs have made with this game, and while it's irrefutable that some of those decisions were not very good, I feel the need to clarify some things. This game is no less fun now than the day I bought it, it is no less graphically impressive, and the experience is no less amazing. That being said if you play the game now there is no way to access the two servers the players who bought the game can access, so you will only have access to the seasonal server that resets everything every 3 months.

Feb 1, 2016 review:

Naval Action is something that can be taken the wrong way or bought in vain if you are unaware of what you are getting into, so this review is to help.

I myself am a huge Age of Sail fanatic, so I have long been anticipating the release of this game, I was just able to get my hands on it just before release and I must say, the game is very satisfying. As for if you will like it, that is going to be covered in the section below, as for overall what you need to keep in mind this factor, which as in most games is in NA: Grinding.

Requirements to enjoy this title: Not Pros or Conds just "if you apply to these, then get it"
Passion for Age of Sail or Open Mind, if you are pickey and not particularly interested, dont even try.
Decent PC, the game is graphics intensive but it is worth it, it is such a beutiful game.
Time, you either need to have lots of free time or be willing to accept smaller amounts of progress for less time.

There are various others but those are the main headers that should be noted. As for cons, well, here are some I can name:
$1600 gaming PC cant run this game much bove low settings.
The gameplay becomes repetetive, but in all fairness, real life Age of Sail was even duller than this.
Open world FPS is very low if PC is not powerfull enough and needs overall polishing. [Early Access, subject to change]

And here are some warnings that I just thought I would throw out there, not pros or cons, just to be aware of:
Though this game is not for younger kids I still would like to put it out there that there is some inapropriate content for children in the art of the vessels sternplates and bow designs.
The game has some semi-official factions that you can find on the forums such as the "SLRN" which operate in unity and perform raids and defend ports, etc. for those who are a bit more committed.

Anyways, that would bring my review to an end, I give this game a 8/10, and for it being an Early Access title with much more planned I give it a 10 out of 10, but that is assuming they are adding much more content as they promise such as a better UI and more ships, smoother open world, etc.

[This review comes from a Age of Sail fan who has played PotBS as well as other well known titles, and rest asured, this blows them all right out of the water. And if you need a quote from all of this it is: "THIS GAME IS AWESOME"]

This is only my second review, pardon any mistakes I may make.

I know how many reviews say dont give it a chance it isnt worth it etc. but I am here to tell you it is. The first thing you need to know is it is not a "common" or "easy" game, it is very unique, yes you start out anywhere from wealthy and fortunate to poor and unarmed. I am refering to the backgrounds, I chose the "Retired Lieutenant" background because I am personnaly a huge Royal Navy fanatic, this is where it tends to send the wrong message. No, you dont start at the top of the food chain in any background, you may have a reasonable ship and funds but you by no means have no "goals". This is somewhat a con in my opinion because the game doesnt tell you half of this, but reguardless of the lack of info by the game, the content and depth is there. The things you have to look forward to: Levels, levels are far more important than they sound, they contain a title, and various rewards such as joining an official faction or making your own and unlocking ships etc. then you have your fleet, which is also somewhat effected by level. Unfortunately, I dont have much to say about land battles, as you may now, this game is based on the "Mount & Blade" engine, it is quite nice in my opinion but hand to hand/land battles are the highlights of the engine by far, but I dont have much interest in land battles, mainly naval conflict, though you will be pleased to hear boarding is also very nicely done. Hand to hand combat is very smooth, and realistic, though, be warned, if you dont have an equal or greater sized crew than the oposing ship's crew, you will be defeated with haste. There are many other things to do but I havnt had a chance to explore them all.

Overall, I recomend this for those who dont want an average game and wouldnt mind trying something very unique, but my strongest suggestion which I consider key to enjoy this game is to read the official guide! Yes, it is very lengthy but it is worth it, I cant urge you enough to read it. What it does is tell you what you have to look forward to and how to achieve it, even though they dont tell you in the game they still get credit for telling you there.

My numbers:
Gameplay - 6/10 Sometimes stail, though it has its highlights.
Graphics - 7/10 If played at a distance in the "campaign" map, it is overall fairly good.
Content - 9/10 Tons of content though poorly presented.

My overall rating of this game: 7/10 [though not a common opinion.]

(Please dont give up development though! It still needs some polishing, but it was worth the money.)