Reviews by Batavorn

Airport Madness 3D: Volume 2
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A gift horse

I received this game for free during a sale and it's not one I would ever have bought myself. During the short time I played it the game seemed rather convoluted and not much fun. Still, it's a gift and I appreciate it as such.

by Batavorn, Netherlands - Dec 6th 2018

Bear With Me - Episode 2 (DLC)
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See the sights of Paper City

Although the episodes really shouldn't be played in isolation this is the strongest of the three. In this episode the plot thickens as you finally get to go to Paper City to meet with its colorful (so to speak) inhabitants. The combination of the film-noir vibe with Amber's imagination is highly enjoyable.

by Batavorn, Netherlands - Sep 21st 2018

Bear With Me - Episode 3 (DLC)
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A satisfying conclusion

In this episode the story of Amber and Ted E. Bear reaches its end. The heavy emotions of this part don't work quite as well as the more lighthearted earlier episodes, but it's still a very good adventure. To fully experience the story all episodes should be played in order.

by Batavorn, Netherlands - Sep 21st 2018

Battle Chasers: Nightwar
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An excellent RPG with some minor flaws

Battle chasers is a highly entertaining game. Gameplay is divided into a world map, random dungeons and turn-based combat. The map is bit basic, but the dungeons and combat look very nice. Music and voice-acting are good, but there is not enough of it. The biggest annoyance is the random dungeons as this sometimes forces you to replay them in order to encounter specific enemies or find ingredients which don't always spawn.

All in all a great game which provides dozens of hours of enjoyment.

by Batavorn, Netherlands - Sep 13th 2018

Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy: The Telltale Series (Telltale Key)
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The Guardians get the Telltale treatment

This Telltale take on the popular Marvel franchise doesn't break the mold. Compared to other Telltale titles it's probably closest to the Batman games, with an added sense of humour. One important thing to note is this adventure isn't linked to the movie franchise but instead based on the original comics. Among other things this means some characters have a different look (Drax is green for example) and all are voiced by veteran voice actors who don't always sound like the Hollywood A-listers from the movie.

This voice acting is one of the highlights of the game. Surprisingly the animation doesn't resemble comics but is actually quite realistic. In this respect it's probably the best looking Telltale game to date. Most of the time you control the Guardians' leader Peter Quill (alias Star-Lord), but during some sequences you take control of the other team members. The story is a fairly basic tale of fighting a villain in order to secure a McGuffin, but flashbacks provide some interesting background info for the team members which adds some depth.

In short fans of either Telltale games or the Guardians of the Galaxy won't be disappointed.

by Batavorn, Netherlands - Aug 23rd 2018

Bear With Me - Episode 1
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An adventure with a lot of personality

Bear with me is a traditional adventure game which stands apart because of its original story and setting. The game manages to combine elements from gritty noir detective movies with a cute story about imagination and growing up and offers up a cast of interesting characters.

Voice acting ranges from decent to great although a few lines are not delivered correctly which, along with a few typos, may have to do with the fact that English is not the first language of the developers. The game contains plenty of jokes and while some are a bit corny there are genuinely funny moments especially when Amber and Ted engage in some friendly bickering.

Aside from the unique storyline the game is a standard point and click adventure. Most puzzles are logical. The biggest obstacle for me was finding some items as they can be hard to see against the background. Each episode is fairly short and can be finished in about 2 hours which seems fair for the asking price. There are a few choices to be made which offer limited replay value.

by Batavorn, Netherlands - Oct 23rd 2017

Total War™: ROME II - Daughters of Mars Unit Pack
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A female touch

This dlc adds a handful of new units to the game. They don't add much in the way of gameplay as they are just more standard sword/spear/bow troops, but do add a bit of flair. It's obviously not historically accurate. On the plus side the dlc is however rather cheap.

by Batavorn, Netherlands - Sep 8th 2017

Anomaly Defenders
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Above average tower defence

Unlike the other anomaly games this one offers standard tower defence. It's less original, but the game is otherwise very well done. There is a tech tree, so there is real progress and a reason to revisit levels. The defensive towers and special abilities mean there is plenty to do. All in all an enjoyable game.

by Batavorn, Netherlands - Sep 8th 2017

Crusader Kings II: Conclave
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Yet another dlc that does not add anything (nothing good at least)

Conclave is proof that Paradox has to stop releasing more dlc for CKII: anything they add at this point is either trivial or actually detracts from the fun. Conclave's main concept is a council that interferes with the ruling king or emperor's decisions. It is somewhat enjoyable when you are a nobleman who can use his council seat to indirectly change this in the kingdom to your advantage but that's where the fun ends.

Even if you start out as a vassal your ambition should always be to become an independent ruler yourself. And once that happens the council is just plain annoying. The ai just randomly changes policies and opposes actions for no good reason (they actually consider it tyrannical if I order the arrest of someone who was plotting to kill my heir). I actually found it quite easy to bring the council to heel, but even doing that isn't enjoyable.

by Batavorn, Netherlands - Feb 10th 2017

Eldevin
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A rather dated mmo

Amazingly Eldevin is somehow still going and receiving updates. It's free, so there is no reason not to check it out, but most mmo's out there are better and more fun.

by Batavorn, Netherlands - Feb 10th 2017

Crusader Kings II: Horse Lords
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Get the horde out of my game!

About fifteen dlc packs ago Crusader Kings II was limited to European, Christian, feudal rulers. It made for a challenging but ultimately fun simulation of medieval life.

Since that time this has been expanded with more religions (which usually went smoothly) and different government types which have all been flawed in some way: Playing as in Islamic ruler was both easy and boring for example.

In the horse lords you can play as the ruler of a nomadic tribe. Unfortunately the new mechanics are a convoluted mess, making this dlc a frustrating experience. To make things worse the dlc offers very little new content for non-nomadic rulers.

by Batavorn, Netherlands - Feb 10th 2017

Movie Studio Boss: The Sequel
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Not better than the real thing

The great thing about video games is that they allow us to experience things we can't do in our daily lives. Usually those games are a lot more fun than the real thing. Actually being in a war is hell, while playing a war game is exciting and fun.

Now I don't know a lot about running a movie studio, but I imagine it is a lot more varied and exciting than looking through lists of stats. But in this game that is just about the only thing you get to do. This game is playable, but not actually fun to play.

by Batavorn, Netherlands - Jun 9th 2016

Enforcer: Police Crime Action
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Wasted potential

The idea behind this game is interesting. You play a police officer who has to balance his work and private life. Unfortunately the game has never been properly finished. The game is a pure sandbox and therefore lacks story content and the random tasks quickly get repetitive. There are many bugs and glitches in the game as well.

by Batavorn, Netherlands - Jun 3rd 2016

Albedo: Eyes from Outer Space
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A solid puzzle adventure

Albedo is at its core and old-fashioned adventure. Above average graphics and sound help it stand out from the pack. Unfortunately the game is hampered by a somewhat clunky interface. The puzzles are not always clear and sometimes rather challenging which may have you scrambling for a walkthrough.

by Batavorn, Netherlands - Jun 3rd 2016

1849 Gold Edition
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1849 strikes gold

1849 is a simple but enjoyable city builder set during the California gold rush. You are tasked with building a town for your miners and producing and trading various goods while dealing with crime and natural disasters. The graphics are cartoony and cute and the game is easily controlled with the mouse.

This gold edition contains both a major dlc (Nevada silver) and comes with both a drm free download and a Steam key making it a very good buy.

by Batavorn, Netherlands - Mar 24th 2016

Tropico 5: Joint Venture DLC
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Fast food is bad for you, but this dlc isn't

Like the others this dlc offers a new building and scenario for Tropico 4.

The building is quite useful for a change. The fast food joint helps provides decent entertainment at a modest cost and has an upgrade that improves housing quality. Together this makes it a good choice in the campaign and other scenarios as wel.

The scenario is not very challenging, but fun nonetheless. You compete against other fastfood chains and have to make more money than them in a limited time.

by Batavorn, Netherlands - Mar 24th 2016

Tropico 5: Mad World DLC
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You don't have to be crazy to get this

One of ten small Tropico 5 dlc packs offering a new building and scenario.

The new sanatorium building is of limited use although it does provide a baseline health for the entire island which can be improved even more by adding electroshock treatments.

The real star is the scenario where you undergo treatment to cure yourself of the delusion that you are the president of an island republic. Very original and fun.

by Batavorn, Netherlands - Mar 24th 2016

Tropico 5: Generalissimo DLC
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A solid but unspectacular dlc

Another Tropico 5 dlc with a new building and scenario.

The new building is the Defense HQ. The value of military buildings is always somewhat limited because a skillful presidente need never face military threats during most games. When you do need an army the HQ is a solid choice because it provides a very strong infantry squad.

The scenario is something of a standard affair. You have to build up a strong army to fend off attacks and an economic base to pay for it.

by Batavorn, Netherlands - Mar 24th 2016

Tales from the Borderlands (Telltale Key)
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A lot like other Telltale games, but with a sense of humour

If you've played any recent Telltale games you know what to expect. I've found it helps to enjoy this type of games if you think of them as a tv show or movie rather than an actual game. Just forget about the lack of gameplay and marginal choices and instead sit back and enjoy the ride.

And there is plenty to enjoy here. Colourful characters both familiar and new, exciting quick time events (I still don't like them, but at least they are well done) and most importantly an excellent sense of humour.

Recommended for fans of Telltale games and the Borderlands world alike. If you enjoy both add a star (or two) to my score.

Note: This version is activated through Telltale's own site rather than Steam or another platform.

by Batavorn, Netherlands - Mar 24th 2016

The Walking Dead
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The game that started it all

The Walking Dead was the first of the new style of 'adventure games' from Telltale. Instead of puzzles and humour these new games would offer a more emotional story about a group of survivors in the first days of the Zombie apocalypse.

The game has its own graphical style which is inspired by the original walking dead comics. It gives the game a unique look. Voice acting is very strong throughout and helps to make you care about the characters. On the bad side there is little in the way of gameplay and the choices seem heartwrenching but actually only have a limited impact on the story.

Although the game holds up reasonably well, people who still claim this is the best Telltale game are probably guided more by nostalgia than a factual assessment of its merits. It lacks some of the polish of later games.

by Batavorn, Netherlands - Mar 24th 2016

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