Reviews by Chris C.9721

Still There
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Brutal puzzles but an engaging story

I'll be up front here, I used a guide for many of the puzzles. They are extremely hard puzzles and I don't have time for that. No disrespect to the developers, but I'm here for the story. And I really loved the story! Inventive gameplay and problems to solve, a variety of tasks to address, things to dwell on. A very introspective game. I found it moving and compelling and I loved playing through it even when I was cheating at the puzzles!

by Chris C.9721, United States - Dec 19th 2022

Cities: Skylines - Industries
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I have no idea what I'm doing

Cities Skylines seems to evolve further and further with each new DLC. Industries is a meatier one, with lots of added features developing your various industries (forestry, farming, ore, and oil) into dedicated zones that can produce raw materials to be turned into goods to be combined with other raw materials to make even more complex goods! Which is cool! That sounds like the kind of depth I want from a video game. Only I rarely have any idea how the systems interact and how to make the most of my various industries without looking up a much more capable Youtuber to walk me through it.

by Chris C.9721, United States - Dec 19th 2022

Stellaris: Overlord
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Become the galactic emperor

Overlord adds late game features that let you destroy the galaxy more efficiently. Or... ahem, STOP someone from destroying the galaxy, if you'd rather go that route. But either way, the content brings some of the best aspects of science fiction tropes to the game. Do I want a star destroying device I can use to wreak havoc on the helpless worlds of my enemies? YES, of course I do!

by Chris C.9721, United States - Dec 19th 2022

Stellaris: Necroids Species Pack
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Dawn of the Space Dead

It's zombies... but in space! Play as a living ghoul as you seek to slowly but inevitably devour the entire galaxy into a mindless swarm.

by Chris C.9721, United States - Dec 19th 2022

Cities: Skylines - Green Cities
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Nice to have but could have been more

Green Cities allows you to add more progressive, environmentally friendly options to your city, but I think the weakness here is that Cities Skylines is inherently based on US cities, and it wasn't until the recent Plazas DLC that you could build more pedestrian friendly zones. Green Cities and Plazas should have been combined into one more substantial DLC instead of the concepts being split up. But the changes are still nice as you make every effort to avoid what every city eventually has to deal with: the poop water.

by Chris C.9721, United States - Dec 19th 2022

Stellaris: Humanoids Species Pack
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Mostly cosmetic

This DLC is largely cosmetic, with additional species portraits being the main addition. But, Stellaris has worked hard to add a wide variety of species and this DLC is no different. A welcome purchase if you're a completionist.

by Chris C.9721, United States - Dec 19th 2022

Stellaris: Lithoids Species Pack
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Go eat rocks

Lithoids are rock creatures. Finally, a Stellaris species that moves beyond the traditional carbon-based life forms into something... harder. But the Lithoids are more than just cosmetic changes. They are a completely different way of playing the game. Lithoids don't eat food, after all. A nice new mechanic if you'd rather try something a little more out there.

by Chris C.9721, United States - Dec 19th 2022

Sid Meier’s Civilization VI: Platinum Edition
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Deeper, richer Civ

Lots of people tend to prefer Civ V to Civ VI so I was pretty skeptical. But grabbing the platinum edition, which includes all DLC except the freedom pass, was absolutely worth it. I LOVE the addition of districts. It adds a new strategic dynamic to the formula and allows your cities to grow in new, unexpected ways.

The climate effects of droughts, volcanos, floods, etc also bring interesting effects and decision-making. And I love the diplomatic additions like sanctioning certain leaders or working together for Olympic Games.

I don't know if I'd recommend the base game but the platinum edition is a no-brainer for any Civ fan looking to jump into the latest iteration.

by Chris C.9721, United States - May 5th 2021

Stellaris: Nemesis
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Finally, espionage but not as rich as I'd like

The latest Stellaris DLC brought a free update with big changes, which isn't new if you've played the game since it first launched. That 1.0 version is a completely different game compared to what we have now.

Lots of people are so unhappy with the population changes for Stellaris 3.0 that they're review bombing this Nemesis DLC unnecessarily, so it can be hard to get an accurate picture.

The espionage addition is really great to see, and adds interesting layers to first contact and gaining intel on other empires, which is great. However, the actual process is very lean and lacks some of the depth you might expect from, say Crusader Kings. It definitely feels like a first pass at espionage, and hopefully updates down the road can add more meat to the meager bones.

by Chris C.9721, United States - May 5th 2021

Cities: Skylines - Parklife
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Make the most attractive city in history

Parklife is a wonderful DLC because it gives a huge boost to one of my favorite aspects of the game, attracting tourists! Instead of just unique buildings, now you can use sightseeing buses and walking tours, as well as forming actual parks. No longer are you stuck with the square shapes of actually planting parks. Now you can make parks exactly as you see fit, and it serves as a great way to beautify your already beautiful city, especially if you're like me and you need to cover up ugly street corners and uneven roundabouts.

by Chris C.9721, USA - Jan 3rd 2020

Stellaris: Apocalypse
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Khaaaaaaaan!

The Apocalypse DLC is lots of fun for building bigger ships like Titans and Colossus (Colossi?). There's nothing quite like the disturbing act of clicking on a planet you're about to destroy and seeing the population, the diverse species who call that planet their home. And then you wipe it out in an instant with your world cracker. Somewhere across the galaxy, Obi-wan Kenobi is beside himself at your own monstrosity.

But even more fun than that for me is the Great Khan. It's always fun to have some surprise disruption to the status quo in the middle of your game, and a great ravaging horde of space pirates add to the color of the moment. Defeating the Great Khan feels like vanquishing a mob kingpin, and I couldn't help but pump my fist as I watched his flagship explode.

by Chris C.9721, USA - Dec 13th 2019

Stellaris: Distant Stars Story Pack
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More mysteries of the deep

People play Stellaris for different reasons, but one of my reasons is the flavorful event texts, whether anomalies, science projects, or the random Worm in Waiting who happens to appear. So Distant Stars was a no-brainer for me because it adds more of the best part of the game.

by Chris C.9721, USA - Dec 13th 2019

Stellaris: Ancient Relics Story Pack
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Good but not great

The Ancient Relics DLC is... fun? It's a good new game mechanic of discovering powerful artifacts that provide empire-wide bonuses, and I like the archaeology process, especially the stories at the dig sites. But overall it felt like there weren't enough relics? Or at least I wasn't able to capture as many as I'd like. If another empire gets a relic before you do, there's no way to capture it. If you conquer them, the relic vanishes from the game, which is disappointing. Hopefully they'll address that, because I do like the idea behind the relics DLC, but I'm not sure if the DLC is worth it as is.

by Chris C.9721, USA - Dec 13th 2019

Stellaris: MegaCorp
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Greed is good

MegaCorp is great when you want to be play the ruthless capitalist empire slowly draining the galaxy of its wealth. And city-planets are awesome to behold!

It's not perfect though. Despite the spirit of the DLC, there's still no way to take over the galaxy without warfare. The next DLC, Federations, might address this by boosting how powerful a MegaCorp can be in terms of taking over their neighbors, but right now it's not there. Also, playing a crime syndicate should be lots of fun, but it's relatively easy to eliminate crime on planets, and so it's difficult for a syndicate to make much impact.

by Chris C.9721, USA - Dec 13th 2019

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