I can't really put my finger on that one thing or those things that make this game really stand out and appeal to me. It has a number of changes all across the board of course and in my opinion a series of serious improvements from the previous installments. The entire game just feels better and more logical, larger, where I thought of Civ IV as a let down, Civ V really stands out as my new favourite Civilization game.
It's the most complex one yet, but it makes total sense to civilization and empire building. The way you settle is made better, the way your cities grow and regions expand is better, your units and the battles are better, your cities are built better. The world around you is better too!
The depth comes at a cost though, if you will: There's a huge amount of things to learn during your games and time easily gets lost with this, it's becoming the Just one more Round game that I used to find in Civ II CTP. Also this Complete Edition, there's just so much content and features you'd have to play for months before you could review it all!
To me Civ V just seem to lack two things: First being the more tactical depth of battlefields, but the battles are better than before if you ask me. Second, the overall overview of your cities' growth, interaction and tile improvements. It's hard to keep track of what you've done and where when your campaign runs across several sessions and this is the only real game drawback for me.
I'd say that if you're into Civilization, V and the Complete Edition is a must have!
Grid 2 has the options of World series and Online racing, there is no Race Day. I've had Grid 1 for years and enjoy the casual custom racing day setup of a discipline, car and track. Furthermore, the interface and menu system in Grid 1 was superb. With Grid 2 the menus are poorly organized with options all over the place. You only have a few cars when you start out your Career, you soon do get to practice with them - on a track that's not good for anything but high speed driving?
As you progress you unlock more cars, more tracks and you're challenged with new racing scenarios. The team talk around you is better than it was in Grid 1 and the World series is more interesting. You can customize the looks of your cars a lot. Which is pointless since you mostly see only the rear end of them anyway. You have no game or car affecting settings other than transmission, difficulty, damage level. If you pay extra for DLC cars and tracks you seem to get more cars to begin with, effectively milking the customer for money to make the game interesting.
Performance wise I find Grid 2 easier and more entertaining than Grid 1. Grid 1 is more simulation, testing you, hence the Assists were a good thing to have. Grid 2 is more arcade like, more straight forward. Here comes the good part: Grid 2's actual racing is well done, the races are exciting as such and the AI does seem better. Unfortunately you're locked in until you progress in your career. You get this Custom Event option where you can pick discipline, level, track and car - as long as the cars are unlocked or you paid extra to actually have more than just a few.
The reasons this game gets 3 stars at all, is because to me the races are really good and I appreciate the AI driving. Additionally, if you spend the time and the DLC money, you seem to get quite the game. Graphics are more crisp than Grid 1, the flow of the driving is real smooth and the sounds are better. The problem is you'll see the same cars and tracks a lot. It seems Grid 2 is aimed towards the Online section where you compete with others and can actually tune your cars? In the single player mode you can change the colors and patterns and wheels on your cars much as you like, but that's it.
Grid 2 is a cosmetic upgrade, a race handling difference, and a pointless successor and alternative to Grid 1. If you have Grid 1 and simply must have Grid 2, wait for a great discount on the game and all the DLC (about a dozen), unless you get Reloaded discounted instead. Grid 2 for the casual gamer is repetative pay to play. For the dedicated gamer I'm sure it's great, eventually.
It's usually pretty easy to write up a review of a game, what it looks like, how it works, what you think of playing it. With Hitman Absolution it's a deeper experience though. You dive into this world of good and bad people, you journey through it all, while the scenario settings and difficulties change back and forth. Sometimes the game is really hard, sometimes easier, making every stage and ever scene something new.
The graphics and effects are outstanding and very clear, crisp. The music and voice acting sets the tone just right throughout the entire game. What might look straightforward is actually rather complex as you find out who is who, where to go and what to act on next. Needless to say you are offered different ways of accomplishing your goals, from stealth, to silent murder, to out in the open gunfights, using tricks, swiftness and objects you come across along the way to overcome your enemy.
The story is very captivating, pulling you in for just that one more scenario, that one more try. Every time you succeed, the story develops and you move on. There's always something more to do, someone else to find, someplace else to infiltrate. And you can do it even better right? You take on disguises, you hide, you find alternative routes and you murder.
You can expect many hours of gameplay keeping you intrigued, excited, frustrated, cursing and involved until you get it right and move on. Because let's face it, killing has never been this good.
To the old Tomb Raider player, this game is something quite different. It's very story driven, with emphasis on flow instead of getting stuck on puzzles. The gameplay could be described as a very interactive movie game, or a cinematic game with many cutscenes. You're not always sure if it's time for you to play again, or if you're still watching a scene. Technically it's perfectly made.
Lara Croft as such, is basically starting over fresh, no longer the seasoned adventurer and tomb raider with many moves and gadgets. However, without spoiling the game it can be said that she grows and progresses in a whole new way over time. Focus is more on keeping the story going, and with a lot of action, rather than challenging you with actually difficult puzzles. This isn't a hard game, but it's a beautiful one with good combat.
If this is a Tomb Raider for you or not, really depends on how much you want the tricky moves and puzzle solving, and how much you enjoy flowing action with foes at every other turn. Personally I enjoy this as a game despite the lack of difficulty and puzzles, mainly because of the world being really well done with amazing views and scenes, acting out a story that grabs you and can intrigue you. It's a well made action adventure, but it isn't really Tomb Raider.
There are many characters in this game, and the voice acting is superb, both on dialogues and when Lara is talking to herself, it's as good as can be. The sounds and music are also excellent, the whole experience really is like watching a movie while being in control of the lead character. The interface and the game itself is so smooth, but then again it's Feral.
It could've been a 5 star game, but since focus is on combat and cutscenes instead of puzzles and actual tombs, as a Tomb Raider game it's 4/5. Your skills aren't really being tested.
This game does remind of Baldur's Gate and the likes, it has a non linear open world flow to it that gives you the freedom to go in different directions and try different opponents until you progress. An in game journal keeps track of your story, quests, recipes and so on, and personally I appreciate not having to make any notes on paper. You can also set markers on your map for future reference.
The isometric view can be rotated some, but also unlocked for full rotation when needed, and you can toggle between that and an overview camera to not miss anything. Graphics are excellent and you'll find yourself wanting to stay zoomed in more easily as it reveals some really nice details.
The gameplay is real time, dialogues switch it into sentence selecting and the battles are turn based tactical games of chess the way you move around, pick your spells and actions, and in what order you do things. The battles are incredibly well done, the entire world feels well balanced, and you'll often find yourself outnumbered having to come back to try new approaches to win. Also, your opponents never yield, you'll always have to kill the last bit of life in the last one standing every time, which could be argued.
The only real drawback of this game is the inventory system. It's open grid based and you drag and drop item by item. This is also due to the drop-on-top crafting system I guess, since you drag items back and forth to combine them into new things. As the game goes on you do get more backpacks for keeping it organized though.
This game is all about micro management. You pick what values to improve on your characters, you move around each item individually, you even repair items one by one. Your characters are made from many values that you can affect, and you don't level that much so take your time picking the attributes you want. Your main characters also have dialogues as their choices determine their morals and also their traits, which is a nice touch how your RP actually affects your game. In addition, you start out with your characters having a certain class and look, but you can customize it both regarding looks and all the numbers before setting out. The character creation and development hold its own against any MMORPG. As an example, one of my main characters started out as a witchcraft assassin but has over time evolved into a pyromancer healer tank.
Everything has been thought of and taken into account, the gameplay and stories keep surprising you with new turns, new places, new people in a way that makes you go look around just-one-more-corner. The music is excellent, nice and varied. I heard that the composer unfortunately passed away recently. The main plot and the many side stories are great and the voice acting is good, even though with a bit too much echo at times, and you'll find a nice touch of dry humour regularly in this game.
Divinity Original Sin is a quite large game and world, taking place on several maps. This review is written after 70+ hours of gameplay and I have yet to finish the game on Normal difficulty. Playing under Mavericks, the game has not frozen or had a gameplay affecting bug once.
Endless Legend is a mix of science fiction and fantasy, resembling Civlization a great deal. You found cities, improve them and expand them as you build for the city and your units for exploration, defense and attack. Your civilization can only build a few units of its own, as the game progress you can however assimilate factions living around you and then build their units too. All units can be improved and post updated as well, being of the basic types, there are no dedicated intelligence units and no machinery despite the clear science fiction element.
You also have heroes, that can lead armies or govern cities. They advance to new levels as the game goes on and you have the classical types such as tank, range, magic, heal. Around the world you can find small quests and chains for different rewards, something that really adds depth to the game. Sea travels are tranportations only, there seems to be no naval warfare at all. Which actually is for the better.
Battles are of a whole new level. You fight with armies in the existing terrain, ground level, cities, nearby support, everything counts as you place and attack or defend in brief tactical battles. This part is perhaps the best of the game. Diplomatics seems to need some vital injections to come alive for example. I had liked to see a stronger emphasis on playing it cool and smart, using intelligence and scouting troups more, to gain advantages. A huge plus though is the really different civilizations you can play, all with their own advantages and disadvantages, allowing you to find the or those that suit your playstyle the best.
If you like Civilization you should love this game. The whole world is beautiful, mapped out with many animations and sounds all over the place. This also makes for the greatest drawback of the game, once you've progressed with your own civilized continent, sharing maps with allies, you might also get some serious lag. And that's not just graphical, the whole game seems to compute slower and when winter hits with its animated winds, the game can become a pain to get through.
This is my first Steam based game, and Steam works just fine.
This game is stunning from the first scene to the last. You'll get pointed in the right directions but still have to figure out how to move around and in what ways to solve the puzzles you face. The graphics are amazing, the game flows real well, and even though some places and problems will make you scream as you try them again and again trying to succeed, you will go between observation, action and thought in a good mix on your adventure across the world. As should be, when it's Tomb Raider. Once you embark on this journey you will keep coming back until it's completed, as you're unfolding the great story behind. This game isn't about the combat or foes as much, rather the focus is on the movement and puzzles.
The Witcher 2 as an idea and game concept is mind blowing. You have a lot of freedom of movement and the story feels non linear with a vast world to be explored. Your character, abilities and what you can do is also versatile. You play as the typical tough guy, the animations, acting and voices are really good.
You can of course find yourself pushed in certain directions for the sake of the plot, and it does get repetitive with some of the fights and areas to search through. NPCs will guide and hint more or less obviously, but sometimes you're on your own.
The game has bugs but it would still be a 4 stars for me. However, the game or port to Mac, is among the worst I've seen. You can forget about the system requirements, this game needs more if you want it to run well. Which you will want for the fights since you mix weapons, magic and potions. Another thing is how the character has some dialogue options that aren't really in line with the Witcher, at least that's my view. Sometimes he's tough, sometimes he's more ordinary.
The game appearance and idea is a 5. The story and how it's played is a 4. The complete execution is a 3 though. I assume it runs better on PC.
To me episode 1 was good and promising, then 2 was much better and more involving, where 3 changed the pace with more depth and longer playtime. Coming to the final chapter of this series I had high hopes for a great finale.
The Cain Killer starts out so and so, then it picks up with some new twists to the gameplay again, although finally leaving logic behind for dramatic effects and plot turns. The story and characters stop making sense and you find yourself switching between long dialogues and click-click puzzles.
From what the previous three episodes had built up to, I think more could've been done to make the story come together to an end, so for me this one is 3 stars.
Episode 3 has a much longer gameplay time than the previous two chapters. It takes the story to new depths with further levels of interaction and more challenging puzzles. A captivating story driven mystery as more unfolds through amazing art and great animations, together with excellent voice acting and just the right music. If you liked episode 1, enjoyed chapter 2, then this one is a must!
Coming from chapter 1, this game and story have more characters, more locations, more puzzles and a darker tone to the setting. The artwork and music is amazing, bugs are few, and just like with the previous chapter game you choose graphics detail on starting.
Gameplay isn't really longer but where chapter 1 was a lot of going back and forth, chapter 2 is more story developing and has more interesting puzzles. Easily 5 stars!
Cognition 1, a really scene setting good game and storyline, done with a combination of animations and comic series illustrations, nice directing and good voice acting. The characters are somewhat cliché but not too bad, the game progress and puzzles are captivating although not that difficult to solve.
This is as stated chapter 1 of 4, so around the time you think you've gotten into the game, it does end too soon. Expect a few evenings of an interactive detective novel with depth to it, and music that is perfect for the setting.
As you start the game you choose graphics level which allows you to adjust it to what suits your computer. The game has a few minor bugs, one being when you get the city travel map up - if you don't have an interface and cursor then, press B and it seems to work well after that. The characters also do a few unrealistic things, and a few times graphics glitch or voice volumes might turn odd, however the game is stable as such.
For me, chapter 1 gave me the taste for more and I'm on to chapter 2. I'm giving it 4 starts, the 5th withheld for minor bugs, some unrealistic details and too short gameplay time.
I played Brotherhood before Creed 2. Where Brotherhood is perfect graphically, Creed 2 looks amazing and will catch you in a totally different way. It has a story with meaning and depth, characters with life to them, where you actually get involved and care, learning more about everything and everyone as you go.
Being a younger Ezio is by far more interesting than the older veteran who knows it all and tells everyone so. Here you play the young guy starting out and the city is more appealing to both eye and when moving around. You have an open city world to explore and interact with, performing tasks and quests along with and on the side of the ongoing story, frequently doing battle and killing. The true charm is the travelling by walls, beams and roof tops. Creed 2 is more realistic than Brotherhood and asks more of you on skills, which I appreciate.
Controls are good, they're explained by symbols and you get these little tests to see that you get the hang of them. Included is also a manual explaining keys and you can re-map them in-game. For me the only thing is that turning around quickly can be a bit too sensitive with mouse control. Learning the controls and what you can do is interweaved with your adventure, the game and people will teach you what you can do and how.
All in all this is one of the very best games I've ever played. And I'm not even that far into it yet!
Note, if you like me have played Brotherhood before Creed 2, you'll want to copy your Ubisoft Game Launcher before installing this game, since Creed 2 overwrites the later Launcher from Brotherhood and could lock you out of Brotherhood.
I've played Civ 2 CTP before this version, I loved that game and I really like this one too having learned the major differences. It's not an easy game to review without making it really long, since it has such depth, or to describe to someone who's new to the genre. If you like strategy board games, with great graphics added, creating your own ermpires from ground up, this is the game for you.
The graphics are awesome, the sounds are good if not to the same standard. But it's the handling of the cars during racing that gets you hooked. You can choose between many types of cars and racing styles, although being limited to what type of cars can be used on which tracks. With driving assists and difficulty levels you can match the game well. The diversity of the racing makes this game last, and you can always go back and improve.
This is my introduction to this game series, and it had me confused at first. Once you get past the introduction scenarios you'll be gradually thrown into the action and story which is quite immerse. Soon as you get virtual training made available, practice the controls a lot. It makes the game so much better when you can control your character well. He sticks like glue when climbing and jumping, both for good and bad since it can make you go in the wrong directions too.
The story and game itself are great, graphics, sounds and effects are amazing, it all makes you come back to do that next thing, and even though the game isn't hard to play through, it's a challenge to do so well as can be done. The game is a mix of larger time linear scenarios and small one-off quests and tasks, where you take back Rome step by step moving by rooftops, killing foes, destroying their centers, recruiting allies and restoring the city. This mix also makes ACB quite varied even though you keep doing the same basic things.
I didn't get all the listed Deluxe content, and when contacting Ubisoft support they politely told me to Google it. So the game gets 4/5 and the support gets 1/5. I bought the game at discount so I'm still ok with it. While writing this review I'm downloading AC2 to find out what happened before this adventure.
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