Recent reviews by Sparx

The most 5/10 game you'll ever play.

This feels like a game made by people who don't play video games and borders on Unreal Engine slop. The concept is excellent and executed moderately well with satisfying destruction physics mixed with an annoyingly repetitive way of picking up pieces.

The day/night cycle is abysmal, short days with no option to sleep through the dark nights feels frustrating and majorly takes away from the relatively relaxing gameplay; a lot of things just feel bad and a few quality of life changes would go a long way with this title.

I wish there was something in between a thumbs-up and thumbs-down here, it's overpriced, under-polished, and player feedback seems to be unheard but it really is just a couple updates away from being a solid title, though I wouldn't hold your breath for that on a 3 year old game. Buy this on a sale if you have nothing else to play.

I had WAY more fun with this than I expected; despite it's simple graphics Ranch Simulator does everything right. It runs well and gives infinite freedom to the player. Unlike many "simulator" games it uses the Simulator tag properly in the sense that it simply give you the tools to run a ranch and leaves the rest to you.

It does everything it says it does and in the age of promising everything and under-delivering, that is refreshing. Also the soundtrack/radio is unexpectedly awesome, I see why it's offered separately. Excellent work Toxic Dog, this game is great.

For potential players, this has a similar play style to Gold Mining Simulator/Gold Rush: The Game but actually runs at 60 FPS. It's priced correctly and I'm looking forward to spending more time with this.

As always, first playthrough with live commentary on YT.

AC EVO, as of launch day after patch 0.1.1 (first patch) is EARLIER access than expected; not in terms of time, but in terms of the amount of content available. At the moment, EVO is simply a demo to show off the current physics and those physics are in great shape. Audio is on a very good track as well and some slight graphic optimising will lead to a smooth and beautiful game. I am assuming/hoping the performance data collected from the EA launch will allow that optimisation to happen quickly. For an early access title, this is in great shape and provide the framework for a fantastic game.

My only major negative point; Servers were down on launch day which happens, however, why were there cars and features locked behind a server connection? Surely we have voiced our concerns enough with "Always Online" features and developers should be striving to make as much content available offline as possible. I understand leaderboard data etc requiring a connection, Driving School/Training mode and specific cars should DEFINITELY not require an active connection. Obviously it didn't actually require that connection, because they were able to flip the switch with a Day 1 patch. Recommend fixing this ASAP.

In total, I respect the use of Early Access to build a game alongside a community with their active feedback and assistance through the process and I hope that feedback is utilised properly. If you want to be part of that process, get in on EVO during the early access and help build the game you want because there is a framework here already, but understand this is quite early in it's development. If you want a full game worth this price, wait until full release or later in the development when more features are available, the original AC and ACC are currently the most complete Assetto experience.

Looking forward to reviewing this again closer to release and will certainly keep a close eye on its development! I'll be sure to post my full playthrough as well for those curious.

(RTX 4070ti, 32GB RAM, Intel i9) (Moza R5, SRP Lite, HGP Shifter, ES Wheel w. 12" mod, NLR GT Elite, ERS3. ODOOR Handbrake) All gear and hardware was fully compatible, no issues.

You play as a road maintenance worker, exactly as the title suggests, nothing more or less.

There's a solid selection of vehicles, attachments, and tools and everything related to each job is done by the player. You load your equipment, put down your cones, light your signs, complete your work, clean up, and go home.

There is no progression (other than unlocking new jobs)., UI is plain, graphics are just good enough. I have to respect that the game simply delivers exactly what you expect; you are a road maintenance worker, go maintain the road.

For potential players: This game is exactly what it says it is, if you go in expecting more you will be disappointed. Having any more fun than if you actually applied to be a road worker is not guaranteed, but it has a lot of simple charm. There's a couple dozen hours of work-based entertainment here, similar gameplay loop to construction simulator but smaller jobs and no progression system, player is more involved though.

For the devs: Missing high resolution support, bring this up to 4k. Some small tasks (like refuelling and operating the excavator) are confusing on first-use, some additional pointers on first-use are recommended. Wheel support would go a long way, multiplayer would be a blast.

I received this for free a few days before launch and played an early access version, some of my comments may be addressed by the time you read this. I wouldn't pay more than $30 USD for this myself.