Recent reviews by ✛Sweatdrop™✛

Really hoping this is fleshed out into something cool!

Having played Thief Simulator (and really enjoyed it), this demo didn't feel like a huge step up in terms of gameplay. I can see what the Dev's are trying to do by expanding on Thief Sim in this, but so far it really hasn't demonstrated itself as anything but the same game from before.

They are adding new mechanics like disguises, revamping the player loadout, and hinting at bigger features such as multiple player-owned properties, but I'd rather the Dev's just refine the core mechanics/game engine (improve the physics, the stealth mechanics, NPC AI, controls, etc.) Why can't I toggle on/off the flashlight with a simple button press like before? Stuff like this is not a step toward improvement, really. But I'm sure a lot of these things will be ironed out as the final product nears release.

That being said, I'm looking forward to playing the full version of this game. The 80's theme and visual style are interesting, the promise of a more in-depth narrative and more NPC's you can work for (i.e. different money making methods and potential story arcs) is keeping me interested. The setting and level design has more character, and of course I'm really looking forward to seeing how a 70' Dodge Challenger or 81' DMC DeLorean will handle, provided the physics engine can back it up.

A great Single-player and Co-op military shooter in every aspect. It's all in the details.

Firstly, the graphics are excellent. Whether it's a sun-drenched paradise, or a dark and smoky warzone, every environment looks moody and cinematic, yet crisp. You don't need to worry about visibility being obscured due to poor rendering or effects. Every setting manages to look beautiful without getting in the way of the gameplay, and the level of detail is just right. If you can't see where you're getting shot from, it's because you're not looking in the right place, sniper.

The audio design is superb as well, although the dynamic range is quite high. Sounds are detailed, and you can get a real sense of where enemies are by how their gunshots and voices echo around the environment in full stereo. However, things can get a little too quiet or a little too loud sometimes, depending on what audio setup you select. It's just another setting you need to experiment with a little bit before finding the right one.

The range of difficulty settings is a big plus as well. These not only affect the strength of opposing forces, but also the game's physics as well. Being able to change these key details is difference that can make this game feel either very casual, or like a hardcore military simulation. This is especially handy when inviting friends to play in co-op.

OK, now onto the gameplay: The real satisfaction of playing this game isn't just the gory slow-mo cutscenes when pulling off the perfect shot from hundreds of yards away, but the blend of strategy and tactics that the action revolves around. You really are a one-man army, and thinking like a trained killer helps you to, well, kill everyone.

The game offers opportunity to approach each objective in a completely stealthy, or gung-ho manner, but most of the time you are going to be somewhere in the middle. Taking out some enemies with complete stealth is satisfying and is often the best way sometimes, but isn't always going to be possible. Enemy behavior is detailed and varies greatly, and the visibility mechanic allows the player to slip in and out of stealth and combat situations fluidly, just like a real sniper would.

You are going to be spending a lot of time setting traps, studying topography and retreat routes, enemy locations and armaments, and even then, something might happen to ruin your plan of attack. This adds a sense of depth and realism to the battlefield, and few games are able to pull this off they way SE4 has mastered it. But never does it become tedious, or very frustrating. No matter what the challenge is, you can save and restart at any point in each mission, allowing you to experiment and find what works.

There is a lot of equipment at your disposal, both from your loadout as well as drops in game, ranging from all sorts of rifles to submachineguns, shotguns, and pistols as well as mines, TNT, etc. - so you are never trapped into any one gameplay style, and are prepared for any situation. This becomes even more interesting in co-op mode.

Overall, it's a great time spent within well crafted open world environments. Playing through a single level from start to finish can be as quick as you can run from one side to the other, or take up several hours leading enemies around on a wild goose chase as you slowly dispatch them in awesomely gruesome fashion, depending on how you approach things.

This game is fun and unique, but can definitely feel very tedious the first time you play it. First of all, there is not an option for which stage of renovation you want to start at. Being able to pay a crew to fully clean and repair any damage for an extra fee should be an option, but it isn't. I know many players who have been turned away from this game because they find doing beginning steps to each remodel are simply not fun: sweeping, mopping, vacuuming, picking up trash, pulling weeds, cleaning windows, and patching holes in walls, etc. Some players just want to jump right into the actual redesign and don't get anything out of performing these tasks in-game.

Also, the game mechanics don't feel quite finished. It is often unclear what will increase or decrease your profit margin when doing a remodel, and what each specific buyer wants. The requirements and comments can be very confusing, and often contradictory. It doesn't really matter how a room is actually laid out, just what it contains - you can just stack the required furniture in the most compact, nonsensical, or exploitative manner in each room, and get away with fooling the game into thinking you're a spatial genius. On the other hand, taking the time to add certain extra fixtures or more expensive touches doesn't always seem to reflect in bigger profit or satisfaction from clients.

In the end, the real appeal of this game comes from just doing things your way. Don't worry about reaching for high scores or silly achievements. Transform an absolute dump into a dream home that you don't want to let go of. Create a weird and quirky paradise worthy of becoming the setting for a movie. There is a level of interior design possible in this game (especially with all the DLC and community content) that is simply not seen in any other game. After the initial boring hard work, you are free to let your imagination take over.

After nearly 3 years in development as an "early access" game, this just feels so lazy. Poor optimization and bugs galore, very little content, and a lack of any really satisfying gameplay. Not worth it for the current $40 asking price.

The "Postal" series was never about competing with AAA games, and has always revolved around it's unique comedic and novel charm. But it is a video game at the end of the day, and this one isn't worth playing. The setting and the writing is here, but nothing else feels fleshed out.

The dev's have been riding on their coattails and drip feeding updates over and over, and now in the game's nearly "complete" state with all objectives available to play until the end credits, it still feels clunky, empty, and like a hollow imitation of Postal 2. Do yourself a favor and buy P2 instead.

Buying this game at 75% off 6 years after it's release, I wasn't expecting much. All of the faults you would expect from any modern NFS game (or arcade racing game) are present and in full force. So I'm only going to point out the two biggest dealbreakers:

The worst issue is the control and overall car handling. NFS really needs to move away from this disjointed "drift, or no drift" two-gear cornering mechanic when it comes to how all the cars drive. Just when you think you've figured out how to drive smoothly in this game, the physics go wonky, and the car starts doing the exact opposite of what you intend. Never mind if it's realistic or fun in the way you prefer a driving game - It's just plain inconsistent. The game can't even agree with itself!

You can mitigate this a little by futzing around with each car's "tuning" settings in the Garage (I suggest going for Max steering speed and range) but every car will still either wildly under-steer or break out completely sideways at the most ridiculous and unpredictable moments. Controller, keyboard - it doesn't matter what you use to drive, the steering in this game is just too clunky and slow to feel like you are ever actually in control of the vehicle.

Also, you CANNOT turn off the super-bright, obnoxiously distracting and USELESS RACING LINE that is present on the road in front of you when racing, always! For a game that takes place 90% during night-time environments, this turns driving into a nightmare! You're telling me I can toggle off the MINIMAP if I want, but they couldn't add a simple feature to turn off the most aggressively detrimental and annoying HUD feature?!?!

Overall, if you're reading this and trying to decide on some cheap racing thrills, just get Heat or any game made after this one in the NFS series. Trust me, the newer games are much more refined. Don't waste your time on this one, there's neither worthy innovation, nor nostalgia to be found here...

Unique and enjoyable - but lacking...

Let me begin by stating that I have had my eye on this game for a while now, and once it went on Sale, I could not resist anymore and bought it for about $15.00.

The game is exactly what it advertises. It's a nice little Zen puzzle game that allows you to exercise your interior decorating sensibilities, while providing some nostalgia and sentimental flair.

However, I have to agree with a lot of other reviews regarding it's length and price. The entirety of the game can be explored in a few hours if you're impatient, and there's not much replay incentive afterward.

The game could be improved with a little more clarity and depth. There are a couple objects can be hard to distinguish upon first sight (maybe just have some labels or a brief description?), and the achievements could come with some hints rather than being totally random discoveries. The camera controls could be a little more refined.

And of course, there should be more content overall at this price point, or some promise of expansion. Add some more secrets/achievements, enhance the "plot" a little bit and the complexity of the environment and how objects interact with one another, idk... The game has a really fun and simple mechanic, but feels too empty once everything's put away.

This is THE definitive 3rd-person shooter! It is clear that Rockstar derived a lot of the intensely detailed shooting mechanics seen in their later games from THIS MASTERPIECE.

There is not a lot to say about this game, other than it THE BEST single player campaign I have ever experienced in a shooter.

The controls are buttery smooth, the graphics are always crisp and presentable, the level design is thoughtfully detailed yet simple, the story is interesting, and the AI is organic and convincing in every situation. Also, you will never hear a more engaging soundtrack or audio design in ANY game for a long, long time...

It is hard to nail down every detail that demonstrates how this game is superlative. But overall, I think it's because it feels like you are playing it how YOU want to play it. You want to sneak around, collect everything, and set up the perfect scenario to outwit your enemies with well placed rifle shots? You can do that...

Or, perhaps you've had a bad day, and would rather down a fistful of pills, throw yourself drunkenly off a shipping container with a rusty pistol in each hand, and fill the guts of every thug and crooked cop in sight with more bullets than it takes to make them puke lead. In short, you really FEEL like you ARE Max Payne.

At the time this review was written, no other developer has come even CLOSE to level of polish that this shooter has. It is a totally immersive, adrenaline-packed experience, cover to cover, and when you reach the end, you'll feel like playing it again right away on a harder difficulty because it really is that satisfying.

A fantastic jogging simulator.

Let me first state that I purchased this game with an open mind. I usually don't play story-based adventure games, but I wanted to try something different. That being said, I still have mixed feelings about my overall experience. Seeing that the game is rated "overwhelmingly positive" on Steam, I can only absolutely express a general opinion of this game as "not recommended" to most players, with the caveat it is a very unique game and will be enjoyable to a specific audience.

To begin with, I was immediately captivated by the characters and the settings. The game presents the story in a straightforward, satisfying way. The voice acting, world-building, and overall art style is great. Controls are simple and responsive for the most part, except for the camera movement, which feels a bit clunky for this style of game.

However, halfway through the game, I already found myself being frustrated at several points due to a lack of clarity in the presentation of objectives within the level. While the game mechanics focus on exploration and discovery to advance a story, there are several parts where less dedicated gamers will most likely either resort to taking a peek at a walkthrough, or spend an unreasonably significant portion of time backtracking and stumbling around in trial and error.

Some crucial objectives or pieces of information relevant to the narrative are not presented clearly enough, even though these are relatively small level designs, where there is not much to distract you, and you have a Journal to keep track of tasks. In the words of a very angry nerd, it can feel like one of those "where the **** do I go?" kind of games. When these obstacles are common enough, it ruins the sense of discovery, and overall gameplay flow that is the essence of an adventure game.

So, if you are impatient, this is not the experience for you. You might feel like you're on a Runescape quest from hell, jogging from point to point, only to experience a tedious puzzle, or click through inconsequential dialogue trees.

There are some points where the player has some efficacy over the outcome of certain encounters through their choices, but these events are rare, and lack depth or consequence on the overall narrative the player experiences. The only way to properly play this game is to sit back, have a beer, and be patient as the scenery passes by, while anticipating the next compartmentalized combat scenario.

That isn't to say there aren't great moments to enjoy in this game. The narrative thread is written with competence, and each beat of the story feels well placed and interesting. Each character has a convincing, distinct persona that is supported by excellent voice acting and some interesting dialogue. There are no convoluted plot twists, information overloads, or pointless side quests. And, when you do get to fight something, although clunky, it is a satisfying victory. This stark contrast of precipitate confrontation is jarring compared to the majority of passive exploration, and is a quite welcome experience.

Dreamfall presents a fantastic, almost psychedelic cinematic experience that many modern games fail to emulate. Is it a journey you will enjoy? Well, that's the question...

Grab this game while it's on sale, because it's a STEAL! Get it?

The game mechanics aren't the most refined, and the graphics aren't anything to gush over, but this game does deliver some damned FUN!

Nothing beats the rush of breaking into homes and businesses (fictionally, of course), and ripping off thousands of dollars worth of material goodies to sell for cold, hard cash (or to just redecorate your interior with)! There's a wide variety of loot to collect in various sneaky (or not so sneaky) methods, a few challenging mission objectives, and even some seasonal bonus material to freshen things up from time to time.

Now, this game does have a few rough edges: Don't expect AAA level physics, genius AI, or extremely deep gameplay options. But occasional minor annoyances aside, these technical snags should not interfere with most player's enjoyment of the overall game experience. The game provides hours of entertainment for anybody with the balls of a burglar, and the hankering for some low-down sneak-theivin' and good ole' stealin!

DEVS: Great game! Suggestions for the sequel: Refine the physics and stealth mechanics, have bigger and more fantastic heists (Banks? Department stores?), and have more stuff to do around your hideout (maybe some of the loot you steal has an actual function other than decoration?) And of course, as always, a co-op mode would only make everything more awesome!

Let me preface this review by saying this was the first game in the Far Cry franchise that I have played to completion, and immediately after, I purchased Far Cry 5. Although New Dawn may not be "the best" example of a Far Cry game, it stands on it's own as a really great product.

First I will address the negative aspects of the game, many of which have already been voiced by the community in comparison to its predecessor, Far Cry 5:

1) New Dawn is a "looter-shooter." You are going to have to scavenge enemies and raid stash houses to maintain supplies, and obtain access to new equipment.

2) The "game world is small" and undeveloped. This is in comparison to FC5, which is true, and there are significant visible portions of the map that are inaccessible due to an arbitrary line being drawn around them.

3) "Bullet sponges." As you progress in the game, much of the "challenge" in fighting opponents will come from their use of overpowered armor and weapons.

Now let me offer some counter points on why these supposed negative aspects may or may not matter to you as a player, and what makes the game good:

1) The "looter-shooter" aspect is not as present as you may think. I've never found myself being short on ammo or supplies. There are a few resources that are more scarce than others and can be tricky to find without deliberately hunting down hidden stashes, and you need these to unlock or upgrade certain weapons and vehicles, etc. However - this is an aspect I really enjoyed as a player; exploring old ruins and sniffing out treasures across the map is in itself a rewarding gameplay aspect, and there are many ways to "farm" certain supplies quickly if you just want to get it out of the way.

2) The "game world is small" compared to other Far Cry games, but one doesn't really feel this. Even for a player coming straight from FC5, the map has a diverse range of different terrains and regions, and the "character" of certain areas has been amped-up in New Dawn. It is a completely different world, and while there are some areas that are recognizable or recycled from FC5, New Dawn adds a lot of original new structures and little "twists" to the map in different ways that you will just have to discover for yourself. Not to mention, there is the option of embarking on "Expeditions" to 7 brand-new, detail rich maps to explore.

3) The problem of having "bullet sponges" as enemies in late-game is valid, as it can make you feel as if you need to grind more to upgrade your gear, or lead to simple frustration when you are getting creamed by a boss who has just absorbed multiple explosive rounds to the cranium at point-blank range without flinching. This makes the game feel a little "cheap" in its design.

However, have you considered tackling these objectives with a friend in CO-OP mode? This changes everything. Even a low-level noob with dirt equipment is ten times more deadly than the AI allies, and you'll soon find yourself in absolute hysterics at the creative ways two players can dominate in boss fights, outpost takeovers, and just random tomfoolery. The CO-OP mechanic is something that this game absolutely nails, and is one of the main reasons for buying this game.

In addition, this is still Far Cry, and there are many ways (including exploits) to take out every enemy. Geared-up players will eventually want to finally have something that they can unload their heavy artillery on, while other players may find more satisfaction in stealth tactics and diversion. There are definitely some "cheap enemies" along the story path of this game, but persistence and experimentation will allow any challenge to be overcome.

In conclusion, I would treat this game as an "expansion" to Far Cry 5 - all the basic game-play mechanics are still rock-solid, and it delivers on the Far Cry promise of making the player feel like a real survivalist - with a little neon spray paint thrown in.