Recent reviews by puddingtopf

If you only get a white screen after launching this game, open the Nadeo.ini file in the game's directory, change the Distro to "=MILIN", save it, and click on "Update" in the game launcher. That should fix the issue.

The game itself is a fun, fast-paced, and challenging arcade racer. It can actually be pretty frustrating, but mastering each track and fighting for gold medals (or even better) is a large part of TrackMania's appeal and leaves you satisfied when you finally make it. There's also a map editor that allows you to create your own tracks. Overall, TMNF is a very entertaining game if you enjoy speeding, performing stunts, and testing your skills. I've completed all tracks except for the final mega-race with gold medals (and some author medals).

Absolute f***ing garbage.
I knew this wasn't going to be very exciting since it's just a walking simulator, but I got it for free and thought it might still offer some decent entertainment. Well, the graphics and music are nice, and I guess the narration is alright if you're into this type of story and writing.
But DAMN, does this game have issues:
- Your character's movement is extremely, painfully slow.
- Collectibles don't work properly; I've activated the urn in chapter 3 about 5 times, but NOPE.
- The game crashes every 5-10 minutes, so you have to slooowly make your way through the whole chapter again.
Don't bother playing this, and ESPECIALLY don't buy this for its original price of 10 bucks.

These crazy Russian modder-f***ers did it. They've made an expansion for Serious Sam 4 that's better than the main game. Quite good, actually. At least this is my impression after my first playthrough.
I'll be honest: the performance is very disappointing, and I almost want to give the game a negative review just for that. But since the weak engine isn't Timelock Studio's fault, I don't want to blame them too much for it. Just note that Siberian Mayhem doesn't run too well. I'm also not sure if the game is worth its full price for everybody. I'm a fan of the series, and even I hesitated.
However, the game itself is quite fun and impressive. The levels can be huge with many varied environments, big and intense battles, good vehicle sections, and a bunch of side quests. The writing is actually pretty decent and funny, with lots of clever jokes and secrets making references to other Serious Sam games and Russian culture. Bonus points for a character quoting the song "Psycho Holiday" by Pantera.
Overall, I'm pretty happy with the game. I'll probably come back and update the review when I've played through the game on Serious difficulty and unlocked all the achievements.

Edit: I completed my Serious playthrough with all side quests and secrets last night, so I'm almost done with the game. I have to say, this is now one of my favorite Serious Sam titles, which I wasn't really expecting before playing it since SS3 and SS4 were big disappointments to me. They also released the first patch just three days after the game's launch, so a few issues have already been fixed, including the stuttering. Everything feels really smooth now (as long as the frame rate itself doesn't drop). Well done, Timelock Studio.

Edit again: 100% after 20.1 hours of play time. Great game.

Redeemer is a decent little game for its price, if you get it on sale. The gameplay isn't groundbreaking, but feels solid and satisfying enough. Graphics and sound are decent. The only major issues are the length and the crashes. I bought Redeemer yesterday and already got 100% now, after less than 8 hours of play time. And the game randomly crashes VERY often, like every 5-30 minutes.

I have finished Succubus on Extreme difficulty, completed all the side quests, and unlocked every achievement after about 20 hours of play time (including crashes and other issues).
The game is very rough around the edges thanks to bugs, glitches, and crashes, and the story and characters could've used a bit more depth, better writing, and voice acting or direction. The combat can also be fairly frustrating since the enemy AI is almost always just running towards you, and the game often throws large waves of enemies at you while you constantly dash away and try to get some hits in.
Still, Succubus is fun to play and offers a unique experience that's similar to Agony (Unrated) thanks to Madmind's ruthlessly offensive style full of violence and nudity. Fighting is satisfying, customization options are nice, collectibles offer background info, and it's overall an entertaining game.
Make sure to grab the free Unrated DLC on Steam or (if you can't access it here due to region locks) from the official developer website.

Edit: After more than a year, the game is still very unpolished, buggy, and unstable. I still want to give it a positive rating for doing something that you don't see in many other games, but be aware that you'll run into problems while playing Succubus. The performance is also not very optimized since the frame rate can drop into the 30s even if your hardware isn't fully utilized.
The final DLC and content update have now been released, so there won't be new any new content from now on, but the game will still be updated for bug fixes and improvements.

I've been a fan of this game since 2003. It has a simple, but entertaining story with equally entertaining characters and funny dialogues. The setting oozes 1980s Miami personality and the soundtrack is amazing. Of course the game is not exactly fresh now after almost two decades, and the PC port wasn't very good in the first place, but it is still fun to play. I've completed this game multiple times (including a 100% playthrough) and I still keep coming back to it.

Grab the Widescreen Fix to fix the stretched HUD and menus, and maybe also the optional Widescreen Front End Textures. Grab the Silent Patch to fix a bunch of issues, add some missing features from the console versions, and remove all censorship.
You can also download the DEP mod (Definitive Edition Project) which includes these fixes and more.
And you can download Chiri's Tool to change the game's refresh rate so you can play without screen tearing and even at high FPS.
Disable the in-game frame limiter and use an external program to cap the game at 60 FPS. Enjoy the game, it still holds up today and it's a must-play.

Nice racing game, I just completed it with 100% progress.
It can be extremely frustrating since the AI is incredibly unfair thanks to ridiculous rubberbanding, and the car physics mixed with some track designs can really mess you up for no good reason. The game wants you to perform jumps and ram objects and opponents, but you never know when those things may randomly launch you out and make you spin.
However, it's still fun and very satisfying when it works. Keeping the cars under your control feels good and collisions feel powerful. The graphics are still pleasant to look at, even after 15 years. The soundtrack is fairly short, but good. There's a decent amount of content, including races, demolition derbies, and mini-games where you launch your driver out through the windshield.
Buy it if you like action racing games.

I got Stubbs the Zombie two days ago and finished it on Insane difficulty yesterday, after roughly 8 hours of play time. That was my first time playing this game since I've only played the demo of the original game before. To give you an idea: I collected most of the achievements during my playthrough and replayed a level after finishing the game to unlock another one, so I'm 3 away from 100% (including the one for completing everything else).
The graphics are pretty bland, even for 2005, and the gameplay is rather clunky. However, I still think it's a fun and charming game. The story, writing, and presentation are simple, but funny and entertaining. Stubbs himself is a likeable antihero. To be honest, the game was really unbalanced on Insane difficulty, but it forced me to be strategic and use my combat abilities wisely, which made the game feel less brain dead (ha).
The concept of playing as a zombie and creating small armies of the undead to help you is unique, and despite its clunkiness, it's fun enough to be worth playing.

Edit: Reached 100% achievement progress after roughly 14 hours of play time.

I just finished my playthrough after 45.7 hours of play time. I usually avoid RPGs (with only a few exceptions so far), but I was interested in KCD because of its realism and its ties to the Mafia franchise, and I managed to get a free copy from a giveaway.
The historically accurate and very detailed world is beautiful and fascinating, the story is entertaining and features some good characters with nice voice acting, the music is atmospheric and appropriate for the setting, and the gameplay can be fairly satisfying.
My main issue is the lack of clarity in the game. Many of its mechanics are barely or never explained, and some quests can also be frustrating if the objective or its correct approach aren't clear. The combat mechanics are infamous for their clunkiness, but you can master them (more or less) with some dedication. Unfortunately, they are unbalanced and heavily rely on the exploitation of specific tricks and perks. The limited save system is a bit annoying, but not a huge issue, and it adds tension and weight to your actions.
Despite its flaws, KCD is an interesting, immersive, unique, and impressive game. Give it a shot if you like RPGs or if you are simply curious about a realistic medieval game. Just be prepared for a steep learning curve.

I originally gave Second Sight a negative review when it was re-released in 2021 because I was disappointed that it was just the original PC port without any updates, but three days ago I bought it again for a lower price and finally just finished it after roughly 5.5 hours. Now I want to change my rating.
I'm still disappointed by the lack of improvements since the game suffers from technical issues and awkward controls, but there are also plenty of positive aspects: the gameplay is enjoyable, the graphics, sound, and general presentation are very stylish, and the story itself is quite creative and interesting.
Overall, Second Sight feels like it needed more polish - especially the PC port and the new Steam release - yet it is still an engaging game that shares many strengths and similarities with Free Radical's TimeSplitters games.

Please give us a remastered TS trilogy before TS4, and give Second Sight some attention, too.