Recent reviews by Dumbo Octopus

Excellent RPG elements

I like that it gets rid of all the standard MMO elements in favour of a more fast-paced experience

I'm sorry, I just cannot like this game. I've been a massive fan of both Fallout 3 and NV, yet Fallout 4 is the worst experience I've had in the franchise. I don't have the time to go extremely in depth with my issues with the game, but the most notable ones I do remember:

- The amount of unique quests in this game is horribly abysmal. Throughout my playthrough I have found next to no memorable side quests. Barring quests like the USS Constitution, every other was a fetch/radiant quest that was shoved into my face as if it were actual respectable content. Even the main quests incorporated a shockingly high amount of radiant quests, which I can tell were only there to create fake substance to the game's lacking quest infrastructure.

- The locations in the world have suffered, specifically regarding settlements. No, not the settlement system, but actual settlements with a backstory behind them and unique NPCs within them. There is a huge gap in the number of settlements between Fo4 and FoNV. Even if I were to include faction locations as "settlements", they're all so concentrated around downtown Boston that the rest of the map feels completely empty. They disregarded a huge portion of the map and just slapped settlement locations there for you to build up. Does that provide any meaningful NPC dialogue, exploration or quest content? NO.

- Dialogue is dead. Absolutely dead. Without a skills system, the only "unique" conversation chioces are unlocked through speech. Otherwise, every dialogue option feels bland and playing with the visible dialogue option mod, I can see how uncreative Bethesda was with it. Situations arose where several of the options were the exact same, worded differently. People say that you can't say no in this game because it truly does not give you the option to. Even if I object to an NPC's remark or ask with "skepticism", the NPCs respond in the exact same way almost every time. There is no meaningful way to change the outcome of quests through your dialogue. Please prove me wrong if there are situations where dialogue truly matters on a fundamental level (as in changing the quest outcome drastically or altering an NPC's choices, etc). I would LOVE to see some of that after I found little to none in my playthrough of the game.

Bethesda has put a stain on the Fallout franchise with this game. I fell in love with the Fallout games because of the intriguing aspects of post-apocalypse politics and civilization. Fallout 4 puts on a mask that makes you think it's in the Fallout world, sure. But if you try to dig deeper you hit the barrier that is Bethesda's incompetence. The world is barren in most areas, with most areas inhabited by raiders/hostiles and others preserved for a settlement system that lacks true substance in terms of content. The politics and morality are heavily dumbed down. Every Super Mutant is a brainless monster that kills on sight. The Gunners, despite being a mercenary group, target you for no explainable reason. The Institute gives no meaningful reasons for their actions, which turns the entire faction into the obvious antagonist (the same cannot be said for the Legion in Fallout NV). The Minutemen show no flaws past their starting numbers, which makes them the obvious choice for a "good" ending.

I tried so hard to like this game. I modded out major flaws such as the dialogue wheel and a player voice that limited character creation. Yet, no mod can truly fix the absolutely shallow attempt at a Fallout game that is Fallout 4.

Great game, even if it's slightly dated it remains a great experience with friends.

Definitely an amazing game in terms of mood/atmosphere. If you like puzzle/platforming games then this is perfect. Minor warning, there are some dark themes here but it's all part of the story. Definitely recommend getting this game, but I do wish this and the sequel were a bit more affordable for their length.

Unfortunately, Paladins has been heading in a downhill trend that has culminated in the creation of Open Beta Patch 64. Over 2017, various playstyles that players enjoyed were removed to appease inexperienced players that were unable to play around them. A game I once praised for its lenience toward mobility has turned its most mobile champions into champions that rely on heavy burst. HiRez's argument that mobility removes counterplay is directly contradicted by their decision to implement low-TTK elements that eliminate counterplay aside from expecting to get bursted down before it is possible to react. The most recent champion as of this writing, Vivian, is indicative of HiRez's tendency to balance toward the "majority" population (referenced with no statistics made public to the community) that prefers mechanics that are dumbed down and require no development of skill other than to point and shoot.

A recent trend in cosmetics has shown that the company aims to earn the most money from whales, putting the most sought-after skins in lootboxes with lower-quality skins and recoloured skins. The apparent majority audience has been HiRez' target with other changes such as implementing a third-person mode in a FIRST PERSON SHOOTER, nerfing champions that required actual investment into learning the game's mechanics to counter (e.g. Torvald) and of course ruining the card system that I once praised, the system that allowed players to fine-tune their loadouts for distinct playstyles and in-game situations. In OB64, this system will be replaced by one that removes any fine-tweaking in favour of an oversimplified "pick what cards you want" deck-building process that is extremely vulnerable to a future of having pro players find the best card combination with no potential variance afterward (barring actual card changes from patches).

Lastly and most importantly, OB64 introduces a card-levelling system that removes any potential balance with the game's already questionable matchmaking. Those who have ground for longer will be at a DIRECT advantage over those with lower-level cards. Levelling a card is achieved by receiving duplicates of it in MORE LOOTBOXES, leaving a user's levelling process to the will of RNG. Moreover, the developers have announced plans to make these lootboxes purchaseable with premium currency, imposing the simple yet accurate quality of "Pay to Win" on the game.

While the updates in 2017 have improved the game a fair bit, the unspeakable amount of questionable decisions in nearly every patch has made it apparent that the game is moving in the direction of oversimplifying the mechanics that once gave it depth and appeasing low-committment players that are looking to take the easy route to improving their in-game performance. If HiRez may be able to reach this new audience, but if one thing is clear, this is not the game that was loved and supported by the players that got its feet off the ground.

TL;DR

For those who want an experience without pay-to-win systems, abhorrently questionable balance changes and oversimplified mechanics with little depth or reward for skill investment, LOOK ELSEWHERE.

Amazing game, TF2 has sucked up most of my free time trying to get better at it. This game has a skill ceiling higher than even new games that aim to be eSports, and it doesn't get enough recognition for it. Even after >2000 hours I'm still finding ways I can improve in TF2.