Recent reviews by Velika Sova

Decent, but nowhere near as good as Civ 5.

Perhaps the biggest problem is that there aren't many civs in the base game, and their variety is poor compared to previous titles. Getting additional civs requires spending a fair bit of money on DLC. There are several newly added game mechanics that are actually quite interesting, but again, some of these are locked behind paid DLC. Add in the breach of privacy that allows the collecting of personal information at all times and you have enough reason not to buy this game.

Just get a copy of Civ 5 instead, really.

TLDR:
The memes are very real.
The factory must always grow, and time definitely becomes an illusion in the process.
An absolute must-buy for anyone even remotely interested.

Pros:
- Highly replayable
- Just as fun in either singleplayer or multiplayer
- Lots of mods to choose from (I highly recommend Krastorio 2)
- Great audio and visuals, especially since the v1.0 launch
- Continued developer support

Cons:
- Somewhat repetitive: Similar to other games I've reviewed in this genre, Factorio gives you a clear goal, but how you reach that goal is mostly left to your creativity. To stay engaged, the player has to give themselves smaller goals and tasks, and try new things in between. Not a con per se, but should be mentioned.
- FPS drops in MP: Sometimes there will be lag spikes in multiplayer, but that's to be expected when building and running a mega factory. It often works itself out though, and doesn't tend to be a game-killer.

TLDR:
An easy-to-learn and fun-to-master blend of different game genres that I'd recommend to anyone with even the slightest interest. Will likely continue to be the case as long as the devs stick to their intended roadmap and the playerbase remains stable or grows.

Pros:
- Active development team
- Fantastic gameplay for different players (building, combat, resource gathering, etc.)
- Not a heavy grind, but a reasonable one
- Great art direction and graphics (runs pretty smooth too)
- Can be enjoyed both in singleplayer and in multiplayer

Cons:
- Prolonged roadmap timeline: There are big gaps in between major updates, which could be a pro in terms of quality control, but a con in terms of active players over time. Some major features of the game are yet to be released.
- Diminishing returns: This isn't necessarily a con, but I should point it out. These types of games give the player lots of freedom to decide how to play the game in almost every aspect, but it's up to the player to give themselves goals and tasks so they remain engaged and entertained. Don't expect an overly-linear and guided experience here. This will change as new content gets added of course.

TLDR: The game is very fun, but the business model is terrible - especially for newcomers.

Some of the pros:
- Great gun play
- Great graphics (and well optimized, in my experience anyway)
- Great map design
- Great audio and soundtrack
- Great class choices and progression
- Coop is especially fun overall (can't speak for PVP - didn't try it)

The cons (the real deal-breakers):
All the campaigns are behind absurd paywalls. I really wanted to learn more about the Destiny universe, especially after seeing some of the gorgeous maps and backdrops, but every campaign has a hefty paywall. I've read that a lot of it won't make sense to newcomers anyway, because in Bungie's infinite wisdom, they removed a bunch of content that's crucial to the lore. Then add in a bit of the standard seasonal nonsense (seasons have always been crap - let's get away from this) and you're left with almost no reason to play at all, unless you want to repeat the same maps because you're stuck in free to play.

TLDR:
This game makes me feel like a ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ galactic dictator, and I love it.
Get it if you want to feel like one too. We can even sign a pact and conquer the galaxy together, like Luke and Vader never could.

Pros:
- Fairly replayable
- Massive battles and empire admin
- Freedom of choice: be a saint or the devil incarnate - both are valid choices
- Great graphics, great audio

Cons:
- Somewhat repetitive: There are tons of factions to choose and customize, but lots tend to play out similarly
- DLC: This is basically a must if you want to make the game that much better and replayable. The annoying part is that it's pretty overpriced for what it actually adds - wait until it's on sale.
- FPS in MP: I've noticed pretty bad framedrops in late-game multiplayer sessions. Games don't play out in turns like some other strategy games, which could be causing this issue. The drops tend to work themselves out, especially as you take out enemy factions, but it can get annoying.

Insurgency: Sandstorm is that nice middle-ground between the Chad milsim and the Virgin FPS, and it's excellent. I keep coming back and putting in a few hours here and there.

My background is in milsims such as ArmA, so I'm gonna highly recommend playing this in Coop with the ISMC mod enabled only. The rest of the nonsense isn't really worth your time. If you want something more realistic and tense without going full-on Tarkov, then that's the setup for you.

Grab the game when it's on discount though. The number of players is lowering, so I can't say how long you'll be able to get your money's worth out of it. This could change if significant additional content is released, but that hasn't quite manifested and I'm unsure if it will. The last additions were not that impressive - ended up sticking to the aforementioned setup.

Hi, big Splinter Cell fan here.

The game has aged well, even after so many years.
I highly recommend playing it if you're new to the series, the stealth-action genre, or just looking to satisfy your gaming nostalgia.

Please note that you'll likely need to download some hi-res/widescreen fixes.
Check the community posts on this topic - they're easily accessible and installed.
There's the added benefit of finding a patch at the same time that unlocks 3 additional missions that were not originally available to the PC version back in the day.

*EDIT: After the recent dev announcement that this game will no longer be supported, I cannot recommend this game. Their decision to release DLC shortly before stopping any continued efforts on this game is despicable and must be called out.

It's very disappointing, because the game itself is a lot of fun.
I've left my original review below for those who want to know more about it.

I encourage all of you to do your own research, and vote with your wallet.

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For reference, I've played almost every Total War game, starting from the first Rome title.
This was mostly outside of Steam, but easily in the hundreds of hours per game.

There is a lot of debate about this game when compared to other titles in the series, but I found it to be a fantastic entry overall.
Without getting into details, grab this game when it's on sale if it interests you in any way. Seriously, it's fun.

If you can, I highly recommend these DLC items as well (in no particular order):
1. A World Betrayed
2. Mandate of Heaven
3. Yellow Turban Rebellion
4. All of the free DLC items (they're playable factions)

I have not played the Fates Divided DLC yet, but it does seem worth getting because of what it adds specifically.
From what I've read, this DLC is best suited for those invested in the history and the campaign. It adds more mechanics that make for more of a challenge.

Ignore all the other DLC not listed here.

Hope this helps you.
Have fun!

Killing Floor was something awesome.
This one is something even more awesome.

The weapons, the graphics, the absolute panic and fear you'll feel at some moments.
It's all part of the experience. Get yourself some friends, and play this game.
Oh also, try the ray gun and have an absolute blast with it - you're welcome.
If you see me online, feel free to join in.

I wasn't sure if this was Hitman, or something pretending to be Hitman.
After a couple hours, I lost all interest. It was a lot of hype, but it aint no Blood Money.

Save yourself the trouble, and stick to some of the other titles.