Recent reviews by Syntax

Leaving the remainder of my review below, but Sony walked back their decision:
https://twitter.com/PlayStation/status/1787331667616829929

I can now safely and confidently recommend picking this game up. It's one of the best games in recent memory, and succeeds in so many categories across the board. It's well worth your time. Beware of Sony as a publisher.

Original review below:


I am a huge unbridled fan of this game. This game checks so many boxes that have gone unchecked for years: tactical cooperative gameplay, no unnecessary competitive background functions, fun worldbuilding, tons of customization and build options, buttery smooth gameplay (3080ti), beautiful atmosphere and cinematic value. This game has quickly risen to the top five games I have ever played in my entire life. If you're reading these reviews, you've probably seen videos and you know exactly what's great about this game.


Around May 2nd, Sony (via Arrowhead) announced that a Playstation Network Account would be mandatory to play this game. This went against Sony's own posted FAQ (which they were quick to change on May 3rd after many people had noticed), and is a purely anti-consumer tactic to increase their perceived shareholder value (by implying growth via new accounts being created) and giving them more data to sell (or leak by way of being hacked, which has happened to Sony every other year or so since 2009).

This game has functioned perfectly fine for three months without the need for linked PSN accounts. Sony is claiming this is to help ban bad-actor users since PSN accounts don't allow duplicate usernames, but Steam IDs have existed for decades. Plenty of other cross-platform games function just fine without necessitating account linking. This is 100% not the reason for linking accounts.

The want your data because it makes them money. They want your data because it gives them a leg up. They want your data for corporate greed purposes, pure and simple, and they're willing to shoot Arrowhead in the foot to get it.

If Sony walks back this decision, I'll be happy to come back and amend my review of this game to reflect my feelings on the game itself instead of the publishers. But until then, I can't recommend anybody give more money (and data) to Sony.

What a wonderful game. One of the best indie titles I've picked up in years. I was hooked from the start, and was left feeling so fulfilled. The graphical style was SO great, and with the recent inclusion of a photo mode, I've been able to snag some great wallpapers.

If you're debating on whether or not to pick up this game, and you made it this far into the reviews, this is your sign: get this game.

Downloaded on a whim, played for an hour and a half, ranked #8 globally. If this is on sale, definitely grab it. Even if it's not - $10 to kill an evening really isn't bad.

Adventure Rush is more of a niche title, it's a side-scroller shoot-em-up game. TONS of unlockables with a lot of cute jokes. A lot of love went into this one.

Disappointed by the way they've handled things which have happened recently. It's a good tool, but there are other tools like it you can purchase if you want to give your money to a more worthy team.


3D
Tabletopia Games
- like TTS but less buggy
Sovranti[www.sovranti.com]
- 3D, enforces rules

2D
Board Game Arena[en.boardgamearena.com]
Happy Meeple[www.happymeeple.com]
Yucata[www.yucata.de]
Boiteajeux[www.boiteajeux.net]

Not gonna lie, I don't even think the weapon skins or armor skins in this look all that good or unique. But the sheer amount of content Ghost Ship Games has been putting out for Deep Rock Galactic - all for free - meant that I had to find some way to throw money at them and support them.

So, here I am.

At time of writing, I have 135 hours in BL3.

This DLC was MUCH stronger than the first two (Moxxi's Heist and Guns, Love, and Tentacles). GLaT was brilliant, with lots of great writing, jokes, and gameplay.

Bounty of Blood blows those out of the water.


One of the biggest strengths of this DLC is how well it captures and conveys its themes. Bounty of Blood essentially utilizes a combination of 70s western-era cowboys material, with 70s samurai material. You haven't lived until you've heard one of the characters say "konichiwa" in that familiar southern drawl (and by the time you've heard it for the 30th time, the novelty prevents it from being too obnoxious). The music for this DLC is also great - there were several times I'd sit and just listen, or catch myself humming a particular tune much later after hearing it. It also doesn't overdo it on the music - there are also moments of silence, which are purpose-built to tell your brain to focus on whatever ELSE is going on in that moment. Hell, even the splash images for bosses and NPCs are just DRIPPING with life.

The central tension of this DLC is somewhat predictable from the get-go, but it includes enough backstory through echo logs, and emotional pull through quest events, that it somehow makes it worth it. And, realistically, that only adds to the strength of the themes of the game (you try watching a 70s cowboy movie and looking for a plot twist).


This game introduces 2 new mechanics. Spoilers below.

The zapping teleport machine, whose name I scarcely remember. This device made exploring the zones of this DLC much more interesting. Sometimes one of these bad boys would catch your eye, and you'd immediately start looking for its paired device. This allowed a lot of mini-arenas to be created in out-of-the-way locations, so hunting them down was an actual hunt, rather, than "walk to this place on the map that you haven't been to before." My chief complaint here is how long it took me to get them, and how much backtracking I had to do once I had them. On the one hand, it gave some reason to go back through the zones I had played previously, which I did happily since I loved the DLC. On the other hand, though, it sort of felt like they were just padding out the gameplay time.

The jetbeasts. ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥, these are SO fun to ride. It ABSOLUTELY feeds into the thematic strength of the DLC, feeling like you're riding your iron horse across the desert plains. They included some really fun upgrades, so by the time my brother and I were halfway through, we had drastically-different-looking jetbeasts, which gave each of our beasts a sense of personality. REALLY wish I could take them out of this DLC, I'm not 100% sure why they didn't let us do that.


Look, I'm not gonna sit here and tell you that the main quest was as riveting as Fustercluck's. It wasn't that engaging, it didn't have a strong sense of mystery or anything like that - there are really only two major twists, and at least one of them was pretty predictable (and the other one came too soon for it to feel much like a twist).

I will, however, say that that didn't matter. Like, at all. The quest was still SUPER fun to move through, I loved every encounter with Rose that I came across. I loved the feeling of the chase. Of the hunt. I had NO qualms with my motivations in this DLC (I cannot say the same for Moxxi's heist).

I also loved the sidequests and collectibles. Every primary NPC had plenty of personality, ESPECIALLY when you dig deeper than what you get in quest dialogue. Every sidequest NPC had something funny or interesting to say. Plus, as you complete sidequests, many of these folks return to the main town, so you can bump into them again and give them a character arc, rather than a "oh, you completed my task, now we'll never see each other again bye" sort of deal.


I'll level with you - there weren't many pieces of gear in this DLC for myself (FL4K) or my brother (Zane). The cosmetics dropped for Zane were pretty good! And, this DLC gave me an excuse to use the bandit body for FL4K from the Director's Cut, mixed with the cowboy hat you can get in the main game. My FL4K looked like they belonged in this DLC's little world, and my brother's Zane went through several costume changes, and always looked at home there. Honestly, at the end-game (where I played this DLC), I'm not nearly as interested in guns and shields as I am in the cosmetics. So, the gear wasn't a detractor for me, but it may be for you.

All in all, this has been one of my favorite DLCs for any game ever. The team that brought this one to life really made something memorable with Gehenna.

Got this to play with my girlfriend. We both got so tilted fighting the first boss that we had to walk away from it, even after stopping to grind up some oilskins and bloodwort. She hasn't talked to me in days.

10/10 game

WILSON!
WIIIILSOOOOON!!

10/10

There is literally no reason NOT to buy this game now that it's on sale for 50% off. This game takes everything Larian got right with Divinity: Original Sin and made it that much better.

Hilarious dialogue, rewarding co-op play, an incredibly engaging combat system, free content patches, character customization and dye-able armor, unique companion interactions, and a VERY engaging story and world are all just the tip of the iceberg for what many regard as a masterpiece in RPGs.

If you're excited about Larian's upcoming Baldur's Gate release, and you somehow haven't played this game or Divinity: Original Sin, do yourself a favor and pick them up. Even if they're not on sale, they're absolutely worth the money in gameplay.

This review is based specifically on my experience in the Early Access with Survival having just been released. The core mechanics of this game are fantastic. The physics engine is engaging and enough to inspire. If you're the kind of person who used Redstone in Minecraft, this game will absolutely appeal to you.

As a con, it is a little short in terms of actual content before it gets repetitive, but if you're someone who's able to invent the fun out of Minecraft, you'll find your way in this game.