Recent reviews by John War Thunder

We hail ZOG in this household.

This free to play FPS is absolutely wonderful if you have friends to play it with.
Starting with even the most basic mode Quick Cash, you will need to work together with your teammates in order to succeed.

This game strongly emphasizes teamwork, and creating loadout synergy. Picking up gadgets or weapons in the loadout that complement or make up for other teammate's choices. However, a fair warning: many weapons will feel very pathetic and useless, or weak and unsatisfying at first. It will take time to adjust to the TTK, and the incessant kill stealing that goes on.

What makes this game so fun is the almost limitless map destruction, and the extensive tactical/strategic aspect of playing around props and map destruction as a strategy for victory.

Overall, if you're interested in being a massive tank, or a support, or a nimble flanker, there is a weapon, specialization, and set of gadgets for every playstyle.
It's completely free, with the only microtransactions netting you cosmetics. You still have access to all game modes, provided you complete the requirements of "play the game for X time to unlock Ranked". There's no harm in trying it, but I would definitely find yourself some people to form a trio or duo.

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ mobile game port. Game gets boring after about 5 hours. Only reason I keep playing is because I want to see how far I can push the limit and power of my genetically perfect race I have created. If you're seriously considering this game, or spending money on it: reconsider your entire existence.

This game is basically only good with friends. If you don't have a friendgroup to play with, this is not gonna be worth it. If you DO have a friend group, this is going to be the best game your group has purchased. This is GOTY, and I know the hype might be dying down but the player-count really isn't.

Caliber is the type of third person shooter to have just enough seriousness/strategy/complexity to keep things engaging while also being a game someone can just relax and play for fun(unlike perhaps Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Siege). I initially believed the devs would quickly abandon this game, however they continue to push out new content and regular updates. There is a healthy competitive scene in the form of Ranked PvP, with many different PvE modes for people who don't want to sweat bullets.

This game does shooters differently, with each character, or operator, having their own unique utility and gadget. Each Medic is unique in how they administer aid, each Support is different in how they support their team with the spectrum being overwhelming firepower to massive AoE team buffs, etc. While you are limited to stacks of 4 players, with only one of each class of Operator per stack(Assault, Support, Medic, Marksman), the lineup possibilities are endless with hundreds of different operators from over a dozen countries.

It should be noted that progressing each individual character is a difficult grind, and to unlock characters beyond the starting 4(one from each class that you're gifted for completing the tutorial mission for that class), is also difficult, with the initial allowance of credits dissappearing very, VERY quickly. There are also so many different currencies in this game, which is sometimes hard to keep track of. Generally, anything related to operator upgrades and unlocks is done with credits, and cosmetic items are unlocked with puzzle pieces, and the premium currency can be used for some of both. There are more seasonal currencies which come and go, etc.

Bottom line,. for a free third person """tactical""" shooter? This game is great, Definitely play it with friends, though.

After playing through the most recent expansion, I felt now is the time to update my review.
As a long time fan of Bethesda games, with Fallout: New Vegas, and The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim captivating my young mind, as well as my passion for Sci-Fi space exploration like Star Trek, I was so excited for this game. I preordered the $100 Premium Edition, since I had faith that Bethesda, of all people, would deliver an amazing title.

I am deeply saddened to admit that I was very wrong. While certain mechanics, like the ship-builder was exciting and new, which gave you plenty of parts to choose from and make your own unique ship, there were still many artificial constraints such as certain parts being very limited in their rotation, and a lack of a shipbuilder NPC with all of the parts in one place was a minor annoyance. Combat feels very silly, with the enemy AI being very stupid, their movement being erratic and nonsensical, with them "hiding" behind "objects"(standing as if they're pressed against a wall next to a crate that barely reaches their belt level), with certain enemies being just massive bullet-sponges. The main selling point of the game being the thousands of planets across hundreds of solar systems is misleading, because outside of the artificially limited building options for outposts, many planets have very little to do.

Now, I would be content to accept all of those quirks because many of these problems can be easily fixed with a couple of .txt's and some simple QoL mods. The selling point of Bethesda games has been their engaging story, with meaningful decisions that give you real options with your choices actually reflected in the world you're participating in... Starfield has very few stories of that level. The main questline is compelling only for a few missions, with many boring fetch quests with some interesting narrative points mixed in. The faction quests were also fairly compelling, but again your choices felt hollow. The world wasn't really impacted by what you did. You were thrust into tough situations, and rewarded too quickly. Most of that is due to all the questlines being absurdly short. Every single faction would go from treating you like a newcomer to the Second Coming of Christ because you completed their very short, very easy first assignment they gave you.

The new DLC, a $30 expansion(the price of a full game btw), was barely 6 hours of uncompelling story which takes away all agency from you. You are forced to join their faction, and everyone goes from treating you like a heretic outcast to the leader of their people almost instantly. You get a couple new weapons, with the majority of those weapons being reskins of base game weapons with stat boosts.

Overall, the game is a frustrating experience gameplay wise, and its almost like they were relying on modders to fix the game's QoL features. In terms of the story, the main narrative is extremely boring and frustrating, with the few companions you can have being very boring and hollow people who all have the same opinions, and if you want the content their stories offer, you feel pressured to appease them. This game is not worth the pricetag. If you really want this game? Wait for a sale. For all Bethesda touted about having thousands of planets, many of those planets are empty with absolutely nothing to do except for setting up your own outposts.

This game is perfect for you if you're a fan of Magic: The Gathering, but don't let that fool you into thinking this is some kind of nerd game for losers(MTG isn't that either but that's the general perception of it). This game is made up of 3 acts, with Act I being my girlfriend and I's absolute favorite. Act II is a little bit strange and annoying, but Act III is a bit of a return to form. I cannot really say more without spoiling the game which would completely ruin the experience.
Is it worth full price? I would say yes, somewhat so. It felt a little easy for my taste and I was able to plow through most of the puzzles with relative ease. I would wait for this game to go on sale, but if you really want it, it is worth it's salt. The soundtrack, overall character design, and the ruleset of the game all make for an overall amazing, if sometimes frustrating experience.

This game, for the price, is packed with a surprisingly large amount of difficult decisions. It is not as simple as doing your job while the job gets more and more complex. No, this 2D pixelated view of a Sovietesque dictatorship will tug at your heartstrings and bring you to tears as you decide:
Do I let this poor woman through to safety because she *could* be genuinely fleeing oppression from a worse state than your own? Or deny her because she doesn't have the right documents and *could* be a terrorist?
Neither choice is right, neither is wrong, that's entirely up to your hands. Do you focus solely on feeding your family with your lazy uncle and mother-in-law who live in your house rent-free and don't have jobs? Or do you sacrifice some food and heat to help a father get justice?
These moral dilemmas and more seemingly meaningless decisions that have big consequences later await you in Papers Please.

The brilliance of this game is it's simplicity, and it's ability to wrap and immerse the player in the plot of the game, keeping you invested at every day with every turn. With each *kachunk* of your visa stamp, you decide the fate of hundreds, including your own. Trust me, you will get $10 worth of gameplay out of this.

As a diehard fan of the Fallout Series, I never really bought into Skyrim because around the time that I started playing videogames, my obsession with medieval and nordic themes was pretty diminished. I picked up this game during the most recent Steam Summer Sale, and I have been absolutely shocked at how good it is.

Having played Fallout: New Vegas for almost 900 hours, and Fallout 4 for almost 100, I can safely say this game is Bethesda's best. The depth of the world is absolutely insane, and it almost feels *real*. Sure some of the NPC dialogue can get pretty old, pretty fast, but for some reason each area of Skyrim feels unique and rewarding to explore. The fact that instead of terminals that feed you lore, you have to actually READ BOOKS is so refreshing. It's ironic in a way but sitting in my player home and just reading some books that tell the folktales of this world make it really come alive. To continue the theme, the skill books are actually readable, meaning that not only does the skill increase in game, but the book can offer you some advice and insight into the skill you're trying to learn, or at the very least give you some more lore and depth about the skill as it appears in the universe of Tamriel.

Now here's the part that everyone is most excited about most likely: combat. Having played both a pure Warrior/Spellsword and a Pure Mage character, there is a playstyle for everyone, and despite what the online guides tell you: every playstyle has a lot of support to the point that if you pitted a Warrior, a Mage, and a Rogue against each other, it would be difficult to tell who would win if they had the same level and quality of gear. Some builds are harder to make than others, but its still very doable.

Overall, this is Bethesda's best work yet. If you're torn between Fallout or the Elder Scrolls, choose the Elder Scrolls. Even if Medieval stuff isn't really your cup of tea, I would still recommend it.

"It's like if Lord of the Rings was a video game."
~ My girlfriend

This is a fantastic game if you are a Star Trek fan. However, as far as MMO's go, this one is kind of trash. The UI is clunky and messy, with many features overlapping one another incoherently. The loot system is very complex and a little too grindy. For new players, there's less of a learning curve and more of a learning cliff, with many people being turned off just from how difficult the game is to deal with.

However, once you get used to the ♥♥♥♥♥♥ UI, really tough gameplay and sometimes glitchy cutscenes, the story is really rewarding to complete, with a wide swath of enemies and sub-stories to explore. However, once you finish the main chapters, there really isn't much else to do in the game and you're left just doing repetitive missions/patrols. The PVP is dead and unplayable.

Overall, for free, the story is worth it. Spending any money on this game is both recommended and cautioned against. This game is very far from pay-to-win, but the prices for things in this game are a bit outrageous. If you're not used to MMO's or like complex inventory systems, this game will be more stress than story.