Recent reviews by TheUnbeholden

One of the best mods for HL I've played thus far. This mod has some quirks but I think I enjoyed it alot more because of the gameplay and levels. Its got some epic fights, plenty of one against many with grunts, and vortiguants fights that are sometimes quite hard despite a shotty takes care of them up close, and even fights with tanks at one point. You go from one end of the facility to the other on both the underground and then the surface. Although I felt nearly unstoppable all the way, I can see the difficulty ramping up steadily throughout the entire chapter. This is a tour de force in HL modding. Which is great because I can only think of a few other mods that where this great like: Someplace Else, Freeman's Revenge, Deliverance, Life's End, Black Ops, Smart Decoy, The Xeno Project 1 and 2, Visitors, ETC, Drug Barons, The Gate, Opposing Force - Military Duty, The Challenger Deep 2, CWC pack Initiative, Edge of Darkness and Signal Lost :-) All excellent mods.

Though keep in mind, these are just the great ones I've played. And I've played the majority but I still am missing over 300 mods so there is plenty to discover and play. There are 650+ mods out there if we count the mods that are single maps.

This game is brilliant from start to finish. The comedy is mostly misses the mark but its got excellent gunplay, plenty of secrets, and tons of enemy types. The bosses are also somewhat challenging. The only thing that is a let down is well really the graphics, they are rather bland by today's standards of course. And the art style wasn't that original. The only thing that is somewhat OK or middle of the road for me is the level design. Yes the first few levels are memorable in the main game, but later on and the expansions don't do as good a job really. I really hope that the new shadow warrior games are going to excel in that department because thats where these types of games really shine. Its meant to be the guns and the levels.

However this version of Shadow Warrior has slightly "dragging" mouse. The big issue for me was that the mouse cursor felt like it was being dragged across the screen, like I was using a controller instead of a mouse. Pretty sure the cursor is not aligned correctly either.

Not only that but mines are invisible as well in Twin Dragons expansion. They only really show up there but still. Its a issue that most people are well aware of.

You can tweak much more in the options of Raze though. The lighting and shadows work properly too, most of the shadows seem missing on the SW Redux verison. Also BuildGDX is quite good these days as well, giving superior selection of settings and nearly perfect mouse sensitivity with quite smooth movement.

The game is pretty decent for its price range as a exploration type of game. But as a action game its falling short for several reasons. The only viable strategy in the early portion of the game is the shank everything with the bone knife once you get enough money as well as bow and arrow landing headshots on each and every zombie. My talents tells me that I'm good at a variety of weaponry, but the ammo runs out dry after a few tries or a few deaths. Just seems to be a poor man's dirty and hard version of any immersive sim that I've played so far. It doesn't do a good job at telling you how to take out the coffin enemies either or birdmen without sneaking up on them, until you stumble on a note at the cursed fort and a note far off into the distance from the starting area. But I guessed how to do it. Just use the axe or bone knife with a secondary swipe up close.

The other issues are that the game is just really boring to play because it lacks things to do besides explore. There are no ways to help the player out in a bind except the very very rare item of the bird stones to teleport you to your bone totem "check points". Theres hardly any reason to play this any longer until the following is done; unless there is options for difficulty modes, remove the flaws affliction from the character every time you die, decrease the damage enemies do, save anywhere mechanic and make the ammo more plentiful to either find or buy aslong as you got the money to buy some of course.

The game is too difficult because of the ease in which the player bites the dust whenever getting meleed or shotgunned by the nasty female courtisans. These enemies are far too numerous and deadly for the player to have to deal with regularly. You can't even just shoot them after 15-30 minutes of gameplay because of the loss of ammo. So what else can I say but steer clear of this unless you love hard games. Its fun as a exploration game but then you have the combat to try to avoid somehow.

The most incredible piece of gaming I've had in a long time. The most fun I've had in terms of weapons, levels and enemy. Thats usually what it comes down to make for a great retro shooter, and assuming there are plenty of secrets and fast gameplay to keep us entertained. It does this very well.

+Levels are out of this world cool.
+Weapons are satisfying.
+Music is memorable. Worthy to listen to.

A top notch sequel to what we barely remember, Wolfenstein 3D. While that game was instrumental in being one of the first FPS on the market, and it made secret hunting a thing, it doesn't quite hold up to newer games that try the retro shooter aesthetic, sprawling levels, fast gunplay, tough bosses, plenty of weaponry, and artsy look and feel to the levels. Wolfenstein The New Order has got the classic nature of retro shooters but with some additions like dual wielding, modern shooter melee insta-kills, and perk system that rewards you for trying to fight differently whether its stealth, assault, and demolitions. I think the series is going strong from a good first foot forwards, the sequel is similar in that it tries to do all of the above but better all over again and tries to outdo what you previous one done well.

This game when modded is alright. I have to admit when I first played this game it seemed like it was unmoddable and in a poor state. But after relooking at this game and finally deciding to play it, I realize the game is actually ok barring some problems. The combat is linear, somewhat easy, and doesn't really have any particular skill sets required to do alright in it. There are also really annoying lines from other squad members you sometimes meet and a bunch of puzzles strewn throughout the game that I did not enjoy one bit. A valve puzzle, shrunken duke puzzles, toy car puzzle, trying to shrink large aliens down to your size puzzle, and a bunch more in the game. Collect battery puzzle, stop an elevator, a turret section, collect items for a stripper and so forth. Just thinking about all these sections in the game really makes me not want to play it again but honestly, there are somethings that was done right.

+Levels look great,
+Graphics looked about 5 years out of date by the time this thing came out but it still has a cool sense of art style and a gramdeur and showiness that make the most of the assets. All levels have a sense of grand spectacle, that really makes it look alright despite lack of graphical fidelity,
+Strippers look great,
+Guns are fantastic, meaty and cool looking.
-Enemies are repetitive and some of the tough ones hardly show up,
-Annoying puzzles,
-Story, that almost serves to make Duke out to be just as ridiculous as the world, where as I wanted there to be some levity and seriousness to the world while Duke is the comical and overly masculine one. I just didn't see the real parallel to other 3D games in the series.

Unfortunately other things in the game might have rubbed me the wrong way that where fixed in mods. Like weapon limit, overly slow movement speed, and lack of ammo count for the rocket launcher. Mods improve the game and make it seem like a decent shooter but unfortunately I still think that decent just isn't what I was expecting out of the next big installment out of a Duke game. There just isn't any jetpack in single player or any high level challenge to the gameplay for the most part, that to me almost was a let down. But this game scrapes by with high hopes that the developers at Gearbox and 3D Realms can turn this series around one day and give us what we really want out of a Duke game. We've gotten Duke wrong all these years. It's not a high octan action movie on steroids, its not misogny or out of touch cheese, the game is about a man who has to learn to be great at being a man, rather than necessarily being a good man, to beat the alien menace that nobody else seems to arise to the challenge. So in classic action movie fashion one man does become a one man army but only because hes got the confidence and courage to try, and have fun doing it without caring at all about the feelings of those around him. He speaks what he thinks and never gives up, that to me is a cool type of hero.

Theres so much to say about this mod. Its got excessive amounts of all the things I like about a mod.

+ Cool atmosphere that is unique to this mod. Where there is unique blue like tint to the snow areas, and a dark grey tint to the indoor areas. I think thats a interesting touch that I haven't noticed before in any other mod. Its got STALKER vibes all over the place too, dusty, derelict, crammed areas, corridor shooter, cluttered and realistic soviet and bunker style places that you'd swear was like the real thing. The thing is those textures definitely are Soviet styled.

+Gameplay in terms of combat. Its pretty damn high upgrade over regular hl2, in fact I'd take this over STALKER's combat which was a little too difficult for me and for many other people when set right up high. Here I can scrape by on a higher difficulty. The weapons handle and look great and fit the time and place, except for an old rifle which is nonetheless a useful weapon but you don't get to use it all the way through nor would that be as prudent against heavily assault rifle wielding enemies. The obvious disadvantages is the swiping of animations from other games like L4D2 and CS:GO which look alright but would have been so much better if they used their own.

+The graphics are top notch. I'd say that its mostly upto the aesthetics here and not being "HD" good but its still superb to look at given what they are aiming for. Dingy, dark, rusted, used look to everything. When you get to see buildings outside its like anything I've seen before in Source engine.

- Puzzles where intuitive for the most part but they are far too numerous. You do the same number switcher puzzle atleast three times. Its tough and I can't see it was any fun, it just slows the game right down. You do the same "assemble the electronic assembly items" into their respective slots twice. Which is about 2 times too many. Although I didn't struggle with any of them unlike what other people are saying. Its not hard or impossible to figure out except one part with an orb that is supposed to be placed on the big gas generator puzzle after assemble the "electronic assembly items". That was really obtuse.

- The story and characterization was very mixed for me. Its got cool story concepts but the way its told is hard the few times there is dialogue, unless you put subtitles up.

Overall I still want to recommend this one assuming you know what you are getting yourself into as the frequent puzzles and combat kept me engaged, it might be terribly frustrating for almost everyone. Even if you where great at HL2's puzzles, these are just plain weird and a little out of place.

+Beginning was what sold me on playing this through, it got a introduction worthy of a mainstream game. You get the jist of the story, if only you got to continue it in a meaningful way throughout instead of stumbling around using your instincts. You have no idea how you really get from point A to point B eventhough they spelled out how your supposed to work your way into the complex in the intro. They didn't quite figure out how to tell a good story throughout, using the dialogue sparingly. Which is a shame because they are obviously going for a total conversion feel here.

My final score is 6/10.

This is a moody and atmospheric of a melancholic kind that very few other mods have managed to replicate from the HL2 series of games (game + episodes). This one is fairly short but well worth the time because its got quite a few good things about it;

*Many tunnels. And eerie places to see and outside the tunnels.
*Excellent battles and difficulty, some parts really take alot of you ammo wise in the beginning.
*A really tough set of sections in chapter 2 and 6 (a big battle with Zombies and going up against Combines + Striders)
*Getting shot at by a sniper, tough part before chapter 4.
*Battle with a combine airship and vehicle.
*Usable tripmines
*Achievements that where added recently.
*The music is good and fits well.

This game has some things going for it. Its got fun weapons, albeit a limited loadout. You only start with one of the very best weapons in the game. A shotgun, machinegun, or railgun. You got quite alot of ammo and start off with armor. But the game doesn't provide much in the way of its pre-constructed boxy rooms stitched together randomly each playthrough. There is only one boss and its got a fair share of cool in it. You can quickly if lucky unlock the booster strafe powerup to quickly dodge enemy attacks. My problems with it however despite these rooms being handcrafted they don't really pop or show much ingenuity. However with that out of the way I do like everything else about the game surprisingly enough, its just not the retro shooter I thought it was going to be. Why is that? Its a roguelike, its meant to be replayed many times. The enemies are fast, but so are you. The reload mechanic always uses up a ammo counter everytime you reload, the enemy types are all projectile bullet hell or fast moving standard melee monsters. Sometimes they hide on ceilings. I'd say the game is good just not the retro shooter I thought it was going to be. This is going to be a Low tier recommendation from me.

Now this is a cool game, the enemy types frequently brought into the game to keeps things interesting and you get a really good arsenal pretty much shortly after playing this game. The shotgun, lazergun and then the wormgun which fires wormlike leeches. There is alot of pain and difficult encounters in this, there is harm followed by trinkles or slow drip feed of benefits, Upgrades that are difficult to find. Ammo is not showered for you. Enemies that are relentless. Lunge, explode, fire volleys of acid puke, and lazers. Did I mention that this is a really fun game? Because its got everything I expect from a retro shooter. It doesn't really have any gimmicks, its all gameplay, fun enemy types that will really hammer you in some locked down small arena sections. Usually you get some free form movement in larger areas too though, so it never feels like its growing stale or overstayed its welcome.

+Upgrades function well, if you can find them.
+Good enemy variety, quickly introduced.
+Good guns from the getgo, each one sounds great.
+Music is fitting and perfect for this game. Although I usually just play my own music and soundtracks.
+Not swimming in ammo, I'm usually out in atleast one gun.
+Enemies and level layout never outstays its welcome. You progress briskly here.

No downsides its a solid retro shooter for me.