Recent reviews by blue

my advice for this game would be to download the demo, and see if you like it. if you do, get the game. if you don't, i absolutely do not recommend it.

for what it's worth i think anode heart is a pretty decent game... that i am personally unlikely to revisit after my handful of hours playing it.

i think the game does combat and music really really well. music is absolutely top notch for the setting the game is trying to lay down. the combat tries (and i think succeed though to be fair i havent played much of the game!) at being rather innovative with its resource and move systems. saw some cool stuff from what i played!

the problem is that i didn't really feel like i was playing much of a monster *tamer*. the raising is interesting (taking obvious cues for digimon, minus the actually caring for the pet from the early World games) but other than recruiting, it is pretty stock jrpg on that front (although to make up for that, the actual pet customization is through the roof). however, this leads me to another problem : i have so so so so many other jrpgs i would rather play over this one.

the game is good. the ideas are there. the combat is great. but to me it is kind of lost in a sea of games i would rather play. i said i am unlikely to ever visit this game again, but maybe at the end of my long journey & backlog clearing i will find a place and time to revisit it. maybe if it lives in my head, i could convince myself to play it again sooner than later.

my verdict is : if you can spare a solid 30 to 50 hours and aren't pressed by other games, this is most likely worth your time, providing the demo didn't turn you away.

i can only speak for my solo experience : it is kind of miserable. i can tell the game is probably much better in co-op, but it was extremely unfun and time consuming to run around solo.

the UI is very not good though and was frustrating to deal with, part of why i do not want to put more time into it

by all means if you can find it on sale and you and your buds want a 15 year old tower defense co-op game? i have like 15 other games in mind i think would be more fun, but shrug

it wasn't impressive in 2008 and it still isn't. game people bought because there was very little on steam 15+ years ago. even on higher difficulties, not particularly challenging. single player, the AI will kind of trounce everything, the RTS aspects are very underbaked, and the maps are not super fun to navigate.

i am all for game preservation but even if the game could still be purchased (you can't anymore cause company went under) i would not recommend it

it's a good game. a fine rpg. my biggest complaints are mostly with the structure. the gameplay is fine - action lite - and is perfectly serviceable.

but the story suffers because every chapter is structured like an anime episode, with an intro re-playing, a problem introduced, and solved by the end of it. unfortunately since the focus is mostly on that, it also means there's little friction between characters, since well you solved the problem! we are pals now. it doesn't make it feel shallow but it certainly diminishes the impact the story could have.

if you do not like reading, this game is not for you. it veers a bit into VN territory with how much text there is. i don't think that's bad (though it drags a little bit at time) but this is a game that requires attention if you want to truly care.

other than that i would mostly recommend it on sale.

this game has my favorite gang of losers and also virtua fighter 2 is playable

never played the original but this is an arcade scorer where you play like a twin-stick shooter but you score by creating zones on the ground. unsure how faithful it is, but as it stands i don't think it's a terrible game. for most, probably worth it in a massively discounted bundle, but an ok entry in the recharged series.

leaving a thumbs up because, while i don't think it's fun personally, i still think it's fine. not going to rock your socks off, but if you come across it in a massively discounted bundle, sure why not.

system shock is a good game. very ahead of its time for when it released. nightdive studios did a good job with the fresh coat of paint. unfortunately, system shock is a hard game and you will die a lot, so consider that before you pick it up and get mocked by shodan and her silly little traps at least 50 times through the game. very funny video game that made me feel real despair

genuinely a joy of a game that looks incredibly good visually. looks are a bit deceptive because the game is still pretty decently challenging. soundtrack also bangs. there's a good flow to the game and it's truly very fun to play. only downside is that with some effects (rockets...) it's a bit easy to get lost visually.

also didn't see it advertised anywhere but the original version *is* also included, and that's wicked cool.

I had some issues with the demo, but in the state it launched for in early access, I'm more than satisfied. Definitely a bit of a learning curve, but when you get in the zone, the flow is genuinely unmatched. Maybe a bit early to say this, but seeing how the demo turned into a much better feeling early-access, I have strong confidence that this will eventually become a genuinely incredible game.