Recent reviews by Basho

i like buying soundtracks in general if i like the game or at least the soundtrack.
and this one really turned out to be a gem, im quite amazed in fact.
it fits very well with the mood of the game, but it definitely holds its own as well and has a lot of clever stuff going on.
it is great listening to, great as background music, and great as work music.
crank the volume up for "this caustic love".

big 10/10!

Great art style, great music, great atmosphere.
As a fan of Roadside Picnic, this was a very enjoyable experience, one of my favorite games.

The thing i had an issue with though was how the juggling of resources during the train parts would interrupt the dialogue, but since these parts are short this can be remedied somewhat by restarting the level and focusing on the dialogue first, and then completing the level after restarting.

nice

updated review as of September 26 2024:
so recently a lot of the updates, the ability to do all things in invite-only sessions foremost among them, have made GTA Online actually enjoyable imo.
so i have been playing it casually again in invite-only, enjoying just driving bikes around the city and doing business things here and there etc.

ironically, i was thinking i should update my old review to reflect this since i actually enjoy GTA Online now.

then comes today, where all of a sudden i log in to the message of having been suspended for 30 days and all my progress being wiped.
this presents the damoclean situation where even when the suspension expires, another one might come shortly again for whatever reason this one did.
so even if i were to get to work at rebuilding the hundreds of hours of lost progress, it is highly likely to just get taken away at a whim again.

so i think i am at the point where i will have to just start avoiding anything connected to Rockstar Games and warn others to do the same.

update:
i had my suspension lifted and account wipe reversed.
as part of this process i also received 1.5M GTA$ as compensation.
so i am happy i am able to play again with my progress and effort inact, but i also worry it might happen again for no discernible reason.

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original review:
gameplay is okay but a bit wonky, graphics are great. story is fine but wonky.

i bought it for the online component, but that one is a terrible letdown.

main problem is the mandatory 4-player crew needed for heists, meaning finding a full lobby for your particular heist can be a real bore.
this, coupled with connectivity issues will have heists aborted part-way when someone inevitably looses connection and you are back to finding a full crew again.

online free-mode focus too much on wacky vehicle stunts that have no relation at all to the actual setting (parachuting rocketcars on markers etc) and the parts that actually are relevant to the setting are sorely unbalanced.

when you arent up against actual cheaters you will face "legit cheaters" that are simply so far ahead of any new player that their main source of enjoyment left in the game (if there was any other in the first place) is to use their overpowered arsenal of countermeasure-equipped jetfighters, flying missile-armed rocketbikes, missile-armed flying deloreans etc (not hyperbole btw) to rain destruction on unwitting new players, keeping them from progressing in any meaningful manner.
you can literally see high-level players just camping outside player houses just waiting to drop missiles the moment anyone comes out.

i expected something like a more open-world APB in tone but got something like a P2W PVP saints row 4.

it is by sheer force of will that i have even tried to progress in the online component, and at no point have i really enjoyed it.

tl;dr; terribly unbalanced grindfest with connectivity issues.

this is one of those games you should dive into blind without looking up anything about it beforehand.

very good story driven game. good pacing, and well designed levels.
the story really make this game.

great reference and highly informative.
has helped me out many times when i struggle to comprehend the operational cycle of a specific firearm.

Its great

I normally have a slight aversion to top-down types of games, but I like this one a lot. It is unexpectedly intense and has a great theme/setting to it.
The full friendly fire adds to the intensity, and the way loadouts work allows for some rather complex and interesting team setups.
The strategic element of the dynamic galaxy map, the ability to choose drop point, and the ability to coordinate your team loadout and tactics (including vehicle related ones) are all things that serve to make this an enjoyable experience to me.