Recent reviews by cosMIC

The gameplay in Shadow Gambit: The Cursed Crew is solid, with well-designed character abilities that make stealth and strategy engaging. However, the writing is a major letdown. I tried following the main story and side quests for the first two hours, but the dialogue and narrative felt forced and unengaging, making it hard to stay invested.
The character designs and story lean heavily into themes and aesthetics that feel overly modern and out of place for a pirate-themed game, which detracted from the overall experience. Skipping dialogue and ignoring character art made the game more tolerable, but it’s a shame it came to that.
The game spans eight islands, but they lack variety and fail to offer unique challenges. Missions quickly become repetitive, as you’re essentially doing the same tasks over and over. Switching between characters with different abilities helps somewhat, but it’s not enough to keep things fresh. The music fits the pirate vibe with classic themes, but nothing stood out as memorable.
Overall, I’d rate it 6/10. With a stronger story and less distracting character designs, this could easily have been an 8/10 or higher.

Amazing arcade racing game that captures the nostalgic thrill of old-school F1 titles. It’s an absolute blast, delivering instant fun with quick, action-packed races that keep you coming back for more. The game nails the balance of accessibility and depth.

Pros:
- Fantastic Arcade Racer: The retro-inspired visuals and fast-paced gameplay evoke the charm of classic F1 games.
- Instant Fun, Quick Races: Races are short and thrilling, perfect for pick-up-and-play sessions without overwhelming complexity.
- Superb Race Mechanics: Fuel management and tire degradation are brilliantly implemented, adding strategic depth to every race. You’ll need to plan pit stops and tire choices, which feels rewarding without being overly complex.
- Great Progression System: The upgrades and perks system, evolving through different seasons and decades, keeps the career mode engaging and gives a real sense of growth as you improve your car and team.

Cons:
- Wonky AI: The AI can be inconsistent—sometimes it’s blisteringly fast, pulling away at unrealistic speeds, while other times it drives slowly or erratically, weaving unpredictably.
- Unrecognizable Track Layouts: Some tracks don’t closely resemble their real-world counterparts, which is a shame for F1 fans hoping for more authentic circuit designs.

Despite a few hiccups with the AI and track designs, New Star GP is a stellar arcade racer that’s hard to put down. Its blend of retro charm, strategic depth, and pure fun makes it a must-play for racing fans.

Strongly recommended! 9/10

Solid Eurojank RPG - 6.5/10

The story kicks off with some promise: sci-fi medieval mashup, branching choices, ... . But the dialog and writing tank it hard. It’s abysmal, drenched in that Netflix millennial cringe: stilted, cheesy, and trying way too hard to be edgy. Every character’s a dud as a result, and by the end of the game, I was rooting for them all to die (good news: you can make that happen, and it’s mildly satisfying).

Combat is pure jank, hovering around Gothic 2 levels of clunkiness. Movement is a nightmare—you’ll get staggered or caught on every other edge and corner like the game’s actively trolling you. Animations feel ripped from the pre 2010 era, stiff and dated. The difficulty is all over the place: it’s brain-dead easy most of the time, then suddenly spikes into frustrating nonsense. Take the bosses, for example: one’s as basic as it gets, glued to one spot with two predictable attacks, but if it lands a hit, you’re dead in one shot. Come on. Some enemies also drain your stamina on hit—not gradually, mind you, but all of it in one go. That leaves you immobile, ripe for a stunlock that lasts a painful long seconds. You’re just sitting there, watching your character eat dirt with no input possible. Brutal and not in a fun way.

The game flirts with Souls like elements, bonfire checkpoints, punishing fights, but it’s closer to a narrative Piranha Bytes title in spirit. Rough around the edges, unpolished, and oddly charming if you’re into that.
If you’re a fan of Eurojank RPGs and can stomach the flaws, this might scratch an itch. For everyone else, steer clear unless you’ve got a high tolerance for pain and a soft spot for messy games.

10/10 - Peak FPS Perfection. Would BFG again.

This is the FPS! You won’t find a tighter, more adrenaline pumping shooter out there. I blasted through the campaign, and it’s an absolute masterpiece. Story? Classic Doom vibes: Mars, Hell, demons, the usual BBQ. Nothing groundbreaking there, but who cares when the gameplay is this good? The weapon handling is crisp, the movement is smooth, and glory kills? Juicy!
I’m enjoying the gameplay, plain and simple and it delivers hard. Shredding demons feels so satisfying, it’s borderline therapeutic.
Talking about therapy, the soundtrack: holy hell, that’s a masterpiece too. It’s like Mick Gordon strapped a chainsaw to your eardrums and revved it up to 11.

Multiplayer’s probably a ghost town by now, but the single-player campaign and Arcade mode are more than enough to keep you hooked.

10/10 - A Mercenary Masterpiece (Okay, Maybe a 9, But Who’s Counting?)

Let’s be real—it’s not perfect perfect, but Jagged Alliance 3 is so damn good you’ll forgive its quirks faster than a merc forgives a late paycheck. The nostalgia hits like a shotgun blast from JA1 and JA2, dragging me back to the good ol’ days of pixelated chaos.

The soundtrack? Pure gold, setting the perfect vibe. And those pep talks between mercs? Chef’s kiss. I’d pay extra just to hear Ivan roast comrades mid-battle.
The fictional African setting Grand Chien is a gritty, sun-scorched playground that oozes atmosphere.
The story arc? Solid, serviceable, like a reliable AK-47: it gets the job done without overcomplicating things.
Gameplay’s where this game shines, even if it’s a tad streamlined from JA2’s hardcore roots. Simplified? Sure, but it works. I’m liking lack of hit chance percentages - forces you to know your mercs, learn their quirks, and feel like a tactician instead of a calculator. You’ll know exactly when Raven can snipe a fly off a Legion goon’s helmet, or when Barry’s just gonna waste ammo.
Visually, it’s a treat. Graphics are crisp and stylish, perfectly suited for this turn-based romp. Gun variety’s my main gripe: it’s a bit thin, and the balance feels off sometimes. But mods can fix that in a heartbeat, and even vanilla’s still a blast.
The perk system’s a mixed bag - some shine like diamonds, others feel like duds. But you’ll still find your favorites and roll with ‘em.
Overall? Jagged Alliance 3 is a love letter to the series that stands tall on its own. Nostalgia-soaked, tactically thrilling, and packed with personality. Minor flaws? Sure. But they’re like scratches on a well worn rifle - part of the charm.

Strongly recommended: hire this crew and take Grand Chien by storm. You won’t regret it.

Really fun Smurfs game that feels like Mario 3D World. I played it with my 5.5-year-old daughter, and she handled most of it with a little help from me.

Pros:
- Awesome Smurf-themed visuals
- Responsive, tight controls
- A few catchy music tracks
- Perfect length, doesn’t drag on
- The unlockable costumes are great

Cons:
- Could use more costume options (earned through playing, naturally)

8/10 It's Smurfing

5/10 Disappointing Fantasy Experience

I struggled through the first campaign but couldn't finish it due to a lack of engagement. The game's writing feels modern in a way that clashes with its fantasy setting, and the character diversity seems more about meeting quotas than enhancing the story or gameplay.

The design of units and spells is particularly uninspired, adding to the overall sense of monotony.
Initial characters you encounter feel like caricatures: a Joan of Arc-esque figure paired with her POC girlfriend. :facepalm:

Just wait for new HOMAM game!

I'm giving it no, but its more of meh, because there is a lot to like.
#Good:
- gameplay itself is fun
- mining element is great, keeps you engaged
- graphics
- polish
#Now Bad, like really bad:
- the meta progression is trash. Most cookie cutter of them all. Boring af, just Increasing percentages +2% here +2% there.
- no fun builds, there is no interaction between weapons, elements, nothing. Everything works in its own bubble.
- there is absolutely no brain activity needed when picking up upgrades, just pick the rarest one and you golden.
- on the note of upgrades they are BOOOOOORING. 95% of the time you are picking +% (dmg, atck speed, reload speed)
- lack of boss variety, there is like 3 or 4 of them, and they are just bullet sponges.

Final score: 5/10
- there is big potential, but it's not realized. If the meta progress and weapons interactions would be half as good as in Death Must Die, this would be 10/10.

Game might be great, but FOV is hard set to something around 70 !?
It's hard on eyes, feels like looking through binoculars. Can't play for more then 30 mins or it gets tiring.

Why is there no FOV slider!
Skip until there is a way to change FOV.

Edit: mod fixed the FOV. Finished the campaign, changed review to recommend, but ...
Game is horribly repetitive, it's carried by atmosphere and somewhat interesting story.

Good soulslike game. Nothing rly special, except for art and setting.
- Graphics looks decent
- story semi interesting
- good weapon variety, albeit I used only 3 weapons through whole game
- difficulty was a bit off, sometimes too easy
- game was definitely too long for what it was
- no major bugs
7.5/10