Recent reviews by CountingWizard

Tried a few matches with a friend. It felt more like an escape room puzzle than scary. It very much lacks the tension and panic created by Phasmophobia, even though the production quality is much higher. Not sure how it has so many positive reviews. Not sure how a game about hunting ghosts and demons can manage to feel so soul-less.

****Additional feedback pending with more play****

I played early access and release. It's very tight gameplay, very good writing so far (leans towards historic epic rather than generic fantasy slop), memorable/distinctive art style, and has been receiving regular post-launch support and the addition of major features. I look forward to spending a lot more time with the game.

The developers are not only competent and innovative, but also enthusiastic about sharing the development process of their game. It's plainly obvious they loved making the game.

I played this game pretty much every year since it came out. Usually made it to medical or security to get the flamethrower before I gave up, but this time I actually stuck with it, embraced full-stealth, no radar, and crouching behind objects that didn't completely cover my eyesight, and reloaded before getting killed by the alien; and I made it. I made it all the way. There were times when the alien was right about to spot me, and it turned away at the last second. My old play thru's I would have attacked or panicked, but this time it worked. It all worked.

Really great game. I don't want to re-play it any time soon, but every alien franchise game needs to be as good as this and dark descent.

Amazing vibes. Horror novelty, puzzle to keep you playing. Bite size.

Really enjoyed the vibe. Photorealistic surreal horror experience, and it's a bitesize chunk.

Climbing/jumping paths are a little bit too scripted, and random encounters eventually too frequent, but that's the only criticism I have. It joins the ranks of one of the few games that kept my attention long enough and enjoyed enough to complete the game. And a near-completionist playthrough at that too.

Very much enjoying my playthrough. I've played this game on every system it released on. I'm nostalgic for the NES version, but my favorite was the japan-only SNES version. So far this is my favorite version. They really understand the spirit of the game, and the option to customize your rule-set is very in-line with how "house rules" work with 1974 D&D, which is what the game is really based on.

At first glance, the game looks basic, but the depth comes from making good decisions, balancing whether to take risks and go deeper, or run for your life to keep what you've got. You'll face increasingly difficult odds the deeper you go. In my opinion the intended and most-enjoyable way to play the game is with most of the old-school options turned on, no do-overs when a character dies or party wipes, and draw your own map as you descend. The sense of adventure comes from mapping, and the thrill of having to descend to retrieve the body (and treasure/equipment) of your fallen comrades from the deep.

The only criticisms I have for the game don't detract from the enjoyment, but they are:

• No option to skip through animations or speed up messages
  
• Monster attacks don't describe how many attacks hit you
  
• No option to turn around instead of moving backwards
  
• Prior actions aren't saved (for repeating)
  
• Effects (like sleep) aren't visible unless you are targeting a group for an attack (they need to be visible or toggle-able at all times

You might think this is the grandfather of all video-game rpgs and dungeon crawlers, but you would be wrong. That distinction goes to Moria & Avatar; which believe it or not, were actually MMO's of the mainframe age. If you enjoy Wizardry, there is an alternate lineage of games that branched off way back in the Moria days, and went a different direction than Wizardry: Demise (found over at decklin's demise).

I would love to see more of the original Wizardry games in the future, or better yet, a new Wizardry. I think if you want to see that happen, you need to support the developers and show them there is a market for these games.

Not sure why I haven't reviewed this yet, but even when this was just a barebones early access release the gameplay was stellar. If the core gameplay was that fun by itself, I can't wait for additional systems. Currently holding out for long distance travel before I dip back in, but they are making good progress.

I really enjoy progressing and unlocking the various trains and licenses. I hope they put in more reasons to do the actual gameplay. Because it's quite relaxing but also interesting and challenging at times. It is very unique in that it is a train sim with career progression mechanics and a simulated economy/logistics system.

My only warning for anyone purchasing this game is not to waste money on the DM3. It requires the utmost micromanagement to keep it in one piece while moving faster than 30mph. The DE2 can be used for both shunting and light hauling, but I would only recommend the DM3 for shunting.

A very unique experience. Best with friends.