Recent reviews by Smart.

Currently quite buggy (it's only in beta, after all), but first impression is that it's obviously made by people who not only love, but have also lived, in Japan. As someone living there, this captures the feeling of a back-alley ramen place perfectly.

Looking forward to deeper gameplay (currently VERY, VERY barebones), but so far looks very promising. Definitely wishlisted.

Ready or Not is SWAT 4 for the 2020s, i.e. a very good police game that strives to be a police simulator.

You have to follow the rules of engagement, there's a dedicated button for yelling at suspects to put their hands up, and you can tase people. However, at the same time, the limitations of it being a game are clear-- for example, in a shootout, suspect #1 gets on their knees to surrender, while #2 next to him is still actively strafing and shooting back. Or wildly inconsistent stealth, like suspects being incapable of reacting to doors being closed into their rooms, while also taking hostages across the map when you first enter a building.

The "atmospheric storytelling" is eye-roll-inducing, with every single map featuring paramilitary-armed enemies, be they kids robbing the gas station, cartel members, or druggies in a crackhouse. They are also blantatly game-ified to create as many dead ends and blind corners as possible, rather than being designed like real buildings.

The developers engage in extremely unconscionable business practices, including the use of AI-generated art, and most recently engaging in censorship (presumably to lower the game's rating from AO to M) and appyling same changes to the PC version.

Yet, I still would mostly recommend this game, because, well, there's no other game that syngergizes the experience of being SWAT than this game. It is still improved over the extremely clunky, though ambitious and well-made, SWAT 4.


Regardless of the negative reviews, the devs won't do anything about it, so it comes down to: well, do you wanna play Cops n' Robbers or not?

Cute game, but disappointed servers max out at 12 players. To be completely honest, if you want a fishing chat room, make (or re-log into) your Old School Runescape account and go fishing at Barbarian Village or the pier on Karamja Island.

I don't understand how this game is only $5 and is still receiving updates/content, AND there's no microtransactions. There must be an ulterior motive, because it's just too good.

An accurate simulation of women's reaction to me on a daily basis

(But seriously, an extremely creative, deceptively cute visual novel psychological-horror game with an excellent soundtrack. Stop reading this review and others [full of spoilers] and just play it!)

Memes aside, it's a great example of "video games as art"-- can't think of any other medium through which this concept could have worked.

Cookie Clicker with the addition of anime breasts

I enjoyed this game so much I wrote the one and only guide for this game on GameFAQs. I've logged hundreds of hours on this before it was on Steam and since it was a flash game. Highly recommended, always challenging.

The "game" is a real POV video of trains in Tokyo, with a cheap-looking HUD/overlay. Speed up the train, the VIDEO speeds up. Slow the train down, the video slows down. It's more an interactive video player than game, really. If you want a game like this, look for Densha de Go! instead.

+ Comfy 2.5D graphics
+ Charming things lost in later games: create-your-own palace, city view, and leaders' outfits changing through the ages (Genghis Khan in a suit!)
+ First in series to introduce culture, cultural victories
+ First in series to introduce unique civ traits
+ Happiness is city-by-city instead of global
+ Challenging combat; beating AI at Prince is harder than Civ V Immortal

- This game is REALLY hard. If you normally play Warlord/Prince on Civ 5/6, you will not even survive the ancient era. 200 hours in I can only beat Emperor (normal)
- Combat can get tedious because of unit stacking, late game is a nightmare
- Building "tall" is not possible. You will get steamrolled if you have 4 cities to the AI's 32
- UI is just "OK" but if you've played Civ you'll get it

Anecdotal, but I had almost zero problem getting this running on Windows 10/11.