Recent reviews by dannyboy2016

Crysis 2 is an unfulfilling trek through mindless action set pieces and a poorly written plot. I mention the plot because this feels more like a movie than a game. Crysis 2 is an extremely linear experience. The best thing about it might be Hans Zimmer's score.

Personally, it feels like a step backwards from the original game. However, it is pretty and you can shoot things. If you pick it up don’t pay more than $5 for it.

8 bit sex, man Krakens, cyber crocs, dino riding, and more can be found in this delightful jaunt through an America divided by the still fresh experiences of Vietnam War 2. Blood Dragon is a short and sweet shooter with some good laughs. I had a lot of fun with it.

That being said, it is a tad repetitive, Uplay is required, and you’ll beat it in less than 10 hours. I still enjoyed it immensely and highly recommend it. Snatch it up whenever you can find it for $10 or less.

The writing in this espionage RPG is top notch and this is one game where your choices really do matter. This makes it quite repayable. That being said, everything else is a bit of a clunky mess.

I recommend Alpha Protocol for its first rate storytelling, but advise you to wait till it's on sale for $5 or so.

I played a lot of this when it was called Operation Flashpoint. The AI is particularly impressive. Once, my roomate at the time designed a scenario where a small American force had to destroy an enemy self propelled AA gun. Once it was destroyed, additional troops could come in by air. Then, after every Russian in the area was dead, we'd have ten minutes to prepare for a Russian counterattack.

Well, the counterattack would never fire. So, we watched a replay. A Russian officer and some conscripts, fearing for their digital lives, took a civilian car and drove out of town. We did nothing to code this. They just wanted to get the hell out of there.

Other replays showed similar behavior. Troops would flee into the wilderness.

So, the triggers had to be revised so that we'd only have to drive all enemy forces from the town to trigger the counterattack. Even then, when we loaded up an destroyed almost all of the attackers, one infantry was still alive huddled in the wreckage of a T-80.

The single player is great. There is a level where you have to try to get to an evac point asap. There were a lot of Russians looking for you, so I found myself compelled to take the long route through thick woods. Laying prone and waiting for a nearby squad of Russians to pass (while hoping they didn't see me) was one of the most intense moments I ever experienced in gaming.

The original STALKER had more "character," but call of Pripyat is a more approachable game. This isn't to imply that it is easy, but minor improvements (like the ability to get your armor and weapons repaired by NPCs) really improve the overall experience. While the mutants are the same, COP adds some really interesting areas to explore (including more of Pripyat ).

There are also plenty of mods floating around for it. You can find some here:
http://www.moddb.com/games/stalker-call-of-pripyat/mods

Those are just the tip of the iceberg. The Steam Community has been helpful for finding mods in the past.

Maybe, those mods will help ease the pain caused by the cancellation of STALKER 2.

Kicking Orcs Off Ledges Simulator 2006 still stands up today as the ultimate kicking things off ledges experience.

There is more to it than just kicking, however. It plays sort of like Deus Ex in a fantasy world where a fragile coexistance between magic and the protagonist's omnipotent legs is begining to fray because of, like, some Necromancers or something. I forget. It doesn't really matter, does it? You don't buy simulators for rich storytelling, after all.

Anyway, the game gives you free reign to explore levels full of creatures to kick and things to kick them off of or into. Along the way you'll get some skill points to distribute. So, you'll get the opportunity to learn different types of magical spells, become an expert archer, or simply finish a BA in Orc Studies from the University of Ledges. You can shrink goblins and step on them, freeze surfaces and watch orcs slide off ledges without dirtying your boots, or immerse yourself in the best first person swordplay out there.

However, this stuff is all secondary to the amazing power of the protagonist's legs. You could kick down the fourth wall and become demon emperor of the universe with those bad boys.

What can I say? I've wasted 600 hours of my life on this game. It's great!