Recent reviews by Nick.

I have almost 1,000 hours logged on this game. I feel that should almost speak volumes for itself.

I discovered The Long Dark way back in its infancy, and it's made endless bounds and leaps since then. We often lose faith in Early Access games, but to this day, TLD has been the best experience in an early access game I could have possibly ask for.

For those not familiar, TLD is one of the most intense survival games you'll ever play, period. After a geomagnetic storm has bought your plane down in the Canadian wilderness, you're thrust into a brutally cold environment, in which one wrong move will get you killed; quickly. All I can say to those who are new is this; prepare to die. A lot.

But you will love ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ it. This game is so brutally hard to master, but damn will you feel like a God surviving that epic bear encounter, battling the cold to make it to shelter with the fresh deer you've killed, fighting off ravenous wolf packs, and taking in some of the most gorgeous surroundings while doing it. The atmosphere is unmatched by anything else. For those who don't know what I mean, just explore the Carter Dam for the first time; I swear it's changed me permanently as a person.

This game will challenge you, but if you persist, it pays off immensely. Every day survived teaches you something new, strengthens you, and gives you that ever so invaluable edge in the world you are placed. You'll learn how to survive the most insane situations, and will always take something away from it. From mastering calorie consumption and food storage, to traversing near impassable terrain, forced rationing and so much more.

I remember once trying to cross a frozen lake in FM. I was arrogant as all hell, it was a beautiful day outside and i'd just managed to scare a bear away from a recently killed deer, so was loaded with food. All of a sudden, *CRACK*, the ice breaks, and into the lake I go. After dragging my stupid self out, I was near death; freezing cold, wet clothes, and the weather was changing; quickly. "No worries", I thought to myself, "I'll just get a quick fire going, and warm up in-- Is that bear runni---OH FUUUUU*^@(*&K". And that was that. 104 days down the drain.

11/10, would definitely let bears become friends with my face again.

Just go buy the game if you like survival challenges.

So I have never written a review for a game; ever. I've been an active steam member for 12 years, have owned multiple products, played some for almost 1,000 hours, and i've never written a review. Until now.

Empire: Total War is a blissful take on what a good great strategy game is. While being a little (it's not even noticeable, really) buggy in regards to A.I controlled opponents, overall it's not even an issue. The campaign mode is detailed; enormously detailed. I first loaded up a 'World Domination' campaign as France and almost lost my mind. Initially, I thought to myself "This is too complex, I just want to control some soldiers and punch on with England". 3 days later, i'm still playing the same campaign, currently negotiating with Spain over the new American world, losing my trade routes to Swedish raiders, desperately rallying soldiers for a fresh Prussian invasion to the east, and putting down rebellions constantly in England while they refuse my rule.

Annoyed by politics in the real world? Load up Empire: Total War and just fire ministers for the hell of it. Problems with England expanding into resource-rich America? Just take London by force, and cut them off early. It's a game where you control how your empire unfolds, who your friends are, or if you want to just take everyone down with you.

What attracted me to the Total War franchise are the battles themselves though. It's always a moment of absolute awe the first time you enter the deployment screen and see the tens and thousands of your units ready and willing to engage the enemy, and the tactics you need to utilise. Every unit serves a function, from cheap meat shields, to fully armoured heavy cavalry, right down to hit and run skirmishers. Morale is everything. Your soldiers will only fight as well as the rest of your army; the more weak points you have, the more likely it is you will be scattered. Your soldiers gain experience and ranks which are so valuable it isn't even funny. Facing a 10,000+ Austrian invasion force? Your highly experienced 2000+ linesman will shock you with how well they perform. Seriously. I've faced utter annihilation holed up in a fort with barely 400 soldiers, and still managed to hold the line against almost 5,000 Ottoman soldiers, all thanks to how mobile they were around the siege, and how battle hardened they already were.

So far, I can't stop playing. I'm at work right now writing this, hoping to pass the time until I can get home in... 6 hours, 28 minutes, load up my campaign, and get right back to sending those loyalist redcoats right back to the hell they came from.

Vive la France!