Recent reviews by ethereal

DEMOCRACY ALWAYS PREVAILS

This game is my favorite way to burn 10-15 minutes at a time. Not to say that you can't crack out on it, but if I only have a short bit of time to get a quick game in, this is what I turn to.

Punchy feels and fast paced gameplay never fails to satisfy.

I hate to say this in a review about a game that could have a lot more promise than it does, but here it goes:

The game suffers from a clunky movement/aiming system that really drags it down. I wasn't sure when I would shoot, there is no leaning or cover mechanics, the laser sight is a lie, all in all I just wish there was more fluidity to the combat, especially since the stealth system consists of walking slowly.

I really enjoyed the look of this game, but the combat, dialog problems and lack of skill depth make it a hard pass.

Preface: I was hyped for this game a long while ago and for that reason did not follow much of the news surrounding it. If you have seriously high expectations surrounding this game, and expect all of the bells and whistles, I'd suggest maybe watching some gameplay and making your own decision then. That being said, here's the review:

Good game that has something that I think a lot of reviewers leave out: Atmosphere. From the sound design to the true randomness of the planets, the game has the lonliness of space down. It's extemely relaxed while still keeping you on your toes when you burn through the atmosphere of another planet.

Personally, I really like the entire sandbox feel of the game and appreciate that there are more straightforward paths if you want a bit of hand holding (or simply prefer the direct route). That being said, the game can feel daunting at first, and doesn't give much of a primer of the mechanics of the game, and prefers that you discover these things on your own. I love the feel of the universe and how you can completely screw yourself and then at the same time work out of that bind with the resources around you.

Pros: Extremely open-ended
Nice sound design
Decent graphics at the moment
Does a good job of tempering the difficulty that randomness can provide

Cons: Odd bugs and glitches
Upscaled from 720p, hopefully this gets patched ASAP
Can be confusing if you don't read

All in all, if you are looking for a game that is about exploration, give it a shot. If you are looking for something with a hardcore edge, this is not for you, unless you enjoy handicapping yourself.

8/10