Recent reviews by DopeGhoti

Mi impressions are still fairly early with Civilization VII, but I'm generally happy with that Firaxis has presented so far. The Ages system and the new Influence-based diplomacy will take as much getting used to as the new "two Improvements per District" paradigm for city expansion, but I've been enjoying my time with the new game so far and it feels like a worthy successor to VI. That said:

I have long felt that each Civilization game that has come out since III has felt somewhat less complete than its immediate predecessor at launch, though the inevitable expansions always fill these gaps (perceived or actual) and thus far have always made each game ultimately greater than the last. VII is no different; there is much that VI brought to the table with regard to for example the customization of religion, or the size and layouts of the game maps for example that VII lacks in the days immediately following launch.

One thing that definitely sticks out to me though, is that the UI at the very least has always felt fully fleshed out and polished even at launch, and sadly this is not the case with VII. Even such simple things as unit movement, combat orders, or promotions feel somehow half-baked compared to how the same presentations and operations felt in VI even going back to when that game released.

If you're a fan of the franchise and want to see the new path it's striking, definitely check this out. If you're new though, I would -- for now -- recommend picking up a bundle of VI and all its expansions in the next Steam Sale for a more complete and polished experience.

I do have faith, though, that as always, Firaxis will evolve its current Civilization into one that will truly withstand the test of time, as they always have.

I used to really like and strongly encourage others to check out this game. And in truth, the game itself and its core message and open development are fantastic.

However, the recent decision to introduce a "downloadable currency" with which to buy cosmetic items rather than selling this cosmetic DLC for honest currency prices is a scummy, exploitave, and consumer-hostile tactic that I cannot support or abide.

It's a real shame, too.

The toils of my daily labor intercede betwixt myself and the Book of Hours, and so my time within its thrall has been thus far brief and intermittent. Despite, however, this breviloquent interlocution, I deem it a worthy successor to its forebear, Cultist Simulator.

It is immediately familiar, yet also otherworldly. It is gentle in ways its predecessor is not; yet remains suitably adversarial to rightfully consider itself a challenge.

I look forward keenly to piercing my focus through this encroaching Fascination and mastering it before it masters me.

Delightfully fun and devilishly challenging, this game is a fantastic time-annihilation vortex. Takes notes from Overcooked but adds other restaurant-based challenges of bussing tables, taking orders, and handling dirty dishes for the next customers. Supports up to four either over a network or sharing a sofa and the challenge ramps up nicely, but toward the end of a typical fifteen-day run you'll definitely start having to thing things out to make sure your line is well-ordered. Devs are continuing to add new seasonal events and other updates; I cannot recommend this highly enough.

So remember Phasmophobia? Not long after it came out, what seemed to be a cheap knock-off of it was released, which was worth a look but didn't really bring anything new to the table beyond the one fundamental gameplay tenet of being tasked not merely with identifying which types of spectral visitors are haunting the locales your groups are dispatched to, but also with actually exorcising them from the property.

Time passed.

While Phasmo has essentially stagnated, this game reinvented itself (and not just from the legal-threat-induced name change from "Ghost Hunter Corp") and has, in my opinion, begun to outshine its predecessor in many ways, including:

Its lobbies support more players (up to six, rather than four).

There is a proper and useful tutorial.

There is more than one type of contract.

There are more types of equipment, and more ways to use them (e. g. salt can be used as a 'trap', or as ammunition in the lateish-to-unlock shotgun).

Perhaps more strikingly as a contrast- the adversaries have more settings in between the two extremes Phasmo has of "jump scare" and "kill the player"- players can be wounded rather than killed outright for instance.

And finally, it is not beset by the recent drama its competitor's dev team and community managers have drawn.

Even if you are not one to stop playing Phasmo in light of this drama, this game is worth a look if only for the change of pace or the option two more of your friends along for the ride.

All that said however, it is not without its "jank" and places that need some polish- the player kinematics are downright hysterical and it is in some cases rather straightforward to convince the physics engine to catapult you outside of the map. Planned future updates which will hopefully bring some polish also promise to bring new challenges including multiple entities to identify and exterminate on a single contract, which I for one am looking forward to seeing being brought to fruition.

This game is so absurd, and so stressful, and so brilliant. Fantastic mod community.

This game has been in development for a long, long time, and it shows. The deloper was inspired by the aesthetic of old games such as could be found on Macs back in 1985. This was leveraged into a fascinating mystery to unravel, and a wonderful tale to excavate. The game's "rules" are completely fair, and in many cases where there is ambiguity in terms of facts or interpretation, Obra Dinn allows multiple "right" answers should they apply. Upon completion, you will be amazed by how much was created by one person (notwithstanding testers, voice artists, localization, etc.). The one downside to this fantastic work of art is that it's not particularly replayable.

This is a deep, creative, and challenging roguelike with a really cool premise and amazing audiovisual design.

Did you ever play Harvest Moon, Animal Crossing, Rune Factory, or other similar games? Did you ever want one of them that was not tied to a specific platform, or established lore, or AAA sensibilities? This is the game for you. It is both Zen and compelling; it is surprisingly moreish; is it sublime.

The Cubicle is an intriguing piece of what I for lack of better immediately available terminology am terming "VR Art". There is some interaction which is required both to set the mood and for clever technical reasons that become clear as the experience progresses. It's about ten minutes logs, but a quite entertaining ten minutes. If you have a VR rig of any sort, this is definitely worth checking out, particularly for the price of "free". I would not recommend this if there were a price tag on it, but as a free VR setpiece, this is on my short list of things to show friends who want to check out VR.