Recent reviews by Greemlock

Fallout 3 is a very controversial game. Despite its numerous issues, many people enjoy it.

Technically, the game has aged poorly. Not only does it struggle to run on modern hardware, but it also looks bad. The issue isn't with the textures or models but with the color grading, which was common in games of that era. The developers aimed to create a grim atmosphere by adding a gray-brown filter but overdid it. I’m not asking for vibrant colors like in Fallout 4, but it’s crucial for a game where you spend dozens of hours to be visually appealing. Although the game world is detailed, the color filters make many locations lose their diversity, and the gray tones quickly become tiring.

That said, the color grading doesn’t make Fallout 3 a truly grim game. While exploring the world, it does create a dense post-apocalyptic atmosphere of traveling through a ruined wasteland, but this is undermined by most quests, which often devolve into absurdity, much like the main storyline.

Despite this contrast, the side quests are the main reason to play Fallout 3. They lack proper role-playing depth and rarely interact with the RPG system, but they are often nonlinear, have intriguing concepts, and feature interesting characters.

Additionally, Fallout 3 is a first-person shooter where you have to shoot a lot. Unfortunately, shooting is another weak aspect of the game, alongside graphics and the main story. Weapons have random spread, weak recoil, unremarkable sound design, and dull models. This makes combat uninteresting, which is unforgivable for a game of this kind.

A few words about the DLCs: Operation: Anchorage, Broken Steel, and Mothership Zeta are dull, linear shooters that take only a few hours and can be skipped. However, The Pitt and Point Lookout are so good that they alone make the game worth playing. Both feature a near-horror atmosphere and captivating stories.

In conclusion, I believe Fallout 3 is worth playing for the side quests, world exploration, and two DLCs. However, you’ll need to spend a day installing mods to bring the game’s technical side up to an acceptable level.

The problem with this remake is that the original, aside from its visual style, was also a rather mediocre shooter.

In fact, the loss of the original visual style is the second problem. The first is that the game, overall, looks bad due to poorly implemented cel-shading; some locations are physically painful to look at, even after patches. The only advantage of the new graphics is the updated character and weapon designs.

In terms of gameplay, the remake modernized many mechanics, making them more convenient, which makes the remake much more enjoyable to play than the original. Overall, the game has become much easier: the protagonist can now survive more hits, and companions in escort missions are almost never killed. Considering the outdated game design, this simplification actually benefits the game.

However, all the minor gameplay improvements do not save the game. After all, the original was valued for its comic book style, which is ruined here. Yes, many still enjoy the convoluted spy plot, but in reality, it is rather mediocre and unfinished. Moreover, the original voice acting, despite the impressive cast, sounds quite bad.

You can enjoy this game if you buy it at a deep discount. After all, it’s not terrible — just mediocre. But why bother when the more charismatic original is available on Steam? Sure, it’s tricky to run on modern systems, but it delivers much more enjoyment.

What Remains of Edith Finch is a truly beautiful and emotional experience. The less you know about the game before you start, the better, as this is one of those cases where even gameplay mechanics can be a spoiler. However, it's absolutely worth playing, as games that tell simple stories so gracefully and touchingly are a rare gem.

Youngblood is not a bad game, just extremely mediocre. It’s sad to realize that this game is part of the Wolfenstein series, missing everything we loved in The New Order and The New Colossus.

First of all, there’s practically no story here. Between the introductory and final cutscenes, almost nothing happens. Don’t expect the same cool characters or cinematic moments as in the previous parts.

The shooting mechanics and all the weapons have been carried over from the last game. However, since this is now a shooter built around progression, some enemies take far too long to kill, making gunfights less dynamic and more boring.

Another problem caused by the progression system is the game’s difficulty. Missions above your level are almost unplayable because enemies kill you easily, and you deal very little damage in return. Meanwhile, missions at your level turn out to be extremely easy.

Overall, character progression in the game is just unlocking abilities that the main character of the previous game had by default. These abilities hardly affect the gameplay. Weapon upgrades make slightly more sense, but at the beginning of the game, I fully upgraded the basic SMG and used it until the end without feeling the need for anything else—except when I ran out of ammo.

There’s no variety in the game. All you do is shoot Nazis in the same open locations over and over again. The only saving grace is the interesting design and architecture of the locations, which are detailed enough to make exploration enjoyable. However, due to the lack of a proper map—something even the previous linear games had—exploration is extremely inconvenient.

The music in the game is dull and forgettable. I didn’t remember a single track after completing the game. And yet, a great soundtrack was a strong part of the previous games.

You might enjoy the game if you listen to a podcast or watch videos in the background while playing. Since the game is quite short, you can finish it in two evenings at that pace. But a boring grindfest is not what you expect from the Wolfenstein series. It’s better to replay the previous games.

There have always been few good story-driven shooters, and Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus is one of the best. It's a high-budget game with stunningly brutal gameplay and incredible direction. The soundtrack here is my favorite work by Mick Gordon. The only problem with this game is its abruptly cut-off ending, leaving room for a sequel that never came out.

A small but engaging add-on that can easily be played independently from the main MachineGames series. Surprisingly, the game's atmosphere is more reminiscent of Return to Castle Wolfenstein (2001). It lacks the cinematic presentation and dramatic storylines of the main entries, but the core gameplay is solid enough for that not to be an issue.

If you're looking for an unpretentious, action-packed shooter for a couple of evenings, this game is an excellent choice.

Wolfenstein: The New Order is an exciting shooter that successfully combines classic action-packed gameplay with modern storytelling.

As a shooter, the game is still a lot of fun, thanks to a wide variety of weapons and satisfying shooting mechanics. The levels often involve stealth, but due to the weak AI, they don’t provide much of a challenge, even on higher difficulty settings.

The soundtrack deserves special mention, as it perfectly complements the game’s atmosphere and, at times, even motivates more aggressive gameplay.

Also, the game is worth playing, if only for its story, which features excellent cutscene direction and a host of memorable characters. It’s a unique game, and I recommend it to anyone who enjoys narrative-driven first-person shooters.

The main drawback is its technical obsolescence due to the engine. A 60 FPS cap and lack of antialiasing significantly detract from the gaming experience today.

It feels like a clunky shooter from the early 2000s with a VR mod. And this applies to all its aspects.

The shooting mechanics are terrible, which is already a death sentence for a shooter. The weapons feel like toys, and enemies barely react to taking damage.

The same goes for melee combat, especially in a world where Blade & Sorcery exists. Enemies also hardly react to hits, and dismemberment only works on the weakest enemies.

The enemy AI is quite weak, but they are very accurate and can take a lot of damage. This isn’t a problem in the first half of the game when there are few enemies and plenty of ammo, but starting in the second half, it becomes tedious.

Overall, I got the impression that the second half of the game wasn’t tested at all. First, it has terrible checkpoints, forcing you to replay tens of minutes of gameplay, which is a lot for VR. Second, there are more enemies, making their accuracy and health balance issues even more apparent. It’s not even difficult—just not fun.

The entire game takes place in monotonous gray locations, which tire your eyes by the end. This is disappointing because, with a universe as rich as Warhammer, it was possible to create many varied environments.

In the end, I’m not sure this game will appeal even to fans of the franchise, given that its potential is barely utilized. And as a VR experience, this game is very weak due to the near-total lack of interaction with the environment.

I like this game. It has many poorly implemented and controversial elements, but its strengths compensate for most of its flaws.

Overall, it remains a somewhat clunky PC shooter in the spirit of the previous installments, with the exception of the main storyline.

Narratively, S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 is a direct sequel to the earlier games. It concludes the story arcs of many characters familiar to fans and significantly expands the universe's lore. However, those who haven't played the original trilogy may struggle to understand the characters, locations, and events.

The main issue with the story is that it often pulls you out of the game's atmosphere. Thanks to the voice acting, charismatic characters, and impressive cutscene direction, the story is engaging. However, in spirit, it feels more like a flashy action movie, which doesn’t quite fit the grounded atmosphere of the core game.

An even bigger issue is the game's excessive length. It is TOO long. There are many unnecessary scripted shootouts and long runs over vast distances, while fast travel is only available between main bases.

This wouldn't be a problem if the game had more substantial content. The first few areas are filled with side quests and interesting stashes, but as you delve deeper into the Zone, the locations become less detailed. By the end of the game, you'll be exploring large areas with almost nothing to do outside the main storyline.

That said, the side quests that are in the game are very well-made. Like the main story, they are nonlinear, offer multiple ways to complete them, and often come with interesting context.

As for the artistic design, the game looks beautiful and technologically advanced. The impressive environment design is one of the main reasons to play this game.

In terms of gameplay, S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 is very similar to its predecessors but more aligned with modern standards. You’ll still engage in firefights, collect loot, and hunt for artifacts.

Gunplay feels satisfying, and fighting human enemies is fun. The main problem with combat is the frustrating bleeding mechanic and enemy HP balancing. Fights against mutants are worse because there are no real tactics against them — they’re just damage sponges, and battles with them often feel like a clunky arena shooter.

Overall, this is one of the most atmospheric games in history. Yes, it still needs polishing and the restoration of the A-Life system, but even in its current state, it’s a fun game that I recommend.

In my opinion, it’s completely unfair that many fans of the Resident Evil series overlook the Revelations dilogy.

It’s far from the best game in the series, but for me, it’s one of my favorites. The gameplay here is simple, and the familiar survival mechanics like inventory and crafting are simplified. However, it’s still enjoyable to play, and the game doesn’t feel stripped down. The main highlight of this installment is its claustrophobic atmosphere and a rather silly yet well-directed storyline. So I highly recommend giving this game a try — you might just discover a true hidden gem.