Recent reviews by jimbobslimbob

A return to form by one of my favourite games of all time. The game has a lot to offer any RPG fan - and especially so for fans of D&D.

Neverwinter Nights (NWN) is a 3rd Edition D&D RPG set in the Forgotten Realms. It is playable single player, co-op, multiplayer and even has "player worlds", which are like small-scale community driven MMO's. The sheer amount of community content available for this game is astonishing - you will never run short of things to do with it.

While the original campaign never really took the world by storm, the subsequent expansions and premium modules were a great improvement to the game - Hordes of The Underdark remains a masterpiece. With this version (standard), you get all the expansions, plus 3 of the premium modules. The others are available as DLC, should you wish to buy them.

The game also comes with a DM client to allow you to hop on and play god and create your own story, along with a complete module building toolset to create your own adventures to share with others. Expect the workshop to grow as time goes on and more creators get their content on it.

The new Enhanced Edition features some nice Steam integration, including workshop support and friend-list support to make joining games that much easier. It also features some graphical upgrades, UI scaling, new sound system, resurrection of the master server list and more. It's still early days at the time of writing this review, but they have a lot planned. Exciting times for any D&D fan indeed.

Jimbob Rating: 9/10

Fun zombie horde shooter with lovely graphics and smooth gameplay. A great game to pickup for an hour and blast some Z-heads. Classes, lots of guns and even Workshop support make this co-op gold.

Killing Floor 2 is very similar to the original title, but with significant upgrades to graphics and gameplay. It plays as a co-op (up to 6 players) horde-based survival game, where waves of progressively more difficult "Zeds" are thrown at you. At the end of each wave you have a minute breather to check out a trader and upgrade your weapons or buy ammo. On the last wave you fight a boss Zed, which is very powerful and difficult to kill. They take quite a bit to take down and require team strategy to do efficiently. There are 3 different types of boss Zed in game at the time of writing this review and each has their own specific move-set, weapons, behaviour and weaknesses.

There are several difficulties to play on, but to get anywhere on them you first need to level up your desired class (the game calls them "perks") to a decent enough level in order to be able to pull your weight in the game. There are currently 10 different perks in the game, each offering it's own set of weapons and talents unique to them. Such perks include the Berserker (a melee specialist), Commando (assault rifle and LMG guy, able to detect cloaked enemies), Support (a shotgun wielding damage dealer with enhanced ability to weld doors shut), Field Medic (obvious team healer) and a lot more. There will surly be a specific perk that you will gravitate to and thankfully they are all different enough to keep things fresh. Each perk can level to all the way to 25. You get small incremental bonuses to certain attributes at each level (dependent on the perk) and also get to choose a talent every 5 levels which gives you some special ability or bonus. These talents can be switched out at any time so you are not hampered by any bad decisions. That also means that depending on the group you play with, you can alter your character to better fit the game you are playing in.

There are quite a few maps included with the game, with the added addition of built-in Steam Workshop support, meaning additional maps and mods can be downloaded at will. However, the basic formula of the game remains exactly the same. This can lead to a feeling of repetition sinking in a little sooner than you may hope. It would have been nice to get some additional game modes, akin to a mission-based formula like the Left 4 Dead series or perhaps a more strict "hold-out" mode and the like, where you must defend a specific position against the waves.

Graphically it looks gorgeous and runs silky smooth. This is important in a game where reaction time is critical. When the action gets thick, the good 'ol Unreal Engine (a newer version to the one the previous game used) copes well with it all and the action comes thick and fast at a decent FPS, even at 4k with maxed out settings.

Sound and music are all top-notch too. Every bullet fired sounds and feels right. The shotguns have an almighty kick to them and the assault riles strike the balance between accuracy and damage very well. Reloading at the wrong time could mean trouble! The music fits very well and contributes to the often frantic atmosphere of the game.

Fun and frantic, with good visuals, solid gameplay and fun co-op gaming. Repetition will sink in sooner than later and as such, it's best sipped in short doses. Great game for an hour or two with some friends. Hopefully it will continue to be supported by the developers and get additional weapons, maps and game modes to increase its lifespan.

Jimbo Rating: 7/10

It's a turn-based isometric RPG which attempts to do what Sword Coast Legends never did: make a computer game that captured the essence of PnP, complete with campaign editor (not tried yet, since this is an EA review), GM mode and true RPG-freedom-of-choice. It is very similar to RPG's of old, like Neverwinter Nights, Baldurs Gate etc.

I have only completed Act 1 so far, since that's all that exists in the early access version, but I am hooked. The game is a joy to play. Difficult at times, yet rewarding too. It offers true freedom of choice in the way you play and create your character. It features a classless character system so you are free to do whatever you want with your character. It also features various "origin" characters which are kind of pre-generated characters with fleshed out backgrounds (the kind of thing you do yourself in a D&D campaign). You can choose to play one of those or alternatively make up your own and recruit them in game.

There are many ways to solve the quests in game, offering a lot of replay value. Race, "tags" (such as Outlaw etc.) all make NPC's treat you differently and offer various other ways to do things. The co-op gameplay (up to 4 players) has also been specifically designed with this in mind, meaning your party may not always see eye-to-eye on things. This creates the potential for some interesting RP scenarios.

Although the version I played does not yet feature a GM mode or level editor, this looks to be the icing on the cake and could significantly increase play-time. They will also offer Steam Workshop support for "click-and-play" modding.

Now all they need to do is offer the ability to import/export characters...

Summary
Overwhelming to begin with, but once you get to grips with the game mechanics you realise just how well crafted this game is. Gorgeous graphics, wonderful sound and music, solid turn-based tactical combat and endless replay value.

Jimbo Rating: 8/10

Bayonetta is a fast paced combat action game with fluid animations, gameplay and lots of stuff to kill. Similar in a lot of ways to the Devil May Cry series.

You play Bayonetta - a sassy witch that seems to like getting herself into trouble. She is a great main character with witty dialogue, questionable morals and looks that could kill. Along the way you will meet angels, demons and all manner of wacky people and creatures that have some of the boldest (and weirdest) designs I have seen. While there isn't much to the story, it's not a large issue since the rest of the game is just so much fun.

The main focus of the game is mastering the combat system. The system itself is easy to get to grips with but very difficult to master. This is a hard game - you will die a lot. However, once you spend some time with the game and get to know its nuances and enemy types it becomes pure joy to play. The combat is extremely fluid, responsive and fun.

Graphically it looks surprisingly good for a game this old, but the beauty of it sometimes gets lost in the frantic panic of combat. Sound and music is also spot on, along with some nice voice acting and cut-scenes that are very well done. I have had a few issues with stuttering that seem to occur when wind (or rain) effects are on screen. Weirdly, pausing the game and then unpausing fixes it - if only for a short time. This is a great shame as it makes some levels more difficult when you are fighting against the game engine as well as all the enemies. Apprently I am not alone in this regard, but the recent patch they brought out has not solved the issue for me. I should note, however, that generally speaking the game runs silky smooth.

So, to summarise, it's a fast paced combat action game that is unforgiving and difficult at the best of times, but rewarding when you "get into the groove".

Jimbo Rating: 7/10 (would be 8/10 without the stuttering weather bug)

Wonderful piece of automation/macro/scripting software that can be tailored to do exactly what you want with it. From what I have seen of VoiceAttack so far, it surpasses (previously used) VoiceBot in every way. It's simple to use with the ability to extend its use via scripting. It even featured "dynamic commands", where a command can alter depending on a certain input from the user. It's really good and I find myself coming up with new ways of using it every day.

Within half an hour I had set up a complete profile for voice commands, ranging from launching programs, launching and recording a stream in OBS all the way to interacting with Plex (my media center) via voice commands.

Jimbo Rating: 9/10

Avorion is a space game that functions as a hybrid of games like Freelancer, X3 and Empyrion (sans planetary landing - which is actually a good thing). You can build your own ships, roam freely through the huge randomised galaxy, do missions, trade, mine, become a bounty hunter or a pirate - it's a lot of fun. You can also get together an entire fleet to command at your will - using additional ships as fighters, miners or cannon fodder. Even at the EA stage, the game has a lot going for it.

The basic premise is to journey towards the center of the galaxy. Along the way you will make friends and enemies and settle into a playstyle that suits you best. Due to the aforementioned ship building (which, by the way, is really well done) you can tailor your ships however you want. There is also a loot system for turret and ship upgrades that is well done. There is some basic physics and laws in place - which will hopefully be fleshed out as the game progresses. Space battles already feel quite fun and some of the randomised ships you face off against are interesting to say the least.

The building system is surprisingly robust. Modular building exists, where you can save templates of ship sections for later use. You are able to start games in creative mode to tinker about with your ship design where you can save the blueprints for later use in any other games you play. The blueprint system is really well done too - when your ship gets damaged, the game can repair missing blocks based off your saved ship design.

It runs nicely and I have not yet encountered any bugs - which is a refreshing thing to see on an EA game. It features single and multiplayer, with dedicated servers. Setting up a dedicated server was my first port of call - and it's really good fun to play with others. There are some nice little touches like an in-game mail system where you can talk and trade while players are offline. You can set up groups, help each other out with resources and share ships.

It's nice to see Early Access games that are this well polished, feature-rich and playable. The developers are on to a winner with Avorion and I look forward to seeing where it leads.

Jimbo Rating: 8/10

Wildlands is a tactical third-person squad shooter set in a large open world to use as your playground. It plays as a mix between Farcry, Just Cause and The Division and features 4 player drop-in-out seamless co-op.

The game features a lot of what you would expect - vehicles, guns, stealth, explosions, tactical mission planning, massive world to explore, unlocks and skill points. You are given a wealth of gadgets to help you in your missions which can be upgraded to your liking. The long distance sniper may want to invest some points to steady their aim and improve the drone's range and battery, where-as the commando may want improved bullet resistance, mines, C4 and more grenades. When playing in co-op, you can each specialise in a certain area to improve your team's effectiveness and playing to each individual's strengths. Some other noteworthy skills/features include the ability to call for reinforcements, request a mortar strike, summon vehicles, create diversions, use flares, thermal vision and much more. There is so many cool things to invest in that you are spoilt for choice and invariably want them all.

Although perfectly playable in single player, the fun of this game is when you get a group of friends together for some co-op mayhem. The open-ended "freeform" gameplay allows you to approach missions in a number of different ways, depending on your play style. Nothing quite beats the feeling of a well planned ambush coming together when all 4 of your squad are coordinating the fight. Things invariably go terribly wrong too - and trying to claw your way back after a mess-up can be a challenge and rewarding experience too.

Graphically it looks wonderful and the sound is also very well done. Controls are a bit of a mixed bag. On foot, things are largely fine - but vehicles suffer from a few issues. Wheeled vehicles all seem a little too "slidey" and the helicopter controls were clearly designed by Satan himself - they are dreadful. To actually be able to fly the thing without pulling my hair out, I had to look online, where I found an awesome explanation of how it works, how to actually control it and how insanely absurd it all is when other games can get this right so often (those interested, check out here: https://www.reddit.com/r/Wildlands/comments/5w7y8f/guide_how_to_pilot_the_helicopter/). These things you will eventually get used to, but in this day and age, you shouldn't have too. If the developers had put a little more thought into it then it could drastically improve your time with the game.

The game also has a few latent bugs left over (which I am sure will get fixed over the coming months). Nothing *too* game breaking, for the most part. Although one nasty bug in particular plagued our co-op group, whereby a certain weapon unlock became completely inaccessible and required us all to start fresh new games (luckily this happened early on!). If such a thing had happened after 20+ hours of gameplay, I am sure my review would not be so kind. Mostly though, bugs are actually quite amusing - for instance: I was playing single player and was on the outskirts of a main story mission base. I invited a friend to join my game. As they did, the base exploded, completed the mission for me and alerted every enemy nearby. Weird, to be sure. Spazzing helicopters are also hilarious to watch.

The story isn't much good either to be honest. But when the core of the game is all about free-form gameplay and doing things "your way", I can forgive this because it is simply really good fun.

The bottom line: Great fun with 3 friends. Anyone that has wanted a co-op Farcry experience may find this right up their street. It's not perfect, but it is a hell of a lot of fun.

Jimbo Rating: 8/10

Quite a unique ARPG - which I commend it for. It's also a surprising amount of fun.

It differs from most other ARPG's in several ways. Firstly, the control scheme is more skill based - using the WASD keys to move and also features dodging and jumping. Combat is also much more skill-based, rather than build-based. At any point in the game you can swap out destiny cards, weapons and demon powers (more on these later) to completely alter your play-style (a bit like Diablo 3's skill system in that regard).

Loot has a great importance in this game (perhaps even more so than most other ARPGS). The reason for this is that how you equip your character determines your "class" (as such) - there are no attribute points or skill points to be assigned at level-up. Instead, you are given health and destiny card boosts as you level up, allowing you to equip more powerful items and further customise your build to your liking.

Each weapon type in the game (Scythe, Hammer, Sword, Rapier, Shotgun, Lightning Gun, Tome) has its own unique attacks and skills associated with it. Swapping a different weapon in gives you instant access to these skills, regardless of how you have otherwise equipped your character, offering a fair amount of diversity.

Destiny cards are items that you can equip in special slots that can dramatically alter your "build". Some increase attack damage, critical chance and armour, others can dramatically alter the way your character works. Each card has an equipment value - so you can only equip cards that stay under your maximum destiny card amount. You can also upgrade cards to increase their potency at the cost of more points to equip. It ends up being a juggling act, getting the cards you want equipped at the same time while not exceeding your total.

Demon Powers are the "super move" you can activate when your overdrive bar has enough charge. Overdrive is built up in different ways depending on the armour (outfit) you equip. You can have it build up over time, when you attack or even when you crit. You can eventually equip two demon powers at a time - with effects ranging from buffing (health, armour, regen) to attack damage "spells". These, like destiny cards, can be upgraded and swapped out at will.

Graphically it looks good enough - and it also has some very well done music and sound effects. It also features the voice actor who did the Witcher games - Geralt, which was a pleasant surprise. Story-wise it's nothing to write home about, but then people don't usually buy ARPG's for their story anyway. It also features multiplayer co-op (internet) and even local co-op, which adds a great deal of value to the game as these are so much more fun with friends.

All-in-all, it's a well polished and enjoyable ARPG, which strives to mix up the formula a bit. This makes it feel fresh and fun, with some great combat and fluid gameplay. It suffers from being a bit short and lacking in certain customising aspects.

Jimbo Rating: 8/10

Helldivers is a top-down tactical twin-stick shooter, similar to games like Alien Swarm and Red Solstice. It is also 4-player co-op, which is really where the fun lies.

Gameplay-wise, it consists of going to various planets to do randomly generated missions such as escorting, fixing, bomb-disposal etc. The zones themselves are fairly small - and are normally just a large square where objectives are placed randomly on the map. You get to unlock weapons and "stratagems" as you progress in RPG-like fashion. It allows for a fair amount of customisability - allowing you to equip your character with weapons and stratagems that you like or to compliment your team.

At the start of each mission you are allowed to outfit your character and select a drop-zone. The game features a multiplayer "hub" area in the form of a starship bridge where you can buy upgrades and customise your character before starting a mission. The missions themselves are generally quite enjoyable, if a little "samey". As a co-op game it shines.

Graphically it looks very polished and runs well at high resolutions (such as 4K) even at maximum settings. The crosshair is a constant PITA though, it's barely visible when you are not aiming and causes severe disorientation.

Unfortunately, it suffers from one very major issue: the missions you are allowed to play are determined by the community as a whole. As players across the world do missions it will occasionally lock you out of areas completely, until the "war has been won". This has happened several times for my team, where we all sat down on a Friday night, ready to play, only to find out we can only repeat one mission over and over again until such time as the game goes back to square one again. This is a real shame - and completely ruins the game.

If it wasn't for the above, my score would jump up two points. As it stands, the game can be really hit or miss depending on when in the month/week you decide to play.

Jimbo Rating: 6/10 (would be 8/10 if not for the "community progress" issue and crosshair mentioned above).

Great little game with some innovative features and nice graphics. All done by one person too - quite an achievement.

I bought this for the multiplayer, which is surprisingly fun. The game is a simplified RTS mixed with third person shooter mechanics. Each side has a commander that controls the troops and buildings. They have access to an upgradable "avatar", which you can switch into at any time and take direct control of in third person. With this you can march along with your troops, provide support, scout or just go and blow things up. In a multiplayer game, other players on the same side control the avatars while the host sticks (mainly) to the RTS side of things.

It has a few quirks, but is an astonishingly good game for something done by one guy. Great fun to play and the developer is active and communicates with the players - adding features and listening to player ideas. If we could get some more multiplayer maps and a higher unit count then my score would jump an additional point.

Jimbo Rating: 7/10