Recent reviews by Exostenza

The game may very well be fun although the issues I experience with my HP WMR set make it unplayable at the moment. The problem is that every time I hover my hand over a spot for a tower or a tower the SteamVR loading screen comes up for a second like it is loading back into the game. This makes it almost impossible to build towers and thus pretty much impossible to play the game. I have a PC with way higher requirements than the game needs with all the latest driver and software updates while all the VR games I have work relatively perfectly which points towards a serious flaw with this game, what that is I don’t know, but I would heavily advise not getting this if you have a WMR set and if you have other hardware you might want to check and see if you'll have the issue as well.

It is too bad because it looks really fun and as of this review it is just completely unplayable for me.

I will periodically come back to this game as it is updated and if the situation changes I will update my review although the last two patches did nothing for the issue.

The lack of content and price are not in proportion at all in this game is my first complaint. It also does not feel satisfying shooting any of the enemies and all the guns sound and feel like pea shooters. This is just not a very well developed game while the mechanics and sound suck. I really wanted to like this game but it just not good. Also, I couldn't figure out how to get my gun to my right hand and was forced to shoot left handed the whole time. It is clear they are copying the zombie mode from CoD WaW and I never though I would say this but CoD felt way better in terms of sound and mechanics compared to this. Refunded as it isn't even worth my time considering there are so many zombie shooters out there I might as well get one that is fun to play.

This is just not a quality game. There are translusent black boxes on the sides of my vision whenever i look anywhere. The guns feel like limp noodles and sound like crap. Shooting enemies is not visceral at all and it feels like just shooting a bunch of cardboard targets. The environment is ok although the lack of quality overall just makes it not worth my time playing this game. Refunded for now and maybe later down the development line I will check it out but other games I have are just way more fun than this with much better engines a whole ton less bugs. Whenever a I beat a level the game quits out and sometimes the teleporation just makes my character go up and up instead of around. It is just not in state that is ready enough for enjoyment. Too bad because it looked cool and the sale price was great. Not even worth five bucks in its present state to me. Just a waste of time at the moment.

This is as generic and boring as a VR wave shooter can get. Just don't waste your time and pass this one up. The mechanics are horrible and the game is just a super low budget shooter.

Not even worth your time. Two guns, you just hold down the triggers the whole time and nothing else to do. This is one of the worst VR wavw shooters I have played. Just skip it.

It looks nice and plays as you would expect for a wave shooter, although there is just too little content. There are hardly any weapons and very little variation in the game. Maybe it is worth it for half price or less. I have found myself not caring to come back to this game at all. It seems they decided to release the game unfinished with very little content. I would probably look to spend my money somewhere else.

What to say about this game? It is hilarious and utterly brutal at the same time. They have been able to craft an extremely silly yet brutal Roman era arena battle simulator. This is the only VR game that has me not wanting to put it down because I just need one more match and it is also the only VR game which I have soaked my headset so thoroughly through that when I squished the padding after playing it literally dripped with my sweat. I feel like this game could be a really good upper body workout if you strapped some weights on. Seeing as it is in early access as long as they don’t turn a complete 180 this game is good and it is only going to get better. I got it on sale, but I would recommend buying it at full price for sure as it is really tons of fun. Just make sure you have a 2x2 meter area minimum to play this on as I hit my couch a few times and smashed my keyboard; this is the only VR game that I have actually hit things physically and when you do trust me you are flailing about like a mad person so you really do want that space unless you are ok with losing a controller, a keyboard, maybe a monitor and who knows what else while you flail about in this whacky awesome game.

Only suggestion I have as of now is to please add Windows Mixed Reality support (even though it works fine right now the added functionality of the controller could be put to use compared to the lacking Vive controllers that don't have joysticks). So, please get WMR support in there at some point during the EA phase and keep up the good work!

One of my first VR games and I must say that given the price (I got it on sale for a couple dollars) the game is really fun and has a decent amount of content. I am happy it supports Windows Mixed Reality and just hope in the future that they add support for movement using the joysticks as the Vive control scheme with just a touch pad kind of sucks while clicking where move is cool but I feel I could really master the game if I could use the joysticks to move with the WMR controllers. That being said my only real gripe is that is crashes every time I play arcade mode. I can play the other modes just fine without crashing but arcade always crashes. Other than that, the gameplay is good, the graphics are good enough, and considering the normal price (never mind the sale price I got it for) this game is totally worth it. It is also great to see that they are still actively working on it and making it better. I definitely recommend picking this up for your VR library.

I’ve been playing ARPGs since Diablo 1 and I am pretty confident that I can say I have played most ARPGs released for the PC so I think I have a decent idea of what is good and what is bad. In short, Grim Dawn is as good as it gets. For someone who was really excited for Diablo 3 and actually waited in line for its physical release (something I had previously never done) I found it to be a HUGE disappointment. I have loved Diablo 1 and 2 while also thoroughly enjoyed Titan Quest and its expansions, Torchlight 1 and 2, Dungeon Siege 1 and 2 (3 not so much). Of all these games and many unmentioned which I either forget about now or don't feel are worth bringing up I think that Grim Dawn is the best that the genre has to offer. It is clearly made by people who care about PC gaming and ARPGS in particular as they have laid out a phenomenal world, fantastic characters, and solid game mechanics. This is everything I wished Diablo 3 to be and more.

TL;DR
Best ARPG on the market. Blows away Diablo 3. Don't even think about it if you like ARPGs just buy it and play the best ARPG ever made (or at least right up there with the best).

9/10

This is it. This is the game that shows that pure passion for gaming still exists. Thank you so much Ninja Theory for us gamers that there are still people in the industry with resources to make a game that exceeds all expectations without the horrible constraints of oppressive publishers that only care about their shareholder dividends.

Hellblade is an authentic journey into the mind of a tormented psyche and it is done so well that it is the only that has given me shivers down my spine. Ninja Theory has done their due diligence in researching not only an authentic as possible story, but also in the realm of psychosis. They worked in concert with people who have experienced the types of psychosis that Senua went through and was able to present a third person action adventure game which pushes the boundaries of what games are able to represent. IMHO using quality headphones (not gaming branded trash) and a soundcard is almost necessary to truly live this game as it was meant to be experienced. The visuals are that of a AAA game and the auditory finesse is something beyond anything I have experienced in any game to date.

This game is definitely not for every one as some might think that it is too much of a "walking simulator" although there are many enemies and bosses to fight this game is primarily an exploration of what someone goes through when they are already tormented by psychosis and then a seriously traumatic event happens in their life toppling them over into a complete psychotic episode. If you like games as a medium to tell and experience stories better than any movie or book could in terms of immersion with a splash of puzzle solving and fighting this is the game for you.

Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice shows the world that a truly breathtaking game can be made without the need of a big money publisher and that passion still exists in the industry of gaming at a larger than indie level. From the depths of my inner gamer I say thank you to Ninja Theory for breathing life back into the largely stale bigger budget segment of the gaming industry.

Game: 8/10
Gaming Experience: 10/10

Turn the lights off, throw your best cans on, crank up the sound, boot up the 4k HDTV, take out the XBOX One S controller, and strap yourself in for one hell of a ride!