Recent reviews by Maverick Saturn

Who would believe that after all these years this game is still plenty of fun to play. It's a bundle of fun and the destruction physics still stand the test of time. I absolutely love the none stop destruction and chaos which reminds me of Just Cause.

There is definitely a need for another game in this franchise, but at least this game holds up very well.

Pros:
- Chaos
- Open world
- Learning curve
- Stylised moves
- Design
- Originality

Cons:
- Some odd control mechanics (not a game breaker)
- Shallow story
- Vehicles handle a little floaty
- Up and down difficulty

It's always great when a developer listens to their audience and works WITH them to produce a better game. I've been meaning to re-review this game for some time now, since I hadn't reviewed it since it first became public and now I get to sink my teeth back into it, so lets look at what I mentioned prior, what's new, what could do with a little more work and what I'm very happy with.

Bear in mind that this game is still being developed, but it's safe to say that this is a much more compelling, smooth and enjoyable game now. Special thanks to RedLoster for getting in touch with me about the game.

- That story I mentioned to be lacking is now in place. Whether you think it is deep enough is subjective. I do like the angle they've taken and believe there is room for some interesting twists and turns to keep players playing. That said, the arcadey feel of the game might take you away from a driven plot and feel more like an overlay for a set of A - B tasks.
- The menus and user interfaces are a great deal improved, controls are easier to find, adjustments to the game's graphics and resolution are also a lot easier to change and the game just looks smoother.
- Which leads me on to gameplay, which has seen a significant overhaul. Not only are the controls far more intuitive and tighter, the game runs smoother and faster than the slug-fest it was before, locking on and firing at enemies feels a great deal more enjoyable and most importantly, I feel in control. Where the controls before felt all over the place and there were no clear indications as to what key does what, besides what you might find in the tutorial, everything just makes more sense now, making soaring around and taking out enemies a joy.
- Whether it's down to the plot or otherwise, enemies still feel like drones, or target practise, equally your allies also seem lifeless. There is a real need for charismatic memorable enemies that lead to heart pounding boss fights and allies in dogfights you grow to like and feel the need to protect. This will alleviate the A - B objective monotony as now there is a good reason to do so. "Urgency" should be a factor in every objective, why am I doing what I'm doing and who am I doing it for?
- The lock-on system and barrel rolls are a major gameplay plus point.

There is still a lot that can be learned from other games in the similar genre like Ace Combat, Star Wars, Freespace, Eve Valkyrie, Omega Boost, Zone of the Enders etc

A few extra things I'd still like to see:

- Ship customisation
- Choices that effect the story and ending (Stay with and defend a colony or take the battle to the enemy)
- Enemies hyperdriving in and out of battle, either fleeing or like a surge, ambushing out of nowhere (Eve did something like this and my god it blew my mind, but it was far too short)
- Massive battleships to destroy that feel like they are throwing everything at you
- More interesting use of music and sound as opposed to repetitive none changing music. Eg: Silence before the storm, so soft music when escorting a freighter on what you thought was an easy mission, than boom! You get ambushed and the music kicks into gear, beats and heart pumping bass. Maybe an alert noise when a major enemy enters the fray.

All in all, Nightstar is a much better and more enjoyable game, easily recommended and with plenty of potential.

Deadlight isn't a long or particularly original experience, but it is fun while it lasts and that's really what matters.

I don't always go into a game expecting full originality, that's a pretty difficult feat nowadays, what with most topics already having been covered in one way or another, but that doesn't stop Deadlight from being an enjoyable game. The storyline leaves a little to be desired, it's not worth writing home about and character development is mediocre at best, but it's the gameplay that shines. Your first go at Deadlight will be very much an experience of trial and error, where in most circumstances you will be encouraged to use your initiative to solve the issue, but don't take too long, there will more than likely be zombies ready to chomp on your ass.

Deadlight is similar to games like Limbo or This War of Mine, so expect gameplay similar to that.

Never feeling overpowered or too overwhelmed for circumstances that don't require it, gives the game a nice sense of balance that'll keep you playing addictively. Let's be honest, this isn't a game that'll take you too long to complete, you are more than capable of completing it within a few hours, but that said, it doesn't outstay its welcome either.

There are a few quetionable design choices here and there, mostly interface related, as well as some moments of head scratching, though because of lack of direction or just puzzle solving freedom, one may never know. Also it should be known that this game was clearly designed with Xbox in mind, so don't expect PC friendly intuitivity right off the bat.

If you can put aside the minor flaws, there's a good game here, not groundbreaking, not original, but enough to make it a fun experience.

I don't think there is much that can be said that hasn't already been said about Left 4 Dead. It's a superb game, why don't you have it in your library yet?

My one gripe is the fact that Left 4 Dead 2's implementation of Left 4 Dead 1's levels removes all reasoning to ever want to boot up Left 4 Dead again, which is a real shame and a bit of a stupid decision. It might have made business sense at the time to push Left 4 Dead 2 sales, but now it doesn't make much business sense. Where Valve could have made more money bundling the two games for different expereinces, they killed the need to want to play the first game if you have the second.

That said, Left 4 Dead is still great, great value for money, original in what it was without the fluff no.2 added (if you don't like fluff) and just sheer fun. It also has a great following and plenty of mods, what's not to love?

Hard West is a great alternative to X-COM, but it should be known that it's still no X-COM.

Let me go into a little more detail. X-COM, a 2012 turn based strategy game was a work of sheer brilliance, the difficultly could fluctuate more than a teenager's moodswings, but the core game mechanics were solid and revolutionary for the gaming industry. Customisation of characters kept players hooked and attached to specific soldiers in a game that otherwise had no real individual character development (you almost felt as though you were creating the stories in your head), trial and error made for endless replayablity and the micromanagement inside and outside of missions made you feel in control of the entire operation, not just the missions. Basically, let one domino drop and it could have a tremendous impact on everything you had worked towards thus far. It seems unfair, but that's what made X-COM so good, consequences. For perfectionsists, the option to reload a save was always there and for the avid X-COM player, the ones who would rather deal with the consequences of every action as though it were as realistic an operation as possible, that too was always an option.

X-COM essentially invites various playstyles and multiple playthroughs.

Hard West is both unfortunately and fortunately not X-COM. The skeleton is indeed there, it's a turn based strategy game, gameplay functions more or less similar to the way X-COM functions and those who have played X-COM will feel right at home with this one. Where it differs is in the skin, the cosmetics and this can contribute towards a game just as much as the skeleton. You see, for everything that Hard West does so right, it also falls a little short in other areas.

Perks: It's Dark Old Western themed, telling multiple tales of those trying to get by in the old west, where backstabbing, gambling, murder and lying are all common daily occurences. There's also a card mechanic which allows you to grant special ablities to particular characters as well as the option to buy and find weaponry you can equip your character with. Gameplay is solid, story driven and to a lesser extent guided by your choices. There's a nice array of things to buy, trade, equip and toy with here.

Cons: Whilst multiple tales in the old west are great and all, it doesn't account for much if the choices made by the gamer have too little an impact to make replayablity worthwhile. Challenge often comes in the form of harder modes rather than wether or not you were truly prepared for the battles. To go into a little more detail here, X-COM could trip you up even on easy settings if you weren't prepared properly (eg: weapons, the right soldiers for the job, the right armour / equipment for the job etc), in comparison, Hard West never really feels all the difficult since you only really need to make sure your guns are doing the most possible damage and you have some health restoring items at your disposal. Yeah, there are other things to improve your chances at getting the job done, but besides those, the former are really the biggest factors you'll ever need to consider. Since the game revolves around character development, there are certain characters that the story simply can't progress without, so unless you lose one of the "helping hands" I call them (because they don't serve much else purpose besides that), you never really feel a sense of loss, since it's game over anyway, this makes each battle feel more like a mission of "protect the main characters" rather than a battle of strategic thinking to walk away with as little loss as possible. X-COM for comparison could have you grow fond of one of your soldiers, only to have them killed in battle and never to be available again, this made for an interesting state of desperation if you are playing it the way it's meant to be played when a character was critically injured, or supressed by a strong or multiple enemies, resulting in extreme tactics to secure their survival, rather than an "oh well, I'll just restart".

There are some great ideas here, but they need maturing (like a fine wine), as they are pretty rudimentary in their current form. In order to keep gamers coming back, you need to have a system that allows for as much freedom and therefore, consequence, as possible.

Hard West isn't X-COM, but Hard West isn't a bad game either, I highly recommend it. What I don't recommend is holding it to the same regards to which you hold X-COM, because otherwise you'll only end up disappointed.

Games like this don't come around very often, which is why you revel in every minute you play them.

The Stanley Parable is really one of those types of games you can't watch on Youtube, you need to expereince it for yourself, because the joy of the game comes in the experiences you have and discover yourself, the little things, the many discoveries for curious minds and the sharing of said discoveries with other curious Stanley Parable players. Even better than playing yourself is giving the controls over to someone who has never seen or played the game themselves and just carrying out your own little experiment.

- How easily manipulated is the gamer?
- Will they follow orders because the narrator says to do so, or will curiousity get the better of them?
- How far will they go if they DO decide to do their own thing?
- Just how defiant / curious can a person be?

There are simply so many things you can discover about a person's personality that this game is more than a game, it's a personality quiz. It's not so much what they do after several playthroughs, but what they do in the first or even second playthrough that makes it so interesting. You could give the game to several people and the interesting thing is how susceptible they are to simple and subtle instructions.

Are we really that easily manipulated? Are we really part of an endless Matrix? Is everything a lie? What happens if I don't conform? How afraid am I to not conform? Am I a leader or a follower?

So much questions...so many thinking.

You owe it to yourself to play this game and if you already know what it's all about, get it anyway and use it as an experiment to identify how those around you think.

This is truly the sort of game that is better to play than to watch. Whilst I had heard a great deal about Life is Strange due to the massive buzz that surrounds it and even so much as checked out gameplay videos of the game on Youtube, I just never thought it would be a game that would sustain my interest. It looked okay, but it wasn't exactly my cup of tea...boy was I wrong.

I nabbed LIS when I saw the first episode free, because who doesn't want a critically acclaimed game for free and ended up buying all other episodes because the first episode did more than enough to hook me so that I'd invest in the other episodes.

First things first, LIS is technically sound, I've had no problems with setup or gameplay, which is a joy considering how many games on Steam can be a chore just to get started, let alone play. The game runs smoothly and shouldn't require some hyperspace super computer to play, for whilst the graphics are indeed crisp and beautiful, they aren't exactly Crysis level of demanding.

Secondly, is the length worth the money? Episodic games aren't for everyone, that's understandable, some might feel they aren't getting a full package, LIS purely based on the first episode however is more than enough to keep you going until you buy the second episode and all others thereafter. There is plenty of replayability as you tinker with different options to see different results. Not always will those choices have a dramatic impact or even an impact in this particular episode, but they are more than enough to make you want to play the first episode at least 2 or 3 times just to see other results.

Thirdly, the storyline is typical teen highschool drama with the usual tropes, jocks, ♥♥♥♥♥♥ queen and her minions, skater boys, geeks etc, but each and every character finds a way to come to life in an interesting way that contributes to the overall story and playing with your superpower to be an antagonist or protagonist of sorts just makes the game all the more interesting. There is a great degree of joy to be had in the freedom of choice, even if you don't always know what those choices will result in. There are times when you genuinely search your own feelings for how you would handle a situation, is it or is it not the best way to handle this situation? Do I care about this character enough to try and make amends? Has this person had enough impact on me to warrent a negative / positive reaction in this situation?

Making a friend or foe of students in the school is what makes things more interesting and replayable and while there are times when you might wish you had even MORE free reign to make specific choices (or are inclined to feel disappointment when you've overthought something only for it to result in a little fizzle or nothing more), for what you get in the game, there is no complaint.

If you've ever seen S.K.I.N.S, it's very similar in it's make-up (following the lives of typical teenagers going through a moment when decisions about life and what life means to them, matter the most, including drugs, sex, alcohol and more).

I also found it amusing that TALK TO FRANK is an organisation set up to tackle drug abuse in the UK, and yet here we have Frank in this game....selling drugs to teenagers. Let's just say that talking to Frank in this game didn't have the same benefits.

LIS is mysterious, lighthearted when it wants to be and dark when it wants to be, it pulls you into its world and leaves you emotionally fatigued, anger at horrible characters, joy at awesome characters, confusion at suspicious characters, saddened at distraught characters and so much more.

There is a lot here and I'm glad I invested time into it.

I've played Thomas was Alone on PS3, right the way through and completed it. Not only did I enjoy it, but it was enjoyed by my little sister due to its simple but also very well thought out game mechanics. While the gameplay itself is simple enough to get into without too much explanation, the puzzles get increasingly more challenging as they go along.

What separates this game from others in its genre is the quirky and enjoyable monologue that gives personalities to otherwise basic quadrilaterals. Thomas comes across as the one to create bonds between the various coloured shapes as you complete the puzzles, but they all have their own contributions.

Even better, the game's pacing wholly depends on you, so you never feel as though the first levels are a chore, because you can level select as well as blast through the "tutorial" levels if you are already skilled enough at the game. Really these are for those dipping their feet into the water.

The puzzles keep changing, the monologue being narrated is interesting, funny at times and the gameplay is addictive, what more could you want from a game? What great value for money.

This is review #2 several months on.

The game has seen significant improvements, but there are still some shortcomings, all of which will be addressed below.

The first thing I should mention is that the developers are very proactive and interactive with their community, which is a major plus on steam considering how many developers don't make much of an effort with their community and quite often don't bother to address the onderlying issues that plague their games. These developers are an example of how all should be.

The game itself is simple enough with all the elements that those used to FPS titles would be accustomed to, deathmatches, survival matches and team matches, so you won't be left bewildered, but maybe that's a double edged sword. Shark Attack 2 revels in its simplicity, but that can also be its weakness. As the premise is so straight forward, it still ironically lacks the depth that Depth - its competitor - has. By all means, it's fun to play in short bursts with friends, but there isn't a whole lot to do beyond that sadly and I say sadly because this is a pretty game.

Shark Attack's issues fundamentally lie with gameplay, or lack of it. The game is ABOUT the sharks, but they never really feel like the centerpiece, in fact, they feel more like an "addition" at times, not unlike a generic spike pit or falling off the map to your death in other FPS games. Their slow speed, easy to evade nature, lack of aggression and rare encounters make them hardly worth worrying about. I keep bringing the arguement back to Depth because Depth instills a sense of dread from its sharks; deliberately obscured vision, exaggerated shark speed, exaggerated violence, gore and most importantly, the option to BE the shark. Depth also gives you more a sense of purpose with missions and rewards. This is never more obvious than when looking for others to play with and finding next to no one and "incentive" is part of that issue.

There is still a great deal of potential here, most of all what could be done to improve and diffrenciate this game over its competitor, the developers are great and with advice from their community, they could really turn this game into something, if not, any sequels or other games they may make and the icing is the price.

I'm keen to see what more could be done for this game and from this developer.

It's nice to be able to revisit this game after so many years. Back then it was a challenge and it's wonderful to stay it's still kept that challenge. There have been several instances where I've genuinely had to check external sources to find out ways to do certain things, however, not all of these are for lack of not knowing what to do because the challenge is great, but because not everything is explained well.

For every element that makes the game great, there are some aspects I'm reminded of that irritate the hell out of me. 1) Driving anything is awful, everything handles like a brick covered in superglue and the clicking to move places can be frustrating when the vehicles find it so easy to get stuck. 2) Inconsistancies between distances you are able to reach with weaponry and enemies are able to reach (depending on whether you are high or low) can be annoying. 3) AI is dumb. Nothing is more annoying than failing a mission because the character you are trying to move to a select position gets stuck on an invisible wall thus getting seen, has to go right around the earth to get through a doorway running right into the line of sight or wastes time dillydallying when you asked them to do something.

So many annoying bugs and gameplay issues that would be called out....if the game were released today. Given that this is an old game and besides all those issues, holds up, is still enjoyable and highly addictive, I recommend revisiting it. Then once you are done, play some more here: https://sites.google.com/site/strikeinnarrowpath/ where you can find 9 modded extra missions for your joy.