Recent reviews by Desp

I love the design of this game - clearly a lot of love was put into the presentation (music, cat animations, UI). It's an easy to learn, difficult to master tabletop adaptation with a surprisingly challenging campaign.

A beautiful, relaxing, perfectly intricate board game adaption

I consider this to be a fairly solid addition to the Civilization series. While mechanically similar to Civ V, I think it adds enough unique flair (mostly aesthetic, with some new gameplay features added) to justify a purchase. Just from an aesthetic perspective, it was enjoyable to experience the familiar Civilization formula with the sci-fi skin attached (barbarians are now aliens, many units are now robots, the terrain is very extraterrestrial). The new gameplay features are enjoyable, such as a quicker start time (you start with a unit of your choice and your capital is immediately founded), dynamic aliens which can be allied, and the affinities which dictate how you will win the game (unless you go the full domination route, which I never do).

With Civ 6 out now, you can probably find Beyond Earth for relatively cheap, and you can get a solid 50 hours from it if you are a fan of the series, especially the fifth installment. If you aren't obsessed with Civ V, then you won't find anything here that will change your mind. Enjoy!

I can't think of a single game that has aged quite as gracefully as Half Life. A pure delight decades after release - a staple of PC gaming and cinematic FPS.

A perfectly servicable sequel to FEAR 2. Unlike Project Origin, F3AR is definitive in what genre it wants to excel in. It no longer really tries to scare you - instead focusing on fast paced, simple shooting. The guns are impactful and fun to use, the slo-mo mechanic isn't that strong a selling point but doesn't overstay its welcome, but overall it's a fun way to kill time. You won't care about anything in the plot or the environments, but it's an enjoyable way to kill time in 30 minute increments for about 6 hours. Buy it if it's cheap, you enjoyed the first two games, or just like simple FPS games that allow you to turn off your brain for a bit.

A hilarious concept that does not justify the price tag. Literally just watch youtube runthroughs or even just play the original mod. I love the creativity, I love the imagination, it made me laugh out loud on several occasions, it is an objectively good game, but I don't think its quality warrants the price tag, especially when you can get maybe 2 hours of playtime out of it, and that's if you're really trying to find all the secrets and easter eggs

My favorite 2D platformer behind Limbo/INSIDE. Lovely visuals and addicting gameplay. A fun mixture between puzzles and quick platforming. I play through it every couple years - it never fails to satisfy.

A clever and witty platforming-puzzle hybrid. Come for the head-scratching puzzles, and get sucked into the one-of-a-kind story that involves sentient AI quadrilaterals. It's got a little bit of everything, but above all, it is a completely unique and thought provoking experience. Give it a try!

Brilliantly fun and chaotic. One of the best party games ever. Gets insanely complicated, but ridiculously addictive. If you like the concept of it, then you'll definitely love this game.

I'll keep this review succint since INSIDE has a fantastic demo that says more than I ever could, but as a huge fan of the 2010 Indie platformer LIMBO, I can confidently say that INSIDE was the spiritual successor that we always wanted. It takes many of the same mechanics from LIMBO that made it unqiue, and adds color, depth, and a whole new universe that exists in the background. The platforming is easier, the puzzles are notably more difficult, and the atmosphere is definitely more terrifying than LIMBO. While only 3 hours long, this is one game that I will be re-visiting many more times in the future, desperate to unearth more interpreations about what it all really means. Absolutely brilliant.