Recent reviews by Vintage

This game isn't great at one particular thing, but rather competent in most areas. As a package, it's not a bad game at all! But picking apart one aspect and analyzing it, you will find that it's "good" or "alright" in most cases. The graphics are quite decent, and allow a passable amount of customization for a game more catered towards those on console. With max graphics settings the game ran very smoothly on my gtx980 + i5 4690k, something very important for consistency while hotlapping, or when racing other drivers.

The sounds are nice and reflect the sounds of the 2016 spec cars, however, the seem to be missing something I can't quite put my finger on. Their sound doesn't seem to reflect how powerful they are (lets keep the vacuum cleaner jokes to yourself), almost as if they are slightly muffled (pls don't tell me the developers did this to model the fact that drivers wear helmets or something stupid). Onboard videos give you a sense that these cars/engines are indeed incredibly powerful, but it's hard to get that across in this game, even with max volume. That being said, I believe they are all unique to each car. The Mercedes sounds more raw than the Ferrari, which is indeed the case in real life.

It is very, very, very nice having all of the circuits from the calendar, however, they aren't particularly special, and in my opinion, feel quite weird to drive around in after spending some time on the laser scanned tracks from Assetto Corsa. Perhaps it is the lighting or general desaturated feeling this game has, but some corners just feel alien to me after driving them in other titles.

Each car from each team is uniquely modeled, including the chassis, power unit, driver's helmets, gloves, unique steering wheels, and liveries. This is no doubt the strongest point of this game, and something you simply can't get in Assetto Corsa.

The behavior of the cars is enjoyable enough-the cars will, and do, spin out if you get on the throttle too early, and the brakes will lock up- provided you play without assists :). Gameplay on a controller is majorly flawed due to input lag, so it's hard for me to reccommend this to someone playing on a controller (which is indeed a great deal of players). That's not saying you can't have fun with the game, but it will be hard to race at a higher level with the amount of input lag.

The controls outside of turning the wheel are slightly confusing, and took a little getting used to. Navigating radio menus was quite difficult, and I could never seem to do what I wanted to in the menus while driving. This is something I personally had trouble with, however, with a little work I'm sure it's not a big deal.

The net code seemed to be rather bad as well when comparted to other games that require several updates per second to register small movements. Again, could by something on my end, but I'm just throwing anything else I could think of in this review at this point.

All in all, it can be a fun game to play, however, it does fall in that boundary category between something like Assetto Corsa and the Forza series.

TL;DR- F1 2016 is a great game that sits somewhere between sim and arcade.

BUY if you're looking for- immersive features such as unique car and driver models, easy access to all tracks on F1 calendar, and passable physics

DON'T BUY if you're looking for- Complex systems to be modeled such as the MGU, tire flex, incredible force feedback, or a true "driving sim" in general

A great game that really suprised me! It plays like a WWI game should-- trying to run around in the open and get "epic" moments gets you shot. Sitting up in a trench gets you shot. Poking your rifle through cover or a hole in in some sandbags gets you killed. Grenades hurt. Smoke grenades are practical.

Perhaps the best thing-Nobody has an automatic rifle, unlike another popular WWI shooter.... Over 90% of players have bolt action rifles. Those with semi-automatic machine guns are a force to be reckoned with. One shot is enough to kill or get killed in nearly every situation. No wacky vehicles are in the game, like huge airships, trains, planes, or god forbid, tanks. The infantry gun play is the primary focus and is super enjoyable-if you play the game right! Being a jackass and running around by yourself trying to capture a trench on the opposite side of the map will result in many, many deaths.

The battlefields/objectives are clear. No mans land, the area between trenches is not a fun place to be. Working with your team to clear the trenches is great fun. Great blend of tactical/casual play. Verdun is one of the few games I keep installed on my HDD, and I'd love to sink more time into it soon.

Can't spend every waking hour of your life on this game? Don't waste your time. Number of lowlifes far exceeds other humans. It sounds very fun to play when you buy it, but if you don't have a large group that you can trust, it's very hard to get enjoyment out of the game.

I am now fully convinced this game is one of, if not THE, most accurate racing sim out there. Let me tell you why.

I have always loved the Lamborghini Miura, such a gorgeous vehicle with the most wonderful V12 that just sings. Interestingly, the fuel tank is located towards the front of the car, so when the car is running low on fuel, the front is lighter and therefore the front lifts up slightly and the steering is lighter.

I was blown away the first time I hopped in the drivers seat and heard the engine-- it was perfect! I began racing the "A Fighting Bull" event with the Miura at Monza to get familiar with the car, and was truly enjoying it. I had infinite fuel on so I could just run several laps at a time without worrying about refueling. I started to test the limits of the car and really began to feel connected with it going through the corners and working the gears.

Then, after hitting the bronze time and feeling happy for the day, I switch over to the career and turn on fuel consumption. I did not switch it back on when I came to throw the Miura around Monza again a few days later. As I began running more laps, I noticed the steering was much lighter, and I wasn't having to put as much force as I was previously to get around some of the corners. I began to dive into the settings and see if I had broken anything. I was really worried that perhaps the motors were already dying on my new wheel, but this proved to be false after testing with the calibration software.

Then it hit me--I realized that I was draining fuel, and the front of the car was becoming lighter, therefore, making the steering lighter, just like the real car.

This obessive attention to detail is something I doubt I can find in another game of this caliber. I got this product on sale, but I wouldn't happily paid full price knowing just crazy the developers went into making the simulator as true to life as possible. If you can't satisfy your thirst for more cars or tracks, there is a very active and friendly modding community. Some of the best fun money can buy.

Most of the time I spent in the game was trying to adjust the sensitivity so I could actually fly! I've got plenty of experience with flight sims before I even knew Steam was a thing, and the planes in RoF were just dissapointing. It was hard work getting them to stall! Was very unenjoyable flying something more manuverable than an F22 that sounded like a lawn mower...

Elite is one of those games that eats up time. I remember starting out in my Sidewinder unsure of how I could ever manage to make enough credits to buy a new ship, but with time, it became clear. I met friendly players that were willing to show me how to make money, which took time. I started running what little cargo I could in the Sidewinder, and collecting an occasional bounty.

I finally had enough to buy a Cobra Mk III and begin some exploration. I soon realized I would have to outfit my ship to make the journey easier, so I again had to spend time to afford a better frame shift drive, power plant, and discovery scanner. After removing all weapons and shields, installing a fuel scoop, and setting my sights on the California Nebula, I headed out. I could watch the nebula grow larger and larger in front of me as I passed by dead, dry planets, bluish earth-likes, and gas giants, scanning them and their moons for data I could sell to help mitigate the costs of the upgrades.

The journey ended up taking, well, a lot of time. Even while trying to save time by scanning stars while scooping fuel, and eventually skipping some planets, the journery still took many, many hours. Finally arriving at the nebula, I found a star nearly inside of the clouds. The view from my cockpit was rewarding indeed, as the reddish-orange hues of the clouds of gas and dust dominated my path ahead. After taking my fair share of screenshots, it was time to head back home to colonized space.

On the way back, I passed through the Pleiades, stopping at the black hole in Maia. This is one place I didn't spend much time, as I had unintentionally entered one of the isolated bubbles of colonized space outside of the area I had previously known about, and wasn't about to test my luck with hundreds of thousands of credits worth of discovery data on my ship. I arrived at Eravate and landed as softly as possible, reaping the benefits of my great voyage. It was definitely not the most economic journey, as I didn't even break even on my 1.5 million credit investment in exploration gear, however, the sights and experience were well worth my time.

Now, I fly an Asp Explorer, and am currently working on upgrading it as much as possible. The Asp seems to have hit the perfect balance of capacity to carry cargo, fight, and explore at a price that is affordable for someone like me who is unable to invest days in to the game. I am unsure of where I'll go next, but as always, with some time I'll know.

The great thing about Elite is that while you are going to have to spend time to get anywhere, whether that be progression or location, it is up to you how to spend your time. If you're impatient, you can bounty hunt with the Federal Security Service and claim bounties at stations. If you're not in a rush, you can mine the rings of gas giants, or hop star to star, far away from other players, or even AI. Elite is a great, open canvas that allows you the player to fill it with your imagination. You can start at the bottom, hauling cargo and fending off pirates, and work your way up to the magnificent ships, with, of course, time. Or, if you're content with a mid-size ship and don't feel the need to compensate ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°), you can happily go about making plenty of money and maxxing the ship out for exploration, mining, cargo running, or combat. Content seems to be being added to the game at a relatively decent rate. Some benefits are extended to those without the season pass, like myself, so I'm happy.

I cannot speak for Horizons and other aspects of the game. I can only tell you what I have experienced. If you are new to the game, you will likely enjoy the new content that seems to irk older players, as they have watched the game change, for better or worse. Regardless, if you enjoy space and science fiction, this game is a great fit. As someone who looks somewhat critically at games/media with space ships that fly like airplanes in atmosphere, I actually enjoy Elite. So give it a shot, and of course, fly safe.

Terraria is proof that the budget of a game doesn't have to be centered around the graphics engine. Terraria has a very unique, and in its own way, beautiful graphical style, however, it is the game play that truly makes the game. "It's like Minecraft, but 2D" is hardly accurate. The bosses and various activities in the game are interesting and rewarding to play, and even more so with friends. Great game that can run on almost anything.

Very challenging military sim. I know I don't have nearly the amount of hours as most, but the times I did play were quite interesting. Does not play like a Battlefield game, no matter what people tell you. Bullets drop, but there's no crazy infinite sprinting and parachutes. The game will punish you. Running hurts, explosions hurt, bullets hurts, your CPU hurts, you hurt. Great community creating scenarios and campaigns if multiplayer isn't your thing. If it is, there's various game modes being hosted on a handfull of servers. Cool game all in all. Looks/sounds great as well.

I put in a lot of hours into this game in my younger years. I found this game is quite a big step of from Microsoft's Combat Flight Sim series. The developers really put their lives into making this game great while creating it. The variety and accuracy of the fighters is truly impressive. The aircraft sounds can be a little repetitive, however the game has quite a bit modding capability.

The quick scenario creator allows you to quickly create a mission in a logical and quick manner as opposed to Cliffs of Dover. Despite the older graphics engine, this game is a must have for any combat flight sim lover.

I was pretty late to the Skyrim party. After buying the game used from a friend for PS3 I was hooked. Bought it again for PC and had a blast playing. I have never been one for games/shows in this time period or that involve swords and magic and such, but wow. The open-endedness of the combat system is what really drew me in. I loved playing the Fallout games, however I was always forced to use one weapon or play style. Skyrim allows you to fight however you like, with a multitude of items, weapons, and spells to support your play style. I started off only playing with swords and heavy armor, then visited Winterhold and went full mage. After some time playing, I found a nice balance as a spell-sword. The game has great replay value in that you can change the way in which you fight enemies, each of which are challenging and rewarding in their own regards.

The environment and music are also what drew me in. There was always something to see, somewhere to go. The map is very open and really great to spend some time in. The music kinda pulls you in and holds you in the game, which is something I can't really say any other game has done for me. With a couple of mods, the visuals can be improved greatly.

As you play the game more and more, you really being to appreciate all that the developers did for the game. Little things scattered throughout, even like the little shortcuts out of long, challenging dungeons, reminds you that time was spent on making the game challenging, but not punishing. The dialogue is interesting, as are the characters which you get to know and cherish. I can't tell you how many times I've revived Alvor with console commands after losing him in a random dragon encounter. The skill tree teases you by letting you see what special abilities lie ahead. The game manages to make you grind without it feeling too terrible boring or repetitive.

All in all, the game is pretty close to a masterpiece. Not too terribly hard to run, especially if you have a higher end system that allows more overhead with modding and such. So many places to go, people to talk to, and things to kill! Must have game.