Recent reviews by Mr. Toaster

There are a few things I'd love to have added, such as more Custom I.M.P Merc models and portraits, and Bobby Ray's Guns (We need some way to fly in firepower!). I'd also like more fun things to do with the Laptop. It was fun to send flowers to your enemies before. But overall, this game is a slam dunk!

It's an amazing game and finally a return to form for Jagged Alliance. I've had some amazing firefights already and it feels like an action movie. Great graphics, great character, great gameplay!

If you don't know what Jagged Alliance is, think turn based tactics like Xcom, but with a world map you are trying to take sectors from a hostile enemy while managing your mercenary company (training militia and your own mercs to build a powerful fighting force).

If you love action movies, especially from the 80s-2000s, or movies like the Expendables, this is going to be your Jam!

Every mercenary has their own personality and traits and I love every one of them.

Upcoming modding support will allow us to tweak all sorts of things and even change how the game plays (Still want to see hit percentages? There's a mod for that incoming).

If you like tactics games or action movies, just buy it. You'll fall in love.

I'm going to start with the cons:

* Honestly, the Realms of Chaos campaign took the fun out of the game. I don't enjoy the race and demon rifts. I'd prefer other objectives, like the newer factions in TWW2 got. I never played that one's vortex race much either.

* Everything seems bare bones and the things I was excited for pre-release ended up being boring and draining (Minor settlement sieges, chaos realms, and massive battles in those realms).

* I'm extremely disappointed that CA and GW have something against including Araby, even though it was much requested by many people in WH2 and is still often requested. It has lore, characters, and land in the game, would sell like hotcakes, and has a different aesthetic from all the current races. And yet, they won't bring it to the game for some unknown reason.


The pros:
* I love Warhammer and Total War. This series is a match made in heaven and my most played game series ever.

* I love the new factions here (Ogre Kingdoms were my most desired faction). I love Kislev, and like the idea of Cathay, even though they are pretty bare bones in roster. Every faction feels a unique from the others in campaign play and aesthetics.

* It has potential. We got some new minor races and I hope we get more (Araby, Southern Realms, Ind, Khuresh, etc.)

I don't recommend the game in its current state. Maybe try back in a year or so, after the large map is released and the factions are more fleshed out.

Forced to play the way EA wants you to play. I really wanted to be able to practice Air combat after playing the first mission of the campaign, but it seems you have no options except jumping into the fray in a dead MP, and even if you get a match, you die instantly so there's no point trying

So sick of games like this where you can't enjoy them without other players, and it seems like they didn't even finish the air combat mission for the campaign. what a waste of potential.

This game is a blast with friends, and fun flying solo. Definitely get it with your best buddies and try your best not to get spaced.

At first I was turned off by the weird characters, but now each of them have a secret origin story and they have become alive in me and my friend's voyages.

If you liked FTL, or enjoy frantic co-op multiplayer and love relentlessly spacing your enemies, this is the game for you!

This game is amazing fun and sucked me in more than any other this year. I was surprised how many hours I got in the first week, and found myself staying up way past my bedtime to play. I absolutely love the Pixar-like graphics, fun characters, spy tropes, and gameplay. A few patches will help iron it out the nagging issues I have, and quiet down the mixed reviews we’re seeing as well.

This includes a lack of info on certain stats and abilities, slow heists, and a few issues with agents going berserk.

Everything else about the game is really fun.

If you enjoy Dungeons, Two Point Hospital, Tropico, and other similar games, this will be right up your alley! It is so good to be evil and bring the world to its knees!

So far so good. It's not the deepest game yet, but so far, I'm excited to start my Irish Empire of Sin with the Donovan Gang.


I really like the graphics. Makes me feel like I'm in the 1920s. The characters and mobsters are interesting. I like how the mobsters have personalities, enemies, loves and friends amongst their associates, and bios. Reminds me of Jagged Alliance (Which Brenda Romero, designer of this game, worked on, so it makes sense).

Each Mob Boss has similar spread of talents and bonuses to their empire, so take the one whose personality and looks match your desire. They all have fun personalities and voices.

As for the strategic layer, it's not super deep, but it isn't boring either. I like taking over my neighborhood, taking out mobsters and enemy crime families.

Combat is typical turn-based X-Com fare. You can buy new weapons and gear to equip your mobsters with and go at it with other mobsters. It's satisfying trapping a mob boss with overwatch and finishing him off with an execution.

It's not as deep as Gears Tactics, but it's fun, and definitely better than Omerta.

I like the music and presentation most of all. I think with the DLC and patches Romero games can really add some improvements if they will listen to the feedback of people here and elsewhere.

I'd recommend the game. I think it will improve with time, and it's not terrible as is. I enjoy it so far.

This game is of the highest quality. Take Shadow Tactics and give it a wild west theme, perfect the formula, add the best cowboy whistle music this side of the Good, Bad, and the Ugly, and add great characters and a fun story, and you have the makings of a masterpiece.

I loved every moment of this game, and the game has so many ways to play. I love collecting badges and trying new ways of winning each map.

When you plan a really amazing strategy in showdown mode and end up wiping out an entire area of desperados, watching them all fall to your 3-man, 2-woman team, it feels so good. Just buy the game.

If you like Westerns, or tactics games, or good stories, or great graphics and presentation, it's for you.

Looking for more XCOM? Why haven't you bought this game yet?

Now, if you're a character creation purist or entirely too picky about any changes to a formula, you might have issues with it. Yeah, It tries some new ideas. It has a different turn-based system, It's not as big, its pre-made characters feel more like a take on Overwatch than XCOM, but it is for certain an XCOM game, and it provides many hours of enjoyment. In time and entertainment value per dollar, this is probably one of the best deals you'll ever get in a game.

So, what'd I like and dislike?

Pros
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* Even though I couldn't make my own characters, I fell in love with the characters in the squad. They all have personalities and fun quips with each other. Every character has their own playstyle and skills and role, and finding combos with other characters is really fun.
* The humor. Some really fun advertising in the game for alien-human products. The Characters really play off each other, and lots of fun jokes and banter.
* Lots of strategy and tactics. So many ways to use your characters to your advantage.
* Breaching is fun. Lots of strategies there too.
* Still has a fun research and citywide layer. Some strategies there as well. Feels like XCOM. Choices requiring you to choose between hot new gear or saving a city district from anarchy. Lots of great choices.
* Seems faster than XCOM 2. I like how you can play maps quickly. Having encounters in a row is a unique problem that sees you making choices whether to use skills near the beginning or in later encounters.
* Great music and presentation!
* Hot Snek memes
* Three enemy factions to battle, each requiring a different mindset. I really liked this.
* Stuff to discover, like epic weapons.

Cons
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* Voice acting for aliens is a bit off. Very cheesy sounding dialogue, even though the dialogue itself is fantastic. This mostly affects some aliens. Verge is perfect as is though.
* I hear there are bugs, but I haven't run into them yet in 11 hours.

Conclusion
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You like XCOM gameplay? Just buy it already! It's a little different, and it's a spinoff, but it's so fun! I really enjoy the new layers of strategy and tactics by the changes in things.

You won't make your own characters, but allow yourself to give the 11 agents a chance. You'll fall in love with them. Like you did Overwatch's characters.

I really wanted to like it, but it seems really shallow and lifeless. The game cycle got boring even in the tutorial for me. Build a few things, babysit terminals when you need things done, go down to a planet where you just mine a few things and kill enemies as they appear, and defend your ship when they get on board. Don't rely on your clones to do much but act as something is stationed, an effect that could have been done without them if the devs wanted to. It's not riveting gameplay. Though, I could see it being fun with some improvement.

Graphically, it's pretty rough, and you'll notice it. I do like some of its effects, but it just puts me off. Better than I could do though!

The clones, your crew, are so hollow looking and act as mini tutorials instead of people to really talk to.

In the end, At a cheaper pricepoint, it might be worth it, but I think the game needs more work and more depth. I'd love co-op too. I returned it, for now.

The worst thing about this game was realizing I finished it and the story is over... I want to live in this story. I want more! Such a great game, great characters, great feels.

This isn't super spoily, but I really feel sad for the Jedi in this story, their loneliness during the last phases of the purge and the place you visit that have the soul of the Jedi in them. Places that used to be happy for them. No safe places left. It's kinda sad.

Cal is such a fantastic character. The gameplay is so great. I want to play it again, even though it won't be the same. But man, I love the feeling of being a Jedi in this. They get lightsaber combat down really well, and there is nothing as satisfying as cutting through a group of stormtroopers, deflecting lasers perfectly and generally being a badass Jedi. The graphics are amazing, and the game world feels alive in every level, like you're there. I also love exploring everything. There are so many unlockables and echoes off the beaten path and it's fun to come back when you have more powers and more fully explore each world.

The music is also very fitting of a Star Wars games, and makes you feel like you're in a Star Wars movie.

I experienced very few technical issues and found the game to be a cinematic experience in every way.
It does start up origin in the background but that didn't seem to affect its performance.

I hope they make a sequel soon! I can't get enough of this game.

If you like Star Wars, this game is a no brainer. Buy it now, full price. It's worth it. Even if you aren't a Star Wars fan, this game is really fun, and is a rare single-player treat from a AAA dev. It reminds me a lot of the Tomb Raider, Bioshock, and Uncharted-style games. Just a great game with a living world.