Recent reviews by Bodha

Server capacity issues suck.

Other than that this is a wonderful co-op game. I would highly recommend it to anyone who likes co-op, shooters, and games requires time management.

Ive got all the dlc. This is the first one Ive felt the need to write a review for. Usually Im ok with a bug here or a bug there.

This time however paradox clearly just shoved a steaming pile of offal out the door. The dlc not found bug was frustrating. I got past it after verifying game files AFTER the hot fix. Then I realize that a lot of the mechanics of the game simply arent working post patch. The game is playable, but its less of a game than it was prior to this dlc and related patch.

After they get this game fixed with hot fixes I think I will be turning off patching for this game and will no longer be buying dlc from paradox on any of their games for the forseeable future. I didnt have a problem with the dlc business model, but I do have a major problem with paradox failing to bug test even a bit before rolling out a new dlc. Lets be clear at this point I have spent a bunch of money on this game so this isnt a situation of them breaking something I have a small investment in. They broke something I have a serious investment in and they did so with what appears to be little regard for the implications.

If anyone at paradox reads this please consider this to be me putting you on notice. Screwing up games late in the development cycle is not ok. You need to spend less time making major game changes and more time bug testing at this point. The freaking game should be highly polished at this point and not suddenly become a mess.

This game can be a bit rough to start if you don't know how to play it. The tutorial at the beginning shows the basics, but it takes practice. Highly recommend youtube to get the basics. Then expect to still struggle as you learn the ropes.

That said this is a wonderful game if you like the idea of empire building combined with medieval warfare. Your warband will grow in maximum size as your reputation grows. The actual units you have recruit are up to you. Choose carefully and then use them well. There is something quite enjoyable about riding down the rabble with your knights. Or perhaps you like the shieldwall and archers. Or go full mongol horde and run a horse archer band. The choices are yours. How you make your mark in this game is yours. After you have your fill of the base game look into mods. There are plenty of them and many are of high quality.

Pros:
Different from most other games on the market
Combat is skill based. To get the most out of your personal gear you have to have good aim and timing
Replay value by playing with a different faction or army theme

Cons:
Siege warfare is still being worked on as of this writing. It has issues
Game is still being tweaked and not all aspects are implemented

Overall 9.5/10 so far

8.5 hours in and I'm just barely into Act 2. I've been playing some side quests and stopping nearby violence.

So far gameplay has been really fun. The writing is on par with witcher 3 or mass effect. Controls feel good and my only struggle was driving using mouse and keyboard. I swapped camera mode and that was resolved. I've had some motion blur late in the session and no other graphical hiccups. Background audio has had several momentary glitches(less than 1 second each time) that seemed to be when I was entering a area with a lot of assets. I have seen multiple copies of the same npc but not together or close to each other.

Couple of tips:
1. Don't ignore crafting ammo and breaking down gear. This one thing will keep you topped off with ammo and feels like it is the way to keep inventory under control.
2. Be careful crossing the street. Cars will run you over.
3. Pick one primary gun type and stick to it. The perk unlocks will start making a difference.
4. If you are going to be playing a combat playthrough take the violent markers on the map near your travel.
5. Do the combat refresher jackie offers you. Read everything in it.


It has been a great experience so far and I would recommend this game to anyone who enjoys rpgs. If Witcher 3, fallout 3/4/new vegas, skyrim, or the mass effect games entertained you I'm certain you will enjoy this game.

***130 hours edit***
Save the money and buy the double jump leg cyberware asap. This one thing will greatly improve your ability to bypass obstacles when travelling on foot and will offer some interesting alternatives when dealing with many missions. It also helps when dealing with traffic while crossing the street. The ability to double jump will get you over quite a few fences that you otherwise have to spend 1-2 minutes to walk around. It can also be used to get onto the roofs of many mission locations and offer you the ability to take alternative routes into the building or give you the ability to survey the area from a good position. Worth every eddy.

Call this a small quality of life thing. Get at a minimum a single perk in cold blood relatively early. Possibly your first perk buy. Why? Because each and every time you kill someone it will basically kick off that cold blood and gain some xp. May not seem like a big thing, but a levels into cold blood and you get a free perk point and another soon after. Pays for itself quickly.

Some bugs have been dealt with since release while others still persist. Some design choices are mildly irritating and hopefully those will get addressed. I've enjoyed the game a lot, but there are a few things that do irritate me. The biggest is how the police spawn in when you commit a crime. This can happen through aoe effects and it can really suck to have a cop spawn immediately behind you and shotgun you down. That has happened several times to me. The other big irritant is vehicle summoning can spawn your ride on a street that doesnt make any sense. I've had my vehicle spawn on highways I cant reach from my current location for example without traveling a few hundred meters. This happened even though I was on ground level and was less than 50m from a ground level road. The highway where ride spawned was elevated but closer on the horizontal axis.

***END EDIT***

***50.1 hours in edit with tips/complaints/observations:
First run was 26 hours roughly with some side questing. I wouldn't call it a speed run, but I was definitely not hitting up side quests that were out of my way. I was essentially doing quests of opportunity on my way to the next main quest. This second run I've put basically the same amount of time in and still haven't gone to the diner. I've wandered around a lot more and done a ton more side quests.

1. Just now had my first crash. Was during a side mission doing a bunch of quickhacks.
2. Most ANNOYING BUG... not being able to loot items that fall into the floor/steps/slope slightly and any form of mech being difficult or impossible to loot quite often
3. Second playthrough is on hard. It is not uncommon for me to get killed with what appears to be a crit followed by some followup damage before I can pop a heal.
4. Tech weapons and smart weapons are vastly superior to power weapons.
5. Hacking combos with stealth quite well. Just saying if you want to progress in one it is easy to progress in the other if you are doing outdoor missions where distance can be used.
6. Loot everything. Break everything you dont want down. When you need cash sell the massive stacks of common crafting components.
7. Not mission critical but the boosted jump leg enhancement is quite useful. You can get on the roof of many buildings that are otherwise unreachable. You can scout enemies that are hidden behind clutter in the outdoors. Dont overlook this if you got the eddies for it.
8. Unless you want to be constantly swapping gear I would highly recommend upgrading your gear regularly. Stay on top of it. For efficiency consider wearing common items in some slots to make it cheaper to upgrade.
9. The motorcycle you get fairly early in the game is an excellent vehicle for getting around the city. High top speed, narrow so you can get between vehicles that are stopped at intersections etc. When you get it try it out.
10. For the no kill target quests plenty of options, but I got to tbh... easiest one is to keep a non lethal melee weapon in your inventory. When you do these missions slot that weapon. Use your lethal weapons to work the target down and then go hit them with the bat/crowbar a few times.

END EDIT***

This is a gem that hopefully will get even more mileage once they add more ships to break down.

Pros:
The gameplay is straightforward enough to pick up pretty quick.
The challenge is trying to accomplish goals within the shift limit (you will need multiple shifts for the larger ships to accomplish all work orders).
The music isn't intrusive but gives a good vibe

Cons:
Only 2 types of ships right now. This really limits mileage once you figure out a fast method for dealing with them.
The fps will chug hard if you go nuts with the splitter to cut up chunks. Each one of those little itty bitty bits has to be tracked and that is probably the reason. However sometimes this is necessary when a big piece gets stuff on the mouth of the furnace. You can be precise because you can't get close or you will get eaten.



Tips for new players:
1. o2 should and tethers are good early upgrades.
2. Devise a strategy for breaking the ship down.
3. The less you have to move yourself while doing tasks the quicker you will be.
4. Braking while grappling is a good habit to get into.
5. The valuable stuff is going to the barge. Dont sweat furnace stuff unless it is in your way.
6. Listen carefully.... when you place look at the weight as you target stuff. You can quickly tell if something is broke off when the weight drops. This can be really helpful when cutting so you dont have to swap back to grappler.
7. Tethering the reactor straight to the barge is a good idea.
8. The quickest way to die is explosions. The second quickest is a hard hit to the face. You break the helmet and lose air along with the initial hp dmg.
9. If you go back to the master jack for air or tethers make sure to get the other as well if its more than a little down. Also that is a place to buy repair kits. Buy them regularly. Topped off equipment works better so you get more done during a shift.

An enjoyable looter shooter. If you have played earlier entries in the series or the Division series you got the idea.

Mindless fun if you like seeing things go splat!