Recent reviews by ΓɑʍΓ

Black Plague, sequel to Overture, is yet again an astoundingly good game. Several of the wonky game-mechanics of it's predecessor, chiefly unweildy melee combat, have been scrubbed.

The story, progressing ever onward, is well written from beginning to end. For a game like this, with low production values and a small dev. team, to weave such an interesting story is quite the accomplishment. It even has an ending which noticeably stirs the subtle messages earlier in the game.

A genuinely eerie game, though incredibly satisfying to progress in, figure out, and ultimately beat, Black Plague is a great game, through and through, and should definitely be tried out at the very least.

Unless you don't have what it takes? Can you play Penumbra end to end without fiddling with your gamma? Muting your sound? Reading through walk-throughs? I highly suggest avoiding the aforementioned. To do so would be to defeat the purpose of the game, and really take from the enjoyment of it all.

With poor visual appeal, the whole game just screams "LOW PRODUCTION VALUES" when compared to contemporary titles.

However, far from it for Penumbra to succumb to low-production values on every front, the voice acting of the characters is phenomenal. Coupled with the game's inherently interesting plot (for those who simply can't walk away from a narrative like this) Penumbra boasts a wonderfully well-written and well-made storyline.

It brings complex puzzle-solving gameplay with a pall of eeriness cast upon the game that leaves you wanting to take a few steps back every time you make one step forward.

In addition to this, right from the beginning, for those interested at all in analytics, the game harps, rather subtly, on human nature. Howard, Philip, Red, all well-animated characters (figuratively speaking... of course) provide the game with a less-than-subtle hint of humanity.

All in all one of the most well intriguing and captivating games I've played in quite some time.

Takes a really good game to make me play for 16 hours almost non-stop on my first session.

Crusader Kings 2 is an RTS like many of Paradox's previous titles; highly complex (where your typical RTS is concerned) and providing a highly realistic simulation of empire-expansion. Every facet, save tactical involvement in battles, is explored with detail, and with much at the player's control.

One of the key features in CK2 is it's dynastic political system. Not only must you secure your line of succession through heirs to continue in your quest for glory, but there are no formal alliances. Everyone you can count on is either directly in your sphere of influence and thus obligated to serve, or aligned through familial ties.

Even though I bought it during the sale, as previously I was unsure, now that I've played Crusader Kings 2, I can definitely say I'd not have issue with paying full price for it. This is even one of the few games I wouldn't be opposed to paying full price for DLC.

5/5

Victoria II is a strategy game, not in the general sense where you farm 1-5 basic resources, micro handfuls of units that comprise your workforce and army, and fight on tiny maps. Victoria II is a game where a few clicks doesn't reward you with instant gratification but with noticeable effects later on in the game. Decision making isn't based on handful of numbers that comprise unit stats, but rather complexed situations that involve events and occurrences around your nation-state, each with effects, no matter how belated and subtle.

Victoria II is likely the one game where an economy is as important as it should be in reality. Unlike your average RTS, there is no simple click-and-receive system surrounding resource management, you will likely be sorely lacking in many if not most of the dozens of resources, sound economic decision making is required to achieve anything at all in this game.

The one and only downside is the lack of tactical-level decision making in Total War.

Oh boy writing a recommendation for Empire....

Well, with all the crap surrounding the release now history for quite a while, and stability markedly improved, vanilla is, dare I say, playable. Though who plays vanilla in a Total War game a year or more after its release? Half the game is buried in the modding community. If your system can handle it (300-500 man units is really taxing if you play on Ultra) Darth Mod (and DM Ultimate Commander) is a great realism mod that patches up the AI as best as possible as well.

For such an old game, its rather enjoyable. A Total War meets Age of Empires mix and mash of sorts, its far less resource based than its predecessors, with more emphasis on taking and holding ground (Villages, which in turn do provide resources) and the battles. The realism, if you can appreciate it through the older graphics engine and the scaled down battlefields, makes the game unique. I managed to grab this, along with all the other games I have from the same series in an 18 dollar package. I highly recommend getting it on sale, or just straight up buying it full price (its really not that much).