Recent reviews by EXhacker

Are we back? not quite, but it's getting there.

HD2 is a lot better than what it was. Other than a couple of guns that could use some up-lifting, the game is now generally enjoyable to play through. Difficulty of the game is finally in a better place but don't expect you can breeze through the hardest difficulty like nothing because I'm not a stinky egoistic nerd who has 2000 hrs on this game, telling you the game is easy skill issue whatever. It is still pretty challenging with a 4-man squad but it is absolutely beatable and the enemies are mostly fun to fight except the reinforced striders in higher difficulties which are pretty ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥.

But overall? I couldn't think of a better co-op shooter than HD2 in recent memories. The fundamental gameplay without balancing issues is refreshing and incredibly immersive. It has great personality and graphics with minimal micro-transactions. It is probably one of the best co-op game I have ever played. But for the game to go further, the progression system really needs a lot more additions. For now aside the player titles, there's really nothing to showcase the dedication you showed for the game. If HD2 can reward its loyal veteran players more, the game would feel a lot more rewarding to play.

But for all that matters? ARs are finally usable for christ's sake

Coming from a fan of XCOM and Gears of War, Tactics should have been an very welcoming extra GOW stuff, but for a XCOM-esque topdown tactical turn base strategy game it is too dreadful to enjoy.

Unbalanced artificial difficulty, no manual save, unbalanced classes, poorly designed or boring map layout, very few mission types, highly repetitive mandatory side missions for no reasons, no base building, illogical solder replacement system, and unrewarding passive gameplay design that leads to a nade spam and Overwatch fest. All these make Tactics a game very hard to enjoy and I played it on insane. Also there's an overlook that the system doesn't stop you from deleting the required amount of soldiers to progress the game, and if you do you are helpless but opening a complete new save.

There are some little nice ideas and the graphics and cutscenes are pretty nice, the story has real potential for having Kait's parents as main protagonists based during the beginning of the Locusts war, but the story is dull and shallow, interesting characters/ lore like Sid, Reyna and Gabriel didn't get explored properly, and the stranded leader is totally redundant and forgetable. (And i dont know y Prescot is being portrayed like an uncaring ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ here, he's just as in deep ♥♥♥♥ as any other human on Sera and leaved with nothing but tough choices too)

Gears Tactics should have been a spin-off title that offers you a little extra from a great series that left you wanting for more, but Tactics itself fails to be a proper turn base strategy experience with flaws all over the place, and with the wasted story potential, it's really hard for me to recommend this game to anyone except die-hard GOW fans or XCOM veterans.

That being said, I still appreciate the existence of Tactics. It is still a nice albeit rough attempt on a linear XCOM and it does open GOW up for a different approach. it needs some serious refining but it could work if it's properly designed. And AT LEAST it sets its tone right and isn't some cringe fan-fics that plague the modern media.

Wasn't old enough to play the old AC games, just old enough to try but too dumb to complete AC6 back in Xbox 360. And a decade after I am finally good enough to finish AC7.

I'n not veteran enough to comment on which AC is the best, but AC7 is damn well a very solid game. Well optimized, looks pretty great, cool unique set pieces, great mission varieties, and it plays pretty well, jets feel smooth to fly around and control is intuitive, great varieties of jets and weaponry, but most importantly, The music score F U C K I N G S N A P S. It is so good. It is unholily good that really brings you into the game and makes you neglect its hiccups.

The story in AC7 could be pretty interesting, but the long ass cutscenes and expositions from different characters in between missions really don't help. There's also a lot of interesting plot points and exchanges from characters within dialogues during missions but tbh its really hard to carefully listen to them when there are 20 missiles on your ass and you are busy dealing with your objectives. AI allies are also only a bunch of cheering team chanting "damn Trigger you are pretty good!/ Let's go Trigger!/ we are counting on you, Trigger!" instead of actually being a fighter jet pilot themselves. I wish there's a ally command system just like in AC6 and jets could also be able to bring different AP weapons to make the combat more fun and versatile. Objective timers are also questionable in some missions as I feel they are unneeded.

But all in all, AC7 is a very welcomed comeback of the Ace Combat series. It is a strongly solid game and proves AC still being one of the best arcade flight-sim series. I wish in the future we could have remakes of the older games or sequels but as long as there's more AC contents available on PC, I am a happy man.

but can somebody tell me how the hell is this Belka again? oh and you got a cute princess too so thats a plus

GTFO is destined to be a very niche game for being a hardcore co-op shooter. Unless you have 2-3 friends who can enjoy playing a game that requires patience, careful planning, constant communications, and a bit of gamer instinct, this game would be very tough for an average casual gamer to even begin. And to enjoy, one would really need to go out to read the official wiki page to carefully learn the mechanics. You need to be ready for the intellectual demands of reading words, active thinking and understanding the mechanics.

Being relentless in its difficulty is a double-edged sword for this game. It makes this game very unique, but it also makes it not easy to enjoy. It is really exhausting to even complete a level. If you don't look for playthroughs online, learning even early levels and different monsters, environments require huge amount of trials and errors with your homies and it really wastes time, but for somebody, spoiling yourselves before a new level also ruin a bit of excitement.

But such great difficulty is not completely unreasonable, because once you start getting the hang of it, you can feel the game is definitely beatable. The moment you beat the level with the bois is some immense satisfaction that none compares. The preps for the incoming hordes, outsmarting the obstacles, the final dash to the extraction. The sense of overcoming a great difficulty is crystal pure satisfaction.

This game really needs you (and ur dumb ass frds) to be a person who is able to think, react and learn, its better if you are experienced at playing fps or ain't easily tired of repeating. Even though its pretty hard, its very enjoyable on the "co-op" part being essential and having a pretty cool aesthetic. But no need to force yourself to play this game if its too hard for you. After all playing videogames is about having fun instead of getting frustrated.

Tldr: PT is simply a very well-written well-paced cinematic spy-thriller masterclass and one of the best expansions from a videogame. Story writing is as good if not better than the base game. Quest design got improved and felt much more immersive. And there’s finally choices that matter. In every way an improvement over the base game.

Major improvement in PT is probably the quest design. PT is definitely the right direction CDPR took to improve the problems in the base game. While PT is still nowhere to be an RPG experience, but it also doesn’t really try to be an RPG, instead now it is a streamlined branching-story design. And it is actually an improvement from the base game, since the base game’s story is absolutely linear except the endings, and you get different endings by choosing dialog options (which is lame af) In PT you take a side in the late game and you actually have 2 totally different playthroughs with different outcomes and perspectives into the story. It is indefinitely more enjoyable than the base game because your choices have actual consequences and it finally has meaningful replayabilities.

Beside main quests, gigs in PT feel a lot more like side quests about personal stories, not some mundane tasks in base game because instead of reading a block of boring text, now you first listen to what the fixer asks, then you go to meet the clients to discuss the matters. And it immensely helped the immersion by being able to interact with the people you need to deal with and understanding the context in first-hand. Not to mention all the gigs have actual stories and better written. An overall improvement over the inconsistent quality of gigs in the base game.

Being brutally honest, the combat and stealth in 2077 are never great to begin with but still good enough to be entertaining. The real substance and value of this expansion is, same as the base game, really the story and characters. And this spy-thriller isn’t going to disappoint anyone who wants an excellent cinematic experience with twists and turns and epic action sequences. I would say in terms of pacing, it is actually better than 2077 itself thanks to a more compact narrative that focused on a smaller cast. I gotta say though, even though Solomon Reed is played by Idris Elba and his performance is as charming as ever, I think Reed is a weaker character than So Mi, since unlike So Mi, Reed lacks a strong motive or a convincing backstory for his undying conviction to his ideal and overall not as interesting as So Mi. It would be much better if we can see Reed’s own personal struggle and reasoning than simply “I needa get So Mi back coz I’m responsible to her!” and repeat 20 times.

All in all though, if you are planning to play 2077, there’s literally no reason at all not to buy Phantom Liberty together. CDPR definitely spent a lot of resources into making all the animation and cinematics that you can only appreciate the efforts. PT is through and through an emotional ride and a true cyberpunk story. A damn good one.

A simple yet moving story topples with a well-written narration is good enough to make a man sits down and takes a moment to look at the ceiling reminding himself of love and regrets.

Most of the stuff that can be said to the Mass Effect trilogy has been well covered by Raycevick as my thoughts and criticisms towards the trilogy mostly align with his as well. Simply check out his vids on Youtube. Overall, the critic that I can sum up with this series is as Raycevick puts it:

“The universe Bioware created outshines the game itself.”

The characters, the world, and the best moments of ME make up the very heart and bulk of the experience. Bioware successfully wrote some of the best characters and moments in gaming that you will truly invest time into knowing them and bringing them along your journey. And Bioware was completely aware of their writing and able to create many very self-aware and hilarious dialogues and one of, if not the best fan-service DLC that ever existed. The Milky Way galaxy is also such a living world that Bioware filled with all the established lore, world hubs, little moments and conversations you encounter throughout the playthrough to immerse yourself more into the world and grow invested into the stakes and characters beside the main quests.

All 3 games have their own strengths and weaknesses. There are the janky combat, often contrived writing and drama, unclear dialogue wheel, over-simplified moral system, wasted potentials, not so great reasoning of plot points, cut contents due to troubled development throughout all 3 games, but these faults here and there didn’t hinder me enjoying the best moments and the satisfaction of my cumulating choices. As of personal preference the cohesive narrative that progresses along the playthrough in ME1&3 suit me better than the combination of different short stories in ME2.

The legendary edition did a fair job in overhauling ME1 janks, but ME2&3 is practically an official texture and resolution upgrade, some minor bugs and visual inconsistencies still exist. 240 fps in ME3 is bugged and not usable since it stops your shield from regening. Though it is still a clean remastered experience, albeit a bit lazy tbh. But no matter how good it is, it is still ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ irredeemable that this single-player experience requires constant internet connection to play AND you need to connect and remain online to the ♥♥♥♥♥♥ EA app. Which means: If your internet rests in peace or EA’s NASA branded potatoes went to the oven, you are not playing the game…which it happened to me once when EA had an explosive diarrhea and it is frustrating. It is not consumer-friendly and nonsensical. ♥♥♥♥ this ♥♥♥♥.

All and all, to the series itself, I would confidently regard Mass Effect trilogy as a masterpiece of Sci-Fi videogames series and one of the best to date. And after my trilogy playthrough I reinforced my belief that ME3 endings and Andromeda were major missteps made by Bioware. Instead of realizing the mistakes they made with ME3 endings, they decided to ditch all the efforts of the vast universe and characters of the Milky Way galaxy that the ME1-3 team made. They instead soft rebooted it with a new galaxy, without properly realizing how immensely difficult it is to create somethings that pack the same charm and thoughts the original Bioware team came up with. And on top of that still focusing on the oldcomers from the Milky Way, which in the end created a very shallow and unimpressive game of Andromeda. It would’ve been more sensible if they decided to make a prequel about a lot of unexplored characters stories or events with the already established lore and source materials than spending 2 times the effort for creating something people may not grow as fond as and be as good as the original.

Either way, what’s done is done. The Mass Effect universe still leaves a lot of rooms and potentials for both sequels or prequels. But judging from the recent Veilguard it is hard to see and expect any thing of substance
other than character assassination and horrible fan fic anymore. Realizing the next ME is likely to be yet another beloved franchise that got butchered, I can only start coping that Bioware can realize they are becoming yet another studio that is ready to be vaporized by EA and wake the ♥♥♥♥ up and start cooking.

An actual hidden gem of a game that is way too under-appreciated imo.

Very solid gameplay and wonderful art design with an interesting world that I only wish there is more to explore. This game has immense potential to evolve into something unique and I can only hope for a sequel.

good puppy

I bought the ultimate edition of this game back in 2016. I have mained McCree since day 1. I bought 4 battle passes as an act of support for the PVE they promised, even OW2 came out as a ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ and only evolved so little (except the shop).

Turns out I got one of the gaming biggest betrayal and they knew it all along. And I even need to pay extra just for their apology.

Overwatch isn't soulless, but Blizzard is. And the game suffers as we suffer with it.

28/9/2024
5v5 is very much broken because tank is miserable to play n play against, game filled with asylum inmates who have mental issues, gameplay balances r going back n forth, shop full of over-priced skins for brainless whales.

This game, Team 4 and Blizzard all lacks directions, visions and soul. The Invasion PVE missions are pathetic and bare-bone because its only a salvage of the leftovers of PVE materials, and Team 4 totally gave up on PVE after it became a failure. You would think it would free up more energy into improving PVP? turns out 5v5 is way worse than everyone thought n it became a balance nightmare.

so what the ♥♥♥♥ is Team 4 actually cooking? they probably dont hv any idea just as we do. Before ow2 was out i thought ow0.5 was a merely a joke. turns out the more i play, i realize im the damn joke itself. I wish i could look less of a damn fool for talking about PVE nowadays, but if only, one day that PVE could make a comeback, or else overwatch 2 will forever be a soulless shell of its own self. It really pains me for even imagining all the potential all the wonderful ideas it has, all left in dust.

I wrote a review over 1000 words on 2077 lmao, but i don't think a steam review needs this much of words. So, TLDR: A very flawed masterpiece.

Story and characters are the ones excel and provide the greatest value for the experience. Probably the most enjoyable and finished part of the game. Both main and side quests are very well-written with thought-provoking contexts and likable characters making human decisions and reactions, but the main storyline is way too short. A lot of stuff left extremely great impressions but progressed too fast. The only one who’s arc got fleshed out is Johnny Silverhand.

I also appreciate the abundance of gigs but they are wayyyy too many. 80% of my game time is literally completing side activities but they are not necessarily great value. Gigs are inconsistent with their quality and police sightings are the most boring ♥♥♥♥ in the game. If its not because of all the archives providing contexts, they are simply lazy additions of undynamic world activities.

Though, you really, really need to appreciate how masterfully crafted the game world is. Technologically and graphically, RDR2 is probably still more impressive and better, but 2077 exceeds in its art direction. The cyberpunk-aesthetic is definitely on point. And I must say it, Night City is perhaps the most vivid and beautiful world I have ever seen. The staggering complexity and verticality of the environmental design and details are shockingly impressive and I haven’t seen anything came even close to how insane Night City was artistically and logically built. If only there’s more world activities in this beautiful world, because Night City is a gilded hollow shell after you have completed every quest markers. I can only beg CDPR to not ditch Night City but expand the unfinished areas and districts. Anyone who says they shouldn’t reuse Night City is simply insane and autistic, because I couldn’t imagine how much time and blood sweat were put into making this spectacle alone.

The combat and stealth though…I wrote 3 whole damn paragraphs for it but I think no one would take their time to read it anyway so lets just say: 2.0 saved the combat to be actually enjoyable instead of braindead, but it didn’t save the lackluster stealth and Sandevistan is still the overpowered auto-win button. I play on Very Hard and I never chromed Sandi because it is ♥♥♥♥♥ stupid. Melee is also more fun than firearms after rework. Shotgun is fine but any others are still m1 button or score-headshot-or-nothing.

I left a negative review for the Cyberpunk 2077 before 2.0 rolled out, and I still hold true to that statement. 2077 is a game, till today, left me very hooked but still not satisfied. The fixes CDPR made are very substantial but tbh a bit too little too late. The fundamentally unfinished and half-baked things in 2077 (0 RPG mechanics, 0 world interactivity/ activities, rushed quest design, etc) are very perceptible and never going to go away just because some gameplay reworks and little additions are made, but after Phantom Liberty and 2.0, 2077 is undoubtedly a very enjoyable 3A experience that really worth a while. And Phantom Liberty proofed the direction CDPR should strive for in the next game.

Final verdict? I am not some little anime weasel crying over a Martinez kid abusing his Sandevistan and flatlining over. I am the legendary Solo. A mind fused with Johnny Silverhand. A name comes after Morgan Blackhand. The Samurai who walked into the front door of the Arasaka tower solo with a Malorian Arms 3516 and a shot of Johnny Silverhand. And I single-handedly tested Adam Smasher’s philosophy, alone, just like what Morgan Blackhand did 53 years ago on the top of the Saka tower……