Останні рецензії користувача Spobbles

This review contains no story spoilers.
Centred on an astronaut searching for a new Earth-like planet, Earth Analog (EAN) is a game about exploration and adventure in a bizarre and alien universe, and while it does eventually provide a worthwhile experience, it suffers a slow start and poor performance.

Credit where it's due, however, the developer is listening to player feedback and the game is already improving. For example, a manual save feature is now present, alleviating an issue many have complained about.

🖱EAN works well with keyboard & mouse, and joysticks/HOTAS can be configured manually.🖱

EAN features space-sim gameplay: flight is affected by inertia, gravity, atmosphere and wind. This takes a while to get used to, but it's fairly intuitive, if rather punishing to the inexperienced. It's very easy to crash and destroy your ship when landing or navigating tight spaces, so the utmost care must be taken at all times. Players must mine three different resources via a minigame in order to repair and refuel their ship, though one does not need to do this often, so it doesn't become bothersome.

Various artefacts can be found scattered around each location; these can be used in conjunction with mysterious diamond-shaped entities in order to upgrade the player's ship with better engines, larger drill range, etc. These artefacts include items such as scrap metal and spark plugs, but all take the form of glowing balls that simply float in the air, waiting to be collected.
https://gtm.steamproxy.vip/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2395442249
Upon beginning their adventure, players are presented with a rather bland Earth-like alien world and some basic yet strangely cryptic objectives such as “find an island that's this shape”. These directions lead to “beacons” that take the form of glowing orbs which, to be frank, look like placeholder assets. These beacons then lead to more beacons via more cryptic messages, and the whole thing feels rather dull. These factors combined give a poor first impression of the game, and had I paid for it, I'd have considered refunding it.

Thankfully, one soon encounters far more intriguing celestial bodies such as one surrounded by a multitude of stone cubes – an unusual sight, no doubt, but initial inspection of this place reveals that it is, indeed, just a dirt ball with cubes around it. Dig just a little deeper, however, and you'll discover what this game is all about.

The reference to 2001: A Space Odyssey on this game's store page isn't there for nothing; the music, atmosphere and visuals make some of EAN's events, entities and locations feel alien, in the most literal sense of the word. These are not analogous to the creations of human-kind; they are utterly inexplicable, and little to nothing can be gleaned about their purpose, origin or how it is even possible for them to exist in the first place.

It must be noted though, that while EAN's atmosphere improves considerably, to the point where it can carry the experience, the gameplay remains relatively simplistic throughout, and the game feels almost like a tech-demo or showcase with basic gameplay attached.
https://gtm.steamproxy.vip/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2395446449
While many of the planets players visit in EAN feature unique concepts, they contain nothing for players to find besides the aforementioned upgrades and beacons. That being said, the variety of planet types on offer serves as a good reason to check them all out and take in the vistas, and many feature an “anomaly”; something crazy and often startling.

Earth's resources are depleted, and it was up to ten brave souls to venture out into deep-space, searching for a new home. Only one reported success, before vanishing without explanation. The last hope of Earth's population, the player has set out with the goal of finding the missing explorer – and a new home for humanity.

EAN's narrative is delivered via text snippets gleaned from beacons as players follow the trail left by their predecessor. These support the game's atmosphere well, and their discovery often triggers or coincides with local events – usually bad ones. The protagonist is not voiced, which helps to cement the player into the role, while building on the feeling of being alone.

This game was played with the following PC specs:
AMD Ryzen 5 3600
16GB RAM
GeForce GTX 1650 SUPER 4GB
1680x1050 resolution
Windows 10
Game installed on HDD

EAN has an unusual appearance, likely thanks to its use of ray marching, and while the game's visual style is certainly unique and does a good job of portraying scale, it's not particularly detailed or pretty, in most cases. Viewed closely, most things outside the player's ship look slightly blurred and blocky, even on high settings, and the animations of the “anomalies” are odd, to say the least.
https://gtm.steamproxy.vip/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2395464807
Using the specs listed above, the game's performance is mixed. Flying in space or high above planets provided a relatively consistent 60fps, while flying close to the surface of planets and moons could drop it to as little as 10fps. Turning dynamic resolution on does help, to a degree. EAN's store page warns that a good GPU is required to run the game well, and mine is on par with the listed requirement, though I have spoken to another reviewer who experienced issues using an RTX 2080 ti.

EAN has a nice soundtrack that accompanies the events of the game well. Sound effects are mixed; some are fine, while others are a bit jarring and/or irritating. This is not helped by the game's lack of proper volume options; it has only a music slider.

Volume sliders:
These should be standard in every game.

Joystick configuration:
I tried to use my Logitech Extreme 3D Pro (a very common stick) to mixed results. While I did get it working in the end, assigning binds was difficult due to the game detecting micro-inputs from the axis. A deadzone setting also seems to be absent, making controlling the ship a very twitchy affair.

Game doesn't trap the cursor:
The mouse cursor can stray onto another monitor, meaning a mouse-click can minimize the game.

Blinding beacons:
The objective beacons, and similar bright objects, have strong bloom, which can be blinding when looked at directly.

Performance issues:
As mentioned above. This is the biggest issue with the game right now, in my experience.

Drill losing resources:
The amount of resources gathered starts to go down if it reaches 50. Not positive this is a bug, but I don't remember seeing any warning of this.

Miscellaneous minor bugs:
Quest-related counter displaying incorrect values on one occasion.

There's an interesting and unique experience in Earth Analog, but it's hidden behind the game's introduction. When it does get there, the experience is carried in large part by the narrative and atmosphere, as the gameplay cannot stand on its own. I recommend purchasing the game on sale, and making sure you have a good idea of what to expect from it.

If you like long, detailed reviews, check out our curator page, Devils in the Detail.

Fireworks Mania (FM) is a simple sandbox experience that delivers casual fun with few hitches. The gameplay is easy to learn and to use, allows a decent level of creative freedom, and provides very satisfying rewards for time invested.

🖱FM supports only keyboard & mouse.🖱

Players have access to an inventory of unique fireworks that can be placed almost anywhere – even mid-air. The selection includes rockets, firecrackers, tubes and more, though there are no adjustable parameters on the fireworks themselves; said adjustment is instead provided by fuse wires that burn at different speeds. In addition, a few props such as wooden crates and explosive canisters are provided.
https://gtm.steamproxy.vip/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2361514945
Movement and camera controls feel smooth and fairly precise, as does the adjustment of firework position. What the game does lack, however, is a flying mode to allow players to easily place objects in high places, though this may have been excluded intentionally for the sake of immersion.

Though FM already meets the criteria of an enjoyable sandbox experience, additional gameplay elements such as simple, optional goals to give direction to players' creativity would add replay value, and potentially provide even more enjoyment.

Both of FM's two maps feature a surprisingly high level of detail, including decorated interiors and multiple physics objects that be affected by fireworks. There's no activity going on besides that of the player, making the locations feel a bit desolate, but this is not unusual for a sandbox. One of the maps has a giant flamingo, though. That's pretty cool, right?

This game was played with the following PC specs:
AMD Ryzen 5 3600
16GB RAM
GeForce GTX 1650 SUPER 4GB
1680x1050 resolution
Windows 10
Game installed on HDD

FM is a pretty game, with nice lighting and a detailed low-poly environment. The particle effects used for the fireworks are crisp and vibrant, making the game's key element very satisfying to play with.

Using the specs listed above, FM ran at a consistent 140+ fps on Ultra settings. The lack of a framerate cap or VSync meant my GPU was constantly running at ~90%. Once capped at 60fps using third party software, there was no problem.
https://gtm.steamproxy.vip/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2361513968
I intentionally tried to break the game by spawning and detonating a ridiculous amount of objects at once, and the game handed this very well, with only a brief dip in fps during detonation, and no crashes.

The firework sound effects are excellent, further adding to the satisfaction of using them. In addition, the game features a few high quality ambient sounds, such as crickets chirping.

FM lacks a soundtrack, though I didn't notice until it came time to write this review. The sound effects are the main focus of the aural experience, so the absence of music is not a detriment – especially considering many indie game soundtracks are very generic.

Gameplay features:
As mentioned earlier, the ability to fly or hover would be useful when creating fireworks displays, though the lack of such a feature may indeed be a conscious decision on the part of the developer, who may have wanted to keep players grounded for the sake of immersion.

Game options:
A framerate limiter or VSync option would be nice, as they prevent unnecessary power drain and heat generation from components.

Fireworks Mania is an enjoyable little game that accomplishes everything it sets out to do, with few flaws to speak of. It's a great foundation for more content – more fireworks, maps or even activities.

If you like long, detailed reviews, check out our curator page, Devils in the Detail.

Ultimate Zombie Defence (UZD) is a game that provides an enjoyable tower defence experience for casual players, but lacks some key elements needed to keep others coming back for more, and many of its components do not hold up well to close scrutiny.

🖱UZD supports only keyboard & mouse.🖱

UZD features the basics of a tower defence title including the building of barricades and turrets, while borrowing several elements from popular zombie-themed titles including Killing Floor and Left 4 Dead 2 – namely enemy types, the skill tree and class system, and the overall themes and aesthetic. Players earn money during and at the end of each round – money they can use to purchase and upgrade equipment, build better defences and place useful consumables such as ammo boxes. Said defences include a range of barriers, traps and turrets, which can only be constructed or removed during the downtime between waves.

What the game lacks most, however, is a reason to leave your defended corner. While this makes sense on the smallest of the three maps, the other two are quite large, with more than enough space for optional objectives or other dynamic elements. There could be, for example, money and/or item drops, areas you get a bonus for holding, or similar to spice up the gameplay and add some variety to each match, while also providing players a reason to not use the “best” spot on the map every time. There are four difficulty options available, though they seem to do little other than alter the damage dealt by enemies, and as such do little to change how you play.
https://gtm.steamproxy.vip/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2354487473
The tangible aspects of the gameplay – moving and shooting – feel pretty good. Weapons are satisfying to use and relatively easy to aim, though the perspective can make enemies harder to hit at certain angles. With a weapon selection that includes rifles, machine guns, shotguns and more exotic options like a flamethrower, there's something to suit everyone. Unfortunately, enemies' feedback to getting hit is minimal; there's little indication they're actually dead until they hit the floor. The lack of ragdoll physics is a large part of this.

Their reach is also pretty long – much longer than their actual arms – which is irritating considering you'll often be fighting in tight spaces such as your own defensive structure.

Said enemies include basic zombies wielding only their fists and lust for man-meat, as well as several special units including an acid-spitter, a magical, screaming lady, an explosive man and a couple of big ol' bullet-sponge bosses, one of whom makes really dumb noises. The similarity to the games I mentioned earlier is quite apparent – especially with the screamer. Enemy intelligence isn't the best; they seemingly take the straightest line possible to the player rather than pathfinding their way around defences.

Similar to Killing Floor, UZD features several classes, each with its own skill tree, and would seem to have some long term appeal, though these feature only relatively small differences and buffs. While it's nice for a new player to not be eclipsed by a veteran, it just doesn't feel like you're really becoming any stronger as you level up. Different classes have their uses – Medics, for example, are the only class who can place healing devices – but none have access to unique weapons or abilities. This, combined with the relatively large amount of time it takes to raise a class to the max level, means there's little enjoyment to be found in progression.
https://gtm.steamproxy.vip/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2354485873
Of the three available maps, two offer different experiences: the first is large and expansive while the second is narrow and focused. The third is much like the first, only less pleasant to look at and play on. Level decoration seems to be good at first glance, but many objects such as barricades, planters and storefronts lack collision, so players can simply walk through solid objects.

This game was played with the following PC specs:
Intel i5-4440 3.10 GHz
16GB DDR3 RAM
GeForce GTX 1650 SUPER 4GB
1680x1050 resolution
Windows 10
Game installed on HDD

UZD features decent textures, effects and lighting. The graphics aren't beautiful, but there's nothing wrong with them, either.

The game features a Killing Floor-esque metal soundtrack, which is of decent quality, but is rather generic. Likewise, sound effects are decent, but nothing special, barring a voice line of one of the bosses, which is cringe.
https://gtm.steamproxy.vip/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2354472068
Using the specs listed above, the game ran at a consistent 60fps on the highest settings, without making much impact on my hardware.

Money sharing:
There is no sophisticated way to share money with your allies – something the game incentivizes by providing bonuses to objects built by certain character classes. As it is, players share money by building and selling defences. This system works fine, but it's a little crude.

Joining games:
Every time a match ends, players are booted back to the main menu, and have to create a new lobby and invite their friends again. Annoying.

The perspective:
When near the bottom of the map, walls and tall buildings can cover the camera, making it impossible to see what's going on. There is no way to rotate the camera, so this limits usable space on the map.

Nothing critical, just minor things such as ambient objects lacking collision boxes.

UZD is a game that's fun for a little while; the sort you pick up and a play for an hour every now and again, but not one that will stick in your memory. My co-op partner and I feel we've seen all the game has to offer after these three hours.

It's a decent game, it just needs more.

If you like long, detailed reviews, check out our curator page, Devils in the Detail.

Vicewave is an open-world action game clearly inspired by Grand Theft Auto: Vice City. With a great synthwave soundtrack and vibrant 80's style neons, the atmosphere is set. Unfortunately, the gameplay experience is lacking in several areas, and the optimisation needs work. Frankly, making any progress in this game is a constant uphill struggle against poor game mechanics.

🖱Vicewave supports only keyboard & mouse.🖱

In traditional Grand Theft Auto fashion, Vicewave sees players robbing, investing and shooting their way to riches. With businesses to rob or purchase, drugs to move and rival gangs to battle for territory, it would seem there's much to do in Vicewave, but as I mentioned, making progress is a slog. The Blackjack minigame is nice, though there's little in the way of optional content such as collectables and side-missions.
https://gtm.steamproxy.vip/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2330431070
As well as a decent physics model, Vicewave features a surprisingly good driving model for its vehicles, which have a functioning suspension system. Unfortunately, the presence of vehicles, or rather lack thereof, is a problem. There are no cars being driven around the game world – not even the police can drive – and vehicles appear only in predetermined locations, meaning it's easy to be left without a vehicle and forced to walk. In addition, all unowned vehicles spawn locked. The game features a lockpicking minigame to overcome this, but having to do it every time is tedious.

This is where we find the bulk of Vicewave's issues. The game's movement and gunplay are decent, with a variety of weapons that feel effective, if a bit clumsy, but have very limited ammo considering the hardiness and quantity of enemies. There is no cover system beyond simply moving behind something, which is an issue due to enemies' numbers, accuracy and firepower; running and gunning is not an option in a serious fight. Even if one should find cover, however, it's not unusual for it to be rendered ineffective by an enemy with a shotgun spawning behind the player, or the sheer volume of seemingly unending fire hitting exposed body parts.

The aforementioned spawning issue is one of many with the enemy A.I.; cops will spawn all around the player, gangsters will respawn right in the player's face when exiting a building, and all enemies go from idle to accurately shooting the player in an instant, to name a few. All of these issues are compounded by the consequences of the player's death, which include mission restarts (no checkpoints) or respawning at a hospital with at least 50% of your money gone, though the latter is largely irrelevant as one can simply load a save instead.

Vicewave features a handful of missions, which serve to introduce players to the game. Most are simple and quick, while others can be … different. One of them involved escorting a friendly NPC, which is easier said than done considering he has little health, happily walks into gunfire, and chooses to be a pacifist most of the time. I'm generally not bad at these sorts of games – I've played countless shooters over the years – but I had to retry that mission around ten times. On some attempts, the friendly NPC would run up to enemies and immediately be killed. Most, though, were due to the aforementioned combat and vehicle issues.
https://gtm.steamproxy.vip/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2329654952
The city streets and buildings contain silent NPCs who stand or aimlessly walk around the place, oblivious to the player. Their total silence, and that there's little else going on in the world, makes it feel a bit dead. The environment variety is nice, however, with a large and detailed city, plus a forest and ocean.

Vicewave's story has a solid foundation; the protagonist has joined a gang through family connections, and must work his way up the ladder. The story's plot points are more or less standard “gang stuff”; taking out rival gangs, stealing their drugs to sell, etc. Beyond that, there is little actual story, and the narrative takes a break after a few missions that introduce various game mechanics to the player, at which point one is left to one's own devices.

The game's characters are all very cliché, which is no doubt intentional and expected of a game like this. The writing, however, is rather odd. Character dialogue attempts to be as cliché as the characters, with lots of 80's gangster slang, but fails due to the writer seemingly not actually knowing any 80's gangster slang, and attempting to improvise. The resulting dialogue ranges from bizarre to cringey, and the voice acting doesn't help.

This game was played with the following PC specs:
Intel i5-4440 3.10 GHz
16GB DDR3 RAM
GeForce GTX 1650 SUPER 4GB
1680x1050 resolution
Windows 10
Game installed on HDD

Vicewave's low-poly art style and vibrant neons are a treat, as are the iconic 80's car models. The visual design is undoubtedly this game's strongest feature.
https://gtm.steamproxy.vip/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2329626603
Using the specs listed above, the game runs a bit rough regardless of what settings are used; playing on the lowest settings maintains a framerate of 50-55, while high settings maintain 40-50. Regardless of settings, the game suffers brief but regular drops to the low 40's – even when standing still and staring at the ground.

While I was playing the pre-release build, the game received a significant performance update, which leaves me hopeful that further optimisation will come.

Vicewave has a nice synthwave soundtrack that helps immensely in establishing the game's atmosphere. Sound effects, meanwhile, are decent enough for an indie game; nothing special, but they do the job.

Voice acting, however, is bad. All characters of significance are voiced, and the quality ranges from amateurish to amusingly terrible.

The benchmark feature doesn't work – it may not have been implemented yet.

The game has a few minor visual issues including reload animations breaking occasionally, the player sitting in the wrong place in a car, and the lighting flickering on one anti-aliasing setting.

To add to the already numerous issues around the game's enemy NPCs, I found myself unable to complete gang wars (the main combat content) because not enough enemies would spawn to meet the kill requirement. I got around this by exploiting another issue with the A.I.: going in and out of a building respawns all enemies in the area.

I really wanted to like Vicewave. Even while writing this review, I loaded it up again and again in an attempt to push through more content to find something I could enjoy, but to no avail. I love driving through the streets and taking in the atmosphere, but that alone is not enough. The foundations of a good game are in place, it just needs to be polished, tweaked and added to.

My recommendation is to check back after the game has had more development time.

If you like long, detailed reviews, check out our curator page, Devils in the Detail.

Halo: The Master Chief Collection (MCC) contains some excellent games, some great games, and an okay game. All of these are high quality AAA experiences whose combined value far exceeds the price tag of the MCC by virtue of their quality storytelling, considerable replay value and enjoyable gameplay. Unfortunately, the MCC has suffered various networking issues since launch, which still come and go.

All titles featured in the MCC have been updated to use the same menus, settings, controls, and other features, in order to create a smooth, consistent experience.
https://gtm.steamproxy.vip/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2285444109
Across the six entries contained in the MCC, various gameplay details and mechanics are added, changed and removed. Consistent across all entries, however, is the distinctive Halo gameplay feel, which can be described as somewhat old-fashioned, with many weapons fired only from the hip, no sprint function (in most titles), floaty gravity and no parkour/traversal system. It is, however, smooth, precise and enjoyable. Nothing else plays quite like Halo.

While mouse & keyboard works well enough with these games, they were designed with gamepad in mind, and, as such, it's what I recommend using.

Featuring six games released between 2001-2012, the visual experience understandably varies, though the first and second games have been remastered (in 2011 and 2014, respectively) to bring them in line with later titles. All of the featured titles had impressive visuals at their time of release, and all can still deliver a beautiful view or breathtaking display of scale. Similar can be said of the audio design, barring, arguably, that of Halo 4.

Soundtracks, meanwhile, do not suffer the effects of age as graphics do, and remain as excellent as they did on the day of their release. Halo's beautiful music is as iconic as the franchise itself.
https://gtm.steamproxy.vip/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2294594715
Numerous players have reported issues with connectivity since the MCC's release, whether it be lag in co-op play, difficulty in matchmaking or failure to load into levels in co-op. While patches have released over time, these gremlins still make themselves known to some, at times. Having played through all of the games in the collection in co-op, I can testify to the latter of the aforementioned issues, though, thankfully, it has been rare.


The one that started it all; CE is now a 19 year-old game, and even with the remaster in 2011, it feels it. While still very playable and featuring a decent story and great atmosphere, this one feels a little rough.

Full Review:
https://gtm.steamproxy.vip/profiles/76561198096374054/recommended/1064270/

Though its gameplay represents a significant step-up from that of its predecessor, Halo 2 is starting to feel a little dated as well, when compared to later titles. It does, however, feature some of the best graphics in the MCC due to its excellent 2014 remaster, and it remains my favourite of the franchise due to its level design, music and story.
https://gtm.steamproxy.vip/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2328699845
Full Review:
https://gtm.steamproxy.vip/profiles/76561198096374054/recommended/1064271/

This is the big one; it concludes the story of Halo CE & Halo 2, while featuring excellent gameplay, level design and story elements, as well as a beloved competitive multiplayer component. As it's still running its 2007 graphics, it isn't the best looking game in the MCC, but it holds up fairly well.

Full Review:
https://gtm.steamproxy.vip/profiles/76561198096374054/recommended/1064272/

The first spinoff title, ODST pairs Halo 3's excellent gameplay with new characters and a darker, more grounded atmosphere that sets it apart from previous titles. This game is shorter and smaller in scale than the main Halo entries, but should not be overlooked; it has everything it needs to be a great game. In addition, it adds a new PvE game mode called Firefight in place of competitive multiplayer.

Full Review:
https://gtm.steamproxy.vip/profiles/76561198096374054/recommended/1064220/

Set shortly before Halo CE, Reach follows in ODST's footsteps with a new lineup of characters and a more somber atmosphere. While Reach's characters and story weren't as well-received as those of earlier titles, its gameplay experience is one of the best in the franchise, as it maintains the distinctive Halo feel while refining and adding meaningful features to the experience. The same treatment is given to the Firefight mode first featured in ODST, adding a highly enjoyable game mode that offers plenty of replay value.

Full Review:
https://gtm.steamproxy.vip/profiles/76561198096374054/recommended/1064273/

In my view, this is by far the weakest entry in the MCC, and a poor Halo title in general. While it passes as a generic sci-fi shooter, much of what made the series special was lost in the making of Halo 4. Nice graphics reveal a rather bland visual design, gameplay balance suffers, and story explores regions that should, arguably, have been left to imagination.

While some of the games featured in the MCC are showing their age, and all feel rather primitive to play compared to the latest, fast-paced FPS titles, there's nothing else quite like this franchise. It's one I've loved since I first played Halo 2 on the original Xbox back in 2004, and playing the whole series again in 2020 has only reaffirmed my love for the franchise. I will continue to play these games for the foreseeable future, such is their quality and replay value.

This review comes courtesy of the R³ curator.

This review contains no story spoilers.

Halo: Spartan Assault (H:SA) is an enjoyable top-down shooter that delivers solid gameplay and decent visuals for a good few hours of fun. A decent short story also makes for a worthy entry in the franchise's lore.

🖱🎮H:SA works well with both keyboard/mouse and controller; I used the latter.🎮🖱

Presented as a series of linear levels with singular objectives, H:SA's premise is as basic as you'd expect for a mobile game. There's the occasional vehicle or turret-defence section, but for the most part you're on foot, making your way through enemy lines. Players are usually accompanied by a couple of friendly troops who add a little personality to the experience, as well as being helpful in a fight.

Replayability is limited, with high score goals available for all levels, but no personal progression to speak of; gameplay and equipment variety does not evolve throughout the game. It's casual experience.
https://gtm.steamproxy.vip/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2324520102
Movement and gunplay are very smooth and precise – it's easy to nail a distant enemy with a sniper rifle, then switch to an assault rifle and mow down nearby foes in one fluid motion. Movement is limited to simply running, without the ability to jump or otherwise traverse terrain, but there's little need for such features in H:SA's level design.

Weapon and equipment variety comes straight from the main Halo titles; a few of the series' iconic weapons and grenades are available for players to purchase before each mission or loot from dead enemies, while several utility items such as automated sentry turrets and cloaking devices appear as well. Similarly, several familiar land vehicles are available such as the Scorpion Tank, albeit modified slightly to support H:SA's gameplay.

Enemies belong to the Covenant faction seen in all Halo titles, in much the same form as they appeared in said games; plentiful fodder units, tougher leader units and less common specialised types. As one would expect from a game of this type, A.I. is not particularly advanced, though they are not so dumb as to dampen the experience.
https://gtm.steamproxy.vip/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2324518222
Being a casual, gameplay-focused experience, H:SA's story is relatively basic and linear, and makes use of established factions and characters from the franchise. That said, its a cool little story that flows well and held my interest all the way through. The game doesn't try to make a big deal of its narrative, keeping plot points simple and appropriate for a game of this type and length.

Characters rarely speak directly to the player, though the sense of being present in the game world and acknowledged by its denizens serves to prevent the feeling of being disconnected from the action.

This game was played with the following PC specs:
Intel i5-4440 3.10 GHz
16GB DDR3 RAM
GeForce GTX 1650 SUPER 4GB
1680x1050 resolution
Windows 10
Game installed on HDD

H:SA is a pretty good looking game for what it is, with nice environments and particle effects. Animations are a little clunky in places, but decent overall. Most cutscenes are delivered as basic but nicely illustrated animations that possess a lot of character and fit pretty well with the game as a whole.

Graphics options are minimal, with just resolution, anti-aliasing and refresh rate settings.

Using the specs listed above, the game ran at a steady 60fps on max settings. It reverts to a window when tabbing out, but [Alt-Enter] restores it to fullscreen without issue.
https://gtm.steamproxy.vip/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2324519190
H:SA seemingly borrows some sound effects from older Halo games, meaning they are of high quality and feel very familiar to me – a nice surprise. Music is in keeping with the style heard in other Halo titles, and is both pleasant and of high quality.

I encountered no bugs whatsoever.

Annoyingly, game options cannot be accessed while in levels.

For its low price, H:SA is a worthwhile casual experience, and a fun little shooter whose Halo themes provide extra flavour – at least, to those who are familiar with the franchise.

This review comes courtesy of the R³ curator.

There's trouble in RUNE II's past, and it has hit the Steam store with terrible optimisation, a generic plot and “okay” gameplay. I received my review copy of this game a few days prior to release, but waited until now to review it, as I wanted to give the developers more time to polish it, and, to be honest, I just didn't want to play it more in the state it was in. Now though, it has come time to write this review, and, unfortunately, after playing only five hours, I've had enough. Most of the issues can be found in the “Performance” section of this review.

Honestly, while the store page claims RUNE II is a game for players who “don't take themselves too seriously” and “like a game that's self-aware”, it is, in reality, just a game that isn't good enough to be taken seriously. There's nothing goofy or “self-aware” about it, unless the occasional piece of terrible dialogue from side-characters was made for that purpose.

🖱🎮Mouse/keyboard and controller both work fine with this game.🎮🖱

In traditional open-world fashion, RUNE II features side-quests, loot and a crafting system. While said side-quests, unfortunately, consist largely of fetch-quests, the loot and crafting systems aren't too bad, though the loot can come in pretty fast, making inventory management a chore on occasion. Players can also construct buildings in predetermined locations, in order to gain access to various services such as advanced crafting.

Speaking of inventory management, the U.I., while not awful, isn't the best. All weapons and consumables live in a gear wheel, which is tiny on the inventory screen, and awkward to use in combat. An ordinary, numbered hotkey bar would be preferable.
https://gtm.steamproxy.vip/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2312290043
Gaining some points back, here, RUNE II employs a somewhat souls-like combat system, with light and heavy attacks, parry, block and dodge. In addition, one has access to a number of deity-inspired abilities and a nice variety of weaponry, including short and long swords, hammers, axes and bows. This is all good stuff, and the combat itself really isn't too bad, though it's let down by the game's terrible performance and visual issues, which I'll explain later.

A.I. is a mixed bag. While enemies seem to dodge, block and use powerful attacks at appropriate moments, they seem to be very basic in other ways. For example, enemies seem to be triggered not upon seeing the player, but by proximity; I've heard enemies start shouting at me from the other side of a thick, rock wall as I walked past. Bosses, meanwhile, are essentially bigger, tankier enemies that are resistant to knockdown. Standard stuff.

More “unusual” enemy behaviour can also be witnessed from time to time, such as said enemies running into the deep and disappearing forever, if there's water between them and the player. Very odd. Archers also tend to spam arrows at quite a ridiculous rate, but to very little effect. It's a sight, to say the least. Oh, and enemies get stuck sometimes.

Expectedly, as a game set firmly in Norse mythology, RUNE II features lots of snowy hills and green forest. The world features some interesting landmarks and is relatively easy to navigate, though I found myself swimming quite a lot in order to get places. The game teaches players how to build a raft in the tutorial, but with objectives frequently set on the other side of a lake, I found swimming to be easier than constantly building new rafts or finding my old one. The dungeon-crawling experience isn't bad, offering something different to the rest of the game.
https://gtm.steamproxy.vip/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2312289238
Starring a resurrected mortal as the player-character, RUNE II sees its hero battle against the hordes of the god Loki and free the land. The protagonist is guided by Heimdall, Watchman of the Gods, who tasks them with defeating evil entities, and … walking back and forth a lot. RUNE II takes its plot and main characters completely seriously, and not in a “self-aware” way. There isn't really anything particularly bad about said plot or characters; they just aren't that interesting.

Unlike said main characters, however, certain side characters have some quite ridiculous dialogue, with comically bad voice acting to match. Some of this is, undoubtedly, intentional goofiness, but I'm not convinced it's a case of the game being designed with self-awareness in mind.

This game was played with the following PC specs:
Intel i5-4440 3.10 GHz
16GB DDR3 RAM
GeForce GTX 1650 SUPER 4GB
1680x1050 resolution
Windows 10
Game installed on HDD

Certain images on the store page may look nice, but everything from the shading to the models and textures of RUNE II are pretty dated, though the U.I. looks quite nice, at least. There are a few oddities, such as arrows just hovering in the air near the player, and a few rather annoying features such as vast, blinding particle effects from one of the enemies I ran into. Good luck fighting when you can't even see your own character.
https://gtm.steamproxy.vip/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2312303762
Killing any enjoyment I could have had from RUNE II's combat, was the markedly poor performance. Using the specs listed above, I could manage 60fps at times, but it was usually dropping below that, even on the lowest settings (which make the game look like playdough). The game also hangs frequently, making combat troublesome.

Sometimes, even with the game paused, my CPU, GPU and RAM usage would all be over 95%. This is absolutely ridiculous for a game that looks this bad. For reference, I can run Red Dead Redemption 2 and Assassin's Creed: Odyssey at 60fps without issues like this.

Besides the mixed-quality voice acting, RUNE II's audio is decent; the soundtrack, while not particularly remarkable, is nice enough, and the sound effects are adequate.

Only adding the considerable performance issues, the game has a couple more technical issues to contend with; namely, long loading screens, flickering water and hovering objects. The game also failed to respawn me at one point, forcing me to Alt-F4 and reload it.

It's not very good, mmkay?

If you're looking for quality reviews that we actually took seriously, check our curator page, Devils in the Detail.

2009's Halo Wars (HW) is an unusual game, in the sense that it's a real-time strategy (RTS) game developed specifically for console, and therefore gamepad. As a result, it's a relatively basic example of the genre, lacking some advanced features. For this reason, veteran RTS players may find it a bit simplistic, but those who can accept the game for what it is can find a smooth, polished and rewarding experience. The game's relatively simplistic approach may also appeal to those who are new to the genre, as it's easy to learn and play casually. That said, it does have some minor issues.

🖱🎮The game was designed for controller, though keyboard/mouse works fairly well.🎮🖱

In many ways, HW's gameplay is similar in complexity to that of Command & Conquer titles; there's no worrying about ammunition types, directional damage or anything of that nature. Winning a battle chiefly involves choosing the right types of units to counter those of your enemy, or having sheer numbers. Both playable factions are well-balanced, with a unit for every speciality, and a number of solid all-rounders comprising of many established Halo vehicles and personnel, plus several new ones.

Where HW differs from the aforementioned titles is in its base-building system; bases are constructed using a template on a predetermined site, removing much tactical decision-making from the process. Said decision-making lies instead in which buildings to make, what order to make them in, and what kind of defences should be used, though it makes little difference in the long run. While this system is restrictive, it encourages players to focus more on building and using units, which is the better part of the game.
https://gtm.steamproxy.vip/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2306547931
Unusually, HW features a full co-operative campaign in which players share a base, budget and population cap, working together to make better use of their units. This isn't something I've seen another RTS game do, and the result is pretty good, if you're playing with somebody you can work well with. With collectables, four difficulty settings and five skirmish game modes in which to play against A.I. or other players, HW offers plenty to do.

While HW does present a simple interface, it does still have many traditional RTS functions, such as unit special attacks and upgrade paths, the ability to garrison structures, and useful features such as grouped units automatically moving at the same speed.

Now, the bad parts: Firstly, units like to move, but they're bad at it. When approached by an enemy, units will always move to engage, potentially exposing themselves to something nasty, lurking just out of range. They're also very bad at getting past each other due to very large collision boxes, with traffic jams possible in narrow terrain.

Secondly, higher difficulty settings feel pretty unbalanced on some campaign levels. I don't remember it being so insane in the original Xbox 360 version, but regardless; increasing the difficulty in the campaign does not increase the intelligence of enemy A.I., but instead unbalances the units themselves, making theirs far more tanky and deadly, but retaining the relentless spam of reinforcements present in some missions. Given the nature of the game, this doesn't really make for a fun experience.
https://gtm.steamproxy.vip/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2306544472
HW's campaign sees players fight on alien installations, grassy plains and on top of a moving starship, to name a few places. It's pretty cool. Skirmish maps are typically more open and plain, with the occasional structure, teleporter or environmental hazard to keep things interesting, though the focus remains more on straight-up battles than tactical use of map features.

HW tells a solid story set in the early years of the Human-Covenant War. Some characters are, perhaps, a little bland, but none are bad, and the overarching plot ties well into the franchise's established lore. Many cool moments are had along the way, and it's an entertaining ride, overall. Collectables provide lore snippets, offering a little insight into Halo's lore.

This game was played with the following PC specs:
Intel i5-4440 3.10 GHz
16GB DDR3 RAM
GeForce GTX 1650 SUPER 4GB
1680x1050 resolution
Windows 10
Game installed on HDD

Using the specs listed above, the game ran at a constant 60fps on max settings.
https://gtm.steamproxy.vip/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2306546598
As somebody who played HW on the Xbox 360 back in 2009, I can tell you it looked pretty damn good back then. Now? Well, it's still pretty good for an RTS. While the textures and shading are a bit dated, the level of detail in every small animation is impressive, and it really makes units feel alive.

What really impressed eleven years ago, however, was the cutscenes. Some have stuck with me all this time due to both the visual fidelity and the sheer epic-ness of them. Watching them today, they seem a bit rough, and a bit dull, as one would expect. The sense of scale and intensity of the action, however, remain.

The only thing that sours the visual experience is the in-mission cutscenes, which seem to play at a low, capped framerate. These are brief and far-between, however.

HW's soundtrack is excellent; retaining the feel of Halo's epic music, while creating something unique to this game.

Many sound effects seem to be borrowed straight from other Halo titles, meaning they're of high quality and bring a subtle familiarity to the game when heard by fans of the franchise. Voice acting is solid as well, though units only have a single line of dialogue for each action (moving, etc.), so that can get a bit repetitive.

In one instance, I was unable to pick up a collectable. I was able to get it on another attempt, and the issue has not occurred since.

HW overcomes its relatively simplistic nature by doing almost everything very well. It's a casual entry in the genre, but it looks good, it sounds good, it's easy to play, and it's fun to play.

This review comes courtesy of the R³ curator.

Halo: Spartan Strike (H:SS) is an enjoyable and casual top-down shooter that delivers solid gameplay and nice visuals, but features some questionable design decisions and lacks the gameplay variety necessary to keep players hooked.

🖱🎮H:SS works well with both keyboard/mouse and controller; I used the latter.🎮🖱

Presented as a series of linear levels with singular objectives, H:SS's premise is as basic as you'd expect for a mobile game. There's the occasional vehicle or turret-defence section, but for the most part you're on foot, making your way through enemy lines. Unfortunately, there are no checkpoints; should one die, they must restart the level. This isn't an issue of difficulty, but of tedium; a three minute turret-gunning section is fun the first time, but just drags on when one is forced to do it again.

The biggest issue regarding the levels, though, is that – as other reviews mention – the final of the five chapters is locked behind gold-star completion of all previous levels. These are not bonus levels, or anything of that nature – it's the final chapter of the game's story. While I didn't have much difficulty in getting the required gold-star completion, it did mean replaying old levels again, and it's still a pretty crappy requirement to have. Replaying the game for high scores is something players should want to do to get more out of a game they've finished.

Speaking of replayability, however, the game doesn't really have much. Though a new enemy faction arrives part-way through the game, and the visual setting changes several times, the game feels pretty much the same throughout. I didn't feel as though I was much better at the game by its end compared to when I started, and there's no system of progression. H:SS is a casual experience.
https://gtm.steamproxy.vip/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2302366062
Movement and gunplay are very smooth and precise – it's easy to nail a distant enemy with a sniper rifle, then switch to an assault rifle and mow down nearby foes in one fluid motion. Absent, however, is the ability to vault/jump over small obstacles. This is chiefly to prevent players escaping the bounds of the level, but having to walk around rows of sandbags and similar is a bit tedious.

Weapon variety comes straight from the main Halo titles; several of the series' iconic weapons are available for players to purchase before each mission or loot from dead enemies. Similarly, several familiar land vehicles are available such as the Scorpion Tank, albeit modified slightly to support H:SS's gameplay.

Enemies comprise of the Covenant and Promethean enemies seen in recent Halo entries, in much the same form as they appeared in said games; plentiful fodder units, tougher leader units and less common specialised types. As one would expect from a game of this type, A.I. is not particularly advanced, though they do occasionally make a tactical decision such as deploying a shield or reviving a teammate, and are relatively fun to fight.

Being a casual, gameplay-focused experience, H:SS's story is basic and linear, and relies on the established lore of the Halo universe for its plot points rather than investing in new characters or events. Fortunately, the game knows what it is, and doesn't try in vain to make a big deal out of its shallow narrative. Unfortunately, the lack of minor characters makes the world feel a bit dead. Players only interact with a single character – their commanding officer – who accompanies them via radio through the entire game. Though players regularly come into contact with friendly forces, they never speak or interact with the player in any way. Hearing just some minor dialogue from local allies would go a long way to making the world feel more alive.
https://gtm.steamproxy.vip/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2302358342

This game was played with the following PC specs:
Intel i5-4440 3.10 GHz
16GB DDR3 RAM
GeForce GTX 1650 SUPER 4GB
1680x1050 resolution
Windows 10
Game installed on HDD

H:SS is a pretty game for what it is, with nice environments and particle effects. Animations are a little clunky in places, but decent overall. Most cutscenes are delivered as basic, but nicely illustrated, animations that possess a lot of character and fit pretty well with the game as a whole.

Graphics options are minimal, with just resolution, anti-aliasing and refresh rate settings. Annoyingly, options cannot be accessed while in levels.

Using the specs listed above, the game ran at a steady 60fps on max settings. It reverted to a window when tabbing out, but [Alt-Enter] would restore it to fullscreen without issue.

H:SS seemingly borrows some sound effects from older Halo games, meaning they are of high quality and feel very familiar to me – a nice surprise. Music is in keeping with newer Halo titles, and is both quite nice and of high quality.
https://gtm.steamproxy.vip/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2302364760
I found that the player character would occasionally get stuck on level geometry, but this was rare and I always managed to get free. Besides this, I encountered no technical issues worthy of mention.

For its low price, H:SS is a worthwhile casual experience, and a fun little shooter. While it's hardly a story piece, its Halo themes do give it flavour – at least, to those who are familiar with the franchise.

I recommend Halo: Spartan Strike, but warn of its shortfalls.

This review comes courtesy of the R³ curator.

Aragami feels like a game made with limited resources, but one that makes the most of them by focusing on important aspects, without overreaching. It is enjoyable, but lacking in some areas; namely features that are conspicuous by their absence. Players take up the role of an Aragami; a vengeful spirit with a body made of shadow. I would not necessarily call the game difficult, though I would call it punishing, due the potential consequences of a mistake.

🎮Aragami works well with both keyboard/mouse and controller.🎮

Aragami is a game that forces players to employ a stealthy approach; there is no way to fight enemies openly, and they can kill with a single blow. This means players must employ ambush tactics and stealth takedowns, or be forced to restart the area as a penalty for failure. Mission objectives typically consist of entering an area full of patrolling enemy forces, and reaching some goal such as a path on the other side of the area, or an item for retrieval.

Players have various stealth-related tools at their disposal, such as the ability to lure enemies with sounds, and can choose violent or non-violent approaches. Awards are given for completing levels in the various playstyles, adding replay value.

Central to Aragami's gameplay is the necessity to use shadowy areas to one's advantage; players can teleport to shadows, as well as temporarily create their own at a distance. This mechanic creates great degree of freedom when traversing the area and setting up takedowns, giving gameplay a unique twist.
https://gtm.steamproxy.vip/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2261755750
Though some spots on the terrain can be a little awkward to teleport to because of unusual angles or collision boxes, movement in Aragami feels smooth and precise enough to reliably teleport to small, regular areas such as roof beams. Small-scale environmental traversal can feel a little restricted on occasion, such as when trying to mount or vault over a small obstacle or ledge. There is no button or feature to do so, so players must deliberately teleport up or over, which doesn't feel like it should be necessary.

I played the game in co-op with a friend, and we enjoyed the multiplayer experience, with one caveat: the lack of a respawn/resurrection system. When one player dies, the other has to either complete the level alone (potentially causing the dead player to miss collectables), or deliberately die so both players can start over. There are respawn points within levels, but they're few and far between. I like a challenging game with consequences, but if I wanted to sit and watch someone else play the game for an extended period of time, I'd go on YouTube.

I'd have appreciated some way to resurrect a dead player, especially if it were something challenging to pull off, to retain the consequences of failure. Dying in a resurrection attempt would be far more engaging than throwing oneself into a river to restart the level, but would end in the same result.

Players are armed with only a sword, which can be used for a variety of melee takedowns based on player/enemy positioning. Various abilities can be unlocked through progression and locating collectables, including offensive traps and ranged attacks, defensive abilities such as invisibility, and utilities such as the ability to conceal dead bodies. The constant availability of these later in the game can make things feel a little unbalanced, as players have access to so many tricks. My friend and I found ourselves using only the two or three we found most useful/enjoyable, despite playing on the highest difficulty.

The game places visual information on the player character to represent elements such as ability charges, which are seen as glowing symbols on the player's cloak. This is more immersive than a traditional HUD, and is something I appreciated.

Common enemy variety is limited to two types: a melee and a ranged foe. As the game doesn't feature prolonged combat, instead focusing on single-hit kills, the lack of complex enemy types isn't much of an issue. Even on the hardest difficulty, we found the enemies fairly easy to sneak up on, though one has to be mindful of others nearby. A few bosses are present throughout the story, all with very different mechanics, and they serve to add something different between normal levels, providing enjoyable encounters.
https://gtm.steamproxy.vip/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2261752950
Aragami's levels feature a few different visual themes, including walled settlements with large buildings, temporary camps in the wilderness, and more. Most are presented as small, open areas with goals in fixed locations, and it's up to players to choose their path. While level boundaries are typically walls that cannot be climbed, the contents of the levels usually allow one to make the most of the teleportation ability to get around and avoid or ambush enemies. Environmental hazards are present in the form of bright light sources that drain energy, and water. Water is bad. Don't dip a toe in it; you'll die.

The story of Aragami is relatively interesting, if not especially deep, and the game makes the most of its limited storytelling time by focusing its efforts on a small number of characters and plot points. Said storytelling takes place mostly between levels and at mission objectives, leaving players in peace during gameplay. The whole game takes place during a single night, and the story is a pleasant experience that alludes to the larger picture of Aragami's world, with the help of the accompanying visual themes and soundtrack.

This game was played with the following PC specs:
Intel i5-4440 3.10 GHz
16GB DDR3 RAM
GeForce GTX 1650 SUPER 4GB
1680x1050 resolution
HDD
Windows 10

https://gtm.steamproxy.vip/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2261753347
Aragami is a pretty game with a great visual style, especially in its natural environments. As the game takes place at night and in dark interior environments, the use of artificial light sources stands out, and they are used to good effect as both gameplay and visual elements. Using bright moonlight to illuminate outdoor areas also serves to create very atmospheric scenes, while the splashes of colour around the environment give it variety. Character models are decent, though the one belonging to the main non-player character looks a little odd. Facial animations are absent from almost all scenes, which is also rather odd.


Using the specs listed above, I got a relatively stable 60fps on max settings, though it would occasionally dip slightly.

Aragami has a beautiful soundtrack that fits perfectly with the themes created by the visuals and storytelling, and together they create a great atmosphere. Sound effects are of good quality, and fit what's happening on the screen. No complaints.

Besides the aforementioned framerate dips, I only encountered one bug worthy of mention: the player's cape can get stuck on their sheathed sword, obscuring the visual information it displays.

Aragami is an atmospheric and enjoyable stealth game for those who enjoy the solely stealth-focused gameplay. A couple of small issues are present, but not enough to affect the overall experience.

This review comes courtesy of the R³ curator.