Recent reviews by Talion 2024.

Shadow of Mordor is truly one of the greatest hack-and-slash games out there; the combat is reminiscent of the old Assassin's Creed games and the Batman Arkham games, the open-world environments are both drop-dead gorgeous and straight-up terrifying to behold at times, the monsters are also disturbing to look upon yet engaging to fight, and the Orc/Uruk nemesis system is simply the icing on the cake.

Granted, the main story is pretty generic (protagonist seeks to avenge his slain family) but the fun and unique twist comes when one considers how the protagonist end ups getting bound to an ancient Elven spirit, who at first is not sure of who he was but gradually comes to realize his true identity as the story progresses.

Lastly, the DLCs that come with the Game Of The Year Edition are simply awesome, as they provide more in-game lore as well as more unique combat techniques, new monsters and even allow players to take on the role of the ancient Elven smith who is bound to the protagonist in the main story, but ends up having his own story set before the events of the main plot.

It is definitely worth checking out.

An amazing mod that breathes new life into the Half-Life game. Graphically it adds better lighting, makes the weapons as well as the environment and the character models look more detailed and better-looking overall, and even improves the overall movement of the playable character Gordon Freeman.

The rather shaky movement though can at times be a little disorientating, especially for those players who are susceptible to motion sickness.

Regardless, it does a far better job in my opinion of upgrading Half-Life 1 than the anniversary update the game has officially received from Valve. All the latter does is allow players to access a demo version of Half-Life 1 which features cut content that didn't make it.

Other than that, the anniversary updated doesn't bring about any significant changes, and frankly feels more like an attempt from Valve to curry favour with its audience after the disastrous launch of Counter Strike 2.

Why they did not include this "DLC" in Half-Life 2 is beyond me, but it is a rather nice side-mission that is supposed to allow players to explore another village/town taken over by the Combine.

Other than that though, the game-play is practically the same as in the main game, and it's story while interesting would have made far more sense to include in Half-Life 2.

However, given that it comes with Half Life 2 when the main game itself is purchased, I'm not one to really complain as it does add a few extra hours.

You may already know this game for its infamous cliff-hanger ending, though it is undeniable that game-play wise it does try to shake things up a bit by allowing players to use explosives close to the end of the game which have to be glued onto certain enemies in order to kill them off quickly.

Speaking of enemies, in this sequel to Half-Life 2 Episode 1, players will have a chance to finally take on (or rather encounter) the famous leader/s of the Combine, and even deal with miniature versions of the Striders that unlike their larger cousins utilize deadly projectiles which explode after having made contact with an enemy.

As a whole, the game's story and game-play are still fantastic in spite of the ending and the fact that to this day the franchise still doesn't have the closure I as well as many other Half-Life fans out there believe it deserves.

What's there to say about this game? It continues from where Half Life 2 left off, and game-play wise nothing changes, though a couple of new enemies are introduced and you spend a good portion of the game being accompanied by one of the most memorable Half-Life characters out there.

The only gripe I have with this game is that it is rather short, and that the mission close to the end of the game involving Gordon Freeman escorting civilians to trains that are meant to allow them to escape from City 17 feels tedious when it comes to ensuring that most if not all of them make it out alive.

Nevertheless, this game is still worth a try if you're hungering for more Half-Life.

A worthy successor to Half Life 1, with a grander plot, fun game-play, memorable characters and new enemies that are sure to challenge even the most experienced of gamers.

Granted, graphically this game is showing its age but given the fact that it runs on the Source engine, it still holds up surprisingly well, especially given the fact that this game came out in 2004.

If you're a fan of the Half-Life franchise and wish to try out the other games within that series, be sure to give this one a try as well as its episodic sequels.

Some newcomers to this franchise might be wondering why Amnesia The Dark Descent is so highly praised despite being a game that is clearly showing its age in some aspects (graphically and game-play wise when it comes to movement and puzzle mechanics); well, it's story has Lovecraftian undertones to it, which makes it one of the few horror games that makes the player truly feel insignificant in the vastness of the universe.

Apart from that, the lack of combat can either be a blessing or a curse depending on what it is that players want; personally, I like the idea of having to rely purely on wits in order to survive, as too many modern horror games seem to give players the ability to embark on a power trip with any horror elements being gradually diluted to the point where combat becomes the main priority rather than the overall setting and story being told by the horror game.

The sanity meter is a nifty feature that incentivizes players to avoid engaging enemies or even look at them for prolonged periods of time, as that would cause the protagonist to lose his/her sanity and become an easy target.

Lastly, the soundtrack is simply divine, as is the voice-acting and the overall ambience of the game.

Truly one of the last old-school horror games. And while I am aware that Amnesia: The Bunker is supposed to be a game that takes the iconic franchise back to its roots, it does unfortunately have some form of combat which somewhat dilutes the overall scare-factor if one wants to fully immerse themselves in a quintessential horror game when one is confronted with the unknown.

The setting of Amnesia: The Bunker may justify the inclusion of guns and grenades that can be used in order to temporarily incapacitate enemies, yet it still detracts somewhat from the overall feeling of helplessness that the player ought to be experiencing.

Finally, the fact that Amnesia: The Bunker is shorter than Amnesia: The Dark Descent makes the latter more worthwhile if players still want to put in a decent amount of hours into a game without feeling deprived of content that they may have been hungering for.

Metal Gear Rising Revengeance is unlike any other hack and slash game I've played to this day. It's soundtrack is awesome, its combat satisfying, its story engaging yet simple enough for anyone to follow, and its cast of characters memorable as hell.

Be sure to check out this unique Metal Gear game that allows anyone whose a fan of this franchise to play as Raiden aka Jack the Ripper, a troubled yet strong-willed protagonist who is tasked with stopping a terrorist group hellbent on re-igniting conflict for the sake of bringing back the war economy.

Telling more would spoil the plot for potential fans, so I shall allow you to experience it for yourself. Its DLCs are also worth a try, as one gets to play as Sam and Bladewolf, each with their unique combat style and origin story.

A timeless horror game that gives players reason to question the meaning of life as well as their sense of identity.

Like its predecessor Amnesia: The Dark Descent, this game focuses on evading ones enemies rather than engaging them head-on, plus the re-introduction of the sanity meter (which was absent in Amnesia: A Machine for Pigs) incentivises gamers to avoid staring at the monsters stalking the hallways and ocean floors for too long.

Its story too is worth writing home about, as unlike Amnesia: The Dark Descent, it concerns a protagonist who ends up in an underwater research facility where gruesome experiments were conducted by a scientist who sought to transfer human consciousness into machines as a means of evaluating the possibility of saving mankind from extinction using a device known as the ARK.

Lastly, it is worth pointing out that this game runs well on modern hardware and that the game-play in general is more refined than that of its predecessor by being more fluid and versatile.

Definitely worth checking out.

The best cyberpunk game, in my opinion. The story is original, the main characters memorable, the combat and stealth mechanics while clunky engaging and requiring thought and the soundtrack something out of this world.

However, given the game's age it would be a good idea to try the Deus Ex: Revision mod, as it vastly improves the look and feel of this game to better suit modern hard-ware.

If you're looking for a game that doesn't feel bloated like Cyberpunk 2077 yet still offers engaging game-play and a kick-ass story, then Deus Ex is your jam.

Here's a link for the mod I spoke of.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/397550/Deus_Ex_Revision/