The eternal enemy of the human race is once again back to torment us. This time in the style of a chaotic retro shooter with a ton of gore—human and insect alike! Welcome to the demo of Starship Troopers: Ultimate Bug War! My impression after playing the demo is: this will not be known for its story, except that the bugs need a good stomping.
Continue reading “Starship Troopers: Ultimate Bug War! – Demo Impressions”
The early access release of Menace is here, and after giving it twenty sweaty coffee-infused hours like the nerd that I am—I’m ready to give my first early impressions. While I do feel it’s a much better experience than the demo, since we are actually in control of progression and the campaign now—sadly, my issues with the general gameplay remain. This means that the combat is still mostly abstracted, with a strong wargame (board-game) feeling that work against the immersion in parts.
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Welcome to this report on Knights of the Chalice. This is not a true review, since I’m far from the ending, as the game seemingly looks to be huge, with plenty of monsters and evildoers needing vanquishing. Treat this more as an ongoing field report in appreciation of what this title offers. The way I’m playing it, it fits better as an audiobook companion (don’t judge me!) than a full RPG experience that requires your complete attention—even if it does need it for success in the hairiest situations.
You see, this is a Dungeons and Dragons fighting simulator where the story only serves to take you from one challenging battle to the next. Knowledge of the DnD 3.5 ruleset is mandatory, or the orcs will make sheesh kebab out of your heroic group of adventurers before you even have time to unsheathe your sword.
Continue reading “Knights of the Chalice – Fireball, My Only Friend [Field Report]”
I decided to try the Ardenfall demo, which is an Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind-inspired RPG, set in a fantasy world that can best be likened to Vvardenfell—strange wildlife and all. The oddity of the place, just like Morrowind, comes from the familiar, mixed with the unfamiliar—and while I’m not entirely sold on the visual style, it does play a huge part in its oddness. So, if you love to explore bizarre alien worlds with an oriental cultural flavor, this will feel tailor‑made for you.
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I’m far from finishing Of Ash and Steel, so this is not a review—just a critique of the game and its mechanics after about fifteen hours of playing. While I think it’s a good addition to the specific Gothic/Risen/Skyrim lineage of RPGs, I do find it falls short in places—in areas where they could have found easy inspiration. It’s not something that overly disappoints me, but thanks to these issues it will probably never reach the same level of appreciation (at least from me).
Continue reading “Of Ash and Steel – Seven Points of Critique”
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