Colony Ship – A few thoughts

I’m sorry for teasing a review like this, but as it is, I’m not sure there will be one. See, this game is just not made for me, at all. If it was a CYOA (Choose Your Own Adventure) instead of being classified as an RPG, I wouldn’t have any problems with the game. However, it isn’t. Colony Ship is much like Iron Tower Studios’ former game The Age of Decadence – in that it’s very rigid when it comes to class building, progression, and skill checks. Maybe less so, but the fundamental game design remains the same. An additional note to this article that should be regarded; Don’t treat this piece as a final critique, as I don’t know if any of my observations change for the better later in the game. These are just my initial observations and thoughts.

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Gates of Hell – Is it hell?

I have been playing Gates of Hel l : Ostfront again, thinking that I might not have given it a fair shake, but damn – the single-player campaign missions can easiest be described as a bonafide medic simulator. The majority of the gameplay consists of me babysitting my men and making sure they are actually fighting instead of dreaming of a happier place in heaven while red stuff is leaking out of them. Especially so since I use the mod Simple Damage Increase. To be fair, blaming the game for problems when using mods isn’t exactly nice, but to my defense Gates of Hell: Ostfront really needs it! The damage is so low, it’s like the men are shooting with pellet guns otherwise. That mod reminds me of my own that I made for Men of War: Assault Squad 2 called Equality of Men. It addresses the same type of issues I had with that game.

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Assassin’s Creed Mirage – Arabian Nights

The only reason I got this game was the promise of the franchise going back to its roots. While that remains true to a certain degree, it’s not the long-lost promise land of Grandpa’s old-school Assassin’s Creed gameplay. It’s mostly a mix between the original games in the series, and the RPG take on it that started with Assassins Creed Origin. I mostly blame this half-hearted attempt on the engine itself, since Assassin’s Creed Mirage shares that with Origin, Odyssey, and Valhalla. It looks pretty, there is no denying that, but everything that involves the player, as in parkour and the combat feels very floaty, just like in those titles. It has much less of a “simulation” approach than the former games which leads to the setting feeling less grounded and realistic. More on that down below.

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Star Wars – Episode III – Revenge of the Sith – It’s Anakin Time

In my yearly Star Wars bender, I decided I wanted to play a game set in the prequel era. It’s unfortunately rather slim picking when it comes to this period if you want to play something new. However, I manage to find Star Wars – Episode III – Revenge of the Sith for the PlayStation 2. It’s a direct tie-in game to the movie that goes under the same name. It was with a certain hesitation that I downloaded it as we know all too well how these kinds of titles end up. But hey, what do I get to lose, anyway? Well, as it turns out only valuable gaming time, taking me one step closer to death with nothing gained. I should have trusted the force when it told me something dark awaited me.

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Miasma Chronicles – Quick Impressions

I was going to do a proper review of Miasma Chronicles since the combat and the world seemed interesting enough. However, the further I got into the game, the more apparent it becomes that it suffers from some seriously baffling design decisions. This cut my game time rather short as I just can’t be bothered with this type of gameplay anymore. I will explain.

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