I have been trying out Crusader Kings III by Paradox Interactive with all currently released DLCs as of May 2022. I played as a custom ruler, starting on “newbie-island”, aka Ireland, in the southern part. While I do like many of the improvements, CK3 unfortunately feels like typical Paradox shenanigans…
Continue reading “Crusader Kings III – Quick Impressions”
This will not be a full review since I didn’t finish it, so this will be more of an impression/take on the early parts of the game. Call of the Sea is a puzzle, point & click adventure by the developers Out of the Blue. By typical modern first-person puzzle design, it’s a walking simulator to at least 70% of the gameplay, with the remaining 30% consisting of pressing buttons. I don’t have anything against it per se, so don’t take this aspect as a negative for my unlike of the game, it was just something with this title that put me off it.
Continue reading “Call of the Sea – Impressions”
When Julian Gollop announced he would be making a spiritual sequel to X-com, there was much rejoicing. Unfortunately, the game that followed was lined with controversies like – changing the art style from gritty post-apocalypse to nuXcom-inspired science-fiction with oversized shoulder pauldrons. Dumping the open platform release for EPIC store exclusivity, while simultaneously insulting the Kickstarter base that their investment meant nothing now with EPIC backing them financially. Yeah, it was not a great start, that even had me cancel my pledge…
Continue reading “Phoenix Point – It Came From the Sea”
Like many others, I consider The Last of Us a true gaming classic. It was a fine blend of survival horror, and excellent story-telling with captivating characters you learned to care for. So, the wait for the sequel was not without hype, but unfortunately, the story leaks would crush any longing to once again take the helm of Joel & Ellie. Two years after release, I would get the chance of playing the game through a rental service at my local library. I’m not sure what overcame me since I knew the sequel would butcher the characters I once liked, but I guess I wanted to see the disaster for myself. PS. The references to P. D. James and Philip K. Dick were not lost on me!
Continue reading “The Last of Us 2 – Retcon Central”
Black Mesa started as a free mod back in 2012, unfortunately, I have no experience with the game from that time. Black Mesa didn’t enter my gaming radar until it reached Steam in the form of Early Access, and while I wasn’t immediately impressed, nor interested exactly – I’m glad my outlook changed. Because, as it turned out, the updated version of the legendary game Half-Life is damn good! While I only have admiration for the GoldSrc engine (all those hours in Day of Defeat, and Counter-Strike), it is getting a bit long in the tooth. The Source engine, from Half-Life 2, which Black Mesa uses is technically old too, but it does feel and look more modern, especially since Valve still updates it with new features.
Continue reading “Black Mesa – Remake Wonder”