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Recent reviews by WildCat

Showing 1-9 of 9 entries
1 person found this review helpful
39.3 hrs on record
The Witness is a puzzle game in the truest sense of the term. Watch the trailer to get a sense of the type of puzzles you'll encounter. You should only play this game if you actually want to do those puzzles. There are a LOT of puzzles. They range from trivially easy to fiendishly hard. Different symbols appear in the puzzles and each introduces its own rules. There is no tutorial to teach you these rules so you must come to understand them through experimentation.

With that said, The Witness is more than just these puzzles. The environment is a masterpiece work of art. Everywhere you go, no matter where you look, you could take a stunningly beautiful screenshot. But the environment isn't just pretty for the sake of being pretty. Perhaps I'm being hyperbolic but it seems like everything is the way that it is for a reason. This island was designed for you to wonder at every inch of it. Observe the rock formation that looks like a woman lying down when viewed from a certain angle. See the appearance of petals shining on a sheet of metal glinting in the sunlight. Gaze at the view from the bell tower and listen to the distant echoing ambience of the bell ringing as if only in one's memory.

Don't expect to be handsomely rewarded for completing the puzzles. The personal challenge of completing them is the reward. The discovery of hidden details in the environment is the reward. It's about the journey, not the destination. With your mind open, you will begin to see the patterns.
Posted July 23, 2022.
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2 people found this review helpful
19.9 hrs on record (17.0 hrs at review time)
Boneworks is a mixed bag. I'm glad it was made and I'm glad that I played it because I'm interested in game design and it serves as a demonstration of what works and what doesn't work in VR.

Some of the things that don't work:
- The full-body physics simulation is extremely janky and wobbly. For example, trying to climb on top of things (especially other physics objects) is a nightmare.
- The way that your in-game hands' positions can become so significantly dissociated from your real-life hands' positions feels terrible.
- Anything heavy is painfully annoying to manipulate due to the wobbly physics and hand position dissociation.

Things that are good:
- One-handed guns feel great and are fun to use.
- There are some nice subtle systems like the way your in-game hand posture adapts while holding two-handed weapons.

I felt that most areas of the game that involved heavy use of the experimental physics system were a chore to complete. I don't recommend playing Boneworks unless you're interested in experiencing for yourself how frustrating the physics can be at times.

I'm somewhat concerned that, with all the hype around Boneworks, that other game developers will feel like they should introduce a Boneworks-style physics system into their VR games in order for them to be popular. I would be very annoyed if this happened and this negative review serves as my veto against janky physics simulations in VR games.
Posted January 17, 2020. Last edited January 17, 2020.
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6 people found this review helpful
57.6 hrs on record
INFRA is an absolute treat and I definitely recommend it - but not necessarily to everyone. If you like "gun-free puzzle adventures", then that's a great start. If you love exploration in large, meticulously crafted environments, then INFRA should be looking like a good choice for you now. If you're a detail-oriented person who likes to uncover all the secrets, then INFRA is definitely your game. If you like the idea of something that appears 'straight' on the surface but hides a curious, eccentric quirkiness after some digging, then smash that Add to Cart button now!
Posted December 17, 2018.
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5 people found this review helpful
51.6 hrs on record (30.7 hrs at review time)
You should buy Quake just so that you can play the superb Arcane Dimensions mod.
There's an installation guide[www.simonoc.com] to help you install the mod, as well as install a modern Quake client called Quakespasm, which you should definitely use even if you don't intend to play Arcane Dimensions.
Posted August 27, 2017. Last edited August 27, 2017.
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1 person found this review helpful
40.7 hrs on record (26.3 hrs at review time)
I recommend that you add this game to your wishlist and then buy it in, let's say, one month (perhaps mid- to late-June). It's one of the buggiest games I've ever played. However, once those bugs get fixed, it's the kind of game that you'll be able to play over and over as you discover all the delicious content that you won't find on your first play-through. STRAFE truly delivers replay value.

Also, other reviewers have noted how STRAFE is influenced by games like Quake and Doom. However, I don't think it does STRAFE justice to only mention those titles. Probably the strongest influence I feel is Duke Nukem 3D. STRAFE also draws inspiration from aspects of Sin, has hints of System Shock 2, and nods to user-made map genres such as 'rats maps' and 'jump maps'.

That said, STRAFE is more than merely a pastiche of nineties FPS games. Its rogue-lite characteristics make it unique.
Posted May 18, 2017.
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No one has rated this review as helpful yet
479.1 hrs on record (385.3 hrs at review time)
Natural Selection 2 sets itself apart from other multi-player-only games by focusing on deeply strategic, teamwork-oriented game play. The game also features a high skill ceiling, which allows well practised players to truly stand out.

It is possibly the most impressive indie game of all time. The production standards are impeccable and, in fact, Natural Selection 2 features some of the best graphics in any game at the time of its release.

Planning with team-mates and executing a well-timed attack is a very rewarding experience that cannot be found in any other game. Natural Selection 2 comes highly recommended.
Posted December 26, 2012.
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No one has rated this review as helpful yet
25.3 hrs on record
Alan Wake's main strength is its excellent storyline. It reminds me of a Stephen King novel or film. The game is also broken into "episodes" and each episode starts and ends like a TV mini-series, which I found very stylish.

The graphics are fantastic. The levels are surprisingly large and there are quite a few beautiful vistas to behold. The lighting is excellent and the "god rays" effect is probably the best I've ever seen in a game to date.

This is also one of the best console ports I've ever played. Mouse control is great and there's even an FOV slider.
Posted March 24, 2012.
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No one has rated this review as helpful yet
1.4 hrs on record (0.6 hrs at review time)
A great remake of the original Tomb Raider that successfully captures its excellent atmosphere and conjures feelings of nostalgia in long-time Tomb Raider fans. Although the combat system can be quite tricky, the game is sparsely populated with enemies so you'll be spending most of your time enjoying the exploration, puzzle-solving, and adventure aspects of the game.
Posted July 3, 2011.
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No one has rated this review as helpful yet
1 person found this review funny
13.5 hrs on record (11.7 hrs at review time)
If, for some inexplicable reason, you have not already played this game, you should take swift steps to rectify the situation.
Posted December 18, 2010.
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Showing 1-9 of 9 entries