Recent reviews by Jon

This game is a blast with friends! If you liked Deep Rock Galactic, you'll probably enjoy HD2.

It's a strong PvE shooter with humorous elements, the developers are active on social media, and they understand exactly what makes the game fun:

Managed Democracy
(also Strategems)

I played the demo and then had to pick it up. This is very evocative of the old "Commandos" series I played when I was young. The premise of the game is cool and the mechanics are interesting. This is definitely worth your time.

Pros: 1) The train! 2) The setting is something I wasn't familiar with and it's actually astonishing what these guys had to go through. 3) You will get attached to your characters, and the leveling system is satisfying. 4) Great voice-overs. 5) Compelling gameplay loop.

Cons: 1) Not very high replay value. I played through once, very much enjoyed it, and might come back a second time to look at some decisions I could have made differently, but that's about it. 2) Train management can get fiddly. This is both a strength and a weakness. My main gripe is that it can take a minute to find specific people or skills for certain missions or jobs. 3) There are a few moments of tonal discordance. Once, I won a mission without anyone getting shot, and the next cutscene acted like half my troops had died or fallen ill.

Neutral: 1) There were a few bugs in the first week of launch, but nothing I wasn't able to work around. By now, these are mostly completely resolved. 2) A couple of quest lines seem to have imprecise triggers, some decisions don't always play out with satisfying results. 3) Stealth can be very satisfying, but also slightly inconsistent. You'll just have to learn the rules around how it works through experimentation. 4) Understandably, this story is told from a standpoint of Checkslovakian nationalism - but it can seem a bit like propaganda at times (for a country that no longer exists in a conflict with factions that no longer exist)

Again, I had a great time with this game, and I recommend it as worth it's value.

This is AOE2, just like you remember it, but better, with a thriving online community. I'm better at it now than when I was 12.

Check out T90official or Spirit of the Law on YouTube to see just how active the scene is.

This is a fantastically fun game. You'll generate a lot of stories over the course of gameplay, and find yourself wondering the strangest things. This extends into multiplayer.

Multiplayer Quotes:
"No! My wife keeps getting pregnant!"
"Can you assassinate my son for me?"
"I'd like to form an alliance, but the only way we can do that is if your 4 year old daughter marries my 68 year old brother."

Use every part of the machine.

+Intense trust is built and lost in each match.

What's not to love?

This game is a lot of fun, and I wholely recommend it! Note: I have not yet purchased any DLC.

Pros:
Innovative gameplay - I've never seen a competitive economic simulator like this. Sometimes you're left shaking your head and impressed with your opponent.
A new ranked season.
Daily Challenges
Cutthroat online opponents.
Active creator - you can actually play and beat Soren, then get an achievement for it!
Many scaling difficulty levels. - I haven't personally tried much above "Manager" which is the "Fair" level.

Neutral:
The campaign mode is fun, but once you've thoroughly beaten it there isn't necessarily a ton of replayability. The game forces you to go online.

Cons:
The music will get repetitive on score and menu screens.
Sometimes you can't get a quick match late at night.
You'll want to convince your friends to buy it.

This is an enjoyable world to explore and combat in. There are a lot of different upgrade methods and skins, as well as a great many events. I strongly recommend giving it a try just for the sake of enjoyment.