Recent reviews by hkennyrules101

Pros:
-Worthy successor to the Baldur's Gate franchise of the late '90s
-Turn-based RPG with top quality production values
-Flawlessly tuned
-Game rewards exploration
-Game reacts to player choice in almost every conceivable way
-Literally one of the best games in existence, objectively
-Trustworthy devs
-Full game at $60
-No microtransactions or story DLC
-You can pet the dog
-And the owlbear
-GO FOR THE EYES BOO!

Cons:
-Literally none worth mentioning

Overall: Larian Studios has a long history of perfecting isometric RPGs in their Divinity franchise, and they took the lessons they learned there and perfected it using fifth edition Dungeons and Dragons rules (modified lightly for video game adaptation friendliness) to create this masterpiece.

Usually 6 years in development and early access means the game will be a massive disappointment. Not so with Baldur's Gate 3! Larian spent every second of those six years crafting the game into a perfect version of their vision. There are so few problems with the game, it is unreal. What few bugs existed at launch have been patched. They are still fixing things as they are found.

As a metric, isometric turn based roleplaying games have always been a very niche market for video games. And yet for months now, Baldur's Gate 3 has outperformed Starfield, Bethesda's newest darling child. People are trying this game out because it's so well made, and finding out that the gameplay style is fun. Larian is singlehandedly reviving and mainstreaming a genre of video games by creating one that is perfect in every way.

If you like turn based RPGs, you owe it to yourself to try this game. I cannot begin to explain how much every aspect of this game is done flawlessly. It would exceed the character limit. Everything is perfect. Everything.

If you don't like turn based RPGs, you should still give this a shot if you've ever wanted to explore the genre. There is no better entry point.

Bottom Line: Buy this game. It is worth every single penny.

Pros:
-Good plot
-Core gameplay is fun
-Well written main characters
-Believable (main) side characters
-Slow gameplay that still manages to convey tension when needed

Cons:
-Character models are just... terrible, especially for such a narrative-focused game in 2023
-Skill tree is poorly balanced (or rather, the story requires certain skills without telling you ahead of time)
-General lack of polish detracts from the experience

Overall: You may look at the trailer, and think "Hey! This game is like VtM: Bloodlines!" Don't think that. It isn't. This game is like Detroit: Become Human. If you like games like Detroit: Become Human but want it in the setting of Vampire: The Masquerade, this is the perfect game.

Action sequences are done, for the most part, through skill checks and quick-time-event "dialogue choices". I say that because all confrontations are treated the same, be that a shouting match between sire and childe, or a shootout with security officers. This is one of those times where it sounds worse than it is, because the game actually pulls this off effectively. In fact, the structure works well, conveys tension when needed, and rewards how you built your character... mostly.

The downside is that occasionally, you run into skill-walls. Want a good ending? Hope you built your character a specific way. It's not often, but it happens a lot in the final scenes of the game. And then some skills are completely useless. The skill tree works about 80% well. It just needs a bit of tuning for the game. Or more accurately, some moments need more than one skill-based solution.

(Emem needs 4 celerity by endgame. You're welcome.)

The plot and characters are all great. I found myself more and more invested as time went on, and each character fills a different role. Galeb is the testosterone-fueled John Wick character. Emem is the socialite/spy character. And Leysha is the detective type character who, frankly, is one of the best written Malkavian characters I've seen. All the possible suspects for who might be the traitor are believable, and at no point did I think "nah, this person definitely isn't it".

Last note, because it needs to be said - the character models are awful. They're just... bad. It's a shame, because they really bring the game down a lot. For a game where you are so focused on what a character is saying, you'd think they would have made sure at least the facial expressions looked right.

But it does all work in the end. It's a bumpy ride sometimes, but the core of the game is fun, and I'm enjoying my time with it. Just know what you're buying - Detroit: Become Human, in the VtM universe - and go in with those expectations, and be ready to enjoy the majority of the game. What they got right outweighs what they could have done better.

Overall: Recommended.

Pros:
-Victoria Ash is added to the game
-One additional questline
-Bonus dialogue and plot-relevant information
-Added worldbuilding

Cons:
-Content lite addition
-Quest completed by finding one scrap of paper in one mission
-Victoria is encountered twice in the game

Overall: Jessica Chobot reprises her role as Victoria Ash, a character that has a lot of history in the world of VtM and brings a lot of lore to the table when spoken to. She has one quest, which can be completed during Emem's second scene by finding a scrap of paper. Victoria herself appears twice, once at the start of the game, and once between the second and third scenes.

The dialogue she brings to the table is great, especially if you are invested in the lore of VtM. Her voice acting is spot on. She's a worthy addition to the game. But she doesn't actually bring much. You see her twice, and that's it, and her questline is laughably easy.

I personally really enjoyed her addition to the game. She's a fun "outsider looking in" perspective to the three main characters and their troubles, and while her questline is a joke, her dialogue really helps flesh out the world.

Bottom Line: Recommend

Pros:
-Added plot background to the game
-Compendium for VtM roleplaying game
-Detailed, expansive content

Cons:
-None, really

Overall: At a quick skim, this is a really detailed, well written product. It's apparent a lot of love went into it, and I can't wait to dig in to it in detail when I have the time. For some reason, it was not available when the game first launched, but the most recent update added it to the game files, along with adding the game's soundtrack.

Check it out. I think it's worth it, even without the game to go along with it. It makes Boston a detailed area to be played in for those of us with the VtM sourcebooks, and I can't wait to explore the possibilities.

Bottom Line: Easy recommend.

Pros:
-Moderately useful artifacts (doubling the suspicion counter is a huge drawback)
-Blood packs mean you can be a little more liberal with your abilities

Cons:
-$5 price tag
-no storyline content added in a storyline game
-not necessary to "win"

Overall: This is five bucks for an in-game boost. The boost is moderate, as the items give you a flat success rate boost, but hamper your ability to use your "focus" ability to increase your chances. The blood packs are amazing, however, and give you all the benefits of feeding with none of the drawbacks or aggravation.

But it's $5 for these items, and nothing gets added to the story. You can experience the full game without this expansion pack. It's not worth the money, but $5 is cheap enough that you can get it if you have a little money to burn. I don't regret purchasing this, but I got it on a 40% sale as part of the bundle deal on release day.

Bottom Line: Not worth $5, and completely unnecesary to experience the full game. Soft "no" from me, because the expansion does add a little bit to the experience. Just not $5 worth.

Pros: Three new outfits, one per character. You can see them in the preview pics on the store page.

Cons: $3.00 price tag

Overall: Three dollars for three outfits. The outfits are what you see in the preview pics on the store page. Decide for yourself if it's worth your money. Personally, I think the price is too steep for what you get, but $3 also doesn't break the bank and they do you the favor of showing you exactly what you're purchasing.

Bottom Line: Too pricey, but $3 is affordable. Decide for yourself.

Pros:
-Delightful
-Music is a bop
-Free

Cons:
-Gut wrenching story
-Saving the turtle takes an hour and fifteen minutes of game time
-Pineapple

Overall: I have no words. Just play it. It's ten minutes of your time for an unforgettable, delightful, heartbreaking emotional rollercoaster of a walking simulator.

Bottom Line: Just play it.

Pros:
-Delightful whodunit adventure
-Laidback tone and pacing
-Free

Cons:
-None

Overall: It's a Sonic-flavored murder mystery with a Sonic-flavored "run and collect enough rings" minigame anytime you need to formulate your logical argument. It's simple, straightforward, and fun. The plot is predictable but enjoyable, and the game is free. Just play through it. Start to finish took me about an hour and a half to get through.

Bottom Line: Give it a go!

Pros:
-Unique new game

Cons:
-Arthritis

Overall: You pull the sword out of the stone. Play it on single-player to get a feel for what you're doing, then do the competitive version to really give your wrist arthritis.

0/10, awful experience.

Bottom Line: Absolutely worth it

Pros:
-simplistic, clean gameplay
-extremely rewarding gameplay
-perfectly programmed game
-fair skill progression
-you can really see how much soul was put into this game
-but seriously, this is a fun meta-plot game that takes a simple premise and creates a really fun, mind-bending plot around it

Cons:
-none whatsoever

Overall: Pony Island is a game about a pony jumping over fences. That's it. That's all there is to it.

But seriously, the gameplay is crisp, simple and clean and manages to blend perfectly with the plot of the game, which is... not something you should want spoiled. It's wild. This is Daniel Mullins' first independently created game, followed by The Hex and Inscryption, both of which are also worth checking out. The games all take place in the same "world" so to speak, and if you enjoy one, you'll probably enjoy all three.

If you haven't experienced anything Daniel Mullins has created, I would start with Inscryption. If Inscryption is a little outside your price range right now, Pony Island is definitely worth the money and will show you what to expect. Give it a shot, it goes on semi-regular sale for like a buck fifty.

Bottom Line: Absolutely recommended.