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Recent reviews by zanzibar_hero

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Showing 1-10 of 79 entries
4 people found this review helpful
86.1 hrs on record (8.9 hrs at review time)
This is a very mediocre and bland game with a lot of useless sandbox things to do like base building, generic item crafting, and unintuitive ship building system. And while it is a huge game, the exploration lacks some of the joy from earlier Bethesda games. Inventory management is also particularly awful in this release, but there are already mods that fix this.

However, the worst thing about this game is that the world feels uninteresting. I have not cared for a single quest so far (about 50 hours in). All factions and companions are extremely generic and you've seen their variations in all previous Bethesda games. Roleplaying is impossible because your choices have no impact and are meaningless. The main story is barely ok - it is so generic you see any "twists" a mile away.

The game runs ok on my rig. Decent graphics but I can't hit 60fps, usually oscillating between mid 40s to mid 50s. No crashes or major bugs though which makes this the most stable Bethesda game on release to date!

Overall, buy if you really like space operas and enjoy Bethesda's generic formula, but there are better games in this genre out there: all Mass Effect games and Obsidian's Outer Worlds.
Posted September 7, 2023. Last edited September 18, 2023.
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1 person found this review helpful
97.0 hrs on record (40.4 hrs at review time)
JA3 is a pretty good game. It is not perfect, but it is a definite and easy recommendation.

First, to get it out of the way: it retains much of the old JA games but it also borrows from modern day XCOM. If you're looking for a remaster of JA2, this ain't it. The game also focuses more on the story and quests and there is a lot more interaction between the mercs.

The main issue I have with the game is the limited number of weapons and mercs available. Future DLCs should look to address this.

Overall, this is the best JA game in over twenty years.
Posted July 23, 2023.
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No one has rated this review as helpful yet
70.6 hrs on record
Yup, this is a JRPG. Not only is it a JRPG, but the developers clearly wanted to pull all the things that make a JRPG a JRPG, distil them into a game, and then polish it nicely for the 21st century. The end result is cute chibi main characters battling wonderfully drawn enemies in detailed environments using familiar JRPG mechanics, all rendered in pixel art adaptation of the graphics of yonder years, with orchestra music blaring in your headphones.

While that's excellent and expertly executed, (all?) JRPGs come with some baggage. One is the grind, which kinda happens here since XP is not shared among the characters.
Another common issue is the lack of explanation of the game's mechanics - while many are common for JRPGs, if you are not well versed in the genre, you may miss some crucial details.
The 8 travellers' stories also span the JRPG storytelling range between cringe and compelling, between childish slice-of-life fairy tales and mature themes like (implied) sexual abuse and exploitation, and all wrapped by constant melodrama and sentimentality.

At the end of the day, this is a pure, distilled and expertly assembled JRPG. About once per year I get this incessant itch to play a JRPG and this year I picked up Octopath Traveler to scratch it. And, oh boy, it scratched it real good...
Posted May 29, 2023.
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6 people found this review helpful
33.8 hrs on record (2.0 hrs at review time)
Good fantasy turn-based strategy with solid tactical combat. In a bid to be less like Civ, AoW4 embraces the city-expansion mechanic developed in Planetfall and that's either a plus or a minus depending on what you thought of Planetfall. I personally would've preferred to see more of AoW3's mechanics and less of Planetfall's.

The game really focuses on customisation which can be a bit overwhelming but it results in fantastic replay value. I am not sure how I feel about the new tome mechanic for research but it again contributes to customisation and randomisation.

This is also a very pretty game with some really good unit design, especially for the demonic and undead units. Performance-wise I've had zero issues, except for a few stutters here and there.

AoW games are no longer quite as unique as they used to be. Spellforce: Conquest of Eo is very similar and heavily inspired by AoW3. However, in terms of depth, customisation and randomisation, Aow4 is head and shoulders above any competition in this genre.
Posted May 2, 2023.
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1 person found this review helpful
50.0 hrs on record (32.4 hrs at review time)
This is Age of Wonders-lite. It has about a 1/4 of the variety AoE3 has or AoE4 will have. The price should be a little bit lower for what you get, but it is not too bad.

Things to note:
The gameplay is identical to AoE.
There is only one map, but you can start at different areas on it.
There are 3 classes that generally have quite different play-styles.
Enemy battle AI is ok, but strategic AI is meh.
The artwork is fantastic. Quest storylines are uninspired and not very interesting.

Overall, a solid 7/10.
Posted April 4, 2023.
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2 people found this review helpful
528.8 hrs on record (252.7 hrs at review time)
Early Access Review
Excellent
Posted February 10, 2023.
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1 person found this review helpful
60.6 hrs on record
Genuinely the best game about politics ever made. The dialogue is perfect and the characters are incredible. The world building is the story and the storytelling is fantastic. And the art is, as you can see, incredible.

Unfortunately, all the writers and artists that made this game unique have left the developer, making it really unlikely that DE2 will be worth playing, if it ever happens.
Posted February 10, 2023.
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1 person found this review helpful
56.6 hrs on record
In the simple world of thumbs up or down, this game has enough quality to be a recommendation. However, I do have a soft spot for the zombie post-apocalyptic setting, so my opinion may be a bit biased, since there is no doubt there is a lot of cringe in this game.

For starters, the main character is all over the place. Deacon is a bad boy biker, but also a saluting 'Murican war-hero veteran with a heart of gold and a penchant for barbaric and bloodthirsty vengeance. He acts dumb a lot of the time, but is also somehow well-read and able to fix generators, fuse boxes and bikes. He is moodier than a teenager with a personality disorder, yet all the women want him: be they bi-curious lesbians or gangster PhD researchers.

The story has everything: genuinely emotional moments, sudden unexpected (and some very expected) twists, and a really massive uninspired cliche at the end.

The combat is very enjoyable (at least for about 40 hours or so), but the exploration is boring. The collectables are uninteresting and all the items that you find are just crafting materials.

Overall, I enjoyed the majority of the 56 hours I spent to finish the game but I also have no reason to ever revisit it.
Posted February 10, 2023.
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No one has rated this review as helpful yet
18.9 hrs on record
Kena asks the question: what if Souls games had interesting characters and a simple but heart-wrenching story that is actually being told, rather than just precise combat with some lore slapped on.

The game is not perfect. It has some performance issues (lag spikes during some explosions for me), it has really annoying elements (timed challenges), and is rather short. But the combat is solid, the environments are beautiful and the story is sad but it still leaves you with a warm feeling once you've completed it.

The game is worth it, especially during a special.
Posted November 28, 2022.
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3 people found this review helpful
1 person found this review funny
44.9 hrs on record (17.8 hrs at review time)
Early Access Review
An interesting rouge-like with much potential. Probably the most powerful endorsement is that it gives the "just one more turn/run" feeling.

The tags and the store page give you a pretty good sense of what the game is about: you are a vampire defending their mansion from pesky human hunters. Every turn has two phases: manage your base/mansion/character and combat. Both phases have you plenty to do and there is enough randomization to keep every run interesting.

However, the game needs quite a bit more work. The animation are few and choppy. There is some lore in the game, but it is not very much (needs more lore about the enemies) and it does not make much sense (that intro video is awful). There are balancing issues - once you know what you're doing and you have unlocked some meaningful upgrades, it is easy to steamroll the enemies. And worst of all, the base management UI is atrocious and needs an overhaul and/or many quality of life updates.

Overall, I'd recommend this game, even in its current EA state. I've quite enjoyed the 18 hours or so I've put so far, and will likely put quite a few more hours.
Posted August 29, 2022.
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Showing 1-10 of 79 entries