Recent reviews by Thunder Chief

Even though this game is already 8 years old, I only started playing last December. While the game is pretty repetitive, there is just enough randomness to map selection and generator placement to make it worthwhile to play.

My favorite part of the game are the several events throughout the year. Not only are your bloodpoint rewards (in-game currency) increased and you get access to free cosmetics, but there are also unique gameplay additions that add to the variety. And (most of the time) players are less sweaty and much more chill during events, which adds to the enjoyment for everyone.

Sure, you will get the players who seem to live to troll others, and unfortunately there is no way to avoid being matched with them again, but I guess that is present in many "online only" games these days. Once you get more advanced, as a survivor, it is almost a necessity to "survive with friends" (SWF) while on comms, as certain keelers are quite OP and can completely dominate a non-coordinated team.

How much can Ninja Kiwi add to a 4-year old game? I don't know, but they keep on doing it! From Races, to Odysseys, to Paragons, to Liches, to...

If you like Tower Defense games, you'll love this! Plus, it is kid-friendly so you can play around the fam without worry. The best part, for me, is that if you create a Ninja Kiwi account and get the game on mobile in addition to Steam, you can progress on one account no matter where you are!

But why do both?? Well, at higher levels, the sheer amount of bloons will make your phone laaaaaaag tremendously. So, mobile for quick and easy distraction games, such as standard map completion and running holiday events, and Steam for your longer runs, plus everything above. You'll have fun either way!

Disclaimer: I snagged this game during the 24h window when it was offered for free here on Steam.

A new breath of life into Point and Click adventure games, with a pinch of added salt to it (i.e., don't let your kids play it unless you are ready to explain to them what certain slang words mean...). Given that I have not played much of this genre since King's Quest, I can't comment on how it stacks up to what else is "currently" available. But I can tell you this, I certainly had fun playing it! The game does not seem as slow as the older games did way back when, but all the feel of the older games is still present. From the extremely pixelated characters that you have to squint to make them look like the close up portrait used when they are talking, to the midi soundtrack, everything here was a throwback.

Note: if you don't want to use a Guide for getting all of the achievements, I will give you a little hint: try all of your inventory on everything you encounter, even if just for shiggles. Kathy will let you know if that is not something she wants to do / have time for, so you don't have to fear derailing your progress.

Enjoy!

I could have sworn I had written a review for Warframe previously, but lo and behold, after playing nearly 4000 hours, I had not. But I am not going to delve into the graphics, the gameplay, the gunplay, etc, which all has been done before (though I will vouch for those reviews that state how awesome all of those aspects are, since it is true!). Instead, I am going to tell you why I continue to play this game after over 4 and a half years.

I have played since 1 month into Open Beta, and was witness to the birth of the Glaive, Fusion Moa, and Vauban ("all hail King Booben!"). While it is hard to believe that it has been so long, it is really no wonder at all why I am still playing. The fact that I am is, in and of itself, a testament to the quality, the depth, and the continued developer involvement in this game. While not all players have always agreed with the choices that Digital Extremes has made over time with the direction that they have taken the game, one cannot deny that they have been, and continue to be, heavily and deeply committed to this game. By now, they could have easily and simply wiped the slate clean and cashed in on releasing a Warframe 2 and even Warframe 3. When one considers the changes that have been made (completely overhauling the UI several times, reworking bosses, and overhauling the entire damage and movement systems), it boggles the mind that they didn't do just that. Rather than making their playerbase have to restart and reinvest with a new iteration of the game each time they decided to make a big change (like most developers do), they have decided instead to keep evolving this game, and bring everyone along who wishes to continue the journey.

And while it is 100% correct that you can play this game without spending a dime on it (esp. once they added the ability to trade the premium currency, Platinum, between players), this game is so good that I have willingly given several times since I began playing. And spending money in this game (contrary to other F2P games where "whales" dominate the leaderboards and take all of the good rewards) really only grants you three things: 1) the ability to buy more slots for frames and weapons so you don't have to make hard choices about which ones to keep and which ones to sell, 2) freedom from farming or grinding gear that can take a chunk of time to obtain, and 3) lookin' good! The first is obviously the biggest draw to obtaining and using platinum, but once you do get it, the third inevitably comes into play. "What? DE just released an awesome looking Deluxe skin for Nekros, my favoritist frame of all time?? Must... have!!!" While I have indulged in the second once or twice, you really want to refrain from doing so, as the few times that I had I soon after regretted (buying the Elytron Archwing, when on sale, since I was having trouble finding the component blueprints, and then DE decided to move them into the Tenno Research Lab where they could be purchased for credits... CURSES!!!).

You know the age-old interview question of "Where do you see yourself in 5 years?" If anybody had asked me back in 2013 if I would still be playing Warframe in 5 years, I would probably have said that was a silly question... games don't last that long! I mean, TF2 is an anomaly. But when one considers what Warframe actually is, and what DE has accomplished in these past 5 years, there is no question in my mind if I will still be playing 5 years from now. And this is way, way more than a hat simulator. No offense, Valve.

UPDATE (12/10/2018):
I year later, 1000+ hours more gameplay, still going strong. DE is still one of the best developers out there, contantly putting in new content, engaging with the community, listening to feedback, incorporating changes to the game based on said feedback. The Fortuna update was massive, and they are going to be adding more content to it before the end of the year. Still enjoy playing this game, and I hope I will continue to enjoy it for many years to come.

UPDATE (11/28/2019):
DE has now added the ability for us to fly a spaceship! Not the silly Archwing (pseudo-Iron Man) space attachments, but actual manned ships! And with other players flying in your ship with you! EPIC!

At first I thought this game was going to be ho hum, yet another tower defense/FPS in an ever-growing genre. I had already picked up Sanctum and Orcs Must Die and thought, why would I want this? So I passed initially. I wish I hadn't. This game is actually very engrossing. Sure, gear is of great importance, esp. in Endgame, but there is quite a bit of strategy involved. Plus, the community is great, so you also get to have a lot of fun. Highly recommended.
Make sure you also buy Shards Complete DLC, which is *the* Endgame.
Enjoy!

Trendy breaks tradition with this most recent content pack (skin and map, not character), in that they are charging for it from Day 1, much to the chagrin of the community, myself included. I begrudgingly bought it, forgetting about two things: first, the skin is NOT automatically granted with purchase, it needs to be unlocked by completing the Cliffs level on Medium or greater; second, because of the unlockable nature of the skin, as with past skin/map content packs, you do not need to purchase to partake. Just join a Cliffs game and voila, the Bounty Hunter EV skin is yours. And complete Wave 14 of Survival to garner the new awesome Djinnlet pet.

Now, from the first picture above, you may think that this new skin makes the EV one badass DUDE, but think again. Trendy is in fact paying homage to one of the greatest video game characters (& bounty hunters) of all time, Samus Aran of the Metroid series. The way the char stands and the permanent "braid" on the back are further proof.

What can I say about this game that hasn't already been said by others. Simply put, it is awesome! "As if an RPG and FPS had a baby." You get a shooter that has leveling and stat distribution. There are basic weapons and then those with elemental damage added. You start off with two weapon slots and will increase to four. It is true that the RPG elements can be somewhat lite at times, as there is only one skill per class, it is low on equipable items other than a shield, grenade mod, & class mod, and therefore there are no such things as set items.
However, what they did they did well. I like how the class mods not only have individual buffs, but also team buffs. That way, everyone gets to take advantage of the Hunter's Scavenge Extra Items or the Soldier's Ammo Regen or Enhanced Clip Size. And the difficulty in MP mode truly scales with the more players you have.
And for the newbs, don't worry, once you get your wheels the game picks up in speed as traveling becomes easier.

My first "real" tower defense game, and I just can not say enough good things about it. Everything is awesome, from the weapons, the path to upgrade, the ability to revert to last checkpoint, oh, and let's not forget the Entity... "The Cores! They've taken the Cores!!!"
Get it, esp. today (7/3/11) while it is only $2.50 and the Resurgence DLCs are only $0.25 each!

One of the most mindlessly fun games I have ever played. Actually, it is not totally mindless, as you need to plan out your perks to maximize your experience. But it has a great "pick up and play" aspect to it, as well as the ability to go into Barricade mode and see if you are in it for the long haul. Give the demo a whirl if you have any doubts.
I honestly can't say enough good things about this game, and to top it off, the dev is active in improving it and has a presence in the forum. And that is 16 months after release! Good on you, DiezelPower!