Recent reviews by Babsy [Linux]

It is a difficult game to recommend. It is weird. Messy. Confusing and confused...

I must say I hate this game to some degree. The game play loop (pick package, suffer, deliver, repeat), plays with my weaknesses. I just have to deliver one more package. Just have to build another road. I know I am being manipulated with all the likes, and praise but can't stop. Not to say anything about hours long cut scenes.


It is also, weirdly beautiful. It is maybe too full of meaning. Like when you overload Sam with crates to the point he is a tower of boxes on two thin legs... Is that a message saying we shouldn't make life difficult on ourselves. We should stop wasting our lives on fetch quests and focus on things that matter? Maybe, maybe its just a weird game. Or maybe it's art...

I think what Kojima needs is a good editor. Someone to cut off the cruft and focus the material a bit more. But who am I to say? Everyone a critic these days.

Where to even begin... This game pulls so many heartstrings. For the 80+ hours I played this game I was once again fourteen, instead of forty. But not all of us are here for nostalgia.

If you are not familiar with the series:
JA3 is turn based strategy at its finest. The field has improved a lot over the years. JA3 allows you to party like 1993 while not missing out on innovations of X-com.
It is a well made game, with enough of a story to string you along from battle to battle.
One thing that was really enjoyable about the game was the banter of the mercenaries. Truly enjoyed it.

If you are here for the nostalgia:
Yes JA3 is the worthy successor to JA2. You can just skip the disappointing reboot attempts along the way and pick it up here.

To amplify the feels:
Read Frederik Forsyth's Dogs of War.
Listen to Warren Zevon's Roland the Headless Thompson Gunner.

I played Dave the Diver right after Baldur's Gate 3... It was unfair. To Baldur's Gate...

So many million dollars going into BG3 development and I enjoyed sushi restaurant simulator more. Dave is the better game. Considering BG3 was the game of the year 2023 this tells a lot.

What makes it such a good game? Very well geared loops. You dive, you cook, you solve mysteries of the ocean. Rinse and repeat, but each time is sufficiently different that it doesn't feel repetitive. The activity cycle is great to keep the user engaged. The game looks deceptively simple and reveals itself to the player at just the right pace. I never felt bored with Dave... New content appeared before I realized I needed it.

I haven't played 300 hours. I haven't figured out all side quests. But I tell you this: pushing your enemies off of ledges makes this game worth it. Max out that athleticism score and enjoy whoopsies!!!

It is hard to make a big open universe and make it not feel empty and boring.

NMS strikes just the right balance between vast and fun. Nothing feels tedious. Nothing feels forced. You are given a large universe and a chance to explore it the way you want.

Wow, what a game, what story telling...

I grew up with adventure games. I guess they also grew up with me. This is not your grandpa's (me) point and click adventure game, but it is clear this is what adventure games was supposed to be like. From the first text adventures, through the classics, and to the modern adventure games.

I found the story telling to be on point, with believable characters. The story follows a group of characters through the scenario. None of the characters feel thin, rushed, or without motivation. I don't like moralizing much, but the story tells an important story about human condition, discrimination, and oppression without pulling a clock work orange on you. The game didn't feel preachy, and I felt like I was free to draw my own conclusions.

Final note, good graphics even in 2023. Works like a charm on Linux with proton.

The characters sometimes feel a bit too two dimensional and overly macho, but this is the zombie survival game with a decent enough story you were looking for.

We played this game as a couple! The mechanics were ingenious. The piggy backing, the tether, the lasso... The nicest thing was the mechanics also supported the overall feel of the game. You had to cooperate with your partner but the mechanics were designed so that you never felt held back.

We also liked the length of the game. It wasn't too long, and ended just when we were starting to feel it was time.

The game works fine in Linux through proton.

Fun little coop experience, the puzzles can feel a bit repetitive.

The game runs great out of the box on Linux.

Fun coop experience. The smoothest multiple controller setup in recent memory. The controllers are just recognized out of the box.

The game runs well under Linux with proton.