Recent reviews by <HW> {GaS} Your_Local_Dr.Crun

Might and Magic X I can only some up as a OK, there is enjoyment to be found in this game but there are many stretches where the game comes across as repetative and grindy. There is a nostelgic feel for old school western RPGs and if you are a fan of this niche genre then you will get your monies worth for the game. However, there is a reason why this style of RPG went out of date and I believe this game falls incredably short of reviving it. The combat system was fairly basic although not in a bad way, the depth for leveling up however was somewhat lacking and the different abilites only a few seemed playable, which hearts the replayability of the game. The positivies I found out of the game was the atmosphere, it did feel like I was inside the Might and Magic world and the lore was present in the form of the collectables in the game. The main narrative however had its high and lows but for the most part I feel like it continued on from Heroes VI well enough. In the end I really, really wanted this game to be amazing as I loved the story of Heroes VI and am a fan of this style of RPG however the game fell flat and I was simply left wanting more. I am hopeing one day the studio retries to make another RPG M&M game but puts in as much effort as they have done with there past games.
Rating: 5.5/10

I have a large nostelgic investment in the Heroes franchise, as heroes III is a defining game of my child hood. So it is hard to remain objective when playing this title in the franchise. Firstly, the heroes fan boy in me absolutely loved this game! Its not often i can put over 200 hours into something with such ease. However, this game as some serious performance problems that just can't be ignored. Firstly lets start with the story, probably my favourit of the heroes series yet, i loved all the characters and were invested in how their naratives played out. Though i took me a bit to realise that the campaigns are a bit disjointed in terms of chronological order, which erked me a little. The expension campaigns were also fantastic so i highly recomend buying the game with the DLC. Gameplay, I have mixed feelings about, at heart its the hearoes mechanics you know and love but i felt it was simplified way too much, esppecually when it came to the economy and leveling up. With some abilities being so much better than others to the point i chose the same abilities regardless if i went down a might or magic path. Performance drops during combat were also quite frustrating to deal with. But, with all these negatives it does not take away from the enjoyment of the game at all. Thus, if you love turn based strategy or are a fan of the M&M series for its lore and immersability then this game is totally for you!!
Final Socore: 8/10 (7/10 if being objective), Definetly worth buying during a steam sale!

Wow, Kingdoms of Amalur was a GOOD game. From beging to end i never felt that this game really deserved the bad rap that it got. However I do understand that this game has its issues and there are far more polished and more sophistcated RPG titles out there. But i blieve the late 38 studios did a great job with this title, with this being its first and now only ever game the company has produced i blieve it deserves the cult status it has slowly achieved. The story, the lore and the characters is were this game really shines, its ingossing and it makes you feel like you are a part of the world, and i am truely hoping that one day a studio, perhaps Obsedian, will save the franchise and make a much wanted sequal.
Now, there are areas that may turn people away, the combat is invigorating at first but quickly becomes quite repedative, and many of the side quests feel like you are just visting the same dungeon and the doing the same objective over and over again. Although if you just stick to the main quest, you shouldnt come across this problem. The crafting system is also very limited and is pretty forgettable with the game's competitors blowing it out of the park. But that said it isn't bad either. With the fast leveling up, it feels like the crafting becomes more of a novelty in the late game.
So in conclusion, 38 studios, now gone will not be forgotten with this hidden gem in Amalur. I blieve the narrative of the game alone is enough to warrent interest from a new studio to give this ip another chance. Over all a good game, with some sub par RPG elements but with an amazing story and lore. Well worth buying during a steam sale.
Score: 7.5

Hitman Absolution is a VERY GOOD Game, from the fine tuned stealth mechanics, interesting story and Fantastic Contract system, the game is a solid stealth focused title. For a stealth game, this Hitman tital ticks all the boxes with the acheivments through out the campaign allowing the player to take different paths for each play through adding extra re-play value. However, I feel like the game pushes you to play a particular play style, with points deducted if you kill or get seen, it makes a full on shooter playthroughs less rewarding than it should be, and thus i felt i used alot less of the awesome array of guns in the game, instead just opting to use my trusty silencer pistols.
Having played the previous Hitman titals on consol, this was my first outing on PC, and I feel this port is made very well, however some of the controls and camera movements for the cover mechanics can be a bit Clucky.
Additionaly, I felt the over all narative of this game was weaker than previous titals, that said i thought the voice acting was phenomenal!
But, were the game really shines is the the contract mode, adding potentally hours of extra game play and allowing a new online communinty to evolve in what is essentially a single player experience is a great thing to see, and elevats this game from just a good game to VERY GOOD game.
Thus, I would highly recomend this game to any fan of the stealth shooter genre, well worth buying at full reatail price!
Score: 8/10

Knights of the Old Republic II Sith Lords is a great Game! I have been playing the Kotor series over the past two weeks and I am surprised that I have not got onto it sooner. Focusing on the second tital, Obsetian Entertainment has grabbed Bioware's title and made a huge amount of gameplay improvements from the first game. The combat and AI are vastley better and more finel tuned. It feels smoother and combat feels more dynamic and gives more options to the player. However, I feel the plot and the characters did not feel as solid as the first game. This is not saying the novel was bad, it deffinetly isn't but the ending seemed a little flat and the over all story was too complex, while the the first game's plot was simple, but it was the type of simple that made the game great, very much like the origonal Star Wars movies. The options with the charcters also seemed less personal and the focus was too much centered on the main protagonist. Additionally, I can not leave out mention of some of the buggs in the game such as items not working and the camera just freezing. Though not game breaking, they were frustrating, I won't hold it to the game too much though as I still had a blast, Just save lots.
Overall, Kotor 2 is a VERY GOOD game that though the naretive is not as strong as the first it is still engaging and interesting. The controls and gameplay have been vastely improved making this an excelent RPG Space Opera game. Well worth Buying at full retail price!
Score 8/10.

What an amazing game. As a big fan of Mass Effect and the Dragon Age franchise I am surprised that it has taken me this long to get onto the Knights of the Old Republic series. As this is the predecessor of both Mass Effect and Dragon Age all the classic elements of a Bioware game are present. The plot has depth and is extremly enthralling, once I got pased the first world I could not stop playing the game, always wanting to know what comes next. Each of the characters you meet along your journey are all interesting and have their own personal back stories that you really want to invest in and learn more. And for the period it was made the graphics stand up really well and the sound design was top quality.
Combat in the game was polished, however I must say the AI can be some what clunky at times, but I can't judge this too harshely. The biggest negative I have with the game would include the swoop raceing and spacebattle minigames, I felt that these modes were kinda added in at a last minute and didn't have much depth to them and didn't realy add too much to the experiece.
Thus, in conlclusion this is an AMAZING game with a story and characters you will never forget, a game any RPG lover should buy, even at full retail price, you will not be disapointed.
Score: 9/10

As a Game of Thrones fan of both the TV series and the Books I thought the naritive of this game was top notch and for that alone I would remomend it to any other game of thrones fans. However as a game, it doesn't hold up as much. The controls are clunky and weird and the camera control was a pain.
If you are just looking for a solid RPG tital then perhaps try else where, or pick this game up during a steam sale if you have a few bucks to spare. You'll easily get an entertaining 30 hours out of the game with the DLC.
Over all, it was an OK game with sub par gameplay but with an above average story with interesting characters.
Score: 6/10