Recent reviews by goth_poni

Probably the best Star Wars game ever to be released, and seeing how many have come before and will continue on after it, kind of amazes me just how utterly fresh and unique this series can be at times. For a hack and slash beat em' up akin to the Arkham series of games to challenge and even rival that series on just its first entry baffles me, yet they managed it, with tons of exploration, minor customization and even more varieties in fighting styles and upgrade paths, this game truly embraces the best of a Soulsbourne format with the deep lore and history of still the greatest expansive universe ever concieved. The story, while predictable and cliche within a action-adventure story line has several merits and unique qualities that set it apart from just another new Jedi survivor in the broader galaxy, with Cal's unique force powers letting him experience the past and make the environmental and narrative elements of the various worlds feel rich and exciting to learn more of. In terms of combat, while the intro/first portion revolves heavily around classic 1-handed sword mechanics and blocking/dodging pandemonium, once you acquire a second hilt, the game really lets you fully customize and retool your style into a more defensive and radically altered version of the standard hack and slash variety. And while the bosses may for the most part be a slight let down in terms of variety and means of tackling them, the 3-4 odd major battles really do test and reward you with frantic saber to saber combat and tons of visual flair as most proper duels always have in the world of Star Wars. In total, with the next game right around the corner as of writing this review, the new Jedi line of games will most likely be the next great licensed series for us all to sink our teethes into!

Definitely not the game for those actually wanting a New Vegas or first or second Fallout-like adventure, but if you enjoyed 4 and 3 even, but wanted friends and other people to interact with the goofy and bug-ridden parts this Appalachian world, then maybe Fallout 76 is worth the 40ish (or discounted if your lucky) bucks you'd pay for it. Now, for my personal experience, I'd like to break it up into two separate categories, being when I had people regularly joining me, and a true solo experience, which admittedly was several years back, but I suffice to recommend the latter, as being off in a map this full yet simultaneously empty of real substance asides from lore is quite a hard sell!


The only reason you'd ever try going it alone is for the aforementioned perk, but seriously, either join public teams or find a discord group to party up, since this game now clearly is made for those who do daily ops, bunker runs or even expeditions often... Some questlines are decent, like the brotherhood one from steel dawn, and part of the main story involving the last faction, but in general, you'd be re missed to find a single notable and enjoyable side or even daily quest that isn't at least somewhat bland and tedious, unless you really search the game top to bottom, and even then none personally come to mind really.


The main bulk of your time will be spent grinding for junk, legendaires and plans for stronger equipment/upgrades for pre-existing guns you may own, which does again play into having multiple people to share and pool resources and trade for stuff you may be lacking in, yet solo this is manageable if you research and plan your routes very throughly, or just get incredibly lucky with random spawns! My favorite element is honestly the cosmetic/vanity skins you can get, which is locked behind a paywall, but considering how cheap fallout first has become (along with the free trial given upon writing this review), can say without question is almost essential for continuous play of this game, due to the sheer utility of the scrapbox/placeable micro camp for farming scorchbeast queens or resources in nuke zones.


Yet overall, for those who really can't decide whether or not this is a solid and fun experience, just know the initial unplayableness of the game is patched (mostly) out of the game, so considering the free weekend currently going on, its worth at least revisiting or trying what is arguable one of the most ridiculed game in Bethesda's entire history...

Not really much to say about this one without spoiling much, so just be aware that this game has A. massive amounts of very interesting and well written dialogue, B. nice pacing with each date taking multiple stages and actual management of money in order to proceed and C. two very different endings, and a huge twist that makes you reconsider your life choices (if you haven't already from buying this game). Oh also there are pretty pictures of your favorite totally not mane six members, and others too! I only did it for Riku and the badge on my proflie...

If you want my honest opinion, Grand Theft Auto Five is a misunderstood and mistreated masterpiece. Because of the dedication and brilliance over at Rockstar North, they where able not only to recreate the entire world of Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas in a stunning and captivating manner, but were able to tell you a great story along with solid gameplay and the apparent graphical beauty of your surroundings. Following three derranged and homicidal lunatics, each with their own flavour of unique backstory, personality and quirks, GTA 5 mocks our current societal norms in such a creative yet slightly maniacal manner that it works. Everything from politics, economics, consumerism and even the very genre it is in, pop culture and video games, are satirically portrayed and mocked at every turn, while the three unlikely heroes of this epic adventure try to simply clear their names and to go back to a "normal life" (or as normal as supercriminals have it), going through gang violence, goverment hijacking and even internal conflicts to reach an ending (if you keep all three protagonists alive) that really does feel satisfying, even if short lived.

This of course describes the games singleplayer, and when all this is compared to the games multiplayer, the problems with GTA Online become apparent. Despite putting over 100+ missions into Online mode, which has no story aside from Lamar helping you start up your crime spree and brief jobs with the likes of Lester and Trevor from story mode, very few have any substance if any. Almost all (like CEO work, VIP missions, bunker supply runs and biker/nightclub jobs specifically) are going from one destination to another, killing a group of enemies, taking an asset, like weapons or drugs, and bringing them home. The few good missions are fun first time around, but most get dull after repeated playthroughs, and offer very little variety. The gun combat is modest at best, but rewards very little skillful usage of mechanics like in other more competitive shooters like Counter Strike or Team Fortress 2, and instead just incentivises grinding for more money for better equipment.

And this highlights the biggest problem online has, grindiness. Unless you have a good group of buds to talk to whilst on missions, this game become unbearbly tedious, good for a few hours but after repeated sessions it really makes you comtemplate why everything in this game is so overpriced. Even the most basic of vehicles, like decent sports cars or bikes, are around one million dollars generally, and the prices just skyrocket for the "fun" vechiles like the many weaponized cars and airplanes the game has. For example, the newest superbike added in the afterhours content update, the Oppressor MK II costs a whopping 3.8 million by default, and 2.9 tradeprice if you did 10 missions with the Terrorbyte, a truck similar to the Moblie Operations Center that costs 1.3 million. So basically, to stand a chance against the plethora of cheaters and modders in this lawless land, which are plentiful due to Rockstar's horrible anti-cheat and apparent disregard with taking action, you need to waste many hours just to get a fake bike in a virtual simulation of a crime-ridden Los Angeles.

So in closing, I love this game and will forever remember it for its countless hours of fun first starting out in online and the brilliant story it provided in singleplayer, but until Red Dead Redemption 2 releases, or future multiplayer franchises, i'll just have to wait for a fresh online Rockstar game.

The Fallout series is one of my favorite game series that I have played, and I would highly recommend for anyone who enjoys story-driven, lore rich games, and first person shooter action in newer titles like Fallout 3, New Vegas, and 4. While some believe 4 to be a lesser to the critically acclaimed New Vegas, and in some aspects like choices and lore New Vegas does better, but Fallout 4 is still an incredibly solid entry into the Fallout franchise. The game, from a veteran of the franchise's perspective, may feel a bit linear compared to its predecessors, but in terms of combat and role-playing elements, it retains that Fallout feel that many love. Side quests and various main questlines are incredibly entertaining and full of dark humor that defines the franchise. The new modding feature allows you to customize everything from your weapons, armor, and power armor sets, allowing for many diverse playstyles and looks to your builds. Settlements are a new edition that allow your charecter to set up living places throughout the Commonwealth, serving as both bases and homes to the many followers and settlers you meet on your adventure. The new and revamped "survival mode" does excatly what it says, make every day a struggle to keep yourself from dying. Harder enemies, mangement of your charecters food, water, and sleep levels, along with diseases that can hinder your charecters overall health. This keeps the game fresh, especially after beating it a few times on normal diffuculties, its rejuvenates the fun that this game offers. There are also plenty of dlc, 3 of which, Automatron, Far Harbor, and Nuka World, offering new locations, enemies, weapons, and stories/lore. For those who like building, there are also the Wasteland Workshop and Vault-Tec dlc's, which offer more placeable items and a new location for building, and even a unique questline involving a incomplete Vault. In closing, Fallout 4 is a great game, and a must have for anyone who enjoys being emersed in a post-apocolyptic setting with deadly monsters, radiation, stories, and plently of weapons and armor to help you survive the nuclear winter that is Fallout.

This is a game that truly deserves credit where it should be given, it has gone through a decades worth of updates, and has been played to death by many, myself included. It is an amazing game, even after all it has been through, an example of how some good things never die. It might be going downhill at this moment, but in my mind it will live on, if not in its vibrant community full of players both casual and competitive alike, but in the various media like SFMs, workshop submissions, and videos based on the game. In short, Team Fortress 2 is a classic first person shooter and a must try for anyone who is new to steam, or wants a fresh genre to play. Its easy to pick up and have fun with it community based or casual servers, but has such a high skill ceiling that a flourishing competitive scene exists with matches, casts, streams, and a valve supported competitive gamemode with emphasis on a much more serious tone, unlike its casual conterpart where there are larger teamsizes and random crits. The unlockable weapons are great as well, giving each of the nine unique classes their own individual playstyles based on which unlocks you select, like how a soldier can put out more damage and be better protected with the shotgun, but can eqiup something like the gunboats and become much more mobile and able to jump around the map with ease, and vis versa. The cosmetics and trading scene is also there for those who enjoy in-game economies, which TF2 certainly has, with its own form of currencies, such as ref and keys, and many trading websites to streamline the process of transactions. There are also many things to do outside of the many gamemodes like capture the flag, control points, and king of the hill, such as jump servers to test your jumping abilities on classes like soldier or demoman, or for those that have played Counter Strike Source, there are surfing servers which is similar to jumping in a way, but is much more based on your momentum and steering your character through various obstucles. In closing, Team Fortress 2 is my most played and favorite game of all time hands down, with its high skill ceiling and fun game mechanics, I would rate this game a perfect 10

In my humble opinion, this is and will always be the greatest of the sims franchise, simply for the iconic moments it gave me, whether it be absurd hyjinx with a kleptomaniac gardener, or schmoozing it up with business folk in the corporate offices, everything this weird place gave me will be cherished forever, in memory and spirit. Would say this game does have two things holding it back from eternal greatness though, being its absurdly long load times, ridiculously high specs required to run at a solid graphical setting, plus the frankly scam levels of price for all the dlc they've released over the years, but hey, nothing will truly come close to its level of broken wackiness, even Fallout is a practical wonder child compared to it, but still love it always!

This was one of if the not the first game I ever played on steam, and despite all the new and exciting releases that have come out and captivated my attention over the years, I have always had time to come back and re-experience the magical world of Terraria. It starts of fairly simplistic, as a open world 2D sidescrolling action adventure game reminiscent of the original Super Mario fused with elements of Minecraft. However, as you progress and discover different parts of the randomly generated world, new mechanics and abilities start to become available, turning the simple act of running to your next destination into a jetpack flying, mount riding or even simply a just faster jog thanks to the addition of sprinting by equipping the hermes boots. With the ability to customize so much about your loadout, from armor to weapons to accessories, this game can take shape and evolve in so many different ways just based on how you want to tackle the challenges ahead. Want to fight at range, then pick up a bow and some arrows and keep distance with the spectre boots. Prefer the bloody carnage of close range, then pick from your assortment of different spears and blades and utilize more defensive accessories like the cobalt shield or shackle. You can even just say screw conventional means and simply learn the art of magic, casting deadly spells with your mana and keeping it topped up with the mana flower and potions.

The choice is all yours, and with the incredible variety of enemies, challenging and intense boss battles, along with a second half to the adventure after defeating the great fleshy wall in the bowels of hell itself, that even further multiples the enemies, boss fights, and resources you can collect, Terraria truly is a game you could spend hundreds of hours on and still not fully experience every single encounter or piece of loot that have varying levels of difficulty to acquire. Obviously I have considering the time I've spent personally at the time of writing this review, but even if you just want to mess around with your friends for a day or two, the games ten dollar price tag undiscounted is a huge plus for anyone whos unsure if they can fully sink their teeth into this amazing crafted masterpiece. And thats not even taking into account the numerous mods and other expansions the community has developed, which like Minecraft could potentially make the games amount of content and stuff to do infinite, if you have the interest to keep playing even after the thousand hour mark, which I have seen before from others who are far more committed to this game than even I am, and I've been playing since late 2013.