Recent reviews by Arvaos

1. Missing textures on character models.
2. User Interface designed for 1920x1080, can't even read the user interface without a magnifying glass at 4K.
3. Game crashed and EasyAntiCheat told me I had violated it, had to sign out or reboot my computer.
4. Can't contact Trion Worlds support.

I will refund the game for now. Archeage is a great MMO with a good combat, player housing, sieges and naval combat but this is a poor remaster with PC issues and barely any marketing. Please fix this game as this game is genuinely one of the best MMO games on Steam with content that doesn't just involve collecting or crafting new outfits.

The prequel to The New Order that bears many similarities to the original Return to Castle Wolfenstein and Wolfenstein 2009, a must play for Wolfenstein fans old and new alike.

A Cult Classic
In a world of multiplayer gaming and clones, Dontnod have stepped outside the box to create something innovative and rare in today's industry - Those games that garner a cult classic following - Beyond Good & Evil, Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines. Vampyr is NOT Dark Souls or Devil May Cry and it does not claim to be, I advise fans of those games to check out Devil May Cry 5 or Darksiders 3.

Developed by Dontnod entertainment, known for the unique art style of a Cyberpunk Paris in Remember Me and the small Twin-Peaks esque town of Arcadia Bay in Life is Strange. Dontnod entertainment take a completely new direction by taking us to the city of London set before the Interwar period of Britain. The details of the city and environments truly shine from dark and bleak streets to houses torn asunder by the plague, poverty and the Great War.

Inspired by the poem The Vampire and the great Gothic fiction novellists of the Victorian era, Vampyr offers an atmosphere and immersion with compelling dialogue lingers against the eerie backdrop of London. The voice acting is top-par with an excellent performance from Anthony Howell and truly gives the game a sense of narrative identity as you follow esteemed high ranking military surgeon Jonathon E.Reid in his adventure to uncover the truth of his vampirism.

The protagonist is believable for the era as female doctors were extremely rare and the developers used only British voice actors to capture the authenticity of the setting, I have to applaud the developers for focusing on creating an authentic game that does not pander to modern politics.

Roleplaying with the Citizen System
What is truly unique is that the dificulty is determined by how many people you kill to evolve your powers. Will you be a blood-starved vampire that seeks to do good with attachment to your former life as a Doctor or will you embrace the Vampire and create chaos in the city of London?

A. Play as Jonathon Reid, the good doctor that heals the citizens at the cost of not evolving your powers..but with the reward of preserving your humanity.
B. Play as the Vampyr, a beast that drinks the blood of the citizens to evolve his powers, becoming the Vampire of night.

The game focuses on the theme of morality in a city that has been blown apart by external circumstances - World War 1 and the Spanish plague and Jonathon's own awakening as he struggles between being both a doctor and a vampire.

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1403579747

There are four main districts which have a health bar and as the gauge drops lower, citizens are more likely to get sick and the district will begin to deteriorate. The choices you make, good or bad will determine your ending.. It is a truly unique feature and something I have not seen in other games.

Every character is unique and well-written to create a sense of empathy and to appeal to your sense of humanity, Dontnod are truly masters of the craft when it comes to creating a bond between player and NPC. It is where the game shines and while it doesn't offer the roleplaying possibilities of Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines, it does offer well crafted content for any roleplaying fans.

Combat - A Poor Man's Witcher III
Sadly, the responsiveness and animations often leave something to be desired as you mash buttons on your controller. The combat itself is nothing spectacular but it is feasible if viewed as an interlude to a narrative story-driven game.

The combat is best described as a poor man's version of The Witcher III, I do not recommend the game if you are buying solely for the combat as there are many other games that are leagues better.

Conclusion
Fans of the Vampire genre or gothic fiction will feel right at home with Vampyr, offering unique roleplaying elements and a beautiful setting that will beg them to overlook the faults of the game. Vampyr offers a compelling and unique narrative drama with innovative roleplaying elements that are rare in today's gaming industry.

Oculus Touch Review

What I liked:
• Full locomotion support with a customizable movement slider and teleportation for people who are new to Virtual Reality.

• Both smooth and snap turning support with a slider to change how your character moves.

• The tracking and button mapping is incredible for the Oculus Rift, even with a two sensor set-up.

• Great optimization with customizable GFX settings, the game benefits from the power of the PC with full supersampling support.

• Casting three dimensional spells from your actual hands and incinerating or freezing enemies before your eyes is incredibly satisfying. Playing as a Dark Elf and casting sparks makes you feel like a Sith Lord.

• The game has a new level of immersion, the sense of dimension and realism is incredible.

What I disliked
• Still the same old Skyrim with dated animations.

• Weapons do not telegraph any weight and swinging a battleaxe is the same as slashing with a dagger.

• Menus take longer to navigate compared to the m/kb version.

Verdict
For me, Skyrim VR is a dream come true and standing in a full scale fantasy world of Tamriel is the definitive and immersive way to play Skyrim.

Bethesda have optimized the game with support for different headsets, players and computers. For me, that is worth the asking price of £39.99/$59.99 alone.

Late Shift is the world's first seamless interactive film, and that's why it deserves more attention. When you read the tag "Choices matter", it means it in the most literal of senses. Unlike other games in the genre which offer the illusion of choice, Late Shift offers an adaptable story where no to outcomes or chapters may not be the same on a new playthrough. How you interact with other human beings cumulatively influences how they treat you and the decisions you make can hold a strong impact on later chapters.

The performances are high for an FMV and the protagonist does an excellent performance of convincing the player you are in his shoes as you follow his train of thought throughout the film. The reflective narrative of the game works well with the seamless playback as you will feel the tension that the protagonist experiences as you must respond to each situation.

If you are considering buying the latest Telltale game, give it a miss and buy this instead. You will get much more than the appearance of choice but a game offers a create-your-own-adventure experience set with excellent live-action performances from the cast.

Late Shift is the perfect blend of a game and a movie, bringing the two worlds together to create an interactive story. CtrlMovie is reviving the FMV genre and bringing it to younger audiences in a modern and relevant fashion.

Well done, hats off to CtrlMovie and everyone involved in the production.

Styx is a rare breed for stealth games, it offers a challenge in a genre that has dumbed down for the mainstream. From Thief to Metal Gear Solid, third-person stealth games have become less challenging to cater to everyone, and the AI has decreased in quality.

Along comes Styx, a fantasy stealth adventure that offers a challenge. You will find no scripted events, boring tailgating missions or magic concealment bushes here. The enemy detection and AI in this game are excellent, guards will search and scour an area if they detect the slightest sound or see a figure lurking in the shadows. The stealth AI reminds me of the early Metal Gear Solid titles where you must use the environment to conceal yourself, hiding bodies and extinguishing sources of light as you sneak.

The parkour requires timing and precision, people writing negative reviews are used to the Assassin's Creed style of parkour which offers no real challenge except the press of a simple button.

There are weaker parts of Styx, the voice acting and sound can leave something to desire but this is to be expected from a smaller low budget title. Ubisoft and other big budget developers could learn from Styx. Overall, Styx is not a game of the year production but if you are looking for a challenging and stealth adventure reminiscent of stealth games from the past, you can't go wrong with Styx: Shards of Darkness.