Recent reviews by GroovyDuke

A spoiler-free review with scores & thoughts from a lifelong gamer dude.


The Visual Presentation: 9.5 / 10
The Sound Design: 9 / 10
The Story: 7.5 / 10
The Gameplay: 7 / 10
The Replay Value: 8 / 10



I'm not going to hold back my praise for this category, Stalker 2 is a remarkably stunning game. Admittedly, it took me a fair amount of time to adjust the settings for high performance while maintaining the visual integrity of the game, but I did achieve it. For those suffering from Unreal Engine 5 fatigue like myself, I was concerned HoC would appear like every other AAA game - at first. I have to give the developers credit for just how much genuine effort they put into making this still look & feel like a Stalker game with a completely different engine. Too often was I caught up in the beautiful, yet desolate Ukrainian atmosphere to notice the typical elements of UE5 poking out. There's simply no room for disappointment in players when trudging through nightmarish swamps, inhospitable villages, foreboding factories, insidious research bunkers and the barren wastes of a once vibrant territory. The horror elements cut deep. Yet, conversely; players also experience the inhabited towns, lively trading districts, campfire singalongs, gorgeous forests and picturesque landscapes that make it hard to argue against the fact that The Zone is indeed a beautiful place.


I'm a simple man, I see a survival-horror game with cheesy voice acting, I play it until my brain numbs to the point that I start talking like them too. There's English VO and Ukrainian VO. Given my IQ being too low to read subtitles and watch what's happening at the same time, I played through with the English VO. I don't think it's as bad as some have claimed, and frankly I find the sprinkles of poor performances hilariously charming. It wouldn't quite be a Stalker game without it. Skif's actor does a great job, the NPC voices are varied well, and I just loved listening to Korshunov rant about military dude stuff. The firearms all sound fantastic to me, the explosions manage to successfully activate my PTSD, and the ambient sound design is phenomenal. From the great outdoors to the underbelly depths of abandoned factories and research bunkers, the game nearly sounds more realistic than real life itself. The music, while more prevalent than in previous titles, is still used tastefully and rarely presented itself as anything less than an enhancement of the atmosphere or an encounter. Also, the soundtrack that plays during the Strelok boss fight & Skif/Kyamanov ending sequences are, for lack of a better term; an "eargasm".


I'm someone that deeply enjoys a strong singleplayer campaign, so the story of Stalker 2 mattered to me significantly. With that being said, the plot and character arcs in Heart of Chornobyl can drastically change depending on the player's choices. There's essentially four paths to follow in the game: The Ward path, The Spark path, The Strelok path, and The Skif path. Personally, I consider the Skif path to be the canon story development and it is how my first playthrough went. Skif's journey into The Zone is initially driven by a simple desire: to recharge the valuable artifact that destroyed his apartment, and sell it to the highest bidder so he has money for a new home. It's straightforward and I would probably do the same in his situation. As you may have guessed, that wasn't just any old run-of-the-mill artifact that torpedoed his kitchen. It isn't long before that artifact is stolen, and the path of becoming a true Stalker begins. I need to keep this somewhat short, because the story is enormous. My first playthrough took nearly 100 hours. Granted, I play at a methodical pace and like to engage with every character, sidequest, and unexplored area. With that being said, the plot is riddled with twists, turns, politics, and a hell of a lot more. Although around the mid-point of the game, the story begins to get rather convoluted and each time you think you've wrapped things up, the rug gets pulled from under you time and time again. It starts to get a little exhausting and hard to follow, but it dangles that carrot just low enough to keep you sufficiently interested to push through. It's comparable to a case of "too much of a good thing can become a bad thing". That's not to say the story isn't worth playing through, it absolutely is. Hell, I played through it twice just to experience the Ward path and it was a completely different vibe. I highly recommend new players side with the Stalkers and Dr. Kyamanov to truly get the best experience with the game and the most meat from the story. On a personal note, it's soul-crushing that there's no way to save Strider and the rest of Noontide. Their story is unbelievably tragic and deserved to be explored deeper by players. DLC, anyone?


We've arrived at the most controversial topic for Heart of Chornobyl. I find the gameplay is what drives the majority of comparisons to the original trilogy, with Stalker 2 often being cast as the weaker entry. I actually thought the gameplay in HoC was fantastic for the most part, and it never stopped being fun to blast away some bandit scum or paint the walls a nice shade of mutant-blood-red. Out of curiosity, I went back and played through some of the original games. I found that Stalker 2 was even more faithful to the classic games than I initally thought. However, I certainly saw the differences. Admittedly, I got my ass handed to me a number of times by bandits & military in SoC. Mutants I find more challenging in Stalker 2, albeit less balanced. A-life is the big difference maker. The other inhabitants of the Zone in the classic trilogy actually do stuff and have a life of their own to some extent. Granted, HoC is continuously working to improve that. What stood out the most for me was that allies actually fought alongside you or would accompany you to a location. Whereas in Stalker 2, they just teleport to whatever location they're supposed to meet you at and pretty much never join you in combat. That super sucks, especially after experiencing how much fun it was in the original games. Heart of Chernobyl does bring a boatload of quality-of-life improvements with AI, the UI, and just the flow of play overall - but it's at the cost of a number of bugs that, while rare for me, still occur even after a claimed 1,500+ fixes.


As I mentioned in the Story section, there's four different paths to play out in the game and two or three of them change the development & character arcs in major ways. There might be something wrong with me, but seeing those other paths play out was enough to get me to immediately start a second playthrough. Although I was a bit critical, I also did really enjoy the gameplay overall. It's well stated at this point, but Stalker 2 is a massive game and there's so much to see & do, it's hard to cram it all into one playthrough. With the promise of singleplayer DLC from the developers, the Zone is far from finished with loners like you and I.


Much like the original trilogy, Stalker 2 is a memorable journey with the right amount of jank to keep it charming. The Heart & Soul of the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. series is flourishing with Heart of Chornobyl. Thanks for reading!

I typically save my recommendations for writing legitimate reviews, but NMRiH2 has earned my Thumbs Up - let me tell you why before you assemble the firing squad. The game's current state is atrocious. It's terribly optimized, riddled with bugs, hosting unreliable connections, and a relative far cry from the original's gameplay.

However - I have had a lot of fun with this game already. Perhaps I've been one of the luckier ones, but the game has been mostly playable for me. I met my best buddy in No More Room in Hell back in 2015, so the game holds a special place in my cold little heart. With that being said, we booted this game up on release day and despite how rough it's current state is, it felt just like the good ol' days with the same rush and laughs that we rarely get to have with modern titles.

I've seen a lot of comparisons to the original game and personally, I don't think that's fair. NMRiH1 is still supported - you can still play it in all of it's glory (for free). If Torn Banner put out a near 1:1 remake of the first game with a fresh coat of paint, the complaints would be akin to "It's just the first game, but with a price tag. Play the original!".

I actually think their premise, atmosphere, gameplay, and providing players with a motive to survive via upgrading their Responder is pretty darn neat. It makes death actually terrifying, especially if you've got a rare Level 50 Responder. I'm not looking to cover everything in detail right now, but the foundation for a great game is here and I think players need to recognize that things will change, the game will improve, and the developers will add new modes. Nobody has ruled out a "No More Room in Hell Classic" mode that gives players the experience of the original with all the new bells & whistles of NMRiH2.

The bottom line is: NMRiH2 has launched is a very rough state, and it should have been much better given it's long development process. However, it is an Early Access title - it is not a finished game in the slightest. If that's what you're expecting, hold off on buying. If you don't have the patience to playtest a WiP title, hold off on buying. If you think the price is too high, hold off on buying. If you prefer the original, hold off on buying.

As for me, I'm having too much fun with the game to turn away - so I'll be contributing where I can with bug reports and gameplay suggestions. It's up to the developers to decide how much community input they want to utilize, but No More Room in Hell 2 has potential to be an amazing game in the future.

An Evil Dead: The Game review with scores & thoughts from a lifelong gamer dude.


The Lore Accuracy: 9.5 / 10
The Gameplay: 8.25 / 10
The Sound Design: 9 / 10
The Graphic Design: 8 / 10
The Learning Curve: 6 / 10



Evil Dead. It’s one of the most beloved franchises in cinematic history. Nearly every Evil Dead related production becomes an instant classic that receives a widely positive reception, and Evil Dead: The Game is no bloody exception. If my playtime doesn’t make it obvious, I’m a huge fan of the franchise and I know the lore better than I know my own father (I’ll find you one day, pops).

I can proudly say that the original development team absolutely nailed their research, and the passion really shows. This game was made by Evil Dead fans, chainsaws down. The atmosphere, appearance, behavior, and personality of Evil Dead is flourishing with its diverse cast of playable characters, brilliant maps, and deadites alike. Characters also have their backgrounds expanded through audio recordings, texts, and playable scenarios. Seeing icons like Scotty & Henry The Red return to get even with the Kandarian Demon is an absolute joy. The reasoning behind the Survivors’ returns makes sense within the Evil Dead universe. Having been resurrected by Professor Knowby in this timeline, as their past and future battles with the dead are foretold in the Necronomicon. The world itself is riddled with film, TV, and even comic-accurate locations, and the attention to detail is quite impressive. While there is a complete lack of a campaign, what’s there is still incredibly well done. The only question I have is, “Where is Chet?”.


Time to discuss the big mother, The Gameplay. The meat & potatoes of any game. Evil Dead: The Game is one of those titles that can be very challenging to get into, especially when you’re up against a more experienced player(s). However, once you’ve mastered the art of kicking ass – it’s extremely rewarding both as a Survivor or a Demon. The intended mode to play is 4 Survivor Players versus 1 Demon Player, that is where my focus will be. There’s a lot of ground to cover here, considering Survivors have four classes to choose from and every individual Survivor & Demon has their own unique abilities. Survivors can play as a Leader (balanced), Warrior (melee), Hunter (ranged), and Support (healing). They all play very differently and a successful team will usually have a player from each class. Playing as the Demon is more cut-and-dry as you’re flying solo, so choosing the Demon that suits your playstyle is pretty straightforward.

Matches begin with a scramble for recovery items, weapons, upgrade points (Pink F), and supply chests. After gearing up, Survivors search for map pieces to locate two key items that need to be collected in order to battle the Dark Ones and vanquish the Evil, all while the Demon player hunts them down between setting traps, spawning deadites, and even possessing vulnerable Survivors. It’s a loop that surprisingly doesn’t get old, not in my case at least. The combat itself is a bloody good time, it’s the root of my addiction. Melee battles have a rock-paper-scissors feel with light/heavy attacks, dodges, stuns, combos, and brutal finishers. It’s buttery smooth and just so much fun slaughtering an army of deadites while listening to that chainsaw ripping & tearing. Popping off the Boomstick or a revolver to dish out some major damage never stops being satisfying. Even playing as a support and keeping your team in the fight with area healing and useful abilities is a great time. Taking on any Demon-possessed deadite or boss unit by yourself is generally a feat that only the most veteran players can possibly achieve. You really do need your team in this game, although it’s not impossible to pull off some impressive victories on your own or as a duo. Granted, it’s not perfect. Stun-locking can be a prevalent issue and there’s a handful of bugs & exploits that never got fixed. Not to mention, hackers. Yeah, there’s sadly a lot of them. Some of which, I have been recording & reporting consistently for 2 years and no action has been taken to ban them from ruining the game – forcing me to keep a ‘blacklist’ of names to not play with. Apart from that, the gameplay itself feels great and its endless fun when you’ve got good players on both sides. The vehicles are garbage though, they’ll flip over from a windy fart.


I can’t give enough props to the original development team for being so faithful to Evil Dead. Everything from the weapon sound effects, to the deadites, to the music, and of course the voice acting is superb. The fact that they brought back every original actor they could to perform their respective characters is amazing. Hearing Hal Delrich back as Scotty, and my ex-girlfriend Lucy Lawless back as Ruby just gets me all giddy. Even the substitutes for the actors that couldn’t reprise their roles do a great job of portraying the characters. And of course, Bruce Campbell reprising different versions of Ash from the past 40 years. Apart from that – the deadites sound like deadites, the guns go boom, and the chainsaw goes ‘groovy’. The soundtrack deserves its own shoutout. It’s perfectly crafted, gives every situation more intensity and by God, it’s as Evil Dead as it gets. My only criticism is that there’s a tremendous amount of dialogue that is locked & doesn’t play in-game because there’s cursing, which I thought was a very childish move on the developer’s end. Excuse me while I cut off this gas station clerk’s head with a chainsaw but thank goodness he didn’t say the F-word. Grow a pair, Saber.


I had modest expectations in terms of the graphics, but hot diggity dog! It’s strange to say, but Evil Dead: The Game is one of the most visually impressive games that I’ve played. The attention to detail is outstanding. From the incredible sunset vistas to the over-the-top gore effects, down to the fabric of your character’s shirt flapping in the wind – it’s hauntingly beautiful. Character models are faithful to the actors’ appearances (mostly), deadites look exactly as they should (although they do lack variety), and the world itself is so detailed, it’s like the developers were on set during filming. There’s also randomized times of day/night and weather events for each match. It’s not perfect – there’s some mucky textures, a near total lack of facial animations, and blood/gore/corpses disappear in seconds, nullifying much of the carnage. I could nitpick but overall, it’s a dashingly handsome game. Hail to the Chin.


Right off the bat, the learning curve is steep now since the majority of the playerbase are now seasoned veterans that have been playing since release. This can be a very challenging game to pickup as a new player but you will get better each time you play as you learn how to time your dodges, predict the opposing players actions, and prioritize more important goals. Contrary to what people say, this is a pretty well-balanced game, with the exception of OP Baal. There’s a lot more I want to say, but Steam has a character limit of 8,000 and I’m about to hit it.


I honestly can’t express my level of disappointment that this game has been left to rot, when the potential to expand upon the existing features is insurmountable. That being said, it can still be heaps of fun to play and wildly addictive. Here’s hoping we see support return in the future. Thanks for reading! Where is Chet?

A spoiler-free review with scores & thoughts from a lifelong gamer dude.


The Story: 7.25 / 10
The Gameplay: 7 / 10
The Graphic Design: 6.75 / 10
The Sound Design: 7.75 / 10
The Replay Value: 7 / 10



Much like the games that inspired it; You Will Die Here Tonight has players stepping into the combat boots of a highly-trained police task force, investigating a '2spooky4them' mansion. It's a plotline that's been widely reused since 1996. I'll be honest, I never get tired of this style of setup for a survival horror game. In this case though, YWDHT takes your expectations and flips them on their head as not all is as it seems.. I can't say too much without spoiling key aspects of the story, but there are six characters to play as throughout the game, some of which have skills that you'll need in order to progress the story and get closer to the truth. Death is not a permanent end for any character, and not everyone is who they claim to be. The more I played, the more mysteries revealed themselves. While the game is loaded with twists and turns, it still remained somewhat predictable and it got pretty convuluted towards the end. It felt as though the game was trying a bit too hard to be unique. Regardless, it was enough to keep my attention and a pretty interesting take on an old plotline.


The gameplay is actually how I heard about YWDHT, as it's a unique blend of a 2.5D third-person view during regular gameplay and a 3D first-person perspective during combat. On paper, that sounds pretty neato burrito and it certainly gets the blood flowing during the first handful of enemies. However, shifting into the combat perspective takes a bit of time and not all enemies on screen will appear in the first-person mode at once. This perspective shift eventually gets relentless and hella' disorienting as more enemies appear throughout the game. I found myself getting so tired of it that I would run straight through enemies and just take the hit instead. Interesting as it may be, I would have preferred the combat to take place in the 2.5D perspective. Apart from that - you'll be faced with the classic trope of trudging around and solving puzzles to find key items that grant access to new areas and elements of the story. Be careful though, most puzzles have deadly consequences if you fail to solve them. In the words of Peter Griffin, "Who's laughing now? I got my hat."


I quite enjoy the look of the old late-90's PC RPG game, and the backgrounds for pretty much every location are a delight. Although, the character models themselves appear to be even lower resolution than the backrounds, which is a bit peculiar. The 3D first-person perspective has a resolution-lowering filter applied to match the aesthetic of the rest of the game. Overall, there's nothing particularly remarkable here. The monster designs can be quite cartoonish, which sadly I found detracted from the horror elements. The graphics certainly aren't bad, but they aren't amazing either. That's all I got, comrades.


Oh how my ears do so enjoy the spooky creaks and thunderstorms of a creepy old manor. Fortunately, that craving is pretty well satiated throughout the game. YWDHT's setting is appropriately suited for atmospheric horror, and I find that it benefits greatly from limiting the amount of music that plays in game. It adds more weight to the audio cues and rumblings of less-than-human creatures. There's a point or two where the rain, wind, and thunder completely stop; invoking a true "oh sh*tballs" moment that has you bracing for what happens next. The creatures throughout the game are surprisingly terrifying in terms of the noises they make - most notably the withered, starving zombies that you come across. The strained, painful groans they emit are on par with the disturbing breathing of a Regenerator from Resident Evil 4. A downside is that there is a complete lack of voice acting, however that missing element is reminiscent of games from the era that inspired YWDHT. I also want to mention that there are very noticeable audio balance issues during the first-person perspective combat. Things that should be loud are quiet, and things that should be quiet are loud. For example, gunfire is nearly silent - but not all the time. It's strange, I'm not sure what's going on there.


In keeping with the games before it, You Will Die Here Tonight leans on it's replayability - to a point where it is pretty much completely necessary to do so in order to get the full story. There's a lot that a player can miss and would be none the wiser to; from dialogue to cutscenes to puzzles to boss battles. It's a deceptively large game and how attractive that replay value is will depend entirely on the individual. As for myself, I got the true ending and solved almost all of the puzzles the game has to offer on my first playthrough. It's been a minute since I last played, but I don't recall unlocking any new modes, costumes, or anything that would otherwise incentivise a player to give it another go besides missed dialogue. I also couldn't stand the combat anymore, sorry lads.


You Will Die Here Tonight takes the classic survival-horror formula of Resident Evil and blends it with The House Of The Dead's combat to create a unique indie game with a distinctive take on an otherwise played out story. I hope you enjoyed the review, thanks for reading!

A spoiler-free review with scores & thoughts from a lifelong gamer dude.


The Story: 9 / 10
The Gameplay: 9 / 10
The Graphic Design: 7.5 / 10
The Sound Design: 10 / 10
The Replay Value: 8 / 10



Prior to purchasing Rogue City, I Sat down to watch RoboCop 1 & 2. Man, I really deprived myself of some incredible action and PTSD from that toxic waste scene by waiting so long to see the films. There's brilliant social commentary and deeply rooted emotional struggles within the character. I'm happy to say that these themes are perfectly preserved and largely expanded upon with Rogue City. I thoroughly enjoyed the story for the game. It even threw me a few curve balls and surprised me with unexpected levels of character development, interactions, and a branching story that all comes together for a satisfying ending. Your choices in dialogue and even some of your actions can largely affect the final outcome of multiple characters at the conclusion of the game. I was delighted to see RoboCop faced with challenges to his morality, and even his humanity. It scratched an itch that was leftover after viewing the films - that itch being the desire to see more of Alex Murphy's internal struggles with the reality of his situation, and the potential of losing what makes him human. Personally, this is a much better plot than RoboCop 3. Let's just forget that happened, or else there could be.. trouble.


On top of having a well-written and interesting story, the Gameplay is where RoboCop: Rogue City really shines. It's everything that it should be; Over-the-top gore, insane barrages of bullets, beefy gunshots, wild explosions, and total destruction from a walking, talking, occasionally joke-making cyborg tank. There's a plethora of weapons to choose from that you most often scavenge off the bodies of scumbags. Your trusty Auto-9 is going to be your best sidekick (no offense, Lewis). The Auto-9 has an interesting and fun way of constantly upgrading it through finding new parts that are interchangeable with different "motherboards", allowing you to treat it almost like a little mini-game to find the best build for your firearm. In true Cyborg fashion, there's a variety of objects you can lift with ease and toss around like frisbees - ranging from desktop monitors to literally beating a human to death, using another human. Like a meaty, Nuked-out baseball bat. RoboCop is also loaded with potential upgrades, each branch offering methods of altering your playstyle both through combat, detective work, and how you interact with others. While the 80's-esque combat is the main lure, Rogue City goes even further by having you do actual police work. Gathering evidence, assisting with solving murders or stolen property, even issuing parking tickets is all a part of who RoboCop is. You'd think this would be boring and trivial, but there's something charming about doing these small menial tasks despite being an actual killing machine. It's an awesome way of showing that RoboCop is still Officer Alex Murphy - staying true to his sense of justice and morals. As an honorable mention - my God, that final boss fight. I'd buy that for a dollar.


Rogue City is an example of how good an Unreal Engine game can look, even from an indie developer. I was taken aback when I first played the game and walked through the gritty, rain-soaked night time streets of Detroit. If I leaned back in my chair, it genuinely looked photorealistic to me. The game world overall looks magnificent, Teyon did an absolutely banger job of replicating locations from the movie; including the police station and the steel mill. Everything is just loaded with fan service, even down to the way RoboCop's squadcar bounces off the police station ramp and emits sparks when he rolls out. The texture quality of virtually every surface looked phenomenal to me. The character models seemed a bit off though, I think because their facial animations were rather limited. It made everyone seem a bit robotic. Heh, ironic. A major downfall for me personally though was during combat. I mean, it looks absolutely incredible, but then everything fades or disappears in a matter of seconds. You could annihilate an entire office building filled with terrorist junkies, and all the blood, debris, corpses, & gore disappears entirely the second you look away. Why would they put so much effort into that, just to have it removed after 3 seconds? That made no sense to me. I should also mention the performance. Most of the game, I held steady on the highest 1080P settings at 100FPS - but now and then, I'd randomly drop to 40 or even lower. At one point outside the Steel Mill, I was getting 12 FPS until I entered a building, and came back outside - then it was back to 100FPS again. It's weird man, it's weird.


I'm not even sure how to explain just how good this game sounds, but God d*mn son, it's good. Peter Weller returns to reprise his iconic role as RoboCop and personally, I believe this is actually his best portrayal of the cyborg police officer. He probably speaks more in Rogue City than he does in the first two movies combined. His voice has barely aged and it's like he has been standing in front of the mirror for 30 years, practicing his robotic tone while still displaying small emotions and even some cheeky humor. Not to mention, the other characters throughout the game are surprisingly well acted and likable - or dislikable, depending on who we're talking to. Apart from the VA work, the sound effects all hit that sweetspot of being punchy, but not drum-bustingly loud or annoying. Although, that one song that plays on almost all of the radios drove me f*cking bananas. It's more than made up for though with the soundtrack though. It's as fitting as the original, with these depressing yet inspirational orchestral tracks that flawlessly encapsulate the feeling of quiet desperation and heroism that makes up the overall theme of the game. The new rendition of RoboCop's main theme is goosebump-inducing when it plays during the opening & closing battles of the game. The Sound Design elevates this game to a level of enjoyment that very few achieve in the modern age. Nice shootin', son.


I have the luxury of writing my review of Rogue City after Teyon released the New Game+ Update. I mentioned earlier that Rogue City features multiple ways of upgrading your Auto-9 Pistol, and even RoboCop himself through multiple skill branches. There's also plenty of alternate dialogue options to choose from, and a different path towards a new ending that can be taken. For me, I had such a blast with the combat that I wanted to do a second playthrough just to have all my upgrades and absolutely shred through enemies. Unfortunately that wasn't enough for me personally, as I mentioned earlier that the issues with combat traces disappearing entirely discouraged me. Overall, I think the first time 'round took me about 18 hours to complete the game - which is tremendously longer than I was expecting. That's a good thing! Dead or alive, I was going with RoboCop.


In closing, I believe RoboCop: Rogue City is the best presentation of RoboCop since 1987. This game was a surprise hit, and rightfully so. I almost owe Teyon a debt because the rave reviews for the game are what inspired me to watch the films, and even partake in the brutally awesome adventure that is Rogue City. I've said it once, I'll say it again - I'd buy that for a dollar. Thanks for reading. B*tches, leave!

A spoiler-free review with scores & thoughts from a lifelong gamer dude.


The Story: 41 / 100
The Combat: 19 / 100
The Visuals: 60 / 100
The Audio: 45 / 100
The Replay Value: 54 / 100



Before we get into it, I would like to say that it's not often I give a Negative Review, and if I could - I would put this in the 'Maybe' category. Now, the Story starts off fairly strong with a dream sequence and the Player awakening in a pretty unsettling warehouse. At first, I was reminded of 'Condemned: Criminal Origins' and was under the impression that I was part of some twisted game planned out by a serial killer that had kidnapped me. This setup unfortunately gets you curious, and hungry for answers. Well, you're not really going to get any. Even after the game is over. There's very little direction in terms of what to do or where to go, to a point where I had been to every location in the game but still couldn't find a specific item I needed to progress. It ended up being in an apartment building, behind a painting that didn't stand out among the other paintings, or even offer a prompt to let you know that there's a vital item behind it that you need to progress. I literally got lucky by spamming 'E' everywhere. Not to mention, there's a couple overly complicated puzzles you have to do afterwards, which is a trend throughout much of the game. I digress. A Story does get told, but Players are absolutely blue-balled when it comes to finding out what's happening to the town, what are the creatures, where did they come from, how did you get here, why is this happening in the first place, why, what, WHY!? It's more of a hot mess than your Mom after a few tequila sunrises at Sunday brunch. You can pet a Dog though, he's a good boy.


My God, I don't even know where to begin with this Category. The combat is probably some of the least intuitive, janky, and shockingly boring I have ever experienced in a game. It's just so bland and stiff, there's no feedback or real impact from your weapons. Enemies don't react to being shot or struck with a melee weapon. Firearms are ridiculously weak - 6 rounds from a .44 Magnum Revolver can't even kill the most basic enemy. There's also zero strategy, virtually every creature just runs at you full-force and attempts to smack you around while you're constantly walking backgrounds. There were a few instances where I literally fell through the map as well, losing all progress. You'd have more fun popping a laxative, then switching out your bathroom tissue for sandpaper. There's just no redeeming qualities here.


Remorse: The List runs on the Unreal Engine 4, something that is clear from the get-go with how shiny metallic surfaces are. It's not a terrible looking game per say, but the graphics do look strangely dated up close, even at the highest settings. I will say that the lighting has been handled fantastically and the atmosphere in the game seems to have received the most love from the developers here. Simply walking around this deserted Hungarian village was probably the most enjoyable aspect for me. However, that's only due to the rest of the game being akin to wading through a sewer filled with human sh*t trying to find your car keys. I'll give some props to the creature design as well, I found them pretty original and downright terrifying at first. I got this idea in my head that they were supernatural manifestations of the killer's victims, and how they were murdered reflected their appearance and method of attack. Turns out that's all irrelevant, which might be the most confusing missed opportunity I've seen in recent memory.


First off, I will say that the soundtrack is pretty good. I found most of the tracks to be haunting and fitting for the environment that the Player was in. But God d*mn, was it really necessary to have the music blaring for 100% of the game? It doesn't leave any space for suspense to build up and actually breaks the immersion at some points. I know I could turn it down, but I believe the Default settings of a game are the way the Developers intended for Players to experience it, so that's how I'm reviewing it. The Player, Weapon and Item sound effects can only be described with the word "meh". The creatures are a bit better, having this strange otherworldly tone to them with a curious radio-static emitting from their voices, but there's still nothing particularly impressive here. There's only one human that speaks through narrations, and it's sub-par voice acting at best. It's like something you would hear from an old Source Mod where either a friend, or the developer themselves did the VA. Like Forrest Gump once said, "and that's all I have to say about that".


I decided to make this the final category since, there is some replay value and I honestly couldn't think of any other areas worth speaking about. Like any half-decent Survival Horror game, there are multiples endings. Good, Bad, and Neutral. I got the Neutral Ending, since I can be a pretty vengeful person (I haven't forgotten that cliff hanger, Gabe Newell). As far as I'm aware, the only difference between the endings is what the Narrator says over some still images. There's no New Game+, no Randomizer Mode, and no Gameplay Modifiers. After you finish the game, you unlock "The Museum" which is a pretty interesting little glimpse behind the scenes and some endearing words from the developers, which actually made me feel.. remorse for my Negative Review. Ahh, I see what you did there! There's also a 'DLC' in the menu, which I haven't played yet, but I'll update my review if it's warranted. Beyond that, I couldn't come up with a reason to replay the game if you paid me to. Sorry, lads.


'Remorse: The List' offers a couple of genuine scares, but the true terror lies within it's laundry list of bugs, jank, and subpar writing. If there's a 50% Off sale, and you'd like to support an indie developer whom may or may not waste 4 hours of your time, then pick it up at your own discretion.

As a final note, I would like to say that I fully support indie developers, especially when it comes to Survival Horror titles. I'm not happy to write a negative review and although I have been playing Survival Horror titles for over 20 years, this is still just one persons opinion of a game. I strongly encourage Players to form their own opinions as well. Thanks for reading!

Amnesia: The Dark Descent is a game that I remember fondly.. for scaring the absolute p*ss out of me. After a couple of lackluster sequels, I'm happy to say that the Amnesia series has hit it's stride once again with The Bunker.

The Good:

+ Desolate & terrifying atmosphere.
+ Classic physics-driven gameplay.
+ Impressive sound design.
+ Players are finally given a way to defend themselves.
+ Unpredictable A.I. that follows your every move.
+ Semi-randomized gameplay elements.

The Bad:

- The Stalker goes from terrifying, to downright annoying after some time.
- The story is quite good, but the ending will disappoint many.
- Rat A.I. is often buggy. They can hit players from impossible distances, and get glitched into walls.

The Greasy:

≈ New Game+ is more of an Arcade Mode, there's no additional content to discover.
≈ Players will occasionally be instant-killed without warning, losing all progress.
≈ The Stalker automatically teleports to any section you enter, no matter how quiet you are.

Overall, Amnesia: The Bunker was a blast to play, despite the plot holes and various moments of being genuinely annoyed. This review format is very short compared to how I prefer to write them, this is just testing the waters. Cheers.

A spoiler-free review with scores & thoughts from a lifelong gamer dude.


The Story: 8.5 / 10
The Gameplay: 9 / 10
The Sound Design: 9 / 10
The Graphic Design: 8.5 / 10
The Replay Value: 9 / 10



With a title like "Nightmare of Decay", I went into the game expecting another half-a**ed attempt by some Eastern European studio to cash in on people's nostalgia trip. My dude, I'm happy to have been wrong.

The game starts in your apartment. You're a nameless, average bro just watching TV and reheating pizza before a shower. Cleverly, this little intro gives you an introduction to the inventory system and how to use key items. However, once you lay down for a good night's rest, that's the last thing you'll get. Instead of a dream about lottery winnings, you (once again) awaken to the world of Survival Horror.

The entire story takes place in what is perceived as a very bad dream. Resident Evil fans will quickly feel at home with the introduction to your first zombie, and if that doesn't do it, the mansion hall will. The campaign is filled with simple puzzles, key-fetching tasks, surprisingly good cutscenes, and lore that can be discovered through reading various journals. Luckily, the story stands on it's own and doesn't rely on what's already been told in the Silent Hill and Resident Evil series. It's fun to play through, and I was interested to find out what was behind every new door that I approached. With that being said, it's quite a short story. I took my time and still finished it in about 2 hours. The ending will leave you with a lot of unanswered questions, and I truly hope that we get to see more some day.


There are some people that will claim the gameplay and combat are the weakest parts of the game, I strongly disagree. I find the combat to be incredibly fun, satisfying, and detailed - despite the minimalistic appearance. The AI hold their ground, and put up a well balanced challenge. The zombies can sometimes wonder off and get confused, but I believe that's intentional. The blood and ragdoll effects are quite impressive, reminiscent of the Resident Evil 2 Remake. Every enemy can be decapitated and have their limbs severed, zombies can be blown in half with a shotgun, you get bloodstains on the environment with every shot, and landing a lucky headshot with the Pistol will make you say "f*ck yeah!" - it's awesome.

However, you move incredibly slow. You have a sprint, but it runs out in about 5 seconds. I understand the reasoning for this, since most enemies are quite slow. But it can be very frustrating during boss fights, as you essentially have to just keep taking damage and healing until you land enough Magnum rounds in their head. I think a good solution would be to add a quick block to the right mouse button. It shouldn't stop all of the incoming damage, but enough so that you don't feel totally helpless when your stamina is empty.

Away from the combat side, you'll be doing a lot of the classic 'find this key to open the door so you can get that key which opens another door to get the item you need for the puzzle, which will give you another key' type stuff. It's an old formula, but it works in games like this. It's also riddled with nods and references to Resident Evil & Silent Hill, which are just cool to see at my age. Besides that, you'll be doing a lot of exploring and some backtracking. Both of which come with risk and reward. I find the Normal mode to be a bit too easy, so I highly recommend playing on Hard. Just be careful in the cellar. If you played Resident Evil 4, you're going to hate what's waiting for you down there.


Whoever worked on the audio, has a great grasp on the importance of atmosphere. Sometimes, less is more, and it works very well for Nightmare of Decay. The music is few and far between, but what's there has an eerie, yet calm tone to it. It amps up the horror strings during boss fights, which perfectly fits the enemy's appearance. Other than that, it's mostly room tones mixed with the horrible noises coming from the creatures that await you. I can't begin to explain how well this works , it's genuinely terrifying and so much better than some screech reel orchestra trying to spook me.

The voice acting for the monsters is surprisingly good for an indie game, and often caught me off guard. Human characters don't technically speak, they spew out text and quick noises that remind me of The Sims. It actually has a strange sort of charm to it, and I rather like it. I find it opens the door for future story content or even a Workshop editor for players to make maps/stories of their own. Sadly, the developer let me know that there are no plans for a map editor.

Moving on, the sound effects for things like gore, weapons and physics, are also very well made. Since ammo is limited, it's nice to hear the firearms pack a real punch when they fire. They're also fun to reload, which you'll do a lot. Essentially, the game sounds better than it looks. Speaking of which, let's get into that!


Nightmare of Decay has a unique art style, and I love it. It's like a weird cross between current technology, and the days of Playstation 1 horror titles. You can customize the way it looks in the Options Menu through Resolution Reduction, and Color Reduction. Personally, I find setting both of these to 1.0 provides the best experience. If you really want that Resident Evil 1 feel, you can crank the Resolution Reduction up to 3. If you use 4, it'll look even worse than Resident Evil Survivor, so maybe not that high. If that's not your thing, you can turn both Reductions to 0, but that will alter the atmosphere quite dramatically.

With the minimalistic approach to the game's appearance, I wasn't expecting the great ragdoll physics, an awesome dismemberment system, unique blood effects, facial expressions, and a moody atmosphere that gave me some old-school scares. The developer(s) clearly had a target, and they hit the bullseye. There are so many subtle(ish) references to Resident Evil, down the clothes that some of the zombies wear. I even noticed some from Resident Evil 3 (1999), which made me smile. You might also spot a fellow that looks quite similar to James from Silent Hill 2.


The developer of this game is a true Resident Evil fan. Knowing that the story is short & sweet, we are given plenty of reasons to do more playthroughs. Different difficulties have different enemy layouts and numbers, the unlockable Randomizer Mode mixes up everything in the campaign, the extra Horde Mode & Procedurally Generated Dungeon Escape Mode are also unlockable, and hella' fun. It doesn't end there, beating those minigames unlocks even more things for use in the Story mode. For just $5, you easily get your money's worth, and more. I already mentioned it, but I would love to see a level editor and Workshop for this game, or perhaps a co-op mode. There's lots of potential, and what's already here is well worth your time.


Nightmare of Decay is the best horror game that you've (probably) never played, and earns it's place in becoming one of my favorite Survival Horror titles. Thanks for reading this lengthy review, now get the change out of your cupholder and use it to buy this awesome little game!

A spoiler-free review with scores & thoughts from a lifelong gamer dude.

BioShock. We all know it, most of us have played it, and each of us found a reason to love it. When BioShock first released way back in 2007 (holy f*ck I'm getting old..) it was a Godd*mn game changer. Few games before it managed to find a way to balance FPS Action, Horror & RPG Elements into an original, emotional journey that both rewards and punishes players based on their choices. Hell, BioShock was here before Fallout 3 even saw the light of day. What I'm trying to say is, the game was friggin' dope, dude. With that in mind; I decided the revisit the game and spew my thoughts onto a computer screen, so let's go!

I do this thing where I pick 5 specific categories for each game that I review, since not all games can be judged by the same metric. The categories for BioShock are: Story, Graphics, Sound Design, Gameplay, and Innovation. "Innovation, what the fluck is that?" Well my dude, this game did things that not many had at the time. So yeah, Innovation gets a category. Now, would you kindly continue reading?


The story of BioShock is so original that I can't even think of something to compare it to. It starts off with a pretty intense plane crash, so I hope you don't need a swimming tutorial. We swim to a lighthouse for safety, only to find that the building actually houses an 'elevator' that transports you to an underwater metropolis the size of New York City. Can't get any cooler right? Think again, b*tch. The luxurious and breathtaking city just so happens to have fallen into absolute chaos, and it's far worse than just some frustrated protesters. Without giving anything away, your survival requires you to begin the same bio-engineering process on your body that drove the citizens of Rapture to madness and mutation in the first place. This world is absolutely littered with environmental story-telling, and a brilliant plot that takes you further into the depths of Rapture, and the insanity within. BioShock is renowned for it's incredible twist towards the ending of the game, one you will have to experience for yourself. Be careful though, player. You will be faced with choices throughout the game that determine your morality. Will you be a beacon of light in the ruins of Rapture, or succumb to the darkness within the depths?


Now, this is a hard category to judge. When BioShock first released, the graphics were fantastic for the technology at the time. Unfortunately, the appearance hasn't aged especially well. Even with the Remastered version, you're still going to see a lot of muddy textures and honestly, just sheer laziness in some aspects. I know, I'm talking sh*t about what I consider one of the least important categories, but I expected a bit more from the Remaster. Better lighting, improved shadows, high resolution textures, simple reflections (especially considering everything is wet), and some touch ups here and there are pretty basic requirements for a Remastered game. Maybe it's just me, but it felt a bit lackluster. That's not to say it isn't still a handsome game. There's still some incredible sights to behold, and really disturbing & gruesome discoveries to be made!


Boy, this is a double edged sword. On one hand, you've got terrific voice acting combined with an eerie and intense atmosphere that makes you forget you're actually just sitting in front of a screen. On the other hand though, you also have to deal with certain sounds that are strangely quiet, or only play in one speaker. I fiddled around with the settings for 2 days and no matter what I did, the firearms all sounded weak and suppressed. They really hugged my left speaker as well. It's made up for with a superb soundtrack, even if the volume knob is cranked way too high on occasion. Much of the music is reminiscent of horror films both old and new, and pairs perfectly with the sadistic and twisted nature of Rapture's inhabitants.


Oh yes, the meat & potatoes of BioShock. It's actually pretty standard when compared to modern FPS games now, but in 2007, this was some next-level sh*t and people couldn't get enough of it. You've got your firearms yeah, and a wrench to smack people with, neato, but then there's the Plasmids. Sweet, sweet Plasmids. Is your .45 revolver not doing the trick? F*ck it, shoot some lightning out of your palm and fry your enemies to a nice medium-well. Garnish with a side of wasps that grow out of your fingertips. Out of context, I sound like I'm on some great drugs, but these powers meshed into an FPS game was unheard of, and totally freaking awesome. It goes without saying, the combat is quite fun (shoutout to ragdoll physics). When you're not fighting, you'll find yourself exploring, discovering game lore via audio tapes, solving puzzles, shopping from vending machines, hacking everything, at least until you lose your patience and start using Autohack tools, and completing side missions. There's a lot to do, and my character limit prevents me from going into more detail.


I hate doing the "broken record" thing, but BioShock was and actually still is one of the most creative and innovative games to ever grace our systems. Everything about the game felt new, fresh, and inspired. They made Action, Adventure, Horror, & RPG blend into an FPS and reinvented the way shooter games are played by introducing Plasmids. I don't know who, or how they came up with everything in this game, but we as gamers owe them thanks for setting a new bar in video game story-telling. My God, that twist ending still gets me.


BioShock remains as a testament to the evolution of First-Person Shooter games, and it was great to replay it 15 years after it's original release. Although the Remaster is not without it's flaws, it's well worth your time for a full playthrough. Now, would you kindly give this review a thumbs up? Don't make me call Mr. Bubbles.

A spoiler-free review with scores & thoughts from a lifelong gamer.

The Black Mesa Incident. Those four words are either understood entirely, or they're completely unfamiliar. There is no middle ground. Gamer's do not simply forget where the legendary Half-Life franchise began. As someone who played the original game on the PlayStation 2, this was a bittersweet trip down memory lane that made me feel like a senior citizen who is driving the newest model of their first car from 50 years prior. It's the same car, you get the same rush and comfort that you did in your 20's, but it's become so much more. More powerful, more attractive, headlights bright enough to shine through a man's soul and a touch-screen display capable of things you've only imagined. That's Black Mesa. The same ride, but it's cranked up to 11.

I do this thing where I pick 5 specific categories for each game that I review, since not all games can be judged by the same metric. The categories for Black Mesa are: Campaign, Graphics, Sound Design, Gameplay, and Xen. Yes, Xen actually gets it's own review category. We'll talk about why shortly. Come along, Free Man.


This is the most important category, because the entire objective of Black Mesa is to recreate the incident in it's entirety. And oh. My. Sh*t. Did they ever. Black Mesa does an outstanding job at retaining all of it's source material, while expanding tremendously on each and every aspect. This game is such a rollercoaster of different atmospheres that I would need a much longer review page to cover them all. The game starts off gently, then quickly turns hectic with a heavy focus on survival horror. As you play and grow accustomed to your situation, Black Mesa changes it up time and time again. Eventually you'll slowly shift towards pure action and some major a** kicking. Then you've got stealth sections, mysterious experiment labs, an all-out war between man and alien, then.. you'll find yourself quite literally between dimensions. It's wild. The way the development team carefully expanded familiar areas, and created new ones that mesh together so wonderfully is a f*cking delight to play through. It's about a 15 hour campaign, and you won't be disappointed.


You read that right, I just gave a Source-engine game from 2013 a 9.25 / 10 for graphics. It's not just about the comparison between this remake, and the original from 1998. The changes are quite obvious there. No, this is about the atmosphere that was created within Black Mesa. I can't even begin to tell you about the absolute beauty of Xen, it genuinely made my jaw drop. Now the game has obviously been completely remade from the ground up. Pretty much every model and texture is original to this game, but the way the team managed to invoke so many emotions through environmental story telling is fantastic. There's so many moments of overwhelmingly creepy areas that are filled with dread, to beautifully scenic views that give you brief moments of relief. Not to mention that the Black Mesa Research Complex truly looks like what you would hope a secret government facility would look like. The shadows and new lighting add more than I can express. However, this is still a Source game. Even if you have a high-end PC, you'll still have framerate drops. Especially during the above ground combat. If it weren't for that, this darn well may have been a 10 / 10.

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2603180372


I really love what they did with sound design. Sounds are so, so important to the atmosphere of anything that intends to immerse you. The sounds of explosions, alarms going off, distant gunfire and unrecognizable roars all piled into a collapsing facility would be enough to invoke PTSD, in a good way. The voice acting & music in particular is where Black Mesa excels. The actors that they got for the guards and scientists sound so close to their original counter-parts that I actually thought it was the original actors. That's awesome. The music will blow you away too. It's incredibly well-made and stays true to the familiar tunes of the entire Half-Life series. There are a couple issues though. For one, the music plays very rarely and occasionally misses the mark when it should be featured there are two major boss fights near the end of the game that simply have no music. A shame, because it would have made the fights much more intense. You'll also hear some familiar physics sounds from Half-Life 2, and oddly enough - marine screams from Doom 3. I remember sounds well.


The meat and potatoes of any game, playing the d*mn thing! Black Mesa's gameplay is about as Source as it's gets, and that's not bad at all. Source games are known for diverse gameplay in puzzles, combat, and physics. Black Mesa has no shortage of any of those, and an abundance of vent-crawling. The weapons actually pack a punch, the puzzles are plentiful and actually make you question the solution, and the physics are as goofy as always. Truth be told, there's not much I can say here that most players aren't already familiar with. I will mention one aspect that I appreciated, they kept the military dangerous as f*ck. These guys have some of the most accurate shots I've seen in a game, and they utilize very quick movements to make themselves harder to hit. It was both frustrating, and refreshing to have actual challenges in NPC combat.


I know how strange it must seem to find a review category based entirely on a few levels within the game, but Xen is much more than that. Do you remember the original Xen in Half-Life? Didn't take too long to beat, pretty empty and nothing too crazy. Well, the team behind Black Mesa said "f*ck that" and created something I never expected. Xen took them forever to finish, which I was a bit critical about since I was waiting for the full release before I played and reviewed the game. I'm happy to say it was worth the wait. Xen is without question, the most diverse and gorgeous alien world that I have ever played through in a video game. It's amazing. So many parts of the world are bioluminescent, which gives everything this otherworldly bluish glow. Xen has it's own version of alien swamps, forests, caves, and even deserts. Not to mention the dangerous new lifeforms that reside there, and the horrifying zombified H.E.V. Scientists, wearing malfunctioning suits that are still trying to revive the user. Xen is a masterpiece in it's own right, and you get there just after you think you've seen everything that Black Mesa has to offer.

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2615015070


There you have it, Black Mesa is an outstanding achievement in fan-made games, and the definitive way to experience where Half-Life began. To think that this entire game is fan-made, it's a hard thing to comprehend after playing through it. In my opinion, this game is worth every penny in that asking price. Hell, it's probably worth more.

From a lifelong Half-Life fan, thank you Crowbar Collective. So.. about Half-Life 2..