Recent reviews by dudeman

McDonald's playpen simulator, expect it's all hamster tubes and there's no way back to mommy.

I've only ever seen the first Alien movie, and that was prior to playing this game. If you want to get the most out of Alien: Isolation, I definitely recommend watching Ridley Scott's 1979 movie 'Alien'.

This is important because Creative Assembley has probably created the most accurate, most visually stunning representation of Ridley Scott's Alien movie in videogame form since the movie itself came out.

Pros:
- The claustraphobic feeling from the original Alien film is captured perfectly in this game and is utilized to its fullest extent
- The xenomorph in its classic form, and most frightening. I have quite a few things to say about the Alien, but i'll keep it short--this is the most terrifying ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ thing i've encountered in a horror game to date. CA managed to pull off an amazing AI script for the Alien, making its decisions and movements randomized when on the move, or pin-point accurate in its encounters with you; thus, creating a believably living Alien haunting you throughout the halls of the Sevastapol.
- As I've said, the graphics and attention to detail are superb.
- The game is tense as ♥♥♥♥, but it's more of a stealth suspense game than horror, though the Alien is horrifying nonetheless.
-Not a constant Alien grindfest. You will encounter other enemies throughout the game, which will almost seem strangely refreshing seeing as encounters with the Alien can become very tedious and suspenseful.

Cons:
-Voice acting sounds a bit strange/unnatural in some situations
-Lipsync animations for the voice acting are actually god awful. Sometimes an NPC will be talking and their lips will be mouthing the Bohemian Rhapsody when really they're telling you to go find medical supplies.
- Alien can become somewhat tedious later on in the game.

Overall this is one of the best horror/thriller games I've had the pleasure of playing in a long, long time. 9/10 buy it now

Having only ever played the tedious intro to Baulder's Gate, I wasn't quite what I was expecting when I bought this game. To my pleasant surprise, this game turned out to be a whole lot bigger and badder than I originally thought.

Pros:
- Attention to detail in both environment and story/dialogue is really quite astounding. I never thought I could get so immersed in an isometric game until now
- The soundtrack is really something to behold. The devs made sure to add music to fit EVERY setting. Many times when I found myself walking around, the soundtrack would constantly transist to the environment in such an awesome way. The OST for this game is very, very good.
- Turn based combat is something i'm still new at, but I found it fairly easy to handle as I progressed. There are no difficulty sliders to my knowledge, so the usefulness of your stats/skills/dps will all depend on your team's level versus the enemie's level. Overall combat is balanced pretty well, and can be just challenging enough to keep you on your toes.

Cons:
- Either I'm just tired or i honestly can't think of any

I've been having a blast with this game so far, it has turned out to be quite the adventure game. Many places to explore, people to meet and recruit, quests to indulge in, and a very well progressed story.

This game is a 10/10 for me and I definitely recommend it to any open-world adventure fanatic

First off, I have to say that I was not expecting to play this game all in one sitting. The story may be short, but what I mean by this is that this game captured my attention throughout the entire ride. I will provide an in-depth review of each aspect from a critical point of view, and a tl;dr of each aspect at the end with personal opinions.

STORY (no spoilers): After I fired up this game, through the first 10 minutes of playing I expected a low(ish) budget military shooter with a simple and forgettable storyline... boy was I wrong. Spec Ops: The Line doesn't do a fairly good job at capturing the players attention right away -- no, it's real strength is progressing the player through an increasingly maturing storyline focused on 3 soldiers who end up in the wrong place, at the wrong time. Surprisingly, I found the characters to be highly relatable and believable (personality-wise, not the fact that they can take 20 bullets without a hitch). You feel connected to them the entire way through, seeing as you will never play through the campaign without them (besides some small exceptions). There were many, many moments throughout the story that really made me think, or put me in awe; one part in-particular was so heavy, I literally had to pause the game and walk around for a minute to regain my composure. Spec Ops: The Line provides a seriously twisted, mature story that suggests consideration for every action you take (there are some sick choices that must be made, and even when the game forces you into some situations you may hesitate before doing so). Overall, the story is the strongest aspect of this game and is completely worth $30, though to some of you more critical gamers i'd suggest you pick it up on sale. And when I say the story is mature, I really mean mature. If you're a younger gamer then I really stress the fact that you will be faced with some scenes that are very hard to take in.

GUNPLAY/FIGHTING: Not much to say here. If you're playing with keyboard/mouse it will feel plastic-y, but you will hit targets much easier and end the fightings scenes much quicker (which can be a good thing since you'll mostly find yourself sticking around for the story); with a gamepad and vibration it will feel a bit more authentic, and obviously you'll want to have auto-aim on since the enemies are a bit hard to hit, even with K/M. There isn't much depth to the gunplay. There is a reasonable amount of different weapons to change things up a bit as the game progresses, but it lacks any unique or interesting mechanics. The one thing supporting the gunplay, doing so very well I might add, is the cover system and locations - the perspective is 3rd person the whole game and somewhat resembles a cross between the Gears of War gunplay and the Splinter Cell: Conviction cover system. Though the gunplay may feel repetetive after a while, you'll still be engaged with the environments -- which leads to my next point.

GRAPHICS/ENVIRONMENTS: Graphics are okay, no anti-ailiasing so you'll have to put up with jaggies. While it isn't the best looking game, boy-oh-boy does it have an interesting style. The amount of detail and variety that is put into the environment, the amount of color and contrast is quite amazing -- really, the lead visual designer for this game needs a raise. If you're expecting "next-gen" from this game, you'll be disappointed. BUT, you will without a doubt get lost in the stunning detail and visuals of weather-torn Dubai.

OVERALL/ TL;DR: If you're thinking about getting this game for the story, you will be in for a real, grotesque, gritty, shocking, heart-wrenching, plot-twisting treat. I should mention, I did NOT see that plot-twist coming. If you say you did you're lying and I'll throw sand in your face. Seriously I can't stress that enough, the story was easily this game's strongest factor and it is well worth full price imo (coming from someone who is very picky about good sorytelling, trust me on this). Gunplay will leave you wishing for more depth, but overall it keeps you well enough entertained in-between the major story-based bits and supporting cutscenes. Graphics aren't spectacular, but the visuals are really quite astounding and the detail of weather-torn Dubai is quite a sight to behold. Also, excellent color contrast, very pretty game.

Critical Rating: 7.5/10
Personal Rating: 9/10

Other thoughts: This is the first really in-depth review i've ever done on a game. I really think it was worth it, since I wasn't expecting much but came out of it smiling like an idiot. Although it is worth full price in my eyes, if you're questioning the game at all wait for a sale to buy it, but I can tell you if you can sit through the first mission, it only picks up from there... and I mean REALLY picks up throughout the whole thing and doesn't stop.

This game really is the first true zombie survival simulator.

The level of detail and the amount of content you will find in this game will make you question how this must be in early access. The developer of this game is extremely dedicated to improving this game in every way, so I'm very excited to see how the final product will turn out.

What you can expect from Project Zomboid is a realistic take on the zombie apocolypse. You don't have super human health, or immunity, or unlimited ammunitions. You'll need to watch your back at every turn, keep yourself from starving, find water after all the water supply runs out, fortify a house with planks and grow food -- the possibilities of how you choose to approach any situation are seemingly endless.

I strongly recommend this game to any zombie genre fanatics who would like a realistic take on surviving the zombie outbreak.

Better than it's predecessors, which I didn't care too much for. It's actually a decent game tho, so if you want a mindless shooter to waste time on i'd recommend this game any day of the week.

My favorite hat simulator
10/10

This game is nothing short of a psychologically terrifying masterpeice. Though this game may not be for everyone, as some content may be too grotesque to some players, it is a gem that deserves a horror fanatic's full attention.

You play as Simon, a depressed late-teen's young man who is in a constant battle with his mind. Throughout the playthrough, Simon's personal psychological dilema is slowly revealed by the enemies you encounter, events that occur, and places you explore. It is essentially a journey through the mind of a schizophrenic, and Simon's battle with depression, suicide, and his past.

Calling the story great would be an understatement. The way that the developers slowly revealed Simon's twisted past is genius, and the ending will leave you on the edge of your seat, fully attentive, saying WTF to yourself in your mind over and over again.

For a GoldSrc mod, it's obvious to see that the developers put hard work into the textures, object models, and animations. The enemy animations are nothing short of terrifying! Never before in a game had i experienced turning a dark corner in an abandoned mental ward, switching on my flashlight, and seeing a deranged bloody fetus run at me full speed with the scream of a banshee, and then self-explode it's own head on impact after launching itself at me.

My love for horror games has lead me here, and I can honestly say that, even coming from a mod, this is one of the greatest survival-horror experiences I've ever had the honor to play.

So turn off the lights, get comfy, and delve into the twisted, depressed mind of Simon.

Pros:
-Riveting and indulging story
-Impressive level design
-Atmosphere is some of the best i've ever seen, even surpassing most AAA horror titles
-Truly dreadful, you'll be on the edge of your chair the whole way through
-Enemy design is absolutely terrifying
-Combat/Inventory system is very intuitive

Cons:
-This game is probably a turn off for many people, as it does contain incredibly disturbing enemies/inuendos that would not pass on the shelves of any game store (talking about dead mothers floating around with nooses on their necks as their miscarried fetus explodes out of their stomach in order to poke at you with a needle, for just one example)
-Voice acting is a bit cheesy
-Game is kind of short

~ 9/10

This game is shrouded with mystery. Every second feels like a lucid dream. The art style, atmosphere, ATMOSPHERE, and story, are all incredibly unique and enchanting. I really have no real words to describe the authenticity and charm this game resonates. Gameplay is solid, dialogue is great, every character you meet is engulfed in mystery.

NOTE: The only problem i have with this game, is the developers seem to have forgotten their own game exists. I almost gave it a thumbs down because it's been several months and the third act has yet to be seen, after they promised a new act every month or so.

But alas, the game in its current state is really, really good, and still worth the experience in my opinion. I just REALLY hope they don't abandon this game, it's too good and i need to know what the ♥♥♥♥ is going on in the story.

Literally the only game besides Rogue Legacy that had me cursing at my monitor at the top of my lungs whilst slamming the enter key to quit the game.

Super Meat Boy is stupid hard. Sometimes this is good, sometimes this is bad. Either way, it's always partially satisfying to beat a level or a boss round, but just lacking enough satisfaction to keep you playing.

It's this sick, twisted mechanic that has you playing, then quitting, then playing the next day, then rage quitting once more. You are doomed to repeat this cycle until you've finished the game.

9.5/10