Recent reviews by gameshogun

A very fun game. I'm originally playing this on mobile for a few years now. I highly recommend this turn-based strategy game for anyone who wants to have a relaxed, play-at-your-own-pace, type of game (depends on the game mode of course).

My only feedback is we should have one account regardless of device, instead of multiple accounts per device. This way, we can have one “presence” for ranking and stats. Purchases are fine if they are separate, no issue there, and it provides support for the developers.

Other than that, definitely a game that you should have installed in every platform that you have.

The Infinite Black 2 is the successor to the awesome gmoame The Infinite Black. It is a simple yet engaging space online game playable in multiple platforms.

While I have low time played here on Steam, it is because I am playing this using the native client for Linux (the Steam version is currently Windows only, or via Steam Proton) as well as through Android.

I've nominated the game in almost all categories for the Steam 2023 awards. Why? Because TIB2 deserves it all. Seriously. Play it and you'll know why.

I love Bomberman since the Nintendo Family Computer era. For me to discover Super Bomberman R Online just now makes me sad that the service will end on 2022-12-01. It is a fun game and unique, battle it out with 64 characters with different rooms was an amazing twist to this classic game franchise.

I'm not sure why they decided to end the service but I wish they marketed the game more and partnered with bloggers and vloggers. I for one would have written a review of the game in my own blog. The game is not perfect, there is room for improvement but as Bomberman goes it's fun and does best what Bomberman does … competition with other players … bomb everyone away.

I hope to see another Bomberman online via Steam in the future! Do reach out to me!

Guild Wars 2 is the sequel to the award winning online game "Guild Wars". It continues the game mechanic of eliminating the so-called "holy trinity" in MMOGs. A lot has changed since it launched 10 years ago (as of this review) and here I am, and so many other gamers, still playing this game even though there are newer games out there.

If you are doubting playing and dedicating a portion of your time to Guild Wars 2, take it from us veteran players. We are still actively playing Guild Wars 2 ten years now! Simple yet great graphics. Easy to learn game mechanics. Equal opportunity for all types of gamers, yes, even those who smash their keyboard and let chance dictates your character's success.

The community is generally friendly. Everyone will help. Ask a question, you will get an answer. Want to just hang-out and chat? No problem! Want to crack jokes, everyone will pitch in too. There are also plenty of events in the game. From localized event to world events, Guild Wars 2 has it. If you love crafting, Guild Wars 2 is every crafters' dream.

And those are just the tip of iceberg. You have to play it to know what Guild Wars 2 has to offer.

---

Almost one year later after the GW2: EoD launch, here I am still playing. ^_^

---

Oh, and one more thing: Is GW2 pay-to-win? Absolutely no.

Majority of items sold in the Gem Store are vanity items. It was the reason why the game is also dubbed, "Fashion Wars". While there are some items with bonuses, these are for mining, and the bonuses are negligible. In addition, many of the items in the Gem Store can also be acquired through other means, and all of it are in rotation. Let us not forget, one can farm in-game gold and convert it to gems and buy in items in the Gem Store.

I am a casual player. I don't have the best gears. Yet, I can play fine with players who do, and who spent thousands of hours in the game., be it PvE or PvP or WvW.

---

Update as of 2023-05-10 21:14 ACT (ASEAN Common Time).

With the updates since my last update of this review, the game just keeps getting better and better. No matter what, this is my go to MMORPG for relaxing and escaping the real world.

You definitely should check this game out, or come back if you've been on hiatus for years.

Update 2023-11-22: I nominated this for Best Labor of Love because the team kept the game alive and giving constant updates and improvements for years; a rare thing in open-source games industry.

So, nominate them too! They deserve it!

-------

OpenTTD is the open-source remake of the original Transport Tycoon Deluxe. If you miss the original TTD and wants to go back to your roots, OpenTTD is the best available today. It can be played in Windows and Linux as standalone or via Steam (Windows native and Linux native).

Because of its open-source nature, the developers also added features which were not available in the original TTD. One such example is the option to download plugins created by other fans right inside OpenTTD. It doesn't end there, if you want to use a different graphics set or a different music compilation, these are also available in the game's built-in database.

Highly recommended if you are fan of Transport Tycoon and Sim building.

A true sandbox MMORPG with RTS elements. Simple graphics and design but very pleasing to the eyes. Best of all it runs natively in Linux!

.

I first played the Saga of Ryzom, or Ryzom, before it was released as a Free/Libre Open-Source Software ("FLOSS"), having come back now, the game has grown and matured a lot. Ryzom is a cross-platform sandbox MMORPG highly recommended for sandbox-newbies and veterans alike.

Ryzom is a skills-based, level-less, open-world, sandbox online game where every action and decision of players affects the everyone in the world. At the same time, gamers with skills in art and development can help in the development of the game and the expansion of the Ryzom universe.

The game is very light on the system even at full settings. It can use Direct3D or OpenGL on the graphics side, and OpenAL, FMod, XAudio2, and DirectSound on the audio side. Personally, I've set my settings to OpenGL and FMod as these are the best options available. The in-game graphics and sounds are smooth, at maximum settings, running on a non-gaming laptop.

If you've played level-based and linear MMORPGs and you want to give sandbox games a try, Ryzom is the number one MMORPG I recommend for newbies. Very easy to learn, no frustrations, no feeling of being "left behind" or the need to spend hours just to craft your first house or boat.

I'm glad I returned to Ryzom. A sandbox online game still worth playing as we enter the '20s decade.

If you have played online strategy, castle/kingdom games in Android and/or your browser, Operation: New Earth is similar in gameplay. Players have their own base they need to build, upgrade, and conduct researches, build better defenses and an army, then attack other players. Joining an existing alliance is recommended if you joined in a server/cluster/map late in the game.

The graphic designs are good and pleasing, not only it is pleasing but fits well with the theme of the game. The background music need some improvement, I would suggest opening up a competition for players to submit their own BGM and let the community pick which ones to incorporate into the game.

The zoom option is what's bothering me. Zooming out is very limited, everything is so big. I prefer things to be smaller and to be able to zoom out when I need to. Since I'm playing on the desktop, zooming is critical since we have bigger screens. If I am playing this in a mobile phone or tablet (assuming this is available in mobile stores) then the limited zoom capability is fine.

Lastly, the game requires additional information or help files. For example, there are items that can only be used when the player is in a certain view option like the Relocation Item--if I remember the name correctly--it can only be used when viewing another "server"/"map" or as it is called in the game "region". This was confusing at first because the item tooltip simply noted "can not be use in this area" (or something like that). The use of the word "region" also added to the confusion, I initially thought it was referring to "moving to another region of the current map/server". Searching online did not net any useful information either about this particular item.

With that said, the tutorial should be expanded to explain the different view modes--base, map, server (again, as it is called in the game "region"). Additional information should also be added into the tutorial about the objective of the game, the "Defender of New Earth" (if I remember it correctly). Since I came from other similar games from Android, I'm familiar with that concept at least, though players new to this type of online strategy games wouldn't.

Overall, Operation: New Earth is a very good game. It is actively being developed and improved, which is a big plus for me, and the team are active in the community. 8 out of 10 ⭐ from me.

"The Battle for Wesnoth" or simply "Wesnoth" is one of the most popular and highly successful game in the "Free/Libre Open-Source Software" space. It is a turn-based strategy game with support for online multiplayer and official campaign stories.

What separated Wesnoth from other strategy games (proprietary or FLOSS) is the amount of customisation available in the game. Content creators can submit their own campaigns, scenarios, maps, art, music, and yes even factions, eras, custom units, and AI (artificial intelligence) behaviour. The Battle for Wesnoth project fully support User-Generated Content ("UGC"), or UMC ("User-Made Content") as they call it, through forums, a wiki, and a central repository where players can easily search and download UGC right inside the game--there is no need to scourge the web, download, and extract in a folder.

The game interface is simple and easy to learn. For new players, especially those who have not played any turn-based strategy game before, there is a tutorial available which will go through the basic aspects of Wesnoth and turn-based strategy to get a new player ready to join in the fun.

With a large playerbase and supporters Wesnoth is not going anywhere. This is the crown of the FLOSS gaming industry, the first release was on October 2, 2005 and it is only maturing and getting stronger every year. People say open-source games are low quality and dies out, they have not played The Battle of Wesnoth.

…

For a GenX / 80s like me, AdventureQuest has been a part of our gaming lives. The funny take of the game on role-playing games or RPG was what set it apart from the other games which flooded the market in the 90s. That exact same concept was brought into AdventureQuest 3D.

As the name suggests, no longer is AdventureQuest a 2D game like the original, it is now 3D and an MMORPG (Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game). Players get to pick one of the three basic classes and through in-game quests they can unlock Tier 2 classes.

The game is still under heavy development and yet there are already endless quests available with good stories. There is however room for improvements and it is good that they are allowing players to play this early. For example, the Bank quest lines are very repetitive and a typical grind. There are two quest lines related to unlocking the use of the Bank/Vault which highly need an overhaul to remove the grinding and repetitiveness surrounding it.

As for the scene dialogues, most are great but there were a few which needs to be worked on to make it interesting. Some of these scene dialogues are better left part of the quest description for example as it doesn't add much excitement in its current form. Again, most are great and fun to read/watch.

Is the game for the original gamers only? Will the newer generation of gamers enjoy AdventureQuest 3D? No, it is for everyone. Yes, the new generation of gamers will definitely enjoy AQ3D. With its light and cartoony style of graphics and art, it gives that feeling of a game designed to unload or destress gamers after a long day at work or from school. Easy on the eyes, good background music, and simple gameplay, AventureQuest 3D is perfect for everyone, I'll go as far as say even for pre-teenager kids.

The best thing about AQ3D? It can be played in desktop and mobile phone. Instead of eating lunch (it's healthier to skip it) play AdventureQuest 3D. Just don't forget to watch the time as you can easily get lost in your AdventureQuest.

.