Recent reviews by ZeNinja864

Portal with RTX is a mixed bag. It’s a nice tech demo that shows off the capabilities of a fully ray-traced game, but the actual gameplay experience is hindered by instability and rendering issues. The game is riddled with bugs, visual artifacts, and persistent rendering issues that makes the game’s performance a hit or miss, even on capable hardware. One major benefit that I discovered, however, was that you have full access to the developer ray-tracing settings. This allows you to fine-tune and experiment with different combinations to your heart’s content, and even potentially fix some of the rendering inconsistencies that stem from the defaults.

For visuals, while high-traffic surfaces like concrete, portable panels, and glass receive a stunning facelift thanks to the new lighting, reflections, and overall higher-quality textures, other areas suffer from what feels like a forced “modernization.” Nearly all metal surfaces now have an aggressively glossy shine that detracts from the original game’s intended atmosphere, where these textures were meant to be dull and blend into the background.

If you’re just looking to play Portal for the story or the classic experience, you’re better off buying the original and playing that instead, especially since this version of the game won’t even run without a ray-tracing capable GPU.

A flawed but persistent attempt at a multiplayer, post nuclear wasteland.

Despite its rocky launch, Fallout 76 has carved out a space for itself as a unique, multiplayer Fallout experience. Finally, fans of the franchise can explore the post-apocalyptic wasteland with friends, something that was long overdue after the release of Elder Scrolls Online back in 2014, prior to even Fallout 4's launch.

The game world is vast and engaging, with a surprising amount to do, and Bethesda continues to add new content through seasonal updates and beta testing on the Public Test Server, which keeps the game fresh. In my experience, the servers are consistently populated with a large number of players, creating a lively and dynamic world. Moreover, the community is remarkably helpful and supportive, with players frequently assisting each other in completing quests, tackling events, and overcoming challenges. This cooperative spirit significantly enhances the overall experience.

However, it's impossible to ignore the game's persistent issues. It often feels like Bethesda shoehorned the Fallout 4 Creation Engine into a multiplayer setting, rather than building something from the ground up, especially when considering how HeroEngine is already in use for Elder Scrolls Online. The game also has a lack of basic communication outside of emotes and voice chat. Compared to other multiplayer games like Grand Theft Auto V, which offer more robust communication tools even within instanced lobbies, this feels archaic and just something that shouldn't have been left out.

Monetization is also present in the game, and while it's possible to circumvent the paywalls and unlock content through game play, the Atomic Shop is constantly shoved in your face, tempting you with instant gratification at the cost of $20 USD worth of Atoms.

Ultimately, Fallout 76 is a flawed but enjoyable experience. If you can look past the bugs, limited communication, and monetization, there's a lot of fun to be had exploring this multiplayer wasteland. The lively servers and helpful community make the journey all the more worthwhile, and bringing a friend or two along can significantly enhance the experience. Coordinating C.A.M.P. builds, tackling quests together, and simply sharing the bizarre moments that Fallout 76 often provides can make the game far more enjoyable.

Just be prepared to temper your expectations, understand the game's limitations, and maybe wait for a sale. You likely won't regret diving in, especially with some friends by your side, but you should always do your own research!

Fallout 1st is a mixed bag, but worth considering for dedicated players. After buying into the subscription for a single month, the appeal became clear, but so did some of its shortcomings.

The Private Worlds are a standout feature, providing a welcome escape for solo exploration, resource gathering without competition, or focused playtime with a small group of friends. The Survival Tent is incredibly convenient with being able to set up a mobile base with a stash box and crafting stations anywhere on the map is a huge time-saver, especially for events. The Scrapbox and Ammo Storage Box these really are game-changers for inventory management, allowing you to hoard their respective resources, storing a near unlimited amount in each without constantly worrying about weight limits. Plus, the monthly allotment of 1650 Atoms is a significant bonus for cosmetics or other in-game items.

However, it's hard to ignore the feeling that some of these features, particularly the Scrapbox and Ammo Storage Box, should be accessible to all players in some capacity, even if it's a limited version (knowing how Bethesda is with monetization). Depending on your play style, you may also feel that the game almost pushes you towards subscribing to Fallout 1st, creating a sense of it being a near "mandatory" subscription. It also feels somewhat counter-intuitive to have a subscription system layered on top of an already heavily monetized game. Some items in the Atomic Shop not only require a specific number of Atoms (the premium in-game currency) but also require you to be a Fallout 1st subscriber, forcing you to pay for both the subscription and any additional Atoms you might need, in separate transactions; This layering of costs can feel excessive. Also, it's still Fallout 76, so occasional bugs and server instability are ongoing concerns. Paying a subscription on top of the base game, only to encounter frustrating technical issues, can be a real letdown.

Overall, if you're a regular Fallout 76 player who spends a significant amount of time crafting, building, and exploring, Fallout 1st offers tangible benefits that can enhance your experience. However, be aware of its limitations, the feeling of being 'required' to subscribe for certain quality-of-life improvements, the layering of monetization, and the game's occasional technical issues. It's a worthwhile investment for some, but not a universally essential one. If you feel you need Fallout 1st, I’d suggest the monthly plan as you can subscribe when you’re playing and cancel when you’re not, so you’re not wasting money.

Fallout: New Vegas is an unforgettable RPG that you'll find yourself easily becoming attached to. The Mojave Wasteland is vast and full of meaningful choices, compelling characters, and a narrative where you shape the outcome. The freedom to explore and define your own story through individual choices that you make while on your journey can send you down a wide variety of paths.

You can tell that Obsidian poured their love for the Fallout universe into New Vegas by thoughtfully tying in lore, characters, and references from the original games (Fallout & Fallout 2) to create a richer, more cohesive experience. Plus, for longtime fans of the franchise, the game beautifully incorporates the original ambient score from the classic Interplay Fallout games that you'll come to recognize while playing the game, adding a layer of nostalgia and enhancing the immersive atmosphere.

For the ultimate Fallout experience, I recommend playing with the Fallout TTW (Tale of Two Wastelands) mod as it merges Fallout 3 and New Vegas into one colossal "game". You can explore both wastelands seamlessly, with New Vegas' superior mechanics. You can also pick at the start of each play through if you would like to start in the Capital Wasteland of Mojave Desert with the other choice being accessible soon after you do several quests and make your way through wasteland of your choice. The sheer scope is incredible, offering countless hours of gameplay enriched by that iconic classic soundtrack.

More or less a way for the developer to exploit the community market by flooding it with a bunch of low-value items. The game itself is just clicking a banana to make the number above it go up, with a slim chance of getting a drop every few hours. It's clear that very little effort went into making this, and the focus seems to be more on profiting from market transactions than creating a game worth sinking time into.

Yes.

Very good expansion to the Destiny franchise. Bungie really got their act together after the disastrous Lightfall expansion that launched between this expansion and the other great expansion of Witch Queen.

Guardian the Witness is here and we need to stop him! But first, we're going to delay that fight for a bit and instead we're going to take a trip to Neptune to find the the Veil and this other unheard of mysterious object by the name of the Radial Mast. What? No I won't tell you what the Radial Mast is, even I myself haven't got the slightest ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ clue as to what it is. More unanswered questions? No! We mustn't delay any further, we must get to Neptune, the Witness can wait at the Travel till we get back.

Also we brought back the challenge back to Destiny 2 by breaking down the trust our community had in our studio.

Resident Evil 5 is an exceptional game that is definitely worth playing for fans of the Resident Evil series and fans of survival-horror games in general. Released in 2009, this game still holds up today and is a great addition to any gamer's library.

The game's graphics are stunning, for the time period during its release, and the attention to detail in the environments and character design is top-notch. The gameplay is smooth and polished, and the controls are intuitive and easy to learn; It also has controller support! The game also features a co-op mode, allowing you to team up with a friend to take on the challenges of the game together while also engaging in accidental deaths and other random shenanigans.

One of the things that sets Resident Evil 5 apart is its storyline, which is engaging and immersive. The game is set in Africa, where you play as Chris Redfield, a member of the Bioterrorism Security Assessment Alliance, who is investigating a terrorist threat involving bio-organic weapons. The story is well-written and keeps you engaged throughout the game.

Disco Elysium is a captivating and immersive role-playing game that stands out for its unique storytelling, rich character development, and masterful world-building. Set in the fictional city of Revachol, the game puts you in the shoes of a detective suffering from amnesia as he tries to solve a murder case and uncover the truth about his past. The game's writing is superb, with an attention to detail and character depth that draws you into the game's world from the very beginning.

One of the most impressive aspects of Disco Elysium is the sheer amount of choice and freedom it offers. The game's branching dialogue system means that every conversation you have can take a different path depending on the choices you make. This level of interactivity makes the game feel more like a novel or interactive movie than a traditional RPG, and it's incredibly satisfying to see how your choices shape the story and characters around you.

Another standout feature of Disco Elysium is the game's art and sound design. The game's visuals are breathtaking, with an isometric perspective that showcases the game's detailed environments and character animations. The game's music and sound effects are also top-notch, with a jazzy, noir-inspired soundtrack that perfectly sets the mood for the game's grimy, urban setting.

Overall, Disco Elysium is an exceptional game that is not to be missed for fans of role-playing games or anyone who appreciates great storytelling and world-building. With its deep character development, non-linear storytelling, and stunning art and sound design, the game is a true masterpiece that will keep you engaged and invested for hours on end. It's also highly replayable due to the myriad of choices that anyone could make in a given playthrough.