Recent reviews by Cybershaman

Considering Last Epoch started as a fairly modest Kickstarter project this game has developed into a hidden ARPG gem for me.
Had originally gotten it years ago, played for a few hours and let it hibernate in my pile of shame but have recently picked it up again as it is now approaching full release.
The combat is still a little on the clunky side but everything else is absolutely amazing. I cannot stress enough how spot on Last Epoch is with regards to typical ARPG game aspects, namely itemization and its class & skill(!) trees to dive into and theorycraft.

In a modern gaming world where mainstream Triple-A ARPGs seem to have been dumped down and become all about style but no substance, Last Epoch is a true godsend!

This review is for Life is Strange up to and including Episode 3, which at the time of writing of this review is all episodes we have of this game. Two more are to come.

In either case Life is Strange is an absolutely stellar, riveting story-telling game. It oozes the developers passion and commitment, it would seem this is a true labour of love coming from DontNod Games.
The characters featured in the game might seem like more or less typical US high school stereotypes but throughout the game and with interaction you start to get the idea that there is alot more to each character than meets the eye.
This is where the game truly shines in my opinion - often I've found myself contemplating alot about what decision to take and what the ramification of either decision might be. This is how a story-driven adventure game focusing on decisions and their impact should be done!
In the end I decided to try and kind of "roleplay" as Max (the protagonist girl you control) in my first playthrough which I think made the experience that much sweeter. Sure it's been one or two decades by now that I've been at high school but I am sure most players will recognise some similarities in their own school times.
Lastly, and I feel like I have to really emphasize on this, the original soundtrack and licenced artist music pieces in this game are one of its kind. Truly outstanding stuff! I kept being amazed at the wonderful choice of music utilized by the developers throughout the game episodes at cardinal points in the story - already bought most of the featured artists' work for personal use as well.

If you even have the slightest soft spot for story-driven, deep and emotional adventure games you should really treat yourself to Life is Strange.

A thoroughly magical game experience, both from a storytelling and game mechanics viewpoint.

Sure, one might say the story is a generic tale of cameradie and altruism but the combination of visually stunning, fairy tale like artwork supported by dreamy, orchestral musical score just clicked with me.
I think a big part of that came from being instantly reminded of the Mononoke Hime / Princess Mononoke anime. ;-)

The Jump & Run side of the game is expertly crafted, sporting crisp and very precise controls (I played with a Xbox 360 pad) so that even in parts of the game where for instance you face a deathly time trial you never feel like your demise was the game's fault. It is also worth noting that the game has a very innovative (for a jump & run) save feature which practically allows you to instantly save your location/progress at all times - short of time trials within the storyline.

The "Metroidvania" aspects of the game give you typical progression where the further you go within the main story line the more abilities you unlock which in turn allow you to backtrack and obtain previously unobtainable upgrades. This does not feel tedious at all but is actually fun - a fact which I believe also comes from the way how you can seamlessly explore the world without loading times.
This adds even more to the impressive (level) art style when you dash at breakneck speeds using, all your skills, while the scenery changes from an underground spider cave to lush overland greens, rocky passes, etc.

Via the in-game save file my very casual play time (did not try to collect everything) was recorded as circa 10 hours, which you might say is not too much.
However, considering the price tag AND how I was practically immersed, motivated and glued to the screen over the course of this play time I can high recommend "Ori and the Blind Forest."

Absolutely stellar compilation of plot, likeable characters and moody accompanying music. Had to play all it in one sitting as the storyline was that gripping. The gameplay of course is not all that special or noteworthy and the game's length of just about 3 hours (according to steam tracking) may seem very shoddy to you.
But consider this: the average hollywood movie at your local theatre lasts for 1,5-2 hours and may not give you as much entertainment for the price of this game.
I consider "To the Moon" an experimental game as its interactive novel gameplay core is executed so brilliantly and touchingly that I am sure not many can escape its charm. If you feel it would be time to experience a game that truely feels indie again that seeps oodles and oodles of soul - give this game a chance.
Just make sure you can dedicate 3 hours of your time in one sitting, undisturbed in a silent room, and bring lots of kleenex.

One of the most atmospheric open world survival games (with a Zombie setting) that I know of.
If you are not one who is easily put off by the art style and isometric perspective presentation choice you will quickly find that there is -much- going on "under the hood". The metagame events triggered by the AI directory which eventually forces you to make a stand against zombie herds or relocate and the in depth xp/skills/crafting system as well as the modding capabilities make this game a good source of fun. Just remember that much like the intro text already states you -will- die. The game merely gives you a playground to see how long and with what proficency you can hold out.
The recently added multiplayer test with dedicated server support has me and some friends very hooked on the game, too.
Lastly, if in doubt, check out the Steam demo to the game.

Every bit as awesome as its predecessor, which was more an insiders' tip back then. Darksiders 2 continues the tradition of being a cross-breed of hack & slash, adventure and platformer/puzzle game plus it now focuses more on RPG aspects. You will find yourself on a continous quest for more loot, armour, weapons and the likes. It adds a bit of a Diablo twist to things which I enjoyed.
The storyline was decent but nothing overly stellar - I think I've been influenced to be partial towards "War", the protagonist of Darksiders 1 to some degree but "Death" surely grew on me over the course of the game. I got about 30 hours of gameplay out of Darksiders 2 playing on highest difficulty and have not spent alot of time doing side quests and/or hunting for collectibles.

If you have 1-3 friends that already own this game do yourself a favour and get it as well and make sure you all hook up for the playing.
Put straight, this one is amongst my all-time favourites for online co-op play. Extremely fun, extremely addicting thanks to scavenging/upgrading a la Diablo.
The cell shader graphics style may be deemed by some as a cop-out move in order to cover up for development failure but in my opinion it is not so. Back when this game released the kind of graphics style was unique enough to actually make the game stand out amongst the masses of other shooter game competition of that time - and it *does* deliver in the graphics department thanks to a good passion for detail.
On top of all that (and of course this one's highly personal!) the particular sense of humour displayed throughout the game appealed to me.

I bought this one when it was on sale through steam. My expectations were to play a Diablo 2 clone of sorts; also given that a bunch of former Blizzard and Diablo developers made this game. It does indeed feel very much like Diablo 2, in particular in music and sound effects, but still retains its own unique style.
The game was a surprise and the typical hack&slash and scavenging mood quickly sets in to keep you hooked. HOWever, I recommend waiting on Torchlight 2 which will feature native co-op mode. Chances are it will hit the stores before Diablo 3 does anyway ...

FPS with a medieval theme? Simply THE number one medieval combat game: mounted, melee, archery - they got it all packed together in a few enthralling game modes like siege and open terrain warbands stand-off.
The single player RPG mode of the game has me hooked for very long now too. Imagine the single player as a medieval sandbox.
As an added plus the modding community is ripe with creativity and assets for this game.

Captures the feel of Dimitri Ghlukovsky's book(s) perfectly.
First person atmosphere is top notch one of the best I've experienced, very good (scripted) encounters, nice story with multiple endings depending on your doings throughout the game.