Recent reviews by mretsam

Revised Review:

I enjoy the game overall. It's really enjoyable, has a great story line and the graphics are top notch. I am playing on an AMD 5950x and EVGA 3090 FTW3 Ultra, so I can play with all the settings maxed out, however, I don't hit 60FPS(I'm at roughly 40-45 FPS but to me that's playable and I'm happy to play as such). While everyone might not have the hardware to play at the highest settings just remember to update your graphic cards as Nvidia and AMD both released brand new drivers right before release, and it substantially helps performance for many. With that said the game needs optimization focus updates to help make sure those without beefy hardware can enjoy the game on higher settings.

The game play very much like a Elder Scrolls/Fallout Game. The way the first person mode is, the combat, the upgrade system and weapon customization system all feel alike. To me I like this as it helps with familiarity, but I can understand where this may turn away games. There's unlimited combinations on what you can upgrade. Weapons, clothing, armor, ammo, just about everything serves a purpose in this game which is great!

A downfall is I wish the game offered a better tutorial system and that was interactive and part of the game progression instead of what we get now which is going to a certain area and click to participate in the tutorial. Now this should be optional for those who are going through multiple play through's so you don't have to go through the motions each time you play. When I say interactive, I would like the game to teach you fighting while you fight actual enemies, sneaking and killing/disabling enemies as part of the story line and the rest of the options that come with the tutorial. This is would help new players a better feel for the game, and it would offer veterans to pass through the game without going through it multiple times.

I'll add more to review as I go along so this will be a work in progress.l This definitely a great game and I do recommend getting it. Just be prepared for hardware issues, because it's definitely an outstanding game.

Extremely fun game and one of the better Paradox released games in the last few years. The game at the moment feels pretty easy depending on the ruler you play, but that doesn't account for every ruler you come across and play as there is certain difficulty that each ruler has. If you enjoy Paradox games and you are a fan of CK2, this is a step up and in my opinion a very good successor to CK2.

Darkarta: A Broken Heart's Quest Collectors Edition is a point and click, interactive puzzle type game. It is a solid game with good to great graphics, outstanding voice acting and sometime difficult puzzles, although there is a hint button in case you get stuck. However, I don't think it's particularly necessary as a lot of the fun comes in finding these hidden objects by employing your tools to locate difficult to find items.

The game has a great story line to it and each and puzzle you complete adds to the story as you progress. The game can be challenging at times as mentioned before, but don't let that discourage you from trying the game. Completing the difficult tasks is very satisfying and overall enjoyable when you complete them. I don't want to spoil the story that is developed throughout your game play as I think you should find out yourself as this a great game to play.

While I did receive this game for free, I would definitely say the price point of this game(especially when it's on sale) it well worth the money and you will be able to get your money's worth almost immediately. This game is seemingly geared for the casual player, but no doubt you can get through this game quickly while still understanding the story, So it definitely caters to both crowds quite well!

So if you enjoy point and click games, puzzle solving, a game with a great story line, good to great graphics and get voice over production you will certainly find this game fun and interesting, and you can definitely relax while you play it as it's not a stressful game.

I give the game a 8/10 rating and I may update a little later in the future.

This is a great game with a lot of replay value. The DLC is a bit expensive, but what is provided in the DLC makes each aircraft or mission pack makes you feel like it is worth it due to the attention of detail. They take great care in making sure aircraft is as accurate as humanly possible, both on the exterior and in the cockpit. I will say this game has an extreme learning curve compared to other games, especially if you haven't piloted an aircraft before(which was the case for me) and have very little knowledge in aerodynamics. Don't let that scare you off, since they have an excellent tutorial system and there are many videos online on how to learn how to fly. Some of the aircraft are a work progress, but it seems to be updated regularly. I recommend starting out with the A-10 Warthog and there is plenty of DLC for the A-10C Warthog to help with the longevity of the game.

I do recommend you get a joystick or even better, a HOTAS, which is, "Hands on Throttle-and-Stick". I also recommend foot pedals so you can control your aircraft more efficiently and effectively. I recommend Thrustmaster Warthog(it is pricey, but it's a realistic setup for an A-10C aircraft). You can also attempt to play with a gaming controller(XBox and Playstation for instance), but I don't recommend it as you'll have to use the keyboard also. The last resort is using a keyboard, but I can't recommend that you do that as there are so many key bindings you'll have to know how to use in an instant.

If you have interest in flying military grade aircraft this game stands alone at the top of the charts for military aircraft sims, and I'd highly recommend playing it. As mentioned before just be prepared for a long learning curve. You'll definitely feel rewarded once you learn how to fly.

Needs a lot of work to improve.

Will update later

An enjoyable game. It features some throw backs to old zombie games with resource management. It also comes with an isometric shooter, where you aim your cursor over the undead hordes that come down on you. You are also able to have quite a skill tree to pick from when you are upgrading your weapons, and abilities. One draw back to the combat system is that it's repetitive, but that is to be expected with most isometric shooters that are fixated in one position. It's definitely not enough of a draw back to not play this game.

If you like a nice throwback to older zombie games, and are a fan of base defense shooters, you will like this game. $7.99 isn't a bad price for the game, but I know you should be able to pick it up on sale also. I'd at least make it to your wishlist until it hits a sale.

Awesome survival game, and in general, one of the better games I have ever played. The developers took great care in making a war torn atmosphere, where you face many obstacles in order to have your characters survive. Obstacles include: managing starvation due to limited food supply, moral choices between killing and letting survive, helping NPC neighbors by giving resources or turning them down, and battling injuries and disease. The game also features crafting as an important part of the game. It's important because it reduces resources needed, enhances weapons and tools, helps with defense of your home from raids at night, and helps fight fatigue and hunger. Every decision seems to have a cause and effect that influences how the game develops. Overall, just a well thought out and developed game.

10/10

This is a great game. It does have a steep learning curve, but it is enjoyable at every step, even with failures you encounter. Those failures make it so much more satisfying when you do succeed in constructing your first successful craft. It is definitely worth the price(and even better if you can get it on discount like I did at 40% off!). It will definitely make you think more creatively(which is has for me at least). Give it a try, I don't think you'll be disappointed.

Out of the Park Baseball (OOTP for short) 17 is a text based baseball simulation. It contains features for historical gameplay, single player gameplay, custom universe/leagues gameplay and online multiplayer gameplay. The game allows you to take an active role in developing rosters and teams, or managing them. This is done through being a General manager, a manager and even play as the commissioner(you are able to play all three at once, or any combination of the two).

OOTP 17 offers new features over previous editions. They now have full support from MLB and MLBPA(obtained through licensing), so you will have accurate rosters, faces(done through facegen models) and with no worries that they will disappear. Simulation speed has been increased as the new code is allowing the use of multicore processors, which is a huge benefit. The AI also has been enhanced to be smarter in how they draft players, manage players, and develop teams. They will also make decisions depending on your goals and strategy. These are just some of the major changes that OOTP has offered over previous editions.

OOTP has one of the strongest modding communities around for sport simulation games. The community greatly enhances the vanilla gameplay. For instance, historical gameplay has accurate rosters, player attributes, statistics and settings for the era you choose to play(you can play from the grass roots of baseball, negro leagues, or any specific season). You can choose to play it as a single season campaign or start a franchise and build your league from the 1880’s to whenever you choose to end(the starting point is up to you!). The community also offers tools to develop uniforms and baseball caps, and there’s literally thousands already pre-made for you to use if you want to choose from them.

The gaming modes available(and some of this is a repeat of above, I apologize), are single player, and multiplayer. Single player modes allow you to play out single exhibition games with modern and historical teams. You can play as MLB teams, which will have player accurate rosters and attributes. You are also able to create your own fictional leagues, which is a massively popular feature for many players in the OOTP community. You can start from any time frame, and you can customize the league to fit your needs or gameplay style(there are many sliders to adjust to your likings, and needs). Regardless of the league, the game will track and keep a massive history of your statistics as your world/league develops.

The game also features multiplayer gameplay where you can compete in leagues against others, which will put you against the most difficult of opponents(or easy, if they don’t know what they’re doing ;) ). The league will track statistics as if you were in a single player franchise. Many leagues out there have dedicated websites where you can follow the action of the league as it unfolds. It is really a neat feature.

The development team is very active and proactive in fixing bugs and glitches within their games. You don’t have to worry about issues going unnoticed or fixed, and they are very open minded to additional features they may have fixed(as long as they are deemed reasonable of course). The best way to suggest and fill out bug notifications is to use the main forums on their websites, which is ootpdevelopments.com . The community is also very helpful in helping new players learn and teach players about the game(I myself have helped a few players learn the game of baseball and the workings of OOTP).

In conclusion, after 2000+ hours of OOTP 16 gameplay, and 1200+ hours of OOTP15 gameplay, I can honestly say this is the best addition to the series to date. I have never had a game give back so much in value then what OOTP has. It is simply the best baseball simulation on the market(possibly the best sports simulation as well). The game is very polished, and if you are a baseball fan, or a sports fan, I highly recommend that you take a chance on OOTP17. You will NOT be disappointed.

This game is a 10/10 for me. I hope to see you on the field! Feel free to add me if you need any help with this game, or series! I am always willing to help out new players get established in this great sports simulation!

This game has some promising features over competition, however it fails to maximize the capability of them. The large tile zoning is excellent, giant maps are excellent, varity of buildings is pretty good, multicore processors was a drastically needed change. Cities:XXL has many draw backs, one being that the game is very close to, or almost identical to Cities: XL.

The game features broken promises from the developer, such as being active(non existent at the moment), adding free DLC(hasn't happened, no developer support). Bugs aren't fixed at all either. What is also disappointing is the modding community is very small, but the work they've added is very good in terms of mods and assets. It's just a shame that it's all for nothing as the community is on life support.

TL;DR There's better options out there, and at a cheaper price as well.