Recent reviews by Fred DM

A well-done fourth entry in the AoE series, long after the series had been pronounced dead. It lacks the depth of AoE 3 but gains back the dynamics of AoE 2 battles and focuses and tactical decisions rather than strategic choices. A modern classic in the RTS genre.

Very nice remaster of this modern classic. With the slighty updated visuals, this game remains highly playable even today.

A fantastic example of a venerable classic remade to fit modern understandings of gameplay and visuals. If you know the original, you'll feel right at home while appreciating the modernized controls and beautiful graphics. This is a remake done right.

Engrossing revenge narrative set in 1970s New Orleans. Against the authentic backdrop of the Civil Rights era, Lincoln Clay, Vietnam War veteran, returns to his hometown to find himself in a different kind of war. Bit by bit, take down a ruthless mob empire while building up your own organization. A vast arsenal of realistic weapons, stealth mechanics and a large fleet of 1960s and 1970s cars are at your disposal.

I highly enjoyed this game despite the fact that it does tend to become a bit tedious after a while as you keep doing same kinds of missions. Still, I kept coming back for more until the game was complete.

Good old "Sid Meier´s Railroads" updated and streamlined for today´s audience - and I don`t mind that at all.

Accessible Railroad Tycoon type of game.

A modern point-and-click adventure in the Arthur Conan Doyle's "Sherlock Holmes" universe. "The Testament of Sherlock Holmes" is a dark, sometimes gory investigation into a criminal conspiracy that threatens the British crown in Victorian England.

Graphics are decent but clearly outdated. They do a good job at letting Victorian London come to life before you, though, and the locations are beautifully designed.

Controls can make or break and adventure game (see: Grim Fandango), but in the case of "The Testament" they are not an issue since you can choose from 3 different control schemes: classic fixed-angle point-and-click, third-person free-roaming and first-person free-roaming (first-person shooter style). At any time you can use Homes' special ability to help point out interactive elements in the environment.

Puzzles are the core of any adventure game and there are some good ones in "The Testament". Others feel too difficult and lack proper instructions. Sometimes objects become clickable only once an event has been triggered, requiring you to search locations again after you've already searched them, but it's not a big hassle. Some of the more difficult puzzles can be skipped, but it will cost you the achievement, which is fair.

Story is the frame within which the puzzles are set. "The Testament" does a decent job at presenting you with an increasingly threatening conspiracy while keeping the main villain disclosed until the end of the game. As the story progresses, Holmes himself becomes a suspect and the game does a good job at depicting Watson's increasing doubts about the integrity of his old friend. In general, the interactions between Holmes and Watson are very well done and often provide comic relief in an otherwise dark and serious narrative. The writing displays some weaknesses and certain turns of event come too suddenly and inexplicably. The story does keep you hooked, though, as you will want to find out who's behind it all and how Holmes himself might be implicated.

This is definitely a highlight for adventure fans, particularly, of course, for fans of Doyle's Sherlock Holmes. At 11 hours, the game is of very decent length for an adventure game, too.

The refined sequel to what is already a bit of a modern classic, F.E.A.R. F.E.A.R. 2 improves on everything and as a result, plays much more smoothly than its somewhat clunky predecessor.

Graphics are crisp and clear, comparable to Max Payne 2, which means they are still holding up rather well today.

Sound is excellent, much better than the first installment. In particular, the score has seen notable improvement.

Gameplay still rewards a tactical approach to combat, though you no longer depend on your slow-motion ability quite as much as you used to in F.E.A.R. Gunfight are often winnable even without resorting to slow-motion, though using it definitely helps.

F.E.A.R. 2 provides the same type of scares as the first game, so they may sometimes be fairly cheap. Due to the improved visual fidelity, the gore is much more explicite here, however. This game is not for the squeamish.

Any shooter fan should definitely pick this up, even if they didn't like or play the first installment.

MX vs ATV: Reflex is an impressive offroad racing game which, contrary to its title, allows you to drive not only two classes of MX bikes and ATVs but also several types of offroad cars, from buggies to 4x4 trucks.

Developed by the team behind the classic Motocross Madness series, MX vs ATV offers a variety of racing modes across closed stadium and outdoor tracks as well as several open-world maps in different climate zones, from mudland to snowy mountains. What makes MX vs ATV particularly fun (and authentic) is the combination of precise controls (including weight shifting) and ground deformation. Only a few games have so far featured the latter (Sega Rally Revo did it best). Every vehicle leaves a track in the ground, changing the surface and making subsequent laps more difficult. This makes for an additional challenge, especially in longer races.

Graphics are decent, but it's obvious that the game was made with consoles in mind. The level of texture detail and draw distance are limited, as are filtering and anti-aliasing features.

This is a very fun and content-rich offroad racing game that appeals in particular to fans of the old Motocross Madness series.

F.E.A.R. is a science fiction horror shooter, blending influences from Hollywood action movies and Japanese horror films. It's solidly designed but lacks originality.

The story features elements seen elsewhere plenty of times already, including cloned super soldiers, psychic abilities, mysteriously returning dead characters and a creepy little girl turning up unexpectedly. The principal antagonist is somewhat memorable, but the story itself is not, though it is presented in a way that does make you want to figure out what's really going on.

Graphics used to be a strong point when the game came out. They are holding up decently, but due to the dominant grey and brown tones the game is not particularly pretty to look at.

Gameplay is where the game still shines. It features precise gunplay, a Max Payne kind of slow motion ability and an outstanding enemy A.I. Enemies take cover, throw grenades, circle around you, retreat and flank you whenever they can, providing you with challenging opponents.

Level design, on the other hand, is genre standard. You'll sprint down plenty of tubes and corridors, do your share of air duct crawling and generally keep circumvent locked doors. Your objectives are usually limited to leaving the area. There is limited puzzle solving, but the puzzles only ever involve finding and pressing buttons to clear and obstacle. The game can be completed in about 6 hours.

F.E.A.R. is a bit of a modern shooter classic, but I found it to be fairly average. It's A.I. and gunplay shine while the story is unimaginative and the level design is drab. Pick it up at a discount, but do pick it up.