Recent reviews by MrMuse

This is a "must have" DLC. Nothing more to be said. Entire story based campaign, new lord mechanics and a powerful faction for the Immortal Empires blowhards.

With only a couple of notable exceptions I can't stand musicals and the same goes for visual novels. It is a testament to how good this is that I have enjoyed it enough to buy the DLC story. This is the beauty of Humble Choice - often you will be surprised by great games that you would never have bought otherwise. This said, Make no mistake that this particular game is all about the music and how you can present that music in different ways.
Visual novels are, for me, NOT games but rather interactive stories. Sure all games are interactive stories but most have multiple layers beyond that. What makes this one different is that it is more like going to a show with audience participation. It remains problematic that I don't see these forms as games in the traditional sense but as anyone who has gone to a good production of The Rocky Horror Show can attest; a show with audience participation can be a wonderful thing. Ultimately Stray Gods succeeds brilliantly at what its makers set out to achieve.

Great tbs game. Don't expect too much in the way of deep narrative as even in the sole sp campaign the story comes across largely as throwaway gibberish. Despite this, Battlesector's primary strength remains its campaign as each map is well designed and interesting with new army upgrades and/or new units being awarded at the end of each. This progression gives the campaign a satisfying and utterly absorbing feel.
There are 3 other game modes one being a fairly standard skirmish mode which can be played against AI but I'm certain is primarily there for the inclusion of PvP; a survival mode where you just try to outlast wave after wave of enemies, and the other is a new hex map conquest game called Planetary Domination and it's quite fun.
Regarding DLC - unless you intend to play lots of skirmish and multiplayer there is currently no reason to buy any of the dlc beyond the Blood Angels Elites one - which is a great dlc. Sadly, none of the other dlc add any campaign content and you can't run the main campaign with anything other than those it offers you as standard and those that come as part of the Blood Angels Elite pack.
The game is still actively being worked on and improvements to all aspects of the game (including the new Planetary Domination mode itself) are evident. A future new campaign is also in the works. It's a shame the devs haven't (yet?) found a way to let you take your dlc units into the main campaign as this would have greatly added to both the value of the dlcs themselves and created a lot more replay value for those not too interested in PvP or survival mode.
NB: Keep in mind that creator content IS available through a weird in-game interface rather than through the external workshop and that you do not see this until you agree to the online part of the EULA via the "custom" menu.

Sadly there is a noticeable difference in both gameplay and graphics when it comes to these remasters as opposed to the actual remakes of zero and the kiwami editions. I wish I could put a neutral review as these are still worth playing just for story continuity and keeping with the narrative flow of the series. However, graphics aside this game is far more linear than 0 1 and 2 and the combat is irritating by comparison. I simply don't understand why someone decided that 3 4 and 5 didn't deserve the same treatment as 1 and 2. The fact is that if you've come to these games outside of any console nostalgia and try to play them in timeline order then you will be very disappointed with this after the games that come before it in the timeline. I will play through it as I would with any of the others but after just 4 hours I am already finding this one more of a chore than a means of entertainment.

So I finally bit the bullet and got this despite the repeated frustrations of random ganking by allies in most total war games.

First off I have to say that the review bombing for the game not having Immortal Empires on release is pretty stupid. Nothing releases perfectly these days and a degree of patience is expected. Also, let's face it, IE is only a pat on the head for everyone that just got stuck to playing certain of the old factions so it's just "more of the same".
Secondly, it's easy to ignore the fact that there have been massive quality of life improvements with wh3. Going back and playing 2 again is an absolute snore fest by comparison not to mention that it is vastly inferior graphically. The prologue tutorial is fun and vastly superior to having to mess around with individual tutorials with an advisor blathering on about the most remedial rubbish from previous tw games. If you've ever played a single tw game of any kind you can either set advice to low or turn it off altogether.

For those worried about the crazy amount of dlc when you include those from 2 you needn't because they are ALL optional and not needed in any way shape or form outside of multiplayer.
If you are on a budget then do yourself a favour and just get the base game and install Radious mods which add more to the game for free than any dlc.

Outside of the cool prologue what you have here is a more interesting new main campaign, more and far more delineated and interesting factions. Cathay is clearly the jewel in this new crown and they are great fun to play, Khorne are massively changed from the old beastmen, Demon Prince is powerful and fun and continues directly from the prologue and Chaos Dwarves, which have a completely different campaign to the others, works like a total conversion mod if you decide to get that particular dlc.

Throw in the fact that for those who actually WANT "more of the same" being able to use everything they bought previously through Mortal Empires and you have a VAST overall improvement from 2.

It's a funny ole game this one. I backed it from Kickstarter which is a rarity for me these days after having been burnt too many times. But Tiny Trinket promised from the off that this game would 100% release and release with everything they said it would and it has done that for which I am thankful. Yes they took a lot longer than they initially estimated but rather that than rush something out to be review bombed and die.
It's kind of a hard game to explain though because there's nothing else quite like it. It's best to throw any expectations about what you think you know of tactical rpgs out before you start and go with the flow.
Possibly the first thoughts you will have are "interesting" and "bit janky though". The thing is i'd say that the latter is more down to getting used to an odd system you aren't used to and, yeah, the ui certainly could have been better in places but push that to the side and what you have is an odd blend of party based rpg with an arpg style loot system. Unlike most arpgs though you have a susbstantial crafting system and side quests are better fleshed out in terms of narrative than your typical arpg.
Don't expect deep and meaningful companion interactions...they are there but mostly in a story rather than personality sense.
What i find most cool is that its so ODD overall that it becomes pure tinkerer fun without the drudgery of a grindy game.
And what is truly important is that they have presented a unique piece of gaming at a more than fair price. These days that is becoming more and more of a rarity with everyone playing it safe following all the stale old design choices, flashy graphics with long cutscenes, and a price tag that makes every purchase a gamble.
In my opinion everyone interested in rpg gaming generally should own this as an example of the potential in breaking from the norms.
It's one of those little indie nuggets that we just aren't lucky enough to find very often any more. It's not perfect but then neither are most games which cost a heck of a lot more.

*edit* a quick note about anyone who would dismiss this review based on my time played at time of review...I've played it a LOT more in extended beta which is a separate game file and is not recorded here.

although the lore and story is great it quickly goes kind of souls like...you're pottering around enjoying and maybe thinking meh this is too easy....
then you hit 1st boss battle and die over and over...with a weird system where you cant change difficulty outside of a save zone and none of your saves are IN a save zone....so your options are...keep dying till you don't or restart the whole game
even tried backtracking to a previous save zone and wouldn't save there. This game is also noticeably easier using a control pad.
console game design flaw imo
Until that "can't change difficulty outside of save zone" OR save anywhere comes in as it should be with any pc game then it's a negative here for me sorry.

Art style is great and the mechanics are fun enough. Decent tutorial that sets you up fairly well for the rest of the game. I just wish that there were more to the purpose of it being a manuscript than the act of drawing and the art style and it would be nice if there were more story other than just "death killed master go kill death". 7.5/10

More advanced than its predecessor in graphics, side quest scripting, and general rpg content but the basic mechanics are the same. Full ray tracing definitely improves immersion. I don't understand why some have said they preferred DL1. Both are good games but this one has a lot more depth outside of not having all the planned dlcs yet. Both games work better as co-op given the difficulty spikes.
If you are looking for an intense rpg/survival hybrid with a true open world feel then either or both of these games are for you. Don't be put off by the parkour aspect as I nearly was. It is fluid and feels natural.

Makes me feel like I've just run from zombies in real life and now i need a rest. It's fun but one word summary would go to "intense"