Recent reviews by Xenos

Thief Gold is the second edition of the stealth genre pioneer, Thief: The Dark Project, which is not available on Steam for purchase. This version adds three additional levels to the base game, along with some slight additions to the overall story.

Thief takes place in a dark, dreary, fantasy-inspired world similar to the Dark Ages of our own, but with more technologic advancements, such as lightbulbs and steam-powered machinery, and with strange creatures, like zombies and crabmen. You don the hood of the expert thief Garrett, as his desire for simple personal profit unwittingly leads him to become involved in a fantastical plot to stop an ancient god from destroying the world.

Pros

• The core stealth mechanics are unique, take thought, and reward precision movement.
  
• The environments are varied, ranging from cathedrals and mansions to catacombs and opera houses.
  
• Pre-mission shopping mechanics encourage the player to find more loot of their own volition during missions.

Cons

• Direct combat is clunky, awkward, and a hassle.
  
• Levels are labyrinthian in nature, and a player can spend multiple hours lost inside one. The provided map never helps, as it is always badly drawn and poorly informative.
  
• The game requires third-party mods to run at a higher resolution than 800x600.
  
• The key bindings are strange and require tinkering to make them acceptable for use.
  
• Some middle levels and the later levels abandon stealth in favor of the bad combat, most often when the undead are involved.

Sneaking Mechanics

Thief Gold attempts to center its gameplay around a set of core stealth mechanics, the light bar and noise level. The light bar is present at the bottom of the HUD and shows the player how visible Garrett is in his current location. A black bar is fully invisible, while yellow will draw some suspicion and red will immediately alert enemies to your presence. The noise level is not measured by any object on the HUD, and is instead based on the player’s perception. When Garrett walks on tile flooring, his footsteps are louder and alert enemies faster than it would if he walked on rug, which makes him nearly silent.

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2044922167

The game provides ways for the player to manipulate these aspects of the environment to suit their needs, as water arrows will douse torches and moss arrows will cover the ground in a blanket of soft moss, muffling their footsteps. Some light sources can not be extinguished, like lightbulbs, and moss arrows are often in short supply, meaning the player must take some time to think about their method of approach.

Offensive Mechanics

Garrett has a fair arsenal of tools to assist in eliminating enemies, whether through lethal or non-lethal measures. He carries a sword, bow, and blackjack, but can also find and use flash bombs and mines as well.

Nearly the entirety of Garrett’s weapons are only useful in stealth, as enemies take more damage from sneak attacks. Once forced into direct combat, the game becomes far more unpleasant. Enemies are unpredictable and jerky. They attack spastically and jump around a lot. When this is paired with the painfully slow swing speed of the melee weapons and the long reload of the bow, being spotted by more than one enemy may as well be an instant game over in many scenarios, as killing them will simply alert everyone around you, and you will be swarmed by them.

The game sadly gravitates towards direct combat far more than the enjoyable stealth system it should be using, especially towards the end of the game, with the final levels consisting entirely of inhuman enemies that must be killed to proceed.

Additional Mechanics

Thief Gold can be played on three difficulties: Normal, Hard, and Expert. These difficulties add more mandatory objectives to the mission, which can range from a required amount of loot to be taken in a level, an additional special item to steal, or being forbidden from killing any humans. A mission cannot be finished until all objectives are completed.

Unfortunately, some of these objectives are extremely annoying and serve only as padding to an already lengthy game. Many special loot items are hidden behind secret doors that are not mentioned anywhere in the level, and can only be found through an annoying amount of scouring in an area. There is also no provided indication of where these objects may be found, as the only provided means of navigation, a map and a compass, are nearly completely worthless and can rarely be used for even the most basic needs of navigation and orientation other than a vague concept of the area you might be near.

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2070956041

Finally, at the end of every mission, Garrett’s total loot is tallied up and can be spent in a shop to purchase additional items of use for aid in the next mission. This encourages the player to bring as much loot back with them as they can, as it could mean more moss arrows or fire arrows for a mission, which could make a large difference.

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2034624890


The story for Thief is a fairly generic fantasy tale. Garrett starts out robbing random locations, but ends up being betrayed by an ancient god pretending to be a client, who Garrett must then prevent from ending the world in a secret ritual.

This story is only told through small interactions in the gameplay and mostly through cutscenes at the start of each mission. While the voice acting is quite good and the animation itself is stellar, the story it tells is ultimately nothing worth writing home about.

The lore of the world is only built through the small number of books found throughout levels. I wish there was more of it than I got.


Thief is a game made in the 90s, and this is obvious at a glance. The graphics are blocky and sharp-edged, but compared to other games of the same era, it makes good use of the edges to form environments that look acceptably realistic. The HUD is pixelated and rough, but serviceable. Unfortunately, a third party software called Tfix is mandatory for playing at resolutions higher than 800x600.


The audio is remarkably clean, but basic in design, with repeated noises and nothing fancy going on. The ambient sounds can be annoyingly loud and drown out the noises of enemies, actively hindering your ability to locate patrols. I was forced to turn it down less than two hours into the game.


Other than the previously mentioned third-party mod, the game is easy to install and run. The default keybindings are confusing, with D and A bound to turn and not strafe, W to sprint, S to walk, and X to walk backwards. The speed toggle only toggles downwards, not upwards, and Garrett is painfully slow when not sprinting. I solved this problem with a 5-button mouse, but not everyone has one of those available, and any solution will have to be discovered yourself.


Despite a solid foundation of stealth mechanics and great environments to use them in, the age of the game negatively impacts its performance when compared to modern equivalents. The game refuses to embrace its strongest aspects of stealth, and instead insists on forcing direct combat in later levels. The horrible maps and mazelike levels also cause unnecessary frustration and padding. I can not recommend this game to prospective players, as it is more con than pro.

Follow our curator page Alexander's Club Curations, if you like and want to see more reviews like this one.

Black Mesa. A remake of Half Life 1 that's been in development for so long we ALMOST got a third Half Life game before it released. Yet the first game to ever be Greenlit for early access has finally escaped the purgatory of beta that many developing projects find themselves doomed to. Well, after 16 years of development, was it worth the wait? Let's find out.


Welcome to the Black Mesa Research Facility
The first and foremost topic of any review on this game HAS to be what the entire game is about: a complete remake of the treasured Half Life 1. Black Mesa goes above, beyond, and to infinity in recreating the facility and events we all fondly remember. Crowbar Collective probably could have just gotten away with imitating the original square, bland grey rooms the original 1998 game featured, but they wanted to truly make Black Mesa a real place. Pipes, valves, monitors, labels, desks, offices, broken sprinkler systems, the list goes on for ages. I could fill the entire review character limit with the sheer gargantuan scale of the renovations done to the game. Black Mesa truly looks and feels like a facility that could feasibly exist in realty, no longer an asylum of grey tunnels and red ladders. It is a whole new world of immersion, yet not one at the cost of nostalgia. Save for a few welcome innovations (Trimming On a Rail to reasonable levels), Crowbar Collective has faithfully recreated the entire facility from HL1, no matter how absurd the original design was, and made it work. Area designs that were somewhat questionable in the original are refitted to look more realistic. Playing the game solely to see how the original game has been faithfully replicated is a worthwhile reason itself.

Living People for a Living World
Crowbar Collective took the liberty of hiring a few voice actors to add dialogue to all the NPCs of the game, and it was well worth the effort spent. No longer are NPCs just silent mimes that occasionally ask who ate their doughnuts. NPCs act, react, and advise the player on a whole host of things. All the scientists and guards you can gather in Office Complex have a discussion when you reach the elevator jump, with one scientists commenting that he failed phys ed in high school. The wounded guard in the room above the Gargantua in Power Up now tells you to get going and changes the tram track for you, and I can't help but thank him for his assistance, knowing he will most likely die later. Half Life 1 was never about NPC interactions, especially with Gordon remaining silent throughout, but Black Mesa adds on this extra depth and immersion for no extra cost.

A Whole New World, Xen
The crowning finale of Black Mesa, and what we've all been waiting for, is Xen. Crowbar Collective made it clear their intention was to create an entirely new Xen from scratch, using the original as a slight "guide" on how to progress. The result is a visually awe-inducing alien world, filled with wildlife, nature, stunning scenery, and a sense of cohesion and reality completely absent in the random floating rocky void of the original game. Xen feels truly alien, but realistically alien, if that makes any sense. At no point did I feel like something didn't really make sense, or that I didn't feel a sense of wonder exploring this new world. It feels akin to Subnautica, but above the water, and likely the closest thing we will ever have to that concept for a long time. While the new Xen is incredibly lengthy compared to the original, it spends that time establishing the border world as a true world. It does have two key problems, which I will address later, but the majority of Xen is an absolute spectacle to behold and play. A personal favorite part of mine is the Gargantua chase, with a comical amount of Gargantuas running after you as you attempt to escape. I couldn't hold back a smile during most of my stay in Xen.

Engaging Combat
This section is going to be short and sweet. A new polish on an old game means new combat as well, and Black Mesa is excellent in this regard. While the HECU can become somewhat annoying in large numbers, as they have improved accuracy and health over their originals, and I swear they give out grenades more than candy on Halloween, they are ultimately very satisfying to fight and overcome. All the weapons pack a respectable punch, and none feel truly useless. The pistol is great for clearing out Barnacles, the Shotgun is a reliable work horse, and the Hive Hand is still as oppressively good as it used to be, albeit dealing slightly less damage at the upside of being able to shoot from behind cover. The raw combat itself is not going to be the loose end here, but the things you fight might be.

Stellar Music
The new music for Black Mesa is amazing, plain and simple. It aims to give emotional weight to various parts of the game, and succeeded in every way. The new vocal sections for Xen are engagingly atmospheric, and get the adrenaline flowing for a good fight. Very solid work.


Disappointing Boss Fights
HL1 was never really a boss fight game, but there are a few key encounters that players regard as "bosses". The two main culprits here are the Apache and Gonarch. The Apache is a crime in balancing, as its 360 degree turret is downright oppressive, mowing players down with high caliber rounds before they even attempt to escape. Gonarch was given a huge overhaul, with the "fight" somewhat vaguely following the original game: attack, chase, fight and kill Gonarch. The problem is in the arenas. The first fight depends heavily on your ability to dodge with the Long Jump Module, but it tends to get stuck on collisions in the arena, causing you to eat a full attack to the face. The "chase" features an invincible Gonarch attacking you from a distance, breaking walls to chase you, or laying spawn to attack you. All of these get annoying very fast, and her unexpected appearances can cause instant death, as you don't know where to go before she kills you. The final fight is the least offensive, as it removes collision issues and provides two pillars to hide behind.

Thankfully, Nihilanth was a genuinely fun fight to give you a high note at the end of your playthrough. I won't spoil that fight so you can enjoy it yourself.

Interloper Overstays its Welcome
Plain and simple: Interloper is way too long. It starts out strong, with the Vortigaunt slums introducing us to world building the original never recieved. It then leads to the most enjoyable part of Xen, the Gargantua chase. It is here where it starts going downhill. The next two or so hours of playtime is spent exclusively working your way through alien factories puzzles, with the second half being conveyor belt combat and parkour, ending in an elevator sequence that while fun, is hard to enjoy after so much factory. It just grates on you slowly while playing. They could have cut a solid 30 minutes to an hour off of the content and it really wouldn't have hurt.

Source Engine Screams in Pain
This one is truthfully Source's problem for just being old, but Black Mesa pushes the engine to its absolute limits, and it becomes apparent in Xen. While budget computers will actually handle the facility rather well, as its only slightly more than Half Life 2 did, they will suffer from a noticeable dip in FPS on Xen, where particles and other taxing effects are rampant. Expect heavy tolls on old computers in Xen.

While Black Mesa has some very sore thumbs sticking out, the vast majority of the game is an incredibly solid, faithful recreation of the source material that brings almost nothing but improvements. While I wouldn't recommend you play this over the original, it is an absolute must-play for any Half Life fans, and the cheap price of $19.99 gives some forgiveness for the few sub-par parts of the game.

Dragon Ball FighterZ, the revolutionary anime fighter that finally showed the world what a GOOD fighting game based on a popular show could really achieve. But is it still worth your time and money? Let's delve into it a bit.

FighterZ, due to its rather large nature, has too many positives to list. Instead I will cover what I believe are the most beneficial positives as reasons to get the game.

Fantastic Art Style
The art style of FighterZ is something to behold. With absolutely beautiful cell shading, gigantic explosions and beams that do the show justice, the entire game almost looks like the manga / anime came alive onto your screen. The art, paired with the near flawlessly smooth animations, do the fights of the source material justice, unlike many previous titles that despite however good they may have been, were just "good for an anime game" at best. The fact they looked like marionettes dancing around didn't help.

Picture-Perfect Replication of the Source Material
This is a more subtle strength of the game, but I think it's worthy of mention. ArcSystem clearly watched the ENTIRE show and all the movies just to make this game. With very few exceptions, almost every single move in the game is a direct copy of a move in the show that character used. (Obviously not including characters that never actually fought seriously in the originals, such as Android 18) This even extends to basic moves, such as Broly's down-heavy and ki blasts, Kid Buu's underground stomp mediums, etc etc. The incredibly and frankly insane level of replication is worthy of immense praise. The fact that nearly none of the normal moves or Supers were made up without using the source material is incredible.

Easy to Learn, Hard to Master
Unlike a lot of fighting games, in which every individual character has their own specific circle turns required, button inputs, yadda yadda, FighterZ uses a very basic system. Every Super and basic premade combos are universal inputs, and many special attacks share inputs as well. This system encourages players to experiment with as many characters as they want, instead of being the one dude who looked at all the full-circle inputs for Hugo on Street Fighter, looked down at his Xbox controller D-Pad, and immediately gave up. However, the mechanics in FighterZ are also much deeper than they appear. The combo potential for every character, including jump canceling, reflecting at the right time, proper reflect baiting, etc, gives so much room for improvement.

References Everywhere
The absolute BEST praiseworthy aspect of FighterZ is the love letter it has written to long time fans of the material. FighterZ is absolutely OVERFLOWING with references, heartwarming interactions between old friends, and if you take the time to really crack open Story Mode, humorous and fascinating opinions the characters have on certain outlooks. Nearly every single time a character opens their mouth, it takes you right back to the show / manga you originally fell in love with.

While FighterZ may be a fantastic anime game, it has no shortage of glaring problems as well for prospective players. The ones Ive listed below are the most problematic of the bunch and are things I believe prospective buyers should be aware of before purchasing.

Story Mode and Arcade are Kinda Sh*t
The major problem with the game is the lack of any decent content outside of online play. Story Mode alternates between pathetically easy at lower levels, with AI basically never even moving, to absolute omnipotent gods at high levels that can punish a 6 frame jab with a Level 3 80% of the time. Arcade is much of the same, except enemies enjoy a hefty damage increase of around 40% max, meaning that even the most basic of combos will still cripple all your characters. Its the same trashy single-player fighting game design we've all come to know and hate.

Skilled Opponents Won't Let You Play
As I previously mentioned, FighterZ has a wealth of deep mechanics to master for dedicated fighting game players. However, for anyone looking for a casual option, this game is no better than any other fighting games. A skilled opponent will have an answer to EVERY single thing you throw at them, and will usually counter you with ease before performing their maximum damage perfectly optimized corner combo loop to keep you in unbreakable hitstun for over 30 seconds. And you can't even defend against them, because they also have an answer to all your blocking techniques and can perfectly crack you open so fast you don't even properly learn what went wrong. Like all fighting games, this is a huge, glaring problem that is NEVER fixed properly due to generally inaccurate matchmaking skill levels. It will take you hours to ever stand a chance in online play.

FighterZ is, despite the pretty exterior, a fighting game through and through. Any previous fan of the Dragon Ball franchise will get great satisfaction at all the jokes and references intended for them, but will find their dedication severely tested if you attempt to get deeper into the game mechanics. Be prepared to spend hundreds upon hundreds of hours grinding away to even rival the players you meet online, let alone defeat them. Story Mode and Arcade are functional, but have their own clear flaws after a while of playing.

I would recommend this only for people who are great fans of the franchise and can tolerate the mediocre story combat for the character interactions, or people looking for a very good fighting game they don't mind sinking months into. If you don't fit either of those descriptions, FighterZ may be a risky purchase for you.

DOOM 2016 is the smash-hit revival of the iconic "Father of FPS" series everyone thought had died with Doom 3. The hype was real, and boy did DOOM deliver. This game is both satisfying not only to long time fans of the series, but to new blood as well. Don't just take my word for it there; allow me to explain in depth why DOOM is worth your money.


Holy optimization, Batman!
DOOM is the go-to game when I have to show somebody that modern games do not have to sacrifice flowing FPS and gameplay for the sake of pretty baubles and fancy textures. DOOM uses a rather unique form of rendering and AA that makes the game not fully render textures the player is not currently able to see or is far away from. The result is a small bit of loading-in that depends on your PC power, but the ability to have a remarkably consistent 30+ frames with NO drops, AT ALL TIMES. Even though my own computer (A laptop, no less) is about 5 years outdated, I can still run this at 30+ fps on medium settings, and it doesn't even look that bad. If you were worried you can't run the game, give it a shot. You might be in for a surprise.

Intense, rewarding gameplay that stays true to the core mechanics of the originals
Original fans of the series will remember the original games highly rewarded two things: Moving around to dodge attacks instead of hiding behind cover, and exploring every nook and cranny of the levels for early weapon unlocks and powerups. DOOM 2016 is not lacking at all in this regard. The game is fast, intense, and heavily favors mobile combat by completely removing all cover and making enemies super aggressive. Every shotgun to the face feels devastating as it rips chunks of flesh off your enemies and their bodies stumble to the ground. The game is also no slouch in the exploration department, with cleverly hid secrets like powerups and armor hidden around the map to find and exploit. In essence, DOOM feels just as good to shoot and explore as it did when it first came out. Maybe even better.

The story is there, if you want it
One of the more amusing aspects of DOOM is that the Doom Marine seems to care very little for anyone around him in his eternal quest to cause complete demon genocide. However, this new DOOM universe is actually quite rich and interesting. Lying around with the rest of the entertaining collectibles are data nodes that give you some quick information on where you are, who you are talking to, and what you are shooting at. A lot of it is very interesting information, and some is entertaining, but all of it is entirely optional for those who care about it. They didn't have to put this much effort into their world, but they did and it's pretty good stuff. I specifically enjoy how the Doom Marine is now considered to be something akin to a God of War by the demons, written in their legends as the most fearsome being ever known and having slaughtered millions of them before he was contained. That is hardcore.

A fantastic amount of optional content
DOOM 2016 has kept true to the old feel of the original Doom, but it has also added a good touch of new enjoyable features as well. This includes spaced out collectibles to find, upgrades for your weapons that are very, VERY satisfying to use, and Rune Trials, which are little fun challenges that unlock passive bonuses for the Doom Marine, like longer stun times and more ammo/health per pickup. It adds enough spice to not become overbearing, but to help further extend an already whopping 20+ hour campaign.

The Music
This section is short and sweet. Mick Gordon did a stellar job at capturing the absolutely mental hardcore nature of DOOM with his soundtrack. It perfectly complements the gameplay and gets your blood pumping for more demon slaying.


The difficulty is kinda cheap at higher levels
For better or worse, DOOM 2016 takes a page out of the original Doom's book in terms of difficulty increase. Except where the original game actually added more enemies per level and even changed some item locations, DOOM has the same amount of enemies with a flat and large damage increase to them, to the point where at Ultra-Violence and Nightmare a single Imp is more than capable of beating your face in with only two fireballs. Some players like this, and while I enjoy a good challenge (See my achievements in all three Dark Souls games), it gets tedious constantly being at 40 health and looking for more armor and health to lose again in the next fight with no other changes.

Forgettable multiplayer
While some people would enjoy it for this very reason, the multiplayer in DOOM is more reminiscent of Quake meets Halo than anything unique. I didn't play much (Admittedly because multiplayer just isn't my thing) but the only unique feature DOOM adds is the gimmicky Demon form, which is great to play as but annoying as hell to play against. Nothing really stands out that would make DOOM purchasing for the multiplayer over other popular options. Buy it for the campaign, not the online.

Locked in place cutscenes
In any other game this wouldn't even be mentioned, but it matters to DOOM. DOOM is all about frantic, fast-paced action and adrenaline at all times. Then abruptly the game will force you to not move for a minute or two. I don't mind exposition, in fact I LOVE the new world Bethesda and Id made, but forcing the player to suddenly stop dead takes you out of the action hard, like slamming on the brakes during a drag race. Its jarring and unpleasant, but thankfully doesn't last long and doesn't happen often. But when it does happen, it hurts.

In essence, DOOM 2016 is an absolute blast, and a worthy modernization of the most iconic FPS game of all time. It promised, and it delivered. Sure, it has some negatives, but the positives far, far exceed them. Do yourself a favor and grab DOOM. I promise you won't regret it. I only paid $30 when this first came out on sale, and got 30 hours out of the campaign. If that's not cost effecient, I don't know what is.

Slime Rancher, the out of nowhere hit that took hearts by storm with its absolutely adorable slimes and gameplay. This game was the first project by its developer, Monomi Park (Only founded 4 years ago and looking promising already!) and continues to release FREE expansions whenever they can. (How f*cking rare is that sh*t?) But you really want answered is this: "Is Slime Rancher worth my money?" You bet your butt it is. Not only can you try the free demo (Which, like, NOBODY does anymore), but I am going to explain why this is worth your time.


The Most Stress-Free Game on the Planet
Everyone has their own problems, and mine is anger. I go absolutely apesh*t at the smallest of reasons (But I'm still sane enough to not hurl my controller around, I just get REALLY loud.). Slime Rancher is one of those games that not only doesn't get me mad, but also keeps me in a constant state of happiness. The environments and gameplay are so peaceful and satisfying that you can't help but smile at the antics of the slimes as they bounce around merrily. You will feel GOOD playing this game. It can take your mind off the stress of your job, school, whatever! It's just so relaxing to play.

There's Some Solid Gameplay Here
Its not just all looks. Slime Rancher has a hearty meal of gameplay ready to serve. You can go wander the untamed wilds of the Far, Far Range by exploring jungles, caverns, deserts, and ancient ruins. You'll find rare and exotic slimes to capture and bring back to your Ranch to take care of, by cultivating their favorite foods that you found while exploring. You can use that to make money, just to turn around and build some more gadgets to go exploring all over again! It's a truly enjoyable cycle that combines the graphics, atmosphere, and simple but rewarding gameplay to make you want to just keep playing for hours on end, and forget that paper you have due tomorrow morning.

Gratifying Achievements
Now this isn't everyone's cup of tea, but I'm a sucker for good achievements. I'm always annoyed by either really dirt easy achievements, way too many achievements in general (Looking at you, TF2, with your insane 400+ achievements), or either dead / WAY too elite achievements. Slime Rancher has none of these problems. There's a hearty, but not overwhelming amount of achievements that are amusing to get, or delightfully satisfying to obtain. None of it is ever too hard, but the hardest ones aren't too easy either. It's a great balance that I definitely enjoyed completing.

It Actually Tells a Decent Story
I'm not gonna spoil anything, but as you progress you read messages left by the previous owner of the Ranch, Hobson Twillgers, giving advice and telling about his own adventures on the Range. Eventually he starts telling his final story to you as you go deeper into the Far, Far Range, ending in a rather pleasant final message that gave me a little bittersweet smile. The same goes for Casey, a close friend left behind on Earth when the character, Beatrix, left for the Far, Far Range. They will send you emails periodically, revealing more about both themselves and Beatrix before ending in a final goodbye and an absolute beautiful credits song that got me to actually tear up a bit. It's no Deus Ex, but it is very good for not even being the main focus of the game.

It's So F*cking Cute
This deserves a spot on the Positives. Slime Rancher is so adorable that I guarantee you will smile constantly at all the happy bouncing slimes. If you don't, you are lying and trying to act tough. Quit posing and embrace the adorableness.


Literally Nothing
I can not think of a single complaint with this game. Not even kidding. This thing could run on a calculator and still look decent. There are no true consequences for dying or screwing up, the slimes are adorable, and you get FREE content updates because Monomi Park is cool like that. As far as I am concerned, this is in the Top 25 for Best Games of All Time. I love this game to death.

In the end, I believe 110% that Slime Rancher is worth your time and money. I have seen MASSIVELY worse games charge FAR MORE and give FAR LESS than this little bundle of joy. Give it a shot, and I guarantee you'll love it.

Dark Souls 2 is the sequel to the all-time cult classic hit, Dark Souls in 2011. This specific version, Scholar of the First Sin, is an almost complete overhaul of the game, giving it completely new enemy placements from the original game, specific modifications designed to make the game more forgiving, and graphical improvements to bring back some of the dark levels people were promised by the original game. With all the negativity associated with DS2, is Scholar of the First Sin worth your time?


There Is Still an Online Community
I can't speak for the original DS2, but SOTFS still has a dedicated group of players who continue to be summoned and invade to this day. Iron Keep may not be quite as invasion-crazy as it was back in the day, but you can still be reliably invaded in almost any area, provided you aren't running through it as fast as you can. If you can't be invaded, there IS still an active dueling community in specific areas, and with the accessibility of the Red Sign Soapstone and Dragon covenant, it's easier to get dueling than DS1.

Some of the Most Unique Areas in Dark Souls
I'll bet most people never even thought about this. While DS2 does have its fair share of generic "bleh" areas like the Gutter and Harvest Valley, there are also places which have never been done in any other Souls game. No Man's Wharf is the only harbor in all of Souls, the Dragon Aerie is full of flying wyverns and treacherous bridges. No Undead Parish can rival the frozen ramparts of Frozen Eleum Loyce, or the poisoned cavernous temples of Shulva, Sanctum City. And despite its residual hatred, Shrine of Amana is still one of the most beautiful areas in the entire series (If you can ignore the soul arrows for five seconds). It gives the series a welcome break from the droll and generic "broken old buildings" that is beloved by both DS1 and DS3.

These are the Best Covenants the Series Ever Got
No joke here. DS2 has the best variety in covenants in the entire series, hands down. Some are remarkably unique, with two being almost completely PvE central covenants.
(Not a complete list)

1. Dragon Remnants: A dueling covenant, that allows for the summoned to heal themselves during a duel. Cannot be summoned if any other phantom is present, preventing ganks.
   
2. Bell Keepers: Invade trespassers who dare to ring the bell. (Aldrich Faithful & Watchdogs of Farron are based on this covenant mechanic)
   
3. Rat King Covenant: Forcibly summon intruders to your own world, and use traps to try and kill them.
   
4. Covenant of Champions: Boost the entire game into NG+ difficulty, remove co-op, and have twice the invasions. Perfect for hardcore players.
   
5. Brotherhood of Blood: Invade other players or fight each other in the dedicated covenant dueling arena (Still active as of 1/31/18).
   
6. Pilgrims of Dark: Delve into the Dark Chasm of Old to find true dark, and fight the ONLY COVENANT BOSS IN THE ENTIRE SERIES: Darklurker. [darksouls.wikia.com]

Astounding Weapon Variety
Thanks to the ability to rapidly level up easily, and a greatly increased weapon and weapon TYPE pool from DS1, SOTFS has the most variety in builds in the entire series. Almost any combination of weapons and magic is viable. I would give examples, but there's just too many possibilities. There are very few unusable weapons in PvE thanks to a good balance between enemy speed and attacking, and infusions are quite possibly the best in the series. The only really unusable build is an offensive miracle build. Originally, offensive miracles were actually really, really good, but got nerfed to absolute oblivion by Fromsoft and never recovered. This positive changes in the DLC, but we'll get to that later.

The DLC is Really Good
I'm going to keep this rather short since there isn't much I can say. The DLCs for DS2 are fantastic. The areas themselves are vast and greatly reward exploration, both in loot and in experience. The atmosphere is spot on, and the bosses are fantastic. (This compliment for the bosses does not extend to the "challenge run" bosses. F*ck those guys.) The enemies are, for the most park, not mobs, but also not too thinned out. All in all, a great experience in all 3 DLC areas.


The Lore Isn't as Fleshed Out
This section is here for those people who care about the world they are exploring. DS2's lore is a lot less developed than the original game's. Much is told but not elaborated upon, and a fair amount of stuff got completely retconned by 3. It's there for loremongers, but there isn't as much explanation as DS1.

Some Enemies and Hitboxes are Utter Bullsh*t
This is not unique to DS2. All three games have enemies that are just inexcusably bad (Outrider Knights from DS3 and Blowdart Snipers from DS1) but DS2 does have more than others. Don't get the wrong idea, 85% of the enemies are still perfectly fine, but a few bad apples in a basket can leave a bad taste in your mouth. The real problem are the hitboxes, which are notorious for lingering after the hit has actually stopped or generally being the wrong size. This leads directly into our next section..

The Stupidity of the Agility Stat
The fact that this thing exists is stupid. For those of you who have never played the original DS2, Agility is a stat determined by your "Adaptability". This stat directly determines how long it takes you to drink estus and your invincibility frames during a dodge. This wouldn't be so bad, except the game starts you out at a massive handicap, with HALF the normal I-frames you got during a dodge in DS1, and you drink estus like a slow motion shot from a coke commercial. You have to invest at least 15+ points into ADP just to get to ACCEPTABLE frames. On the only bright side of this, investing overkill into this stat can boost your frames up to 150% of their usual, making you untouchable even when fatrolling, which is actually hilarious in PvP. But that is still 50+ points better spent somewhere else than wasting your time with this stat.

Oversaturation of "Meh" Bosses
DS2 suffers from having WAY too many bosses. As a result of this, for every good boss (Burnt Ivory King) there are about 3 - 4 boring but serviceable (Looking Glass Knight) to downright HORRIBLE bosses (Royal Rat Authority). It makes the player feel like the bosses as a whole are worse compared to the other two games, but in reality some of the best DS2 has to offer are just as good as the legends from the other two games. I would claim any day of the week that Sinh the Slumbering Dragon is just as good as Kalameet.

The DLC Hates Elemental Damage So Much It's Not Even Funny
Do you like pyromancy, hexes, or magic? If you said yes, you can go f*ck yourself because every single enemy in the DLC enjoys a hearty 70%+ damage resistance to ALL forms of elemental damage. When the wiki says "weak to" an element for a DLC enemy, it means only 50% resistance in that element instead of the usual. I've played through the entire game, DLC included, in every possible play style. I have consistently noted that any form of elemental damage is a major, MAJOR handicap when playing through the DLCs. Bosses especially will merrily laugh at you as they beat you to a pulp with their 90%+ resistances. Thankfully, you can entirely respec your character with the use of a Soul Vessel, which are plentiful enough unless you waste them thoughtlessly. But that doesn't excuse the problem existing in the first place.

While Scholar of the First Sin has its undeniable faults, it always made me keep coming back for more every time. I've never felt that the challenge ahead of me was not worth my time, even if made me rage my pants off. It doesn't deserve NEARLY the amount of public hate it gets, and is worthy of the Souls title. I highly recommend playing it.

Jotun is an atmospherical masterpiece and a fantastic example of taking hand-drawn visual design to its highest potential. The game is a one of a kind experience, and while I would greatly recommend it, it is lacking in some serious aspects that would turn away some people.


Absolutely Stunning Atmosphere
Jotun builds a world using its visuals, art style and voice acting that almost no other game can rival. To my knowledge, it faithfully follows the old Viking legends and even has Old Norse voice acting (It could be Icelandic or Norwegian, I can't tell). It truly feels like you are experiencing something much, much bigger than you and learning more about it as you go along. You can feel the power of the frozen tundra wind as it roars past. You can feel the fear of being almost swallowed whole by Jörmungandr as he breaks through meters of ice with ease. Jotun is a journey through the world of Viking mythos, and it does it justice.

A+ Music
There's not much to be said on this, but it needs mentioning. Jotun's soundtrack is excellent, with no low points I can remember. Each boss track will have you really feeling the rush of facing something so ancient and powerful, while the area tracks suit their respective locations quite nicely.

Hand-Drawn Visuals
The hand-drawn nature of the game gives it a visual appeal that really benefits the atmosphere it aims to create. Snow is heavy and whites out the screen. Ashes rain gently from the air as you walk through the active volcano pit. Giants lumber around with heavy steps as you fight them. This game would be a lot worse with 3D graphics or anything else. They hit the nail on the head with this one.

Some of the Best Bosses in Gaming
While not nearly as numerous as other games famous for bosses like Dark Souls, the giants in Jotun are each a masterpiece. Each one absolutely towers over Thora, and fighting them is a hard battle against something that is leagues more powerful than you. The giants all have their own completely unique traits, attacks and characteristics, making each one a challenge of how well you can adapt, as well as overcome to your collosal opponent. Paired with the aforementioned soundtrack, the bosses are a delight to face and give you a true sense of victory when overcome. All of them are difficult in their own way, but none of them feel overpowered.

Levels are Beautiful and Reward Exploration
The areas of the game are all as unique as the bosses, with each one borrowing but not outright taking the theme of their boss to base it off of. Each one (Save maybe one or two) is based on an a place told of in Viking mythology. The World Tree is a good example, as is the the body of Ymir the first giant. You can freely explore these vast levels, which in turn reward you with godly powers and health upgrades for your exploration. This game will make you want to take your time and look around, rather than speed through just to reach the bosses. Enjoy the experience, don't rush it.


There's Practically No Gameplay Outside of Bosses
This is Jotun's biggest weakness. Outside of the fantastic bosses, the gameplay is so bare-boned it's almost a skeleton. Only two levels out of around 9 - 10 have any form of attackable enemy, which are either swarm based enemies that individually die in one hit, or minor giants that really only exist to contribute to exploration via rock throwing. You'll be hitting inanimate objects with your axe to move them, but other than those times, 85% of the game is just walking. If you are a fan of a great atmosphere, then this might not be as big a problem as you think. Treat it like an intereactive movie instead of the average FPS. If you're the kind of person that needs to have gameplay to enjoy a game, sadly, Jotun just isn't for you.

Achievements Don't Demand Excellence, They Demand Perfection
If you are in it for the experience, this shouldn't matter much to you. But if you enjoy obtaining achievements, be warned of how ridiculously difficult Jotun's achievements are. They demand a minimum of absolute game mastery, and expect you to be able to flawlessly combo god powers or rolls to beat Time Trials and No Damage achievements. Two of the achievements require you to beat different bosses in under 25 seconds, which is insane. The rest all demand 60 seconds, save for Kuanan, who takes 80 seconds because he's hardcore. In order to obtain all achievements, you must complete Valhalla Mode (Which is basically NG+, except it's only bosses and they get buffed damage and health) without ever taking damage or using a god power. If you don't think that's hard yet, try and you'll see how much perfection it takes. Pray to RNGesus that you get lucky if you try. Ye have been warned.

Minimal Replay Value Other Than Achievements and Bosses
The downside of such an amazing atmosphere and story is that you can never really experience it twice. With the lack of gameplay added in, Jotun gives you no good reason to return to previous areas, and can never really be fully enjoyed again. The bosses can be fought again at your leisure, which is good, but once you complete the full story in about 8 - 12 hours, there's no reason to replay it until many years later.

If you intend to purchase Jotun, do it for the one of a kind atmosphere and the amazing boss battles. If you want a super involved gameplay experience, don't buy this game, or try and tolerate the lack of overall gameplay while holding out for the next boss. I would heavily recommend this game to anyone that appreciates art in video games.

The Cult Classic hardcore hit of 2011, Dark Souls. What was once a chance taken by Fromsoft by following up on their fairly successful PS3 exclusive Demon's Souls has turned into a major staple of the gaming industry and the very definition of a "hard" game. But is it worth your time? I say this, the original Dark Souls, is definitely worth your time and money.


Still Active Online Community (With Less Hackers than Before)
Despite being the second oldest game in the Soulsborne franchise, Dark Souls 1 is actually still entirely viable in terms of online invasions and summoning 6 years after release. Admittedly, you have to use the Dark Souls Connectivity Mod and sometimes you may have to wait a bit, but you can reliably be summoned or invade people during daylight hours in nearly any area of the game. Oolacile Township is still a PvP hotspot and the Undead Parish is so populated with humans during the day you can invade nearly 30 times in one hour. If you are down to Sunbro then you can always get summoned for the Gargoyles, Quelaag, Ornstein & Smough, Artorias and Gwyn. As an added plus of being so old, many of the hackers and griefers have moved on to Dark Souls 3, although not ALL of them are gone. Occasionally you will run into the crazy insta-curse or infinite health invaders / hosts. But hackers are a part of any online game, and Dark Souls 1 has relatively few (Stay out of Darkroot Woods.).

Very, VERY Good PvE Combat
The biggest draw to the original Dark Souls is the combat. It's probably the most polished combat out of any of the Dark Souls games, including the fast-paced Bloodborne and Dark Souls 3. While it may be slow, you are always in danger. Every fight is a risk. But that is what makes it so compelling, unlike other games which can be breezed through. It encourages you to think in a fight. Look for an opening, and take the advantage. Pull back if things are getting too dicey. Parry an easy hit to take an enemy out of the fight. Every fight in Dark Souls is a constant strategical game, learning the moves of a new enemy to exploit them for your own gain, all the while trying to stay alive under their punishing blows. This is the combat that made the Dark Souls series the legend it is now. It is worth trying out, if you can handle it.

Almost Any Weapon is Viable
Both in PvP and PvE, nearly any combination of weapons and armor you desire can be viable if you put the effort to mastering it. If you want to use a Great Scythe and Pyromancy? Have at it. Beefy tank with a spear and Greatshield? Sure, go for it. Naked dude running around throwing lightning bolts? You'd be surprised. This sort of accesability makes the game amazingly replayable, with every run a new experience and new combat style to master. This makes it vastly superior to Dark Souls 3, in which the PvP meta is basically "Medium Armor and a Straight Sword or GTFO". If you want to have a fun time with the combat, get Dark Souls 1.

Fantastic Boss Fights
Possibly what the Dark Souls series is known for the most is the absolute spectacle it makes of the bosses. Every boss is completely unique (Except for the Copy and Paste Demon, ffs Fromsoft) and is a great obstacle to overcome. They all have their own strengths and weaknesses, encouraging analysis on how to take them down with what you currently have. While you may die (And you probably will), each clash is a learning experience. You learn how they act, how they respond. You can take this information, and use it your advantage. "If I stand underneath him, he'll try and sit on me." You can use this information to bait out an attack, and then punish it. And the feeling of exhiliration when you finally land the killing blow on a boss is unlike nearly any other game I've played. Each run with a different build is almost a new challenge, and it never loses its charm.

Graphically Sound
Due to being over 6 years old, Dark Souls 1 runs flawlessly at 30FPS, 720p without any dips in performance on a modern computer. If that isn't enough for you, the popular community mod DSfix can boost those numbers to 60FPS and 1080p resolution easily, at the cost of occasionally falling through the floor. People have reported horrible FPS in places like Blighttown, but I have never experienced these myself.


Basically Impossible without a Controller
The Souls series originated on consoles with both Demon's Souls and Dark Souls 1 starting out as PS3 Exclusives. This shows heavily in the control scheme. The keyboard controls for Dark Souls are a clunky, unwieldy device that is incredibly difficult to use and even if mastered, will still be inferior to a controller in every concievable way. With the default control scheme, it is impossible to keep your shield up AND parry, as that requires you to Shift + Tab, which opens up the Steam Overlay. TL;DR, buy a controller for your computer before you buy Dark Souls 1.

Unfair Deaths
However, not every death you experience will be fair. Yes, you did have your shield up when that attack hit. Yes, you did dodge that attack. For every "legitimate" death, there will be a few "illegitimate" ones. While they are infuriating, especially if you have been fighting a particularly intense boss battle, you have to move on eventually. There is simply no way of avoiding these. I still believe that despite these atrocious results of broken hitboxes or glitches, the game is worth it in the end.

Too Much Lack of Explanation
While people praise Dark Souls for not holding the players hand, I believe that at least giving them a road sign would not be unwarranted. The game does NOT tell you at all what you are doing and where you should be going. The only way to even find out what to do to progress is to talk to the strange homeless man sitting next to the bonfire. Even then, he still doesn't tell you where to find these objectives. The other problem is the sort of hub bonfire at Firelink Shrine. There are three different paths to take, but only one is the right one for your first time. The other two paths lead to mid / end game areas that will almost instantly result in your death, but will not indicate you shouldnt be going this way. This happens multiple times at branching points, and it constantly makes you question if you are actually going the right way or not.

Stupid NPC Quest Requirements
I wont name names for the sake of spoilers, but many incredibly helpful NPCs DIE unless something completely random is killed by the player. Two NPCs are killed by others, which are not even hinted at before it happens and cannot be undone. These killings lock you out of getting ANY high level miracles like Great Heal or Wrath of the Gods, and can also disable Firelink Shrine PERMANENTLY until you reach a very mid-game area, about ten to fifteen hours later. Another NPC can be murdered by a parasite unless you unlock a shortcut by giving 30 humanity to a hidden covenant, therby allowing you access to the area to kill the parasite. These abrupt murders are stupid, and while many players never fall for them again past the first time, its the first experience that counts the most and these are just needlessly cruel and unfair punishments for something the player could NOT have known without googling it beforehand.

The Camera Wants to Kill You
While normally very compliant, the camera in Dark Souls is infamous for being a fickle piece of ♥♥♥♥. Occasionally it will get stuck to a wall, ceiling, or other sort of random object and whip to the side. This often happens when traversing dangerously precarious walkways, causing the character to suddenly plummet to their death. This sort of occurance is uncommon, but it is not even close to rare and it is COMPLETELY the game's fault.

Dark Souls 1, like all games, has its faults. But in the end, it's a unique experience unlike any other, and its worth buying for that.

Shantae: Half Genie Hero is the latest installment of the Shantae series, after being successfully Kickstarted back in 2013 and easily surpassing its $400,000 goal. I believe they used this money well to improve the game both visually and audibly. I have not ever played Pirates Curse, and so this will not be a comparison between the two.


Fantastic Visuals
Half Genie Hero got a serious visual update compared to other Shantae games, and it really pays off. With smooth 60 FPS animation, the game is stunning to behold and has detailed backgrounds often with many things going on in them as well (If you wait long enough in Mermaid Falls Factory, Bolo passes by on a hook with a fish attached to his head). This visual improvement ensures that people who are deterred from older pixelated graphics won't miss out on the classic Shantae character and platforming appeal.

Catchy Music
While on the topic of visuals and audio, the soundtrack to Half Genie Hero is AMAZING, easily some of the best platforming music I've heard in ages. All of the tracks bring back memories of Sonic the Hedgehog and other 80s - 2000s platforming classics with that catchy beat and backing tunes. They all have their own unique appeal and their greatest strength is a lack of weakness. Even the worst of the music in the game is still good, while the best can get stuck in your head for days.

Lack of Boring Dialogue
The characters may not have much in the way of dialogue variety, but what they do have is very good. Each conversation is full of personality, which may be further amplified if you have played all the previous Shantae games and already know all these characters. My only complaint is that there isn't much dialogue at all, most of the game is obviously focused on the platforming aspect.

Now, down to the real stuff.
Tight Gameplay
The gameplay is phenomenal. Shantae handles very well, as all Platformers should, and any damage I took was usually my own fault for not avoiding or predicting what I knew was already there. There are only a few jumps and sections where Shantae's handling comes into question, but these are small parts of the overall game and do not take away from the experience.

Revisiting Areas is Actually Fun
Shantae plays sort of like an old Metroid game, where visiting old areas is highly encouraged. By gaining new transformations and abilities, whenever Shantae goes back to a level there is always something new to explore or unlock. This exploration is always rewarded with useful transformations and items (Except for the two useless crystal items, but I digress). For people who love to discover new secrets, this is definitely a plus. If you are not a big fan of constant back tracking, that's a shame, but the the incredible visuals and music may just make it more tolerable than you would think.

Good Enemy Diversity
The enemies have a good diversity to them in the levels, and while many of them are similar (mechanically) all of them feel well-suited to the areas they belong in. Some enemies have unique traits and abilities that must be figured out first before defeating them, which is a good challenge to have during the rest of the gameplay. It doesn't suffer from "Mario Enemy Syndrome", where every enemy is only a threat by walking at you in a slightly different way. No one enemy feels unbalanced, ensuring that every area is enjoyable and unique.

Bosses are an Enjoyable Spectacle
All the bosses in the game are a blast to fight, with their own mechanics and tricks to figure out much like some of the unique enemies. Each one presents its own challenge, and while some are easy others are fairly challenging to juggle around without the help of magic. Each boss was something to look forward to at the end of a level, like the topping on a cake.

Unfortunately, as will all games, Shantae is not all flowers and butterflies. It has its own share of problems.

Way Too Easy:
The base game in Half Genie Hero is easy with even moderate platforming skill. Enemies are predictable (As are most platformer enemies) and can be killed easily with practice. This is made so easy to the point of being almost impossible to die with the use of magic and the Magic Tiara, which can turn you invincible, do massive damage, and cheese the final escape section. However, those seeking a challenge can attempt Hard Core Mode, which gives a massive boost to enemy damage, attack speed, adds more mobs, and boosts boss AI. Hard Core Mode is a good challenge, albiet a little TOO challenging at time. But what do you expect? It's called Hard Core Mode, not Slightly Harder Mode.

Massive Difficulty Spike in the Final Level
The final level of Half Genie Hero ramps the difficulty up tenfold, and it cannot be reduced through spells like most other areas can. There is a flying section that requires precise control of the Harpy transformation, which at the best of times handles like a hyperactive dog on roller skates. This is followed by an escape level with very questionable hitboxes on vital handholds, leading to potentially numerous frustrating deaths. This final escape can be easily cheesed by using magic, however. All I can really say is to hang in there and do your best!

Underwhelming Final Boss
While I won't spoil it for those that care, the final boss is possibly the easiest boss in the game, made even easier if you found the Harpy Talon item while backtracking. It's not a deal breaker, but it makes the ending slightly less satisfying than it could have been. This one is a minor gripe, the boss is still fun to fight.

All in all, while it has its negatives, Shantae: Half Genie Hero is certainly worth the buy. There is even more DLC on the horizon, with Risky Boots herself being playable with a full campagin in the near future. It's worth the full price, and especially worth it if on sale.

Return to Castle Wolfenstein is one of the classic Wolfenstein games, made on the Quake engine in the early 2000s. While a lot of people insist this is one of the best Wolfenstein games ever made, an essential FPS of the early era, and still holds up today, I disagree. RTCW has its high points, but also abysmally low ones as well.

(This review was based on a single playthrough, on what was basically medium difficulty out of three options.)

Let's start with the positives.


Immersive Atmosphere
The atmosphere and level design are amazing. Having any sort of weather effect adds a lot to a game, and RTCW wasn't afraid to get a little foggy or snowy. This obscures your sight, just like real weather would. It also has complex but logical lab layouts, making them feel like it could be a real place. RTCW builds a world that seems just as possible as the WW2 we learn about in 8th grade history.

Cliche but Enjoyable Story
The story is also worthy of some praise, despite its slight cheesiness. It's just what you would expect out of a Wolfenstein game: Germany is researching the occult and enhancing its soldiers with robotics. Eventually they get mechanized soldiers and you have to fight them. It's formulaic, but effective. It gets the point across and while the German soldiers do have comically fake accents, they and the Allied Forces generals are well acted and are pleasant to listen to.

Unfortunately, the positives of Return to Castle Wolfenstein cannot outweight the negatives. While the first half of the game does not suffer from these problems, the ending levels are plagued with them.


God-Awful Enemies
The enemies are offensively bad in design. There is almost a sort of aimbot switch going on, where a single soldier can miss an entire magazine of shots but then land 20 of them in a row flawlessly (Even if you are strafing or peppering them with your own bullets), depleting over half your health and armor. Enemy snipers can also have the same problem, able to land shots at such a great distance that you can barely even see them, let alone snipe them back before half your health is gone. This "boosted" response time and accuracy is courtesy of the difficulty system, which isn't increasing the difficulty at all, just the omnipotence of the enemies. Notice how I do not say this game is HARD. It is just bad AI that leeches the enjoyment out of the game. While this is insultingly bad AI, it is tolerable through the use of cover and smart positioning. This goes out the window in the final three levels.

F*ck Lopers and Super Soldiers
The final levels introduce Lopers and Super Soldiers. Lopers are incredibly fast moving enemies that can either attack by using a massive electric AOE attack, or by jumping at you at an incredible distance. This jump is fast, nearly unavoidable, and does huge damage in a massive area despite no attack being visible. I was killed by a Loper 5 meters below me while on a catwalk above just because he was jumping around on the ground floor, but somehow still hitting me. Super Soldiers are even more offensively bad, as the prototype soldiers are quite content to spam endless rounds of either RPG rockets or minigun bullets in your direction with no pause. The complete Super Soldiers also use a Tesla Cannon, which is an electric beam (With infinite ammunition, of course) that will not miss, has nearly unlimited range, pushes the player back and deals staggeringly high amounts of damage with absolutely no drawbacks. All encounters with the Tesla Super Soldiers take place in rooms with nearly no cover or way to avoid their fire. This is horrible, unfair and unfun enemy design, and whoever thought these enemies were acceptable for public release need to reconsider their career choices.

Mandatory Save Scumming
The biggest problem with this game is the massive difficulty spike the player faces if they are not constantly quick saving. I do not look down on save-scumming, but when it is close to the only viable way to complete a game there is something seriously wrong with said game. The Quake engine is not designed for stealth, many enemies have near endless sightlines and can see you and shoot you well before you even know which direction they are in. And of course when they see you, the entire enemy compound somehow knows which exact rock you are hiding behind and go on full alert. This near instant change in the situation makes quick saving after every twenty feet or bit of progress the only way to not ruin an entire mission just because an enemy partially obscured behind a bush two miles away saw you peek out from behind a wall, or turning a corner and instantly losing 50 health & 80 armor to a single man with a Panzerfaust. Return to Castle Wolfenstein is more of a trial and error game than a proper skill and positioning FPS.

Insultingly Bad Bosses
The pinnacle of dissapointment lies in the bosses of the game. The first and final boss are hilariously easy, as they can only use melee and limited, easily dodged ranged attacks. The easiest and most effective way to beat them is to simply stand 10 meters away and pepper the walking sponges with bullets until they eventually explode. The final boss is even more of a dissapointment than the first, because after a whole 2 levels solely dedicated to padding the game length before the boss you get to face a heavily armored man that can ONLY use melee, and occasionally summons normal zombies to join the fight. The second boss of the game is more offensive than the other two simply for being one of the aformentioned Tesla Super Soldiers. The instant the fight starts, 8 out of 10 times he locks onto you with the Tesla gun and wipes out a solid chunk of your health before you can even attempt to find what little cover there is in the boss arena. It is a gimmicky dissapointment.

A lot of the fans of RTCW are nostalgia blinded maniacs
I specifically leave this here, not because of the game itself but because no matter where you go, any criticism of Return to Castle Wolfenstein is swiftly met with unending hate troll spam. Any forum you go on that talks bad about this game is met with thunderous dissaproval, let alone just this review. If steam hadn't removed the percentage approved feature on review ratings, you would see how many downvotes this review got. Not because its a bad review, but because the nostalgia blinded fans cannot imagine for a second that their precious baby is flawed in any way. You have no idea how many comments I deleted because they brought absolutely nothing to the table except troll bait attempts. If you want help in beating this crappy game, be warned. The community here is more likely to tell you to Git Gud than a Dark Souls player. No matter how good you are at games, they will INSIST you are bad and "can't handle a game that doesn't hold your hand". Not that you should get this game in the first place.

In summary, Return to Castle Wolfenstein is a gimmicky, broken piece of crap that happens to have a fantastic atmosphere and surprisingly good visuals for a game made in 2001. No amount of personal skill can help you overcome the bad AI and unbalanced weapons (I've been playing games for nearly 20 years now, you could not pay me to believe I have not "gotten good", especially when I've done Halo 2 on Legendary) Do not believe the nostalgia blinded fans, many of which will downvote this review and prove my point (Even though the ratings are supposed to be "Is this review helpful?" not "Do you agree with this review?") No matter what the price is, this game is not worth your money. Go buy Half Life, which came out 3 years earlier and is somehow better in every aspect, and still costs about the same as this game.