Recent reviews by Kettie

I put the hours in. I really wanted to like this.

*The sci-fi universe is by the numbers.
*The new game+ mechanic makes the whole game feel pointless.
*The skill lines are so ridiculously bloated that entire game mechanics are inaccessible unless you install a skill point mod. Not that you need them. Locking the shipbuilding and resource outposts behind skill lines makes total sense when you realize how pointless setting up bases, crafting weapons/armor, eating food, or building ships is.
*The main quests are boring. The faction quests aren't much better. The side quests are a mixed bag of okay-ness. The mechanics of all the quests are go-kill-return with possibly some flavor text hidden in whatever base or mine you're sent to. Playing them over and over does not help.
*The 'stealth' quests should be as good or better than the ones in Oblivion by now, but they seem to have never figured out their success there. These are a joke.
*It feels like a half finished game. Why are there cells on my space ship if I can't arrest bounties? How is so much of this game randomly generated copy paste bases/mines? I get that handcrafting multiple worlds would be insane, but there doesn't feel like there's enough anything to fill Skyrim. Modders should not be your Plan B.

DON'T SUBSCRIBE THROUGH STEAM.

*edit 1/1/21: Over a week in emails with support@swtor.com and still not fixed. I have reported this to Steam as a broken product.*

Dear everyone who has subscribed through Steam and had no problems: https://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2020/12/14/cyberpunk-2

This was shown in EA as a sandbox/survival game with plans to add objectives and quests. Then they switched focus to FTP, mobile, and player created mini-games. The exploration mode is still there as DLC and 'free' for those who purchased the game in EA, but there have been no significant additions and it looks like there won't be. Pretty disappointing for those who bought in expecting what was originally shown. Might be OK for new players who are interested in the free mini-games.

This game is lovely. The graphics are lovely, the characters are lovely, the mechanics are lovely. It's just fricking lovely. I'd have more play time on it, but it's EA and I don't want to get burnt out. The developers keep pushing out updates at a crazy pace and I don't want to restart all the time to see everything. Even in EA I recommend this. It's one of the few EA games that I feel fairly confident will actually get completed and there is definitely plenty to do as it is. This game makes the real world feel a little less awful. I can't speak for multiplayer, but from what people are saying in Discord and Reddit it at least works which is better than most multiplayer games in EA.

I'm terrible at this game. The second I start importing citizens to Mars it all goes downhill. From the discussions I have deduced that it's a very easy simulation and I'm just terrible. It's still really fun. There are skill trees to unlock and new buildings to place. I can even randomize the process to find new ways to fail with interesting technologies. Somehow, someday I will successfully colonize mars. Until then I still enjoy finding new ways to almost survive Mars.

I love farting around this universe. I feel like the galaxy's oldest retiree, puttering around the stars searching for the coolest Winnebago. I pop on a favorite podcast (Magnus Archives, The Dollop, Wolf 359 if you need some recommendations) and just wander around failing to do what I meant to do when I loaded in. I don't know how it happens, but I never do what I mean to do. It's like when you go into the kitchen to do dishes. Then you see a towel on the counter and take it to the laundry room. You start the laundry but notice that the spackle was left out for that nail hole in the living room wall. You go to patch the hole and see that someone left a cup on the table. You take the cup to the dishwasher and see that the sink is still full. Like that, but with aliens that sometimes want to eat you.

This game is a warm blanket with hot cocoa in the middle of winter. Whenever someone says they are feeling depressed I recommend this game. Grab a controller, get comfy and go explore a land of adorable squishy cuteness. I never thought I'd think slimes were cuddly but here we are. I sometimes compare this to Viva Pinata for making me love my little adorable charges and then do terrible things to them for profit. At least in Slime Rancher I'm not actively feeding them to each other. Please don't look at my pen of bloody nosed pink slimes, it's totally for an achievement.

*Update September 2022* I switched to Linux back in 2020. A couple of days ago I was browsing my library and figured I'd give this another go. Works great. Quick loads, everything pops merrily along. Had some shader issues that were fixed by reloading the game, but that isn't unusual for my computer. Hopefully the windows experience is as good or better. Changing to recommended.

*Old review below*

My son and I used to play this all the time. My OS hasn't changed, and my hardware has only improved, but the game has become unplayable. When it's working it is a very fun smash 'em up and block builder. The graphics are bright and cheerful, the NPCs are cute, the building is fun. However it is now, (since the Elves, Rogues, and Rifts DLC), taking me/us up to 15 minutes to get to the title screen and from there loaded into a save game. I originally thought it was freezing but left it sitting while I was doing other things and discovered it was just taking forever. It usually crashes while using a portal sometime within an hour of playing. Searching Steam and Reddit showed posts going back several years with official responses asking for system specs and crash reports with no solutions. I'd love to recommend this game, but I just can't at the moment. I try to boot it up every few weeks, but so far no luck. If anything changes I will amend my review. The version we have on the Nintendo Switch works fine but is a little less pretty if you are OK with looking there.

I love farming/life sims and I backed Staxel a very long time ago. I think it was seedling edition. The game, and it's vision, have changed a lot since then. The villagers don't have as much depth as I would like. Sometimes the UI and mechanics feel little unintuitive. However, the freedom to build your farm and town in whatever blocky way you wish is very fun. I usually play with a controller through my steam link and it's very relaxing but compelling. I'll go to bed after one more day... over and over. The farming and livestock are fun, and for the builders out there this definitely has something to offer.

Update: Hadn't been able to play since switching to Linux. I was surprised to see the Linux compatible launch. Works with almost no bugs.

I love this game. There are bugs, and places where it could use more depth, but it's still pretty near perfect if you like games like Rune Factory. You'll be inventing things instead of growing them, though there is a small farming mechanic. The spiral of slowly improving equipment and thinking you'll shut it off after "one more night" is still very present for those familiar with Stardew Valley etc. The changes that YOU make around town are where this truly shines. You aren't just filling requests that have no effect. You make a significant difference in the town and it frequently impacts your convenience and the story. The town and countryside will change with your progress and it's lovely.