JudgeDredd35
Playtime: 30 Hours
Score: 10/10
This is really one of the meatiest DLCs I have ever played! I am so glad this DLC came out since it brought back the idea of Expansions as opposed to just 2-hour long DLCs. Thanks to this we got Frozen Wilds for Horizon Zero Dawn and a new expansion Kingdom of Amalur remaster!
In terms of content this expansion over-delivers, with a new map to explore, a new Gwent deck, new main and story missions, the list goes on. The story is also quite fun and some of the side quests are some of the funniest I have ever played in an RPG. You even get your own estate to deck out, and it serves as a great ending to the character and the story of this trilogy! The ending of this expansion made me cry! I remember playing these DLCs, at the same time as the Fallout 4 DLCs, and the differences were night and day in terms of value and content!
All DLCs I have Played and Reviewed Ranked - https://www.backloggd.com/u/JudgeDredd35/list/all-dlcs-i-have-played-and-reviewed/
Score: 10/10
This is really one of the meatiest DLCs I have ever played! I am so glad this DLC came out since it brought back the idea of Expansions as opposed to just 2-hour long DLCs. Thanks to this we got Frozen Wilds for Horizon Zero Dawn and a new expansion Kingdom of Amalur remaster!
In terms of content this expansion over-delivers, with a new map to explore, a new Gwent deck, new main and story missions, the list goes on. The story is also quite fun and some of the side quests are some of the funniest I have ever played in an RPG. You even get your own estate to deck out, and it serves as a great ending to the character and the story of this trilogy! The ending of this expansion made me cry! I remember playing these DLCs, at the same time as the Fallout 4 DLCs, and the differences were night and day in terms of value and content!
All DLCs I have Played and Reviewed Ranked - https://www.backloggd.com/u/JudgeDredd35/list/all-dlcs-i-have-played-and-reviewed/
Playtime: 10 Hours
Score: 8/10
Pretty good expansion with a really fun storyline added. Although it's not as big as Blood and Wine, this expansion still offers a lot compared to most story DLCs, if any even get made for a game these days.
All DLCs I have Played and Reviewed Ranked - https://www.backloggd.com/u/JudgeDredd35/list/all-dlcs-i-have-played-and-reviewed/
Score: 8/10
Pretty good expansion with a really fun storyline added. Although it's not as big as Blood and Wine, this expansion still offers a lot compared to most story DLCs, if any even get made for a game these days.
All DLCs I have Played and Reviewed Ranked - https://www.backloggd.com/u/JudgeDredd35/list/all-dlcs-i-have-played-and-reviewed/
Playtime: 1 Hour
Score: 6/10
The only workshop add-on I really dabbled in since this one features a short storyline to playthrough which introduces you to the new building items added on. I wasn't really into the building side of things and was more interested in the story. It's another good hour onto your playtime if you have it.
Score: 6/10
The only workshop add-on I really dabbled in since this one features a short storyline to playthrough which introduces you to the new building items added on. I wasn't really into the building side of things and was more interested in the story. It's another good hour onto your playtime if you have it.
Playtime: 2-3 Hours.
Score: 6/10
There are aspects of this DLC I enjoyed like the added customization for robot companions and the storyline featuring the Mechanizer from Fallout 3, which I thought was cool! But I was very disappointed back when this came out, as it's way too short and it was the first DLC to be added onto the base game. Not really worth it, unless you get the GOTY edition of the game.
Score: 6/10
There are aspects of this DLC I enjoyed like the added customization for robot companions and the storyline featuring the Mechanizer from Fallout 3, which I thought was cool! But I was very disappointed back when this came out, as it's way too short and it was the first DLC to be added onto the base game. Not really worth it, unless you get the GOTY edition of the game.
Playtime: 5-6 Hours (Excluding Endgame)
Score: 7/10
I gotta admit the theme song for this DLC, always get me pumped! Fun DLC overall, with a cool theme park area to explore. I appreciated how the park was split up into 4 distinct areas with different themes. I mostly played this for the story content, after that you can take your raider gang and attack settlements you already took for the minutemen in the base game. I didn't really bother with that though. Overall though the story was a bit forgettable, to be honest.
Score: 7/10
I gotta admit the theme song for this DLC, always get me pumped! Fun DLC overall, with a cool theme park area to explore. I appreciated how the park was split up into 4 distinct areas with different themes. I mostly played this for the story content, after that you can take your raider gang and attack settlements you already took for the minutemen in the base game. I didn't really bother with that though. Overall though the story was a bit forgettable, to be honest.
Solid DLC as it adds some decent elements to the gameplay department.
Recently was going for the platinum in the base game so I thought to play this DLC as well. While Legend of Deal Kel added more in the gameplay department, this DLC added a more gripping story and interesting characters to meet! A fun addition to the already solid base game!
Adds the most in terms of content to the base game and I'd say I liked this one second to Zombie Island. What is this DLC's downfall is the fact that there is no fast travel at all aside for in the starting area. This isn't so bad in Zombie Island and Claptrap Revolution because the areas are small and easier to get where you need to go on foot. Here the areas are huge and require cars to get around, which isn't a bad thing, the problem is if you quit out your game and reload later; you have to travel very long distances to get to where you last were and fight tones of enemies on the way there. It makes going back to do side missions a pain and pretty much makes you try to finish the whole thing in one sitting, which is not good.
My favourite of the Borderlands 1 DLCs! Ya, it's zombies, but I generally enjoyed the storyline and visiting old characters and locations from the base game as Zombified versions are always fun to see!
Playtime: 4 Hours
Score: 7/10
Pretty fun DLC with a cool storyline added. I loved seeing the return of the Handsome Jack voice actor as he provides just as good of a performance as he did in Borderlands 2. The story of this DLC was already better than the base game story for me as it felt more zaney and to what I expect from these games. Plus Ava isn't in this DLC which is already a bonus! The only problem is this DLC is incredibly short, only taking me 3-4 hours to finish. Some will say that's the standard DLC run time, which I don't agree with as many of Borderlands own DLC as well as other recent games have shown how you can add way more value into DLC. I'd say wait until more DLC is out before buying the season pass or anything.
All DLC I have Played and Reviewed Ranked - https://www.backloggd.com/u/JudgeDredd35/list/all-dlcs-i-have-played-and-reviewed-ranked/
Score: 7/10
Pretty fun DLC with a cool storyline added. I loved seeing the return of the Handsome Jack voice actor as he provides just as good of a performance as he did in Borderlands 2. The story of this DLC was already better than the base game story for me as it felt more zaney and to what I expect from these games. Plus Ava isn't in this DLC which is already a bonus! The only problem is this DLC is incredibly short, only taking me 3-4 hours to finish. Some will say that's the standard DLC run time, which I don't agree with as many of Borderlands own DLC as well as other recent games have shown how you can add way more value into DLC. I'd say wait until more DLC is out before buying the season pass or anything.
All DLC I have Played and Reviewed Ranked - https://www.backloggd.com/u/JudgeDredd35/list/all-dlcs-i-have-played-and-reviewed-ranked/
Playtime: 4-5 Hours
Score: 5/10
Another 'meh' DLC! I liked the western theme of this DLC, the levels look pretty cool and the main antagonist was good. However the story, writing and side characters are just average, as most of the base game was. Theres still the problem of when major things happen in the story, your character still doesn't appear in the cutscenes which like the base game makes you feel like your watching rather then participating. Borderlands used to be the series that would always have exceptional DLC, but this entry has just been disappointing in this regard.
Score: 5/10
Another 'meh' DLC! I liked the western theme of this DLC, the levels look pretty cool and the main antagonist was good. However the story, writing and side characters are just average, as most of the base game was. Theres still the problem of when major things happen in the story, your character still doesn't appear in the cutscenes which like the base game makes you feel like your watching rather then participating. Borderlands used to be the series that would always have exceptional DLC, but this entry has just been disappointing in this regard.
Playtime: 6-7 Hours
Score: 5/10
An okay second DLC for Borderlands 3. The story was okay and it was longer in length compared to the Moxxi's heist DLC, which I appreciated. Although I prefer Moxxi's heist more in terms of its story and characters. Much of the new side characters introduced in this DLC were just meh. One thing that annoyed me was the enemy variety in terms of the lines they say during combat. They only have a handful of lines they say in total and it can get really annoying when they say the same stuff like a million times.
Score: 5/10
An okay second DLC for Borderlands 3. The story was okay and it was longer in length compared to the Moxxi's heist DLC, which I appreciated. Although I prefer Moxxi's heist more in terms of its story and characters. Much of the new side characters introduced in this DLC were just meh. One thing that annoyed me was the enemy variety in terms of the lines they say during combat. They only have a handful of lines they say in total and it can get really annoying when they say the same stuff like a million times.
2014
Playtime: 20 Minutes
Score: 7/10
Very short and simple horror game. Had some nice puzzles to solve and a very creepy atmosphere. The notes you read are very disturbing and it actually set up a twist over what character I was playing and that went in a completely different direction to what I thought it would. Its free on Steam, so its definitely worth playing for that and how short it is.
Score: 7/10
Very short and simple horror game. Had some nice puzzles to solve and a very creepy atmosphere. The notes you read are very disturbing and it actually set up a twist over what character I was playing and that went in a completely different direction to what I thought it would. Its free on Steam, so its definitely worth playing for that and how short it is.
Playtime: 5 Hours
Score: 7/10
Another title in the Amnesia series I have finally played, with only Amnesia: The Bunker being left for me. I played through Dark Descent last year, and absolutely loved it despite me never being a fan of hide & seek horror games, but Frictional Games has always been the exception for me. Soma was another great experience, despite being light on gameplay, however I did not like Amnesia: Rebirth at all. That game just didn't click with me and I felt it lacked atmosphere and a compelling narrative. This game however, was developed by The Chinese Room, who make a lot of narrative focused, walking sim games. I personally really liked Dear Esther from them, but didn't really like Everbody's Gone to the Rapture, so I was interested to see their take on an Amnesia game.
A Machine for Pigs is probably the most divisive game in the series and I can see why. It strips away almost all the gameplay elements from Dark Descent, which I am not a fan of them doing that. No inventory or resource management; no healing items as your health regens automatically; you now use an electric lantern as opposed to an oil one, which never runs out; and the puzzles have been severly dumbed down. The puzzles are now just physics based puzzles where you have to physcially pick up items and bring them over to something else to interact with. And I used the term "puzzles" very loosely as most of them can be solved with just simple common sense. You also can barely pick up any items in the world like you can in most Frictional titles, unless its something needed to progress. I just found this disappointing as being able to interact and pick up almost anything in a Frictional game has always added to the immersion for me, and it was sad to see it toned down.
Some things they did get right was the sound design from the music to the sounds the machinery makes as this game is set in 1899, with very industrial themes. However, the sound mixing is not very good, especially if you play with headphones. Everything is just set way too loud. You also can't change individual sound settings such as, music, effects, voice etc.. with there only being one master sound setting. I had to basically turn the master down to half and still lower my headphone volume below what I usually set it too.
As for the horror, its got a decent atmosphere, but its definitely a step down from Dark Descent. The pig men in this game have a cool design, but there AI is really dumb and there easily avoidable, as when they chase you just have to sprint for a few seconds in the oppostie direction and they will just give up on trying to chase you. You also don't really seem to die in this game as when I did "die", my character would just wake up in another part of the level. Interesting though when I "died" the first time, it was a in a room full of cages and when I woke up, I was in a cage that the pig man must have dragged me into. I thought it was nice attention to detail to show the pigs have some level of intelligence.
That does finally bring us to the story which is what I think saves this title. I just found myself very intrigued with what was going on, and I read almost every note that I could find, trying to piece together the narrative. The voice acting is very good which adds to the powerful moments and it gave me some Bioshock vibes in some of its themes. It can feel like a repeat on plot beats from the first game, but I overall really liked it! It gets BATSHIT crazy in the last act and I didn't expect the story to do such a 180 turn!
Overall, the story is easily the best part and is why I'm scoring it higher then I normally would, with all the negatives stacked against it. This I would say is a good, entry level survival horror games for anyone looking to get into the genre. And this is still way better then Rebirth in my book.
All Games I have Played and Reviewed Ranked - https://www.backloggd.com/u/JudgeDredd35/list/all-games-i-have-played-and-reviewed-ranked/
Score: 7/10
Another title in the Amnesia series I have finally played, with only Amnesia: The Bunker being left for me. I played through Dark Descent last year, and absolutely loved it despite me never being a fan of hide & seek horror games, but Frictional Games has always been the exception for me. Soma was another great experience, despite being light on gameplay, however I did not like Amnesia: Rebirth at all. That game just didn't click with me and I felt it lacked atmosphere and a compelling narrative. This game however, was developed by The Chinese Room, who make a lot of narrative focused, walking sim games. I personally really liked Dear Esther from them, but didn't really like Everbody's Gone to the Rapture, so I was interested to see their take on an Amnesia game.
A Machine for Pigs is probably the most divisive game in the series and I can see why. It strips away almost all the gameplay elements from Dark Descent, which I am not a fan of them doing that. No inventory or resource management; no healing items as your health regens automatically; you now use an electric lantern as opposed to an oil one, which never runs out; and the puzzles have been severly dumbed down. The puzzles are now just physics based puzzles where you have to physcially pick up items and bring them over to something else to interact with. And I used the term "puzzles" very loosely as most of them can be solved with just simple common sense. You also can barely pick up any items in the world like you can in most Frictional titles, unless its something needed to progress. I just found this disappointing as being able to interact and pick up almost anything in a Frictional game has always added to the immersion for me, and it was sad to see it toned down.
Some things they did get right was the sound design from the music to the sounds the machinery makes as this game is set in 1899, with very industrial themes. However, the sound mixing is not very good, especially if you play with headphones. Everything is just set way too loud. You also can't change individual sound settings such as, music, effects, voice etc.. with there only being one master sound setting. I had to basically turn the master down to half and still lower my headphone volume below what I usually set it too.
As for the horror, its got a decent atmosphere, but its definitely a step down from Dark Descent. The pig men in this game have a cool design, but there AI is really dumb and there easily avoidable, as when they chase you just have to sprint for a few seconds in the oppostie direction and they will just give up on trying to chase you. You also don't really seem to die in this game as when I did "die", my character would just wake up in another part of the level. Interesting though when I "died" the first time, it was a in a room full of cages and when I woke up, I was in a cage that the pig man must have dragged me into. I thought it was nice attention to detail to show the pigs have some level of intelligence.
That does finally bring us to the story which is what I think saves this title. I just found myself very intrigued with what was going on, and I read almost every note that I could find, trying to piece together the narrative. The voice acting is very good which adds to the powerful moments and it gave me some Bioshock vibes in some of its themes. It can feel like a repeat on plot beats from the first game, but I overall really liked it! It gets BATSHIT crazy in the last act and I didn't expect the story to do such a 180 turn!
Overall, the story is easily the best part and is why I'm scoring it higher then I normally would, with all the negatives stacked against it. This I would say is a good, entry level survival horror games for anyone looking to get into the genre. And this is still way better then Rebirth in my book.
All Games I have Played and Reviewed Ranked - https://www.backloggd.com/u/JudgeDredd35/list/all-games-i-have-played-and-reviewed-ranked/
2021
Playtime: 36 Hours
Score: 9/10
My personal favorite game in the Mass Effect trllogy!
To start with what I liked, I loved the vibe and atmosphere of this game. While the first game was very bright and hopeful, kind of like Mass Effect's New Hope, this game is more Empire Strikes Back, with its darker color palete and you having to operate in the shadows with the shadey corporation known as Cerebrus. This is especially apparent when you go to places like Omega that just give off that cool sinister vibe.
Gameplay wise, this title overhauls much of what was in the first game. Gone is the more open map exploration in favor of more linear mission based gameplay. You now gather resources by shooting probes down at planets, which can be boring at times but its definitely better then driving around in the mako on very empty feeling planets. Classes are also a lot more specialised this time around as you no longer will be carrying the same 4 weapon types around. I personally opted for the infiltrator class which let me have sniper rifles, pistols, SMGs and a heavy weapon. Shooting is also much more improved from the first game and the cover mechanics feel a lot better this time around. You also get twice the amount of companions, with two of them being DLC but if you have the legendary edition, then its all just included. Overall I liked the line up a lot more this time around with way more new interesting companions plus Garrus and Tali returning. Miranda and Jacob can feel a little bit like Ashley and Kaidan 2.0, but there still infinitely more interesting then those other two. All of them come with very cool loyality missions that I loved going on. Some were better then others, but its a good way to give an interesting character arc for each of them and not make them feel like souless bodyguards. And Garrus will always be my #1!
The storytelling is much improved with better writing as well as cooler choices for you to make. I liked the updated Paragon and Renegade system, with you being able to do certain actions while a character is talking to you via QTE prompts. While I went mostly paragon in my playthrough, I still loved doing the renegade actions like punching the reporter (again) or shooting a bad guy during their evil monologue. My only complaint is that I feel like they don't give you enough time during those QTE prompts, as I missed out on a few chances.
As for negatives, there aren't that many for me. I wish exploration was a bit better, as you can run into a lot of invisible walls during missions that can be very immersion breaking. Also whenever you need to climb up a ledge or a step, Shepard always has to duck behind cover and then vault over it. I get that they would want you to do that during combat but when there's no action going on, I should just be able to climb up a ledge normally. Doing a stylish vault over each time is like so extra lol
Overall though, this is a near perfect game for me and truly is Bioware at their peak. Looking forward to finishing all of this off with Mass Effect 3!
All Games I have Played and Reviewed Ranked - https://www.backloggd.com/u/JudgeDredd35/list/all-games-i-have-played-and-reviewed-ranked/
Score: 9/10
My personal favorite game in the Mass Effect trllogy!
To start with what I liked, I loved the vibe and atmosphere of this game. While the first game was very bright and hopeful, kind of like Mass Effect's New Hope, this game is more Empire Strikes Back, with its darker color palete and you having to operate in the shadows with the shadey corporation known as Cerebrus. This is especially apparent when you go to places like Omega that just give off that cool sinister vibe.
Gameplay wise, this title overhauls much of what was in the first game. Gone is the more open map exploration in favor of more linear mission based gameplay. You now gather resources by shooting probes down at planets, which can be boring at times but its definitely better then driving around in the mako on very empty feeling planets. Classes are also a lot more specialised this time around as you no longer will be carrying the same 4 weapon types around. I personally opted for the infiltrator class which let me have sniper rifles, pistols, SMGs and a heavy weapon. Shooting is also much more improved from the first game and the cover mechanics feel a lot better this time around. You also get twice the amount of companions, with two of them being DLC but if you have the legendary edition, then its all just included. Overall I liked the line up a lot more this time around with way more new interesting companions plus Garrus and Tali returning. Miranda and Jacob can feel a little bit like Ashley and Kaidan 2.0, but there still infinitely more interesting then those other two. All of them come with very cool loyality missions that I loved going on. Some were better then others, but its a good way to give an interesting character arc for each of them and not make them feel like souless bodyguards. And Garrus will always be my #1!
The storytelling is much improved with better writing as well as cooler choices for you to make. I liked the updated Paragon and Renegade system, with you being able to do certain actions while a character is talking to you via QTE prompts. While I went mostly paragon in my playthrough, I still loved doing the renegade actions like punching the reporter (again) or shooting a bad guy during their evil monologue. My only complaint is that I feel like they don't give you enough time during those QTE prompts, as I missed out on a few chances.
As for negatives, there aren't that many for me. I wish exploration was a bit better, as you can run into a lot of invisible walls during missions that can be very immersion breaking. Also whenever you need to climb up a ledge or a step, Shepard always has to duck behind cover and then vault over it. I get that they would want you to do that during combat but when there's no action going on, I should just be able to climb up a ledge normally. Doing a stylish vault over each time is like so extra lol
Overall though, this is a near perfect game for me and truly is Bioware at their peak. Looking forward to finishing all of this off with Mass Effect 3!
All Games I have Played and Reviewed Ranked - https://www.backloggd.com/u/JudgeDredd35/list/all-games-i-have-played-and-reviewed-ranked/