I should start by saying that this genre of game is not a favourite of mine. However, I did spend roughly 40 hours on Rimworld and was left feeling satisfied by the experience. Anyway, Rimworld is a game where you manage a colony stranded on a similar to Earth planet, the end goal is to leave. It has a simplistic top-down 2D style, but the game has a lot of depth. If you enjoy these kinds of strategy games where reaction times are not needed, then you should try Rimworld. Who knows, for you, it might be a 9 or 10?

Story
Rimworld is more about your story than anything else. There is no need to be a good writer, though, the game provides enough interesting situations. One time my colony got attacked by a rabid dog and half of my people died.

Mechanics and gameplay
I could spend the next 15 paragraphs explaining all the intricate mechanics, but there might be a word limit, so you should know there is a lot. This might seem intimidating, but I found it to be fairly easy to grasp the basics early on.
The colony goes from a few people barely surviving in the wilderness, to a small village that meets all the basic expectations, and eventually to a highly mechanized society that is trying to build to a rocket. The player is there for all of it, and they get to see it grow in real time.

Graphics and artstyle
As I said – simplistic top-down 2D, it won’t win any beauty contests, but it gives enough information, and I never found myself confused while playing it.

Atmosphere/Immersion
Rimworld is as much about the weird and intense moments as it is about the quiet ones. Those times when there isn’t anything to do other than watch your colonists go about their day – working sleeping eating, interacting. At the end of the day that’s how life is, no one can say that every day something significant happens, most days people just live.
I wouldn’t say I was immersed as much as I was invested.

Soundtrack
There isn’t much to say about the ost, it is good background music, but not the type that I would listen to in my free time. I don’t have a favourite.

Final Thoughts
My prison area was a room with no light, beds or anything comforting, that also doubled as a corpse disposal.

There are few games that while playing I thought to myself - why should I stop. I played Elden Ring the week it came out, when there was no information, no guides, no nothing, and it was some of the best single player experience I've had. The feeling of going out into this massive world, exploring and taking on the challenge that Elden Ring provides, is like nothing else. Yes, it is a hard game and there is no easy mode, but it's not soul crushingly difficult as some have described it. It is for the type of person that is willing to fail as many times as it is required to be able to overcome the challenge before them.
Story
I can't say that Elden Ring has a “good” story. In fact, if you rush straight to the end, you will have like 5 conversation by the time the credits roll.
But the lore of this world is incredible. Every item, every crevice is part of this gigantic fantasy world, that calls out to you to keep exploring more and more of it. Whether you will learn it from reading every item description or YouTube is up to you.

Mechanics and gameplay
It is Dark Souls with an open world. Honestly, the basics are pretty easy to understand - attack enemy, dodge roll when they attack. There are some things added to spice up the formula, but I can't say anyone will be left wondering what's what.
The big selling point is the open world, and I can say that From software has done a fine job. It is gigantic, I have 100+ hours and I didn't manage to explore all of it. Also, unlike many other games that have massive open worlds, Elden Ring never got boring. It constantly changes environments, so that it never feels like circling the same place.
You know how this games is supposed to be super hard, well you can circumvent most of it by just exploring. The first boss is intentionally way above your level to encourage you to back away and to become more powerful.

Graphics and artstyle
Elden Ring is absolutely gorgeous. The graphical fidelity technically isn't that good, but the incredible art design of the world and the attention to detail more than makes up for it.
There is a wide amount of color used throughout the different areas, but it always stays in that fantasy feel, so that the immersion is never broken.

Atmosphere/Immersion
In all of my time playing games that allow me to customize my character and make him myself, I have never felt as attached as I did to the character, I made in Elden Ring. The game gives you the feeling that you are a small, insignificant person, that has to carve out their own path in the world if they want to survive.
Immersion is another part that is done very well. There are no big flashy menus, quest markers or even a mini map, this allows the player to feel as if they are actually in this fantasy world.
Soundtrack
Great ost with many great songs, all of which closely follow the setting of the game, so you can expect instrumental somewhat classical in nature music. My favorite is “Roundtable Hold”.

Final Thoughts
All in on strength

There has been much written about this game, especially in the past few years. This is for a good reason; it is genuinely an incredibly fun experience. I played it a year ago, and yet I still think about it every so often. It’s nothing like the other Metal Gear games, which emphasize stealth and tactic, while MGR:R is all break neck action and set pieces. They do provide so context to the story, but I personally didn’t find it confusing even without it. I would highly recommend it if you want fast action or just overall a fun time.

Story
In the near future, you (a cyborg ninja named Raiden) discover a secret plot to start another war in the Middle East, so that more money could be funnelled to autonomous war robots, thus you go rouge from your mercenary company to stop them. During your journey, you will fight gigantic twelve story tall robots, cyborgs like you, and the senator of Colorado. (Guess which one is the strongest)
Don’t get this game if you want a serious storyline. However, it does take itself seriously, which can make for some absolutely hilarious moments. Like the famous: “Memes, the DNA of the soul.”. Due to this, every character has a very memorable personality and their interactions are always engaging.
Some may call it anime-like, but I prefer to say that it’s made to be as hype as possible. It does away with any realism and has a moment that would make you say “Wait, why couldn’t I do that before”, if you weren’t already engrossed in its absurdness.
Reading into the dialogue, does reveal that there are some thought-provoking messages. Every character has their own motivation for why they fight. Understanding them is what elevates MGR:R to more than just fast action and crazy cutscenes. In fact, for me this makes the battles even more hype, as it turns them into clashes of motivation.

Gameplay
Contrary to its predecessors, MGR:R is a hack and slash game. Even for a newcomer to this genre, it isn't that difficult. Most of the time you be fighting enemies at close range, trying to hit as many combos as possible, only interrupting to block any attack being thrown at you. When an enemy gets too low health, you can enable blade mode to cut them into as many pieces as possible. And I do mean that literary, I almost crashed my game once. Doing so allows you to heal to max health. This in turn makes retreating pointless, as you need just one enemy to top up.
While there are combos, there is no style meter. The only thing resembling it is a rating at the end of each stage which takes into account kills, time, combo etc.
My favourite part of the game is definitely the boss battles. Each one is a test of a certain skill, culminating in the last one that test everything you’ve learned. They have just the right number of predetermined parts and skill required to make the player feel like a total badass. Also, just have to say, the final boss – literally the best boss battle ever.

Graphics
For a decade old game, I can’t complain. I would even say It's pretty good. During fights, you get all of these sparks and various other vfx that really add to the feel of cyborg combat.
Some may find the washed out early 2010 style unappealing, but I find that it lets the bright colours, that come from combat, stand out more.

Atmosphere
There are few games that can be entirely described by a single 1-minute clip. Just look up Rules of Nature on YouTube.

Music
Hands down my favourite video game ost ever. First, having lyrics in your songs, especially lyrics with actual meaning that also tells you more about the character – amazing. But that’s not all. You know how some games will have like a more powerful song for the second phase of a boss. Now imagine that instead the lyrics kick in. I am ascending.
Of course, it's metal. It's metal gear rising after all. Can’t say a favourite song, listen to the whole album. (I lied, its “The Stains Of Time”)

Conclusion
Average American Citizen

The Forest is a survival game from that time they got really popular. While that era gave us a lot of mixed and below average titles in that genre, The Forest is one of the better ones. It has a setting that at first might seem generic, stranded on an island, but the cannibals, weird creatures and the mystery of the island, makes the game far more engaging than the usual zombie apocalypse. However, just the main gameplay loop of making a base and surviving is more interesting than following the story, so I never actually got to the end. Multiplayer with proximity chat is also a feature and I would highly recommend, even more than the single player experience.

Story
While on flight with your son, your plane loses control and crashes on a remote island. You and your son survive, but a mysterious cannibal kidnaps him. Now your task is to survive and find your son, even though one might think that being kidnapped by cannibals he has probably been eaten already. Really, the story is there mostly so that there is an end goal.

Mechanics and gameplay
All the standard features of a survival game are here, hunger, thirst and even sanity, but I don’t think it works. Overall, taking care of them isn’t a big issue, but it does become once there are 10 cannibals chasing you.
That’s where the difficulty comes from. At first, they won’t be that big of an issue, but once you set up a base, they will become more and more relentless in their goal to kill you. It's not just human that you will face, there are also horrific abominations. It's rare that you will have an encounter with them on the surface, but once you go underground you are bound to see one.
So just don’t go in any caves. Wrong. If you want the best weapons, tools and generally to just progress the story, you will have to brave the depths. Overall, while most of the island is just forest exploration, it is still worth it.
Building in The Forest is pretty good. It no Minecraft, but I did enjoy making my base, setting traps and decorations.

Graphics and artstyle
The graphics are surprisingly good. Most of it has to do with the good lighting and the detailed foliage. This does mean that underground the game looks a lot worse, and sometimes the lighting gets quite messy there, but that probably a bug.

Atmosphere
If you play The Forest singleplayer, there is an astounding level of loneliness. Even if the cannibals are human, there is no humanity on the island, It's only you vs the world.

Soundtrack
There are just a few tracks, and they can only be heard at specific moments, so I can’t really say much. My favourite part is “Main menu theme”.

Final Thoughts
Timmy is the name of your son. It just is.

I usually don't play RTS game, but Men of War: AS 2 is an exception to this rule. I have roughly 300 hours in it. Furthermore, I believe it managed to capture my attention due to its “realism”. There are no health bars, tanks can get destroyed in a single hit, units can be ordered to pick weapons off the ground. This level of micromanagement makes every mission feel unique and is one of the main reasons for the game’s success. Other than that, it’s a standard WW2 RTS. I would recommend it to anyone who wants a more realistic WW2 RTS. I should mention that the there is also a massive moding community, with which you can experience most conflicts, even fictional ones.

Story
It's World War 2 and well that’s it. There isn’t much of a storyline here.

Mechanics and gameplay
If you’ve played any other top down RTS, then you should be able to understand the general controls, however there are a lot of additional commands that require to be learned. For instance, highlighting objects on the ground. MoW: AS 2 has a steep learning curve that has to be overcome, before the game can be fully appreciated.
It has a campaign, which is actually just a group of missions, only connected by the fact that you are the same faction. They are: Germany, USA, USSR, United Kingdom, Japan. Each of them has their own vehicles, weapons and units and there are a lot of them.
Missions have an objective, that can be something simple like defend your position to a more complex objective like destroy the enemy spotlights without sounding the alarm. Completing them earn you points that you can spend on more units, also it sometimes enlarges the map. The button to select what units to summon is on the middle right of the screen. Don’t make the same mistake as me and try to complete missions with just the dozen soldiers given at the start.
The main feature that sets it apart from its competition is as I mentioned before its realism. One flanking soldier can disable the enemy’s heaviest tank, after which it can be repaired and put to use against its former owners, is just one example of the depth the game provides. Another thing, you can take control of any unit and play the game like a top-down shooter.
There is also a level editor, but if the regular game was complex, then this is like learning a new language.

Graphics and artstyle
MoW:AS 2 is more washed out and bleak, there are rarely any vibrant colours. I think this suits the realism of the rest of the game.
Graphical fidelity is not high, as can be expected from a decade old game.

Soundtrack and sound effects
SFX are good enough, but I can’t say much more.
I can’t even remember if there is even a soundtrack.

Final Thoughts
I’ve heard the line “Already on that, sir” that it just plays randomly in my head sometimes.

(I played this on Metal Slug Anthology on a PS2 emulator)
Metal Slug 5 is the sixth main line instalment in the Metal slug series. Playing any of the previous games is not required. The Metal slug series are 2D run-and-gun arcade games that ran boast an impressive artstyle. Metal slug is no different. In fact, throughout its lifecycle Metal Slug has stayed mostly the same, the only difference between games are levels, sometimes weapons and vehicles. Now that’s not a bad thing per se, but if you are like me and were hoping for something different after 5 games, then you will be disappointed.

Story
There is no storyline. I don’t count anything outside the actual game. However, the way characters are animated gives them quite a lot of personality.

Mechanics and gameplay
Metal Slug 5 has fairly standard 2D controls. If you’ve played any other game of this genre, then you will have no problem getting used to the controls. There is one mechanic that you won’t find in the previous entries – sliding. In every level you start off with a week pistol, there are more powerful weapons scattered throughout the level, but they have limited ammo. There are also vehicles you can find. They are much more deadly, but their biggest advantage is being able to take damage.
That’s right, if you take any damage, you die. At least you get 3 lives, however after that you have to restart not just the level, but the whole game. There is another option – just to respawn with 3 more live where you died, no progress lost. I am guessing that since this was an arcade game, that was their way to suck out more money. Also, yes, the game is really hard.
Level and enemy variety is great. There are some foes from the previous title, that have been reused, but overall, I never felt like I was playing though the same area.

Graphics and artstyle
Metal slug is a standout series that has always managed to deliver an incredible artstyle. Background, explosions, bosses – everything is well animated and detailed.

Atmosphere
Due to it being an arcade and not taking itself seriously, there is hardly any atmosphere.

Soundtrack and sound effects
SFX are great, every important event (enemy dying) has a sound (scream).
Music is another thing that metal slug always gets right. Favourite part is “RUINS EXCAVATION”.

Final Thoughts
OKAY!!!

Metal slug 4 is the fifth game instalment in the Metal slug series, and no, you don’t have to play any of the previous ones. At its core, the series is a 2D run-and-gun shooter, that has a more humorous approach to the military shooter genre. Metal slug 4 is more of the same. It neither has any innovation nor changes anything to the formula. While that would be fine for anyone who really enjoyed the previous titles, personally I was starting to get a bit bored, thus the lower rating.

Story
There is no story in the game. I don’t count anything that is outside the actual game. However, all the characters, enemies and allies, have a lot of personality simply due to their animations.

Mechanics and gameplay
If you have ever played any 2D game before, you will easily get the hang of the controls. It should be noted that auto fire is turned off by default. I was able to enable it in the settings.
You always start with the standard pistol and a few grenades. Thought the level, there are special weapons that are much more effective, although they have limited ammo. The most powerful weapons are the various vehicles. They are not only able to dispatch foes much faster, but they can also take damage.
Yeah, in Metal Slug if you get hit you die and one of your 3 lives gets used up. Since this was originally an arcade game, where higher difficulty meant more money, Metal Slug pulls no punches. There is however salvation, when your 3 lives are up you get the option to completely trivialize the game and just respawn at no cost.
I am a bit disappointed in the enemy and level variety. The last game had aliens, ancient ruins and while this focused more on robots, there wasn’t anything that grabbed my attention.

Graphics and artstyle
The artstyle is as always incredible. I believe all the sprites are hand drawn, which explains why they are so vibrant and full of life. Metal slug is the kind of series that manages to put more character in a low-level grunt, than most AAA games have in their protagonist.

Atmosphere
It’s an arcade game, so there is hardly any immersion.

Soundtrack and sound effects
SFX are great. You will always know when something dies.
The soundtrack is phenomenal. If there is one thing that you should take away from this review is that you should listen to the Metal slug 4 ost, in fact listen to all of them. Favourite part is “Secret place [stage 6]”.

Final Thoughts
Yes, I am a Marco main. How could you tell?

Armored Core: For Answer (get it 4 answer) is Armored Core 4 fully realized. If you haven’t played the previous title, then don’t worry, you don’t have to. AC4A is an extremely fast-paced third person mecha shooter. Some time is required to get used to the controls, but after that, the feeling of controlling a mech that can go the Mach 1 in an instant is unmatched. Compared to the AC4, AC4A is an improvement in every way. I would highly recommend this game, if you’ve enjoyed the previous one, or just want a fast-paced mecha game.
Story
In a world with no nations, corporations’ rule. The surface of Earth is too polluted to be lived on, so most of humanity lives in the atmosphere in massive spaceships. You however don’t have that luxury, instead you are a mercenary who pilots a NEXT (an extremely powerful mech) and are hired by the companies to do their fighting. Often you will be fighting against a company in one mission, then fighting for them in the next. There is one common enemy, however, the anti-corporation Line Ark.
There are 3 ending. You are locked into the first ending on your first playthrough, the others are unlocked with subsequent playthroughs.
Overall, the story isn’t a masterpiece, but I did enjoy my time with it.
Mechanics and gameplay
Movement is the same as AC4, but faster. Walking is useless. The step above – boosting is your main way of getting around and flying. Quick boosting is instantaneous speed in one direction. Lastly, there is overed boosting, which is like quick boosting, but for sustained periods of time at the cost of your PA (basically armor). All of these take up different amounts of energy.
Combat is very hectic, especially against enemy mechs. To help you, there is automatic lock and tracking, as long as they are in your field of vision. A task harder, then, might be expected. There is also melee, which while hard to hit, can deal a lot of damage.
Build variety is at the core of AC4A. You can change anything in your mech and instead of listing all of them I will give you some of my build as an example. A mech designed to get a lot of airtime quickly and fire off a gigantic barrage of missiles, a heavy mech that holds two miniguns and once they run out, switches to two bigger miniguns strapped to its back. You get the idea, if you want to make, you probably can.
Mission variety is massively improved compared to AC4. They can range from anything as simple as infiltrate an enemy base to, hey go take down that skyscraper sized walking armored fort, also no support. There is also an arena where you fight mechs 1v1.
Overall, the gameplay is probably the best part of AC4A and a definite 10/10 for me.
Graphics and artstyle
As a PS3 game the graphics are a bit outdated, but honestly, I was going too fast to notice anyway.
You will notice quite quickly how little color this game has. This is intentional, as it correlate to the atmosphere.
Atmosphere
An endless cycle of war, fought for no reason. A planet too destroyed to house any life. The only thing left on the surface are warmachines, fighting until their destruction.
Soundtrack and sound effects
Sound effects are okay, nothing caught my attention.
The OST is great as always. This time it's heavier and more depressing, leaning more into the atmosphere. My favourite part is “Remember”.
Final Thoughts
I wonder how many White Glints there will be once AC6 releases.

Fromsoftware is widely and rightfully known for their souls and others series. However, before that, they had a franchise by the name of Armored Core. Contrary to its title, Armored Core 4 isn’t the fourth game in the series, there are like 10 others before it, none of which you have to play. AC 4 is a third-person shooter mech game, and it manages to do the mech part perfectly. Rather than a slow, lumbering giant, you have the manoeuvrability of a jet combined with the firepower of a tank. At the beginning it can feel overwhelming, but once you get the hang of it, there really is nothing else like it. Highly recommend it for any mecha fans.
Story
The story is nothing spectacular. In a world with no nations and only megacorporations, you are a mercenary working for them to do their dirty work. I think that this is the game's weakest point, it feels like there is so much potential that has been wasted.
Mechanics and gameplay
First movement. There is walking, but that’s pointless to use. The step above is boosting. This is how you will get around most of the game and how you fly, with the right build you can even achieve infinite flight. After that there is quick boosting, which can send you to Mach 1 is the blink of an eye, very useful for evasion. Lastly, there is overed boosting, which is like quick boosting, but for sustained periods of time. All of these take up different amounts of energy, and the overed boosting takes your PA (basically armor).
The obvious question now is how do you kill stuff? For that, you get a wide variety of weapons to choose from: machine guns, plasma cannons, snipers, railguns, laser blade, you name it is here. Shooting itself is pretty simple. The game automatically tracks enemies, as long as it's within your line of sight, you just have to press the button. Don’t get me wrong, combat itself is very hectic and fast-paced.
Your build is what determines the outcome of battle as much as anything else. Anything can be swapped out, running out of energy, put a more efficient booster, need more firepower, strap missiles to your back. Certain mission will force you to rethink your entire build and make you experiment.
Mission variety is at times lacking, but I think it's enough. I have to add that they are quite short. There is also the arena where you fight increasingly harder mechs 1v1. Once you get the hang of it, AC 4 is not that difficult, can't say the same about hard mode.
Graphics and artstyle
Where graphical fidelity matters it’s there, you're going to be going too fast for everything else.
AC 4 took the contrast ratio and slammed it to the ground, and you know what, I dig it. It fits perfectly the atmosphere of the game.
Atmosphere
You are fighting a pointless war, all for what, so that a different company may stand at the top for a while. All the while you are killing thousands and destroying the planet.
Soundtrack and sound effects
SFX are okay, although it can be a bit hard to tell when you get hit. At times, I think I am doing well, then look over at my health and it 70% gone.
Soundtrack is awesome. Lots of guitar and vocals, which I love. Favourite part is “#22 Fall”.
Final Thoughts
Pro tip: just missiles, don’t bother with anything else. What is your enemy going to do, dodge your hundred rocket barrages? Yeah, good luck with that.

Barotrauma is a 2D co-op game where you and your friends pilot a submarine in the depths of Europa. This is a multiplayer game, single-player is an option, but I don’t recommend it. I found it a very fun and enjoyable experience, although a bit too long. If you have a few friends, I would recommend minimum of 4, and want to play something a bit out of the ordinary, then I highly suggest it.
Story
Your end goal in Barotrauma is to get to the centre of Europa’s underground ocean. The reason as for why you want to go there is never given. I guess it just piqued your curiosity.
The world of Barotrauma is fascinating. A colony beneath the ice of Europa that is just holding on after being abandoned by Earth. There are multiple factions which are vying for control. You have your more standard Europa coalition and Jovian separatists, then you have the weird ones like Church of the Husk which prays to an alien parasite and Children of the Honkmother who are literally just clowns. There is much more lore in the game if you want to discover it, but a fair warning, your friends might not share the same sentiment.
Mechanics and gameplay
The first thing you have to do is pick your class. Classes determine your role in the submarine, your skills and what you can craft. They are captain – steers the sub, gives commands to other, most important role, engineer – repairs anything electrical, can craft cool stuff, mechanic – fixes anything mechanical, security officer - kills, medic – heals, and assistant who doesn’t do anything important, don’t play as that class. This makes everyone on the sub important and allows for a lot of replayability.
After everyone has picked a role and joined, the captain picks the next destination and mission. They can be anything from mining or killing a swarm of hostile alien creatures, to exploring an alien ruin or taking out a pirate sub. These missions are good mostly, but though out the course of the campaign a few missions were being repeated, this made the game less enjoyable and at time a chore to get thought.
Combat is rarely you vs the enemy, which as simple as point and shoot. Most of the time it will be your submarine vs the enemy. This type of combat is my favourite part of the game, especially when the situation gets dire. Your cooperation skills will be put to test when you are flooded on the ocean floor, while being attacked by a gigantic worm.
For the sake of brevity, I won’t go over everything in the game, but you should know it a lot.
Graphics and artstyle
I would say that the graphics are pretty good. While not something jaw dropping, it is nice to see a 2D game with more realistic graphics.
Atmosphere
If it wasn’t the multiplier, Barotrauma would be an excellent horror experience.
Soundtrack and sound effects
SFX add a lot to atmosphere, and hearing a distant wail while the sonar shows nothing in your vicinity never is always nerve wracking. I can say the same about the ost. Most of it is ambiance. My favourite part is “Embrace the Abyss”.
Final Thoughts
If you are cold, they are cold. Let them in.

I rarely play horror games, mainly because most aren’t that scary. IRON LUNG was a welcome exception. Even thought it's just an hour long and has very simple gameplay, I found it very enjoyable. I would recommend it if you want a short and sweet horror experience.
Story
In the future, all planets and star mysteriously disappear. The only things left are space stations, asteroids and moon. Some of these moons have a very peculiar feature – blood oceans. You are a convict put in a tiny submarine that is of questionable quality and tasked with exploring these blood oceans. There is some more lore in a terminal in the sub, but other than that, there isn’t any storyline that takes place during the game.
Mechanics and gameplay
Gameplay wise, it's very simplistic. You have a map with coordinates where you have to go. After reaching the given location, you have to take a picture. Moving the sub is just four buttons – forwards and backward, left or right.
Graphics and artstyle
It uses minimalistic, low poly graphics that work very well for such a horror game. The pictures from the camera are very grainy and slightly distorted, making them feel realistic even in this kind of game.
Atmosphere
IRON LUNG is all about atmosphere and building tension. It shows the player more and more unnerving images, making them question whether they are truly alone. Also, by having the sub start to slowly break down combined with the note, it gives the feeling that no matter what you are not making back home.
Soundtrack and sound effects
SFX are incredible. Hearing something move from left to right makes you freeze up. The ost is mainly ambiance that adds to the tension.
Final Thoughts
Me playing this game has nothing to do with recent events.

(I played the fan translated patch on a PS1 emulator)
90s games are usually not renowned for their storytelling. At that time, it was either gameplay or story, there wasn’t room for both. I would say that Ace combat 3 is an exception to this. In fact, that’s the only real reason to play this game nowadays, is for its storyline. It managed to intrigue me so much that I got all 5 endings. If you haven’t had the ending spoiled to you already, can handle some PS1 jank and like the Ace combat series, I would recommend doing the same. I recommend playing with the fan translation, as the official English version cuts all the story and lore.
Story
You are part of UPEO, a peace keeping organization in a dystopian cyberpunk future, where there are no governments, only mega corporations. Throughout the story, you will be given the choice to defect to these corporations or even join a terrorist organization. After completing all 5 paths, you will get the true ending, which will change the way you look at the entire game.
The characters of AC3 are some of my favourite in the AC series. They all have depth and some of them get some character development, which I didn’t expect.
Mechanics and gameplay
Comparing AC3 and newer entries, the formula hasn’t changed much. First you get a mission briefing and your objective. That can be anything from simply destroy X enemies or something more special like follow an enemy plane.
After that, you select your plane. There are 20+ planes, but most of the time you will have a limited selection that depends on which faction you are flying for. Then you choose your gun and type of missiles and sortie.
Flying in AC3 is mostly the same as the other games, but it does feel snappier. Another problem is that missile tracking isn’t that good, so you have to rely more on your gun.
The game isn’t very difficult even on hard, but when you hear that missile warning you have to evade.
Another thing worth mentioning is that there are 54 missions, that’s almost as much as AC 4 5 and zero combined. Obviously, they are, but it’s still pretty surprising.
Graphics and artstyle
I doubt you will be surprised when I say that a PS1 game looks bad. Even with the power of an emulator, I couldn’t do much. The cutscenes are slightly better as they are hand drawn rather than using CGI.
Atmosphere
It gives of a sense of dread and hopelessness. There is hardly anything that can be called a good ending and even if there was you will still have to live in this dystopia.
Soundtrack and sound effects
SFX are nothing special. Voice acting is pretty good as you can find some of these actors in anime.
The ost is combines electric and multiple other similar genres to create a soundtrack that fits the game perfectly. My favourites are “Kernel” and “Virgo” for all the wrong reasons.
Final Thoughts
This is probably the Ace combat game most deserving of a remake. There would be nothing AC3 would lose given modern graphics, as the PS1 graphics only hold it back.

(I played this on a PS2 emulator)
God Hand is an underrated fighting game from the PS2. It features one of the best fighting systems I’ve seen, and on top of that it has some great humour. The game gives off a feeling of a director who just wanted to make something fun without thinking about whether it will appeal to the majority. Reviews from critics support my view. I would recommend it if you want a fighting game that will give you a challenge, because you will get it no matter the difficulty you pick.
Story
Unless you have read the synopsis, you will have no idea what is happening. You play as Gene, who got his arm chopped off by demons, but got a special new one from Olivia. Now she wants you to beat up all the demons and save the world, otherwise she will chop it back off.
The setting of the game is described as the wild west, and it might look like that in the beginning, but you end up going thought of castles, a robot lab and what looks like Venice. All the enemies seem to have taken their fashion advice from JoJo. The variety in enemies is just as big – gorillas, midgets, rock stars and more. The story is also nothing profound.
If this gives off the appearance of a game that shouldn’t be taken seriously, that’s the point. The game is absolutely hilarious, it constantly throws gags at you, and the tonal whiplash is also meant to make you laugh.
Mechanics and gameplay
This is at its core a beat ‘em up. Gene has 6 attacks, his combo and 5 other that can interrupt the combo when the time is right. The special part is that all of these attacks can be change and there are 100+ options. This means that your combo can be entirely kicks, or you could have a powerful attack to use for when a foe is stunned. Some of these attacks also have special attributes, like guard breaker or launching an enemy in the air.
Landing hits fills your tension meter, which, when filled, means you can unleash the god hand. This gives you a massive boost in damage and makes you invulnerable.
Another powerful part of your arsenal is the roulette wheel. It can be used after collecting a card from levels and is a devastating attack, that you can choose to be anything from a ballbuster (doesn’t work on women), 100 punch combo or many others.
Where can you get them? At the store, of course. There you can also gamble, get upgrades or test your skills at the arena.
There are two difficulties in God Hand. First you have your standard easy, normal, hard, and then you have a dynamic difficulty while you play. Every time you deal damage or dodge an attack, a meter fills up. At a certain point, you go up to the next level. This means that enemies get more aggressive, change their attacks and get new ones. This serves to constantly keep you on your toes.
All of this and the snappy controls make the fighting incredibly fun. The only other game that comes close is maybe MGR:R.
Graphics and artstyle
This is God Hand's big downside. The characters models are acceptable, but everything else, it feels like I’m back in the dawn of 3D graphics.
Atmosphere
It’s silly.
Soundtrack
This is a very memorable soundtrack. I have so many of the songs stuck in my head. I cannot for the life of me describe the genre. My favourite is “Smoking Roll”.
Final Thoughts
"I am not that kind of guy!" - day ruined.

(I played this on the Duke Nukem 3D: 20th Anniversary World Tour)
There are few boomer shooter protagonists as remembered as Duke Nukem. You could say Doom guy, but tell me what’s his best quote. Duke Nukem 3D wasn’t the first Duke Nukem game, but it was the one that made it popular. It used the new Build engine to make a level with complexity and interactivity that hadn’t been seen before. While today, it may seem primitive, at the time it was cutting edge. Would I recommend It? If you want to experience the past of gaming, sure go ahead, but in regard to its core gameplay there are just better modern titles.
Story
You can probably guess that this is not a story focused game. There are cutscenes that provide context and humour. However, throughout most of the game you will just be going through loosely connected levels and any plot it has is on par to a 90s action B-movie. The only part worth talking about is the protagonist, Duke Nukem. He is heavily inspired by the action film protagonist of the 90s like the Terminator, Commando and others. He is a big buff guy who only talks in one-liners, loves women and hates aliens (the extraterrestrial kind). Some people might be put off by the reputation he acquired from the later games, I assure you Duke Nukem 3D doesn’t use sexism for jokes. It does put women in peril, but that is mainly to give the protagonist a reason that more closely aligns with his archetype.
Mechanics and gameplay
If you ever played a boomer shooter than you already know the core gameplay. Movement in the build engine takes some getting used to, but overall, it’s alright. You get the regular amount of gun – 10, and they have some variety between them. There is the standard pistol, shotgun, rocket launcher and MG, but there are more original weapons like shrinkinator, freeze ray and devastator. I have to note the lack of tracers and projectile weapons being hard to aim. The game gives you just enough ammo to kill everything, but not enough to only use the most powerful weapons. Enemy variety is lacking. You will mostly be fighting the same few foes thought the whole game, and most of them are hitscanners. Bosses aren’t worth talking about. Level design is good. They have a surprising amount of interactivity for an old game. Another part of what makes them so memorable is their variety. Cinemas, amusement parks, the moon – Duke Nukem takes you to many places, but it always keeps the same feel. I did get lost a few times, but I think that’s on me.
Graphics and artstyle
2D enemies, low quality textures and chunky environments. Yeah, back in the day it was the peak, now even Unity asset flips have better graphics. At least the game doesn’t look “ugly”.
Atmosphere
Duke Nukem 3D gives off a very specific atmosphere. You are the stereotypical thought guy who says cool one-liners, will kick the alien’s ass, and all the hot chicks love him. Very reminiscent of 90s action films.
Soundtrack and sound effects
SFX is okay, it didn’t make an impression on me. OST is excellent. Every level has its own soundtrack, and they all feel unique. Those midi composers knew what they were doing. My favourite part is “Aliens, Say Your Prayers!”.
Final Thoughts
I am here to chew bubblegum and kick ass, and I am all out of ass.

(I assume you already know what No Mans’s Sky is about)
No Man's Sky had one of the most disastrous launches in gaming history. It failed to achieve almost everything it promised. The developers did one thing right – they made the game they promised, and after 7 years at the time of this review, it has a lot of content that I will mostly gloss over in this review. However, this does not make the game automatically better – indeed, its massive number of things to do is its biggest downside. I would recommend it if you want a simple space exploration game where you can do most things without needing to go in depth learning about it.
Story
The main goal and what the story revolves around is getting to the centre of the universe. Honestly, I have barely any memory of what the story was about. Its main problem I believe was that there is no incentive to actually do it. You have a hundred other activities to do, most of which feel more rewarding than advancing the main quest line, and the fact that I can’t remember a single character tells you enough about the quality of the writing.
Mechanics and gameplay
I won’t be able to go into detail about everything there is to do in No Man’s Sky, so I will briefly go over them. You can explore a vast universe filled with planets, each of which has different fauna, creatures, landscape and weather. Don’t expect any realism from this game. If you find a planet you like, you can set up a base there. From there you can start producing various materials to us for crafting or selling. With the money you get you can buy new spaceships, tools, upgrades and more. You can also buy a fleet that you can send to expeditions or as a movable base. Bases can be used to recruit various NPCs that barely do anything. Also, you can dogfight, set up a town, explore abandoned outposts. Don’t get me started on the multiplayer. The non-cohesive list I described above paint a picture of limitless entertainment, or if you are more experienced, a very shallow game. Take for instance mining for resources to sell. If you simply spend a few hours you can get to the most exotic planets, and after setting up a few extractors there you’ve pretty much trivialized money. Every 12 hours, you can log on and get an absorbent amount of currency. Even thought I spend more than 30 hour in-game, I felt like I only did meaningless tasks to pass the time. However, if you just want to unwind after a day at work, then No Man’s Sky is a good choice. You can rotate between the above-described activities and have a new adventure waiting every day.
Graphics and artstyle
Graphics are alright. Due to the constantly shifting landscape, it can’t really build a specific colour palette, but it uses mostly bright colours. This helps with give an alien feel to the aliens. Since randomness determines the design of mostly everything, the game flips between ugly and beautiful.
Atmosphere
Due to the shallow nature of the activities, you never get invested enough for No Mans Sky to build an effective atmosphere.
Soundtrack and sound effects
Sound effects are alright. Nothing made an impression on me. The same goes for the soundtrack, although it is 6 hour long.
Final Thoughts
7 trillion planets that look the same.