This is one of those cases where I'm much more harsh than the score would justify because the game that exists is overshadowed by what it wants to be.

From what I can see, this game's flaws are some of the most famous things about it at this point, and justifiably so - the dull gameplay, the way it smugly berates you for merely playing the game, the ham-fisted messaging. I feel like it's harder to see past the flaws now, since nobody playing in 2021 is coming in blind.

I still have a special place in my heart for this game because I remember having no prior exposure and being pleasantly surprised, but the need to come in blind betrays the fact that the game relies a lot on its twists as opposed to any serious examination of its own themes. You will never successfully guilt me for playing a video game the way it was intended, and I think the devs overplayed their hand a bit in responding that you can "just stop playing" if you didn't want to be railroaded into doing shitty things. It makes the game feel like a set of shallow "gotcha!" moments - trying to demonstrate that virtual violence is a real problem by making you do shitty things and then calling you out for doing them. There are impactful ways to make this point and this isn't one of them.

Despite being the second FPS retelling of Heart of Darkness in 3 years, the story is genuinely interesting when it's not trying to antagonize the player. It spends so much time trying to do that, though, that it shoots itself in the foot, and the gameplay that's left over is NOT good enough to carry the rest of the experience - and don't tell me that's the point, because if they deliberately made the combat weaker because of ~themes~ they wouldn't have included a multiplayer mode where you can tear shit up with your pals.

There's a reason why people say it's not a "true" Hitman game - linear levels that trade social stealth for pure sneaking or cover shooting, depending on the moment. Given the format differences and the plot that's weirdly action-heavy (and full of schlocky, cartoon-villain antics) it feels like a normal Hitman game adapted into a low budget movie, then back into a game. If it didn't have the expectations that come with the Hitman IP it would be a decently fun - if somewhat shallow - game. It still wouldn't blow any minds, and it would probably be forgotten in 2020. I would argue this is a much better outcome than Absolution's true fate as a real stinker that soured a lot of people on the franchise and created additional cynicism when IO announced that Hitman 2016 would have an episodic release schedule.

The world is gorgeous, massive, and deep as a puddle, but you're not meant to play it like a life sim. The story isn't going to win any awards for having the most mind-blowing plot twists or unique story beats, but it's compelling regardless - I still remember marathon-ing my way the end credits and looking out my window to see the sun rising.

I can't speak for online, as I only played it briefly, but I do remember feeling like there was more to do in the Online than there is in the post-storymode singleplayer. I had a little bit of fun fucking around with friends, but I do prefer the peace of singleplayer/solo online, as (in my limited experience) seeing another player on the map is a guarantee that one of you is going to die.

When I first played Far Cry 2 in 2012 I was so drawn in that I played for thirteen hours straight and forgot to eat. I launched it for the very first time just before noon one day and finished just after midnight.

It would take me until late 2018 to find a game that was capable of doing something similar but this game still holds a special place in my heart. While later entries have an undeniable edge when it comes to polish and having a more fleshed-out open world, I don't think someone would find it as special if their intro to the series was one of those games. FC2 is more unforgiving than subsequent entries and takes its story more seriously.

I want to like this game really badly because it's got a solid core, a competent enough paint-by-numbers soulslike that lacks any kind of charm. Every second I've played it I'm waiting for something to hook me - a story beat, some gameplay element, a cool weapon I unlock - but nothing ever does.

There are a number of elements present in this game that are obviously here because they feel "very Dark Souls" but are out-of-place when inserted here. Even the bonfire mechanic feels like it was put there because the devs like Dark Souls, as opposed to deciding "this is something the game needs/benefits from"

It's... okay. I hate to complain about things that already saw plenty of outrage early on, but the game really is hurt by having the NPCs grafted on after release. I didn't play until after their addition, but they still don't play a sufficient role in making the world feel alive because they're so poorly integrated into the fabric of the game. It feels incredibly empty, meaning your focus is drawn to the gameplay - gameplay that isn't good enough to carry the whole experience on its back. It's Fallout 4 with even more jank and even less to do, but it's entirely possible for it to be a more enjoyable experience for someone who enjoys collecting scrap material and building cozy campsites with the settlement mechanic.

Honestly a shame the dev decided to give up on this one, it's a simple but satisfying action game that lets you pull off some pretty flashy stuff. There's not a lot to the game - if you look up gameplay on youtube and it's from a couple years ago, that's about what you're getting now.

People rate this negatively on Steam because the dev abandoned it, but I don't fault them for not working on a project if it wasn't pulling in money and their heart wasn't in it - they were honest about ending development, warned everybody in advance, the game still says "Alpha" in the title and they dropped the price. It's neat as-is and I don't remember what I paid for it, but if I bought it now I certainly wouldn't miss the $3 I paid for it.

The unreliable narrator is clearly the main attraction here, implemented in a way that is both clever and fun - exaggerating to seem more badass, and backing down when challenged, all of this affecting the gameplay in real time. Beyond its unique storytelling method, I never felt like it was doing anything terribly special, but it also doesn't really need to. The gameplay works fine as a vehicle for the story, but at times it does feel like a rail shooter due to obvious and unimaginative enemy placement.