Jake Hill
Doctor Kvorak picked some good influences but doesn't come close to matching their quality.
It's beautiful and enchanting. If only there was something more to do there.
Between the delightful little flourishes, this is a game that wants to make you think. And feel.
While Dark Train is a beautiful game, its largely atmospheric experience is hard to engage with.
The entire game is based around exploration, puzzles, and atmosphere. It lives and dies on those three things.
Warbanners becomes quickly unplayable. It's not pretty to look at or listen to, the story isn't all that engaging, and the interesting tactical elements are hard to find under all the tedium. I would say that only a die-hard of the genre would appreciate it, but then, a die-hard would be turned off by the design flaws. It looks like we'll have to wait a little longer for the next turn-based masterpiece.
It knows what it is, and sticks to its strengths
I was already wowed by Civilization VI, and Rise and Fall only serves to cement my love for this amazing strategy game.
It never feels old or clunky though, because the style is timeless.
While Symmetry has an appealing art style, and an intriguing story, it doesn't have the gameplay to hold attention
Fear Effect Sedna is sort of an interesting artifact; a game out of its own time. If only playing it was any fun.
I recommend Kite. It's often thrilling, and there are so many good ideas under the hood, that enduring some of the frustration still leaves you with a unique action game experience.
As an RPG, writing is crucial. Ash of Gods just doesn't have it.
There's so much to discover, such good management gameplay and deep character interactions.
Overall, City of Brass is a huge achievement in design.
If you are willing to overcome a few technical hiccups, and if you are an unrepentant sci-fi nerd, Battletech can be your new favorite game.
This is truly a Total War Saga– a smaller entry in a venerable series that's not interesting in rocking the boat.
Ultimately, MachiaVillain needs a lot of cleaning up, explanations and balance fixes. Then maybe we can all come together to have a bloody good time.
Despite the names of real historical figures and the armies of real nations, this is not a "historically accurate" game. It's a badass strategy simulator, one with deep gameplay and that glorifies what is maybe one of the most gnarly periods of human history.
It is certainly a pretty game. The minimalist polygon planes are very evocative, the sound design is lovely, and the abundant bloom lighting creates a mood. There's sort of a goal (get to the next triangle) and when you achieve it, the art style shifts. But I didn't really find it relaxing, I found it boring. And I never got over feeling perplexed.