Recent reviews by Danieru Zan

This has been one of the best coop experiences I've had in awhile. Tight gameplay that required skill and coordination within the team, a united community and a procedural story line we could all get into. Then comes this bait and switch. Players who purchased the game but can't make a PSN account are left with a product they can't play or refund.

Scammy as scummy as.

Way to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory, squandering all that good will and momentum.

To quote Hoshino Senpai:

We Dive Together or Not At All.

EDIT: Sony got their heads out of their asses after the community and Arrowhead handed them a torchlight and a map. This community rocks. Democracy for life.

I wish there was a "good, but not just yet" option.

I'm enjoying the game so far, but the quality control for the game seems to have taken a sharp dip from where the beta ended.

There have been complaints about game-breaking bugs in chapter 3, and I've just started chapter 4 and my save seems bricked.

If you look on forums, there are workarounds with Toybox, however, after paying full price for a game, I'm not expecting to go through workarounds to get it to work, and who knows what else I might mess up without knowing.

Till Owlcat patches it properly and the experience isn't like sprinting across a bug-ridden mine field, I can't fully recommend this to anyone.

Easily one of the best combat systems and experiences I've had in a game. The varieties of weapons and synergies, builds and tactics are phenomenal.

Want to be a dai-katana heavy armoured warrior? Go for it.

Want to use tonfas and switch it to a staff for range? Go for it.

Want to be a dual katana wielding ninja? Go for it.

Want to wield a big hammer and cast magic? Go for it.

Probably one of the best Souls-like out there. Hope they make a third game.

I really wanted to enjoy this game and get into it... I really did.

The character creation process was very enjoyable, having a belief system that rewarded you in game with how your character responded to the madness of the world was refreshing, though some might find it restrictive if they'd like to change their choices with the nuances of some decisions.

The story and setting has been great, with different branching options that mix action, and dialogue that you can choose or miss, depending on the strengths, and shortcomings of your character.

But I'm struggling through it now.

Though it states that I've 13 hours, truth is the time was padded out with me wrestling with mechanics/design choices (deliberate or intentional), as well as bugs.

Let me lay them out.

1) The save system is horrendous, for now you can only save upon quit, and the rest of your limited save slots are taken up by story saves, and autosaves. What that results in, is a save system where you might accidentally lose a state that you could otherwise go to, wiping out hours of gameplay by pushing you in a corner due to the bugs. The devs need to have quicksave/quickload options, and really, just different save slots.

This save system also eliminates the possibility of having different characters, as eventually the latter character's progression will erase the earlier character's save states.

This is an RPG, it is supposed to be a journey, and this system is probably the worse I've seen, especially for this genre.

Game breaking, and it compounds the issues on the rest of the list.

2) NPCs have their own skills which outside of combat and resting, offer no utility. There is also a bug right now where companions cannot be properly dismissed without losing them. Some players have mentioned that it has pushed them in a state where they can't get their companions back.

3) Negative statuses bleed across saves, so you can reload and end up playing through the game with a character severely debuffed, game breaking? Or part of a design choice? Either way, it has to go

4) Certain quest items can be sold, without spoiling too much, there was an item from an NPC that I got, the NPC disappeared in a cut scene, and only came back into the game AFTER I left town, turns out there's a continuation to the quest, but since I could pawn that item off, and the inventories are reset, too late. Better luck next time.

5) There is an angst mechanic where each encounter builds it up, resulting in you having to pick a personality quirk every time it hits a level. Though the combat has been given mixed reviews, I'm currently playing a combat heavy character. And I do feel I'm punished for it. Unlike the sanity stat that can be controlled and negative effects mitigated, the angst mechanic is a design choice that I dislike. A lot.

The combination of these bugs and design choices make it really hard for me to recommend this game to anyone at the moment. Am thinking of waiting till it is further patched, or just watch a "let's play" video, or Wiki to know the story and choices.

Just like the angst mechanic, my experience with this game over the weekend has stretched my patience. I do hope it gets better, and would be worth revisiting.

Or else, there are other better games on the horizon, and I strongly suggest to wait for another foray into the Lovecraftian setting if it stays the same.

Wow... pay to support for early access.

Now F2P... with a bit of that lil P2W thrown in like a $2 harlot.

I'll remember this.

So will everyone else that you've duped.

No one forgets a harlot.

Especially one that left such a bad experience.

Spec Ops: The Line is a PTSD simulator.

Wish I could tell you more, but my therapist tells me that I should just let it go.

10/10 would walk through the sandstorm again.