Recent reviews by A Bad Driver

For me, this is the best DOOM game since the first one, and the first good DOOM game in an extremely long time with the flawed DOOM 64 and the truly awful DOOM 3 being what we've had to tide us over since 2. It's not perfect, there's some things I think should've been different, but it's absolutely worthy of the name and quite a bit of fun.

The PC version is outstanding. Extremely well optimised and a great looking title.

Assassin's Creed: Good Edition.

It's not a bad game but absolutely deserves the mixed reviews it got. Nice graphics, world design, concept and music. However, the gameplay is the definition of mediocre, with the main gimmick of memory remixing not being utilized enough, and not quite delivering in execution. It's quite a trial and error affair with some really absurd, illogical solutions. It can be fun to see the different outcomes, though. The "combo customisation" is arguably false advertising, you're just placing effects in pre-defined slots. The game's worst crime is it's mercifully irregular QTEs because they tell you what to do rather than what key to press (As in it will display a kick symbol rather than the right mouse button). This just makes them less intuitive and more difficult than they should be, meaning you might have to do them a few times.

Game seems to be reasonably well optimised, it runs pretty good for me (i5 4690, GTX 960, 8GB, Win 10).

Pick it up heavily discounted if you're curious. Fanboys of the game are likely just addicted to Nilin's butt.

To avoid unnecessary negativity, I will only talk about the good aspects of this game in this review.

Unregulated gambling for minors isn't something I can recommend.

Excellent stealth survival game with superbly tasteful horror elements, makes the overabundant try-hard "horror" games look downright juvenile by comparison. There's a mere handful of jump-scares, the rest is pure tension and vulnerability. Has some good variety and changes of pace along the way to keep the game enjoyable throughout the 18 hours. People who complain about the save system are filthy casuals who should stop reviewing; it's the game's greatest source of suspense and it wouldn't be the same without it.

Fans of the Alien franchise should be pleased with how much the game nails the aesthetic. Graphics are great, as is the performance. Only encountered minor, irregular bugs.

The sound effects are absolutely fantastic with their use of dynamic range.

Highly recommended.

This is the only title I've ever played where the controls actually assist (to great effect, too) the story telling and emotional impact. It's not that long for the price, but the quality is there and it avoids overstaying it's welcome, it's a very memorable experience. Controller or GTFO, for sure.

Great game.

This "game" does nothing to justify being one. This would have been better as a short film, even it was CGI or a machinima. Distinctly bad value, $10 for an hour of walking. The store page even says "one of the most original first-person games of recent years", because it's an original concept that $10 for an hour long walk was a feasible business practice.

Save your dollarydoos and go for a walk while listening to an audio book, or something. The graphics will be better.

The reason I don't recommend this game is very simple; the story's payoff is really weak and unsatisfying, I'd call it a definitive example of how not to do a twist ending. Without explicitly spoiling what actually happens, the ending essentially invalidates the entire supernatural family-murder mystery that the game spends its time establishing, and that you spend the entire game investigating (with no resolution), proceeding to violently yank the story towards a completely different, and less interesting, conclusion. It's just so intent on having a twist to take you by surprise with, that it hurriedly crams a curveball into the final scene of the game that clumsily undoes what you were wanting to see explained.

For anyone who wants to know, here's my brief synopsis: None of the murder victims you investigated are actually dead, it never really happened. In fact, you don't even exist. You're just a figment of a story obsessed child's imagination who is choking to death on the toxic fumes of a housefire caused by his mildly abusive, disapproving family. It was all a dream that ended before you could even find out what happened. Seriously.

This is a story driven game and I think it's a deal breaking flaw for a game like The Vanishing of Ethan Carter to have, and as I result I don't recommend it.

If you're morbidly curious enough to try it, I can certainly say that it is extremely pretty and does run well, I did enjoy my time exploring the environment. Note: I only did a partial playthrough with this version a couple years back, my full playthrough was completed with the Redux version recently.

If you don't have it, you dun goof'd.