Recent reviews by Nep-Nep

This game tries really REALLY hard to nail down the horror aspect of a horror game, but doesn't quite hit the mark dead on. Instead, what we get is a rather silly, witty and humorous multiplayer co-op with horror undertones that struggles to take itself seriously (especially with "arachnophobia mode" on) and serves as something of a jab at life working for major corporate conglomerate hellscapes like Walmart and Amazon... except in this this case, death can happen at any moment and for any reason, especially at the whims of your corporate overlords.

Your whole lot in life is to visit far flung and forgotten corners of the galaxy, where mankind have established some form of settlements on a number of planets from mining colonies to industrial facilities... only for these attempts to fail and become abandoned for one reason or another. Facing the clock, dangerous wildlife, and human-made defenses, you collect all kinds of garbage from these places to sell to your overlords back at base to meet your team's quota. Miss the quota by even a cent, and you find yourself fired and vented into space for your troubles.

This quirky co-op game with an emphasis on retro-style "fuzzy" graphics and horror mixed with humor is sure to bring some laughs to any game night among friends, and is a definite must try. Supports up to 4 players (up to 8 with the MoreCompany mod). Oh, and a microphone is a must, as integrated voice chat mechanics are a key component to gameplay.

Starfield may not be for everyone, but despite its glaring issues it has its charm. Essentially Fallout 4 and Skyrim in Space, you explore the cosmos searching for relics, while minding the politics and intricacies of life in colonized space. Unfortunately, what could have been an instant game of the year, is held back by poor design choices and questionable writing. The only hope that this game can get is either with a winner of a DLC, a complete rewrite and release from the ground up (with a better storyline), and/or the work of the modding community to provide these things.

Even then, you may enjoy it, or you may not. Even with its flaws, I certainly enjoy it. As someone who preordered the game, I'd say wait for a sale before putting your money into it.

Pros:

- Beautiful lighting and worlds.

- Some very memorable characters (Sarah, Barrett, Vasco)

- Unique and innovative lockpicking mechanics (Digipicks)

- Interesting and fun faction quests

Cons:

- Lots of promising mechanics (fuel, seamless transitions between orbit and surface, etc) that were cut

- Empty Planets (The ones that aren't are very repetitive)

- Repetitive space combat and dungeons

- "meh" backstory

- Nothing to see on Earth (very very empty, no widespread city ruins, no old relics to collect, nothing.)

- Main storyline somewhat fun, but ultimately "meh"

- Confusing and pointless attempt to add a New Game+ through multiverse nonsense (Half expected Skyrim's story to begin the moment Starfield's main quest came to an end).

An old RTS game from my childhood, receiving constant new updates and fixes. Even if you're not a fan of Star Wars, this is an RTS game you should check out.

More than ten years on, and Skyrim continues to be a timeless masterpiece alongside Oblivion, Morrowind and other titles of this series. Kind of meh on its own, but truly shines with a modpack. Best played from an SSD, for the fastest loadtimes and framerates.

Project Wingman is an excellent flight combat arcade game, created by fans of Ace Combat as a love letter to the series. It has a dark backstory, and an even darker ending. On top of that, there is a wide array of aircraft you can choose from, with an even wider array of weaponry, multiple gamemodes, and a new VR expansion. All in all, this is a game that everyone should try at least once.

[New Review as of 10/01/2024]

After getting back into the game, I've found myself having fun again, although not without frustrations. In short stints, the game is worth playing. However, not having Golden Eagles or the money to get any has cost me the chance to get 11 premiums that were removed recently, several of which were in my ingame wishlist to either be gifted or to purchase when I had the chance. Also, again due to a lack of Golden Eagles, I am incapable of maximizing the efficiency of the grind, which has turned it into a very long slog by Tier IV.

If I could give the game a neutral rating I could, but alas I can't. So, with my most recent experiences in mind, I'm going to give it a positive rating, with caveats.

Arma III is an outstanding digital Milsim game and first person shooter. Some of the guns are dumb (Stoner 99 LMG and GTAR bullpup assault rifle are aesthetically pleasing however) but the heavy equipment, armored vehicles and aircraft are amazing.

The story is amazing (discounting the heartbreakingly disappointing aliens dlc), on par with the OG Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon (2001 milsim tactical shooter).

Where this game thrives is its modding community, specifically ACE and Antistasi. Even at ten years old, and with Arma IV on the way, the community continues to keep this game alive.

[New Review February 9, 2023] The past few months have seen this game witnessing positive dramatic change. Though the issues I've brought up in my October review (the removal of Hyce's and Wings & Strings's soundtrack for this game and the continued existence of the problematic EULA) continue to remain, the progress the game has seen is enough that I can overlook those to a certain degree.

I still highly recommend that Astragon look into reintroducing Hyce's and Wings & Strings's soundtrack for those of us who prefer it, and that their legal team reviews the EULA. However, we are now at a point, where I can safely RECOMMEND this game once more.

Tabletop games a-plenty, and access to Steam Workshop for bounds more tabletop fun. Tabletop RPGs? Done. Jigsaw puzzles? Done. Endless mayhem between yourself and friends? Done and done. This is a game where the possibilities are quite endless.

Basically SpaceX Mars Colonization Simulator, but without SpaceX. Surviving Mars is a strategy game with a realistic take on planned efforts for a self-sustaining Mars Colony... only the scenarios you are bound to run into during normal campaign gameplay - which offer various ideas on why Mars is the dead world that it is now - vary between "realistic but unlikely" and "downright whimsical fantasy".

That said, this game is very fun to play, outside of Paradox's DLC-itis. That, and the fact that there is only one song in the game's entire soundtrack (which hopefully can be expanded with mods). There is also a rather active modding community, with Steam Workshop support.