Recent reviews by Namikai

Very addicting incremental game that doesn't overstay its welcome.

From the moment I understood the weakness of my flesh, it disgusted me.

I love democracy.

CD Projekt does not miss when it comes to DLCs. Dogtown is one of the more visually interesting locations in Night City, and is a lot of fun to explore. The gigs are so ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ good, some of the best in the whole game, and damn do some of them have some hard choices. Really, the entire expansion has hard choices throughout the story. Reed & Songbird are compelling characters backed by great performances. I recommend you start this in the middle of the game, instead of at the end like I did, the pacing will feel a lot better that way.

Feels really good now after all the patches and updates. However, I have a problem with the way the perk overhaul in 2.0 was handled. The new perks do feel more impactful and interesting, but there is now little, if any, build variety. You simply pick the weapon you want to specialize in, and then pick all the perks for that weapon type, there's very little strategy or planning. Other than that, I think this version of Cyberpunk is a much more complete and immersive experience than the game I played on launch.

One of the best RPGs out there. It's easy to compare BG3 to Larian's previous title, Original Sin 2, but I feel like it's much more than that. This game is similar to OS2 but it certainly has its own identity and its own ideas. It feels like the game that Larian always wanted to make. If you enjoy tactical turn-based combat, RPGs, or D&D, I'm sure you'll love this game.

Chris Christodoulou is a genius.

The best Vampire Survivors since 20 Minutes Till Dawn.

Probably the best 3D Metroidvania that isn't Metroid Prime. I was totally sucked into this game over the past week. The atmosphere is incredible and at times truly disturbing, even with N64 graphics. It was incredibly satisfying to earn upgrades and open up more of the map. The combat is a little janky and I was getting tired of it towards the end of the game, but I think the variety of weapons makes up for it.

Also, I have never experienced level design quite this...surreal? Most, if not all, of the maps are a giant sprawl that get confusing quick due to the lack of a map. It feels like trying to find your way around in a nightmare, but maybe that is intentional given the setting. At least the game tells you when there is something new to find in a level, and you are allowed to fast travel to another level from anywhere, at anytime.

Nightdive did an incredible job with this remaster. They included cut content, new content, and quality of life improvements that would be a huge pain to play without. I never had a single frame dip or stutter, and only a single crash in my 20 hours of play. They added the option to switch between the old graphics and the new, and the new looks great. I did prefer Dreamcast water though, just feels like it fits the aesthetic better.

I highly recommend you pick this up if you enjoy Metroidvanias or 3D Platformers. It has good replay value, as you likely won't find all of the secrets and collectables on your first playthrough. A word of advice though. When you get to the Playrooms, maybe mute the music...

Lot to like about this game. The soundtrack is great, combat is simple but fun. I love how you the game encourages you to strategize your approach to every level, as completing an objective in one location may either give you more ammo or weapons to use, or make it easier/possible to complete an objective in another area. For instance, you may want to attack an ammo depot first because you can find C4 there, which will allow you to blow up an attack chopper in another area, which will reduce the amount of soldiers you have to fight.

The game's progression mechanic, charisma, can be earned by completing secondary objectives and by rescuing wounded civilians. After you gain enough charisma, you are able to control an additional soldier in your squad. This mechanic encourages replays to max it out, as you probably won't complete every objective on your first playthrough, and you really have to explore the map to find those civilians.

The AI is impressive, both enemy and friendly. When squadmates are told to guard an area, they automatically take cover wherever they can instead of just standing around. They will also automatically use mounted machine guns if they are available. Enemies will sometimes try to sneak around and flank you as you are guarding an area.

I appreciate the little details too, like how Chris's appearance gets more rugged and "tactical" as the game progresses, and how the rebel base gets more populated as you liberate more of the city.

Originally I was going to talk about the game's length as a negative, but I think now it is more of a double-edged sword. I finished the game in about 6 hours, but with the combat being as simple as it is, I think this is just long enough for it to not feel repetitive by the end.

I would also like to point out the quality of this PC port. The game doesn't have a lot of controls to begin with, but they translated to keyboard and mouse great. The game works right out of the box and even supports ultrawide. I never had a crash, freeze, stutter, or frame dip at any point in the game. Really impressive.

I could see a sequel to this game being really successful, as there is a great foundation with room to grow. Maybe more complex squad management, more intricate maps with more ways to approach objectives, more weapons, and robust stealth mechanics could all make for a really great sequel.