Recent reviews by Serneum

DREDGE already had solid reviews by the time I picked it up, but I was still unprepared for just how good the game was going to be. I'm not one to "Platinum" or 100% games, but DREDGE hooked me in and kept me playing nonstop until I had fully completed the game. The gradual improvements to the ship kept me feeling like I was making real progress, enabling faster travel and opening up more of the exploration elements of the game. Saying much more would start getting into spoiler territory, but the important part is that I really enjoyed DREDGE and didn't even notice the 17 hours fly by

I'm glad I randomly came across videos and screenshots for this game. This is one of the best games I've played in years, and I didn't even know it existed because of the stealth release. Highly recommend picking it up

This game is a hidden gem. I don't even recall where I got it, likely a key someone was randomly giving away. I figured I'd give it a shot on a whim and this game is so good. The combat feels incredible, and you get a lot of it with all of the various bosses, both required and extra. This game is worth your money

I went in expecting the game to be pretty mediocre based on reviews from a few months ago, but I have been pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed playing through Episodes 1 through 3 so far. This feels like a mix of Left 4 Dead and Back 4 Blood, with the latter mostly coming across in how there are mods for guns, though you have far less (read: no) control over them.

Level design and aesthetics are pretty solid, and some of the new takes on Special enemies are great additions to the genre. Base weapons are fairly limited, but there is enough variance from the random weapon mods and the special weapons to make up for it. I'm very much looking forward to seeing what gets added next.

This game has no right to be as good as it is for the price I paid ($14.99), especially with a free battle pass. Buy this game and support a great game from great devs that won't nickel and dime you.

I played around 3 hours of the phone version and decided I wanted to buy the PC version of the game. I don't regret it at all. The cloud syncing worked so I could pick up right where I left off. The graphics are vibrant and the game has a Castle Crashers/BattleBlock Theater feel to it. I'm sure I'll eventually get tired of grinding materials, but right now this game is enjoyable and can be picked up and played in short bursts.

TL;DR:
Game isn't like Monster Hunter. Got a Blue Screen twice in the hour I played and I've never received a Blue Screen on that machine before. Clicking quest objectives will walk you to where you need to be, which I have mixed feelings about. There is at least one (optional) quest that requires you to open up the web shop and buy an item with real money.

Review:
I wanted to like this game, I really did. The videos make it look like a chibi/anime Monster Hunter. That's false advertising for what I played. Maybe the game changes once you get further in, but I'm not really willing to give the game any more of my time.

To start, I had an existing Aeria account that got banned for violating some terms of service. The thing is, I haven't used my Aeria account since the release of Shaiya, which was around 7 years ago. I went through the process of recovering my account which took several days. I finally got access last night (12/5/15) and started up the game. I was able to start the game, which then crashed during the very first video before I even hit a server select screen. Subsequent attempts to start the game resulted in a browser window opening up that said "Success" and then would not proceed any further. After a few more attempts, I finally got in the game.

Once I picked my class, named and designed my character (and companion), the game threw me into a tutorial. No big deal. But that's where I noticed the game had action bars like any other MMO. Already a bad sign for what I thought was Monster Hunter. Granted, those expectations are probably my own fault. I completed the tutorial and was greeted with a video for the game. Cool, a trailer for the game in the game. I continued questing and realized that I didn't need to button-mash 1 for my first skill. Instead, if you hold it down, you just keep attacking. Between that and being able to click on objectives to walk to them and sometimes complete them, the game practically plays itself. While it's nice to be walked to an objective sometimes, it felt like the game didn't care if I actually had to play it at all.

As I continued playing, I realized that I was skipping all of the quest text. None of it mattered to me. I also noticed that I was progressing ridiculously fast. I don't know what max level is, but I was at least level 15 within 45 minutes or so. I quit playing when I was presented with a side quest where the objective said I should open the web store and buy some Dragomon Medicine. The item costs 199 AP, or $1.99 in real-world money. Yes, a quest that requires you to buy cash shop items exists. I didn't stick around to find out if more quests were like that.

Pros:
It's free
You can find items that let you ride the monsters you kill
Looks decent if you like chibi/anime styles
The game will show you paths (and follow them) when you click on quest objectives

Cons:
Game crashed at startup once
Game couldn't be started at all for 10-15 minutes
Game caused my computer to blue screen twice within an hour
There is at least one quest that can't be completely unless you spend real money
Assets/textures were flickering on the main screen quite often
Combat is extremely simple
Advertisements for the game are in the game
Plays like an MMO (mobs show red areas where their attacks will hit)
The game will show you paths (and follow them) when you click on quest objectives

I got the game on sale for 50% off, so around $4. I had seen it a while back and it looked interesting. Sadly, I think the trailer I originally saw was the most interesting part of the game. It really feels like someone's school art piece being used as a background while you view and experience it by just walking through it.

Pros:
Nice aesthetic
Nice atmosphere
Cool music

Cons:
Short. I beat it in 37 minutes, which includes me stopping to chat with friends periodically
All you do is walk. I expected a point-and-click where you find items and solve puzzles with some backtracking
Not obvious that you can rest in the pod, so I got stuck pretty quickly
Expensive for the length of the game. I got it 50% off and feel like I paid too much

It's frustrating, but the music is pretty solid. I played a bit on the phone and then opted to get the game on Steam

Divinity: Original Sin is a fantastic game. I played it in its entirety with a friend of mine and that is probably what made me stick with it all the way through. While controlling dialogue gets a little iffy when two people are playing, I had a general idea of what was going on and usually knew to just check EVERYTHING when in a room to try and find hints/tips/hidden things. I think my favorite part of the game was just how magic mixed. Poison + Fire? Explosion. Mist/Blood/Water + Lightning? Electrified path. There were times we just shot different spells/skills at the same spot just to see what would happen. Other times, we actually took the time to set up oil and fire or water and lightning so that we would have the advantage in fights right away. Overall, it's a great game that I'd highly recommend.