Recent reviews by d3Nk

"It's said the entire map is destructible and for once I feel we have a game that has fully delivered on that promise."

I had the pleasure of that statement representing the game on it's homepage. I stand by it today. It had more than just infinite destruction, the core mechanics handled better and had more player modifying options than any other that has ever become a commercial product. I've still yet to see anyone allowing you to make your own presets for walls or structures that you designed. Shooting with a recoil system that even surpassed counter strike. It had what many thrive, dream to achieve: a unique system that's easy to get into but has an almost infinite learning curve, potential. It had all the statistics you could ever wish for, all the latest advancements and norms that are still lacking in releases today. They had their own engine to back it all up. Never have I ever been as conflicted with a product as I have with Sector's Edge. What was clearly a true passion project by two very talented brothers with a clear vision, skills and resources to bring their dream to life ended up being a case study in something we rarely see in games this quality but something other titles can definitely take note of - overreliance on community feedback.. and catering towards a casual playerbase.

While many communities are having problems getting developers to act upon even making the slightest change, Vercidium was the polar opposite. I always deeply cherished and praised them for how one they were with their players. I distinctly remember finding a bug during the games Alpha days, reporting it and seeing a hotfix for it as well as other reported issues by others 15 minutes later. Sometimes those hotfixes came up to 14 times a day. Not a week went past with some major new additions to the game. They genuinely took note of what was being said and oftentimes worked with and discussed with the players themselves for additions and/or feedback. New updates came and even got reverted based off of that feedback. Keep in mind, this was around and more than a half decade ago. This went for years on end. Unprecedented activity, if there ever was a game that deserved the Labor of Love award, you're looking at it.

The division between the core fanbase and casual audience. The game was shaped up for years by a dedicated following by vigorous playtesting. Que Early Access, it's niches and learning curve scared off the potential vocal few with .5 hours of playtime that were quick to let their opinion known via Steam reviews. A quick response, as always, ended up changing those same systems fleshed out for eons on launch day. Core players obviously disliked the changes, casuals left anyway and it took a while to repair the damages. Sadly by the time the game exceeded it's previous state, it was too late. For indie titles, launches like these are make or break, on one hand casual players are what drive up the numbers, get new faces on board. On the other, it's your hardcore following that keeps coming back day-by-day. Here's a perfect example panic taking control. For a product with as strong of a vision and foundation that it had, I strongly believe it should have stayed ground with what was built, slowly growing that playercount over time with uncompromised vision and having that perfected playfield for those who share your vision. Instead it's a rare example of how listening to the community, the wrong side of the community, can actually lead to devastating results.

Today Sector's Edge is no longer available on the Steam store. It should have been a household name. It did everything right.

Easily surpasses any arcade shooter in active development today. A fresh take on the genre, as it deconstructed an untraditional team structure that has previously failed in the wrong hands, built it from the ground up and sprinkled in some of that AAA magic. The end result is not only a game that shoves a middle finger between the eyes of the industry giants, but one that doesn't leach off you the player neither with it's uninspired cosmetics or repackaged gameplay. A strong start to a promising studio.

It stands on it's own as a punishing atmospheric micromanagement bliss of quite uniquely enhanced known and unknown mechanics from it's easy-to-make-comparisons-to counterparts, that once accustomed to elevates it from competition in numerous regards.

For the longest time I disregarded Green Hell as a Forest knockoff. It took me 5 years after 1.0 to finally give it a go, perhaps it was for the better as as I got to make my first impressions off of a finalized product, but it feels like five years too many. While the forementioned delves into the supernatural, in here you are grounded in realism throughout, yet it has found a comfortable limit right before it'd become tedious. Immersion is unparalleled. Lack of a over bloated HUD and all blueprints, vitals, injuries, inventory and whatnot being a physical item or action in the game keeps you from seeing a single menu in your sessions to take you out of the jungle. It's really well implemented and accessible.

Secondary in survival, if even available in the first place: there's a surprisingly effective story here that I highly recommend as a starting point if you'll decide to trust your money here. There's quite a lot of it as well. It's really hands free, giving you a general road to follow and build towards. You'll go through it at your own pace and it all works hand-in-hand with all the survival elements of the game as it takes unexpected turns, adds some nice worldbuilding and ends with a satisfying conclusion. Prequels to follow afterwards that add ways to actually interact with the tribes. Some things to note: you'll make the most progress by traversing cliffsides which results in a lot of backtracking. The only real issues I've had QoL wise has come from story co-op; relogging had us spawn on different sides of the map and there was a fixable progression item misplacement right before the finale. Small problems compared to the overall smooth experience.

I'll dump a few more keywords to provoke some thoughts: The YouTube channel "Primitive Technology". Far Cry 3. Start-of-wipe Rust.

Honestly, if you have the itch for a primitive-throughout experience that allows you to interact with the world and playable character layers deeper than a more arcade experience and you don't mind a bit of an adjustment period, you'll find suspense, a ♥♥♥♥-ton of leeches and an entire back scratcher for that itch here. It's a more fruitful package than what the majority of opposition has to offer and now's a better time than ever to give in and drink some ashwagandha Ayahuasca.

A genre blend that tickles your brain. Removes anxiety while keeping the adrenaline that RTS games typically withhold, which is achieved by preset building locations and intervals that allow you to think your actions through and focus only on troop management once battles emerge. It's an interesting display of where the lack of player freedom can actually lead to a more concentrated gameplay experience that can both be an excellent introduction to those unfamiliar to the genre and a soothing one for veterans. In fact it's so easily readable that you can play it blazed out of your mind, that experience is only heightened by "pops" and "clings" that may as well defy "eargasms".

High octane with no filler. You can go through the story in just a couple hours, but the value is more than present with the almost unparalleled craftsmanship behind the simple and satisfying weapon handling and world interaction, paired with challenges and perfectionism for those flawless runs - they don't just provide extra double digits to your playtime, but are more than compelling enough to always make you push for that "one more run". There's some serious thought put into the gameplay loop and it shows. I highly encourage giving it a go.

Initially tantalizing, the added replayability is a testament to the games success that could as well comfortably stayed it's ground as a successful one-off experience and proof of concept, maintaining it's relevancy for much longer as well as deliver some true fan service. It's a commendable undertaking that has personally made me more patriotic realizing where it all originated from.

I've always believed that games as a medium are the highest form of art that combined everything else we have at our fingertips into one, with the added aspect of interaction -> reaction. The simple addition of allowing YOU to be in control and perform actions creates an experience rather than an already completed story, introducing uncertainty. Compared to, let's say, reading a book or consuming carefully instructed framing work paired with a visionaries vision, actors ability portray that vision and spoken/unspoken dialogue amalgamating in a linear set of sequences where you don't have any say about the outcome and can only analyse on how things came to be, games allow you to be dropped into a placebo where, at the expense of runtime and lack of boundaries set by a clear frame, the story becomes personal and hardships are your own. The runtime itself adds another layer upon that, where the bunch that pass the typical "movie length" of a few hours typically get away with a poorer story, as the more mundane activities bring you into a sense of realism in an otherwise fictional world and create a time sunk that allows you to be more developed into the world. It's a powerful tool, giving your message more impact through wondering "could things have been different" were you to go through it in a different manner, even if the result is the same regardless.

The same story can be widely different simply through what medium it's presented. This particular one got me reading a book. Pacific Drive is much more derivative of Roadside Picnics title rather than a faithful adaptation, but in it's DNA it carries the overall setting and suspension that you'll be imagining flipping pages. It feels like a separate story in a different location, but still taking place under the same mysterious circumstances. One that can only be presented through this specific medium, as the bond you'll form with your vehicle of transportation - which I'd also consider to be it's greatest strength - is completely dependent on your personal travels and circumstances rather than what's being shown or told. It's an excellent companion that sets it apart from the much more established series the book is normally associated with and fits into the world like a glove. I'm glad they've kept the survival aspect, as an universe like this gets heavy support for it's thematic via the need to scrap and scavenge, being vulnerable. Anomalies are brought to life in an exquisite manner as their behavior and design are as alluring as you've come to expect and thrilling to encounter. To have the creative vision to turn the source material distinctly it's own, gameify it and follow through, is nothing short of commendable.

One mans talent at perfect display. While at first glance it may have been seen as a way to capitalize on a widespread meme from years ago, Crab Champions is a complete package in a golden shell as it takes all the best parts of the genre and mushes them into one package with 0 drawbacks. An endless roguelite that vividly entertains you for hours on end and hands you all the tools and options to truly make each run your own. What really brings it together is the themed album backing it all, over a decade of experience in the music industry really allows Noisestorm to add an extra layer of quality with sheer focus on his very own own project, a special niche that many indies cannot replicate, taking it from a product that's way too good for it's own right to an euphoric dream.

Honestly one of the most unique concepts I've seen in a while - and they've done an excellent job at teaching all the mechanics through standard gameplay. Grab a couple friends and give it a go, while it looks barebones visually there's fun to be had!

they actually brought the old cod feeling back.. most fun I've had playing in a long time.
it's kinda like what you expected 2042 to be from the promotional material.
just hoping spec ops will be good this time around.