Recenzii recente de Felix

Update: 16/01/21 (DD/MM/YY)
An addendum; updated review and original review below

While my words below still stand (except for my use of the term 'consumer' – I've since realised that's a poor word to use, because it suggests that software can somehow be 'consumed' by its use), I have since realised what the true problem is. It's true that what we experience with games like this – where things are handled poorly and we feel as if we wasted our money – are an issue, but the root of the problem lies elsewhere. Many woes in gaming – be they 'micro'transactions, unfinished games, unethical DLC practices, etc. – can be directly blamed on one thing: the fact that many games are proprietary. 'Proprietary' means that you, the player, do not have freedom when you play a game. You're not provided with a copy of the source code with which you can change the game to your liking, potentially to remove issues and then distribute your changes to others. If games were libre software – or free software, software that gives you freedom – the problems we face would not be gone, but we would at least be able to rectify them, without having to resort to making our own games from scratch.
I don't believe that this can be solved overnight. We need to make a concerted effort to refuse to use software which doesn't give us freedom; I realise this is difficult. However, if we do nothing, then the situation is only going to deteriorate further, as it has done so far. If we allow them to get away with minor transgressions, they then push the limits further and further, until we end up with a situation completely removed from any idea of reasonableness or fairness, accepted because it was implemented slowly but surely. That's already what's happened, but things can surely still get worse.

The above relates to Cattle and Crops in the sense that, even though the game could still have been released in an unfinished state as libre software, there would at least be some recourse. Those of us who play the game would at least have the ability to improve upon the game ourselves, rather than waiting for Masterbrain to do so.

Preventing things from getting worse can only happen when we take action. If you're a developer, release your game or software as libre software. If you just use software and play games, avoid proprietary software, even if it's gratis (available for no monetary cost).
I don't think saying this here will make much of a difference, but I felt it was important to say it, because I only recently realised that all the issues in gaming are merely symptoms. We need to treat the root cause, proprietary software, for things to get better. If even one person reads this and takes it to heart, I'll consider this message to have been worthwhile.

Update: 15/10/20
Original review below

So as promised, Masterbrain has released V1.0. Has my opinion changed after playing the new version? Unfortunately, not really. I would not recommend this game to anyone looking for a complete experience, because Cattle and Crops is not a complete experience and not worthy of the version number "1.0" at this time.
Some specific problems I have:
Poor optimisation
Lack of sound in a number of areas
General feeling of 'lack of polish'

However:
The game shows promise. If Masterbrain continues development and implements the promised features and polishes the game, it could be a good competitor for Farming Simulator. The ground deformation is very nice. The parallel track system is a huge help for neat freaks like me who hate to do field work simply because we're bad at driving in straight lines. The tutorials are in-depth and well-written.

Conclusion: This game is very much still early access, despite not indicating this any more. I consider this to be an anti-consumer move and possibly simply a tactic to increase sales. Watch videos of the game and decide for yourself whether or not you want to play it at the state it's in now as there is no guarantee it will ever live up to what it could become. This is something you should do with all games, but I want to state it clearly here especially due to the dishonesty of the developers by releasing version "1.0" of a product which, for all intents and purposes, remains an early access game. There is fun to be had in this game, but it is by no means complete. I will change this review if (hopefully when) the developers get the game into as polished a state as is possible.

As a side note, I received an achievement in German while playing the game to edit this review. (Edit 23/10/20: Achievements now show in the same language as Steam is set to after a new patch.) Not a big deal, but kind of funny and seems to demonstrate (in my view) that they did indeed rush here. Something which was completely unnecessary. If this game is more poorly received for having done this, it would hardly be unfair. You reap what you sow, Masterbrain.

** ORIGINAL REVIEW FOLLOWS **

This game is being released as version 1.0 soon. It is not ready for that. Masterbrain, please reconsider your decision. Rushing to 1.0 in the hopes that people will purchase the game thinking it's complete is dishonest if that's what you're trying to do here. It's only going to end badly for you. Make the game actually ready for a 1.0 release and you'll be glad you did. Please. I want this game to succeed, Farming Simulator needs proper competition so this genre stops stagnating.

See the logos beside the Windows flag above the "add to cart" button? The Apple logo and Steam logo? Those mean the game supports Linux/SteamOS and MacOS. Well, yeah. About that. Seems like the developers, after being bought out by a company swimming in money, can't keep supporting those platforms. Yeah, right. And let's not forget this game is riddled with microtransactions. Avoid like the plague. Even if you're on Windows, you'll probably not be able to play it on Steam in the future even if you buy it on Steam, and you can thank Tim "All of my company's profits come from scamming kids in a free to pay game" Sweeney for that.

As a citizen of The Nation I am pleased to be surveilled by Orwell. I feel safer in the knowledge that in public I am being watched over by those who care about my safety. I would feel less at ease anywhere but here. Our crime rates are so low that you could scarcely believe it.


To be serious, though, this game is good. You should buy it if you like the sound of its premise, especially if it's on sale. But even at its regular price it's still well worth it.
Overall, I would rate it 83/100. It's not perfect (no game truly is) but it's certainly enjoyable.
I want to describe the game, at least a little, in this review. But honestly, I can't. If you like the sound of it, go in blind. That is the most important recommendation I can give.

I'd like to be able to recommend this game. I enjoy well-made simulators. Farming Simulator is very enjoyable for me.
However, this game is not. The controls are awkward and the driving is strange whether I use a keyboard or controller. Switching the driving from "simulation" to "arcade" helps slightly, but the keyword there is slightly.

Now I must admit that I have not played long. But I got a general sense of how the game would go based on that relatively short time. It was either digging or transporting. Transporting is frustrated by the driving controls and lack of camera movement (or so it appears) with a controller. Digging is tedious, and difficult to do precisely. But that may be me, and not the game.

I did not pay a high price for this game. As of the time of writing during the Autumn Sales, I paid £5.49 for it. 50% off regular retail price. It may not seem like much, but I will have to get a refund.

Again, I wish I had enjoyed this game. Construction is something that I am interested in, and I would love to play a good construction simulator. But for me, personally, this is not that game. If you are a hardcore fan of construction and you don't mind the idea of repeating the same tasks over and over, by all means, purchase this game. But for anyone who doesn't like the sound of that, save your money.

My rating of this game would be a 6/10. The game is not bad, just not something I am able to enjoy.

Clicking Simulator? Yes.
Bad? Not if you like that sort of thing.

Sakura Clicker is a game about clicking on women, some of whom are dressed to look like certain animals, until they drop gold. Would this be a ripoff if it cost money? Yes. Does it cost money? No, but you can buy outfits for 79 pence (GBP) each to make your character more scantily dressed.

It's definitely enjoyable if you like this sort of thing. My question, though, is why buy the auto clickers? Some of the fun of this game, at least for me, is, *cough* "admiring" my adverseries before defeating them. Can't do that if your auto clickers one-shot them, now can you?

Verdict: 6/10
Could probably have more features, but for what it costs (nothing), I'd say it's pretty good.

The Stanley Parable is a strange game.

That doesn't mean it's a bad game. Quite the opposite. It's a great game.

Don't read any reviews that describe the gameplay. Don't watch any YouTube videos of the game. Buy it. Play it for yourself.
That's the only way you'll enjoy it. It's meant to be experienced, not watched.