Recent reviews by Isen

The game had a rough start and rocky first couple years, but has transformed into the quintessential experience for Warhammer Fantasy in video game form.

I will preface this with something you've probably seen in all the other reviews: The price. Yes its the most expensive DLC and yes it's barely justifiable. Get it on sale if you can. If you don't care about a $5 dollar mark up then you'll have no issue (I didn't given the content is solid). Now with that out of the way I'll go over what most of those reviews don't and the actual content of the DLC which you're probably interested in.

It's good.
Overall the chaos dwarf faction is one of the best designed in the game. People will say that it's just reskinned mechanics but they neglect the fact that the mechanics they "stole" are quite good mechanics and that the chaos dwarfs greatly improve over the original versions. Even then its quite misleading, considering while many of the chaos dwarf mechanics might share similarity to others a ton of the specifics of their content is completely unique, not to mention they do posses mechanics entirely of their own. Additionally they have some of the most complex and diverse set of mechanics in the game, which easily differentiates them from any other faction. These mechanics mesh together in a very satisfying way that makes them a joy to play once you figure them out.

The chaos dwarf roster is large, fully fleshed out, carries over nearly everything from tabletop, and most importantly is insanely fun. The units are modeled gorgeously and thread the fine line between being restrictive and overpowered. Just as their mechanics are in-depth and interconnected, chaos dwarf units all have a particular place within the roster. Everything serves a purpose allowing a ton a tactical viability to be used in winning battles, with very few units being left unused. All three lords bring something to the table and even their legendary hero (who admittedly is a bit disappointing) opens a whole new playstyle for his army. The start positions aren't incredibly diverse but I give that a pass because they are positioned consistent with the lore.

As with most DLC for this game, I wouldn't recommend buying it before playing the base game. See how you enjoy those factions and the gameplay overall before making a decision of which others to purchase. But if you find you like the staunchness of heavy infantry, the overwhelming firepower of siege artillery, juggling multiple resources as you build your cities into industrial powerhouses, and unrelenting progress improving your arsenal of weapons, then this DLC is for you. Also if you like trains. They come with trains.

Most of the negative reviews are people complaining about bugs in the game that are completely unrelated to this DLC. Those were bugs introduced in an update that accompanied the DLC and it's misleading to imply that buying the DLC will cause them to occur. Honestly the main point of my review was the counter those negative ones because it was annoying me that it was not being judged on its own merits and instead by people's broader issues with the base game or CA in general.

So assuming the people reading this already like the base game enough to want DLC for it, this was a fun addition and the bugs had a very minor impact on the game (and a lot have been patched by now). Grom is really enjoyable lord with a fun mechanic. Eltharion is okay, but his mechanics get old quickly. Adds some cool units for both sides. Definitely get if you like Greenskins.

If you don't know if you like the game yet hold off getting the DLC until you've decided for yourself.

Despite the age of its engine (which wasn't very impressive even on release), New Vegas still holds up. The writing, settings, and branching story are all some of the best in its genre, no matter the ugly coat of paint on the outside. DLCs are highly recommended and some of my favorite moments come from them. Tons of replayability and content to explore if you're willing to put in the time. Still the best 3D Fallout in my opinion.

Best Civ game imo.

A simple but enjoyable experience. Visually and musically are stunning, but gameplay can be lacking at times. A short game, my first playthrough was 2.5 hours, but some replayability when "awake" for those who want a challenge.

Iron Snout is a game I downloaded as a joke.

Iron Snout is a game with a single repetitive gameplay loop and yet I have played it for 10 hours.

Iron Snout is the first game which I have 100% completed on Steam.

That should tell you everything you need to know.

Salt is a game that has no right to be as good as it is. There's little to actually do, there's a few simple "quests", which are more just fetch missions. The game is riddled with bugs, and the "pirates" and more just hostile island dwellers. They never ride in actual pirate ships or attack you on the sea. Combat is lackluster at best, essentially coming down to clicking on enemies and running away if they are too strong. The graphics are poor and at a distance islands can look pretty ugly.

But where Salt really shines is in an area few other games can. The sense of exploration you get from just sailing around is unparalleled. The loneliness is strangely comforting. Oftentimes you don't really know where you're going, and you don't care. You just want to see what you find. Even when its the 1000th pirate island, or just a small desert island with a trader, it always somehow feels exiting. The game gives you a blank map, and its up to you to fill it out. It might not be for everyone but I personally loved charting my progress and marking islands I found on the map. It made everything feel more personalized, like you really are the first one to chart these unknown lands.

The ships are probably the best modeled part of the entire game, and they should be. You spend the majority of the time on your ship, sailing between the many islands, so might as well be proud of it. The sense of achievement when you acquire some of the larger ships is wonderful. You grow attached to them as you personalize them and live upon them. They become like a home, and the sight of your galley silhouetted off the shore of the island you just explored is always welcoming.

The simplistic art might not work all the time, but it mirrors the core simple aspect of exploration. Everything seems calming, even if that means it isn't particularly gorgeous. It doesn't need to be. It's simple and welcoming. Just charting a course for the nearest inn island and sailing there, which would normally be a menial and boring task, is somehow enjoyable. When that music kicks in you don't care that you aren't really doing anything. You're alone on the high seas, on your trusty ship, and it's homely.

Though a lot of enjoyment can be had from calming solo exploration, the game does benefit from multiplayer as well. The multiplayer can be buggy at times, as with the rest of the game, but is nonetheless entertaining. You and your mates can form a more concrete plan for your sailing, seeking out Pirate Kings Outposts or the elusive Jungle Island. As homely as your ship may seem by yourself, it is even more so with friends onboard. They can also significantly help in fighting bosses, which are often difficult by yourself (in part due to the lacking combat mechanics).

On the topic of price, I can't say I recommend the game too highly at full price. With the little amount of actual content it contains, I do not believe the enjoyable exploration aspect enough compensates to the pricetag. However, if you can purchase the game on sale I highly recommend it, provided you like simple exploration.

Good game. Great game even. Still waiting on that update Valve.

Although sometimes a little more scripted than I would like (the progression system is pretty linear), overall XCOM: Enemy Unknown is a great game. The politicial system works well as you often have to make hard decisions over which countries to help. The progression system throughout the game is quite linear, but it also develops the story nicely. Increasing alien attacks coincide with more advanced XCOM technology which coincides with added knowledge of why the aliens are attacking, all coming together in one final mission.

One part of the game which plays out really well is the development of your soldiers. Despite having no backstory and little differentiating personalities, you somehow end up becoming attached with certain soldiers as they progress through missions in the game. As for the combat system, it is probably the best part of the game. For a turn-based strategy game, this is exactly the combat system you would want. Soldiers have adverse abilities depending on their class and equipped items, along with abilities they've unlocked over time by earning promotions. Aliens also have diverse abilities and strengths depending on their race. The"overwatch" ability is something I think should be added into more games as it allows you to attack on your enemy's turn without breaking the turn-based rule, improving the depth of gameplay.

A lot of people have claimed that the hit rating should be improved, and that they miss shots more often than they should. Honestly I didn't expeirence much of this in my games. When it came down to the wire and I needed a shot to hit, it always did. Overall, it's a great game, and even better with the Enemy Within expansion. It's worth the money.