Recent reviews by PaDaUy::::

Devs keep adding big free content and features one year after full release.

Improves EVERYTHING from the previous entry!

It's 2021 and still receives new content!

EDIT: It's 2023... and still receives new content, even after Killing Floor 3 was announced!

Total freedom in 2D.

Crytek decides to address the consoles for its next chapter of Crysis, enriching its history but with the consequences of being designed to run on limited hardware.

PROS:

- Excellent artistic direction (although it was designed thinking on consoles, Crysis 2 boasts a spectacular design of the city of New York, enemies and characters).
- Wonderful attention to detail (from the photos on posters of missing people in the disaster to the inside of a newsstand, Crytek's hand into this title is pretty evident).
- Solid and immersive history (a new step forward in the narrative structure of the series, answering questions from the previous installments and paving the way towards the close of the trilogy).
- Weapons arsenal quite varied and original.
- Long Campaign (beyond collectibles scattered in the most remote corners of the maps and the relentless search for accessories for your equipment that may already increase your playtime).
- Improved IA over previous titles (although there is the possibility that enemies can "stuck" in specific places of the maps).

CONS:

- Consolized (From the ridiculous FOV of the render of the weapon you hold, passing through the reduced level design and ending with the simplification of controls and gameplay elements).
- Multiplayer support is discontinued (with the shutdown of GameSpy servers there is no active multiplayer... but, there are ways...)

A solid game all around, especially in the artistic and narrative department. However, fans of the two previous installments probably be disappointed when they see how much the saga has been reduced, technologically speaking.


Note: Played it on Microsoft Windows 7 Ultimate - 64 bits

After offering a graphic reference that is praised even to this day, Crytek brings us a parallel story of the events that occurred in the first game that brings some important contributions.

PROS:

- Best optimized and polished than the first part.
- Best storytelling and character development (the inclusion of enhanced cinematic delves into the history and add more drama to the series).
- New weapons.
- Better level design (multiple ways to complete an objective, inclusion of more secondary objectives, the world feels better coupled to the gameplay).
- New vehicles to drive.

CONS:

- Shorter than the previous game (less maps, 8 hours campaign).
- The AI ​​is still "simple".

If you liked the first Crysis and you were left wanting more overwhelming shootings, spectacular explosions and bullying your enemies using your Nanosuit abilities, Crysis Warhead is a no-brainer to add to your game list.


Note: Played it on Microsoft Windows 7 Ultimate - 64-bit

Put in a blender Terraria, Mr Driller, Metroid and Megaman X, mix them and Steamworld Dig appears. Previously released on the Nintendo 3DS, the PC version enhances the audio-visual features of a game that was already quite remarkable.

PROS:

- Addictive (The digging and find resources and skills to level up mechanic will keep you playing non-stop until the end of the adventure)
- Acquisition of skills that make the adventure more fun as you progress (some of them quite ingenious and useful).
- Accurate and very responsive controls (calling out all those titles at the beginning of the review, you couldn't expect less).
- Charming characters and enemies design.
- The story is simple but engaging (the interest to know the mystery hidden underground is maintained at all times).
- If you are an achivement hunter, these would ensure you a second playthrough to get them all.

CONS:

- No real replayability (It lacks an New Game+ mode or something similar)
- The music can get repetitive at times.
- No quick save, you must return to the surface to generate a checkpoint-save.

If you like Metroid-Vania style games with a twist of western and a disappearing blocks mechanic (through digging) this game will grant you a good 6-12 hours of play (in my case it was 18). Addiction guaranteed.

My score: 8/10

Note: Played it on GNU / Linux (Ubuntu 14.04 LTS - 32 bits)

We could easily classify this game as "The evolution of platform/shooters games in flash from the web". A beautiful artistic audio-visual section and solid gameplay make this title a sure recommendation.

PROS:

- Spotless artistic direction (the style of the characters, enemies, weapons and unique backgrounds give the game its own personality).
- Excellent soundtrack (As a lover of electronic music, i could be listening for hours to the various tracks that create a correct atmosphere for an action/exploration game like this).
- Balanced and varied Gameplay (There is no other term for this, each weapon has its unique feature which makes it useful in a given situation or effective against a particular enemy type, as for the missions, each one has one unique objetive to comply).
- The exploration element is present (many smartly-hidden secrets to discover containing bonus points, weapons, ammunition, equipment, boosters, etc).
- Use of physics for combat and get rid of obstacles (You can create cover from objects that are in the area, pull or push objects that hinder your path or even for use as long-range weapons against enemies).
- Has local co-op campaign mode.
- The extra modes outside the campaign give the game extra replay value (includes a duel mode against bots or against a friend locally, an infinite survival mode and others).

CONS:

- Hard (Even on the normal difficulty, the game is very challenging. For those achivements hunters like me, this will compensate the short lenght of the game).
- No configurable keys or buttons on the joystick.
- The only joystick recognized by the game is the one from the Xbox 360.
- Some glitches that prevent to close the game normally (in the linux version, i played the demo on Windows XP at the time without problems).
- Some achivements are broken (a logical problem in those achivements that ask a requirement for complete in all the levels of the game).
- Short (can be compensated if you dedicate yourself time to explore the levels for secrets)
- The use of physics in certain situations can be a headache if not used wisely.
- Sometimes a mini-map to avoid getting lost would be useful.
- The developer abandoned this project long ago (no hope for some fixes).

If you like fast action 2D games, mixed with elements of exploration that are accompanied by beautiful graphics and a good soundtrack, this game is a safe buy.

My score: 7.5 / 10

Note: Played it on GNU / Linux (Ubuntu 14.04 LTS - 32 bits)

The second part of the franchise came to us through the same creative team that developed the first part. With a limited development due to its console version and more directed towards the action, we have a pretty solid game that keeps most gameplay elements introduced in its predecessor.

PROS :

- Continues and closes the storyline of the first part (Characters, organizations and elements of the story previously established in the first part, make their appearance here, either explicitly or through a mention).
- Possibility to choose between a male or female protagonist with different options on their physical appearance.
- Like the first part, what begins as a simple story unfolds in a story full of twists and complexities.
- Like its predecessor, depending on the choices you make, you can change the style of the narrative or the relationship of certain NPC's toward the protagonist.
- Is set on a Semi-Open World structure ala Wolfenstein (2009) for its narrative.
- The exploration remains key for obtaining items, ammunition, rewards, etc.
- Implementation of Havok Physics to move obstacles, hide corpses, attack, etc.
- Multiple primary and secondary objectives to meet (Some of them create conflicts between them, as the fulfillment of a goal to a specific faction can affect another one and their relationship towards the protagonist).
- Like the first part, there are multiple ways to meet the goals, reach a destination, get an item, etc.
- Augmentations obtained and improved can be replaced by others once installed.
- Integration of an ability to climb certain surfaces becomes quite useful.
- Being a game more focused on the action than the first part, the combat is much more polished than its predecessor (Though the element of stealth is still present).
- Most of the ranged weapons have a secondary fire mode.
- Very good textures and lighting effects for its time (Thanks to Unreal Engine 2).

CONS :

- The protagonist, whatever male or female, does not have enough charisma.
- Most NPC's share the same face.
- Many elements are simplified when compared to its predecessor (No experience points for improve character skills, all guns share the same ammunition, many fewer weapons, the tool for hacking and lockpicking is the same one, etc.).
- Improvements of the characters are limited exclusively to augmentations (As long as you have the item that allows you to install or upgrade these).
- Each weapon only accept two modifications (From a total of eight options).
- Control over jumps is sometimes a bit disastrous.
- Many times, the use of physics in certain situations, is erratic and not let the situation settle directly or at the first attempt (Which can be a bit frustrating ).
- The Quick-Load is not so "Quick".
- The campaign lasts half the first Deus Ex (We are talking about a campaign of approximately 30 hours, although this is much more than the average for today's games).
- An annoying Black-Screen bug present in the final length of the game when you load a Savegame (Which can be corrected going to the Task-Manager and placing a single core in the affinity of the application).

Deus Ex: Invisible War is a solid game with a great story, more focused on the action that the first part and simplifying the elements that were in this.

My Score: 7.8/10

Note : Played it on Windows XP - SP3

This hybrid of genres (RPG, First Person Shooter, Stealth and Adventure) is a gem. Despite the years, is a very complex game and introduced a series of mechanics which are still praised today.

PROS :

- Incredible story (What begins as the simplest thing in the world, ends up becoming a story full of conspiracies and betrayals to the point of not knowing who to trust, followed by a climax that few games can reach).
- The decisions you make along the adventure change the narrative of the ending.
- Completely open-character to all missions (From the first to the last, you have multiple ways to fulfill your primary and secondary objectives).
- Long campaign (If you dare to explore absolutely everything, you will ensure a minimum of 60 hours of gameplay).
- Multiple options for character customization (Integration of augmentations that allows you to perform specific actions and skills that can be enhanced at different levels).
- You can mold the character to fit your playing style (If you're a pacifist, you can create a stealthy character to avoid direct confrontation, or if you prefer to face the situation ala John Rambo, you can create a real killing machine).
- Wide variety of weapons (From improvised weapons to non-lethal, knives, pistols, shotguns, rifles, bazookas, energy weapons, etc. Many of these, completely customizable in their performance).
- Various options to interact with the NPC's (Resolving a situation by the way of the dialogue, intimidation or force. Your choice affects the opinion of other characters and their behavior towards the protagonist).
- The exploration is encouraged (Many hidden areas that keep items, ammunition, experience points to spend, etc).
- Features Multiplayer option (Amazingly for a game of these characteristics, you have the option to play in LAN or Internet. At the time of writing this Review, there were about 15 active servers with people in them).

CONS :

- Relatively small inventory (Although this is not necessarily a bad thing, but merely strategic. You must decide very well which items to carry).
- Some bugs and graphical glitches (Textures that become invisible, walls that inexplicably you can go through in certain situations).

An unforgettable story set in a Cyberpunk atmosphere of the mid-21st century. The multiple customization options added to the various narratives that you have for your style of play, ensures that the Single Player mode will be played more than once.

My Score: 8.8/10

Note : Played it on Windows XP - SP3

Man, i don't know. I have mixed feelings about recommend this or not. Let's start the Review:

Red Faction 2 when compared to its predecessor, is a disappointment. Despite maintaining certain foundations established in the first part, mainly due to technical issues.

PROS :

- LOTS of weapons (with primary and secondary shot system for each one as in the first part).
- The shooting mechanics makes some intense gunfights fun.
- Sections where you drive vehicles are well made ​​and are quite fun.
- Apart from the primary mission objectives, the game have hidden secondary objectives for each map, which when completed, will give you bonus points.
- Karma system that varies the ending of the game (Accomplish the primary and secondary objectives provides you of good Karma, while doing bad actions like killing innocent civilians, will give you bad Karma).

CONS :

- Generic story.
- Easily forgettable characters.
- Clearly this is a PS2 port (You can easily notice it viewing the avaliable options, not to mention the graphics).
- Enemies and allies AI is doubtful.
- There are sections where enemies respawn infinitely until you pass a certain point.
- Exploration of the maps is practically non-existent (compared to the first game).
- The Geo-Mod technology is implemented despite being not quite exploited.
- Ridiculously short (the campaing last 5-6 hours).

If you can get past the fact that this is a direct port of a PS2 game, and you value the game for what it is (a short, mindless, linear first person shooter focused only in killing whatever you have in front) you may like it, if you want something deeper, you won't find it here.

My Score: 5.8/10

Note: Played it on Windows XP - SP3