Recent reviews by Kohen

This game is sort of like if you took the Sims 3 and Oxygen Not Included and mixed them together. There's 3 different "scenario" campaigns, and although there's only 3 scenarios, they're a lot of fun to play through and get immersed in. The entire roster of characters/survivors have family ties to other characters/survivors and have almost Project: Zomboid-esque +/- skills/traits. Some characters will be interested in one skill, where others will be "indifferent". I love playing with the Random Survivors modifier, but there's also other options for players who may enjoy a more difficult or more forgiving experience. There's 3 very different maps to play on, and a "Moon" options that will modify the pace of the game independently of the difficulty and map selections. I love this game, and I think you will, too.

Dark and Darker is a beautiful game. I love the concept of combining extraction shooter mechanics with medieval gameplay. However, the class system is completely unbalanced. The Warlock class is wildly overpowered in comparison to, or against, any of the melee classes - and even some of the other magic/ranged based classes. Meanwhile, the Ranger and Wizard classes feel helpless/hopeless in the early levels because of the Warlock meta and the way the classes base kits' work. The unbalanced matchmaking makes the game feel unrewarding when you've spent the entire round collecting gear and fighting off monsters, only to get 2-hit or melted by a level 50-100 player. There's not separation of new players and veterans, only a "high roller" game mode that is *supposed* to incentivize higher leveled players to stay out of the "normal" queue. The Frost Mountain map is much more difficult than the other maps due to the frost/slow effect that nearly every monster on that map does, if they hit you (and they will). I play solo, so these points may not ring true to people who will play in duos or trios. Absolutely worth playing the free version at the very least if you enjoy games like Marauders and Tarkov. But, the current state of the class balancing makes me half-wish I didn't pay to unlock the full game.

Space Tarkov

Oh dear God, do I love this game. <3
Hail!
I was skeptical of the game at first, trying to avoid the hype and also trying to get a feel for the game before really investing time and money into it - but a friend bought it for me, so naturally I had to dump 20 or so hours into it.
I will say that even though this isn't a heavily story-driven game, there are a good amount of lore/story elements scattered throughout the virtually-endless world that do give the world some actual depth. The structure of the game gives you a lot of freedom to explore, and/or hunt, to your heart's content without really having to progress through the game in order to do it. But also the basebuilding is really unique but equally east to pick up and satisfying, and very easy to spend hours rebuilding your house (lol).
The game does have a considerable learning curve, and it can be very difficult at times, but this is hands down one of the most enjoyable open-world/survival games I have had the pleasure of playing.

After putting in nearly 200 hours on console, then moving to PC where I've now put in almost 400 hours, and gotten both Rank 1 Killer and Survivor - I will say that this game is a ton of fun. It's stressful in all the right places, and it's just enough shared responsibility to really corner you into working with people you probably don't know in hopes of escaping.
The only issue I have with this game are with the people that play the game. The Dead By Daylight playerbase is by far one of the most toxic communities I've ever experienced. But, don't let that deter you. It's a very unique game, and if you enjoy horror games - it's a must play.

This was the first Bethesda game I had ever seen and/or played. Being partially biased, I would say that this game is undoubtedly one of the most difficult games I have ever played. It is deeply dialogue driven, and not very user friendly in comparison to the following Elder Scrolls titles.(i.e. no compass, no quest markers, difficult combat system)
That being said, I recommend this game to anyone who has a profound love for this series, and determination to overcome challenges. You will be tested.

This is my favorite Elder Scrolls game. The in-depth character customization, the massive amount of spells that you can learn and dungeons/caves to explore, and all of the lore that you can piece together from dialog and reading the in-game books - this game absorbed easily 500+ hours of my time on the Xbox 360, and now I get to do it all over again.
If you enjoyed Skyrim, and don't mind a step down in graphics, this game will absolutely not disappoint.