Recent reviews by DukeOfGonzo

This game is like a Ghostbusters thrill ride at an amusement park. It is very, very scripted. The mechanics of the game is basically point and shoot the ghosts until they can be slammed into a trap. There is a PKE meter, but it can be avoided by just clumsily blundering around the map until the next scripted event is triggered.
There is a novelty to hearing the original voice actors reprise their roles, but that wore off on me after hearing each of them utter the same phrase over and over again. Perhaps this game is great for a Ghostbusters super-fan, which I kind of thought described me. I guess not enough to push past the bland unexciting gameplay.

A splendid little RPG. By little, I mean it's not a 100+ hour epic teaming with side quests and continents to discover. It's much more narrow in scope. The main quest, small cast and the handfull of non-essential missions are sublime. It has no filler. Every minor character brings in a charming spark and all the environs are dripping with cyberpunk grime. The turn-based mechanics are expansive and invite many possible successfful choices.

The one caveat is the team inventory system is unexplained, but gets cleared up once you make the mistake of trying to equip a party member with superior items.

I have not played a hack n' slash RPG since Diablo 2, over ten years ago. Based on that comparison, Torchlight II is essentially that same game but corrects every little inconvenience. All the little time consuming portions of an action RPG are eliminated by clever and sophisticated tricks that make sure you never have to be away from the action for more than a moment. If you liked Diablo 2, then this game is perfect. Maybe Diablo 3 has fixed itself and that F2P game is better, but I lvoe this game based on my narrow experience in the genre.

First of all, this game is gorgeous, absolutely gorgeous. You'll notice it from the beginning, and still you'll probably be amazed by it deep into the campaign. After that, there is no too much to admire.
It plays like a puzzle game about creating elaborate deaths that look like accidents. Once the puzzle game breaks down, it becomes a 3rd-Person-Shooter. Trouble is, I found myself forgetting about the puzzle rather quickly, eventually just shooting my way in and out. I frustratingly got to this point because of the reminders of my score everytime I made a mistake trying to make the perfect kill. The constant score updates ought to be something left for a second playthrough.
On top of this, the assassination puzzles are claustrophobic rather than an open toybox of options. I guess if you want a narrow "cinematic" experience with the occasional break of puzzle/shooter gameplay, this game is just for you. It ain't for me. I'd rather have the sandbox loaded with option, with the only story being, "Kill this guy. Make it look like a accident."

The game is very "on-rails". The action usheres you through very narrow spaces without much room for exploration. This is not too much of a fault because Metro 2033 fills the narrow lines you travel with unbelievably immersive environments and situations. There is a compelling story that holds these incredibly well done action set-pieces together, but sometimes I forgot what was the big picture and focused on surviving one shootout at a time. This is a great follow-up to to the wide open sandbox S.T.A.L.K.E.R., just shoved into a much smaller space.

This is a fine game, but I heard way too much hype about it from fans. It did somewhat live up to the promise of starting as a lowly knight with a tiny cohort and escalating up to being a king at war with other monarchs. I felt let down by how sparse the cities, battles and political intrigue felt. The game's momentum that really amped up when you're war party started growing in numbers and strength remained stagnant. Perhaps there are mods that put more soldiers on the field or make the in-between battles portion more exciting. Once I got to dozen hours I didn't feel excited enough to see what comes next.

What we've got here is the closest you can get to God of War without the use of a Playstation. The actual combat does not feel as fluid or inventive as God of War. Although the combat did not feel as satisfying s the game it is trying to mimic, I really enjoyed the art direction from Todd McFarlane. Everything looked obscenely detailed, providing for lot's of memorable characters and environments, except the out of place real world locations like sewer tunnels or office buildings.

I had never even heard of this game when I gave it a try. It came with a Humble Bundle. It was a more than pleasant surprise. It's an old-school shooter (no health regen, more than two weapons, slippery movement). It does incorporate newer conventions such as upgrades, and you sorta only have two weapons, but they can do much more than when you start the game once you upgrade them. The biggest draw the game had for me was it is ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ beautiful, technically and aesthetically. The environments and enemies are very Cyber-punk. I think there was a story in the game, but I could care less about it. Who needs it when you have such solid shooting and breathtaking graphics.

I didn't care much for the game the first time I tried it, where I was sober and using a mouse/keyboard combo. The second time after a few drinks and accidentally having my controller plugged in, I found the game to be delightful, absolutely delightful. It's not a game, as much as it is a comedic playground about an octopus trying to make it in a man's world.

I always start to play without the intention of going on too long. That never happens and I end up trying to beat my high score for quite longer than I expected. It has smooth controls, glitzy graphics and a pulsing soundtrack(with one really really great song on there).