Post by Fayde on Oct 19, 2011 0:02:36 GMT -8
I wanted to review most/all of my games I bought on Steam so far, most of them will be brief, as I have not played so of them extensively yet.
My rating system is on a scale of 0 to 10. 10 being unrealistically passionate about the game, and 0 being just as unrealistic. The rating reflects my personal experience while playing the game rather than a critical review, but each rating is affected by such factors as graphics, game play, concepts, replay value and other typical things that are generally reviewed/factored.
First is AI Wars: Fleet Command
AI Wars is basically a sort of lower tech version of SoaSE in that you can have thousands of ships vs thousands of ships. Planets connected to worm holes and a very very light civ mechanic with a research tree. The feel of the game is different though. The low-tech graphics allow for a lot more ships, which means a lot bigger battles, and a lot more room for technology advantages to make a huge difference. However, a large amount of tactical control is absent. There are so many ships, you just cannot manage all of them effectively. However, the game is a bit quicker than SoaSE, as you can build 1 ship in about 1 second depending on the ship. A last note is it feels a bit like a tower defense game in a way, as the AI comes at you in waves. The harder you attack, the harder they attack.
Anyway, I give it a 6.75. Good, but only worth it if you buy it on sale. At least to play by yourself.
Alien Shooter 1 and 2:
Insanely fun! Basically a 2D single player version of Alien Swarm. TONS of aliens on screen, which huge weapons, big levels and some customization options as you play through the game. The cash allows you to "upgrade" your character by adding weapons, armor, health bonuses and so on. It is a pretty straight forward game, with tons of mindless action, good "theme" and never seems to get old.
I'm rating it a flat 7, mostly for the fun factor rather than any specific thing.
Alien Swarm:
Great co-op, blast aliens and go through missions. Pretty much the same as the above game as far as review goes. Only beef I have with it is once you finish your single campaign, there are no more levels. There are downloadables, which save it though.
Again, I rate it a flat 7. Looses some points for limited replay, but gains it back due to there being SOME downloadble content.
AudioSurf:
A DDR racing game if you can imagine. Again mindless fun, as you basically race yourself and try to run over colored tiles on the track in order to build up a color combo (think Tetris). The coolest thing is you can use the music on your computer and it will create a track for you using the audio "waves?" from the song you choose.
Rating a 6.5. Looses points because it would have been better as a multiplayer, and the lack-luster graphics don't do much for me.
Children of the Nile:
This is an awesome game that takes place in Egypt in some 1-2000 BC, where you literally manage a town which turns into a city which turns into an empire. It's kind of a Civ game in the sense that you manage buildings and such, but it is a little more small scale. I guess you could say it's a SimCity, set in ancient Egypt. Still, it's a deep game, which I have hardly begin to touch on really. You actually get to walk along side your citizens as well, and "experience" your city with them. Also, your civilians really do a lot of the work based one what you put in front of them. They will not build something they do not think they need, even if you "plan" to build it. So there is a little bit of managing what they "think they need" too.
I give it a 7 so far. It's deep, but I wonder if it is to complex for what it tries to do.
Company of Hero's:
Friggin' fantastic game. WWII setting: check. RTS: check. Realistic tactics: double check. Historical campaigns: check! It's like Warhammer 40k, only beefed up and MUCH more tactical. Your infantry units NEED to be controlled and positioned exactly, but they are also pretty smart. I could go into this for a while, but some of the neat features include: off map artillery. Capture/hold Point locations, only a few choices of upgrades, which makes your choices more important rather than having more options to change later. The game pretty unforgiving to failures, but situations can be pretty quickly evaluated. So basically intel is MASSIVELY important. ^^
Anyway, I give it a 8. Not the best game ever, but man I enjoy playing it. Games are fairly quick, but the contain a lot of experience in each one. While not as good as SCII or SoaSE, it is pretty high on my list of great RTS's.
Crysis:
Graphics aside (which btw don't seem that great anymore lol), the tactics you get to use (and have to use) are really where this game is fun. You can only choose to use 1 of many different special abilities at a time, such as cloaking, super strength, Speed boosts and the like. Each one can be used for different situations obviously, but what I really like is that almost every situation you come across allows for different ways to come at them. You could sneak around, play it safe with Cloak, take enemies out one at a time, but it takes a long time. Or you can pull brute force and use super speed to try to dodge your enemies but take damage in the process. It's not the best shooter out there, but for 5 bucks, it is awesome. This is the first FPS I've played where your tactical approach to a given situation is more important than the gun you carry.
I give it a 7.5. It doesn't impress me as much as it seemed to everyone else, and I over hyped it, which was my own fault I suppose.
Eufloria:
A super abstract strategy game, which you control a single “planet” with a giant tree on it. From this tree you sprout seedlings, which then either populate your current planet with more trees, or scout and grow trees on other planets. You can also attack other “planets” with enemy trees on them. The goal is basically to get control of more than half the “map”. Given the great soundtrack, vector-like graphics and the smooth easy play style, this is actually one of my favorite games I have. It is nothing special really, but it’s relaxing, yet gets your mind going just enough to make it interesting. I wouldn’t play more than 15-20 minutes at a time though, but it does what it sets out to do.
I give it a 7.5 for it’s graphics/OST, as well as the easy going yet challenging pace.
Future Wars:
This was one of the more depressing experiences I had. I thought it was going to be a Advance Wars PC edition. It had it all. Turn based combat, special abilities, MAP MAKER, awesome, right! Wrong! Only 2 player, and there are only 2 factions to choose from, and if there is a AI, they will automatically pick who ever you are not. This is not Advance Wars PC version. I am just happy I only dumped 2 bucks into it. ^^;
Rating: 5. Not a bad game in of it’s self I suppose, but it doesn’t come close to scratching that Advance Wars itch I have so badly needed to scratch.
Garry’s Mod:
Do I even need to write anything:
8.5 for totally free, do whatever you want stuff with tons of weird downloadable content/skins.
Global Agenda:
MMO = bad. MMO + guns = good? I think the main reason I like this game is because of the setting and the fact that your lack of money/good weapons doesn’t make you die all the time. Plus jet packs help. I would play it even if it wasn’t an MMO, and that means a lot to me, as I absolutely despise MMOs with a passion. Especially ones you have to sink 15 bucks a month to play. Luckly for this game, it’s free for most things.
Rating: 7. Looses a little for being an MMO, but I just have a lot of fun playing it.
Half Life 2: Deathmatch:
I can honestly say I havn’t played this. I bought it for Garry’s Mod, and it was worth it for that alone, lol.
Rating: 10.5?
Just Cause 2:
So far, it’s fun, but not as open ended as I had hoped. I was hoping for more of a GTA/Destroy All Humans sandbox type of game that I could just run around blowing things up and riding airplanes. Sadly, so far it seems kind of linear, which turns me off to it. Maybe if I played further it would get more sandbox-y?
Rating: 6.25 Again for not really being what I hoped. It’s a fine game if that’s what you want, but it’s not quite what I wanted. Still, at 5 bucks, I can’t really complain.
King Aurther Collection:
This was a weird game that I almost didn’t get. I still have only played 1 small game of it, but it’s really different. It’s like an RTS, but you don’t build anything, so I guess it’s more like a tabletop wargame. You assign points before you begin to build your army, then you start the game. It has a little fantasy theme swished in there a bit, but it’s mostly just medieval style warfare. I do plan on playing this more in the future.
Rating: 7 (based on 1 play)
Memoir 44‘ Online:
A PC version of the boardgame, it is exactly the same (down to the actual rolling of dice across the “table”. I only played a little, but I don’t know the rules very well (since I never played the actual game). I don’t feel very comfortable rating this as an actual game so far.
Rating: 8.5 (ONLY FOR THE FACT THAT IT IS EXTREMELY SIMILAR TO THE BOARD GAME)
Monday Night Combat:
Fun, tower defense type game, but you can vs other people too. I was a bit put off at first because there was really no other game types, but man it’s fun anyway. The feel, look and gameplay makes for a really good time. The main points I like is the different characters/roles you can play as, and you spend the money you are earning to build different types of towers. The humor of the game is also something I enjoyed too. Sadly though, the main point it looses for me is the fact that there is only really 1 game type, which sort of kills the replay value a bit. Still, extremely fun game.
Rating: 7.5
Plain Sight:
Stylish, fast paced and plain fun, this game was well worth every penny (all 250 of them). Ninja robots killing each other then having to kill themselves while hoping to kill others while killing yourself is just an awesome concept. The simple graphics, the extremely odd levels and the really neat controls all come together to make a really neat game experience which I find myself coming back to from time to time.
The Polynomial:
It’s a shooter game which takes place in a “Windows Media Player Visualizer” thing, where you have to kill weird alien things, and warp through worm holes to get to the next level. The graphics are almost nil, but what little there is, it is prettier than some of the most advanced games out there. The game is just pretty! Plus, like Audiosurf, you can choose your own music to go along with it. Not much more to it than that, but anytime I have time to sit down and listen to music, I do it while playing this. ^^;;
Rating: 7. Simple, pretty and fun.
Portal:
Seriously one of the funnest times I’ve had playing a single player game in a long time. I played through the whole game within 24 hours of getting it (although the game is only like.. 5-6 hours long anyway). The puzzles are fun and mind bending and gets you to think outside the box. It is also a sort of emotional experience in that it pulls you in and keeps you thinking about it well after you stop playing. Dunno why I waited so long to play it...
Rating: 8.5
Civilization 4:
Holy cow this is great. better than the 5th one, but less “fun” I suppose. However, the deep mechanics of each build brings a interesting new situation to be felt out. I don’t think I could spend 100 hours on it and have a grasp on it really. So many things to explore, good amount of options and the fact that it deals with real historical events pulls me in. Again, not as fun as the 5th one, but by far more in depth and interesting.
Rating: 8.5
Civ 5:
Kind of reviewed both these games above. More fun, less depth. The hex grid makes a big difference, and I think the histocial aspects are more interesting in this game. Maybe it’s because I am sort of new to the Civ experience, but I liked this one a whole lot more than 4.
Rating: 9.25
Supreme Commander 2:
Basically a new-gen clone of Total Annihilation, it has that zoom I love, mass amounts of units and a unique tech tree that gives you some hard choices to make in-game. The game is really a step away from the typical RTS, and offers a new yet familiar experience. Havn’t played enough to get into more, but it’s tons of fun so far.
Rating: 7.5
Team Fortress 2:
Haven’t played it yet...
Tomb Raider: Underworld:
So fun! It’s basically like Portal in a way as far as the game is more based on solving puzzles rather than fighting, but it has a good deal more fighting than Portal does. It is also pretty story based, which keeps you interested in the actual story that progresses, and the levels seem to feel more like an actual place, rather than something that was invented for the purpose of the game. Some areas are literally pointless, but keep the levels more organic feeling. There are also different ways to go about solving puzzles, or to survive them. One bad thing I still can’t stand is the camera’controls. They screw you up almost more than the puzzles/enemies do, but still, it is easily over looked do to the games richness. Never thought I’d say this (I hated the series when it came out), but this is a fantastic game.
Rating: 8 Would have been 8.5 if not for the bad camera/controls.
Universe Sandbox:
This isn’t as much a game as a simulation. You can speed up time to hundreds of years per second to watch 2 galaxies each each other, or what would happen to Earth’s orbit if it had a larger moon, or what if the moon literally fell out of the sky and crashing into earth. It has a advanced gravity simulator that allows reactions in real time to occur. More interesting than fun, but well worth the buy.
Rating: 7.5 Interesting, thought provoking, and fun for small time frames.
Thats it!!! Steam thinks I own Warhammer 40k 2, but I borrowed it from my bro-in-law, and no longer have the key. ^^;;
My rating system is on a scale of 0 to 10. 10 being unrealistically passionate about the game, and 0 being just as unrealistic. The rating reflects my personal experience while playing the game rather than a critical review, but each rating is affected by such factors as graphics, game play, concepts, replay value and other typical things that are generally reviewed/factored.
First is AI Wars: Fleet Command
AI Wars is basically a sort of lower tech version of SoaSE in that you can have thousands of ships vs thousands of ships. Planets connected to worm holes and a very very light civ mechanic with a research tree. The feel of the game is different though. The low-tech graphics allow for a lot more ships, which means a lot bigger battles, and a lot more room for technology advantages to make a huge difference. However, a large amount of tactical control is absent. There are so many ships, you just cannot manage all of them effectively. However, the game is a bit quicker than SoaSE, as you can build 1 ship in about 1 second depending on the ship. A last note is it feels a bit like a tower defense game in a way, as the AI comes at you in waves. The harder you attack, the harder they attack.
Anyway, I give it a 6.75. Good, but only worth it if you buy it on sale. At least to play by yourself.
Alien Shooter 1 and 2:
Insanely fun! Basically a 2D single player version of Alien Swarm. TONS of aliens on screen, which huge weapons, big levels and some customization options as you play through the game. The cash allows you to "upgrade" your character by adding weapons, armor, health bonuses and so on. It is a pretty straight forward game, with tons of mindless action, good "theme" and never seems to get old.
I'm rating it a flat 7, mostly for the fun factor rather than any specific thing.
Alien Swarm:
Great co-op, blast aliens and go through missions. Pretty much the same as the above game as far as review goes. Only beef I have with it is once you finish your single campaign, there are no more levels. There are downloadables, which save it though.
Again, I rate it a flat 7. Looses some points for limited replay, but gains it back due to there being SOME downloadble content.
AudioSurf:
A DDR racing game if you can imagine. Again mindless fun, as you basically race yourself and try to run over colored tiles on the track in order to build up a color combo (think Tetris). The coolest thing is you can use the music on your computer and it will create a track for you using the audio "waves?" from the song you choose.
Rating a 6.5. Looses points because it would have been better as a multiplayer, and the lack-luster graphics don't do much for me.
Children of the Nile:
This is an awesome game that takes place in Egypt in some 1-2000 BC, where you literally manage a town which turns into a city which turns into an empire. It's kind of a Civ game in the sense that you manage buildings and such, but it is a little more small scale. I guess you could say it's a SimCity, set in ancient Egypt. Still, it's a deep game, which I have hardly begin to touch on really. You actually get to walk along side your citizens as well, and "experience" your city with them. Also, your civilians really do a lot of the work based one what you put in front of them. They will not build something they do not think they need, even if you "plan" to build it. So there is a little bit of managing what they "think they need" too.
I give it a 7 so far. It's deep, but I wonder if it is to complex for what it tries to do.
Company of Hero's:
Friggin' fantastic game. WWII setting: check. RTS: check. Realistic tactics: double check. Historical campaigns: check! It's like Warhammer 40k, only beefed up and MUCH more tactical. Your infantry units NEED to be controlled and positioned exactly, but they are also pretty smart. I could go into this for a while, but some of the neat features include: off map artillery. Capture/hold Point locations, only a few choices of upgrades, which makes your choices more important rather than having more options to change later. The game pretty unforgiving to failures, but situations can be pretty quickly evaluated. So basically intel is MASSIVELY important. ^^
Anyway, I give it a 8. Not the best game ever, but man I enjoy playing it. Games are fairly quick, but the contain a lot of experience in each one. While not as good as SCII or SoaSE, it is pretty high on my list of great RTS's.
Crysis:
Graphics aside (which btw don't seem that great anymore lol), the tactics you get to use (and have to use) are really where this game is fun. You can only choose to use 1 of many different special abilities at a time, such as cloaking, super strength, Speed boosts and the like. Each one can be used for different situations obviously, but what I really like is that almost every situation you come across allows for different ways to come at them. You could sneak around, play it safe with Cloak, take enemies out one at a time, but it takes a long time. Or you can pull brute force and use super speed to try to dodge your enemies but take damage in the process. It's not the best shooter out there, but for 5 bucks, it is awesome. This is the first FPS I've played where your tactical approach to a given situation is more important than the gun you carry.
I give it a 7.5. It doesn't impress me as much as it seemed to everyone else, and I over hyped it, which was my own fault I suppose.
Eufloria:
A super abstract strategy game, which you control a single “planet” with a giant tree on it. From this tree you sprout seedlings, which then either populate your current planet with more trees, or scout and grow trees on other planets. You can also attack other “planets” with enemy trees on them. The goal is basically to get control of more than half the “map”. Given the great soundtrack, vector-like graphics and the smooth easy play style, this is actually one of my favorite games I have. It is nothing special really, but it’s relaxing, yet gets your mind going just enough to make it interesting. I wouldn’t play more than 15-20 minutes at a time though, but it does what it sets out to do.
I give it a 7.5 for it’s graphics/OST, as well as the easy going yet challenging pace.
Future Wars:
This was one of the more depressing experiences I had. I thought it was going to be a Advance Wars PC edition. It had it all. Turn based combat, special abilities, MAP MAKER, awesome, right! Wrong! Only 2 player, and there are only 2 factions to choose from, and if there is a AI, they will automatically pick who ever you are not. This is not Advance Wars PC version. I am just happy I only dumped 2 bucks into it. ^^;
Rating: 5. Not a bad game in of it’s self I suppose, but it doesn’t come close to scratching that Advance Wars itch I have so badly needed to scratch.
Garry’s Mod:
Do I even need to write anything:
8.5 for totally free, do whatever you want stuff with tons of weird downloadable content/skins.
Global Agenda:
MMO = bad. MMO + guns = good? I think the main reason I like this game is because of the setting and the fact that your lack of money/good weapons doesn’t make you die all the time. Plus jet packs help. I would play it even if it wasn’t an MMO, and that means a lot to me, as I absolutely despise MMOs with a passion. Especially ones you have to sink 15 bucks a month to play. Luckly for this game, it’s free for most things.
Rating: 7. Looses a little for being an MMO, but I just have a lot of fun playing it.
Half Life 2: Deathmatch:
I can honestly say I havn’t played this. I bought it for Garry’s Mod, and it was worth it for that alone, lol.
Rating: 10.5?
Just Cause 2:
So far, it’s fun, but not as open ended as I had hoped. I was hoping for more of a GTA/Destroy All Humans sandbox type of game that I could just run around blowing things up and riding airplanes. Sadly, so far it seems kind of linear, which turns me off to it. Maybe if I played further it would get more sandbox-y?
Rating: 6.25 Again for not really being what I hoped. It’s a fine game if that’s what you want, but it’s not quite what I wanted. Still, at 5 bucks, I can’t really complain.
King Aurther Collection:
This was a weird game that I almost didn’t get. I still have only played 1 small game of it, but it’s really different. It’s like an RTS, but you don’t build anything, so I guess it’s more like a tabletop wargame. You assign points before you begin to build your army, then you start the game. It has a little fantasy theme swished in there a bit, but it’s mostly just medieval style warfare. I do plan on playing this more in the future.
Rating: 7 (based on 1 play)
Memoir 44‘ Online:
A PC version of the boardgame, it is exactly the same (down to the actual rolling of dice across the “table”. I only played a little, but I don’t know the rules very well (since I never played the actual game). I don’t feel very comfortable rating this as an actual game so far.
Rating: 8.5 (ONLY FOR THE FACT THAT IT IS EXTREMELY SIMILAR TO THE BOARD GAME)
Monday Night Combat:
Fun, tower defense type game, but you can vs other people too. I was a bit put off at first because there was really no other game types, but man it’s fun anyway. The feel, look and gameplay makes for a really good time. The main points I like is the different characters/roles you can play as, and you spend the money you are earning to build different types of towers. The humor of the game is also something I enjoyed too. Sadly though, the main point it looses for me is the fact that there is only really 1 game type, which sort of kills the replay value a bit. Still, extremely fun game.
Rating: 7.5
Plain Sight:
Stylish, fast paced and plain fun, this game was well worth every penny (all 250 of them). Ninja robots killing each other then having to kill themselves while hoping to kill others while killing yourself is just an awesome concept. The simple graphics, the extremely odd levels and the really neat controls all come together to make a really neat game experience which I find myself coming back to from time to time.
The Polynomial:
It’s a shooter game which takes place in a “Windows Media Player Visualizer” thing, where you have to kill weird alien things, and warp through worm holes to get to the next level. The graphics are almost nil, but what little there is, it is prettier than some of the most advanced games out there. The game is just pretty! Plus, like Audiosurf, you can choose your own music to go along with it. Not much more to it than that, but anytime I have time to sit down and listen to music, I do it while playing this. ^^;;
Rating: 7. Simple, pretty and fun.
Portal:
Seriously one of the funnest times I’ve had playing a single player game in a long time. I played through the whole game within 24 hours of getting it (although the game is only like.. 5-6 hours long anyway). The puzzles are fun and mind bending and gets you to think outside the box. It is also a sort of emotional experience in that it pulls you in and keeps you thinking about it well after you stop playing. Dunno why I waited so long to play it...
Rating: 8.5
Civilization 4:
Holy cow this is great. better than the 5th one, but less “fun” I suppose. However, the deep mechanics of each build brings a interesting new situation to be felt out. I don’t think I could spend 100 hours on it and have a grasp on it really. So many things to explore, good amount of options and the fact that it deals with real historical events pulls me in. Again, not as fun as the 5th one, but by far more in depth and interesting.
Rating: 8.5
Civ 5:
Kind of reviewed both these games above. More fun, less depth. The hex grid makes a big difference, and I think the histocial aspects are more interesting in this game. Maybe it’s because I am sort of new to the Civ experience, but I liked this one a whole lot more than 4.
Rating: 9.25
Supreme Commander 2:
Basically a new-gen clone of Total Annihilation, it has that zoom I love, mass amounts of units and a unique tech tree that gives you some hard choices to make in-game. The game is really a step away from the typical RTS, and offers a new yet familiar experience. Havn’t played enough to get into more, but it’s tons of fun so far.
Rating: 7.5
Team Fortress 2:
Haven’t played it yet...
Tomb Raider: Underworld:
So fun! It’s basically like Portal in a way as far as the game is more based on solving puzzles rather than fighting, but it has a good deal more fighting than Portal does. It is also pretty story based, which keeps you interested in the actual story that progresses, and the levels seem to feel more like an actual place, rather than something that was invented for the purpose of the game. Some areas are literally pointless, but keep the levels more organic feeling. There are also different ways to go about solving puzzles, or to survive them. One bad thing I still can’t stand is the camera’controls. They screw you up almost more than the puzzles/enemies do, but still, it is easily over looked do to the games richness. Never thought I’d say this (I hated the series when it came out), but this is a fantastic game.
Rating: 8 Would have been 8.5 if not for the bad camera/controls.
Universe Sandbox:
This isn’t as much a game as a simulation. You can speed up time to hundreds of years per second to watch 2 galaxies each each other, or what would happen to Earth’s orbit if it had a larger moon, or what if the moon literally fell out of the sky and crashing into earth. It has a advanced gravity simulator that allows reactions in real time to occur. More interesting than fun, but well worth the buy.
Rating: 7.5 Interesting, thought provoking, and fun for small time frames.
Thats it!!! Steam thinks I own Warhammer 40k 2, but I borrowed it from my bro-in-law, and no longer have the key. ^^;;
