Recent reviews by Ownsin

Good Job Sony!

1. The Halo Infinite battle pass in its current form is one of the worst battle passes I have seen. It's so grindy, and the xp they award you for doing the challenges is so little. I bet most people won't bother getting their battle pass to 100 with how slow and unrewarding it is to level up.

2. The biggest problem with Halo Infinite is that it doesn't feel rewarding at all. The whole game is centered around doing the challenges and only the challenges. Winning doesn't matter. Performing well in a match doesn't matter. You don't earn XP by completing a match. You only gain XP by completing randomized challenges with varying difficulty and randomness, and some of the challenges are outright bad. The progression system in this game is awful and one of the worst I have seen in recent memory for a multiplayer game. It's downright boring. You don't feel rewarded for anything you do in the match. I can't believe they thought this was the best idea for the game. It's unbelievable that this progression system was given the green light. How was this not tested internally, and no red flags came up that this would be utterly unappealing to most gamers? But then again, this is 343 we're talking about, It's not the first time they screwed up a Halo game, and it definitely won't be the last. I've had it with this studio.

3. You can't create a playlist, nor can you select which game modes you want to play or which maps you prefer. The only thing you can do is quickplay and get random modes and maps. Again, what were they thinking by doing this? I want to be able to pick what game modes I want to play and the maps I prefer.

4. The optimization in this game is pretty bad. Especially in the bigger maps, the performance drops heavily, and I get stutters from time to time. After 5-7 years of development, you'd think the game would be optimized and run well, but here we are. The game is in significant need of optimization. Yes, not everyone is rocking a 3080 or a 3080ti.

5. Everything in this game is monetized now. I get that it's a f2p game, but even colors are behind a paywall now. You get barebones customization because you either need to buy everything from the shop or gain it from the grindy battle pass. Great options!

6.The gameplay is okay, but it's nothing special, and they haven't done anything overtly unique or new with Halo Infinite. It doesn't feel like 343 wanted to innovate with Halo Infinite. The game feels sterile because of this, and it doesn't feel like it has an identity. I question the longevity of this game when they didn't bother to do anything new with it, and apparently, they want it to last for ten years; what a joke. They didn't even bother to do a battle royale mode or even try to be creative and create a new mode. They just added a few weapons and some new gadgets, that's about it. After seven years of development, that's what they've had to show for it.

Overall, I wouldn't recommend this game in its current state at all. Halo Infinite doesn't feel rewarding to play at all, and the game just feels dull. With 343 studio at the helm, I have no hopes for this game. I have more to say, but I'll stop my rant review here.

Alan Wake delivers an intense, atmospheric, and highly cinematic action experience. The solid combat mechanics are backed up by a fantastic story, colorful characters, and eye-popping visuals. I originally finished this game on the Xbox 360 back in 2010.


The narrative in Alan Wake is vital to the experience, so with the best interests of the reader in mind I will be keeping this review relatively spoiler free. I will only be discussing elements that won't hamper your enjoyment of the game in any way. To do otherwise would be a great injustice to a fantastic game Remedy have crafted.

Alan Wake is a psychological action-thriller game. Alan Wake puts the player in the shoes of, well, Alan Wake. Wake is a popular fiction writer who is suffering from a serious case of writers block, meaning he hasn't written a single word in the past two years. His wife Alice suggests that they take a vacation to the idyllic small town of Bright Falls. Shortly after arriving at their log cabin, things take a turn for a worse. Alan wakes up behind the wheel of a crashed car with no recollection of how he got there, and Alice is missing. So begins his search for his wife and his battle against the darkness residing in Bright Falls.

Remedy has done a stellar job with the storytelling in Alan Wake. There is no filler here. Max Payne's writer Sam Lake has provided an extremely tight and well-written narrative that expertly weaves elements of action, horror, mystery and even a dash comedy together to form a completely mesmerizing story that kept me hooked from start to finish. As far as videogame stories go, it's up there with the best of them in my opinion.

The narrative is presented like a television show; Remedy has divided the story into six 'episodes' Each constantly developing the narrative in a compelling way, serving up just enough answers to keep you satisfied while leaving you constantly wanting more. Every episode feels like a standalone experience, not just a chunk of a bigger game that's been divided randomly. My only wish is that Remedy took the premise one step further by adding fictional credits at the end of every episode instead of the message that reads “End of Episode X.”

While I'm on the subject of television, it's extremely apparent that Wake wears its influences on its sleeve; the town of Bright Falls is unabashedly similar to Twin Peaks, while Lost fans will recognize that the Dark Presence bares more than passing resemblance to old Smokie. The game is loaded with pop-culture references that not only serve to entertain but further reinforce that this story is based somewhat in our reality.


The gameplay of Wake can boiled down to that of a third person shooter, albeit an extremely competent one. Alan is battling the Dark Presence, a force that manifests itself in a number of ways, the most frequent of which is The Taken - shadow figures that were once the inhabitants of Bright Falls, who now attack Alan with axes, sickles and various other sharp implements.

Light plays an integral role in Alan Wake. Before The Taken can be damaged with firearms, Alan needs to burn away the darkness protecting them. A task he achieves with his trusty flash light, which is perhaps the most important item in the entire game. However, torches are not magically powered, and you will need to find extra batteries if you wish to optimize the full potential of the light.

The combat is extremely satisfying and the inclusion of the light mechanic helps to make Wake feel fresh in a somewhat tired & overpopulated genre. The controls are refined, meaning controlling Alan is fast and responsive. The aiming is so tight and accurate that I rarely misplaced a shot. It just feels right. Unfortunately, I found that the combat became repetitive during some prolonged sections. In particular, the woodland segments felt like they could have been shortened a little to keep the momentum up, but I still enjoyed the gameplay regardless of this fact.

Alan Wake is an extremely linear experience. You are pretty much always moving from point A to B with very little room for exploration. Don't mistake that for a flaw though, as the restrictions in the world allow Remedy to script the action perfectly, always making sure you are in the heart of the action, or never too far away from the next heart-pounding set piece.


AlanWake is without a doubt one of the best looking games to have come out back in 2010. The level of detail in the world is simply astounding. Everything in the world is extremely well-realized, from the character models to the surrounding environment; All of which goes towards making Bright Falls feel like a real and cohesive place.

All the different locations you visit feel tangible and as though they belong in the world. It's clear that the art department have poured a great amount of love into the environments, in both the exteriors and interiors. For example, the decor of the log cabins feels spot-on down to the tiniest details like the inclusion old fashioned television sets and dated light switches. Everything feels in its place.

Bright Falls is home to the Elderwood National Park, which is undoubtedly the best rendered forest I've ever seen. The trees and foliage look genuine and behave realistic when interacted with, even swaying in the wind. During some moments of the game I would just stand still and take in my surroundings. Conversely, the forest is capable of transforming from a place of beauty to an extremely threatening and ominous location in the blink of eye. When Alan is in danger, darkness sweeps across the landscape; the wind picks up, and thick dark fog seeps in, greatly obscuring your vision. It's really a joy to behold and can be quite eerie and creepy at times as well. The game is very atmospheric, and it shows!


If there ever was a game that deserves to be played on a surround sound speaker setup with the volume cranked up, it's Alan Wake. The sound team have created some seriously eerie sounding effects. The noises that can be heard in the forest are straight-up creepy, making for some uncomfortably tense sequences as you poke around deserted and dilapidated buildings.
Musically, Wake is as highly polished as the rest of the game. The music hits all the right queues at all the right times, while you are exploring the world it takes a back seat, quietly adding to the atmosphere. But once the action heats up, the score swells. The original score is complemented by a robust soundtrack of fantastic licensed tracks. These are perfectly picked selections that usually thematically reflect the tone of the episodes.


Altogether, Alan Wake is a master-class in action gaming. Remedy has succeeded in delivering a smart, well-written and action packed thrill-ride that I found simply impossible to put down. The game has a level of quality and polish to it many games lack. It stands proudly as one of the best games that I have ever played. You should really give it a shot, and if give a damn about story-driven action games, you owe it to yourself to play Alan Wake. I would also like to recommend Remedy's newest game, "Control" which is coming out soon on Steam, It's heavily linked with Alan Wake, and Alan Wake is actually going to show up again in the upcoming expansion for Control, so you should definitely check it out if you enjoy playing Alan Wake.

PROS:

-Engaging, mysterious storyline.
-Unique episodic storytelling.
-The characters and settings feel real and fleshed-out.
-Dark and mysterious atmosphere and environments.
-Tense and well-designed combat.
-Excellent sound effects, music, and voice acting.

CONS:

-Somewhat awkward character modeling and lip sync from what I remember. Thankfully, this problem is somewhat remedied in the pre-rendered cut-scenes which are expertly directed.


My overall rating for the game is a 9.5/10.

Dishonored 2 is subject to what I'll call the 'BioShock 2 effect'. Because the first game fired on all cylinders, with a rich, original world, intoxicatingly empowering gameplay, and intricately woven story threads, there's little room for improvement in the inevitable sequel. And while you're essentially getting more of the stellar same in this first-person, stealth-action follow-up, it doesn't sparkle with the sheer newness that made the first one feel so special. Regardless, Dishonored 2 is a fantastic game in its own right, even if it doesn't revolutionize the fresh ideas put forth by its predecessor. This tale of systematic revenge imbues you with all the tools, tricks, and tactics you need to feel like a super-powered assassin, delivering an immersive power trip no matter how you choose to play.


Dishonored 2 proves, like very few other games, that stealth and action gameplay styles can mix well together, and that both can exist within the same shell with little to no sacrifice to the enjoyment of a gaming experience.

The game's tight gameplay allows you to successfully navigate environments and blend into your environments, making you almost invisible to your enemies. But if you happen to get caught, you have so many skills and combat abilities at your disposal that you will make your opponents wished they had just looked the other way. That is, of course, if you don’t decide to end them with a sneak attack regardless.

For those who didn't play the first game. Dishonored 2 plays like an action-adventure game. “Mirror’s Edge crossed with Dark Messiah of Might & Magic” might have been the sales pitch. While not completely open-world, the levels are enormous and allow for exploration and experimentation. There are various ways to approach situations. Again, whether you favor stealth or full-on “going nuts”.

Initially, you are given the choice of playing one of two characters: Emily or her father, Corvo who is the protagonist of the first game. I chose Emily for my first playthrough. Both characters share a similar story, with variations in dialogue and references making the real difference here. And both share a similar combat style, although skill sets differ as your progress. In fact, you are also given a choice to bypass any “magical” techniques early on as well, an option I chose to keep.

Both combat and exploration are handled well, despite the first-person vantage point that, in my opinion, has always hindered swordplay and stealth. Not only is your character able to perceive enemies around a corner, but you also have the ability to slide and jump into action, closing the gap between you and a thug, at times, before he even knows you are coming. You are also afforded ranged weapons, in the form of crossbows and guns, the former being the obvious in stealth attempts.

I cannot stress enough the feeling of freedom that this game provides. You get the choice between sparing your targets or killing them, and these choices alter the game's story to a degree and give you a different ending depending on if you're going for the lethal approach or non-lethal. I never quite felt like I was limited when trying to approach a destination or a mission. That’s not to say that further playthroughs might not expose invisible walls, but I was constantly experimenting with ways to approach a situation, and that made for a grand ol’ time.


Dishonored 2 is beautiful, with steam-punkish influences and amazing details hidden in every dark alley or dingy apartment.

Character models are also highly detailed while remaining stylized in “The Dishonored Look” versus hyper-realistic. Lighting is absolutely great here, with atmosphere owing credit to some fantastic use of said lighting.

Since the entire game is experienced in first-person, you get quite a few close encounters with enemies, and no sacrifices were made in maintaining quality in close quarters. These first-person high-octane games are risky. You are experiencing action sequences usually reserved for third-person games like Devil May Cry while looking through the eyes of a character. Dishonored 2 manages to successfully place you in the eyes of a badass without sacrificing gameplay, regardless of its perspective.

I will say though that the game is highly unoptimized and doesn't run quite well unless you have a beefy system.


Ambiance and dialogue create a living world. Nasty bugs buzz in your ear if your sound system supports it, and echo-y chatter reverberates through alleyways. Fighting also “feels” good with that combination of “swoosh” and “clank” that accompanies the intensity of combat.

Overall, the audio is great.


I can always appreciate a game that gives me the freedom of playing how I prefer to play while maintaining an entertaining edge regardless of that approach. At no point throughout the campaign did I feel that Dishonored was driving me in a particular direction.
Quite a few times I approached a situation wanting to be a ninja and sneak my way in, only to say “screw this” and rush in guns blazing and swords slicing. Not once did I feel that my approach was incorrect or made for a less engaging experience. I did, however, quick save like crazy because I was going for the undetected/non-lethal approach.

If there is one thing that bothered me about this game, it's that the game doesn't have a middle ground for its karma system. If you start killing a lot of guards and your targets then you'll be punished by getting the "bad" ending, It doesn't help that most of your mission targets are terrible people, so It can be annoying to have to stay your hand from killing them just so you can get the happy ending. It's not a game ruiner mind you, but it's still annoying to have such an unfun system in the game.

Overall, I enjoyed Dishonored 2. It's not perfect, but it's a good sequel to the first game, and I definitely recommend it if you liked the first game.

My rating for Dishonored 2 is an 8/10.

I played Mad Max originally on the PS4, but I was later gifted the game on Steam. Mad Max is a combination of so many games that one would expect the result to settle somewhere around the realm of “master of none". With some Twisted Metal-like driving mechanics, a vast world to explore, and an okay leveling system, Mad Max might keep you entertained for hours, assuming you don’t mind some repetitive mission structures and an environment that doesn’t vary much.


While Mad Max presents itself as a post-apocalyptic driving game with an emphasis on vehicular combat, you spend quite some time on foot exploring sheet metal forts, underground complexes, and brawling with the lesser friendly folks of the wasteland. In fact, vehicle combat doesn’t truly become interesting until at least a few hours in, since your junk heap car doesn’t reach formidable status until you upgrade it.

I actually found myself confronting some enemy convoys only to run away with my tail between my legs because I wasn’t quite ready to face them. Once you equip a harpoon and upgrade your armor and maneuverability, things get a lot more interesting, and the game becomes a bit more exciting.

This purposeful leveling system is welcomed, because it truly makes you feel like you are surviving, rather that just starting as a badass. It gives Mad Max a slightly more role-playing game feel… although more along the lines of Fallout, and not so much Dragon Age.

There are areas in the wasteland where your car, The Magnum Opus, cannot traverse. It’s here where the game’s combat system comes into play. Fans of the recent Batman Arkham game outings will be immediately familiar with the combat mechanics in Mad Max. So familiar was it, in fact, that you wonder if It's the exact same. Except that Max isn’t Batman, and the “counter” button is not nearly as effective as it was when controlling the Dark Knight. This never seemed to bother me because I felt that, once again, I was surviving here and not the only formidable fighter. I did often wish for a lock-on button of sorts, but there was some compensation for being surrounded by enemies in the form of pressing the R1 button, which dive-rolls you out of harm’s way and allows you to reposition yourself.

So while the combat in Mad Max isn’t as robust as the Batman games, you are presented with options and upgrades that make the on-foot missions that can be enjoyable, but become repetitive in a short amount of time sadly. And for a game that is based on a vehicular combat movie, I was impressed that there was even a physical combat system that worked to begin with.

But let’s talk vehicles, because that’s what some of us are here for. The driving mechanics are solid. They felt a little sluggish at first, but again, survival. If your car is taking too much damage, find some scraps and upgrade it. If you’re unable to catch up to the convoy or that one straggler who is escaping, invest in some better boost capabilities.

The best of Mad Max comes in the form of the vehicular battlefield, and few things feel better than knowing how crappy your vehicle started, only to see the progress you’ve made with it over time. Creeping up to a convoy, launching a harpoon at one of the drivers and yanking him out feels great and always helps to even the odds a bit, as does crashing full speed into an unsuspecting enemy while taking little to no damage yourself.

There is plenty to do in the wasteland, and you will find quests and opportunities for upgrades that will probably give you hours of game time. This is still a sandbox game after all. You just don’t have the luxury of a safe house at all times.

Replenishing health requires water, and water is scarcely available. Even when you find a small reservoir, the supply is limited. When you run it dry, you must wait another day for morning dew to collect enough water for you to replenish your canteen.

Fortunately, you vehicle repair can be done whenever there is downtime as your companion (I call him wasteland Navi) travels with you and repairs the vehicle for you (sometimes at a much faster pace, if you spend scraps on the repair).

The world of Mad Max looks terrible. It’s desolate, void of life, and despair reaches the horizon in every direction. Ironically, this atmosphere is sold through a brilliant use of design, lighting, and graphical integrity.Everything, from the brilliant sunsets, to the billowing dust that bursts forth from your tires, contributes to giving atmosphere to a world gone apocalypse-mode.

And despite this being a sandbox game, where the next area is just “more wasteland” I never quite felt that environments were being repeated for the sake of adding more areas to explore.


Metal grinding on metal and tires spinning on sand and rock are accompanied by appropriately engineered sound effects. Engines rev with a used sound and I couldn’t help sitting in idle and revving the engine just to hear it growl a menacing roar.
Additionally, combat feels satisfying because of some of the brutal sounds that accompany your punches, particularly when you reach a fury mode and you’re knocking the living hell out of your enemies with solid kicks and punches. Excellent sound design brings this world to life. However, do understand that this game has a lot of padding, and you will soon be hearing the same sound repetitively, which undermines the audio in the long run.



Mad Max could have easily been a Twisted Metal clone with close-quarter combat and no on-foot exploration. It could have… And it probably would have done well. Sadly, they didn't go for that and instead tried mashing a bunch of games together to create Mad Max which is the biggest reason why it's a mediocre game. You can get the game for cheap now, and it can be worth it for that price if you don't mind the repetitiveness of the game, and if you're craving some semi-fun destruction mayhem.

My rating for Mad Max is a 6.9/10

I will be going through all the things that make the following such a great expansion, and why I can easily recommend it.



The original big selling point of Dying Light is the day and night cycle. Not only is it a stunning visual effect but it changes the gameplay enormously. By day most zombies are slow and weak and you can easily run circles around them and move freely around the city environment using your upgradable parkour skills. When night arrives things change and you have to avoid and quite often, run from fierce and terrifying zombies.

A decent story and numerous side quests lead to a variety of missions that kept me entertained. Finding new and more powerful weapons that I could also upgrade made killing zombies a pleasure. Watching the game briefly go into slow motion as I expertly sliced the head or limb off a zombie or unlucky enemy never got old. Then finding a bow and crafting some arrows mixed up the already fun action. I would have never thought killing zombies could be so much fun.

There are several types of zombie and a few survivors that you will have to kill or run from while you scavenge supplies, parts, weapons, and even the airdrops that fall in random locations around the map. At times you’ll stumble upon a random encounter or an abandoned safe zone that needs clearing and securing before you can make use of it. There are also a variety of cleverly disguised challenges including speed runs and rampages. Rest assured, you’ll never get bored or run out of things to do.


I struggled in the first few missions in this new area, in part because I came up against a lot more human characters than I was expecting, many of which were armed and not happy to see me. I was so used to fighting zombies with melee weapons and rarely used anything that made too much noise. After a few deaths I scampered back to the main game and bolstered up my weaponry with a few rifles and plenty of molotov’s.

The countryside is much bigger than the city so the large open areas allow me to make a bit more noise, plus I can jump in my buggy and high-tail it outta there if things get too crazy. While I’m on the subject I should mention the biggest new component to the world of Dying Light, the aforementioned and rather awesome buggy.

Like everything you use in the game, the buggy needs to be repaired and parts degrade until they eventually break so you’ll need to learn how to craft replacements. You can also upgrade and install parts and components to make it more durable when you’re mowing down zombie herds or even to cause a nice distraction for the undead with a remote-controlled car alarm.

Fuel is also something that you’ll need to scavenge for and siphon from the abandoned vehicles that litter winding country roads. Thankfully there are also a few gas stations around the gigantic map that also serve as a safe haven. Speaking of safety, you can also equip the buggy with an assortment of zombie killing and repelling devices. That speedy little vehicle really does become a necessity and it’s so easy to control.

This is probably a good time to mention some of the enhancements. The entire game has received a graphical boost, many bug fixes and tweaks, and the biggest addition is the Legendary rank. Once you max out a skill tree you begin to earn points toward a maximum rank of 250, and at many milestones you unlock upgrades and outfits.

Dying Light was already a big and entertaining game, but The Following expansion and the content from the Season Pass make this edition a beast of a game.


Chrome Engine 6, the proprietary game engine Techland built is wonderful and continues to work well with the game. It easily displays chaos stricken urban areas and massive open countryside landscapes. In The Following we are treated to lush green fields, dense woodlands and stunning landscapes that make you almost want to stop your buggy and hop out to soak it all in.

There is a tiny amount of very occasional pop-in and a few instances of floating objects. It’s hardly noticeable though and in a world this big and so detailed I questioned if I should even mention it.

Everything has been given a bump in the visual department thanks to the Enhanced Edition and it all looks fantastic now, not that it wasn’t nice to look at before.



The Following is generally more peaceful, distant moans of subdued zombies could almost fool you into thinking they were the sounds of harmless cattle grazing, until you get up close that is. You still have the screen shaking loud supply planes flying overhead, hurling out precious cargo in the countryside but on a rare occasion you can get a moment of peaceful calm.

The sound of the buggy is excellent, just like everything else in the audio department, unless you listen through headphones. The audio is basically the same as the original game for everything else.


Seasoned Dying Light players can instantly jump into the stunning and large new expanse The Following offers, anybody else should hold off until they have become fully equipped to fight well-armed human A.I. or like a challenge.

With loads of new content, better graphics, sounds, weapons, enemy behaviour, and anything else Techland could think of this Enhanced Edition of Dying Light is worth the price tag alone. Now throw in the excellent new gameplay mechanic of driving and The Following expansion is a pure refreshing delight.

The difficulty, or at least the freedom to approach difficult situations too early in the game, can lead to a few frustrating deaths and some may acquire a fear of the virtual dark. I urge you to push past the minor barriers you may face as one of the best games of last year just got a whole lot better.

The developers at Techland have outdone themselves once again. Even if you have grown weary of zombies everywhere you turn in the media, I know the Dying Light: The Following – Enhanced Edition will grab you and sink its teeth into your flesh, and you’ll love every moment of it.

I rate this expansion a 9/10 just for the sheer amount of enjoyable content it provides, and the overall better story compared to the bases's game story. You should definitely buy it!

Dying Light is easily the best open-world zombie game I have ever played and easily the best game in the genre. Below I will illustrate why the game is so enjoyable while also mentioning some of it's negatives as well.

Before delving into the gameplay mechanics and smart design choices that make Dying Light a great game, let’s first address the elephant in the room, the dull and uninspired plot. It’s undoubtedly the weakest aspect of the game, but not dreadful enough to detract from the overall experience. You assume the role of Kyle Crane, an undercover operative of the Global Relief Effort (GRE) sent to infiltrate the quarantine zone inside the fictional city of Harran, based on ancient Turkey, to recover a file stolen by Kahir “Rais” Sulieman, a political figure gone rogue that’s using it as leverage to blackmail the GRE. Ultimately, Kyle Crane must choose between completing his mission for the GRE, or helping the survivors of Harran. It is typical zombie film plot, and that would’ve been acceptable if the rest of the world Techland built wasn’t so engaging.

Nevertheless, while the plot does fall short, the side quests and NPC dialogue do a considerable amount to flesh out the world. There’s a sense of dread that fills every character you come across. For instance, multiple NPCs scattered throughout Harran, usually posted on top of buildings or in barricaded rooms, exist solely to enhance the atmosphere by providing snippets of dialogue related to the outbreak’s effect on their lives. These small touches go a long way in making the city feel real and lived in; for every piece of NPC dialogue, environmental decoration, or safe zone set up by survivors, there’s a story behind it if you so choose to pursue it.

The side quests, more intricate than simple A to B fetch quests, are also excellent in that regard, and tell better stories than the main plot. Dying Light does a great job of using these quests to explore many of the interiors throughout Harran; they give the buildings a purpose beyond being illusory establishments. Some of the areas you’ll scavenge through are police stations, hotels, and hospitals, each one painstakingly detailed with its own atmosphere. You won’t come across most of these areas during the story missions, so they will still feel fresh, tense, and exciting.

Besides the story missions and side quests, there are plenty of other challenges to be found and completed in Harran. Of course, these are just more excuses to play around in the world, which you’ll crave after you beat the main story missions and side quests. The challenges range from taking down hordes of zombies in a set amount of time, running from point A to B, delivering medicine to drop boxes around the city, etc. Basically, each challenge isolates a different part of the gameplay and forces you to use what you’ve learned. The reason why these challenges, along with the main story missions and side quests, are so much fun to play through is because the core gameplay works so well.

In a city filled with the undead, Mr. Crane’s best friends are his hand-to-hand combat ability and his impressive parkour skills. As you progress through the game you’ll slowly unlock upgrades to Crane’s arsenal of skills, turning him into an even more lethal killer. The process of unlocking new skills it built on top of an experience system in which every little thing that you do contributes to that particular skill level. Smacking a zombie in the head with a pipe adds to your fighting experience while clambering up the side of a building adds to your parkour experience. Later upgrades, like a running drop-kick or the ability to vault off of zombies, remove a lot of the difficulty that Dying Light has towards the beginning of the game, but that makes it even more enjoyable.

However, everything changes at night…

Dying Light features a day/night cycle that is a key gameplay feature. It drastically changes the way you need to play the game and changes the experience that you gain through actions. During the day, Crane is basically a walking tank. You can take on multiple zombies at once while still escaping unscathed if you play your cards right. When the sun is out the zombies are slow and almost groggy making running from them an easy task. Everything changes at night. Once the sun falls below the horizon, everything that you learned about the game changes. Instead of being a one-man wrecking crew, the zombies are now the more powerful creatures. Zombies becoming the dominant creatures at night isn’t the only change which hides in the dark. It is during the night that Dying Light becomes a fantastic game. At night a new breed of zombies comes out from hiding. These new, even more powerful and aggressive zombies will actively seek you out, and once they find you it means almost certain death. These new zombies can climb and run just as fast as you so staying out of their line of sight, which you can see via the minimap, is of utmost importance. Yet, don’t be discouraged, you can survive during the night if you play stealthily. Sneaking around the city, trying to elude the over-powered zombies all the while gaining extra experience because of the increased difficulty in the dark is when Dying Light becomes a fantastic game. Dying Light shines at its darkest, but it also becomes incredibly scary, and you should be prepared for that.

The gameplay of Dying Light is good enough to support the entirety of the game’s mediocrity. The second-by-second gameplay of running over rooftops to slicing through a zombie with an electric blade kept me engaged throughout my time with the game.

Returning from Techland’s Dead Island series, you’ll be able to create ultimate tools for dealing out destruction to the undead. By finding blueprints that are hidden throughout the world you’ll be able to create devastatingly powerful weapons that are, for the vast majority of them, a blast to use. Some will even feature elemental modifiers like electricity or fire, but be careful as those effects can hurt you as well if you decide to walk over a zombie who is on fire or electrocuted. While the weapons are rather imaginative, don’t expect the same level of outrageousness as you saw in Dead Island. The weapons in Dying Light have a bit more believability to them, and that's a good thing.

Dying Light may not be for everyone, especially those fatigued from open world and zombie games, but there’s no denying its ambition, despite the minor problems that it suffers from. Establishing an exceptional and flexible parkour system into an open world game is always a great idea, but implementing it into a world populated with zombies is tremendous. The possibilities to cause mayhem and slaughter are only limited by your imagination; every encounter is dynamic, with the ability to carve out new routes through Harran on the fly. Frankly, it would be very difficult for me to revert back to a zombie game without this level of freedom. I wouldn’t go as far as calling Dying Light revolutionary, but it definitely revitalizes a stagnant genre with some new tricks, which I’m hoping they continue to build on with their upcoming sequel, Dying Light 2 (if it ever comes out).

I also want to add that's it's amazing how long Techland has supported this game with patches and free dlc, I don't remember any developer in recent memory going this far to support their game. It's certainly admirable and I wish more publishers and developers alike would emulate Techland in their support for their games.

My rating for this game is a solid 8.8/10.

Here's a link to my full review, I couldn't post the whole thing here because of Steam's character count limitation: https://pastebin.com/WJzVZJ6t. The full review is more detailed and includes more points on Audio, graphics, etc...

The first ~5-10 hours of Hunt are the most magical, in my opinion. Maybe it was beginner's luck on my end, though, so I don't know for certain if that'll be a constant for you as well. Getting immersed in the beautifully crafted world is easy to do, and playing during the Nighttime is positively scary for the first couple of runs. It was awesome, and It was an entertaining experience that hooked me from the start.


That's where the problems begin, unfortunately. Setting such an expositionary precedent doesn't do it any favors. Once you experience the uncertainty and mystery of the game world a couple of times, it starts to lose that aforementioned uncertainty. You start learning where things are, what mobs spawn when and where, and what the most frequently used strategies are for other players. If you'd like, I'd skip over the next paragraph because I'll be going over what a lot of players do and potentially ruin some of the expositionary surprises you might get.
The boss can spawn literally anywhere, which is a good thing in theory, but not necessarily the most fun in practice. Some people can just get lucky and stumble upon the boss immediately, which gives them an obvious advantage for the rest of the match. The popular strategy for a lot of players is to find the boss & simply idle outside of its aggression range until another group of players gets there, OR just wait until another group kills the boss so that they get to keep the bounty for themselves. I can't tell you how often I played duos and upon killing the boss, I get headshotted immediately with no time to react & no possible way to have survived the initial bullet. Headshots, if the damage system works the same way it did when I played, are always an instant kill unless certain shots are used. It's realistic but also incredibly frustrating when you die repeatedly to players with good aim with almost no chance of retaliating meaningfully. But this is how this game is designed, and It's a high-risk high-reward type of game.

The progression is also, unfortunately, death-based. You get certain account-wide unlockables through your bloodline, and that's fine and dandy, but annoying when your best-gear equipped hunter gets headshotted by a level 1 player and effectively erases 1-2 hours' worth of grinding. It's not an unentertaining grind, but it's a grind nonetheless. If you're okay with risking that amount of progress each and every match, it might be a positive for you. It certainly makes the game tenser, and subtly forces you to play more cautiously.

Another big issue that this game has is the content draught issue. Crytek barely releases any actual content. There hasn't been a new boss added to this game since early 2019. Similarly, they haven't added a new map in ages, and all they continually do is release weapons or skins for guns or hunters. They sometimes release small mechanics here and there, but overall, nothing major and nothing enough to revitalize the game and make it fresh.

Also, be warned that this game doesn't have a reconnect feature because Crytek apparently thinks that developing such a feature is unnecessary and would "take resources to make"... You can already see what's wrong with this line of thought. So if your game crashes (and it will), then you would forfeit the game, and your character dies, and your equipment would all be gone. A feature that most modern games have is missing in a game that's inherently unstable when it comes to optimization.


The game looks alright, but It's terribly optimized. It's definitely playable, but disappointing when you realize it doesn't look a whole lot better than what you've already seen in the CRYSIS series. The matchmaking is also bad, and getting into matches (which you can immediately die in) can sometimes take on the upwards of five minutes. With a game that so easily dishes out mortality, it can get to be a bit of a slog.

The sound is excellent in this game and is an integral part of the game; everything in this game makes noise. You need to be very careful and listen closely to everything because this game doesn't miss a beat when it comes to sound, so being stealthy in this game is a must if you don't want enemy players figuring out where you are because even the simplest thing as walking over glass can make a very prominent noise. Overall, the sound is great, and I have no complaints about it.


I don't regret purchasing the game because I did have my fun with it. Had Crytek used that money to address the game's lingering balancing issues, adding a reconnect feature, and most importantly, adding actual new content like new bosses, enemies, and maps, then this game would have been genuinely great. It's shown that potential each and every time I've played it since I purchased it. But sadly, Crytek only releases new weapons and skins with small features every now and then without releasing any meaningful content.

Overall, I can't recommend this game, and if you still want to buy it to test it out, at least get it while it's on sale because the extra money you give to Crytek by buying it at full price will only go to waste.

Dead by Daylight has an interesting idea, but it takes it nowhere. The game is overly repetitive if you're playing as the survivor and has a simple objective that you have to repeat each game. As the survivor your goal is to turn on at least 4 generators so you can exit the map all while you're hiding and avoiding the killer who is played by another player.

The game has many balance issues when it comes to the killers, some of them are OP, and some are weak and need tinkering. The game gets old really quickly, and you'll soon realize that playing as a survivor in this game isn't fun because all you do in every match is hide/run away and start generators, and that's it. If you keep doing that long enough, you'll get tired of the game, especially since the game is quite clunky and has a host of bugs and balance issues that'll make you tear your hair out at times.

The game should have at least included a new mode other than doing generators when playing the survivors, or at least the ability to fight back against the killers in a similar vein to the Friday the 13th game. Alas, they haven't added any of that whatsoever. The game still has the one game mode it had ever since it launched years ago.

Another issue this game has is the online matchmaking, It's terrible, and the dedicated servers they have recently implemented don't work well and don't provide good pings in general. Searching for games can take literally forever as the killer, and it's quite frustrating having to wait at least 10 minutes to get a match.

I can't really recommend this game unless you want to play as the killer. Playing as a killer in this game can be fun, but it also depends on what killers you play as there are some useless and weak killers that you'll have a hard time using against skilled survivors. The best part about this game is playing as the killer because it can actually be fun, and each game is different because you're facing different survivors with varying levels of skill.

Overall, if you like repetitive games that have a repetitive scenario and don't mind doing the same thing repeatedly, then this game might be for you. Otherwise, I suggest you steer far away from this game because, in the long run, it's not worth playing. I really wish they continued to build on their idea instead of keeping the game in the same state since the game released. It's such a shame.

Hitman 2 (what was originally going to be a simple addition or expansion to Hitman 2016) is a social stealth action game with some puzzle elements. In any given mission, you're dropped into a defined location such as a suburban neighborhood (where a secret private security outfit guards your target). And It's up to you to find a way to kill your target with numerous tools and methods to do it.

Much like Hitman 2016, the entire game can be completed in just a few hours, especially if you have prior experience with the games. But the enjoyment comes from the myriad of ways in which one can take out the target. If you took out your target while they were in the middle of their formula one race last time, you'll have to figure out how to get them to drink poisoned milk in the lounge kitchen next time. This is all incentivized by the returning mastery system, which is what gets you new items, gadgets, and weapons as you progress through these challenges.

Hitman 2 has tons of challenges in each level. And these aren’t just like “get 15 kills.” No, they are more like, “kill a man with a stuffed shark” or “poison that guy’s eye drops.” This should give you plenty of reasons to keep coming back to each stage even after you’ve seen the multiple story missions.

The biggest thing that IO Interactive couldn’t screw up with Hitman 2 is its maps. Each time you start a new stage, you want an interesting locale with a ton of variety. This game nails that. In the first stage, you learn some basics by breaking into a fortified beach home that looks deserted. IO follows that up with a bombastic motorsport event at a raceway in November. And then you hit incredible locations like Mumbai and a Vermont suburb.
Each of these levels stand out from one another, but that’s not just because the art and music are different. All of these levels have tons of characters with a huge number of potential routes for you to take out your targets.

• Does Hitman 2 improve upon its predecessor in a meaningful way?
  
  It depends on what you mean by "improve". It certainly feels like Season two at times or an expansion rather than a direct sequel. The biggest issue with Hitman 2 is that it’s just not very fresh. It’s the same engine with only some minor improvements. However, there certainly have been improvements along the way, things like "blending into a crowd" and cameras being more than "Oh you were seen, now go get the evidence" taxes. The "using a briefcase to hide a sniper" from Blood Money is back (except now you can hide anything in it, pistols, shotguns, even just a syringe if needed). In my opinion, the most interesting and meaningful part of Hitman 2 is the level design. So yeah, six new levels are a huge improvement. There are some new mechanics like blending in crowds, mirrors working for NPCs, the briefcase etc., but the levels are what matters. The game also looks absolutely stunning at times for what it is (levels contain thousands of interactable NPCs). Six new playgrounds are definitely worth it. Sadly, the cutscenes were downgraded, you no longer have your typical CGI cutscene, but rather a static cutscene with only voices talking to each other.
  
  
• What is needed to make Hitman 2 a more compelling package?
  
  I feel they should have added some elements from Hitman: Blood Money. Such as having your own secret base and being able to customize your loadout in your base and seeing all your equipment all lined up on the wall. It would have created another layer to the game rather than having to interact with a menu before a mission to equip your loadout. It would have made that process more immersive and engaging. They should have also added the ability to use the money you get from completing missions to purchase guns, equipment, etc. Instead of having to unlock them via playing. I mean, what's the point of being a Hitman if you can't use the money you're getting by offing targets. This feature worked well in Blood Money, but sadly they have yet to add it to the new Hitman games.
  
  Lastly, I feel the story requires some improvement as It's not that good. It's not like the Hitman games had amazing stories, but at least the older games had more charm when it came to its storytelling, and I feel that is kind of missing in the new Hitman.
  
  
  
• For the next Hitman game, should the franchise continue in this vein, return to the style of the older games, or try something entirely new?
  
  Well they need to conclude the "trilogy" story in Hitman 3, so I'd expect the same from the next game. New, maybe more intricate and interesting levels (new locales, possibly more levels (plus two or three). Some new mechanics like dual-wielding and maybe human shields. Just don't break what works. The disguise system is pretty much perfect. The opportunity/mission stories system is an excellent way for novices to experience levels. The controls and physics are pretty tight. This is basically Blood Money, but much bigger, keep it that way. But they should still include the things I mentioned above, like having your own armory/base and being able to use your own money to purchase items and weapons. As well as giving us CGI cutscenes instead of the static ones that are much less engaging in Hitman 2.
  
  
  Conclusion
  Overall, if you liked the previous Hitman game, its more of the same with some improvements. The locations are the star of the show, and while there could be some cleaning up in the UI and unlocks department, the game is still worth it if you're a fan of the Hitman games or the genre itself.
  
  My rating for this game is a solid 8/10.