Recent reviews by Pat_McCrotch

This game is a great blend of various game systems, mechanics and genres, albeit some are stronger than others. But the ambition on display is commended as it's core gameplay is incredibly deep and addictive even though other aspects could use a bit more time in the oven. The game is way better than the reviews are giving it credit for.

1) The addictive puzzle-solving + tactical gameplay of XCOM. I might even say it's even better than XCOM in terms of core gameplay. Firaxis did an amazing job of finding the right balance between keeping each encounter fresh and engaging, but also keeping the downtime between turns to a minimum. XCOM is notorious for this as some turns in that game just require you to get into position before even engaging an enemy. AND it doesn't have the 99% chance of hitting or missing BS.

2) Companions you can build relationships with (Persona, Mass Effect). This part actually surprised me the most, I did not expect this when I bought it. As a huge fan of Persona and building relationships with your companions and the dialogue system of Mass Effect, this is a nice change of pace from the tactical gameplay. It has a very rich dialogue tree system that directly influences gameplay abilities, cosmetics, and story progression. I'm seeing in reviews that people find this entire portion of the game a chore, but I find this portion of the game incredibly engaging. Sure, some of the writing is hit or miss but the amount of dialogue between each hero is astounding. You get a deeper look into each hero and it adds a personal element to each of them. It has nothing to do with "bad writing" but how they are inherently written in the comics. I like how goofy some of these characters get and it adds a nice little charm to the whole package. There's a whole narrative to these interactions that are working in the background behind the actual main story, it's actually mindblowing.

3) I keep seeing in reviews people criticizing the story. Are we playing the same game? It's not ground-breaking stuff like The Last of Us or God of War but it's definitely a "good" story that is keeping me engaged and moving the gameplay forward.

The only real downside is the technical issues and having to use the 2K launcher. But honestly, I'll suck it up cause the gameplay loop is so addictive. I keep saying one more turn and then I realize it's 3 in the morning. I haven't been this engaged with a game since XCOM 2.

Wasn't on my radar after SE botched The Avengers. But to my surprise this ended up being in my top 3 games of 2021. Never doubt Eidos Montreal. New Deus Ex now pls.

The best horror survival game of 2014. The Anti-AAA game created with an AAA budget. Thank you based Creative Assembly.