Последние обзоры Transience

At this point, the survivors-like or bullet heaven genre has been iterated on quite extensively. If you've played any of the others, then you already have a solid grasp of what Halls of Torment (henceforth HoT) has to offer in terms of gameplay. However, where HoT excels is in its presentation, which draws heavy inspiration from the first 2 Diablo games. That isn't to say that the gameplay suffers, far from it. The progression system has options to suit practically all approaches to the combat, and I've yet to find a 'bad' build.

Overall, I can wholeheartedly recommend the game, especially now that it has left early access.

HoloCure - Save the Fans! is an excellent specimen of a bullet heaven derivative. Having played Vampire Survivors first. presumably like many others, I came into this expecting more of the same, but with a much brighter and cute aesthetic. I wasn't wrong, but I also certainly wasn't right.

The first selling point that must be pointed out must, of course, be the fact that the game is free. By this, I also mean that there are no microtransactions. If you have even a glancing interest in the genre, just try it. This is exponentially more true if you are an existing fan of Hololive, which I was not. Even then, I was able to appreciate the sheer amount of work and dedication that has gone into this.

The gameplay loop, as mentioned earlier, is similar to other titles in this genre. Pick a character, go into a stage, and try to survive for the 20 minute duration while levelling up, choosing weapons and passives, and enjoying the fantastic energy, heavily supplemented by the incredible soundtrack. Outside of that, once you finish the first stage, you unlock the ability to go fishing, grow crops, cook, and manage employees who make you money. However, do not expect any of these to be complex and full side activities. They are intended to provide a break from the core game while still giving you items and resources which enhance the overall experience.

Speaking of money, it is used to roll for new characters, buy permanent upgrades for their stats, and to unlock new features, such as unlocking their special abilities. If you're more into the customisation side of things, you can also buy furniture and decorations to use within a house as you like, though this is usually more of an endgame activity.

The game has full controller support, which I do recommend using if you have one. It's a comfortable way to play, as the level of input required from you is relatively minimal: move with the left stick or D-pad, aim with the right stick, confirm, cancel, and menu.

The only gripe I have with it is the amount of grind needed to earn 100% of the achievements. Most of them are relatively simple, and you will unlock them through natural gameplay. However, many of them require more specific actions or builds to accomplish, such as completing a stage without ever moving. The most egregious is to complete a stage with every character a number of times, which very quickly adds up to quite a few hours. This is one that I am still working on as of writing this review.

Overall, I cannot recommend this game enough. It is highly polished, there are no bugs as far as I know, and there is practically no barrier to entry.

I absolutely love the overall mechanics and presentation of the game. Everything in my first hour of play suggests that it is an extremely solid entry into the monster collection genre, and one that can and should compete with the best. However, as someone who has sat through many similar games in the past, there is one major obstacle preventing me from thoroughly enjoying Temtem. That is, there is no option to speed up its animations, particularly those associated with battle, during which everything takes an agonizingly long time to happen. This singular oversight, if it can be called that, is unforgivable in my eyes.

I played this for the first time while half asleep. Upon reaching Where-Ever for the first time and completing the tasks there, I was told to return through the portal. The problem? I didn't know where the portal was. I know this is a ridiculous review, but I legitimately spent a long time wandering around.

In short, I got lost and couldn't continue.

If you were to ask me what makes Vampire Survivors a good game, I would struggle to itemise the main points in a coherent manner. That said, I'm going to try anyway. Let's keep this short.

• Stages are short and sweet. After a certain point, you will also be able to add modifiers to these, such as speeding up time/movement to make them even shorter.
  
• Many unlockable characters.
  
• Item progression feels smooth and, for the most part, satisfying to use.
  
• Deaths are not overly punishing. You're always getting some gold to work towards that next upgrade.
  
• The music is pretty great!
  
• Active development.

As of writing this review, I have put less than 9 hours into the game. Based on what I've read, this is barely scratching the surface. I look forward to seeing how the game evolves down the line!

Leaf Blower Revolution is an idle/incremental game, designed to be played with a very long term goal in mind. Comparing it with other similar titles, the concept is the same: make big numbers. However, this game does it within the theme of blowing leaves out of the screen's borders.

It shares many key similarities with other idle games: a large selection of increasingly expensive upgrades to speed up resource gain and a need to restart the game many times in order to make meaningful progress. Both of these make the experience highly familiar to anyone familiar with the genre. It reiterates upon those mechanics very successfully, making it quite a fun game.

That said, the context of leaf blowing isn't exactly the most engrossing one. Sure, it's entertaining for awhile due to its borderline absurd nature, but that can only take it so far. For someone like me who is capable of sinking a lot of time into these types of games, it just wasn't enough to keep me engaged.

Overall, I can certainly recommend it to anyone looking for a new time sink. It is a well designed experience for those wanting a slightly more challenging incremental game which needs some attention.

The Following felt very weak compared to the core gameplay of the base game. The parkour, one of the main aspects which made it so compelling, was almost entirely thrown out in favour of driving that accursed buggy around. Sure, the driving felt good, but that's not what I play Dying Light for. The new crossbow weapon they added was fun to play with, but the extra bolts you can make for it just aren't as fun to play with as the elemental arrows for the bow. I ended up using it for the superior damage, regardless. Being able to kill every common enemy with a single shot was very useful.

I would only recommend The Following if you can't live with the original ending of Dying Light. Otherwise, it is worth a miss. The few new features that it adds only detracts from what made the vanilla game feel so good. Speaking of endings, there is a choice to be made right at the conclusion. I've only seen one of the endings, and it was underwhelming, so I'll definitely look up the other to see if it's any better.

DJMax Respect is one of many rhythm games on the market with a simple premise. Notes travel across the screen towards a fixed position. Hit the correct button (keyboard or controller) at the right time in order to accumulate points. When I've described this game to people who have not played rhythm games before, they often react with, "That sounds easy!" Of course, this sounds very basic on paper, but the reality is that the level of dexterity, hand-eye coordination, reaction time and, most importantly, sense of rhythm required reach a very high ceiling. Ultimately, none of that matters if the music isn't good enough to keep you wanting to play.

There is a huge variety of music present in the game, even without counting the DLCs. Name a genre (without getting overly specific) and there is most likely at least one track in that style. It is this range that will ensure that there will be a handful of tracks that you will enjoy. Fortunately, there is an in-game favourite system that allows you to single out these tracks for easy access.

While I have been an enthusiast of rhythm games for the past couple of decades, I am no expert of the genre and its many technical aspects. What I can confidently say is that DJMax Respect and its predecessors are of a calibre beyond other similar games. The variety and quality of its music alone is nearly enough to warrant a recommendation. It's the basic yet challenging gameplay that will keep you coming back for more.

I could not say how many hundreds of hours I sank into KKND2 as a child, both on the PS1 and on PC. It was one of my favourite RTS games of the time, alongside Command & Conquer and WarCraft II. There are many fond memories of discovering units and buildings for the first time, with my childlike impression being mostly, "Whoa, that's so cool!"

Having revisited it now after more than a 15 year gap, I can safely say that it hasn't aged particularly well. After a relaxed game against the AI with the goal of rediscovering the interesting sights and sounds, these are elaborations on that.

1: The pathfinding is horrendous. I understand that this is an issue common to many early RTS, but it really feels accentuated here. It is mostly noticeable when using vehicles, as their large hitboxes make any attempt of movements a challenge on its own. This is the main aspect that holds the game back.

2: The three factions play very similarly to each other. It can be argued that this makes the game relatively balanced, but it does mean that it doesn't really matter who you choose to play as, unlike Starcraft, for example.

3: The graphics are still mostly beautiful. It won't be getting any awards these days, but the overall aesthetic has held up very well. Everything in the world is distinct, and the level of detail seen in the models remains exemplary. I particularly enjoy admiring the late units of the Series 9 faction, who are mechanical and robotic.

4: The music is absolutely spot-on. There's just something about the quality of video game music from the 90s that just isn't around anymore. I would even dare compare it to Red Alert 2's soundtrack in terms of how much I enjoy it.

In conclusion, I can only recommend this to those who either want a hit of nostalgia, or those who want to have an experience of a good RTS of the 90s. I would not recommend it if you have any desire to play with others, as it does not directly support multiplayer. From what I have read, it requires the use of third-party software.

When I first heard that Bungie, venerated developers of the much celebrated Halo franchise, was creating a new and original open-world FPS, I was very excited. However, that excitement was then dashed when I learned that it would not be available for PCs.

Fast-forward a few years when Destiny 2 was released, and my excitement was once again restrained by the negative publicity and reviews it was receiving. Now that Bungie is free from Activision's grip and has been made F2P here on Steam, I can wholeheartedly say that it has been a great return to my original excitement.

To make things short, Destiny 2 is a fulfilling, if repetitive, looter-shooter. Those who are fans of the genre through the likes of Borderlands and Warframe will find much to enjoy, though Destiny 2 obviously has its own unique systems and experiences.

The bulk of my enjoyment in this game comes from working towards discovering new guns. That's what most of the customisation boils down to, and there are innumerable opportunities to create a loadout that works just for your playstyle. The wide range of game modes to engage in also helps alleviate any boredom or fatigue that may arise from repetition. It is also to the game's credit that this has been the first time that I have ever truly engaged with PvP, known as Crucible. I have always shied away from PvP modes in games, but the pacing and visceral feel of many of the weapons really lend themselves to quick and satisfying rounds.

This has been one of my shorter reviews, but I may return to it once I have a deeper understanding of the game's mechanics and balance. In the meantime, I will continue to have an excellent time with my selection of firearms.