Recent reviews by Arctic_Avenger

Kill Bill - The Video Game
but with demons... and some are very big!

Soul Reaver 1 ended with a cliffhanger, so the second game continues after a remastered final scene. Graphics are much nicer, a lot more details, improved animation etc. Also, there's mouse support, so it's much easier to navigate around, but still a bit annoying, especially while swimming, and Raziel decides to take a vertical dive, when you actually wanted to jump out of the water/blood. It's also a bit repetitive, cause you're gonna be going up and down the same path quite a few times, in different seasons albeit. Places where you can save are sometimes too long apart. But all those little complaints aren't really important, because
- the same voice actors for the main characters are still there
- dialogues and monologues are very well written, and sometime pretty long
- puzzles are still great, and they now kinda replace boss battles
- story continues to follow Raziel on his path to change his and the faith of Nosgoth
- many cutscenes convey very well the reason behind Raziel's actions, and his choices, or lack there of
- there are actual hints for what you need to do, and what you can't do yet, so it's easier than the first game
As second part of the Legacy Of Kain series, it revealed a lot of crucial story elements, that will resonate in the remaining two games. It explains the deceitful and strained relations between Raziel, Kain, Moebius and others. It shows the lengths they're willing to go and risks they take to acomplish their goal. It's all part of an epic saga that spans across centuries. A fight to cleanse the Pillars Of Nosgoth of corruption, and thus restore the balance in the decaying land.

It never ceases to amaze me how good the whole Legacy Of Kain series is.
Soul Reaver is a game from 1999, but it does not matter one bit.
It doesn't matter either that it has no mouse support.
Extremely low-res textures are irrelevant, but it does have nice effects.
What matters is that this game has the best puzzles ever. You will doubt your intelligence many times while stuck in a room, knowing you have to somehow climb up, but the ledge is just a little too high. Sometimes you can't do it at all, because first you need to unlock the ability that allows you to progress. But the game doesn't give you any hints. And that's why it's beautiful.
But the story... the magnificent lore behind it all, carried out by the best voice talents ever, is just fantasmic.
It is so worth trying, and it's better than many recent games, cause it makes you think, it makes you figure things out. I really hope Crystal Dynamics makes another one. Until then, i'll be enjoying these masterpieces, just as i did almost 15 years ago.

You are a scientist with a pet facehugger, so you have to carry a crowbar around at all times, in case... you know...

Blazkowicz barely survives a present from general Deathshead. After some time in recovery, the story continues. Not much of a spoiler, really. Immediately, things start to go crazy, and will get crazier still. It's different from previous two games, cause it's less personal. The whole focus is not just Blasko, it's about the whole crew and organizing a revolution. And that's fine, cause we get to know better many other characters, which are very different from what we're used to and from each other. They all have great voice acting and keep the atmosphere in the base lively, which is a rung above the previous games. Main characters models are somewhat changed, especially in cutscenes. I liked them better before, they shouldn't have changed that.
Graphics and details are improved aswell, but you do need a serious rig for High or above. Even on Medium setting it looks amazing, but on High i got some fps drops with my GTX 970.
Gameplay is easily the best thing about this game, and if for nothing else, you gotta play it for this. Perks are still here, weapon upgrades too. But there's something new too - contraptions. I love ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ like this :) It's a really interesting mechanic that makes it very fun to play. It spices up stealth, combat and exploration. Doesn't matter how realistic it is, after all it's a game, it should be unrealistic.
Plenty of collectables, and they're cumulative for a savegame slot as before. They do add value to the story, as you find out more about your enemies and the people involved, if you don't mind reading them, but you should.
Stealth is also more rewarding, cause you get to eavesdrop on enemies and listen to their conversations, which is always fun. And you don't have to defeat armies of enemies, which would be challenging on higher difficulties.
This is the first game i payed full price for, and i have absolutely no regrets. I really wanted to play it right away and find out what happens next. It's not boring, even when you're just hunting collectables, cause it looks so good, just running around is satisfying. And it has more content, took me about 40 hours in previous games for a single pass 100%, i'm at 60 hours in this one, and that's gonna go much higher while pursuing the rest of the achievements, and that's all before the DLCs. So if money is not a problem, get it now, fun guaranteed.

So why did i edit the review and change it to thumb down? Because of that one achievement - finish the game on Mein Leben difficulty. I already posted a status about this, but basicly, it's retarded. I understand now why they added it though. It's there to make a short game seem longer, trying to waste your time over and over, so it shows that you played 100 hours +/-, but only half of those hours were actually playing, and most of that are UNSKIPPABLE BLOODY CUTSCENES! This is not how you add replay value to your game, no matter how highly you think of it. And reviews are showing what the rest of us think about it.

What the hell are you waiting for?

I understand why some will not like this game, but i'm gonna recommend it anyway. It requires a lot of patience, reading, investigating and stealth. Nobody talks, they just stand there with text balloons. Which is a shame, cause that's one thing that's really missing from otherwise very interesting experience. You start with crap weapons, and find better version as you go along. Untill you find the bloody shovel (spade) that is! Honestly, i didn't care about the murders much, i just wanted to find the shovel. What you do is put dark stories together by finding clues and "talking" to ghosts. And when you've went back and fourth enough times, your investigation is complete. Of course, stories are full of murderous backstabbing, lying, cheating, deceits - hence the name of the game. Graphics are actually very nice, just don't forget to turn up the colour saturation, or else everything is grey and red (like on the pictures above). I don't know what more to say, try it, it can be relaxing and eerie at the same time.

The Darkness meatballs recipe: (you promissed me meatballs, aunt Sarah!)
- 1kg italian mafia
- 1 tb spoon latino boss with a hint of dark essence
- handfull of conventional weapons, or two handfulls if you like
- 200g of secret society from BC, fried in snake oil
- 250ml of excellent voice acting and character animation
- unavoidable love story and the fight between light and dark bla bla
- serves 1 up to 4 people, with additional Vendetta leftovers

I expected a horror game with a lot of monsters to hide from, and there are some.
I expected to feel fear, but being afraid is not how i felt throughout the game.
I had questions when i started playing, but now that i finished, i have more.

The craziest game ever made. Nothing that has come out before or since could compete with it. It just keeps getting better, you get more powerful weapons, funny assignments, new type of people to kill, it's awesome :) If you consider yourself a slightly psychotic person, do not miss this game. Yes, the graphics are very outdated, but the weapons are great, sounds are excellent, story is hilarious, and it all adds up to a pretty mental experience. You catch cats and use them as a silencer for the assault rifle and shotgun ffs! What more do i need to say?