Recent reviews by DaSoda

There are basically two kinds of rally simmers: 1.)People who think RBR is the best and most realistic rally game to ever grace the Earth. Nothing will ever be as realistic as RBR. Not even real life rallying is as realistic as RBR. 2.) People who realize, even with mods, that it's a dated game and like to experience new rally games. I fall into the latter.

When the game initially released, I was consistently unfavorably comparing it to a certain Codemaster's game I won't mention by name and even ended up refunding it. A few months on and multiple patches later I opted to give it another go. Some of this is standalone pros and cons, others are comparing it to the CM game.

+ Stage Variety: Compared to the CM game, I find the stage variety and the stages themselves to be more worthwhile to drive through, but it could be a honeymoon period. Regardless, the shorter stages tend to be the length of the long stages in the CM game and the long ones are 2-3 times longer which requires more time investment but feels more rewarding which you finish them.

+ Career Mode: Career mode is leaps and bounds better than the CM game with full team management, better tire management (including mixed tire set ups which the other game doesn't even have), and manufacturer representation.

~ Physics: One of the primary reasons I reamed this game was how FFB was modeled on my wheel (Logitech G29, I know, it's a budget wheel and I shouldn't expect too much), however after doing a lot of messing around with FFB settings I think it's effectively on par with the CM game. Gravel/dirt is a bit too slidey for my liking and I live in BFE, Colorado so driving too fast on dirt and gravel roads is something I do regularly, but it's close enough (CM game models it slightly better I think). My main gripe even with adjusting my FFB is just how easy it is to end up sideways on a straight which I have literally never done IRL at similar speeds, but I might just need to do some car tuning in game to fix that. Snow/Ice is a mixed bag, but it's closer to IRL than gravel especially on snow with studs (whereas the CM game sees ice modeled almost the same as snow). Where WRC 10 really shines is on asphalt (tarmac for most non-Americans). It is probably the best model I've seen in a rally game.

~ Anniversary mode: I love and hate anniversary mode. It's a fun way to look at the previous decades of WRC, even if older cars aren't quite modeled as wells as they could be (both graphics and physics). The goal is to achieve IRL times of previous era rallyers such as Walter Roerhl, Stig Blomqvist, Michelle Mouton, etc. You get to look at older iterations of rally stages, including larger crowds that can and will mess up your line by being where you want to cut causing you to pull a Joaquim Santos thus getting penalized. HOWEVER, completing Anniversary Mode is a requirement for unlocking My Team Career Mode (running as a private team instead of under a manufacturer). This is where the fun stops because I am not Walter Roehrl and tuning isn't allowed so getting literal WR times is generally 15+ seconds out of my grasp until I manage to somehow squeak by into the next event where I find myself 30 seconds behind, repeating the process. I understand I'm not a top tier rally driver (often only achieving top 100 in CM game dailies at best), but I still haven't unlocked My Team mode which is ludicrous.

- Graphics: For a 2021 game, WRC10 does not look good. For racing games, especially sims, looking good does not particularly matter even if it helps so normally graphics would not make the list. However, the game has stutter issues to the point of causing motion sickness at points which is ridiculous at this poor level of fidelity. There are little things you can do to help mitigate it and hopefully it will be fixed in the future, but there isn't really an excuse for it.

- Sound: Sounds are much better than previous entries, but still below the CM game. I don't particularly care about this as I'm too busy listening to my co-driver to give a damn about the pops and cracks coming out of the exhaust, but at points the rev noise can be a bit grating when listening for shift points.

Overall, I don't think I'm going back to the CM game for a hot minute and after this release I'm a bit disappointed that Codies got the WRC license as the competition between them and KT was very obviously giving us better games. No point in crying over spilled milk, I guess.

You know, EW generally has quite a few hiccups with each DLC. However, even the notorious ones of Cuatro Colinas aren't anywhere near as bad as Rancho del Arroyo. The shotgun doesn't work half the time, the map crashes often, map glitches, etc. It's pretty bad. To make matters worse, they released a huge update with the DLC that managed to break more than it fixed. I legitimately can't recommend Rancho del Arroyo in its current state and knowing how EW fixes things, maybe ever. It's a shame really, I was quite excited for this map and I'm still going to play it because I'm stupid, but jesus it's so broken.

This is by far my favorite game of all time. Despite the issues of the Gamebryo engine, FO:NV really brings the old Fallout style into modernity. Where FO3 and FO4 failed, FO:NV actually shines.

Pros:
+ Western setting built on old Fallout lore by people who actually worked on the original Fallout games
I don't just mean cowboys and country western themes. It's the real deal. Dealing with the death of the frontier while deciding who is best to run the leftovers.

+ Replayability
I first bought the game in 2011. I still play it in 2016.

+ Moddability is unrivaled among the FPS Fallouts
Head to the Nexus and check it out. Most mods are plug and play, although clean saves are highly recommended and encouraged.

+ Old Fallout feel in a new setting
Rather than Bethesdas trope of turning Fallout into a themepark with the sole purpose of pleasing and enriching the PC(quite literally in the last FO4 DLC), FO:NV attempts to create a world where you serve as an arbiter of its future. Like FO1&2, you live in the world and lives with or without you. While you do get some of the messiah treatment, it's closer to a lynchpin than God.

+ Actual RPG
You'll build your Courier from the ground up. It is relatively easy and cheesy to min/max, but you actually have the option of what you want your character to be.

+ DLC
The DLC are pretty good. Each have their own pros and cons, but on the whole they tell an overarching story and are close to old stories with moral purpose. They further the idea of the Courier shaping the world around them (or not). If you don't buy ultimate edition and are curious which DLC to get, Honest Hearts is skippable, but Dead Money, Old World Blues and Lonesome Road are not. In terms of personal enjoyment, I found Honest Hearts to be the best DLC, but it's relatively independent of the other three. Ranking them, I'd say HH > OWB > DM > LR. In terms of play order, you can play them as they were released (which is as intended), but personally I like to go in the same order that I ranked them. They make a lot more sense that way.

Cons:

- Aged some
The Gamebryo graphics weren't anything new in 2010 and they still aren't now. Mods help this area significantly and honestly it doesn't bother me, but some are real sticklers about it. The gameplay has also aged slightly. Gunplay is definitely built more around RPG style (which I prefer) and most prefer it to be point and click (ala COD).

- Compatibility
There are some issues with Windows 10 and FO:NV. It will crash about once an hour, modded or vanilla, and you can almost set your watch by it. You WILL need NVSE and the newest version of NVAC if you're on W10 because otherwise the game will crash on startup. This is entirely M$ fault and a result of the W10 Anniversary Update and it's relation to drivers. If you're on W8 or 7, you'll be fine.

- Cut Content
Parts of the game will feel unfinished because they are. Obsidian was rushed by Bethesda and it shows in the game if you pay close attention to dialogue and such. There are mods to restore some, but not all of the cut content.

- Still some bugs
These can be fixed with mods (I recommend YUP), but there are still many bugs left in the game. These can be benign (unimportant mobs not spawning correctly or at all) or gamebreaking (a certain companion quest doesn't activate properly if you have an extensive save playtime).

Even with these cons, I give the game a 10/10.

125 hours, but probably only 20 of it actually having fun. Most of it is is from playing just to get the different endings which are all the same. Don't get me wrong, it's an expansive game, but it's as big as a lake and as deep as a puddle. There are numerous problems with settlement building, quests are extremely repetitive, and all of the DLC are gimmick cash grabs. Don't waste your money if you liked previous iterations unless you get a deep discount to be worth it.

Edit: Finally taken the time to play through all of the DLC and give the game one good last once over. Now I'm up to ~230 hours and most of the original review still holds true. The game is still shallow as all get out and the majority of the DLC are still gimmick cash grabs. I thoroughly enjoyed Nuka-World (at least playing the short Nuka-World quest chain, the raider settlement system doesn't work as well as you'd hope and the rest of it is more of the same) and Far Harbor was also enjoyable. Mods are more existent than when I first reviewed the game, but they're all lackluster unlike the mods of previous games or Skyrim so that aspect will cause you disappointment if it's what you're searching for. Altogether, I'd say keep your money until it gets a reasonably deep discount and skip the DLC outside of Far Harbor and Nuka-World. My personal pricepoint would be ~$45 between the basegame and the two major DLC. If you enjoyed F:NV over FO3, I'd say skip it altogether unless you get an extremely deep discount ($20 or less for everything).

If you're expecting Far Cry 3, I'd ordinarily say steer clear. However, this game is above and beyond worth it. Be forewarned that Far Cry 2 is nowhere near as forgiving as Far Cry 3 is. This game creates a love-hate relationship because of that fact. I'll be honest, for the first 20 hours or so I absolutely hated this game but was determined to see it to the end. Once I breached the hurdle of the first 20 hours I absolutely fell in love with it. Call it stockholm syndrome, but everything just clicked and the game felt right. The gun play is extremely enjoyable, the immersion will give you goose bumps and the AI is brilliant yet brutal. The only thing I can pick at right now is the graphics. While still looking quite well for its age, it has indeed aged. Overall, I'd give the game an 8/10, well worth it for anyone looking to venture into the unforgiving Heart of Darkness and work for it.