Recent reviews by HemLach

SMRPG feels broken and patchy.

I can't recommend it, the on screen elements are very abrasive and the movement is finicky. The UI is awful - won't stay set to gamepad controls displayed, so I constantly had no idea which button to press. The 'folder' is difficult to navigate and the game elements (attacks, boosts, etc) are never really explained, which left me just equipping and buying and spamming things all over the place. The stats are not explained or really referenced anywhere so I was left applying miscellaneous boosts that might have had an impact. With a couple of improvements or indeed an overhaul of the menu/folder system and a bit more indication for what to use, the game might be playable, but it would need many more changes for me to recommend it.

DLC Quest is a hilarious game with a very direct approach to calling out other game developers for their sometimes shady DLC based practices.

If you follow the games industry at all, you will recognise various inside jokes and references and in this case I would recommend this game. If you've played one franchise of games for your entire life and simply buy anything with that franchise's name on it, this won't be the game for you, as many of the jokes will fall flat.

My only criticism would be repetition, as some parts of the game can become tedious even though they are self-aware. In the end, this game often costs a dollar, and if you look for the classic ratio of $1/hour of gameplay, you will be satisfied.

Here's my review for The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth.

Gameplay
The Binding Of Isaac: Rebirth (Isaac) falls into the dungeon crawler category. The gameplay in Isaac is watertight. They've taken all of the positive elements from the original game and fixed most, if not all, of the issues. Controlling the characters is fluid and the controls are very simple and easy to learn. The game rewards skill, and playing more will improve your skill. There is significant metagame to be had as well - every choice you make can shape a run.

Story
The story is not rich in Isaac, but it is there. The game will make you feel emotions, but don't expect a novel.

Graphics
Isaac follows a pixel art style that is very easy on the eyes, again improving significantly on it's original form. It also offers the option of adding a softening 'blur' to take the edge off the pixels. Whether or not to use it is completely up to the individual.

Sound
The soundtrack for Isaac is excellent. It goes from whimsical and airy to hardcore in a matter of moments, depending on the situation. That being said, you will find it gets a bit repetitive (which is not really fixable - there's only one soundtrack and once you play for a few hundred hours you will be a bit fatigued), but of course you have the option to simply turn it off!

Replay Value
Isaac is the gold standard in replayability. The reason there is almost 300 achievements to unlock is because almost every one of them represents a new item to be unlocked and possibly found in the next run. On top of this, there is over a dozen different win conditions to be discovered. The runs themselves can last anywhere from 10 minutes up to around an hour, so you will definitely be playing more than one run each time you sit down to play it.

Overall
The Binding of Isaac Rebirth is a fantastic dungeon crawler, and although you will occasionally find yourself consulting the wiki for how to unlock x item or y metagame, I would recommend to anyone who enjoys the non-linear top quality gameplay it offers.

TL;DR

• Gameplay is excellent
  
• Almost infinitely replayable
  
• Might find yourself on the wiki

Bioshock Infinite is an amazing game. It is well thought out, original and memorable - and that's just the main story.

Gameplay
The controls are set out in a less than intuitive way but once you get used to them (very quickly) they start to feel snappy and responsive, and never take away from your experience whilst playing. There is often added bonus controls such as holding 'f' to focus on a cinematic event happening right inside the gameplay. The weapon system is controlled in such a way that you can essentially pick your favourite and work on it throughout the game, or simply blast away with whatever you pick up. The AI is extremely well done - paying particular attention to the details in exchanges between you and friendly NPCs, as well as what the NPCs will do when you aren't doing anything at all. This creates a very immersive atmosphere (as though the game does not come to a complete standstill when you do). Very fun to play. There were, however, some sequences that felt repetitive and some that could have been revisited once or twice as they had otherwise unused but interesting mechanics (e.g. The Songbird Sequence).

Story
An obvious selling point of the game and the series as a whole. There is constant intrigue which will make you want to keep going and going. The characters are engaging and have clear personality. I would have liked a little more choice when it came to the moral decisions your character makes, but the original story is more than enough to have you on the edge of your seat.

Graphics
This is not a new game, but everything that needs to be there is there. Playing on ultra, I never took pause to consider how the gunplay might have improved with better graphics or how a scene might have had more imapct with more polygons. On the contrary, many of the scenes were beautiful and I did find myself stopping to take in the sights occasionally.

Sound
The soundtrack is fantastic but the game is really made by the dialogue, both of which are extremely pleasant to listen to.

Replay Value
Finishing the story simply makes me want to play the game once again and with the availability of 1999 mode to up the ante in terms of difficulty and challenge, I'm all the more interested in having another go. There is also of course the allure of many exploration based trophies that will have you searching every available area - but this is only recommended on the second playthrough as during the first you will find yourself wanting to progress the story as rapidly as possible!

Overall
Bioshock Infinite is a game I can absolutely recommend. It is polished and well worth the time put in.

TL;DR

• Highly polished
  
• Fun gameplay
  
• Intriguing and immersive story
  
• You will want to play it more than once
  
• Recommended

Great game, hours of play! Buy it for the laughs. And the gameplay.