Recent reviews by particles

It's an early access game but it's actually pretty fun!

I really like this game. Maybe I knew a tad too much Japanese going in for this to be particularly useful to me, but I think it's really useful if you're learning Japanese and want to learn things that are relevant for actually being in Japan. Rarely, e.g., in practical lessons will you learn the words for things like street lamps or road signs, but if you want to actually know Japanese and speak it in Japan with other Japanese, you necessarily find these gaps. The way this game excels is by putting you in the world and context you'll see these words, and giving you the chance to learn them naturally by curiosity.

I feel like there are a couple things that I would critique, but nothing major. In find mode, let's say you need to find a "game". Well, there are a few "games" you can find, but only one registers as correct. In find mode, if you get something incorrect, the game doesn't offer the ability to review the incorrect results at the end, which would help with the learning loop. Depending on the word, you might be forced to run around a bit to find something (e.g., finding a train while it's moving).

I do really wish that there was voicing for some of the Japanese text in the game too. The more complicated signs are hard to read if you don't know the kanji, even with furigana.

So far, it doesn't seem like there are interior environments, or at least, contexts that you can view things outside of the basic city. I think there are obvious ways this can be changed, e.g., adding an interior kombini environment or an interior electronics store (or even supermarket). It's hard for me to say if this game is worth $20 or what the price *should* be, but if there continues to be development it'll definitely be worthy of its price. For me, at an intermediate Japanese level, it's probably not worth it, but for an early beginner, or if you don't have knowledge of Japanese in-context of a city, it's great!

Not really super important...I feel like there are way too many cars on the roads. It's not as relaxing, because my reflexive desire to not be hit by cars makes me not want to walk down some streets.

If you have a Valve index and you only have the Knuckles controllers, be aware that the game just doesn't work. The menu keeps popping up and selecting options randomly. This is because the game detects any touch on the controllers as input / selection immediately, including if you rest your fingers on the triggers or any touch point on the controllers. This means that for Index users, the game is completely unplayable. If you check the community page it's not just me that has this problem.

I remember when DayZ was hyped for being innovative and ahead of its time. DayZ had several problems: it was on Arma's engine, it had zombies with bad AI, and it was difficult to find guns. It sucked dying in DayZ. In PUBG, all of these problems are fixed. More of a stealthy player? Stay around the circle edges and creep in. Want gunplay instead? Jump into the most populated zones and play there instead.

Few games make the game loop based on rewarding performance and making you want to continue playing these days. They give you XP, levels, and all sorts of other ways to make you play. PUBG just makes the gameplay loop addicting, fun, and challenging. It's a game where you can actually make an effort to get better and be rewarded. It's great.

To call Half-Life 2 a masterpiece would be a understatement. Half-Life 2 is one of the first games I'd consider to be a pioneer in all of modern gaming: it has an excellent physics engine. It has excellent acting. It has an excellent story, and has an excellent cast of lovable, memorable characters. It, along with its two episodes, shouldn't be missed by anyone who plays games. It's that good.

Everyone jumps on the hype train for this game claiming it's some lost forsaken art form, but it really isn't a game. It's a paperwork simulator. If you want a paperwork simulator, try Paper's Please.

I wish I could "soft recommend" this. If you compare it directly to the original, it has several pitfalls: The built in skins are trash, at least for mono players. It's difficult to find greys with it, and the first thing I did was find a skin that replicated the original's. Next, the UI is horrible. For instance, you can't scroll down on the scoreboard for a song, meaning you only see the top 12. There is no profile view. There is no integration with the original website, and no ability to see your own championships or holdings.

To call mono instanely difficult would be an understatement. It's closer to ninja mono ironmode on the original than it is any of the slower paced characters. Sometimes, the graphics engine paints the entire screen black for fractions of a second, making it easy to miss points. Frequently, impenetrable barriers of greys/spikes/blocks block your path entirely, and only familiarity with avoiding them in the original lets me avoid them. I cannot see a solution around, but muscle memory guides me through okay.

Is the game fun? Yeah. Is it as polished as the original? God no.

Buy AS2, but it'll get better.

Not your average Survival Horror game. It's a great change of pace versus something like Left 4 Dead. Probably the most satisfying to use guns in any game to date.

Deus: Ex Human Revolution is a unique take on the future. If you've not played other Deus Ex games, you need not worry: This is superb.

Every element of this game is designed beautifully, and you'll be delighted to play it if you've not already.

Stunning so far. Great atmosphere.