Recent reviews by yord

If I were to boil this game down, I would call it the best walking simulator ever made--and I mean that with sincerity and love, as this is a true achievement of a game experience! Without spoiling anything I can tell you this is a truly unique vision that plays with the concepts of time and gravity in very creative ways. And to tie it all together, it has an awe-inspiring soundtrack that breathes further life into the creative and distinct universe that is Outer Wilds.

I've been a vocal supporter of this game, but the recent change to multiplayer is unacceptable. Multiplayer is now only possible on the tutorial map, which is tiny and not fun.

Truly a shame! Sialia, as you may have read from other reviews, is a gorgeous and well-designed open-world map that is absolutely huge. It is fun to explore with friends, and I, like others, preferred the game mechanics of SNOW over the AAA titles like Steep. However, the gameplay concept of needing to purchase lift tickets that expire after real-world hours pass is incredibly short-sighted. For example after buying a lift ticket, if you don't login for 3 days and only spend 1 hour on the mountain, you've wasted 71 hours. Buying a lift ticket is arguably the worst part about skiing in real-life, so it is confusing as to why they thought it would be good for gameplay.

I am not against paying money for a well-crafted game. This is a well crafted-game, but these design choices render the gameplay completely useless. Unless you and all of your friends fork over extra cash to get into a bigger mulitplayer map, and you all coordinate to do so at the same time so you can get your money's worth, you'll be the only one on the mountain. Ever. As there are no AI teammates or anything like that.

I will remove this review if they revert this terrible design choice, otherwise their online community is as good as dead anyway, and you would be well-served to avoid spending any time or money on this game.

Fevered feral fantasy >>

"Do you like hurting other people?"

Hotline Miami is psychotic, blisteringly psychotic, but yet subversive enough to penetrate through the fourth wall and have you questioning why, in fact, is this game so fun? The gameplay mechanics are simple: you come to the front door with a mask on and murder everyone. It varies in complexity, as the game gives you a healthy variety of tools with which you can use to make with the red splatters, and rewards you for utilizing your options with new mask choices--each one granting its specific boon. My favorite was Don Juan, the horse mask, granting me "Lethal Doors." In I would charge, typically getting gunned down or having my brains bashed in within seconds, and seconds later trying it again, only slightly different. You can get caught in loops where the same enemy kills you over and over and you insist on keeping the same pattern because it has worked so well until that point and you realize... well, maybe I should say I realized, that the whole thing seemed rather psychotic in nature, but why is it so fun?

"Why did you come back here? You're not a nice person, are you? You make me sick!"

The story lends the whole gameplay element about as much credulity as a handshake from a banker. But that is why it works so well. "Jacket," our unnamed player-character, is seriously unhinged from the start, living alone and, we learn, following instructions left on his answering machine.

"It's 'Dave' from Miami pest control. We need you. A client at SW 104th Street is having vermin problems. Try to handle it as quick and swift as you can. Someone else will clean up for you after you leave. Make sure not to bother any of the neighbors."

How curious our method is of "following instructions." However, Jacket has hallucinations, or maybe flashbacks, of three masked people sitting around him, asking him hostile questions, predicting the future with certainty, and generally being bizarre, which certainly doesn't explain anything, but it does add a bit of clarity to the situation. You are psychotic. All the neon colors, the pulsing retro techno buzz, the blood, the free handouts at every store you go to, the puking in the alleys. You start to see the people you've killed again, grotesque sinkhole foreheads dripping on the carpet. And then you die. Or maybe you don't. And then, once you've beat the game, it almost makes sense that the story is not over, and that you must play as someone you've killed. It would be easy to trust this "Biker" over Jacket, but when the final blood is spilled, it puts everything into question. Why did Jacket and Biker keep following the instructions on their machines? Could the whole thing really just be a couple kid's nihilistic game? Why is this game so fun?

"A picture is starting to take form here... I wonder if it's accurate. Some pieces don't quite seem to fit. Or maybe I just don't like the way it looks."

Hotline Miami manages to hook you with the one-more-try mechanic and a promise of an unforgettable fever dream of feral fantasy. Soak in this inspired indie game. Enjoy the brutality, enjoy the style, but most of all--enjoy the music.

By far the best Early Access game I've ever played. This game is gorgeous, and simply exploring the vast expanse of Canadian wilderness becomes a main driving point as every new cabin or site you discover is like some sort of picturesque painting. I've amassed a considerable screenshot collection, utilizing the handy HD Screenshot (Hud Disabled) hotkey. The beauty is enchanting, but also deadly--which is another great aspect of this game. No zombies or otherworldly threat. Just nature's bites--the cold and the wolves. Those damn wolves...

Surviving is a great challenge in either starting point, making each decision important since it is life or death with every hour that passes. A lot of games tout "Survival" as a selling point, but none have managed to really be an enjoyable experience to me until I played The Long Dark. I think the dev team have managed to strike a near-perfect balance of challenge and reward. Note that I've only played this on the standard diffuclty level--I've heard that the hardest difficulty adds more wolves... I'm confident they will change that and challenge the player some other way, as the wolves are notorious pricks in this game. Like I mentioned, however, I think standard strikes a great balance and has been a lot of fun.

Be aware that there is currently no narrative story mode--Sandbox mode alone is worth the price during a sale. Throughout the play, you'll encounter hints as to what the story may be... I've had a lot of fun with the minimalism of it all, and to see that sense of mystery last so long is impressive. I still haven't explored every last bit of the lands yet, and now they are going to double the size of the explorable terrain! So, I'll just leave off with that--I'm impressed with this game!!

This isn't so much a game as it is an interactive story, but what an enthralling story it is. The main protagonist--lets be honest, she is basically the only real character in this story--has just survived a traumatic accident. Now bedridden for an unknown period of time, she finds herself dreaming the same dreams over and over. The hospital psychiatrist gently yet indifferently prods her on as she is tested on her ability to recover, both physically and mentally.

"Do you think that I can be back home this month?"
"Maybe. It depends on your progress."
"There is an exam in three weeks. I've been preparing for quite some time."
"There will always be another exam. I believe you should focus on your well-being first."
"Am I not doing that?"

The game itself focuses on these recurring dreams as you navigate through photographs representing her descriptions as she narrates your actions. I found the dreams to be varied and quite interesting, with plenty to explore and some truly gorgeous shots. Yet even with multiple endings available for each dream, they go by rather quickly. It took me about an hour to beat the game, with only a few alternate endings not found. And yet this doesn't detract my overall opinion of the game. Something about the German narrator (voiced beautifully by Anja Jazeschann) really struck me as detached, hopeless, confused--it really gave me a sense of urgency as I tried to piece together the photographs and search for clues on how to end this infinite loop of depression. If you are curious as to the insight dreams give to outsiders, especially those of a trauma victim, I do not think you will be disappointed with this inexpensive indie gem.

Lots of depth in this seemingly casual game about a race against time and space. There is fun in dying and as you unlock ships, you begin to realize the potential for vastly different playstyles. All to one of the best and most fluidly dynamic soundtracks in recent memory, crafted by a true retro maestro.

Fast-paced, brutal zombie action in 4-player coop! Plus, playing as a zombie has never been as fun. Once you get the hang of it, check out my custom campaign project: Left 4 Duluth--a local arts and music showcase set in beautiful downtown Duluth! (http://www.left4duluth.com)

An amazingly fresh top-down squad shooter, this completely free full conversion mod of the HL2 engine should not be missed. Four-player Class-based tactical teams mixed with Diablo-like hack-and-slash combat makes for some very intense situations that demand teamwork. Definitely worth the download. I mean, it's free.