Recent reviews by Fellas, is it gay?

The measly cost of this game is worth it to hear John Rhys-Davies reprise his role as Gimli.
Though, you get a fun survival journey through the long dark of Moria to boot.

The gameplay loop is simple and fun, for a time, but becomes a little stale towards the end.

My main problem through the game was about the gear not being powerful enough for the better part of the campaign, and then the last 20 percent you go through the new armor and weapons like hot knife through butter.

In the same vein the end-game ores and stone become practically worthless the second you craft the tier-5/6 stuff.
Leaving the variably available resources found in the early to mid-game as the main building and crafting materials.

Which then leaves my autistic obsession of rebuilding Khazad-Dûm a tedious slog through the mines and lower deeps to seek the preciously finite amount of granite and Ubasam wood to satiate my cravings.

A craving obsession that is further marred by the building system with stability issues, overlapping hearth grids and the mercilessly unforgiving architecture of the game world.

As far as my negatives go, you're not like to encounter them unless you REALLY want to build something grand. Beyond that, Free Range Games did a good job on this.
Return to Moria has passion behind it. There is love and care for the source material, even though it is by no means depicted accurately, despite that fact. Sorry, Tolkien purists, this one's not for you.

Ultimately it is a fun game full of danger, beer, song, cheer and diggy diggy holes.
I'm very glad i picked this up.

TL;DR If you like smacking your head with your keyboard this game is for you, if not, wait until the full release.

I am a fan of every genre that this game builds on: rts, tower defense, city sim, survival and horde mode.
As of now the game is in EA and does surprisingly well for what it sets out to do - making an engaging and challenging rts survival game.

The art and graphics of this game lends very well to the theme of dark vs light, and the choice of color scheme for these factions makes the game world pop.

The sound department is lacking heavily, given that I've just come off of playing no ambience, music or sfx stand out in my mind at all. They aren't bad, but they aren't good either.

This game has two phases of gameplay in survival (which is the only mode available atm) that are polar opposites. During day time your job is to expand your territory and build while at night you slow down the expansion and fortify, then once every few days you will have an event called death night in which the horde is barreling down your door. Here is where you have to rely on your fortifications which will make or break your run.

The 2 problems this game has which are also what provides the challenge and it's the map seed you get and the RNG of death night spawns. The map is random and sometimes you get a hefty plot of land with impassable terrain with fewer invasion corridors or you get a completely barren hellscape with half a rock and 9 different potential places the wave can come through. The game could do well with set maps in addition to the random dice roll.

The resource management in this game relies solely on your ability to manage and build your base while you are clearing out the map. You need people to build your army, people need homes and homes need food to be built, oh, and food production takes up a lot of space on the map which is why you need to grab as much as you can asap.
Other resources like wood, stone and iron doesn't take up space to produce, but a lot to store, so unless you've been playing like the Germans in WW2 you will have preciously little storage space, which is bad when you need to fortify a new invasion corridor. Lebensraum is everything in the game

Which brings me neatly to the fog of war system. During regular days and nights it behaves as the FoW in any other game, but during death nights it creeps in as deadly fog covering everything not lit up by buildings or fire towers. The two neat things about it is that it adds another thing to consider when building and that is movement. The last thing you want is to have made a wall to stop the wave and have your archers or your ball of fire worshippers be cut off from the battle by fog.
The fog also spawns a few creeps here a and there for good measure and you don't want that when you have thousands to deal with elsewhere.

The game is intriguing and challenging, but as it is right now it's been made arbitrarily difficult so it has some "longevity".
Some numbers must be tweaked and features need to be added for this to be a truly good game, which it has the potential for.

Necromunda: Hired Gun is a mixed bag for sure.
TL;DR: Get it on sale you filthy animals

The gunplay is fun though limited to a handful of weapons that quickly stand out as superior options. And the other weapon types don't stand out enough to be a fun break from your autogun/autopistol combo. This stems from a lack of adherence to the lore. Bolters are like a tank cannon, but it's a machine gun and plasma guns are throwing balls of million degree liquid. Yet these weapon types dish out less damage than your standard autogun which is 40k speech for a regular assault rifle. An addition is customizable weapons though it falls short because of glaringly op options.

The movement is something i really enjoyed about this game. Clunky in the beginning, but as you upgrade your character you very quickly become the 40k version of Tarzan and Spider-man combined, if tarzan-man was on a lethal dose of amphetamine and was a military-grade cyborg. You get the zoomies real bad in this game and the zoomier you are the more you survive.

The story is so short and none-existent that it is impressive that it wasn't spoiled in the store page.
Though the setting and ambience make up for it in some manner.

The sound and art are top-notch. It really fits so well with the setting that I hardly gave these elements a second thought. You are pulled into the underhive among the stim-crazed cyborg mutant gangers. The music lends heavily from the Doom franchise as the rest of the game does, and it fits like a glove. Magnifique!

The core issue that this game has is difficulty. I selected the hardest difficulty and while it was tough for the first two missions as I got used to the controls, mechanics and upgraded my character a little the game got easy. The most obvious issue is revive-stims that you can carry 3 of, but instead of being a mission total you can purchase them through the levels and during boss fights. Some of the boss-encounters are challenging, but that is immediatly nullified by being able to go to a terminal and practically have infinite revives.
The way you upgrade and gear out your character leaves little challenge in the back half of the game, but it's still frustrating enough when you get insta-gibbed during massive fights. They should've picked a lane to either send the player on a god-like powertrip or increase the difficulty, because midway through the game you're fully upgraded and can't get better guns so you're stuck in the limbo of easy and frustrating.

In the end I recommend this since it is a fun shooter and it is a good portrayal of the 40k underworld.
Not entirely worth the full price IMO, but that's what sales are for.

Tranquil yet adrenaline fueled ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥. A little something for everyone

A decade old and still bangin'!

TL;DR: Decent game, really good art, characters and voice acting. In one word: EPIC

This game as someone aptly described it in another review is a "metal version of Zelda".
Early on you will realise that this game has 4 distinctive zones which houses a dungeon and boss. Veterans of countless hours of sitting in front of a Nintendo console will know this as a hallmark of the LoZ games. Furthermore you will come upon a lot of platforming and puzzles to overcome, certainly ticking off more LoZ-boxes.

To sum up the metal part is that there is an achievement for shedding thousands of gallons of blood. So strap yourself in, do your gory finishing moves and we're off to a bloody good time.

Solid as far as hack n slash mechanics go, the game doesn't do them poorly, but not great either.

What makes this game a great one is how the characters and the world is presented. The art direction is next level, nothing feel or look out of place in the wasteland that earth has become. Each zone feels different enough and look good doing it. However, what makes the art next level is hands down the characters. The main cast are just effin' cool; be they angel, demon, horseman, cranky giant scottish blacksmith. The attention to detail and aestethic choices are on point and stand out in a good way.

What really cements this as one of my favorite games is the voice work. Oh god, did these people choose the right voice actors for the job. Not only are they titans of voice-overs in their own right, but each seemingly had the characters made for them. From the ghoulish voice of Mark Hamill to the gravely golden tones of Keith Szarabajka, everyone have well earned their pay here.

7/10

This is a worthy sequel of the first space ramming simulator!

10/10 would casually plow Macragge's Honour through xenos filth and unholy traitors like they were warm butter again!

This is hard for me. Warhammer 40.000 is plagued with garbage licensing of the IP, from poor mobile games to quick cash grabs. Those few games that have a lot of merit sadly are more a turn-based repro of the original tabletop game. Which for some reason I don't like the mechanics of.

In the pile of garbage Dawn of War has always been the shining gem. While DoW 1 and 2 were vastly different as strategy games they always delivered a solid, enjoyable and immersive experiences into the Warhammer universe.
Now this series has taken a nose dive into the muck.

I will only review the singleplayer experience.

The first 2 missions of the campaign was alright, fast little introduction and well made as far as I'm concerned. The difference from previous games are apparent, but not a dealbreaker. Further on you are introduced to base building, macro- and micro-mangement. This is where the gameplay begins to slip for me. Your main infantry units (tac-marines, orc-boyz/shootas and dire avengers) are proven to be made of paper and being torn appart. You have almost zero ways to give yourself the advantage with unit management, it more or less boils down to attrition. Later on when you gain access to heavy infantry and vehicles you can manage your way to winning engagements, but a lot will ride on you having the superior force.

This brings me to resources. In a packed together fashion you get a combined resource system from DoW 1&2. You have req points that you can build generators on to get 2 different currencies (power/requisition). The problem with these are that there are few of them on any given map, they have a slow income-rate even with the highest upgrades, and most of the time you'll find that you don't have enough resources to fill out your army. To add insult and and acid to a minor injury the game has been outfitted with an upkeep system (meaning that the more troops you have the more of your earnings goes to keep them) that do not have an indicator of how much you are losing at any given time. Combine slow income, attrition-based warfare and upkeep and we have a major issue. In effect this system makes the game into a waiting-slogfest of epic proportions.

The Story.
You are introduced to characters from previous games during the story, which I thought was a very nice touch. Some have changed, and some stay the same. The plot is set around an eldar legend of the planet Acheron that is set to emerge from the warp after 5000 years, bringing with it a legendary relic that every faction will seek out for their own purpose. You will play as 3 factions to see the different schemes, motivations and intrigues. Or that was the idea. Having split the campaign in 3 and rotating factions each mission was a huge mistake. You are given no time to digest what is going on with each one and you are certainly not given any to care about the characters. There is nothing to the characters (main or secondary), It's just "I go here, then kill stuff there and revenge everywhere" Characters I have loved for years has been watered down into sock puppets. I am not even sure I want to finish last 2 missions for the story.

Sound
The audio of this game is a huge let-down. The voice-acting is decent most of the time, but everything else is is a letdown.
The music do not fit the bill of Warhammer and sounds more at home in an Batman knock-off. The sound effects are just awful. They are a mash of sounds that is taken straight out of a combined airsoft/super-soaker match. They do not portray the sheer destruction that are described and depicted in other media. I couldn't even detect almost any atmospherics either. Everything in the sound department falls flat.

The art
Although many has described it as cartoony. That is not really an issue for me, it looks good regardless of personal preference. Wether it was the right choice of engine and art-style is entirely subjective.

This could have been decent, if the resorces were tweaked, cover was implemented, units were changed a bit. However they dropped the whole game after the first month. Good job, ya ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ jags.

Overall it is a bad game. If you do want to brave the sloggy, out-of tone and boring mess that this game is, I recommend buying it on a dirt-cheap sale.

Report to the ship as soon as possible. We'll bang, ok?

Let me preface with, this game can be very polarizing; either you hate it or you love it.

TL;DR: Buy it on sale.
Edit TL:DR: Get the sequel instead

In the distant dark future (but set in the past according to the current lore) there is only war. It is the 41st millenium at the dawn of the 12th black crusade. The ancient eldar, the brutish orc horde and the arrogant Imperium of Man are all ready to beat the snot out of each other when the heretical Warmaster of Chaos begins his 12th attempt to wipe the Imperium from the face of the galaxy. You are Spire, a ship captain who gets promotions faster than a no-lifer in Call of Duty and the only one that can save or doom the Gothic Sector.

The game is based around real time strategy and ship management. The key to victory outfitting your ships with the appropriate armaments and abilities that fit your playstyle and to be a ♥♥♥♥ when you stack assaultcraft/nova cannons with micro-jump. You alone are in control of how your ships behave, what range they fire at and how to best utilize their set abilities. Rather than focusing on macro/micro, base building and map control like so many other RTS games you now are micro managing a small fleet ranging from 1 ship to 7.

The gameplay is easy to grasp, hard to master. While I'm not the best at micro-management I found it really fun to always finding ways to improve my game in an obvious and meaningfull manner. The ships you control have armaments that changes from ship types. You can favor broadside tactics with projectiles/plasma, lance batteries that decimates shields, straight up smashing your ship into others or you can sacrifice firepower for ordonance and fighter squadrons.
Whatever you choose you can strategize around it.

I really liked the campaign, if you look at the story as a whole there isn't that much to talk about since it is very bare bones. However, I like it more because it really made me feel like a ship captain/admiral who gets disgustingly much done in a relatively short timespan. It really channels that raw dystopian feeling I absolutely adore with the 40K universe.
In the overarching story you can make 2 choices that affect how the rest of the game goes in regards to enemies you face and how easy the final mission is. What's interesting is that you can loose the campaign. You have 50 worlds that contributes benefits to your war effort. Lose a world and you lose the benefit and that makes the game harder later on. Lose all 50 and the gothic sector is lost.
Overall, this isn't a long or deep story, but the campaign is about 20 hours.

The multiplayer has the same gamemodes as the campaign and pits you in a fight against other admirals of 6 different factions of their own choosing. The idea is that each faction has it's own playstyle with strengths and weaknesses. However in the 2 years this game has been out the factions have been somewhat watered out (according to other players). Similar builds which is good from a balance standpoint, but is horrible when it comes to diversifying the player base. Haven't played overly much in the mp (about 15 hours). So i can't vouch for the mentioned "watered down statement" Mainly played Space Marines and Navy, which I found to be fun.
The multiplayer for me don't have that much longevity, the game for me is much more enjoyable in the campaign although it plays the same. The player base has dwindled so expect long wait times.

Overall it's a decent game with mechanics that, while they may not be unique, but play well into the setting of Warhammer 40.000. As a 40k fan I will say that this game is worth 40 Euro, but i got it on sale. If you're on the fence or don't know the game type that well you should wait as I did.
However if you like the 40K universe this is a worthy entry in your library.

Edit: After going back for a playthrough on a harder difficulty setting as a challenge. I did encounter a few bugs and a crash. When encountering orcs in the campaign i sometimes got a bug where the objectives would not be considered complete. This happened on repeated tries of the individual missions i encountered it. After ending that infuriating run with a fatal error crash i called it quits. Get the sequel instead if you want to check out the grimdark universe of warships.

Like the first Dawn of War game this expansion follows a narrative driven campaign. You can choose to play as 2 sides initially; the forces of order (The Eldar of Craftworld Ulthwé and the Imperial Guard of the Cadian 412th Regiment) or the forces of disorder ( Gorgutz' orc waaagh and a warband of the World Eaters traitor legion).

The planet of Lorn V has long been in constant strife between bands of orcs and a warparty of the World Eaters Legion. The Eldar has landed on Lorn V to face a forgotten threat, meanwhile the imperial guard arrive to secure an imperial war titan long hidden on the planet. The other sides learn of this and the race is on to secure the warmachine. Only one faction will reign supreme and putting down all others.

The first game to in the series to feature the Imperial Guard faction, a race that focus a lot on strength in numbers and armored caravans. This is made painfully apparent in the first mission of the order campaign where you need to secure yourself armor and vehicles early to stand a chance the rest of the mission.

The expansion follows the same style as the first game where rapid expansion and map control is the key to early production/economy. With base building to fuel combat.


Overall it's a solid game with a few sub-par elements of the campaign I don't like. None of which I can discuss without spoilling.

7/10
Worthy entry in the Warhammer 40.000 universe.
A game that's easy to understand whether you're a new or returning player.