Recent reviews by Actius

Fun Game. Had many hours when Destiny 2 was on Battle.net too. Weekly updates, good story, plenty of stuff to do. Yearly expansion (~$60) with quarterly mini-expansions (~$10 each). Adds up over the course of a year, but VERY worth the price.

This game is a real hidden gem that I'm surprised people aren't talking about more. It feels like a "Beat Saber/Superhot VR" appeal-level game, where it's got great VR mechanics to show off, and is super fun. I'm already recommending it to all of my VR friends--at $12 (Steam Summer Sale), it's a no-brainer. $20 normal price is worth it too (just look at Beat Saber, never goes on sale, $30, still totally worth it).

For the game, it's a VR roguelike/roguelite game, which is super cool. You dual-wield swords/maces/etc., and the gameplay is a bunch of slashing (to deal damage offensively), blocking the prompted slash-marks (to defend yourself from damage), and leaning/crouching (to dodge blows you can't block). As you progress, your reactions will be tested because enemies will combo you and you'll have less time to react to align blocks/dodges. You will die, but you get upgrades for future runs, and try again!

Do NOT underestimate how much you're going to sweat. This game will have you ducking and slashing wide (like Beat Saber), and because you're fighting big enemies, you really feel immersed in the game so your heart rate will be up from the adrenaline and "oh ****" moments when enemies are hitting you from two sides, or you have to block a combo with minimal time to react. This is on the "Standing" option, you can even play the game in a "Seated" option, though I have not tried that out yet. I assume if your VR space is smaller, the "Seated" option might be better for you, and the controls will change slightly (probably no ducking/crouching).

Also, if you suffer from VR motion sickness, this game is still worth checking out. I suffer from motion sickness from VR, but have not had major issues with Until You Fall. They do have a setting which tightens the FOV while you move, and I've found that it works decently well. As a comparison, I still had issues while playing GORN for some reason. Either way, Steam has a 2-hour gameplay refund policy, so try it out regardless if you're unsure about whether motion sickness will be an issue, but are interested in the game.

All in all, this is a must-purchase game for any VR enthusiast. I will definitely be mixing my playtime between Beat Saber and Until You Fall, moving forward. That by itself should tell you how fun Until You Fall is, if Beat Saber has to split time with it! :)

1.0 Release now out! Still super fun, try it out!

1.0 Release Review Mini-Update:I got this game while it was still in Early Access, and I've still dumped many hours into Hades since. This game is exactly the quality you'd expect from Supergiant Games with their track record of previous games.Hades is a home-run hit; an amazing dungeon crawler with gorgeous graphics, beautiful soundtrack, a fleshed-out storyline, which offers many hours of gameplay. Each run feels similar to the last (it is a dungeon crawler, after all) yet so unique based off of what Boons you are offered during the game. The gameplay itself is smooth and exciting, fast-paced yet not (too) chaotic. A must-purchase for anyone even vaguely interested in this game!----Amazing game. Dungeon Crawler/Roguelike game sort of like Rogue Legacy/Binding of Isaac, so if you like those types of games you'll love Hades. The game is in Early Access so there are only three "worlds" so far that you beat per run, but the potential is there when fully fleshed out in the future.Love the Olympian Gods/Deities cast, with each God(dess) having a specific type of benefit/style as an upgrade which means each run can be played slightly differently. Gameplay is a mix of Supergiant's previous games (specifically Bastion; the weapons are effectively same ideas as those from Bastion, I expect in future updates the "remaining" weapons will be effectively ported over). You'll eventually "beat" the game (many times, in fact), but I found that even after completing a run I would load up a new run since it has a "one more time" feeling. Definitely a game worth the ~$20, especially coming from Supergiant Games who I've had nothing but praise to say for their prior games. Graphics are well-done, music is superb as usual (bless Darren Korb's musical genius), and there's a bit of cheeky dialogue/conversation here and there which always lightens the mood a bit in the game. Also--Cerberus exists in the game and you can pet him :) He is good doggo.

This game's pretty good. Easy to pick up, hard to master!

Remake of BL1. The entire BL franchise is great, and being able to go back and play BL1 with updated QoL stuff (minimap!!) is a great throwback. Definitely pick this up if you are a BL franchise fan!

To start, this game frequently goes on sale for like (USD) $4.50, Season Pass for $3.75. So ignore all the people who hate on the game because "it's not worth it". If you're at all interested in this game, the (sale) price alone should be worth purchasing and playing it (both base game and Season Pass). It's a fine game for the price point on sale.

To elaborate: It's a cyberpunkish dystopian futuristic shooter game. It's what DE:HR did, but with more. Graphics are very nice (use DX11 and turn off Cloth Physics to get more frames). Gunplay is not amazing, but this isn't a "light 'em up" game anyway--stealth is supposed to be a factor. Story is pretty gritty (a la Witcher 3 type of "moral grey areas" and scenes/walking around seeing people suffering). Plenty of secret areas to explore and stealth your way around.

All in all, though this game has its issues (which people have covered, especially poor/rushed ending), you can't argue getting this game for $4.50 base and an additional ~10 hrs from the Season Pass ($3.75).

Note: Replay this game again sometime. A story this good should be enjoyed twice, since there's so much to do!

Simply put, this game is one of the best games made, ever. It deserves ALL of the praise it gets, and then more. Plus, in today's world of shady companies, CDPR stands out as a beacon of light.

Anyway, some quick Pros and Cons off of the top of my head.

Pros:
* The game is quite lengthy. If you are somewhat of a completionist, it can take 100+ hours to finish just the base game! A great value for what you pay, especially since this game frequently goes on sale. And then you realize you have DLC to look forward to, another ~50+ hours total!
* The game gives you characters that you will be emotionally attached to. Good story and thinking.
* Your decisions in the story aren't black and white and easily chosen. Sometimes, you'll sit back and think about the meaning of an event in the game a little more than you would with other games.
* Extremely beautiful game.
* Soundtrack and Voice Acting is also quite amazing.
* TWO Bonus DLCs (if you buy Game of the Year Version, or Season Pass) which will add a whole lot more hours to your game!
* Gwent (Now a standalone Card Game as well (rules changed for balance obviously), but go check it out!)

Neutral:
* Combat system is not great, but it's not terrible either.
* Riding your Horse (Roach) can sometimes be slightly annoying, but not a huge deal.
* You may or may not feel the game gets a little repetitive, as it is essentially open-world with lots of collectibles/treasures and side quests to complete. This may be something you like, or it may be something you dislike.
* Might start off slow, but after you get out of the first zone, the game opens up immensely.

Cons:
* The ending of the story was not finished cleanly, in my opinion. (Endgame felt rushed, loose ends hanging. It felt like the story rapidly reached its conclusion instead of slowly easing into the final parts of the game).
* Loading times may be slightly on the long side, especially after dying (usually from falls), although this is probably not a problem if you have an SSD.
* Start of the game is really really slow (in terms of level progression), but QUICKLY speeds up as you progress. The leveling and item system can be a little confusing sometimes as well.

Overall, this game is a masterpiece, especially given how many big AAA games released nowadays have many issues such as framerate or graphics issues, gameplay issues, releasing half-finished games with the other half as DLC, etc.

Witcher 3 is a clean game where you'll be happy to see that you get (vastly more) than you paid for and expected. A true gem, and a great game fully deserving of all of its awards and praise.

Final Rating: 9.5/10

This game, simply, is amazing and great. A nice break from blockbuster games like Far Cry, GTA, Skyrim, etc., the game took me roughly 10 hours to beat and obtain every single achievement (except the "beat the game a second time" achievement, which can be acquired using a small glitch).

The music is very nice and adds to the overall feeling and emotion of the game. There is plenty of classic "Greek/Roman" music--what you would imagine playing in epic scenes of Greek/Roman Movies.

Gameplay-wise, there is some room to be filled. Controls are totally fine on Keyboard, but there were many small times where I wish there was some better ease of controls (i.e. I had to manually go into inventory to change weapons. You can hotkey Primary/Ranged/Tertiary/Potion, but within each of the slots you need to manually go into inventory to switch). Hitting enemies is also sometimes hit or miss (pun intended?), as if the enemy is layered on top of you, your attack might not register as hitting them.

However, there is lots to explore and enjoy throughout the entire game. If this game looked interesting to you, do yourself a favor and pick it up during a sale if you need that little boost of incentive.

Overall, a solid 8.5 out of 10. Although marred by a few problems that can be easily overlooked, this game appeals to the senses and really executes what it set out to do in a brilliant and spectacular way.

Seriously, buy this game. Darksiders II frequently goes on sale for 80-90% off (probably because THQ, the makers of this game and Saints Row, went ka-sploot). I bought the Franchise Pack, so I got Darksiders II and all of its DLCs as well as Darksiders I, for less than $10. That's the same price you'd pay for a meal at McDonalds.

Darksiders II is your classic hack-and-slash game combined with Assassin's Creed parkour puzzle-style mechanics and gameplay. Climb ledges, use abilities, step on pressure plates, open gates, and unlock closed doors to progress to the next area. The game gets REALLY hard not in terms of fighting, but in "how-the-heck-do-I-get-to-the-next-area" type of hard. In this way, I recommend looking at a guide (IGN always has guides for games like this). Even with a guide helping me along the way (so I don't have to spend countless extra hours tearing out my hair and figuring out how to turn a lever to open a door), the game still took me a hefty 26 hours to beat, and I wasn't casually strolling through the game either.

As for the gameplay itself, the controls and camera could be better. Sometimes the controls are a bit iffy (I frequently "missed" my wall-run and ended up suiciding into bottomless pits too many times; luckily those types of "deaths" just teleport you back to the last structure you stood on), and quite often the camera angle puts you at a weird angle which you have to adjust a little bit to get a somewhat better viewing angle. But all of this is manageable because...

THE GRAPHICS ARE AMAZING. The cutscenes are impeccable--it felt like I was watching scenes from a high-quality movie. The voice acting is great, and the (dark) humor adds flavor to the game. Boss fights are, well, the best I've seen in almost any game. You frequently go up against bosses hundreds of times your size, and the animations and feeling you get while fighting them is exhilarating. Sure, it might not be "realistic", but when you're playing as Death, we're not really thinking "realistic" here anymore. There is an "RPG" element to the game--you acquire skill points as you level up and spend them to upgrade Death. You buy equipment, loot chests, and outfit Death to be the best killing machine you can make him. It makes the game a little more fun as you compare your latest loot to your current ones, and try to figure out the best way to build Death's skill tree.

Overall, this game is a must-have if you are at all interested in purchasing it. The game goes on 80-90% sale in major Steam Sales, so if a major Steam Sale (Winter Sale, Summer Sale, etc...) is nearby, keep your eye out and make that purchase!

People have been bashing Borderlands Pre-Sequel as "not as good as Borderlands 2" or "new features are meh, kinda annoying sometimes, not very cool". Seriously? Borderlands 2 set such a high standard that few games could even dream to surpass, so it is no wonder that Borderlands Pre-Sequel in most people's eyes doesn't surpass that. That being said, this game is very well-done and all you would expect from a Borderlands game. The humor is there, the plot gives GREAT backstory to Borderlands 2, and of course, there are billions and zillions of guns to check out. Sure, it might not have been as big or as good as Borderlands 2, but it is still an extremely fun and game well worth your money. $60 might be a bit much, but if it's on sale for $40 or even $30, definitely pick it up if you enjoyed Borderlands 1 and 2.

If you do buy the game, do NOT buy the Season Pass. The Season pass does not seem to be worth it; as unlike Borderlands 1 and 2, which included 4 Storyline DLC, Borderlands Pre-Sequel Season Pass includes character DLC and the level-upgrade pack, so just buy the Story DLC separately when it comes out.