Recent reviews by DerKrieger

Update 2: Sony walked back the policy which while it took a lot of effort was the correct call. It being a concern for many should've been enough but threatening to remove players who they sold the game already because of where they lived was unacceptable. Sony burned a lot of the goodwill that Arrowhead has worked so hard to build but since they pulled back on their plan we can go back to looking purely at the game's merits and it is simply fantastic. Tons of content for a great price and while there are paid options in game they're cosmetic or side-grade variants to guns you already have in base. Plus you can earn those same DLC for free through normal playing. Its a great time and I can highly recommend the game.

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Update: My initial review from launch still holds true. I think the game is a great game, especially with friends and the devs are dedicated to patching the game. That being said with Sony now requiring what was an optional link before and officially having the policy of banning people outside of supported regions they are threatening to ban people who legally bought the game from them and have been playing it because of a policy change. Will they? Honestly they probably won't but they are saying they could and if thats a publisher's mindset I dont think I can in good faith recommend anywho who does not already own the game to buy it.

Linking to PSN for cross-play as an option is one thing but forcing people to link when some of them you disallow from doing so even after taking their money and then others rightfully being concerned about your surprisingly unsafe network (look up PSN hacking and enjoy them storing your credit card information in unencrypted text documents) is just a ♥♥♥♥♥♥ move to pull. Great game but cannot recommend if the current situation is not remedied.

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If you enjoyed the first Helldivers then let me just say, get it you'll feel right at home. If you are new to Helldivers this has a lot more meat on its bones and a better core than the original game but its also a little lighter on content. The first game had 3 factions while this one only has 2 but I will say the different units you encounter do feel a little deeper to fight in the new 3d environment instead of the twin-stick environment we had before. Its fun enough with randoms but an absolutely blast with friends. The special abilities and equipment unlocks use a pseudo-battlepass system which does include a premium option. The premium pass has some variants but very little if any wholly unique gear (the revolver is the only one I know of) and some extra shiny but ability equivalent armor sets. You can unlock the premium battlepass via the special currency that you can earn during regular missions. Also these battlepasses are permanent so no FOMO to worry about. This new unlock system should make it so that they can monetize some cosmetics while also making sure actual content (enemies, missions, weapons) are all available to everyone. The old game had a pretty greedy DLC pack system so this shows promise.

All in all theres a little jankyness that needs to be fixed, especially on the server side but thats already improved over the last few days and its just been a great time playing with friends. I would happily recommend it to anyone who is looking for a new co-op shooter on the contingent that we better get mechs added back in damnit!

A great FPS styled game about bashing people with hammers, slashing people with swords, and running around like a shirtless idiot playing the lute. The game is a no bull FPS with a more early 2000s approach to multiplayer in that there are no microtransactions of any kind and every unlock in the game you must earn, no shortcuts. New weapons can be chosen at any time, no tier trees or anything and should you get killed by a weapon a lot and want to try it you will have enough in-game currency to permanently unlock it within 1 or 2 matches. All armor types are unlocked by default BUT there are tons of cosmetic options to unlock, again only using in-game currency you earn.

The physics are pretty damn good though ping is of the utmost importance even compared to some shooters so try and play only in your region if at all possible. For $30 as long as you like multiplayer FPSs you're going to get your money's worth. HAVE AT THEM BBOOOOOYYSS!

This is a game that focuses on exactly what it wants to be and accomplishes it marvelously. The game is meant to be a nitty gritty tactics game where you play as the leader of a medieval mercenary company. The world is very grounded and though it includes Orcs, Undead, and German fairytale styled monsters they are all very "real" in setting. If someone is stabbed, there is no magic healing and instead you will need to find someone in town to treat their wounds and keep them out of the fighting for a little bit until they recover. Undead exist but they are utterly mindless and instead march towards your troops without thought. This makes them easy to outwit and force them to smash into a wall of spears and pikes however....no matter how much pain you inflict they will not cease their advance until they have been destroyed. Bandits arent very brave and will run if the tide turns however they also arent stupid and will try and move around your heavily defended center.

Battle Brothers takes a randomly generated, grounded, medieval world and asks you to survive as a mercenary band. It isn't easy and at higher difficulties you will sometimes die before you ever really had a chance. But if you like a well thought out tactics system that is heavily influenced by real medieval tactics, arms and armour (on a small scale) OR you just want to see if your band of ratcatchers, shamed fishermen, and cripples can make a name for themselves in a challenging game then Battle Brothers is certainly worth your consideration.

Every Paradox game focuses on a part of history and an aspect of strategy gaming that makes that period special. Europa tackles one of the longest periods (CKII actually being the longest with DLC) and has you play a nation as the world enters the Rennaisance all the way until the death of Napoleon. No game gives you the amount of options or challenges that EU4 does and for years the game has improved with constant updates.

A lot of people say that the game is ruined without DLC but they don't know what it was like before. The game now even with no DLC is now deeper and feature complete than it was at launch thanks to the free patches that accompany ever DLC release. The DLC usually releases extras that add more depth to an already existing part of the game or additional flavor/flair to a segement of the world. Sometimes useful, some would argue balance breaking, features are locked behind DLC but this is rare and the arguments are blown out of proportion. If you worry that you could be missing core-upgrades then go for the founder pack as it includes the "Important Features" DLC that people will fuss about.

If you enjoy strategy games and are willing to put in a little time to learn how to play (YouTube Tutorials are highly recommended) then you will find nothing more engrossing in the genre unless you are willing to dedicate an entire table in your house to the game board and a rulebook/result reference the size of an old phonebook.

I played this game around Mother's Day and I just felt terrible. I thought I was doing so well, everything seemed fine and all my little babies were making it but then things started going downhill quickly and I realized something....I would be a terrible mother.

Short game, not a ton of replay but there could be some in attempting to better how many of your cubs make it, and overall a cute little story. This is something you play for the experience and the art not because of some amazing gameplay. But if you go into it with the right mindset it really is a rich little experience and I greatly enjoyed it even if it left me a little teary eyed.

At easier difficulties its goofy and a lot of fun.

At harder difficulties its like the intro of Saving Private Ryan + Super Troopers + Starship Troopers all rolled into one crazy experience.

The game released a little buggy but as a great improvement over the first. However since then the devs constantly revamp the game so that a few months down the road it doesn't even feel like the same game anymore. Wow they improved that much? No, they simply change everything because they disliked the old. Enjoy using pistols? Well too bad now pistols are worthless and shotguns are now sniping weapons. Oh we changed how the spawn rates work as well, now instead of special units being rare and special we buffed them and they are now half of each wave, also all of your weapons have been debuffed but you can still buy the new weapon DLC with good weapons. They release SO much DLC that it is a bit sickening. I've paid less for games that have given me far more in free updates yet Overkill felt the need to seperate a few things into each pack and charge for every single one. Whatever at least I still get the game I paid for- oh hey now they have just recently added Micro Transactions?! Well that's nice of them, I guess the constant sales and new DLC weren't making them enough money so better add some improved versions of in-game weapons into cash boxes.

I really enjoyed the first game and at first this sequel as well but honestly I don't think I'd trust anything this studio does anymore.

" I had a vampire uprising in one of my desert provinces so my merman had to team up with my local barbarian cavalry cause all the oni were busy fighting down south" - My explination of what was going on in one of my games.

A fantastic 4x game that is rather simple to play once you get past the overwhelming text and barely present GUI, however should you choose to jump down the rabbit hole there is a lot of depth for you to find in all of the different civilizations as well as the numerous gods you can combine with them. Magic only adds to the complexity as you research a variety of spells in different "Schools" of magic but even then its unlikely you're faction will even favor all of the spells you research in a single campaign causing numerous spells to go essentially unused unless you can get some foreign troops skilled in that element to aid you. All in all if you can get past the graphics and the fact that you will have to teach yourself everything about this game as it gives you almost nothing to start with, you're gonna have one heck of a ride.

Pros:
+Numerous Factions
+Deep Magic System
+God customization ensures that even playing the same faction will be different
+Easily Moddable
+Sieges, Assassinations, and screaming wild women clawing out the eyes of your enemies
+ Map size and game settings allow you to set up games that'll last anywhere from 2-20 hours

Cons:
- No tutorial on top of the game being wordy and poorly organized
- GUI is functional (once you are used to it its not so bad) but is not intuitive and it can be difficult to find info at times
- A whole lot to manage at once (turn-based and meant to be played slow and methodically, the multiplayer can even utilize Play-By-Email, so not a con for everyone but not everyone's cup of tea)

For fans of character based drama and strategy games you need to check this out. My sister-in-law plotted against me, so I had her executed. Her daughter did the same thing, left to rot in jail. This continued down that line of women for a good 4-5 generations before they all died off. Sometimes your relatives are a pain, or sometimes they are your most loyal duke who improves your reputation with all of your neighbors. The goal isn't to paint the map in your color (though it is a fun side goal) but to ensure your family dynasty survives and prospers by whatever means neccesary.

Think Game of Thrones the video game, now go try the demo.