Recent reviews by Orv Williams

I have put a bit over an hour and a half into the demo so far and I must say that I am liking what I see.

I fully realize that this is alpha and currently uses generic assets. As of yet, I have not looked at the roadmap, but I will try to find time at some point.
For now, I am focused on what matters in a demo... the gameplay.

There is a story here just asking to be learned, a world wanting to be explored. This is what this genre should be about.
Not simply to survive and build, but to have a solid reason for wanting to.
Right from the first moments in the demo I am asking questions and wondering about the world I have suddenly found myself in.
I immediately noticed that there is a certain cinematic feeling to my surroundings, even though it is a low-poly art style.
The sci-fi backdrop instantly brought back memories of a few games from the '80s and '90s. "Out of this World", "Outcast", and "Unreal" to name a few.
I applaud this... please keep going in this direction.

I hope that dedicated server capability is in the near future for this game. I own server hardware and suspect that my little group of older gamers would enjoy playing this together if I spun up a server.

My take?
Gamers would do well to embrace and encourage this project, it is an unpolished gem for the genre.



~Orv
"Sparky's Big Adventure"

Firstly, I find this game is very well done for playing private coop with a friend.
Excellent gameplay and impressive graphics.

With only about 20 hours logged so far, I won't have much to say as of yet.
I do have 4 concerns right off the top of my head though...
1. Lack of prone position.
2. Inability to mantle or climb/jump over simple obstacles.
3. No grapple mechanic apparent.
4. Reload animations are locked-in and cannot be interrupted by the player. (Major issue for shotguns. You cannot exit weapon loading if taking fire.)

As someone that enjoys this genre of gameplay, I find these issues to personally be pretty important oversights for this style of gameplay.

I sincerely hope these mechanics are being actively looked into by the development team.
If not, I will probably only play long enough to complete each map at some level and then drop the game to return to other games in the genre that offer better rounded mechanics.
That would really be a shame because Ready or Not shines everywhere else.

It has taken some time for me to circle my wagons concerning my opinion of DeadPoly.
I have concluded that the decision to relaunch the game development using UE5 is a masterful stroke for this title.
My take on the Poly-style (low polygon) games is that it should be implemented as an art-style, but NOT as a dumbing-down of the rest of the content. Game world physics, lighting, effects, animation, and play mechanics should still reflect where we are in the evolution of videogames.
DeadPoly on UE5 delivers on this concept in my opinion,
Character control response and animation feels far superior to UE4 and Unity engine low poly offerings.
Combat interaction mechanics could still use further work, but I imagine this will come in time.
Firearm breakdown with the mechanic of scavenging to further customize component stats is quickly becoming obsession, along with scavenging to obtain complete sets of collectable items throughout the world. It tickles that inner itch of being a child exploring for treasure hidden among the refuse in a junkyard.
I don't know how many of you might understand what I am attempting to convey here but, it can be rather addicting and a great deal of fun over time as our George Carlin-esque collection of "sh[t" pushes us to expand our bases to make room.
Please continue in this direction... I feel it may be a winning strategy for making DeadPoly stand out from other offerings.
I also feel that efforts to make the player-crafted construction set compatible with structural map assets is a winning tact that is too often woefully overlooked by creators of survival sandbox games, It broadens the appeal between those that like to build from scratch and those that prefer to just commandeer existing buildings and modify them enough to be useful.
I love building from scratch, it's part of my DNA. But, I have friends in my little community that really aren't so much into extensive building.
Being able to utilize existing structures allows them an acceptable path which makes them shy away from playing other games in the survival sandbox genre,

I will keep this review somewhat short, but I just want to say that I approve of the direction development has chosen and I sincerely look forward to seeing where this goes over time.

I highly recommend this stand-out game, especially at the current price point.
(It makes gifting copies to friends much easier...thank you!)

Keep up the great work...

~Orv

Gunfire Games... what can I say?
You did EVERYTHING right!
You have achieved something truly special with Remnant II.
The gameplay is smooth and nearly bug free.
The graphics are top-notch.
The lore is engaging and everything smoothly continues on from the world of Remnant - From the Ashes.
The replayability... I must say that the unique combination of procedurally generated and randomly rolled modular encounters containing multiple outcomes and rewards truly makes the game feel endless,
Wrap this up with a price-point that puts triple-A title products of similar ilk on notice that THIS is how you do it and show the gaming audience that you have them in mind.

Look, if you like the genre, this is a must have at a wonderful price!
ENJOY!

~Orv

I have to make this a two-part review.

Part One - The Game

ASA is not without bugs, certainly. This is to be expected when a game enters Early Access. So I will not fault the game based on bugs at this time. The development process needs to take it's course and then at release it should be reviewed fairly concerning the state of the software from this perspective.
The gameplay... what's not to love. It is the direct descendant of ASE, after all.
The old hobbled up construction set has been replaced with a far superior one, foliage harvesting has new models and mechanics, and the new water simulation looks fabulous.
Hopefully other legacy systems like the tree harvesting will also get replacements over the course of Early Access development,
Based on these merits, I would actually endorse ASA and encourage anyone that loves the genre to invest in it.

But, here is the bigger issue...

Part Two - Studio WildCard.

Ah, the elephant in the room.

I will start by acknowledging that I strongly suspect that WildCard isn't totally responsible, but they are the actual parents of the creative process responsible for the Ark IP and therefore they must take responsibility at the end of the day for decisions that effect the game.

The big problem seems to be communication between Wildcard and their customer base.
At this time, a swath of server owners are deeply worried that they may not be able to run ASA communities with the freedom that they did with ASE. There are serious doubts and rumours that dedicated server software will be severely restricted, tied to a gauntlet of hoops that server owners will be forced to jump through, or behind a paywall that didn't exist previously.
I cannot say what is fact and what is fiction at this point, but I will strongly opine that it is the responsibility of Studio WildCard to give maximum CLARITY to the FACTS needed in order to diminish such doubts among the gaming community.
Listen up Wildcard, either get your collective heads out of your backsides or you are in danger of losing what was previously a very strong creative collective of gamers that supported your game and your vision.
From my point of view, you took a genre that was once just a niche, and thrust it into the mainstream of gaming. Bringing the genre to people that previously had no idea it even existed.
You would be well served to remember who brought you to this dance, and rally your resources to ensuring they do not feel they have been left standing jilted along the wall of the dance floor.
They will leave the dance and not look back.
They will leave, I will leave, and a great many others I play with will leave.

i must warn you, the community that I belong to are elder gamers. Middle-aged to well beyiond.
A great many of us are grandparents. I myself have 7 grandchildren, several which are grown and could make me a great grandparent at any time. I love them, I build PCs for them, and I influence them.
I will also inform them if I find a developer that I think will take advantage of them.
So, despite my positive assessment for ASA as it stands, my opinion of it's developers at this time prevent me from giving a positive review.
Not being able to currently download and setup an ASA dedicated server freely from my server hardware like I did for ASE, or the dozen other titles I have in my hosting lineup is something I find highly unacceptable.
I need clarity, and that clarity had best not be that I will need to purchase another copy of ASA in order to setup a simple multiple map server cluster for my community.
As of this time all I see is contradictory opinions and a lack of concise information from Studio WildCard front and center to clear matters up so I am sure about how things are going to proceed.

I am hoping I can return here in the future and update my review in a more positive light.
I'm patient, but by no means a fool.
It's on you WildCard.

~Orv
(Sparky's Big Adventure)


UPDATE:

Happily, the folks at Studio Wildcard responded quickly to the community pushback and re-released the ASA dedicated server package with the DRM removed, allowing the unofficial server community the same freedom they had over the past 8 years with ASE. Excellent move on the part of WildCard and I happily have my server back online among the many thousands of others who enthusiastically exist in the unofficial ARK playerbase.

Kudos Studio WildCard, you have shown grace and good sense in this outcome, and redeemed yourself in my review.

It's been a long haul for me when it comes to Icarus.
More than probably any other survival-sandbox game, I have had a love/hate relationship, in equal parts, with the world of Icarus.
As I recall, I pre-purchased this title back sometime in November of '21. This allowed a friend and I to take part in the Beta Weekends program that ran for several weeks prior to actual release. I am pretty sure it was released as full retail but it was arguably still in very early access condition.
Since game mechanics were still being implemented it would have been defined as an alpha phase game.

It was harsh, unforgiving, but strangely addictive.
Many hours of hard work could be totally wiped out by a poorly placed torch, a random lightning strike, or the retro-engines of a coop buddy randomly being given a trajectory to enter the map that targeted directly at your camp.

Wolves could chew through multiple layers of stone construction in as little as 60 seconds.
You find yourself frequently faced with situations where you either rage-quit or simply roll over laughing hilariously at the unexpected.

It's can be that kind of harsh.

But fun!

Since I stay pretty busy with a small cadre of gaming friends who are mostly from my generation, (I am currently approaching 62 very soon.) so after release I decided that I would keep the game and check back in every so often to see how things were going with it's development. I own server hardware from which my little band of old farts play various survival-sandbox games and such as our interests lead us. Time marches on...

Now it is fast approaching Halloween for 2023 and I notice that I have around 258 hours of play under my belt from which I can form an opinion. Steam is reminding me again that I should offer up a review... so here I am.

The game is quite fetching, with a lot of natural mountain splendor, open desert vistas, and frozen wastes.
There are now enough play options and locations available from which to work feverishly on gathering resources while the local wildlife attempts to gnaw your ass off at every opportunity.

Why does the suspiciously "alligator-esque" looking crocodile seem to find me far more appealing as a dinner entree than the pretty pony, with tusks, that also wants a piece of my sweet-meats?

If you kill something, you had better dress it out in a flat-ass hurry, or hope it's small enough to throw over your shoulders and carry with you. If not, in less than 30 seconds, other denizens will come running like you rang a dinner bell.
It can quickly get out of control and you find yourself needing waders to slog your way out of the corpse pile of now dead predators you unintentionally attracted.

If... you survive.

Players are allowed to set up camp practically anywhere.

Caves are interesting, but the current mechanic is terribly janky, thoroughly breaking any semblance of believable immersion from outside weather conditions that insist on following you into the depths of the underworld in an unpredictable fashion. You can literally perish from heat stroke while suffering from frostbite inside caves that act as passageways between different biomes. The caverns seem to "want" to have their own biome but just can't manage to enforce it throughout with any dependable consistancy.
Being in a cave large enough to allow you to build a completely enclosed structure is just about your only chance against those subterranean sandstorms.

Beasts of burden have been added recently. A much needed addition to the game.
Now, if I could just convince my buffalo that "defensive" mode means it should defend itself if attacked, not go off full-Rambo at the merest sight of a possible predator in the distance.
Normally pets follow at a distance, unless they are going psycho-aggressive on a perceived intruder or if you are stopping to dress out a fresh kill. At that point they will amble over, stomp it to ensure it is dead, and then proceed to stand on the carcass in an attempt to prevent you from claiming your kill.
"Look fart-stain, you either get off my dinner or I am going to introduce you to my 'boom-stick' and make an entree substitution."

I think you all get the idea... this title is a little gem under a considerable bit of early access crustiness.
There is something to love in here, but it needs some elbow grease to make that sparkle visible.

Keep workin' on it RocketWerkz, I am a patient guy. I have nothing but time in my retirement.


~Orv

This game is a builder's wet dream.
The graphics, especially with the new UE5 update, are vibrant and gorgeous.
The audio is well done and the music is somehow appropriate and soothing.
The building, while still having some small issues to solve, scratches the itch for those of us with an engineering bent.
And finally, the subtle-and sometimes not so subtle-humor never fails to illicit a chuckle and put a smile on my face.
Shared with friends, or played alone, there is a lot of enjoyment here that keep me coming back again and again to start something new.

How often do you see a game in Steam that shows "Overwhelmingly Positive" for both Recent as well es Overall Reviews?

This game is a gem, and that is while still in Early Access.

Bravo Coffee Stain, you folks grok me perfectly. =)

Call of Duty goes full woke?
I have plenty of other games to play and support.
-DELETED-

It's early access, so the amount of content is limited. But, even so, what is there is engaging and addictive.
It works very well at what it is supposed to be... so that is a WIN in my book. No microtransactons, no complicated and unintuitive control schemes. Just fun as hell gameplay for a low pricetag. Go get some and do your part for the Federation!

This is definitely one of the better 4 player coops. Runs great, tons of class and character customizations, decent difficulty options, and a hoot to play with friends. It's currently on sale along with the expansion, making it a really hot deal.