Recent reviews by Abu Shabab al-Haq

I managed to grab this game before it was delisted, so at least I didn’t get scammed like the poor souls who pre-purchased it. Seriously, pre-purchasing games is one of the worst practices in modern gaming—it just gives big-time publishers in their $10,000 suits more excuses to ship unfinished, broken messes while laughing all the way to the bank.

Anyway, the game itself? I mean… it’s all right , I guess. The graphics are nice, but the sound mixing is terrible, the combat is shallow, and it crashes randomly like it’s allergic to running properly. No wonder they abandoned the live-service model—what a waste of a massive IP. Marvel’s Avengers during its peak should have been an easy win, yet somehow, they still fumbled it.

Can’t say much about the story because the game kept crashing before I could care. Oh well, not really a loss. Got better things to do in real life.

Firaxis strikes again with another solid tactical turn-based game, and this time, they threw in some deck-building mechanics. Under the direction of Jake Solomon (his last game with Firaxis, by the way), the strategic gameplay is top-tier. It’s got that "one-more-turn" addiction that’ll keep tactical game enjoyers hooked.

Now, I don’t really play deck-builders, so I can’t say if the card mechanics are groundbreaking, but they work well enough for what the game is trying to do. The combat system is fun, rewarding, and definitely one of a kind.

Where the game completely fumbles is the story and writing. The dialogue? Pure cringe. If you think MCU humor is bad, this takes it to another level—forced, awkward, and trying way too hard.

If you're a fan of tactical turn-based games and/or Marvel superheroes, I’d still recommend picking this up. Just... maybe brace yourself for some secondhand embarrassment during cutscenes.

As a seasoned monster hunter from the PS2 era, diving into Monster Hunter: World felt like reuniting with an old friend. The animations and combat mechanics are top-notch, and yes, even the in-game steak grilling song is 😙👌 *chef's kiss*. The game runs smoothly, a testament to its fine optimisation.​

Teaming up with friends, many of whom are newcomers, has been a blast. One buddy, Tobay, even schooled me on game mechanics—talk about a role reversal! However, I must admit, the early-game (and some late-game) weapon designs feel a bit uninspired compared to the unique aesthetics of older titles. It's a minor gripe in an otherwise stellar game.​

Now, if only Monster Hunter Wilds' PC launch was as good as World's. Get it together, Capcom!

I got bumhole frickadoodled piledriver style by players with levels way higher than me and it was amazing. Play with a buddy or two for a good laugh.
Fun game to play around for few hours in-between real life responsibilities, chores and inevitable predicaments.

I like it better when it's just Uncle Kaz, taking care of an orphanage, dealing with petty schoolyard stuff between the kids-- right before the usual Yakuza series conspiracy stuff creeps in mid-chapter.

Huh, maybe I just miss wasting my hours playing The Sims.

Anyways, it's more Kiryu punching people in the face, with Japanese humor sprinkled here and there. What's not to like?

Dodge, shoot, loot, mod, repeat.

Harder difficulty action RPG, clearly inspired by Souls-like games.
Played on Nightmare difficulty with a buddy, had our balls handed to us frequently-- yet all the boss encounters are fun to face! (except for the base game final boss, due to the weakpoint bug)

High risk, high reward.

You can go stealth, or go guns blazing. Pick your poison. The only game that still make my palms sweat even after 150+ hours of gameplay. No exaggeration, even made my sperm bank numb on one occasion due to how hard I clench (it can be that stressful to PvP noobs like me).

Amazing world with fascinating occult lore. I know, not that many cares about these things in an online FPS-- but there's some who does, and kudos to the devs for including it in.

One of the best sound design in video games. From audio cues, gun sounds, ambience to menu music, you will find yourself completely immersed.

If you're a sucker for cowboys and zombies, go ahead and give the game a few whirl, but be wary of the steep learning curve.

"THIS IS TROUBLING!"
- Random merchants throughout the game

Full disclosure, I played Outward with a friend and we didn't finish it.

Yet I did had fun walking and travelling in-game, and for the lack of a better term, surviving in the wilderness. This game does not hold your hand with constant compass or magic markers on the map. That's very refreshing, something that lots of people enjoyed from games back when.

Alas, offbeat is something that's very common in the rest of the game, from enemy design to architectural design and soundtrack. Everything feels like an amalgamation of different staff members' fever dreams, with no proper art direction. Not necessarily a bad thing per se, but this is a personal opinion.
(P/S: I love the soundtrack but it doesn't pair quite well with the game)

I recommend Outward nonetheless. Especially if it's on sale.
You definitely need to try it out for yourself. It has its own charm... weird old school fun indie game with janky combat kind of charm. It's not perfect by any means, but it's very entertaining while it lasts.

Fun action RPG with very unique dieselpunk setting. I got myself quite immersed in the lore, until there's one too many bugs in-game and a few untranslated Russian texts... Very disappointing.

Can't bring myself to finish the game after encountered a bug that negates any damage to my character. (Another user reported the same bug last year (July 2019), but still unfixed at the time of this review (April 2020))

EDIT REVIEW:

Well, I started a new game on November 2020 and it's still riddled with the same bugs and untranslated texts. Same with the 100% defense bug.

BUT, I would have to say that even after all that, the game's charm is something else... in a good way! (at least for me. Didn't knew dieselpunk is interesting until I played Insomnia). A love-hate relationship, this game.

I still won't willy-nilly recommend Insomnia The Ark to just about anyone - but if it's on sale and you have that sweet spot for indie RPGs, I suggest you get it and enjoy the very bumpy ride.

Similar to the old Fallout games, but with grid turn based combat.
As my friend said, it's a game for meganerds.

The combat might be hard during the first few levels, which I try to avoid fighting at all cost (and encounters doesn't always end up with a fight, with the correct skills), but after you get a companion and better weapons, you'll get a fighting chance. Not for those who like their hands to be held all the way through in video games.
(especially because I played a science medic good boi build on my first playthrough)

The dialogue choices are also varied and sometimes the consequences is morally ambiguous, which is very noice. There are a few occasions where the texts seem to me like it was a little bit off, but it wasn't. Just how Russians use English, which is quite similar to my aunt's husband who is also a Russian. Talk about authentic.

The Soviet Union vibe is a nice change of pace in comparison to American-centric games out there. The soundtrack sets the environment very nicely; it's beautiful, depressing, unnerving yet serene (like how post-apocalypse fiction should be).
I just wish it's available on Spotify!

I only encountered 1 bug, and it was efficiently fixed in the next patch.

Everything about the game is right up my alley and I can't wait to see more from the devs.
I totally recommend this game if you're disappointed with Bethesda's direction with Fallout.