Recent reviews by sora3

FINAL EDIT: After Phantom Liberty came out and the big Update 2.0, I decided to jump back in to see if this does warrant an update to the review. After playing a bit and seeing the updates, it is worth it IF you haven't been suckered in like I was into preordering and getting shafted.

The game feels definitely like the vision it should have launched at. There is much deeper progression and it feels like you can be your own character with guns blazing, assassin type characters and even netrunning. I previously didn't mention the previous perks and skills as they felt too indifferent as they add only token amounts of difference. Now, you have clear differences, a netrunner would be different to say a soldier like character.

Chases now feel organic as I was chased immediately after the beginning of the game doing one of the main story missions. To have goons come out and start attacking was a shock but a good one since it felt weird that gangs would let you go for nothing. The police no longer attack on eye contact which is good.

The addition of Phantom Liberty does make the story a little more interesting compared to the base game. I would highly recommend if you haven't played the DLC to wait until close to the end of the game before starting. The reason is that the story of it merges very well with how your V is going. I'm not going to spoil it but the DLC does add an extra dimension to the game and adds more to the choices you already made.

Overall, I still rate this as a negative. Many of you will be wondering why, look at the reviews. The reason why I still rate a negative is because of how the people who stuck with the game got shafted badly whilst those who are new gets all the rewards. Remember, CDPR had promised more DLC than just the 1 and also multiplayer within this game to match GTA5. But those were scrapped because they couldn't get the darn thing to work. This is the game that CDPR should have released to us and built up from, not the trash that was original. If you don't believe, downgrade to the original and see how bad that was. If anything, the game is pretty much a Honda engine now. ♥♥♥♥ when it started, but now lauded as one of the best. Definitely worth now but remember, we shouldn't allow developers to pull ♥♥♥♥ like this. Unlike The Day Before....


EDIT: After more time playing with the game, I can definitely say that the game is definitely NOT worth the price that it is currently on.

Despite the promise of having deep characters, V is the only character that I want to punch his lights out. The way the male voice tells the lines, it's almost like CDPR had asked the VA to be a truly horrible person, a conceited person that thinks he's the hottest thing since sliced bread. The female voice is a lot better but there is that snarkiness that cannot be ignored.

Then you have the bad 'gates' with Street Cred and Levels. It should be one or the other, not both. Some quests don't even unlock until you reach that arbitrary gate of either getting high level or high Street Cred. And with high Street Cred, the world doesn't even acknowledge this. And this is a problem with the story telling in which none of the characters seem to acknowledge the guy who literally cleared out a dangerous suburb of lowlifes and thugs with the NCPD.

The story feels very rushed, like it was a DLC story but stretched to fit instead of the original. Johnny felt totally inconsistent and despite Keanu doing his best, his character is totally jarring in being vulnerable and understanding to off-standish and confrontational. Apart from the intro with Jackie, the rest of the game is a disjointed campaign with little story or growth. That ticking time bomb? Nope, you can literally do a whole month despite Viktor stating you should be twelve feet under.

Overall, it is the only game that I really had regrets over buying. More so than Mass Effect Andromeda which I can start to appreciate. Maybe CDPR can work and bring this game up but from where I can see, don't. Walk away, and never look back. Don't give $70 for a broken game. And don't expect CDPR to turn this around. It's the HAAS car with the broken gearbox of an Arrows with a Renault engine that is either to die or not. It's junk.


ORIGINAL REVIEW BELOW:
Cyberpunk 2077 is a good example of what you shouldn't do to your public. Overpromising and under-delivering. Me and perhaps millions of others had invested $90 or so to get this game to see out its vision only to be met with disappointment and yet hope for the future.

Let's start with the good. Night City is a sprawling world that is really beautiful to look at. If you have a decent system like I do (Ryzen 3600 + Radeon RX 5700), then you can get lost very easily in it with all the details turned up. Characters are interesting and you do want to invest in the time or quests with them. The sounds and soundtrack do make it feel like a Blade Runner-esque world. And finally, some of the side quests are easy to get into and make you wondering what is around the next corner.

However, the bad really starts to overwhelm what little good there is. There is a lot of bugs, no joke. I've had random deaths occur out of nowhere, cars flung at me and drop out of the sky, AI T-posing at inopportune moments and as well as quests not triggering correctly. Then you get to the worst aspect of the world which is very minimal AI with AI being slow/stupid, AI cops teleporting in and as well as a lack of realism in the civilian life.

Then there's also the repetitiveness of the side quests. Go here and kill this, go there and don't kill this. Sneak in but don't kill. These are the 3 that the quests fall into and it makes little incentive to find these or do other than raising your street cred. Plus the previously mentioned bad AI, you can see how boring this becomes.

Next is the character and honestly, V is a set character despite what CDPR tries to spin. You're a try-hard that does everything. Very rarely can you deviate from that. Added the god-awful inventory system and as well as no previews on clothes, you have to literally play dress up and scrap a lot. Plus a lot of good gear is 'locked' behind street cred or credits, forcing you to grind your way up. Nudity is minimal with the adult scenes being very brief or none at all.

Overall, there is a promise of a good game but the thing is, I'm judging it as of now. And look at my 18 hours with this compared to the growing 50 hours of Bannerlord that is an Early Access and feels better than this game. I'd wait till the Game of the Year edition for this one honestly. Buying it now is like buying an Early Access that is masquerading as a full game.

Dark Souls 2 takes everything that was bad in Dark Souls and make it better. Better summoning, a less drastic learning curve, a gentlier road to start.

But don't be fooled. Dark Souls 2 is still a Souls game. Mistime that jump? You die. Run out of stamina when fighting an enemy? You die. Forgetting where your enemy is? You die. Basically, the game coaches you into patience and waiting for the opportune moment to strike. See a weak spot? Hammer it. Notice a pattern? Abuse it.

That's what Dark Souls 2 is in a general sense. And seriously, it is the only game where you can get slaughtered by the 3 little pigs.

Let me put it to you bluntly, Dark Souls is like the most beautiful woman on earth that is willing to do everything you want it. But in return, it spites you and cusses at you. Hell, it even throws the proverbial harpoons at you, killing you. But if you can get through that, then it is the most rewarding game ever.

The mood in Dark Souls is literally dark and it feels like you are the only one there. Shadows of other players keep popping up, allowing you to see how badly they fair or to give you some respite that you're not alone. When you arrive in the game, you're literally left to your own devices. There isn't a tutorial nor is there a floating marker to help you. In a sense, this game is all about you.

When you die, you want to rage and throw your controller at the screen. And yes, a controller is necessary for the sake of ease. But you'll get up, brush the dust off your hollowing corpse and continue your journey. Again, you'll die but if you keep on persisting, then it gives you that wonderful feeling of accomplishment.

Praise the Sun indeed.

To be blunt, being a king is pretty darn hard. You start out with either a small kingdom, dukedom or even an empire. But the challenge isn't just expanding your territory and the like. You've got to stave off the hundreds of pissed off lords, scheming wives and stupid children in order to make your mark.

And to make matters worse, you've also got to applease everyone around you. Piss off the wrong country and expect a curb-stomp. Piss off the Pope and expect a righteous angry mob of Christians to kill you. Piss off Mohemmed and well...don't expect to live long to see your smug-daughter inherit the Muslim throne.

All in all, you'll die. That's the truth and to live to the end...that's the greatest victory of them all...

After playing both 3 and now 4, I think Saints Row could easily be classified under 'addictive crazy fun'. It's not designed to be a Grand Theft Auto killer but it's not a serious game either. Guns, explosions a-plenty but once you get over the crazy fun, it just feels bland. Best played once and forget about it.