BartThompson
You've done it now Potter. Get a taste of my super wizard crackers.
Fuck off
I know its viewed as the black sheep of the franchise, but I loved and still love this game. Its definately NOT a stealth game like the ones before it, and I get why that put people off, but its so fun and smooth to play. The Co-op campaign was amazing, and playing it with my friend was such a great time.
A man who never eats pork bun is never a whole man
2008
Rented this thinking it'd be like bioshock with monsters. It wasn't, it was just boring. The aggresive motion blur and head shake made me queasy.
This review contains spoilers
I'm a crusty old man now, and dont get the same type of wide eyed enjoyment from most games like I used to. This game is the exception. I'm so happy I went into this blind. Every new thing you find makes you feel like you've discovered something of your own accord, and it all feels worth it. The first time I saw one of the dragonsflying about, I was genuinely in awe.
2012
This review contains spoilers
Imagine being Jeffrey Yohalem, having written two of Ubisofts most successful games so far, and feeling the chill down your spine when you find out how well Vass was recieved in that trailer and knowing full well you've killed him off halfway.
I'm not sure if anyone has noticed this before, but I think icarus might be a metaphor for human augmention.
2004
Its like a parody game you'd see in the background of the film when Ed Norton chats about media numbing men into submission. I am Jack's movie tie-in.
Seriously though, how the fuck does this even exsist? I only know about it cause a friend had it on their shelves. It had a lot of dust on it at the time.
Seriously though, how the fuck does this even exsist? I only know about it cause a friend had it on their shelves. It had a lot of dust on it at the time.
2009
Knows it wants to be a fun multiplayer game, and does it masterfully. Its the exact opposite of the massive sandbox games that plagued games at one point; wide as an oceon, shallow as a pond type deal. Left 4 Dead 2 is very tightly focused but is so well designed that it never becomes frustrating. Except when you don't pick up the defib ofc. It's just extremely fun to play.
Bonus points for including the first game's campaigns as DLC. Even if I had to pay 800 Microsoft Points for it, while PC people got it for free. Bastards. Modding community is also nuts.
Bonus points for including the first game's campaigns as DLC. Even if I had to pay 800 Microsoft Points for it, while PC people got it for free. Bastards. Modding community is also nuts.
2008
This is such a wee time capsule of a game. Its filled with ideas they thought would be revolutionary at the time; weird constant perspective changes, slow motion shooting, oddly skipping through parts of the game like a video tape, wobble heavy physics that make dead bodies and doors freak out, clicking a button to blink, and STICK OPERATED MELEE COMBAT.
The highlight of playing this was me and my friend repeatedly failing the opening section and laughing cause the man did a funny animation.
The highlight of playing this was me and my friend repeatedly failing the opening section and laughing cause the man did a funny animation.
2005
This was THE GAME that made me enamoured with the PSP. I never played the others ones, and seeing this game with the level of detail seemed, at the time, to be a massive leap forward. Crash mode was the best.
I bought this game for PS2 after debating whether to go for the PS2 or PSP Version. I really nice Game employee helped me decide. I played it for 2 hours and didn't like it. When you're a kid, you don't understand when a game is just bad and I thought I wasnt enjoying it properly. I returned it, and the same person was there, and remembered helping me choose. They gave me an exchange to the PSP version, despite the PS2 version being opened. I remember that very fondly.
Anyway, the PSP version was worse. So much worse. So bad it isn't even avalible to list as a platform on this website.
Anyway, the PSP version was worse. So much worse. So bad it isn't even avalible to list as a platform on this website.
2016
Liking this game is like being in an abusive relationship.
I was lured into this game via YouTube videos with titles like 'COMMUNIST UK VS FASCIST U.S'. Alternative History has always been a concept I've liked, so to have a game that let you play that out, not just in the actually war, but in the politics in the lead up to it, was exciting.
The issue is that that's not really what Hearts of Iron 4 is about. It's about micromanaging 100 things at once, and multiple hidden mini menus, to make sure that when the war does kick off you can actually play the game, only to inevitably get locked into a neverending conflict and abandon it. It's a game that makes you feel like an idiot for not being able to handle all the info being thrown at you, and even after you invest your time into it and get slightly better, the outcome isn't rewarding. I'm sure there's plenty of folk that love all that menu flipping, but its just not for me.
THAT SAID, the reason why I've scored it a bit higher is that the modding scene is steller. The base game feels like it has so many missing features and inadequacies that these mods build on amazingly. Kasierreich expands on that political early game so expertly, giving you so much more variety in how to play. The New Order overhals the UI completely while making the focus about avoiding an all out World War, and actually improving the gameplay as a result, turning the focus towards those focus trees. Its atmopshere is also second to none; vanilla HOI wishes it could invoke this type of dread.
Overall, overly complex but yet bare in the areas that are fun. A game held up by its community rather than its publisher, and yet a community you have to approach at a safe distance; if you have a game with multiple community discord servers entitled 'Roma Victores' I suppose you need to be wary.
I was lured into this game via YouTube videos with titles like 'COMMUNIST UK VS FASCIST U.S'. Alternative History has always been a concept I've liked, so to have a game that let you play that out, not just in the actually war, but in the politics in the lead up to it, was exciting.
The issue is that that's not really what Hearts of Iron 4 is about. It's about micromanaging 100 things at once, and multiple hidden mini menus, to make sure that when the war does kick off you can actually play the game, only to inevitably get locked into a neverending conflict and abandon it. It's a game that makes you feel like an idiot for not being able to handle all the info being thrown at you, and even after you invest your time into it and get slightly better, the outcome isn't rewarding. I'm sure there's plenty of folk that love all that menu flipping, but its just not for me.
THAT SAID, the reason why I've scored it a bit higher is that the modding scene is steller. The base game feels like it has so many missing features and inadequacies that these mods build on amazingly. Kasierreich expands on that political early game so expertly, giving you so much more variety in how to play. The New Order overhals the UI completely while making the focus about avoiding an all out World War, and actually improving the gameplay as a result, turning the focus towards those focus trees. Its atmopshere is also second to none; vanilla HOI wishes it could invoke this type of dread.
Overall, overly complex but yet bare in the areas that are fun. A game held up by its community rather than its publisher, and yet a community you have to approach at a safe distance; if you have a game with multiple community discord servers entitled 'Roma Victores' I suppose you need to be wary.
2009
Amarzy wabba clobah nar. Shabbie lobble wooble car! No bahwaka narby flar'b. Shimmy bakke do!