i'll give an honest review aside from my love for this game and its community, its easily one of my most played games ever. in 2023 this game has more than enough content and characters to have a great time. online is a bit rough since most the casuals have left and new players get intimidated or stomped on by long time veteran players. you can still find some new players around to match up with here and there. i believe it will have a proper revival once the 10th anniversary update rolls around this fall!. check it out online if you haven't heard about it, it'll for sure bring in a wave of new players by then. i recommend giving it a shot or coming back when it drops if you're interested in the online aspect!

Hexen II understands 3d exploration like no other game. you zoom through enemies relatively quickly compared to the amount of time you spend exploring the areas that then become completely empty for the rest of the pretty long chapters, especially when compared to its contemporaries. it's uncanny and reflects the state of the game's reality at that point. impressive how even though every chapter reflects that feeling, Blackmarsh is still the most unnerving. empty churches, stores, and houses, all of which you can (and often need to) enter to search for a piece of the convoluted puzzles. you rid the area of enemies, but the people who lived there won't come back until you get rid of Eidolon.

having finished it alone and in coop, i noticed that both approaches still work in the atmosphere's favor. looking through areas with friends makes exploring Hexen II feel almost archaeological. your group starts piecing together structures and their meanings to the people who used to live there, and every time someone finds an item, a discussion as to what it means follows it. you need to understand what it does/why you need it in order to know where to place it somewhere.

the different classes also contribute to that feeling. the Necromancer is there to regain his status as the most fearful ruler and the Assassin is there for glory, while the Crusader had to abandon his monastery to fight and the Paladin has nowhere else to look after the slaughter of his village. even though half of these characters are there for selfish reasons, all four still work together to restore the world. the game doesn't make an effort to connect them as allies explicitly but the emergent cooperation between players achieves the same effect.

i don't think i'll ever find another game with such strong and understated direction choices. it's harsh, cold, and forlorn - but also leaves space for the warmth of perseverance.

Slayers X: Terminal Aftermath - Vengance of the Slayer acabou sendo para mim um ótimo boomer shooter mesmo não focando em inovar ou entregar mecânicas únicas e sim buscando seguir com o que já foi estabelecido enquanto estravasa em personalidade. É como jogar esses shooters concebidos na clássica Build Engine como Duke Nukem 3D e Redneck Rampage por exemplo. E essa sensação não é à toa, afinal, se trata de uma obra inicialmente pensada nos anos 90 e que só veio ser retomada agora com o autor tendo 37 anos.

Durante o jogo fica claro que de fato as ideias só podiam ter vindo de um jovem colegial dos anos 90 mesmo, no entanto, com certa ponderação visto que agora está sendo traduzida para os tempos atuais por uma mente mais madura. Algo muito positivo pois noto que aqui temos um protagonista sem toda a parte misógina e babacona que era naturalizada antigamente, mas ainda assim com aquele ar de “Eu sou INCRIVEL”.

As fases são bem recheadas de detalhes que enriquecem a ambientação e me fazem cogitar achar todos os segredos. Já o arsenal de armas é muito útil e bem legal, destaque para a “Glass Blasta”, uma shotgun de vidro que te incentiva a sair quebrando janelas alheias por todo o cenário, e a “Explosive Sewage Launcher”, uma besta que joga latas com lodo explosivo junto de uns ratos que ajudam atacando.

Usar e explorar tudo isso foi proveitoso e a trilha sonora deixou esse processo mais empolgante, me lembrou bastante o nu metal e surpreendeu principalmente pela presença de vocais. Destaque para a faixa "Against The Wall".

Uma experiência rápida, redondinha, criativa e que só me incomodou em seu tempo de loading. Felizmente não precisei carregar tantos saves assim e isso no geral não prejudicou o ritmo do jogo, mas não posso deixar de imaginar o quão diferente poderia ter sido se eu o jogasse em uma dificuldade maior.

HOW IS THIS GAME SO OVERLOOKED????? THIS IS LITERALLY ON THE SAME WAVELENGTH AS A TRADITIONAL FINAL FANTASY GAME!! Of course not entirely to the point where you can't recognize it as it's own thing. This game is beautiful. The characters, the story, the gameplay, everything was very enjoyable. It deals with the concept of mortality and immortality in a mesmerizing way, to the point where you just can't stop wanting more and more from the game (which it sure delivers). People may have gripe with the ending, which I can understand it was anti-climactic but that does not invalidate the entire game which was a good rollercoaster ride. Genuinely a great jrpg I've played in a very very long time.

And I love Jansen.

Unrelated to the review but yeah, I fricking love this guy.