A continuation in the more action oriented games in the franchise that had a solid story but sometimes frustrating controls and mobility.

As a follow up to RE4 this game changes up the scenery and moves to a more action-centric style of gameplay. The story is solid, and gets more over-the-top, with a few twists and turns. Having even smarter zombies then in RE4 was fun, but some of the movement and gun mechanics were super frustrating. The fact that you cant move while reloading or aiming got me a few times. Once you get used to it, it's not so bad. I just haven't played as many games lately with that style of movement/gun play. Also was not a fan of all the QTEs, but it's a remnant of that time in gaming. The inventory system could be a bit frustrating at times since you can only "store" or buy things when you die or are in between chapters. I definitely preferred the item box and merchant from RE4. Minor gripe though. The game is split into 6 chapters. Several of these felt a bit long, but not too bad. The environment changes with each chapter giving you some new scenery and baddies to deal with. The game is solid and enjoyable, but modern gamers may have some frustrations with some of the mechanics.

I played entirely on the Steam Deck and it played near flawlessly (it crashed once during a cutscene). I had it set to high graphics and locked to 60fps and 60hz refresh rate. It took me about 16.5 hours to complete.

Overall, I enjoyed the story and the more action oriented gameplay. My only real gripe had to do with some of the movement and gun mechanics. Definitely recommended for anyone who is a fan of the series.

A decent "pre-sequel" with a solid story, but subpar gameplay.

This game lands between RE4 and RE5. It explains the events in between the two which I thought was pretty cool. Originally a Nintendo 3DS game, this version was ported to PC a year. It's overall a decent game and I enjoyed the overall story. Some aspects were a little campy, but serviceable. The gameplay felt a bit overly simplified (probably form being designed for the 3DS), but was serviceable. Combat felt clunky and the dodge mechanic was inconsistent for me. The game plays out in 12 episodes where you switch between characters. It was kind of nice being able to play several sets of characters to get the whole story. Felt more like a movie or TV show which was a nice change of pace.

I played entirely on Steam Deck and it played flawlessly. I had it set to medium graphics, and locked it to 60fps and 60hz refresh rate. It took me a little under 10 hours to complete.

Overall, it was a decent game but a subpar port. The mechanics were overly simplified but serviceable. I recommend for anyone wanting to get the whole RE story, and the shorter length and episodic nature makes it not so much of a slog.

An amazing, over-the-top sequel that takes a risk by changing the formula and nails it.

This game is oozing with atmosphere and story. I was not a fan of the controls at first when starting out in the village, but they grow on you (mostly). This game plays more like an action horror with survival elements. The limited resources keeps the survival elements alive. The story is ridiculous and top-notch. Leon reprises his role in this one and you are tasked with rescuing the president's daughter who has been kidnaped. You don't know much about what happened or who is behind it, but you learn as the story progresses. The story is pretty linear, and the puzzles are more straightforward. They really wanted you to experience the story and scratch your head less. The characters are all pretty solid, and the performances are amazing (for the time). The combat felt off, but I understand it was done to accommodate the GameCube controls. Once you get used to it, you're good. The monsters are varied in this one requiring you to use different mechanics. Not just for bosses but event for standard enemies, which is kind of nice. All of this comes together to create a really solid experience.

I played entirely on Steam Deck and it played flawlessly. I had it set to high graphics, and locked it to 60fps and 60hz refresh rate. It took me a little over 18 hours to complete.

Overall, the evolution the franchise took in this entry was thoroughly enjoyable. The monsters and action are more over-the-top and the story drives this game to make it a top tier experience.

A fast paced, atmospheric, and action laden survival horror game, with one of the most terrifying bosses I've every experienced.

I played a demo of this with my friends growing up and Nemesis scared the every-loving crap out of us. I have always wanted to play through this story and while I have still never played the original fully, I thoroughly enjoyed this remake. I know it has been divisive with the cuts they made, but someone summed it up pretty well. They removed elements that were not directly related to our protagonists story and slowed down the pace of the action. This feels like an action game first. I still enjoyed the breaks you got in between encounters and the puzzles, but shorter more focused story was pretty nice. We got even more enemy variety this time and the ability to dodge was really handy (while not always effective ... lol). Nemesis still scared the pants off me when he would barge in like the Kool-Aid man, and I enjoyed the hell out of running from him. Combat mechanics felt a bit more enhanced with being able to use the environment to your advantage (generators and flammable barrels). There were also several combat set pieces that were kind of puzzle-like that you had to figure out, and added to the variety which I enjoyed. You mainly play through this as Jill Valentine but switch over to Carlos (an Umbrella combat specialist) several times as well. Seeing things from both perspectives at different times in the story was pretty nice, and added to the overall experience in my opinion.

I played entirely on Steam Deck and it played flawlessly. I had it set to high/medium mix graphics, and locked it to 40fps and 40hz refresh rate. It took me a little under 8.5 hours to complete.

Overall, a solid entry in the franchise and definitely one I enjoyed. Highly recommend if you haven't played, just know it is more action focused.

A terrifying atmospheric remake of one of (if not the) greatest survival horror games of all time.

Though I never played the original RE2, I have heard this kept the spirit of the game alive while bringing it up to the modern standards of a survival horror game. The over the shoulder view, atmosphere, sound design, and set pieces make this a truly terrifying experience. It's not even the "jump scare" moments but the anxiety you get waiting for something to happen. It kept me on my toes the entire time. This game kept the puzzles alive as well, which was fun and a nice break from the action. The enemies felt for more varied than the first two games (RE1 and RE0), which was nice. The boss fights were not overly complicated and changed up the mechanics each time which was nice. It kept things feeling fresh. The overall combat just felt really good. Ammo, while not completely scarce, was limited and made you think about how to tackle each encounter which I really enjoyed.

I played entirely on Steam Deck and it played flawlessly. I had it set to high/medium mix graphics, and locked it to 40fps and 40hz refresh rate. It took me a little under 12.5 hours to complete.

Overall, my favorite in the franchise so far. I unfortunately never played the original, but if it is anything close to this I'm sure it is fantastic. Highly recommend for anyone wanting to get into the RE world. Enjoyed it every step of the way.

A frustrating, beautiful remaster of a classic title in the franchise.

I had not played this in it's heyday, but I have heard mixed things about the prequel and I have to agree with them. The remaster updated the visuals to a beautiful finish, but the gameplay leaves something to be desired and the difficulty curve is a bit ridiculous. The difference between easy and normal is night and day. The addition of new enemies was a nice touch but some (like the humanoid leeches), were kind of egregious given the limited movement mechanics of the game. The locations were fairly diverse (especially the train section) and the puzzles were decent. I had to look up some, but overall not overly complicated. I mostly enjoyed my time playing the game.

I played this entirely on Steam Deck and it ran really well with some tweaks. I had to use Proton GE 7-49 to fix some missing textures, but that was the only real issue. I had it set to medium graphics with a 60hz refresh rate and 60 fps. It ran without a hitch.

Overall, I can only really recommend if you are huge fan of the franchise and want experience all the games or fill in lore knowledge. The game just wasn't as fun as the first game.

An awesome remaster of a genre defining classic.

This was my first playthrough of Resident Evil, though I have been familiar with the franchise since it's debut. To actually play through it was an awesome experience. The game really knows how to create tension. It is less action focused, and gets you with the anticipation of something happening. They nailed what makes horror games awesome. The game is also way more puzzle focused than I thought it would be (which is not a bad thing), and the non-linear nature feels like it was a bit ahead of it's time. I thoroughly enjoyed my time in the mansion.

I played entirely on Steam Deck and it played flawlessly. I had it set to high graphics, and frame rate was locked to 30 fps with a 60hz refresh rate. It took me a little under 15 hours to complete.

Overall, I highly recommend this game to anyone who loves survival horror and hasn't had the chance to dive into this series yet.

An excellent sequel that improved on the originals mechanics while providing an interesting and solid story continuation.

The game takes place a number of years after the original and you can play as either Corvo (protagonist from the first game) or Emily (the now Empress you saved in the first game). I have only played as Emily so far, but I am interested to see how different the game is playing as Corvo. The missions feel varied in setting, but kind of repetitive after a while. The stealth mechanics feel good, but combat still feels lacking to me. It's serviceable, but not great. I enjoyed being able to take different approaches to nearly every situation, and exploring the levels was pretty fun. I'm not sure how much of a difference a "High Chaos" vs stealthy playthrough impacts the events in the game, but it does seem to give you different "endings" as far as I could tell.

I played this entirely on Steamdeck and it ran flawlessly locked at 40fps on Medium settings. Took me about 20h to complete (I explored a lot in each mission).

Overall, if you liked the first game this is an awesome sequel that made it different enough to feel fresh while not losing what made the first special. Highly recommend the series if you haven't played them.

An unique, fun, and hilarious walking simulator.

I really enjoyed my time with this game. I hadn't played the original release, but always heard great things. The narration adds so much to the game and at times had me think/rethink my decisions. I enjoyed it the entire time. To "beat" the game only take a few minutes, but replaying it and finding new avenues to take and the different endings was really fun. The "New Content" was also pretty great, and very "tongue-in-cheek". The game is very aware of what it is and doesn't mind poking fun at itself. I played the game entirely on Steam Deck and it ran flawlessly.

This is a must play game. Highly recommend it as a palette cleanser between more serious games as well.

A solid entry in the Far Cry franchise, especially given it's age. It was a bit ahead of it's time, but not without it's faults. It also ran great on my Steam Deck. Solid 60 FPS with high settings.

The game had some unique gameplay elements (for the time), but it was plagued with Ubisoft's 2008 design choices. The first Assassin's Creed had similar issues and it got overly repetitive and grindy. The story was decent, but the acting and dialogue left something to be desired. Combat could be satisfying and almost everything can catch on fire leaving you with some pretty fun engagements. However, enemies spawn out of nowhere quite often and will run you over before you know they are there.

The setting is amazing and probably one of, if not my absolute favorites. The world felt like a war torn country and had some diverse settings (desert, jungle, wetlands), and the dynamic weather was pretty great too. The limited fast travel was nice as you couldn't just fast travel to every location instantly(though more bus stops would have been nice). The minimap and navigation (GPS and sign post highlighting) immersed you more in the world. The freedom you have to tackle missions, collectibles, and just exploring was awesome for the time.

Overall a solid entry in the series with some solid elements, but the grindy/repetitive missions have not held up as well . If you are a fan of the series it is definitely worth a shot.

One of, if not THE, best RPG's I've ever played. Immersive, deep, and so much to do. If you haven't played this yet it is an essential gaming experience.

I played this entirely on Steam Deck at normal difficulty. It took me about 117 hours to beat, including the 2 DLCs. The game played well on 40hz/fps with mixed settings. I used Steam Deck Gaming's recommended settings linked here and I only had my fps drop below 40 in Novigrad. There were also a few crashes but not a whole lot. I completed the main campaign, most side quests, and both DLCs. I did a lot of the points of interest as well, and plan on coming back to do a "New Game +" run at some point and place some extra restrictions on myself (only fast travel to move to a different zone, etc.).

The story in this game picks up 6 months after the end of the prior game and the north is being invaded by Nilfgard. You are looking for Ciri (your "adopted" daughter) who you found out is being hunted by The Wild Hunt. I won't go into any spoilers or dive deep into the story, but it is expansive and deep. I watched all (or damn near all) of the cut scenes because the story was that engaging. Your choices have very definitive consequences at certain points in the game. After I realized how big of an impact my choices had on certain parts of the story (Bloody Baron), I knew that my choices held a lot of weight. Overall with the story, there was not a dull moment that I can recall. The main campaign did not feel like it was drawn out. Even though It took me 85 hours to beat the base game along with most of the side quests I enjoyed every minute of it.

The world is absolutely teeming with life and activity. There are 7 zones, 4 of which you will spend most of your time in. The main content has you travelling all over so you get to see quite a bit of it. The side content will take you to nearly every nook and cranny the world has to offer and it is breathtaking. Aside from the map itself the world feels lived in with a war going on. You see the effects the war has had on the land, towns, the people. You really see the effects of the war when you you look around or talk to people. In addition to the different main factions you'll encounter groups of bandits and such as well. Overall, you really have to see the world and experience it to understand the level of detail the devs went into with this game. It is hard for me to leave because of that.

The game play is refined to a whole new level in this entry. They made more improvements from the Witcher 2 that make it even more enjoyable. The main game play loop is level up your character and gear as you complete the main quest line. You'll need to do at least some side content to keep up with the suggested levels. The notice boards are brought back which will give you Witcher contracts as well as show points of interest that are scattered throughout the surrounding area. These points of interest vary from places of power, bandit camps, abandoned towns (which you can usually help townsfolk re-inhabit), guarded treasure, and many more. There are also treasure hunts which you'll find as you explore. Some of these treasure hunts are for new Witcher Gear (from the various schools) which can be upgraded as you go along. I focused on the Wolven and Forgotten Wolven gear mainly. You can also find side quests from townsfolk and letters spread throughout the world. It feels so organic and natural, and did not feel at all grindy to me. It was a blast to just explore and complete this content. Alchemy and crafting come back as well. You can use alchemy any time and can collect most if not all resources by collecting herbs, looting corpses, and looting containers. Sometimes it is easier, or required, to buy materials from an herbalist or alchemist. I was able to make all oils, potions, decoctions, and bombs up to enhanced without really trying. Crafting equipment can only be done at a blacksmith or armorer. You will need to work with the two master's to enhance the Witcher school gear though. You also have the character progression which is further refined and allows you to enhance certain abilities. Not so much a skill "tree" but you have 12 slots (which are unlocked as you level up) that you can put the skills you purchase with skill points in. Skill points are gained by leveling up or finding places of power. Romance makes it's return and you can pursue Triss and/or Yennifer which will impact how those relationships develop throughout the game. There are consequences to whichever you choose to pursue. There are other romance options that don't have any real "consequence" to the game and will not mess with your relationship with Triss/Yennifer. Overall, the game play is so well developed and diverse that it keeps you engaged the whole time.

The two DLCs are also excellent. "Hearts of Stone" adds some new content, quest-lines, and mechanics. The story definitely feels different. In a good way though. "Blood and Wine" could basically be it's own game. A whole new region, content, quest-lines, and mechanics. It was absolutely the best way to cap off this game.

This was the most fun I have had in a game in a very long time. It is so engaging and has such a deep and consequential story it is hard to put down. You don't really NEED to play the prior games before this one, but it doesn't hurt. And, you can transfer your save from game to game so the choices you made in prior games will follow you through this one too. With all of the decisions you get to make in the game finding "NEW GAME +" was available after I completed the main story was a nice surprise and I am looking forward to replaying this game in the future. I cannot stress it enough that if you have not played this game yet, DO IT. You won't regret it.