Recent reviews by Lorgarn

Dreadmyst is a fantastic little retro-style MMO. Anyone who cherish their memories in games such as Neverwinter Nights, Diablo, World of Warcraft (Vanilla), Lineage and others - You should give this a go, you'll have a good time.

Enjoy!

ARC Raiders is a solid, crazy fun and truly engaging game. The developers of Embark nailed it with this one. You can tell that they brought over years of expertise from previously working on the Battlefield franchise and others. The level of fidelity from shooting your gun, hearing echoing shots over the hills, the menacing movements and sounds of the ARCs. The level of quality in animation, sound design, character movement, environment design...

Not only that, TTK is rewarding and feels balanced, even the early starter gun feels strong in their own right. Upgrades matter but doesn't make you OP. You can still get tapped from an starter Ferro from a far.

Playing with friends is great fun, much different from playing solo. I had way better odds of survival and killing my opponent as a solo player, which plays almost like a DayZ-style survival of the fittest type game experience. Group fighting gets chaotic fast, as exhilarating as it is difficult.

Definitely recommend everyone to try out ARC Raiders.

With Baldur's Gate 3 there isn't much to say that hasn't already been said before, countless of times. I will just say that for me personally, who necessarily isn't extremely into CRPGs nor DND, this game is probably the best game I've played in over a decade.

This isn't just a game, it's an experience. A masterpiece that will (in my opinion) go down in history as one of the best games in modern history.

Fantastic game, just give it sometime to grow on you. Worth every penny, this is especially true on discount. Playing with friends is strongly recommended, I feel that a group of about ~3 is probably ideal. More than that has a negative affect on server performance and hurts the experience somewhat.

Oh Stationeers, how I love thee.

Were you one of those kids who while enjoying putting together Lego models, you ultimately always wanted more? I was one of those kids, I remember getting my first Technic truck. It had an engine, batteries and even this little scanner-doodad which you scanned pre-programmed barcode functions with to control your truck. The truck itself didn't last me long as I wanted to see what I could do with the parts that came with it... I digress.

Stationeers is one of those games for the curious, problem-solving gamer with a bit of love for engineering and clever (sometimes stupid) solutions for complicated (sometimes not) issues. Even more so if you have a friend with similar interest whom you can work together with, or as often happens, argue a little bit with because you know your way of setting up the smelting room is the best way. Obviously. At the moment your current goal (gameloop) is to survive on the moon, gather materials to build your moonbase and eventually expand it so you have enough room to build the pinnacle of human engineering. The most advanced, efficient and in general just perfect moonbase, where nothing can go wrong..

The game at the moment has a bit of a learning curve, there isn't too much documentation on the game yet and its many, many tools and functions. Which I personally find both challenging and fun! It took me probably close to three hours to properly set up my 8 solar panels to correctly switch between their three states (sunrise, midday & sunset) using the logic computer and two daylight sensors. (The day after I completed it the devs added function 'SolarAngle' to the daylight sensors. Thank you! Grrr!)

If you have been following this game at all and watched some of their dev streams you've probably heard them claiming that they've built the game around it having a quick turnaround on compiling new builds with updates, bugfixes, new assets and functionalities, etc. So far this seems to be a true statement, they have patched the game what seems to be almost on a daily basis. While the game itself has some rough edges here and there, there is already a ton of content within the game and it should honestly last you a fair amount of hours to have touched on everything there is. As for Early Access, I think they've done a great job with the game thus far. It definitely feels like a proper Early Access title to me, it has plenty of content, it has an interesting gameloop that's fun, they just need a bit of polish, balance and some bugtesting. Cool!

As for the community, I've been lurking a lot in the Stationeers Discord server and so far the community seems to be keen on helping out and being in general quite nice to eachother. Due to the complicated nature of this game a lot of players turn to eachother for help, tips and tricks on how to solve their issues. I haven't seen a single elitist jerk bashing on a new player because he didn't know how to properly pressurize a room or what have you. So keep that up please!

So to summarize a little bit; If you like a bit of building, crafting, gathering, surviving, (Space!) and some problem-solving. Stationeers might be the game for you.

Oh and also.. pipsi.

An fantastic addition to an already great series, Divinity: Original Sin 2 delivers on what it promised and more. This series of cRPG's are here to stay from the looks of it.

A turn-based classic RPG with an incredible depth in lore, world, design and to an extent the combat as well. You can expect AAA quality voice-acting all the way from heavily involved key characters down to the lonely rat at the bottom of an abandoned cave. (If you have the ability to talk to the rat, that is) Set in a beautiful world with a beautiful soundtrack to back it up, players are surely in for a treat diving in to this gem of a game.

Great as a singleplayer adventure and in my personal opinion, even better played with a friend or three. The combat is fun and engaging and if you're playing on higher difficulty you can expect to be forced to work together. Strategy, wits, clever use of mechanics and a little bit of luck will be needed to best your foes.

For all of you hoarders and collectors out there, items and money matters - a lot. Very rarely do we get to play games where your money is actually incredibly useful and you will need to go back town on a somewhat regular basis to stock up on tools, scrolls and more importantly, equipment for your character and its followers. There is almost always some equipment upgrade out there waiting for you in the bags of a merchant somewhere, waiting to be bought, or perhaps, stolen depending on who you are as a player. The merchants inventory "level up" as you do, so always check in with them again to see if there is anything new available.

So to wrap up, if you like RPGs and don't mind the turn-based combat (I love my ARPG's but this combat is incredibly fun for me still), don't skip this game. Just don't.

Squad is probably one of, if not the best handled Early Access game we've seen yet. These developers truly care for this product and its community and it's so heart-warming to see. They work their asses off to keep developing this game and churn out the updates with bugfixes, fun new content and new maps. This is one of those few times where you shouldn't shy away because of the Early Access tag.

As for the game itself, it's a strategic squad-based military shooter with an emphasis on realism over arcade and teamwork, lots and lots of teamwork. When I first looked at this game a while back I was slightly concerned about its emphasis on teamwork, I thought: "How can they get people to want to play together? How can they get people to shy away from lonewolfing and play as a team instead" I can't really put my finger on it, I don't think it's one thing. It's more likely a plethora of design decisions made early in development, all in the name to encourage teamplay and you know what - Whatever they did, it worked.

Playing as a team in Squad can be so much fun, it can be relaxed and goofy, it can be highly strategic, effective and serious or all of the above at the same time. In Squad, playing alone is ineffective, you'll have a hard time trying to achieve anything of importance. Playing together with your squad however, with a good leader and squad-members, you can truly change the course of a battle. Working together achieving victory is so rewarding, especially when you know that your squads performance made a difference on the battlefield.

It might be a little bit scary at first but try to get comfortable listening to your squad-leader and fellow squad-members, also try to at the very least acknowledge via the microphone when you're been given an order. Don't be afraid, no one cares if you have a high-pitch voice, a low-pitch voice, a heavy accent or no accent at all, female or male, etc. I myself have a somewhat thick Swedish accent and during my 64hrs of play I haven't had it been questioned or talked about even once. I've played with Russian squad-leaders with the most thick accent I've ever heard and no one cares, it's never an issue.

If you're a newcomer, it always helps to introduce yourself and say that you're new to this game and would like to have some pointers when you join a squad. I've never heard anyone being mean or arrogant towards a newcomer, never, and if it does happen, just leave that squad and join another.

If the concept of a strategic squad-based military and VERY immersive shooter interest you, don't skip this one. It's one of the best out there, in my humble opinion of course. No, scratch that, it's THE best option out there for this type of game, hands down. Get it, play it, NOW.

Farming Simulator 17 (FS 15 v1.2)

This release in, in my honest opinion, doesn't warrant being its own title. This should've been an expansion, perhaps an DLC to Farming Simulator 15. Ridden with the same performance issues, bugs and general odd behavior out of a supposed 2016 release, FS17 doesn't bring a whole lot new stuff to the table. They're essentially charging you full for a re-packaged FS15 with a few news maps, some vehicles, minor features, etc.

Many of these things isn't really something this game is in dire need of, it doesn't need more vehicles, new animals or "trains". What this game needs is an overhaul of the entire engine, they need to rework or completely move away from their current engine. What kind of multiplayer game needs everyone on an server to stop for five seconds to synchronize with eachother when a new player loads in?

Physics, the physics in this game is beyond horrible. So many times had I spent a full 10 minutes on loading logs, only to have the last one flip out on me and throw me and my once fully loaded wagon away. I was hoping this would be fixed, as FS15 pretty much had the same issues.

For Farming Simulator I've coined the term 'Styrofoam Logs (feat. Dipped in Vaseline)', which is something this game suffers severely from. The log physics in this game is horrible, they have little to no weight in them, no grip or staying power which means that they glide and slide around like they're dipped in vaseline. So many times have I had the claw on the wheel loader, filled beautifully with logs, only to have them slowly but surely slide out of the claw on me. Even when I'm standing completely still, they'll just slide out and drop on the ground. I've noticed this styrofoam nature is a problem with most of the game assets and I suspect the problem roots from the subpar and outdated engine they use for this game.

FS17, and 15 before it, does a few things great - Farming, actually not that surprising I guess. Farming in FS works great, with few hiccups on pretty much every step of the way. The worker A.I is a bit wonky but it can be dealt with.

Graphics - Hello, what happened? This release has pretty much the exact same graphics and overall assets as FS15. Utterly disappointing and reinforces my earlier statement about this should've been an expansion or DLC to FS15 and the last major game title to be using this outdated game-engine. Not befitting a 2016 release, AT ALL. Especially considering the popularity of this title.

I will not recommend this game to anyone and this could very much end up being the last FS game that I buy from GIANTS Software.

Astroneer is a beautiful sandbox, a vertical slice of a game that definitely has potential. However, the term Early Access definitely applies here - This game is unfinished, littered with bugs and performance issues. Even more so when you're playing co-op with friends.

I played this game with a close friend of mine and my older brother, the game can be hysterical and plenty of laughing fits will be had. You're an 'Astroneer' set on a planet to explore, find minerals and research blueprints to develop and craft your own moonbase. At the early game, adventuring far away from your moonbase can be difficult as oxygen can and does run out rather quickly. You can use gather and use 'compound' to craft 'tethers' to place outwards from your moonbase, these provide you with oxygen and can be used as 'breadcrumbs' to aid you in navigating caverns.

As other reviews on Astroneer often mentions; it doesn't take long for you to experience everything the game has to offer in its current state. Which is why I wont recommend this game; as of now anyway. I was planning on waiting a few months to see where the developers take this game, but my friend was impatient and nagged me and my brother for several days until we caved. I truly wish he hadn't, so we could experience this game in a more polished and fleshed out game.

Positives (as of v0.2.115.0)
+ Beautiful environments & general artstyle
+ Good soundtrack
+ Fun gameplay
+ Co-op mechanics

Negatives
- Horrible vehicle mechanics
- Severe performance issues in co-op play after longer sessions
- Very limited gameplay loop

Although being in Early Access, Naval Action has a very good foundation upon which the game is being built upon. They started with the very basics by first developing, fleshing out and testing the combat module years ago. It is clear that this is where Naval Action shines.

It's not a true simulator by any means, however, it takes whatever realism it can and molds it into a fantastic gameplay experience. Sailing mechanics such as manually controlling the yards is extremely fun and rewarding as your maneuvering the battlefield trying to line up a perfect broadside. Constantly keeping an eye on the direction of the wind, the angle of your yards, the angle and direction of your targets yards and ship. Outmaneuvering your opponent can be a truly rewarding experience and most definitely will help you in coming out on top and surviving a battle.

The 'overworld', or 'open world' part of Naval Action is very much so a work-in-progress. However, it shows us the potential of Naval Action as a large-scale war between multiple nations trying to outsmart eachother through stategical prowess and manipulating the political landscape. Naval Action has a long way to go but it has shown us that the concept works, beautifully so, and they plan to make it so much better.

Albeit a tad bit pricey for being an Early Access game, I personally believe it to be one of the best we've seen thus far. So if you like the Age of Sail in general, perhaps the masterpiece film 'Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World', the great series 'Black Flag', you might want to check out this game.