Recent reviews by Xïn

Despite only playing for close to two hours, I feel as if I have played enough in order make a review albeit a short one.

Vaudeville is a combination of an noir narrative with writing an A.I. prompt. While the art and noir narration is what drew me in originally, the A.I. did manage to get a couple of hiccups like not activating their conversations unless a very specific word or phrase was asked, but I managed to find a work around by closing the game and then re-opening it. That said, I did enjoy my time with it and I look forward once the game manages to iron out the issues. :)

Phantom Doctrine is a turn-based, strategic espionage game set in the Cold War. By mixing the good elements of X-COM, it's a fun experience for those who love the genre and features two playable factions (the CIA and KGB) and a third that is unlockable. Each side has its own storyline and path forward but ultimately is about to stop the same evil.

There are three great things about this game, and there are three equally bad things. For starters, the character customization needs more depth to make each Agent more personalized and unique. The Investigation board needs more layers, and while it's fun to look for more clues for ongoing investigations, a summary of each completed case would've been helpful to keep things grounded. The third, and final, is the Stealth and Combat. Combat needs work mainly because of how unfair the game becomes if you're under-equipped or armed with a silenced gun, basic body armor, and a lockpick. While X-COM relied on dice and a percentage system to calculate the hit of the guns, PD relies on direct damage and can often shoot through walls like the Terminator. It would've been nice if we can find a way to cancel the Enemy Reinforcements or just stall the Airstrikes long enough to escape, or seeing the consequences if you decided to blow up the enemy's base instead of taking them in alive.

Overall:
It's a fun, solid game. I think that fans of X-COM are going to find more enjoyment out of this rather than those who haven't. That said, a sequel has been announced, and I look forward to how the story unfolds, moving forward, and what new features it will bring to the table. A strong 3 out 5.