Recent reviews by yncandescent

The three major DLCs in this are at best not good, at worst downright terrible, so save yourself the money. Not even the series power fantasy gameplay loop can save these "expansions".

At first the mix of small, linear levels, zombies and Far Cry 5's gameplay seems fun, but then you realize there's no checkpointing during a level and everything's really scripted and boss fights are way too spongy. We stopped after the second level.
Not recommended.

Do you like Far Cry's returning character Hurk? Do you want a watered down version of all of Far Cry 5's fun gameplay loop, that is stretched out to an almost comically degree? Then this is the DLC for you.
Not recommended.

A barely disguised total conversion of the main game, this gives about 1 and a half to 2 hours of gameplay and the base, fun gameplay of the Far Crys is there, but it is in all regards a really, really barebones version of it. Almost fits demake criteria.
Not recommended.

Originally announced in 2014, it took nine years and multiple developer studios for this to release. That the final game actually manages to capture the style and spirit of its original announcement trailer is a miracle in itself, but it was also not a surprise that the game is a bit uneven.

The new playable characters are a lot of fun and showed a lot of personality in their voice lines, cutscene interactions and their gameplay differences. The zombie slaying is also a lot of fun (and very gory), and varied with different weapon types, various upgrades/mods for them and you can even get good access to actually usable firearms. The design and world-building of HELL.A. starts out pretty strong too, with smaller and more focused map areas instead of a fully open-world.
But when entering the last third of the main story, the pacing ramps up suddenly and increasingly predictable plot developments happen, that sour the experience a little bit. Worse is that the gameplay segments are going down that same route. And what also doesn't help is that on top of the fun fight system sits another layer of craftables with assorted resource items and constant inventory management/cleanup, that just isn't fun.

Dead Island 2 is a definite step-up from the first one eons ago, but can't quite deliver a fully rounded package. However what is there is fun for the most of it and there's tons of things to find/read/do, even after you've finished the story.
It's just maybe a bit too long for its own good.

I personally regard the original Save Room puzzle game perfection in its niche, so I am thankful this sequel isn't just more levels.
Actually we get our very own, gender-bent version of RE4's Merchant, downright to similar voice lines, which I think is great and fun. But not only this, the merchant is center point of all puzzles, by providing both selling and buying transactions, as well as enabling weapons upgrades. This adds a bit more depth, but could have been refined a little bit more and maybe made less superficial.
And after 40 levels it does feel like it has wrung exactly as much as it should out of the formula.
Would I recommend this over the original? Absolutely not.
Does this give you more Save Room puzzles? Yes, absolutely.

Really nails the atmosphere and moment-to-moment gameplay, combined in an easy to grasp gameplay loop, that can still catch you off guard. Its only real downside is a sudden difficulty spike with the end boss enemy, that has a bit too many variables, but still beatable if played smart.
I do think the checkpoint system could be a bit more visible, to know when it has saved, especially since the game cannot be paused. My runtime was about six hours, but could have been less if I didn't mess up a few times here and there.
I've only ever watched people play Iron Lung, but this is a fun mix on its formula.
Recommended.

While The Auto Sort Is Broken aims for a much older visual style than its sibling Save Room (also made by Fractal Projects), it still carries the fun of sorting inventories and nails the charm of the non-3D MMORPGs from that era.
Its little bit of story and the flair of items, player characters and genre in-jokes round up the short-but-fun experience.
Well worth it.

(This demo of) Night-Runners adds some much needed friction and character to various parts of the genre, which I find a welcome change after six (!) disappointing Need for Speed releases (I know, I know, I should play more indie games, I am trying...).
Biggest issue for me is the bad visibility while driving, because of all the filters. Don't get me wrong, I love the aesthetics, but I cannot read the highway signs while I'm racing and can't focus on the incoming cars or way too tiny signposts, blocking the road.
Maybe a bit better onboarding at times would also be nice and some of the menus and controls seem a bit unrefined.
The vibes, however, are absolutely immaculate. As is the soundtrack. 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 *chef'skiss*

Does both too much and not enough, at the same time.
Various avenues of gameplay are presented and playable, but none of them feel refined or thought fully through, which on top of sits a hodgepodge of game systems and badly structured story beats.
Definitely an ambitious title, but that's the only thing it has going for it.