Cockwork Industries (Steam)

Funnily enough I thought this game was called Clockwork Industries right up until just now when I typed in the title above and finally realized my mistake. Obviously, this is another short NSFW game by the makers of Countess in Crimson. Just like that game the rendered screens and animations are very high quality- though clearly and deliberately exaggerated, which some may not like.

Anyway, you are the lucky winner of a contest for to spend three days at a very secretive facility that performs certain body modifications. You can guess where it goes. There are four basic paths through the story with one path having several variations for a total of 7 endings. I ended up getting all seven endings and they are pretty funny. Short, simple and cheap (if you get it on sale) fun. Not as good as Countess in Crimson though. The collectible cards for these games sell well on Steam too.

Unravel 2, May 26 (Xbox Gamepass)-This was a pretty fun, very challenging platformer. Especially difficult if you try to pick it back up after a year of not playing. There are a lot of difficult sections with some of them timed and I think it was a little too much for a co-op game unless both players are pretty experienced with platformers. But its mechanics allow a solo player and its still fun that way too.

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Portal 2 (after a Portal replay)

And it only took me ten and a half years! There was one level I got stuck on for some reason, when I played it the first time, but I wanted to try and solve it on my own, so I kept the game installed but only loaded it up a few times during the last decade and without progressing any further. This year I replayed Portal just for the fun of it, because it's so short and great, but I was surprised how short, really, and how easy I got through the replay, despite having forgotten most of the solutions. And after that I just started Portal 2 from scratch. I got stuck a little on the same level again, but this time I eventually managed to beat it and continue.

All in all, I think I liked Portal a little better than the sequel, because it was so perfect in its simplicity, just Chell, sarcastic GlaDos and puzzles. Portal 2 introduces a new goofy and blabbering sidekick like it's your average Disney movie, and he didn't really fit the AI sound of GlaDos and her minions. Also, the setting goes beyond the stylish clean testing rooms and adds a lot of bleak derelict factory atmophere, which at least from today's perspective I didn't think as enjoyable and original, instead pretty reminiscent of your run-of-the-mill 2000/2010's 'realistic' FPS game (it also introduced some Bioshock type of character halfway through the game, although that part was somewhat refreshing and funny). And there were quite a few situations in the ... let's call them 'Interludes', when there were no real puzzles, but you had to hunt for the one surface that your portal gun could interact with, in huge chaotic halls (and most of the times those surfaces were way up above your head). Last but not least, Portal 2 is much, much longer than its predecessor - like maybe 15+ hours vs. the 2 hours of the first game? Which made me kind of glad when I was finally done with it - maybe it overstayed its welcome just a little for me in its entirety, even though the quality of individual puzzles did not decline.

That being said, the game is a lot of fun regardless. The mechanics are as great as ever and complemented with some new ones that work quite well, the puzzles are well balanced in general, sometimes challenging yet never too hard (even the one that got me stumped wasn't really all that difficult in the end), and for a game this long, they didn't really get too repetitive either. Cinematics and voice-acting were well done, even if I'm not quite sure whether I like the changes compared to the original, but while if pressed to choose I'd prefer the first game, I also acknowledge that both games are good in their own way and that it might have been wise to mix things up a little and don't just copy the first game 1:1.

(What's also great about Portal 2 are the separate co-op campaign and the possibility of player-made custom levels. But none of that was part of my recent playthrough. I think I already completed the co-op section ages ago with a friend.)

Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War - Soulstorm (GOG)

This is a difficult one for me to judge.
First of all, I only finished the campaign of one faction, and there are 8 others to choose from, so my view of the game is inevitably limited. I went with the Sisters of Battle as I wanted to try one of the new races, and I must say they were fun to play. I absolutely wouldn't mind to replay the game with all the other armies.
But it's not just that.
On the one hand, this is the biggest, more complete entry in the Dawn of War series: you have two more races (the aforementioned SoB and the Dark Eldars - the Tyranids are unfortunately missing) and, for the first time, flying units. The campaign is waged not on a single planet, but on a whole interplanetary scale. So, the game should be easy to recommend. On the other hand, though, this is not necessarily the best chapter in the series.
The gameplay is as good as ever: intense, exciting, with great interface and mechanics - but it's also basically the same, in spite of the desire to bring something new to the table with the addition of the new factions and the flying units. These ones in particular are hardly game-changers: they don't really shift the gameplay balance that much, in my experience, and end up feeling like a useful, but marginal, addition. They're certainly less important and well-developed than in, say, Starcraft.
The open, Risk-like structure (as opposed to a story-driven, linear campaign) is basically the same as in Dark Crusade, only on a grander scale. It ensures a high degree of replayability, but at the expense of a compelling plot. If you value story, the first Dawn of War is certainly better.
On the whole, I seemed to find the maps in DC (including the strongholds) more varied and interesting, and ultimately more engaging. But this is just my personal point of view.
Graphics are the same as in previous entries: still very pretty, with great attention to detail and nice animations, but in 2008 they were beginning to show their age.
The soundtrack is awesome, one of my favourites ever, but again, it doesn't seem much different than that of DC.
Voice acting is simply great... I know there are people who cannot stand it, but I think it's spot-on (despite the usual, strange tendency of the narrator to stress random words here and there for no apparent reason...)
I was again met with that peculiar inconsistency in difficulty that I had already experienced in DC. For example (playing on "normal"), a territory marked as "5" (so, very average strength) proved to be absolutely unconquerable - and I even had a sizable honor guard, full wargear, bonus to resources, forward bases, the Tau cannon! Others with higher numbers were easier. The Imperial Guard capital was the usual hell, the Dark Eldars' a walk in the park (I was even caught by surprise by its sudden ending). And so on.
To conclude: if I had to rate the whole Dawn of War series, now that I've played all entries, it would surely be a 5/5, perhaps even a "5+" - it's really some of the best RTS action ever for me, together with the likes of Starcraft or Warcraft 2. But it's difficult to point out a single game, and say that it's the best of the lot. I feel Soulstorm in particular doesn't qualify. To it alone I give a 4 out of 5.

-- the year so far --


For me, yes. But then, I'm an "olde gamer"...
Setting and atmosphere are really the strong points of the game. Truly unforgettable.
That particular gameplay recipe has been tried other times (The Lost Vikings is often mentioned, for example... or you could think of Trine, or Commandos), and here it works very very well.
If only AI would have been a little better, and especially pathfinding wasn't so hit-and-miss...

Well said; I have the same feelings. For me, it's one of those cases where the sequel, despite very high production values, new mechanics etc. doesn't quite manage to overshadow the original (I could cite NOLF, Bioshock, even Half-Life in my personal experience). I liked the new puzzles a lot (especially those coloured gels, simply brilliant), but I felt like I didn't really care that much for the story, even though that part with the Bioshock-like character was indeed great, and those work environments from the past, in particular, were recreated very stylishly and accurately.

Dead Space 2

One of the reason I ask someone for Dead Space here around a month ago was that I actually already have the sequel on my tiny Origin library. I never wanted to play before finishing the prequel. And I was right, in my opinion it is more rewarding to play it in order.

Compare with the Dead Space, somehow it behave better and ran smoother on my PC. I'm still rather fresh from playing Dead Space so I choose Zealot difficulty. It was quite difficult tbh not because it's extremely hard but the scarcity of ammos sometimes makes me second guessing myself rather than just go with the flow. Level 13 and 14 was also much more harder than the rest of the game for me. But the final level like Dead Space is not difficult if you well stocked in ammo and choose the right weapon, in my case it was the contact gun.

Dead Space 2 for me a much enjoyable game than the first as they really refine the game and turn it up a notch or two.

Yes. Although I like Portal 2 in comparison to the first part better than Half-Life 2 in comparison two the first part. The first games have a freshness that sequels just can't have, but in Portals case more of the same isn't bad. What might also help that I have a strong bias towards games that don't take themselves seriously.

Half-Life 2 (and Dark Reign 2 to throw in another sequel of a game that I like) is very annoying in some parts, because they feel like a gimmick, e.g. the seesaw, the gravity gun and the driving sequences. I also like that the first part feels less disconnected from reality, which might seem a bit weird since it has aliens.

Dishonored - Knife of Dunwall & The Brigmore Witches

I originally played through Dishonored back in 2012/2013 on Steam around the time that it was released and had a blast with it. I had such a great time that after finishing my first run in high chaos I went back and did a low chaos run which was equally great. Then the DLCs were released and I had always wanted to give them a go but never actually got round to buying them at the time and eventually I sort of forgot about it due to various things going on.

Fast forward to a few months ago when I noticed the Definitive Edition on sale which includes the base game plus all the DLC. I figured I will have another run through the main game at some point again but having missed playing the DLC previously I would dive straight into Knife of Dunwall (KoD) and then follow with The Brigmore Witches (TBW). As an extra point I'd heard that the story ties directly into Dishonored 2 which I've been planning to play soon too.

For both KoD and TBW you take on the role of the assassin Daud rather than continuing to play as Corvo from the main game. Gameplay wise alot of what you are familiar with from playing as Corvo is still the same but Daud has a few of his own tricks for instance stopping time when using blink without moving and the ability to summon assassins to assist you. You have the options once again to go guns blazing high chaos or sneakily slip through for a low chaos run with multiple ways to approach most objectives on each level. I went in wanting to go for low chaos however due to a ropey start due to my rustiness I ended up making mistakes which led to mass slaughter and so I ended up just rolling with it.. I will try a low chaos run again next time I replay.

There are 3 levels for each DLC story of varying length but overall around 6-8 hours to complete both. There are a couple of levels which reuse parts from the main game but otherwise they are completely new and nicely varied. My favourites would probably be the 2nd levels for each set but honorable mention to the final level of TBW for it's uniqueness and creepiness at times.

Overall, I'd highly recommend checking out KoD/TBW if like me you had only played the main game. If you haven't played Dishonored at all and have any interest in stealth games then definitely give the whole thing a go!

Clouzy! https://www.gog.com/en/game/clouzy

This is an adorable game with cute graphics about a day care center for clouds. You even get a cat companion to follow you around and stuff. Unfortunately, the controls can be tedious. The issue isn't that that the controls make the game feel like a port of a console game (even though that is also true). It's entirely that the game is slow to respond anytime you need to use the E button to do things like put things into mailbox or take stuff out, which is how you complete quests and accept rewards.... which often leaves you wondering if the game hung up or something until you realize that's just how Clouzy is.

If you're into really cute games with pastel graphics and animals to hang out with, you're better off getting Calico. The game can be buggy, but it's easily fixed by exiting to the main menu the continuing your game. The controls are weird until you get the hang of it, but the game never leaves you wondering if it's going to do anything. Once I got the hang of the controls, I can honestly say that Calico was a very fun experience.

https://www.gog.com/en/game/calico

Saint's Row 4: Game of the Year Edition

Cripes, this was a parade of wasted potential. Working for President Colbert/with MI6 should have been a full game (perhaps named Agents of MAYHEM) fusing Saint's Row and Alpha Protocol. Each chapter would feature a new upgradable crib in a different country and an entire small town where missions take on more extensive parodies of spy games. Costumes would be a more frequent requirement for missions of all sorts and we'd get more insight on Cyrus' shifting allegiances.

Then we could have President Saints with at least a full chapter with Washington D.C. free-roam and upgradable White House crib before the aliens attack. Whichever fake political party you don't choose becomes the enemy gang and to continue a theme started at the end of Saint's Row 3, protecting landmarks via shootout and bomb-defusal is a reoccurring side-mission. The Zen Empire should be better written in so many regards that I have no patience to go into it so soon before bed.

Only with a fusion of Enter the Dominatrix and Gat out of Hell would we get into simulations and superpowers, mainly because bondage and literal Hell are as compatible in my mind as letters and words. (Private sims were personal hells, after all) In fact, I'm quite certain that I'll delete Gat out of Hell as soon as I finish the story because I hate how much less Saint's Row there is to it. And if the GOG version of these games let me carry my character from 3 to 4 to GooH as I could on PS3, it sailed right over my head and I'm stuck with the cameo of a square-jawed/5-o-clock shadow white man with brown hair where my glorious golden gluteus goddess should be.

Burnhouse Lane (Steam)

This is the most recent of the Michalski (Harvester) games after Downfall, The Cat Lady and Lorelai. I don't think it's generally considered part of The Devil Came Through Here series...but it is still very much the same type of themes. Think of an adventure game with shock and gore horror like the Hostel movies with a story of selling your soul to gain a second chance.

It's a mix of side scrolling adventure, inventory item puzzles (not very hard), simple action scenes and even some platforming. Not one of the aspects is what you would call cutting edge, but it comes together great for the overall experience. This is always a bit of a cop out to say, but if you like the other games before it, then you should appreciate this too. Just like Lorelai, I really like the main protagonist- a woman delt a terrible hand by fate, that faces up to it stoically and just does the best she can.

Don't play if you're squeamish, it is a gruesome game, but you should know what to expect if you've played the other games by the same developer. I'm going to play it again eventually, once it fades a bit over time, because I messed up at a couple of points that prevented me getting the golden ending.

Rise of the Tomb Raider, May 28 (Xbox Game Pass)-Finished this one yesterday. Like the previous game its quite a lot of fun. It was basically more of the same which for me was quite enjoyable. I didn't experience any graphic issues this time around. Didn't have any issues with the outlandishness of the plot this time or maybe I've learned to temper my expectations in that regard. I probably have to knock it down a point or two because it didn't really do anything above and beyond what its predecessor did a couple years before but it was still a good time and I look forward to the last game.

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Include me, thanks
Sry late post, been inactive here for months

Games finished in 2024:
5/24: Titan Quest (Normal diff) + DLC (Android) (112h)

2023 - 5 games

Senua's Saga: Hellblade II (PC Game Pass)

I didn't particularly like the first game, and this one isn't much better. It's just a cinematic cutscene driven game with a single type of puzzle and simple cinematic combat that mostly consists of micro cutscenes. I'll give the game credit for having the cleanest totally UI free game ever, there is no UI, no quest markers, no compass, no mini map...no map. If you're going full cinematic, then may as well go all the way. It's not like the game needs any of those game things anyway- there is only ever one way to go and nothing to do other what you're meant to be doing...okay, with the exception of two types of lore collectible.

Despite not being my type of thing, it is short and has amazing visuals- so it's not a total waste of time if you play it as a tech demo.

Cris Tales

The 4th game of Maximum Entertainment Bundle donated by Doc0075 in the Community GA

First impression if the art. It's oh so beautiful. The soundtrack and voice acting is superb as well.

Now about the gameplay though, it was undoubtedly the game's most glaring weakness. We can give an elemental magic and the main character can manipulate time in combat. But after the opening 1/3 of of the game this time power are rarely used as the boss are totally unaffected by it. And of course by the latter part of the game my party basic attack are strong enough to handle basic encounter. Some of the boss fight also drag on and on. There are some strategy involved in these kind of fight of course, but once I get how to handle a particular boss most of the time I wish the fight just end already.

There are other aspect to nitpick. This game also feels tedious with going back and forth between 5 cities. I wish there are some quick travel in-between maps. The white loading screen is painful after the first hour. It could use some QOL update to feel snappier in both movement and battle. It was the devs first games and it definitely shows.

But I really enjoy the 20 hours or so that I spend in this game. Even when it at its most tedious I never feel to drop this game

Add note: there are 2 other games in this bundle that I haven't finished. Both are painfully slow played in my aging PC. Sometimes in the future when I upgrade my PC I would definitely revisit it..

Street Racing Syndicate

The Need for Speed we have at home

Been a while since I played a racing game so I decided to dust this from my backlog. Bought it on 2022 for a meager $0.59 and it really is a bargain as this is quite a fun one.

Like a typical 2000s arcade racing, we got to souped up our stock car and gaining respect from the illegal racing scene. Only 18 cars though and the performance and body upgrade are really limited compare to NFS Underground and its sequel. This is also an arcadey one so damage to car is not really significant

But actually our goal is to get 77000 respect out of the possible 78000 to gain entry to the final race and that was the challenging part. Finished first is 750 and executing tricks like drifting or drafting gave you additional 250. Winning the race are the easy enough, but sometimes in the shorter track it was quite challenging.

Beside the street mode there are a short arcade mode. I recommed to finish this first to gain acces to bonus cars that you get in the street mode. The hardest one was the LA Iron Man Challenge when you have to finished first in 12 concecutive races. One stroke of bad luck and you have to repeat again from the first race.

The AI is solid enough, didn't feel like much rubberbanding. They'll have no reservation to bump and knock you off but while their racing line is good they are not immune to traffic either.

The negative, well the music is bad. The graphic is not the best even compared to racing games in their tiimelines. Some of the girlfriend from 00's looks awkward both in their hairdos and in their dancing videos.

But this is a fun one and it really blew away my expectations.In times when arcade racing games getting delisted because of expired licences. to play one where there are real brands and real cars attached to one games is a blast.