Reply With QuoteI've heard some positive buzz around Suzerain, but I haven't played it myself.
The Naruto game is one for fans of the series.
Destroy All Humans! is solid if a bit repetitive from what I've read/watched.
No idea about any of the rest.
Humble monthly games for April:
- Ghostrunner
- Destroy All Humans!
- Monster Sanctuary
- Killsquad
- Rogue Heroes: Ruins of Tasos
- Suzerain
- Chicken Police
- Naruto to Boruto: Shinobi Striker
Are any of those worth playing? Ghostrunner seems to have received excellent reviews, but I'm not that keen on superfast non-stop action games. (I'm not sure if Ghostrunner is one though!) Destroy All Humans! looks like it could be fun too, even if I don't expect it to be great in any way. The rest seem worse than the usual Humble fillers at first glance, but hopefully I'm wrong.
I've heard some positive buzz around Suzerain, but I haven't played it myself.
The Naruto game is one for fans of the series.
Destroy All Humans! is solid if a bit repetitive from what I've read/watched.
No idea about any of the rest.
After yet another fairly uninteresting bunch of games in May, this month actually looks really good!
I mean, really good. While I haven't even heard of half of these games, I think that for the very first time ever all of them look like they're actually worth playing.
June 2022 games:
- SW: Squadrons: I always preferred Wing Commander over X-Wing or Tie Fighter, but I'm really looking forward to trying this at last. It's been too long since I last played a fun space sim.
- Phoenix Point: Is this just another X-Com game or does it actually offer something different? It looks incredibly generic, but I hope it's fun at least.
- Call of the Sea: H.P. Lovecraft must be rolling in his grave every time some mediocre game claims to be inspired by his works, but this one's supposed to be good! I won't believe it until I see it though.
- Gamedec: A cyberpunk RPG that has gotten fairly average reviews. Could still be good though, even though it seems very dialogue heavy judging by some videos.
- Pumpkin Jack: A simple but fun looking 3D action platformer. It's apparently very short which is sometimes a good thing.
- Siege Survival: I don't usually play strategy games, but Siege Survival is supposed to have an actual story and it isn't all about combat, so I'm interested.
- I Am Fish: You're a fish in a physics-based game. That's all I know about this game, but it's enough for me to give it a try.
- Superhot: MCD: Maybe I should play the original at first.
Last edited by Tomi; 7th Jun 2022 at 15:22.
It is a modern-ish take on the genre from Julian Gollop, the man who created the first three original X-Com games. As for whether it's good, it was fairly buggy when I tried it over a year ago so I had to put it down, but other than that I liked what I saw quite a bit. But I might be a tad biased as someone who played the original X-Com a lot back in the day and also Kickstarted this game.Originally Posted by Tomi
I liked Call of the Sea, but it's nothing amazing or anything.
And yes you definitely should play Superhot, perhaps the most innovative FPS of the last decade. "Mind Control Delete" was a free upgrade for owners of the original, but it didn't grab me like the original did.
It's been a while since I played it, but while Phoenix Point did some very interesting things (particularly with aiming shots), I found it quickly became massively bogged down in micro-management, becoming a real slog to play.
I keep meaning to try it again after so much DLC has been released.
I've actually got a spare Collector's Edition box at home, as they mistakenly sent me two. When I asked if they wanted the other back, they told me to keep it.
Edit: henke's bang on about Superhot, and I'd go so far as to say it's one of the best games to play in VR if you have a headset.
The VR version of Superhot just feels so *right*, I found it very difficult to play the non-VR version afterwards, even if it isn't exactly the same game and brings its own things to the table.
I don't think the Humble Bundles have been all that great in the last couple of years. However the Career Break bundle caught my eye, because although I've not played any of the games within, an improbable 5 out of 7 of them were on my Steam wishlist.
https://www.humblebundle.com/games/career-break-bundle
Humble's September games are out!
- Crusader Kings III
- Just Cause 4: Complete Edition
- The Dungeon of Naheulbeuk
- Forgive Me Father
- Crown Trick
- Descenders
- Industria
- Shapez (+DLC)
Dunno what to think of this bunch really.
Crusader Kings always seemed interesting to me, but like all Paradox games that I've played (not that many), I bet it takes like months to learn just the basics.
I've never played a Just Cause game, are they any good? Should I play the previous games first? JC4 was a freebie on Epic Games so I already had this anyway.
Naheulbeuk? Some D&D parody RPG apparently. Probably not for me.
Forgive Me Father is the most interesting one for me. There have been way too many retro shooters lately, but this looks fun.
Crown Trick is a roguelite RPG that may be a bit too "charming" for my taste.
Descenders is extreme downhill biking. Looks like a henke game. Also looks fun, although maybe a bit too arcadey.
I was expecting Industria to be a strategy game, but turns out that it's an FPS! Gives me strong Bioshock vibes judging by screenshots. Might be worth a try!
And finally Shapez is the game that I thought Industria would be. Automation/strategy game where you try to manage a factory or something. Not my thing.
Oh and if these September games aren't enough for you, check this out!
Descenders is technically speaking very good on all fronts, but it didn't really grab me. I've only played 2.3h of it. The roguelite campaign structure wasn't very engrossing.
You should definitely play Just Cause 4 if you've never played one tho. Don't worry about the earlier entries, from JC2 onwards they're basically all the same game with some minor gameplay improvements for each entry. At least I assume that's what they are. Barely touched JC3 and haven't played 4, but they look like exactly the same thing. Anyway JC2 was a barrel of fun at the time and I'm sure JC4 is as well.
Like a lot of Paradox games (and especially the other CK games), CK3 is very indepth and there's a ton of DLC with new mechanics. As per usual Paradox bundle strategy, you only get the base game. If you aren't into long term historical strategy and politics, this is very much a game to skip.
If you want to run around and get rewarded for blowing stuff up, then Just Cause 2, 3 and 4 are for you. They play mostly the same with some new gadgets in each game, but the plot is largely irrelevant and most of the characters are very one dimensional.I've never played a Just Cause game, are they any good? Should I play the previous games first? JC4 was a freebie on Epic Games so I already had this anyway.
If you already have JC4 from the EGS giveaway, give it a spin and see if you like the gameplay it offers. Just don't expect an epic story that will stick with you.
Re: CK2
Paradox GrandStrat games are complicated, but in terms of actual mechanics and the gameplay loop, they're also pretty rock-in-a-bag simple too. I mean, you can start a game, do nothing, and just watch what happens right up to the end, and you're still "playing" it. Then from that baseline, you can just add little interventions one at a time and just see what happens. It's kind of built around experimenting and learning as you go.
I like how it's designed like that. It's a game that can be as complex as you want it to be, or as you want to invest into getting into the guts of it (that's not entirely true; it doesn't take too long to reach its limits), but by the same token, it can be as simple as you can handle.
Re: Descenders
I got into this game in a big way. It plays to that elemental rush of barely controlled speed and coordination of the tricks with an endless loop of new tracks, so you're not just memorizing lines, you're learning the skill to take on any track as it comes. I don't know if I can boil it down any more. I just really liked running the tracks for its own sake.
Last edited by demagogue; 10th Sep 2022 at 00:11.
October games are here! There's Deathloop!And... not much else at first glance?
Let's take a look at the "not much else" category:
Monster Train: roguelike deck builder, good reviews. Quite a bit like Slay the Spire, but still radically different. This looks pretty fun tbh!
The Dark Pictures Anthology: Little Hope: interactive horror story, mediocre reviews. More fun in some sorta co-op mode apparently. I think I'll pass.
Disciples: Liberation: single-player RPG, average reviews. Looks incredibly generic to me. Fun combat and exploration, but not much else apparently.
Maid of Sker: first person survival horror, mediocre reviews. Another horror game. Some puzzles to solve and simple stealth that can be frustrating at times. Great sound design apparently. It's a short game so I may even give it a try at Halloween or something.
Epic Chef: farming/cooking sim, mediocre reviews. Has some RPG elements in it, side quests and crafting and that sort of stuff. I think it looks quite awful, even though many reviews seem to call it "charming".
Railroad Corporation: railroad strategy, bad/mediocre reviews. As much as I like these old steam trains, I always find these games really dull. This one's also buggy and badly designed. I bet there are other games in this genre that are much better.
Golf Gang: arcade mini-golf, average/good reviews. Quite a typical mini-golf game, except that you can (and should) hit a ball that is still moving, which games the game more hectic and possibly more fun. I'll definitely try this one.
Last edited by Tomi; 11th Nov 2022 at 11:15. Reason: Golf, not gold
November seems like a pretty terrible month.
Hell Let Loose: realistic multiplayer FPS set in WW2. Not very original, and not my thing anyway.
Kingdoms of Amalur: remake of a mediocre RPG. Seems incredibly generic. Doubt that I'll want to play this after my current adventures in Witcher 3.
Shadow Tactics: Aiko's Choice: I wanted to like ST when I tried it a few years ago, but I couldn't get into it. Perhaps I'll play Desperados 3 instead.
Roboquest: fast-paced roguelite FPS. Seems fun enough, but I don't really like its visual style.
Eldest Souls: isometric Souls game with pixel art graphics. Doesn't look bad, but I find it hard to get interested with yet another Souls-like game.
Unmetal: old-school isometric 2D action for Metal Gear fans. I've never played a MG game in my life, so I think I'll pass.
Raji: An Ancient Epic: indie action adventure. Not many games about Hindu mythology out there. This one actually looks pretty good.
Morbid: The Seven Acolytes: another isometric Souls games that has got mediocre reviews.
Verdict: bleh.
The two original DLC campaigns (which are included in Re-reckoning) are of higher quality than the main game, but take a bit of time to get to. Teeth of Naros is available about 1/4th into the game while Legend of Dead Kel needs you to go through about 2/3rds of the game before you can access it. The bundle version also includes the new DLC exclusive to the remaster, but I don't have the remaster myself so I can't comment on the quality of that DLC.
The standout feature of the game is the action oriented combat system, which seems to try to emulate a lite version of games like Devil May Cry. These days it's not that special for a RPG, but it was a major thing setting KoA apart from other RPGs when it was originally released.
If you haven't played KoA, I'd say it's worth at least trying out for 4-5 hours. For those who do get the bundle at least.
Dammit, I always forget to skip the bad months in Humble Choice. Now I'm about $10 poorer and stuck with those November games.
Oh well. The December bunch of games looks a bit better, or what do you say?
Wasteland 3: Never played a Wasteland game before, but this one's supposed to be good, right?
Greedfall: Another good RPG, I think this one looks even more interesting actually.
First Class Trouble: Among Us but with shinier graphics. Multiplayer only. Meh.
Backbone: It's a "post-noir roleplaying detective adventure" where you play a raccoon. Nice pixel art graphics.
TOEM: A charming little "photography adventure", whatever that means. I think I've heard good things about this game.
Where The Water Tastes Like Wine: A narrative game that's all about the story (or stories). Lots of text here. I actually played this before and sort of liked it, so I think I should give it another try.
Blade Assault: 2D roguelike platformer set in a sci-fi world. Nothing special here, but it's apparently quite decent.
Super Magbot: A challenging 2D platformer where you use magnetism to get around instead of jumping. It looks fun but potentially very frustrating too.
I played TOEM earlier this year. Short and sweet and utterly forgettable. I enjoyed it while I played it and haven't thought about it since. I also played a chunk of Where The Water Tastes Like Wine, it had some nice writing but didn't really grab me.
Greedfall is very eurojank, with obvious seams and cut corners in visible areas like dialogue trees, but it's an interesting RPG. I'm not sure its treatment of fantasy indigenous races and colonialism is at all deep or even lands in the correct spot, but I guess I'll have to play more of it first.
Wasteland 2 and 3 are... okay. They failed to keep my attention, because they seemed a bit like a phoned-in post apocalypse with almost enough flavour to not be dry as a bone, but I struggled to keep invested in the experience, unlike say, FO1/2/NV.
Backbone is something I really want to play, because I hear the ending loses the plot so comprehensively it's left a collective welt on the minds of people who played it. I'm hoping it's at least as distinctive as Fahrenheit's ending.
edit: might as well add, you might already have Backbone if you got the itch Bundle for Ukraine.
Last edited by Sulphur; 9th Dec 2022 at 05:37.
I couldn't get into Where the Water Tastes Like Wine. The writing was pretty good, with a sort of southern gothic magical realism vibe, but the gameplay that happens between reading was so tedious, including a frustrating whistling-while-you-walk mechanism that forces you to choose between walking at a decent pace or not having to listen to annoying whistling and perform timed button presses. Plus the dev frequently and publicly complained about its reception, which felt to me like it was in poor taste given that the game had widely-acknowledged issues aside from people just not wanting cerebral games.
(give me Kentucky Route Zero all day, every day)
January 2023:
- Doom Eternal
- Tribes of Midgard
- Encased
- OlliOlli World
- Grow: Song of the Evertree
- Conan Chop Chop
- Hokko Life
- The Serpent Rogue
That looks like a decent bunch of games. I haven't played a D00M game since the good old Doom 2, so maybe it's time to try out another one? According to the reviews right there it should be great, but the experts at TTLG say that it's not much of a DOOM game. Tribes of Midgard looks like a fun enough action RPG, but it's not grabbing my interest. Encased is yet another post-apocalyptic RPG and it was a freebie on Epic a week ago, so that's a double-meh! OlliOlli World is a skateboarding game and I don't know what to think about it, but it sure looks fun. Grow: Song of the Evertree is an overly cute world building game that I could probably play with my kids some time. Can't have a Humble Monthly without some indie rogue-lite, and that's where Conan Chop Chop comes in. It looks silly and could be fun, but apparently it's designed for co-op, so I think I'll pass for now. Hokko Life is another overly cute farming/building/life sim that's not that good judging by the reviews, but it could be one for the kids again. The Serpent Rogue is a pretty cool looking fantasy adventure.
So out of this bunch, I'm not terribly excited about any of the games, but I'll probably end up trying Doom Eternal, OlliOlli World, The Serpent Rogue, and possibly either of the cute games.
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