Recent reviews by Hectamus

DO NOT BUY OR UPGRADE. The performance issues in this edition are extremely disappointing—expect stuttering every 5-10 seconds and wildly inconsistent frame rates. While the visuals look nice, the overly vibrant colors detract from the experience. This release almost put me off the entire franchise, but I’ll be trying the original version as it’s reportedly more stable and better overall.

Gameplay-wise, it’s lacking. The weapons feel dull, with limited variety, and although the dialogue is well-voiced, choices often reduce to “capitalism bad, corporations are stupid” in a way that feels heavy-handed. The planets lack distinctiveness, and too many quests feel uninspired. Given Obsidian's legacy with New Vegas, it's hard to see how this game falls so far short. I'd recommend skipping this one and playing New Vegas instead.

Similar to the first entry, Pathfinder: Kingmaker, this game inherits many of the flaws that made me dislike it. Both titles rely heavily on pre-combat gameplay loops, where buffing turns into an annoying ritual of clicks that quickly becomes tiresome. While there are mods available to mitigate this, they do not address the game's other issues. The writing remains overly stylized and juvenile, presenting a simplistic "angels are good, demons are bad" narrative that lacks nuance in the conflict between factions. Furthermore, the Pathfinder 1E system is convoluted and unnecessarily complex, with no real effort made to adapt these rules to suit the video game format. Despite my attempts to engage with the game, I consistently found myself disinterested and unable to care about the story or its characters.

I really wanted to like this game, as it has a haunting horror vibe, a great concept, and some amazing artwork. Unfortunately, I didn’t enjoy my short time with it. Battles take a really long time, and the game is incredibly hard, even on the easiest difficulty. I’d simply rather play other games. That said, I’ll give the sequel a try!

I have bought this game three times across three different platforms simply because it is that good. My time played on Steam does not account for the 100+ hours I dedicated to the original game on GOG. The story is compelling, and all of the characters are well done. While the combat and some of the gameplay itself aren't the best ever done, it does its job well enough. I would recommend increasing the difficulty for more immersion. The visuals are absolutely stunning, and the dialogue is believable. I did mod some annoyances out of the game, such as weight limits, etc. The DLCs are more impressive than the base game, especially Blood and Wine, which is larger than other games that are more expensive. This is a must-own in every library—simply one of the best games of all time.

In this game, experimentation is encouraged and rewarded. The gameplay is smooth, despite occasional stiff controls and animations. The characters are well-developed, and the environment is suitably creepy. It feels like a different take on Alien's atmosphere, but with many less dangerous enemies—though still deadly. The user interface is a bit convoluted, but it gets the job done well enough. Many pieces of information regarding the context of the game's story and the whereabouts/happenings of the crew are told through audio logs, which can be a bit tiring after some time. Still, the story and side missions are excellently crafted. I would definitely recommend giving this a play.

While the story isn't as strong as the first entry in the series, I still enjoyed it. The game feels very similar to Metro 2033 but continues the story and maintains the same atmospheric, tense gameplay. There are some excellent set pieces, and I appreciated how some of the bigger mysteries are touched upon without fully being explained, keeping that sense of intrigue alive.

If you enjoyed Metro 2033, I’d definitely recommend giving this one a try.

Simply the best CRPG ever made, in my honest opinion. The gameplay here is superb. Combat feels impactful and tactile. The side missions set a whole new standard, and the reactivity of your actions is felt everywhere. The visuals exceed any expectations I had, except when you zoom in on character models. The main story suffers from a lack of focus and is very short, but the rest of the world easily distracts you and gives you plenty of reasons to sail into the Deadfire looking for adventure. A must-own if you are a CRPG fan.

Eora has to be one of the best fantasy settings I’ve ever experienced. I initially started this game just to get some context for Deadfire, but I ended up really enjoying it. The combat can feel repetitive, and a few encounters seem almost impossible, but the game offers plenty of choice in terms of class and skills, even if character customization is limited.

The story is excellent, and the world is both reactive and deeply engaging. If you're into rich world-building, this is definitely a game to check out.

Don't play Skyrim; just play this. The world, writing, mechanics—everything is better than Skyrim. The only thing holding this game back is that it uses Bethesda's outdated engine. I would play this game simply for the story and its philosophical ideas. A lot of mods for Skyrim SE work in Enderal, so you can give that a try, but Enderal SE was made specifically for it as well.

It has an incredible atmosphere, and coupled with some chilling sounds, you'll find yourself frantically looking behind you or towards the source of the sound while all alone in the dark. It holds up pretty well for a game that is 10 years old. I suggest turning off the crosshair for more immersion.