Recent reviews by ducknuck84

Prime example that old style run and gun is still fun. Using a modified version of the Build engine used in classics such as Blood and Duke Nukem 3d, Ion Fury is just pure 90 FPS fun. Good mix of weapons in the game but i found my self gravitating to a few favs and only pulled out others if those were low on ammo. I also liked that unlike many FPS's "loverboy" your starter gun stays useful throughout the game thanks to its dead eye like alt fire mode that is great for the smaller flying targets as well as head shooting the larger enemies. If I had to make one gripe it that I wish there was more city levels as those were the most fun. The tunnels and sewer plant levels in the later part of the game overstayed their welcome a bit but not enough to be aggravating. If you like 90's shooters like Doom and Duke its worth picking up however at around 10h game time, more probably if you play on hardest difficulty $20 might be a bit steep for some but if you can get it on sale you should really pick this game up

best of the 3 parts, a little longer the the last two but be warned the auto save checkpoints are not great on this level so manual save is a must. still even though it was better then the last 2 i would still wait till its on sale.

part 2 of the save Churchill was a bit better then the first one but would still wait till its on sale to get it as its a bit short for something priced at $7

a reused level but interesting enough I'd say if you want a few more adventures in SE3 get it but only when on sale

Its a bit old and the controls can be a bit clunky but its still a lot of fun to plan out a silent hit in the sandbox like levels

Basing this on the single player only as i don't have much interest on the co-op or multi-player. I'd say Its a fine entry into the series that gives you some fun levels to snipe in. However because of the setting it feels less gritty then V2 and more like an adventure film setting but still looked great. Story wise there is not much there and its really only there to string the levels together. I mean if the only story was our sniper just saying the OSS is sending me here every mission nothing really would be lost. Game length might also be a problem for some as with only 7 levels it is rather short and your time may very depending on if you try and stealth the level or run and gun it but on average you will probably get about an hour per level. I would probably wait till its on sale as even at its current price its a bit much. There is the shooting gallery and the challenge maps for some extras but I liked V2's map better. However if you can get the game on sale i would recommend it as it still is a lot of fun.

Lords of Shadow is not a Bad game far from it. It has a good plot nice visuals and some great voice acting. However it does have some problems.

First the controls. You will definitely want to be playing this with a controller. While it has keyboard settings there is a horrendous input lag which will make an already not great control scheme even less so. In addition, even with the controller there is still input issues especially with the sprint commands as, at least for me it would sometimes not register that I had double tapped the sticks and this can be killer in boss fights. The other is the blocking mechanic where you have to hit is just right, even if you are a millisecond off you will take the dmg which can stagger you and set you up for even more damage stagger again especially in boss fights. Moreover, even though you have a dodge there are no I-frames so if a monster attacks right as you leave the dodge you take that dmg. Finally and this might be only with PS4 controllers the because your mana gathering is linked to the L3 sometimes when you would want to do other things like sprint or just move it will instead trigger the L3 gather command which roots you in your place which again in boss fights can lead to you taking dmg if it happens at an inopportune time.

However even with these problems for the majority of the game you can work through this but there are a few times where it can be simply aggravating and you feel like you are fighting the controls more than the game. Which leads me to the next thing the combos. I love them when they work and they look bad ass but I really wish there was a way cancel action mid combo as you will be locked into it and take dmg and there is nothing you can do about it, you cant even switch to a block or a dodge so if you miss with an attack combo be prepared to get hit from the back or sides. While we are on attack might as well talk about the Quicktime events . . . they suck. Not only are they just button mashing they really just break up the flow of the game and the combat and in longer fights can just get tedious.

Finally the static camera. There are times where the camera angles really do not help you this game was made in 2010 static cameras should not have been a thing

Yet even with these problems I would still recommend the game as while I was frustrated at times i still had fun and was invested enough in the story to want to see its ending. I think that if some of these problems had been ironed out when it first came out some of the backlash it got might have been muted a bit. They tried something different, even if it was following the likes of God of War and DMC, but because it wasn’t an other Metroidvania style game it got more backlash at the time then i think it deserved. Is it a Great game? No, but it is a very good game i’d say a B- while it has it problems for me it gets a lot of things right so is worth a play though I wouldn’t say it's worth achievement hunting for.

Still a great game.
I originally played this back when it came out on the PS3 and enjoyed it a lot. so was glad to so it pop up on steam to get a wider audience then i think it originally did. The story is nice but does have a bit of anime cleche so if that's not your thing that might be a negative but I think it still hold up. Graphically I would also say that the game has held up very well and still looks very good thanks to the Canvas engine's watercolor like pallet that gives the game a soft nostalgic feel and to the great character designs from Raita Honjou.
As for the game play it also still hold up with its blend of real time and turn-based movement. It's one of those systems that is easy to pick up but sometimes challenging to master due to the fact that the real time element lets the enemy shoot at you during your movement if you get into their range but the same can be done to them during their movement. so positioning is really the key and learning that moving from cover to cover is your best bet. The more familiar elements to the game might be the unit system which is your standard rock,paper, scissors type that is common in these games so if you have played fire emblem or the like it will be nothing new. However the balancing in the game is a little off and some of the classes can get a bit OP leaving the others to be less attractive options. however the unit mix of bad guys on each lvl usually is enough to warrant bringing at least one of the more support oriented classes. The one down side to the game is that there is a bit of grinding which has you replay previous missions which narratively is kind of game breaking but needs to be done as you need the exp and cash to better outfit your troops through the R&D and Boot Camp mechanics as well as needing cash to unlock some new mission lvls but there is still a decent amount to do so that the grinding is never to bad.

tl:dr Though there are some minor game play elements that might turn some off Valkria Chronicles is still a very fun game that has held up very well and is still worth playing eleven years later.

A pretty good game from some of the same people who brought you S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Game had a really good atmosphere and a good if a bit linear story that does take some time to get going. I had thought that the game was going to be more open world but it is actually level driven so exploration must be done before you advance the level as there is no going back.

For the game play you have to manage your resources such as ammo, filters, and military grade ammo (which is your cash as well) which can be challenging but never unfair. If you do find yourself running low you usually can do some quick exploration to find what you need. only time i ever had a problem was when i made bad choices. Only real complaints I can think of is that sometimes some of the mutant enemies seemed a bit spongy when it came to damage and some of the jumping physics can be a bit wonky. I also liked that at points when dealing with human enemies you have the option to stealth through a level rather then Ramboing it.

Overall a good but linear game with a good setting for fans of the Post Apocalypse survival game

This is more of a Meh then an overwhelming No or the recommendation. There are some things I liked in the game as well as some of the levels but overall there was also a lot wrong with the game ranging from the movement mechanics the stealth and the overall story that make this a hard recommendation.

I will say that some fun can be had from the game but i really would not pay more then $10 for it as it has lost the charm of its predecessors and feels like it was rushed out the door when it was released and for the same price you could get most of the old games and have a fun time.