Recent reviews by Janos Biro

I'm not a fan of Hideo Kojima, and I only managed to finish this one because it's short and seems much more serious than The Phantom Pain. This game is kind of a demo for Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain. I played both, and the stealth system is really well done. It's a very detailed simulator of "covert" military operations. However, the narrative is completely ridiculous. The mix of military fantasy with nerdy jokes doesn’t appeal to me at all.

I need to confess, I liked Far Cry 4. I didn’t think it brought any innovation compared to Far Cry 3, but it allowed me to revisit the action and wild nature settings. Set near the Himalayas, it reminded me of a friend who lived in India. Far Cry always makes me think about the ambiguities of choosing a side in a war. It repeats the theme of guilt at the end, suggesting that the worst could have been avoided if the player had simply chosen not to play the hero.

This game managed to keep me engaged until the end, but not because of the narrative, which I found a bit silly, and more out of curiosity. It made me reflect a little on my fear of the dark, but I don't think it came close to what it aimed to be, which is a video game inspired by Stephen King's horror novels.

The Talos Principle was the most interesting game I played in 2024. Developed by Croteam from Croatia, it's a first-person philosophical puzzle game with very beautiful graphics, about an AI that needs to achieve consciousness in order to save the legacy of humanity, which was wiped out by a virus. Written by someone with a master's degree in philosophy, it really does a great job of raising relevant philosophical questions, although I completely disagree with the author's position.

In fact, I liked the game so much that I made a Twine version of one of the interactive fictions contained in the Road to Gehenna expansion and created an interactive fiction based on this game, called Anastasis. I joined the TTP community on Reddit, and the reception of my game was good, even though I’m arguing the opposite of what the game does. "I disagree, but I really liked the way you presented your argument," is what they told me, and that’s exactly what I thought about the game as well.

Suicide Guy, developed by the Italian studio Chubby Pixel, is a game where you need to kill yourself to wake up from a dream before your beer falls to the ground. The graphics are simple, and the gameplay isn't the best, but the highlight is the funny references. It’s a game that doesn't take itself seriously.

Portal: Revolution is an interesting mod for Portal 2, developed by a team of modders called Second Face Software. Portal: Revolution tells the story of one of GLaDOS's creators. It features creative challenges and a humorous narrative, staying true to the original game's tone.

"You can escape from a bad situation, but you'll always end up returning to it."

Mafia II takes place in the United States during the 1940s and 1950s. One of its main inspirations was classic noir cinema and mafia films, such as *The Godfather*. The story focuses on the life of a mobster named Vito Scaletta, who fought against the fascists in Italy and wants nothing more than a comfortable life for himself and his family, but ends up spiraling downward as he becomes involved with organized crime.

Shelter 2 seeks to create an emotionally immersive experience that allows players to explore the natural world through the eyes of a mother lynx. The idea was to convey the feelings of protection, connection, and vulnerability that a mother feels while guiding her offspring in a wild environment. However, I didn’t find this game as memorable as the original.

Transistor is an action RPG that tells the story of Red, a singer whose voice has been stolen. The story is narrated by her sword, Transistor, and features an excellent voice performance by Logan Cunningham, who also worked on Bastion. Transistor boasts beautiful art design, with visuals that combine art deco with a vibrant color palette. The soundtrack is exceptional, but the voice acting is the standout feature of the game for me.

Ord. is a collection of minimalist text games created by Stuffed Wombat and Mujo Games. Each part of the game uses only three words: one describes the situation, and the other two describe the options. The game is very interesting as an experiment. It sparks the imagination and allows you to finish a story quickly, playing again multiple times to find different endings. It is also great as an introduction for those who have never played text-based games.