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"The moment you doubt whether you can fly, you cease for ever to be able to do it." - J.M. Barrie, Peter Pan

The Hunting God is another beauty from the collection of Tonguç Bodur, yet this one is a bit different... it is a tale of ancient gods, battles of will, old magic and sacrifice. I have played his Bottle series before, and The Hunting God is quite different both in narrative, and as an experience, compared to them; yet it does deliver in both of these categories.

Here, we step into shoes of Nodens, the Celtic god of hunt, healing and hounds; to relive a beautifully narrated adventure of the deity. He encounters a white wolf, and takes her as a companion, which starts a series of events, befitting a piece of old legend coming from the very narrative of Tuatha de Danann. Starting with her encounter with the wolf Draiochta - literally meaning, magical, in Irish language - Nodens will battle with corruption, take the aid of both a druidess and a monk, ask the wisdom of Belisama, face a fiend and make a choice. His journey is one worth taking on, if you enjoy mythology and harbor a sense of romance. I know I loved every second of it.

Well, environment design and atmosphere are what Tonguç Bodur is a master of, nonetheless. Here, in The Hunting God he allows a small glimpse at his capabilities, fully utilizing the Unreal Engine to illustrate a virgin nature. As we open our eyes to Nodens' perception, we take a walk out of a small pond, with sun's rays shimmering over our face. Our journey takes us through a beautiful glen at the edge of the forest, then a darkly lit canyon, haunted with a ghoulish moon and aurora borealis. As the journey comes close to an end, we take a long walk towards the peak of a mountain path, to relive our grandest battle yet. Both the environment design, and the accompanying narrative, driven with the majestic soundtrack creates a full immersion for Nodens last tale.

My favorite part of the game, aside the beautiful tale itself, was encountering various old sculptures, engraved with small poems, illustrating the tales of old Celtic heroes and legends. I can wholeheartedly declare that an immense amount of lore has been poured into this game, weaved with wonderous literary ability. I tip my hat to the developer and the scriptwriter.

As it all comes to an end, if you enjoy the genre which is walking simulator, grab this without second thought. From an ordinary gamer's perspective, it will give you half an hour of game time and some achievement. Yet, if you count yourself among the ones who'd sincerely enjoy a story of old legend, with romance and honor in it, this is one you shouldn't miss.

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"A kiss is a secret told to the mouth instead of the ear; kisses are the messengers of love and tenderness." - Ingrid Bergman

Con Amore is the only otome VN hailing from Team Taju, and it cannot be called a spectacular first trial. As far as the VN genre goes, we are already at the point that players would prefer some character depth concerning romance options, and even other route independent characters. The title of the game means "with tenderness", yet here things are pretty basic in a not so "tender" way, leaving the game with no replay value and no way to empathize with the characters. There is a wardrobe function, which can alter the affections of the chosen romance - which is a nice enough option, yet even that part of the game is pretty limited.

Here, we take the role of Claudia, a college student who majors in music. She attends a rock concert of the famous star Zeal, with her roommate, Bae - which ends up introducing both Alex and Daniel into her life through a series of awkward encounters. There are some "not so mysterious mysteries" engulfing both men, and you'll be free to make them hopelessly in love with you in the span of a week, if you chose you answers in conversation right. You mostly chose either your school – Alex’s environment – or your work – Daniel’s environment – which will end up bringing you together. Other than these beaus, and your roommate, no other character has any depth, any impact or any meaning. You chose whom to pursue and get your happily ever after.

About display... well, I really have nothing pleasant to say. There are only 4 character avatars to begin with, and even their facial expressions are not that various, and they do not even change posture. Background art is pretty generic, and for a game about music, the soundtrack isn't even the slight bit impressing. The writing is riddled with spelling mistakes, and even repeated words. I really wish they'd pick a proofreader before publishing these things. Conversations themselves fail to set any kind of mood, and aside from a couple of main events, all small bits of occurrences are left unresolved. You get you happily ever after with your beau - or belle - and that's it.

Aside from your usual choice options, you are given the option of picking what you'll be wearing for that day from some really limited options, and within all, only 3 pieces end up affection or event related. The game - even with the wardrobe function - feels unfinished. It's as if they imagined it to be more as they started, yet they got bored and wrapped it up clumsily in the middle of things.

Well, Con Amore ends up being an excerpt out of a 90s romantic comedy, and not in a good way either. The awkward social interactions, the dashing businessman, the insecure poet, the last-minute fight based on a misunderstanding and the romantic make-up convo - this VN has it all. It simply chews on the thousand-year-old formula with some cartoon figures. Color me not impressed at all.

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“You will always be fond of me. I represent to you all the sins you never had the courage to commit.” ― Oscar Wilde, The Picture of Dorian Gray

SoulSet is the first project coming from the two-people power duo known as NoBreadStudio. This is the first and only game coming from the Polish team, since their kickstarter for Whiteheart Woods recently came short of funding - which is a shame, if you ask me. As a first game, SoulSet is a work done right in all aspects.

Well, welcome to what remains from a grim and fateful night! A house burnt down, a family lost, a girl barely getting saved and a ritual completed... and we open our eyes into utter amnesia! Wonderful start, huh? Mariko Blairnot wakes up in an old mansion, recalling only her survival in that night and a shady yet charming man taking care of her: Feathor. As she wakes up, she realizes that she isn't alone in this mansion. Five other people - seemingly just as amnesiac as herself are brought here for an unknown purpose, and as the cherry on top, there is a magical barrier outside the mansion gates to prevent their departure. Who are you? Who are these people? Who are you to trust? What event transpired to bring this odd bunch to this current situation? It is yours to discover, yet I'd recommend caution in picking whom to trust...

As you can see, this is a mystery VN, with some otome options thrown in. The revelation of the whole storyline would take a handful of different playthroughs, following different paths and some discovery on bad endings also. In each path, you'll collect some clues to the nature of events, which can be utilized to pick priorly unavailable options in conversation to reach different pieces of information and a different course of events. There is a recommended order to pick different paths to get the best out of this game, which you can find out about at the guide section.

The narrative and the storyline are masterfully done, to establish a dark fantasy setting, not shy from delving into topics darker or a bit more on controversial side of the fantasy genre. Mariko's storyline, her relationship with Feathor and the personality depths of all other characters involved are intriguing and well-woven. Everyone has their own quirks, tendencies, ambitions, fears and secrets - which all really comes down to one big great mystery narrative. Marco is a young mastermind, Shira is the sassy lady, Shirr is the silent, vulnerable flower, Yvonne is Miss Sunshine and Apris is the strong, silent guy... or are they?

The display is another grand plus for the game: environment art is hauntingly beautiful, character cgs and their various expressions really do a great job on fleshing their demeanor out and the artworks are, even though not flashy, fittingly charming for the transpiring events. The game has no voice acting, yet I really didn't feel the need with the soundtrack never allowing you to break from immersion even for a second!

If you enjoy dark fantasy narrative and have a taste for something in the line of Anne Rice meeting Marla Snyder, I'd highly recommend this one. The game contains around 16 hours of playtime if you are to pursue all routes to reach the true ending, and it has all relevant achievements. I know for a fact that I have enjoyed every aspect of this game, and I really hope to hear more from the developer team sometime in the future.

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Well, what do we have here? Another gem from Gogii Games' catalogue, recently acquired by no other than the fabled HOG publisher Artifex Mundi? This cannot be bad now, can it be? Well, it is my personal experience that games directly developed by Artifex Mundi set the pinnacle for the genre, yet Gogii Games' old collection rarely disappoints anyhow. Let's see, shall we?

It's 1957, London. Here, we take the role of a young lady, whose been abandoned at the steps of an orphanage 25 years ago. The only thing that remains with us is a mysterious emerald pendant. One day, we receive an invitation to a sea voyage, to a yet another mysterious destination. The place is advertised as the "magnificent playground for the rich and powerful", alongside a note that the place should contain some clues to our parentage. Feeling adventurous enough, we accept the invitation and take the journey; only to get involved with the power politics of an evil corporation and some ancient magic disguised simply as "technology". See where this goes? Soon, we will prove that we've been the stuff of heroics which our parents hoped us to become one day. Be prepared to tread in dreams to solve this mystery and save the day again!

The game's atmosphere is both fleetingly nostalgic and dusty, fitting to an abandoned scientific facility hailing from the Victorian period. It cannot be declared a feast of art, yet it is not a bother for your eyes either. Soundtrack was also fitting for the genre: nothing spectacular, yet pleasingly fitting to set the mood. Character CGs aren't the best in the genre, yet surprisingly; the voice acting was one of the best in the genre that I've encountered. Story revelations and the pace were really great too, carefully weaving an elaborate setting and a course of events as we solve things.

For the gameplay, it doesn't take real intelligence to figure out how to play a HOG. You walk around, pick some objects, combine items, solve puzzles and go through hidden object sequences to call it a day. HOG scenes are pretty easy, yet the most appealing part of the game is its puzzles. They all are just the right amount of mind-scratchers, from logic puzzles to word plays. Collecting those kittens were a bit heartbreaking for me, since you are able to hear their meowing when you get close, yet not able to save them until you get the relevant point in the story. It had to be kittens!

The Emerald Maiden: Symphony of Dreams is a stand-alone adventure, with a small bonus chapter at the end which will present you approximately 4 hours of playtime, with not so hard to acquire achievements. Overall, it is a good enough pick to treat yourself to some HOG fun.

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And also Lady Storyteller's HOG Gems here - for casual games and HOGs you may enjoy!

A memory is a beautiful thing, it's almost a desire that you miss. - Gustave Flaubert

Well, here be the last part of the East Tower series, hailing from RoseVerte's collection. It sure is not among the best in their catalogue with questionable art choices and some blatant weeaboo humor, yet still the long wait in the series' completion delivers justly with a wonderful plot twist. We have waited so long for the revelation of our hacker, right? Well, allow me to say that none of us guessed this one correctly - and there were a lot more at stake on this game than we were aware of to begin with.

Well, about the storyline, I'll try my best not the spoil things for the reader, yet I have to warn you priorly. East Tower - Kurenai is the last part of the series, and it is mandatory to play this one, the last. The first game, Akio introduces us to the concept of the VR game and our participants; the second game, Takashi reveals some elements about the past of our protagonist; and the third game, Kuon simply nudges our attention deeper towards the unspoken mysteries of this VR game. This game is where all our prior questions will be answered, and presumable odd repetition of the prior events will be explained. Apparently, our protagonist did indeed participate the game three times, yet she remembers a singular one; and in this last game, it is not even Sakuya that participates alongside Kurenai... Oh, I already said too much. Give it a chance, and all will be revealed.

Paying closer attention to the character of our chosen beau, Kurenai is a sly arsehole to say the least. He is pretty, flamboyant, witty and deliberately cruel on all manners of social interactions. You know the type that you'd love to hate, yet end as hating to love? He is that kind. With his identity explained at the finale of the series, even his character shines under a different light - that is a feat masterfully handled by RoseVerte. Kurenai is different compared to all others, as we may have noticed priorly. This time, we will end up being paired with him, even though such wasn't our choice. Did the hacker succeed in this timeline? Well, you see, Kurenai has a mission to pursue in this odd Dream World - one he'll see through, even if that would be the last thing he'd do.

As you may have noticed, the gameplay takes a different direction in each game, and it has been the hardest for this final one. Our challenges do contain some mini games this time, which would require your attention to detail and even skills on time management. As the game comes to an end, an opportunity for the truth emerges. This is also the longest game in the series, containing both an outlay of the game in the VR world, your usual character interaction process and the end-game revelations that would require some in-depth story elements to be analyzed. It would take one A rated and three S rated playthroughs to see all endings - considering aggressive/passive answer scale presents different outcomes for the nature of the relationship, giving you a total of 6-7 hours of playtime - and also relevant achievements.

Could I recommend this one, knowing that it lacks a lot in display quality? I surely can, considering its story elements and character progression is handled wonderfully. If you are patient in your discovery, series do deliver by the end. If this is the worst title in RoseVerte's catalogue, I can wholeheartedly congratulate the developer. Wonderful work indeed!

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“Fear is the main source of superstition, and one of the main sources of cruelty. To conquer fear is the beginning of wisdom.”— Bertrand Russell

It came to the third part of East Tower series already? Wow, with each new one, the mystery has been kept well-fed, I must say. At this point, we all know the drill, we all know what we will encounter... or do we? This third chapter deviates from the routine a bit, by introducing the unique condition of Kuon's story. He is a bit different from the other participants. For once, he is the youngest, and he may not be declared as the boldest, for good enough reason. He is the cautious one, with some heavy trust issues. Want to find out more? Well, keep reading.

Sakuya, our protagonist with a gender complex, arising from a past trauma, participates the demonstration for the newest VR game by posing as a boy – that part doesn’t change since it always serves to be our prologue for the series. She joins the game alongside four other young men and gets partnered up with Kuon this time, a bit unwillingly. He is a cool looking young man with a stone-cold attitude. As he somewhat halfheartedly treads around, we soon realize that he seems distressingly familiar with the content and the rules of this game. May he be the hacker? Or what lies under his uncanny knowledge and control over the game? Spoiler alert: poor guy played this game more times than he would care for!

Our partnership with Kuon is deep layered, and his character may be considered the best written in the game, so far. His narrative is a great example of a well-established psychological coping mechanism. Since he’s been in the game for a long while, compared to everyone else, he grew up in many senses; yet some parts of his psyche remained juvenile and frightful. This dissociation also gets reflected upon his personality. His demeanor instantly changes according to the visage he dons. His character immediately changes, according to his form and the condition – which makes him really hard to communicate with. Kuon's story - however sad and somewhat disturbing - has been a joy to read about. At some point, Sakuya describes him as a wolf under a bunny guise - which is a really fitting depiction.

Challenges in Kuon's route differ from previous ones again. They are not only psychologically unique to this pairing, yet they also contain a philosophical aspect this time, about the very element of courage and wishful thinking. In terms of artwork or atmosphere, the series are not one of the best examples in the genre as I have noted in my previous reviews, yet I have played the series enough to decide that the narrative and character build don't disappoint at this point. We have 2-3 hours of game time, some achievements and our last set of clues concerning the character of the mystery hacker. Ready for the last part? I know, I am curious - which makes the series a success by its own, in my book. See you for the last chapter in the East Tower series!

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"A good intention is like the seed of a tree whose fruit we do not know." - George Bernard Shaw

Let's continue with the second part to East Tower series. This time, we got partnered up with Takashi in the VR attraction known as East Tower, and we get some new parts to this mystery concerning the hacker. This one is way more lighthearted thanks to the character of Takashi, yet the challenges it contains slightly differ from the ones before... they are a bit more... on the psychanalytical side, presenting more clues to the nature of this mishap. Being one of RoseVerte's older titles, East Tower series got on a promising start, and it continues more so on the nature of this mysterious hacker who previously infiltrated the game.

To establish a brief recap, our character is Sakuya, a girl who wants to become a boy so she can protect people she cares about. This stroke me as not so elaborate and somewhat shallowly handled in the previous chapter, yet let's say Takashi's playthrough sheds some more light into our specific decision and the encounter in the past that made us decide that we'd better be a boy. Sakuya - thanks to her dear cousin Dai, who is the Game Master for the local VR attraction East Tower - participates the game, posing as a boy, and when she gets in with other participants, the game gets conveniently hacked. From thereon, people get paired to overcome the challenges within the game, so they can get out.

Previously, we were paired with Akio - the know-it-all kid who turned out to be a businessman; and now, we are partnered with Takashi, the optimist cutie with the spirit of an ordinary high schooler. He is your generic good guy with some emotional challenge in the past, hailing from any shojo anime series thus far. He is the likable sort, the guy you can fit into any sappy love story. His avatar within the game is a lady - who is revealed to be his sister, later on, since he admires her so much - and she is a bit of a wreck in means of appropriate social content. He continuously blabbers whatever comes to his mind, presenting continuous comic relief moments. Yet, as I have noted previously, the challenges within this part are a bit more deeply thought, focusing more on perception and reliance whether than simple wits or teamwork. The gender issue is a bit better established here, compared to previous chapter also, presenting a mirroring condition to our own with a boy, who'd rather pose as a girl. Interesting, huh?

Is it me, or are art works actually better here, compared to the previous one? Maybe I simply didn't like Akio's portrayal... meh, well, it is somewhat better in CGs - in game avatars are still amateurish, but I'd take any improvement as they come. I'd still vote for a better soundtrack though, hearing it blasting every time you start the game kinda makes your ears bleed after a while. When it comes to gameplay, the choice options are a bit craftier in this one, actually forcing you to think before acting rather than going for the more obvious correct answer.

Any complaints? Nah, not really. This one was an improvement over the previous game, both in storyline and context, so I have nothing to complain about. We've got achievements, we've got two different paths to follow and some more clues concerning the big picture. Not the best VN around, yet still it strikes me as promising. See you for the next game in the series!

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"When you tell a lie, you steal someone's right to the truth." --Khaled Hosseini, The Kite Runner

Remember that minimalistic freeware which ended up making everyone rot in the gut with nostalgia after 30-minute gameplay a couple years back? Yeah, I’m talking about Emily is Away. Well, this is the sequel! Or some sort of a continuation with different characters since, here in this one, we have a different Emily; and even some competition for what may come out of our high school interactions: meet Evelyn, the punk-rocker girl with a drama of her own. Feel free to choose between them, yet make sure that you are actually treating them as people - no less. Their responses and interactions are believable and spot on for all of us who spent some part of their youth chatting on these things.

It's year 2006 this time, and we are yet again on AIM, chatting away our youth with friends on Windows XP. Youtube is around, Facebook is the new kid on the corner and the high school drama has new ways to ensure that it arises way or another. Nice, huh? This game might not be a direct sequel to our sob story in the previous game, since we are a different guy in a different high school, and it's a different Emily, yet she still bears the blooming potential to end up being away if we do not handle things right via chat. We are nearing the end of high school, and this is basically an outlay of our last 2 years before we head to college. We'll run through five chapters, chatting mainly with two of our best gal friends - Emily and Evelyn - and share our realities with them. Be warned that they will remember the things we've said in each chapter for the remainder of the story - since this game has what the previous one lacked: actual choice options, and a truck load of possible endings! One definitive advice if you are looking for a happy ending: do not lie to anyone!

The game mostly consists of AIM chat interface with a story, and some Easter eggs that contain throwbacks, pop culture references and farces about the time period. It mostly serves to be nostalgic for a younger generation compared to mine, yet it contains a solid idea executed well, built upon the previous one. All that the previous game lacked - this one has it; so, I have no reason not to call this one a decent game. Apparently, the developer took the community seriously and introduced choices that affect the outcome - and he is already working on the third installation that will use a newer medium and refer to a younger time period.

It is a genuinely nice play on nostalgia, so if you have even remotely enjoyed the previous game, go for this one. 5 dollars isn't that much to support an indie game with actual content and some well thought execution. Is it new? Nope. Is it depressing? This time, it depends on your own choices. Enjoy!

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“As long as she thinks of a man, nobody objects to a woman thinking.” ― Virginia Woolf, Orlando

Well, I haven't been playing a visual novel for some time, and to break the hiatus, I have chosen RoseVerte's East Tower series. We will see whether that was a good idea or not. I have played some of RoseVerte's newer games - namely, Cafe 0 series before, and I loved them genuinely. East Tower series are older titles, and it can be counted a bit on the amateurish side, among developer's games. Every game in the series centers on one of the gentlemen which we can develop an intimate relationship with, and this first one takes a close look on Akio.

Yet, before delving into the personality of this first beau, let me present a brief summary of the storyline. Our protagonist, Sakuya - or whatever you name her - is a girl who wishes she'd be a boy instead. Her cousin being a game master for the newest digital entertainment at the local VR game center presents her with an opportunity: to attend the newest puzzle VR called West Tower! Well, not really. You see, East Tower is a game for boys, and West Tower is a game for girls - for some reason. Yet, Sakuya convinces her cousin to allow her to disguise as a boy and attend East Tower instead. She attends the game with four other gentlemen, no problem thus far. Yet, as the game starts, an announcement takes place about a hacker who is trying to infiltrate the game! Things may go wrong and we are asked to partner with someone to tread carefully. With her chosen partner for this puzzle world, Sakuya is to brave challenges and learn a bit more about her chosen teammate.

Such is the prologue part of every game in the series, yet in this one, you are partnered with Akio. He is a young boy who claims to be much older than he seems to be. Yet, his demeanor is cold, and quite aggressive - with an "I'm independent and sh*t" attitude. Are you willing to discover who he is - or whether he can be the hacker in disguise or not? Spoilers: he is not, and he is actually a young businessman with family trauma. Not that interesting if you ask me, yet he is relatable to a degree. - and the probable identity of the hacker is more than obvious as the game starts, alongside the identities of all participants Anyhow, you can pursue Akio either as a friend or a romantic interest in this one, with appropriate achievements, of course.

Well, the VN has a promising storyline, yet its execution is a bit rushed - with little to no character development. One can say that the developer really came a long way since East Tower series, when you recall Cafe 0. It is refreshing to encounter the concept of bisexuality - or even a probable nuance on homosexuality - in the genre, yet I believe it could have been handled better. Sakuya's reason for her aspiration to be masculine isn't that deep rooted or well explained either - I found her reasons to be a bit childish. I personally liked Akio, he is the possessive one who could be preferred by many young ladies - nothing to complain. The end game plot twist isn't that groundbreaking - yet I'll refrain myself from presenting a judgement since this is the first game in the storyline, and not much will be revealed until the last game.

The artwork is on the amateurish side alongside the story narrative. I have nothing against anime style artwork, but these kinda seem like they were taken out of the sketchbook of a junior high schooler. Proportions are awkward, and the whole - male/female version of the same character portrayal could have more details rather than boobs and chin changing. The soundtrack is a bit annoying, and it being on the loop during the gameplay cringes you a bit. Puzzles themselves, and appropriate VN choice options are fitting and fun - yet I found our protagonist and her responses in conversations to be somewhat dim and childish.

At the end of the day, even though it has an interesting concept, its execution is pretty rough on the edges. It takes an hour to complete, and leaves more questions around rather than it answers. Does it intrigue you, does it provoke you to go for other games in the series? Well, yes, and that would count as the foremost success of this title, if you are willing to forgive some execution mistakes. You do wonder what that hacker thing was all about, nonetheless. I'll update my opinion as I continue the series though. Until then, this one is a "you can take it or leave it" title. Enjoy!

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“Cruelty is the law pervading all nature and society; and we can't get out of it if we would.” ― Thomas Hardy, Jude the Obscure

Wow, has it really been 15 years since this classic hit our gaming libraries? I must confess, some games do not age well, but F.E.A.R. is not one of them. After all this time, it still is one of the best horror fps titles around, by even establishing some ground rules for the genre and introducing the best A.I. ever in horror fps. Let's take a close look at Monolith's timeless masterpiece, then.

Here, we are initiated into F.E.A.R. - or First Encounter Assault Recon - a special opps team brought together and funded by the U.S. government to investigate and engage paranormal threats. As the game begins, we are not introduced with much aside the fact that we are the newly recruited "Point Man" for the group and this will be our first mission for the organization. The game doesn't present you any background information or prior storyline, yet simply throws you into action and asks for you to discover details as you go. As our first mission, we are informed that a psychic commander in government contract, trained by ATC - Armacham Technology Corporation - has gone rogue: Paxton Fettel. He is now leading various replica super soldiers which he controls telepathically and attacking various ATC shareholdings. Our primary mission is to capture/eliminate Fettel - yet as the game progresses, we encounter new bits of information which colors the whole story in a different way... a way that would involve the tale of a little girl, a violent and creepy little girl called Alma.

Well, without presenting epic spoilers, this is as much as I can tell what F.E.A.R. is about. I do prioritize narrative and storyline in all games that I play, and let me tell you: this one may not hold the most interesting, the most groundbreaking story elements of all times, yet the pacing and the construct of the narrative is a small masterpiece in the genre. This is a modern hero's journey - with a dark outlook on human ambition with one question at its core: are monsters born or made? Oh, and be ready for some plot twists!

The atmosphere is the best of its time in means of immersion and attention to detail. LithTech is an engine that can well be compared to either Quake or Unreal in its time - which presents you the best atmosphere and a rich level design for any fps game. The engine and the gameplay allow various tactical decisions, not only on your behalf, yet also for the A.I. Also, the level designs are plain wonderful: the game always rewards you for your intuition to check dark corners, yet you never get lost for long: making any walkthrough redundant. With some intuition, you'd complete the single player campaign in no time.

Going straight for the gameplay, WASD isn't something new. It's your basic fps combat, and some environment interaction, with ammo and health accumulation. The enemy interaction among each other, and their defensive/offensive tactics against you, are marvelous though. Enemies analyze, track and react to your movements in a nearly human way. If you try to take a detour around their premises and someone notices, you can hear them saying "he is trying to flank!" or if you'd manage to hit them hard in short time they ask for backup and the backup actually comes! They can try to dodge your attacks, or simply utilize the environment to establish makeshift barricades. Keep in mind that this was impressive in 2000s, and the enemy A.I. is still one of the best after all these years, making each combat encounter a thrill. The Slow-Mo mechanic is something unique to our protagonist, giving you an upper hand in all combat encounters, nonetheless. For a short period, you are allowed to move with superhuman speed - which makes everything around you seems like slow motion.

I just finished the single player campaign, and the multiplayer mode is disabled for the Steam version for some reason. I am yet to play the newer installations in the series, yet most people who played them declare them to be inferior to this one. Sadly, this game cannot be bought separately from the whole franchise here on Steam - and the series do go for 55 dollars. Now, that price is an exaggeration for games this old, however great they were to be, since they do not even have a multiplayer community anymore. If you are interested in single player mode, and the whole storyline, I strongly suggest for you to wait for a sale. Aside that money-milking approach of WB Interactive - since Vivendi is long merged with Activison Blizzard and WB adopted old Monolith games - the game is a classic of the genre. If you like the genre, this one is a must!

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