Recent reviews by Son Of Proctor

Man, I just could not get into this game. This is my second attempt too.

It's nothing like the original Deus Ex, and the visual aesthetic couldn't be more different. It's hard for me to even believe they share the same title. It's not a bad game per se, it just doesn't feel like Deus Ex to me.

I hate that you have to use a third person cover system to avoid detection, and that you can only really play the game with a stealth/non-lethal approach. The game gives you very little ammo... even though terrorists are dumping mag after mag at you. Kind of an oversight.

This port is also an absolute stutter fest. Each new area you walk into has at least 5 seconds of dropping from 120 fps to 1. Not an exaggeration.

The moral choices (that I got to) didn't really seem moral... they seemed like a gamble. Trying to pick the right dialogue options to get the best rigged outcome rather than choosing between two modes of thinking. The original Deus Ex handled this much better IMO. (For example - instead of being allowed to choose how you want to deal with the hostage situation, you're trying to find the right dialogue choices (empathy, confidence, humble, etc) in order to get him to do one thing: drop the hostage. The original Deus Ex would probably have given you the options of killing him, becoming his friend, joining his team, eating him, or breakdancing with him at the club.

I'm sure there's a lot to be admired, but the ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ Zack Snyder black and gold urine filter coupled with constant stuttering and wonky cover mechanics are enough to make me put it down. Jensen also looks (and sounds) like a dorky little league coach with his sports shades.

It felt like I was larping with 40 year olds on Second Life
The game brings you back to the desktop for every loading screen LOL

Awesome sequel to the first game. Same fast gunplay, but a little bit more refined.

Not quite my cup of tea with the romance, but it's a good direction for Max's character after he moves on from the last game.

It gets a bit repetitive towards the end, BUT the game is like six hours. It doesn't have the gritty winter atmosphere of the first game, although the constant rain adds its own dreariness. Definitely worth playing.

This game is absolutely awesome and the Max Payne franchise is peak gaming, but the Rockstar launcher actually causes my game to crash pretty frequently. Requiring two platforms (Steam and Rockstar) is redundant. I know this is most likely the fault of Rockstar, but it's still irritating.

Also, if your game is stuttering, disable MSAA and only use FXAA.

From the point of view of a zoomer:

It's really hard to believe this game is from 1998. Even the graphics aren't half bad, especially the models of the weapons. The presentation in the "Overworld" is still super interesting artistically. There are zero cutscenes, and the game is as fast or slow paced as you want it to be. You can easily beat this game in 3 hours or 12. Took me around 10.

The gameplay and puzzles are so good, I don't want to play another ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ triple A title ever again. Seriously, this is the best level design I've ever seen. On par with, if not better than Fromsoftware. The art direction and creature design also hold up exceptionally well - especially the Overworld segments.

My only criticisms would be that some of the deaths are pretty cheap, and the game can be glitchy and straight up break at certain points (the final boss fight went on infinitely and I had to reload my save twice). The story and atmosphere also take a backseat to the gameplay and puzzles, which may be more appealing to some dudes, but I wanted to know more about the world (hence HL2).

100% recommend.

Excellent port for an excellent series!

Almost no complaints here. Install it and every game works right off the bat at 60 fps. I've heard of a few potential glitches in Dmc 1, though I didn't experience any of them.

These games have aged a bit in terms of graphical fidelity, but the art style more than holds up. The Gothic architecture is reminiscent of an old cathedral and the atmosphere is palpable. The soundtrack also matches this vibe - especially in Dmc 3, that game has an unbelievably fantastic soundtrack. You'll quickly forget that the games are 20+ years old.

In that regard, what also helps is the insanely fluid combat. Like, ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ insanely fluid and responsive. Very few games of this age have the same depth when it comes to gameplay. You can seriously get lost in the combos, lol.

- Just skip Devil May Cry 2. It isn't even worth trying.

The story can be very silly and over the top, but it has genuinely endearing and captivating moments. Especially Dmc 3.

Highly recommend this collection if you're trying to get into the series.

I really want to like this game. The environmental art direction and graphical fidelity are fantastic, and the game strives to be authentic to the original. The combat does feel more fluid and responsive. No complaints there.

BUT there are some aesthetic design choices here that I genuinely abhor. Maria and Angela's dialogue should not have been altered at all, especially in Maria's introduction. This completely alters the subtextual intention behind her character (the line "Maybe you hated her," has been omitted arbitrarily). Some of the lines are also delivered poorly. "Anyway?! What do you mean anyway?!" - very, very poorly.

Akira Yamaoka has returned for this game, but many of the tracks have been altered for worse. They have, for lack of a better term, been "modernized" or cut short. The atmospheric effect then results in a gritty realism as opposed to a tragically dreary and dreamlike state. If they wanted more tracks, they should have used the extra tracks from the OG soundtrack that weren't used in the original game! As a composer: MUSIC DOES NOT AGE. It doesn't need remasters or remakes. Leave it be.

I have a pretty decent rig, and I experienced quite a bit of stuttering and frame drops. It genuinely took me out of the immersion. If you're using a 1080p monitor, the game is going to look like a blurry mess from TAA and poorly implemented FXAA unless you run it at 4k/super resolution, which you probably can't. To Bloober's credit, most modern titles don't even give you the option of choosing FXAA, so kudos.

Last but not least, Hit Detection LLC. Hahaha. I don't give a flying ♥♥♥♥ about the political leanings of the developers, but when you hire a DEI consultant crew for Silent Hill, you're ideologically picking a side in the fight (left). All of the female characters in this game look like men, or have a strangely androgynous appearance (Angela's jaw is manlier than mine). Maria's outfit is far less scantily clad and is almost modest, which yet again creates this ambivalent effect where the intentions of the original game clash with the desire to modernize this classic title and make it grittier/more realistic/appeal to modern ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ audiences.

Why not remake Twin Peaks? Jacob's Ladder? The Shining? Because there's no point. They want. Your money. Just release a remaster of the original or throw it on the steam store (please Gabe my love).
(The hours on my profile do not reflect my total playtime)

I do not recommend this. Play the original, it's not hard to emulate, and it's somehow less broken.

I bought this game and had zero expectations. I've been playing through some of the earls 00s shooters for fun, and this was next on the list.

Needless to say, I was absolutely blown away by how great this game feels to play, even today. The combat is fast, snappy, smooth, responsive, brutal, punishing, and addictive. This is the kind of game where you won't realize it's 3 AM and you're somehow still going.

The story starts out as deliberately macho with overly serious Noir goofyness, and segues into some genuinely captivating and terrifying moments. This game's ability to go between absolute sillyness and dreary disillusionment is on par with LISA, for those that know the reference. A lot of emotional maturity in the writing, with a dev team that didn't take themselves too seriously.

While I 100% recommend this game, there are some serious drawbacks to this wonderful experience. You'll spend hours getting it to run. Yes, hours. It wouldn't even start up after installing - for the fiftieth ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ time, DON'T put a game on a platform for MODERN HARDWARE when it doesn't run on MODERN HARDWARE.
Some sections are pretty terribly balanced and totally unfair for the player, but quick saving intelligently nullifies this con. The "nightmare section" maze is pretty atrocious. I beat it without a guide, but don't feel bad if you need to look it up. It sucks.

Apart from those few caveats, this is a phenomenal game that everyone should try at least once.
SLOW. MOTION. GUNPLAY.

Worth buying for the Predator campaign, but the Alien and Marine campaigns are very weak, especially in regard to the story. Every character is bland and forgettable. The only parts I found genuinely interesting were when Weyland is "admonishing" the Predator towards the end of the campaign. "Or did we merely violate your cultural sanctity?" It is an interesting question and uncharted territory as far as "Predator lore" goes. Why do they need to wipe out the pyramids from their memory?

When the gameplay works, it's phenomenal. When it sucks, it's trash. The Predator is pretty consistent, but the Alien and Marine are outrageously clunky at times. I really don't understand how they could botch the combat so much compared to the preceding AVP games that had infinitely better mechanics.

The graphics are INSANELY good. This game is 15 years old and some of the environments look like they could be from a modern AAA title. The art direction is flawless as well. Very inspired.

Flawed but fun shooter. Really gross.

Updated Review: The story and writing in this game is fantastic. The atmosphere feels like what Cyberpunk should be (not just an endless neon nightclub scene). The tone is dark and gritty, and the character's intentions are real and relatable. Even the dialogue is solid, if a little too exposition-y. There's some goofyness here and there, but overall, it's excellent dystopian sci-fi, and borderline prescient. I think this game is more relevant than 1984, lol.

However, the combat and general mechanics of the game are just awful, even for this period. My initial review was negative for two reasons:
1. Horrid and sometimes completely broken mechanics
2. I had to mod the game just for it to run.

I've changed my review to a positive after a second playthrough - The patch/overhaul mods are extremely easy to install, and they fix all of the broken aspects of the game (GMDX and especially Deus Ex: Transcended are both great).

It's crappy that you can't just install this game and play it like with other games from this period (System Shock 1 + 2, Doom, Half Life, etc.), but it's still absolutely worth playing. Just do NOT play this game without some form of bug fixing.