TL;DP Reviews: Community Edition (formerly "1 hour in" game reviews)

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So I got so many wonderful games from fellow GWJers during the Steam Sale that I started posting reviews of the first hour I played of them (give or take an hour) to let the givers know that the games were appreciated and enjoyed.

At your suggestion, I've made this it's own thread. Did you get a Steam Gift? Want to tell the world that you actually did play it? Here's your thread!

Have at it!

UPDATE.

For those of you looking to jump right to the reviews, here's a handy list (thanks Taharka!)

9.03M (Eleima)

140 (danopian)

10,000,000 (danopian)

Airport Simulator 2014 (tanstaafl)

Alien: Isolation (Aaron D)

Aliens: Colonial Marines (Farscry)

Bleed (Bubs14)

Broforce (doubtingthomas396)

Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons (MrDeVil909)

Bulletstorm (JillSammich)

Bully: Scholarship Edition (Gravey)

Bully: Scholarship Edition (McIrishJihad)

Call of Duty: Ghosts (JillSammich)

Call of Jaurez: Gunslinger (McIrishJihad)

Call of Juarez Gunslinger (Tetranomad)

Card City Nights (Bubs14)

Child of Light (Gremlin)

Closure (danopian)

Cloudbuilt (Bubs14)

Cloudbuilt (Godzilla Blitz)

Cogs (danopian)

Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (Gravey)

The Counting Kingdom (Bubs14)

Craft the World (Godzilla Blitz)

Crazy Plant Shop (Bubs14)

Crazy Plant Shop (danopian)

Crypt of the NecroDancer (Bubs14)

Death Skid Marks (JohnKillo)

Deception: Blood Ties (Taharka)

Demonomicon (Pyxistyx)

Destiny Beta (Taharka)

Divine Divinity (doubtingthomas396)

Divinity: Original Sin (Aaron D.)

Divinity: Original Sin (Farscry)

Divinity: Original Sin (Taharka)

Don't Starve (Bubs14)

Dragon Age: Inquisition vs. Witcher 3 (Taharka)

Dust: An Elysian Tale (Eleima)

Electronic Super Joy: Groove City (Bubs14)

Elite: Dangerous Beta (Taharka)

Epic Battle Fantasy 4 (Bubs14)

Euro Truck Simulator 2 (doubtingthomas396)

Euro Truck Simulator 2 (Danopian)

The Evil Within (Taharka)

Fairy Fencer F (mantid)

Far Cry 2 (McIrishJihad)

Feeding Frenzy 2: Shipwreck Showdown (danopian)

Final Fantasy XIII (Taharka)

Firefall (Taharka)

FTL (doubtingthomas396)

Game Dev Story (Mrtomaytohead)

Game Dev Tycoon (Bubs14)

Goat Simulator (Bubs14)

Goat Simulator (Eleima)

Grid: Autosport (Gravey)

The Guild II: Renaissance (danopian)

Hard Truck Apocalypse/Ex Machina (doubtingthomas396)

Hydrophobia: Prophesy (Taharka)

Infested Planet (UMOarsman)

Influent (danopian)

Irisu Syndrome (Mantid)

Just Cause 2 (McIrishJihad)

Kairo (PC) (Bubs14)

The Last Of Us (Remastered) (mrwynd)

Lichdom: Battlemage by Taharka

Lifeless Planet (Taharka)

Marlo Briggs and the Mask of Death (doubtingthomas396)

Master Reboot (Taharka)

Midnight Club LA (Fastmav347)

Neighbors from Hell (1 & 2) (doubtingthomas396)

Ninja Gaiden 3: Razors Edge (Cceserano)

Noir Syndrome (Bubs14)

Nosgoth (Taharka)

Odd World: Munch's Oddyssey (PC) (colonelrambo396)

Omega Quintet (Mantid)

One Way Heroics (Bubs14)

Orcs Must Die (imbiginjapan)

Planescape Torment (JillSammich)

Ratchet and Clank: Into the Nexus by Taharka

The Road Not Taken (imbiginjapan)

Rogue Legacy (Eleima)

Rogue Warrior (doubtingthomas396)

Runespell: Overture (Katy)

Scania Truck Driving Simulator (Gravey)

Secret of Magic Crystals (doubtingthomas396)

Secret of the Magic Crystals (Gravey)

Shift 2 Unleashed (Gravey)

Sid Meyers Railroads! (Danopian)

Sleeping Dogs (Gravey)

Sokobond (Bubs14)

Space Hulk (BadKen)

Spacebase DF-9 (AndrewA)

Spintires (Gravey)

Spintires (McIrishJihad)

The Stanley Parable (Bubs14)

Star Wars: TOR (JillSammich)

State of Decay (Badken)

Steamworld Dig (Malor)

Strider (Ccesarano)

Super Amazing Wagon Adventure (Bubs14)

Super Amazing Wagon Adventure (Eleima)

Super House of Dead Ninjas (Veloxi)

System Shock 2 (Taharka)

Takedown: Red Sabre (doubtingthomas396)

They Bleed Pixels (Taharka)

Ticket to Ride (Godzilla Blitz)

Transistor (Bubs14)

Transistor (Eleima)

Trucks & Trailers (Gravey)

Type: Rider (Bubs14)

Ultimate General Gettysburg (UMOarsman)

UnEpic (Bubs14)

Valiant Hearts (AndrewA)

Viscera Cleanup Detail (doubtingthomas396)

The Void (Taharka)

War of the Human Tanks (Mantid)

Warriors Orochi 3 (Taharka)

Wasteland: The Original Classic (Godzillablitz)

MMO Roundup by Taharka

Less than 1 Hour Gift Review

1st edition

Marlo Briggs and the Mask of Death

This review sponsored by Aaron D

So when I first got this, my reaction was to internally quote my favorite Giles like from Buffy the Vampire Slayer:

Oh look at this mask. Isn't it pretty? It raises the dead.

A little research left me with the following elevator pitch: Action Brawler that combines God of War with Shadows of the Damned with a story heavily influenced by late 1980's action movie storytelling.

If this game hadn't been gifted to me, the appropriate response to that sentence is "SOLD."

On firing it up, I'm treated to a brief cutscene that sets up the boss, the nemesis, checkov's gun and the
Macguffin.

Then Marlo gets killed by Checkov's gun and the next thing I know I'm battling hordes of henchmen with identical faces in an exploding industrial complex while a feathered mask berates my combo performance.

Again. "SOLD."

This game pushes all of my buttons. Combo meter? Check. Upgradeable attacks and weapons? Check. Asking me if I thought there were some enemies down there when I miss a jump and plummet to my death? Not a usual button for me, but check anyway.

Combat is ripped right from such venerable God of War clones as Dante's Inferno and Wolverine. Combos are simple, two buttons and some timing affairs and they feel suitable brutal. The first magic ability you get is a spell that summons a meteor shower down around you. I haven't unlocked the next one yet.

Oh, and you can ride giant scorpions and make them attack other enemies.

Sold yet?

I don't know if the game will hold up till the end. Combat may get tedious, but the different weapons and combos (ultimately four in all, two of which I've already unlocked) will probably keep things fresh.

What I do know is I'm just shy of two hours in and I would not have regretted the cost if the game even if I had paid for it myself.

Did you get this during the steam sale? Then stop reading this and go play it.

The villain is voiced by James Hong.

SOLD!

Thanks Aaron!

1 hour game reviews, second edition

Rogue Warrior

This review sponsored by Bonus Eruptus.

So Rogue Warrior is supposed to be a bad game. Every review site says so. Metacritic scores it at 40 out of 100.

So why am I having so much fun with it?

Rogue Warrior is a cover-based tactical first person shooter from Bethesda. It bears the nickname of Richard Marcinko, former Navy SEAL and best selling author. His first book, Rogue Warrior, was an autobiography that landed him in some hot water and resulted in some very expensive legal bills. As part of the settlement, he agreed to write fiction henceforth, and cranked out several high octane action espionage thrillers based on the exploits if himself and his team members.

At two hours in, I haven't seen any sign of Marcinko's comrades in arms, but I have killed a whole bunch of communists of various nationalities during a Cold War era plot involving, what else, global thermonuclear war.

This is where a typical reviewer would say he only winning move is not to play then proceed to tell you why you shouldn't play Rogue Warrior.

But I bring an unusual pedigree to this game and review. 1) I am a huge fan of Marcinko's books and 2) I have never played Gears of War, Uncharted or any of the more famous cover based shooters. So I have no idea if implementation of that mechanic holds up compared to them. I only know that it works and I'm having fun listening to Mickey Rourke dropping F, S, C, D and F (again) bombs while ducking, sneaking, silent killing and blind firing at various members of the Soviet sphere of influence.

One if the first things you notice in Rogue Warrior is that bullets freaking HURT. Do not expect to take more that three or four bullets without dying. And forget about grenades. If you're not out of the blast radius, return to checkpoint and try again.

The game boasts a wide variety of brutal kills, and it lives up to that. Sneaking up on an enemy and pressing the action button will dispatch your foe in various ways depending upon your position relative to him and his position in the environment (Enemies near guard rails go over the top. Enemies near jutting masonry get their faces caved in. From behind you'll get one if four or five different animations, which are different from attacks from the front and the sides.). You'll get some repetition, but the box don't lie.

Sneaking is largely just simple, line of sight business, but you'll have to figure out the cone if vision on your own because it's not shown.

Weapons are scattered throughout the levels, but at two hours in I haven't needed more than the weapons they give you at the start of each mission. Whether this is a plus or minus depends on whether you've read Marcinko's distaste for scavenged weapons (in short: he doesn't trust anything he hasn't stripped, cleaned and reassembled himself)

And now for some negatives, lest you think I have no taste at all:

The levels are, sadly, very linear and there isn't much incentive to explore. This is disappointing because when the game was originally pitched a big feature was going to be big, open levels that let the player figure out how to approach the objective best. That didn't happen.

The enemy AI is not terribly smart. While they will occasionally toss a grenade or try to flank you, mainly they pop up and down out of cover giving you opportunities to shoot them. As such, some level sections feel like shooting galleries and not tactical levels.

Finally, there is a LOT of scripting. There are some fairly obvious moments where you'll notice exactly what tile you stepped on to trigger the next spawn of enemies.

All that said, it's a fun game and well worth it at the price of free from Bonus Eruptus. But I would have been happy to spend 5 bucks on this experience if B.E. hadn't been so generous.

I endorse this venture.

Yeah maybe I should try this. An hour is better than nothing and maybe I'll find something I really like and clear it off the pile.

Tagging for science!

doubtingthomas396 wrote:

I started posting reviews of the first hour I played of them (give or take an hour)

IMAGE(http://i1.kym-cdn.com/entries/icons/original/000/006/026/futuramafry.jpg)

Joking aside, I also like this idea. These days, where for many of us, time is the more scarce resource compared to money, first impressions are important.

Secret of the Magic Crystals

This review sponsored by Garden Ninja.

Surprisingly, the 3D is too much for my 9400M.

I've played exactly 65 minutes of Cloudbuilt, according to Steam.

The parkour and jetpack mechanics were far more fun than I expected. Navigating the levels feels like Sonic Adventure mixed with Mirror's Edge mixed with Titanfall.

I wouldn't call the controls tight, but they're serviceable with an X-box 360 controller. I did find myself getting stuck dying repeatedly in a few spots, but either pushed through after several attempts or found an alternative route. The option to drop your own checkpoint helped mitigate frustration.

The plot so far is an interesting premise, I guess, but it's pretty minimal.

I'd certainly recommend it if you see it on sale, but I don't know that I'd drop the $20 asking price on Steam today.

Maybe I should play They Bleed Pixels instead of idling it for cards.

Great thread idea. I have nothing to add yet, but tagging!

doubtingthomas396 wrote:

Less than 1 Hour Gift Review

1st edition

Marlo Briggs and the Mask of Death

This review sponsored by Aaron D

...

I don't know if the game will hold up till the end. (NO) Combat may get tedious, (CHECK) but the different weapons and combos (ultimately four in all, two of which I've already unlocked) will probably keep things fresh. (NO)

I bought this in November last year had the same favorable impressions after my first hour or two. I got to 5 hours and things were really starting to grind, so I packed it in. In fact it is the only game that has made it to my "Given Up" and never to be revisited list on Steam! Nevertheless, I enjoyed my first few hours with it and felt happy that it was $3.75 well spent.

Finally started Arkham Origins, thanks to the lovely camnipotent, so I'll need to write one up for that. Steam says I'm 19 hours in, but it's a liar, because most of that was solving a CTD bug.

1-Hour Game Review: Call of Juarez Gunslinger

This review sponsored by Jucofett

This game seemed to have some real love from the Conference Call and this community, so excited to try it out. After idling overnight for some cards during the sale, I finally put a first hour in the other night. So far, I can see the attraction - great storytelling that integrates into the gameplay in novel ways. The shooting is fun and the setting/ambience is fantastic. Highlight so far has been unlocking dual-pistols! I have to admit that knowing it is not a particularly long game is actually a big attraction to me - my sweet spot is 5-8 hours these days, unfortunately!

As a side note, the one hour in this game was prefaced by a couple of hours re-doing ethernet cabling, router positions, etc at home to enable Steam In-Home Streaming to our HDTV connected Home Theatre PC via a gigabit connection. Took longer to do than I had hoped (I suck at terminating Cat 6 cables), but so worth it - I'm totally won over by Steam's home streaming - the sight of my entire Steam catalogue being available on a large screen TV with Xbox controller makes me giddy with delight

tetranomad wrote:

1-Hour Game Review: Call of Juarez Gunslinger

This review sponsored by Jucofett

This game seemed to have some real love from the Conference Call and this community, so excited to try it out. After idling overnight for some cards during the sale, I finally put a first hour in the other night. So far, I can see the attraction - great storytelling that integrates into the gameplay in novel ways. The shooting is fun and the setting/ambience is fantastic. Highlight so far has been unlocking dual-pistols! I have to admit that knowing it is not a particularly long game is actually a big attraction to me - my sweet spot is 5-8 hours these days, unfortunately!

As a side note, the one hour in this game was prefaced by a couple of hours re-doing ethernet cabling, router positions, etc at home to enable Steam In-Home Streaming to our HDTV connected Home Theatre PC via a gigabit connection. Took longer to do than I had hoped (I suck at terminating Cat 6 cables), but so worth it - I'm totally won over by Steam's home streaming - the sight of my entire Steam catalogue being available on a large screen TV with Xbox controller makes me giddy with delight

I can't begin to voice my love for this game. One of the few that I actually finished (I'm a fithy game tourist). So glad to see more love for this gem!

I love the idea of this thread and will have some contributions soon. It is also a reason to try out many of the games languishing in my library.

Eleima wrote:

Tagging as well, I think it's a brilliant idea, even though I don't know if I'd be abide ton post such extensive and quality reviews myself.

+1

Tagging as well, I think it's a brilliant idea, even though I don't know if I'd be able to post such extensive and quality reviews myself.

Eleima wrote:

Yikes, look at all those mistakes. Posting from my post at 4:30am doesn't make for proper spelling. :D

It's never too early to start drinking. Shalam Baskur!

Yikes, look at all those mistakes. Posting from my phone at 4:30am doesn't make for proper spelling.

Good grief, maybe I *do* need to start the drinking earlier in the day...

Euro Truck Simulator 2

This review sponsored by MaverickZY

I'm not sure what's happening to me. I'm not myself anymore. The world is turned on its ear.

I mean, I'm the Duke Nukem Forever guy. I play bad games that involve lots of explosions and ironic misogyny.

So what am I doing sitting in front of my PC for an hour driving on a highway from Minsk to Nurnberg with a cargo of apples?

I'll tell you what I'm doing. I'm having fun.

What's become of me?

ETS2 is one of a large number of German games with the word Simulator in the title. (see also: Farm simulator, street cleaner simulator and Bus driver simulator). The Germans were apparently huge fans of Shenmue and think that the forklift driving sections of the game deserve not merely it's own game, but it's own genre.

The title says it all. You're in Europe, and you drive a truck. (Feather boa, sequins and chiffon are optional DLC. Search Steam for the "Weird Al Pack." (Note: this is not a real thing. (Note: but if it were I would buy it.))). You take jobs to earn money and experience which can be used to upgrade your truck and your shipping company.

And yes, if you upgrade enough you can drive a forklift. I named my trucker Ryo for this reason.

There are varying degrees of simulation. You can go with a straight automatic transmission, or go fully manual.

I've got 0.7 hours of metric time in the game. I am only a little bit kidding when I say that I started shopping for steering wheels and floor pedals for this game alone.

In an industry dominated by frenetic action, mind bending puzzles and flashy flashiness it's therapeutic to slide in behind the wheel of your 18 wheeler and just cruise along a two lane highway for a couple of hours before subjecting yourself to the harrowing ordeal of backing your trailer into a dock. (Thankfully, a wimpy "press enter to deliver goods" button exists.). In an unprecedented move, you even have to obey traffic laws! (And unlike the Mafia games, you actually want to!)

If a mouse and keyboard is your bag, then the mouse makes you look around (all around. You can even stick your head out the driver side window and look back along the length of your trailer. Steering is WASD if you with automatic transmission. The function keys manage your GPS.

ETS2 is a hard game for me to review. I have absolutely no basis for comparison. No expectations to meet or miss. The only thing I can compare it to is the time that I rented a moving truck and Ryder gave me a 21 footer when I had reserved a 16 footer. I was terrified, and I damaged a barn backing then damn thing up (and that, children, is why you always always always buy the extra insurance!). ETS feels like that but with a much bigger truck but less performance anxiety because, you know, it's a video game.

The controls feel tight for what they are. I'm driving a ponderous vehicle on highways, occasionally stopping for gas and passing other, slower truck drivers and it feels exactly like I'm doing that. My only complaint with the keyboard setup is how hard it is to make gentle turns with the digital controls. I may try a game pad to see what that feels like, but I'd miss the mouse look.

I can't explain why it's fun. It just is. I feel like it's a great "in between" game for those times when I don't feel like playing any game in particular. Or maybe I'll get deep into it and buy that wheel.

Or maybe I'll buy Farm Simulator and Demolition Company and usher in a new era of gaming for myself. One where I make deliveries, repair cars, or clean streets. Maybe gaming will become a Zen garden for me.

Oh probably not. But ETS2 has something going for it that I was not expecting. It's not a title I would have bought for myself, but I'm glad I have it.

Thanks again Macerickzy!

A gamepad is actually pretty good for this game, and you don't have to give up 'mouse look', you can map it to the right stick. I think Aaron posted a really nice gamepad button map in the ETS2 thread.

No progress yet, but I have to do one for Orcs Must Die and Metro Last Light which were kindly gifted to me by RnRClown and Grenn.

Here is my '1 Sentence In' review of these '1 Hour In' game reviews:

tl;dr

ChrisLTD wrote:

Here is my '1 Sentence In' review of these '1 Hour In' game reviews:

tl;dr

:-D

And you wonder why nobody sent YOU a Steam sale gift :p

ChrisLTD wrote:

:cry:

Now I feel bad. Don't worry, there's always another Steam sale.

doubtingthomas396 wrote:

Euro Truck Simulator 2

In an industry dominated by frenetic action, mind bending puzzles and flashy flashiness it's therapeutic to slide in behind the wheel of your 18 wheeler and just cruise along a two lane highway for a couple of hours before subjecting yourself to the harrowing ordeal of backing your trailer into a dock. (Thankfully, a wimpy "press enter to deliver goods" button exists.).

Link credit: BadKen

This vid improved my parking skills 200%.

doubtingthomas396 wrote:

My only complaint with the keyboard setup is how hard it is to make gentle turns with the digital controls. I may try a game pad to see what that feels like, but I'd miss the mouse look.

Just remember that there's two drop down menus where you select 360 Pad support.

They're both on the Options > Controls menu page. The first is at the top where you pick 360 gamepad. The other in is the next section down under Controller subtype. For some reason, it's defaulted to "Wheel". You'll want to change that to Gamepad, joystick.

Otherwise, your steering on the pad will be WAY oversensitive and squirrely has hell.

L/R triggers: break/gas
L/R shoulder: shift down/up
L stick L/R: steer
L stick Up/Down: cruise control/start engine
L stick (press): horn
R stick: free look
R stick (press): change camera
D-pad L/R: turn signals
D-Pad down/up: headlights/high beams
A button: accept/enter
B button: cycle side mirror displays
X button: cycle GPS views
Y button: center view - interior view
Select: wiper blades
Start: F1: Pause

Space Hulk seems that it would lose some of its tension playing against an AI.

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