From Newsgroup: comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.action
Huzzah! Another opportunity to make The Number grow! Three cheers for
Humble Choice! Well, three cheers assuming the games are any good,
that is. Recently the offerings have been pretty mediocre. But maybe
this month will be better? Let's find out.
* Atomic Heart
https://store.steampowered.com/app/668580/Atomic_Heart/
So, this one is basically Bioshock crossed with Fallout
crossed with STALKER; an odd mix. Despite that unusual
combination, it's fairly generic in what it actually does;
it lacks in originality. Also, its developers have some
reputed ties to Russia (and have made an adamant refusal
to speak against the Ukrainian invasion). Also, it uses
Denuvo (and with a vicious five-install limit too!) So
the game itself may be good-not-great, but there's a lot
mess surrounding it that makes me sort of wary.
* V Rising
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1604030/V_Rising/
The V stands for Vampire, in case you're wondering. It's
a top-down action-RPG/survival game, so expect lots of
gathering of supplies and crafting as you rebuild your castle.
The base-building gets a lot of praise, but the rest of
the gameplay is apparently pretty grindy. I'm not a big
fan of vampire games either (at least, not unless I'm staking
them in the heart! ;-)
* System Shock (2023)
https://store.steampowered.com/app/482400/System_Shock/
The classic game remastered. It's... fine. Honestly, I
found the 2015, 'Enhanced Edition' the better experience;
sure, it hasn't the glitz and polish of the 2023 version,
but the gameplay in both versions is still very old-school,
and that feels very out of place when set against modern
graphics. But in the end, it's "System Shock" and that's
still a pretty good base to build upon.
* Story of Seasons: Pioneers of Olive Town
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1392960/STORY_OF_SEASONS_Pioneers_of_Olive_Town/
Another of those cozy farm-town 'Animal Crossing' style games. I
dislike the genre so I can't judge if this one is any better or worse
than the rest, although the reviews are currently sitting at 'mixed'
on Steam.
* Cryptmaster
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1885110/Cryptmaster/
I'll admit the stylish monochrome graphics do have some
appeal, but at heart it's a tile-based dungeon crawler
and I'm just not a big fan of those. It apparently relies
as much on puzzling as combat too, which may turn off
some people who just want to hack-n-slash.
* Shogun Showdown
https://store.steampowered.com/app/2084000/Shogun_Showdown/
This one's been a freebie included on other platforms.
To quote myself from those announcements: "It has 'deck-
building' elements. Oh, and it's rogue-like. Also, it has
retro graphics. It's like a trifecta of things that make
me want not to play your game."
* Hotel Renovator
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1214470/Hotel_Renovator/
The title of this game tells you all you need to know
about it. It's yet another 'workplace simulator'; this one
has you taking over a hotel and trying to make it profitable.
Like way to many of these games, its a janky and abandoned by
its devs. If you think "House Flipper" or "Supermarket
Simulator" are the height of gaming, you'll probably enjoy
this too. As for myself, I'd pass.
* Caravan Sandwitch
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1582650/Caravan_SandWitch/
A weird mix of walking-simulator and platforming. Buggy
and lacking in variety, the reviews aren't very good. It has
its heart in the right place and the visuals aren't bad, but
it becomes a real slog as you progress. Meh.
So do we celebrate this month or not? There are a few worthwhile
games, but none without some downsides, and a bunch of the usual
library-fodder that will probably appeal to nobody. I guess this
month's selection is a bit better than last month, so maybe that's
improvement?
Me, mostly I just like seeing The Number goes up, but I'm not sure
Humble Choice is worth the price anymore.
--- Synchronet 3.21a-Linux NewsLink 1.2