Reviews - Rodman49

Mash up “The Sims” and an action adventure RPG and you get Fable III. Although the game starts out slow, the storyline, strong characters, and difficult decisions pick up after about four hours and the game becomes engaging and engrossing. I would say that the game is more complex than the original Fable – you can buy property, purchase businesses, carry on multiple families, and make decisions that have drastic effects on the people and the landscape. The combat is slightly above mediocre though with simplistic melee and ranged options. Magic gives you a lot options with the ability to combine two spells for a combined effect but is still simpler than other games like Skyrim or even the original Fable. Is Fable III the best RPG of all time? No. Is it a top-ten RPG? No. Is it a solid RPG worth about $10 and 20 hours worth of your time? I would say so. If you’re looking for a lite RPG with a good story that is a little off the beaten path – you’ll find it with Fable III.

Imagine Medieval: Total War 2. Not hard I know – you can pick it up and play it this very moment from Steam. Add magic spells. “Not bad” you say. Add artifacts and magical items. “Now you’re talking” you say. Add text based adventure quests. “Whoa, whoa, whoa, is this an RPG” you ask. My friends – yes this game is – think Medieval Total War 2 except not as tedious and far more fantastical with RPG elements. The end result is something that is unlike just about any game on the market.

It is true that the campaign is not as robust – other factions don’t act with any common sense (but since when did in vanilla Medieval anyway), formations and units are less important than Knights and Spells, and the game is FAR more difficult than typical Medieval – but all these combine to give a unique feel and experience which should fill any cravings you have for a game that is fantastical in nature but grounded with some of the conceptual framework that make Total War games so great.

It will take some getting used to for the Total War player – but I heartily recommend this game – it has enough gameplay differences from Total War – coupled with great artwork to make this game a wonderful addition to any RTS/RPG/Turn-Based Strategy gamer collection.

Neverwinter Nights 2 is a classic computer RPG set in the classic Forgotten Realms universe. The game features a wealth of NPCs and quests encased in competent but repetitive gameplay.

The storyline and characters are memorable however they are not quite on par with the top tier of other RPGs such as Baldur’s Gate and Mass Effect. The gameplay has some cool features but the lack of terrain playing a role and almost no balance existing between classes results in a game that lacks variety in its gameplay mechanics.

The game’s terrible ending is also worth mentioning as it was the worst I have ever seen in a game – so bad that an ending should have been altogether omitted rather than include the **** poor cinematic you will have to watch once finishing the game.

Operation Flashpoint is a semi-realistic shooter that features an 11 mission co-op campaign. It is very similar to Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter, Rainbow Six Vegas 2, and even SWAT 4. The game has great graphics and solid gameplay but there are some glaring problems that keep it from being a top-tier FPS.

First off the chance you will encounter a mission-breaking scripting bug is almost certain, usually this can be remedied by restarting the mission, however this is completely unacceptable in a patched game. The lack of being able to select your loadout and only having access to a few vehicles makes it fall in the category of a solid and not a great game. It’s fun – especially in co-op however there are enough downsides here to make this game only warrant a bargain bin price.

HOARD is an excellent, simple game that piles on both the furious action that borders on the "bullet hell" genre and the little RPG elements that makes games addicting. This game is a blast both singleplayer and multiplayer (I am a huge fan of both the co-op and versus).

You'll get a solid 5-10 hours from this little game (a good value at its retail of $10). With the only downsides being it doesn't have a single player campaign and is a surprisingly big resource hog. However given these minor downsides I would still heartily recommend this fast-paced arcade style game.

Mass Effect 2 is Bioware's greatest accomplishment this generation of video games. Featuring stunning graphics, a great cast, wonderful settings, and strong gameplay elements far exceeding its already excellent predecessor Mass Effect 2 has set a new standard for action RPGs. I'm telling you right now, the only excuse to not be playing this game right now is if you are playing BG2 multiplayer.

Gratuitous Space Battles – look at that name, and tell me you don’t want to purchase it. This game is very similar to the ship building and combat of Galactic Civ II. It’s a simple but great game that can easily absorb hours and hours of your time if you like customizing ships and playing around with conditions and commands. Certainly a niche game, but what a good niche game indeed.

I would consider it a steal at $5 or less, and an argument for it being worth $10 could easily be made. Its lack of RPG elements, little fleet selection, and terrible DLC system should keep you from buying it at its normal price of $20 though.

Dawn of War II features the best campaign for any Real Time Strategy (RTS) game ever. It has addictive RPG elements, semi-random loot, epic characters, engaging storyline, beautiful graphics, and solid gameplay. The campaign can be played co-op too, so you can even experience all this with a friend. No RTS has even compared to the campaigns quality, and it’s possible that no game ever will.

The campaign alone makes it worth a purchase. Which is good considering its lackluster PvP (player versus player multiplayer). If you want to experience the best RTS campaign ever, this is a game you need to have. If you want to play a multiplayer RTS, go pick up StarCraft II.

Rainbow Six Vegas 2 is an excellent party or LAN game; level up and customization features similar to Modern Warfare and tons of co-op levels with settings for enemy density make it a fun diversion that most gamers can pick up and run with. Additionally the game has a co-op campaign – a rarity even in the 2010 era.

These two things alone make the game worth picking up. However the general lack of multiplayer modes and the fact that the gameplay is inferior to Modern Warfare or realistic shooters like Operation Flashpoint or SWAT 4 makes it something that I would not recommend to play solo.

Rome Total War is the best historical RTS ever made. That is all that needs to be said. Even with dated graphics this game will rank in the top 5 for both RTS and turn-based empire builders for decades.