An addicting, underrated game.
353349
My older sister and I used to play this game all the time and when the time came, we brought it up and realize we had to find a copy of it so we could feel young again. Now I've gotten multiple friends of mine hooked on it. The game is like a colorful, item and asset filled version of Monopoly sort of. You have to buy shops, keep them stocked with items, and when you rivals land on it, they have to buy an item. If they buy out your store, they can chose to buy your store to expand an already existing one of theirs or they can open their own new one. It's really fun and you never know who is willing to help you out or to screw you over. I highly recommend this game to anyone!
2483301
Dragon's Dogma is one of the most underrated games of all time. It was released about 6 months after Skyrim, and only 3 months after Kingdoms of Amalur Reckoning, so naturally very few people purchased it. The game has beautiful graphics, amazing lighting effects, and a giant open world. The sound design is top notch and the voice acting is decent. It has the most fluid and responsive character animations and controls I have ever played (imagine The Witcher 3 if Geralt controlled much less like a drunk monkey). All action RPGs should take note of the nearly flawless 3rd person controls in this game. The weapons/armor customization/upgrades are incredibly addicting, and the enemies are varied, plentiful, and often very tough. The one major problem with the game is the weak generic story. The pawn system was innovative and awesome, but unfortunately the game is so old now that you will only really benefit from any online friends you have that are also still playing the game and can recruit your pawn. You MUST get the Dark Arisen version of the game, as it adds a gigantic difficult dungeon and most importantly fast travel beacons that can be placed anywhere in the world.
4009893
im now addicted to this game, it is really really good
3462840
I completed the game a few days ago and instantly felt compelled to play it through again.  My gut reaction was to give it a five-star review but I hesitated, read a few of the negative reviews, grudgingly admitted they made a few good points and convinced myself to give it a four.  This game certainly deserves the praise it has received.

I don't think it can be said enough.  The game is absolutely beautiful to look at!

The story, although a bit slow to start, had me fully engaged and concerned for the characters after 7-8 chapters.  Like a well-made movie the villains are given adequate back story and reasons for their behavior...you just have to wait a bit for it.

Game play is fantastic.  Valkyria chronicles perfectly blends the classic turn-based RPG style with a third person shooter for what I thought was a unique experience.  Each level presents the player with two general options or strategies.  There is usually an obvious "brute force" method of clearing the level and a more "strategic" method.  The brute force method will often take you more turns, drastically lower your score, but provide you with an enjoyable experience.  Blasting away at enemies with your tank is sometimes worth the lower score.  The more strategic method isn't often that strategic. It is a matter of figuring out which particular hoop the designers want you to jump through.  This is usually accomplished by replaying the level once or twice after an untimely death, by luck, or sometimes by design.  "By design" is listed last because it is nearly impossible to predict which hoop the game will ask you to jump through before starting the level.  The pre-game map is mostly uninformative and you just have to figure it out after positioning all your troops.  I could not overlook this flaw and is my main reason for giving the game four stars.

Overall this game was a lot of fun.  The game requires a little patience as you start playing.  If you are expecting Modern Warfare you will probably be disappointed, but I expect most people know by now what they are getting into when they purchase a game like this.  Thus the overwhelming numbers of positive reviews which I think the game deserves.
4266635
I had twenty dollars to spend so I figured I would pick up this game since it had good reviews overall.  From the second I put int he game, I was hooked.  The game opening up with four unique characters of your choosing is my favorite feature in games by far. It always replays of the same game to not be overly repetitive.  The gun selection is incredible.  I must have picked up a thousand guns now and I have not seen one repeat.  i head there are somewhere close to a millions guns with all of the different features and customization features.  The game is pretty much quick half our missions on after another that you can choose.  The bosses I have faced so far are funny, unique, and challenging in their own way.  The only drawback of the game I have so far is there is not a wide variety of enemies.  Although all of the enemies are very unique, and there are a lot of variations of the same species, it does get a little repetitive.  This one minor little drawback should not change anyones opinion of buying the game.  For less than twenty dollars, you need to buy this game!
2353637
great story, great gameplay.
it's one of those rare games that got overlooked but months after release everyone thought the game was a classic and should have multiplayer,fail. It's all about strategy, it doesn't require you to pause and think because you can get back long as you take cover and heal your character. There really isn't any flaws in the game. Oh great menu music too. this games makes you bond with each character as they all have their own little personality. There really isn't any game like this so just get this game, it's something different.
1853437
1. Best Graphics.

2. Best Sound and Music.

3. Non-stop gaming action.

What more could anyone want?

Seriously though, its NOT an RPG, so if thats the sort of depth that you are looking for, this game isn't it. But it is great fun in combat and there are plenty of unlockable that kept me playing the game for weeks. I also have the original which I now feel like replaying...

Great game. Unfortunately it will be a "sleeper hit" as it just doens't get much publicity.
2168890
This is one of my favorite games of all time. It's very addictive. I'm pleased with how you can control how much time you play the game. It's perfect for children as well as adults.
2321235
Dark Souls is a fun, intricate, and adrenalin pumping game. Combat can leave you stiff and the art design is amazing. With the exception of some tearing and skewed camera angles, it's a flawless game for any Demon Souls fan.
The game is challenging, but definitely doable. It doesn't take long to learn from your mistakes; giving you an edge over most enemies. However, seamlessly switching targets with the lock on feature is difficult to use: at times completely unresponsive; making it one of the primary problems.
Aside from the few flaws I mentioned, it's a great purchase for anyone who doesn't mind some "trial and error". Although not a problem for me, the game primarily uses the 360 bumpers over the (preferred) triggers. This may just be a fault in porting the game over from the ps3; it might just be the way the game was made. There may be an update to give players the other option.
If that doesn't bother you, go and buy the game.
3864423
*This is a detailed review with NO SPOILERS for those who want to know a lot about the game- so sorry to others for the long review*

First, I want to start off by saying that this game is absolutely gorgeous. You can immediately tell that the developers took an immense amount of time to create this game. To my delight, this game won a lot of awards just for the design and art. But, it won other awards for the story and messages that are given throughout the game as well. (I'll get to this topic later in the review.)

Next, the game play is very addicting and challenging. So yes, you will die. A LOT. I died so many times that I lost count but I managed to beat it within 14 hours. If you're the type that gives up easily and gets frustrated, then I wouldn't recommend this game. If you're stuck, however, you can easily look up cheats online is you're having trouble. However, I found myself quickly forgetting my incompetence and frustration by just admiring the beauty of the art. The reason why I was so addicted to this game is because the game play is very different (in a good way). You collect green life orbs for health and blue orbs for powers. You'll get a lot throughout the game- more than 20 powers and abilities. (I included a picture where you can see the life orbs and blue orbs.) Also, this game is addicting because the puzzles are challenging so every time I died I subconsciously told myself, "Bleep this- I can beat this stupid level!" There aren't any chapters really ( I guess the places you visit are considered chapters), but you just explore all the places in the game. If you missed some things, you can go back and get them. However, for certain places like the Ginso Tree, you can't go back after you beat that place. ( I won't spoil anything, though.) Oh and when you beat the game, you can't go back to it ever and have to start a new file (which I didn't find a problem with because I would play the game again in a heartbeat.)

Now I'm going to talk generally about the story without any spoilers. This game is basically about the main character, Ori that travels through the "Blind Forest" to restore it. (Sorry if that didn't make any sense) But, you're immediately given a narrative as soon as the game starts so that's why I won't give away much. The messages that are given within the story hit you right in the feels... you get really emotional because this game is ultimately about love for your family. (That's what I got from the game but for others it's different, which is totally fine because what matters is how YOU perceive things.) I found myself tearing up in a couple parts of the game because of how emotional the story is. I got attached to ALL the characters in the game because of their back stories (past) and one of the most impressive things about this game is that there is VERY FEW dialogue including the narrator who speaks in some parts of the game. Some of my friends that I talked to got annoyed that the characters couldn't speak English but they don't have to- they're amiable for their personality, actions, and their past. (And each character have their own distinguishable sound- no words needed.) If you're a sucker for a good story about family, friendship, loss, and valor then this game is for you.

Finally, my overall score for this game is: 10/10 or 1000/1000. I would give it an 1,000,000/10 stars but Amazon's highest score is 5 stars. When I beat the game, I squealed and cried at the same time. (My mom got mad because she said I was too loud but IT WAS WORTH IT.) I was happy because for me, it was the perfect ending and I was sad because I didn't want it to be over. My advice is: PLAY THIS GAME. You won't regret it and it's cheaper than the other Xbox one games that I've seen available in stores. I am honored to write a review for this game and I only hope that this review can justify my absolute love for Ori and the Blind Forest.
2791881
I got this game for the PC the other day and beat it in a couple of days. I logged about 13 hours of play time on medium. It is very addicting and easy to play for hours. The upgrade system is neat. The graphics and environments are great. The game gets started right away as you're just dropped into the action. It was amazing when I first entered the cockpit region/bridge room of the USG Ishimura, I was stunned how space looked outside the windows with the sun outside the window and floating chunks of rock. This game just looks REALLY good on its high settings. I haven't played it on low visual settings, but I wouldn't think they'd be too bad either. I like the change of gameplay with the zero gravity segments, small telekinesis sections and walks outside the ship's hull or other no oxygen locations. Audio wise, it's immersing too. The sound altering effect outside the ship is crazy. Can't hear the necromorphs sneaking up on you in space if you don't expect them. I really enjoy this game. I'll play through this game again on the more difficult settings. You can play through a second time on a cleared game save and continue with all your previous game upgrades and unlocked stuff. I highly recommend this game and it's cheap for PC. I had a problem with the game encountering an error on startup. I did some researching and this led me to gaming controllers or other peripherals could lead to this error on launching the program. It launch fine before for a while, but I have an unofficial psx/n64 adaptoid controller that doesn't always work. Well I unplugged it and tried launching the game and the game launched fine :-). I play the game with my belkin gaming pad with the left hand and mouse on the right. I mapped the keys as best as I could. There are certain quick keys that are permanent if you had a controller I think. I just worked around it. I just can't quick switch weapons. This is a game that you shouldn't pass up if you like survival-action horror in space. The story is really interesting too and there are lots of plot twists.
1290732
This is a fun and addictive game with long term play value. There are many special events, items, goals and collections to keep you busy for months.

I am a 35 year old mom. My 13 year old son surprisingly likes it too. He is an Xbox 360 fan of call of duty, left for dead, dead rising etc. It is nice to actually have a game we both enjoy. He likes trying to collect all of the bugs and fish. I like trying to get every type of flower, and all of the furniture items from the store.

I would also recommend a wireless keyboard to chat with other players you meet. Finally, the game guide book is a big plus to have. You can view every item, and check them off as you go.
1727299
There are many long reviews out there, and I have little more to offer than this: This game is highly addictive (but in a good way). Me and my friends will play it for hours having a great time, loving the superb graphics and game play. Once we finished it (after a long, long time), we just went back to the beginning and started it all over again. I think I have played the game all the way through about 7 times now. Two of my game playing friends have bought it for themselves now. Unlike some other games you get a LOT of replay-value bang for your buck, pound, yen or Euro. Love this game. Go buy it.
4042932
I have no idea why Amazon.com has so little information on the PC version of this game, but this is truly an excellent game. Amazingly, the game somehow manages to successfully meld Zelda: The Wind Waker style adventuring with Metal Gear Solid style stealth and oddly enough, photography.
The first thing you'll notice about the game is that it sports some very impressive graphics. (On a good PC with full DirectX 9 support) The world is beautifully rendered and cool blur effects are used very often. Looking around in first person causes a light blur effect which look really really cool. I've never before in a game ever wanted to move the camera around for so long just because it's so fun. The game ran respectably on a Pentium 4 1.4 ghz with 384 ram and a Radeon 9500 Pro but I'm not sure how it'll run on lower end systems. If you're not sure how the game will run on your system, try the demo first.
The controls are excellent also, using the standard wsad and mouse configuration most of the time but switching to set camera angles at a few certain places. The preset camera angles are always very good and useful and help navigating tricky areas.
The gameplay is hard to explain but it's truly fresh and fun. Basically, about half of the gameplay is nonlethal stealth like Metal Gear Solid or Splinter Cell, which is a love it or hate it thing. Luckily, if you happen to die during a stealth part, (Basically, if you get found, you'll probably die.) the game will quickly take you back to the beginning of the room which lowers frustration a lot. The other half of the gameplay is Zelda style combat which is fairly simple but still quite fun. There is also quite a lot of puzzle solving, which for the most part is very simple, such as finding switches or having to turn off the power and take a fuse before the power turns back on. Some puzzles are more involving but non of them will cause extreme frustration. My only concern might be that the stealth parts can be a little tedious, especially when you find yourself sneaking through room after room after room in a complex. The stealth parts in the game may be too difficult for 7-12 year old children.
Overall, this is truly a fantastic game which I would recommend to most gamers with a little patience.
3719327
When I first bought this game I got it for 10 bucks at Best Buy (they had it on sale) and I was very reluctant because A) it price dropped so quick, B) it had very mixed reviews. Needless to say though, after playing it I LOVE it. I never write reviews, but this game deserves another 5. So here it is.

I'm just playing through the POP trilogy HD (ps3) and I can safely say with the others fresh in mind that this one is a load of fun, very fast-paced, and nice to look at. Graphics are very nice (not the best ever, but very nice), gameplay keeps you busy with all of the added powers, and I find it very fast-paced. Yes, it's a short game, but it's not meant to be a long one, so for 10+ hours, it's great.

Music: 5 stars, best soundtrack and it keeps you in the mood

Controls: Very fluent. 5/5

Gameplay: 5/5. All of the added powers keep you moving and hopping from challenge to challenge, I liked it a LOT more than POP '08. The only thing I was skeptical about was the lack of blocking, but the developer's QA explained why it was excluded from the game, and it made sense. Prepare to fight lots of mobs.

Graphics: Don't expect Killzone 2 graphics but it's a beautiful game none the less. 4/5

Story: 4/5 This is the weakest point, it's an interesting story and fun to watch, but at the same time you spend a lot of time chasing one guy.

Replay value: I can definitely see myself playing this again, whereas I probably wouldn't replay Sands of Time, it just seems like a much longer game.
596348
It makes me so sad when I see the low price, and hear that this game hasn't sold as many units as expected. I just don't get it, because "Enslaved" honestly has so much going for it: incredible graphics depicting an original and entrancing world; great gameplay containing simple, satisfying fights and varied, fast-paced platforming; a great setting and story filled with danger, thrills, pain, and friendship; but most importantly, affecting characters that you'll remember for years.

I finished the game a week ago and I just can't stop thinking about Trip and Monkey, especially Trip. As the female counterpart to your character Monkey, you develop an incredible bond with her, since you are her protector. She is of course designed to be beautiful and embody the "damsel in distress," but the developers also imbued her with intelligence, compassion, and a longing for companionship, all of which eventually penetrates Monkey's shell. Just as important, though, you bond with her because of the amazing, authentic performance of Lindsey Shaw, the actress who plays her, as she makes it all so real. The voice-acting and motion-capture animation (which captured the actors' facial expressions perfectly), combined with a fantastic script, create so many moments between Monkey and Trip, both tense and quiet, that I just can't stop thinking about them.

This ranks up there with Xenogears and Final Fantasy VII as having the most memorable characters I've ever come across. The developer of the game, Ninja Theory, deserves all the praise it has been getting. I really hope there is a sequel, but either way I will definitely be on the look-out for any other game Ninja Theory comes out with (they were hired by Capcom to do a re-boot of the "Devil May Cry" series).

---------
Addendum: To quickly touch upon the other aspects of the game, I'll simply say that everything fits together well.
--Fighting: Boss battles, in particular, are impressive for being inventive, tense and fun, but most importantly plausible - the developers deserve a lot of kudos for accomplishing this without making them huge, overblown spectacles.
--Pacing: The world they have created is also 100% believable, even without much of anything in the way of explanation - the characters are dumped in this post-apocalyptic world, and you are simply pulled forward by the great pacing of the game, with equal measures of fighting, platforming, and character development.
--Character development: While a lot of the character development is done through cut scenes, plenty of it is also interwoven brilliantly into the fighting and platforming, usually with you saving Trip, or Trip saving you.
1420205
Bought this for pretty cheap on a whim.  Now I'm addicted.  The storyline is great, the side missions are numerous and humorous, it's an all-around joy to play.