Recent reviews by Humbugger 2: The Humbuggening

2023 has been a good year for an old game. Weapons, chassis, and maps are being rebalanced and a new chassis is being added each year. Monetization is present, but not obnoxious - there is nearly always an event running with at least one free mech given away every month along with in-game and premium currency. You can choose not to spend a dime on the game and still enjoy it moreso than most other free to play experiences because of the sheer number of giveaways.

On the gameplay side, MWO allows you to customize just about every aspect of your gameplay from the speed to armor and weaponry of your mech. There are a ton of chassis that have quirks that allow the same basic weapons to perform differently depending on what mech you mount them on - additionally, the new(ish) skill system allows you to tweak the performance of these weapons (and general chassis) even further.

I say give it a shot. It takes a while to get the hang of gameplay, as it plays different than other first person shooter MMOs but once you get the hang of it you'll find it satisfying. Also, it's free to play without any sort of penalty or pay to win mechanics to worry about.

Good stuff. It's an RTS that doesn't require as much micromanaging of a huge battlefield and shifts the focus from basebuilding to actually managing your units.

Each faction has a good set of units with different upgrades and strengths while there are core units with core abilities built in ensuring that every faction at least has a baseline similarity to the others allowing the player to pick up and learn a faction pretty quickly.

The campaign is pretty fun, although you are essentially playing all the same maps regardless of faction choice so once you've played through it once you've experienced every faction story, basically. However, there is still a lot of playstyle customization for your faction units thanks to gear drops and unlocking new non-hero units as you go along.

The Last Stand game mode takes a while to learn and level up your chosen hero but it can be fun, if a little bit repetitive.

Fatal Error...Fatal Error...Fatal Error...

If you want to play through the storyline, skip the tutorial. Something about it always triggers a fatal error no matter your hardware or settings changes. And once you have skipped the tutorial, get ready for fatal errors everywhere when prepping drops for missions.

It's strange, once actually in the gameplay it runs fine. I've had few crashes while actually playing the game, but the dropship hub is so poorly optimized that it's almost unavoidable that you can't even play some missions because the game will crash before you even load the content.

As for actual play value, it's okay. For $30 you can get your friends together and be stompy robots in the instant action mode with relatively few issues. The only downside is that it has the potential to be a tad repetitive given that there's just a few mission types and map/gameplay settings involved. I've had fun dropping with a buddy and just shooting AI that like to run in circles.

Overall I'd give it a 4/10. If it weren't for the crashes and awful performance in the unavoidable dropship hub in the story mode, I'd give it a 6 or maybe 7/10. Maybe PGI will fix it, but being familiar with them through MWO I wouldn't hold my breath.

Now if you'll excuse me, I'll get back to trying to load the next campaign mission without crashing to desktop again.

It's a solid turn based strategy game.

While it's not extremely complex, it's also not overly simplified - gameplay mechanics like recoil modifiers from firing ballistic weapons, stability damage from projectiles, pilot injuries and heat management make it more than a mindless clicking spree, but it is something that you can absolutely learn how to operate through gameplay without needing to research essay-length guides for individual mechanics.

Probably the most difficult aspect of the game is also, IMO, the most fun - building loadouts for your mechs and tinkering with them between missions. There's a lot to consider like hardpoint type, number, and locations on individual mech chassis, how much armor, firepower, or heat control you want to add or sacrifice in order to boost another area - it takes a while to really find your optimized setups but it allows you to get creative. It also helps that you can choose the difficulty of your missions so if you want to just test something in a battle with less risk, you can always just choose an easier mission.

Story wise, the game is enjoyable. Without spoilers I can say it's a bit cliche at times, but the voice acting is pretty solid, the semi-static artwork is actually pretty nice to look at and make some good desktops in a pinch. It's nothing groundbreaking but at the same time it's not badly executed. I'd say it's more than adequate.

Overall, it's a solid 8/10 for me, mostly because of the building aspects and gameplay. YMMV

Though it does show age in some areas, Front Mission Evolved is still a fun little game to play.

The obvious downsides are the very linear missions routing you from start to finish, the story that is pretty simplistic and has been done before in other games, and there's zero online presence.

But the upsides are of course the customization of weapons, armor, and utilities on your wanzer, some really neat boss fights (barring Fafnir which is as vanilla as possible) and just fun gameplay. Even the little things like casually stomping over a car in front of you or jumping on top of a tank to destroy it make the wanzer you're piloting seem so big, but then when you start to 'skate' around, the speed keeps the controls from feeling slow and heavy.

There's also a pretty good side hunting presence in the game, looking for sensors to destroy and emblems to collect has become my obsession after completing the main story. There's still some I haven't found but dammit, I'm gonna.

I might also be blinded by nostalgia a bit, as I remember playing this game ten years ago on the initial release on Xbox. Comparing the ports though, the PC definitely controls easier in terms of aiming, but you may want to remap your shoulder weapon trigger buttons somewhere other than Q and E, unless you just want to sit completely still if you have to fire both at once. That's the only really awkward default control that I can think of.

This game has so much potential o be a fun time-waster. It's inexpensive, it has a fun premise, and it's got a motha-♥♥♥♥♥♥' T-Rex in it.

But it's just awful gameplay wise. The frame skip and lag levels are UNBELIEVABLE and it is utterly unplayable. I tried re-installing it twice and setting the graphics to the absolute minimum to make sure that I could run it smoothly, but it was still impossible to play effectively.

Once (if ever) these issues with lag and frame skipping get fixed, this game will be so much fun. I only hope it does happen, because I'm ready to start gunning down dinosaurs.

Borderlands offers a very fun open-ended game with a hell of a lot of guns and gear to find. If you do purchase the game, I would highly suggest getting the Game of the Year edition with all the DLC. The baseline game is fun, but it can be fairly short to play through once. Adding additional story, levels, and even more loot really makes the game shine through.

Final rating: 8/10 - Very good.

Give it a whirl. You won't regret it.

Though this game is still in an early stage of release, it does manage to make a great gaming atmosphere. Think battlefield crossed with World At War. It's pretty much exactly what you would expect from an open-battlefield World War II game, but it is done well. There are still things to be implimented into the game, but everything that is already in the game is pretty solid.

Playing infantry is probably the most cost-effective, and it does get your pulse pounding a little bit when you are hiding in buildings from a patrolling enemy tank. From the infantry subtypes (Recon/Paratrooper) to the main "Jack-Of-All-Trades" line of infantry, it is certainly enjoyable if you like FPS-style games.

Playing armor is a lot of fun, as having all the power of a tank is an absolute blast. You are still very vulnerable to anti-tank infantry though and aircraft, so it balances out nicely. Stay alert and you will do fine, but if you think you are invincible, you will fall fast.

Playing aircraft can also be a fun experience, chasing enemy fighters out of the sky, blowing apart paratrooper's transport planes, or bombing ground units is all included on the pilot branch. It is an expensive line to play, so fortunately you aren't limited to one soldier.

I have only had the chance to play the "Heroes" side of the game, and have not yet reached the more strategic "Generals" side. However, if you enjoy FPS MMOs, or just like World War II in general, give it a try. The worst that could happen is you try it and not like it.

Character customization in this game is far more impressive than you will find in any other game.

Ground combat can be fairly boring as you just mash the 1 and 2 buttons, but in space the combat is definitely more impressive. You can build a ship nearly however you want it, and that makes for interesting combinations.

The game is the most fun if you don't get caught up in the endless DPS chase - just take it slow and play how you want to play.

I would say that watching or reading a few basic tutorials on the game and mechanics will help you very much.

PLAY IT. DO IT. NOW!

There is seriously something wrong with you if you don't enjoy your time playing TF2. It is one of the greatest online multiplayer games there is, and the customization is almost limitless when it comes to weapons, loadouts, and even the look of your player model. And there is a class for every style of play.

Just download it. I promise you won't regret it. And since it's free, you can always get your money's worth on this game.