Recent reviews by DuneCat

Definitely a beta-build for a v2 of the original. Similar mechanics and themes and visual style. Everything feels "upgraded", both in terms of the game feeling "better", as well as the more "modern" style of the world (it feels like it"s a decade or two after the previous one). It definitely doesn"t feel finished yet (some areas "under construction"... a nice touch to make the "game development process" feel like part of the game story), which is expected. But the core of it is there.

The only thing I"d actually "complain" about not being in the current version is the weapon/gear maintenance/repair mechanics that just felt like such a core part of the previous game, it feels weird/wrong to not have it in the Early Access version. But I know it"s coming soon, and it doesn"t take away from the rest of the game, it just "feels" wrong without it.

With the way they handled the previous Early Access, it kinda makes it almost a live-service game as features are added and the game is tweaked... except for the progress resets. One of the few devs I don"t mind buying an Early Access game from, as they do it "right" (in my opinion, at least). I won"t suggest/push for someone to get it in EA if they"re hesitant about it, or would rather just play the final version, but if you don"t mind the "beta experience", this is one of the few games (one of the few devs) that I feel has made it worth playign the EA versions and being along for the ride and changes.

Do you have a modern Intel CPU (13th or 14th gen) and top of the line GPU with plenty of VRAM?

Then don"t bother downloading this game (at least not yet).

Apparently, there"s a bug in Unreal Engine 5 that causes games to think you"ve run out of VRAM if you"re using a modern Intel CPU (with "modern" being 13th or 14th gen). Apparently you CAN underclock the *CPU* to get it to stop thinking you"ve used up all 10-12+GB of your GPU"s VRAM... and somehow that works???

But honestly, probably not worth doing that and just wait until this bug is patched.

I want so much to recommend this game. The problem is it is buggy. I can only get the game to load once out of every 4-5 attempts. Sometimes it crashes claiming "out of video memory". I have a 3080 and it is barely using maybe 4GB? Other times it just... crashes. All before you even get to the game menu.

Even had the game just crash during a zone transition, losing all my progress. So if you are going to chance it, save often. (this crash happened in non-VR mode)

I think I"m going to give up on the game for a while, and hope they release a patch soon. If they do, I"ll try and come back and update this comment, but for now -- pass (though maybe keep an eye out for updates that might fix these issues)

Oh, and the logo animations are unskippable when in VR (but can be skipped in non-VR mode).

Everything you loved about Battlefield 2, without all the microtransactions and pay-to-win of more recent games in the series, while adding a progression system. The game is also much larger in scale (128v128) with a broad range of ways to play for everyone"s unique style, without becoming a giant mess like most games these days tend to be. The visual style of the game is simple, and kinda cartoony, but it fades away when you play and gets out of the way to make room for the gameplay itself.

If you used to love the old Battlefield games, but haven"t really been feeling the more recent games in the series, this game might scratch that itch that"s getting agitated and left unsatisfied.

I can"t think of a reason to NOT play this game. If you like Starship Troopers? Get the game. Do you like overt parody of excessive patriotism? Get this game. Do you love big, cool explosions? Get this game. Want an experience that scales with your skill level or how you feel that day? Get this game! Love organic chaos in co-op games? Get this game!

Even if you play solo, you can still find fun in the tactics and strategy of it. Playing with randos or friends is always delightful chaos.

Road trips are a great American pastime. And big trucks on wide highways are a staple of any road trip. Why not take a road trip with a truck! And experience the joys of long-distance driving and experiencing the changing landscape as you drive across America"s diverse geography, but in 1:20 the time, cutting out the worst part of road trips.

Much more expansive and deep than the original. Story plays more like an RPG with interactions with other characters, rather than just what you find in the world. Characters all seem to have their own personalities and opinions on things, and interact with you accordingly. Puzzles are pretty much the same format as the previous game, or like all games of the genre. Environments are beautiful and a pleasure to explore.

Do you like puzzles? Do you like philosophical questions? Do you think about whether robots can be "human"? If the answer to any of those is "yes", then this game has something for you.

If you liked Portal, you will probably like this game, too.

It is a bit mind-bending with messing with time and such, but not too challenging, at least not at first. The game does get a bit long and by the end I was just kinda done with "solving" the puzzles, but was still enjoying the dialog.

Definitely worth picking up.

If you wanted to play Stalker in VR, play this game.

If you want more realistic gun mechanics compared to other games, play this game.

Do you like the idea of meditatively cleaning your guns and equipment after a hike through a dangerous wasteland? Play this game.

If ANY of the above sounds good, then just get this game and play it.

While I don"t deny the criticisms, this is still a fun expansion.

Yes, the story is a bit weak and confusing (and much is left confusingly unexplained)... but there are still a lot of good moments (story and gameplay) and Strand is a *LOT* of fun to play with. I really enjoyed the campaign, honestly, and found it fun playing with and discovering Strand through it (except for the final boss fight where "get yeeted of the edge of the map randomly" was confused for "difficulty" or "challenge", but instead just made it frustrating... but phoning a friend to help (rather than just bashing my head on it trying to soloing it) solved the frustration).

Nimbus didn"t bother me like they seem to bother others (and, honestly, they kinda reminded me of Caboose from Red vs Blue at times), the gaps in (and vagueness of) the story didn"t bother me (and the "don"t worry, we"ll explain later" is okay to me, though it might not be for others). Could it have been better? Should it have been? Yeah, probably; it doesn"t live up to the hype following Witch Queen or Season of the Seraph... but it"s still fine.

You can read all the other comments/reviews for all the (valid) criticisms, but those didn"t detract from my enjoyment in the end for me. If you"re new to Destiny 2, probably grab Witch Queen first (or instead) and play that before considering Lightfall, or even start with Beyond Light first (and unlock Stasis). At least then you can see Destiny 2 at it"s best before diving into Lightfall.