>observer_
Observer_ is the latest game from the developers behind Layers of Fear. Set in a dystopian cyberpunk world, you play as Dan Lazarski, a neural detective known as an Observer. With your augmentations, you can hack into peoples minds to solve crimes all while reliving some of their biggest fears and nightmares. One rainy night you get a call from your estranged son, seemingly in danger and asking for help. Once you trace that call to a decrepit apartment complex in the slums of Krakow, your investigation begins.
– Real player with 29.2 hrs in game
Read More: Best Cyberpunk Psychological Horror Games.
There is something unsettling about plugging in your computer, loading up Rutger Hauer’s character and playing a game where he plugs into dead people’s brains to get a look at their memories. It makes noir cyberpunk feel a little too close to home in 2020. RIP Rutger, gone but not forgotten. Off-genre stealth scenes mar this otherwise great experience, worth picking up if you are into cyberpunk, detective mysteries and/or horror games. (Please note that you can no longer buy the original game and must purchase the Redux version)
– Real player with 12.9 hrs in game
System Shock 2
The cult classic sci-fi horror FPS-RPG has returned.
System Shock 2 is an interesting game to review in 2014. When it first came out in 1999, it was met with a lot of praise from the gaming press, winning over a dozen awards, including several “Game of the Year” titles, and since then it has appeared on several “Greatest Games of All Time” lists. However despite the praise, not many people actually bought and played it.
It feels like System Shock 2 has been granted a second chance though. The success Irrational Games has had with BioShock and BioShock: Infinite has interested people enough to want to check out System Shock 2, which was the first game Irrational created. This is great news, because while you might not expect it, I feel that System Shock 2 is the best of all the “Shock” games. It makes you realize that for all of the steps forward we have taken in terms of technology, in a lot of ways modern gameplay has taken a few steps backwards.
– Real player with 161.0 hrs in game
Read More: Best Cyberpunk Sci-fi Games.
System Shock 2 is a first-person science-fiction exploration-based action-adventure horror game with RPG mechanics developed by Irrational Games and Looking Glass Studios using the Dark Engine. Taking place after the first System Shock, the player-character awakes aboard the “Von Braun”, an empty starship devastated by a biological mass commanding an egregoric hive mind.
Whereas System Shock 1’s intimidating, obscure control scheme and sheer age would unappealingly cling to it as the years went on, its sequel’s reputation is of a kinder, more accessible game for modern audiences. System Shock 2 is often played as a standalone title, which its story and presentation gracefully allows, and historically this is often viewed as the preferable option. Yet in a number of significant ways, System Shock 2 can be as esoteric and uninviting as its predecessor. The start of the campaign, for instance, is marked by a pronounced learning curve, albeit mitigated by a tutorial, and there’s an unflattering chunkiness to the visuals, intensified by jerky, stretchy 3D animations. Oftentimes the presentation requires the player to mentally fill in the gaps themselves, projecting detail and significance where there is none. Much of the gameplay’s mechanics are abstrusely informed to the player, requiring uncomfortable guesswork or guide-consulting. Before even beginning the adventure, for instance, the player is forced to choose between multiple progressive tiers of precious skill points before knowing any details about what they do. In-game, multi-part objectives are often dumped onto the player all at once and out of order, creating an alienating sense of halted progression. This isn’t to say the comparison to System Shock 1 is unfounded. On multiple levels, System Shock 2 actively strives to be more inviting, understandable and instructive than its precursor. In other ways, the sheer gap of time and innovation between the two titles solidifies it as having more modern sensibilities. Unmissable tools exist to helpfully identify collected items, and there’s no shortage of exposition to elucidate details of the environment. An objectives tracker mercifully updates itself, keeping the player up-to-date on what they still need to do. The music and sound design are of a standard which is more refined, effective and deliberate than the first game’s implementation of the same, and the progression of the story is more carefully directed than would be achieved in any first-person action games from the prior title’s era. And it goes without saying that the control scheme supports mouselook for aiming and shooting, aiming generally to put the player’s attention on the gameworld itself, rather than the HUD.
– Real player with 69.3 hrs in game
THE ENIGMA MACHINE
The Enigma Machine
Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? Well, more importantly; Do androids even dream at all? What would a synthetically created artificial intelligence dream of, being created by the hand of man and all, anyway? The Enigma Machine is a rare opportunity to look into the thoughts of an android (do androids have thoughts?), and witness the very dreams of a robot through an intensive training software program.
And what happens to those dreams once an AI becomes contaminated? How do we, as the sole creator and engineer of this emulated form of life, contain the chaotic and anarchistic thoughts or desires of an AI system gone rogue? The Enigma Machine has manufactured the perfect training drill, a series of tests that the user will be put through to ensure their ability to deal with the prospect of dangerous sentient beings operating on their own free-will.
– Real player with 10.4 hrs in game
Read More: Best Cyberpunk Puzzle Games.
Summary
The Enigma Machine is a brief first person point and click experience focused upon exploring the mind of an artificial intelligence via a computer simulation of the same name. To say much more would ruin the experience.
PROS:
-
I found the world and story, though brief, deeply affecting and memorable. Saying why would constitute a spoiler. You’ll have to play the game yourself to find out.
-
Excellent visual and sound design presentation effectively immersed me within the game’s core conceit: that I was exploring a simulation of the mind of an artificial intelligence.
– Real player with 1.9 hrs in game
Observer: System Redux
Observer Systemn Redux (2020) is a refurbished version of Observer (2017) both developed by a polish development company named Bloober https://www.blooberteam.com/about-us . This walking horror simulator is based during a cyberpunk era, 2084, when a deadly disease known as ‘Nanophage’ has already become rampant in the past and manifested itself among the slum C district of Krakow Poland. Due to a nuclear holocaust from both east and west, a mega corporation known as Chiron was able to usurp control by segregating the nation from the rest of the world (the great wall) and forming the 5th Polish Republic, further divided into three classes. A-district upper class, B-District working class and C District – slums.
– Real player with 29.9 hrs in game
More reviews on our Curator Page
Anyone that has been into gaming for the past few years clearly knows Observer. As a fantastic dystopian thrilling adventure, the game left us all impressed by its story and aesthetics. There was however, a lot which was left behind, and in that regard Observer: System Redux fulfills every aspect, including in the technical department.
But let’s not get ourselves in the optimization just yet, because first I want to assure everyone that no story-related detail was altered or manipulated. System Redux remasters what was already present. This is obviously good, as the story itself was already top-tier, revealing a world where augmented electronics embed in the human body created an easier but also tougher verdict for citizens.
– Real player with 23.9 hrs in game
Sense - 不祥的预感: A Cyberpunk Ghost Story
Let me preface this review by saying two things:
1. I played this game for 11 hours and got every achievement. That means I went through THREE separate playthroughs (new game, new game+, new game++). I have seen EVERYTHING the game has to offer.
2. I became aware that there was a certain controversy attached to this game and that resulted in a lot of purchases, and positive reviews, to support the devs. I had no idea about any of this when I bought it. I enjoy both Cyberpunk and Asian horror, and since the game was on sale, I decided to buy it and check out something new. I admire their insistence to deliver their uncompromised and coherent artistic vision but I’m not here to make a political statement. I’m just reviewing a game on how I experienced it.
– Real player with 10.9 hrs in game
Please note, the Developers have changed the game in response to several points of this review, and this review will be updated when I play it again in the next day or two. I don’t want to just delete it as I need to go through and check things, but please refer to others for the time being as they obviously are considering things and changing things based on feedback.
Target Audience: Very Patient old school players who play games like they would in real life.
– Real player with 10.0 hrs in game
Galaxy Arena
the game is great but please make more smoother for low pc bro
– Real player with 2.5 hrs in game
KAIF
– Real player with 0.3 hrs in game
System Shock: Enhanced Edition
System Shock: Enhanced Edition is a first-person science-fiction exploration-based action-adventure game developed by Looking Glass Studios for the unnamed System Shock engine, and re-released by Night Dive Studios via the KEX Engine. Set in the year 2072, the player takes control of an unnamed hacker who awakes from a six-month long medical coma on board a desolate space-station overrun by the biomechanical creations of the AI SHODAN.
Few games in 1994 were as forward-looking as Looking Glass Studios' System Shock, with regards to both its cyberpunk narrative and its game design sensibilities. Playing through the 10-14 hour long campaign, now easier than ever, unleashes an unprecedented presentation of considered design, creative scenarios and thoughtful storytelling. The techniques and technical details almost feel anachronistic with their modern standards for guiding and challenging the player. The moody worldbuilding of Citadel (System Shock’s space station) is still captivating, still authentically lived-in and narratively grounded as the end result of the engagingly told backstory. Amidst vocal email messages and scattered audiologs, the title features genuinely compelling vocal performances, with a pace of storytelling and presentation which gradually reveals an engaging, complex and startlingly fluid and confident story which sticks the landing by the end. The level design, while dense and mazelike, is kept navigable through aesthetic variety and recognizable landmarks. Meanwhile, the gradual escalation of stakes in both the gameplay and plot is masterful; SHODAN, who’s menacing personality and imposing power wouldn’t be replicated again, presents a dungeon-master-like sadism, and the cat-and-mouse progression of the player’s rivalry with her is a real delight.
– Real player with 52.2 hrs in game
I am a huge fan of System Shock 2 and consider it to be one of my personal favourite games ever. So you can imagine my delight when I was finally able to get my hands on and play the original System Shock here on steam. And whilst I still think SS2 is a much better game, I sincerely enjoyed playing this.
System Shock is an oldschool FPS in which you play as a hacker who must stop a rogue AI who has taken over the Citadel space station from taking over/destroying the Earth. Seems straightforward enough, but what I really like about the story is how it always feels like it’s moving forward. You wake up and find everything’s gone to hell. You desperately try and figure out what’s going on and how to stop it. And every time it seems like you’ve foiled SHODAN’s plans, she’s still one step ahead of you, so it’s up to you to keep up and try and save the Earth. I really like this as it seriously draws you in. You want to keep playing to find out what happens next and to get the last laugh in. Even though the graphics and controls haven’t aged well, I find System Shock to be a deeply immersive game.
– Real player with 47.9 hrs in game
BloodNet
Don’t mind the hours spent in the game. After refunding it, I ended up buying it on GOG to give it another try.
I first want to preface this review by saying I went in totally blind. I have no nostalgia attached to it, and I come from a background of loving point-and-clicks. I also seek out any game of the cyberpunk genre I can get my hands on.
That said, I wanted to like this game, but it felt impossible to. I saw it and I thought it was some kind of miracle I hadn’t played it already. Even its subtitle “The Cyberpunk Vampire Game” seemed perfect (as well as amazingly corny) to me. The screenshots made it look fantastic in that old time-y gritty moody kind of way. I felt like whatever its cons were, I wouldn’t let it keep me from enjoying a game that looked like I would love. But despite playing for long enough to get a handle on it, it still didn’t work for me.
– Real player with 22.1 hrs in game
I’ll start just by saying that it is my favourite adventure (although it is much more) game. Bloodnet mixes elements of adventure and rpg. Among solving puzzles you command your small squad of friends and mercenaries in fights. There’s a lot of character statistics influencing combat, decking (travelling through cyberspace), crafting etc… Bloodnet tells a story of Ransom Stark, who is trying to lift a curse of vampirism. It is dark, mature and really sucks in. Ransom will meet a lot of interesting and well written characters. While combat sequences are not of best quality, great atmosphere makes up for it. Important element of Bloodnet is decking. Improving cyberdeck will help to experience it. It is not a point and click game (you won’t make a helicopter combining shoelaces and washing machine). Puzzles are interesting and logical. It is more of unraveling the story. If you like cyberpunk it is a must have. If you like vampires it is a must have.
– Real player with 12.6 hrs in game
Fossilfuel
Changed the review to positive, the dev fixed a lot of the issues I mentioned.
Like yeah the AI is still basic, its a bit asset reliant (the zombies used for the corpses for example) and it could still use a bit of optimization on some sections but it’s a single dev and I absolutely didn’t know he was working alone when I made my review.
The only thing that really annoy me rn is that if you shoot a dinosaur in the head from behind, the hit will not register as a headshot, so you will have to shoot him another time from the front to kill him and that’s pretty risky.
– Real player with 32.3 hrs in game
this game is a very amazing dino shooting/horror game because of the whole inventory system and the way the dinosaurs die but there is one fault, when you go to the last stand area with the other survivors you have two choices: fight alongside with them against the endless amount of raptors and die or blow a hole in the wall so everyone can escape with a C4. i chose option 2 but when i detonated the C4 there was no hole in the wall at all and there was not a single scratch on it it was still in perfect condition and no matter what the wall can take 4 C4’s and still stay in one piece so i restarted the game and got back to where i was and when i detonated the C4 it still stood in one piece so can you please fix that? it would help me so much in the game if you do that. but other than the whole C4 not doing any damage to the wall thing i would definitely recommend this to other players.
– Real player with 26.8 hrs in game
Master Reboot
Master Reboot had been in my backlog for several months but I finally took the time over the past few days to play through and even 100% the achievements.
The game was not flawless by any means but to my mind the warts are just about what one should expect from such an ambitious indie project. Missing things like a key/controller config, multiple save slots (or a persistent way to view ducky and animated memories), borderless window, etc. are all minor quibbles that at worst I’d appreciate seeing in future projects.
– Real player with 15.0 hrs in game
This game is a first person adventure game, a true adventure game where your focus is on wandering environments and solving puzzles along a storyline, not like the ‘adventure’ classification some games like the Legend of Zelda are sometimes given.
The game is set in a cyberworld/server where people that die have their memories preserved so that their loved ones can ‘visit’ them when they are gone. During the game you get the idea that things like the cyberworld weren’t common, so the memories you visit are relatively normal, like current 21st century experiences people might have as opposed to experiences in the transitioning cyberpunkesque world that the cyberworld exists in. However, the visuals in the game are just what you would expect from a game in the cyberpunk genre when not in the isolated memories. The visuals are relatively simple looking as far as being like crysis, but the style is appropriate for it and works well with the game. The sound in the game is pretty decent, but one of the added things that some may love or hate is that you constantly hear soft shouting or other horror tropes to give off a horror game atmosphere, even when you aren’t being chased by enemies or dangers that should actually give such a feeling.
– Real player with 12.4 hrs in game