Beholder
16.4.2018. Game #33
If this game was a woman, my wife would have left me
I didn’t just enjoy Beholder, I was obsessed with this game, in fact, obsessed is putting it mildly. As soon as I learned how to play the game I was infected. I couldn’t stop playing it. I played it till 4 am (I know that’s probably not so hardcore, but for me it’s quite late) for 3 days and whenever I wasn’t playing it I thought of playing it. I even dreamt of this game. I beat the game about 10 times, played it for 30 hours and got all the achievements and EVEN THAT WASN’T ENOUGH FOR ME, so I bought the DLC played it for another 10 hours (all achievements too) and only now am I finally satisfied.
– Real player with 41.0 hrs in game
Beholder is all about trying to be a decent person when the rules require foul play. You are Carl, a new government employee charged with running an apartment building. Of course this job is handed to you with strings attached. While you may occupy the landlord’s office, your primary occupation is collecting intelligence on your tenants. Hide cameras in all the apartments, search people’s belongings and eavesdrop on their conversations; just don’t get caught. When I was given this warning I assumed the consequences would be severe. I could only imagine the outrage I would feel if I came home to find my landlord rifling through my personal possessions. However, the residents didn’t seem all that upset by it. Sure they would tell you to leave immediately but there were no fisticuffs, fines, or complaints lodged with the ministry.
– Real player with 20.9 hrs in game
No Place for the Dissident
While I am recommending this, I would highly suggest you wait for a sale or until the price lowers. It’s not a bad game and has some cool mechanics, but it isn’t something that’s worth $20 unless you really think It’ll scratch a niche you have. While sometimes fun, it needs more polish to be worth the price it’s asking for, at least in my opinion. Here’s a bullet point review:
The Good:
- Ideology spreads through points on the map that interact with each other instead of having each country just be a tap made up of abstract numbers. They even have different population densities. Looking at waves of orange overflow a country is somewhat neat to look at.
– Real player with 17.0 hrs in game
It’s okay. It will be better if they add more features and streamline the actions for smaller countries. Otherwise it will remain more tedious than fun.
It could be really cool if they keep updating it.
– Real player with 5.5 hrs in game
Orwell: Keeping an Eye On You
Preface
This review is being written before the conclusion of the game in episode five. I’ve played through the first four episodes a couple times exploring different outcomes, however, as episode five is not out yet I’m not able to comment on the totallity of the story.
The Machine
Orwell has a very close Person of Interest vibe. The government of the fictitious country has obtained a Machine, or System, that surveils the populous gathering information however it does not act on the gathered information. The idea of the game is that the system, aptly named Orwell, isn’t able to decern human subtlety, sarcasim, or deciet. As such, the fictious government has outsourced the task of resolving conflicts in the data, and identifying what is relevant and what is not. You as the player take on this role as an outsider to the country, tasked with sifting through the data that Orwell gives you access to inorder to identify person(s) of interest. This is a role somewhat like Person of Interest’s Harold Finch.
– Real player with 14.4 hrs in game
My playtime: 10h (based on steam, 100% achievement; 2.5x playthrough)
Grindy Achievement(s): No.
Optional Achievement(s): Yes (17 achievements).
Difficult Achievement(s): No.
Intro
Orwell: Keeping an Eye On You is a massive information gathering system where you, an investigator, is taking a role in sorting the relevant data and fix conflicting data that the system gathered to assist a crime. The game has story branching that persists over 5 chapters.
– Real player with 10.5 hrs in game
Sim Junta
This is a very fun and easy to play game, but is very difficult to win. Previous reviews have explained what this game is about, so I will try to share some things I have found out the hard way. Please note that all my suggestions are for Normal Level.
New Game:
After creating a new game check Army Chief and Police Chief Ambition. If it is too high better start another game and don’t waste your time. Is already hard enough as it is to avoid a revolution from the various parties, the Guerillas or the Prisoners. The most common way to get overthrown and lost this game is if your Police or Army Chief betray you and try to seize the power.
– Real player with 10.8 hrs in game
This game is great for the bargin I’ve gotten it for! It’s a game set during the Cold War in which you are “Mr.President”, the current military president of Risuena, a backwater, third-world country. This game is sorta like if Tropico had an orgy with Papers, Please, add a dash of Haiti, and this would be it’s love child. It’s also somewhat like that game Dictator on the ZX Spectrum (look it up, it’s an old school game).
Anyways, this game is a management economy game without building shit and instead just passing out edicts and stuff. What you then do is balence the economy by raising taxes and creating bills to pass, however, don’t think that you can just fuck around and not get away with it (believe me, it happened to me a couple times). If you do decide to diddlydick around, the different factions will try to plot against you by either trying to form a revolution or to try to kill your ass.
– Real player with 8.1 hrs in game
Beholder 2
I love this game. The dark setting, the artwork, the way the characters speak. If you are reading and wondering if you are going to buy it or not after watching the videos just go buy it already. Good value for the money.
– Real player with 34.9 hrs in game
I really love this game!
– Real player with 15.6 hrs in game
Electioneering
So I found this game in my qeue (a bit by surprise). And since I really like political-sim and strategy games, I decided to give it a try. Yes, it is really early access but under it’s surface is a good strategy game. You have to constantly run polls and ads, so you win over a state on several topics. But at the same time keep an eye on your money. First few turns took a bit of figuring out what to do, but after that I found the perfect strategy. Won my first game fairly easy with 430 - 108 electoral votes. I do hope they add more elements so there’s more gameplay.
– Real player with 6.5 hrs in game
Good game in development. A bit pricy for the state it is currently in now, but I trust that as updates come out and it leaves Early Access, the game will be higher quality. Definitley a good game if you’re into political stragety.
– Real player with 3.8 hrs in game
Kommissar
Love the idea of this game, but it has a lot of problems that even a pre-alpha version shouldnt have. The games code dosent insert the color of eyes, gender, or any details of people you interogate, which nobody seems to have found yet. Also the grammar is god awful. I would most defiently recommend that you wait until this game is fully realesed before you give it a go. (Really it shouldnt even be on Steam at all…)
– Real player with 2.8 hrs in game
The game needs a lot of work, from simple things like bugs and graphical glitches to large things like story inconsistencies, proper english, a proper tutorial and a better gameplay. The fact that the last update happened on May gives me very little hope for the future of this game. Of course, something may have happened to the Dev, and i wouldn’t blame them for it, but be aware of how regular the updates really are when buying this game by taking this in mind. With that being said, the idea is quite interesting, and although it did remind me of “Papers, Please”, It offered what i think is a fresh take in the “Be a government employee in a Dystopian Environment/Country” genre.
– Real player with 1.8 hrs in game
Song of Farca
Playing status: 100% achievement
Grindy Achievement(s): No.
Optional Achievement(s): Yes (~20 achievements).
Difficult Achievement(s): No.
Intro
Song of Farca sets in the state of Farca, an imaginary island that is still connected to the rest of the world. The story focuses on the life of a private investigator whose job is to find information about people, both online and offline.
Pros:
-
Unique puzzles
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2 endings with minor story branchings
– Real player with 35.1 hrs in game
First, props for using a person-of-color female main character that doesn’t fit the standard mold. She’s a lesbian, black, tattooed, blue hair, under arrest, etc. It’s refreshing to have someone who differentiates from what other main characters are, but also has great background leading up to the events in the game.
I very much enjoyed this game. Since it is focused heavily on dialogue, the developers did an amazing job fleshing out the characters and making you feel for them. Everyone has their own personality and it certainly shines throughout their interactions with the female MC. I felt for everyone in the game, with whatever happened to them.
– Real player with 14.2 hrs in game
Make America Great Again: The Trump Presidency
Started the game, made a cup of coffee and got a call to go pick up my kid who was sick at school, forgot I left it on, went to to pick the kiddo up.
When I got back, the debt was totally gone, ISIS was eliminated, the game was already won, and I had every achievement.
No one was home while I was gone.
Trump won the game all by himself. Even changed my PC’s name to TRUMP.
Also for your information:
FOREIGN LANGUANGE OPTIONS ARE NOT AVAILABLE AND WILL NOT BE CONFIRMED BY DEVS AND TRUMP HIMSELF. IF YOU REQUEST THIS FEATURE YOU’LL BE BANNED AND CHARGED BACK DOUBLE FOR THE GAME. (COSTS AND TAXES) SEE 2.33 ARTICLE 20 OF THE WASHINGTON DIGITAL ACT
– Real player with 312.8 hrs in game
Despite the constant negative press covfefe
Make America Great Again: The Trump Presidency is probably all what you’d expect; and I hope I don’t step on any trump sympathizers during this review.
It has violence, trading and “investing” and fucking up the world while still getting away with it.
Trumps thumbs up
A fun little game based on humour and satire.
Great use of voice quotes.
Trading cards which currently (dec 2017) sells for 0.20-0.25 the worth the money for a base cost of 3£ at a half price discount atm. BoosterPack at 0.88.
– Real player with 20.1 hrs in game
HEADLINER
Video Review:
Headliner caught my attention with a simple tagline “What if you control the national news?” Interesting premise and a question that made me wonder “What if I did control the national news?” Fact-based reporting? No slant? Spread the writings of Thomas Paine’s Common Sense… I could do so much. So what would Headliner allow me to do?
– Real player with 5.4 hrs in game
I recently got this game for free from a curator connect offer. This 2D simulation game with 2D side-scrolling adventure game elements by Unbound Creations features a custom male/female protagonist Dianne Kalushky who is married to a custom male/female spouse Andrew or Sasha and has a daughter Amber(names of any character can be changed). Dianne has just started work as a Headliner at a news broadcaster Galmedia in the fictitious nation of Galixia.
Amidst the backdrop of a deep polarised divide between the genetically modified population and the non-modified minority known as Purists and an ongoing war in the neighbouring nation of Lerisia with a subsequent influx of refugees to Galixia, Dianne must manage his/her company’s expectations as a corporate entity which needs to rely on broadcasting the type of news to attract interest and subscribers, the conflicting interests from the pro-modified and the Purists as well as on whether to allow or control the number of Lerisian refugees into Galixia, Andrew/Sasha’s declining health, job security and concerns over Amber’s idea on having fun at a festival in a week’s time as well as Amber’s plans to enrol at a secondary and study biology which is beyond the family’s finances.
– Real player with 5.3 hrs in game