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Post by rhaegyr on Dec 1, 2023 10:45:07 GMT
That fish sequence is something else.
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mrpon
Junior Member
Posts: 3,546
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Post by mrpon on Dec 1, 2023 10:57:04 GMT
I might have missed some Finches Did you get the one on the boat?
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Post by Phattso on Dec 1, 2023 10:58:55 GMT
Yeah, one of only a handful of games to give me the "I have something in my eye..." moment. But I love a good walking sim, me. Love it.
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Post by theguy on Dec 1, 2023 18:51:04 GMT
Battle Chef Brigade
It's a 2D side scroller where you hunt monsters with melee combat, and then you cook said monsters with a match 3 minigame to serve judges. Both are done within the same set time frame. So for example, if you're given 5 minutes for a dish, that includes your hunting and cooking as both areas are joined and you can seamlessly move back and forth.
It's actually a fun little gameplay loop. The animals you hunt have 3 different elements within them, and judges will want one certain ones to be the dominant one in the dish. On the cooking side, there's different cookware and abilities to choose to aid you, so it means there's a level of strategy to the whole thing. It's never too complex and combat is also incredibly basic but together they work to make a nice package.
It's definitely a game made on a budget, because there are a lot of limitations and even strange design decisions. Much of it just comes across as untapped potential which could have really elevated the game, rather than things that greatly hamper the experience. But then there are also things like not being told what ingredients you'll get from a monster, which can make hunting feel a bit more random than considered. Maybe you're supposed to just remember, I didn't. Much of the writing isn't really for me but the story is serviceable enough.
If you enjoy the main gameplay these things won't bother you too much. If the match 3 stuff isn't for you you won't find much else to like here, since well, there is nothing else. It is more fun than it might sound. I don't play match 3 games but still for me, I had quite a good time with it.
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Post by Rubicon on Dec 2, 2023 9:49:10 GMT
34. Eastern Exorcist (PC Game Pass)
Not played it myself but from what I gather this is a 2D Sekiro.
I've actually restarted this about 3 or 4 times to give it a fair chance but each and every time it has ended up really pissing me off. Combat is based around the stamina bar which empties real quickly (to stop you backing a boss into a corner and wailing on it) and to fill it up you need to dodge/parry attacks but it's just tedious which none of the Soulsborne games ever were.
Other bits: the opening spams you with tutorials and it has some of the most unpleasant training sections I can remember.
It seems to be reviewing positively but I just don't see it.
2/10
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Vortex
Full Member
Harvey Weinstein's Tattered Penis
is apparently a mangina.
Posts: 5,245
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Post by Vortex on Dec 2, 2023 12:00:15 GMT
Firewatch.
Really enjoyed it. There's something about a gentle walking simulator that I really love. Up there with EGTTR as fas as I'm concerned.
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Tuffty
Junior Member
Posts: 3,427
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Post by Tuffty on Dec 3, 2023 20:24:50 GMT
Alan Wake Remastered - 7/10
A disgruntled author finds himself trapped in a horror story, one of his own creation. Finding pages of a manuscript for a novel he had written but was unaware of that was coming to life, like a bad Stephen King novel. By far the most interesting premise is the plot and Remedy's form of storytelling using pulpy bad thriller narrative, TV episodic pacing, mixing written word and even real life footage that would then be expanded upon in future games like Control and seemingly, the sequel. The gameplay also has a unique dynamic, burn the enemies defenses away with your flashlight before they can be killed. It's mostly pretty satisfying, particularly as the last enemy is killed with a very dramatic slow mo effect. Only a few sequences let it down, in particular any jump scare that involved spawning an enemy directly in front of you and hitting you without getting a chance to react was never good. It's definitely a game that's shown it's age but still enjoyable and leaves me wanting to hit up the sequel right away.
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Tuffty
Junior Member
Posts: 3,427
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Post by Tuffty on Dec 5, 2023 10:14:22 GMT
The Last Guardian - 9/10
Moving on from Spiderman, I played another Sony exclusive, one I had in the backlog but never got round to. I couldn't have been more glad to, I adored this game. You and this dog/cat/bird creature must navigate through this desolate but gorgeous environment looking for an escape. For a game with little dialoge, the build up in the relationship between you and Trico is masterful and punctuated with some incredible setpieces and quiet moments. Perhaps one moment that made it so magical for me was a genuine mistake on my part, I slipped up descending a chain and was surely falling to my death, but with Trico nearby it just caught me in it's mouth without me having to issue a command. Really impactful way of showing the bond between both characters and by extension, the player towards Trico. Still looks incredible too and pulled on the heartstrings so much. Anyone that's played either of Team Ico's games knows that the character movement and camera can go a little wild at times and that's true here too, but still it wasn't enough to be frustrating or dampedn my experience too much. Glad I gave this a chance, bit of an underrated masterpiece. Would need to give it some thought but I think I definitely prefer it over Ico and maybe tied with Shadow of the Colossus.
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Duffman5
Junior Member
big cook, little cook welcome to our cafe
Posts: 1,332
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Post by Duffman5 on Dec 5, 2023 11:41:09 GMT
Firewatch. Really enjoyed it. There's something about a gentle walking simulator that I really love. Up there with EGTTR as fas as I'm concerned. Steady my "young" friend, lets not get carried away Perhaps you had to be from the 'shires like what I am. Oh Yeah!
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Post by ToomuchFluffy on Dec 5, 2023 16:20:49 GMT
Firewatch. Really enjoyed it. There's something about a gentle walking simulator that I really love. Up there with EGTTR as fas as I'm concerned. Steady my "young" friend, lets not get carried away Perhaps you had to be from the 'shires like what I am. Oh Yeah! That's one reason why I haven't gotten it so far. Even though it's by chineseroom I was concerned that I just wouldn't "get it". From what I have seen the environments seemed a bit mundane.
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Ulythium
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Lily-livered
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Post by Ulythium on Dec 5, 2023 17:26:47 GMT
TufftyGreat review, and I'm glad you enjoyed the game so much - the jank bothered me at times, but I absolutely adored Trico, and it was a magical experience overall.
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Ulythium
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Lily-livered
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Post by Ulythium on Dec 5, 2023 20:12:25 GMT
Persona 5 Tactica.
Since it launched in 2016, Persona 5 has received a meaty DLC expansion (Royal, 2019), as well as being spun off into titles that belong to different genres altogether: rhythm (Dancing in Starlight, 2018), and hack and slash (Strikers, 2020).
Never mind Persona as a whole, or the wider Shin Megami Tensei franchise - at this point, each individual Persona game is practically a sub-series in its own right, and Tactica is the latest entry in the Persona 5 canon.
If the elevator pitch for Strikers was, "What if Persona 5, but Dynasty Warriors?", the equivalent for Tactica would be, "What if Persona 5, but XCOM?". It's a strategy game, in other words, with each turn-based combat encounter taking place on a grid and viewed from an isometric perspective.
I never played Dancing in Starlight, as rhythm games really aren't my thing - two left thumbs, as it were - but I did play Strikers, and had a lot of fun in the process.
For its part, Tactica piqued my interest right away - a chance to check out a genre that had otherwise proven impenetrable to me, with the presence of the Phantom Thieves all but guaranteeing I'd enjoy the story if nothing else. What could go wrong?
As it turns out... Not much, actually.
Like Strikers before it, Tactica is very much a Persona 5 game at its core, with the Metaverse hijinks of Joker and the gang placed front and centre.
Yes, the 'chibi' art style is likely to put some people off (including yours truly, at first), but the presence of familiar music and voice actors helps to take the edge off this jarring aesthetic change; meanwhile, everything from fusing Personas in the Velvet Room to performing All-Out Attacks is present and correct, so if you've played the previous games, you'll soon find yourself on comfortable ground.
While turn-based combat still isn't my jam, I much preferred the strategic approach of Tactica to the standard JRPG fare of the original game - it's as stylish as ever, but far less likely to make you fall asleep at your desk.
Not having played XCOM 2, Phoenix Point, Mutant Year Zero, Wasteland 3 etc., I can't say how well (or otherwise) Tactica stands up to the strategy genre's heavy hitters, but it was perfectly digestible to a neophyte. (It's worth noting that there are several difficulty settings available, which might help veteran players to find a level that isn't too simplistic for their tastes.)
One of the things that seems to put newcomers off XCOM - myself included - is the possibility for attacks to miss their targets altogether, which can seem unfair. Tactica dispenses with this mechanic altogether: either you can hit an enemy from your current position, or you can't. This may seem like dumbing-down to existing fans of the genre, but it definitely helps to broaden the game's appeal, and I understand why Atlus made this decision.
Story-wise, this is a sequel to vanilla Persona 5, with the events of Royal and Strikers going unacknowledged. The two new characters are both likeable and interesting, and while the story never quite hits the highs of P5 proper, it's still highly engaging (and often very funny).
When all is said and done, P5/Royal didn't make me a fan of JRPGs, Strikers didn't prompt me to check out the Warriors franchise, and Tactica hasn't made a strategy nut out of me. What these three games have done is turn me into a firm Persona fan, and I'm very much looking forward to exploring the series further (regardless of whether future games have a '5' in their names or not).
8/10.
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Post by dfunked on Dec 6, 2023 11:12:11 GMT
Cult of the Lamb (SD/PC) - 9/10
Like I said before, it's not without its flaws. Clunky follower management, unskippable animations, not an especially great tutorial*. Both sides of the core game are surprisingly addictive though and more than make up for it. Getting your camp running as smoothly as possible and then reaping the benefits accounted for a huge chunk of my playtime, and I'm still coming back to tinker after the end credits rolled. The combat side of the coin is pretty basic but you can end up with some ridiculously fun builds (golden fleece run with 300%+ damage and a fireball every 5 seconds among other things was a particular highlight)
I've still got a bit more endgame content to do it seems, so I'll probably keep plugging away for a while (I might even attempt the no damage boss kill achievements)
*It took me 15 hours to realise I didn't need to save fragile relics for a special occasion and you should just pop them immediately. Grrrr.
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Post by ToomuchFluffy on Dec 6, 2023 15:23:08 GMT
Quake: Scourge of Armagon is done as well.
The third and last episode in this case wasn't nearly as complex in map design nor as interesting as the last one in the base game, but overall there was a good amount of variety and it's definitely a good expansion. Mostly more of the same with only a few not overly impactful additions in terms of arsenal and enemies. Still, it helps a little to keep things fresh and I liked how the maps of the first episode all have this military base theme in common, which makes it stand out.
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Post by Aunt Alison on Dec 6, 2023 16:43:46 GMT
Cult of the Lamb (SD/PC) - 9/10 Like I said before, it's not without its flaws. Clunky follower management, unskippable animations, not an especially great tutorial*. Both sides of the core game are surprisingly addictive though and more than make up for it. Getting your camp running as smoothly as possible and then reaping the benefits accounted for a huge chunk of my playtime, and I'm still coming back to tinker after the end credits rolled. The combat side of the coin is pretty basic but you can end up with some ridiculously fun builds (golden fleece run with 300%+ damage and a fireball every 5 seconds among other things was a particular highlight) I've still got a bit more endgame content to do it seems, so I'll probably keep plugging away for a while (I might even attempt the no damage boss kill achievements) *It took me 15 hours to realise I didn't need to save fragile relics for a special occasion and you should just pop them immediately. Grrrr. It's a bit cheeky of the game to basically make you do everything all over again after you've beaten it but I'd be lying if I said what it gives you for doing it isn't worth it
The biggest issue I had late game was having so many followers it was a nightmare trying highlight the thing in the middle of camp to collect the devotion juice
It's a great little game though. So cute and evil - the presentation is lovely
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Post by Reviewer on Dec 6, 2023 16:48:17 GMT
Spider-Man 2 8/10
The game is good and the story is decent, but the game is too similar to the first and its add on. Not sure I’m that excited for another one of these unless there’s a big change in gameplay.
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ned
New Member
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Post by ned on Dec 6, 2023 18:27:04 GMT
Doom Eternal.
Preferred the atmosphere of the 2016 game, but can’t say this wasn’t an absolute blast. Fast paced, intense, frantic destruction.
Despite being challenging, and overwhelmed with new systems at first, when you click with the game play loop of glory kills for health , chainsaw for ammo and flame for armour, mixed in with empowered punches, it makes you feel like an unstoppable force. Which is obviously mirrored in the narrative.
Had fun looking for the secrets and collectibles, but the exhilarating gameplay was what kept me playing to the end. Great soundtrack too.
I didn’t find the platforming and dashing very Doom like, but it broke up combat sections and gave you a breather every now and then. And the dash is useful and allows for some addition mechanics and options in combat.
Better than an 8 but not quite a 9 as I preferred 2016 overall, but the epic scale and additions to the gameplay loop were great fun.
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hicksy
Junior Member
I'm good for some but I'm not for everyone
Posts: 1,549
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Post by hicksy on Dec 6, 2023 21:17:34 GMT
Thirsty Suitors (XB-S via go)
A stylish hybrid. Dating/returning home adventure/rpg lite blending qte rhythm and turn based rpg combat with an arcade skating game. It works because of strong characterisation and current issue well voiced stories, delivered through likeable characters in a vibrant graphical style.
Fairly janky skating aside this is a good game. It could do with a few more world hub locations and a bit less repetition in core gameplay mechanics but what you get is Involving and the story and characters are strong enough a pull to see it through, especially on gp.
Decent indie game!
7/10
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Post by simple on Dec 7, 2023 23:53:02 GMT
Oxenfree
Can’t remember if I gave this a score when I replayed it a wee while ago but I really like it. It looks lovely, the sound design and music are very atmospheric, the story it tells mysterious with a hint of emotional depth to the characters and their relationships with each other.
Gameplay is a bit simplistic and some of the dialogue is awkward but a good time overall.
7.5/10
Oxenfree II Lost Signals
Gameplay and visual-wise this is everything that you might have liked about the first game. Its also everything about the gameplay that you might’ve hated about the first game.
More of the same isn’t necessarily a bad thing but a weaker story and characters mean it feels lacking in something. It feels like the map is bigger and emptier too. Its got the sound and visuals and atmosphere but it does feel like they didn’t really know what to do with the series after Netflix gave them some money and told them to do another one.
6.5/10
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malek86
Junior Member
Pomegranate Deseeder
Posts: 3,173
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Post by malek86 on Dec 7, 2023 23:53:42 GMT
Dead Space Remake (PC)
Resident Evil 4 in space, more or less. It is an engaging remake for sure. It suffers from a few flaws though: combat is not that varied, which only becomes more noticeable as later episodes tend to veer into shooting galleries. They also give you enough items and credits to lose most of their survival aspect as well. But even the earlier levels never leave you wanting for ammo. In the end, it's more horror shooter than survival horror. Still a blast overall, despite being a little too long (at 16+ hours, it is very long for a semi-linear single player game in its genre).
8/10
On a side note, it runs ok, ad I know it's probably not a shining example of optimized PC port, but it does seem to show that my Ryzen 3600 and 6600 XT combo is most likely going to struggle with future current-gen games. I want to kep it until 2025 at least, though. Assuming the PS5 Pro is real, that would be a good time as any to upgrade my computer to keep up with it.
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hicksy
Junior Member
I'm good for some but I'm not for everyone
Posts: 1,549
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Post by hicksy on Dec 8, 2023 20:37:00 GMT
The Gunk (XB-S via GP)
I really enjoyed this! Such a lovingly crafted game. Good adventure platformer with light puzzle elements. Interesting character power glove skills including hoovering James Dyson should be proud off. Likeable characters. Really vibrant and natural world graphical style.
A few small tech issues aside such as pop in and a few audio hiccups and overall very well polished and highly playable. Very little frustration even during frantic combat situations towards the end. Positive environmental messages.
Definitely one of my favourite indies to have played through. Highly recommended on gp!
9/10
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Post by bichii2 on Dec 9, 2023 11:05:16 GMT
Cult of the lamb.
Yeah pretty good. I enjoyed running the town way more than the dungeons.
It was pretty fun looking after your followers but it was a little disappointing how the easiest way to keep everyone in check was to be nice. I thought it was a game about being this evil lamb leader thing. Sure a couple of times a put someone in jail just for giving me some sass and I killed some old person for complaining about the food but then it negatively impacts your game.
Dungeons were fine, pretty fun but I've played a few very similar games that did it better.
Definitely not as good as the reviews had suggested.
Maybe a generous 7/10
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Post by bichii2 on Dec 9, 2023 11:31:30 GMT
Cult of the Lamb (SD/PC) - 9/10 Like I said before, it's not without its flaws. Clunky follower management, unskippable animations, not an especially great tutorial*. Both sides of the core game are surprisingly addictive though and more than make up for it. Getting your camp running as smoothly as possible and then reaping the benefits accounted for a huge chunk of my playtime, and I'm still coming back to tinker after the end credits rolled. The combat side of the coin is pretty basic but you can end up with some ridiculously fun builds (golden fleece run with 300%+ damage and a fireball every 5 seconds among other things was a particular highlight) I've still got a bit more endgame content to do it seems, so I'll probably keep plugging away for a while (I might even attempt the no damage boss kill achievements) *It took me 15 hours to realise I didn't need to save fragile relics for a special occasion and you should just pop them immediately. Grrrr. Did you succeed in being evil? I did enjoy bringing my husband along on most missions as a exploding demon!
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Post by suicida on Dec 9, 2023 12:12:40 GMT
Persona 5 Tactica. ... 8/10. Nice review. I finished Tactica a couple days ago. My main complaint is it's all rather easy, even on hard mode which I played first. Going through NG+ on merciless difficulty now and it's better, but I'm still really early game I absolutely loved it from start to finish. I'm incredibly biased, mind, Persona is by far my favourite game series, made by my favourite developer, and ATLUS has delivered another excellent game. The "Repaint Your Heart" DLC is totally worth picking up btw, as it adds a twist to the gameplay not present in the main campaign (it's heavily influenced by a certain paint-based Nintendo franchise) and the story is really quite good too (imo) One of the challenge missions you unlock at the end had me scratching my head for a couple of hours last night, eventually sussed it out and completed it which was super satisfying Banger soundtrack, as usual. Imported the CDs from Play Asia and been listening to it a lot since it arrived. 5 discs! Just based on the amount of fun I've had with it since it came out, it's a 10/10 game for me, everyone else knock a couple of points off cos like I said I'm incredibly biased [edit] I played on an OLED Switch, running in handheld mode, and the performance was flawless and looked amazing. I was a bit worried before launch but it turns out there was nothing to worry about
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Post by Aunt Alison on Dec 9, 2023 12:19:10 GMT
Can't you make your followers respond well to you being horrible to them by picking the right upgrades? You can make them hate old people, murder and feed them to the others. You can starve and brainwash them, force them to work without sleep. I don't know how effective any of it is if you're just min maxing but I'm sure it's possible to be an abusive lamb (and still succeed) You can definitely sacrifice the little guy from the beginning. I might have done that
edit: That's Cult of the Lamb, not Persona, sadly
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Post by dfunked on Dec 9, 2023 12:42:43 GMT
I was mostly good to the followers, although I did pick quite a few rituals like work through the night you fucking plebs and no food for 3 days. I tended to just let my followers die of old age (with the occasional sacrifice), and if they were any good they got resurrected. There's a perk where you gain favour for having old folk knocking around, so it worked fairly well.
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Post by bichii2 on Dec 9, 2023 13:03:22 GMT
I got the perks where sacrificing the old people was good for morals. In the whole game I only buried one character. If anyone made it to old age they were killed, unless it was a good worker then I sent them up to heaven instead. . Also the perk where it makes the village cannibals which stopped them moaning. Also I put the toilets next to the prison and enjoyed seeing members taking the piss out of the prisoners after doing a poo.
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Post by Aunt Alison on Dec 9, 2023 13:13:23 GMT
I did the same with the stocks and toilets, haha
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Post by theguy on Dec 9, 2023 17:39:39 GMT
Tangle Tower A point and click murder mystery game with a colourful cast of characters. Very well made, liked it overall.
Main issue I had was how the game handles some of the investigating. When there's an opportunity to catch out a lie or further the case, a minigame pops up which is basically multiple choice to lead to the answer. You can't fail it, but worse is that sometimes it popped up before I actually figured out what happened myself. You can basically work it out with the options presented, but it lacked that satisfying feeling of piecing the puzzle together myself. Maybe it's just supposed to work like that, but I wish it was a bit more challenging on that front. A lot of what you find out isn't wholly relevant either.
It still has some nice puzzles though. I'd just say if you're looking for hard sleuthing this might not be it. But if you're looking for a fun point and click with an interesting backdrop and characters, it's a good 'un. Ending is a little abrupt though. Not unsatisfying I reckon, just abrupt. Coincidentally a sequel got announced just the other day and I'm now looking forward to it.
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Post by ToomuchFluffy on Dec 9, 2023 17:49:43 GMT
I played through Dark Interval 1.2, a Half Life 2 Beta mod. To quote:
"Dark Interval is a restoration/revision mod that lets you play Half-Life 2 as it could have been. Using Valve's early concepts, we're creating new maps, models, textures, and custom dialogue."
So far there is only one chapter and it doesn't contain much combat. It's mostly atmospheric environments with a bit of puzzling and some interaction with NPCs. Overall it's basically a remixed version of the beginning of HL2 with a good number of original environments and models mixed in. At times it's very close to HL2, but even then the atmosphere is darker and there were some creepy sections that were very reminiscent of the Metro series.
Definitely recommended.
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