Review Thread For Released Games (and WIPs)

[xeroxo]

Starting this thread because I haven't seen any other thread for reviews. I might eventually end up talking to myself all the time but that's fine.

To start things off, An Imp and an Impostor was nice, but it felt as bland as many COG offerings. Do they put their games in a bland-inator or something? There's no way I can tell that the person who wrote it isn't the same as the one who wrote another COG offering. It's a stark contrast to HtR: A Time of Monsters, where it's clear that the game was written by a human, even if he made many, many pop culture references.

Sometimes the character customisation is silly and breaks you out of the story. At least I&I did it better. HtR has your character being stopped as you're being led away by a shady cop and asked your pronouns. Really? I don't think a cop who may or may not be about to do something evil to you cares what your pronouns are at that point in time. Especially since it was a vampire trying to feed. "Hey I want to feed and I might kill you in the process but at least let me ask your pronouns respectfully."

The ROs for both games also were not compelling. I didn't feel like romancing anyone, and I'm not even sure if the person I would actually like to romance in HtR was romanceable. It felt like Paul just tossed the romance into HtR just to have it, same with I& I. Both games work fine without romance. I liked their stories too, although HtR is better for me because there were more things to do and generally the world of HtR was more interesting.

I started playing Cheerleader's Choice bit gave up after a bit. I have no idea what is going on and is it supposed to be funny? Because it's not

 

[Raistlan71]

I&I was meh at best to me, I thought the story was okay I suppose but yeah, the romances were lackluster at best. In HtR, the story I thought was compelling, I would have enjoyed it a lot more if the romances weren't just an afterthought as you mentioned, that said, at least the romances were present and you could do them even if they was lackluster, Cheerleader's Choice, it claims that you can romance people in it but you absolutely can not, you don't even so much as get a chance to hold a LI's hand, it was false advertising at it's finest. I enjoyed some of the humor in it but so much of it was just juvenile, I am glad I never paid to play that one.

 

[xeroxo]

I&I was meh at best to me, I thought the story was okay I suppose but yeah, the romances were lackluster at best. In HtR, the story I thought was compelling, I would have enjoyed it a lot more if the romances weren't just an afterthought as you mentioned, that said, at least the romances were present and you could do them even if they was lackluster, Cheerleader's Choice, it claims that you can romance people in it but you absolutely can not, you don't even so much as get a chance to hold a LI's hand, it was false advertising at it's finest. I enjoyed some of the humor in it but so much of it was just juvenile, I am glad I never paid to play that one.

What's CC even about? I had no idea what was happening

 

[vicc.mae]

Starting this thread because I haven't seen any other thread for reviews. I might eventually end up talking to myself all the time but that's fine.

To start things off, An Imp and an Impostor was nice, but it felt as bland as many COG offerings. Do they put their games in a bland-inator or something? There's no way I can tell that the person who wrote it isn't the same as the one who wrote another COG offering. It's a stark contrast to HtR: A Time of Monsters, where it's clear that the game was written by a human, even if he made many, many pop culture references.

Sometimes the character customisation is silly and breaks you out of the story. At least I&I did it better. HtR has your character being stopped as you're being led away by a shady cop and asked your pronouns. Really? I don't think a cop who may or may not be about to do something evil to you cares what your pronouns are at that point in time. Especially since it was a vampire trying to feed. "Hey I want to feed and I might kill you in the process but at least let me ask your pronouns respectfully."

The ROs for both games also were not compelling. I didn't feel like romancing anyone, and I'm not even sure if the person I would actually like to romance in HtR was romanceable. It felt like Paul just tossed the romance into HtR just to have it, same with I& I. Both games work fine without romance. I liked their stories too, although HtR is better for me because there were more things to do and generally the world of HtR was more interesting.

I started playing Cheerleader's Choice bit gave up after a bit. I have no idea what is going on and is it supposed to be funny? Because it's not

I'm so with you with Cheerleader's Choice. I started thinking it was about a high schooler or maybe someone at uni, but is just adults going out there to... cheer? I really tried this. As a man, as a woman but just... no. It's confusing. Even if it get better at end or so what, I wasn't thrilled to wait until there for the bare minimum that's understand what's happening and why.

 

[Sokrates]

Maybe create a masterpost about completed games which are worth playing in your opinion? There's already a thread about "Stories which dissapoint" which is mostly about wips and one for recs of all kinds. it would be quite great for users here

 

[Raistlan71]

What's CC even about? I had no idea what was happening

I think it is about a bunch of adult trying to relive their glory day' s as cheerleaders, well, all but the MC who by chance just happens to see a hot one while he or she is doing a cheerity event about cancer then like all of us adults are like hmm, I want to be a cheerleader now after some dude is like we are doing an event where you can try out and join us? You can or could not have once been one and then you try out, and just like all of us is like just awesome at doing cheerleader stuff? Oh, let us not forget the 2 week Rocky like training we do with our "romance option" best friend Pepper whom we never truly get to romance mind you, anyways, we do our 2 week training and instantly we are all in shape to become the best damn cheerleader that ever walked because like in a month we are looked at like almost captain-like material.., so, we go on to.., eh forget it, because I now did. Just no, play like I don't President Disaster, wait no never mind, the USA already has a live action version.., anywho, have a good one..

 

[xeroxo]

Maybe create a masterpost about completed games which are worth playing in your opinion? There's already a thread about "Stories which dissapoint" which is mostly about wips and one for recs of all kinds. it would be quite great for users here

I thought that thread was for ranting/complaining about games people don't like for one reason or the other? But I like the idea of creating a list of games I enjoy. I just wanted to have somewhere to go to get people's opinions on games before I play them.

 

[xeroxo]

Anyway, ranking the World of Darkness games—I'd like to do that but I'm too lazy to find a list. Just know that the vampire games are at the top (Night Road is #1) and the werewolf games are at the very bottom. The Hunter games are in the middle (A time of monsters is higher than Beast of Glenkildove).

Some of the VtM games on itch.io are actually pretty great. My faves are Blood Frontier, where you're in the desert (?) of the wild West, ig and Vampire the Regicide (VN)

 

[mis07]

I also enjoyed the WOD games, even more than VTM:B for some. The only thing I find annoying about WOD IFs is that it seems it's just going to be a repeat of Vampire, Hunter, and Werewolf games which is typical and expected but disappointing. I'd love to see a Mage, Changeling, Wraith, or Demon game created. There's almost no content out about the other settings and they would benefit from having an IF more than any of the three we've already gotten.

 

[xeroxo]

Happy holidays! Just a quick review since I just played Games of the Monarch's Eye:

• I was 100% sure this was a CoG game, but I checked just to be surer. I was right. My number 1 complaint about CoG is how bland their offerings tend to be. I did not care about any of these characters, not even the one I was playing. Nobody has any motivations I'd like to explore. The Monarch's Eye doesn't seem to do any actual work—Casiola was Captain (I think?) of the Guard or something, but I didn't see him do anything else. What is the Monarch's Eye meant to do anyway? I thought the role would be like the Hand of the King or a vizier, but... it makes sense. You wouldn't give important work to anyone who won a competition which is reminiscent of a beauty pageant, would you? (we would, tbh. isn't that how democracy works?)
• I liked the setting, and the visuals of the four cities on one route. Although I wonder how that makes it one big city, but nvm. My main problem with this is the sheer amount of adjectives in this thing. So much description that my eyes ended up skipping past paragraphs at some point just to get to the action. I know there are people who think of IF as novels you can sort of control, but even modern novels leave some room for the reader to imagine. It's fine to not describe every single thing; let my mind as the reader do some of the work too.
• I get that the authors probably want to have more diverse settings than European fantasy, but this is so much nothing in an attempt to feel exotic. Again, many description,, few success. I especially hated the gendered terms (Nu, Ne-Te, Ne etc) because they weren't consistent and I shouldn't have to learn a new language while I'm reading. If it was a few words that come up over and over again, like in Imp and Impostor, it might have been more useful. Instead we got a barrage of terms that were not even consistently used and impossible to keep track of unless you have eidetic memory or you took a screenshot and were constantly referring to it. Even greater a sin was that there was no Glossary to help readers make sense of anything.
• I've already said the characters were bland, and the romance is even blander. If this game was food, it would definitely be one of the foods that are recommended for people throwing up or with runny stomachs because it's so inoffensive to the stomach. If you want a palate cleanser, you should check this out. You'll feel ready to go back to spice in no time at all.
• Spoiler

  The squabble between the Artisans and the Merchants was childish. Most wars are, tbh, but there was nothing that made me want to join either faction. The Artisans were probably in the right, just going off how the Merchants acted like annoying rich people, but pulling that stunt at the fourth location just made me lose all sympathy. It doesn't even make sense that there are no other major factions in the four cities besides these two, or that no one was annoyed by all their disruptions. The Monarch was especially useless; surely there was more they could have done to keep these two in check? It's a monarchy, not a democracy. They definitely have power so I don't understand why they were acting like their hands were tied.
• Again, the world building was interesting, even if the purple prose (it was purple IMO) made my eyes glaze over. I would have liked to know more about the PC's 10 years away and where they had been and what they'd been doing.
• I liked the fate/fortune telling thing. I might be wrong but I don't think it's a common replacement for magic in fantasy settings. Here you had either wits, physical ability, eloquence, or fate in terms of skills.
• Replay value isn't high IMO. My game ended unsatisfactorily (became the Eye, was unable to broker peace and ended up living with the Monarch in some fishing village???) but I'm not interested in subjecting myself to everything again just to get more achievements and better endings.

FINAL RATING: 5/10 (not bad, but not great either)

 

[xeroxo]

House of the Golden Mask
I don't think I'm ever going to finish this. I don't care about any of the characters and I really have no idea what's going on.