BLAEO — Backlog Assassins Extraordinaire

It’s not even a monthly update anymore, it’s update whenever i have time and mood for it…

Gorky 17
no achievements

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A pretty fun turn-based tactics from the 1999, though it didn't age too well. First of all you need some sort of graphics fix to run it properly, i used dgVoodoo 2 as explained in this guide, though newest version didn't work for me and the older one did. PS1 era graphics, nonsensical crappy story, basic level of tactics (new x-com level but with TINY battlefields, though compensated with a lot of inventory items) - full nostalgia trip.
PS1 era turn-based tactics, what can be better? Well... a lot of things, but it's still a pretty good game.

Nethergate: Resurrection
no achievements

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Finally i finished it. A typical Spiderweb rpg (top-down view, turn-based when in combat, a lot of exploration, great lore), though it's the older one with a weird UI and control scheme which can be a deal breaker for some. The world and story in this one are exceptional, you even learn some things about Roman empire as well as Britannia history and folklore while playing. I like Spiderweb games a lot but, oh my, aren't they a bit too long?
Did you play a Spiderweb one before and liked it? If the answer is YES then you should try this one, otherwise try something from a more modern Avernum series with a lot more streamlined UI and controls first.

The Great Art Race
no achievements

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A short strategy/resource management thingy with some randomness involved. You gotta make money by buying plantations, growing trade goods and selling them and then hunt for the art pieces on the auctions, you compete against AI or other players though and have some mechanics to mess things up for each other.
A fun short game, nothing special.

Grotesque Tactics: Evil Heroes
10 of 10 achievements(100%)

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Could be a fun little indie turn-based tactics if it didn't crash SO DAMN MUCH. Playtime of 13h could be literally twice shorter if not the crashes, i don't even know why i tortured myself through it.
Avoid.

Grotesque Tactics 2 - Dungeons and Donuts
8 of 13 achievements(62%)

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A HUGE improvement over the previous game, it crashed only a couple of times, gameplay is more fun, this time there is even some exploration... BUT everything is RUINED when you get to the escort missions, i swear it's the worst of the worst of escort missions mechanics ever: you move freely out of combat and switch to turn-based combat when the enemies are near you or NPCs you are escorting, the moment there is no combat NPCs just dash in their waypoint direction and stop only when they find enemies and you can't possibly be quick enough to catch up to them before they die unless you know their whole route EXACTLY and keep yourself in combat while clearing everything you can but the moment you fail to maintain combat mode - it's pretty much over. I wasted 2+ hours trying to complete the mission but my patience didn't last long enough.
Avoid 2.

Guns'N'Zombies
42 of 42 achievements(100%)

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A surprisingly fun top-down shooter, not a masterpiece, but not too bad. For this price i didn't expect it to be playable, let alone FUN.
If you like top-down shooters and this game is on a big discount - you might want to try it out.

Endless Sky
no achievements

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2D space shooter/trader with a pretty good world and interesting storyline, it's still "work in progress" though. For a Free-to-play game it's amazing but it has some mildly annoying things going on: turning the ship to slow down, combat isn't exactly fun, random things can force you to reload a lot, best source (IMO) of income is boarding ships and selling them, trading sucks. I stopped somewhere in the middle of the second campaign and i know that it ends abruptly a couple missions later so i might pick it up later to know what's going on.
It's free, try it out and see if you like it, the start is a bit slow though.

UlverHausu

Gorky is an odd game, it is a turn based game sure, but it takes survival over strategy. So, most of the difficulty comes from not saving ammo

Evolve

I had lots of ammo by the end but used like every medkit i found, last boss was so easy that at first i though it’s not the end yet and then the ending cinematic started…

UlverHausu

Yep, some difficulty spikes early on that are harder than the last encounters.
For what i can remember the only sections i died more than once, and subsequently became more memorable, was the museum where you defend the monitors against a horde

LinustheBold

Someday someday someday I will finish Nethergate Resurrection! It’s completely amazing, and yes, you’re right, the controls are terrible - I keep hoping he’ll re-resurrect it, though that is probably not going to happen. I’ve started it twice, but each time I hit my usual problem with Spiderweb Software releases: I was totally enjoying it, and then suddenly I was busy with this and that, and a month or two passed, and I completely lost track of the story and had to start over again, which means talking to every damn person in the fort again before setting out into the amazing overland world.

Also, I think I made a mistake playing as a Roman. Props for finishing! How much time did you spend, if I can ask?

Evolve

I played as a Roman and even though i wonder how the story looks from the opposite perspective i’m not ready at all for another 30 hours playthrough :P

Belmas

I have always been curious about Gorky 17, glad you liked it. It encourages me to try it someday. And I’d completely forgotten about Endless Sky… I have it installed for too long without trying it out.

Never played Nethergate but I really like Spiderweb’s games and am currently playing Avernum 2. Yes, they are somewhat long but very fun :)

Evolve

You might want to wait with Endless Sky as it is still in development, though it is very playable and i spent 45 hours in it. It is planned to add 2 more alternative main campaigns (same story from other factions perspective) and a lot more campaigns/missions/areas/ships/equipment and so on.
If you like Spiderweb games you should also like the Eschalon trilogy, it’s pretty much in the same style but it has some unique features that i liked.

LinustheBold

The first Eschalon game is free on Steam and GOG, these days. Hard to beat that.

Belmas

I didn’t know Endless Sky was still in development… thanks for the info.

I own the Eschalon trilogy but never played it because of my backlog. Will add it to my to do list :)