Recent reviews by Vera

Balatro 2

Forced the proletariat to smoke cigarettes and huff glue.

Didn't let me use tannerite on those ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

Gordon is the only sexy character in the video game and I never get to see him :(

Lesbians on eclipsed rend, as usual.

This isn't a hyper realistic post-apocalyptic survival simulator, this is just what it's like to live in Ukraine.

This mod is a very sweet surprise, I went in to not expecting much but my preconceptions were proven wrong in due time. It has a distinct HL2 feel to it with elements of Alyx sprinkled in, combining to make a very pleasant experience almost rivaling what Valve does in the mainline games (not that they have been doing much as of late).

The puzzles feel very clever and fun, admittedly they're a bit too easy for my taste but that's just my opinion on the matter. Unfortunately at some points drawings on the wall are sort of needed to exactly explain what you need to do, that I feel are easy to miss and make solving a puzzle less satisfying. I would like there to be an option to turn them on/off (and there might be I haven't checked) and it should be off by default.

The fire fights at the beginning of the game felt rather dull to me but this is probably in part due to the limited weapons you have access to, but I also think that the SMG (and this is a gripe I have with base game HL2) is rather lack luster compared to the other weapons. There is a certain gravity-gun-esque weapon that I don't know the name of, that really feels redundant as well. I understand why it's there however I think it could have been tweaked a bit. However the other weapons that are added on in this mod are very welcome, I am a particular fan of the sniper rifle and the kalashnikov.

The soundtrack is amazing, very reminiscent of the main series whilst still distinguishing itself. As not to spoil it too much I will be vague, but at a certain part of the game there is a remixed version of Nuclear Mission Jam (aka Something Secret Steers Us) that felt very welcome. My favorite part about it is that you get to have the soundtrack for free, which feels obvious, but I think it's worth more than that and I wouldn't be mad if I had to pay for it to get it. I like the use of the various instruments throughout the game (although I can't lay a finger on the names) it really hammers in the fact that you're in central Asia. One last thing to add on this matter is that it really reminds me of some of the music made by HEALTH, not that it's a bad thing, it's just a thought I had while playing.

The story... The story is there. It's not bad, however it really feels like there are somethings missing, some aspects completely overlooked, and some points in the game feel like it completely disregards lore from HL2, the episodes, and Alyx. However, all things considered, it feels very, very realistic, and brings some ideas to the table that are very welcome and could explain somethings that are missing from the main series.

The graphics are good. Nuff' said.
Actually I will say something, there should be more dusty rooms.

All around this mod feels like it should be expanded upon, maybe even extended and made into a full game. I say that because the mod is rather short, shorter than I'd want. It took me around 4 hours to complete, I ended up leaving the game open on accident and ended up getting an extra hour or so, but even 5 hours feels short.
Maybe something like a new game+ could be in order? (Devs please I really like this mod).

I highly recommend for all Half-Life fans to try out!

Forget about Black Mesa, this is the best way to play Half-Life 1 in modern day. Normally I just mess around in half-life 1, doing speedrun strats, skipping We've Got Hostiles and power up, getting the second crowbar, you know that sort of thing. But with this I wanted to sit myself down and do it the right way, and I had a blast. All this really needs is the new hl1-raytraced mod.

This game feels like it's trying to say something profound, make you feel something you can't quite describe, but it doesn't for whatever reason.
At first you think it's gonna be a sad dystopian story about a depressing city; picture Half-Life 2 without the combat.
But then after 30-20 minutes you realize that it's a rather goofy sandbox with some sort of goals system in place to entertain you.
I can tell that this game is going to stick with me for some time but only because it was such a curve ball not because it had such a profound story or made me feel indescribable feelings.
10/10 I guess. Reminds me of Cruelty Squad in it's strange reality.

It's Quake but free, why do you even need to look in the reviews.