Recent reviews by EdenStarGazer

You know the cheap packs of legos you got as a kid when you only had a fiver to spend? The little bag only had a few pieces, and you could make almost nothing. This is like that. The modules and components snap together in sandbox mode, but you don't have launch options. At least the tutorial allowed you to see what a launch would look like before sending you to the sandbox where you wouldn't be launching anything. As of the moment there is only a sandbox mode. And, since you can only snap together a limited set of pieces, then it amounts to no more than a preview demo of what the game might include in the future.

The music is ok. It doesn't bother you while you wonder at the lack of content and check again that you actually have the graphics set to "FANTASTIC." I was afraid to look at the lower settings. There are also a limited set of display options, none as large as my monitor. I may check back in a few lightyears. I don't expect much here. But, the game is worth holding on to, for the rare chance it has at amounting to something in the future. It is a decent concept, though not yet in playable game form. When it becomes playable with enough content to warrant a recommend, I will update my review.

A must play for casual gaming, on the surface Beyond Blue is an underwater exploration game. But, the story, the collections of fish, videos, and music and the immersion in the Science of the underwater research teams make the experience much more. The music is refreshing and full of energy as well.

The gameplay is entirely peaceful. No death, no survival, and no collecting of resources to progress is really required. Certain story objectives appear in each dive, and accomplishing those triggers the end of each dive. While doing those objectives, you swim around scanning all the fish for your collections. But, after completing all the dives, you will be able to free dive in every location at will to find all the fish you still need. So, it is really very relaxing.

I don't think the choice questions changed very much in the way of the story. I noticed that you could replay each conversation in the captains chair of the sub, and make different choices, potentially changing the story I suppose. But, I didn't try that out. In a way, this reminded me of the relaxing experience of collecting seashells as a child. But, it is enjoyable for gamers of all ages.

If you enjoy underwater exploration and casual games, then this is a great choice. Total play time depends on how much time you spend playing all the music tracks and videos, looking at the fish and their behaviors in your collection, and swimming around in the water. I spent about 12 hours in the game with all that. But, the achievements took about 10 hours.

You know those time-stopping minutes as a plane nears the end of the runway, achieves lift, and then levels off? That millisecond when vertical acceleration stops and the heavier-than-air craft first attains the aspect of a weightless thing… like a leaf on the wind… in that moment the human heart feels the joy of the remarkable achievement that is flight. When I first entered the work world in the early eighties, the closest we could come to this experience was watching planes take off and land at the local airport during our coffee break through the office windows. Then Microsoft released Flight Sim 1.0. Much has changed since then, in the real world and in Microsoft, and in Microsoft Flight Simulator.

Flight simulation has leveled up. This latest iteration of Microsoft Flight takes the game pilot from a flat earth limited map, to a full Earth globe. (Just in time, too for some of those 2020 conspiracy theorists.) Not only do you have the globe on your itinerary, but you have options for location-accurate weather, time, and traffic. With mp enabled, you can see friends who are in-game in the skies around you. You can visit real world landmarks like the Eiffel Tower, natural landforms like the Grand Canyon, and observe animal herds from bush planes.

Circumnavigating the globe? Exploring Greenland or Antarctica’s Ice bases? Island hopping? Whether emulating Marco Polo or Ibn Battuta, you will likely have many ideas for world-class flights. Schiphol Amsterdam is one of my favorite airports IRL, so I have spent a bit of time arriving and departing there in game. I have also enjoyed journeys such as Charles-de-Gaulle to Gandhi International (Paris to Delhi,) New York to Patagonia, and Tokyo’s Haneda International to China’s Oriental Pearl Tower, as well as ‘San Fran’ to the ‘Zahara’, and New York to Patagonia. My most recent flight was an oceanic cruise from Santiago, Chile to Queenstown, New Zealand. With the large selection of planes available at launch, the sky is no longer the limit.

The in-game Earth, like its counterpart, is populated with airports where you can fully interact with ground services and control towers. (The sound is great as well.) The menu provides a hangar for viewing your planes. With a robust flight customization system and many options and settings, you can fly anywhere, to and from any airport or even the blank spaces in between. There are many options for arriving and departing airports. You have quite a bit of flexibility for choosing landing strips, or even in-air spawning. Overall, you will find yourself with a world of options.

The graphics of the game rival the flight options. There is a full range of graphics output that you can expect, depending on your machine. Yesterday, I tried them all, just to get a good baseline, since I play the game on Ultra settings. Whether or not you will like the graphics quality is determined by which settings you use. The low-end settings are lousy tbh. While ultra is a good experience, you will not get that same quality on lower settings. So, while the game is accommodating for most players, not all will have the same experience. Processing power will still be an entrance barrier for some machines.

But, the real joy is in streaming photo-realistic scenery using photogrammetry via Bing Data World Graphics setting within the game. This should be handled with care, as results will vary depending on your internet connection. I have a (crappy) rural connection that is only slightly better this year with a new provider in the area. To handle the streaming graphics option (along with Ultra settings of course) I hit live pause while in flight and go into the settings to turn on the streaming graphics. This allows the game to load it in a steady state, and the results are awesome when unpausing the game. This can then be untoggled at will. You must respect that versatility.

The game mechanics (just like the price) are at the typical level expected from a Microsoft product. The buttons and gauges on the control panel feel realistic. Whether using a HOTAS system or a simple gamepad, the experience is like being there yourself. The price of the game is a bit hefty, especially if adding the premium packages. So, I recommend using a throttle and stick with the game if that is an option for you. Just be aware that a simple cheap gamepad works fine too. But, if you are going to pay that much for the game, you will want to beg, borrow, or steal enough for the HOTAS too. That goes pretty much without saying. And, after over 150 hours in-game, I have to say that the realistic flight mechanics of Microsoft Flight Sim are worth every dollar or euro you will spend.

Pros:
• The game is fully optimized for a triple-monitor setup, and looks jaw-dropping I might add.
• Stable performance on my machine, great fps, no crashes
• Simulation of circumnavigation
• Real-world weather system
• Realistic stress damage to planes, and the ability to scale difficulty
• Modern Smart cameras/ drone tools
• The graphics are spectacular… especially with the streaming option enabled.
• Multiple activities and scenarios simulate bush flights, landing, etc.
• The Globe interactive mode (sandbox-like) allows for staging variety of ifr & vfr flights anywhere in the world.

Cons:
• Hefty disk space usage 90+ GB. (I uninstalled games which this game made seem antiquated.)
• Loading screens are lengthy. (But, clicking the windows button gives you untemperamental access to other things on your pc while you wait.)
• Fuel usage seems a bit off.
• The AI needs some tweaking. Not sure if this is a user error, but while changing to auto pilot mid vfr flight, the AI will literally and unexplainably turn the plane around and head back to the departure point. (I guess you cannot get good help these days.)
• The price is steep, and while community mods will be available from the game menu, expect some money to be spent there as well.
• The save system appears problematic. While it does save, many options are lost when reopening, and save state is not quite accurate. I suspect saving also disables some achievements, or causes them to not be recognized.
• At some point the weather change options will vanish from the menu bar. To retain the ability to change the weather throughout, I keep the options window open and do not save or exit game until flight finished.

I fully expect these points will all be patched rather quickly. Along with that I would like to share a few other things I would like to see added in future.
• More VFR mapping options are needed, such as the ability to add pins to the map.
• More detail and zooming out in the map
• AI Improvements
• While some data is provided from log, more would be better. (Flights are only listed by month & year, for instance. Date not listed.) Alternatively, there are online options like Simbrief for planning and logging flights.


I am sold on Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020! It is pure simulation at its best, and with the full globe navigation possibilities, I feel like the world is truly under my plane, and the wind beneath my wings. I loved it so much at launch that I deleted all things flight from my wishlist and pc. This tops everything else with its state-of-the-art imagery and real-Earth data.

Since this is still early access, I will just give a preliminary note instead of a full review.

I do not care for the 'game' at all in the present state. Every time I launch it I am so underwhelmed that I close it shortly thereafter to wait... for something... more. Then I invariably launch my old standby space favorite Universe Sandbox Squared. Now that is a great game.

The graphics, the mechanics, everything in Space Engine is totally unsatisfactory in my opinion. So, I am uninstalling it to wait another 6 months to see if anything improves. Until then, I recommend you save your money and skip this lousy software until it shows itself worth the hefty pricetag I wasted here.

I started playing at the beginning of early access. I have only ever been about as far as mid-game. But, my current run will hopefully be the one where I reach the surface. That's because this game has multiple systems (power, atmosphere, temperature, gases, etc.) for the gamer to build and operate within a base, and these systems have been added on throughout the early access process. So, what you see now after release is this beast of a colony survival sim that may look like child's play but could stump your average adult on multiple levels. But, the thing is, most things can be accomplished by either automation or by brute-forcing the task. This means that the game is perfect for gamers of all ages and knowledge/ability levels.

Much of the fun is in watching the duplicants... the little sims... cope with their little hole underground in some asteroid. Their facial expressions are adorable. Scheduling the work schedules, and assigning tasks, and making meal plans are all part of the game. You get to manipulate everything in their world. And, it is all great fun.

This is not a game per se, but a software tool for character generation, as the name says. It provides the ability to not only create fully customized characters, but to export them as images, cards, or tokens. This makes the opportunities for use almost endless. Whether you're interested in visualizing characters for your own creative writing, or for your tabletop games, or simply for illustration purposes; the generator is a great visual creativity outlet. I get many hours enjoyment in-game and out of game from the materials and characters.

I tried the free version first, just to see if it had enough to make it worth the expense. I was pleased with all of the content, and wanted to remove the logo from my characters, as well as to export full size images. So, I bought the pro version and am adding packs as possible. I recommend the generator pro version for anyone who is looking for creative and open-ended 'games' and software. After all, not all games have to be linear. You know what you want, and the ePic Character Generator allows you to do as you wish.

One suggestion for the software devs that I would like to see added to the Pro version, perhaps, is the ability to be able to re-pose the characters. Any flexibility at all in character posing would be a good addition.

Yes, you know what I mean by the flow... that highly focused mental state we've experienced in not only gaming, but in certain arts and sports, like running, painting, and making music. There's perfectly valid science behind what makes us feel this way... all the endorphins released, the brain's ability to experience pleasure in the ventral striatum... but what do we care about science when we are shooting the dice, eating fatty foods, or flipping tiles in our favorite flow game?!

It is in games like this that understand the balance between challenge and reward that we can forget everything around us and get absorbed in the music and the game itself. The music is probably a big part of it for me. It is a mix of the exotic with a rhythm that transcends time and place. It puts me into a restful state. And, the tile flipping game is presented in enough different formats to keep the challenge fresh.

I really enjoy gritty survival games and hanging suspended in a blinding blizzard in games like The Long Dark or dragging my crew back to the base with only 1 or 2 bars between them and death in XCOM. But, sometimes only a good flow-inducing puzzler with a steady beat will do. Even though it is difficult to reconcile these two different tastes in gaming, there is no need to fight the addiction here. I just go with the flow of Shisensho.

Yes, it is one of those games. Up front I will admit to quite a bit of hearing problems, and even a bit of tone deafness. Though I have dabbled in reading music, and pecking away at the piano, I never mastered anything beyond the cd player before launching out into the world of online music mixing, play and storage. That's a bit awkward, but now that that's out of the way, you should be able to assess the range of this game's content, seeing that it took me 36 hours to complete with my miserly musical abilities. Make of it what you will.

So, why am I launching the game now?! I love the music and the mechanics of this game. It's just so musically visual. I think that's something the video gaming medium brings to most musical games that just can't be bypassed for any music lover, regardless of your skill level. But, this game is different from some of the others I've played in a special way. It splits the tracks of different instruments and forces you to remember musical sounds. That is something totally missing in my ability range.

All I can say is it's worth a try for anyone and everyone, regardless of age or past musical experience. It is a gloriously beautiful sound experience and the mechanics are just beautifully fluid. So, here I am again.

As much as I love COTW, the new reserve may not be for everyone. There were several 'issues,' many of which seem to be cleared up now. Since my original review had been titled, "Yes, But Wait" for bug fixes, and I had friends asking, I went back and checked out all my prior problems in this reserve. As promised, I am reflecting the current state of the game
here now in this review.

Basic Changes:
1. The bugs seem to have been cleaned up nicely. Not only did I find no instances of flying goats, and/or frequent crashes; but the stuttering frame rate seems clean. I drove along the road between the outposts at Cabana de la dama and Fuerte De pascal without the notorious crashing for the first time today. That had been the spot past the caution sign mission where I finally gave up when it kept crashing in the same spot.
2. The game is well optimized for the 4-wheelers now, and I drove all around the reserve with no problem.
3. I found several places where it is now possible to place Tree Stands.
4. Animals now run when you approach, and don't seem to teleport when sighted. These bugs seem fixed.

Summary Updated Conclusion:
Though you find much of a similar flavor to the Parque Fernando story here, it functions like an extra map with more ops to hunt the Wolves, Hares, Red Deer, Roes, and Boars. The new animals are the basic 4 breeds of Ibex, something that is quite unique from the other offerings of COTW reserves. While I hope the devs do take seriously our request for more variety in upcoming reserves, I think that on sale this is certainly a decent reserve for hunting now, with the bug fixes. I appreciate the fact that they took the bugs seriously and made improvements. Since the dlc is on sale at the moment, now may be a good opportunity for those a bit wary of the previous bugs. Have fun hunting! My original review follows simply for info/comparison.


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Most of the original review follows as it appeared before review update for comparison:

Pros:
1. Idyllic rustic Spanish countryside vistas. I love this since I've been researching the biomes of the Iberian Peninsula lately.
2. 4 Breeds of Ibex (goats) to work towards the legendary Grand Slam of all four trophy animals.
3. The Iberian Muflon (sheep) which is pretty cool if you are into medium sized game... or just like to see animals that hop and skip on the hillsides
4. There are basic reskin breeds in the form of the European Hare and the Iberian Wolf
5. The Red Deer, Roe Deer, and Boar make a return appearance here in the Iberian Peninsula
6. As usual, COTW dlc is cheap.

Cons:
1. The animals added do not appear to yet have callers or scent attraction.
2. So far, none of the tree stands seem place-able here. That may change.
3. I've had multiple crashes, always while attempting to traverse the same location.
4. It does not seem optimized for using the ATV. Better to walk for now.
5. When traveling from mountain lookout to lookout across a valley (to get to the mission point while avoiding the mentioned crash point) I saw some large objects flying... maybe goats... totally not sure. I did get a screenshot of one.
6. There are also the before witnessed flying footprints and droppings that I believe I had seen in a previous reserve.
7. It is 'another' Spanish themed reserve. I totally get that some people won't appreciate the nuances there. I like that, but was a bit surprised considering places we could go that would be new ground.
8. While fixing their customary 5 or 6 of the many bugs that are reported, they chose to fix the lovely little bug that allowed us to place any trophy on any stand we chose in the new paid dlc lodges. Some people are understandably confused about the devs' priorities in fixing bugs.

Conclusion:
It is a lot like Parque Fernando, with less excitement and not so striking music. Then, there are sheep and goats. There is also the new Martensson 6.5 rifle in multiple skins, It is a good weapon for these mountain-side Ibexes and Mouflons, so no need to carry around the large weapons. Plenty of space in the bag. My conclusion is that though it may be a disappointment to some people, it should be clear of painful bugs within about 3 months. Maybe wait and see unless you are brave enough to take the jump now.

I am new to Train Sim World in any iteration. So, this is my first experience with anything that resembles the reality of riding trains in online gaming. I went through several games trying to find something fun with trains: Railway Empire, and even Tabletop Sims like Ticket to Ride. Then I discovered Train Sim World 2020, and it was everything I'd hoped for in a simulator... I just hadn't known what I wanted.

In this game you actually get to drive and ride the trains yourself. So, it's not a railway builder or manager. It is pure simulation. Of course, I've never driven a real train before... or even ridden in one for that matter since I live in the rural South. But, here I get to feel the power of moving these locomotives for myself. You move the levers and switches. You actually operate the train. Or even to just hop a train and ride along for the scenery by following the timetable. It is a mesmerizing experience if you love trains, like just about everyone.

There are issues with the game... baggage if you will. I joke sometimes about it being an 'autism simulator.' And, I have loved ones with Aspergers Syndrome and I say that without being critical. The game allows you to fixate on a repetitive fascination without really elaborating on any of the extras that most people expect in a finished polished game. What's more it has a number of persistent 'bugs.' I don't think the devs see or care about them. It looks like the community has mentioned them a few times or more. but, they just keep churning out the dlc without regard to problems in existing content. They do seem to make each dlc better than the last and learn from their past mistakes. Dovetail accomplishes much in the world of real time simulation. That is their biggest success. If you've played their fishing simulator then you know what I mean. In no other fishing game can I look as stupid as I feel when I'm tying myself up in fishing line. I actually simulate a person who does not know what I am doing.

They seem to have the attitude that this is their game and you have to love it as it has been created or leave it. Fine. I'm onboard. And, if you love trains you will be as well. That is because the simulation provides something that anyone with a train fixation will crave.

The content is extensive... I've already mentioned that. The different routes re-create many historic and modern train lines around the UK, Germany, and the US. I have seen nothing from France yet. But, if you look back at the past iteration, which is named oddly Train Simulator 2020, then you will see literally hundreds of lines were eventually developed, including French lines. It looks so interesting that I am hoping for a major sale this Winter on the old game that will allow me to purchase much of the dlc with it. Did I mention I love trains?

There are other issues with the pricing, and I admit the pricing model gave me great pause before initially buying into the game. I could see up front that it was going to be a money sinkhole. But, I can also see where the devs are coming from with that. In the world of model trains people spend a lot of money on each train set they build. They are approaching this from a history of train collecting. And, the game does allow you to do that.

Gamers, however, are preconditioned to expect to be able to purchase 'all the things.' That probably won't be a possibility for most people here, and you are most likely forced to pick and choose between lines and locomotives that best suit your wishes, at least until you have more money to throw under the train.

I don't have a problem with that model, as long as I know what I am getting into up front. I think it possibly adds to the collection feel of the old-school train builder. Either way, it is a nice feel seeing all the locomotives lined up on my profile for the routes I have collected. And, I love driving the trains and seeing the history.

My biggest issue is with the flaws. That is not really such a big thing as we pretend, I guess if you really love trains. Most every game has some minor bugs. And the bugs don't seem to be game breaking here. And, some of the AI people are funny when they do buggy things. But, most of the time they sit there looking like autistic young adults... not speaking and moving away if you invade their personal space. But, I have to say I love to see devs who care about perfecting their game. It really does matter when people care about the finished product as much as they do about making money. And, who are we kidding? We all like to make money. A game is worth about as much as you are willing and able to pay.

The big point for me is that Train Sim World 2020 has succeeded in simulating the whole experience of trains in such a way that exceeds anything I'd ever imagined. What they've done with the AI passengers for example is a great leap beyond most other games. If you played Uncharted on Playstation (hasn't everybody?) then you will know these AI passengers aren't cool like Sully and Drake. But, they do more. They accomplish much more in the world of AI development. The process has come a long way.

Of course, the game won't be for everyone. But, if you love trains, it may be the thing you are looking for, and I do recommend it above all other train games I have tried. I am also enjoying the new community challenges they recently added. It is great to have the devs adding new content all the time.