Recent reviews by arcusc

If you're fond of sandbox and lacking air
Quaint little space missions here and there

… then this could very well be the game for you. Especially if you enjoy turn-based tactical fights and being able to customise and decide the skills of your captain and the entire crew. You'll have plenty of different approaches to choose from, and you could always get a new crew with a different focus without having to start over.

I've still only played a small part of the main story because I always get sidetracked by random opportunities, but it seems to be a good story so far. It's also entirely skippable if you just want to do your own thing.

I notice that some negative reviews mention the RNG which can ruin your entire run when playing on permadeath. Since I'm one of those gamers who don't enjoy getting my lower backsized kicked and then presented to me wrapped up with a dandy bow on top, I haven't tried permadeath. I play this game as a strategy RPG more than a roguelike, and for that it is excellent.

The very frequent updates and fixes from the developers even so long after its 1.0 release are so extraordinary I keep nominating this game for the "Labour of Love" Steam Awards category every year.

A great follow-up to CSD2, which I have played extensively. This is already a good game, thanks to an experienced developer. So far there are about 115 "missions" and quite a few different dishes in the game, making the replayability great. The road map for the development looks promising, but not over-promising, so I think the developer has a good grasp of what's realistic to offer during Early Access and at launch. Absolutely love the automatic service feature – and it's needed! My customers are very impatient. Looking forward to new areas opening up, as well as the introduction of trinkets (my food truck needs some bling).

I would like to give a special mention to the music: it's as catchy as in CSD2, but now has actual singing.

First of all I have to say I did not expect this to even be a game. There are so many bad simulation games out there. Euro Truck Simulator 2, however, is polished and detailed and soothing and even exciting at times.

In the beginning you'll either take out a loan, buy a garage and a truck and start your logistics empire (the "easy" option), or you'll slowly build up enough of a bankroll to buy the same without having to worry about a loan, by taking whatever freight contracts are out there (the "hard" option). Either way, you'll end up spending a lot of time on European roads, looking at the GPS and trying not to break any traffic regulations. There's scenery to look at on your way there, and plenty of music to listen to.

For added realism/role-playing, you can choose to limit the trucks' speed to 90 km/h, switch between real-life radio stations depending on where you are, make it necessary for you to sleep after a set number of hours on the road, and other settings well-known to actual truck drivers.

Your company can grow so large that you'll have garages in every city, filled with trucks and hired drivers which give you income while you roam around in your own pimped-out truck. Because there are many customisation options! Paint, tyres, lighting, interior and much more (please note that some of these are only available in the DLC packs). In addition, you will of course be able to upgrade your truck (and the trucks of your employees), giving you more horsepower and better fuel economy, as you level up. Other options include opening up for more cargo types and better pay per km.

All in all Euro Truck Simulator 2 is quite difficult to put down; it's easy to say "just one more delivery before bedtime", and four hours later you find yourself in Geneva sitting in a brand new truck with a Norse god painted on the outside and a tiny pair of fluffy dice hanging from the mirror, wondering how on earth you got there when all you set out to do was delivering a digger from Groningen to Plymouth.

Short review: Three thumbs up!

Long review: Polished and approachable even in Early Access. All the possible combinations of skills and gear make this a highly replayable action RPG even with its linear storyline. The way the monster levels are handled you can easily go back to previously visited areas to level up your character (I hesitate to use "grind" as it doesn't feel like that) without getting bored because you're too overpowered, and they have thrown in a few optional elite areas which you can visit to really test your mettle (and build).

Feedback from fans and players has resulted in tweaks here and there, especially when it comes to balancing the skills. There is some work needed in that department still, but nothing game-breaking, especially not if you're a pretty average ARPG player like me.

The classes are interesting and have varied skill sets. You can combine two or stay true to one for as long as you like. Thanks to the stash system you can easily transfer gear from one character to another, and you can augment your equipment so you have more control over how they function. Players of Titan Quest will of course be familiar with this (improved) system.

You will get more than expected for the Early Access price (and with 50% off it's a steal) and they are constantly improving and adding more content. An experienced development team I was more than happy to support on Kickstarter; a gamble which paid off in abundance and the game's not even released yet.

An advanced matchmaker simulation set in mediaeval times. Or; how to capture most of Europe without going to war. Absolutely addictive and definitely something you should check out if you're a strategy enthusiast.

It's Nethack/ADOM/Zangband/Larn/Rogue with nice graphics, crafting, tonnes of pop culture references and lutefisk. What's not to love?

The most brilliant way to waste your time. A relatively open-world RPG with lots of interesting NPCs, missions and choices. Fight in real-time or take your time with the paused aiming system. Repair your gear with junk! Shoot mutated ants! Become radiated! Days of fun in the wasteland!

Very addictive. Great if you like sudoku and kakuro games.