Recent reviews by Mona Lisa Overdrive

I've picked this up a few times since its launch without sinking time into it.
This past time it sunk its teeth into me and I saw why this game is exalted and revered.
It's a strange cocktail of adventure, management, and rich storytelling. I've found myself designing the layout of my ship at length more than once; trying to find that right combination for the buildings to fit into some semblance of a usable ship (I've found that putting your utility buildings and farms at the bottom layers of your ship makes them more accessible).
Each time you meet the spirits, you never know what to expect. Is is a hedgehog with a penchant for plants? Possibly a foul-mouthed bird and its lumbering companion? You will find yourself developing attachment for the characters--even the not-so-great ones. There are real-world adult situations playing out here, under the guise of an easy-to-stomach management game, that will challenge your previous ways of thinking.
I found myself moved by the game.
I was saddened when I took each new friend to the Everdoor, knowing that I'd miss them while knowing they'd be at rest.
Who knew a simple indie game could elicit such emotional attachment from its players?
Personally, I think that this is the affect game developers should strive to achieve in their player base.
Like a good movie, perhaps you may pick this one up again in a few years to relive the feels and adventure.
This player found themselves late in the game, late in the story, unable to bring themselves to the Everdoor.
One day I'll finish this game.
For now though, I will hang it up unfinished and continue living a while.

You have to wonder about a game with overwhelmingly positive reviews.
I tried it out and was initially uninterested.
After about 5 dives into the caves I got interested.
After about 10 dives I became a strategist.
After about 100 dives I became a novice diver.

This is a great example of the old saying, "good games don't need great graphics."
That's not to say Cobalt Core has bad graphics, in fact I am a fan of the colorful pixel art style used.
90% of the game takes place in the ship vs ship screen. The battle mechanics are unique and give a moderate amount of depth.
I'm 7 hours in at the time of this review and probably haven't scratched the surface for content. I've completed a few runs now. I've unlocked a billy goat. I've developed an understanding of the cards, their uses, their different types in relation to the characters, and how to best implement all three to tactical advantage.
The pit stops along the run are fun and quirky. Do I want weapons or baked goods? I honestly don't know which is better right now. Can we jumble up your ship parts for no good reason? I suppose that would be okay. Oh no.

Initially I was attracted to this game because of its pixel graphics, great artwork, and seemingly fun gameplay.

I did not expect this.

There is so much going on here--diving, restaurant management, farming, fish farming, bosses, end goals, side quests, etc!

The music doesn't seem to get old, and that's good. It's atmospheric and never overbearing.

The artwork is pixel graphics, which is a favorite of mine, but the art style is also very good. There is excellent use of brightness and contrast throughout the sea and sushi restaurant.

The pacing is also very good. You can start the game up, complete a day, and turn it off to do something else you may need to. This can also be a detriment, as you will need to complete a day to save your game.

For the pixelated graphics, the animations are amazing! You can tell a lot of time and love was put into the development of this game.

At surface level, Dave the Diver seems like a simple, casual game. It is surprisingly complex while never being overbearingly technical. Controller support makes this game infinitely more enjoyable.

All in all, I would recommend Dave the Diver to anybody. I believe its one of those games that has something for everyone, not just a niche crowd. You could recommend Dave the Diver to somebody who had never played a video game before and it would be easy to learn the mechanics.

10/10
My zoological knowledge of fish has increased ten fold.

After finishing up Baldur's Gate 3, I found myself wanting more. I went into DOS2 hesitantly because it is older and does not utilize the D&D rules, which I'm familiar with. I'm glad I took a chance because I will attest that the story is worlds better.

I would suggest going into the game with an open mind--and a healthy GPU!
If you're experiencing Starfield on dated hardware, or in lower resolutions than intended, it is likely going to have a negative impact on your end user experience. I am about 7 hours in at the time of this review, and can already tell I'm going to end up putting in hundreds more.
I've heard this game referred to as No Man's Skyrim, and that's not too far off.
The truth is, this game is what you make it. The story is yours to be written, there's just like, this ancient artifact nonsense going on in the background.
Me? I chose to be a Space Scoundrel class, with aptitude in smooth talking, spaceflight, and small arms.
I sourced materials from my favorite space sci-fi, like Firefly and Space Truckers. It was either that or a Long Hauler, which is essentially a space trucker.
I compromised by being a greasy sweet-talker in a trucker cap.
My approach is the same as Fallout 4; get a shotgun early and ride that ♥♥♥♥♥ through the whole game having close encounters of the coach gun kind.
Cheers and stay shiny.

Simple twin stick shooter with originality.
I find myself coming back to this in between major titles.
Give it a try if you're looking for something small and addictive to tide you over.

What can I say that a hundred thousand people before me haven't?
No spoilers.
The absolute best game I've played in a very long time. Like a good book you just can't put down.

A true chapter in an otherwise unpublished Essentials of Cyberpunk Culture: Video Games.

Playing this will invoke memories from such franchises as the Matrix, Blade Runner, and Shadowrun.
While technically a point-and-click puzzle game, if you have any interest in the aforementioned culture, you'll quickly find yourself sucked into this resource-light, lore-heavy game.
With a little ingenuity, players will find this to be a challenge but not overwhelming by any means.

Because it is a suspenseful mystery that you must solve, I won't give too much away.

Early on, we meet some key players in the story. A Trance-addict who's unemployed and living in assigned housing and used to spending most of her time in Technobabylon's version of the Matrix. Two detectives whose personalities compliment each other well - an old-fashioned male and a jack-of-all-trades female, old and young respectively. These two quickly find themselves investigating a murder commited by a suspect who's known only as the Mindjacker.

Admittedly, this is where I saved and took my first break, so I don't know which direction my story will go from here, only that I want to pick this up again very soon and inject myself back into the gritty cyber noir that is Technobabylon.

Cyberpunks or those interested in the culture will find that it reads much like a book that you don't much care to put down. A real page-turner, as it were.

Enjoy, chummers!

Yes, I recommend this game. I think I played it on Xbox 360. I definitely loved its predecessor, DotP2012, as did most gamers. This one was pretty good, although it's kind of like Madden NFL or FIFA--you don't need one every year, you need to patch and maintain the software you've already released!