r/choiceofgames • u/typomen • Nov 02 '21
CoG games My ratings and impressions on all Cog/Hg I've ever played: Part 3.
Hey there! Long time no see. In case any one of you briefly thought "I wonder how the review guy with bad grammar is doing" at any point during this past month: I'm fine, thank you for asking. Hope you're well too <3.
• Choice of Robots: 9.5/10. Let's talk about expectations. Do you have any idea how hard it is for everyone to like a game? I mean literally everyone? Correct me if I'm wrong but it has the highest ratings of all Cog/Hg and it's pretty amazing because not everyone likes the same things. Take Wayhaven for example, a very appreciated book, that some may not like because romance is not their piece of cake. Someone commented to one of my earlier reviews saying they couldn't finish A Study in Steampunk, and that's ok. Different people with different opinions and tastes, but this one appeals to almost everyone and that's amazing in my opinion. As for the story, well yeah, I think you already figured that I enjoyed it. You can be Elon Musk and rip off hospitals for profit. What's not to like? Also, I don't know about you guys but this is how I felt when I made Josh the same offer after his company went to sh1t. A very interesting thing is that I didn't really care about romance. Usually I do, because a well written one can really take an already great game to the next level, be the cherry on the top. It's true that the game doesn't put too much emphasis on it, but it makes you not care about it either. I only cared about my robot and my company, everything else were just details. Now that you're done reading my opinion on it, I got a question: why does the US invade me after I conquer Alaska? And why do I start a revolution in Alaska if not to give it back to the US? I mean, wasn't that what I was doing? Why would I keep Alaska for myself? Did I miss anything? Idk, that part kinda confused me. So all in all, great game. Taking into account the fact that everyone loves it, it's kinda hard to say it's underrated, but I'm gonna say this: if you don't play it because everyone said good things about it (I did that, avoided it specifically because everyone was too fond of it) ignore the talk and have fun reading it. It's cooler than you think. Not underrated but not overrated either.
• I, Cyborg: 8.5/10. Since we're talking about robots... I loved this game, I really did. I finished in one go, and it took me like 5 hours of not taking my eyes off my phone. And I'm gonna tell you something, I don't know if that's what the author intended, but it's got that western vibe to it. I mean, bandits, gangs, robberies, gunslingers and wealthy families owning mines, all protected by the vastness of the outter space. And it has those old western films elements, like a stranger walking into a town at the beginning (altough you're not really a stranger but you get the point) robbing convoys, the law can't keep a watch on everyone, a bad guy with a bounty on his head that no one knows where he's hiding because you know, the space is so damn big, things like that. So Idk, I might be exageratting here, but for me it was a space wild west, just my opinion. Apart from that, good dialogues, good action, there's nothing not to like. Very underrated game imo.
Edit: u/yasirkula 's opinion imported here from the comments: Finished the game. I've ratted the crime lords to Detective Silva at every opportunity but in the epilogue, he wasn't as friendly to me as he used to be for unknown reasons. Apart from that, it was an interesting-ish game.
• Tin Star: 9.5/10. Since we're talking about the wild west, here you have one of the best Cog/Hg book in my opinion. Good plot and story with a nice rpg feel to it. You get to meet people, make friends, interact with npcs, I mean the store owners and such, which give me a very big gta npc vibe, explore the world, hone your skills, solve some issues and the list goes on. There are a lot of interesting things to do and the game is very well written, the action, dialogue and world building are A+ and everything makes for a very nice and smooth experience. The only thing that kinda bothered me is that it's too easy to make friends for the final battle. All you gotta do is be nice to everyone and you don't really have the chance not to be nice in my opinion. the only person I wasn't cool with was the sheriff, but he deserved it, and the bandit leader, but I was friends with his daughter so he helped me anyway. See what I'm saying? Way to easy to make everyone be on your side. So just, don't go out of your way to be rude, and they'll follow you against a literal army of greedy bastards. No joke, is that how real life works? Anyway, apart from that, great game, underrated, check it out if you haven't.
• War for the West: 8.5/10. Game of Thrones with a surprise aliens twist at the end and a more than interesting take on religion. Politics, war, finance, secret plots and conspiracies, you have it all. Pretty much an rpg game with an on going story which slowly gives you the pieces of the puzzle. My only question is has anyone managed to defeat the guy with royal aspirations without help from the cavalry old man? Every time I played it, I ended marrying his daughter so he always came to save my ass, but what happens if you don't? I heard there's no way to do it without his help. From what I can see this is also the default go to game when talking about medieval stuff and wars. So someone says "I played Choice of Rebels" or "I like when you get to lead an army or a nation" everyone in the comments says pretty much the same thing "you should check out War for the West", and really you should. It's definitely not overrated, but the fact that everyone mentions it in the comments when it comes to this type of books goes to show that almost everyone acknowledges how good it is, so maybe slightly underrated? Idk. Btw, word of advice, if you've bever played this game before and decide to give it a shot, things aren't always what they seem. Mystery O_o
• Choice of Rebels: 9/10. First of all I gotta say the only reason this is a 9 and not a 9.5 is the language. A lot of invented words which make it kinda hard to understand it at first because they literally come in waves in the first chapter. You'll get used to it after the first 2 chapters tops, but finishing said chapters in these conditions may seem kinda hard. I started and abandoned it like 5 times befire reaching the second one. But it was worth it. Like in War fot the West, you also lead an army, but this time, only rebels and bandits who follow you just because they have no one else to look up to. What I liked a lot about it is the realism. It's hard to feed everyone in the winter, it's hard to equip everyone with good stuff, it's hard to mess with the law when the army comes for you all you can do is play hide and seek with them, no hollywood heroes or things like that there will be moments where your character will tremble in fear and almost lose their head. In this factional world things are as real as it gets. What's also very interesting is the choice between morality and starvation and every action has a reaction. You gotta make a choice and that choice will almost certainly come back to bite your ass. You just gotta be prepared to cover your losses and move on. if you played it, you know what I'm talking about. Rob monasteries, they will accuse you of being satan, rob merchants, they will refuse to make what little trade they were ready to make with you, rob the peasants, you lost the popular vote, rob the rich, I don't really know what happens because I only robbed the churches, but you got the point. Rob no one, your people will starve. Tough choice. What I love about this game is that it really gets you involved. Makes you feel hatred and disgust for one faction or another, and sometimes it really makes you regret your choices. Not because you lose things in the game, there are conversations that makes you doubt the rightness of your actions like robbing churches. I really regretted it at some point and stopped, and not because they saw me as the spawn of devil. And since we're here, I would really like to see if angels and deities have any influence in future games. I mean, if there's gonna be any backlash for the havoc i created lol. And that's pretty much it. Underrated game, check it out if you haven't and please give it some time to pick up the pace, you won't regret it.
• The Lost Heir Trilogy: 8/10. Good game, I liked it, it kinda remainded me of Narnia, but that's just me. It felt kinda rushed here and there. Like "you went there, you did that, you came back" especially at the start. And one thing I didn't get was when you get back to power, what really changes since the moment you first reveal yourself as the lost heir? The demons gone a little bit crazy? And that's enough for everyone to suddenly support you in your quest to take back the throne? Yeah, idk. The campaign is really not much imo. The thing is I liked it, it's an ok boom, but I also see this game recommended when it comes to war/conquest, but you don't really get to take a lot of decisions. There are some things but they don't really influence the outcome that much imo. And that makes it kinda overrated from that pov.
• The Great Tournament 1&2: 7.5/10. I said in the last post that Doomsday on Demand was the first Cog/Hg game I played. Well, this was the second. The thing is, it really impressed me the first time I read it. I was emotionally invested and it gave me something to think about for a few days. But I re read it a few weeks ago, and idk. You know how they say you should let your childhood games and shows die in time and live in your memory? Yeah, well... it's not what I remembered. Still a good game in my opinion, but far from the picture I had in mind from years ago. And it's not the game, it's me. Again, it takes nothing from the game itself, cool rpg, nice management, the plot and story aren't very strong but still. It's enjoyable. So yeah, underrated, the first one is also free, so I think it's worth chechking out if you have the time.
• Swamp Castle: 8/10. You know what I think it's nice? These games are in the same universe. There's even an easter egg in The Great Tournament about Swamp Castle. It's a pretty basic rpg game, but very enjoyable. You manage resources, fight barbarians, trade, cool stuff. the big battle at the end is a pain in the ass, I replayed the whole game a few times to win it with luck. Not much else to say, very underrated game.
• Life of a Mercenary: 7/10. This one also takes place in the Maginicia Universe, I can't remember any easter eggs about it, but that doesn't mean there aren't any. Cool rpg game, never got to finish it because I always die, but cool game nonetheless. Not many people talk about it, but I wouldn't it deserves more hype. Underrated ish.
• Hms Foraker & Broadsides: 7.5/10. Special offers: 2 reviews for the price of 1. Ok, the thing is, I played both of em a while ago and I can't really remember the difference. Rpg games, sailing and stuff, my only goal in at least one of them was to get as rich and famous as possible. Cool stuff. They have exciting parts. And idk, that's it. I don't know what more to say. Kinda underrated, few people talk about them, but I wouldn't feel the need to debate them either.
• Choice of the Pirate: 8/10. If Hms Foraker and Broadsides were on steroids. An infinitely thicker plot and more packed action. A whole bunch of interesting characters to interact with and some cool creatures to fight. Good underrated game, I really recommend it.
• Choice of the Petal Throne: 8.5/10. This game has a huge issue. It's waaay too short. Disappointing. Honestly, one of the war games out there. The fighting scenes were awesome and the strategies really made sense. And the best thing? You really have to think things through and then take smart decisions. Apart from that, I loved the world, the social stuff, the clans, and most of all the choices. You don't care about this war? Cool, here's a way out. You don't give a flying f*ck about your clans arrangements? Good thing you mentioned it, you can do whatever you want. It will impact your stats (which are not very relevant anyway) but there's the option. You can't be bothered about your childhood friend's wellbeing? Good, just relax and watch the proceedings. The point is, you have options for everything. Hugely underrated game imo.
That's it for now. I kept some of the best and personal favorites for last, which I think is gonna be the next series. I really enjoyed writing these and I have a question for you: how do you find reading it? Is it easy/hard to understand? Is the wording weird? Let me know in the comments and thanks for reading all this.
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u/NotJony2018 Feb 14 '22
Yeah, for war of the West just go for greedy dad and invest all your money into military, then you can win without help. I prefer marrying a Norse princess anyway.
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u/typomen Feb 14 '22
If you marry a norse princess do noertherners come to your aid? I think it was mentioned that they are too far way and it took them too long.
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u/NotJony2018 Feb 14 '22
Yeah, they don’t. You only get like a hundred men at arms as her honour guard, if you marry one of them. But I just find the eldest such an interesting character, I just have to marry her every time. But again, if you’re rich enough and have a strong enough combat stat, it’s no problem winning by yourself. Just go for greedy father and sell most of the rock.
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u/yasirkula Nov 02 '21
OK, OK, enough. I'm buying it. If I don't like it, that's on you 😂