Deep Rock Galactic

The game concept is one of the best. You are a dwarf and you go with friends onto a procedurally generated rocky environment and you pick 1 of 4 classes and you accomplish a set of objectives with terrain manipulation and dynamic cooperation by mixing classes with friends and playing a series of difficulties. It's super awesome but I wish there was more guns and stuff to unlock, as well as more objectives. Other than that, I love the comedy vibe and art style that comes through the graphics. This game hosts hours of fun and hope it receives a lot of work and support in the long run.

Simply one of the best co-op shooters ever. It has an addicting gameplay loop, deep build-making, and a community-centric spirit that any online game developer would kill to have. Everything about this game oozes love and care.

Despite how well-polished this game is in a myriad of ways: the core gameplay, the overall aesthetic; the main thing that kills this game for me is the progression system.

I genuinely don't get why so many co-op games feel the need to shove in layers upon layers of progression systems when the first one to get so big, Left 4 Dead 2, was successful specifically BECAUSE of how pick-up-and-play it is. Instead, you have a perk system with so many layers of tiers and separate perks that it feels like you're having to play the spreadsheet game of what's actually the best, and a class level system where after I've spent 10 hours of playing only one single class (the Gunner), I still haven't gotten to the maximum level to actually be able to play at the level where all my friends are wanting to play at, and then I'm just locked behind that one class because trying to experiment with anything else puts you so far behind in power level unless you grind another 10 whole hours as that one other class. It just feels so miserable, and it's sad because it feels like this could've been so easy to fix and come out with a fantastic co-op experience deserving of a proper 8/10 rating.

Maybe there's some mod that can speedrun you through the rest of the class levels or clean up the perk system a bit? If there is, I think that'd make me actually want to come back to it.

I can’t recall the last time a multiplayer game I picked up to play with friends had enthralled me so much. Maybe Monster Hunter? That’s the only other time I would play with randos. The gameplay is solid, the mission design hits that sweet spot of just enough variety to not get old but still feel familiar, and I had far too much fun with the cosmetics. But what really had me hooked was the presentation; the feeling of being in these dark, dank caves ranges from mesmerizing to horrifying, thanks to great lighting mechanics, fantastic sound mixing, refined procedural generation, and the different caves used in each mission. The graphical fidelity is nothing life-like, but it’s by far one of the most immersive presentations I’ve seen in games. Set your UI to minimal and get absolutely absorbed.

Just to note: I played almost entirely as the Scout and Driller classes. I don’t think any of the classes is particularly better or worse than the other–there’s a good balance of strengths and weaknesses–though Scout’s grappling hook was way too much fun to use. Just figure out your preference and stick with it for a while.