Been testing out lots of stuff recently:

• Jagged Alliance 3 - Maybe I was too harsh with this game, but the whole experience felt decidedly “budget.” I get that a $45 game today is more like a $30 game of only a few years ago, or a $20 game before that, though everything felt rough around the edges: writing, the sparse weapon and enemy types, the unexciting stock-looking art.

• Iron Oath - It’s like a hybrid between Darkest Dungeon and Battle Brothers. You manage a mercenary company by hiring and equipping them, then directing them across an overworld map as in-game days pass. Then you dive into dungeons, progressing from room to room very much like DD, and when there is combat, it’s turn-based tactics with pre-deployment on a grid. I played this game nonstop for two days before I tore myself away and got my ass back to work lol. My primary issue is lack of content and lack of combat variety, I’m only halfway through the main campaign but after 100+ battles, they start to feel kinda samey.

• Despot’s Dystopian Army Builder - This is made in the same universe as the creator’s prior game, Despot’s Game. If you are familiar with these titles, please tell me if/why you like them, because I don’t understand their appeal. These look like games, they sound like games, they present themselves like games, but these are not games, these feel as if they were made by someone who has only ever seen other people play video games and never played them personally.