Saturday, November 23, 2013

No Money, No Problem: DataJack

Title: DataJack
Developer: Epic Banana
Platforms: PC
Free
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Sometimes it's easy to consider freeware games as inferior to paid releases, for whatever reasons, as if because they're not given a price might mean they're less worth one's time. I've seen and played enough free games to know that a price tag doesn't correlate to a game's quality and in my opinion, the recently released isometric action RPG DataJack is up there with games like Nitronic Rush, Toribash, Stealth Bastard, Zineth, in terms of free games with quality and depth rivaling the best paid releases.
DataJack is not the most visually astounding game, not is it the most polished. Made by one man over five years, there are bugs and glitches, which kind of to be expected. But what matters is the gameplay and in that aspect, DataJack is more than worthy of your time. A mercenary for hire in a corporation-run cyberpunk future, you must use skills and weapons in a variety of missions, from assassinations to heists to hacking valuable information. How you build your character, and how you approach your job is up to you. Sneaking around the back of a complex, equipped with silenced weapons, a sword, and bionic legs for faster movement is a valuable option. As is blowing out the wall with C4 (the environment is destructible) and laying waste to those inside with gunfire, while taking reduced damage due to your armor implants. Or maybe you want to buy a powerful hacking device from the street dealer outside your apartment, disable your enemy's defenses digitally, and turn their turrets against them. You have a wide range of options, thanks to upgradeable and moddable weapons, implants, hacking programs, and more, and each missions is small sandbox that allows you to tackle your objectives from a variety of angles and tactics.
DataJack is fun, challenging, with tons of depth, and a great cyberpunk atmosphere. You can download the game from Desura or download it directly here. If you're interested, you can also donate through Paypal on the developer's site.

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