As the base game came up as a freebie I thought I'd post a short review
of the recently released stand-alone DLC. First thing for those that
have played the base game, this is the same engine as used for that so
none of the improvements in Desperados III are included. It would have
been nice to use the new engine but I don't think it's a biggie. What
you get for your money is three main missions and the three short
missions so probably only six to nine hours in total depending on how
proficient your are. And yes it's just more of the same as in ST. So if
you liked ST you're liked this and if you didn't you won't.

For those who haven't played the base game it's a tactical stealth game
very much in the vein of Desperados or Commandos. So you have your team
of Japanese serotypes all with their own specialised skills and you have
to use those to slowly and navigate your way across the map being sure
not to be seen*. To really mix it up there's also something called
Shadow Mode. This allows you to queue a single action for each character
and the activate them all at once.

It's very much a puzzle game where the key is looking at the view cones
and routes of the enemies and seeing how they interlock. Then work out
where the weak point is and the appropriate enemy to make further progress.

Overall I'm really enjoying it (just started the second mission) as
there's a certain enjoyment when you figure out a plan and execute it.
I've also found that it can often be better to have a novel plan instead
of just going for one that seems the most obvious.

A word of warning though, although it is stand-alone it very much chucks
you in at the deep end and unless you've played the base game it might
become frustrating until it clicks as to how to approach the game.

So yes a big thumbs-up from me and a Happy Xmas. I would normally also
say a Happy New Year but I'm pretty sure that we (UK) are going to be in
some sort of lock-down by then as Scotland and Wales have already
announced further restrictions and I expect England to follow suit.