AHappyPotat0
2022
Games fun enough at its core but it also holds and represents some of the most anti-consumer practices in this whole industry so yeah can't say I'd recommend this one
Just replayed this game for the first time since my ps4 playthrough on the steam port and this was some of the most fun I've had in a while. This game is an absolute love letter to spiderman fans with a really amazing, well written story, combat that has depth and doesnt get repetitive, and some of the best movement mechanics in any open world game. The game looks fantastic and has a plethora of fun collectables that doesnt feel like a grind to 100%. Even some of the more common complaints like the MJ and Miles stealth missions are very simple and dont overstay their welcome. I still need to wrap up 100%ing this game but once I do I'm gonna play Miles Morales all the way through for the first time, and given how fun this game was I can't wait.
Before playing this game, I watched every episode of South Park prior to its release. After finishing the Black Friday trilogy, I finally played this game. Needless to say, this game is basically just one giant episode of South Park. This game is absolutely hilarious with shockingly fun gameplay that doesn't overstay its welcome. The amount of references that I kept pointing out to myself made the 17 seasons of South Park worth it as nearly everything from the show is referenced in some way. I haven't played The Fractured But Whole yet but given how awesome the superhero episodes of South Park and The Stick of Truth was, I have no doubt that I'll enjoy it.
This review contains spoilers
Ok so I just want to say right out the gate that this is going to be one long ass review. This is one of the biggest releases since its predecessor and so I want to do it justice in this review. I also want to point out that despite the 4 star rating this review will be mostly negative as the entire internet has been singing this games praise since its release and I do want to address many of the flaws the game has, but let it be known that I do think this is a good game and without a doubt a GOTY contender.
To start with the positive things, holy shit they doubled the map size. Like straight up they just doubled the map size and didn't even advertise is whatsoever. In retrospect the ad campaign for this game was genius because finding the depths for the first time was absolutely mind-blowing, plain and simple, making the sky islands, the main focus of many trailers, feel like nothing more than a distraction. I want to also note that I think its incredible that this game plays NOTHING like Breath of the Wild. The new abilities in this game create a playstyle that is incredibly unique to its prequel. Whereas in Breath of the Wild you were forced by the game to make the most of the little resources the game gave you, Tears of the Kingdom gives you every resource you'll ever need and lets you do whatever the fuck you want. This is shown specifically by the Ultrahand and Fuse abilities that fully allow the player to do whatever they wish. There is also a wonderfully expanded upon enemy variety, a common critique of Breath of the Wild, as well as caves scattered around Hyrule for the player to discover, adding yet another wonderful layer of depth to the map.
Alright thats enough praise, time to start bitching about shit. I did say that Tears of the Kingdom plays differently from Breath of Wild, which is great as it justifies this games existence, but I didn't say that is plays better. Giving the player everything is fun to mess around with, but it makes this game so stupidly easy. Like to the point where even the most casual shrines and puzzles are cheeseable without any effort put in at all. 90% of the games shrines can be completed relying solely on the rewind ability, highlighting the lack of proper puzzle design. The dungeons exemplify this as well. While I did appreciate the unique themes compared to the Divine Beasts, the dungeon and puzzle layouts are just as bland, if not more so. Ultrahand's potential as a dungeon tool is completely nullified by the fact that all the materials you need to create a solution are handed to you right next to the puzzle, destroying any insentive for true player creativity and freedom. Exploration is also much less rewarding in this game. While there is much, MUCH more to find, it does not feel satisfying to traverse the map as the new launch towers give you a clear shot to the majority of locations without risk to the player, taking away from the magic of making it to an area on foot or by horse previously felt in Breath of the Wild. I mentioned earlier that Breath of the Wild forced the player to make due with that little they were given, and because of that success and survival felt extremely satisfying and rewarding, and I am sad to say that Tears of the Kingdom does not give me that same feeling.
Onto the story, arguably the worst part of the game without question. The decision to bring back memories as the main method of storytelling completely destroys any chance of this story being written well. While it made sense in the context of Breath of the Wild, memories in this game leave the main game without much going on. The lack of story in the present era screams wasted potential. If I left Breath of the Wild with one feeling, its that I wanted more character interaction between Link and Zelda, and that wish is unfortunately unfulfilled in Tears of the Kingdom. Speaking of lack of character interaction, Ganondorf gets like 10 minutes of screen time tops which is so incredibly disappointing as many including myself were stoked for his return. In fact, the main trio barely interact at all in this game, something seen in other Zelda games such as Ocarina of Time. With the memories being able to be viewed in any order, the entire structure of the story is lost as well. Because I was exploring and happened to find the Dagger memory by the beach second, the twist of Ganondorf's puppet Zelda was instantly revealed to me, making me quickly lose interest in any mystery in Hyrule as it almost always revolved around the puppet Zelda causing something to go wrong somewhere. On another note, I was very interested by Zelda's sacrifice to turn herself into a dragon in one of the memories, as the dragon continued to roam hyrule for thousands of years waiting for Link's arrival, stuck in a state of purgatory. This sacrifice, that created so much sadness and emotion once I simply saw the dragon from a distance, GETS COMPLETLY UNDONE AT THE END WITH LITTLE EXPLANATION???? Like I'm sorry didn't Mineru literally say the transformation was permanent and Zelda just comes back because of some bullshit magic? To top it off Link's chopped off arm is healed too, so any and all lasting impact of the game's events is completely nullified by the end. The entire games story could have never happened any nothing would have changed, and that is just bad writing, period. It doesn't help that the overall tale of The Imprisoning War just isn't really that interesting, but don't worry you're gonna be told the same shit 5 different times after you complete each dungeon without any new perspective or information.
I could nitpick so much about this game. The uninteresting, baby easy Shrine and Temple design, the story that is presented in quite literally the worst way possible, the often questionable writing, the gimped sense of exploration and discovery, and the repetitive shrine quests that almost always boil down to "bring this crystal to the shrine area". But god damn man, I just cant make myself give this game any lower than 4 stars. Despite its flaws, this game is still a masterpiece that deserves to be played solely for the unique experience and shocking amount of new and returning content. Everything great about how the world interacts with itself and the player from Breath of the Wild is still present, and expanded upon, making is so no matter what issues arise there is always some enjoyment to be had. If you actually read this entire review then first of all, you're weird please go do something else, and second of all thanks I guess, it feels good to finally get my thoughts on this game out there.
To start with the positive things, holy shit they doubled the map size. Like straight up they just doubled the map size and didn't even advertise is whatsoever. In retrospect the ad campaign for this game was genius because finding the depths for the first time was absolutely mind-blowing, plain and simple, making the sky islands, the main focus of many trailers, feel like nothing more than a distraction. I want to also note that I think its incredible that this game plays NOTHING like Breath of the Wild. The new abilities in this game create a playstyle that is incredibly unique to its prequel. Whereas in Breath of the Wild you were forced by the game to make the most of the little resources the game gave you, Tears of the Kingdom gives you every resource you'll ever need and lets you do whatever the fuck you want. This is shown specifically by the Ultrahand and Fuse abilities that fully allow the player to do whatever they wish. There is also a wonderfully expanded upon enemy variety, a common critique of Breath of the Wild, as well as caves scattered around Hyrule for the player to discover, adding yet another wonderful layer of depth to the map.
Alright thats enough praise, time to start bitching about shit. I did say that Tears of the Kingdom plays differently from Breath of Wild, which is great as it justifies this games existence, but I didn't say that is plays better. Giving the player everything is fun to mess around with, but it makes this game so stupidly easy. Like to the point where even the most casual shrines and puzzles are cheeseable without any effort put in at all. 90% of the games shrines can be completed relying solely on the rewind ability, highlighting the lack of proper puzzle design. The dungeons exemplify this as well. While I did appreciate the unique themes compared to the Divine Beasts, the dungeon and puzzle layouts are just as bland, if not more so. Ultrahand's potential as a dungeon tool is completely nullified by the fact that all the materials you need to create a solution are handed to you right next to the puzzle, destroying any insentive for true player creativity and freedom. Exploration is also much less rewarding in this game. While there is much, MUCH more to find, it does not feel satisfying to traverse the map as the new launch towers give you a clear shot to the majority of locations without risk to the player, taking away from the magic of making it to an area on foot or by horse previously felt in Breath of the Wild. I mentioned earlier that Breath of the Wild forced the player to make due with that little they were given, and because of that success and survival felt extremely satisfying and rewarding, and I am sad to say that Tears of the Kingdom does not give me that same feeling.
Onto the story, arguably the worst part of the game without question. The decision to bring back memories as the main method of storytelling completely destroys any chance of this story being written well. While it made sense in the context of Breath of the Wild, memories in this game leave the main game without much going on. The lack of story in the present era screams wasted potential. If I left Breath of the Wild with one feeling, its that I wanted more character interaction between Link and Zelda, and that wish is unfortunately unfulfilled in Tears of the Kingdom. Speaking of lack of character interaction, Ganondorf gets like 10 minutes of screen time tops which is so incredibly disappointing as many including myself were stoked for his return. In fact, the main trio barely interact at all in this game, something seen in other Zelda games such as Ocarina of Time. With the memories being able to be viewed in any order, the entire structure of the story is lost as well. Because I was exploring and happened to find the Dagger memory by the beach second, the twist of Ganondorf's puppet Zelda was instantly revealed to me, making me quickly lose interest in any mystery in Hyrule as it almost always revolved around the puppet Zelda causing something to go wrong somewhere. On another note, I was very interested by Zelda's sacrifice to turn herself into a dragon in one of the memories, as the dragon continued to roam hyrule for thousands of years waiting for Link's arrival, stuck in a state of purgatory. This sacrifice, that created so much sadness and emotion once I simply saw the dragon from a distance, GETS COMPLETLY UNDONE AT THE END WITH LITTLE EXPLANATION???? Like I'm sorry didn't Mineru literally say the transformation was permanent and Zelda just comes back because of some bullshit magic? To top it off Link's chopped off arm is healed too, so any and all lasting impact of the game's events is completely nullified by the end. The entire games story could have never happened any nothing would have changed, and that is just bad writing, period. It doesn't help that the overall tale of The Imprisoning War just isn't really that interesting, but don't worry you're gonna be told the same shit 5 different times after you complete each dungeon without any new perspective or information.
I could nitpick so much about this game. The uninteresting, baby easy Shrine and Temple design, the story that is presented in quite literally the worst way possible, the often questionable writing, the gimped sense of exploration and discovery, and the repetitive shrine quests that almost always boil down to "bring this crystal to the shrine area". But god damn man, I just cant make myself give this game any lower than 4 stars. Despite its flaws, this game is still a masterpiece that deserves to be played solely for the unique experience and shocking amount of new and returning content. Everything great about how the world interacts with itself and the player from Breath of the Wild is still present, and expanded upon, making is so no matter what issues arise there is always some enjoyment to be had. If you actually read this entire review then first of all, you're weird please go do something else, and second of all thanks I guess, it feels good to finally get my thoughts on this game out there.
1998
"sonic had a rough transition into 3d" my ass dude this game fucking rocks
2018
This game has received a lot of criticism the past couple of years, much of which I think is unfair and unwarranted. This game is very close to a masterpiece, only having a couple hiccups that hurt it in the long run. Firstly, the game is gorgeous and the soundtrack is perfect, 0 complaints in those departments. Secondly, the stories, while formulaic at times, have genuinely great messages, and the characters are consistently good and likeable. And last but certainly most important, the combat is turn based combat at its peak. The game gives you so many tools to strategize the way you want, from customizing your team with secondary classes and gear. The exploration is also top notch, as there's no restrictions to it. The hiccups I mentions earlier include an excessive amount of grinding in the mid game, with no bench exp featured in numerous modern jrpgs. Along with this, none of the stories actually connect in any meaningful way, though there IS an overarching plot that ties everything together, which is incredibly satisfyingly. Both of these issues appear to be addressed in the Sequel releasing today, which excites me to no end. I loved this game a lot, and really dont understand the negativity surrounding it.
2022
First impressions are great but after that it gets really repetitive and boring. I got to the third island and im not really feeling motivated to finish this sadly. Running fast around the islands and chaining together random platforming bits is really the only thing I can say that hooked me, the rest of it is just kinda eh. Music is still good though, as expected from Sonic.
2009
The first video game I ever played, gets a 5 star just for introducing me to gaming as a whole
2022
Everything in my original review still stands. Worse animations, shitty performance, lack of level scaling, etc etc. I gave it a 2/5 for first impressions and im bumping that up to a 3/5 just for the ending alone. Was really impressed with that, but came out of the game feeling mixed on it all, wouldn't recommend buying unless you really like pokemon
2022
So, I haven't completed the game yet but I really gotta get my first impressions out there because I got some choice words about this game. I'll start with what I like obviously, the pokemon models look fantastic and the human animations looks smooth most of the time. The map is also very well designed, and towns feel alive and lived in. I also generally like exploring and finding pokemon living in the environment. However, pokemon animations are a severe step down from legends as it seems like they've gone back to pokemon not making contact during battle, and moving the pokemon's idle animation on a certain axis for most animations. To address the elephant in the room the performance is HORRIBLE. Pop in (which was in other pokemon games) is more prominent than ever, and lag and slow downs are extremely common. Bugs and camera glitches are in no shortage as well, often clipping through the ground and put in very awkward locations. However, most of what I just listed can (hopefully) be patched out. Unfortunately this game is also home to some severe game design oversights that CANNOT be patched out, the most prominent being that there is 0 level scaling for gyms or bosses. Why make the world open to explore, and gyms being able to do in any order when the set level balancing makes it as though theres still an intended progression route? Another thing I dislike is the entire map being visible from the very start. This makes it so discovering towns, cool areas, and interesting landmarks have no surprise or reaction value. There is also no shirt or pants customizability with the player customization potentially being at a series low in my opinion. As I stated in the beginning of this first impressions I have not yet completed the game. I have done 4 gyms, 2 titan pokemon, and 2 team star bases. Because I have no completed this I will not be giving this a star review, but my first impressions would most likely be a 2/5.
WHY WERE YOU TAKEN AWAY FROM MEEEE
2007
I came to this game after finishing Persona 4 Golden and Persona 5 Royal, and while I can't say I enjoyed this game as much as those 2, I'll start this review with the positive things. The story is so damn good. Without getting to into spoilers, all emotional beats are hit, especially late game, making for a very somber and emotional experience. The music is also fantastic, and always fits the tone especially in areas like the month of January. Many of the Social links like the Sun, Star, Aeon, Heirophant, and Devil are all also amazing, and some of the best of the series. My issues, however, begin with the games pacing as its fucking atrocious. Jack shit happens until September, and days before them become very repetitive and uninteresting, making the early game so incredibly slow and boring. Along with this, the main combat area, Tartarus, is super boring. It is repetitive in every sense of the word with each floor being identical to the last with no end in sight. Along with lacking the quality of life of future persona games, Persona 3 FES has many issues that bring down its score for me. However, despite all of this, I can confidently say this game is worth experiencing for the plot alone, along with the addicting fusing and combat featured in other modern persona games.
2013
Used to rate this game lower, but after revisiting it and grinding out demons for the past couple weeks my opinion of this game has shot up. It is hard to get into, yes, but the feeling of euphoria after beating a hard level is something you truly cannot get anywhere else. Despite not getting an update for over 5 years, the community has managed to keep this game more than up and running with an infinite stream of unique player made levels, all ranging in difficulty, making the game anything but stale for me. This game may not be for everyone, but its definitely for me.
2022
Even on launch this game is miles better than both splatoon 1 and final patch splatoon 2.
They have honestly perfected the formula by adding some of the most unique and creative specials to date like zipcaster and ink vac, improving the map design after the absolute dumpster fire that was splatoon 2 maps, and creating a genuinely great campaign. They also improved upon Salmon Run by adding more specials, more bosses, and more maps. The new weapons are really fun too play, and old weapons feel incredibly fresh with new kits that complement them much better than they did in splatoon 2.
Everything I could've hoped for is here, and with balance patches and new weapons and maps being added along with lots of other bits of new content it can only go up from here. I can confidently say this is my new favorite shooter ever made.
They have honestly perfected the formula by adding some of the most unique and creative specials to date like zipcaster and ink vac, improving the map design after the absolute dumpster fire that was splatoon 2 maps, and creating a genuinely great campaign. They also improved upon Salmon Run by adding more specials, more bosses, and more maps. The new weapons are really fun too play, and old weapons feel incredibly fresh with new kits that complement them much better than they did in splatoon 2.
Everything I could've hoped for is here, and with balance patches and new weapons and maps being added along with lots of other bits of new content it can only go up from here. I can confidently say this is my new favorite shooter ever made.
2021
A near perfect revival to 2d metroid with incredible movement, combat, and level design with a shockingly good plot. It just suffers from being incredibly unmemorable I think. Still would highly recommend, but I think Super keeps the title for best 2d metroid game