Afrojr
2006
Surprisingly fun and enjoyable Rockstar sandbox game that stands up to the GTA games. Loved the adolescent tone of the game, beating up kids, running from teachers, pulling pranks, etc. Combat is enjoyable and definitely beats the GTA games in that regard. Story's simple in a good way and Jimmy Hopkins is a fine protag. One of my favorite Rockstar games.
2016
After 100% and 200 hrs played, gameplay-wise, I feel this game is 85% fair and balanced and 15% bullshit. While a good ratio, the BS in this game can put you on tilt very easily, especially with how unforgiving the game is with Master Rounds. Ammoconda, Mine Flayer, and High Priest are definitely among that BS. I also feel between the guns and passives, there's MUCH more worthwhile and fun passives as opposed to guns. This game needs some more worthwhile, or at least fun, 'C-D' tier guns.
Not really into fighting games, but this game had a surprisingly enjoyable story mode. Game's not too complex to the point that I had no idea what I was doing, but it did require a lot of button memorization and inputs that I am not used to, nor plan on getting better at.
2016
This is a fucking dope-ass FPS, and this comes from someone who doesn't enjoy FPS' all that much. The movement speed, arena-style levels, and enemy attack patterns all encourage a brisk playstyle. All the available weapons and mods are both versatile and fun in their own right, making you want to use each one. The story was serviceable, but I could definitely do without some of those gimmicky-ass challenges. I wish there were more FPS' like this out there.
2010
A step-up from the original Mario Galaxy, which was already amazing to begin with. Loved nearly all of the mechanics introduced in this game and the ones brought back from the original. Prefer the level select format in this game compared to the hub world pacing in SMG1. Don't miss the Rosalina story segments, so no big loss there. Still doesn't provide a significant challenge throughout the game, but it does offer an endgame final challenge, as well as the Green Star hunts.
Haven't played a game in a while that put me through such highs and lows as this one. Banging soundtrack and way more levels than the first, but they're littered with open areas and glass windows to get shot through. 12 playable characters, but they're locked to specific levels and they lack variety between a number of them (Tony = Dallas = Dirty Hands). Fucking abrupt ending out of nowhere (thank god for someone making that timeline). Overall, the game was a rush, and I'm sad that's it over.
2012
Gameplay was a blast and a unique take on top-down shooting. Death comes quick, but you respawn instantly so it never gets frustrating. Multiple approaches are viable to clear levels, and the game rewards experimentation. Plot is trippy as hell, but in a good way. Even with things being vague and left unexplained, I am still interested in piecing together my own idea of what happened, as opposed to other games where I just shrug and stop caring about the plot.
1994
I love all Donkey Kong Country games and this is no exception. The game is fairly easy compared to all its future entries however. Compared to DKC2, the bonus rooms in this game feel somewhat samey and don't provide a solid challenge like Diddy's Kong Quest did. No hidden world either which sucks.
2013
Fairly good stealth/third person shooter with a very strong character-based plot and performances to back it up. All voice actors across the board gave great performances, giving the game more authenticity than other games attempting the same thing. The A.I kills this game though, and even on Survivor difficulty, the game is not very demanding and very lenient.
One of the hardest SMT games out there, let alone JRPGs, but beating it is doable without an “excessive” amount of grinding. I beat it at Lv 84 Mag/Vit build MC, with a Lv 78 Huang Long, Lv 76 Thor, and Lv 83 Trumpteer, all acquired with minimal use of Sources and no Mitama/Elemental boosting. I still put excessive in quotes though, as it did require a LOT of battling with little to no running away as I was traversing the sectors. The final fight was tense and worthy of the game’s last encounter, but that boss has completely fucked attacks and behaviors. Mother’s Kiss being capable of hitting 3-8 times and damn near always hitting 7 or 8 times. MA just outright KILLING your MC with the only defense being a one-time use accessory. Really wish they could’ve achieved this level of difficulty without having to resort to this level of cheapness.
Good plot overall with a nice cast of characters, though I wasn’t crazy about SJ’s rendition of Law and Chaos; both the theologies and the heroes themselves. Jimenez starts off perfectly realistic and likable, which makes his tragic fall carry some weight to it. Though after the transformation, its hard to imagine anyone genuinely siding with his ideology with how unhinged he becomes. Zelenin’s a whole other can of worms, considering how transparent it is that she’s being used by the angels, and just how useless she is throughout the story. Law ends up being even more unappealing than usual as a result. Neutral, as per usual, ends up being the ‘common sense’ ending, and I wish we could get some SMT games that try to play with these ideologies in more interesting ways.
Lastly, the dungeon crawling itself is about as varied and engaging as 1st person dungeon crawlers get. One-way doors, conveyor belts, warps, hidden doors, etc. If you got the patience for it, its surprisingly fun to slowly uncover a map all the way through. Combat-wise, SJ definitely falls short of Nocturne, DeSu, and IV/IV:A. The Demon Co-Op system isn't anywhere near as engaging as Press Turn or Extra Turn, and actually pigeonholes you to a limited amount of demons to fuse for/recruit. Some demons even punish you for favoring a given alignment in battle, which just sucks even more. And thank god this was one of the last SMT games that stuck to that archaic fusion system where you couldn't pick the specific skills you wanted to inherit. Clicking in and out to get the skill combo you want was mind-numbing.
Cool SMT game with engaging dungeon crawling and solid story. Stiff difficulty curve but weak combat. Not my favorite SMT, doubt I'd ever play it again.
Good plot overall with a nice cast of characters, though I wasn’t crazy about SJ’s rendition of Law and Chaos; both the theologies and the heroes themselves. Jimenez starts off perfectly realistic and likable, which makes his tragic fall carry some weight to it. Though after the transformation, its hard to imagine anyone genuinely siding with his ideology with how unhinged he becomes. Zelenin’s a whole other can of worms, considering how transparent it is that she’s being used by the angels, and just how useless she is throughout the story. Law ends up being even more unappealing than usual as a result. Neutral, as per usual, ends up being the ‘common sense’ ending, and I wish we could get some SMT games that try to play with these ideologies in more interesting ways.
Lastly, the dungeon crawling itself is about as varied and engaging as 1st person dungeon crawlers get. One-way doors, conveyor belts, warps, hidden doors, etc. If you got the patience for it, its surprisingly fun to slowly uncover a map all the way through. Combat-wise, SJ definitely falls short of Nocturne, DeSu, and IV/IV:A. The Demon Co-Op system isn't anywhere near as engaging as Press Turn or Extra Turn, and actually pigeonholes you to a limited amount of demons to fuse for/recruit. Some demons even punish you for favoring a given alignment in battle, which just sucks even more. And thank god this was one of the last SMT games that stuck to that archaic fusion system where you couldn't pick the specific skills you wanted to inherit. Clicking in and out to get the skill combo you want was mind-numbing.
Cool SMT game with engaging dungeon crawling and solid story. Stiff difficulty curve but weak combat. Not my favorite SMT, doubt I'd ever play it again.
2013
Gorgeous playground of Southern California to explore and mess around in and the characters (minus Franklin) were all very enjoyable. Trevor stole the show.
2001
It all started from here so gotta give GTA3 its props for that. But goddamn this game is rough. Shooting is stiff without using lock-on and snapping between targets is not fluid. On-foot movement is clunky and just makes me not want to explore overall. Dying for falling in the water was miserable. Soundtrack was a joke.
Pleasantly surprising stealth-action title with a considerable amount of multiple styles, paths, and choices to make all throughout. Controls were fine and easy to adapt to. Loved the packrat style of discovering items and other goodies throughout the levels and there were some tense standoff moments with other characters that left an impact. Bosses were easily broken, however, and the final fight and subsequent ending were letdowns.
2013
Just like FTL, another solid pick-up-and-play rougelike. Its much more difficult though, and even more dependent on getting lucky with good item drops early, which sucks. But runs are fairly quick, so it doesn't sting AS hard. Soundtrack is dope and I like the writing and overall tone of the game, which shines through via the item descriptions and 'Game Over' messages. The tiny MC sprites are a bit too small and things can turn into a cluster with the amount of enemies and effects going on.
Probably the dopest game I've played in a good while. FromSoft nailed the aesthetics, sound design, music, and tone of this game. Its such a sick take on feudal Japan and there were so many cool areas, enemies, and attack animations to enjoy. Story was a bit weak but not bad. Clashing swords with enemies and the overall stealth stayed fun all throughout, and the bosses were clear highlights. Really wasn't a fan of the Spirit Emblem restrictions, and Combat Arts were mostly throwaway.