AppleTStudios
2011
Endless hours of fun doing whatever the imagination allows.
I've spent years going back and forth into Minecraft, and every time I come back it's as if I'm playing the game for the first time. Of course, nothing beats the REAL first time you're plopped in a randomly-generated world and you have to punch a tree, to make a shovel, to build a hole, to build your first shelter. Nothing compares.
And yet, the feeling of wonder remains no matter how long it's been. I've built entire kingdoms with friends; transportation networks leading to different "countries;" even the occasional boobytrap hidden behind a chair that blows everything up.
Even after all this time, this game is a 5/5 for me. And, I expect it always will be.
I've spent years going back and forth into Minecraft, and every time I come back it's as if I'm playing the game for the first time. Of course, nothing beats the REAL first time you're plopped in a randomly-generated world and you have to punch a tree, to make a shovel, to build a hole, to build your first shelter. Nothing compares.
And yet, the feeling of wonder remains no matter how long it's been. I've built entire kingdoms with friends; transportation networks leading to different "countries;" even the occasional boobytrap hidden behind a chair that blows everything up.
Even after all this time, this game is a 5/5 for me. And, I expect it always will be.
A fun game that, strangely, brings attention to the fact that people had no idea so many of these pirates actually had names. Traveler's Tales brings back the classic LEGO gameplay people love while exploring the swashbuckling adventures of Captain Jack Sparrow.
2010
A fantastic prequel to the original Halo trilogy, Halo: Reach breaks your heart over and over, while still getting you to come back for more.
Halo: Reach is a unique game, in that longtime players of the Halo franchise know how the story ends... roughly. Despite this, the new and original story presented here is extremely fun to play, as you traverse through strange, industrialized areas of the planet known as Reach.
This particular story focuses on Noble Team, a group of six Spartan-IIIs (actually one of them is a Spartan II like the series hero Master Chief) as they launch a counteroffensive against the dreaded Covenant- whose goal is to find human worlds and "glass" them- aka burn the surface until it is uninhabitable and appears like that of glass. The main character is Noble Six- a mysterious Spartan III with a lone-wolf past who just so happens to be YOU! Yes, you get to customize your character in this game. Change their armor, their colors, even what gender they present as. The choice is yours, and it's incredibly immersive.
As the story progresses, you get to work with more and more members of your team through various conflicts, pushing back The Covenant, losing valuable assets, and continuing this dance for about 8-9 hours depending on what difficulty you're playing on.
The true hero of this game is its vast multiplayer. While equipment pickups allowing for things like Sprinting and Armor Lock (where a player becomes invincible at the expense of movement) is VERY controversial, I would argue these allow for more creative ways to play.
Online game modes such as Big Team Battle and Capture the Flag are standard, but modes like Infection and Arcade allow creative players to make some truly unique experiences. Want to play a game where you kill zombies by driving a car through a portal, which creates a feedback loop and thus accelerates your vehicle to insane speeds? You can do that. Want to play hockey by shooting a giant golf ball with a machine gun into a huge goal? You can do that. Want to be an alien dinosaur with a jetpack and laser guns? You. Can. Do. That. Your limit is your imagination, and boy is Halo Reach an imaginative multiplayer experience.
I have spent countless hours; many nights in this game. Reach will always hold a special place in my heart, even as I move further and further away from the initial release. I can only look back on it with fond memories, and hope anyone picking this up today will create some of their own.
Remember: Reach.
Halo: Reach is a unique game, in that longtime players of the Halo franchise know how the story ends... roughly. Despite this, the new and original story presented here is extremely fun to play, as you traverse through strange, industrialized areas of the planet known as Reach.
This particular story focuses on Noble Team, a group of six Spartan-IIIs (actually one of them is a Spartan II like the series hero Master Chief) as they launch a counteroffensive against the dreaded Covenant- whose goal is to find human worlds and "glass" them- aka burn the surface until it is uninhabitable and appears like that of glass. The main character is Noble Six- a mysterious Spartan III with a lone-wolf past who just so happens to be YOU! Yes, you get to customize your character in this game. Change their armor, their colors, even what gender they present as. The choice is yours, and it's incredibly immersive.
As the story progresses, you get to work with more and more members of your team through various conflicts, pushing back The Covenant, losing valuable assets, and continuing this dance for about 8-9 hours depending on what difficulty you're playing on.
The true hero of this game is its vast multiplayer. While equipment pickups allowing for things like Sprinting and Armor Lock (where a player becomes invincible at the expense of movement) is VERY controversial, I would argue these allow for more creative ways to play.
Online game modes such as Big Team Battle and Capture the Flag are standard, but modes like Infection and Arcade allow creative players to make some truly unique experiences. Want to play a game where you kill zombies by driving a car through a portal, which creates a feedback loop and thus accelerates your vehicle to insane speeds? You can do that. Want to play hockey by shooting a giant golf ball with a machine gun into a huge goal? You can do that. Want to be an alien dinosaur with a jetpack and laser guns? You. Can. Do. That. Your limit is your imagination, and boy is Halo Reach an imaginative multiplayer experience.
I have spent countless hours; many nights in this game. Reach will always hold a special place in my heart, even as I move further and further away from the initial release. I can only look back on it with fond memories, and hope anyone picking this up today will create some of their own.
Remember: Reach.
Finished the epilogue March 10th 2024. Full review below.
Red Dead Redemption 2 is the pinnacle of open-world games that others strive for.
We could talk all day about the gorgeous graphics and draw distances, the motion capture acting, or the tone of the story. But I really want to discuss the gameplay.
I hopped between RDR2 and Assassin's Creed: Odyssey (playing both with Xbox One controllers) and I couldn't get over how GOOD RDR2's controls feel. Tapping "A" to make my horse gallop at varying speeds felt completely natural to me- as opposed to AC:O where you just hold "A" to go fast. They're different games for sure, barely comparable, but the fact I played two different open world games with horses from the year 2018... there's enough there to make a comparison. And I preferred RDR2.
Other gameplay elements like movement and combat felt like a massive leap from where similar control schemes were when Grand Theft Auto V released in 2013. Running and shooting feels buttery smooth, with VERY few moments that had me bewildered as to what happened on screen (turns out it was ME hitting the wrong button, not the game failing to register a press).
I will not divulge deeply into the story, but I will say it is well worth it to avoid spoilers at all costs. The story is incredibly well written and paced- one of my favorites in recent memory. It feels as if you're playing through a high budget TV show or movie. I laughed. I cried. I was filled with rage when my horse was nicked by a bullet. Red Dead Redemption 2 will make you feel emotion on every end of the spectrum.
I loved playing this game. I couldn't wait to get home from work or have a day off just to immerse myself in the world. I'm sad that it's over. I'm overjoyed I experienced it in the first place. I will never forget my first experience through this story, this world. I don't wish it were longer (there's still so much side stuff left for me to do if I so choose) and I don't wish for it to be shorter. It's perfect as is.
5/5. Masterpiece.
________________________________________________________
ORIGINAL REVIEW: I’m only an hour into this game and it’s already a 5/5 for me. It’s gorgeous and I’m already engrossed in the story. I cannot wait to fully explore this gorgeous wilderness on my horse!
Red Dead Redemption 2 is the pinnacle of open-world games that others strive for.
We could talk all day about the gorgeous graphics and draw distances, the motion capture acting, or the tone of the story. But I really want to discuss the gameplay.
I hopped between RDR2 and Assassin's Creed: Odyssey (playing both with Xbox One controllers) and I couldn't get over how GOOD RDR2's controls feel. Tapping "A" to make my horse gallop at varying speeds felt completely natural to me- as opposed to AC:O where you just hold "A" to go fast. They're different games for sure, barely comparable, but the fact I played two different open world games with horses from the year 2018... there's enough there to make a comparison. And I preferred RDR2.
Other gameplay elements like movement and combat felt like a massive leap from where similar control schemes were when Grand Theft Auto V released in 2013. Running and shooting feels buttery smooth, with VERY few moments that had me bewildered as to what happened on screen (turns out it was ME hitting the wrong button, not the game failing to register a press).
I will not divulge deeply into the story, but I will say it is well worth it to avoid spoilers at all costs. The story is incredibly well written and paced- one of my favorites in recent memory. It feels as if you're playing through a high budget TV show or movie. I laughed. I cried. I was filled with rage when my horse was nicked by a bullet. Red Dead Redemption 2 will make you feel emotion on every end of the spectrum.
I loved playing this game. I couldn't wait to get home from work or have a day off just to immerse myself in the world. I'm sad that it's over. I'm overjoyed I experienced it in the first place. I will never forget my first experience through this story, this world. I don't wish it were longer (there's still so much side stuff left for me to do if I so choose) and I don't wish for it to be shorter. It's perfect as is.
5/5. Masterpiece.
________________________________________________________
ORIGINAL REVIEW: I’m only an hour into this game and it’s already a 5/5 for me. It’s gorgeous and I’m already engrossed in the story. I cannot wait to fully explore this gorgeous wilderness on my horse!
2023
"Hogwarts Legacy" is a great base for nearly everything I ever wanted out of a "Harry Potter" game. Like a good roux for a cheese sauce, there is only as much potential as the chef allows.
"Hogwarts Legacy" is a wonderful attempt at an RPG, but sadly misses the mark in more than a few ways. The story starts with the usual "[character] is the most important person to have ever existed and it's up to [character] to save the world." From there, we are launched into a world both familiar, yet new and awe-inspiring. Hogwarts looks INCREDIBLE. The castle has so many unique details about it that feel more inspired by the books than the films (it is said the developers followed the books for inspiration, so this makes sense). The castle is filled with marble, beautiful tapestries, and easter eggs galore. The magic spells FEEL like they're hitting their targets, and the world reacts appropriately. I've gone way too far with some... evil... spells, and characters react in horror as a 15 year old child smashes a grown man several times into the ground! But there are also clever ways to fight enemies without straight up torturing them. Maybe give them a good knock on the head, or take them out with stealth. On these merits alone, I give the game a good review.
However, the rest of the world- the very, very big world- is relatively empty. After you first exit the castle, it feels a bit overwhelming to see how much of the world is out there. But, after a bit, one starts to realize Floo Powder (fast travel) exists for a reason. I found myself using fast travel after about 15 hours, because the world just wasn't engaging enough for me to fly for 5 minutes across a gloomy Scottish countryside, only to talk to a fellow student and "complete" the quest.
And here lies one of my biggest gripes- the quest layout. Many times quests will be given, but often they're either the same (kill all these spiders in this particular area), or worse, merely dialogue cutscenes. Yes, a given quest can literally just be a conversation between two characters. That's not a quest, that's a Wednesday afternoon.
The game is poorly optimized on PC. I have a medium-end build, yet the game can barely function on Low/Performance settings. Patches have since made this somewhat better, but with every patch Avalanche (the developers) seems to put out, NVIDIA (my graphics card) puts out a patch that nearly breaks the game once more.
Despite all of this... I still found myself enjoying Hogwarts Legacy, and I am incredibly excited for the future of this series, should it continue. I truly believe there is something more here, something special. Though we don't have it quite yet, I feel that a sequel (or even DLC at this point) would absolutely become a "Game of the Year" contender.
"Hogwarts Legacy" is a wonderful attempt at an RPG, but sadly misses the mark in more than a few ways. The story starts with the usual "[character] is the most important person to have ever existed and it's up to [character] to save the world." From there, we are launched into a world both familiar, yet new and awe-inspiring. Hogwarts looks INCREDIBLE. The castle has so many unique details about it that feel more inspired by the books than the films (it is said the developers followed the books for inspiration, so this makes sense). The castle is filled with marble, beautiful tapestries, and easter eggs galore. The magic spells FEEL like they're hitting their targets, and the world reacts appropriately. I've gone way too far with some... evil... spells, and characters react in horror as a 15 year old child smashes a grown man several times into the ground! But there are also clever ways to fight enemies without straight up torturing them. Maybe give them a good knock on the head, or take them out with stealth. On these merits alone, I give the game a good review.
However, the rest of the world- the very, very big world- is relatively empty. After you first exit the castle, it feels a bit overwhelming to see how much of the world is out there. But, after a bit, one starts to realize Floo Powder (fast travel) exists for a reason. I found myself using fast travel after about 15 hours, because the world just wasn't engaging enough for me to fly for 5 minutes across a gloomy Scottish countryside, only to talk to a fellow student and "complete" the quest.
And here lies one of my biggest gripes- the quest layout. Many times quests will be given, but often they're either the same (kill all these spiders in this particular area), or worse, merely dialogue cutscenes. Yes, a given quest can literally just be a conversation between two characters. That's not a quest, that's a Wednesday afternoon.
The game is poorly optimized on PC. I have a medium-end build, yet the game can barely function on Low/Performance settings. Patches have since made this somewhat better, but with every patch Avalanche (the developers) seems to put out, NVIDIA (my graphics card) puts out a patch that nearly breaks the game once more.
Despite all of this... I still found myself enjoying Hogwarts Legacy, and I am incredibly excited for the future of this series, should it continue. I truly believe there is something more here, something special. Though we don't have it quite yet, I feel that a sequel (or even DLC at this point) would absolutely become a "Game of the Year" contender.
A worthy successor to Assassin's Creed: Origins, Assassin's Creed: Odyssey is HUGE. A little too big in some ways, but the gorgeous world of Greece makes up for it. Combining the ship sailing of Black Flag and the open-world RPG elements of Origins, makes for a large, long game bursting at the seams with content.
The next entry in the "Ezio Trilogy" of Assassin's Creed games (starting with Assassin's Creed II), Rome has never looked better. The music, the flora, the people- this city is alive! Though the story definitely comes across as a "middle chapter," new gameplay mechanics such as training rookie assassins to do your dirty work make way for even more unique ways to play. "Brotherhood" is fun, even if it's not nearly as memorable as its predecessor.
Finished the epilogue March 10th 2024. Full review below.
Red Dead Redemption 2 is the pinnacle of open-world games that others strive for.
We could talk all day about the gorgeous graphics and draw distances, the motion capture acting, or the tone of the story. But I really want to discuss the gameplay.
I hopped between RDR2 and Assassin's Creed: Odyssey (playing both with Xbox One controllers) and I couldn't get over how GOOD RDR2's controls feel. Tapping "A" to make my horse gallop at varying speeds felt completely natural to me- as opposed to AC:O where you just hold "A" to go fast. They're different games for sure, barely comparable, but the fact I played two different open world games with horses from the year 2018... there's enough there to make a comparison. And I preferred RDR2.
Other gameplay elements like movement and combat felt like a massive leap from where similar control schemes were when Grand Theft Auto V released in 2013. Running and shooting feels buttery smooth, with VERY few moments that had me bewildered as to what happened on screen (turns out it was ME hitting the wrong button, not the game failing to register a press).
I will not divulge deeply into the story, but I will say it is well worth it to avoid spoilers at all costs. The story is incredibly well written and paced- one of my favorites in recent memory. It feels as if you're playing through a high budget TV show or movie. I laughed. I cried. I was filled with rage when my horse was nicked by a bullet. Red Dead Redemption 2 will make you feel emotion on every end of the spectrum.
I loved playing this game. I couldn't wait to get home from work or have a day off just to immerse myself in the world. I'm sad that it's over. I'm overjoyed I experienced it in the first place. I will never forget my first experience through this story, this world. I don't wish it were longer (there's still so much side stuff left for me to do if I so choose) and I don't wish for it to be shorter. It's perfect as is.
5/5. Masterpiece.
________________________________________________________
ORIGINAL REVIEW: I’m only an hour into this game and it’s already a 5/5 for me. It’s gorgeous and I’m already engrossed in the story. I cannot wait to fully explore this gorgeous wilderness on my horse!
Red Dead Redemption 2 is the pinnacle of open-world games that others strive for.
We could talk all day about the gorgeous graphics and draw distances, the motion capture acting, or the tone of the story. But I really want to discuss the gameplay.
I hopped between RDR2 and Assassin's Creed: Odyssey (playing both with Xbox One controllers) and I couldn't get over how GOOD RDR2's controls feel. Tapping "A" to make my horse gallop at varying speeds felt completely natural to me- as opposed to AC:O where you just hold "A" to go fast. They're different games for sure, barely comparable, but the fact I played two different open world games with horses from the year 2018... there's enough there to make a comparison. And I preferred RDR2.
Other gameplay elements like movement and combat felt like a massive leap from where similar control schemes were when Grand Theft Auto V released in 2013. Running and shooting feels buttery smooth, with VERY few moments that had me bewildered as to what happened on screen (turns out it was ME hitting the wrong button, not the game failing to register a press).
I will not divulge deeply into the story, but I will say it is well worth it to avoid spoilers at all costs. The story is incredibly well written and paced- one of my favorites in recent memory. It feels as if you're playing through a high budget TV show or movie. I laughed. I cried. I was filled with rage when my horse was nicked by a bullet. Red Dead Redemption 2 will make you feel emotion on every end of the spectrum.
I loved playing this game. I couldn't wait to get home from work or have a day off just to immerse myself in the world. I'm sad that it's over. I'm overjoyed I experienced it in the first place. I will never forget my first experience through this story, this world. I don't wish it were longer (there's still so much side stuff left for me to do if I so choose) and I don't wish for it to be shorter. It's perfect as is.
5/5. Masterpiece.
________________________________________________________
ORIGINAL REVIEW: I’m only an hour into this game and it’s already a 5/5 for me. It’s gorgeous and I’m already engrossed in the story. I cannot wait to fully explore this gorgeous wilderness on my horse!
2024
A fun, spooky start to what may end up being a great creepypasta game.
I love creepypastas. They're spooky, fun to read, and often end with a bit of an eyeroll. Kitty Kart 64 is very similar, in that it gives all the pieces for a standard creepypasta game. However, it doesn't really expand upon them. The creator of the game will apparently expand upon it in the future, so my advice is to keep an eye on this one and try and extrapolate any lore elements you can find. I truly think we have something great on our hands, it's just too early to really see the forest through the trees.
I had fun with this game- what little there is of it- and look forward to seeing more of what's to come.
I love creepypastas. They're spooky, fun to read, and often end with a bit of an eyeroll. Kitty Kart 64 is very similar, in that it gives all the pieces for a standard creepypasta game. However, it doesn't really expand upon them. The creator of the game will apparently expand upon it in the future, so my advice is to keep an eye on this one and try and extrapolate any lore elements you can find. I truly think we have something great on our hands, it's just too early to really see the forest through the trees.
I had fun with this game- what little there is of it- and look forward to seeing more of what's to come.
When one sees "Minecraft," their first thought is not "world-ending story involving friends coming together to save the universe." But, here we are; it's adorable and blocky.
An intense game that completely changed the gaming landscape at the time- everyone played Call of Duty 4. Your friends, your grandmother, even your dog pressed a few buttons here and there. Everyone played it at one point or another, and for good reason. The multiplayer was fast-paced and not for the faint of heart. While the multiplayer shined bright, the story was generic and felt almost tacked-on; like a practice round before jumping in to the vulgar, heavy-breathing-into-the-mic, sleeping with your mother multiplayer game mode.
2012
A frustrating downgrade from previous entries, Assassin's Creed III is a buggy mess from start to finish, with added stealth elements that will cause you to swear in languages you never even knew you could speak. A positive about the new gameplay elements introduced- ship sailing, and tree climbing- were all improved upon in later games. The one memorable thing about this game was when it finally ended.
A game that summarizes the story so far (and then some), the musical-beats-gameplay becomes shockingly challenging- and addicting- as the game goes on. A major qualm is that you don't play as Kairi- the character whose point of view this game takes place.
The final chapter of the "Ezio Trilogy," Assassin's Creed Revelations sees our reluctant hero in old age, winding down and reflecting on if any of this was worth it? To us players, indeed it was. The hook blade creates new traversal systems alongside the classic parkour mechanics, making Constantinople feel very different from previous games. A bloated crafting system and a story that feels like its dragging its feet to the finish line are what holds back this title from being a perfect finale to Ezio's story. It's as if the game doesn't want to let him go just yet. Sadly, all things must come to and end. "Requiescat in pace, Ezio Trilogy."
2009
A coming-of-age story mixed with a tale of revenge, Assassin's Creed II puts players into the vibrant world of Renaissance Italy. With more ways to assassinate targets, improved parkour mechanics, and a story that lifts you up as much as it tears you to shreds, Assassin's Creed II stuns!