2020
it's midnight, the fireworks going off in the background, i'm well rested, and ready to mess some shit up.
with bombs, guns, and my trusty sledge hammer, i turn a that small food court into a small crator.
how ever, when the time's up, the game says that i've only made 45% of how much i was supposed to destroy.
this is this game's biggest flaw that holds down it's amazing premise: weird, specific, and annoying tasks. this game is at it's best when it lets you relax, and hammer through objectives at your own pace; solving small problems and feeling like a badass while doing it.
but with time limits and quotas, the game becomes more and more upsetting.
3/5 - a fantastic engine and set up, with annoying objectives bogging it down.
with bombs, guns, and my trusty sledge hammer, i turn a that small food court into a small crator.
how ever, when the time's up, the game says that i've only made 45% of how much i was supposed to destroy.
this is this game's biggest flaw that holds down it's amazing premise: weird, specific, and annoying tasks. this game is at it's best when it lets you relax, and hammer through objectives at your own pace; solving small problems and feeling like a badass while doing it.
but with time limits and quotas, the game becomes more and more upsetting.
3/5 - a fantastic engine and set up, with annoying objectives bogging it down.
2024
dropping down from low orbit, smashing into the ground like a violent hammer, and emerging with my heroic pose; when at it's best, Hell Divers 2 will truly make you feel like a heroic bad ass, or a soldier lost in a world of pain. sadly Hell Divers 2 has so many small issues that result in it never really being able to find perfection.
the difficulty system is iffy. lower difficulties are so boring, that i usually default to 4 for a balanced experience. but when i want more rewards, or want to play with friends who want more of a challenge than me, the higher difficulties can often feel simply unfair; dropping everything they have on you, and never really letting you breathe. this paired with some clunky feeling movement mechanics, and an ammo system that pretty much punishes you for using your primary gun at all, and Hell Divers 2 can quickly turn to an unfun experience in the wrong circumstance.
the customization is also an aspect i feel is overlooked, but not well fleshed out. you can't change your overall color scheme, so often to get your Hell Diver to look good, you have to pick specific pieces. i usually prefer the armors with the default color scheme, but that means i'm basically locked out of using certain pieces that i think look really cool, because they wouldn't fit in with the rest of my fit. if you don't care about your character looking nice, and you just want the best stats possible, you probably won't mind, but as someone who's found himself playing Fashion Divers, the customization has often left me upset and annoyed.
over all gets a 4/5
a really fun and promising game, but has so many issues that i want to be sorted out before i can call it really great.
the difficulty system is iffy. lower difficulties are so boring, that i usually default to 4 for a balanced experience. but when i want more rewards, or want to play with friends who want more of a challenge than me, the higher difficulties can often feel simply unfair; dropping everything they have on you, and never really letting you breathe. this paired with some clunky feeling movement mechanics, and an ammo system that pretty much punishes you for using your primary gun at all, and Hell Divers 2 can quickly turn to an unfun experience in the wrong circumstance.
the customization is also an aspect i feel is overlooked, but not well fleshed out. you can't change your overall color scheme, so often to get your Hell Diver to look good, you have to pick specific pieces. i usually prefer the armors with the default color scheme, but that means i'm basically locked out of using certain pieces that i think look really cool, because they wouldn't fit in with the rest of my fit. if you don't care about your character looking nice, and you just want the best stats possible, you probably won't mind, but as someone who's found himself playing Fashion Divers, the customization has often left me upset and annoyed.
over all gets a 4/5
a really fun and promising game, but has so many issues that i want to be sorted out before i can call it really great.
2024
Content Warning is the first direct competitor to it's cousin; Lethal Company; making both of them heavy to comparison. despite this; Content Warning has a very different feel from Lethal Company.
hanging out with friends, cracking jokes, and trying to get footage, makes it much more of a comedy than it's older cousin. rather than the comedy being directly at the player's expense, it comes from your friends and co-players.
the basic gameplay loop of trying to get footage, and than escape, is very fun, but the experience around that can be iffy. the quota takes obvious inspiration from Lethal Company, but doesn't really add anything that the quota in that game does. rather than being a fun goal to try to beat, it becomes a bother; an aspect we find ourselves ignoring to focus on the much more fun aspects of the game.
also, this is yet another case of a 4 player co-op game that refuses to take notes from L4D. no compensation for single player, and no compensation for having more than 4 players.
over all i give Content Warning a 4/5
this is a very fun gameplay loop, but underdeveloped, and not as fleshed out as i'd want it to be.
hanging out with friends, cracking jokes, and trying to get footage, makes it much more of a comedy than it's older cousin. rather than the comedy being directly at the player's expense, it comes from your friends and co-players.
the basic gameplay loop of trying to get footage, and than escape, is very fun, but the experience around that can be iffy. the quota takes obvious inspiration from Lethal Company, but doesn't really add anything that the quota in that game does. rather than being a fun goal to try to beat, it becomes a bother; an aspect we find ourselves ignoring to focus on the much more fun aspects of the game.
also, this is yet another case of a 4 player co-op game that refuses to take notes from L4D. no compensation for single player, and no compensation for having more than 4 players.
over all i give Content Warning a 4/5
this is a very fun gameplay loop, but underdeveloped, and not as fleshed out as i'd want it to be.
This review contains spoilers
Call of Duty Black Ops Cold War's story is a fun premise, with very little quality execution.
Mason is a watered down, boring, unrecognizable version of his BO1 self. Bell is quite literally a shell character. the dialogue trees and "choices" add nothing interesting to the story. and the ending is half assed and not that satisfying; ending with the bad guy getting away, and dying off screen of cancer.
the best part of the story by far, is part of the last mission, where you have to dive into the mind of Bell, and see their brain fall apart under false memories and stress. but again, this falls short under the lack of character that Bell has.
Cold War's gameplay is enough to hold you over, but nothing too spectacular. the choke points can be really fun and engaging to push through, and the gameplay within Bell's mind is very engaging.
but there is little to nothing amazing about it. it lacks the non stop stress BO1 has, the expectations of a hero that MWIII has, and the slow resource management that MWII has.
story gets a 2/5 - while it has it's moments, this story in total is very forgettable. i'd say it's worth it for the level within Bell's mind, but it's a very small part of it.
gameplay gets a 4/5 - pretty fun, but little to nothing that got me to go "woah!"
3/5 - this ends up being another case similar to MWII and MWIII where they have really cool experimental parts, but i wish the whole game was that part.
Mason is a watered down, boring, unrecognizable version of his BO1 self. Bell is quite literally a shell character. the dialogue trees and "choices" add nothing interesting to the story. and the ending is half assed and not that satisfying; ending with the bad guy getting away, and dying off screen of cancer.
the best part of the story by far, is part of the last mission, where you have to dive into the mind of Bell, and see their brain fall apart under false memories and stress. but again, this falls short under the lack of character that Bell has.
Cold War's gameplay is enough to hold you over, but nothing too spectacular. the choke points can be really fun and engaging to push through, and the gameplay within Bell's mind is very engaging.
but there is little to nothing amazing about it. it lacks the non stop stress BO1 has, the expectations of a hero that MWIII has, and the slow resource management that MWII has.
story gets a 2/5 - while it has it's moments, this story in total is very forgettable. i'd say it's worth it for the level within Bell's mind, but it's a very small part of it.
gameplay gets a 4/5 - pretty fun, but little to nothing that got me to go "woah!"
3/5 - this ends up being another case similar to MWII and MWIII where they have really cool experimental parts, but i wish the whole game was that part.
2015
This review contains spoilers
feelings contradict eachother.
we want to be good, but we also want to make ourselves happy.
we rely on external validation, but the road to that validation can be destructive to other projects, objects, and people.
we want to be good, but we also want to make ourselves happy.
we rely on external validation, but the road to that validation can be destructive to other projects, objects, and people.
holy cow! this is surprisingly good!
this is a solid gameplay loop of firing down choke points and using your character's abilities to progress.
but the biggest reason this game sticks, is it's fantastic progression system. card packs, character levels, topped off by player levels, makes this game fantastically addictive and fun.
5/5 - though i do wish it was supported more after it's release, this is a fantastically fun game.
this is a solid gameplay loop of firing down choke points and using your character's abilities to progress.
but the biggest reason this game sticks, is it's fantastic progression system. card packs, character levels, topped off by player levels, makes this game fantastically addictive and fun.
5/5 - though i do wish it was supported more after it's release, this is a fantastically fun game.
2018
Hades is fast and rewarding.
constantly rewarding you with more and more. several different currencies it throws at you to keep you moving forward. that, on top of a fantastically fun gameplay loop.
dodging, attacking, and shooting, make a simple, but brilliant system.
the "story" is.. bad.
the writing is annoying, and no aspect of the story really spoke to me, other than the main idea, which is just enough to push me forward.
but luckily the story is out of the way enough that i won't let it effect the score.
gameplay gets a 5/5.
a fantastic, simple mix of rewarding progression, and satisfying gameplay.
constantly rewarding you with more and more. several different currencies it throws at you to keep you moving forward. that, on top of a fantastically fun gameplay loop.
dodging, attacking, and shooting, make a simple, but brilliant system.
the "story" is.. bad.
the writing is annoying, and no aspect of the story really spoke to me, other than the main idea, which is just enough to push me forward.
but luckily the story is out of the way enough that i won't let it effect the score.
gameplay gets a 5/5.
a fantastic, simple mix of rewarding progression, and satisfying gameplay.
there are sandbox games that push, challenge, or help your creativity, and make you more likely to try new things and slowly build something that you become proud of.
this is not that.
you build a track for a little, drive on it for 5 minutes, and get bored.
this is not that.
you build a track for a little, drive on it for 5 minutes, and get bored.
This review contains spoilers
CoD MWIII's campaign is a large bag of trailmix.
the linear missions vary heavily. some are tight, slow pushes into enemy lines, killing as many as possible for a chance to be able to move ground. while some are boring walks forward, into enemies that are either nothing, or bullet sponges
open missions are the same type of deal. some are boring shooting galleries with more loot than there are enemies.
the open missions strive when they're slower, and let you breathe, and sit with your thoughts and choices.
but with unreadable stealth mechanics, and enemies constantly flooding down on you when you're found, these high moments become rare.
for the story meanwhile, it's biggest flaw is that it isn't finished. it gets you invested with so many stakes. all the civilians that are lost, Soap's death, and Makarov being so brilliant.
although i do wish that it manifested a little more on the public opinion side. the plane mission is so brilliant at making you feel so hopeless, but i wish it had real consequences in the story.
if it manifested in a satisfying death for Makarov, these stakes would feel like sacrifices. but the cliffhanger makes it all feel more like a death march.
gameplay gets a 3/5 - some real promise, with some flaws on top of it.
story gets a 3/5 - more could be done if the stakes were more fleshed out, and if it didn't end on a cliffhanger.
the linear missions vary heavily. some are tight, slow pushes into enemy lines, killing as many as possible for a chance to be able to move ground. while some are boring walks forward, into enemies that are either nothing, or bullet sponges
open missions are the same type of deal. some are boring shooting galleries with more loot than there are enemies.
the open missions strive when they're slower, and let you breathe, and sit with your thoughts and choices.
but with unreadable stealth mechanics, and enemies constantly flooding down on you when you're found, these high moments become rare.
for the story meanwhile, it's biggest flaw is that it isn't finished. it gets you invested with so many stakes. all the civilians that are lost, Soap's death, and Makarov being so brilliant.
although i do wish that it manifested a little more on the public opinion side. the plane mission is so brilliant at making you feel so hopeless, but i wish it had real consequences in the story.
if it manifested in a satisfying death for Makarov, these stakes would feel like sacrifices. but the cliffhanger makes it all feel more like a death march.
gameplay gets a 3/5 - some real promise, with some flaws on top of it.
story gets a 3/5 - more could be done if the stakes were more fleshed out, and if it didn't end on a cliffhanger.
This review contains spoilers
Spider-Man Miles Morales is shorter, and has a stronger focus on Miles's smaller community. but in that shorter amount of time, this game shows it's flaws more.
Spider-man's base combat still feels great, but Spider-Man Miles Morales tries to add to that with new moves, and new enemies, but loses it's footing along the way.
in something like Halo or Doom, certain classes of enemies will counter certain attacks.
in Halo, Jackals block gunfire, Elites dodge and avoid grenades, and there are too many grunts for melee to be effective against them.
Spider-Man uses the opposite approach, ever enemy has a specific way you're supposed to take them out, and everything else will be punished. with so many enemy types, and so many combat types, this quickly becomes confusing, and annoying.
this was a problem in the first game, but it's accelerated here, with more and more being added.
the story meanwhile, feels great for the most part, but Phin, the main villain, feels rushed in her execution. durring the climax of the game, she becomes a total arrogant piece of shit, but Miles still gives her sympathy, and it feels like the game wants you to give her sympathy too, when she single-handedly messes everything up in the second half.
other than that, this story is pretty great. Miles Morales's want to help as many people as possible leads to him hurting himself and others, while people around him make the same types of mistakes.
and ending on a message focusing on greed's effect on minorities and people in poorer areas, is a really strong sentiment.
gameplay gets a 3/5 - fantastic base, with flawed additions.
story gets a 4/5 - while the main antagonist is fumbled, this story has a strong heart, and plenty of other strong characters.
Spider-man's base combat still feels great, but Spider-Man Miles Morales tries to add to that with new moves, and new enemies, but loses it's footing along the way.
in something like Halo or Doom, certain classes of enemies will counter certain attacks.
in Halo, Jackals block gunfire, Elites dodge and avoid grenades, and there are too many grunts for melee to be effective against them.
Spider-Man uses the opposite approach, ever enemy has a specific way you're supposed to take them out, and everything else will be punished. with so many enemy types, and so many combat types, this quickly becomes confusing, and annoying.
this was a problem in the first game, but it's accelerated here, with more and more being added.
the story meanwhile, feels great for the most part, but Phin, the main villain, feels rushed in her execution. durring the climax of the game, she becomes a total arrogant piece of shit, but Miles still gives her sympathy, and it feels like the game wants you to give her sympathy too, when she single-handedly messes everything up in the second half.
other than that, this story is pretty great. Miles Morales's want to help as many people as possible leads to him hurting himself and others, while people around him make the same types of mistakes.
and ending on a message focusing on greed's effect on minorities and people in poorer areas, is a really strong sentiment.
gameplay gets a 3/5 - fantastic base, with flawed additions.
story gets a 4/5 - while the main antagonist is fumbled, this story has a strong heart, and plenty of other strong characters.
2018
Spider-Man feels like it's cut in half.
the open world; for getting collectables and exploring, and the campaign; the cinematic story of Peter's selflessness conflicting with his life.
the gameplay within this system is very fun. beating up countless baddies bear handed has never felt this fun. and web slinging feels fantastic, and has a super easy learning curve. there can be jank to these systems, but everything feels finely tuned in their design.
the music however, was insanely annoying, to the point that i had to mute it, because it was actively making my experience worse due to how tiring it got.
the story is fantastic.
while it isn't trying to say anything culturaly, May, MJ, Doc Oc, Peter, and all of his foes, are fantastic characters to have in one world.
and it all ends in one of the best final bosses i've ever played, and a heart breaking ending for Peter.
gameplay gets a 4/5 - though a little rough around the edges, this is simply masterful.
story gets a 5/5 - while cartoonish, this story is fantastic at setting high stakes, and giving them real effects.
the open world; for getting collectables and exploring, and the campaign; the cinematic story of Peter's selflessness conflicting with his life.
the gameplay within this system is very fun. beating up countless baddies bear handed has never felt this fun. and web slinging feels fantastic, and has a super easy learning curve. there can be jank to these systems, but everything feels finely tuned in their design.
the music however, was insanely annoying, to the point that i had to mute it, because it was actively making my experience worse due to how tiring it got.
the story is fantastic.
while it isn't trying to say anything culturaly, May, MJ, Doc Oc, Peter, and all of his foes, are fantastic characters to have in one world.
and it all ends in one of the best final bosses i've ever played, and a heart breaking ending for Peter.
gameplay gets a 4/5 - though a little rough around the edges, this is simply masterful.
story gets a 5/5 - while cartoonish, this story is fantastic at setting high stakes, and giving them real effects.
2017
fucking fantastic, from start to finish.
while other games have been having the conversation of how to turn traversal into a fun gameplay loop, Scanner Sombre flips the conversation on it's head, and breaks it's god damn neck; turning sight into a fun gameplay loop.
what would be a walking sim a good story, is turned into a tense puzzle of wondering where in the hell you're going, ended off with one of the most heart breaking, shocking endings i've ever seen in a game this size.
gameplay gets a 5.
story gets a 5.
while other games have been having the conversation of how to turn traversal into a fun gameplay loop, Scanner Sombre flips the conversation on it's head, and breaks it's god damn neck; turning sight into a fun gameplay loop.
what would be a walking sim a good story, is turned into a tense puzzle of wondering where in the hell you're going, ended off with one of the most heart breaking, shocking endings i've ever seen in a game this size.
gameplay gets a 5.
story gets a 5.
not even a good joke game
1/5
1/5
2023
actual dogshit.
the traversal is slow and janky, on overly large and complex maps
the combat is chaotic and unbalanced, and topped off with the longest respawn times i've ever seen in a game.
it doesn't even have a decent progression system to back it up.
this has been one of the worst FPS games i've ever played.
1/5.
the traversal is slow and janky, on overly large and complex maps
the combat is chaotic and unbalanced, and topped off with the longest respawn times i've ever seen in a game.
it doesn't even have a decent progression system to back it up.
this has been one of the worst FPS games i've ever played.
1/5.
2015
a wonderful sandbox
the cars are all fun in their own ways, and driving feels smooth and fun.
crashes are more so fun than frustrating, and everything feels nice.
but this is a sandbox without a game. there's nothing to do, nothing to work towards, nothing to earn. you have everything at your fingertips.
if you want to progress and earn, this game gets boring fast.
gameplay gets a 4/5.
the cars are all fun in their own ways, and driving feels smooth and fun.
crashes are more so fun than frustrating, and everything feels nice.
but this is a sandbox without a game. there's nothing to do, nothing to work towards, nothing to earn. you have everything at your fingertips.
if you want to progress and earn, this game gets boring fast.
gameplay gets a 4/5.