CallumAndy96
161 reviews liked by CallumAndy96
I absolutely love this game. An absurd vanity project of a game that has boss fights implemented through the suggestion of 50 Cent's son. It's a fairly competent Gears of War clone. The mechanic where you get a score multiplier by clicking in the right stick to shout some swears after killing an enemy is inspired.
glorified teaser showcase with some puzzles and easter eggs, it's kinda hard to rate this one tbh lol
I really liked how dark this game was. I think this a good route to take the franchise to make it really scary while still sticking close to the mutated cartoonish style that made Ink Machine and especially Dark Revival work so well. First few areas were a bit confusing though and at first I thought the whole purpose of this game was to tease the many more upcoming Bendy projects.
looked the game up on youtube to see what it was before hitting play and immediately wish i didnt. Indie horror may have declined harder than the 2007 financial crisis, but it doesnt deserve what those youtubers are doing to it.
Games a teaser takes like 10 mins to beat, hope the new games are better than the other 3 imo
Games a teaser takes like 10 mins to beat, hope the new games are better than the other 3 imo
This review contains spoilers
Review #2
As I finished the game on my PS2 emulator and seeing the credits roll, All I could really think was "what the hell just happened." But don't get me wrong, I mean this is in a good way.
Metal Gear Solid 2 has been described as one of if not the most profound game, which is definitely deserved from my point of view. As someone that's spent a lot of my life in the cesspool that is the internet...I still see some of the things this game talks about at the final codec call to this day, which is incredibly impressive for a 2001 game. With the invention of AI programs like ChatGPT it only feels like this "junk data" as the game says is only going to become more and more of a problem for the foreseeable future. Sure, the AI might not be prone to ideologies and ideas that make us, the more "immature" species change the "truth" just a tiny bit to fit our side. But AI can often have grammar mistakes to outright getting important details wrong. Not only this but it was correct about it building an algorithm to suit our "tastes". But I find it to be the exact opposite because it's been confirmed that platforms like Facebook actually push "rage bait" onto us to engage more with the platform...arguing with strangers to give those controlling the algorithm more money and power in the process. I'd say Raiden was kind of right about this feeling like a nightmare we can't wake up from. While in my previous review, I did shit on people for "doomposting" but it's genuinely understandable for being a bit scared because with the way things are going, the internet is only getting more and more unsearchable and unusable, the bot accounts on Twitter, YouTube or any Social Media platform you can really think of seems to be getting worse as time goes by. flooding discussion with oddly horrifying comments/replies trying their best to act human. In some cases they're able to reply to each other. It's just so wrong and odd to see, I'm not sure why I find it as creepy as I do. So far, this has mostly been about the internet but I'd say this fits really well with the main theme of the game, being "memes" yes, you've definitely heard this word being thrown around a lot in discussions about metal gear solid 2. But I feel like the internet is a new way to find out about different ideas, cultures and history. Of course, this is great seeing as pretty much at least half of the world population has access to a device that can access the internet...on paper though, the AI I've discussed about is the NEW problem I'd say, some of the problems I've talked about can more than definitely be done by a human being, altering information just enough to enforce their agenda or even outright spread misinformation...now, books and news papers or just any form of old media was obviously suspectable to this but those had professionals checking over if the information was correct...but, what makes someone a "professional"? What makes another human more worthy of another? Humans are inherently biased...I think what this game is trying to say that finding the absolutely unbiased truth is pretty much impossible. Which is obviously a horrifying thing to think about...or actually kind of beautiful in a way, Snake's speech reflects a different side of coin to the GW. Sure, there might practically be no "unbiased truths" but we can all have our own "memes" to pass onto the future, that's what I and I'm sure many others are doing with these reviews. To share with others how we felt with a specific piece of media, culture, history or anything really. Our world is definitely in a flawed state right now and definitely will be for as long as it exists but I have faith that things will get better, even if they're unrealistic beliefs.
I'm sorry I didn't really go over much about the gameplay or the actual plot, I will say that the gameplay is a huge improvement over the first game but I still found myself a little frustrated with some parts like the swimming and the freezing bombs being a bit too long for my liking. But tranquilizers and hanging were really fun to play around with even if I wish hanging was encouraged to be used more by the player. The characters are stellar of course, it's metal gear. Raiden is such a perfect protagonist for this game, having no "personality" and his own ideas until the ending to me feels like growing up together with Raiden, Raiden was immature at the start of the game but most people who played this game back in the day probably HATED this dude for not being Snake. But he grows alongside you and you two have sort of a "friendship" and develop as more it goes on. This definitely might sound ridiculous but it's how I feel. There's also something really cool about both the player and Raiden knowing something one doesn't, Raiden with his suppressed trauma and the player knowing that Snake is obviously Pliskin, Campbell acting odd and out of character as well. I don't think I've seen many other games do this besides maybe Ace Attorney Trials and Tribulations?
This will be my last part of the review but the most personal as well...get ready for quite the sob story, feel free to stop reading if you don't want to haha. But the scene where Emma dies and Otacon is mourning broke my heart...the part where he said he did his mother made me laugh a bit more than it should've lmao but I felt awful for otacon, seeing as Sniper Wolf. Another person he cared about died as well...the voice actors did a phenomenal job. Raiden, Snake and Otacon are an amazing trio and wish we got more of the game with all three of them together. But I didn't really begin to cry until the scene where the parrot starts talking to Otacon. Saying "Hal, I miss you..." It's clear that Ema has been talking to the parrot and repeating it so much to the point where even the parrot could repeat it on it's own. Then Hal breaking down into tears before the part that made me have a mental breakdown, which was his speech about finding love. Now this is going to be really personal but I've pretty much have always been alone for most of my life, being the weird kid no one really cared about. With my grandfather passing away not long before I played this..."you and I, we always wanted to be loved." Yep...again, that hit way too damn close to home and began to cry like a damn baby. I don't think I've ever really felt so "seen" until now...which I can't thank this game enough for. Thanks, Kojima.
As I finished the game on my PS2 emulator and seeing the credits roll, All I could really think was "what the hell just happened." But don't get me wrong, I mean this is in a good way.
Metal Gear Solid 2 has been described as one of if not the most profound game, which is definitely deserved from my point of view. As someone that's spent a lot of my life in the cesspool that is the internet...I still see some of the things this game talks about at the final codec call to this day, which is incredibly impressive for a 2001 game. With the invention of AI programs like ChatGPT it only feels like this "junk data" as the game says is only going to become more and more of a problem for the foreseeable future. Sure, the AI might not be prone to ideologies and ideas that make us, the more "immature" species change the "truth" just a tiny bit to fit our side. But AI can often have grammar mistakes to outright getting important details wrong. Not only this but it was correct about it building an algorithm to suit our "tastes". But I find it to be the exact opposite because it's been confirmed that platforms like Facebook actually push "rage bait" onto us to engage more with the platform...arguing with strangers to give those controlling the algorithm more money and power in the process. I'd say Raiden was kind of right about this feeling like a nightmare we can't wake up from. While in my previous review, I did shit on people for "doomposting" but it's genuinely understandable for being a bit scared because with the way things are going, the internet is only getting more and more unsearchable and unusable, the bot accounts on Twitter, YouTube or any Social Media platform you can really think of seems to be getting worse as time goes by. flooding discussion with oddly horrifying comments/replies trying their best to act human. In some cases they're able to reply to each other. It's just so wrong and odd to see, I'm not sure why I find it as creepy as I do. So far, this has mostly been about the internet but I'd say this fits really well with the main theme of the game, being "memes" yes, you've definitely heard this word being thrown around a lot in discussions about metal gear solid 2. But I feel like the internet is a new way to find out about different ideas, cultures and history. Of course, this is great seeing as pretty much at least half of the world population has access to a device that can access the internet...on paper though, the AI I've discussed about is the NEW problem I'd say, some of the problems I've talked about can more than definitely be done by a human being, altering information just enough to enforce their agenda or even outright spread misinformation...now, books and news papers or just any form of old media was obviously suspectable to this but those had professionals checking over if the information was correct...but, what makes someone a "professional"? What makes another human more worthy of another? Humans are inherently biased...I think what this game is trying to say that finding the absolutely unbiased truth is pretty much impossible. Which is obviously a horrifying thing to think about...or actually kind of beautiful in a way, Snake's speech reflects a different side of coin to the GW. Sure, there might practically be no "unbiased truths" but we can all have our own "memes" to pass onto the future, that's what I and I'm sure many others are doing with these reviews. To share with others how we felt with a specific piece of media, culture, history or anything really. Our world is definitely in a flawed state right now and definitely will be for as long as it exists but I have faith that things will get better, even if they're unrealistic beliefs.
I'm sorry I didn't really go over much about the gameplay or the actual plot, I will say that the gameplay is a huge improvement over the first game but I still found myself a little frustrated with some parts like the swimming and the freezing bombs being a bit too long for my liking. But tranquilizers and hanging were really fun to play around with even if I wish hanging was encouraged to be used more by the player. The characters are stellar of course, it's metal gear. Raiden is such a perfect protagonist for this game, having no "personality" and his own ideas until the ending to me feels like growing up together with Raiden, Raiden was immature at the start of the game but most people who played this game back in the day probably HATED this dude for not being Snake. But he grows alongside you and you two have sort of a "friendship" and develop as more it goes on. This definitely might sound ridiculous but it's how I feel. There's also something really cool about both the player and Raiden knowing something one doesn't, Raiden with his suppressed trauma and the player knowing that Snake is obviously Pliskin, Campbell acting odd and out of character as well. I don't think I've seen many other games do this besides maybe Ace Attorney Trials and Tribulations?
This will be my last part of the review but the most personal as well...get ready for quite the sob story, feel free to stop reading if you don't want to haha. But the scene where Emma dies and Otacon is mourning broke my heart...the part where he said he did his mother made me laugh a bit more than it should've lmao but I felt awful for otacon, seeing as Sniper Wolf. Another person he cared about died as well...the voice actors did a phenomenal job. Raiden, Snake and Otacon are an amazing trio and wish we got more of the game with all three of them together. But I didn't really begin to cry until the scene where the parrot starts talking to Otacon. Saying "Hal, I miss you..." It's clear that Ema has been talking to the parrot and repeating it so much to the point where even the parrot could repeat it on it's own. Then Hal breaking down into tears before the part that made me have a mental breakdown, which was his speech about finding love. Now this is going to be really personal but I've pretty much have always been alone for most of my life, being the weird kid no one really cared about. With my grandfather passing away not long before I played this..."you and I, we always wanted to be loved." Yep...again, that hit way too damn close to home and began to cry like a damn baby. I don't think I've ever really felt so "seen" until now...which I can't thank this game enough for. Thanks, Kojima.
While Half-Life 2: Overcharged is just a version of Half-Life 2 that sincerely embraces the Spartan Kick memes of yore, it's good fun. As a fan of kicking shit around in video games, it's no Dark Messiah, but for what's there, it's good fun.
The problem with Overcharged is that, at most, the developer's attempt to build off of that was adding slow motion. Everything else is a mess. None of the new weapons added feel as silly or absurd as they should. The closest it gets to that camp is giving you the ability to rip turrets off their hooks a la Just Cause 2, but there's not much novelty in that. All of the other weapons added are Beta(TM) concepts, assets ripped directly from Counter-Strike, and other minor additions like the wrench from Opposing Forces. Some of them are fun to play around with, like the Dual Wielding pistols, which can be set to automatic, but many of them are functionally identical and serve little purpose in a game where you don't have to worry about limitations on what weapons you can carry. Easily the weakest aspect of this mod is its attempt to bring some of the beta concepts and aliens from the original Half-Life back into the fold. Disregarding the fact that many of these are just assets lifted directly from the original Half-Life that haven't been touched up to fit Half-Life 2's art style, the placement of many of these enemies is fundamentally borked. Small areas used to break up the pacing and give you a pause if you're low on health are now littered with houndeyes and the like. The Beta enemies, which have no basis in familiarity, are thrown into levels with no thought as to how an introduction would work.
When it's not playing out like a slapdash effort to pack in as many gimmicks into the base game as possible, and when it's not crashing or hilariously broken, Overcharged can be decent fun. The biggest problem with this mod is that you could easily reproduce it with more polish and quality in Garry's Mod, so the only real use in giving this a download is if you're that morbidly curious.
The problem with Overcharged is that, at most, the developer's attempt to build off of that was adding slow motion. Everything else is a mess. None of the new weapons added feel as silly or absurd as they should. The closest it gets to that camp is giving you the ability to rip turrets off their hooks a la Just Cause 2, but there's not much novelty in that. All of the other weapons added are Beta(TM) concepts, assets ripped directly from Counter-Strike, and other minor additions like the wrench from Opposing Forces. Some of them are fun to play around with, like the Dual Wielding pistols, which can be set to automatic, but many of them are functionally identical and serve little purpose in a game where you don't have to worry about limitations on what weapons you can carry. Easily the weakest aspect of this mod is its attempt to bring some of the beta concepts and aliens from the original Half-Life back into the fold. Disregarding the fact that many of these are just assets lifted directly from the original Half-Life that haven't been touched up to fit Half-Life 2's art style, the placement of many of these enemies is fundamentally borked. Small areas used to break up the pacing and give you a pause if you're low on health are now littered with houndeyes and the like. The Beta enemies, which have no basis in familiarity, are thrown into levels with no thought as to how an introduction would work.
When it's not playing out like a slapdash effort to pack in as many gimmicks into the base game as possible, and when it's not crashing or hilariously broken, Overcharged can be decent fun. The biggest problem with this mod is that you could easily reproduce it with more polish and quality in Garry's Mod, so the only real use in giving this a download is if you're that morbidly curious.
Best DLC of BL1. It is short but absolutely fun. Killing Claptraps was nice and the quests are rather enjoyable other than Tannis' quests. And finishing this DLC marks the end my BL1 journey. It was fun while it lasted but I don't think I will ever visit this game again, because I have BL2 ffs...
God of War Ragnarök
2022
Just the perfect sequel in every way - expanding and refining what already made the 2018 entry in this franchise such a great AAA blockbuster. The story, music, characters and cinematography are absolutely god-tier, and the gameplay remains as smooth and fun as it always was.
I haven't touched the Valhalla DLC just yet, just coz I put in like 50 hours getting the platinum already, but I will definitely dive into that once I've cleansed my palate a little.
I haven't touched the Valhalla DLC just yet, just coz I put in like 50 hours getting the platinum already, but I will definitely dive into that once I've cleansed my palate a little.
Slay the Princess
2023
Slay the Princess is unfortunately one of those games where the less you know the better your experience will be. Naturally this makes reviewing it quite hard because... well what can I even say about the game? So I'll keep it short.
Slay the Princess features an amazing soundtrack that alongside it's simple yet effective art-style manages to shift between mystery, terror, and romance almost effortlessly.
The writing is great as expected of Black Tabby Games, with an interesting story that gripped me from start to finish. It is short but the nature of the game makes it very re-playable and is in no way unfulfilling on its own.
There is much I want to praise, but as I said earlier: the less you know the better. All I'd recommend is that when the time comes that you make sure to give her the look.
4/5
Slay the Princess features an amazing soundtrack that alongside it's simple yet effective art-style manages to shift between mystery, terror, and romance almost effortlessly.
The writing is great as expected of Black Tabby Games, with an interesting story that gripped me from start to finish. It is short but the nature of the game makes it very re-playable and is in no way unfulfilling on its own.
There is much I want to praise, but as I said earlier: the less you know the better. All I'd recommend is that when the time comes that you make sure to give her the look.
4/5
Captain Commando
1991
I really liked the art of this one and the general outlandishness of the designs. Like you can play as a knife-wielding mummy in trousers or a baby piloting a mech suit. All while moving through colorful environments of escalating wackiness. And it has vehicles which I always like in games like this, even if these are pretty clunky.
I wish there was a super power, though; it’s just attack, grab and jump which while they have nice animations and a few interesting combos, just don’t offer enough variety for my taste. There are weapons, but those all feel pretty overpowered and are balanced around only lasting a few seconds. The core combat just felt simplistic compared to other beat-em-ups I’ve played. It really makes me appreciate the more expressive move sets of the newer ones like Shredder’s Revenge.
Fortunately it’s short, and has infinite continues in the Capcom Beat ‘Em Up bundle, which was enough motivation to see it through to the end in one sitting. Overall not particularly interesting combat-wise but a goofy and eye catching diversion.
I wish there was a super power, though; it’s just attack, grab and jump which while they have nice animations and a few interesting combos, just don’t offer enough variety for my taste. There are weapons, but those all feel pretty overpowered and are balanced around only lasting a few seconds. The core combat just felt simplistic compared to other beat-em-ups I’ve played. It really makes me appreciate the more expressive move sets of the newer ones like Shredder’s Revenge.
Fortunately it’s short, and has infinite continues in the Capcom Beat ‘Em Up bundle, which was enough motivation to see it through to the end in one sitting. Overall not particularly interesting combat-wise but a goofy and eye catching diversion.