Chowder
Imported from my Backloggery:
This DLC for TEW was better than the main game for a few reasons. The stealth was improved a lot. A stealth focus makes the game work a lot better because it removes the trial and error elements for the most part. The exploration is missing, but it's well worth the improvements to the other parts of the game. The story for this one was an expansion on the main game, but it seemed like this should have been the real story for TEW. This makes the game worth playing.
This DLC for TEW was better than the main game for a few reasons. The stealth was improved a lot. A stealth focus makes the game work a lot better because it removes the trial and error elements for the most part. The exploration is missing, but it's well worth the improvements to the other parts of the game. The story for this one was an expansion on the main game, but it seemed like this should have been the real story for TEW. This makes the game worth playing.
Imported from my Backloggery:
This DLC for TEW is kind of trash. It functions and is kind of fun for the first 10 mins or so, but it's just basic first person combat stretched out to 90+ minutes. This game was not meant to be first person, so the animations are clunky and the combat is dry. This one doesn't add to the story of the main game at all. Definitely worth skipping.
This DLC for TEW is kind of trash. It functions and is kind of fun for the first 10 mins or so, but it's just basic first person combat stretched out to 90+ minutes. This game was not meant to be first person, so the animations are clunky and the combat is dry. This one doesn't add to the story of the main game at all. Definitely worth skipping.
2019
Imported from my Backloggery:
Despite having a convoluted plot and absolutely ridiculous dialogue at points, Death Stranding delivers a narrative and experience that I will remember for years to come. There are so many themes, so many moving parts to the narrative that could be picked apart and analyzed infinitely. The choice of music in the game is phenomenal as well. The graphics and sound design, as well as the mechanics that supplement the walking make the gameplay meditative, enjoyable, and magical at points.
Despite having a convoluted plot and absolutely ridiculous dialogue at points, Death Stranding delivers a narrative and experience that I will remember for years to come. There are so many themes, so many moving parts to the narrative that could be picked apart and analyzed infinitely. The choice of music in the game is phenomenal as well. The graphics and sound design, as well as the mechanics that supplement the walking make the gameplay meditative, enjoyable, and magical at points.
2016
Imported from my Backloggery:
Dark Souls 3 was a fantastic time, but nothing more than that. Compared to other entries in the Dark Souls series, I didn't have nearly as many 'woah' moments that really blew me away. That being said, the gameplay and combat is phenomenal, with so many options for you to use. It's crazy that I was able to tailor my build completely to my playstyle and have something that felt personalized and unique. The lore, atmosphere, and bosses were consistently awesome too.
Dark Souls 3 was a fantastic time, but nothing more than that. Compared to other entries in the Dark Souls series, I didn't have nearly as many 'woah' moments that really blew me away. That being said, the gameplay and combat is phenomenal, with so many options for you to use. It's crazy that I was able to tailor my build completely to my playstyle and have something that felt personalized and unique. The lore, atmosphere, and bosses were consistently awesome too.
Imported from my Backloggery:
Despite having a great final boss (that granted may have too many fake out deaths) and some awesome lore, I didn't love Ashes of Ariandel as much as the rest of the game. The area leading up to the boss didn't really feel like an engaging area as much as a funnel to the boss fight with a few enemies. The enemies made an extremely loud sound that just got grating after a while, and enemy placements felt needlessly spammy and annoying. Still Souls though!
Despite having a great final boss (that granted may have too many fake out deaths) and some awesome lore, I didn't love Ashes of Ariandel as much as the rest of the game. The area leading up to the boss didn't really feel like an engaging area as much as a funnel to the boss fight with a few enemies. The enemies made an extremely loud sound that just got grating after a while, and enemy placements felt needlessly spammy and annoying. Still Souls though!
2019
Imported from my Backloggery:
This is a tough one, because the story was so fun to watch unfold. The texting system, drinking mechanic, the alcohol trivia, the art, all of it is so great. The only issue is that the game itself is not fun to play at all. About 3/4 of the way through the game, (6-3) I gave up and changed the difficulty to easy. This made the game slightly more fun, except that the narrative relied on the game being difficult to work. If they made the puzzles less trial and error based, it would be better.
This is a tough one, because the story was so fun to watch unfold. The texting system, drinking mechanic, the alcohol trivia, the art, all of it is so great. The only issue is that the game itself is not fun to play at all. About 3/4 of the way through the game, (6-3) I gave up and changed the difficulty to easy. This made the game slightly more fun, except that the narrative relied on the game being difficult to work. If they made the puzzles less trial and error based, it would be better.
2016
Imported from my Backloggery: Beaten on Normal
Classic then, still worth playing now. The story and environment especially are stars of the show. Each environment tells a story about the world of rapture, and draws you in. For the first time in a while, I actually wanted to look around and listen to each individual audio log. The twists this game takes are incredible and got me super invested. That being said, the gameplay hasn't aged super well. Visuals were okay, but the audio was awful. This could benefit from a real remake.
Classic then, still worth playing now. The story and environment especially are stars of the show. Each environment tells a story about the world of rapture, and draws you in. For the first time in a while, I actually wanted to look around and listen to each individual audio log. The twists this game takes are incredible and got me super invested. That being said, the gameplay hasn't aged super well. Visuals were okay, but the audio was awful. This could benefit from a real remake.
2010
Imported from my Backloggery
Despite having enjoyable and sharp writing, that kind of reminded me of a Tim Schafer game at times, an interesting mystery and a cool vibe/art style, this game did not grab me at all. My biggest issue is that I really just wanted to see where the story was going, but I was interrupted by really annoying puzzles that felt cryptic and inconsistent. When I solved them, I didn't feel smart, I felt lucky. The way that they transparently make you feel bad for failing a puzzle bothered me too.
Despite having enjoyable and sharp writing, that kind of reminded me of a Tim Schafer game at times, an interesting mystery and a cool vibe/art style, this game did not grab me at all. My biggest issue is that I really just wanted to see where the story was going, but I was interrupted by really annoying puzzles that felt cryptic and inconsistent. When I solved them, I didn't feel smart, I felt lucky. The way that they transparently make you feel bad for failing a puzzle bothered me too.
Imported from my Backloggery:
I thoroughly enjoyed Metro: LL. In addition to be being expertly paced, the design of the world made for an incredibly immersive experience that had me lost in the world more than any other game I have played. I have never felt so engrossed in a game before. The emotional beats also worked really well for me, and I felt chilled to my core a few times. Serviceable gameplay. The only issues I have in the game is the romance with Anna, as well as the combat sections with kiting monsters.
I thoroughly enjoyed Metro: LL. In addition to be being expertly paced, the design of the world made for an incredibly immersive experience that had me lost in the world more than any other game I have played. I have never felt so engrossed in a game before. The emotional beats also worked really well for me, and I felt chilled to my core a few times. Serviceable gameplay. The only issues I have in the game is the romance with Anna, as well as the combat sections with kiting monsters.
2016
I ended up playing this game with my best friend, and had a decent enough time to start, it was fun making choices with a friend, and being able to make group choices and choices of your own. I really enjoyed that aspect, but it felt like the game never really delivered on its promises.
For how many times the game wants you to play it, I expected the narrative to vary in some real way, but it felt like you were simply working to change the final outcome. I wish there were more 'bad' endings, in your attempts to change it, but it never really felt like you have real control over how the game turns out, which is disappointing. The skill checks were fun, but they don't flesh it out enough to make it rewarding.
My other problem came down to the characters and the combat. I feel like the balance in the game was all over the place, with some characters being WAY stronger than others, and all the characters I wanted to play were significantly weaker than the one my friend was playing. The combat and feel of characters was not great, with you being consistently locked in place when attacking. The button inputs also just felt very unresponsive at times, which was disappointing. I wanted to play the bard really bad, but she just felt so weak and janky to play.
It was fun at first, but the lack of balance and meaningful storytelling made it fall short.
For how many times the game wants you to play it, I expected the narrative to vary in some real way, but it felt like you were simply working to change the final outcome. I wish there were more 'bad' endings, in your attempts to change it, but it never really felt like you have real control over how the game turns out, which is disappointing. The skill checks were fun, but they don't flesh it out enough to make it rewarding.
My other problem came down to the characters and the combat. I feel like the balance in the game was all over the place, with some characters being WAY stronger than others, and all the characters I wanted to play were significantly weaker than the one my friend was playing. The combat and feel of characters was not great, with you being consistently locked in place when attacking. The button inputs also just felt very unresponsive at times, which was disappointing. I wanted to play the bard really bad, but she just felt so weak and janky to play.
It was fun at first, but the lack of balance and meaningful storytelling made it fall short.
2014
Imported from my Backloggery:
I really enjoyed the story for this game, but the gameplay kept me from enjoying this game as much as other people. The gunplay ended up feeling awkward and I got to a point where I didn't have enough filters to progress, because the NPCs wouldn't stop dawdling and talking. The atmosphere is amazing and the graphics aren't amazing, but are more than passable and have a lot of attention to detail which helps with immersion. The previous issues kept me from being totally immersed.
I really enjoyed the story for this game, but the gameplay kept me from enjoying this game as much as other people. The gunplay ended up feeling awkward and I got to a point where I didn't have enough filters to progress, because the NPCs wouldn't stop dawdling and talking. The atmosphere is amazing and the graphics aren't amazing, but are more than passable and have a lot of attention to detail which helps with immersion. The previous issues kept me from being totally immersed.
2017
Imported from my Backloggery:
RUINER was an interesting one... The thing that I loved most about this game was the pacing, throughout the game, there was little to no exposition, they just said 'go' which made this feel much less boring than it could be. The combat was so dry, however. Switching guns throughout combat encounters keeps you on your toes, but it just ended up feeling like Hotline Miami but with less strategy. I loved the worldbuilding and the art direction, but the 3D was rough. The 2D stuff was cool though.
RUINER was an interesting one... The thing that I loved most about this game was the pacing, throughout the game, there was little to no exposition, they just said 'go' which made this feel much less boring than it could be. The combat was so dry, however. Switching guns throughout combat encounters keeps you on your toes, but it just ended up feeling like Hotline Miami but with less strategy. I loved the worldbuilding and the art direction, but the 3D was rough. The 2D stuff was cool though.
2019
Imported from my Backloggery:
It's really hard for me to rate this game because I started out enjoying the graphics and presentation, but found the gameplay to just be so-so. I would have seen this game out to completion if it wasn't for the invulnerable enemies that incentivized the entirely unenjoyable stealth. This game also has a really great sense of humor that kept me laughing, but it was ultimately not fun to play, especially as the game got harder.
It's really hard for me to rate this game because I started out enjoying the graphics and presentation, but found the gameplay to just be so-so. I would have seen this game out to completion if it wasn't for the invulnerable enemies that incentivized the entirely unenjoyable stealth. This game also has a really great sense of humor that kept me laughing, but it was ultimately not fun to play, especially as the game got harder.
2016
Imported from my Backloggery
This game has so much heart and a story that really blew me away. Most of the sidequests were nothing to write home about at all, but the main story was great. I love how all of the characters work together, and how the mechanics tie into it. There are so many fascinating things about it, I just wish they had trimmed out the fat and added more quality content. The combat was eh too. That being said, the things it does well, it does REALLY well.
This game has so much heart and a story that really blew me away. Most of the sidequests were nothing to write home about at all, but the main story was great. I love how all of the characters work together, and how the mechanics tie into it. There are so many fascinating things about it, I just wish they had trimmed out the fat and added more quality content. The combat was eh too. That being said, the things it does well, it does REALLY well.
1999
Imported from my Backloggery: (Bad+ Ending)
While I was playing, I found it hard not to compare SH to Resident Evil. In comparison, this game wasn't even close. The puzzles were backloaded toward the end of the game, which I found to be really tedious. When it came to combat and level design, it wasn't to the same standard as RE1. Where SH did stand out however was the visual direction. There were some really clever scares, and I really enjoyed the way the story was told. There are some fun things, but it didn't compare to RE.
While I was playing, I found it hard not to compare SH to Resident Evil. In comparison, this game wasn't even close. The puzzles were backloaded toward the end of the game, which I found to be really tedious. When it came to combat and level design, it wasn't to the same standard as RE1. Where SH did stand out however was the visual direction. There were some really clever scares, and I really enjoyed the way the story was told. There are some fun things, but it didn't compare to RE.