Chowder
Imported from my Backloggery:
I really wanted to like this game, but I really didn't like the action focus mixed with tank controls. It felt less like a power fantasy, and more felt disengaging. I didn't love the aesthetic of the beginning, a post apocalyptic city mixed with PS1 graphics just didn't work for me. I really was missing the spooky atmosphere. I also didn't love the pure quantity of enemies and found myself more annoyed than scared most of the time. I enjoyed the few Nemesis encounters and campy vibe though.
I really wanted to like this game, but I really didn't like the action focus mixed with tank controls. It felt less like a power fantasy, and more felt disengaging. I didn't love the aesthetic of the beginning, a post apocalyptic city mixed with PS1 graphics just didn't work for me. I really was missing the spooky atmosphere. I also didn't love the pure quantity of enemies and found myself more annoyed than scared most of the time. I enjoyed the few Nemesis encounters and campy vibe though.
2018
This review contains spoilers
Florence did a really great job with experimenting with different ways to turn emotional experiences to gameplay with flying colors. It's strange how satisfying a lot of the little minigames were, and how much they felt really meaningful, things like decorating your house, and the conversation puzzle pieces. It was really impressive to me. The music also worked really well in conjunction with the art, and I definitely felt what they were going for. I think this could be iterated on really well in the future and told in a better fleshed out story.
The story of Florence is solid, but I feel as though it could be better. I feel like the whole thing ends quite unceremoniously, with the two breaking up after arguing only a little bit and not really working together to patch things up. It's really unfortunate, but I also think the brevity of the game worked to its advantage.
It's quite impressive and left a reasonable impact on me but I think it had potential to be more. It lacked a true gut punch emotional resonance that I look for from a game like this.
The story of Florence is solid, but I feel as though it could be better. I feel like the whole thing ends quite unceremoniously, with the two breaking up after arguing only a little bit and not really working together to patch things up. It's really unfortunate, but I also think the brevity of the game worked to its advantage.
It's quite impressive and left a reasonable impact on me but I think it had potential to be more. It lacked a true gut punch emotional resonance that I look for from a game like this.
2017
Not much to say about this one that hasn't already been said more eloquently by others. Detention is a great story about censorship, conformity and self-determination set in the backdrop of 1960s Taiwan. For me, I found detention to be deeply affecting and emotional. There were certain sections that caused me to feel a dip pit in my stomach that didn't subside until my play session ended. There are also some fascinating setpeices and wonderful use of ambiguity throughout. My only issue lies with the gameplay. Although it isn't the focus, I found a lot of the exploration and 'stealth' sections to be a little boring and tedious. They weren't super long, so it functioned as a nice excuse to sit with the atmosphere for a little longer, which I appreciated. I'm happy that because of this game, I'm now learning about the history of Taiwan and the White Scare. Detention will definitely be sticking with me for a long time.
2020
This review contains spoilers
Paradise Killer was such a big surprise for me. I went in expecting a solid indie game with decent writing and got so much more than that. The worldbuilding is definitely the thing that stands out more than anything else in this experience. It's obvious that everything was so well thought out and that they had a strong internal source book to keep everything consistent. Because of this, it was so easy for me to stay engaged and become invested in the underlying mystery. Having two avenues of knowledge (the murder mystery and the larger world) kept me super engaged. In addition, the characters were simple yet fantastic, each and every one of them were engaging in their own way, and I found myself caring for Akiko more than I care to admit by the end. The ending also hit me way harder than I expected it to. Having to execute those who I ended up calling my friends for the sake of 'justice' was as heartbreaking as it was shocking. The other thing that stuck out to me about the ending was that nothing actually ended up changing about the system by the end. The system is still being upheld, and the slave labor that Paradise is built on will still be perpetuated and continued. Although simple, this game does have a lot to say, which I really appreciated. It was cool that the so-called V A P O R W A V E A E S T H E T I C (despite it not really feeling very vaporwave, just vaporwave adjacent) fed into the anti-authority narrative as well. The only complaint I really have with the game is the janky collection gameplay. A large portion of this game is about exploration, which I apprecate, the only issue is that a lot of exploration is thrust upon you via collectibles. Although it was fun for a while, This fell apart in two ways for me. There was one point where I felt stuck, I had to explore the island, essentially tidying up the entire map to the point where there were no collectibles in my viscinity. This took about an hour and a half, and I found it to be quite tedious. Also, it's hard to find all of the evidence on your own due to meditation not showing any of the important stuff to you. Despite that, Paradise Killer remains one of my favorites I've played in a while.
2014
Imported from my Backloggery:
This horror game was not interesting to me. I got stuck three times, not due to my inability to play the game well, but just due to the fact that the game was unclear with what it wanted you to do. The fog means you cannot find landmarks, which works against the game. The game was scary at first, but this was due to repeated jumpscares. They completely destroyed the tension and atmosphere. Playing the game was more annoying than scary. Not being able to change the sensitivity sucked as well.
This horror game was not interesting to me. I got stuck three times, not due to my inability to play the game well, but just due to the fact that the game was unclear with what it wanted you to do. The fog means you cannot find landmarks, which works against the game. The game was scary at first, but this was due to repeated jumpscares. They completely destroyed the tension and atmosphere. Playing the game was more annoying than scary. Not being able to change the sensitivity sucked as well.
2013
Imported from my Backloggery:
The action in this game looks, sounds, and feels great to play. I had a blast completing this game start to finish, as well as 100%. As someone who had never played any Devil May Cry games before this, I quite liked Dante toward the end, as he grew and changed to become a better person. The only complaints I have is the the game gets repetitive to get better scores, you are doing the same types of combos over and over again. The story also took itself too seriously at points and made it less fun.
The action in this game looks, sounds, and feels great to play. I had a blast completing this game start to finish, as well as 100%. As someone who had never played any Devil May Cry games before this, I quite liked Dante toward the end, as he grew and changed to become a better person. The only complaints I have is the the game gets repetitive to get better scores, you are doing the same types of combos over and over again. The story also took itself too seriously at points and made it less fun.
Imported from my Backloggery
It has the same fast and fluid combat that the base game had, but Vergil is just not as fun to control. The story is quite difficult to understand and was very forgettable. It was also wayyy too easy to 100%. I finished everything in a day or two.
It has the same fast and fluid combat that the base game had, but Vergil is just not as fun to control. The story is quite difficult to understand and was very forgettable. It was also wayyy too easy to 100%. I finished everything in a day or two.
2001
Imported from my Backloggery:
DMC was a lot worse than expected. It was so light on story that you could never enjoy the camp of the aesthetic. In addition to this, the puzzles were okay, but never worthwhile. In terms of the combat, it was fast and fluid to use, but there were so few combos that you could do in the game. There was very little diversity in bosses and enemies, and the lack of a dedicated dodge button made combat unsatisfying. The game got better toward the end, but not enough to save the experience.
DMC was a lot worse than expected. It was so light on story that you could never enjoy the camp of the aesthetic. In addition to this, the puzzles were okay, but never worthwhile. In terms of the combat, it was fast and fluid to use, but there were so few combos that you could do in the game. There was very little diversity in bosses and enemies, and the lack of a dedicated dodge button made combat unsatisfying. The game got better toward the end, but not enough to save the experience.
2003
Imported from my Backloggery:
This game was... not great. Overall, it was unchallenging and boring. I just blew my way through the story with no resistance. The story overall was incoherent, just jumping from setpiece to setpiece. There were a few things I enjoyed, the removal of the lives system, a dedicated gun and dodge button, and satisfying devil trigger. The slow animations and the inability to cancel them made everything sluggish. There were a few fun parts that got me through it, but overall, it was super meh.
This game also does some pretty cool stuff aesthetically, especially in the city section.
This game was... not great. Overall, it was unchallenging and boring. I just blew my way through the story with no resistance. The story overall was incoherent, just jumping from setpiece to setpiece. There were a few things I enjoyed, the removal of the lives system, a dedicated gun and dodge button, and satisfying devil trigger. The slow animations and the inability to cancel them made everything sluggish. There were a few fun parts that got me through it, but overall, it was super meh.
This game also does some pretty cool stuff aesthetically, especially in the city section.
Imported from my Backloggery:
What a treat this game is to play! The combos are fast and fluid, there's an insane level of depth than can be used to take on higher difficulties, and there's an engaging and fun story to boot. It's crazy that despite the fact that the first two games were rough, they pulled through and made a game that was this fun. This is a must play for anyone who likes this style of combat. My only complaint is that this game drags a little bit toward the end, but that's hardly a problem.
What a treat this game is to play! The combos are fast and fluid, there's an insane level of depth than can be used to take on higher difficulties, and there's an engaging and fun story to boot. It's crazy that despite the fact that the first two games were rough, they pulled through and made a game that was this fun. This is a must play for anyone who likes this style of combat. My only complaint is that this game drags a little bit toward the end, but that's hardly a problem.
2019
Imported from my Backloggery:
I. Loved. This. Game. Throughout the entire game I was absolutely hooked, the characters are all so loveable, and the story pays off every little thread that earlier DMCs left hanging. The gameplay is perfect. They iterated so perfectly on each character, especially Nero. Dante is stupid fun too, and V is unique. The music is perfect as well, getting you pumped for each combat encounter. DMCV is absolutely an essential play and will be one I'll be returning to again and again.
I. Loved. This. Game. Throughout the entire game I was absolutely hooked, the characters are all so loveable, and the story pays off every little thread that earlier DMCs left hanging. The gameplay is perfect. They iterated so perfectly on each character, especially Nero. Dante is stupid fun too, and V is unique. The music is perfect as well, getting you pumped for each combat encounter. DMCV is absolutely an essential play and will be one I'll be returning to again and again.
2008
Imported from my Backloggery:
Although the combat is extremely deep, DMC4 never made any of that depth apparent in my first playthrough. When I was playing, I found myself doing the same few combos over and over in order to make it through. Most of the bosses were enjoyable, but I didn't like having them recycled 3 times. Mission 19 was also terrible. I loved the story and new characters introduced, as well as the dynamic between Dante and Nero. I also got lost a lot in areas I didn't enjoy being in.
Although the combat is extremely deep, DMC4 never made any of that depth apparent in my first playthrough. When I was playing, I found myself doing the same few combos over and over in order to make it through. Most of the bosses were enjoyable, but I didn't like having them recycled 3 times. Mission 19 was also terrible. I loved the story and new characters introduced, as well as the dynamic between Dante and Nero. I also got lost a lot in areas I didn't enjoy being in.
Although not as kinetic or strong as the first game, Milk2 is still phenomenal, offering an experience that is scary, honest and authentic. For something that is meant to be played multiple times, I found the framing device of the room to be an element that stopped multiple playthroughs rather than encouraging it. Overall, I think this game effectively captures and clearly communicates what it's like to be stuck in a swirling, spiraling, confusing mess, and I'm happy I could listen.
2013
Imported from my Backloggery:
I thoroughly enjoyed DKG3. It's rife with hype-ass moments and some killer music, which allows for some really incredible action sequences. The combat was serviceable, offering some visceral fun and primal enjoyment via the progression system (which beautifully ties into the narrative). The story is the main attraction though, a lot of characters are more nuanced than they initially let on, and the plot ties so well with the rest of the series. It's just begging to be analyzed.
DLC:
Though largely superfluous, there are still some nice stories to be found in these DLCs. Two's DLC really stood out to me for that, her descent into madness is well done, and uses the anime art style to push your suspension of disbelief as far as it will go. The rest of them weren't Earth-shattering, but they are some nice context. I just wish playing these in Japanese wasn't such a pain to do.
I thoroughly enjoyed DKG3. It's rife with hype-ass moments and some killer music, which allows for some really incredible action sequences. The combat was serviceable, offering some visceral fun and primal enjoyment via the progression system (which beautifully ties into the narrative). The story is the main attraction though, a lot of characters are more nuanced than they initially let on, and the plot ties so well with the rest of the series. It's just begging to be analyzed.
DLC:
Though largely superfluous, there are still some nice stories to be found in these DLCs. Two's DLC really stood out to me for that, her descent into madness is well done, and uses the anime art style to push your suspension of disbelief as far as it will go. The rest of them weren't Earth-shattering, but they are some nice context. I just wish playing these in Japanese wasn't such a pain to do.
2010
Alan Wake to me offered a hollow, vapid experience that reeked of 7th console generation design. Although the combat was generally pretty fun, with its snappy flow and quick pace, the story was never enough to keep me interested. The characters and tone are all over the place, never being able to decide if it wants to take itself seriously or not. It attempts to emulate Twin Peaks in that way, but ultimately fails. In many ways it feels like a different CBS show, something safe and made for cable that will register as inoffensive to the people its beamed to. It does redeem itself in the later half by playing with some interesting ideas and concepts, but it never leaned into that hard enough to redeem it for me.