Extustential
1994
This game is an all-time classic. I somehow ended up forming an entire community simply because of this game, to say this has had a major influence on the course of my life would be an understatement. Obvious bias there due to that, but even just as a game it is so fun to just go back and beat every month or two. The level design is creative especially for a retro game and the enemies/bosses are just so fun to go up against no matter what playthrough it is. Flaws lie in the fact that some levels are just flat out annoying. Some are insanely hard if you dont have good reactions, but all around? I'd say its a pretty great game and worth the time to give a quick run through
2019
I cannot stand this game. I have tried time and time again to make it work but I just cant. The starters look so silly, the legendaries look silly, the story is silly and not pulling to me in the slightest. Pokémon from anything but a top down view feels VERY jarring to me, but thats a personal gripe. I get lost every single time I try to play again, and there's just this massive demon castle in the middle of scotland??? What??? I can't help but notice that thing and its annoying to look at. I tried playing with a friend and it took 20 minutes just to get things working because all the menus are needlessly complicated for beginners. I hate the gigantamaxxing feature beyond any reasonable measure AND those weird purple mounds look bad. The only plus for me here is seeing the pokemon walk around and that hot professor. I cannot forsee myself ever trying this game again. Maybe its just because the old pokémon games set such a high standard but I can't get with this at all. I can't even get my $60 back.
2012
This review contains spoilers
Michael Mando is going to have spinal issues for the rest of his life from how badly he carried this game.
Jason is a bad protagonist. I honestly get what they were going for, but it just doesn't work at all. He comes off as a bitter, selfish asshole and I just despise playing as him. The only part of the story I enjoyed with him was siding with his girlfriend at the end of the story because that's how it should be. Fuck this "the jungle is claiming him" narrative. he's a white guy in way over his head. He is no warrior. I'm just crazy on the sticks.
Vaas however, as overquoted as he may be is just. He's special. Michael Mando's performance was great and I love the ambiguity of his fate after his "death." Hoyt doesn't even feel like a cheap replacement either, he's great in his own right seperate from Vaas. If anything they did the villains very well. Great villains, poor protagonist.
Gameplay is solid enough with some fun events around the island, classic Far Cry healing makes fights a lot more intense, even if the AI is a bit dumb. It's a decent enough game
Jason is a bad protagonist. I honestly get what they were going for, but it just doesn't work at all. He comes off as a bitter, selfish asshole and I just despise playing as him. The only part of the story I enjoyed with him was siding with his girlfriend at the end of the story because that's how it should be. Fuck this "the jungle is claiming him" narrative. he's a white guy in way over his head. He is no warrior. I'm just crazy on the sticks.
Vaas however, as overquoted as he may be is just. He's special. Michael Mando's performance was great and I love the ambiguity of his fate after his "death." Hoyt doesn't even feel like a cheap replacement either, he's great in his own right seperate from Vaas. If anything they did the villains very well. Great villains, poor protagonist.
Gameplay is solid enough with some fun events around the island, classic Far Cry healing makes fights a lot more intense, even if the AI is a bit dumb. It's a decent enough game
2013
I have very mixed feelings on this. The story is great from what I remember, not much a fan of replaying it but I don't think I've done that with any GTA campaign. The online however is what I'm going to be mostly focusing on here.
It's bad. It's boring, it incentivizes ruining other peoples hard work and god forbid you lobby up with a K/D warrior. Those people are strange. However if you host a private lobby with friends its actually pretty fun! Especially with the extreme amount of custom games the community has made there's a lot of room for fun in a party setting, if you're more of a solo gamer kinda guy I'd recommend just getting this for the story though, online custom games are alright but without friends it can get boring quick. Solid game though.
It's bad. It's boring, it incentivizes ruining other peoples hard work and god forbid you lobby up with a K/D warrior. Those people are strange. However if you host a private lobby with friends its actually pretty fun! Especially with the extreme amount of custom games the community has made there's a lot of room for fun in a party setting, if you're more of a solo gamer kinda guy I'd recommend just getting this for the story though, online custom games are alright but without friends it can get boring quick. Solid game though.
Im certain I made the right choice specifically getting the Wii version of this game as I had the glory of using the Wii shotgun remote. That was an unreal experience. I'll admit, it's been a decade and I don't remember the game all too well. But it was decent enough to leave a fond memory! But only with the Wii shotgun. It is very imperative you play with that remote. Gets you the full Cabela experience
2008
My favorite Gears of War bar none. This was its peak, you had an amazing storyline with back to back to back insanely fun missions. The gunplay was at it's best and I believe this was the introduction to horde mode! Multiplayer maps all looked gorgeous and seemed well balanced enough. Nothing beats the grittiness of this era of Gears, the gore and action was unmatched. The sound design was also very very nice. It also has my favorite Carmine! All around a really great game. Held up extremely well over the years too.
2011
It's just pretty alright, nothing too offensive really. I wasn't the biggest fan of the campaign although it had its moments, introduced the retro lancer and sawed off which is sorta cool I suppose? it feels like this was game was very forgettable compared to others in the franchise due to not changing things up that much, multiplayer was solid and the horde mode changes were very welcome. its pretty much just an average, good game.
2017
This review contains spoilers
Perfection, or close to it.
The graphics are beautiful, the music feels like its resonating off my very bones, the boss fights are memorable as hell. The story for what it is, is phenomenal. For all you lore freaks out there it offers even more. Theres so much to this little game its unbelievable at times, and the extra DLC content adds so much more to an already beautiful game. ESPECIALLY the godslayer DLC. By god. Perfecting every boss on radiance was one of the most exciting feelings I've had in a long time. The pantheons are so unbelievably fun too. I can't say enough for this game. It's the sole reason I got into metroidvanias and I need to say again. Christopher Larkin on this soundtrack was unreal. Pure Vessel is the rawest videogame track I've ever had the pleasure of hearing in-game. That secret boss was bone chilling. I love this game so much it hurts. Everything I write makes me remember another 3 I forgot to mention.
The graphics are beautiful, the music feels like its resonating off my very bones, the boss fights are memorable as hell. The story for what it is, is phenomenal. For all you lore freaks out there it offers even more. Theres so much to this little game its unbelievable at times, and the extra DLC content adds so much more to an already beautiful game. ESPECIALLY the godslayer DLC. By god. Perfecting every boss on radiance was one of the most exciting feelings I've had in a long time. The pantheons are so unbelievably fun too. I can't say enough for this game. It's the sole reason I got into metroidvanias and I need to say again. Christopher Larkin on this soundtrack was unreal. Pure Vessel is the rawest videogame track I've ever had the pleasure of hearing in-game. That secret boss was bone chilling. I love this game so much it hurts. Everything I write makes me remember another 3 I forgot to mention.
1994
This game is a fever dream. I remembered it in a passing thought and had to consciously recognize this is a real game, made by real people. I can't review the story. I don't even know if there is one. It felt like I was playing cards with the Mad Hatter. It's hilarious though. I remember it fondly, and I especially loved those space race levels. It's just a silly game for children at the end of the day and it does that very well! Some parts are strangely scary for said children though, so do watch out for that.
TBD
I don't like it.
Heavy Iron blew this out of the water.
This game WAS my childhood, even trying to ignore and move past that it's just one of those games that holds up after all these years, there's something about it. That unique charm thats hard to find anywhere else. The boss fights are cool, the levels are cooler. There's enough variety throughout the game to keep you interested enough.
This game WAS my childhood, even trying to ignore and move past that it's just one of those games that holds up after all these years, there's something about it. That unique charm thats hard to find anywhere else. The boss fights are cool, the levels are cooler. There's enough variety throughout the game to keep you interested enough.
2011
I love this game but this game does not love me. As a perfectionist at heart this game is the bane of me. There is so very much minmaxxing. From a beginners perspective this game must look like hell to try and learn, but having grown up with it for all these years its STILL daunting! I absolutely love it but by god is it a chore on my brain to pick up. If I ever forget to play on my file for over a week or two it feels impossible to go back because I have so much I need to remember again. It takes a very specific mindset to get into this game and I seldom find that. However I will add if you are a casual player, it's pretty fun! Don't let it get to you with all the stuff you can or can't have, just go with the flow and you're in for a treat. But for perfectionists like me it will take a toll. And a heavy one at that.
This game heavily depends on the honor of your friends. Do not take it seriously or you will be overwhelmed with anger. Very fun party game every once in a blue moon, it is golf after all. It has a strangely large amount of variety in that you can change the shape of your ball (it never ends well.) but it is variety nonetheless! good amount of levels too.
2006
Childhood game, nostalgia buffs it even if it had some jank movement and camera control but its a product of its era, none of the future games even compare to the cast of villains from this. Obviously a titan of its time
2018
I really enjoy seeing games take more headlong approaches on issues like this, it's like when your favorite TV Sitcom tackles real life issues. Sometimes games are good to escape the problems from day to day life but other times it's nice to gather insight on something you yourself might not personally deal with. I'd say this a good gateway for that.
The gameplay is very smooth, I am a big fan of the pixelated graphics and the music choice is very nice! The main game is decently challenging to where it is still fun yet difficult, but I also really enjoy the concept of B-side versions of stages that you have already played. Making further challenging parts of your games optional for hardcore fans is a major bonus for me. There's a lot of replayability in the Berry system and B-sides.
The gameplay is very smooth, I am a big fan of the pixelated graphics and the music choice is very nice! The main game is decently challenging to where it is still fun yet difficult, but I also really enjoy the concept of B-side versions of stages that you have already played. Making further challenging parts of your games optional for hardcore fans is a major bonus for me. There's a lot of replayability in the Berry system and B-sides.