FatRaptor
I think starting with the later games in the series spoiled me. honestly doesn't feel great to play compared to Ds3, Bloodborne, etc. however atmosphere and lore are top tier as always
only harmed by it's length
This review contains spoilers
required for any DS3 playthough
2005
pretty nuts for a game from 2005
I struggle to articulate how I feel with this game. For the first few hours I was mildly disappointed with how same-y it felt to BOTW, even though BOTW is one of my favourite games of all time. After playing for about 8 hours, I think something clicked with how the game was intended to be played. I don't have much to say about the gameplay. In short, this is one of the finest open world games ever made and everything I could have hoped for. It iterates upon BOTW's foundation and adds an insane amount of new mechanics you can use in basically any way you want. I can't imagine how much time and effort went into this. In terms of gameplay, this is one of the deepest sandbox games you could play.
My biggest complaint with BOTW was the execution of the story. TOTK rectifies this in some areas. What I was not a fan of with BOTW was how unimportant the story felt, as most of the events were from the pre-calamity era with no effect on the present day. I found myself bored by these sections, as I already knew what had transpired before I saw those memories. I also really don’t care for the voice acting in both of these games, with one exception. TOTK's story, while far from perfect, feels a lot more active than BOTW. Another thing I preferred in TOTK's story is that Ganon is much more of a presence in this game. BOTW's Calamity Ganon is purely a force of nature, which I personally didn’t care for. However, Ganondorf in TOTK has much more presence throughout the narrative and I think is a much better antagonist than the calamity. His presence in the memories also made those more interesting this time around, as they set up the very real threat you are going to face as well as explaining Zelda’s whereabouts. He is also the one exception to my problems with the voice acting. I just love Matt Mercer’s performance in this game. However, compared to the previous 3D Zeldas the story is still just ok. The writing is much more flat than previous entries, and doing the memories before the other story beats kind of broke logic, as everyone is wondering where Zelda is while Link already knows the answer and just doesn't tell anyone.
The biggest reason TOTK is rated lower for me than BOTW is not the game’s fault at all. In fact, I’d say that TOTK is overall a better game in basically every way. BOTW just hit me at the perfect time and place, and was much more exciting when it came out than this was since it was the first to go in this direction. 9/10 - this is definitely winning game of the year.
My biggest complaint with BOTW was the execution of the story. TOTK rectifies this in some areas. What I was not a fan of with BOTW was how unimportant the story felt, as most of the events were from the pre-calamity era with no effect on the present day. I found myself bored by these sections, as I already knew what had transpired before I saw those memories. I also really don’t care for the voice acting in both of these games, with one exception. TOTK's story, while far from perfect, feels a lot more active than BOTW. Another thing I preferred in TOTK's story is that Ganon is much more of a presence in this game. BOTW's Calamity Ganon is purely a force of nature, which I personally didn’t care for. However, Ganondorf in TOTK has much more presence throughout the narrative and I think is a much better antagonist than the calamity. His presence in the memories also made those more interesting this time around, as they set up the very real threat you are going to face as well as explaining Zelda’s whereabouts. He is also the one exception to my problems with the voice acting. I just love Matt Mercer’s performance in this game. However, compared to the previous 3D Zeldas the story is still just ok. The writing is much more flat than previous entries, and doing the memories before the other story beats kind of broke logic, as everyone is wondering where Zelda is while Link already knows the answer and just doesn't tell anyone.
The biggest reason TOTK is rated lower for me than BOTW is not the game’s fault at all. In fact, I’d say that TOTK is overall a better game in basically every way. BOTW just hit me at the perfect time and place, and was much more exciting when it came out than this was since it was the first to go in this direction. 9/10 - this is definitely winning game of the year.
Preface: this review comes from a massive spider-man fan with around 250 hours logged across ps4, ps5, and pc. Story discussion at the end because spoilers.
The best part of this game is definitely how it improves the already excellent core gameplay from the first game. The web swinging is mostly similar to the first game with a few tweaks that make it feel more fluid. There are 2 new abilities learned throughout the game, venom jump and venom dash, which feel really good to use. The lackluster trick system from the first game is greatly expanded upon, with many more tricks and combos to do while swinging, with all animations flowing into each other near seamlessly. Another change I appreciate is the buff to mid air dodging while swinging. In the first game this animation cut off the swing and left Peter awkwardly floating for a second. In this game it is much more fluid and can be used to quickly turn while maintaining all momentum. The level of fluidity also expands to the combat system. This game maintains all of the fundamentals from the first game while adding substantial new combo potential with Miles’ venom abilities. This game has one of my favorite combat systems in any game. Stealth is also much more viable now, with the addition of Miles’ camouflage as well as wall and ceiling takedowns. This game makes me so excited for Spider-man 2 given how many small changes were made to enhance the experience in a game this small scale.
The main missions in this game cut the fat from the first game and also improved in some areas. First things first, there are no more missions where you don’t play as spider-man. In fact, I don't think there's a single main mission in this game that isn't fun to play. The main area improved in the story is the boss fights. There are less than the first game, but all 4 major boss fights are great and allow for a bit more freedom in combat than the first game.
This game is insanely short. More of an expansion to the first game than its own game worthy of full price. I was able to 100% the game on steam in about 15 hours, while the first game took about 40 when including all dlc. I would advise waiting for a sale unless you’re like me and are a massive fanboy.
Overall, this is a very well made game that serves well to bridge between the first game and the upcoming sequel. Super excited to see how the gameplay further evolves with both improvements to Miles' moveset and Peter's new Symbiote abilities
SPOILER ZONE
The story is more of a mixed bag. Unfortunately the villains don’t work nearly as well as the first game for me. The Tinkerer starts off fine but as the story goes on she loses all logic processors in her brain, not realizing Miles was telling the truth about the nuform reactor until literally the last second. She also constantly rails on Miles for lying to her and it gets insanely annoying. I find her especially disappointing after the legendary depiction of Doc Ock in the previous game. The secondary antagonist, Simon Krieger, is entertaining purely because of how much of a mustache-twirler he is. Problems with the writing aside, voice acting is pretty great across the board. Even the low points of the writing are still tolerable because the VAs do an excellent job. In particular, I think this game’s version of Prowler is really good. He is a middle ground between his very sinister comic counterpart and the more sympathetic Spider-verse version. He’s only an antagonist because of his own fear of losing Miles like he lost his brother. Great work with him.
The best part of this game is definitely how it improves the already excellent core gameplay from the first game. The web swinging is mostly similar to the first game with a few tweaks that make it feel more fluid. There are 2 new abilities learned throughout the game, venom jump and venom dash, which feel really good to use. The lackluster trick system from the first game is greatly expanded upon, with many more tricks and combos to do while swinging, with all animations flowing into each other near seamlessly. Another change I appreciate is the buff to mid air dodging while swinging. In the first game this animation cut off the swing and left Peter awkwardly floating for a second. In this game it is much more fluid and can be used to quickly turn while maintaining all momentum. The level of fluidity also expands to the combat system. This game maintains all of the fundamentals from the first game while adding substantial new combo potential with Miles’ venom abilities. This game has one of my favorite combat systems in any game. Stealth is also much more viable now, with the addition of Miles’ camouflage as well as wall and ceiling takedowns. This game makes me so excited for Spider-man 2 given how many small changes were made to enhance the experience in a game this small scale.
The main missions in this game cut the fat from the first game and also improved in some areas. First things first, there are no more missions where you don’t play as spider-man. In fact, I don't think there's a single main mission in this game that isn't fun to play. The main area improved in the story is the boss fights. There are less than the first game, but all 4 major boss fights are great and allow for a bit more freedom in combat than the first game.
This game is insanely short. More of an expansion to the first game than its own game worthy of full price. I was able to 100% the game on steam in about 15 hours, while the first game took about 40 when including all dlc. I would advise waiting for a sale unless you’re like me and are a massive fanboy.
Overall, this is a very well made game that serves well to bridge between the first game and the upcoming sequel. Super excited to see how the gameplay further evolves with both improvements to Miles' moveset and Peter's new Symbiote abilities
SPOILER ZONE
The story is more of a mixed bag. Unfortunately the villains don’t work nearly as well as the first game for me. The Tinkerer starts off fine but as the story goes on she loses all logic processors in her brain, not realizing Miles was telling the truth about the nuform reactor until literally the last second. She also constantly rails on Miles for lying to her and it gets insanely annoying. I find her especially disappointing after the legendary depiction of Doc Ock in the previous game. The secondary antagonist, Simon Krieger, is entertaining purely because of how much of a mustache-twirler he is. Problems with the writing aside, voice acting is pretty great across the board. Even the low points of the writing are still tolerable because the VAs do an excellent job. In particular, I think this game’s version of Prowler is really good. He is a middle ground between his very sinister comic counterpart and the more sympathetic Spider-verse version. He’s only an antagonist because of his own fear of losing Miles like he lost his brother. Great work with him.
2023
one of the most manic games ive ever played
Pretty annoying enemy placement and level design. However, the lore behind the levels and bosses are honestly at the series' peak for me. The Dreg Heap and The Ringed City are jaw-dropping in their art direction, and the 3 major bosses (Demon Prince, Darkeater Midir, and Slave Knight Gael) are all some of the best boss fights I've ever experienced. Both DLCs are absolutely required when playing this game.
2016
This is the best in the trilogy for me in almost every department.
I can sort of understand the annoyance I've seen people have with the constant callbacks to the other two games but I think that this doesn't bother me because of the lore surrounding it. The setup for the story is that the world is so exhausted in it's continued age of fire that reality itself is rotting and starts folding in on itself. I fully believe that the fan service feeling out of place is intentional, as this aligns the player's perspective perfectly with the Age of Dark ending (Which is the best ending). I'm not really a lore guy but this game's presentation had me hooked in the opening cutscene.
Gameplay wise, this is undoubtedly the strongest in the trilogy. Combat feels much more smooth than the previous installments, taking some cues from Bloodborne's more aggressive combat system. On average, this game would be my pick for having the strongest boss design on average in the series. There are a few duds like Deacons of the Deep and Crystal Sage, but most are at the very least engaging in their design if not fun to fight. However, the best fights in this game are absolutely insane (not even factoring the dlc which includes the best bosses in the series if not of all time). Twin Princes, Pontiff Sulyvahn, Abyss Watchers, and Dancer of the Boreal Valley are just a few examples of how amazing the boss design in this game is. I haven't even mentioned how incredible the soundtrack that accompanies these fights are yet. For my money, this is definitely a top 5 game soundtrack of all time and is definitely FromSoft's crowning achievement in the music department (only rivaled by how consistently amazing Bloodborne's DLC tracks are). Simply incredible work from everyone involved.
One of the best games I've ever played
I can sort of understand the annoyance I've seen people have with the constant callbacks to the other two games but I think that this doesn't bother me because of the lore surrounding it. The setup for the story is that the world is so exhausted in it's continued age of fire that reality itself is rotting and starts folding in on itself. I fully believe that the fan service feeling out of place is intentional, as this aligns the player's perspective perfectly with the Age of Dark ending (Which is the best ending). I'm not really a lore guy but this game's presentation had me hooked in the opening cutscene.
Gameplay wise, this is undoubtedly the strongest in the trilogy. Combat feels much more smooth than the previous installments, taking some cues from Bloodborne's more aggressive combat system. On average, this game would be my pick for having the strongest boss design on average in the series. There are a few duds like Deacons of the Deep and Crystal Sage, but most are at the very least engaging in their design if not fun to fight. However, the best fights in this game are absolutely insane (not even factoring the dlc which includes the best bosses in the series if not of all time). Twin Princes, Pontiff Sulyvahn, Abyss Watchers, and Dancer of the Boreal Valley are just a few examples of how amazing the boss design in this game is. I haven't even mentioned how incredible the soundtrack that accompanies these fights are yet. For my money, this is definitely a top 5 game soundtrack of all time and is definitely FromSoft's crowning achievement in the music department (only rivaled by how consistently amazing Bloodborne's DLC tracks are). Simply incredible work from everyone involved.
One of the best games I've ever played
From back at it again designing some of the coolest bosses ever in games. Really great customization too.
Really fun expansion. Was great to see more of the supporting cast as well as the return of basically everything missing from the original. Solid DLC, well worth the price
This is definitely my game of the year. Insomniac has perfected open world traversal. Story is a bit less cohesive and consistent than the first game but still excellent. Combat is incredibly satisfying and deep with plenty of enemy variety and insanely cinematic special moves. The side content is engaging and surprisingly really touching at times. Only reason the game isn’t actually perfect in my opinion is because of a few quality of life features that could be added in patches (namely switching time of day post game, NG+, mission and base replays, as well as a few other small visual gripes that I can’t say without spoilers). Overall, with a few updates this will absolutely the best spider-man game ever made and a must play in my opinion.
2023
This review contains spoilers
Before this came out I didn't pay much attention to it. The RE series has always interested me because of it's significance to gaming as a whole, but I'd bounced off the original 2005 game when I gave it a shot on my switch.
Then I played the demo.
I went from indifferent to a launch weekend buyer. The demo sold me based on the exhilarating combat and more serious tone. I played it like 5 times in the week leading up to the release. I even went back and beat the original game after playing this.
Resident Evil 4's remade story has such an infectious energy that completely consumed me for multiple playthroughs. What I love most about this remake when comparing it to the original is how different it is in so many areas. The original's story is a cheesy B movie through and through, with Leon's iconic one liners and over-the-top villains. While many might find the more serious tone as a betrayal of the original's intent, I really enjoy the restraint the enforced with those elements here. Leon is still an action hero in this game, with his impractical mid combat flips and the one liners being updated, but his story is much more emotionally resonant in this game compared to the original. They incorporated the story of RE2 much more into this remake and Leon's survivors guilt surrounding the Raccoon City outbreak provides much better background and higher personal stakes for him in his quest to save Ashley. I really felt his desperation as the story went on as his and Ashley's infections worsen. Speaking of Ashley, she is also much improved in the remake. She is much more likeable this time. Her and Leon have a great dynamic and this made me care much more about protecting her in the gameplay sections. However, the most improved character is easily Luis. Luis in the original game is not much of a character. He has a few cutscenes, some fun lines, and then he gets offed and is never mentioned again. The remake greatly expands upon his story. He gets much more screen-time and a whole extra chapter where he's with you the whole time. His new backstory and the actor's performance made him my favourite character in the game. While some of the original's iconic lines and dialogue are lost with the new story, I think the more complex characters more than make up for that. The more nuanced characters and acting make for a better story in my opinion.
Gameplay is also fantastic. They managed to take the original flow of combat and make it much more aggressive while maintaining the tension from the original. Leon is more mobile now, getting rid of the tank controls for a more modern system. To compensate for this enemies also get a speed boost, often sprinting and attacking more aggressively. To keep combat manageable, Capcom added a whole new method of defense, allowing Leon to parry with his combat knife. I think this was honestly a stroke of genius. For gameplay, it adds a new element of inventory management and makes combat more exciting, while storywise it shows Leon's much improved skills since RE2 and functions as a constant reminder of the people he thinks he failed in Raccoon City. One of the best iterations of the industry's recent obsession with parry mechanics.
I want to make quick mention of the soundtrack. I really love a good orchestral soundtrack and this game's boss themes are amazing. Just excellent work from everyone involved. Also the shooting range theme being a remix of the opening drive music goes incredibly hard.
Overall this is an amazing video game. Would have easily been my game of the year if I didn't have terminal spider-man fanboy brain rot.
Then I played the demo.
I went from indifferent to a launch weekend buyer. The demo sold me based on the exhilarating combat and more serious tone. I played it like 5 times in the week leading up to the release. I even went back and beat the original game after playing this.
Resident Evil 4's remade story has such an infectious energy that completely consumed me for multiple playthroughs. What I love most about this remake when comparing it to the original is how different it is in so many areas. The original's story is a cheesy B movie through and through, with Leon's iconic one liners and over-the-top villains. While many might find the more serious tone as a betrayal of the original's intent, I really enjoy the restraint the enforced with those elements here. Leon is still an action hero in this game, with his impractical mid combat flips and the one liners being updated, but his story is much more emotionally resonant in this game compared to the original. They incorporated the story of RE2 much more into this remake and Leon's survivors guilt surrounding the Raccoon City outbreak provides much better background and higher personal stakes for him in his quest to save Ashley. I really felt his desperation as the story went on as his and Ashley's infections worsen. Speaking of Ashley, she is also much improved in the remake. She is much more likeable this time. Her and Leon have a great dynamic and this made me care much more about protecting her in the gameplay sections. However, the most improved character is easily Luis. Luis in the original game is not much of a character. He has a few cutscenes, some fun lines, and then he gets offed and is never mentioned again. The remake greatly expands upon his story. He gets much more screen-time and a whole extra chapter where he's with you the whole time. His new backstory and the actor's performance made him my favourite character in the game. While some of the original's iconic lines and dialogue are lost with the new story, I think the more complex characters more than make up for that. The more nuanced characters and acting make for a better story in my opinion.
Gameplay is also fantastic. They managed to take the original flow of combat and make it much more aggressive while maintaining the tension from the original. Leon is more mobile now, getting rid of the tank controls for a more modern system. To compensate for this enemies also get a speed boost, often sprinting and attacking more aggressively. To keep combat manageable, Capcom added a whole new method of defense, allowing Leon to parry with his combat knife. I think this was honestly a stroke of genius. For gameplay, it adds a new element of inventory management and makes combat more exciting, while storywise it shows Leon's much improved skills since RE2 and functions as a constant reminder of the people he thinks he failed in Raccoon City. One of the best iterations of the industry's recent obsession with parry mechanics.
I want to make quick mention of the soundtrack. I really love a good orchestral soundtrack and this game's boss themes are amazing. Just excellent work from everyone involved. Also the shooting range theme being a remix of the opening drive music goes incredibly hard.
Overall this is an amazing video game. Would have easily been my game of the year if I didn't have terminal spider-man fanboy brain rot.
2020
This game has pretty strong story and presentation. The game looks amazing, with pretty solid writing and voice acting and an extremely strong soundtrack, but I really wasn't a fan of the gameplay. Something about movement and gunplay always felt kind of unresponsive, like there was a half a second input delay or something of the sort. Enemy variety also left lots to be desired, with 90% of the enemies just being normal guys with guns and braindead AI. I also still experienced quite a few bugs that forced a reload or broke story immersion in key moments. As someone who has spent the majority of their time on consoles, I can also never forget the state this originally launched in on PS4 and Xbox One. Hope they learned their lessons the inevitable sequel because this game is full of unrealized potential and the sequel could land alongside New Vegas as an all time great RPG.
I can imagine for mech fans this game is a dream come true. The customization is truly next level. The story is pretty good too, and I was engaged enough with the gameplay to see all 3 endings through. My main complaint would be how easily the game falls into a repetitive groove once you find a good build. I don't like it as much as From's souls-likes, but this still is a really fun game and worth your time