FerrumCrow
BACKER
Replayed from – to: (2023-11-16 – 2023-11-20) – PC controller.
‣ 10/10 – The best souls-like rhythm game.
‣ Thoughts: Each time I remembered my time with Sekiro, I feared ever attempting the game again due to how difficult the experience was. I always felt like the way I beat the game first time around was cheap and cheesy and since then I always wanted to test my skills again. So, I did. And it is crazy how similar playing Sekiro is to riding a bike. What I mean by that is: once you’ve learned how to ride a bike, you will never have problems doing it again. Same can be said with Sekiro.
This game has a steep learning curve and is most probably the hardest From software game to master and enjoy. The boss fights are unforgiving and ask you to learn a lot before being fair. However, if you understand how to parry and that this is your only response to any attacks the game becomes as easy as it can be. Last time I beat Sekiro was 4 years ago, and I have never touched it again since today. And with that said, I beat every boss in the game in just under 17 hours and died about 30 times in total. Last time around, Saint Sword Isshin took me 5 hours alone and here I am first trying most feared and respected samurai cuties. What I’m trying to say is, if you understand the parry instructions and visual ques the game throws at you Sekiro becomes the easiest From software game in the list. I was genuinely surprised how forgiving the parry window and mikiri counter is. Half of the time I thought the game was blocking for me because it kept doing it without me even holding the block button.
Overall, we all know how beautiful and fun Sekiro is. And I am just happy to confirm my memories about how great the game is were still true. If you have never played this game, you might get your ass whopped but seeing your skill improve overtime to the point where Genishiro becomes an obstacle you remove in half a minute is very rewarding. It’s also the most narratively understandable experience which I respect highly and hope From software makes more one-off games like Sekiro.
‣ 10/10 – The best souls-like rhythm game.
‣ Thoughts: Each time I remembered my time with Sekiro, I feared ever attempting the game again due to how difficult the experience was. I always felt like the way I beat the game first time around was cheap and cheesy and since then I always wanted to test my skills again. So, I did. And it is crazy how similar playing Sekiro is to riding a bike. What I mean by that is: once you’ve learned how to ride a bike, you will never have problems doing it again. Same can be said with Sekiro.
This game has a steep learning curve and is most probably the hardest From software game to master and enjoy. The boss fights are unforgiving and ask you to learn a lot before being fair. However, if you understand how to parry and that this is your only response to any attacks the game becomes as easy as it can be. Last time I beat Sekiro was 4 years ago, and I have never touched it again since today. And with that said, I beat every boss in the game in just under 17 hours and died about 30 times in total. Last time around, Saint Sword Isshin took me 5 hours alone and here I am first trying most feared and respected samurai cuties. What I’m trying to say is, if you understand the parry instructions and visual ques the game throws at you Sekiro becomes the easiest From software game in the list. I was genuinely surprised how forgiving the parry window and mikiri counter is. Half of the time I thought the game was blocking for me because it kept doing it without me even holding the block button.
Overall, we all know how beautiful and fun Sekiro is. And I am just happy to confirm my memories about how great the game is were still true. If you have never played this game, you might get your ass whopped but seeing your skill improve overtime to the point where Genishiro becomes an obstacle you remove in half a minute is very rewarding. It’s also the most narratively understandable experience which I respect highly and hope From software makes more one-off games like Sekiro.
Played from – to: (2022-01-23 – 2022-03-03) – PC controller.
‣ 9/10 – Kasuga should go bald.
‣ Game Audio / Soundtrack - 10/10
‣ Graphics – 9/10
‣ Atmosphere – 10/10
‣ Main Story / Characters – 9/10
‣ Side Activities / Exploration – 10/10
‣ AI – 7/10
‣ Ragdolls / Physics – 7/10
‣ Movement – 8/10
‣ Voice acting – 10/10
‣ Combat – 9/10
‣ Final notes: After two very historic and interesting years I have come to the end of the main Yakuza franchise. With Yakuza 6 I said goodbye to Kiryu and now with this I say see you again to the entire franchise. Because I know this is not the end. We still have Judgement after all. Yakuza 7 at first was a very strange leap in direction for me. Not only was the gameplay dramatically different, but we got completely new and disconnected from the main story characters. It took me over 30 hours to finally start enjoying this game. I am so glad I stuck around, because in conclusion Yakuza: Like a Dragon is one of the best games in the franchise. The combat is extremely different and complex. There are tons of weapons and gear to collect, playstyles to try out and combinations of skills to find. What surprised me after 7 games was the writing. Everything said in dialogues made sense and felt real. There was never a moment where I wanted someone to speak differently then they did in a cutscene. The performance given is nothing but amazing, the characters are believable, and you can’t feel anything but love towards them by the end. Speaking more about gameplay I’d say the spawn rates for enemies can be unforgiving and annoying. There were multiple times where I defeated a group of enemies and then witnessed another pile of them spawn right before my eyes. Thankfully the game gives you auto battle options, however they are very unreliable due to somewhat bad AI. On top of that be ready to grind your balls off because you will need gear to easily progress and that will add more than 50 extra hours. What I’m trying to say is Yakuza is a time guzzler but everyone who’s familiar with the franchise knows that. Lastly, I just want to applaud the phenomenal soundtrack. Karaoke songs are great, and the battle music never stops to amaze me. Just when you think you heard all the tracks a new dubstep remix comes into play. All in all, the overwhelming number of times the writers kept reminding everyone that Yakuza is a video game, making even Kiryu speak as if he’s a dungeon guardian made me cringe, however that is exactly why Yakuza 7 is unique and amazing.
‣ 9/10 – Kasuga should go bald.
‣ Game Audio / Soundtrack - 10/10
‣ Graphics – 9/10
‣ Atmosphere – 10/10
‣ Main Story / Characters – 9/10
‣ Side Activities / Exploration – 10/10
‣ AI – 7/10
‣ Ragdolls / Physics – 7/10
‣ Movement – 8/10
‣ Voice acting – 10/10
‣ Combat – 9/10
‣ Final notes: After two very historic and interesting years I have come to the end of the main Yakuza franchise. With Yakuza 6 I said goodbye to Kiryu and now with this I say see you again to the entire franchise. Because I know this is not the end. We still have Judgement after all. Yakuza 7 at first was a very strange leap in direction for me. Not only was the gameplay dramatically different, but we got completely new and disconnected from the main story characters. It took me over 30 hours to finally start enjoying this game. I am so glad I stuck around, because in conclusion Yakuza: Like a Dragon is one of the best games in the franchise. The combat is extremely different and complex. There are tons of weapons and gear to collect, playstyles to try out and combinations of skills to find. What surprised me after 7 games was the writing. Everything said in dialogues made sense and felt real. There was never a moment where I wanted someone to speak differently then they did in a cutscene. The performance given is nothing but amazing, the characters are believable, and you can’t feel anything but love towards them by the end. Speaking more about gameplay I’d say the spawn rates for enemies can be unforgiving and annoying. There were multiple times where I defeated a group of enemies and then witnessed another pile of them spawn right before my eyes. Thankfully the game gives you auto battle options, however they are very unreliable due to somewhat bad AI. On top of that be ready to grind your balls off because you will need gear to easily progress and that will add more than 50 extra hours. What I’m trying to say is Yakuza is a time guzzler but everyone who’s familiar with the franchise knows that. Lastly, I just want to applaud the phenomenal soundtrack. Karaoke songs are great, and the battle music never stops to amaze me. Just when you think you heard all the tracks a new dubstep remix comes into play. All in all, the overwhelming number of times the writers kept reminding everyone that Yakuza is a video game, making even Kiryu speak as if he’s a dungeon guardian made me cringe, however that is exactly why Yakuza 7 is unique and amazing.
2023
Played from – to: (2023-09-18 – 2023-09-26) – PC keyboard.
‣ 9.5/10 – Lies of parries.
‣ Thoughts: Lies of P is an almost perfect replica of a soulsborne game. Some may argue that too much is being copied and done similarly in terms of gameplay, world design and other little caveats. However, to me Lies of P has stood on its own two feet and used the genre as a great way to tell an incredibly unique iteration of the Pinocchio story. I can’t really remember the last time a souls-like game made me think about what choices I make and how they will affect everyone around me. Choosing between telling the truth and lying is not as simple as it might seem and is a crucial part of the story and how it ends. In any case, Lies of P has its issues. Sometimes the game can be a little too difficult for some, but it gives you a brutal realization that the only way you can beat it is by learning each attack the enemy throws at you. Speaking of the enemies, the variety and design of them is great and I’ve never felt the fatigue of fighting the same looking cannon fodder. Some areas even remixed them and some created slight variations of what you’ve already fought. Secondly, the boss fights here are also well done, and most fights were both visually and gameplay wise impressive, however there were a few stinkers that had poorly telegraphed attacks and speed that left little to no room to react. Lastly, Lies of P like any other souls-like game suffers from bad camera perspectives. There were countless moments where I died simply because the enemy pressured me against a wall and blocked my vision, however I’ve noticed a few times where the camera did zoom out so I could see what is happening. So, I question why that system isn’t working when I’m being pounded next to a wall. Overall, Lies of P is a tremendous game and frankly a near perfect, unique souls-like experience, that eerily captures the vibe of FromSoftware games to the point where you must remind yourself this isn’t a FromSoftware made title. It has great weapons, unique combinations that you can make, important skill trees, great characters, and a fantastic original soundtrack. And we might even get a sequel.
‣ 9.5/10 – Lies of parries.
‣ Thoughts: Lies of P is an almost perfect replica of a soulsborne game. Some may argue that too much is being copied and done similarly in terms of gameplay, world design and other little caveats. However, to me Lies of P has stood on its own two feet and used the genre as a great way to tell an incredibly unique iteration of the Pinocchio story. I can’t really remember the last time a souls-like game made me think about what choices I make and how they will affect everyone around me. Choosing between telling the truth and lying is not as simple as it might seem and is a crucial part of the story and how it ends. In any case, Lies of P has its issues. Sometimes the game can be a little too difficult for some, but it gives you a brutal realization that the only way you can beat it is by learning each attack the enemy throws at you. Speaking of the enemies, the variety and design of them is great and I’ve never felt the fatigue of fighting the same looking cannon fodder. Some areas even remixed them and some created slight variations of what you’ve already fought. Secondly, the boss fights here are also well done, and most fights were both visually and gameplay wise impressive, however there were a few stinkers that had poorly telegraphed attacks and speed that left little to no room to react. Lastly, Lies of P like any other souls-like game suffers from bad camera perspectives. There were countless moments where I died simply because the enemy pressured me against a wall and blocked my vision, however I’ve noticed a few times where the camera did zoom out so I could see what is happening. So, I question why that system isn’t working when I’m being pounded next to a wall. Overall, Lies of P is a tremendous game and frankly a near perfect, unique souls-like experience, that eerily captures the vibe of FromSoftware games to the point where you must remind yourself this isn’t a FromSoftware made title. It has great weapons, unique combinations that you can make, important skill trees, great characters, and a fantastic original soundtrack. And we might even get a sequel.
2019
Played from – to: (2023-07-20 – 2023-08-02) – Nintendo Switch.
‣ 4/10 – Luigi is a muppet.
‣ Thoughts: I can’t believe how much I despised playing this game. On almost all levels this felt unbearable and I’m sure that’s all me and the type of games I enjoy. On a slightly positive note, each floor of the mansion that is not a mansion but a 15-floor hotel (why call the game Luigi’s mansion?) is unique. They all have their own themes and theme fitting boss fights and enemies. Sadly, the enemies don’t have any variety besides the clothes they wear and the boss fights gameplay wise are trash. I enjoyed the pianist fight, but everything afterwards became a mundane slog. This is because Luigi only has a few and very limiting responses when it comes to dealing with ghosts. He can suck, he can push, he can pull, and he can stun that is it. Every fight is figuring out the appropriate reaction to the boss and repeating it 4 to 5 times. This is absurd because some puzzle solutions are bizarre. Doctor twat glasses gives useless hints and when you do finally realize what has to be done the game forces you to do it multiple times with barely any variety. On top of that you must wait half a millennium for the boss ghost to stop flexing all its moves in the arsenal until you can attack again. I’m not saying the puzzles in this game are hard, but the way to solve them is just accidental at times, because of the god-awful controls. I could go on how the sewer level is one of the worst sections of any game I have ever played and how the perspective of the camera makes some items feel closer than they are making puzzles feel unsolvable without google and so on. However, I think it is pretty apparent I hate Luigi’s Mansion and I could give you hundreds of reasons why, but that does not mean the game is bad for some of you. To me this is a bloated, boring, and poorly put together melting shit pile that gives the player zero satisfaction upon completion and should not have been made.
‣ 4/10 – Luigi is a muppet.
‣ Thoughts: I can’t believe how much I despised playing this game. On almost all levels this felt unbearable and I’m sure that’s all me and the type of games I enjoy. On a slightly positive note, each floor of the mansion that is not a mansion but a 15-floor hotel (why call the game Luigi’s mansion?) is unique. They all have their own themes and theme fitting boss fights and enemies. Sadly, the enemies don’t have any variety besides the clothes they wear and the boss fights gameplay wise are trash. I enjoyed the pianist fight, but everything afterwards became a mundane slog. This is because Luigi only has a few and very limiting responses when it comes to dealing with ghosts. He can suck, he can push, he can pull, and he can stun that is it. Every fight is figuring out the appropriate reaction to the boss and repeating it 4 to 5 times. This is absurd because some puzzle solutions are bizarre. Doctor twat glasses gives useless hints and when you do finally realize what has to be done the game forces you to do it multiple times with barely any variety. On top of that you must wait half a millennium for the boss ghost to stop flexing all its moves in the arsenal until you can attack again. I’m not saying the puzzles in this game are hard, but the way to solve them is just accidental at times, because of the god-awful controls. I could go on how the sewer level is one of the worst sections of any game I have ever played and how the perspective of the camera makes some items feel closer than they are making puzzles feel unsolvable without google and so on. However, I think it is pretty apparent I hate Luigi’s Mansion and I could give you hundreds of reasons why, but that does not mean the game is bad for some of you. To me this is a bloated, boring, and poorly put together melting shit pile that gives the player zero satisfaction upon completion and should not have been made.
Played from – to: (2020-10-06 – 2020-10-14)
‣ 7/10 – Shorter but as good as the 1st.
‣ Game Audio / Soundtrack - 8/10
‣ Graphics – 7/10
‣ Atmosphere – 8/10
‣ Main Story / Characters – 9/10
‣ Side Activities / Exploration – 7/10
‣ AI – 5/10
‣ Movement – 6/10
‣ Voice acting – 10/10
‣ Combat – 8/10
‣ Final notes: Warcraft: Frozen throne continues the story of Warcraft: Reign of Chaos. The story picks off just right after the first game ends. Even though the game it-self is shorter it does a great job of making the shorter campaign denser and more detailed. Missions are very unique and creative, there are plenty of new monsters to fights, units to summon and use. New game mechanics are also very enjoyable. Even at times giving you control of 2 or more bases to manage. Overall, this game is a great example of quality over quantity. Great character arc continuations, great and enjoyable story moments and well executed mission design just make this game fun as hell.
‣ 7/10 – Shorter but as good as the 1st.
‣ Game Audio / Soundtrack - 8/10
‣ Graphics – 7/10
‣ Atmosphere – 8/10
‣ Main Story / Characters – 9/10
‣ Side Activities / Exploration – 7/10
‣ AI – 5/10
‣ Movement – 6/10
‣ Voice acting – 10/10
‣ Combat – 8/10
‣ Final notes: Warcraft: Frozen throne continues the story of Warcraft: Reign of Chaos. The story picks off just right after the first game ends. Even though the game it-self is shorter it does a great job of making the shorter campaign denser and more detailed. Missions are very unique and creative, there are plenty of new monsters to fights, units to summon and use. New game mechanics are also very enjoyable. Even at times giving you control of 2 or more bases to manage. Overall, this game is a great example of quality over quantity. Great character arc continuations, great and enjoyable story moments and well executed mission design just make this game fun as hell.
2024
‣ 9/10 – They took John’s pan away ;(
‣ Thoughts: I think Stardew Valley has permanently ruined how I approach cozy, farming games like this DLC. For just 5$ Eastward becomes a totally different game, that prioritizes relaxation and chill vibes. But that is not how I approached this expansion.
The game begins with an alternative version of John and Sam settling in an abandoned theme park with run down buildings. Your task is to put it all back together with the help of characters from the main game. There is no combat and serious stakes. It is all about cooking delicious looking meals, gathering ingredients, fishing, foraging, and helping out with various construction projects. Obviously, the biggest part of this DLC is farming. That is your main source of income and most ingredients. It is simple and quick to do and it is totally fine.
Everything starts out rather slowly and it takes a few good hours for you to start seeing progress. At times I felt like it was perhaps too slow, but that is undoubtedly because I played this expansion like Stardew Valley. Meaning, I tried to maximize my profits and work load every day, instead of just taking my time and relaxing like it is intended. It got so bad that I had to skip 20 days for the games story to catch up and roll credits. Of course, that is completely my fault, and I should’ve just slowed down, but that did not ruin the experience for me. It just simply made it feel sluggish at times.
Overall, it is incredible how different Octopia feels to the main game, and I think that was the point. It seems like the developers wanted to make a spin-off farming game, using assets from Eastward, but the scope was small enough to be an expansion. I truly wonder if we will ever see Eastward 2 or a full farming game like this, because they know exactly what makes these type of games so addictive.
‣ Thoughts: I think Stardew Valley has permanently ruined how I approach cozy, farming games like this DLC. For just 5$ Eastward becomes a totally different game, that prioritizes relaxation and chill vibes. But that is not how I approached this expansion.
The game begins with an alternative version of John and Sam settling in an abandoned theme park with run down buildings. Your task is to put it all back together with the help of characters from the main game. There is no combat and serious stakes. It is all about cooking delicious looking meals, gathering ingredients, fishing, foraging, and helping out with various construction projects. Obviously, the biggest part of this DLC is farming. That is your main source of income and most ingredients. It is simple and quick to do and it is totally fine.
Everything starts out rather slowly and it takes a few good hours for you to start seeing progress. At times I felt like it was perhaps too slow, but that is undoubtedly because I played this expansion like Stardew Valley. Meaning, I tried to maximize my profits and work load every day, instead of just taking my time and relaxing like it is intended. It got so bad that I had to skip 20 days for the games story to catch up and roll credits. Of course, that is completely my fault, and I should’ve just slowed down, but that did not ruin the experience for me. It just simply made it feel sluggish at times.
Overall, it is incredible how different Octopia feels to the main game, and I think that was the point. It seems like the developers wanted to make a spin-off farming game, using assets from Eastward, but the scope was small enough to be an expansion. I truly wonder if we will ever see Eastward 2 or a full farming game like this, because they know exactly what makes these type of games so addictive.
2020
Played from – to: (2023-12-23 – 2023-12-24) – PC controller.
‣ 3/10 – SnowRunners? More like SnowStuckers.
‣ Thoughts: This might be the worst driving simulator game I’ve ever played. At first it was a pretty interesting concept and a genuinely fun time, but the more I tried to play the game the less I could. The only reason why I stuck around for 6 hours was because of a friend that trucked along.
The whole grand idea of SnowRunners is driving a truck through difficult terrains and fixing up roads to make other missions easier. The thing is you can’t really drive through anything without getting stuck on everything. You start off with a limited amount of cash and can only afford a shitty first vehicle to work with. The problem is that truck is too bad and can’t drive anywhere that isn’t pure, perfect asphalt. And guess what, all those roads are closed off, and the game forces you to use mud filled shitty roads. It is absolutely insane how unfair and time-consuming the roads you are forced to use are.
I don’t really have anything positive to say about SnowRunners. It has interesting ideas but all of them are executed poorly and that is reinforced with a misleading tutorial. Thankfully this pile of shit was on Xbox game pass, and I only wasted my time.
‣ 3/10 – SnowRunners? More like SnowStuckers.
‣ Thoughts: This might be the worst driving simulator game I’ve ever played. At first it was a pretty interesting concept and a genuinely fun time, but the more I tried to play the game the less I could. The only reason why I stuck around for 6 hours was because of a friend that trucked along.
The whole grand idea of SnowRunners is driving a truck through difficult terrains and fixing up roads to make other missions easier. The thing is you can’t really drive through anything without getting stuck on everything. You start off with a limited amount of cash and can only afford a shitty first vehicle to work with. The problem is that truck is too bad and can’t drive anywhere that isn’t pure, perfect asphalt. And guess what, all those roads are closed off, and the game forces you to use mud filled shitty roads. It is absolutely insane how unfair and time-consuming the roads you are forced to use are.
I don’t really have anything positive to say about SnowRunners. It has interesting ideas but all of them are executed poorly and that is reinforced with a misleading tutorial. Thankfully this pile of shit was on Xbox game pass, and I only wasted my time.
Played from – to: (2023-10-01 – 2023-10-07) – PC keyboard.
‣ 8/10 – A cozy sequel.
‣ Thoughts: Coffee Talk Episode 2 is a chunky sequel that introduces new drinks, gameplay iterations and characters. The whole experience felt almost identical to the first game, however, I enjoyed it more for a few reasons. Firstly, having the context of most character backgrounds in mind made the conversations feel even more interesting and fulfilling. Seeing their stories conclude gave me more satisfaction than the first game did even if the stories themselves were in ways more basic then before. Mixing up flashy and colorful new drinks made me only wish the cups that I served reflected that, because they were truly beautiful and fancy. Sadly, visually the game barely changed. Besides that, I really enjoyed the added burden of items that I must give to specific customers on specific days to achieve the best endings. That added extra pressure but was a very welcome addition to what I would call very basic gameplay mechanics. All in all, the game mixes things up just enough to feel like a sequel and kept me interested the whole way. I must admit I did not expect the entire journey to take twice as long as the first episode did, but it was a good addition. If anything, I’m left with many questions on the lore of the coffee shop itself and the barista that we play as and can’t wait to see where the story goes on its 3rd episode if that ever comes out. P.S The Darkside Detective easter egg was cute.
‣ 8/10 – A cozy sequel.
‣ Thoughts: Coffee Talk Episode 2 is a chunky sequel that introduces new drinks, gameplay iterations and characters. The whole experience felt almost identical to the first game, however, I enjoyed it more for a few reasons. Firstly, having the context of most character backgrounds in mind made the conversations feel even more interesting and fulfilling. Seeing their stories conclude gave me more satisfaction than the first game did even if the stories themselves were in ways more basic then before. Mixing up flashy and colorful new drinks made me only wish the cups that I served reflected that, because they were truly beautiful and fancy. Sadly, visually the game barely changed. Besides that, I really enjoyed the added burden of items that I must give to specific customers on specific days to achieve the best endings. That added extra pressure but was a very welcome addition to what I would call very basic gameplay mechanics. All in all, the game mixes things up just enough to feel like a sequel and kept me interested the whole way. I must admit I did not expect the entire journey to take twice as long as the first episode did, but it was a good addition. If anything, I’m left with many questions on the lore of the coffee shop itself and the barista that we play as and can’t wait to see where the story goes on its 3rd episode if that ever comes out. P.S The Darkside Detective easter egg was cute.
Played from – to: (2021-11-09 – 2021-11-14) - Beaten on PC via keyboard.
‣ 10/10 – Would you kindly play this?
‣ Final notes: Burial at Sea does everything I wanted BioShock Infinite to do. It revisits Rapture and expands BioShock 1’s story giving you more context and information how everything got this bad. You also see characters do things you only heard them do through audio logs. This extra content also expands on combat mechanics the way I expected it to expand and be in the base game. You can now hold more than two weapons and you have a convenient weapon wheel to cycle through. There are new plasmids and weapons introduced making combat even more fun. Additionally, now you can utilize stealth and enemies have detection indication. I loved that you get to play both as Elizabeth and Booker and that they have different play styles. Booker is a chunky aggressive soldier with tons of weapons and Elizabeth is sneakier and more harmless assassin that can only kill certain enemies and must distract or stun others. I really liked how different, expanded, and unique Elizabeth’s play style was. I can also understand why all these cool and fun gameplay mechanics were only introduced in the DLC because if they were in the main game Burial at Sea would not be so unique and fun. Overall, this expansion is fantastic, not only is it lengthy but it has a great story, fantastic gameplay innovations and mind-blowing atmospheric detail. Honestly, I can’t see how they could make a better BioShock game after this, because this is the peek.
‣ 10/10 – Would you kindly play this?
‣ Final notes: Burial at Sea does everything I wanted BioShock Infinite to do. It revisits Rapture and expands BioShock 1’s story giving you more context and information how everything got this bad. You also see characters do things you only heard them do through audio logs. This extra content also expands on combat mechanics the way I expected it to expand and be in the base game. You can now hold more than two weapons and you have a convenient weapon wheel to cycle through. There are new plasmids and weapons introduced making combat even more fun. Additionally, now you can utilize stealth and enemies have detection indication. I loved that you get to play both as Elizabeth and Booker and that they have different play styles. Booker is a chunky aggressive soldier with tons of weapons and Elizabeth is sneakier and more harmless assassin that can only kill certain enemies and must distract or stun others. I really liked how different, expanded, and unique Elizabeth’s play style was. I can also understand why all these cool and fun gameplay mechanics were only introduced in the DLC because if they were in the main game Burial at Sea would not be so unique and fun. Overall, this expansion is fantastic, not only is it lengthy but it has a great story, fantastic gameplay innovations and mind-blowing atmospheric detail. Honestly, I can’t see how they could make a better BioShock game after this, because this is the peek.
2017
Played from – to: (2020-08-15 – 2020-08-20)
‣ 9/10 – A great horror indie game.
‣ Game Audio / Soundtrack - 10/10
‣ Graphics – 10/10
‣ Atmosphere – 10/10
‣ Main Story / Characters – 8/10
‣ Side Activities / Exploration – 10/10
‣ AI – 8/10
‣ Ragdolls / Physics – 8/10
‣ Movement – 8/10
‣ Combat – 7/10
‣ Final notes: Darkwood is a great, creepy and mysterious indie game. It has a great dark and unbelievable world and story. Great and enjoyable characters, easy but hard to master combat, fun inventory management and very enjoyable scavenging mechanics. Every night in this game is a desperate fight for survival, you are always forced to think what is the best action to take against the rising problems.The clock is always ticking forcing you to be as efficient in exploration as you can be. Loot is always useful and you must make hard decisions what you should keep and discard. There is always something happening and slowly but surely you unravel the mystery of the woods and how you ended up in them. To finish this game offers a great variety of horrifying monsters to fight and locations to explore. If you like survival games you must absolutely try Darkwood.
‣ 9/10 – A great horror indie game.
‣ Game Audio / Soundtrack - 10/10
‣ Graphics – 10/10
‣ Atmosphere – 10/10
‣ Main Story / Characters – 8/10
‣ Side Activities / Exploration – 10/10
‣ AI – 8/10
‣ Ragdolls / Physics – 8/10
‣ Movement – 8/10
‣ Combat – 7/10
‣ Final notes: Darkwood is a great, creepy and mysterious indie game. It has a great dark and unbelievable world and story. Great and enjoyable characters, easy but hard to master combat, fun inventory management and very enjoyable scavenging mechanics. Every night in this game is a desperate fight for survival, you are always forced to think what is the best action to take against the rising problems.The clock is always ticking forcing you to be as efficient in exploration as you can be. Loot is always useful and you must make hard decisions what you should keep and discard. There is always something happening and slowly but surely you unravel the mystery of the woods and how you ended up in them. To finish this game offers a great variety of horrifying monsters to fight and locations to explore. If you like survival games you must absolutely try Darkwood.
2020
Played from – to: (2023-09-28 – 2023-10-01) – PC keyboard.
‣ 7/10 – The perfect game for fall.
‣ Thoughts: Gameplay wise Coffee Talk doesn’t offer much, because it’s basically a visual novel and that is totally fine. Here the cozy vibes are immaculate, and it was the perfect game to play half-way through the fall. This is exactly the type of game you should play if you feel burned out or want to completely move away from the constant genres of games you play. I recently played Lies of P, and this was the perfect pit stop to recharge my gaming battery. All you do is sit down and listen to characters talk and occasionally make them their preferred coffee brews. It’s essentially perfect. With that said, I found the story and characters rather stereotypical. Most of their life stories were something I’ve heard multiple times, but I will admit it was still intriguing. I’ve also noticed there’s a sequel so perhaps this games cut off is intentional and I’m going to find out soon enough. Overall, Coffee Talk is a great game to reset your brain from any types of gaming fatigues you might feel.
‣ 7/10 – The perfect game for fall.
‣ Thoughts: Gameplay wise Coffee Talk doesn’t offer much, because it’s basically a visual novel and that is totally fine. Here the cozy vibes are immaculate, and it was the perfect game to play half-way through the fall. This is exactly the type of game you should play if you feel burned out or want to completely move away from the constant genres of games you play. I recently played Lies of P, and this was the perfect pit stop to recharge my gaming battery. All you do is sit down and listen to characters talk and occasionally make them their preferred coffee brews. It’s essentially perfect. With that said, I found the story and characters rather stereotypical. Most of their life stories were something I’ve heard multiple times, but I will admit it was still intriguing. I’ve also noticed there’s a sequel so perhaps this games cut off is intentional and I’m going to find out soon enough. Overall, Coffee Talk is a great game to reset your brain from any types of gaming fatigues you might feel.
2021
Played from – to: (2023-10-03 – 2023-10-10) – PC keyboard.
‣ 6/10 – Alan did not wake up.
‣ Thoughts: This must be one of the goofiest games I have played in recent memory. I did this only to have enough context so that I could enjoy Alan Wake 2 since that felt right up my ally. However, I constantly found myself pushing through the chapters just to finish the game rather than enjoying the overall experience. I feel like Alan Wake suffers from huge pacing issues and was frankly way too long. I respect the effort the developers took to craft each section of the game but by the end I was just tired. Most combat encounters were repetitive and happened too often. Secondly the combat itself was quite clunky and slow. Alan constantly wobbles his frail body making some dodges impossible and the constant slow downs indicating where the enemy is are sometimes so unnecessary you just take unavoidable damage. Then there’s the awkward movement and physics. This must be the first game where I had to fight barrels, boxes, and fucking bulldozers. At first it seemed like a fun idea, but by the end I got sick of getting my ass whopped by flying debris that I can’t destroy in time and properly dodge due to the awkward movement system. All in all, I found Alan Wake a tedious and very flawed game that had a lot of cool ideas but executed most of them poorly. The voice acting was at times embarrassing and the story kept being held back by bland and repetitive combat encounters. And yet, I felt compelled to finish this mess.
‣ 6/10 – Alan did not wake up.
‣ Thoughts: This must be one of the goofiest games I have played in recent memory. I did this only to have enough context so that I could enjoy Alan Wake 2 since that felt right up my ally. However, I constantly found myself pushing through the chapters just to finish the game rather than enjoying the overall experience. I feel like Alan Wake suffers from huge pacing issues and was frankly way too long. I respect the effort the developers took to craft each section of the game but by the end I was just tired. Most combat encounters were repetitive and happened too often. Secondly the combat itself was quite clunky and slow. Alan constantly wobbles his frail body making some dodges impossible and the constant slow downs indicating where the enemy is are sometimes so unnecessary you just take unavoidable damage. Then there’s the awkward movement and physics. This must be the first game where I had to fight barrels, boxes, and fucking bulldozers. At first it seemed like a fun idea, but by the end I got sick of getting my ass whopped by flying debris that I can’t destroy in time and properly dodge due to the awkward movement system. All in all, I found Alan Wake a tedious and very flawed game that had a lot of cool ideas but executed most of them poorly. The voice acting was at times embarrassing and the story kept being held back by bland and repetitive combat encounters. And yet, I felt compelled to finish this mess.
2018
Played from – to: (2023-09-06 – 2023-09-08) – PC controller.
‣ 3/10 – I saw no moons get lit.
‣ Thoughts: The idea of Moonlighter is slick and combines two pretty fun gameplay mechanics. On one side you manage a store, selling goods and managing what you sell and how much of it you keep for yourself and so on. Secondly, you fight to the death to restock that store and upgrade your character. These ideas sound fun but are poorly executed in the game itself. The dungeons play a lot like Binding of Isaac just without the good enemy variations and items to use. All you have is a weapon or two and fight the same 5 enemies. Granted I didn’t even get past the first dungeon but from what I saw it is very repetitive and dull. The two first chapters of the dungeon have the same exact golem bosses and barely vary. The fact that items have debuffs that effect in which slot you can have them, and in which stack you can hold the same item is bizarre and just makes the gameplay loop an even bigger grind. Figuring out how much an item should cost before you put it up for sale is also a hassle and forces you to sit in menus for days. Moonlighter failed to interest me in the two hours I gave it and that might be just me being impatient. But why should I bother giving this game more time if it sucked from the moment, I loaded it up? Overall, this game has decent ideas but fails to execute every single one of them. The combat is stiff and slow, the enemies barely have any variety or interesting attacks and the blend between Binding of Isaac and Enter the Gungeon just fails to work.
‣ 3/10 – I saw no moons get lit.
‣ Thoughts: The idea of Moonlighter is slick and combines two pretty fun gameplay mechanics. On one side you manage a store, selling goods and managing what you sell and how much of it you keep for yourself and so on. Secondly, you fight to the death to restock that store and upgrade your character. These ideas sound fun but are poorly executed in the game itself. The dungeons play a lot like Binding of Isaac just without the good enemy variations and items to use. All you have is a weapon or two and fight the same 5 enemies. Granted I didn’t even get past the first dungeon but from what I saw it is very repetitive and dull. The two first chapters of the dungeon have the same exact golem bosses and barely vary. The fact that items have debuffs that effect in which slot you can have them, and in which stack you can hold the same item is bizarre and just makes the gameplay loop an even bigger grind. Figuring out how much an item should cost before you put it up for sale is also a hassle and forces you to sit in menus for days. Moonlighter failed to interest me in the two hours I gave it and that might be just me being impatient. But why should I bother giving this game more time if it sucked from the moment, I loaded it up? Overall, this game has decent ideas but fails to execute every single one of them. The combat is stiff and slow, the enemies barely have any variety or interesting attacks and the blend between Binding of Isaac and Enter the Gungeon just fails to work.
Played from – to: (2020-09-27 – 2020-10-06)
‣ 7/10 – Great RTS please play it.
‣ Game Audio / Soundtrack - 8/10
‣ Graphics – 7/10
‣ Atmosphere – 8/10
‣ Main Story / Characters – 8/10
‣ Side Activities / Exploration – 7/10
‣ AI – 7/10
‣ Ragdolls / Physics – 5/10
‣ Movement – 6/10
‣ Voice acting – 8/10
‣ Combat – 9/10
‣ Final notes: Why would you avoid this masterpiece of RTS. Truly Warcraft 3 is great, I loved its silly old graphics, outdated AI, and combat. The story is also really good, the characters are very enjoyable and overall, it is quite lengthy. Sure, there are some glitches and problems, but this version is way better than the recent remaster of the game. If you never played this game, but like RTS type games then what are you doing?
‣ 7/10 – Great RTS please play it.
‣ Game Audio / Soundtrack - 8/10
‣ Graphics – 7/10
‣ Atmosphere – 8/10
‣ Main Story / Characters – 8/10
‣ Side Activities / Exploration – 7/10
‣ AI – 7/10
‣ Ragdolls / Physics – 5/10
‣ Movement – 6/10
‣ Voice acting – 8/10
‣ Combat – 9/10
‣ Final notes: Why would you avoid this masterpiece of RTS. Truly Warcraft 3 is great, I loved its silly old graphics, outdated AI, and combat. The story is also really good, the characters are very enjoyable and overall, it is quite lengthy. Sure, there are some glitches and problems, but this version is way better than the recent remaster of the game. If you never played this game, but like RTS type games then what are you doing?
2013
Played from – to: (2020-06-05 –2020-06-08)
‣ 7/10 – LC got destroyed mate.
‣ Game Audio / Soundtrack - 7/10
‣ Graphics – 8/10
‣ Atmosphere – 8/10
‣ Main Story / Characters – 7/10
‣ Side Activities / Exploration – 8/10
‣ AI – 8/10
‣ Ragdolls / Physics – 8/10
‣ Movement – 7/10
‣ Voice acting – 7/10
‣ Combat – 7/10
‣ Final notes: I think the game developers had some sort of a fetish for LC getting absolutely destroyed, I mean the sheer number of times she gets slammed to the ground is insane. How does anyone survive so many falls is beyond human comprehension. I think Lara Croft is a tank not a woman. Overall Tomb Raider is a good game and I’d consider this to be the first game you should play if you are planning to play all the others. It has a great balance between climbing, exploring and fighting. The characters felt underdeveloped and of course the ones that die are the ones that were the best. I feel like the first few running episodes were good but then it just gets repeated and recycled. The combat is good enough to keep you engaged. Overall if you like Uncharted games or brainless climbing and just want to enjoy an explosive game then you should definitely try this one.
‣ 7/10 – LC got destroyed mate.
‣ Game Audio / Soundtrack - 7/10
‣ Graphics – 8/10
‣ Atmosphere – 8/10
‣ Main Story / Characters – 7/10
‣ Side Activities / Exploration – 8/10
‣ AI – 8/10
‣ Ragdolls / Physics – 8/10
‣ Movement – 7/10
‣ Voice acting – 7/10
‣ Combat – 7/10
‣ Final notes: I think the game developers had some sort of a fetish for LC getting absolutely destroyed, I mean the sheer number of times she gets slammed to the ground is insane. How does anyone survive so many falls is beyond human comprehension. I think Lara Croft is a tank not a woman. Overall Tomb Raider is a good game and I’d consider this to be the first game you should play if you are planning to play all the others. It has a great balance between climbing, exploring and fighting. The characters felt underdeveloped and of course the ones that die are the ones that were the best. I feel like the first few running episodes were good but then it just gets repeated and recycled. The combat is good enough to keep you engaged. Overall if you like Uncharted games or brainless climbing and just want to enjoy an explosive game then you should definitely try this one.