FerrumCrow
BACKER
Played from – to: (2023-12-21 – 2023-12-21) – PC keyboard.
‣ 4/10 – What was the point of the clown?
‣ Thoughts: I do enjoy Chilla’s Art games no matter how good or bad they are for example ,,Night Security” which was horrible but still a laugh. However, I think the developers need to slow down, gather their ideas, take the time, accumulated resources, and make something of higher quality both in storytelling and gameplay.
The Kidnap is not their worst game, I’d say it is one of the better ones, but that does not make it good. The story is sadly generic, the characters are predictable and one-dimensional. There is basically no suspense. All the intense scenes and jump scares come off as cheesy and lazy. Small gameplay sections are just conversations and provide no fun at all. Previous games had you playing basketball, singing karaoke, and interacting with other small games, but here even a video-game game mode is lazy and just a waste of time.
In conclusion, I think YouTubers are overhyping these games too much just because of their title. The developers should be encouraged to take their time and stop pumping these half-assed games out. 4-5 games a year is not a healthy thing. Quality over quantity…
‣ 4/10 – What was the point of the clown?
‣ Thoughts: I do enjoy Chilla’s Art games no matter how good or bad they are for example ,,Night Security” which was horrible but still a laugh. However, I think the developers need to slow down, gather their ideas, take the time, accumulated resources, and make something of higher quality both in storytelling and gameplay.
The Kidnap is not their worst game, I’d say it is one of the better ones, but that does not make it good. The story is sadly generic, the characters are predictable and one-dimensional. There is basically no suspense. All the intense scenes and jump scares come off as cheesy and lazy. Small gameplay sections are just conversations and provide no fun at all. Previous games had you playing basketball, singing karaoke, and interacting with other small games, but here even a video-game game mode is lazy and just a waste of time.
In conclusion, I think YouTubers are overhyping these games too much just because of their title. The developers should be encouraged to take their time and stop pumping these half-assed games out. 4-5 games a year is not a healthy thing. Quality over quantity…
2023
I can see why people like it, but personally just found it boring. Not my cup a tea per say.
Played from – to: (2023-12-14 – 2023-12-20) – PS5.
‣ 10/10 – Better than Assassin’s Creed Valhalla.
‣ Thoughts: This is one more reason why God of War Ragnarök is in my top 20. They really just dropped a free 6–8-hour gameplay/story expansion like that? I would’ve easily paid 15$ for this at the very least because this is great.
Without going into spoilers Valhalla expands the story of Kratos after Ragnarök and wraps up his decisions that he’d been contemplating throughout the game. It also introduces new gameplay loops and tools to play around with. It is incredibly difficult to explain what you get in this DLC without spoiling it, but I can tell you to play this at your earliest convenience. If you brushed this off as some sort of small gameplay addition with rouge like elements, you are highly mistaken. All I can say is that this blew my expectations out the window immediately and kept me engaged until the credits rolled. I applaud the developers for the continued love and effort they poured into this fantastic game, what an ending to a fantastic story.
‣ 10/10 – Better than Assassin’s Creed Valhalla.
‣ Thoughts: This is one more reason why God of War Ragnarök is in my top 20. They really just dropped a free 6–8-hour gameplay/story expansion like that? I would’ve easily paid 15$ for this at the very least because this is great.
Without going into spoilers Valhalla expands the story of Kratos after Ragnarök and wraps up his decisions that he’d been contemplating throughout the game. It also introduces new gameplay loops and tools to play around with. It is incredibly difficult to explain what you get in this DLC without spoiling it, but I can tell you to play this at your earliest convenience. If you brushed this off as some sort of small gameplay addition with rouge like elements, you are highly mistaken. All I can say is that this blew my expectations out the window immediately and kept me engaged until the credits rolled. I applaud the developers for the continued love and effort they poured into this fantastic game, what an ending to a fantastic story.
2017
Replayed from – to: (2023-12-14 – 2023-12-15) – PC keyboard.
‣ 9/10 – No sacrifice too great
‣ Thoughts: Don’t freak out about the high rating this is a strict campaign review. And boy does this campaign slap. I did not expect this to be as fun as it was especially with my hazy memory since this came out 6 years ago and that was the first time, I ever played Call of Duty: WWII.
Right off the bat in comparison WWII is a huge improvement over World at War but it does not nail every aspect. The soundtrack is quite forgettable and barely stands out which isn’t a problem but does make some incredible moments fall flat. On the other hand, the sound design is fantastic. Most guns, explosions, ambient noises are very realistic, and shooting has that perfect punchiness. The gunplay and overall mission variety is fun and mixed up enough to keep you engaged. The tank, plane and car missions are a bit stupid but were a surprising change of pace. Slight optional choices and stealth are neat additions but do sometimes interfere with the overall pace of the campaign.
No doubt the biggest wow factor comes from the beautiful visuals and cinematics that at times feel like movies and immerse you in every mission you take up. What this campaign fails to achieve however, is that memorable spectacle and scale. I’m not saying there are no memorable moments, but in comparison to World at War most missions are just shootouts in cities, bridges, or forests. None really stand out as big scale frontline skirmishes and are more personal little adventures.
With that said, I still think WWII is a very good campaign that gives you a lot of options when it comes to killing nazis. But it fails to stand out as a memorable banger in the entire franchise especially when you end it with a somber and questionable epilogue that could’ve just been a single big cutscene. Most missions are fun and require caution but when the ending is a simple fight on a bridge you’re clearly running out of ideas. I think this could’ve been a massive game if you had the opportunity to play with more factions than just the US platoon.
‣ 9/10 – No sacrifice too great
‣ Thoughts: Don’t freak out about the high rating this is a strict campaign review. And boy does this campaign slap. I did not expect this to be as fun as it was especially with my hazy memory since this came out 6 years ago and that was the first time, I ever played Call of Duty: WWII.
Right off the bat in comparison WWII is a huge improvement over World at War but it does not nail every aspect. The soundtrack is quite forgettable and barely stands out which isn’t a problem but does make some incredible moments fall flat. On the other hand, the sound design is fantastic. Most guns, explosions, ambient noises are very realistic, and shooting has that perfect punchiness. The gunplay and overall mission variety is fun and mixed up enough to keep you engaged. The tank, plane and car missions are a bit stupid but were a surprising change of pace. Slight optional choices and stealth are neat additions but do sometimes interfere with the overall pace of the campaign.
No doubt the biggest wow factor comes from the beautiful visuals and cinematics that at times feel like movies and immerse you in every mission you take up. What this campaign fails to achieve however, is that memorable spectacle and scale. I’m not saying there are no memorable moments, but in comparison to World at War most missions are just shootouts in cities, bridges, or forests. None really stand out as big scale frontline skirmishes and are more personal little adventures.
With that said, I still think WWII is a very good campaign that gives you a lot of options when it comes to killing nazis. But it fails to stand out as a memorable banger in the entire franchise especially when you end it with a somber and questionable epilogue that could’ve just been a single big cutscene. Most missions are fun and require caution but when the ending is a simple fight on a bridge you’re clearly running out of ideas. I think this could’ve been a massive game if you had the opportunity to play with more factions than just the US platoon.
Replayed from – to: (2023-12-12 – 2023-12-13) – PC keyboard.
‣ 8/10 – Back when CoD was great.
‣ Thoughts: Call of Duty World at War was the COD I grew up with. To me this was the most memorable campaign and the one I felt most nostalgic for. So, after watching a world war documentary on Netflix I decided to revisit this game and see if it still holds up.
To nobody’s surprise World at War is still a great game that has a strong and fascinating campaign. You could argue that most components are outdated and feel simplistic but for a 2008 game this is incredible. The atmosphere, the sound design, the background music all fit so well to create this eerie dramatic scary war setting. I can now see why the zombies game mode made me shit myself. My only real complaint is the extreme screen shaking and bullet flinching. At times it is impossible to stay out in the open and fight back after taking a few hits, because you simply can't aim properly. It is an absurd mechanic in my opinion.
In any case, I am glad to have revisited this game. Back then times were simple and so were the games. Nothing wrong with simple games and simple stories. Sometimes they are the most memorable ones. URA!
‣ 8/10 – Back when CoD was great.
‣ Thoughts: Call of Duty World at War was the COD I grew up with. To me this was the most memorable campaign and the one I felt most nostalgic for. So, after watching a world war documentary on Netflix I decided to revisit this game and see if it still holds up.
To nobody’s surprise World at War is still a great game that has a strong and fascinating campaign. You could argue that most components are outdated and feel simplistic but for a 2008 game this is incredible. The atmosphere, the sound design, the background music all fit so well to create this eerie dramatic scary war setting. I can now see why the zombies game mode made me shit myself. My only real complaint is the extreme screen shaking and bullet flinching. At times it is impossible to stay out in the open and fight back after taking a few hits, because you simply can't aim properly. It is an absurd mechanic in my opinion.
In any case, I am glad to have revisited this game. Back then times were simple and so were the games. Nothing wrong with simple games and simple stories. Sometimes they are the most memorable ones. URA!
2022
Played from – to: (2023-11-29 – 2023-12-08) – PC keyboard.
‣ 8.5/10 – Even credits are a mini-game.
‣ Thoughts: This was a game that just kept on giving. Almost every two or so hours Dave the Diver introduced a new way to do something or strive for. It was a great way to keep me engaged and excited to explore every nook and cranny. I had a lot of fun slowly building up my restaurant and expanding my business, but I do admit that at times this felt repetitive and exhausting.
I know it sounds crazy to call a game that keeps evolving its gameplay exhausting but I feel like that is a trick these developers pull on you to keep you grinding. This was a great game, but at times it felt like a mobile game where your objective is to do the same shit repeatedly to get a better score. The first 10 hours felt unique and great, but the longer I played the more repetitive and tiresome some of the dives became. The variety in fish and loot to gather is incredible, however at the end of my journey I found myself enjoying the quick but heavily rewarding bar section more than being in the ocean. For a game where you spend 80% being in the ocean this sounds like a huge L, but I think I pushed myself into this corner by treating every dive as a must: gathering as much as I can, never ignoring items for an objective and always spending as much time as I could. I did enjoy most of them to some extent, but the sluggish movement and awkward combat sections just reinforced my exhaustion and pushed me more towards skipping dives.
Besides the core gameplay that was truly creatively evolved throughout my playthrough I would like to gush about the art style and the soundtracks. They are both incredible and enhanced my entertainment tenfold. For a pixel art game, the developers have managed to create something so fluid and smooth I just can’t wrap my mind around how it is even possible. The cutscenes are creative, funny, and just never disappointing. Watching people ascend into godhood after tasting Bancho’s sushi was amazing and a treat. Lastly it is impressive how well the soundtracks are tuned to the locations you explore. Every song fits the atmosphere perfectly and they did a great job.
I think Dave the Diver is a very fun experience with loads of variety and fun gameplay iterations and it works together really well. I enjoyed my experience with this game, but I do think the longer you play, the more of that magic gets lost in the grind. So, I would recommend taking your time but not overstaying your welcome with this one.
‣ 8.5/10 – Even credits are a mini-game.
‣ Thoughts: This was a game that just kept on giving. Almost every two or so hours Dave the Diver introduced a new way to do something or strive for. It was a great way to keep me engaged and excited to explore every nook and cranny. I had a lot of fun slowly building up my restaurant and expanding my business, but I do admit that at times this felt repetitive and exhausting.
I know it sounds crazy to call a game that keeps evolving its gameplay exhausting but I feel like that is a trick these developers pull on you to keep you grinding. This was a great game, but at times it felt like a mobile game where your objective is to do the same shit repeatedly to get a better score. The first 10 hours felt unique and great, but the longer I played the more repetitive and tiresome some of the dives became. The variety in fish and loot to gather is incredible, however at the end of my journey I found myself enjoying the quick but heavily rewarding bar section more than being in the ocean. For a game where you spend 80% being in the ocean this sounds like a huge L, but I think I pushed myself into this corner by treating every dive as a must: gathering as much as I can, never ignoring items for an objective and always spending as much time as I could. I did enjoy most of them to some extent, but the sluggish movement and awkward combat sections just reinforced my exhaustion and pushed me more towards skipping dives.
Besides the core gameplay that was truly creatively evolved throughout my playthrough I would like to gush about the art style and the soundtracks. They are both incredible and enhanced my entertainment tenfold. For a pixel art game, the developers have managed to create something so fluid and smooth I just can’t wrap my mind around how it is even possible. The cutscenes are creative, funny, and just never disappointing. Watching people ascend into godhood after tasting Bancho’s sushi was amazing and a treat. Lastly it is impressive how well the soundtracks are tuned to the locations you explore. Every song fits the atmosphere perfectly and they did a great job.
I think Dave the Diver is a very fun experience with loads of variety and fun gameplay iterations and it works together really well. I enjoyed my experience with this game, but I do think the longer you play, the more of that magic gets lost in the grind. So, I would recommend taking your time but not overstaying your welcome with this one.
2023
Played from – to: (2023-11-19 – 2023-12-06) – PC keyboard.
‣ 6/10 – Searching for Ford the game part 2.
‣ Thoughts: Remnant II is a safe sequel, but does it do enough to feel like a new game? No. This game is so similar to the first one that it actually feels boring. Based on other reviews and opinions I expected this to be a great step up and an incredibly good time. But the ups and downs in quality and gameplay decisions left me indifferent. Playing both games back-to-back and also rewatching the footage made me think I’m looking at the same game and I agree that could be enough for some, but not for me, especially with the reception it garnered.
Gameplay wise Remnant II is mostly unchanged from Remnant I and feels just as good. Big upgrades come in unique class skills but those become meager and give little to no gameplay variety. Traits are now somehow worse and are completely forgettable, armor sets are non-existent, but they seemingly poured all the resources into weapons. Being able to downgrade a weapon you’ve been using throughout your playthrough gives you more options to experiment, with little to no sacrifice. Guns also have decent abilities and feel fun, but for the most part nothing really feels different from the first game.
My biggest disappointments come with the story and the boss fights, although I could also bash the level design but fuck that. The quick intro suggested that they put way more effort into conveying the story and making you feel like it’s important, however that all goes out the window as soon as you hit your home base. Here we search for yet another missing person and that is really it. Everyone gives you massive lore dumps and answers all your questions without really giving you a clear answer. Heavy dialogue-based story telling is boring and incredibly hard to follow while playing co-op. So, it is safe to say not only did I ignore the story, but I also felt held back by it. Anyhow the boss fights were a step up in many areas, but they had drastic quality ups and downs. Some areas had visually and mechanically fun fights and some had the worst designs I’ve seen in a game like this ever. How did these ideas even pass the talks and get into development is a mystery.
It is probably apparent that I did not enjoy this game as much as we all hoped. With that said I still found it a fun time and a decent multiplayer experience. But how they failed to improve on all the cooperative mechanics and essentially made no positive progress eludes me. A sequel either underdelivers or comes in with a bang and surpasses all expectations. In this case I think Remnant II did nothing to feel different and failed to improve on the weaker elements.
‣ 6/10 – Searching for Ford the game part 2.
‣ Thoughts: Remnant II is a safe sequel, but does it do enough to feel like a new game? No. This game is so similar to the first one that it actually feels boring. Based on other reviews and opinions I expected this to be a great step up and an incredibly good time. But the ups and downs in quality and gameplay decisions left me indifferent. Playing both games back-to-back and also rewatching the footage made me think I’m looking at the same game and I agree that could be enough for some, but not for me, especially with the reception it garnered.
Gameplay wise Remnant II is mostly unchanged from Remnant I and feels just as good. Big upgrades come in unique class skills but those become meager and give little to no gameplay variety. Traits are now somehow worse and are completely forgettable, armor sets are non-existent, but they seemingly poured all the resources into weapons. Being able to downgrade a weapon you’ve been using throughout your playthrough gives you more options to experiment, with little to no sacrifice. Guns also have decent abilities and feel fun, but for the most part nothing really feels different from the first game.
My biggest disappointments come with the story and the boss fights, although I could also bash the level design but fuck that. The quick intro suggested that they put way more effort into conveying the story and making you feel like it’s important, however that all goes out the window as soon as you hit your home base. Here we search for yet another missing person and that is really it. Everyone gives you massive lore dumps and answers all your questions without really giving you a clear answer. Heavy dialogue-based story telling is boring and incredibly hard to follow while playing co-op. So, it is safe to say not only did I ignore the story, but I also felt held back by it. Anyhow the boss fights were a step up in many areas, but they had drastic quality ups and downs. Some areas had visually and mechanically fun fights and some had the worst designs I’ve seen in a game like this ever. How did these ideas even pass the talks and get into development is a mystery.
It is probably apparent that I did not enjoy this game as much as we all hoped. With that said I still found it a fun time and a decent multiplayer experience. But how they failed to improve on all the cooperative mechanics and essentially made no positive progress eludes me. A sequel either underdelivers or comes in with a bang and surpasses all expectations. In this case I think Remnant II did nothing to feel different and failed to improve on the weaker elements.
2021
Played from – to: (2023-10-08 – 2023-12-06) – PC keyboard.
‣ 7/10 – I hope they paid the voice actors enough.
‣ Thoughts: I have never played Chivalry I, nor do I have a lot of experience in these type of complex combat online games. The only one that I had played before that is similar to this was MORDHAU. So, when I speak about Chivalry II, I speak from the perspective of a newbie who enjoys a few matches a day, gets his ass kicked and then complains that the teammates are bad.
In any case, this was a fun and unique experience. The complexity of combat could be dumbed down to simply provoking a pattern in an enemy and forcing him to block and attack while mixing it up with a kick to break the cycle. Obviously, there are more ways to trick your opponent’s when it comes to 1 on 1’s like fainting or swapping to heavy delayed swings, but for the most part you attack and block in a pattern and mix it up as much as you can to win the fight with a quick mind game. However, this game absolutely stinks in group fights. You either get a player who blocks 5 strikes in one go and sweeps everyone’s legs away or you get instantly decimated by three guys screaming their lungs out. The best way to describe this game would be chaos.
The atmosphere of Chivalry II is incredible. It truly captures the feel of a bloody massive sword fight in a mist of arrows. When you charge into battle you truly feel like a part of an army rushing straight to the unknown and it is great. If I had to compare how the game feels I would say it comes close to matching the mood and vibes of Battlefield 1 where everything around you moves, explodes and dies and all of that is caused by other players in real time.
In conclusion. This is a great multiplayer experience that has a huge learning curve and can be hard to get into, since the left-over player base is all veterans who sweat their balls of to ruin your fun evening with the boys. But it manages to immerse you better than most online pvp games and that is its magic charm. The complex combat can sometimes feel unfair and group fights are best to be avoided but you can also use that to your advantage and have tons of fun. It is all about positioning.
‣ 7/10 – I hope they paid the voice actors enough.
‣ Thoughts: I have never played Chivalry I, nor do I have a lot of experience in these type of complex combat online games. The only one that I had played before that is similar to this was MORDHAU. So, when I speak about Chivalry II, I speak from the perspective of a newbie who enjoys a few matches a day, gets his ass kicked and then complains that the teammates are bad.
In any case, this was a fun and unique experience. The complexity of combat could be dumbed down to simply provoking a pattern in an enemy and forcing him to block and attack while mixing it up with a kick to break the cycle. Obviously, there are more ways to trick your opponent’s when it comes to 1 on 1’s like fainting or swapping to heavy delayed swings, but for the most part you attack and block in a pattern and mix it up as much as you can to win the fight with a quick mind game. However, this game absolutely stinks in group fights. You either get a player who blocks 5 strikes in one go and sweeps everyone’s legs away or you get instantly decimated by three guys screaming their lungs out. The best way to describe this game would be chaos.
The atmosphere of Chivalry II is incredible. It truly captures the feel of a bloody massive sword fight in a mist of arrows. When you charge into battle you truly feel like a part of an army rushing straight to the unknown and it is great. If I had to compare how the game feels I would say it comes close to matching the mood and vibes of Battlefield 1 where everything around you moves, explodes and dies and all of that is caused by other players in real time.
In conclusion. This is a great multiplayer experience that has a huge learning curve and can be hard to get into, since the left-over player base is all veterans who sweat their balls of to ruin your fun evening with the boys. But it manages to immerse you better than most online pvp games and that is its magic charm. The complex combat can sometimes feel unfair and group fights are best to be avoided but you can also use that to your advantage and have tons of fun. It is all about positioning.
This review contains spoilers
Played from – to: (2023-11-15 – 2023-11-28) – PC controller.
‣ 9/10 – The longest Yakuza game title in the franchise.
‣ Thoughts: When I played Yakuza 6, I was certain that Kiryu will become a closed chapter in the entire franchise, I said my goodbyes and moved on. But how wrong I was. Like A Dragon Gaiden pulls no punches and gives Kiryu a new bad ass story with incredible gameplay additions that rival my top favorites in the entire Yakuza catalog. Granted this is a shorter experience but it still manages to give players a vast variety of mini games to participate in and other side hustles to plow through in between chapters.
Quickly mentioning the story, I’d say it has one of the most emotional and rewarding finales in all of the games, but as a whole package it doesn’t reach the peaks other entries like 0 and 2 touch. It has interesting locations, the castle being one of the most visually stunning settings for a story and charismatic characters that keep you guessing who to trust. At the last stage it does get quite predictable but still leaves you with many questions that might be answered in the upcoming direct sequel Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth. The story also does a great job injecting Kiryu into the mess Kasuga finds himself throughout his own journey and wraps up both stories quite nicely. But where Like A Dragon Gaiden truly shines is in its gameplay.
The Agent fighting style might be the most broken and fun to use style in the entire franchise. There is nothing more satisfying than grabbing 10 scrubs with a wire and yanking them across the entire arena while rocket boosting away and throwing exploding cigarettes. In my eyes Ryu Ga Gotoku have mastered their combat gameplay loops. On top of all of that they give us a fun spin on side quests and an incredibly detailed coliseum mini game. Not only do you get to make piles of cash fighting bad ass, whacky characters, but you also get the opportunity to play as them. There’s like 30 different fighters you can get, and the game allows you to participate in fights as them with a full move set. The Coliseum and The Castle is the peak of mini games, I don’t even know how they can one up themselves in the upcoming games.
With all that said, it is no surprise that I absolutely devoured this game and loved every second of it. Not only did I 100% it, but I also finished it quicker than any other entry in the series and the reason for that is obvious. To me this game is as good as 0 in many aspects, because as I mentioned before it reaches its peaks in most categories and has perfected many gameplay loops, we’ve seen in previous games. I can not wait to play Infinite Wealth.
‣ 9/10 – The longest Yakuza game title in the franchise.
‣ Thoughts: When I played Yakuza 6, I was certain that Kiryu will become a closed chapter in the entire franchise, I said my goodbyes and moved on. But how wrong I was. Like A Dragon Gaiden pulls no punches and gives Kiryu a new bad ass story with incredible gameplay additions that rival my top favorites in the entire Yakuza catalog. Granted this is a shorter experience but it still manages to give players a vast variety of mini games to participate in and other side hustles to plow through in between chapters.
Quickly mentioning the story, I’d say it has one of the most emotional and rewarding finales in all of the games, but as a whole package it doesn’t reach the peaks other entries like 0 and 2 touch. It has interesting locations, the castle being one of the most visually stunning settings for a story and charismatic characters that keep you guessing who to trust. At the last stage it does get quite predictable but still leaves you with many questions that might be answered in the upcoming direct sequel Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth. The story also does a great job injecting Kiryu into the mess Kasuga finds himself throughout his own journey and wraps up both stories quite nicely. But where Like A Dragon Gaiden truly shines is in its gameplay.
The Agent fighting style might be the most broken and fun to use style in the entire franchise. There is nothing more satisfying than grabbing 10 scrubs with a wire and yanking them across the entire arena while rocket boosting away and throwing exploding cigarettes. In my eyes Ryu Ga Gotoku have mastered their combat gameplay loops. On top of all of that they give us a fun spin on side quests and an incredibly detailed coliseum mini game. Not only do you get to make piles of cash fighting bad ass, whacky characters, but you also get the opportunity to play as them. There’s like 30 different fighters you can get, and the game allows you to participate in fights as them with a full move set. The Coliseum and The Castle is the peak of mini games, I don’t even know how they can one up themselves in the upcoming games.
With all that said, it is no surprise that I absolutely devoured this game and loved every second of it. Not only did I 100% it, but I also finished it quicker than any other entry in the series and the reason for that is obvious. To me this game is as good as 0 in many aspects, because as I mentioned before it reaches its peaks in most categories and has perfected many gameplay loops, we’ve seen in previous games. I can not wait to play Infinite Wealth.
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.
2023
Played from – to: (2023-11-10 – 2023-11-14) – PC keyboard.
‣ 6/10 – RoboCop has the best one-liners.
‣ Thoughts: RoboCop is quite a goofy and obviously lower budget game, however that did not stop me from enjoying it. The story was surprisingly deep and thought provoking. But it did have lots of cringe with power-hungry boring villains. Although I have never seen the original movie, I felt like I knew enough about the man himself to play this game and enjoy it, so I did. By far the best part about this game was its combat.
Gameplay reminded me of those old-school arcades where you can pick up a toy weapon and point at the screen to shoot galleries of enemies. This plays exactly like that, but it fit the RoboCop movement very well. Although your movement is heavily limited and there’s barely any defensive reactions to make aggression is essentially your only response and they did not skip on it. It is gory, punchy, and really fun, but its biggest drawback is the level design.
Here level design varies from closed apartment buildings to highly open quarries and other large structures. The gameplay shines in close quarter combat where you can easily get all up in the faces of enemies and throw them around like the filth they are. Sadly, the bigger levels do not complement the combat at all. Having to shoot little sniper blobs with my pistol was not something I expected to be doing. All I wanted was to clear hallways with my shotgun and paint the walls red. I’m not saying there’s none of that, but the developers clearly focused more on bigger and more cinematic levels that look cool but are not fun to play in opposed to fitting small apartments and crammed hallways that you can dismantle over the course of a gunfight.
All in all, RoboCop is a decent first-person shooter that focuses on giving you a true feel of what’s it like to be RoboCop versus giving you a generic smooth shooter that would not fit the character at all. It is a heavily flawed game with many problems both gameplay wise and in the story department, but if you give it a chance you just might have enough fun to finish it. This might be one of those games where saying: “Batman Arkham Knight makes you feel like Batman” actually makes sense, because the game does in fact make you feel like RoboCop.
‣ 6/10 – RoboCop has the best one-liners.
‣ Thoughts: RoboCop is quite a goofy and obviously lower budget game, however that did not stop me from enjoying it. The story was surprisingly deep and thought provoking. But it did have lots of cringe with power-hungry boring villains. Although I have never seen the original movie, I felt like I knew enough about the man himself to play this game and enjoy it, so I did. By far the best part about this game was its combat.
Gameplay reminded me of those old-school arcades where you can pick up a toy weapon and point at the screen to shoot galleries of enemies. This plays exactly like that, but it fit the RoboCop movement very well. Although your movement is heavily limited and there’s barely any defensive reactions to make aggression is essentially your only response and they did not skip on it. It is gory, punchy, and really fun, but its biggest drawback is the level design.
Here level design varies from closed apartment buildings to highly open quarries and other large structures. The gameplay shines in close quarter combat where you can easily get all up in the faces of enemies and throw them around like the filth they are. Sadly, the bigger levels do not complement the combat at all. Having to shoot little sniper blobs with my pistol was not something I expected to be doing. All I wanted was to clear hallways with my shotgun and paint the walls red. I’m not saying there’s none of that, but the developers clearly focused more on bigger and more cinematic levels that look cool but are not fun to play in opposed to fitting small apartments and crammed hallways that you can dismantle over the course of a gunfight.
All in all, RoboCop is a decent first-person shooter that focuses on giving you a true feel of what’s it like to be RoboCop versus giving you a generic smooth shooter that would not fit the character at all. It is a heavily flawed game with many problems both gameplay wise and in the story department, but if you give it a chance you just might have enough fun to finish it. This might be one of those games where saying: “Batman Arkham Knight makes you feel like Batman” actually makes sense, because the game does in fact make you feel like RoboCop.
2023
This review contains spoilers
Played from – to: (2023-10-30 – 2023-11-08) – PC keyboard.
‣ 9.5/10 – Ahti carried the narrative.
‣ Thoughts: “The matter is a steak” sums up the game best I’d say. Alan Wake II is a colossal upgrade to I in almost every way. The narrative is more engaging, the combat is refined and punchy, the visuals are outstanding, and the soundtrack is entrancing. This might be one of the best narrative experiences I went through this year.
Let’s start off with the combat. Some people have complained it does little to feel different from Alan Wake I and is fundamentally boring and dull. I’d say it depends how you approach it and how recently you’ve played the first game. To me, combat is exactly what it needs to be in this type of game. It is not the main focus and honestly, the combat encounters were rather rare to the point where my storage box was full of resources that I had no way of using up. The boss’ fights are mostly the same and do little to twist the simplicity of combat but I still had lots of fun. The way I approach these Resident Evil styled games is I look at each encounter as a puzzle in which I have to decide how to use as little resources as possible to defeat the enemies. This way I have fun carefully planning each shot I take and feel like a tactical genius when all I use is a few shotgun shells instead of a full mag in my pistol. All this to say, Alan Wake II doesn’t give you incredible gameplay loops, but if you understand that it is not the main focus of the game you will appreciate what’s there, especially comparing its janky predecessor.
Speaking of predecessors, Alan Wake II takes what was established in the first game and just cranks that shit to 11. Everything here is a constant mindfuck and you will be left with more questions than you had after finishing the first one. Without spoiling too much, the game simply ends almost like Inception did. You don’t know if the ending is real and the fucking saying “It’s not a lake, it’s an ocean” gets a new coat of paint. Overall, the blend between live action and in-game cutscenes is executed marvelously. It doesn’t feel wrong, and it fits the game beautifully well. Speaking about beauty, Alan Wake II looks incredible. The amount of detail in each environment is mind boggling and no wonder the game runs like dog shit sometimes. Most of you probably seen clips from the musical that is in this game and that’s when Alan Wake II just straight up pops off. The music supports the narrative so well I couldn’t stop listening to its ost throughout my 25 hours playthrough it is just that fitting and that good on its own.
Overall, this was an incredible narrative, mind bending experience and that is why Remedy games are so fun and unique, because no one else really does games like they do. They have fun and they take it seriously while mashing up beautiful visual story telling techniques with incredible soundtracks and fun gameplay mechanics. Now, of course, this is not a flawless masterpiece. It has horrible performance issues, repetitive gameplay loops and a story that leaves you essentially back at the start with yet another cliff hanger, but that in my opinion is just a few nitpicks, because the overall experience is so outstanding that I just couldn’t get enough of it.
‣ 9.5/10 – Ahti carried the narrative.
‣ Thoughts: “The matter is a steak” sums up the game best I’d say. Alan Wake II is a colossal upgrade to I in almost every way. The narrative is more engaging, the combat is refined and punchy, the visuals are outstanding, and the soundtrack is entrancing. This might be one of the best narrative experiences I went through this year.
Let’s start off with the combat. Some people have complained it does little to feel different from Alan Wake I and is fundamentally boring and dull. I’d say it depends how you approach it and how recently you’ve played the first game. To me, combat is exactly what it needs to be in this type of game. It is not the main focus and honestly, the combat encounters were rather rare to the point where my storage box was full of resources that I had no way of using up. The boss’ fights are mostly the same and do little to twist the simplicity of combat but I still had lots of fun. The way I approach these Resident Evil styled games is I look at each encounter as a puzzle in which I have to decide how to use as little resources as possible to defeat the enemies. This way I have fun carefully planning each shot I take and feel like a tactical genius when all I use is a few shotgun shells instead of a full mag in my pistol. All this to say, Alan Wake II doesn’t give you incredible gameplay loops, but if you understand that it is not the main focus of the game you will appreciate what’s there, especially comparing its janky predecessor.
Speaking of predecessors, Alan Wake II takes what was established in the first game and just cranks that shit to 11. Everything here is a constant mindfuck and you will be left with more questions than you had after finishing the first one. Without spoiling too much, the game simply ends almost like Inception did. You don’t know if the ending is real and the fucking saying “It’s not a lake, it’s an ocean” gets a new coat of paint. Overall, the blend between live action and in-game cutscenes is executed marvelously. It doesn’t feel wrong, and it fits the game beautifully well. Speaking about beauty, Alan Wake II looks incredible. The amount of detail in each environment is mind boggling and no wonder the game runs like dog shit sometimes. Most of you probably seen clips from the musical that is in this game and that’s when Alan Wake II just straight up pops off. The music supports the narrative so well I couldn’t stop listening to its ost throughout my 25 hours playthrough it is just that fitting and that good on its own.
Overall, this was an incredible narrative, mind bending experience and that is why Remedy games are so fun and unique, because no one else really does games like they do. They have fun and they take it seriously while mashing up beautiful visual story telling techniques with incredible soundtracks and fun gameplay mechanics. Now, of course, this is not a flawless masterpiece. It has horrible performance issues, repetitive gameplay loops and a story that leaves you essentially back at the start with yet another cliff hanger, but that in my opinion is just a few nitpicks, because the overall experience is so outstanding that I just couldn’t get enough of it.
Played from – to: (2023-10-28 – 2023-11-05) – PC keyboard.
‣ 6/10 – Where’s the ashes at?
‣ Thoughts: Remnant took a few attempts to fully grab my attention. It was definitely not a game I would’ve completed alone due to some unfair balancing issues and a dry story. However, with a buddy this was quite a blast and an enjoyable brainless shooter to bash out in a week.
Gameplay wise, Remnant is essentially a souls like with guns. There’s a dodge button, enemies that deal loads of damage and optional exploration that usually ends with a boss fight. Overall, I found the gunplay quite enjoyable and impactful. No guns felt like BB guns or pebble dispensers and there was enough weight to them to keep me engaged throughout my 8-hour story playthrough. I will say, this game is pretty challenging while playing alone, but splitting the enemies AI with a partner made the game basically a walk in the park on normal difficulty. So, if you are planning to try this game out, play on a harder difficulty, because you will not be able to change that mid-campaign without restarting your entire progress.
The weapon and gear system have sadly been a big letdown. Upgrading weapons is expensive and rather grindy, so you are forced into choosing one weapon and sticking with it in order to keep your power level optimal without replaying certain areas. Most boss weapons seemed interesting, but their upgrades were too costly to exchange an already maxed out beginner weapon that couldn’t be de crowned by any other item found. Essentially the weapon you pick in your first hour will be the weapon you’ll use in your last boss fight. Same goes with clothing gear. The more you upgrade your starting set the less inclined you will be to try other armor pieces, especially when there’s barely any to find or buy. Overall, the system is enough to keep you exploring, but the rewards you get won’t be better then what you start with. Rings and amulets are probably the strongest part of your arsenal variety.
Lastly, this game has a story and that is all I need to really say. If you pay attention, you might grab on to something that interests you and keeps you entertained. However, the way most story is given to you rivals the generic lore dumps Bethesda loves to do but does it in the dullest way possible. So, for me the story was something I just ignored and kept in the back of my mind.
All in all, Remnant is a pretty decent co-op souls like shooter that has a great variety in enemies and locations and challenges you when it is necessary. But don’t expect a narrative masterpiece with incredible gameplay depth.
‣ 6/10 – Where’s the ashes at?
‣ Thoughts: Remnant took a few attempts to fully grab my attention. It was definitely not a game I would’ve completed alone due to some unfair balancing issues and a dry story. However, with a buddy this was quite a blast and an enjoyable brainless shooter to bash out in a week.
Gameplay wise, Remnant is essentially a souls like with guns. There’s a dodge button, enemies that deal loads of damage and optional exploration that usually ends with a boss fight. Overall, I found the gunplay quite enjoyable and impactful. No guns felt like BB guns or pebble dispensers and there was enough weight to them to keep me engaged throughout my 8-hour story playthrough. I will say, this game is pretty challenging while playing alone, but splitting the enemies AI with a partner made the game basically a walk in the park on normal difficulty. So, if you are planning to try this game out, play on a harder difficulty, because you will not be able to change that mid-campaign without restarting your entire progress.
The weapon and gear system have sadly been a big letdown. Upgrading weapons is expensive and rather grindy, so you are forced into choosing one weapon and sticking with it in order to keep your power level optimal without replaying certain areas. Most boss weapons seemed interesting, but their upgrades were too costly to exchange an already maxed out beginner weapon that couldn’t be de crowned by any other item found. Essentially the weapon you pick in your first hour will be the weapon you’ll use in your last boss fight. Same goes with clothing gear. The more you upgrade your starting set the less inclined you will be to try other armor pieces, especially when there’s barely any to find or buy. Overall, the system is enough to keep you exploring, but the rewards you get won’t be better then what you start with. Rings and amulets are probably the strongest part of your arsenal variety.
Lastly, this game has a story and that is all I need to really say. If you pay attention, you might grab on to something that interests you and keeps you entertained. However, the way most story is given to you rivals the generic lore dumps Bethesda loves to do but does it in the dullest way possible. So, for me the story was something I just ignored and kept in the back of my mind.
All in all, Remnant is a pretty decent co-op souls like shooter that has a great variety in enemies and locations and challenges you when it is necessary. But don’t expect a narrative masterpiece with incredible gameplay depth.
2022
This review contains spoilers
Played from – to: (2023-10-26 – 2023-10-29) – PC keyboard.
‣ 7.5/10 – Was being German mandatory for this?
‣ Thoughts: Had no real thoughts or expectations beyond that this might be a good game which for some is expectations but to me that’s just a kind motivator to put the game higher in my playlist. And I am happy to say SIGNALIS is a pretty good game. It might have a pretty simplistic approach to an old school resident evil esq gameplay loop but where it truly shines is in its story telling and puzzle design.
I won’t pretend that I completely understood the story of SIGNALIS, nor will I explain in detail how I interpret it or break it down. I simply enjoyed the setting, and the way most cinematic shots were done. It felt somewhat nostalgic, creepy, and intriguing, which was enough to keep me going. Had I not known that the ending to this game is a fake out I would’ve probably stopped on chapter 2 and got really confused before googling story explanations left and right. I bet some people straight up miss the last 2-3 hours of the game because of that fake out and I applaud the developers for boldly hiding an entire chapter like that. In any case, the artistic approach to most cutscenes and the occasional first-person segments make SIGNALIS’S story telling always fresh and unique.
Lastly, I want to praise the gameplay that is not combat but more exploration and puzzle solving. Here most areas require you to have a key and the whole loop is getting a key for a different key and progressing until the ultimate door opens. It sounds basic; however, the actual solutions and intractability of puzzles are very creative and refreshing. I’m just glad that these puzzles weren’t too hard and actually felt fun to solve.
Overall, SIGNALIS is a strong survival horror game that keeps you on your toes and mentally challenges you. Its story may come off as ambiguous but there’s enough there to draw simple conclusions and that is good enough for me. I always appreciate a game with multiple endings.
‣ 7.5/10 – Was being German mandatory for this?
‣ Thoughts: Had no real thoughts or expectations beyond that this might be a good game which for some is expectations but to me that’s just a kind motivator to put the game higher in my playlist. And I am happy to say SIGNALIS is a pretty good game. It might have a pretty simplistic approach to an old school resident evil esq gameplay loop but where it truly shines is in its story telling and puzzle design.
I won’t pretend that I completely understood the story of SIGNALIS, nor will I explain in detail how I interpret it or break it down. I simply enjoyed the setting, and the way most cinematic shots were done. It felt somewhat nostalgic, creepy, and intriguing, which was enough to keep me going. Had I not known that the ending to this game is a fake out I would’ve probably stopped on chapter 2 and got really confused before googling story explanations left and right. I bet some people straight up miss the last 2-3 hours of the game because of that fake out and I applaud the developers for boldly hiding an entire chapter like that. In any case, the artistic approach to most cutscenes and the occasional first-person segments make SIGNALIS’S story telling always fresh and unique.
Lastly, I want to praise the gameplay that is not combat but more exploration and puzzle solving. Here most areas require you to have a key and the whole loop is getting a key for a different key and progressing until the ultimate door opens. It sounds basic; however, the actual solutions and intractability of puzzles are very creative and refreshing. I’m just glad that these puzzles weren’t too hard and actually felt fun to solve.
Overall, SIGNALIS is a strong survival horror game that keeps you on your toes and mentally challenges you. Its story may come off as ambiguous but there’s enough there to draw simple conclusions and that is good enough for me. I always appreciate a game with multiple endings.
2022
Played from – to: (2023-10-25 – 2023-10-25) – PC controller.
‣ 4/10 – Sponsored by bean bird.
‣ Thoughts: When it comes to rhythm games, I tend to be pretty good at them. And that’s why I enjoy most of them. Hitting required buttons at the right time makes me feel like I am participating in the music I hear, however this game flips it all upside down and suffocates you.
Story wise the game isn’t anything phenomenal or even memorable but for the time being it was alright. I enjoyed the slow start and the dramatic turn of events, but I was more bored than invested.
At the start I was really vibing with both the gameplay and the songs that would play throughout the chapters. Sadly, the deeper I went the worse it got. I might not be musically gifted, but I think most of the later songs in this game suck ass. They go from moody jazz to synthesizer ear rape. I feel like rhythm games should have rhythms you can easily get into the rhythm of replicating, however here I feel like they start strong but then slap random keys around and call it a day. There’s a reason assisted mode is the intended way to play this, because the developers themselves knew they made unfair random musical crap.
Overall, A Musical Story is something I really thought I could enjoy, but that quickly flipped on its head. Gameplay wise, this is a pathetic rhythm game that asks you to replicate random improve note soups and do all that while four different background beats are played to distract you. It is in every aspect a mess and just an overall infuriating experience. If you’re looking for a good rhythm game, check elsewhere.
‣ 4/10 – Sponsored by bean bird.
‣ Thoughts: When it comes to rhythm games, I tend to be pretty good at them. And that’s why I enjoy most of them. Hitting required buttons at the right time makes me feel like I am participating in the music I hear, however this game flips it all upside down and suffocates you.
Story wise the game isn’t anything phenomenal or even memorable but for the time being it was alright. I enjoyed the slow start and the dramatic turn of events, but I was more bored than invested.
At the start I was really vibing with both the gameplay and the songs that would play throughout the chapters. Sadly, the deeper I went the worse it got. I might not be musically gifted, but I think most of the later songs in this game suck ass. They go from moody jazz to synthesizer ear rape. I feel like rhythm games should have rhythms you can easily get into the rhythm of replicating, however here I feel like they start strong but then slap random keys around and call it a day. There’s a reason assisted mode is the intended way to play this, because the developers themselves knew they made unfair random musical crap.
Overall, A Musical Story is something I really thought I could enjoy, but that quickly flipped on its head. Gameplay wise, this is a pathetic rhythm game that asks you to replicate random improve note soups and do all that while four different background beats are played to distract you. It is in every aspect a mess and just an overall infuriating experience. If you’re looking for a good rhythm game, check elsewhere.