FlowerSunandPain
2012
I know there's a bit of a division for this game but hot diggity damn as a day one Halo fan this was probably the most halo game I've played to this day. I'll always be a diehard original trilogy Halo fan just from nostalgia alone, but 343 had a very promising start with this game's story and gameplay that I personally was not expecting to enjoy!
2004
I feel like Doom 3 introduced a really great standard of FPS with it's interactivity with environments and balance of platforming and puzzle solving segments. I know there's been negativity to this game throughout the years, but it's honestly not only a genuinely good Horror game that stands test of time but also a genuinely good Doom game that was a necessity to the franchise to keep it fresh.
Although the last 3/4 of the game was a bit of a slog and Lowkey had a very mid ending I still enjoyed my time with it. I can definitely see myself going back to it again in the future.
Although the last 3/4 of the game was a bit of a slog and Lowkey had a very mid ending I still enjoyed my time with it. I can definitely see myself going back to it again in the future.
2014
For a game as fucked up as this, it was hella comforting to play. Don't know if that says something about me the player or the game though. The aiming in this game could be better but thats honestly it's biggest flaw and even then the game is still playable.
I can see myself 100% this game in the future along with its DLC
I can see myself 100% this game in the future along with its DLC
I really like the game but I cannot for the life of me get passed Anor Londo without losing my sanity in the process. As much as I am aware of it being a "git gud" problem for me I just think that first half of Anor Londo is just straight up frustrating to navigate through even when I'm trying to avoid enemies.
Despite my frustrations with it, I still very much like the game and enjoy it immensely. I think its a beautifully crafted game if anything. I just think I need a break away from it before I form a toxic relationship with it.
Despite my frustrations with it, I still very much like the game and enjoy it immensely. I think its a beautifully crafted game if anything. I just think I need a break away from it before I form a toxic relationship with it.
1999
Played this while decomposing in my chair after getting vaccinated twice. Pretty sure the was the intended way to experience Silent Hill.
2004
You just had to be there:
-for the 1st announcement
-for the trailers
-for the launch
like... you just had to be there
-for the 1st announcement
-for the trailers
-for the launch
like... you just had to be there
2019
The game was fantastic, but the hype for its announcement and launch quite honestly improved the experience that is Kingdom Hearts 3
Nomura was so valid to make a musical video game
Fuck, what a great way to start 2023
Honestly, this game is not as ridiculous or tedious as others make it out to be. I'll admit the first few hours or so felt kind of aimless to me , but just like any Soulsborne game once i figured out how the game is intended to be played it was smooth sailing from there on out.
I used to think FromSoftware games weren't for me, but now I'm starting to think they are because if I can finish Dark Souls 2 I'm sure I can finish Anor Londo in Dark Souls 1 (shelved the game at that point) and hopefully the rest of the trilogy.
I used to think FromSoftware games weren't for me, but now I'm starting to think they are because if I can finish Dark Souls 2 I'm sure I can finish Anor Londo in Dark Souls 1 (shelved the game at that point) and hopefully the rest of the trilogy.
2015
I have a very conflicting opinion of this game that may require me to go back for another playthrough.
This game is by no means a bad game, but to me it just is my least favorite of FromSoftware. Every new area I discover I often hoped it would be the area that would spark joy and motivation for me like I've had with DS1 and DS2, but each time I explored Bloodborne I often found myself annoyed at the enemies and combat, underwhelmed by the world, and impatient to get it over with and beat the game. The art style of the game is definitely the biggest reason why I struggle to fall in love with the game. It's neat and I get why and how people love it, but lovecraftian/victorian aesthetics never did much for me unfortunately. I find it to be a very boring and dull style. That being said I kept wanting to see if my mind would be changed as I played the game, but each session left me more and more disappointed.
Oddly enough, a lot of the complaints DS2 had felt more applicable to Bloodborne than DS2. For example, the annoying enemy placements, nonsensical hitboxes, and just an overall frustrating gaming experience people had is exactly the experience I felt with Bloodborne. I suppose Bloodborne is my DS2.
The hype this game had when I first heard about it did not help at all either. I went in expecting a transcendental experience that everyone else seemed to have experienced, but instead I was just glad that I had finally finished the game and can move on from it.
Criticism aside though; I still enjoyed the end game boss fight. It was probably the most hype boss fight I've played in all of FromSoftware so far. The weapon transformation mechanics is a really cool introduction that I hope is further explored if a sequel were to ever happen. I also like hearing silly British accents as well.
If there had to be a silver lining to my feelings about this game it's that for it being my least favorite FromSoftware game it could've been a lot worse. I'm glad I got to experience it and I do hope I can find more joy in it in my next playthrough.
Until then, onwards and upwards to Dark Souls 3!
This game is by no means a bad game, but to me it just is my least favorite of FromSoftware. Every new area I discover I often hoped it would be the area that would spark joy and motivation for me like I've had with DS1 and DS2, but each time I explored Bloodborne I often found myself annoyed at the enemies and combat, underwhelmed by the world, and impatient to get it over with and beat the game. The art style of the game is definitely the biggest reason why I struggle to fall in love with the game. It's neat and I get why and how people love it, but lovecraftian/victorian aesthetics never did much for me unfortunately. I find it to be a very boring and dull style. That being said I kept wanting to see if my mind would be changed as I played the game, but each session left me more and more disappointed.
Oddly enough, a lot of the complaints DS2 had felt more applicable to Bloodborne than DS2. For example, the annoying enemy placements, nonsensical hitboxes, and just an overall frustrating gaming experience people had is exactly the experience I felt with Bloodborne. I suppose Bloodborne is my DS2.
The hype this game had when I first heard about it did not help at all either. I went in expecting a transcendental experience that everyone else seemed to have experienced, but instead I was just glad that I had finally finished the game and can move on from it.
Criticism aside though; I still enjoyed the end game boss fight. It was probably the most hype boss fight I've played in all of FromSoftware so far. The weapon transformation mechanics is a really cool introduction that I hope is further explored if a sequel were to ever happen. I also like hearing silly British accents as well.
If there had to be a silver lining to my feelings about this game it's that for it being my least favorite FromSoftware game it could've been a lot worse. I'm glad I got to experience it and I do hope I can find more joy in it in my next playthrough.
Until then, onwards and upwards to Dark Souls 3!
One of the most rewarding games you can ever play when you take the time to study its design and mechanics and don't let the enemies and bosses intimidate you.
This is my second playthrough of the game after my first attempt was a bit of a failure as I had a bad build and poor understanding of how to play this game.
This time I went in realizing how easy the game can be if I just took the time to learn and experiment with the tools and resources this game offers.
This may be a bit weird borderline controversial to say, but I love that this game punishes you for not learning and respecting its world and design. Dark Souls is merely a reflection of your ability to understand and play the game. It's nowhere near above criticism, but any personal negativity is definitely a reflection of someone who just does not understand how to go about the game. The playing field is very even, sometimes set against you, and to overcome those battles feel so genuine you can't help but see yourself personally grow as a gamer. There really are few games out there that can test your skills and adaptability like this game, nay this sub-genre. It's like the gamer's litmus test to see how well they can understand game design.
I believe Dark Souls should played by everyone, but should they beat it? It'd be nice if they could, but understandable if they can't or don't want to; however, I think gamers of all kinds should give this game a chance at least once or twice to see how far they can get with it and see what they can take away from it. It's truly a masterclass in game design.
This is my second playthrough of the game after my first attempt was a bit of a failure as I had a bad build and poor understanding of how to play this game.
This time I went in realizing how easy the game can be if I just took the time to learn and experiment with the tools and resources this game offers.
This may be a bit weird borderline controversial to say, but I love that this game punishes you for not learning and respecting its world and design. Dark Souls is merely a reflection of your ability to understand and play the game. It's nowhere near above criticism, but any personal negativity is definitely a reflection of someone who just does not understand how to go about the game. The playing field is very even, sometimes set against you, and to overcome those battles feel so genuine you can't help but see yourself personally grow as a gamer. There really are few games out there that can test your skills and adaptability like this game, nay this sub-genre. It's like the gamer's litmus test to see how well they can understand game design.
I believe Dark Souls should played by everyone, but should they beat it? It'd be nice if they could, but understandable if they can't or don't want to; however, I think gamers of all kinds should give this game a chance at least once or twice to see how far they can get with it and see what they can take away from it. It's truly a masterclass in game design.
Don't go in expecting a good time from this game or thinking it'd have exciting combat. It gets very old very quickly.
I went in knowing very well the type of game I'd be playing, but even then I was still slightly let down by how lackluster it is. While dress up game mode is neat it's not even worth trying to beat the game just to unlock the costumes and make up options they have available for you.
Unless you're looking for something mindless to pass the time or you're the down bad kind of horny, I'd skip this game.
I went in knowing very well the type of game I'd be playing, but even then I was still slightly let down by how lackluster it is. While dress up game mode is neat it's not even worth trying to beat the game just to unlock the costumes and make up options they have available for you.
Unless you're looking for something mindless to pass the time or you're the down bad kind of horny, I'd skip this game.
2022
Ghostwire: Tokyo is like if Megami Tensei and Like A Dragon had a love child who happened to love climbing buildings and collecting everything.
While nowhere near a perfect game, Ghostwire: Tokyo's exploration of death through the medium of video games really had me taken by surprised once I gave it some retrospective. Without spoiling so much, the game has a healthy and beautiful perspective on death that honestly made me shed a tear at the end. The game treats it very much like a next stage in life rather than an end all be all concept. Hell, the end all be all concept of death is basically the antagonist's motive. He cannot accept death and would rather cheat it whereas the protagonist accepts this fate and honors it through his action.
While it's premise about saving the souls of Tokyo from being used by a madman's ambition to bring immortality to a corporeal world as you try to stop him with powers imbued to you via possession of a dead man is peculiar and unique, I can't in good conscious say this game is any good. It's not one of the worst games I've ever played, but I can say that it is Tango Gameworks' worst game they've made by far.
The story starts off weak, and doesn't really get any better till maybe 3/4 of the way through and even then not a lot really happens in between. The ending thankfully was strong, but I believe that's because it was probably the most engaging the game's story has ever gotten. Quite honestly, up till the end, I was just skipping dialogue cuz I could not be bothered to care for what was going on in Ghostwire: Tokyo. the characters I could care less for either.
The combat is a step above from the story, but seeing how lackluster the story was written you can tell it's not by that much. The combat feels like it wants you to play fast and fluid, but you move and hit so slow. Sometimes your attacks feel like they're doing very little damage even when you're at max level and are near beating the game which is never a good sign. I think this game would have been better off designed with a 3rd person perspective in mind instead of 1st person perspective and more power balancing. I feel like the combat would be far more fluid and rewarding that way.
The game is a bit of a collectathon as others previously stated as well, but to be fair it's one of the more easier collectathons you could play. The only thing stopping me from 100% this run was the desire to get this game over with. Not to mention how over bloated the world is.
The world while impressively designed and gives off that trademark Like A Dragon virtual tourism gameplay, it is very over bloated and could've been scaled back a bit. They should've followed the world design of The Evil Within 2 where the space served a purpose instead of creating a grandiose concrete jungle with a few things to collect in between city blocks. I can understand if Tango Gameworks wanted to show off their ambition and skills, but a small dense and purposeful space is far more engaging than a literal city ward with nothing to do but jump buildings and kill Visitors.
I will say though the yokais and side quests give this game a lot of charm. I love the design of the Yokai and side quests. They're both very fun and engaging to interact with. This game has probably some of the best side quests I've seen in a game in a long time. Without revealing too much, there is a school dungeon that has a human anatomy doll that will make the Weeping Angels from Doctor Who look like weeping babies. Shit terrified me.
Lastly, one of my favorite aspects about this game however is the full usage of the DualShock controller. From the haptic feedback to using the built in speakers to the touchpad, this game definitely took advantage of these neat features that come with the PS5 DualShock controllers.
Overall, I'd say this game is at worst a waste of time if none this appeals to you and at best a disappointment by how unbalanced and bloated this game can be. If there were ever a sequel to this IP or should they revisit open world game design again, I hope they scale it back or approach it differently. Mediocrity be damned though, for it being Tango Gameworks' worst game I can't be too upset. At least they consistently keep producing new and innovative ways in game design. Here's hoping their newer projects this decade continue to pave the way for AA/AAA game design.
PS: I think Tango Gameworks should've been the ones to develop a Silent Hill 2 Remake.
While nowhere near a perfect game, Ghostwire: Tokyo's exploration of death through the medium of video games really had me taken by surprised once I gave it some retrospective. Without spoiling so much, the game has a healthy and beautiful perspective on death that honestly made me shed a tear at the end. The game treats it very much like a next stage in life rather than an end all be all concept. Hell, the end all be all concept of death is basically the antagonist's motive. He cannot accept death and would rather cheat it whereas the protagonist accepts this fate and honors it through his action.
While it's premise about saving the souls of Tokyo from being used by a madman's ambition to bring immortality to a corporeal world as you try to stop him with powers imbued to you via possession of a dead man is peculiar and unique, I can't in good conscious say this game is any good. It's not one of the worst games I've ever played, but I can say that it is Tango Gameworks' worst game they've made by far.
The story starts off weak, and doesn't really get any better till maybe 3/4 of the way through and even then not a lot really happens in between. The ending thankfully was strong, but I believe that's because it was probably the most engaging the game's story has ever gotten. Quite honestly, up till the end, I was just skipping dialogue cuz I could not be bothered to care for what was going on in Ghostwire: Tokyo. the characters I could care less for either.
The combat is a step above from the story, but seeing how lackluster the story was written you can tell it's not by that much. The combat feels like it wants you to play fast and fluid, but you move and hit so slow. Sometimes your attacks feel like they're doing very little damage even when you're at max level and are near beating the game which is never a good sign. I think this game would have been better off designed with a 3rd person perspective in mind instead of 1st person perspective and more power balancing. I feel like the combat would be far more fluid and rewarding that way.
The game is a bit of a collectathon as others previously stated as well, but to be fair it's one of the more easier collectathons you could play. The only thing stopping me from 100% this run was the desire to get this game over with. Not to mention how over bloated the world is.
The world while impressively designed and gives off that trademark Like A Dragon virtual tourism gameplay, it is very over bloated and could've been scaled back a bit. They should've followed the world design of The Evil Within 2 where the space served a purpose instead of creating a grandiose concrete jungle with a few things to collect in between city blocks. I can understand if Tango Gameworks wanted to show off their ambition and skills, but a small dense and purposeful space is far more engaging than a literal city ward with nothing to do but jump buildings and kill Visitors.
I will say though the yokais and side quests give this game a lot of charm. I love the design of the Yokai and side quests. They're both very fun and engaging to interact with. This game has probably some of the best side quests I've seen in a game in a long time. Without revealing too much, there is a school dungeon that has a human anatomy doll that will make the Weeping Angels from Doctor Who look like weeping babies. Shit terrified me.
Lastly, one of my favorite aspects about this game however is the full usage of the DualShock controller. From the haptic feedback to using the built in speakers to the touchpad, this game definitely took advantage of these neat features that come with the PS5 DualShock controllers.
Overall, I'd say this game is at worst a waste of time if none this appeals to you and at best a disappointment by how unbalanced and bloated this game can be. If there were ever a sequel to this IP or should they revisit open world game design again, I hope they scale it back or approach it differently. Mediocrity be damned though, for it being Tango Gameworks' worst game I can't be too upset. At least they consistently keep producing new and innovative ways in game design. Here's hoping their newer projects this decade continue to pave the way for AA/AAA game design.
PS: I think Tango Gameworks should've been the ones to develop a Silent Hill 2 Remake.
2011
controversial, but for a first playthrough I found this game to be a mix of underwhelming/disappointing. it's definitely not a bad game whatsoever, but I found my experience with the game to be subpar compared to other people's experiences.
however
I can see myself enjoying this game more when I do more playthroughs. I know one of the trademarks that the Resident Evil series has is it's profound replayability where each playthrough incentivizes you with new unlockables once it's requirements are met, as well as its bonus side missions/stories. So I will be giving this game another playthrough some day in the distant future. Even with all that in mind, I do think the hype created by this game ruined my initial experience, but knowing what I know now I can go in next time with a different perspective in mind.
I can agree though that Resi4 definitely had an impact on the gaming industry cuz I see a lot of the late 2009 to 2010's action heavy gameplay draw influence from this game. Also seeing obvious left overs of Devil May Cry in this game as well definitely made the game a lot more charming to play.
Killer7 is the superior weapon btw (Suda51 ftw)
however
I can see myself enjoying this game more when I do more playthroughs. I know one of the trademarks that the Resident Evil series has is it's profound replayability where each playthrough incentivizes you with new unlockables once it's requirements are met, as well as its bonus side missions/stories. So I will be giving this game another playthrough some day in the distant future. Even with all that in mind, I do think the hype created by this game ruined my initial experience, but knowing what I know now I can go in next time with a different perspective in mind.
I can agree though that Resi4 definitely had an impact on the gaming industry cuz I see a lot of the late 2009 to 2010's action heavy gameplay draw influence from this game. Also seeing obvious left overs of Devil May Cry in this game as well definitely made the game a lot more charming to play.
Killer7 is the superior weapon btw (Suda51 ftw)