FuriousCookie
2009
Left 4 Dead 2 is the game to get a group of friends together to hop on with. A truly timeless masterpiece that just doesn't want to stop giving. With both the Left 4 Dead 1 and 2 campaigns accessible in L4D2, it's the ultimate zombie hoard shooter. It's extremely replayable due to the implementation of the director. The director can alter your run by deciding which items you'll find in specific locations, their frequency and quantity, and even sometimes altering map geometry. This feature alone makes the game almost infinitely replayable out the box. However, when you take into account that this game features the holy steam workshop, it takes things to completely new heights.
My friends and I have almost exclusively played this game with an absolute metric ton of mods as of recently, much to our frequent amusement. This, however, is in no way necessary to enjoy the game for hours upon hours with a group of friends.
My friends and I have almost exclusively played this game with an absolute metric ton of mods as of recently, much to our frequent amusement. This, however, is in no way necessary to enjoy the game for hours upon hours with a group of friends.
2011
If I had to show a non-gamer what games can be, I would probably show them Portal 2. This game does absolutely everything right, and I simply can't recommend it enough.
The gameplay is buttery smooth, the puzzles are wonderfully creative, the soundtrack is amazingly atmospheric, and it doesn't just stop at the single-player campaign; it even features a whole other co-op campaign to play with a friend. And if that's not enough for you, there are even community-created test chambers that will challenge even the most big-brained individuals.
What I can say about the campaign without going into spoilers is that it's, like the rest of the game, simply timeless. The characters are all so wonderfully charming and extremely memorable that even on multiple playthroughs, they make the game a joy to play. The test chambers are a blast to figure out, and it always feels rewarding when you finally get to the end. On repeat playthroughs, they might not be as intriguing since you know the answer already, but I have always waited enough time for my repeat playthroughs for them to not grow stale.
I wholeheartedly recommend this game to pretty much anyone, both new to gaming and veterans. It's an experience you won't forget.
The gameplay is buttery smooth, the puzzles are wonderfully creative, the soundtrack is amazingly atmospheric, and it doesn't just stop at the single-player campaign; it even features a whole other co-op campaign to play with a friend. And if that's not enough for you, there are even community-created test chambers that will challenge even the most big-brained individuals.
What I can say about the campaign without going into spoilers is that it's, like the rest of the game, simply timeless. The characters are all so wonderfully charming and extremely memorable that even on multiple playthroughs, they make the game a joy to play. The test chambers are a blast to figure out, and it always feels rewarding when you finally get to the end. On repeat playthroughs, they might not be as intriguing since you know the answer already, but I have always waited enough time for my repeat playthroughs for them to not grow stale.
I wholeheartedly recommend this game to pretty much anyone, both new to gaming and veterans. It's an experience you won't forget.
2020
Half-Life: Alyx is a 10/10 masterclass in VR gaming.
It is both a wonderful introduction to the world of virtual reality and a blast for those who already have experience with that world.
Valve has absolutely nailed the atmosphere, presentation, and gameplay here, making this game incredibly immersive and memorable. You can practically feel the world around you as you venture through new perspectives of City-17, with a soundtrack to boot. And let me tell you: Mike Morasky absolutely killed it with the soundtrack. It not only enhances the atmosphere of the game's environment but also hypes you up for its action.
Half-Life: Alyx is a must-play for anyone interested in virtual reality, and I cannot recommend it enough.
It is both a wonderful introduction to the world of virtual reality and a blast for those who already have experience with that world.
Valve has absolutely nailed the atmosphere, presentation, and gameplay here, making this game incredibly immersive and memorable. You can practically feel the world around you as you venture through new perspectives of City-17, with a soundtrack to boot. And let me tell you: Mike Morasky absolutely killed it with the soundtrack. It not only enhances the atmosphere of the game's environment but also hypes you up for its action.
Half-Life: Alyx is a must-play for anyone interested in virtual reality, and I cannot recommend it enough.
2022
Scorn is great. When this game came out I saw it get a lot of unjustified hate and I don't see why.
Scorn is an atmospheric, puzzle solving, walking sim game where you play as a humanoid hatchling in an unknown world. Right off the bat you can feel the vibe this game is trying to give off and it manages to stick with it until the end. Scorn doesn't have a narrative. It doesn't have dialogue. It has guns but is not a shooter. Scorn is quite simply... Scorn. It doesn't try to be mainstream, rather doing its own thing and letting you get immersed in the world. The atmosphere is one of the strongest I have felt since Silent Hill 2 and it absolutely nails it.
The game is beautifully grotesque with its part flesh, part machine type of environments that are just so disgusting, yet intriguing to look at. Like how does this machine function? It is definitely one of the best looking games I've played in recent memory and I think it's worth checking out even if you don't want to play it yourself.
It is definitely not a game for anyone. Hardly a game for general audiences. But it doesn't try to be. It does what it sets out to do and until the ride ends I'm absolutely in for it. Maybe this game will get the recognition it deserves in years to come. For now I will cherish it for being the game with one of the heaviest vibes on the market.
Scorn is an atmospheric, puzzle solving, walking sim game where you play as a humanoid hatchling in an unknown world. Right off the bat you can feel the vibe this game is trying to give off and it manages to stick with it until the end. Scorn doesn't have a narrative. It doesn't have dialogue. It has guns but is not a shooter. Scorn is quite simply... Scorn. It doesn't try to be mainstream, rather doing its own thing and letting you get immersed in the world. The atmosphere is one of the strongest I have felt since Silent Hill 2 and it absolutely nails it.
The game is beautifully grotesque with its part flesh, part machine type of environments that are just so disgusting, yet intriguing to look at. Like how does this machine function? It is definitely one of the best looking games I've played in recent memory and I think it's worth checking out even if you don't want to play it yourself.
It is definitely not a game for anyone. Hardly a game for general audiences. But it doesn't try to be. It does what it sets out to do and until the ride ends I'm absolutely in for it. Maybe this game will get the recognition it deserves in years to come. For now I will cherish it for being the game with one of the heaviest vibes on the market.
2016
This is how you make a comeback. It's an absolute blast from beginning to end. You only get more powerful the further you get until nothing can stand in your way. The gameplay is smooth, responsive and satisfying. The story is more or less there to just be there and doesn't get in the way of slaying all sorts of demons. Most of the original enemies return from the original 1994 classic, with the addition of some fodder and new bosses.
The soundtrack is out of this world. Mick Gordon has absolutely earned his status as game composer legend with his work on this game, surpassing his already masterful work on Wolfenstein: The New Order. It makes you feel even more like the unit you are in addition to the gameplay. Quite frankly I am appalled that there even is such a thing as a volume slider for the music in this game.
It's a masterpiece and a perfect example of how to bring a previous beloved franchise back and modernize it while still keeping the core that made the previous games so good.
Rip and tear - until it is done.
The soundtrack is out of this world. Mick Gordon has absolutely earned his status as game composer legend with his work on this game, surpassing his already masterful work on Wolfenstein: The New Order. It makes you feel even more like the unit you are in addition to the gameplay. Quite frankly I am appalled that there even is such a thing as a volume slider for the music in this game.
It's a masterpiece and a perfect example of how to bring a previous beloved franchise back and modernize it while still keeping the core that made the previous games so good.
Rip and tear - until it is done.
2018
banana market crash of 2023 👍
2015
Undertale is one of those games that sticks with you long after you've initially played it. It is a beautiful example of what games can be and how they impact us on a personal level. Undertale is filled to the brim with charm, both in its visuals and sounds. It has some of the best, most memorable and charming characters of any game. There's not a single character that doesn't have... character. And it doesn't stop at just the characters you can interact with in the overworld. The wonderful charm even comes through in battles, in the music, everywhere. Gameplay wise I think it's a perfect balance basic and responsive. Everything works as expected.
Undertale is a beautiful and emotional experience and I implore anyone that loves video games to play it. It is truly a timeless masterpiece and one of my favourite games of all time.
Undertale is a beautiful and emotional experience and I implore anyone that loves video games to play it. It is truly a timeless masterpiece and one of my favourite games of all time.
Heavensward might be the best expansion Final Fantasy XIV has gotten. It is so good that I don't want to take too much away from its impact. The story is absolutely wonderful as it's interesting, dramatic and has actual stakes you can feel. The environments are beautiful and a joy to look at. The music is fantastic with powerful tracks and leitmotifs that make this expansion incredibly memorable. And even once you're done with the main story it doesn't stop giving in its post-game content. Final Fantasy XIV is definitely my favorite of this game's expansions and I can only recommend it to anyone who's a fan of MMO's and RPG's alike.
By far the weakest out of the Final Fantasy XIV expansions. With more quests than it's predecessor "Heavensward" you would think there would be a lot to unpack, however I found this expansion to be way less impactful or interesting than the previous one. The story suffers from the sheer length of the quests, unable to fill them with enough interesting bits to justify their length. The beginning and post-game drag on for way too long with nothing really happening and expecting you to care. The story does pick up at around the middle to end of the main expansion with some good and memorable characters and great bosses to match. Makes me wish it was like this throughout the entire expansion but I digress. I definitely prefer Stormblood over A Realm Reborn for the side content, dungeons and bosses alone. Definitely not the worst, but could definitely be better.
(This review is only for the base game "A Realm Reborn" and not for the expansions)
A Realm Reborn might just be the most boring and uninteresting introduction to an MMO I've ever played. The story is uninteresting, the quests are repetitive and the characters are as generic as they could be. It's a shame it's still like this after years of support, but you have to play through all 244 quests to finally get to a point where it actually gets good, which is the Heavensward expansion. This most likely makes it very difficult for newcomers to get into, especially if they're new to the MMORPG genre. A Realm Reborn gives Final Fantasy XIV a rough start, but it's more than worth it to get through it to experience the wonderful story of Heavensward.
A Realm Reborn might just be the most boring and uninteresting introduction to an MMO I've ever played. The story is uninteresting, the quests are repetitive and the characters are as generic as they could be. It's a shame it's still like this after years of support, but you have to play through all 244 quests to finally get to a point where it actually gets good, which is the Heavensward expansion. This most likely makes it very difficult for newcomers to get into, especially if they're new to the MMORPG genre. A Realm Reborn gives Final Fantasy XIV a rough start, but it's more than worth it to get through it to experience the wonderful story of Heavensward.