GRYITH
2020
This was really great! I'm not one for visual novels but this had some great music, engaging writing and fantastic character and art design. It gets a little tedious with the exploration in the latter sections but fast travel mostly sorts that (if you've unlocked all the fast travel locations).
Will be bumping the soundtrack for a long time, and the aesthetic was so good, 2016 me would have made this a favorite game based on the aesthetic alone.
Will be bumping the soundtrack for a long time, and the aesthetic was so good, 2016 me would have made this a favorite game based on the aesthetic alone.
A monster hunter rip-off that isn't afraid to show it, and it's not got much more going on other than a more approachable item system than its forebear and a bit better of a mission structure.
Been nibbling away at this game since last year, it's... Decent, but I'm done with it, the structure is good for a handheld game and the combat is... Fine. It's just fine, it's clunky and not that well thought out but it works. I just wish there was something to grab my attention or a story beat that's interesting or, well, anything at all really to push this above the average standard.
In any case, was nice to have around.
Been nibbling away at this game since last year, it's... Decent, but I'm done with it, the structure is good for a handheld game and the combat is... Fine. It's just fine, it's clunky and not that well thought out but it works. I just wish there was something to grab my attention or a story beat that's interesting or, well, anything at all really to push this above the average standard.
In any case, was nice to have around.
This is surprisingly really good!! Which is a good thing because it was a bitch to get working on a Windows 10 PC, and even then I had issues.
Anyway, as soon as I heard there was a Blair Witch survival horror game I NEEDED to play it, but the first thing to note is that half of the time this game just isn't Blair Witch. Half the time you're running around using spectrometers to find and mow down supernatural monsters as part of a secret organisation called the 'spookhouse' (I found out when doing research after beating the game that this is actually a sequel to the studio's previous game 'Nocturne'), and the other half you're walking around burkittsville, questioning the locals and exploring the locales. It's a little jarring to say the least, but it's always genuinely atmospheric and very well realised both visually and narratively.
The gameplay is pretty standard Survival Horror fare, with a lot more conversation-having than your Resident Evil or Silent Hill. There's a lot of lore and notes to dig through here, and they are the place that shows the desparity between the two sides of this game the best. Some notes will be about the killer mentioned in the movie, with scary child's drawings, and then you'll turn the page to a detailed official government document about how to kill guys that look like Hell Knights from Doom.
At the end of the day, whilst I was taken aback by the setup at first, being a big purist for why the orignal movie was effective to begin with, I was sold eventually, and I think this pulls off what it's trying to do pretty decently.
This has definitely impressed me, and I'll probably get around to playing the two sequels... at some point, I just hope they aren't as repetative as this became at some points.
Or perhaps I'll just play the Bloober game again, which is, like this, surprisingly very good.
Anyway, as soon as I heard there was a Blair Witch survival horror game I NEEDED to play it, but the first thing to note is that half of the time this game just isn't Blair Witch. Half the time you're running around using spectrometers to find and mow down supernatural monsters as part of a secret organisation called the 'spookhouse' (I found out when doing research after beating the game that this is actually a sequel to the studio's previous game 'Nocturne'), and the other half you're walking around burkittsville, questioning the locals and exploring the locales. It's a little jarring to say the least, but it's always genuinely atmospheric and very well realised both visually and narratively.
The gameplay is pretty standard Survival Horror fare, with a lot more conversation-having than your Resident Evil or Silent Hill. There's a lot of lore and notes to dig through here, and they are the place that shows the desparity between the two sides of this game the best. Some notes will be about the killer mentioned in the movie, with scary child's drawings, and then you'll turn the page to a detailed official government document about how to kill guys that look like Hell Knights from Doom.
At the end of the day, whilst I was taken aback by the setup at first, being a big purist for why the orignal movie was effective to begin with, I was sold eventually, and I think this pulls off what it's trying to do pretty decently.
This has definitely impressed me, and I'll probably get around to playing the two sequels... at some point, I just hope they aren't as repetative as this became at some points.
Or perhaps I'll just play the Bloober game again, which is, like this, surprisingly very good.
2022
I got a lot more out of the story than I thought, I was expecting a flat grounded samurai story and instead it gives everything in its short runtime.
This is a visual stunner with great homage to classic Japanese cinema, but that's no surprise as that's what it sold itself on, I will say that I was expecting more from the combat, it's fine, there's just enough to keep me invested but only just. It'd be more of an issue if the game were longer.
Overall though this was great.
This is a visual stunner with great homage to classic Japanese cinema, but that's no surprise as that's what it sold itself on, I will say that I was expecting more from the combat, it's fine, there's just enough to keep me invested but only just. It'd be more of an issue if the game were longer.
Overall though this was great.
Forgot to log this, here's my review:
https://indiegamefans.com/the-stanley-parable-ultra-deluxe-bucket-loads-of-new-content/
https://indiegamefans.com/the-stanley-parable-ultra-deluxe-bucket-loads-of-new-content/
I actually finished this a couple weeks ago but I've just been chipping away at the MOUNTAIN of content available here, and I think I'm about done for now, I've had my fill. There are some things I wish had carried over from previous games like character creation, but I can't really complain when this is such a big step up for a series famous for basically just being the same thing every time.
I especially love traversing the galaxy, going through space in some iconic ships and getting into some of the really fun random encounters in space, getting down onto the planet to explore.
It's really good! I can't wait to see where TT goes from here.
I especially love traversing the galaxy, going through space in some iconic ships and getting into some of the really fun random encounters in space, getting down onto the planet to explore.
It's really good! I can't wait to see where TT goes from here.
2019
Overall a great, if only just, experience. Mostly the small indie production pushes back against the huge scale this game is going for. The detective gameplay is hard to get on board with at first, it's a bit more involved than some other detective games, so it can take some time to get used to. There's a lot here, though, lots of customisation options, lots of interesting places to go, the game captures a great atmosphere.
Everything here is perfectly good enough, and it comes together into a satisfying enough package.
Everything here is perfectly good enough, and it comes together into a satisfying enough package.
2022
Something kept holding me back on this one for the first couple of hours but it hooked me in eventually, really liked this game.
2022
I want to be clear from the get go, this game isn't for everyone, the structure of the open world is definitely going to put people off, and the combat is very repetitive; moreover the story is definitely nothing to write home about, this is definitely a very niche title.
And I am that niche, me, this game was specifically made for me, the gameplay loop may be repetitive but I never get bored of it (I beat every single side mission before even beating the story), and I absolutely adore the open world. It seems, at a distance, like a typical ubisoft tower ordeal, but with one change, instead of just revealing the map it unlocks that section of the map entirely, meaning you have to explore every nook and cranny of Shibuya over the course of the game. On the way you'll find yourself fighting some of the best visually designed enemies in years, who are always pulling out new moves in combat, using satisfying and flashy shooter combat that's easy to pick up but really feels satisfying when mastered, you'll catch Yokai Pokémon style (Yokai watch who?) And each one is a fun little puzzle to decipher, and all the while you'll be grappling, gliding and running through a beautifully-realised vision of an apocalyptic Tokyo. Seriously every inch of this game is stunning, I'm happy to give it an art design award right now, it's easily one of the best looking games I've seen in years and the setpeieces are so surreal and creative.
The Homage to all sorts of Jhhorror throughout the game is absolutely heartwarming and whilst the game is never really scary the horror imagery throughout is palpable. It creates a wonderful atmosphere that truly realises the idea of a modern open-world horror game as explored in The Evil Within 2.
The ONLY thing holding this game back is the story, but quite honestly even in the game the story largely feels like a means to an end, getting the player into this world and into these situations.
Absolutely adored this game, and it's easily my favourite game I've played so far this year.
Tl;Dr: you go around night time Tokyo and hunt down cryptids and mythic creatures, all the while blasting monsters with flashy super powers. It's amazing.
And I am that niche, me, this game was specifically made for me, the gameplay loop may be repetitive but I never get bored of it (I beat every single side mission before even beating the story), and I absolutely adore the open world. It seems, at a distance, like a typical ubisoft tower ordeal, but with one change, instead of just revealing the map it unlocks that section of the map entirely, meaning you have to explore every nook and cranny of Shibuya over the course of the game. On the way you'll find yourself fighting some of the best visually designed enemies in years, who are always pulling out new moves in combat, using satisfying and flashy shooter combat that's easy to pick up but really feels satisfying when mastered, you'll catch Yokai Pokémon style (Yokai watch who?) And each one is a fun little puzzle to decipher, and all the while you'll be grappling, gliding and running through a beautifully-realised vision of an apocalyptic Tokyo. Seriously every inch of this game is stunning, I'm happy to give it an art design award right now, it's easily one of the best looking games I've seen in years and the setpeieces are so surreal and creative.
The Homage to all sorts of Jhhorror throughout the game is absolutely heartwarming and whilst the game is never really scary the horror imagery throughout is palpable. It creates a wonderful atmosphere that truly realises the idea of a modern open-world horror game as explored in The Evil Within 2.
The ONLY thing holding this game back is the story, but quite honestly even in the game the story largely feels like a means to an end, getting the player into this world and into these situations.
Absolutely adored this game, and it's easily my favourite game I've played so far this year.
Tl;Dr: you go around night time Tokyo and hunt down cryptids and mythic creatures, all the while blasting monsters with flashy super powers. It's amazing.
2010
This wasn't so bad! A lot of it hasn't aged well like one of the main collectibles being a woman's nudes...
Nevertheless, this was a fun-enough brawler, I loved the design of the environments, the performances were a highlight, but there wasn't much else to say. It's fine, just fine. It's better than I thought, I mean I finished it, but it's nothing to write home about.
Nevertheless, this was a fun-enough brawler, I loved the design of the environments, the performances were a highlight, but there wasn't much else to say. It's fine, just fine. It's better than I thought, I mean I finished it, but it's nothing to write home about.
Took me a while to get to this one as I played 1 and then 3 for some reason, but I missed out, I think I honestly like this more than 3, the weapons all feel great if not as crazy as 3, the thing that makes this one better is the level design. The general linearity of this game works in its favor, even thought there's less to do there's a lot more visual variety and interesting sections to each level, I was just more engaged overall.
2021
Love the art, love the writing, love the minigames, I just wish the choices were better and the game had more to it overall.
2022
Wasn't sold at first but I loved this, a fun puzzle-platformer where the boat is everything. The mechanics are perfecly balanced for management, I'm a sucker for things where you have a big vehicle that you take across the land and use as your main base of operations, the feeling of leaving the ship to look for fuel was great, but it would have been nice to have more kinds of things to find. the puzzles could have also been a little more... actually, I don't know, something just didn't feel satisfying about them.
2018
Easily one of the best Far Cry games, with the most interesting world, interesting characters and most varied and fully-formed gameplay the series has seen. I can't believe people shrug this one off so easily. The world and story are so smart and clever, I don't want to sound like the worst possible person, but I can't help but feel like this game went over people's heads.
Something about this games plot didn't have as much of a grip on me as the first game (it took me almost a week to beat this 6-8 hour game), but it's still great.
It's crazy to me how high-quality these games are, obviously the great animations and use of an art-style that has aged like a fine wine, this game even makes prehrendered backgrounds look good. Not to mention the writing and voice acting that really tie it together. The gameplay I'd basically more of the same but extra points to this game for the wacky moments of changing things up, which are a lot of fun.
I just wish the plot was more compelling and it didn't have as much wierd sex stuff.
It's crazy to me how high-quality these games are, obviously the great animations and use of an art-style that has aged like a fine wine, this game even makes prehrendered backgrounds look good. Not to mention the writing and voice acting that really tie it together. The gameplay I'd basically more of the same but extra points to this game for the wacky moments of changing things up, which are a lot of fun.
I just wish the plot was more compelling and it didn't have as much wierd sex stuff.