Geram
Man, I really wanted to like this one. I'd been wanting to play the original for quite some time only to find that a deluxe version was released just about a month ago - it felt like it was meant to be. BUT, I have to be completely honest and say it wasn't worth the price of admission.
To start with the good, the presentation was fantastic. The pixel art to the backgrounds to the hand drawn aesthetic pieces, it is all just gorgeous. The soundtrack, likewise, was pretty much perfect. The puzzles struck just the right amount of challenge without being too obtuse (with a few exceptions).
The issues arise with the characters who embody the "refuses to elaborate, leaves" meme coupled with the spineless protagonist. I don't have enough fingers and toes to count the number of times she would ask a question and get ignored, interrupted, or get "I can't answer that" as a response, only for the same thing to happen in the next (or even the same) conversation. Meanwhile, everything else she says amounts to "I'm sorry", "It's not like that!" or "I...". It just became so unbearably grating witnessing every conversation go the exact same way and makes the whole thing so much less enjoyable when you're not actively solving puzzles or gawking at the visuals. The story is, ironically, at its peak when none of the characters are talking.
All of it would be just a mixed bag normally but then the neutral ending swoops in feeling like a joke ending and leaving a bad taste in my mouth with how bizarrely the tone shifts into almost parody territory. I might change my opinion after going back to get the other endings, but as of right now, this is where it's at.
To start with the good, the presentation was fantastic. The pixel art to the backgrounds to the hand drawn aesthetic pieces, it is all just gorgeous. The soundtrack, likewise, was pretty much perfect. The puzzles struck just the right amount of challenge without being too obtuse (with a few exceptions).
The issues arise with the characters who embody the "refuses to elaborate, leaves" meme coupled with the spineless protagonist. I don't have enough fingers and toes to count the number of times she would ask a question and get ignored, interrupted, or get "I can't answer that" as a response, only for the same thing to happen in the next (or even the same) conversation. Meanwhile, everything else she says amounts to "I'm sorry", "It's not like that!" or "I...". It just became so unbearably grating witnessing every conversation go the exact same way and makes the whole thing so much less enjoyable when you're not actively solving puzzles or gawking at the visuals. The story is, ironically, at its peak when none of the characters are talking.
All of it would be just a mixed bag normally but then the neutral ending swoops in feeling like a joke ending and leaving a bad taste in my mouth with how bizarrely the tone shifts into almost parody territory. I might change my opinion after going back to get the other endings, but as of right now, this is where it's at.
2013
A tolerable first person shooter that dumbs down the gameplay of the series to the point it can't really be called "Bioshock" anymore. As someone who has (no joke) watched their friend play it at least a dozen times, there is a new plothole discovered every time.
2016
Makes damn good use of its gimmicks and is pretty high on the scare factor. Still need to play the latest version
2010
While the gameplay itself may be rather dull, the characters are so endearing and the style is switched up frequently, all the while the soundtrack absolutely kills it (in the good way).
A moving and deeply personal work that ties the trilogy together perfectly. It needed to end, but god I wish I could keep going forever. Goodbye, Charlotte.
We should have taken her warning
Started off slow and, frankly, slightly pretentious, but my god it hit such an intense emotional crescendo that left me lying awake at night
2011
Can be fun once you get the hang of it, but everything outside of the matches themselves (the grind and the weird management sim) really bring the whole thing down
Pretty generic RPG Maker game about depression, etc. with plenty of "YOU DIED" puzzles sprinkled in, but the aesthetic gives it some identity
2019
Some tweaks make Sonic's campaign pretty entertaining and worth the time. Sadly the same can't be said about the other two hedgehogs, their flaws are just too fundamental to be fixed easily
2019
A relaxing experience all about the emergent gameplay of traversing a massive landscape and whether you're prepared for it or not. Best consumed in small chunks, and make sure you play it online - helping and being helped by other players is one of its biggest strengths.
For most of it, it was a 4* time, but the pacing goes really out of wack towards the back end of the game, with what feels like over half the spoken dialogue shoved into the last quarter. With how much dead time Death Stranding has (as far as audio), I feel like more could have been done to get to know the characters and story without the Kojima brand exposition dumps.
For most of it, it was a 4* time, but the pacing goes really out of wack towards the back end of the game, with what feels like over half the spoken dialogue shoved into the last quarter. With how much dead time Death Stranding has (as far as audio), I feel like more could have been done to get to know the characters and story without the Kojima brand exposition dumps.
2015
Really shines with some of its more creative characters, but the rest of the package is marred by poor balance, a grindy F2P model, and the most popular gamemode either handing you a win on a silver platter or completely fucking you over with its choice of map
An pleasant aesthetic slapped onto a boring, buggy experience with painfully amateur voice acting
An eternal classic that simultaneously sucks the fun out of itself at times. Still an experience I wouldn't trade for the world.
The best in the Battle Network series, 3 has the best story, an exciting tournament arc, a great ending, and meaty postgame. I wouldn't have been mad if the series stopped right here.