A hack-n-slash game that emphasizes on the hacking, which I find appropriate, considering an oversized chainsaw is the primary weapon. Lollipop Chainsaw is a cheeky action game that's humorous and creative in its own fun ways, but leans a bit too heavily on references in lieu of clever comedy. Not that the game isn't funny at times. The gameplay itself is a bit monotonous as well, rarely will it ask you to be strategic with your ways of attacking, and their way of congratulating the player with multi-kills really start to feel like punishment when you've refined your methods to group-up and kill.

The game has plenty of highlights too, I adore the concept of the zombies not just being able to talk, but also talk shit. A lot of their weird little lines and cadence are a delight. The music is also pretty fantastic, specifically the non-licensed tracks. Akira Yamaoka did a fine job providing more of this whacky punk atmosphere, and Jimmy Urine's boss tracks stand out the most, as they should.

Even so, it's a repetitive game that doesn't do a lot asking for replays. The most interesting thing about this game, to me, is seeing it in the lens of sexism. I personally think this game is trying to say some curious things about sexist roles in fantasy. The fact that the roles between the main male and female characters have been reversed from its norm (Nick literally becoming an "object" that's mocked and ogled for his appearance) says plenty, and I like how Juliet isn't exactly a perfect character either, showing her flaws throughout the game.

In other words, Lollipop Chainsaw is a good example of bait-n-switch in the world of power fantasies, but I think the eye candy is a little too in-your-face that I don't blame people for not seeing the game in the same light as I do.

You ever go see a movie you're excited for because it's from 'LEGENDARY DIRECTOR [x] AND GODLIKE WRITER(S) [y and/or z], and then you go see it with a friend who is less savvy on the subject, but wouldn't mind checking it out too? When the movie is over, you're sitting in the theater as the credits roll. Sullen . . . resentful . . . disappointed. Your friend is like "What's wrong?" You say "This movie." And they're like "Really? I thought it was okay!" And all you can retort with is "Yeah, it was 'okay'! That's the problem!" Shadows Of the Damned is that feeling wrapped up into a video game. Also your friend is easily amused by basic milquetoast action and dick jokes. I feel like that detail is important.

The game is a decent third-person shooter with some really nice atmosphere and fantastic enemy designs, however its story is mostly uninteresting as it's carried heavily by the banter between Garcia and Johnson: The main character and his talking gun. The writing has some good nuggets within--the storybooks you can come across deserve to be specifically shouted out--but it's very run-of-the-mill and uninspired. As for the gameplay, it's a watered-down Resident Evil 4 with only 3 different weapons to use, a severe step down from a game released 6 years before this. Enemy confrontations aren't too challenging, even on highest difficulty, and the bosses amount little to just shooting a spot that's glowing red.

Of course, anyone that saw an ounce of marketing from this game (of the 3 ounces EA provided) can't miss the names plastered on. Shinji Mikami, Suda51, and Akira Yamaoka. 3 very talented developers that provided excellence in their respective fields. How can a pot stewed between the creator of Resident Evil and the creator of killer7 come out so bland? Probably because EA didn't show you the rest of the chefs shoving their pounds of spam, powdered vanilla, or even their own body hairs into said pot. It shouldn't be a surprise to anyone that EA severely meddled with the project for the near-5 years it took making this game, going as far as kicking Suda off director's chair and appointing someone themselves.

I could go into severe detail, but I already have in an analysis video. The skinny of it is that EA didn't trust Suda at all to sell the game through his own vision, and saw Mikami as this excuse to just try and hock their own Resident Evil 4. Suda nor Mikami wanted a third-person shooter. Hell, the original concept was a survival horror in a world of darkness where your torch is your only weapon! Suda has very complicated feelings regarding this game. Its production forever changed how he looked at the industry. And that's all extremely interesting . . . much more than the game itself. Shadows of the Damned will forever be this testament to how a multi-billion dollar company can easily kill creativity.

The swan song to Cuphead was a big, chunky one for only $8. Shitty anime fighters charge more than that for a single character! Now ain't that a bitch? The entire 4th Inkwell Isle has its own series of unique surprises, secrets, and content that bleed over to the original game including new weapons, new abilities, and Chalice herself as a playable character with her own fundamentals.

The bosses in this new DLC are the highlight, of course, and don't disappoint for the most part. The final boss was especially a delight. My one complaint regarding the DLC bosses, they seem to rely a bit too much on RNG and making a mess of hitboxes on the screen. Much more than the original game's bosses, at least. It feels slightly less fair and fun to learn overall, I think.

Even so, this last course was indeed delicious with its peak artistry and catchy tunes all harking back to the era of classic cartoons and vaudeville nonsense. I look forward to whatever it is MDHR have planned next.

I remember being 11 years old and going over a friend's house a little bit after Devil May Cry came out. He raved about how great this game is, and I think played some of it in front of me. A couple months later, we hung out and I asked if I can borrow the game.

When I first started it, I thought it was pretty cool. I liked the gothic architecture and old castle feel of Mallet Island. I was kinda just mashing against the enemies for a bit while getting used to the controls. Then came the time to fight Phantom, the big scorpion spider thing who serves as the first boss. I lost over and over again, fighting frivolously and not even getting close to clearing out Phantom's health bar. A good hour in of retrying and dying and getting mad, I started to cry. I gave the game back and said "it sucks!" and was on a tirade against this series for a while.

Fast-forward to 2009, Bayonetta is being shown off and my 19 year-old self got pretty horny over her, which was enough to convince me to check the game out. And I adored it. It wasn't until after I beat the game that I took the time look up who Hideki Kamiya is as he was listed as the game's director. "Wait, this is the guy who made Devil May Cry?!"

I haven't thought about the series for years up to that point. But the memories were still there. I was almost scared to go back, despite being competent enough at action games. I grabbed the HD Collection, jumped in . . . and absolutely loved it!

Devil May Cry 1 might not be the most well-designed or engaging game in its series, but I love the style and presentation so damn much. And, as per my little story, I like to think it can teach any gamer discipline if they haven't experienced that yet from a video game. This title won't let you mash and bust your way through its story, you HAVE to understand how it wants you to play it.

A solid sequel that is sure to satisfy the Dead Rising fan in some ways, but seriously lacking in others. Dead Rising 2 definitely feels like a step-up in certain ways, such as the much larger plaza you can explore, co-op mode for its entire campaign, and the concept of combo weapons is one I welcome with open arms. Unfortunately, the story feels much closer to Hollywood schlock than the first, and tries too hard to pull at your emotions in order to get a reaction out of you.

The gameplay and presentation are noticeably worse as well. Controlling Chuck doesn't feel as fluid (gotta do more than simply letting us move while aiming), none of the regular weapons hit hard (to further encourage combo weapons I suppose), and the visuals just don't look as colorful or charming. The zombies themselves also don't have much weight to them either, and I didn't find the rogue gallery to be that interesting this time around, with the exception of Slappy.

I think a lot of what makes Dead Rising 1 great is inherently from a mindset of Japanese creators going for an Americana theme. The Canadians behind the sequel just don't have that mentality, which is a bummer.

TIR kicks ass, though.

This should've been called Warner Brawlers. Anyway, it's hard to really judge everything about this game, considering it's still in beta/early access/whatever, but there's a few lines in the sand I'm drawing;

1. If you're dedicating yourself to 1v1, you're going to have a bad time. This game is very blatantly designed around the 2v2 dynamic. 1v1 was merely included out of obligation/expectancy that is the nature of this formula. We are no longer in the period of happy accidents, this isn't 2001 anymore. And speaking as someone that's played Smash with its competitive norm for nearly 2 decades, Multiversus 1v1 is not fun at all (IMO).

2. Trying to play this like Smash Bros. also guarantees that you'll have a bad time. Just like how if you try to play Marvel VS Capcom like Tekken. It's time already that we start understanding that there's more than 1 way to make a competitive [REDACTED].

3. Playing as Iron Giant after having seen the movie implies a moral cavity within yourself. I won't give any friends shit for playing as him, but I don't ever want to touch the character. Just seeing the defensive transformation put into play is odd. That shit drew me to tears when I watched the movie as a kid, knowing the struggles and heartbreak this robot was facing, and giving into the darkest part he was fending off for the entire movie. It was scary! And seeing it bounce and blast around as a clutch move in this game . . . just feels weird.

Presentation feels only partially finished, but even what is already there, it's leagues ahead of Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl, which shamefully disregarded how important presentation is in order for one of these games to do well.

I guess I'll update this when it hits 1.0, but so far I'm enjoying it as a brain-dead Finn player.

EDIT: Finn nerfed to shit. Now I'm a Batman player.

The zombie game of zombie games! Dead Rising is an incredible non-traditional survival horror that emphasizes on many mechanics not seen in other horror games. The biggest enemy? TIME! You are Frank West, trying to capture the ultimate scoop, all while doing your best to help those in need from this zombie hellscape that was once a flourishing shopping mall!

It's such a blast exploring the mall and using so many different kinds of items as a weapon, all while the screen shows literally hundreds of shambling zombies at once! The controls definitely take some getting used to, but slaying the undead feels so damn good! And the story is very interesting as well. Unlike its Resident Evil relative, Dead Rising does not rely on a single memo to tell its tale of flesh-eaters and capitalism.

The PC version is considerably the best to go with, although it has a couple noticeable flubs. PS4 is a satisfactory experience as well.

A somewhat rushed sequel that ups the ante in a lot of ways. Many would consider the original Earthworm Jim to be an off-beat and non-traditional platformer, which helped it stand out along with its artistry. Earthworm Jim 2 sees this, and pushes that direction so damn far, that the better terms describing this game would be obtuse or obscene. This game has such a bizarre structure that you'll be applauding the designers for their creative output one minute, then booing them the next.

Despite its gaping flaws, I definitely have a really soft spot for Earthworm Jim 2. I actually have more fondness for this game than the original, perhaps because it's so obscenely odd without really needing an obnoxious "gross" factor (Boogerman sucks).

The 1-2 punch of the Earthworm Jim series is a testament of the mid-90s where some funny folks wanted to push the envelope and express their unique ideas in a really strange way, and it's something I don't think can be replicated ever again. And, like the original game, I prefer the SNES version as I think it has smoother gameplay and better visuals.

It's almost indescribable what Doom did for the industry and future generations of video games. It may not have been the first FPS game, but it's undeniable as the most influential. So many aspects of this game would inspire countless creators, including artists and game developers.

It's also modded and morphed more than pretty much any other game out there, with people still lovingly designing stages and mechanics for Doom to this day! I think it helps that the game itself is STILL awesome. Paired with very simple gameplay, it's responsive and has great feedback with every action you perform (varies among versions, but I'm mainly talking PC and any modern official port). It's about getting lost in these hellish halls as it is blasting demons in the face, all wrapped in exquisite sound design and kickass music!

Yeah, not really saying anything new here. And I probably never will. I just love Doom.

A straight-forward sequel to the genre-defining Contra, Super C is more of that goodness you expect with slight tweaks, such as weapon "upgrades" when you pick-up the same weapon twice. They also went with overhead stages instead of the third-person scenarios from the first game, which is a slight improvement.

Contra and Super C are both suitable for beginners that want to start getting into the run-n-gun subgenre, as its sequels would up the ante in all departments, including the challenging gameplay!