Banned Footage Vol. 1 contains Nightmare, which is one of the most entertaining survival games I have ever played. Made much better with the terrifying atmosphere and the gameplay. Bedroom was, okay, it took me a while to figure out. And Ethan Must Die got pretty annoying, pretty quick.
Still as confusing as the ending of the original game. I'm really hoping that AW2 does a much better job from a storytelling and pacing perspective.
2017
I read John Green mentioning this game in his book “The Anthropocene Reviewed”, in the monopoly essay, which he describes as taking the role of an AI where you exhaust the universe’s resources to make paperclips. This intrigued me, but I never expected to get sucked into it so hard, basically saying goodbye to my evening.
Every time the game introduces a new feature, such as the stock market and the Yomi game, it changed the paradigm of what I had to do and the strategies I needed to create more paperclips. After the drones are released, I really had a hard time understanding what was going on, but what I was seeing was especially humorous. There are many things that keep you addicted, looking at specific parameters in order to come up with strategies to expand the paperclip empire.
This may seem like a game that only shows numbers and letters on screen. But the existential realization of what you have just done at the end, when you have exhausted all of the earth’s matter is mind-blowing. Then the objective is taken to the stars, where you have to drain the universe’s resources through flying space probes. I thought the existential concept of the game was unique, and I appreciate the creativity and dedication to it by the creator.
To conclude, I don’t know how I feel about this game. On one hand I loved the premise, hilarious implications of its plot, and how it handles the dangers of uncontrolled exponential growth. But also, the gameplay became extremely addicting, much more than I am comfortable with and it sucked a big chunk of my day. So I declare that I’ll never play Universal Paperclips again, for the sake of my sanity.
Now, I’ll go meditate in a corner for a while.
Final Score: 68/100
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Every time the game introduces a new feature, such as the stock market and the Yomi game, it changed the paradigm of what I had to do and the strategies I needed to create more paperclips. After the drones are released, I really had a hard time understanding what was going on, but what I was seeing was especially humorous. There are many things that keep you addicted, looking at specific parameters in order to come up with strategies to expand the paperclip empire.
This may seem like a game that only shows numbers and letters on screen. But the existential realization of what you have just done at the end, when you have exhausted all of the earth’s matter is mind-blowing. Then the objective is taken to the stars, where you have to drain the universe’s resources through flying space probes. I thought the existential concept of the game was unique, and I appreciate the creativity and dedication to it by the creator.
To conclude, I don’t know how I feel about this game. On one hand I loved the premise, hilarious implications of its plot, and how it handles the dangers of uncontrolled exponential growth. But also, the gameplay became extremely addicting, much more than I am comfortable with and it sucked a big chunk of my day. So I declare that I’ll never play Universal Paperclips again, for the sake of my sanity.
Now, I’ll go meditate in a corner for a while.
Final Score: 68/100
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2023
Watch my full review: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a-Zh-Ho1WNo&t=6s
It's been a while since I have finished a game this fun, with so much soul, memorable characters, and passion behind it. The world of Hi-Fi Rush has quickly become one of my favorites and will always have a place in my heart.
It's been a while since I have finished a game this fun, with so much soul, memorable characters, and passion behind it. The world of Hi-Fi Rush has quickly become one of my favorites and will always have a place in my heart.
2022
This game was very fun and has potential. I want to play it more in the future. However, as I never played the first one, I can't compare it or say that it is better or worse. But I feel like the combat and competitiveness have a lot of ways to mix and match and open up possibilities.
2023
It's freaking multiplayer Outlast. What more do you need?
I remember playing the first and second Outlast games taking turns with my friends and being all freaked out together. Now, in 2023, we can all enjoy that experience of feeling the adrenaline of helplessly being chased by hideous monsters straight out of nightmares together. I had a blast playing this with friends and I highly recommend it.
I hope we get new locations, game modes, and content later on because the gameplay and concepts succeed in many areas such as progression and the overall fun factor of the missions.
I remember playing the first and second Outlast games taking turns with my friends and being all freaked out together. Now, in 2023, we can all enjoy that experience of feeling the adrenaline of helplessly being chased by hideous monsters straight out of nightmares together. I had a blast playing this with friends and I highly recommend it.
I hope we get new locations, game modes, and content later on because the gameplay and concepts succeed in many areas such as progression and the overall fun factor of the missions.
Even though it's short, this game makes the most out of the great Spider-Man game by focusing on the titular Miles. I found the missions and Miles' powers insanely fun to play with. Makes me very excited for the future of this franchise.
2020
Astro's Playroom is a cute, beautiful showcase of the power of the PlayStation 5. It is also a love letter to the console's history and legacy. It was so much fun to go through this game looking at the different hardware through the console's previous generations and appreciating the amazing DualSense controller.
The PlayStation 5 is a joy to look at. It is a futuristic, space-age beauty of a console that makes me excited to see what the future of gaming will be like. Astro's Playroom makes full use of the controller's new features, including the dynamic L2 and R2 triggers, the movement sensors and the wide variety of vibrations that make the games come alive. Seriously, you can even feel what material Astro is walking through. I think these features will further enhance future games, and give developers more tools to play with in the future.
Another amazing thing of the PS5 is the sheer power of the machine. In Astro's Playroom, the loading times after you die are incredibly fast. I almost shed a tear after experiencing this first-hand. After 18 years of gaming, I never thought I would see the day that annoying loading screens would become a thing of the past. Dropping you into action almost immediately. Visually, there are a lot of things that are much better than past games, this is a generation that will be massively improved graphically.
The game itself is a pretty fun platformer, I enjoyed my time with it and loved all the references from other PlayStation games. You can tell that Sony puts a lot of love behind their brand, and this game is proof of it.
Final Score: 75/100
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The PlayStation 5 is a joy to look at. It is a futuristic, space-age beauty of a console that makes me excited to see what the future of gaming will be like. Astro's Playroom makes full use of the controller's new features, including the dynamic L2 and R2 triggers, the movement sensors and the wide variety of vibrations that make the games come alive. Seriously, you can even feel what material Astro is walking through. I think these features will further enhance future games, and give developers more tools to play with in the future.
Another amazing thing of the PS5 is the sheer power of the machine. In Astro's Playroom, the loading times after you die are incredibly fast. I almost shed a tear after experiencing this first-hand. After 18 years of gaming, I never thought I would see the day that annoying loading screens would become a thing of the past. Dropping you into action almost immediately. Visually, there are a lot of things that are much better than past games, this is a generation that will be massively improved graphically.
The game itself is a pretty fun platformer, I enjoyed my time with it and loved all the references from other PlayStation games. You can tell that Sony puts a lot of love behind their brand, and this game is proof of it.
Final Score: 75/100
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Even though the gameplay and elements are pretty much the same from the last game, Survivor expands the story in new, interesting directions. Has a lot of fun elements and challenge, but can become repetitive.
2022
Ghostwire Tokyo is a fun, fast-paced, and beautifully designed game that made I enjoyed quite a bit. Especially with the way it incorporates Japanese culture into its world. The environment, enemy design, and story are amazing.
Some of the areas where I wish Ghostwire was better is in the gameplay, as some of the main character’s attacks and movements feel clunky. But I got used to it after a while. Overall, a great experience that holds itself pretty well. I also appreciated the way that the language is Japanese by default. I think more games should be in the original language of their location.
Final Score: 78/100
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Some of the areas where I wish Ghostwire was better is in the gameplay, as some of the main character’s attacks and movements feel clunky. But I got used to it after a while. Overall, a great experience that holds itself pretty well. I also appreciated the way that the language is Japanese by default. I think more games should be in the original language of their location.
Final Score: 78/100
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2022
A very cute and entertaining game that made me laugh a lot. If you like dungeon crawlers and satirical stories you will definitely enjoy Cult of the Lamb. I thought it was fun in the beginning but the combat can get tiring after a while. However, the village-management parts are hilarious and very entertaining.
2019
Control is a game that piqued my interest after seeing some of its videos, reviews and premise. I love science fiction stories that make me think and scratch my head, so I decided to give it a try. Although it is very fun and visually pleasing, the plot doesn't make up for the quality of the gameplay.
The action and gameplay are phenomenal. This is probably the biggest positive of the game. I had a ton of fun using all of Jesse's different powers and weapons to blast away a wide variety of enemies. The difficulty scaling is very well done, and the game gets very hard towards the end, requiring the player to be smart and plan ahead with the upgrading. The skill and upgrade system is decent, although in the beginning it can be difficult to find certain resources that are necesary to upgrade your arsenal.
Although the premise and setting are interesting, the writing and the way the story is presented are disappointing. I think Jesse is a very uninteresting and boring protagonist. We don't get much explanation for her backstory, and she is almost completely emotionless and unexpressive in her lines with the cutscenes. There isn't a clear villain to the game, other than a crisis caused by an other-worldy energy named "The Hiss" (I think this name is dumb). Which is fine, as it adds mystery to the game, but towards the end it becomes less clear if it really is that much of a threat. This is because the importance of what is at stake is never clearly defined.
A big issue with the story is that most of the details are told and shown through collectible files and recordings. and there are HUNDREDS of these things scattered around the map. In the main missions and cutscenes, the story is told in an ominous and mysterious tone that doesn't really work. It comes off as tryhard and pretentious instead of something artistic with potential to be analyzed. I especially noticed this towards the ending which was confusing and just left me rolling my eyes instead of having my mind blown.
Although I had a lot of fun playing Control, I wouldn't call it a great game. There were a lot of things that could have been better, but it still offered plenty of action and amazing gameplay unlike any game I've played before. If there was better acting, story and characters I would have enjoyed this far more, but I still think it deserves its merit where it is due.
Final Score: 72/100
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The action and gameplay are phenomenal. This is probably the biggest positive of the game. I had a ton of fun using all of Jesse's different powers and weapons to blast away a wide variety of enemies. The difficulty scaling is very well done, and the game gets very hard towards the end, requiring the player to be smart and plan ahead with the upgrading. The skill and upgrade system is decent, although in the beginning it can be difficult to find certain resources that are necesary to upgrade your arsenal.
Although the premise and setting are interesting, the writing and the way the story is presented are disappointing. I think Jesse is a very uninteresting and boring protagonist. We don't get much explanation for her backstory, and she is almost completely emotionless and unexpressive in her lines with the cutscenes. There isn't a clear villain to the game, other than a crisis caused by an other-worldy energy named "The Hiss" (I think this name is dumb). Which is fine, as it adds mystery to the game, but towards the end it becomes less clear if it really is that much of a threat. This is because the importance of what is at stake is never clearly defined.
A big issue with the story is that most of the details are told and shown through collectible files and recordings. and there are HUNDREDS of these things scattered around the map. In the main missions and cutscenes, the story is told in an ominous and mysterious tone that doesn't really work. It comes off as tryhard and pretentious instead of something artistic with potential to be analyzed. I especially noticed this towards the ending which was confusing and just left me rolling my eyes instead of having my mind blown.
Although I had a lot of fun playing Control, I wouldn't call it a great game. There were a lot of things that could have been better, but it still offered plenty of action and amazing gameplay unlike any game I've played before. If there was better acting, story and characters I would have enjoyed this far more, but I still think it deserves its merit where it is due.
Final Score: 72/100
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2018
Sea of Thieves is a game that interested me due to its themes, mechanics, and ability to be enjoyed with multiplayer. This is my first chapter in looking for new game pass titles to play, and I have to say that I was vastly disappointed. After the initial tutorial and understanding of how the game works, Sea of Thieves became very promising, only before it dawned on me how tedious it actually is.
I can see why many could enjoy this game, especially with friends. But for me, it became apparent that 80-90% would just be a chore as I try to navigate my ship from island to island for hours only to be met with lackluster combat and even more tedium. I want to be clear that I don’t think this is necessarily bad. Death Stranding and the Life is Strange series have a lot of moments that feel like chores, but those games are beautiful to look at and have a great underlying story. This game just feels empty, like the multiplayer game without substance it is.
Final Score: 50/100
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I can see why many could enjoy this game, especially with friends. But for me, it became apparent that 80-90% would just be a chore as I try to navigate my ship from island to island for hours only to be met with lackluster combat and even more tedium. I want to be clear that I don’t think this is necessarily bad. Death Stranding and the Life is Strange series have a lot of moments that feel like chores, but those games are beautiful to look at and have a great underlying story. This game just feels empty, like the multiplayer game without substance it is.
Final Score: 50/100
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2023
It is safe to say that Crab Champions lived up to the multiple-year hype. This game is so fun on many fronts, especially with the way you have to strategize with the perks in order to get far in the game. I have only played the single-player mode but I have to say that it is amazing how smooth and fun the gameplay is. I originally thought that it would have a lack of content problem at first, but the truth is that each arena has new challenges that stack up as the game progresses.
2023
A very bland, generic action game that doesn't even come close to justifying the $70. The main problem I have with it is that it is so easy even in the hardest difficulty that it becomes boring pretty quickly. I never felt threatened or scared, and the story so far has been the same cookie-cutter blandness we have seen 100 times.