IanAraujo
1997
The level design is disappointing, the first levels are too linear and when mixed with the small amount of enemies that this game has, gets boring fast. The last levels have so much non sense puzzles that is impossible to not get frustrated. The mid game is solid though.
The art direction is very interesting and provides a new horror look compared to the previous DOOMs, although the enemies visuals doesn't look right with that desaturated reddish color.
The soundtrack works as an good ambience sound, but looks very similar to each other. Besides, it doesn't seems to suit the (not very fast, but still) fast paced gameplay. Often the music just stops and I had to finish the level with complete silence.
And the saddest thing, the lack of proper animations on the guns, almost every gun in the game stays practically motionless when shot.
The art direction is very interesting and provides a new horror look compared to the previous DOOMs, although the enemies visuals doesn't look right with that desaturated reddish color.
The soundtrack works as an good ambience sound, but looks very similar to each other. Besides, it doesn't seems to suit the (not very fast, but still) fast paced gameplay. Often the music just stops and I had to finish the level with complete silence.
And the saddest thing, the lack of proper animations on the guns, almost every gun in the game stays practically motionless when shot.
This review contains spoilers
The general story is basically “find Ciri”... for sixty hours you go from town to town asking people for information and returning favors. First Geralt goes to the Bloody Baron, then goes to Keira, then goes to Triss and an infinite quest of finding Dandelion, just to find out she's not there. Then you go to Skellige [she's not there either]. This is 80% of the game, just walking and going nowhere. After this you get to the awfully paced final act, you call all your friends for the big battle, there are some awesome fighting cutscenes, everybody is helping each other, it feels like the ending, just to find out you called the wrong friends and now you need to gather the ‘mages friends’ for the big big battle, and here we go again.
There is a part near the end of the game where you finally know the location of Ciri, the wild hunt is coming fast, you are on a magical island, but to get to her you need to help some random dwarfs. This is The Witcher 3 storyline in a nutshell.
I got the 'bad ending' and beyond being sad and all, it is literally bad.
There are some good “sub-stories” in the main quests, like the Baron one, but the majority of them are mediocre, the main characters are very charismatic though. In the story aspect, the side-quests save the game, with random encounters and bizarre creatures that expand the lore in a way that the main missions don't.
The combat is some kind of hack and slash wannabe Dark Souls and it's just not fun, some of the fights you can lock the camera on the enemy, close your eyes and smash attack button+dodges. The combat is the same from beginning to end, nothing that changes the combat flow is added, which is disappointing for a game like this.
Everything gameplay-related feels poorly developed. This game has the worst horse-gameplay I've seen. Geralt moves like Tommy Vercetti. Half the open world is wasted space filled with generic bandit camps and monsters nest. Most of the loot is crap. The majority of abilities on the skill tree are useless.
There is a part near the end of the game where you finally know the location of Ciri, the wild hunt is coming fast, you are on a magical island, but to get to her you need to help some random dwarfs. This is The Witcher 3 storyline in a nutshell.
I got the 'bad ending' and beyond being sad and all, it is literally bad.
There are some good “sub-stories” in the main quests, like the Baron one, but the majority of them are mediocre, the main characters are very charismatic though. In the story aspect, the side-quests save the game, with random encounters and bizarre creatures that expand the lore in a way that the main missions don't.
The combat is some kind of hack and slash wannabe Dark Souls and it's just not fun, some of the fights you can lock the camera on the enemy, close your eyes and smash attack button+dodges. The combat is the same from beginning to end, nothing that changes the combat flow is added, which is disappointing for a game like this.
Everything gameplay-related feels poorly developed. This game has the worst horse-gameplay I've seen. Geralt moves like Tommy Vercetti. Half the open world is wasted space filled with generic bandit camps and monsters nest. Most of the loot is crap. The majority of abilities on the skill tree are useless.
The absence of the light meter killed this game, you have no idea how hidden Sam is, the new meter in his back simply doesn't work, and combined with the weird lighting and bad AI, enemies can spot you pretty much randomly. Besides this, the majority of the levels are uninteresting, especially since most of them are in broad daylight, and not being seen in a place so well lit is completely ridiculous. (it doesn't help that Sam's model is always shining bright). Furthermore, in the JBA Headquarters sections, you're not able to run, the stealth mechanics are too simple to be fun, and going back and forth solving some minigames is just baffling.
2008
This game is regarded as having the best story in the series, but i couldn't care about it. The lack of focus on Niko's revenge in exchange for his employers/friends boring archs didn't help. Sure, GTA games doesn't focus so much on its protagonist story, but the people surrounding him. San Andreas/Vice City has only an idea of a plot concerning its protagonist, just like IV, the story is more interested in the people you encouter, but they were way more interesting in those games than the 15 identicals criminals/mobsters you work for in this one. It needed more Brucie-esche characters.
That wouldn't be much of a problem if the game didn't sacrifice it's gameplay in favour of the gritty-realistic story, it didn't need to have a soap as a vehicle, or such a small number of weapons, or a cover system so clunky that is better ignored, or a city that has nothing to do or to buy, as the game seems more interested in you only doing what they want you to do (Niko's friends calling him every minute he is not in a mission).
That said, although this game has only two types of missions, car chases and shootouts, the latter were always fun, especially playing with no auto-aim, yeah, was the same mission over and over, but the different locations, house interiors and ragdoll physics made the game for me.
The radio stations ads are gold as always.
That wouldn't be much of a problem if the game didn't sacrifice it's gameplay in favour of the gritty-realistic story, it didn't need to have a soap as a vehicle, or such a small number of weapons, or a cover system so clunky that is better ignored, or a city that has nothing to do or to buy, as the game seems more interested in you only doing what they want you to do (Niko's friends calling him every minute he is not in a mission).
That said, although this game has only two types of missions, car chases and shootouts, the latter were always fun, especially playing with no auto-aim, yeah, was the same mission over and over, but the different locations, house interiors and ragdoll physics made the game for me.
The radio stations ads are gold as always.
A breath fresh air in the franchise. Although the latter games were good, they were still following the same WWII FPS formula.
Thankfully they tried something new with the start of the generation, droping from the airplane at the start of each mission (and sometimes after dying), seeing the whole map and beeing able to choose where to start is great.
This goes along with the open-ended level design which is way superior than the linear corridor from previous games, and an all new weapon upgrade system that, while basic, is a nice change and incentivizes changing weapons to see how they will turn up.
The different locations you go through are a massive improvement, as they are more divesified and generally with a landmark estructure to draw attention, a nazi fortress, a roman ruins temple, the destoyed church, a tank factory, and that Flak Tower which is the most memorable setting from the franchise. Wish the game was longer.
That said, the ideia of spawning enemies in an open environment game like this breakes a lot on how you approach the objectives and is a shame the last two missions loose themselves on the overabundance of the worse enemy-type, snipers and rocket-lauchers, finishing the game with a bad taste.
Disappointing that EA pushed this aside to make a Modern Warfare Clone.
Starting Operation Market Garden with that optimism from the soldiers as Arnhem from Frontline starts playing is a banger.
Thankfully they tried something new with the start of the generation, droping from the airplane at the start of each mission (and sometimes after dying), seeing the whole map and beeing able to choose where to start is great.
This goes along with the open-ended level design which is way superior than the linear corridor from previous games, and an all new weapon upgrade system that, while basic, is a nice change and incentivizes changing weapons to see how they will turn up.
The different locations you go through are a massive improvement, as they are more divesified and generally with a landmark estructure to draw attention, a nazi fortress, a roman ruins temple, the destoyed church, a tank factory, and that Flak Tower which is the most memorable setting from the franchise. Wish the game was longer.
That said, the ideia of spawning enemies in an open environment game like this breakes a lot on how you approach the objectives and is a shame the last two missions loose themselves on the overabundance of the worse enemy-type, snipers and rocket-lauchers, finishing the game with a bad taste.
Disappointing that EA pushed this aside to make a Modern Warfare Clone.
Starting Operation Market Garden with that optimism from the soldiers as Arnhem from Frontline starts playing is a banger.
2022
Wish devs were less oblivious about the players dumbness. I didn't know you could enter in those scenes as my mouse can't rumble like a controller, so i discovered 90% of the footage without knowing much about it. Even triggered the ending. A tutorial mechanic that would only appear to players that didn't performed that action or that passed X ammout of time without entering the thing should be implemented. I can understand a tutorial mechanic would feel off putting, but it would be way less harmful to the player than finishing the game without learning its bare minimum.
2013
Can't see where all the hate come from, works exactly like a version of Human Revolution for mobile, great world-building, small and dense map with all the different paths to play with and lots of side quests. The game is short so doesn't hurt, story is less atractive, especially since it ends with no conclusion, but still is a nice add to the universe.
The only downside i saw was the simplified inventory system and the PC version having weird controls, but i managed to get used to early on. I didn't encountered any major bugs, only some rare visual glitchs during takedowns.
Considering how publishers tend to ignore other plataforms when releasing mobile/handheld games, i was quite happy for beeing able to play this officially on PC, especially since you can't buy on iOS and Android anymore.
The only downside i saw was the simplified inventory system and the PC version having weird controls, but i managed to get used to early on. I didn't encountered any major bugs, only some rare visual glitchs during takedowns.
Considering how publishers tend to ignore other plataforms when releasing mobile/handheld games, i was quite happy for beeing able to play this officially on PC, especially since you can't buy on iOS and Android anymore.
2018
Great story and expansion to Subsurface, waiting for a sequel. I was lucky enough to get the most satisfying ending on my first playthrough (the one with Marc), which is the most unexpected one, awesome. But the other endings just follows what you'd expect, and considering how the third act is rushed, they feel quite mediocre.
I was very pleased with my first playthrough and will rate accordingly, but the game sure goes from 8 to 80 depending on your choice.
I was very pleased with my first playthrough and will rate accordingly, but the game sure goes from 8 to 80 depending on your choice.
2017
Interesting use of the Tower of Hanoi puzzle to design a game.
2019
Good game, a shame that is made on the Ubisoft way of putting online, customisation and DLCs above it all to the point where you have to grind to get more levels, bollocks. A game that likes to prevent the player from playing.
2023
With so many side characters that doesn't add to the main storyline and a main one that isn't interesting at all, this game feels more like a prologue to a bigger thing. A story with no climax, a discovery that comes from (and to) nowhere and a journey without relevance for the protagonist or even the user.
The OK-ish puzzles or the absence of a real impact on your choices wasn't much of a problem in itself, the story is the focus and so it was, for better or worse.
Music is great as the others Circular games and Tron media.
The story isn't as concise and focused as it's Circular predecessors. This needed a bigger budget to work, a shame it didn't happen even with Disney support. Hope Mike get that for his next Tron things.
Tron Lives!
The OK-ish puzzles or the absence of a real impact on your choices wasn't much of a problem in itself, the story is the focus and so it was, for better or worse.
Music is great as the others Circular games and Tron media.
The story isn't as concise and focused as it's Circular predecessors. This needed a bigger budget to work, a shame it didn't happen even with Disney support. Hope Mike get that for his next Tron things.
Tron Lives!
2005
The oppressive atmosphere created from the clunky controls, hard Stealth and early Hitman game design is excellent. Karl can barely walk cause of enemies camouflaged in the distance, his low health and delay to change weapons isn't suited for close direct combat and forces the players to move slowly, observant and always afraid. Therefore, Sniper Elite has a great game loop, going from high and low dangerous areas, the game rewards the player in the best way possible, with rest, as now you can save peacefully and progress towards the next objective.
2012
This place is a message... and part of a system of messages... pay attention to it!
Sending this message was important to us. We considered ourselves to be a powerful culture.
This place is not a place of honor... no highly esteemed deed is commemorated here... nothing valued is here.
What is here was dangerous and repulsive to us. This message is a warning about danger.
The danger is in a particular location... it increases towards a center... the center of danger is here... of a particular size and shape, and below us.
The danger is still present, in your time, as it was in ours.
The danger is to the body, and it can kill.
The form of the danger is an emanation of energy.
The danger is unleashed only if you substantially disturb this place physically. This place is best shunned and left uninhabited.
Sending this message was important to us. We considered ourselves to be a powerful culture.
This place is not a place of honor... no highly esteemed deed is commemorated here... nothing valued is here.
What is here was dangerous and repulsive to us. This message is a warning about danger.
The danger is in a particular location... it increases towards a center... the center of danger is here... of a particular size and shape, and below us.
The danger is still present, in your time, as it was in ours.
The danger is to the body, and it can kill.
The form of the danger is an emanation of energy.
The danger is unleashed only if you substantially disturb this place physically. This place is best shunned and left uninhabited.
2014
Could be better if it took the NFS The Run idea (the length as well) and developed more, afterall, the strongest part of the game is the big map and the diverse biome you can drive. Unfortunetly, the things you do outside racing isn't great, the progress system and car unlocking are awfully disgusting, the map is loaded with visual pollution and not even the soundtrack can cheer things up. Racing is fine enough, a shame the rest isn't.
Ace Combat 3 (Japan version) evolves everything from the previous one, but unfortunately I wasn't able to connect as much as the others. The focus on history was inevitable to keep the franchise updated, and it's not bad by any means, but it's told in such a confusing way that it's difficult not to ignore everything right at the beginning. The story is great, but only when you are reading the summary on the internet. A shame, because the atmosphere and aesthetics are excellent, the gameplay is still perfect and hasn't aged at all and the choices lead to such cool paths that it's worth going back and finishing the different endings.
The more electronic soundtrack fits the game perfectly but I don't like it as much as the energizing rhythm of the second game.
The more electronic soundtrack fits the game perfectly but I don't like it as much as the energizing rhythm of the second game.