IsaacAdept123456
2024
I suck at this game but it's great fun. Also the story mode is balls to the wall crazy shit but sometimes it doesn't make sense for its own good but still being mad entertaining
Doesn't reach the highs of the previous two games but this is still a worthy installment to the Arkham canon. The story is really well written and a great Batman prequel with some amazing character work for the major characters in the story. Gameplay wise it's still more Arkham but you really can't go wrong with that lol, I do admit I enjoyed doing Riddler collectible hunting a lot more in this game than in City. Also the Mr Freeze DLC was really fun too although a bit too short.
1981
"That man is playing Galaga, thought we wouldn't notice but we did"
A much bigger and more dynamic sequel which while that lends itself to having more exciting locations and more diverse characters, kills some of the simplicity that made the first game one of my favorite indie games.
HM1's tighter level design allowed a greater sense of surveying the environment and greater control over what has happening. The bigger levels in the sequel do allow for more sprawling and exciting environments but it comes at the cost of being overstuffed as there's way too many enemies with some being out of sight unfairly sniping you without even being registered on your radar. It leads to a lot of deaths feeling cheap and the feeling of having to restart after making good progress on a floor even more frustrating.
This game's structure functions around the non linear story taking place before, during and after Jacket's rampage in the first game. There's multiple characters you play as throughout so different characters may have different abilities and level design suited around what the story is. A lot of it is really cool with one character having cover shooting come into play and others coming with fun twists on the formula like duel machine guns and a duo character. However this does create some issues like a lack of consistency and apparent progression as the mask system is way less emphasized with the characters that use them being spread out far in the campaign. The story was unfortunately a confusing mess with very little time spent on one storyline before it's jumped around and eventually wrapped up making it's shocking ending leave less of an impact on me.
I was harsh on this game but that's mostly because I loved the first game so much and this game really did change things that made that one great. It's still a fantastic top down shooter and is endlessly replayable thanks to custom levels via Steam Workshop.
HM1's tighter level design allowed a greater sense of surveying the environment and greater control over what has happening. The bigger levels in the sequel do allow for more sprawling and exciting environments but it comes at the cost of being overstuffed as there's way too many enemies with some being out of sight unfairly sniping you without even being registered on your radar. It leads to a lot of deaths feeling cheap and the feeling of having to restart after making good progress on a floor even more frustrating.
This game's structure functions around the non linear story taking place before, during and after Jacket's rampage in the first game. There's multiple characters you play as throughout so different characters may have different abilities and level design suited around what the story is. A lot of it is really cool with one character having cover shooting come into play and others coming with fun twists on the formula like duel machine guns and a duo character. However this does create some issues like a lack of consistency and apparent progression as the mask system is way less emphasized with the characters that use them being spread out far in the campaign. The story was unfortunately a confusing mess with very little time spent on one storyline before it's jumped around and eventually wrapped up making it's shocking ending leave less of an impact on me.
I was harsh on this game but that's mostly because I loved the first game so much and this game really did change things that made that one great. It's still a fantastic top down shooter and is endlessly replayable thanks to custom levels via Steam Workshop.
2018
I beat this game years ago but seeing how it's the 6th anniversary and how it's a game I adore so much it's worth a review. The gorgeous pixel art and addicting gameplay made it an instant classic when I played it.
Celeste is easily one of the best puzzle platformers of all time, it can get really difficult but it does it in a way that motivates me to keep going forward. When you die it only restarts you from the room you died in and very instantaneously so you can get back right in the action and keep adapting to it's obstacles with a fresh memory. It doesn't waste your time and still lets you feel satisfied overcoming it.
The game does a marvelous job at constantly introducing new gameplay mechanics while still keeping the same relative movement and it doesn't get old. It's insane how much variety they packed into it's many levels.
It's worth applauding the story too which even in it's limited form is able to tell a captivating tale of overcoming our inner insecurities and anxieties being able to have it's humorous moments and still nail a strong emotional journey.
Celeste is easily one of the best puzzle platformers of all time, it can get really difficult but it does it in a way that motivates me to keep going forward. When you die it only restarts you from the room you died in and very instantaneously so you can get back right in the action and keep adapting to it's obstacles with a fresh memory. It doesn't waste your time and still lets you feel satisfied overcoming it.
The game does a marvelous job at constantly introducing new gameplay mechanics while still keeping the same relative movement and it doesn't get old. It's insane how much variety they packed into it's many levels.
It's worth applauding the story too which even in it's limited form is able to tell a captivating tale of overcoming our inner insecurities and anxieties being able to have it's humorous moments and still nail a strong emotional journey.
A small but more sizeable than expected spinoff using Uncharted 4's engine. It was nice to have Chloe back and giving Nadine some needed growth after her story abruptly ends in 4. The gunplay segments build on the parts that Uncharted 4 did well and while some of the puzzles were nothingburgers there were some solid ones that made me think and were better than base Uncharted 4.
Of course while the story is fun it is pretty by the numbers especially for Uncharted standards, I liked Chloe and Nadine growing to trust each other but it was played in a very cliche and rushed manner at times. Also the one chapter where it's a massive area you can explore while was really cool initially really overstayed its welcome and Uncharted's gameplay style is just simply not designed for open-ended exploration in this way,
Of course while the story is fun it is pretty by the numbers especially for Uncharted standards, I liked Chloe and Nadine growing to trust each other but it was played in a very cliche and rushed manner at times. Also the one chapter where it's a massive area you can explore while was really cool initially really overstayed its welcome and Uncharted's gameplay style is just simply not designed for open-ended exploration in this way,
2019
I didn't enjoy the first RE remake so getting right into this I couldn't be more pleasantly surprised. The game generally feels really great to play and really perfects the Resident Evil formula and fixes a lot of tedious aspects that hold back the classic formula from being truly enjoyable for me. It gives you so many options to play it your way that even when I came up some frustrating segments I had the freedom to experiment until I mastered some segments.
The general atmosphere, environments and map layout are so well crafted that I was fully immersed in it's world and did legitimately get spooked by some parts when I was on low health. Of course there's still some weaker puzzles and some less than stellar backtracking but it was very few and far between that it didn't bother me as much.
The general atmosphere, environments and map layout are so well crafted that I was fully immersed in it's world and did legitimately get spooked by some parts when I was on low health. Of course there's still some weaker puzzles and some less than stellar backtracking but it was very few and far between that it didn't bother me as much.
2018
I've been looking for an RPG/dungeon crawler that has dungeons as creative with overworld powers and puzzles as Golden Sun was for a while. It doesn't exactly scratch my GS itch but I'm still proud to say that I had a blast with this game. Simple but expansive battle system, creative puzzles keeping the dungeons fresh and a really fun story kept me hooked for the 50 or so hours I was playing this. Although it did drag at points with overstimulating boss fights and enemy encounters as well as the game kind of feeling monotonous and repetitive at points. Regardless those times of frustration didn't detract from the fantastic time I had with it. Looking forward to trying the DLC out soon
2020
Definitely too short and seeing the amount of cut content from the original was disappointing. The replay value is very lacking and the levels aren't as tightly designed besides the hospital which was a highlight.
Still I had a ton of fun with this game. The RE2 remake engine is already fun alone so getting more of that was great. I also really liked the perfect dodge mechanic giving a fresh new way to avoid zombies. Nemesis wasn't perfect but I really enjoyed how menacing he was and how he constantly evolved throughout the game. I enjoyed seeing Jill again and Carlos was a surprisingly awesome character.
Still I had a ton of fun with this game. The RE2 remake engine is already fun alone so getting more of that was great. I also really liked the perfect dodge mechanic giving a fresh new way to avoid zombies. Nemesis wasn't perfect but I really enjoyed how menacing he was and how he constantly evolved throughout the game. I enjoyed seeing Jill again and Carlos was a surprisingly awesome character.
This review contains spoilers
I really loved the first game and had a lot of fun with the standalone Miles Morales game so this game was easily one of my most anticipated titles of the year.
I'm glad to say Spider-Man 2 is generally an excellent game. Brimming with fantastic spectacle, web swinging being even more fun than the previous games (web wings are cool too but sometimes make things feel too automated) and generally just being really fun to breeze through as these amazing characters. Aside from some minor visual glitches I encountered, the game is a technical triumph boasting super fast load times and giant visual treats which really add to the immersion and excitement.
However it did let me down in some aspects compared to the first game. For one, the combat is a little less fun for me with the gadget overhaul taking the strategy out of them completely just feeling like spammy cooldown moves you'd see out of a mobile game. The original powers Peter and Miles have are a little better but still fall victim to that cooldown thing to a lesser extent. However later in the game with Peter's symbiote powers and Miles upgraded venom attacks, they do get a lot more fun to use. The parry mechanic was really weirdly implemented to me, the red alert alerting you to time it right felt inconsistent at the beginning and it's annoying to manage when you have a dozen enemies swarming you. However when I did get a little better at the timing it was more tolerable but the annoyances still crept up. Beside that combat is still really enjoyable and racking up combos is still satisfying. That animation where you back enemies to a wall and rapid kick them is so cool, I wish they did more environmental centric attacks like that since it's so dope.
A quick word about the stealth, while the web-line was a great way to expand moblity, the stealth sections however weren't as interesting as the last game. There isn't any gadgets to use to freshen it up so they generally didn't offer much variety. The two Kraven bases were one of the few spots that used it decently but still the Sable bases from the first game were much more better designed for it.
The MJ sections are an improvement over the first game but in universe, MJ being able to take out these hunters and not getting one-shotted by their weapons was such a bruh moment that broke my immersion.
The story is generally really exciting and has some fantastic moments but it didn't hold itself the whole way through as well as the first game did. It has to juggle so many storylines and characters which at time it does really well and other times it leaves some parts feeling undercooked. The black suit arc for Peter was a little rushed and they overdid it with the symbiote just making him outright evil when it's just supposed to make him more of a douche. I will give props to Yuri Lowenthal being genuinely menacing when he's in the black suit, he did a fantastic job with this game generally. I like Miles personal story but his role in the story can get pretty half-baked sometimes in the grand scheme of the story (especially using him to cap off the final boss which held less emotional weight).
Speaking of, Kraven and Venom were really entertaining. After being robbed of Kraven in the films for so long, I'm glad I got to see him depicted as this, a little bit too overpowered compared to other villains but a genuinely menacing threat who pushes Peter to his limits. His presence in the story is a little more limited than I'd like but generally an awesome villain. It is weird that he has this many goons at his side helping him but I can let it slide from a gameplay perspective
With Venom, he's a little rushed into the story but otherwise an awesome iteration of the character imo. The one level where you play as him was dumb fun I wanted more of, i pray Insomniac gives us an expansion or stand alone game that expands on more Venom gameplay. His voice is fucking awesome, Tony Todd nailed it. Harry Osborn being Venom this time ended up working for the specific story they're telling. Harry's hate for Peter tiptoed a little into TASM2 Harry which worried me a little but his later confrontation with Peter redeemed it, especially some dope moments in their final boss together.
The side quests in this game is very hit and miss. The enemy The Flame missions stood up to the mainline content and even has an exciting reveal at the end. The EMF mission for Peter weren't terrible but they were pretty forgettable. Meanwhile the side missions for Miles did get boring and really mundane. I do like how they're focused on the friendly neighborhood aspect for Miles but these missions really do begin to meander and overstay their welcome becoming total pace breakers. Though some of the other app missions were sweet, especially the Howard oneðŸ˜
Even with all these problems I really enjoyed this game and until the DLC expansions I can still get a kick out of just having a ton of time.
I'm glad to say Spider-Man 2 is generally an excellent game. Brimming with fantastic spectacle, web swinging being even more fun than the previous games (web wings are cool too but sometimes make things feel too automated) and generally just being really fun to breeze through as these amazing characters. Aside from some minor visual glitches I encountered, the game is a technical triumph boasting super fast load times and giant visual treats which really add to the immersion and excitement.
However it did let me down in some aspects compared to the first game. For one, the combat is a little less fun for me with the gadget overhaul taking the strategy out of them completely just feeling like spammy cooldown moves you'd see out of a mobile game. The original powers Peter and Miles have are a little better but still fall victim to that cooldown thing to a lesser extent. However later in the game with Peter's symbiote powers and Miles upgraded venom attacks, they do get a lot more fun to use. The parry mechanic was really weirdly implemented to me, the red alert alerting you to time it right felt inconsistent at the beginning and it's annoying to manage when you have a dozen enemies swarming you. However when I did get a little better at the timing it was more tolerable but the annoyances still crept up. Beside that combat is still really enjoyable and racking up combos is still satisfying. That animation where you back enemies to a wall and rapid kick them is so cool, I wish they did more environmental centric attacks like that since it's so dope.
A quick word about the stealth, while the web-line was a great way to expand moblity, the stealth sections however weren't as interesting as the last game. There isn't any gadgets to use to freshen it up so they generally didn't offer much variety. The two Kraven bases were one of the few spots that used it decently but still the Sable bases from the first game were much more better designed for it.
The MJ sections are an improvement over the first game but in universe, MJ being able to take out these hunters and not getting one-shotted by their weapons was such a bruh moment that broke my immersion.
The story is generally really exciting and has some fantastic moments but it didn't hold itself the whole way through as well as the first game did. It has to juggle so many storylines and characters which at time it does really well and other times it leaves some parts feeling undercooked. The black suit arc for Peter was a little rushed and they overdid it with the symbiote just making him outright evil when it's just supposed to make him more of a douche. I will give props to Yuri Lowenthal being genuinely menacing when he's in the black suit, he did a fantastic job with this game generally. I like Miles personal story but his role in the story can get pretty half-baked sometimes in the grand scheme of the story (especially using him to cap off the final boss which held less emotional weight).
Speaking of, Kraven and Venom were really entertaining. After being robbed of Kraven in the films for so long, I'm glad I got to see him depicted as this, a little bit too overpowered compared to other villains but a genuinely menacing threat who pushes Peter to his limits. His presence in the story is a little more limited than I'd like but generally an awesome villain. It is weird that he has this many goons at his side helping him but I can let it slide from a gameplay perspective
With Venom, he's a little rushed into the story but otherwise an awesome iteration of the character imo. The one level where you play as him was dumb fun I wanted more of, i pray Insomniac gives us an expansion or stand alone game that expands on more Venom gameplay. His voice is fucking awesome, Tony Todd nailed it. Harry Osborn being Venom this time ended up working for the specific story they're telling. Harry's hate for Peter tiptoed a little into TASM2 Harry which worried me a little but his later confrontation with Peter redeemed it, especially some dope moments in their final boss together.
The side quests in this game is very hit and miss. The enemy The Flame missions stood up to the mainline content and even has an exciting reveal at the end. The EMF mission for Peter weren't terrible but they were pretty forgettable. Meanwhile the side missions for Miles did get boring and really mundane. I do like how they're focused on the friendly neighborhood aspect for Miles but these missions really do begin to meander and overstay their welcome becoming total pace breakers. Though some of the other app missions were sweet, especially the Howard oneðŸ˜
Even with all these problems I really enjoyed this game and until the DLC expansions I can still get a kick out of just having a ton of time.
This game was absolutly ahead of it's time. On my playthrough I clocked in around 60 hours and there's still so much to do. Besides some very frustrating missions and awkward flight controls it's a masterpiece.
2001
It's his greatest achievement, WARIO LAND 4 FOR THE GAMEBOY ADVANCE HAHA!
Yeah pretty solid and delightfully quirky platformer, I still want another one =)
Yeah pretty solid and delightfully quirky platformer, I still want another one =)
I was surprised I got an extra game when I downloaded W101 on Steam but it was cool to learn this was an extra stretch goal for the Kickstarter.
It's a fun little shoot em up platformer but it's too short and doesn't do much to expand it's mechanics. For a free game though it did feel like a nice slice of fun
It's a fun little shoot em up platformer but it's too short and doesn't do much to expand it's mechanics. For a free game though it did feel like a nice slice of fun
2002
Fun game but there is so much unfair bs and it feels less polished for the high standards I expect from a mainline Mario
Pretty decent follow-up to the GBA classics but unfocused plot, point of no return and being way too damn easy hold it back. It still deserves a sequel though