IsaacAdept123456
2001
It's been a long time coming for me to get to this game and I'm glad I did. It notably runs on the old Resident Evil engine but uses that framework to create a unique more stylistic action game which ranks you performance and adds a lot more style than action games did up to that point.
The silky smooth 60fps and how tight Dante controls off the bat is absolutely incredible. It does suffer from its camera though naturally being based on RE and there was some platforming segments and boss battles that were hindered by it. Combat is pretty simple to understand and you can get away with spamming some of the more powerful weapons. It's fun using the different weapons unlocked and unlocking different abilities for them but it's very clear that weapon balancing and switching between weapons wasnt implemented the best.
In terms of story Dante isn't the charming goofball I've seem him portrayed in previews of the later games. He does have some smug cockiness but in this first outing but as a protagonist here he's just serviceable. The story is pretty simple and enjoyable however with some not great writing and mixed voice acting.
The silky smooth 60fps and how tight Dante controls off the bat is absolutely incredible. It does suffer from its camera though naturally being based on RE and there was some platforming segments and boss battles that were hindered by it. Combat is pretty simple to understand and you can get away with spamming some of the more powerful weapons. It's fun using the different weapons unlocked and unlocking different abilities for them but it's very clear that weapon balancing and switching between weapons wasnt implemented the best.
In terms of story Dante isn't the charming goofball I've seem him portrayed in previews of the later games. He does have some smug cockiness but in this first outing but as a protagonist here he's just serviceable. The story is pretty simple and enjoyable however with some not great writing and mixed voice acting.
An absolute delight of a platformer. 2D Mario finally returns to being a powerhouse of creative ideas as Wonder is a game filled with so much variety, gorgeous visuals and unique ideas that keeps you grinning throughout the whole six hour campaign.
The game was too easy for most of the campaign and the bosses were a relative disappointment but the sheer amount of fun and creativity on display here is unparalleled.
The game was too easy for most of the campaign and the bosses were a relative disappointment but the sheer amount of fun and creativity on display here is unparalleled.
Combines two indie games I really like into something that's a solid proof of concept and some good fun for the short seven levels it has. The dev is trying to work this into a full original game called Shootout Inc but that's been in dev hell for a couple of years.
Of course it's a bit rough, lack of ammo display, minimal polish and aiming not being entirely accurate with the reticle. Also the music and presentation is a little bland so I had to play some Hotline Miami tracks to spice it up
Of course it's a bit rough, lack of ammo display, minimal polish and aiming not being entirely accurate with the reticle. Also the music and presentation is a little bland so I had to play some Hotline Miami tracks to spice it up
2016
Really enjoyable core mechanic with the focus of improving your approach in each level.
It does end a bit too quickly and it does feel like enemies spawn in unfair points but it's still a really well made game I enjoyed a lot. The endless mode and extra challenges after you beat the campaign are good ways to keep things going after.
It does end a bit too quickly and it does feel like enemies spawn in unfair points but it's still a really well made game I enjoyed a lot. The endless mode and extra challenges after you beat the campaign are good ways to keep things going after.
1997
I wanted to go back to the game that started this legendary franchise but these controls are absolutely atrocious and the few missions I did weren't anything great plus the time limit is way too cruel with this zoomed in map.
If Rockstar can remaster this without fucking it up that would be sweet.
If Rockstar can remaster this without fucking it up that would be sweet.
For something that was made in a week it does function relatively well, it doesn't really have a story or even an ending. It's mostly just a prototype around a snowy sandbox with some of the characters from the original game you can talk to.
Although I feel like these sandboxy kind of 3D environments aren't the best suited for something like Celeste. The parts where I made the camera top down in the more linear areas is where the game felt the most comfortable to control. If they ever want to make a 3D Celeste a full game, keeping the top down linear platforming game would work a lot better. I got frustrated in a lot of different parts with how cumbersome moving the camera can be and the game not doing a good job explaining how certain mechanics work like the side step high jump.
Although I feel like these sandboxy kind of 3D environments aren't the best suited for something like Celeste. The parts where I made the camera top down in the more linear areas is where the game felt the most comfortable to control. If they ever want to make a 3D Celeste a full game, keeping the top down linear platforming game would work a lot better. I got frustrated in a lot of different parts with how cumbersome moving the camera can be and the game not doing a good job explaining how certain mechanics work like the side step high jump.
Realised I never beat this one so just did that now, the grappling hook has some good uses in platforming but it's just way too dependent on pinpoint precision with momentum that it just got annoying by the end.
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.
This is probably one of the best and comprehensively well rounded DLC expansions ever made. The sheer amount of new side activities you can do such as golf, underground fighting and parachuting as well as how varied the crazy action packed missions were was really fun. The new weapons they offer are also really entertainingly destructive like the explosive shotgun and the sticky bombs. While most of the missions were bangers there were some that did overstay their welcome. There was an annoying instance in one mission where the loading screen was just infinitely loading and I was forced to restart the game and complete it multiple times, I was only able to get through it by reducing my graphics setting to the lowest options.
Luis is a solid protagonist and his dynamic with Tony was hilarious, Yusuf was a standout funny guy who really becomes one of the best side characters by the end of the game. While it is really entertaining I felt it did overdo it with the raunchy humor in some instances, while the story is fun, it did focus a little too much on silly bullshit sometimes. I do appreciate that they tied up a loose end with one of the villains in the main campaign who was left unaddressed although that whole aspect was wrapped up too quick to have a worthwhile connection to Luis.
Luis is a solid protagonist and his dynamic with Tony was hilarious, Yusuf was a standout funny guy who really becomes one of the best side characters by the end of the game. While it is really entertaining I felt it did overdo it with the raunchy humor in some instances, while the story is fun, it did focus a little too much on silly bullshit sometimes. I do appreciate that they tied up a loose end with one of the villains in the main campaign who was left unaddressed although that whole aspect was wrapped up too quick to have a worthwhile connection to Luis.
A solid DLC campaign. It did have some more mission variety than the main game and the emphasis on biker gangs did lead to some fun main and side missions across the board. Having friends that can give you bikes and ammo is cool. The shootouts in the optional gang wars and in the main missions also are a ton of fun. The system of gang members levelling up I felt wasn't really apparent
The story was enjoyable but kind of an unfocused mess not giving it's multiple plot threads enough attention or rushing through them like the Lost civil war or the issues with his junkie girlfriend. It did have some good writing, Johnny's voice acting can range from just fine to kind of overdoing it. He also was not really anywhere near as compelling as Niko and didn't really have as strong of a narrative hook to make him stand out with the other GTA protagonists.
I got to say the constant missions ending with four star police chases started to get annoying. In GTA 4 you need to take slower turns as it is to avoid your bike slipping and turning properly, but in scenarios where you have to outrun all these vehicles coming from every direction I had two missions where it felt like it took ten minutes for me to get lucky to get out of the police zone which was just too much.
The story was enjoyable but kind of an unfocused mess not giving it's multiple plot threads enough attention or rushing through them like the Lost civil war or the issues with his junkie girlfriend. It did have some good writing, Johnny's voice acting can range from just fine to kind of overdoing it. He also was not really anywhere near as compelling as Niko and didn't really have as strong of a narrative hook to make him stand out with the other GTA protagonists.
I got to say the constant missions ending with four star police chases started to get annoying. In GTA 4 you need to take slower turns as it is to avoid your bike slipping and turning properly, but in scenarios where you have to outrun all these vehicles coming from every direction I had two missions where it felt like it took ten minutes for me to get lucky to get out of the police zone which was just too much.
2008
I still prefer San Andreas but this was still a really damn good game. Niko at first was a meh protagonist but they really develop him into a much more sympathetic and sarcastic yet brooding man with a dark past and his Slavic accent was just fun to hear. While the story has a lot of filler it does do a good job of immersing you in it's world which is helped by it's really strong voice acting and writing. However the whole morality system where you make decisions on outcomes such as if an individual should be spared or not didn't really affect much in terms of dialogue instead of one choice that changes which ending you get but it was still a neat little thing which made me repeat saves out of curiosity of how dialogue would change .It also does suffer from some tonal issues with the story being a much darker tale of revenge compared to other GTA games yet still having some characters that feel like cartoon caricatures. Even the missions while there are a lot of amazing standouts like the heist mission that pays homage to the movie heat can sometimes just feel like you're doing the same thing again and you really feel that when they make you drive through the same bridges how many times.
Into more of the gameplay there is a steep curve if you're accustomed to the sixth gen GTA games, the vehicle handling took a lot to get used too since they attempted to make it a lot more realistic and was at times pretty frustrating to control with turns needing pre determined slow down to avoid major collisions, you do however learn how to apply brakes more to master quicker turns which was satisfying to get better at. The physics system was really awesome and gave things a lot more weight and risk as well, momentum playing a part in knocking down objects and letting your cars fly was a really fun risky tradeoff for how much more dangerous high speed crashes are in this game. The way the cars realistically get damaged was also technically really fascinating. I do prefer the more arcadey and smooth feeling of how San Andreas's vehicles handled (besides the horrid planes) but it still gets points for trying something new and doing it well.
The shooting also is something that gets a major overhaul with a cover system which impressively allows use to hide for cover behind any appropriately sized object. There is a level of jank to it but it works really well and makes shootouts a lot more fun.
Onto the main attraction, Liberty City itself, it does lack in visual variety compared to San Andreas having mostly cities and watered down suburbs to navigate through but it does make up for it for the sheer amount of things you have to do. Bowling and billiards are implemented nicely well and the social interaction system while can get a little tiresome does immerse you in the world. The NPCs do have a lot more character and things going on as well, they do have their moments of jank AI but you'd be surprised how many unique actions you can spot them doing as you pass them by. This game's world at night especially the central city area still looks absolutely gorgeous all these years later, soaking that view in on a helicopter is really cool.
Into more of the gameplay there is a steep curve if you're accustomed to the sixth gen GTA games, the vehicle handling took a lot to get used too since they attempted to make it a lot more realistic and was at times pretty frustrating to control with turns needing pre determined slow down to avoid major collisions, you do however learn how to apply brakes more to master quicker turns which was satisfying to get better at. The physics system was really awesome and gave things a lot more weight and risk as well, momentum playing a part in knocking down objects and letting your cars fly was a really fun risky tradeoff for how much more dangerous high speed crashes are in this game. The way the cars realistically get damaged was also technically really fascinating. I do prefer the more arcadey and smooth feeling of how San Andreas's vehicles handled (besides the horrid planes) but it still gets points for trying something new and doing it well.
The shooting also is something that gets a major overhaul with a cover system which impressively allows use to hide for cover behind any appropriately sized object. There is a level of jank to it but it works really well and makes shootouts a lot more fun.
Onto the main attraction, Liberty City itself, it does lack in visual variety compared to San Andreas having mostly cities and watered down suburbs to navigate through but it does make up for it for the sheer amount of things you have to do. Bowling and billiards are implemented nicely well and the social interaction system while can get a little tiresome does immerse you in the world. The NPCs do have a lot more character and things going on as well, they do have their moments of jank AI but you'd be surprised how many unique actions you can spot them doing as you pass them by. This game's world at night especially the central city area still looks absolutely gorgeous all these years later, soaking that view in on a helicopter is really cool.
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.
This mod has really come full circle as one of the best Smash bros mods created. So many new stages and improvements making Smash 64 into a much more robust game.
Banjo and Dragon King are great final additions that really reflects this as a celebration of the N64 and Smash Bros as a whole.
Banjo and Dragon King are great final additions that really reflects this as a celebration of the N64 and Smash Bros as a whole.
2012
First game I started for this year and oh boy this was absolutely amazing, easily the best top down shooter I've ever played. This game really operates in a way with it's lack of HP but generous checkpoints where it allows you to really learn the enemies movement and come up with new strategies. The levels are so well designed around this where choosing which weapons you want to equip to take down certain enemies really gets you to think in a way where finally taking a down is some of the most accomplished feelings you can get in a game. The masks give so much replay value allowing you to complete these levels with a lot of variety. So while this game is difficult it didn't frustrate me as I progressively got better at it's mechanics to really learn how to get through these levels as efficiently as possible. When I was replaying the chapters after I beat the campaign I became so much better that I was clearing them way quicker than I did originally.
The 80's retrowave aesthetics and music really adds a lot more charm to the already fun and brutal gameplay.
Unfortunately the weird interruptions in the story like that terrible hospital stealth level, vague bosses and the meh biker levels hold it back but this is still an outstanding game regardless.
The 80's retrowave aesthetics and music really adds a lot more charm to the already fun and brutal gameplay.
Unfortunately the weird interruptions in the story like that terrible hospital stealth level, vague bosses and the meh biker levels hold it back but this is still an outstanding game regardless.
Most of the time this game is really fun and it's just mindless mayhem you can get around to when you're bored.
The 80s aesthetic and pop culture references to wider gaming was played mostly well with it being incorporated into the actual gameplay and missions. However it does so much of them at once that it becomes cheap at times and the story can get pretty incomprehensible. The core freeroaming gameplay can grow tired since there isn't really much to do due to the limited scope as well as the AI being very bogstandard.
Still a really fun timewaster but it is a little chaotic for its own good
The 80s aesthetic and pop culture references to wider gaming was played mostly well with it being incorporated into the actual gameplay and missions. However it does so much of them at once that it becomes cheap at times and the story can get pretty incomprehensible. The core freeroaming gameplay can grow tired since there isn't really much to do due to the limited scope as well as the AI being very bogstandard.
Still a really fun timewaster but it is a little chaotic for its own good