JosephGribbin
The shooting is satisfying, the story has some fun spots... Thats all the things I like.
Really big shift in focus this time around. No platforming, no exploration, just shooting, shooting and more shooting. There are linear levels to shoot through, combat arenas to shoot through, and brand new missions arena things to shoot through. It's fun enough but lacks the variety and depth of the previous couple games.
The level and world design is a huge step down. Without any branching paths or exploration they feel completely lifeless, and that means there's no real thrill in unlocking new worlds and progressing through the game.
There's also an overall lack of polish to a lot of it that's hard to ignore. Lots of basic looking menus, janky vehicle sections, and reusing the same maps over and over.
I really didn't vibe with this one!
Really big shift in focus this time around. No platforming, no exploration, just shooting, shooting and more shooting. There are linear levels to shoot through, combat arenas to shoot through, and brand new missions arena things to shoot through. It's fun enough but lacks the variety and depth of the previous couple games.
The level and world design is a huge step down. Without any branching paths or exploration they feel completely lifeless, and that means there's no real thrill in unlocking new worlds and progressing through the game.
There's also an overall lack of polish to a lot of it that's hard to ignore. Lots of basic looking menus, janky vehicle sections, and reusing the same maps over and over.
I really didn't vibe with this one!
The first Ratchet has some pretty big and obvious flaws, so Going Commando gets to make some big and obvious fixes up front. You can strafe! Auto aim is way more generous! The puzzles aren't as slow and annoying! You have way more health! Ammo is cheaper! Within the first ten minutes you can immediately tell this is a huge step up.
There are also a number of other smart design tweaks that aren't just fixes. Weapons gain exp now, which really encourages you to use everything in your arsenal. There are new optional challenges which means if you're stuck you can earn bolts to upgrade your character or get some new weapons.
Okay now the stuff that sucks.
The story is a complete mess. Character arcs aren't set up properly, or go nowhere, or don't exist. There are a number of twists that just don't land. It's hard to even discern what the overall narrative is. It very much feels like the thing has been hastily cobbled together into something resembling a complete story, but it doesn't feel cohesive. This is a shame because the characters and world on the first game were so strong, and it makes the sequel feel a little meandering and aimless.
The environments here are lovely to look at but feel a bit less lived-in. They rattle by so fast and there are very few characters to meet, so you don't get a strong sense of the world.
The game is really, really fun. All the design additions and fixes make this a really fantastic game to play, but it also feels more incoherent in its overall construction. Had a great time with it but like it less than the original.
There are also a number of other smart design tweaks that aren't just fixes. Weapons gain exp now, which really encourages you to use everything in your arsenal. There are new optional challenges which means if you're stuck you can earn bolts to upgrade your character or get some new weapons.
Okay now the stuff that sucks.
The story is a complete mess. Character arcs aren't set up properly, or go nowhere, or don't exist. There are a number of twists that just don't land. It's hard to even discern what the overall narrative is. It very much feels like the thing has been hastily cobbled together into something resembling a complete story, but it doesn't feel cohesive. This is a shame because the characters and world on the first game were so strong, and it makes the sequel feel a little meandering and aimless.
The environments here are lovely to look at but feel a bit less lived-in. They rattle by so fast and there are very few characters to meet, so you don't get a strong sense of the world.
The game is really, really fun. All the design additions and fixes make this a really fantastic game to play, but it also feels more incoherent in its overall construction. Had a great time with it but like it less than the original.
2002
Great game with very obvious flaws. No strafing means the shooting is tedious and annoying. Some of the puzzle mechanics are slow and shallow - the hydrodisplacer may have been a huge technical feat on the PS2 but it feels awkward nowadays.
BUT!! The world, the characters, the environments, the music, the animation... Everything is stellar. This game has a certain je ne sais quoi that the immediate sequels or the more recent remake just can't capture. This game is special and has impeccable vibes, and so it remains one of my favourites.
BUT!! The world, the characters, the environments, the music, the animation... Everything is stellar. This game has a certain je ne sais quoi that the immediate sequels or the more recent remake just can't capture. This game is special and has impeccable vibes, and so it remains one of my favourites.
Really fantastic Metroidvania!
The graphical presentation is top-notch, the environments are stunning, and it runs great. The quality of everything here is really high.
It also plays great! Combat is nice and crunchy, the platforming is very satisfying, and does a good job of layering more and more complex moves throughout the experience.
Exploration is the key to these types of game and The Lost Crown absolutely nails it. I particularly want to single out some of the really intelligent quality of life touches: automatically tagging one-way doors, viable paths, and letting the player take pictures of areas they might not have an ability for are great features that make navigating the world a breeze. I pretty much never got hopelessly lost. Honestly I wish every other Metroidvania had these features.
Had a great time with this one and it's a big recommend if you've ever enjoyed any kind of Metroidvania before.
The graphical presentation is top-notch, the environments are stunning, and it runs great. The quality of everything here is really high.
It also plays great! Combat is nice and crunchy, the platforming is very satisfying, and does a good job of layering more and more complex moves throughout the experience.
Exploration is the key to these types of game and The Lost Crown absolutely nails it. I particularly want to single out some of the really intelligent quality of life touches: automatically tagging one-way doors, viable paths, and letting the player take pictures of areas they might not have an ability for are great features that make navigating the world a breeze. I pretty much never got hopelessly lost. Honestly I wish every other Metroidvania had these features.
Had a great time with this one and it's a big recommend if you've ever enjoyed any kind of Metroidvania before.
2023
Super fun Platformer / Metroidvania. Looks lovely, controls amazing, and the level design is fantastic! It could really use a map just to make finding the last few things a bit less tedious, but overall it's really well made and I had a great time with it.
2008
Holds up really well. It has less wacky stuff to do than other GTAs but makes up for it with impeccable atmosphere and writing. Niko is a compelling protagonist, and GTAIVs version of Liberty City is still super impressive in its scale and density.
I also really enjoyed how straightforward the mission design is. There aren't a ton of opportunities to do thing your own way, but at the same time they don't feel scripted to within an inch of their life.
I also really enjoyed how straightforward the mission design is. There aren't a ton of opportunities to do thing your own way, but at the same time they don't feel scripted to within an inch of their life.
2018
Enjoyable enough shooty bang bang game. Great for just relaxing, blowing some stuff up, slowly checking off a checklist. Unfortunately the story is pretty bad and keeps intruding. If you're ever having too much fun in the open world you are suddenly kidnapped and forced to watch an ACTOR do some VERY SERIOUS ACTING at you. Thematically it uses a lot of the imagery of far-right Americana without ever mentioning race, which makes it feel like it takes place on another planet.
2023
One of those games that does exactly what it sets out to do. Short and sweet and perfectly executed. The art design is astonishing and the movement is refreshingly unique in a way that reminded me of standout classics like Sands of Time and Mirrors Edge. Don't sleep on it!!!
Plays great, looks great, tons and tons of great level design. Makes a lot of smart changes to the traditional mario platformer to make it more approachable without sacrificing the good stuff. The boss battles are a bit meh and I wish they got a bit more use out of the badges. All that said the level of quality here is absurdly high and I had a ton of fun with it.
This review contains spoilers
I enjoyed it but much less than the original. They made a number of decisions that make the game more broadly appealing and sand off a lot of the friction but leave the game feeling shallower. Stealth in particular has been simplified and is kind of brain dead, random crimes don't really count towards anything, they got rid of most of the gadgets, and most missions don't have optional objectives any more. The game has a ton of big flashy set-pieces for its main missions that seem to have been the focus, but the moment to moment gameplay isn't as compelling, and it makes a lot of the side content feel boring. I beat the first game 100% twice over but probably won't with this one.
Story-wise it's weak. Spends tons of time setting up stuff and then the final act is really rushed. A lot of story beats feel like notes or fixes for stuff that happened in the movies ( making Harry Venom would be a great fix for Spider-man 3, Peters decision around curing Harry would be a great fix for The Amazing Spider-man 2 ) but I don't think they work here in their own story. In addition many characters feel under-served or under-written. Harry is very one-dimensional, Miles' arc is a bit confused, and MJ has... a lot of strange choices around her character.
I had fun with it, it looks great, and the set-pieces are cool... But yeah a bit disappointed considering the original and Miles Morales were so strong.
Story-wise it's weak. Spends tons of time setting up stuff and then the final act is really rushed. A lot of story beats feel like notes or fixes for stuff that happened in the movies ( making Harry Venom would be a great fix for Spider-man 3, Peters decision around curing Harry would be a great fix for The Amazing Spider-man 2 ) but I don't think they work here in their own story. In addition many characters feel under-served or under-written. Harry is very one-dimensional, Miles' arc is a bit confused, and MJ has... a lot of strange choices around her character.
I had fun with it, it looks great, and the set-pieces are cool... But yeah a bit disappointed considering the original and Miles Morales were so strong.
2014
Sunset Overdrive feels like exactly the sort of game that should be a cult classic if it weren't so irritating. The movement system is super unique, the art direction is fantastic, and the soundtrack is solid. The mission design is quite mediocre, and having to bounce up and down every time you want to shoot something becomes tiresome, but it's genuinely quite fun most of the time. The overall tone of the thing is grating though. The characters are all various shades of unlikeable, and the humour feels forced. I had a good time in spots and there's lots to admire, but I found the whole experience kind of obnoxious.
2021
Maybe the most beautiful looking game I ever played. Just incredible colour choices, and tons of jaw-dropping environments. It controls great and is really fun to explore, but it gets a bit frustrating towards the late game, and some mechanics are a bit unclear and finicky (e.g. deadly toxic goo which has a very strange timer system going on ).
A fairly standard platformer. Completely fine, and if you have young kids I can see this being a good game to play with them in co-op. Has these musical levels using licensed pop songs that are quite inspired, and there's obviously been a lot of love put into the art direction, but aside from that the game doesn't do a lot that's unique or interesting.
A short and focused little expansion for Demon Turf. Feels like it takes on board frustrations from the original and does a lot of smart things to address them. The level design is really strong here.
2022
A little finicky to control, and has some tough difficulty spikes later on, but it looks really nice and the level design is really good! Had a good time with it.