JosephGribbin
2023
It has an astonishing amount of content but the overall construction is a mess. Exploring is no fun as you're basically tapping through menus and loading screens, and there are a lot of frustrating or pointless mechanics that don't work well together. Most of the characters irritated me and I really struggled to care about any of the decisions I had to make.
2016
Plays great and looks gorgeous ( especially with 60fps on PS5 ) but the story's an absolute dog's dinner. It's obvious they had to work around the terrible animated movie and it drags the whole thing down. Half because they have to cut the game to bits to have it make sense, and half because the movie has some really awful character choices. Ratchet is this bland doe-eyed Disney protagonist, and Clank has absolutely nothing to do. The original is one of my favourites and this left a bad taste in my mouth.
2022
Utterly charming little 3D platformer. Plays great and the art design is impeccable. Gets a bit samey towards the end but it doesn't overstay it's welcome.
Okay Zelda fan complaints up top: it was a bit of a letdown having to explore the same map, I wish the dungeons were better, and Ganondorf ended up being pretty weak.
Aside from that: it fixes every issue I had with BotW and then adds a ton of cool new stuff on top. Solving problems with the insane physics system is incredibly fun and gave me some of my favourite moments in a video game this year. Idk if Zelda as a series is for me any more, but I have to admit this game was pretty great and I had a good time with it.
Aside from that: it fixes every issue I had with BotW and then adds a ton of cool new stuff on top. Solving problems with the insane physics system is incredibly fun and gave me some of my favourite moments in a video game this year. Idk if Zelda as a series is for me any more, but I have to admit this game was pretty great and I had a good time with it.
1998
It's a classic for a reason. Controls are fantastic, the soundtrack is excellent, and the level design is an absolute standout in the genre. Some of the puzzles are a little obtuse, and it can be a little too easy to get lost, but the game is a pretty incredible experience from start to finish.
2000
Banjo-Kazooie is an A++ absolutely stellar experience top to bottom start to finish. Tooie takes everything good about that game and throws it in the garbage. All the levels are way, way too big, and almost every task relies on some kind of bizarre point and click adventure game logic. Most of my time was spent running back and forth through large, empty wastelands trying to figure out why certain things could and could not unlock certain other things. Playing this was a chore.
They fixed the controls for this port but the game is still no good. Almost completely linear and filled to the brim with tedious busywork. Some of the dungeons have some neat ideas and it occasionally looks quite nice, but it can't make up for the long stretches of this game that are very boring. I will never forgive them for making me fight the imprisoned 3 times. 3 times!!
2020
Very charming 3D platformer that looks great and has a lot of character. It's quite short and the controls are a little floaty sometimes, but I had a good time with it.
Oh yeah this is the good stuff. Fantastic platformer in the style of Donkey Kong Country. Controls are responsive, level design is excellent, and everything is polished to perfection. It also has lots of lovely animation, and the stage backgrounds are fantastically detailed. One of my favourite modern 2D platformers.
It's hard to single out any one element of Metroid Prime but I think it's greatest strength is it's pacing. From the opening escape, to the multiple unique boss fights, to exploring Magmoor Caverns or Phendrana Drifts for the first time, this game is just packed back to back with memorable moments. It does a great job of creating great set pieces while allowing the player to feel like they are exploring the world at their own pace. The remaster also looks fantastic and includes dual-analogue controls, so it looks and plays the best it ever has. An absolute classic.
I have played this game for hundreds of hours and every time I learn something new about it's systems or it's level design. It's an astounding piece of work and kind of a miracle that everything works together so well. Also: freelancer mode is some of the best game design I've ever seen and it's a totally optional piece of free DLC.
2016
Pretty fun, but doesn't have a whole lot of new ideas in it's gameplay or in its story. It also seems to miss the tone of the original games - Gears 1 is very bleak but this has a lot of smirky banter. J.D is the most boring main character I have ever had the displeasure of playing as in a video game.
2019
Better than Gears 4 with more memorable moments, but still feels like they can't decide what the series wants to be post-Gears 3. Most of the story is spent trying to course-correct from the last one. The open-world segments are okay but feel a little shallow.
2022
Excellent tiny 3D platformer. Sets out to do a handful of things and does them all perfectly. There's a ton of care and attention put into this game's graphical presentation, and the soundtracks fantastic too.
2013
The detail put into the world is impressive, and its still super fun to drive around it. However the mission design doesn't give you a lot of freedom, and the story just sort of peters out at the end. Had fun with it but one of the weaker GTAs imo.