Justintiger9
2020
short and sweet. at its core, it's only a basic puzzler, but strong presentation, excellent music and the chill vibes make it more than worth your time. the ending manages to elevate the game in an inexplicable way
2015
I'm always looking for great narratives to experience, so DL definitely left me wanting. As a vehicle for moving the game forward, it is serviceable, but in no way memorable or engaging. Your enjoyment of Dying Light will probably hinge on how much you can enjoy its gameplay. I gotta say, while I was playing it, I was having a blast. The parkour, while inferior to Mirror's Edge, is quite exhilarating. I enjoyed the simplistic combat, and the gameplay scenarios you find yourself in, I found interesting and fun to navigate. Repetition of looting and crafting will grate on your nerves eventually though, as it did for me. I did make sure that it didn't overstay its welcome for me, abandoning it as soon as the main quest was over, leaving most side quests and even the expansion unplayed. After 24 hours of smashing zombie heads and running from volatiles, that's enough for me.
1998
Graphics are definitely dated by today's standards, but you can definitely tell that Kojima and the team lovingly crafted this gem around those limitations. Creature comforts aside, the gameplay holds up very well, and is a lot of fun. The narrative is definitely the focus, and the strong point of this stealth-action-adventure, and must be experienced firsthand to understand the weird wonderfulness of Kojima's writing. The romp does get very campy and cheesy at times, but even then it adds to the charm of the game. A classic, for sure.
2008
Thank you for the memories. I can't think of anything else I would have rather bonded with my cousin over.
2019
Short & sweet. 90 minutes of inventive & creative puzzle mechanics to confuse & entertain your brain with. Was really hoping for more with the narrative. Narration was enjoyable.
P.S. The horror level is my favourite
P.S. The horror level is my favourite
Underrated. Sure, it barely innovates on anything from Arkham City, but City was already masterful. I like that it's a tightly written story with fun mechanics. I wished it had a better ending, however. After defeating Bane, I would have loved to see more of Batman & Joker's dynamic. A final boss fight, a verbal confrontation, anything would have been great. As it stands, the story builds up well but lands on its face. Still, one of the better stories in the series.
2018
This review contains spoilers
So close to perfection.
In terms of gameplay, I would say this is the best SM game yet, barring only Miles Morales. The web-swinging has been implemented with such love & care, and the combat is in a league of its own, despite taking cues from the Arkham games.
There are no words for how frustrated I feel at this game's story. Not because it's bad, instead far from it. My frustration stems from how close it came to greatness. All the ingredients were there, but sadly the recipe was not carried out to perfection. Interestingly, it's all the small things that add up to taint it. First, the good. All the main characters were amazing. Well cast, well written. Very impressed. The pacing is brisk and enjoyable. The story bits starring MJ & Miles serve their roles well, providing a difference in perspective, albeit with underwhelming gameplay. Cutscene presentation is top notch, most of the time. Here's my problem. Towards the end of the game, I can feel the lack of nuance in handling the story beats, and that impacted the emotional moments negatively. For example, after Aunt May's death, we are shown the antiserum station, then her funeral. Then, a 3 month time jump, MJ & Peter kissing. Credits roll. What? It's like they chopped off the tail end of the game. Nothing to show Peter coping with Aunt May's passing. Not enough to show MJ helping Peter through his grief. Nothing to show the fallout from the Sinister 6 wreaking havoc on the city. Miles revealing his powers to Peter, Peter showing Miles his powers, fade to black without a single word from Miles. Etc, etc. Like I said, I think a lot of nuance was lost, and that's a crying shame, because with a better crafted denouement, the emotional payoff could have been so much more potent and satisfying.
(As a side note, I'd like to give a shout out to Naughty Dog for being masters of this nuance I'm talking about.)
All in all, I do like this game. It takes its place right next to the Arkham series as one of the best superhero games of all time. Hoping that Insomniac will do a bang up job with the second game's story, to truly achieve the heights we all know it can.
In terms of gameplay, I would say this is the best SM game yet, barring only Miles Morales. The web-swinging has been implemented with such love & care, and the combat is in a league of its own, despite taking cues from the Arkham games.
There are no words for how frustrated I feel at this game's story. Not because it's bad, instead far from it. My frustration stems from how close it came to greatness. All the ingredients were there, but sadly the recipe was not carried out to perfection. Interestingly, it's all the small things that add up to taint it. First, the good. All the main characters were amazing. Well cast, well written. Very impressed. The pacing is brisk and enjoyable. The story bits starring MJ & Miles serve their roles well, providing a difference in perspective, albeit with underwhelming gameplay. Cutscene presentation is top notch, most of the time. Here's my problem. Towards the end of the game, I can feel the lack of nuance in handling the story beats, and that impacted the emotional moments negatively. For example, after Aunt May's death, we are shown the antiserum station, then her funeral. Then, a 3 month time jump, MJ & Peter kissing. Credits roll. What? It's like they chopped off the tail end of the game. Nothing to show Peter coping with Aunt May's passing. Not enough to show MJ helping Peter through his grief. Nothing to show the fallout from the Sinister 6 wreaking havoc on the city. Miles revealing his powers to Peter, Peter showing Miles his powers, fade to black without a single word from Miles. Etc, etc. Like I said, I think a lot of nuance was lost, and that's a crying shame, because with a better crafted denouement, the emotional payoff could have been so much more potent and satisfying.
(As a side note, I'd like to give a shout out to Naughty Dog for being masters of this nuance I'm talking about.)
All in all, I do like this game. It takes its place right next to the Arkham series as one of the best superhero games of all time. Hoping that Insomniac will do a bang up job with the second game's story, to truly achieve the heights we all know it can.
2007
What a way to be introduced to the world of Mario
Just as exciting & heartfelt as Uncharted 4, in a short but sweet package. Seeing Chloe again is a delight, and understanding Nadine in a different light is a treat. Naughty Dog never disappoints.
Doesn't hold up as well after Uncharted 4, but my rating reflects exactly how I felt when I first played it all those years ago. Masterpiece. Naughty Dog's first grip on my psyche.
2009
For some reason, really scared me as a kid. I thought it was a horror game for the longest time, and Sasha really didn't help. Finally getting past her & completing the game, InFamous has since been one of my favourite games of all time. It can sometimes be hard to find games that tell a story seriously, and tell it well, but InFamous absolutely nails that with style, and the powers make this an unforgettable experience too. Play it if you can. Sucker Punch, please give us a remaster!
2014
A worthy sequel to the series. The story is weaker, but powers & gameplay really elevate the experience. Can't wait for more! (a remaster of the first two would be amazing too)
2012
I feel so lucky to have discovered Dishonored. It was way back in the day, 2015 or 2016, when I had just gotten my first laptop. I distinctly remember searching for games similar to InFamous, because that was one of my favourite games growing up. I had no idea how different they would be, aside from superpowers. Together with a recommendation from Playstation Access & a GOTY award, I decided to give Dishonored a try.
I disliked the game on my first playthrough. And the second. And the third. It took me 4 playthroughs to properly appreciate this game. Crazy, in retrospect. I attribute my initial disapproval to the Chaos system, my lack of experience and interest in stealth, and my expectations of Dishonored to be an "action" game. Let me elaborate.
Halfway through my first playthrough as a murderous psychopath, I learned of the Chaos system. Way too late for me to understand that I'd be getting the bad ending if I continued on my rampage across Dunwall. And thus, I spent the second half of the game painfully restricting myself to non-lethal stealth, just to end up with everyone hating me anyway. Bad first impression, I'd say.
So I tried again. Full stealth now. I hate sneaking around, and I hate being spotted and not being able to kill. Second playthrough botched.
Third playthrough. Trying to be flexible. Mixing stealth & action, lethality with mercy. Still didn't do it for me.
Fourth playthrough. After a break from the game, came back with no expectations. Took my time. Explored the whole map from top to bottom. Read everything. I loved it. Taking in the beautiful world that Arkane crafted, hearing the stories that are buried in every nook & cranny. Absolutely masterful. That time, I learned that sometimes, there is a right & a wrong way to play. And I'm glad that I stuck with Dishonored long enough to love it.
I disliked the game on my first playthrough. And the second. And the third. It took me 4 playthroughs to properly appreciate this game. Crazy, in retrospect. I attribute my initial disapproval to the Chaos system, my lack of experience and interest in stealth, and my expectations of Dishonored to be an "action" game. Let me elaborate.
Halfway through my first playthrough as a murderous psychopath, I learned of the Chaos system. Way too late for me to understand that I'd be getting the bad ending if I continued on my rampage across Dunwall. And thus, I spent the second half of the game painfully restricting myself to non-lethal stealth, just to end up with everyone hating me anyway. Bad first impression, I'd say.
So I tried again. Full stealth now. I hate sneaking around, and I hate being spotted and not being able to kill. Second playthrough botched.
Third playthrough. Trying to be flexible. Mixing stealth & action, lethality with mercy. Still didn't do it for me.
Fourth playthrough. After a break from the game, came back with no expectations. Took my time. Explored the whole map from top to bottom. Read everything. I loved it. Taking in the beautiful world that Arkane crafted, hearing the stories that are buried in every nook & cranny. Absolutely masterful. That time, I learned that sometimes, there is a right & a wrong way to play. And I'm glad that I stuck with Dishonored long enough to love it.
2016
stardew valley occupies a special place in my heart, next to firewatch. this special place is reserved for those games so great, they move you in inexplicable ways, and make you glad that you live in a time period where you have the honor of witnessing their greatness.
2016
In my humble opinion, Bioshock is a little bit overrated. It is a decent game, with its setting and emphasis on story as its strong points. Gameplay is OK, but it does show its age. Not bad.