KDP2
27 reviews liked by KDP2
Honestly really clicked with me. Perfect? No, but a decent game, especially for free
Tekken 3
1997
Although I have dabbled in fighting games here and there, the only major franchise in this genre that I'd consider myself to be a devoted fan of would be the Super Smash Bros. series. In terms of the genre's most iconic franchises, I find the first three Mortal Kombat games to be irresistibly charming and nostalgic (even if they barely work as actual fighting games), and the phrase "not my thing" constantly echoed throughout every match of Street Fighter II I've ever played. Other than that, the only fighting games I've really sunk my teeth into were the Super Smash Bros. games, Injustice 2, and, for some reason, the Wii port of The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy. Despite all of that, the Tekken franchise has always looked intriguing to me after playing a bit of Tekken 6 at my cousin's house a few years ago, and since I've heard a lot of people say that Tekken 3 was the best game in the series, I was pretty excited to give it a go.
I don't know what it was about Namco's late-90s offerings on the PS1, but they always seem to be jam-packed with personality, but unlike the laidback confidence of something like Ridge Racer Type 4, the cool allure of Tekken 3 comes from its in-your-face aggression. Even when you're not fighting an opponent, Tekken 3 still knows how to put you in the mood to fight someone from its varied cast of characters, as the stylish menus, energetic prerendered cutscenes, and amazing music do a lot to make the game look as exciting as it feels to play. Speaking of which, the actual combat in Tekken 3 is awesome, as the tight controls, buttery-smooth animations, and the well-implemented third axis meshed well with the impressive amount of moves and combos to make each punch and kick feel natural and weighty. The satisfaction that comes from experimenting with the roster is amplified by a ton when it comes to learning combos, with characters like Bryan Fury and Eddy Gordo being especially fun to play as thanks to how flashy, yet intuitive their movesets were for me. Pretty much every positive thing I've said about Tekken 3 is increased tenfold when multiplayer is involved, as this game is an absolute blast to play with a friend.
As great and mechanically robust as the traditional one-on-one fights are, I will admit that the most enjoyable way to play Tekken 3 for me came from the ever-so-silly "Tekken Ball" mode, and while the actual path to unlocking it can feel a bit grindy due to how often you have to keep replaying the game's standard arcade mode, the amount of fun that I had playing the mode made it all feel worth it. Playing through that mode was also satisfying in its own right, as it not only unlocked the rest of the game's roster, but each playthrough rewarded me an ending cutscene that pretty much always made each run feel worthwhile in how over-the-top (and occasionally funny) they were. My only real complaints with Tekken 3 can be found in its single player content, because while there are quite a few modes to choose from, a lot of them just felt like slight variations of the arcade that you're already going to spend a lot of time with. I also wasn't the biggest fan of the "Tekken Force" mode, because while the concept of a Tekken beat-em-up is really cool, it was all very clunky in its execution, and actually beating it feels based more on luck than anything else. These gripes pale in comparison to just how fun and stylish of a game Tekken 3 is, though, and it definitely deserves its legacy as one of the best fighting games on the PS1 (although it's not like it had very much competition to begin with).
I don't know what it was about Namco's late-90s offerings on the PS1, but they always seem to be jam-packed with personality, but unlike the laidback confidence of something like Ridge Racer Type 4, the cool allure of Tekken 3 comes from its in-your-face aggression. Even when you're not fighting an opponent, Tekken 3 still knows how to put you in the mood to fight someone from its varied cast of characters, as the stylish menus, energetic prerendered cutscenes, and amazing music do a lot to make the game look as exciting as it feels to play. Speaking of which, the actual combat in Tekken 3 is awesome, as the tight controls, buttery-smooth animations, and the well-implemented third axis meshed well with the impressive amount of moves and combos to make each punch and kick feel natural and weighty. The satisfaction that comes from experimenting with the roster is amplified by a ton when it comes to learning combos, with characters like Bryan Fury and Eddy Gordo being especially fun to play as thanks to how flashy, yet intuitive their movesets were for me. Pretty much every positive thing I've said about Tekken 3 is increased tenfold when multiplayer is involved, as this game is an absolute blast to play with a friend.
As great and mechanically robust as the traditional one-on-one fights are, I will admit that the most enjoyable way to play Tekken 3 for me came from the ever-so-silly "Tekken Ball" mode, and while the actual path to unlocking it can feel a bit grindy due to how often you have to keep replaying the game's standard arcade mode, the amount of fun that I had playing the mode made it all feel worth it. Playing through that mode was also satisfying in its own right, as it not only unlocked the rest of the game's roster, but each playthrough rewarded me an ending cutscene that pretty much always made each run feel worthwhile in how over-the-top (and occasionally funny) they were. My only real complaints with Tekken 3 can be found in its single player content, because while there are quite a few modes to choose from, a lot of them just felt like slight variations of the arcade that you're already going to spend a lot of time with. I also wasn't the biggest fan of the "Tekken Force" mode, because while the concept of a Tekken beat-em-up is really cool, it was all very clunky in its execution, and actually beating it feels based more on luck than anything else. These gripes pale in comparison to just how fun and stylish of a game Tekken 3 is, though, and it definitely deserves its legacy as one of the best fighting games on the PS1 (although it's not like it had very much competition to begin with).
My House
2023
This review contains spoilers
SPOILER ALERT!! THIS SHIT GETS PERSONAL!!! I'M WORKING THROUGH SOME STUFF!!
so now that i have spent many hours with My House I feel really comfortable digging into it. i found this to be a very emotional experience, and that is mostly due to it coming out at a very specific time for me.
my friend passed away earlier this month, and this game really does capture the sorrow of losing someone so close to you in such a tangible way. the place where they were is now empty, it feels haunted, when i found him that night i spent a few days wishing our apartment would burn down and take every last memory with it, i wished it would stand where it was forever as an untouched monument to him. i would find myself mentally there again, opening his bedroom door. The collection of artifacts that relate to him, there is a burning truth to how My House presents grief and how it really is its own non-euclidean nightmare.
Places that once brought you joy now feel flooded, burnt out, grey and lifeless, your ability to keep track of time and place dissolves as you end up somewhere again and again without knowing why you got there. Things that used to not mean much to you like their favorite drink now carry a significance to them. It captures the things that you can't describe to someone else about it, it really felt therapeutic to feel understood by the game.
The fact that this is done in Doom is a testament to how expertly crafted it is, how the blown-up JPEG of a house really sells the narrative that this is just another house map made in Doom. The tragedy, to me, is that my friend would have loved this mod, this was exactly the kind of shit he went crazy for. Now it's a very personal thing to me as I try to understand why he left me.
My House is not going to be for everyone, we are basically counting down until Markiplier is shrieking over it and there are a dozen of Doom wads about scary houses, but until then this is a powerful piece of grieving that makes you walk through its halls and observe the damage it does.
Perhaps there is also something to be said for how damaging it is the deeper we dig into the meanings, the what's and why's. The distortion becomes unbearable the deeper down the rabbit hole we go. Maybe it was best to leave it as it was while we had the chance? But they left us with so few answers we feel we have to dig deeper.
If I have to complain about something that is free that I felt like I should have paid money for, parts do require you be better at Doom than you might expect. So if you aren't used to circle-strafing and dodging, this mod is actually pretty tough in spots. Other than that, I hope to God no more Doom mods illicit this kind of emotion out of me again.
so now that i have spent many hours with My House I feel really comfortable digging into it. i found this to be a very emotional experience, and that is mostly due to it coming out at a very specific time for me.
my friend passed away earlier this month, and this game really does capture the sorrow of losing someone so close to you in such a tangible way. the place where they were is now empty, it feels haunted, when i found him that night i spent a few days wishing our apartment would burn down and take every last memory with it, i wished it would stand where it was forever as an untouched monument to him. i would find myself mentally there again, opening his bedroom door. The collection of artifacts that relate to him, there is a burning truth to how My House presents grief and how it really is its own non-euclidean nightmare.
Places that once brought you joy now feel flooded, burnt out, grey and lifeless, your ability to keep track of time and place dissolves as you end up somewhere again and again without knowing why you got there. Things that used to not mean much to you like their favorite drink now carry a significance to them. It captures the things that you can't describe to someone else about it, it really felt therapeutic to feel understood by the game.
The fact that this is done in Doom is a testament to how expertly crafted it is, how the blown-up JPEG of a house really sells the narrative that this is just another house map made in Doom. The tragedy, to me, is that my friend would have loved this mod, this was exactly the kind of shit he went crazy for. Now it's a very personal thing to me as I try to understand why he left me.
My House is not going to be for everyone, we are basically counting down until Markiplier is shrieking over it and there are a dozen of Doom wads about scary houses, but until then this is a powerful piece of grieving that makes you walk through its halls and observe the damage it does.
Perhaps there is also something to be said for how damaging it is the deeper we dig into the meanings, the what's and why's. The distortion becomes unbearable the deeper down the rabbit hole we go. Maybe it was best to leave it as it was while we had the chance? But they left us with so few answers we feel we have to dig deeper.
If I have to complain about something that is free that I felt like I should have paid money for, parts do require you be better at Doom than you might expect. So if you aren't used to circle-strafing and dodging, this mod is actually pretty tough in spots. Other than that, I hope to God no more Doom mods illicit this kind of emotion out of me again.
Centipede
1998
the 2.7 is so undeserved, this is atleast a 3.5 game cmon guys
its a remake of something that nobody even thought would or should ever get a remake and the result is actually pretty neat!!
There's even a fucking story mode, some classic overhead camera arcade shit to be had
It kind of reminds me how in the Pac Man World games youre able to play arcadey maze levels as side content :> !!
I think the game isnt perfect ofc, it has some clunk here and there with collission and controls and i dont think it's necessarily the Prettiest game of the generation, especially not by Dreamcast standards but I dont think it looks horrendous
The real star of the show is the story mode in fucking centipede
u play as a dipshit guy named Wally thats just a humble bean-counter that gets turned into a kid friendly Doomguy and saves villagers, slaughters the centipede monsters and all
the game actually even boasts whole cgi cutscenes, they didnt skimp out with the vision they had for this and i appreciate that a lot actually
final thoughts: i mean at the end of the day its fucking Centipede so i cant praise it THAT hard, i do like centipede in its simple formula in the original and the gameplay loop at play here in the remake
there's also some.. sequel bait at the end??? Not sure how THAT worked out but it made me have the thought if there was ever a tride and true triple A crack at some shit like this again (in the real way not the usual scuffs that come with triple A gaming climate)
I think at this point though we've hit an impasse where nobody is looking at these arcadey games and seeking to brush up and embrace out of fear of excessive repetition or loathing the past
sad! oh well, play this Ray William Johnson looking ass weenie killing space dipshits, or dont
the galaxy is always waiting (heh heh heh)
its a remake of something that nobody even thought would or should ever get a remake and the result is actually pretty neat!!
There's even a fucking story mode, some classic overhead camera arcade shit to be had
It kind of reminds me how in the Pac Man World games youre able to play arcadey maze levels as side content :> !!
I think the game isnt perfect ofc, it has some clunk here and there with collission and controls and i dont think it's necessarily the Prettiest game of the generation, especially not by Dreamcast standards but I dont think it looks horrendous
The real star of the show is the story mode in fucking centipede
u play as a dipshit guy named Wally thats just a humble bean-counter that gets turned into a kid friendly Doomguy and saves villagers, slaughters the centipede monsters and all
the game actually even boasts whole cgi cutscenes, they didnt skimp out with the vision they had for this and i appreciate that a lot actually
final thoughts: i mean at the end of the day its fucking Centipede so i cant praise it THAT hard, i do like centipede in its simple formula in the original and the gameplay loop at play here in the remake
there's also some.. sequel bait at the end??? Not sure how THAT worked out but it made me have the thought if there was ever a tride and true triple A crack at some shit like this again (in the real way not the usual scuffs that come with triple A gaming climate)
I think at this point though we've hit an impasse where nobody is looking at these arcadey games and seeking to brush up and embrace out of fear of excessive repetition or loathing the past
sad! oh well, play this Ray William Johnson looking ass weenie killing space dipshits, or dont
the galaxy is always waiting (heh heh heh)
This is the game people pretend Goldeneye 64 is.
One of them aged like milk in the sun, the other is Nightfire.
One of them aged like milk in the sun, the other is Nightfire.
Gone Home
2013
Tag yourself. I'm the older sister who comes home only to learn that every single family member has kept her out of the loop for an entire year.
Wonderful/stunning atmosphere and absolutely beautiful music by Jessica Curry is what makes this game dear to my heart. This is a walking sim and unfortunately the walking is very slow, but the intriguing mystery of the narrative, the visuals, setting, and again the music is what makes me recommend the game to people who enjoy walking sims.
This is more a Jessica Curry appreciation review than anything as it made me go check out the rest of her work whether in Dear Esther, So Let Us Melt, or in the Amnesia series. So shout out to her, she makes beautiful music that inspires me.
This is more a Jessica Curry appreciation review than anything as it made me go check out the rest of her work whether in Dear Esther, So Let Us Melt, or in the Amnesia series. So shout out to her, she makes beautiful music that inspires me.
Tekken 4
2001
History continues to vindicate Tekken 4. It was risky, it was bold, it was big-time mechanically borked.
It didn't matter how unbalanced everything was; everybody looked great. No fighting character before or since has had a fit as rad as King's 2P outfit.
Fights moved out from abstract arcade arenas and into recognizable places, with walls and uneven floors and destructible obstacles. Everything was more tangible; no more giant robots or ancient gods of fighting--the final showdown was us in a cage match, beating the stock options out of an evil megacorp's old-ass CEO.
Can generational trauma be unlearned, like forgetting a cursed family karate style? Is it worth avenging a fallen mentor, if you have to abandon your principals to do it? Is it possible for pepper beef to be too spicy?
Like its aesthetics and soundtrack and gameplay, Tekken 4's story tried stuff, man. And even though most of it didn't stick and was immediately walked back by Tekken 5, it still pushed the entire series into interesting new directions.
It didn't matter how unbalanced everything was; everybody looked great. No fighting character before or since has had a fit as rad as King's 2P outfit.
Fights moved out from abstract arcade arenas and into recognizable places, with walls and uneven floors and destructible obstacles. Everything was more tangible; no more giant robots or ancient gods of fighting--the final showdown was us in a cage match, beating the stock options out of an evil megacorp's old-ass CEO.
Can generational trauma be unlearned, like forgetting a cursed family karate style? Is it worth avenging a fallen mentor, if you have to abandon your principals to do it? Is it possible for pepper beef to be too spicy?
Like its aesthetics and soundtrack and gameplay, Tekken 4's story tried stuff, man. And even though most of it didn't stick and was immediately walked back by Tekken 5, it still pushed the entire series into interesting new directions.
All the shit that E.T. is getting should be directed at this game.
Bertie the Brain
1950
If the kids of today are playing this horse shit, then I am very worried about how lazy and friendless the kids of the future will be. Back in my day we just played Tic-Tac-Toe with each other. Not toasters.
