Kago
1987
Rough Skiing game
Another super hard NES game. It is pretty cool to see a 2.5D NES game, and the graphics are nice. That Skiier is cheeked up though god damn.
There's single player mode and two player mode, idk what two player mode is as I didn't play it.
There are three what you could call levels I guess. Each level has a bunch of different courses that you have to complete in a time-frame. I only fully completed one of these levels, and it was here that I figured I've gotten my fill and don't really want to play the other ones, as they'd probably be the same gameplay just even harder.
And holy fuck this is hard man. You've got to zoom through a narrow course as there's millions of things that will hit you and slow you down. I mean there's barely any free space here, and when you go to that free space another skiier will just barrel into you and crash.
Along with the controls being pretty bad and just wanky, it's really stressful the entire time and kinda annoying. You'll find yourself just annoyed about all the shit getting in your way.
Really not the worst game ever, but it's just kinda frustrating more than anything. I will say though it is pretty satisfying to beat a course, gives a little bit of adrenaline yk.
Idk if I'd recommend it, but it's not that bad. Play it if you want to man.
Another super hard NES game. It is pretty cool to see a 2.5D NES game, and the graphics are nice. That Skiier is cheeked up though god damn.
There's single player mode and two player mode, idk what two player mode is as I didn't play it.
There are three what you could call levels I guess. Each level has a bunch of different courses that you have to complete in a time-frame. I only fully completed one of these levels, and it was here that I figured I've gotten my fill and don't really want to play the other ones, as they'd probably be the same gameplay just even harder.
And holy fuck this is hard man. You've got to zoom through a narrow course as there's millions of things that will hit you and slow you down. I mean there's barely any free space here, and when you go to that free space another skiier will just barrel into you and crash.
Along with the controls being pretty bad and just wanky, it's really stressful the entire time and kinda annoying. You'll find yourself just annoyed about all the shit getting in your way.
Really not the worst game ever, but it's just kinda frustrating more than anything. I will say though it is pretty satisfying to beat a course, gives a little bit of adrenaline yk.
Idk if I'd recommend it, but it's not that bad. Play it if you want to man.
I have about 500 hours on this one on Steam. Currently realizing I've never written a review or talked about it in my nearly 6 years of playing it.
This is THE best "realistic shooter" ever. And it is because it hits that perfect amount of arcadey fun and grounded realism.
The gunplay is pure sex, seriously some of the most satisfying shit ever. To see a man running like 100 meters away and just dinking that fucker in the head is pure unfiltered dopamine.
The classes, the customization, the voice acting, the maps, the teamplay, the different factions, the VOIP, the community mods. It is simply just the best.
Seriously, the maps are some of my favorite ever. I recently took a trip to Vietnam, and I was amazed at how some maps were modeled 1x1 with real life.
Insurgency, Squad, Hell Let Loose, etc. does not even come CLOSE to the amount of fun this game brings. Those games focus too hard on realism or too hard on arcadey nonsense, Rising Storm 2 is the perfect medium.
As it is 5-6 years old, player counts are lowering, if you haven't played this game yet, times running out and you'll miss out.
Through my 500 something hours I've gotten my fill and I'm satisfied, though I always play some matches here and there, as nothing scratches that itch quite like Rising Storm 2: Vietnam.
This is THE best "realistic shooter" ever. And it is because it hits that perfect amount of arcadey fun and grounded realism.
The gunplay is pure sex, seriously some of the most satisfying shit ever. To see a man running like 100 meters away and just dinking that fucker in the head is pure unfiltered dopamine.
The classes, the customization, the voice acting, the maps, the teamplay, the different factions, the VOIP, the community mods. It is simply just the best.
Seriously, the maps are some of my favorite ever. I recently took a trip to Vietnam, and I was amazed at how some maps were modeled 1x1 with real life.
Insurgency, Squad, Hell Let Loose, etc. does not even come CLOSE to the amount of fun this game brings. Those games focus too hard on realism or too hard on arcadey nonsense, Rising Storm 2 is the perfect medium.
As it is 5-6 years old, player counts are lowering, if you haven't played this game yet, times running out and you'll miss out.
Through my 500 something hours I've gotten my fill and I'm satisfied, though I always play some matches here and there, as nothing scratches that itch quite like Rising Storm 2: Vietnam.
1997
Gonna preface this review by saying I played the absolute best version of GoldenEye 007 possible. I didn't play this on an actual N64, I played this on the 1964 emulator, and I used mouse and keyboard controls. This means I experienced the game in 1080p, 60fps. I didn't experience any frame drops or control issues that people usually complain about with this method. So uh yeah, this is a review of an emulated mouse and keyboard version of Goldeneye.
I also wanna say I've never played the multiplayer so this is solely a campaign review.
Pretty good! I played this on the Secret Agent difficulty as I didn't really want to suffer through old game bullshit too hard.
I love the graphics, art direction, aesthetic, etc. of this game. It looks great and fun. Just such a good look to it.
The soundtrack is full of bangers. Some classic tunes, all so good.
The gunplay in this game is awesome, shooting enemies is endlessly satisfying, and all the guns are awesome, they all feel so good to use. There's also a decent amount of enemy variation for an N64 game.
The movement and controls are a fucking dream. Idk how this feels on an actual 64 controller but on mouse and keyboard it just controls so fucking good.
Now, time to complain: The level design is kinda bad. Most levels are just filled with random shit that doesn't need to be there, and that's fine and dandy but when you make the game objective based and make objectives really cryptic it becomes a problem. A lot of the challenge in the levels is just figuring out where the fuck you're supposed to go and what you're supposed to do. A majority of my playtime in this game is just running around the map trying to figure out wtf I'm supposed to do. Sometimes I give up and just look it up on youtube, and it's a hyper-specific thing that I'd NEVER figure out.
For example, on the train level you are given a laser on your watch, it can melt away at enemies, but you aren't supposed to use it until the end. You're supposed to not use this awesome new weapon they give you, but instead hold it all the way until the end of the level where you have to laser open a tiny vent to escape, and if you go through the vent too early you also fail.
Shit like this is throughout the entire game, and there is zero direction from the game. The game tells you the most vague and cryptic shit ever and you just have to roam around in darkness until you stumble upon it, or just save your time and look it up.
I found myself looking shit up often as this game just wastes your time and I said fuck off. I suggest you do the same. This game is filled with trial and error nonsense, at least levels are pretty short so you can run through them over and over quickly.
Also fuck that Aztec level, straight up bullshit.
People that say this game is easy are also the same ones who have been playing it for years and know everything about the game. The enemies aren't even a challenge until the end levels, the main challenge is just figuring out wtf you're supposed to do.
I feel I've said enough on this one, a legendary game that proved console shooters could be worth a damn, but it's level design and cryptic objectives make it pretty annoying to play at times. I still had a lot of fun with this as the combat is always fun. This is a great game that has been obliterated by the passage of time.
I'd still recommend playing this one, it's got a lot of things going for it, the sound and the aesthetics are killer. I would also only say to play this emulated, as it would probably suck to play on an actual N64 today.
That music really is awesome though lol.
I also wanna say I've never played the multiplayer so this is solely a campaign review.
Pretty good! I played this on the Secret Agent difficulty as I didn't really want to suffer through old game bullshit too hard.
I love the graphics, art direction, aesthetic, etc. of this game. It looks great and fun. Just such a good look to it.
The soundtrack is full of bangers. Some classic tunes, all so good.
The gunplay in this game is awesome, shooting enemies is endlessly satisfying, and all the guns are awesome, they all feel so good to use. There's also a decent amount of enemy variation for an N64 game.
The movement and controls are a fucking dream. Idk how this feels on an actual 64 controller but on mouse and keyboard it just controls so fucking good.
Now, time to complain: The level design is kinda bad. Most levels are just filled with random shit that doesn't need to be there, and that's fine and dandy but when you make the game objective based and make objectives really cryptic it becomes a problem. A lot of the challenge in the levels is just figuring out where the fuck you're supposed to go and what you're supposed to do. A majority of my playtime in this game is just running around the map trying to figure out wtf I'm supposed to do. Sometimes I give up and just look it up on youtube, and it's a hyper-specific thing that I'd NEVER figure out.
For example, on the train level you are given a laser on your watch, it can melt away at enemies, but you aren't supposed to use it until the end. You're supposed to not use this awesome new weapon they give you, but instead hold it all the way until the end of the level where you have to laser open a tiny vent to escape, and if you go through the vent too early you also fail.
Shit like this is throughout the entire game, and there is zero direction from the game. The game tells you the most vague and cryptic shit ever and you just have to roam around in darkness until you stumble upon it, or just save your time and look it up.
I found myself looking shit up often as this game just wastes your time and I said fuck off. I suggest you do the same. This game is filled with trial and error nonsense, at least levels are pretty short so you can run through them over and over quickly.
Also fuck that Aztec level, straight up bullshit.
People that say this game is easy are also the same ones who have been playing it for years and know everything about the game. The enemies aren't even a challenge until the end levels, the main challenge is just figuring out wtf you're supposed to do.
I feel I've said enough on this one, a legendary game that proved console shooters could be worth a damn, but it's level design and cryptic objectives make it pretty annoying to play at times. I still had a lot of fun with this as the combat is always fun. This is a great game that has been obliterated by the passage of time.
I'd still recommend playing this one, it's got a lot of things going for it, the sound and the aesthetics are killer. I would also only say to play this emulated, as it would probably suck to play on an actual N64 today.
That music really is awesome though lol.
1997
My favorite fighting game ever, and I'd like to think it's the best fighting game.
The soundtrack is fucking killer, one of the best.
The game is simplistic yet complex, and I'd say it falls into easy to play hard to master, whereas newer titles just got too complex for someone to just pick up the game and play, and older titles were too simple and just kinda jank. This game is the kino spot. Combos are there, but aren't so ridiculous where someone gets one hit they can branch off and do a fucking humongous combo. Most of the fighters have styles based off of actual martial arts, which is really awesome to see. I'd say like 90% of the cast is interesting and fun to play, the stages are all beautiful too, the fact that this is a ps1 game is always impressive. And with plentiful side games such as Tekken Force and tekken Ball, it's just a masterpiece.
An all time classic that has aged gracefully.
The soundtrack is fucking killer, one of the best.
The game is simplistic yet complex, and I'd say it falls into easy to play hard to master, whereas newer titles just got too complex for someone to just pick up the game and play, and older titles were too simple and just kinda jank. This game is the kino spot. Combos are there, but aren't so ridiculous where someone gets one hit they can branch off and do a fucking humongous combo. Most of the fighters have styles based off of actual martial arts, which is really awesome to see. I'd say like 90% of the cast is interesting and fun to play, the stages are all beautiful too, the fact that this is a ps1 game is always impressive. And with plentiful side games such as Tekken Force and tekken Ball, it's just a masterpiece.
An all time classic that has aged gracefully.
2023
One of the best in it's genre
Many tycoon games are quite samey, repetitive, and lacking in QoL features. While Let's school isn't a complete exception to this, it stands above many of its peers.
Firstly, this game nails its themes. There is a clear passion behind the dev-team that can be felt, as anything school-related you could think of is here. You can really make your school feel lived-in and genuine. All of the things you can add to your school keep it's game-play loops interesting, as I looked forward to adding the next expansions to my school. I didn't feel any burn-out until about 15 hours in, which is huge for me.
After so many hours and upon perfecting all of the games mechanics, it can get dull and repetitive, but that's really just the end-game, and this is a thing with every tycoon game IMO. Still, there is so much content that has been lovingly crafted and there are many very sound game-play systems that make this game is a no -brainer.
If you're into management tycoon games, I'd highly recommend Let's School.
Many tycoon games are quite samey, repetitive, and lacking in QoL features. While Let's school isn't a complete exception to this, it stands above many of its peers.
Firstly, this game nails its themes. There is a clear passion behind the dev-team that can be felt, as anything school-related you could think of is here. You can really make your school feel lived-in and genuine. All of the things you can add to your school keep it's game-play loops interesting, as I looked forward to adding the next expansions to my school. I didn't feel any burn-out until about 15 hours in, which is huge for me.
After so many hours and upon perfecting all of the games mechanics, it can get dull and repetitive, but that's really just the end-game, and this is a thing with every tycoon game IMO. Still, there is so much content that has been lovingly crafted and there are many very sound game-play systems that make this game is a no -brainer.
If you're into management tycoon games, I'd highly recommend Let's School.
Yeah, more MSX slop for the slop gods.
(fun fact: This was the first game i ever put into the database :p)
A high-score based rail shooter with basically nothing to make it stand out, though of course this is based on the 80s TV show "Droids" so that's something.
the headache-inducing sound design isn't helping things either.
(See all my Star Wars Rankings and reviews on my profile here, the list is titled "Star Wars Ranked.")
(fun fact: This was the first game i ever put into the database :p)
A high-score based rail shooter with basically nothing to make it stand out, though of course this is based on the 80s TV show "Droids" so that's something.
the headache-inducing sound design isn't helping things either.
(See all my Star Wars Rankings and reviews on my profile here, the list is titled "Star Wars Ranked.")
Played it A lot on PS2, played on PSP, Xbox, PC
This game was my shit as a kid, for a long time I considered it my favorite game. I remember I picked it up in a big ass bargain bin at Best Buy, I saw Star Wars and I love Star Wars so I convinced my parents to buy it for me. What a lucky run in that was, cause this is a great game.
Now it's important to know the battlefront series was born from a Battlefield 1942 mod, so yes, this is literally just Battlefield Star Wars. But this combination is genius. Being able to have wars and explore just about everywhere you'd want in the Star Wars universe, play as the four main factions and a bunch of heroes and villains, this game was a Star Wars fans wet dream for a shooter. I'm confident in saying this is still the best Star Wars shooter of all time, sorry Republic Commando fans.
Gun play is pretty good though there's a lack of accuracy to most guns, but it's ok. The sounds, looks, feels, etc. of the weapons are good and fun. The classes are all very unique from each other and each faction having two unique classes each was great. Battlefield could NEVER.
The true savior of this game is the map design. Being able to use Star Wars aesthetics and music instantly makes the games aesthetics good, but the actual level design and ways of incorporating the Star Wars worlds into the level design was genius. It truly felt like you were fighting in the forest of Endor, on the plains of Hoth, etc. Seriously though the Hoth map was one of the coolest experiences ever back then. Everyone rushing to the ships on the Rebel hanger and flying off towards the enemy team was so much fun.
Great game modes like the fan-favorite Galactic Conquest, I personally stuck to Instant Action as a kid and made cool playlists.
I don't really have much else to say. I have so much love for this game. I think I could say this is my favorite multiplayer shooter. Play it.
(See all my Star Wars Rankings and reviews on my profile here, the list is titled "Star Wars Ranked.")
This game was my shit as a kid, for a long time I considered it my favorite game. I remember I picked it up in a big ass bargain bin at Best Buy, I saw Star Wars and I love Star Wars so I convinced my parents to buy it for me. What a lucky run in that was, cause this is a great game.
Now it's important to know the battlefront series was born from a Battlefield 1942 mod, so yes, this is literally just Battlefield Star Wars. But this combination is genius. Being able to have wars and explore just about everywhere you'd want in the Star Wars universe, play as the four main factions and a bunch of heroes and villains, this game was a Star Wars fans wet dream for a shooter. I'm confident in saying this is still the best Star Wars shooter of all time, sorry Republic Commando fans.
Gun play is pretty good though there's a lack of accuracy to most guns, but it's ok. The sounds, looks, feels, etc. of the weapons are good and fun. The classes are all very unique from each other and each faction having two unique classes each was great. Battlefield could NEVER.
The true savior of this game is the map design. Being able to use Star Wars aesthetics and music instantly makes the games aesthetics good, but the actual level design and ways of incorporating the Star Wars worlds into the level design was genius. It truly felt like you were fighting in the forest of Endor, on the plains of Hoth, etc. Seriously though the Hoth map was one of the coolest experiences ever back then. Everyone rushing to the ships on the Rebel hanger and flying off towards the enemy team was so much fun.
Great game modes like the fan-favorite Galactic Conquest, I personally stuck to Instant Action as a kid and made cool playlists.
I don't really have much else to say. I have so much love for this game. I think I could say this is my favorite multiplayer shooter. Play it.
(See all my Star Wars Rankings and reviews on my profile here, the list is titled "Star Wars Ranked.")
This game controls like absolute shit. There's no balancing, nothing makes sense, the window to do combos is insanely small. I hate it. Just a really annoying game.
The announcer is funny and the graphics look pretty nice, there's a lot of cheats or secrets or whatever that are cool, the endings on arcade are laughably brief.
Idk what else to add, this is just a really bad fighting game. Unfortunate!
(See all my Star Wars Rankings and reviews on my profile here, the list is titled "Star Wars Ranked.")
The announcer is funny and the graphics look pretty nice, there's a lot of cheats or secrets or whatever that are cool, the endings on arcade are laughably brief.
Idk what else to add, this is just a really bad fighting game. Unfortunate!
(See all my Star Wars Rankings and reviews on my profile here, the list is titled "Star Wars Ranked.")
2020
Just an exquisite little game. Platinumed on PS5
This game is basically put out as a tech demo that shows off the capabilities of the PS5 controller, which it definitely succeeds in, but the game is actually a full on little 3D plat-former with a lot of nostalgia and love put into it.
as someone else put "It's a love letter to 4 generations of PlayStation." The game is a nice trip down memory lane and has countless references and callbacks to previous PlayStation generations. I mean all the mainline IP's are lovingly reminisced on, even IP's Sony has completely abandoned (Please bring back Twisted Metal guys) I absolutely loved the experience of going through levels and being like "oh that's from [Childhood game]!" and knowing all the references just really flexing my gamer knowledge.
I also extremely enjoyed collecting all the physical PlayStation items, and it was extremely nostalgic to see all the old items perfectly recreated in the game, and when the old music kicks in at the end of levels man it's dopamine.
The graphics look extremely good, very clean and fresh, but charming. Astro is a pretty solid mascot, I'd be fine if Sony continued to use him as a mascot more than just the mascot of demo games. The music is also just solid across the board, really nice stuff here.
The actual game play is really nice, it offers constant switch ups which utilize the PS5 controller and constantly offers fresh and fun game play. The core 3D platforming sections are very clean and well-made, though basic. All around great stuff.
All I'm saying is, if you're a PlayStation fan, you'll absolutely adore this game. If you're new and want to learn about the PS5 controller, this game works in every way. If you're new to PlayStation, this game is like walking through a PlayStation museum but it's very fun. It comes with the PS5, an absolute must-play for anyone that is a fan of PlayStation and gaming as a whole.
Also of note, I believe this was Japan Studio's last game before they got shut down, which was very sad, I always appreciated the unique games they put out. At least they went out with a phenomenal little game. This game was passionately made with heart and soul.
This game is basically put out as a tech demo that shows off the capabilities of the PS5 controller, which it definitely succeeds in, but the game is actually a full on little 3D plat-former with a lot of nostalgia and love put into it.
as someone else put "It's a love letter to 4 generations of PlayStation." The game is a nice trip down memory lane and has countless references and callbacks to previous PlayStation generations. I mean all the mainline IP's are lovingly reminisced on, even IP's Sony has completely abandoned (Please bring back Twisted Metal guys) I absolutely loved the experience of going through levels and being like "oh that's from [Childhood game]!" and knowing all the references just really flexing my gamer knowledge.
I also extremely enjoyed collecting all the physical PlayStation items, and it was extremely nostalgic to see all the old items perfectly recreated in the game, and when the old music kicks in at the end of levels man it's dopamine.
The graphics look extremely good, very clean and fresh, but charming. Astro is a pretty solid mascot, I'd be fine if Sony continued to use him as a mascot more than just the mascot of demo games. The music is also just solid across the board, really nice stuff here.
The actual game play is really nice, it offers constant switch ups which utilize the PS5 controller and constantly offers fresh and fun game play. The core 3D platforming sections are very clean and well-made, though basic. All around great stuff.
All I'm saying is, if you're a PlayStation fan, you'll absolutely adore this game. If you're new and want to learn about the PS5 controller, this game works in every way. If you're new to PlayStation, this game is like walking through a PlayStation museum but it's very fun. It comes with the PS5, an absolute must-play for anyone that is a fan of PlayStation and gaming as a whole.
Also of note, I believe this was Japan Studio's last game before they got shut down, which was very sad, I always appreciated the unique games they put out. At least they went out with a phenomenal little game. This game was passionately made with heart and soul.
With my game crashing after about 45% of the way through the game, I'm deciding to call it quits.
It feels a bit harsh to give such an influential and important title a 2/5, but I really just wasn't having fun with this one, it was just boring honestly.
So if you don't know, a lot of the people that made this went on to make Call of Duty, and you can really feel that. This game feels like it's in a bit of an identity crisis, as it sometimes feels like it's trying to be a new MoH1 but lacks the original charm, then at other times feels like Call of Duty 0.5.
The gun-play feels and sounds decent enough with a very run-and-gun feel to it but it isn't complimented well by the slow movement, some of the most punishing "flinching upon being hit" I've ever seen, and a dated health system. it's like they were at an impasse and couldn't decide what type of FPS they wanted to make. This was of course later figured out with CoD 1, which does everything this game does but better.
Level design is boring and often feels unfair. You will either be clearing out room after room, which generally just feels like proto-CoD gameplay, or you'll be peaking corners across massive open areas with basically no cover. This combined with enemy Ai that has seemingly limitless view distance and no drop in accuracy depending on their distance, results in slowly moving from corner to corner while sniping enemies here and there, which I personally find to be a real snoozer of a loop.
There seems to be a lack of variety and not enough set-pieces to carry this campaign either. The only notable one is D-Day, which is fine enough, it's lost it's luster a bit with me considering later games do it better, but this is a pretty good D-Day mission. Other than that though, it's just pretty generic WW2 missions that just feel uninspired. I skimmed through a youtube video of a playthrough and sure enough, it just looks like more of the same room clearing and corner peaking for another couple hours, thus I just have no real reason to keep playing.
Usually when I abandon a game it's because I'm heavily disliking it, but this one is really not that bad. I think it's a perfectly serviceable WW2 shooter, but there is absolutely nothing remarkable about it and you have no reason to ever play this over other WW2 FPS's.
Note: I own and planned on playing the expansions but they also just look like more of the same dull gameplay, so I guess I won't be doing that.
Also of note: this game does not play well with modern OS's, I had to get some patches for it.
It feels a bit harsh to give such an influential and important title a 2/5, but I really just wasn't having fun with this one, it was just boring honestly.
So if you don't know, a lot of the people that made this went on to make Call of Duty, and you can really feel that. This game feels like it's in a bit of an identity crisis, as it sometimes feels like it's trying to be a new MoH1 but lacks the original charm, then at other times feels like Call of Duty 0.5.
The gun-play feels and sounds decent enough with a very run-and-gun feel to it but it isn't complimented well by the slow movement, some of the most punishing "flinching upon being hit" I've ever seen, and a dated health system. it's like they were at an impasse and couldn't decide what type of FPS they wanted to make. This was of course later figured out with CoD 1, which does everything this game does but better.
Level design is boring and often feels unfair. You will either be clearing out room after room, which generally just feels like proto-CoD gameplay, or you'll be peaking corners across massive open areas with basically no cover. This combined with enemy Ai that has seemingly limitless view distance and no drop in accuracy depending on their distance, results in slowly moving from corner to corner while sniping enemies here and there, which I personally find to be a real snoozer of a loop.
There seems to be a lack of variety and not enough set-pieces to carry this campaign either. The only notable one is D-Day, which is fine enough, it's lost it's luster a bit with me considering later games do it better, but this is a pretty good D-Day mission. Other than that though, it's just pretty generic WW2 missions that just feel uninspired. I skimmed through a youtube video of a playthrough and sure enough, it just looks like more of the same room clearing and corner peaking for another couple hours, thus I just have no real reason to keep playing.
Usually when I abandon a game it's because I'm heavily disliking it, but this one is really not that bad. I think it's a perfectly serviceable WW2 shooter, but there is absolutely nothing remarkable about it and you have no reason to ever play this over other WW2 FPS's.
Note: I own and planned on playing the expansions but they also just look like more of the same dull gameplay, so I guess I won't be doing that.
Also of note: this game does not play well with modern OS's, I had to get some patches for it.
2001
More like Max Plain am I right fellas XD
In all seriousness Max Payne is still a good time, but I don't know if it wholly holds up.
This game took me about 9-10 hours to complete, the gun-play is fairly basic and the killer feature is bullet-time/diving. Unfortunately diving kinda sucks as it leaves you extremely vulnerable for large amounts of time, so general gameplay involves constantly pressing bullet-time, headshotting bad guy, repeat. It's not the worst thing in the world I just feel like there's so much more to do with these systems, as future games later do. I will also add, some enemies feel overly spongy, like why do I have to blast a guy with a shotgun point-blank more than 3 times to kill him?
Max Payne is also hindered by constantly cheap gotcha moments where enemies will catch you off guard by popping around a corner, behind you, some awkward angle, or just randomly throwing a grenade that blows up almost instantly, all combined with a very quick time-to-die, you are certain to be dying and loading non-stop. Levels can also be quite long so you'll honestly just be forced into constantly save-scumming, lest you wanna play the same sections over and over until you remember all the traps that lay ahead. It's honestly not the funnest loop, I felt really forced into save-scumming even when I didn't want to, it's like levels were built with it in mind, as there is a cheap trap you'd have no way of reacting to first try every minute or so. In a game where I want to be a badass flying around smoking dudes I am forced to play it extremely tactical and slow, which is a bummer. This isn't completely true in the first half of the game but it is definitely true in the second.
The other chunk of gameplay is the platforming, which is frankly clunky and just not that fun either. It feels very slippery, which is unfortunate because everything surrounding the platforming sections is incredible atmosphere.
Though I'm complaining about gameplay woes, gunfights can still be fun and intense enough, moving through levels is a good feeling, there's a cathartic vibe to it where you just begin to get into the zone of it all and just keep pushing forward, which is a nice natural feeling that I always enjoy in games.
The story however is excellent and kinda carries. Pretty awesome voice work, beautiful visuals, and a rich noir style. The story and characters themselves have a sense of self-awareness yet play it overly-serious, it's some perfect shlock and you can just tell they had a fun time making this.
A heavily influential title that despite having some poorly executed gameplay ideas still manages to be an engaging time with a very fun story.
In all seriousness Max Payne is still a good time, but I don't know if it wholly holds up.
This game took me about 9-10 hours to complete, the gun-play is fairly basic and the killer feature is bullet-time/diving. Unfortunately diving kinda sucks as it leaves you extremely vulnerable for large amounts of time, so general gameplay involves constantly pressing bullet-time, headshotting bad guy, repeat. It's not the worst thing in the world I just feel like there's so much more to do with these systems, as future games later do. I will also add, some enemies feel overly spongy, like why do I have to blast a guy with a shotgun point-blank more than 3 times to kill him?
Max Payne is also hindered by constantly cheap gotcha moments where enemies will catch you off guard by popping around a corner, behind you, some awkward angle, or just randomly throwing a grenade that blows up almost instantly, all combined with a very quick time-to-die, you are certain to be dying and loading non-stop. Levels can also be quite long so you'll honestly just be forced into constantly save-scumming, lest you wanna play the same sections over and over until you remember all the traps that lay ahead. It's honestly not the funnest loop, I felt really forced into save-scumming even when I didn't want to, it's like levels were built with it in mind, as there is a cheap trap you'd have no way of reacting to first try every minute or so. In a game where I want to be a badass flying around smoking dudes I am forced to play it extremely tactical and slow, which is a bummer. This isn't completely true in the first half of the game but it is definitely true in the second.
The other chunk of gameplay is the platforming, which is frankly clunky and just not that fun either. It feels very slippery, which is unfortunate because everything surrounding the platforming sections is incredible atmosphere.
Though I'm complaining about gameplay woes, gunfights can still be fun and intense enough, moving through levels is a good feeling, there's a cathartic vibe to it where you just begin to get into the zone of it all and just keep pushing forward, which is a nice natural feeling that I always enjoy in games.
The story however is excellent and kinda carries. Pretty awesome voice work, beautiful visuals, and a rich noir style. The story and characters themselves have a sense of self-awareness yet play it overly-serious, it's some perfect shlock and you can just tell they had a fun time making this.
A heavily influential title that despite having some poorly executed gameplay ideas still manages to be an engaging time with a very fun story.
I dub the DLC with a 4, same as base game, but I was teetering on a 3 or 3.5. The beautiful music, character designs, and animations carry this DLC.
So you now play as Ms Chalice, and there are just a handful of levels, luckily all boss fights and no filler, which is nice to see. I am honestly not a fan of how Ms Chalice controls. The double jump feels bad, just flat out, this is because the Xbox controller buttons are too mushy for the precision the double jump demands at times, plus if you press it too fast you do a really small double jump which'll get you hit, and this is all made even more difficult when you are already holding down the shoot button. I think they should've stuck with one jump.
The bosses are generally more difficult than base game, to compensate you're given 1 more hit point, which is fine I guess, I'm unsure on how I feel about this balancing. Out of all the bosses, the one with the bugs and the anteater was the hardest, my thumbs were aching from it. I guess this was Because I was using the wrong weapon, after I switched weapons I beat it first try. Every other boss was quite easy, especially the final boss, similar to how the devil is overly-easy in the base game. There are also quite a few projectiles in these fights that are very difficult to see at times, as they blend into the background and are very small, just a small annoyance.
Overall, it's more Cuphead, I think it does some things worse than the base game but wanting to see what awesome art comes next is good enough.
So you now play as Ms Chalice, and there are just a handful of levels, luckily all boss fights and no filler, which is nice to see. I am honestly not a fan of how Ms Chalice controls. The double jump feels bad, just flat out, this is because the Xbox controller buttons are too mushy for the precision the double jump demands at times, plus if you press it too fast you do a really small double jump which'll get you hit, and this is all made even more difficult when you are already holding down the shoot button. I think they should've stuck with one jump.
The bosses are generally more difficult than base game, to compensate you're given 1 more hit point, which is fine I guess, I'm unsure on how I feel about this balancing. Out of all the bosses, the one with the bugs and the anteater was the hardest, my thumbs were aching from it. I guess this was Because I was using the wrong weapon, after I switched weapons I beat it first try. Every other boss was quite easy, especially the final boss, similar to how the devil is overly-easy in the base game. There are also quite a few projectiles in these fights that are very difficult to see at times, as they blend into the background and are very small, just a small annoyance.
Overall, it's more Cuphead, I think it does some things worse than the base game but wanting to see what awesome art comes next is good enough.
Really just another grindy - Pay to win mobile game.
The only reason I've played so much of this game is because it's Star Wars and I'm a sucker for it. I loved collecting my favorite characters and building a badass team, but you eventually just hit a wall where it's like the game desperately wants you to pay some money to progress faster.
Shame! game is OK as far as mobile games go these days.
(See all my Star Wars Rankings and reviews on my profile here, the list is titled "Star Wars Ranked.")
The only reason I've played so much of this game is because it's Star Wars and I'm a sucker for it. I loved collecting my favorite characters and building a badass team, but you eventually just hit a wall where it's like the game desperately wants you to pay some money to progress faster.
Shame! game is OK as far as mobile games go these days.
(See all my Star Wars Rankings and reviews on my profile here, the list is titled "Star Wars Ranked.")
1994
Idk what play-through this would even be, maybe the fourth?
Game is still a classic, 5/5er. Beat it all in one sitting on a thursday afternoon.
the graphics and aesthetics are timeless and always pleasing on the eyes. The music is an all time great soundtrack, David Wise is a genius.
Platforming feels tight and precise, when you mess up it's your fault. There are some cheap enemy placements that can be trial and error on the second half of the game, but still, it's mostly all skill issues.
Every level feels unique, with many having their own gimmick, levels rarely overstay their welcome, with excellent pacing to never feel like a drag.
Game is just a masterpiece man, play it.
Game is still a classic, 5/5er. Beat it all in one sitting on a thursday afternoon.
the graphics and aesthetics are timeless and always pleasing on the eyes. The music is an all time great soundtrack, David Wise is a genius.
Platforming feels tight and precise, when you mess up it's your fault. There are some cheap enemy placements that can be trial and error on the second half of the game, but still, it's mostly all skill issues.
Every level feels unique, with many having their own gimmick, levels rarely overstay their welcome, with excellent pacing to never feel like a drag.
Game is just a masterpiece man, play it.
So, for the past couple weeks I've been playing Assassins Creed Odyssey on and off, I think I've put in about 40 hours in total. I've completed all the base game's main story-lines and I'm trying to finish the DLC expansions right now. I used WeMod to completely skip the leveling system and upgrading grind of the game as that's what really turned me off of it when I first tried to play it years ago.
I have absolutely no idea what is driving me to play-through this completely middling game, maybe I'm just a sucker for the ancient Greece setting, but being able to skip all the RPG bullshit and thus also skip the very boring side-quests leaves me to just do the story quests or whatever content I actually find interesting, and that's not so bad. I will definitely skip all the grind on Origins and Valhalla if I ever play those.
I originally gave Odyssey a 2/5 because of the leveling system making the game a grind fest, I'm unsure if it's fair to raise the score now considering I literally just cheated through the aspects of the game I disliked, but nonetheless I'm gonna be rating my second experience with this game. Know that I still think the original 2/5 stands, but with using WeMod and skipping all the bullshit grindy timewasters, I'd rate my experience a 3/5, and that is being VERY generous, maybe I'll change my mind later.
Despite the 3 out of 5 score, the combat is still floaty, the dialogue and cut-scenes are still pretty bizarre, ship combat is still basic, and stealth game-play still sucks, but as previously mentioned I've put around 40 hours in, so there's clearly something I'm enjoying. Maybe it's the beautiful and mostly authentic world that Ubisoft has crafted, maybe it's just the general sense of being on a great adventure that draws me in, maybe it's wanting to see how this story unfolds, if I'll get the good ending. I really don't know, but this game just captivates me as some open world games do. I just get sucked in and while recognizing all of the game's faults I play anyways, and I must admit I've generally enjoyed my time with it.
If you're anything like me and have a wanting to embark on an epic adventure set in the massive world of ancient Greece, but despise the boring and repetitive grind of Ubisoft's RPG system, use WeMod, skip the grind, and set sail on that adventure. Let it be known the side quests are mostly boring as fuck so stick to the main missions.
I'll likely make reviews for the DLC's sometime in the coming weeks, hell I might even go through the AC franchise.
If you wanna see my rankings as I go through the series, click here.
I have absolutely no idea what is driving me to play-through this completely middling game, maybe I'm just a sucker for the ancient Greece setting, but being able to skip all the RPG bullshit and thus also skip the very boring side-quests leaves me to just do the story quests or whatever content I actually find interesting, and that's not so bad. I will definitely skip all the grind on Origins and Valhalla if I ever play those.
I originally gave Odyssey a 2/5 because of the leveling system making the game a grind fest, I'm unsure if it's fair to raise the score now considering I literally just cheated through the aspects of the game I disliked, but nonetheless I'm gonna be rating my second experience with this game. Know that I still think the original 2/5 stands, but with using WeMod and skipping all the bullshit grindy timewasters, I'd rate my experience a 3/5, and that is being VERY generous, maybe I'll change my mind later.
Despite the 3 out of 5 score, the combat is still floaty, the dialogue and cut-scenes are still pretty bizarre, ship combat is still basic, and stealth game-play still sucks, but as previously mentioned I've put around 40 hours in, so there's clearly something I'm enjoying. Maybe it's the beautiful and mostly authentic world that Ubisoft has crafted, maybe it's just the general sense of being on a great adventure that draws me in, maybe it's wanting to see how this story unfolds, if I'll get the good ending. I really don't know, but this game just captivates me as some open world games do. I just get sucked in and while recognizing all of the game's faults I play anyways, and I must admit I've generally enjoyed my time with it.
If you're anything like me and have a wanting to embark on an epic adventure set in the massive world of ancient Greece, but despise the boring and repetitive grind of Ubisoft's RPG system, use WeMod, skip the grind, and set sail on that adventure. Let it be known the side quests are mostly boring as fuck so stick to the main missions.
I'll likely make reviews for the DLC's sometime in the coming weeks, hell I might even go through the AC franchise.
If you wanna see my rankings as I go through the series, click here.