Kaiji97
2011
Minecraft is fun survival game esspically if you play with friends.
What makes Minecraft more interesting than the game itself is that it feels like the first major mainstream game to get constant updates and change over time. Before this the only real games that got major updates were MMOs. If you wanted to see a major change in a game you would have to wait for a sequel or at least a paid for DLC. But Minecraft shows you can change\ add things to a game over time. Not to say all the updates are amazing but they have changed the game quite a lot over the decade plus. Even crazier was seeing this drop on 7th gen consoles that were notorious for not letting devs update without crazy costs(or at least for the 360). Which I believe minecraft led the way for those update costs to be removed\reduced.
What makes Minecraft more interesting than the game itself is that it feels like the first major mainstream game to get constant updates and change over time. Before this the only real games that got major updates were MMOs. If you wanted to see a major change in a game you would have to wait for a sequel or at least a paid for DLC. But Minecraft shows you can change\ add things to a game over time. Not to say all the updates are amazing but they have changed the game quite a lot over the decade plus. Even crazier was seeing this drop on 7th gen consoles that were notorious for not letting devs update without crazy costs(or at least for the 360). Which I believe minecraft led the way for those update costs to be removed\reduced.
2023
Fantastic remake of one of my favorite games. I'll say I don't think Dead Space NEEDED a remake but I can't complain since this one is so great.
Great visuals that still give off scary mechanical vibes. The same great gameplay is retained with good improvements. I love Resident Evil 4 survival horror style gameplay so no surprise Dead Space (2023) is great. A nice amount of action while still keep things tense with resource management.
Although the biggest change is the story. While most of the plot is the same they did change some stuff around due to Issac now being a voiced character. Essentially in the first game you were never given major importance but now you definitely are a main character in this. I feel like this game could have gotten away with a silent protag but I think it makes more sense to have him voiced since in 2 and 3 he is. But more than anything since Issac is an actual character he seems to take away the spotlight from the other characters. Before you were just taking orders now Issac is giving and making orders.
Overall I still think this a great remake although I have feeling this game didn't do well enough for another remake or actual continuation. But only time will tell and hopefully I'm wrong.
Great visuals that still give off scary mechanical vibes. The same great gameplay is retained with good improvements. I love Resident Evil 4 survival horror style gameplay so no surprise Dead Space (2023) is great. A nice amount of action while still keep things tense with resource management.
Although the biggest change is the story. While most of the plot is the same they did change some stuff around due to Issac now being a voiced character. Essentially in the first game you were never given major importance but now you definitely are a main character in this. I feel like this game could have gotten away with a silent protag but I think it makes more sense to have him voiced since in 2 and 3 he is. But more than anything since Issac is an actual character he seems to take away the spotlight from the other characters. Before you were just taking orders now Issac is giving and making orders.
Overall I still think this a great remake although I have feeling this game didn't do well enough for another remake or actual continuation. But only time will tell and hopefully I'm wrong.
Definitely not the best Mario Platformer but still it was a fun game. It ushered in the new 2D Mario platformer style that lasted about 15 years so it has that going for it. More than anything I just have a lot of nostalgia for this. I just have vague positive memories of playing off my cousins DS lite.
1994
Was honestly surprised how well this played when I picked it up for the first time. Everything felt smooth and easy to understand. Graphics still look great, everything has just the right amount of detail. The games a great history lesson of how metroidvanias came to be and the game still acts as a good standard to follow for the genre.
2007
A fun team based shooter. Kind of crazy that each class is now their own iconic person. Gameplay is solid and there's tons of modes to play.
Also kind of sucks that it helped the rise of Loot Crates, if it wasn't for that maybe the cosmetics would be more tolerable. At least it seems like the era of loot crate microtransactions is over, now we are on the era of the battle pass or just overpriced single cosmetic packs. Can't blame TF2 for that however.
Also kind of sucks that it helped the rise of Loot Crates, if it wasn't for that maybe the cosmetics would be more tolerable. At least it seems like the era of loot crate microtransactions is over, now we are on the era of the battle pass or just overpriced single cosmetic packs. Can't blame TF2 for that however.
2018
The game that made me get a PS4. I actually got the PS4 with Spiderman during an early black friday sale. It was like $200 in total so well worth it.
Overall a fun Spider-man experience. They nailed the swinging, it feels great. The combat is the only real issue, it's a decent Arkham style fighting system but it feels like you can only really attack a single person at a time, although you can dodge multiple people so that saves it from feeling horrible. As for the story it's straight forward and enjoyable enough, the cast of characters are great and the voice acting is great as well.
If you really want you could skip this and go to 2 but you might as well maximize your Spider-Man content.
Overall a fun Spider-man experience. They nailed the swinging, it feels great. The combat is the only real issue, it's a decent Arkham style fighting system but it feels like you can only really attack a single person at a time, although you can dodge multiple people so that saves it from feeling horrible. As for the story it's straight forward and enjoyable enough, the cast of characters are great and the voice acting is great as well.
If you really want you could skip this and go to 2 but you might as well maximize your Spider-Man content.
2011
Everything you could hope for in a sequel. Gameplay isn't changed that much but it does feel like some improvements were made. I couldn't tell you anything specific but it does feel even better to play.
The biggest change this time is having a whole city to explore. Not to say Asylum was small it was just more condense and indoors. Also you get the chance to play as catwomen which adds more to the gameplay and story.
Also with all the DLC there's a lot of playable characters for the fighting arena mode so if you REALLY love the fighting gameplay you have a ridiculous amount of content.
The biggest change this time is having a whole city to explore. Not to say Asylum was small it was just more condense and indoors. Also you get the chance to play as catwomen which adds more to the gameplay and story.
Also with all the DLC there's a lot of playable characters for the fighting arena mode so if you REALLY love the fighting gameplay you have a ridiculous amount of content.
2010
Short but sweet puzzle game. More than anything the visual style is what makes the game. A very dark cartoon-esque world that's great to look at. I will say I did get stuck on some puzzles but I'm also not the sharpest tool in the shed.
I consider this sequel more of a puzzle game than an action arcade game, which the first game was. You can still go through the game using fast reaction times but the game rewards planning ahead way more. It can feel like trial and error but the most you lose when you fail is a couple of seconds.
In terms of gameplay there's more of a focus on the specific character you are in the story. Some characters have special masks or just their own abilities. Which I think is for the best since it forces you to play a certain way on certain levels.
The only character I think is rough to play is the store clerk\ Soldier levels since those force you to play the game as a top down shooter. Which might have been fine if the AI didn't have crazy accuracy.
In terms of story it's pretty abstract but it does heavily connect with the first game which is nice. The game I feel does a good job explaining the world and why things are happening the way they are. Even the ending feels satisfying to me. In a way the final message is that all good things come to an end.
In terms of gameplay there's more of a focus on the specific character you are in the story. Some characters have special masks or just their own abilities. Which I think is for the best since it forces you to play a certain way on certain levels.
The only character I think is rough to play is the store clerk\ Soldier levels since those force you to play the game as a top down shooter. Which might have been fine if the AI didn't have crazy accuracy.
In terms of story it's pretty abstract but it does heavily connect with the first game which is nice. The game I feel does a good job explaining the world and why things are happening the way they are. Even the ending feels satisfying to me. In a way the final message is that all good things come to an end.
2008
Very little reason to go back and play this. Considering all the maps were ported over to Left 4 Dead 2. I will say my fondest memories of this game was playing the demo over and over again. Finally saving up enough money to get the game only for the sequel to be announced kind of sucked. At least L4D 2improved on the game in every way possible.
2015
An early attempt at the asymmetrical multiplayer game. Which now is everywhere thanks for Dead By Daylight. The games unique aspect was one group tries to kill the monster while it's weak but the monster can get stronger the longer it lives. Which most asymmetric games now just has one group that fights at a time rather than both being able to. One big problem was that it would be boring as hell just chasing the monster as the human players. Also this game released with some ridiculous microtransactions. Truth be told compared to what we have now they aren't that bad but that's just a sign things have gotten worse with microtransactions.
2020
I was hoping to have beaten this one before the Persona 3 remake but I completely underestimated how long it would take me. Seriously I started this around the new year I just finished it like a day ago.
Still I'm glad to have replayed it on an actual console since the first time I beat it was on the vita. I do have to say it looks really good on an HD TV. Seriously so many details were lost on me on that vita screen.
Persona is one of my favorite series in the world and I was introduced to it with Golden on the vita. So this game will always have a soft spot in my heart.
I think Golden still stands out in terms of the story. It feels like the only persona game that has plot beats that follow each other clearly. This game is all about solving a murder mystery, everything feels related to that. Where as sometimes in something like Persona 3 it felt like you were just fighting boss monsters just to fight them. There's also plenty of twists to keep you guessing on what's really going on. Even when you REALLY think you solved it.
The characters are also pretty stand out to me. I don't know what they did but they all feel more personal, maybe it has something to do with learning a deeper aspect of each character in order for them to unlock their persona. The only weak main party character I would say is Naoto but that has more to do with them being introduced last.
I know there's some debate about what Persona 4 version is the best so I will say I only have experience with Golden. And from everything I've seen most of the content added is either just more cutscenes or gameplay improvements. They only real debatably bad added content is one dungeon\social link but those are completely optional.
As for gameplay I think it's a weaker aspect of the game. Mostly because there's nothing crazy, it's just standard turn base combat. The one gimmick it still relies on is exploiting enemy weaknesses to gain extra turns\ debuffs on enemies. Otherwise your just trying to level up and combine different persona's for different abilities.
All in all I just have to many fond memories of playing this on Summer vacation to ever really have any deep negative thoughts about it.
Still I'm glad to have replayed it on an actual console since the first time I beat it was on the vita. I do have to say it looks really good on an HD TV. Seriously so many details were lost on me on that vita screen.
Persona is one of my favorite series in the world and I was introduced to it with Golden on the vita. So this game will always have a soft spot in my heart.
I think Golden still stands out in terms of the story. It feels like the only persona game that has plot beats that follow each other clearly. This game is all about solving a murder mystery, everything feels related to that. Where as sometimes in something like Persona 3 it felt like you were just fighting boss monsters just to fight them. There's also plenty of twists to keep you guessing on what's really going on. Even when you REALLY think you solved it.
The characters are also pretty stand out to me. I don't know what they did but they all feel more personal, maybe it has something to do with learning a deeper aspect of each character in order for them to unlock their persona. The only weak main party character I would say is Naoto but that has more to do with them being introduced last.
I know there's some debate about what Persona 4 version is the best so I will say I only have experience with Golden. And from everything I've seen most of the content added is either just more cutscenes or gameplay improvements. They only real debatably bad added content is one dungeon\social link but those are completely optional.
As for gameplay I think it's a weaker aspect of the game. Mostly because there's nothing crazy, it's just standard turn base combat. The one gimmick it still relies on is exploiting enemy weaknesses to gain extra turns\ debuffs on enemies. Otherwise your just trying to level up and combine different persona's for different abilities.
All in all I just have to many fond memories of playing this on Summer vacation to ever really have any deep negative thoughts about it.
Many fond memories of playing this through the XBLA. I think I only got half way through it but it was a ton of fun. I need to go back one day and finish it up.
Honestly combining small dopamine rushes with leveling up\getting equipment and then having huge dopamine rushes when you get new abilities is an amazing feeling.
Honestly combining small dopamine rushes with leveling up\getting equipment and then having huge dopamine rushes when you get new abilities is an amazing feeling.
2024
I'll be honest and say I don't have a lot of hours but it's a very enjoyable game. It's really fun and straight forward. A great co-op experience with both friends and randoms. The objectives are pretty straight forward and mission length is mostly based on what you want to do. Shooting and moving all feel very nice and satisfying.
But what really makes this game great is just how straight forward it is. No crazy expensive microtransaction. It has a battle pass but there's either a free one or one you can buy but realistically still possible to get through just playing. The game itself is only $40 and in the era of $70 games that's a hell of budget release price. You can tell there's live service elements but what this game does well is make what's already there feel great and when something is added it feels natural. We really do need more straight forward games and especially cheaper budget games.
But what really makes this game great is just how straight forward it is. No crazy expensive microtransaction. It has a battle pass but there's either a free one or one you can buy but realistically still possible to get through just playing. The game itself is only $40 and in the era of $70 games that's a hell of budget release price. You can tell there's live service elements but what this game does well is make what's already there feel great and when something is added it feels natural. We really do need more straight forward games and especially cheaper budget games.
2024
Gambling + roguelike is a hell of a thing. Although in an abstract sort of way this plays kind of like Mahjong. Also this is one of the few rougelikes where it really feels like any build can start and change pretty easily. That's usually a problem I feel with some roguelikes that I feel like your trying for the perfect build right away. And usually once you start to build a certain way it's hard to pivot to something else. I think the joker system (Limit of 5 perk cards) helps by letting you know there's only a certain amount of bonuses you can get and it's easy to switch them out in the shop.