In an era where FMV games are not only rare, but mostly looked back on as a novelty more than an evolutionary stage in video games, it's safe to say that Erica is an interesting experience, but an okay game. Erica advertises itself having a plethora of choices and outcomes, but these decisions feel locked in place by the major plot points that the game focuses on. There are six endings, but only three of them are in stark contrast with each other.
I applaud this game for making sure that the decisions I made continued to make sense as the story progressed. It's a difficult thing to tie together such a large number of scenes and choices without breaking the cohesion of the story. That said, there is a character who gets introduced around the last act of the game whose inclusion, while necessary, feels shoehorned in. It's the most jarring part of the game, and this is a story about mysterious drugs and the attendees of a mental institution.
Erica is missing a few important gameplay features that I think could really spruce things up a good bit. The lack of being able to see what paths you've taken on your journey, seemingly no update for the companion app to work with PS5, and some touchpad prompts just not functioning properly.
Overall, Erica is an interesting experience that kept my attention for an extra playthrough before I decided to just watch the rest of the endings on YouTube. I think making an FMV game in the modern era is impressive, and this game fully delivers on that by having beautiful camera work, focusing on objects in a way that almost makes them look like 3D renders, and by employing beautiful cinematography all throughout the game. I would recommend this for people who enjoy short, movie-style games like Until Dawn, but be aware that Erica is much more film inspired than it is game.

In an era where FMV games are not only rare, but mostly looked back on as a novelty more than an evolutionary stage in video games, it's safe to say that Erica is an interesting experience, but an okay game. Erica advertises itself having a plethora of choices and outcomes, but these decisions feel locked in place by the major plot points that the game focuses on. There are six endings, but only three of them are in stark contrast with each other.
I applaud this game for making sure that the decisions I made continued to make sense as the story progressed. It's a difficult thing to tie together such a large number of scenes and choices without breaking the cohesion of the story. That said, there is a character who gets introduced around the last act of the game whose inclusion, while necessary, feels shoehorned in. It's the most jarring part of the game, and this is a story about mysterious drugs and the attendees of a mental institution.
Erica is missing a few important gameplay features that I think could really spruce things up a good bit. The lack of being able to see what paths you've taken on your journey, seemingly no update for the companion app to work with PS5, and some touchpad prompts just not functioning properly.
Overall, Erica is an interesting experience that kept my attention for an extra playthrough before I decided to just watch the rest of the endings on YouTube. I think making an FMV game in the modern era is impressive, and this game fully delivers on that by having beautiful camera work, focusing on objects in a way that almost makes them look like 3D renders, and by employing beautiful cinematography all throughout the game. I would recommend this for people who enjoy short, movie-style games like Until Dawn, but be aware that Erica is much more film inspired than it is game.

Star Fox 64 3D is a game that's been sitting in my library collecting dust for more than a decade now. As a kid I would play it, mess around with the 3D feature of the 3DS, then put the game down because flying an Arwing as a ten-year old can get difficult. Now, I've returned to the game as a 23-year old with a New Nintendo 2DS, and a desire to play shorter games (having a 9-5 job makes it hard to keep up with every new hit open-world RPG). So, after spending a couple of days flying through the main story, I can confidently say that Star Fox 64 3D is a fun enough game. The quick nature of the missions make for a fun experience to devote short chunks of time on, the way handheld games are made to be played. The dialogue is true to the original, being short and odd in its random delivery, but the small bits of characterization we get from the cast and their dynamics with Fox add to the overall profile of Team Star Fox. Falco has an attitude towards Fox, but respects him. Peppy serves the mentor role, and Slippi is a decent pilot, but an (allegedly) even better engineer. Visually, I stand by the fact that the 3DS still holds up graphically, the issue is when games look like 3DS games but on modern hardware. Presentation is important! There's hardly any story to report back on, which is to be expected. Sgt. Pepper hires the team to defeat Andross and his army, we say ok, and we're off to save the Lylat system (and avenge Fox's father who disappeared all those years ago). The 3DS's gyro controls are a bit jarring at first, but didn't take long to get a hang of after utilizing the circle pad more. My least favorite part of this game has to be using the Land master. It's clunky and aiming isn't comfortable. I was so happy when the next mission through Area 6 let me zip around again. Overall, Star Fox 64 3D was a fun revisit to finally finish up a game that I'd left to rest years ago. I'm going to spend another day or two on it to try and collect more medals and alternate paths before shelving the game for another long while.

Star Fox 64 3D is a game that's been sitting in my library collecting dust for more than a decade now. As a kid I would play it, mess around with the 3D feature of the 3DS, then put the game down because flying an Arwing as a ten-year old can get difficult. Now, I've returned to the game as a 23-year old with a New Nintendo 2DS, and a desire to play shorter games (having a 9-5 job makes it hard to keep up with every new hit open-world RPG). So, after spending a couple of days flying through the main story, I can confidently say that Star Fox 64 3D is a fun enough game. The quick nature of the missions make for a fun experience to devote short chunks of time on, the way handheld games are made to be played. The dialogue is true to the original, being short and odd in its random delivery, but the small bits of characterization we get from the cast and their dynamics with Fox add to the overall profile of Team Star Fox. Falco has an attitude towards Fox, but respects him. Peppy serves the mentor role, and Slippi is a decent pilot, but an (allegedly) even better engineer. Visually, I stand by the fact that the 3DS still holds up graphically, the issue is when games look like 3DS games but on modern hardware. Presentation is important! There's hardly any story to report back on, which is to be expected. Sgt. Pepper hires the team to defeat Andross and his army, we say ok, and we're off to save the Lylat system (and avenge Fox's father who disappeared all those years ago). The 3DS's gyro controls are a bit jarring at first, but didn't take long to get a hang of after utilizing the circle pad more. My least favorite part of this game has to be using the Land master. It's clunky and aiming isn't comfortable. I was so happy when the next mission through Area 6 let me zip around again. Overall, Star Fox 64 3D was a fun revisit to finally finish up a game that I'd left to rest years ago. I'm going to spend another day or two on it to try and collect more medals and alternate paths before shelving the game for another long while.