LivingGhost1
A worthwhile sequel!
BioShock 2 was the only mainline game in the franchise I hadn't played before but its a solid experience. It still retains the same creepy atmosphere of its predecessor and I respect it for changing up the formula a bit.
Having the protagonist be a Big Daddy was neat and the gameplay feels smoother. The weapons are ok but still feel underpowered but plasmids are always fun to use. Enemies are still goddamn bullet sponges even after upgrading all your weapons and abilities!
The story though isn't as compelling and Sofia Lamb isn't as interesting of an antagonist as Fontaine. Unfortunately I got the ending where the bitch lived lol.
While I do think this is an underrated entry I can kinda see why its less talked about than the other games because its not as memorable and there's no twist. Overall I enjoyed it though!
BioShock 2 was the only mainline game in the franchise I hadn't played before but its a solid experience. It still retains the same creepy atmosphere of its predecessor and I respect it for changing up the formula a bit.
Having the protagonist be a Big Daddy was neat and the gameplay feels smoother. The weapons are ok but still feel underpowered but plasmids are always fun to use. Enemies are still goddamn bullet sponges even after upgrading all your weapons and abilities!
The story though isn't as compelling and Sofia Lamb isn't as interesting of an antagonist as Fontaine. Unfortunately I got the ending where the bitch lived lol.
While I do think this is an underrated entry I can kinda see why its less talked about than the other games because its not as memorable and there's no twist. Overall I enjoyed it though!
2016
A classic survival horror shooter!
BioShock is one of those games that's just dripping with mood and atmosphere. The world building and lore is interesting and it has one of the best and most effective plot twists in the gaming genre. The old timey feel combined with the retro soundtrack adds a genuine other worldly level of creepiness to the proceedings. This is like the closest we've ever gotten to a Shining type game. The exaggerated art style also adds a dark fairytale element to it all.
The combat is fine. I would say its one of the lesser aspects especially the melee system. The weapons are serviceable to use here but the plasmids are what separate it from other shooters. Electro Bolt, Incinerate and Winter Blast are easily my go-to when fighting off enemies. Electrocuting and frying a splicer in water is so satisfying.
As for flaws. The goddamn security cams/turrets/bots. They are so annoying and not fun at all. Easily the worst part for me. It also just gets a bit overwhelming at times. You'll be trying to listen to an audio log or reload then all of a sudden will just get jumped by like three splicers or something combined with security bots on your ass etc. because you've accidently set off an alarm.
This remaster also crashed quite a few times for me which was frustrating.
Now "Would You Kindly?" make another BioShock game!
BioShock is one of those games that's just dripping with mood and atmosphere. The world building and lore is interesting and it has one of the best and most effective plot twists in the gaming genre. The old timey feel combined with the retro soundtrack adds a genuine other worldly level of creepiness to the proceedings. This is like the closest we've ever gotten to a Shining type game. The exaggerated art style also adds a dark fairytale element to it all.
The combat is fine. I would say its one of the lesser aspects especially the melee system. The weapons are serviceable to use here but the plasmids are what separate it from other shooters. Electro Bolt, Incinerate and Winter Blast are easily my go-to when fighting off enemies. Electrocuting and frying a splicer in water is so satisfying.
As for flaws. The goddamn security cams/turrets/bots. They are so annoying and not fun at all. Easily the worst part for me. It also just gets a bit overwhelming at times. You'll be trying to listen to an audio log or reload then all of a sudden will just get jumped by like three splicers or something combined with security bots on your ass etc. because you've accidently set off an alarm.
This remaster also crashed quite a few times for me which was frustrating.
Now "Would You Kindly?" make another BioShock game!
This feels like the cheap knockoff version of Jedi Power Battles which is odd because its the actual official movie tie in game to the film and came out before.
The graphics are bad even for 1999 and the voice acting is cheesy as hell especially by whoever voiced Qui-Gon.
I remember renting this back in the day but hating it because of the shoddy camera. Replaying it now and while its manageable it is one of the worst aspects of it. Admittedly it is an easer experience than Jedi Power Battles and while the platforming is nowhere near as egregious because there's much less of it and you can actually save whenever you want (Thank the maker!) the gameplay is very mediocre. At least in JPB you got to choose what character to play as and got cool fighting combos. Here you just wave your lightsaber around like a baseball bat and do like three moves at most combined with picking up other weapons such as grenades and blasters. There's no upgrade abilities or force powers outside of push which was lame.
Despite this not being a very good game overall its still oddly charming and nostalgic. It still has the iconic music from the films like most of the prequel era tie in games which adds a sense of legitimacy to them.
The graphics are bad even for 1999 and the voice acting is cheesy as hell especially by whoever voiced Qui-Gon.
I remember renting this back in the day but hating it because of the shoddy camera. Replaying it now and while its manageable it is one of the worst aspects of it. Admittedly it is an easer experience than Jedi Power Battles and while the platforming is nowhere near as egregious because there's much less of it and you can actually save whenever you want (Thank the maker!) the gameplay is very mediocre. At least in JPB you got to choose what character to play as and got cool fighting combos. Here you just wave your lightsaber around like a baseball bat and do like three moves at most combined with picking up other weapons such as grenades and blasters. There's no upgrade abilities or force powers outside of push which was lame.
Despite this not being a very good game overall its still oddly charming and nostalgic. It still has the iconic music from the films like most of the prequel era tie in games which adds a sense of legitimacy to them.
My rating of this edition is purely for single player as I'm well aware the online multiplayer (which I haven't played so that doesn't factor into this review) was a buggy mess upon launch (so every modern game lol). I experienced no game breaks or glitches during solo play.
Its basically just an upscaled HD version of the original two Battlefront games. I appreciated the addition of being able to play Hero Assault on practically every map but there should've been more heroes and maps added for how much they were charging. Overall its still fun like the OG games but not worth the $50+ price tag.
Its basically just an upscaled HD version of the original two Battlefront games. I appreciated the addition of being able to play Hero Assault on practically every map but there should've been more heroes and maps added for how much they were charging. Overall its still fun like the OG games but not worth the $50+ price tag.
2013
This was the Call of Duty that made me start to lose interest in the franchise. Its not terrible just it feels very derivative!
Replaying it again and while I don't dislike it like I did back in the day I can't say I love it either. I appreciate how brutal the Ghosts are and the gameplay is fine just the campaign is kinda mid for me. The ending is total BS! How the hell did Rorke survive? His plot armor was insulting to my intelligence plus the fact we're likely never getting a sequel makes it feel pointless.
"Survival" by Eminem is a banger of a theme song though!
Replaying it again and while I don't dislike it like I did back in the day I can't say I love it either. I appreciate how brutal the Ghosts are and the gameplay is fine just the campaign is kinda mid for me. The ending is total BS! How the hell did Rorke survive? His plot armor was insulting to my intelligence plus the fact we're likely never getting a sequel makes it feel pointless.
"Survival" by Eminem is a banger of a theme song though!
The most fun Star Wars game to play!
Love the gameplay and the novelty of being able to play on so many iconic maps from the film series as well as a dozen or so heroes and villains. Everything the first game did this does better. The Rise of the Empire storyline deserves its own movie or miniseries because its that interesting. The attention to detail is insane down to having Han frozen in carbonite and the Rancor on Jabba's Palace or the trash compactor on the Death Star.
My only real flaw is I wish there were some more heroes to play as like where is Padmé, Qui-Gon, Lando and Plo Koon etc. as playable heroes?
Favourite Hero to play as: Luke Skywalker
Favourite Villain to play as: Darth Maul
Favourite Maps
1. Death Star
2. Jabba's Palace
3. Geonosis
4. Hoth
5. Bespin
6. Tantive IV
Love the gameplay and the novelty of being able to play on so many iconic maps from the film series as well as a dozen or so heroes and villains. Everything the first game did this does better. The Rise of the Empire storyline deserves its own movie or miniseries because its that interesting. The attention to detail is insane down to having Han frozen in carbonite and the Rancor on Jabba's Palace or the trash compactor on the Death Star.
My only real flaw is I wish there were some more heroes to play as like where is Padmé, Qui-Gon, Lando and Plo Koon etc. as playable heroes?
Favourite Hero to play as: Luke Skywalker
Favourite Villain to play as: Darth Maul
Favourite Maps
1. Death Star
2. Jabba's Palace
3. Geonosis
4. Hoth
5. Bespin
6. Tantive IV
A fun Star Wars game. Growing up I played the second one more but this was a decent warm up. Solid maps and playing as Stormtroopers just blasting enemies away will never not be satisfying.
A shame you can't play as any heroes and the camera is a bit too up close even in third person for my liking plus the fact you can't sprint is dumb.
A Lord of the Rings game done in the style of Battlefront would be awesome.
This era of Star Wars games will always have a special place in my heart though.
A shame you can't play as any heroes and the camera is a bit too up close even in third person for my liking plus the fact you can't sprint is dumb.
A Lord of the Rings game done in the style of Battlefront would be awesome.
This era of Star Wars games will always have a special place in my heart though.
An enjoyable power fantasy at times with a mid at best story!
The first game isn't amazing or anything but it at least was a decent one off. This however just feels so uninspired and like an elongated DLC. It feels both too long and too short simultaneously. The boss fights just drag on to the point of boredom and while the gameplay and graphics are fine the level design just feels mundane.
Also while I like how you can actually decapitate Stormtroopers in this which makes the lightsabers feel accurate to the films I hate how OP Starkiller is. Its like he's super saiyan and an anime character or something. It becomes a parody in this game and I'm so sick to death of Vader being defeated by so many force users between the events of Episodes 3 & 4. It just takes away the intimidation factor of his character. Also, Sam Witwer overacts his ass off. It gets really annoying how he just shouts all his dialogue.
Go into this for some decent gameplay but the story feels like a "What If?" non canon follow-up because as a sequel to the first game its quite underwhelming.
The first game isn't amazing or anything but it at least was a decent one off. This however just feels so uninspired and like an elongated DLC. It feels both too long and too short simultaneously. The boss fights just drag on to the point of boredom and while the gameplay and graphics are fine the level design just feels mundane.
Also while I like how you can actually decapitate Stormtroopers in this which makes the lightsabers feel accurate to the films I hate how OP Starkiller is. Its like he's super saiyan and an anime character or something. It becomes a parody in this game and I'm so sick to death of Vader being defeated by so many force users between the events of Episodes 3 & 4. It just takes away the intimidation factor of his character. Also, Sam Witwer overacts his ass off. It gets really annoying how he just shouts all his dialogue.
Go into this for some decent gameplay but the story feels like a "What If?" non canon follow-up because as a sequel to the first game its quite underwhelming.
A satisfying conclusion to the original Modern Warfare trilogy!
Admittedly when this first released I was a little underwhelmed but replaying it all these years later and its a solid entry in the series. I love how brutal Captain Price is in this one and he's my favourite character in the franchise. Billy Murray seriously deserved some kind of award for his performance here because he really sells Price being at the end of his rope.
My biggest flaw I guess would be the gameplay just isn't that innovative. The new weapons are fine but compared to MW2 there kinda lackluster. I also find the campaign the least memorable of the three though Soap's death and Makarov finally getting his comeuppance were done well. The actual story is good but the levels while fun just aren't as iconic as the ones from the previous two games. Its also odd you can't turn on hit markers in the campaign but there in special ops?
Survival mode is a lot of fun with Village being my favourite map. Model 1887 supremacy boss!
RIP to Soap, Yuri, Sandman, Grinch and Truck!
Can we get a bloody remaster already though?
Admittedly when this first released I was a little underwhelmed but replaying it all these years later and its a solid entry in the series. I love how brutal Captain Price is in this one and he's my favourite character in the franchise. Billy Murray seriously deserved some kind of award for his performance here because he really sells Price being at the end of his rope.
My biggest flaw I guess would be the gameplay just isn't that innovative. The new weapons are fine but compared to MW2 there kinda lackluster. I also find the campaign the least memorable of the three though Soap's death and Makarov finally getting his comeuppance were done well. The actual story is good but the levels while fun just aren't as iconic as the ones from the previous two games. Its also odd you can't turn on hit markers in the campaign but there in special ops?
Survival mode is a lot of fun with Village being my favourite map. Model 1887 supremacy boss!
RIP to Soap, Yuri, Sandman, Grinch and Truck!
Can we get a bloody remaster already though?
Arguably the best entry in the entire franchise!
I loved the original Modern Warfare 2 back in the day and this remaster is a very worthy edition. The weapons are fun to use (G18 for the win!), the levels are iconic, the story is well written and the music is incredible. The voice acting is also solid and its cool seeing actors like Lance Henriksen, Barry Pepper and Keith David in there even if 95% of Sgt. Foley's lines are "RAMIREZ... DO EVERYTHING" lol.
Shepherd's betrayal is such a gut punch but no matter how many times you see it it never loses its impact (RIP Ghost and Roach). My only real flaw or nitpick is the American side of the campaign is far less interesting but its not bad just I much prefer playing as Task Force 141.
This was a lot easier on Veteran than MW1 because there's far less missions with time limits and the thermal sights, riot shields and Predator drones are a godsend.
F the Pit though. It took me so long to get that damn trophy and beat the coarse in time!
I loved the original Modern Warfare 2 back in the day and this remaster is a very worthy edition. The weapons are fun to use (G18 for the win!), the levels are iconic, the story is well written and the music is incredible. The voice acting is also solid and its cool seeing actors like Lance Henriksen, Barry Pepper and Keith David in there even if 95% of Sgt. Foley's lines are "RAMIREZ... DO EVERYTHING" lol.
Shepherd's betrayal is such a gut punch but no matter how many times you see it it never loses its impact (RIP Ghost and Roach). My only real flaw or nitpick is the American side of the campaign is far less interesting but its not bad just I much prefer playing as Task Force 141.
This was a lot easier on Veteran than MW1 because there's far less missions with time limits and the thermal sights, riot shields and Predator drones are a godsend.
F the Pit though. It took me so long to get that damn trophy and beat the coarse in time!
This review contains spoilers
The Call of Duty that brought the setting into the modern era!
Always enjoyed this one and this remaster is really solid. The combat is fun, your comrades are entertaining and the story is interesting and isn't afraid to shock the player with the horrifying consequences of war.
RIP to my boys Gaz, Griggs, Vasquez and Jackson!
Replayed this on Veteran and its a bloody nightmare.
The mission Hunted with the OP chopper that has pinpoint accuracy that kills you within a second is actual cancer with how poorly that section of the level is designed for Veteran difficulty.
One Shot, One Kill, Heat, No Fighting in the War Room and Mile High Club can get fucked too with there time limit and enemies spawning out of mid air BS!
Always enjoyed this one and this remaster is really solid. The combat is fun, your comrades are entertaining and the story is interesting and isn't afraid to shock the player with the horrifying consequences of war.
RIP to my boys Gaz, Griggs, Vasquez and Jackson!
Replayed this on Veteran and its a bloody nightmare.
The mission Hunted with the OP chopper that has pinpoint accuracy that kills you within a second is actual cancer with how poorly that section of the level is designed for Veteran difficulty.
One Shot, One Kill, Heat, No Fighting in the War Room and Mile High Club can get fucked too with there time limit and enemies spawning out of mid air BS!
The most underrated Call of Duty game!
Its dark, gritty and atmospheric. Its definitely a case of "War is Hell" unlike most of the later entries in the franchise. You truly feel the horrors of warfare here. When you kill enemies or a fellow soldier dies its grizzly and graphic. The score is genuinely creepy here at times too. Some solid voice acting by Gary Oldman and Kiefer Sutherland too.
This was also the entry that introduced an iconic staple to the series which was Nazi zombies.
Zombie Maps ranked from favourite to least
1. Shi No Numa
2. Der Riese
3. Nacht der Untoten
4. Verrückt
Its dark, gritty and atmospheric. Its definitely a case of "War is Hell" unlike most of the later entries in the franchise. You truly feel the horrors of warfare here. When you kill enemies or a fellow soldier dies its grizzly and graphic. The score is genuinely creepy here at times too. Some solid voice acting by Gary Oldman and Kiefer Sutherland too.
This was also the entry that introduced an iconic staple to the series which was Nazi zombies.
Zombie Maps ranked from favourite to least
1. Shi No Numa
2. Der Riese
3. Nacht der Untoten
4. Verrückt
A fun expansion!
I really miss when Rockstar actually had story DLCs for there games and would take chances. Now it just seems like all they do is keep re-releasing GTA V or Red Dead Redemption 2 over and over again filled to the brim with micro transactions. There not the company they used to be!
Combining two of my favourite genres being westerns and horror is cool to see as its such a rarity in both gaming and cinema. Just having an open world zombie game set in the wild west is cool af and the fact its apart of the Red Dead universe is even cooler.
The main campaign could've been longer but if you 100% it like I did its quite lengthy and you get your money's worth.
I really miss when Rockstar actually had story DLCs for there games and would take chances. Now it just seems like all they do is keep re-releasing GTA V or Red Dead Redemption 2 over and over again filled to the brim with micro transactions. There not the company they used to be!
Combining two of my favourite genres being westerns and horror is cool to see as its such a rarity in both gaming and cinema. Just having an open world zombie game set in the wild west is cool af and the fact its apart of the Red Dead universe is even cooler.
The main campaign could've been longer but if you 100% it like I did its quite lengthy and you get your money's worth.
2023
This review contains spoilers
A good port of a great game!
This rating and review is more about the original base game then this port but since this is the one I played I'm logging it here. It sucks there's no multiplayer mode for the PS4.
Red Dead Redemption is my second favourite game of all time. The gameplay is a lot of fun, the world is immersive and the graphics still hold up over a decade later. The voice acting is top notch and I'm so glad they cast an unknown as John Marston instead of a veteran actor. Rob Wiethoff made him so unique due to his distinct voice and I can't picture anyone doing as good of a job as him.
The weapons feel like they have weight and power to them due to the great sound design and my god its so satisfying shooting people in this game. The over the top ragdoll animations feel like homages to the spaghetti westerns of the past and you feel like such a badass just unloading on a gang of bandits etc. I like RDR2 but that game definitely went more for realism though the enemies felt more like bullet sponges and the weapons felt way weaker. The original RDR tops it for me because the combat is more satisfying and you don't have to constantly keep refilling your cores and cleaning your weapons etc. I get its more realistic but sometimes I want more of an escapist experience in my gaming so the gameplay is more fun. There's also no constantly having my horse run into trees which got old super fast in RDR2.
The story is incredibly well written and even though John's death is very surprising it doesn't come out of nowhere. The game pretty much sets up that John will be betrayed by the government and he's simply a means to an end for them. This is how you kill off a main character. He went out brutally but he still went out protecting the ones he loved and got a form of redemption. He didn't get beaten to death with a golfclub and then his surrogate daughter doesn't even avenge him. (No I will never stop bitching about The Last of Us Part II it's an overrated piece of garbage). Jack actually kills Edgar Ross and the cut to the end title screen of him walking away with "RED DEAD REDEMPTION" on the screen with the music sting is both satisfying and badass.
Yeah there's a few flaws that keep it from a full 5 stars for me. There's too many cattle herding missions and there really boring. Rockstar still does that BS where animals hardly spawn when you need them for a specific hunting challenge (Though its not as bad here as in RDR2). Five Finger Fillet can also go fuck itself! Easily the worst minigame ever because of how unfair it is on the hardest difficulty!
A classic, the definitive western game and after playing Red Dead Redemption II and the story and character work that added to this only makes this an even better experience.
Also, RDR3 needs to be about Landon Ricketts. I want to play as a young Ricketts and how he was the best gunslinger in the west. We've seen the end of the west with both RDR & II now we need to see it at its peak.
This rating and review is more about the original base game then this port but since this is the one I played I'm logging it here. It sucks there's no multiplayer mode for the PS4.
Red Dead Redemption is my second favourite game of all time. The gameplay is a lot of fun, the world is immersive and the graphics still hold up over a decade later. The voice acting is top notch and I'm so glad they cast an unknown as John Marston instead of a veteran actor. Rob Wiethoff made him so unique due to his distinct voice and I can't picture anyone doing as good of a job as him.
The weapons feel like they have weight and power to them due to the great sound design and my god its so satisfying shooting people in this game. The over the top ragdoll animations feel like homages to the spaghetti westerns of the past and you feel like such a badass just unloading on a gang of bandits etc. I like RDR2 but that game definitely went more for realism though the enemies felt more like bullet sponges and the weapons felt way weaker. The original RDR tops it for me because the combat is more satisfying and you don't have to constantly keep refilling your cores and cleaning your weapons etc. I get its more realistic but sometimes I want more of an escapist experience in my gaming so the gameplay is more fun. There's also no constantly having my horse run into trees which got old super fast in RDR2.
The story is incredibly well written and even though John's death is very surprising it doesn't come out of nowhere. The game pretty much sets up that John will be betrayed by the government and he's simply a means to an end for them. This is how you kill off a main character. He went out brutally but he still went out protecting the ones he loved and got a form of redemption. He didn't get beaten to death with a golfclub and then his surrogate daughter doesn't even avenge him. (No I will never stop bitching about The Last of Us Part II it's an overrated piece of garbage). Jack actually kills Edgar Ross and the cut to the end title screen of him walking away with "RED DEAD REDEMPTION" on the screen with the music sting is both satisfying and badass.
Yeah there's a few flaws that keep it from a full 5 stars for me. There's too many cattle herding missions and there really boring. Rockstar still does that BS where animals hardly spawn when you need them for a specific hunting challenge (Though its not as bad here as in RDR2). Five Finger Fillet can also go fuck itself! Easily the worst minigame ever because of how unfair it is on the hardest difficulty!
A classic, the definitive western game and after playing Red Dead Redemption II and the story and character work that added to this only makes this an even better experience.
Also, RDR3 needs to be about Landon Ricketts. I want to play as a young Ricketts and how he was the best gunslinger in the west. We've seen the end of the west with both RDR & II now we need to see it at its peak.
2023
Quake II is an underrated sequel! I grew up with the N64 version and now having just finished playing both the remaster of this and the original game I can say there two of my all time favourite First Person Shooters.
The world building and enemies are just so creative with great level design. The Strogg are like if H.R. Giger, David Cronenberg, John Carpenter's The Thing and the Borg from Star Trek: TNG had a kid. This has some of the best weapons in any shooter I've ever played and every weapon is satisfying for the most part to use. Super Shotgun FTW!
There's 5 separate campaigns that all have plenty of secrets to discover and are fairly lengthy.
My only issue is every time I booted it up I had to either reload my save or restart the game from the menu because it was lagging but once I did that it played smoothly until the next session.
Fuck the Icarus's and Stalkers. The most annoying little shits in the game!
The world building and enemies are just so creative with great level design. The Strogg are like if H.R. Giger, David Cronenberg, John Carpenter's The Thing and the Borg from Star Trek: TNG had a kid. This has some of the best weapons in any shooter I've ever played and every weapon is satisfying for the most part to use. Super Shotgun FTW!
There's 5 separate campaigns that all have plenty of secrets to discover and are fairly lengthy.
My only issue is every time I booted it up I had to either reload my save or restart the game from the menu because it was lagging but once I did that it played smoothly until the next session.
Fuck the Icarus's and Stalkers. The most annoying little shits in the game!