Another Addition into the Hall of BAD Sonic Games

This game sucks. I played it before on my switch and was left feeling that it was painfully mediocre. My playthrough on pc though was awful. But before we get into the bad, which there is a lot of, let’s talk about the good.

The game looks and runs extremely well, except during the cutscenes which we'll get to later. No graphical errors and the game rocked a framerate well above 100 fps at all times (except during cutscenes). The character creator is a bit limited, but overall, it is fun to customize your "buddy" with the tons of cosmetics at your disposal that you get through unlocks and free DLC. The music is also pretty decent, some typical cheesy sonic stuff alongside a few genuinely good songs. The story is also really dumb, which I like. The tone is so jarring and I love it. Another highlight is when the game ended. Also, Classic Sonic has the drop dash from mania so I guess that's cool, shame that the game feels like ass to control.

Onto the bad, Classic Sonic feels awful to control. He doesn't carry momentum very well and precision platforming feels clunky and unwieldy. This criticism also applies to Sonic and the "buddy" as well, although they are more enjoyable to play thanks to the homing attack and 3D gameplay segments. These clunky controls make platforming extremely frustrating and building speed as Classic Sonic feels pointless as he is just gonna arbitrarily slow down in a few seconds. The "buddy" whom is the create a character just feels super similar to sonic but worse. Their homing attack feels clunky thanks to a delay caused by them using a grappling hook. They also have access to a selection of weapons that are comically overpowered and help remove what little challenge the game has. Sonic feels the best to control of the two, only really suffering from 2D segments and moving side to side while boosting. Next up, the levels range from boring to frustrating. Most levels are just beaten by holding forward while pressing a button every now and then. 2D levels are just abysmal thanks to lame gimmicks and bad controls. Lastly, the cutscenes look awful since most of them are pre-rendered in-engine footage that is horribly compressed. The only time that the cutscenes don't have this awful compression is when the "buddy" is on screen. Another thing worth noting is that the cutscenes, pre-rendered or not, were capped at 30 fps. This personally didn't bother me but others may find it annoying.

tl;dr
Sonic Forces is a dull frustrating experience with little redeeming qualities. Unfortunately, another addition into the hall of bad Sonic games.

I enjoyed my time revisiting this game, but it certainly didn't meet my rose-tinted expectations. Just another LEGO game, it does nothing outstanding or egregiously bad. However, it does have one major flaw, the big battles. I remembered liking them as a kid, I guess my standards were low then. They are extremely boring and tedious with my only thought while playing being wanting them to end. Other than that, the traditional levels are all pretty solid and the LEGO charm is very much present here. LEGO Star Wars III is a decent enough game but if you aren't nostalgic or big on LEGO games then I would recommend that you pass on this.

LEGO City Undercover was a surprisingly good time. The story was genuinely funny and enjoyable to complete and the gameplay of the Lego Formula really lends itself well to a true open-world experience. In addition to the main story, there are tons of side-activities and collectibles all over the city. Something that this game does differently than other LEGO games is that instead of using a whole slew of characters to complete the story, you use a single character, Chase McCain. From the outset, this change to focusing on a single character may seem like game would get stale but to remedy this issue Chase McCain is given many outfits which grant him various abilities. There are other characters to unlock but these will only get use in the open-world and free play missions.

Unlike the original release on Wii U, this version of the game features co-op. This addition is a double-edged sword however as it feels really shoehorned in. When playing in co-op you get the sense that this game was designed for single-player; the game got softlocked thanks to teleporting to my co-op partner. Co-op isn't bad but feels a bit janky.

Overall, LEGO City Undercover is a solid game that does some unique stuff compared to other LEGO games. Definitely worth giving a go if you are a fan of the LEGO games.

I liked this game as a kid, I must have been an idiot. This game ranges from mediocre to infuriating. Not because of difficulty but because of the jank-ass controls. I even used a mod to make the game faster and play better but man can only go so far in fixing this game. I don't mind the new gameplay style, but it is just executed so poorly. Towards the end of the game, I was just playing it out of spite just to finish it. I did not have a good time and I'm disappointed that my nostalgia wasn't justified. I was drifting into madness and the dumb furry subtitles mod that seemed funny at the time but only furthered my descent into insanity. I will snap if I see "good boi tawls" one more time.

A Wonderful Nostalgia Trip

LEGO Star Wars: The Complete Saga may not have the best levels, the best gameplay, or a notable amount of gameplay challenges. BUT, the two things that make me love this game is its boatloads of charm and my intense nostalgia, (one may be stronger than other).

The gameplay is incredibly basic with little to no depth. The level design is also laughably easy, albeit, with several exceptions. Even after saying all of that, I find myself still loving this game. My appreciation of this title has definitely dwindled over the years but whenever I boot it up and jump back in, I forget all of that. I'm taken back to my childhood because of that wonderful LEGO charm. No matter how dated the levels and gameplay get over the years, that charm is timeless. I've made my bias clear here, I have no clue if this game is worth bothering with if it never was a part of your childhood. But if it was, I think we both know the verdict on this game.

I only recommend half of this game. If you're interested in primarily the online, do not get your hopes up. It is extremely grindy and monetized like a free to play game. Most missions are bland and largely not worth doing from both a reward and fun perspective. Lobbies are also plagued with griefers and hackers.

Now onto the good half, story mode. Story mode offers a fun narrative with decent set pieces. The structure of the game does feel dated though. I know the game is called Grand theft Auto but there is so much brain dead driving back and forth, only being made somewhat bearable when dialogue is happening. Almost every mission, you need to drive to, then watch a cutscene, then drive somewhere else to do some shooting (or some other set piece); rinse and repeat. However, when you are not doing an excessive amount of driving, the missions are pretty enjoyable. Side missions though are a mixed bag. Some are good and others you're driving a slow tow truck to cover someone's job. Despite, all my gripes I still had a very good time with this game and I'd like to attribute this to the larger-than-life characters, heists, and set pieces.

I thoroughly enjoyed my time with Solar Ash. The movement was incredibly fun and satisfying; the story and fantastical sci-fi setting is very much up my alley. I personally don't have much to say, the game just clicked with me. It is by no means a masterpiece; the health system is basically worthless and camera has issues when gravity gets funky. Even then, I found myself engrossed and having a great time for its entire runtime. Solar Ash is definitely worth checking out, although the asking price of $40 USD may be a bit steep.

Sonic Frontiers is a rough game but a step in the right direction for the Blue Blur, (if they don't abandon the concept that is). The game is plagued by nasty pop-in, random junk placed haphazardly all over the place, bland Ubisoft-style open-world design, and a whole slew of nitpicks. But despite all that, I had a really good time. I think the concept of Sonic finally being able to stretch his legs in big open spaces is what distracted me from the issues that plague this game. I hope Sonic Team sticks with the concept and greatly expand upon it to get a truly great 3D Sonic game. I hesitantly recommend this if you think you think the open-zone design will be enough to keep you entertained.

The Stanley Parable: Ultra Deluxe is a definite must play. Best to go in with as little information as possible. That is because this game is a walking simulator that lives and dies by how much you enjoy the writing. Needless to say, the writing in this game is absolutely stellar. It is a great joy to experience. Especially thanks to its laundry list of endings and little diversions that you can experience. I won't delve any deeper though, as that would spoil the game. Stop reading reviews and just go and play this one.

I'll preface this review with that I have barely touched the Death Wish mode included. However, I have played The Arctic Cruise chapter and it is not very good. All three of the acts require you to fetch things and only get worse the further you get into the chapter. The final act is extremely infuriating to play because it exemplifies the main flaws with A Hat in Time, the camera in tight spaces and janky clambering (especially with sloped surfaces). Don't bother with this DLC if all you are interested in is the new chapter.