Matt_Stennes
BACKER
2020
This is a nice time if you have the Xbox Game Pass, but I wouldn’t recommend paying for it. It is very atmospheric and I enjoyed how the monster feels to control. It made ripping people apart as an alien monster very satisfying. I may pick this back up and beat it if I ever re-subscribe to Game Pass.
2020
I was going to play this on my phone, but it cooked my phone so bad I could literally smell the burning rubber of my case. It also drained my battery almost a percent a minute. I downloaded the PS4 version and it was a slideshow. This seems like a solid game that I'll probably revisit when I get a new phone/if there's a Switch port.
2012
I wish co-op campaign games were more prevalent in 2020. It doesn't seem like there are too many new ones that are good, and I want more experiences like this. I absolutely loved this game's pointless story, the ridiculous camera that never stops shaking and zooming, characters yelling names overly dramatically, etc. I want this more over-the-top-action Resident Evil to make a comeback. Fuck all that serious shit.
2018
I haven't played with randoms online because that doesn't sound fun at all, but as a party game with your friends this is actually pretty fun. It's caused some fun toxic banter. I thought it'd be overhyped but it's definitely worth checking out if you have like 4-5 people to play with.
2018
I had to google how to find a race in this game. This is a racing game. That’s like needing to google how to find a match in COD. Once I figured it out it wasn’t anything crazy special. The races all felt the same and weren't very exciting, the driving feels like GTA V, and the graphics aren’t very good. At least you can skip the cutscenes.
2016
This was a good amount of fun, but I don’t think it quite clicked with me. I had fun role playing as a secret agent/assassin. It let me live out my spy fantasy I had as a kid buying spy toys from the scholastic book fair and joining the EPF in Club Penguin. Once I finished each level though I didn’t feel much incentive to go back. I know there’s a lot of re-playability with different scenarios and challenges to do, but I never really felt compelled to do them. I always though “eh I already killed them I don’t really want to do it again.” Also, there wasn’t a level where I said “hell yeah this is the one bro this shit is fire oh my god.” I have a feeling Hitman 2 might do it for me though based on just the intro New-Zealand level I played. I think the extra level of polish (updated graphics, frame rate, HUD, etc.) and what looks like even better designed levels might push this formula over the top and make it great for me.
2020
I've tried many times to enjoy the battle royale genre, but I just can't do it. They're not fun to me. There's far too much downtime. This one was more interesting to me than some others since it had magic abilities instead of guns, as well as a boost jump/fly mechanic which allows you to pull off some fun combos and maneuvers. I still couldn't get into it though.
Drinking game: Take a shot every tame Lara says “Joerrrnahhhh”
I have fond memories of the previous two games in this trilogy, so I was looking forward to finally playing the conclusion. I figured I’d play it now since I just played the Uncharted series and the Tomb Raider reboots take a lot of elements from those games. All that did for me, however, was highlight Shadow of the Tomb Raider’s flaws.
To start, the story in this game is pretty bad. And not just the story, but specifically the dialogue and line delivery too. I remember the past two games having pretty mediocre stories as well, but they felt passable enough to justify the action, and the dialogue was decent enough to make me care somewhat for the characters. Shadow though has some laughably bad cutscenes. The actors often feel like they’re over-acting and the game takes it self far too seriously for how mediocre the story is. I couldn’t bring myself to care about any part of the story in this game, even though it’s the third game in the trilogy and I’ve been with this world for two games now. There’s also very little setup and payoff. There are some pretty cool moments in this game, but none of them feel earned. Certain character beats felt like they came out of nowhere. There were parts where I thought “ok damn maybe this game is heating up”, but then it didn’t keep that momentum and it just ended up feeling underwhelming. I almost fell asleep multiple times playing this game.
The combat in all three of the Tomb Raider reboots isn’t very good, and I didn’t feel much improvement, if any, in this entry. It feels pretty clunky and unexciting to control. I never thought I’d praise the combat from the first three Uncharted games, but it feels much smoother and easier to control there. The stealth in Shadow feels pretty guerrilla at times which is cool. The ability to rub mud over yourself as a disguise and sneak through bushes and mud covered walls made me feel pretty badass.
The platforming feels kind of clunky and annoying. During some cool action-platforming set pieces, I found myself dying often over a cheap death from a jump I should have landed, which completely killed the action and made some of these sections very tedious to get through. When they worked though, the action set pieces looked nice. The graphics aren’t anything to brag about, but they got the job done. They look a bit dated on PS4 for 2018, but they aren’t that bad. There are some really pretty environments to explore, and the art design overall is good. The game had some performance issues in the hub area where the frame rate would chug a bit, but it was a relatively smooth 30fps for most of the game.
This and the last game feature a semi-open world design that does nothing for the gameplay. Most of the side quests offered are meaningless filler. These games could benefit from a more linear approach. Streamline the game, but still have certain larger areas to explore with branching paths that lead to challenge tombs, without all the other fluff. Remove all the side quests and hordes of collectibles bogging down the menu. I feel like they made both this and the previous game semi-open world just for the sake of making it bigger. It feels hollow and uninspiring.
Shadow of the Tomb Raider doesn’t do much to set itself apart from its predecessor. It does almost nothing new that’s notable. This would have been OK if the world and story had been as interesting as Rise of the Tomb Raider, but it’s not. I would only recommend this to fans of the past Tomb Raider games who want more of the same.
I have fond memories of the previous two games in this trilogy, so I was looking forward to finally playing the conclusion. I figured I’d play it now since I just played the Uncharted series and the Tomb Raider reboots take a lot of elements from those games. All that did for me, however, was highlight Shadow of the Tomb Raider’s flaws.
To start, the story in this game is pretty bad. And not just the story, but specifically the dialogue and line delivery too. I remember the past two games having pretty mediocre stories as well, but they felt passable enough to justify the action, and the dialogue was decent enough to make me care somewhat for the characters. Shadow though has some laughably bad cutscenes. The actors often feel like they’re over-acting and the game takes it self far too seriously for how mediocre the story is. I couldn’t bring myself to care about any part of the story in this game, even though it’s the third game in the trilogy and I’ve been with this world for two games now. There’s also very little setup and payoff. There are some pretty cool moments in this game, but none of them feel earned. Certain character beats felt like they came out of nowhere. There were parts where I thought “ok damn maybe this game is heating up”, but then it didn’t keep that momentum and it just ended up feeling underwhelming. I almost fell asleep multiple times playing this game.
The combat in all three of the Tomb Raider reboots isn’t very good, and I didn’t feel much improvement, if any, in this entry. It feels pretty clunky and unexciting to control. I never thought I’d praise the combat from the first three Uncharted games, but it feels much smoother and easier to control there. The stealth in Shadow feels pretty guerrilla at times which is cool. The ability to rub mud over yourself as a disguise and sneak through bushes and mud covered walls made me feel pretty badass.
The platforming feels kind of clunky and annoying. During some cool action-platforming set pieces, I found myself dying often over a cheap death from a jump I should have landed, which completely killed the action and made some of these sections very tedious to get through. When they worked though, the action set pieces looked nice. The graphics aren’t anything to brag about, but they got the job done. They look a bit dated on PS4 for 2018, but they aren’t that bad. There are some really pretty environments to explore, and the art design overall is good. The game had some performance issues in the hub area where the frame rate would chug a bit, but it was a relatively smooth 30fps for most of the game.
This and the last game feature a semi-open world design that does nothing for the gameplay. Most of the side quests offered are meaningless filler. These games could benefit from a more linear approach. Streamline the game, but still have certain larger areas to explore with branching paths that lead to challenge tombs, without all the other fluff. Remove all the side quests and hordes of collectibles bogging down the menu. I feel like they made both this and the previous game semi-open world just for the sake of making it bigger. It feels hollow and uninspiring.
Shadow of the Tomb Raider doesn’t do much to set itself apart from its predecessor. It does almost nothing new that’s notable. This would have been OK if the world and story had been as interesting as Rise of the Tomb Raider, but it’s not. I would only recommend this to fans of the past Tomb Raider games who want more of the same.
This review contains spoilers
This was a pretty solid adventure for fans of the Uncharted series, but not much more than that. It doesn’t do anything very original or interesting. It has the small open world section which they ended up incorporating into The Last of Us Part II as well, but it didn’t feel very compelling here, and the reward for exploring most of it is a bracelet that pulses near treasure, a collectible that’s been pretty meaningless in all of the Uncharted games. The lost city in Lost Legacy is beautiful, I’ll give them that. This features the same stellar level of quality in graphics and environments as Uncharted 4, although since Lost Legacy is based mostly in one area, the set pieces are far less varied. This can be forgiven since it’s a standalone DLC, not meant to be a globe-trotting adventure like the mainline games. Lost Legacy is longer than all three original Uncharted games respectively, but feels far shorter, since not much happens. This game felt really weird to play immediately after A Thief’s End. It felt reminiscent of fan fiction, and felt like it shouldn’t really exist. A Thief’s End tied up the Uncharted universe nicely, and tapping into this world again felt wrong. The game culminates in a combination of the train sequence from Uncharted 2, and the car chase sequence from Uncharted 4, but it isn’t nearly as interesting as either of those things. I felt like I’d played it before.
I feel like DLC for a single player game needs to expand upon the story of the base game in a meaningful way that feels like a necessary addition. The Last of Us: Left Behind is a great example of this. It filled in a gap in the original game’s story as well as providing meaningful background info on Ellie’s character, which gives the base game even more depth. Lost Legacy just felt like another lost city treasure hunt that very conveniently unites side characters from past games for a nostalgia trip. It didn’t feel to me like it had much purpose other than that. I feel like they should’ve just let Uncharted 4 be the end, and move on to something else.
I’m legitimately sad that this series is over. Playing the Uncharted games all in a row for the first time is my favorite gaming experience of the past couple years. I loved these games way more than I thought I would, and they’ll always have a special place in my heart.
I feel like DLC for a single player game needs to expand upon the story of the base game in a meaningful way that feels like a necessary addition. The Last of Us: Left Behind is a great example of this. It filled in a gap in the original game’s story as well as providing meaningful background info on Ellie’s character, which gives the base game even more depth. Lost Legacy just felt like another lost city treasure hunt that very conveniently unites side characters from past games for a nostalgia trip. It didn’t feel to me like it had much purpose other than that. I feel like they should’ve just let Uncharted 4 be the end, and move on to something else.
I’m legitimately sad that this series is over. Playing the Uncharted games all in a row for the first time is my favorite gaming experience of the past couple years. I loved these games way more than I thought I would, and they’ll always have a special place in my heart.
Holy shit this game is amazing. Far and away the best game in the Uncharted series. It takes everything I love about Uncharted and executes it perfectly. The set pieces are bigger and more beautiful than ever. The action is more fluid, intense, and over the top. The platforming is more refined. The levels are a lot more open, which plays well into the whole “globe-trotting adventurer/explorer” idea. It’s just all around an incredible experience to play.
The graphics in this game are amazing as well. It’s easily one of the best looking games I’ve ever played. It honestly looks better than The Last of Us 2. It might not have quite the same graphical fidelity, but the brighter lighting and more vivid color palette are much more of a treat on the eyes. It still looks better than most other games out today, even four years after release. The gunplay is amazing as well. The bullets have a thick and crisp thud to them that feels incredibly satisfying. In the first three games, the gunplay did its job well enough to get you along, but it certainly wasn’t anything to brag about. The guns in Uncharted 4 though, feel better than most third-person shooters I’ve played. There’s just this satisfying smoothness to the weapons that’s hard to perfectly explain. It’s so good that I’m actually compelled to play the multiplayer.
Uncharted 4 has the best story in the series by far. It takes the more mature themes they were going for in the third game and runs with it. This story is significantly longer than the previous games, with far more depth to both its characters and themes. It experiments even further with the narrative structure, using circular narrative, well-timed flashbacks, etc., to keep the plot more engaging than if it were perfectly linear. This is a much more human take on Uncharted. There’s significantly more dialogue, exposition, and world-building. The reason for going after the treasure has actual weight to it other than “I heard about this treasure, sounds fun, let’s go find it because I’m an adventurer”. It plays off your nostalgia well. The whole game has a very nostalgic feel to it, with Nate and Co. reminiscing about past adventures, and questioning whether this one was worth dusting off the holster for. One thing this game does an incredible job of story-wise as well is making you feel exactly what Nate is feeling. When you’re in the wild car chase/shootout in King’s Bay, I felt that same insane rush that Nate was experiencing, and when he walked into his house afterward and saw Elena standing there, my heart dropped and I had to pause the game to freak out for a second, which again is exactly what Nate felt in that moment.
Something I’ve always loved about Naughty Dog games is how well they incorporate the narrative into the gameplay. The gameplay doesn’t just serve as a means to get to the next story element. The story is delicately woven throughout the world in a way that is genuine and infectious. It totally absorbs the player. The gameplay makes you feel the emotions of Nathan Drake just as much as the cutscenes do. There are so many little moments within the gameplay that caught me by surprise and made the story that much more believable. At one point closer to the end of the game, when the tension between Nate and Elena has been mostly mended, I was in an intense shootout with some Shoreline mercenaries. One of them had me by the neck, Elena showed up, I punched him in the gut, wrapped my arms around Elena to pick her up, and she kicked him in the face with both feet, killing him. They then had a small exchange, with Nate yelling “Hey good timing!” It was such a tiny detail that happened so fast, but it was so pure and cute that it was memorable. There were also many moments of small, sarcastic banter between Nate and Elena while climbing and exploring that made their dynamic so much more authentic, all within gameplay. This isn’t something I see often in games, and it’s the main reason I love Naughty Dog games so much.
After playing through all of the Uncharted games straight through, I’ve fully realized how much I prefer these shorter, more concise narrative games with little to no fluff, over a 40+ hour-long game of filler garbage. These types of games are often the ones people bring up when discussing games as an art form. A short and sweet, meticulously crafted and presented story-based game of this caliber comes out less often than I’d like. This is the reason I f*cking love Naughty Dog. They continue to put out thrilling masterpieces that prove how great video games are as a medium of storytelling. This is an experience we get maybe a couple of times per generation.
We need to appreciate the ones we get.
The graphics in this game are amazing as well. It’s easily one of the best looking games I’ve ever played. It honestly looks better than The Last of Us 2. It might not have quite the same graphical fidelity, but the brighter lighting and more vivid color palette are much more of a treat on the eyes. It still looks better than most other games out today, even four years after release. The gunplay is amazing as well. The bullets have a thick and crisp thud to them that feels incredibly satisfying. In the first three games, the gunplay did its job well enough to get you along, but it certainly wasn’t anything to brag about. The guns in Uncharted 4 though, feel better than most third-person shooters I’ve played. There’s just this satisfying smoothness to the weapons that’s hard to perfectly explain. It’s so good that I’m actually compelled to play the multiplayer.
Uncharted 4 has the best story in the series by far. It takes the more mature themes they were going for in the third game and runs with it. This story is significantly longer than the previous games, with far more depth to both its characters and themes. It experiments even further with the narrative structure, using circular narrative, well-timed flashbacks, etc., to keep the plot more engaging than if it were perfectly linear. This is a much more human take on Uncharted. There’s significantly more dialogue, exposition, and world-building. The reason for going after the treasure has actual weight to it other than “I heard about this treasure, sounds fun, let’s go find it because I’m an adventurer”. It plays off your nostalgia well. The whole game has a very nostalgic feel to it, with Nate and Co. reminiscing about past adventures, and questioning whether this one was worth dusting off the holster for. One thing this game does an incredible job of story-wise as well is making you feel exactly what Nate is feeling. When you’re in the wild car chase/shootout in King’s Bay, I felt that same insane rush that Nate was experiencing, and when he walked into his house afterward and saw Elena standing there, my heart dropped and I had to pause the game to freak out for a second, which again is exactly what Nate felt in that moment.
Something I’ve always loved about Naughty Dog games is how well they incorporate the narrative into the gameplay. The gameplay doesn’t just serve as a means to get to the next story element. The story is delicately woven throughout the world in a way that is genuine and infectious. It totally absorbs the player. The gameplay makes you feel the emotions of Nathan Drake just as much as the cutscenes do. There are so many little moments within the gameplay that caught me by surprise and made the story that much more believable. At one point closer to the end of the game, when the tension between Nate and Elena has been mostly mended, I was in an intense shootout with some Shoreline mercenaries. One of them had me by the neck, Elena showed up, I punched him in the gut, wrapped my arms around Elena to pick her up, and she kicked him in the face with both feet, killing him. They then had a small exchange, with Nate yelling “Hey good timing!” It was such a tiny detail that happened so fast, but it was so pure and cute that it was memorable. There were also many moments of small, sarcastic banter between Nate and Elena while climbing and exploring that made their dynamic so much more authentic, all within gameplay. This isn’t something I see often in games, and it’s the main reason I love Naughty Dog games so much.
After playing through all of the Uncharted games straight through, I’ve fully realized how much I prefer these shorter, more concise narrative games with little to no fluff, over a 40+ hour-long game of filler garbage. These types of games are often the ones people bring up when discussing games as an art form. A short and sweet, meticulously crafted and presented story-based game of this caliber comes out less often than I’d like. This is the reason I f*cking love Naughty Dog. They continue to put out thrilling masterpieces that prove how great video games are as a medium of storytelling. This is an experience we get maybe a couple of times per generation.
We need to appreciate the ones we get.
GodDAMN these games slap. I’m fairly certain I like this more than Uncharted 2. The story in Drake's Deception is far better than the first two games, it's not even close. This introduces far more depth to each character, and heavily questions the motive of Drake's relentless pursuit of treasure (sounds like another more recent Naughty Dog game, I can't remember the name though lol). The writing does feel a little bit retconny at times since there’s depth here that wasn’t really there much before, but it’s a worthy trade off. The story arc is basically the same as the past two games, but I think it works best here.
Drake’s Deception isn’t quite as consistently over the top as Among Thieves, but the superior writing in the former makes up for it. The first third to half of this is definitely slower when comparing it to Among Thieves, but the second half picks up big time, and it’s super badass.
Now on to Uncharted 4, which I’m super excited about. From everything I’ve heard about it I think it’s gonna blow me away.
Drake’s Deception isn’t quite as consistently over the top as Among Thieves, but the superior writing in the former makes up for it. The first third to half of this is definitely slower when comparing it to Among Thieves, but the second half picks up big time, and it’s super badass.
Now on to Uncharted 4, which I’m super excited about. From everything I’ve heard about it I think it’s gonna blow me away.
2020
DISCLAIMER: I played the Beta, but considering this releases in two weeks this shit is literally a demo stop capping.
Marvel’s Avengers represents pretty much every problem I have with the gaming industry in 2020. The idea of “gaming as a service” has grown exponentially within the past couple of years with the success of Fortnite, and has significantly devalued what your $60 purchase is actually worth. For battle royale games like Fornite and Apex Legends, it’s not as big of a deal since those games are free-to-play. But for Marvel’s Avengers this practice has reached a peak that I hope no game in the future tops, because it’s getting ridiculous at this point. In Avengers, you have to pay for a $10 battle pass for EACH individual hero added post launch in order to unlock cosmetic and other items for them. It’s rumored there will be 15 or more heroes added post launch, which brings the price of the full experience up to $210. This is bad even for a live service game.
The rise of “games as a service” is quite literally affecting the quality of new games that could’ve been fire, but are ruined by corporate greed. It’s becoming increasingly hard for studios to sell their games to publishers if it’s just a one time $60 fee, since the publishers see the insane amount of money they make from the live service format. The only way to stop it is to not buy these trash games. Supporting Marvel’s Avengers will only make this practice worse.
Talking about the actual gameplay, this felty very much like a cookie cutter cash grab, with very little original gameplay to offer. The graphics looks like they’re from the Xbox 360 era. The fact that they made this a looter shooter baffles me. A big budget, single player/co-op Avengers game could’ve been so fire, but this just feels really shallow and incredibly undercooked. It's sad too because this has an incredible lineup of actors (Laura Bailey, Troy Baker, Nolan North, Travis Willingham). It's a shame to see the wasted potential.
Marvel’s Avengers represents pretty much every problem I have with the gaming industry in 2020. The idea of “gaming as a service” has grown exponentially within the past couple of years with the success of Fortnite, and has significantly devalued what your $60 purchase is actually worth. For battle royale games like Fornite and Apex Legends, it’s not as big of a deal since those games are free-to-play. But for Marvel’s Avengers this practice has reached a peak that I hope no game in the future tops, because it’s getting ridiculous at this point. In Avengers, you have to pay for a $10 battle pass for EACH individual hero added post launch in order to unlock cosmetic and other items for them. It’s rumored there will be 15 or more heroes added post launch, which brings the price of the full experience up to $210. This is bad even for a live service game.
The rise of “games as a service” is quite literally affecting the quality of new games that could’ve been fire, but are ruined by corporate greed. It’s becoming increasingly hard for studios to sell their games to publishers if it’s just a one time $60 fee, since the publishers see the insane amount of money they make from the live service format. The only way to stop it is to not buy these trash games. Supporting Marvel’s Avengers will only make this practice worse.
Talking about the actual gameplay, this felty very much like a cookie cutter cash grab, with very little original gameplay to offer. The graphics looks like they’re from the Xbox 360 era. The fact that they made this a looter shooter baffles me. A big budget, single player/co-op Avengers game could’ve been so fire, but this just feels really shallow and incredibly undercooked. It's sad too because this has an incredible lineup of actors (Laura Bailey, Troy Baker, Nolan North, Travis Willingham). It's a shame to see the wasted potential.
I see why this game is so renowned. It really is an amazing sequel that's better than the first game in pretty much every way. Drake's Fortune had a lot of great ideas, but none of them felt like they achieved their fullest potential. Naughty Dog succeeded in Among Thieves. The set pieces in this are way more grand and beautiful, taking you to a diverse group of locations. I found myself saying “damn this looks amazing” often. The gameplay is more refined and the story/writing is better as well. It feels like a 6-7 hour over the top action movie.
I wanted to give this 5 stars but it is sadly bogged down by some annoyingly tedious parts that ruin the momentum of the action. Most of the platforming is fun, but it can sometimes feel like a chore, especially after a cheap death forcing you to redo long portions of it. The combat as well sometimes felt like it went on too long, and had some weird difficulty spikes. This game is supposed to feel like an over the top action movie, and when it does feel like that it’s badass. Too many times though I felt like the momentum was ruined and I was taken out of the illusion a bit. Honestly playing this game on easy difficulty would probably be better since never dying would make this a crazy on the rails experience that doesn’t let up. It’s still really great though and I’d definitely recommend playing it if you haven’t yet. I’m really looking forward to the rest of the series.
I wanted to give this 5 stars but it is sadly bogged down by some annoyingly tedious parts that ruin the momentum of the action. Most of the platforming is fun, but it can sometimes feel like a chore, especially after a cheap death forcing you to redo long portions of it. The combat as well sometimes felt like it went on too long, and had some weird difficulty spikes. This game is supposed to feel like an over the top action movie, and when it does feel like that it’s badass. Too many times though I felt like the momentum was ruined and I was taken out of the illusion a bit. Honestly playing this game on easy difficulty would probably be better since never dying would make this a crazy on the rails experience that doesn’t let up. It’s still really great though and I’d definitely recommend playing it if you haven’t yet. I’m really looking forward to the rest of the series.
This was a very solid game! I see why this became a whole franchise. This game felt to me like a mix between Indiana Jones and Carpenter's Prince of Darkness. A very solid action game with a pretty simple yet fun story. The remaster feels buttery smooth too and looks surprisingly good. I've heard this is probably the weakest entry in the series, and if that's the case I'm super excited for the rest of them because I really enjoyed this for the most part.
2020
This game is actually super dope. I had no expectations going in, and turned out to be a hilariously goofy and fun time. This is the most fun I've had playing a battle royale game. I much prefer this take on the genre than a shooter. It's hard not to relax, laugh, and have a good time playing this. I definitely recommend checking this out while it's still free on PSN.
Also the main menu music in this game SLAPS. I've actually bumped this shit on Spotify not gonna lie.
Also the main menu music in this game SLAPS. I've actually bumped this shit on Spotify not gonna lie.