MisterPlatinumb
BACKER
2021
This review contains spoilers
A cozy puzzler with a fun aesthetic and tasks peculiar enough to be amusing without being obtuse (looking at you Deponia). The game would have likely benefited from a mechanic that progressively brought color back to the world, but as it stands it saved that exclusively for the "final" task. And it didn't have the powerful effect that it intended to.
2022
A perfect game to get snatched up by PlayStation Plus. A serviceable survival horror adventure that I developed a begrudging love for. Despite nearly everything in the game feeling undercooked, I found my groove with the combat and resource management early enough to appreciate the absolute what-the-fuckery of the story. The final boss was such a gonzo embodiment of the games designs and themes that I couldn't help but applaud it. Even if the game is ultimately forgettable, that final boss is NOT.
The best game this creator has managed to release that still brings all of his (creative and personal) baggage and quirks along with it.
2015
A disappointing step back for a franchise I might have expected too much from.
2012
I still have a sweet spot for the Ubi open-worlds. Still find it hilarious how much the protagonists in Far Cry appear to be the worst kind of White Boy the world has to offer.
2018
A genre of game I rarely connect with. Foraging and building and open exploring. Appreciate it for what it is, but not my cup o' tea.
I've never seen another game explain its mechanics and systems so poorly. Tapped out really quick.
I play a lot of the Point-and-Click games of this era and earlier with a guide, because their puzzles tend to be weird and obtuse. I'm able to appreciate them without smashing my head against the wall. Platinumbed.
2022
A truly bizarre experience. The cat's spot-on mannerisms and behaviors can't overcome its dead-eyed, uncanny-valley expressions, nor can its initial charms last in a narrative driven almost exclusively by the cat's companion. I ultimately felt nothing for The Cat as it is little more than a conveyance for the true soul of the story; it was like playing The Witcher as Roach.
2007
Great world-building and a solid foundation for the franchise, but the game is a surprising grind and lacks the richness of character and storytelling that its sequel brought to the table.
2017
What exactly happened here that I didn't even know this terrific game existed until 2021? So many different ways to play the game and so many rich details and world-building. A bit of a hidden masterpiece.
Side note for Trophy Hunters - This is probably the worst trophy list a great game has ever managed. Only two unmissable trophies in the entire game. Don't be a hero. Use guides and follow them to the letter. Some trophies are finicky as hell.
Side note for Trophy Hunters - This is probably the worst trophy list a great game has ever managed. Only two unmissable trophies in the entire game. Don't be a hero. Use guides and follow them to the letter. Some trophies are finicky as hell.
2021
One of a number of PS2 era franchises (God of War also comes to mind) that have returned with the gamemakers carrying the scars and lessons of growing older. Psychonauts returns with a wiser, more generous worldview with some of the best platforming level design I could have asked for. While a lot of praise gets heaped on games like Super Mario Galaxy, the levels themselves tend to be arbitrarily (though ingeniously) designed. Here Schafer and Co's levels are just as fun and inventive, but they also play their own part in the game's overall themes as well. Don't let the aesthetics fool you. This is a mature story dealing with some tough subject matter. A tremendous achievement.
2010
Best 3-D Mario from a gameplay perspective, but barely held my interest by the end. Marked the beginning of my drift away from Nintendo.
2022
I have been playing this game for two days, and it still feels like the story is expanding.
And yet I still have that pre-grief I get when I don't want a game to end.
And yet I still have that pre-grief I get when I don't want a game to end.
1990
2-D platforming perfection.