Nimitz
2024
Really fun puzzle game, with both some really nice visual and auditory atmosphere, as well as some deliberately not great historical atmosphere (specifically with regards to societal gender norms and the exclusion of women from 'serious science').
This review contains spoilers
Sneaky upgrade mod makes this 'playable' and it does behoove you to read all the options it gives bc there's a lot you can tweak to make it more playable.
With that out of the way... this may be the only game i've played that made me motion sick playing it, and motion sick remembering playing it. The movement is a dizzying nightmare that feels wrong on just about every level.
And before you tell me to play it in 3rd person... No! This is a Thief game. Why in the fuck would I play Thief, a series known for being the pioneer of the first person stealth genre, in third person?
There is a lot this game tries, and I do appreciate that it tries, and some of it even succeeds, but more often it fails horribly.
The big high point of the game for me was Shalebridge Cradle. For the first time, the game finally felt like it was firing on all cylinders... right before the end of the game. With the par for the course Thief excellent ambient audio, Shalebridge is a fucking treat, and probably responsible for the existance of <insert your favourite horror game here>, or at least had a sizeable impact on how that game was made.
A reasonable conclusion to the trilogy. Good thing they never tried to make another Thief game in 2014.
With that out of the way... this may be the only game i've played that made me motion sick playing it, and motion sick remembering playing it. The movement is a dizzying nightmare that feels wrong on just about every level.
And before you tell me to play it in 3rd person... No! This is a Thief game. Why in the fuck would I play Thief, a series known for being the pioneer of the first person stealth genre, in third person?
There is a lot this game tries, and I do appreciate that it tries, and some of it even succeeds, but more often it fails horribly.
The big high point of the game for me was Shalebridge Cradle. For the first time, the game finally felt like it was firing on all cylinders... right before the end of the game. With the par for the course Thief excellent ambient audio, Shalebridge is a fucking treat, and probably responsible for the existance of <insert your favourite horror game here>, or at least had a sizeable impact on how that game was made.
A reasonable conclusion to the trilogy. Good thing they never tried to make another Thief game in 2014.
2012
Back when I played this game, I thought it was fine if a bit mechanically clunky. I adjusted though and enjoyed the story a lot. Then, years later, I came back to try to replay the game after playing OG Thief, and realized that holy shit I hate this stealth system. I hate the way it treats player visibility. I hate the way it treats sound and movement. I hate the UI for guard alertness. I hate the takedowns. I've soured on the gameplay immensely. Then I decided I'd do something very stupid and play every Thief game ever made. Long story short, I now hold Dishonored personally culpable for how they massacred my boy in 2014.
Does Dishonored still have a cool story and world? Absolutely. Moreover, that world has inspired other great stuff that I love to this day. Looking at you Blades in the Dark.
But the act of playing it feels wretched, and it's legacy has largely turned my fond memories to ash in my mouth.
May this stealth system never see the light of day again.
Does Dishonored still have a cool story and world? Absolutely. Moreover, that world has inspired other great stuff that I love to this day. Looking at you Blades in the Dark.
But the act of playing it feels wretched, and it's legacy has largely turned my fond memories to ash in my mouth.
May this stealth system never see the light of day again.
2023
This game reminds me of Pathologic (2) in a good way.
The game hates you.
The dev hates you.
The dev wants to do twisted fucked up things to you because they think its funny.
And it is! It's extremely funny. In a rage inducing way.
God bless.
The game hates you.
The dev hates you.
The dev wants to do twisted fucked up things to you because they think its funny.
And it is! It's extremely funny. In a rage inducing way.
God bless.
In a lot of ways, a refinement and step up from the first game. Unfortunately, a lot of the supernatural aspects got refined out of the game, or into being 1 offs. I miss the bonehoard. Also, somehow, the final mission manages to be more infuriating/less fun than the final 3 missions of the first game combined.
There are also a couple filler missions, which is understandable given that the game was made in something like a year and a half. Pity this never got the Gold treatment 1 did.
Rest in peace Looking Glass. You managed to make one of the only games where I spend minutes standing still, listening... then did it again. Wish more stealth games cared about sound like you clearly did.
There are also a couple filler missions, which is understandable given that the game was made in something like a year and a half. Pity this never got the Gold treatment 1 did.
Rest in peace Looking Glass. You managed to make one of the only games where I spend minutes standing still, listening... then did it again. Wish more stealth games cared about sound like you clearly did.
This review contains spoilers
What is the difference between a floating egg that explodes if you look away from it and an elevator, really?
2023
Maybe someday i'll come back to this. Probably not. Bennet Foddy design is good to appreciate from afar, but this is a bit too hostile for me.
1999
This review contains spoilers
Mage Towers is tedious, but i'd take it any day over the last 3 missions. Escape especially dear god. What in the hell were they cooking?
Other than that though, great game. Genuinely ahead of it's time and a lot of fun.
Other than that though, great game. Genuinely ahead of it's time and a lot of fun.
2018
This review contains spoilers
I really loved this game. Then Hokma suppression quite literally triggered me to the point i was curled up on the floor having a panic attack. Then i found out about Binah and day 49, and just completely noped out.
I absolutely recommend this game, as most people aren't me, but wow can i not finish it.
Myo is a good rabbit.
I absolutely recommend this game, as most people aren't me, but wow can i not finish it.
Myo is a good rabbit.
2016
Protocol 1: Link to Pilot.
Protocol 2: Uphold the Mission.
Protocol 3: Protect the Pilot.
It's hard to talk about this game without talking about The Protocols. This game may have generic writing in some aspects, but what it does do well it does really well. Thematic development is rare to see in big budget games these days, and to see it done this well is a treat. In so many ways, TF|2 feels like a true successor to The Dinochrome Brigade stories that disappeared out of memory and the annals of military science fiction writing as a whole. Yes the writing is hokey and trite at times, but there's also real heart to it as well.
On the gameplay side of things, the game feels extraordinarily good to play. Movement is good, guns feel good, and with the Northstar mods, multiplayer is still alive despite the DDOS on the official servers.
If you've been wondering if you should pick this game up just for the single player, i'd say wait for a sale, but if you just want to pick it up for the multiplayer, i do beg of you to play the campaign. You won't regret it.
Trust me.
Protocol 2: Uphold the Mission.
Protocol 3: Protect the Pilot.
It's hard to talk about this game without talking about The Protocols. This game may have generic writing in some aspects, but what it does do well it does really well. Thematic development is rare to see in big budget games these days, and to see it done this well is a treat. In so many ways, TF|2 feels like a true successor to The Dinochrome Brigade stories that disappeared out of memory and the annals of military science fiction writing as a whole. Yes the writing is hokey and trite at times, but there's also real heart to it as well.
On the gameplay side of things, the game feels extraordinarily good to play. Movement is good, guns feel good, and with the Northstar mods, multiplayer is still alive despite the DDOS on the official servers.
If you've been wondering if you should pick this game up just for the single player, i'd say wait for a sale, but if you just want to pick it up for the multiplayer, i do beg of you to play the campaign. You won't regret it.
Trust me.
This review contains spoilers
As someone who loved the sky trilogy to bits, the Crossbell duology took my already high expectations and blew them out of the water. Azure in particular builds upon the strong foundation set by Zero and makes you care about a fictional place more than I've ever experienced before. Crossbell feels like home in every way that really matters.
Ao is the peak of conventional style narrative writing in videogames as far as I've found, and I cannot see that changing for any definition of the foreseeable future.
Ao is the peak of conventional style narrative writing in videogames as far as I've found, and I cannot see that changing for any definition of the foreseeable future.
God I suck at this game, but it's still loads of fun.
2008
Fun with friends.
2011
Interesting take on turn based tactics/strategy.
2015
Fun match 3 game. I refuse to comment on anything else.