NotSolidSnake
2004
Don't have access to my original xbox at the moment. Overall the campaign feels weaker than CE so far, with too many holdout sequences reminiscent of The Library.
2001
My first videogame. I have memories of my dad handing me a Duke controller at 4 years of age.
While Goldeneye may have been the first truly famous multiplayer FPS, Combat Evolved was the first to do it right. The skill ceiling is incredibly high, and the time to kill feels just right, so that every death feels earned. Map knowledge is rewarded, but straightforward to learn.
Campaign is a masterclass in FPS weapon design -- no weapon feels extraneous. Unfortunately, some of the levels can be confusingly samey, and The Library just absolutely sucks. Best experienced in co-op.
While Goldeneye may have been the first truly famous multiplayer FPS, Combat Evolved was the first to do it right. The skill ceiling is incredibly high, and the time to kill feels just right, so that every death feels earned. Map knowledge is rewarded, but straightforward to learn.
Campaign is a masterclass in FPS weapon design -- no weapon feels extraneous. Unfortunately, some of the levels can be confusingly samey, and The Library just absolutely sucks. Best experienced in co-op.
2020
For lack of a better word, Doom (2016) felt metal, in its frenzied gameplay, hellish environment, and especially in the music. Eternal removes everything metal about 2016 except the music.
Hugo Martin, one of the directors of this game, described the combat loop as a dance -- focused, flowy, but not as frantic as 2016's mosh pit.
The gameplay of Eternal and the environments of floating islands and castles would be better matched to Blue Danube than Mick Gordon's work -- a dance just doesn't fit the themes established by 2016.
Speaking of Gordon, the soundtrack lacks the punch of 2016's OST -- which is unsurprising, considering how terrible Bethesda treated him. Gordon was to be paid for every song he produced, and given a bonus for any song that made it into the game. He was given little to no information about the levels he was writing music for, causing much of his work to go unused through no fault of his own. Gordon still hasn't received his contractual payment for these tracks. Additionally, the OST has many songs that were written but not mixed by Gordon, as Bethesda wanted to rush the release date, which led to an album under Gordon's name with some poorly mixed tracks.
My biggest disappointment with Doom Eternal is its lack of an overarching artistic concept. 2016 felt like a playable metal album by Mick Gordon. Bethesda stripped away Gordon's creative agency in Eternal, replacing him with in-house committee designers that made both the game and OST confusing messes.
TLDR: success-driven corporations kill art, what else is new 😁
Hugo Martin, one of the directors of this game, described the combat loop as a dance -- focused, flowy, but not as frantic as 2016's mosh pit.
The gameplay of Eternal and the environments of floating islands and castles would be better matched to Blue Danube than Mick Gordon's work -- a dance just doesn't fit the themes established by 2016.
Speaking of Gordon, the soundtrack lacks the punch of 2016's OST -- which is unsurprising, considering how terrible Bethesda treated him. Gordon was to be paid for every song he produced, and given a bonus for any song that made it into the game. He was given little to no information about the levels he was writing music for, causing much of his work to go unused through no fault of his own. Gordon still hasn't received his contractual payment for these tracks. Additionally, the OST has many songs that were written but not mixed by Gordon, as Bethesda wanted to rush the release date, which led to an album under Gordon's name with some poorly mixed tracks.
My biggest disappointment with Doom Eternal is its lack of an overarching artistic concept. 2016 felt like a playable metal album by Mick Gordon. Bethesda stripped away Gordon's creative agency in Eternal, replacing him with in-house committee designers that made both the game and OST confusing messes.
TLDR: success-driven corporations kill art, what else is new 😁
Never understood this game as a child. Have the disk sitting around somewhere, might return to this one day.
Singleplayer was fun, but unfortunately doesn't compare to the feeling of a grand campaign presented in SSBB's Subspace Emissary.
Multiplayer is easily the height of the series -- my one complaint is how compared to Brawl, Snake was heavily nerfed -- and I'm not talking about moveset.
DLC characters were personally disappointing, with the highlight being Steve.
Will most definitely play again if I ever find my missing cartridge.
Multiplayer is easily the height of the series -- my one complaint is how compared to Brawl, Snake was heavily nerfed -- and I'm not talking about moveset.
DLC characters were personally disappointing, with the highlight being Steve.
Will most definitely play again if I ever find my missing cartridge.
While the gunplay is substandard and the runtime is short, the characters and atmosphere carry this game. There is a clear tenderness for the world of Star Wars; for example, the title theme is written in Mandalorian. However, Republic Commando also distinguishes itself from the source material by portraying the Clone Wars an a gritty fashion not unlike Apocalypse Now -- you'll most likely know if the game clicks with you before you're even given real control.
2020
Enjoyed this game more as an explorable version of the Edgerunners anime than as a game itself. (Played before 2.0 update)
Romanticizes mental illness and presents a fatalistic view where nothing can be done about it. The 'meta horror' elements come off as trying too hard. Both the meta elements and the theme of mental illness ultimately say nothing and just seem to be in the game for shock value and to create buzz.
Fun fact: the original release completely lacked any content warnings!
Fun fact: the original release completely lacked any content warnings!
2013
A 'boutique' game. Tom Francis' vision for a Deus-Ex inspired corporate espionage/murder mystery/hacking game doesn't overstay its welcome. The soundtrack is an absolute banger of techno-jazz and the writing is also a real highlight, full of silliness reminiscent of Airplane! and The Naked Gun. The only downside is the game's length; clocking in around 3 hours for any% and about 7 hours for 100% achievements and max level score, the game is over before it really feels like the mechanics are fully realized.