POLICENOY
13 reviews liked by POLICENOY
Yume 2kki
2007
Yume 2kki is the modern equivalent of a spiritual pilgrimage writ LSD Dream Emulator.
It gives you space to think your thoughts, shows you the most gorgeous audio-visual imagery you will ever see in a video game, and just lets you wander.
I will always love this game more than I will have words to express my emotions because of the ways it allows you to create your own meaning in the setting. There are experiences I have had tucked away in the bowels of this game's deepest annals that have changed me as a being.
It takes work to wander.
But what you find is up to you.
In all seriousness, Yume 2kki is a grand grab-bag of a game with a slight barrier to entry. Some worlds are almost offendingly irritating - fucking Graveyard World, I never want to see you again - but if you put in the work, this game holds some really amazing details, as well as the best soundtrack I've found in any game, bar none.
This game is something I show to the people I feel closest with, because it feels like I'm showing a piece of myself to them.
I love it. I will always love it.
It gives you space to think your thoughts, shows you the most gorgeous audio-visual imagery you will ever see in a video game, and just lets you wander.
I will always love this game more than I will have words to express my emotions because of the ways it allows you to create your own meaning in the setting. There are experiences I have had tucked away in the bowels of this game's deepest annals that have changed me as a being.
It takes work to wander.
But what you find is up to you.
In all seriousness, Yume 2kki is a grand grab-bag of a game with a slight barrier to entry. Some worlds are almost offendingly irritating - fucking Graveyard World, I never want to see you again - but if you put in the work, this game holds some really amazing details, as well as the best soundtrack I've found in any game, bar none.
This game is something I show to the people I feel closest with, because it feels like I'm showing a piece of myself to them.
I love it. I will always love it.
Half-Life 2
2004
in nuclear physics, a half-life is a unit of measurement that describes the rate at which atoms undergo radioactive decay. fitting, because "decay" is the one word i would use to describe half-life 2's world - one of the most understatedly rich that gaming has to offer. desolation drips off of every single facet of half-life 2's level design, atmosphere and aesthetic, each minute detail purpose built to reinforce the fact that mankind is either in its twilight years, or are sure to inherit a dying earth should they shake off the oppressive clamp of the combine (who are very, very good at what they do, the fact that liberation promises only that mankind might eventually die out on its own terms almost imparting spite into the combine's calculative, hyper-efficient approach to survival). with there being so much dialogue about the eeriness of the source engine since the turn of the 20s, i'm surprised so few people seem to recognize the fact that it was purpose built to serve a game about mankind's nigh-futile struggle against an omnipresent and omnipotent threat beyond mortal comprehension. the textures, models and level brushes are soaked with grime and rot because they belong to a world literally being sucked dry by an intergalactic parasite.
fitting that you play as a physicist in a series named after a nuclear physics concept, because half-life 2 in turn lives and dies by its physics. i'd go as far as to wager half-life 2 is its physics: it's the way a headcrab goes limp in mid-air when you shoot down an attempted coupling, it's the snap of a metrocop's corpse as you gun him down from across a banister and watch him fall to the depths below, it's the motherfucking gravity gun. there's a reason that people always talk about ravenholm so specifically: it's the one moment that half-life 2 harnesses all of its strong suits at once, combining the dour and dark atmosphere with a veritable playground for the player to let loose and take advantage of what half-life 2 does best. the game is lacking in enemy variety and the "sit in one place and fend off combine soldiers while alyx does shit" arenas get tiring at absolute best, and the shooting gameplay isn't varied or tight enough to warrant the vast majority of encounters being getting merked by squads of armored grunts with machine guns... and while in theory this can be made up for by the sheer number of possibilities the player has in their hands with the gravity gun and the physics props, it's neutered by how infrequently the gravity gun is practical in gunfights. i walked away from this replay with a greater appreciation of episode 1, if only because of how much more it emphasizes the gravity gun and de-emphasizes combine grunts as the main enemy.
the final rampage through the citadel is empowering beyond belief as you're finally given free reign to use the gravity gun and only the gravity gun to absolutely decimate the squads that had once rendered the gravity gun inert, but it also feels like salt in the wounds: this is a taste of what the entire game could have been like, had priorities been re-arranged and the "guns and grenades" aspect of the gameplay been de-emphasized for more than just puzzles and ravenholm.
but i suppose not even the best ideas are immune to decay.
fitting that you play as a physicist in a series named after a nuclear physics concept, because half-life 2 in turn lives and dies by its physics. i'd go as far as to wager half-life 2 is its physics: it's the way a headcrab goes limp in mid-air when you shoot down an attempted coupling, it's the snap of a metrocop's corpse as you gun him down from across a banister and watch him fall to the depths below, it's the motherfucking gravity gun. there's a reason that people always talk about ravenholm so specifically: it's the one moment that half-life 2 harnesses all of its strong suits at once, combining the dour and dark atmosphere with a veritable playground for the player to let loose and take advantage of what half-life 2 does best. the game is lacking in enemy variety and the "sit in one place and fend off combine soldiers while alyx does shit" arenas get tiring at absolute best, and the shooting gameplay isn't varied or tight enough to warrant the vast majority of encounters being getting merked by squads of armored grunts with machine guns... and while in theory this can be made up for by the sheer number of possibilities the player has in their hands with the gravity gun and the physics props, it's neutered by how infrequently the gravity gun is practical in gunfights. i walked away from this replay with a greater appreciation of episode 1, if only because of how much more it emphasizes the gravity gun and de-emphasizes combine grunts as the main enemy.
the final rampage through the citadel is empowering beyond belief as you're finally given free reign to use the gravity gun and only the gravity gun to absolutely decimate the squads that had once rendered the gravity gun inert, but it also feels like salt in the wounds: this is a taste of what the entire game could have been like, had priorities been re-arranged and the "guns and grenades" aspect of the gameplay been de-emphasized for more than just puzzles and ravenholm.
but i suppose not even the best ideas are immune to decay.
This review contains spoilers
This Review is entirely biased by a very personal impact that I have been meaning to put into words, so this review more then anything, is a love letter to this game.
Its 2021, and I am down on my luck, college drop out, father passed away, and fired from work. I am on the edge of falling back in to bad habits, and dropping any of my wishes to move out of my at the time shitty home.
I am spending Christmas alone again, my father died a few years back, who I used to spend it with, and I never really got along with family besides the old man. As a kid, each night before I went to sleep, he told me the stories of King Arthur, a story I somewhat misguidedly looked up to, wanting to be like the king, not understanding the ramifications of it.
Either way, I follow that ideal; being a leader, building a community, and not really thinking about the deep responsibility of being a figure people need to be able to rely on or that people will come to hate you for being such a person.
Anyway; I am spending Christmas alone, I buy ace combat 7 to kill time; fell in love in an instant, and ended up getting the rest of the games. After playing through 4 and 5, I finally got to Zero; and I never expected the game to change me the way it did. I was now at the same point in life, but my ''friends'' of the time had left me cause they had their own issues. My whole leadership fantasy had fallen apart, and I failed to see the value in the people who were still around me.
And in comes a game about a pilot who falls into the role of King Arthur, the figure I had been chasing to be like for the years since my father died, thinking it would fix me; that it would fulfill and replace the grief I had, the anger I had for my shitty childhood, and more.
I didn't really have a idea as to why I was here, why I survived living on the streets, why I survived abuse, why I even fought; I was lost. But Ace Combat was for a good while something that just, kept my mind of it all; and then finally, with my heart at ease, Ace Combat Zero directly confronted the destructive path I found myself on.
I time and time again did actions, based on others their dreams and ideals, but never my own; Cipher does the same. Cipher just follows the needs of the allied forces; aimlessly, a weapon pointed at others, with no one really caring for who they are, what their dreams or ideals are. Besides Pixy, but even then; you continue your path of violence. No matter what you tell yourself; you're just a merc, a soldier, or doing this for the cause as a knight; the point stands, you arent fighting for yourself. You never stop to ask what world you are protecting.
And then your buddy leaves you for those actions; he lost faith in you, and the world as a whole, and begrudgingly leaves you in the dust. Ace Combat Zero from here on, after Pixy leaves, takes on a new tone; the reason you are doing things becomes less and less clear, as the enemy has already given up, and now you're fighting the faction your friend went of to; cause you just cant end this cycle of following whatever order you're given.
But the comfort of just following orders, putting down enemy after enemy whilst being praised for it is now twisted on you. You're seen as a monster, one of you're own making. And you're confronted with doubt.
And then there is the final confrontation.
Pixy, you former ally; asks, ''found your reason to fight yet?'' and it all dawned on me then and there; I hadn't. I had never thought for a second what *I* wanted, stuck in just this idea of surviving, and scrapping by. And now, the game asks me to defend the world; and for what? Pixy himself asks you what this world even has to offer besides pain. But there I began thinking, why would I want to stop v2? Why do I want to refuse the idea of being on the same coin as Pixy? And it all dawned on me that I didn't want to be a hero, or some big leader who was going to amount to something larger then life.
I just wanted to live; that, was my reason to fight. I had come this far, and I did not want my life to end in the shitty situation I was in, and neither did I want that for Cipher, a silent protagonist who I had found myself projecting on a little too much.
So I defeat Pixy, I am now looking over a peaceful horizon; but I didn't really know at that second what I wanted to do; how I was going to fix it. But then Pixy talked about trust. "The world won't change unless we trust people. Trust is vital for a peaceful world-- I may not find what I'm looking for, but I still wanna try."
And it all clicked. I hadn't found my ability yet to trust people again, or to dare to go into the unknown to try look for a better life. I was scared to improve, thinking I would lose myself.
And then in the end, Pixy asked ''Still alive?'' as I am already crying, and I realised how far I had come; how strong I really was for the things I went through and still was able to stand and talk about them. In the end, Cipher vanishes from history. And a year later, I did the same.
I went to the other side of the country, and began living life on my own terms. I have never been happier; I am finally forming into the person I wanted to be. Not a false dream, but for once just living in the real world. I survived. And perhaps that is my answer.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2atlpj7AGXU&ab_channel=AceCombatFan
Its 2021, and I am down on my luck, college drop out, father passed away, and fired from work. I am on the edge of falling back in to bad habits, and dropping any of my wishes to move out of my at the time shitty home.
I am spending Christmas alone again, my father died a few years back, who I used to spend it with, and I never really got along with family besides the old man. As a kid, each night before I went to sleep, he told me the stories of King Arthur, a story I somewhat misguidedly looked up to, wanting to be like the king, not understanding the ramifications of it.
Either way, I follow that ideal; being a leader, building a community, and not really thinking about the deep responsibility of being a figure people need to be able to rely on or that people will come to hate you for being such a person.
Anyway; I am spending Christmas alone, I buy ace combat 7 to kill time; fell in love in an instant, and ended up getting the rest of the games. After playing through 4 and 5, I finally got to Zero; and I never expected the game to change me the way it did. I was now at the same point in life, but my ''friends'' of the time had left me cause they had their own issues. My whole leadership fantasy had fallen apart, and I failed to see the value in the people who were still around me.
And in comes a game about a pilot who falls into the role of King Arthur, the figure I had been chasing to be like for the years since my father died, thinking it would fix me; that it would fulfill and replace the grief I had, the anger I had for my shitty childhood, and more.
I didn't really have a idea as to why I was here, why I survived living on the streets, why I survived abuse, why I even fought; I was lost. But Ace Combat was for a good while something that just, kept my mind of it all; and then finally, with my heart at ease, Ace Combat Zero directly confronted the destructive path I found myself on.
I time and time again did actions, based on others their dreams and ideals, but never my own; Cipher does the same. Cipher just follows the needs of the allied forces; aimlessly, a weapon pointed at others, with no one really caring for who they are, what their dreams or ideals are. Besides Pixy, but even then; you continue your path of violence. No matter what you tell yourself; you're just a merc, a soldier, or doing this for the cause as a knight; the point stands, you arent fighting for yourself. You never stop to ask what world you are protecting.
And then your buddy leaves you for those actions; he lost faith in you, and the world as a whole, and begrudgingly leaves you in the dust. Ace Combat Zero from here on, after Pixy leaves, takes on a new tone; the reason you are doing things becomes less and less clear, as the enemy has already given up, and now you're fighting the faction your friend went of to; cause you just cant end this cycle of following whatever order you're given.
But the comfort of just following orders, putting down enemy after enemy whilst being praised for it is now twisted on you. You're seen as a monster, one of you're own making. And you're confronted with doubt.
And then there is the final confrontation.
Pixy, you former ally; asks, ''found your reason to fight yet?'' and it all dawned on me then and there; I hadn't. I had never thought for a second what *I* wanted, stuck in just this idea of surviving, and scrapping by. And now, the game asks me to defend the world; and for what? Pixy himself asks you what this world even has to offer besides pain. But there I began thinking, why would I want to stop v2? Why do I want to refuse the idea of being on the same coin as Pixy? And it all dawned on me that I didn't want to be a hero, or some big leader who was going to amount to something larger then life.
I just wanted to live; that, was my reason to fight. I had come this far, and I did not want my life to end in the shitty situation I was in, and neither did I want that for Cipher, a silent protagonist who I had found myself projecting on a little too much.
So I defeat Pixy, I am now looking over a peaceful horizon; but I didn't really know at that second what I wanted to do; how I was going to fix it. But then Pixy talked about trust. "The world won't change unless we trust people. Trust is vital for a peaceful world-- I may not find what I'm looking for, but I still wanna try."
And it all clicked. I hadn't found my ability yet to trust people again, or to dare to go into the unknown to try look for a better life. I was scared to improve, thinking I would lose myself.
And then in the end, Pixy asked ''Still alive?'' as I am already crying, and I realised how far I had come; how strong I really was for the things I went through and still was able to stand and talk about them. In the end, Cipher vanishes from history. And a year later, I did the same.
I went to the other side of the country, and began living life on my own terms. I have never been happier; I am finally forming into the person I wanted to be. Not a false dream, but for once just living in the real world. I survived. And perhaps that is my answer.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2atlpj7AGXU&ab_channel=AceCombatFan
I want to do a more detailed write-up on how much I love this game and the things it does so well, it's not my all-time favorite as I think the full package is a bit flawed but I'll never truly stop being so fascinated with this game especially with the troubled production it had.
The levels: Amazing, they're all a can of worms in terms of worldbuilding, which is arguably this game's biggest strength. The scale of the world is incredible with a game that communicates its story through short cutscenes. You learn more about the damage the Mechanists are doing to the city: From the pollution of their unchecked technological advancements, their slaughtering of Pagans and the horrible human experiments, I have a few nitpicks (Mainly that I wish the Hammers didn't get so sidelined) but the package here is still incredible. Karras is legitimately a great and memorable villian, he's intentionally hilarious but still very clearly a huge threat, from his actions, mindset and the fact that he's just too smart for his own good.
Gamplay-wise, the first 10 levels are fantastic, all unique, beatiful locations with secrets that keep you digging around, different objectives and restrictions and even some unexpected plot developments like in Truart's estate.
The obvious stinkers in the bunch are the city levels, but they're short enough not to be too much of a bother.
Garrett is still once again proving that you don't need to make your protagonists super deep for them to be great, giving him a clear and likeable personality and an absolutely killer voice actor is enough to make him greatly memorable.
But not all is well with Thief II, very sadly, you still gotta get through the last part of the game.
For the latter part of the game I wanna focus on the last 3 levels because unfortunately the decline in quality is most noticeable here, the antepenultimate level has pretty haphazard ghosting restrictions and the secrets you're required to find are literally all identical, the pentultimate level is literally what the last level should've been but because you've explored the map it's not nearly as engaging and then you get to the final level.
Sabotage at Soulforge is dreadful, I haven't finished Thief III but I don't think that my opinion of Thief II's final level being the absolute worst in the trilogy will ever change. It's enormous and barren most of the time but when the bots appear oh boy do they appear en masse so kiss your sorry ass chances of doing stealth goobye. Don't even get me started on the tedious moment-to-moment gameplay of making your own tools to complete the main objective and the beacons, they're so far off from each other you'll find yourself backtracking over and over through this unnecessarily large cathedral, huge bummer that one of the most sound stealth games really jumped the shark at the end.
Overall, I can't dwell too much on the end when almost everything else is so masterfully done, the world-building, enviromental storytelling and lore feel like the next step from Thief I and it's so easy to forget these flaws when you're completely immersed in some of this game's greatest levels. Hard recommend for Immersive Sims / Stealth fans. Get it on GOG or download a patch with subtitles. Stephen Russell my beloved.
The levels: Amazing, they're all a can of worms in terms of worldbuilding, which is arguably this game's biggest strength. The scale of the world is incredible with a game that communicates its story through short cutscenes. You learn more about the damage the Mechanists are doing to the city: From the pollution of their unchecked technological advancements, their slaughtering of Pagans and the horrible human experiments, I have a few nitpicks (Mainly that I wish the Hammers didn't get so sidelined) but the package here is still incredible. Karras is legitimately a great and memorable villian, he's intentionally hilarious but still very clearly a huge threat, from his actions, mindset and the fact that he's just too smart for his own good.
Gamplay-wise, the first 10 levels are fantastic, all unique, beatiful locations with secrets that keep you digging around, different objectives and restrictions and even some unexpected plot developments like in Truart's estate.
The obvious stinkers in the bunch are the city levels, but they're short enough not to be too much of a bother.
Garrett is still once again proving that you don't need to make your protagonists super deep for them to be great, giving him a clear and likeable personality and an absolutely killer voice actor is enough to make him greatly memorable.
But not all is well with Thief II, very sadly, you still gotta get through the last part of the game.
For the latter part of the game I wanna focus on the last 3 levels because unfortunately the decline in quality is most noticeable here, the antepenultimate level has pretty haphazard ghosting restrictions and the secrets you're required to find are literally all identical, the pentultimate level is literally what the last level should've been but because you've explored the map it's not nearly as engaging and then you get to the final level.
Sabotage at Soulforge is dreadful, I haven't finished Thief III but I don't think that my opinion of Thief II's final level being the absolute worst in the trilogy will ever change. It's enormous and barren most of the time but when the bots appear oh boy do they appear en masse so kiss your sorry ass chances of doing stealth goobye. Don't even get me started on the tedious moment-to-moment gameplay of making your own tools to complete the main objective and the beacons, they're so far off from each other you'll find yourself backtracking over and over through this unnecessarily large cathedral, huge bummer that one of the most sound stealth games really jumped the shark at the end.
Overall, I can't dwell too much on the end when almost everything else is so masterfully done, the world-building, enviromental storytelling and lore feel like the next step from Thief I and it's so easy to forget these flaws when you're completely immersed in some of this game's greatest levels. Hard recommend for Immersive Sims / Stealth fans. Get it on GOG or download a patch with subtitles. Stephen Russell my beloved.
Sincerely one of the best stealth games ever made. Everything unique and inventive about the first game carries over here with minimal improvements to the formula coming from tightened level design and mechanics related to guard perception and tools. It also graphically is much prettier and can push much more polygons than ever before.
It has a well-made and well-told narrative and is a super immersive experience, especially when you play with 3D sound on and modded back in. The ambient soundtrack is also killer as usual.
Despite this, I am one of those weirdos that prefers Thief: TDP. Dark Project's peaks tend to be higher than 2's, and it has a lot more atmosphere and variety. Also, being real here the final level in 1 as you go deeper into the Chaotic Realm is just so much better than the exasperated, slogfest chore hunt that is 2's final level.
Overall, great last hurrah from Looking Glass. They were way ahead of their time and died off too quick, too soon. Then again, maybe it was for the best, lest we see games like Thief subject to the continuation nightmares from constantly revolving staff like we've been seeing with other franchises.
It has a well-made and well-told narrative and is a super immersive experience, especially when you play with 3D sound on and modded back in. The ambient soundtrack is also killer as usual.
Despite this, I am one of those weirdos that prefers Thief: TDP. Dark Project's peaks tend to be higher than 2's, and it has a lot more atmosphere and variety. Also, being real here the final level in 1 as you go deeper into the Chaotic Realm is just so much better than the exasperated, slogfest chore hunt that is 2's final level.
Overall, great last hurrah from Looking Glass. They were way ahead of their time and died off too quick, too soon. Then again, maybe it was for the best, lest we see games like Thief subject to the continuation nightmares from constantly revolving staff like we've been seeing with other franchises.
hrnnnnngggghhhhhh colonel, this game is the peak of the series
I am going to use Garrett's mechanical eye as a tennis ball
BioShock Infinite
2013
i waited 3 years for this
Grim Fandango
1998
it shone, pale as bone,
as i stood there, alone,
and thought to myself,
how the moon
that night, cast its light
on my heart's true delight
and the reef
where her body
was strewn.
playing without a guide open seems dangerous and ahistorical to me. amazing, iconic game, one of the all-time greats. can't stress enough, though, that you should be looking up the puzzle solutions whenever you're stuck for more than two minutes. that's how it's meant to be played!
as i stood there, alone,
and thought to myself,
how the moon
that night, cast its light
on my heart's true delight
and the reef
where her body
was strewn.
playing without a guide open seems dangerous and ahistorical to me. amazing, iconic game, one of the all-time greats. can't stress enough, though, that you should be looking up the puzzle solutions whenever you're stuck for more than two minutes. that's how it's meant to be played!
probably the definitive game of the PS2 era, and with good reason