PineConesRULE
2024
Right off the bat, TR2 feels a bit more fluid than the first game. Albeit, still using tank controls the game feels just a smidge more refined in that regard. I'm not struggling as much moving around through areas and crevices. That could be due to my playtime with these games as of late, but I think TR2 is just designed better and is more spacious.
There are some jumping with backflip switches added in this game which I had to learn on the fly, which didn’t bother me too much but I wish it was fleshed out better.
I think the heavy amount of variety in gameplay has improved the experience from the last, although it kinda feels like a different game entirely sometimes. Still HARD, but the puzzles aren't as complex. At least in the first half of the game. Also, this game gets insanely dark at times and I mean the lighting. Whether I switched between OG or remaster, some sections were pitch black or pitcher black. The addition of flares though, was neat and taught you to navigate with caution.
The hefty addition of human enemies keeps you on your toes and item management is treated with much more care. I liked this a lot, because it taught me to conserve certain weapons and use my medical kits more wisely.
I'm not sure if I'd say TR2 is favored over TR1, purely for nostalgia purposes. But I think the argument that TR2 is a better game is a fair assessment.
It took me just over 17 hours to finish, and I really loved the beginning and end of this game. The middle section with the rig is a bit of a slog, but a 2nd play through down the road might not be as painful.
There are some jumping with backflip switches added in this game which I had to learn on the fly, which didn’t bother me too much but I wish it was fleshed out better.
I think the heavy amount of variety in gameplay has improved the experience from the last, although it kinda feels like a different game entirely sometimes. Still HARD, but the puzzles aren't as complex. At least in the first half of the game. Also, this game gets insanely dark at times and I mean the lighting. Whether I switched between OG or remaster, some sections were pitch black or pitcher black. The addition of flares though, was neat and taught you to navigate with caution.
The hefty addition of human enemies keeps you on your toes and item management is treated with much more care. I liked this a lot, because it taught me to conserve certain weapons and use my medical kits more wisely.
I'm not sure if I'd say TR2 is favored over TR1, purely for nostalgia purposes. But I think the argument that TR2 is a better game is a fair assessment.
It took me just over 17 hours to finish, and I really loved the beginning and end of this game. The middle section with the rig is a bit of a slog, but a 2nd play through down the road might not be as painful.
2022
First Impressions...
A straight forward and simplistic style, that encourages a strategic approach to the combat. Although it is fun, its aesthetic and gameplay can feel stale pretty quick.
I've been playing in bursts to avoid burnout
A straight forward and simplistic style, that encourages a strategic approach to the combat. Although it is fun, its aesthetic and gameplay can feel stale pretty quick.
I've been playing in bursts to avoid burnout
1997
Right off the bat, TR2 feels a bit more fluid than the first game. Albeit, still using tank controls the game feels just a smidge more refined in that regard. I'm not struggling as much moving around through areas and crevices. That could be due to my playtime with these games as of late, but I think TR2 is just designed better and is more spacious.
There are some jumping with backflip switches added in this game which I had to learn on the fly, which didn’t bother me too much but I wish it was fleshed out better.
I think the heavy amount of variety in gameplay has improved the experience from the last, although it kinda feels like a different game entirely sometimes. Still HARD, but the puzzles aren't as complex. At least in the first half of the game. Also, this game gets insanely dark at times and I mean the lighting. Whether I switched between OG or remaster, some sections were pitch black or pitcher black. The addition of flares though, was neat and taught you to navigate with caution.
The hefty addition of human enemies keeps you on your toes and item management is treated with much more care. I liked this a lot, because it taught me to conserve certain weapons and use my medical kits more wisely.
I'm not sure if I'd say TR2 is favored over TR1, purely for nostalgia purposes. But I think the argument that TR2 is a better game is a fair assessment.
It took me just over 17 hours to finish, and I really loved the beginning and end of this game. The middle section with the rig is a bit of a slog, but a 2nd play through down the road might not be as painful.
There are some jumping with backflip switches added in this game which I had to learn on the fly, which didn’t bother me too much but I wish it was fleshed out better.
I think the heavy amount of variety in gameplay has improved the experience from the last, although it kinda feels like a different game entirely sometimes. Still HARD, but the puzzles aren't as complex. At least in the first half of the game. Also, this game gets insanely dark at times and I mean the lighting. Whether I switched between OG or remaster, some sections were pitch black or pitcher black. The addition of flares though, was neat and taught you to navigate with caution.
The hefty addition of human enemies keeps you on your toes and item management is treated with much more care. I liked this a lot, because it taught me to conserve certain weapons and use my medical kits more wisely.
I'm not sure if I'd say TR2 is favored over TR1, purely for nostalgia purposes. But I think the argument that TR2 is a better game is a fair assessment.
It took me just over 17 hours to finish, and I really loved the beginning and end of this game. The middle section with the rig is a bit of a slog, but a 2nd play through down the road might not be as painful.
Jumped into this DLC before I did literally anything else in New Vegas. Under prepared and under ranked. This was genuinely a very fun challenge to grind through, it had me playing differently and prioritizing my equipment better than I have before.
Although, the repetitious "testing" missions got on my nerves a bit and the exposition here can be exhausting. I'm all for dialogue and world building in games, but nearly 10 mins of talking when I wanna start moving/exploring/and fighting just felt really patronizing.
I liked this DLC, but did not LOVE it in the slightest
Although, the repetitious "testing" missions got on my nerves a bit and the exposition here can be exhausting. I'm all for dialogue and world building in games, but nearly 10 mins of talking when I wanna start moving/exploring/and fighting just felt really patronizing.
I liked this DLC, but did not LOVE it in the slightest
This DLC provided a bag of investment I didn't expect, plus it felt quite short.
It had a lot of thick lore to it and interesting character dynamics going through it. It was also my first time actually snagging a companion in New Vegas lol.
I liked the surroundings it provided, the options it manifested, the weapons I took with me, and the battles within it. There was some spirited variety in this one and definitley my favorite DLC so far for NV.
It had a lot of thick lore to it and interesting character dynamics going through it. It was also my first time actually snagging a companion in New Vegas lol.
I liked the surroundings it provided, the options it manifested, the weapons I took with me, and the battles within it. There was some spirited variety in this one and definitley my favorite DLC so far for NV.
On the creepier side of things when it comes to the typical dryness of the Mojave desert.
Dead Money was quite the labyrinth and proposed a difficulty spike I really didn’t expect. I found myself easily getting lost and eating tons of damage from gasses, traps, and exploding from being in range of my collars airwaves.
I honestly think though, this was the best story DLC so far, but it was tough as nails sometimes and frustrating with its navigation.
A bittersweet expansion with a whole new gameplay style that can be adopted and adored or hated, whilst having a super gripping narrative.
Dead Money was quite the labyrinth and proposed a difficulty spike I really didn’t expect. I found myself easily getting lost and eating tons of damage from gasses, traps, and exploding from being in range of my collars airwaves.
I honestly think though, this was the best story DLC so far, but it was tough as nails sometimes and frustrating with its navigation.
A bittersweet expansion with a whole new gameplay style that can be adopted and adored or hated, whilst having a super gripping narrative.
Leaving the game in F3s engine was a great idea, as someone who is head over heels for that game. It was a smooth transition for me into this new world of fallout. However, I’ve experience more lag in this game in typical playthroughs. The longer I play, the more unplayable it becomes. Which blows. Unsure if that’s the disc, console, or what. But F3, despite having rough FR drops, never got that consistent. The DLC missions however ran smooth as silk, it was primarily on the strip or random parts of the Mojave desert.
New Vegas has a quicker approach and has a few tweaks to the format compared to the previous game. Instead of karma there is reputation which I think is a solid element. Rather than having an overlapping rep amongst the wasteland. You have different reactions from factions and settlements based on what you’ve done for them or to them.
The combat is improved drastically. Melee feels so much smoother, being able to site-in disables the hefty reliance on the VATS system (which is still great)
Dialogue and exposition can get tiresome. I’ve had a few missions where a conversation drags for 10 mins and I’ll be honest. I’m always trying to fully immerse myself into Fallout when I play. But some of the storytelling here can get lost. It didn’t feel as robust as 3’s divisive missions.
That being said though… New Vegas has an overall better narrative than 3. I think where 3 shines over this one is the side missions and visuals of the wastes, whereas New Vegas has a lot more involvement in the players choices in the grand scheme of things. The side missions weren’t as gripping as 3s and I blame that on a rushed schedule I heard this game had.
Fallout New Vegas is a damn near perfect game and one that I will sure as hell revisit. What an experience, especially after watching the show recently. My playtime was nearly 70 hours total and there was still quite a bit to do!
New Vegas has a quicker approach and has a few tweaks to the format compared to the previous game. Instead of karma there is reputation which I think is a solid element. Rather than having an overlapping rep amongst the wasteland. You have different reactions from factions and settlements based on what you’ve done for them or to them.
The combat is improved drastically. Melee feels so much smoother, being able to site-in disables the hefty reliance on the VATS system (which is still great)
Dialogue and exposition can get tiresome. I’ve had a few missions where a conversation drags for 10 mins and I’ll be honest. I’m always trying to fully immerse myself into Fallout when I play. But some of the storytelling here can get lost. It didn’t feel as robust as 3’s divisive missions.
That being said though… New Vegas has an overall better narrative than 3. I think where 3 shines over this one is the side missions and visuals of the wastes, whereas New Vegas has a lot more involvement in the players choices in the grand scheme of things. The side missions weren’t as gripping as 3s and I blame that on a rushed schedule I heard this game had.
Fallout New Vegas is a damn near perfect game and one that I will sure as hell revisit. What an experience, especially after watching the show recently. My playtime was nearly 70 hours total and there was still quite a bit to do!
1997
Genuinely blown away and beyond happy with how much this holds up. For years I’ve talked about how much I love this game and it warms my heart to know I can go back to it and it’s still a masterclass in gaming.
The gameplay here is immaculate. The side steps, ducks, parries, and even the realistic movement of each character. Which is expertly crafted within each character to make them all unique in their gameplay! Including things like the height of the characters and reach. This made characters like Gon really tough and annoying to fight. The entire 3D aspect here is used really well. I was blown away by a sequence where I ran towards my opponent for a takedown and they performed a sidestep sprawl basically to cut the angle and that’s impressive as fuck!
It’s honestly jarring playing Tekken 8 recently then touching back on this to see how similar it really is. I know people like Tekken 1 and 2 a lot, but this here really is where Tekken (in my opinion) really exploded.
Some characters like King, Kuma, Heihachi, and Nina I had some learning curves with whereas Hwoarang, Eddy, Julia, Bryan, and Jin was like riding a bike. I slipped right in and felt at home with them. Fighters I had a real hard time with were Law, Gon, and Xiaoyu.
Tekken Force Mode… this side scrolling beat em up mode is a fun inclusion, but it is frustrating. In order to unlock the last character, you have to beat this 4 times. 1 play through is roughly 8-10 mins and if you die the whole thing starts over. This was my biggest hurdle in my playthrough to unlock all the fighters. I was sweating hard on the 4th playthrough because it added Dr. B as the boss and it was neck and neck until I snagged the victory.
The graphics are obviously rugged, but the cinematics are super impressive and some of the best for the hardware. A lot of the arcade endings are pretty cryptic for the games lore, and some are quite funny. Yoshimitu’s being one of my favs. Also while Yoshimitsu is the most intimidating looking fighter, he’s prob the funniest. I love fighting the guy and he’ll audibly express “ow!” When hit. It’s great.
Tekken 3 is one of the best fighting games I’ve ever experienced. It has a tone that bleeds the 90s with its soundtrack and character designs, all while having an incredible cast of characters that play great to allow for some incredible fights for players.
The gameplay here is immaculate. The side steps, ducks, parries, and even the realistic movement of each character. Which is expertly crafted within each character to make them all unique in their gameplay! Including things like the height of the characters and reach. This made characters like Gon really tough and annoying to fight. The entire 3D aspect here is used really well. I was blown away by a sequence where I ran towards my opponent for a takedown and they performed a sidestep sprawl basically to cut the angle and that’s impressive as fuck!
It’s honestly jarring playing Tekken 8 recently then touching back on this to see how similar it really is. I know people like Tekken 1 and 2 a lot, but this here really is where Tekken (in my opinion) really exploded.
Some characters like King, Kuma, Heihachi, and Nina I had some learning curves with whereas Hwoarang, Eddy, Julia, Bryan, and Jin was like riding a bike. I slipped right in and felt at home with them. Fighters I had a real hard time with were Law, Gon, and Xiaoyu.
Tekken Force Mode… this side scrolling beat em up mode is a fun inclusion, but it is frustrating. In order to unlock the last character, you have to beat this 4 times. 1 play through is roughly 8-10 mins and if you die the whole thing starts over. This was my biggest hurdle in my playthrough to unlock all the fighters. I was sweating hard on the 4th playthrough because it added Dr. B as the boss and it was neck and neck until I snagged the victory.
The graphics are obviously rugged, but the cinematics are super impressive and some of the best for the hardware. A lot of the arcade endings are pretty cryptic for the games lore, and some are quite funny. Yoshimitu’s being one of my favs. Also while Yoshimitsu is the most intimidating looking fighter, he’s prob the funniest. I love fighting the guy and he’ll audibly express “ow!” When hit. It’s great.
Tekken 3 is one of the best fighting games I’ve ever experienced. It has a tone that bleeds the 90s with its soundtrack and character designs, all while having an incredible cast of characters that play great to allow for some incredible fights for players.
2001
Wow, right out of the gate. Max Payne is dark. I’ve only played the 3rd game, so I had some experience going in. I enjoy the comic book aesthetic, and the dialogue is very “Sin City” esc. Slick and meticulously written. Shockingly, this is rated M for “Blood and violence” which is something my folks would’ve passed for back in the day if I wasn’t so intimidated by this games artwork every time I passed it at blockbuster or game stores. It’s creepy, suggestive, and has tons of mature themes that are not only not for younger audiences, due to their graphic nature but totally out of a kids understanding. This shit is wild.
As far as the game itself.
I wish this game had a brightness adjustment option. Some areas are so goddamn dark, it’s tough to see.
The gameplay is very floaty, some action sequences can be a handful and you can easily get shot up if you’re not careful. Although, this was something I got over fairly quick. Rushing through rooms with bullet time and mowing down enemies was a lot of fun. Even though I hardly ever used bullet time. That was primarily due to the frame rate drops during gunfights and that made the game a bit more ugly and tiresome to its pace. One thing I learned while playing is always go with guns. Melee is a turd of an option here. This is especially irritating once you begin Part 2 of the games 3 Part story structure. The difficulty cranks up too.
A slightly frustrating thing here is some unskippable cutscenes that can occur if you die. This again, fucks with the pace. Also checkpoints, they don’t really exist. It’s not Hair pulling though due to how short each level is. Probably clocking in at 2-5 mins if you don’t bite the dust. If you can stick to a nice pace with a shotgun staying hydrated, this game becomes a blast, but once you reach a rough patch it can wear on you heavily.
In the 2nd act of the game and on you’re given more to do rather than run through areas and kill everyone. There are minor obstacles attached to the chapters that’ll require backtracking, pressing buttons to move objects, avoiding traps. These are pretty juvenile in their difficulty, but it adds a bit more to the gameplay.
Overall, Max Payne is a relic of its time. Despite the story which was pretty impressive and gripping. I’m eager as hell for the remake, because I think Max Payne desperately needs some quality of life changes.
As far as the game itself.
I wish this game had a brightness adjustment option. Some areas are so goddamn dark, it’s tough to see.
The gameplay is very floaty, some action sequences can be a handful and you can easily get shot up if you’re not careful. Although, this was something I got over fairly quick. Rushing through rooms with bullet time and mowing down enemies was a lot of fun. Even though I hardly ever used bullet time. That was primarily due to the frame rate drops during gunfights and that made the game a bit more ugly and tiresome to its pace. One thing I learned while playing is always go with guns. Melee is a turd of an option here. This is especially irritating once you begin Part 2 of the games 3 Part story structure. The difficulty cranks up too.
A slightly frustrating thing here is some unskippable cutscenes that can occur if you die. This again, fucks with the pace. Also checkpoints, they don’t really exist. It’s not Hair pulling though due to how short each level is. Probably clocking in at 2-5 mins if you don’t bite the dust. If you can stick to a nice pace with a shotgun staying hydrated, this game becomes a blast, but once you reach a rough patch it can wear on you heavily.
In the 2nd act of the game and on you’re given more to do rather than run through areas and kill everyone. There are minor obstacles attached to the chapters that’ll require backtracking, pressing buttons to move objects, avoiding traps. These are pretty juvenile in their difficulty, but it adds a bit more to the gameplay.
Overall, Max Payne is a relic of its time. Despite the story which was pretty impressive and gripping. I’m eager as hell for the remake, because I think Max Payne desperately needs some quality of life changes.
“Mom! Can I get Crash Bandicoot or Spyro?”
“No, you have that at home.”
Essentially, that’s what Croc is. It’s a blend of the two, without the fluidity or charisma of the other two icons. It has the Spyro-like levels where they’re a little more open and you can traverse back and forth, up and down and is on a more traditional 3D playing field. Has Crash like elements like the spin attack, jump and smash, also naming every level with a pun, and has a derivative look to the maps where you move island to island and work your way to the top. To top it all off, fucking tank controls. Doesn’t work well for a game like this when you need to be fast for platforming…
Visually, Croc is colorful and very friendly. A lot of the enemies look like different variants of Elmo.
There isn’t much of a challenge. At least in the first world. The second and on, the platforming starts to hinder things and it becomes vastly more difficult. The game doesn’t give you a ton of visual hints so you’re left kinda figuring out what you want to do. Its clunk doesn’t help, and some of the more “innovative” mechanics are pretty sluggish. The jello jumps are rough to blend together with a fun pace. They can easily keep you from making distant jumps and set you back. It feels more like the fault of the design rather than your capability lol. The ground is very slippery, so grip that controller tight and focus hard on jumps onto tiny platforms. The amount of times I’d just, stick the landing, then slide just a smidge and fall really got my blood pressure skyrocketing.
The game encourages backtracking, but doesn’t really present a reason to? I guess to gather more crystals or furry dudes to increase your life count, but with the manual saves and passwords. It doesn’t feel super warranted.
The boss fights are too easy and boring, and the bonus rooms are too risky. You can spend a level collecting crystals to go into a bonus room to die and lose everything. It can be hair pulling.
Croc was left better in my memory, and pulling it out recently was a violent reminder of how nostalgia can paint pretty pictures of the past. I know all the bs drama behind this games manifestation, and that plays in part sorta to lack of strength this game has. When it’s all said and done, there are so many more games better than Croc in its genre and it doesn’t do anything really to stand out far enough from the crowd to really warrant your time.
“No, you have that at home.”
Essentially, that’s what Croc is. It’s a blend of the two, without the fluidity or charisma of the other two icons. It has the Spyro-like levels where they’re a little more open and you can traverse back and forth, up and down and is on a more traditional 3D playing field. Has Crash like elements like the spin attack, jump and smash, also naming every level with a pun, and has a derivative look to the maps where you move island to island and work your way to the top. To top it all off, fucking tank controls. Doesn’t work well for a game like this when you need to be fast for platforming…
Visually, Croc is colorful and very friendly. A lot of the enemies look like different variants of Elmo.
There isn’t much of a challenge. At least in the first world. The second and on, the platforming starts to hinder things and it becomes vastly more difficult. The game doesn’t give you a ton of visual hints so you’re left kinda figuring out what you want to do. Its clunk doesn’t help, and some of the more “innovative” mechanics are pretty sluggish. The jello jumps are rough to blend together with a fun pace. They can easily keep you from making distant jumps and set you back. It feels more like the fault of the design rather than your capability lol. The ground is very slippery, so grip that controller tight and focus hard on jumps onto tiny platforms. The amount of times I’d just, stick the landing, then slide just a smidge and fall really got my blood pressure skyrocketing.
The game encourages backtracking, but doesn’t really present a reason to? I guess to gather more crystals or furry dudes to increase your life count, but with the manual saves and passwords. It doesn’t feel super warranted.
The boss fights are too easy and boring, and the bonus rooms are too risky. You can spend a level collecting crystals to go into a bonus room to die and lose everything. It can be hair pulling.
Croc was left better in my memory, and pulling it out recently was a violent reminder of how nostalgia can paint pretty pictures of the past. I know all the bs drama behind this games manifestation, and that plays in part sorta to lack of strength this game has. When it’s all said and done, there are so many more games better than Croc in its genre and it doesn’t do anything really to stand out far enough from the crowd to really warrant your time.
This is an ugly ass game, but that does nothing but add to its charm.
Although it’s filled with flaws from California to New York, this adaptation somehow sticks the landing with a limp after the fact.
Its gameplay is loose, but after a handful of ps1 playthroughs recently. That seems to be the common connection between games of the era.
I can’t get my head around the decision of the games POV system. It’s a 3rd person game, but holy shit, why the bird or gods eye perspective?? Limiting your view of what’s up ahead is frustrating and will add a layer of difficulty to the platforming. Overall, this ultimately does nothing but add to the hilarity of this game.
I forget how much this expands on the lore of the already convoluted and stupid plot of Phantom Menace. A lot of things are expanded upon and the use of dialogue choices, guiding your levels into other directions really makes this the best way to soak in the story of Episode One.
Pros: the gameplay is easy to mold into, the RPG elements are actually pretty neat and allow for you to bend levels into the direction of your decision making! Plus the game is unintentionally funny at times and quotable.
Cons: the escort mission in level 5 is a pain. Fuck that queen, man. The Mos Espa level, although very nostalgic and notoriously everyone’s favorite level. Is a complicated maze, you’re never directed exactly where to go and you’re just kinda left wandering around and with the games limited view it’s even more painful to play. Also the lightsaber fights with Maul feel like I’m just hitting the guy with a wiffle ball bat. Nothing satisfying there.
Although it’s filled with flaws from California to New York, this adaptation somehow sticks the landing with a limp after the fact.
Its gameplay is loose, but after a handful of ps1 playthroughs recently. That seems to be the common connection between games of the era.
I can’t get my head around the decision of the games POV system. It’s a 3rd person game, but holy shit, why the bird or gods eye perspective?? Limiting your view of what’s up ahead is frustrating and will add a layer of difficulty to the platforming. Overall, this ultimately does nothing but add to the hilarity of this game.
I forget how much this expands on the lore of the already convoluted and stupid plot of Phantom Menace. A lot of things are expanded upon and the use of dialogue choices, guiding your levels into other directions really makes this the best way to soak in the story of Episode One.
Pros: the gameplay is easy to mold into, the RPG elements are actually pretty neat and allow for you to bend levels into the direction of your decision making! Plus the game is unintentionally funny at times and quotable.
Cons: the escort mission in level 5 is a pain. Fuck that queen, man. The Mos Espa level, although very nostalgic and notoriously everyone’s favorite level. Is a complicated maze, you’re never directed exactly where to go and you’re just kinda left wandering around and with the games limited view it’s even more painful to play. Also the lightsaber fights with Maul feel like I’m just hitting the guy with a wiffle ball bat. Nothing satisfying there.