PinkCheese
This is one of those games where I genuinely cannot understand how there are people who don't like it. Its literally just five hours of peak. I can never get enough of it.
A fairly middle of the road 7th gen military shooter. It tries its best to be Uncharted but "tactical", and it couldn't ever hope to get there. Weirdly enough the forced stealth missions were my favorite part. Idk its fine but forgettable.
This game had a lot to live up to sharing a name with the most iconic game in the series and I think it almost gets there? At least in terms of the campaign. The story is full of plotholes and you can smell the US military boot on their breath as they're telling it to you, but the characters are fun, and the gameplay in the campaign is stellar. It has some of my favorite missions in the entire series, like Alone, a mission where you're alone and injured in a town full of people trying to kill you as you're sneaking around and scrounging for supplies just trying to survive, or Recon By Fire, a mission that starts as an homage to All Ghillied Up from COD4, and goes into being an open ended sandbox where you have to clear out a few buildings taking out people in one of a few different ways, with a surprising amount of freedom.
I have problems with the multiplayer, mostly relating to progression, but just as a game to play it is really great. The guns feel great and you have tons of customization to make them feel exactly how you want them to. The progression sucks though. I hate having to use weapons I don't want to just to unlock the guns I do want to. Just let me level up a little bit and get my MP5 goddammit don't make me use this battle rifle to then unlock this assault rifle to finally unlock the smg. Other than that I really love it, it's the best one since the last Modern Warfare.
I haven't touched Spec Ops yet so I won't comment on that, but I HAVE played a bunch of Warzone and a bit of DMZ and both are a whole lot of fun. Warzone is a very fun battle royale, mostly because it's built on this game's already incredible gunplay. Nothing gets my heart pounding like being in the last few players, other battle royales don't give me that feeling anymore but I just have a lot of fun with Warzone so I get more invested in the matches.
DMZ from what I've heard is basically just Escape From Tarkov. Now I haven't played Tarkov, but I'm starting to think I might need to. This mode is a lot of fun. I haven't played much of it mostly because it requires a team, but if I had one I would be playing much more of it.
Overall, I think this game is great. It's one of the best CODs in years, but also has some incredibly stupid shit in it. All of my complaints with the campaign can be easily summed up with this. They put No Russian in the after credits scene and just made it 9/11-2. What the fuck were they thinking?
I have problems with the multiplayer, mostly relating to progression, but just as a game to play it is really great. The guns feel great and you have tons of customization to make them feel exactly how you want them to. The progression sucks though. I hate having to use weapons I don't want to just to unlock the guns I do want to. Just let me level up a little bit and get my MP5 goddammit don't make me use this battle rifle to then unlock this assault rifle to finally unlock the smg. Other than that I really love it, it's the best one since the last Modern Warfare.
I haven't touched Spec Ops yet so I won't comment on that, but I HAVE played a bunch of Warzone and a bit of DMZ and both are a whole lot of fun. Warzone is a very fun battle royale, mostly because it's built on this game's already incredible gunplay. Nothing gets my heart pounding like being in the last few players, other battle royales don't give me that feeling anymore but I just have a lot of fun with Warzone so I get more invested in the matches.
DMZ from what I've heard is basically just Escape From Tarkov. Now I haven't played Tarkov, but I'm starting to think I might need to. This mode is a lot of fun. I haven't played much of it mostly because it requires a team, but if I had one I would be playing much more of it.
Overall, I think this game is great. It's one of the best CODs in years, but also has some incredibly stupid shit in it. All of my complaints with the campaign can be easily summed up with this. They put No Russian in the after credits scene and just made it 9/11-2. What the fuck were they thinking?
2022
This review contains spoilers
I liked God of War (2018) quite a bit, but I had a few problems with it that I felt kept it from reaching it's full potential. Ragnarök is that full potential realized. It is improved in quite literally every aspect. The story has more going on while also being more tightly written, the combat is fleshed out in ways that I definitely wasn't expecting, and the realms themselves are better realized than they ever were before.
I'll start with the combat as that is the thing I have the least to say about. Overall it feels very familiar to 2018, but has some fun new things going on that make it feel fresh. The axe and the blades are about the same as before, just refined. The main addition is the new weapon, the Draupnir Spear, a spear that can create infinite copies of itself. The spear is incredibly satisfying to use, its probably my favorite weapon in the game. Impaling enemies with it and leaving the copy that you can then blow up in them feels incredible. Another area 2018 was lacking in was enemy and boss variety, and this is yet another place that is much improved upon. There are many more types of normal enemies, and an even greater variety of bosses. Every few hours in the main story I was fighting a unique boss, where in 2018 there were only maybe three in the main story. I even felt compelled to complete the postgame this time and I had a hell of a time with the "super" bosses.
The story this time around was front to back an improvement. Every cutscene in this game was at the same level as the peaks of 2018 with none of the valleys. Seeing the relationship between Kratos and Atreus grow stronger even through the rough patches was incredibly heartwarming and I'm still shocked at how they managed to make Kratos into such an incredibly compelling character. Mimir basically being a second dad to Atreus was a welcome addition. Him being more compassionate and open while Kratos is still trying to be that way was a nice dynamic. The rest of the cast is no slouch either. I loved Brok and Sindri this time around and felt they were much improved from just the funny haha shopkeeps in the last game. Freya was given much more depth this time around, making her feel like a real character, unlike last time where it felt like she wasn't given enough time to be fully realized. The Aesir were incredibly well done. Getting to spend time with them and slowly realize that most of them are just more victims of Odin was such a smart decision, it was a nice way to make them feel more like real people than just one note bad guys. Odin himself was a treat. Watching him be willing to do anything and everything just for his one selfish desire that he has spent centuries trying to fulfill gave him enough depth to keep him from being too one note. He was also incredibly well acted, in fact that goes for everybody in the game. There isn't a single miss in the entire cast, everybody gives it their all, even for characters that have barely any screen time. I can't say enough good things about the story this time around.
I don't have much to say about the realms themselves, they are mostly really well designed levels that only have one real flaw and even that isn't a big deal. They aren't very fun to re-navigate during post game cleanup. That's it. I guess this is actually what I had to say the least about. Huh.
I have spent most of this year certain that Elden Ring would be my GOTY, but after this I need to take some time to think some more. I can't recommend it enough.
I'll start with the combat as that is the thing I have the least to say about. Overall it feels very familiar to 2018, but has some fun new things going on that make it feel fresh. The axe and the blades are about the same as before, just refined. The main addition is the new weapon, the Draupnir Spear, a spear that can create infinite copies of itself. The spear is incredibly satisfying to use, its probably my favorite weapon in the game. Impaling enemies with it and leaving the copy that you can then blow up in them feels incredible. Another area 2018 was lacking in was enemy and boss variety, and this is yet another place that is much improved upon. There are many more types of normal enemies, and an even greater variety of bosses. Every few hours in the main story I was fighting a unique boss, where in 2018 there were only maybe three in the main story. I even felt compelled to complete the postgame this time and I had a hell of a time with the "super" bosses.
The story this time around was front to back an improvement. Every cutscene in this game was at the same level as the peaks of 2018 with none of the valleys. Seeing the relationship between Kratos and Atreus grow stronger even through the rough patches was incredibly heartwarming and I'm still shocked at how they managed to make Kratos into such an incredibly compelling character. Mimir basically being a second dad to Atreus was a welcome addition. Him being more compassionate and open while Kratos is still trying to be that way was a nice dynamic. The rest of the cast is no slouch either. I loved Brok and Sindri this time around and felt they were much improved from just the funny haha shopkeeps in the last game. Freya was given much more depth this time around, making her feel like a real character, unlike last time where it felt like she wasn't given enough time to be fully realized. The Aesir were incredibly well done. Getting to spend time with them and slowly realize that most of them are just more victims of Odin was such a smart decision, it was a nice way to make them feel more like real people than just one note bad guys. Odin himself was a treat. Watching him be willing to do anything and everything just for his one selfish desire that he has spent centuries trying to fulfill gave him enough depth to keep him from being too one note. He was also incredibly well acted, in fact that goes for everybody in the game. There isn't a single miss in the entire cast, everybody gives it their all, even for characters that have barely any screen time. I can't say enough good things about the story this time around.
I don't have much to say about the realms themselves, they are mostly really well designed levels that only have one real flaw and even that isn't a big deal. They aren't very fun to re-navigate during post game cleanup. That's it. I guess this is actually what I had to say the least about. Huh.
I have spent most of this year certain that Elden Ring would be my GOTY, but after this I need to take some time to think some more. I can't recommend it enough.
2022
A very well done survival horror game. It is very obviously inspired by Silent Hill, and while I don't think its better than any of the ones I've played so far (1-3), it is still incredible. It has one of the most well realized aesthetics I've ever seen. Every aspect of the game works towards making it work. I'm not going to say much about the story because you should really go into it blind. If you like classic survival horror games even a little bit, this is a must play.
2021
One of the best feeling shooters I've ever played with an incredibly gorgeous and well realized world. Thankfully the roguelike stuff isn't too intrusive. Sadly, it falls apart with the story. It spoils its twist at the very beginning and then spends the rest of the game actively trying to ruin the really cool world they built. Would definitely recommend it though.
2022
I haven't been this happy with a game in years. Peak fiction.
I've never been much of a Star Wars fan. Despite that I have watched a lot of it and played even more. That makes me feel confident in saying that this is probably the best thing to ever come from the prequels.
There isn't much of a story, but what story it has is greatly uplifted by its characters. Your squad are all incredibly charismatic, likeable characters. They did a great job of making them feel distinct despite them all being clones. They aren't deep by any means, but when the game threw the "are you invested" test at me, I definitely passed.
The game plays like a fairly standard console shooter of its time. Closer to something like Medal of Honor: European Assault than more tactical PC shooters like Rainbow Six 3. It does have tactical elements, you can order your squad around and make decisions like whether to breach a door with explosives or to slice the console and sneak in, but the friendly AI mostly takes care of itself so it feels more like a standard shooter for the most part. The worst part about the gameplay is the weapon limit. Three of your four weapon slots are all attachments for your blaster. You only get to carry one additional weapon. What makes it worse is that all the other weapons are the coolest in the game. You get a really cool Trandoshan shotgun and an LMG. You get a Geonosian beam weapon that has clicking finger-like machines on its side that speed up when firing, drawing the blood from the bugs and using it as a weapon. You can even use the Wookie bowcaster! That alone is my biggest problem with the game, you don't get to use all the cool weapons as often as you should.
Speaking of Wookies, when you get to Kashyyyk you can feel the budget and time starting to run out. You start to notice padding that hasn't really been in the game prior, on top of the overall lack of polish in that part of the game. The last act on Kashyyyk is the only part of the game I found noticeable bugs. Nothing game-breaking mind you, but distracting all the same.
This is very much a game that you should play. It is one of the best Star Wars games, with a cool new take on the setting that is darker and grittier, but still recognizably Star Wars. Seeing the world from this perspective is a breath of fresh air honestly, it was nice to see. If any Star Wars game deserves a reboot/sequel, its this one.
There isn't much of a story, but what story it has is greatly uplifted by its characters. Your squad are all incredibly charismatic, likeable characters. They did a great job of making them feel distinct despite them all being clones. They aren't deep by any means, but when the game threw the "are you invested" test at me, I definitely passed.
The game plays like a fairly standard console shooter of its time. Closer to something like Medal of Honor: European Assault than more tactical PC shooters like Rainbow Six 3. It does have tactical elements, you can order your squad around and make decisions like whether to breach a door with explosives or to slice the console and sneak in, but the friendly AI mostly takes care of itself so it feels more like a standard shooter for the most part. The worst part about the gameplay is the weapon limit. Three of your four weapon slots are all attachments for your blaster. You only get to carry one additional weapon. What makes it worse is that all the other weapons are the coolest in the game. You get a really cool Trandoshan shotgun and an LMG. You get a Geonosian beam weapon that has clicking finger-like machines on its side that speed up when firing, drawing the blood from the bugs and using it as a weapon. You can even use the Wookie bowcaster! That alone is my biggest problem with the game, you don't get to use all the cool weapons as often as you should.
Speaking of Wookies, when you get to Kashyyyk you can feel the budget and time starting to run out. You start to notice padding that hasn't really been in the game prior, on top of the overall lack of polish in that part of the game. The last act on Kashyyyk is the only part of the game I found noticeable bugs. Nothing game-breaking mind you, but distracting all the same.
This is very much a game that you should play. It is one of the best Star Wars games, with a cool new take on the setting that is darker and grittier, but still recognizably Star Wars. Seeing the world from this perspective is a breath of fresh air honestly, it was nice to see. If any Star Wars game deserves a reboot/sequel, its this one.
Playing this right after City has put it better into perspective for me. It is very much a "fuck Knight won't be done for another few years, here other team make a game" type of game, yet it doesn't feel as cynical as many of those that I've played. This is a very talented team with the unenviable job of following up what many would consider the best game of it's generation, and certainly the best Batman game up to that point, but I think they pulled it off really damn well. It fixes a lot of my problems with City while sadly introducing a few of its own.
The combat this time is basically just City again. It feels basically the same, with a few small tweaks. Hitting dudes in these games just feels so damn satisfying. The shock gloves were a nice addition, rewarding you for playing well by making it easier to recover from mistakes. The open world is my first real problem with this game. It's bigger than City's, adding the part of Gotham that was across the bridge, but sadly adding that extra made it feel just a little bloated. Not as bad as most open world games, but just a smidge too big for the City traversal system. It wouldn't be too bad if getting between sections of the city didn't require you to cross a bridge that just has nothing going on. It's mostly just wasted space. The one place Origins is an unarguable improvement over City is the boss fights. Some people call Mr. Freeze the best boss in the series, and I'm not going to call them wrong for that, but overall I think Origins has the best fights in the series. The Deathstroke fight is my personal favorite in the series. It really feels like you're fighting against Batman's equal and it is incredibly satisfying to figure him out.
The story was the biggest disappointment in City for me, so it's nice to see that they didn't flounder here in Origins. It's a nice little early years Batman story, of course about how he met the Joker. It's nothing too complicated, but its well written enough with some great character moments for Bruce. Now, some people may have problems with the new voice actors for Batman and Joker, but I liked them quite a bit. The main problem is that Kevin Conroy and Mark Hamill are the perfect voices for them. No one will ever live up to them. If you can set that aside though, Roger Craig Smith and Troy Baker do really great jobs.
I like Arkham Origins a lot. Like a lot, a lot. I used to call it my favorite in the series. Having now played it and City back to back, I can say they are about equal to me now. Both have strengths and weaknesses, but one thing's for sure. They are both stellar games.
The combat this time is basically just City again. It feels basically the same, with a few small tweaks. Hitting dudes in these games just feels so damn satisfying. The shock gloves were a nice addition, rewarding you for playing well by making it easier to recover from mistakes. The open world is my first real problem with this game. It's bigger than City's, adding the part of Gotham that was across the bridge, but sadly adding that extra made it feel just a little bloated. Not as bad as most open world games, but just a smidge too big for the City traversal system. It wouldn't be too bad if getting between sections of the city didn't require you to cross a bridge that just has nothing going on. It's mostly just wasted space. The one place Origins is an unarguable improvement over City is the boss fights. Some people call Mr. Freeze the best boss in the series, and I'm not going to call them wrong for that, but overall I think Origins has the best fights in the series. The Deathstroke fight is my personal favorite in the series. It really feels like you're fighting against Batman's equal and it is incredibly satisfying to figure him out.
The story was the biggest disappointment in City for me, so it's nice to see that they didn't flounder here in Origins. It's a nice little early years Batman story, of course about how he met the Joker. It's nothing too complicated, but its well written enough with some great character moments for Bruce. Now, some people may have problems with the new voice actors for Batman and Joker, but I liked them quite a bit. The main problem is that Kevin Conroy and Mark Hamill are the perfect voices for them. No one will ever live up to them. If you can set that aside though, Roger Craig Smith and Troy Baker do really great jobs.
I like Arkham Origins a lot. Like a lot, a lot. I used to call it my favorite in the series. Having now played it and City back to back, I can say they are about equal to me now. Both have strengths and weaknesses, but one thing's for sure. They are both stellar games.
2011
Having recently replayed Asylum, I've found a new appreciation for City. Arkham City itself is a really cool setting. The story reasons for it existing are really stupid, but the location itself is really interesting. The open world was much better than I remembered, being small enough to be easy to traverse, while being dense enough to constantly be finding new things and never have it get stale.
The combat in City is much improved over Asylum, feeling more kinetic and more impactful while simultaneously giving you more options at any given moment. The boss fights are much improved, but they still aren't great, the only real highlight being the final boss. I think the Ra's fight is cool conceptually but in terms of gameplay its just a big group of normal enemies to fight.
My only real complaint here is the story. It has it's moments and in general is pretty good but it drops the ball at times it really shouldn't. Hugo Strange is wasted here. They spend the whole game building up Protocol 10, but when it comes time for it to happen it doesn't feel like a massive event it just feels like they got more invested in the Joker story but realized last minute they had to wrap up both Strange and Ra's al Ghul's story so they just kinda rushed an ending. Sadly, that goes for the actual ending too. It feels rushed and while what happens is impactful, it needed more buildup. It feels like about half of that entire Joker story happened right there in those last couple cutscenes and it needed more room to breathe. Most of the game is well paced but after a certain point it felt incredibly rushed. I also don't like the way Harley is just kinda thrown to the side for most of the game. The only times she actually does anything is at the beginning and in the DLC.
I actually really liked the DLCs. The Catwoman stuff was really fun and a nice change of pace. I actually really like Catwoman in this game in general. I like her design a lot and think she's a really fun character. The other DLC that takes place after the end of the game was a nice epilogue that I felt the game itself was sorely lacking. For starters, they actually gave Robin something to do instead of the one cutscene he gets in the main game. It also is the only time in the game Harley feels like she's actually doing something. I like her mourning design a lot too.
The combat in City is much improved over Asylum, feeling more kinetic and more impactful while simultaneously giving you more options at any given moment. The boss fights are much improved, but they still aren't great, the only real highlight being the final boss. I think the Ra's fight is cool conceptually but in terms of gameplay its just a big group of normal enemies to fight.
My only real complaint here is the story. It has it's moments and in general is pretty good but it drops the ball at times it really shouldn't. Hugo Strange is wasted here. They spend the whole game building up Protocol 10, but when it comes time for it to happen it doesn't feel like a massive event it just feels like they got more invested in the Joker story but realized last minute they had to wrap up both Strange and Ra's al Ghul's story so they just kinda rushed an ending. Sadly, that goes for the actual ending too. It feels rushed and while what happens is impactful, it needed more buildup. It feels like about half of that entire Joker story happened right there in those last couple cutscenes and it needed more room to breathe. Most of the game is well paced but after a certain point it felt incredibly rushed. I also don't like the way Harley is just kinda thrown to the side for most of the game. The only times she actually does anything is at the beginning and in the DLC.
I actually really liked the DLCs. The Catwoman stuff was really fun and a nice change of pace. I actually really like Catwoman in this game in general. I like her design a lot and think she's a really fun character. The other DLC that takes place after the end of the game was a nice epilogue that I felt the game itself was sorely lacking. For starters, they actually gave Robin something to do instead of the one cutscene he gets in the main game. It also is the only time in the game Harley feels like she's actually doing something. I like her mourning design a lot too.
2009
This is a fairly standard shooter from seventh gen. That alone says a lot, but this holds up better than most of those do. The guns feel really good and the more paranormal weapons are really cool. I was surprised by the structure, the hub was a nice addition that was fun to explore for a bit. I don't like this as much as The New Order and The Old Blood, but I'd rather play this than 3D.
2022
This review contains spoilers
I have a lot of thoughts about Scorn, but some of them genuinely feel hard to put to words. The world of Scorn is a depressing nightmare, while simultaneously being one of the most visually stunning, well realized worlds I've ever seen. It makes you feel disgusted, while also staying intriguing enough to make you want to learn more. Working your way through the game trying to figure out what happened to this civilization that has fallen by piecing the few scraps it gives you together is incredibly engaging. There is little direct story telling, with the few cutscenes having no dialogue, and there only being one character, that being the player. Most of the story, and the game's themes as a whole, are things left for the player to infer from the incredible environmental art.
Now the thing that seems to be turning off most people is the gameplay, but I find that hard to understand. The combat isn't great, its mediocre at best and frustrating at worst, but there isn't really much of it in the game at all. This is a puzzle game that makes you shoot things occasionally. The challenge of the combat is the fact that the ranged enemies can be very cheap and for about half of the game you only have a terrible melee weapon, its not fun, its just aggravating. The most it challenges you is at the end of the game where you have to fight a boss, but at the end of the day that is still just a puzzle that you have to solve, just with a gun. The boss fight isn't skill-based, you just have to solve the fairly simple puzzle that you are provided.
Now the other part of the gameplay, the part that seems to be incredibly divisive, are the puzzles. I've seen people who say the puzzles are boring and brain dead, and I've seen people who say the puzzles are too difficult and frustrating. I've seen tons of people who love the puzzles, and I've seen tons of people who really hate the puzzles. Me personally, I really love them. They are perfectly in that sweet spot where they aren't simple enough to be boring, but they aren't difficult enough to be frustrating. The biggest filter seems to be the slide puzzle at the start. For some reason they thought made for a good first puzzle even though it'll take most people more time than they've even spent in the game up to that point. It took me about 20 minutes, and I had only played the game for 10 maybe 15 minutes when I found it.
So the thing that I've had to spend the most time gathering my thoughts about is what the hell does it all mean? It seems like it should be a very simple question, but in reality there's a lot more to think about than one might think. The obvious answer is parenthood. There's a lot of symbolism about sex and the ending literally has you being carried by a pregnant lady towards a giant vagina. You can also read the parasite as an overbearing parent, it keeping you from moving into the next stage of life and "sheltering" you from it by turning you into a giant tree. The player at the beginning starts as something that looks very similar to the parasite, which could lead you to believe that it this is a cycle, the cycle of abusive parents leading to more abusive parents and so on. You could also read these things as a metaphor for being stillborn, the player dying in the womb right before they're born. There are many ways to interpret the game, which means there really can't be a "correct" way to interpret it, I just think its a fun thing to talk about.
Overall, I really like Scorn, but it seems like a game made specifically for weirdos like me who love playing weird and obscure adventure games that can be overly cryptic. I don't understand all the hate for it, but I can't blame someone for feeling that way about it. If Microsoft hadn't marketed this as a big Xbox exclusive, we wouldn't be having this discussion. It was a game meant to be a weird little niche game that people would stumble upon randomly, not a game that should have been put in front of the average gamer the way it was, but that's not the game's fault, its Microsoft's. For a small team in Serbia, they did a damn good job.
Now the thing that seems to be turning off most people is the gameplay, but I find that hard to understand. The combat isn't great, its mediocre at best and frustrating at worst, but there isn't really much of it in the game at all. This is a puzzle game that makes you shoot things occasionally. The challenge of the combat is the fact that the ranged enemies can be very cheap and for about half of the game you only have a terrible melee weapon, its not fun, its just aggravating. The most it challenges you is at the end of the game where you have to fight a boss, but at the end of the day that is still just a puzzle that you have to solve, just with a gun. The boss fight isn't skill-based, you just have to solve the fairly simple puzzle that you are provided.
Now the other part of the gameplay, the part that seems to be incredibly divisive, are the puzzles. I've seen people who say the puzzles are boring and brain dead, and I've seen people who say the puzzles are too difficult and frustrating. I've seen tons of people who love the puzzles, and I've seen tons of people who really hate the puzzles. Me personally, I really love them. They are perfectly in that sweet spot where they aren't simple enough to be boring, but they aren't difficult enough to be frustrating. The biggest filter seems to be the slide puzzle at the start. For some reason they thought made for a good first puzzle even though it'll take most people more time than they've even spent in the game up to that point. It took me about 20 minutes, and I had only played the game for 10 maybe 15 minutes when I found it.
So the thing that I've had to spend the most time gathering my thoughts about is what the hell does it all mean? It seems like it should be a very simple question, but in reality there's a lot more to think about than one might think. The obvious answer is parenthood. There's a lot of symbolism about sex and the ending literally has you being carried by a pregnant lady towards a giant vagina. You can also read the parasite as an overbearing parent, it keeping you from moving into the next stage of life and "sheltering" you from it by turning you into a giant tree. The player at the beginning starts as something that looks very similar to the parasite, which could lead you to believe that it this is a cycle, the cycle of abusive parents leading to more abusive parents and so on. You could also read these things as a metaphor for being stillborn, the player dying in the womb right before they're born. There are many ways to interpret the game, which means there really can't be a "correct" way to interpret it, I just think its a fun thing to talk about.
Overall, I really like Scorn, but it seems like a game made specifically for weirdos like me who love playing weird and obscure adventure games that can be overly cryptic. I don't understand all the hate for it, but I can't blame someone for feeling that way about it. If Microsoft hadn't marketed this as a big Xbox exclusive, we wouldn't be having this discussion. It was a game meant to be a weird little niche game that people would stumble upon randomly, not a game that should have been put in front of the average gamer the way it was, but that's not the game's fault, its Microsoft's. For a small team in Serbia, they did a damn good job.
1998
A cool little adventure game that sadly never came over back in the day. It reminds me a lot of something like Echo Night, just without as interesting of a story. It builds a really strong atmosphere early on that sadly disappears as soon as you realize all the threats are scripted. Still I really like the setting. Seeing this school that is all decorated for a festival be turned into this horrific environment was really cool. I like the monster design too. It has some really nice looking monsters that hold up really well. I was actually surprised how well the visuals held up in general. All the character models have more moving parts than I was expecting and generally look pretty nice for a PS1 game, and the environmental design plays a huge part in building that tense atmosphere.
The story itself is goofy but has a couple good moments and an ending that caught me off guard in the weirdest way. I certainly wasn't expecting the threats themselves to be what they were. The fan translation is really well done, if you took out some of the swearing you could have seen this being official back in the 90s.
Progression can be obtuse but thankfully it's never too bad, I managed to beat the game in about two and a half hours without a guide so it goes pretty quickly. If you can stomach dealing with the control scheme of a PS1 first person game, I'd definitely say give this a go! It's a nice spooky time game that at the very least has some killer vibes.
The story itself is goofy but has a couple good moments and an ending that caught me off guard in the weirdest way. I certainly wasn't expecting the threats themselves to be what they were. The fan translation is really well done, if you took out some of the swearing you could have seen this being official back in the 90s.
Progression can be obtuse but thankfully it's never too bad, I managed to beat the game in about two and a half hours without a guide so it goes pretty quickly. If you can stomach dealing with the control scheme of a PS1 first person game, I'd definitely say give this a go! It's a nice spooky time game that at the very least has some killer vibes.
2022
This is my favorite shooter since Doom Eternal. The rhythm aspects add so much to the gameplay, more people need to do this kind of thing. It's overwhelming at first but once you get a hang of it, it is so satisfying. Doing more damage on its own is more than enough reason to stay on rhythm, but it also builds your score multiplier. When that hits max level, the vocals kick in, and when the vocals kick in they go hard.
The soundtrack of this game is genuinely incredible and I'm so happy it exists. It's just an expertly crafted metal album that kicks so much ass. I actually got goosebumps when the final boss music kicked in.
The story isn't much but its good enough for what it is. It's elevated immensely by Troy Baker's narration. You can get away with a lot when there's someone with a thick southern drawl narrating the whole thing.
I went into this game expecting it to be good, but what I didn't expect was a very strong GOTY contender. I'm gonna have to mull it over a little more but this could easily find itself in my top 5 shooters. Highly recommend.
The soundtrack of this game is genuinely incredible and I'm so happy it exists. It's just an expertly crafted metal album that kicks so much ass. I actually got goosebumps when the final boss music kicked in.
The story isn't much but its good enough for what it is. It's elevated immensely by Troy Baker's narration. You can get away with a lot when there's someone with a thick southern drawl narrating the whole thing.
I went into this game expecting it to be good, but what I didn't expect was a very strong GOTY contender. I'm gonna have to mull it over a little more but this could easily find itself in my top 5 shooters. Highly recommend.
This is now up there with Generations as one of my favorite Sonic games. I was surprised how well written the story was, its been a long time since Sonic has been written this well. Not only was this the last time Sonic was written well, it just further proves that the 4kids cast is the best cast. Frontiers should give Sonic a sword again.