Psientologist
Overall I enjoyed my time with this game and if I were to recommend playing this or the main(1) Marvel's Spider-Man I'd probably say just go with this.
People called this game short but as long as you are not completely ignoring the side missions, swing about rather than fast travel (which isn't much slower on PS4 anyway) and occasionally punch some robbers or find a goodie on the way the run time of this game is enough that you get your fill and it doesn't outstay it's welcome.
Also, importantly, it doesn't have the Mary Jane sections but this is a review of MM and not Pete and co.'s adventure.
As with the main game web swinging is a lot of fun, adding some slightly different animations and a move or two helps it feel fresh enough.
Miles other powers not only make combat a little more interesting but improve the stealth segments which I personally never hated but I know a lot of people are not fans - this has it easier.
The story for me is a mixed bag, I would say "mostly good" which I guess is my summary for this game overall.
Miles is a great character, a boy trying to do his best, living in a big shadow, with some sad recent past and big hometown love energy.
His parents, his pals, they're quite minimal but that makes them nice enough and not annoying.
The villains - this is where it falls down for me.
One is the very obvious "cocky rich guy" who is the head of a company trying to create "new energy" but has Anthem looking pricks walking about with him.
The other, is a character who is rightfully trying to stop the rich lad because well, he's killing people with this new energy and like most rich people is disgustingly greedy.
They, being the Tinkerer, are one of the biggest flaws because everything in their arc is so obvious from the start but annoyingly Miles reaction or reasons to try and stop them seem weak in almost every scenario.
There are a couple of other villains along the way and their smaller parts are done well, sadly it's the primary story conceit which lets the game down a bit.
Still, the cinematic scenes are fun and cool to behold and if you go through this quickly without spending time to think about it you may not even notice.
Ignorance can be bliss it seems.
I still love Spider-Man.
Over the years I have come to realise though that you need to pick and choose what you care about though, you have to turn a blind eye to some things to get full enjoyment.
Be that the video game, comic or MCU forms.
If you liked Marvel's Spider-Man, you'll enjoy this.
If you have PS+ Extra or Premium you have access to this and it's worth a bash.
(1) I've seen people act confused by the fact the next game is Marvel's Spider-Man 2 and this is the second game.
I just want to say, I don't get it.
When Half Life 2 came out did people freak their shit because they'd play Opposing Force back in the day (or Blue Shift etc)?
People called this game short but as long as you are not completely ignoring the side missions, swing about rather than fast travel (which isn't much slower on PS4 anyway) and occasionally punch some robbers or find a goodie on the way the run time of this game is enough that you get your fill and it doesn't outstay it's welcome.
Also, importantly, it doesn't have the Mary Jane sections but this is a review of MM and not Pete and co.'s adventure.
As with the main game web swinging is a lot of fun, adding some slightly different animations and a move or two helps it feel fresh enough.
Miles other powers not only make combat a little more interesting but improve the stealth segments which I personally never hated but I know a lot of people are not fans - this has it easier.
The story for me is a mixed bag, I would say "mostly good" which I guess is my summary for this game overall.
Miles is a great character, a boy trying to do his best, living in a big shadow, with some sad recent past and big hometown love energy.
His parents, his pals, they're quite minimal but that makes them nice enough and not annoying.
The villains - this is where it falls down for me.
One is the very obvious "cocky rich guy" who is the head of a company trying to create "new energy" but has Anthem looking pricks walking about with him.
The other, is a character who is rightfully trying to stop the rich lad because well, he's killing people with this new energy and like most rich people is disgustingly greedy.
They, being the Tinkerer, are one of the biggest flaws because everything in their arc is so obvious from the start but annoyingly Miles reaction or reasons to try and stop them seem weak in almost every scenario.
There are a couple of other villains along the way and their smaller parts are done well, sadly it's the primary story conceit which lets the game down a bit.
Still, the cinematic scenes are fun and cool to behold and if you go through this quickly without spending time to think about it you may not even notice.
Ignorance can be bliss it seems.
I still love Spider-Man.
Over the years I have come to realise though that you need to pick and choose what you care about though, you have to turn a blind eye to some things to get full enjoyment.
Be that the video game, comic or MCU forms.
If you liked Marvel's Spider-Man, you'll enjoy this.
If you have PS+ Extra or Premium you have access to this and it's worth a bash.
(1) I've seen people act confused by the fact the next game is Marvel's Spider-Man 2 and this is the second game.
I just want to say, I don't get it.
When Half Life 2 came out did people freak their shit because they'd play Opposing Force back in the day (or Blue Shift etc)?
2014
The Queen of combat games.
It took me too long but I'm glad I eventually got a chance to play this and am fully ready for 3 to get put in my Switch.
So much style, great music, fun characters, amazing enemy designs, up there as on of (if not the) best feeling "hack n slash" games out there even in a world post DMC5.
A lot of variety in weapon choices, challenges and collectibles - including Nintendo themed costumes which I for one am a huge fan of.
Personally the 'in flight' combat segments weren't any where near as enjoyable.
Also, and maybe this is a genre thing, I disliked having quite as many cutscenes or at least how they were presented.
I enjoy the mythos and the silliness that is around Bayo but sometimes you just want to continually keep smashing through and at points the game felt very stop-start due to it's way it had to tell story.
I mention DMC5 earlier and that was a big problem for me with that game too, hence I wonder if it's a genre thing.
Also and I can only assume it was tech and/or budget issues but the still frames with giant clock was presentation I am not a fan of.
Classic thing to say but; if you like this type of game it's arguably top of it's class and you should get it played.
It took me too long but I'm glad I eventually got a chance to play this and am fully ready for 3 to get put in my Switch.
So much style, great music, fun characters, amazing enemy designs, up there as on of (if not the) best feeling "hack n slash" games out there even in a world post DMC5.
A lot of variety in weapon choices, challenges and collectibles - including Nintendo themed costumes which I for one am a huge fan of.
Personally the 'in flight' combat segments weren't any where near as enjoyable.
Also, and maybe this is a genre thing, I disliked having quite as many cutscenes or at least how they were presented.
I enjoy the mythos and the silliness that is around Bayo but sometimes you just want to continually keep smashing through and at points the game felt very stop-start due to it's way it had to tell story.
I mention DMC5 earlier and that was a big problem for me with that game too, hence I wonder if it's a genre thing.
Also and I can only assume it was tech and/or budget issues but the still frames with giant clock was presentation I am not a fan of.
Classic thing to say but; if you like this type of game it's arguably top of it's class and you should get it played.
I appreciate Backloggd has a spoiler tag option and I could give bigger overall thoughts using it but I'd rather write something that at least is open to anyone.
With that in mind Xenoblade Chronicles 3 (XC3) is difficult to write about because you're taken on such a fantastic ride to reveal any of the major plot points, mechanical tricks or later character reveals and developments would be taking away from it.
This game though has all of that by the barrel, I found myself during most end of chapter cutscenes; mouth agape, possibly raising a fist to the air or even getting glassy eyed.
The story and characters are very "anime" at points but I feel for the most part this is genuinely a compliment.
XC3 has some of the best twists and turns in games and it also doesn't lead you on for ages to a point where you've had something figured out for hours.
If you think you something may be revealed the pace of the story usually means it's just about to come.
From the start the idea of XC3's world Aionios is an interesting sci-fi concept, but being inside the world as a player itself that is a magical experience.
Monoliftsoft are the actual top shelf Boys at creating beautiful open worlds, their work with scale is in my eyes still unmatched especially considering the technical limitations of the Switch.
You can see why Ninty have this team doing this work with Zelda and this I would say is at least structurally on par with BOTW, the big caveat being movement is not (and it's not meant to be) as free roaming as it is on Link's latest adventure.
Combat wise XC3 arguably has the best system and it takes so many lessons from the previous 2 entries and the (I can't believe I only recently got around to it) DLC Torna.
It's MMO-esque combat feels involved but very much like you're a moving part of a bigger machine.
You have the option to try and move all those parts if that is how you like to play but there is quite a bit going on at once that you will be, to a degree, forced to trust your partners but that in itself is a strength because whilst tactics are harder to control your team's strategy with it's classes, equipment and even choosing the moves (Arts) you do are a fun experiment in strategical thoughts and planning.
Speaking of classes, class systems in JRPGs are not a new thing but XC3 does some of the best work in showing the player the point in the different classes, how they work and why you want to use them.
It simultaneously rewards you for trying new things whilst also not really punishing you for sticking to strategies you enjoy or think work best.
Side quests are a large factor of any JRPG, XC3 is no exception and whilst I would say the combat is "arguably" the best in the series, I would say there's not much to argue in saying XC3 does side quests better than the others.
A lot of side quests are "fetch quests" but the way story is delivered, the variation in how they're done and the fact that nearly none are mandatory it's hard to find it an issue.
As with the previous games there are even quests where an NPC needs you to get a shopping list of items which are scattered throughout the world, in the past these have sometimes felt like "the grind" but personally in my almost 120 hours of playing the game only 3 times I've had to leave one of these to come back with the things required as, as long as you're not ignoring it all, you'll end up with the things the people of Aionios are asking for.
(Also 1 of those 3 times is a much more post game quest that's a bit longer)
I could continue to write more and more about what's in this game, what about it is good and why I love it but I think I'll start to wrap this up.
"Where is it in your rankings?" is a question I've been asked a few times already.
I'm still yet to play X, but if we're speaking just 1-3 I'd currently say 1>3>2.
Early days though and with a big DLC coming out later who knows where I'll sit eventually.
At the end of the day I think tonally it's closer to the first game which I much prefer but does take some of the more fun elements of the second along with the stronger parts of it's world and mechanical choices whilst binning the terrible stuff (gacha being the main crime).
Structurally Aionios is the most impressive of the worlds although in my heart it's so hard to beat the Bionis and Mechonis.
This is undoubtedly going to be my game of 2022 and I just hope that it will be for more of you and get's the recognition it deserves.
Xenoblade is never going to be in the media's brightest spotlight, JRPGs are a no-no for so many folk and being a Switch title and not on PS5/XSX means it doesn't have all those frames and resolutions that people are a bit too obsessed with.
However due to these restraints "Xenoblade fans are eating well" getting 4 huge titles and so much more within twelve years and I'm ready for another plater.
Oh, and finally.
I did somehow get used to Riku's voice by the end, but what was up with that?
With that in mind Xenoblade Chronicles 3 (XC3) is difficult to write about because you're taken on such a fantastic ride to reveal any of the major plot points, mechanical tricks or later character reveals and developments would be taking away from it.
This game though has all of that by the barrel, I found myself during most end of chapter cutscenes; mouth agape, possibly raising a fist to the air or even getting glassy eyed.
The story and characters are very "anime" at points but I feel for the most part this is genuinely a compliment.
XC3 has some of the best twists and turns in games and it also doesn't lead you on for ages to a point where you've had something figured out for hours.
If you think you something may be revealed the pace of the story usually means it's just about to come.
From the start the idea of XC3's world Aionios is an interesting sci-fi concept, but being inside the world as a player itself that is a magical experience.
Monoliftsoft are the actual top shelf Boys at creating beautiful open worlds, their work with scale is in my eyes still unmatched especially considering the technical limitations of the Switch.
You can see why Ninty have this team doing this work with Zelda and this I would say is at least structurally on par with BOTW, the big caveat being movement is not (and it's not meant to be) as free roaming as it is on Link's latest adventure.
Combat wise XC3 arguably has the best system and it takes so many lessons from the previous 2 entries and the (I can't believe I only recently got around to it) DLC Torna.
It's MMO-esque combat feels involved but very much like you're a moving part of a bigger machine.
You have the option to try and move all those parts if that is how you like to play but there is quite a bit going on at once that you will be, to a degree, forced to trust your partners but that in itself is a strength because whilst tactics are harder to control your team's strategy with it's classes, equipment and even choosing the moves (Arts) you do are a fun experiment in strategical thoughts and planning.
Speaking of classes, class systems in JRPGs are not a new thing but XC3 does some of the best work in showing the player the point in the different classes, how they work and why you want to use them.
It simultaneously rewards you for trying new things whilst also not really punishing you for sticking to strategies you enjoy or think work best.
Side quests are a large factor of any JRPG, XC3 is no exception and whilst I would say the combat is "arguably" the best in the series, I would say there's not much to argue in saying XC3 does side quests better than the others.
A lot of side quests are "fetch quests" but the way story is delivered, the variation in how they're done and the fact that nearly none are mandatory it's hard to find it an issue.
As with the previous games there are even quests where an NPC needs you to get a shopping list of items which are scattered throughout the world, in the past these have sometimes felt like "the grind" but personally in my almost 120 hours of playing the game only 3 times I've had to leave one of these to come back with the things required as, as long as you're not ignoring it all, you'll end up with the things the people of Aionios are asking for.
(Also 1 of those 3 times is a much more post game quest that's a bit longer)
I could continue to write more and more about what's in this game, what about it is good and why I love it but I think I'll start to wrap this up.
"Where is it in your rankings?" is a question I've been asked a few times already.
I'm still yet to play X, but if we're speaking just 1-3 I'd currently say 1>3>2.
Early days though and with a big DLC coming out later who knows where I'll sit eventually.
At the end of the day I think tonally it's closer to the first game which I much prefer but does take some of the more fun elements of the second along with the stronger parts of it's world and mechanical choices whilst binning the terrible stuff (gacha being the main crime).
Structurally Aionios is the most impressive of the worlds although in my heart it's so hard to beat the Bionis and Mechonis.
This is undoubtedly going to be my game of 2022 and I just hope that it will be for more of you and get's the recognition it deserves.
Xenoblade is never going to be in the media's brightest spotlight, JRPGs are a no-no for so many folk and being a Switch title and not on PS5/XSX means it doesn't have all those frames and resolutions that people are a bit too obsessed with.
However due to these restraints "Xenoblade fans are eating well" getting 4 huge titles and so much more within twelve years and I'm ready for another plater.
Oh, and finally.
I did somehow get used to Riku's voice by the end, but what was up with that?
2019
This game was better when it was a tech demo you saw cool clips of on Twitter.
Pedro has a lot of cool ideas and mechanics, sometimes these feel as good as they should such as flinging a frying pan into the air to get ricochet kills off but too often does it feel floaty, unresponsive and inaccurate.
At first I forgave the "floatiness" as the game is wanting you to fly through the stages, killing everyone in spectacular fashion and all whilst dodging weaving between enemy fire.
However, as I played more throughout the day it just never felt good, it never felt right, I questioned why the game felt like the protagonist was moving in slow motion when there is a designated slow motion command.
Then it started to get worse; a transitional stage where you ride a bike that felt like a vintage coin-op (and I don't mean that as a compliment) continuing then later into levels that tried to turn the game into a platformer.
This is where the game just felt horrible and at parts I caught myself audibly laughing and saying "this is rubbish".
I imagine there are people who will read this review and find the feel of 'My Friend Pedro' perfect, giving them the desire to replay levels to get high scores and cool clips.
That's just not me.
Aesthetically the levels themselves are also very uninspiring and with a couple of major exceptions almost look the same.
Seeing the name of the final chapter of stages ahead of time I was expecting something wild but even then it was just disappointment.
This front end of this game shows you everything you want, but maybe 20 minutes later you'll have seen it's best.
It's weird for what is a 4-5 hour game to out stay it's welcome but for me this silly banana prick could've got out of my face ages ago.
Pedro has a lot of cool ideas and mechanics, sometimes these feel as good as they should such as flinging a frying pan into the air to get ricochet kills off but too often does it feel floaty, unresponsive and inaccurate.
At first I forgave the "floatiness" as the game is wanting you to fly through the stages, killing everyone in spectacular fashion and all whilst dodging weaving between enemy fire.
However, as I played more throughout the day it just never felt good, it never felt right, I questioned why the game felt like the protagonist was moving in slow motion when there is a designated slow motion command.
Then it started to get worse; a transitional stage where you ride a bike that felt like a vintage coin-op (and I don't mean that as a compliment) continuing then later into levels that tried to turn the game into a platformer.
This is where the game just felt horrible and at parts I caught myself audibly laughing and saying "this is rubbish".
I imagine there are people who will read this review and find the feel of 'My Friend Pedro' perfect, giving them the desire to replay levels to get high scores and cool clips.
That's just not me.
Aesthetically the levels themselves are also very uninspiring and with a couple of major exceptions almost look the same.
Seeing the name of the final chapter of stages ahead of time I was expecting something wild but even then it was just disappointment.
This front end of this game shows you everything you want, but maybe 20 minutes later you'll have seen it's best.
It's weird for what is a 4-5 hour game to out stay it's welcome but for me this silly banana prick could've got out of my face ages ago.
Playing this was not only a joy but great confirmation that both the Game Gear Sonic games were good and that Sega should really hand more over to the fans.
Triple Trouble 16-Bit for those unaware is not really a remake, more a reimagining, a "what if?".
Rather than being stuck on Game Gear Triple Trouble came to Mega Drive following S3&K.
It takes level themes, gimmicks and characters from the Game Gear game but gives it Sonic 3 style graphics, has brand new level designs, some great narrative and fun extra stages as well as completely unique Special stages AND if that was not enough; to be vague completing this multiple times is very worth while.
It's not completely without flaws, a couple of bits of music (mostly 16-Bit versions of the original) don't hit quite right and some of the, at the worst still fun, transition and unique stages aren't quite as good as the others.
Personally I also got squashed in places I'm sure I shouldn't have and found the Special stages a tad to hard but then again, that's maybe not too different from the "proper" games.
If you like 2D Sonic at all you owe yourself to get this downloaded and big ups to Noah Copeland and everyone who worked on this as it's maybe the most fun I've had with the blue blur in a long time.
All for the best price - free !
Now to wait for them to go back and 16-Bit Sonic Chaos for me.
Triple Trouble 16-Bit for those unaware is not really a remake, more a reimagining, a "what if?".
Rather than being stuck on Game Gear Triple Trouble came to Mega Drive following S3&K.
It takes level themes, gimmicks and characters from the Game Gear game but gives it Sonic 3 style graphics, has brand new level designs, some great narrative and fun extra stages as well as completely unique Special stages AND if that was not enough; to be vague completing this multiple times is very worth while.
It's not completely without flaws, a couple of bits of music (mostly 16-Bit versions of the original) don't hit quite right and some of the, at the worst still fun, transition and unique stages aren't quite as good as the others.
Personally I also got squashed in places I'm sure I shouldn't have and found the Special stages a tad to hard but then again, that's maybe not too different from the "proper" games.
If you like 2D Sonic at all you owe yourself to get this downloaded and big ups to Noah Copeland and everyone who worked on this as it's maybe the most fun I've had with the blue blur in a long time.
All for the best price - free !
Now to wait for them to go back and 16-Bit Sonic Chaos for me.
2022
After the Rock, Paper, Scissors Splatfest I was thinking that I'd rate this game lower than the previous entries.
Not because it was a bad experience but the new weapons, power ups and tri-colour battles didn't feel like enough to have waited all this time for.
Many people said "Splatoon 2 is barely a sequel" for similar reasons, being "more of the same" of it's Wii U predecessor but gliding past that on the fact it's on a console a lot more people own and were excited about.
However after getting the full game in hand, playing through the single player, post game and a lot of the rest (45 hours so far) I have a much higher opinion.
The game is still very much "more of the same" as discussed but there's enough additional content, improvements throughout and time since the last release that I can't actually rate it lower.
Salmon Run being playable whenever is fantastic, the new bosses and Cohozuna add some extra spice and some real excitement that puts it above how it was in 2.
The lobby for the 'main' multiplayer is a vast improvement and whilst Nintendo still haven't quite caught up with how to run an online game in 2022 I've rarely had issues. Just a shame there's no party chat on Switch.
The map selection is good, there's some cool gimmicks the new weapons don't set the world on fire but add another bit of variety.
The new supers are cool too, obviously I'm a fan the Crab Tank because essentially it's a mech.
Tableturf Battle the card game is surprisingly good, there's a decent amount of strategy and variation in the game.
Just a shame that as of now it's only against AI, but looking at where the tables for this game are in the hub world I have to imagine, or at least hope, that online play will be added to it.
There's plenty to collect there, personalising now not only your fashion but banner and locker (the oddest addition to me) really adds to the world and it's vibe. This stuff is the least ground-breaking but it feels well thought out and less tacked on than it could.
Finally the single player content, whilst a lot easier and maybe not quite as good as Octo Expansion you can see lessons have been learnt.
A good few stages are simple but the unique concepts, getting to do full stages as some of the new power ups and the amount there is gives Splatoon 3 a respectable campaign.
As imaginative as Mario? Of course it's not quite there.
Worth buying the game for alone? Not at £40 but if the single player were a 15-20 quid indy game folk would be lapping it up.
The post credits stuff is great, a nice challenge and the bosses are wonderful but I do not want to spoil.
Overall Splatoon 3 is an absolute banger.
It takes everything including lessons from the previous games, gives you the best of it all and adds on top.
If you hated Splatoon 2 then this won't change your mind but also... have a look at yourself.
Not because it was a bad experience but the new weapons, power ups and tri-colour battles didn't feel like enough to have waited all this time for.
Many people said "Splatoon 2 is barely a sequel" for similar reasons, being "more of the same" of it's Wii U predecessor but gliding past that on the fact it's on a console a lot more people own and were excited about.
However after getting the full game in hand, playing through the single player, post game and a lot of the rest (45 hours so far) I have a much higher opinion.
The game is still very much "more of the same" as discussed but there's enough additional content, improvements throughout and time since the last release that I can't actually rate it lower.
Salmon Run being playable whenever is fantastic, the new bosses and Cohozuna add some extra spice and some real excitement that puts it above how it was in 2.
The lobby for the 'main' multiplayer is a vast improvement and whilst Nintendo still haven't quite caught up with how to run an online game in 2022 I've rarely had issues. Just a shame there's no party chat on Switch.
The map selection is good, there's some cool gimmicks the new weapons don't set the world on fire but add another bit of variety.
The new supers are cool too, obviously I'm a fan the Crab Tank because essentially it's a mech.
Tableturf Battle the card game is surprisingly good, there's a decent amount of strategy and variation in the game.
Just a shame that as of now it's only against AI, but looking at where the tables for this game are in the hub world I have to imagine, or at least hope, that online play will be added to it.
There's plenty to collect there, personalising now not only your fashion but banner and locker (the oddest addition to me) really adds to the world and it's vibe. This stuff is the least ground-breaking but it feels well thought out and less tacked on than it could.
Finally the single player content, whilst a lot easier and maybe not quite as good as Octo Expansion you can see lessons have been learnt.
A good few stages are simple but the unique concepts, getting to do full stages as some of the new power ups and the amount there is gives Splatoon 3 a respectable campaign.
As imaginative as Mario? Of course it's not quite there.
Worth buying the game for alone? Not at £40 but if the single player were a 15-20 quid indy game folk would be lapping it up.
The post credits stuff is great, a nice challenge and the bosses are wonderful but I do not want to spoil.
Overall Splatoon 3 is an absolute banger.
It takes everything including lessons from the previous games, gives you the best of it all and adds on top.
If you hated Splatoon 2 then this won't change your mind but also... have a look at yourself.
2022
Immortality is a very intriguing and sometimes wonderful experience than truly drills into your mind and burrows under your skin.
The acting is top notch, the quality of production is very high and the concept and story are great.
However I can't quite review this fairly because I believe Sam Barlow cursed my copy of the game and due to this over the last couple of days I felt I was going a little insane.
Briefly just in case you don't know, you're given clips of 3 different films starring the same lead actress that were never released. You start of with few and gain more as you click on actors, crew and objects with in the scenes.
As these films were unreleased the clips are not just from a finished production but can also include rehearsals and more behind the scenes views.
The only real question you are given is "why?", why were these films all canned.
A problem I had with Immortality compared with Her Story and Telling Lies is that I felt I lacked a goal, I felt directionless.
This is not to say I need a marker on screen saying "do this" but bar the 'About' page in the game I had no idea why I was doing what I was doing or for what purpose.
Arguably it's not any worst than the others for it, but the previous 2 FMV games made me feel a lot more like a detective of sorts.
What further exaggerated this issue for me was that once I had given myself small objectives; find out why film 1 was cancelled, find out what happened with character X etc and done these I still felt no further to an actual definitive end.
I'm avoiding spoilers but there is something else going on through these films, something you do then want to dig into and discover more of. However even when I had guessed (correctly) that side of the plot I still felt stranded.
Making matters worse and really causing me to start to lose my grip on the real world was the fact that HLTB said this game was 5 hours, 3 friends I had spoken to had seen credits within similar times and played more after to find more scenes.
I had put in more hours than all of them.
Now this wasn't because I was watching the same bit over and over, it wasn't because I missed a mechanic or didn't "get it". I had conversations with two of them where I showed that I had seen more and more importantly understood more than both of them but the end, the credits, never triggered for me.
In my 11th hour, literally and figuratively I finally got there...
...only for the game to freeze part way through, lock up and me have to turn it off and on again.
If I wasn't already quite tired I may have pulled my hair out.
I restarted the game, recreated my final steps and nothing.
I noticed that the Achievement had cleared and ended up fucking it off and watching the few minutes I missed on YouTube.
Is this a review or just a rant now? You decide.
If you want TLDR about the game and not me losing my mind I'd say.
Not as good as Her Story, which tbf is a GOAT, probably better than Telling Lies.
Extremely high production quality and a wild story but a lot more aimless and sadly does not give you the same feelings that made me sit and do Her Story in one go with a pad and pen next to me.
It's on GamePass so is "free" for a lot of folk, I spent one whole GBP to get a PC GamePass trial because this'll run on my crap laptop (craptop?) so maybe it will work for you too.
The acting is top notch, the quality of production is very high and the concept and story are great.
However I can't quite review this fairly because I believe Sam Barlow cursed my copy of the game and due to this over the last couple of days I felt I was going a little insane.
Briefly just in case you don't know, you're given clips of 3 different films starring the same lead actress that were never released. You start of with few and gain more as you click on actors, crew and objects with in the scenes.
As these films were unreleased the clips are not just from a finished production but can also include rehearsals and more behind the scenes views.
The only real question you are given is "why?", why were these films all canned.
A problem I had with Immortality compared with Her Story and Telling Lies is that I felt I lacked a goal, I felt directionless.
This is not to say I need a marker on screen saying "do this" but bar the 'About' page in the game I had no idea why I was doing what I was doing or for what purpose.
Arguably it's not any worst than the others for it, but the previous 2 FMV games made me feel a lot more like a detective of sorts.
What further exaggerated this issue for me was that once I had given myself small objectives; find out why film 1 was cancelled, find out what happened with character X etc and done these I still felt no further to an actual definitive end.
I'm avoiding spoilers but there is something else going on through these films, something you do then want to dig into and discover more of. However even when I had guessed (correctly) that side of the plot I still felt stranded.
Making matters worse and really causing me to start to lose my grip on the real world was the fact that HLTB said this game was 5 hours, 3 friends I had spoken to had seen credits within similar times and played more after to find more scenes.
I had put in more hours than all of them.
Now this wasn't because I was watching the same bit over and over, it wasn't because I missed a mechanic or didn't "get it". I had conversations with two of them where I showed that I had seen more and more importantly understood more than both of them but the end, the credits, never triggered for me.
In my 11th hour, literally and figuratively I finally got there...
...only for the game to freeze part way through, lock up and me have to turn it off and on again.
If I wasn't already quite tired I may have pulled my hair out.
I restarted the game, recreated my final steps and nothing.
I noticed that the Achievement had cleared and ended up fucking it off and watching the few minutes I missed on YouTube.
Is this a review or just a rant now? You decide.
If you want TLDR about the game and not me losing my mind I'd say.
Not as good as Her Story, which tbf is a GOAT, probably better than Telling Lies.
Extremely high production quality and a wild story but a lot more aimless and sadly does not give you the same feelings that made me sit and do Her Story in one go with a pad and pen next to me.
It's on GamePass so is "free" for a lot of folk, I spent one whole GBP to get a PC GamePass trial because this'll run on my crap laptop (craptop?) so maybe it will work for you too.
2022
Like many great sci fi series, Citizen Sleeper has an intriguing world but it uses that not to just tell cool stories with space ships, robots and AI, but to tell meaningful stories reflective of our world and make us ask ourselves important questions.
Citizen Sleeper is fantastically written with barely a foot wrong. The music is wonderful, it gave me some FTL vibes but with a layer of creepiness.
The table top RPG mechanics it uses aren't quite as solid as Disco Elysium, but the whole dice placement system does make it feel more tactile and like a board game which I really enjoy.
I mention Disco Elysium and it's tough not to compare, whilst Sleeper is more of a visual novel as apposed to Disco being a CRPG the big tent poles that hold up the identity of the game out side of setting are quite similar.
Sadly this comparison isn't favourable for this game but comparing to what is one of the best games of the last decade (maybe longer) will always be a tough fight.
I will add my own personal comparison is also unfair, I never got the chance to play Disco Elysium until "The Final Cut" and not that I'm against just quietly reading but voice acting can add a lot.
If you liked Disco I think you'll enjoy this, just don't expect as many choices or to shape your character as much as that.
However expect a much more compact game which can definitely be a pro.
Overall I would recommend this game.
It doesn't hit that potential GOTY height for me like it has for many others, small irritations in mechanics and production stop me from calling this a best in class, but they're so small I don't even want to go into detail.
Another gem on GamePass and another which doesn't need an Xbox or a powerful PC, my laptop ran this no problem.
Citizen Sleeper is fantastically written with barely a foot wrong. The music is wonderful, it gave me some FTL vibes but with a layer of creepiness.
The table top RPG mechanics it uses aren't quite as solid as Disco Elysium, but the whole dice placement system does make it feel more tactile and like a board game which I really enjoy.
I mention Disco Elysium and it's tough not to compare, whilst Sleeper is more of a visual novel as apposed to Disco being a CRPG the big tent poles that hold up the identity of the game out side of setting are quite similar.
Sadly this comparison isn't favourable for this game but comparing to what is one of the best games of the last decade (maybe longer) will always be a tough fight.
I will add my own personal comparison is also unfair, I never got the chance to play Disco Elysium until "The Final Cut" and not that I'm against just quietly reading but voice acting can add a lot.
If you liked Disco I think you'll enjoy this, just don't expect as many choices or to shape your character as much as that.
However expect a much more compact game which can definitely be a pro.
Overall I would recommend this game.
It doesn't hit that potential GOTY height for me like it has for many others, small irritations in mechanics and production stop me from calling this a best in class, but they're so small I don't even want to go into detail.
Another gem on GamePass and another which doesn't need an Xbox or a powerful PC, my laptop ran this no problem.
One of the most bang average games I've played this year.
Everything in this game is just fine, ok, you pull a face and raise your hands as there's nothing really to be excited about.
Feels very much like "My First Zelda", the combat is plain and barely gets better, the music is ok to good in places, the comedy is "whacky" and mostly forgettable the puzzles take seconds to figure out and the experience is over in less than two hours.
There's some post game content but it doesn't really make the game much more exciting bar maybe improve the combat a touch.
Nothing this game does is offensively bad and because it is over briefly, it kicking along to it's hits mean it's pleasant enough.
This is on Game Pass, it's not even 1GB, maybe you'll find it much funnier than me?
Everything in this game is just fine, ok, you pull a face and raise your hands as there's nothing really to be excited about.
Feels very much like "My First Zelda", the combat is plain and barely gets better, the music is ok to good in places, the comedy is "whacky" and mostly forgettable the puzzles take seconds to figure out and the experience is over in less than two hours.
There's some post game content but it doesn't really make the game much more exciting bar maybe improve the combat a touch.
Nothing this game does is offensively bad and because it is over briefly, it kicking along to it's hits mean it's pleasant enough.
This is on Game Pass, it's not even 1GB, maybe you'll find it much funnier than me?
2022
An enjoyable choose your own "narrative adventure" game.
The music, acting and overall story are strong, decisions are mostly interesting and without spoiling this game can have some dramatically different outcomes, more dramatic than you'd expect.
Presentation wise, I liked it, the actor stills are nice and they convey what is needed with real human faces whilst (I assume) not taking as much money to make or as much power for the machine to run. I do find it odd how many other things are still in motion such as cars but otherwise I appreciate the bold aesthetic choice.
The game does fail in one big way for me and that's it's pacing.
As Dusk Falls is split up like a TV show and prestige telly is clearly what it aims to be, as mentioned the music and acting are good and do hit their target but it's narrative highs and lows do not.
Well, at least for a good show.
The pacing not only makes the end half feel slow because of the highest peak is in the middle but the game itself feels incomplete. Maybe it is?
I would definitely be up for playing more and would be much more interested in following the story of the As Dusk Falls cast further than your Life is Strange's and the rest.
That's another heavy on story/light on gameplay title I've played recently from GamePass and whilst this is probably the one I'd put bottom of the pile it's still a solid game in it's own right and maybe the one I'd immediately want to play more of.
The music, acting and overall story are strong, decisions are mostly interesting and without spoiling this game can have some dramatically different outcomes, more dramatic than you'd expect.
Presentation wise, I liked it, the actor stills are nice and they convey what is needed with real human faces whilst (I assume) not taking as much money to make or as much power for the machine to run. I do find it odd how many other things are still in motion such as cars but otherwise I appreciate the bold aesthetic choice.
The game does fail in one big way for me and that's it's pacing.
As Dusk Falls is split up like a TV show and prestige telly is clearly what it aims to be, as mentioned the music and acting are good and do hit their target but it's narrative highs and lows do not.
Well, at least for a good show.
The pacing not only makes the end half feel slow because of the highest peak is in the middle but the game itself feels incomplete. Maybe it is?
I would definitely be up for playing more and would be much more interested in following the story of the As Dusk Falls cast further than your Life is Strange's and the rest.
That's another heavy on story/light on gameplay title I've played recently from GamePass and whilst this is probably the one I'd put bottom of the pile it's still a solid game in it's own right and maybe the one I'd immediately want to play more of.
2022
Gone through and caught up-to-date so the game itself is obviously interesting enough for me to have bothered.
An interesting take on Wordle, Heardle etc.
Issue with getting games in one is sometimes down to the fact there are 10 in a series and they all look kind of the same.
Mad to see how many I got that I've never played.
Current stats for those interested:
158/158
1: 43
2: 27
3: 37
4: 25
5: 17
6: 9
An interesting take on Wordle, Heardle etc.
Issue with getting games in one is sometimes down to the fact there are 10 in a series and they all look kind of the same.
Mad to see how many I got that I've never played.
Current stats for those interested:
158/158
1: 43
2: 27
3: 37
4: 25
5: 17
6: 9
Well that was "flarking" average.
Guardians of the Galaxy is a game that if you were to fill a customer satisfaction form for you'd be floating about the middle of "not satisfied" and "completely satisfied" for 90% of it.
The combat feels floaty, the canned animations which cause your allies to teleport about get tiresome fast and there is wafer thin depth to it all. It's serviceable at best.
Does it get better with more abilities as the game goes on?
Yes - it the same way that picking the hair out of your least favourite soup improves the meal, you still don't want it.
Outside of combat exploration puzzles start of mildly interesting and barely evolve, Starlord gets new powers but they are all so basic and obvious that "working it out" feels like a huge elaboration.
There are points where it combines the team skills and special gun shots that are it's peak and if it could have just maintained that or preferably went above it I could say this was a selling point of the game.
The exploration outside of the puzzles feels like classic video game padding - go the wrong way so you can pick up a generic material for crafting some extremely generic upgrades later.
The selling point of the game, of which personally I think has been rated well too high by others I've heard and seen speak about this game is the story and the conversation choices.
The writing is good for the most part and the crew are interesting it's just that the story they go through is mostly predictable and dragged on.
Some decisions do matter but a lot of the choices are between a) and b) and that doesn't make you feel like you're getting to craft Quill's personality all that much.
I've heard people rate the huddle mechanic, this is where you can tap the bumpers together and give a rousing speech which if you do well buffs the team or if not just buffs you.
The first time it's kind of neat, but the more you do the writing feels worse, the unnatural break in the combat becomes bothersome and then they start to repeat.
Coming out of these having the soundtrack start blaring some classic 80's tunes is great but I just wish they did more with the music in the game - especially considering the licences they're using.
I appreciate this review is me mostly bagging on the game, it probably doesn't read even as high as a 3 star critique.
Just understand that it's tough to write something interesting about what the game does well because really it just does everything "OK".
The graphics are nice enough, glitchy on occasion.
The different locations are nice, just not the most fun to explore.
The characters are good, if predictable and the pace is decent except by the end you're wanting the credits [and fake ones are just tiring].
This game is both of PS Plus Essential and Xbox Game Pass (I believe) and if you like Guardians of the Galaxy this, closer to the comics in a way, take is nice enough to spend some time with.
Guardians of the Galaxy is a game that if you were to fill a customer satisfaction form for you'd be floating about the middle of "not satisfied" and "completely satisfied" for 90% of it.
The combat feels floaty, the canned animations which cause your allies to teleport about get tiresome fast and there is wafer thin depth to it all. It's serviceable at best.
Does it get better with more abilities as the game goes on?
Yes - it the same way that picking the hair out of your least favourite soup improves the meal, you still don't want it.
Outside of combat exploration puzzles start of mildly interesting and barely evolve, Starlord gets new powers but they are all so basic and obvious that "working it out" feels like a huge elaboration.
There are points where it combines the team skills and special gun shots that are it's peak and if it could have just maintained that or preferably went above it I could say this was a selling point of the game.
The exploration outside of the puzzles feels like classic video game padding - go the wrong way so you can pick up a generic material for crafting some extremely generic upgrades later.
The selling point of the game, of which personally I think has been rated well too high by others I've heard and seen speak about this game is the story and the conversation choices.
The writing is good for the most part and the crew are interesting it's just that the story they go through is mostly predictable and dragged on.
Some decisions do matter but a lot of the choices are between a) and b) and that doesn't make you feel like you're getting to craft Quill's personality all that much.
I've heard people rate the huddle mechanic, this is where you can tap the bumpers together and give a rousing speech which if you do well buffs the team or if not just buffs you.
The first time it's kind of neat, but the more you do the writing feels worse, the unnatural break in the combat becomes bothersome and then they start to repeat.
Coming out of these having the soundtrack start blaring some classic 80's tunes is great but I just wish they did more with the music in the game - especially considering the licences they're using.
I appreciate this review is me mostly bagging on the game, it probably doesn't read even as high as a 3 star critique.
Just understand that it's tough to write something interesting about what the game does well because really it just does everything "OK".
The graphics are nice enough, glitchy on occasion.
The different locations are nice, just not the most fun to explore.
The characters are good, if predictable and the pace is decent except by the end you're wanting the credits [and fake ones are just tiring].
This game is both of PS Plus Essential and Xbox Game Pass (I believe) and if you like Guardians of the Galaxy this, closer to the comics in a way, take is nice enough to spend some time with.
2022
Definitely worth the price (FREE) and time (less than 90 minutes) for what is a good joke containing many smaller decent jokes based on another game.
The bits where it changes what you expect and the ending punchlines are worth it alone.
It's hard to say this and be serious considering most of the puzzles but some were a little too trial and error, plus also don't try and put a proper puzzle in your joke puzzle game.
Maybe this deserves a higher score? How do you rate parody anyway?
The bits where it changes what you expect and the ending punchlines are worth it alone.
It's hard to say this and be serious considering most of the puzzles but some were a little too trial and error, plus also don't try and put a proper puzzle in your joke puzzle game.
Maybe this deserves a higher score? How do you rate parody anyway?
2019
I enjoy the works of Amanita design, I've always enjoyed their artistic style and whilst I can admit not all of them are worth seeing through they're all worth checking out.
The art style is lovely, the cards which are really just action choices are great visuals and the game doesn't have any text (bar the title and the credits).
In game achievements reveal there is a variety of things you can do to progress or just for a laugh and I'm already thinking of running through again just to see more as each interaction is entertaining.
It's sweet, it's not mind blowing, it's not side splitting comedy but it'll make you smile and occasionally chuckle.
Both a pro and a con of Pilgrims is that it's far too short to ever outstay it's welcome, it's sub one hour play time (for a single completion) actually seems perfect for being on the phone and this was Apple Arcade first.
However is it worth a fiver it costs on Steam, Switch and wherever else? Well how much is a fiver worth to you?
I say this because for me it was a yes because I had that in Nintendo gold points so it was "free".
More often than not I say "it's hard to score this".
This game does what it aims to do and does it well, it's possibly a little too short but it's main issue is that if you aren't sure how to progress the game doesn't have any hint systems which means you fall into the classic point and click sin of just trying every combination.
Thankfully there isn't hundreds of cards, you're not getting an annoying bit of dialogue repeated to you and every animation is short and sweet.
TLDR give this a go on Apple Arcade it's nice.
If you don't have that, check if you got steam credit or Switch coins and treat yourself, just don't expect a life changing experience.
Although if you like the art style and want something with more meat on the bone, get Machinarium from the same studio. That's a belter.
The art style is lovely, the cards which are really just action choices are great visuals and the game doesn't have any text (bar the title and the credits).
In game achievements reveal there is a variety of things you can do to progress or just for a laugh and I'm already thinking of running through again just to see more as each interaction is entertaining.
It's sweet, it's not mind blowing, it's not side splitting comedy but it'll make you smile and occasionally chuckle.
Both a pro and a con of Pilgrims is that it's far too short to ever outstay it's welcome, it's sub one hour play time (for a single completion) actually seems perfect for being on the phone and this was Apple Arcade first.
However is it worth a fiver it costs on Steam, Switch and wherever else? Well how much is a fiver worth to you?
I say this because for me it was a yes because I had that in Nintendo gold points so it was "free".
More often than not I say "it's hard to score this".
This game does what it aims to do and does it well, it's possibly a little too short but it's main issue is that if you aren't sure how to progress the game doesn't have any hint systems which means you fall into the classic point and click sin of just trying every combination.
Thankfully there isn't hundreds of cards, you're not getting an annoying bit of dialogue repeated to you and every animation is short and sweet.
TLDR give this a go on Apple Arcade it's nice.
If you don't have that, check if you got steam credit or Switch coins and treat yourself, just don't expect a life changing experience.
Although if you like the art style and want something with more meat on the bone, get Machinarium from the same studio. That's a belter.
I don't always write my feelings here on a game straight after finishing it but this game especially I had to sleep on it.
Don't worry, no spoilers but I will say this game completely shit the bed at the end. If I had gave this a score after I was done it may be one of the lowest ratings I'd have posted.
Still, I have taken the night to think. Had a chat with pals who felt the same including one who also started and finished the game around the same time I did.
Overall Return to Monke is a great time, a lovely time for a person returning to the series which sadly means a lot of jokes will probably not hit at all if this is your first experience of Guybrush Threepwood and friends, even with the scrapbook that tells you some "previously on".
I appreciate the art style isn't for everyone, I'll be honest when I saw the first trailer I thought "this isn't my Monkey Island" but it's actually quite fun. Very detailed to be gross when it wants like Ren & Stimpy but I realise that's not for everyone.
Voice acting is top notch, jokes are consistently decent - not a huge amount of laugh out loud moments but plenty of chuckles and that's the sort of level I feel most funny point and click adventures hit.
The puzzles are mostly great, there isn't lots of pixel hunting thanks to a highlight option plus the art style makes items quite clear and there isn't a thousand item combinations to try because you'll see a big red X as opposed to the classic "that won't work" dialogue being repeated until it burns into your mind.
Part of the puzzle element I do need to highlight is the hints system.
In game you are given a hint book and you can use it from your inventory whenever, the way it works is it has dialogue choices in the form of questions to ask and each answer is purposefully vague and prodding unless you keep asking more and more.
More often than not hint systems are a three strike type thing where they'll be super vague, maybe show you something and then tell you out right but this builds up so gradually to still give you the chance to feel smart or get to the bit you're missing.
The story overall is a classic affair of trying to out do the baddie the classic LeChuck overcoming obstacles and making friends and enemies (old and new) along the way.
Without going to deep in, this definitely feels like a third game and reflects creators going back to their work, which the game expressly tells you upon completion.
I actually wish it dug into that more, the game already will suffer a bit with trying to engage completely new fans so I'd have preferred it went whole hog with this theme but then I am biased as I grew up with these.
Maybe that idea, that direction is why the game couldn't end properly but I will finish how I started.
The ending is crap. It can feel extremely sudden, it feels very unsatisfying and even if you see the gags they really do not land.
Return to Monkey Island was a game sitting at 3 and rising to around 4.5 for me in the final third, before slowly moving to around a 4 and crashing into what could have been a 3 or 2.5.
My feelings of enjoyment towards this game were a rollercoaster and sadly one that at the end I got off and was sick.
This amusement ride was not as amusing as it thinks it is.
Don't worry, no spoilers but I will say this game completely shit the bed at the end. If I had gave this a score after I was done it may be one of the lowest ratings I'd have posted.
Still, I have taken the night to think. Had a chat with pals who felt the same including one who also started and finished the game around the same time I did.
Overall Return to Monke is a great time, a lovely time for a person returning to the series which sadly means a lot of jokes will probably not hit at all if this is your first experience of Guybrush Threepwood and friends, even with the scrapbook that tells you some "previously on".
I appreciate the art style isn't for everyone, I'll be honest when I saw the first trailer I thought "this isn't my Monkey Island" but it's actually quite fun. Very detailed to be gross when it wants like Ren & Stimpy but I realise that's not for everyone.
Voice acting is top notch, jokes are consistently decent - not a huge amount of laugh out loud moments but plenty of chuckles and that's the sort of level I feel most funny point and click adventures hit.
The puzzles are mostly great, there isn't lots of pixel hunting thanks to a highlight option plus the art style makes items quite clear and there isn't a thousand item combinations to try because you'll see a big red X as opposed to the classic "that won't work" dialogue being repeated until it burns into your mind.
Part of the puzzle element I do need to highlight is the hints system.
In game you are given a hint book and you can use it from your inventory whenever, the way it works is it has dialogue choices in the form of questions to ask and each answer is purposefully vague and prodding unless you keep asking more and more.
More often than not hint systems are a three strike type thing where they'll be super vague, maybe show you something and then tell you out right but this builds up so gradually to still give you the chance to feel smart or get to the bit you're missing.
The story overall is a classic affair of trying to out do the baddie the classic LeChuck overcoming obstacles and making friends and enemies (old and new) along the way.
Without going to deep in, this definitely feels like a third game and reflects creators going back to their work, which the game expressly tells you upon completion.
I actually wish it dug into that more, the game already will suffer a bit with trying to engage completely new fans so I'd have preferred it went whole hog with this theme but then I am biased as I grew up with these.
Maybe that idea, that direction is why the game couldn't end properly but I will finish how I started.
The ending is crap. It can feel extremely sudden, it feels very unsatisfying and even if you see the gags they really do not land.
Return to Monkey Island was a game sitting at 3 and rising to around 4.5 for me in the final third, before slowly moving to around a 4 and crashing into what could have been a 3 or 2.5.
My feelings of enjoyment towards this game were a rollercoaster and sadly one that at the end I got off and was sick.
This amusement ride was not as amusing as it thinks it is.