SilasP
2018
Celeste’s story was touching, and tied into the mechanics of the game pretty well. The characters, although few, were a perfect balance that I felt reflected different stages and interpretations of mental health. Celeste’s own battle is inspiring and hit some soft spots personally, especially with the theme of having your 2 sides battling, and coming to accept each other, acknowledging that your relationship with that part of it doesn’t have to be perfect, but you should love it (yourself) anyway.
There were so many small details throughout the game that you could easily miss, but those times when I was stuck on a level for however long, it never got too frustrating as it all felt purposeful. There was never a time where I reacted to a death like “that was bs” because it was always my fault; if anything I felt the game was lenient at some points.
I liked that they didn’t make reaching the end a slog. The summit felt like such a great home stretch as you pass by the world that you endured for the past however-many hours, and finally reaching the top meant everything.
And then, there was the postgame…
Don’t get me wrong, it was fun, but Heart of the Mountain really didn’t feel like… anything?
I don’t know, it didn’t feel like it fit a purpose story-wise and it focused a lot on the game mechanic of switching between ice and fire which wasn’t that good, in my opinion.
But Farewell… Farewell was my punishment for questioning the developers.
I probably spent just as much time on the game Chapter 1 -> HotM as I did just on this final dream chapter. This was an incredible addition to the game that turned the difficulty way up and was the developer’s way of saying “try this, fuckers”. In my opinion it was the TRUE final level of the game, and beating it felt like an honour.
There were so many small details throughout the game that you could easily miss, but those times when I was stuck on a level for however long, it never got too frustrating as it all felt purposeful. There was never a time where I reacted to a death like “that was bs” because it was always my fault; if anything I felt the game was lenient at some points.
I liked that they didn’t make reaching the end a slog. The summit felt like such a great home stretch as you pass by the world that you endured for the past however-many hours, and finally reaching the top meant everything.
And then, there was the postgame…
Don’t get me wrong, it was fun, but Heart of the Mountain really didn’t feel like… anything?
I don’t know, it didn’t feel like it fit a purpose story-wise and it focused a lot on the game mechanic of switching between ice and fire which wasn’t that good, in my opinion.
But Farewell… Farewell was my punishment for questioning the developers.
I probably spent just as much time on the game Chapter 1 -> HotM as I did just on this final dream chapter. This was an incredible addition to the game that turned the difficulty way up and was the developer’s way of saying “try this, fuckers”. In my opinion it was the TRUE final level of the game, and beating it felt like an honour.
For the game series renowned for being the 'hardest' good game there is, they made sure it was true by having an insanely high learning curve with little to no direction.
This game is basically unplayable without reading up on guides / mechanics. But maybe I'm just a scrub.
However, a scrub that I may be, I still completed the game. The combat is super satisfying and the enemies are dope as fuck, from the common undead to the big dog with a sword.
Whilst at times I felt like giving up, I can see myself playing through the rest of the series in the future.
This game is basically unplayable without reading up on guides / mechanics. But maybe I'm just a scrub.
However, a scrub that I may be, I still completed the game. The combat is super satisfying and the enemies are dope as fuck, from the common undead to the big dog with a sword.
Whilst at times I felt like giving up, I can see myself playing through the rest of the series in the future.
After reading up on the hitman series and where to start, the general consensus I came to was this game.
I really wish I didn't come to that decision.
This game is buggy af (PC port), terrible controls, generally uninteresting and overall unsatisfying.
Despite being in my list of 101 games/series to complete before I die, I set myself a little rule:
If I'm a solid 10+ hours or a good chunk of the way through a game, I can just skip it. This is sadly the first game that I'll be skipping.
I hope that the next game in the series I play will leave me wanting more.
I really wish I didn't come to that decision.
This game is buggy af (PC port), terrible controls, generally uninteresting and overall unsatisfying.
Despite being in my list of 101 games/series to complete before I die, I set myself a little rule:
If I'm a solid 10+ hours or a good chunk of the way through a game, I can just skip it. This is sadly the first game that I'll be skipping.
I hope that the next game in the series I play will leave me wanting more.
My girlfriend and I wanted an RPG to play through together, and I don't think our decision could have been better.
Fallout 3 has something for everyone; action, politics, awesome levelup/perk mechanics, VATS, comedy, exploration. The works.
However, saying this, the game did kind of just... end. It wasn't really clear that we were on the final mission until the credits started rolling.
While we may have moved on for now, I can see us coming back soon to play through the countless missions awaiting us, including all the DLCs.
Fallout 3 has something for everyone; action, politics, awesome levelup/perk mechanics, VATS, comedy, exploration. The works.
However, saying this, the game did kind of just... end. It wasn't really clear that we were on the final mission until the credits started rolling.
While we may have moved on for now, I can see us coming back soon to play through the countless missions awaiting us, including all the DLCs.
1997
This review contains spoilers
The first time I sat down to play this game, I had about 15 minutes time. I watched the retro intro and had some fun seeing the characters that I already knew so much about as an avid Nintendo fan. I played the first couple of levels, got used to the inverted horizontal controls, did my first barrel roll, somersault etc. And I had a lot of fun!
Once my 15 minutes were up, I went to save, only to find there is no save option. Huh.
I googled it and learned that you have to complete the game in a single sitting. Usually this would probably annoy me, but the style of game that Star Fox 64 is (or Lylat Wars where I'm from) is definitely the kind of game that allows a playthrough in one sitting.
So I set aside some time the next day, and had a punt at going through it, and boy it was fun! I had a great time from start to finish, only dying maybe once.
The levels were clearly designed so specifically and with so much in mind that it allowed for replayability and was so cinematic, despite the limitations of a game a couple years older than myself.
Then I learnt that I actually got the bad ending, and that the good ending is a whole lot harder. So I looked up simply what I needed to do to achieve this path, and set aside some time a couple days later to do it.
This route felt like a whole new game! Unfortunately the stage Aquas was a reminder of the time were every developer would (and still do) put a water section in their game, thinking it would be good.
The fight with Star Wolf was intense and took me a few tries, and the battle with Andross took even more.
However playing the final escape sequence with James leading me out was emotional and somehow intense?
A great game that has mostly held up the test of time, and I can see myself revisiting some day.
Also i wish falco would just stfu oh my gooood
Once my 15 minutes were up, I went to save, only to find there is no save option. Huh.
I googled it and learned that you have to complete the game in a single sitting. Usually this would probably annoy me, but the style of game that Star Fox 64 is (or Lylat Wars where I'm from) is definitely the kind of game that allows a playthrough in one sitting.
So I set aside some time the next day, and had a punt at going through it, and boy it was fun! I had a great time from start to finish, only dying maybe once.
The levels were clearly designed so specifically and with so much in mind that it allowed for replayability and was so cinematic, despite the limitations of a game a couple years older than myself.
Then I learnt that I actually got the bad ending, and that the good ending is a whole lot harder. So I looked up simply what I needed to do to achieve this path, and set aside some time a couple days later to do it.
This route felt like a whole new game! Unfortunately the stage Aquas was a reminder of the time were every developer would (and still do) put a water section in their game, thinking it would be good.
The fight with Star Wolf was intense and took me a few tries, and the battle with Andross took even more.
However playing the final escape sequence with James leading me out was emotional and somehow intense?
A great game that has mostly held up the test of time, and I can see myself revisiting some day.
Also i wish falco would just stfu oh my gooood
The original Diamond/Pearl I'd give a 9/10.
However, unlike the remakes of Ruby/Sapphire, this remake is extremely bland, and basically a copy paste of the originals but with less charm and less innovation.
I got no real sense of nostalgia or excitement playing this game which is a shame because the original is so good and was the source of hundreds of hours of fun.
What bumped this game up ever so slightly for me was the underground expansion, and even that wasn't as good as it was hyped up to be.
They need to add a hard mode to Pokemon these days, or AT LEAST let us turn off the Exp Share, because this game is far too easy and the Exp Share is absolutely broken. I only blacked out once, and that was against the champion AND only cos I missed the move that would have won me the game.
The main joy I got out of this was being able to actually get Mew/Manaphy/Phione/Jirachi legitimately for the first time in years, and that really had nothing to do with the game
However, unlike the remakes of Ruby/Sapphire, this remake is extremely bland, and basically a copy paste of the originals but with less charm and less innovation.
I got no real sense of nostalgia or excitement playing this game which is a shame because the original is so good and was the source of hundreds of hours of fun.
What bumped this game up ever so slightly for me was the underground expansion, and even that wasn't as good as it was hyped up to be.
They need to add a hard mode to Pokemon these days, or AT LEAST let us turn off the Exp Share, because this game is far too easy and the Exp Share is absolutely broken. I only blacked out once, and that was against the champion AND only cos I missed the move that would have won me the game.
The main joy I got out of this was being able to actually get Mew/Manaphy/Phione/Jirachi legitimately for the first time in years, and that really had nothing to do with the game
2020
For a demo, this is one of the best games I've played in a while. Despite being kind of short, it is VERY long for a demo with lots of depth. As a collector of retro games / consoles, this game was a joy to me as I got to go through and collect artifacts from PlayStation's history. The game itself displays beautifully what the system (and controller) are capable of.
The freshest mainline pokemon game to come out in years (and by years, I mean since the originals). As a lifetime avid Pokémon fan I'm so glad they FINALLY did something new, and GOOD. The gameplay is something Pokémon fans have dreamed about for over 20 years. However, the graphics are horribly lacking and the story is preeeetty meh. I really hope that the Pokémon company does the GOOD thing for the franchise for once and not just for the money: Take a few years at least and make the best Pokémon game of all time.
2004
(Played on PC, just didn't play Lost Chapters)
I think being British made this easier to play.
While fun most the time (combat not being too bad considering when it was released), this game could be pretty frustrating with a nonsensical map/fast travel system as well as being a generally janky game.
Saying that - it has a lot of charm and clearly the developers had fun making it, creating a game that doesn't take itself so seriously while taking itself seriously. The story was pretty much pointless, and you can easily become very powerful very quickly.
A lot of mechanics are unpolished/unfinished, for example the guards/trespassing which could cause major frustration in the wrong moment
Fun game though, looking forward to playing Fable 2
I think being British made this easier to play.
While fun most the time (combat not being too bad considering when it was released), this game could be pretty frustrating with a nonsensical map/fast travel system as well as being a generally janky game.
Saying that - it has a lot of charm and clearly the developers had fun making it, creating a game that doesn't take itself so seriously while taking itself seriously. The story was pretty much pointless, and you can easily become very powerful very quickly.
A lot of mechanics are unpolished/unfinished, for example the guards/trespassing which could cause major frustration in the wrong moment
Fun game though, looking forward to playing Fable 2
2019
This game can be the most entertaining game combat-wise with it's cinematicity and most fights feeling fresh and different, interesting developed characters and a nicely streamlined yet intricate way to upgrade skills & relationships.
This game, however, can also be mind numbingly boring and repetitive when it makes you sit through what can essentially be a 1-2 hour cut scene out of nowhere, with no chances to save. I genuinely believe that ~40+ hours of the game was dialogue. In addition, the new post game added in Royal is pretty awful and doesn't add anything new to the game, just stretches it out another 20 hours or so.
Apart from these main criticisms, I loved this game thoroughly and my girlfriend even got hooked, watching me play through roughly 80 hours of it herself. The music is catchy and funky, the UI is almost unmatched with how nice it looks and how surprisingly cleanly it functions (most the time) despite it's uniqueness.
As my first JRPG outside of Pokemon, this has shined a light to me that I may have a new favourite genre of game, and I look forward to Persona 6 whenever it may come.
This game, however, can also be mind numbingly boring and repetitive when it makes you sit through what can essentially be a 1-2 hour cut scene out of nowhere, with no chances to save. I genuinely believe that ~40+ hours of the game was dialogue. In addition, the new post game added in Royal is pretty awful and doesn't add anything new to the game, just stretches it out another 20 hours or so.
Apart from these main criticisms, I loved this game thoroughly and my girlfriend even got hooked, watching me play through roughly 80 hours of it herself. The music is catchy and funky, the UI is almost unmatched with how nice it looks and how surprisingly cleanly it functions (most the time) despite it's uniqueness.
As my first JRPG outside of Pokemon, this has shined a light to me that I may have a new favourite genre of game, and I look forward to Persona 6 whenever it may come.
Why did I play this game? Good question.
Other than 1 or 2 moments that made you say "okay that was kind of cool", for example flooding Al's entire bathroom, this game was pretty repetitive and very hard to control.
Doesn't hold up well
Other than 1 or 2 moments that made you say "okay that was kind of cool", for example flooding Al's entire bathroom, this game was pretty repetitive and very hard to control.
Doesn't hold up well
As a shooter, this game is super fun and has some super satisfying combat and loot collecting.
However, the maps were soooo bland, 90% of the maps looked exactly the same with the same brown dirty atmosphere. I understand that it's the 'Borderlands' and that's kind of how it's supposed to look but it doesn't mean I have to like it.
The leveling up system is nothing special, some of the perks are cool but nothing really caught my eye.
The story was nothing super exciting, and the ending kind of confused me, but perhaps I missed something. One perk was that the game didn't drag on. Took me 24 hours to complete while also completing all of the side missions, can't complain at all.
All in all, pretty fun game. Shame that the splitscreen runs at 30fps (even on ps5), otherwise I would have definitely done multiplayer and potentially had a better time
However, the maps were soooo bland, 90% of the maps looked exactly the same with the same brown dirty atmosphere. I understand that it's the 'Borderlands' and that's kind of how it's supposed to look but it doesn't mean I have to like it.
The leveling up system is nothing special, some of the perks are cool but nothing really caught my eye.
The story was nothing super exciting, and the ending kind of confused me, but perhaps I missed something. One perk was that the game didn't drag on. Took me 24 hours to complete while also completing all of the side missions, can't complain at all.
All in all, pretty fun game. Shame that the splitscreen runs at 30fps (even on ps5), otherwise I would have definitely done multiplayer and potentially had a better time
1994
Played on Switch (not an option)
What a game! An incredible platformer that may not add anything new to the genre (even in '94) but makes up for that and more with it's super smooth movement, incredible art and BANGING music.
Playing this game with a friend is a guaranteed fun time, especially when emulated on a console like the Switch.
My only gripe is the control scheme on the pro controller, I wish they'd add an option to remap the buttons for the SNES games on Switch.
What a game! An incredible platformer that may not add anything new to the genre (even in '94) but makes up for that and more with it's super smooth movement, incredible art and BANGING music.
Playing this game with a friend is a guaranteed fun time, especially when emulated on a console like the Switch.
My only gripe is the control scheme on the pro controller, I wish they'd add an option to remap the buttons for the SNES games on Switch.
2021
This game is incredible! This incredible co-op that I don't even know how to genre correctly never gets dull. It's funny, full of charm, has a decent story, incredible gameplay that leaves you wanting more on almost every puzzle, everything. I think the best part is the difficulty, it is almost a perfect balance for casual and hardcore gamers alike.
Probably the best co-op game I've ever played, and was sad when it was over, although it was kind of sudden. This game doesn't hold your hand but also gives you just about enough of a hint to figure out mechanics / puzzles yourself.
If you want to play a game with your significant other, or subtly get someone interested in platformers, this is your best bet.
---------------SPOILER---------------
holy shit that fighting game portion on the plane was insane
Probably the best co-op game I've ever played, and was sad when it was over, although it was kind of sudden. This game doesn't hold your hand but also gives you just about enough of a hint to figure out mechanics / puzzles yourself.
If you want to play a game with your significant other, or subtly get someone interested in platformers, this is your best bet.
---------------SPOILER---------------
holy shit that fighting game portion on the plane was insane
1998
If someone says that this is their favourite game, they are either lying, or blinded by nostalgia.
While this game has incredible charm, art style, dialogue, music, sound, the gameplay is extremely painful for a good portion of the time. In my opinion this game is about 33% too long and forces you to collect too much to allow a casual playthrough.
The boss battle at the end feels like total bs when you lose because you're then required to farm eggs & feathers again to have a chance.
I won't say I didn't have any fun in this game because there were a lot of points where I did, however the most frustrating parts overshadowed them; whether the camera made it impossible to see or the framerate dropped to ~10.
With all this said, I am going to eventually play the sequel, and I hope that they largely improve upon these issues, since this was Rare's first 3D platformer
While this game has incredible charm, art style, dialogue, music, sound, the gameplay is extremely painful for a good portion of the time. In my opinion this game is about 33% too long and forces you to collect too much to allow a casual playthrough.
The boss battle at the end feels like total bs when you lose because you're then required to farm eggs & feathers again to have a chance.
I won't say I didn't have any fun in this game because there were a lot of points where I did, however the most frustrating parts overshadowed them; whether the camera made it impossible to see or the framerate dropped to ~10.
With all this said, I am going to eventually play the sequel, and I hope that they largely improve upon these issues, since this was Rare's first 3D platformer