Review in Progress
Fallout has always been a series I have fondly followed and played ever since getting recommended Fallout New Vegas as a teenager. I wish I had more exact memories of the games, but as it stands I have at least 40 hours in Fallout 3 and almost 90 in Fallout New Vegas (I have tried the older games and they are the best games I haven’t been able to fully get into, maybe one day the switch will click). I recall the sights and sounds of the decayed cities and scouring deserts, ringing with gunfire as the oldies serenade the vacant buildings with songs of hope, songs of despair, and sometimes songs of silliness. Fallout dares to be quirky in a sea of serious role-playing games. The narratives can be bleak, filled with cannibals and raiders destroying communities and the last traces of humanity, but the outcomes can be humorous as often as they are cathartic or rewarding. One quest that comes to mind is the White Glove Society in New Vegas; a wealthy realm of socialites that is revealed to be a den of depravity as the rich Mortimer is not content just exploiting the poor, he must consume them. The Courier can help the worried rancher find his son by storming the place with weapons drawn, but what is the fun of doing what the typical game would do? You can instead save the boy and expose the plan by several creative means like drugging their drinks or creating a fake human meat. You could also help Mortimer embrace his cannibalistic desires by letting Ted cook. Or maybe you save Ted but let someone else cook? Perhaps a stranger, or perhaps a friend? A relatively simple quest to save the damsel (or whatever the male equivalent would be) becomes a complex puzzle of morality, and this is just one small quest which a player can completely miss while patrolling the Mojave. For the strength of the Fallout series isn’t just its combat, it is its ability to avoid gunplay to complete most storylines. Speech can be as dangerous as a laser pistol when used correctly, and few games centralize their presence in the medium with this motif. That was, however, until that fateful E3 that first showcased the soon to be released nuclear funhouse named Fallout 4.

Fallout 4 came out November, 2015, and I first played the game while on winter break from college. I loved my experience in the commonwealth; the game looked great, the world was engaging, and there was enough content between exploration, settlement building, and story crafting to occupy my entire break. That break, I assume a mere 2 weeks as I got the game for Christmas and returned to school a little after the new year, I placed over 100 hours into the game. I saw the ruins of an area not far from where I lived at the time, of cities which I had previously visited, and bathed in the radiated waters of lore and world building. I completed most of the quests and finished the game as a liberator of synth slavery through the railroad, an ending which involved storming other factions and engaging in an intense gunfight. Which brings across one major idea of this game: the focus on guns and the way they feel.

Bethesda’s developers knew a complaint of the games they created was the sometimes lackluster shooting mechanics, so this time around they got their first-person shooter friends at id Software to spice up the fire fights and they marketed the game with its gun play as a major triumph. Finally a game which contains gripping stories and the firm grip of a shotgun that felt… better? While a significant change for a Bethesda game, Fallout 4’s gun play was not revolutionary and many critiques can be made on the way guns were handled. I am not a marksman, so I will leave the game feel to those with more knowledge on the topic, but I can say that it was fun enough to not be boring. However, the emphasis on gun play did draw out a major critique of the game; previous games let you shoot second, this game wanted you to shoot first most of the time.

Another marketed feature of Fallout 4 was the new voiced main character. Your hero, the sole survivor, is now a fleshed out character with their own mission to find their kidnapped son. This exploration of parenthood and the complexities which come from the main narrative was a fine story suitable for the game, the decision to have a voiced character meant that every story needed to have an actor provide lines that advanced the plot. This is not necessarily novel, many triple A games have fully voiced quests, but it was an important part of Fallout 4’s structure. In previous games you had numerous methods to complete the majority of tasks, but in this game player options are much more limited. Often you are limited to only four voiced lines to reply to an NPC, usually formatted as some variation of a neutral answer, a nice answer, and a mean answer for those who want to play the hardest ass they can. This system works well for, say Mass Effect, but Fallout feels like it is missing something with this lack of speech options. I recall near the time of the game’s release someone tried doing a pacifist run of the game. None of the Fallout games really allow true pacifism, raiders are not very kind to strangers, but a highlight of the series was the ability to complete stories without slaughter. This game, however, ends most conflicts with a spectacle of gore. The writer of the article had to invest in skills which made bullets bounce off the player in order to complete quests without themselves firing a pistol, as the art of diplomacy fails in comparison to the luck of the ricochet. Other players found that the focus on finding the son limited their role-playing, as they were not as blank a slate as previous vault dwellers. At the time I did not have much of a problem with this system, and it would be fictitious to say there aren’t elements of horror, comedy, tragedy, and heroism seen throughout the limited speech system. However, this lack of option does hinder a key part of the series' appeal; replayability.

Recently, I decided to start a new game of Fallout 4. Almost a decade after its release, I wanted to try out some of the content released after I hit the credits from both official sources (dlc and expansions) and fan-made mods. I downloaded mods which gave me more options in appearance, more freedom in settlements, and even a skip for the game’s rather long introduction. What I did not change was basic gun play, other than a cosmetic mod which made guns look more realistic, nor any which changed how narratives play out. I am writing this review partially from memory as well as from recent experience. So far I have become queen of the Minutemen and was offered a position in the Brotherhood of Steel. I’ve fought mainly mutated dogs and crazed lunatics rather than partaken in detailed story lines. Still, I feel it is worth writing about my previous opinions on the game and consider the cultural impact of the game against my current playthrough. As I continue to explore the wasteland I will update this review with insight on new findings. How does the narrative keep up with other games in the series? How does the game play feel years after other shooters examined their mechanics and innovated on the art of the gun? After I get deeper into my playthrough I will add more about my experiences. Until then, Fallout 4 remains in my eyes a fun but flawed game which missed some of the heart previous games had.

I have not placed much time into PokeMMO and sadly I do not believe I will continue playing, at least at this time. I am curious about how this game functions. I would love to see and participate in community events and build a collection of Pokemon with comrades, but the day to day game play and design choices are truly baffling.

This attempts to craft the single-player Pokemon games into one complete package (or as complete as the hardware allows) but this time with friends! What a marvelous idea, but in truth it comes off more as a novelty after playing for a bit. The game has several changes to accommodate the change in style. Some changes are fine; the games have increased difficulty to captivate an older, more experienced audience and quality of life features like IV/EV stats enhance the game. However, other changes seem to make the game worse. The low speed of the game (low exp gain, slow animations, etc.) makes the grinding truly miserable especially when compared to other rom hacks (which this essentially is) that benefit from faster settings and the glorious speed up button even the most basic emulators provides. Speaking of which, playing this game makes me ask "why am I playing this and not another rom hack?" The answer, of course, is its multiplayer component, but what does this mechanic really add to the game? Besides a market place and standard Pokemon multiplayer features (trading, battling, etc.) there is little interaction between players other than a chat box. To most this is fine, as they play the game as normal with the joy of seeing someone playing along next to them, but I wish there was more. I know there are limits to the engine and the skill sets of the developers, but I long for a true co-op experience. One where it feels like you are traveling the region with someone, not just by someone. I have not played while there was an event going on, so those may have elements I would fine desirable, but the average play session just feels worse than playing a rom hack or even the default games on an emulator. Other things which bother me are the changes to breeding (now you somehow lose Pokemon when you breed them) and the tremendously decreased shiny odds. I understand these features exist to highlight Pokemon rarity and incentive trading, but I believe these are lazy ways to manage the system. I want new ideas, not already existing ideas made harder. The plethora of rom hacks showcase how many innovative ideas the fan community has, and PokeMMO just seems underwhelming in comparison to the single-player competition without presenting a compelling enough multiplayer component to compensate. These complaints are particularly an extension of my jaded yearn for more, and I totally see someone being able to ignore them and have an amazing time with this game. Sadly, there is another concern of the game which I believe is a bit more severe.

Rom hacks and fan games often present quality of life features which improve some of the mediocre design decisions of the base game. PokeMMO takes the unique approach of removing quality of life already in the game in the pursuit of the grind. TM are not reusable even in Unova (the game which invented reusable TMs). TMs can instead be bought, but they are expensive and rely on money grinding activities (it is no wonder a quick YouTube search for the game reveals several money making guides). MMOs are known to be grindy, but usually not at the expense of making the game worse than it was before. More sinister to me is the way real money can be used to speed up the process.

Purchasing items in the game gives players redeemable bonuses to money gain, exp earned, and shiny rate. This alone rubs me the wrong way, but most of these items are newly made cosmetics and, fine, it is acceptable to sell custom work for a game you are making. But some of the paid items influence the game itself, like an hour long shiny charm or EV training items. I have a problem with this since not only does it encourage players to become payers, it does so by altering the original games which initially rewarded players with these now purchasable prizes. As a rom hack it seems silly to lessen the quality of a game and as a fan game using copyrighted materials it seems absurd to make money off of the original developers work. I know hosting the server is not cheap, but there are ways to monetize without hurting a game. Cosmetics,. as I said, are perfectly fine and people will pay for those. Messing with the game mechanics is scummier.

I do not recommend this game unless my complaints do not phase you (which, fair, thanks for reading). However, I do believe this format can be expanded to be more worthwhile. More new ideas would greatly change my view on the game and I will happily log in to play more once these hypothetical ideas drop. Right now, it excites me more to convince my friend to use Parsec to play Pokemon Quetzal. a newer rom hack which combines innovation with a true co-operative experience.

I recall getting my PS4 Pro on a frigid winter evening. I was attending my grad school introductory course when I received a notification that my recent Black Friday purchase has arrived. The problem was that my apartment was located at an open courtyard rather than a covered building and Game Stop just so happened to ship the package without a box, meaning anyone could come and see a fresh expensive piece of hardware just hanging out unattended. I got permission to leave class, place the box into my apartment, and return. This only took about 10 minutes as I lived across from the campus, but it was an unsettling feeling to have a commodity I yearned for just left out as if it was nothing. I do not remember anything about the console's setup or my first impressions of the Sony interface. However, I do remember my first trip into the PS4 library and perhaps played its best offering. My first game was Bloodborne.

Bloodborne is a peculiar game. Like my PS4 abandoned in the cold, Bloodborne has seemingly been forgotten by its publisher. Fans want, if not demand, a PC port that has not even been teased while other Sony exclusives have graced the platform (with mixed performance, but extending a series to a new audience is always a good move). It is a shame because Bloodborne is one of the best games on the console. It is one of the best games on any console, maybe even the best game I have played. It is, as far as I recall, the only game I played to "completion" as I have a platinum trophy sitting on my digital mantle. I completed at least two complete playthroughs, one utilizing strength and another focused on dexterity and blood lust. I think I even completed a New Game Plus cycle, but my memory is too hazy to trust. What I can trust is the memories of playing a truly amazing game.

FIrst, Bloodborne perfected the Souls model. I have been with the series since I bought Demon's Souls used as an impromptu birthday gift and I have since played every game except for Sekiro (which will be topping my post-thesis-completed gaming list). I do not think Bloodborne is as revolutionary as Demon's or even Dark Souls, but I do believe Bloodborne is at the peak the FromSoftware design for two key reasons: its fantastic combat and the sheer vitriol of its bleak setting and atmosphere.

Bloodborne wants the player to attack first and think second, at least at first. I remember having to adapt to the speed of the game which sprints past the slower pace of previous "Souls" games. Bloodborne is not as fast as games like Bayonetta or Devil May Cry, but the game has a momentum that works perfectly for its intended goal. Fore I lied; the game does not want you to attack first, it wants you to be methodical in movement. It just wants you to be quick with your theories. Some bosses are tight races between two opposing health bars, where a well-planned pistol shot can be the sole factor of your unlikely survival. Other fights are dances with danger; waltz that reward delicate steps that circle past the swing of a club or the blaze of a kindled sword. Bloodborne does not want you to button mash, but it also does not want you to wait too long between attacks. Its unique style switching mechanic mixed with the projectile parry work together to keep you agile and strategic. I fondly remember ringing my bell to support fellow hunters fight foes for hours even against my least favorite enemies. Now, I would be lying if I said all bosses and combat encounters are perfect; I have my issues with the moonlight monster housed in the DLC for example. However, the game truly feels fair throughout as you have everything you need to succeed. And you will need every hunter tool available to survive this eternal night.

Bloodborne's world has a strong presence from the moment you are introduced to the infamous hunt. The darkness of the story fills out an already dire world. The influence of plagues are as relevant as the twisted horrors which hide behind the cursed curtain of madness and together they craft a realm that you want to explore just as much as you want to escape. Souls lore is hit or miss for me; the dark fantasy tropes are not as compelling as those of the cosmic. I am enamored with the intense imagery of the incomprehensible . The insight mechanic is an ingenious way to present information to the player. Just as your sense of security dwindles as each fog gate and boss arena leads to a new place of challenge, your hunter gains bits of knowledge that intrigues the player to move forward and see what new monstrosity lures atop a snowy castle or trapped in an endless nightmare. I also appreciate the experimentation of subtle femininity seen within the narrative, as YouTuber Honey Bat notes in her video essay "Viscerally Feminine." Concepts related to birth are not often touched upon in games, and it is rare to see otherwise non-feminist stories handle the discourse in a manner grotesque yet gentle. Overall, Bloodborne presents a macabre masterpiece worth pushing through.

Reminiscing over this game has developed a desire to replay, yet the strength of title's place in the PS4 library is also its major weakness; the game struggles to meet its full potential on the console at its current iteration. The game simply runs bad. Not unplayable, and I do not remember the game suffering as much of PS3 Blight town did, but we cannot pretend the game is not hindered by its inconsistent frame rate and choppy visuals. Which leads to a question previously mentioned; why is there no updated port of this game? It is not inaccessible, so I am not worried as a preservationist about the game's future. But I am worried that this game won't receive the love it deserves through performance patches. I do not understand the PS4's technology, but I am sure the PS5 and most modern PCs can better handle the game. If not, fan modders will easily develop their own fixes as they have with other From titles (there is already an 60 fps fan patch for those brave enough to homebrew their system, so think of the possibilities of a PC community for the game). Microsoft struggles to be as relevant as Sony in terms of sales, but the company does take care to faithfully update and upscale older titles for their current hardware. I do not see why Sony is so opposed to doing so, as the existence of Dark Souls Remastered and other ports indicate From is fine with expanding their player base. I doubt this game will become obscure or forgotten, but time will tell if the game is treated as royally as some of Sony's other titles.

Bloodborne is a game I will revisit and I hope any readers are willing to attempt the game despite its difficulty which I recognize can be a deterrent. The game is not perfect: some encounters are not as well thought out as others, the game has an interesting but rough bonus dungeon system which underwhelms more than it excites, and mechanics like the blood gem system feel out of place with the otherwise solid weapon system. However, these are minor mistakes to me. The game, at its heart, hits every goal of a Souls game. It challenges but does not feel unfair. It presents lore strange enough to pursue. Finally, despite technical flaws the game just plays well. Bloodborne is a triumph of gaming. I hope Sony realizes that sooner than later.