TheBluejay
Review #29 - 2020
My absolute all time favorite "Grand Theft Auto" title, simply due to how it manages to nail 1980s Miami in a way that's caricatured, yet accurate. I'm a big "Miami Vice" fan, and you can see the influence that show had on this game BIG time. The influence is strong, but its doing the "Miami Vice" thing the GTA way. It basks in the vices of 1980s Miami with reckless abandon, and doesn't hold back on the satire either.
The story is like experiencing "Miami Vice" from the perspective of the coke dealers, as you play through the life and times of Tommy Vercetti. Your drug deal went sour, and you need to get the money back before your kingpin loses his head and takes yours. Once the opening cutscene finishes, you are free to explore the 80s inspired world before you. Play the storyline, or cruise the streets to an incredible soundtrack of real 80s music, with radio hits we all know and love like "Billie Jean" by Michael Jackson. Maybe discover something that hasn't been heard on the radio in years like René & Angela's "I'll Be Good".
The gunplay is the game's weakest point, but then again, Rockstar isn't necessarily known for having amazing 3rd person gunplay controls. Their wheelhouse resides in recreating places and times, and letting you explore them to a chaotic storyline, that satirizes the real world problems the game is inspired by. It's a wild romp through a fictionalized 1980s beach side city, and no other game has been able to pull that off the way "Vice City" has.
My absolute all time favorite "Grand Theft Auto" title, simply due to how it manages to nail 1980s Miami in a way that's caricatured, yet accurate. I'm a big "Miami Vice" fan, and you can see the influence that show had on this game BIG time. The influence is strong, but its doing the "Miami Vice" thing the GTA way. It basks in the vices of 1980s Miami with reckless abandon, and doesn't hold back on the satire either.
The story is like experiencing "Miami Vice" from the perspective of the coke dealers, as you play through the life and times of Tommy Vercetti. Your drug deal went sour, and you need to get the money back before your kingpin loses his head and takes yours. Once the opening cutscene finishes, you are free to explore the 80s inspired world before you. Play the storyline, or cruise the streets to an incredible soundtrack of real 80s music, with radio hits we all know and love like "Billie Jean" by Michael Jackson. Maybe discover something that hasn't been heard on the radio in years like René & Angela's "I'll Be Good".
The gunplay is the game's weakest point, but then again, Rockstar isn't necessarily known for having amazing 3rd person gunplay controls. Their wheelhouse resides in recreating places and times, and letting you explore them to a chaotic storyline, that satirizes the real world problems the game is inspired by. It's a wild romp through a fictionalized 1980s beach side city, and no other game has been able to pull that off the way "Vice City" has.
By Request Review #1 - 2021
It's a really clever game, ruined by unpatched game breaking glitches that kept me from progressing. I've had people say nothing happened to them on their playthroughs, and others say they did. Unfortunately, it happened so many times, I had to just set it aside. It's a shame, because I love the idea of a ghostly detective having to solve his own murder. I'd love to return to it in order to see what happens and give it a proper review, but until then, shelved. Hopefully all that gets fixed, but I'm not confident given Square Enix probably has no interest in funding the devs to patch a game from 2014.
It's a really clever game, ruined by unpatched game breaking glitches that kept me from progressing. I've had people say nothing happened to them on their playthroughs, and others say they did. Unfortunately, it happened so many times, I had to just set it aside. It's a shame, because I love the idea of a ghostly detective having to solve his own murder. I'd love to return to it in order to see what happens and give it a proper review, but until then, shelved. Hopefully all that gets fixed, but I'm not confident given Square Enix probably has no interest in funding the devs to patch a game from 2014.
2018
Bluejay's Choice Review #1 - 2021
The story isn't much, and nor is the gameplay. You follow a strict path of point A to point B, and really, that's the point of the game. It's meant to be played in a short bit of time, and is meant to be a quick story to be experienced with a friend, and nothing more than that. Gameplay consists of short bouts of shooting, doing tasks, moments of stealth, and car chases. It's basically an interactive movie, and in that regard, is pretty neat. It's dripping in cheese though, for I found serious moments to be ridiculously hilarious. Ultimately, it's a great game to play with a friend, especially with the story twist near the end. This game made me a fan of Hazelight, and I'm looking forward to more co-op adventures from them soon.
The story isn't much, and nor is the gameplay. You follow a strict path of point A to point B, and really, that's the point of the game. It's meant to be played in a short bit of time, and is meant to be a quick story to be experienced with a friend, and nothing more than that. Gameplay consists of short bouts of shooting, doing tasks, moments of stealth, and car chases. It's basically an interactive movie, and in that regard, is pretty neat. It's dripping in cheese though, for I found serious moments to be ridiculously hilarious. Ultimately, it's a great game to play with a friend, especially with the story twist near the end. This game made me a fan of Hazelight, and I'm looking forward to more co-op adventures from them soon.
2020
By Request Review #2 - 2021
On the surface, this is a game where you capture and collect "Bugsnax", a delicious species of creature that resembles all kinds of food items, from burgers, to fruits, to bags of chips. You capture them using different tools and tricks depending on the creature, which means you have to study their habits, while using your handy dandy journal to keep up with their likes and dislikes in order to better capture them. It's quite fun going around to each world seeing what bugsnack you'll come across next, though it can get a bit sleepy at times due to repetition.
What held up my interest though, was the story crazy enough. Again, from the surface, it looks like a game that is just about capturing these silly critters, but it's MUCH more than that. It's a character drama, that only gets more dramatic as the game goes on. It actually has a lot of heart put into its story, being more than just about trying to find a character who has gone missing. It's about relationships of all kinds, and learning to work together as a community. In a time of great division among people, this is a beautiful story to be told.
On the surface, this is a game where you capture and collect "Bugsnax", a delicious species of creature that resembles all kinds of food items, from burgers, to fruits, to bags of chips. You capture them using different tools and tricks depending on the creature, which means you have to study their habits, while using your handy dandy journal to keep up with their likes and dislikes in order to better capture them. It's quite fun going around to each world seeing what bugsnack you'll come across next, though it can get a bit sleepy at times due to repetition.
What held up my interest though, was the story crazy enough. Again, from the surface, it looks like a game that is just about capturing these silly critters, but it's MUCH more than that. It's a character drama, that only gets more dramatic as the game goes on. It actually has a lot of heart put into its story, being more than just about trying to find a character who has gone missing. It's about relationships of all kinds, and learning to work together as a community. In a time of great division among people, this is a beautiful story to be told.
By Request Review #3 - 2021
This is a landmark piece of storytelling that has the intensity and rawness that makes the early seasons of "The Walking Dead" so effective. It builds a bond between these two characters that leaves you winded and on edge when things start getting incredibly threatening. That's a great word to describe this gameplay experience: "threatening". There are few games that make me feel like every step I take, and every bullet I spend, could drastically make or break my playthrough. It could be that it's because my first playthrough of this game was on "grounded" mode, but truly, I wouldn't have it any other way. If you're looking to just enjoy the story without many obstacles, certainly hit up the easier difficulties. If you're like me, and are looking to immerse yourself in a world that's visceral and deadly, then crank the difficulty way up to "grounded". It forced me to slow down, strategize, and treat my session as if I only had one life to live. It made me feel the story even more, as I grew exhausted along side Joel and Ellie on their year long cross-country journey to find hope in a hopeless world dying from a horrifying viral outbreak.
The only negatives I experienced had a lot to do with this Remastered version's lack of perfect polish. Although very rare, glitches are capable of ruining your playthrough. Enemies clipping through walls, or even the game deciding to restart your session were very discouraging when they happened. That link leads to a clip of that moment, where I spent over an hour on that very tough section, only to have my progress yoinked away from me due to this very rare glitch. I never saw it again, but it was horrifying to have to go through that section all over again, and the playthrough from that point forward felt like a roll of the dice. I'm not sure how the PS3 version is, but hopefully it doesn't experience these problems. Otherwise, this would be a 4 star game for me.
This is a landmark piece of storytelling that has the intensity and rawness that makes the early seasons of "The Walking Dead" so effective. It builds a bond between these two characters that leaves you winded and on edge when things start getting incredibly threatening. That's a great word to describe this gameplay experience: "threatening". There are few games that make me feel like every step I take, and every bullet I spend, could drastically make or break my playthrough. It could be that it's because my first playthrough of this game was on "grounded" mode, but truly, I wouldn't have it any other way. If you're looking to just enjoy the story without many obstacles, certainly hit up the easier difficulties. If you're like me, and are looking to immerse yourself in a world that's visceral and deadly, then crank the difficulty way up to "grounded". It forced me to slow down, strategize, and treat my session as if I only had one life to live. It made me feel the story even more, as I grew exhausted along side Joel and Ellie on their year long cross-country journey to find hope in a hopeless world dying from a horrifying viral outbreak.
The only negatives I experienced had a lot to do with this Remastered version's lack of perfect polish. Although very rare, glitches are capable of ruining your playthrough. Enemies clipping through walls, or even the game deciding to restart your session were very discouraging when they happened. That link leads to a clip of that moment, where I spent over an hour on that very tough section, only to have my progress yoinked away from me due to this very rare glitch. I never saw it again, but it was horrifying to have to go through that section all over again, and the playthrough from that point forward felt like a roll of the dice. I'm not sure how the PS3 version is, but hopefully it doesn't experience these problems. Otherwise, this would be a 4 star game for me.
2021
Review #1 - 2021
https://www.potioncraft.com/
This is a delightfully comfortable game that I always fall back on when I tire of the other games I'm playing. Once you burn through the tutorials, it becomes an easy game to pick up and play, as you explore your map by mixing ingredients gathered from your garden (or purchased from merchants), in order to discover new potions to brew and gain XP. What's the goal? There are many to achieve, but the main premise, is that you are an alchemist who opens a potion shop, helping patrons with their everyday problems, from noble, to perhaps even evil. They ask for a specific potion, and it's your job to make it. Don't have the potion they are looking for? Then it's time to get back to the drawing board, and explore your map in order to find new potions. It's a routine that has you playing through in game "days", as you wake up, gather your ingredients, and open your shop. It's a lovely game, with beautiful Celtic inspired music and artwork to immerse you into its enchanting world of potion crafting. $15 well spent!
https://www.potioncraft.com/
This is a delightfully comfortable game that I always fall back on when I tire of the other games I'm playing. Once you burn through the tutorials, it becomes an easy game to pick up and play, as you explore your map by mixing ingredients gathered from your garden (or purchased from merchants), in order to discover new potions to brew and gain XP. What's the goal? There are many to achieve, but the main premise, is that you are an alchemist who opens a potion shop, helping patrons with their everyday problems, from noble, to perhaps even evil. They ask for a specific potion, and it's your job to make it. Don't have the potion they are looking for? Then it's time to get back to the drawing board, and explore your map in order to find new potions. It's a routine that has you playing through in game "days", as you wake up, gather your ingredients, and open your shop. It's a lovely game, with beautiful Celtic inspired music and artwork to immerse you into its enchanting world of potion crafting. $15 well spent!
Review #2 - 2021
One of the most memorable edutainment experiences I ever had. I can't really explain why. Something about the pre-rendered environments, the ambient music, and witty characters, make for a wonderful time. Unlike previous Jump Start entries, this one has you embarking on an adventure, hence the title. This isn't just "Jump Start 3rd Grade", this is "Jump Start ADVENTURES 3rd Grade", which has you ordering around Botley, a robot who's trying to stop the Professor's daughter, Polly, from rearranging history in order to pass her history test. It's a goofy premise, that has you exploring the Professor's magnificent castle, filled to the brim with areas all inspired by different subjects, ranging from math, science, art, and more. Each area has its own set of minigames to educate and test your knowledge of said subjects. You are rewarded items for playing those games, that will help you on your quest to save history as we know it, which is quite a clever way to make learning fun. It helped me a lot as a kid, and I hope there are programs out there just like this for the children of today. Knowledge Adventure's "Jump Start" franchise really was a masterclass on how to do edutainment right.
One of the most memorable edutainment experiences I ever had. I can't really explain why. Something about the pre-rendered environments, the ambient music, and witty characters, make for a wonderful time. Unlike previous Jump Start entries, this one has you embarking on an adventure, hence the title. This isn't just "Jump Start 3rd Grade", this is "Jump Start ADVENTURES 3rd Grade", which has you ordering around Botley, a robot who's trying to stop the Professor's daughter, Polly, from rearranging history in order to pass her history test. It's a goofy premise, that has you exploring the Professor's magnificent castle, filled to the brim with areas all inspired by different subjects, ranging from math, science, art, and more. Each area has its own set of minigames to educate and test your knowledge of said subjects. You are rewarded items for playing those games, that will help you on your quest to save history as we know it, which is quite a clever way to make learning fun. It helped me a lot as a kid, and I hope there are programs out there just like this for the children of today. Knowledge Adventure's "Jump Start" franchise really was a masterclass on how to do edutainment right.
2021
Review #3 - 2021
Have yet to experience the campaign which I imagine is quite great. All I can speak for is the multiplayer stuff, which really, is just fine, as many have found. I played it every now and again with friends, but we ultimately found ourselves jumping back to the Master Chief Collection when we wanted a good Halo session, and that's pretty much where we have remained. I can't really explain what makes Infinite's multiplayer just okay. I'll leave that up to those who understand all those ins and outs. All I know, is that it left me feeling like it could be so much more somehow.
Have yet to experience the campaign which I imagine is quite great. All I can speak for is the multiplayer stuff, which really, is just fine, as many have found. I played it every now and again with friends, but we ultimately found ourselves jumping back to the Master Chief Collection when we wanted a good Halo session, and that's pretty much where we have remained. I can't really explain what makes Infinite's multiplayer just okay. I'll leave that up to those who understand all those ins and outs. All I know, is that it left me feeling like it could be so much more somehow.
Dev Mailbag Review #1 - 2021
I haven't played a point-and-click adventure game since I was a child, so being sent this title by the publisher was a real treat. You play as Lone McLonegan, the titular character trying to reclaim his place as the most notorious bad guy of the west. It's your standard point-and-click faire, having you interact with various objects and characters in search for key items in order to progress. What makes this game stand out, is its fantastic sense of humor. The gags remind me of the kind you'd see in a show like "Futurama", where the jokes catch you off guard with unusual "out of left field" punchlines, either through visual bits or dialogue driven ones. It breaks the 4th wall, and often parodies its point-and-click ancestors. I enjoyed visiting each area in order to see what silly antics would be up next. Fun characters, great setting, and offers a good challenge. Just good, cheesy fun!
I haven't played a point-and-click adventure game since I was a child, so being sent this title by the publisher was a real treat. You play as Lone McLonegan, the titular character trying to reclaim his place as the most notorious bad guy of the west. It's your standard point-and-click faire, having you interact with various objects and characters in search for key items in order to progress. What makes this game stand out, is its fantastic sense of humor. The gags remind me of the kind you'd see in a show like "Futurama", where the jokes catch you off guard with unusual "out of left field" punchlines, either through visual bits or dialogue driven ones. It breaks the 4th wall, and often parodies its point-and-click ancestors. I enjoyed visiting each area in order to see what silly antics would be up next. Fun characters, great setting, and offers a good challenge. Just good, cheesy fun!
2021
Review #1 - 2022
https://www.nytimes.com/games/wordle/index.html
The game that took the world by storm. "Wordle" is a daily word puzzler that has you guessing a 5 letter word in 6 tries, and that's the game! This was a great routine for me, for it gave me something to look forward to each morning before work. I kept up with it on a consistent basis, that was until the New York Times bought up the game. I enjoyed the challenge of the niche words they'd provide, but they never really balanced those words out. Each day was a new toughie, and after several fails, I got burnt out from playing it. I guess that speaks more on my ability to guess the words than it does on the game itself, but maybe others relate.
Ultimately, it's a brilliant idea of a game, since the whole world is working to solve the same word as you are, which made it perfect for social media. I enjoyed seeing people share their attempts to compare. It reminded me of "Pokémon GO" back when it first dropped, and how it brought the whole world together for a moment in time. The craze has died off as things do, but I still see people talking about their daily Wordle, which is nice to see. Maybe I'll get back into it sometime, and give it another go. Despite my burn out, I still find it to be a lovely thing, and I'm glad it exists.
https://www.nytimes.com/games/wordle/index.html
The game that took the world by storm. "Wordle" is a daily word puzzler that has you guessing a 5 letter word in 6 tries, and that's the game! This was a great routine for me, for it gave me something to look forward to each morning before work. I kept up with it on a consistent basis, that was until the New York Times bought up the game. I enjoyed the challenge of the niche words they'd provide, but they never really balanced those words out. Each day was a new toughie, and after several fails, I got burnt out from playing it. I guess that speaks more on my ability to guess the words than it does on the game itself, but maybe others relate.
Ultimately, it's a brilliant idea of a game, since the whole world is working to solve the same word as you are, which made it perfect for social media. I enjoyed seeing people share their attempts to compare. It reminded me of "Pokémon GO" back when it first dropped, and how it brought the whole world together for a moment in time. The craze has died off as things do, but I still see people talking about their daily Wordle, which is nice to see. Maybe I'll get back into it sometime, and give it another go. Despite my burn out, I still find it to be a lovely thing, and I'm glad it exists.
Review #2 - 2022
https://www.origin.com/usa/en-us/store/lands-of-lore/lands-of-lore-guardians-of-destiny
I've never forgotten the first time I discovered this game. It was the mid 2000s, and I had borrowed a copy of "Command & Conquer: Red Alert" from 1996. In it, was a trailer that showed off the high fantasy world of "Lands of Lore", full of scary and mysterious imagery that made my childhood imagination run wild. I was particularly enamored by the synthesized orchestral music that started off with brooding tribal beats, and quickly became heightened with intense strings and fast paced drums, like something out of a thriller. It showed off a gameplay experience that I immediately wanted to try for myself, and after a little over 10 years now, I finally gave it a try, thanks to the selection of classics provided by EA's Origin online store.
It was everything I was hoping it would be. Beautiful, mysterious, adventurous, wonderful. It's full of sharp color and marvelous graphics that at the time, would have blew my mind. Even in this day and age, I am captivated by the look of this title. I'm a sucker for prerendered graphics. They just have this look about them that I can't describe. It's incredibly charming. They even combine live action elements as many games did at the time, and I just can't get enough of that cheesy goodness.
I had never played a first person title from this era before, so the control scheme was quite jarring, but I quickly figured it out, and was impressed by how they managed to make this work. Moving forward and backward and looking left and right all with the arrow keys. The mouse is freed up for pointing and clicking, though you can also use the mouse to move around in the same way. I'm thankful we've found a better standard for first person controlled games, but it's cool experiencing a game controlled in this way.
I haven't gotten super deep into the game, for I only did one stream just to give it a shot, but I would love to give it a full playthrough in the future. I loved what I got to experience, from the witty characters, to the intricate world that Westwood designed. The music is also incredible, giving off those medieval fantasy vibes through that classic 90s soundfont that I adore so much. There's a fantastic story here that makes me feel like I should experience the first one before I go deeper into this. Indeed, there is a trilogy of these games, and thanks to Origin, you can find them all there.
https://www.origin.com/usa/en-us/store/lands-of-lore/lands-of-lore-guardians-of-destiny
I've never forgotten the first time I discovered this game. It was the mid 2000s, and I had borrowed a copy of "Command & Conquer: Red Alert" from 1996. In it, was a trailer that showed off the high fantasy world of "Lands of Lore", full of scary and mysterious imagery that made my childhood imagination run wild. I was particularly enamored by the synthesized orchestral music that started off with brooding tribal beats, and quickly became heightened with intense strings and fast paced drums, like something out of a thriller. It showed off a gameplay experience that I immediately wanted to try for myself, and after a little over 10 years now, I finally gave it a try, thanks to the selection of classics provided by EA's Origin online store.
It was everything I was hoping it would be. Beautiful, mysterious, adventurous, wonderful. It's full of sharp color and marvelous graphics that at the time, would have blew my mind. Even in this day and age, I am captivated by the look of this title. I'm a sucker for prerendered graphics. They just have this look about them that I can't describe. It's incredibly charming. They even combine live action elements as many games did at the time, and I just can't get enough of that cheesy goodness.
I had never played a first person title from this era before, so the control scheme was quite jarring, but I quickly figured it out, and was impressed by how they managed to make this work. Moving forward and backward and looking left and right all with the arrow keys. The mouse is freed up for pointing and clicking, though you can also use the mouse to move around in the same way. I'm thankful we've found a better standard for first person controlled games, but it's cool experiencing a game controlled in this way.
I haven't gotten super deep into the game, for I only did one stream just to give it a shot, but I would love to give it a full playthrough in the future. I loved what I got to experience, from the witty characters, to the intricate world that Westwood designed. The music is also incredible, giving off those medieval fantasy vibes through that classic 90s soundfont that I adore so much. There's a fantastic story here that makes me feel like I should experience the first one before I go deeper into this. Indeed, there is a trilogy of these games, and thanks to Origin, you can find them all there.
Dev Mailbag Review #1 - 2022
Highlight:
"Dexter Stardust: Adventures in Outer Space"
Bluejay's Dev Mailbag
https://youtu.be/jEW63_Mipa8
There is a trend in point-and-click adventures that build off of the past in terms of nostalgia. Some do it in a way that isn't distracting, while others spend too much time remembering the good ol days. That's really the downside of "Dexter Stardust", a point-and-click adventure that tells the story of Dexter, an ordinary guy working for a space delivery service, that gets caught up in a conflict that just so happens to be tied to his past.
The gameplay is fine, for it does what a point-and-click should do, and sticks to that. You find key items that'll help you progress through the area, and discover the story along the way. It has some moments that I found to be entertaining in terms of its sense of humor, but sometimes, it would drag those gags on a bit too long, which left me tired. It didn't help that it would spend a long time on exposition and drawn out dialogue that definitely could have used some trimming down. I was interested in going through the chapter, but these issues I just mentioned certainly left me feeling quite sleepy. It also spends a lot of time trying to feed you "memberberries", making jokes and references based around classic point-and-click adventure game moments, which were a bit distracting after awhile.
The story of Dexter and the unfolding of his past around the game's conflict is certainly curious, but the forced humor, drawn out dialogue that goes nowhere, and nostalgic references certainly get in the way. Tonally, it's trying to tell a somewhat dark story, but also wants to be whimsical and goofy, and so it feels disjointed. The gameplay itself is well made, and the item puzzles are clever, so I wouldn't give it too much of a bad rep. It's just tough for me to enjoy with those things I mentioned. Just makes me sleepy.
Highlight:
"Dexter Stardust: Adventures in Outer Space"
Bluejay's Dev Mailbag
https://youtu.be/jEW63_Mipa8
There is a trend in point-and-click adventures that build off of the past in terms of nostalgia. Some do it in a way that isn't distracting, while others spend too much time remembering the good ol days. That's really the downside of "Dexter Stardust", a point-and-click adventure that tells the story of Dexter, an ordinary guy working for a space delivery service, that gets caught up in a conflict that just so happens to be tied to his past.
The gameplay is fine, for it does what a point-and-click should do, and sticks to that. You find key items that'll help you progress through the area, and discover the story along the way. It has some moments that I found to be entertaining in terms of its sense of humor, but sometimes, it would drag those gags on a bit too long, which left me tired. It didn't help that it would spend a long time on exposition and drawn out dialogue that definitely could have used some trimming down. I was interested in going through the chapter, but these issues I just mentioned certainly left me feeling quite sleepy. It also spends a lot of time trying to feed you "memberberries", making jokes and references based around classic point-and-click adventure game moments, which were a bit distracting after awhile.
The story of Dexter and the unfolding of his past around the game's conflict is certainly curious, but the forced humor, drawn out dialogue that goes nowhere, and nostalgic references certainly get in the way. Tonally, it's trying to tell a somewhat dark story, but also wants to be whimsical and goofy, and so it feels disjointed. The gameplay itself is well made, and the item puzzles are clever, so I wouldn't give it too much of a bad rep. It's just tough for me to enjoy with those things I mentioned. Just makes me sleepy.
Review #3 - 2022
This is one of those games that's incredible it even happened. The Beatles are extremely strict when it comes to how their music is handled, and the fact they managed to muster up the trust to let Harmonix create a plastic instrument game with their music, is such a lightning in a bottle moment in time. I'm not sure who approached who, but however it went down, I'm glad it did. Given that a major day was coming up known as Beatles Day 9/9/09 (perhaps this date was picked due to this little bluesy romp), where they'd release new remasters of all 12 of their albums, I imagine it just made sense to get this game together for such an awesome day, which would also be its release date.
I played this game with friends the moment it dropped. A friend of mine picked up the full band set, which consisted of replicas based on real Beatles instruments: Paul's Höfner bass and Ringo's Black Oyster Pearl drumkit (John's Rickenbacker 325 and George's Gretsch Duo Jet were sold separately). It also included a mic of course, as well as a Beatles logo drum head which attached to your drum kit. It was a well put together set, that I managed to finally get my hands on through eBay just a few years ago. Also, I'll never forget watching that incredible opening animation for the first time. I had goosebumps for days.
This would be my first real exposure to the Beatles' music, having only heard their early to mid 60s hits that were often played on oldies radio. I had never heard their experimental/abstract works, so this game opened that door for me, and as a 10th grader dying to take in something mind blowing and new, I was absolutely captivated.
It wasn't until my adulthood, that I'd finally get to take in all this game had to offer. As mentioned previously, I purchased the full band set on eBay, and made up for lost time, since we couldn't afford to buy such a thing back when I was in high school. I got to share this game with my wife, for she too is a big Beatles fan (being Beatles fans is how we first met funny enough). We played through the game's story mode, which takes you through each iconic year of the Beatles' career, starting from the days when they'd play in the Cavern Club as young lads, all the way to their breathtaking rooftop concert in 1969, which led up to their disbandment. You experience their touring years at the peak of their popularity, and get to hang out in Abbey Road studios, as they began to wind down from the Beatlemania, in order to create experimental works of psychedelic rock. As you progress, depending on how well you did score wise, you can unlock photographs that each come with a brief biography detailing that particular moment the photo was taken. It also features rare videos and performances, each too with their own set of biographical documentation. It's like a museum of you can play in, and I adore the amount of love and detail this game was given.
The setlist is incredible, and if you were able to get ahold of the DLC which were 3 full albums (Sgt. Pepper, Rubber Soul, and Abbey Road), then you'd have plenty to play along with. There were some misses though, like "Hey Jude" for example, but there's enough hits and deep cuts on here that you'd almost forget what's missing. There were 45 songs on disc, and with the DLC, a combined total of 73 (74 if you had the Xbox 360 exclusive "All You Need Is Love), and that's a lot of Beatles to enjoy. Each song has its own beautiful back drops depending on the era the song takes place in. If you're playing "Can't Buy Me Love", you're playing at the Ed Sullivan Theater in 1964. If you're playing "And Your Bird Can Sing", you're playing at the Budokan in 1966. Now, if you're playing their songs from their studio years, the devs came up with "dreamscapes" to take you to higher places, with each scape animated differently to fit the music and lyrics of each individual song. Some assets get reused, like the rolling hills with the trees, but are given different colors based on the tone of the song. "Here Comes the Sun" is bright and cheerful, full of lovely yellows, blues and greens, but then you get to "While My Guitar Gently Weeps", which dampens those colors, and brings out more darker tones, such as browns, dusty yellows and greens.
So much detail, so much art, and I almost forgot the most important aspect. It's fun. So so flippin fun. Fun to play solo to get gud with the scores, and so flippin fun with family and friends. This is a game I play often with my siblings, for we love to pick an instrument, set a mic in front of us, and play our role as well as sing 3 part harmonies, as the game was intended. We perform for our Mom, as we let her drop requests since she grew up with these classic tunes. And with an amazing project ran by talented modders, there's even MORE music for you to enjoy, which keeps this game alive, and full of potential.
I totally understand and get it when people tell me The Beatles are overrated. It's not fun to be told that, but I totally get it, and I wouldn't take that notion away from them even if I could. Maybe to many, this is just another band. For me, they were a band I discovered through my parents, and through this game, discovered so much more. They fueled my own desire to make music, to collaborate, and to spread love with my art. I began to look into their music as individuals, and got excited for what I could do with my own music. They got a whole generation of kids to reject the bullshit around them, and come together on a mission of love, and peace. They also introduced the west to sounds and ideas from India, which opened the hearts and minds of many to try new things, and discover that there is so much more in this world than the nation they lived in. I just think that's the coolest thing, and something people STILL should learn.
The game's story mode ends with a beautiful animated scene that shows them playing "The End" on a rooftop overlooking London during Golden Hour. It leaves us with my favorite Beatles lyric: "And in the end, the love you take, is equal to the love you make". It moves me every time, and leaves my heart full and ready to make something that will impact the world, just like The Beatles impacted me. This game introduced me to all that, and is an astonishing love letter that captivates, inspires, and tells the story of 4 young lads, who innovated the way rock music is played, and perceived, just by coming together, and doing what they loved.
If you'd like, there's a highlight of my closing thoughts after playing this game for my Twitch audience, that fits well with the words I typed above. You can find that linked here.
This is one of those games that's incredible it even happened. The Beatles are extremely strict when it comes to how their music is handled, and the fact they managed to muster up the trust to let Harmonix create a plastic instrument game with their music, is such a lightning in a bottle moment in time. I'm not sure who approached who, but however it went down, I'm glad it did. Given that a major day was coming up known as Beatles Day 9/9/09 (perhaps this date was picked due to this little bluesy romp), where they'd release new remasters of all 12 of their albums, I imagine it just made sense to get this game together for such an awesome day, which would also be its release date.
I played this game with friends the moment it dropped. A friend of mine picked up the full band set, which consisted of replicas based on real Beatles instruments: Paul's Höfner bass and Ringo's Black Oyster Pearl drumkit (John's Rickenbacker 325 and George's Gretsch Duo Jet were sold separately). It also included a mic of course, as well as a Beatles logo drum head which attached to your drum kit. It was a well put together set, that I managed to finally get my hands on through eBay just a few years ago. Also, I'll never forget watching that incredible opening animation for the first time. I had goosebumps for days.
This would be my first real exposure to the Beatles' music, having only heard their early to mid 60s hits that were often played on oldies radio. I had never heard their experimental/abstract works, so this game opened that door for me, and as a 10th grader dying to take in something mind blowing and new, I was absolutely captivated.
It wasn't until my adulthood, that I'd finally get to take in all this game had to offer. As mentioned previously, I purchased the full band set on eBay, and made up for lost time, since we couldn't afford to buy such a thing back when I was in high school. I got to share this game with my wife, for she too is a big Beatles fan (being Beatles fans is how we first met funny enough). We played through the game's story mode, which takes you through each iconic year of the Beatles' career, starting from the days when they'd play in the Cavern Club as young lads, all the way to their breathtaking rooftop concert in 1969, which led up to their disbandment. You experience their touring years at the peak of their popularity, and get to hang out in Abbey Road studios, as they began to wind down from the Beatlemania, in order to create experimental works of psychedelic rock. As you progress, depending on how well you did score wise, you can unlock photographs that each come with a brief biography detailing that particular moment the photo was taken. It also features rare videos and performances, each too with their own set of biographical documentation. It's like a museum of you can play in, and I adore the amount of love and detail this game was given.
The setlist is incredible, and if you were able to get ahold of the DLC which were 3 full albums (Sgt. Pepper, Rubber Soul, and Abbey Road), then you'd have plenty to play along with. There were some misses though, like "Hey Jude" for example, but there's enough hits and deep cuts on here that you'd almost forget what's missing. There were 45 songs on disc, and with the DLC, a combined total of 73 (74 if you had the Xbox 360 exclusive "All You Need Is Love), and that's a lot of Beatles to enjoy. Each song has its own beautiful back drops depending on the era the song takes place in. If you're playing "Can't Buy Me Love", you're playing at the Ed Sullivan Theater in 1964. If you're playing "And Your Bird Can Sing", you're playing at the Budokan in 1966. Now, if you're playing their songs from their studio years, the devs came up with "dreamscapes" to take you to higher places, with each scape animated differently to fit the music and lyrics of each individual song. Some assets get reused, like the rolling hills with the trees, but are given different colors based on the tone of the song. "Here Comes the Sun" is bright and cheerful, full of lovely yellows, blues and greens, but then you get to "While My Guitar Gently Weeps", which dampens those colors, and brings out more darker tones, such as browns, dusty yellows and greens.
So much detail, so much art, and I almost forgot the most important aspect. It's fun. So so flippin fun. Fun to play solo to get gud with the scores, and so flippin fun with family and friends. This is a game I play often with my siblings, for we love to pick an instrument, set a mic in front of us, and play our role as well as sing 3 part harmonies, as the game was intended. We perform for our Mom, as we let her drop requests since she grew up with these classic tunes. And with an amazing project ran by talented modders, there's even MORE music for you to enjoy, which keeps this game alive, and full of potential.
I totally understand and get it when people tell me The Beatles are overrated. It's not fun to be told that, but I totally get it, and I wouldn't take that notion away from them even if I could. Maybe to many, this is just another band. For me, they were a band I discovered through my parents, and through this game, discovered so much more. They fueled my own desire to make music, to collaborate, and to spread love with my art. I began to look into their music as individuals, and got excited for what I could do with my own music. They got a whole generation of kids to reject the bullshit around them, and come together on a mission of love, and peace. They also introduced the west to sounds and ideas from India, which opened the hearts and minds of many to try new things, and discover that there is so much more in this world than the nation they lived in. I just think that's the coolest thing, and something people STILL should learn.
The game's story mode ends with a beautiful animated scene that shows them playing "The End" on a rooftop overlooking London during Golden Hour. It leaves us with my favorite Beatles lyric: "And in the end, the love you take, is equal to the love you make". It moves me every time, and leaves my heart full and ready to make something that will impact the world, just like The Beatles impacted me. This game introduced me to all that, and is an astonishing love letter that captivates, inspires, and tells the story of 4 young lads, who innovated the way rock music is played, and perceived, just by coming together, and doing what they loved.
If you'd like, there's a highlight of my closing thoughts after playing this game for my Twitch audience, that fits well with the words I typed above. You can find that linked here.
2022
Review #4 - 2022
https://www.heardle.app/
This one isn't a puzzle game. You don't use previous guesses to help aid your quest to find the solution. This one relies solely on your listening habits, and your ability to remember songs. It's a neat little guessing game that's enjoyable if you love trying to figure out what a song is, and that's about it. You have 6 tries to guess the song with the 16 second clip that's provided. Each try unveils more of the 16 seconds, but after 6 tries, the rest of the song is revealed, and you're left either going "hey, to be fair, I've never heard this before", or "I hate myself, how could I have forgotten this song". I like to play this live with my Twitch audience every other day as chat loses their minds waiting for me to guess a song they already know, or lose their minds at me guessing in one try. Sometimes you discover something you haven't heard before which is a plus for me after taking an L. It's a neat little trivia game that you can play on the daily.
https://www.heardle.app/
This one isn't a puzzle game. You don't use previous guesses to help aid your quest to find the solution. This one relies solely on your listening habits, and your ability to remember songs. It's a neat little guessing game that's enjoyable if you love trying to figure out what a song is, and that's about it. You have 6 tries to guess the song with the 16 second clip that's provided. Each try unveils more of the 16 seconds, but after 6 tries, the rest of the song is revealed, and you're left either going "hey, to be fair, I've never heard this before", or "I hate myself, how could I have forgotten this song". I like to play this live with my Twitch audience every other day as chat loses their minds waiting for me to guess a song they already know, or lose their minds at me guessing in one try. Sometimes you discover something you haven't heard before which is a plus for me after taking an L. It's a neat little trivia game that you can play on the daily.
1999
Review #5 - 2022
Played this on a whim with a friend of mine, for this was one of his favorite games to play as a kid. This was my first time playing this game, and it was cool seeing a game further down the console's line of releases as I trek through the PlayStation's history of US releases chronologically. Jumping from 1995 to 1999 shows much stride in terms of improvements through how they looked, played, and felt. Something I noticed from the get go, was the game's physics and particle engines (if those are the things at play here of course). The way the environment reacts to your sled as you bob and weave through the snow is satisfying to watch. Every movement you make feels heavy, yet smooth, which is what I imagine driving a sled feels like.
As for the gameplay itself, it's very simple. You have a course, you race other racers, and you do simple tricks on the way for points. We didn't dive into the different modes, but from the half hour we played, I got the gist of it. It's a pick up and play arcade racer, that's fun for a bit. I eventually got burnt out from seeing nothing but snow after awhile, and so, we moved on to something else.
Played this on a whim with a friend of mine, for this was one of his favorite games to play as a kid. This was my first time playing this game, and it was cool seeing a game further down the console's line of releases as I trek through the PlayStation's history of US releases chronologically. Jumping from 1995 to 1999 shows much stride in terms of improvements through how they looked, played, and felt. Something I noticed from the get go, was the game's physics and particle engines (if those are the things at play here of course). The way the environment reacts to your sled as you bob and weave through the snow is satisfying to watch. Every movement you make feels heavy, yet smooth, which is what I imagine driving a sled feels like.
As for the gameplay itself, it's very simple. You have a course, you race other racers, and you do simple tricks on the way for points. We didn't dive into the different modes, but from the half hour we played, I got the gist of it. It's a pick up and play arcade racer, that's fun for a bit. I eventually got burnt out from seeing nothing but snow after awhile, and so, we moved on to something else.