TheBored23
2021
I have been consumed by Dread.
My first time playing a 2D Metroid game has left a remarkable impression on me. This is a game that, though it rewards and encourages exploration, nevertheless has an incredible forward momentum to it. New discoveries and abilities cascade upon each other, one quickly leading to the next. Boss fights provide a tough but fair challenge, and EMMI robots add tension to even routine revisiting of areas.
Verterans of the series might be able to point to areas where Dread is lacking; I cannot.
My first time playing a 2D Metroid game has left a remarkable impression on me. This is a game that, though it rewards and encourages exploration, nevertheless has an incredible forward momentum to it. New discoveries and abilities cascade upon each other, one quickly leading to the next. Boss fights provide a tough but fair challenge, and EMMI robots add tension to even routine revisiting of areas.
Verterans of the series might be able to point to areas where Dread is lacking; I cannot.
2021
Scarlet Nexus is a story-heavy game that is very anime. Normally, this would put me off, but I found the combat and the setting interesting enough to stick with it. The game does a smart job of not just providing you with a variety of abilities, but giving you reasons to use them all. Even if I had favorite approaches, I had to respond to the enemies I was facing.
After beating the game as Kasane, I wasn't up for playing through a second time as Yuito, but I'm not upset about the time I spent with Scarlet Nexus.
After beating the game as Kasane, I wasn't up for playing through a second time as Yuito, but I'm not upset about the time I spent with Scarlet Nexus.
2021
Lost Judgment is a step up from its predecessor in almost every aspect: the already-fun combat has been given greater depth, side content is surprisingly expansive, and much of the tedium has been removed. Moment to moment, it's as fun to play as these games ever have been.
The one thing I can knock it for is that the story and writing didn't achieve the same impact for me as other games from RGG Studio; it feels like it's already played its biggest surprises well before the main plot wraps up. There are still great moments along the way, but it falls short of being a perfect package.
The one thing I can knock it for is that the story and writing didn't achieve the same impact for me as other games from RGG Studio; it feels like it's already played its biggest surprises well before the main plot wraps up. There are still great moments along the way, but it falls short of being a perfect package.
I wish it contained as robust a single player experience as past titles, but the latest Mario Golf game still provided me with a lot of the same basic satisfaction as its predecessors. You can tell the ways in which the game was built around the new speed rush mode, which is fun, but it sometimes comes at the expense of the more thoughtful meticulous play previously allowed in the series. After a couple of updates, it now has a good number of well-designed courses and I can see myself booting it up as a time killer for months to come.
I've had a blast with WarioWare Get it Together, even without getting a chance to play much of the multiplayer. I was worried when reviews described the single player content as slight in comparison to past games, but the gimmick of each character controlling differently has kept me on my toes and kept me coming back for more, even 15 hours in.
Playing Skyward Sword for the first time in 2021, I'm struck that it seems like an attempt at what Breath of the Wild would do much more successfully: expand the puzzle-solving gameplay of Zelda dungeons outwards into the overworld and exploration.
The execution here doesn't quite work; the constant requirement to solve challenges in order to progress gives the game a grueling pace at times, and the game does a poor job of highlighting ways to veer off from the main quest. 30 hours is a long time to be so focused, and spending half that time fighting the controls didn't help.
But, I have to give credit to the puzzle and environmental design, which pulled me through the game when at times I felt it was a chore. The dungeons especially in the latter half of the game are some of my favorites in the series, and were really satisfying to piece through. And I appreciated the ways areas were reworked upon revisiting them, and the attempts at new styles of gameplay sprinkled throughout the quest.
In all, this would not be my favorite Zelda by any means, but I do think it's a game worthy of the series' name.
The execution here doesn't quite work; the constant requirement to solve challenges in order to progress gives the game a grueling pace at times, and the game does a poor job of highlighting ways to veer off from the main quest. 30 hours is a long time to be so focused, and spending half that time fighting the controls didn't help.
But, I have to give credit to the puzzle and environmental design, which pulled me through the game when at times I felt it was a chore. The dungeons especially in the latter half of the game are some of my favorites in the series, and were really satisfying to piece through. And I appreciated the ways areas were reworked upon revisiting them, and the attempts at new styles of gameplay sprinkled throughout the quest.
In all, this would not be my favorite Zelda by any means, but I do think it's a game worthy of the series' name.
2018
Yakuza 3 is an uneven experience that can be jarring to go back to having played more thorough recreations of 1 and 2. The combat starts clunky and only improves to okay by the end of the game. The main plot has some real pacing issues, to the extent that I was surprised upon realizing I was playing the final sequence. But nevertheless, it still had me invested by the end, and retains the series' ability to drop my jaw.
2015
The best compliment I can give to Invisible Inc is that immediately after finishing it, I wanted to play another run. The game gives you so many options and choices to make each run unique, requiring different approaches to its satisfying stealth tactics.
This would be a 5 star view if not for nasty performance issues on the Switch.
This would be a 5 star view if not for nasty performance issues on the Switch.
2018
I had a lot of fun playing Judgment, but small flaws keep me from praising it outright.
The story had me intrigued from the start, but the game feels a need to hammer in key plot points in a way that slows the pace down and makes characters seem unobservant. The combat is fluid and satisfying, but much of the fighting feels meaningless and unrewarding. The side content helps to make characters and the city come alive, but I resented the times when the game forced me into it when I wanted to follow the main plot.
On the whole, these criticisms are small, but they do bog down Judgment in comparison to other Yakuza games I've played.
The story had me intrigued from the start, but the game feels a need to hammer in key plot points in a way that slows the pace down and makes characters seem unobservant. The combat is fluid and satisfying, but much of the fighting feels meaningless and unrewarding. The side content helps to make characters and the city come alive, but I resented the times when the game forced me into it when I wanted to follow the main plot.
On the whole, these criticisms are small, but they do bog down Judgment in comparison to other Yakuza games I've played.
2021
There's a real joy in exploring the environments of New Pokemon Snap and discovering the secrets of each one. The repetition and sometimes rote puzzle solving wore thin over time, but I got more fun out of this game than I expected going in.
2019
I never felt quite as cool as My Friend Pedro wanted me to feel. In between slo-motion wall-jump submachine gun kill combos, I got shot a lot, and earned a lot of C grades. And I could've done without much of the platforming that becomes a larger focus as the game progresses. But I still had a good time and found myself regularly surprised by new mechanics and the tone of the story.
2017
The last hour of Yakuza Kiwami 2 is one of the most unbelievable things I've ever seen, in every sense of that word. It is a beyond over-the-top finish to a game that frankly earns it.
The frustration I've had with combat in other Yakuza games is mostly gone here under the smoother, more fluid new engine, though some of the fun has been lost in that process as well. The game looks great, the side content has more depth than it has any right to, and the story takes some truly wild turns. As a complete package Kiwami 2 totally delivers.
The frustration I've had with combat in other Yakuza games is mostly gone here under the smoother, more fluid new engine, though some of the fun has been lost in that process as well. The game looks great, the side content has more depth than it has any right to, and the story takes some truly wild turns. As a complete package Kiwami 2 totally delivers.
I mostly enjoyed the 15 hours I played of Assassin's Creed Valhalla. But I set it aside for another game at the time and have never really felt compelled to go back to it. Its predecessor AC Odyssey had mechanical hooks in me with a good loop of loot and progression, but Valhalla ditches this regular doling out of gear and abilities, and I enjoyed it less as a result. Maybe I'll return to it, but it's just as likely I won't.
By the end of El Hijo, my enjoyment of its level design and creativity had won out over my disappointment in its Switch performance and loading times. The mechanics here will be familiar to those who've played Desperados III or Mark of the Ninja, but El Hijo distinguishes itself with the way it has players using the environment to avoid detection. Each level seems to introduce some new idea and mechanic, and none of them outstay their welcome.
2016
I generally enjoyed my time with Yakuza Kiwami, but I didn't love it the way I did 0 or Like a Dragon. Much of that has to do with the writing; the plot isn't as tight or impactful, and the side stories aren't as surprising. Majima's appearances usually put a smile on my face, even if fighting him grew into a nuisance.