TheJimmonator
there is absolutely no point playing this solo and I get why it had to be released with the possibility to do so, but this is a co-op experience just as much as it takes two is, so i’m rating it with that in mind; a good amount of gameplay variation, strategising the best weapons to use to take down a target together, varied level design, classic R&C humour. this is a good game! sometimes even a great one. if it had been released as an exclusively cooperative game, I think it would’ve been very differently received.
2018
very thankful for the rewind function which must’ve been implemented after realising it was too easy to move a box ever so slightly in the wrong direction and screw up almost every level in the game. some of the puzzles are good, some less so, some of the mechanics are put to good use, some less so. but the experience is brief and the game ends up being perfectly serviceable, crude visuals & sound included
2017
the playable ‘character’ moves a touch too slowly, the map is oddly cryptic and there’s generally nothing too interesting going on here outside of some nice visual flair and moments where the gameplay starts to feel cohesive. it’s fine.
I played this on the Vita and think I would’ve added half a star if I was on PS3 - the control scheme (particularly strafing using the rear touch pad) is just a bit lame, and the 2000’s-platformer-era checkpoints are as unforgiving and frustrating as ever, plus a ton of audio issues throughout
the true definition of a hidden gem. the backtracking gets a bit much sometimes but the game is packed with cute visuals, a nice story and is a joy to play
the last 5 overly long and artificially difficult levels really sour the experience; the middle 20-80 (the first 20 are easy and introductory) levels are mostly very addictive and fun to play through. there are at least 2 tracks on the soundtrack that are real ear worms and the presentation is fine
this is a really simplistic shooter that handles relatively well and looks decent, but I suppose the Vita needed more than that to bring in an audience; looking back at the game today whilst the console is all but forgotten by mainstream gaming audiences, I thought Resistance: Burning Skies was a good blast to play through in a few sittings, but nothing much more than that.
2009
I find it hard to believe that anyone actively enjoys the humour in these games. but the gameplay loop is pretty solid (and almost more-ish in the desire to get a better gun) and the general world and character design is quite strong/very recognisable
the DLC here is bad and extremely grindy at least half of the time which is not ideal
the DLC here is bad and extremely grindy at least half of the time which is not ideal
2009
this is my first Katamari game and there is so much to love. such a wonderfully absurd style and genuinely fantanastic collection of songs to roll around to. the controls take some getting used to but if they were any simpler I'm not sure if this would be nearly as fun/addictive?
everything is just pretty solid, nothing is particularly bad (even the web swinging which is obviously attaching to thin air is actually still decent!) but nothing is particularly great either (combat/stealth constantly trying to be as nice as the Arkham series and never getting close)
one of the best LEGO titles released, if only to experience Middle-earth & the gorgeous Howard Shore score one more time
in many ways this is the perfect and greatest Crash experience; it controls super tightly and is visually and creatively wonderful. I’ve finished the main story levels but the remaining, seemingly endless list of other things to beat is a bit daunting. 100% always felt like a fun, difficult but fair and attainable objective in the original trilogy, but this is something else
a perfectly adequate movie adaptation so desperately trying to be as good as God of War (it’s not even close)
2002
a slightly rough around the edges beginnings of a wonderful franchise full of good humour and simple gameplay. Ratchet feels quite sluggish and almost unresponsive at times in this one (perhaps just a Vita issue?), a problem immediately rectified in the sequel. The highly compressed audio (certainly just a Vita issue) and untouched cutscenes are a shame too but it’s been nice to enjoy this title again on another platform
2021
the joy here is that the game throws something new (new in this context meaning borrowed from hundreds of other games) at you every 30 minutes, incredibly imaginative and fun but with a few tonal missteps along it’s slightly strange plot. It also goes on for maybe a couple of hours too many, like every chapter needs to lose about 20% of fat.