Played this on and off for a few days via a friend's Wii U. I won't rate it, as I certainly didn't get far enough to justify judging it on that level, but I wasn't particularly impressed.

A big gripe people have with this is the ease in which your weapons are destroyed - I was pretty much advised by my friend to just grind until I could get the master sword and then play properly (which I didn't do). While frustrating, it is not the worst aspect of the game and is fairly tolerable tbh (though it certainly doesn't portray the realism I suspect was intended).

For me, it just felt repetetive. I didn't particularly like the graphic style, or the general vibe of the world. The shrines were tiresome, and the semi-futuristic setting, while a nice idea, just didn't gel with me aesthetically.

I do like the Zelda games, though I have to admit I have not been a very diligent fan. I've played a fair few, and not completed a single one (though I came close with A Link To The Past and Windwaker). So you can let that context inform how much stock you put in my opinion.

I have not abandoned the game as such, just had less opportunity to play it. I am not against playing further, but I'm not about to chase after opportunities. I think I'd be more inclined to go back to my N64 and take another crack at Ocarina.

Played on PC via Bluestacks Android emulator.

I'm a big fan of the original Plants vs. Zombies, having completed it 100% on PC and PS3 and enjoyed the survival modes. I was among the large portion of the fan base who were pretty disgusted with the direction EA took the sequel in, making it a mobile-only venture involving micro transactions.

This mod simplifies an experience which was initially convoluted and overpowering; Eclise cranks up the difficulty, creates a linear narrative with new levels and introduces a new tiering system in order to put a greater emphasis on the strategy elements.

Having replayed some of PvZ2 out of curiosity yesterday, I was amazed at how dull the thing was in comparison to Eclise. The pay wall isn't a huge barrier in some ways, but it offers the player "get out of jail free" cards and ridiculous power ups at the touch of a price-tagged-button, essentially bailing them out of gameplay which is only mildly challengeing at its hardest.

Eclise has a steep learning curve, even if you're an accomplished player of the original game, but it's a fun challenge and ultimately your progress through the game is a ton more satisfying.

Although still in Beta, the game is (sadly) coming up to its final update. I haven't completed it (is that even an option??), but in its current state and from what I've played so far, I find little wrong with it. It's an excellent mod that turns a mediocre game into something arguably as good (if not better) than its predecessor.

I'll be reserving my rating until I've played a bit further, but I would highly recommend this to fans of the original.

Played a bit of co-op (on Hard difficulty) this afternoon with my housemate. While fun, the game doesn't quite hold up to memory - at least not some of the early levels. It can be engrossing when things get crazy, but equally there seems to be some inconsistency with when cover functions as cover and when it seems to just be there for show; sometimes it seems borderline impossible to avoid fire, and if you do find sanctuary, you're likely to be forced out by clusters of hand grenades.

The framerate also drops HARD during some of the bigger battles on co-operative. I don't know how to forgive console games when this happens. It's made for a specific machine with set specs - it should run smooth. A bit of occasional lag can be forgivable, but when it happens this often during nearly every big shootout in co-operative play? Sort it out.

In general, and lag aside, Killzone 2 and 3 have a very "weighty" feel to the controls. I don't know if it's a design flaw or a stylistic thing, but it feels like I'm dragging weight when I move my gun - I don't actually mind this though. It feels like I'm in heavy gear carrying heavy weaponry, and so it just puts a realistic spin on things. It's rarely a game that expects me to act quick anyway, so I don't find it problematic.

I think it says something that during the session we were reminiscing about online play - easily Killzone 2 and 3's strength, and bringing a bit more strategy to an otherwise mindless shooter. Gutted that the servers are down.

April 8/2020: A million deaths and a handful of successes later... Really enjoying the aesthetic and creativity in this game so far. It's incredibly hard right off the bat though, which will be a challenge if you're used to the "run and gun" genre or a nightmare if you're not. It ain't half satisfying when you finally beat a stage though.

April 7/2020: So when ya'll said this was really hard, what you meant to say was that it's really really hard, yeah?

These controls are gonna take some getting used to.

May 17th/2020:

After a long break I come back to find I was only a mission away from completion, so it's over in like ten minutes. The final stage is a little samey, the boss more annoying and repetetive than epic (though not difficult), and the classic "escape before everything blows up" climax is pretty buggy.

Overall closing thoughts on the experience: Resistance 2 isn't a great game, but it's a good game. At its peak it's damn fun, and has some truly well designed levels, stewarding tension and enabling engaging combat situations. At times it definitely succeeds in pulling off the epic, and the entire "Chicago, Illinois" stage is nothing short of fantastic - all of the game's strengths are packed in here and it's just really satisfying.

At its worst, it's buggy and repetetive. Although it brings a lot of good to the table, it tears down as much as it builds on the first game. Possibly the most glaring and annoying change being the non-committal switch to only 2 weapons at a time; non-committal in the sense that you are basically fed what weapon you should be using constantly, the irony being that if you had all the weapons you would have to be strategic in which ones were fit for purpose.

At the end of the day, it's going to be a different experience for different people depending on how you feel about the first game, but I think if you're into the genre it's worth a play regardless.

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April 11th/2020:

- When the game chucks so many enemies at you that not killing them means things get buggy and the framerate drops to slo mo.

- Dark places + fast moving feral creatures = me no likey.

Still a mixed bag. Generally pretty enjoyable FPS fun, though I feel like the game simultaneously moddle coddles AND throws you into the thick of it at times - some sections being far too reliant on you both finding and utilising a specific weapon. The effectiveness of cover also seems hit and miss, and if there's any jugger mukker with an Auger in sight (a gun that shoots through walls) then you better stop shooting and start writing your will - It's a much better use of your time.

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8th April/2020: 2nd session.

I think the game starts off a little weak, with an overreliance on scripted events; more "babying" than immersive. However, it's picked up considerably. Really enjoying gameplay more now that I've gotten over some of the changes. Some people complain about the invisible "one hit kill" enemies, but I think they're awesome - bloody scary at points and it keeps you on your toes. You won't die if you're on the ball.

A frustration that I don't think I'm going to get over is how the game holds you by the hand, conveniently giving you weapons it thinks you will need. It robs the game of what initially was a great tactical element in Fall of Man, and now you can even predict which enemies are up ahead somewhat by what weapon happens to be lying around. Not only that, but on occasion you can't even seem to opt for a different weapon when you want to. You might kill an auger welding chimera and no auger will be left lying around in sight. Easily the most disappointing element so far.

It makes so much more sense to retain the weapon wheel and let the player choose what's best for the situation. If they didn't want a player to rely too heavily on the more powerful gear then they could have just starved them for certain ammunition.

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7th April/2020: 5 minutes into my first replay of Resistance 2 today - Initial impressions...

-Can a game look both dated and epic?
-Scripted A.I. gets stuck while moving. Not a good omen.
-Graphics are much brasher than I recall, in a sickly kind of way.
-Why is the weapon wheel gone.
-WHY IS THE WEAPON WHEEL GONE.

Dark and brutal, in narrative and gameplay. Who could have predicted such a bold shift in tone and mechanics? Still retaining the basics of its predecessor, but transforming the franchise into something entirely different by simply ADDING to what already made it good. Nothing is really removed - at its heart, Jak 2 is still an open world platformer, only now with a dystopian twist and powers and weaponry at your disposal. Simply labeling it a GTA copy is doing the game a disservice and neglecting to acknowledge many of its strengths, both narratively and in terms of gameplay. The world is rich and varied, touching on a variety of genres while still retaining its own identity.

Still, it's not a perfect game - Hero mode was a nightmare and borderline impossible at points, and the constant moving back and forth between locations could get tedious. But overall Jak 2 was a great shove in the right direction; improved story, great characters, excellent atmosphere and level design allowing for gameplay that's challenging, satisfying and visually rewarding.

I never liked this back in the day, and I can't explain why (I was more of a Ratchet and Clank guy), but I pushed through to the end out of curiosity for the sequels - and then I just fell in love with Jak 2 and 3, loving every change made to the world and the style of gameplay.

Revisiting Jak and Daxter in later years, my appreciation has gone way up - it's still my least favourite of the three, but for what it is (an open world platformer), it's highly enjoyable and presents a good challenge. Yes, aspects are dated, but not to a significant point IMO. It's a satisfying play, and the camera issues aren't much different to many other 3D platformers. It's something the genre is notorious for.

Plus, even if you don't LOVE it, playing this for context and then experiencing the transition to the wonderfully dark and challenging Jak 2 is something special.