TheScribblingMan
Played this years ago and didn't dig it at all - I remember when it first came out with the launch of the PS3 and thinking it looked dated then. I never finished it and ended up moving on to the second and third games which I found far more entertaining at the time.
It's probably been a decade, and I've been out of the gaming world for a while, but recently just fancied something a bit mindless, so I decided to dig this out and try and complete it - wound up starting from scratch. Was also curious as I had no idea it had such a mass appreciation, whereas the second and third games (particularly the second) seem to mostly be regarded as failed attempts at expanding on what made the first great. This has just made me want to revisit the franchise and see if my feelings were still the same.
My conclusion is that it's no where near a perfect game, but considerably better than I initially gave it credit for. It's a flawed, but admirable attempt by Insomniac to take a crack at the FPS genre. The story is fine; inoffensive, but ultimately not what you play it for. The visuals are dated, but there is a certain charm and simplicity to them that I enjoyed this time around, though I vastly preferred the gritty streets of England to the generic look of Chimera territory, meaning many of the earlier levels were more engrossing while later parts of the game became a bit more tedious.
Level design varies - generally very linear, but with enough nooks and crannies to get you exploring, also allowing the player to feel less secure/in control during some of the creepier sections. I found the uncertainty of knowing which route to take, coupled with the darkness and use of space and subtle sound design, very effective in making parts of the game pretty thrilling.
A.I. seems fairly intelligent - they certainly don't go easy on you. I can completely understand the frustrations some people have with the difficulty being ramped up due to an over-competent enemy, as well as their unflinching resilience to player fire. I probably sit somewhere in the middle. I often enjoyed the challenge, but there are parts of the games combat which just became overwhelming (damn those auger-wielding spider huggers).
Overall, not particularly standout, but Resistance: Fall of Man is very enjoyable and engaging for what it is. It gives a challenge (arguably a result of the game lacking polish), which some may find frustrating, and others will likely embrace. It's main draw is the weapon-wheel and the creativity that lies therein - that combined with generally solid FPS gameplay makes for an outing I'd say is worth experiencing for fans of the genre.
Looking forward to playing 2 and 3 with fresh thumbs...
It's probably been a decade, and I've been out of the gaming world for a while, but recently just fancied something a bit mindless, so I decided to dig this out and try and complete it - wound up starting from scratch. Was also curious as I had no idea it had such a mass appreciation, whereas the second and third games (particularly the second) seem to mostly be regarded as failed attempts at expanding on what made the first great. This has just made me want to revisit the franchise and see if my feelings were still the same.
My conclusion is that it's no where near a perfect game, but considerably better than I initially gave it credit for. It's a flawed, but admirable attempt by Insomniac to take a crack at the FPS genre. The story is fine; inoffensive, but ultimately not what you play it for. The visuals are dated, but there is a certain charm and simplicity to them that I enjoyed this time around, though I vastly preferred the gritty streets of England to the generic look of Chimera territory, meaning many of the earlier levels were more engrossing while later parts of the game became a bit more tedious.
Level design varies - generally very linear, but with enough nooks and crannies to get you exploring, also allowing the player to feel less secure/in control during some of the creepier sections. I found the uncertainty of knowing which route to take, coupled with the darkness and use of space and subtle sound design, very effective in making parts of the game pretty thrilling.
A.I. seems fairly intelligent - they certainly don't go easy on you. I can completely understand the frustrations some people have with the difficulty being ramped up due to an over-competent enemy, as well as their unflinching resilience to player fire. I probably sit somewhere in the middle. I often enjoyed the challenge, but there are parts of the games combat which just became overwhelming (damn those auger-wielding spider huggers).
Overall, not particularly standout, but Resistance: Fall of Man is very enjoyable and engaging for what it is. It gives a challenge (arguably a result of the game lacking polish), which some may find frustrating, and others will likely embrace. It's main draw is the weapon-wheel and the creativity that lies therein - that combined with generally solid FPS gameplay makes for an outing I'd say is worth experiencing for fans of the genre.
Looking forward to playing 2 and 3 with fresh thumbs...
2002
Writing off of memory, but I adored this game - it's all about the world building that you get from observing and scanning what's around you; the franchise had one heck of an atmosphere.
I often found Prime quite frustrating due to the limited camera movement (looking and moving are all controlled with a single analogue stick), but I later completed it on the Wii, which vastly improved on the controls.
I often found Prime quite frustrating due to the limited camera movement (looking and moving are all controlled with a single analogue stick), but I later completed it on the Wii, which vastly improved on the controls.
No rating, just a log. Played the demo for this the other day and it seemed OK. Wouldn't be against playing more, but I've no desire to buy it. Far more likely that I'll return to the original once my N64 is accessible.
Also, although I get that it's been "modernised", it feels like an odd choice to have the player as Daniel Craig instead of Pierce Brosnan. Maybe if it was a standalone adventure and NOT an adaptation of a Pierce Brosnan movie - then it might make sense to play as the current Bond...
Also, although I get that it's been "modernised", it feels like an odd choice to have the player as Daniel Craig instead of Pierce Brosnan. Maybe if it was a standalone adventure and NOT an adaptation of a Pierce Brosnan movie - then it might make sense to play as the current Bond...
2009
A highly enjoyable tower defense game with lots of replayability; amusing, challenging and creative.
What happened with the sequel was so frustrating.
What happened with the sequel was so frustrating.
Been off/on playing this recently and while there are some nice elements, it ultimately feels too much like an attempt at returning to form, rather than building on the previous games strengths and taking the franchise further. More of the same, but not quite as good, and therefore just not that engrossing. Having said that, I admire what Sanzaru games have managed to do - it's pretty rare for a different developer to pick up a game and get it feeling this close to home. So hats off to them.
Loving the unique abilities that come with Sly's different ancestors, not so keen on the graphics. I don't know if it's just me, but there seems to be this extremely smudgy, brash colouring both to this and Sly 3 that just looks ugly to me. Too dark in places, too bright in others. I feel like I tweak my TV settings endlessly to get the game looking half decent while playing.
I'm sure I'll complete it at some stage, but it's just not that much of a draw for me currently.
Loving the unique abilities that come with Sly's different ancestors, not so keen on the graphics. I don't know if it's just me, but there seems to be this extremely smudgy, brash colouring both to this and Sly 3 that just looks ugly to me. Too dark in places, too bright in others. I feel like I tweak my TV settings endlessly to get the game looking half decent while playing.
I'm sure I'll complete it at some stage, but it's just not that much of a draw for me currently.
2012
Was playing this non-stop and reached near the end as well, but decided to pause for some air rather than push my way to the end when I'm not in the mood. I wanted something mindless so I moved onto Resistance and ended up getting hooked on that for a bit.... I'll certainly be returning to this in the near future though.
Having not played Blood Money I perhaps can't fully appreciate people's dissapointment with Absolution, and yet I still feel as if its hate is unreasonable and unjustified. It's a solid game... I've played Hitman 2: Silent Assasin and this doesn't feel like as dramatic a departure from that at least. It's different, for sure, the gameplay has evolved, it's more modern and linear, but the core spirit feels the same to me. Sure, there's a larger emphasis on stealth than hiding in plain sight, but the option to go at it the traditional way isn't taken from the player; there's still quite a bit of freedom in how you carry out your hits - I've honestly spent more time replaying missions in different ways than I have moving forward with the game (which is probably why I'm needing a break). Moments where the player is forced into a specific action are pretty rare, and creativity is still at the heart of the experience. I'll reserve any strong arguments until I've finished playing and checked out Blood Money as well, but at the very least Absolution stands on its own as a solid game. It's well designed, it plays smoothly, it's fun and engaging. The story is pants, but that's not really why I play it.
Anywho, I'll return to complete it sometime soon I'm sure.
Having not played Blood Money I perhaps can't fully appreciate people's dissapointment with Absolution, and yet I still feel as if its hate is unreasonable and unjustified. It's a solid game... I've played Hitman 2: Silent Assasin and this doesn't feel like as dramatic a departure from that at least. It's different, for sure, the gameplay has evolved, it's more modern and linear, but the core spirit feels the same to me. Sure, there's a larger emphasis on stealth than hiding in plain sight, but the option to go at it the traditional way isn't taken from the player; there's still quite a bit of freedom in how you carry out your hits - I've honestly spent more time replaying missions in different ways than I have moving forward with the game (which is probably why I'm needing a break). Moments where the player is forced into a specific action are pretty rare, and creativity is still at the heart of the experience. I'll reserve any strong arguments until I've finished playing and checked out Blood Money as well, but at the very least Absolution stands on its own as a solid game. It's well designed, it plays smoothly, it's fun and engaging. The story is pants, but that's not really why I play it.
Anywho, I'll return to complete it sometime soon I'm sure.
What a complete and utter disaster this game was. Basically unplayable due to how the controls/camera worked.
The PlayStation was my first console and for a while this was the only game I had to play. At the time it was great fun (mostly driving around causing havoc), but after playing the first it suddenly felt inferior. The added ability to leave your car and grab another felt pretty limited, especially as it didn't have much purpose beyond that. It also allowed for some tedium in missions when you'd have to leave your car and run to a spot you couldn't drive to.
Different developer to the others, and what a huge dissapointment it was. Some cool ideas (like expanding the open world environment to air travel) and some terrible ideas (like dark daxter) thrown into the pot with what generally felt like an unfinished piece of work. The illusion of the kind of freedom seen in previous games, while in reality being pretty limiting. Awkward feel, buggy visuals, characters looking and acting out of character - it wasn't the sequel anyone wanted, but it wasn't without some level of enjoyment.
I love Uncharted and all, but when you look at what was achieved with the Jak series on PS2, thinking about where it could go in the current gen is mind blowing.
Come on, Naughty Dog. Give us what we want.
I love Uncharted and all, but when you look at what was achieved with the Jak series on PS2, thinking about where it could go in the current gen is mind blowing.
Come on, Naughty Dog. Give us what we want.
1996
Not a fan of sports in general, let alone sports games... Let alone WATER sports games... But man, there was something special about Wave Race 64. It had so much charm, and the feel when driving was great. A true classic.
1998
Super thrilling. Super satisfying.
I'm not familiar with the bulk of the franchise, but I found this to be a pretty entertaining rail shooter at the time. Typically, I have a moderate-to-bad phobia of the concept of the undead, which is probably why I've still not gotten around to giving the RE games a proper go. Somehow being on rails alleviates that fear considerably.
A lot of the grindhouse/humour didn't work for me, but the gameplay was a lot of fun. Rail shooters and the Nintendo Wii were a match made in heaven's lobby.
Not just the best way to learn touch typing.
The only way to learn touch typing.
The only way to learn touch typing.
In English, please.