TickleMeTrotsky
Extremely difficult for me to sum up what this game meant to me, this is just going to be a place to keep my running thoughts
2015
I adore this game, but I'm just not up for it lately. I'll finish it someday, but the challenge isn't what I've been in the mood for.
Disco Elysium is beautiful, sad, charming, and endlessly engaging. I recommend everybody with a fondness for narrative in games give this a shot, without doing any research about it beforehand. It is worth your time, and it is worth playing again.
This review contains spoilers
It's not bad! The original Diamond was the Pokemon game I played the most in my childhood, and for that reason alone I ate up this remake.
The pros: The updated music is lovely, the enhanced challenge on the Elite Four was a welcome surprise, and I grew to really like the chibi aesthetic. The Grand Underground is extremely fun, and it let me round out my team with Pokemon I would almost never use otherwise, just because they happen to be wandering around down there (there is no longer a Fire type drought, thank god). Quality of life improvements with the map (Honey and Berry trackers) and HMs (no more obligatory Bidoofs needed) were extremely nice to see.
The cons: As with the last few generations, I'm not a fan of the constantly on EXP Share, and it's annoying to deliberately avoid trainers in order to have reasonable challenges in the gyms and E4. Performance felt a little choppy at times, but I partially attribute that to my Switch being 4 years old at this point. Moving around in the world is needlessly difficult, and it feels like the player isn't actually on a grid, even when using the d-pad. I frequently accidentally jumped off ledges and had to retrace my steps in caves.
The absolute worst thing in this game is the affection mechanic that makes battles easier. I can live with increased crit chance and increased dodge chance, but my pokemon CONSTANTLY tanking hits with 1 HP in the Elite Four just made the battles more tedious, and their ability to just...will away status effects was hilariously dumb. It was a bad battle design choice that feels like hand holding at best, and cheating at worst.
This was a nice little nostalgia trip, and as I work through the Underground content and the (admittedly meager) postgame, I look forward to global trade opening up and any possible updates and events. From what I have heard of the challenging gym and E4 rematches, I'm excited to try some proper team building in a mainline Pokemon game for once, rather than just throwing my overleveled party at the wall to see what sticks. However, looking for ways to REDUCE my party's happiness is something I haven't sought out before, and it's just a glaring flaw in an otherwise pretty good re-release.
The pros: The updated music is lovely, the enhanced challenge on the Elite Four was a welcome surprise, and I grew to really like the chibi aesthetic. The Grand Underground is extremely fun, and it let me round out my team with Pokemon I would almost never use otherwise, just because they happen to be wandering around down there (there is no longer a Fire type drought, thank god). Quality of life improvements with the map (Honey and Berry trackers) and HMs (no more obligatory Bidoofs needed) were extremely nice to see.
The cons: As with the last few generations, I'm not a fan of the constantly on EXP Share, and it's annoying to deliberately avoid trainers in order to have reasonable challenges in the gyms and E4. Performance felt a little choppy at times, but I partially attribute that to my Switch being 4 years old at this point. Moving around in the world is needlessly difficult, and it feels like the player isn't actually on a grid, even when using the d-pad. I frequently accidentally jumped off ledges and had to retrace my steps in caves.
The absolute worst thing in this game is the affection mechanic that makes battles easier. I can live with increased crit chance and increased dodge chance, but my pokemon CONSTANTLY tanking hits with 1 HP in the Elite Four just made the battles more tedious, and their ability to just...will away status effects was hilariously dumb. It was a bad battle design choice that feels like hand holding at best, and cheating at worst.
This was a nice little nostalgia trip, and as I work through the Underground content and the (admittedly meager) postgame, I look forward to global trade opening up and any possible updates and events. From what I have heard of the challenging gym and E4 rematches, I'm excited to try some proper team building in a mainline Pokemon game for once, rather than just throwing my overleveled party at the wall to see what sticks. However, looking for ways to REDUCE my party's happiness is something I haven't sought out before, and it's just a glaring flaw in an otherwise pretty good re-release.
I've been playing The Binding of Isaac since 2012, just after the Wrath of the Lamb update to the original game. Following this game through all its iterations has been at times frustrating, but there were always aspects that kept me coming back. I stopped playing quite so much as I developed a love for other roguelikes, and I hadn't touched it in over a year by the time Repentance came out.
Let me be clear: Repentance an incredible way to cap one of the most important games in my life.
Repentance is brutally hard, and it revived my love for Binding of Isaac in a way that I didn't think was possible after the distaste I had for Afterbirth+. The music is amazing, the new characters are unique, and the small facelifts to animation remind me of the charms the original Flash game had. There is enough content in this DLC that I could frankly call this a new game in the series, and it's going to keep me occupied for years to come. This is the definitive version Binding of Isaac.
Let me be clear: Repentance an incredible way to cap one of the most important games in my life.
Repentance is brutally hard, and it revived my love for Binding of Isaac in a way that I didn't think was possible after the distaste I had for Afterbirth+. The music is amazing, the new characters are unique, and the small facelifts to animation remind me of the charms the original Flash game had. There is enough content in this DLC that I could frankly call this a new game in the series, and it's going to keep me occupied for years to come. This is the definitive version Binding of Isaac.
2015
Surprisingly good roguelike. Klei is one of those indie devs who really just knocks it out of the park each time, huh? I picked this up back in 2015 or 2016 and shelved it after about an hour, but picking it back up again lately, I am loving the blend of strategy and roguelike elements. The different party members don't bring too much to the table besides some (not always useful) unique equipment, but the different "programs" you begin with can drastically change your playstyle. Mediocre plot, but great mechanics and a nerve-wracking tension throughout.
A playthrough of the main campaign will take 2 or 3 hours, so it's not quite the "pick up and play" style of all the other roguelikes that take 45 minutes for a run. But it's absolutely worth the time and I've been loving rediscovering it.
A playthrough of the main campaign will take 2 or 3 hours, so it's not quite the "pick up and play" style of all the other roguelikes that take 45 minutes for a run. But it's absolutely worth the time and I've been loving rediscovering it.
2021
Fun little roguelike! It can be a bit too random for my tastes, and a bit easy at times, but the premise is solid and it's fun to unpack the various synergies that are present. Excited to follow it through early access this year.
Can't believe I wrote off the best Pokemon game for a decade because of an ice cream cone that I literally had in my final party
2006
I vaguely remember finishing this in one go at a friend's house during a sleepover in like 2007 so I must have enjoyed it?
Really bizarre that this is the first JRPG-style game I played independently, and it was...actually good?
A beautiful remaster of one of my favorite games from childhood. While it didn't hook me as much this time around, it was a lovely way to feel nostalgic for those long car rides in 2006, DS in hand.
Controls are somewhat picky and the plot is lacking (because it's a Pokemon game, come on) but the art style is among my favorite of any Pokemon game, the remastered soundtrack is incredible, and the combat is as good as ever.
Controls are somewhat picky and the plot is lacking (because it's a Pokemon game, come on) but the art style is among my favorite of any Pokemon game, the remastered soundtrack is incredible, and the combat is as good as ever.
Nothing wrong with it, I think I just missed the boat here
2012
Like...I get it. I get why it's influential. I love the onset of walking simulators that came after it. But as it stands, it's just not that good.
2001
The first game I remember truly loving enough to fully complete
2013
Terrible voice acting, incredible combat, awful repetitive story, banging soundtrack, weak art style, one good character. Truly a bizarre experience.