TrulyWack
2001
This review contains spoilers
Okay, so I’m newish to the world of video games. I started retro gaming/collecting about a year ago and this was the game that convinced me to do so.
The PS2 was probably not the greatest console to play a game like Max Payne on. But despite some of the clunky gameplay... this game is still responsible for getting me the world of gaming to begin with; and that says a lot to how good it is.
The music in this game is phenomenal. It’s simple. It’s gritty. It’s seeps with noir. It certainly sets the tone for the badass adventure you’re taking.
The story is pretty simple, a bit cliché at times, but still very engaging and entertaining non-the-less.
The bullet time is fantastic. Without the bullet time, this game would not be as memorable. The game is certainly iconic without it, but Max Payne likely wouldn’t have the legacy it has today without its bullet time.
The use of Pain pills is a nice way to regenerate health. I was always on the hunt.
The different environments kept the game interesting. I really loved being in the snowy city. So many great implementations of a gritty atmosphere.
I could go on and on about why I personally loved this game. But it isn’t perfect. Maybe it’s just the hardware, but god this game can be frustrating to play at times. Despite some of the technical limitations, I liked the challenge.
I will say that the story gets a little hokey at the end and a bit too cheesy and preposterous for its own good. For a game so grounded in its gritty tongue-in-cheek reality, it was bit hard to buy into the whole corporate conspiracy aspect of the game.
Regardless, it remained tonally consistent for the most part and it was a total blast.
(Also, the nightmare sequences were both infuriating and awesome).
The PS2 was probably not the greatest console to play a game like Max Payne on. But despite some of the clunky gameplay... this game is still responsible for getting me the world of gaming to begin with; and that says a lot to how good it is.
The music in this game is phenomenal. It’s simple. It’s gritty. It’s seeps with noir. It certainly sets the tone for the badass adventure you’re taking.
The story is pretty simple, a bit cliché at times, but still very engaging and entertaining non-the-less.
The bullet time is fantastic. Without the bullet time, this game would not be as memorable. The game is certainly iconic without it, but Max Payne likely wouldn’t have the legacy it has today without its bullet time.
The use of Pain pills is a nice way to regenerate health. I was always on the hunt.
The different environments kept the game interesting. I really loved being in the snowy city. So many great implementations of a gritty atmosphere.
I could go on and on about why I personally loved this game. But it isn’t perfect. Maybe it’s just the hardware, but god this game can be frustrating to play at times. Despite some of the technical limitations, I liked the challenge.
I will say that the story gets a little hokey at the end and a bit too cheesy and preposterous for its own good. For a game so grounded in its gritty tongue-in-cheek reality, it was bit hard to buy into the whole corporate conspiracy aspect of the game.
Regardless, it remained tonally consistent for the most part and it was a total blast.
(Also, the nightmare sequences were both infuriating and awesome).
1998
This review contains spoilers
Alright look, this game isn’t very good... but man did I have fun shredding shit to pieces at the end.
Okay, okay, that wasn’t the only FUN thing about the game. I like some parts of the missions. Like being able to steal identities and pretty much anywhere I was able to shoot people (despite how poor the controls are).
But man. This game is tough. Not because it’s simply challenging, but because of how bad these controls are.
Who’s idea was it to make walking side to side while aiming the mf R2 button? That’s some dumb shit.
Also some of the objectives aren’t very clear. You know what you have to do, but it’s not very clear how to do it. Like I get that you have to figure stuff out in your own. It’s not gonna hold your hand. But why are certain things so incredibly specific?
I got stuck at times and had to look up how to get past the level on YouTube. How lame is that?
I know I’m ranting a bit but dang. I’ll admit, I love the movie, and I have a soft spot for this game flaws and all. I wanna rate it higher, but it really doesn’t even deserve to be where it is now. At least I don’t think it does... (idk, I’m still new to this stuff. What a loser).
Okay, okay, that wasn’t the only FUN thing about the game. I like some parts of the missions. Like being able to steal identities and pretty much anywhere I was able to shoot people (despite how poor the controls are).
But man. This game is tough. Not because it’s simply challenging, but because of how bad these controls are.
Who’s idea was it to make walking side to side while aiming the mf R2 button? That’s some dumb shit.
Also some of the objectives aren’t very clear. You know what you have to do, but it’s not very clear how to do it. Like I get that you have to figure stuff out in your own. It’s not gonna hold your hand. But why are certain things so incredibly specific?
I got stuck at times and had to look up how to get past the level on YouTube. How lame is that?
I know I’m ranting a bit but dang. I’ll admit, I love the movie, and I have a soft spot for this game flaws and all. I wanna rate it higher, but it really doesn’t even deserve to be where it is now. At least I don’t think it does... (idk, I’m still new to this stuff. What a loser).
2000
Well true believers, this was a fun ride despite the clunkiness.
Such a great Spider-Man game. It feels ripped right out of a comic. The villains included and the levels themselves are all pretty fun.
What’s up with that first venom fight though? Why the spike in difficultly?
Anyways, play it if you love the ps1 and or Spider-Man. It’s a fun lil game.
Such a great Spider-Man game. It feels ripped right out of a comic. The villains included and the levels themselves are all pretty fun.
What’s up with that first venom fight though? Why the spike in difficultly?
Anyways, play it if you love the ps1 and or Spider-Man. It’s a fun lil game.
This review contains spoilers
Well, if you liked the first, you’ll probably enjoy this. It’s the first game, just less iconic.
The villains are cool still, but not nearly as good. Plus you’re pretty much doing the same stuff you did the first time around.
They also took out the Spider-Man song when you boot up the game... what a bummer. But hey! There’s still multiple suits to unlock and unlimited fun for a Spider-Man fan! Okay it’s a bit limited, give me a break.
The villains are cool still, but not nearly as good. Plus you’re pretty much doing the same stuff you did the first time around.
They also took out the Spider-Man song when you boot up the game... what a bummer. But hey! There’s still multiple suits to unlock and unlimited fun for a Spider-Man fan! Okay it’s a bit limited, give me a break.
2002
This review contains spoilers
Oh the cheese of early 2000s Spider-Man nostalgia... what a strange and fascinating time.
Well, Bruce Campbell alone makes this worth playing. Who doesn’t love being yelled at by Bruce? If you don’t, you’re probably a dweeb. Okay not seriously but come on, Evil Dead 2 amiright?
Anyways, this is such a weird game. Story wise it get like, 1 and a half stars because of the little sense it actually makes and the ending is pretty disappointing.
It’s an easy game to beat. Not super challenging. But it’s a pretty big improvement over the ps1 Spider-Man games which it is very much in the vein of.
I loved web zipping, and the swinging was much more fluent (All thanks to the next gen hardware. Hell yeah).
Combat was aight but the camera was kinda weird at times and the spider sense reflex thing didn’t always help. I liked the inclusion of the web stuff though. That made for some fun combos.
I really liked the cut scenes. Sure, they look pretty lackluster by today’s standards, but man I just loved em.
The robot stuff towards the end was kinda annoying, but it was actually kinda suspenseful and challenging at times. Bravo.
If you’re a spider-man fan, check it out. Otherwise, still check it out. It’s kinda fun and kind of ridiculous.
Well, Bruce Campbell alone makes this worth playing. Who doesn’t love being yelled at by Bruce? If you don’t, you’re probably a dweeb. Okay not seriously but come on, Evil Dead 2 amiright?
Anyways, this is such a weird game. Story wise it get like, 1 and a half stars because of the little sense it actually makes and the ending is pretty disappointing.
It’s an easy game to beat. Not super challenging. But it’s a pretty big improvement over the ps1 Spider-Man games which it is very much in the vein of.
I loved web zipping, and the swinging was much more fluent (All thanks to the next gen hardware. Hell yeah).
Combat was aight but the camera was kinda weird at times and the spider sense reflex thing didn’t always help. I liked the inclusion of the web stuff though. That made for some fun combos.
I really liked the cut scenes. Sure, they look pretty lackluster by today’s standards, but man I just loved em.
The robot stuff towards the end was kinda annoying, but it was actually kinda suspenseful and challenging at times. Bravo.
If you’re a spider-man fan, check it out. Otherwise, still check it out. It’s kinda fun and kind of ridiculous.
2004
This review contains spoilers
Edit: I’ve grown to love it more over time.
Despite how much this game managed to accomplish at the time of its release and the things that still hold up today, I feel as though this is only worthy of 3 stars.
Compared to the other Spider-Man games released before this, it certainly was an innovative adventure.
The open world was refreshing and it was exciting to play after exploring the other Spider-Man games in order of release.
The combat system was also new and a lot of fun. I liked that I was able to purchase upgrades with combat, swinging, and air tricks.
The swinging is great, even by today’s standards. It controls really nice and there’s a nice mechanic that allows you to swing quicker or higher depending on how you use it.
The only issue with the swinging is it’s easy to get caught on buildings and it can slow you down pretty bad.
Despite the improved combat, it was often clunky and really frustrating. The evading and dodging were almost useless.
You’re barely given enough time to counter hits, especially when you’re being thrown a ton of other things.
The graphics are also pretty bland. Textures bland and there’s more blockiness than in the first movie game.
(I’ll give it a pass considering how big in scale it is).
The music is nice when swinging to missions. I just wish there was more of it.
The story is pretty cool because while it maintains things from the movie, it also includes different characters such as Shocker, Mysterio, and Black Cat while consistently bringing them back throughout the story.
Despite a lot of these improvements, they almost all feel unfinished. It just feels like an unpolished version of a potentially great Spider-Man game.
Maybe it’s unfair of me to say considering the time it came out, but I really do respect what it did for the future of Spider-Man games. I also did have a lot of fun with it despite my criticisms.
Despite how much this game managed to accomplish at the time of its release and the things that still hold up today, I feel as though this is only worthy of 3 stars.
Compared to the other Spider-Man games released before this, it certainly was an innovative adventure.
The open world was refreshing and it was exciting to play after exploring the other Spider-Man games in order of release.
The combat system was also new and a lot of fun. I liked that I was able to purchase upgrades with combat, swinging, and air tricks.
The swinging is great, even by today’s standards. It controls really nice and there’s a nice mechanic that allows you to swing quicker or higher depending on how you use it.
The only issue with the swinging is it’s easy to get caught on buildings and it can slow you down pretty bad.
Despite the improved combat, it was often clunky and really frustrating. The evading and dodging were almost useless.
You’re barely given enough time to counter hits, especially when you’re being thrown a ton of other things.
The graphics are also pretty bland. Textures bland and there’s more blockiness than in the first movie game.
(I’ll give it a pass considering how big in scale it is).
The music is nice when swinging to missions. I just wish there was more of it.
The story is pretty cool because while it maintains things from the movie, it also includes different characters such as Shocker, Mysterio, and Black Cat while consistently bringing them back throughout the story.
Despite a lot of these improvements, they almost all feel unfinished. It just feels like an unpolished version of a potentially great Spider-Man game.
Maybe it’s unfair of me to say considering the time it came out, but I really do respect what it did for the future of Spider-Man games. I also did have a lot of fun with it despite my criticisms.
2006
Does this game sell you on an offer you can’t refuse?
For me, I’d say it does. At least enough to get some enjoyment out of in one play through. This game certainly doesn’t reinvent the wheel, but it does a solid job at what it’s supposed to do.
Some people might call it a GTA clone, and I think in most instances that’s true. What The Godfather does to distinguish itself however, is it has a unique feature where you can overtake rackets, warehouses, and even battle rival families.
Another great quality about The Godfather is it’s open world (albeit underutilized). It captures the world of the film authentically and in a way that feels true to where things could be located in the movie. It’s also very atmospheric in the time it’s set in which really helps sell the mafia feel. The game definitely allows for some really intense moments when battling a rival family that is better than yours.
As for things this game didn’t quite land... it’s story. It’s pretty much just the film, but with the protagonist interjected in the plot. It’s cool for nostalgic purposes, but it barely holds up enough on its own. There’s a side plot that has an original story of its own and for the most part it works... but there’s not enough to keep you entertained.
The game also becomes super repetitive after a while and doesn’t find new ways to freshen the gameplay. A subtle yet effective edge the GTA series has over this is the car radio. It seems like a dumb critique, but at least with the GTA games you have some variety in the songs you listen to. Here, The Godfather theme just blares nonstop every time you get in the car. Don’t get me wrong, it can be awesome at times. Especially when you start the game. But once you’re at the end and you’ve been playing for hours, you wanna listen to something else.
Overall it’s a fun game and there are some really cool details that make it an enjoyable play through. I don’t know that I’d return to it anytime soon though.
For me, I’d say it does. At least enough to get some enjoyment out of in one play through. This game certainly doesn’t reinvent the wheel, but it does a solid job at what it’s supposed to do.
Some people might call it a GTA clone, and I think in most instances that’s true. What The Godfather does to distinguish itself however, is it has a unique feature where you can overtake rackets, warehouses, and even battle rival families.
Another great quality about The Godfather is it’s open world (albeit underutilized). It captures the world of the film authentically and in a way that feels true to where things could be located in the movie. It’s also very atmospheric in the time it’s set in which really helps sell the mafia feel. The game definitely allows for some really intense moments when battling a rival family that is better than yours.
As for things this game didn’t quite land... it’s story. It’s pretty much just the film, but with the protagonist interjected in the plot. It’s cool for nostalgic purposes, but it barely holds up enough on its own. There’s a side plot that has an original story of its own and for the most part it works... but there’s not enough to keep you entertained.
The game also becomes super repetitive after a while and doesn’t find new ways to freshen the gameplay. A subtle yet effective edge the GTA series has over this is the car radio. It seems like a dumb critique, but at least with the GTA games you have some variety in the songs you listen to. Here, The Godfather theme just blares nonstop every time you get in the car. Don’t get me wrong, it can be awesome at times. Especially when you start the game. But once you’re at the end and you’ve been playing for hours, you wanna listen to something else.
Overall it’s a fun game and there are some really cool details that make it an enjoyable play through. I don’t know that I’d return to it anytime soon though.
2007
It’s hard to believe I complained so much about the problems the Spider-Man 2 movie game had after playing this…
This is next level BAD. I was upset with the last game for underutilizing the incredible music, but compared to this game that felt like a goddamn concert. Why is it so quiet and awkward when swinging around?!
Speaking of swinging around, I’m glad they kept SOME of what worked about the second games swinging. You can tell there were things they ditched altogether though, and not for the better.
One thing the second game really nailed to make the play through experience more FUN was it’s inclusion of web tricks. This game completely abandons that. In fact, this game completely abandons 75% of what made Spider-Man 2 so much fun.
Instead we’re treated to more bland visuals that are some how worse than the last game, a mind numbingly terrible translation of an already convoluted story, hysterically bad dialogue, a boring and clunky combat system, and repetitive, monotonous side tasks that take up more than 50% of the entire game (I wish I were kidding)!
I find it incredible just how far from Grace this series fell. Can’t wait to play Ultimate Spider-Man because it’ll be such a good pallet cleanser after finishing this putrid pile of shit.
Now, to end this on a lighter note, here’s a hilarious dialogue exchange between Peter and MJ towards the end of the game:
MJ:
What’s wrong? You haven’t said a single word all night.
PETER:
I figured you were talking enough for the both of us.
MJ:
Peter, what’s gotten into you lately?
PETER:
Nothing that stopping your gums from flapping wouldn’t solve!
… I couldn’t make this up if I tried.
This is next level BAD. I was upset with the last game for underutilizing the incredible music, but compared to this game that felt like a goddamn concert. Why is it so quiet and awkward when swinging around?!
Speaking of swinging around, I’m glad they kept SOME of what worked about the second games swinging. You can tell there were things they ditched altogether though, and not for the better.
One thing the second game really nailed to make the play through experience more FUN was it’s inclusion of web tricks. This game completely abandons that. In fact, this game completely abandons 75% of what made Spider-Man 2 so much fun.
Instead we’re treated to more bland visuals that are some how worse than the last game, a mind numbingly terrible translation of an already convoluted story, hysterically bad dialogue, a boring and clunky combat system, and repetitive, monotonous side tasks that take up more than 50% of the entire game (I wish I were kidding)!
I find it incredible just how far from Grace this series fell. Can’t wait to play Ultimate Spider-Man because it’ll be such a good pallet cleanser after finishing this putrid pile of shit.
Now, to end this on a lighter note, here’s a hilarious dialogue exchange between Peter and MJ towards the end of the game:
MJ:
What’s wrong? You haven’t said a single word all night.
PETER:
I figured you were talking enough for the both of us.
MJ:
Peter, what’s gotten into you lately?
PETER:
Nothing that stopping your gums from flapping wouldn’t solve!
… I couldn’t make this up if I tried.
1998
I don’t want to make a habit out of abandoning games, but my god is this game almost unplayable. It wouldn’t be so rough if the controls were even slightly responsive.
Or if the way you interact with objects actually fucking worked. But no. This game is so broken that almost nothing happened the way it was supposed to, and it punishes you so damn hard for its own mistakes.
Like, if you’ve saved your game early on with one life left, you better hope you can make that shit stretch. Or else you’re gonna pay the price the entire game as you have to watch the death animation play out a billion times.
What a load of Kaka. Absolute dookie.
Or if the way you interact with objects actually fucking worked. But no. This game is so broken that almost nothing happened the way it was supposed to, and it punishes you so damn hard for its own mistakes.
Like, if you’ve saved your game early on with one life left, you better hope you can make that shit stretch. Or else you’re gonna pay the price the entire game as you have to watch the death animation play out a billion times.
What a load of Kaka. Absolute dookie.
2005
It’s worth saying now that none of the Spider-Man games that came out before the 2010’s came near perfect.
Almost all of them had unique qualities that worked so well and really made the play through experiences fun. The problem is that while each had some sort of uniqueness, they also had their own standard set of issues.
Ultimate Spider-Man nailed the visual style for the year it was released. The cel shaded art popped, and the exaggerated character designs finally gave fans like myself what they wanted from a Spider-Man game. There was no longer bland, ugly textures in an effort of achieving some sense of realism like the Raimi Spider-Man games did.
The music in the game is also a lot of fun. Not quite on par with Elfman’s theme, yet it’s still utilized at all of the points it should be. So the music about evens out with the Spider-Man 2 game. Thank goodness for that because Spider-Man 3 was so awkward and quiet. The story is easily the best of all of the Spider-Man games of this era and that’s because it is literally ripped out of the Ultimate Comics line (my favorite of the spider Canon).
The voice acting is fantastic, and the cameos from familiar faces is sooo much fun. You can even occasionally race Johnny Storm of the Fantastic 4. One thing I wish this game had more of, is side missions. While the main story is really good, the rest could have benefited from giving players more to do than just combat tasks and races. It gets repetitive and boring after a while. I do like the inclusion of picking up different tokens for unlockables, and one thing this game nailed that is still included in Spider-Man games today is the costumes variations you can wear.
As for other things this game gets right, we are able to play as Venom for almost half of the missions. And once you beat the game as a whole, you can unlock him as a playable character in the open world. The gameplay feels distinguishable and natural enough to really have fun.
I also liked that I was now able to climb up my web. It was a feature that really came in handy when I needed it and made web swinging more enjoyable. The level designs were also great; especially when stacked against Spider-Man 3. The level design in that game was so bland and underdeveloped. Here you can actually interact more with the environments and levels that you play throughout the game can effect the look of the open world.
It’s amazing how much regression happened from this to Spider-Man 3. As for things that rubbed me the wrong way, I didn’t like how many foot chases there were. They became tedious and a bit obnoxious after a while. I don’t understand why they were such a fundamental part of almost every mission.
I also didn’t love the difficulty spike that happens about halfway through the game. It feels like the entire game goes from being overly easy to incredibly difficult in the matter of seconds. Especially the fight with goblin. That one felt like it was designed with the soul purpose of pissing me off. The combat could’ve used some more work as well, as I’d say even Spider-Man 3 had a bit of an edge over it considering you could choose what you wanted to upgrade.
The choice of removing the upgrade system kind of hurt the gameplay here. It would’ve been nice to have the options of what to work on. I also miss the charged jump from Spider-Man 2. The jumping here is pretty okay, but it doesn’t work quite as well.
A small detail that kept bothering me was when I would try to jump near a building, it would instead push me off of the building away from where I was trying to go. Luckily the web zip came in handy for moments like that despite how shotty it could be.
Overall it’s a really fun game with a lot of promise… but it doesn’t quite reach the heights I think it had the potential to. Between this and Spider-Man 3, I’ve also grown a stronger appreciation for Spider-Man 2, which is why I also think it’s worth 3 and a half stars now. But if I’m being honest, both games are on the lower half of the 3 and a half star range and just squeak in.
Almost all of them had unique qualities that worked so well and really made the play through experiences fun. The problem is that while each had some sort of uniqueness, they also had their own standard set of issues.
Ultimate Spider-Man nailed the visual style for the year it was released. The cel shaded art popped, and the exaggerated character designs finally gave fans like myself what they wanted from a Spider-Man game. There was no longer bland, ugly textures in an effort of achieving some sense of realism like the Raimi Spider-Man games did.
The music in the game is also a lot of fun. Not quite on par with Elfman’s theme, yet it’s still utilized at all of the points it should be. So the music about evens out with the Spider-Man 2 game. Thank goodness for that because Spider-Man 3 was so awkward and quiet. The story is easily the best of all of the Spider-Man games of this era and that’s because it is literally ripped out of the Ultimate Comics line (my favorite of the spider Canon).
The voice acting is fantastic, and the cameos from familiar faces is sooo much fun. You can even occasionally race Johnny Storm of the Fantastic 4. One thing I wish this game had more of, is side missions. While the main story is really good, the rest could have benefited from giving players more to do than just combat tasks and races. It gets repetitive and boring after a while. I do like the inclusion of picking up different tokens for unlockables, and one thing this game nailed that is still included in Spider-Man games today is the costumes variations you can wear.
As for other things this game gets right, we are able to play as Venom for almost half of the missions. And once you beat the game as a whole, you can unlock him as a playable character in the open world. The gameplay feels distinguishable and natural enough to really have fun.
I also liked that I was now able to climb up my web. It was a feature that really came in handy when I needed it and made web swinging more enjoyable. The level designs were also great; especially when stacked against Spider-Man 3. The level design in that game was so bland and underdeveloped. Here you can actually interact more with the environments and levels that you play throughout the game can effect the look of the open world.
It’s amazing how much regression happened from this to Spider-Man 3. As for things that rubbed me the wrong way, I didn’t like how many foot chases there were. They became tedious and a bit obnoxious after a while. I don’t understand why they were such a fundamental part of almost every mission.
I also didn’t love the difficulty spike that happens about halfway through the game. It feels like the entire game goes from being overly easy to incredibly difficult in the matter of seconds. Especially the fight with goblin. That one felt like it was designed with the soul purpose of pissing me off. The combat could’ve used some more work as well, as I’d say even Spider-Man 3 had a bit of an edge over it considering you could choose what you wanted to upgrade.
The choice of removing the upgrade system kind of hurt the gameplay here. It would’ve been nice to have the options of what to work on. I also miss the charged jump from Spider-Man 2. The jumping here is pretty okay, but it doesn’t work quite as well.
A small detail that kept bothering me was when I would try to jump near a building, it would instead push me off of the building away from where I was trying to go. Luckily the web zip came in handy for moments like that despite how shotty it could be.
Overall it’s a really fun game with a lot of promise… but it doesn’t quite reach the heights I think it had the potential to. Between this and Spider-Man 3, I’ve also grown a stronger appreciation for Spider-Man 2, which is why I also think it’s worth 3 and a half stars now. But if I’m being honest, both games are on the lower half of the 3 and a half star range and just squeak in.
2016
SUPERHOT VR offers an immersive, energetic, chaotic ride that’s to both clever in its simple minimalistic writing, and addictive in its gameplay.
The game is pretty incredible in almost every way; but the only reason it’s not rated higher is because it isn’t very story driven the way I would like, and it’s pretty narrow in its gameplay. This isn’t necessarily a fault of the game itself, just more so a personal preference I have when looking to play new games.
Non-the-less it’s incredibly entertaining and the modes you unlock when you beat the game are so cool.
The game is pretty incredible in almost every way; but the only reason it’s not rated higher is because it isn’t very story driven the way I would like, and it’s pretty narrow in its gameplay. This isn’t necessarily a fault of the game itself, just more so a personal preference I have when looking to play new games.
Non-the-less it’s incredibly entertaining and the modes you unlock when you beat the game are so cool.
2005
Other than some of the problematic elements that don’t hold up today, Gun managed to surpass my expectations in just about every way.
This was a proto Red Dead Redemption, and it created so many of the staples that the Red Dead series would inevitably adopt. The gun play is exhilarating, and I loved that I was able to continuously upgrade my weapons. Every side mission was consistently entertaining, and it rarely became boring because each one was almost entirely unique.
The weapon selection is also fantastic! I loved how many weapons I had to chose from. It made the combat great all throughout. Especially since you receive new weapons as you go along.
The open world may be kind of weak for today’s standards… but this is the first western video game that comes to mind that actually included one… and it’s actually really good! There’s so many little details I could gush about, but to save time, I’ll move onto the story.
The story plays out cinematically, and it’s larger than life in many ways or even over the top. This was never something that bothered me. In fact, I think for a video game, it works perfect. The set pieces in game are awesome, and make for really cool level design most of the time. The bosses are challenging, but not in a way that makes you want to stop playing or anything.
While I was usually able to predict things, I particularly liked the story here. It’s probably some of the best storytelling I’ve seen so far from this era of gaming, but that could just be because of my lack of experience so far. I thought Colton was a great protagonist, and I liked his backstory and lineage.
Overall, there are many memorable moments in Gun, and because of its superb gameplay and well executed storytelling… it’s a game I can definitely see myself revisiting in the future!
This was a proto Red Dead Redemption, and it created so many of the staples that the Red Dead series would inevitably adopt. The gun play is exhilarating, and I loved that I was able to continuously upgrade my weapons. Every side mission was consistently entertaining, and it rarely became boring because each one was almost entirely unique.
The weapon selection is also fantastic! I loved how many weapons I had to chose from. It made the combat great all throughout. Especially since you receive new weapons as you go along.
The open world may be kind of weak for today’s standards… but this is the first western video game that comes to mind that actually included one… and it’s actually really good! There’s so many little details I could gush about, but to save time, I’ll move onto the story.
The story plays out cinematically, and it’s larger than life in many ways or even over the top. This was never something that bothered me. In fact, I think for a video game, it works perfect. The set pieces in game are awesome, and make for really cool level design most of the time. The bosses are challenging, but not in a way that makes you want to stop playing or anything.
While I was usually able to predict things, I particularly liked the story here. It’s probably some of the best storytelling I’ve seen so far from this era of gaming, but that could just be because of my lack of experience so far. I thought Colton was a great protagonist, and I liked his backstory and lineage.
Overall, there are many memorable moments in Gun, and because of its superb gameplay and well executed storytelling… it’s a game I can definitely see myself revisiting in the future!
Spider-Man: Friend or Foe may not be the most polished Spider-Man game that came out of the PS2 era… but it has its merits when you consider it was a game made for children; and any young True Believer will have their fun.
It’s a beat ‘em’ up style action game that revives the genre for the web head since he wasn’t beating up baddies like this since the ‘90s. Only now it’s in 3D with some familiar character designs to that of the beloved Raimi Trilogy.
Some of what works about Spider-Man: Friend or Foe is it’s art style, it’s light comedy, and the way it gets the characters right… even if they’re watered down for children. It has some fun cameos such as Blade, Iron Fist, Black Cat, and some of Spider-Man’s vogues gallery. The game also has a killer cutscene in its opening, setting the perfect tone.
Though the gameplay gets repetitive and boring after a while, it’s still mildly satisfying the first few goes around and you can tell the way the missions are structured that the game designers at least attempted to keep things exciting for kids.
The problem with Friend or Foe is that the combat does begin to lose its excitement, and after a while, feels like a chore. The same can be said about the level structures. You know exactly how each one will play out as you’re going through it, and there’s no real excitement or entertainment after a while.
Even the level designs themselves begin to feel a bit lazy once you’ve played through the first missions of each stage. Theres some cool upgrades you can unlock, but the grinding through missions hardly feels worth it in any way. Perhaps this game could have benefited from unlockables after collecting a certain amount of points. Such as costumes, or cutscenes that we the game players could treat ourselves to as we play through it. Unfortunately, there’s nothing like that here.
Overall, it can be an entertaining game for children as I was once one of them and enjoyed it when I played it at the age of 7. Now, however, this doesn’t hold up very well, and just comes across as kind of mediocre.
It’s a beat ‘em’ up style action game that revives the genre for the web head since he wasn’t beating up baddies like this since the ‘90s. Only now it’s in 3D with some familiar character designs to that of the beloved Raimi Trilogy.
Some of what works about Spider-Man: Friend or Foe is it’s art style, it’s light comedy, and the way it gets the characters right… even if they’re watered down for children. It has some fun cameos such as Blade, Iron Fist, Black Cat, and some of Spider-Man’s vogues gallery. The game also has a killer cutscene in its opening, setting the perfect tone.
Though the gameplay gets repetitive and boring after a while, it’s still mildly satisfying the first few goes around and you can tell the way the missions are structured that the game designers at least attempted to keep things exciting for kids.
The problem with Friend or Foe is that the combat does begin to lose its excitement, and after a while, feels like a chore. The same can be said about the level structures. You know exactly how each one will play out as you’re going through it, and there’s no real excitement or entertainment after a while.
Even the level designs themselves begin to feel a bit lazy once you’ve played through the first missions of each stage. Theres some cool upgrades you can unlock, but the grinding through missions hardly feels worth it in any way. Perhaps this game could have benefited from unlockables after collecting a certain amount of points. Such as costumes, or cutscenes that we the game players could treat ourselves to as we play through it. Unfortunately, there’s nothing like that here.
Overall, it can be an entertaining game for children as I was once one of them and enjoyed it when I played it at the age of 7. Now, however, this doesn’t hold up very well, and just comes across as kind of mediocre.
I actually played an arcade port of this game, and it was a blast! Me and my girlfriend sat down for an hour with the goal of finishing it in mind.
Sure, it’s repetitive and a bit of a generic beat ‘em up, but the animations and gameplay never became boring because of how short the games length is. I would definitely recommend seeking out the arcade version!
Sure, it’s repetitive and a bit of a generic beat ‘em up, but the animations and gameplay never became boring because of how short the games length is. I would definitely recommend seeking out the arcade version!
“I had a dream of my wife. She was dead, but it was alright.”
Max Payne 2 doubles down on its character driven storytelling by quite literally introducing a secondary playable character through Mona Sax.
The storytelling has never been better, and the stylistic graphic novel art choice has never been so compelling. With Exciting set pieces, a creative story structure, intriguing characters, and an incredible music score, Max Payne 2 is a worthy sequel to the masterful game that came before it.
Though it still has most of the same frame rate and gameplay issues as its predecessor. This is likely a port issue, but it’s hard to overlook. Especially when everything else is firing on all cylinders. This has the potential to be the better game out of the two. It’s just held back by the hardware I played it on.
I would love to revisit both games on PC or a later console port some day. They’re a couple of the greatest video games I’ve ever played.
Max Payne 2 doubles down on its character driven storytelling by quite literally introducing a secondary playable character through Mona Sax.
The storytelling has never been better, and the stylistic graphic novel art choice has never been so compelling. With Exciting set pieces, a creative story structure, intriguing characters, and an incredible music score, Max Payne 2 is a worthy sequel to the masterful game that came before it.
Though it still has most of the same frame rate and gameplay issues as its predecessor. This is likely a port issue, but it’s hard to overlook. Especially when everything else is firing on all cylinders. This has the potential to be the better game out of the two. It’s just held back by the hardware I played it on.
I would love to revisit both games on PC or a later console port some day. They’re a couple of the greatest video games I’ve ever played.