UncleSeth
8 reviews liked by UncleSeth
Halo Infinite
2021
Review #3 - 2021
Have yet to experience the campaign which I imagine is quite great. All I can speak for is the multiplayer stuff, which really, is just fine, as many have found. I played it every now and again with friends, but we ultimately found ourselves jumping back to the Master Chief Collection when we wanted a good Halo session, and that's pretty much where we have remained. I can't really explain what makes Infinite's multiplayer just okay. I'll leave that up to those who understand all those ins and outs. All I know, is that it left me feeling like it could be so much more somehow.
Have yet to experience the campaign which I imagine is quite great. All I can speak for is the multiplayer stuff, which really, is just fine, as many have found. I played it every now and again with friends, but we ultimately found ourselves jumping back to the Master Chief Collection when we wanted a good Halo session, and that's pretty much where we have remained. I can't really explain what makes Infinite's multiplayer just okay. I'll leave that up to those who understand all those ins and outs. All I know, is that it left me feeling like it could be so much more somehow.
Review #2 - 2022
https://www.origin.com/usa/en-us/store/lands-of-lore/lands-of-lore-guardians-of-destiny
I've never forgotten the first time I discovered this game. It was the mid 2000s, and I had borrowed a copy of "Command & Conquer: Red Alert" from 1996. In it, was a trailer that showed off the high fantasy world of "Lands of Lore", full of scary and mysterious imagery that made my childhood imagination run wild. I was particularly enamored by the synthesized orchestral music that started off with brooding tribal beats, and quickly became heightened with intense strings and fast paced drums, like something out of a thriller. It showed off a gameplay experience that I immediately wanted to try for myself, and after a little over 10 years now, I finally gave it a try, thanks to the selection of classics provided by EA's Origin online store.
It was everything I was hoping it would be. Beautiful, mysterious, adventurous, wonderful. It's full of sharp color and marvelous graphics that at the time, would have blew my mind. Even in this day and age, I am captivated by the look of this title. I'm a sucker for prerendered graphics. They just have this look about them that I can't describe. It's incredibly charming. They even combine live action elements as many games did at the time, and I just can't get enough of that cheesy goodness.
I had never played a first person title from this era before, so the control scheme was quite jarring, but I quickly figured it out, and was impressed by how they managed to make this work. Moving forward and backward and looking left and right all with the arrow keys. The mouse is freed up for pointing and clicking, though you can also use the mouse to move around in the same way. I'm thankful we've found a better standard for first person controlled games, but it's cool experiencing a game controlled in this way.
I haven't gotten super deep into the game, for I only did one stream just to give it a shot, but I would love to give it a full playthrough in the future. I loved what I got to experience, from the witty characters, to the intricate world that Westwood designed. The music is also incredible, giving off those medieval fantasy vibes through that classic 90s soundfont that I adore so much. There's a fantastic story here that makes me feel like I should experience the first one before I go deeper into this. Indeed, there is a trilogy of these games, and thanks to Origin, you can find them all there.
https://www.origin.com/usa/en-us/store/lands-of-lore/lands-of-lore-guardians-of-destiny
I've never forgotten the first time I discovered this game. It was the mid 2000s, and I had borrowed a copy of "Command & Conquer: Red Alert" from 1996. In it, was a trailer that showed off the high fantasy world of "Lands of Lore", full of scary and mysterious imagery that made my childhood imagination run wild. I was particularly enamored by the synthesized orchestral music that started off with brooding tribal beats, and quickly became heightened with intense strings and fast paced drums, like something out of a thriller. It showed off a gameplay experience that I immediately wanted to try for myself, and after a little over 10 years now, I finally gave it a try, thanks to the selection of classics provided by EA's Origin online store.
It was everything I was hoping it would be. Beautiful, mysterious, adventurous, wonderful. It's full of sharp color and marvelous graphics that at the time, would have blew my mind. Even in this day and age, I am captivated by the look of this title. I'm a sucker for prerendered graphics. They just have this look about them that I can't describe. It's incredibly charming. They even combine live action elements as many games did at the time, and I just can't get enough of that cheesy goodness.
I had never played a first person title from this era before, so the control scheme was quite jarring, but I quickly figured it out, and was impressed by how they managed to make this work. Moving forward and backward and looking left and right all with the arrow keys. The mouse is freed up for pointing and clicking, though you can also use the mouse to move around in the same way. I'm thankful we've found a better standard for first person controlled games, but it's cool experiencing a game controlled in this way.
I haven't gotten super deep into the game, for I only did one stream just to give it a shot, but I would love to give it a full playthrough in the future. I loved what I got to experience, from the witty characters, to the intricate world that Westwood designed. The music is also incredible, giving off those medieval fantasy vibes through that classic 90s soundfont that I adore so much. There's a fantastic story here that makes me feel like I should experience the first one before I go deeper into this. Indeed, there is a trilogy of these games, and thanks to Origin, you can find them all there.
Heardle
2022
Review #4 - 2022
https://www.heardle.app/
This one isn't a puzzle game. You don't use previous guesses to help aid your quest to find the solution. This one relies solely on your listening habits, and your ability to remember songs. It's a neat little guessing game that's enjoyable if you love trying to figure out what a song is, and that's about it. You have 6 tries to guess the song with the 16 second clip that's provided. Each try unveils more of the 16 seconds, but after 6 tries, the rest of the song is revealed, and you're left either going "hey, to be fair, I've never heard this before", or "I hate myself, how could I have forgotten this song". I like to play this live with my Twitch audience every other day as chat loses their minds waiting for me to guess a song they already know, or lose their minds at me guessing in one try. Sometimes you discover something you haven't heard before which is a plus for me after taking an L. It's a neat little trivia game that you can play on the daily.
https://www.heardle.app/
This one isn't a puzzle game. You don't use previous guesses to help aid your quest to find the solution. This one relies solely on your listening habits, and your ability to remember songs. It's a neat little guessing game that's enjoyable if you love trying to figure out what a song is, and that's about it. You have 6 tries to guess the song with the 16 second clip that's provided. Each try unveils more of the 16 seconds, but after 6 tries, the rest of the song is revealed, and you're left either going "hey, to be fair, I've never heard this before", or "I hate myself, how could I have forgotten this song". I like to play this live with my Twitch audience every other day as chat loses their minds waiting for me to guess a song they already know, or lose their minds at me guessing in one try. Sometimes you discover something you haven't heard before which is a plus for me after taking an L. It's a neat little trivia game that you can play on the daily.
Phasmophobia
2020
Review #4 - 2021
Never have I ever played a game that made me tremble with fear upon first booting it up. Even with the company of friends, I was extremely unsettled the entire time. The sound design is so fine tuned to your surroundings, that every little noise you hear feels as if it were happening in the very room you're sitting in. Playing with headphones is a MUST, unless of course you have a fantastic surround sound system, which works just as well if not better (can confirm).
It's best played with friends, for working together to figure out what ghost you're dealing with is such a fun thing to experience. Sometimes you have to "split up gang" which can lead to some funny, and terrifying results. My first session ended with me all by myself, with no one to talk to. I was MORTIFYED. The fear never wore off even after the 2 or so hours we played. It was a real blast, and a highly immersive one at that.
It's janky looking in a lot of places, but it's the tension this game builds, and the thrill of being chased by feral haunts that makes this game worth the while. If you're a scaredy cat like me and love getting spooked, you're going to have a good time (playing by yourself in the dark is something I highly recommend). If you don't get scared easily, you'll probably get tired of the gameplay loop very quickly. I for one, had an unforgettable time, and look forward to getting the gang together again for more haunts.
Never have I ever played a game that made me tremble with fear upon first booting it up. Even with the company of friends, I was extremely unsettled the entire time. The sound design is so fine tuned to your surroundings, that every little noise you hear feels as if it were happening in the very room you're sitting in. Playing with headphones is a MUST, unless of course you have a fantastic surround sound system, which works just as well if not better (can confirm).
It's best played with friends, for working together to figure out what ghost you're dealing with is such a fun thing to experience. Sometimes you have to "split up gang" which can lead to some funny, and terrifying results. My first session ended with me all by myself, with no one to talk to. I was MORTIFYED. The fear never wore off even after the 2 or so hours we played. It was a real blast, and a highly immersive one at that.
It's janky looking in a lot of places, but it's the tension this game builds, and the thrill of being chased by feral haunts that makes this game worth the while. If you're a scaredy cat like me and love getting spooked, you're going to have a good time (playing by yourself in the dark is something I highly recommend). If you don't get scared easily, you'll probably get tired of the gameplay loop very quickly. I for one, had an unforgettable time, and look forward to getting the gang together again for more haunts.
Review #6 - 2022
https://www.re4hd.com/?page_id=9303
This is the peak Resident Evil experience when it comes to the main series (at least pre-RE7). It has an engaging, action-packed story that takes a now tenured Leon S. Kennedy far from Racoon City, and into a remote location in Spain, where the virus that's plaguing the world by storm is continuing to be innovated on by more power hungry zealots.
This is the PC version I'm writing on of course, so I'll save my thoughts on the game as a whole for another day. More specifically though, I played the RE4 HD Project, which mods the not so great PC port, and makes it much better. It even plays great on my Ultra Wide screen, but I did notice screen tearing while in water locations (the boat segment for example). All and all, it's a pretty decent upgrade, and makes my favorite game even more immersive. I just can't get enough of the action, the horror, and that sweet, sweet treasure hunting too. It's nice to be able to revisit this game with ease on my PC!
https://www.re4hd.com/?page_id=9303
This is the peak Resident Evil experience when it comes to the main series (at least pre-RE7). It has an engaging, action-packed story that takes a now tenured Leon S. Kennedy far from Racoon City, and into a remote location in Spain, where the virus that's plaguing the world by storm is continuing to be innovated on by more power hungry zealots.
This is the PC version I'm writing on of course, so I'll save my thoughts on the game as a whole for another day. More specifically though, I played the RE4 HD Project, which mods the not so great PC port, and makes it much better. It even plays great on my Ultra Wide screen, but I did notice screen tearing while in water locations (the boat segment for example). All and all, it's a pretty decent upgrade, and makes my favorite game even more immersive. I just can't get enough of the action, the horror, and that sweet, sweet treasure hunting too. It's nice to be able to revisit this game with ease on my PC!
Review #1 - 2023
Peter Gabriel, the artist, the activist, the appreciator of music from around the world. This CD-ROM experience brings you all 3 of these notions into his interactive point-and-click "secret world", where you'll discover not just his music, but music from around the globe, as it showcases several many artists from his label, Real World Studios, a recording label that provides a means for artists all over the world to record and share their music on a global scale. Not only that, you'll discover WOMAD, yet another opportunity started by Gabriel, that showcases these artists from around the world, live and on stage in a festival weekend setting. Real World and WOMAD are still going on to this day, so it's cool seeing it's early beginnings!
Given his love for world music, you'll learn about different cultures, and the instruments they wield. It's actually an idea I've had for a long time to create a game where you explore a globe, and learn about music and how culture spreads. This game has that going on in a smaller scale, and I absolutely adore what it's trying to achieve.
There's all kinds of oddities to find in this game, so definitely explore your options, and keep an eye out for Easter eggs along the way for you to click on! I will however warn you, that there is a section that brings awareness to the horrible human rights violations that were going on at the time, and really, still going on today. It's a video about his WITNESS organization, a project that aims to bring cameras to people all over the world, so they can film and bring to light the injustices happening on the daily. Just know, the video has some horrifying and graphic footage.
Xplora is a testament to Gabriel's care for the world. It goes beyond the music and culture. He aims to help us get a little bit closer to a world where a culture and its peoples aren't held back by the cruel injustices we see time and time again. The fact that Real World, WOMAD, and WITNESS is still around today, proves that his outreach is doing something good. We should all aim to do something bigger than ourselves to make the world a better place, and I find music to be an incredible tool to do just that.
Peter Gabriel, the artist, the activist, the appreciator of music from around the world. This CD-ROM experience brings you all 3 of these notions into his interactive point-and-click "secret world", where you'll discover not just his music, but music from around the globe, as it showcases several many artists from his label, Real World Studios, a recording label that provides a means for artists all over the world to record and share their music on a global scale. Not only that, you'll discover WOMAD, yet another opportunity started by Gabriel, that showcases these artists from around the world, live and on stage in a festival weekend setting. Real World and WOMAD are still going on to this day, so it's cool seeing it's early beginnings!
Given his love for world music, you'll learn about different cultures, and the instruments they wield. It's actually an idea I've had for a long time to create a game where you explore a globe, and learn about music and how culture spreads. This game has that going on in a smaller scale, and I absolutely adore what it's trying to achieve.
There's all kinds of oddities to find in this game, so definitely explore your options, and keep an eye out for Easter eggs along the way for you to click on! I will however warn you, that there is a section that brings awareness to the horrible human rights violations that were going on at the time, and really, still going on today. It's a video about his WITNESS organization, a project that aims to bring cameras to people all over the world, so they can film and bring to light the injustices happening on the daily. Just know, the video has some horrifying and graphic footage.
Xplora is a testament to Gabriel's care for the world. It goes beyond the music and culture. He aims to help us get a little bit closer to a world where a culture and its peoples aren't held back by the cruel injustices we see time and time again. The fact that Real World, WOMAD, and WITNESS is still around today, proves that his outreach is doing something good. We should all aim to do something bigger than ourselves to make the world a better place, and I find music to be an incredible tool to do just that.
Dev Mailbag Review #3 - 2022
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1699980/Daydream/
This JRPG inspired title has you playing as a daring adventurer aching to see the world, only to find himself embarking on a treacherous journey that will lead him and his friends toward a destiny bigger than themselves. It plays the way you'd expect using classic JRPG mechanics, but also uses a clever QTE system to make the turn-based combat more interactive. It's fully voice acted, and features a beautiful soundtrack to go along with this epic tale. Don't be fooled by the look of this game either, for this is a fully developed story that provides you with 8-10 hours of gameplay. Definitely give this game a shot.
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1699980/Daydream/
This JRPG inspired title has you playing as a daring adventurer aching to see the world, only to find himself embarking on a treacherous journey that will lead him and his friends toward a destiny bigger than themselves. It plays the way you'd expect using classic JRPG mechanics, but also uses a clever QTE system to make the turn-based combat more interactive. It's fully voice acted, and features a beautiful soundtrack to go along with this epic tale. Don't be fooled by the look of this game either, for this is a fully developed story that provides you with 8-10 hours of gameplay. Definitely give this game a shot.
By Request Review #3 - 2021
This is a landmark piece of storytelling that has the intensity and rawness that makes the early seasons of "The Walking Dead" so effective. It builds a bond between these two characters that leaves you winded and on edge when things start getting incredibly threatening. That's a great word to describe this gameplay experience: "threatening". There are few games that make me feel like every step I take, and every bullet I spend, could drastically make or break my playthrough. It could be that it's because my first playthrough of this game was on "grounded" mode, but truly, I wouldn't have it any other way. If you're looking to just enjoy the story without many obstacles, certainly hit up the easier difficulties. If you're like me, and are looking to immerse yourself in a world that's visceral and deadly, then crank the difficulty way up to "grounded". It forced me to slow down, strategize, and treat my session as if I only had one life to live. It made me feel the story even more, as I grew exhausted along side Joel and Ellie on their year long cross-country journey to find hope in a hopeless world dying from a horrifying viral outbreak.
The only negatives I experienced had a lot to do with this Remastered version's lack of perfect polish. Although very rare, glitches are capable of ruining your playthrough. Enemies clipping through walls, or even the game deciding to restart your session were very discouraging when they happened. That link leads to a clip of that moment, where I spent over an hour on that very tough section, only to have my progress yoinked away from me due to this very rare glitch. I never saw it again, but it was horrifying to have to go through that section all over again, and the playthrough from that point forward felt like a roll of the dice. I'm not sure how the PS3 version is, but hopefully it doesn't experience these problems. Otherwise, this would be a 4 star game for me.
This is a landmark piece of storytelling that has the intensity and rawness that makes the early seasons of "The Walking Dead" so effective. It builds a bond between these two characters that leaves you winded and on edge when things start getting incredibly threatening. That's a great word to describe this gameplay experience: "threatening". There are few games that make me feel like every step I take, and every bullet I spend, could drastically make or break my playthrough. It could be that it's because my first playthrough of this game was on "grounded" mode, but truly, I wouldn't have it any other way. If you're looking to just enjoy the story without many obstacles, certainly hit up the easier difficulties. If you're like me, and are looking to immerse yourself in a world that's visceral and deadly, then crank the difficulty way up to "grounded". It forced me to slow down, strategize, and treat my session as if I only had one life to live. It made me feel the story even more, as I grew exhausted along side Joel and Ellie on their year long cross-country journey to find hope in a hopeless world dying from a horrifying viral outbreak.
The only negatives I experienced had a lot to do with this Remastered version's lack of perfect polish. Although very rare, glitches are capable of ruining your playthrough. Enemies clipping through walls, or even the game deciding to restart your session were very discouraging when they happened. That link leads to a clip of that moment, where I spent over an hour on that very tough section, only to have my progress yoinked away from me due to this very rare glitch. I never saw it again, but it was horrifying to have to go through that section all over again, and the playthrough from that point forward felt like a roll of the dice. I'm not sure how the PS3 version is, but hopefully it doesn't experience these problems. Otherwise, this would be a 4 star game for me.