Wahfuu
Monster hunter at its finest. If you have a band of friends to play with this is pretty much some of the most fun you can have. The endgame seems endless, the amount of set customization is almost overwhelming, and there's so, so many monsters. The only issues are the console it's on is garbage, and not having a circle pad pro will destroy the center of your hands. Otherwise, the best in the series.
A loveletter to videogames young and old. Some of the best design you can find, mixed with a... decent amount of jank, but that's okay. It has a bit of a rocky start, true, the ambition and scale of this game is nearly unrivaled in action platformers.
If only existence wasn't such a problem.
If only existence wasn't such a problem.
2009
I can't dislike this game too hard, since it is what got me noticing monster hunter, but... oof. Bone dry on monster count without any of the fun gimmicks of the later games minus... water combat. Which, to the shock of nobody, is not great. It's still a monster hunter game, so if you're playing with friends it isn't bad, but it's not great now.
World breathed a level of QOL that the series desperately needed going forward, but it has some missteps. The endgame is tired and boring, the weapon aesthetics are so absurdly uninspired to the point of making upgrading weapons feel almost tedious, and there is WAY too much CC at the hunters disposal.
Still, I think there's a lot of things to keep in iceborne, and at the end of the day, it is probably the most polished title overall. So I hope monster hunter stays away from handhelds from now on.
Still, I think there's a lot of things to keep in iceborne, and at the end of the day, it is probably the most polished title overall. So I hope monster hunter stays away from handhelds from now on.
It's a more gimmicky 4U. Hunter styles are kind of cool initially but many are duds, and prowler mode did nothing for me. This release didn't have G-rank, either. The new monsters it added were sweet, though.
(Doubles as a review for Bloodborne itself, too.)
Old Hunters is definitely the finest piece of content we've gotten in the whole series. It's got loads of atmosphere in each stage, lots of weapon variety and enemy types and the level design takes a step up aswell, with the bosses.
The original bloodborne starts strong, but I think fumbles in the middle pretty hard when you start wandering around the woods forever up till Rom. Both floors of yharnam, the church, is all great, but the woods just doesn't have a really great atmosphere to it. The transition to the more haunting aspects of the setting is fantastic, but the gameplay starts taking a nosedive at that point, with bosses that become all too easy and enemies getting repetitive. The final boss is the best one From soft as made though.
Old Hunters is definitely the finest piece of content we've gotten in the whole series. It's got loads of atmosphere in each stage, lots of weapon variety and enemy types and the level design takes a step up aswell, with the bosses.
The original bloodborne starts strong, but I think fumbles in the middle pretty hard when you start wandering around the woods forever up till Rom. Both floors of yharnam, the church, is all great, but the woods just doesn't have a really great atmosphere to it. The transition to the more haunting aspects of the setting is fantastic, but the gameplay starts taking a nosedive at that point, with bosses that become all too easy and enemies getting repetitive. The final boss is the best one From soft as made though.
What more can be said about Dark Souls at this point? It paved the way for a whole breed of styles that would seek to capture its charm, and a whole bunch of games that realized that it is infact fine to be difficult.
I've always thought that the level design was pretty overrated myself. It is kind of a cool look at what metroidvania design would have been like if it survived the transition to 3D, but I find the levels themselves to be pretty.. cobbled together and empty of things to find. Like, it's cool that you can go throuhg the valley of drakes to get to different spots, but the valley of drakes sucks. And this isn't even mentioning how obviously half finished the 2nd half of the game is.
It is still the parent of not just a game style, but also a meme. And for good reason, too. Praise the sun and all that.
I've always thought that the level design was pretty overrated myself. It is kind of a cool look at what metroidvania design would have been like if it survived the transition to 3D, but I find the levels themselves to be pretty.. cobbled together and empty of things to find. Like, it's cool that you can go throuhg the valley of drakes to get to different spots, but the valley of drakes sucks. And this isn't even mentioning how obviously half finished the 2nd half of the game is.
It is still the parent of not just a game style, but also a meme. And for good reason, too. Praise the sun and all that.
Oh, dark souls 2. How cool you were for the totally wrong reasons.
Dark Souls 2 feels more like a fangame of the original Dark Souls. Hey, you guys liked fast travel, right? Here you go! You wanted dual wielding right? Here you go! You didn't like twinking, right? Soul memory! It goes on.
It results in a game that somehow had the best pvp mechanics in the entire series but its pve fell into the floor. There were some cool things that never really got replicated in the others, such as the sheer mountain of worthwhile things to find and build diversity, but the absolute death of the series atmosphere a long with iframes being tied to a stat AND the boring level design makes it a 60 hour long letdown.
Dark Souls 2 feels more like a fangame of the original Dark Souls. Hey, you guys liked fast travel, right? Here you go! You wanted dual wielding right? Here you go! You didn't like twinking, right? Soul memory! It goes on.
It results in a game that somehow had the best pvp mechanics in the entire series but its pve fell into the floor. There were some cool things that never really got replicated in the others, such as the sheer mountain of worthwhile things to find and build diversity, but the absolute death of the series atmosphere a long with iframes being tied to a stat AND the boring level design makes it a 60 hour long letdown.
2016
The souls series dying gasp.
Souls 3 takes a lot of good lessons from all the other games and wraps them in a balanced and fun package as it drifts off into the sunset. The DLC don't really feel as powerful as the others, but it has a fantastic final boss that really brings the journey home. I'd say its mostly everything from the series done "well". Nothing as good as others, nothing as bad as others.
Souls 3 takes a lot of good lessons from all the other games and wraps them in a balanced and fun package as it drifts off into the sunset. The DLC don't really feel as powerful as the others, but it has a fantastic final boss that really brings the journey home. I'd say its mostly everything from the series done "well". Nothing as good as others, nothing as bad as others.
2009
Yeah, yeah, I know. It's old, filled to the eyeballs with jank and unintuitive mechanics, the world is nonsense, etc. It goes on. But I think this game has the best level design in the whole series hands down without being tied to areas needing to link to eachother in every capacity.
The opening of demon souls is probably the most brutal if you're new to the series. Almost overwhelming. You have to beat the first boss to even upgrade your weapon, you have no healing, and when you're done you have 4 different ways to choose. The areas themselves are filled with alien and madness and all sorts of bizarre things the series would never replicate. It's bosses are... weird, and the enemy design is strange, for sure, but just for the 'experience' factor Demon Souls is my strong 2nd.
The opening of demon souls is probably the most brutal if you're new to the series. Almost overwhelming. You have to beat the first boss to even upgrade your weapon, you have no healing, and when you're done you have 4 different ways to choose. The areas themselves are filled with alien and madness and all sorts of bizarre things the series would never replicate. It's bosses are... weird, and the enemy design is strange, for sure, but just for the 'experience' factor Demon Souls is my strong 2nd.
Sekiro is a game I loved when I first finished but I'm not so sure anymore.
The combat is great, definitely the best in the series, and it's a rhythm game like action feels more like a test of skill than anything else in the series. But the character progression is just kinda... boring, and the aesthetics of "feudal japan, forever" are so damn dry. I wish the game leaned way harder into the few fantasy aspects that it did have.
It was a really good game to play once, but I think the depth of the combat wears off immediately if you try and play it again when you realize how easy the parry window is. I give it credit for making a truly ball busting final boss, though. It was a cool game, but I don't want fromsoft to go down this route. I don't think it is their strength.
The combat is great, definitely the best in the series, and it's a rhythm game like action feels more like a test of skill than anything else in the series. But the character progression is just kinda... boring, and the aesthetics of "feudal japan, forever" are so damn dry. I wish the game leaned way harder into the few fantasy aspects that it did have.
It was a really good game to play once, but I think the depth of the combat wears off immediately if you try and play it again when you realize how easy the parry window is. I give it credit for making a truly ball busting final boss, though. It was a cool game, but I don't want fromsoft to go down this route. I don't think it is their strength.
2018
A great boomer shooter. Chapter 1 is slow and doesn't build up well enough within itself, but after that and especially in chapter 3, the level design and aesthetics goes ballistic. The guns are definitely played too safe, without a truly crazy option to use. Rather... stale for a game like this, but whatever. Fun stuff.
2007
This has not aged very well.
I would still say it's the most consistent writing effort within the mass effect trilogy, and this was before the choice wheel was in its full form, so the dialogue with npcs is alot better on average. The squadmates don't hold a candle to the sequel, though, and it's hard not to sour on the games plot ending on a cliffhanger when we now know what it's all leading to. The gameplay and the mako segments are truly hideous by now too.
I would still say it's the most consistent writing effort within the mass effect trilogy, and this was before the choice wheel was in its full form, so the dialogue with npcs is alot better on average. The squadmates don't hold a candle to the sequel, though, and it's hard not to sour on the games plot ending on a cliffhanger when we now know what it's all leading to. The gameplay and the mako segments are truly hideous by now too.
2010
I probably regard this game higher than it deserves. It is practically a side quest turned into an entire game, but the micro writing in some of the romance plotlikes like Garrus's, Talis and Thanes is some of the best. And the premise of the game, assembling an entire death squad of the universes most badass to take on something impossible, is cool.
The gameplay can be pretty fun once you've progressed far enough, but I find that if you just play as a normal soldier class with cover mechanics, it's really boring and stale. If this game didn't have the Vanguard I probably would think nothing of the combat.
Good game, but it is a tragic first step in the downfall of bioware and its slow decline.
The gameplay can be pretty fun once you've progressed far enough, but I find that if you just play as a normal soldier class with cover mechanics, it's really boring and stale. If this game didn't have the Vanguard I probably would think nothing of the combat.
Good game, but it is a tragic first step in the downfall of bioware and its slow decline.
2012
I know it's probably unfair to rate not only a game, but an entire trilogy, based on the last 15 minutes of the last game, but I cannot in good conscience rate this game any higher, regardless of how cool I thought the quarian/geth plotline was. The last 15 minutes is a flabbergasting disaster of which I have never seen before. I have truly never seen anything near such a writing catastrophe as I have seen in this game.
It should be mentioned, though, that not everything about the game prior to the ending is perfect. The krogans plotline, especially with Wrex in charge, is pretty baffling. But still, those could be look past if the ending was not what it was.
And honestly, the gameplay did not get any meaningfully better from two, and it ultimately cemented the death of Bioware. It sucks, but it is what it is.
It should be mentioned, though, that not everything about the game prior to the ending is perfect. The krogans plotline, especially with Wrex in charge, is pretty baffling. But still, those could be look past if the ending was not what it was.
And honestly, the gameplay did not get any meaningfully better from two, and it ultimately cemented the death of Bioware. It sucks, but it is what it is.