Weepboop
BACKER
In terms of aesthetic and gameplay I believe Stormblood has been the peak of the MMO genre but especially of FFXIV. Apparently this is not the common take but I had the best time speedrunning through this with my FC and enjoying the content as it came along. I'd wake up and play until 7am, rinse repeat until I had finished the expac and leveled my Bard and Samurai to max.
The dungeons, trials, and quests are all very enjoyable and a ton of thought and love was put into the zones.
The dungeons, trials, and quests are all very enjoyable and a ton of thought and love was put into the zones.
A package of two of some of the best visual novels in the history of the genre.
I have so much nostalgia attached to WC3: Frozen Throne its almost hard to start a review on it. Frozen Throne was the best time I've ever had playing an RTS, which is a genre I've played (in terms of length) almost more than any other, because of the many ways players can have fun in a way that caters to their interests.
If you like campaign? This was the last time a Blizzard campaign was good. If you like standard RTS multiplayer? The four playable races all have something entertaining and have vastly different playstyles. For me though, the icing on the cake was the seemingly endless volume of custom games that existed within Frozen Throne. Hours upon hours were spent playing games like DotA, Wintermaul, Island Defense, Castle Fight, Sheep Tag, the list goes on... Everyday before and after school I would jump on custom games and play until I had other obligations, it was that entertaining.
It's a shame reforged was such a dumpster fire and the community has gone toxic because otherwise I'd still be playing until this day.
If you like campaign? This was the last time a Blizzard campaign was good. If you like standard RTS multiplayer? The four playable races all have something entertaining and have vastly different playstyles. For me though, the icing on the cake was the seemingly endless volume of custom games that existed within Frozen Throne. Hours upon hours were spent playing games like DotA, Wintermaul, Island Defense, Castle Fight, Sheep Tag, the list goes on... Everyday before and after school I would jump on custom games and play until I had other obligations, it was that entertaining.
It's a shame reforged was such a dumpster fire and the community has gone toxic because otherwise I'd still be playing until this day.
2000
Stay a while and listen...
I played DIablo II from Act I to IV with the same group of five that interchanged and it remains one of my greatest gaming experiences. D2 still to this day has one of the most enjoyable gameplay loops and gives you the tools to keep coming back with a bunch of exciting and unique classes. I was an Amazon main in my first run through, yet loved experimenting with characters like Paladin and Barbarian because they were so varied and interesting.
Music and tone are two other phenomenal aspects of this game that lend to its agelessness. The score of D2 is impeccable and players until time's end will remember the chilling sound of "Tristram" from the time they loaded into Act I. The dark and sullen tone of D2 that continues all the way through LoD is a great accent on the dark nature of the story and enemies you fight.
Diablo II is a great culmination of all things in ARPGs and is certainly the height of the genre, even better it still holds up to this day.
I played DIablo II from Act I to IV with the same group of five that interchanged and it remains one of my greatest gaming experiences. D2 still to this day has one of the most enjoyable gameplay loops and gives you the tools to keep coming back with a bunch of exciting and unique classes. I was an Amazon main in my first run through, yet loved experimenting with characters like Paladin and Barbarian because they were so varied and interesting.
Music and tone are two other phenomenal aspects of this game that lend to its agelessness. The score of D2 is impeccable and players until time's end will remember the chilling sound of "Tristram" from the time they loaded into Act I. The dark and sullen tone of D2 that continues all the way through LoD is a great accent on the dark nature of the story and enemies you fight.
Diablo II is a great culmination of all things in ARPGs and is certainly the height of the genre, even better it still holds up to this day.
An amazing continuation of the beloved series. It's been some years since I've played HL2:Ep2 however the scenes (especially the ending) and characters are all seared into my mind.
HL2 and Black Mesa are a must for any fans of FPS', good story, or gaming in general.
HL2 and Black Mesa are a must for any fans of FPS', good story, or gaming in general.
I will review these games all seperately, however MA:LE is a phenomenal upres/uptexturing of the best scifi universe in video game history. The games looks leaps and bounds better than they did in their Xbox 360 release years and the addition of all DLC for the price of $60 makes for a very lengthy yet enjoyable endeavour.
2011
A game that needs no introduction; Minecraft is the greatest sandbox game of all time because of the endless possiblities and opportunities involved. A game for all ages and friend groups, all styles of gamers can enjoy jumping into Minecraft and building a base or a village or a castle or a city or literally ANYTHING. The world is your oyster in Minecraft and the continued addition of content is continuously impressive.
FFXIV is the greatest MMO on the market and has been for some time due in part to its fantastic (redone) starting sequences, aka "A Realm Reborn." ARR sees players jump into the land of Eorzea and assume the title Warrior of Light. This will take them and the entire future of the world in exciting and exhillirating directions. The Garlean empire poses a threat and will take the player for a ride accompanied by some amazing dungeons, fights, and raids. ARR is easy to get sucked into, and rightfully so.
Directed by the ever so loveable Naoki Yoshida and scored by Masayoshi Soken, FFXIV is a must play MMO and video game for all.
Directed by the ever so loveable Naoki Yoshida and scored by Masayoshi Soken, FFXIV is a must play MMO and video game for all.
VLR is the best game of the Zero Escape trilogy personally, containing the perfect pairing of the series' wtf writing and entertaining characters. The death game involved is very interesting and the route structure makes for a fun experience where you're constantly learning more and more each run. Kotaro Uchikoshi continues a legendary run of intrigue and excitement in this lore heavy escape room VN.
1999
Unreal Tournament was one of my favorite games to play when it first came out, it was the absolute peak of FPS' from the 90's in terms of fluidity, map design, and general game mechanics. The issue with reviewing games of my youth or games that came out long ago is they are susceptible to nostalgia goggles, however I replayed UT earlier this year and it felt just as good if not better than it did before.
UT does absolutely everything right: from the legendary D&B based soundtrack (which was typical for games of this time,) to having tons and tons of interesting levels across various game modes (that were quite large and in depth.) The famed announcements upon killstreaks and multi-kills added to the games flare, hearing "M M M M MONSTER KILL KILL" makes you excessively hype and in the groove of the games fast paced jumping arena combat. There's never a dull moment in UT, whether you're fighting on a smaller 1v1 DM map or one of the larger objectivve based maps.
UT does absolutely everything right: from the legendary D&B based soundtrack (which was typical for games of this time,) to having tons and tons of interesting levels across various game modes (that were quite large and in depth.) The famed announcements upon killstreaks and multi-kills added to the games flare, hearing "M M M M MONSTER KILL KILL" makes you excessively hype and in the groove of the games fast paced jumping arena combat. There's never a dull moment in UT, whether you're fighting on a smaller 1v1 DM map or one of the larger objectivve based maps.
2015
Undertale has gotten a lot of hype in the general gaming world since its release, and rightfully so. Within the world of Undertale you will experience moments that make you laugh, encounters that will make you cry, and a world of some very colorful characters. Mechanically it's a top down RPG in the same vein of the Mother series (in which the influence is draped on its sleeve) with combat mechanics that are unique and far more entertaining than most other RPG's on the market.
The designed pixel world is beautiful, the characters are extremely entertaining to talk to, and the story will move in some very distressful ways very quickly. I only completed the pascifist route but I very much enjoyed my time with the game and after reaching the end, wished it was never over. I've typed all this so far without mentioning the soundtrack which is without a shadow of a doubt one of the best OST's to ever grace a video game. There's much more than Megalovania (which is great in its own right,) which is probably why I hold it in such high regard.
The designed pixel world is beautiful, the characters are extremely entertaining to talk to, and the story will move in some very distressful ways very quickly. I only completed the pascifist route but I very much enjoyed my time with the game and after reaching the end, wished it was never over. I've typed all this so far without mentioning the soundtrack which is without a shadow of a doubt one of the best OST's to ever grace a video game. There's much more than Megalovania (which is great in its own right,) which is probably why I hold it in such high regard.
2007
The Orange Box is a bundle of five games (two are basically DLC/Expansions) that are all legends within their respective genres. Valve came out flexing here and basically said "Look at all the amazing content we've made, here it is in one package" and the gaming world is far better for it. Experience the beautiful sci-fi and horrific world of Half Life 2 (and Episodes 1 & 2,) the classic team based shooter Team Fortress 2, and the best marraige of puzzle and narrative in Portal.
Came for the Tetris, stayed for the therapy.
For those who see TE:C and all the fanfare associated and are a little confused, Tetris Effect is far more than the simple teromino dropping loop that has reamained a mainstay in gaming for decades. It is a visual and musical blanket that wraps around you in which you don't want to let go. In the game's campaign (Journey Mode) you drop pieces across various biomes and backgrounds that all have unique musical accompaniments and sound cues associated with the dropping pieces. This game is truly something wonderful, and as a fan of artistic games as well as Tetris in general, I found myself in love.
For those who see TE:C and all the fanfare associated and are a little confused, Tetris Effect is far more than the simple teromino dropping loop that has reamained a mainstay in gaming for decades. It is a visual and musical blanket that wraps around you in which you don't want to let go. In the game's campaign (Journey Mode) you drop pieces across various biomes and backgrounds that all have unique musical accompaniments and sound cues associated with the dropping pieces. This game is truly something wonderful, and as a fan of artistic games as well as Tetris in general, I found myself in love.
Brawl is a flawed game in retrospect, but as someone who has played every Smash game for countless hours, its release year is one of the best experiences I've ever had in gaming. Small in comparison to ultimate, the roster and representatives of Brawl was absolutely jaw dropping in 2008, being able to play as Solid Snake and Sonic for example was crazy after the small roster of SSBM.
Though mechanically it is not too strong (lol tripping,) it was still comperable and fun enough to play casually and competitively. It was much slower than SSBM but also much more interesting due to the addition of new characters and upgraded mechanics.
Subspsace Emissary is part of the legend of SSBB, coming from the minds of Masahiro Sakurai as well as the team behind Final Fantasy VII. It is incredible how entertaining of a story that Subspace was, and the cutscenes included in which we saw characters we never could have imagined meeting being at odds and in conflict were awesome at the time. Seeing Captain Falcon and Olimar interact felt like something out of a "WHO WOULD WIN" fan-made youtube video from back in the day. This campaign was the first and last in Smash Bros history to be fun, and I imagine most fans in the FGC would agree its one of, if not the, best to have existed.
Though mechanically it is not too strong (lol tripping,) it was still comperable and fun enough to play casually and competitively. It was much slower than SSBM but also much more interesting due to the addition of new characters and upgraded mechanics.
Subspsace Emissary is part of the legend of SSBB, coming from the minds of Masahiro Sakurai as well as the team behind Final Fantasy VII. It is incredible how entertaining of a story that Subspace was, and the cutscenes included in which we saw characters we never could have imagined meeting being at odds and in conflict were awesome at the time. Seeing Captain Falcon and Olimar interact felt like something out of a "WHO WOULD WIN" fan-made youtube video from back in the day. This campaign was the first and last in Smash Bros history to be fun, and I imagine most fans in the FGC would agree its one of, if not the, best to have existed.
2007
Super Mario Galaxy is another classic 3D Mario experience. Finding yourself jumping from planet to planet across a galaxy filled with colorful creatures and funky denizens you experience the same Mario gameplay loop that has remained thankfully unchanged since SM64.
What sets this apart from its predecessors is the beautiful world around you and the top tier orchestrated soundtrack. Everything from Rosalina's hub world to the Gusty Gardens to fighting Bowser is filled with rich and exciting melodies that makes you never want to put it down.
What sets this apart from its predecessors is the beautiful world around you and the top tier orchestrated soundtrack. Everything from Rosalina's hub world to the Gusty Gardens to fighting Bowser is filled with rich and exciting melodies that makes you never want to put it down.