Recommended by lpslucasps on this list.

I've managed to shoot myself in the foot a little bit by promising to "review" anything on the aforementioned list, as this game has proven to be an especially difficult one. I've got a lot on my mind after playing it and I'm going to have to cheat a little bit with the format, because I don't think I can nicely condense this down into a single review with a coherent theme.

- Loads of nostalgic authenticity throughout the experience. I don't think this comes as a surprise to anyone given that it's the most surface-level observation, but it's true. I was born at the right time and raised by a tech-savvy mom, allowing me to witness the end of this era of the internet, even if I was a little young. There are a lot of details here that are so easy to forget in the era of WordPress and Squarespace sites prepared straight out of the can, adhering to good graphic design principles.

- It's a little uncomfortable seeing how little some things have changed. There are still painfully earnest posts from children and teens trying to figure things out, every new technology is still a fight between little Davids trying to unseat massive, corporate Goliaths before they take over the Cool New Thing™. Communities have always had awful shit that moderators are woefully unequipped to handle, on platforms that the creators don't even fully understand...

- ...and it all reminds me of being at work. I work in IT and found myself slipping into work mode a lot here, forced to emotionally detach myself from the cases/tickets I'm working on. I see your very real, very serious harassment case, and I can't do anything to punish them because I don't have the tools. I am powerless, except when it comes to ruining someone's day because a policy they've never read said posting a picture of a cartoon fish is an actionable offense. New fires will always ignite as you're putting out the old ones, and moderators are given this cruel, Sisyphean task of rectifying every possible issue on a platform using extremely limited tools that are hardly suited to the task.

- I feel like a lot of my enjoyment is tethered to my own memory of the ugly, poorly laid-out webpages of old (complete with horrendously compressed gifs, videos, and music). I can't speak to how it'll play for those without the memories - the memories aren't important for knowledge reasons, but for patience reasons. This game is full of tedium, and while I'm not trying to pitch this as some "zoomers will hate this!", I would personally be a little annoyed by it all if it didn't remind me of times where I was younger and dumber. If you get past that (or don't care), there's a lot of love here - love for technology of the past, and love for the people that use it. It's a pretty little digital diorama, and I like what it represents.

- I stand with Gooper

some time between 2008 and 2016 game designers, particularly 'western AAA' ones, started thinking gameplay abstractions were no longer cool (cinematic). this game is the prized child of that line of thinking.

the original mirror's edge is a pure expression of freedom, its sterile white urbanity contrasting with faith's relentless movement that literally through the stark reds of runner vision colours the environment. runner vision was instinctual, a result of faith's rebellion against the vaguely present corporate dystopia - a natural evolution and animalistic resistance to the machinistic order of the city she existed within the margins of. a gameplay abstraction guiding the player that mechanically and thematically contributed to the game's consonance. in catalyst, runner vision is a technological crutch explained in generic corporate dystopia worldbuilding, annoyingly contrived, magic ruining - the first thing i would recommend a player do is go into the settings and change runner vision from 'full' to 'classic' - it is no longer a sign of faith's individual expression but a forced assimilation of her character into the collective of runners, into an order as it were. that wild freedom the original game meant to me is cut the moment you begin running in this game in its attempt at contextualising a gameplay abstraction. only one example among many such issues i hold with the game here, another is the sheer amount of visual noise.

once again, the original's sterile whiteness slashed by stark reds provided a true sense of freedom - no UI elements or waypoints, just a natural instinct to move, run and jump. here open world busywork and button prompts and experience notifications and skill point notifications and new mission notices and in-game achievement systems litter the screen, clogging it beyond reason. right before you gain control the game shows you a hint of the noise that a regular citizen connected to the grid is subjected to, and one must wonder whether by the time you unlock all the systems faith herself is any different?

some positives. once all movement options have been unlocked the main missions are as or even more fun than the original game. the core systems here are excellent and its a great shame that a sequel will probably not happen. while the main narrative is a messy word salad with enough meaningless proper nouns thrown around to make a young adult dystopian novelist blush from embarassment, i really liked faith's characterisation as strong-willed yet vulnerable. 'big' games with female protagonists are not usually ones to show them cry for fear of them coming across as too emotional or weak but not this game and i greatly appreciated that.

ultimately it was worth the £3.59 i spent on it in a PSN sale, also super impressive that a game of this scope and visuals runs at a fairly consistent 60fps on a base ps4 for sure

"This is crap. This is an unbelievably bad game."

man. this was so bad that it made me start getting really annoying about gaming remakes on twitter which I'm continually embarrassed by, but it's hard for me to not be cynical about this thing on a level greater than 'i don't like what they did to a game that i think is good' bc to me it speaks to almost everything I find frustrating about the games industry at the moment

and like, I don't like to be miserable about media that isn't actively harmful! so what a shame that this remake feels actively miserable about the original game itself. it feels like the gaming zeitgeist at large sometimes have to be told when they're allowed to like old games instead of giving them the sweeping dismissal we generally give to anything older than a decade. if a game hasn't had a popular youtube essay about why it's good, actually, then it needs a remake to be playable in the modern age, right? jim ryan got absolutely demolished for asking why anyone would want to play a ps2 game nowadays, but we'll still eat this up because it has pretty lighting or w/e?

anyway to actually speak about the game itself, I think a lot of really questionable details in its presentation were largely overlooked when it came out. most people agreed that the new UI kinda sucks, but I've seen much less focus given to the janky facial animations (which will look worse in a few years than the original's lack of animation does now btw, there's a reason fromsoft straight up didn't bother) and questionable cutscene lighting and direction. a lot of scenes that from's team evidently gave a lot of care to in the original, like the dragon cutscene in 1-1 and king allant's entrance, look flat and lifeless in comparison - perhaps lit more realistically but cinematographically botched and much less effective. NPCs emote too much when they don't need to, and too little when they do, and every edge on most of the character designs has been sanded down to an unreasonable degree. the voice acting is a huge step down, the animation is all more weightless, etc, etc

fromsoftware are such an unlikely success story, and demon's souls has a weird place in their catalogue where it often gets dismissed as a kind of janky dark souls prototype instead of being taken on its own merits, so it kinda sucks to see it finally given mainstream attention only when its original paint job is stripped away in favour of something that exists primarily to show off the ps5's ability to push polygons. fromsoft's name isn't even attached to this in public, the vast majority of their original work taken out and replaced with presentation that's completely detached from the original's quiet, subversive style, despite bluepoint insisting that it's the same because they kept the gameplay intact or w/e

anyway this review is way too long and idk if i'm even allowed to post this here when it's so irrelevant to the game itself but I think this thing's mixed reception should prompt a lot of us to reconsider how we think about criticising games. is it an example of obnoxious purism when someone criticises the sweeping change in architectural style here, or the brighter colour palette? personally I think we should appreciate those details a lot more even before a new studio arrives to replace them wholesale, I have a lot more fun getting nerdy about the little things in games than I do trying to not be pretentious about them, and I think the push for better game preservation is allowed to point this stuff out without being shot down for nitpicking or w/e

(mask off, I think bluepoint are artistic terrorists and sotc ps4 was just as bad as this! give me my atmospheric haze or give me death, cowards)

changed my mind on a third go of it - although i cant stress enough how utterly alien it feels if youre playing it after outrun, especially on your first attempt. a lot of the mechanical additions and alterations here admittedly do make sense from a design point of view, especially if one was looking to produce an economical sequel to outrun. why don't we introduce a rival? why don't we introduce a boost? why don't we double down on visual effects? why don't we introduce upgrades? textbook stuff.

unfortunately, while the game can offer small doses of fun, i think it tampers with a sacrosanct formula - one centered largely around purity - far too much for its own good. if i had to chalk it up to a design maxim, i would say the goal in turbo outrun is to 'try to feel cool', whereas in outrun the goal is 'being cool'. crucial difference there. outrun is a skill-based, meditative game that asks you to feel breezy wind pass through your hair and to soak up locales, and it accomplishes this by offering three distinct tone-changing tracks to set whatever mood you feel you can groove to. in turbo outrun's railroaded experience (both mechanically and sonically, you don't get to pick music or routes this time) you're chased by cops, deal with oil slicks, and are harrassed by some punk loser who can steal your girlfriend if youre not driving faster than him. this is madness, sega. she's my girl.

an incredibly imaginative little adventure game presented with the rudimentary charm of a flipbook made in the DS' pictochat. I completed it in a single sitting in a dark room (lights out, nighttime - no messing around), an 1.5-2.5 hour playthrough that doesn't overstay its' welcome while fully exploring the central animation-cycling mechanic. tarotica voo doo is navigated via short animations which can be played and replayed frame-by-frame using the up and down arrow keys, a process that is as intuitive as it is unique. this mechanic sees use primarily in tarotica's combat and puzzle-solving. in combat, the enemies will often attack in cycles, presenting the player with an ebb and flow of attacking and defending. this endows the combat with a sort of ~RHYTHM~, inviting the player to try and sneak a cheeky little extra hit between the opponents moves (an impulse that often backfired when I succumbed to my bloodlust...). determining the maximum number of hits you can get before you have to defend remains engaging throughout the playthrough, as, for the most part, encounters with different enemies are distinct (especially that last one!). it's hard to discuss the more traditional puzzles without spoiling their solutions, but I will say the more novel ways to use the flipbook are utilized. a couple of the puzzle solutions towards the end struck me as a bit unclear, but c'mon - you really can't stay mad at this game. too much charm!

very lovely presentation as well of course. there's a lot of personality stuffed into those crude animations. the salamanders really stole the show for me. their characterization as the mansion's loyal caretakers, as clumsy as they are enthusiastic (they literally spring into action!) really endeared them to me. their faces brimming with a resolute pride as they brandish their candles... so purposeful they are, mounted atop their sconces... my god... how fitting the ending cutscene is! really really loved these guys. really really loved this game

(included in the steam version is the 44 page design document - handwritten, of course! very neat! really hope some of this guy's other games receive the same thorough localization)

absolutely hates women and denies them any personhood at all but simultaneously tries to be a critique of impotent men who hate women and deny them their personhood

IT FAILS REAL BAD!!!

A real shame because some of the satoshi kon-esque psychological imagery can be fun and the puzzle gamplay is devious and interesting.

The transphobic stuff is just repulsive and sad. The fact that this game was branded as some dark and cerebral adult drama that analyzes relationship dynamics is a pathetic joke. There's less nuance here than a Two and a Half Men episode.

This is a work from the time when Square was the strongest game company in Japan, both in name and reality.
If there is a point or an ultimate in storytelling in a game scenario, this work is the closest to it.
For me, this is one of the standards of "game scenario". When I play a game that deals with robots, especially a later one, I always think of this one first.
In this sense, "13 sentinels" was a failure. (I'll write more about it in my review of The 13 sentinels).

As a child at the time of its release, I was simply overwhelmed by the worldview, which was based on mythology and religion, with parodies and homages to multiple science fiction and anime.
To digress a little, let me explain the historical/cultural context in which this game was made.
Christianity is not generally understood in Japan (although some people are very passionate about it), so the heretical Gnosticism is not understood, nor is Nietzsche, who criticised Christianity itself, except for a few crazies. Freud, Jung and Adler have also gained acceptance in recent years, but only subtly.
I have no idea how this tendency to disregard religion has evolved in other countries.
In the case of Japan, the Aum Shinrikyo affair has led to a view of religion that can be seen as fearful, contemptuous or allergic.
In this context, with the exception of a series of works by Atlus (Megami Tensei and its offshoot, Persona), the culture of understanding and incorporating mythology and religion into games has died out.
Nowadays, myths and religions are treated as ornaments that look good and "seem to have a deeper meaning that we don't know what it is".

Again, For me, the standard of game scenario is this work. It's like a trauma.
It is both happy and unhappy.
When it was released,
“Wait, wait. I don't understand all that theological and philosophical!"
"Do you usually put in stories/parodies of minor works like this?”
"It's crazy! Whoever made this is crazy!"
I was like.
As of 2021, I played it again.
"It's crazy…”

The conclusion of the game is quite simple, however, despite all the mythological and philosophical themes and episodes.
Human weakness and strength, cruelty and kindness, ugliness and beauty. Above all, men and women. Fei and Elly are two people who make you feel all kinds of emotions.

It's easy to get caught up in the huge number of settings and deep themes, but the heart of the xenogears is the story. The later Xeno series forgot about this.
Xenoblade 2 has been released, but it's probably a strategic defeat. (I don't feel like playing.)
Not that it matters, but the Xeno series is like Woody Allen. (Repeating the cycle of masterpieces and bad movies)
I hate believers. A masterpiece is a masterpiece, and if it doesn't live up to that, it's a defeat, and if it doesn't, you're just a bad.

There's a lot more to say, but it's probably over 10,000 words, so I'll leave it to someone else.
Is it a something sign that this year (2021) there are some many good commentary videos on this game?

Explanations and videos of Xenogears that I thought were good. (Memo for myself.)

I think it's great what they're trying to do.
https://www.youtube.com/user/WarialaskyPlays

A clear explanatory video that goes beyond the Perfect Works. (Japanese)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KnCo3HQnRF0

A very challenging Xenogears video that goes beyond the strategy guide. (Japanese. He's crazy.)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mdvNteIg9dw

i have a fondness for games where you get what you paid for. within two minutes of opting for a 'new game' in rogue warrior, your squadmates - thinly-veiled samuel l jackson and thinly-veiled robert de niro - are blown to bits by grenade shrapnel. dick marcinko, voiced by mickey rourke, both of whom are somehow channeling the greatest, paunchiest, and most inebriated of steven seagal, is the only man left alive. your commanding officer tells you you've gotta pack it in and come home, the operation's a bust. dick sweatily rejects this proposition and offers a sound rebuttal; fuck no, he's got commies to kill. not ten seconds later dick 'stealth' kills someone and, verbatim, says 'lights out, motherfucker.'

so at the low cost of 0 dollars, i pretty much immediately got what i wanted. quintessential self-aggrandizing, vulgar, lunatic digital autofiction for SICKOS. you clear a cramped room full of baddies and mickey rourke gravelly mutters 'the soviet fuckin union can fondle my hairy nuts'. you prepare to rappel and he claims 'like my ex-wife used to say, you go down before you can get in.' you snap some poor DRPK dudes neck and he practically yells 'suck my balls, my hairy fuckin big balls, wrap em around your fuckin mouth, im gonna shove it up your ass.'

on top of this - and im not sure if this is just rpcs3 or not - the game has easily the fastest boot-up-to-gameplay time ive seen in the seventh generation, perhaps not surpassed until the current gen. skip past everything and you clock in at 10 seconds. what the fuck, how is dick marcinko utterly trouncing fighting games at what they should already be doing and never accomplish, this is insane.

it goes without saying i only discovered that after the game crashed like, easily over ten times. it crashes more than i do after a night on the town. i thought it was just rpcs3 acting up but no, it's rogue warrior, mickey rourkes alcoholic rage is too fuckin much for the console to bear with. so my 3/5 here is a bit tenuous, i really wish it didnt freeze up so often - it forced me to restart a few levels. i also think it could have been a better game if dick had emphatically refused to use ak-47s because they were too marxist. even so, it ends with a mickey rourke rap, guys. certified western kusoge, more of a searing indictment on america than anything wolfenstein has to offer.

gameplay? it's quick and dirty. mastery of stealth? get the fuck out of here, what the fuck are you talking about. dick marcinko might have borrowed venom snakes trademark greasy ponytail, but that's not the only thing he borrowed from one of the snakes; your supressor-equipped pistol has infinite ammo. you actually die surprisingly easily, but so do your foes, and you heal every bit as quickly too - mix that with breakneck pacing and you have a rhythm and tempo seldom seen in these first-person shooters. it was also vaguely refreshing to play - as ardwyw pointed out in his duke nukem: forever review, we've largely moved away from this understanding of first person shooters into a more arena-centric take on the formula. extrapolating from this trend, i think it reflects a broader movement in games to center their cores around their systems and mechanics. i cant exactly fault this - to design a game and design it well is a noble endeavour and remains one of the best ways to ensure a title has lasting legacy. but there's less of an inclincation to preserve a spark of adventure in games these days, and i think if doom eternal's anything to go by, there's such a thing as reducing expressiveness by tightening design so much it it may as well act as a vice crushing your ribcage. rogue warrior isnt exactly the kind of thought-provoking game that should prompt these ideas, but maybe that's part of the point as well. as rourke hurls yet more insane obscenities, i cant help but feel entranced over its appropriate two-hour runtime. we didn't know how good we had it back then.

also, the 'i want games that are shorter with worse graphics that are developed by people who are paid more to work less' crowd is being awfully silent on this game 🙄 makes you think

i really enjoyed to see etherane draw the relationships between the individual self and the collective one (which is already portrayed in some of their other works) with a violet religion-tinted quill for this game from the lens of two different characters subjected by their society's expectations. it doesnt matter from where do you come from, we do not care about your previous hardships: each day you still have one role to fulfill for us. and since there is no escape because everyone longs to be accepted by others, how many sacrifices are you willing to do to achieve humanity? can you say that you are inert in front of an equal?

i cant, thats why i gave up to peer pressure and decided to play this game and even write a little review for the second game that was suggested for backloggds game club #1. thanks to whoever suggested this game (it also allowed me to enjoy other etherane works) and thanks to everyone who decided to participate on this.



tomorrow won't come for those without anyone

the sci fi tinge and the recontextualized religious iconography and the gay undertones injected by a true fujo-scholar would imply some sinister christian dystopia metaphor, but even if all that does play into that idea of it somewhat, its ultimately way too simple for describing what its doing. while its perceptibly influenced by other horror (read: often surreal/unsettling in tone more than full on genre horror) rpgmaker games, it honestly surpasses the bulk of these games in the confidence and evocativeness of its writing; its truly open and giving to interpretation in a way these games would often like to be but don't really accomplish. i was surprised and impressed by how this 1-2 hr experience could feel immense thanks to its thematic density, and the spaces within its margins that it allows you to occupy.

my favorite aspect of this game might be how it meters out the "truth" behind its framing device. its the most difficult thing here to talk about but basically, what i like about it is how its less like its /revealed/ as much as the curtain gets just slightly lifted up at points, never fully, and from there it leaves you constantly changing the conclusions you make about it in your head. also love how--with the slightest most nonintrusive touch--its the author commenting on their work and their own characters, tying into the theme of how you process your own narrative, and the creation of your own self-identity from there. the way it pushed me "outside" of the story, looking in, is something i'm always captivated by in games.

this is only one side of twc that im grasping at too, there are many different angles it encourages you to approach it from that its actually daunting to get too into. only real problems with the game i had are a couple bizarre puzzles and the checklist towards getting the noise ending not being as intuitive as it might seem in specific places (reading the stack of papers during the time puzzle is a trigger you NEED to hit, btw), so read a walkthrough closely. i got a lot out of this though, not just as a nostalgia trip from playing rpgmaker games years ago but returning to the medium with an ESPECIALLY great one. will be looking into hello charlotte and mr rainer after my time with this, im officially lavenderpilled