2020
seriously love this game, it doesn't have a lot going on but there's so many little things that make the game so addicting. the inventory management is unmatched to any game i've played, it provides you with so much freedom to how you can organize things and you'll probably turn into a complete hoarder of guns/canned food/energy drinks. cleaning guns is so satisfying and it's hard not to spend all my money on cleaning supplies because i want to clean every gun i find. little details like being able to smoke cigarettes and eat food from the tins with your knife add a lot to the immersion, alongside some really great atmosphere in a setting that is no short of threatening. the enemies are creepy but don't provide a lot of variation in encounters, but i still feel like they keep me on my toes as they can do a lot of damage out of nowhere. the game runs very well on my quest 2 so i recommend anyone with a headset try this one out as it's definitely my favourite vr game i've played (as a person not really interested in vr in general) and one of the most unique survival horror games i've played.
i know its hard to believe but playing this game without killing all the customers is pretty fun
this singleplayer game genuinely made me cry laughing
didn't dislike it as much as the third game, definitely didn't enjoy it as much as the second game. the start is really boring but the story is pretty fun once it gets going. the new grappling hook mechanics make the gameplay insanely more fun than the previous games, however this one suffers the same repetitiveness when it comes to climbing and platforming segments. would recommend this if you like the other uncharted games, however if you're a newbie maybe start with one of the other ones.
finally gave this a shot. i'm still pissed that i had to download origin to play it, so much so that i'm willing to deduct a whole star for it.
that aside, i didn't think this game was all bad. it's got fun movement, and it fully allows you to play and experiment with your abilities in the environment, which is all you really need for a good game experience. i'd still say this game is a very disappointing addition to this franchise. where mirror's edge is a game you'll play thousands of times and enjoy it more each playthrough, mirror's edge catalyst is likely a game you'll only play once and feel completely neutral about. this game fails at following through with its predecessor's bold design choices in its world and artstyle. catalyst just feels like the developers wanted to play it safe by setting the game in a generic futuristic city, which is somehow supposed to be a dystopia. while it may look good as a desktop wallpaper, once you get to run around atop the buildings you'll notice that a lot of the design choices for the city of glass just don't make any sense, and were only crafted to look pretty. why are common civilian areas on rooftops not fenced off? why are there minecraft cubes everywhere? what's the point of the giant billboards with police officers and the word "submit" on them? again, it just doesn't feel like the team behind the art and world building had any real message they wanted to communicate with the city of glass. i say this because the city of the first game was clearly designed by people who wanted to communicate a message, it feels as though if you were to stop and look around you'd actually feel a greater sense of connection with the world and story. i did not feel the same way with catalyst.
i feel the exact same way about catalyst's narrative. while the first game's story wasn't the most complicated thing in the world, it really didn't need to be. catalyst, on the other hand, promised a reboot of the story that was more character driven and focused more on the development of faith connors. i really dont know how turning faith into a whiny teenager who never learns from her mistakes is supposed to make her feel more fleshed out, but okay. they even had the nerve to end the story with her literally saying "nothing has changed." i get that the last cutscene was just supposed to be sequel bait, but come on. this just solidified the fact that faith had not grown at all throughout the whole narrative. again, there is no message here, no moral or interesting reasons to keep thinking about this story after it's over. it's all just flashy pre-rendered cutscenes with emotional beats that are not earned, and a cast of stereotypical action movie characters who give you no reason to connect with them. all of it is just to create an illusion of depth.
at the very least, this game is just fun to run around in. i had a decent time doing side missions, deliveries, etc., and most of the campaign levels weren't all that bad. i agree the open world and skill trees were an unnecessary addition, i'd rather mirror's edge just stay as a linear game with a lot of really memorable levels. it's also evident that the programmers who worked on the gameplay of the first game returned for this one, as catalyst's gameplay definitely feels like it builds upon and fixes some issues of the first game's parkour. i would recommend this game to fans of the first simply for that reason. i'll also give points for the game's soundtrack, as again the original artist was brought back for this game, and they did a great job at providing music that fits the setting. in regards to building upon the world and story of the first game, don't get your hopes up, as catalyst is much more of a hollywood adaptation than a true successor.
that aside, i didn't think this game was all bad. it's got fun movement, and it fully allows you to play and experiment with your abilities in the environment, which is all you really need for a good game experience. i'd still say this game is a very disappointing addition to this franchise. where mirror's edge is a game you'll play thousands of times and enjoy it more each playthrough, mirror's edge catalyst is likely a game you'll only play once and feel completely neutral about. this game fails at following through with its predecessor's bold design choices in its world and artstyle. catalyst just feels like the developers wanted to play it safe by setting the game in a generic futuristic city, which is somehow supposed to be a dystopia. while it may look good as a desktop wallpaper, once you get to run around atop the buildings you'll notice that a lot of the design choices for the city of glass just don't make any sense, and were only crafted to look pretty. why are common civilian areas on rooftops not fenced off? why are there minecraft cubes everywhere? what's the point of the giant billboards with police officers and the word "submit" on them? again, it just doesn't feel like the team behind the art and world building had any real message they wanted to communicate with the city of glass. i say this because the city of the first game was clearly designed by people who wanted to communicate a message, it feels as though if you were to stop and look around you'd actually feel a greater sense of connection with the world and story. i did not feel the same way with catalyst.
i feel the exact same way about catalyst's narrative. while the first game's story wasn't the most complicated thing in the world, it really didn't need to be. catalyst, on the other hand, promised a reboot of the story that was more character driven and focused more on the development of faith connors. i really dont know how turning faith into a whiny teenager who never learns from her mistakes is supposed to make her feel more fleshed out, but okay. they even had the nerve to end the story with her literally saying "nothing has changed." i get that the last cutscene was just supposed to be sequel bait, but come on. this just solidified the fact that faith had not grown at all throughout the whole narrative. again, there is no message here, no moral or interesting reasons to keep thinking about this story after it's over. it's all just flashy pre-rendered cutscenes with emotional beats that are not earned, and a cast of stereotypical action movie characters who give you no reason to connect with them. all of it is just to create an illusion of depth.
at the very least, this game is just fun to run around in. i had a decent time doing side missions, deliveries, etc., and most of the campaign levels weren't all that bad. i agree the open world and skill trees were an unnecessary addition, i'd rather mirror's edge just stay as a linear game with a lot of really memorable levels. it's also evident that the programmers who worked on the gameplay of the first game returned for this one, as catalyst's gameplay definitely feels like it builds upon and fixes some issues of the first game's parkour. i would recommend this game to fans of the first simply for that reason. i'll also give points for the game's soundtrack, as again the original artist was brought back for this game, and they did a great job at providing music that fits the setting. in regards to building upon the world and story of the first game, don't get your hopes up, as catalyst is much more of a hollywood adaptation than a true successor.
alright, here we go.
this game is bad. there are a lot of things i really like about it, and there are some things that others hate about it which i don't see as a big deal. i so fucking desperately wish it was enough for me to say this game was an enjoyable experience, as i was incredibly hyped for it ever since it was revealed years ago, but it just wasn't. this game essentially crushed all i had hoped for in an extension of the last of us 1 in both narrative, world and gameplay. it just isn't enough to say "well that's the point, the last of us is about a cruel world where people do bad things and have bad things happen to them", because this experience was soul crushing for me to the point where i have to wonder why anyone would bother putting themselves through this.
the narrative is messy, and people see that as a positive but they shouldn't. the introduction of abby (a character who i ended up liking at the end, cry about it) just makes no fucking sense. how can you expect anyone to turn around and like a character who's death you've been hyping up for 20 hours? it worked for me, but it didn't work for 90% of people for good reason. i don't understand why they didn't just ease us into the conflict by having us empathize with abby from the start, rather than expecting us to do a complete 180 on our perception of her halfway through a 40 hour experience. IT MAKES NO SENSE. lovable characters die left and right for no good reason other than making you angry/sad, constantly burying the wholesome character dynamics that naughty dog is best at with themes of grief and brutality, trying so hard to turn the player into a crazy murder hobo for 40 hours only to turn around and say "revenge is bad, actually" at the last second, all of these things just make this game feel so depressing (not in a good way). tlou1 at the very least had an underlying theme of love and how we need love for another person to drive us, whereas this game is completely pointless as it teaches nothing and provides no themes or characters that feel relatable or real in any way, culminating in an end goal that leaves you feeling completely empty. FEELING "EMPTY" AFTER COMPLETING A NARRATIVE IS NOT A GOOD THING. it means you have successfully wasted your time.
just to top it off, the game makes no effort to expand upon the setting by completely neglecting the cordyceps in favor of just making you fight the same infected types and more boring ass humans with guns. the one new infected type they added was just so forgettable that i didn't even remember it until now and there was one boss fight that was pretty cool but it was only a one-off boss. every character in ellie's story aside from ellie did nothing of use and added no tension aside from "girl pregnant. oh no!" and i liked all of abby's story but it was just way too little too late in the game unfortunately. intertwining the narratives so that we experienced both ellie and abby's sides of the coin at the same time would have made the experience a lot better (check out this fan edit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dmLpWoMTPI4) but no, they had to be all experimental and just completely ruin any potential these stories had.
just play the first game.
this game is bad. there are a lot of things i really like about it, and there are some things that others hate about it which i don't see as a big deal. i so fucking desperately wish it was enough for me to say this game was an enjoyable experience, as i was incredibly hyped for it ever since it was revealed years ago, but it just wasn't. this game essentially crushed all i had hoped for in an extension of the last of us 1 in both narrative, world and gameplay. it just isn't enough to say "well that's the point, the last of us is about a cruel world where people do bad things and have bad things happen to them", because this experience was soul crushing for me to the point where i have to wonder why anyone would bother putting themselves through this.
the narrative is messy, and people see that as a positive but they shouldn't. the introduction of abby (a character who i ended up liking at the end, cry about it) just makes no fucking sense. how can you expect anyone to turn around and like a character who's death you've been hyping up for 20 hours? it worked for me, but it didn't work for 90% of people for good reason. i don't understand why they didn't just ease us into the conflict by having us empathize with abby from the start, rather than expecting us to do a complete 180 on our perception of her halfway through a 40 hour experience. IT MAKES NO SENSE. lovable characters die left and right for no good reason other than making you angry/sad, constantly burying the wholesome character dynamics that naughty dog is best at with themes of grief and brutality, trying so hard to turn the player into a crazy murder hobo for 40 hours only to turn around and say "revenge is bad, actually" at the last second, all of these things just make this game feel so depressing (not in a good way). tlou1 at the very least had an underlying theme of love and how we need love for another person to drive us, whereas this game is completely pointless as it teaches nothing and provides no themes or characters that feel relatable or real in any way, culminating in an end goal that leaves you feeling completely empty. FEELING "EMPTY" AFTER COMPLETING A NARRATIVE IS NOT A GOOD THING. it means you have successfully wasted your time.
just to top it off, the game makes no effort to expand upon the setting by completely neglecting the cordyceps in favor of just making you fight the same infected types and more boring ass humans with guns. the one new infected type they added was just so forgettable that i didn't even remember it until now and there was one boss fight that was pretty cool but it was only a one-off boss. every character in ellie's story aside from ellie did nothing of use and added no tension aside from "girl pregnant. oh no!" and i liked all of abby's story but it was just way too little too late in the game unfortunately. intertwining the narratives so that we experienced both ellie and abby's sides of the coin at the same time would have made the experience a lot better (check out this fan edit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dmLpWoMTPI4) but no, they had to be all experimental and just completely ruin any potential these stories had.
just play the first game.
2016
my only complaints for this game is that it was too short and the ending wasn't as satisfying as i hoped it would be, though i fully understand that both of those things were conscious decisions made by the developer.
while the characters, story and gameplay were all so engaging (anyone who knows me knows i love my walk 'n talk games), i think the reasons this game stuck out to me were everything but those things. i find the setting so appealing--you're alone in this national park where you're free to explore, find new paths and landmarks, take photos and chat with your radio companion about interesting things you find. there isn't anything overly exciting going on and you're alone with your thoughts most of the time, surrounded by complex environments simplified by the gorgeous art style, occasionally backed by a calming acoustic soundtrack. firewatch deviates from being a typical walking simulator by giving it's setting great amounts of personality through little details you can find supported by henry and delilah's fun back-and-forth commentary. the mystery that you investigate throughout the game is intriguing but as i mentioned earlier the climax and ending to it all doesn't end up being as interesting as you may think. i would recommend going into this game not expecting anything overly bombastic, and instead just enjoy it as a grounded character study backed up by relaxing elements in gameplay, setting and style.
while the characters, story and gameplay were all so engaging (anyone who knows me knows i love my walk 'n talk games), i think the reasons this game stuck out to me were everything but those things. i find the setting so appealing--you're alone in this national park where you're free to explore, find new paths and landmarks, take photos and chat with your radio companion about interesting things you find. there isn't anything overly exciting going on and you're alone with your thoughts most of the time, surrounded by complex environments simplified by the gorgeous art style, occasionally backed by a calming acoustic soundtrack. firewatch deviates from being a typical walking simulator by giving it's setting great amounts of personality through little details you can find supported by henry and delilah's fun back-and-forth commentary. the mystery that you investigate throughout the game is intriguing but as i mentioned earlier the climax and ending to it all doesn't end up being as interesting as you may think. i would recommend going into this game not expecting anything overly bombastic, and instead just enjoy it as a grounded character study backed up by relaxing elements in gameplay, setting and style.
2021
insanely fun. i've always wanted to get into the monster hunter franchise and i am so thankful that a friend of mine introduced me to rise first. this game does a great job at making you feel like a badass, with weapons ranging from simple to complex that all feel so fun to learn and master, with attacks and movement options that get more complex the more you play. you're constantly unlocking new things which makes grinding the long and tough fights worthwhile as you get shiny new armor or weapons to show off at the end. while all the different monsters seem intimidating at first, they don't make the game too hard by any means as learning how to beat them takes as long as the fights usually last, so you never feel like you need to die a thousand times in order to proceed. to top it all off, this game is super goofy in nature and it fully embraces it making for a really charming experience. if you are feeling like i was and want to try this series but are put off by weird mechanics and slow/clunky gameplay, i would 100% recommend playing this one first as it adds new beginner friendly mechanics without messing with the traditional formula. would highly recommend playing with a friend or three as that is what earned the game a fifth star for me (singleplayer is still very satisfying, however).
2015
anybody who cares about art should give this game a shot.
pretty relaxing, kind of wish it was longer/more challenging
it's marbin' time
2024
(DEMO REVIEW)
levels feel a little short but the game is pretty simple and fun. art style and music fit the gameplay perfectly. i love the character designs. guns feel really great to shoot. i like how the enemies all die in one hit as it keeps the game moving yet still challenging as you only have a small amount of health as well. i found it a little annoying that the character can pick up empty guns, given that it is done automatically it can be annoying. overall though i could see this game as a fun little thing you could pick up for a couple minutes to provide some stimulation when bored, kind of like a first person hotline miami.
levels feel a little short but the game is pretty simple and fun. art style and music fit the gameplay perfectly. i love the character designs. guns feel really great to shoot. i like how the enemies all die in one hit as it keeps the game moving yet still challenging as you only have a small amount of health as well. i found it a little annoying that the character can pick up empty guns, given that it is done automatically it can be annoying. overall though i could see this game as a fun little thing you could pick up for a couple minutes to provide some stimulation when bored, kind of like a first person hotline miami.
2022
(DEMO REVIEW)
stealth mechanics have some potential but currently don't add much aside from a way to conserve ammo, which can just be done through melee attacks anyway. would have appreciated some more enemy types as the ones in the demo weren't particularly scary or challenging (the introduction and design of the sewer bird guys were cool). i understand that this was just a demo and look forward to seeing more of this game as i am a fan of the gameplay and aesthetics.
stealth mechanics have some potential but currently don't add much aside from a way to conserve ammo, which can just be done through melee attacks anyway. would have appreciated some more enemy types as the ones in the demo weren't particularly scary or challenging (the introduction and design of the sewer bird guys were cool). i understand that this was just a demo and look forward to seeing more of this game as i am a fan of the gameplay and aesthetics.
(DEMO REVIEW)
this is an extremely charming and fun game with a surprising amount of polish and detail given that it was made by an independent studio. this looks and plays like a triple-a platformer that could have easily gained a huge following. the gameplay borrows the best elements from both mario and sonic games while building upon them to create a gameplay experience that is flawless. please don't go into this letting the fact that it looks like a sonic clone cloud your judgement as this game is truly inspired rather than copying and is clear that the devs really care about the player's enjoyment. if you're a fan of platformers definitely keep an eye on this one.
this is an extremely charming and fun game with a surprising amount of polish and detail given that it was made by an independent studio. this looks and plays like a triple-a platformer that could have easily gained a huge following. the gameplay borrows the best elements from both mario and sonic games while building upon them to create a gameplay experience that is flawless. please don't go into this letting the fact that it looks like a sonic clone cloud your judgement as this game is truly inspired rather than copying and is clear that the devs really care about the player's enjoyment. if you're a fan of platformers definitely keep an eye on this one.
2020
a friend showed me this game a while ago. i feel like an idiot for not playing it until now. this entire game is perfect. even if it was just the endless game mode, and no levels or story, it would still be perfect. there isn't a second of gameplay in ultrakill that feels like it's lacking something or is unwelcome. it is just constant fun and stress. the graphics and colours are such eye candy, i'm not a fan of the psx filter but it doesn't look bad by any means and you can just turn it off anyways. the sound design is so incredibly stimulating and every song on the soundtrack is a banger in every way. the character and weapon designs are insanely cool. i haven't even beaten the game yet and i already feel like it is a new favorite of mine. the full thing isn't even finished yet, for fucks sake. i would recommend this game to anybody with access to a computer. when the full thing comes out it is going to be legendary and being present for its development is really something special.