caitlins
2023
the only real improvement from the first game is the building imo. the story is such a disappointment, it's really just a string of disjointed pieces and none of the main questions really get answered. a lot of intriguing elements are introduced that aren't really expanded upon, but it's also pretty clear they're gearing up for a third game given how it ends.
2021
grabbed this from playstation plus after being drawn in by the art style and i really enjoyed it! i wasn't expecting it to go to the places it did and while the ending was a little underwhelming, a lot of other elements make up for it. and, of course, the art style is gorgeous.
2020
i could write essays about this game, but i'll spare everyone and just say i've played dnd for years and despite so many fantastic releases in 2023, this is easily the game of the year, no question. i think that's about the best endorsement i could ever give for anything.
i need to stop playing indie games where you play as animals, they're always more heartbreaking than you expect. either way, it's a gorgeous game, albeit slightly stressful because gotta keep those cubs alive, y'know?
this could've been complete and utter garbage and i still would've had a good time tbh. the main draw for me was always laura in the lead role singing and honestly the rest is just icing on the cake. the music itself wasn't groundbreaking and the romances were touted pretty heavily despite not being all that prominent (at least in the one playthrough i've done so far) but given that baldur's gate also just came out, the fact that any other game grabbed my attention at all is astounding. the art style is gorgeous and it's australian which will always get bonus points for me. overall it makes me super excited about the future of australian games tbh.
2009
(played via the ezio collection, but wanted to log each game separately)
until now, the only assassin's creed game i'd ever finished was odyssey. growing up i wasn't a huge fan of stealth games (mostly because i sucked at them), so i'm hoping to revisit these in order (aside from ac1).
i enjoyed this for the most part, and i like ezio as a protagonist, but i wasn't all that engaged with the plot. there isn't a ton of variety when it comes to gameplay within missions and it often felt repetitive, but that's not a surprise given how old the game is. still, italy was a lot of fun to run around in and i'm interested to see how the games progress quality-wise. i'm also really interested to see how ubisoft does with the next ac titles that are supposedly going back to this classic format.
until now, the only assassin's creed game i'd ever finished was odyssey. growing up i wasn't a huge fan of stealth games (mostly because i sucked at them), so i'm hoping to revisit these in order (aside from ac1).
i enjoyed this for the most part, and i like ezio as a protagonist, but i wasn't all that engaged with the plot. there isn't a ton of variety when it comes to gameplay within missions and it often felt repetitive, but that's not a surprise given how old the game is. still, italy was a lot of fun to run around in and i'm interested to see how the games progress quality-wise. i'm also really interested to see how ubisoft does with the next ac titles that are supposedly going back to this classic format.
2023
what an absolutely stunning game. so much heart and soul clearly went into this, and the soundtrack and visuals are unbelievably gorgeous. the gameplay and protagonist are also a lot of fun, and the whole thing just has a charm that is not easy to replicate. such an unexpected delight tbh.
2018
i can't believe i waited so long to play this game. everything from the story to the gameplay to the music to the visuals is phenomenal. i even enjoyed the puzzles, which has probably never happened in the history of the universe. this was possibly the easiest platinum i've ever gotten simply because it was impossible to put the controller down and i wanted to explore every inch of the world. also freya is so......... i support women's rights and women's wrongs!
i’m a lifelong zelda fan. it also took until the night before totk came out for me to finish this. yes, we do exist.
anyway i’m going to refrain from rambling too much but this game is quite the achievement. part of the reason i abandoned it for so long is because my adhd ass was simply overwhelmed by it all. the main positives for me were the developers completely embracing the open world concept, the memorable characters, the amount of creativity involved, and the abilities which added so much depth.
i think the main story lacks in comparison to past zelda games, but it’s not bad by any means. i do think it can and does fall back on the side quests and shrines and koroks and just the scale of the damn thing. to that point, i wish exploring and completing certain quests (i.e. the memories quest) yielded better rewards. it never felt worth it to find every last shrine or collect every seed or even go to every section of the map (i did the latter anyway because i’m nosy).
i have faith totk will improve on at least some of these things (i’m about to go pick it up my copy right now) but i know i only have high expectations because i love the franchise so much. that said, botw is no wind waker or twilight princess, i’m afraid.
anyway i’m going to refrain from rambling too much but this game is quite the achievement. part of the reason i abandoned it for so long is because my adhd ass was simply overwhelmed by it all. the main positives for me were the developers completely embracing the open world concept, the memorable characters, the amount of creativity involved, and the abilities which added so much depth.
i think the main story lacks in comparison to past zelda games, but it’s not bad by any means. i do think it can and does fall back on the side quests and shrines and koroks and just the scale of the damn thing. to that point, i wish exploring and completing certain quests (i.e. the memories quest) yielded better rewards. it never felt worth it to find every last shrine or collect every seed or even go to every section of the map (i did the latter anyway because i’m nosy).
i have faith totk will improve on at least some of these things (i’m about to go pick it up my copy right now) but i know i only have high expectations because i love the franchise so much. that said, botw is no wind waker or twilight princess, i’m afraid.
This review contains spoilers
it gets positives for having the usual the dragon age world and politics that i love getting immersed in and for also having great side characters. however it does suffer from being far too large and very tedious if you want to master it (i did not). i don't mind large open world games if the quests actually have meaning but i can only close so many rifts or do requisitions before i've just had enough.
i would die for leliana, josephine, cassandra, etc, but the trend of dragon age men betraying you because they're all tortured is like... you can just predict it at this point. i unfortunately also got the iron bull betrayal and killing him was just so sudden and there was zero aftermath, it was almost funny how it was handled (or wasn't). also i have no interest in trying to redeem solas and hunting him sounds a lot more fun, actually! i love a complicated character but by the end i found myself more interested in varric and dorian who were the most chill.
all that said, i am excited for dreadwolf since reports say it will be smaller and more character driven? by the end of this game, my inquisitor was just tired and done with all of it, so i'm also glad a new mc is coming through for the next one. they have a good opportunity to fix the shortcomings of inquisition!
i would die for leliana, josephine, cassandra, etc, but the trend of dragon age men betraying you because they're all tortured is like... you can just predict it at this point. i unfortunately also got the iron bull betrayal and killing him was just so sudden and there was zero aftermath, it was almost funny how it was handled (or wasn't). also i have no interest in trying to redeem solas and hunting him sounds a lot more fun, actually! i love a complicated character but by the end i found myself more interested in varric and dorian who were the most chill.
all that said, i am excited for dreadwolf since reports say it will be smaller and more character driven? by the end of this game, my inquisitor was just tired and done with all of it, so i'm also glad a new mc is coming through for the next one. they have a good opportunity to fix the shortcomings of inquisition!
2021
this was decent, but definitely not my favourite. i love the premise and the world, but i felt much less connected to the story playing as a bunch of unnamed teenagers. it got better towards the end as characters start to interact and the plot came to a head. it was on the right track though, the political landscape of the world is, as always, very timely.
2022
there will never be anything better than an annapurna published story game. deeply profound storytelling in such a small package. beautiful, emotional, and exactly what gaming should be.
2021
such a lovely little game! environmental storytelling is one of the coolest things a game can do if it gets it right, and this relies on it. not only that, but it's australian made, so i get to be a little proud of that as well!
i absolutely love a pocket-sized game that's worth every cent. this is one of the most beautiful and captivating story games i've ever had the pleasure of playing. it's been three years since i played this and it's still firmly planted in my mind. the way you explore each character's story is so creative. a fantastic example of why video games don't just have to be action-packed open world adventures. this story could only be told with this medium and i'm so glad it was.
2016
beautiful graphics, fantastic voice acting, a compelling story, a little mystery - all of these things make this a masterpiece. it's just a little snippet, only several hours long, but i always think of it when someone asks what my favourite games are. the ending is a little unsatisfying, and i know that's the point, but i do wish they solidified what henry would do next. other than that, i can't fault this whatsoever.