charliethecherry
3 reviews liked by charliethecherry
Impasto
2022
Gameplay is pretty barebones, though the real reason to play this is the art, and for that, it's really good.
Grand Theft Auto IV
2008
I'm currently going through some of the Rockstar Games that I never got the chance to beat when I was younger, and I was specifically looking forward to this one.
From a story perspective, might be the best in the series. A haunting tale of how much the American Dream is bullshit and how loyalty overcomes all, a normal theme throughout the GTA series yes, but given a unique twist with being in the perspective of a immigrant. Niko is such a great character, and the most likable character in the series. A lot of his writing reminds me of what made John Marston or Arthur Morgan such great protagonists. The problem? Actually playing it.
The gameplay, for the most part, still holds up. The gunplay was a little tough to get used to but once it settled it was actually quite fun, the driving is REALLY stiff and slippery as if you're constantly driving on ice. But the main issue for me, is that alot of it feels really repetitive near the end. The mission variety from the start of the game fades away for missions that kinda blur into one for me. What really kept me going was the narrative, which is still really strong. It's a game that I enjoyed my time with, but I wouldn't mind playing it again for a while.
From a story perspective, might be the best in the series. A haunting tale of how much the American Dream is bullshit and how loyalty overcomes all, a normal theme throughout the GTA series yes, but given a unique twist with being in the perspective of a immigrant. Niko is such a great character, and the most likable character in the series. A lot of his writing reminds me of what made John Marston or Arthur Morgan such great protagonists. The problem? Actually playing it.
The gameplay, for the most part, still holds up. The gunplay was a little tough to get used to but once it settled it was actually quite fun, the driving is REALLY stiff and slippery as if you're constantly driving on ice. But the main issue for me, is that alot of it feels really repetitive near the end. The mission variety from the start of the game fades away for missions that kinda blur into one for me. What really kept me going was the narrative, which is still really strong. It's a game that I enjoyed my time with, but I wouldn't mind playing it again for a while.
Infamous 2
2011
It's so nice to play a sequel that knows exactly what it's doing and why it's doing it. After being lukewarm on Infamous 1, I went into the second expecting marginal improvements all around but mostly the same formula in a new setting. Thankfully, Infamous 2 goes a couple steps further than that and manages to improve upon basically everything that I both liked and very much didn't like about the previous installment.
The action picks up a month after the first game, with Cole on the run from 'The Beast', an ominous threat whose coming was revealed to him by his prior adversary. Now, Cole flees to the swampy town of New Marais to gather enough strength and resources to take down this new threat, which now leaves a trail of devastation across the east coast as it catches up to him.
The characters and dialogue are vastly improved, thankfully, with Cole in particular getting a new look, voice, and, most crucially of all, a personality. The supporting cast of characters that accompany him through New Marais (Zeke included) are all at least interesting to interact with, which is a compliment I wasn't able to pay towards the last game.
The story is arguably structurally poorer than the first game, but I personally enjoyed it more, no doubt helped by the new and improved Cole. The Beast proves to be a compelling adversary and backdrop to the game's narrative as well. I found the occasional news reports on its progress towards Cole and the path of destruction it leaves behind in its wake to be a simple yet effective way of building the stakes and keeping everything in focus.
Gameplay-wise, the second game does everything the first game did but better. The parkour feels the least different, however, it's tweaked to be smoother to control, and the addition of 'launch poles' scattered throughout the town helps to keep a consistent flow to traversal. Combat and ability progression are stronger than ever, constantly providing new abilities and power sets to experiment with—double the amount from the last game, ensuring that every fight feels engaging and fresh.
Really, the biggest knock against the second game is the frame rate. Yes, this was 2011 and yes, this was the PS3, but there are frequent dips below 30, especially when in the busier combat arenas, making it a chore to focus on what you're doing. It's infrequent enough to not ruin the whole thing, but it's a noticeable flaw, particularly in the third act.
The karma system is given a little more depth, but it's still guilty of the same problems as the last game of just being a binary system with little to no nuance throughout, try as they might to alleviate that. Again, it doesn't ruin the whole game, but it definitely feels like it holds the story back, especially in the second half.
That being said, Infamous 2 is a great sequel and an incredibly welcome improvement from the first game. It feels great to play and has some notable narrative improvements, especially when it comes to its cast of characters. It's well worth a look on its own, even without the previous game.
8/10
The action picks up a month after the first game, with Cole on the run from 'The Beast', an ominous threat whose coming was revealed to him by his prior adversary. Now, Cole flees to the swampy town of New Marais to gather enough strength and resources to take down this new threat, which now leaves a trail of devastation across the east coast as it catches up to him.
The characters and dialogue are vastly improved, thankfully, with Cole in particular getting a new look, voice, and, most crucially of all, a personality. The supporting cast of characters that accompany him through New Marais (Zeke included) are all at least interesting to interact with, which is a compliment I wasn't able to pay towards the last game.
The story is arguably structurally poorer than the first game, but I personally enjoyed it more, no doubt helped by the new and improved Cole. The Beast proves to be a compelling adversary and backdrop to the game's narrative as well. I found the occasional news reports on its progress towards Cole and the path of destruction it leaves behind in its wake to be a simple yet effective way of building the stakes and keeping everything in focus.
Gameplay-wise, the second game does everything the first game did but better. The parkour feels the least different, however, it's tweaked to be smoother to control, and the addition of 'launch poles' scattered throughout the town helps to keep a consistent flow to traversal. Combat and ability progression are stronger than ever, constantly providing new abilities and power sets to experiment with—double the amount from the last game, ensuring that every fight feels engaging and fresh.
Really, the biggest knock against the second game is the frame rate. Yes, this was 2011 and yes, this was the PS3, but there are frequent dips below 30, especially when in the busier combat arenas, making it a chore to focus on what you're doing. It's infrequent enough to not ruin the whole thing, but it's a noticeable flaw, particularly in the third act.
The karma system is given a little more depth, but it's still guilty of the same problems as the last game of just being a binary system with little to no nuance throughout, try as they might to alleviate that. Again, it doesn't ruin the whole game, but it definitely feels like it holds the story back, especially in the second half.
That being said, Infamous 2 is a great sequel and an incredibly welcome improvement from the first game. It feels great to play and has some notable narrative improvements, especially when it comes to its cast of characters. It's well worth a look on its own, even without the previous game.
8/10