2001
I’m so relieved Master Onion isn’t homeless anymore.
While the first game may have more memorable jams and moments, this is an overall improvement in every other way. The input delay problem is mostly gone and there’s still plenty of funny songs that will be stuck in my head forever now. Lammy deserves a sequel too.
While the first game may have more memorable jams and moments, this is an overall improvement in every other way. The input delay problem is mostly gone and there’s still plenty of funny songs that will be stuck in my head forever now. Lammy deserves a sequel too.
2006
It’s a terrible thing that there aren’t any sequels to this hilarious brawler.
It can actually be kinda fun trying to zoom through these cases by just guessing what tools to use on evidence. But why the fuck would I use tweezers on the puddle of blood?? I always end up having to resort to mindlessly clicking over every inch of the screen 🤷♂️
2005
Time to unwind w some Carl’s Jr.™ 😋
For me, what usually separates a good game from a great game is how much I genuinely want to 100% it. There’s so much keeping me coming back to this even with cycling through the same handful of maps, the experience is unlike anything out currently. They need to revive this series on modern hardware and with online, I’d never stop playing.
The only things that hold this back are the crash challenges which are just ok, and sometimes not being able to control your camera.
For me, what usually separates a good game from a great game is how much I genuinely want to 100% it. There’s so much keeping me coming back to this even with cycling through the same handful of maps, the experience is unlike anything out currently. They need to revive this series on modern hardware and with online, I’d never stop playing.
The only things that hold this back are the crash challenges which are just ok, and sometimes not being able to control your camera.
Props for using Unobtainium 3 years before "Avatar".
Liberty City is by far a much more enjoyable map to zoom around in than Vice City. It lacks the fun colors of the '80s sure, but with so many ramps and hills to speed down, driving across the city is always a blast.
Not a whole lot in the way of memorable missions or characters, the mafia stuff never gets interesting enough.
Not a whole lot in the way of memorable missions or characters, the mafia stuff never gets interesting enough.
Love the look of the city and characters but the map is kind of a mess do deal with. Plus the final act devolves into having to grind for money to buy up property which sorta kills the momentum.
Minor technical limitations aside, it's still impressive how Rockstar was able to make a full GTA game for a handheld system in the mid 2000s. There's a fair amount of repetition with some of the missions but more than a few memorable set pieces and characters that kept me playing.
The Phil Collins concert was rad.
The Phil Collins concert was rad.
This holds up better than most original Xbox games. The story unfolds like a proper Riddick movie and the titular prison is as imposing as it needs to be.
I would probably appreciate this more if the combat wasn’t so awkward and/or the stealth gameplay was more fun.
I would probably appreciate this more if the combat wasn’t so awkward and/or the stealth gameplay was more fun.
2021
A VR version would be insane, hope someone somewhere's working on that.
For being essentially "Flower"/“Journey” in space, it's pretty fun. Tho what made those games' experiences so memorable was their solid direction and this is just feels like a mostly empty sandbox with pretty colors. I think there's a lot that someone could do with this type of simple gravity-based gameplay; the speedruns for this are wild, can you imagine how much fun racing would be???
For being essentially "Flower"/“Journey” in space, it's pretty fun. Tho what made those games' experiences so memorable was their solid direction and this is just feels like a mostly empty sandbox with pretty colors. I think there's a lot that someone could do with this type of simple gravity-based gameplay; the speedruns for this are wild, can you imagine how much fun racing would be???
I’m a big fan of sequels that try to go for something new at the risk of alienating their fanbase. I’ve only recently played through the early Silent Hill games and can tell what makes each one of them special in their own way. But while I enjoyed some of the new ideas being implemented here, this just never hooked me the way the other games managed to. The levels were bland from start to finish, the lack of interesting characters was definitely felt throughout and having the entire back half of the game be an escort mission for a slow chick with a busted leg really sealed the deal for me.
All that being said, playing through the Team Silent games was time well spent and I’d recommend the first 4 games to anyone despite my own personal gripes.
All that being said, playing through the Team Silent games was time well spent and I’d recommend the first 4 games to anyone despite my own personal gripes.
2003
I could forgive the repetitive level design & the clunky controls... if the goddamn camera wasn't constantly working against me.
Besides all that, I really enjoyed the first chunk of this.
Besides all that, I really enjoyed the first chunk of this.
2001
Can't say this scratched the same itch that the first game did but there's still an effectively unsettling atmosphere that never lets up.
I first played this back in 3rd grade via Bleem which was a legally (at the time) sold program that allowed PC users to play PlayStation games on their computer. The only downside is occasionally you had to deal with broken cutscenes and jumbled text, but that didn’t stop me from playing through about half this game without a clue what was really happening. Having finally played through this in English, it’s hilarious how little the experiences differ.
I was kinda surprised how much I prefer the first “Tomba” game; it’s funnier and the world has so much to explore. In the second game, while there’s more 3D elements, the game feels emptier and there’s far less incentive to complete all of the silly side quests.
I was kinda surprised how much I prefer the first “Tomba” game; it’s funnier and the world has so much to explore. In the second game, while there’s more 3D elements, the game feels emptier and there’s far less incentive to complete all of the silly side quests.
2007
I'll give the game credit, this is EXACTLY as bad as an episode of "The Shield".