eltortoise95
2023
This review contains spoilers
The tragedy of Saga losing her family is a blatant commentary on a woman’s struggle to balance their personal and professional lives!
2023
This is probably the dumbest game I've played in a bit, but I can't say I didn't enjoy myself.
The combat system on the whole is quite good, although for most of the game it takes about 20% more presses of the square button to kill enemies than it should. I think the way that they approached difficulty customization was really clever.
Fast and Furious did it first, but Final Fantasy 16 did it better.
Why is it that the story of every single Japanese video game always converges to killing god to save humanity's free will?
The combat system on the whole is quite good, although for most of the game it takes about 20% more presses of the square button to kill enemies than it should. I think the way that they approached difficulty customization was really clever.
Fast and Furious did it first, but Final Fantasy 16 did it better.
Why is it that the story of every single Japanese video game always converges to killing god to save humanity's free will?
2021
I thought the writing in this game was really strong and took advantage of the premise to do some pretty interesting things. The game is fairly open but not so much so to be frustrating and wasteful of the player's time. This is almost the exact level of complexity in puzzle design (which is to say, not very complex but still engaging and clever) that I enjoy most.
Pretty good. The story didn't really grab me that much until the last act, which was great. I feel like the boss fights were also a tad uninspired. For the love of god, not every third-person action game needs to have a parry system.
2016
This is the best first-person shooter I've played in a decade, and it's really not that close.
A really excellent game that feels like its held together with duct tape. I really hope they let the third game have as much time to cook as it needs, because this series is really special.
2019
Probably the funniest game I've ever played.
Not too bad if you skip all the dialogue and cutscenes. Writing and voice acting is pretty atrocious.
2022
I think this game cements Santa Monica as the best out there (at least in the Triple A space) when it comes to marrying narrative and game design.
I prefer 2018 mostly because of its tighter focus. This game is more ambitious, but as a result there's much more to be nitpicked. Most notably, I think the writing gets too hokey in the last couple hours, but maybe it will work better for me on a replay.
Really appreciate the attention they've put in across these two games to making Kratos a three-dimensional character and actually giving him a satisfying arc.
I prefer 2018 mostly because of its tighter focus. This game is more ambitious, but as a result there's much more to be nitpicked. Most notably, I think the writing gets too hokey in the last couple hours, but maybe it will work better for me on a replay.
Really appreciate the attention they've put in across these two games to making Kratos a three-dimensional character and actually giving him a satisfying arc.
To set the table here, I think Horizon Zero Dawn is a five-star game, and it's one of my all-time favorites. While I couldn't claim that many of the weaknesses of this entry weren't present in the original game, I am less forgiving of them now in this second entry of the series and Guerilla's second foray into the genre. This game struggles so much with platforming through the open world that you almost dread traveling to a quest marker that's located at a high elevation. It also features some of the most bafflingly frustrating puzzle design that I can remember in a triple-A game.
All that said, everything I loved about the original game is back in spades here. This franchise is probably in the running for the greatest action RPG series of all-time with its masterful fusion of satisfying combat systems, affecting story and character work, and mind-bending lore drops. These games continue to deliver the best sci-fi storytelling of any medium, period.
While the last-minute twist setting up the next game feels a bit uninspired, I have full faith in this writing team to deliver a satisfying conclusion to the trilogy.
P.S. People who complain that Aloy is a boring character are a little bit sus in my mind. Did we play the same game?
All that said, everything I loved about the original game is back in spades here. This franchise is probably in the running for the greatest action RPG series of all-time with its masterful fusion of satisfying combat systems, affecting story and character work, and mind-bending lore drops. These games continue to deliver the best sci-fi storytelling of any medium, period.
While the last-minute twist setting up the next game feels a bit uninspired, I have full faith in this writing team to deliver a satisfying conclusion to the trilogy.
P.S. People who complain that Aloy is a boring character are a little bit sus in my mind. Did we play the same game?
Honestly this is the ideal length for this style of narrative game.
2020
The Phantom Thieves vs. the god of dopamine
An essential Star Wars story trapped in a pretty terribly aged game. Really hope we get a remake someday.
2020
SSD GPU oh yeah
2019
There's so much to say I just know that no matter what I write here I'm gonna re-read this later and think of something I missed.
Every idea from Persona 4 Golden is enhanced and turned up to 11 in this game. This has the best turn-based combat system of any game I've played, especially when you access certain confidant abilities like the ability to swap party members on the fly during battle, encouraging you to use the entire party rather than sticking with 3 favorites. The baton pass and technical damage mechanics bring strategic depth and just make you feel like a badass -- wiping enemies off the board before they can take a turn, all the while knowing that one wrong move can turn the tables and bring a world of hurt your way.
The social and school sim elements of the game are as fun and addictive as ever. Royal blessedly gives you plenty of time to max all confidants without too much trouble if you set your mind to it.
The story. It's ambitious, and if we're being honest with ourselves, probably much longer than it needs to be. But the people who love this game won't mind because the time spent goes toward endearing you so deeply with a cast of characters.
Is the execution perfect? Absolutely not. Are there plenty of cringey moments that undercut the game's messages? Oh yes. But I can't think of another game (I probably just haven't played it yet) that is so willing to tackle difficult subjects while bursting with so much empathy for its characters.
And at the heart of the story is a message we don't get enough from our media -- the world is ours, and we fix its deficiencies, its cruelties, by working together.
Of course, it's been said a million times, but the game's style is unparalleled, in large part because of the incredible music by Lyn. Life Will Change, Last Surprise, and Rivers in the Desert are absolute bangers. Beneath the Mask is such a vibe.
Some granular criticisms:
-The game has some great UI tools that the tutorials don't really call attention to. I discovered some shortcuts way too late in the game.
-There's a certain character in the game who I gather is a fan favorite. And they just? Don't?? Do anything??? Interesting with him???? Even in the bonus third semester, like I was expecting them to. I'm just kind of confused about him. His voice actor is great though.
-Take Over should not play during 100% of ambushes. Because Last Surprise is a far superior track. But tactically you're incentivized to always be ambushing. So you hardly ever hear Last Surprise. Sad face.
-Joker should not have been a silent protagonist.
Every idea from Persona 4 Golden is enhanced and turned up to 11 in this game. This has the best turn-based combat system of any game I've played, especially when you access certain confidant abilities like the ability to swap party members on the fly during battle, encouraging you to use the entire party rather than sticking with 3 favorites. The baton pass and technical damage mechanics bring strategic depth and just make you feel like a badass -- wiping enemies off the board before they can take a turn, all the while knowing that one wrong move can turn the tables and bring a world of hurt your way.
The social and school sim elements of the game are as fun and addictive as ever. Royal blessedly gives you plenty of time to max all confidants without too much trouble if you set your mind to it.
The story. It's ambitious, and if we're being honest with ourselves, probably much longer than it needs to be. But the people who love this game won't mind because the time spent goes toward endearing you so deeply with a cast of characters.
Is the execution perfect? Absolutely not. Are there plenty of cringey moments that undercut the game's messages? Oh yes. But I can't think of another game (I probably just haven't played it yet) that is so willing to tackle difficult subjects while bursting with so much empathy for its characters.
And at the heart of the story is a message we don't get enough from our media -- the world is ours, and we fix its deficiencies, its cruelties, by working together.
Of course, it's been said a million times, but the game's style is unparalleled, in large part because of the incredible music by Lyn. Life Will Change, Last Surprise, and Rivers in the Desert are absolute bangers. Beneath the Mask is such a vibe.
Some granular criticisms:
-The game has some great UI tools that the tutorials don't really call attention to. I discovered some shortcuts way too late in the game.
-There's a certain character in the game who I gather is a fan favorite. And they just? Don't?? Do anything??? Interesting with him???? Even in the bonus third semester, like I was expecting them to. I'm just kind of confused about him. His voice actor is great though.
-Take Over should not play during 100% of ambushes. Because Last Surprise is a far superior track. But tactically you're incentivized to always be ambushing. So you hardly ever hear Last Surprise. Sad face.
-Joker should not have been a silent protagonist.