emilem
2022
Signalis is a game that rewired my brain chemistry, for the better - kinda.
This is one of those titles that it's recommended to go in blind playing, try not to look up too much, just pick it up and go for it, and that's something I heartily recommend, so I won't go into too much detail here because of it.
Instead, I'll try to sing it's praises as best I can. I replayed this game twice, I plan on replaying it a third time soon, I got so enraptured in it's tangled web of a story I took notes, and even then watched video essays afterwards to compare. I love this game, I love it's style, I love it's gameplay, I love it's story and characters. The only thing I don't love is sometimes interacting with doors is a bit of bitch when I'm in a hurry. But that's okay, I can forgive it.
Play Signalis.
This is one of those titles that it's recommended to go in blind playing, try not to look up too much, just pick it up and go for it, and that's something I heartily recommend, so I won't go into too much detail here because of it.
Instead, I'll try to sing it's praises as best I can. I replayed this game twice, I plan on replaying it a third time soon, I got so enraptured in it's tangled web of a story I took notes, and even then watched video essays afterwards to compare. I love this game, I love it's style, I love it's gameplay, I love it's story and characters. The only thing I don't love is sometimes interacting with doors is a bit of bitch when I'm in a hurry. But that's okay, I can forgive it.
Play Signalis.
Death Stranding is the best multiplayer game going because it does away with the worst part about multiplayer games; other players.
I think the thing that caught me most by surprise in revisiting this game 4 years after it's release was the confusion on just how divisive it was when it came out. At the time I remember phrases like "walking sim" getting thrown around and not to be rude but you'd have to be purposefully oblivious to think Death Stranding has only walking to offer.
Sure, the core of the game is walking from point A to point B. But the world is designed in such a way to make such a simple task incredibly engaging. Traversing this uniquely post-apocalyptic America is never dull, and you're always kept on your toes. As an experiment I TRIED to check my phone during seeming quiet moments and ended up eating shit and ruining somebody's precious cargo (Apologies to the poor denizen of Port Knot City whose stuff I ruined, if it's any consolation the poor Porters Grade I received dampened my spirits).
DS does an incredible job of creating a new kind of game, that of the humble delivery man, and kept adding new ways to keep it engaging during my 60+ hour run time. Either through new tools, vehicles, or environmental hazards. It's online system also works wonders in evolving the world, and making you feel connected with others. The amount of times I mashed the like button because some kind soul had placed a vehicle, Timestop shelter, or some other handy resource in the middle of nowhere, seemingly out of the goodness of their heart, is too many to count. I have never had such an engaging and heartwarming experience with a community I can't directly communicate with.
It's story is equally as entapturing, it's the standard Kojima affair, and you can feel his style oozing through almost every facet of prose, it had my smiling, laughing, crying, and just all around hooked.
I truly am thrilled this game is receiving a sequel, there are so many moments I could gush about, it has some amazing gameplay segments that rely on the players cunning and knowledge to resolve, it treats the player with respect and patience, and asks only you do the same with it.
If your were turned away from Death Stranding because of some of the negative press it received on launch, go back and give it a go, it's a title that demands your attention.
I'll be waiting for you on the Beach.
I think the thing that caught me most by surprise in revisiting this game 4 years after it's release was the confusion on just how divisive it was when it came out. At the time I remember phrases like "walking sim" getting thrown around and not to be rude but you'd have to be purposefully oblivious to think Death Stranding has only walking to offer.
Sure, the core of the game is walking from point A to point B. But the world is designed in such a way to make such a simple task incredibly engaging. Traversing this uniquely post-apocalyptic America is never dull, and you're always kept on your toes. As an experiment I TRIED to check my phone during seeming quiet moments and ended up eating shit and ruining somebody's precious cargo (Apologies to the poor denizen of Port Knot City whose stuff I ruined, if it's any consolation the poor Porters Grade I received dampened my spirits).
DS does an incredible job of creating a new kind of game, that of the humble delivery man, and kept adding new ways to keep it engaging during my 60+ hour run time. Either through new tools, vehicles, or environmental hazards. It's online system also works wonders in evolving the world, and making you feel connected with others. The amount of times I mashed the like button because some kind soul had placed a vehicle, Timestop shelter, or some other handy resource in the middle of nowhere, seemingly out of the goodness of their heart, is too many to count. I have never had such an engaging and heartwarming experience with a community I can't directly communicate with.
It's story is equally as entapturing, it's the standard Kojima affair, and you can feel his style oozing through almost every facet of prose, it had my smiling, laughing, crying, and just all around hooked.
I truly am thrilled this game is receiving a sequel, there are so many moments I could gush about, it has some amazing gameplay segments that rely on the players cunning and knowledge to resolve, it treats the player with respect and patience, and asks only you do the same with it.
If your were turned away from Death Stranding because of some of the negative press it received on launch, go back and give it a go, it's a title that demands your attention.
I'll be waiting for you on the Beach.
2019
What a horrible little goose I am.
I played this game when it came out, and this time around I had the joy to experience "Untitled Geese Game" with a friend. The sheer amount of joy experienced playing this is quite literally doubled when played co-operatively. Myself and my fellow goose-in-crime started giggling as soon as their head popped out of the bushes following mine, and then didn't stop for about two and a half hours.
Truly the biggest downside of this game is that two and a half hours is by-and-large what you get, maybe just under double that if you go for all the added achievements. It's a shame because I left wanting more at the end.
But that doesn't mean what's their isn't wonderfully silly, truly it's one of the few games that I think deserves the title of a comedy video game, it's a delightfully goofy puzzle game, and in all honesty any game that has a dedicated honk button deserves praise for that alone.
I played this game when it came out, and this time around I had the joy to experience "Untitled Geese Game" with a friend. The sheer amount of joy experienced playing this is quite literally doubled when played co-operatively. Myself and my fellow goose-in-crime started giggling as soon as their head popped out of the bushes following mine, and then didn't stop for about two and a half hours.
Truly the biggest downside of this game is that two and a half hours is by-and-large what you get, maybe just under double that if you go for all the added achievements. It's a shame because I left wanting more at the end.
But that doesn't mean what's their isn't wonderfully silly, truly it's one of the few games that I think deserves the title of a comedy video game, it's a delightfully goofy puzzle game, and in all honesty any game that has a dedicated honk button deserves praise for that alone.
1997
A genre-defining classic that's weathered with time.
It's undeniable that Fallout is a benchmark in CRPG's, it started a landmark franchise with unforgettable entries, and it's not difficult to see why. The original Fallout has so much going for it, a sprawling open world, fascinatingly intricate characters, an engaging story and some great combat moments, but it doesn't quite hold up by today's standards.
Everything that happens in Fallout is in the hands of the dice roll, for better or worse. Invisible numbers play behind almost every click you make, numbers you will never see the true results of, sometimes this will work in your favour (enemies shooting enemies, lucky repair win, good barter deal), sometimes it will work in the complete opposite of your favour (enemy does 400 points of damage to you in one hit bypassing all your armour).
You know how in a lot of TTRPG's, part of the DM's role is to read the rules and go "Hm, this is stupid, and kind of ruins everyone's fun, we'll tweak this a bit", Fallout doesn't have anyone at the steering wheel, just a random number generator deciding your fate, taking your stats into consideration only slightly.
Of course, for a game from 1997, it's a product of the time, and this system would become refined as time went on. And it's certainly not to say Fallout isn't a game worth playing, outside some of it's questionable design choices it's a simultaneously simplistic yet deeply intricately layered world, that'll reward you for taking the time to explore and talk to everyone. It sets the groundwork for the post-post apocalpyse that's explored further in Fallout 2 and New Vegas, and has some memorable talking heads with believable personalities.
Save scum your way through this game, maybe even tweak some of your stats using an external program, I won't be mad at you if it means you'll get to explore the wasteland in some capacity, it's certainly worth it.
It's undeniable that Fallout is a benchmark in CRPG's, it started a landmark franchise with unforgettable entries, and it's not difficult to see why. The original Fallout has so much going for it, a sprawling open world, fascinatingly intricate characters, an engaging story and some great combat moments, but it doesn't quite hold up by today's standards.
Everything that happens in Fallout is in the hands of the dice roll, for better or worse. Invisible numbers play behind almost every click you make, numbers you will never see the true results of, sometimes this will work in your favour (enemies shooting enemies, lucky repair win, good barter deal), sometimes it will work in the complete opposite of your favour (enemy does 400 points of damage to you in one hit bypassing all your armour).
You know how in a lot of TTRPG's, part of the DM's role is to read the rules and go "Hm, this is stupid, and kind of ruins everyone's fun, we'll tweak this a bit", Fallout doesn't have anyone at the steering wheel, just a random number generator deciding your fate, taking your stats into consideration only slightly.
Of course, for a game from 1997, it's a product of the time, and this system would become refined as time went on. And it's certainly not to say Fallout isn't a game worth playing, outside some of it's questionable design choices it's a simultaneously simplistic yet deeply intricately layered world, that'll reward you for taking the time to explore and talk to everyone. It sets the groundwork for the post-post apocalpyse that's explored further in Fallout 2 and New Vegas, and has some memorable talking heads with believable personalities.
Save scum your way through this game, maybe even tweak some of your stats using an external program, I won't be mad at you if it means you'll get to explore the wasteland in some capacity, it's certainly worth it.
Don't fix what isn't broke.
Nitro-Fueled understood what needed to be done bringing CTR to modern consoles; really not that much. It nails the feel of the original PS1 title and adds flare and the current gen graphics, makes some of the trickier aspects like drift-boosting a little easier to read, but by and large this is the same PS1 CD-R with a fresh gleam of paint and a Blu-Ray disc. It slathers on an extra helping of Nitro Kart levels, whcih was a fun new experience for me and many people because who the hell played Nitro Kart.
Having the option to play the Legacy Music was also a nice touch, I almost wish Legacy Voice Lines would be available too for that extra kick of nostalgia, but it's a moot point when you have one of the greatest kart racers here.
It gets 9 stars rather than 10 because of it's pissy little microtransactions, sure you can get everything without paying but I'd rather it not be there in the first place. Also Baby Crash/Coco/Cortex freak me out.
Nitro-Fueled understood what needed to be done bringing CTR to modern consoles; really not that much. It nails the feel of the original PS1 title and adds flare and the current gen graphics, makes some of the trickier aspects like drift-boosting a little easier to read, but by and large this is the same PS1 CD-R with a fresh gleam of paint and a Blu-Ray disc. It slathers on an extra helping of Nitro Kart levels, whcih was a fun new experience for me and many people because who the hell played Nitro Kart.
Having the option to play the Legacy Music was also a nice touch, I almost wish Legacy Voice Lines would be available too for that extra kick of nostalgia, but it's a moot point when you have one of the greatest kart racers here.
It gets 9 stars rather than 10 because of it's pissy little microtransactions, sure you can get everything without paying but I'd rather it not be there in the first place. Also Baby Crash/Coco/Cortex freak me out.
2021
This review contains spoilers
So much said with very little words
Unpacking is a very short, very cozy, and yet somehow heart-wrenching title. The premise is exceptionally simple, you play a character who is unpacking into their new home at various stages of their life, from childhood to adolescence. Open the boxes, grab the things out the boxes, place them appropriately in the space provided, and you win!
To me, the gameplay loop could get a little tedious at times, especially in some of the larger levels. That’s not to say that getting everything in it’s right place wasn’t satisfying, it very much was, it’s just getting there could feel a bit of a slog sometimes, much like the actual act of unpacking.
But really that’s not even where Unpacking’s magic lies, this game does such an incredible job of telling a coherent story with the only dialogue being the footnotes your character annotates each “new home” picture with, which culminates to maybe a couple dozen words by the end of the game. The protagonist goes through the aching pains of growing up, making new friends, falling in and out of love, and exciting career opportunities, and you gleam all of this through the simple act of getting things out of boxes and putting them in places.
I was enraged when I was forced to put the diploma under the bed, I was concerned when it was revealed my character needed a cane to get around, I was giddy when I saw their table-top miniature had finally been painted, I nearly cried when I got the stuffed pig out for the very last time.
Make no mistake, this is a narrative game, one that trusts the player to understand what it’s trying to say, but Witch Beam have done such an immaculate job of telling the story that you really don’t need to do a lot of legwork.
Unpacking is a very short, very cozy, and yet somehow heart-wrenching title. The premise is exceptionally simple, you play a character who is unpacking into their new home at various stages of their life, from childhood to adolescence. Open the boxes, grab the things out the boxes, place them appropriately in the space provided, and you win!
To me, the gameplay loop could get a little tedious at times, especially in some of the larger levels. That’s not to say that getting everything in it’s right place wasn’t satisfying, it very much was, it’s just getting there could feel a bit of a slog sometimes, much like the actual act of unpacking.
But really that’s not even where Unpacking’s magic lies, this game does such an incredible job of telling a coherent story with the only dialogue being the footnotes your character annotates each “new home” picture with, which culminates to maybe a couple dozen words by the end of the game. The protagonist goes through the aching pains of growing up, making new friends, falling in and out of love, and exciting career opportunities, and you gleam all of this through the simple act of getting things out of boxes and putting them in places.
I was enraged when I was forced to put the diploma under the bed, I was concerned when it was revealed my character needed a cane to get around, I was giddy when I saw their table-top miniature had finally been painted, I nearly cried when I got the stuffed pig out for the very last time.
Make no mistake, this is a narrative game, one that trusts the player to understand what it’s trying to say, but Witch Beam have done such an immaculate job of telling the story that you really don’t need to do a lot of legwork.
2016
"I've never been one to question providence."
Having played Bioshock perhaps a squintillion or more times previously, getting to play this game with someone unfamiliar with it's twists is simply wonderful, all the joy of the reveal while getting to see the magician set up it's tricks all throughout.
Bioshock enraptures (hehe) you from the get go, presenting you with a madman's giant gold statue who apparently doesn't see the irony in headlining this monument of ego with "No Gods or Kings". It eloquently demonstrates what's in store for you, which is a cavalcade of insane people who just so happen to be infinitely charismatic. Andrew Ryan and his underwater insane asylum are so richly engrossing and untapping the history of Rapture and it's downfall is always engaging, helped along by listening to old audio logs of some of Rapture's worst, and somehow, every now and then going, "Well, yeah, I suppose that's a reasonable thing to say given the circumstances"
That's how this game really gets it's spliced claws in you, everything and everyone is believable, you might think a man who built capitalist Atlantis was a megalomaniac, and you'd be correct, but by the end of it you at least understand WHY Andrew Ryan did what he did and where he went wrong, some of the audio logs are just so excellently written they had me grinning from ear to ear.
It's gameplay has aged quite well, I believe it could do better with some of it's weapon-swapping and balancing to really utilise every weapon (something Bioshock 2 improves on) but fights are always satisfying, mostly thanks to a surprisingly versatile set of AI who always seem to be dynamically responding to you, or at least are giving off the sufficient illusion that they are.
Of course, it's hacking system is a bit of a dud (again, addressed and resolved in the sequel but more on that when I finish it), sure it's fun to play pipe mania once or twice but it wears thin pretty much immediately after that, and I think the game almost acknowledges this by throwing auto-hacks galore at you in the final act.
This games worst attribute however is it's morality system and endings, something that's been spoken about multiple times since it's release. Choosing whether or not to murder a child isn't really an interesting choice to make, and it's not helped by the fact that Rescuing them gives you plenty of ADAM anyway, I was never starving for it and got pretty much every upgrade I wanted with no hassle. If it wanted to make it more of an interesting choice it should really give you about a quarter of the ADAM and make it that much more valuable, maybe then I'd be tempted to harvest one or two, because the "Bad Ending" certainly isn't worth it.
Having played Bioshock perhaps a squintillion or more times previously, getting to play this game with someone unfamiliar with it's twists is simply wonderful, all the joy of the reveal while getting to see the magician set up it's tricks all throughout.
Bioshock enraptures (hehe) you from the get go, presenting you with a madman's giant gold statue who apparently doesn't see the irony in headlining this monument of ego with "No Gods or Kings". It eloquently demonstrates what's in store for you, which is a cavalcade of insane people who just so happen to be infinitely charismatic. Andrew Ryan and his underwater insane asylum are so richly engrossing and untapping the history of Rapture and it's downfall is always engaging, helped along by listening to old audio logs of some of Rapture's worst, and somehow, every now and then going, "Well, yeah, I suppose that's a reasonable thing to say given the circumstances"
That's how this game really gets it's spliced claws in you, everything and everyone is believable, you might think a man who built capitalist Atlantis was a megalomaniac, and you'd be correct, but by the end of it you at least understand WHY Andrew Ryan did what he did and where he went wrong, some of the audio logs are just so excellently written they had me grinning from ear to ear.
It's gameplay has aged quite well, I believe it could do better with some of it's weapon-swapping and balancing to really utilise every weapon (something Bioshock 2 improves on) but fights are always satisfying, mostly thanks to a surprisingly versatile set of AI who always seem to be dynamically responding to you, or at least are giving off the sufficient illusion that they are.
Of course, it's hacking system is a bit of a dud (again, addressed and resolved in the sequel but more on that when I finish it), sure it's fun to play pipe mania once or twice but it wears thin pretty much immediately after that, and I think the game almost acknowledges this by throwing auto-hacks galore at you in the final act.
This games worst attribute however is it's morality system and endings, something that's been spoken about multiple times since it's release. Choosing whether or not to murder a child isn't really an interesting choice to make, and it's not helped by the fact that Rescuing them gives you plenty of ADAM anyway, I was never starving for it and got pretty much every upgrade I wanted with no hassle. If it wanted to make it more of an interesting choice it should really give you about a quarter of the ADAM and make it that much more valuable, maybe then I'd be tempted to harvest one or two, because the "Bad Ending" certainly isn't worth it.
Perhaps a little muted as time has marched on.
Make no mistake, Dishonored is an unforgettable title, one that revived a long-dormant genre at the time, and done with such style and grace that it was probably used as a reference point by executive producers as a pretty good idea to rip off. However, it being a product of a time just before an im-sim renaissance, it's sort of hard to get as excited for this game as I did when it first came out all those years ago.
It's not even necessarily a poorly executed game, but it's just a little too easy - or at least presents itself as easy. What I mean is that combat encounters and the moment-to-moment gameplay can be challenging, but navigating the world and figuring out the best way to deal with your enemies is far too simple. There are exceptionally well designed mini-open world spaces that are begging to be explored and within ten minutes you have some pissing map marker hovering your targets head after picking up a piece of paper with his routine that was conveniently left right where it needed it to be.
The joy really comes from HOW you deal with your target, and Dishonored does give you many options, there's nothing wrong with that, it just feels like a bit of a waste that you're never encouraged to do a little more critical and tactical thinking yourself.
And the DLC is...fine? It's more of the same. Daud's levels are especially "go play more", if you're looking for a story you really won't get much more than "The Outsider has pointed you towards exposition, away with ye". I even think it retroactively changes one of your choices in the main game if you play a certain way which...irks me slightly.
Overall this game is worth a play I'd say, tremendous amounts of fun and super stylish, but in this day and age you can get that and even more in other places, including by the very same people who made this, and probably in the very same franchise.
Make no mistake, Dishonored is an unforgettable title, one that revived a long-dormant genre at the time, and done with such style and grace that it was probably used as a reference point by executive producers as a pretty good idea to rip off. However, it being a product of a time just before an im-sim renaissance, it's sort of hard to get as excited for this game as I did when it first came out all those years ago.
It's not even necessarily a poorly executed game, but it's just a little too easy - or at least presents itself as easy. What I mean is that combat encounters and the moment-to-moment gameplay can be challenging, but navigating the world and figuring out the best way to deal with your enemies is far too simple. There are exceptionally well designed mini-open world spaces that are begging to be explored and within ten minutes you have some pissing map marker hovering your targets head after picking up a piece of paper with his routine that was conveniently left right where it needed it to be.
The joy really comes from HOW you deal with your target, and Dishonored does give you many options, there's nothing wrong with that, it just feels like a bit of a waste that you're never encouraged to do a little more critical and tactical thinking yourself.
And the DLC is...fine? It's more of the same. Daud's levels are especially "go play more", if you're looking for a story you really won't get much more than "The Outsider has pointed you towards exposition, away with ye". I even think it retroactively changes one of your choices in the main game if you play a certain way which...irks me slightly.
Overall this game is worth a play I'd say, tremendous amounts of fun and super stylish, but in this day and age you can get that and even more in other places, including by the very same people who made this, and probably in the very same franchise.
Utopia is waiting for us - as soon as everyone can agree on what Utopia looks like.
Look, I think we can all agree that BioShock 1 is a pretty good game, the atmosphere is great, voice acting is incredible, storybuilding is masterful and that whole "Would You Kindly" thing was pretty fuckin' neat as well right? Yeah, pretty good game. But I think we can all be grown ups now and have the big-kid talk, the tooth fairy isn't real, Santa Claus is a tyranical slave-owner, and BioShock 2 is a superior game to BioShock 1 in almost every way.
It's always a bit of a gamble handing a sequel over to a new studio for everyone involved, I can only imagine the devs' anxiety upon realising the boots that had to be filled when 2K demanded a sequel to the heavy-hitting predecessor, anxiety that was misplaced considering just how hard they smashed this.
Everything, and I mean EVERYTHING, that I disliked about BioShock 1 is resolved. Dumb hacking mini-game? Vastly improved. Clunky Plasmid/Weapon swapping? Just use both! At once! Alt ammo too much of a hassle? Not with Delta's magic reload flick! Overly-simple morality system? How about EIGHT endings you fucking rube!
Gameplay wise it just feels so much better, you are given the resources and encouraged to cycle between all your weapons and really pay attention to what you're buying, you're paying a lot more attention to your resources and your surroundings to try and survive Rapture and it makes the city itself seem that much more threatening.
The only place where I think BioShock 1 outshines it's sequel is in it's story, and I think that's only fair. BioShock 1 will stick with whoever plays it for years to come on it's final act alone, and BioShock 2 makes no mistake in trying to replicate that. Instead, it uses it's story to build upon the first games setting, really drive home Rapture and the warped ideas of it's citizens and the power hungry psychos that couldn't wait to build THEIR correct Kingdom of captialist/socialist/communist/whateverist heaven.
BioShock 2 knows it's place, makes itself a cozy home there, and doesn't realise that it surpassed it's parent at such an early age that it's almost embarrassing.
Look, I think we can all agree that BioShock 1 is a pretty good game, the atmosphere is great, voice acting is incredible, storybuilding is masterful and that whole "Would You Kindly" thing was pretty fuckin' neat as well right? Yeah, pretty good game. But I think we can all be grown ups now and have the big-kid talk, the tooth fairy isn't real, Santa Claus is a tyranical slave-owner, and BioShock 2 is a superior game to BioShock 1 in almost every way.
It's always a bit of a gamble handing a sequel over to a new studio for everyone involved, I can only imagine the devs' anxiety upon realising the boots that had to be filled when 2K demanded a sequel to the heavy-hitting predecessor, anxiety that was misplaced considering just how hard they smashed this.
Everything, and I mean EVERYTHING, that I disliked about BioShock 1 is resolved. Dumb hacking mini-game? Vastly improved. Clunky Plasmid/Weapon swapping? Just use both! At once! Alt ammo too much of a hassle? Not with Delta's magic reload flick! Overly-simple morality system? How about EIGHT endings you fucking rube!
Gameplay wise it just feels so much better, you are given the resources and encouraged to cycle between all your weapons and really pay attention to what you're buying, you're paying a lot more attention to your resources and your surroundings to try and survive Rapture and it makes the city itself seem that much more threatening.
The only place where I think BioShock 1 outshines it's sequel is in it's story, and I think that's only fair. BioShock 1 will stick with whoever plays it for years to come on it's final act alone, and BioShock 2 makes no mistake in trying to replicate that. Instead, it uses it's story to build upon the first games setting, really drive home Rapture and the warped ideas of it's citizens and the power hungry psychos that couldn't wait to build THEIR correct Kingdom of captialist/socialist/communist/whateverist heaven.
BioShock 2 knows it's place, makes itself a cozy home there, and doesn't realise that it surpassed it's parent at such an early age that it's almost embarrassing.