2021
Imploring anyone who has some kind of moral issue with this game to play it for more than 10 seconds
2019
A masterclass in adventure and the wonder of discovery. The antidote to AAA open world malaise.
The singleplayer maps are gigantic, and gesture at the ability to approach your objective through multiple means, but the game never really delivers on this promise and only leaves you with average-for-a-video-game squad banter and a checklist of AAA FPS setpieces. The destruction was a lot of the appeal, sure, but right now this thing's pretty uninspiring when you go back to it.
I dislike top-down racers on principle, but this completely swayed me. Incredible physics and laid-back progression make it easy to nibble on.
2019
A beautiful comedy sandbox which may disappoint people looking for something to really sink their teeth into.
2008
in 2008, a few more kids than usual tried to wallrun outside their school and fell over
2004
Inconsistently brilliant level design and a sombre, atmospheric world frame a tastefully applied but occasionally comedic physics system. Shame the guns are so flat.
More levels like the highway level!
More levels like the highway level!
2013
Planted its flag on the proverbial moon of cheeky narrative design way too long ago for anyone else to be trying this shit.
2013
I cannot take anyone who sincerely enjoys this game beyond the first hour or two seriously.
1999
The sound design is still that good.
2019
The most interesting open world game I've played. The greatest accomplishment here is the mechanical reckoning with the actual implications of an open-world game: you're endlessly sprinting and fast-traveling across vast swaths of land in most games like this one, yet in DS, just getting there becomes meaningful when traversal is this involved. I love it.
What I didn't love was the pacing of the story. Most of the story is thrust into the last 7-10 hours of this 40+ hour game, for some reason.
What I didn't love was the pacing of the story. Most of the story is thrust into the last 7-10 hours of this 40+ hour game, for some reason.
1993
The cockpit mode works pretty well, actually!
Squint through the framerate and you can see the embryo of Starfox 64 in there, training. Learning. Growing ever stronger...
Squint through the framerate and you can see the embryo of Starfox 64 in there, training. Learning. Growing ever stronger...
2007
Worth for any Final Fantasy fan.
The flashback stories add a beautiful depth to the characters, even if the main scenario swings erratically between classic JRPG schlock and stunning melancholy.
The modular skill-trading battle mechanics are an excellent example of mechanical storytelling, illustrating the relationship between the immortals and mortals without saying a word. These, and a wonderful soundtrack, kept me chugging through the occasionally rocky difficulty curve.
The flashback stories add a beautiful depth to the characters, even if the main scenario swings erratically between classic JRPG schlock and stunning melancholy.
The modular skill-trading battle mechanics are an excellent example of mechanical storytelling, illustrating the relationship between the immortals and mortals without saying a word. These, and a wonderful soundtrack, kept me chugging through the occasionally rocky difficulty curve.
The core appeal of this game, for me, was the discovery, which makes it un-replayable until I inevitably suffer dementia.
But man, was that first playthrough magical.
But man, was that first playthrough magical.
2020
Does exactly what it says on the tin. Weakest in the moments between missions.