Palworld's monumental success is in my opinion a testament to how starved of Pokémon-like games those outside of Nintendo's ecosystem are, and is perhaps an indictment of Nintendo and Game Freaks own ineptitude to capitalize on this: both through a lack of any meaningful ports to other systems and also a lack of innovation in their own general game structure.

Palworld is a highly derivative and sometimes even a blatant copycat of other games in the survival-builder genre. Mixing and mashing various different survival games functions from games like Ark, various Minecraft mods, Valheim; taking the well known Monster Collector theme from Pokémon alongside it's anime/cartoon-like aesthetic with cutesy monsters many of which are incredibly similar to their Nintendo counterparts; and even adding a few of their own concepts here and there to really bring it all together.

I've played the game for a little over 5 hours with friends and I have to say, despite any criticisms I might have over concepts like 'originality' or 'shamelessness', the fact of it all is that this game is damn fun and it's a breath of fresh air over what has been a pretty dead genre for me. I mean Pokémon sweatshops? How could I resist?

While Palworld isn't quite the co-op Pokémon I've always dreamt of (if anything Poke-MMO is more down that alley) this definitely scratches that Pixelmon itch -but without all the disorganized bloat that generally comes along with Minecraft mod-packs.

Rather than an Open-World Co-Op Pokémon, I see Palworld as more of a refined Pixelmon. A game that focuses more on the survival builder aspects -with Monster Collecting as a bonus on top of that. That's fine and it's more than fun, but I have to say Palworld leaves me wanting a more 'Pokémon but on PC' experience that Palworld doesn't quite itch.

I hope that Nintendo sees the success of this and instead of focusing on trying to destroy and bring down the success of other games, focuses on properly innovating their own. Pokémon as an IP has so much more potential than Nintendo seems to realize, and people are hungry for more.

Overall though I've been pretty impressed by Palworld. For an early access game I've had remarkably few issues with it and there is plenty of content to explore. I would like more purpose and direction, but I think that there is a lot here to enjoy already.

I probably won't play for a long time, survival games don't have a long lifespan for someone like me. But I think that there is a lot to enjoy here and Palworld has been one of the better survival games I've played -maybe due in part to my desire for Pokémon-like games.

3/5

As a 3D platformer, this game is fantastic. Beyond the movement being extremely fluid and responsive it has an aspect that I seek out of 3D platformers, expressing yourself with said movement. You can, in a way, sequence break levels, which I did a lot by abusing the wallkick, to the point that the bounce jump was the very last upgrade I got. It's the perfect combination of letting you go crazy with the sandbox of movement, but also incentivizing you to do so.
However, as a metroidvania, ehh...
The combat just sort of exists and while the lack of a map is a problem the real issue the lack of direction. It never actually feels like any of the areas are connected, so a lot of time I got this feeling of "Oh, I'm here?" At the very least I appreciate the game's direction of "Just go find these 5 thingamagigs and get to the end."
The foundation is more than great, so I'm hoping a sequel comes one day to polish the rough edges.

the movement in this game feels so good it makes me wanna cry. i dont know how i can play any other 3d platformer anymore if it doesnt feel this great. sybil i want you

ok but my only complaint is that the lack of map or a clearer indication of where the abilities are made it a little confusing early on. i dont mind the not having a map too much otherwise but if you havent gotten a decent moveset yet it can feel like youre running around in circles. other than that, this games super short, feels AMAZING to control, good art direction, good music and incredibly cheap. theres no reason for you not to try it

Pizza Tower landed on my radar about 4 years ago, and it honestly entranced me. It's no secret that Nintendo has let quite a few of their franchises fall to the wayside over the years, but those franchises are old enough to have fans that are now willing to take matters into their own hands.

The artwork in this game is completely unhinged. Everything is overly detailed and animated in the best way possible. Peppino looks like he's going through 13 midlife crises at any given time. Truly, a man of the people. It's all fully animated in painstakingly detailed sprites, to boot! If I had it draw comparisons to anything, it would be the more out-there kinds of 90s animation; Stuff like Cartoon Network's "Cow and Chicken", or Nickelodeon's "Ren and Stimpy". It's definitely deliberate, seeing how every level starts with its own unique title card.

Heavily inspired by Wario Land 4, Peppino's moveset primarily consists of grabbing enemies with a melee attack, or dashing straight through them at Mach 4. The dash mechanics are this game's claim to fame, really. You can run up walls by jumping at them or using slopes, barreling through anything in your path. This game has hidden movement tech! Like, actual, godforsaken "Super Metroid shinespark" type movement tech, and it is endlessly fun to play around with. All the levels have a real sense of flow to them, reflected in the fact that there's a combo meter, score, and ranking system in place to reward players who learn the layouts. That's not to say you have to run past everything. Pizza Tower is littered with secrets, inside and outside the regular stages. Can't forget the iconic escape sequence at the end of each stage as well. Every single level is thematically unique, and throws its own unique mechanics into the mix. Part of me can never stop laughing at whatever new, absurd thing that the game decides to throw at me next. Grind rails? Sure! A chicken on my head? Why not!? A gun? Okay, maybe that's a bit too far, put the gun down, Peppino--PEPPINO, PUT DOWN THE GUN

The only genuine low point for me is the bosses. They are completely relentless, and a lot of the attacks you have to avoid can feel borderline random. Doesn't help that they're all twice as long as originally advertised; their health refills for a more frenetic round 2 once you knock off all their initial HP. It also hurts that the OST is just good. The stage music sounds great while I'm playing the stages themselves, but the only songs I can remember are the escape themes (the optional "Lap 2" theme absolutely rocks). It's a lot of fast paced synths, guitar, bass, and drums, and while each track is distinct, as a whole, they kinda blend together. (EDIT: What the fuck was I talking about here? The OST is incredible. Full stop.)

It delights me to no end that this game turned out the way it did. It started out looking like a Wario Land game, only to shift hard into its dash mechanics and gain an identity of its own. Its humor is cheesy, its content is beefy, there's a lot of love mixed into the sauce (at least, I hope to god that's just love I tasted), and it's been baked to perfection. It's pizza time.

HALLOMAD 2.0 GAME #6

A good but not great shooter that you can definitely tell had a fucked up development. Carried by the fantastic banter between Garcia and Johnson alongside excellent aesthethic design (and music from Silent Hill legend Akira Yamaoka). Do think the game could be a bit shorter because almost every level feels way too long with some even having odd transitions to sections that feel like they didnt need to exist. Act 4 in particular (the longest act by far) has way too many gimmicks that just feel like annoying padding. Despite that all I'd still recommend Shadows Of The Damned for anyone looking for a good time this spooky season.

7.5/10

HALLOMAD 2.0 GAME #7

As the final Silent Hill game before the 2 remake and F, Downpour is a middling entry that ends a strange era for this legendary franchise. While I appreciate things like the amazing aesthetic that uses rain to great affect (best detail being how the otherworld gets affected) and return of series staples like the puzzle difficulty, other things such as the combat being complete shit and exploration feeling really annoying weigh things down considerably. The characters are also a mixed bag, with Murphy being a solid protagonist while the side characters range from interesting (Mailman) to a bit bland (DJ,Anne). Another thing this game continues to fumble is the monster designs, with all of them being complete ass with the worst offender being the bogeyman, rivaling only Origins Butcher in complete Pyramid Head ripoffs.

Despite these issues I'd still hesitantly recommend going through Downpour just to see how ambitious a title it is. It's certainly no Homecoming but it sadly isn't a Shattered Memories.

6/10

Despite some dodgy combat and inconsistent pacing, Alan Wake is a phenomenal game with solid atmosphere and a gripping narrative.

What I enjoyed most about Alan Wake would be its setting and characters, with Bright Falls being a weird area with tons of fun moments and Alan Wake being the perfect protagonist to be placed in, an asshole author who's writing makes things even worse. Also feel that the atmosphere of Alan Wake is some of the best Remedy has done, keeping a very dark tone throughout with lots of light hearted moments or amazing set pieces (the concert being my favorite moment). Writing is also razor sharp, with incredible performances all around (Barry my beloved).

Biggest issues with the game I'd start with would definitely be the combat. In theory I love the idea of using light to weaken enemies and using conventional weapons to finish them off (or in extreme cases a flare gun or flashbangs). In execution the games variety feels way too limited in a game that lasts way too long, with the dlc in particular making me really wish it focused more on puzzles (which are in the game but are too sporadic). Some enemies also feel incredibly annoying to fight, with the teleporting ones and ranged in particular being absolutely frustrating to deal with, especially in cases where they are required to finish the section. Another issue I had was the pacing, in particular the later sections have characters that are required to move to a certain area for progress, making certain areas feel incredibly tedious and drawn out.

Despite that I still absolutely loved Alan Wake and can't wait to see how II improves on things. It's been a decade since so hopefully Alan Wakes story can conclude on a high note.

8.5/10