System: PlayStation 5
Rating: 77/100
Playtime: ~8 Hours
It was definitely a breath of fresh air to see story DLC that Rockstar put out. One that only left me wishing we actually saw what could've come out for Grand Theft Auto V.
I enjoyed the overall story and characters getting revisited almost as much as I enjoyed the main story. The main missions felt a bit short, and I didn't realize that the final mission came when it was coming. It didn't need hours extra, but I feel like an epilogue at least would've left me feeling satisfied.
One of my main issues with going through the main story of RDR now was that the gunplay felt outdated, or at least didn't click with me. This led to the some of the loops here feeling like drags; saving the cities from hordes, clearing cemeteries, etc. The shorter cities weren't bad, but some of them had 5+ bubbles to clear, and it just started to lose me.
Overall a good piece of the "remaster" package, and a good DLC that I wish we got more of.
Rating: 77/100
Playtime: ~8 Hours
It was definitely a breath of fresh air to see story DLC that Rockstar put out. One that only left me wishing we actually saw what could've come out for Grand Theft Auto V.
I enjoyed the overall story and characters getting revisited almost as much as I enjoyed the main story. The main missions felt a bit short, and I didn't realize that the final mission came when it was coming. It didn't need hours extra, but I feel like an epilogue at least would've left me feeling satisfied.
One of my main issues with going through the main story of RDR now was that the gunplay felt outdated, or at least didn't click with me. This led to the some of the loops here feeling like drags; saving the cities from hordes, clearing cemeteries, etc. The shorter cities weren't bad, but some of them had 5+ bubbles to clear, and it just started to lose me.
Overall a good piece of the "remaster" package, and a good DLC that I wish we got more of.
2023
This review contains spoilers
System: PlayStation 5
Rating: 93/100
Playtime: ~ 20 Hours
I know that I played this one when it first released, but I didn't remember anything except the ending and the first couple of hours. Given that, this was a very fresh experience for me to play through again and it still held up for the most part.
Some of my complaints just come from time, such as motion and the gunplay feeling dated. This is at least partially offset by the graphic updates made, and mostly by playing with the 60 FPS enabled after the recent update.
The story and characters are everything that you'd expect from a Rockstar game, and almost every character I met was at least enough to keep me interested. The scenery looked pretty good for the age, but it was noticeably empty for a large portion of the map. I found the things like Poker and Liar's Dice enjoyable for what they are, but it's the same activities filling out the towns and lack of them for a lot of the terrain.
Rating: 93/100
Playtime: ~ 20 Hours
I know that I played this one when it first released, but I didn't remember anything except the ending and the first couple of hours. Given that, this was a very fresh experience for me to play through again and it still held up for the most part.
Some of my complaints just come from time, such as motion and the gunplay feeling dated. This is at least partially offset by the graphic updates made, and mostly by playing with the 60 FPS enabled after the recent update.
The story and characters are everything that you'd expect from a Rockstar game, and almost every character I met was at least enough to keep me interested. The scenery looked pretty good for the age, but it was noticeably empty for a large portion of the map. I found the things like Poker and Liar's Dice enjoyable for what they are, but it's the same activities filling out the towns and lack of them for a lot of the terrain.
System: PlayStation 5
Rating: 88/100
Playtime: ~26 Hours
After largely missing the boat on the MCU, I'm left to only assume that Insomniac is nailing the vibes of it with these Spider-Man games. You can definitely enjoy the games on their own, but there's so much there to see if you've been following the games from the start; all the way down to side missions having their follow ups.
As I was going through the buildup of the game, I was a bit shaky on the dual paths of Miles and Peter, not sure if it would really grab me, but by the end of it, it made sense and I felt like they were also able to pull that off.
I didn't have many gripes with this one, but one thing that did end up sticking out to me by the end of the game, was how formulaic the boss battles felt. No specific spoilers on them, but the fact that they all felt like three phases ended up making them feel slightly repetitive, even though there was clearly different things happening in between those phases. It wasn't enough to detract from the overall experience, but it was something that I noticed.
Rating: 88/100
Playtime: ~26 Hours
After largely missing the boat on the MCU, I'm left to only assume that Insomniac is nailing the vibes of it with these Spider-Man games. You can definitely enjoy the games on their own, but there's so much there to see if you've been following the games from the start; all the way down to side missions having their follow ups.
As I was going through the buildup of the game, I was a bit shaky on the dual paths of Miles and Peter, not sure if it would really grab me, but by the end of it, it made sense and I felt like they were also able to pull that off.
I didn't have many gripes with this one, but one thing that did end up sticking out to me by the end of the game, was how formulaic the boss battles felt. No specific spoilers on them, but the fact that they all felt like three phases ended up making them feel slightly repetitive, even though there was clearly different things happening in between those phases. It wasn't enough to detract from the overall experience, but it was something that I noticed.
System: Steam Deck
Rating: 87/100
Playtime: ~20 Hours
I decided to give this one a try on the Steam Deck even though it's listed as Unsupported because I've seen mixed feedback on how it plays. It's one I've wanted to play through again, and luckily for me it played pretty flawless. There were odd things like cars bouncing up and down but I can't remember if that was something that happened anyways. I was able to get around 45 FPS pretty consistently, with it sometimes getting up to around 60, and sometimes dropping. I'm sure if you messed around you get different results, but I left everything on default to try and keep it simple. Got similar results both docked and in handheld.
As for the game itself, there's not much more that I can add that wouldn't have been said already. The story throughout was enjoyable, but I think it truly did climax at the end with the finale being where I was having the most fun. It's shocking that the game still feels so fresh with these stories still just not being told in gaming. The open world is pretty standard open world activities, getting different collectibles and completing side missions that take a few minutes a piece. If somehow you haven't played this one yet I'd highly recommend grabbing, especially if it's on Steam where it's on a pretty consistent deep discounted.
Rating: 87/100
Playtime: ~20 Hours
I decided to give this one a try on the Steam Deck even though it's listed as Unsupported because I've seen mixed feedback on how it plays. It's one I've wanted to play through again, and luckily for me it played pretty flawless. There were odd things like cars bouncing up and down but I can't remember if that was something that happened anyways. I was able to get around 45 FPS pretty consistently, with it sometimes getting up to around 60, and sometimes dropping. I'm sure if you messed around you get different results, but I left everything on default to try and keep it simple. Got similar results both docked and in handheld.
As for the game itself, there's not much more that I can add that wouldn't have been said already. The story throughout was enjoyable, but I think it truly did climax at the end with the finale being where I was having the most fun. It's shocking that the game still feels so fresh with these stories still just not being told in gaming. The open world is pretty standard open world activities, getting different collectibles and completing side missions that take a few minutes a piece. If somehow you haven't played this one yet I'd highly recommend grabbing, especially if it's on Steam where it's on a pretty consistent deep discounted.
2022
This review contains spoilers
System: Nintendo Switch
Rating: 82/100
Playtime: Unknown
I've got to start off with the whole "chapters" mechanic of the game. It's probably my favorite part, as even the chapters that were dragging didn't last too long, and the ones I enjoyed felt like they were fresh the whole time through. Every chapter felt different which was so cool, considering it could've just been a standard JRPG.
Spoilers here, but seeing that mechanic all come together in the end and lead to the ultimate ending was also so unique. I was at first concerned that there could've been an additional build before getting to face off against Odin, but after you face the first version, it made a lot more sense to me. Getting to experience "closing" the chapters one after another was a satisfying way to handle that as well.
Rating: 82/100
Playtime: Unknown
I've got to start off with the whole "chapters" mechanic of the game. It's probably my favorite part, as even the chapters that were dragging didn't last too long, and the ones I enjoyed felt like they were fresh the whole time through. Every chapter felt different which was so cool, considering it could've just been a standard JRPG.
Spoilers here, but seeing that mechanic all come together in the end and lead to the ultimate ending was also so unique. I was at first concerned that there could've been an additional build before getting to face off against Odin, but after you face the first version, it made a lot more sense to me. Getting to experience "closing" the chapters one after another was a satisfying way to handle that as well.
System: PlayStation 5
Rating: 76/100
Playtime: ~15 Hours
A game that clearly "feels" like a PlayStation 2 era game, but with the polish that makes the game look very nice as you're playing. The gameplay loop is a simple one, but for the most part feels good compared to the modern era of open world games being a huge slog to get through eventually.
The missions in this do end up feeling repetitive, but it's still a fun time to use the weapons in your arsenal. The game has a solid length, and especially if you stay with just the main missions, it doesn't ask for too much of your time. It's definitely worth a try, and it makes me wish we got a new entry in the series.
Rating: 76/100
Playtime: ~15 Hours
A game that clearly "feels" like a PlayStation 2 era game, but with the polish that makes the game look very nice as you're playing. The gameplay loop is a simple one, but for the most part feels good compared to the modern era of open world games being a huge slog to get through eventually.
The missions in this do end up feeling repetitive, but it's still a fun time to use the weapons in your arsenal. The game has a solid length, and especially if you stay with just the main missions, it doesn't ask for too much of your time. It's definitely worth a try, and it makes me wish we got a new entry in the series.
2014
This review contains spoilers
System: PlayStation 5
Rating: 64/100
Playtime: ~13 Hours
There's definitely a good game in here, but unfortunately there's so much in it that I just didn't like about it. It's a standard Infamous game, with the karma system and choices at major sections, but the gameplay is so much less interesting than I remember on the original two games.
There's so many little things that baffled me as I going through it, like locking a full sprint behind an upgrade. I also don't know about the smoke being your first power, as it's just so uninteresting. The story was passable, and if the gameplay was fun I would've looked passed it. Unfortunately, I didn't enjoy the gameplay much, so things like Delsin being a boring main character hurts it.
Spoilers are coming, but the end game stuff needs to be mentioned as well. The fact that Frank's actions are supposed to be such a dramatic turn in the plot felt shallow, as we didn't even spend much time with him. After one mission I'm supposed to feel a connection the character? The final boss fight also was annoying, as it felt phoned in as opposed to an exciting conclusion. I kept getting stuck on things in the room where the boss took up what felt like half of it on their own.
Rating: 64/100
Playtime: ~13 Hours
There's definitely a good game in here, but unfortunately there's so much in it that I just didn't like about it. It's a standard Infamous game, with the karma system and choices at major sections, but the gameplay is so much less interesting than I remember on the original two games.
There's so many little things that baffled me as I going through it, like locking a full sprint behind an upgrade. I also don't know about the smoke being your first power, as it's just so uninteresting. The story was passable, and if the gameplay was fun I would've looked passed it. Unfortunately, I didn't enjoy the gameplay much, so things like Delsin being a boring main character hurts it.
Spoilers are coming, but the end game stuff needs to be mentioned as well. The fact that Frank's actions are supposed to be such a dramatic turn in the plot felt shallow, as we didn't even spend much time with him. After one mission I'm supposed to feel a connection the character? The final boss fight also was annoying, as it felt phoned in as opposed to an exciting conclusion. I kept getting stuck on things in the room where the boss took up what felt like half of it on their own.
2019
This review contains spoilers
System: PlayStation 5
Rating: 58/100
Playtime: ~5 Hours
Right away this game was reminding me of my feelings towards Stray when I played through that. It's a game that is at it's best when you're walking around the town, placing down your art and bringing the city to life. Unfortunately like with Stray, I just didn't enjoy the gameplay, or find it very fun.
This will contain slight spoilers at some of the later game differences, but I feel like it's necessary to explain what I didn't enjoy.
When it came to the platforming and the later combat system, everything was very simple at best. At worst though, the game was just uninteresting, or frustrating. The platforming was just not exciting and back to my point on Stray, that was a weak point and this was even worse for me.
The late game tone shift also was something that I didn't need, and actively didn't want as it was taking place. The combat was extremely easy for me, and it boiled down to where I wasn't needing to dodge, I was simply mashing the square button with the occasional shield breaking.
I believe if the game went full on with just different scenarios to place the art, or in depth puzzles the game could've achieved so much for me. There's still a lot to enjoy here for the first half of the game, but it's just too bad that the second half brought my enjoyment down. Unfortunately there will no longer be the opportunity for a sequel, or a spinoff building on this as the studio is shutting down as of this writing. I'd love to see another stab taken at the idea from somewhere, because I could've loved this game.
Rating: 58/100
Playtime: ~5 Hours
Right away this game was reminding me of my feelings towards Stray when I played through that. It's a game that is at it's best when you're walking around the town, placing down your art and bringing the city to life. Unfortunately like with Stray, I just didn't enjoy the gameplay, or find it very fun.
This will contain slight spoilers at some of the later game differences, but I feel like it's necessary to explain what I didn't enjoy.
When it came to the platforming and the later combat system, everything was very simple at best. At worst though, the game was just uninteresting, or frustrating. The platforming was just not exciting and back to my point on Stray, that was a weak point and this was even worse for me.
The late game tone shift also was something that I didn't need, and actively didn't want as it was taking place. The combat was extremely easy for me, and it boiled down to where I wasn't needing to dodge, I was simply mashing the square button with the occasional shield breaking.
I believe if the game went full on with just different scenarios to place the art, or in depth puzzles the game could've achieved so much for me. There's still a lot to enjoy here for the first half of the game, but it's just too bad that the second half brought my enjoyment down. Unfortunately there will no longer be the opportunity for a sequel, or a spinoff building on this as the studio is shutting down as of this writing. I'd love to see another stab taken at the idea from somewhere, because I could've loved this game.
2018
This review contains spoilers
System: PlayStation 5
Rating: 90/100
Playtime: ~27 Hours
Continuing with the theme of playing through games I've missed, I finally got around to playing God of War. I originally started with the Ragnarok just releasing, but time slipped away and I've gotten back to it now.
I originally played through the first God of War when I got it in the remastered PS3 copies, but never made it passed that. It was thus a very interesting journey to see the newer, "softer", version of Kratos. Starting off with a similar version to what I was used to, I enjoyed the progression leading up to the game's conclusion. The relationship between Kratos and Atreus was it's own version of touching, seeing the two grow together.
The moments like the few big boss fights would have to be described as "epic", starting off with the first clash that you have at the house. These were some of my favorite moments throughout the game, with the finish of the final fight touching on the relationship of the two main characters, showing how far we'd come.
The middle of the game hit a rough patch where I didn't love the writing of Atreus, but I can definitely understand the purpose of what they did. I felt like the writing was a bit on the nose, but it still served it's purpose.
Originally I thought that the combat was going to be a significant weak point for me, but after messing around in the settings I found the option that worked best for me, and I'd recommend that if you're struggling to click with it.
The navigation was also a mixed bag for me. I actually enjoy games that go in a different direction than a mini-map with a line directing you where to go; like the wind in Ghost of Tsushima. This game, however, was difficult for me to follow with solely the compass, and the map was confusing to me until embarrassingly late into my run. These are issues that are going to be on a player by player basis, and may not effect your experience.
Rating: 90/100
Playtime: ~27 Hours
Continuing with the theme of playing through games I've missed, I finally got around to playing God of War. I originally started with the Ragnarok just releasing, but time slipped away and I've gotten back to it now.
I originally played through the first God of War when I got it in the remastered PS3 copies, but never made it passed that. It was thus a very interesting journey to see the newer, "softer", version of Kratos. Starting off with a similar version to what I was used to, I enjoyed the progression leading up to the game's conclusion. The relationship between Kratos and Atreus was it's own version of touching, seeing the two grow together.
The moments like the few big boss fights would have to be described as "epic", starting off with the first clash that you have at the house. These were some of my favorite moments throughout the game, with the finish of the final fight touching on the relationship of the two main characters, showing how far we'd come.
The middle of the game hit a rough patch where I didn't love the writing of Atreus, but I can definitely understand the purpose of what they did. I felt like the writing was a bit on the nose, but it still served it's purpose.
Originally I thought that the combat was going to be a significant weak point for me, but after messing around in the settings I found the option that worked best for me, and I'd recommend that if you're struggling to click with it.
The navigation was also a mixed bag for me. I actually enjoy games that go in a different direction than a mini-map with a line directing you where to go; like the wind in Ghost of Tsushima. This game, however, was difficult for me to follow with solely the compass, and the map was confusing to me until embarrassingly late into my run. These are issues that are going to be on a player by player basis, and may not effect your experience.
2013
This review contains spoilers
System: Steam Deck
Rating: 82/100
Playtime: ~8 1/2 Hours
A game that I wanted to play since it originally released, and have had it sitting in my Steam library for years I finally played after getting a Steam Deck.
The main positive here is just how fun the game was to play through. While the action sequences never reached the height of some of Uncharted's, there were plenty of sequences throughout and I had fun with all of them. I also don't believe the gunplay would've been revolutionary, but it wasn't frustrating, and I enjoyed that as well.
The graphics were shocking to me for the period this came out, but I'm sure playing on the smaller screen on the Deck helped with that. Speaking of the deck, the settings I played on usually stayed between 50-60 frames, but there was one town area that made it chug around 30, with frame drops.
The biggest thing holding the game back from being even better was the story. The story all along was fine, but nothing too interesting, mainly just a way to make the action make sense. There was a huge missed opportunity with the relationship between Croft and Roth. This could've been built for at least the full game, if not going into the sequels. Most of the crew that ended up on the island didn't end up being fleshed out, and that made the finale hit less than it should've. Overall the game was fun, but it could've and should've been more if the story and characters were fleshed out like it could've been.
Rating: 82/100
Playtime: ~8 1/2 Hours
A game that I wanted to play since it originally released, and have had it sitting in my Steam library for years I finally played after getting a Steam Deck.
The main positive here is just how fun the game was to play through. While the action sequences never reached the height of some of Uncharted's, there were plenty of sequences throughout and I had fun with all of them. I also don't believe the gunplay would've been revolutionary, but it wasn't frustrating, and I enjoyed that as well.
The graphics were shocking to me for the period this came out, but I'm sure playing on the smaller screen on the Deck helped with that. Speaking of the deck, the settings I played on usually stayed between 50-60 frames, but there was one town area that made it chug around 30, with frame drops.
The biggest thing holding the game back from being even better was the story. The story all along was fine, but nothing too interesting, mainly just a way to make the action make sense. There was a huge missed opportunity with the relationship between Croft and Roth. This could've been built for at least the full game, if not going into the sequels. Most of the crew that ended up on the island didn't end up being fleshed out, and that made the finale hit less than it should've. Overall the game was fun, but it could've and should've been more if the story and characters were fleshed out like it could've been.
2022
System: Steam Deck
Rating: 65/100
Playtime: 28 Minutes
A fine little introduction to the Steam Deck. A few moments that made me laugh which isn't bad when you consider that it's the runtime of a tv show. It's just tough when there Astro's Playroom that was an experience while doing similar things, that this just feels empty. You wouldn't regret playing this if you just got a Steam Deck, but you don't miss much if you do.
Rating: 65/100
Playtime: 28 Minutes
A fine little introduction to the Steam Deck. A few moments that made me laugh which isn't bad when you consider that it's the runtime of a tv show. It's just tough when there Astro's Playroom that was an experience while doing similar things, that this just feels empty. You wouldn't regret playing this if you just got a Steam Deck, but you don't miss much if you do.
2023
This review contains spoilers
System: PlayStation 5
Rating: 77/100
Playtime: ~26 Hours
Hogwarts Legacy is at it's best when it's allowing you just live in the world. It shows that it's shakier however when it comes to the things that the developers had to make their own. The combat system is fine, but at times frustrating. The enemies were both too easy, beating them just by spamming your abilities, but also at times overwhelming, trapping me without letting me block or dodge. The story was also not particularly interesting, with the finale leaving me with little to look back on fondly.
Rating: 77/100
Playtime: ~26 Hours
Hogwarts Legacy is at it's best when it's allowing you just live in the world. It shows that it's shakier however when it comes to the things that the developers had to make their own. The combat system is fine, but at times frustrating. The enemies were both too easy, beating them just by spamming your abilities, but also at times overwhelming, trapping me without letting me block or dodge. The story was also not particularly interesting, with the finale leaving me with little to look back on fondly.
2022
System: PlayStation 5
Rating: 68/100
Playtime: ~4 Hours
For a game that has been largely boiled down to "the cat is cute", my thoughts are heavily mixed. The game shines the most when you're just focused on "roleplaying" as the cat. The problems start to pop up when you're actually playing the game, and you have to deal with the mechanics. Pressing X to jump is a unique way to handle the platforming, but when the icon changes to a new spot to jump it ends up being more frustrating than fun. If the concept of playing as a cat as a main character is interesting to you, I'd give Stray a shot, especially if you have PS Plus Extra. If that doesn't hook you, I'm not sure the actual gameplay will be enough to win you over.
Rating: 68/100
Playtime: ~4 Hours
For a game that has been largely boiled down to "the cat is cute", my thoughts are heavily mixed. The game shines the most when you're just focused on "roleplaying" as the cat. The problems start to pop up when you're actually playing the game, and you have to deal with the mechanics. Pressing X to jump is a unique way to handle the platforming, but when the icon changes to a new spot to jump it ends up being more frustrating than fun. If the concept of playing as a cat as a main character is interesting to you, I'd give Stray a shot, especially if you have PS Plus Extra. If that doesn't hook you, I'm not sure the actual gameplay will be enough to win you over.
System: PlayStation 5
Rating: 7/10
Playtime: ~95 Hours
Valhalla gave me a new appreciation for what this style of game is best at. Go through the story and pay attention along the way, but it's perfect to use as a background while listening to music, podcasts, etc. The way that the story is told is interesting, and I enjoyed it more than the three paths that Odyssey took. The game does have it's bugs, but nothing game breaking came up for me during my playthrough.
Rating: 7/10
Playtime: ~95 Hours
Valhalla gave me a new appreciation for what this style of game is best at. Go through the story and pay attention along the way, but it's perfect to use as a background while listening to music, podcasts, etc. The way that the story is told is interesting, and I enjoyed it more than the three paths that Odyssey took. The game does have it's bugs, but nothing game breaking came up for me during my playthrough.
2020
System: PlayStation 5
Rating: 9/10
Playtime: ~3 Hours
Astro's Playroom is a game that I originally hadn't put much thought into, but I'm glad that changed. The game is packed full of references to Sony's history, and even the most recent fans with have something to give them nostalgia. It's a great example of what the controller could do, but it's more than that as it's a fun platforming experience. It left me wanting more, and a hopefully that comes in the future. The soundtrack is great, and I can't wait to return back to get the platinum trophy.
Rating: 9/10
Playtime: ~3 Hours
Astro's Playroom is a game that I originally hadn't put much thought into, but I'm glad that changed. The game is packed full of references to Sony's history, and even the most recent fans with have something to give them nostalgia. It's a great example of what the controller could do, but it's more than that as it's a fun platforming experience. It left me wanting more, and a hopefully that comes in the future. The soundtrack is great, and I can't wait to return back to get the platinum trophy.