innkeeper
When I was in my horror game craze I gave this infamous title a shot shortly before realizing horror games where you can't fight back even in the smallest sense aren't really my thing.
2018
Good atmosphere with unbearable gameplay
2017
I think I got soft-locked but from what I played it was amazing. One of the greatest protagonists ever with a killer soundtrack and original gameplay.
Even if I were to say "I have no words for it", I would still write a ten-page essay on Death Stranding just talking about how crazy it is in the best way possible. But in short, I should just say I spent years just hearing things about it but never fully diving into what it truly is about. 5 years after the release and a shit ton amount of hearsay, here I am, realizing no amount of discussion I would be exposed to would prepare me for it.
Death Stranding is one of those games that push the boundaries of the medium and make you realize you could care about the craziest things in the world. Delivering cargo to assholes? Rebuilding highway roads with resources that require ungodly amounts of grinding? An unborn baby in a yellow pod? Hour-long cutscenes? A 60-year-old Japanese guy's dream ensemble cast playing characters with cool names and vastly engrossing backstories?
Yeah, Death Stranding has it all. And despite being a 50-hour long "Stabilize your cargo, and do it slowly but not that slow!" simulator, it finds a way to keep you interested at every turn. Whenever you think the game becomes stale, repetitive, or boring, it introduces a new mechanic or something to make your job easier, but not that easy.
The first half of the game is a bit too long. I think I spent 4/5 of my gameplay time in the first half and the last 10 hours in the second half. The story gets much more interesting and fast-paced in the second half with deliveries requiring less and less repetition. This is also accompanied by a few annoying stuff, like losing the entirety of your get-up every other hour, which makes you feel like the progress you made outside the story didn't help you much in the end. The story also relies on heavy parallels and reveals but they can be hard to track or underwhelming at times.
All this is still not enough to undermine the overall amazing experience. There aren't many games that make you feel like your journey was for a noble cause and you really did make a difference in the world. Death Stranding is certainly one of the lucky bunch. It just happens to be accompanied by uneven terrain and weird co-op.
Death Stranding is one of those games that push the boundaries of the medium and make you realize you could care about the craziest things in the world. Delivering cargo to assholes? Rebuilding highway roads with resources that require ungodly amounts of grinding? An unborn baby in a yellow pod? Hour-long cutscenes? A 60-year-old Japanese guy's dream ensemble cast playing characters with cool names and vastly engrossing backstories?
Yeah, Death Stranding has it all. And despite being a 50-hour long "Stabilize your cargo, and do it slowly but not that slow!" simulator, it finds a way to keep you interested at every turn. Whenever you think the game becomes stale, repetitive, or boring, it introduces a new mechanic or something to make your job easier, but not that easy.
The first half of the game is a bit too long. I think I spent 4/5 of my gameplay time in the first half and the last 10 hours in the second half. The story gets much more interesting and fast-paced in the second half with deliveries requiring less and less repetition. This is also accompanied by a few annoying stuff, like losing the entirety of your get-up every other hour, which makes you feel like the progress you made outside the story didn't help you much in the end. The story also relies on heavy parallels and reveals but they can be hard to track or underwhelming at times.
All this is still not enough to undermine the overall amazing experience. There aren't many games that make you feel like your journey was for a noble cause and you really did make a difference in the world. Death Stranding is certainly one of the lucky bunch. It just happens to be accompanied by uneven terrain and weird co-op.
2009
Whoever had the genius idea of implementing the entirety of the first game into this has my neverending gratitude
Might genuinely have the best voice acting I have ever seen in a video game
2011
This game is just a constant shift between "It's so over" and "We're so back" in an unhealthy amount of changes to your self-confidence.
Overall I think it's better than the first one in terms of story and gameplay, but I'm not a fan of how you spend almost the entirety of the game in the bumblefucks of the laboratory. I enjoyed actually being in test chambers more, and I don't think it's incorporated very well in this one. Most of the time you have to navigate back corners of the vastly empty spaces, and use the zoom to barely find surfaces to place your portal.
Still, the elaborate story and the new mechanics that make the chambers more fun were very enjoyable. A solid game about two enemies-to-friends gals with a portal gun. They don't make'em like they used to.
Overall I think it's better than the first one in terms of story and gameplay, but I'm not a fan of how you spend almost the entirety of the game in the bumblefucks of the laboratory. I enjoyed actually being in test chambers more, and I don't think it's incorporated very well in this one. Most of the time you have to navigate back corners of the vastly empty spaces, and use the zoom to barely find surfaces to place your portal.
Still, the elaborate story and the new mechanics that make the chambers more fun were very enjoyable. A solid game about two enemies-to-friends gals with a portal gun. They don't make'em like they used to.
2010
Singularity was an experience that started off with me saying "This game again?"
I guess after years of playing single player FPS games, you start to see that almost each and every (good) one boils down to a few core elements. Your vehicle crashes, you're stranded on an isolated location with almost no weapons, you make your way through this unknown territory finding weapons and tools, at some point you're DEFINITELY tasked with finding a communications tower to send an S.O.S., you probably meet up with your comrades or some friendly new people at some point but they die after half a mission, etc. So yeah, I asked myself if I'm really gonna play this game again, and to my surprise, I did.
Because as it turns out Singularity had a great level & art design, some decent creepy atmosphere half the time, and satisfying weapon handling especially thanks to bullets that tear off limbs instead of grazing off enemies. I especially love shooter games that introduce sci-fi technologies and weird creatures as part of gameplay (see, Bioshock, Metro) so this was icing on the cake that was certainly a solid shooter.
Then the game delved deeper into the time mechanics and introduced some simplistic yet fun puzzles and combined it with the combat and well, that did it for me! I ended up loving it much more than I thought I would. It's certainly a solid shooter with fun gameplay and story.
My only complaint is the lack of accessibility that even makes the story hard to follow at some point. I mean, come on, English isn't even my first language and I have to endure it in Russian accent? Not cool, guys.
I guess after years of playing single player FPS games, you start to see that almost each and every (good) one boils down to a few core elements. Your vehicle crashes, you're stranded on an isolated location with almost no weapons, you make your way through this unknown territory finding weapons and tools, at some point you're DEFINITELY tasked with finding a communications tower to send an S.O.S., you probably meet up with your comrades or some friendly new people at some point but they die after half a mission, etc. So yeah, I asked myself if I'm really gonna play this game again, and to my surprise, I did.
Because as it turns out Singularity had a great level & art design, some decent creepy atmosphere half the time, and satisfying weapon handling especially thanks to bullets that tear off limbs instead of grazing off enemies. I especially love shooter games that introduce sci-fi technologies and weird creatures as part of gameplay (see, Bioshock, Metro) so this was icing on the cake that was certainly a solid shooter.
Then the game delved deeper into the time mechanics and introduced some simplistic yet fun puzzles and combined it with the combat and well, that did it for me! I ended up loving it much more than I thought I would. It's certainly a solid shooter with fun gameplay and story.
My only complaint is the lack of accessibility that even makes the story hard to follow at some point. I mean, come on, English isn't even my first language and I have to endure it in Russian accent? Not cool, guys.
2022
This looked like a really fun concept at first, and the first hour is a bit messy but manageable to some extent. You're given a story, a mystery, and an endless chance to grow. I especially loved the setting as well as the art design (which made me buy the game in the first place). The writing also seemed entertaining, and the voice acting is top-notch. Really, this game is off to a good start.
From the second hour on, you start to realize something is wrong. It seems a bit unbalanced in terms of management. Handling the kitchen seems like harder work than the tailorshop, and unless you unlock everything, the balance keeps shifting all the way through. The second wave of drawbacks hit when you ask yourself, "I unlocked all those upgrades, is this game still supposed to be this hard?"
Well, Ravenous Devils is the first game I've ever seen that gets harder with each upgrade. At some point, I stopped seeing the "benefit" of upgrades. The money I earned wasn't that much more, but the work was practically doubled due to the ingredient upkeep.
In the end, I was disappointed cause it became more stressful to control the situation than it was fun. Seriously, guys, did you remember to pet the cat so it could bring you free meat? You better remember, cause that display should be full, and it's the only ingredient that can be served on its own with the lowest upkeep.
I really don't see the point in management games that get harder with progress, especially if they're the hardest in the end. Why did I even bother with profit if it's only gonna bring me more trouble and in-game skins? I see that the story is about stressful work and management, but this ain't it. It shouldn't be more frustrating than it's fun.
I really tried to have fun, but the imbalance of Ravenous Devils is too strong to ignore. There should be a lot more upgrades that automate some of the drudgery and cut back on upkeep, so everything can actually be rewarding. Automate half of the garden work and be able to hire two servants for the ground floor, and this would immediately be three times more engaging.
I could understand if the devs let go of some gameplay mechanics like too much automation or unrealistic renovations, but unfortunately, that's not really acceptable when your story ends like that. Seriously, 25 days of build-up for that?
This was a mild disappointment for me. There's a wonderful game hidden underneath all the problematic progression, and it's filled with an original & fun idea, a beautiful art style, and love & commitment. I just hope I'll be able to experience it in the future.
From the second hour on, you start to realize something is wrong. It seems a bit unbalanced in terms of management. Handling the kitchen seems like harder work than the tailorshop, and unless you unlock everything, the balance keeps shifting all the way through. The second wave of drawbacks hit when you ask yourself, "I unlocked all those upgrades, is this game still supposed to be this hard?"
Well, Ravenous Devils is the first game I've ever seen that gets harder with each upgrade. At some point, I stopped seeing the "benefit" of upgrades. The money I earned wasn't that much more, but the work was practically doubled due to the ingredient upkeep.
In the end, I was disappointed cause it became more stressful to control the situation than it was fun. Seriously, guys, did you remember to pet the cat so it could bring you free meat? You better remember, cause that display should be full, and it's the only ingredient that can be served on its own with the lowest upkeep.
I really don't see the point in management games that get harder with progress, especially if they're the hardest in the end. Why did I even bother with profit if it's only gonna bring me more trouble and in-game skins? I see that the story is about stressful work and management, but this ain't it. It shouldn't be more frustrating than it's fun.
I really tried to have fun, but the imbalance of Ravenous Devils is too strong to ignore. There should be a lot more upgrades that automate some of the drudgery and cut back on upkeep, so everything can actually be rewarding. Automate half of the garden work and be able to hire two servants for the ground floor, and this would immediately be three times more engaging.
I could understand if the devs let go of some gameplay mechanics like too much automation or unrealistic renovations, but unfortunately, that's not really acceptable when your story ends like that. Seriously, 25 days of build-up for that?
This was a mild disappointment for me. There's a wonderful game hidden underneath all the problematic progression, and it's filled with an original & fun idea, a beautiful art style, and love & commitment. I just hope I'll be able to experience it in the future.
This review contains spoilers
I have a lot of thoughts about Fahrenheit, and they constantly changed as I played the game. At first, I was sure it was the best experience Quantic Dream put out, due to several memorable factors like unique atmosphere and gameplay. As time went on, I realized it's a game that relied heavily on the two mechanics it sets forth and completely refused to improve them.
In the beginning, the story is a psychological murder mystery with ritualistic supernatural elements, and the chapters consist of a good balance between exploration, dialogue, environment interaction, race against time, and QTEs. You think "hey these QTEs are annoying and they certainly prevent me from following the story since I'm more focused on following the 'Fisher Price, my baby's first QTEs' but they're not unbearable."
You also enjoy juggling different narratives, evading the police AND chasing yourself in the meantime, being on the edge all the time, and uncovering the same mystery on both sides of the story.
Then somehow the lore sinks deeper in the Ancient Mayan Rituals territory, which is a personal pet peeve of mine. The gameplay also becomes a continuous mess of boring QTEs that prevent you from following the story as they flash in the middle of your screen. Seriously Cage, why do I need a series of QTEs to have a dream, or observe an autopsy?
The whole thing takes a full nosedive after the "Matrix chapter" and your only highlights are the new gameplay mechanics introduced in Carla's chapters, which are short-lived.
I think I would've preferred if the story remained much less supernatural and maybe had a mix with scientific/psychological elements. And the Fisher Price QTEs need to be removed from certain sections entirely. These two seemingly small aspects of the game causes the first half to be the best thing Quantic Dream produced, and the second half to be the worst. Yes, worse than Heavy Rain.
As if the game underdeveloping the winter apocalypse plot wasn't enough, the final act hits you with all the random stuff like Orange Clan who are a race of Artificial Intelligence, Chroma (which is exactly the same as The Force), and The Invisibles.
Of course, it wouldn't be a Quantic Dream game without a weak, out-of-nowhere romantic pairing and a weird sex scene between a murderer & an investigator.
In the end I heavily dislike the direction this game took, but I would really enjoy a remake of this with better mechanics and carefully developed plot. It just feels like there are a lot of disconnected points in how the mystery unfolds, but a good story lies underneath all that. If it didn't go from mystery thriller to a telekinetic kung-fu action in a matter of seconds, that is. The whole thing is like The X-Files on crack!
In the beginning, the story is a psychological murder mystery with ritualistic supernatural elements, and the chapters consist of a good balance between exploration, dialogue, environment interaction, race against time, and QTEs. You think "hey these QTEs are annoying and they certainly prevent me from following the story since I'm more focused on following the 'Fisher Price, my baby's first QTEs' but they're not unbearable."
You also enjoy juggling different narratives, evading the police AND chasing yourself in the meantime, being on the edge all the time, and uncovering the same mystery on both sides of the story.
Then somehow the lore sinks deeper in the Ancient Mayan Rituals territory, which is a personal pet peeve of mine. The gameplay also becomes a continuous mess of boring QTEs that prevent you from following the story as they flash in the middle of your screen. Seriously Cage, why do I need a series of QTEs to have a dream, or observe an autopsy?
The whole thing takes a full nosedive after the "Matrix chapter" and your only highlights are the new gameplay mechanics introduced in Carla's chapters, which are short-lived.
I think I would've preferred if the story remained much less supernatural and maybe had a mix with scientific/psychological elements. And the Fisher Price QTEs need to be removed from certain sections entirely. These two seemingly small aspects of the game causes the first half to be the best thing Quantic Dream produced, and the second half to be the worst. Yes, worse than Heavy Rain.
As if the game underdeveloping the winter apocalypse plot wasn't enough, the final act hits you with all the random stuff like Orange Clan who are a race of Artificial Intelligence, Chroma (which is exactly the same as The Force), and The Invisibles.
Of course, it wouldn't be a Quantic Dream game without a weak, out-of-nowhere romantic pairing and a weird sex scene between a murderer & an investigator.
In the end I heavily dislike the direction this game took, but I would really enjoy a remake of this with better mechanics and carefully developed plot. It just feels like there are a lot of disconnected points in how the mystery unfolds, but a good story lies underneath all that. If it didn't go from mystery thriller to a telekinetic kung-fu action in a matter of seconds, that is. The whole thing is like The X-Files on crack!
2009
This was A LOT of fun for someone who didn't know Wolfenstein that well back in the day. I knew it was about killing Nazis but didn't know about what else made it tick. Seeing a supernatural, fantastical Nazi-killing simulator was not what I expected but damn, was it fun. I enjoyed the new games' sci-fi alternative history approach and I certainly enjoyed this fantasy element approach back in the day. Just enjoy it as a shooter, cause it's a good one at that. I couldn't finish it back in the day before my X360 died on me but I would pick it back up in a heartbeat.
2017
God knows I'm not brave enough to go through with this
The ultimate "this game is best experienced with a headset" adventure. There are so many things I love about Hellblade. In its core, it's a short story about loss and grief, which is not an uncommon plot at all.
But the reason why this stood out was a combination of amazing graphics, simplistic gameplay, gripping atmosphere, fluid combat, incredible sound design, good lore, impressive acting, with literally no hand-holding and the tension of perma-death...
Perfect in its own little world and league.
But the reason why this stood out was a combination of amazing graphics, simplistic gameplay, gripping atmosphere, fluid combat, incredible sound design, good lore, impressive acting, with literally no hand-holding and the tension of perma-death...
Perfect in its own little world and league.
An absolutely stellar experience from start to finish.
Unmatched experience about hot android girls and existential crisis.