RoTT is an often overlooked shooter that's absolutely worth playing and this new port makes it more accessible than ever. Yes it has some rough spots but it's brimming with personality. The whole game consists of ex-id employees making the most unhinged shooter they could think of doing the craziest map designs they weren't allowed to during their time working on Wolf 3D and Doom. Yeah some maps are kind of a slog but gosh dang do I admire their approach of just doing whatever the hell they thought would be fun without any consideration to the player.

Graças a Deus acabou...nossa, eu não vim pro Harmony esperando que ele fosse a vinda de Cristo, muito menos ser melhor que Symphony ou Aria, to na vibe de Metroidvanias e tava afim de jogar outro Castlevania já que pretendo zerar todos. Inicialmente eu estava gostando, mas foi ficando cada vez pior. É legal jogar um metroidvania com um Belmont e chicotar os inimigos, mas isso logo sai pela culatra pois um dos maiores problemas de Harmony na minha opinião é sua progressão, que é uma das progressões já feitas.

O jogo já é fácil, então a sensação de explorar pra achar alguma arma melhor é inexistente, tendo só algumas variações de efeitos pro chicote. Equipamentos eu devo ter trocado umas quatro vezes apenas, nunca senti a necessidade de ficar trocando. Harmony peca muito nisso, a sensação de ver quer você está ficando mais forte é quase nula. Os livros de magias são legais, mas o que já era fácil se torna um passeio no parque de tão apelonas que as magias são, é só ativar a magia com a cruz equipada e ver o God Mode ativado. Os bosses foram feitos, alguém teve a ideia, alguém fez o design, alguém pensou nos padrões dos golpes, eles existem. A trilha sonora é inimiga da audição, o chip de áudio do GBA já é conhecido por ser limitado, mas aqui foi demais, eu quase parti pro Spotify ouvir alguma coisa enquanto jogava mas isso iria tirar a imersão do jogo, então aturei aquelas músicas águdas horrorosas até o fim. A história é o padrão de jogos do gênero, encontra algum NPC, 20 segundos de dialógo, ele entra numa sala que é sem saída e some, sem grandes surpresas.

Agora vem o elefante da sala e ao meu ver, o maior problema de Harmony, a porcaria da mecânica de dois castelos. O level design do jogo já não é lá o mais primoroso, tanto visualmente quanto em layout, agora ter que ficar passando por essas mesmas salas duas vezes com variação de cor o jogo inteiro? No thanks. O infâme castelo invertido do Sympohny ao meu ver é um bonûs, você pode em menos de meia horinha pegar as partes do Drácula e partir pro abate, mas se você quiser tem várias áreas novas pra explorar com inimigos, bosses armas e equipamentos pra descobrir, aqui não. Estamos presos em passar pelas mesmas áreas várias vezes e tendo que voltar pra warp room pra trocar de castelo toda hora, é uma verdadeira desgraça. Agora imagina se perder nesse castelo mediano porque o item ou porta que você precisa ir está em outro castelo? Ugh.

No fim eu ainda acho Harmony bacana, ele só acaba se tornando mais irritante do que precisava por causa dessa gimmick de castelo, mas ainda foi divertidinho pois a movimentação é bacana, sair por ai matando bicho acaba por ser divertido, o jogo tem uma vibe bem diferente também, mas eu gastei muito mais tempo nesse jogo do que gostaria, demorei bem mais que o Aria pra zerar. Harmony podia ser só um arroz com feijão mas tentou inventar graça e acabou prejudicando a experiência.

Playtime: 7 Hours
Score: 8/10

An awesome shooter! So I never played the original Quake as I grew up playing Quake 2 and 4, but it was fun to see where the series started with this remaster. This game feels like a mix of old school id games like the original 2 Dooms, but also a stepping stone into their modern games before Quake 2 took it a step further. So far I just beat the base game, and will do individual reviews for the expansions.

The shooting feels good and still fun to kill hordes of enemies. You fight a mix of demons and dark fanasty creatures like the Shambler and the Ogres which by far the coolest looking. The weapon line up is okay feeling with the FPS staples like the shotgun (which feels more like a pistol) and super shotgun, the nail gun and super nail gun which I loved to use, grenade and rocket launchers and finally the thunderbolt which is this games equvailent of a BFG. I found the weapons to be fun but not as good as Quake 2's line up even though those are upgraded versions of these.

I also found the level design to be quite interesting as they feel very puzzle like then any of id game. You have to run around and collect keys to open doors which is standard, but theres lots of traps for you to avoid as well as buttons to either push or shoot to unlock doors and secret passages. I felt like Indiana Jones or Tomb Raider exploring some of these levels. And there's fun additions like secret exits that will lead to a secret level and then skip a couple of the normal levels afterwards which was nice.

The music is very different to Id's other games, with this games OST feeling more like a moody, atmospheric sound scape that adds to the horror atmosphere. I do like the OST overall but I did miss the more heart pounding tracks that you don't get here aside for the main menu theme.

Lastly the achievement list is fun with lots of things for you to do other then just completing episodes unlike Quake 2's list. And your getting lots of content overall with all the official expansions but also fan made expansions you can download from the main menu for free, so its definitely a game that can keep you busy for a while.

My negatives are mainly I wish the OST was more catchy; the shooting can feel not quite as good as later id games and the enemies tend to dog pile on top of you in some rooms which can make it feel a little unfair to play. Overall though, a solid shooter and remaster.

All Games Played and Reviewed Ranked - https://www.backloggd.com/u/JudgeDredd35/list/all-games-i-have-played-and-reviewed-ranked/

Playtime: 23 Hours
Score: 10/10

Hot Take: Quake is the best franchise Id Software ever made, even more then Doom. Change my mind! All jokes aside, I have a lot of nostalgia for this game. It was my first "boomer shooter", my first Id Software game and the first FPS game I ever played. As a kid I used to play this game with my dad on his old PC, and it was one of my most fondest games from my childhood. So it was a great day for me when they released this remaster and because I owned the original game on Steam, I got it as a free upgrade!

I always loved the setting of this game with you fighting these half alien, half cyborg race known as the Strogg. Some of the enemies are just iconic like the tank commanders, who I remember being too scared to fight and my parents had to help me. There still my favorite enemy in the game. Some are still annoying like the gladiators with their rail guns which can mess you up if your not careful. Also the Berserkers got an upgrade, as there a lot more aggressive and powerful when they engage with you. The enemy AI in general has been improved to be more like the modern Id Software games, as you constantly have to be on the move and switching your weapons depending on what enemy your fighting. Overall, these are welcomed changes and it makes the game more challenging.

The weapon line up is awesome too with each of them feeling good to use. Guns like the super shotgun and machine gun are work horses and good for most enemies. I also found the rail gun to be my favorite once you get used to using it. It can one hit kill the weaker enemies which I enjoyed. And the BFG as always is awesome.

The music is iconic with its upbeat tracks and it really helps get you pumped to play. The locations can get repetitive visually, but I always like the grundy art style and its what made me love that PS1 era of graphics, even though the PC version looked the best. I also came to appreciate the hub based level design as you have connected areas that you need to explore to find items or flip switches to return to the main area, to progress. It was when Id was trying to progress pass the simple collect key cards then find the exit button, level design of their older games. I also appreciated one of the things they added was a directional compass, that you can use to see which direction you need to go in, similar to the ones in Bioshock Infinite and Dead Space. Its an optional feature, but I found it quite useful in the more confusing areas.

Your also just getting a wealth of content plus all the additional campaigns from the two original expansions, the new expansion by Machine Games and the N64 game even, which had its own unique campaign so has a single player game, this game offers a lot. Only thing I wish this remaster had was the PS1 port of Quake 2, since like the N64 game, it had its own unique story campaign and I've always been a PlayStation kid so it would have been nice.

Only real negative is the achievement list is very basic, with just simple complete all the different campaign achievements. It would have been nice to have some extra things to do like in the Quake 1 remaster. But overall, this is one of the best remasters I have ever seen and Nightdive Studios who made this port, did an outstanding job as they usually do! Here's to hoping we get a single player Quake reboot one day!

All Games Played and Reviewed Ranked - https://www.backloggd.com/u/JudgeDredd35/list/all-games-i-have-played-and-reviewed-ranked/

An okay DLC but a good addition to an already great game! Bethesda and Id could have just remastered Quake 2 on its own and called it a day, but they took it a step further and had Machine Games make new offical content for the game, as they did with Quake 1.

Structure wise this DLC feels more like Quake 1 where your on a space station and you going on different missions, to collect data discs, so you can go and stop the strogg maker. I will say the level design visually is really awesome, with some great large scale enviorments for you to explore. If you grew tired of the drab, brown looking military bases of the base game, then your in for a treat here. Also some of the enviromental storytelling is great too, especially on the level "Ruined Earth" which was my favorite. Also the final boss room was a great way to cap off the DLC.

In terms of negatives, although the level design is great, the enemy placement is terrible in this DLC. You will constantly be thrown into situations where there are DOZENS of the hardest enemies in one room all trying to kill you at once and its ridiculous. I like to call these "BFG moments", and they can be fun when you have the BFG, but other times when you don't have it, your kind of screwed. I don't know how your supposed to get past these moments on higher difficulties if your not god moding your way through it.

Overall, worth playing if you have the quake 2 remaster, or got upgraded to it for free like I did (since I owned the original game), but its not the best expansion for me.

All DLC I have Played and Reviewed Ranked - https://www.backloggd.com/u/JudgeDredd35/list/all-dlcs-i-have-played-and-reviewed-ranked/

Carrion was a awesome change of form for the standard "You're the hero" game. This time you are the monster (or are you?), a creature trapped in a science lab trying to escape and grow through consuming energy and killing the people that have locked you up.

The art style is great for a pixel style and the animations are fluid and spark reaction multiple times with the detailed destruction you cause. There are lots of mechanics and abilities to unlock and learn how to stealth through the map, or go on the offensive when needed.

It is an experience that I would recommend to anyone as it was a unique experience to me and I found a lot of people enjoyed it as much as I did.

Played this as part of the new Quake 2 Remaster. I only ever played the base game in the past so this was new content for me. It was an okay expansion overall but it follows crappy DLC design 101 which is throw as many enemies at the player as possible and give them bugger all ammo to deal with them. Like even in the basic grunts have decked out weapons and can kill you in seconds. It does add some new weapons which is cool like the Phalanx and the Ionripper which are fun to use. The final boss is recycled from the base game though which I found to be a litte lazy. Overall, decent if you want more of Quake 2.

All DLC I have Played and Reviewed Ranked - https://www.backloggd.com/u/JudgeDredd35/list/all-dlcs-i-have-played-and-reviewed-ranked/

A solid expansion for Quake 2! Played this as part of the new Quake 2 remaster and like I said in my review of The Reckoning expansion, I only ever played the base game before in the past, so this was new content for me. And I'm surprised to see quite a few negative reviews for this one?

As a story expansion this was longer then Reckoning, and I think much better paced. They also doll out ammo at a much more fair rate, so you don't feel outmatched constantly. In terms of the new weapons added I found the weapon line up much better and more useful then Reckoning. They even give you the BFG in this which was a god sent and again something you didn't get in Reckoning. New enemy types includes these cybernetic spiders that can crawl on walls and spit at you, as well as turrets that appear out of the walls. There annoying at first but once you get used to fighting them, there not so bad. The final boss was something new too and not just a repeat of the one in the base game which I appreciated a lot.

Overall, I loved this one and it will probably be my go to expansion whenever I replay Quake 2.

All DLC I have Played and Reviewed Ranked - https://www.backloggd.com/u/JudgeDredd35/list/all-dlcs-i-have-played-and-reviewed-ranked/

This was a game I adored way back when I played it in 2010 on a DS. This is a game I adored replaying in 2023, remembering the big twists but having forgotten the details of the story. It is Shu Takumi's magnum opus, one of the greatest games to come out of its generation, and would still be even if it came out today. A lot of people will mention the usual detective story stuff about going in blind for maximum impact, so I'll mention something else:

Ghost Trick is a beautifully animated game. You'd expect this from the same team that brought the Ace Attorney series to life, but Takumi and his team poured their heart into each and every single of this game's characters and how they move. And it is everything - from your detective friend wolfing down a whole chicken to a poor rat getting brutalised inside the walls of an exotic apartment. From a well respected investigator's extravagant moves to what's basically known as the Panic Dance - you'll know it when you see it. From deadly contraptions to setting up your own life-saving contraption. And on a more mundane scale, even the way everyone walks, climbs, crawls their way through the game is worthy of praise.

Also you'll meet and fall in love with Missile the Pomeranian, the singular best dog in video games. I'm not spoiling that character in particular.

This game is (still) one of my favourites.

Shockingly competent.

Stop and ask yourself if, conceptually, a rail shooter spin-off of Dead Space exclusively for the Wii sounds like a good idea. It shouldn’t. It’s the kind of pitch that, by all rights, should have been thrown out of whatever boardroom it was first floated in. An M-Rated game on a console for children, based on a series that only existed on the competition’s hardware, and being made by the original developers despite being a completely different genre? Get real. Consumers agreed; there’s a reason that this game only pushed four-digit copies in its release week. But if you’re one of the nine thousand true sickos who heard that premise and thought it sounded promising, then welcome aboard. I did too, and you’ll be pleased to know that what’s here isn’t just passable, but also somehow manages to clear the Herculean task of being pretty alright.

While the business decisions behind putting this game out may be pretty questionable, I’m not an EA shareholder, so I don’t really give a shit. What I do care about is the fact that, from a gameplay perspective, turning Dead Space into a rail shooter kind of makes sense. What was Dead Space originally, if not an action-horror shooter with a focus on extremely tight, precise hotspots that needed to be aimed at? It almost sounds like a better idea to make it into a light gun game than to bind that concept to a gamepad. Of course, the primary struggle was going to be in developing a tight, universal pacing to be followed while also keeping a lot of the heft of the original combat mechanics, and Dead Space Extraction mostly succeeds in this.

The main complaint that I imagine most people are going to have is that this game is slow. It is ridiculously slow. A full playthrough is probably going to take you around six hours, which is pretty breezy by the standards of most games, but may as well be Pride and Prejudice when you compare it to other rail shooters. The House of the Dead 2 is an arcade quarter-muncher that only takes half an hour to beat; Sin and Punishment is an often-grueling affair designed from the bottom up for at-home play, and even that’ll cap out at around two hours tops. Six hours is a monstrous length, and a lot of that time is going to be spent with your character standing around gormlessly while the supporting cast looks into camera to talk at you like you’re Gordon Freeman. Shifting the perspectives around to multiple characters does pull a lot of weight in keeping things from getting too stale, though, and the game does manage to wrap itself up in time before it fully overstays its welcome.

Where Extraction really shines, however, is in how the characters of the weapons have transitioned to the rail shooter format. Dead Space’s original lineup of guns had a lot of personality to them, with each one serving a very strict purpose; the Plasma Cutter being an exceptionally strong all-rounder kind of invalidated most of its friends, but the Ripper still excelled in close-quarters, the Contact Beam worked to let you kill whatever you pointed it at so long as you could charge it up, and the Line Gun cleaved through packed enemies like three hundred amps through butter. All of these have been brought over faithfully into Extraction, with the only notable change being the reigning in of the Plasma Cutter and a few extra additions: the Rivet Gun is a heavy-but-bottomless single-shot projectile thrower, the P-Sec pistol works like your traditional spammy rail shooter handgun, and the Arc Welder is a chain lightning gun that cooks multiple enemies about as well as the phrase “chain lightning gun” should imply. Upgrades that you find in the wild seem to only affect ammo capacity, which is a little boring, but it’d be tough to think of a better way to implement them. Besides, you activate the alt-fires in this by turning the Wii remote sideways, which is so stupidly cool that I can’t help but love how the guns are handled. This is the kind of game begging for a Plasma Cutter peripheral that you can pop the Wiimote into.

It’s the kind of game that I can’t imagine anyone having an opinion at all more critical than “eh, it’s okay”. It’s simple, and a little over-long, but what’s here is perfectly serviceable. I’ll probably never play it again, if only because of how much downtime there is; that might be a killing blow for something in this genre, considering how replayability tends to be extremely valued in a rail shooter, but I don’t mind it being absent here. What’s here is solid, and that’s enough for me to be satisfied with it.

We ought to go back to a time where studios the size of Visceral could take a shot at making something out of their comfort zone without immediately going out of business.