I love what it is going on conceptually with Hellblade but there isn't enough meat on its bones to keep me engaged for the entire play-through.
While the representation of psychosis and auditory hallucinations are rather authentic (speaking from personal experience), there simply isn't enough "gameplay" in the game for my tastes.
I like what it is doing but it simply isn't for me
While the representation of psychosis and auditory hallucinations are rather authentic (speaking from personal experience), there simply isn't enough "gameplay" in the game for my tastes.
I like what it is doing but it simply isn't for me
2020
THE most immersive game I've ever played but the lack of meaningful player choice in the story (which didn't wow me at all) and rather dull gameplay loop left me feeling too underwhelmed to want to continue playing it.
2019
THE best simcade rally experience on PC.
Whether you are hauling ass in a Ford Escort (my personal favorite rally car) or flying through the forests of Finland in a more modern rally machine, you will gain a massive appreciation for the guts and skill it takes to pilot a rally car through a stage. Guttural and realistic sound design immerse you into the game while you hang on for dear life. Ample amounts of content for both fans of single-player and multiplayer mean that most people will find their preferred mode of operation.
The only gripe I can think of is that the physics engine becomes a bit subpar when flying around on tarmac but it isn't game-breaking considering the vast majority of the time, you'll be racing and sliding around on dirt or gravel.
With just about every memorable rally car in history as well as a wide berth of locations that span around the world, this is Codemasters' Magnum Opus.
Whether you are hauling ass in a Ford Escort (my personal favorite rally car) or flying through the forests of Finland in a more modern rally machine, you will gain a massive appreciation for the guts and skill it takes to pilot a rally car through a stage. Guttural and realistic sound design immerse you into the game while you hang on for dear life. Ample amounts of content for both fans of single-player and multiplayer mean that most people will find their preferred mode of operation.
The only gripe I can think of is that the physics engine becomes a bit subpar when flying around on tarmac but it isn't game-breaking considering the vast majority of the time, you'll be racing and sliding around on dirt or gravel.
With just about every memorable rally car in history as well as a wide berth of locations that span around the world, this is Codemasters' Magnum Opus.
2021
Poor execution, lackluster writing and confusing game design make for a cyberpunk cRPG I couldn't stick with after the first chapter.
Conceptually it is interesting but it can't even get the takeoff correctly to warrant looking at the landing.
Conceptually it is interesting but it can't even get the takeoff correctly to warrant looking at the landing.
2022
While flawed, Citizen Sleeper gives one of the more immersive and grounded Cyberpunk experiences I've come across.
As you can imagine, a game with a very central narrative that is inspired by TTRPGs and cRPGs is rather light on gameplay mechanics. You have timed cycles, instead of days (as you are in space), and numbered die that represent the actions you can make. It is pretty straight-forward and does a good job of being engaging while not suffocating the world, characters or story.
You embody a imperfect copy of person residing in a dying, artificial body. You are a Sleeper. With little memory of the past and no real direction, you must push forward into the unknown of a dilapidated space station, hoping for a better tomorrow.
And that's the real beauty of this game. While it can be very bleak at times, the overarching message is surprisingly optimistic. Regardless of your past, you still have a future to look towards.
The stories that unfold on the Eye won't leave me anytime soon.
As you can imagine, a game with a very central narrative that is inspired by TTRPGs and cRPGs is rather light on gameplay mechanics. You have timed cycles, instead of days (as you are in space), and numbered die that represent the actions you can make. It is pretty straight-forward and does a good job of being engaging while not suffocating the world, characters or story.
You embody a imperfect copy of person residing in a dying, artificial body. You are a Sleeper. With little memory of the past and no real direction, you must push forward into the unknown of a dilapidated space station, hoping for a better tomorrow.
And that's the real beauty of this game. While it can be very bleak at times, the overarching message is surprisingly optimistic. Regardless of your past, you still have a future to look towards.
The stories that unfold on the Eye won't leave me anytime soon.
2019
Death Stranding will have you question why you are roleplaying as a mailman in post-apocalyptic North America yet there is a aura. a charm to it that certainly kept a smirk on my face as I talked to Sam through the screen, trekking across desolate wastelands that look like something out of a fever dream.
It's not an easy game to put into a box. It is decades of ideas and plotines from Kojima's catalog all thrown together into a wholly unique package that compares to absolutely nothing else, for better and worse. Seeing faces like Mads Mikkelsen and Norman Reddus on a Kojima title like this is something that will never cease to stun me in a state of shock and awe.
It is a very slow burn of a game, which will turn off a lot of people. The gameplay loop takes a while to get used to but once it clicks, it becomes quite enjoyable and addictive as you try to optimize your ways around the map a little faster, and take just a little bit more cargo with you. slowly start rebuilding the infrastructure of a forgotten, dead land.
The story is very self-indulgent at times but the writing and characters has that classic Kojima charm to it that you can't get anywhere else. It is ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ bonkers and out there but you'll be left wanting more and more as the puzzle is slowly revealed to you over the course of the main storyline, with a very worthy ending for such a journey of a game.
Death Stranding is a divisive, controversial masterpiece that somehow manages to make over the final hurdle and deliver a product, a game....an immersive experience that nothing else can hold a candle to.
It's not an easy game to put into a box. It is decades of ideas and plotines from Kojima's catalog all thrown together into a wholly unique package that compares to absolutely nothing else, for better and worse. Seeing faces like Mads Mikkelsen and Norman Reddus on a Kojima title like this is something that will never cease to stun me in a state of shock and awe.
It is a very slow burn of a game, which will turn off a lot of people. The gameplay loop takes a while to get used to but once it clicks, it becomes quite enjoyable and addictive as you try to optimize your ways around the map a little faster, and take just a little bit more cargo with you. slowly start rebuilding the infrastructure of a forgotten, dead land.
The story is very self-indulgent at times but the writing and characters has that classic Kojima charm to it that you can't get anywhere else. It is ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ bonkers and out there but you'll be left wanting more and more as the puzzle is slowly revealed to you over the course of the main storyline, with a very worthy ending for such a journey of a game.
Death Stranding is a divisive, controversial masterpiece that somehow manages to make over the final hurdle and deliver a product, a game....an immersive experience that nothing else can hold a candle to.
2019
A efficient slow burn of a indie horror game.
Based around a Japanese urban legend, the tense atmosphere of Stigmatized Property feels very familiar. The suffocating darkness and its disjointed urban soundscape add to the feeling of being in a place that feels off & wrong in a sick way.
The visual aesthetic is a bit overwhelming as well as making certain puzzles difficult to see. The hazy visuals do however strengthen the limited amount of true "jumpscares" that are in the game.
It is well-worth the price of $3 with a horror experience that punches above its weight!
Based around a Japanese urban legend, the tense atmosphere of Stigmatized Property feels very familiar. The suffocating darkness and its disjointed urban soundscape add to the feeling of being in a place that feels off & wrong in a sick way.
The visual aesthetic is a bit overwhelming as well as making certain puzzles difficult to see. The hazy visuals do however strengthen the limited amount of true "jumpscares" that are in the game.
It is well-worth the price of $3 with a horror experience that punches above its weight!
A short yet witty tribute to spaghetti westerns and tales of the Wild West. One of the best linear shooters I've ever played with a pretty good story to boot.
2016
A solid yet bleak at times canonical start to the Yakuza franchise. Having played Zero first, it made me appreciate Kiwami even more with tie-ins to the established lore in this game.
The Majima Everywhere system does a nice job extending the original game's playtime but the boss fights are very very underwhelming outside of a handful. Combat at times feels like a downgrade when compared to Zero but I personally think that's in part due to the progression path in Kiwami if anything.
I recommend this game but I recommend playing Zero first more. It'll give you more context and historical background on the characters, events and world of this game/Yakuza franchise as a whole and your playthrough of this game will be better off for it.
The Majima Everywhere system does a nice job extending the original game's playtime but the boss fights are very very underwhelming outside of a handful. Combat at times feels like a downgrade when compared to Zero but I personally think that's in part due to the progression path in Kiwami if anything.
I recommend this game but I recommend playing Zero first more. It'll give you more context and historical background on the characters, events and world of this game/Yakuza franchise as a whole and your playthrough of this game will be better off for it.
2015
After tons of hype and recommendation from my friends, I picked up this game last year not fully sure what I was getting myself into, and I'm forever grateful that I did. A unique game filled to the gills with entertaining content with droves and droves of story to boot. Without spoiling anything, all characters are written masterfully, and the story is fantastic.
As many others have said, you couldn't ask for a better prequel/chronological start to a franchise. A must-buy, to the point, that I even picked up Yakuza Kiwami right after finishing Zero.
As many others have said, you couldn't ask for a better prequel/chronological start to a franchise. A must-buy, to the point, that I even picked up Yakuza Kiwami right after finishing Zero.
2015
Don't be a pretentious hipster like me and avoid this game.
You will enjoy it more than you ever thought you would. You will grow fond of the world and its characters.
Buy it & play it. You owe it to yourself to experience such a masterpiece. A must-play.
You will enjoy it more than you ever thought you would. You will grow fond of the world and its characters.
Buy it & play it. You owe it to yourself to experience such a masterpiece. A must-play.