sairam71
208 reviews liked by sairam71
This review contains spoilers
I'm really into cults. Probably a bad tagline for a dating profile or resume header, but the intrigue works well for delving into the twisted town of Silent Hill. It is truly fascinating how so many cults are able to rewire the human psyche into believing practical insanity in order to have them work against their own best interests, including the most basic fundamental human desire: survival. The survival of self is cast off in favor of the promise of ascension in service to something greater and a more complete understanding of the universe's framework. It's human nature to look for patterns, and cults claim to offer the key to the celestial cipher of existence. Unfortunately, this key only opens a path to self-destruction - the endless letters of code mistranslated and re-arranged to be subservient to only one person, the cult leader.
Enter Silent Hill with its cult of nightmares born from the torture of a young girl and her never-ending wounds. It's a classic horror-cult story with the cult members grasping at achieving something they don't quite understand, something cosmically unknown, at the cost of their own self-survival - nightmare monsters from other worlds aren't usually known for bringing about positive change, even for those that summon it.
I went into Silent Hill 2 not really knowing anything about it other than pop-culture stuff like Pyramid Head existing. The cover has a girl on it who also happens to be the first person we meet. Here we go again - I'm ready for the plot to take me to the inevitable conclusion that the cult is back at it again, torturing Angela in horrific ways in order to birth a new nightmare. Of course, we're supposed to be looking for Mary, our dead wife, but you don't understand - I am really smart and can see past this red herring main plot. I can't be tricked.
Hours go by, and while there have been some other things thrown in here to take me off the scent (namely Laura), my suspicions about this being Angela's nightmare grow even stronger as I find Pyramid Head sexually assaulting creatures that have no face or identity, but only legs and groin. When I see Angela again, she's about to commit suicide, and then I see she has torn her father out of a family portrait. Yeah, I knew exactly where all this was going. I am smart.
Despite meeting Maria, talking more with Laura, and getting other hints throughout the game, I wasn't ready to concede that this wasn't Angela's nightmare until I found the Blood-Soaked newspaper about her killing her father, followed by killing his nightmare form afterwards. It was a moment of revelation where things started to click and the wheels started to turn in my brain that maybe this was less about Angela and more about James. It was a brilliant subversion of the first game's mythology, and cemented Silent Hill 2 as one of the greatest successes as a sequel in my mind. I was deliberately played by my own expectations from the first game, and much like James dropping down further and further into Silent Hill's abyss, my thoughts went down a rabbit hole trying to recontextualize everything that I had seen before.
After finishing the game and learning the truth of everything, I understood that Silent Hill 2 is still a narrative about a cult - the cult of self. James disregards his own self-preservation and gives himself over in service to the search for indecipherable knowledge - understanding of his own subconscious processing of grief and guilt. He's both the leader and follower in this cult of one, sacrificing pieces of himself in order to ascend past his shattered self and either achieve peace by being able to leave Mary behind, or by making the ultimate sacrifice to find justice for her murder.
Everything in Silent Hill 2's presentation is built to reinforce this introspective deconstruction that James goes through, from denial to understanding, but the best example I can give is the original soundtrack. The most emotionally charged moments aren't met with a bombastic horror-driven score, but rather music that lends itself to delving inward and sitting with the weight of the events unfolding. The game often allows the music to play on loop after the actual scene has ended, signifying James trying to come to terms with everything going on. He sits in the moment, trying to process, and I am there with him - still listening to these haunting songs as I type out this review.
Enter Silent Hill with its cult of nightmares born from the torture of a young girl and her never-ending wounds. It's a classic horror-cult story with the cult members grasping at achieving something they don't quite understand, something cosmically unknown, at the cost of their own self-survival - nightmare monsters from other worlds aren't usually known for bringing about positive change, even for those that summon it.
I went into Silent Hill 2 not really knowing anything about it other than pop-culture stuff like Pyramid Head existing. The cover has a girl on it who also happens to be the first person we meet. Here we go again - I'm ready for the plot to take me to the inevitable conclusion that the cult is back at it again, torturing Angela in horrific ways in order to birth a new nightmare. Of course, we're supposed to be looking for Mary, our dead wife, but you don't understand - I am really smart and can see past this red herring main plot. I can't be tricked.
Hours go by, and while there have been some other things thrown in here to take me off the scent (namely Laura), my suspicions about this being Angela's nightmare grow even stronger as I find Pyramid Head sexually assaulting creatures that have no face or identity, but only legs and groin. When I see Angela again, she's about to commit suicide, and then I see she has torn her father out of a family portrait. Yeah, I knew exactly where all this was going. I am smart.
Despite meeting Maria, talking more with Laura, and getting other hints throughout the game, I wasn't ready to concede that this wasn't Angela's nightmare until I found the Blood-Soaked newspaper about her killing her father, followed by killing his nightmare form afterwards. It was a moment of revelation where things started to click and the wheels started to turn in my brain that maybe this was less about Angela and more about James. It was a brilliant subversion of the first game's mythology, and cemented Silent Hill 2 as one of the greatest successes as a sequel in my mind. I was deliberately played by my own expectations from the first game, and much like James dropping down further and further into Silent Hill's abyss, my thoughts went down a rabbit hole trying to recontextualize everything that I had seen before.
After finishing the game and learning the truth of everything, I understood that Silent Hill 2 is still a narrative about a cult - the cult of self. James disregards his own self-preservation and gives himself over in service to the search for indecipherable knowledge - understanding of his own subconscious processing of grief and guilt. He's both the leader and follower in this cult of one, sacrificing pieces of himself in order to ascend past his shattered self and either achieve peace by being able to leave Mary behind, or by making the ultimate sacrifice to find justice for her murder.
Everything in Silent Hill 2's presentation is built to reinforce this introspective deconstruction that James goes through, from denial to understanding, but the best example I can give is the original soundtrack. The most emotionally charged moments aren't met with a bombastic horror-driven score, but rather music that lends itself to delving inward and sitting with the weight of the events unfolding. The game often allows the music to play on loop after the actual scene has ended, signifying James trying to come to terms with everything going on. He sits in the moment, trying to process, and I am there with him - still listening to these haunting songs as I type out this review.
A rhythm game specifically for musicians who play by ear, expecting you to hear a rhythm and/or melody and immediately repeat it back
It's very clearly a Fall Guys ripoff (the menus may as well be copy/pasted) with a little more WarioWare in the games, but I had a lovely time finally using my music degree for something 🎵🎶
Got 3rd overall the first time, then 2nd five matches in a row before finally winning.
It's very clearly a Fall Guys ripoff (the menus may as well be copy/pasted) with a little more WarioWare in the games, but I had a lovely time finally using my music degree for something 🎵🎶
Got 3rd overall the first time, then 2nd five matches in a row before finally winning.
Sonic R
1997
It's somehow both hilarious and charming to hear the constant pitter-patter of tiny feet throughout every single race
Bluey: The Videogame
2023
Incredibly brief, yet padded with plenty of frustration. I've been helping my kids with a handful of licensed games recently, and Bluey's debut title unfortunately has more jank than Peppa Pig, PJ Masks, and Miraculous Ladybug all put together.
From a certain point of view, I respect the inclusion of 3D platforming elements that require precise jumps (hopping from rock to rock at the creek, or jumping towards the camera on the shelves in Bluey's room), but when my 3-year-old keeps passing me the controller because the game won't allow him to progress until he presses Y in a tiny pixel-perfect location, I start to wonder how much testing went into this.
The animations, VO, and setting obviously carry the experience, underneath what was licensed lies a bland and broken platformer containing 4 levels to replay and 5 hub world areas to explore. We had a much better time hunting for collectibles in the post-game (if you can even call it that) than we did in any scripted segments, but even then, some items seem to resist your attempts to collect them if you're the tiniest bit too close or too far.
The biggest issue we had is that the camera simply does not know what to do during co-op. The issue of how to handle distance between players is not unique to Bluey: The Videogame, but it's handled exceptionally poorly. In something like Gauntlet Legends, you can all run in different directions until the camera reaches a maximum zoom-out, leaving players to determine together which direction they'll travel in. In many Lego games, the screen will dynamically split, allowing two players to travel apart, then un-split the screen when they return together. But in Bluey, the camera picks one player seemingly at random to prioritize. It's not always P1, and it's not always whoever's closest to the middle of the screen, but the chosen player is granted agency, while any remaining players get auto-returned like a drone that's lost connection to the remote control. This becomes a huge problem when any obstacle lies between the returning character and the other player, as you cannot alter your course until you're within arm's length of your teammate. It's busted!
It's also got that frustrating audio thing that licensed games always seem to do, where the volume levels are all over the place, and when multiple characters speak at the same time, there's no reduction in gain, so the volume suddenly quadruples when the family shouts "Yeah!" together. WHY IS THIS SUCH A CONSISTENT ISSUE
From a certain point of view, I respect the inclusion of 3D platforming elements that require precise jumps (hopping from rock to rock at the creek, or jumping towards the camera on the shelves in Bluey's room), but when my 3-year-old keeps passing me the controller because the game won't allow him to progress until he presses Y in a tiny pixel-perfect location, I start to wonder how much testing went into this.
The animations, VO, and setting obviously carry the experience, underneath what was licensed lies a bland and broken platformer containing 4 levels to replay and 5 hub world areas to explore. We had a much better time hunting for collectibles in the post-game (if you can even call it that) than we did in any scripted segments, but even then, some items seem to resist your attempts to collect them if you're the tiniest bit too close or too far.
The biggest issue we had is that the camera simply does not know what to do during co-op. The issue of how to handle distance between players is not unique to Bluey: The Videogame, but it's handled exceptionally poorly. In something like Gauntlet Legends, you can all run in different directions until the camera reaches a maximum zoom-out, leaving players to determine together which direction they'll travel in. In many Lego games, the screen will dynamically split, allowing two players to travel apart, then un-split the screen when they return together. But in Bluey, the camera picks one player seemingly at random to prioritize. It's not always P1, and it's not always whoever's closest to the middle of the screen, but the chosen player is granted agency, while any remaining players get auto-returned like a drone that's lost connection to the remote control. This becomes a huge problem when any obstacle lies between the returning character and the other player, as you cannot alter your course until you're within arm's length of your teammate. It's busted!
It's also got that frustrating audio thing that licensed games always seem to do, where the volume levels are all over the place, and when multiple characters speak at the same time, there's no reduction in gain, so the volume suddenly quadruples when the family shouts "Yeah!" together. WHY IS THIS SUCH A CONSISTENT ISSUE
Falling through clouds, untethered from new heights,
wind and brilliant song rush past my ears.
Oops - no paraglider yet, going down.
Falling again through a creature of ice;
sounds of Dragon Roost urge on joyful cheers.
Dungeons still missed and yet fun still abounds.
Falling fast now, island high in the clouds;
fire, ice, and lightning - three heads do appear;
arrows, eyeballs, one spring - I take his crown.
Falling one last time, falling, beneath
the ground.
wind and brilliant song rush past my ears.
Oops - no paraglider yet, going down.
Falling again through a creature of ice;
sounds of Dragon Roost urge on joyful cheers.
Dungeons still missed and yet fun still abounds.
Falling fast now, island high in the clouds;
fire, ice, and lightning - three heads do appear;
arrows, eyeballs, one spring - I take his crown.
Falling one last time, falling, beneath
the ground.
Final Fantasy XVI
2023
A bearer sits in chains with branded face
marked as the Other - unbelonging.
Soon giants will clash, the earth shattering,
through time reforms into a more revered shape.
Complexity drawn from it's hiding place
by time again and by power dawning.
Scorched wings unfurl; bearer's strength gathering,
spread wide shows the true measure of its grace.
Voices and rivals maneuver fiercely
to flank, to best, and to be proven right;
angry and frustrated about the blight
that's ravaged this land which they hold dearly.
Despite best efforts to sway and dismiss,
bearer's power, his magic, still exists.
marked as the Other - unbelonging.
Soon giants will clash, the earth shattering,
through time reforms into a more revered shape.
Complexity drawn from it's hiding place
by time again and by power dawning.
Scorched wings unfurl; bearer's strength gathering,
spread wide shows the true measure of its grace.
Voices and rivals maneuver fiercely
to flank, to best, and to be proven right;
angry and frustrated about the blight
that's ravaged this land which they hold dearly.
Despite best efforts to sway and dismiss,
bearer's power, his magic, still exists.
I love 2D Zelda so much and am very glad I finally got Citra to run this without my potato PC taking flight.
While this doesn't hit the highs of other 2D Zeldas for me, particularly in the dungeon area, the experience was wonderful. The painting gimmick is fantastic and very well done, and the item shop idea is a nice wrinkle in the Link to the Past formula. It was interesting to have the option of renting the items and the tension of having to rent them again if Link's dungeon delving went awry...until I realized that would never happen.
I don't play Zelda for the difficulty or anything, but Link Between Worlds has to be the easiest game in the franchise, and one of its core mechanics is based around the player dying, which just didn't mesh well with me. I only bought a few items to upgrade, and rented the rest because I did not die a single time in my entire playthrough. Again, I don't play these for the difficulty, but it did kind of bum me out that this mechanic was just not ever going to apply.
I do think, however, that at the same time this does qualify Link Between Worlds to be one of the most beginner friendly games in the franchise...however it also relies a bit on knowing the series to get the full experience out of it.
All in all though, this was a charming and fun game, and really scratched the 2D Zelda dungeon diving itch. The redone music is fantastic, and the dungeons fit their themes very well. I have to say, kicking that clown's ass was a pretty good time too.
While this doesn't hit the highs of other 2D Zeldas for me, particularly in the dungeon area, the experience was wonderful. The painting gimmick is fantastic and very well done, and the item shop idea is a nice wrinkle in the Link to the Past formula. It was interesting to have the option of renting the items and the tension of having to rent them again if Link's dungeon delving went awry...until I realized that would never happen.
I don't play Zelda for the difficulty or anything, but Link Between Worlds has to be the easiest game in the franchise, and one of its core mechanics is based around the player dying, which just didn't mesh well with me. I only bought a few items to upgrade, and rented the rest because I did not die a single time in my entire playthrough. Again, I don't play these for the difficulty, but it did kind of bum me out that this mechanic was just not ever going to apply.
I do think, however, that at the same time this does qualify Link Between Worlds to be one of the most beginner friendly games in the franchise...however it also relies a bit on knowing the series to get the full experience out of it.
All in all though, this was a charming and fun game, and really scratched the 2D Zelda dungeon diving itch. The redone music is fantastic, and the dungeons fit their themes very well. I have to say, kicking that clown's ass was a pretty good time too.
Alan Wake Remastered
2021
A Play in Three Acts
ACT I
Setting: A Discord Server
Many People Over the Years: DC, you love Twin Peaks, you should play Alan Wake. It's inspired by Twin Peaks.
Me: Oh wow, sounds cool. I'll check it out. I liked Control but it didn't blow me away.
Many People: Just be aware that the gameplay/combat sucks.
Me: I don't care! How bad can it be? I love Twin Peaks! It has a diner in the opening segment! It's about a writer! How bad can it be?
ACT II
Setting: The First Several Hours of Alan Wake: Remastered
Me: Oh wow, I'm pretty sure my grandma can sprint longer than this guy. How did they go from Max Payne to this? Like...I know he's a writer but still..
Me: Doesn't matter! Hallucinations, fake Mrs. Tremond, a book mystery, a wife mystery! This is great! I'll just turn the game down to easy so I can get through the bad parts faster!
ACT III
Setting: Despair. A lone chair on stage while a disheveled man forces himself through a video game out of spite.
Me, quietly sobbing to my controller: please...make it stop. I never want to see a flashlight ever again.
The lights dim and go out leaving the stage in blackness.
Me, a low, trembling whisper: How did they go from Max Payne to this?
T H E E N D
ACT I
Setting: A Discord Server
Many People Over the Years: DC, you love Twin Peaks, you should play Alan Wake. It's inspired by Twin Peaks.
Me: Oh wow, sounds cool. I'll check it out. I liked Control but it didn't blow me away.
Many People: Just be aware that the gameplay/combat sucks.
Me: I don't care! How bad can it be? I love Twin Peaks! It has a diner in the opening segment! It's about a writer! How bad can it be?
ACT II
Setting: The First Several Hours of Alan Wake: Remastered
Me: Oh wow, I'm pretty sure my grandma can sprint longer than this guy. How did they go from Max Payne to this? Like...I know he's a writer but still..
Me: Doesn't matter! Hallucinations, fake Mrs. Tremond, a book mystery, a wife mystery! This is great! I'll just turn the game down to easy so I can get through the bad parts faster!
ACT III
Setting: Despair. A lone chair on stage while a disheveled man forces himself through a video game out of spite.
Me, quietly sobbing to my controller: please...make it stop. I never want to see a flashlight ever again.
The lights dim and go out leaving the stage in blackness.
Me, a low, trembling whisper: How did they go from Max Payne to this?
T H E E N D
Okay....finally. I am able to put thoughts on this after finishing, and yet I am to understand that I haven't actually finished - I need to hit NG+ and NG++ for that. I'll get to it at some point, I'm sure.
I really ended up enjoying this. The movement feels extremely awesome. Configuring my AC to look like a mid 1990s palette action figure complete with T-Rex decal and/or Solo Jazz color scheme is also awesome.
The OST is one of my absolute favorites in the FromSoft catalogue, especially the original version of Rough and Decent which mixes industrial techno and jazz and makes me want to get the fuck up and move.
The characters fighting for control, domination, liberation, and just understanding of Rubicon are also fantastic. I don't think the story quite lands as much as I'd like it to (some of the choices are incredibly grand and thought-provoking in theory, but ultimately end up on the "tell" rather than "show" spectrum of things, to use a cliché), but the VA work and just general personalities of all the characters are very memorable and touching.
Most of the combat is pretty fun and exciting. The art direction and visuals stand out, as well as the feedback from firing giant missiles or shoving a giant spike into enemies, and the frenetic pace conjures up a lot of adrenaline. Blasting shit and speeding around an arena was never more fun, and I felt completely in control of my AC at all times. That is definitely a triumph in itself.
I absolutely do not like the ACS system in its current state. It's an intriguing idea that is just not executed well, and most of my problems with the game stem from the quirks associated with the system. It throws off the balance of almost everything, and the game suffers as a result. The levels are incredibly easy, but bosses can be extremely tedious without a build focused on exploiting ACS. Yes, you can beat the entire game with nothing but punching. Yes, you can beat the entire game with just the intro AC. However, in my experience as a normal, average person, I experimented with some fun builds during the missions that were extremely easy, and then some of the bosses I just ran into a complete brick wall that I wasn't going to get over without swapping to an ACS build. Then I swapped to the build, and the boss died in 1-2 tries, and each win was about 3 minutes shorter than me trying to grind out fights with other weapons. The power of ACS exploitation is just that ridiculous. I think it would be much more meaningful to swap between different builds based on the scenario and bosses, but the current system means that a high impact build will always be the best, as the weapons that are good at building impact/ACS are also the weapons that get bonuses for damage while the opponent is stunned - there are no trade-offs.
This chasm between gameplay experiences holds Fires of Rubicon back from being truly amazing for me, as it's just hard for the game to get any footing when it constantly shuffles between push-over easy and punishingly frustrating. Everything else about Armored Core VI's presentation is phenomenal, but its wings have been clipped.
PAUSE BETWEEN NEW REVIEW AND OLD REVIEW BELOW
Record Scratch
Whoops. Pausing this review because I've gone back to the game after some encouragement. Enjoying it again and the Chapter 2/3 bosses I've fought have been MUCH more enjoyable than the Chapter 1 bosses.
Still not sure how I feel about the ACS system, as it feels like you either exploit it and dominate or skirt around it and struggle, but I'm having fun for now.
OLD REVIEW BELOW
Dropping this after beating Chapter 1 and feeling pretty bad about it, but that was about all I needed to realize this one just isn't for me.
The moment-to-moment gameplay bangs but the missions are extremely short and easy. Meanwhile, I did not have fun with any of the bosses I fought except for one that was basically a giant stage - that one was awesome - and I didn't mesh with the mission structure and its relevance on trying out new equipment.
The one thing I did absolutely enjoy were the arena fights. I honestly wish the bosses had been other AC pilots rather than big set-piece bosses.
Sorry, this Raven is going back to the nest.
I really ended up enjoying this. The movement feels extremely awesome. Configuring my AC to look like a mid 1990s palette action figure complete with T-Rex decal and/or Solo Jazz color scheme is also awesome.
The OST is one of my absolute favorites in the FromSoft catalogue, especially the original version of Rough and Decent which mixes industrial techno and jazz and makes me want to get the fuck up and move.
The characters fighting for control, domination, liberation, and just understanding of Rubicon are also fantastic. I don't think the story quite lands as much as I'd like it to (some of the choices are incredibly grand and thought-provoking in theory, but ultimately end up on the "tell" rather than "show" spectrum of things, to use a cliché), but the VA work and just general personalities of all the characters are very memorable and touching.
Most of the combat is pretty fun and exciting. The art direction and visuals stand out, as well as the feedback from firing giant missiles or shoving a giant spike into enemies, and the frenetic pace conjures up a lot of adrenaline. Blasting shit and speeding around an arena was never more fun, and I felt completely in control of my AC at all times. That is definitely a triumph in itself.
I absolutely do not like the ACS system in its current state. It's an intriguing idea that is just not executed well, and most of my problems with the game stem from the quirks associated with the system. It throws off the balance of almost everything, and the game suffers as a result. The levels are incredibly easy, but bosses can be extremely tedious without a build focused on exploiting ACS. Yes, you can beat the entire game with nothing but punching. Yes, you can beat the entire game with just the intro AC. However, in my experience as a normal, average person, I experimented with some fun builds during the missions that were extremely easy, and then some of the bosses I just ran into a complete brick wall that I wasn't going to get over without swapping to an ACS build. Then I swapped to the build, and the boss died in 1-2 tries, and each win was about 3 minutes shorter than me trying to grind out fights with other weapons. The power of ACS exploitation is just that ridiculous. I think it would be much more meaningful to swap between different builds based on the scenario and bosses, but the current system means that a high impact build will always be the best, as the weapons that are good at building impact/ACS are also the weapons that get bonuses for damage while the opponent is stunned - there are no trade-offs.
This chasm between gameplay experiences holds Fires of Rubicon back from being truly amazing for me, as it's just hard for the game to get any footing when it constantly shuffles between push-over easy and punishingly frustrating. Everything else about Armored Core VI's presentation is phenomenal, but its wings have been clipped.
PAUSE BETWEEN NEW REVIEW AND OLD REVIEW BELOW
Record Scratch
Whoops. Pausing this review because I've gone back to the game after some encouragement. Enjoying it again and the Chapter 2/3 bosses I've fought have been MUCH more enjoyable than the Chapter 1 bosses.
Still not sure how I feel about the ACS system, as it feels like you either exploit it and dominate or skirt around it and struggle, but I'm having fun for now.
OLD REVIEW BELOW
Dropping this after beating Chapter 1 and feeling pretty bad about it, but that was about all I needed to realize this one just isn't for me.
The moment-to-moment gameplay bangs but the missions are extremely short and easy. Meanwhile, I did not have fun with any of the bosses I fought except for one that was basically a giant stage - that one was awesome - and I didn't mesh with the mission structure and its relevance on trying out new equipment.
The one thing I did absolutely enjoy were the arena fights. I honestly wish the bosses had been other AC pilots rather than big set-piece bosses.
Sorry, this Raven is going back to the nest.
Starfield
2023
This one is on me for not spending more time with it and not wanting to engage with some of the systems present but...
After ~8-9 hours, I am dropping this for now and may or may not come back to it. Morrowind, Oblivion, Skyrim, Fallout 3, and New Vegas are all among some of my favorite games of all time, but this just continues the trend for me that Bethesda is moving in a direction that I don't personally resonate with.
After ~8-9 hours, I am dropping this for now and may or may not come back to it. Morrowind, Oblivion, Skyrim, Fallout 3, and New Vegas are all among some of my favorite games of all time, but this just continues the trend for me that Bethesda is moving in a direction that I don't personally resonate with.
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