shmogglebeans
2021
Honestly, I have never given a single iota of a f*** about Pokemon. Until this game. I picked this one up on a whim, because it seemed like something that didn't take much thought, and I wanted to relax. I'm now ~60 hours deep. I get it now. I do feel the need to catch them all. And I will.
2012
My favorite Zelda game so far. :P
Honestly, the only reason I didn't give Okami a full 5 stars is that listening to Issun talk about/to women is a PAINFUL level of cringe. The final scene between Ammy and Issun would have had me in tears had I not been so over listening to Issun talk about women's boobs. I vote for a new remaster that retcons basically all of his dialogue or like...lets Amaterasu bite him whenever he does it? Idk. As a woman, I hated it, and that was a bummer, because those lines aside, I think this might be a perfect game. I found the exploration satisfying, the combat intuitive, and the art direction absolutely breathtaking.
Honestly, the only reason I didn't give Okami a full 5 stars is that listening to Issun talk about/to women is a PAINFUL level of cringe. The final scene between Ammy and Issun would have had me in tears had I not been so over listening to Issun talk about women's boobs. I vote for a new remaster that retcons basically all of his dialogue or like...lets Amaterasu bite him whenever he does it? Idk. As a woman, I hated it, and that was a bummer, because those lines aside, I think this might be a perfect game. I found the exploration satisfying, the combat intuitive, and the art direction absolutely breathtaking.
This game isn't perfect, but by the end I loved it. I encountered some kind of hilarious and at times frustrating glitches, but ultimately, I found the story simple, yet beautiful, and the gameplay mechanics were unique, satisfying, and aided the storytelling, which is something that particularly impressed me.
The idea that this has been made available as a multiplayer game makes absolutely no sense to me, and entirely undercuts what makes this game challenging and emotionally poignant as a single player.
The idea that this has been made available as a multiplayer game makes absolutely no sense to me, and entirely undercuts what makes this game challenging and emotionally poignant as a single player.
2018
This was the first major side scrolling platformer I've finished, and it was well worth the many hours of cursing and having to walk away after bashing my head against a single screen for 500+ deaths. The story is lovely. The art design and soundtrack are gorgeous. While not having the experience of playing older 8-bit side scrollers to pull from, I still felt a sense of nostalgia for the design. I didn't get every collectible, but I could see myself revisiting this one someday.
2017
While I didn't think it improved upon MV1, it remains simple, meditative, and beautiful.
I just...never want to walk and play video games at the same time...no matter how fun everyone else tells me it is.
I went into this game with a STRONG desire to love it, but I just haven't loved anything the way I loved Journey, and the MMO style of game play here robs the experience of the introspection and emotional intimacy that Journey, Flower, and even Abzu delivered. I also just didn't love playing it on my phone.
The Water Temple and The Shadow Temple are the worst places I have ever been.
This review contains spoilers
The Last of Us Part 2 is a beautiful, heartbreaking, and poignant commentary on the futility of revenge. Just as Part 1 forced its audience to reckon with player agency versus the emotional payoff of a heavily railroaded narrative, Part 2 once again places the weapons in the player's hands, and forces you to live these characters' stories, to journey as their shadow through their ill-fated decisions, and ultimately, to grapple with the hardest labors of all, empathy and culpability.
During a panel at the 2016 PSX, Neil Druckmann revealed that, while The Last of Us Part 1 was a story about love, Part 2 would be about hate. Yet, for all its bleakness, Part 2 has many sweet moments, moments of selflessness and heart, and these touches of humanity make its conclusion all the more tragic, as we see a lone Ellie, who has lost everything on a fruitless hunt for vengeance, set off on a continuing mission to regain some semblance of purpose for a life she doesn't believe she deserves. Both Ellie and Abby survive their final encounter, and yet they are both irrevocably marred by their experiences and the losses they have endured at their own hands.
While her relationship with Joel is absolutely a central theme, The Last of Us is ultimately Ellie's story, a point which Joel's climactic decision at the end of Part I reveals. Saving Ellie shows that Joel hasn't changed. He hasn't grown. He is who he has always been, and he makes the choice he would always make. Ellie, on the other hand, experiences active character development throughout both games, and ultimately, her story is a tragic analysis of the ruinous nature of trauma, guilt, and blame.
The Last of Us never promised a story you wanted to hear, and yet, in delivering a brutally sincere account of enmity and reprisal, we are left with a stronger, more timely commentary on the exponential destructiveness of blind hate.
During a panel at the 2016 PSX, Neil Druckmann revealed that, while The Last of Us Part 1 was a story about love, Part 2 would be about hate. Yet, for all its bleakness, Part 2 has many sweet moments, moments of selflessness and heart, and these touches of humanity make its conclusion all the more tragic, as we see a lone Ellie, who has lost everything on a fruitless hunt for vengeance, set off on a continuing mission to regain some semblance of purpose for a life she doesn't believe she deserves. Both Ellie and Abby survive their final encounter, and yet they are both irrevocably marred by their experiences and the losses they have endured at their own hands.
While her relationship with Joel is absolutely a central theme, The Last of Us is ultimately Ellie's story, a point which Joel's climactic decision at the end of Part I reveals. Saving Ellie shows that Joel hasn't changed. He hasn't grown. He is who he has always been, and he makes the choice he would always make. Ellie, on the other hand, experiences active character development throughout both games, and ultimately, her story is a tragic analysis of the ruinous nature of trauma, guilt, and blame.
The Last of Us never promised a story you wanted to hear, and yet, in delivering a brutally sincere account of enmity and reprisal, we are left with a stronger, more timely commentary on the exponential destructiveness of blind hate.
I started my Zelda journey last year, and so far, this one has been my favorite. That said, I'm only three games in, so who knows where it will fall long term?
2018
Not as seamless and perfect as the original, but still deeply satisfying to play, and the music is still enjoyable and relaxing. I did love bouncing on the balloons.
2018
There isn't a whole lot to it, but I played it a TON for a while.
A extremely interesting idea that didn't engage me enough to watch multiple times.
The storyline is hot garbage, but man do I love playing these games.
2018
This game is beautiful, and probably the most introspective experience I've had since playing Journey for the first time.