skarecrow
Introduction
I had never heard of this game until the Steam announcement in late September. Looking at it made me quite interested, since I'm a sucker for indie horror stuff, plus the visual style reeled me in a bit as well. What followed was...something, to say the least.
Gameplay
To be honest, with games like this, it isn't fair to critique the gameplay since it isn't a main focus. It's a simple 2D game where you can interact with various things to see the characters' thoughts on them, and you have yourself a button to run. Other than that, there really is no gameplay, so there is nothing for me to talk about or really criticize.
Story (NO SPOILERS)
You play as both Andrew and Ashley, a pair of siblings who have quite a complicated relationship. Ashley is a bit...clingy to Andrew, and Andrew just kinda tolerates her bullshit. Both Andrew and Ashley did some messed up things in the past, and so they (more specifically, Andrew) struggle with it in their current days. They live in a shitty, quarantined apartment, which they were left at due to their parents. Hijinks ensue...
Characters
This is where my major complaints come in at with our two protagonists. Andrew has no backbone when it comes to Ashley's attitude and bullshit. The most he'll do is tell her to fuck off or back away from him, yet he immediately goes back to kissing her ass mere moments later and being all lovey-dovey with her. He hardly ever stands up for himself and instead lets Ashley pin the blame on him for nearly damn everything. He flip-flops between being mad at Ashley and not wanting to continue doing the things that they do together, to immediately being playful with her and playing along with things that she says.
Ashley has plenty of issues, just like Andrew. Ashley is such an annoying character to both play as and to be around. She constantly bitches and nags about anything Andrew says or does, and the moment a single damn female is in his radius, she goes straight to saying shit like "Oh, Andrew, am I not PRETTY enough for you?" and other things in that tone. To make matters even worse, as I stated earlier, Ashley pins the blame on Andrew for everything that SHE thought of/wanted to do. Both of these characters are completely insufferable, which leads me to not liking them or enjoying their dialogue half of the time.
The only character I enjoyed was their mother in Chapter 2. I won't go into detail about anything, but I enjoyed her dialogue and her screen time FAR more than I enjoyed Andrew and Ashley's bickering.
Conclusion
Ultimately, I'm torn on how I feel about this game. On one hand, it has good music and a cute/spooky art style. On the other, it has awful characters and bad writing. I truly want to enjoy this game, and I plan on playing through Chapter 3 when it releases, but as of now, I do not expect to enjoy Andrew and Ashley's adventures anytime soon.
I had never heard of this game until the Steam announcement in late September. Looking at it made me quite interested, since I'm a sucker for indie horror stuff, plus the visual style reeled me in a bit as well. What followed was...something, to say the least.
Gameplay
To be honest, with games like this, it isn't fair to critique the gameplay since it isn't a main focus. It's a simple 2D game where you can interact with various things to see the characters' thoughts on them, and you have yourself a button to run. Other than that, there really is no gameplay, so there is nothing for me to talk about or really criticize.
Story (NO SPOILERS)
You play as both Andrew and Ashley, a pair of siblings who have quite a complicated relationship. Ashley is a bit...clingy to Andrew, and Andrew just kinda tolerates her bullshit. Both Andrew and Ashley did some messed up things in the past, and so they (more specifically, Andrew) struggle with it in their current days. They live in a shitty, quarantined apartment, which they were left at due to their parents. Hijinks ensue...
Characters
This is where my major complaints come in at with our two protagonists. Andrew has no backbone when it comes to Ashley's attitude and bullshit. The most he'll do is tell her to fuck off or back away from him, yet he immediately goes back to kissing her ass mere moments later and being all lovey-dovey with her. He hardly ever stands up for himself and instead lets Ashley pin the blame on him for nearly damn everything. He flip-flops between being mad at Ashley and not wanting to continue doing the things that they do together, to immediately being playful with her and playing along with things that she says.
Ashley has plenty of issues, just like Andrew. Ashley is such an annoying character to both play as and to be around. She constantly bitches and nags about anything Andrew says or does, and the moment a single damn female is in his radius, she goes straight to saying shit like "Oh, Andrew, am I not PRETTY enough for you?" and other things in that tone. To make matters even worse, as I stated earlier, Ashley pins the blame on Andrew for everything that SHE thought of/wanted to do. Both of these characters are completely insufferable, which leads me to not liking them or enjoying their dialogue half of the time.
The only character I enjoyed was their mother in Chapter 2. I won't go into detail about anything, but I enjoyed her dialogue and her screen time FAR more than I enjoyed Andrew and Ashley's bickering.
Conclusion
Ultimately, I'm torn on how I feel about this game. On one hand, it has good music and a cute/spooky art style. On the other, it has awful characters and bad writing. I truly want to enjoy this game, and I plan on playing through Chapter 3 when it releases, but as of now, I do not expect to enjoy Andrew and Ashley's adventures anytime soon.
2010
Introduction
After the success of Dead Rising 1, Capcom (understandably) wanted to make a sequel. Capcom purchased a studio called Blue Castle Games, which prior to being turned into Capcom Vancouver, made baseball games...so who knows why they were chosen to make a sequel to a zombie game. Vancouver was assigned to work on Dead Rising 2 (and all subsequent DR games), which is why it has far more of an American feel to it than the first game.
Gameplay
I feel like this game refined what DR1 did, and made it better. Sure, Chuck might not have as much access to mobility moves as Frank did in DR1, but Chuck controls more tightly and fluidly than Frank, which is a surprise to me. DR1's controls felt amazing, and not once did I ever think of it being clunky or unresponsive, yet DR2 managed to refine DR1's controls and movement and make it better. Chuck can now walk and shoot, which was something Frank couldn't do, and the introduction to Combo Weapons (and Combo Cards) adds a great mix of experimentation into the game which was lacking in DR1. On top of that, DR2 adds online co-op, meaning you can join up with a random or join a friend and play through the entire game with them, adding plenty of replayability to an already replayable game.
Story (NO SPOILERS)
The story continues where Case Zero left off (which if you don't have an Xbox, you wouldn't even know that game exists anyways) and once again, features Chuck and his daughter, Katey. Chuck is a motocross champion and participates in a game show called Terror is Reality, in which 4 contestants slaughter zombies for cash and American entertainment. After the show, a zombie apocalypse breaks out and Chuck is framed as being the cause of it all, which leads to the ultimate plot of the game. Chuck must clear his name and save anyone he can, while also keeping tabs on his daughter Katey and making sure she has Zombrex in her system. Overall, the story has a nice drama-ish charm to it while still maintaining that DR1 story-telling feeling.
Characters
Chuck Greene is the protagonist of the game and he's a father who will do anything to protect his daughter from harm. Compared to Frank, who was an average guy, Chuck has a bit more up his sleeve with his skills. Chuck is not only a motocross champion, but a great mechanic, which allows him to create Combo Weapons by combining certain tools and objects together. Chuck is a likable guy who occasionally cracks some groan-worthy jokes but is an overall good protagonist, much like Frank. The supporting characters aren't very noteworthy, but the Psychopaths shine in this game with their boss themes, cutscenes, and overall weirdness.
Conclusion
Dead Rising 2 is a fantastic sequel in my eyes. It improves upon what Dead Rising 1 did and the new gameplay mechanic of creating combined weapons from random objects is a great way to make players engaged and wanting to experiment with what can be combined. However, the series begins a downfall after this entry, and we all know how that ends...
After the success of Dead Rising 1, Capcom (understandably) wanted to make a sequel. Capcom purchased a studio called Blue Castle Games, which prior to being turned into Capcom Vancouver, made baseball games...so who knows why they were chosen to make a sequel to a zombie game. Vancouver was assigned to work on Dead Rising 2 (and all subsequent DR games), which is why it has far more of an American feel to it than the first game.
Gameplay
I feel like this game refined what DR1 did, and made it better. Sure, Chuck might not have as much access to mobility moves as Frank did in DR1, but Chuck controls more tightly and fluidly than Frank, which is a surprise to me. DR1's controls felt amazing, and not once did I ever think of it being clunky or unresponsive, yet DR2 managed to refine DR1's controls and movement and make it better. Chuck can now walk and shoot, which was something Frank couldn't do, and the introduction to Combo Weapons (and Combo Cards) adds a great mix of experimentation into the game which was lacking in DR1. On top of that, DR2 adds online co-op, meaning you can join up with a random or join a friend and play through the entire game with them, adding plenty of replayability to an already replayable game.
Story (NO SPOILERS)
The story continues where Case Zero left off (which if you don't have an Xbox, you wouldn't even know that game exists anyways) and once again, features Chuck and his daughter, Katey. Chuck is a motocross champion and participates in a game show called Terror is Reality, in which 4 contestants slaughter zombies for cash and American entertainment. After the show, a zombie apocalypse breaks out and Chuck is framed as being the cause of it all, which leads to the ultimate plot of the game. Chuck must clear his name and save anyone he can, while also keeping tabs on his daughter Katey and making sure she has Zombrex in her system. Overall, the story has a nice drama-ish charm to it while still maintaining that DR1 story-telling feeling.
Characters
Chuck Greene is the protagonist of the game and he's a father who will do anything to protect his daughter from harm. Compared to Frank, who was an average guy, Chuck has a bit more up his sleeve with his skills. Chuck is not only a motocross champion, but a great mechanic, which allows him to create Combo Weapons by combining certain tools and objects together. Chuck is a likable guy who occasionally cracks some groan-worthy jokes but is an overall good protagonist, much like Frank. The supporting characters aren't very noteworthy, but the Psychopaths shine in this game with their boss themes, cutscenes, and overall weirdness.
Conclusion
Dead Rising 2 is a fantastic sequel in my eyes. It improves upon what Dead Rising 1 did and the new gameplay mechanic of creating combined weapons from random objects is a great way to make players engaged and wanting to experiment with what can be combined. However, the series begins a downfall after this entry, and we all know how that ends...
2016
Introduction
Dead Rising 4 is a game that should’ve never happened. A game where Frank West was meant to come back and be better than ever became a total shit show. This game is clunky, annoying, boring, and has none of the soul the previous installments had.
Gameplay
The gameplay is unresponsive and decides to only work when it feels like it. There is no weight to your attacks whatsoever when Frank attacks. His moves feel floaty, as if he’s a feather, and that goes for movement too, such as dodge rolling or jumping. Whoever decided to add fucking collision to zombies when dodge rolling or jumping can kiss my ass, that’s annoying and had no reason to be added into the game mechanics. Exo suits are a neat addition but you hardly ever get to use them, aside from the final Case in the game.
Story (NO SPOILERS)
I honestly don’t even really know what the story is, nor do I even remember the characters. The gist of it is that Frank goes back to Willamette to uncover the ultimate scoop of a lifetime, only to get dragged into another zombie outbreak. A zombie named Calder is important, don’t ask me why, I don’t even fucking know.
Characters
This is where the game does an abysmal job. Every, I mean EVERY, single character is a complete and total unlikeable douchebag. Frank West went from a charming, average dude in DR1 and DR2 to a wise-ass, joke-cracking asshole in DR4. He’s selfish and has no sense of character development throughout the whole game, from start-to-finish he is a dickhead who always puts himself first over anyone else, including their safety. That’s a total blow to his character because all he cared about in DR1 was helping people escape the mall alive, and if anyone was injured then he would make sure they’re safe. I don’t remember the names of anyone else aside from Brad, but just know that they’re all forgettable dickheads.
Conclusion
I like to think of DR4 as nothing more than a bad dream. Change Frank’s name to Hank East and his occupation from Photo Journalist to Wedding Photographer and it’s a tiny bit more bearable of a game. In the end, this game is an unfunny, shallow, and pointless installment in the series, I HIGHLY advise you to avoid this one at all costs.
Dead Rising 4 is a game that should’ve never happened. A game where Frank West was meant to come back and be better than ever became a total shit show. This game is clunky, annoying, boring, and has none of the soul the previous installments had.
Gameplay
The gameplay is unresponsive and decides to only work when it feels like it. There is no weight to your attacks whatsoever when Frank attacks. His moves feel floaty, as if he’s a feather, and that goes for movement too, such as dodge rolling or jumping. Whoever decided to add fucking collision to zombies when dodge rolling or jumping can kiss my ass, that’s annoying and had no reason to be added into the game mechanics. Exo suits are a neat addition but you hardly ever get to use them, aside from the final Case in the game.
Story (NO SPOILERS)
I honestly don’t even really know what the story is, nor do I even remember the characters. The gist of it is that Frank goes back to Willamette to uncover the ultimate scoop of a lifetime, only to get dragged into another zombie outbreak. A zombie named Calder is important, don’t ask me why, I don’t even fucking know.
Characters
This is where the game does an abysmal job. Every, I mean EVERY, single character is a complete and total unlikeable douchebag. Frank West went from a charming, average dude in DR1 and DR2 to a wise-ass, joke-cracking asshole in DR4. He’s selfish and has no sense of character development throughout the whole game, from start-to-finish he is a dickhead who always puts himself first over anyone else, including their safety. That’s a total blow to his character because all he cared about in DR1 was helping people escape the mall alive, and if anyone was injured then he would make sure they’re safe. I don’t remember the names of anyone else aside from Brad, but just know that they’re all forgettable dickheads.
Conclusion
I like to think of DR4 as nothing more than a bad dream. Change Frank’s name to Hank East and his occupation from Photo Journalist to Wedding Photographer and it’s a tiny bit more bearable of a game. In the end, this game is an unfunny, shallow, and pointless installment in the series, I HIGHLY advise you to avoid this one at all costs.
2023
Introduction
q.u.q is a nice little visual novel that doesn't overstay its welcome. With the price tag of $1.99, I decided to purchase it from my Wishlist with some of my leftover Steam Wallet funds. What I experienced was something I didn't expect, to say the least.
Story (NO SPOILERS)
To keep a short story short, q.u.q features Hacchi, the protagonist. Hacchi has a wish to fulfill from a friend of hers and so she sets off on a journey to fulfill it, encountering weird and mysterious characters along the way. That's about the gist of it. It's short, sometimes weird, sometimes sad, but enjoyable throughout the playthrough.
Artwork
The artwork is a nice eye-pleaser. The backgrounds are drawn in a pleasing, abstract way, and the characters vary from cute looking to strange. The art style fits the tone of the music and story quite well.
Soundtrack
The soundtrack is nice to the ears and also fits the atmosphere of the game greatly. There wasn't a single time throughout my playthrough where I went "Well, this doesn't quite fit with this situation."
Conclusion
For a price tag of $1.99, q.u.q delivers nicely. A short, sweet, and sad story with about an hour of playtime that has plenty of endings to see. If you're a fan of abstract or surreal games such as Yume Nikki, milk inside a bag of milk (and its sequel), or anything of the sort, then you'll enjoy this game.
q.u.q is a nice little visual novel that doesn't overstay its welcome. With the price tag of $1.99, I decided to purchase it from my Wishlist with some of my leftover Steam Wallet funds. What I experienced was something I didn't expect, to say the least.
Story (NO SPOILERS)
To keep a short story short, q.u.q features Hacchi, the protagonist. Hacchi has a wish to fulfill from a friend of hers and so she sets off on a journey to fulfill it, encountering weird and mysterious characters along the way. That's about the gist of it. It's short, sometimes weird, sometimes sad, but enjoyable throughout the playthrough.
Artwork
The artwork is a nice eye-pleaser. The backgrounds are drawn in a pleasing, abstract way, and the characters vary from cute looking to strange. The art style fits the tone of the music and story quite well.
Soundtrack
The soundtrack is nice to the ears and also fits the atmosphere of the game greatly. There wasn't a single time throughout my playthrough where I went "Well, this doesn't quite fit with this situation."
Conclusion
For a price tag of $1.99, q.u.q delivers nicely. A short, sweet, and sad story with about an hour of playtime that has plenty of endings to see. If you're a fan of abstract or surreal games such as Yume Nikki, milk inside a bag of milk (and its sequel), or anything of the sort, then you'll enjoy this game.
Introduction
At this point, everyone should know what to expect when RE4 gets a new port. Higher resolutions, achievement support, and HD textures is basically the staple of every RE4 port nowadays. However, Resident Evil 4: Wii Edition is one of the few unique RE4 ports that do something different.
Gameplay
For Resident Evil 4: Wii Edition (which I will now abbreviate as RE4:WE) the focus was on the motion controls of the Wiimote and sensor bar. To reload now, you have to shake your Wiimote up and down quickly. To knife, you have to do a fast swiping motion with your Wiimote. The QTEs also got changed to be more motion control focused, an example being that you now have to swipe your Wiimote to the direction that the QTE shows you. Overall, it's a cool premise, but it can easily get tiring after any gameplay session.
Issues
First issue is what I stated earlier, the swiping during QTEs. It can get tiring easily and isn't a fun mechanic in my opinion. Second issue is that for some odd reason, certain PS2 models made it into this version of the game. Items such as herbs are using their lower poly PS2 model instead of their GC model, which unfortunately makes some items ugly. The only other issue I really had with this game was having to quickly shake your Wiimote up and down to reload, as just like with the QTEs, it also got tiring quickly.
Ending
Overall, RE4:WE is a unique way to experience RE4 if you either haven't played the game or haven't played this version. All of the PS2 content is also included in this game, making it a complete package and worth the money.
At this point, everyone should know what to expect when RE4 gets a new port. Higher resolutions, achievement support, and HD textures is basically the staple of every RE4 port nowadays. However, Resident Evil 4: Wii Edition is one of the few unique RE4 ports that do something different.
Gameplay
For Resident Evil 4: Wii Edition (which I will now abbreviate as RE4:WE) the focus was on the motion controls of the Wiimote and sensor bar. To reload now, you have to shake your Wiimote up and down quickly. To knife, you have to do a fast swiping motion with your Wiimote. The QTEs also got changed to be more motion control focused, an example being that you now have to swipe your Wiimote to the direction that the QTE shows you. Overall, it's a cool premise, but it can easily get tiring after any gameplay session.
Issues
First issue is what I stated earlier, the swiping during QTEs. It can get tiring easily and isn't a fun mechanic in my opinion. Second issue is that for some odd reason, certain PS2 models made it into this version of the game. Items such as herbs are using their lower poly PS2 model instead of their GC model, which unfortunately makes some items ugly. The only other issue I really had with this game was having to quickly shake your Wiimote up and down to reload, as just like with the QTEs, it also got tiring quickly.
Ending
Overall, RE4:WE is a unique way to experience RE4 if you either haven't played the game or haven't played this version. All of the PS2 content is also included in this game, making it a complete package and worth the money.