sumatran
2017
Author's note: I am considering "Mastered" as acquiring all achievements.
I played this on and off for years with my brothers and that's where the game shines. I got no joy creating in this world alone. And after hundreds of hours, I was happy relying on the creativity and ingenuity of player realms to hastily complete the remaining objectives.
I prefer more goal-oriented play. So while I appreciate the creative nature of Minecraft, it was never totally in my wheelhouse.
I played this on and off for years with my brothers and that's where the game shines. I got no joy creating in this world alone. And after hundreds of hours, I was happy relying on the creativity and ingenuity of player realms to hastily complete the remaining objectives.
I prefer more goal-oriented play. So while I appreciate the creative nature of Minecraft, it was never totally in my wheelhouse.
2017
Author's note: I'm considering "Mastered" as earning all achievements.
There appears to be a niche where the rag-doll physics engine became the core component of gameplay. It's not particularly enjoyable to play, but it sure leads to some absolutely hilarious stupidity with friends.
There appears to be a niche where the rag-doll physics engine became the core component of gameplay. It's not particularly enjoyable to play, but it sure leads to some absolutely hilarious stupidity with friends.
Drinkbox Studios is a favorite of mine. I've enjoyed everything I've played from them. This brief adventure is no exception.
I played through a completionist playthrough in co-op, which was a blast. The writing is often funny, which is increasingly hard to find in video games and the avatar is a quirky little dude, despite being essentially faceless.
But while the world is rather large and the cast of archetypes you can embody fairly extensive, everything is a bit samey. Combat stays essentially the same, no matter the form you take. Gnaw as a rat or strike as a soldier. The dungeons are randomly generated and offer variety in modifiers but little else.
It was worth the initial adventure, but NG+ started to drag, even after taking a 6-month break.
I played through a completionist playthrough in co-op, which was a blast. The writing is often funny, which is increasingly hard to find in video games and the avatar is a quirky little dude, despite being essentially faceless.
But while the world is rather large and the cast of archetypes you can embody fairly extensive, everything is a bit samey. Combat stays essentially the same, no matter the form you take. Gnaw as a rat or strike as a soldier. The dungeons are randomly generated and offer variety in modifiers but little else.
It was worth the initial adventure, but NG+ started to drag, even after taking a 6-month break.
2022
Charming, playful, short, and sweet - just like the titular munchkins in Tinykin. I would have preferred actual 3D models for the characters, but the awkward blend of styles quickly faded. This is an excellent weekend title.
2021
Toem is a delightful little journey, mostly through the lens of a camera. My only major complaint is the colorless world. Clearly an artistic choice - but I feel it creates a painful lack of expression.
2014
Maybe it's because I also played Far Cry 3 and 5 within the last couple years, but this just feels like a step back compared to both. The world is uninteresting and the villain is overhyped. There's a little fun to be had in co-op, but this is a braindead run otherwise.
2012
I treated myself to AC III back in November of 2012 . A 1-night rental from Redbox - a small Birthday treat to myself that day. I remember being excited by the prospect of a game set during the Revolutionary War - a period that is greatly underrepresented in games.
I was as unimpressed as I was returning to the game 10 years later. I picked this back up after Ubisoft threatened to close the Xbox 360 servers. Seemed like a good excuse to revisit. Satan help you, if you decide to 100 sync this game. The mission parameters are agonizing at times.
The general direction and design of AC 3 is often confusing and unintuitive. I had a little fun jumping through trees and the alternate history DLC is actually pretty damn good.
I was as unimpressed as I was returning to the game 10 years later. I picked this back up after Ubisoft threatened to close the Xbox 360 servers. Seemed like a good excuse to revisit. Satan help you, if you decide to 100 sync this game. The mission parameters are agonizing at times.
The general direction and design of AC 3 is often confusing and unintuitive. I had a little fun jumping through trees and the alternate history DLC is actually pretty damn good.
2017
There was the notion of something really interesting here. I got the intent of a subversive character plot which could have been carried out in a much more interesting way.
I appreciated the snappy flow to the game. Everything moved so smoothly compared to previous entries. It finally advanced the core gameplay in a meaningful way and I'm more excited about the future of Poke'mon than I've ever been. But the novelty of the open world faded after reaching the third area. And Elden Ring all but closed the door on this title for me.
I anticipated coming back to finish it, but with Scarlet/Violet around the corner, I'll have to forfeit. It's a good Poke'mon game, but in the grand scheme of things, it still doesn't reach greatness.
I anticipated coming back to finish it, but with Scarlet/Violet around the corner, I'll have to forfeit. It's a good Poke'mon game, but in the grand scheme of things, it still doesn't reach greatness.
2020
This is a tiny adventure best played with friends. Even better - create a shared world that you can explore asynchronously. It was a treat to jump in and find new items and structures that my partner had built. And even more rewarding was when we could explore the game together.
The world is novel and interesting and the exploration is rewarding. There are so many secrets packed into the backyard. The combat was more of a utility than a fun gameplay mechanic, but nailing parries was a decent reinforcement.
I would have liked a bit more enemy variety. Don't get me wrong - spiders are the devil spawn - but there are plenty of other gross creepy crawlies to frighten a player (uh centipedes anyone?)
The world is novel and interesting and the exploration is rewarding. There are so many secrets packed into the backyard. The combat was more of a utility than a fun gameplay mechanic, but nailing parries was a decent reinforcement.
I would have liked a bit more enemy variety. Don't get me wrong - spiders are the devil spawn - but there are plenty of other gross creepy crawlies to frighten a player (uh centipedes anyone?)
2021
I will admit I don't understand the GOTY aspirations this title seems to inspire, but it's a fun little game.
Once you solve a few different builds, the game essentially plays itself, compounding into a cacophony of lights and sounds. It makes you feel a little bubbly, but it mainly succeeds at being a convenient time-killer.
Once you solve a few different builds, the game essentially plays itself, compounding into a cacophony of lights and sounds. It makes you feel a little bubbly, but it mainly succeeds at being a convenient time-killer.
RPG fans have long been used to the trope of fetch quests. But you are still not prepared for this game. Your whole existence for being is to fetch on quests. And then get bombarded with notifications as your city develops, your EXP grows, and your wallet gets fatter.
The dialogue that drags you through the never-ending delivery is painful. I actually started skipping the cutscenes in the back-half because I was hurting so much. So why continue? The combat was simple, yet satisfying. And the art was pleasant. All resulting in a mediocre experience.
The dialogue that drags you through the never-ending delivery is painful. I actually started skipping the cutscenes in the back-half because I was hurting so much. So why continue? The combat was simple, yet satisfying. And the art was pleasant. All resulting in a mediocre experience.
2022
Chained Echoes is a reflection on a lifetime of JRPGs. You can see the inspiration pouring from almost every character, location, item, and system. It's a combination of many great things, which builds up into a phenomenal experience.
While the writing is predictably corny at times, the story has fun twists and surprisingly solid cutscenes for a game presented in this style. The Act structure is well-formed and breaks up appropriate story beats. A particular Act introduces a radical change to the game world, giving the player an all-powerful feeling that is hard to come by.
The turn-based combat is practically perfect. On standard difficulty, you will have to depend on strategy to succeed. The progression system does not especially reward grinding, so you'll need to depend on your equipment and skills.
One additional area where you can get ahead of the competition is the Crystal system. And this is unfortunately an under-developed feature. The menus are clunky and it takes some time and error to fully find its potential.
Speaking of clunky - I can forgive the efforts of a solo dev, but I do need to call out the occasional bugs and stutters that creep up. I had to restart the game a few times to correct some funny issues.
But like previously mentioned, this is an indie title developed by a single guy. And yet it exudes big budget studio energy, making its contemporaries look like the indie titles in comparison. Someone please get Matthias Linda some money and a studio and see what he can do.
While the writing is predictably corny at times, the story has fun twists and surprisingly solid cutscenes for a game presented in this style. The Act structure is well-formed and breaks up appropriate story beats. A particular Act introduces a radical change to the game world, giving the player an all-powerful feeling that is hard to come by.
The turn-based combat is practically perfect. On standard difficulty, you will have to depend on strategy to succeed. The progression system does not especially reward grinding, so you'll need to depend on your equipment and skills.
One additional area where you can get ahead of the competition is the Crystal system. And this is unfortunately an under-developed feature. The menus are clunky and it takes some time and error to fully find its potential.
Speaking of clunky - I can forgive the efforts of a solo dev, but I do need to call out the occasional bugs and stutters that creep up. I had to restart the game a few times to correct some funny issues.
But like previously mentioned, this is an indie title developed by a single guy. And yet it exudes big budget studio energy, making its contemporaries look like the indie titles in comparison. Someone please get Matthias Linda some money and a studio and see what he can do.
2018
Another approximate simulator to add to the pile. The Home Alone and Castle scenarios were a fun diversion, but the bulk of the game is just Sims without the Sims.
There is a weird lighting bug where lights are only on when you're actually in the room. It created a jarring effect while moving throughout a home.
I also see that Game Pass tax on the DLC. Shame.
There is a weird lighting bug where lights are only on when you're actually in the room. It created a jarring effect while moving throughout a home.
I also see that Game Pass tax on the DLC. Shame.
2022
This franchise has been dragging my corpse around for the last 8 years or so. Deep down, I knew I wasn't having fun - that the games maybe "weren't for me". Which is a tough realization when it's a video game series you've played your whole life. More than that, it's a series that actually got you into gaming. And now it's not for you. Yet I pushed through, hoping I'd find something worth playing. And in this particular entry I found that this wasn't "the best Poke'mon has ever been." It's actually quite the opposite.
Arceus created an iterative blueprint for Poke'mon in an open world. And S/V tried to expand that. Arceus had its problems, but the snappy gameplay made S/V perform like a slug.
That's the first problem with S/V. It plays so slowly. Battles are sluggish and you're inundated with text prompts that offer no value. The game doesn't treat you like a kid - it treats you like an idiot. At the very least, where is a setting to disable all the text? Abilities are back and further slow down momentum. The battles are so slow, that the Let's Go mode can actually get you more EXP, despite the penalty.
Which leads me into the next issue - game design. Nothing in this game fits together. The open world is wretched - it's ugly and boring. Trainers randomly stand around and Poke'mon pop in 2 feet in front of your face. Any potential for discovery is neutered by the amount of pop-in. To take out some binoculars and spot a rare Poke'mon on the horizon - boy that would have been nice.
There are no HMs, but your riding Poke'mon essentially replaces that. You eventually get to swim, fly, and climb. But these features do not actually gate the player. Poke'mon levels make no sense. You can climb a mountain that is only accessible in late game and find Level 10 Poke'mon up there. The gym leaders suffer the same issue. Because they don't scale with the player or # of badges, you will most likely dominate the competition or be dominated yourself. The game lacks any meaningful balance.
Most of the other features are padding or cruft. Picnics aren't fun; gym leader challenges make me think bad things; Team Star bases are embarrassing; and the Elite 4 are pushovers.
The previously mentioned pop-in is one of many disparate issues culminating in a horrendously-performing video game. Slow-down is frequent and textures load-in often. Something as simple as switching a Poke'mon could end up taking ~5 seconds. And the premier co-op experience - raids - only kinda work.
The only spark of legitimate joy I saw in the 25~ hours was the final battle. And the music was good too.
So yeah, I guess I'll give into the main criticism for people who don't like these games anymore. It's not for me. I'll be back when a Poke'mon title wins GOTY from multiple major publications.
Arceus created an iterative blueprint for Poke'mon in an open world. And S/V tried to expand that. Arceus had its problems, but the snappy gameplay made S/V perform like a slug.
That's the first problem with S/V. It plays so slowly. Battles are sluggish and you're inundated with text prompts that offer no value. The game doesn't treat you like a kid - it treats you like an idiot. At the very least, where is a setting to disable all the text? Abilities are back and further slow down momentum. The battles are so slow, that the Let's Go mode can actually get you more EXP, despite the penalty.
Which leads me into the next issue - game design. Nothing in this game fits together. The open world is wretched - it's ugly and boring. Trainers randomly stand around and Poke'mon pop in 2 feet in front of your face. Any potential for discovery is neutered by the amount of pop-in. To take out some binoculars and spot a rare Poke'mon on the horizon - boy that would have been nice.
There are no HMs, but your riding Poke'mon essentially replaces that. You eventually get to swim, fly, and climb. But these features do not actually gate the player. Poke'mon levels make no sense. You can climb a mountain that is only accessible in late game and find Level 10 Poke'mon up there. The gym leaders suffer the same issue. Because they don't scale with the player or # of badges, you will most likely dominate the competition or be dominated yourself. The game lacks any meaningful balance.
Most of the other features are padding or cruft. Picnics aren't fun; gym leader challenges make me think bad things; Team Star bases are embarrassing; and the Elite 4 are pushovers.
The previously mentioned pop-in is one of many disparate issues culminating in a horrendously-performing video game. Slow-down is frequent and textures load-in often. Something as simple as switching a Poke'mon could end up taking ~5 seconds. And the premier co-op experience - raids - only kinda work.
The only spark of legitimate joy I saw in the 25~ hours was the final battle. And the music was good too.
So yeah, I guess I'll give into the main criticism for people who don't like these games anymore. It's not for me. I'll be back when a Poke'mon title wins GOTY from multiple major publications.