2021
While it falters in some aspects when compared to the rest of the trilogy, HITMAN 3 sticks the landing and does the series justice.
Firstly, there is a much larger focus on the story in this one and it mostly pays off by the end. If you have been around since at least HITMAN 2016 and are caught up with the current story, it satisfies and tells a very intriguing story about betrayal, relationships, and of course, assassination.
The gameplay is as fun as ever, with plenty of ways to plan out your missions and eliminate targets. It has been tuned up a bit and expanded through each title, though it is basically same old. Compared to the first game in the trilogy, contracts can be played methodically with deliberate decision-making, or you could just shoot everyone and/or save-scum your way to victory.
The levels in HITMAN 3 are pretty good as a whole but the design of some levels is hindered by this game's greater focus towards the story, with some sections in certain levels consisting of forced walking and talking with the mission commentator or important NPCs. Regardless, all of the locations are quality, but maybe not up to par with most levels in the other two games. Without spoiling anything, the final mission is unfortunately disappointing as a HITMAN level.
Overall, I enjoyed my time with HITMAN 3 immensly. While it doesn't reach the heights of HITMAN 2 at its best, the sequel does improve on the core gameplay decently and I had a great time with the new locations and the narrative. IO Interactive put their all into this trilogy and you can tell by how well just about everything has turned out. I recommended buying HITMAN 3 via the HITMAN Trilogy bundle when it is on sale. With this bundle you gain access to the entire trilogy within HITMAN 3, which is very convenient and, at least on Steam, goes for under $40 now. These are some of the best stealth-action games in recent years. HITMAN 3 is well worth it on its own but majorly enhanced by the prior two games. It is a great time.
Firstly, there is a much larger focus on the story in this one and it mostly pays off by the end. If you have been around since at least HITMAN 2016 and are caught up with the current story, it satisfies and tells a very intriguing story about betrayal, relationships, and of course, assassination.
The gameplay is as fun as ever, with plenty of ways to plan out your missions and eliminate targets. It has been tuned up a bit and expanded through each title, though it is basically same old. Compared to the first game in the trilogy, contracts can be played methodically with deliberate decision-making, or you could just shoot everyone and/or save-scum your way to victory.
The levels in HITMAN 3 are pretty good as a whole but the design of some levels is hindered by this game's greater focus towards the story, with some sections in certain levels consisting of forced walking and talking with the mission commentator or important NPCs. Regardless, all of the locations are quality, but maybe not up to par with most levels in the other two games. Without spoiling anything, the final mission is unfortunately disappointing as a HITMAN level.
Overall, I enjoyed my time with HITMAN 3 immensly. While it doesn't reach the heights of HITMAN 2 at its best, the sequel does improve on the core gameplay decently and I had a great time with the new locations and the narrative. IO Interactive put their all into this trilogy and you can tell by how well just about everything has turned out. I recommended buying HITMAN 3 via the HITMAN Trilogy bundle when it is on sale. With this bundle you gain access to the entire trilogy within HITMAN 3, which is very convenient and, at least on Steam, goes for under $40 now. These are some of the best stealth-action games in recent years. HITMAN 3 is well worth it on its own but majorly enhanced by the prior two games. It is a great time.
I wish I had the metabolism of a kirby
2022
i got filtered so hard by the gameplay but the presentation is incredible
2001
A genuine masterpiece. It is unbelievable just how incredible this game is. The atmosphere, music, and story are the best the survival horror genre has to offer.
The level design of the town of Silent Hill truly is otherworldly. I feel that it is woefully understated or glossed over. The town is a character itself. With how the architecture looks and changes, and certain environment are just uncomfortable to look at. The streets are barren with only abandoned cars and enemies lying around. The interiors almost go through their own arcs as you proceed further in. It gets gross and creepy. But I find that there is a lot of beauty in it.
The music and atmosphere of Silent Hill 2 is an aspect that everyone who loves the game can agree on; it's incredible. The music is not industrial and harsh like its predecessor: rather, its melancholic and ambient for the most part. There are ambient tracks that feel like they are plugging your ears with their deep, droning tones that will put you on edge. Then you'll get a track like the one at the very beginning, a song with a soft acoustic guitar plays over the dialogue and a wide shot of the lake. The music in this game is amazing, but that aside, the atmosphere is unmatched by almost everything else in this genre. The fog is so dense, like something could come right out from it at any point. Moody ambient tracks play while walking to and around the town, making the player feel even more uneasy.
The gameplay holds up to me but I am pretty accustomed to old game controls (FYI: you can choose between normal controls and tank controls). You get practically infinite item storage so there's little inventory management here. The combat can occasionally feel clunky but it does not really bother me in the long-run. However, as for difficulty, Normal mode gives you far too many healing items and ammo, so much so that you could probably manage a full first playthrough without dying in a normal encounter. This isn't really a negative aspect of the game but one to consider if you're a player that loves a challenge. Though, Hard mode is pretty unbalanced. Regular gameplay is nice and challenging on Hard, but bosses are far too spongey to be enjoyable at all. I would not recommend playing on Hard, at least not on a first playthrough.
I am not going to talk about the story at all. It is best experience with as little knowledge as possible.
If you haven't played Silent Hill 2 yet, play it when you can, however you can. Avoid the HD Collection, even if it is more convenient to play that version. It is extremely buggy, ugly, and the original dialogue got re-recorded. I recommend the PC port with the Enhanced Edition mod, as it brings the PC port on par with the PS2 version and goes beyond in some aspects. It should run well on pretty low-end machines so give it a go.
Silent Hill 2 is one of the best, most essential, and most influential video games ever made. It doesn't deserve to rot on abandon-ware websites. It deserves so much better than to have only the most broken version of it available for purchase officially.
The level design of the town of Silent Hill truly is otherworldly. I feel that it is woefully understated or glossed over. The town is a character itself. With how the architecture looks and changes, and certain environment are just uncomfortable to look at. The streets are barren with only abandoned cars and enemies lying around. The interiors almost go through their own arcs as you proceed further in. It gets gross and creepy. But I find that there is a lot of beauty in it.
The music and atmosphere of Silent Hill 2 is an aspect that everyone who loves the game can agree on; it's incredible. The music is not industrial and harsh like its predecessor: rather, its melancholic and ambient for the most part. There are ambient tracks that feel like they are plugging your ears with their deep, droning tones that will put you on edge. Then you'll get a track like the one at the very beginning, a song with a soft acoustic guitar plays over the dialogue and a wide shot of the lake. The music in this game is amazing, but that aside, the atmosphere is unmatched by almost everything else in this genre. The fog is so dense, like something could come right out from it at any point. Moody ambient tracks play while walking to and around the town, making the player feel even more uneasy.
The gameplay holds up to me but I am pretty accustomed to old game controls (FYI: you can choose between normal controls and tank controls). You get practically infinite item storage so there's little inventory management here. The combat can occasionally feel clunky but it does not really bother me in the long-run. However, as for difficulty, Normal mode gives you far too many healing items and ammo, so much so that you could probably manage a full first playthrough without dying in a normal encounter. This isn't really a negative aspect of the game but one to consider if you're a player that loves a challenge. Though, Hard mode is pretty unbalanced. Regular gameplay is nice and challenging on Hard, but bosses are far too spongey to be enjoyable at all. I would not recommend playing on Hard, at least not on a first playthrough.
I am not going to talk about the story at all. It is best experience with as little knowledge as possible.
If you haven't played Silent Hill 2 yet, play it when you can, however you can. Avoid the HD Collection, even if it is more convenient to play that version. It is extremely buggy, ugly, and the original dialogue got re-recorded. I recommend the PC port with the Enhanced Edition mod, as it brings the PC port on par with the PS2 version and goes beyond in some aspects. It should run well on pretty low-end machines so give it a go.
Silent Hill 2 is one of the best, most essential, and most influential video games ever made. It doesn't deserve to rot on abandon-ware websites. It deserves so much better than to have only the most broken version of it available for purchase officially.
1996
Metal Slug is a damn fun arcade game.
It's got the standard shoot 'em up gameplay; you're running, gunning, throwing bombs, getting weapon pickups, and rescuing people/grabbing items to increase your score. The spritework and animation are stunning and the music is fun and catchy. Though, this game would be pretty annoying to play on a real cabinet with real money (as most arcade games are) since so many projectiles get thrown at you all the time. You are bound to get hit by something on a first playthrough at least once every minute, and with your character being one-hit to kill and having only three lives per credit, you might go in debt before finishing this game.
Nevertheless, it is a lot of fun to play when you've got infinite continues to mindlessly mash the Fire and Bomb buttons with. With that and the excellent presentation to round out the package, I found Metal Slug to be a great time that also took very little time to complete. SNK were on to something with this and I cannot wait to check out the sequels.
It's got the standard shoot 'em up gameplay; you're running, gunning, throwing bombs, getting weapon pickups, and rescuing people/grabbing items to increase your score. The spritework and animation are stunning and the music is fun and catchy. Though, this game would be pretty annoying to play on a real cabinet with real money (as most arcade games are) since so many projectiles get thrown at you all the time. You are bound to get hit by something on a first playthrough at least once every minute, and with your character being one-hit to kill and having only three lives per credit, you might go in debt before finishing this game.
Nevertheless, it is a lot of fun to play when you've got infinite continues to mindlessly mash the Fire and Bomb buttons with. With that and the excellent presentation to round out the package, I found Metal Slug to be a great time that also took very little time to complete. SNK were on to something with this and I cannot wait to check out the sequels.
2022
💀
2022
Splatoon 3 is more Splatoon and that is really all it needs to be. Not very innovative but some quality-of-life additions and the improved lobby system probably make this the best game in the series. Nintendo needs to fix the communication errors, though, because it feels like half of my playtime is just waiting to actually get into a match.
Good Sonic game for a handheld, though lacking in identity. Nearly all tracks in the game are really cute renditions of music from Sonic 3 and the level themes are borrowed from prior entries. Admittedly there isn't a lot to say about this game: it has good controls, charming spritework, and the speed is kept in tact from the Genesis games. Sonic Pocket Adventure is a fun game and I recommend it to all 2D Sonic fans that may not have checked out this obscure entry in the series. Give it a go!
A very slow start to an increasingly massive, ongoing story. Perfectly servicable in most aspects; fun characters and writing, decent grid/turn-based combat, and great music. The story is good but it really does feel like the start to a narrative that is spanning across 10+ games.
Recommended if you really want some brainrot.
Recommended if you really want some brainrot.
1999
[This review doesn't necessarily contain spoilers but I do describe certain events that happen in the beginning of the game so if you've never played Silent Hill, you absolutely should do so right now. Emulate it, play it on Vita or PS3, use an original PS1 copy, whatever you have access to. This game is one of the greats and should not be missed by any horror game fan.]
One of the best games of the survival horror genre and in my top three favorite PS1 games. It holds up remarkably well.
The gameplay is still good and fun. Tank controls are here but Harry is much more agile than any character in the genre before. He can move and shoot at the same time and run pretty fast, as well as do a backstep that can act as a dodge move and a 180 degree quick-turn, far before it became a mainstay of future survival horror games. Though these movement options do come at the cost of the game not being as difficult as other similar games from that time. The act of aiming and using weapons is very simple: hold down the right trigger to ready your weapon and press X to fire. You get access to many different guns and melee weapons throughout the game, some of which restrict you from moving while readying them. Where Silent Hill's gameplay shines the most, in my opinion, is with the puzzles. They are very well-designed and tend to give you everything you need to solve it then and there, leaving you to taking notes and imagining the solution in your head or on paper. They are satisfying to solve and I never felt like I had to look up solutions.
The atmosphere is unmatched today and by its sequels: the fog, crusty textures, blocky character models, low resolution and the dithering. They all create an environment that's extremely detailed for the time, but just enough detail is left out (purposefully and not) for the game just to be scary and oppressive on its visual identity alone.
(For context: https://youtu.be/Max5qwUPmgs?t=269)
Walking through Silent Hill is claustrophobic. It is a big town but the player can only see a few feet ahead. It is easy to get lost without a map and you don't know what's going to come out from the fog. In the beginning of the game as you progress down the alleyway that another character leads you to, the game takes the camera from behind Harry to show fixed camera angles for a moment. Then you walk a bit further, and the camera starts swinging around into weird positions with jerky movement. The alleyway gets darker, the walls change color, the sirens you have been hearing becomes accompanied by harsh and offputting industrial noises. The walls have transformed again, becoming rusty metal grates. The game draws your attention to a body suspended in the air with barbed wire: it looks like a human but you can't make out certain details, apart from its blood and bones. It is a lot to take in and just as you begin to think about what could be going on, you're attacked and transported to a diner without explanation. Just from the first few moments, you see what Team Silent is going for in this game.
I've rambled for long enough now. You should just play Silent Hill. It's incredible.
One of the best games of the survival horror genre and in my top three favorite PS1 games. It holds up remarkably well.
The gameplay is still good and fun. Tank controls are here but Harry is much more agile than any character in the genre before. He can move and shoot at the same time and run pretty fast, as well as do a backstep that can act as a dodge move and a 180 degree quick-turn, far before it became a mainstay of future survival horror games. Though these movement options do come at the cost of the game not being as difficult as other similar games from that time. The act of aiming and using weapons is very simple: hold down the right trigger to ready your weapon and press X to fire. You get access to many different guns and melee weapons throughout the game, some of which restrict you from moving while readying them. Where Silent Hill's gameplay shines the most, in my opinion, is with the puzzles. They are very well-designed and tend to give you everything you need to solve it then and there, leaving you to taking notes and imagining the solution in your head or on paper. They are satisfying to solve and I never felt like I had to look up solutions.
The atmosphere is unmatched today and by its sequels: the fog, crusty textures, blocky character models, low resolution and the dithering. They all create an environment that's extremely detailed for the time, but just enough detail is left out (purposefully and not) for the game just to be scary and oppressive on its visual identity alone.
(For context: https://youtu.be/Max5qwUPmgs?t=269)
Walking through Silent Hill is claustrophobic. It is a big town but the player can only see a few feet ahead. It is easy to get lost without a map and you don't know what's going to come out from the fog. In the beginning of the game as you progress down the alleyway that another character leads you to, the game takes the camera from behind Harry to show fixed camera angles for a moment. Then you walk a bit further, and the camera starts swinging around into weird positions with jerky movement. The alleyway gets darker, the walls change color, the sirens you have been hearing becomes accompanied by harsh and offputting industrial noises. The walls have transformed again, becoming rusty metal grates. The game draws your attention to a body suspended in the air with barbed wire: it looks like a human but you can't make out certain details, apart from its blood and bones. It is a lot to take in and just as you begin to think about what could be going on, you're attacked and transported to a diner without explanation. Just from the first few moments, you see what Team Silent is going for in this game.
I've rambled for long enough now. You should just play Silent Hill. It's incredible.
1992
Riding Fight is a pretty fun beat 'em-up. The gameplay is solid for a 90s arcade game -- it looks great and the music is good. The game does not even take thirty minutes to complete so try it out if you're bored.
2005
Probably my favorite Mario Kart game because of my extreme nostalgia for it and the fond memories I have of it. Playing it on bus rides to and from school with friends was some of the most fun I had as a kid.
2019
Shelved because I can't find the motivation to finish it, having beaten Persona 5 already. Incredible game with some awesome style and wonderful music.
2020
One of the coolest platformers out there. Rhythm platformers are few-and-far-between and this one is delightful. It's got an incredible soundtrack with satisfying mapping, wonderful art and great level design. The only issues I have with this game are minor nitpicks. Play it!
The story and the character interactions are great and live up to Episode I but everything else is just worse. The combat is boring and unbalanced, the voice acting sucks and the new actors are worse, most of the music is pretty mediocre and I do not like the art style and redesigns for any of the characters. At least we got, "Don't forget to breathe deep and inhale the particles that composed me!" out of this.