w0nderbrad
2012
One of the first games I can remember playing in its entirety while also having a complete understanding of everything going on in the story. I had played Halo 1 and 2, Super Mario 64, Crash Bandicoot, countless racing games and others before this, but I was so young, I was pretty much just mindlessly playing without paying attention to the main story beats, or even having the ability to comprehend it at all at that age.
The gameplay was fun and engaging, even if it would be short-lived - I haven't really enjoyed any other Ubisoft open-world games since, even other Far Cry titles. I had a blast riding around the island on my Scavenger and flying around on my hang glider, clearing outposts of enemies and hunting animals for crafting materials.
Vaas was a great villain, so much so that I think the game made a misstep by not having him be the primary antagonist. The actual primary antagonist was so forgettable, I have no idea what his name is or what he even looked like.
(I've only played this in its entirety once, back in 2014, so my rating may be heavily affected by the nostalgia factor)
The gameplay was fun and engaging, even if it would be short-lived - I haven't really enjoyed any other Ubisoft open-world games since, even other Far Cry titles. I had a blast riding around the island on my Scavenger and flying around on my hang glider, clearing outposts of enemies and hunting animals for crafting materials.
Vaas was a great villain, so much so that I think the game made a misstep by not having him be the primary antagonist. The actual primary antagonist was so forgettable, I have no idea what his name is or what he even looked like.
(I've only played this in its entirety once, back in 2014, so my rating may be heavily affected by the nostalgia factor)
2009
An engaging story with multiple playable POVs, diverse map and enemy variety, great graphics (except the facial animations), and one of my favorite soundtracks of all time - this is my favorite Halo game and one of my favorite shooters.
Traversing the nighttime of New Mombasa for is so calming and serene, despite taking place in the aftermath of a deadly battle. "Deference for Darkness" is such a beautiful song and it goes perfectly with the setting. Each Rookie section in the nighttime after a tense and engaging chapter with another character felt like a welcome respite throughout multiple parts of the campaign.
Honorable mentions to the inclusion of Halo 3 multiplayer and ODST Firefight modes - they just add even more value to an already amazing game.
Traversing the nighttime of New Mombasa for is so calming and serene, despite taking place in the aftermath of a deadly battle. "Deference for Darkness" is such a beautiful song and it goes perfectly with the setting. Each Rookie section in the nighttime after a tense and engaging chapter with another character felt like a welcome respite throughout multiple parts of the campaign.
Honorable mentions to the inclusion of Halo 3 multiplayer and ODST Firefight modes - they just add even more value to an already amazing game.
2015
Easily the worst Halo, in my opinion. The story is nonsense, the map design and enemy variety are lackluster and boring, and it feels nothing like a Halo game. Fireteam Osiris ("MOVE!") is insufferable, especially Locke.
The gameplay isn't bad, but its a complete departure from the past games. If it were a sci-fi shooter unrelated to Halo, it wouldn't be half-bad. But instead, its a giant misstep after their poor first attempt at the franchise with Halo 4.
The gameplay isn't bad, but its a complete departure from the past games. If it were a sci-fi shooter unrelated to Halo, it wouldn't be half-bad. But instead, its a giant misstep after their poor first attempt at the franchise with Halo 4.
2021
(2/26/24 - before AW2)
Overall, I did not like this game very much. It had its moments, but man, was it rough to get through. The combat feels very stiff and outdated, and that's even by 2010's standards.
The story had so much potential that was left unfulfilled - multiple times through the game, I thought the story would go one way or another, progressing in some strange way, when really it just wouldn't go anywhere. It relied too much on the "unknown staying unknown" premise for me to work, as I felt like the story had not enough payoff for the experience to be worth it. However, I did really like the Stephen King quote Alan used - "the unanswered mystery is what stays with us the longest, and its what we'll remember in the end" - and that helped smooth out some of the story's edges for me.
The music was amazing though, both the original score and the soundtrack of other artists. I am now a diehard Old Gods of Asgard fan.
Overall, I did not like this game very much. It had its moments, but man, was it rough to get through. The combat feels very stiff and outdated, and that's even by 2010's standards.
The story had so much potential that was left unfulfilled - multiple times through the game, I thought the story would go one way or another, progressing in some strange way, when really it just wouldn't go anywhere. It relied too much on the "unknown staying unknown" premise for me to work, as I felt like the story had not enough payoff for the experience to be worth it. However, I did really like the Stephen King quote Alan used - "the unanswered mystery is what stays with us the longest, and its what we'll remember in the end" - and that helped smooth out some of the story's edges for me.
The music was amazing though, both the original score and the soundtrack of other artists. I am now a diehard Old Gods of Asgard fan.
2015
This review contains spoilers
I played this in October 2023, and it was probably the first horror game I've actually seen all the way through. I like the slasher horror genre, and I really like the mystery genre - this game has both, so that part of it already really appeals to me. The entire game was gorgeous, and I'm interested in seeing how the upcoming remaster will make it look ever better.
The experience of playing as each character from the friend group was done really well, and while some characters were annoying or unlikeable, I still had fun playing as them. I also really like how it can be a "choose your own adventure" experience where you can directly affect who lives or dies. Mike's journey through the Blackwood Sanatorium was one of my favorite parts of the game.
The use of the controller's motion sensor as a way to increase the tension during high-stakes moments was revolutionary, in my opinion, and I'm honestly shocked I haven't seen it implemented into more horror games. There were genuine moments when the "Don't Move" prompt popped up on my screen and I went still as stone, even holding my breath, as the events unfolded. Maybe it was just my controller in particular, but it did seem a bit too sensitive during a few of those moments. I got two characters killed by the Wendigo in my first playthrough because the controller registered movement when I hadn't moved at all.
All in all, this may very well be a game that I replay yearly every Halloween.
The experience of playing as each character from the friend group was done really well, and while some characters were annoying or unlikeable, I still had fun playing as them. I also really like how it can be a "choose your own adventure" experience where you can directly affect who lives or dies. Mike's journey through the Blackwood Sanatorium was one of my favorite parts of the game.
The use of the controller's motion sensor as a way to increase the tension during high-stakes moments was revolutionary, in my opinion, and I'm honestly shocked I haven't seen it implemented into more horror games. There were genuine moments when the "Don't Move" prompt popped up on my screen and I went still as stone, even holding my breath, as the events unfolded. Maybe it was just my controller in particular, but it did seem a bit too sensitive during a few of those moments. I got two characters killed by the Wendigo in my first playthrough because the controller registered movement when I hadn't moved at all.
All in all, this may very well be a game that I replay yearly every Halloween.
2010
This is my favorite skateboarding game, only beating out Skate 2 due to the amount of hours I've put into both - 3 is easily available on Xbox Game Pass, while 2 isn't and relies on either an Xbox 360 or PS3, meaning I have much more playtime in 3. An incredibly wide and diverse map, smooth and fluid controls and an extensive trickbook results in the gameplay never feeling stale. And of course, the soundtrack is just constant bangers.
2019
A very fun experience. My only gripe with the game is one that I usually have with games that rely on musical tracks (Guitar Hero/Rockband, Tap Tap Revenge, etc.) - the selection is pretty limited and gets boring and repetitive fairly quickly. I'm also not a fan of the monetization model of selling individual songs or small song packs.
A great side-story to go with along with Alan Wake's journey. Not a direct sequel to AW1, which is why I see a lot of people recommend skipping this one, but with improved combat and deep lore concerning the Dark Place/Presence and Mr. Scratch, I think this is a must-play for any Alan Wake fan. The combat alone is enough for me to give this a higher ranking than its predecessor, where it just felt very slow and tedious in AW1 but faster and refreshing in AW:AN.
Great game with a great story in an already-established great universe. The episode intros were my favorite parts, especially Episode 2 with "Kiss the Sky" by Shawn Lee's Ping Pong Orchestra feat. Nino Mochella and Episode 4 with "To The Top" by Twin Shadow. The emotional beats definitely worked for me, giving me goosebumps, making me cry, or sometimes both.
2018
Its been about 5 years since I've played this game, so my memory is a little fuzzy on the details, but I do remember overall how much this game meant to me. This was my first time playing a God of War game, so while I did miss out on the nostalgia factor of returning to Kratos after GOW3, it served as a great starting place for a player new to the franchise. The action and combat was incredible, as well as the animations. The lack of enemy variety was something I noticed, but that just might me my memory failing me. I also really enjoyed the implementation of Norse mythology in place of Greek from the originals. Baldur and his family were great antagonists - props to Jeremy Davies for giving yet another stellar performance in his career. The ending dynamic between Freya, Baldur, Kratos, and Atreus was beautifully done, and while I disagree with Freya, I see why she took the opinion of Kratos she did at the end.
2023
This review contains spoilers
The journey of Alan Wake is such a wild one, I have no idea where to begin. For one, I think this game has the best writing out of any game I have ever played, no doubt. The ambiguous nature of everything going on, layers upon layers of hidden meaning, themes of creativity and exploration expanded on in ways I've never seen before, stellar casting and dialogue - this game has it all for me.
Saga was an amazing protagonist - I was a bit wary of playing her so much instead of Alan at the beginning, but she very, very quickly grew on me, and there were even times during Alan's playable chapters that I had a desire to go back to Saga.
The settings and graphics are astounding. Cauldron Lake, Watery, Bright Falls, In Between with Mr. Door, the Oceanview Hotel, the Subway - every single setting in this game was breathtaking, and there were absolutely no moments at all during the game where I was getting bored/fed up with the current setting and desired to move on.
It is also much, much scarier than Alan Wake 1 or American Nightmare, and I love it for that. This is the ritual to lead you on - I mean, this is the game that will get me into the horror genre.
The opening scene to this game is seared into my brain, its one of those experiences I will never forget. As well as the Thornton & Mulligan boss fight - single-handedly the scariest experience I have ever had, and I look back on it fondly - I'll be chasing that horror high forever.
Saga's Mind Place and Alan's Writer's Room, along with the latter's abilities to change/shift/understand the current setting, are game mechanics that I honestly think will revolutionize future video game narratives. Being able to literally map out the story, and using "scenes" in a manuscript to drastically change a single setting, I was as giddy as a kid on Christmas morning with the amount of freedom and versatility Remedy had given us as players.
And the music!!! Each chapter-ending track was breathtaking, and of course, the Old Gods of Asgard delivered again. Anger's Remorse is so somber yet beautiful, and The Herald of Darkness sequence was astounding - but what really blew my socks off was Dark Ocean Summoning. I had a giant grin on my face for that entire fight, very similar to how I felt about AW1's Children of the Elder God.
This has very quickly become my favorite video game of all time. I also played these games "with" a friend of mine, which completely added to my experience overall. My favorite TV shows are Dark and LOST, both of which involve A LOT of theorizing. Having a friend play alongside me through the story gave us both insights we would never had considered had it not been for our discussions about it. Felt very reminiscent of the old "water cooler talk" after an episode of LOST.
I plan to do a complete re-playthrough of AW1R, AWAN, and then AW2: Final Draft when the AW2 DLCs are released, and I can only suspect they'll add so much more to my enjoyment of this game.
Saga was an amazing protagonist - I was a bit wary of playing her so much instead of Alan at the beginning, but she very, very quickly grew on me, and there were even times during Alan's playable chapters that I had a desire to go back to Saga.
The settings and graphics are astounding. Cauldron Lake, Watery, Bright Falls, In Between with Mr. Door, the Oceanview Hotel, the Subway - every single setting in this game was breathtaking, and there were absolutely no moments at all during the game where I was getting bored/fed up with the current setting and desired to move on.
It is also much, much scarier than Alan Wake 1 or American Nightmare, and I love it for that. This is the ritual to lead you on - I mean, this is the game that will get me into the horror genre.
The opening scene to this game is seared into my brain, its one of those experiences I will never forget. As well as the Thornton & Mulligan boss fight - single-handedly the scariest experience I have ever had, and I look back on it fondly - I'll be chasing that horror high forever.
Saga's Mind Place and Alan's Writer's Room, along with the latter's abilities to change/shift/understand the current setting, are game mechanics that I honestly think will revolutionize future video game narratives. Being able to literally map out the story, and using "scenes" in a manuscript to drastically change a single setting, I was as giddy as a kid on Christmas morning with the amount of freedom and versatility Remedy had given us as players.
And the music!!! Each chapter-ending track was breathtaking, and of course, the Old Gods of Asgard delivered again. Anger's Remorse is so somber yet beautiful, and The Herald of Darkness sequence was astounding - but what really blew my socks off was Dark Ocean Summoning. I had a giant grin on my face for that entire fight, very similar to how I felt about AW1's Children of the Elder God.
This has very quickly become my favorite video game of all time. I also played these games "with" a friend of mine, which completely added to my experience overall. My favorite TV shows are Dark and LOST, both of which involve A LOT of theorizing. Having a friend play alongside me through the story gave us both insights we would never had considered had it not been for our discussions about it. Felt very reminiscent of the old "water cooler talk" after an episode of LOST.
I plan to do a complete re-playthrough of AW1R, AWAN, and then AW2: Final Draft when the AW2 DLCs are released, and I can only suspect they'll add so much more to my enjoyment of this game.
2012
This review contains spoilers
This entire campaign is Master Chief saying, "fine, I'll do it myself".
Certain visual changes 343 made didn't work for me. Master Chief's armour, for one, looks like he got a complete wardrobe change midsleep - he's got a jet pack now. Over 75% of the game takes place in Forerunner structures, which are just a steady stream of red and blue neon lights running through steel structures. Not a lot of mission map variety. That being said, the facial animations and graphics look astounding - especially the first cutscene with Dr. Halsey and anything involving Cortana.
The Master Chief - Cortana dynamic was much more heartfelt than the previous Bungie entries, even if it felt stretched across an uninteresting Forerunner story.
The sudden shift in antagonists from the Covenant to the Forerunners is the biggest misstep for me here, as well as some of the design changes. Aside from that, a solid start despite its flaws for 343.
Certain visual changes 343 made didn't work for me. Master Chief's armour, for one, looks like he got a complete wardrobe change midsleep - he's got a jet pack now. Over 75% of the game takes place in Forerunner structures, which are just a steady stream of red and blue neon lights running through steel structures. Not a lot of mission map variety. That being said, the facial animations and graphics look astounding - especially the first cutscene with Dr. Halsey and anything involving Cortana.
The Master Chief - Cortana dynamic was much more heartfelt than the previous Bungie entries, even if it felt stretched across an uninteresting Forerunner story.
The sudden shift in antagonists from the Covenant to the Forerunners is the biggest misstep for me here, as well as some of the design changes. Aside from that, a solid start despite its flaws for 343.
2018
This review contains spoilers
It really makes you feel like Spider-Man.
This was the first PlayStation game I ever Platinum-ed (until they introduced the DLC and NG+), so because of that, SMPS4 will always hold a special place in my heart and memory. Achieving every trophy wasn't as tedious as I thought it would be, but there were a few instances that dragged on.
Everything I could've wanted from a Spider-Man game, with the occasional misstep along the way. Amazing movement controls and combat feels very fluid - its not easy to disrupt your momentum in a battle, which is very helpful in keeping you immersed. Great character development, especially in Doc Ock - his turn from Peter's mentor to villain is done gorgeously. Rhino, Scorpion, Mr. Negative and other villains (with the exception of 1, maybe 2) are all great secondary antagonists as well. Mr. Negative has an excellent backstory that explains his motives very well. Kingpin also plays a part in an amazing opening for the game.
The different suits were such a cool aspect to the game to grind for, and most of them looked astounding.
Taskmaster could have been fleshed out much more, in my opinion - but that's asking a lot for a game that already has 2 "main" villains with a plethora of secondaries (at least, that's how I saw it), so I understand their decision to not delve into Taskmaster as much as they could have here.
Screwball, however, was another story entirely. For a game bursting at the seams with villains (Doc Ock, Rhino, Scorpion, Vulture, Electro, Mr. Negative, Taskmaster, Kingpin, Tombstone, Shocker, Black Cat, Silver Sable), the addition of Screwball in the form of tertiary objectives that didn't contribute to the overall story really did start to drag the game down a bit. I get what they were going for here - maybe a wider, more current, sense of the world in that it involved the villain as a streamer, something very popular in this day and age, and her fans, which may give a sense of familiarity in the current times for some - but, man, did it miss the mark for me. The Screwball challenges were very repetitive and didn't necessarily introduce anything new to the gameplay. They mostly felt like they were tacked on during the tail-end of the development in order to stretch the Platinum trophy experience out a bit more. But the icing on the cake was just how abrasive her personality was. Screwball was not a character I enjoyed listening to or watching, in any cutscenes or gameplay.
The MJ and Miles sections of the game also really took away from my personal enjoyment. I mean, the game is literally called "Spider-Man" - why am I sneaking around as MJ or Miles, with no powers, to do something Spider-Man himself could've done?
All that being said, Marvel's Spider-Man for the PS4 is definitely one of my favorite games for the PS4, and may just be my favorite superhero game so far.
This was the first PlayStation game I ever Platinum-ed (until they introduced the DLC and NG+), so because of that, SMPS4 will always hold a special place in my heart and memory. Achieving every trophy wasn't as tedious as I thought it would be, but there were a few instances that dragged on.
Everything I could've wanted from a Spider-Man game, with the occasional misstep along the way. Amazing movement controls and combat feels very fluid - its not easy to disrupt your momentum in a battle, which is very helpful in keeping you immersed. Great character development, especially in Doc Ock - his turn from Peter's mentor to villain is done gorgeously. Rhino, Scorpion, Mr. Negative and other villains (with the exception of 1, maybe 2) are all great secondary antagonists as well. Mr. Negative has an excellent backstory that explains his motives very well. Kingpin also plays a part in an amazing opening for the game.
The different suits were such a cool aspect to the game to grind for, and most of them looked astounding.
Taskmaster could have been fleshed out much more, in my opinion - but that's asking a lot for a game that already has 2 "main" villains with a plethora of secondaries (at least, that's how I saw it), so I understand their decision to not delve into Taskmaster as much as they could have here.
Screwball, however, was another story entirely. For a game bursting at the seams with villains (Doc Ock, Rhino, Scorpion, Vulture, Electro, Mr. Negative, Taskmaster, Kingpin, Tombstone, Shocker, Black Cat, Silver Sable), the addition of Screwball in the form of tertiary objectives that didn't contribute to the overall story really did start to drag the game down a bit. I get what they were going for here - maybe a wider, more current, sense of the world in that it involved the villain as a streamer, something very popular in this day and age, and her fans, which may give a sense of familiarity in the current times for some - but, man, did it miss the mark for me. The Screwball challenges were very repetitive and didn't necessarily introduce anything new to the gameplay. They mostly felt like they were tacked on during the tail-end of the development in order to stretch the Platinum trophy experience out a bit more. But the icing on the cake was just how abrasive her personality was. Screwball was not a character I enjoyed listening to or watching, in any cutscenes or gameplay.
The MJ and Miles sections of the game also really took away from my personal enjoyment. I mean, the game is literally called "Spider-Man" - why am I sneaking around as MJ or Miles, with no powers, to do something Spider-Man himself could've done?
All that being said, Marvel's Spider-Man for the PS4 is definitely one of my favorite games for the PS4, and may just be my favorite superhero game so far.
2019
Probably my favorite battle royale I played during the (my) craze from 2016-2022 (out of Fortnite, Apex, PUBG, H1Z1, Warzone). Coming off the heels of one of my favorite FPS games, Titanfall 2, it retains the amazing movement and gunplay while introducing an interesting narrative in its seasonal modes. The "Broken Ghost" quest from Season 5 in 2020 holds a special place in my heart. Loses half a star due to over-saturation of the battle royale genre as well as the battle pass structure of progress, turning me off from it completely, and another half star due to predatory/greedy microtransactions.
Played seriously until Season 10, starting lose interest during Season 11, and abandoned the game in Season 12.
Played seriously until Season 10, starting lose interest during Season 11, and abandoned the game in Season 12.
Lightning in a bottle, ACNH struck so many chords with me during a pretty significant time in everyone's lives. Gave me a sense of community when real life interactions suffered as a result of the COVID pandemic. It also builds on and improves, massively, almost every aspect of the series from previous entries.
Something I didn't expect from this game was to feel a sense of completion. After playing the original Animal Crossing for the GameCube and Animal Crossing: City Folk for the Wii as a kid (but missing out on Wild World for the DS and New Leaf for the 3DS), I had a preconceived notion that an Animal Crossing game would just last indefinitely - no endgame, and the content would still feel just as fresh as it did when I'd boot up the original as an 8 year old, or New Horizons for the first time. But after spending almost 400 hours playing New Horizons, I finally felt like I had done everything the game had to offer (or at least the parts that appealed to me).
And all of the sudden, I was surprised with the desire to put the game down and never return, with only the occasional inclination to return for nostalgia's sake. Which isn't to say is a bad thing at all, but just an unexpected outcome. It helped me realize that a game can truly be enjoyed in its entirety and leave its mark on you, while also not being a constant in your gaming catalog. Some games have their time and place, and cement themselves in your history without ever becoming a permanent presence.
Something I didn't expect from this game was to feel a sense of completion. After playing the original Animal Crossing for the GameCube and Animal Crossing: City Folk for the Wii as a kid (but missing out on Wild World for the DS and New Leaf for the 3DS), I had a preconceived notion that an Animal Crossing game would just last indefinitely - no endgame, and the content would still feel just as fresh as it did when I'd boot up the original as an 8 year old, or New Horizons for the first time. But after spending almost 400 hours playing New Horizons, I finally felt like I had done everything the game had to offer (or at least the parts that appealed to me).
And all of the sudden, I was surprised with the desire to put the game down and never return, with only the occasional inclination to return for nostalgia's sake. Which isn't to say is a bad thing at all, but just an unexpected outcome. It helped me realize that a game can truly be enjoyed in its entirety and leave its mark on you, while also not being a constant in your gaming catalog. Some games have their time and place, and cement themselves in your history without ever becoming a permanent presence.