3xtreme_Belgian
As overly long as the Xen levels are, at least I can actually have a good time finishing them. Half Life's Xen is so boring that I shut it off the second I get there.
I REALLY wanted to give this thing a shot (no pun intended). I heard lots of great things and how interesting the dynamic between the brothers was.
Well, I guess it had its moments but for the most part, the shooting gameplay undernined it more than develope it. Speaking of which, for a late PS2 game it shockingly plays like shit. Every weapon feels like it has all the impact of a BB gun, but with slower reloading time than it takes an ant to move a stone across a football field, depth of view and sound design that often makes it difficult to tell where you're being shot from, and some of the absolute WORST hit detection I've ever come across!
I'm willing to play through a bad game if it has some elements of fascination or enjoyment, but here, that extent only goes as far as an arbitrary bullet time gimmick.
Well, I guess it had its moments but for the most part, the shooting gameplay undernined it more than develope it. Speaking of which, for a late PS2 game it shockingly plays like shit. Every weapon feels like it has all the impact of a BB gun, but with slower reloading time than it takes an ant to move a stone across a football field, depth of view and sound design that often makes it difficult to tell where you're being shot from, and some of the absolute WORST hit detection I've ever come across!
I'm willing to play through a bad game if it has some elements of fascination or enjoyment, but here, that extent only goes as far as an arbitrary bullet time gimmick.
If you want 10 more minutes of Half-Life ², well then here you have it. That's all it is, and it's good.
I think I have found my favorite first person shooter of all time!
It's the perfect combination of all the remorseless brutality of the Doom games, and the beautiful graphics and funny ragdoll physics of the Half-Life games. The fact that you finish one of the levels by jumping on a U.F.O. that plays the Soviet anthem really says all you need to know.
It's the perfect combination of all the remorseless brutality of the Doom games, and the beautiful graphics and funny ragdoll physics of the Half-Life games. The fact that you finish one of the levels by jumping on a U.F.O. that plays the Soviet anthem really says all you need to know.
2011
I played only the demo of the remake and have already decided that I've had enough of it. In fact, I hope this is the last time I'll ever acknowledge it.
2014
As the game progresses, the Alien's AI becomes progressively more annoying and needlessly aggressive. There is just no way to keep it at suspenseful survival horror when you have to constantly use your flamethrower because every little whift you make within a 60ft radius has the fucker storming towards you, even when he's hit by a goddamn molotov.
I really want to finish this game, but if I keep going in this state, I'm only going to hate it.
I really want to finish this game, but if I keep going in this state, I'm only going to hate it.
2016
Insanely repetitive with no narrative context to add any excitement. All it does is putting you in a locked room where all the enemies continuously keep spawning, and just having you mindlessly blast away with whatever weapon you have in your hand until the doors arbitrarily choose to open once they're all dead. When that's finally over with, you just run through linear paths and corridors until getting to the next enclosed room just to repeat the whole process of fighting the exact same enemies all over again. This is not strategic!
I would like to re-evaluate what I said about this game. I still haven't finished it, but it's actually pretty cool and I was able to get used to the mechanics. Completing every mission is very rewarding, there's constantly some progression in the plot, even though the actual story is far less interesting than in the older games, and there's so much variety in playstyles that you want to experiment and obtain new items and weapons. Even though it's probably my least favorite in the series so far, there's a lot to love about it.
2013
Really creative concept and gameplay style that creates drama just through something as simple and seemingly boring as border patrol paper work of all things. I'm not really convinced with its 20 damn endings though. I would've preferred it if it just had a few where the challenge to get there is no more than just making sure you get enough earnings, it kind of takes away the ultimate effectiveness of the story.
2014
Ignoring the fact that the puzzles are awful, if I'm going to play a horror game where the core gameplay is backtracking, I rahter NOT be in the same goddamn house for almost the entire playtime. Is the idea of having some tension really too much to ask for?
Play Silent Hill or Resident Evil 2 remake instead.
Play Silent Hill or Resident Evil 2 remake instead.
2015
This review contains spoilers
The ending pisses me off. It tries to make you question Max's moral stance by guilt-tripping her for everything she's done and how her powers ruined everyone's lives. But like... isn't that the exact opposite of what I have been doing this entire game? I have used Max's powers for nothing but the good of others, so what is there to chastize her for? That one time I COULD have chosen to let her kiss Chloe?
And wether or not you choose Bay or Bae, they're both horrible endings. Either let everyone die and pass it off with sappy music or erase all character development that you just dedicated an entire playthrough of this game to? Fuck off! At that point, your opinion on Chloe barely even matters.
Here's an idea: What if there was a way to gain a third option, by say, the optional photos you can take throughout the game? They don't actually give you any kind of reward, so wouldn't that have been the perfect opportunity to let the player have the best ending based on how well they interacted with the story? The amount of photos you took based on the lives of all these people you've come to bond with could've decided how well you've proven your worth to save at least that amount of people. Hell, even if the only way to gain the one good ending was to take every optional photo in the entire game, it could've recontextualized the the time travelling motif by strengething the connection between player and player character, reliving the story like Max reliving the past to gain the best outcome. Yeah, it would've been some Warrior Within-type bullshit but it would still be infinitely better than what we got!
And wether or not you choose Bay or Bae, they're both horrible endings. Either let everyone die and pass it off with sappy music or erase all character development that you just dedicated an entire playthrough of this game to? Fuck off! At that point, your opinion on Chloe barely even matters.
Here's an idea: What if there was a way to gain a third option, by say, the optional photos you can take throughout the game? They don't actually give you any kind of reward, so wouldn't that have been the perfect opportunity to let the player have the best ending based on how well they interacted with the story? The amount of photos you took based on the lives of all these people you've come to bond with could've decided how well you've proven your worth to save at least that amount of people. Hell, even if the only way to gain the one good ending was to take every optional photo in the entire game, it could've recontextualized the the time travelling motif by strengething the connection between player and player character, reliving the story like Max reliving the past to gain the best outcome. Yeah, it would've been some Warrior Within-type bullshit but it would still be infinitely better than what we got!
2004
AAAAAAAAAHHH!!!!! WHAT THE FUCK ARE THESE HIDEOUS CREATURES????
1998
Good news: I'm starting to see the appeal now. I still don't think it's anything special by today's standards but at least I was able to sit through it a second time with more pleasure. Only thing is, I just couldn't bother going through the Xen levels.
I'm honestly wondering if I am still as on-board with the Uncharted games as I used to be. The fact that there is a trophy to earn in this game called 'Ludonarrative dissonance' feels suspiciously hypocritical. I used to praise U4 for its grand scale and intense action, but being as scripted as it is makes it actually less intense.
2012
To this day the only game that has ever made me cry.