BULLSHITBLAZING
Sunbreak coming to an end and the very high possibility of MH6 being announced real soon kind of got me itching to give this another shot. Won't be doing shit like Behemoth of The Leshen (unless I go back to cheese them with MR weapons), but I will be doing maybe a couple of the HR events to at least get some decos before Iceborne. Greatest Jagras here I come!
Anyways it holds up real good. Much shorter than I remember, but when this launched I also had a job that had me much busier and I was doing everything. This time around I've skipped a lot of quests and only really focused on making one armor set to get through HR (gotta have that Odogaron set with the slutty hips babe). Can confidently say people who called Rise too easy are fucking insane cause I steamrolled everything in this even in HR. The only real challenge coming from having an LR set while hunting something like an HR Odo or Bazel being a dickhead. None of that matters though when expeditions don't have real quest failure though.
Music is all around pretty good too. It's not Third gen or Fourth gen or even Rise/Sunbreak tier, but I may have judged it a bit too hard over the years. The Elder's Recess theme is genuinely underrated for starters and besides Bazel I think Vaal may actually have the best unique theme in the base game. It's so good.
Used Glaive and gotta say? Lots of fun! Can't believe I barely touched it in my initial playthrough. Used all the weapons in the game then, but eventually just defaulted to my usual of GS with some Switch Axe. Love the mobility IG received here and jumping up to dive down with that one move Iceborne added having the moth go apeshit spraying C4 Mothra dust everywhere is so good. Even if the game's choice of particle effects are so ugly and annoying as my screen becomes a mess of sparkles and embers, but who cares bug goes boom.
Gotta say while I think Rise (some really unfortunate Covid development cycle issues aside) and Sunbreak are definitely the better games of Monster Hunter's 5th generation and are also the ones with a better art direction that feels more in line with MH. World remains as impressive as it was back in 2018. It may not be perfect and it may have some annoying shit (I will find whoever programmed the constant roars in this one), but in a time where studios are willing to nickle and dime you for the smallest thing (which Capcom aren't exempt to by the way lmfao) this is still a game with so much content and so many things to do along the way with just the base entrance price. The time sink that comes along with it alone is worth the price and Iceborne will eventually just double that as MH expansions are basically just an entire extra game.
A genuine true modern classic and for all its faults... I think I kind of really love it still? Yes even the Handler cause now she'll just randomly put on the cat costume with the looping seasonal events and it has been HILARIOUS seeing her run around with that thing. Truly the Aqua Konosuba best useless loser of video games.
Also on a last note god bless the loading times while playing this on PS5, holy fuck.
Anyways it holds up real good. Much shorter than I remember, but when this launched I also had a job that had me much busier and I was doing everything. This time around I've skipped a lot of quests and only really focused on making one armor set to get through HR (gotta have that Odogaron set with the slutty hips babe). Can confidently say people who called Rise too easy are fucking insane cause I steamrolled everything in this even in HR. The only real challenge coming from having an LR set while hunting something like an HR Odo or Bazel being a dickhead. None of that matters though when expeditions don't have real quest failure though.
Music is all around pretty good too. It's not Third gen or Fourth gen or even Rise/Sunbreak tier, but I may have judged it a bit too hard over the years. The Elder's Recess theme is genuinely underrated for starters and besides Bazel I think Vaal may actually have the best unique theme in the base game. It's so good.
Used Glaive and gotta say? Lots of fun! Can't believe I barely touched it in my initial playthrough. Used all the weapons in the game then, but eventually just defaulted to my usual of GS with some Switch Axe. Love the mobility IG received here and jumping up to dive down with that one move Iceborne added having the moth go apeshit spraying C4 Mothra dust everywhere is so good. Even if the game's choice of particle effects are so ugly and annoying as my screen becomes a mess of sparkles and embers, but who cares bug goes boom.
Gotta say while I think Rise (some really unfortunate Covid development cycle issues aside) and Sunbreak are definitely the better games of Monster Hunter's 5th generation and are also the ones with a better art direction that feels more in line with MH. World remains as impressive as it was back in 2018. It may not be perfect and it may have some annoying shit (I will find whoever programmed the constant roars in this one), but in a time where studios are willing to nickle and dime you for the smallest thing (which Capcom aren't exempt to by the way lmfao) this is still a game with so much content and so many things to do along the way with just the base entrance price. The time sink that comes along with it alone is worth the price and Iceborne will eventually just double that as MH expansions are basically just an entire extra game.
A genuine true modern classic and for all its faults... I think I kind of really love it still? Yes even the Handler cause now she'll just randomly put on the cat costume with the looping seasonal events and it has been HILARIOUS seeing her run around with that thing. Truly the Aqua Konosuba best useless loser of video games.
Also on a last note god bless the loading times while playing this on PS5, holy fuck.
Those bastards did it again...
Like with Quake's Dimension of the Machine, Quake 2's Call of the Machine takes everything that worked in the base game some 25+ years ago and adds said 25+ years of game development knowledge to deliver something truly special. The ultimate Quake 2 challenge. I've made it clear that with the base game I wasn't fully satisfied with my run through it. Finding it to be very dull and kind of lacking in atmosphere and thrills at points. Well, Call of the Machine made the fuck sure I was never bored in any missions and even made Quake 2's every now and then generic space marine Sci-Fi aesthetic really shine by having most levels not be brown and puke green. Which then makes the ones that are actually like that genuinely unique and unnerving now. Really I think my only problem with this is that it can maybe get a bit too chaotic at times? But you are given exactly the gear you need to succeed and all the tools needed to survive the new massive Serious Samesque encounters is right there, it's the jump button. The big enemy spawns are kind of cathartic too as there's usually a Quad or double damage laying around and bullets or to top off the god like Chaingun and Hyperblaster (my beloved...). I know if nobody got me the Quake 2 Hyperblaster got me. What a perfect video game gun.
Some really nice callbacks to Quake I missed with how fast I was blitzing through some of these levels, but there's one specific mission that may be one of the most gigabrain uses of Lovecraft in media inspired by his work. Connecting the dots had me grinning ear to ear and the ending is so mean it reverts back to hilarious. Also, one of the missions in this may actually be the best shooter Alien game since Aliens Vs Predator 2.
Glad Nightdive and id are bringing these back I never knew how much I needed these games in my life after only playing mission 1 of the first Quake on a friends laptop back in high school. Don't know if this all releasing is sign of things to come or if it is just me having massive copium for a new shiny modern Quake game. Especially with how Doom has currently kind of taken its shtick of being the fast jumping shoot game, but man I really hope we get something sick soon. This shits too cool to keep buried as an MP only Hero Shooter.
Like with Quake's Dimension of the Machine, Quake 2's Call of the Machine takes everything that worked in the base game some 25+ years ago and adds said 25+ years of game development knowledge to deliver something truly special. The ultimate Quake 2 challenge. I've made it clear that with the base game I wasn't fully satisfied with my run through it. Finding it to be very dull and kind of lacking in atmosphere and thrills at points. Well, Call of the Machine made the fuck sure I was never bored in any missions and even made Quake 2's every now and then generic space marine Sci-Fi aesthetic really shine by having most levels not be brown and puke green. Which then makes the ones that are actually like that genuinely unique and unnerving now. Really I think my only problem with this is that it can maybe get a bit too chaotic at times? But you are given exactly the gear you need to succeed and all the tools needed to survive the new massive Serious Samesque encounters is right there, it's the jump button. The big enemy spawns are kind of cathartic too as there's usually a Quad or double damage laying around and bullets or to top off the god like Chaingun and Hyperblaster (my beloved...). I know if nobody got me the Quake 2 Hyperblaster got me. What a perfect video game gun.
Some really nice callbacks to Quake I missed with how fast I was blitzing through some of these levels, but there's one specific mission that may be one of the most gigabrain uses of Lovecraft in media inspired by his work. Connecting the dots had me grinning ear to ear and the ending is so mean it reverts back to hilarious. Also, one of the missions in this may actually be the best shooter Alien game since Aliens Vs Predator 2.
Glad Nightdive and id are bringing these back I never knew how much I needed these games in my life after only playing mission 1 of the first Quake on a friends laptop back in high school. Don't know if this all releasing is sign of things to come or if it is just me having massive copium for a new shiny modern Quake game. Especially with how Doom has currently kind of taken its shtick of being the fast jumping shoot game, but man I really hope we get something sick soon. This shits too cool to keep buried as an MP only Hero Shooter.
Hey what did the universe mean by releasing a mission pack that opens with flying vehicles crashing called Ground Zero on the 11th of September 1998?
More good old school shooter goodness. I feel like all the extra mission packs for Quake 2 have definitely been much funner than the main game. Like I'm having so much fun with these. Also unlike The Reckoning where I felt some missions went on a bit too long at points Ground Zero seems to have much shorter ones that fit better into the fast paced action of Quake 2. Very pick up and go experience that I'm always down for when it comes to games. Hilariously easy final boss though.
With that I finish all the original Quake 2 content. I guess next up is Call of the Machine and then at last Quake 2 64 to close it all up.
More good old school shooter goodness. I feel like all the extra mission packs for Quake 2 have definitely been much funner than the main game. Like I'm having so much fun with these. Also unlike The Reckoning where I felt some missions went on a bit too long at points Ground Zero seems to have much shorter ones that fit better into the fast paced action of Quake 2. Very pick up and go experience that I'm always down for when it comes to games. Hilariously easy final boss though.
With that I finish all the original Quake 2 content. I guess next up is Call of the Machine and then at last Quake 2 64 to close it all up.
I won't lie this is definitely me when I make an expansion that is fucking insane. Gotta be real each mission being upwards to an hour long and not getting the Super Shotty until near the end of the second or so mission will make you feel a fear and anxiety the base game could only imagine. Also the enemies are much harder with much nastier placement at points. The new weapons rule too big fan of the Ion Ripper. Any vidya gun whose gimmick is the shots bounce off the walls and go around causing damage is enough to bump anything way the fuck up in terms of dopeness. Phalanx is sick too absolute lifesaver in latter areas. Also it may be Stockholm Syndrome talking but the Railgun felt much better in this than the base game.
All in all sicko mode expansion. Doesn't do anything new for Quake 2, but that's alright cause it instead gives Quake 2 a much more aggressive and violent pacing that feels more in line with the first game and its expansions. Damn solid video game.
All in all sicko mode expansion. Doesn't do anything new for Quake 2, but that's alright cause it instead gives Quake 2 a much more aggressive and violent pacing that feels more in line with the first game and its expansions. Damn solid video game.
Came back to finish this before moving on to all the extra stuff Quake 2 has to offer.
Well, with this my nearly two year journey with Quake comes to an end and what an ending indeed. May actually genuinely be my favorite Quake campaign. Balls to the walls nonstop action with at least one Quad hidden every level for maximum dopamine output. This campaign is just a banger plain and simple. The devs took everything that ever worked in all the past expansions and removed most of the bullshit (still kept the Spawns though but at least they're usually in pairs instead of 20 at once) for arguably the best official Quake content ever made.
Really don't have much else to say. Quake's base campaign gets a little rough towards the end, but it's a bonafide classic that stands the test of time. Now with the latest release available practically everywhere. Two expansion packs with two further expansion campaigns each made with the 20 extra years of game development knowledge gathered since the original Quake came out? I'd say not playing Quake when it's more easily accessible than ever is a disservice to anyone who enjoys first person shooters and yearns for the nonstop fast paced crackhead courage speed of older shooters. Yeah, I'm thinking it's a banger.
Also, the whole rune gathering while warping into levels from a hub area yo this shit is just Turok and I'll always pog to that.
Well, with this my nearly two year journey with Quake comes to an end and what an ending indeed. May actually genuinely be my favorite Quake campaign. Balls to the walls nonstop action with at least one Quad hidden every level for maximum dopamine output. This campaign is just a banger plain and simple. The devs took everything that ever worked in all the past expansions and removed most of the bullshit (still kept the Spawns though but at least they're usually in pairs instead of 20 at once) for arguably the best official Quake content ever made.
Really don't have much else to say. Quake's base campaign gets a little rough towards the end, but it's a bonafide classic that stands the test of time. Now with the latest release available practically everywhere. Two expansion packs with two further expansion campaigns each made with the 20 extra years of game development knowledge gathered since the original Quake came out? I'd say not playing Quake when it's more easily accessible than ever is a disservice to anyone who enjoys first person shooters and yearns for the nonstop fast paced crackhead courage speed of older shooters. Yeah, I'm thinking it's a banger.
Also, the whole rune gathering while warping into levels from a hub area yo this shit is just Turok and I'll always pog to that.
I think I played this one earlier in the year and just forgot to log it. So I'll just set the completion date for today. Thought it was aight from what I remember. Lotta fun high speed shoot bangs that Quake is known for. Was a nice distraction during my lunch breaks. Scourge of Armagon would probably be my favorite Quake 1 content if well Dimension of the Machine didn't exist.
2023
Trent Reznor wasn't lying this really doesn't have any atmosphere.
Okay so it's not terrible, and seeing as how this remaster is meant to be the "better" version that's a bit of a problem. Quake 1 suffers from that early id Software problem of a really dope first 2/3 and a last third that then leaves you wanting a bit more. Also might include an enemy added in at the last second that ruins everything. Kinda like FromSoft when you think about it. Quake 2 on the other hand is kind of all over the place with highs and lows constantly at odds with each other. Again while I'd be hard-pressed to call the game terrible it does really feel less interesting from both an art direction and "idea" perspective. Trading the more Lovecraftian and dark medieval fantasy with occasional hints of grungy sci-fi aesthetic instead comes a game I can best describe as Kill Murder Death late 90s space marine game you'd see as the parody of a real game in a sitcom. Game is fun as shit though. I'd be lying if during its highs I wasn't enjoying my time with it and I had a huge grin on my face upon acquiring the BFG10K. The music rules too I fucking love this game's soundtrack even before playing it that was the one thing I was excited to see in context of the levels and some of them do not disappoint. Descent into Cerberon fucking cums. Every time it'd play I'd get so hype.
Quake is a game I genuinely feel myself itching to play every few weeks since finally going through it and while I enjoyed my time with the base game of Quake 2 (as this remaster brings a bunch of extra campaigns and Quake 2 64 that I will be playing) I don't think I'll be itching to go back to this one as much.
Okay so it's not terrible, and seeing as how this remaster is meant to be the "better" version that's a bit of a problem. Quake 1 suffers from that early id Software problem of a really dope first 2/3 and a last third that then leaves you wanting a bit more. Also might include an enemy added in at the last second that ruins everything. Kinda like FromSoft when you think about it. Quake 2 on the other hand is kind of all over the place with highs and lows constantly at odds with each other. Again while I'd be hard-pressed to call the game terrible it does really feel less interesting from both an art direction and "idea" perspective. Trading the more Lovecraftian and dark medieval fantasy with occasional hints of grungy sci-fi aesthetic instead comes a game I can best describe as Kill Murder Death late 90s space marine game you'd see as the parody of a real game in a sitcom. Game is fun as shit though. I'd be lying if during its highs I wasn't enjoying my time with it and I had a huge grin on my face upon acquiring the BFG10K. The music rules too I fucking love this game's soundtrack even before playing it that was the one thing I was excited to see in context of the levels and some of them do not disappoint. Descent into Cerberon fucking cums. Every time it'd play I'd get so hype.
Quake is a game I genuinely feel myself itching to play every few weeks since finally going through it and while I enjoyed my time with the base game of Quake 2 (as this remaster brings a bunch of extra campaigns and Quake 2 64 that I will be playing) I don't think I'll be itching to go back to this one as much.
2023
Game is literally Betterman fights racists and monarchs to dethrone and kill god what is not to like. It straight up becomes Gaogaigar Final too by the end with Clive and Ultima full on in the Gai and Palparepa roles and I was losing my fucking shit.
Been trying to get into these games for years, but back then I was a stupid idiot with gamer and Nintendo youtuber brain that couldn't into turn based combat. Played the demo for 13 when it was coming out and hated it! When Versus 13 was reannounced as 15 all those years ago I tried to get into it and then I skipped it. Then I tried to get into them with 7R and instead like an idiot I bought the (decent) RE3 remake. Then I tried using Stranger of Paradise to get into these games cause it hit all my edgelord autism tastes and now here we are I finally got around to playing an FF game.
So uh first thing first if you're going into this expecting something with combat depth as deep as DMCV you're fucking up. Expect something closer to a Platinum game and you'll be less disappointed when you realize it's really just one button for attacks with summons basically being your supers. CLIVE HAS A FUCKING DT JESUS CHRIST IT RULES. Such a fun game in that regard I have no complaints for it. They nailed what they were going for with the gameplay. As for the Eikon battles? GODDAMN. Spectacle is where this game really shines and the hype aspect of Japanese media going all in on the kill god angle will never get old. No matter how many things do it.
The story of this game on the other hand is kind of where I'm more mixed. There's some really nice emotional bits especially anything between Clive and Joshua. Add in everyone's last goodbyes before the final battle to that and as mentioned the big spectacle moments are chefs kiss, but the actual events that happen between a lot of all that? Maybe I expected more from what I've gathered through osmosis from my friends playing FF14 and how good the expac stories can be in that game. Especially as a lot of people involved in that were involved in this, but after Bahamut the game really started to drag for me. The story also kind of waned and lost my interest? It really does peak for a while with Bahamut. Waloed and all the Odin shit goes on for way too long if I'm being honest and despite the funny CLIVE BESTED bit I was getting tired of the blue balling by that point. It gets way worse in NG+ as well. Especially the fucked up pacing. Also, Jill may be one of the most boring love interests I've seen in ages I truly have been spoiled over the last few years. Should mention that while I also love the I BELIEVE IN HUMANITY AND ITS INGENUITY aspect of the story that I will never tire of in media I do wish the game was a bit meaner. I do get why it isn't that mean but it's still kind of disappointing. It's a journey of saving the world and building hope for the future humanity can and will make for itself and I love that shit always, but I don't know. I didn't want anime Game of Thrones as it was being marketed and some people fell for (thank god it wasn't that), but I guess I wanted something more from the angle of how fucked the whole war and world is beyond the blight. Especially with how much of the game is devoted to the political turmoils of a fictional fantasy setting. The sidequests are kind of lame too the only ones really worth doing are the pouch increase ones, blacksmith ones, and the hunting ones since you need those materials for the blacksmith quests. Unfortunately the more common sidequests kill the pacing of the game cause they'll just dump 20 Xenoblade 1 type beat ones on you after an insane story progression moment.
That tangent aside this game is fine and if what they set out to do was make an Action RPG Final Fantasy that plays like a Character Action Game, is accessible to people who don't often play those, and with a serious story that still isn't afraid to get goofy then they nailed it. For me personally it's kind of messy and am sort of disappointed in it to a degree after being excited to finally play one of these, but it could be worse. Who knows maybe now I'll actually go and play some of those older games I wouldn't have been able to get into 13 years ago. Do not ask me to play 14 though I will just tell you to fuck off.
Been trying to get into these games for years, but back then I was a stupid idiot with gamer and Nintendo youtuber brain that couldn't into turn based combat. Played the demo for 13 when it was coming out and hated it! When Versus 13 was reannounced as 15 all those years ago I tried to get into it and then I skipped it. Then I tried to get into them with 7R and instead like an idiot I bought the (decent) RE3 remake. Then I tried using Stranger of Paradise to get into these games cause it hit all my edgelord autism tastes and now here we are I finally got around to playing an FF game.
So uh first thing first if you're going into this expecting something with combat depth as deep as DMCV you're fucking up. Expect something closer to a Platinum game and you'll be less disappointed when you realize it's really just one button for attacks with summons basically being your supers. CLIVE HAS A FUCKING DT JESUS CHRIST IT RULES. Such a fun game in that regard I have no complaints for it. They nailed what they were going for with the gameplay. As for the Eikon battles? GODDAMN. Spectacle is where this game really shines and the hype aspect of Japanese media going all in on the kill god angle will never get old. No matter how many things do it.
The story of this game on the other hand is kind of where I'm more mixed. There's some really nice emotional bits especially anything between Clive and Joshua. Add in everyone's last goodbyes before the final battle to that and as mentioned the big spectacle moments are chefs kiss, but the actual events that happen between a lot of all that? Maybe I expected more from what I've gathered through osmosis from my friends playing FF14 and how good the expac stories can be in that game. Especially as a lot of people involved in that were involved in this, but after Bahamut the game really started to drag for me. The story also kind of waned and lost my interest? It really does peak for a while with Bahamut. Waloed and all the Odin shit goes on for way too long if I'm being honest and despite the funny CLIVE BESTED bit I was getting tired of the blue balling by that point. It gets way worse in NG+ as well. Especially the fucked up pacing. Also, Jill may be one of the most boring love interests I've seen in ages I truly have been spoiled over the last few years. Should mention that while I also love the I BELIEVE IN HUMANITY AND ITS INGENUITY aspect of the story that I will never tire of in media I do wish the game was a bit meaner. I do get why it isn't that mean but it's still kind of disappointing. It's a journey of saving the world and building hope for the future humanity can and will make for itself and I love that shit always, but I don't know. I didn't want anime Game of Thrones as it was being marketed and some people fell for (thank god it wasn't that), but I guess I wanted something more from the angle of how fucked the whole war and world is beyond the blight. Especially with how much of the game is devoted to the political turmoils of a fictional fantasy setting. The sidequests are kind of lame too the only ones really worth doing are the pouch increase ones, blacksmith ones, and the hunting ones since you need those materials for the blacksmith quests. Unfortunately the more common sidequests kill the pacing of the game cause they'll just dump 20 Xenoblade 1 type beat ones on you after an insane story progression moment.
That tangent aside this game is fine and if what they set out to do was make an Action RPG Final Fantasy that plays like a Character Action Game, is accessible to people who don't often play those, and with a serious story that still isn't afraid to get goofy then they nailed it. For me personally it's kind of messy and am sort of disappointed in it to a degree after being excited to finally play one of these, but it could be worse. Who knows maybe now I'll actually go and play some of those older games I wouldn't have been able to get into 13 years ago. Do not ask me to play 14 though I will just tell you to fuck off.
I really think Rise made me decide I wasn't going to talk or put my thoughts on any of these games online until they're fully 100% truly done with updates and while this still has a few more event quests to go that I will gladly get to as it stands this shit is done with Primeval Malzeno.
Sunbreak (from this point on occasionally referred to as Sunrise keep up) is without a shadow of a doubt probably the first one of these I've really been as addicted to as I was to 4U way back on the 3DS. While with Worldborne it eventually became a game of endless deco/KT/Safi farming Sunrise is a game that while as of this moment I have less time put into it than Worldborne unlike that game I can see myself definitely making another character to do an all new playthrough with a year or two from now.
The fantastic and frenetic combat of Rise is back in full swing and as with most G rank titles the monsters are faster and meaner than ever before, but Sunbreak goes even further implementing features and mechanics thought to have been lost with Frontier. Monsters like the Espinas duo and P Malzeno go absolutely berserk and it fucking rules. You can tell this time around the devs and especially the director who has been really open about about his love of Frontier really wanted to bring all that shit back and while I can't speak as someone who has played Frontier the consensus from those who have is enough to tell me they basically got it right. To combat this new ferocious beastiary we get the new scroll swap and switch skill mechanic and while I can definitely see the scrolls being a Sunrise exclusive gameplay element I hope to god switch skills return going forward. Being able to switch out your weapons moves for different ones is a million times more interesting to me as someone who cares more about game feel than the maps feeling alive and like a real ecosystem that Worldborne pushed.
This is also the first MH since 4U where while still having the same nonsense and simple "What could be causing this? Oh, it's monster! Actually it's this monster!" story MH always has it truly gets the feeling across of being on an adventure with a ragtag group to investigate and slay a dragon. It's funny too cause like Worldborne has a similar thing as always going on but it feels dumber in that game than here or 4U or even 3U? I don't know why, but it does. All this eventually culminating with the launch versions dragon satan finale and now the final update's P Malzeno leave me with a feeling of satisfaction that neither Xeno nor Shara really left me with despite the latter's genuinely great fight. Love the characters in this one too. I know it sounds silly considering most of them are just trope characters you see in lots of Japanese media, but Monster Hunter has always had a weird sort of like Jurassic Park 1 likeability to (most of) its characters that I can't help but enjoy interacting with them. Capcom knows this too cause the follower system (another thing kind of taken from Frontier) implemented in this game is really just a dating system lets be real and it better come back. Also if you look like Minayle hmu.
Yeah most of this review sounds like rambling, but I've got a year of shit to say and I've had plenty of time to reflect on and honestly I really really really like this game. It's a feeling like I've mentioned I haven't felt towards a Monster Hunter since 4U around 8 years ago (Jesus Christ kill me). Sure I can criticize how the roster isn't as big as GU's (stupid). Hell I could criticize the super slow grind of the Anomaly system, but I personally don't mind it. It's a much more passive grind that I could play at whatever pace I wanted and all the post launch monsters don't really require all the shit you get from it to fight them. Afflicted monsters being a genuinely fun challenge and the THE best version of endgame powered monsters (this is not arguable don't even bother) only helps. Loved the secondary combat mechanic of hitting the glowing bits like hyper monsters, but unlike them it actually feels like it does something. Love the knockdowns leading to tired state for easy hits after doing enough damage, but unlike 4U Apexes it's not annoying as fuck to get there without some shitty extra item. Love that they actually get cool slight distinct visuals aspects (Khezu full on looks like Red Khezu, Luna looks like a super Odo), as opposed to the boring violet metallic tint of World's tempered monsters. Yeah I'm shilling hard and I'm not gonna sugarcoat it, this game is better than Worldborne. What it lacks in fidelity (made up for by better art direction here anyways) it more than makes up for in being actually fun to play and having creative combat scenarios that could never be done in that game's slower pacing or shitty attempts at MMO raid type battle.
Oh my lord the music of this game too. I am very vocal in my dislike of some of World's tracks (Iceborne is definitely a bit better about this), but Sunbreak like Rise before it goes all in with some of the coolest original tracks in the series alongside remaking older ones in a much closer fashion to their originals while still adding in new touches to make them feel fresh. The end result is just chefs kiss baby. Peak MH OST.
Sunbreak may not be perfect and it kind of like Generations Ultimate is hampered by a good as fuck but also kind of weaker first half (Gen portion in GU Rise portion here), but by the time you're dug in like a tick in Sunbreak that shit won't matter when Fiorayne leaps through the sky and slamshitfucks Pacific Rim back into the Earth. Yeah, I'm thinking I'll be playing this still a fuckton while waiting for MH6 and years away from now too.
Sunbreak (from this point on occasionally referred to as Sunrise keep up) is without a shadow of a doubt probably the first one of these I've really been as addicted to as I was to 4U way back on the 3DS. While with Worldborne it eventually became a game of endless deco/KT/Safi farming Sunrise is a game that while as of this moment I have less time put into it than Worldborne unlike that game I can see myself definitely making another character to do an all new playthrough with a year or two from now.
The fantastic and frenetic combat of Rise is back in full swing and as with most G rank titles the monsters are faster and meaner than ever before, but Sunbreak goes even further implementing features and mechanics thought to have been lost with Frontier. Monsters like the Espinas duo and P Malzeno go absolutely berserk and it fucking rules. You can tell this time around the devs and especially the director who has been really open about about his love of Frontier really wanted to bring all that shit back and while I can't speak as someone who has played Frontier the consensus from those who have is enough to tell me they basically got it right. To combat this new ferocious beastiary we get the new scroll swap and switch skill mechanic and while I can definitely see the scrolls being a Sunrise exclusive gameplay element I hope to god switch skills return going forward. Being able to switch out your weapons moves for different ones is a million times more interesting to me as someone who cares more about game feel than the maps feeling alive and like a real ecosystem that Worldborne pushed.
This is also the first MH since 4U where while still having the same nonsense and simple "What could be causing this? Oh, it's monster! Actually it's this monster!" story MH always has it truly gets the feeling across of being on an adventure with a ragtag group to investigate and slay a dragon. It's funny too cause like Worldborne has a similar thing as always going on but it feels dumber in that game than here or 4U or even 3U? I don't know why, but it does. All this eventually culminating with the launch versions dragon satan finale and now the final update's P Malzeno leave me with a feeling of satisfaction that neither Xeno nor Shara really left me with despite the latter's genuinely great fight. Love the characters in this one too. I know it sounds silly considering most of them are just trope characters you see in lots of Japanese media, but Monster Hunter has always had a weird sort of like Jurassic Park 1 likeability to (most of) its characters that I can't help but enjoy interacting with them. Capcom knows this too cause the follower system (another thing kind of taken from Frontier) implemented in this game is really just a dating system lets be real and it better come back. Also if you look like Minayle hmu.
Yeah most of this review sounds like rambling, but I've got a year of shit to say and I've had plenty of time to reflect on and honestly I really really really like this game. It's a feeling like I've mentioned I haven't felt towards a Monster Hunter since 4U around 8 years ago (Jesus Christ kill me). Sure I can criticize how the roster isn't as big as GU's (stupid). Hell I could criticize the super slow grind of the Anomaly system, but I personally don't mind it. It's a much more passive grind that I could play at whatever pace I wanted and all the post launch monsters don't really require all the shit you get from it to fight them. Afflicted monsters being a genuinely fun challenge and the THE best version of endgame powered monsters (this is not arguable don't even bother) only helps. Loved the secondary combat mechanic of hitting the glowing bits like hyper monsters, but unlike them it actually feels like it does something. Love the knockdowns leading to tired state for easy hits after doing enough damage, but unlike 4U Apexes it's not annoying as fuck to get there without some shitty extra item. Love that they actually get cool slight distinct visuals aspects (Khezu full on looks like Red Khezu, Luna looks like a super Odo), as opposed to the boring violet metallic tint of World's tempered monsters. Yeah I'm shilling hard and I'm not gonna sugarcoat it, this game is better than Worldborne. What it lacks in fidelity (made up for by better art direction here anyways) it more than makes up for in being actually fun to play and having creative combat scenarios that could never be done in that game's slower pacing or shitty attempts at MMO raid type battle.
Oh my lord the music of this game too. I am very vocal in my dislike of some of World's tracks (Iceborne is definitely a bit better about this), but Sunbreak like Rise before it goes all in with some of the coolest original tracks in the series alongside remaking older ones in a much closer fashion to their originals while still adding in new touches to make them feel fresh. The end result is just chefs kiss baby. Peak MH OST.
Sunbreak may not be perfect and it kind of like Generations Ultimate is hampered by a good as fuck but also kind of weaker first half (Gen portion in GU Rise portion here), but by the time you're dug in like a tick in Sunbreak that shit won't matter when Fiorayne leaps through the sky and slamshitfucks Pacific Rim back into the Earth. Yeah, I'm thinking I'll be playing this still a fuckton while waiting for MH6 and years away from now too.
Breath of the Wild was a special game to me upon release. It was the first console launch I ever participated in (and will ever participate in cause that shit was not worth it!!!). I took time off work just to fully immerse myself in it and it was probably the last time a video game hit me with a specific feeling. The feeling to go outside and touch grass after spending a whole week cooped up at home away from work just traveling through Hyrule doing whatever thing caught my attention and getting distracted from any of the main quests. Sadly not all good things last and eventually I had to finish the game, but to this day it’s probably alongside Xenoblade 2 the most a video game has had a real world impact on me.
To a degree I can probably thank BOTW for partly being the reason I even began to even further appreciate just what we have on this planet we call home. It’s also a big factor as to why I went back and gave James Cameron’s Avatar another shot. Two pieces of media that put their full focus on how alive and real the world is. Both eventually falling victim to the “It’s overrated” or “It was never that good” take. Now what the fuck does this have to do with Tears of the Kingdom? Well for the impatient the analogy is that just like Avatar: The Way of Water which was a fantastic and better sequel to an already fantastic film. The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom comes and blows the absolute lid off of BOTW to the point it may as well have been a beta test for this.
It’s no secret there’s a very loud minority out there of people that don’t like the new direction these games are taking and that’s perfectly fine. I didn’t like the direction RE took when it switched to first person initially, but lucky for me RE7 ended up being one of my favorites in the series and saved a franchise that was slowly and surely sinking further and further into just being nonsense and now we have fantastic remakes of RE2 and 4 and a stellar follow up to RE7 in the form of RE8.
Every factor that made BOTW great has been turned up to 11 and this includes adding in fixes to some of the more annoying aspects of the game. Didn’t like the combat shrines? There’s less of them this time with most of them being big puzzles that get really tricky dicky I’m not even kidding some of these are real brain stumpers and I kind of really love finding the most stupid dumbass galaxy brain way to solve them that works anyways instead of what the devs intended. Exploration leading to Zonai items and weapons besides shrines or Koroks now also helps to make the experience less tiring as you’re constantly discovering new shit that’s been added to this revamp of the original map. Weapon degradation, one of the most controversial aspects of the first game (skill issue btw) becomes genuinely fun with the fuse mechanic. Sure while my gamer brain went straight to just eventually always having a Lynel ready to go to get top tier drops for fusion those few times where my weapon got even stronger close to the end from fusing shit was such an elating feeling that the first game never had. TOTK is to BOTW what Doom Eternal is to Doom 2016. A game that takes all of what worked in the previous and shoots it to the next level. I genuinely don’t think as much as I love that game I can ever go back to BOTW or perhaps I am just being a hyperbolic moron and can easily pick it up once I get used to losing some good shit. Yeah sure the combat is still kinda braindead if you aren’t some crazy motherfucker who somehow turns it into DMC, but I also don’t really mind it cause if that’s how versatile the engine and mechanics can be then that’s just another skill issue on our part.
Also while the repeating Sage cutscenes are annoying this probably has the actual best narrative set-pieces in one of these since Wind Waker. The fact it reaches a level of spectacle I wasn’t expecting after how much more restrained BOTW was comparatively has left me completely awestruck. Some of the story beats that happen in this and the last hour or so of the game are going to be not just all timers for the franchise, but all timers for games I’ve played across my time on this Earth.
Game’s been out for a month now so I’m sure everyone ever has said what they want to say about it, but to me personally that much time spent on it? Well that’s just special. An open world game I was able to play for almost a month straight without getting bored? All that time spent on it not because I’d have to put it down from fatigue or getting angry at some bullshit boss, but because I genuinely enjoyed exploring the world and finding new things to do and quests to complete. Oh, and I haven’t even talked about The Depths. Fuck me, I love The Depths.
TOTK is not going to change your mind if you didn’t like BOTW or grew to dislike it over the years of its release, but if you did like it you will love Tears of the Kingdom. Period. That being said I do think BOTW has one advantage against tears. That is that it came first. As good as Tears is, it has in fact fallen into the "it's the sequel" trap to a degree. While there's plenty of new it's also familiar, not as fresh, and while the map has had plenty of changes made to it it's still the Hyrule from 2017 just a bit more alive. For that, no matter how much Tears of the Kingdom improved I don't think it'll ever really surpass Breath of the Wild for me as one of my favorite games of all time and that's perfectly fine. I’m sure sooner or later, just like when Breath of the Wild released and now that I’ve completed Tears of the Kingdom I’ll be finding places to just go out and walk for the day and appreciate life and the world we inhabit and the people I have in my life that can be lost at any moment.
Very clearly a game made with years of hard work and guts. The time spent on the original plus this one equating to basically 10 years of dev time and it shows. It may not have the best story in the world. It can even be called bad or uninspired, but what this is as a video game is probably going to go down in the annals of history. As will many other games released this year. Nintendo may be some real nasty scumfuck motherfuckers, but man when they deliver, they fucking deliver. Now if I can just find a bad bitch like Purah...
To a degree I can probably thank BOTW for partly being the reason I even began to even further appreciate just what we have on this planet we call home. It’s also a big factor as to why I went back and gave James Cameron’s Avatar another shot. Two pieces of media that put their full focus on how alive and real the world is. Both eventually falling victim to the “It’s overrated” or “It was never that good” take. Now what the fuck does this have to do with Tears of the Kingdom? Well for the impatient the analogy is that just like Avatar: The Way of Water which was a fantastic and better sequel to an already fantastic film. The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom comes and blows the absolute lid off of BOTW to the point it may as well have been a beta test for this.
It’s no secret there’s a very loud minority out there of people that don’t like the new direction these games are taking and that’s perfectly fine. I didn’t like the direction RE took when it switched to first person initially, but lucky for me RE7 ended up being one of my favorites in the series and saved a franchise that was slowly and surely sinking further and further into just being nonsense and now we have fantastic remakes of RE2 and 4 and a stellar follow up to RE7 in the form of RE8.
Every factor that made BOTW great has been turned up to 11 and this includes adding in fixes to some of the more annoying aspects of the game. Didn’t like the combat shrines? There’s less of them this time with most of them being big puzzles that get really tricky dicky I’m not even kidding some of these are real brain stumpers and I kind of really love finding the most stupid dumbass galaxy brain way to solve them that works anyways instead of what the devs intended. Exploration leading to Zonai items and weapons besides shrines or Koroks now also helps to make the experience less tiring as you’re constantly discovering new shit that’s been added to this revamp of the original map. Weapon degradation, one of the most controversial aspects of the first game (skill issue btw) becomes genuinely fun with the fuse mechanic. Sure while my gamer brain went straight to just eventually always having a Lynel ready to go to get top tier drops for fusion those few times where my weapon got even stronger close to the end from fusing shit was such an elating feeling that the first game never had. TOTK is to BOTW what Doom Eternal is to Doom 2016. A game that takes all of what worked in the previous and shoots it to the next level. I genuinely don’t think as much as I love that game I can ever go back to BOTW or perhaps I am just being a hyperbolic moron and can easily pick it up once I get used to losing some good shit. Yeah sure the combat is still kinda braindead if you aren’t some crazy motherfucker who somehow turns it into DMC, but I also don’t really mind it cause if that’s how versatile the engine and mechanics can be then that’s just another skill issue on our part.
Also while the repeating Sage cutscenes are annoying this probably has the actual best narrative set-pieces in one of these since Wind Waker. The fact it reaches a level of spectacle I wasn’t expecting after how much more restrained BOTW was comparatively has left me completely awestruck. Some of the story beats that happen in this and the last hour or so of the game are going to be not just all timers for the franchise, but all timers for games I’ve played across my time on this Earth.
Game’s been out for a month now so I’m sure everyone ever has said what they want to say about it, but to me personally that much time spent on it? Well that’s just special. An open world game I was able to play for almost a month straight without getting bored? All that time spent on it not because I’d have to put it down from fatigue or getting angry at some bullshit boss, but because I genuinely enjoyed exploring the world and finding new things to do and quests to complete. Oh, and I haven’t even talked about The Depths. Fuck me, I love The Depths.
TOTK is not going to change your mind if you didn’t like BOTW or grew to dislike it over the years of its release, but if you did like it you will love Tears of the Kingdom. Period. That being said I do think BOTW has one advantage against tears. That is that it came first. As good as Tears is, it has in fact fallen into the "it's the sequel" trap to a degree. While there's plenty of new it's also familiar, not as fresh, and while the map has had plenty of changes made to it it's still the Hyrule from 2017 just a bit more alive. For that, no matter how much Tears of the Kingdom improved I don't think it'll ever really surpass Breath of the Wild for me as one of my favorite games of all time and that's perfectly fine. I’m sure sooner or later, just like when Breath of the Wild released and now that I’ve completed Tears of the Kingdom I’ll be finding places to just go out and walk for the day and appreciate life and the world we inhabit and the people I have in my life that can be lost at any moment.
Very clearly a game made with years of hard work and guts. The time spent on the original plus this one equating to basically 10 years of dev time and it shows. It may not have the best story in the world. It can even be called bad or uninspired, but what this is as a video game is probably going to go down in the annals of history. As will many other games released this year. Nintendo may be some real nasty scumfuck motherfuckers, but man when they deliver, they fucking deliver. Now if I can just find a bad bitch like Purah...
Everything good about the base game is further expanded on this with the added benefit of a party that I honestly (mostly) liked much more and Rex somehow being hot as fuck plus a DPS monster that just outclasses everyone else and dies 10 seconds into a fight cause I end up taking all the enemies attention. Holy shit he's so fucking cool in this. Dope as fuck. THAT'S MY (former) MC. Really like all the new bits with N too. I feel that while Xeno3 fumbles the bag with some of its cast (and especially Moebius) specific characters like N and Shania are some of the best in the whole trilogy. Just really good stuff there that appeals to that level of despair and sadness masters of their craft like Go Nagai and James Cameron can just suddenly bring to their works to break you heart.
Idk shit about Xenosaga cause I never got to it (I promise I will one day), but happy for everyone that got their massive callbacks to that or Xenoblade X whichever you want it to be. Earn that W kings and queens. All 7 of you in each side.
Really the only bad thing I have to say about this is that it has no proper New Game Plus mode which just makes me not give a shit about the things I missed when saving after the credits just leaves you off before the final boss. Guess it works for completionists which is cool, but I'm gonna be real when games do that it just makes me not want to keep going for some reason. I guess knowing I basically beat the boss just kills my motivation unless I have to work my way up there again. Who knows the human brain is nonsense.
Surreal as fuck to see all this Klaus shit come full circle and to an end when we almost at one point never even got these games. Also surreal as to how Xenoblade 2 chads won so hard in the end even outside of their own game. Massively excited to walk forward into the future of whats to come.
Idk shit about Xenosaga cause I never got to it (I promise I will one day), but happy for everyone that got their massive callbacks to that or Xenoblade X whichever you want it to be. Earn that W kings and queens. All 7 of you in each side.
Really the only bad thing I have to say about this is that it has no proper New Game Plus mode which just makes me not give a shit about the things I missed when saving after the credits just leaves you off before the final boss. Guess it works for completionists which is cool, but I'm gonna be real when games do that it just makes me not want to keep going for some reason. I guess knowing I basically beat the boss just kills my motivation unless I have to work my way up there again. Who knows the human brain is nonsense.
Surreal as fuck to see all this Klaus shit come full circle and to an end when we almost at one point never even got these games. Also surreal as to how Xenoblade 2 chads won so hard in the end even outside of their own game. Massively excited to walk forward into the future of whats to come.
2023
How do I even start to talk about a game that's a remake of something that has actually been with me for nearly 20 years? I may have started the series with REmake on the GC, but I think that after my dumb kid brain was disappointed with RE2 and 3 just being PS1 ports for the Gamecube (I now truly appreciate being able to even play those on GC back then) RE4 shattered my worldview to a degree.
You know how everyone has that one piece of media that they see it and then they go OH MY GOD...THAT'S IT! THAT'S IT!!! THAT'S WHAT I WANT!!! Well for film that was watching Jurassic Park as a tiny little five year old. For video games and perhaps even my taste in horror that was Resident Evil 4 a mere five years later. A nonsensical silly over the top gorefest with a main character that talks back at the villains and they just as much talk shit right back. If anything RE4 to a degree is probably what helped me get into DMC and Tokusatsu as the dynamic between Leon and the Los Illuminados higher ups in this feels very similar to those. Something 2021's Village would push even further into a full on Jojo's Bizarre Adventure type villain squad. Getting back on track, even through all of this Resident Evil 4 kept the atmosphere of a genuine horror experience. The often mocked very brown look of the game indicative of the mid to late 2000s of gaming in this case actually helps permeate that atmosphere of dread and decay that for me personally the only other RE to really capture this is REmake itself.
So yeah, we're going the deeply personal route for this. People may not think the same thing as me about original RE4, but these have always been my feelings on it. It's a dreadful atmosphere of rot that is broken up by the at the time revolutionary combat that completely redefined the third person shooter and to this day every third person game for better or worse imitates it. It is woven into the very DNA of game development. Shinji Mikami may arguably be a shitty terrible writer and can release misses that feel like he was just sleeping on the job, but it can't be overstated the impact original RE4 left. Both him and the dev team involved truly show their craft after years and years of trial and error to get what could arguably be called the ultimate blending of action and horror out on store shelves. Well, with that being said I'm happy to say that despite some minor issues the remake of Resident Evil 4 captures the very spirit of that original game. To such a T it may even be sillier than the original at times.
Holy fuck I can finally hype up this shit cause godfuckingdamn Capcom, holy fuck!!!
Yeah I beat the game like 2 weeks ago, but all this took so long not cause of how long this review is. It's because I legit could not take my hands off the controller and I still think I have a playthrough or two in me before I'm ready to put it down for good.
RE4R may have some annoying bits to it such as the weight and momentum Leon now has, the bullet spread which can be super annoying on an initial play-through as you learn the games mechanics and how to exploit them, ladders no longer having invincibility frames, and hoping to god you don't get hit by an enemies attack while you're getting back up from a particularly strong one mashing the attache case button to open it up and heal. Putting those things aside? The devs somehow managed to make another nearly perfect game after all this time. I would go as far as to say as someone who loves the atmosphere of horror films like the The Witch or Black Mountain Side this game oozes that dread and I honestly prefer the more horror heavy (yet still campy) tone this game goes for. Perfectly reflected no less by its heavy use of cult and folk horror visuals perfectly backed up by the darker and moodier lighting (even during the day!), and those areas with HDR? Lord all mighty there are parts of this that look so fucking real. My 10 year old brain would never be able to comprehend RE4 looking like this. This may be the first game of the current generation where I look at it and actually go "Whoa...". The gore too, good lord the fucking gore. Never ever ever did I think I would get hyped over blowing some old granny in half with a shotgun. Yet here we are! It's the sickest shit. ALSO, I DO NOT CARE IF THE STRAND HAIRS DON'T AESTHETICALLY MATCH OR SLIGHTLY HAMPER PERFORMANCE THE ANIME HAIR STAYS ON PLEASE GOD I HOPE MH6 HAS IT.
But a game's visuals can only be so good. They won't save it if it plays like dogshit. Oh boy, well hustle your buns bitches cause this game plays like a fucking dream. Once you get used to the bullet spread and have learned the games layout and enemy positioning this becomes just as snappy as original RE4. The new quick-switch feature to go from handgun headshot, spinkick some motherfuckers, to shotgunning dudes apart YES FUCK YES THIS IS THE SHIT. I was screaming multiple times. Becoming aware of the fact that this isn't just an action horror game no more, but a full on survival horror shooter where item management matters beyond making space in your attache case was eye opening to how easy it is to turn RE4 into a genuine survival horror game. Every time a big fight left me with just barely enough to scrape by, but having the confidence of knowing you can fight back against the enemies filled me with so much determination to keep going on my initial hardcore difficulty play-through. Which let me just say that "For players who have played Resident Evil 4 (2005)" shit is a goddamn lie! This is a completely different beast that is way harder than that game!
The parry system rocks too. As someone who has gotten real tired of the weapon durability meme that's blown up in a post BOTW world I found this game to handle it really well with all the different kitchen and boot knives you could find, plus the durability is really lenient and once you get the primal knife? Fuggedabout it, you are goddamn Rambo. One of those things I know I'll miss going back to the original game.
Of course you can't talk about RE4 either without mentioning the elephant in the room that is Ashley being a nearly game long escort mi-she's good. As someone who once they figured out the game well as a kid and has done non armored fresh Pro runs, Ashley is so easy to take care of this time around that the real challenge comes more from her being taken than her getting killed by an enemy attack meant for you. Her no longer being attached to the hip and DUCKING while running out of the way of your shots is so good it's one of these things this game does that I know I'll also miss as well going back to the original. So yeah that's been improved by a milestone. You just know they really want you to like her this time around with all the cosmetic gifts you can find for her and how she helps in some fights. Also her interactions with Leon are so cute in this holy fuck she is such a dork sometimes and Leon is such a fucking shonen anime meathead one track mind gaylord I HATE AND LOVE THIS STUPID IDIOT!
Speaking of characters being reworked or made better or that kept their original spirit well. Luis's character expansion as well is awesome, what a bro. Really I think mostly every character has been reworked fantastically, love the new tragic take on Mendez and psychotic demon child projection fueled Salazar. Saddler who takes more of a backseat here compared to the original is such a great hateable motherfucker for anyone (now it's my turn to project!) who hated having to go to church and listen to that shit. When that facade of his finally breaks during the final battle I was cheering I was fist bumping and screaming while failing to avoid his Prometheus black goo attacks. I haven't talked about Ada cause everyone has already said everything and I think after all the dumb bullshit I'd rather not be lumped in with retards just for saying "Yeah her VAs performance wasn't that good." Also I'm waiting for Separate Ways which I think this time around can truly be something special instead of some watered down TPS take on RE4.
So I held back on this for a while cause I knew it would be big and long and almost feel like incoherent fanboy rambling plus the game is fun and hard to put down, but also The Mercenaries Mode wasn't out until a few days ago and it fucking rules. Just so much fun. Loved Raid Mode in the Revelations games sure, but I was extremely disappointed with Village's take on Merc Mode so to see it back to its former glory and be funner than ever has made me extremely happy. I have nothing but good things to say about it. Love to cheese shit as Hunk and I cannot wait for Ada and Wesker to be added.
It's kind of funny that as a sort of strange 2000s nostalgia starts to hit me over the past few weeks after seeing a clip of Elfen Lied making the rounds on the shitty bird app that the RE4 remake releases. A game that captures what my small babby brain's imagination in 2005 imagined the game looking and feeling like. Will RE4R replace the original? No, I think this is a case of the original being such a sacred cow for Capcom that it will always be milked even after this game's release. It's also not revolutionary like original RE4 that straight up changed an entire media landscape. RE4R shouldn't be thought of as a replacement, it should be thought of as a celebration of RE4 and how its mechanics have evolved over the near two decades since its release. It is a truly sublime and alternative take that reminds you of the magic you felt with that original game. RE4R isn't perfect and neither is RE4, both have things that bother me belonging to the era they were made in or choices the developers made, but they are both I would argue equally as strong games. Only RE4 could challenge RE4.
On a final note, as someone who loves films and games equally despite how I may meme about them, something that I've come to really like about this recent string of REmakes is that they feel like the developers are able to bring to life something that truly looks and feels like the James Cameron and George Romero films that inspired RE. Doing that while capturing the blockbusters of their respective era for me personally justifies their existence. RE2 and 3 capture late 90s blockbusters, and now RE4 captures mid 2000s blockbusters. In conclusion that means the only thing left to do is to bring back baggy jeans with chains, open a bag of Doritos 3D, hit play on Meteora and kill some more mutated Spaniards while thinking of simpler times.
You know how everyone has that one piece of media that they see it and then they go OH MY GOD...THAT'S IT! THAT'S IT!!! THAT'S WHAT I WANT!!! Well for film that was watching Jurassic Park as a tiny little five year old. For video games and perhaps even my taste in horror that was Resident Evil 4 a mere five years later. A nonsensical silly over the top gorefest with a main character that talks back at the villains and they just as much talk shit right back. If anything RE4 to a degree is probably what helped me get into DMC and Tokusatsu as the dynamic between Leon and the Los Illuminados higher ups in this feels very similar to those. Something 2021's Village would push even further into a full on Jojo's Bizarre Adventure type villain squad. Getting back on track, even through all of this Resident Evil 4 kept the atmosphere of a genuine horror experience. The often mocked very brown look of the game indicative of the mid to late 2000s of gaming in this case actually helps permeate that atmosphere of dread and decay that for me personally the only other RE to really capture this is REmake itself.
So yeah, we're going the deeply personal route for this. People may not think the same thing as me about original RE4, but these have always been my feelings on it. It's a dreadful atmosphere of rot that is broken up by the at the time revolutionary combat that completely redefined the third person shooter and to this day every third person game for better or worse imitates it. It is woven into the very DNA of game development. Shinji Mikami may arguably be a shitty terrible writer and can release misses that feel like he was just sleeping on the job, but it can't be overstated the impact original RE4 left. Both him and the dev team involved truly show their craft after years and years of trial and error to get what could arguably be called the ultimate blending of action and horror out on store shelves. Well, with that being said I'm happy to say that despite some minor issues the remake of Resident Evil 4 captures the very spirit of that original game. To such a T it may even be sillier than the original at times.
Holy fuck I can finally hype up this shit cause godfuckingdamn Capcom, holy fuck!!!
Yeah I beat the game like 2 weeks ago, but all this took so long not cause of how long this review is. It's because I legit could not take my hands off the controller and I still think I have a playthrough or two in me before I'm ready to put it down for good.
RE4R may have some annoying bits to it such as the weight and momentum Leon now has, the bullet spread which can be super annoying on an initial play-through as you learn the games mechanics and how to exploit them, ladders no longer having invincibility frames, and hoping to god you don't get hit by an enemies attack while you're getting back up from a particularly strong one mashing the attache case button to open it up and heal. Putting those things aside? The devs somehow managed to make another nearly perfect game after all this time. I would go as far as to say as someone who loves the atmosphere of horror films like the The Witch or Black Mountain Side this game oozes that dread and I honestly prefer the more horror heavy (yet still campy) tone this game goes for. Perfectly reflected no less by its heavy use of cult and folk horror visuals perfectly backed up by the darker and moodier lighting (even during the day!), and those areas with HDR? Lord all mighty there are parts of this that look so fucking real. My 10 year old brain would never be able to comprehend RE4 looking like this. This may be the first game of the current generation where I look at it and actually go "Whoa...". The gore too, good lord the fucking gore. Never ever ever did I think I would get hyped over blowing some old granny in half with a shotgun. Yet here we are! It's the sickest shit. ALSO, I DO NOT CARE IF THE STRAND HAIRS DON'T AESTHETICALLY MATCH OR SLIGHTLY HAMPER PERFORMANCE THE ANIME HAIR STAYS ON PLEASE GOD I HOPE MH6 HAS IT.
But a game's visuals can only be so good. They won't save it if it plays like dogshit. Oh boy, well hustle your buns bitches cause this game plays like a fucking dream. Once you get used to the bullet spread and have learned the games layout and enemy positioning this becomes just as snappy as original RE4. The new quick-switch feature to go from handgun headshot, spinkick some motherfuckers, to shotgunning dudes apart YES FUCK YES THIS IS THE SHIT. I was screaming multiple times. Becoming aware of the fact that this isn't just an action horror game no more, but a full on survival horror shooter where item management matters beyond making space in your attache case was eye opening to how easy it is to turn RE4 into a genuine survival horror game. Every time a big fight left me with just barely enough to scrape by, but having the confidence of knowing you can fight back against the enemies filled me with so much determination to keep going on my initial hardcore difficulty play-through. Which let me just say that "For players who have played Resident Evil 4 (2005)" shit is a goddamn lie! This is a completely different beast that is way harder than that game!
The parry system rocks too. As someone who has gotten real tired of the weapon durability meme that's blown up in a post BOTW world I found this game to handle it really well with all the different kitchen and boot knives you could find, plus the durability is really lenient and once you get the primal knife? Fuggedabout it, you are goddamn Rambo. One of those things I know I'll miss going back to the original game.
Of course you can't talk about RE4 either without mentioning the elephant in the room that is Ashley being a nearly game long escort mi-she's good. As someone who once they figured out the game well as a kid and has done non armored fresh Pro runs, Ashley is so easy to take care of this time around that the real challenge comes more from her being taken than her getting killed by an enemy attack meant for you. Her no longer being attached to the hip and DUCKING while running out of the way of your shots is so good it's one of these things this game does that I know I'll also miss as well going back to the original. So yeah that's been improved by a milestone. You just know they really want you to like her this time around with all the cosmetic gifts you can find for her and how she helps in some fights. Also her interactions with Leon are so cute in this holy fuck she is such a dork sometimes and Leon is such a fucking shonen anime meathead one track mind gaylord I HATE AND LOVE THIS STUPID IDIOT!
Speaking of characters being reworked or made better or that kept their original spirit well. Luis's character expansion as well is awesome, what a bro. Really I think mostly every character has been reworked fantastically, love the new tragic take on Mendez and psychotic demon child projection fueled Salazar. Saddler who takes more of a backseat here compared to the original is such a great hateable motherfucker for anyone (now it's my turn to project!) who hated having to go to church and listen to that shit. When that facade of his finally breaks during the final battle I was cheering I was fist bumping and screaming while failing to avoid his Prometheus black goo attacks. I haven't talked about Ada cause everyone has already said everything and I think after all the dumb bullshit I'd rather not be lumped in with retards just for saying "Yeah her VAs performance wasn't that good." Also I'm waiting for Separate Ways which I think this time around can truly be something special instead of some watered down TPS take on RE4.
So I held back on this for a while cause I knew it would be big and long and almost feel like incoherent fanboy rambling plus the game is fun and hard to put down, but also The Mercenaries Mode wasn't out until a few days ago and it fucking rules. Just so much fun. Loved Raid Mode in the Revelations games sure, but I was extremely disappointed with Village's take on Merc Mode so to see it back to its former glory and be funner than ever has made me extremely happy. I have nothing but good things to say about it. Love to cheese shit as Hunk and I cannot wait for Ada and Wesker to be added.
It's kind of funny that as a sort of strange 2000s nostalgia starts to hit me over the past few weeks after seeing a clip of Elfen Lied making the rounds on the shitty bird app that the RE4 remake releases. A game that captures what my small babby brain's imagination in 2005 imagined the game looking and feeling like. Will RE4R replace the original? No, I think this is a case of the original being such a sacred cow for Capcom that it will always be milked even after this game's release. It's also not revolutionary like original RE4 that straight up changed an entire media landscape. RE4R shouldn't be thought of as a replacement, it should be thought of as a celebration of RE4 and how its mechanics have evolved over the near two decades since its release. It is a truly sublime and alternative take that reminds you of the magic you felt with that original game. RE4R isn't perfect and neither is RE4, both have things that bother me belonging to the era they were made in or choices the developers made, but they are both I would argue equally as strong games. Only RE4 could challenge RE4.
On a final note, as someone who loves films and games equally despite how I may meme about them, something that I've come to really like about this recent string of REmakes is that they feel like the developers are able to bring to life something that truly looks and feels like the James Cameron and George Romero films that inspired RE. Doing that while capturing the blockbusters of their respective era for me personally justifies their existence. RE2 and 3 capture late 90s blockbusters, and now RE4 captures mid 2000s blockbusters. In conclusion that means the only thing left to do is to bring back baggy jeans with chains, open a bag of Doritos 3D, hit play on Meteora and kill some more mutated Spaniards while thinking of simpler times.
God, getting Suda51 to co-write a game about spooky ghosts on some isolated Japanese island was such a good move. The entire thing and everything that happens being connected to music in the end and one of the late game twists feels so much like him.
Having to readjust myself to the slower pace of a Fatal Frame game after around 8 years (missed Maiden's re-release I'll get to it someday) was kind of annoying at the start, but after an hour of play I got used to it. Aside from some weird movement controls that feel like original RE4, but stiffer I was taking out ghosts so hard and quick they'll be talking about busting feeling good. Very similar to the recent Metroid Prime Remastered, the gyro aim is so good for a game of this type and I hope whenever 6 happens they keep going all in on it.
It's cool as fuck to finally be able to play this and that it is actually good 15 years later. So much so that all the game really got was an HD facelift with some better character models. You can still see those Wii era jank textures in the environment, but fuck it man I'll take it. Although I won't lie that makes me wish I would have just got this on the Switch. Oh well, I'll most likely order a physical version from PlayAsia just so I can have it in some way.
Let's hope for a future where HD releases of the original PS2 trilogy exist soon. Maybe even the Wii remake of 2 gets a re-release (and actual US release) in a similar vein to this, and lets really hold out hope for a Fatal Frame 6 in the even nearer future.
Having to readjust myself to the slower pace of a Fatal Frame game after around 8 years (missed Maiden's re-release I'll get to it someday) was kind of annoying at the start, but after an hour of play I got used to it. Aside from some weird movement controls that feel like original RE4, but stiffer I was taking out ghosts so hard and quick they'll be talking about busting feeling good. Very similar to the recent Metroid Prime Remastered, the gyro aim is so good for a game of this type and I hope whenever 6 happens they keep going all in on it.
It's cool as fuck to finally be able to play this and that it is actually good 15 years later. So much so that all the game really got was an HD facelift with some better character models. You can still see those Wii era jank textures in the environment, but fuck it man I'll take it. Although I won't lie that makes me wish I would have just got this on the Switch. Oh well, I'll most likely order a physical version from PlayAsia just so I can have it in some way.
Let's hope for a future where HD releases of the original PS2 trilogy exist soon. Maybe even the Wii remake of 2 gets a re-release (and actual US release) in a similar vein to this, and lets really hold out hope for a Fatal Frame 6 in the even nearer future.
I'm sure I said this about Dread as well back in 2021, but Metroid Prime may be one of the coolest games ever. It oozes passion and care from devs that obviously gave a shit and honestly to call this just a simple remaster is a disservice. This is a full on remake with new visuals and god does it look good. Some of the most impressive attention to detail I've seen in any game of the past 5 years and it's a remake of a game from 2002. What the fuck are we doing. Real ass tech wizardry going on for this to look as good as it does and run 60fps on the Switch. Especially after 2022 was full of games that really showcased its lack of power. Or maybe mfs are just bad at optimizing their goddamn games. Or a bit of both.
Not touching this in close to 20 years has been EYE OPENING to just how much shit has copied/been inspired by/or just straight up ripped it off since. Xeno'Jiva from Monster Hunter World is legitimately just the Metroid Prime all over again and don't even get me started on how the new Dooms (especially Eternal) are just faster, more linear, meatheaded (complimentary) Metroid Prime games. But man if there is any game I'll always be happy to see inspire others creatively this is definitely one of them.
A genuine classic brought back in one of the best ways possible. Into the hall of GOAT KINO SWAG RAW it goes.
Not touching this in close to 20 years has been EYE OPENING to just how much shit has copied/been inspired by/or just straight up ripped it off since. Xeno'Jiva from Monster Hunter World is legitimately just the Metroid Prime all over again and don't even get me started on how the new Dooms (especially Eternal) are just faster, more linear, meatheaded (complimentary) Metroid Prime games. But man if there is any game I'll always be happy to see inspire others creatively this is definitely one of them.
A genuine classic brought back in one of the best ways possible. Into the hall of GOAT KINO SWAG RAW it goes.
2016
God they really put all their asses on board for this one. Game got me having to calm down like I just watched Fury Road.
Game is 10 hours of nonstop carnage that never ceases and if it weren't for the unskippable unbroken narrative first person cutscenes I would argue this is the best paced Doom game. Every single minute to minute is used so precisely and well that while the game is longer than I remember it it doesn't overstay its welcome. After Eternal too the more simple tech and combat of the game makes this feel like a nice walk in the park in comparison. Doom 2016 is the DMC5 Nero to Eternal basically being DMC5 Dante for a dumb and silly analogy. A game I could pick up anytime and that I'll still see myself playing by the time it's 10 years old. Also damn it still looks good. No overuse of crazy particle effects, just violently gorgeous art direction and incredible lighting.
Needs to be so said so I may as well get it out of the way now before I play Eternal again but it is so fucking annoying Bethesda and higher ups at id had to go be morons and fuck over Mick Gordon. This and Eternal have some of the most baller music in not just Doom but video games in general and to lose that cause they couldn't take him wanting to do his craft right and with actual care is beyond a damn shame.
Game is 10 hours of nonstop carnage that never ceases and if it weren't for the unskippable unbroken narrative first person cutscenes I would argue this is the best paced Doom game. Every single minute to minute is used so precisely and well that while the game is longer than I remember it it doesn't overstay its welcome. After Eternal too the more simple tech and combat of the game makes this feel like a nice walk in the park in comparison. Doom 2016 is the DMC5 Nero to Eternal basically being DMC5 Dante for a dumb and silly analogy. A game I could pick up anytime and that I'll still see myself playing by the time it's 10 years old. Also damn it still looks good. No overuse of crazy particle effects, just violently gorgeous art direction and incredible lighting.
Needs to be so said so I may as well get it out of the way now before I play Eternal again but it is so fucking annoying Bethesda and higher ups at id had to go be morons and fuck over Mick Gordon. This and Eternal have some of the most baller music in not just Doom but video games in general and to lose that cause they couldn't take him wanting to do his craft right and with actual care is beyond a damn shame.