2015
Quite possibly as good as video games can get. Hard to put into words how much this game means to me, as it usually is for anyone when they get modicums of influence from the art they engage with. Seriously, I don’t know what to say about this game, it feels like nothing would do it justice. Drawing blanks trying to find the words. Just play it, whoever reads this, you owe it to yourself. Once you do you just might come out the other side a different person. If not, fuck me for selling false bills.
2005
First review for this thing? Huh... best to take advantage then! Tour de force in ludic narrative and the use of gameplay as an anterior and notional resistance to game design conventions. Go play it, but don't expect it to be breezy. Pain is part of the process, if you grasp my meaning. It sort of acts as an embodiment of saṃsāra, or the cyclical nature of life, and the adaptation of the human condition to it.
Like the going gets tough, but the tough get going, and what may come from going could be fruitful for whomever does. Hard to illustrate what the game is trying to get across, as it may seem. As always it’s better if you experience it for yourself. It may be dated in respects, it was made with shoe-string and has the idiosyncrasies you’d come to expect from “euro-jank” games, but those things can arguably add to your experience. That experience is well worth anything.
Like the going gets tough, but the tough get going, and what may come from going could be fruitful for whomever does. Hard to illustrate what the game is trying to get across, as it may seem. As always it’s better if you experience it for yourself. It may be dated in respects, it was made with shoe-string and has the idiosyncrasies you’d come to expect from “euro-jank” games, but those things can arguably add to your experience. That experience is well worth anything.
It's funny, my mom got this for me from a yard sale when we still lived in Puerto Rico and it was an All-in-1 Cartridge with an R4 expansion. Flower, Sun, and Rain was one of the 60 games in it, and it was the only one out of those games I was mesmerized by as a wee lad. Good thing too since it introduced me to the KTP series without me knowing it. I'd then on to play No More Heroes on Wii and Killer7 on PS2 in the following years, and it was cool as hell.
There seems to be some contention in the Spider-Man fandom as to the direction pivoted by Insomniac in their interpretation. Some of it was comprised of fair shakes and constructive criticism, and others were just fraught with ignorance; I mean can some of y’all pick up a fucking comic book before you go on babbling? Whether it was as small as the white symbol and stripe patterns on the suit looking off, or the high tech angle the games have, or that whole puddle-gate nonsense, these games have been put through the wringer among the circles. I don’t think any of it was really fair.
Nothing is perfect to be sure, and just because Insomniac have a pretty good repertoire that doesn’t mean they’re exempt of careful consideration. Console war shit needs to go anyway. But while I had my misgivings toward the first game when I played it on launch week, it grew on me over time and I came to accept the vision. Now? I feel like these games are some of the best adaptations of the character we’ve gotten, with the best story-telling in any Spider-Man related media outside of comics. Spider-Man 2 was the answer to my prayers where the first game was concerned, in almost every way, almost.
Combat is tidied up, and in place of the overbearing weapon wheel where half the gadgets were useless and the other half cleaned house in seconds and trivialized combat encounters, now we have four gadgets assigned to the Shape buttons and four abilities to the D-pad, making the combat more intuitive and challenging at the same time. You can also switch them out on the fly, with Peter sporting symbiotic abilities and others corresponding to his iron spider claws.
The weak link to the encounter design is stealth. It was viable in the previous games, and while it still is here, it seems a bit stripped back. Trip and remote mines are absent, making stealth options more condensed, and while ceiling takedowns remain, and they added the double takedown, the encounter design itself seems like it doesn’t incentivize stealth nearly as much as it should. It just seems like they designed this game with combat in mind and left stealth at the door when it was more considered in the previous games.
Complementing the more economical design choices though, is the newfound variety in enemy types. With hunters, drones, attack dogs, and symbiotes in the late game, there’s a sleuth of attack patterns you need to take into account now, with the new parry mechanic, (which is admittedly kind of generous in its window below Superior difficulty), encouraging you to play aggressively, not scurrying away or abusing the dodge. It’s no longer just goons with guns with the rare brute, there’s more to it now.
Web swinging, the main attraction. Thanks to fan feedback, they listened and made changes accordingly. We now have swing steering assistance, which if you crank down all the way to zero, will absolutely pancake you if you if you don’t know what you’re doing. Fall damage! Yes, nice, thank you. Player accountability in one of the game’s main mechanics!
Summing up to the breadth of content the game leaves you with, which not gonna lie, fell kind of short for me, but not for the lack of trying. Some of the FNSM requests and activities have some unexpectedly poignant moments that compound the game’s themes, and not only that, but they do so with synchronicity in gameplay. In a game about characters who work to serve their communities, since y’now, it’s the friendly NEIGHBORHOOD Spider-Man after all, just like the last two games, doing menial tasks and low-key side activities to break up the pace of the main story is good enough for the game. They did however, still come down to three tier challenges and collectables strewn about the map, that while not insubstantial, made the game kind of monotonous. It didn’t detract from the fun of exploring, if anything the traversal system is so robust you just can’t help but go around finding everything, but some more evolution of their world design would’ve been welcome.
Covering the bases already, this leaves us with the story. Not that anyone would know since I don’t get any traction and just write reviews for fun, I hold the first game’s story in very high regard. For the qualms I may have had with the game’s systems and how they engage you, the story has always had its clutches in me. It’s the classic tale of facing hardship and overcoming seemingly insurmountable odds. It’s an odyssey through the highs and lows, humdrum and amazing, of the lives of Peter Parker and Spider-Man. That duality is important in Spider-Man stories, and by dog did the guys over at the no sleep factory nail it. The story exudes so much heart and regard for its source material that I just can’t help but love it. Can it get pulpy and over-the-top? I mean, yeah but why wouldn’t it? Does it buckle under contrivance? A little, but a lot of stories do. But it’s an excellent story regardless of any of that.
Spider-Man 2 succeeds it, at least partly, which was a tall task for them to take on but they did it. Does it have scuffs and prods? Yes again. Much to my chagrin, they killed off half of the Sinister Six, off-screen no less. I get having to make Kraven imposing from the jump to make the stakes clear, but some extra screen-time with those guys would’ve payed dividends. It also takes a bit too much from the Donny Cates and Ryan Stegman run of Venom for me to bat an eye. Why weren’t they credited? Seems off. I’ve also seen people say the game’s third act feels rushed which… yeah. The same thing was said about God of War: Ragnarök’s third act, which just makes me think people wanted more than they could chew on regarding that game, but here it does ring true. As long as things are resolved, at least to me, it doesn’t really matter how brisk everything felt. But that stuff is valid, however you put it.
This game is more than worthy of the name “Spider-Man 2,” as heavy a legacy as it carries, and it’s a marvelous (heh, get it?) display of the talent over at the sleepless game studio. In a year already brimming with quality games, with a few more still to come before its end, Spider-Man 2 blew me away. Even if it didn’t quite surpass the first game, it further cements this take as my favorite incarnation of the character and the mythos surrounding him since The Spectacular Spider-Man. With all things in life, balance is a process, not a destination, as it goes with measured criticism!
Nothing is perfect to be sure, and just because Insomniac have a pretty good repertoire that doesn’t mean they’re exempt of careful consideration. Console war shit needs to go anyway. But while I had my misgivings toward the first game when I played it on launch week, it grew on me over time and I came to accept the vision. Now? I feel like these games are some of the best adaptations of the character we’ve gotten, with the best story-telling in any Spider-Man related media outside of comics. Spider-Man 2 was the answer to my prayers where the first game was concerned, in almost every way, almost.
Combat is tidied up, and in place of the overbearing weapon wheel where half the gadgets were useless and the other half cleaned house in seconds and trivialized combat encounters, now we have four gadgets assigned to the Shape buttons and four abilities to the D-pad, making the combat more intuitive and challenging at the same time. You can also switch them out on the fly, with Peter sporting symbiotic abilities and others corresponding to his iron spider claws.
The weak link to the encounter design is stealth. It was viable in the previous games, and while it still is here, it seems a bit stripped back. Trip and remote mines are absent, making stealth options more condensed, and while ceiling takedowns remain, and they added the double takedown, the encounter design itself seems like it doesn’t incentivize stealth nearly as much as it should. It just seems like they designed this game with combat in mind and left stealth at the door when it was more considered in the previous games.
Complementing the more economical design choices though, is the newfound variety in enemy types. With hunters, drones, attack dogs, and symbiotes in the late game, there’s a sleuth of attack patterns you need to take into account now, with the new parry mechanic, (which is admittedly kind of generous in its window below Superior difficulty), encouraging you to play aggressively, not scurrying away or abusing the dodge. It’s no longer just goons with guns with the rare brute, there’s more to it now.
Web swinging, the main attraction. Thanks to fan feedback, they listened and made changes accordingly. We now have swing steering assistance, which if you crank down all the way to zero, will absolutely pancake you if you if you don’t know what you’re doing. Fall damage! Yes, nice, thank you. Player accountability in one of the game’s main mechanics!
Summing up to the breadth of content the game leaves you with, which not gonna lie, fell kind of short for me, but not for the lack of trying. Some of the FNSM requests and activities have some unexpectedly poignant moments that compound the game’s themes, and not only that, but they do so with synchronicity in gameplay. In a game about characters who work to serve their communities, since y’now, it’s the friendly NEIGHBORHOOD Spider-Man after all, just like the last two games, doing menial tasks and low-key side activities to break up the pace of the main story is good enough for the game. They did however, still come down to three tier challenges and collectables strewn about the map, that while not insubstantial, made the game kind of monotonous. It didn’t detract from the fun of exploring, if anything the traversal system is so robust you just can’t help but go around finding everything, but some more evolution of their world design would’ve been welcome.
Covering the bases already, this leaves us with the story. Not that anyone would know since I don’t get any traction and just write reviews for fun, I hold the first game’s story in very high regard. For the qualms I may have had with the game’s systems and how they engage you, the story has always had its clutches in me. It’s the classic tale of facing hardship and overcoming seemingly insurmountable odds. It’s an odyssey through the highs and lows, humdrum and amazing, of the lives of Peter Parker and Spider-Man. That duality is important in Spider-Man stories, and by dog did the guys over at the no sleep factory nail it. The story exudes so much heart and regard for its source material that I just can’t help but love it. Can it get pulpy and over-the-top? I mean, yeah but why wouldn’t it? Does it buckle under contrivance? A little, but a lot of stories do. But it’s an excellent story regardless of any of that.
Spider-Man 2 succeeds it, at least partly, which was a tall task for them to take on but they did it. Does it have scuffs and prods? Yes again. Much to my chagrin, they killed off half of the Sinister Six, off-screen no less. I get having to make Kraven imposing from the jump to make the stakes clear, but some extra screen-time with those guys would’ve payed dividends. It also takes a bit too much from the Donny Cates and Ryan Stegman run of Venom for me to bat an eye. Why weren’t they credited? Seems off. I’ve also seen people say the game’s third act feels rushed which… yeah. The same thing was said about God of War: Ragnarök’s third act, which just makes me think people wanted more than they could chew on regarding that game, but here it does ring true. As long as things are resolved, at least to me, it doesn’t really matter how brisk everything felt. But that stuff is valid, however you put it.
This game is more than worthy of the name “Spider-Man 2,” as heavy a legacy as it carries, and it’s a marvelous (heh, get it?) display of the talent over at the sleepless game studio. In a year already brimming with quality games, with a few more still to come before its end, Spider-Man 2 blew me away. Even if it didn’t quite surpass the first game, it further cements this take as my favorite incarnation of the character and the mythos surrounding him since The Spectacular Spider-Man. With all things in life, balance is a process, not a destination, as it goes with measured criticism!
2023
At a loss for words atm. I’m just gonna leave it at this… I have never played a game before where to progress, you are tasked to solve algebraic equations, multiple times, except for Flower, Sun and Rain but not like THIS I mean. The interlocking of story and gameplay here is unparalleled, and on top of that, it's a successful conversion to the survival horror genre, resoundingly so. This is the work of a true auteur man I swear. Sam Lake, you are and will always be my idol. “It’s not a loop, it’s a spiral!” Uncanny. Oh, and just for good measure the oats are feeling up for an obligatory ranking. Old Gods of Asgard music, from best to least best, because they're all bangers:
1. Herald of Darkness
2. The Poet and the Muse
3. Dark Ocean Summoning
4. The Sea of Night
5. Anger's Remorse
6. Balance Slays the Demon
7. Children of the Elder God
8. Take Control
9. The Skald Awakens
1. Herald of Darkness
2. The Poet and the Muse
3. Dark Ocean Summoning
4. The Sea of Night
5. Anger's Remorse
6. Balance Slays the Demon
7. Children of the Elder God
8. Take Control
9. The Skald Awakens
This is the return of the long dormant franchise we’ve been waiting to see more of? This is the new era of Silent Hill? God, I had my reservations about Konami’s new push into bringing back the franchise, but there was an inkling of hope they’d get it right, at least somewhat. Consider those hopes dashed now, all thanks to this poor excuse of a web-series with an iterative monetization model that takes from, of all fucking games, Fortnite. Pay up, get the founder pass, and as episodes drop you’ll get the opportunity to paste a, um… “It’s Trauma!” sticker on the post board. Thank you Konami, you never fail to impress with the new lows you’re willing to go. Having Bloober Team take the reigns was questionable enough but SH2R has got to be their Hail Mary. Everything is riding on that game and if it’s anything less than GREAT you done fucked it up. Good luck!
2023
From the humble beginnings of Penumbra, smash cutting to the genre staple (for better or worse) of Amnesia, here we are circa twenty-twenty free, and Frictional Games has blown its load on us yet again with another one of these games. There’s a catch though, this game? Nothing like the other ones, it prides itself on its mechanics rather than decrying them.
For the legacy of something to be turned on its head like this with such resounding success is nigh unheard of. No aversion to walking sims here, they have their place, but after having played some of these it became… trite? Is that the right word? We can run with it. The staple of games like Outlast, centered around hide-and-seek, where systems weren’t the priority, and a lot of the story was told through flavor text, it was kind of due for change.
Change indeed there was. This game is like a wok of stir fry of the best the genre has to offer. And it’s short, yet highly replay-able. Locker combinations, item placements, spawns for both the beast and the scurry of rats, all of them shift around every time you play, so it’s always fresh. Welcome when similar games waste the big bad boys on scripted action sequences where you have to hold up on the controller for ten minutes straight… why did you ruin RE3 Capcom?
Some of this leaves room for more emergent design too. And that’s the kicker, this game treads on being an immersive sim. It doesn’t quite get there, but it does enough that the game allows you to fuck around and find out, literally. While some of the conventions you come to find in these sorts of games is here too, it’s done succinctly and with purpose. A lot of the details you uncover as events play out always lead you somewhere else and it always feels rewarding.
While the titular lead Henri Clément wakes up in delirium from an acute brain injury he sustained not too long before the events of the game, (you can probably guess from the title), a lot of details he would’ve known before are slowly stripped back; bunk mates and some of the trifles faced on a regular basis, arrangements between superior parties, hooliganism, and the odd mystery, all lies in wake for you and Henri to uncover at the same time, which if you let the game get its grip on you, will have you easily invested.
Supplementing this is how much the game plays itself straight. Everything you do is done methodically. From applying dressing on wounds, loading each individual round into your revolver’s cylinder or chambering shells into your shotgun, to selecting items from the good ol’ sachet to interact with foreign elements, painstaking care went into making everything you do considered, no matter how trivial. Just shy of having to rub whale oil on your blistered feet does this game feel like an eerily authentic emulation of the WWI experience.
Do you waste the one round you have on some padlock that could have some loot inside, or do you come back later once you’ve gotten the access for the bolt cutters? Do you waste the one fuel canister you have to have a few minutes of light to spare, or do you B-line it straight to the next objective in pitch blackness, with the loud cranking and limited lighting of your flashlight? There are lots of things to think about as you play and it makes for a thrilling and tense back-and-forth. Some of the options afforded to you have their pros and their cons, and it’s up to you which suits you best.
It might sound tedious, and I ain’t gonna lie, it is, but it’s part of the vision and it’s up to you whether you fuck with it or not. It’s not a bug, it’s a feature, bless Godd Howard. It’s kind of like the whole thing with RDRII. It’s not a bad thing that there’s a process to skinning animals or picking plants, it’s just part of the game and you just put up with it or shut up about it. There is still plenty of fun to be had, at least engagement which I know would make some people scoff at the sound of.
Presumably done with deliberation too, at the time of writing we’re coming up on an update tailored for the Halloween season. In a way that feels like an indirect response to the feedback on SOMA’s Safe Mode, the game is getting Shell Shocked mode, which makes the game even more punishing than it already is. Why there are difficulty options when they don’t make much of a difference to begin with? For the fuck of it I suppose.
Amnesia: The Bunker is survival horror BLISS! Inventory management with artificial scarcity for resources, considering the best approach for every situation, experimenting with things that almost always turn out viable, it’s the whole package. Those games from the days of old, I can take or leave more of ‘em, but more of this please, this is good.
For fun, the game statistics for finishing on my first play-through:
Difficulty mode: Hard
Time played: 08:20:10
Longest time between saves: 00:16:57
Times saved: 41
Number of deaths: 9
Rats killed: 15
Bullets fired: 13
Shotgun shells fired: 6
Grenades thrown: 15
Gas grenades thrown: 9
Petrol bombs thrown: 26
Flares thrown: 7
Health items used: 13
Generator refills: 28
Blackouts: 3
Traps triggered: 13
Corpses burnt: 10
Fires started: 3
Doors destroyed: 15
Times spotted by stalker: 32
Items crafted: 42
Stalker bullet hit count: 9
Rats scared by torch: 5
For the legacy of something to be turned on its head like this with such resounding success is nigh unheard of. No aversion to walking sims here, they have their place, but after having played some of these it became… trite? Is that the right word? We can run with it. The staple of games like Outlast, centered around hide-and-seek, where systems weren’t the priority, and a lot of the story was told through flavor text, it was kind of due for change.
Change indeed there was. This game is like a wok of stir fry of the best the genre has to offer. And it’s short, yet highly replay-able. Locker combinations, item placements, spawns for both the beast and the scurry of rats, all of them shift around every time you play, so it’s always fresh. Welcome when similar games waste the big bad boys on scripted action sequences where you have to hold up on the controller for ten minutes straight… why did you ruin RE3 Capcom?
Some of this leaves room for more emergent design too. And that’s the kicker, this game treads on being an immersive sim. It doesn’t quite get there, but it does enough that the game allows you to fuck around and find out, literally. While some of the conventions you come to find in these sorts of games is here too, it’s done succinctly and with purpose. A lot of the details you uncover as events play out always lead you somewhere else and it always feels rewarding.
While the titular lead Henri Clément wakes up in delirium from an acute brain injury he sustained not too long before the events of the game, (you can probably guess from the title), a lot of details he would’ve known before are slowly stripped back; bunk mates and some of the trifles faced on a regular basis, arrangements between superior parties, hooliganism, and the odd mystery, all lies in wake for you and Henri to uncover at the same time, which if you let the game get its grip on you, will have you easily invested.
Supplementing this is how much the game plays itself straight. Everything you do is done methodically. From applying dressing on wounds, loading each individual round into your revolver’s cylinder or chambering shells into your shotgun, to selecting items from the good ol’ sachet to interact with foreign elements, painstaking care went into making everything you do considered, no matter how trivial. Just shy of having to rub whale oil on your blistered feet does this game feel like an eerily authentic emulation of the WWI experience.
Do you waste the one round you have on some padlock that could have some loot inside, or do you come back later once you’ve gotten the access for the bolt cutters? Do you waste the one fuel canister you have to have a few minutes of light to spare, or do you B-line it straight to the next objective in pitch blackness, with the loud cranking and limited lighting of your flashlight? There are lots of things to think about as you play and it makes for a thrilling and tense back-and-forth. Some of the options afforded to you have their pros and their cons, and it’s up to you which suits you best.
It might sound tedious, and I ain’t gonna lie, it is, but it’s part of the vision and it’s up to you whether you fuck with it or not. It’s not a bug, it’s a feature, bless Godd Howard. It’s kind of like the whole thing with RDRII. It’s not a bad thing that there’s a process to skinning animals or picking plants, it’s just part of the game and you just put up with it or shut up about it. There is still plenty of fun to be had, at least engagement which I know would make some people scoff at the sound of.
Presumably done with deliberation too, at the time of writing we’re coming up on an update tailored for the Halloween season. In a way that feels like an indirect response to the feedback on SOMA’s Safe Mode, the game is getting Shell Shocked mode, which makes the game even more punishing than it already is. Why there are difficulty options when they don’t make much of a difference to begin with? For the fuck of it I suppose.
Amnesia: The Bunker is survival horror BLISS! Inventory management with artificial scarcity for resources, considering the best approach for every situation, experimenting with things that almost always turn out viable, it’s the whole package. Those games from the days of old, I can take or leave more of ‘em, but more of this please, this is good.
For fun, the game statistics for finishing on my first play-through:
Difficulty mode: Hard
Time played: 08:20:10
Longest time between saves: 00:16:57
Times saved: 41
Number of deaths: 9
Rats killed: 15
Bullets fired: 13
Shotgun shells fired: 6
Grenades thrown: 15
Gas grenades thrown: 9
Petrol bombs thrown: 26
Flares thrown: 7
Health items used: 13
Generator refills: 28
Blackouts: 3
Traps triggered: 13
Corpses burnt: 10
Fires started: 3
Doors destroyed: 15
Times spotted by stalker: 32
Items crafted: 42
Stalker bullet hit count: 9
Rats scared by torch: 5
2021
Bordering on exploitative, yet undivided amounts of fun on the part of Luca Galante. It’s like a litmus test for one’s self-control, whether they choose to participate in it or not. As schematic as it might seem, and play, since it literally just takes one analog stick to play the whole way through I’d liken it to musou. This game is kind of a stroke of formalist genius.
The way this game is designed is grossly… “mobile.” There is plenty of room here for some kind of pay-to-win model to be integrated, but there is no such thing. What you see is what you get and you can play it for as little or as long as you feel. But for all of that, the game doesn’t demand anything of you except for the five dollar entry point.
All of this, dozens of unlockable characters with their own presets and stat pages, plenty of levels to clear with their own challenges, and an endless stream of content. It will have you coming back whether you like it or not. It becomes subconscious, seeps itself into you and drains your life force like a parasite. Make of that what you will. Play this game at your peril. Once you pick it up there’s a good chance you won’t put it down.
The way this game is designed is grossly… “mobile.” There is plenty of room here for some kind of pay-to-win model to be integrated, but there is no such thing. What you see is what you get and you can play it for as little or as long as you feel. But for all of that, the game doesn’t demand anything of you except for the five dollar entry point.
All of this, dozens of unlockable characters with their own presets and stat pages, plenty of levels to clear with their own challenges, and an endless stream of content. It will have you coming back whether you like it or not. It becomes subconscious, seeps itself into you and drains your life force like a parasite. Make of that what you will. Play this game at your peril. Once you pick it up there’s a good chance you won’t put it down.
2014
Sad to see that Konami got it delisted. It’s basically vaporware now, only available on PS4s that are either jail-broken, or with the game already on the drive. Great shame, especially since this is one of the best horror games ever made, and the doozy is that it’s not even a full-fledged game.
Not only was this going to be a revitalization of the Silent Hill series, but it was going to be helmed by arguably three of the greatest minds working today: Hideo Kojima, Guillermo Del Toro, and Junji Ito!
How did they pass up on this?! This was the golden ticket! It’s a damn shame to see it go, especially with all the potential it had, but it is what it is. I guess the silver lining is that we got Death Stranding. I know Death Stranding isn’t for everyone, but it’s certainly for me and I cherish it and it’s better than your favorite game and I win and you lose.
Not only was this going to be a revitalization of the Silent Hill series, but it was going to be helmed by arguably three of the greatest minds working today: Hideo Kojima, Guillermo Del Toro, and Junji Ito!
How did they pass up on this?! This was the golden ticket! It’s a damn shame to see it go, especially with all the potential it had, but it is what it is. I guess the silver lining is that we got Death Stranding. I know Death Stranding isn’t for everyone, but it’s certainly for me and I cherish it and it’s better than your favorite game and I win and you lose.
Monster Hunter Rise is as solid as ore, albeit as dry the Sandy Plains as the base launch of World was. However, it makes up for it in the post-launch support, as all of these games do. Props to Capcom Division 2 for the foundation they've laid for the series and improved on.
Kamura's Feudal Architecture, the cobble-stone paving, the colorful Sashimono banners all add to the overall aesthetic of the game, one that's greatly appreciated and pits 1-to-1 with Pokke Village as a favorite. This home-yness incremented by the still 1-dimensional but not as vapid cast as the last game cast of this game, the 2 𝑀𝒾𝓈𝓉𝓇𝑒𝓈𝓈𝑒𝓈 Hinoa & Minoto being best gals, fite me. All of it lends toward the best mood and art direction in the series, beating out the rather bland, at least in my opinion, I know I know jalapeño popper take, jurassic direction of World that MH7 (not 6, fuck y’all, Rise is 6!) will also have.
So too are the maps teaming with with life thrice over, of all trophic levels. Life that gives to an ecology that feels alive, even if it isn’t truly alive. All beset with that life not just being set-dressing, but aiding/ailing in moment to moment gameplay. Stone Lizards that drop Spheres, stat boosting Spiri-birds, Great Izuchi calling on a pack of Smaller Izuchi to gank you dank swords style, or Icy Tundras where you'll face upon Lagombi who'll lead you into a pit infested with those STINGY BASTARDS... gripe aside.
Herein, you're to be fixated on the staple gameplay loop of Monster Hunter that you either couldn't get into or never got tired of, no in-between, slaying monsters and accruing all manner of Pelts, Fangs, Horns, or other bodily features via an actually well balanced RNG Loot system that's woven with an Upgrade system that's divided by Armor Sphere spending and deck allotting, usually to three slots per armor variant max all available at the Smithy after certain HR levels are reached, all while new Silkbind moves for your weapon of choice open, Camp-grounds from a previous expedition are opened, you deck your buddies out with the same set as you or a different set hey maybe you're into fashion hunter, no knock against ya, and they push you along to grind s'more.
Oh right Silkbinds, so it's a Feux-Hunter Art system where you get one or two special moves depending on what class you're into, which changes up gameplay lots and adds more depth and breadth to a game that already has it in spades. As an Insect Glaive main I really like that I get to do a spinny move that finally looks different than the spinny move I've been accustomed to since the damn thing was introduced in 4, I was stuck with the Tetraseal for a while and the range sucks but Diving Wyvern's a fucking GODSEND, AAAAND the Kinsect recall that nets you two buffs instead of one kind of broke the game in a really good way for me. Can’t speak for mains of other weapons as each one has a meta and I only dabbled in such stuff like the Hunting Horn and heard from long-time mains that it got downgraded, but point is the game has sooooooooooo much player choice it's insane
And as an Impromptu bookend to this review since I'm a bad writer and don't know how to review games, the game has soooooooooo much player choice it's insane… But no really, give Monster Hunter Rise a go. It’s never been a better time to get into the franchise, which is coming from a vet that started at Tri on the Wii back in the olden days. With such a polished, streamlined, and fun game that honors the series legacy, it's a hardy ass recommendation from me, a nobody on the internet. Buy the game basically, it's really good, and it applies to every monster hunter game ever too, this is a review of every game in the series if you look at it that way. Grab three buddies and go slay a Rathalos or something. Thanks for reading if and when you do or did.
Kamura's Feudal Architecture, the cobble-stone paving, the colorful Sashimono banners all add to the overall aesthetic of the game, one that's greatly appreciated and pits 1-to-1 with Pokke Village as a favorite. This home-yness incremented by the still 1-dimensional but not as vapid cast as the last game cast of this game, the 2 𝑀𝒾𝓈𝓉𝓇𝑒𝓈𝓈𝑒𝓈 Hinoa & Minoto being best gals, fite me. All of it lends toward the best mood and art direction in the series, beating out the rather bland, at least in my opinion, I know I know jalapeño popper take, jurassic direction of World that MH7 (not 6, fuck y’all, Rise is 6!) will also have.
So too are the maps teaming with with life thrice over, of all trophic levels. Life that gives to an ecology that feels alive, even if it isn’t truly alive. All beset with that life not just being set-dressing, but aiding/ailing in moment to moment gameplay. Stone Lizards that drop Spheres, stat boosting Spiri-birds, Great Izuchi calling on a pack of Smaller Izuchi to gank you dank swords style, or Icy Tundras where you'll face upon Lagombi who'll lead you into a pit infested with those STINGY BASTARDS... gripe aside.
Herein, you're to be fixated on the staple gameplay loop of Monster Hunter that you either couldn't get into or never got tired of, no in-between, slaying monsters and accruing all manner of Pelts, Fangs, Horns, or other bodily features via an actually well balanced RNG Loot system that's woven with an Upgrade system that's divided by Armor Sphere spending and deck allotting, usually to three slots per armor variant max all available at the Smithy after certain HR levels are reached, all while new Silkbind moves for your weapon of choice open, Camp-grounds from a previous expedition are opened, you deck your buddies out with the same set as you or a different set hey maybe you're into fashion hunter, no knock against ya, and they push you along to grind s'more.
Oh right Silkbinds, so it's a Feux-Hunter Art system where you get one or two special moves depending on what class you're into, which changes up gameplay lots and adds more depth and breadth to a game that already has it in spades. As an Insect Glaive main I really like that I get to do a spinny move that finally looks different than the spinny move I've been accustomed to since the damn thing was introduced in 4, I was stuck with the Tetraseal for a while and the range sucks but Diving Wyvern's a fucking GODSEND, AAAAND the Kinsect recall that nets you two buffs instead of one kind of broke the game in a really good way for me. Can’t speak for mains of other weapons as each one has a meta and I only dabbled in such stuff like the Hunting Horn and heard from long-time mains that it got downgraded, but point is the game has sooooooooooo much player choice it's insane
And as an Impromptu bookend to this review since I'm a bad writer and don't know how to review games, the game has soooooooooo much player choice it's insane… But no really, give Monster Hunter Rise a go. It’s never been a better time to get into the franchise, which is coming from a vet that started at Tri on the Wii back in the olden days. With such a polished, streamlined, and fun game that honors the series legacy, it's a hardy ass recommendation from me, a nobody on the internet. Buy the game basically, it's really good, and it applies to every monster hunter game ever too, this is a review of every game in the series if you look at it that way. Grab three buddies and go slay a Rathalos or something. Thanks for reading if and when you do or did.
2011
I wish more games would come out like this that use more than just combat to create interesting gameplay scenarios that are not only fun, but could also be maintained over one long play-through, or even multiple play-throughs. Too many games rely on combat and it’s kind of becoming tired for me. Having this, and something else like say, Death Stranding, in the big budget space is refreshing.
When most works of art share this one big thing, it can come off as creatively stifling to said works. I’m sure a lot of devs would attest to this. Given how many have departed studios they worked in or even founded, like was the case for Dan Houser, to found newer, smaller indie companies, it’s a safe bet that the industry’s got some things it needs to iron out. Yes, that includes workplace conditions and morale. The art we enjoy is nothing without the artists who bleed, sweat, and cry to make it, and they shouldn’t have do be doing any of that against their will to do so.
The “Too many games rely on combat” thing might be a pea brain take, but I don’t care. The crunch thing has ostensive backing by its long history however; employees coming out on record to what happens in their companies, the outing of scummy practices, the works. Team Bondi, the team behind this game, is no different, and it’s unfortunate what fate befell them, having to close down after the game bombed. This game was a labor of love, too much of one, and while it’s flawed, it laid this great foundation that hasn’t been built upon since, and it’s a damn shame.
All the hard work, being ground to the bone to make something, and in the end of that there’s not much to show for it. People just say “Oh, it’s that game I forgot existed from like however many years ago. It’s just GTA with cops right?” And then they move on. Feels bad, really bad. You get something that could be revolutionary if it were shone more, something so unique, and it doesn’t perform as its shareholders expected, so the people who made it have to go lights out.
To put it simply: Fuck capitalism, but also no because I think capitalism could still work, it’s just corporatism that’s the problem, but I don’t know anymore. The gaming industry sucks, stop buying the annual release 2K/EA sports games, support indie games, don’t pre-order games, sign whatever petitions you can to help workers in the industry, and last but not least, keep physical media alive. That last one isn’t as important but still, preservation matters too and physical media is one of the pillars holding it up.
L.A. Noire is an exceptional crime drama with great writing, chic dialogue, an authentic rendition of Post-War Los Angeles, and engaging detective gameplay that involves the player a lot in the process of cracking cases. It’s only let down by the lack of things to do in the open world, the stiff controls, which would be fine otherwise but get in the way once you’re placed in a chase sequence or shooting gallery, and the limp ending. This game is everywhere and you can get it for cheap, so please, try it out.
When most works of art share this one big thing, it can come off as creatively stifling to said works. I’m sure a lot of devs would attest to this. Given how many have departed studios they worked in or even founded, like was the case for Dan Houser, to found newer, smaller indie companies, it’s a safe bet that the industry’s got some things it needs to iron out. Yes, that includes workplace conditions and morale. The art we enjoy is nothing without the artists who bleed, sweat, and cry to make it, and they shouldn’t have do be doing any of that against their will to do so.
The “Too many games rely on combat” thing might be a pea brain take, but I don’t care. The crunch thing has ostensive backing by its long history however; employees coming out on record to what happens in their companies, the outing of scummy practices, the works. Team Bondi, the team behind this game, is no different, and it’s unfortunate what fate befell them, having to close down after the game bombed. This game was a labor of love, too much of one, and while it’s flawed, it laid this great foundation that hasn’t been built upon since, and it’s a damn shame.
All the hard work, being ground to the bone to make something, and in the end of that there’s not much to show for it. People just say “Oh, it’s that game I forgot existed from like however many years ago. It’s just GTA with cops right?” And then they move on. Feels bad, really bad. You get something that could be revolutionary if it were shone more, something so unique, and it doesn’t perform as its shareholders expected, so the people who made it have to go lights out.
To put it simply: Fuck capitalism, but also no because I think capitalism could still work, it’s just corporatism that’s the problem, but I don’t know anymore. The gaming industry sucks, stop buying the annual release 2K/EA sports games, support indie games, don’t pre-order games, sign whatever petitions you can to help workers in the industry, and last but not least, keep physical media alive. That last one isn’t as important but still, preservation matters too and physical media is one of the pillars holding it up.
L.A. Noire is an exceptional crime drama with great writing, chic dialogue, an authentic rendition of Post-War Los Angeles, and engaging detective gameplay that involves the player a lot in the process of cracking cases. It’s only let down by the lack of things to do in the open world, the stiff controls, which would be fine otherwise but get in the way once you’re placed in a chase sequence or shooting gallery, and the limp ending. This game is everywhere and you can get it for cheap, so please, try it out.
2020
Why did Uptown and Downtown Racoon City, what was practically an entire district worth of space, get reduced to like three blocks, a few alleys and some stairs linking them up? Why were the clocktower, dead factory, and other intermediary places on the golden path outright ignored? What happened to the branching paths? Worst of all, what happened to Nemesis? He’s a joke in this game, worse off that he was the goddamn namesake of the original.
To add insult to injury, that only scratches the surface. I guess it at least retains the same design philosophy, and overlooking the omissions, the story was pretty decent, which still isn’t much to go off since the original story is still better. Jill is characterized differently too. I couldn’t imagine living in a cruel, Carlos-less world though, especially this Carlos. What a baddie. Still, it fails to live up to the original, which was the most crucial part of the game.
To add insult to injury, that only scratches the surface. I guess it at least retains the same design philosophy, and overlooking the omissions, the story was pretty decent, which still isn’t much to go off since the original story is still better. Jill is characterized differently too. I couldn’t imagine living in a cruel, Carlos-less world though, especially this Carlos. What a baddie. Still, it fails to live up to the original, which was the most crucial part of the game.
I love this game, no ifs, ands or buts, I just love it. We could go on a spiel about its drastic impact on the gaming industry, whether it was negative or positive, but that’d take us back to that games as art debate that got old and tired really quick. Getting it out of the way, they are art, there’s no point in frolicking about trying to find the answer. It’s right there, please curtail that redundancy in the entertainment area. This game did not bring the advent of good storytelling in games, it’s been there years before this game was even in the concept stages. Games have had good stories since at least the fifth generation, and you can go further back. This game has a good story, just like all the other games with good stories.
It’s a great game, and even greater than the sum of its parts. It deserves its accolades even if some of it feels misplaced or derisive of gaming at large. Y’now what? I don’t just love this game, I ADORE it, especially Part I, since it fixed all the issues I had with the gameplay of vanilla, but please, will everyone just shut the fuck up? Console warriors, naysayers, the “Sony just makes movie games” crowd, snobbish games journalists, twitter hoes. Thank you. As for the remake(ster) in question:
Vanilla has brain rot AI that barely functions as intended unless you’ve cranked up the difficulty to grounded, but even then, grounded lives up to its name, and it’s not fun. Part I not only remedied that, and just looks downright better, but it also has a new movement engine, new animations, and seamless gameplay to cutscene transitions, in turn making what’s basically the same game but somehow much better. It’s the little things. It’s not worth the asking price, but it’s at least worth half of it with how much effort they put into it, which is what I spent on it thank dog for years of unused in-store credit.
Post facto:
Rest in peace Annie Wersching, you gave a stand-out performance and this game wouldn’t have been the same without it.
It’s a great game, and even greater than the sum of its parts. It deserves its accolades even if some of it feels misplaced or derisive of gaming at large. Y’now what? I don’t just love this game, I ADORE it, especially Part I, since it fixed all the issues I had with the gameplay of vanilla, but please, will everyone just shut the fuck up? Console warriors, naysayers, the “Sony just makes movie games” crowd, snobbish games journalists, twitter hoes. Thank you. As for the remake(ster) in question:
Vanilla has brain rot AI that barely functions as intended unless you’ve cranked up the difficulty to grounded, but even then, grounded lives up to its name, and it’s not fun. Part I not only remedied that, and just looks downright better, but it also has a new movement engine, new animations, and seamless gameplay to cutscene transitions, in turn making what’s basically the same game but somehow much better. It’s the little things. It’s not worth the asking price, but it’s at least worth half of it with how much effort they put into it, which is what I spent on it thank dog for years of unused in-store credit.
Post facto:
Rest in peace Annie Wersching, you gave a stand-out performance and this game wouldn’t have been the same without it.
TBD
Fuck you EA
2023
Speaking on thematics, this game is pretty deplorable. Its implementation of ARG elements, taking advantage of the haptic features on your smart phone, using text scrawls and push notifications to cox you into getting back in, is admirable. Everything to do with the UI/UX design is good as far as I’m concerned, even great, and the sound design and music are pretty top notch too.
However, for as novel as the game is, none of that matters if the point of the game contradicts the actual game. The themes it attempts to convey are diametrically opposed by the way they’re delivered. Not to mention how tone deaf it feels for Ice-Pick Lodge to put this out, no matter how well-intentioned, after the outing of the company lead’s unsolicited behavior towards minors. Fucked up, and quite frankly disappointing for a studio I otherwise respect.
Context matters and while I wholeheartedly believe that art doesn’t have to reflect the actions or worldviews of the artist behind it, sometimes they can overlap, and this is one such case where it does. Also AI art? Really? C’mon man… Resources pertaining to the subject at hand, if anyone reading wants to know more:
https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.resetera.com/threads/nikolay-dybowski-pathologic-2-the-void-has-been-accused-of-preying-on-underage-girls-and-having-relationships-with-students.413229/&sa=U&ved=2ahUKEwjWw9zg892EAxU5g4QIHSjLAGUQFnoECBkQAQ&usg=AOvVaw3AntHHh9PxEzEcEBNqLMGZ
However, for as novel as the game is, none of that matters if the point of the game contradicts the actual game. The themes it attempts to convey are diametrically opposed by the way they’re delivered. Not to mention how tone deaf it feels for Ice-Pick Lodge to put this out, no matter how well-intentioned, after the outing of the company lead’s unsolicited behavior towards minors. Fucked up, and quite frankly disappointing for a studio I otherwise respect.
Context matters and while I wholeheartedly believe that art doesn’t have to reflect the actions or worldviews of the artist behind it, sometimes they can overlap, and this is one such case where it does. Also AI art? Really? C’mon man… Resources pertaining to the subject at hand, if anyone reading wants to know more:
https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.resetera.com/threads/nikolay-dybowski-pathologic-2-the-void-has-been-accused-of-preying-on-underage-girls-and-having-relationships-with-students.413229/&sa=U&ved=2ahUKEwjWw9zg892EAxU5g4QIHSjLAGUQFnoECBkQAQ&usg=AOvVaw3AntHHh9PxEzEcEBNqLMGZ