Dallocles
1998
+1 star because hbomberguy references him a lot, would love a revival and i think a modern era tiktok brained gex making a billion references a minute is the natural habitat for this kind of experience.
2011
RIP Team Bondi you created a masterpiece.
Theres plenty stories about the development of LA Noire being hellish, and those are fair and valid and important, but on my review i want to highlight the rose not the thorns.
LA Noire feels like somebody made a game for me specifically. I love mysteries, i love detectives and detection, i love pulp and 40s era West coast aesthetics. I love seedy producers and dimly lit jazz bars. Its scraped straight from my brain and served up for me, i love this game.
I hate Cole Phelps. What i find interesting is on launch i remember hating Kelso segments and finding Cole cool and likeable. How wrong i was.
A must play, even if the animations havent held up IMO.
Theres plenty stories about the development of LA Noire being hellish, and those are fair and valid and important, but on my review i want to highlight the rose not the thorns.
LA Noire feels like somebody made a game for me specifically. I love mysteries, i love detectives and detection, i love pulp and 40s era West coast aesthetics. I love seedy producers and dimly lit jazz bars. Its scraped straight from my brain and served up for me, i love this game.
I hate Cole Phelps. What i find interesting is on launch i remember hating Kelso segments and finding Cole cool and likeable. How wrong i was.
A must play, even if the animations havent held up IMO.
2013
i liked this. But Devil May Cry it isnt.
2019
This review contains spoilers
How? How is this so good? Its like the culmination of everything that came before, the franchise putting all of its best feet forward and creating something greater than the sum of its parts. Taking the time to shoutout V, who seems to be like marmite- im a certified V lover and i wanted to explore that aspect of Vergils psyche much more. Nero shines, which is no small feat considering he's sharing scenes with Dante, Vergil and V. A triumph, and one i think of often- and fondly.
2008
I hated this on launch as i disliked Nero much in the same way i disliked MGS2 for making me play Raiden. Now, my opinion has aged poorly and the reception of Nero and Raiden both has greatly improved- theyre good. Great, even. I just cant rate it higher than a 3 as i dont really enjoy the replay of 4 and i still dislike Nero (in 4.)
A contender for best in series, DMC3 feels smoother and has aged much better than 1 or 2 imo. I prefer it less than 1 due to the location, but its very very fun to experience
2003
Utterly awful game that i have to begrudgingly give an extra half a star because as a child i LOVED dmc2. I'm sorry
2001
i think about I SHOULD HAVE BEEN THE ONE TO FILL YOUR DARK SOUL WITH LIIIIIGHT about once a day. Gameplay is a bit dated but its the quintessential Dmc experience. No notes
1999
I was terrible at this game but couldnt stop playing it. Dont think i ever even reached whatever counts as the first boss. Just loved walking and training with my mon.
1999
Koudelka is my roman empire.
I think of this game a lot, and i think i prefer it to the rest of the shadow hearts canon.
Theres something special here, an aesthetic a vibe a feeling that seeps into every passing moment thats reminiscent of the way Silent Hill feels otherworldly.
The cast is small, the story narrow, but that doesnt stop me from loving this whole experience. The titular character Koudelka is a shot of adrenaline, a romani psychic drawn to the scene of absolute tragedy at the monastary, a headstrong and driven young woman willing to tackle any and all comers. Shes a fantastic lead, fully realized at a time when the medium wasnt too hot at handling female-led narratives.
I havent replayed this in close to five years, so do make allowances for any holes in memory, but i find Edward mostly tolerable. Feels like a rough draft for the character of Rick from The Mummy, a treasure hunting and schmoozy do-gooder here more for the vibe than any higher purpose. The final piece of the cast is James, a priest who ties directly to the overarching plot in ways that are not immediately apparent.
The game is maybe a bit weak as a game-the combat is fun but a solved puzzle after the first hour or so, and the exploration a clone of Resident Evil but somehow lacking.
But the vibes, man. The battle theme is an all timer, the monastary is spooky without veering too often into ludicrous (the spencer mansion is a bit goofy if we're being straight with one another.)
I'd say play this, but only if you love Silent Hill, Resident Evil, and are jonesing for a similar fix. Loses half a star because i cant in good faith recommend the game to everyone.
I think of this game a lot, and i think i prefer it to the rest of the shadow hearts canon.
Theres something special here, an aesthetic a vibe a feeling that seeps into every passing moment thats reminiscent of the way Silent Hill feels otherworldly.
The cast is small, the story narrow, but that doesnt stop me from loving this whole experience. The titular character Koudelka is a shot of adrenaline, a romani psychic drawn to the scene of absolute tragedy at the monastary, a headstrong and driven young woman willing to tackle any and all comers. Shes a fantastic lead, fully realized at a time when the medium wasnt too hot at handling female-led narratives.
I havent replayed this in close to five years, so do make allowances for any holes in memory, but i find Edward mostly tolerable. Feels like a rough draft for the character of Rick from The Mummy, a treasure hunting and schmoozy do-gooder here more for the vibe than any higher purpose. The final piece of the cast is James, a priest who ties directly to the overarching plot in ways that are not immediately apparent.
The game is maybe a bit weak as a game-the combat is fun but a solved puzzle after the first hour or so, and the exploration a clone of Resident Evil but somehow lacking.
But the vibes, man. The battle theme is an all timer, the monastary is spooky without veering too often into ludicrous (the spencer mansion is a bit goofy if we're being straight with one another.)
I'd say play this, but only if you love Silent Hill, Resident Evil, and are jonesing for a similar fix. Loses half a star because i cant in good faith recommend the game to everyone.
2001
Look man idk what to tell you. Giant monsters fighting for supremacy as you bully the small folk into prayer to power you up is rad as hell and I make no apologies for that
i have such a fond memory of this series because it was one of the few times my ma would play games alongside me/with me. Ive played other point and clicks and think there are better designed ones, but theres none ive had more fun with due to that deeply personal connection.
I'll always turn up for a Nico and George adventure
I'll always turn up for a Nico and George adventure
1997
I dont really vibe with most Zeldas, and the zelda clones are often pale imitations. i dont know why i enjoy Alundra so much then, but i do.
2015
This review contains spoilers
i dont think fallout 4 is an entirely irredeemable game, but it does blunder in enough major ways that i cant rate this anything beyond exactly middle tier.
Its obvious bethesda have a vision for fallout, and thats putting the brotherhood front and center. I like my brotherhood a little weird. a little fashy. a little "what the fuck are these sopping wet losers up to?" I dont hail them as the saviours of the wasteland. Father and his plot are also a bit of a misfire, it just feels rushed and sophomoric in a way i dont accept for a franchise of this calibre.
Theres no heart nor soul here. The basebuilding is a chore, and only serves to give purpose to the myriad pointless items usually found in containers that litter fallout games. The enemies are all a bit pedestrian, no charm or setting specific monsters really make the wasteland feel a bit empty.
Play it if you like the franchise, but shouldnt be your first port.
Its obvious bethesda have a vision for fallout, and thats putting the brotherhood front and center. I like my brotherhood a little weird. a little fashy. a little "what the fuck are these sopping wet losers up to?" I dont hail them as the saviours of the wasteland. Father and his plot are also a bit of a misfire, it just feels rushed and sophomoric in a way i dont accept for a franchise of this calibre.
Theres no heart nor soul here. The basebuilding is a chore, and only serves to give purpose to the myriad pointless items usually found in containers that litter fallout games. The enemies are all a bit pedestrian, no charm or setting specific monsters really make the wasteland feel a bit empty.
Play it if you like the franchise, but shouldnt be your first port.
2004
mostly fine.