DavidSlack110507
This was a pretty decent short DLC that adds to the main story of the base game by wrapping up a few things yet also managing to leave some questions open for potential future use in a sequel. I really liked that we got to see more of an expansion on Ethan and Rose's relationship as its pretty much nonexistent in the original game due to Rose only being a baby there but here, now that she's grown up, she can interact with Ethan or 'Michael' (which was a pretty obvious twist that this 'Michael' guardian angel was actually Ethan) and so that helps make their relationship much more interesting and fleshes out both of their individual characters, particularly for Rose with like I mentioned earlier, her being a baby in the base game means that aspects of her character are told rather than shown whereas here we see why Rose was such a valuable person to Mother Miranda.
I liked the evolution of Rose's abilities throughout the story and it was a good albeit predictable story about her coming to accept who she is and her abilities rather than letting fears of being a freak get to her. The ending fight with Mother Miranda as well as Eveline, with the use of her powers helped to distinguish these battles from others we gave had before against these villains.
Choosing to have the story mainly take place in Castle Dimitrescu and House Beneviento was also a good choice as they were my favourite locations from the original and they are used differently enough to avoid making them feel like retreads of previous levels and the House Beneviento stuff continues to be where the horror and suspense/tension elements of the game reign strongest as the use of the dolls and the mannequins was well done and genuinely creeped me out. Its easily the most memorable aspect of this DLC.
Overall, I think this was a decent DLC that helps to provide some conclusion on Ethan's story as well as adding to Rose's character while leaving open some old and new questions for potential future usage. The House Beneviento segment is easily the most memorable moment in the DLC and for good reason because it is genuinely very well crafted but besides from that there's no other moment in the game that is as distinct.
I liked the evolution of Rose's abilities throughout the story and it was a good albeit predictable story about her coming to accept who she is and her abilities rather than letting fears of being a freak get to her. The ending fight with Mother Miranda as well as Eveline, with the use of her powers helped to distinguish these battles from others we gave had before against these villains.
Choosing to have the story mainly take place in Castle Dimitrescu and House Beneviento was also a good choice as they were my favourite locations from the original and they are used differently enough to avoid making them feel like retreads of previous levels and the House Beneviento stuff continues to be where the horror and suspense/tension elements of the game reign strongest as the use of the dolls and the mannequins was well done and genuinely creeped me out. Its easily the most memorable aspect of this DLC.
Overall, I think this was a decent DLC that helps to provide some conclusion on Ethan's story as well as adding to Rose's character while leaving open some old and new questions for potential future usage. The House Beneviento segment is easily the most memorable moment in the DLC and for good reason because it is genuinely very well crafted but besides from that there's no other moment in the game that is as distinct.
This was a really fun game to play and I think I may be in the minority of those who enjoyed it more than Resident Evil 7: Biohazard, as while I did really like 7, I didn't love it and have a good time as much as I did with this one, maybe because that game focused solely on the survival horror whereas this one mixes that aspect with a much more open map, action, and more need to manage your resources well. Either way, I think this was a very strong follow-up to Biohazard, which was much creepier and scarier than this I will admit.
While I did like Ethan in the previous game, I didn't really feel any sort of connection or way to him as he was quite bland and took a backseat to all the other characters and the story so that they could be of focus whereas here he had much more personality and character to him that made him much easier and willing to root for. His story of trying to save his daughter Rose, while not always at the forefront of every scene, was a compelling narrative to be backed by more exposition as to what was really going on, which was also very interesting and fairly easy to understand even for me who hasn't play any RE games besides the previous installment.
I really liked that we got to take down each of the 4 Lords as well as spend a good amount of time with them before then taking on Miranda but I just wish that for some we spent more time with them like Dimitrescu and Heisenburg, especially with the former as I expected Lady Dimitrescu to be a much bigger part of the game than what she ended up being due to her being such a large part of the advertising and conversation around the game at launch and since then. I wish we had also spent a bit more time with Miranda too as while it makes sense why we wouldn't as she is the main villain so it would be wise to save her for the last portion of the game, she wasn't the most developed villain and most of her evilness was stated through other character's dialogue and actions rather then from her instead but overall, she was a satisfying villain rather than a weak one.
I really enjoyed the combat and boss battle sections of the game as it felt like they were all unique to the Lord/boss that was being fought and while the end battle was quite challenging for me due to having so few resources as well as just not being great at the game, even by that point, it wasn't so difficult that it made me want to give up on the game and ruin my rating for it. The puzzles and horror were also well implemented when they were placed into the game. Particularly with the horror, while it isn't in your face like every second, it's moreso a feeling of unease and worry that makes it effective.
Overall, I really enjoyed my time with this game and I can definitely see why this series has a reputation of being on in a reformation period with the recent remakes and also this and RE 7. I'm really hoping to get stuck into the other Resident Evil games at some point seen as how Resident Evil is still in my backlog as well as the Shadows of Rose DLC for this game too.
While I did like Ethan in the previous game, I didn't really feel any sort of connection or way to him as he was quite bland and took a backseat to all the other characters and the story so that they could be of focus whereas here he had much more personality and character to him that made him much easier and willing to root for. His story of trying to save his daughter Rose, while not always at the forefront of every scene, was a compelling narrative to be backed by more exposition as to what was really going on, which was also very interesting and fairly easy to understand even for me who hasn't play any RE games besides the previous installment.
I really liked that we got to take down each of the 4 Lords as well as spend a good amount of time with them before then taking on Miranda but I just wish that for some we spent more time with them like Dimitrescu and Heisenburg, especially with the former as I expected Lady Dimitrescu to be a much bigger part of the game than what she ended up being due to her being such a large part of the advertising and conversation around the game at launch and since then. I wish we had also spent a bit more time with Miranda too as while it makes sense why we wouldn't as she is the main villain so it would be wise to save her for the last portion of the game, she wasn't the most developed villain and most of her evilness was stated through other character's dialogue and actions rather then from her instead but overall, she was a satisfying villain rather than a weak one.
I really enjoyed the combat and boss battle sections of the game as it felt like they were all unique to the Lord/boss that was being fought and while the end battle was quite challenging for me due to having so few resources as well as just not being great at the game, even by that point, it wasn't so difficult that it made me want to give up on the game and ruin my rating for it. The puzzles and horror were also well implemented when they were placed into the game. Particularly with the horror, while it isn't in your face like every second, it's moreso a feeling of unease and worry that makes it effective.
Overall, I really enjoyed my time with this game and I can definitely see why this series has a reputation of being on in a reformation period with the recent remakes and also this and RE 7. I'm really hoping to get stuck into the other Resident Evil games at some point seen as how Resident Evil is still in my backlog as well as the Shadows of Rose DLC for this game too.
2023
I've taken quite a while to get this finished as I did most of this in the summer before school and other things got in the way but having played this with my dad (Both of us are Dead Island fans) this was honestly quite fun. The fact that this is even a game is credit in itself due to how it was in development hell for nearly a decade, that I've managed to play both the original and Riptide multiple times in the past couple of years let alone since the announcement of this sequel and I think the fact that this game is actually really solid deserves even more credit.
I've always had a guilty pleasure for the two mainstream Dead Island games, even if they're not incredible particularly in terms of story, I still like to revisit them every once in a while and while this game is no different on the story front being somewhat lackluster, there's a lot in this that makes up for it.
The combat and the gore system was the main highlight of the marketing running up to the release of the game and it did not disappoint. The ways that you can kill zombies and how every individual hit or piece of damage done to them actually affects their body is really impressive and extremely detailed, encouraging you to experiment with how you approach clearing out zombies. I'm also a big fan of side content and there's a fair lot of that in the semi-open world of Hell-A so when you're not too interested in continuing the main story or need a break from it then there's usually always something else for you to do.
I think the story is the only really negative I can think of (Besides from characters some what which I'll get onto in a bit), and even then it does have some interesting aspects to it such as how the virus came about and the Autophage process which leaves room for a potential sequel, and hopefully if it does continue on from this one then it may be able to develop it's characters and it's main protagonist(s) more as I found that to struggle in this game with certain characters.
Overall, I really enjoyed my time with this, it may get repetitive at points but there's enough variety in the main and side content, the flesh system is truly incredible and one of a kind, and in my opinion it made up for the extended waiting period for it to be released.
I've always had a guilty pleasure for the two mainstream Dead Island games, even if they're not incredible particularly in terms of story, I still like to revisit them every once in a while and while this game is no different on the story front being somewhat lackluster, there's a lot in this that makes up for it.
The combat and the gore system was the main highlight of the marketing running up to the release of the game and it did not disappoint. The ways that you can kill zombies and how every individual hit or piece of damage done to them actually affects their body is really impressive and extremely detailed, encouraging you to experiment with how you approach clearing out zombies. I'm also a big fan of side content and there's a fair lot of that in the semi-open world of Hell-A so when you're not too interested in continuing the main story or need a break from it then there's usually always something else for you to do.
I think the story is the only really negative I can think of (Besides from characters some what which I'll get onto in a bit), and even then it does have some interesting aspects to it such as how the virus came about and the Autophage process which leaves room for a potential sequel, and hopefully if it does continue on from this one then it may be able to develop it's characters and it's main protagonist(s) more as I found that to struggle in this game with certain characters.
Overall, I really enjoyed my time with this, it may get repetitive at points but there's enough variety in the main and side content, the flesh system is truly incredible and one of a kind, and in my opinion it made up for the extended waiting period for it to be released.
This review contains spoilers
I took my time with this one to really just enjoy the story being told and I may have the unpopular opinion that I prefer this game over the first one. The first one is amazing, don't get me wrong, but I just didn't feel such a strong and/or emotional impact as others did whilst playing it whereas with this one I found that I cared more for the characters outside of just Ellie and Joel.
I know that this game has been shrouded with controversy and critism for certain choices that it made such as the decision to not only kill off one of our beloved protagonist from the previous game in Joel very early on in the game but to have us then later spend the entire latter half of the game pretty much playing as that character - Abby - is a very bold choice to go with and I honestly feel like it works really well. I love Ellie don't get me wrong and I definitely see why she's so many people's favourite character or apart of that list but Abby was also very much a standout in her own right, not only do we actually get to see why she does what she does to Joel but we also see that she is not an entirely evil person but rather a morally complex and grey character much like Ellie in this game and Joel in the last one. I honestly really liked Abby's story with Yara and Lev and the rest of the Seraphites/Scars and it helped turn around my opinion on her from completely hating her after the Joel death even though I knew it was coming.
The story is just amazing in this as not only do we see the effects that the need for revenge has on both Abby and Ellie's lives and those around them both but we see how awful this apocalyptic world is that it corrupts so many good people into doing bad things for the sake of the ones they love. I liked that we got flashbacks with Joel and Ellie throughout showcasing their relationship after the events of the first game and before the events of this one and how bittersweet it is for their last real interaction to be promising that their relationship would improve after Ellie discovered what Joel really did at the Firefly hospital. The survivors guilt that Ellie must have had after that, particularly after learning why Abby did what she did, must have been very heavy on her and I do wish we got to see it explored a little more but what we do see is very impactful as Ellie does recognise just how far she has gone as we as the player recognise to when we begin to meet at the nameless randoms from Ellie's section in Abby's and we already know their fates e.g. Mel and Owen.
Other things I really liked were the combat and some of the 'boss battle' sequences especially the Rat King boss fight as they never felt tedious no matter how many times I died but rather challenging in a way that made me want to push on and prove that I could do it. I also really liked a lot of the side characters, more so this time around as, while I can't accurately comment on the trans representation of Lev and his whole storyline, I did really like his character and same with Yara as well as others like Dina, Mel and Jesse.
I am very glad that I finally got this game done even though it took me a while but it very much is a heavy hitter and I am very interested in seeing where the next game goes as well as how long we'll have to wait to be able to play that but I trust that Naughty Dog will be able to craft an incredible story like always.
I know that this game has been shrouded with controversy and critism for certain choices that it made such as the decision to not only kill off one of our beloved protagonist from the previous game in Joel very early on in the game but to have us then later spend the entire latter half of the game pretty much playing as that character - Abby - is a very bold choice to go with and I honestly feel like it works really well. I love Ellie don't get me wrong and I definitely see why she's so many people's favourite character or apart of that list but Abby was also very much a standout in her own right, not only do we actually get to see why she does what she does to Joel but we also see that she is not an entirely evil person but rather a morally complex and grey character much like Ellie in this game and Joel in the last one. I honestly really liked Abby's story with Yara and Lev and the rest of the Seraphites/Scars and it helped turn around my opinion on her from completely hating her after the Joel death even though I knew it was coming.
The story is just amazing in this as not only do we see the effects that the need for revenge has on both Abby and Ellie's lives and those around them both but we see how awful this apocalyptic world is that it corrupts so many good people into doing bad things for the sake of the ones they love. I liked that we got flashbacks with Joel and Ellie throughout showcasing their relationship after the events of the first game and before the events of this one and how bittersweet it is for their last real interaction to be promising that their relationship would improve after Ellie discovered what Joel really did at the Firefly hospital. The survivors guilt that Ellie must have had after that, particularly after learning why Abby did what she did, must have been very heavy on her and I do wish we got to see it explored a little more but what we do see is very impactful as Ellie does recognise just how far she has gone as we as the player recognise to when we begin to meet at the nameless randoms from Ellie's section in Abby's and we already know their fates e.g. Mel and Owen.
Other things I really liked were the combat and some of the 'boss battle' sequences especially the Rat King boss fight as they never felt tedious no matter how many times I died but rather challenging in a way that made me want to push on and prove that I could do it. I also really liked a lot of the side characters, more so this time around as, while I can't accurately comment on the trans representation of Lev and his whole storyline, I did really like his character and same with Yara as well as others like Dina, Mel and Jesse.
I am very glad that I finally got this game done even though it took me a while but it very much is a heavy hitter and I am very interested in seeing where the next game goes as well as how long we'll have to wait to be able to play that but I trust that Naughty Dog will be able to craft an incredible story like always.
I've had Spider-Man Miles Morales on my backlog for a good while as I intended to make a start on the game after completing Spider-Man 2018, which I did before getting distracted with other things in life. Finally, I got around to playing it and it was a lot of fun.
The webswinging here is so fun and addictive and feels even better than that of the first game. The community of Harlem and the people within that community are also probably one of the strongest points of Miles Morales, the cast of characters are great and even those that aren't as developed are still done extremely well and adds to the community feeling that I feel the first game was lacking (Bare in mind my memory of the first game will be a little hazy as it has been a couple of years since I played it). This game is also extremely representative of many different communities which again was another highlight.
My only downside to this game is that the plot is slightly predictable when it comes to certain reveals and Krieger isn't the most interesting villain but I thought that The Tinkerer and how that character played into the story was done very well and gave an emotional weight that balances out the lack of dimensions for Krieger beyond being an exploitative villain. Overall, this is a really good expansion off the original game yet still manages to feel unique and find ways to improve on its predecessor. Hoping to see more Miles content in the future whether that be another standalone game after Spider-Man 2 or something else.
The webswinging here is so fun and addictive and feels even better than that of the first game. The community of Harlem and the people within that community are also probably one of the strongest points of Miles Morales, the cast of characters are great and even those that aren't as developed are still done extremely well and adds to the community feeling that I feel the first game was lacking (Bare in mind my memory of the first game will be a little hazy as it has been a couple of years since I played it). This game is also extremely representative of many different communities which again was another highlight.
My only downside to this game is that the plot is slightly predictable when it comes to certain reveals and Krieger isn't the most interesting villain but I thought that The Tinkerer and how that character played into the story was done very well and gave an emotional weight that balances out the lack of dimensions for Krieger beyond being an exploitative villain. Overall, this is a really good expansion off the original game yet still manages to feel unique and find ways to improve on its predecessor. Hoping to see more Miles content in the future whether that be another standalone game after Spider-Man 2 or something else.
This review contains spoilers
This was a strong add-on that certainly makes up for its brief runtime. I love Ellie's character and how badass she is especially as a child, it's nice to see her as someone capable of holding her own whilst also maintaining some of the key characteristics that make a child character endearing and three dimensional. It's great to see that Naughty Dog didn't fall into the trap of making Ellie constantly whiny like a normal teenager but just in an apocalyptic setting, instead she's strong and understands and acts accordingly both to her age but also to the world around her. Its much more realistic that way.
I really liked the fact that most of the add-on is dedicated to telling the story of Riley and Ellie without too much of a focus on combat, its just two possibly more than friends joking around and having fun in a world where having fun could get you killed at any moment which one of them learns the hard way (Riley) and the other is effected by this loss to her core (Ellie) shaping the young girl we meet in TLOU. The friendship acts as a juxtaposition to the Ellie we meet between the stages after Joel gets shot and before he heals fully, it shows how harsh the world can be that it turns children into killing machines of both the dead and the living.
Overall, a fantastic add-on/expansion that pleasantly suprised me with how much I enjoyed it. I'm looking forward to getting around to Part 2 whenever I can and figuring out my opinion on that divisive and controversial game.
I really liked the fact that most of the add-on is dedicated to telling the story of Riley and Ellie without too much of a focus on combat, its just two possibly more than friends joking around and having fun in a world where having fun could get you killed at any moment which one of them learns the hard way (Riley) and the other is effected by this loss to her core (Ellie) shaping the young girl we meet in TLOU. The friendship acts as a juxtaposition to the Ellie we meet between the stages after Joel gets shot and before he heals fully, it shows how harsh the world can be that it turns children into killing machines of both the dead and the living.
Overall, a fantastic add-on/expansion that pleasantly suprised me with how much I enjoyed it. I'm looking forward to getting around to Part 2 whenever I can and figuring out my opinion on that divisive and controversial game.
Telltale's Michonne DLC for the most part is a generic fare with its villains having very little nuance to them making them straight up evil and many side characters have very little development even when they're present during all three episodes (depending on your playthrough).
However, I feel as of Telltale's main goal was to introduce and develop Michonne into TWD universe and with that I think the game/add-on succeeds as it shows off Michonne doing what Michonne does best: being an absolute badass accompanied with some pretty great action sequences even if the QTEs can sometimes slow them down.
The add-on is also unafraid to get dark, violent, gruesome and gritty much more than the original game if I remember correctly. For me I see it as an embodiment of the survivors guilt Michonne has and how she is stuck in a perpetual cycle of violence, loss and tragedy whilst never getting killed herself. It shows how unrelenting the new world is particularly to Michonne.
Overall, Telltale's Michonne is a decent fare that for me was much better at getting me interested than 400 Days and it's short runtime for each episode means that the DLC never overstays its welcome. Plus it finally means I've gotten platinum for TWD: The Telltale Definitive Series.
However, I feel as of Telltale's main goal was to introduce and develop Michonne into TWD universe and with that I think the game/add-on succeeds as it shows off Michonne doing what Michonne does best: being an absolute badass accompanied with some pretty great action sequences even if the QTEs can sometimes slow them down.
The add-on is also unafraid to get dark, violent, gruesome and gritty much more than the original game if I remember correctly. For me I see it as an embodiment of the survivors guilt Michonne has and how she is stuck in a perpetual cycle of violence, loss and tragedy whilst never getting killed herself. It shows how unrelenting the new world is particularly to Michonne.
Overall, Telltale's Michonne is a decent fare that for me was much better at getting me interested than 400 Days and it's short runtime for each episode means that the DLC never overstays its welcome. Plus it finally means I've gotten platinum for TWD: The Telltale Definitive Series.
There's many things I like about this sequel but I will never forgive it for giving both Angela Bassett and Carrie-Anne Moss absolutely nothing to do. I wish that both Regalla and Tilda got more screentime and development because they are wasted and underused when they could have been amazing characters. The Zenith are also weak villains simply because they're hardly present for the entirety of the game with them only showing up for about 3 or so main quests.
Whilst HZD had some amazing villains/antagonists that were fully developed and had background lore to them, Forbidden West decides to take a different approach by focusing more on the more heartfelt and human themes of the story rather than its villains and for me say this approach never really sticks the landing resulting in a pretty meh and generic final confrontation. Hopefully the team at Guerrilla Games can pull it around for Horizon 3.
Whilst HZD had some amazing villains/antagonists that were fully developed and had background lore to them, Forbidden West decides to take a different approach by focusing more on the more heartfelt and human themes of the story rather than its villains and for me say this approach never really sticks the landing resulting in a pretty meh and generic final confrontation. Hopefully the team at Guerrilla Games can pull it around for Horizon 3.