DetCrashmore
2020
Really just a tech demo.
It's pretty, of course, but it's a boring shooting gallery with not much else to speak of in terms of gameplay. You're better off skipping straight to the sequels.
It's pretty, of course, but it's a boring shooting gallery with not much else to speak of in terms of gameplay. You're better off skipping straight to the sequels.
2016
You’ll run out of patience before you’re even close to running out of ink ribbons.
Being a Resident Evil game, it still has some charm to it, redeeming it just slightly.
Being a Resident Evil game, it still has some charm to it, redeeming it just slightly.
2024
I would describe this game as “quality over quantity," because despite solid level design, and gimmicks that never overstay their welcome, it is a bit too short to justify the price-tag for most players. Its incredibly short length is only highlighted by the fact that there’s nothing to keep you engaged after rolling credits except for time trials.
2022
Exactly as sweet and heartwarming as you’d expect :’)
2023
This game is extremely good, I just wish it was a bit longer. It felt like it really hit its stride just as the game was wrapping up. Really hoping for a sequel :)
2020
This is a game filled with all of the melancholy of our most difficult goodbyes. It’s a commentary on grieving and letting go, but still overflowing with hope. It’s like a celebration of life when you lose someone dear to you, and how we best honor our loved ones (and ourselves) by carrying on the joy and warmth that they left us with.
With no combat, and puzzles with a healthy level of challenge, the developers seem to be focused on the struggles we face internally; and to great effect. With one of the most touching and beautiful endings I’ve ever seen, all of these emotional beats felt so well-earned.
With no combat, and puzzles with a healthy level of challenge, the developers seem to be focused on the struggles we face internally; and to great effect. With one of the most touching and beautiful endings I’ve ever seen, all of these emotional beats felt so well-earned.
2022
Really loved it as a callback to the 360-era of “cool guy mindlessly killing monsters,” but after a couple of hours, I just can’t get myself to keep chugging along. Felt a bit repetitive and unimaginative, and struggled to keep my attention when I’ve got an ever-growing backlog fighting for my time.
Somehow even more visually and sonically stunning than its predecessor. I was still not as engrossed in the story as others for whatever reason, but it still deserves its flowers, especially that gut-punch of an ending…
The most notable deviation from Innocence comes in the gameplay. Requiem is a marked improvement on the previous game in this regard, with even better puzzles, and actually viable stealth mechanics for most of the campaign. Unfortunately, a select few sections do still revert to the old “kill everything to sneak” methodology. It’s just as painful, but thank goodness they’re a lot less prevalent this time around, and you’re given more tools to make an escape if you find yourself spotted.
I also just want to mention that I found the use of haptics for the PS5 DualSense controller to be really nice for a 3rd party title.
The most notable deviation from Innocence comes in the gameplay. Requiem is a marked improvement on the previous game in this regard, with even better puzzles, and actually viable stealth mechanics for most of the campaign. Unfortunately, a select few sections do still revert to the old “kill everything to sneak” methodology. It’s just as painful, but thank goodness they’re a lot less prevalent this time around, and you’re given more tools to make an escape if you find yourself spotted.
I also just want to mention that I found the use of haptics for the PS5 DualSense controller to be really nice for a 3rd party title.
The first entry in the Plague Tale duology is a real mixed bag. There is a lot I really liked, but there’s some glaring issues, so I’ll start with my greatest complaint.
This game is rife with tired “stealth” segments that take all the wrong lessons from The Last of Us. The vast majority of these sections provide you the illusion of choice when you really just have to kill your way through almost every obstacle, or cheese your way through to the exit, leaving you feeling dissatisfied either way. Plain and simple: it’s not stealth if there’s nothing alive to sneak past. The absolute best stealth systems allow for pacifism, or at the very least some semblance of flexibility (ex: the Metro series).
The implicit and explicit commentary on the terrible things our heroes must do to survive the horrors of the world they’ve been thrust into is not lost on me. I don’t expect them to be able to get through this dark and grisly situation without blood on their hands, I just wish that we were actually given more agency, as opposed to putting up this facade for what is - in reality - a bit more of a guided experience.
Aside from my complaints regarding stealth, I actually find the rest of the gameplay very well done. All of the light puzzles are a blast, and when you are in combat, it feels absolutely fantastic. The penultimate chapter specifically is when everything clicks into place and hits its stride; a bit late, but well worth it.
Immediately at its onset, the presentation is a feast for the senses: highly immersive, and a wholly impressive accomplishment for a smaller studio. The music and graphics are spectacular, helping to punctuate key story moments and take them over the edge. While the world around you is bleak yet captivating, I couldn’t help but feel that the story itself left more to be desired.
While not as compelling a narrative as its clearest inspirations, this is a game that devotes a lot of time and energy towards story-telling. There were some moments in the back half where I struggled to maintain my engagement, but it had reeled me back in by the end. Not my favorite story in gaming, but without any specific things to nitpick, I’d say it’s decent.
Furthermore, the acting is exceptional throughout for the English cast. The children performing are consistently impressive, but delivery feels a bit awkward in many instances. To me, it seems like they were always recording separately, and the dialogue doesn’t feel conversational at times. Not a big deal, but it takes the wind out of the sails of some otherwise killer performances.
This game is rife with tired “stealth” segments that take all the wrong lessons from The Last of Us. The vast majority of these sections provide you the illusion of choice when you really just have to kill your way through almost every obstacle, or cheese your way through to the exit, leaving you feeling dissatisfied either way. Plain and simple: it’s not stealth if there’s nothing alive to sneak past. The absolute best stealth systems allow for pacifism, or at the very least some semblance of flexibility (ex: the Metro series).
The implicit and explicit commentary on the terrible things our heroes must do to survive the horrors of the world they’ve been thrust into is not lost on me. I don’t expect them to be able to get through this dark and grisly situation without blood on their hands, I just wish that we were actually given more agency, as opposed to putting up this facade for what is - in reality - a bit more of a guided experience.
Aside from my complaints regarding stealth, I actually find the rest of the gameplay very well done. All of the light puzzles are a blast, and when you are in combat, it feels absolutely fantastic. The penultimate chapter specifically is when everything clicks into place and hits its stride; a bit late, but well worth it.
Immediately at its onset, the presentation is a feast for the senses: highly immersive, and a wholly impressive accomplishment for a smaller studio. The music and graphics are spectacular, helping to punctuate key story moments and take them over the edge. While the world around you is bleak yet captivating, I couldn’t help but feel that the story itself left more to be desired.
While not as compelling a narrative as its clearest inspirations, this is a game that devotes a lot of time and energy towards story-telling. There were some moments in the back half where I struggled to maintain my engagement, but it had reeled me back in by the end. Not my favorite story in gaming, but without any specific things to nitpick, I’d say it’s decent.
Furthermore, the acting is exceptional throughout for the English cast. The children performing are consistently impressive, but delivery feels a bit awkward in many instances. To me, it seems like they were always recording separately, and the dialogue doesn’t feel conversational at times. Not a big deal, but it takes the wind out of the sails of some otherwise killer performances.
From the moment this game was revealed, it was one of my most anticipated games of 2024, and I'm happy to say that my excitement was not misplaced.
Even just a few hours into the campaign, I couldn't help myself saying out loud just how much I was loving everything The Lost Crown had to offer. The PS2 aesthetic, the perfectly tuned character handling (showcased by the Celeste-level platforming challenges that'll have you jumping out of your seat when you finally overcome them), the punchy and satisfying combat, the intriguing and mysterious story, and the exploration of a gorgeous, captivating world all coalesce into a game that belongs in the conversation for the best search-action game of all time.
Even after rolling credits, my affection for this game has only grown. Some minor bugs and an occasionally-tedious fast-travel system aren't enough to keep this game from being an early but mighty GotY contender.
Even just a few hours into the campaign, I couldn't help myself saying out loud just how much I was loving everything The Lost Crown had to offer. The PS2 aesthetic, the perfectly tuned character handling (showcased by the Celeste-level platforming challenges that'll have you jumping out of your seat when you finally overcome them), the punchy and satisfying combat, the intriguing and mysterious story, and the exploration of a gorgeous, captivating world all coalesce into a game that belongs in the conversation for the best search-action game of all time.
Even after rolling credits, my affection for this game has only grown. Some minor bugs and an occasionally-tedious fast-travel system aren't enough to keep this game from being an early but mighty GotY contender.
2019
Super clever and creative game. After the first few levels, it's nothing but mind-bending puzzles that I am not smart enough to solve on my own lol
2023
"It's not a loop... it's a spiral..."
I've always been bothered by people's attempts to discredit games with exceptional narrative by the use of catchphrases like, "It just wanted to be a movie," or, "It's just a walking simulator." It's disrespectful to the art-form, and in the case of Alan Wake 2, it would be practically impossible to pull off such masterful, immersive storytelling in another medium.
There's a lot to chew on with this one, and I'm going to be working to wrap my head around it for quite some time. This game feels like everything Remedy has been building towards, both story-wise and mechanically. It's the whole package, with every little detail so deliberately crafted to enhance the story they're trying to tell, nowhere more evident than in the Hall-of-Fame-level soundtrack.
This may go without saying based on Remedy's previous work, but the gameplay is still fun as hell, and a lot of times, it will not hold your hand. It takes the loop of the first game and gives it a much-needed modern polish.
One thing I need to mention though, is that I'm someone who can put up with a lot of little visual hiccups, and this game is SUPER buggy. At least on PlayStation 5, there are still multiple issues I ran into that required restart, even a few months after release.
I've always been bothered by people's attempts to discredit games with exceptional narrative by the use of catchphrases like, "It just wanted to be a movie," or, "It's just a walking simulator." It's disrespectful to the art-form, and in the case of Alan Wake 2, it would be practically impossible to pull off such masterful, immersive storytelling in another medium.
There's a lot to chew on with this one, and I'm going to be working to wrap my head around it for quite some time. This game feels like everything Remedy has been building towards, both story-wise and mechanically. It's the whole package, with every little detail so deliberately crafted to enhance the story they're trying to tell, nowhere more evident than in the Hall-of-Fame-level soundtrack.
This may go without saying based on Remedy's previous work, but the gameplay is still fun as hell, and a lot of times, it will not hold your hand. It takes the loop of the first game and gives it a much-needed modern polish.
One thing I need to mention though, is that I'm someone who can put up with a lot of little visual hiccups, and this game is SUPER buggy. At least on PlayStation 5, there are still multiple issues I ran into that required restart, even a few months after release.
What a fantastic bookend to the Norse Saga.
I was honestly a bit surprised by how much of a genuinely compelling story they had left to tell as an epilogue to what I believe to be a near-perfect story. The combat--to no one's surprise--is still as satisfying and fine-tuned as it's ever been, and the clever ways of morphing God of War into a rogue-like actually really worked for me.
The callbacks to the original trilogy are something to behold as well. There's some real exciting stuff to uncover, but it never veers into the territory of being too fan-service-y. I've only played GoW3, and even I felt heavily rewarded for that experience. Do everything you can to go into the experience unspoiled!
I was honestly a bit surprised by how much of a genuinely compelling story they had left to tell as an epilogue to what I believe to be a near-perfect story. The combat--to no one's surprise--is still as satisfying and fine-tuned as it's ever been, and the clever ways of morphing God of War into a rogue-like actually really worked for me.
The callbacks to the original trilogy are something to behold as well. There's some real exciting stuff to uncover, but it never veers into the territory of being too fan-service-y. I've only played GoW3, and even I felt heavily rewarded for that experience. Do everything you can to go into the experience unspoiled!
TAKE. CONTROL.
This has gotta be one of the most creative games I've ever played. It's so wonderfully bizarre. The acting is fantastic, there's some real awe-inspiring visuals, and a TON of great WTF moments (the Ashtray Maze might be one of the greatest moments in the history of gaming).
I absolutely loved looking for everything the Oldest House had to offer, trying to find all the secrets and hidden documents. Exploration/platforming/discovery was the star of Control. Despite the emphasis on its combat, ironically I found it to be the weakest aspect. Not bad by any stretch, but non-boss-fights felt more like a chore by the end of the final DLC. I Platinum'd/100% the game, and grinding out those last few objectives to "kill enemy type X with service weapon Y" was a drag.
I have to mention, I don't think I'd have been as invested in this game without playing Alan Wake first, the same way that this game further expanding the Remedy Cinematic Universe™ I think makes Alan Wake better retroactively.
This has gotta be one of the most creative games I've ever played. It's so wonderfully bizarre. The acting is fantastic, there's some real awe-inspiring visuals, and a TON of great WTF moments (the Ashtray Maze might be one of the greatest moments in the history of gaming).
I absolutely loved looking for everything the Oldest House had to offer, trying to find all the secrets and hidden documents. Exploration/platforming/discovery was the star of Control. Despite the emphasis on its combat, ironically I found it to be the weakest aspect. Not bad by any stretch, but non-boss-fights felt more like a chore by the end of the final DLC. I Platinum'd/100% the game, and grinding out those last few objectives to "kill enemy type X with service weapon Y" was a drag.
I have to mention, I don't think I'd have been as invested in this game without playing Alan Wake first, the same way that this game further expanding the Remedy Cinematic Universe™ I think makes Alan Wake better retroactively.
2017
I don’t even have any concrete criticisms for this game; I didn't dislike it, but even after a number of hours, I never reached the point where I was excited for my next play session.
The game is super polished, with a plethora of neat collectibles and varied environments that complement Mario’s equally-various new abilities. On paper, this should be the type of game that I quickly fall in love with, but it never managed to get its hooks in me.
I certainly wouldn’t advise against giving it a try for yourself, I just found it a tad dull. It’s missing something that I can’t quite put my finger on, so I’ll just chalk it up to personal preference.
The game is super polished, with a plethora of neat collectibles and varied environments that complement Mario’s equally-various new abilities. On paper, this should be the type of game that I quickly fall in love with, but it never managed to get its hooks in me.
I certainly wouldn’t advise against giving it a try for yourself, I just found it a tad dull. It’s missing something that I can’t quite put my finger on, so I’ll just chalk it up to personal preference.