Dezo
2009
ODST is a bold and ambitious entry in the halo franchise. The game oozes atmosphere as exploring the fallen city looking for your comrades is chilling. The missions as the troopers are excellently designed with each focusing on a different aspect of the halo sandbox. The crew themselves while stereotypical are likeable despite my concerns during the intro.
The weak point of this game is that while exploring the city serves the story and atmosphere the gameplay usually involves walking from point A to point B with a few small skirmishes in between that can easily be avoided. They added audio logs to give you more to do in the city portions but to compensate for having so many each individual tape doesn't give enough interesting information for them to be worth searching for all 30. The health system is also changed to be more like halo 1, which accomplishes the games goal of making you feel weaker but weakens the enjoyability of the missions some what.
Firefight is halos answer to cod zombies or horde mode is a fun addtion to the franchise especially with friends.
Overall I am conflicted on ODST as its atmospheric city streets and excellent mission design are a testament of bungies quality but yet I still don't feel strongly about this game looking back. Curious to see if this changes after more playthroughs
The weak point of this game is that while exploring the city serves the story and atmosphere the gameplay usually involves walking from point A to point B with a few small skirmishes in between that can easily be avoided. They added audio logs to give you more to do in the city portions but to compensate for having so many each individual tape doesn't give enough interesting information for them to be worth searching for all 30. The health system is also changed to be more like halo 1, which accomplishes the games goal of making you feel weaker but weakens the enjoyability of the missions some what.
Firefight is halos answer to cod zombies or horde mode is a fun addtion to the franchise especially with friends.
Overall I am conflicted on ODST as its atmospheric city streets and excellent mission design are a testament of bungies quality but yet I still don't feel strongly about this game looking back. Curious to see if this changes after more playthroughs
2007
Halo 3 is the culmination of everything the franchise was up to this point. The campaign feels like a action movie as you jump from set piece to set piece with excellently designed levels one after the other. The story wraps up well giving fan favourite characters memorable moments and ends the trilogy conclusively while still leaving the door open for more. The campaign maintains a level of consistency that prior games and other franchises could only dream off.
The multiplayer is more iterative than revolutionary but when your building off Halo 2 there isn't much room for improvement.
Halo 3 is a true epic that stands tall among gaming's best
The multiplayer is more iterative than revolutionary but when your building off Halo 2 there isn't much room for improvement.
Halo 3 is a true epic that stands tall among gaming's best
2014
Halo 2 campaign is all over the place in a different way to CE. While CE's 1st half is amazing and the 2nd half is only ok Halo 2 flip flops in quality level to level. Halo 2 has some of the best and some of the most forgettable missions in the franchise. The enemies also feel quite spongy in comparison to other entries. The story continues to be compelling and through the arbiter a new side of this universe is explored. The campaign lacks the strong the ending of its predessor and its successor but pumps you up to finish the fight.
The gameplay itself is much improved with the addition of dual wielding making you feel like a certified badass and new weapon types had to the sandbox brilliantly. The multiplayer sweet retains the Arcady fun of its predecessor but refines it in such a way that it's near indistinguishable from modern shooters.
While its clear that its a bit rushed the size of it's ambition is undeniable and the impact of its awesome multiplayer can still be felt all these years later
The gameplay itself is much improved with the addition of dual wielding making you feel like a certified badass and new weapon types had to the sandbox brilliantly. The multiplayer sweet retains the Arcady fun of its predecessor but refines it in such a way that it's near indistinguishable from modern shooters.
While its clear that its a bit rushed the size of it's ambition is undeniable and the impact of its awesome multiplayer can still be felt all these years later
Halo CE is a certified classic. The campaign does an excellent job of establishing the universe while providing amble variety in level design and gameplay variety. From linear corridors to large open areas, to sniping across valleys the first half of the campaign is everything you want from an FPS campaign. The mid game twist adds both to the story and gameplay in equal measure, However it is from here that Halo begins to run out of steam. The last few levels have you going through the same areas as eariler missions just with hordes of enemies, which is the only major blemish on this games legacy. Thankfully the game picks up again in the last sequence to end on a high.
The multiplayer of this game feels like the most fun alpha ever created. The gunplay feels as good as modern shooters but wonky weapon balancing and spawning into bullets stops me from saying its objectively great but I had lots of fun regardless.
Overall while showing its age in places CE is still Awesome.
The multiplayer of this game feels like the most fun alpha ever created. The gunplay feels as good as modern shooters but wonky weapon balancing and spawning into bullets stops me from saying its objectively great but I had lots of fun regardless.
Overall while showing its age in places CE is still Awesome.
Valhalla is a cool way of getting more milage out of the stellar combat system found in the base game through well implemented rogue like elements. The references to past games and the end boss fight being one of the series best definitely makes this worth a few playthroughs. The story is nothing special but seeing more of these characters is always a plus. Doesn't quite have the special sauce to keep players coming back again and again like the peak of the genre but still worth playing for anyone itching for more after beating the main game
2022
This review contains spoilers
Ragnarok is nearly a perfect sequel. The game takes the previous combat system and adds layers on top giving far more options for player expression leaning more into the DMC side of the spectrum while still retaining the heft of a fromsoft game. There are more realms to explore which are beautifully realised graphically and gameplay wise. The games biggest improvement comes in the form of it's boss fights. There are more climatic fights than in its predecessor where spectacle and combat mastery are displayed in equal measure. Even the mini boss fights got an upgrade both in variety and how fun they are to get down and dirty with. The side quests maintain the high quality from the previous entry (muspelheim aside) and the performances from the cast are just as impressive as ever. Based on everything I have mentioned so far this seems better than 2018 in every way and it nearly is. Even playing as Boy himself is not enough to drag the game down as his unique gameplay style changes the pace and allows for some of the more interesting story sequences to unfold. But there's the one area the game falls down on from 2018. The story is a definite step back in quality in terms of writing and direction. There are some fantastic character moments throughout but the last 2 hours in particular felt extremely rushed and sloppily directed ending the game on a sour unsatisfying note as a result. I also can't lie and say that Im annoyed that this had to be a PS4 game. As beautiful as it is, it feels last gen when you watch Kratos squeeze through gaps 24/7. The aforementioned muspelheim trials are also far worse than previously as being forced to repeat many of them to get the rewards for completing them is unnecessary padding which this game certainly didnt need.
Overall an excellent game that fumbled a bit in the last hour but is stil Definitely a must play.
Overall an excellent game that fumbled a bit in the last hour but is stil Definitely a must play.
2023
Cool Arcady fun. Hope this leads to more for the starving F-zero fandom
My football and stat loving brain addiction. Please sent help
2023
This review contains spoilers
Remaking RE4 must have been a daunting task. To update one of the most beloved games of all time is a banana skin if I ever saw one. However Capcom found a way by both staying faithful and branching off in it's own direction. Making a game that feels like RE4 and a new experience at the same time.
Controlling Leon has never felt better with stellar gunplay, but the knife updates are a game changer. Stealth kills to conserve resources and the ability to parry attacks which never got old. The durability meter is a small price to pay for these new tools in Leon's arsenal.
The game still has the high octane action of the original but mixes in more traditional RE atmospere and light puzzles that do wonders for pacing out the action imo. Many classic set pieces return some faithful some with new twists to make them more enjoyable in a modern context. The remake also adds entirely new setpieces which kept me guessing throughout. Boss fights have been updated to take advantage of modern tech creating epic encounters that will test your mastery of the games mechanics. The addition of sidequests in a very FF7R manner feels clunky but still welcome as it gives you more reason to keep playing this amazing game.
The merchant adds a level of personalisation and replability to the game as how Leon is kitted out is down to you. The game rewards explorers with more tools to deal with the waves of cultists in your way, creating a eternal gameplay loop. New enemy types and updates to existing enemies keep players on there toes and adds to the combat sandbox seen in the original. Ashley gameplay changes make her a little less of a hassle to deal with as you no longer need to consider upgrading her health instead of Leon's.
What makes Ashley far less of a hassle tho is the change in story. The more serious tone to put in line with the other remakes greatly benefits Ashely and Luis to be more fleshed out and likeable. The cheesy tone may be diminished but not completly lost as there are still plenty of one liners thrown out by our leading man. Which take you prefer will come down to personal taste.
The same can be said about the games as a whole. Both versions are amazing games and which you prefer comes down primarily to taste. I personally prefer this more modern take but have great respect for the original.
Controlling Leon has never felt better with stellar gunplay, but the knife updates are a game changer. Stealth kills to conserve resources and the ability to parry attacks which never got old. The durability meter is a small price to pay for these new tools in Leon's arsenal.
The game still has the high octane action of the original but mixes in more traditional RE atmospere and light puzzles that do wonders for pacing out the action imo. Many classic set pieces return some faithful some with new twists to make them more enjoyable in a modern context. The remake also adds entirely new setpieces which kept me guessing throughout. Boss fights have been updated to take advantage of modern tech creating epic encounters that will test your mastery of the games mechanics. The addition of sidequests in a very FF7R manner feels clunky but still welcome as it gives you more reason to keep playing this amazing game.
The merchant adds a level of personalisation and replability to the game as how Leon is kitted out is down to you. The game rewards explorers with more tools to deal with the waves of cultists in your way, creating a eternal gameplay loop. New enemy types and updates to existing enemies keep players on there toes and adds to the combat sandbox seen in the original. Ashley gameplay changes make her a little less of a hassle to deal with as you no longer need to consider upgrading her health instead of Leon's.
What makes Ashley far less of a hassle tho is the change in story. The more serious tone to put in line with the other remakes greatly benefits Ashely and Luis to be more fleshed out and likeable. The cheesy tone may be diminished but not completly lost as there are still plenty of one liners thrown out by our leading man. Which take you prefer will come down to personal taste.
The same can be said about the games as a whole. Both versions are amazing games and which you prefer comes down primarily to taste. I personally prefer this more modern take but have great respect for the original.
2023
Sea of stars is a great blend of classic RPGS with some modern trimmings. The chrono trigger Mario RPG hybrid combat system is engaging throughout the completion progress. The game is a treat on the eyes and ears with the pixel art being some of the best I have seen in years. The party is full diverse characters combat wise and personality wise with Garl being a strong contender for the best new character in 2023. The main characters unfortunately are a flat by comparison but have some good moments. Wheels is a fun side game that I found initially confusing but there is depth there if you dig for it. Some of the completion tasks can be a bit of a slog to complete but players are rewarded for there perseverance.
Overall sea of stars is a delight for classic RPG fans with stunning locations, well written characters and a compelling combat system. If your a fan of RPG's you should give this one a go
Overall sea of stars is a delight for classic RPG fans with stunning locations, well written characters and a compelling combat system. If your a fan of RPG's you should give this one a go
2023
The brilliance of Pikmin lies in its replayability.
The premise of collecting 30 ship parts in 30 days while initially daunting becomes the games greatest strength. The short length allows players to use their experience and mastery of the mechanics to breeze through the game in record time. Decreasing a run from 24 days to 17 day through clever resource+ time management is immensely gratifying to accomplish.
Each Pikmin type has its uses in exploration and combat creating a satisfying gameplay loop even over multiple playthroughs. The game is visually and musically charming from stem to stern.
The games only major disappointment is the Pikmin AI which can be unresponsive and unruly especially compared to later entires. The challenge mode to grow as many Pikmin in a day in slightly remixed campaign areas is a minor distraction at best.
Overall Pikmin is a great foundation and a fun time
The premise of collecting 30 ship parts in 30 days while initially daunting becomes the games greatest strength. The short length allows players to use their experience and mastery of the mechanics to breeze through the game in record time. Decreasing a run from 24 days to 17 day through clever resource+ time management is immensely gratifying to accomplish.
Each Pikmin type has its uses in exploration and combat creating a satisfying gameplay loop even over multiple playthroughs. The game is visually and musically charming from stem to stern.
The games only major disappointment is the Pikmin AI which can be unresponsive and unruly especially compared to later entires. The challenge mode to grow as many Pikmin in a day in slightly remixed campaign areas is a minor distraction at best.
Overall Pikmin is a great foundation and a fun time
2008
A unbalanced mess that I love anyway.
The 2nd best nitro line-up in series history
The most overpowered item set that occur far to frequently
Bikes being infinitely better than karts.
Solid set of retros
Best Rainbow Road in the franchise.
There's a lot to love and a lot to hate with this one
The 2nd best nitro line-up in series history
The most overpowered item set that occur far to frequently
Bikes being infinitely better than karts.
Solid set of retros
Best Rainbow Road in the franchise.
There's a lot to love and a lot to hate with this one
Batman Arkham City is a model sequel. Combat is more responsive to inputs and new gadgets/takedowns add layers of depth. New enemy types requiring specific uses of batman's arsenal makes mastering the combat a treat. Stealth is similarly refined with smarter enemy ai, new gadgets for batman, mooks with heat vision/jammers and well designed areas creating a fun sandbox for players to express themselves in.
The scope of the game is increased from Arkham island to an open world set in a portion of Gotham city. The increased scope allows more villains to be featured in more significant roles through side quests, which range from decent to great in terms of quality. New mobility options makes traversal visceral and fun. The Riddler returns on steroids with over 400 challenges to solve with fun puzzle rooms being unlocked gradually throughout. Speaking from experience It's not worth going for all the them!!!
The boss fights are the biggest improvement compared to its predecessor with each fight being a spectacle and great uses of batman's arsenal of gadgets.
The game's story is great with fantastic performances and swerves that I didn't see coming.
Bonus content is a bit of a mixed bag as each new character with there own takes on the Arkham formula are great fun to play keeping the game fresh. The story content for cat woman and Robin feels a bit cobbled together and lower quality than the base game. The challenge maps are back and are better than before with all 4 characters (Nightwing as well) being playable with there own stealth medal challenges. Riddler campaigns involving three challenges being played in a row with a set of modifiers being used over the campaign are a cool idea but didn't captivate me to spend much time with them. Alternate costumes are fun to mess with as is the addition of new game plus.
Overall Arkham CIty is an improvement over its predecessor in almost every way. My heart may belong drawn to Asylum's Metroidvania style but no doubt City is an all time classic.
The scope of the game is increased from Arkham island to an open world set in a portion of Gotham city. The increased scope allows more villains to be featured in more significant roles through side quests, which range from decent to great in terms of quality. New mobility options makes traversal visceral and fun. The Riddler returns on steroids with over 400 challenges to solve with fun puzzle rooms being unlocked gradually throughout. Speaking from experience It's not worth going for all the them!!!
The boss fights are the biggest improvement compared to its predecessor with each fight being a spectacle and great uses of batman's arsenal of gadgets.
The game's story is great with fantastic performances and swerves that I didn't see coming.
Bonus content is a bit of a mixed bag as each new character with there own takes on the Arkham formula are great fun to play keeping the game fresh. The story content for cat woman and Robin feels a bit cobbled together and lower quality than the base game. The challenge maps are back and are better than before with all 4 characters (Nightwing as well) being playable with there own stealth medal challenges. Riddler campaigns involving three challenges being played in a row with a set of modifiers being used over the campaign are a cool idea but didn't captivate me to spend much time with them. Alternate costumes are fun to mess with as is the addition of new game plus.
Overall Arkham CIty is an improvement over its predecessor in almost every way. My heart may belong drawn to Asylum's Metroidvania style but no doubt City is an all time classic.
2018
A fun 3D platformer with great controls that is a bit to simplistic for its own good.
The games world are oozing charm but the act of completing levels gets repetitive due to the lack of changing objectives. This leads to many of the levels blending together as most levels are tackled in the exact same fashion. There are exceptions like tree tops that show the potential this framework could have in future entries
The boss fights are pitiful but the flying speedways are good fun.
A solid first attempt with plenty of room for growth
The games world are oozing charm but the act of completing levels gets repetitive due to the lack of changing objectives. This leads to many of the levels blending together as most levels are tackled in the exact same fashion. There are exceptions like tree tops that show the potential this framework could have in future entries
The boss fights are pitiful but the flying speedways are good fun.
A solid first attempt with plenty of room for growth
This review contains spoilers
My feelings on tears of the kingdom confuse me. The game improves on many things from BOTW including improved dungeons/ story quests, the world feels lived in with far more settlements, the memories are more interestingly implemented, story is better and the boss fights are much better also. All these improvements and yet I liked it a lot less than BOTW. I think the abilities in the game are incredibly implemented and far more impressive than BOTW. I feel the developers knew that these abilities were winners so they made them more integral to the gameplay loop than in it's predecessor. Ultra hand in particular is shoved into the spotlight which is incredible as a feat of game engineering but there is little need in the game itself to get to creative unless intrinsically motivated to do so. This isn't a fault with the game necessarily but building contraptions for the sake of building has never appealed to me personally.
The sky and depths are great additions on the surface that I loved at first but lacked meaningful long-term depth throughout my 150 hours of game time. The skys feel barren beyond the shrines giving serious great sea vibes and the depths initial foreboding atmosphere faded, becoming dull to navigate. There is great contents in the depths like the colosseums, boss rematches and the excellent master Kohga quest. Beyond those I didn't find much else in the depths compelling after my initial visits. Finding each Link's pants is neat but not exciting (there is some fun gear down there tho like Midna's helm).
I also feel the game is structured to similarly to BOTW to be set in the same world. You spend the game going to the 4 settlements and helping them to gain there help for the final battle, completing shrines to increase health/stamina, finding Korok seeds to increase inventory space and completing side quests. All the above are better than previously as mentioned but I can't help but feel an uncanny valley effect as I feel I have done this before. This is further felt as there is little to no mention of the previous shrines, rune abilities and the sheikah tech from its predecessor in this game. The abundance of zonai tech makes it feel strange that it has never been discovered previously.
I found the story in this game far more compelling with the mystery around Zelda and seeing more of chad Ganondorf was always a treat. I also enjoyed each settlements story with the only nit-pick being that the cutscenes around the dungeons basically being identical really got on my nerves.
The dungeons themselves are enjoyable and a step up from BOTW certainly but won't be cracking many peoples top Zelda dungeons lists. The dungeon bosses like the dungeons themselves are simplistic but a lot of fun to tackle. The champions abilities in BOTW were far to overpowered so making the sage abilities less powerful was a fine idea and the abilites all have utility in the game. The only problem with these abilities is how they are activated. Running up to the character and using the action works fine enough in dungeons but in the broader game it can be frustrating when you want to use an ability but the sage in question is running away from you (Riju I'm looking at you). The sage ghosts also spend most of the time just standing around and only occasionally engaging in combat lethargically.
The shrines are much improved in this game using the new abilities in clever ways, replacing the combat challenges with eventide light challenges and removing the gimmicky motion control shrines entirely. There sudden appearance may be odd but damn they are fun to complete.
The combat in tears of the kingdom takes 1 step forward and 2 steps back for me. The improved enemy variety is great and I enjoyed fighting all the new monsters in Ganon's army with phantom Ganon being my personal favourite. The two steps back come from the over abundance of enemy's in particular bokoblins, the frequency of blood moons and fuse's impact on weapon balance. I love the idea of fuse and found it fun to mess around with but late game enemies health bars feel inflated due to the ability to make OP weapons which when combined with weapon durability hampers the enjoyment when your weapons don't feel powerful on even bokoblins just because they are silver. This could possibly affect people in BOTW as well but didn't happen to me personally. I do love fusing rockets to my shield tho.
The quality of side quests has definitely stepped up over the previous game with some real standouts included.
Overall I liked Tears of the Kingdom a lot but it makes me wonder if my taste in games has changed since I played BOTW in 2017 as everything points to this game being superior but I preferred it's predecessor. Still a fantastic game in it's own right.
The sky and depths are great additions on the surface that I loved at first but lacked meaningful long-term depth throughout my 150 hours of game time. The skys feel barren beyond the shrines giving serious great sea vibes and the depths initial foreboding atmosphere faded, becoming dull to navigate. There is great contents in the depths like the colosseums, boss rematches and the excellent master Kohga quest. Beyond those I didn't find much else in the depths compelling after my initial visits. Finding each Link's pants is neat but not exciting (there is some fun gear down there tho like Midna's helm).
I also feel the game is structured to similarly to BOTW to be set in the same world. You spend the game going to the 4 settlements and helping them to gain there help for the final battle, completing shrines to increase health/stamina, finding Korok seeds to increase inventory space and completing side quests. All the above are better than previously as mentioned but I can't help but feel an uncanny valley effect as I feel I have done this before. This is further felt as there is little to no mention of the previous shrines, rune abilities and the sheikah tech from its predecessor in this game. The abundance of zonai tech makes it feel strange that it has never been discovered previously.
I found the story in this game far more compelling with the mystery around Zelda and seeing more of chad Ganondorf was always a treat. I also enjoyed each settlements story with the only nit-pick being that the cutscenes around the dungeons basically being identical really got on my nerves.
The dungeons themselves are enjoyable and a step up from BOTW certainly but won't be cracking many peoples top Zelda dungeons lists. The dungeon bosses like the dungeons themselves are simplistic but a lot of fun to tackle. The champions abilities in BOTW were far to overpowered so making the sage abilities less powerful was a fine idea and the abilites all have utility in the game. The only problem with these abilities is how they are activated. Running up to the character and using the action works fine enough in dungeons but in the broader game it can be frustrating when you want to use an ability but the sage in question is running away from you (Riju I'm looking at you). The sage ghosts also spend most of the time just standing around and only occasionally engaging in combat lethargically.
The shrines are much improved in this game using the new abilities in clever ways, replacing the combat challenges with eventide light challenges and removing the gimmicky motion control shrines entirely. There sudden appearance may be odd but damn they are fun to complete.
The combat in tears of the kingdom takes 1 step forward and 2 steps back for me. The improved enemy variety is great and I enjoyed fighting all the new monsters in Ganon's army with phantom Ganon being my personal favourite. The two steps back come from the over abundance of enemy's in particular bokoblins, the frequency of blood moons and fuse's impact on weapon balance. I love the idea of fuse and found it fun to mess around with but late game enemies health bars feel inflated due to the ability to make OP weapons which when combined with weapon durability hampers the enjoyment when your weapons don't feel powerful on even bokoblins just because they are silver. This could possibly affect people in BOTW as well but didn't happen to me personally. I do love fusing rockets to my shield tho.
The quality of side quests has definitely stepped up over the previous game with some real standouts included.
Overall I liked Tears of the Kingdom a lot but it makes me wonder if my taste in games has changed since I played BOTW in 2017 as everything points to this game being superior but I preferred it's predecessor. Still a fantastic game in it's own right.