Falere
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I just think games are neat!
Better late than never! Logging completed games as of 2022.
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GOTY '22
Participated in the 2022 Game of the Year Event
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016
Total Games Played
006
Played in 2023
006
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I'm a huge sucker for "deck-building roguelikes", but usually drop them halfway through because the gameplay loop eventually gets stale, but Inscryption stuck immediately. I was drawn in with Inscryption's horror element and was not disappointed. I was so satisfied with the "opponent" and their use of different masks as each boss - very unsettling and hits my horror loving heart in just the right places.
The card game itself is simple, satisfying and QUICK. That was probably the key. I rarely had matches that were drawn out, and even when they were it was a rush trying to stay alive with only 5 (and 4 in Kaycee's Mod!) hitpoints.
After you finish the main story, you unlock Kaycee's Mod, which is the true roguelike, endless mode and I had so much fun unlocking new decks and cards with each victory. There are a lot of different strategies you can build for each run, and additional challenges you add on to make it unique (think "heat" from Hades). Overall, Inscryption is hands down my favorite deck-building roguelike and I wish there was more.
Okay, let me get my bias out of the way. I've played every mainline Pokemon game since Pokemon Blue version. It was my entry into the series and I've been a fan ever since. I've supported and enjoyed each entry, but that doesn't come without complaints on each game that Gamefreak has released.
I think Pokemon Scarlet is probably the best Pokemon game to date (well, it basically ties with Arceus). The amount of QoL changes in this game actually makes me scared for what GF will remove in the future. Being able to purchase nature mints and bottle caps alone makes me want to play this game endlessly. I've personally had a blast playing solo raids because of how easy it is to make raid ready Pokemon, and there's a huge dopamine rush when you successfully finish a 6* raid and collect your spoils.
I have intense Breath of the Wild vibes when exploring the world. I mean, when was the last time you actually wanted to explore the world in Pokemon? When was the last time we were even able to explore and not have routes be a straight line?! Arceus as an exception, of course! Having the majority of the Pokedex accessible just by exploring actually encouraged me to complete the Dex.
While Pokemon games don't have a high bar for stories, this one was actually touching and I wholeheartedly enjoyed each story path. It makes me excited for what else they'll bring as DLC because the characters in this entry were actually likeable and didn't feel like they were bogging me down.
Aaand, of course, the issues. I can honestly say that this is probably the worst performing game I've ever played on modern consoles. There are constant frame drops (I can practically hear the Switch heavy breathing when visiting the lake), the battle camera clips into the ground, and my cute little Tatsugiri never shows his full body because it's always clipping into the floor! Some parts of the environment look like they're using N64 graphics. It seems GF put all their eggs in the Pokemon and character quality basket (Finneon has scales if you look at the Pokedex entry!), and decided to leave the environment in the dust. What a shame.
I'm holding out hope for a performance patch but I don't see them improving the graphics, which is an absolute shame. Ultimately, for myself, it doesn't hinder my ability to enjoy this otherwise fantastic game.
This review contains spoilers
Long story short: Beautiful game with a wonderful story, but had an unsatisfying combat loop and too many puzzles.
God of War Ragnarok lived up to the hype for me, thanks to its wonderful and bittersweet story. Some of the story moments will stay with me, including but not limited to Atreus and Angrboda's fight with her grandmother, fighting Garm, Odin's ultimate deception, the assault on Asgard and, of course, Brok's passing. There were so many moments that felt like I was transported to a movie theater, watching something so intense that you forget everything and just live in the moment. An absolute fantastic story that had me teary eyed in the first 15 minutes, and left me wanting to find out how they would wrap up Kratos and Atreus's journey in the Norse lands.
The gameplay, however, felt a little flat even with the addition of the Draupnir Spear. Enemies would jump out of the woodwork every 5 minutes just to add some form of combat, and some of the waves felt like they went on for too long. While they added some fun abilities to each weapon, it got tiring killing waves of ads and the same type of miniboss depending on which realm you were in.
There were also too many puzzles for my taste. Nothing was ever straightforward on the path, and sometimes you just want to proceed with riding the elevator without spending time figuring out which geyser to freeze. I appreciated the accessibility option for puzzles to nudge the player in the right direction.
One more gripe I had was the dead world. They advertised this game by making the nine realms a highlight, but some of the realms were absolute slogs and felt like fillers (looking at you, Helheim). Svartalfheim was exciting because you were visiting the homeland of the dwarves! The concept art showed dwarves working their gadgets and machinery. However, when you arrive and every resident hides from Kratos, it becomes a dead world with absolutely zero NPCs other than characters with plot armor appearing. To put in perspective, NPCs in Horizon Forbidden West were in every camp, even the small ones, and they all had some kind of dialogue. It felt like I was running around in a busy, bustling world. With the exception of Asgard, this was one of the biggest disappointments of Ragnarok, because it felt like the story driven characters were the only population in all the realms.
Overall, the story still makes it a fantastic game that left me wanting more Kratos. I look forward to seeing where his story takes him next, and perhaps a touching reunion with grown Atreus.