Fnnstgrm
1998
Dope ass game. Loved the characters. Loved the conspiracy on top of conspiracy on top of conspiracy. Loved tha atmosphere of Shadow Moses. Amazing time!
2005
Wow. So fucking fun. So fucking camp. Fucking loooooooooved this. That ending?????????
I honestly find it so hard to nitpick. I guess if I tried REALLY hard to find something wrong... ummm the gameplay looks boring sometimes? Like, it's hard to understand the addictive gameplay loop of this game if you haven't actually played it, because on the surface it looks like super clunky controls shooting boring and samey-looking enemies who walk super slow towards you - basically the opposite of fun. Sometimes I'd even worry if the game wouldn't hold up as well if I returned to it, but every time I was wrong. Like I can think of like 2 or 3 moments where I was like "okay, we've done this before" but like... thats it. These moments would always be followed up with a crazy unique and new experience that wouldn't make sense in any game other than this one (such as the massive Salazar statue chasing after you). It's just so much fucking fun dude.
This game would be a million times worse if it had serious, down-to-earth characters. I'm hella excited to play the remake, but I'm not sure how I'll feel about Ashley being a real character, because it's just so fucking funny seeing her and Leon interact. It's so fucking funny how they only recorded two lines for her being in trouble and just repeat them every single time. Adds to the unintentional humour of this game.
Uhhmmmm what else. Some fully scary moments in this game, which I was NOT expecting. Like it's not psychological or deep or thought provoking AT ALL, but instead pure helplessness and desperation. Key moments were the invisible bug fellas (my brother (who I played through the entire game with) was freaking tf out and like jumping out of his seat spamming the shoot button it was the funniest thing ever), the dogs in the courtyard maze, and the fucking regenerators and their creepy as fuck breathing.
I could literally go on forever. Need to get all of my friends to play this game. I really really REALLY hope this holds up on a replay. I'm so sick and tired of my favourite pieces of art losing all of their flavour after being revisited one too many times.
Fucken masterpiece brah.
I honestly find it so hard to nitpick. I guess if I tried REALLY hard to find something wrong... ummm the gameplay looks boring sometimes? Like, it's hard to understand the addictive gameplay loop of this game if you haven't actually played it, because on the surface it looks like super clunky controls shooting boring and samey-looking enemies who walk super slow towards you - basically the opposite of fun. Sometimes I'd even worry if the game wouldn't hold up as well if I returned to it, but every time I was wrong. Like I can think of like 2 or 3 moments where I was like "okay, we've done this before" but like... thats it. These moments would always be followed up with a crazy unique and new experience that wouldn't make sense in any game other than this one (such as the massive Salazar statue chasing after you). It's just so much fucking fun dude.
This game would be a million times worse if it had serious, down-to-earth characters. I'm hella excited to play the remake, but I'm not sure how I'll feel about Ashley being a real character, because it's just so fucking funny seeing her and Leon interact. It's so fucking funny how they only recorded two lines for her being in trouble and just repeat them every single time. Adds to the unintentional humour of this game.
Uhhmmmm what else. Some fully scary moments in this game, which I was NOT expecting. Like it's not psychological or deep or thought provoking AT ALL, but instead pure helplessness and desperation. Key moments were the invisible bug fellas (my brother (who I played through the entire game with) was freaking tf out and like jumping out of his seat spamming the shoot button it was the funniest thing ever), the dogs in the courtyard maze, and the fucking regenerators and their creepy as fuck breathing.
I could literally go on forever. Need to get all of my friends to play this game. I really really REALLY hope this holds up on a replay. I'm so sick and tired of my favourite pieces of art losing all of their flavour after being revisited one too many times.
Fucken masterpiece brah.
2011
Looooooove this game. The exploration makes me cream. Such a charming experience filled with character in each corner. It's not perfect by any means, but that's kinda what makes it so iconic. It's rough design choices and wonky balancing adds to the unwelcome feeling you get from the world and makes the whole thing more memorable. Has one of the most uneven boss roster in the series, but its peaks are some of the highest in the series. I find it hilarious how it gives you the master key as a starting item option, allowing for some insane sequence breaks that you have to wonder if they even thought about that or if they just added it in because it 'seemed right' for a game like this.
2016
I had a really good time playing this, and it's a time in my life I'll always remember fondly, but it has a lot of issues that I found soured my experience early on. Boring areas, boring linear design, boring bosses, just this great sense of "I've done this before". Thankfully the game picks up at Irythill and rarely dips again for the rest of the runtime. The DLC is also absolutely amazing, with one of the best and most immersive areas I've played in a fromsoft game with The Ringed City.
Took me forever to click with this, but it was so worth it. I was on the brink of giving up completely so many times, but I'm glad I didn't. Getting the parry mechanic down is so rewarding, and is so much more satisfying than any other soulsborne combat style. Once I do a replay and finish all of the bosses I'll solidify my thoughts on how I truly feel about this, but for now I'll say that it's probably the cleanest and best crafted souls game. Very close to my favourite.
2001
Yeah fuck. That's a good fuckin game.
Without a doubt the scariest game I've played (although that's not saying much considering I've played like 3 horror games). I love everything to do with the setting, the locations, the fucking oppressive atmosphere. It's just so depressing I couldn't handle it at times. Everything about the game in this regard is perfect. Perfect perfect perfect I love it so much. But it's just not quite perfect. There's one small aspect that holds this back from being a complete masterpiece.
The voice acting in this is fucking terrible. I can usually forgive this type of thing because it's a video game from the 2000s of course the voice acting is going to be a bit jank, but in this case it just absolutely kneecaps the story. It's very frustrating hearing dramatic moments be completely butchered by James sounding like a fucking moron. It's pretty iconic in moments, but this story is fucking amazing, and I feel like it would've been so much more effective if the voice acting was better.
Which is frustrating because I was truly immersed in the rest of the game. I love the way it tells the story through the environments and doesn't hit you over the head with its themes. It gives you the freedom to truly submerge yourself in this town, and allows you to truly feel the emotions coming from the screen, which is something rarely done in video games. It sucks that I instantly get pulled out whenever someone opens their mouth.
This game is truly a gem. I truly love it. And my gripes don't detract from the masterful game design on display. That ending was so beautiful (I'm not specifying which one).
Without a doubt the scariest game I've played (although that's not saying much considering I've played like 3 horror games). I love everything to do with the setting, the locations, the fucking oppressive atmosphere. It's just so depressing I couldn't handle it at times. Everything about the game in this regard is perfect. Perfect perfect perfect I love it so much. But it's just not quite perfect. There's one small aspect that holds this back from being a complete masterpiece.
The voice acting in this is fucking terrible. I can usually forgive this type of thing because it's a video game from the 2000s of course the voice acting is going to be a bit jank, but in this case it just absolutely kneecaps the story. It's very frustrating hearing dramatic moments be completely butchered by James sounding like a fucking moron. It's pretty iconic in moments, but this story is fucking amazing, and I feel like it would've been so much more effective if the voice acting was better.
Which is frustrating because I was truly immersed in the rest of the game. I love the way it tells the story through the environments and doesn't hit you over the head with its themes. It gives you the freedom to truly submerge yourself in this town, and allows you to truly feel the emotions coming from the screen, which is something rarely done in video games. It sucks that I instantly get pulled out whenever someone opens their mouth.
This game is truly a gem. I truly love it. And my gripes don't detract from the masterful game design on display. That ending was so beautiful (I'm not specifying which one).
2019
My first Resident Evil!!! I've always strayed away from horror because I thought it'd be "too scary" for me, but this was actually so much fun!
I think everything in the police station was perfection. It had such a thick atmosphere that made every corner feel so tense to walk around. I loved the constant rain, I liked the flashlight being the only illumation, it was just all so perfect and satisfying to explore fully.
I will say tho... my interest started waning in the sewers. Exploring was fun in the police station because there was so much detail in every room, but the sewers were so drab and lifeless and, if I'm honest, not very scary at all. I was too busy figuring out where to go to be soaked in the atmosphere, and the constant running around for chess pieces wasn't very fun at all. It made the whole thing very tedious, which is a right shame. Thankfully they (mostly) make up for it with a fantastic final leg with interesting enemies and explosive finale.
The boss fights pissed me off (for the most part). The gameplay is perfect when lurking around a dimly lit police station, but it becomes annoying and laboured once you're facing a big guy head on. You move soooo sloooowww and it makes dodging attacks soooo teediooouuss - you basically have to dodge attacks before they're even telegraphed (or just cop the blow and heal up).
Overall I'm happy with my first experience! Pretty disappointed that the different character storylines didn't diverge as much as I was expecting. I was planning to do all four playthroughs but once I realised they're basically the exact same as the 2nd run versions, I kinda couldn't be bothered. Might try out the bonus modes tho. Depends how much I care.
I think everything in the police station was perfection. It had such a thick atmosphere that made every corner feel so tense to walk around. I loved the constant rain, I liked the flashlight being the only illumation, it was just all so perfect and satisfying to explore fully.
I will say tho... my interest started waning in the sewers. Exploring was fun in the police station because there was so much detail in every room, but the sewers were so drab and lifeless and, if I'm honest, not very scary at all. I was too busy figuring out where to go to be soaked in the atmosphere, and the constant running around for chess pieces wasn't very fun at all. It made the whole thing very tedious, which is a right shame. Thankfully they (mostly) make up for it with a fantastic final leg with interesting enemies and explosive finale.
The boss fights pissed me off (for the most part). The gameplay is perfect when lurking around a dimly lit police station, but it becomes annoying and laboured once you're facing a big guy head on. You move soooo sloooowww and it makes dodging attacks soooo teediooouuss - you basically have to dodge attacks before they're even telegraphed (or just cop the blow and heal up).
Overall I'm happy with my first experience! Pretty disappointed that the different character storylines didn't diverge as much as I was expecting. I was planning to do all four playthroughs but once I realised they're basically the exact same as the 2nd run versions, I kinda couldn't be bothered. Might try out the bonus modes tho. Depends how much I care.
almost 900 hours and I'm still going.