JamesBackup
Platform: Xbox Series X
Date Started: March 15th, 2024
Date Finished: April 24th, 2024
Time Played: 64 Hours
"Witcher mutations, they strip us of emotion. I’d be jumping for joy otherwise."
This is the first time I have played through The Witcher III since its original release, and not only does it hold up, it surpasses my memories' expectations thanks to the massive updates and upgrades and the addition of the two major expansions in this Complete Edition.
Whilst I found both Hearts of Stone and Blood and Wine lacking in comparison to the main story, they are nevertheless both wonderfully written joys to engage in. Toussant is a lovely new location to explore and offers tons to do and gives book readers plenty to feed off of.
The game is a little janky at times in terms of Geralt's stiff movements (this also applies to navigation on Roach), but I have always found the combat to be a good time, and the little jank there is rarely detracted from my enjoyment.
The Witcher III is just a monumental game, and it remains one of my all-time favourites. I'm so glad that I finally got around to doing this second play-through, and while I didn't spend as much time in the world as I did on my initial run, I had just as much of an amazing time. The characters are so well written, the world so absorbing and the story so captivating that there are no doubts as to why this one is held in such legendary regard.
Date Started: March 15th, 2024
Date Finished: April 24th, 2024
Time Played: 64 Hours
"Witcher mutations, they strip us of emotion. I’d be jumping for joy otherwise."
This is the first time I have played through The Witcher III since its original release, and not only does it hold up, it surpasses my memories' expectations thanks to the massive updates and upgrades and the addition of the two major expansions in this Complete Edition.
Whilst I found both Hearts of Stone and Blood and Wine lacking in comparison to the main story, they are nevertheless both wonderfully written joys to engage in. Toussant is a lovely new location to explore and offers tons to do and gives book readers plenty to feed off of.
The game is a little janky at times in terms of Geralt's stiff movements (this also applies to navigation on Roach), but I have always found the combat to be a good time, and the little jank there is rarely detracted from my enjoyment.
The Witcher III is just a monumental game, and it remains one of my all-time favourites. I'm so glad that I finally got around to doing this second play-through, and while I didn't spend as much time in the world as I did on my initial run, I had just as much of an amazing time. The characters are so well written, the world so absorbing and the story so captivating that there are no doubts as to why this one is held in such legendary regard.
Platform: Xbox One (Via Xbox Series X)
Date Started: January 20th, 2024
Date Finished: April 4th, 2024
Time Played: Unknown
"I could do that all day!"
An excellent, tight, incredibly fun shooter that gave birth to one of Xbox's most important and iconic franchises, Gears of War is atmospheric, over the top and excellent all-round.
With a strong story, an outstanding set of characters and shooting mechanics that still feel pretty much as good as nearly anything else around, this first entry was always going to be a hit, and all of it looks and feels so much better in this Ultimate Edition.
With the developers putting cut content back in and split screen being as fun as ever, this is a game that still holds up on every level. It looks great, feels great, sounds and plays great - what's not to like?!
Date Started: January 20th, 2024
Date Finished: April 4th, 2024
Time Played: Unknown
"I could do that all day!"
An excellent, tight, incredibly fun shooter that gave birth to one of Xbox's most important and iconic franchises, Gears of War is atmospheric, over the top and excellent all-round.
With a strong story, an outstanding set of characters and shooting mechanics that still feel pretty much as good as nearly anything else around, this first entry was always going to be a hit, and all of it looks and feels so much better in this Ultimate Edition.
With the developers putting cut content back in and split screen being as fun as ever, this is a game that still holds up on every level. It looks great, feels great, sounds and plays great - what's not to like?!
Platform: PlayStation 5
Date Started: March 13th, 2024
Date Finished: March 16th, 2024
Time Played: 9 Hours
"In death as he was in life. Disgusting."
Another outstanding entry into the Resident Evil franchise, following on excellently from VII, throwing us into a 4-inspired setting that still holds plenty of variety, Resident Evil: Village was an absolutely great time that absorbed me from beginning to end.
The castle, village and doll house were all just riveting locations and some of my favourite in the whole series. In fact, I'd say this game is definitely high up in my ranking, although, as tends to be a trend with the series, I found the final area to be significantly weaker than what came before, and I didn't have much fun with it at all.
That being said, the return of a familiar face made the story even more compelling, or as compelling as a Resident Evil story can be, and while the main villain left a lot to be desired, characters such as the Duke and Lady Dimitrescu and daughters made for typically memorable, standout additions to the franchise.
Overall, then, I just had a terrific time with this one, and although it let me down a little in the final area, it didn't sour my experience as a whole. Resident Evil: Village is a truly great game!
Date Started: March 13th, 2024
Date Finished: March 16th, 2024
Time Played: 9 Hours
"In death as he was in life. Disgusting."
Another outstanding entry into the Resident Evil franchise, following on excellently from VII, throwing us into a 4-inspired setting that still holds plenty of variety, Resident Evil: Village was an absolutely great time that absorbed me from beginning to end.
The castle, village and doll house were all just riveting locations and some of my favourite in the whole series. In fact, I'd say this game is definitely high up in my ranking, although, as tends to be a trend with the series, I found the final area to be significantly weaker than what came before, and I didn't have much fun with it at all.
That being said, the return of a familiar face made the story even more compelling, or as compelling as a Resident Evil story can be, and while the main villain left a lot to be desired, characters such as the Duke and Lady Dimitrescu and daughters made for typically memorable, standout additions to the franchise.
Overall, then, I just had a terrific time with this one, and although it let me down a little in the final area, it didn't sour my experience as a whole. Resident Evil: Village is a truly great game!
Platform: PlayStation 5
Date Started: March 3rd, 2024
Date Finished: March 6th, 2024
Time Played: 11 Hours
"You think a crushing defeat is all it takes to stop me?"
Ratchet & Clank must be one of the most consistently great and enjoyable franchises I have played (minus the PS4 reboot thing), and Rift Apart is no exception! Continuing on the story and introducing a couple excellent new characters, this adds a lot whilst still maintaining the feeling of those PS2 classics!
The story here is an engaging one, although I'm not the biggest fan of "multiverse" style stuff, with the cast being the main highlight carrying it through. It creates plenty of huge set piece scenarios that are always fun, however I think that the rifts were ultimately kind of a gimmick. They, most of the time, just act as fancy grappling hook points or story set pieces, so I think more could have possibly been done game-play wise with their implementation. Additionally, you end up fighting the same types of enemies and mini-bosses throughout the whole thing, but, ultimately this didn't really impact my enjoyment all too much.
With a vast array of great weapons, slick gunplay, lovely characters and genuinely amazing graphics, Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart is a worthy entry into the franchise, and a really great time from beginning to end!
Date Started: March 3rd, 2024
Date Finished: March 6th, 2024
Time Played: 11 Hours
"You think a crushing defeat is all it takes to stop me?"
Ratchet & Clank must be one of the most consistently great and enjoyable franchises I have played (minus the PS4 reboot thing), and Rift Apart is no exception! Continuing on the story and introducing a couple excellent new characters, this adds a lot whilst still maintaining the feeling of those PS2 classics!
The story here is an engaging one, although I'm not the biggest fan of "multiverse" style stuff, with the cast being the main highlight carrying it through. It creates plenty of huge set piece scenarios that are always fun, however I think that the rifts were ultimately kind of a gimmick. They, most of the time, just act as fancy grappling hook points or story set pieces, so I think more could have possibly been done game-play wise with their implementation. Additionally, you end up fighting the same types of enemies and mini-bosses throughout the whole thing, but, ultimately this didn't really impact my enjoyment all too much.
With a vast array of great weapons, slick gunplay, lovely characters and genuinely amazing graphics, Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart is a worthy entry into the franchise, and a really great time from beginning to end!
Platform: PlayStation 5
Date Started: January 31st, 2024
Date Finished: February 6th, 2024
Time Played: 16 Hours
"There was a sequel. Wasn't as good."
One of, if not the most important things about The Last of Us Part I is its characters. Not just the main focus on Joel and Ellie's incredible growing relationship and journey together throughout, but all of the supporting characters you meet along the way. Bill, Sam and Henry, Tess, Tommy and even David are incredibly impactful, memorable, well written characters that leave a lasting impression on both the player and the characters at each part of your adventure, helping them grow and bond. They are all compelling, and all play a great role in the story.
In The Last of Us Part II there are even more characters - some returning, most new. The returning cast are all fairly good - Ellie's journey, quest for revenge, anger, hate, transformation and brutality are all executed well, although her character feels completely devoid of what we already knew. Joel gets much less time, but what little we see of him is also great, every scene leaving a huge mark on the player and reminding you what could have been if the story took a better direction. Tommy, too, is brilliant, and easily one of the best characters in the game - I definitely wish he played a more prominent role - something I believe would have made this chosen story much stronger. Dina, Jesse, Lev, Yara and Manny, however, are all utterly unmemorable, bland, boring, uninteresting, utterly poor characters, none of them feeling real, most of them being irritating.
Abby is where things sort of take a massive step backwards, too, and where it gets a little muddy. Her motives are completely understandable, but, like how Dina drags down Ellie's sections, all of Abby's supporting cast make hers even more of a chore, too. She in and of herself is already an incredibly boring, dry character, though, so everyone around her just makes matters even worse.
While it isn't close to what I would have wanted from a sequel to The Last of Us as it strips away almost everything that made the first game a great time, I do still like the idea of this story in concept. In execution, however, it just isn't pulled off well whatsoever, and from what we know about writer and director Neil Druckmann's ambitions for the original game, and how Bruce Straley reigned him in and contributed the better aspects of The Last of Us, it feels to me as if that co-director's presence was sorely missed, and Druckmann just couldn't craft these memorable characters alone (or with new co-writer Haley Gross).
There is a lot of melodramatic, teeny style drama here all throughout, and it drags down both Ellie's potentially great segments and adds to the reasons why Abbys are far from ever being interesting. The moments where Ellie and Abby's stories overlap are great, and there are some outstanding moments scattered throughout the game, but by the second half they are very few and far between, and grand set pieces have no impact if I don't care about the characters in them.
On top of this, the non-linear timeline, which I also think is a good idea, is also one executed poorly. Because of the extreme length of Abbys section, the game feels like it completely loses track of the main story in favour of these filler side-quest moments with the new characters instead of fully focusing on what the player is invested in narratively, and as such completely lost me.
There are also just too many conveniences and changes to returning characters in the plot that are incredibly glaring and jarring and feel surprisingly glossed over and not well thought out at all.
The game-play and presentation, however, are aspects where I have less complaints. Everything feels incredibly fluid, from the gun-play to the stealth, although the melee can be a little janky, and everything looks ridiculously good, with insane attention to detail at every moment. This is one of if not the best looking and produced games I have ever played, such a shame it is then that other things pull the experience down so much so that I eventually resorted to running past enemies to get through the game quicker.
In the end, then, this is a profoundly disappointing game - one that has incredible moments, brilliant game-play and near unrivalled visuals, but all that is let down by its main draw, and the thing I care about the most - its story and characters. Nothing else can really make up for this, it is too hard to enjoy the game-play when you are in control of and surrounded by characters that bored me to tears, and when the game is hours and hours longer than it needed to be.
Date Started: January 31st, 2024
Date Finished: February 6th, 2024
Time Played: 16 Hours
"There was a sequel. Wasn't as good."
One of, if not the most important things about The Last of Us Part I is its characters. Not just the main focus on Joel and Ellie's incredible growing relationship and journey together throughout, but all of the supporting characters you meet along the way. Bill, Sam and Henry, Tess, Tommy and even David are incredibly impactful, memorable, well written characters that leave a lasting impression on both the player and the characters at each part of your adventure, helping them grow and bond. They are all compelling, and all play a great role in the story.
In The Last of Us Part II there are even more characters - some returning, most new. The returning cast are all fairly good - Ellie's journey, quest for revenge, anger, hate, transformation and brutality are all executed well, although her character feels completely devoid of what we already knew. Joel gets much less time, but what little we see of him is also great, every scene leaving a huge mark on the player and reminding you what could have been if the story took a better direction. Tommy, too, is brilliant, and easily one of the best characters in the game - I definitely wish he played a more prominent role - something I believe would have made this chosen story much stronger. Dina, Jesse, Lev, Yara and Manny, however, are all utterly unmemorable, bland, boring, uninteresting, utterly poor characters, none of them feeling real, most of them being irritating.
Abby is where things sort of take a massive step backwards, too, and where it gets a little muddy. Her motives are completely understandable, but, like how Dina drags down Ellie's sections, all of Abby's supporting cast make hers even more of a chore, too. She in and of herself is already an incredibly boring, dry character, though, so everyone around her just makes matters even worse.
While it isn't close to what I would have wanted from a sequel to The Last of Us as it strips away almost everything that made the first game a great time, I do still like the idea of this story in concept. In execution, however, it just isn't pulled off well whatsoever, and from what we know about writer and director Neil Druckmann's ambitions for the original game, and how Bruce Straley reigned him in and contributed the better aspects of The Last of Us, it feels to me as if that co-director's presence was sorely missed, and Druckmann just couldn't craft these memorable characters alone (or with new co-writer Haley Gross).
There is a lot of melodramatic, teeny style drama here all throughout, and it drags down both Ellie's potentially great segments and adds to the reasons why Abbys are far from ever being interesting. The moments where Ellie and Abby's stories overlap are great, and there are some outstanding moments scattered throughout the game, but by the second half they are very few and far between, and grand set pieces have no impact if I don't care about the characters in them.
On top of this, the non-linear timeline, which I also think is a good idea, is also one executed poorly. Because of the extreme length of Abbys section, the game feels like it completely loses track of the main story in favour of these filler side-quest moments with the new characters instead of fully focusing on what the player is invested in narratively, and as such completely lost me.
There are also just too many conveniences and changes to returning characters in the plot that are incredibly glaring and jarring and feel surprisingly glossed over and not well thought out at all.
The game-play and presentation, however, are aspects where I have less complaints. Everything feels incredibly fluid, from the gun-play to the stealth, although the melee can be a little janky, and everything looks ridiculously good, with insane attention to detail at every moment. This is one of if not the best looking and produced games I have ever played, such a shame it is then that other things pull the experience down so much so that I eventually resorted to running past enemies to get through the game quicker.
In the end, then, this is a profoundly disappointing game - one that has incredible moments, brilliant game-play and near unrivalled visuals, but all that is let down by its main draw, and the thing I care about the most - its story and characters. Nothing else can really make up for this, it is too hard to enjoy the game-play when you are in control of and surrounded by characters that bored me to tears, and when the game is hours and hours longer than it needed to be.
2007
Platform: Xbox One (Via Xbox Series X)
Date Started: January 12th, 2024
Date Finished: January 19th, 2024
Time Played: Unknown
"Wake me when you need me."
The culmination of the original Halo trilogy is an absolutely great time, wrapping up the story-line of each major character in an excellently satisfying way whilst letting your mind wander to what the future could hold for this iconic cast and universe.
Unlike Halo 2, which comes close, and the original Halo that lays a solid foundation but fumbles the ball in the second half, Halo 3 features no filler, no annoying, boring levels (aside from maybe Cortana) and no moments I wanted to just rush through to reach the next stage. This is a perfectly paced, incredibly executed piece of work.
The writing especially here stands out so well, with an epic, grandiose feeling to each line. Chief and the Arbiter are a great duo, and you feel their relationship despite them barely even saying a word to each other the whole time - each line just has so much punch and great prose. I definitely missed the gorgeous new cut-scenes from the anniversary edition of Halo 2 and wish there was a chance of them giving this one the same treatment, but regardless there are just so many amazing shots during the cinematics here that hold up excellently.
The story and characters are gripping, the gun-play is tuned to perfection, the levels are memorable and the co-op is the most fun I have had playing a game with my partner yet.
Date Started: January 12th, 2024
Date Finished: January 19th, 2024
Time Played: Unknown
"Wake me when you need me."
The culmination of the original Halo trilogy is an absolutely great time, wrapping up the story-line of each major character in an excellently satisfying way whilst letting your mind wander to what the future could hold for this iconic cast and universe.
Unlike Halo 2, which comes close, and the original Halo that lays a solid foundation but fumbles the ball in the second half, Halo 3 features no filler, no annoying, boring levels (aside from maybe Cortana) and no moments I wanted to just rush through to reach the next stage. This is a perfectly paced, incredibly executed piece of work.
The writing especially here stands out so well, with an epic, grandiose feeling to each line. Chief and the Arbiter are a great duo, and you feel their relationship despite them barely even saying a word to each other the whole time - each line just has so much punch and great prose. I definitely missed the gorgeous new cut-scenes from the anniversary edition of Halo 2 and wish there was a chance of them giving this one the same treatment, but regardless there are just so many amazing shots during the cinematics here that hold up excellently.
The story and characters are gripping, the gun-play is tuned to perfection, the levels are memorable and the co-op is the most fun I have had playing a game with my partner yet.
Platform: Xbox 360 (Via Xbox Series X)
Date Started: January 16th, 2024
Date Finished: January 17th, 2024
Time Played: Unknown
"Bow low, you stand before a head crowned."
After finally finishing my slog through the Witcher books, I can reward myself by jumping back into the games once more. Sadly I don't have access to the first so I'll be eagerly anticipating the remake, but this second entry is undoubtedly an absolutely stellar time.
The story of The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings is wholly captivating, with terrific writing, very meaningful consequences and outstanding characters. The game splitting after the first act depending on who you side with was a terrific choice and makes you feel as if you are on your own path in this world, a world that is exceptionally realised with wonderful environments and locations.
Geralt is a fantastic protagonist here, and such a joy to play as, make decisions as and dialogue as. Opposing him, though, is Letho, an original villain who is just perfectly done, with strong motivations that become clear as the game goes on, as well as excellent voice-over work. The rest of the cast is brilliant, too, and it just feels great to be in this world with these characters.
Game-play-wise things do feel slightly janky, but it's nothing that bothered me too much. As a whole this is just a wonderful piece of work with plenty to do if you'd like to partake in side quests, but a nice, tight, direct, gripping main story at its core that had me riveted from start to end.
Date Started: January 16th, 2024
Date Finished: January 17th, 2024
Time Played: Unknown
"Bow low, you stand before a head crowned."
After finally finishing my slog through the Witcher books, I can reward myself by jumping back into the games once more. Sadly I don't have access to the first so I'll be eagerly anticipating the remake, but this second entry is undoubtedly an absolutely stellar time.
The story of The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings is wholly captivating, with terrific writing, very meaningful consequences and outstanding characters. The game splitting after the first act depending on who you side with was a terrific choice and makes you feel as if you are on your own path in this world, a world that is exceptionally realised with wonderful environments and locations.
Geralt is a fantastic protagonist here, and such a joy to play as, make decisions as and dialogue as. Opposing him, though, is Letho, an original villain who is just perfectly done, with strong motivations that become clear as the game goes on, as well as excellent voice-over work. The rest of the cast is brilliant, too, and it just feels great to be in this world with these characters.
Game-play-wise things do feel slightly janky, but it's nothing that bothered me too much. As a whole this is just a wonderful piece of work with plenty to do if you'd like to partake in side quests, but a nice, tight, direct, gripping main story at its core that had me riveted from start to end.
2008
Platform: Xbox 360 (Via Xbox Series X)
Date Started: January 1st, 2024
Date Finished: January 3rd, 2024
Time Played: Unknown
"So outnumbered."
Army of Two isn't an exceptional time. Even on the easiest difficulty the enemies can tear through you in seconds, the shooting can get extremely janky and the checkpoints can be really unforgiving, but if you play this in co-op then you can get a really fun few hours out of it with the right person.
The story is nothing special and everything is very straightforward, but neither of these are really a problem. The levels are okay to blast through, with the biggest issue being how unbalanced things feel, with loads of rocket-launching enemies and turrets, making things tough to get through even with the games aggro mechanic.
Overall, though, I had an okay time until the final level or so, and I definitely wouldn't recommend this game solo.
Date Started: January 1st, 2024
Date Finished: January 3rd, 2024
Time Played: Unknown
"So outnumbered."
Army of Two isn't an exceptional time. Even on the easiest difficulty the enemies can tear through you in seconds, the shooting can get extremely janky and the checkpoints can be really unforgiving, but if you play this in co-op then you can get a really fun few hours out of it with the right person.
The story is nothing special and everything is very straightforward, but neither of these are really a problem. The levels are okay to blast through, with the biggest issue being how unbalanced things feel, with loads of rocket-launching enemies and turrets, making things tough to get through even with the games aggro mechanic.
Overall, though, I had an okay time until the final level or so, and I definitely wouldn't recommend this game solo.
2023
Platform: PlayStation 5
Date Started: December 26th, 2023
Date Finished: December 28th, 2023
Time Played: 20 Hours
"A puppet cannot lie."
A potentially interesting narrative, the Pinocchio basis, with an initially wonderful atmosphere and excellent presentation makes Lies of P an easy game to get quickly absorbed into, but one that soon lost me and that I grew to hate.
Like most games of this ilk, the difficulty is a major emphasis from the developers, and also a major detractor for my enjoyment. Really hard games aren't my thing anymore, and as usual there are thankfully a few options here to help alleviate that hurdle a little, mainly the spectre summons that really aid a lot with bosses, and the throw-able items which also make them more manageable and cheesable, but ultimately things go very south as the game goes on.
Just past the halfway mark things quickly plummeted in terms of my enjoyment. The bosses get harder and all seem to have multiple forms, so you're essentially fighting two back to back bosses each time, all with annoying, ridiculous move-sets. The areas become pretty unbearable, ugly and annoying, too, and I ultimately ended up just running through them by the end. The swamp area was horrible, and everything past that became a chore that I couldn't wait to get through. It's a shame especially because the earlier environments such as the streets and opera house were wonderful.
Ultimately, this is a lacklustre offering for me, but may be more enjoyable for huge fans of the genre - one that offers a nice story at times and lovely areas in the first half or so, but it's altogether a genre I have found myself getting tired of at this point, and it wasn't long before I wanted this game to end.
Date Started: December 26th, 2023
Date Finished: December 28th, 2023
Time Played: 20 Hours
"A puppet cannot lie."
A potentially interesting narrative, the Pinocchio basis, with an initially wonderful atmosphere and excellent presentation makes Lies of P an easy game to get quickly absorbed into, but one that soon lost me and that I grew to hate.
Like most games of this ilk, the difficulty is a major emphasis from the developers, and also a major detractor for my enjoyment. Really hard games aren't my thing anymore, and as usual there are thankfully a few options here to help alleviate that hurdle a little, mainly the spectre summons that really aid a lot with bosses, and the throw-able items which also make them more manageable and cheesable, but ultimately things go very south as the game goes on.
Just past the halfway mark things quickly plummeted in terms of my enjoyment. The bosses get harder and all seem to have multiple forms, so you're essentially fighting two back to back bosses each time, all with annoying, ridiculous move-sets. The areas become pretty unbearable, ugly and annoying, too, and I ultimately ended up just running through them by the end. The swamp area was horrible, and everything past that became a chore that I couldn't wait to get through. It's a shame especially because the earlier environments such as the streets and opera house were wonderful.
Ultimately, this is a lacklustre offering for me, but may be more enjoyable for huge fans of the genre - one that offers a nice story at times and lovely areas in the first half or so, but it's altogether a genre I have found myself getting tired of at this point, and it wasn't long before I wanted this game to end.
2023
Platform: PlayStation 5
Date Started: December 19th, 2023
Date Finished: December 23rd, 2023
Time Played: 26 Hours
"Like a place right out of a story book."
After recently finishing a watch-through of the Harry Potter film series and having a great time, I found myself in the mood to play through Hogwarts Legacy to cap off my journey in this world. Avalanche Software have crafted a beautiful rendition of the world, here, with Hogwarts itself being the clear main draw, detailed and cosy and a pure joy to wander, as are Hogsmede and the surrounding settlements. The atmosphere is superb, the music excellent, the combat and spells fun and the story enjoyable enough to carry you all the way through - when I was able to play it.
My main problems here come from the lack of compelling characters, the world, and game as a whole, feeling pretty bland beyond the central locations, and, most of all, being forced into undergoing side quests that I did not want to do in order to level up so I could gain access to the main story quests. This is something I have no fun with whatsoever, and while I was having a really good time when I could do what I wanted with this one, I always despise being gated off and unable to do main story quests in games like this, especially when playing on the easiest "story focused" difficulty.
I can't say that this made me hate the game, because it still offered me some wonderful hours, but it was extremely detrimental to my thoughts. That being said, if I didn't have a ridiculous backlog and could focus on just one game, I'm sure I would have had a much better time.
Date Started: December 19th, 2023
Date Finished: December 23rd, 2023
Time Played: 26 Hours
"Like a place right out of a story book."
After recently finishing a watch-through of the Harry Potter film series and having a great time, I found myself in the mood to play through Hogwarts Legacy to cap off my journey in this world. Avalanche Software have crafted a beautiful rendition of the world, here, with Hogwarts itself being the clear main draw, detailed and cosy and a pure joy to wander, as are Hogsmede and the surrounding settlements. The atmosphere is superb, the music excellent, the combat and spells fun and the story enjoyable enough to carry you all the way through - when I was able to play it.
My main problems here come from the lack of compelling characters, the world, and game as a whole, feeling pretty bland beyond the central locations, and, most of all, being forced into undergoing side quests that I did not want to do in order to level up so I could gain access to the main story quests. This is something I have no fun with whatsoever, and while I was having a really good time when I could do what I wanted with this one, I always despise being gated off and unable to do main story quests in games like this, especially when playing on the easiest "story focused" difficulty.
I can't say that this made me hate the game, because it still offered me some wonderful hours, but it was extremely detrimental to my thoughts. That being said, if I didn't have a ridiculous backlog and could focus on just one game, I'm sure I would have had a much better time.
Platform: PlayStation 5
Date Started: December 12th, 2023
Date Finished: December 18th, 2023
Time Played: 12 Hours
"No matter what, you keep finding something to fight for."
An excellent game remade excellently making it the best way to play this PlayStation classic, The Last of Us: Part I tells a straightforward, gripping narrative that is memorable thanks to it's two wonderful leads and their believable, evolving relationship in a bleak, decaying world.
Strong performances and motion capture bring these characters to life, and there are plenty of memorable side characters along the way that don't outstay their welcome or detract from the main narrative. Ellie and Joel's journey is a wonderful adventure, where the downtime between firefights and small dialogue moments in the world are just as, if not more important as the gun-play.
Gameplay-wise too, though, we are treated to an addictive blend of weighty action that always packs a punch, be it via the excellent feeling guns with perfect kick or the brutal melee, and the satisfying light stealth that is always a pleasure to pull off. The scavenging and managing of resources is addictive and immersive even on the easier difficulties, and the balance of all of these elements on top of the exploration of these gorgeous, incredible environments makes it an absolute pleasure to play every single time.
In comparison to the original release there are a few things that I didn't find as visually strong, however. The characters' faces for example, lost a lot from their original designs and art-style, but I guess it makes sense for these to be changed to match with their rejigged designs from Part II to make it one seamless experience - I just don't like it. Some AI and game-play additions from Part II wouldn't have gone amiss for a pricey remake to justify its existence a little more, too, as things are near enough completely the same as they were over a decade ago.
The Last of Us: Part I is the definitive way to play this strong piece of work, then, and is an easy recommendation for anyone with the PlayStation 5 system.
Date Started: December 12th, 2023
Date Finished: December 18th, 2023
Time Played: 12 Hours
"No matter what, you keep finding something to fight for."
An excellent game remade excellently making it the best way to play this PlayStation classic, The Last of Us: Part I tells a straightforward, gripping narrative that is memorable thanks to it's two wonderful leads and their believable, evolving relationship in a bleak, decaying world.
Strong performances and motion capture bring these characters to life, and there are plenty of memorable side characters along the way that don't outstay their welcome or detract from the main narrative. Ellie and Joel's journey is a wonderful adventure, where the downtime between firefights and small dialogue moments in the world are just as, if not more important as the gun-play.
Gameplay-wise too, though, we are treated to an addictive blend of weighty action that always packs a punch, be it via the excellent feeling guns with perfect kick or the brutal melee, and the satisfying light stealth that is always a pleasure to pull off. The scavenging and managing of resources is addictive and immersive even on the easier difficulties, and the balance of all of these elements on top of the exploration of these gorgeous, incredible environments makes it an absolute pleasure to play every single time.
In comparison to the original release there are a few things that I didn't find as visually strong, however. The characters' faces for example, lost a lot from their original designs and art-style, but I guess it makes sense for these to be changed to match with their rejigged designs from Part II to make it one seamless experience - I just don't like it. Some AI and game-play additions from Part II wouldn't have gone amiss for a pricey remake to justify its existence a little more, too, as things are near enough completely the same as they were over a decade ago.
The Last of Us: Part I is the definitive way to play this strong piece of work, then, and is an easy recommendation for anyone with the PlayStation 5 system.
2014
Platform: Xbox Series X
Date Started: September 16th, 2023
Date Finished: December 16th, 2023
Time Played: Unknown
"A monument to all your sin."
An absolutely terrific sequel that builds upon the strong foundations of the original but with a budget the allowed the team to craft more variety and much better designed levels (for the most part), Halo 2, specifically the Anniversary Edition, is a complete captivating joy, offering a gripping story from two perspectives with two outstanding leads.
Thanks to this newer edition levels are also book-ended by some of the best produced cut-scenes I have seen in video games, and it's a real shame that they never made their way into Halo 3 or any other mainline entry into the series. They help humanise the characters on a much deeper level, and I got actively excited every time one popped up.
The Arbiters story offers a completely new dynamic to the world, and offers a background to the enemy force which gives you huge context to their motives. It's a great idea executed wonderfully, and when the story eventually merges with Master Chief's it feels like a huge deal finally seeing these two forces come together.
Halo 2 is a wonderful time, with an engaging story and tight, fun gun-play that rarely gets old. There are a couple of stages that feel a little bit of a drag, but ultimately these don't bring down the experience.
Date Started: September 16th, 2023
Date Finished: December 16th, 2023
Time Played: Unknown
"A monument to all your sin."
An absolutely terrific sequel that builds upon the strong foundations of the original but with a budget the allowed the team to craft more variety and much better designed levels (for the most part), Halo 2, specifically the Anniversary Edition, is a complete captivating joy, offering a gripping story from two perspectives with two outstanding leads.
Thanks to this newer edition levels are also book-ended by some of the best produced cut-scenes I have seen in video games, and it's a real shame that they never made their way into Halo 3 or any other mainline entry into the series. They help humanise the characters on a much deeper level, and I got actively excited every time one popped up.
The Arbiters story offers a completely new dynamic to the world, and offers a background to the enemy force which gives you huge context to their motives. It's a great idea executed wonderfully, and when the story eventually merges with Master Chief's it feels like a huge deal finally seeing these two forces come together.
Halo 2 is a wonderful time, with an engaging story and tight, fun gun-play that rarely gets old. There are a couple of stages that feel a little bit of a drag, but ultimately these don't bring down the experience.
2014
Platform: PlayStation 4 (Via PlayStation 5)
Date Started: December 4th, 2023
Date Finished: December 5th, 2023
Time Played: 10 Hours
"Fallen god."
I was enjoying my time with Lords of the Fallen for the first hour or two. The combat and movement felt incredibly clunky, sure, but it was nothing that deterred me or put me off too much, and it felt refreshing to be playing a smaller, more focused RPG of this type. The magic I picked was focused on defence, so using Shelter to heal myself while inflicting damage on the enemy or Prayer to create a distraction soon got me into a nice habit and strategy, and I was enjoying the story enough and making good, fairly quick progress. Sadly, though, things rapidly declined at around the halfway mark.
Annoying to fight enemies kept popping up like the guys with near impenetrable shields as well the ones that just keep circling you rapidly, which made the combat a chore, especially when facing off against multiple enemies, and while there were some nice bosses, there were an equal amount of ridiculous ones, too. The environments got less and less interesting and more disgusting to look at and unappealing to explore or be in, so stages like The Catacombs and The Chamber of Lies were just a complete shambles.
Ultimately, by the halfway mark, I was wanting to get through this one STAT - a shame, with lots of wasted potential, but hopefully the second entry can fare a lot better!
Date Started: December 4th, 2023
Date Finished: December 5th, 2023
Time Played: 10 Hours
"Fallen god."
I was enjoying my time with Lords of the Fallen for the first hour or two. The combat and movement felt incredibly clunky, sure, but it was nothing that deterred me or put me off too much, and it felt refreshing to be playing a smaller, more focused RPG of this type. The magic I picked was focused on defence, so using Shelter to heal myself while inflicting damage on the enemy or Prayer to create a distraction soon got me into a nice habit and strategy, and I was enjoying the story enough and making good, fairly quick progress. Sadly, though, things rapidly declined at around the halfway mark.
Annoying to fight enemies kept popping up like the guys with near impenetrable shields as well the ones that just keep circling you rapidly, which made the combat a chore, especially when facing off against multiple enemies, and while there were some nice bosses, there were an equal amount of ridiculous ones, too. The environments got less and less interesting and more disgusting to look at and unappealing to explore or be in, so stages like The Catacombs and The Chamber of Lies were just a complete shambles.
Ultimately, by the halfway mark, I was wanting to get through this one STAT - a shame, with lots of wasted potential, but hopefully the second entry can fare a lot better!
2014
Platform: PlayStation 4 (Via PlayStation 5)
Date Started: December 2nd, 2023
Date Finished: December 3rd, 2023
Time Played: 10 Hours
"Short but sweet."
Despite some kind of weak writing, extremely janky game-play, combat that feels spongy and too unforgiving even on the easiest difficulty and repetitive sections, especially near the end in the ice area, I still had an absolutely great time with Bound By Flame, a small, tight RPG that scratches the Dragon Age itch while feeling quite unique.
There are only a few hub type areas in this game, it's a really small and compact, but the first two in particular is a real joy to walk around. The forest and village areas are really nice to look at and be in, and the side quests are surprisingly relevant to the plot. Seeing as you play as a mercenary hauled in these locations with your company, having to do side quests helping out the villagers suffering in the current war by collecting supplies and helping their defences against incoming attacks makes it feels like you are making a difference to the world rather that doing menial tasks for experience.
As the game goes on things feel less exciting, the final hub area in the ice temple isn't very nice at all and the enemies are very cumbersome to fight, causing things to end on a much more sour note - especially with the tricky final boss.
The characters are solid, as is the story, despite some silly dialogue, the music is outstanding and, overall, it just feels like a really cosy small budget RPG, something I have a soft spot for. I'm looking forward to going on to Greedfall!
Date Started: December 2nd, 2023
Date Finished: December 3rd, 2023
Time Played: 10 Hours
"Short but sweet."
Despite some kind of weak writing, extremely janky game-play, combat that feels spongy and too unforgiving even on the easiest difficulty and repetitive sections, especially near the end in the ice area, I still had an absolutely great time with Bound By Flame, a small, tight RPG that scratches the Dragon Age itch while feeling quite unique.
There are only a few hub type areas in this game, it's a really small and compact, but the first two in particular is a real joy to walk around. The forest and village areas are really nice to look at and be in, and the side quests are surprisingly relevant to the plot. Seeing as you play as a mercenary hauled in these locations with your company, having to do side quests helping out the villagers suffering in the current war by collecting supplies and helping their defences against incoming attacks makes it feels like you are making a difference to the world rather that doing menial tasks for experience.
As the game goes on things feel less exciting, the final hub area in the ice temple isn't very nice at all and the enemies are very cumbersome to fight, causing things to end on a much more sour note - especially with the tricky final boss.
The characters are solid, as is the story, despite some silly dialogue, the music is outstanding and, overall, it just feels like a really cosy small budget RPG, something I have a soft spot for. I'm looking forward to going on to Greedfall!
Platform: PlayStation 4 (Via PlayStation 5)
Date Started: November 21st, 2023
Date Finished: November 23rd, 2023
Time Played: 7 hours
"All men dream: but not equally. Those who dream by night in the dusty recesses of their minds, wake in the day to find that it was vanity: but the dreamers of the day are dangerous men, for they may act their dream with open eyes, to make it possible. This, I did."
For me a marked step up from Uncharted 2 - incredibly consistent, wonderfully paced and always fun, Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception throws us into another great adventure story with improved gun-play and a bit more of a balanced approach - there are seemingly quite a few more puzzles and whatnot here to make things a more rounded experience instead of it being mostly gunfights, which makes for a nice change.
The story, too, decides to go in a bit more of a personal direction, exploring a bit of Drake's childhood, how he met Sully, and both of their connection to the villain, which is an approach I also appreciated. Cutter is also a great new addition to the cast, and the whole crew, as usual, have a great dynamic and are all written excellently.
Thanks to all of these factors, as well as the great environments and incredible set pieces, I had an absolutely excellent time with Drake's Deception, and I could call it a toss up between this and the first entry being my favourite in the original trilogy.
Date Started: November 21st, 2023
Date Finished: November 23rd, 2023
Time Played: 7 hours
"All men dream: but not equally. Those who dream by night in the dusty recesses of their minds, wake in the day to find that it was vanity: but the dreamers of the day are dangerous men, for they may act their dream with open eyes, to make it possible. This, I did."
For me a marked step up from Uncharted 2 - incredibly consistent, wonderfully paced and always fun, Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception throws us into another great adventure story with improved gun-play and a bit more of a balanced approach - there are seemingly quite a few more puzzles and whatnot here to make things a more rounded experience instead of it being mostly gunfights, which makes for a nice change.
The story, too, decides to go in a bit more of a personal direction, exploring a bit of Drake's childhood, how he met Sully, and both of their connection to the villain, which is an approach I also appreciated. Cutter is also a great new addition to the cast, and the whole crew, as usual, have a great dynamic and are all written excellently.
Thanks to all of these factors, as well as the great environments and incredible set pieces, I had an absolutely excellent time with Drake's Deception, and I could call it a toss up between this and the first entry being my favourite in the original trilogy.