Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow is literally Castlevania: Aria of Sorrow 2. It merely builds on the foundation of its predecessor, rather than striving for something completely new. This isn’t a bad thing, though; if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.

Dawn’s Tactical Soul System is pretty much identical to Aria’s, so it’s still fun to combine various attacks, helpers, and stat buffs and create a perfect build. There’s also a new crafting system which I really liked. You combine Souls with various weapons to create even stronger equipment. It can be super grindy if you’re going for 100%… but I wasn’t going for 100%, so I just enjoyed casually building up my arsenal as the game progressed. I think weapon crafting fits Castlevania really well, and I’d like to see it brought back at some point.

The map design is amazing, once again. The locations didn’t feel quite as varied as Aria’s, but it’s still got plenty of classic Metroidvania items, environmental blocks, and fun backtracking that you’d expect from this series. The Cursed Clock Tower might even be my favorite Clock Tower in the series.

The story isn’t amazing, but there was still plenty of intrigue and mystery throughout to keep me hooked. The fact that the entire main cast of Aria (minus Graham, because we fucking killed that bastard) returns means that we get to spend more time with them and watch their dynamics play out. Julius is a badass, Hammer is hilariously pathetic, and Arikado, who is definitely not just Alucard with dyed hair, gets some great heart-to-heart dialogue with Soma at the end. Hell, even Soma’s arc and personality are pretty interesting, as he tries keep his inner darkness under control.

The bosses are fantastic and definitely some of the best in the series. My favorites have gotta be Paranoia, a mirror-controlling sorcerer with two forms, Aguni, a giant fucking fire demon from another dimension, and, of course, Death, who once again shows up completely outta nowhere to deliver an epic showdown with his master’s reincarnation.

The music is great, too. Obviously. Michiru Yamane strikes again with her magnificent compositions, now made even crisper with the DS’ superior sound channels compared to the GBA. Listen here.

So, if Dawn of Sorrow is so on par with its predecessor, then why did I give it half a star less than Aria? Well, there’s two main problems I have with this game:
1) The Magic Seals. This is an early DS game, so naturally, the devs just had to shove in an unnecessary touchscreen gimmick. At the end of most boss battles, you have to trace increasingly difficult patterns on your screen in a very short amount of time. It’s basically a really convoluted quick-time event, and I generally dislike QTEs since they feel like a cheap way of inflating difficulty. The Magic Seals are no different, since if you fail the prompt, the boss regains HP and you gotta beat it down again for another attempt. It’s annoying and inconvenient, but you can at least practice the Seals beforehand in your inventory.
2) The art style. I hate this art style. In-game, the sprites and backgrounds look great, no problems there. But during cutscenes and dialogue, we’re treated to a bunch of anime-like character designs. Now, an anime-esque art style isn’t necessarily bad; Rondo of Blood looks awesome. The problem is just how fucking generic this particular style is. It looks like your bog standard, 4Kids, Saturday morning anime artwork, and it does not fit the tone of Castlevania at all, especially since this one largely retains the gothic aesthetic from Aria. It’s a bafflingly awful choice on Konami’s part in an attempt to appeal to a younger audience… for this T (sometimes M)-rated, notoriously difficult series? What? I don’t know, I hate this art style. Ayami Kojima’s beautifully intricate designs are sorely missed.

Don’t let the length of those criticisms fool you, though; Dawn of Sorrow is still an excellent entry in the Castlevania franchise that lives up to the standard of its predecessor. It’s well worth playing.

I think of the word “nuance” when I think about Dark Souls. Thoughtful. Subtle. Unorthodox, yet confident. Its abrasive and oppressive and difficult in the same way that going to the gym is difficult; theres friction but its measured and cultivating. This game is ugly and obscure, funded on nickels and clumps of dirt, elevated in supreme fashion by a sense of purpose and a well-fed imagination. I am haunted by its renegade allure.

Dark Souls greatest contribution to gaming ought to be its artistry, the care it puts into the act of design. It makes me dream of better games, and thats why its become my entire personality (only mostly kidding). Its inspiring because it also suggests: your game can look like muddled shit with a UI cobbled together in GIMP and still slap pure raw ass if your vision is strong. In some ways its archaicity even enhances its mystery, like an actual lost tome of some ancient fantasy, with the sun-bleached leather cracked and the pages yellowed.

Oh my word! Do you remember April the 3rd?!

Even though I partially played through some of this when it first released this game has always had a reserved space in my mind as I would constantly think about the first few levels all the way up to Decadence and that song "Hydrogen" bumpin' in my mind. That OST is so damn good and really puts you in that vibin' hotline miami headspace.

Combat took me a little while to get the hang of with dying so many times, but it kinda helps you figure out what you need to do. You get to see how certain enemies react once you kick open a door of a certain room so next time you will know how to handle their ass as they become pretty predictable. By the later half of the game I was makin em bite the curb and mowin' em down with the assault rifle while the combo meter was movin on up! It was like I was in a trance and hyper focused and really enjoyed the killin myself! It really excels at its immersion and putting you in the shoes of our "Jacket" protagonist.

The story unravels in a way that you really have to pay attention to the environment of your apartment and surroundings of some of the levels as it goes much deeper than one might initially think. By the end of the finale and playing the extra scenario levels I felt that I kinda got the just of the whole story, but after watching one of those video essays on Youtube I see how many little details that flew over my head and made me love the whole game that much more. One of those kind of games where you learn more if you replay it a second time for sure. I still have a lot to learn and figure out in some cases as I have not played the sequel but will do that in the near future! Highly recommend this one! Shit goes hard.

This completion date's a guess on my part. I played this in 2013, before I started noting completion dates, so an educated guess is the best I can do. You might ask, "if this completion date thing matters so much to you, why review this game?" To which I say: when else am I gonna get the chance to talk about this???

I played ColecoVision Donkey Kong as part of a college course! I majored in Game Design, and one of the classes I took ("History of Interactive Media") ran through human history, linking modes of interactivity with video games long down the line. A favorite class for sure. But every so often, we'd have a day where the professor brought in a bunch of video games (either on actual hardware or through ROMs - it's okay if it's for educational purposes!) based around a given theme. In most cases I only had enough time to sample each of the games presented, but there were two games I was able to finish within the class periods themselves. Easily my preferred of the two was ColecoVision Donkey Kong.

It was pretty cool, actually! While the focus was on Atari 2600 games, and we were mostly futzing with ROMs on our school laptops, the subject of the class was on second-generation gaming overall, so the instructor had brought his ColecoVision in and had it hooked up to the projector. I wasn't gonna let that opportunity pass me by, so naturally I went down, assessed my options, and played me some Donkey Kong!

Thing I didn't realize at the time: Donkey Kong was a pack-in title with the ColecoVision on launch. Actually, ColecoVision Donkey Kong was actually the first home release of the game. Of course, a couple years later, you'd have Donkey Kong's NES adaptation as the first truly arcade-accurate port (more or less), but this was your best bet before then. Of course, it's off enough from the original that you'd notice - Donkey Kong's on the right side othe screen on 25m, for example, and the game sorta rambles aimlessly across the three levels it does contain (plus: no pie factory). It's also considerably easier, at least for the first loop: barrels don't go all the way down in 25m, there are no jacks in 75m, etc. Doubtless these were all necessary changes as a result of technical limitations, but for 1982, these are quite understandable, and it's a great-looking port besides. Seriously, compare this to Atari 2600 Donkey Kong. It's somewhat unfair since the Atari 2600 was 5 years old at that point (and Coleco handled the Atari 2600 port, hmmmmmmm), but the difference is night and day. Anyway, if you want extra challenge, just wade into the later loops, where the game just starts spamming the little fire dudes all the hell over.

The main challenge for me was adjusting to the ColecoVision controller. Honestly could've been worse; yeah, there is a learning curve compared to the types of joysticks we're used to these days, but it's not bad. It actually helps a bit that the stick's so stiff (you can kinda see from the notches that it locks to the eight cardinal directions), since it makes it more of a deliberate analogue process to switch between running and climbing. You basically end up clutching the top half of the controller in your left hand while you manipulate the control stick with your right. And hey, holding it like that puts your left thumb right next to the jump button, on the side there. Definitely not ergonomic - you can see the throughline of designing a controller after a TV remote, but it's more a design choice with aesthetics and user psychology rather than user physiology in mind. But it's fine for short bursts. Probably not ideal for lefties, tho.

It was a really cool experience getting to play this version of Donkey Kong on authentic hardware. A not-insignificant part of that was the fact that I got to be hooked up to a projector, in the middle of a university lecture hall. This port doesn't have a proper ending like most versions of Donkey Kong, but if I remember correctly, after I cleared 75m (placed after 100m) and walked away, I had a couple classmates - who'd looked away from their own general studies to watch - cheer me on. That'll always be my true ending for ColecoVision Donkey Kong.

Words cannot describe how I feel. I waited basically 2 years and this dlc is everything I dreamed of it to be. 30+ hours spent on my initial run beating all remembrance bosses. There’s definitely plenty of stuff I missed which I’ll go back for. This dlc is just so massive it’s mind boggling. There are flaws no doubt but even despite those I loved this dlc from start to finish so much. The feeling of your first elden ring playthrough is simply something that can’t be described, it’s special. The bosses in this dlc are soooooo good and some of them genuinely made me scream out of excitement at times. The dragon boss being a huge highlight and in my opinion the best dragon fight fromsoft has ever made. Also playing this alongside friends in vc and sharing the experience and knowledge was very special and something that I will never forget. There’s simply nothing like your first playthrough. Elden ring as a standalone game was already so massive and felt so magical. Adding a dlc that is basically a sequel on top of it is just overkill and puts Elden Ring over the top. This dlc is my favorite piece of fromsoft content ever made. It lived up to all my expectations & wishes. I’m so happy I was able to experience this. Thank you fromsoft, Thank you Miyazaki.

it was pretty good, I liked pretty much all the new weapon types, especially the martial arts and the light greatsword. I was also really into the story by the end and I can usually never parse whats going on in these games when I first play them. all the bosses were kinda goofy but the only one that really gave me trouble was rellana, after she kicked my ass I went and got those scadutree fragments and unfortunately was able to just melt through the rest of the game and I am not ever super good at these games.

I think the scadutree system is kind of dumb, people say its to encourage exploration but I think just not having the world be boring to explore would have been enough. Like I learned my lesson trying to explore every nook and cranny from the base game and just being rewarded with the same boss fight I already beat 4 times and a spell or weapon I'm never gonna use because it doesnt match my playstyle.

I think I am going to hop off here unless we get something like sekiro again, it seems like they are really hitting the limits of what they can do with the boss encounters in this game I can imagine what a potential follow up to this game would be and itll probably be a little too intense for me.

I also wish there were more dungeons man shadowkeep ruled it went in so many different directions but it was over so quick.

Of the many insidious consequences of the 7th generation of consoles amongst the most far reaching to this day is that sport and racing games remain largely relegated to the realm of franchise slop and 'bro gaming'
Once upon a time great game developers would occasionally just dip into this field and make something fun. I don't like golf, it's a beer and pretzels sport that inexplicably requires several square miles of terrain to play. Baseball is a great sport, everyone who plays it professionally has a fat ass and that's what it's all about, everyone who plays Golf professionally has a shrunken soul, Golf shrinks your soul, this is scientifically attested to. Nevertheless, Nazca, in the same year they released Metal Slug, also released a golf game, and it's cool! Just like when SEGA decided fucking squash was cool and made Cosmic Smash, which is cool. It's got that metal slug composer, beautiful terrain, mean level design and a level of immediacy and responsiveness you won't get from a golf game by a golf game company. defeat the programming, play a sports game, and no some indie game called like 'Lethal bullet league 20xx' and it's just pong with a gun and an anime girl doesn't count

In anticipation of Hades II, I went back and played all of Supergiant's game catalog. I started with Bastion, then Transistor, and now Pyre. Supergiant's Hades (2018) is one of my favorite games of all time, and I've never been so anxious about a game release than Hades II. I wanted to see how this studio evolved over the years leading up them perfecting their craft with Hades.

I already wrote long reviews about Bastion (2011) and Transistor (2014), but in summary: I thought Bastion was a good product of its time but did not age well in certain areas. I overall disliked Transistor and thought the gameplay was straight up unenjoyable. They did, however, both excel in art design; from gorgeous visuals to transcending scores by Darren Korb.

Although being disappointed by Supergiant's first two entries, I was still excited to try out Pyre! And, yeah, this was definitely my favorite of the three. I thought visually it was just as impressive as the others, but what set this game apart was the interesting world, unique gameplay, and fun cast of characters.

Supergiant has really developed it's own unique style. Like any good artist, you can this style in all of their games. Some of their signatures would include the way they use colors, the way they design character portraits, and their isometric gameplay approach. Each Supergiant story also have themes of being trapped and needing to bet set free.

As my play status would suggest, I did not technically finish this game. I started another game, which is a mistake I'm usually good at avoiding, and that other game interested me more and then I lost all momentum to finish this one. I still had a good time with what I did play, though.

Overall, I'm glad I went through Supergiant's game catalog. Even though I was hoping to enjoy these games more, I still thought they each had something worth playing them for. I really enjoyed seeing Supergiant perfect their craft over the years and develop their own style. I can't wait for Hades II....

Successfully expands upon the themes of the previous Team ICO games while also subverting them; every ICO game functions as a lesson in empathy. ICO as the baseline, empathy for someone you must protect, someone you can't understand in terms of language but rather in terms of physical communication. ICO revolves around touch, holding someone's hand, intuiting how they feel and react to things, and besides brief (brilliant) subversive moments, is a game which has a fairly one-sided relationship in terms of your role in said relationship. It is a one-sided tale of heroism to a degree, you're in the role of a protector, which in of itself makes it very easy for the player to establish an empathetic connection with Yorda, that simplicity is not a fault of the game, as ICO remains my favorite of the three projects and my favorite game of all time. Shadow of the Colossus however feels intentionally contradictory to the lessons of ICO, it shows the ends of having no empathy for something you cannot understand. Your primary relationship through the game as that with the colossi, and it is destructive, like your relationship with Yorda it is built off the physical, but in SOTC it is built off violence rather than leading someone by the hand. Your role in SOTC see's you testing the bounds of game structure, in the supposed "heroism" of interaction, and indulging in the familiar by forsaking that (or those) which is not familiar.

Much like the previous two ICO games, TLG is also a lesson in empathy, but it is maybe the most difficult lesson of all, as demonstrated by even the fans of the previous game’s interaction with it. The last guardian is not about a one-sided protective, or violent role towards another but rather a mutually dependant role. It is a role, as the game requires, that forces the player to at times be entirely helpeless. To entirely rely on something (someone) outside of yourself. Someone you cannot speak to beyond basic commands (and at the beginning of the game not at all), and that you must not only trust but be patient with. Your relationship with Trico is one that requires a lot of patience, barking commands at him wildly will result in confusion, incorrect movement, and will further frustrate you. You cannot fight for yourself, but rather can only run, struggle, and rarely knock certain items out of enemy’s hands in order to bolster Trico’s ability to fight. Every design choice here is one that doesn’t limit the player's actual ability to experience the game, but rather to DIRECTLY control it. Gaming as a medium is not a medium dictated by placation, immediacy, or action, but rather INTER-action. By the degrees of separation between you and what you can achieve within a dictated environment. Trico, mechanically, forces the player to build a bond with not only an unreal character in a game (such as ICO), not only an animal (such as SOTC), but also forces you to rely on it consistently, rather than simply leading it through the game and acting for it. TLG teaches the player the most difficult lesson of all, seemingly for most gamers; the lesson of giving up control, not of giving into weakness but of accepting it while also accepting your strengths. It’s a game of picking your battles, a game revolving around empathy for something imperfect, for someone who won’t ever really understand you but WILL fight for you, but you must be patient, and you must try. In many ways TLG is team ICO’s real opus in terms of achieving empathy/relationships through game design, if I’m being honest with myself, I do think it’s the greatest game they’ve made in many ways. That being said, ICO will always probably truly have my heart, as both an emotional and aesthetic experience I will probably always consider it a step above the rest, however TLG will remain Ueda’s real success in terms of the actual meaningful goals and artistic lessons of the team ICO project, until such time as their next game comes along (hopefully sooner rather than later).

If you hated this game, I won’t be the one to change your mind. Honestly, I really don’t care to hear why. I understand you were probably frustrated (although how this frustrated you and the previous two team ICO games did not I can never understand), and at times I was as well; but why can’t games be frustrating. Why must they have to constantly reward and placate you in order to be good. Why can’t a game consistent of struggling against something larger than yourself, something inevitable and horrible and inarticulable. Why can’t a game be about relying on another, and why does your view of gaming as an art form so solely rely on immediate gratification and streamlined control. I don’t mean to insult you, but I sincerely do hope that you at least consider the level by which you actually respect video games as a legitimate art form, and I sincerely hope you give TLG a chance if you have not already, or another chance if you already have, because it is sincerely a perfect game.