It’s been around a year since I completed MGS1, 2 and 3, and that in itself is idiotic of me to take that long to get around to this game, nevermind not trying it for nearly an entire decade since its release. Much like every other game in this series, it is unsurprisingly a masterpiece - boundary-pushing, innovative and far ahead of the curve. I firmly believe if this game was released today it’s mechanics would still be hailed as unparalleled because they truly are, and I have absolutely no clue how a game this polished and advanced came out 9 years ago (10 if you’re counting Ground Zeroes which is honestly even more impressive).
Practically every system in this game is refined and contributes heavily to how a mission might play out; whether it be the weather, weapons, or even something like driving handles pretty well for something that’s mostly irrelevant. The adaptive enemy AI once it gets working is extremely cool and forces players to change their methods of approaching missions which reinforces what this game is really all about in terms of gameplay - there’s such a wide sandbox to use and a lot of the enjoyability I had with this game is trial and error with different ideas, and if something that I cobbled together in my mind actually worked it was so fulfilling. Even seeing how other people approached missions was really interesting - sometimes, I would complete the mission in the most efficient but risky way instead of doing what you’re “supposed” (there’s really no one correct way) to do, or vice-versa. It’s this level of freedom that truly makes MGS5 such a wonder to play, and really I don’t think I’ve ever played a game like it - not even something as open to experimentation as BotW. Obviously not every level is flawlessly crafted, there are some duds whether they be too easy or far too difficult and sometimes frustrating at points (the Skulls missions, or missions with limited checkpoints for whatever reason), and some don’t even function correctly at times, but for how many there are, it’s pretty insane to think of how many of them work perfectly.
The world is pretty hard to define - it’s not exactly open but it’s clearly not confined, it’s almost in a category of it’s own - and I found that it worked really well most of the time, and sometimes was a pain in the ass to navigate because for some reason Snake can’t climb the tiniest hill sometimes, but can climb up a huge rock. Calling in a helicopter every time was often annoying as well as the landing zone would be far away but that brings me to what I feel is the main point of MGS5, and that is repetition.
This game is very repetitive by nature, almost everything you do just becomes a subconscious action at a certain point as you get more accustomed to how the game works, but this feels very intentional. Whether it be the same voice lines from Pequod when “he’s landing at the LZ” or Ocelot’s “That’s an enemy gunship”, sending droves of your own army to random places for some obscure missions, riding the same helicopter for the 50th time after watching the same cutscene of zooming in on Snake and seeing the same credits of whoever created the mission, or even just doing these random missions that clients ask for, for no real reason, there is repetition to everything yet it works because the gameplay is just that fun, but I almost feel like that’s a bit scary. It reflects our (or my) daily life as just going through the motions, but for what purpose? Why am I conforming to society’s needs by exchanging my precious limited time for something like money, why is Snake wandering aimlessly around Afghanistan and Africa, moving from one place to the next while being constantly lied to, why is a machine in real life telling me what to do, why is a machine in game telling Snake to kill all these people, and most importantly why are we both going along with it. And I think this is the message that MGS5 presents, and it’s also why I feel like people are unsatisfied with it. It took me a while to understand that this is really what the game wants to say, all the supposedly “deep” and profound lines have no real meaning to them, everyone is just saying shit for no reason, and a lot of the speeches hold barely any weight and feel comical (and pointless) at times. Even the speech after Mission 43 holds a lot of intent, but it goes nowhere.
Really, the themes do connect with what a lot of the MGS series is about, mostly with 2, but just in a much less explicit way, there are no lengthy cutscenes with a bunch of dialogue describing everything that’s happening, it’s all just shown through gameplay. There are moments that have impact (Blood Runs Deep and Shining Light) but that isn’t really what the story is about, there are no shocking plot-twists, the antagonists are reduced to nothing after what they are supposedly built up to be like - the jeep scene in Mission 30 is absolutely hilarious even if Sins of the Father is an awesome song -, and there are multiple plot-threads that literally go nowhere, as people have pointed out there is a titular but cliche “phantom pain” that is felt once the game is “over”, but again that feels intentional. There is a heavy reliance on recontextualisation like every other game in the series, but again there isn’t some mind blowing twist like in 2 and 3, a lot of it is somewhat predictable from the start.
The final scene does hold a lot of weight though because it is challenging many player’s reasons for playing games - which is an escape from our rapidly declining world. The game confronts the player straight up with a mirror, a reflection of Snake’s former identity, but also a way to question my own identity. Who am I? Big Boss tells Venom Snake that he is now him, but I too, am both Big Boss and Venom Snake, for now. I am just a boy going through my daily life with no end or goal or reason for what I do. Unless I go outside to live my life, to form my own identity, I will be the same as Big Boss just 40 years later. I am forced to conform to random systems and power that I am helpless against, and it’s even worse now with a rapidly advancing digital age. The world has not changed.
Practically every system in this game is refined and contributes heavily to how a mission might play out; whether it be the weather, weapons, or even something like driving handles pretty well for something that’s mostly irrelevant. The adaptive enemy AI once it gets working is extremely cool and forces players to change their methods of approaching missions which reinforces what this game is really all about in terms of gameplay - there’s such a wide sandbox to use and a lot of the enjoyability I had with this game is trial and error with different ideas, and if something that I cobbled together in my mind actually worked it was so fulfilling. Even seeing how other people approached missions was really interesting - sometimes, I would complete the mission in the most efficient but risky way instead of doing what you’re “supposed” (there’s really no one correct way) to do, or vice-versa. It’s this level of freedom that truly makes MGS5 such a wonder to play, and really I don’t think I’ve ever played a game like it - not even something as open to experimentation as BotW. Obviously not every level is flawlessly crafted, there are some duds whether they be too easy or far too difficult and sometimes frustrating at points (the Skulls missions, or missions with limited checkpoints for whatever reason), and some don’t even function correctly at times, but for how many there are, it’s pretty insane to think of how many of them work perfectly.
The world is pretty hard to define - it’s not exactly open but it’s clearly not confined, it’s almost in a category of it’s own - and I found that it worked really well most of the time, and sometimes was a pain in the ass to navigate because for some reason Snake can’t climb the tiniest hill sometimes, but can climb up a huge rock. Calling in a helicopter every time was often annoying as well as the landing zone would be far away but that brings me to what I feel is the main point of MGS5, and that is repetition.
This game is very repetitive by nature, almost everything you do just becomes a subconscious action at a certain point as you get more accustomed to how the game works, but this feels very intentional. Whether it be the same voice lines from Pequod when “he’s landing at the LZ” or Ocelot’s “That’s an enemy gunship”, sending droves of your own army to random places for some obscure missions, riding the same helicopter for the 50th time after watching the same cutscene of zooming in on Snake and seeing the same credits of whoever created the mission, or even just doing these random missions that clients ask for, for no real reason, there is repetition to everything yet it works because the gameplay is just that fun, but I almost feel like that’s a bit scary. It reflects our (or my) daily life as just going through the motions, but for what purpose? Why am I conforming to society’s needs by exchanging my precious limited time for something like money, why is Snake wandering aimlessly around Afghanistan and Africa, moving from one place to the next while being constantly lied to, why is a machine in real life telling me what to do, why is a machine in game telling Snake to kill all these people, and most importantly why are we both going along with it. And I think this is the message that MGS5 presents, and it’s also why I feel like people are unsatisfied with it. It took me a while to understand that this is really what the game wants to say, all the supposedly “deep” and profound lines have no real meaning to them, everyone is just saying shit for no reason, and a lot of the speeches hold barely any weight and feel comical (and pointless) at times. Even the speech after Mission 43 holds a lot of intent, but it goes nowhere.
Really, the themes do connect with what a lot of the MGS series is about, mostly with 2, but just in a much less explicit way, there are no lengthy cutscenes with a bunch of dialogue describing everything that’s happening, it’s all just shown through gameplay. There are moments that have impact (Blood Runs Deep and Shining Light) but that isn’t really what the story is about, there are no shocking plot-twists, the antagonists are reduced to nothing after what they are supposedly built up to be like - the jeep scene in Mission 30 is absolutely hilarious even if Sins of the Father is an awesome song -, and there are multiple plot-threads that literally go nowhere, as people have pointed out there is a titular but cliche “phantom pain” that is felt once the game is “over”, but again that feels intentional. There is a heavy reliance on recontextualisation like every other game in the series, but again there isn’t some mind blowing twist like in 2 and 3, a lot of it is somewhat predictable from the start.
The final scene does hold a lot of weight though because it is challenging many player’s reasons for playing games - which is an escape from our rapidly declining world. The game confronts the player straight up with a mirror, a reflection of Snake’s former identity, but also a way to question my own identity. Who am I? Big Boss tells Venom Snake that he is now him, but I too, am both Big Boss and Venom Snake, for now. I am just a boy going through my daily life with no end or goal or reason for what I do. Unless I go outside to live my life, to form my own identity, I will be the same as Big Boss just 40 years later. I am forced to conform to random systems and power that I am helpless against, and it’s even worse now with a rapidly advancing digital age. The world has not changed.
2020
Completely crumbles under any form of scrutiny. RE3R is not necessarily a bad game, but it is a bad remake. Unlike RE2R which implemented it's own sections while keeping most of the original content, RE3 cuts some of the best parts of the original game and makes the main villain pitiable. Instead of being this terrifying unstoppable force that tracks you down, Nemesis is instead made to be encountered at specific moments, undercutting any sense of tension throughout the game. Even excluding the focal point, the gameplay is fully action oriented and only really functions on expolosive setpieces, and the gameplay that the series is known for is just non-existant. Even the characters and the soundtrack aren't memorable at all as well and don't make any kind of impact, but it looks good graphically I guess. Overall, it just feels like a really cheap remake, and it's even more insulting that RE2R is so brilliant yet there's no effort put in here whatsoever.
2017
Minor spoilers for the late-game
Hollow Knight is a game I’ve been wanting to play for a long time, commonly referred throughout the community as the best metroidvania (and sometimes one of the best games of all time), my expectations were, naturally, very high. After fully completing the game, I do think Hollow Knight is quite good, but not for the reasons I was initially expecting.
Hollow Knight’s main strengths for me lie in its atmosphere, story-telling and overall combat system. Each individual area is extremely detailed more often than not giving them their own identity and memorable designs, my favourite being Deepnest and The Abyss. However, there is a bit of a problem with the colour palettes, as sometimes the difference between certain areas blur the line making some parts feel similar. Another problem is that basically every area is large, causing backtracking for previous items (as expected of a metroidvania) to feel sluggish and tedious. Even later on with the addition of mechanics like the stag and the crystal heart, walking through massive rooms can get quite tiresome. Which brings me to my next complaint - there is a complete lack of direction/helping hand. A lot of what this game entails you to do is wander around its gargantuan map trying to find specific rooms to find a powerup/charm/pointless reward, and there is almost zero help whatsoever to find these, which can sometimes be crucial to your progression. The devs are practically intending that whatever you find is of your own volition, without searching anything on Google you could dump multiple hours into just finding an important spell to help fight the next boss, which leads to either a boss becoming incredibly fun (Mantis Lords) or complete fucking horseshit (Lost Kin - which I wasted almost 3 hours trying to beat). Due to rooms within areas having very little change between them, remembering specific rooms where you must return to is a challenge especially when the map also gives almost no hint and leads to random checking of rooms only to find a dead-end. The lack of risk vs reward is also surprising, multiple times I completed some difficult challenge which was usually tricky parkour and my reward would be something completely useless, perhaps a Wandering Journal that I can sell for barely any geo or a lore-tablet that I could understand practically nothing of in the beginning of the game. It all feels so badly designed for a first playthrough, which is why I believe Hollow Knight is a game that gets better on replays (although this shouldn’t be the case in the first place).
The world of Hallownest has a dark story behind it, as such the game is generally melancholic and has a lonely feel to it, but the game strives to not place you in a totally miserable and hopeless situation by brightening up the journey with memorable characters who usually lift your spirits. A majority of these characters only have a few lines, but their design and personality stick with you. As you progress further into the game, returning characters' respect for the Knight may grow, consequently giving further insight into the characters and how they came to be. I find what made me love these characters so much is the pacing at which Hollow Knight operates, occasionally it will stop time to give a bit of breathing space to let you have your final moments with some characters, akin to say a Ghibli movie.
The storytelling on show here is wonderful. At first, there’s a disturbing lack of emphasis on really anything to do with the plot, a myriad of cryptic messages may appear on so-called lore “tablets” that just seem like confusing gibberish at first, but towards the end of the game I was fully engaged in piecing together the story of a once great kingdom. The mystery surrounding the infection was interesting from the beginning and I especially loved how everything was revealed slowly, culminating in an epic final battle.
Speaking of battles, the fights here range from poor-mediocre to some of the best in the medium. The pantheons in the DLC do an excellent job at putting all the fights into perspective, I thought a lot of the bosses I enjoyed in the base game would be impacted by their appearance in a boss rush at a much easier difficulty but no, they were just as incredible. The Pure Vessel, Mantis Lords and Nightmare King Grimm are some of the conceptually brilliant and most exhilarating, perfectly designed fights ever, each making a lasting impact with how much of a joy they are to fight, there’s never really a point where the fight feels drastically unfair or poorly made, a lot of deaths come from the player’s mistakes and that is easy to recognise. There are a fair share of frustrating fights that are difficult just for the sake of it, or some that are just far too easy and effortless to defeat, but overall a majority of the fights are good. I think this is mainly chalked up to just how fantastic the combat and movement system, everything is so damn smooth and intuitive it feels difficult to return to some older metroidvanias. The mapping onto the controller is honestly unbelievable, it fits so well and makes the game fun as hell to play and experiment with a lot of the time. While the combat is just nail swings, spells and dashing, there is magic to the simplicity, it truly makes the fights feel like everything is dependent on your own skill, and nothing feels too complex or cluttered to figure out and use in battle.
While it might seem like I’ve spent a majority of the review tearing into Hollow Knight’s overall design, I actually had quite a lot of fun with the other parts of the game and how effectively it managed to replicate my love for the Metroid franchise. I feel like this is a game everyone should experience, it’s a testament to the creativeness that indie developers have and their vision that contradicts and challenges what the current blockbuster video game companies idealise. There’s not much that feels artificial here, just pure passion and soul for an ever growing medium, and a homage to the landmarks of the industry.
Hollow Knight is a game I’ve been wanting to play for a long time, commonly referred throughout the community as the best metroidvania (and sometimes one of the best games of all time), my expectations were, naturally, very high. After fully completing the game, I do think Hollow Knight is quite good, but not for the reasons I was initially expecting.
Hollow Knight’s main strengths for me lie in its atmosphere, story-telling and overall combat system. Each individual area is extremely detailed more often than not giving them their own identity and memorable designs, my favourite being Deepnest and The Abyss. However, there is a bit of a problem with the colour palettes, as sometimes the difference between certain areas blur the line making some parts feel similar. Another problem is that basically every area is large, causing backtracking for previous items (as expected of a metroidvania) to feel sluggish and tedious. Even later on with the addition of mechanics like the stag and the crystal heart, walking through massive rooms can get quite tiresome. Which brings me to my next complaint - there is a complete lack of direction/helping hand. A lot of what this game entails you to do is wander around its gargantuan map trying to find specific rooms to find a powerup/charm/pointless reward, and there is almost zero help whatsoever to find these, which can sometimes be crucial to your progression. The devs are practically intending that whatever you find is of your own volition, without searching anything on Google you could dump multiple hours into just finding an important spell to help fight the next boss, which leads to either a boss becoming incredibly fun (Mantis Lords) or complete fucking horseshit (Lost Kin - which I wasted almost 3 hours trying to beat). Due to rooms within areas having very little change between them, remembering specific rooms where you must return to is a challenge especially when the map also gives almost no hint and leads to random checking of rooms only to find a dead-end. The lack of risk vs reward is also surprising, multiple times I completed some difficult challenge which was usually tricky parkour and my reward would be something completely useless, perhaps a Wandering Journal that I can sell for barely any geo or a lore-tablet that I could understand practically nothing of in the beginning of the game. It all feels so badly designed for a first playthrough, which is why I believe Hollow Knight is a game that gets better on replays (although this shouldn’t be the case in the first place).
The world of Hallownest has a dark story behind it, as such the game is generally melancholic and has a lonely feel to it, but the game strives to not place you in a totally miserable and hopeless situation by brightening up the journey with memorable characters who usually lift your spirits. A majority of these characters only have a few lines, but their design and personality stick with you. As you progress further into the game, returning characters' respect for the Knight may grow, consequently giving further insight into the characters and how they came to be. I find what made me love these characters so much is the pacing at which Hollow Knight operates, occasionally it will stop time to give a bit of breathing space to let you have your final moments with some characters, akin to say a Ghibli movie.
The storytelling on show here is wonderful. At first, there’s a disturbing lack of emphasis on really anything to do with the plot, a myriad of cryptic messages may appear on so-called lore “tablets” that just seem like confusing gibberish at first, but towards the end of the game I was fully engaged in piecing together the story of a once great kingdom. The mystery surrounding the infection was interesting from the beginning and I especially loved how everything was revealed slowly, culminating in an epic final battle.
Speaking of battles, the fights here range from poor-mediocre to some of the best in the medium. The pantheons in the DLC do an excellent job at putting all the fights into perspective, I thought a lot of the bosses I enjoyed in the base game would be impacted by their appearance in a boss rush at a much easier difficulty but no, they were just as incredible. The Pure Vessel, Mantis Lords and Nightmare King Grimm are some of the conceptually brilliant and most exhilarating, perfectly designed fights ever, each making a lasting impact with how much of a joy they are to fight, there’s never really a point where the fight feels drastically unfair or poorly made, a lot of deaths come from the player’s mistakes and that is easy to recognise. There are a fair share of frustrating fights that are difficult just for the sake of it, or some that are just far too easy and effortless to defeat, but overall a majority of the fights are good. I think this is mainly chalked up to just how fantastic the combat and movement system, everything is so damn smooth and intuitive it feels difficult to return to some older metroidvanias. The mapping onto the controller is honestly unbelievable, it fits so well and makes the game fun as hell to play and experiment with a lot of the time. While the combat is just nail swings, spells and dashing, there is magic to the simplicity, it truly makes the fights feel like everything is dependent on your own skill, and nothing feels too complex or cluttered to figure out and use in battle.
While it might seem like I’ve spent a majority of the review tearing into Hollow Knight’s overall design, I actually had quite a lot of fun with the other parts of the game and how effectively it managed to replicate my love for the Metroid franchise. I feel like this is a game everyone should experience, it’s a testament to the creativeness that indie developers have and their vision that contradicts and challenges what the current blockbuster video game companies idealise. There’s not much that feels artificial here, just pure passion and soul for an ever growing medium, and a homage to the landmarks of the industry.
This review contains spoilers
Really funny to me as to how this game has easily the lowest point in the series, yet that same case has arguably the most interesting perpetrator. Case 1 is extremely forgettable as to be expected. Case 2 is quite mediocre, but its crucial towards Trials & Tribulations in terms of its plot. After which comes the infamous “Turnabout Big Top”.
I was honestly expecting this to be overhated but it really is complete dogshit (until the end). First of all, the premise is disgusting, for some reason in literally every game there’s some weird shit to do with minors, but here it doubles down. The entire case is focused on this instead of being some side “comedy relief”. The characters are all either uninteresting, or just complete dickheads and not endearing at all (which I find to be Ace Attorney’s biggest strength). Ben & Trilo are just simply terrible, Max is a complete ass for most of it, and Regina is just plain annoying. What's really frustrating though is that the actual court cases - the core of Ace Attorney - are riddled with bullshit assumptions and unreasonable character actions, it's entirely a mess. However, the entire case is saved by Acro who for me, is one of the best written characters in the whole trilogy. A broken man, whos brother was accidentally put in a coma and he wants revenge, yet he knows that Regina didn’t do it deliberately so he’s faced with a dilemma. A dilemma that ultimately results in an innocent man being murdered. It’s heartbreaking to see that when he is finally found guilty, he doesn’t unleash into a rage or reveal a different persona like many other killers did, but rather a stream of tears. A man who, for the sake of his brother and himself, was led down a stray path that resulted in no winners or losers, only the immense, punishing feeling of pain and regret.
Then comes Case 4, probably one of the biggest surprises in that it is truly amazing. Maya is immediately removed from the game. Phoenix is obviously extremely worried, and the player should be as well, but the game stretches its tension to the absolute limit. Until the very last testimony, you are uncertain of whether or not Maya will return, there’s this constant, ominous dread looming over the entire case, Phoenix cannot accuse the defendant even when he figures out that he is actually guilty. Phoenix frequently reveals a side of him that we haven’t seen before, a pose of utter anguish and anxiety when he messes up. It’s scary to see a man who’s usually upbeat and forward-thinking descend into a state of chaos. You could chalk this up to Mia and how he also failed to protect her, deja vu occurs, only this time there is a certain futility that accompanies both Phoenix’s and the police’s investigation, they will not find the killer, it is practically impossible and this remains true. Right at the end the game even questions your judgement upfront, do you side with justice or do you want to save Maya’s life, whereas earlier your actions are limited, the game gives you free reign at the end. An absolutely brilliant case that defies all expectations.
I was honestly expecting this to be overhated but it really is complete dogshit (until the end). First of all, the premise is disgusting, for some reason in literally every game there’s some weird shit to do with minors, but here it doubles down. The entire case is focused on this instead of being some side “comedy relief”. The characters are all either uninteresting, or just complete dickheads and not endearing at all (which I find to be Ace Attorney’s biggest strength). Ben & Trilo are just simply terrible, Max is a complete ass for most of it, and Regina is just plain annoying. What's really frustrating though is that the actual court cases - the core of Ace Attorney - are riddled with bullshit assumptions and unreasonable character actions, it's entirely a mess. However, the entire case is saved by Acro who for me, is one of the best written characters in the whole trilogy. A broken man, whos brother was accidentally put in a coma and he wants revenge, yet he knows that Regina didn’t do it deliberately so he’s faced with a dilemma. A dilemma that ultimately results in an innocent man being murdered. It’s heartbreaking to see that when he is finally found guilty, he doesn’t unleash into a rage or reveal a different persona like many other killers did, but rather a stream of tears. A man who, for the sake of his brother and himself, was led down a stray path that resulted in no winners or losers, only the immense, punishing feeling of pain and regret.
Then comes Case 4, probably one of the biggest surprises in that it is truly amazing. Maya is immediately removed from the game. Phoenix is obviously extremely worried, and the player should be as well, but the game stretches its tension to the absolute limit. Until the very last testimony, you are uncertain of whether or not Maya will return, there’s this constant, ominous dread looming over the entire case, Phoenix cannot accuse the defendant even when he figures out that he is actually guilty. Phoenix frequently reveals a side of him that we haven’t seen before, a pose of utter anguish and anxiety when he messes up. It’s scary to see a man who’s usually upbeat and forward-thinking descend into a state of chaos. You could chalk this up to Mia and how he also failed to protect her, deja vu occurs, only this time there is a certain futility that accompanies both Phoenix’s and the police’s investigation, they will not find the killer, it is practically impossible and this remains true. Right at the end the game even questions your judgement upfront, do you side with justice or do you want to save Maya’s life, whereas earlier your actions are limited, the game gives you free reign at the end. An absolutely brilliant case that defies all expectations.
2004
For 2004 this game is absolutely spectacular and super ambitious and gorgeous, even 20 years later I was amazed at how beautiful some of the environments were, and the physics and interactivity is obviously incredible - without Half Life 2, it is pretty clear that most modern games would cease to exist. But unfortunately, this isn't the unrivaled masterpiece that I was expecting, in fact it's mostly a downgrade from the original. While some chapters are jaw-dropping even now like Ravenholm and the interior of the Citadel, a huge chunk of this game is driving around on gimmicky vehicles, or engaging in some of the most uninvolving, brain-dead combat ever put to the screen. While the original Half Life paced itself perfectly at upgrading your arsenal and introducing new enemies, HL2 stagnates nearly every step of the way. Instead of introducing new Combine enemies, it's mostly just the same guys but with increased health, which is incredibly lazy but also frustrating as it renders most of your weapons completely obsolete. While the gravity gun is obviously the coolest shit ever (second to only the Portal gun), the rest of the guns are just generic or never really needed to be used past their specific usage point in the game. What Half Life 2 does do better in, is probably the tension and dread that surrounds your movement. The introduction of the new headcrab/zombie variants in Ravenholm is perfectly executed, similar to how the antlions emerge from the ground in the chapter 'Sandtraps' and how you subsequently command them in 'Nova Prospekt' which is genius... but then you don't get to use them anymore past this point, which is also the case with the poison zombies - arguably the most terrifying enemy. The whole game feels really experimental and disjointed in it's treatment of weaponry and enemy usage, rather than being fully cohesive like the original. I still do think that Half Life 2 is a good game, and I'm annoyed that I didn't play it earlier so I could understand just how big of a deal it was, but I feel like people's love for it is chalked up more to nostalgia and it's influence on the industry, rather than assessing the overall experience.
2021
Powerful I’d say is the best way to describe Before Your Eyes. An immensely moving story intertwined with boundary-pushing gameplay make for a game that could only be told in this medium. One of the very few pieces of media that have ever brought me to tears by the end over a short duration, is not only a testament to its writing, but a reinforcement for the argument that games are art and the positive impact they (could) have on future generations. It’s been nearly a year since I first played Before Your Eyes, and since then, I’ve gone through a lot, whether positive or negative, and I’ve come to appreciate it’s story and message even moreso than before. As the days pass by, I’ve noticed that the monotonous routine I undertake has started to blur the lines between them, sometimes I’m even unable to differentiate between days, my life is moving by in the blink of an eye; and it only makes me able to cherish my past memories (whether good or bad) more, but also that I should move on from them and face my uncertain future head on, whatever may happen.
Iconic game with one of the most influential narratives ever told in the medium. Airtight and concise plot that's sort of generic but whats really the focus is creating engaging and meaningful characters that span the entire game. However, the gameplay is pretty mediocre, a lot of it is just climbing ladders, searching drawers for scraps and the actual combat isn't too interesting. Still, its storytelling is some of the best I've seen in a game, and it's effect on the video game industry is huge (whether that's a positive or negative), so it ultimately gets a pass.
This review contains spoilers
It’s quite the challenge to analyse Zero Mission, especially as someone who adores the entire series. On one hand I think it is arguably the best introduction for someone who wants to get into the Metroid franchise, and on the other I find it to be an odd balance between Fusion and Super. Obviously, it is an amazing remake. You don’t need me to tell you that.
While Fusion’s linear design leads the gameplay and map-exploration to be constrictive and limiting, it works really well for what the game is going for. Similarly with Super Metroid, its completely open map that can technically be accessed (albeit with glitches and/or precise skill) at any point in the game again accompanies the game perfectly. Zero Mission is kind of stuck in a limbo between the two, while it has an “open” map, your objectives are restrained due to the Chozo statues, and it doesn’t really bode well most of the time as your freedom ends up feeling like practically a facade at times, but again not as smoothly as Dread deals with it. It really is quite a tricky bit to break-down.
For the overall gameplay though, Zero Mission again flips some of its mechanics around. Your movement is much tighter than in Super, and wall jumps make you physically cling to the wall, allowing for some interesting movement options and the odd sequence break. The power grip is a strong addition here, one of my few gripes with Super is its lack of something like it, and it makes general traversal a lot easier (which you could argue is better or worse, whereas Super’s movement is reliant entirely on skill, Zero Mission takes away some of the challenge). And that seems to be the main divisor on what people think of this game, newcomers may find it easier than Super and Fusion due to its general difficulty being lower and the fact that there’s no real bullshit part (ie getting stuck on a badly programmed/not so obvious what to do section). However, in complete contrast to this, Zero Mission’s 100% is actually quite difficult to achieve, getting this requires a mastery of basically all the powerups especially the shine spark (and ballspark) which is not easy. The rest of the powerups and whatever are pretty basic, you have the typical beams, screw attack etc but the difference here is the so-called “unknown items” which leads me on to my next point.
The progression in this game is absolutely stellar, and for me the strongest part. I find what makes it work so well is just how much of a surprise the second half is, it comes out of absolutely nowhere. Getting dropped into a completely unknown area with nothing to defend yourself is a bold move and I feel it’s executed really well, you truly feel lost as you take control of Samus and there’s no “invisible” hand directing you where to go. It is probably one of my favourite moments in the entire franchise even if it is tedious at times, solely based on how well it captures the true spirit of a Metroidvania, that unnerving feeling of being alone in a foreign area and also the powerlessness that takes centre stage. The entire Space Station is a labyrinth of multiple different paths, the space pirates are constantly chasing you and if you get hit you are more than likely to die, some areas that seem safe will crumble beneath you and again you’ll get into a chase sequence hurrying to find somewhere to hide. On top of all of this there are “seekers” that will spot you and sound an alarm if you’re not careful enough.
As you progress through the labyrinth you’ll eventually end up in a vastly different room, a short cutscene will play showing some statues of the Chozo species, some epic music will kick in (didn’t feel the need to elaborate on the soundtrack as it’s obviously amazing) and finally the reveal of a bigger statue that’s holding a mirror. This bossfight is pretty cool, I love the idea of the mirror reflecting all your actions and shooting while it's not in its “proper” form will damage Samus, anyway the fight gets a little more tricky towards the end as everything is moving faster and eventually you’ll defeat it. The moments after this are pure bliss, it is such a relief that you finally get your fully powered suit back and on top of that the “unknown” items have been unlocked, giving you access to the gravity suit, space jump and the plasma beam. From here you have all power, enemies that you struggled with before get eviscerated before your new beam and your attacking options are multiplied, and THIS is what a Metroid game should do - give the player entire freedom towards the end of the game and make them feel like a total badass - and I feel it's perfectly encapsulated in Zero Mission, even more so than Super.
All in all, I’m not entirely sure how to feel about Zero Mission, as you can see it excels in some areas that give a Metroidvania their identity, but it also falls flat in others, I didn’t even talk about most of the boss fights and even the atmosphere as I feel they dont live up to the standard of a Metroid game. Either way, Zero Mission is a divisive game, for some, it may have elements that they feel make the game better, and for others the opposite. For me, I think it strikes a fine balance between the two.
8/10
While Fusion’s linear design leads the gameplay and map-exploration to be constrictive and limiting, it works really well for what the game is going for. Similarly with Super Metroid, its completely open map that can technically be accessed (albeit with glitches and/or precise skill) at any point in the game again accompanies the game perfectly. Zero Mission is kind of stuck in a limbo between the two, while it has an “open” map, your objectives are restrained due to the Chozo statues, and it doesn’t really bode well most of the time as your freedom ends up feeling like practically a facade at times, but again not as smoothly as Dread deals with it. It really is quite a tricky bit to break-down.
For the overall gameplay though, Zero Mission again flips some of its mechanics around. Your movement is much tighter than in Super, and wall jumps make you physically cling to the wall, allowing for some interesting movement options and the odd sequence break. The power grip is a strong addition here, one of my few gripes with Super is its lack of something like it, and it makes general traversal a lot easier (which you could argue is better or worse, whereas Super’s movement is reliant entirely on skill, Zero Mission takes away some of the challenge). And that seems to be the main divisor on what people think of this game, newcomers may find it easier than Super and Fusion due to its general difficulty being lower and the fact that there’s no real bullshit part (ie getting stuck on a badly programmed/not so obvious what to do section). However, in complete contrast to this, Zero Mission’s 100% is actually quite difficult to achieve, getting this requires a mastery of basically all the powerups especially the shine spark (and ballspark) which is not easy. The rest of the powerups and whatever are pretty basic, you have the typical beams, screw attack etc but the difference here is the so-called “unknown items” which leads me on to my next point.
The progression in this game is absolutely stellar, and for me the strongest part. I find what makes it work so well is just how much of a surprise the second half is, it comes out of absolutely nowhere. Getting dropped into a completely unknown area with nothing to defend yourself is a bold move and I feel it’s executed really well, you truly feel lost as you take control of Samus and there’s no “invisible” hand directing you where to go. It is probably one of my favourite moments in the entire franchise even if it is tedious at times, solely based on how well it captures the true spirit of a Metroidvania, that unnerving feeling of being alone in a foreign area and also the powerlessness that takes centre stage. The entire Space Station is a labyrinth of multiple different paths, the space pirates are constantly chasing you and if you get hit you are more than likely to die, some areas that seem safe will crumble beneath you and again you’ll get into a chase sequence hurrying to find somewhere to hide. On top of all of this there are “seekers” that will spot you and sound an alarm if you’re not careful enough.
As you progress through the labyrinth you’ll eventually end up in a vastly different room, a short cutscene will play showing some statues of the Chozo species, some epic music will kick in (didn’t feel the need to elaborate on the soundtrack as it’s obviously amazing) and finally the reveal of a bigger statue that’s holding a mirror. This bossfight is pretty cool, I love the idea of the mirror reflecting all your actions and shooting while it's not in its “proper” form will damage Samus, anyway the fight gets a little more tricky towards the end as everything is moving faster and eventually you’ll defeat it. The moments after this are pure bliss, it is such a relief that you finally get your fully powered suit back and on top of that the “unknown” items have been unlocked, giving you access to the gravity suit, space jump and the plasma beam. From here you have all power, enemies that you struggled with before get eviscerated before your new beam and your attacking options are multiplied, and THIS is what a Metroid game should do - give the player entire freedom towards the end of the game and make them feel like a total badass - and I feel it's perfectly encapsulated in Zero Mission, even more so than Super.
All in all, I’m not entirely sure how to feel about Zero Mission, as you can see it excels in some areas that give a Metroidvania their identity, but it also falls flat in others, I didn’t even talk about most of the boss fights and even the atmosphere as I feel they dont live up to the standard of a Metroid game. Either way, Zero Mission is a divisive game, for some, it may have elements that they feel make the game better, and for others the opposite. For me, I think it strikes a fine balance between the two.
8/10
2013
Much like the rest of Rockstar’s games, GTA V's gameplay leaves a lot to be desired. The mechanics that were a fatal flaw in RDR1 have been reinvented although the cover system is still absolutely horrendous which is hardly a surprise. Anyway the main story is actually pretty strong, a lot of the missions are really well paced and they usually include a variety of weapons/vehicles to use and different playstyles, sometimes youre guns blazing others, its a stealth level. Some of them feel like they were not playtested at all as there is a severe difficulty spike for no reason whatsoever (the drug farm mansion mission whatever, who the fuck thought it was balanced) and the plane flying missions are a pain in the ass because the controls are so janky but it helps that they can be skipped. For the actual characters and plot, I didn’t get super far in (only around 15 hours) but a majority of the cast is just written to be the most unlikeable pricks although Trevor is pretty funny at his best moments, Michael I couldn’t stand at all and Franklin is pretty chill, but up to the point I got to I found the story to be kind of interesting.
Where GTA V really stagnates for me though is the time between missions, not only does it keep the traditional style of “drive to the mission only to drive from point A to B to get to the actual start of the mission” (which is so fucking outdated I really hope 6 fixes this) but even the freedom-centric gameplay that made GTA stand out in the first place (many years ago I might add) gets boring over time. It’s fun at first to just drive like a lunatic and try and get as many stars as possible for a cop chase but this also becomes less enjoyable over time - especially when the criteria of getting a 5* is bullshit. Even the side missions are repetitive and dull, unlike previous entries where you could pass your time by having an entirely different job like an ambulance or taxi driver, the missions here are just participate in a running race or race in your car or cycle, which is just straight up boring half the time.
Overall, it is a good game, and it does have its moments where it shines but they are too few and far between, and a lot of potential is squandered by not trying anything new. Sure having the liberty to do whatever you wanted back when GTA 3 and San Andreas came out, but it was 10 years since then (at least when this game initially released) there’s got to be a different way to make your game engaging instead of relying on past mechanics, and even then downgrading some parts of the game for no apparent reason is a weird choice, either way its an iconic game that practically everyone has played so there’s not much new I can say about it.
7/10
Where GTA V really stagnates for me though is the time between missions, not only does it keep the traditional style of “drive to the mission only to drive from point A to B to get to the actual start of the mission” (which is so fucking outdated I really hope 6 fixes this) but even the freedom-centric gameplay that made GTA stand out in the first place (many years ago I might add) gets boring over time. It’s fun at first to just drive like a lunatic and try and get as many stars as possible for a cop chase but this also becomes less enjoyable over time - especially when the criteria of getting a 5* is bullshit. Even the side missions are repetitive and dull, unlike previous entries where you could pass your time by having an entirely different job like an ambulance or taxi driver, the missions here are just participate in a running race or race in your car or cycle, which is just straight up boring half the time.
Overall, it is a good game, and it does have its moments where it shines but they are too few and far between, and a lot of potential is squandered by not trying anything new. Sure having the liberty to do whatever you wanted back when GTA 3 and San Andreas came out, but it was 10 years since then (at least when this game initially released) there’s got to be a different way to make your game engaging instead of relying on past mechanics, and even then downgrading some parts of the game for no apparent reason is a weird choice, either way its an iconic game that practically everyone has played so there’s not much new I can say about it.
7/10
Fun ass game through and through. Every mission is well paced and have many different sections where youll have to use different weapons. Each individual area stands out thanks to MW2’s use of colours which future and past games ignore. The score is exceptional here, Hans Zimmer’s monstrous soundtrack makes you feel like a badass whenever the missions climax and its just a thrill to play. Even the ending of the game is amazing, so many crazy plot twists and tense fights that will have you on the edge of your seat. One of the few Call of Duty games that live up to their hype.
8/10
8/10
1994
While I prefer Mother 3, I still find Earthbound to be a masterpiece. Even though the gameplay is less refined and some parts have questionable additions that make the game more frustrating, at its core Earthbound is a game full of passion. It was a surprise to me when I heard that, at its launch it wasn’t really received well but after looking at the marketing it makes more sense - the entire way the game was presented was appalling, it didn’t even come close to showing how meaningful and special this game truly is.
Looking at the individual aspects, Earthbound’s comedy comes almost effortlessly, the timing is almost always on point and the game never really misses, creating a huge cast of lovable and endearing characters that make their mark, even random npcs that only have one-liners will make you laugh, and the ending only serves to reinforce this, something I really wish more games would implement. As I said the gameplay is pretty hit-or-miss, Mother 3 practically takes all the negatives and throws them away - such as the large amount of unnecessary debuffs that are a pain in the ass, but I also find that PSI is utilised a lot better here and your main 4 get a lot more opportunities. Something I also really appreciate is its completely unique art-style that works so well, every area has something to note about it and I respect the courage to do something like this in a period where many games wouldn’t have the balls to change up (clearly this choice didn’t work too well at its launch but the opinion of it has changed heavily over time).
The main focus here though is again the story, I can’t talk much about it without spoiling but I’ll highlight my favourite moment. Of course I have to comment on Magicant, one of the most iconic areas of the game but it isn’t praised for no reason, this area is absolutely stunning not only in the ideas it presents but how well it executes them. It is an otherworldly experience walking around Ness’ mind and talking to all of the people you have passed by, simultaneously being fun and unnerving, and I adore how this game focuses so much on it, it really hammers home the main themes of Mother and the transition from child to adult.
All in all, another must play, so many games have taken inspiration from this stellar achievement and some have even tried to surpass it, but for me not much will ever come close to the transcendent experience I had while playing this, except of course, the sequel.
10/10
Looking at the individual aspects, Earthbound’s comedy comes almost effortlessly, the timing is almost always on point and the game never really misses, creating a huge cast of lovable and endearing characters that make their mark, even random npcs that only have one-liners will make you laugh, and the ending only serves to reinforce this, something I really wish more games would implement. As I said the gameplay is pretty hit-or-miss, Mother 3 practically takes all the negatives and throws them away - such as the large amount of unnecessary debuffs that are a pain in the ass, but I also find that PSI is utilised a lot better here and your main 4 get a lot more opportunities. Something I also really appreciate is its completely unique art-style that works so well, every area has something to note about it and I respect the courage to do something like this in a period where many games wouldn’t have the balls to change up (clearly this choice didn’t work too well at its launch but the opinion of it has changed heavily over time).
The main focus here though is again the story, I can’t talk much about it without spoiling but I’ll highlight my favourite moment. Of course I have to comment on Magicant, one of the most iconic areas of the game but it isn’t praised for no reason, this area is absolutely stunning not only in the ideas it presents but how well it executes them. It is an otherworldly experience walking around Ness’ mind and talking to all of the people you have passed by, simultaneously being fun and unnerving, and I adore how this game focuses so much on it, it really hammers home the main themes of Mother and the transition from child to adult.
All in all, another must play, so many games have taken inspiration from this stellar achievement and some have even tried to surpass it, but for me not much will ever come close to the transcendent experience I had while playing this, except of course, the sequel.
10/10
2015
An amazing introduction to the Yakuza series for me, I’m really eager to play the rest as this was a strong prequel. The “dual-narrative” is executed really well, it’s pretty interesting to see the effects of your actions as a different character. The actual individual stories are great as well, both characters kicked out of the yakuza, both trying to find a way back in, Kiryu is framed for a murder and Majima is practically imprisoned. Makoto Makimura and Nishiki are 2 loveable characters who are thoroughly developed and even the rest of the side cast is endearing. What’s of note here though, is the villains. All of them are imposing and intimidating, heightened by the extraordinary voice acting, each have their own differing ideals and goals, and slowly unravelling these is done at the highest level. The areas of Kamurocho and Sotenburi are bustling and lively, lots of people walk about who you can interact with, there are many buildings with different activities like baseball and bowling, the actual environments are gorgeous as well, colourful street lights brighten every road. The soundtrack just straight up bangs, beating the shit out of everyone with the most badass music in the background just makes everything better, when the tension rises the music completely changes creating a completely different ambience, and especially towards the end when each fight has their own unique track it just doesn’t get much better than this.
However I do have a few gripes. First of all, what the fuck is the save system. It is so damn archaic and unnecessary, forcing you to save at at only telephone boxes is so constricting, you pretty much have to play the game through long segments (especially at areas like the Dojima HQ or other Yakuza buildings) and there is no chance to save anywhere which is frustrating. And on occassions the damn thing doesn’t even function properly, I had to repeat some segments because of this which was really lame. Another complaint is the combat system, it is really really rudimentary, the styles are so unbalanced that there’s really no point to using anything other than Beast for Kiryu and Breaker for Majima (but slugger is pretty awesome) and also fighting the same people on the street gets extremely boring at times - when you’re trying to get somewhere and some random idiots make you waste 5 minutes it’s annoying. I think the most wack flaw here though is the jarring transition between cutscenes and that weird phase of characters talking with text. It literally goes from high quality and gorgeously animated to static and hilarious. Sometimes it’s really funny, and other times it kind of breaks the immersion and tension, even the voice acting doesn’t save it sometimes, and some moments which should be great feel kind of ruined.
In spite of this, Yakuza 0 still manages to set a strong, solid foundation with a bold, edge of your seat story and a lovable cast who pulled me in for the entire duration, never letting go even in the final moments, cementing itself as a masterpiece.
However I do have a few gripes. First of all, what the fuck is the save system. It is so damn archaic and unnecessary, forcing you to save at at only telephone boxes is so constricting, you pretty much have to play the game through long segments (especially at areas like the Dojima HQ or other Yakuza buildings) and there is no chance to save anywhere which is frustrating. And on occassions the damn thing doesn’t even function properly, I had to repeat some segments because of this which was really lame. Another complaint is the combat system, it is really really rudimentary, the styles are so unbalanced that there’s really no point to using anything other than Beast for Kiryu and Breaker for Majima (but slugger is pretty awesome) and also fighting the same people on the street gets extremely boring at times - when you’re trying to get somewhere and some random idiots make you waste 5 minutes it’s annoying. I think the most wack flaw here though is the jarring transition between cutscenes and that weird phase of characters talking with text. It literally goes from high quality and gorgeously animated to static and hilarious. Sometimes it’s really funny, and other times it kind of breaks the immersion and tension, even the voice acting doesn’t save it sometimes, and some moments which should be great feel kind of ruined.
In spite of this, Yakuza 0 still manages to set a strong, solid foundation with a bold, edge of your seat story and a lovable cast who pulled me in for the entire duration, never letting go even in the final moments, cementing itself as a masterpiece.
2011
Amazing puzzle game accompanied by a really intriguing narrative. The portal gun is a joy to use, and the introduction of gels only made it better. The actual puzzles are sort of difficult to figure out, but once it clicks it's awesome to complete them, and the game has this great sense of movement which keeps you engaged throughout, which is only further improved by the changing environments and the swift introduction of new machines. For the actual narrative, the writing is especially strong. GLaDOS is a very enthralling "antagonist" and both her and Wheatley serve as some great comedic relief, but what really stunned me is the gorgeous ending sequence. A wonderful, unique experience that is a must-play.
9/10
9/10
Unable to get past the first level.
0/10
0/10
2008
Everytime I play this game I go straight down memory lane, I’ve put so much time into it and it only brings back good times. I really hope future games adopt their racing mechanics from here because every other game just feels lackluster in comparison, inside-drifting bikes are amazing and the freedom they give for shortcuts and general movement is unrivalled, sure it results in some unbalanced characters and vehicles but who cares, Funky Kong and Daisy are awesome. The tracks here are also pretty consistent, some iconic ones like Mushroom Gorge, Maple Treeway, Koopa Cape, DK Summit and Coconut Mall really hit the mark, and the retro tracks are well built from the ground up. If the base game isn’t enough for you then there is a whole other fan-made mod which includes so many more custom tracks and modes made by players, and a way to play online again. A fine example of a game that reinvented the wheel perfectly.
9/10
9/10