MarshMallow
2020
A generic game with a poor gameplay loop held together by good acting and interesting writing to keep you playing until the end. If Marvel's Avengers was not held back by being a live service, this game could have been really good; even great. Look to Guardians Of The Galaxy as an example of what you can make when not held back by greedy business practise. Unfortunately, that's not the case for Marvel's Avengers, and so instead we are left with some slabs of good story content held together by sticks and mud.
2013
A beautifully chaotic story with simple yet gripping characters set against the backdrop of a world so ridiculous yet enthralling that I missed it upon leaving. GTA V presents a story with a million themes and with everything to say, yet nothing to say. That's kind of the beauty of it: everyone can take something different from it, and for me, that's perfect for a game like this.
2023
Truly a one-of-a-kind experience that only a series like Final Fantasy could capture. This game, from start to finish, kept me completely enthralled in everything from the story to the characters to the world to the gameplay. For a 50 hour experience, this is a feat.
First off, the gameplay never got old. Combat was always flashy, smooth and accompanied with the haptic feedback every single encounter was visceral. Some fights with random NPCs looked like CGI cutscenes, thanks to the masterful animations and graphics. The eikon abilities all help to really make you feel powerful, and that's not even talking about the Eikon fights themselves. This game singlehandedly has three of the best boss fights in any game I've ever played. Most games don't even have one to offer and this game has three. I genuinely have no clue how these people even dreamed of these fights, which are on a scale so godly that I found myself gawking more than once. I really really loved the fact that they went full-throttle with the concept of eikons, accurately portraying their scale and destruction in every sequence they are in. Some of these fights HAD to take place in rural areas because if they didn't the whole world would be destroyed. This masterful gameplay in both the normal fights and the eikons were always a highlight.
The world of Valisthea is so in-depth and by it's end, I really feel like I understand this world and it's politics. The political drama was always interesting and mysterious in all the right ways. It's also a beautiful world that changes as the story unfolds and as eikons clash and shake the earth.
The story itself is probably my favorite Final Fantasy story of all time. It's such a beautifully told love letter to humanity, with as much heartfelt moments as there is moments of epic grandiosity. Clive Rosfield is one of my favorite characters of all time, his voice acting was top notch and his arc is so meaningful especially on a replay. That being said, everyone else had superb voice acting and the entire cast of characters helped flesh out the world and it's themes. I also really enjoyed the side quests this game had to offer, whilst Some were filler, others were genuinely enthralling and had something to say about the world of valisthea.
All in all, this game was everything I wanted it to be and more, and I can't wait to revisit this game after some time. Fingers crossed for DLC.
First off, the gameplay never got old. Combat was always flashy, smooth and accompanied with the haptic feedback every single encounter was visceral. Some fights with random NPCs looked like CGI cutscenes, thanks to the masterful animations and graphics. The eikon abilities all help to really make you feel powerful, and that's not even talking about the Eikon fights themselves. This game singlehandedly has three of the best boss fights in any game I've ever played. Most games don't even have one to offer and this game has three. I genuinely have no clue how these people even dreamed of these fights, which are on a scale so godly that I found myself gawking more than once. I really really loved the fact that they went full-throttle with the concept of eikons, accurately portraying their scale and destruction in every sequence they are in. Some of these fights HAD to take place in rural areas because if they didn't the whole world would be destroyed. This masterful gameplay in both the normal fights and the eikons were always a highlight.
The world of Valisthea is so in-depth and by it's end, I really feel like I understand this world and it's politics. The political drama was always interesting and mysterious in all the right ways. It's also a beautiful world that changes as the story unfolds and as eikons clash and shake the earth.
The story itself is probably my favorite Final Fantasy story of all time. It's such a beautifully told love letter to humanity, with as much heartfelt moments as there is moments of epic grandiosity. Clive Rosfield is one of my favorite characters of all time, his voice acting was top notch and his arc is so meaningful especially on a replay. That being said, everyone else had superb voice acting and the entire cast of characters helped flesh out the world and it's themes. I also really enjoyed the side quests this game had to offer, whilst Some were filler, others were genuinely enthralling and had something to say about the world of valisthea.
All in all, this game was everything I wanted it to be and more, and I can't wait to revisit this game after some time. Fingers crossed for DLC.
Perfect ending to a perfect series.
2019
My favorite game of all time. Oozing with charm, passion and talent. Best art design and UI I've ever seen, with unparalleled writing, loveable characters, and an addictive soundtrack. A hundred-hour game that had me hooked for every single second.
2010
This review contains spoilers
The masterful finale to Kratos' Greek saga. This game book-ends every aspect about the trilogy in peak form. The combat is more fluid than ever, with flashy animations and impactful blows that make combat a joy to play. Complementing this is the sheer scope of every boss fight in the game, and there's a lot of them. Acting as the final battle between the titans, gods and monsters of the Greek world, Kratos has a lot of people he needs to kill, and it has never been more fun. Every boss is a bombastic set-piece that serves as a swan-song for the epic scale of the Greek trilogy. Alongside the gameplay, the graphics are noticeably upgraded since the previous entries, and especially on PS5, this game looks really good. The story could not have been handled better, with Kratos' arc of vengeance being tied up nicely, whilst also introducing story elements that add nuance and help the story not feel so black-and-white. Throughout these games, we have been with Kratos every step of the way, through every battle and sorrow, and so by the trilogy's end, I was left feeling satisfied and eager for a new beginning...
2007
This game expands on the first in every aspect. Bigger story, better animations, refined combat and traversal, enhanced world-building and art-style; pretty much a step up everywhere. This game perfectly sets up the third entry, and by the end I was left excited to keep playing.
2005
This review contains spoilers
A brilliant first entry into the God Of War franchise. This game sets the tone perfectly for all entries to come, with gameplay and story enjoyable enough to keep you invested for its relatively short runtime. In hindsight with all the games after this, God Of War 1 is given an extra depth of enjoyment to see where it all began. The story is told in an interesting way, unveiling Kratos' past in small chunks to keep you invested through all the fighting and puzzle-solving. It's definitely the more simple of the other stories in the franchise, but its a perfect start that sets the foundation for Kratos' arc as far as Ragnarok. The gameplay is concrete and fun, but it does feel like the skeleton of a system that is perfected in the following entries. The art style is amazing, it really feels like I'm watching a greek mythology epic sprout from the page. The cartoony style helps mask the age in graphics. The soundtrack is perfection, with booming choirs and orchestral pieces that match the grandiose nature of everything about this game. Overall, this game is the most reserved compared to everything else, but that doesn't make it any less fun.
This game deserves all the praise it gets. For the entirety of its main story runtime, I was hooked. Everything from the immersive world, full of intricate details and well-thought-out locations that never got old to explore. The side-quests that were written just as well as the main quests. The combat system, perfectly capturing how a Witcher would fight, always fluid and fun. After reading the books, seeing those small references and details made me appreciate the game's writing even more. Geralt is an amazing character to follow, along with Yen, Ciri, Dandelion, and more. Every plot point felt earned and impactful, although I feel that the final battle could have had a bit more impact. Overall, this game is a masterclass of writing, character, gameplay and graphics and I'm eager to keep playing to see what else this game has in store.
This is the best video game trilogy I have ever played. A masterfully written space epic that, upon conclusion, I was left wanting to start it all over again. These three games are perfect in everything from their art design, sound design and character writing. It's one of the few choice-based games that actually felt like every choice I made had substance. I created my own arcs, I chose my own story that would be different from others. Shepard is an amazingly crafted character regardless of morality paths, and every single character is given nuance and an arc that brought so much fulfillment. The gameplay is a steady improvement with every game, going from serviceable to extremely enjoyable. Mass Effect 3 is my personal favorite, thanks to the pure scale of the story and set pieces and the fact that it managed to weave all these stories into a great ending. Overall, these three games are timeless masterpieces, and I'm eager to delve back into them at some point.
2013
This game is a timeless gem. The world of Bioshock holds so much potential, and this game capitalizes on the potential, presenting a beautifully-crafted world and a deeply interesting story that leaves you in awe by its end. Despite its 2013 release, this game has not aged, thanks to its art style that doesn't focus on realism. Despite this, the world of Columbia is genuinely jaw-dropping, everything from its design to its transitioning state as the game progresses. The gameplay is pretty general, you go from exploration to combat pretty frequently, and whilst the combat sequences began to feel a little long in the tooth, it helped that the gunplay itself is actually really fun. The use of ziplines adds a level of movement that spices up those segments as well. The main grab of this game is in its story, and it's a brilliant one at that. The concept is so intriguing, and it doesn't hold your hand either. You're left to infer and wonder about what it really means, and that's a great point to get to. The voice acting is superb, if a little cheezy at times, and the arcs that Elizabeth and Booker go on are one of the greats of any video game story.
2019
A simple enough game that doesn't take too long to beat, but doesn't add too much in that short runtime either. John Wick Hex is very stylistic in both graphics and gameplay, and I did enjoy the neon aesthetic that harkens back to the movies. Where the game begins to fall apart for me is in the mixed bag of a gameplay system. At times, when it worked, it really worked, and I honestly did feel like I was choreographing these action segments with ease. This was helped by the option to view back your gameplay in a more cinematic style, an addition I really appreciated. However, those moments felt a little sparse compared to the moments of clunky movement and awkward positioning, which oftentimes brought more frustration than enjoyment. Moving on from gameplay, the voice acting was overall very good, an obvious standout would be Troy Baker's performance as Hex. The writing of the dialogue felt reminiscent of the Wick movies, and that was always enjoyable, but these cutscenes served more as a scene setter than anything else, considering the length of the game, the little emphasis on the story is understandable. Overall, John Wick Hex is a game where, when it works, it is a genuinely fun ride, however, this experience is marred by a lot of clunky gameplay and the story is too sparse to separate those unenjoyable moments.
2022
This review contains spoilers
Sonic Frontiers is a game that genuinely surprised me. I've been playing Sonic games since I was little, I'm pretty sure the first game I ever played was a Sonic game. This franchise will always have a special place in my heart, however, my history has not eliminated the fact that the sonic games of late haven't been exactly great games. This franchise has been going through something of an identity crisis, and after seeing the initial gameplay of Frontiers, I was extremely skeptical. It took me a couple months after the game came out to even pick it up because I just wasn't feeling Sonic, and didn't expect this game to change that. I'm happy to say I was very wrong. This game, whilst having a lot of flaws, is a fresh take on the franchise that I believe will lead to a return to greatness for this series.
For starters, the story of this game was surprisingly captivating and interesting, and I was glad to see that the writers made an effort to link the games of the past with Frontiers. Characters will mention past events in conversation, and If they continue down this path then there will be a better sense of cohesion between games, with arcs that could span multiple games. That idea is exciting. The expansion of the lore was clever and added context to games as far back as Adventure 2, and that, I find extremely refreshing. The soundtrack is awesome as always, with a mix of calming tracks and heavy metal epics that match the tones of their respective gameplay segments. Speaking of gameplay, that aspect is perhaps the most mixed bag of the game. I was surprised at how enjoyable the gameplay loop was, however, I definitely understand the criticism and am optimistic about how it can be innovated in the future. The combat was a definite standout, having much more in-depth moves to use is a refreshing upgrade from simple homing attacks. I wish there was a bit more variety in the gameplay loop, whilst it was fun at first, things got a bit more formulaic towards the end and ultimately got stale. The graphics were also hit or miss, sometimes the game would look nice and other times it would look downright bad. Hoping to see an improvement in future installments. My favorite aspect of the game is the way characters are handled. It felt like there was a lot more depth this time around, and that comes with the more mature tone this game takes. Every character has a distinctive arc and, most importantly, they are changed by the end, in a way that it feels like they are setting the arcs up to be expanded in future games, which I love. A standout for me was Eggman, who was give a much more humanised role in this game. He didn't even really feel like the villain, and by the end, I honestly felt sorry for him. This feels like it could be the last game where Eggman is in an antagonistic role, as he seems to be transitioning to a more sympathetic, hesitant ally who cares only about his daughter. Sonic is as good as always, he remains the ray of light that brings everyone up. Whilst I'm not a fan of Roger Craig Smith's performance in most of his Sonic appearances, this game was definitely my favourite performance of his and it might have convinced me to be less cynical if he returns in other games. Amy's one was weird though, she kinda sounded 12 and 67 at the same time. Spectacle is another aspect that this game handled well, the super sonic boss fights are engaging and cool to watch, and I think they can only go up from here in that aspect. Overall, Sonic Frontiers is a game I went in with very low expectations, and rolled credits feeling honestly reinvigorated with this franchise. For the first time in a while, I'm excited for what comes next, and I encourage everyone to give this game a proper try. An exciting new road in the Sonic franchise!
For starters, the story of this game was surprisingly captivating and interesting, and I was glad to see that the writers made an effort to link the games of the past with Frontiers. Characters will mention past events in conversation, and If they continue down this path then there will be a better sense of cohesion between games, with arcs that could span multiple games. That idea is exciting. The expansion of the lore was clever and added context to games as far back as Adventure 2, and that, I find extremely refreshing. The soundtrack is awesome as always, with a mix of calming tracks and heavy metal epics that match the tones of their respective gameplay segments. Speaking of gameplay, that aspect is perhaps the most mixed bag of the game. I was surprised at how enjoyable the gameplay loop was, however, I definitely understand the criticism and am optimistic about how it can be innovated in the future. The combat was a definite standout, having much more in-depth moves to use is a refreshing upgrade from simple homing attacks. I wish there was a bit more variety in the gameplay loop, whilst it was fun at first, things got a bit more formulaic towards the end and ultimately got stale. The graphics were also hit or miss, sometimes the game would look nice and other times it would look downright bad. Hoping to see an improvement in future installments. My favorite aspect of the game is the way characters are handled. It felt like there was a lot more depth this time around, and that comes with the more mature tone this game takes. Every character has a distinctive arc and, most importantly, they are changed by the end, in a way that it feels like they are setting the arcs up to be expanded in future games, which I love. A standout for me was Eggman, who was give a much more humanised role in this game. He didn't even really feel like the villain, and by the end, I honestly felt sorry for him. This feels like it could be the last game where Eggman is in an antagonistic role, as he seems to be transitioning to a more sympathetic, hesitant ally who cares only about his daughter. Sonic is as good as always, he remains the ray of light that brings everyone up. Whilst I'm not a fan of Roger Craig Smith's performance in most of his Sonic appearances, this game was definitely my favourite performance of his and it might have convinced me to be less cynical if he returns in other games. Amy's one was weird though, she kinda sounded 12 and 67 at the same time. Spectacle is another aspect that this game handled well, the super sonic boss fights are engaging and cool to watch, and I think they can only go up from here in that aspect. Overall, Sonic Frontiers is a game I went in with very low expectations, and rolled credits feeling honestly reinvigorated with this franchise. For the first time in a while, I'm excited for what comes next, and I encourage everyone to give this game a proper try. An exciting new road in the Sonic franchise!
A true journey from beginning to end. Final Fantasy XV excels in character writing and emotional drama that keeps you entertained throughout the game's runtime. Where it lacks in areas such as gameplay, it makes up for it in the rich dialogue between these characters, who genuinely feel like friends. It doesn't take long to become connected to them, and this factor, coupled with interesting politics and worldbuilding, makes for a great package overall. The soundtrack also slaps, and the whole ending portion is one of my favorite video game endings ever. If you have never played a Final Fantasy game before, this is definitely a good place to start.
I'm really happy I came back to this one. I played a little bit a few years ago but wasn't hooked enough to stop me from jumping to other games. However once I jumped back into it, I ended up feeling surprised with the end result. Death Stranding is a game that is very hard to sell to people. The gameplay loop sounds boring, however I honestly enjoyed it for the whole runtime. I liked managing my packages, planning my routes and problem-solving my way through a hostile and supernatural america (which is visually gorgeous). Above the gameplay is the story, which presents a concept that I found so interesting and in-depth. That said, a lot of scenes are marred by obvious exposition, which is needed, however I feel it could have been done in a less heavy handed way. The vehicle gameplay is also very clunky, to the point where I would rather just walk the whole way. Overall, this game, despite it's flaws, is unapologetically true to its themes and ideas, and I feel that Kojima has successfully delivered a story of life and death, and the importance that connections have on making that journey across these two ends worth it.