MeerkatChris
[Campaign rating & review]
The campaign is Call of Duty's typical Hollywood-level action spectacle with some fun espionage work, but overall feels more like little stepping stones towards a third game than a wholly standalone story.
I was sad to see Captain Price sidelined for the majority of this game's playtime, since he was my favourite character from the first in this reboot. I still don't feel like Gaz's new voice actor fits in with this group... He comes off more like the awkward "I'm cool, too" kid at school who nobody really likes but puts up with & fake laughs at their jokes, as to not make them feel left out. The new Soap is a decent replacement for the original, and the new Ghost is good enough also. Alejandro is a great new addition, too! It's a likable group of characters.
The pacing suffers from the game makers feeling they can't just have the campaign made up of you running & gunning your way through each mission, so instead tries to mix up the gameplay for what feels like every other mission with a new take like "you'll control the CCTV in this mission and guide Ghost through the level". To be fair, they're mostly all fun in their own right and there's a nice bit of variety, but when it's all in such a small timeframe and with a story mode that is so short as it is, it feels like too much. It sounds like a stupid "typical Cod Fanboy" complaint, but I really did barely feel like we got to do much "just shoot enemy soldiers" like normal! Although, I did like the larger & more non-linear missions, as well as the longer mission where Soap is defenceless and has to scavenge for supplies while making his way back to Ghost and avoiding enemies. They were enjoyable and quite memorable!
I also felt like there were one too many villains, since we not only had Hassan and Valeria to worry about, but later on Graves and Shepard as well (although he is sadly relegated to cinematics only and barely holds any weight as an advisory unlike in the original, to the point where I would have forgotten all about him if it wasn't for his name being the same as in the 2009 game). Had they focused more on just a couple of them, it might have felt weightier overall. Especially since I keep forgetting the lackluster "final battles" with each one of them, as it is...
On top of all this, it also ends on another "here's a recognisable name" like with the first reboot game, hoping to set off those member-berry goosebumps in excitement for the next game. It also squeezes in a "nod" to the original MW2's infamous No Russian as well in the form of an end credit tease. The whole story just feels uninspired and doesn't make this entry stand on its own or able to carve out its own character, compared to the original lot.
MWII's campaign is made up of lots of fun variety, solid gunplay and a likable cast of characters, but unfortunately just doesn't come close to the levels of engaging story telling like with the original MW and MW2, or even what I remember from the 2019 campaign.
Overall rating: 5.3/10
The campaign is Call of Duty's typical Hollywood-level action spectacle with some fun espionage work, but overall feels more like little stepping stones towards a third game than a wholly standalone story.
I was sad to see Captain Price sidelined for the majority of this game's playtime, since he was my favourite character from the first in this reboot. I still don't feel like Gaz's new voice actor fits in with this group... He comes off more like the awkward "I'm cool, too" kid at school who nobody really likes but puts up with & fake laughs at their jokes, as to not make them feel left out. The new Soap is a decent replacement for the original, and the new Ghost is good enough also. Alejandro is a great new addition, too! It's a likable group of characters.
The pacing suffers from the game makers feeling they can't just have the campaign made up of you running & gunning your way through each mission, so instead tries to mix up the gameplay for what feels like every other mission with a new take like "you'll control the CCTV in this mission and guide Ghost through the level". To be fair, they're mostly all fun in their own right and there's a nice bit of variety, but when it's all in such a small timeframe and with a story mode that is so short as it is, it feels like too much. It sounds like a stupid "typical Cod Fanboy" complaint, but I really did barely feel like we got to do much "just shoot enemy soldiers" like normal! Although, I did like the larger & more non-linear missions, as well as the longer mission where Soap is defenceless and has to scavenge for supplies while making his way back to Ghost and avoiding enemies. They were enjoyable and quite memorable!
I also felt like there were one too many villains, since we not only had Hassan and Valeria to worry about, but later on Graves and Shepard as well (although he is sadly relegated to cinematics only and barely holds any weight as an advisory unlike in the original, to the point where I would have forgotten all about him if it wasn't for his name being the same as in the 2009 game). Had they focused more on just a couple of them, it might have felt weightier overall. Especially since I keep forgetting the lackluster "final battles" with each one of them, as it is...
On top of all this, it also ends on another "here's a recognisable name" like with the first reboot game, hoping to set off those member-berry goosebumps in excitement for the next game. It also squeezes in a "nod" to the original MW2's infamous No Russian as well in the form of an end credit tease. The whole story just feels uninspired and doesn't make this entry stand on its own or able to carve out its own character, compared to the original lot.
MWII's campaign is made up of lots of fun variety, solid gunplay and a likable cast of characters, but unfortunately just doesn't come close to the levels of engaging story telling like with the original MW and MW2, or even what I remember from the 2019 campaign.
Overall rating: 5.3/10
2021
A fun mix of mystery, paranormal intrigue, horror, surprisingly tense combat and a compelling episodic structure - all while playing as an author getting a little too involved with his own writing. I'm sure both were heavy inspirations, but it very much feels like a story about Stephen King finding himself in the world of the Twin Peaks TV show.
It has a lack of variety when it comes to the enemies & gameplay, and it maybe gets a little full of itself and melodramatic at times, but it's a very admirable narrative-led title nonetheless.
Great songs ending each episode too 🎶
Overall rating: 7.5/10
It has a lack of variety when it comes to the enemies & gameplay, and it maybe gets a little full of itself and melodramatic at times, but it's a very admirable narrative-led title nonetheless.
Great songs ending each episode too 🎶
Overall rating: 7.5/10
2010
Loved Fallout 3 from beginning to end about a decade ago, and New Vegas plays very similar to that but with an arguably more memorable & interesting setting and story.
The overall "Las Vegas"/Casinos/ a gang made up entirely of Elvis Presley impersonators stuff is just pure fun to explore and lose countless hours in to.
Can't say it's perfect though! My main "problem" would have to be in just how easy the gunplay becomes by adding just a single companion to your journey. Most enemies become a minor inconvenience, even in large groups, and I barely feel like I can actually get chance to finish any one of them off without the Sniper companion in particular doing it all for me.
Still, great fun and I'll no doubt be continuing with my journey through the wasteland remains of Las Vegas in the future!
Overall rating (not completed): 7.9/10
The overall "Las Vegas"/Casinos/ a gang made up entirely of Elvis Presley impersonators stuff is just pure fun to explore and lose countless hours in to.
Can't say it's perfect though! My main "problem" would have to be in just how easy the gunplay becomes by adding just a single companion to your journey. Most enemies become a minor inconvenience, even in large groups, and I barely feel like I can actually get chance to finish any one of them off without the Sniper companion in particular doing it all for me.
Still, great fun and I'll no doubt be continuing with my journey through the wasteland remains of Las Vegas in the future!
Overall rating (not completed): 7.9/10
2013
Thrillingly tense from start to finish! It's got a great asylum setting, intriguingly scary enemies in the mutilated patients and a fun gimmick with the first person camcorder gameplay.
I love when games take away the mechanics you may have gotten a little TOO comfortable with part way, and when they do that with the camcorder (and consequently, your night vision), leaving you vulnerable in the pitch black asylum, I was only hoping for more of that! Even better, the darkness was actually DARK (unlike in most of Amnesia, for example, which always ruined the horror a bit there for me).
VERY Resident Evil in terms of story, though... But as I always say, that's never necessarily a bad thing 🤷🏻
Overall rating: 7.5/10
I love when games take away the mechanics you may have gotten a little TOO comfortable with part way, and when they do that with the camcorder (and consequently, your night vision), leaving you vulnerable in the pitch black asylum, I was only hoping for more of that! Even better, the darkness was actually DARK (unlike in most of Amnesia, for example, which always ruined the horror a bit there for me).
VERY Resident Evil in terms of story, though... But as I always say, that's never necessarily a bad thing 🤷🏻
Overall rating: 7.5/10
2020
Well, I never expected to be playing a game as a heavily pregnant woman before...
Very compelling story! It's just a shame the gameplay is so linear and that most of the horror is made up of scripted sequences...
I personally found Tasi to be the most well-rounded & most rootable protagonist of the series, and through that personal determination to protect & rescue her new baby easily helped Rebirth have the most engaging finale to any of the games so far, including The Bunker.
The Amnesia series is always fantastic with suspense though, and Rebirth is no exception. There are plenty levels where you're evading something or being chased through a series of tight hallways. However, I did find the tension drop a ton whenever I'd get "caught" and then... respawn? And the threat would just no longer exist? I'm confused as to whether there were any instances of failing or dying, and it just removed the tension in a lot of the later half...
Still, that's the thing with this series. You've got the more compelling story-led games (Rebirth and A Machine For Pigs), that are let down in the gameplay-department; and then the much more involved and replayable horror-focused ones (The Dark Descent and The Bunker) that are more convoluted or just lighter in the story department. To be honest, I've enjoyed them all! I don't think any are particularly bad. I just wish they'd manage a game that's BOTH highly involved in the gameplay AND intriguing with the story.
Overall rating: 6.5/10
Very compelling story! It's just a shame the gameplay is so linear and that most of the horror is made up of scripted sequences...
I personally found Tasi to be the most well-rounded & most rootable protagonist of the series, and through that personal determination to protect & rescue her new baby easily helped Rebirth have the most engaging finale to any of the games so far, including The Bunker.
The Amnesia series is always fantastic with suspense though, and Rebirth is no exception. There are plenty levels where you're evading something or being chased through a series of tight hallways. However, I did find the tension drop a ton whenever I'd get "caught" and then... respawn? And the threat would just no longer exist? I'm confused as to whether there were any instances of failing or dying, and it just removed the tension in a lot of the later half...
Still, that's the thing with this series. You've got the more compelling story-led games (Rebirth and A Machine For Pigs), that are let down in the gameplay-department; and then the much more involved and replayable horror-focused ones (The Dark Descent and The Bunker) that are more convoluted or just lighter in the story department. To be honest, I've enjoyed them all! I don't think any are particularly bad. I just wish they'd manage a game that's BOTH highly involved in the gameplay AND intriguing with the story.
Overall rating: 6.5/10
2023
Perfectly tense horror experience!
Focusing more on the survival horror mechanics with the health, INCREDIBLY limited ammo supplies and fuel for the generator really made this a step above the others gameplay-wise for me. Combined with the open level design and forever-present monster constantly on the hunt for you, it edged the appeal closer to Resident Evil territory (and that's never a bad thing 😎).
Love how this series has experimented with entirely different gameplay, locations & eras, and this claustrophobic WWI bunker could well easily be my favourite so far.
It's simplistic, sure. It's mainly the one big bunker area split into a handful of sub-areas, with the one big monster searching for you as you go around collecting the gear you need. But its simplicity is kind of what makes it work at the same time. It doesn't get bogged down in overly convoluted storytelling (looking at you, Machine For Pigs) or outstay its welcome running time-wise. It's just a nightmarish little experience!
Not sure if I prefer this to The Dark Descent but I would say that by being the shorter game and less reliant on needing to tell a well-rounded story, it could be argued that it's a bit of a stronger product overall...
Overall rating: 7.0/10
Focusing more on the survival horror mechanics with the health, INCREDIBLY limited ammo supplies and fuel for the generator really made this a step above the others gameplay-wise for me. Combined with the open level design and forever-present monster constantly on the hunt for you, it edged the appeal closer to Resident Evil territory (and that's never a bad thing 😎).
Love how this series has experimented with entirely different gameplay, locations & eras, and this claustrophobic WWI bunker could well easily be my favourite so far.
It's simplistic, sure. It's mainly the one big bunker area split into a handful of sub-areas, with the one big monster searching for you as you go around collecting the gear you need. But its simplicity is kind of what makes it work at the same time. It doesn't get bogged down in overly convoluted storytelling (looking at you, Machine For Pigs) or outstay its welcome running time-wise. It's just a nightmarish little experience!
Not sure if I prefer this to The Dark Descent but I would say that by being the shorter game and less reliant on needing to tell a well-rounded story, it could be argued that it's a bit of a stronger product overall...
Overall rating: 7.0/10
2012
From the music, to the art style, to the "one more try" insta-death gameplay, Hotline Miami sure is a memorable experience. One of my favourites for the Vita.
It's the closest thing we'll get to a game of Drive meets John Wick and I love it all the more for it!
Bit too short overall and not a big fan of how it tries to wrap all of its mystery up, however.
Overall rating: 7.9/10
It's the closest thing we'll get to a game of Drive meets John Wick and I love it all the more for it!
Bit too short overall and not a big fan of how it tries to wrap all of its mystery up, however.
Overall rating: 7.9/10
2016
Short, atmospheric and with great art work for the level design. Very, VERY strong mystery and a likable set of characters.
My only complaints are down to the AI companions feeling very detached from the rest of the game; both in art style and the way they feel under-animated... Really immersion breaking.
It's a sweet little game!
Overall: 7.0/10
My only complaints are down to the AI companions feeling very detached from the rest of the game; both in art style and the way they feel under-animated... Really immersion breaking.
It's a sweet little game!
Overall: 7.0/10
I loved the large explorable tombs and inclusion of a few puzzles. As a HUGE Tomb Raider fan, this felt like a solid TR game with a playable Jedi and in the gorgeously deep Star Wars universe. It's great fun!
Would have liked more stealthier options here and there though, as well as maybe making the crew you spend the whole game building up actually feel more involved in the narrative.
Overall: 8.2/10
Would have liked more stealthier options here and there though, as well as maybe making the crew you spend the whole game building up actually feel more involved in the narrative.
Overall: 8.2/10
Cute little farming game with some enjoyable island customisation. It's got such a nice appeal that draws you back day after day to tend to your island and chores.
However, it's very limited in gameplay variety and I do feel that they could easily have added extra little minigames here and there to keep it more engaging (particularly when it comes to the swimming for sea creatures).
Being able to have other players visit your island is the main reason I've stuck with the game for as long as I have though, and I do feel that without said feature it wouldn't keep me wanting to stick at it & improve as much as I do.
Overall rating: 7.5/10
However, it's very limited in gameplay variety and I do feel that they could easily have added extra little minigames here and there to keep it more engaging (particularly when it comes to the swimming for sea creatures).
Being able to have other players visit your island is the main reason I've stuck with the game for as long as I have though, and I do feel that without said feature it wouldn't keep me wanting to stick at it & improve as much as I do.
Overall rating: 7.5/10
In many ways, a step above the first. Sound design is perfect, along with much more impactful voice acting and even some nice musical scoring at times.
This game genuinely had me on edge for a good chunk of it also! There were moments where my eyes would widen & begin to tear up in fear. Great horror work, although this was entirely in the first half of the game...
You see, it's just simply far too long. Way too many levels feel like the same endless dark metallic corridors. Most of these levels barely feature any enemy encounters or any real puzzles either (despite many areas featuring looping paths and alternate routes, implying chases that don't ever happen), so a huge chunk of the gameplay is made up of just walking about.
I do admire the greater effort on making a cinematic story, but it also begins to lose my interest towards the end. It begins to feel a little confusing and drawn out also, but I'm not sure if that was me just getting bored of it or not.
Overall rating: 5.2/10
This game genuinely had me on edge for a good chunk of it also! There were moments where my eyes would widen & begin to tear up in fear. Great horror work, although this was entirely in the first half of the game...
You see, it's just simply far too long. Way too many levels feel like the same endless dark metallic corridors. Most of these levels barely feature any enemy encounters or any real puzzles either (despite many areas featuring looping paths and alternate routes, implying chases that don't ever happen), so a huge chunk of the gameplay is made up of just walking about.
I do admire the greater effort on making a cinematic story, but it also begins to lose my interest towards the end. It begins to feel a little confusing and drawn out also, but I'm not sure if that was me just getting bored of it or not.
Overall rating: 5.2/10
2011
Very solid expansion, although a little too short and not quite sure how I feel about the execution of the "twist" ending. Still a decent little 30 minute story!
Has excellent scares through the unstoppable enemy though. Easily more intense than TDD because of said enemy, as well as the absence of saving and perma-death.
Overall rating: 5.5/10
Has excellent scares through the unstoppable enemy though. Easily more intense than TDD because of said enemy, as well as the absence of saving and perma-death.
Overall rating: 5.5/10
The Dark Descent has great atmosphere, enjoyable & understandable puzzles, as well as iconic enemies. It's underwhelming storytelling is still passable, but ultimately let's it down in the end.
The first few times I tried this out a few years back, it was genuinely terrifying and suspenseful, but it didn't really bother me that much this time round 🤔
Overall rating: 7.3/10
The first few times I tried this out a few years back, it was genuinely terrifying and suspenseful, but it didn't really bother me that much this time round 🤔
Overall rating: 7.3/10
Linear story-driven FPS game masterpiece. Such a blast to play through time and time again, thanks to its perfect pacing, genuinely rootable protagonists, satisfying gunplay and detestable villains. So many goosebump moments throughout as well!
Maybe one of my most played single player stories 🤷🏻♂️
Overall rating: 8.9/10
Maybe one of my most played single player stories 🤷🏻♂️
Overall rating: 8.9/10
2011
It's a game that I appreciate more than I personally think is great.
It's story is incredibly uninteresting, and its pacing is heavily weighed down by the over reliance on "rescuing Ashley" over and over again... It might have worked better if Ashley had more to her character than being a one-note damsel in distress that only ever seems to scream "LEON! HELP ME, LEON!" at agonising volume & even when she seems to be nowhere in sight. I simply couldn't care less about rescuing her, even if she is "the President's daughter". At least in Village, there was a personal attachment to hunting down and rescuing Rose as Ethan Winters, but there's none of that very much needed ambition to care at all here.
As for the locations, there are a couple that stand out above the rest; the starting village and the Gothic castle. Unfortunately, it cheapens out for the same old sewers, underground labs and dull cliff-side scenery afterwards - as to be expected, since its pretty much how the entire franchise plays out. I really wish that one of these games would just stick with their starting settings and play it all out from there. It just gets so repetitive and dull after playing any other entry (even by this fourth entry).
I respect what the game did for the game industry. It undoubtedly had a huge impact on third person gunplay and led to more survival-action games that plagued later entries in this very series. I just don't think the action-heavy Resident Evil's work as well for me... I don't mind when the survival horror games lean more into the action towards their finale's, as they tend to naturally progress to this in making you feel like you're overcoming the game itself, but I'm not so keen on an all-out action take. RE4 does have its share of horror, I agree, and those were probably my favourite parts - but even then I'd say it's more tense than scary.
However, while on the topic of its action approach, I did find myself getting pumped up and ready to fight when entering an area towards the end of the game that had dozens of villagers ready to kill me - only for the game to take away all of that potential fun by randomly having a chopper do all the work for you. Like, seriously? THAT could have been a whole lot of fun.
I would also say that this game is FAR too easy... I get that there is a more challenging "Professional" mode after beating the game once, but the default Normal mode should still feel challenging. The boss fights themselves were perhaps some of the easiest I've played throughout this series so far, and they were all very cliché of the franchise staples. I was looking forward to these "Regenerators" that I'd heard so much about, but even they turned out to be no more of a challenge than finding a specific spot to stand in whilst you repeatedly shoot their 'weak spots' until they're dead - I never once had to even take a single step backwards, as they were no threat at all.
Having said all that, the game is still fun. Once you get used to the heavy tank controls and awkward camera, it's a good time for the most part. It is a nice break away from the earlier fixed-camera titles, even if I do prefer those myself.
Overall rating: 7.2/10
It's story is incredibly uninteresting, and its pacing is heavily weighed down by the over reliance on "rescuing Ashley" over and over again... It might have worked better if Ashley had more to her character than being a one-note damsel in distress that only ever seems to scream "LEON! HELP ME, LEON!" at agonising volume & even when she seems to be nowhere in sight. I simply couldn't care less about rescuing her, even if she is "the President's daughter". At least in Village, there was a personal attachment to hunting down and rescuing Rose as Ethan Winters, but there's none of that very much needed ambition to care at all here.
As for the locations, there are a couple that stand out above the rest; the starting village and the Gothic castle. Unfortunately, it cheapens out for the same old sewers, underground labs and dull cliff-side scenery afterwards - as to be expected, since its pretty much how the entire franchise plays out. I really wish that one of these games would just stick with their starting settings and play it all out from there. It just gets so repetitive and dull after playing any other entry (even by this fourth entry).
I respect what the game did for the game industry. It undoubtedly had a huge impact on third person gunplay and led to more survival-action games that plagued later entries in this very series. I just don't think the action-heavy Resident Evil's work as well for me... I don't mind when the survival horror games lean more into the action towards their finale's, as they tend to naturally progress to this in making you feel like you're overcoming the game itself, but I'm not so keen on an all-out action take. RE4 does have its share of horror, I agree, and those were probably my favourite parts - but even then I'd say it's more tense than scary.
However, while on the topic of its action approach, I did find myself getting pumped up and ready to fight when entering an area towards the end of the game that had dozens of villagers ready to kill me - only for the game to take away all of that potential fun by randomly having a chopper do all the work for you. Like, seriously? THAT could have been a whole lot of fun.
I would also say that this game is FAR too easy... I get that there is a more challenging "Professional" mode after beating the game once, but the default Normal mode should still feel challenging. The boss fights themselves were perhaps some of the easiest I've played throughout this series so far, and they were all very cliché of the franchise staples. I was looking forward to these "Regenerators" that I'd heard so much about, but even they turned out to be no more of a challenge than finding a specific spot to stand in whilst you repeatedly shoot their 'weak spots' until they're dead - I never once had to even take a single step backwards, as they were no threat at all.
Having said all that, the game is still fun. Once you get used to the heavy tank controls and awkward camera, it's a good time for the most part. It is a nice break away from the earlier fixed-camera titles, even if I do prefer those myself.
Overall rating: 7.2/10