NekoTempo
Silent Hill 2 for people who like John Woo movies.
Jokes aside, this game is just perfect. Remedy's best game (I have not played Alan Wake 2 yet, will need a better PC before I get to it) and one of the best games of all time. There aren't many third person shooters that feel as satisfying as this.
''Max Payne's journey through the night continues.'' ... Welp, too bad it wasn't in the way they probably intended. lol
Jokes aside, this game is just perfect. Remedy's best game (I have not played Alan Wake 2 yet, will need a better PC before I get to it) and one of the best games of all time. There aren't many third person shooters that feel as satisfying as this.
''Max Payne's journey through the night continues.'' ... Welp, too bad it wasn't in the way they probably intended. lol
2017
Wow... I'm actually speechless by how good this game was. Going from a game that I nearly hated completely to something ALMOST perfect.
They improved upon everything from the first game. Combat is far more polished and satisfying, superior visuals, far less linear and most important of all: The story is very strong here. While not as dark or grimy as the first game, it still delivers in offering a pretty strong psychological and surreal experience.
Aside from how nicely directed the cutscenes are, the cast feel like actual characters now. I really cared about Sebastian in this one, compared to how much of a husk he was in the first one. Even supporting characters like Kidman, Myra and Alpha Team are pretty interesting in their own ways and made me root for them to make it to the end.
The villains could've been better developed but they're all pretty entertaining to watch at least, Stefano being the main highlight. By the way, did you know he's a tumblr sexyman? You'll only find art of him in the game's tag. lol
If I have any complaints... The game can be glitchy as heck. Kinda led to a couple of deaths or immersion breaking moments while playing. The game is also not particularly difficult in the normal difficulty once you start getting upgrades and is also pretty forgiving on giving you ammo. And worst of all: Playing the first game + DLCs feel required for understanding this game's story. Good luck with that shit! At least you'll have a good payoff for when you get to this one.
What an incredible action horror game, honestly. We better get a third game someday.
They improved upon everything from the first game. Combat is far more polished and satisfying, superior visuals, far less linear and most important of all: The story is very strong here. While not as dark or grimy as the first game, it still delivers in offering a pretty strong psychological and surreal experience.
Aside from how nicely directed the cutscenes are, the cast feel like actual characters now. I really cared about Sebastian in this one, compared to how much of a husk he was in the first one. Even supporting characters like Kidman, Myra and Alpha Team are pretty interesting in their own ways and made me root for them to make it to the end.
The villains could've been better developed but they're all pretty entertaining to watch at least, Stefano being the main highlight. By the way, did you know he's a tumblr sexyman? You'll only find art of him in the game's tag. lol
If I have any complaints... The game can be glitchy as heck. Kinda led to a couple of deaths or immersion breaking moments while playing. The game is also not particularly difficult in the normal difficulty once you start getting upgrades and is also pretty forgiving on giving you ammo. And worst of all: Playing the first game + DLCs feel required for understanding this game's story. Good luck with that shit! At least you'll have a good payoff for when you get to this one.
What an incredible action horror game, honestly. We better get a third game someday.
2024
''Staring into the flames... I feel something. It's a mixture of dread and hope.. Maybe everything will be okay. Or maybe it won't.''
This game came out on my birthday (May 9!!) and my goodness, what a gift this was. One of those games that ever since I played the demo it felt like something that was tailor made for me.
I did like 3 playthroughs of this since the weekend as I honestly fell in love with it, I just wanted to experience everything there was of it. This game perfectly captures the PS1 horror experience, calling back to things like Resident Evil 1 (specifically the original) and Silent Hill 1. A mixture of eerieness, moody atmosphere, body horror and it all clashes quite interestingly with the cute cylindrical character designs.
The gameplay and map design are pretty top tier, too. There is backtracking but it's well done and rewarding, it helps that the map is just small enough so it never feels like a waste of time to go back to areas you've been before.
While the controls are quite nice and somewhat ''modern'' compared to some of it's comtemporaries, I would still highly recommend playing this with a gamepad. It's playable with keyboard but it is somewhat awkward (there's no mouse support). It can be quite dynamic since you can avoid combat entirely 75% of time and save a ton of resources by causing enviromental damage towards the enemies or just baiting them into traps. Made me think of Resident Evil 3 in this regard, which I really appreciate.
The story is surprisingly nice, too! The characters are all very charming and I really liked reading all the lore behind the theme park. There are some pretty dark implications about the origin of the virus later in the game, which makes me wonder if there is any potential for a sequel of sorts someday.
If there are any flaws in it... Honestly? I can't think of much. I heard people say it was a bit easy compared to other survival horror games out there but I don't consider that an issue tbh, it feels perfectly designed as it is. And if that is a problem for you then you can just start the game on the hard difficulty (Murder of Crows). My third playthrough was on that difficulty and it is very tough indeed, more in line with what you expect from older games of this genre.
I honestly could go on and on about how much I loved this game but I think i'll leave it at that for now. I wholeheartdly recommend this to anyone from fans of old-school survival horror fans to even potential newcomers. 💜
This game came out on my birthday (May 9!!) and my goodness, what a gift this was. One of those games that ever since I played the demo it felt like something that was tailor made for me.
I did like 3 playthroughs of this since the weekend as I honestly fell in love with it, I just wanted to experience everything there was of it. This game perfectly captures the PS1 horror experience, calling back to things like Resident Evil 1 (specifically the original) and Silent Hill 1. A mixture of eerieness, moody atmosphere, body horror and it all clashes quite interestingly with the cute cylindrical character designs.
The gameplay and map design are pretty top tier, too. There is backtracking but it's well done and rewarding, it helps that the map is just small enough so it never feels like a waste of time to go back to areas you've been before.
While the controls are quite nice and somewhat ''modern'' compared to some of it's comtemporaries, I would still highly recommend playing this with a gamepad. It's playable with keyboard but it is somewhat awkward (there's no mouse support). It can be quite dynamic since you can avoid combat entirely 75% of time and save a ton of resources by causing enviromental damage towards the enemies or just baiting them into traps. Made me think of Resident Evil 3 in this regard, which I really appreciate.
The story is surprisingly nice, too! The characters are all very charming and I really liked reading all the lore behind the theme park. There are some pretty dark implications about the origin of the virus later in the game, which makes me wonder if there is any potential for a sequel of sorts someday.
If there are any flaws in it... Honestly? I can't think of much. I heard people say it was a bit easy compared to other survival horror games out there but I don't consider that an issue tbh, it feels perfectly designed as it is. And if that is a problem for you then you can just start the game on the hard difficulty (Murder of Crows). My third playthrough was on that difficulty and it is very tough indeed, more in line with what you expect from older games of this genre.
I honestly could go on and on about how much I loved this game but I think i'll leave it at that for now. I wholeheartdly recommend this to anyone from fans of old-school survival horror fans to even potential newcomers. 💜
Just a cool as fuck game. Quite well written with some pretty dark and bleak atmosphere, specially when accompanied by the excellent soundtrack. Gotta love how much of a compelling anti-hero Kain is, too.
Loses a star just for outstaying its welcome, however. The last couple of dungeons do drag a lot with some annoying enemies, teleporters and overall length. The ending could've been a little more satisfying, too.
Loses a star just for outstaying its welcome, however. The last couple of dungeons do drag a lot with some annoying enemies, teleporters and overall length. The ending could've been a little more satisfying, too.
2006
So good, so addictive. But holy fuck it's so difficult as well.
A prime example of a game that's easy to learn but hard to master, you better get the hang of ultimate charges when you reach the extreme battle races. Has great music, graphics and rly nice performance for a PS3 launch title too!
It's a very frustrating game though, which is why I won't give it a perfect rating. The extreme battles require absolute PERFECTION from you and it can make the game feel very annoying and repetitive. Oh well, I reached 90% completion in the grand prix at least so I guess I did have a decent run.
A prime example of a game that's easy to learn but hard to master, you better get the hang of ultimate charges when you reach the extreme battle races. Has great music, graphics and rly nice performance for a PS3 launch title too!
It's a very frustrating game though, which is why I won't give it a perfect rating. The extreme battles require absolute PERFECTION from you and it can make the game feel very annoying and repetitive. Oh well, I reached 90% completion in the grand prix at least so I guess I did have a decent run.
2012
Last time I played this one was probably nearly a decade ago on PS3. Thought it was alright but it didn't really stick with me.
I think I hate this game now, holy crap. Not an ugly game by appearance but by soul.
I see a lot of people excusing the bad story, awful portrayal of São Paulo, meatheaded writing because the gameplay in this is apparently great. Well, it could've been really fun if it wasn't a generic cover shooter most of the time and constantly interrupted by the shitty cutscenes. And even when it was somewhat entertaining it never really came close to fast-paced adrenaline from the previous titles.
I think what aggravates me the most is how obvious it is that they barely done any research when choosing the setting for this. Feels like they only watched a couple of our crime dramas and called it a day.
Brazil is clearly nothing but a marketing gimmick and they didn't even bother getting someone who actually speaks portuguese to proof read some of this terrible dialogue. It's pathetic and it made me laugh at moments that weren't meant to be funny.
Heck, i'm not even sure if most of the voice actors even were from Brazil! It all sounds so unnatural, and when combined with how dehumanizing the overall portrayal of the country is it really makes for a pretty miserable experience for anyone who's not a gringo.
...I guess the sound design is okay? Soundtrack is pretty nice too. Getting introduced to HEALTH thanks to this was definitely a positive years ago.
God, this made me feel as bitter as Max is in this game. Never touching this one again.
I think I hate this game now, holy crap. Not an ugly game by appearance but by soul.
I see a lot of people excusing the bad story, awful portrayal of São Paulo, meatheaded writing because the gameplay in this is apparently great. Well, it could've been really fun if it wasn't a generic cover shooter most of the time and constantly interrupted by the shitty cutscenes. And even when it was somewhat entertaining it never really came close to fast-paced adrenaline from the previous titles.
I think what aggravates me the most is how obvious it is that they barely done any research when choosing the setting for this. Feels like they only watched a couple of our crime dramas and called it a day.
Brazil is clearly nothing but a marketing gimmick and they didn't even bother getting someone who actually speaks portuguese to proof read some of this terrible dialogue. It's pathetic and it made me laugh at moments that weren't meant to be funny.
Heck, i'm not even sure if most of the voice actors even were from Brazil! It all sounds so unnatural, and when combined with how dehumanizing the overall portrayal of the country is it really makes for a pretty miserable experience for anyone who's not a gringo.
...I guess the sound design is okay? Soundtrack is pretty nice too. Getting introduced to HEALTH thanks to this was definitely a positive years ago.
God, this made me feel as bitter as Max is in this game. Never touching this one again.
2007
''Can it run Crysis''? More like ''Should it run Crysis?'', and the short answer to that question is a big resounding no.
Just skip this glorified tech demo. There are far better shooters out there than this piece of crap.
Just skip this glorified tech demo. There are far better shooters out there than this piece of crap.
1998
I don't think i had any fun during the total of 27 hours I played of this. Kept forcing myself to play it thinking it would get better due to how much I ended up loving the first game, but It just never happened.
The beginning felt extremely rough and limited on what I could do with my build, i had multiple crashes that made me lose progress one too many times and worst of all: I got softlocked in 2 different quests. One before I installed the unofficial patch and the other after.
While questing I exploded an outhouse which ended up covering the entire place with shit, and I think that sums up the whole experience for me. Shocks me that some people consider this one the best with how dire the overall gameplay experience is, even more so than the (vanilla) bethesda stuff.
I found myself enjoying the storyline so maybe i'll give it another chance someday but right now I don't even wanna look at it.
The beginning felt extremely rough and limited on what I could do with my build, i had multiple crashes that made me lose progress one too many times and worst of all: I got softlocked in 2 different quests. One before I installed the unofficial patch and the other after.
While questing I exploded an outhouse which ended up covering the entire place with shit, and I think that sums up the whole experience for me. Shocks me that some people consider this one the best with how dire the overall gameplay experience is, even more so than the (vanilla) bethesda stuff.
I found myself enjoying the storyline so maybe i'll give it another chance someday but right now I don't even wanna look at it.
2014
It just made wish I was playing the original RE4 instead.
2001
I thought the mecha designs in this were silly until I saw Viola's Frame and I got so horny I passed out
(The game is pretty okay, just a little too short and kinda ends out of nowhere)
(The game is pretty okay, just a little too short and kinda ends out of nowhere)
2009
The best Resident Evil 4 co-op mod ever made.
2023
One of my most anticipated indie games from 2023 and I finally got to finish it a couple days ago. TEVI is a really solid and satisfying metroidvania + bullet hell mix that will be sure to please any newcomers to this type of game.
But I have to admit, it's not quite ~as~ good as Rabi-Ribi. It's an ambitious game for sure, I do have to respect the amount of effort they put into making a large story full of lore and complete voice acting (with recognizeable japanese talents, even!), but the cliched nature of the many directions the story takes and mixed tones do hold it back from making it a special experience. Thankfully the characters are all fun and likeable, really carries the story for the most part.
This new direction just doesn't feel quite as earnest and niche as Rabi-Ribi was. Just feels very held back, almost as if they're to please a different crowd altogether. Feels pretty clear considering the overall gameplay feels a lot more accessible/easier on normal difficulty and even the localization style feels like it's trying to be more mainstream.
But honestly, these might just be personal nitpicks. Rabi-Ribi is a very special game for me and I was hoping this one would capture that same magic. But that doesn't mean it's a bad game! It's fantastic and i'm sure anyone going into blindly will find it more enjoyable than I have.
The level design is still pretty top notch, boss fights are as awesome as ever, OST is top tier and the character designs are a good mixture of cool and cute. I explored 100% and found 80% of every item in the game, did all sidequests and experienced most of the boss rush modes after the endgame and it all feels worthwhile. I might even return it for more playthroughs on higher difficulties.
I highly recommend it!
But I have to admit, it's not quite ~as~ good as Rabi-Ribi. It's an ambitious game for sure, I do have to respect the amount of effort they put into making a large story full of lore and complete voice acting (with recognizeable japanese talents, even!), but the cliched nature of the many directions the story takes and mixed tones do hold it back from making it a special experience. Thankfully the characters are all fun and likeable, really carries the story for the most part.
This new direction just doesn't feel quite as earnest and niche as Rabi-Ribi was. Just feels very held back, almost as if they're to please a different crowd altogether. Feels pretty clear considering the overall gameplay feels a lot more accessible/easier on normal difficulty and even the localization style feels like it's trying to be more mainstream.
But honestly, these might just be personal nitpicks. Rabi-Ribi is a very special game for me and I was hoping this one would capture that same magic. But that doesn't mean it's a bad game! It's fantastic and i'm sure anyone going into blindly will find it more enjoyable than I have.
The level design is still pretty top notch, boss fights are as awesome as ever, OST is top tier and the character designs are a good mixture of cool and cute. I explored 100% and found 80% of every item in the game, did all sidequests and experienced most of the boss rush modes after the endgame and it all feels worthwhile. I might even return it for more playthroughs on higher difficulties.
I highly recommend it!
A cult game, for sure.
The gameplay is extremely flawed in many ways, but the charm, overall quality of the 2D graphics + hand drawn animation and well written(and very gay) story elevates it to something pretty special.
I hope Square Enix keeps publishing games like this.
The gameplay is extremely flawed in many ways, but the charm, overall quality of the 2D graphics + hand drawn animation and well written
I hope Square Enix keeps publishing games like this.
1999
Pretty good! Not as tight as the Resident Evil games but it's very impressive for the time and generally pretty well designed.
Pretty neat story and a lot of quality of life changes over the RE series in terms of gameplay, not to mention how it doesn't use pre-rendered backgrounds so it feels very cinematic (even more so than Code Veronica, somehow).
What holds it back for me is the fact that raptors respawn, the third half of the game has a lot of annoying backtracking and there isn't any real boss fights in this (the T-Rex sequences are very scripted). The item boxes are also very confusing and making weapons have a maximum amount of ammo is a very odd choice tbh.
I recommend looking for the Source Next PC version and then modding it with Classic REbirth. Looks real pretty in widescreen!
Pretty neat story and a lot of quality of life changes over the RE series in terms of gameplay, not to mention how it doesn't use pre-rendered backgrounds so it feels very cinematic (even more so than Code Veronica, somehow).
What holds it back for me is the fact that raptors respawn, the third half of the game has a lot of annoying backtracking and there isn't any real boss fights in this (the T-Rex sequences are very scripted). The item boxes are also very confusing and making weapons have a maximum amount of ammo is a very odd choice tbh.
I recommend looking for the Source Next PC version and then modding it with Classic REbirth. Looks real pretty in widescreen!
2022
Into the Abyss I'll fall, the Eye of Horus. Into the eyes of the night, watching me go.
PowerSlave: Exhumed fucking rules. Always nice to try out a game with not a whole lot of expectations and end up finding something pretty special.
Just a good ol' retro First Person Shooter at first glance, but beyond the surface you'll find one of the most challenging and tightly designed metroidvania-style adventure games out there. I find it pretty awesome how this game came out a good two years before Turok 2 and it puts that game to shame in every way possible.
The story is basically non-existent, but it serves as a good excuse to bring out some really unique ancient egypt-themed visuals, alongside an excellent and memorable soundtrack.
It ALMOST got 5 stars out of me, but I have to admit that there are some annoyances in the level design that hold the game back slightly (the randomly exploding vases, for example) and the final boss fight is admittely underwhelming compared to the previous ones. But it honestly? I wouldn't be shocked if I end up raising the rating at some point in the future.
Night Dive are honestly heroes for remastering gems like this for the PC. Go check it out! It's pretty cheap on steam.
PowerSlave: Exhumed fucking rules. Always nice to try out a game with not a whole lot of expectations and end up finding something pretty special.
Just a good ol' retro First Person Shooter at first glance, but beyond the surface you'll find one of the most challenging and tightly designed metroidvania-style adventure games out there. I find it pretty awesome how this game came out a good two years before Turok 2 and it puts that game to shame in every way possible.
The story is basically non-existent, but it serves as a good excuse to bring out some really unique ancient egypt-themed visuals, alongside an excellent and memorable soundtrack.
It ALMOST got 5 stars out of me, but I have to admit that there are some annoyances in the level design that hold the game back slightly (the randomly exploding vases, for example) and the final boss fight is admittely underwhelming compared to the previous ones. But it honestly? I wouldn't be shocked if I end up raising the rating at some point in the future.
Night Dive are honestly heroes for remastering gems like this for the PC. Go check it out! It's pretty cheap on steam.