2023
I have grown more attached to Shadowheart than I have to most people in my actual life and the fact that she's not real depresses me immensely.
Oh, the game? It's great!
The amount of ambition on display from Larian Studios here is absolutely staggering, to the point that it's actually surprising just how much of it pays off. The characters are all incredibly interesting, well-rounded and fantastically written and voice-acted. The gameplay kept me engaged for the most part, and despite my general dislike of turn-based action it was pretty easy for me to get to grips with it.
The story is great and there's enough side-quests off the beaten path that I feel like BG3 is well worth paying full price for. I went through the game at a fairly brisk pace and clocked up 85 hours in the end. If you were willing to explore different ways of playing the game (including the unique Dark Urge path) then you could easily lose hundreds of hours to it.
Sadly a few issues prevented me from giving BG3 full marks. The game's third act can be very overwhelming at first, and it can be difficult to know what to do and where to go without losing certain content. Some side quests feel unfinished, like Larian ran out of time before they could flesh them out properly. That's not to mention that a lot of the stories of your fellow companions, so beautifully developed in the first two acts, tend to fizzle out. Once you complete their personal quests they stop being the fully fleshed out characters they were and end up just being sorta... there.
There were also a few annoying bugs riddled throughout; characters sometimes being unable to jump, textures not loading properly or being stretchy, enemies taking almost a full minute to decide what they wanted to do in a turn. Nothing game-breaking but they added up.
I don't regret any of the time I spent playing this - in fact, as someone with absolutely no prior experience with anything D&D-related this has actually made me want to get into it more, whether that's through other video games or actually playing it with other people. Of course, for that I actually need to find some friends first...
P.S. I don’t care if the ‘Party Limit Begone’ mod is ‘cheating’, nothing feels better than running around the city with my merry band of ten adventurers. The easier combat is secondary to not having to miss out on any companion-specific dialogue with NPCs.
Oh, the game? It's great!
The amount of ambition on display from Larian Studios here is absolutely staggering, to the point that it's actually surprising just how much of it pays off. The characters are all incredibly interesting, well-rounded and fantastically written and voice-acted. The gameplay kept me engaged for the most part, and despite my general dislike of turn-based action it was pretty easy for me to get to grips with it.
The story is great and there's enough side-quests off the beaten path that I feel like BG3 is well worth paying full price for. I went through the game at a fairly brisk pace and clocked up 85 hours in the end. If you were willing to explore different ways of playing the game (including the unique Dark Urge path) then you could easily lose hundreds of hours to it.
Sadly a few issues prevented me from giving BG3 full marks. The game's third act can be very overwhelming at first, and it can be difficult to know what to do and where to go without losing certain content. Some side quests feel unfinished, like Larian ran out of time before they could flesh them out properly. That's not to mention that a lot of the stories of your fellow companions, so beautifully developed in the first two acts, tend to fizzle out. Once you complete their personal quests they stop being the fully fleshed out characters they were and end up just being sorta... there.
There were also a few annoying bugs riddled throughout; characters sometimes being unable to jump, textures not loading properly or being stretchy, enemies taking almost a full minute to decide what they wanted to do in a turn. Nothing game-breaking but they added up.
I don't regret any of the time I spent playing this - in fact, as someone with absolutely no prior experience with anything D&D-related this has actually made me want to get into it more, whether that's through other video games or actually playing it with other people. Of course, for that I actually need to find some friends first...
P.S. I don’t care if the ‘Party Limit Begone’ mod is ‘cheating’, nothing feels better than running around the city with my merry band of ten adventurers. The easier combat is secondary to not having to miss out on any companion-specific dialogue with NPCs.
Yeah, sorry. Putting this firmly into the "not for me" pile. I'm not saying this is a bad game at all, but even a couple of hours in I can already feel my head starting to hurt. It feels similar to Case of the Golden Idol but with even less hand-holding, and I know that if I push myself to try and complete it I'm just going to end up getting frustrated and upset. I already feel really fucking stupid at the best of times.
Great game I'm sure, just not for me. Sorry!
Great game I'm sure, just not for me. Sorry!
2019
This is less of a review and more just personal accountability. I've struggled with my weight for years and only dabbled in VR fitness apps here and there - but I'm gonna be using FitXR to try and finally shed this weight and feel good about myself.
Any words of encouragement would be welcome :)
Any words of encouragement would be welcome :)
2001
"I don't know about angels, but it's fear that gives men wings."
Still kicks all kinds of ass even after a dozen replays. Max Payne, along with its sequel, slot comfortably into my top 10 games of all time. It still holds up (save for some weird compatibility bugs that are easily patched), plays great and has writing and voice acting that is still unmatched compared to most games that have come out since.
Remedy has been on an absolute tear with Control and Alan Wake 2 so if they can take that magic and apply it to the upcoming Max Payne remakes then a stone cold classic could possibly be made even better.
Still kicks all kinds of ass even after a dozen replays. Max Payne, along with its sequel, slot comfortably into my top 10 games of all time. It still holds up (save for some weird compatibility bugs that are easily patched), plays great and has writing and voice acting that is still unmatched compared to most games that have come out since.
Remedy has been on an absolute tear with Control and Alan Wake 2 so if they can take that magic and apply it to the upcoming Max Payne remakes then a stone cold classic could possibly be made even better.
2014
me a few days ago: haha i will install a load of funny mods and see what chaos happens :)
me now: i will protect my wife ryo and daughter giulia with my fucking life and be the best husband and father i can
edit: this game has given me a fucking existential crisis
edit 2: playing too much sims may have fucking killed my pc lmao
me now: i will protect my wife ryo and daughter giulia with my fucking life and be the best husband and father i can
edit: this game has given me a fucking existential crisis
edit 2: playing too much sims may have fucking killed my pc lmao
Pep's Detective Deep Dive - Game 11
This was a joy from start to finish. While unfamiliar with Shu Takumi's work, I have Ace Attorney Trilogy on my "to-play" list and Ghost Trick has made me very excited to play it - in fact, I may just play it next.
Ghost Trick just oozes charm. With a cast of great characters, all beautifully designed and exquisitely animated, the story rolls along at a breakneck pace packed with twists and turns. The "ghost" and "trick" system is easy to get to grips with but as the game rolls along, the puzzles get more and more fiendish. There's a lot of trial-and-error involved, but the game almost expects it out of you, and half of the fun of the game is trying different "tricks" and seeing what happens.
If I had any minor complaints, it would be that at the very end of the game, the story gets a little convoluted. I also figured out the mystery of just who "Sissel" was way before the game's conclusion, and I'm not really sure that was the game's intention.
Now that it's free from the confines of 3DS jail, I definitely see Ghost Trick becoming one of the underrated gems of Capcom's pantheon.
PS: Missile? Best boy. Lynne? Best girl.
This was a joy from start to finish. While unfamiliar with Shu Takumi's work, I have Ace Attorney Trilogy on my "to-play" list and Ghost Trick has made me very excited to play it - in fact, I may just play it next.
Ghost Trick just oozes charm. With a cast of great characters, all beautifully designed and exquisitely animated, the story rolls along at a breakneck pace packed with twists and turns. The "ghost" and "trick" system is easy to get to grips with but as the game rolls along, the puzzles get more and more fiendish. There's a lot of trial-and-error involved, but the game almost expects it out of you, and half of the fun of the game is trying different "tricks" and seeing what happens.
If I had any minor complaints, it would be that at the very end of the game, the story gets a little convoluted. I also figured out the mystery of just who "Sissel" was way before the game's conclusion, and I'm not really sure that was the game's intention.
Now that it's free from the confines of 3DS jail, I definitely see Ghost Trick becoming one of the underrated gems of Capcom's pantheon.
PS: Missile? Best boy. Lynne? Best girl.
2023
Pep's Season of Spooks - Game 18
The culmination of everything Remedy Entertainment have worked for in the last 22 years.
I'm not going to post a lengthy review for this one, you absolutely need to play this if you can. This sets a new standard for storytelling in games. It looks incredible and plays great, with excellent writing and acting throughout the twisty plot. I'm genuinely going to be thinking about this game for weeks, possibly even months.
Sorry RE4 Remake, Alan Wake II just beat you out for my horror game of the year.
Scary Rating 7/10 - Overall Rating 9/10
The culmination of everything Remedy Entertainment have worked for in the last 22 years.
I'm not going to post a lengthy review for this one, you absolutely need to play this if you can. This sets a new standard for storytelling in games. It looks incredible and plays great, with excellent writing and acting throughout the twisty plot. I'm genuinely going to be thinking about this game for weeks, possibly even months.
Sorry RE4 Remake, Alan Wake II just beat you out for my horror game of the year.
Scary Rating 7/10 - Overall Rating 9/10
Pep's Detective Deep Dive - Game 3
Did you expect me to give this a bad review? What, do you think I'm some kind of monster?
This is just what a sleepy Sunday afternoon needed. A zero-stakes, simple adventure game that didn't tax my braincells and frequently made me laugh. Each episode is more expansive than the last (and by "expansive" I mean that the second episode lets you put stickers on a notebook, and the third episode gives you a sick-ass scooter) and the twist in the third episode got me genuinely emotionally invested.
The only thing that kinda irked me was the occasional moment where the creator would literally insert herself into the game, interrupting the story to deliver some kind of "well, actually" message about how something a character said was wrong. I don't know if these moments were supposed to be jokes but they felt really weird to me, like the video game equivalent of a Twitter community note.
It's cute, it's fun, and it's on Game Pass. If you're looking for a short little adventure game where you don't have to think very hard then Frog Detective is perfect for you.
P.S. I'll play some actual detective games soon, I swear!
Did you expect me to give this a bad review? What, do you think I'm some kind of monster?
This is just what a sleepy Sunday afternoon needed. A zero-stakes, simple adventure game that didn't tax my braincells and frequently made me laugh. Each episode is more expansive than the last (and by "expansive" I mean that the second episode lets you put stickers on a notebook, and the third episode gives you a sick-ass scooter) and the twist in the third episode got me genuinely emotionally invested.
The only thing that kinda irked me was the occasional moment where the creator would literally insert herself into the game, interrupting the story to deliver some kind of "well, actually" message about how something a character said was wrong. I don't know if these moments were supposed to be jokes but they felt really weird to me, like the video game equivalent of a Twitter community note.
It's cute, it's fun, and it's on Game Pass. If you're looking for a short little adventure game where you don't have to think very hard then Frog Detective is perfect for you.
P.S. I'll play some actual detective games soon, I swear!
2015
Pep's Detective Deep Dive - Game 8
Going from "the two good non-Team Silent Silent Hill games" to this is a hell of jump for Sam Barlow. A far cry from the psychological horrors of his previous work, Her Story is a quiet, FMV murder-mystery that definitely goes into the "not for everyone" pile.
The gameplay is relatively simple: you're presented with an archaic police database system, full of clips from a series of detective interviews with a woman whose missing husband has turned up murdered. Your job is to use the search system to find clips, watch them, and find out what happened. That's it.
It's not immediately obvious at first, but you don't need to do anything other than watch the clips. You don't have to place them on a timeline in the correct order or anything like that. Hell, you don't even need to watch every clip to "finish" the game. At a certain point, the game will decide that you've seen enough to know what happened and gives you the option to roll the credits, should you so choose. But you absolutely should try to watch as much as you can. Why? Because of Her.
Viva Seifert's performance as the titular Her is nothing short of mesmerising. She's natural, she's likeable, and the gamut of emotions she runs through in a relatively short series of videos is astounding. Once you reach a certain point in the story, you begin to really notice all these subtleties in her acting, and it really brings the game to another level. That Game Award she won was well-deserved.
The narrative twists and turns as well as any good crime thriller. The non-linear nature of finding the clips means that you only get the story in bite-size chunks, and your interpretation is always changing based on what new info you've just seen. It's like Sam Barlow dumps all the puzzle pieces in front of you and says "figure it out".
The joy is in paying attention, making notes of any potential keywords and finding that next important clip to give you another chunk of the story. Finding the one clip that recontextualises the entire story was an incredibly satisfying moment for me. And even then, when you've seen every clip there is to see, there's just enough ambiguity left in certain story threads to keep you wondering long after the credits have rolled.
It's absolutely not for everyone - hell, a few years back this wouldn't have been for me either - but if you've got a few hours then grab some friends, a notebook and pen and get sleuthing.
Going from "the two good non-Team Silent Silent Hill games" to this is a hell of jump for Sam Barlow. A far cry from the psychological horrors of his previous work, Her Story is a quiet, FMV murder-mystery that definitely goes into the "not for everyone" pile.
The gameplay is relatively simple: you're presented with an archaic police database system, full of clips from a series of detective interviews with a woman whose missing husband has turned up murdered. Your job is to use the search system to find clips, watch them, and find out what happened. That's it.
It's not immediately obvious at first, but you don't need to do anything other than watch the clips. You don't have to place them on a timeline in the correct order or anything like that. Hell, you don't even need to watch every clip to "finish" the game. At a certain point, the game will decide that you've seen enough to know what happened and gives you the option to roll the credits, should you so choose. But you absolutely should try to watch as much as you can. Why? Because of Her.
Viva Seifert's performance as the titular Her is nothing short of mesmerising. She's natural, she's likeable, and the gamut of emotions she runs through in a relatively short series of videos is astounding. Once you reach a certain point in the story, you begin to really notice all these subtleties in her acting, and it really brings the game to another level. That Game Award she won was well-deserved.
The narrative twists and turns as well as any good crime thriller. The non-linear nature of finding the clips means that you only get the story in bite-size chunks, and your interpretation is always changing based on what new info you've just seen. It's like Sam Barlow dumps all the puzzle pieces in front of you and says "figure it out".
The joy is in paying attention, making notes of any potential keywords and finding that next important clip to give you another chunk of the story. Finding the one clip that recontextualises the entire story was an incredibly satisfying moment for me. And even then, when you've seen every clip there is to see, there's just enough ambiguity left in certain story threads to keep you wondering long after the credits have rolled.
It's absolutely not for everyone - hell, a few years back this wouldn't have been for me either - but if you've got a few hours then grab some friends, a notebook and pen and get sleuthing.
It's Star Wars-flavoured Dark Souls, essentially.
A pretty simple "go here to get this thing" story, with a cast of interesting characters and fun set-pieces. Weirdly, even as someone who has played all of the Soulsborne games I really struggled with the combat at points. Still, it's a fun ride, Merrin is a cutie and the final chapter is a blast.
I've heard that Survivor improves on this in every way so I'm looking forward to playing that (now that they've fixed the bugs).
A pretty simple "go here to get this thing" story, with a cast of interesting characters and fun set-pieces. Weirdly, even as someone who has played all of the Soulsborne games I really struggled with the combat at points. Still, it's a fun ride, Merrin is a cutie and the final chapter is a blast.
I've heard that Survivor improves on this in every way so I'm looking forward to playing that (now that they've fixed the bugs).
Not for honour, but for you...
I knew about Snake Eater's sterling reputation going into the game, but now it's very clear just how much that reputation upholds itself. If MGS2 was Hideo Kojima's (all too prophetic) observations on the rise of AI, then this is his ode to classic spy cinema and action movies. And he's having a blast doing it.
What makes Snake Eater stand out from the other MGS games (and a lot of other games of it's ilk) is the unbridled sense of fun running throughout it. From the sublime opening credits theme (and it's reappearances throughout the game), to the hilarious codec calls about the various animals you can eat and movies Para-Medic/Kojima has seen, I had a big smile on my face throughout the game. And yet, when the game's emotional moments do hit, they hit hard. Everyone knows how iconic the final boss fight is but when the theme music kicks in again during it, it really hits home how special this game is.
Of course, I still suck at the core stealth gameplay, but I feel like this time around you get a little more leeway in how you can approach things. In MGS1, getting caught was practically a death sentence, but with Snake Eater I found myself being able to get away and reposition pretty easily, with the camo system particularly coming in useful. I didn't have to mow down everything in my path when the going got tough (which turned out to be helpful when it came to The Sorrow, I've found out since).
Speaking of the bosses, I kinda loved how over-the-top and comic book villain-y Cobra Squad are. Man who can control hornets? An old sniping master who's practically dead? An insane pyromaniac astronaut? I thought MGS2's Vamp and Fatman were pretty silly, but these guys were damn goofy. The tense game of cat and mouse I played with The End was a particular highlight for me.
The only real problems I have with the game are a couple of annoying parts; The Fury's boss fight wasn't very fun, and the section near the end where you have to escort EVA made me want to rip my hair out. Speaking of EVA, I'd be interested to know the community's general thoughts on her. I'm not really sure what to make of a woman over-sexualised to the point where it's almost comical, but on the other hand she's pretty compelling too. In any case, she's certainly memorable.
I've decided to emulate MGS4 and Peace Walker rather than wait for the next volume of the Master Collection, so expect me to try and cram those in before I fully immerse myself back into Baldur's Gate 3 and the upcoming Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth.
I knew about Snake Eater's sterling reputation going into the game, but now it's very clear just how much that reputation upholds itself. If MGS2 was Hideo Kojima's (all too prophetic) observations on the rise of AI, then this is his ode to classic spy cinema and action movies. And he's having a blast doing it.
What makes Snake Eater stand out from the other MGS games (and a lot of other games of it's ilk) is the unbridled sense of fun running throughout it. From the sublime opening credits theme (and it's reappearances throughout the game), to the hilarious codec calls about the various animals you can eat and movies Para-Medic/Kojima has seen, I had a big smile on my face throughout the game. And yet, when the game's emotional moments do hit, they hit hard. Everyone knows how iconic the final boss fight is but when the theme music kicks in again during it, it really hits home how special this game is.
Of course, I still suck at the core stealth gameplay, but I feel like this time around you get a little more leeway in how you can approach things. In MGS1, getting caught was practically a death sentence, but with Snake Eater I found myself being able to get away and reposition pretty easily, with the camo system particularly coming in useful. I didn't have to mow down everything in my path when the going got tough (which turned out to be helpful when it came to The Sorrow, I've found out since).
Speaking of the bosses, I kinda loved how over-the-top and comic book villain-y Cobra Squad are. Man who can control hornets? An old sniping master who's practically dead? An insane pyromaniac astronaut? I thought MGS2's Vamp and Fatman were pretty silly, but these guys were damn goofy. The tense game of cat and mouse I played with The End was a particular highlight for me.
The only real problems I have with the game are a couple of annoying parts; The Fury's boss fight wasn't very fun, and the section near the end where you have to escort EVA made me want to rip my hair out. Speaking of EVA, I'd be interested to know the community's general thoughts on her. I'm not really sure what to make of a woman over-sexualised to the point where it's almost comical, but on the other hand she's pretty compelling too. In any case, she's certainly memorable.
I've decided to emulate MGS4 and Peace Walker rather than wait for the next volume of the Master Collection, so expect me to try and cram those in before I fully immerse myself back into Baldur's Gate 3 and the upcoming Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth.
Pep's Detective Deep Dive - Game 6
This was... something different. Rather than the usual "investigating a murder after the fact" murder mystery, Case Of The Golden Idol presents a static scene to you, and it's up to you to point-and-click your way to the truth of what exactly is going on in the story.
Clicking highlighted areas of interest presents you with a series of words, and you use these words to fill in the gaps of an incomplete "scroll", giving you the story. Seems simple at first, but as the game progresses it can get fiendishly difficult as the story spirals and some parts left me genuinely stumped. If you're really struggling there's a hint system available, but I never used it.
The only real thing stopping me from giving this a higher mark is that the story kind of fizzles out by the end, and I was left slightly let down by it. However, there's a 1970s-set sequel on the way so I'll be looking into that.
An interesting concept done very well, I definitely recommend this if you're looking for a different kind of mystery game.
This was... something different. Rather than the usual "investigating a murder after the fact" murder mystery, Case Of The Golden Idol presents a static scene to you, and it's up to you to point-and-click your way to the truth of what exactly is going on in the story.
Clicking highlighted areas of interest presents you with a series of words, and you use these words to fill in the gaps of an incomplete "scroll", giving you the story. Seems simple at first, but as the game progresses it can get fiendishly difficult as the story spirals and some parts left me genuinely stumped. If you're really struggling there's a hint system available, but I never used it.
The only real thing stopping me from giving this a higher mark is that the story kind of fizzles out by the end, and I was left slightly let down by it. However, there's a 1970s-set sequel on the way so I'll be looking into that.
An interesting concept done very well, I definitely recommend this if you're looking for a different kind of mystery game.
2020
Pep's Detective Deep Dive - Game 10
If I had a nickel for every crime-based game featuring people with animal heads that I'd played for this season I'd have two nickels - which isn’t a lot but it's weird that this has happened twice.
A detective game that puts you in the shoes of hard-boiled detective Santino "Sonny" Featherland, the story of Chicken Police is pretty typical of film noire, if you know the conventions of the genre. There's murder, lies, betrayal and a femme fatale. It would all be incredibly generic would it not be for the fact that the game's world is inhabited entirely by anthropomorphic animals, complete with established world-building and lore. It's unexpectedly deep and there's a lot to learn if you're thorough with your detective skills.
What surprised me most about Chicken Police is just how well-made it is - I went into this expecting a fairly basic, VN-style game similar to Aviary Attorney. But this is in fact a fully-fleshed out adventure game, complete with interrogation and investigation sections to spice up the usual pointing and clicking. The game is also well-written with some very strong voice acting, backed up with stylish cutscenes and the occasional fun shootout to break things up. (Side note: I realised half-way through my playthrough that the character of Monica was voiced by Devora Wilde and I could NOT un-hear Lae'zel for the rest of the game.)
What's also similar to Aviary Attorney is the intricacies of each species and how that dictates their social position. Our feathered heroes are pretty middle of the pack, and the "predator" species are towards the top of the hierarchy, while insects are forced into a dangerous slum known as "The Hive". It's all very clever - and a depressing allegory for the real world.
Chicken Police's presentation and gameplay is so strong that it's a shame that the story itself is a bit of a letdown. As stated earlier, it follows noire conventions very closely. Sonny is a sad sack at the beginning of the game, and it's almost overwhelming just how unlikeable he is. However, as the story progresses and he re-teams with his "Chicken Police" partner Marty, you'll get to see him get his mojo back, uncover the mystery and solve the case. However, I feel that the latter half of the story is rushed and wraps up way too quickly, and the ending left me thinking "is that it?". However, it didn't spoil my opinion on the game too much since everything else in it is so strong.
Overall, I liked this - it's a smart, inventive, funny detective-adventure with a lot of charm. With sequel Into The Hive! on the way I'll be reuniting with the Chicken Police pretty soon...
P.S. I've never had a video game character leave me so sexually confused as Natasha Catzenko. Just... don't show her to Shane Dawson.
If I had a nickel for every crime-based game featuring people with animal heads that I'd played for this season I'd have two nickels - which isn’t a lot but it's weird that this has happened twice.
A detective game that puts you in the shoes of hard-boiled detective Santino "Sonny" Featherland, the story of Chicken Police is pretty typical of film noire, if you know the conventions of the genre. There's murder, lies, betrayal and a femme fatale. It would all be incredibly generic would it not be for the fact that the game's world is inhabited entirely by anthropomorphic animals, complete with established world-building and lore. It's unexpectedly deep and there's a lot to learn if you're thorough with your detective skills.
What surprised me most about Chicken Police is just how well-made it is - I went into this expecting a fairly basic, VN-style game similar to Aviary Attorney. But this is in fact a fully-fleshed out adventure game, complete with interrogation and investigation sections to spice up the usual pointing and clicking. The game is also well-written with some very strong voice acting, backed up with stylish cutscenes and the occasional fun shootout to break things up. (Side note: I realised half-way through my playthrough that the character of Monica was voiced by Devora Wilde and I could NOT un-hear Lae'zel for the rest of the game.)
What's also similar to Aviary Attorney is the intricacies of each species and how that dictates their social position. Our feathered heroes are pretty middle of the pack, and the "predator" species are towards the top of the hierarchy, while insects are forced into a dangerous slum known as "The Hive". It's all very clever - and a depressing allegory for the real world.
Chicken Police's presentation and gameplay is so strong that it's a shame that the story itself is a bit of a letdown. As stated earlier, it follows noire conventions very closely. Sonny is a sad sack at the beginning of the game, and it's almost overwhelming just how unlikeable he is. However, as the story progresses and he re-teams with his "Chicken Police" partner Marty, you'll get to see him get his mojo back, uncover the mystery and solve the case. However, I feel that the latter half of the story is rushed and wraps up way too quickly, and the ending left me thinking "is that it?". However, it didn't spoil my opinion on the game too much since everything else in it is so strong.
Overall, I liked this - it's a smart, inventive, funny detective-adventure with a lot of charm. With sequel Into The Hive! on the way I'll be reuniting with the Chicken Police pretty soon...
P.S. I've never had a video game character leave me so sexually confused as Natasha Catzenko. Just... don't show her to Shane Dawson.
2015
Pep's Detective Deep Dive - Game 4
The bourgeois are not human (literally)
Well, this was a pleasure. Calling Aviary Attorney "Ace Attorney but with birds" feels like it does a disservice to just how funny, well-written and surprisingly deep this game is. I haven't played Ace Attorney yet (watch this space) but if it's anything like this I'm very much looking forward to it.
The art is gorgeous, with every character and background beautifully illustrated. The writing is sharp and funny, and the socio-political commentary is very clever, even down to the choices of which animal would portray what character.
It's funny, it's profound, and what's more - it's all based on real art, real people and real events. Highly recommended.
The bourgeois are not human (literally)
Well, this was a pleasure. Calling Aviary Attorney "Ace Attorney but with birds" feels like it does a disservice to just how funny, well-written and surprisingly deep this game is. I haven't played Ace Attorney yet (watch this space) but if it's anything like this I'm very much looking forward to it.
The art is gorgeous, with every character and background beautifully illustrated. The writing is sharp and funny, and the socio-political commentary is very clever, even down to the choices of which animal would portray what character.
It's funny, it's profound, and what's more - it's all based on real art, real people and real events. Highly recommended.
1998
This must have felt like a blockbuster movie back in 1998, huh?
Well, Metal Gear Solid is a classic for a reason. An engrossing story, overwritten to within an inch of it's life and excellently voice-acted. This is my first Hideo Kojima game and I'm starting to see why he has the divisive reputation he does. Personally, I really like the vibe, even if the crazy amount of fourth-wall breaking did overwhelm me at times. Psycho Mantis didn't tell me that I liked Castlevania but he did tell me I was shitty at combat which, well... he wasn't wrong.
It's funny, I found most of the bosses a breeze but really struggled with a lot of the standard sneaking sections. I know I suck at stealth in general but I feel that MGS's gameplay hasn't really held up as well as other games of it's ilk, such as Resident Evil 2. Man, 1998 was a good year for games, wasn't it?
This was my initiation into the Kojimaverse and I'm very curious to see where the Metal Gear Solid universe goes next. I'm sure it'll be full of surprises.
Well, Metal Gear Solid is a classic for a reason. An engrossing story, overwritten to within an inch of it's life and excellently voice-acted. This is my first Hideo Kojima game and I'm starting to see why he has the divisive reputation he does. Personally, I really like the vibe, even if the crazy amount of fourth-wall breaking did overwhelm me at times. Psycho Mantis didn't tell me that I liked Castlevania but he did tell me I was shitty at combat which, well... he wasn't wrong.
It's funny, I found most of the bosses a breeze but really struggled with a lot of the standard sneaking sections. I know I suck at stealth in general but I feel that MGS's gameplay hasn't really held up as well as other games of it's ilk, such as Resident Evil 2. Man, 1998 was a good year for games, wasn't it?
This was my initiation into the Kojimaverse and I'm very curious to see where the Metal Gear Solid universe goes next. I'm sure it'll be full of surprises.