Parune
2021
games like this are so hard to review because if i say ANYTHING about this game it will ruin the experience for you. you just gotta trust my word on this when i say this game is fucking incredible. easily the best card game i’ve ever played. inscryption has an amazing plot, an absolutely gorgeous art style, a surprisingly phenomenal soundtrack, and some of the most unique mechanics and plot twists i’ve ever seen. easily the best $20 i’ve ever spent, play this damn game and go into it as blind as possible i’m so serious.
Idk why it took me like 2 years to finally play this considering I played Drake's Fortune in 2022 but this was pure kino.
A vast improvement from Uncharted: Drake's Fortune in just about every way. Among Thieves has a really great story, gameplay that is actually fun unlike its predecessor, breathtaking set pieces, and several of the coolest sequences I've ever seen in games. By far one of my favorite games of all time, another Naughty Dog masterclass.
A vast improvement from Uncharted: Drake's Fortune in just about every way. Among Thieves has a really great story, gameplay that is actually fun unlike its predecessor, breathtaking set pieces, and several of the coolest sequences I've ever seen in games. By far one of my favorite games of all time, another Naughty Dog masterclass.
survival horror masterclass. Resident Evil 7: Biohazard is a horrifying, yet insanely fun experience that begs to be played in the darkest room in your home.
I played Resident Evil Village years ago, but for whatever reason I never actually finished this game. Going back and finally completing it made me regret my decision of not playing this sooner. By far the greatest thing about RE7 is it’s atmosphere, wandering the halls of the Baker house constantly kept me on the edge of my seat like no other game has before (except for The Dark Place in Alan Wake 2), i was absolutely bewildered by the fact that every time i thought i was about to reach the end of the house, somehow there was 2 houses worth of more land. While the story may be short, I still found it to be phenomenal. The franchises new protagonist, Ethan Winters, is just a regular joe-shmoe who wants to find his wife Mia, and somehow goes to every extent to save her. The Bakers are amazing characters as well, even if their actions in the game arent of their own will, they still manage to be compelling characters and terrifying antagonists. The main antagonist, Evelyn, doesn’t get too much screen time, but is instead built up through the files scattered around the home and the surrounding areas, creating a unique antagonist with a unique end goal of wanting a family. Over the years i’ve managed to become very desensitized to horror, especially horror of this type. But RE7 still managed to scare the shit out of me in ways that almost made me scream.
In short, not only is RE7 one of the greatest RE games i’ve ever played, it’s very likely one of the greatest survival horror games i’ve ever played, and maybe even one of the greatest games i’ve played in general.
I played Resident Evil Village years ago, but for whatever reason I never actually finished this game. Going back and finally completing it made me regret my decision of not playing this sooner. By far the greatest thing about RE7 is it’s atmosphere, wandering the halls of the Baker house constantly kept me on the edge of my seat like no other game has before (except for The Dark Place in Alan Wake 2), i was absolutely bewildered by the fact that every time i thought i was about to reach the end of the house, somehow there was 2 houses worth of more land. While the story may be short, I still found it to be phenomenal. The franchises new protagonist, Ethan Winters, is just a regular joe-shmoe who wants to find his wife Mia, and somehow goes to every extent to save her. The Bakers are amazing characters as well, even if their actions in the game arent of their own will, they still manage to be compelling characters and terrifying antagonists. The main antagonist, Evelyn, doesn’t get too much screen time, but is instead built up through the files scattered around the home and the surrounding areas, creating a unique antagonist with a unique end goal of wanting a family. Over the years i’ve managed to become very desensitized to horror, especially horror of this type. But RE7 still managed to scare the shit out of me in ways that almost made me scream.
In short, not only is RE7 one of the greatest RE games i’ve ever played, it’s very likely one of the greatest survival horror games i’ve ever played, and maybe even one of the greatest games i’ve played in general.
2024
I’ve played about ~25ish hours of this so far so I think that’s a fair amount to make a (at least temporary) review.
Believe the hype, Helldivers II is fucking rad. It’s no secret that i’m not much of a multiplayer gamer nowadays aside from the occasional fortnite match, but after i saw clips of Helldivers i just knew i had to cave in and see what the deal was, and god I wasn’t disappointed. The missions in this title are so chaotic and unbelievably fun, and the game is so inherently goofy that it’s hard to go 5 minutes without laughing so hard that you’re gasping for air. There’s no better feeling than queuing up with a buddy and taking down some bugs or robots. The core gameplay is really great too, i really love the movement (minus the sprint toggle because 50% of the time when i try to sprint my character just doesn’t wanna) and the gunplay. I was really torn between giving this a 4.5/5 or a 5/5 but i think the game really just needs some more enemy and mission variety as well as transportation methods like buggies for larger missions like ICBM’s, but apparently those are all coming in future updates so expect my rating to change in the future.
In short, Helldivers II is fucking amazing and is only looking to get even better in the future. Without a doubt well worth the $40 price tag.
Believe the hype, Helldivers II is fucking rad. It’s no secret that i’m not much of a multiplayer gamer nowadays aside from the occasional fortnite match, but after i saw clips of Helldivers i just knew i had to cave in and see what the deal was, and god I wasn’t disappointed. The missions in this title are so chaotic and unbelievably fun, and the game is so inherently goofy that it’s hard to go 5 minutes without laughing so hard that you’re gasping for air. There’s no better feeling than queuing up with a buddy and taking down some bugs or robots. The core gameplay is really great too, i really love the movement (minus the sprint toggle because 50% of the time when i try to sprint my character just doesn’t wanna) and the gunplay. I was really torn between giving this a 4.5/5 or a 5/5 but i think the game really just needs some more enemy and mission variety as well as transportation methods like buggies for larger missions like ICBM’s, but apparently those are all coming in future updates so expect my rating to change in the future.
In short, Helldivers II is fucking amazing and is only looking to get even better in the future. Without a doubt well worth the $40 price tag.
finally got around to playing this before rebirth releases and yep this is a good game. very good prequel to ff7 giving context to how cloud got to be a soldier and gives an early look of sephiroth’s motivations. sometimes the plot got pretty confusing (mostly because of genesis) but i was still very interested throughout the duration of the game. music was banging as always, and the combat was very fun. the DMW provides a unique way to give the player unique abilities to quickly change the outlook of a battle. the character cast is wonderful as always, seeing characters like cloud, tifa, aerith, yuffie, and the turks before the events of ff7 was absolutely wonderful.
2017
a huge step up from kiwami 1 in terms of gameplay, but still doesn’t manage to reach the heights of yakuza 0. the dragon engine makes combat very satisfying and unintentionally makes the game even more funny than what was intended. as always with this series the story was phenomenal and had lots of great plot twists.
yakuza 3 🔜
yakuza 3 🔜
1998
I have some conflicting thoughts on this game, but for the most part i did really enjoy it. The story in this might just be one of the best stories ever told in gaming. It’s silly, emotional, and brilliant. As for the gameplay though, i truly believe it hasn’t aged well in the slightest. Combat feels like a chore once there’s more than 2 enemies shooting at you, and some of the later boss fights can just straight up feel unfair due to some of the main combat mechanics. I will say that the stealth has aged flawlessly though, figuring out strategic ways to sneak past enemies and take them out silently was lots of fun. I also loved the CODEC system, the fact that the conversations you can have with your allies depends purely on the exact situation you’re in, it adds a lot of immersion. While certain aspects of this game haven’t aged the best, there’s still plenty of fun to be had in Hideo Kojima’s original masterpiece, for its time i have no issue believing that this was revolutionary at the time, for reasons like it’s phenomenal voice acting and stunning 3d graphics.
2023
Review for the main story, still have yet to play The Final Draft.
In a year where Spider-Man 2, my most anticipated game for about 5 years, released, I never expected a game about a writer trapped in a world of his own creation to overtake it for my game of the year. But here we are. Alan Wake II is an absolutely incredible game, and i truly don’t think my writing will be able to sell it for how good it is. The plot is phenomenally insane, and i truly believe only a man like Sam Lake could come up with this stuff. The area where Alan Wake II exceeds most is in its uniqueness, from things like the use of live action cutscenes, to the portable light mechanic, and the mind place/writers room. being able to gain more evidence as the game continues to piece together the story, as well as being able to change the layouts of rooms within mere seconds is one of the most creative things i’ve ever seen. Don’t even get me started on the music, the end of chapter songs as well as the return of poets of the fall to create so many new bangers as the old gods of asgard made for such a phenomenal soundtrack. I was really impressed with the dual narrative in this title, the way Alan and Saga’s plots would occasionally come together for mere moments just to separate again was just 🤌🤌🤌🤌. And hoo boy those graphics, Bright Falls and the Dark Place have never looked better. I constantly found myself ooing and aaahing over the gorgeous set pieces.
Overall, Alan Wake II is a damn good game, and the switch to a survival horror game makes it a huge improvement from the first Alan Wake. This game has easily become my game of the year and has without a doubt solidified Remedy as one of the best and most creative game developers of all time. Definite must play.
(Small little note: Sorry this review is kinda lazily written i’m tired as all hell writing this and will probably rewrite most of this when i’m less tired 💀💀💀💀)
In a year where Spider-Man 2, my most anticipated game for about 5 years, released, I never expected a game about a writer trapped in a world of his own creation to overtake it for my game of the year. But here we are. Alan Wake II is an absolutely incredible game, and i truly don’t think my writing will be able to sell it for how good it is. The plot is phenomenally insane, and i truly believe only a man like Sam Lake could come up with this stuff. The area where Alan Wake II exceeds most is in its uniqueness, from things like the use of live action cutscenes, to the portable light mechanic, and the mind place/writers room. being able to gain more evidence as the game continues to piece together the story, as well as being able to change the layouts of rooms within mere seconds is one of the most creative things i’ve ever seen. Don’t even get me started on the music, the end of chapter songs as well as the return of poets of the fall to create so many new bangers as the old gods of asgard made for such a phenomenal soundtrack. I was really impressed with the dual narrative in this title, the way Alan and Saga’s plots would occasionally come together for mere moments just to separate again was just 🤌🤌🤌🤌. And hoo boy those graphics, Bright Falls and the Dark Place have never looked better. I constantly found myself ooing and aaahing over the gorgeous set pieces.
Overall, Alan Wake II is a damn good game, and the switch to a survival horror game makes it a huge improvement from the first Alan Wake. This game has easily become my game of the year and has without a doubt solidified Remedy as one of the best and most creative game developers of all time. Definite must play.
(Small little note: Sorry this review is kinda lazily written i’m tired as all hell writing this and will probably rewrite most of this when i’m less tired 💀💀💀💀)
would’ve gave this a 5/5 if it weren’t for that end event 💀💀💀 way too short and was essentially just a giant ad with no substance, eminem should’ve had like 10 minutes of time in the event at least imo. server issues that epic can never seem to fix for some reason made it even worse.
anyways this season was really great. it’s no surprise that i didn’t like chapter 4 that much at all so getting to go back to the map that i made some of the best memories on during late elementary/middle school was awesome. think this was the most fortnite i’ve played in years. og pass was really great, just wish it was cheaper instead of normal price since it was like half the size of a regular pass. og loot pool still the best in the whole game i think
anyways this season was really great. it’s no surprise that i didn’t like chapter 4 that much at all so getting to go back to the map that i made some of the best memories on during late elementary/middle school was awesome. think this was the most fortnite i’ve played in years. og pass was really great, just wish it was cheaper instead of normal price since it was like half the size of a regular pass. og loot pool still the best in the whole game i think
2020
more control, but this time alan wake is here! couldn’t ask for a better combo. overall very solid expansion, kinda wish there was more to it other than just following the same guy around and trying to kill him like 4 times but in the end this expansion is very enjoyable. i loved how this expansion sorta combined the gameplay of control with the mechanics of alan wake, having to use telekinesis to power light sources to get rid of the big boss of the dlc and get rid of darkness was full of creativity. really loved how this dlc sets up alan wake as well, the final line of the plot being “you have been warned.” from alan just tells me that aw2 will be hype as fuck. remedy killed it once again.
2019
Control is a game i’ve attempted to get into several times over the years, and for some reason usually i could never get past the initial level. But thanks to the fact that i now have experience with remedy games thanks to alan wake, i was finally able to make the jump into the rest of the game, and god it was wonderful.
remedy really did some wonderful stuff with this one, the gameplay is masterfully crafted, gunplay is fun and addicting, and the powers like telekinesis and levitation add an extra level to it that makes it even more fun.
in typical remedy fashion, the story is confusing, like really confusing. but in a way that’s what makes it great, having to use the lore found in casper’s videos as well as documents and audio logs scattered around the oldest building to piece together the narrative was brilliant.
one of the best parts of this game is it’s graphics, there wasn’t a single moment during my playthrough where i wasn’t ooing and aaahing over the gorgeous set pieces. the ashtray maze especially is the biggest example of this, not only is it extremely gorgeous but it’s extremely impressive technologically. the fact that it’s constantly moving around you is one of the coolest god damn things i’ve ever seen in a video game. one of the most unique things about control is its use of live action filmmaking in its narrative. dr darling’s tapes and some screen transitions use live action, which i’ve never seen implemented in a video game like this before, i was constantly impressed with it.
my complaints with this title are very few and kinda nitpicky. sometimes i found the traversal between missions to be excruciatingly boring and complicated, the map doesn’t help much as it’s all 2d with no differentiating between floors. i also thought the ending felt a little rushed but it still does a good job of wrapping up the story, so i can’t complain too much.
all in all control is an absolutely brilliant game from the incredible mind of sam lake. from the gorgeous set pieces, to the masterful combat, to the unique methods of storytelling i can easily recommend this game to anyone willing to get past the initial bizarreness of this title.
now, it’s time for alan wake 2.
remedy really did some wonderful stuff with this one, the gameplay is masterfully crafted, gunplay is fun and addicting, and the powers like telekinesis and levitation add an extra level to it that makes it even more fun.
in typical remedy fashion, the story is confusing, like really confusing. but in a way that’s what makes it great, having to use the lore found in casper’s videos as well as documents and audio logs scattered around the oldest building to piece together the narrative was brilliant.
one of the best parts of this game is it’s graphics, there wasn’t a single moment during my playthrough where i wasn’t ooing and aaahing over the gorgeous set pieces. the ashtray maze especially is the biggest example of this, not only is it extremely gorgeous but it’s extremely impressive technologically. the fact that it’s constantly moving around you is one of the coolest god damn things i’ve ever seen in a video game. one of the most unique things about control is its use of live action filmmaking in its narrative. dr darling’s tapes and some screen transitions use live action, which i’ve never seen implemented in a video game like this before, i was constantly impressed with it.
my complaints with this title are very few and kinda nitpicky. sometimes i found the traversal between missions to be excruciatingly boring and complicated, the map doesn’t help much as it’s all 2d with no differentiating between floors. i also thought the ending felt a little rushed but it still does a good job of wrapping up the story, so i can’t complain too much.
all in all control is an absolutely brilliant game from the incredible mind of sam lake. from the gorgeous set pieces, to the masterful combat, to the unique methods of storytelling i can easily recommend this game to anyone willing to get past the initial bizarreness of this title.
now, it’s time for alan wake 2.
I was really conflicted on whether i wanted to give this a 4.5 or a 5/5 but for now we’re gonna go with 4.5/5.
I grew up as a mario fan, a huge one at that. but my problem was that i grew up on the new super mario bros games, which i of course enjoyed but i never had the ambition to actually finish any of them, which thanks to mario wonder i realize that’s because they’re just so bland and lack personality. Mario Wonder is everything the “New” games wish they were. Every level in this game is oozing with creativity, it was actually hard to tell what direction the next level would go in just because of how unique and random they got, thanks to the wonder flower feature. The gameplay is so unbelievably fun in this, the flower badge mechanic adds so much to the gameplay and i really enjoyed it. i especially really love how there’s animations with personality now, like when mario goes into a pipe from the side he has to grab his hat before he goes to the other side, or he does a little hop before going down a pipe. it’s a really tiny detail but it really heightens the experience since the new games just had mario stand there and slowly enter the pipe.
My complaints with this game are very few and minuscule which is most of the reason why i wanted to give this game a 10/10 so badly and still might. I really think this game could’ve used like 1 or 2 more worlds for the main story, and maybe some better pacing on the already included worlds, World 5 felt so short while world 6 felt so unbelievably long idk it’s weird but it doesn’t bother me too much. i also wish the boss battles had some more variety, don’t get me wrong i enjoyed em all but fighting bowser jr SIX TIMES got a little tiring sometimes, and don’t even get me started on the conveyer belt bosses on the airship levels 💀💀💀 they’re prolly just a neat callback to the original bowser bosses from the NES days but still they’re WAY too simple.
Overall i really enjoyed Super Mario Bros. Wonder and i think it’s a huge improvement from the last so many years of the new super mario bros games. might be the best 2d mario game, don’t be surprised if my rating changes to a 10/10.
Talking Flower best character of all time.
I grew up as a mario fan, a huge one at that. but my problem was that i grew up on the new super mario bros games, which i of course enjoyed but i never had the ambition to actually finish any of them, which thanks to mario wonder i realize that’s because they’re just so bland and lack personality. Mario Wonder is everything the “New” games wish they were. Every level in this game is oozing with creativity, it was actually hard to tell what direction the next level would go in just because of how unique and random they got, thanks to the wonder flower feature. The gameplay is so unbelievably fun in this, the flower badge mechanic adds so much to the gameplay and i really enjoyed it. i especially really love how there’s animations with personality now, like when mario goes into a pipe from the side he has to grab his hat before he goes to the other side, or he does a little hop before going down a pipe. it’s a really tiny detail but it really heightens the experience since the new games just had mario stand there and slowly enter the pipe.
My complaints with this game are very few and minuscule which is most of the reason why i wanted to give this game a 10/10 so badly and still might. I really think this game could’ve used like 1 or 2 more worlds for the main story, and maybe some better pacing on the already included worlds, World 5 felt so short while world 6 felt so unbelievably long idk it’s weird but it doesn’t bother me too much. i also wish the boss battles had some more variety, don’t get me wrong i enjoyed em all but fighting bowser jr SIX TIMES got a little tiring sometimes, and don’t even get me started on the conveyer belt bosses on the airship levels 💀💀💀 they’re prolly just a neat callback to the original bowser bosses from the NES days but still they’re WAY too simple.
Overall i really enjoyed Super Mario Bros. Wonder and i think it’s a huge improvement from the last so many years of the new super mario bros games. might be the best 2d mario game, don’t be surprised if my rating changes to a 10/10.
Talking Flower best character of all time.
This season was pretty good! I wasn’t a huge fan of chapter 4 but i enjoyed this season quite a bit. battle pass was kinda mid but eh it’s alr the season was fun enough to outweigh that. good loot pool and overall great vibe to the season, reminded me a lot of c2s2 which i still believe to be top 3 fortnite seasons.. fortnitemares event was finally good this time around so there’s a plus too. just ready to finally play the new season and revisit the greatest map this game has ever seen 🐐🐐
I’ll start my review by addressing the elephant in the room. Yes, this is a very biased review. I’ve been a Spider-Man fan for as long as I can remember, and I strongly consider Spider-Man PS4 as well as Miles Morales to be some of the best games I’ve ever played. With that I’ll start my review.
It’s been a long 5 years of waiting for this title, and i’m absolutely thrilled to be able to say that Insomniac Games has cooked once again. This is easily the best superhero game I’ve ever played. I find it so hard to believe that despite how good the first two games were, Spider-Man 2 genuinely manages to improve upon everything from the first games. The swinging mechanic has so much more depth to it due to the addition of things like loop-de-loops and web wings, as well as just how fast you can swing around New York compared to in the previous games. The combat becomes so much more fresh due to new symbiote abilities and power/gadget shortcuts, the graphics are just so god damn beautiful, and the story is god damn magnificent, although I do find the story to be about on the same level as the PS4 game.
As always the side content is phenomenal as well, I really love how Insomniac always emphasizes the “friendly-neighborhood spider-man” part of Spider-Man. Having the ability do simple things like help someone with their homecoming proposal or help find someone’s grandpa, it adds so much more to the overall experience that just helps amplify my enjoyment even more.
And god damn let me just say the voice cast in this is phenomenal. Yuri Lowenthal gives the performance of a lifetime here. He really does it all in this one, he goes from cracking jokes, to acting like a complete dick, to delivering gut wrenching moments all within the same game, it’s really impressive just how well he sells his performances. Nadji Jeter, Laura Bailey, Stephen Oyoung, Graham Phillips, etc all give wonderful performances that add to the emotion in the story amazingly. and don’t even get me started on Jim Pirri and Tony Todd!!!
Overall Insomniac’s Spider-Man game is seriously the superhero game i’ve always wanted. Through its bold, cinematic story and its wonderfully fun gameplay, I find that this was definitely worth the 5 years of waiting since 2018’s Spider-Man. Easily one of my new favorites of all time, as well as my game of the year. I plan on getting the Platinum Trophy for this game just as I have for Spider-Man PS4 and Miles Morales, and will most likely add to my review once i have done so.
Edit:
Platinum trophy achieved on 10/29/2023!! What an absolute blast to 100%. thoroughly enjoyed it the whole way through. side content was absolutely phenomenal and loved everything it sets up for future games. insomniac is once again cooking.🧑🍳
It’s been a long 5 years of waiting for this title, and i’m absolutely thrilled to be able to say that Insomniac Games has cooked once again. This is easily the best superhero game I’ve ever played. I find it so hard to believe that despite how good the first two games were, Spider-Man 2 genuinely manages to improve upon everything from the first games. The swinging mechanic has so much more depth to it due to the addition of things like loop-de-loops and web wings, as well as just how fast you can swing around New York compared to in the previous games. The combat becomes so much more fresh due to new symbiote abilities and power/gadget shortcuts, the graphics are just so god damn beautiful, and the story is god damn magnificent, although I do find the story to be about on the same level as the PS4 game.
As always the side content is phenomenal as well, I really love how Insomniac always emphasizes the “friendly-neighborhood spider-man” part of Spider-Man. Having the ability do simple things like help someone with their homecoming proposal or help find someone’s grandpa, it adds so much more to the overall experience that just helps amplify my enjoyment even more.
And god damn let me just say the voice cast in this is phenomenal. Yuri Lowenthal gives the performance of a lifetime here. He really does it all in this one, he goes from cracking jokes, to acting like a complete dick, to delivering gut wrenching moments all within the same game, it’s really impressive just how well he sells his performances. Nadji Jeter, Laura Bailey, Stephen Oyoung, Graham Phillips, etc all give wonderful performances that add to the emotion in the story amazingly. and don’t even get me started on Jim Pirri and Tony Todd!!!
Overall Insomniac’s Spider-Man game is seriously the superhero game i’ve always wanted. Through its bold, cinematic story and its wonderfully fun gameplay, I find that this was definitely worth the 5 years of waiting since 2018’s Spider-Man. Easily one of my new favorites of all time, as well as my game of the year. I plan on getting the Platinum Trophy for this game just as I have for Spider-Man PS4 and Miles Morales, and will most likely add to my review once i have done so.
Edit:
Platinum trophy achieved on 10/29/2023!! What an absolute blast to 100%. thoroughly enjoyed it the whole way through. side content was absolutely phenomenal and loved everything it sets up for future games. insomniac is once again cooking.🧑🍳
TLOU1 rating: 5/5
Left Behind rating: 4.5/5
While not being the most justifiable remake out there, I had an absolute blast playing The Last of Us Part I. Getting to replay the first Last of Us game was such an enjoyable experience, I honestly think i enjoyed it more this time around than the first time i played it. I finally got around to playing Left Behind for the first time too, and thoroughly enjoyed it as well. The complete visual overhaul on the graphics and the combat tweaks made the overall experience so much more enjoyable, i constantly found myself gushing over the graphics and enjoying the combat a lot more than i did with the ps4 remaster.
Overall i really enjoyed my time with this remake, i can easily recommend it to anyone who owns a PS5 or PC (as long as the port is actually good now) who somehow hasn’t played this masterpiece of a game already. can’t wait for whatever naughty dog has planned next, whether it be a new last of us or a new ip, y’all better believe i’m there no matter what.
Left Behind rating: 4.5/5
While not being the most justifiable remake out there, I had an absolute blast playing The Last of Us Part I. Getting to replay the first Last of Us game was such an enjoyable experience, I honestly think i enjoyed it more this time around than the first time i played it. I finally got around to playing Left Behind for the first time too, and thoroughly enjoyed it as well. The complete visual overhaul on the graphics and the combat tweaks made the overall experience so much more enjoyable, i constantly found myself gushing over the graphics and enjoying the combat a lot more than i did with the ps4 remaster.
Overall i really enjoyed my time with this remake, i can easily recommend it to anyone who owns a PS5 or PC (as long as the port is actually good now) who somehow hasn’t played this masterpiece of a game already. can’t wait for whatever naughty dog has planned next, whether it be a new last of us or a new ip, y’all better believe i’m there no matter what.