PhilipWiles3
BACKER
Up there with Hollow Knight and Metroid: Dread as a recent masterpiece of the search-action genre. The platforming and combat are spectacular and could stand independently as their own games. I was never won over by the art style, but there are some really inventive environments that are a joy to jump and fight through. My only real complaint is that a lot of the lore is delivered through large text blocks that disrupt the flow of the game and stop bothering to read them pretty early in my play through. Would battle more Krayons analogues across storms frozen in time!
Delightful little game. Literally laughed out loud when I rediscovered the core mechanic. Couldn’t really put it down once I started. Tilt and tap controls on iOS feel great. Would play more fishing games if they included guns!
2020
Long game. Play clock was over 105 hours and I feel like I hit the level cap WAY before that (around 80 hours). That said, when it was cooking, it was COOKING. The quest storylines are almost always interesting. The shooting feels pretty good. The hacking was fun… for the first 60 hours… The real standout element is the environment itself though. Night City FEELS like a city in a way only a handful of other games accomplish (i.e. Yakuza). One of the most thrilling things you can do in the game is just walk around the block. Would risk cyberpsychosis for my chooms!
They’d figured out how to make a Cyberpunk game by the time they got here. The missions and side missions here blow everything in the main game out of the water. Very excited with what they cook up for the sequel. Would they had let me fight that Cerberus robot head on though!
Pretty fun, but I was able to win almost all the races with my second horse. Feels like I’ve been spinning my wheels since then. Would like more solitaire-likes on my phone!
2022
Completely enamored by this game from the get-go. Am especially impressed by how I was made to feel like I was playing terribly, but a little post-game internet research suggests I had a fairly typical play through. That’s some impressive narrative design. The dialogue writing is also incredible and the erasing gimmick never got old. Would play more games about Central European artists!
Pretty impressed by how much is going on onscreen at any one time. A lot of pick up and play charm. I wish there was a better solution than the radar for picking up enemies outside your field of view. Would shoot more lasers from the back of a dragon!
2021
Played through the story mode. It’s pretty good! Developed a real emotional attachment to Casper Akkerman. Would like the F1 games to have preset for my Thrustmaster t248!
2022
Got the “good” ending. Really wowed by the core instruction book mechanic. Thought some of the sword play was tedious, but also I sort of feel that that’s the point? Would not consider this a “Zelda-like!”
What a game. Real wow moment the first time you open the world map and see… the world! Class system is fun, but I didn’t mess around too much with the personality mechanic. One of the greats! Would play any DragonQuest with a town building mechanic/questline!
2015
The problem with this game is, to my mind, a complete misunderstanding of the Mad Max license. It lacks those films’ visual inventiveness: it’s bland, dull, and looks likes more like bad military shooter than a George Miller film. The story here lacks any of the heart in the films: the characters are all either sociopaths or boring and are often both. There’s an absolutely bizarre 5th act love interest that doesn’t land. And I really don’t understand the decision to make a character as unpleasant and one note as Chumbucket, your primary companion character… Finally, instead of car chases, you spend most of your time in this game in enemy camps hunting for oil transfer tanks and scrumming with large groups of goons. Why is there this much hand-to-hand combat in a Mad Max game? Why does Max Rockatansky need to be able to fight fifteen dudes at once?! Would think twice about playing another Avalanche game!
2023
Played through “Braking Point.” Enjoyed the story as much as in the last installment. The cars have a nice arcade-y feel. I miss the rewind feature when playing other driving games. That said, I think the difficulty could be tuned better; it should be impossible to beat Verstappen even on the easier difficulties. Would root for Konnersport in real F1!
2000
Delightful. Loved each of the companion characters, but wished they had expressed more of their personalities outside of the chapter they’re introduced in. The action-turn-based mechanics kept me engaged through the play time. Would like to play more games where Peach sneaks around a castle!