Questy
2016
I've been a huge fan of Ratchet and Clank since the first game came out on PS2, so I may be a bit biased in my review. I will say that I haven't played the first game since the PS2 days, so I have no memory on the original story beats and what could be different in this remake, but my memories of how fun the series is has always stuck with me. I also had the joy of playing this remake on a PS5 with the 60 FPS update, which is the way I would recommend playing it -- and I DO recommend playing it.
đ The graphics are beautiful. It's hard to believe that this came out in 2016 as playing it on PS5, this game looks better than many of the games coming out today. Of course, it does have the :3D Platforming cutesy aesthetic: but considering the varied look of all the different worlds you visit and all of the beautiful colors and effects that are used, the game can be quite stunning.
đ The gameplay is just as fun as it ever was! This was one of the first games to successfully combine platforming with guns and it still holds up all these years later. There are many different types of enemies and a good variety of guns to take them out with (more on that in a second). Levels are paced in a such a way that they never outstay their welcome and they offer a lot of secrets to find and variety in missions. From gunfights, to hover board races, to rail grinding, to puzzles, to Dog Fighting in your ship, there is a lot to do!
đŚ What makes R&C truly unique though is the weapon system. You collect weapons, you can upgrade weapons simply by using them. Then you can upgrade them again with a certain rare collectable as each weapon has its own hex grid chart where you can buy spots on the chart that improve your weapon. Then in challenge mode, if you've collected the right cards through the game, you can upgrade the guns again to another more powerful version. It sounds like a lot, but once you see the system in action, it fits so well in the game that it feels like second nature.
đ The story and writing are probably where the game suffers most. It's not even that it's bad, but it can be corny at times, even if that is what they're going for. I can see this turning some players off. However, the pacing of the story is perfect.
đĽ I hope they also get to updating Going Commando and Up Your Arsenal. For now I plan to play through the rest of Challenge Mode and then jump to Rift Apart very soon!
đ The graphics are beautiful. It's hard to believe that this came out in 2016 as playing it on PS5, this game looks better than many of the games coming out today. Of course, it does have the :3D Platforming cutesy aesthetic: but considering the varied look of all the different worlds you visit and all of the beautiful colors and effects that are used, the game can be quite stunning.
đ The gameplay is just as fun as it ever was! This was one of the first games to successfully combine platforming with guns and it still holds up all these years later. There are many different types of enemies and a good variety of guns to take them out with (more on that in a second). Levels are paced in a such a way that they never outstay their welcome and they offer a lot of secrets to find and variety in missions. From gunfights, to hover board races, to rail grinding, to puzzles, to Dog Fighting in your ship, there is a lot to do!
đŚ What makes R&C truly unique though is the weapon system. You collect weapons, you can upgrade weapons simply by using them. Then you can upgrade them again with a certain rare collectable as each weapon has its own hex grid chart where you can buy spots on the chart that improve your weapon. Then in challenge mode, if you've collected the right cards through the game, you can upgrade the guns again to another more powerful version. It sounds like a lot, but once you see the system in action, it fits so well in the game that it feels like second nature.
đ The story and writing are probably where the game suffers most. It's not even that it's bad, but it can be corny at times, even if that is what they're going for. I can see this turning some players off. However, the pacing of the story is perfect.
đĽ I hope they also get to updating Going Commando and Up Your Arsenal. For now I plan to play through the rest of Challenge Mode and then jump to Rift Apart very soon!
2010
It's not perfect, but I love this little Halloween RPG. It just captures the feeling of old school Halloween for a kid so well. From the music, costumes, light humor... it all just falls into place for me.
If I had to guess, I've played it around 6 times all the way through and I'll definitely play it again in the future.
If I had to guess, I've played it around 6 times all the way through and I'll definitely play it again in the future.
2018
A bit repetitive and most of the characters are one dimensional but the story and Detective Pikachu himself really make this one a fun experience.
Detective Pikachu is a telltale style adventure game for younger gamers. Basically, you'll walk around environments, talk to lots of random people, collect evidence and solve all the mini cases you are tasked with while unraveling the main mystery at the same time.
I had this game from before and didn't put much time into it. With a sequel coming out, it reminded me of the game and I wanted to see if I would enjoy it. Bare in mind, I am not a long time Pokemon game fan. While I've always liked the monsters and the idea of having one as a friend, I found the games to be a bit repetitive and never really put much time into them. I have liked a few of the telltale games though, like The Walking Dead series for example.
For the most part, I had a lot of fun with Detective Pikachu. I think this version of Pikachu is great. I like his attitude and his love for coffee. He's also a great partner for Tim Goodman because he's the complete opposite personality.
The main character Tim doesn't have much personality. His name is Tim Goodman and his main characteristic is that he is a good man. Hence his name I guess. Tim is a bit boring but he would be a great friend to have for sure, I would want Tim in my corner.
In fact, many of the personalities in this game are either, this is a good person or a bad person and it's part of what makes this for kids (beside sit being a Pokemon game). There isn't much nuance to people in this one, but what do you expect from a game called Detective Pikachu?
The story itself is what kept me going with this. I wanted to see what would happen next and how they were going to solve the next case, leading us to figuring out who is creating this "chemical R" that makes Pokemon go crazy.
To unravel this mystery, in each chapter, you'll talk to several different people when you start a case to get info. Then when you find another piece of info from someone, you'll have to go around all over again to each person until you find the person who gives you the next tid-bit of info to drive the story forward.
I could only bring myself to play a half hour to an hour of this every so often because I would get tired of the back and forth between everyone. It becomes very repetitive at times. Mind you, this isn't every single chapter as some do move along at a better pace but there are some chapters where you do this over and over again and it becomes monotonous.
Once you collect enough testimony/info, you'll also have to solve logic puzzles to unlock the next step of the case. These range from incredibly simple to "I'm not sure what the game is asking of me right now." There were a few times where Pikachu would ask "How do we explain this part?" and I would look at the options available and be a little dumbfounded. Either I was way overthinking it as an adult or there was something lost in translation. I'm not sure which.
Overall though, this game was pretty fun! Like I said, this hard boiled, no nonsense Pikachu with a good heart is an awesome character. The gameplay gets a little repetitive but the story is fun and worth pushing through to see what happens and what quips Detective Pikachu will say next.
Detective Pikachu is a telltale style adventure game for younger gamers. Basically, you'll walk around environments, talk to lots of random people, collect evidence and solve all the mini cases you are tasked with while unraveling the main mystery at the same time.
I had this game from before and didn't put much time into it. With a sequel coming out, it reminded me of the game and I wanted to see if I would enjoy it. Bare in mind, I am not a long time Pokemon game fan. While I've always liked the monsters and the idea of having one as a friend, I found the games to be a bit repetitive and never really put much time into them. I have liked a few of the telltale games though, like The Walking Dead series for example.
For the most part, I had a lot of fun with Detective Pikachu. I think this version of Pikachu is great. I like his attitude and his love for coffee. He's also a great partner for Tim Goodman because he's the complete opposite personality.
The main character Tim doesn't have much personality. His name is Tim Goodman and his main characteristic is that he is a good man. Hence his name I guess. Tim is a bit boring but he would be a great friend to have for sure, I would want Tim in my corner.
In fact, many of the personalities in this game are either, this is a good person or a bad person and it's part of what makes this for kids (beside sit being a Pokemon game). There isn't much nuance to people in this one, but what do you expect from a game called Detective Pikachu?
The story itself is what kept me going with this. I wanted to see what would happen next and how they were going to solve the next case, leading us to figuring out who is creating this "chemical R" that makes Pokemon go crazy.
To unravel this mystery, in each chapter, you'll talk to several different people when you start a case to get info. Then when you find another piece of info from someone, you'll have to go around all over again to each person until you find the person who gives you the next tid-bit of info to drive the story forward.
I could only bring myself to play a half hour to an hour of this every so often because I would get tired of the back and forth between everyone. It becomes very repetitive at times. Mind you, this isn't every single chapter as some do move along at a better pace but there are some chapters where you do this over and over again and it becomes monotonous.
Once you collect enough testimony/info, you'll also have to solve logic puzzles to unlock the next step of the case. These range from incredibly simple to "I'm not sure what the game is asking of me right now." There were a few times where Pikachu would ask "How do we explain this part?" and I would look at the options available and be a little dumbfounded. Either I was way overthinking it as an adult or there was something lost in translation. I'm not sure which.
Overall though, this game was pretty fun! Like I said, this hard boiled, no nonsense Pikachu with a good heart is an awesome character. The gameplay gets a little repetitive but the story is fun and worth pushing through to see what happens and what quips Detective Pikachu will say next.
2021
A very silly, physics based game about stealing money and trying to get away with it. Some might get frustrated with the weird physics at times or how the items can react strangely, but this is not a game to be taken seriously, so don't sweat it. đ
Great game if you can get together with a group of friends to play it! Online can be fun too, as long as you can find a decent group.
Great game if you can get together with a group of friends to play it! Online can be fun too, as long as you can find a decent group.
2021
I decided to give this one a go before it was removed from Game Pass. While I liked the character designs and the art style, the game itself is sort of all over the place.
The game starts off pretty slow because there is a lot of story and dialog to get through first. And not all of it is interesting or felt worth the time. While the story is fine enough, the worst part of this truly is the dialog.
The twins are very annoying. There were several times in the game where I just rolled my eyes at what they were saying and when you have a ton of dialog in a game, that's not a good sign. I did not care about the twins in the least and, for me, they just became a vessel to experience the gameplay.
It takes a bit for this game to get you into the normal gameplay loop/flow of take on a dungeon, collect stuff, equip/sell/upgrade and do it again. But when it does, there is a pocket of this game that is really fun. Especially when they start introducing the abilities you can use. It's fun to see what they all do.
Also, the secret dungeon stuff is a highlight here. Finding goodies by chance just by heading into an area you haven't before was a joy.
While the overall beat-em-up gameplay is fun, it also wears out its welcome after a while. And when you get to the point where the combat is a bit boring and the dialog is annoying you, it's a bit of a slog to get through the last bit of it.
The game starts off pretty slow because there is a lot of story and dialog to get through first. And not all of it is interesting or felt worth the time. While the story is fine enough, the worst part of this truly is the dialog.
The twins are very annoying. There were several times in the game where I just rolled my eyes at what they were saying and when you have a ton of dialog in a game, that's not a good sign. I did not care about the twins in the least and, for me, they just became a vessel to experience the gameplay.
It takes a bit for this game to get you into the normal gameplay loop/flow of take on a dungeon, collect stuff, equip/sell/upgrade and do it again. But when it does, there is a pocket of this game that is really fun. Especially when they start introducing the abilities you can use. It's fun to see what they all do.
Also, the secret dungeon stuff is a highlight here. Finding goodies by chance just by heading into an area you haven't before was a joy.
While the overall beat-em-up gameplay is fun, it also wears out its welcome after a while. And when you get to the point where the combat is a bit boring and the dialog is annoying you, it's a bit of a slog to get through the last bit of it.
2021
Road 96 is an adventure game, very much inspired by the TellTale style. While the game earns merit for trying to do something unique with its story telling by putting you in the shoes of several runaways and it offers a lot of variety in what youâll do on your adventures, the events and how they unfold are so unbelievable and comical (whether on purpose or not) that it took me out of the experience. For a game with a seemingly serious political message, itâs a strange design choice that doesnât really gel for me.
In Road 96, you take on the role of several different teen runaways who are hitchhiking to cross the border into another country because their current one has become a totalitarian government where the police are crooked and everything is corrupt. The game is really reaching to try and make a statement about how there are good and bad people on all sides of the political spectrum, which is respectable⌠until you realize how zany this world and the characters who live in it truly are.
The best thing about Road 96 is the sheer variety of different things you get to do in the game. While on the road, you will run into all kinds of strange people who will request your assistance. While the majority of the game is conversational, youâll find yourself robbing places, shooting nail guns, playing soccer, hacking transmitters, swerving around traffic and much more. I wouldnât expect this much variety in this style of game, so the game definitely earns points for that.
Itâs a double edge sword though because it makes a lot of the world unbelievable and silly. And thatâs the main problem with the game. It wants you to take its political message seriously (I think?) while the rest of the game is completely silly. The tone is just all over the place.
For instance, you have two guys who wear bright jumpsuits and masks who go around robbing places and people, some times in broad daylight. They repeatedly shout their names together like a couple of numbskulls and always try to include these runaway kids in their crimes. So many questions come to mind! How do people not notice these guys from 20 miles away? How are they not in jail? They bumble every robbery, so who takes them seriously? Why do they try to get kids involved with their shenanigans? Why does one of them sound like a big, dumb, Looney Tunes character? Itâs all very perplexing.
The game features a full roster of these characters and itâs truly a love âem or hate âem situation. You have the robbers, a serial killer, a cop, a trucker, a smart whiz kid, a red haired girl with ties to the government and a tv show host (I think thatâs all of them?). You will run in to them randomly through your travels as you will play with 6 or 7 different teenagers to complete the game and each character seems to have several story points where you get to interact with them while the game tells its main narrative at the same time. I thought this approach was very unique and fun.
However, the fact that all of these strangers would trust someone they donât know, who is also a teenager/kid, to do some of the things they request them to do is just kind of bonkers. Or even some of the super personal things these people will tell some teenage kid off the street is just crazy to me.
And after these encounters, which at times, can be pretty dark, there is this hilarity where you, you know, instead of running for your life down the road or into the wilderness form this event, you whistle and stick your thumb out to hitch hike. I laughed out loud several times when I did this.
Some of these characters you run into are pretty insufferable and I got to a point with a couple where when I would happen to come to one of their story points, I would roll my eyes thinking âUgh, not this againâŚâ
As I mentioned earlier, the game is mostly conversational. This becomes a big problem as a lot of the voice acting is not great. I know itâs an indie game, but jeeze, some line delivery in this game is just awful. But it must be hard to deliver some of these lines as the dialog isnât great either. Itâs passable but most of the time I feel like theyâre either going for a joke that doesnât hit or itâs âcampyâ funny, in that, I donât think they intended it to be funny (or did they?)
Considering all of that, the graphics make the game look like a TellTale game was released on the N64. Iâm exaggerating a bit but wow. Normally this doesnât bother me but on XBOX Series X, I was kind of stunned by how bad it looked at times, how dark the game was in certain spots and how the models on the road (like billboards and trees) seemingly grow out of the ground as they appear.
The game gets points for being unique in certain ways but I just wish the execution was a bit better. Itâs a decent game, itâs playable without many bugs and at times, I enjoyed the unique situations but itâs just unbelievable and too campy for me to take it seriously. I also wish this just looked a bit better on Series X.
In Road 96, you take on the role of several different teen runaways who are hitchhiking to cross the border into another country because their current one has become a totalitarian government where the police are crooked and everything is corrupt. The game is really reaching to try and make a statement about how there are good and bad people on all sides of the political spectrum, which is respectable⌠until you realize how zany this world and the characters who live in it truly are.
The best thing about Road 96 is the sheer variety of different things you get to do in the game. While on the road, you will run into all kinds of strange people who will request your assistance. While the majority of the game is conversational, youâll find yourself robbing places, shooting nail guns, playing soccer, hacking transmitters, swerving around traffic and much more. I wouldnât expect this much variety in this style of game, so the game definitely earns points for that.
Itâs a double edge sword though because it makes a lot of the world unbelievable and silly. And thatâs the main problem with the game. It wants you to take its political message seriously (I think?) while the rest of the game is completely silly. The tone is just all over the place.
For instance, you have two guys who wear bright jumpsuits and masks who go around robbing places and people, some times in broad daylight. They repeatedly shout their names together like a couple of numbskulls and always try to include these runaway kids in their crimes. So many questions come to mind! How do people not notice these guys from 20 miles away? How are they not in jail? They bumble every robbery, so who takes them seriously? Why do they try to get kids involved with their shenanigans? Why does one of them sound like a big, dumb, Looney Tunes character? Itâs all very perplexing.
The game features a full roster of these characters and itâs truly a love âem or hate âem situation. You have the robbers, a serial killer, a cop, a trucker, a smart whiz kid, a red haired girl with ties to the government and a tv show host (I think thatâs all of them?). You will run in to them randomly through your travels as you will play with 6 or 7 different teenagers to complete the game and each character seems to have several story points where you get to interact with them while the game tells its main narrative at the same time. I thought this approach was very unique and fun.
However, the fact that all of these strangers would trust someone they donât know, who is also a teenager/kid, to do some of the things they request them to do is just kind of bonkers. Or even some of the super personal things these people will tell some teenage kid off the street is just crazy to me.
And after these encounters, which at times, can be pretty dark, there is this hilarity where you, you know, instead of running for your life down the road or into the wilderness form this event, you whistle and stick your thumb out to hitch hike. I laughed out loud several times when I did this.
Some of these characters you run into are pretty insufferable and I got to a point with a couple where when I would happen to come to one of their story points, I would roll my eyes thinking âUgh, not this againâŚâ
As I mentioned earlier, the game is mostly conversational. This becomes a big problem as a lot of the voice acting is not great. I know itâs an indie game, but jeeze, some line delivery in this game is just awful. But it must be hard to deliver some of these lines as the dialog isnât great either. Itâs passable but most of the time I feel like theyâre either going for a joke that doesnât hit or itâs âcampyâ funny, in that, I donât think they intended it to be funny (or did they?)
Considering all of that, the graphics make the game look like a TellTale game was released on the N64. Iâm exaggerating a bit but wow. Normally this doesnât bother me but on XBOX Series X, I was kind of stunned by how bad it looked at times, how dark the game was in certain spots and how the models on the road (like billboards and trees) seemingly grow out of the ground as they appear.
The game gets points for being unique in certain ways but I just wish the execution was a bit better. Itâs a decent game, itâs playable without many bugs and at times, I enjoyed the unique situations but itâs just unbelievable and too campy for me to take it seriously. I also wish this just looked a bit better on Series X.
2023
My only complaint about Cacoon is that there isn't more of it to play. This surprisingly short (probably because I was having such a great time playing it) game introduces you into a uniquely strange world with some of the best puzzle solving I've seen in a game in a long time.
If you do not like puzzle games, you want to stay far away from this one. However, if you enjoy the genre, you're in for a hell of a treat. You play as a little bug person who is hatched into a strange, confusing world. The game is ambiguous with it's story and setting, but this all works out for the gameplay.
The game play is puzzles, puzzles, puzzles, boss fight, puzzles. While in the beginning, they go pretty easy on you, eventually you start collecting these different color orbs that have different abilities when you carry them on your back. However, each orb can also be dove into to find another world within. You will get to the point where you're popping in and out of 3 orbs and swapping them off of your back to solve certain puzzles and it's very impressive to see it all come together.
There are some puzzles you will breeze through but there are other puzzles that will bend your mind. All the while, you realize that the game gives you no context for anything (not even button prompts) but somehow everything in the world makes sense and is intuitive to learn. You'll have many moments (as long as you don't use a guide) where you will feel like a genius for figuring out the solution to some of these puzzles.
And did I mention boss fights!? I did! However these boss fights are all fought passively in that, your character can not natively attack or shoot, so you'll have to get creative with what the boss gives you to defeat it. I also loved that the developer some times created unique boss phases that you'll only see during certain phases of the fight. They really put a lot of love and care into this game!
This would've been a 5 star game for me, as my ONLY gripe is that the game is a little TOO ambiguous. After the long journey of completing the game, they do treat you to a cool cutscene but I still have no idea what was going on or why we were doing what we did. Maybe I don't get it? Or maybe that's how they want it. Either way, this really isn't that big of a deal, but for me, it does keep it from 5 stars.
Again, hell of a game for puzzle fans. A must play!
If you do not like puzzle games, you want to stay far away from this one. However, if you enjoy the genre, you're in for a hell of a treat. You play as a little bug person who is hatched into a strange, confusing world. The game is ambiguous with it's story and setting, but this all works out for the gameplay.
The game play is puzzles, puzzles, puzzles, boss fight, puzzles. While in the beginning, they go pretty easy on you, eventually you start collecting these different color orbs that have different abilities when you carry them on your back. However, each orb can also be dove into to find another world within. You will get to the point where you're popping in and out of 3 orbs and swapping them off of your back to solve certain puzzles and it's very impressive to see it all come together.
There are some puzzles you will breeze through but there are other puzzles that will bend your mind. All the while, you realize that the game gives you no context for anything (not even button prompts) but somehow everything in the world makes sense and is intuitive to learn. You'll have many moments (as long as you don't use a guide) where you will feel like a genius for figuring out the solution to some of these puzzles.
And did I mention boss fights!? I did! However these boss fights are all fought passively in that, your character can not natively attack or shoot, so you'll have to get creative with what the boss gives you to defeat it. I also loved that the developer some times created unique boss phases that you'll only see during certain phases of the fight. They really put a lot of love and care into this game!
This would've been a 5 star game for me, as my ONLY gripe is that the game is a little TOO ambiguous. After the long journey of completing the game, they do treat you to a cool cutscene but I still have no idea what was going on or why we were doing what we did. Maybe I don't get it? Or maybe that's how they want it. Either way, this really isn't that big of a deal, but for me, it does keep it from 5 stars.
Again, hell of a game for puzzle fans. A must play!
2015
I've been playing Rocket League since the year it came out and I still pop in to play a few rounds now and then, especially during the holiday events.
And now that it's free on all platforms, I can play it anymore and it saves with cross progression. One of my favorites for sure!
And now that it's free on all platforms, I can play it anymore and it saves with cross progression. One of my favorites for sure!
I really wanted to like this one, but in the end, itâs just a bit too janky, unoptimized and strangely paced.
Bramble starts out pretty strong, where an interesting world unfolds in a dark forest atmosphere with fairy tale creatures but with several crashes, sounds issues and janky/stiff controls, the game started to feel like a chore to play through.
I found myself playing a chapter or even just part of a chapter and quitting thinking âIâm not in the mood for this right nowâ or the game would crash and I would just think, "okay, I'm good on this for tonight."
I did manage to finish it though and I have to say, the games tone is all over the place. Some times it's beautiful and serene and other times it's dark and gratuitous with gore. It's really strange how it can feel like a kids game at one point and then 5 minutes later you're in a grisly horror movie. I guess that's true to fairy tales. Depending on who you are, you might REALLY like that, but for me, it feels unbalanced and a bit odd.
The boss battles are odd too. They're VERY creative, so points given there but some times they feel like they abruptly start out of nowhere and then you don't know what you're supposed to do. There are some boss phases that will have you scratching your head at first and wonder what you're even supposed to be doing.
I also died many times not understanding the boundaries of the world or the games mechanics caught me in a janky way, which was frustrating.
Itâs a shame because there really are some cool and whimsical moments in the game and you could see what the dev was going for, but overall, this one just needed more TLC.
Bramble starts out pretty strong, where an interesting world unfolds in a dark forest atmosphere with fairy tale creatures but with several crashes, sounds issues and janky/stiff controls, the game started to feel like a chore to play through.
I found myself playing a chapter or even just part of a chapter and quitting thinking âIâm not in the mood for this right nowâ or the game would crash and I would just think, "okay, I'm good on this for tonight."
I did manage to finish it though and I have to say, the games tone is all over the place. Some times it's beautiful and serene and other times it's dark and gratuitous with gore. It's really strange how it can feel like a kids game at one point and then 5 minutes later you're in a grisly horror movie. I guess that's true to fairy tales. Depending on who you are, you might REALLY like that, but for me, it feels unbalanced and a bit odd.
The boss battles are odd too. They're VERY creative, so points given there but some times they feel like they abruptly start out of nowhere and then you don't know what you're supposed to do. There are some boss phases that will have you scratching your head at first and wonder what you're even supposed to be doing.
I also died many times not understanding the boundaries of the world or the games mechanics caught me in a janky way, which was frustrating.
Itâs a shame because there really are some cool and whimsical moments in the game and you could see what the dev was going for, but overall, this one just needed more TLC.
2022
The games art style and sound design is amazing! It really immerses you and makes you feel like you're in an old Japanese film. However, the gameplay itself is pretty one note with the combat and gets pretty redundant, even by the time you finish this short experience. The games style is what kept me going, otherwise I probably would've left this one partway through.
2020
This a great 3d platformer, even if it is kind of a gimmicky, tech demo for the PS5. It showcases the PS5 controller really well, especially the haptic tumbling and Astrobot is a very cute mascot who really needs his own full game. For a free game on PS5 though, this is a banger!
Play as Astrobot as you hunt for and uncover Playstation consoles and accessories. Why? To celebrate Playstation as a brand, I guess?
The game plays great, a buttery smooth, 3d platforming experience. Rarely did I have any issues with the camera, controls or anything else. The game offers more gameplay styles in addition to the 3d platforming as well, but give Astrobot suits and guns to use as certain points in the game.
Playing this game definitely makes me wish I had more nostalgia for the Playstation 1! I only had an N64 back then, so I never really got to spend any personal time with one.
The game only loses points for not really have much in the way of a story/motivation (I mean, you just collect Playstation stuff) and because it's entirely too short. You'll finish this in probably 2 sittings at most, and that's only if you going for the platinum trophy. You can probably finish it in an hour if you're just blasting through and not looking for collectibles. Great game otherwise!
Play as Astrobot as you hunt for and uncover Playstation consoles and accessories. Why? To celebrate Playstation as a brand, I guess?
The game plays great, a buttery smooth, 3d platforming experience. Rarely did I have any issues with the camera, controls or anything else. The game offers more gameplay styles in addition to the 3d platforming as well, but give Astrobot suits and guns to use as certain points in the game.
Playing this game definitely makes me wish I had more nostalgia for the Playstation 1! I only had an N64 back then, so I never really got to spend any personal time with one.
The game only loses points for not really have much in the way of a story/motivation (I mean, you just collect Playstation stuff) and because it's entirely too short. You'll finish this in probably 2 sittings at most, and that's only if you going for the platinum trophy. You can probably finish it in an hour if you're just blasting through and not looking for collectibles. Great game otherwise!
I hate stealth games. Most of the time I find them tense, tedious and just unenjoyable. However, I played the first Plague Tale through because it was leaving Game Pass last year and a friend told me I should check it out. I'm so glad that I did because it was such a great experience!
Fast forward to Requiem and I had high hopes for it and it definitely delivered! The game basically takes everything that made the first game great and enhanced it.
Stealth areas are bigger. There are more enemy types. Huge scale puzzles. Bigger characters with a lot of depth and great voice work. Fun parts of exploration. And of course, SUPER OVER THE TOP RAT SEQUENCES! It's the whole package.
The story picks up where the first left off and it keeps building to so many huge moments. It's almost a sci-fi meets fantasy type story that I'm not sure I have experienced before.
This is a game though that is just down right oppressive. There is hardly any joy in it and I could only play a mission a night when I had the chance because some missions I would finish and just feel awful.
Now, I knocked off a star for this game because of the optimization. I started this game when it came out in 2022 on Game Pass. I downloaded it on my PC and I was able to enjoy the first couple of levels but then the real chugging/lagging began.
I refused to play this game at lower than 60 fps. Call me a snob, but I couldn't do it. I actually uninstalled it and waited till I got a new PC recently to play through it (I was already planning on getting a new PC anyway, so not a huge deal).
However, the point of all this is that this game is not very well optimized unless you have a master PC. It's 30 fps on Series X and PS5 and on older PCs, it's just below 60 no matter how much you fiddle with the settings. I even put them at their lowest potato settings and it was still hitting maybe 50.
Anyway, amazing game. It's oppressive at times. It's wonderous at times. It's gorgeous, even if that comes at the sacrifice of bad optimization. It made me cry. Full Rec from me.
Fast forward to Requiem and I had high hopes for it and it definitely delivered! The game basically takes everything that made the first game great and enhanced it.
Stealth areas are bigger. There are more enemy types. Huge scale puzzles. Bigger characters with a lot of depth and great voice work. Fun parts of exploration. And of course, SUPER OVER THE TOP RAT SEQUENCES! It's the whole package.
The story picks up where the first left off and it keeps building to so many huge moments. It's almost a sci-fi meets fantasy type story that I'm not sure I have experienced before.
This is a game though that is just down right oppressive. There is hardly any joy in it and I could only play a mission a night when I had the chance because some missions I would finish and just feel awful.
Now, I knocked off a star for this game because of the optimization. I started this game when it came out in 2022 on Game Pass. I downloaded it on my PC and I was able to enjoy the first couple of levels but then the real chugging/lagging began.
I refused to play this game at lower than 60 fps. Call me a snob, but I couldn't do it. I actually uninstalled it and waited till I got a new PC recently to play through it (I was already planning on getting a new PC anyway, so not a huge deal).
However, the point of all this is that this game is not very well optimized unless you have a master PC. It's 30 fps on Series X and PS5 and on older PCs, it's just below 60 no matter how much you fiddle with the settings. I even put them at their lowest potato settings and it was still hitting maybe 50.
Anyway, amazing game. It's oppressive at times. It's wonderous at times. It's gorgeous, even if that comes at the sacrifice of bad optimization. It made me cry. Full Rec from me.
This would be a straight 5 star review if there weren't so many bugs still in it because, as it stands, you're getting a lot of decent games here for the money! I know the game came out in shambles when it was released, but in 2023, it's great.
Over the years, a friend and I played through Halo: Reach all the way to Halo 4 (we'll be jumping into 5 and Infinite soon here as well) and we had a great time playing through them.
However, there were several instances where the game booted us and we would lose progress and it was VERY annoying.
Also, ODST, what's the deal with you not being able to save your game where you're at and come back to it? Odd, choice.
Despite that, we had a really fun time playing all of these. Lots of jokes were told, many laughs were had, many enemies stuck with grenades and many vehicles ridden and destroyed. Very fun!
Overall, I have two critiques with Halo franchise itself:
1. First is that while the gameplay is a ton to play with a friend, these are not games I would play on my own. I tried playing a few missions on my own just to check it out and I found it to be pretty lonely and boring.
2. The story. I have played through all of these games and still don't fully understand WTF is actually going on.
Other than that, if you like FPS's, you should check the series out. I'm probably one of the few who played a little bit of Halo 1 on the OG XBox back around when it came out, and I wasn't super impressed. As a player of Quake, I thought it was sterile and kind of boring.
However, all these years later, while I still think that Halo 1 has some issues, we had a ball with all of these games.
Over the years, a friend and I played through Halo: Reach all the way to Halo 4 (we'll be jumping into 5 and Infinite soon here as well) and we had a great time playing through them.
However, there were several instances where the game booted us and we would lose progress and it was VERY annoying.
Also, ODST, what's the deal with you not being able to save your game where you're at and come back to it? Odd, choice.
Despite that, we had a really fun time playing all of these. Lots of jokes were told, many laughs were had, many enemies stuck with grenades and many vehicles ridden and destroyed. Very fun!
Overall, I have two critiques with Halo franchise itself:
1. First is that while the gameplay is a ton to play with a friend, these are not games I would play on my own. I tried playing a few missions on my own just to check it out and I found it to be pretty lonely and boring.
2. The story. I have played through all of these games and still don't fully understand WTF is actually going on.
Other than that, if you like FPS's, you should check the series out. I'm probably one of the few who played a little bit of Halo 1 on the OG XBox back around when it came out, and I wasn't super impressed. As a player of Quake, I thought it was sterile and kind of boring.
However, all these years later, while I still think that Halo 1 has some issues, we had a ball with all of these games.
2020
I played this while it was on Game Pass. This remake really shows that a lot of what was created back when it was first released is still a lot of fun today. The silly dialog, the crazy devices, the destruction... it's just a ton of fun. Also, updated graphics that kind of make the game look like how we remember it!
There are still some areas of the game that feel a bit dated and janky though. When switching between devices and remembering what buttons do what in certain situations can be a little cumbersome when you're in a heated battle or trying your best to stealth through a section.
Otherwise, this one is a lot of fun!
There are still some areas of the game that feel a bit dated and janky though. When switching between devices and remembering what buttons do what in certain situations can be a little cumbersome when you're in a heated battle or trying your best to stealth through a section.
Otherwise, this one is a lot of fun!
2021
I absolutely love this game. The Forza Horizon series has become my go-to racing series since Burnout stopped. I know many players have said that this isn't as good as previous entries in the series but I still love it and have spent a lot of time in this one.
The amount of events and extra activities to do in this game promises that you'll be here for a while if you're looking for racing plus other shenanigans.
I've technically completed it but I always jump back in for a little racing now and then. AND I'm still trying to get that Chicken Dinner win!
The amount of events and extra activities to do in this game promises that you'll be here for a while if you're looking for racing plus other shenanigans.
I've technically completed it but I always jump back in for a little racing now and then. AND I'm still trying to get that Chicken Dinner win!