Replicant1737
473 Reviews liked by Replicant1737
Mario Kart 64
1996
So uh, I think this might end up being the year of Mario Kart for me. Idk why but I feel like playing and reviewing them all. Besides Double Dash as I don't own it and can't run it on my craptop. Either way, 64 was one of the big Mario Kart games I missed alongside Double Dash. I really don't know why I never picked this up years ago, cuz after finally playing it, I just know I would have had a blast playing it with friends.
In terms of controls and how your kart feels, this is miles better than Super I think. The drifting doesn't feel like ass anymore and is pretty solid here. Though, it can be a little tricky to pull off and you can spin out if you don't constantly move the control stick, however it feels pretty nice. Honestly a lot of the time you don't even need to drift as you can turn really well without it, and the courses for the most part don't require drifting. This is a huge plus from Super I think.
Another big improvement is the track design. The courses are now fully 3D and they're just so much more fun to play through. There's a couple I'm not the biggest fan of (I'm looking at you Toad's Turnpike and Yoshi Valley) but in general, this is a very solid selection. Also every stage is distinct and doesn't share the same 5 or 6 level themes like Super did so that's a massive improvement.
The items are also improved tho they can be sort of weird. The red shells are actually super effective in this game, as long as they don't hit a wall. Banana bunches come in 5's now, which I found interesting as this is the only Mario Kart game I've played so far which does that. Shells now rotate around you. The addition of other items like the gold mushroom or blue shell are also very nice. But getting these items can be kinda weird. There were a handful of instances where I was in 2nd place and I was just handed stars and lightning bolts which is just really OP. It's weird but I wasn't complaining because the AI in this game can be brutal
I played on every CC (except for Mirror Mode) and got every gold cup, and the CPU's on 150cc can be brutal. In general, the rubber-banding in this game is nuts but on 150cc, a couple wrong moves can completely screw you over unless you get lucky. This combined with the fact you can spin out way easier, made 100cc the ideal engine class to play on. With friends tho, I'm sure 150 is a blast.
That's another thing, I played this alone. I wasn't able to play battle mode but from what I've seen, it looks like an absolute blast. I'm only judging it from videos, but I can say it's definitely a solid battle mode when compared to other Mario Kart games. That plus the actual racing, and I'm sure if I played this when I was younger I'd love it more. I think a big part in me giving it a 7 and not anything lower despite some gripes is my nostalgia for the N64. Even despite not playing it until this year, it does bring me back to the 2013/2014 days where the N64 was my favorite console. I just love the aesthetic what can I say.
So yeah I'm pretty happy I ended up enjoying this game as I thought the controls would be way worse tbh. Back then, I played Diddy Kong Racing and didn't vibe with it much so I figured this would have the same fate. Or maybe I just need to play Diddy Kong Racing again cuz I was probably wrong back then lol. Either way, solid Mario Kart and a big improvement from Super for sure!
In terms of controls and how your kart feels, this is miles better than Super I think. The drifting doesn't feel like ass anymore and is pretty solid here. Though, it can be a little tricky to pull off and you can spin out if you don't constantly move the control stick, however it feels pretty nice. Honestly a lot of the time you don't even need to drift as you can turn really well without it, and the courses for the most part don't require drifting. This is a huge plus from Super I think.
Another big improvement is the track design. The courses are now fully 3D and they're just so much more fun to play through. There's a couple I'm not the biggest fan of (I'm looking at you Toad's Turnpike and Yoshi Valley) but in general, this is a very solid selection. Also every stage is distinct and doesn't share the same 5 or 6 level themes like Super did so that's a massive improvement.
The items are also improved tho they can be sort of weird. The red shells are actually super effective in this game, as long as they don't hit a wall. Banana bunches come in 5's now, which I found interesting as this is the only Mario Kart game I've played so far which does that. Shells now rotate around you. The addition of other items like the gold mushroom or blue shell are also very nice. But getting these items can be kinda weird. There were a handful of instances where I was in 2nd place and I was just handed stars and lightning bolts which is just really OP. It's weird but I wasn't complaining because the AI in this game can be brutal
I played on every CC (except for Mirror Mode) and got every gold cup, and the CPU's on 150cc can be brutal. In general, the rubber-banding in this game is nuts but on 150cc, a couple wrong moves can completely screw you over unless you get lucky. This combined with the fact you can spin out way easier, made 100cc the ideal engine class to play on. With friends tho, I'm sure 150 is a blast.
That's another thing, I played this alone. I wasn't able to play battle mode but from what I've seen, it looks like an absolute blast. I'm only judging it from videos, but I can say it's definitely a solid battle mode when compared to other Mario Kart games. That plus the actual racing, and I'm sure if I played this when I was younger I'd love it more. I think a big part in me giving it a 7 and not anything lower despite some gripes is my nostalgia for the N64. Even despite not playing it until this year, it does bring me back to the 2013/2014 days where the N64 was my favorite console. I just love the aesthetic what can I say.
So yeah I'm pretty happy I ended up enjoying this game as I thought the controls would be way worse tbh. Back then, I played Diddy Kong Racing and didn't vibe with it much so I figured this would have the same fate. Or maybe I just need to play Diddy Kong Racing again cuz I was probably wrong back then lol. Either way, solid Mario Kart and a big improvement from Super for sure!
Silent Hill 2
2001
Remember when I said I'd take my time with Silent Hil?
Well...
I was originally planning on dropping my thoughts on this iconic game after I got all endings (along the bonus ending in the Greatest Hits edition + Maria's side story ending), but after getting the 3 main endings I couldn't wait any longer.
First off, playing this right after the first game might have made this title less scary than in a vaccuum. Of course there were scary moments, but nothing quite reached the chilling moments of 1 (like both sewer levels, for example). This is not a flaw with the game of course, just the only thing I can possibly say as a criticism (which I'm not, to be clear). Everything else about this game?
Perfect. Perfect. Perfect.
I'm aware this game has been discussed to death, so I'm certainly not going to provide any insight that hasn't been said millions of times before. I'm just going to share my experience.
The combat has all the hallmarks of classic survival horror, such as the limited combat options, resources, and so on. There's an option to change from tank controls to directional controls, which I used out of curiousity and believe it or not, it makes some parts more finnicky since it clashes with the regularity of switching camera angles (I'll use tank controls for SH3, promise). I honestly feel like this is the best possible version of classic horror combat, even on my first playthrough I never felt like I didn't have the means to take out enemies giving me trouble.
The atmosphere of this game is legendary. Even when I first tried playing it many years ago, I was consumed by the opening and here it felt almost life-changing to take everything in. The ominous soundtrack when you start making your way through the park, the momentary background noises that add a layer of anxiety (seriously there are so many one-off creepy sounds that just make it all the more intense), the fact that even the radio chipping is enough to keep you on your toes, there is so much density in this game's atmosphere. Finally firsthand experiencing it in full feels like a privilege. The soundtrack not only has some impending doom-sounding pieces, but genuine bangers (seriously, did not expect the amount of trip hop to play and I couldn't be happier).
The story and its symbolism has also been discussed to death, so I'll be brief. James really does feel like a character that has nothing to lose and stopped caring about everything altogether, which is something that adds further to the tone and atmosphere. It makes for a big contrast to Harry from SH1, and having that play into whichever ending you want can make it bittersweet or immensely tragic. I personally like the Leave ending the most (between that, In Water, and Maria). But one thing that happened between all three endings was the full reading of Mary's letter. It's definitely the most I've cried to a game since MGSV, and it still got me the third time through. One of the best moments in any game.
I'll definitely get the rest of the endings within the coming week, but I'll take my time for real getting to SH3 (I hear it's the scariest of the classic trilogy). I haven't been fixated on a game like this in so long, the dreadful atmosphere is honestly comforting at this point, this'll easily become a new comfort game. I can't stress how much I love this game and want to see everything it has to offer.
10/10
Well...
I was originally planning on dropping my thoughts on this iconic game after I got all endings (along the bonus ending in the Greatest Hits edition + Maria's side story ending), but after getting the 3 main endings I couldn't wait any longer.
First off, playing this right after the first game might have made this title less scary than in a vaccuum. Of course there were scary moments, but nothing quite reached the chilling moments of 1 (like both sewer levels, for example). This is not a flaw with the game of course, just the only thing I can possibly say as a criticism (which I'm not, to be clear). Everything else about this game?
Perfect. Perfect. Perfect.
I'm aware this game has been discussed to death, so I'm certainly not going to provide any insight that hasn't been said millions of times before. I'm just going to share my experience.
The combat has all the hallmarks of classic survival horror, such as the limited combat options, resources, and so on. There's an option to change from tank controls to directional controls, which I used out of curiousity and believe it or not, it makes some parts more finnicky since it clashes with the regularity of switching camera angles (I'll use tank controls for SH3, promise). I honestly feel like this is the best possible version of classic horror combat, even on my first playthrough I never felt like I didn't have the means to take out enemies giving me trouble.
The atmosphere of this game is legendary. Even when I first tried playing it many years ago, I was consumed by the opening and here it felt almost life-changing to take everything in. The ominous soundtrack when you start making your way through the park, the momentary background noises that add a layer of anxiety (seriously there are so many one-off creepy sounds that just make it all the more intense), the fact that even the radio chipping is enough to keep you on your toes, there is so much density in this game's atmosphere. Finally firsthand experiencing it in full feels like a privilege. The soundtrack not only has some impending doom-sounding pieces, but genuine bangers (seriously, did not expect the amount of trip hop to play and I couldn't be happier).
The story and its symbolism has also been discussed to death, so I'll be brief. James really does feel like a character that has nothing to lose and stopped caring about everything altogether, which is something that adds further to the tone and atmosphere. It makes for a big contrast to Harry from SH1, and having that play into whichever ending you want can make it bittersweet or immensely tragic. I personally like the Leave ending the most (between that, In Water, and Maria). But one thing that happened between all three endings was the full reading of Mary's letter. It's definitely the most I've cried to a game since MGSV, and it still got me the third time through. One of the best moments in any game.
I'll definitely get the rest of the endings within the coming week, but I'll take my time for real getting to SH3 (I hear it's the scariest of the classic trilogy). I haven't been fixated on a game like this in so long, the dreadful atmosphere is honestly comforting at this point, this'll easily become a new comfort game. I can't stress how much I love this game and want to see everything it has to offer.
10/10
Rexaura
2014
It took me 19 days to beat this 3-hour Portal mod.
Rexaura is a pretty well-known mod in the Portal community, so I decided to try it out after beating the other big mods like Portal Stories: Mel and Portal Revolution since I was still eager to play more of the same. Unlike the two mods listed above, Rexaura is a Portal 1 mod and focuses exclusively on the energy ball mechanic from that game and adds new elements like reactive gates to introduce new ways to utilise these energy balls. Now, as you could possibly guess, relying on the same mechanic for the entirety of your mod grows a little stale after a while. This is one of the main reasons why I felt so demotivated to finish Rexaura - I didn't have anything to look forward, since I'd just get more energy ball chambers. The puzzles themselves aren't even bad and I found them to be quite fun overall. That's where it stops though, the story is pretty underwhelming for a Portal game and the ending felt rushed. Especially the dialogue is nothing noteworthy and I couldn't even name you a line which especially stood out to me, which is also saddening since I'm a big fan of the passive commentary in other (fan)games of the Portal universe.
But as I said before, the puzzles in Rexaura are enjoyable enough to be worth your time, so check it out if you're still looking for more Portal. It wouldn't be my first choice because of the aforementioned criticisms, yet I had my fair share of fun and am satisfied with what it had to offer. Now that this game is finally out of the way, I can dedicate my time to games I actually want to play properly without Rexaura haunting my thoughts. Thanks for reading.
Rexaura is a pretty well-known mod in the Portal community, so I decided to try it out after beating the other big mods like Portal Stories: Mel and Portal Revolution since I was still eager to play more of the same. Unlike the two mods listed above, Rexaura is a Portal 1 mod and focuses exclusively on the energy ball mechanic from that game and adds new elements like reactive gates to introduce new ways to utilise these energy balls. Now, as you could possibly guess, relying on the same mechanic for the entirety of your mod grows a little stale after a while. This is one of the main reasons why I felt so demotivated to finish Rexaura - I didn't have anything to look forward, since I'd just get more energy ball chambers. The puzzles themselves aren't even bad and I found them to be quite fun overall. That's where it stops though, the story is pretty underwhelming for a Portal game and the ending felt rushed. Especially the dialogue is nothing noteworthy and I couldn't even name you a line which especially stood out to me, which is also saddening since I'm a big fan of the passive commentary in other (fan)games of the Portal universe.
But as I said before, the puzzles in Rexaura are enjoyable enough to be worth your time, so check it out if you're still looking for more Portal. It wouldn't be my first choice because of the aforementioned criticisms, yet I had my fair share of fun and am satisfied with what it had to offer. Now that this game is finally out of the way, I can dedicate my time to games I actually want to play properly without Rexaura haunting my thoughts. Thanks for reading.
Yakuza 5 Remastered
2019
THE YEAR OF THE DRAGON
Just like the characters in their game, RGG wanted to dream big. This is Yakuza/Like A Dragon at its most sincere, most collective, most reflective, and utmost ambitious. This is no masterpiece, I don’t consider any of the games in the series so far to resemble one for me, even counting Yakuza 0, though perhaps revisiting it may change that. But this has come the closest in reaching peak fiction, and is something I don’t think RGG will ever recapture again. Not that I can blame them, like I said, Yakuza 5 is unquestionably RGG’s most ambitious game to date.
I was disappointed by Yakuza 4. Since I didn’t think the concept of multiple protagonists paid off strongly either in gameplay or story, along with feeling like an unimportant chapter in Kiryu’s life. His presence in that game never took full advantage of the dramatic implications Yakuza 3 established about his life as a father figure and legendary yakuza. Yakuza 5 took where Yakuza 4 failed and succeeded beyond my own wildest expectation. There’s now five playable protagonists, each with their own unique combat, sub-stories, training, city maps to explore, and individual stories that contribute to the larger nationwide conspiracy plot that would eventually line everything clearly in the end. It felt like you were playing five different games that got taped together into one, and I mean that in the best and most exhausting way. By nature, this is definitely the longest Yakuza/Like A Dragon by far. Clocking in almost 50 hours in my playthrough, topping Yakuza 0 by a short 10 hours, which is a little insane to me, even knowing how notorious of time sinkers these games can be if dedicated enough. I didn’t do everything since I’m sane, but I did a fair bit of sub-stories and training, which was easier this time around because of how it was spread out. I gotta give credit for how RGG made each protagonist’ section feel unique in what they offer to ease the overwhelming burnout anyone would get by chugging through mountains of content. There’s also a consistent intrigue for how the plot unfolds from one protagonist section to the next, so it’s hard to say you get bored by how it’s presented. The sheer scale in the content and plotting doesn’t always land, though. Saejima’s part of the game, much like how it was in Yakuza 4, is the weakest link. Mostly, it’s a step-up narrative-wise and combat-wise (thank god for having real crowd control), but the pacing throughout isn’t very good. It starts off as a slow burn to set the mood, but the sparse and tedious gameplay makes it come out very dry, despite the interesting story bits happening. Then you stop at this awkward middle point filled with questionable mini-games and activities that only makes you wish this was over so you can switch to the next protagonist already. It lets you finally engage with the typical city free-roaming, sub-stories, and a solid wrap-up to Saejima’s story, but it’s entirely back loaded. An unfortunate major drawback that prevents Yakuza 5 from clicking all the way for me, besides other minor quibbles like often insane random encounter rates, Akiyama taking an understandable backseat, but he’s like my second favorite character in this series, so I wanna be spoiled more, and not even being able to play as Haruka in the climax, strangely. But, it goes to show just how well it nails the assignment and then some.
Hands down, this is my favorite story, despite how less ‘clean’ it is compared to Yakuza 0. You’re going to hear characters spout about the importance of dreams a lot, and every time it happens, the game only gets better. It wears its heart on its sleeve about it and just doesn’t care if you don’t buy into it. It’s awesome. Not only that, but it feels like an actual continuation from Yakuza 3 by exploring what it set up for Kiryu at this point in his life, while not only that, but makes thematic callbacks and allusions to every entry in how they matter. Might be why the final boss is the very best one because it reflects the way the games led everyone to this moment. I won’t spoil, but to put it this way; it’s not that he’s your final boss, but you’re his final boss. Have to bring up Shinada somehow, that I’m unfortunately aware is a one-off character never making a reappearance, who also may be pointless to the plot itself when you think about it, but he’s so important to what Yakuza 5 says about the importance of dreams, especially when you’ve lost your own but want to regain new ones on your terms. He’s a remarkable standout character with my favorite bunch of content to play with. A little sad he’s never coming back, but I’m glad my GOAT’s story ended perfectly the way it is.
You can tell this is where RGG finally found their modern groove, and right before making Yakuza 0 which perfected that. This is a quintessential Yakuza/Like A Dragon experience. Very excited to jump right into Yakuza 6 to see how this not only follows up on that ending but also tries to conclude the seven game story of an iconic main character.
Just like the characters in their game, RGG wanted to dream big. This is Yakuza/Like A Dragon at its most sincere, most collective, most reflective, and utmost ambitious. This is no masterpiece, I don’t consider any of the games in the series so far to resemble one for me, even counting Yakuza 0, though perhaps revisiting it may change that. But this has come the closest in reaching peak fiction, and is something I don’t think RGG will ever recapture again. Not that I can blame them, like I said, Yakuza 5 is unquestionably RGG’s most ambitious game to date.
I was disappointed by Yakuza 4. Since I didn’t think the concept of multiple protagonists paid off strongly either in gameplay or story, along with feeling like an unimportant chapter in Kiryu’s life. His presence in that game never took full advantage of the dramatic implications Yakuza 3 established about his life as a father figure and legendary yakuza. Yakuza 5 took where Yakuza 4 failed and succeeded beyond my own wildest expectation. There’s now five playable protagonists, each with their own unique combat, sub-stories, training, city maps to explore, and individual stories that contribute to the larger nationwide conspiracy plot that would eventually line everything clearly in the end. It felt like you were playing five different games that got taped together into one, and I mean that in the best and most exhausting way. By nature, this is definitely the longest Yakuza/Like A Dragon by far. Clocking in almost 50 hours in my playthrough, topping Yakuza 0 by a short 10 hours, which is a little insane to me, even knowing how notorious of time sinkers these games can be if dedicated enough. I didn’t do everything since I’m sane, but I did a fair bit of sub-stories and training, which was easier this time around because of how it was spread out. I gotta give credit for how RGG made each protagonist’ section feel unique in what they offer to ease the overwhelming burnout anyone would get by chugging through mountains of content. There’s also a consistent intrigue for how the plot unfolds from one protagonist section to the next, so it’s hard to say you get bored by how it’s presented. The sheer scale in the content and plotting doesn’t always land, though. Saejima’s part of the game, much like how it was in Yakuza 4, is the weakest link. Mostly, it’s a step-up narrative-wise and combat-wise (thank god for having real crowd control), but the pacing throughout isn’t very good. It starts off as a slow burn to set the mood, but the sparse and tedious gameplay makes it come out very dry, despite the interesting story bits happening. Then you stop at this awkward middle point filled with questionable mini-games and activities that only makes you wish this was over so you can switch to the next protagonist already. It lets you finally engage with the typical city free-roaming, sub-stories, and a solid wrap-up to Saejima’s story, but it’s entirely back loaded. An unfortunate major drawback that prevents Yakuza 5 from clicking all the way for me, besides other minor quibbles like often insane random encounter rates, Akiyama taking an understandable backseat, but he’s like my second favorite character in this series, so I wanna be spoiled more, and not even being able to play as Haruka in the climax, strangely. But, it goes to show just how well it nails the assignment and then some.
Hands down, this is my favorite story, despite how less ‘clean’ it is compared to Yakuza 0. You’re going to hear characters spout about the importance of dreams a lot, and every time it happens, the game only gets better. It wears its heart on its sleeve about it and just doesn’t care if you don’t buy into it. It’s awesome. Not only that, but it feels like an actual continuation from Yakuza 3 by exploring what it set up for Kiryu at this point in his life, while not only that, but makes thematic callbacks and allusions to every entry in how they matter. Might be why the final boss is the very best one because it reflects the way the games led everyone to this moment. I won’t spoil, but to put it this way; it’s not that he’s your final boss, but you’re his final boss. Have to bring up Shinada somehow, that I’m unfortunately aware is a one-off character never making a reappearance, who also may be pointless to the plot itself when you think about it, but he’s so important to what Yakuza 5 says about the importance of dreams, especially when you’ve lost your own but want to regain new ones on your terms. He’s a remarkable standout character with my favorite bunch of content to play with. A little sad he’s never coming back, but I’m glad my GOAT’s story ended perfectly the way it is.
You can tell this is where RGG finally found their modern groove, and right before making Yakuza 0 which perfected that. This is a quintessential Yakuza/Like A Dragon experience. Very excited to jump right into Yakuza 6 to see how this not only follows up on that ending but also tries to conclude the seven game story of an iconic main character.
Tekken 8
2024
This is the one.
Back in December 2023, I decided that my gaming New Year's resolution for 2024 would be to get good enough at a fighting game to play at an advanced level. While I wouldn't say I meet those conditions just yet, I believe I'm steadily making progress towards this goal. As of writing the review, I have completed the story, the Arcade Quest mode and reached the orange ranks in Ranked.
Originally, I didn't even intend on playing Tekken 8 at all. My schedule from late January into February was reserved for the new Yakuza game and Persona 3 Reload. January eventually came and I had a great time with Infinite Wealth, but Tekken 8 launched at the same time, so naturally I saw many people on social media hyping it up and how great it is. This was the catalyst for me actually researching stuff about the game by myself and was looking at reviews, character trailers and all the cool customizations others made for their characters. This went on until early February, where I just decided to pause Reload for the time being and try out Tekken 8, since this could be the one fighting game to help me fulfill my gaming New Year's resolution. As you could read from my opening sentence, it is exactly that.
Tekken 8 has all the things to keep you hooked, including visually impressive graphics and stages, adrenaline-inducing soundtrack, fantastic animations and a huge roster in the base game. Out of the 32 available characters, I'm sure anyone can find atleast two or three characters to their liking. It's also a very newcomer friendly game, the replay system shows you how to improve your gameplay in certain situations and the Special Style control layout lets you perform special moves with simplified inputs (similar to the modern controls in Street Fighter 6). I wouldn't recommend using this control scheme in the long run, but it's a great way to test new characters or to get a hang of the fundamentals at the early stages.
The game feels polished, the UI is clean and the menus aren't cluttered at all. You can set shortcuts to your favorite modes in the main menu or change the soundtrack of a stage or literally every major song in the game to pretty much any song from any past Tekken game. So even if the new soundtrack doesn't land for you, just make a new one yourself from your favorites! Customization in general is a big part of the Tekken series, it's really fun to cosplay as many different game or anime characters. Options are a bit limited as of right now, especially in terms of eye colors and hairstyles. Many iconic legacy outfits are also still missing, but it's pretty cool how you can just use the Tekken 7 outfits as presets.
The main story is pretty enjoyable for a fighting game, definitely enjoyed this one a lot more than the singleplayer mode in SF6. Arcade Quest is a nice tutorial mode and actually really helpful for beginners. I would urge every newcomer to check it out in order to get a hang of the mechanics overall, since it's not particularly long and it's definitely more interactive than just watching a youtube video on the mechanics. However if you like learning with videos, I would recommend checking out this beginner guide from PhiDX, it covers most of the basics you should know and should be easy to follow.
Tekken 8 sure was a pleasant surprise and I'll gladly spend many more hours with it to reach higher ranks with a bunch of my favorite characters. It's not going to happen overnight, but learning new things in a fighting game and incorporating them into your playstyle is arguably one of the most satisfying things you can do in a video game. Despite all this, I didn't forget about Persona 3 Reload. I'll finish it soon, but as of now - thanks for reading.
Back in December 2023, I decided that my gaming New Year's resolution for 2024 would be to get good enough at a fighting game to play at an advanced level. While I wouldn't say I meet those conditions just yet, I believe I'm steadily making progress towards this goal. As of writing the review, I have completed the story, the Arcade Quest mode and reached the orange ranks in Ranked.
Originally, I didn't even intend on playing Tekken 8 at all. My schedule from late January into February was reserved for the new Yakuza game and Persona 3 Reload. January eventually came and I had a great time with Infinite Wealth, but Tekken 8 launched at the same time, so naturally I saw many people on social media hyping it up and how great it is. This was the catalyst for me actually researching stuff about the game by myself and was looking at reviews, character trailers and all the cool customizations others made for their characters. This went on until early February, where I just decided to pause Reload for the time being and try out Tekken 8, since this could be the one fighting game to help me fulfill my gaming New Year's resolution. As you could read from my opening sentence, it is exactly that.
Tekken 8 has all the things to keep you hooked, including visually impressive graphics and stages, adrenaline-inducing soundtrack, fantastic animations and a huge roster in the base game. Out of the 32 available characters, I'm sure anyone can find atleast two or three characters to their liking. It's also a very newcomer friendly game, the replay system shows you how to improve your gameplay in certain situations and the Special Style control layout lets you perform special moves with simplified inputs (similar to the modern controls in Street Fighter 6). I wouldn't recommend using this control scheme in the long run, but it's a great way to test new characters or to get a hang of the fundamentals at the early stages.
The game feels polished, the UI is clean and the menus aren't cluttered at all. You can set shortcuts to your favorite modes in the main menu or change the soundtrack of a stage or literally every major song in the game to pretty much any song from any past Tekken game. So even if the new soundtrack doesn't land for you, just make a new one yourself from your favorites! Customization in general is a big part of the Tekken series, it's really fun to cosplay as many different game or anime characters. Options are a bit limited as of right now, especially in terms of eye colors and hairstyles. Many iconic legacy outfits are also still missing, but it's pretty cool how you can just use the Tekken 7 outfits as presets.
The main story is pretty enjoyable for a fighting game, definitely enjoyed this one a lot more than the singleplayer mode in SF6. Arcade Quest is a nice tutorial mode and actually really helpful for beginners. I would urge every newcomer to check it out in order to get a hang of the mechanics overall, since it's not particularly long and it's definitely more interactive than just watching a youtube video on the mechanics. However if you like learning with videos, I would recommend checking out this beginner guide from PhiDX, it covers most of the basics you should know and should be easy to follow.
Tekken 8 sure was a pleasant surprise and I'll gladly spend many more hours with it to reach higher ranks with a bunch of my favorite characters. It's not going to happen overnight, but learning new things in a fighting game and incorporating them into your playstyle is arguably one of the most satisfying things you can do in a video game. Despite all this, I didn't forget about Persona 3 Reload. I'll finish it soon, but as of now - thanks for reading.
I have never played a Silent Hill game before this one, so this is my introduction into the series. I saw all the backlash this was getting on here and figured, it's short and free, why not join in. I didn't despise it like some people did (though I also can't reference any other SH games) but I definitely didn't think it was good overall. Tho there were a couple things I liked.
While I didn't think the story was executed well, I can kinda see what they were going for with the themes. I feel like a lot of people, younger people especially so, can relate to some of them which is nice. I also thought the ending was kinda nice, mostly when those ending messages popped up cuz sometimes you really do need someone to talk to about this stuff. Also the live action segments were neat.
The rest of the game however, sadly sucked. The story overall is just not given enough time for you to really care about these characters, considering the game is only 2 hours long. It feels like it's just trying to spread the message rather than tell a good story. Which is further proven by the warning they give you 5 times throughout your play time, which broke my immersion every time it appeared after the 1st time. Maybe I'm being insensitive but I also thought the whole likes and followers thing giving kids anxiety was silly. That definitely took me out of the story whenever it was mentioned.
The game is basically just a walking sim with one notable puzzle in the game where you just find numbers on a wall to open a locker. So the majority of the game was boring, (because it also just wasn't scary). Besides the walking sim stuff though, are the chase sequences and they aren't fun either. Especially that last one even if it wasn't that troublesome once I knew what to do, it just wasn't fun!
I guess I can't be too harsh since it's such a short game, and maybe I would have been if I was a long-term fan like a lot of people that played it were. As it stands however, it's just a poor introduction to the series it seems. I really should play Silent Hill 1 soon though, I'd like to have a better opinion on the series than just this game lol.
While I didn't think the story was executed well, I can kinda see what they were going for with the themes. I feel like a lot of people, younger people especially so, can relate to some of them which is nice. I also thought the ending was kinda nice, mostly when those ending messages popped up cuz sometimes you really do need someone to talk to about this stuff. Also the live action segments were neat.
The rest of the game however, sadly sucked. The story overall is just not given enough time for you to really care about these characters, considering the game is only 2 hours long. It feels like it's just trying to spread the message rather than tell a good story. Which is further proven by the warning they give you 5 times throughout your play time, which broke my immersion every time it appeared after the 1st time. Maybe I'm being insensitive but I also thought the whole likes and followers thing giving kids anxiety was silly. That definitely took me out of the story whenever it was mentioned.
The game is basically just a walking sim with one notable puzzle in the game where you just find numbers on a wall to open a locker. So the majority of the game was boring, (because it also just wasn't scary). Besides the walking sim stuff though, are the chase sequences and they aren't fun either. Especially that last one even if it wasn't that troublesome once I knew what to do, it just wasn't fun!
I guess I can't be too harsh since it's such a short game, and maybe I would have been if I was a long-term fan like a lot of people that played it were. As it stands however, it's just a poor introduction to the series it seems. I really should play Silent Hill 1 soon though, I'd like to have a better opinion on the series than just this game lol.
Katamari has always been on my "want to play this someday" radar, but I never actually delved further into it - all I've known for many years is that it was supposedly about rolling up stuff to roll up even more stuff. But when I saw it for 4€ on sale the other day, I decided to just give it a try.
Surprisingly, Damacy Reroll already managed to set a record within the first 5 minutes in gameplay, where I was ready for nominating the game for the "worst controls of all time" award without even having finished the tutorial levels. Thankfully the award didn't go to Damacy and it didn't take me long to get used to the controls and enjoy the game properly. The twin-stick controls are really unique and simply describable as "easy to learn, hard to master", there's an additional layer of precision when you get the hang of them and it's quite satisfying to see.
The core gameplay is as straightforward as it gets - in the main missions, the Katamari (the ball you're rolling) has to reach a certain size within a certain time limit. Everything you roll over gets glued to the Katamari, so you'll have to start with coins and fruit first and when things get rolling (I'm sorry), you can roll over increasingly bigger things to a point where it's comical. It's so ridiculous, but Damacy Reroll does a great job at creating a sense of scale in each individual level. The side missions are also fun little challenges in the way that their main goal isn't having the biggest Katamari possible, but rather collecting a certain amount of something or having to guess your Katamari's size.
In terms of soundtrack, the dreamy songs fit the fever-dreamish vibe of the game's direction really well and are easy on the ears. Do yourself a favor and listen to Lonely Rolling Star. I think it's rather silly that the music is so cheerful and pleasant when there's a weapon of mass destruction mowing down everything in sight, but that's definitely part of the charm for me.
There's... not much else I have to say, except that I'm looking forward to playing We Love Katamari! Currently pretty engaged with Tekken 8, so my progress in Persona 3 Reload has been paused for the moment, but I'll get back to it soon. As always, thanks for reading my reviews!
Surprisingly, Damacy Reroll already managed to set a record within the first 5 minutes in gameplay, where I was ready for nominating the game for the "worst controls of all time" award without even having finished the tutorial levels. Thankfully the award didn't go to Damacy and it didn't take me long to get used to the controls and enjoy the game properly. The twin-stick controls are really unique and simply describable as "easy to learn, hard to master", there's an additional layer of precision when you get the hang of them and it's quite satisfying to see.
The core gameplay is as straightforward as it gets - in the main missions, the Katamari (the ball you're rolling) has to reach a certain size within a certain time limit. Everything you roll over gets glued to the Katamari, so you'll have to start with coins and fruit first and when things get rolling (I'm sorry), you can roll over increasingly bigger things to a point where it's comical. It's so ridiculous, but Damacy Reroll does a great job at creating a sense of scale in each individual level. The side missions are also fun little challenges in the way that their main goal isn't having the biggest Katamari possible, but rather collecting a certain amount of something or having to guess your Katamari's size.
In terms of soundtrack, the dreamy songs fit the fever-dreamish vibe of the game's direction really well and are easy on the ears. Do yourself a favor and listen to Lonely Rolling Star. I think it's rather silly that the music is so cheerful and pleasant when there's a weapon of mass destruction mowing down everything in sight, but that's definitely part of the charm for me.
There's... not much else I have to say, except that I'm looking forward to playing We Love Katamari! Currently pretty engaged with Tekken 8, so my progress in Persona 3 Reload has been paused for the moment, but I'll get back to it soon. As always, thanks for reading my reviews!
Persona 3 Reload
2024
Such a good game, the new gameplay makes tartarus so much more fun and the redone music and voice acting, while having a few issues, is really good overall. The extra story for the party members was well done, especially Shinjiros.
My only complaints are a majority of the cutscenes lose so much of the atmosphere and tension of the originals, not including the ending though that was great. The game can also feel very low budget at times, I mean this game released 8 years after persona 5 but the best it can manage visually is only being on par with it. When it's not it looks like roblox, especially in the dorms.
My only complaints are a majority of the cutscenes lose so much of the atmosphere and tension of the originals, not including the ending though that was great. The game can also feel very low budget at times, I mean this game released 8 years after persona 5 but the best it can manage visually is only being on par with it. When it's not it looks like roblox, especially in the dorms.
Silent Hill
1999
Finally played my first Silent Hill, and after the action-horror of RE Village it's pretty neat to play a pure horror game.
The biggest issue with me getting into classic horror games was the fact many of them use tank controls, so it took some getting used to here. I'm still not a huge fan of them, but I understand why they were a genre standard as a means to emphasize your characters' limited actions.
Everyone knows the atmosphere is the biggest factor in SH's brand of horrror, and here it was amazingly effective. I was actually having a hard time keeping on playing at times, because the atmosphere was so consuming and nauseating at times, also thanks in part to the incredible soundtrack. Both sewer sequences had me super tense and yeling "run" in my head, and the monsters' moaning being mixed with the BGM had me completely unnerved.
Even on easy mode (I have no shame in playing on this mode for now, as I was intent on enjoying the story) the gameplay tries to steer you to avoid unnecessary encounters. Getting chased in the late game by some of the stronger monsters adds quite a bit to the tension. The puzzles are well done for the most part, although a few of them definitely needed a guide because of how overly layered they were (especially during the final dungeon).
The soundtrack is definitely a huge part of what makes the atmosphere and emotions that more intense. My favorite scene is easily Lisa's final moment, it got to me emotionally far more than I expected and I almost got teary-eyed afterwards, thanks in part to her theme. One of the most beautiful scenes in all of gaming.
I got the Good+ ending, which definitely feels like the most satsifying and canon ending (although apparently the second Good ending is what most people gravitate to), and I might go another round at some point for one of those endings. This is definitely a game and series I want to take my time with, I feel marathoning them might diminish the experience. Still was good to break from recent games to throw back to a classic horror title, especially one I've been wanting to play forever.
9/10
The biggest issue with me getting into classic horror games was the fact many of them use tank controls, so it took some getting used to here. I'm still not a huge fan of them, but I understand why they were a genre standard as a means to emphasize your characters' limited actions.
Everyone knows the atmosphere is the biggest factor in SH's brand of horrror, and here it was amazingly effective. I was actually having a hard time keeping on playing at times, because the atmosphere was so consuming and nauseating at times, also thanks in part to the incredible soundtrack. Both sewer sequences had me super tense and yeling "run" in my head, and the monsters' moaning being mixed with the BGM had me completely unnerved.
Even on easy mode (I have no shame in playing on this mode for now, as I was intent on enjoying the story) the gameplay tries to steer you to avoid unnecessary encounters. Getting chased in the late game by some of the stronger monsters adds quite a bit to the tension. The puzzles are well done for the most part, although a few of them definitely needed a guide because of how overly layered they were (especially during the final dungeon).
The soundtrack is definitely a huge part of what makes the atmosphere and emotions that more intense. My favorite scene is easily Lisa's final moment, it got to me emotionally far more than I expected and I almost got teary-eyed afterwards, thanks in part to her theme. One of the most beautiful scenes in all of gaming.
I got the Good+ ending, which definitely feels like the most satsifying and canon ending (although apparently the second Good ending is what most people gravitate to), and I might go another round at some point for one of those endings. This is definitely a game and series I want to take my time with, I feel marathoning them might diminish the experience. Still was good to break from recent games to throw back to a classic horror title, especially one I've been wanting to play forever.
9/10
After 6 playthroughs, including a VoS run, I feel like I've played enough of this game to give my thoughts.
I thought RE7 was pretty great and genuinely scary, but its gameplay didn't give much for replay value aside from trophy hunting. I still enjoyed its presentation very much, but it's clear the experience of the story was the main focus.
RE Village goes in the other direction, where it isn't quite as scary (for the most part) as 7 but it's more action-focused similar to RE4 (which Capcom have said was a big influence on this game's development). While 4 is a masterpiece of gaming, this game isn't any slouch either. Its inspiration from 4 is abundantly clear (the duke here even makes a passing reference to 4's iconic merchant), and at its best the combat isn't too far off from 4's great story beats.
There is still lots to love with the horror elements. Lady D, memes aside, is easily the most memorable villain (sans possibly Heisenberg) and her castle is likely most people's favorite part, myself included. It becomes pretty scary when she starts stalking you, and on VoS mode she's much faster and will likely slash you before you find cover.
House Beneviento is likely the most infamous "dungeon" in the game, due to its atmosphere, themes, and imagery being very much like Silent Hill (another series I need to play ASAP). I've seen plenty complain over the lack of weapons and combat here, but I loved the extended puzzle sequence. Then there's the infamous monster chase that happens there, it is easily one of the scariest moments I've experienced in gaming (maybe second only to the invisible water monster from Amnesia: The Dark Descent) and left my heart pounding harder and harder, it gave me an almost primal form of fear.
The horror aspect feels a little less emphasized with the rest of the game, but the Moreau chase sequence is extremely thrilling and a clear nod to Del Lago from 4.
I think the gameplay takes a dive at Heisenberg's Factory, the enemies are HUGE damage sponges that shred your ammo. The lycan stronghold has similar problems (more of too many enemies as opposed to too tanky enemies), but I feel the factory is my least favorite area to go through even if it gets easier on repeats (better than 7's boat, at least). The mutated Heisenberg fight is cool at least (not on VoS mode though).
The story here continues from the Mia ending in 7, while I'm not a story guy when it comes to RE, I did like the characters that were introduced here. Plus the ending got to me and almost teared me up.
Other things that tickled my fancy:
-I played my first run with earbuds in, and I loved the sound design. I especially love how bassy Moreau's mutated form's roar is.
-The "Knives Out" playthrough is one of the dumbest things I've done in a game but one of the funniest and most fun. Having mutated villains giving monologues mid-fight, only to get murked by a knife-punch is hilariously entertaining.
This might be a little messy and jumbled, but this is what I think of the game. I did a little bit of mercenaries mode and it has its fun, I'm not big into its roguelike nature and will probably come back to platinum it another time since I'm a little worn on the combat.
Despite its flaws, I loved this game and really need to get to the RE remakes (have 2, 3, and 4) and the OG games too. Loved this game, will definitely come back to it in the future.
9/10
I thought RE7 was pretty great and genuinely scary, but its gameplay didn't give much for replay value aside from trophy hunting. I still enjoyed its presentation very much, but it's clear the experience of the story was the main focus.
RE Village goes in the other direction, where it isn't quite as scary (for the most part) as 7 but it's more action-focused similar to RE4 (which Capcom have said was a big influence on this game's development). While 4 is a masterpiece of gaming, this game isn't any slouch either. Its inspiration from 4 is abundantly clear (the duke here even makes a passing reference to 4's iconic merchant), and at its best the combat isn't too far off from 4's great story beats.
There is still lots to love with the horror elements. Lady D, memes aside, is easily the most memorable villain (sans possibly Heisenberg) and her castle is likely most people's favorite part, myself included. It becomes pretty scary when she starts stalking you, and on VoS mode she's much faster and will likely slash you before you find cover.
House Beneviento is likely the most infamous "dungeon" in the game, due to its atmosphere, themes, and imagery being very much like Silent Hill (another series I need to play ASAP). I've seen plenty complain over the lack of weapons and combat here, but I loved the extended puzzle sequence. Then there's the infamous monster chase that happens there, it is easily one of the scariest moments I've experienced in gaming (maybe second only to the invisible water monster from Amnesia: The Dark Descent) and left my heart pounding harder and harder, it gave me an almost primal form of fear.
The horror aspect feels a little less emphasized with the rest of the game, but the Moreau chase sequence is extremely thrilling and a clear nod to Del Lago from 4.
I think the gameplay takes a dive at Heisenberg's Factory, the enemies are HUGE damage sponges that shred your ammo. The lycan stronghold has similar problems (more of too many enemies as opposed to too tanky enemies), but I feel the factory is my least favorite area to go through even if it gets easier on repeats (better than 7's boat, at least). The mutated Heisenberg fight is cool at least (not on VoS mode though).
The story here continues from the Mia ending in 7, while I'm not a story guy when it comes to RE, I did like the characters that were introduced here. Plus the ending got to me and almost teared me up.
Other things that tickled my fancy:
-I played my first run with earbuds in, and I loved the sound design. I especially love how bassy Moreau's mutated form's roar is.
-The "Knives Out" playthrough is one of the dumbest things I've done in a game but one of the funniest and most fun. Having mutated villains giving monologues mid-fight, only to get murked by a knife-punch is hilariously entertaining.
This might be a little messy and jumbled, but this is what I think of the game. I did a little bit of mercenaries mode and it has its fun, I'm not big into its roguelike nature and will probably come back to platinum it another time since I'm a little worn on the combat.
Despite its flaws, I loved this game and really need to get to the RE remakes (have 2, 3, and 4) and the OG games too. Loved this game, will definitely come back to it in the future.
9/10
This review contains spoilers
“Who knows? Not me
We never lost control
You're face to face
With the man who sold the world"
It’s difficult to talk about Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain without acknowledging the elephant in the room. This is the most awkward Metal Gear entry to sit down and pick apart because it’s the only one where the troubled development and behind-the-scenes drama between Kojima and Konami has bled into the game. It’s where you can really feel Kojima’s vision, storytelling and gameplay wise, has just been compromised into a stitchwork pattern of some of the best moments in the entire franchise that shows how much Kojima and his team has evolved with some of the most unsatisfying parts that make you step back and question a bit. There’s an argument to be had on if MGSV is truly ‘unfinished’. Kojima and company nowadays seem content with the state of the game as it is. There exists tangible proof of cut content during production that wasn’t given enough funding by Konami to make it fully realized and in the actual game. Mission 51 is baffling because regardless of what Kojima or Konami says, this is clearly something very important story-wise, especially with who the mission is centered on, that I cannot understand why it wasn’t deemed worth keeping in. If I was to agree to the level of, yeah, maybe this wasn’t technically ‘unfinished’, this was roughly meant to be what it is in the end of the day, but it gives truth to the fact that there was so much that felt lacking and missing to make MGSV feel like the best possible version of itself that we’ll never get.
I dunno about you but ‘Open World Metal Gear Solid’ sounds like the tackiest idea I’ve ever heard. It does scream like a series very set in what it does uniquely, selling away its own creative freedom in favor of mindless mass consumption trying to give you a depthless version of freedom. 8th Gen, looking back at it now, is also mostly just creatively tunneled vision into sprawling, massive open worlds with resource gathering, crafting, and base management being the real grind to keep your runtime hitting the 80 hour mark. Like, it’s funny how people generalize all RPGs as being 100+ long grind fests when that’s more rare than you’d even care to look at in actuality, and that stigma feels much more deserving for the open world genre. MGSV is admittedly one of the better 8th Gen open world games from this period. This is where doubting Kojima proves futile because he knows how to take these design staples and make it feel fun. The Metal Gear Solid formula, though undergoing so many levels of evolution, bounces back at the core gameplay idea of handling obstacles with a wide variety of different solutions that typically draws the least amount of attention to you. Or, you could just say ‘fuck it’, and just go full explosive guns blazing on enemy guards and outposts with no regard for being sneaky or quiet. Not quite how I imagine you get the best experience for why these games excel hard in game design but it’s not like it’s ever discouraged too much since you’re still given weapon and tool options to choose and play with. Dropping this into the sandbox of an open world is surprisingly a natural step for Metal Gear’s continuing evolution and shakeup. It takes cues from MGS3, MGS4, and Peacewalker to deliver a solid playground where you can ride your horse, travel Afghanistan or Africa, vibe with your radio cassette set to some banger licensed tunes, scout out enemy outposts to infiltrate/assault, and maybe even kidnap the enemy soldiers and send them flying to your Mother Base to force them to serve under you! Fulton Extraction and the Mother Base system, first introduced in Peacewalker, feels fully conceptualized, though not refined, as something worth engaging with. The first dozen hours of the game I was immediately impressed by all of this. The prologue especially is some of Kojima’s greatest work, showing off how unbelievably ahead of its time the Fox Engine is graphically, while being a prime showcase of how ready Kojima is to tackle survival horror in what could’ve been Silent Hills. I don’t normally let expectations, especially from what’s been said surrounding this game, really get to me much when I play something. Here, I was willing to be this game’s strongest soldier…until it becomes very clear why MGSV: The Phantom Pain is unfortunately deserving of its status as being messy, woefully underdeveloped, and confusing but not because of the story but because of what it tries to pull itself together creatively as a Metal Gear game.
This is a roughly 60+ hour game to try to complete, yet throughout my extensive playthrough I felt like I only experienced maybe 4 hours worth of story material that’s stretched thinly yet offered sparingly. What’s frustrating isn’t that the story material itself is ‘bad’, as I feel some might easily write it off as because of how it’s presented and executed, I think it’s actually quite strong for the most part. I appreciate how it contributes to the larger Metal Gear Saga with how it puts the characters introduced in Peacewalker into a radical new dramatic context, exploring incredible themes that makes me appreciate some of the past entries in a better light through juxtaposition. Take Huey Emmerich; originating from MGS2 but properly introduced in Peacewalker, who more or less served as this cheeky wink to the fans over how Solid Snake and Otacon’s dad share the same voice actors and baseline dynamic their sons inherited later down the timeline. Aside from how seeds were planted to see how his character withers into here, there wasn’t a lot to Huey than that. I didn’t expect Huey Emmerich to wind up becoming one of my favorite villains in the whole franchise. Metal Gear has a roster of memorable villains embodying different philosophies and beliefs about the status quo. Though, you can argue many of them are at least understandable, misguided, ‘human’ I dare say, in why they’re driven this way. You can’t say the same for Huey Emmerich. He’s just the worst. An actual insufferable, petty, cowardly, hypocrite with no moral responsibilities for anything he’s done which caused indirect or direct pain and loss to the characters, not just in this game, but throughout the rest of the series. Having him share Otacon’s likeness, demeanor, and voice actor was a brilliant creative decision because we of course associate Huey with Hal, the most genuinely endearing character, only to see how that’s betrayed and subverted once his true colors became ugly and plain to see. Every single detestable thing about Huey is just further ammo for why we absolutely adore Otacon since he could’ve easily been just as low as his father but he chose not to. It’s the way they’re both broadly similar but meaningfully different in the finger details that enriches the Metal Gear Saga in close reflection. It’s not even just Huey who gets this treatment. Revolver Ocelot has been a recurring character who we’ve seen through different stages of his life that paint an interesting picture of who he really is and this is no exception. Skull Face is an underappreciated main antagonist who could’ve benefited from more screen time but once you’ve cracked who he is deep down, he makes for a surprisingly effective foil for Venom Snake for, uh, spoilery reasons I don’t want to dive into. To keep it brief; his motivation regarding his loss of identity and taking revenge on a world that took it away feels oddly resonant when you remember what this series, especially by MGS2, is all about.
It’s only too bad that most of these character beats are just not frequent enough to chew into. You have to slog through so many repetitive missions and side-ops to get even a nugget of a cool cinematic or story moment. The Mother Base management system reveals itself to be shallow as no matter how much you upgrade or develop it, the actual Mother Base you can return to see your progress of building up an army is severely uninteresting to witness. You can…drive around to platforms you just built? There’s maybe a few more generic guards who greet you autonomously and maybe have conversations you could overhear? You might even come across a cutscene that happens with certain important characters stationed there when you make enough mission progress, but, uh, that’s it. It’s quite unrewarding and boring which made me feel like I was playing through some of the most tedious excess of an 8th Gen open world game again and all its warts. Chapter 2 is the worst offender for this because it’s framed as the “postgame” or “epilogue” even though that’s where you’ll get some proper closure for loose story threads that haven’t been resolved yet. To get access to these story related missions, however, you have to play through a bulk of ‘new’ missions which are just older ones you’ve already gone through but at a higher challenge level. Keep in mind, the missions have mostly been repetitive as hell, devolving to the same “find outpost, infiltrate/assault, and eliminate/capture target” formula for hours on end. You don’t technically need to finish these missions to unlock the ones that actually matter, doing leftover side ops does the job kinda, but this is still egregious busywork to have some semblance of finality with a story hinting at incredible themes that just doesn’t pan out well.
This is the only Metal Gear game that I had trouble rating for. Rising should be shot into the sun for how it irreparably damaged the cultural perception of the series, so there were no hardships there, believe me. Peacewalker was interesting, had some fun, but clearly too limited by its design to amaze me in any way that broadened my love for these games. But Metal Gear Solid V, severe flaws and all, emboldened my passion for this franchise with what Kojima tried to tackle, only to get crushed through the grinder of Konami. I guess this game was my own Phantom Pain after all.
We never lost control
You're face to face
With the man who sold the world"
It’s difficult to talk about Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain without acknowledging the elephant in the room. This is the most awkward Metal Gear entry to sit down and pick apart because it’s the only one where the troubled development and behind-the-scenes drama between Kojima and Konami has bled into the game. It’s where you can really feel Kojima’s vision, storytelling and gameplay wise, has just been compromised into a stitchwork pattern of some of the best moments in the entire franchise that shows how much Kojima and his team has evolved with some of the most unsatisfying parts that make you step back and question a bit. There’s an argument to be had on if MGSV is truly ‘unfinished’. Kojima and company nowadays seem content with the state of the game as it is. There exists tangible proof of cut content during production that wasn’t given enough funding by Konami to make it fully realized and in the actual game. Mission 51 is baffling because regardless of what Kojima or Konami says, this is clearly something very important story-wise, especially with who the mission is centered on, that I cannot understand why it wasn’t deemed worth keeping in. If I was to agree to the level of, yeah, maybe this wasn’t technically ‘unfinished’, this was roughly meant to be what it is in the end of the day, but it gives truth to the fact that there was so much that felt lacking and missing to make MGSV feel like the best possible version of itself that we’ll never get.
I dunno about you but ‘Open World Metal Gear Solid’ sounds like the tackiest idea I’ve ever heard. It does scream like a series very set in what it does uniquely, selling away its own creative freedom in favor of mindless mass consumption trying to give you a depthless version of freedom. 8th Gen, looking back at it now, is also mostly just creatively tunneled vision into sprawling, massive open worlds with resource gathering, crafting, and base management being the real grind to keep your runtime hitting the 80 hour mark. Like, it’s funny how people generalize all RPGs as being 100+ long grind fests when that’s more rare than you’d even care to look at in actuality, and that stigma feels much more deserving for the open world genre. MGSV is admittedly one of the better 8th Gen open world games from this period. This is where doubting Kojima proves futile because he knows how to take these design staples and make it feel fun. The Metal Gear Solid formula, though undergoing so many levels of evolution, bounces back at the core gameplay idea of handling obstacles with a wide variety of different solutions that typically draws the least amount of attention to you. Or, you could just say ‘fuck it’, and just go full explosive guns blazing on enemy guards and outposts with no regard for being sneaky or quiet. Not quite how I imagine you get the best experience for why these games excel hard in game design but it’s not like it’s ever discouraged too much since you’re still given weapon and tool options to choose and play with. Dropping this into the sandbox of an open world is surprisingly a natural step for Metal Gear’s continuing evolution and shakeup. It takes cues from MGS3, MGS4, and Peacewalker to deliver a solid playground where you can ride your horse, travel Afghanistan or Africa, vibe with your radio cassette set to some banger licensed tunes, scout out enemy outposts to infiltrate/assault, and maybe even kidnap the enemy soldiers and send them flying to your Mother Base to force them to serve under you! Fulton Extraction and the Mother Base system, first introduced in Peacewalker, feels fully conceptualized, though not refined, as something worth engaging with. The first dozen hours of the game I was immediately impressed by all of this. The prologue especially is some of Kojima’s greatest work, showing off how unbelievably ahead of its time the Fox Engine is graphically, while being a prime showcase of how ready Kojima is to tackle survival horror in what could’ve been Silent Hills. I don’t normally let expectations, especially from what’s been said surrounding this game, really get to me much when I play something. Here, I was willing to be this game’s strongest soldier…until it becomes very clear why MGSV: The Phantom Pain is unfortunately deserving of its status as being messy, woefully underdeveloped, and confusing but not because of the story but because of what it tries to pull itself together creatively as a Metal Gear game.
This is a roughly 60+ hour game to try to complete, yet throughout my extensive playthrough I felt like I only experienced maybe 4 hours worth of story material that’s stretched thinly yet offered sparingly. What’s frustrating isn’t that the story material itself is ‘bad’, as I feel some might easily write it off as because of how it’s presented and executed, I think it’s actually quite strong for the most part. I appreciate how it contributes to the larger Metal Gear Saga with how it puts the characters introduced in Peacewalker into a radical new dramatic context, exploring incredible themes that makes me appreciate some of the past entries in a better light through juxtaposition. Take Huey Emmerich; originating from MGS2 but properly introduced in Peacewalker, who more or less served as this cheeky wink to the fans over how Solid Snake and Otacon’s dad share the same voice actors and baseline dynamic their sons inherited later down the timeline. Aside from how seeds were planted to see how his character withers into here, there wasn’t a lot to Huey than that. I didn’t expect Huey Emmerich to wind up becoming one of my favorite villains in the whole franchise. Metal Gear has a roster of memorable villains embodying different philosophies and beliefs about the status quo. Though, you can argue many of them are at least understandable, misguided, ‘human’ I dare say, in why they’re driven this way. You can’t say the same for Huey Emmerich. He’s just the worst. An actual insufferable, petty, cowardly, hypocrite with no moral responsibilities for anything he’s done which caused indirect or direct pain and loss to the characters, not just in this game, but throughout the rest of the series. Having him share Otacon’s likeness, demeanor, and voice actor was a brilliant creative decision because we of course associate Huey with Hal, the most genuinely endearing character, only to see how that’s betrayed and subverted once his true colors became ugly and plain to see. Every single detestable thing about Huey is just further ammo for why we absolutely adore Otacon since he could’ve easily been just as low as his father but he chose not to. It’s the way they’re both broadly similar but meaningfully different in the finger details that enriches the Metal Gear Saga in close reflection. It’s not even just Huey who gets this treatment. Revolver Ocelot has been a recurring character who we’ve seen through different stages of his life that paint an interesting picture of who he really is and this is no exception. Skull Face is an underappreciated main antagonist who could’ve benefited from more screen time but once you’ve cracked who he is deep down, he makes for a surprisingly effective foil for Venom Snake for, uh, spoilery reasons I don’t want to dive into. To keep it brief; his motivation regarding his loss of identity and taking revenge on a world that took it away feels oddly resonant when you remember what this series, especially by MGS2, is all about.
It’s only too bad that most of these character beats are just not frequent enough to chew into. You have to slog through so many repetitive missions and side-ops to get even a nugget of a cool cinematic or story moment. The Mother Base management system reveals itself to be shallow as no matter how much you upgrade or develop it, the actual Mother Base you can return to see your progress of building up an army is severely uninteresting to witness. You can…drive around to platforms you just built? There’s maybe a few more generic guards who greet you autonomously and maybe have conversations you could overhear? You might even come across a cutscene that happens with certain important characters stationed there when you make enough mission progress, but, uh, that’s it. It’s quite unrewarding and boring which made me feel like I was playing through some of the most tedious excess of an 8th Gen open world game again and all its warts. Chapter 2 is the worst offender for this because it’s framed as the “postgame” or “epilogue” even though that’s where you’ll get some proper closure for loose story threads that haven’t been resolved yet. To get access to these story related missions, however, you have to play through a bulk of ‘new’ missions which are just older ones you’ve already gone through but at a higher challenge level. Keep in mind, the missions have mostly been repetitive as hell, devolving to the same “find outpost, infiltrate/assault, and eliminate/capture target” formula for hours on end. You don’t technically need to finish these missions to unlock the ones that actually matter, doing leftover side ops does the job kinda, but this is still egregious busywork to have some semblance of finality with a story hinting at incredible themes that just doesn’t pan out well.
This is the only Metal Gear game that I had trouble rating for. Rising should be shot into the sun for how it irreparably damaged the cultural perception of the series, so there were no hardships there, believe me. Peacewalker was interesting, had some fun, but clearly too limited by its design to amaze me in any way that broadened my love for these games. But Metal Gear Solid V, severe flaws and all, emboldened my passion for this franchise with what Kojima tried to tackle, only to get crushed through the grinder of Konami. I guess this game was my own Phantom Pain after all.
Yakuza 4 Remastered
2019
THE YEAR OF THE DRAGON
Yakuza 4 is a game that stretches itself far too thin. Never being able to compensate enough despite its own glaring weaknesses. This is the least emotionally engaged I’ve been with an entry, easily ranking itself as being the weakest Yakuza/Like A Dragon if Kiwami didn’t exist. I knew that this along with Yakuza 3 was considered a low point in the series, but I surprisingly enjoyed 3 positively and I thought Yakuza 4 would fall under a similar camp for me. And… I was mostly wrong when I tried approaching this game with that fair outlook.
This feels the closest to matching in line with Yakuza 0 conceptually, strange that sounds to say after going through the Kiwami games. The obvious point of comparison being the series’ first experiment with multi-protagonists as a storytelling format to break up the plot. While using each protagonist’s section to direct dramatic beats that build upon the ones set up previously in the story. There are other bits that feel like paving the way for Yakuza 0 such as including Little Asia with its own narrowed underbelly buried between the walls of Kamurocho, the differing gameplay styles of each protagonist feeling like a precursor to the four brawling styles Kiryu adopts later, and obviously everything to do with Majima/Saejima which becomes important. If you’ve read between the lines of how I described these similarities, you’d notice how I’m sorta framing everything Yakuza 4 does as essential but ultimately prototypical groundwork for what a better game executed with cleanliness and style. To be fair, this is an argument that can be made for every Yakuza/Like A Dragon game to this very point, even the Kiwamis. The foundation for all of them is still rooted in an RGG who hasn't fully mastered their own craft, the identity of the series, which Yakuza 0 is an encapsulation for how far they have come since these entries were still developing. Except, even being aware that 0 is the peak these games would eventually strive to become, I still found unique value in almost every entry for what they add to the franchise. Kiwami is pretty bad, but we had to start from somewhere, even if it can’t be remade into something much greater. Kiwami 2 gets nonsensical with its own twists near the end, but it has Sayama and Ryuji Goda. Yakuza 3 added so much to Kiryu’s character and reinforced how tragic his life will be for the people closest to him. Yakuza 4, though? …beyond introducing new series favorites like Akiyama, I’m at a loss for what makes this feel like a standout entry with unique merits that isn’t already absorbed into Yakuza 0 or any other entry.
The gameplay is honestly a mixed bag even though it’s a continuation of Yakuza 3’s combat except quickstep isn’t nerfed and enemies block less. You play as four different protagonists who have different brawling playstyles in combat, and half of them just feel pretty bad to play. Saejima, especially, is no short of being awful unless you grind him to the point of being bearable in combat. Tanimura is awkward with his move set, making him pretty bad with crowd control, which is why RGG thought it was brilliant for you to use him to beat the final boss which is just Jingu from Kiwami again but somehow… worse!?! Congrats, RGG, you have given us the worst final boss in the entire franchise! You were sorta on a winning streak with some peak final bosses too! Even the side content isn’t even that good to distract yourself with! What happened over here???
The story, the more I try and let it cook in my head, leaves me with a slightly confused sour aftertaste when I reflect on it. While I can commend how bold it must’ve been for RGG to approach the next entry of a series with multiple protagonists, Kiryu in a way taking a major backseat here, it doesn’t pay off strongly. This is a very messy story with interesting and solid individual pieces, but what ties everything together is something that feels like a parody of Yakuza/Like A Dragon’s identity to this point. Yeah, I get it, Yakuza/Like A Dragon has its own tropes and clichés that I don’t doubt only continues being used in newer entries, but this feels like relying on too much that what we got are diminishing returns. It’s just twist after twist that keeps piling up, but never amounts to anything I found emotionally gripping by the end. This doesn’t really follow up on the implications I thought Yakuza 3 was going to push Kiryu towards, besides one unresolved plot thread left dangling that got folded into this game’s complicated plot. So, I was disappointed that this didn’t feel like the next dramatic chapter in his life because he’s not personally involved nor given primary focus, despite the story shoehorning in unbelievable reasons to make this still ‘personal’ for him. I didn’t even understand who was supposed to be the main antagonist or what they even wanted because they’re missing potential or straight up bad. It was so confusingly handled that they had to drag out fucking Daigo of all people from the little screen-time he has in the plot to be like some forced final baddie for Kiryu to fight one-on-one on a rooftop because this is Yakuza I guess.
Another low point in the series was something I didn't expect to come across since Kiwami. Especially one that I didn’t want to buy into the disappointment fans had because there is stuff to like here, mainly in isolation. But I can’t ignore how fragmented this one pulls everything together to make a whole I was dissatisfied with and can’t recommend without the obligation of needing to get through this to play Yakuza 5 next.
Yakuza 4 is a game that stretches itself far too thin. Never being able to compensate enough despite its own glaring weaknesses. This is the least emotionally engaged I’ve been with an entry, easily ranking itself as being the weakest Yakuza/Like A Dragon if Kiwami didn’t exist. I knew that this along with Yakuza 3 was considered a low point in the series, but I surprisingly enjoyed 3 positively and I thought Yakuza 4 would fall under a similar camp for me. And… I was mostly wrong when I tried approaching this game with that fair outlook.
This feels the closest to matching in line with Yakuza 0 conceptually, strange that sounds to say after going through the Kiwami games. The obvious point of comparison being the series’ first experiment with multi-protagonists as a storytelling format to break up the plot. While using each protagonist’s section to direct dramatic beats that build upon the ones set up previously in the story. There are other bits that feel like paving the way for Yakuza 0 such as including Little Asia with its own narrowed underbelly buried between the walls of Kamurocho, the differing gameplay styles of each protagonist feeling like a precursor to the four brawling styles Kiryu adopts later, and obviously everything to do with Majima/Saejima which becomes important. If you’ve read between the lines of how I described these similarities, you’d notice how I’m sorta framing everything Yakuza 4 does as essential but ultimately prototypical groundwork for what a better game executed with cleanliness and style. To be fair, this is an argument that can be made for every Yakuza/Like A Dragon game to this very point, even the Kiwamis. The foundation for all of them is still rooted in an RGG who hasn't fully mastered their own craft, the identity of the series, which Yakuza 0 is an encapsulation for how far they have come since these entries were still developing. Except, even being aware that 0 is the peak these games would eventually strive to become, I still found unique value in almost every entry for what they add to the franchise. Kiwami is pretty bad, but we had to start from somewhere, even if it can’t be remade into something much greater. Kiwami 2 gets nonsensical with its own twists near the end, but it has Sayama and Ryuji Goda. Yakuza 3 added so much to Kiryu’s character and reinforced how tragic his life will be for the people closest to him. Yakuza 4, though? …beyond introducing new series favorites like Akiyama, I’m at a loss for what makes this feel like a standout entry with unique merits that isn’t already absorbed into Yakuza 0 or any other entry.
The gameplay is honestly a mixed bag even though it’s a continuation of Yakuza 3’s combat except quickstep isn’t nerfed and enemies block less. You play as four different protagonists who have different brawling playstyles in combat, and half of them just feel pretty bad to play. Saejima, especially, is no short of being awful unless you grind him to the point of being bearable in combat. Tanimura is awkward with his move set, making him pretty bad with crowd control, which is why RGG thought it was brilliant for you to use him to beat the final boss which is just Jingu from Kiwami again but somehow… worse!?! Congrats, RGG, you have given us the worst final boss in the entire franchise! You were sorta on a winning streak with some peak final bosses too! Even the side content isn’t even that good to distract yourself with! What happened over here???
The story, the more I try and let it cook in my head, leaves me with a slightly confused sour aftertaste when I reflect on it. While I can commend how bold it must’ve been for RGG to approach the next entry of a series with multiple protagonists, Kiryu in a way taking a major backseat here, it doesn’t pay off strongly. This is a very messy story with interesting and solid individual pieces, but what ties everything together is something that feels like a parody of Yakuza/Like A Dragon’s identity to this point. Yeah, I get it, Yakuza/Like A Dragon has its own tropes and clichés that I don’t doubt only continues being used in newer entries, but this feels like relying on too much that what we got are diminishing returns. It’s just twist after twist that keeps piling up, but never amounts to anything I found emotionally gripping by the end. This doesn’t really follow up on the implications I thought Yakuza 3 was going to push Kiryu towards, besides one unresolved plot thread left dangling that got folded into this game’s complicated plot. So, I was disappointed that this didn’t feel like the next dramatic chapter in his life because he’s not personally involved nor given primary focus, despite the story shoehorning in unbelievable reasons to make this still ‘personal’ for him. I didn’t even understand who was supposed to be the main antagonist or what they even wanted because they’re missing potential or straight up bad. It was so confusingly handled that they had to drag out fucking Daigo of all people from the little screen-time he has in the plot to be like some forced final baddie for Kiryu to fight one-on-one on a rooftop because this is Yakuza I guess.
Another low point in the series was something I didn't expect to come across since Kiwami. Especially one that I didn’t want to buy into the disappointment fans had because there is stuff to like here, mainly in isolation. But I can’t ignore how fragmented this one pulls everything together to make a whole I was dissatisfied with and can’t recommend without the obligation of needing to get through this to play Yakuza 5 next.
RoboCop: Rogue City
2023
[humming the RoboCop theme with tears in my eyes]
They fuckin' nailed it.
They fuckin' nailed it.
Titan Souls
2015
I liked it enough to beat it but that's about it and I don't think I'll be thinking about it again. Only worth it if you pay 5 bucks maximum for it and really really really really enjoy the feeling of walking into a boss after a dozen or so tries and just winning with minimal effort.
I'm a casual RE fan, having only finished OG 4 and 5 beforehand. Been finally going through my backlog and got around to this one and it's good.
The biggest trouble I had with this game was getting used to the playstyle. My experience with horror games is minimal, so the generally limited options were a bit of a shock to the system (the first attic boss almost made me ragequit, looking back it's pretty silly now).
I've read this is the scariest game in the series, and I will likely agree when I complete the series. I had my headphones plugged in and it is genuinely one of the most tense experiences I've had playing a game and it was genuinely scary. Also love the nods to Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Blair Witch Project, Evil Dead, and Saw, among others. The vibe and atmosphere is engrossing, and the resource management makes decisions matter so much more than other types of games. Most of the combat encounters can actually be skipped, which saves you ammo and other important resources (and you can also be cheeky and force despawns). The gradually unfolding story gets better as it goes along, which makes both endings worth it.
The forced combat that there was, however, definitely feels rough and not in the intended survival horror way. Most of the bosses are huge damage sponges, even on easy mode. Plus the story starts to diminish by the last quarter, when you enter the haunted ship. Then there's the final boss, which was pretty unsatisfying to finish.
Still, it does a lot more right than it does wrong and it's worthwhile for anyone interested in horror games. I don't think I'll platinum this one (madhouse difficulty and its save limitations can eat my entire ass), but that first playthrough was very memorable for me.
8/10
The biggest trouble I had with this game was getting used to the playstyle. My experience with horror games is minimal, so the generally limited options were a bit of a shock to the system (the first attic boss almost made me ragequit, looking back it's pretty silly now).
I've read this is the scariest game in the series, and I will likely agree when I complete the series. I had my headphones plugged in and it is genuinely one of the most tense experiences I've had playing a game and it was genuinely scary. Also love the nods to Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Blair Witch Project, Evil Dead, and Saw, among others. The vibe and atmosphere is engrossing, and the resource management makes decisions matter so much more than other types of games. Most of the combat encounters can actually be skipped, which saves you ammo and other important resources (and you can also be cheeky and force despawns). The gradually unfolding story gets better as it goes along, which makes both endings worth it.
The forced combat that there was, however, definitely feels rough and not in the intended survival horror way. Most of the bosses are huge damage sponges, even on easy mode. Plus the story starts to diminish by the last quarter, when you enter the haunted ship. Then there's the final boss, which was pretty unsatisfying to finish.
Still, it does a lot more right than it does wrong and it's worthwhile for anyone interested in horror games. I don't think I'll platinum this one (madhouse difficulty and its save limitations can eat my entire ass), but that first playthrough was very memorable for me.
8/10