SPICEBAG
2017
Without sounding like a contrarian, smarmy, edgelord video game critic on YouTube, this game is genuinely AAA slop.
It's a game that would have done numbers in 2014, even for its original console release in 2017 this game seems woefully behind and boring. It's got the UI littered with popups at all times, half-baked stealth mechanics, protagonist who talks out loud about what objectives they need to complete, crafting, a map full of markers, collectibles, a tutorial/introduction that takes almost 2 hours and is 70% cutscenes, etc.
This is the kind of game you use to introduce someone to the concept of video games, a visually impressive, rollercoaster ride that is more fun to look at than to actually engage with.
The best thing I can say is that the PC port was OK for a Sony game.
It's a game that would have done numbers in 2014, even for its original console release in 2017 this game seems woefully behind and boring. It's got the UI littered with popups at all times, half-baked stealth mechanics, protagonist who talks out loud about what objectives they need to complete, crafting, a map full of markers, collectibles, a tutorial/introduction that takes almost 2 hours and is 70% cutscenes, etc.
This is the kind of game you use to introduce someone to the concept of video games, a visually impressive, rollercoaster ride that is more fun to look at than to actually engage with.
The best thing I can say is that the PC port was OK for a Sony game.
2020
I haven't played in a long while but when I did it was a competent alternative to Counter Strike.
My biggest complaint is that it just made me wish I was playing Counter Strike instead.
My biggest complaint is that it just made me wish I was playing Counter Strike instead.
2018
I think I am in the minority of people who actually really loved the setting and didn't mind that it wasn't somewhere crazy and exotic. I think the world built for this game is one of its strongest elements.
The combat systems in Far Cry have only been getting simpler since Far Cry 2 and Far Cry 5's biggest sin is just how boring it has made the combat. Enemies feel less intimidating than Far Cry 3 or 4, more often than not I would go out of my way to engage with enemies every chance I got as every encounter was over way too soon. It was all just too easy.
I like that they took themselves less seriously this time around but the game feels more like a sandbox with no real direction and underwhelming systems. The story is most interesting when it focuses on Joseph Seed, all of his underlings are significantly more dull and the mission variety is lacking.
It's worth playing if you still enjoy Ubisoft open world games but it's one of the weaker Far Cry games on the whole.
The combat systems in Far Cry have only been getting simpler since Far Cry 2 and Far Cry 5's biggest sin is just how boring it has made the combat. Enemies feel less intimidating than Far Cry 3 or 4, more often than not I would go out of my way to engage with enemies every chance I got as every encounter was over way too soon. It was all just too easy.
I like that they took themselves less seriously this time around but the game feels more like a sandbox with no real direction and underwhelming systems. The story is most interesting when it focuses on Joseph Seed, all of his underlings are significantly more dull and the mission variety is lacking.
It's worth playing if you still enjoy Ubisoft open world games but it's one of the weaker Far Cry games on the whole.
Treyarch continues to be the least interesting CoD developer.
The story tries some new things but I really didn't care by the end.
Realistically though, we judge these games on the multiplayer and this multiplayer is awful. They never properly balanced sniper rifles so every match is nothing but one shot snipers, if you pick any other weapon type you're at a significant disadvantage. The perks, gear, killstreaks, etc. are all standard fare.
Map design doesn't stand out at all here either.
The biggest flaw is that the game came after 2019's MW which had a significantly improved engine with far better graphics, and significantly more fun gameplay. This was just a step back in every direction, a clear downside to their staggered 3 year release cycle.
I was never the biggest zombies enjoyer but whatever they have done to the game mode this time around is especially dull.
The story tries some new things but I really didn't care by the end.
Realistically though, we judge these games on the multiplayer and this multiplayer is awful. They never properly balanced sniper rifles so every match is nothing but one shot snipers, if you pick any other weapon type you're at a significant disadvantage. The perks, gear, killstreaks, etc. are all standard fare.
Map design doesn't stand out at all here either.
The biggest flaw is that the game came after 2019's MW which had a significantly improved engine with far better graphics, and significantly more fun gameplay. This was just a step back in every direction, a clear downside to their staggered 3 year release cycle.
I was never the biggest zombies enjoyer but whatever they have done to the game mode this time around is especially dull.
MW2019 was a badly needed reset for CoD as a whole. It's remembered fondly now as per the CoD hype cycle but it is overrated in many regards.
Everything before it felt like it was overstaying its welcome with an improved engine desperately needed and MW19 delivered.
I've been playing since CoD 3, I was 11/12 when MW 2009 came out and I thoroughly got my money's worth from that game back in the day. I fell off after MW3, popped back in every now and then but found CoD to be boring. MW19 hooked me again, but it's with some seriously big asterisks.
At launch, the game on PC was only available via BattleNet, bad start.
The game wasn't greatly optimised, especially in Ground War which saw performance tank hard. However, a month after release they added Warzone and I am not quite sure what happened but this utterly broke the game for me. My game would fail to launch, crash when joining lobbies, crash mid match, fail to connect to servers, etc. I did everything, going as far to reinstall Windows with no solution. The error code I was given didn't even return any discussions online. I reached out to Activision support who naturally were no help.
It took about 3-4 months before they fixed whatever caused that and this game became playable for me again, without explanation.
The campaign is bad. It has highlights but it's a CoD campaign, what do you expect? Clean House is as good as it gets but the fact this series rarely showcases the kind of infantry warfare you saw in the opening of MW 2009 is disappointing, there are two missions where you fight alongside Marines and those are my favourite.
MP is a mixed bag. Some really fantastic weapon customisation here, cool killstreaks, interesting maps, creative game modes, all of it let down however by a ridiculous 'prestige' system that broke what wasn't broken, and skill based matchmaking which ensured you never had too much fun. Some days I would launch the game, play one match getting a positive K/D and the know my evening was about to be ruined.
Nowadays this game is basically abandoned, there are game breaking glitches, broken maps, unbalanced weapons, exploits, cheaters, etc. As soon as the subsequent CoD came out this game was abandoned entirely, only used to peddle cosmetic bundles.
I think this game is extremely important. It defined the current era of CoD and made some genuinely important decisions for the franchise, but at the same time it ramped up the SBMM, the heavy handed microtransactions, the focus on Warzone (which has subtracted from other modes), the ridiculously bloated install size (what do you need 150gb for?!), and it perpetuates the usual CoD cycle. The devs also were OK with the crack head gameplay of slide cancelling, bunnyhopping and spinning around as fast as possible which belongs in something like Tribes or Quake, not CoD. Thankfully MWII rectified this and provided better tools for dealing with campers.
The loudest sections of the community hated so much about this game at launch. It wasn't until it wasn't supported anymore has it become "an underrated gem" according to Reddit and YouTube.
At its best moments, maybe 6 months post launch this would have been a top 3 CoD, I'd have given it 4.5/5. Today, in its current state and with it still being full price most of the time, it's a 2/5. An important game for the series, no longer a good one.
Everything before it felt like it was overstaying its welcome with an improved engine desperately needed and MW19 delivered.
I've been playing since CoD 3, I was 11/12 when MW 2009 came out and I thoroughly got my money's worth from that game back in the day. I fell off after MW3, popped back in every now and then but found CoD to be boring. MW19 hooked me again, but it's with some seriously big asterisks.
At launch, the game on PC was only available via BattleNet, bad start.
The game wasn't greatly optimised, especially in Ground War which saw performance tank hard. However, a month after release they added Warzone and I am not quite sure what happened but this utterly broke the game for me. My game would fail to launch, crash when joining lobbies, crash mid match, fail to connect to servers, etc. I did everything, going as far to reinstall Windows with no solution. The error code I was given didn't even return any discussions online. I reached out to Activision support who naturally were no help.
It took about 3-4 months before they fixed whatever caused that and this game became playable for me again, without explanation.
The campaign is bad. It has highlights but it's a CoD campaign, what do you expect? Clean House is as good as it gets but the fact this series rarely showcases the kind of infantry warfare you saw in the opening of MW 2009 is disappointing, there are two missions where you fight alongside Marines and those are my favourite.
MP is a mixed bag. Some really fantastic weapon customisation here, cool killstreaks, interesting maps, creative game modes, all of it let down however by a ridiculous 'prestige' system that broke what wasn't broken, and skill based matchmaking which ensured you never had too much fun. Some days I would launch the game, play one match getting a positive K/D and the know my evening was about to be ruined.
Nowadays this game is basically abandoned, there are game breaking glitches, broken maps, unbalanced weapons, exploits, cheaters, etc. As soon as the subsequent CoD came out this game was abandoned entirely, only used to peddle cosmetic bundles.
I think this game is extremely important. It defined the current era of CoD and made some genuinely important decisions for the franchise, but at the same time it ramped up the SBMM, the heavy handed microtransactions, the focus on Warzone (which has subtracted from other modes), the ridiculously bloated install size (what do you need 150gb for?!), and it perpetuates the usual CoD cycle. The devs also were OK with the crack head gameplay of slide cancelling, bunnyhopping and spinning around as fast as possible which belongs in something like Tribes or Quake, not CoD. Thankfully MWII rectified this and provided better tools for dealing with campers.
The loudest sections of the community hated so much about this game at launch. It wasn't until it wasn't supported anymore has it become "an underrated gem" according to Reddit and YouTube.
At its best moments, maybe 6 months post launch this would have been a top 3 CoD, I'd have given it 4.5/5. Today, in its current state and with it still being full price most of the time, it's a 2/5. An important game for the series, no longer a good one.
2016
An exceptional VR game.
When the only reason I put it down is because my battery ran out or I got physically too tired then I know it's fun.
When the only reason I put it down is because my battery ran out or I got physically too tired then I know it's fun.
2023
This was my first experience with Diablo, spending most of my life knowing of it but not about it.
Visually it's nice, the world is interesting and the characters are varied. Gameplay-wise however I just don't get it. There is fun to be had, and putting together an effect build is satisfying but I can't imagine myself putting more than 30/40 hours into this at most.
The systems in place are thoughtful and work together nicely but the loot at the heart of everything is disappointing. When I think about my favourite looters I imagine those moments when you find a weapon that feels so good, so powerful that you wonder if the game made a mistake giving it to you.
Enemies scale with your level/loot so those kind of instances never occur, so the combat across the board feels very one note.
I had basically no expectations going into this but I have come away accepting that Diablo is not for me. I am grateful I played this on Gamepass and not for the cost of €70.
Visually it's nice, the world is interesting and the characters are varied. Gameplay-wise however I just don't get it. There is fun to be had, and putting together an effect build is satisfying but I can't imagine myself putting more than 30/40 hours into this at most.
The systems in place are thoughtful and work together nicely but the loot at the heart of everything is disappointing. When I think about my favourite looters I imagine those moments when you find a weapon that feels so good, so powerful that you wonder if the game made a mistake giving it to you.
Enemies scale with your level/loot so those kind of instances never occur, so the combat across the board feels very one note.
I had basically no expectations going into this but I have come away accepting that Diablo is not for me. I am grateful I played this on Gamepass and not for the cost of €70.
2021
This is an odd one.
As a fan of L4D since the original beta on PC back in 2007, I was interested when I saw this. I never expected a L4D-tier experience so I never felt let down in that regard. However this game has good ideas but rarely utilises them.
For one, I love how seriously it takes itself. The zombie shooter genre is oversaturated and has been for atleast a decade, we have seen every kind of game come and go. I feel like zombie games that try to be actually horror games are now a rare occurrence, so I love the tone and setting of this. The overrun buildings, the graffiti everywhere, police barricades, all that tropey stuff is exactly what I like in this sort of game.
The gameplay isn't half bad either. Shooting enemies feels fun but the animations are robotic and stiff. Special infected have multiple variants but they are poorly designed so you can't ever tell them apart in the midst of fighting.
I also enjoyed the deck building card system. I haven't played since they got rid of it but I felt like it offered a reason to do multiple play throughs that was lacking from other games like this. You could make some ridiculous builds, for instance a shotgun build with endless ammo and increasing fire rate/damage.
The biggest flaw for me was the difficulty, about 2/3s of the way through the main campaign the difficulty spikes up significantly and some areas become absolute slogs. Not even in a "wow this end game is hard" way, more like a "wow this wasn't playtested" way. The rewards for pushing through aren't worth it so usually when I hit that point I stop playing or start a new run.
WB games, as usual did a bad job. They marketed this game as being a competitor to L4D and leaned into Turtle Rock's history, regardless of how valid it is today. They also abandoned this game very quickly after launch.
It was on sale for €5 on Steam recently, I definitely think it is worth that if you and your friends want an easy to play game to occupy yourselves while chatting.
As a fan of L4D since the original beta on PC back in 2007, I was interested when I saw this. I never expected a L4D-tier experience so I never felt let down in that regard. However this game has good ideas but rarely utilises them.
For one, I love how seriously it takes itself. The zombie shooter genre is oversaturated and has been for atleast a decade, we have seen every kind of game come and go. I feel like zombie games that try to be actually horror games are now a rare occurrence, so I love the tone and setting of this. The overrun buildings, the graffiti everywhere, police barricades, all that tropey stuff is exactly what I like in this sort of game.
The gameplay isn't half bad either. Shooting enemies feels fun but the animations are robotic and stiff. Special infected have multiple variants but they are poorly designed so you can't ever tell them apart in the midst of fighting.
I also enjoyed the deck building card system. I haven't played since they got rid of it but I felt like it offered a reason to do multiple play throughs that was lacking from other games like this. You could make some ridiculous builds, for instance a shotgun build with endless ammo and increasing fire rate/damage.
The biggest flaw for me was the difficulty, about 2/3s of the way through the main campaign the difficulty spikes up significantly and some areas become absolute slogs. Not even in a "wow this end game is hard" way, more like a "wow this wasn't playtested" way. The rewards for pushing through aren't worth it so usually when I hit that point I stop playing or start a new run.
WB games, as usual did a bad job. They marketed this game as being a competitor to L4D and leaned into Turtle Rock's history, regardless of how valid it is today. They also abandoned this game very quickly after launch.
It was on sale for €5 on Steam recently, I definitely think it is worth that if you and your friends want an easy to play game to occupy yourselves while chatting.
2013
One of the better Battlefield games, though for the last few years it's been ruined by the community.
The campaign is awful, like genuinely atrocious. Even the worst CoD campaigns outshine what's here, really floored me how bad this experience was back in the day. Everything looks good on the surface but if you pay even a sliver of attention the cracks show immediately. Your allies in game can't damage or be damaged by enemy fire, enemy vehicles randomly explode if you take too long, doors fail to open that should, etc. The story is taken way too seriously while having ridiculous characters.
More importantly, MP is fun but from the perspective of a review in 2024 it's a real mixed bag. On PC, most servers are community hosted.
You'll get kicked if you kill an admin.
You'll get kicked if you do too well.
You'll get kicked if you use anti-tank weapons.
You'll get kicked if you use a shotgun.
You'll get kicked if you vote for the wrong map.
You'll get kicked for taking a vehicle.
Server admins want you to take one of four approved weapons, no equipment and you better not complain if they spawn-trap you with helicopters. This isn't a rare occurrence, it's the rule not the exception. I've never played a multiplayer game with such power-tripping admins who actively make it worse.
It doesn't help that the server pool is so small these days. The game is definitely well past its prime but even at its best I think it was just an OK shooter. It's greatest strength was its atmosphere online, seeing jets fly overhead, hearing tanks fighting, running into collapsing buildings.
The campaign is awful, like genuinely atrocious. Even the worst CoD campaigns outshine what's here, really floored me how bad this experience was back in the day. Everything looks good on the surface but if you pay even a sliver of attention the cracks show immediately. Your allies in game can't damage or be damaged by enemy fire, enemy vehicles randomly explode if you take too long, doors fail to open that should, etc. The story is taken way too seriously while having ridiculous characters.
More importantly, MP is fun but from the perspective of a review in 2024 it's a real mixed bag. On PC, most servers are community hosted.
You'll get kicked if you kill an admin.
You'll get kicked if you do too well.
You'll get kicked if you use anti-tank weapons.
You'll get kicked if you use a shotgun.
You'll get kicked if you vote for the wrong map.
You'll get kicked for taking a vehicle.
Server admins want you to take one of four approved weapons, no equipment and you better not complain if they spawn-trap you with helicopters. This isn't a rare occurrence, it's the rule not the exception. I've never played a multiplayer game with such power-tripping admins who actively make it worse.
It doesn't help that the server pool is so small these days. The game is definitely well past its prime but even at its best I think it was just an OK shooter. It's greatest strength was its atmosphere online, seeing jets fly overhead, hearing tanks fighting, running into collapsing buildings.
2022
I don't enjoy Rick and Morty or its style of humour but this was a fun one. This was really the kind of game I would expect to play in 2005/2006, it really lacked an underlying level of cynicism I think is so prevalent in games nowadays.
It refuses to take itself seriously and just wants to share some silly characters on a silly story with you. The gameplay is kind of boring in all honesty but it's not really the focus to begin with.
This is one of those games where you could watch a play through on YouTube and get the same experience as playing it yourself, but I mean that in the kindest way possible.
It refuses to take itself seriously and just wants to share some silly characters on a silly story with you. The gameplay is kind of boring in all honesty but it's not really the focus to begin with.
This is one of those games where you could watch a play through on YouTube and get the same experience as playing it yourself, but I mean that in the kindest way possible.
2009
I've always loved L4D ever since the first beta.
The fact this game is still alive is a testament to how fun it is and how allowing modding tools with quick integration can extend a game's life significantly.
If you've somehow never played this game I can't imagine it would seem all that fun today but as a product of its time it was best in class.
My only complaint about L4D2 is that I wish it borrowed more tonally from the first game, which was much darker and more horror focused. The deep south setting is wonderful here though.
The fact this game is still alive is a testament to how fun it is and how allowing modding tools with quick integration can extend a game's life significantly.
If you've somehow never played this game I can't imagine it would seem all that fun today but as a product of its time it was best in class.
My only complaint about L4D2 is that I wish it borrowed more tonally from the first game, which was much darker and more horror focused. The deep south setting is wonderful here though.
2019
A let down.
This game has good systems and mechanics but somehow just doesn't work for me. I can't pinpoint anything it does wrong necessarily but the complete experience failed to hold my attention on any of the three attempted playthroughs I did.
None of the stories or quests reach the heights of Fallout: New Vegas (which is the most valid comparison) and even though the combat system is better than NV it is still extremely rudimentary and unengaging.
This game has good systems and mechanics but somehow just doesn't work for me. I can't pinpoint anything it does wrong necessarily but the complete experience failed to hold my attention on any of the three attempted playthroughs I did.
None of the stories or quests reach the heights of Fallout: New Vegas (which is the most valid comparison) and even though the combat system is better than NV it is still extremely rudimentary and unengaging.
2020
A competent, stylish Roguelike.
I appreciate the ideas and style here but I personally found the gameplay became boring quite quickly. More often than not runs would end because I didn't want to continue, as opposed to dying. I can't fault it much however, what it does it does well.
I appreciate the ideas and style here but I personally found the gameplay became boring quite quickly. More often than not runs would end because I didn't want to continue, as opposed to dying. I can't fault it much however, what it does it does well.
My only other experience with MH before this was early Nintendo DS games which I remember enjoying.
However, MH: World felt like a game from 15 years ago, everything is clunky and unintuitive. I constantly see this game cited as a "must-play coop game", so that's why I got it.
However you've to play for an hour atleast to unlock coop and the coop system is incredibly restrictive, you can only summon other players for specific hunts, on specific maps and you're limited to a tiny play area. Every single time I thought I might have fun with this game it would throw up a new road block.
Ignoring the multiplayer element, I didn't find this fun at all. The enemy AI is robotic and unreactive. The game world feels messy and badly designed, traversal isn't intuitive or exciting. The nicest thing I can say is that there is good character customisation and weapon variety.
I just don't get the love for this game.
However, MH: World felt like a game from 15 years ago, everything is clunky and unintuitive. I constantly see this game cited as a "must-play coop game", so that's why I got it.
However you've to play for an hour atleast to unlock coop and the coop system is incredibly restrictive, you can only summon other players for specific hunts, on specific maps and you're limited to a tiny play area. Every single time I thought I might have fun with this game it would throw up a new road block.
Ignoring the multiplayer element, I didn't find this fun at all. The enemy AI is robotic and unreactive. The game world feels messy and badly designed, traversal isn't intuitive or exciting. The nicest thing I can say is that there is good character customisation and weapon variety.
I just don't get the love for this game.
The best version of GTA.
It has flaws, the combat is iffy, driving is divisive (I personally prefer it to V's), the story might try a bit too hard and the missions lack variety. However, the world here is the best Rockstar ever created for this series, it feels like a proper sandbox.
The physics here is what shines the most, getting into fist fights, running people over, crashing a car, all immensely fun. I love the soft-body destruction of the vehicles.
The story tries so hard to be gritty, it wears its inspirations on its sleeves and it is all the better for it.
The online experience had no bullshit either. Load up, here is the exact same world as single player, here have some extra weapons thrown in and unique vehicles. Nothing was locked behind a paywall and it was fun from start to finish.
Compared to what came before and after I would rather play this iteration.
It has flaws, the combat is iffy, driving is divisive (I personally prefer it to V's), the story might try a bit too hard and the missions lack variety. However, the world here is the best Rockstar ever created for this series, it feels like a proper sandbox.
The physics here is what shines the most, getting into fist fights, running people over, crashing a car, all immensely fun. I love the soft-body destruction of the vehicles.
The story tries so hard to be gritty, it wears its inspirations on its sleeves and it is all the better for it.
The online experience had no bullshit either. Load up, here is the exact same world as single player, here have some extra weapons thrown in and unique vehicles. Nothing was locked behind a paywall and it was fun from start to finish.
Compared to what came before and after I would rather play this iteration.