SherlockAlexi
More FF7 Remake which is only a good thing. A bite sized snack to be sure, but Yuffie is heck fun to play and the extra story stuff makes it easily worth while.
2018
Delightful and charming, fun and relaxing to play - a great time.
1993
Doom owns
A fantastic follow up to the classic first game, Miles Morales - both the game and character - tell a great story about becoming a hero by embracing what makes you uniquely you. A thoroughly pleasant experience to play.
A great game, half shoddily ported. The online community is pretty dead but if you can get friends, it's not too bad.
2018
Not a deep as it wants to be and the multiple replays are really only for completionists but its not bad, all things told. That being said, stands well in the shadows of MGS V in terms of "approach the mission how you want" - it says that but most of the time it's about finding the mission stories and following them. Fun, but not essential.
Only played the first one as I didn't really feel like doing the same game (with some bells and whistles) x3. Still the first game was a lot of fun and a great throwback to the old days of mascot platforming. The remaster was wonderfully done and pretty much showed how I thought these games looked in my head back in the day! Just pure and simple good platforming times.
Castlevania: Rondo of Blood
A tough as nails old school Castlevania that is regarded as one of the best that also was my first time playing a game in the series. Holy hell was this hard, 8 levels only but it really pushed my skills to get better. It was certainly a change from the type of games I normally play and I'm glad for that; I felt a little like Goku in Dragonball training to get better and better against each stronger opponent and thrilling at the opportunity to be better (although I did get annoyed at some cheap moments). Special shout out to Maria Renard who is an alt playable character to the main Richter and saved me for level 7. I might have gone insane trying to beat that as Richter. Very keen to take on the acclaimed sequel, Symphony of the Night, but...maybe after a break or three. Special thanks to John for asking me to have a crack at the game and for cheerleading.
Castlevania: Symphony of the Night
Symphony of the is a great game. It's just as good as Rondo of Blood but in different ways. Rondo is much harder and beating it felt like much more of an achievement, but SoTN also was a lot more FUN. SoTN is where the vania part of Medroidvania comes from and I really had a blast exploring Dracula's castle and unlocking all the new weapons and rooms. The game looks and sounds beautiful (in particular I was a huge fan of the after-image that follows Alucard around). Though it can be easily broken (even by a novice like me) it's still enormous fun to play and search every nook and cranny; the PS4 achievements really help this! The story is also a good one as far as these types of games go and having played its immediate predecessor gave this game a lot more weight and heft which I appreciated. I may not return to this series for quite some time but I'm very glad I got to experience Symphony of the Night, a rightful classic. Definitely a crucial piece of gaming history and I can see how it's influence looms large even to this day.
A tough as nails old school Castlevania that is regarded as one of the best that also was my first time playing a game in the series. Holy hell was this hard, 8 levels only but it really pushed my skills to get better. It was certainly a change from the type of games I normally play and I'm glad for that; I felt a little like Goku in Dragonball training to get better and better against each stronger opponent and thrilling at the opportunity to be better (although I did get annoyed at some cheap moments). Special shout out to Maria Renard who is an alt playable character to the main Richter and saved me for level 7. I might have gone insane trying to beat that as Richter. Very keen to take on the acclaimed sequel, Symphony of the Night, but...maybe after a break or three. Special thanks to John for asking me to have a crack at the game and for cheerleading.
Castlevania: Symphony of the Night
Symphony of the is a great game. It's just as good as Rondo of Blood but in different ways. Rondo is much harder and beating it felt like much more of an achievement, but SoTN also was a lot more FUN. SoTN is where the vania part of Medroidvania comes from and I really had a blast exploring Dracula's castle and unlocking all the new weapons and rooms. The game looks and sounds beautiful (in particular I was a huge fan of the after-image that follows Alucard around). Though it can be easily broken (even by a novice like me) it's still enormous fun to play and search every nook and cranny; the PS4 achievements really help this! The story is also a good one as far as these types of games go and having played its immediate predecessor gave this game a lot more weight and heft which I appreciated. I may not return to this series for quite some time but I'm very glad I got to experience Symphony of the Night, a rightful classic. Definitely a crucial piece of gaming history and I can see how it's influence looms large even to this day.
Frozen Wilds is more of HZD which is to say: good!
2017
orizon Zero Dawn is a great game. It features a cast of likeable characters led but our protagonist Aloy - a welcome refresh amongst so many male protagonists. Aloy kicks ass and takes names and she's just a great character to be and play as; she grows through the narrative but she's also always self assured. No damsels here!
The gameplay loop reminded me most of MGSV in that it's quite simple but also quite deep and just a lot of fun to interactive with and play. This is important as you spend the story uncovering the truth behind Zero Dawn, why there are robots everywhere, and what is the deal with the entire planet. Making this a fun story to experience that encourages exploration and player choice in terms of how you tackle most objectives means that HZD always makes you feel like a bad ass and you always have options. Some people have told me this game is hard to get into (and I get it child Aloy is terrifying) but once the game lets you find its footing and you're out in the big world it opens up beautifully. Hang on for those first 1-3 hours and you'll be loving it.
If I were to sum up HZD in two words it would be: Curated Skyrim. This is not only because of the pseudo medival setting and the HUD but because it really does give you the joy of exploring a world with a little light roleplaying but finely curated so every area of the world is packed with meaningful things to see and do. If Skyrim was a long ass TV show, HZD is a blockbuster film. I managed to clock about 50 or so hours which involved basically shadow platinuming the game (basically I could have platinumed it if I did a few hours of busy work which, no). I was definitely ready to end the game by the end but the engaging story, great characters, and endlessly addictive and enjoyable gameplay loop made it easy to reach that 50 hour mark. If you like Metal Gear Solid, Skyrim, RDR2, and all manner of other AAA open world games - if you're a fan of games in general - you can't afford to miss HZD.
The gameplay loop reminded me most of MGSV in that it's quite simple but also quite deep and just a lot of fun to interactive with and play. This is important as you spend the story uncovering the truth behind Zero Dawn, why there are robots everywhere, and what is the deal with the entire planet. Making this a fun story to experience that encourages exploration and player choice in terms of how you tackle most objectives means that HZD always makes you feel like a bad ass and you always have options. Some people have told me this game is hard to get into (and I get it child Aloy is terrifying) but once the game lets you find its footing and you're out in the big world it opens up beautifully. Hang on for those first 1-3 hours and you'll be loving it.
If I were to sum up HZD in two words it would be: Curated Skyrim. This is not only because of the pseudo medival setting and the HUD but because it really does give you the joy of exploring a world with a little light roleplaying but finely curated so every area of the world is packed with meaningful things to see and do. If Skyrim was a long ass TV show, HZD is a blockbuster film. I managed to clock about 50 or so hours which involved basically shadow platinuming the game (basically I could have platinumed it if I did a few hours of busy work which, no). I was definitely ready to end the game by the end but the engaging story, great characters, and endlessly addictive and enjoyable gameplay loop made it easy to reach that 50 hour mark. If you like Metal Gear Solid, Skyrim, RDR2, and all manner of other AAA open world games - if you're a fan of games in general - you can't afford to miss HZD.
Deliriously late 00s fashion abounding in this very good sequel. Adding Nero and his devil arm is a great twist as both a playable character and story driver (at this point Dante is almost too cool to really grow) and I really enjoyed a game that felt like a big serving of delicious
Devil May Cry 1 - 7.5/10 Pretty amazing for its time, and holds up real nicely as a quick game even two decades later. It's not hard to see how such an instantly iconic game spawned such a classic series that we enjoy to this day. It is the perfect balance of wonderful 00s edge ("I should have been the one to fill your dark soul with light!!) and cool (Dante himself). Some of the fights felt cheap and while Dante has limited combat here compared to what he's going to get up to in the future the most of the boss fights are solid and feel great when beaten. Worth checking out to any game fan and a great game.
Devil May Cry 2 - 2/10 Technically functional but really is just a piece of trash. Boring boring boring and easy and boring. Probably one of the most unpleasant game experiences I've ever had, insulting on most levels, and so far divorced from anything that made the original great. Worth it just to see for yourself how hard it actually is to make a good DMC game.
Devil May Cry 3: Dante's Awakening - 9.5/10 Challenging boss fights, a great story, character progression for dante, wonderful combat, tons of replayability, what's not to love? The gold standard for DMC that has yet to be bettered. DMC3 is the perfect balance of all the things that make DMC great, it throws 4+ combat styles for Dante, adds Dante's brother Vergil as your main rival, has Lady as the best female character, and just feels like an epic great story. The Metal Gear Solid 3 of the DMC series, a masterwork in its own genre.
Devil May Cry 2 - 2/10 Technically functional but really is just a piece of trash. Boring boring boring and easy and boring. Probably one of the most unpleasant game experiences I've ever had, insulting on most levels, and so far divorced from anything that made the original great. Worth it just to see for yourself how hard it actually is to make a good DMC game.
Devil May Cry 3: Dante's Awakening - 9.5/10 Challenging boss fights, a great story, character progression for dante, wonderful combat, tons of replayability, what's not to love? The gold standard for DMC that has yet to be bettered. DMC3 is the perfect balance of all the things that make DMC great, it throws 4+ combat styles for Dante, adds Dante's brother Vergil as your main rival, has Lady as the best female character, and just feels like an epic great story. The Metal Gear Solid 3 of the DMC series, a masterwork in its own genre.
2015
Life is Strange had alot of good reviews from friends and game critics alike but boy, I couldn't make it more than 5 minutes into the game's 4th episode. Sorry LiS.
Following Max - a teen girl who can rewind time - Life is Strange is an adventure game that seeks to have real impact on the world it exists in and present you with classic forking choices. This is done pretty well along the way and the time travel mechanic is neat. The idea, on paper, is not inherently bad.
That being said - the characters. The characters feel written by the idea of what someone who thinks teenagers talk and act like, without actually knowing. It was hard for me to find stuff here that hasn't been done with other teen characters but better and the time travel gimmic really didn't offer much insight into the characters until...well in ep 4 (spoilers) Max's choices in time altering put someone in a wheel chair in the present day. The way this was handled was just...pretty dang ableist (imagine the worst thing in the world - being in a wheelchair and disabled! /s) and also just felt extremely cheap. I was done with the game at that point and though I read the ending and I can see, again on paper, how it should work but for me I didn't care about any of the characters for it to matter.
I bought this game cheap both on steam and playstation store, so let this be a lesson to be to not be sucked into hype machines.
Following Max - a teen girl who can rewind time - Life is Strange is an adventure game that seeks to have real impact on the world it exists in and present you with classic forking choices. This is done pretty well along the way and the time travel mechanic is neat. The idea, on paper, is not inherently bad.
That being said - the characters. The characters feel written by the idea of what someone who thinks teenagers talk and act like, without actually knowing. It was hard for me to find stuff here that hasn't been done with other teen characters but better and the time travel gimmic really didn't offer much insight into the characters until...well in ep 4 (spoilers) Max's choices in time altering put someone in a wheel chair in the present day. The way this was handled was just...pretty dang ableist (imagine the worst thing in the world - being in a wheelchair and disabled! /s) and also just felt extremely cheap. I was done with the game at that point and though I read the ending and I can see, again on paper, how it should work but for me I didn't care about any of the characters for it to matter.
I bought this game cheap both on steam and playstation store, so let this be a lesson to be to not be sucked into hype machines.
Fantastic DLC.
2015
Bloodborne doesn't really need my endorsement to be known as one of the greatest games of all time. Still, I'm happy to add my voice to the choir. A truly stunning achievement, Bloodborne is both accessible and tough managing to train players so that each obstacle overcome feels like a true achievement. If someone is kicking your ass you either have to get better or think smarter (in terms of either levelling up or fighting). Ooozing lovecraftian atmosphere meets Victorian horror, Bloodborne's aeshetic is iconic and a (creepy) pleasure to spend time with. The lore is just right with more you can dig into online if you like, or slowly piece together the chilling story of Yarnham. Most importantly, this game makes you feel like a true hard badass. Very few games I go back and replay but I could easily see my self going back to Bloodborne, I sunk 50 hours into this in the end and I loved mostly every minute.
If you own a PS4 you must play this game. Don't worry about the difficulty, you'll get through it. A true hunter is never alone.
If you own a PS4 you must play this game. Don't worry about the difficulty, you'll get through it. A true hunter is never alone.