Shobbrook
2020
Here is my many thoughts on a very long game condensed into a spoiler free review:
Gameplay: The gameplay of a CRPG is the biggest obstacle to overcome to be able to engage with the title. It is a very slow, low tech genre with de-emphasised gameplay that favours narrative and choice. However, Baldur’s Gate 3 is absolutely the most accessible of the genre. While it is still slow paced, it makes every move feel deliberate and allows for a huge amount of interactivity with the game world and for a hightened variety of moves and synergies during combat.
Companions: I measure the worth of an RPG’s writing by it’s cast list, and more specifically by the group of companions - them getting the most screentime by virtue of constantly being with you. While I missed out on three of the games later missable companions, I can confidently say that the origin characters are up there with best of the genre. They are all unique, charming, likeable, have great arcs and are amazingly voice acted. On that note, voiceacting is to a relatively high quality across the board, even among the most insignificant of characters.
Story: I really liked the unravelling mystery storyline, it is (mostly) well-paced and thouroughly engaging the entire way through. The many allies and villains are highly memorable and are all great - this genre really lives and dies on the writing and I can confidently say that even those who may not typically enjoy these high-fantasy settings will find something to latch onto here.
Act 1 - without spoiling anything, the first act doees well to engage you into both the setting and the mechanics of Dungeons and Dragons. It’s all quite low stakes compared to the rest of the story, but I think that’s needed because it allows leeway for some mistakes without huge and dire consequences.
Act 2 - Easily the strongest arc of the game in my eyes. The introduced villain is masterfully built up and gratifyingly lives up to the hype. He’s intimidating and powerful, and his underlings and children make for a great cast of side villains too. The setting of the act is also very well executed.
Act 3 - This act for me is where the game slips slightly. Once you reach the city proper, all great mysteries have been revealed and now it's all down to tying up all the questlines that have been developing. However, it becomes so narratively dense that (to me) it was daunting. I think the crux of the problem is that there is a lack of focus. In one building, one questline reaches its conclusion while next door an entirely seperate story thread will wrap up. And i mean that quite literally. Add to the at least a dozen questlines that culminate here with a whole huge batch of area specific side quests and it becomes harder and harder to care. This all goes doubly as by this point my characters had reached maximum level and had basically the best gear they were going to get, meaning that a lot of this seemed completely pointless. Yes, the writing is still high quality, but when the progression loop of the RPG has ended it’s hard to strive for anything else but reaching the ending. The two main villains are solid for this act though, albeit i think slightly lesser compared to the act two antagonist. The multitude of boss fights are certainly mechanical combat peaks for the entire game too, requiring some real strategy to overcome - with the final battles being utterly ridiculous in what they demand of you.
Despite some shortcomings, this is an incredible experience that represents a step forward for the genre. We can only hope it inspires greater and more varied games across the whole medium.
(Final playtime of 72 hours on one character, with an additional 6 hours put into co-op runs so far.)
Gameplay: The gameplay of a CRPG is the biggest obstacle to overcome to be able to engage with the title. It is a very slow, low tech genre with de-emphasised gameplay that favours narrative and choice. However, Baldur’s Gate 3 is absolutely the most accessible of the genre. While it is still slow paced, it makes every move feel deliberate and allows for a huge amount of interactivity with the game world and for a hightened variety of moves and synergies during combat.
Companions: I measure the worth of an RPG’s writing by it’s cast list, and more specifically by the group of companions - them getting the most screentime by virtue of constantly being with you. While I missed out on three of the games later missable companions, I can confidently say that the origin characters are up there with best of the genre. They are all unique, charming, likeable, have great arcs and are amazingly voice acted. On that note, voiceacting is to a relatively high quality across the board, even among the most insignificant of characters.
Story: I really liked the unravelling mystery storyline, it is (mostly) well-paced and thouroughly engaging the entire way through. The many allies and villains are highly memorable and are all great - this genre really lives and dies on the writing and I can confidently say that even those who may not typically enjoy these high-fantasy settings will find something to latch onto here.
Act 1 - without spoiling anything, the first act doees well to engage you into both the setting and the mechanics of Dungeons and Dragons. It’s all quite low stakes compared to the rest of the story, but I think that’s needed because it allows leeway for some mistakes without huge and dire consequences.
Act 2 - Easily the strongest arc of the game in my eyes. The introduced villain is masterfully built up and gratifyingly lives up to the hype. He’s intimidating and powerful, and his underlings and children make for a great cast of side villains too. The setting of the act is also very well executed.
Act 3 - This act for me is where the game slips slightly. Once you reach the city proper, all great mysteries have been revealed and now it's all down to tying up all the questlines that have been developing. However, it becomes so narratively dense that (to me) it was daunting. I think the crux of the problem is that there is a lack of focus. In one building, one questline reaches its conclusion while next door an entirely seperate story thread will wrap up. And i mean that quite literally. Add to the at least a dozen questlines that culminate here with a whole huge batch of area specific side quests and it becomes harder and harder to care. This all goes doubly as by this point my characters had reached maximum level and had basically the best gear they were going to get, meaning that a lot of this seemed completely pointless. Yes, the writing is still high quality, but when the progression loop of the RPG has ended it’s hard to strive for anything else but reaching the ending. The two main villains are solid for this act though, albeit i think slightly lesser compared to the act two antagonist. The multitude of boss fights are certainly mechanical combat peaks for the entire game too, requiring some real strategy to overcome - with the final battles being utterly ridiculous in what they demand of you.
Despite some shortcomings, this is an incredible experience that represents a step forward for the genre. We can only hope it inspires greater and more varied games across the whole medium.
(Final playtime of 72 hours on one character, with an additional 6 hours put into co-op runs so far.)
I must confess that I am not the biggest Mario fan, nor a big fan of any of Nintendo's big properties really. I have played very few switch games and my purchase of Mario Wonder was on a whim.
For what it's worth, I had a good amount of fun. I played through the main game while switching between single player and co-op, I used all the different characters and used as many 'badges' as possible. This led to a consistently varied experience.
The game's structuring of levels across the 7 main worlds felt great. The biggest praise I can give this game is its visuals. The other Super Mario Bros games have this bland and templated look to them, while in this one the levels are all visually distinct and colourful. The animation is also worthy of high praise; from the environment to the models of characters and creatures, it's consistently great.
Mechanically the game is quite simple, which you'd expect. The level gimmicks keep things feeling varied but none are big enough twists on gameplay to overhaul the overall experience. The titular 'Wonder' mechanic shows this best, as each level gets an additional whacky spin on the systems it's already set up. They went for a high quantity of ideas over exploring fewer ideas more thoroughly. This isn't criticism, merely an observation - it certainly keeps you entertained enough to keep playing.
In closing, I'd say the game is fun for what it is, but I didn't at all feel compelled to tackle the game's additional 'Special World' nor to strive for 100%. Once those credits rolled, I was satisfied with what I had played, but sought no more of it.
For what it's worth, I had a good amount of fun. I played through the main game while switching between single player and co-op, I used all the different characters and used as many 'badges' as possible. This led to a consistently varied experience.
The game's structuring of levels across the 7 main worlds felt great. The biggest praise I can give this game is its visuals. The other Super Mario Bros games have this bland and templated look to them, while in this one the levels are all visually distinct and colourful. The animation is also worthy of high praise; from the environment to the models of characters and creatures, it's consistently great.
Mechanically the game is quite simple, which you'd expect. The level gimmicks keep things feeling varied but none are big enough twists on gameplay to overhaul the overall experience. The titular 'Wonder' mechanic shows this best, as each level gets an additional whacky spin on the systems it's already set up. They went for a high quantity of ideas over exploring fewer ideas more thoroughly. This isn't criticism, merely an observation - it certainly keeps you entertained enough to keep playing.
In closing, I'd say the game is fun for what it is, but I didn't at all feel compelled to tackle the game's additional 'Special World' nor to strive for 100%. Once those credits rolled, I was satisfied with what I had played, but sought no more of it.
(Campaign) I've heard people call this the "worst COD campaign ever", and while I can see an argument for it I really don't believe that to be the case. (I still think Vanguard and BO3 are far worse).
The game is gorgeous, the gunplay is solid and the performances from the actors, while not particularly noteworthy, are good enough.
The games biggest sin is that it is too short. Because of this, there are very few standout moments and it ends anti-climatically. The ending really should've been, and almost feels like at one point it might have been, the event that kicks off the story's third and most climatic act. But that unfortunately is not what we got; what could've been the end to an okay trilogy is being painfully dragged out even further.
I enjoyed roughly 50% of the new 'open combat' missions. I've heard they are just Warzone maps that have been repurposed, but having never played Warzone myself I think they were fine. The one in the high-rise as Gaz and the one with the dam as Ghost were my personal highlights.
The game is gorgeous, the gunplay is solid and the performances from the actors, while not particularly noteworthy, are good enough.
The games biggest sin is that it is too short. Because of this, there are very few standout moments and it ends anti-climatically. The ending really should've been, and almost feels like at one point it might have been, the event that kicks off the story's third and most climatic act. But that unfortunately is not what we got; what could've been the end to an okay trilogy is being painfully dragged out even further.
I enjoyed roughly 50% of the new 'open combat' missions. I've heard they are just Warzone maps that have been repurposed, but having never played Warzone myself I think they were fine. The one in the high-rise as Gaz and the one with the dam as Ghost were my personal highlights.
Easily the worst game I've ever played, and I absolutely adore it for that. This half a star rating comes from a place of great respect.
One of the greatest and most unique stories in the medium, told in a way only a game possibly could. PLAY IT!
One of FromSoftware's best titles. The Lovecraft inspired setting is unique and memorable, and the fast paced challenging gameplay is incredible. Parrying with a gun is never not enjoyable and it feels great to master it. The Old Hunters DLC is absolutely perfect, it's one of the greatest additions to a game of all time.
Largely considered one of the greatest RPGs of all time for a good reason. An utterly engrossing setting where passion and care is seen in every corner of its design. The gameplay is serviceable, but it's the writing and its world that you're here for. Both DLCs are also distinctly amazing, with one being (comparatively) shorter but more narratively dense, and the other being larger and more focused on gameplay.
2023
I haven't played the original release of Dead Space, but this is a solid survival horror experience. Although "horror" may not be the right term, because this game isn't particularly scary. What it is, though, is a tightly designed experience with weighty and visceral combat, decent enemy variety and a good amount of gameplay variety across its 12 chapters. Though £70 is far too much for a roughly 11 hour game, you can get this on xbox game pass for free right now, and I would recommend giving it your time.
Such a legendarily epic finale to an already over-the-top trilogy. Kratos' slaughter of all the Gods of the Greek pantheon is amazing. The remaster allows this game to appeal to modern standards, with set pieces that were so ahead of their time I still think back to this game when I see modern day titles do large scale boss fights. It set the standard. Gameplay wise, this is the pinnacle of the old style of GoW combat, though I believe it would've gotten stale had they kept doing it for any longer. The gameplay overhaul of the 2018 reboot was much needed.
2007
Improving in every way from the original game, we have a game with far more content. It's (mostly) the same gameplay, but with a great variety of bosses and enemies to keep it fresh where the previous title gets stale by the end. It's greatest problem is being the middle child of a trilogy, with an ending that doesn't so much act as a satisfying climax to the narrative you've just played, but rather just existing to set up the next game.
2005
It's quite dated now, and only has a few big memorable moments, but it's a great first chapter to the series.
2018
Being the first part of a larger narrative and conflict, while being it's own self-contained story that works alone, is this game's greatest writing feat. The combat is fun to engage with and viscerally satisfying. All performances are top notch, as is the writing behind those characters. It's an example of the triple A gaming sector using it's vast resources to make a story that presentationally rivals that of filmmaking while also being a great game to play.
This game suffers compared to its predecessor for investing too much into its narrative. Tragically, it wouldn't have been so big a problem if the story was any good. For all the mystery it builds up, you get one of the most unfulfilling narrative climaxes in gaming - while in the meantime you engage in lengthy dialogue trees with an entirely bland and forgettable cast of survivors.
The Following takes everything fun about base game Dying Light and omits it, instead making you engage in the car mechanics. Unless the car gets stuck (which it always does) and then you have to run across miles of fields to a car respawn point. Also, they added Volatiles who can kill you in one hit regardless of your stats, and they run faster than the car going full speed.
2015
This game has a solid story and probably the most grounded yet fun combat in any zombie game I have played. One of the few games out there that I replay every couple of years purely based on how fun it is to play.