SketchNScribs
2016
Gigantic fantasy creatures are my kryptonite
An incredibly unique one-of-a-kind game that, upon release, showed me just how impactful video games can be and gave me a completely new perspective on them.
Trico is nothing short of a wonderful programming achievement and I can’t even begin to imagine what a pain he was for the crew. He truly feels like a living breathing creature and is undoubtedly the heart and soul of the game. He is also no where near as difficult to control as people claim he is. Just don’t spam 20 different commands and then expect him to know what you want him to do.
The only thing stopping my from giving this 5 stars is, like with all of Ueda’s games; the camera and controls are fucking ass sometimes. There’s so much grandiose in this game to look at; huge, towering architecture and majestic beasts, but most of the time you can’t cause you’re busy having a fight with the wandering camera. I at least understand the camera complications since big portions of this game take place in narrow corridors with a big ass dog-bird obstructing 80% of your view, so I can see why they struggled with this. The controls though I feel definitely could have had some quick reworking before release that would have made the experience a little smoother.
Overall a brilliant game that overcame development hell, with a truly emotional centre elevated by it’s outstandingly grand soundtrack, and an ending that is as heart wrenching as it is memorable. All these years later, it stays with me and still makes me weep. People were too hard on this.
An incredibly unique one-of-a-kind game that, upon release, showed me just how impactful video games can be and gave me a completely new perspective on them.
Trico is nothing short of a wonderful programming achievement and I can’t even begin to imagine what a pain he was for the crew. He truly feels like a living breathing creature and is undoubtedly the heart and soul of the game. He is also no where near as difficult to control as people claim he is. Just don’t spam 20 different commands and then expect him to know what you want him to do.
The only thing stopping my from giving this 5 stars is, like with all of Ueda’s games; the camera and controls are fucking ass sometimes. There’s so much grandiose in this game to look at; huge, towering architecture and majestic beasts, but most of the time you can’t cause you’re busy having a fight with the wandering camera. I at least understand the camera complications since big portions of this game take place in narrow corridors with a big ass dog-bird obstructing 80% of your view, so I can see why they struggled with this. The controls though I feel definitely could have had some quick reworking before release that would have made the experience a little smoother.
Overall a brilliant game that overcame development hell, with a truly emotional centre elevated by it’s outstandingly grand soundtrack, and an ending that is as heart wrenching as it is memorable. All these years later, it stays with me and still makes me weep. People were too hard on this.
Weirdly uninspired?
A completionists worst nightmare, is this even MEANT to be 100%ed?
2017
I’d rather Sonic force me to watch paint dry.
I wanted to love this so bad, but I just don’t. Which really frustrates me because I love Miles Morales’ as a character.
As awe inspiring as the visuals are, I really couldn’t get into the story this time and just felt uninterested by it. The villain, who’s name I forget so we’ll call him Troy Baker, was particularly boring when compared to the likes of Doc Ock from the previous game, who’s conflict with Peter was far more personal. Troy’s just some rich shill wanting to make money. As for the Tinkerer, who is a much more personal villain for Miles, it still didn’t really click with me, and I was left feeling close to nothing during her sacrifice at the end, which, again, frustrated me because I really wanted to like this. The writing feels different to the first, and not in a good way. I don’t know if they had a different team on this or what, but a lot of lines from characters feel unnatural and, I assume, unintentionally cheesy. Part of me feels that the first game almost doomed this one for failure from the get go due to how surprisingly great it was, so no matter what this game decided to do, I don’t think it could have really topped the previous.
The Christmas vibe is very cozy however and the web swinging does feel unparalleled with help from the PS5’s adaptive triggers. It’s so much more fluid than the previous game and Miles’ inexperienced flailing in the air makes it feel super fun and alive. I’d play this again just to swing around New York and take in the winter atmosphere if nothing else, and the inclusion of the low frame rate Spider-Verse suit is a very welcome addition as a massive fan of the movies.
As awe inspiring as the visuals are, I really couldn’t get into the story this time and just felt uninterested by it. The villain, who’s name I forget so we’ll call him Troy Baker, was particularly boring when compared to the likes of Doc Ock from the previous game, who’s conflict with Peter was far more personal. Troy’s just some rich shill wanting to make money. As for the Tinkerer, who is a much more personal villain for Miles, it still didn’t really click with me, and I was left feeling close to nothing during her sacrifice at the end, which, again, frustrated me because I really wanted to like this. The writing feels different to the first, and not in a good way. I don’t know if they had a different team on this or what, but a lot of lines from characters feel unnatural and, I assume, unintentionally cheesy. Part of me feels that the first game almost doomed this one for failure from the get go due to how surprisingly great it was, so no matter what this game decided to do, I don’t think it could have really topped the previous.
The Christmas vibe is very cozy however and the web swinging does feel unparalleled with help from the PS5’s adaptive triggers. It’s so much more fluid than the previous game and Miles’ inexperienced flailing in the air makes it feel super fun and alive. I’d play this again just to swing around New York and take in the winter atmosphere if nothing else, and the inclusion of the low frame rate Spider-Verse suit is a very welcome addition as a massive fan of the movies.
Makes Breath of the Wild look like a tech demo.
I wasn’t the biggest fan of how the main story was presented with memories from the past, much like how Breath of the Wild did it. One of my biggest gripes with Botw was how 90% of the admittedly bare bones story has happened before you even press start. It’s not quite as prominent here, as there IS a lot more going on, but I was hoping for some of these events to be more present as you progress to make me feel more connected with the story. A few of the dungeons were a little disappointing as well. Better than the Divine Beasts, but still a bit lacking. I think these segments of the game would be greatly benefited by, ironically, being more restricted in layout like classic Zelda dungeons. Not everything has to be completely open. You can still have your cake and eat it by having a massive open world with limitless opportunities and then some BIG linear brain teaser temples that can’t be solved by cheesing your way around a puzzle. There’s definitely fun in that, but it does destroy any sense of difficulty. Linearity is good sometimes.
Other than that, this is a complete god damn marvel and is what video games should strive to be. Serene visuals, an intriguing story enveloped in mystery, a stunning soundtrack, packed to the brim with side quests of all kinds, and endless possibilities with incredibly fun and innovative gameplay. You’re only limited by your imagination. I feel that quite a few games get so caught up by their own obsession to craft a sophisticated story with complicated themes, that they almost lose their sense of direction and forget the core reason as to why we play games. It’s a nice change of pace to play something that is so purely and simply fun. For that is always what Nintendo priorities. Fun.
Falls short in some aspects for me presentation wise, but this is still utterly incredible and as along time Zelda fan, I had so, SO much fun with it. I don’t know if I’ll ever pick up Breath of the Wild again though with this game existing.
My 11 year old dragon-obsessed self would have lost their fucking mind over the final boss.
I wasn’t the biggest fan of how the main story was presented with memories from the past, much like how Breath of the Wild did it. One of my biggest gripes with Botw was how 90% of the admittedly bare bones story has happened before you even press start. It’s not quite as prominent here, as there IS a lot more going on, but I was hoping for some of these events to be more present as you progress to make me feel more connected with the story. A few of the dungeons were a little disappointing as well. Better than the Divine Beasts, but still a bit lacking. I think these segments of the game would be greatly benefited by, ironically, being more restricted in layout like classic Zelda dungeons. Not everything has to be completely open. You can still have your cake and eat it by having a massive open world with limitless opportunities and then some BIG linear brain teaser temples that can’t be solved by cheesing your way around a puzzle. There’s definitely fun in that, but it does destroy any sense of difficulty. Linearity is good sometimes.
Other than that, this is a complete god damn marvel and is what video games should strive to be. Serene visuals, an intriguing story enveloped in mystery, a stunning soundtrack, packed to the brim with side quests of all kinds, and endless possibilities with incredibly fun and innovative gameplay. You’re only limited by your imagination. I feel that quite a few games get so caught up by their own obsession to craft a sophisticated story with complicated themes, that they almost lose their sense of direction and forget the core reason as to why we play games. It’s a nice change of pace to play something that is so purely and simply fun. For that is always what Nintendo priorities. Fun.
Falls short in some aspects for me presentation wise, but this is still utterly incredible and as along time Zelda fan, I had so, SO much fun with it. I don’t know if I’ll ever pick up Breath of the Wild again though with this game existing.
My 11 year old dragon-obsessed self would have lost their fucking mind over the final boss.
2008
Chip’s an annoying little shit, but this is definitely one of the better if not the best 3D game in this franchise full of duds, and I can confidently say we’ll never get another one that’s this polished and, yknow, finished.
Brilliant music as well which is often the case with Sonic.
Brilliant music as well which is often the case with Sonic.
2022
Basically the love child of Breath of the Wild and Shadow of the Colossus but without everything that made those games memorable and innovative. It’s clearly inspired by some brilliant games, but ironically the result feels lukewarm and like it lacks it’s own identity.
Unpolished, clearly unfinished (again), uninteresting story, and the open world element feels incredibly lacking. Definitely a step in the right direction for Sonic, but overall I still found myself really bored and pretty much just wishing I was playing the games it so badly wanted to be. I literally forgot about it at some point and didn’t pick it up for 5 months until I forced myself to finish it. The Boss Battles were hype though and I loved them to an unhealthy degree. It’s a shame they make up less than 15% of the game.
Unpolished, clearly unfinished (again), uninteresting story, and the open world element feels incredibly lacking. Definitely a step in the right direction for Sonic, but overall I still found myself really bored and pretty much just wishing I was playing the games it so badly wanted to be. I literally forgot about it at some point and didn’t pick it up for 5 months until I forced myself to finish it. The Boss Battles were hype though and I loved them to an unhealthy degree. It’s a shame they make up less than 15% of the game.
I’m constantly jumping from “This is such a beautifully bold statement and a truly sophisticated profound work of art” and “I hate this lame uncreative revenge shock value bullshit what the fuck” that I never know how I truly feel about this game and I don’t feel like I’ll ever actually come to a definitive conclusion.
Maybe that internal conflict is a sign of it’s success.
In all seriousness though the worst thing about this is the pacing. Could have cut at least 5 hours out and it would have benefited greatly. Feels very bloated.
Maybe that internal conflict is a sign of it’s success.
In all seriousness though the worst thing about this is the pacing. Could have cut at least 5 hours out and it would have benefited greatly. Feels very bloated.
2018
This game actually frustrates me because the story and it’s two lead characters had so much potential to be really emotionally investing but I forgot the Life is Strange games can’t write for shit. This isn’t good but could have been.
The voice acting is also some real hot dookie. The worst I’ve heard in a while.
The voice acting is also some real hot dookie. The worst I’ve heard in a while.
2015
There are things I admire about this game to a degree. but it still doesn’t gel with me at all.
Between bad writing, inexpressive voice acting blended with hyper expressive body mocap, an insufferable sense of humour that makes me recoil and a painstakingly slow pace; everything is just really off. There are very serious events that happen in this game, (Student suicide and a sadistically pervy teacher to name a few) yet the writing almost feels too naive to handle the topics it tackles. Using licensed indie music as a crutch to make your game feel falsely profound also gets tiresome. It just feels very juvenile in the way it covers it’s otherwise mature story. Which isn’t helped by the very stereotypical high school cheese-fest that is the dialogue.
Overall, story had potential, but shoots itself in the foot with it’s incompetent and hard-to-take-seriously writing. The time powers are also an eye roll where the plot is concerned. They work and then suddenly don’t whenever the plot demands them to because the writers worked themselves into a corner and realised there’s no real tension at all if you can rewind time whenever something bad is going to happen.
Between bad writing, inexpressive voice acting blended with hyper expressive body mocap, an insufferable sense of humour that makes me recoil and a painstakingly slow pace; everything is just really off. There are very serious events that happen in this game, (Student suicide and a sadistically pervy teacher to name a few) yet the writing almost feels too naive to handle the topics it tackles. Using licensed indie music as a crutch to make your game feel falsely profound also gets tiresome. It just feels very juvenile in the way it covers it’s otherwise mature story. Which isn’t helped by the very stereotypical high school cheese-fest that is the dialogue.
Overall, story had potential, but shoots itself in the foot with it’s incompetent and hard-to-take-seriously writing. The time powers are also an eye roll where the plot is concerned. They work and then suddenly don’t whenever the plot demands them to because the writers worked themselves into a corner and realised there’s no real tension at all if you can rewind time whenever something bad is going to happen.
This feels like it was written by middle aged men who have no idea how lesbian teenagers talk. And that’s because it was.
2017
The only bad thing I can say about Night in the Woods is that it’s ending feels the tiniest bit rushed. But that grievance is so microscopic and pales in comparison to the rest of the brilliant things this game achieves. Other than that, this is a one of a kind experience that I often find myself wishing I could feel for the first time again.
Really good writing and dialogue that feels very natural, which is hard to pull off. Brilliant soundtrack and characters, all of whom have a sense of relatability to them. The game oddly has a vague sense of nostalgia/melancholy to it, which I think is a testament to how well it establishes it’s characters and their environments. Despite the bright colourful art style, it mirrors and acknowledges many of the mundane aspects of real life which is very interesting. It looks so escapist, but it’s actually really grounded to life.
A really great game with superb world building and a lot of relatability to offer for all kinds of people. It’s not afraid to get deep, and the writing is so well tuned that those moments always feel genuine and like they’ve come from a place of experience.
Really good writing and dialogue that feels very natural, which is hard to pull off. Brilliant soundtrack and characters, all of whom have a sense of relatability to them. The game oddly has a vague sense of nostalgia/melancholy to it, which I think is a testament to how well it establishes it’s characters and their environments. Despite the bright colourful art style, it mirrors and acknowledges many of the mundane aspects of real life which is very interesting. It looks so escapist, but it’s actually really grounded to life.
A really great game with superb world building and a lot of relatability to offer for all kinds of people. It’s not afraid to get deep, and the writing is so well tuned that those moments always feel genuine and like they’ve come from a place of experience.
Short, simple, but indescribably effective.
The ending feels like it comes out of butt fuck nowhere, but given the themes this game presents with the destruction of the planet, I found it somewhat fitting that the dreadful event hits very suddenly, for it very much reflects our own situation with climate change and how we don’t tend to think too much about it until something terrible happens.
Ultimately this is a very simple and repetitive loop of a game, but I think that’s where it’s genius lies. You’re just a fox finding food for your babies. You can’t do anything to change the state of the world. The bigger picture is something out of your control. The most you can do is just watch it fall apart day by day and pray you’ll make it.
There is so much more to this game upon closer inspection. The world is surprisingly dense and detailed with its humans characters if you know where to look. Aside from the main scent trail events you follow, there are almost mini stories progressing in the background that you can completely miss if you aren’t in the area on the right day. The two humans on the island to the south being a good example. It’s extremely intriguing trying to figure out just what is going on with the humans around you, and seeing how dire everybody’s situation becomes as the days progress. I found myself noticing more and more within the world with each playthrough.
The soundtrack is harrowingly gorgeous and has an acoustic theme that rears its head from time to time that is beautifully haunting but also comforting. It doesn’t outstay it’s welcome either, by knowing when to hold back and let surrounding ambience take over. Whether that be the rustling of forest foliage or the blaring sirens from an industrial sight. The visuals are simplistic and gorgeous, with a stark contrast of nature’s beauty and dirty corporate buildings.
There are glimpses of hope, but ultimately this is a very drab experience that doesn’t end on a high note. I can imagine many being upset by the ending, because it is indeed very upsetting, but it’s also very real, and I admire it for that. There is no sugar coating. There is no bright side. This is what will happen if things don’t change, and it doesn’t shy away from the unjust brutality of it, showing that it’s not just the animals that will suffer from our actions, and we will be victims of our own ignorance.
There are so many more praises I could sing, but i would be here for a very long time. However, all of this games elements beautifully coming together made this one of the most surprising and impactful gaming experiences I’ve had to date.
The ending feels like it comes out of butt fuck nowhere, but given the themes this game presents with the destruction of the planet, I found it somewhat fitting that the dreadful event hits very suddenly, for it very much reflects our own situation with climate change and how we don’t tend to think too much about it until something terrible happens.
Ultimately this is a very simple and repetitive loop of a game, but I think that’s where it’s genius lies. You’re just a fox finding food for your babies. You can’t do anything to change the state of the world. The bigger picture is something out of your control. The most you can do is just watch it fall apart day by day and pray you’ll make it.
There is so much more to this game upon closer inspection. The world is surprisingly dense and detailed with its humans characters if you know where to look. Aside from the main scent trail events you follow, there are almost mini stories progressing in the background that you can completely miss if you aren’t in the area on the right day. The two humans on the island to the south being a good example. It’s extremely intriguing trying to figure out just what is going on with the humans around you, and seeing how dire everybody’s situation becomes as the days progress. I found myself noticing more and more within the world with each playthrough.
The soundtrack is harrowingly gorgeous and has an acoustic theme that rears its head from time to time that is beautifully haunting but also comforting. It doesn’t outstay it’s welcome either, by knowing when to hold back and let surrounding ambience take over. Whether that be the rustling of forest foliage or the blaring sirens from an industrial sight. The visuals are simplistic and gorgeous, with a stark contrast of nature’s beauty and dirty corporate buildings.
There are glimpses of hope, but ultimately this is a very drab experience that doesn’t end on a high note. I can imagine many being upset by the ending, because it is indeed very upsetting, but it’s also very real, and I admire it for that. There is no sugar coating. There is no bright side. This is what will happen if things don’t change, and it doesn’t shy away from the unjust brutality of it, showing that it’s not just the animals that will suffer from our actions, and we will be victims of our own ignorance.
There are so many more praises I could sing, but i would be here for a very long time. However, all of this games elements beautifully coming together made this one of the most surprising and impactful gaming experiences I’ve had to date.
An overdue return to form for the series. The story doesn’t really have that air of finality due to the way telltale panic-wrote their way through their games, but they definitely made the most with what they could afford here.
Character writing is really on point and the voice acting (as always with Telltale) is really great, with Violet’s VA being a highlight to the point where her voice is so rawly charged at times, her character model literally cannot match the energy.
The overarching plot is decent with some interesting twists here and there (even if you can see them coming, which you probably will) and it definitely feels more concrete that Season Two’s story, which felt very stitched together. Everything wraps up in a way that feels emotional and satisfying for long time fans who love Clementine, and to a lesser degree, AJ. Tears were shed. A nice soft bed end to a rocky ride.
Character writing is really on point and the voice acting (as always with Telltale) is really great, with Violet’s VA being a highlight to the point where her voice is so rawly charged at times, her character model literally cannot match the energy.
The overarching plot is decent with some interesting twists here and there (even if you can see them coming, which you probably will) and it definitely feels more concrete that Season Two’s story, which felt very stitched together. Everything wraps up in a way that feels emotional and satisfying for long time fans who love Clementine, and to a lesser degree, AJ. Tears were shed. A nice soft bed end to a rocky ride.