Sturminator
2020
Charming bite size puzzle-platformer that could benefit from a little more polishing.
Mask of Mists is an indie 3D adventure game with puzzles, combat, and exploration. You are a mercenary of sorts, tasked with tracking down an arch mage who has gone missing. This little excerpt of story is all that's needed before dropping the player into a mysterious ruin dotted forest from which they will unravel the many roadblocks between them and the arch mage.
Masks of Mists does not hold many true puzzles, but rather tasks the player with hunting down the correct items (or combination of items) to use to progress similar to point and click adventure games but much less obtuse. Keeping a mental map of where everything is and being able to recall previously visited locations when you obtain a new item is essential to being efficient in finding the arch mage. It would have been nice to see a few more actual puzzles, such as the gemstone statue puzzle, even if they were optional and provided some bonus potions or ammo. There are interiors sprinkled throughout the world, 6 of which being temple-like structures that contain a crystal at the end that must be activated to progress the game. While these 6 dungeons share the same tile set, they each have a unique "theme" that keeps them fresh. Exploring them is surprisingly addictive.
As you explore the world. you will come across 1 of 4 enemy types by which you can dispatch using either your sword or flintlock pistol. You are also able to dash to evade attacks or move more swiftly across the world.
Combat is very basic, and while serviceable, was the weakest part of the game. There is one boss fight at the end of the game which is also just fine. You are also given a large quantity of potions so even if you do manage to take damage, there is never any need to manage your resources.
The game runs very smoothly thanks to the charming cartoon art style. I didn't encounter any bugs, though I did on multiple occasions accidentally fire my pistol, wasting ammo, due to it being bound to the right mouse button with no way to change this. Movement also feels kind of clunky, especially during combat. Music is simple, unintrusive, and sets a pleasant background ambience as you traverse the enchanted forest and gloomy dungeons.
Mask of Mists has a few annoyances that are easy enough to overlook, and while the combat is more of a nuisance than anything, exploring the world and finding how the many items you pick up can be used to slowly unravel the thread leading to the arch mage is very satisfying. If you're looking for a cozy way to spend a few hours, you can certainly do worse than this.
Mask of Mists is an indie 3D adventure game with puzzles, combat, and exploration. You are a mercenary of sorts, tasked with tracking down an arch mage who has gone missing. This little excerpt of story is all that's needed before dropping the player into a mysterious ruin dotted forest from which they will unravel the many roadblocks between them and the arch mage.
Masks of Mists does not hold many true puzzles, but rather tasks the player with hunting down the correct items (or combination of items) to use to progress similar to point and click adventure games but much less obtuse. Keeping a mental map of where everything is and being able to recall previously visited locations when you obtain a new item is essential to being efficient in finding the arch mage. It would have been nice to see a few more actual puzzles, such as the gemstone statue puzzle, even if they were optional and provided some bonus potions or ammo. There are interiors sprinkled throughout the world, 6 of which being temple-like structures that contain a crystal at the end that must be activated to progress the game. While these 6 dungeons share the same tile set, they each have a unique "theme" that keeps them fresh. Exploring them is surprisingly addictive.
As you explore the world. you will come across 1 of 4 enemy types by which you can dispatch using either your sword or flintlock pistol. You are also able to dash to evade attacks or move more swiftly across the world.
Combat is very basic, and while serviceable, was the weakest part of the game. There is one boss fight at the end of the game which is also just fine. You are also given a large quantity of potions so even if you do manage to take damage, there is never any need to manage your resources.
The game runs very smoothly thanks to the charming cartoon art style. I didn't encounter any bugs, though I did on multiple occasions accidentally fire my pistol, wasting ammo, due to it being bound to the right mouse button with no way to change this. Movement also feels kind of clunky, especially during combat. Music is simple, unintrusive, and sets a pleasant background ambience as you traverse the enchanted forest and gloomy dungeons.
Mask of Mists has a few annoyances that are easy enough to overlook, and while the combat is more of a nuisance than anything, exploring the world and finding how the many items you pick up can be used to slowly unravel the thread leading to the arch mage is very satisfying. If you're looking for a cozy way to spend a few hours, you can certainly do worse than this.
2019
Fun and fast-paced combat system comes packaged with a decent supernatural story.
As of writing this, I have not played Alan Wake so any easter eggs or references to it were lost on me. That being said, at no point did I feel like I was missing a large part of the story because of it. Control gets a lot of praise, and after putting around 60 hours into the game, I can see why but I can also see where it stumbles.
Firstly, Jesse Faden is a great protagonist. She's come to the FBC in search of answers as well as her brother and gets wrapped up in the increasingly bizarre and paranormal events taking place within the walls of Bureau. Courtney Hope does a great job voicing Jesse and it was nice to not be bombarded with quips from her nonstop. Supporting character such as the mysterious janitor, Ahti, or the eccentric scientist, Casper Darling, are also great. The biggest issue the story has in my opinion is that it never really reaches a strong climax and ends quite abruptly. A lot of mystery and intrigue culminates in a finale that feels a bit unfulfilling. Despite that, the world building and lore along the way is very strong.
Combat is stylish, fun, and sometimes quite chaotic. Between your service weapon many forms and your supernatural abilities granted over the course of the game, you are given many options to how your approach fights and with a large enemy roster using the correct tool for the job is important. Additionally, Control features semi destructible environments that create a spectacle as you dash through windows and desks while hurling furniture at your enemies. There are some boss fights as well though only a handful are truly interesting rather than being essentially a named variant of a normal enemy type. Some of these fights can be kind of tough especially due to the camera not giving you a good view of whether you are levitating over a surface or the void (and your death).
The environments of Control are kind of a mixed bag, though mostly great. While this is not a normal government office building, it does still contain much of what you would expect. A plethora of offices, boardrooms, bathrooms, and SO much of the color grey is too be found here. A lot of samey environments can also make it somewhat confusing to navigate the FBC, even with the map you are given. With that said, Control is still very visually appealing, making good use of ray-tracing, and featuring some beautiful set pieces. The ashtray maze was a specifically memorable segment.
The Ultimate edition comes bundles with two major story DLCs, The Foundation, and AWE:
The Foundation is the weaker of the two DLC, taking places under the FBC and featuring a large cave system filled with red sand. After the novelty of the red sand wears off, this rocky network becomes unfortunately dull. The DLC also centers around a side character from the main game who was rather forgettable, only appearing momentarily before disappearing. I found it hard to get hooked on the story here outside of the broader lore tidbits sprinkled throughout. The side missions here are pretty good though such as one where you are cleansing a supernatural film camera by starring in your own action flick. If this DLC was on its own, I would only recommend it on a deep sale.
AWE, on the other hand, was very enjoyable, possibly more so than the main game. This DLC ties heavily in with Alan Wake, and I would imagine hits even harder for those who have played the game prior, but I found it gripping nonetheless. AWE takes you to the investigations sector of the FBC brings the player much closer to the horror genre than anywhere else in the game. Encounters with the main "entity" are intense and can be genuinely frightening. The environments are more memorable here even including a recreation of a moon landing with the real Apollo 14. Side missions are pretty much non-existent here though there is a arcade game mode you can play. AWE was my personal peak of enjoyment while playing Control and would recommend it highly if it were standalone.
Control offers a breadth of content without overstaying its welcome and makes up for its weaknesses with great combat, excellent atmosphere, and a relatable protagonist. You can regularly find the ultimate edition on sale for dirt cheap making for a real steal based on what you get.
As of writing this, I have not played Alan Wake so any easter eggs or references to it were lost on me. That being said, at no point did I feel like I was missing a large part of the story because of it. Control gets a lot of praise, and after putting around 60 hours into the game, I can see why but I can also see where it stumbles.
Firstly, Jesse Faden is a great protagonist. She's come to the FBC in search of answers as well as her brother and gets wrapped up in the increasingly bizarre and paranormal events taking place within the walls of Bureau. Courtney Hope does a great job voicing Jesse and it was nice to not be bombarded with quips from her nonstop. Supporting character such as the mysterious janitor, Ahti, or the eccentric scientist, Casper Darling, are also great. The biggest issue the story has in my opinion is that it never really reaches a strong climax and ends quite abruptly. A lot of mystery and intrigue culminates in a finale that feels a bit unfulfilling. Despite that, the world building and lore along the way is very strong.
Combat is stylish, fun, and sometimes quite chaotic. Between your service weapon many forms and your supernatural abilities granted over the course of the game, you are given many options to how your approach fights and with a large enemy roster using the correct tool for the job is important. Additionally, Control features semi destructible environments that create a spectacle as you dash through windows and desks while hurling furniture at your enemies. There are some boss fights as well though only a handful are truly interesting rather than being essentially a named variant of a normal enemy type. Some of these fights can be kind of tough especially due to the camera not giving you a good view of whether you are levitating over a surface or the void (and your death).
The environments of Control are kind of a mixed bag, though mostly great. While this is not a normal government office building, it does still contain much of what you would expect. A plethora of offices, boardrooms, bathrooms, and SO much of the color grey is too be found here. A lot of samey environments can also make it somewhat confusing to navigate the FBC, even with the map you are given. With that said, Control is still very visually appealing, making good use of ray-tracing, and featuring some beautiful set pieces. The ashtray maze was a specifically memorable segment.
The Ultimate edition comes bundles with two major story DLCs, The Foundation, and AWE:
The Foundation is the weaker of the two DLC, taking places under the FBC and featuring a large cave system filled with red sand. After the novelty of the red sand wears off, this rocky network becomes unfortunately dull. The DLC also centers around a side character from the main game who was rather forgettable, only appearing momentarily before disappearing. I found it hard to get hooked on the story here outside of the broader lore tidbits sprinkled throughout. The side missions here are pretty good though such as one where you are cleansing a supernatural film camera by starring in your own action flick. If this DLC was on its own, I would only recommend it on a deep sale.
AWE, on the other hand, was very enjoyable, possibly more so than the main game. This DLC ties heavily in with Alan Wake, and I would imagine hits even harder for those who have played the game prior, but I found it gripping nonetheless. AWE takes you to the investigations sector of the FBC brings the player much closer to the horror genre than anywhere else in the game. Encounters with the main "entity" are intense and can be genuinely frightening. The environments are more memorable here even including a recreation of a moon landing with the real Apollo 14. Side missions are pretty much non-existent here though there is a arcade game mode you can play. AWE was my personal peak of enjoyment while playing Control and would recommend it highly if it were standalone.
Control offers a breadth of content without overstaying its welcome and makes up for its weaknesses with great combat, excellent atmosphere, and a relatable protagonist. You can regularly find the ultimate edition on sale for dirt cheap making for a real steal based on what you get.
2005
A mediocre first half is mostly made up for by a stronger second half in this mid 2000s FPS.
Following the multiplayer focused Quake 3, Ravensoft takes a stab at the Quake franchise with a continuation of the story of Quake II in humanity's war against the cybernetic Strogg, taking place immediately after the events of the 2nd game. Using the id Tech 4 engine, Quake plays very similarly to Doom 3 though with much less of an emphasis on horror. Whether this is a good or bad thing is up to debate.
Quake 4's biggest issue is that the first half of the game is a slog. The plot is very basic sci-fi military stuff and the game play isn't very engaging. The player character moves like they are walking through molasses and the experience is brought down by poorly implemented backtracking and hand holding. There is a specific event that occurs roughly midway through the game in which you gain improved movement speed, but more notably the plot becomes a bit more interesting and the game starts to actually feel like a Quake game. The latter half of levels are more varied and bring more interesting combat sections that almost make you forget the tedium you just went through.
Shooting feels pretty good though the explosive weapons feel noticeably weak. There's a decent amount of enemy variety as well even if some enemy types felt underused. Quake 4 can get very dark at times so the decision to make the flashlight only usable with the pistol or machine gun is just irritating. The biggest game play weakness, like many other titles of the time, is the over abundance of middling vehicle sections. There's multiple sections where you either pilot a vehicle or man a turret on one and while some are better than others, they all drag on too long and feel like a large step down from the main on foot game play.
Graphically the game has held up better than I expected probably thanks to the use of mo-cap and a darker ambience. The music and sound design is good as well, but for some reason is mixed awfully. Dialogue is often incomprehensible over background noise and with no subtitle options nor a way to adjust audio levels beyond a master volume control, you'll just need to deal with it. Voice acting is serviceable with a notable inclusion of Peter Stormare as one of the supporting characters.
I didn't play any multiplayer as the servers are pretty much dead, but from what I've researched it sounds like this is one of the weaker entries in the series for multiplayer. The lack of official bot support is disappointing as well given that it can provide an otherwise dead game a method to experience the multiplayer maps populated.
It may sound like I've little positive to say about the game, but I do believe the 2nd half of the campaign is quite good and the first half is fine if not a bit uninspiring. I don't think this is quite as good as Doom 3 and that is probably best showcased by how this game has been somewhat forgotten in comparison to the 3rd doom installment, but if you can grab this game on sale then I'd recommend it for a solid 6 - 10 hours of mid 2000s FPS gameplay.
Following the multiplayer focused Quake 3, Ravensoft takes a stab at the Quake franchise with a continuation of the story of Quake II in humanity's war against the cybernetic Strogg, taking place immediately after the events of the 2nd game. Using the id Tech 4 engine, Quake plays very similarly to Doom 3 though with much less of an emphasis on horror. Whether this is a good or bad thing is up to debate.
Quake 4's biggest issue is that the first half of the game is a slog. The plot is very basic sci-fi military stuff and the game play isn't very engaging. The player character moves like they are walking through molasses and the experience is brought down by poorly implemented backtracking and hand holding. There is a specific event that occurs roughly midway through the game in which you gain improved movement speed, but more notably the plot becomes a bit more interesting and the game starts to actually feel like a Quake game. The latter half of levels are more varied and bring more interesting combat sections that almost make you forget the tedium you just went through.
Shooting feels pretty good though the explosive weapons feel noticeably weak. There's a decent amount of enemy variety as well even if some enemy types felt underused. Quake 4 can get very dark at times so the decision to make the flashlight only usable with the pistol or machine gun is just irritating. The biggest game play weakness, like many other titles of the time, is the over abundance of middling vehicle sections. There's multiple sections where you either pilot a vehicle or man a turret on one and while some are better than others, they all drag on too long and feel like a large step down from the main on foot game play.
Graphically the game has held up better than I expected probably thanks to the use of mo-cap and a darker ambience. The music and sound design is good as well, but for some reason is mixed awfully. Dialogue is often incomprehensible over background noise and with no subtitle options nor a way to adjust audio levels beyond a master volume control, you'll just need to deal with it. Voice acting is serviceable with a notable inclusion of Peter Stormare as one of the supporting characters.
I didn't play any multiplayer as the servers are pretty much dead, but from what I've researched it sounds like this is one of the weaker entries in the series for multiplayer. The lack of official bot support is disappointing as well given that it can provide an otherwise dead game a method to experience the multiplayer maps populated.
It may sound like I've little positive to say about the game, but I do believe the 2nd half of the campaign is quite good and the first half is fine if not a bit uninspiring. I don't think this is quite as good as Doom 3 and that is probably best showcased by how this game has been somewhat forgotten in comparison to the 3rd doom installment, but if you can grab this game on sale then I'd recommend it for a solid 6 - 10 hours of mid 2000s FPS gameplay.
2023
Classic 90s FPS action with some blemishes that has new life breathed into it by its 2023 remaster.
Playing Quake 2 immediately after Quake 1 makes the differences easily apparent. Besides the obvious setting change, the game play mechanics are more refined, levels are more advanced, open ended, and are divided into units allowing traversal between them. Additionally, Quake 2 does try to string together some semblance of a story through actual mission objectives albeit this is mostly just to facilitate the gameplay.
The weapon selection is generally stronger here over its predecessor, though the absence of the lightning gun is unfortunate. The machine gun and chain gun are more interesting to use over the nailguns and the railgun and BFG are welcome additions to the roster. Power ups return with the added bonus of being useable when you choose rather than as soon as you pick up, at the drawback of being more scarce.
The biggest issue Quake 2 has is that the levels tend to blend together. The sci-fi setting on display here tends to be less interesting than the gothic horror of the original and this is exacerbated by the lack of creativity in the levels. Quake 2's level design has a consistent level of quality throughout the campaign that doesn't really have any major lows, but also never really impresses. It's just fine, good even. This is more apparent after witnessing some of the more interesting missions offered in the expansions.
The cybernetic Strogg replace the demonic and otherwordly enemies of Quake 1. Overall there's a larger enemy variety in Quake 2 over its predecessor, though whether their designs are more or less interesting is up to debate. Quake 2 does massively improve on the first game, by having actual boss fights, especially in the expansions. These, while mostly still simple, are more interesting than those encountered in Quake 1.
The Reckoning expansion is mostly more of the same though it does add some new weapons and enemy types. The levels feel likes remixes of the base game's with the exception of the final stages that involve stowing away on a ship and culminating on the moon.
Ground Zero also doesn't deviate too much from the original game's theming while also adding a new selection of enemies and weapons. It does, however, significantly ramp up the difficult, almost too much so. The mines and hangars are the stand out levels here.
Included with the remaster is the N64 port of Quake 2. This is a simplified version of Quake 2 with shorter, less complicated levels, and some gameplay features absent such as crouching. Despite this, the quicker campaign was quite enjoyable. The level theming is much less grimy and industrial than the original, instead incorporating a cleaner, sleeker theme. After so many similar levels in the base game and first 2 expansions, this was a nice change of scenery.
Finally, the 2023 remaster includes an all new campaign, Call of the Machine. Featuring 6 level sets and a final boss fight, this is Quake 2 pushes to its fullest potential. Levels here sport a much wider variety of scenery, are more complex, and very challenging with a large number of boss fights. Nightdive did a fantastic job with this campaign. It was the highlight of the remaster for me.
Multiplayer is of course, a staple of the Quake franchise though the online servers don't have much of a community from what I could see. It was a titan back in the day, but you can still have a good deal of fun playing offline with bots. It's a shame that CTF doesn't work with bots though.
If you liked Quake, or liked old school shooters in general, the Quake 2 remaster has dozens of hours of content on offer. It has some issues with a somewhat generic theme and "safe" level design but that's not enough to detract from how polished and tight the gameplay is. A must play for any boomer shooter fan.
Playing Quake 2 immediately after Quake 1 makes the differences easily apparent. Besides the obvious setting change, the game play mechanics are more refined, levels are more advanced, open ended, and are divided into units allowing traversal between them. Additionally, Quake 2 does try to string together some semblance of a story through actual mission objectives albeit this is mostly just to facilitate the gameplay.
The weapon selection is generally stronger here over its predecessor, though the absence of the lightning gun is unfortunate. The machine gun and chain gun are more interesting to use over the nailguns and the railgun and BFG are welcome additions to the roster. Power ups return with the added bonus of being useable when you choose rather than as soon as you pick up, at the drawback of being more scarce.
The biggest issue Quake 2 has is that the levels tend to blend together. The sci-fi setting on display here tends to be less interesting than the gothic horror of the original and this is exacerbated by the lack of creativity in the levels. Quake 2's level design has a consistent level of quality throughout the campaign that doesn't really have any major lows, but also never really impresses. It's just fine, good even. This is more apparent after witnessing some of the more interesting missions offered in the expansions.
The cybernetic Strogg replace the demonic and otherwordly enemies of Quake 1. Overall there's a larger enemy variety in Quake 2 over its predecessor, though whether their designs are more or less interesting is up to debate. Quake 2 does massively improve on the first game, by having actual boss fights, especially in the expansions. These, while mostly still simple, are more interesting than those encountered in Quake 1.
The Reckoning expansion is mostly more of the same though it does add some new weapons and enemy types. The levels feel likes remixes of the base game's with the exception of the final stages that involve stowing away on a ship and culminating on the moon.
Ground Zero also doesn't deviate too much from the original game's theming while also adding a new selection of enemies and weapons. It does, however, significantly ramp up the difficult, almost too much so. The mines and hangars are the stand out levels here.
Included with the remaster is the N64 port of Quake 2. This is a simplified version of Quake 2 with shorter, less complicated levels, and some gameplay features absent such as crouching. Despite this, the quicker campaign was quite enjoyable. The level theming is much less grimy and industrial than the original, instead incorporating a cleaner, sleeker theme. After so many similar levels in the base game and first 2 expansions, this was a nice change of scenery.
Finally, the 2023 remaster includes an all new campaign, Call of the Machine. Featuring 6 level sets and a final boss fight, this is Quake 2 pushes to its fullest potential. Levels here sport a much wider variety of scenery, are more complex, and very challenging with a large number of boss fights. Nightdive did a fantastic job with this campaign. It was the highlight of the remaster for me.
Multiplayer is of course, a staple of the Quake franchise though the online servers don't have much of a community from what I could see. It was a titan back in the day, but you can still have a good deal of fun playing offline with bots. It's a shame that CTF doesn't work with bots though.
If you liked Quake, or liked old school shooters in general, the Quake 2 remaster has dozens of hours of content on offer. It has some issues with a somewhat generic theme and "safe" level design but that's not enough to detract from how polished and tight the gameplay is. A must play for any boomer shooter fan.
2021
The OG 3D FPS reaches near perfection with this 2021 remaster.
Despite Quake's influence on the genre, this was my first foray into the series. Likely due to being only a toddler when it originally released and having more of an interest in Unreal Tournament as I got older. Nevertheless, its hard to deny how impactful Quake was on the genre. Being the first true 3D FPS (in the sense as we know today), Quake sheds the restrictions associated with the Doom engine and allows for much more interesting level design and game play overall. Unfortunately, Quake would experience a somewhat tumultuous development cycle and this is reflected in the end product, at least in regards to the single player.
The 2021 remaster contains Quake and all 4 expansions, including a brand new expansion released in tandem. The original Quake campaign is broken up into 4 episodes each beginning with a similar sci-fi themed level before taking a slip gate into a series of levels loosely connected by theme, all of which draw heavily on dark fantasy aesthetics. The atmosphere of Quake is unique not just to the genre, but to its own series as it would swap to a much more sci-fi centered theme in later titles. These levels are well made though the lack of any end episode bosses outside of episode 1 is disappointing.
Expansion 1: Scourge of Armagon introduces new weapons and enemy types and utilizes more interesting level design with the entire first episode consisting of sci-fi themed levels. Unfortunately it seems that these levels were not designed with the new 50 health cap Nightdive has placed for nightmare difficulty where some sections involve near unavoidable environmental damage that can be very hard to survive.
Expansion 2: Dissolution of Eternity features an even wider selection of new enemies and a slew of new ammo types rather than new weapons. Split into 2 episodes, the first episode is mostly more of the same as the original Quake, but episode 2 has an ancient civilization theme and some very interesting levels such as the elemental trials. The end boss of this expansion was the most difficult fight in the entire game, ironically given that the rest of the expansion is pretty forgiving due to how overpowered some of the new ammo types are and how much ammo you are showered with.
Expansion 3: Dimension of the Past is probably the weakest point of the game featuring no new features and having levels that feel mostly like remixes of original Quake levels. There's no actual end boss leading to a rather anticlimactic experience overall. It's not bad, but I struggle to think of anything memorable about it when standing next to the rest of the content.
Expansion 4: Dimension of the Machine is new with the remaster and my personal favorite. While not including any new weapons or enemies, these levels showcase detail and complexity far beyond that of the base game or other expansions. The enemy counts on some of these levels are quite high making for some challenging but fair combat sequences. Cthon returns as a final boss for the expansion though is more engaing as a fight here than in base Quake.
Beyond this, Quake is known for having a vibrant modding community and the remaster features a dozen or so officially supported mods. Slave Zero X stands out as a complete overhaul of Quake to facilitate the cyberpunk theme these levels are designed around. Weapons and enemies are all new though sharing similarities with the default Quake.
Multiplayer seemed dead from what I could see, unsurprisingly, but you can setup matches with bots if you are looking for some classic arena shooter fun. There's also a new Horde mode that can be played with bots or other players in beautiful new maps designed by Nightdive.
This is probably one of the most content dense classic shooters I've played thus far. 30+ hours of single player goodness before you even entertain the thought of custom maps or mods. Not all the expansions hit a home run, but even the least memorable levels are solid. Quake holds up surprisingly well, at least partially thanks to Nightdive's excellent work on the remaster.Being the first FPS to be fully 3D but this revolution only served to make it more adventurous and imaginative in its design.
Despite Quake's influence on the genre, this was my first foray into the series. Likely due to being only a toddler when it originally released and having more of an interest in Unreal Tournament as I got older. Nevertheless, its hard to deny how impactful Quake was on the genre. Being the first true 3D FPS (in the sense as we know today), Quake sheds the restrictions associated with the Doom engine and allows for much more interesting level design and game play overall. Unfortunately, Quake would experience a somewhat tumultuous development cycle and this is reflected in the end product, at least in regards to the single player.
The 2021 remaster contains Quake and all 4 expansions, including a brand new expansion released in tandem. The original Quake campaign is broken up into 4 episodes each beginning with a similar sci-fi themed level before taking a slip gate into a series of levels loosely connected by theme, all of which draw heavily on dark fantasy aesthetics. The atmosphere of Quake is unique not just to the genre, but to its own series as it would swap to a much more sci-fi centered theme in later titles. These levels are well made though the lack of any end episode bosses outside of episode 1 is disappointing.
Expansion 1: Scourge of Armagon introduces new weapons and enemy types and utilizes more interesting level design with the entire first episode consisting of sci-fi themed levels. Unfortunately it seems that these levels were not designed with the new 50 health cap Nightdive has placed for nightmare difficulty where some sections involve near unavoidable environmental damage that can be very hard to survive.
Expansion 2: Dissolution of Eternity features an even wider selection of new enemies and a slew of new ammo types rather than new weapons. Split into 2 episodes, the first episode is mostly more of the same as the original Quake, but episode 2 has an ancient civilization theme and some very interesting levels such as the elemental trials. The end boss of this expansion was the most difficult fight in the entire game, ironically given that the rest of the expansion is pretty forgiving due to how overpowered some of the new ammo types are and how much ammo you are showered with.
Expansion 3: Dimension of the Past is probably the weakest point of the game featuring no new features and having levels that feel mostly like remixes of original Quake levels. There's no actual end boss leading to a rather anticlimactic experience overall. It's not bad, but I struggle to think of anything memorable about it when standing next to the rest of the content.
Expansion 4: Dimension of the Machine is new with the remaster and my personal favorite. While not including any new weapons or enemies, these levels showcase detail and complexity far beyond that of the base game or other expansions. The enemy counts on some of these levels are quite high making for some challenging but fair combat sequences. Cthon returns as a final boss for the expansion though is more engaing as a fight here than in base Quake.
Beyond this, Quake is known for having a vibrant modding community and the remaster features a dozen or so officially supported mods. Slave Zero X stands out as a complete overhaul of Quake to facilitate the cyberpunk theme these levels are designed around. Weapons and enemies are all new though sharing similarities with the default Quake.
Multiplayer seemed dead from what I could see, unsurprisingly, but you can setup matches with bots if you are looking for some classic arena shooter fun. There's also a new Horde mode that can be played with bots or other players in beautiful new maps designed by Nightdive.
This is probably one of the most content dense classic shooters I've played thus far. 30+ hours of single player goodness before you even entertain the thought of custom maps or mods. Not all the expansions hit a home run, but even the least memorable levels are solid. Quake holds up surprisingly well, at least partially thanks to Nightdive's excellent work on the remaster.Being the first FPS to be fully 3D but this revolution only served to make it more adventurous and imaginative in its design.
2021
Fun arcade racer with some flaws that hold it back from reaching greatness.
Hot Wheels as a franchise has had a rather mediocre history of games often missing what I feel is the biggest appeal of the IP over other racing games: racing as a toy car in a normal sized environment. Hot Wheels: Unleashed hits that mark in some ways but misses it in others unfortunately..
Unleashed has you racing on orange and blue tracks (much like the toys) across 5 maps. The issue with this is that for about 90% of the races, the maps serve more as a backdrop than part of the race itself and leads to races feeling samey and unmemorable. There's a handful of hazards as well such as wooden barriers, spider webs, and border-less tracks that must be managed. You encounter more of these as you play but they mostly boil down to being different flavors of puddles that must be avoided if you wish to not be slowed to halt. These detailed maps would have served far better had the various races taking place on them actually incorporated them into the course itself more than the odd rarity. The basement is probably the best map as it is full customization using unlocks you've earned playing the game.
Music and sound design is excellent. I believe the track music is original while the menu music utilizes royalty free music. Either way, the music is fitting. The menu music is bass-heavy funk that serves as an excellent backdrop for looking through your collection of cars. On the other hand races are accompanied by upbeat electronic music that sets the ideal tone for high speeds, jumps, and drifting. There seems to be a variety of sounds between different vehicles that makes racing between them feel slightly different as well.
Graphically, Unleashed's cartoony aesthetic works well for its IP. The cars themselves are lovingly recreated with finer details you would expect on toy cars such as little scrapes and dents included. There's a fair amount of graphical settings present including up scaling options though the game runs very smooth natively as well. Whether intentional or not, I did find the glare of the sun in some of the tracks to be more of an annoying hindrance than a visual spectacle.
The game has a "story" mode which is really just a means to serve the player the races in a slightly more interesting way than simple list. There are 5 bosses within the mode each with a unique track and hazard such as poison spit that drains your boost gauge. Non-boss races will either be a standard race against AI opponents or a time trial. I found the AI difficulty options to scale very poorly with easy being too easy and medium being a drastic step up from it. I'm not a fan of some of the time trials essentially requiring clever shortcuts to complete either.
There's a multiplayer component as well as track builder. Community made tracks are were the game shines, but unfortunately you are not able to race on these maps against AI opponents which feels like a big missed opportunity given that the multiplayer is nearly dead at the time of writing this. The last thing I want to bring up is the ridiculous amount of DLC this game pumped out. While you can get most of the DLC content for cheap during a sale, MSRP for ALL of these is too high for what's on offer.
I had a fun time with Unleashed, but I do think that fun has a somewhat short lifespan for a racing game due to tracks lacking an identity and the choice for community tracks to be only raced on as a time trial (outside of multiplayer). Luckily most of these issues are things that can be fixed in a sequel. Regardless, I believe it is the best Hot Wheels video game to be released up to its release date. Check it out if you are looking for a fun, albeit flawed, arcade racer.
Hot Wheels as a franchise has had a rather mediocre history of games often missing what I feel is the biggest appeal of the IP over other racing games: racing as a toy car in a normal sized environment. Hot Wheels: Unleashed hits that mark in some ways but misses it in others unfortunately..
Unleashed has you racing on orange and blue tracks (much like the toys) across 5 maps. The issue with this is that for about 90% of the races, the maps serve more as a backdrop than part of the race itself and leads to races feeling samey and unmemorable. There's a handful of hazards as well such as wooden barriers, spider webs, and border-less tracks that must be managed. You encounter more of these as you play but they mostly boil down to being different flavors of puddles that must be avoided if you wish to not be slowed to halt. These detailed maps would have served far better had the various races taking place on them actually incorporated them into the course itself more than the odd rarity. The basement is probably the best map as it is full customization using unlocks you've earned playing the game.
Music and sound design is excellent. I believe the track music is original while the menu music utilizes royalty free music. Either way, the music is fitting. The menu music is bass-heavy funk that serves as an excellent backdrop for looking through your collection of cars. On the other hand races are accompanied by upbeat electronic music that sets the ideal tone for high speeds, jumps, and drifting. There seems to be a variety of sounds between different vehicles that makes racing between them feel slightly different as well.
Graphically, Unleashed's cartoony aesthetic works well for its IP. The cars themselves are lovingly recreated with finer details you would expect on toy cars such as little scrapes and dents included. There's a fair amount of graphical settings present including up scaling options though the game runs very smooth natively as well. Whether intentional or not, I did find the glare of the sun in some of the tracks to be more of an annoying hindrance than a visual spectacle.
The game has a "story" mode which is really just a means to serve the player the races in a slightly more interesting way than simple list. There are 5 bosses within the mode each with a unique track and hazard such as poison spit that drains your boost gauge. Non-boss races will either be a standard race against AI opponents or a time trial. I found the AI difficulty options to scale very poorly with easy being too easy and medium being a drastic step up from it. I'm not a fan of some of the time trials essentially requiring clever shortcuts to complete either.
There's a multiplayer component as well as track builder. Community made tracks are were the game shines, but unfortunately you are not able to race on these maps against AI opponents which feels like a big missed opportunity given that the multiplayer is nearly dead at the time of writing this. The last thing I want to bring up is the ridiculous amount of DLC this game pumped out. While you can get most of the DLC content for cheap during a sale, MSRP for ALL of these is too high for what's on offer.
I had a fun time with Unleashed, but I do think that fun has a somewhat short lifespan for a racing game due to tracks lacking an identity and the choice for community tracks to be only raced on as a time trial (outside of multiplayer). Luckily most of these issues are things that can be fixed in a sequel. Regardless, I believe it is the best Hot Wheels video game to be released up to its release date. Check it out if you are looking for a fun, albeit flawed, arcade racer.
A classic FPS that has (mostly) aged well.
I'll be the first to admit that nostalgia likely played a factor in my score for this but I think despite parts of this game not aging magnificently that it is still possibly worth checking out over two decades later. I'm not going to discuss the multiplayer because while it was great during the game's height, it is mostly dead nowadays.
The game is broken up into 7 chapters each composed of a handful of missions. The console version has an additional prologue chapter that is actually pretty good, but missing from the PC version (excluding mods). The game starts strong with the first 2 chapters taking place in the titular Castle Wolfenstein and its nearby village. The atmosphere and level design of these opening levels is so well done that it all the more disappointing when you reach the 3rd chapter.
Chapter 3 is the weakest point in RTCW not just due to its uninteresting mission locales (in comparison to the rest of the game) but also due to holding the single worst level in the game. Forest Compound takes you away from the typical confined corridors of the other missions and places you in an open outdoor location where stealth is imperative. An alarm going off is game over. Save scumming and frequent reloading should be expected to get over this tedious stage. Stealth is encouraged in multiple sections of RTCW, but it works best (as does gameplay loop in general) when you are in confined locations.
Chapters 4 and 5 pick up in overall quality especially with the Secret Weapons Facility and X-labs. It is here (and the previous chapter) that RTCW takes a break from the occult to focus on Deathshead, the overarching villain of most of the franchise.
Finally, Chapters 5 and 6 reach the same highs over the first 2 chapters in my opinion. All levels here are distinct, memorable, and well designed. Paderborn Village is an example of a well-designed stealth mission in contrast to previously mentioned level in Chapter 3. The concept here is the same, but it takes place in the streets, alleyways, and interiors of a village at night making for a much more forgiving and enjoyable experience.
Enemy types are fairly varied though there are some especially annoying ones that show up in the lab levels specifically. There's a pretty good selection of weapons here as well, though the game showers you in MP40 ammo so I'm not sure why you would ever need to use any of the hand guns. Later enemies being especially tanky leading to using anything less than the FG 42 feeling bad.
Sound design is excellent for the time outside of some moments where the music felt a bit overbearing, most noticeably during stealth sections where I outright disabled it so I could better hear enemies.
If you are playing this on PC, you'd probably be best just playing RealRTCW as it fixes many of the issues with the game on modern hardware as well as adding in the console exclusive content. Out of curiosity I did manage to get the base version of the game working on PC following tweaks outlined on the PCGamingWiki, but I did have an issue with the game crashing on death that I could not resolve. I'm assuming this isn't an issue in RealRTCW.
If you are looking for a classic shooter that nails its atmosphere you could certainly do worse. Just be prepared to deal with the annoyances that might come with the age of the title.
I'll be the first to admit that nostalgia likely played a factor in my score for this but I think despite parts of this game not aging magnificently that it is still possibly worth checking out over two decades later. I'm not going to discuss the multiplayer because while it was great during the game's height, it is mostly dead nowadays.
The game is broken up into 7 chapters each composed of a handful of missions. The console version has an additional prologue chapter that is actually pretty good, but missing from the PC version (excluding mods). The game starts strong with the first 2 chapters taking place in the titular Castle Wolfenstein and its nearby village. The atmosphere and level design of these opening levels is so well done that it all the more disappointing when you reach the 3rd chapter.
Chapter 3 is the weakest point in RTCW not just due to its uninteresting mission locales (in comparison to the rest of the game) but also due to holding the single worst level in the game. Forest Compound takes you away from the typical confined corridors of the other missions and places you in an open outdoor location where stealth is imperative. An alarm going off is game over. Save scumming and frequent reloading should be expected to get over this tedious stage. Stealth is encouraged in multiple sections of RTCW, but it works best (as does gameplay loop in general) when you are in confined locations.
Chapters 4 and 5 pick up in overall quality especially with the Secret Weapons Facility and X-labs. It is here (and the previous chapter) that RTCW takes a break from the occult to focus on Deathshead, the overarching villain of most of the franchise.
Finally, Chapters 5 and 6 reach the same highs over the first 2 chapters in my opinion. All levels here are distinct, memorable, and well designed. Paderborn Village is an example of a well-designed stealth mission in contrast to previously mentioned level in Chapter 3. The concept here is the same, but it takes place in the streets, alleyways, and interiors of a village at night making for a much more forgiving and enjoyable experience.
Enemy types are fairly varied though there are some especially annoying ones that show up in the lab levels specifically. There's a pretty good selection of weapons here as well, though the game showers you in MP40 ammo so I'm not sure why you would ever need to use any of the hand guns. Later enemies being especially tanky leading to using anything less than the FG 42 feeling bad.
Sound design is excellent for the time outside of some moments where the music felt a bit overbearing, most noticeably during stealth sections where I outright disabled it so I could better hear enemies.
If you are playing this on PC, you'd probably be best just playing RealRTCW as it fixes many of the issues with the game on modern hardware as well as adding in the console exclusive content. Out of curiosity I did manage to get the base version of the game working on PC following tweaks outlined on the PCGamingWiki, but I did have an issue with the game crashing on death that I could not resolve. I'm assuming this isn't an issue in RealRTCW.
If you are looking for a classic shooter that nails its atmosphere you could certainly do worse. Just be prepared to deal with the annoyances that might come with the age of the title.
2024
One of the best co-op gaming experiences I've had in a good while. I haven't been able to get into a lot of the more recent multiplayer experiences whether due to distaste of the over monetization of these titles or the gameplay not being my cup of tea.
Helldivers 2's gameplay loop is pretty simple but surprisingly addictive. Rather than simply increasing enemy healthy values, the 9 tier difficulty system within the game increases the complexity of mission objectives while adding increasingly difficult enemy types and mission modifiers. A tier 3 mission and tier 8 missions may have the same general objective but the road to completing that objective will feel vastly different.
Gunplay is well done and the wide selection of stratagems (special abilities such as orbital strikes and turrets) are very satisfying to use. The animations and sound design are particularly exceptional from how your trooper will roll onto their back when turning around in prone to tear armor or carapaces off enemy robots/bugs.
We cannot discuss a live service title without mentioning monetization. As of writing this, I am pleased with how generous what is on offer in HD2 compared to other live service titles. Players are given access to a free battlepass that has actually good items within it. There is a premium battlepass for $10 and a small rotating selection of cosmetic items for purchase ranging around a $1 to $4. These prices are converted from the in game currency which you can EARN in game (quite easily I may add).
As with any live service title, things may change in the future but for now I must applaud the devs for what they have crafted. The game had a rocky launch, but there has been a consistent stream of patches and updates addressing issues that show a strong commitment to the game by the devs. I'm eager to see how HD2 continues to evolve in the time to come.
Helldivers 2's gameplay loop is pretty simple but surprisingly addictive. Rather than simply increasing enemy healthy values, the 9 tier difficulty system within the game increases the complexity of mission objectives while adding increasingly difficult enemy types and mission modifiers. A tier 3 mission and tier 8 missions may have the same general objective but the road to completing that objective will feel vastly different.
Gunplay is well done and the wide selection of stratagems (special abilities such as orbital strikes and turrets) are very satisfying to use. The animations and sound design are particularly exceptional from how your trooper will roll onto their back when turning around in prone to tear armor or carapaces off enemy robots/bugs.
We cannot discuss a live service title without mentioning monetization. As of writing this, I am pleased with how generous what is on offer in HD2 compared to other live service titles. Players are given access to a free battlepass that has actually good items within it. There is a premium battlepass for $10 and a small rotating selection of cosmetic items for purchase ranging around a $1 to $4. These prices are converted from the in game currency which you can EARN in game (quite easily I may add).
As with any live service title, things may change in the future but for now I must applaud the devs for what they have crafted. The game had a rocky launch, but there has been a consistent stream of patches and updates addressing issues that show a strong commitment to the game by the devs. I'm eager to see how HD2 continues to evolve in the time to come.
2020
What can be said about BG3 that hasn't already been said? People have been singing this game's praises for months now and I don't have much to offer in contrast to that. As such most of my criticisms are nitpicks that don't ever bother me enough to detract from the overall experience.
This game is ADDICTING in no part thanks to its high level of replayability. Between the freedom of choice in combat and the branching dialogue, it's unlikely any 2 players will have the same experience. The game accounts for just about any possibilities with only a handful of unkillable npcs during a time where having many essential NPCs in an rpg is commonplace.
Character creation is excellent in regards to class and background customization, though a little bit lacking in terms of actual cosmetic customization. Some races are better than others, but the lack of face sliders and limited facial hair selection kind of limiting. Additionally, the player voice options are too similar for my taste. There's a noticeable lack of a gruff male voice that would be suitable for half orc or dragonborn characters.
BG3's story AND characters are compelling and voice acting is phenomenal across the board. The sheer amount of dialogue couple with consistently above average VO is impressive. The 3rd act does feel a bit lackluster compared to the excellent 1st and 2nd acts though. This final act is generally more on rails, and, at least in my experience, much more riddled with bugs and glitches.
It's not surprising that a game as complex and intricate as BG3 is prone to bugs and my playthroughs were no exception. Visual and audio bugs were somewhat common though not overly annoying. A commonly occurring bug I experience was where the dialogue didn't display the choices instead only showing "Continue" and would either just pick the top option when proceeding or lock up entirely and require a reload. I did encounter one (essentially) gamebreaking bug during act 1 in my first play through where my part members acted as though there were all separate and I had to move each individual one manually around the map. No matter of solutions worked (I ensured that weren't split up by mistake), and I started a new playthrough rather than spend the rest of the game tediously moving individual party members. I admittedly took a hiatus from the game here due to frustration, but got hooked upon returning a month or so later.
It might seem like I've spent most of this review nitpicking and complaining, but make no mistake. I would not have spent 250+ hours in this game, 2 full playthroughs, and be contemplating a 3rd if this game had not earned its place among my favorites. The gameplay is top notch. The story is top notch. The visuals, audio, world design, voice acting, all of it is top notch. When my biggest critiques are bugs because of how much complexity the devs have woven into this game, that tells you the kind of passion that went into creating BG3.
Larian is hard at work constantly updating and improving the game. I expect remaining bugs to be squashed as they further polish it and even if they didn't, the underlying package is simply too magnificent for it be bothersome. In a year as jam packed as 2023 for gaming, it takes something truly remarkable to earn GOTY. In my book, Baldur's Gate 3 was that kind of remarkable.
This game is ADDICTING in no part thanks to its high level of replayability. Between the freedom of choice in combat and the branching dialogue, it's unlikely any 2 players will have the same experience. The game accounts for just about any possibilities with only a handful of unkillable npcs during a time where having many essential NPCs in an rpg is commonplace.
Character creation is excellent in regards to class and background customization, though a little bit lacking in terms of actual cosmetic customization. Some races are better than others, but the lack of face sliders and limited facial hair selection kind of limiting. Additionally, the player voice options are too similar for my taste. There's a noticeable lack of a gruff male voice that would be suitable for half orc or dragonborn characters.
BG3's story AND characters are compelling and voice acting is phenomenal across the board. The sheer amount of dialogue couple with consistently above average VO is impressive. The 3rd act does feel a bit lackluster compared to the excellent 1st and 2nd acts though. This final act is generally more on rails, and, at least in my experience, much more riddled with bugs and glitches.
It's not surprising that a game as complex and intricate as BG3 is prone to bugs and my playthroughs were no exception. Visual and audio bugs were somewhat common though not overly annoying. A commonly occurring bug I experience was where the dialogue didn't display the choices instead only showing "Continue" and would either just pick the top option when proceeding or lock up entirely and require a reload. I did encounter one (essentially) gamebreaking bug during act 1 in my first play through where my part members acted as though there were all separate and I had to move each individual one manually around the map. No matter of solutions worked (I ensured that weren't split up by mistake), and I started a new playthrough rather than spend the rest of the game tediously moving individual party members. I admittedly took a hiatus from the game here due to frustration, but got hooked upon returning a month or so later.
It might seem like I've spent most of this review nitpicking and complaining, but make no mistake. I would not have spent 250+ hours in this game, 2 full playthroughs, and be contemplating a 3rd if this game had not earned its place among my favorites. The gameplay is top notch. The story is top notch. The visuals, audio, world design, voice acting, all of it is top notch. When my biggest critiques are bugs because of how much complexity the devs have woven into this game, that tells you the kind of passion that went into creating BG3.
Larian is hard at work constantly updating and improving the game. I expect remaining bugs to be squashed as they further polish it and even if they didn't, the underlying package is simply too magnificent for it be bothersome. In a year as jam packed as 2023 for gaming, it takes something truly remarkable to earn GOTY. In my book, Baldur's Gate 3 was that kind of remarkable.
2022
As someone who grew up with an Xbox and then an Xbox 360, it was disappointing seeing how badly fumbled the ball with the Xbox One. While Microsoft has a ways to go if they wish to reach those former glory days, Pentiment is a step in the right direction.
In regards to consoles, a strong line up of exclusives needs to be more than just AAA blockbusters. Those are important, but games like Pentiment are what remain most dear to my heart.
Pentiment's gripping narrative and difficult choices make for a roller coaster of a ride beautifully illustrated in a style fitting for its 16th century setting.
The quaint town of Tassing and its people are shook by a murder mystery and over the course of the game, you will find that many within the town have their own secrets to hide.
Split into 3 acts over the span of several decades, you will see townsfolk born, age, and even die leaving for an impactfully woven tale as you've grown to love or despise these characters.
My only issue with the game is that the 3rd act isn't quite as compelling as the first two, though it (and the game as a whole) does conclude in a way that is.
I don't want to spoil more than that. I hope we see more like this and Hi-Fi Rush from Xbox and Microsoft. Microsoft needs some heavy hitters but they are doing well when it comes to smaller budget games.
In regards to consoles, a strong line up of exclusives needs to be more than just AAA blockbusters. Those are important, but games like Pentiment are what remain most dear to my heart.
Pentiment's gripping narrative and difficult choices make for a roller coaster of a ride beautifully illustrated in a style fitting for its 16th century setting.
The quaint town of Tassing and its people are shook by a murder mystery and over the course of the game, you will find that many within the town have their own secrets to hide.
Split into 3 acts over the span of several decades, you will see townsfolk born, age, and even die leaving for an impactfully woven tale as you've grown to love or despise these characters.
My only issue with the game is that the 3rd act isn't quite as compelling as the first two, though it (and the game as a whole) does conclude in a way that is.
I don't want to spoil more than that. I hope we see more like this and Hi-Fi Rush from Xbox and Microsoft. Microsoft needs some heavy hitters but they are doing well when it comes to smaller budget games.
In a year as packed full of great titles as 2023 is, a sequel that plays it too safe can be overshadowed to a greater degree than normal.
Spider-Man 2 (SM2) is a game that has the recipe and building blocks to surpass its predecessor, but unfortunately does not capitalize enough on that and even takes some steps back.
Make no mistake, Spider-Man 2 is a good game. Web slinging and combat, the bulk of your moment to moment gameplay, is improved overall and feels very fluid and satisfying to engage with. There's a wider array of costumes to select from and being able to swap between Peter and Miles on a whim is very welcome.
Unfortunately, that is generally where the improvements end for me. The story feels weaker lacking any moments that felt as impactful as the first game while criminally under utilizing Miles Morales who spends a large portion of the game playing phone tag with Peter. The Mary Jane sections are back unfortunately, though in fairness they are more tolerable.
With the addition of the boroughs across the river, SM2 sports a larger map than its predecessors. This map is full of your typical collectibles and open world activities. Outside of the cult missions and perhaps the Mysterio missions, the side content isn't particularly exciting.
Spider-Man 2 really feels like it was trying too much and could have benefited from a more focused story and direction. There's a lot of random systems and mini games that you engage with for a fraction of the game, yet do little to enhance the experience. It's still a great super hero game, but I can't help but feel a tad underwhelmed given my expectations from the SM1 and SM:MM.
Spider-Man 2 (SM2) is a game that has the recipe and building blocks to surpass its predecessor, but unfortunately does not capitalize enough on that and even takes some steps back.
Make no mistake, Spider-Man 2 is a good game. Web slinging and combat, the bulk of your moment to moment gameplay, is improved overall and feels very fluid and satisfying to engage with. There's a wider array of costumes to select from and being able to swap between Peter and Miles on a whim is very welcome.
Unfortunately, that is generally where the improvements end for me. The story feels weaker lacking any moments that felt as impactful as the first game while criminally under utilizing Miles Morales who spends a large portion of the game playing phone tag with Peter. The Mary Jane sections are back unfortunately, though in fairness they are more tolerable.
With the addition of the boroughs across the river, SM2 sports a larger map than its predecessors. This map is full of your typical collectibles and open world activities. Outside of the cult missions and perhaps the Mysterio missions, the side content isn't particularly exciting.
Spider-Man 2 really feels like it was trying too much and could have benefited from a more focused story and direction. There's a lot of random systems and mini games that you engage with for a fraction of the game, yet do little to enhance the experience. It's still a great super hero game, but I can't help but feel a tad underwhelmed given my expectations from the SM1 and SM:MM.
Resident Evil Village (RE8) is a very good entry in the RE series with some flaws that prevent it from reaching the greatness of RE2, 4, or 7 due in part to a weaker second half.
The first half of the game consisting of the Lady D's Castle and House Beneviento are by far the strongest parts of the game. The castle really nails the signature RE gameplay of dumping you into a location with all sorts of secrets and mysteries to unfold (all the while being pursued by an unstoppable force). The castle is beautiful and a delight to explore and Lady D alongside her 3 daughters serve as excellent antagonists during this section.
House Beneviento, on the other hand, leans much more into psychological horror, hosting one of the most nerve-wracking sequences in the franchise. It's probably the shortest of the sections unfortunately with the least time spent fleshing out its antagonist.
The 3rd section with the reservoir and the half-fish man, Moreau, was my least favorite section due to it being somewhat bland though I will say the boss fight with Moreau himself is my favorite in the game.
From here onward, the game leans heavily into the action elements of past titles such as RE4 or RE5 where it puts you up against gauntlets of enemies. While not my favorite parts of the RE games, this could be overlooked if Heisenberg's factory itself was less linear. The factory's inhabitants and aesthetic are quite creepy, but it just pales in comparison to the openness of Lady D's castle.
The mercenaries mode, like past iterations, is plain old fun and the offerings of the shop along with the blue orb power-ups make for good replay value as you optimize your run.
As with all RE games, there's also a lot of replay value whether through doing a knife-only run or playing on the Village of Shadows difficulty, unlocked only upon beating the game.
In short, I believe Village has some of the highest highs in the series such as that first time exploring Castle Dimitrescu but with some inoffensive lows that bring down the experience a bit. Nothing on offer here is truly awful, luckily, which is why I still place RE8 in the upper echelons of the long-running franchise and thoroughly recommend it to RE and horror fans alike.
The first half of the game consisting of the Lady D's Castle and House Beneviento are by far the strongest parts of the game. The castle really nails the signature RE gameplay of dumping you into a location with all sorts of secrets and mysteries to unfold (all the while being pursued by an unstoppable force). The castle is beautiful and a delight to explore and Lady D alongside her 3 daughters serve as excellent antagonists during this section.
House Beneviento, on the other hand, leans much more into psychological horror, hosting one of the most nerve-wracking sequences in the franchise. It's probably the shortest of the sections unfortunately with the least time spent fleshing out its antagonist.
The 3rd section with the reservoir and the half-fish man, Moreau, was my least favorite section due to it being somewhat bland though I will say the boss fight with Moreau himself is my favorite in the game.
From here onward, the game leans heavily into the action elements of past titles such as RE4 or RE5 where it puts you up against gauntlets of enemies. While not my favorite parts of the RE games, this could be overlooked if Heisenberg's factory itself was less linear. The factory's inhabitants and aesthetic are quite creepy, but it just pales in comparison to the openness of Lady D's castle.
The mercenaries mode, like past iterations, is plain old fun and the offerings of the shop along with the blue orb power-ups make for good replay value as you optimize your run.
As with all RE games, there's also a lot of replay value whether through doing a knife-only run or playing on the Village of Shadows difficulty, unlocked only upon beating the game.
In short, I believe Village has some of the highest highs in the series such as that first time exploring Castle Dimitrescu but with some inoffensive lows that bring down the experience a bit. Nothing on offer here is truly awful, luckily, which is why I still place RE8 in the upper echelons of the long-running franchise and thoroughly recommend it to RE and horror fans alike.
After 12 years and 2 mainline entries that shed the majority of the horror elements of Resident Evil in favor of pure action focused gameplay, RE returns with its most horrifying entry to date.
At the time of writing this review, RE6 remains the only mainline entry in the franchise that I have not played (though I have not played the original 3 entries on the PS1, only the remakes), and I will say that I confidently put RE7 in the top 3 for myself personally. It doesn't quite reach the perfection that is RE4 but it takes the survival horror game play of the franchise to first person so flawlessly.
The biggest issue I have with RE7 is that the 1st half of the game set within the confines of the Baker Mansion are so excellent in terms of atmosphere, level design, and story that it makes the 2nd half feel a bit disappointing despite being perfectly average. Exploring the backstory of Eveline/Mia just doesn't capture in the same way that the crazy yet strangely hilarious Baker family did. It doesn't help that you spend most of the latter half of the game within the confines of a wrecked ship, a lesser interesting environment to explore in my opinion.
Outside of that though, every moment one of the Baker family members is on screen is a delight and the boss fights involving them are some of the best (and most creative!) in the series.
The game does a really good job of drip feeding power to the player as well. You feel outgunned and outnumbered at the start, but by the time you reach the final section of the game within the mines, you should have hopefully assembled yourself a mini arsenal which feels so rewarding after the hell you've been through.
Weapons and combat all feel very weighty and outside of the flamethrower felt good to use. I understand the flamethrower has a specific purpose in dealing with the insect enemy types, but the game dumps so much ammo for the weapon on you whilst keeping it useless for any other enemy types that I felt it could have been executed better.
I don't want to spoil much more about this game. I can see why it was such an event when it released back in 2017. If for some reason you never got around to playing it like myself, I highly recommend RE7 as one of the top entries in the series. It may not be my overall favorite in the series but it is most certainly the most horrifying and atmospheric.
At the time of writing this review, RE6 remains the only mainline entry in the franchise that I have not played (though I have not played the original 3 entries on the PS1, only the remakes), and I will say that I confidently put RE7 in the top 3 for myself personally. It doesn't quite reach the perfection that is RE4 but it takes the survival horror game play of the franchise to first person so flawlessly.
The biggest issue I have with RE7 is that the 1st half of the game set within the confines of the Baker Mansion are so excellent in terms of atmosphere, level design, and story that it makes the 2nd half feel a bit disappointing despite being perfectly average. Exploring the backstory of Eveline/Mia just doesn't capture in the same way that the crazy yet strangely hilarious Baker family did. It doesn't help that you spend most of the latter half of the game within the confines of a wrecked ship, a lesser interesting environment to explore in my opinion.
Outside of that though, every moment one of the Baker family members is on screen is a delight and the boss fights involving them are some of the best (and most creative!) in the series.
The game does a really good job of drip feeding power to the player as well. You feel outgunned and outnumbered at the start, but by the time you reach the final section of the game within the mines, you should have hopefully assembled yourself a mini arsenal which feels so rewarding after the hell you've been through.
Weapons and combat all feel very weighty and outside of the flamethrower felt good to use. I understand the flamethrower has a specific purpose in dealing with the insect enemy types, but the game dumps so much ammo for the weapon on you whilst keeping it useless for any other enemy types that I felt it could have been executed better.
I don't want to spoil much more about this game. I can see why it was such an event when it released back in 2017. If for some reason you never got around to playing it like myself, I highly recommend RE7 as one of the top entries in the series. It may not be my overall favorite in the series but it is most certainly the most horrifying and atmospheric.
2023
Resident Evil 4 and by extension RE4make is, in my opinion, the pinnacle of the Resident Evil franchise (thus far). It takes the already stellar formula of RE2 and RE3, adds a bit more action, but not so much that it veers into RE5/RE6 territory and builds upon it in a number of ways.
Resident Evil 4 somehow manages to offer a story that is deliciously campy but also gripping and compelling keeping the player invested throughout. It helps that the very charismatic Leon Kennedy is the best protagonist to star in an RE game. I really enjoyed the entire rosters of characters here from Ashley to Luis to various villains. I will admit that Ada's voice acting was a bit subpar, especially coming off of RE2make where I though she was great, but it isn't bad enough to detract from the overall experience.
Gameplay is basically a more actiony RE2make. You have more puzzles on display here than what was found in RE3make which I was happy to see, but also more options on how to approach combat encounters. There's a wide array of weaponry to make use of and they all feel appropriately balanced in terms of power. Leon's roundhouse kick never gets old either, especially when used to knock enemies off cliffs or bridges.
The game is broken up into a 3 act structure, and the 3rd act on the Island is probably the weakest just in terms of atmosphere and the game edging a little too close to RE5 territory for my taste. Despite this, the Island holds one of the greatest sections in the game with the Regeneradores and it only feels slightly weaker than the other 2 acts because the Village and the Castle absolutely nail their atmosphere.
As with all RE games, there's a high degree of repeatability here thanks to the challenge system and rewards offered for completing the game in a handful of different ways.
It's not hard to see why the original RE4 had such a huge impact on the gaming industry and I can't help but wish I had been able to take part in the hype back then but I absolutely recommend RE4make to both those looking to relive their nostalgia of the past or those who are survival horror fans but somehow never played the original RE4.
Heck, I'd recommend this game to anyone who claims to be a lover of video games in general. The original was that revolutionary of a title at the time and the remake refines that formula while preserving the original's legacy.
Resident Evil 4 somehow manages to offer a story that is deliciously campy but also gripping and compelling keeping the player invested throughout. It helps that the very charismatic Leon Kennedy is the best protagonist to star in an RE game. I really enjoyed the entire rosters of characters here from Ashley to Luis to various villains. I will admit that Ada's voice acting was a bit subpar, especially coming off of RE2make where I though she was great, but it isn't bad enough to detract from the overall experience.
Gameplay is basically a more actiony RE2make. You have more puzzles on display here than what was found in RE3make which I was happy to see, but also more options on how to approach combat encounters. There's a wide array of weaponry to make use of and they all feel appropriately balanced in terms of power. Leon's roundhouse kick never gets old either, especially when used to knock enemies off cliffs or bridges.
The game is broken up into a 3 act structure, and the 3rd act on the Island is probably the weakest just in terms of atmosphere and the game edging a little too close to RE5 territory for my taste. Despite this, the Island holds one of the greatest sections in the game with the Regeneradores and it only feels slightly weaker than the other 2 acts because the Village and the Castle absolutely nail their atmosphere.
As with all RE games, there's a high degree of repeatability here thanks to the challenge system and rewards offered for completing the game in a handful of different ways.
It's not hard to see why the original RE4 had such a huge impact on the gaming industry and I can't help but wish I had been able to take part in the hype back then but I absolutely recommend RE4make to both those looking to relive their nostalgia of the past or those who are survival horror fans but somehow never played the original RE4.
Heck, I'd recommend this game to anyone who claims to be a lover of video games in general. The original was that revolutionary of a title at the time and the remake refines that formula while preserving the original's legacy.
2020
RE3make is definitely not a bad game but its shortcomings are quite apparent especially when played on the heels of the wonderfully done RE2make. I did not play the original RE3 but it is also my understanding that there is quite a bit that has been cut in this remake and not necessarily for the better.
First off, the game is just incredibly short. I'm not coming into a RE game expecting an epic 40+ hour adventure, but I didn't experience the same feeling of "that's it?" when completing RE1 or RE2. Despite the brevity of the game, there are a handful of segments that let me down. Holding out against waves of enemies in the hospital or how the majority of your encounters with Nemesis are on rails or the complete absence of any interesting puzzles.
I will say that the boss fights with Nemesis were an improvement over the fights in RE2make, but I was desperately wishing for more moments like when the big juggernaut was chasing and stalking me through the streets of Raccoon City in the beginning.
I was very happy to see Jill return after having played RE1 and I thought her writing and characterization was excellently done here. You really find yourself rooting for her as she goes through hell and Carlos was a charming deuteragonist. The biggest missed opportunity in the story I believe was the choice to have Carlos explore RCPD instead of Jill since the emotional payoff would be far greater for her being a member of STAR.
Also what is the deal with acid rounds? Maybe I misunderstood their use but I found them far inferior to all the other grenade launcher ammo types.
I would recommend RE3make if you enjoy the series in general, but I won't be surprised if this specific remake doesn't make the top of anyone's favorites list. It's not as egregious as RE6 or even RE5 in its missteps, but it definitely didn't hit the peaks other titles in the series have hit. Nemesis deserves better.
First off, the game is just incredibly short. I'm not coming into a RE game expecting an epic 40+ hour adventure, but I didn't experience the same feeling of "that's it?" when completing RE1 or RE2. Despite the brevity of the game, there are a handful of segments that let me down. Holding out against waves of enemies in the hospital or how the majority of your encounters with Nemesis are on rails or the complete absence of any interesting puzzles.
I will say that the boss fights with Nemesis were an improvement over the fights in RE2make, but I was desperately wishing for more moments like when the big juggernaut was chasing and stalking me through the streets of Raccoon City in the beginning.
I was very happy to see Jill return after having played RE1 and I thought her writing and characterization was excellently done here. You really find yourself rooting for her as she goes through hell and Carlos was a charming deuteragonist. The biggest missed opportunity in the story I believe was the choice to have Carlos explore RCPD instead of Jill since the emotional payoff would be far greater for her being a member of STAR.
Also what is the deal with acid rounds? Maybe I misunderstood their use but I found them far inferior to all the other grenade launcher ammo types.
I would recommend RE3make if you enjoy the series in general, but I won't be surprised if this specific remake doesn't make the top of anyone's favorites list. It's not as egregious as RE6 or even RE5 in its missteps, but it definitely didn't hit the peaks other titles in the series have hit. Nemesis deserves better.