VivaLaGamba
5 reviews liked by VivaLaGamba
Final Fantasy VII
2012
Final Fantasy VII? Yeah, it's got clout for days as the RPG that changed the game. But let's spill the tea: when you really get down to it, it's not all that and a bag of chips.
First off, the gameplay mechanics are kind of a vibe check. The materia system? Innovative, sure, but also kinda sus, making things more complicated than your last relationship. And don't get me started on the random encounters – talk about a major oof! They're like that one person who keeps interrupting your story, totally killing the vibe.
Now, about that pacing... Yikes! It's all over the place, like trying to binge-watch a show that just can't stick to its plot. And those graphics that were once everything? Sorry, but they've aged like milk. For real, it can be a struggle to get into the story when it feels like you're watching a vintage pixel dance-off.
But here's the real tea: the soundtrack. I know, I know, it's got its stans, but hear me out. That overuse of string sections? It's not giving what it was supposed to have given. Instead of serving epic fantasy realness, it kinda ends up feeling like the same track on repeat – major yawn.
So, let's keep it 100: Final Fantasy VII is iconic, but it's also kind of a hot mess. The gameplay's got more twists than a soap opera, the pacing is trying to find itself, and the soundtrack? Babe, it's just not it.
In the end, while FFVII will always have its name in the lights, it's not the undefeated champ of RPGs it's hyped up to be. It's more like that throwback track you bop to for the nostalgia but skip for something with more vibes. So, is it worth the hype? IMO, it's a no from me, dawg. #SorryNotSorry
First off, the gameplay mechanics are kind of a vibe check. The materia system? Innovative, sure, but also kinda sus, making things more complicated than your last relationship. And don't get me started on the random encounters – talk about a major oof! They're like that one person who keeps interrupting your story, totally killing the vibe.
Now, about that pacing... Yikes! It's all over the place, like trying to binge-watch a show that just can't stick to its plot. And those graphics that were once everything? Sorry, but they've aged like milk. For real, it can be a struggle to get into the story when it feels like you're watching a vintage pixel dance-off.
But here's the real tea: the soundtrack. I know, I know, it's got its stans, but hear me out. That overuse of string sections? It's not giving what it was supposed to have given. Instead of serving epic fantasy realness, it kinda ends up feeling like the same track on repeat – major yawn.
So, let's keep it 100: Final Fantasy VII is iconic, but it's also kind of a hot mess. The gameplay's got more twists than a soap opera, the pacing is trying to find itself, and the soundtrack? Babe, it's just not it.
In the end, while FFVII will always have its name in the lights, it's not the undefeated champ of RPGs it's hyped up to be. It's more like that throwback track you bop to for the nostalgia but skip for something with more vibes. So, is it worth the hype? IMO, it's a no from me, dawg. #SorryNotSorry
Starfield
2023
bethesda's house of cards finally crumbles. i see glimpses of ambition in some parts of this game, but their ambition is far outstripped by their own lack of ability. i think a lot about how the space sections just feel like glorified loading screens.
might return to this in a few years after the modding scene gets a chance to develop, but considering what i've heard about the difficulties modders are having with getting anything done, i don't know how much they'll be able to fix.
might return to this in a few years after the modding scene gets a chance to develop, but considering what i've heard about the difficulties modders are having with getting anything done, i don't know how much they'll be able to fix.
Neon White
2022
Neon White is the best feeling game of 2022. I've only ever taken the most baby of steps into speedrunning. But Neon White is able to condense that joy into a digestible package.
The dialogue and characters are something I'm mixed on but the style is a perfect match for the gameplay. The environments aren't too cluttered to keep them readable. And the music helps elevate your own tempo to match that which the game requires to ace each level.
The final set of levels, titled Thousand Pound Butterfly is one of the best culminations of a platformers mechanics in the genre. Taking all of the movement abilities and lessons from the journey to that point. Flipping them on their head with the final card and movement mechanic led to the apex of its many levels.
The dialogue and characters are something I'm mixed on but the style is a perfect match for the gameplay. The environments aren't too cluttered to keep them readable. And the music helps elevate your own tempo to match that which the game requires to ace each level.
The final set of levels, titled Thousand Pound Butterfly is one of the best culminations of a platformers mechanics in the genre. Taking all of the movement abilities and lessons from the journey to that point. Flipping them on their head with the final card and movement mechanic led to the apex of its many levels.
Doom
2016
This is a solid single player shooter elevated to modern classic status by an all-time greatest-tier OST.
Outer Wilds
2019
I should love this game. I wanted to love this game. I tried to love this game. Even now I am disappointed—mostly in myself—that I did not.
I think it's a "me" problem, not a problem with the game itself. Most players don't seem to find Outer Wilds even half as frustrating as I did. I resorted to using a walkthrough pretty quickly, and even with the guide, I still almost gave up out of frustration. It's not just that the controls are tricky, but that the way to progress is often unclear, the puzzles are obscure, and the physics-based challenges are no cakewalk, either (%!$& that #$&!ing cyclone to the end of the universe and back). The moments of pleasure and discovery I had with the game, and there are plenty, were fighting a constant war with a horde of annoyances, and on many occasions the annoyances almost won.
The fact that they didn't is a testament to the game's many good qualities, which are real, so please believe all the other reviewers when they tell you about them. I just wish all the lovely parts didn't have to coexist with so much stuff that bugged the living hell out of me.
Oh, and while the game receives a lot of praise for its story, I found it...a bit less than revelatory? It suits the style of gameplay perfectly, but you more or less know the basic contours from the beginning, and there aren't many surprises along the way. I think part of the reason I didn't enjoy the game more is that I was playing mostly for the story and was impatient to learn more, which is the wrong way to go about it. Really Outer Wilds does not mix well with impatience of any kind. I think you are meant to explore haphazardly for the sheer fun of exploring, piecing things together little by little, in which case I can easily imagine this game lasting a good 30-40 hours or more. I don't think I personally would have had the endurance to play that way, but kudos to anyone who does have what it takes to get the most out of the experience.
I think it's a "me" problem, not a problem with the game itself. Most players don't seem to find Outer Wilds even half as frustrating as I did. I resorted to using a walkthrough pretty quickly, and even with the guide, I still almost gave up out of frustration. It's not just that the controls are tricky, but that the way to progress is often unclear, the puzzles are obscure, and the physics-based challenges are no cakewalk, either (%!$& that #$&!ing cyclone to the end of the universe and back). The moments of pleasure and discovery I had with the game, and there are plenty, were fighting a constant war with a horde of annoyances, and on many occasions the annoyances almost won.
The fact that they didn't is a testament to the game's many good qualities, which are real, so please believe all the other reviewers when they tell you about them. I just wish all the lovely parts didn't have to coexist with so much stuff that bugged the living hell out of me.
Oh, and while the game receives a lot of praise for its story, I found it...a bit less than revelatory? It suits the style of gameplay perfectly, but you more or less know the basic contours from the beginning, and there aren't many surprises along the way. I think part of the reason I didn't enjoy the game more is that I was playing mostly for the story and was impatient to learn more, which is the wrong way to go about it. Really Outer Wilds does not mix well with impatience of any kind. I think you are meant to explore haphazardly for the sheer fun of exploring, piecing things together little by little, in which case I can easily imagine this game lasting a good 30-40 hours or more. I don't think I personally would have had the endurance to play that way, but kudos to anyone who does have what it takes to get the most out of the experience.