90 Reviews liked by Yahya
This review contains spoilers
Despite its infamous reputation on the internet, The Last of Us Part II is a game I knew I wanted to play ever since I beat the first game last year and having finally done so I have a lot to say about this game. To touch on its aforementioned rough reputation, you really have to talk about the plot and game direction, something that I thought was excellent. Personally, though I like everyone else liked Joel a lot in the first one, I respect the hell out of the developers for making the controversial decision to kill him as the catalyst for this game's story, what he did at the end of the first game, though very human and understandable, was completely villainous and he deserved to face more consequences than just a strained relationship with Ellie for it.
Another controversial aspect of the game is its main theme of revenge and how damaging it can be, and while some might call it preachy, I personally thought it was spot on. This theme is displayed perfectly throughout the game's pretty damn solid story. In the Ellie part you see how the lust for revenge changes an otherwise pretty pleasant person into an obsessive, brutal and angry person, and ultimately it shows how that lust for revenge makes her lose everything in the end. Perhaps the most controversial part of this game though is the Abby section where you the game makes you play as and tries to get you to empathize with Joel's killer from the beginning of the game, the same person you spent the whole first half of the game trying to kill. I found this half of the game to be far more interesting, whereas in the Ellie section you were on the quest for revenge, in this section you play as someone who's revenge is complete and who is now slowly but surely facing the consequences of it, it's interesting and compelling to see her grow as a character while still not being able to outrun the consequences that we know are coming because of what we the player did in the first half.
But while the game has a pretty great story, where it falls short of the first game's greatness is in its characters and all that plays out between them. Unlike the first game, the character writing in this game felt much worse and seemed to rely on fabricated melodrama between the characters like Dina revealing that she's pregnant and came along anyways makes an otherwise fine character just annoying to have around, Mel and Abby being at each other's throats simply for existing is really petty and annoying, Ellie being mad at Dina for just wanting to catch up with and help Jesse recover after a long day just because it meant that she wasn't going to sleep with her that night was just overwhelmingly cringe. All these little hiccups affect how you see the characters and just feels inconsistent with how well the first game wrote characters, it makes the game seem a lot more like a teenager Netflix drama than a Naughty Dog game and it's easily my biggest problem with the game.
That being said though I haven't yet talked about the best part of the game being the gameplay. Where the first game had decent gameplay that was made to supplement the absolutely incredible story, this game feels almost the opposite. The constant tedious action of moving dumpsters or planks is gone and is replaced with tense stealth sections and heavy handed but satisfying combat. And as this is a Naughty Dog game the set pieces are through the roof with spectacle like the encounter with the big meatball looking infected or the ride through a burning warzone of a village, the game does not skimp on good action, and it made it more fun and less tedious to keep playing.
While I don't think the Last of Us Part 2 is a downright awful game like most would have you believe I can't say it's an over hated masterpiece either. My verdict is that it's a pretty good game and one that I could analyze for so long, but one with several glaring flaws that hold it back from being anywhere near as good as it's predecessor.
Another controversial aspect of the game is its main theme of revenge and how damaging it can be, and while some might call it preachy, I personally thought it was spot on. This theme is displayed perfectly throughout the game's pretty damn solid story. In the Ellie part you see how the lust for revenge changes an otherwise pretty pleasant person into an obsessive, brutal and angry person, and ultimately it shows how that lust for revenge makes her lose everything in the end. Perhaps the most controversial part of this game though is the Abby section where you the game makes you play as and tries to get you to empathize with Joel's killer from the beginning of the game, the same person you spent the whole first half of the game trying to kill. I found this half of the game to be far more interesting, whereas in the Ellie section you were on the quest for revenge, in this section you play as someone who's revenge is complete and who is now slowly but surely facing the consequences of it, it's interesting and compelling to see her grow as a character while still not being able to outrun the consequences that we know are coming because of what we the player did in the first half.
But while the game has a pretty great story, where it falls short of the first game's greatness is in its characters and all that plays out between them. Unlike the first game, the character writing in this game felt much worse and seemed to rely on fabricated melodrama between the characters like Dina revealing that she's pregnant and came along anyways makes an otherwise fine character just annoying to have around, Mel and Abby being at each other's throats simply for existing is really petty and annoying, Ellie being mad at Dina for just wanting to catch up with and help Jesse recover after a long day just because it meant that she wasn't going to sleep with her that night was just overwhelmingly cringe. All these little hiccups affect how you see the characters and just feels inconsistent with how well the first game wrote characters, it makes the game seem a lot more like a teenager Netflix drama than a Naughty Dog game and it's easily my biggest problem with the game.
That being said though I haven't yet talked about the best part of the game being the gameplay. Where the first game had decent gameplay that was made to supplement the absolutely incredible story, this game feels almost the opposite. The constant tedious action of moving dumpsters or planks is gone and is replaced with tense stealth sections and heavy handed but satisfying combat. And as this is a Naughty Dog game the set pieces are through the roof with spectacle like the encounter with the big meatball looking infected or the ride through a burning warzone of a village, the game does not skimp on good action, and it made it more fun and less tedious to keep playing.
While I don't think the Last of Us Part 2 is a downright awful game like most would have you believe I can't say it's an over hated masterpiece either. My verdict is that it's a pretty good game and one that I could analyze for so long, but one with several glaring flaws that hold it back from being anywhere near as good as it's predecessor.
Perfect DLC for a perfect game, what else is there to say.
This is easily one of the best games of 2023, one of the best superhero games ever made and probably the best game Insomniac has made thus far. Each Spider-Man title from them I've found to be better than the last, as they continue to iron out their formula and improve on any problems I've had with previous installments. That's not to say that the game isn't without its flaws. I think the story doesn't really pick up for a little while. I think the game starts out incredibly strong, dips a bit and then really ramps up in the second half. I'm glad that all the science puzzles are skippable again because they're still not interesting. Playing as Peter or as Miles, walking around or riding a bike is not fun. I get needing to spend time with these characters outside of their costumes is necessary for the story, but I'm not convinced all that just couldn't have been cutscenes.
All that being said, web swinging has never felt better. It's so good that I didn't even use the amazing fast-travel until late in the game. Combat is tons of fun. The boss fights are better. I found the second half of the narrative incredibly strong and I love what Insomniac did with some of these characters. Shoutout to Yuri Lowenthal for an amazing performance.
Platinum Trophy #137
Platinum #13 of 2023
All that being said, web swinging has never felt better. It's so good that I didn't even use the amazing fast-travel until late in the game. Combat is tons of fun. The boss fights are better. I found the second half of the narrative incredibly strong and I love what Insomniac did with some of these characters. Shoutout to Yuri Lowenthal for an amazing performance.
Platinum Trophy #137
Platinum #13 of 2023
Resident Evil 4
2023
So how do you remake one of the greatest and most iconic games of all time? Well, I’d say you should double down on the things that made it what it was while trying to improve on the elements that have either become dull with age or simply weren’t necessary in the first place. As it happens, Capcom did basically precisely that with Resident Evil 4 Remake.
Gameplay-wise, I was a little worried playing the Chainsaw Demo, as the combat felt a little off, just slightly too much wobble on Leon’s gun, a little too much reaction from enemies, that sort of thing. I did give the demo more than a few runs and this wore off pretty quickly, and definitely did not persist into the full game. Part of it is most likely that the Silver Ghost (now without laser sight at the beginning) just sorta sucks. Everything else is near full upgrade in my mind. The parry adds so much to the gameplay loop and the creative ways in which you can engage a group of enemies, adding another option to Leon’s veritable toolbox of mechanics. The melee attacks all come together even more smoothly than the original, lending a lot of feeling of flow to fights. The guns feel great, the new additions are fun, there’s a ton of variety in how you approach your loadout, all still done through the fantastic attache case.
Graphically they did an incredible job upgrading the visuals, this is a pretty damn next-gen looking game, and the work they put into adding detail to the various important parts of the map is really fantastic. The iconic village looks even more real and lived in than it used to, the castle is huge and imposing, and the island and its labs are a great mix of mechanical and sedimentary. Almost every character looks improved overall.
But all that said, this is not a perfect game. The central change from the original game is obviously Leon’s moving aim system, adapting a variation of RE2’s gun combat from the stand-your-ground system. I don’t actually see this as an out and out negative - RE4R and RE4 are different games, and both will give different experiences, which is a good thing. RE4’s gunplay is a unique, puzzle-like system that gives it a very singular identity. RE4R is going for a more modern action-oriented style, which works to its strengths. I lead with this in the negatives section as I think it’s one thing people will / have focused on in criticism of this remake and I don’t personally agree - both games have their place. For the most part, the things I don’t like are, like the original game, certain setpieces or pacing options. But it’s a give and take! In the original, I hated the hive, the truck section, Mike’s gunship section on the island, a few rooms in the castle, and the entire filler section in the underground on the island. Save for Mike, these have been taken out or vastly altered, which is great. On the other hand, I really dislike the new minecart section, which is pretty dull overall and feels wasted. The double gigante fight with Luis is also pretty mediocre, which results in a perceived dip in quality in Chapter 11 for me. The bosses basically stay a weak point of the game, with the exception of Krauser and Salazar, who were vastly improved. Big Cheese is still pretty lame. If you check my original review, I noted that I felt Saddler should have a second phase in his fight - it seems Capcom agreed! It’s not really a gameplay segment but I was glad to see a big goopy tentacle guy to kill. In terms of tertiary content, I was undecided on whether or not the addition of crafting materials was good or not - giving the player the option to choose what ammo they need in addition to what they’re already picking up is good, but it adds a layer of unnecessary micromanagement that the original seemed to make an effort to avoid. The new shooting range is utterly fantastic fun and a wonderful addition to the Merchant’s character but I hated the randomized charms as rewards. It’s a dull grind and I think they would’ve been better used as rewards for the sidequests.
What Capcom really went above and beyond in this Remake is adding things where they were needed - the village is now a large, fully explorable map. The boat is now controlled and opens an entirely new area. They’ve added a chase sequence in the gorge before the Big Cheese fight, which I thought was excellent. Overall, there’s a lot of very smart reordering of rooms / areas just to make the pacing and flow make more sense. The castle is now more of an actual place and less of a haunted house with bizarro disconnected rooms. That ridiculous aforementioned underground section has been removed entirely, and the minecart appears in a more logical place. There’s a lot of this sort of thing, which is very very smart. Again, there are missing or changed rooms here or there that I was sad to see gone - the shaman who runs around the square room, for example - but it’s not really worth being disappointed by these things.
As the credits rolled and I reflected on my 20-ish hour playthrough, I was shocked to be hit by a full on vocal credits theme - Craig McConnell and Sam Drysdale’s “The Bullet or the Blade.” It’s a pretty good song in general but, more importantly, its placement is immaculate, urging the player to think deeply about the game. But not just the game, but actually the story. The original Resident Evil 4 is a fantastic game, as I’ve noted above and in my original 5 star review, but it lacks something in terms of characterization for Ashley, Luis, background on the village, stuff like that. It gained some of its cult fame from being arcadey, begging for multiple playthroughs and highscore hunting, as it were. This game is no different in that regard, but Capcom have managed to add in enough detail and emotional weight to the characters and story that it now truly works as a cinematic story, and not just a fun action game with sorta relevant background. Ashley’s growth throughout the story, Leon’s struggle with his past, Luis’ redemption, even Krauser’s obsession - they all carry a lot more weight than they ever did in the original, and IMO it lands. Resident Evil 4’s layout was always something magical - the player goes through a triptych of unique, separate locations with a bevy of memorable fights and rooms. The actual structure is sort of comparable to Dante’s Inferno, the player descends (or ascends) through varying levels of hell as Leon learns of the depths to which this Spanish community has been corrupted and bastardized by a cult seeking their own twisted goal. The village will always be the thing this game is known for, and Capcom went the extra mile to add a whole lot more reasons to care about how it came to be what it is.
I went back and forth a little bit on what to score this, but I gave the original game a 5 despite the issues I had with it as its overall identity and fun factor reach far above those negatives. I feel pretty much exactly the same about Remake, despite the issues themselves being different. The iconically good core gameplay was treated with the utmost respect, and the additions and changes are overwhelmingly good, with the strength of the story finally coming to light, giving Ashley, Luis, and even Leon all more to do. The wisecracking comments and silly pirate merchant are all still here, perhaps even enhanced by a more seriously considered storyline. As far as I’m concerned, every remake should strive to be this good.
Gameplay-wise, I was a little worried playing the Chainsaw Demo, as the combat felt a little off, just slightly too much wobble on Leon’s gun, a little too much reaction from enemies, that sort of thing. I did give the demo more than a few runs and this wore off pretty quickly, and definitely did not persist into the full game. Part of it is most likely that the Silver Ghost (now without laser sight at the beginning) just sorta sucks. Everything else is near full upgrade in my mind. The parry adds so much to the gameplay loop and the creative ways in which you can engage a group of enemies, adding another option to Leon’s veritable toolbox of mechanics. The melee attacks all come together even more smoothly than the original, lending a lot of feeling of flow to fights. The guns feel great, the new additions are fun, there’s a ton of variety in how you approach your loadout, all still done through the fantastic attache case.
Graphically they did an incredible job upgrading the visuals, this is a pretty damn next-gen looking game, and the work they put into adding detail to the various important parts of the map is really fantastic. The iconic village looks even more real and lived in than it used to, the castle is huge and imposing, and the island and its labs are a great mix of mechanical and sedimentary. Almost every character looks improved overall.
But all that said, this is not a perfect game. The central change from the original game is obviously Leon’s moving aim system, adapting a variation of RE2’s gun combat from the stand-your-ground system. I don’t actually see this as an out and out negative - RE4R and RE4 are different games, and both will give different experiences, which is a good thing. RE4’s gunplay is a unique, puzzle-like system that gives it a very singular identity. RE4R is going for a more modern action-oriented style, which works to its strengths. I lead with this in the negatives section as I think it’s one thing people will / have focused on in criticism of this remake and I don’t personally agree - both games have their place. For the most part, the things I don’t like are, like the original game, certain setpieces or pacing options. But it’s a give and take! In the original, I hated the hive, the truck section, Mike’s gunship section on the island, a few rooms in the castle, and the entire filler section in the underground on the island. Save for Mike, these have been taken out or vastly altered, which is great. On the other hand, I really dislike the new minecart section, which is pretty dull overall and feels wasted. The double gigante fight with Luis is also pretty mediocre, which results in a perceived dip in quality in Chapter 11 for me. The bosses basically stay a weak point of the game, with the exception of Krauser and Salazar, who were vastly improved. Big Cheese is still pretty lame. If you check my original review, I noted that I felt Saddler should have a second phase in his fight - it seems Capcom agreed! It’s not really a gameplay segment but I was glad to see a big goopy tentacle guy to kill. In terms of tertiary content, I was undecided on whether or not the addition of crafting materials was good or not - giving the player the option to choose what ammo they need in addition to what they’re already picking up is good, but it adds a layer of unnecessary micromanagement that the original seemed to make an effort to avoid. The new shooting range is utterly fantastic fun and a wonderful addition to the Merchant’s character but I hated the randomized charms as rewards. It’s a dull grind and I think they would’ve been better used as rewards for the sidequests.
What Capcom really went above and beyond in this Remake is adding things where they were needed - the village is now a large, fully explorable map. The boat is now controlled and opens an entirely new area. They’ve added a chase sequence in the gorge before the Big Cheese fight, which I thought was excellent. Overall, there’s a lot of very smart reordering of rooms / areas just to make the pacing and flow make more sense. The castle is now more of an actual place and less of a haunted house with bizarro disconnected rooms. That ridiculous aforementioned underground section has been removed entirely, and the minecart appears in a more logical place. There’s a lot of this sort of thing, which is very very smart. Again, there are missing or changed rooms here or there that I was sad to see gone - the shaman who runs around the square room, for example - but it’s not really worth being disappointed by these things.
As the credits rolled and I reflected on my 20-ish hour playthrough, I was shocked to be hit by a full on vocal credits theme - Craig McConnell and Sam Drysdale’s “The Bullet or the Blade.” It’s a pretty good song in general but, more importantly, its placement is immaculate, urging the player to think deeply about the game. But not just the game, but actually the story. The original Resident Evil 4 is a fantastic game, as I’ve noted above and in my original 5 star review, but it lacks something in terms of characterization for Ashley, Luis, background on the village, stuff like that. It gained some of its cult fame from being arcadey, begging for multiple playthroughs and highscore hunting, as it were. This game is no different in that regard, but Capcom have managed to add in enough detail and emotional weight to the characters and story that it now truly works as a cinematic story, and not just a fun action game with sorta relevant background. Ashley’s growth throughout the story, Leon’s struggle with his past, Luis’ redemption, even Krauser’s obsession - they all carry a lot more weight than they ever did in the original, and IMO it lands. Resident Evil 4’s layout was always something magical - the player goes through a triptych of unique, separate locations with a bevy of memorable fights and rooms. The actual structure is sort of comparable to Dante’s Inferno, the player descends (or ascends) through varying levels of hell as Leon learns of the depths to which this Spanish community has been corrupted and bastardized by a cult seeking their own twisted goal. The village will always be the thing this game is known for, and Capcom went the extra mile to add a whole lot more reasons to care about how it came to be what it is.
I went back and forth a little bit on what to score this, but I gave the original game a 5 despite the issues I had with it as its overall identity and fun factor reach far above those negatives. I feel pretty much exactly the same about Remake, despite the issues themselves being different. The iconically good core gameplay was treated with the utmost respect, and the additions and changes are overwhelmingly good, with the strength of the story finally coming to light, giving Ashley, Luis, and even Leon all more to do. The wisecracking comments and silly pirate merchant are all still here, perhaps even enhanced by a more seriously considered storyline. As far as I’m concerned, every remake should strive to be this good.
Now that this DLC has finally been released I can admit that I never played the original DLC. Don't ask me why, maybe because I'm not the biggest fan of the original game due to the increase in action and the lack of horror.
After thoroughly enjoying the Resident 4 Remake, I was excited to finally play Separate Ways. One of the biggest reason was Ada Wong. Because I always found her very interesting but never really knew what kind of character she is.
To cut it short, yes I really enjoyed this DLC but let's go into detail.
I already liked Luis a lot in the main game and his relationship with Ada in the DLC is great. His dance at the beginning is alone worth the 9,99€.
It was also interesting to see that Ada has a robot eye with which she can track footsteps and other stuff. I liked this gameplay mechanic even if it wasn't too extensive.
One of the reasons why the remake is one of the strongest Goty contenders of this years is how extremely detailed the game is and this DLC is no exception. For example you can see the tracking transmitter on the back from Luis. Another example is that you can hear Ashley cry while you are outside on the roof of the church.
It was interesting how they implemented Ada's infection and in one scene she says that "the Raccon City night has changed her". Many games just throw stuff like that into your face but now really show it. But you can see the consequences and how she has changed in her actions, the dialogue and in her facial expressions. Besides that Ada is freaking badass, I enjoyed the gameplay with her grapple-hook and her acrobatic abilities. Sadly the DLC was a little but too dark especially in the lab in chapter 6 and 7. I turned the brightness all the way up and sometimes I still couldn't see anything. But maybe the daylight from my window was the problem.
One of the boss enemies called "Pesanta" was a pain in the ass and I think I bought the rocket launcher after dying a few times. Wesker is also back and it was cool to see in 4k with good facial expressions. They also included content that they cut from the main game in this DLC like for example the Skilift. Saddler on the other hand was kinda underwelming but maybe that was because I fully upgraded the Crossbow all the way to max. Which is awesome btw. it was my favorite weapon alongside the Red 9. Or maybe he was so underwelming because Ada is just a side character, just like myself in real life.
Overall is Separate Ways really incredible, it's the best DLC from this year for one of, if not the best game this year. Huge recommendation and it's worth every penny.
After thoroughly enjoying the Resident 4 Remake, I was excited to finally play Separate Ways. One of the biggest reason was Ada Wong. Because I always found her very interesting but never really knew what kind of character she is.
To cut it short, yes I really enjoyed this DLC but let's go into detail.
I already liked Luis a lot in the main game and his relationship with Ada in the DLC is great. His dance at the beginning is alone worth the 9,99€.
It was also interesting to see that Ada has a robot eye with which she can track footsteps and other stuff. I liked this gameplay mechanic even if it wasn't too extensive.
One of the reasons why the remake is one of the strongest Goty contenders of this years is how extremely detailed the game is and this DLC is no exception. For example you can see the tracking transmitter on the back from Luis. Another example is that you can hear Ashley cry while you are outside on the roof of the church.
It was interesting how they implemented Ada's infection and in one scene she says that "the Raccon City night has changed her". Many games just throw stuff like that into your face but now really show it. But you can see the consequences and how she has changed in her actions, the dialogue and in her facial expressions. Besides that Ada is freaking badass, I enjoyed the gameplay with her grapple-hook and her acrobatic abilities. Sadly the DLC was a little but too dark especially in the lab in chapter 6 and 7. I turned the brightness all the way up and sometimes I still couldn't see anything. But maybe the daylight from my window was the problem.
One of the boss enemies called "Pesanta" was a pain in the ass and I think I bought the rocket launcher after dying a few times. Wesker is also back and it was cool to see in 4k with good facial expressions. They also included content that they cut from the main game in this DLC like for example the Skilift. Saddler on the other hand was kinda underwelming but maybe that was because I fully upgraded the Crossbow all the way to max. Which is awesome btw. it was my favorite weapon alongside the Red 9. Or maybe he was so underwelming because Ada is just a side character, just like myself in real life.
Overall is Separate Ways really incredible, it's the best DLC from this year for one of, if not the best game this year. Huge recommendation and it's worth every penny.
Angry Birds Epic
2014
i used to love this game so much that when i was a kid my dad tried to take the tablet back but i wanted to keep playing so i karate kicked it out of his hands and broke it
this game holds what may be the funniest scene in Nintendo history. Mario and Luigi save peach, peach then proceeds to give a kiss only to Luigi, Mario stares in silence for 3 seconds, then just starts hopping and goes “yay!!!!”
Spider-Man Unlimited
2014
It's just another shitty endless runner for phones but based on the Spiderverse comics.
Still...This has to be one of the better examples of an endless runner done right. It had plenty of content, character skins, events, different level themes and bosses, music and voice acting....It certainly kept me more enganged than Subway Surfers or Sonic Dash ever did.
Biggest downside of this one were the heavy microtransactions. This game pretty much always wanted you to spend money...But then again, that's not exactly news when it comes to mobile games.
Overall it was pretty good for what it was. I am aware there is a fan project that brought this one back from the dead but eh...I have better things to play.
Still...This has to be one of the better examples of an endless runner done right. It had plenty of content, character skins, events, different level themes and bosses, music and voice acting....It certainly kept me more enganged than Subway Surfers or Sonic Dash ever did.
Biggest downside of this one were the heavy microtransactions. This game pretty much always wanted you to spend money...But then again, that's not exactly news when it comes to mobile games.
Overall it was pretty good for what it was. I am aware there is a fan project that brought this one back from the dead but eh...I have better things to play.
I fucking love this game so much. It's the game that saved resident evil and each time I replay it I just appreciate that even more. Re7 is an absolutely perfect game.
For a start the music is phenomenal, it does an amazing job at getting a response from the player whether that's Fear, sadness, or curiosity. Also the gameplay in biohazard is top notch, it is fun throughout. This is largely due to its fun and innovative puzzles, great gunplay, and horror elements.
For me at least the worst part about re7 is the Mia portion on the ship. Now this is by no means a bad portion it's just slightly tedious at times with you having to go up and down all the time. Another fantastic portion of this game is the story, in my opinion it is one of the best in the series, while it loses me a bit at the end due to its more actiony supernatural elements it still makes for a fun time.
I think one of the main reasons for this is the games antagonists for a good chunk of the runtime, the Baker family. They get introduced first at the dinner table scene, showing their dynamics with one another and being a family were the player can already tell something is wrong with them. It's by the end of the game that you realise that the bakers were kind people until they were infected by eveline. Which makes them much more compelling 'villians' then Mr X or Nemisis because they aren't evil tyrants created in some lab, they are just a normal family who's minds have been corrupted inadvertently by their kindness.
I could ramble on for ages about this game but in short, it's a terrific game that is a good entry point for new fans whilst reviving the series for the old fans. I can not recommend this game enough, if you haven't played it already what the hell have you been doing for the past 7 years! (Side note: how the hell was 2017 seven years ago)
For a start the music is phenomenal, it does an amazing job at getting a response from the player whether that's Fear, sadness, or curiosity. Also the gameplay in biohazard is top notch, it is fun throughout. This is largely due to its fun and innovative puzzles, great gunplay, and horror elements.
For me at least the worst part about re7 is the Mia portion on the ship. Now this is by no means a bad portion it's just slightly tedious at times with you having to go up and down all the time. Another fantastic portion of this game is the story, in my opinion it is one of the best in the series, while it loses me a bit at the end due to its more actiony supernatural elements it still makes for a fun time.
I think one of the main reasons for this is the games antagonists for a good chunk of the runtime, the Baker family. They get introduced first at the dinner table scene, showing their dynamics with one another and being a family were the player can already tell something is wrong with them. It's by the end of the game that you realise that the bakers were kind people until they were infected by eveline. Which makes them much more compelling 'villians' then Mr X or Nemisis because they aren't evil tyrants created in some lab, they are just a normal family who's minds have been corrupted inadvertently by their kindness.
I could ramble on for ages about this game but in short, it's a terrific game that is a good entry point for new fans whilst reviving the series for the old fans. I can not recommend this game enough, if you haven't played it already what the hell have you been doing for the past 7 years! (Side note: how the hell was 2017 seven years ago)
Silent Hill 3
2003
This review contains spoilers
What a fantastic way to end the trilogy! unlike Silent Hill 1, which is mysterious, and Silent Hill 2, which is sad, this game is furious. Silent Hill at it's angriest, most brutal and relentless. Also reflected in the game's difficulty.
There's a lot that can be said about this game that has been endlessly repeated (like how Heather is a great protagonist, this is a perfect sequel, the graphics are wonderful, the scary factor is insane, the OST and soundscape are NUTS, etc.), so instead of parroting known opinions I'll add something that I particularly haven't heard before and that really impacted my experience positively: I absolutely love the interactions with other characters, specially in the first half of the game and in Brookhaven Hospital.
I have never seen that done before, but most times you meet an NPC, you don't get to see him on camera for a long time. You just hear them talking from behind your view for uncomfortably long periods of time.
My most favorite examples of this are in the hospital, where you start reading journal entries directed to you, hinting at a future rendez-vous with a certain character, and then you get a phone call by another character who also wants to meet you. Later, you proceed to talk with yet another character through the phone who makes it very clear that he is neither one of the people who approached you previously. As it turns out, the guy that was leaving journal entries was dead and you never get to see his face, the first phone guy is the protagonist of a long cutscene where he only shows up at the very end as a demented monster, and the third guy may not even be a real person.
This keeps happening all the way through the game, even when you're not in the scene. As an example, there is an entire cutscene of Vincent talking to Claudia and he's the only one who shows up onscreen until the very final seconds.
This is such a strange, uncanny touch that I adore. Wish more games did this.
The game also has really great and creepy non-sequiturs, like the brilliant haunted house and the Sewer Fairy.
My only complaint is that they upped the ante so far high that sometimes it works in it's detriment. The scariest places for me were not the ones in the Otherworld, because the Otherworld just felt like way too much. It felt like I was playing Doom rather than Silent Hill, so intense that it was, so all the creepiness went out the window. For example, the ambiance in the subway station, the derelict office building or the sewers was way stronger and creepier than the hellfest that the Otherworld locations are. Also the game feels a lot shorter than the past 2 titles, and spend like 10 minutes at most in the proper streets of Silent Hill.
All in all, this might not be quite as strong as the first two iterations of the franchise, but it's a great finale to what may probably be the most rock-solid trilogy I've played in gaming.
There's a lot that can be said about this game that has been endlessly repeated (like how Heather is a great protagonist, this is a perfect sequel, the graphics are wonderful, the scary factor is insane, the OST and soundscape are NUTS, etc.), so instead of parroting known opinions I'll add something that I particularly haven't heard before and that really impacted my experience positively: I absolutely love the interactions with other characters, specially in the first half of the game and in Brookhaven Hospital.
I have never seen that done before, but most times you meet an NPC, you don't get to see him on camera for a long time. You just hear them talking from behind your view for uncomfortably long periods of time.
My most favorite examples of this are in the hospital, where you start reading journal entries directed to you, hinting at a future rendez-vous with a certain character, and then you get a phone call by another character who also wants to meet you. Later, you proceed to talk with yet another character through the phone who makes it very clear that he is neither one of the people who approached you previously. As it turns out, the guy that was leaving journal entries was dead and you never get to see his face, the first phone guy is the protagonist of a long cutscene where he only shows up at the very end as a demented monster, and the third guy may not even be a real person.
This keeps happening all the way through the game, even when you're not in the scene. As an example, there is an entire cutscene of Vincent talking to Claudia and he's the only one who shows up onscreen until the very final seconds.
This is such a strange, uncanny touch that I adore. Wish more games did this.
The game also has really great and creepy non-sequiturs, like the brilliant haunted house and the Sewer Fairy.
My only complaint is that they upped the ante so far high that sometimes it works in it's detriment. The scariest places for me were not the ones in the Otherworld, because the Otherworld just felt like way too much. It felt like I was playing Doom rather than Silent Hill, so intense that it was, so all the creepiness went out the window. For example, the ambiance in the subway station, the derelict office building or the sewers was way stronger and creepier than the hellfest that the Otherworld locations are. Also the game feels a lot shorter than the past 2 titles, and spend like 10 minutes at most in the proper streets of Silent Hill.
All in all, this might not be quite as strong as the first two iterations of the franchise, but it's a great finale to what may probably be the most rock-solid trilogy I've played in gaming.
My wife saw me playing the demo, and said that she'd love to play it. The next day, I picked up a copy on the way home from work and gave it to her as a gift. Within half an hour she handed me the controller and said it was too scary. Naturally, I had to play it through. It's brilliant, but truly terrifying at times.
Final Fantasy VII
1997
I'll never forget the time when I was playing this at the same time one of my best friends was. I remember running to school, excited to talk to him about what I'd seen in the game over the weekend. This was, and still is, my favourite video game. I'm currently playing Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade again, and it's taking me back to so many special memories of that time. The music, in particular.
This is such a great game, even today.
This is such a great game, even today.
Hollow Knight
2017
This review contains spoilers
I’ve never got metroidvanias. I tried to play super Metroid but just couldn’t seem to get into it, so going into hollow knight I didn’t have high hopes that I would enjoy it and for the first 5 hours I didn’t massively. Not to say the game was bad, but it just didn’t interest me, that was until I made it to the city of tears…that was when the game clicked for me and I couldn’t seem to stop playing it, I got really invested into the game when I hit the city and I really wanted to keep going and fighting my way through boss after boss.
I love this game. If you’re like me and aren’t into metroidvanias I would give hollow knight a look as if you begin to play it quite a bit you will get hooked and really start to enjoy it.
Great story, interesting lore, neat characters, and gameplay was solid.
I love this game. If you’re like me and aren’t into metroidvanias I would give hollow knight a look as if you begin to play it quite a bit you will get hooked and really start to enjoy it.
Great story, interesting lore, neat characters, and gameplay was solid.
I originally bought this game on sale back in 2019, just for Red Dead Online since I used to only really play multiplayer games at the time. I tried it out for like only 2 hours and hadn't touched it at all up until late 2023, when I decided to play the singleplayer since I was stuck at home and off of work from a major jaw surgery, so I had nothing better to do. I still cannot believe I had missed out on Red Dead Redemption 2 for all these years... The heart-wrenching story, the masterfully crafted world, some of the best and most compelling characters I have ever known in any media... The scene between Arthur and Sister Calderon about, "taking a gamble that love exists, and do a loving act." Arthur sorrowfully telling Rain Falls, "You don't get to live a bad life, and expect good things to happen to you." The conversation between Charles and Arthur about having the time to make amends while you've still got the chance. These interactions changed my life for the better. It made me get off my lazy fatass and start being more productive by finally going to college, quit my dead-end job and find a fulfilling one instead, and start hitting the gym. I'm honestly not sure if any other game I've played, or am going to play, will match up to this absolute, marvelous masterpiece.
Postal 2
2003
Inappropriate and violent, just a disgusting game made by disgusting people.