afluffycloud
Pointless open world, maneuvering through it was painfully slow. Grinding repetitive missions just so you can play the main story missions was and still is a terrible system. Fights still look very good in motion.
2020
Painfully boring, the writing was super mediocre. Intro sequence jus isn't appealing at all. Lacks all the charm and sillyness of the Life is Strange games.
2021
Cool game, just not fmy cup of tea. Movement and aesthetic were great, weapons felt terrible to use. Really good soundtrack. Levels lacked visual cues, felt too confusing at times.
2011
Aside from the interesting premise there just wasn't much to it. Weapons felt terrible, level design wasn't interesting, and neither were the enemies. Saw no point in continuing.
+ Nemesis system is great in concept
+ Animations are smooth, from movement to combat, every action feels great to execute
+ Still a very good looking game on PC ten years later
- Game gets very repetitive after the first couple of hours, offers barely any challenge
- Nemesis system offers a lot of possible scenarios but none of them are particularly unique
- LotR lore and references don't really show up in meaningful ways throughout the game
Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor is a pretty fun game, but the novelty can wear off rather quickly depending on how much you enjoy the core gameplay loop. Nemesis system doesn't work anywhere near as well as it feels like it should, and the challenge offered really isn't particularly interesting once you are past a certain point of strength. The world looks great, and the interactions between orcs are rather fun to witness.
+ Animations are smooth, from movement to combat, every action feels great to execute
+ Still a very good looking game on PC ten years later
- Game gets very repetitive after the first couple of hours, offers barely any challenge
- Nemesis system offers a lot of possible scenarios but none of them are particularly unique
- LotR lore and references don't really show up in meaningful ways throughout the game
Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor is a pretty fun game, but the novelty can wear off rather quickly depending on how much you enjoy the core gameplay loop. Nemesis system doesn't work anywhere near as well as it feels like it should, and the challenge offered really isn't particularly interesting once you are past a certain point of strength. The world looks great, and the interactions between orcs are rather fun to witness.
+ Boss fights are all very good, a significant improvement over what was seen in Arkham Asylum
+ Side-quests related to specific villains were pretty interesting for the most part
+ Presentation remains very good, mods on PC are great
- Story was too ludicrous for my taste, required a lot of suspension of desbelief just to not be completely turned off by it
- "Open world" is completely pointless, traversing it isn't fun when all you want it to proceed to the next mission
- Catwoman's inclusion was just bizarre, served no real purpose in the overall experience
Arkham City is definitely a worse experience than Arkham Asylum in almost every aspect, save for its bosses which were all very fun. Not sure what they were going for with the inclusion of Catwoman as a playable character, nor do I think the "open world" was necessary in any way. This should definitely be a skip if you didn't like Asylum.
+ Side-quests related to specific villains were pretty interesting for the most part
+ Presentation remains very good, mods on PC are great
- Story was too ludicrous for my taste, required a lot of suspension of desbelief just to not be completely turned off by it
- "Open world" is completely pointless, traversing it isn't fun when all you want it to proceed to the next mission
- Catwoman's inclusion was just bizarre, served no real purpose in the overall experience
Arkham City is definitely a worse experience than Arkham Asylum in almost every aspect, save for its bosses which were all very fun. Not sure what they were going for with the inclusion of Catwoman as a playable character, nor do I think the "open world" was necessary in any way. This should definitely be a skip if you didn't like Asylum.
2017
+ Significant step up in presentation from Kiwami, visuals look much better on every single front
+ Combat is a lot tighter, physics are much better this time around, bosses are much better as well
+ Kiryu remains a supremely interesting character in spite of everyone's occasional nonsense
- Plot ends up feeling very silly due to how dumb some character motivations are
- Majima's campaign was way too short
- Man in Black enemy type feels completely out of place from the rest of the enemies in the game
Yakuza Kiwami 2 is definitely a better experience than its predecessor, especially when it comes to its actual gameplay and presentation, making it much closer to Zero in this regard. Narrative feels a bit weak as none of the main antagonists hold a candle to the characters in Kiwami. The more romantic portions of the story, albeit not many, also a bit feel out of place this time around.
+ Combat is a lot tighter, physics are much better this time around, bosses are much better as well
+ Kiryu remains a supremely interesting character in spite of everyone's occasional nonsense
- Plot ends up feeling very silly due to how dumb some character motivations are
- Majima's campaign was way too short
- Man in Black enemy type feels completely out of place from the rest of the enemies in the game
Yakuza Kiwami 2 is definitely a better experience than its predecessor, especially when it comes to its actual gameplay and presentation, making it much closer to Zero in this regard. Narrative feels a bit weak as none of the main antagonists hold a candle to the characters in Kiwami. The more romantic portions of the story, albeit not many, also a bit feel out of place this time around.
2021
+ Rhythm portions are generally pretty fantastic, nothing plays quite like it
+ Story is thematically interesting, presented in a unique way
+ Doesn't overstay its welcome, great price for what it is
- Visually inconsistent and confusing, a lot of locations are little more than blobs of black
- Characters could've used more work, a lot of them are excessively excentric just because
- Alternative endings are bizarre for the most part, they feel a bit too disjointed from the "main" point of the game
Everhood is an extremely interesting experience, one that offers a very unique take on what a rhythm game is supposed to be. Could've maybe used some variety, and the story, while appealing, feels a bit too pretentious at times. Ends up being more of a really good starting point rather than a fully fledged experience by itself. Depending on what the devs learned form this one, the sequel could end up being a very good game.
+ Story is thematically interesting, presented in a unique way
+ Doesn't overstay its welcome, great price for what it is
- Visually inconsistent and confusing, a lot of locations are little more than blobs of black
- Characters could've used more work, a lot of them are excessively excentric just because
- Alternative endings are bizarre for the most part, they feel a bit too disjointed from the "main" point of the game
Everhood is an extremely interesting experience, one that offers a very unique take on what a rhythm game is supposed to be. Could've maybe used some variety, and the story, while appealing, feels a bit too pretentious at times. Ends up being more of a really good starting point rather than a fully fledged experience by itself. Depending on what the devs learned form this one, the sequel could end up being a very good game.
+ Fighting mechanics are quite good, I appreciated the fact that is slower than your average fighting game
+ Looks great, some stages have very intricate designs
+ Big roster, DLC characters are pretty fun
- Story mode is boring and unambitious, worse than a lot of what was offered even in the PS2 era
- "Loot"/Grind mechanics are unbelievably pointless, have no place in a game like this
- Specific matchups feel extremely unbalanced, "stage attacks" are too easy to pull off for how good they are
Injustice 2: Legendary Edition offers a very solid fighting system and character roster, but stumbles in pretty much every other aspect. Story mode is very bare bones, even with its online focus when you take into account how rich the DC universe is. Inclusion of grind and loot mechanics was pointless, added nothing of substance to the game whatsoever.
+ Looks great, some stages have very intricate designs
+ Big roster, DLC characters are pretty fun
- Story mode is boring and unambitious, worse than a lot of what was offered even in the PS2 era
- "Loot"/Grind mechanics are unbelievably pointless, have no place in a game like this
- Specific matchups feel extremely unbalanced, "stage attacks" are too easy to pull off for how good they are
Injustice 2: Legendary Edition offers a very solid fighting system and character roster, but stumbles in pretty much every other aspect. Story mode is very bare bones, even with its online focus when you take into account how rich the DC universe is. Inclusion of grind and loot mechanics was pointless, added nothing of substance to the game whatsoever.
+ Potentially one of the best looking games ever made, the lighting specifically is unreal at times
+ Combat is really fun, great mix of action and turn-based mechanics, every character feels unique to play
+ The more emotional story sequences in the game are done beautifully, cutscenes aren really well directed
- Most sidequests are nothing more than void filler
- New story bits feel confusing at times, the final part of the game in particular is honestly just a bunch of nonsense
- The game forces you to slow down too often at times, be it by walking or by presenting an obstacle you have to cross very slowly because of undisclosed reasons
Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade is a really fun game, mostly due to how good it looks and feels to play. Story is a bit nonsensical at times, new aditions are a bit hit or miss. Really wish they would've cut some of the fat as the game would've been an impeccable 20h experience.
+ Combat is really fun, great mix of action and turn-based mechanics, every character feels unique to play
+ The more emotional story sequences in the game are done beautifully, cutscenes aren really well directed
- Most sidequests are nothing more than void filler
- New story bits feel confusing at times, the final part of the game in particular is honestly just a bunch of nonsense
- The game forces you to slow down too often at times, be it by walking or by presenting an obstacle you have to cross very slowly because of undisclosed reasons
Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade is a really fun game, mostly due to how good it looks and feels to play. Story is a bit nonsensical at times, new aditions are a bit hit or miss. Really wish they would've cut some of the fat as the game would've been an impeccable 20h experience.
+ Phenomenal atmosphere, architecture is almost Silent Hill-like in the best way possible
+ Fun exploration, Batman's gadgets are awesome to use, traversal feels really good
+ Really fun story, interactions between Batman and all the different villains are generally great
- Combat hasn't aged well at all, some animations are comically long seemingly no reason, the way everything flows is just awkward
- Horrendous boss battles, with most of them relying on a broken dodge mechanic
- A lot of unnecessary backtracking for everyone that doesn't care about collectibles
Batman Arkham Asylum is a fun game in spite of its broken combat, which genuinely never felt good to me at any point during the adventure. Seeing all the different villains from the Batman universe was great, and Arkham Asylum is a really fun place to explore. The game still looks fantastic fifteen years later as the art direction is phenomenal.
NOTE: If on PC, make sure to use the texture pack Asylum Reborn.
+ Fun exploration, Batman's gadgets are awesome to use, traversal feels really good
+ Really fun story, interactions between Batman and all the different villains are generally great
- Combat hasn't aged well at all, some animations are comically long seemingly no reason, the way everything flows is just awkward
- Horrendous boss battles, with most of them relying on a broken dodge mechanic
- A lot of unnecessary backtracking for everyone that doesn't care about collectibles
Batman Arkham Asylum is a fun game in spite of its broken combat, which genuinely never felt good to me at any point during the adventure. Seeing all the different villains from the Batman universe was great, and Arkham Asylum is a really fun place to explore. The game still looks fantastic fifteen years later as the art direction is phenomenal.
NOTE: If on PC, make sure to use the texture pack Asylum Reborn.
+ Fast paced gameplay, tagging enemies and eliminating them is very fun
+ Boss variety
+ Great visuals, conceptually super cool
- Final boss is insanely harder than anything else in the game game
- Level quality wildly varies
- True ending requirements are unnecessarily vague´
Azure Striker Gunvolt is a really fun time, and a pretty good introduction to the genre. It is very Mega Man-esque at times, but doesn't really mimic its overall level design quality. Story is simple but pretty interesting, albeit presented in a confusing manner. Spritework is fantastic.
+ Boss variety
+ Great visuals, conceptually super cool
- Final boss is insanely harder than anything else in the game game
- Level quality wildly varies
- True ending requirements are unnecessarily vague´
Azure Striker Gunvolt is a really fun time, and a pretty good introduction to the genre. It is very Mega Man-esque at times, but doesn't really mimic its overall level design quality. Story is simple but pretty interesting, albeit presented in a confusing manner. Spritework is fantastic.
+ Many viable ways to approach the game, from stealth to brute force
+ Flaws system is very interesting conceptually
+ Secondary characters are great, all with their own fun sidequests
- Lacks enemy variety
- Depending on how you play, the game poses no real challenge
- Perks are very dull, mostly composed of percentage increases and decreases to some ability
The Outer Worlds: Spacer's Choice Edition is a very fun game to play due to the many different ways you can approach it, being highly replayable in that regard. The lack of budget is very apparent, and you'll be fighting mostly the same kind of enemies over and over again.
Even if it sounds boring, I'd personally recommend a build based around stealth and dialogue options, as that felt like the build that produced the most interesting results gameplay wise throughout the story.
+ Flaws system is very interesting conceptually
+ Secondary characters are great, all with their own fun sidequests
- Lacks enemy variety
- Depending on how you play, the game poses no real challenge
- Perks are very dull, mostly composed of percentage increases and decreases to some ability
The Outer Worlds: Spacer's Choice Edition is a very fun game to play due to the many different ways you can approach it, being highly replayable in that regard. The lack of budget is very apparent, and you'll be fighting mostly the same kind of enemies over and over again.
Even if it sounds boring, I'd personally recommend a build based around stealth and dialogue options, as that felt like the build that produced the most interesting results gameplay wise throughout the story.
2016
+ The introduction is absolutely fantastic
+ Relationship between Kiryu and Nishiki is very interesting from the get-go
+ Ending sequence is quite entertaining
- The pacing is atrocious, the middle portion in particular is painful to play
- Bosses regenerate health in seemingly random fashion, makes some fights extremely long
- Presentation is very lacking, even for a remaster
Yakuza Kiwami is a huge step down from the heights that Zero achieves, from gameplay to pacing to plot complexity. Thankfully, Kiryu and Nishiki's chemistry is so good that their interactions are entertaining enough to offset some of the game's bigger problems.
+ Relationship between Kiryu and Nishiki is very interesting from the get-go
+ Ending sequence is quite entertaining
- The pacing is atrocious, the middle portion in particular is painful to play
- Bosses regenerate health in seemingly random fashion, makes some fights extremely long
- Presentation is very lacking, even for a remaster
Yakuza Kiwami is a huge step down from the heights that Zero achieves, from gameplay to pacing to plot complexity. Thankfully, Kiryu and Nishiki's chemistry is so good that their interactions are entertaining enough to offset some of the game's bigger problems.
+ Excellent gunplay and movement
+ Visually stellar, incredible lighting and really well animated
+ Level design is pretty varied between planets
- Story is lacklustre, Rivet is little more than a female clone of Ratchet
- Boss variety is lacking
- Exploration is very simple compared to past titles
Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart is an extremely fun game, and an easy recommendation for anyone that loves the refined gameplay and movement of the more recent titles in the series, as it is the best it has ever been. In this regard, it's an absolute blast to play.
The story is frankly weak (especially compared to something like A Crack in Time), and the dialogue is very cookie cutter, for lack of a better term. The exploration is a lot more linear this time around as well, so I would keep my expectations low if you're someone that preferred the exploration and platforming portion of the older titles, and not so much the action.
+ Visually stellar, incredible lighting and really well animated
+ Level design is pretty varied between planets
- Story is lacklustre, Rivet is little more than a female clone of Ratchet
- Boss variety is lacking
- Exploration is very simple compared to past titles
Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart is an extremely fun game, and an easy recommendation for anyone that loves the refined gameplay and movement of the more recent titles in the series, as it is the best it has ever been. In this regard, it's an absolute blast to play.
The story is frankly weak (especially compared to something like A Crack in Time), and the dialogue is very cookie cutter, for lack of a better term. The exploration is a lot more linear this time around as well, so I would keep my expectations low if you're someone that preferred the exploration and platforming portion of the older titles, and not so much the action.