amongussy
2023
I will not mention Age of Empires in this review.
I really, really wanted to like Pikmin 4.
But we don't always get what we want.
I was a big fan of the original pikmin on the wii, but the series hasn't really recaptured the early Pikmin magic since. Compared to other attempts to bring the PC-centric RTS genre to mass audiences such as Ensemble Studios' 'Halo Wars', Pikmin 4 leaves much to be desired. Whereas Halo Wars cut down on gameplay complexity for a rich, cinematic experience, Pikmin 4 drops gameplay complexity for... well... regrettably quite little. You can do everything in one playthrough without any real challenge. Unquestionably translating RTS to a non KBM layout is going to come with constraints, but Pikmin 4 is emblematic of a development cycle in which exclusively the wrong ones were chosen.
The dandori is not as satisfying but this hardly needs mentioning.
Despite the cave design mostly being a marked improvement over its oft-fumbling predecessor (leaning more towards the early Persona games), Pikmin 4 failed to deliver on the series's traditional show-but-don't-tell narrative approach. One welcome addition on the barebones narrative is the character creator. Pikmin previously has stood like a tremendous olimar-shaped gate; the character creator along with the silent protagonist is one of the few highlights and allows for additional immersion. I felt better represented by my custom character and this was a strong move forward for the series.
Mirroring gamefreak's pokemon, the wider berth of creatures has regrettably lessened the individual charm of each Pikmin. Overall the quality of the designs and aesthetic has been diluted, something which has notably been trending downwards since the seminal Pikmin 2. I couldn't help but wonder after writing this if the gamefreak comparison had more bite to it. Given the recent hyperbranding of Pikmin via merchandising and other pointless trinkets, one wonders if they have lost sight of the core elements that made the series great in favour of putting the brand first.
I can only hope I'm wrong.
I really, really wanted to like Pikmin 4.
But we don't always get what we want.
I was a big fan of the original pikmin on the wii, but the series hasn't really recaptured the early Pikmin magic since. Compared to other attempts to bring the PC-centric RTS genre to mass audiences such as Ensemble Studios' 'Halo Wars', Pikmin 4 leaves much to be desired. Whereas Halo Wars cut down on gameplay complexity for a rich, cinematic experience, Pikmin 4 drops gameplay complexity for... well... regrettably quite little. You can do everything in one playthrough without any real challenge. Unquestionably translating RTS to a non KBM layout is going to come with constraints, but Pikmin 4 is emblematic of a development cycle in which exclusively the wrong ones were chosen.
The dandori is not as satisfying but this hardly needs mentioning.
Despite the cave design mostly being a marked improvement over its oft-fumbling predecessor (leaning more towards the early Persona games), Pikmin 4 failed to deliver on the series's traditional show-but-don't-tell narrative approach. One welcome addition on the barebones narrative is the character creator. Pikmin previously has stood like a tremendous olimar-shaped gate; the character creator along with the silent protagonist is one of the few highlights and allows for additional immersion. I felt better represented by my custom character and this was a strong move forward for the series.
Mirroring gamefreak's pokemon, the wider berth of creatures has regrettably lessened the individual charm of each Pikmin. Overall the quality of the designs and aesthetic has been diluted, something which has notably been trending downwards since the seminal Pikmin 2. I couldn't help but wonder after writing this if the gamefreak comparison had more bite to it. Given the recent hyperbranding of Pikmin via merchandising and other pointless trinkets, one wonders if they have lost sight of the core elements that made the series great in favour of putting the brand first.
I can only hope I'm wrong.
2011
What if Half-Life 2 was good?
I will not mention Planescape: Torment in this post.
‘’What kind of cop are you?’’ Ask Disco Elysium’s advertising tagline.
It would not be possible to imagine a slogan more diametrically opposed to the fundamental nature of the game – a poor person simulator for middle class people who have never lived in Asia and think central planning is a viable market alternative in 2023. As the target audience for this game, I was naturally enthralled, and so, I bequester, why am I sitting here, now, with sword-trumping-pen in hand, writing this review on paper before I transcribe it to a less mindful medium, entirely unhappy with it?
To answer this question first we must examine what is the fundamental nature of a video game; something regrettably outside of the scope of this review. However it is important to note nevertheless that video ‘games’ cannot be placed outside of the dialectical tensions of the acting society they exist in. To this Disco Elysium The Game (Hereforth Disco) is no exception and before we undertake any kind of meaningful critical analysis we have to examine the discursive elements present in society. And unfortunately this analysis is not kind to Disco: it exists in a world where it is predated by newgrounds hentai.
This is to say that, at its core, Disco is a game about getting cucked in every meaningful sense of the word that somehow has no actual sex in it.
The absence of any cheek clapping hurts the game in a very real sense that it does not to Meet N’ Fuck Kingdom (Hereforth MnFK). MnFK is by far the better planescape-like and has, in spite of some minor limitations, a more honest picture of a world captured by the primal erotic psychosexual struggle.
I got in touch with ZA/UM about this inherent tension. However when asked about sex, they were unable to give a definition that was not an elaborately staged metaphor for the struggle against capital. This leads me to believe that nobody at ZA/UM has ever had sex, which is a fundamentally damning game design issue.
On the plus side though, we have a strong cadre of woman characters. Aside from Joyce Messier, Harry’s wife and the orange girl at the hotel (her name escapes me) both serve powerful, central roles in moving the story forward.
The randomization does a lot to encourage subsequent playthroughs of the game which is a decent upside. Maybe the sequel will expand on this. But for now I think I’m going to put this one in my backlog.
This review was written to School Road by RADWIMPS on the Your Name. ost. Feel free to listen and see if it puts you in the mood to write gaming critique!
‘’What kind of cop are you?’’ Ask Disco Elysium’s advertising tagline.
It would not be possible to imagine a slogan more diametrically opposed to the fundamental nature of the game – a poor person simulator for middle class people who have never lived in Asia and think central planning is a viable market alternative in 2023. As the target audience for this game, I was naturally enthralled, and so, I bequester, why am I sitting here, now, with sword-trumping-pen in hand, writing this review on paper before I transcribe it to a less mindful medium, entirely unhappy with it?
To answer this question first we must examine what is the fundamental nature of a video game; something regrettably outside of the scope of this review. However it is important to note nevertheless that video ‘games’ cannot be placed outside of the dialectical tensions of the acting society they exist in. To this Disco Elysium The Game (Hereforth Disco) is no exception and before we undertake any kind of meaningful critical analysis we have to examine the discursive elements present in society. And unfortunately this analysis is not kind to Disco: it exists in a world where it is predated by newgrounds hentai.
This is to say that, at its core, Disco is a game about getting cucked in every meaningful sense of the word that somehow has no actual sex in it.
The absence of any cheek clapping hurts the game in a very real sense that it does not to Meet N’ Fuck Kingdom (Hereforth MnFK). MnFK is by far the better planescape-like and has, in spite of some minor limitations, a more honest picture of a world captured by the primal erotic psychosexual struggle.
I got in touch with ZA/UM about this inherent tension. However when asked about sex, they were unable to give a definition that was not an elaborately staged metaphor for the struggle against capital. This leads me to believe that nobody at ZA/UM has ever had sex, which is a fundamentally damning game design issue.
On the plus side though, we have a strong cadre of woman characters. Aside from Joyce Messier, Harry’s wife and the orange girl at the hotel (her name escapes me) both serve powerful, central roles in moving the story forward.
The randomization does a lot to encourage subsequent playthroughs of the game which is a decent upside. Maybe the sequel will expand on this. But for now I think I’m going to put this one in my backlog.
This review was written to School Road by RADWIMPS on the Your Name. ost. Feel free to listen and see if it puts you in the mood to write gaming critique!