bamdumtss
1999
I love this game so much. I think the best way I can summarize my feelings about this game is to describe how magical it feels when I'm doing the most mundane things. Zooming in a random cupboard, seeing Ryo's early 3D robot-hands entering the view and awkwardly open it, and seeing whatever is in store inside; it feels me with child-like wonder, like seeing somebody pull off a successful magic trick for the first time. It's an absolute joy to simply exist in the game's world, and the game excels at making it so easy to immerse yourself in it. No other game feels quite like this. Not even Shenmue II, which has an entirely different kind of magic, at least to me. But we'll get to that game some other time.
Anyways, my only gripe from before is the controls. I didn't quite feel in tune with Ryo as a character in that sense. But replaying this now for the platinum trophy, I don't feel that way anymore. Maybe it's because I'm not playing it under duress of completing it ASAP, but all his moves and mannerisms just clicks to me. I knew exactly when he can move freely, and when he would need a bit more patience and deliberate inputs. It's great. I'm having the time of my life, being completely connected with this game I adore. I didn't feel comfortable giving this game a 10/10 before, but now it's the easiest thing in the world.
Also, I took some street photography style in-game screenshots. I don't normally plug my virtual photography stuff here but I think it would help to visualize how I personally see the world of Shenmue. A view with my rose-tinted lenses, if you will. You can check them out here.
Anyways, my only gripe from before is the controls. I didn't quite feel in tune with Ryo as a character in that sense. But replaying this now for the platinum trophy, I don't feel that way anymore. Maybe it's because I'm not playing it under duress of completing it ASAP, but all his moves and mannerisms just clicks to me. I knew exactly when he can move freely, and when he would need a bit more patience and deliberate inputs. It's great. I'm having the time of my life, being completely connected with this game I adore. I didn't feel comfortable giving this game a 10/10 before, but now it's the easiest thing in the world.
Also, I took some street photography style in-game screenshots. I don't normally plug my virtual photography stuff here but I think it would help to visualize how I personally see the world of Shenmue. A view with my rose-tinted lenses, if you will. You can check them out here.
2015
Ah, The Order 1886. I finished this once a while ago, but I came back to get the platinum trophy. I've pretty much enjoyed and loved 90% of Sony's first party output in the last 10 years, and of the other 10%, this game is perhaps the one I wanted to like the most. The setting and world of The Order is right up my alley: an interesting twist on the Knights of the Round story, set in a steampunk-ish London, with a tasteful supernatural edge to it all. But it stumbles more often than it excels.
Most of The Order's failings can be seen in its first hour. The opening is incredibly slow, and in return, it doesn't offer a meaningful reason as to why it would be this slow. You'll also see an overreliance on QTEs, using them when they don't need to be used, and when they shouldn't. This lack of engaging interactivity is also felt through the movement, as the game insists on making you walk/climb so slowly through tight corridors for most of its runtime. All of this coalesces into this feeling of sluggish, uninviting gameplay.
And then there's a bigger problem: the game lacks the gameplay variety and depth needed to keep people engaged at all times. There are neat things in the combat, like the high variety of weapons available, and the Blackwater ability, which is a pretty badass slo-mo auto-lock-on move. But the level and encounter design is just so lacking. It's like having a cool sports car to drive, but all the roads are just simple straightaways and 90-degree corners. There's a part early on where you're just blasting 30-40 enemies in a courtyard and it's so basic. You barely have to move from your original cover. It's more like a stationary shooting gallery, and there's at least one of these every hour. Then you have the non-combat sections, which are hampered by the stuff I mentioned earlier, and most of the collectibles you find are just not exciting. Sure, the graphics are pretty as heck, and the environments are quite detailed, but sightseeing will only get you so far.
The worst of all is the half-breed fights; they're so disappointing. I get so mad when I think about these fights. Either you'll have a shitty Infinity Blade clone (remember that iPhone game?), or a shootout with the dumbest creature AI in the game. Just wait in one corner, shoot the heck out of them when they pop up, and press X at the right time to dodge their attack if needed. Rinse and repeat. It never changes. God, what a waste of potential.
All of this is the textbook example of all the worst qualities of cinematic prestige gaming. When you wrest control away from the player, you're supposed to have a good reason for it. Maybe you want to showcase great facial animations by taking away the camera controls and having these cinematographed cutscenes. Or maybe you want to slow down the player's movement to properly time a cool scripted set piece. This game fails at most attempts of these. The best of the genre understands how to balance developer intent with user experience; just look at every single Naughty Dog game in the last two decades. They constantly juggle between multiple gameplay flavors fluidly, and they put so much care into the way all of these flavors connect and interact with one another. As somebody who is incredibly fond of this type of game, seeing all these flaws condensed into an experience this short makes me feel so annoyed like I've been a hater all along.
...Okay, the worst has come to pass. I have talked a lot already, let's speedrun some other things about the game before we end this.
- I enjoyed the story quite a bit. The game is at its best when it's building this world of long-living Knights. Lines like "...It's a motto that has seen me through decades" and "Two revolutions have taught me that danger are on both sides" makes me so excited to learn more about this world. I also really like the angle of the Knights living a cursed life; "Men were never meant to live this life."
- Sir Galahad is a pretty great protagonist to play as, and I particularly liked the company of Lafayette and Lakshmi.
- I mentioned a bit about the weapons before, they really cooked with some of these. The Arc Gun is seriously one of my favorite video game weapons in the last 10 years. Shoutouts also to the Dragoon Revolver, the Thermite Gun, and the Falchion Rifle.
- The Letterbox aspect ratio certainly doesn't help with the boring level design: it especially lacks verticality. It only adds to the overall claustrophobic feel of the game. Also, I wish there were motion blur and film grain slider settings.
- Having unskippable cutscenes sucks ass.
If there's any one game that deserves a sequel to right all its wrongs, it's this. The setting of The Order is just too exciting for me, and I'm still quite bummed that we'll probably never see more of this world. Except if Sony decides to make a TV show or movie about this, I guess.
Most of The Order's failings can be seen in its first hour. The opening is incredibly slow, and in return, it doesn't offer a meaningful reason as to why it would be this slow. You'll also see an overreliance on QTEs, using them when they don't need to be used, and when they shouldn't. This lack of engaging interactivity is also felt through the movement, as the game insists on making you walk/climb so slowly through tight corridors for most of its runtime. All of this coalesces into this feeling of sluggish, uninviting gameplay.
And then there's a bigger problem: the game lacks the gameplay variety and depth needed to keep people engaged at all times. There are neat things in the combat, like the high variety of weapons available, and the Blackwater ability, which is a pretty badass slo-mo auto-lock-on move. But the level and encounter design is just so lacking. It's like having a cool sports car to drive, but all the roads are just simple straightaways and 90-degree corners. There's a part early on where you're just blasting 30-40 enemies in a courtyard and it's so basic. You barely have to move from your original cover. It's more like a stationary shooting gallery, and there's at least one of these every hour. Then you have the non-combat sections, which are hampered by the stuff I mentioned earlier, and most of the collectibles you find are just not exciting. Sure, the graphics are pretty as heck, and the environments are quite detailed, but sightseeing will only get you so far.
The worst of all is the half-breed fights; they're so disappointing. I get so mad when I think about these fights. Either you'll have a shitty Infinity Blade clone (remember that iPhone game?), or a shootout with the dumbest creature AI in the game. Just wait in one corner, shoot the heck out of them when they pop up, and press X at the right time to dodge their attack if needed. Rinse and repeat. It never changes. God, what a waste of potential.
All of this is the textbook example of all the worst qualities of cinematic prestige gaming. When you wrest control away from the player, you're supposed to have a good reason for it. Maybe you want to showcase great facial animations by taking away the camera controls and having these cinematographed cutscenes. Or maybe you want to slow down the player's movement to properly time a cool scripted set piece. This game fails at most attempts of these. The best of the genre understands how to balance developer intent with user experience; just look at every single Naughty Dog game in the last two decades. They constantly juggle between multiple gameplay flavors fluidly, and they put so much care into the way all of these flavors connect and interact with one another. As somebody who is incredibly fond of this type of game, seeing all these flaws condensed into an experience this short makes me feel so annoyed like I've been a hater all along.
...Okay, the worst has come to pass. I have talked a lot already, let's speedrun some other things about the game before we end this.
- I enjoyed the story quite a bit. The game is at its best when it's building this world of long-living Knights. Lines like "...It's a motto that has seen me through decades" and "Two revolutions have taught me that danger are on both sides" makes me so excited to learn more about this world. I also really like the angle of the Knights living a cursed life; "Men were never meant to live this life."
- Sir Galahad is a pretty great protagonist to play as, and I particularly liked the company of Lafayette and Lakshmi.
- I mentioned a bit about the weapons before, they really cooked with some of these. The Arc Gun is seriously one of my favorite video game weapons in the last 10 years. Shoutouts also to the Dragoon Revolver, the Thermite Gun, and the Falchion Rifle.
- The Letterbox aspect ratio certainly doesn't help with the boring level design: it especially lacks verticality. It only adds to the overall claustrophobic feel of the game. Also, I wish there were motion blur and film grain slider settings.
- Having unskippable cutscenes sucks ass.
If there's any one game that deserves a sequel to right all its wrongs, it's this. The setting of The Order is just too exciting for me, and I'm still quite bummed that we'll probably never see more of this world. Except if Sony decides to make a TV show or movie about this, I guess.
I've always liked Lost Legacy a lot. It combines all the great changes and improvements that Uncharted 4 brought to the Uncharted formula, but with the structure and pacing being more in line with the OG Uncharted trilogy. And on top of that, you have an entirely new main character dynamic to experience: Chloe's charismatic treasure hunter veteran presence clashing against Nadine's pragmatic straightforwardness. Now, this is 4th time I finished this game, and I'm still loving it as much, if not more than before.
I appreciate the small steps that ND took to add more spice to U4's gameplay, like the silenced weapons, or the lockpick-able safes spread all over. And then you have the open world section early on, which feels like a game inside a game because of how well-made it is, despite being relatively small and self-contained. Not to mention how well designed all the encounters are. There's a lot of interesting terrains and traversal mixed in these fights; I distinctly remember one where you are approaching enemies by way of multiple large pillars, so you can try closing in unseen by climbing through the longer paths, or just snipe away from afar if you have the means.
Then in the center of it all, the dynamic between Chloe and Nadine is just so fun to see. The girl talk between these two is so refreshing, in the grand scheme of things. There really is a future for the series beyond Nate, and I'm glad that ND explored this unlikely pairing of characters instead of something more predictable, like Sam and Sully. In a way, it only proves how flexible the Uncharted formula is.
And the most significant feeling I had during this playthrough is the fact that I do like Asav as a villain more than before. He's not quite the most memorable or well-written villain in the series, but I absolutely love the scenes where he goes on the offensive and fights our ladies head-on. Nadine described him as being more than what his exterior shows, and I feel like the game did show a bit of that, although he still needs way more screen time.
Also, the sequence at the end of the game is simply breathtaking. It's somewhat underrated because of how much it takes from their previous biggest set pieces, but it's definitely the most technically impressive set piece in the series. It's an incredible vertical slice of the Uncharted series as a whole, and it's a pretty poetic way to end it all.
Lost Legacy is not the gigantic leap forward that is Uncharted 4 (and it wasn't meant to be), but on all fronts, it is a great Uncharted game. I would put it as the 3rd best in the series. It is a cool and good thing that ND and Sony didn't just pump out a bunch more of these games and potentially bring down the series' reputation; the respect they have for one of their most successful series should be an example for everyone else. But man, I would love a new one someday, especially since its been 7 years hiatus, and there's barely anyone else that makes these sort of action adventure games these days. At least we have Indy filling the void soon-ish!
I appreciate the small steps that ND took to add more spice to U4's gameplay, like the silenced weapons, or the lockpick-able safes spread all over. And then you have the open world section early on, which feels like a game inside a game because of how well-made it is, despite being relatively small and self-contained. Not to mention how well designed all the encounters are. There's a lot of interesting terrains and traversal mixed in these fights; I distinctly remember one where you are approaching enemies by way of multiple large pillars, so you can try closing in unseen by climbing through the longer paths, or just snipe away from afar if you have the means.
Then in the center of it all, the dynamic between Chloe and Nadine is just so fun to see. The girl talk between these two is so refreshing, in the grand scheme of things. There really is a future for the series beyond Nate, and I'm glad that ND explored this unlikely pairing of characters instead of something more predictable, like Sam and Sully. In a way, it only proves how flexible the Uncharted formula is.
And the most significant feeling I had during this playthrough is the fact that I do like Asav as a villain more than before. He's not quite the most memorable or well-written villain in the series, but I absolutely love the scenes where he goes on the offensive and fights our ladies head-on. Nadine described him as being more than what his exterior shows, and I feel like the game did show a bit of that, although he still needs way more screen time.
Also, the sequence at the end of the game is simply breathtaking. It's somewhat underrated because of how much it takes from their previous biggest set pieces, but it's definitely the most technically impressive set piece in the series. It's an incredible vertical slice of the Uncharted series as a whole, and it's a pretty poetic way to end it all.
Lost Legacy is not the gigantic leap forward that is Uncharted 4 (and it wasn't meant to be), but on all fronts, it is a great Uncharted game. I would put it as the 3rd best in the series. It is a cool and good thing that ND and Sony didn't just pump out a bunch more of these games and potentially bring down the series' reputation; the respect they have for one of their most successful series should be an example for everyone else. But man, I would love a new one someday, especially since its been 7 years hiatus, and there's barely anyone else that makes these sort of action adventure games these days. At least we have Indy filling the void soon-ish!
2022
This game got tiring pretty fast after the first 1-2 hours. The new enemy types that they introduced kept getting more and more annoying to fight against, and there were a lot of encounters where you are fighting a lot of guys in a relatively small space, so you're just circling around the place like a bunch of dumbos. Repeat this for about every 1-2 minutes, throw in an environmental puzzle every now and then, and you'll have the recipe for a game that should have been just half of its length. It's a shame, I liked a lot of the ideas that this game has. Whoever thought of giving the main character the ability to instantly dash to any enemy and anime rapid punch the shit out of them should get a raise.
2023
What caught me by surprise is how well made this game is. Different types of weapons that excel on damaging enemies in a specific way, elemental effects and environmental hazards, incredibly detailed and disgusting gore technology, well designed levels that feels expansive but not too large, having lock-and-key loot in order to minimize the monotony of backtracking, and so on; these systems work so well by themselves and in relation to each other. It's experly crafted. Not to mention how well they brought the vibes of California to life, and the mostly enjoyable stories of its various inhabitants. I decided not to finish the game because I have gotten my fill of wacky post apocalypse zombie killing. I'm glad I gave this game a shot and I would recommend it to others in a heartbeat.
As somebody who barely knew anything about the Holmes stories (mostly knew about this from whenever Detective Conan references it), the best way I can summarize Chapter One is that it exceeded my expectations in the areas that mattered the most, and surprised me in ways I didn't expect. It's been some time since a game grabbed me so hard that I finished it in two long sittings.
I have to admit, the premise of the story didn't quite gel with me at the start. I guess it is interesting that this young deduction freak happens to have the schizophrenic feat of a fully developed imaginary friend that teleports around every time you're looking away. But why should I care about this blunt, misogynistic asshole? I think the magic of the story truly materializes itself when you realize how deep it goes to deconstruct Sherlock as a person. While his journey to open up memories locked away is a more personal affair, the cases he faces along the way thrust the player to partake in this exercise with him. In that sense, the story has succeeded in developing this gauntlet of self-reflection. Getting all the information is one thing. But how do we perceive the truth and the lies? What is objectivity in the view of subjective beings? The game has provided not only the necessary challenges to indulge in this first-person train of thought, but also pulls the spotlight back to us, through Sherlock's main story. I do think that Sherlock's dialogues with Vogel can be too blunt for many people; even I felt this way sometimes. But I think it served its purpose quite well. Overall, the main story is a thoughtful and meaningful endeavor, clearly written with love and care. It's enough to make me almost shed a tear at the end, with how Sherlock wraps this chapter up.
As for its moment-to-moment gameplay, there are a lot of blemishes that can get in the way of enjoyment, but there's also a handful of interesting design decisions; ones that don't necessarily conform with modern gaming sensibilities, which provide a more unique personality to the game.
One example is the game never marking the next objective on the map for you. It instead gives you the address to the location, and you have to open the map and look for it yourself. It's not exactly hard to do, but it's enough to make you feel more involved in this open world. The world itself is mostly set dressing, in a similar way to how Mafia 1 and 2's open world only serves their respective stories, rather than providing the players with the typical game-y activities, and I think most people won't like this angle, but this decision personally speaks to me, even if its nowhere near as well done as those games.
Another example is the combat system. There are not many combat scenarios in the game at all, especially if you just focus on the main story. But they are quite interesting because it's mostly about shooting your gun at the enemies' weak points, so they become stunned and are receptive to a QTE knockout. It is repetitive, and the combat never gets deeper than what I've said. Not to mention the lackluster feel of the overall controls. But it's a somewhat refreshing take on combat that I still enjoy, albeit mostly because of the restrained implementation.
I also like to take a moment to appreciate the game's setting. it's cool to see this particular time and space: the British subjugating the Ottoman populace's idyllic island, trying to keep its far-reaching conquest under control. In these conditions, any injustice can be amplified, and it's great that the game manages to convey this through gameplay with its disguises system. You can blend in with 6 particular groups of people: Nobles, Cordona locals, Police, Military, Workers, and Hobo/Criminals. You can rent/buy outfits and accessories in clothing stores to fit whatever situation you need, whether it's to disguise as a specific person, or just to blend in so you can ask questions without getting rudely dismissed: the class divide is to blame. It's a simple but effective system that also adds further reason to the game's side activities since you need credits to buy/rent these.
Now let's talk about the rougher parts of the game. The game is simply technically mediocre: pop-ins and framerate stutters frequently occur, especially when you're running at max speed across the map. Not to mention the limited budget of the production value and graphics. Then, not all the voice acting performances are good, some of them are quite distracting in fact. Selecting which objects to examine can be a bit annoying sometimes, as the reticule is a bit finicky in deciding whether your cursor is placed in the right place or not. And in the last 3-4 hours of my playthrough, the game suddenly skips the last second of every sentence spoken. It's quite bizarre and anxiety-inducing. These are not ignorable problems, but it's not too damning overall.
I'm glad that I bought this game (as of the time of this review it's 80% off on the PlayStation store), and my only regret is that I didn't buy it sooner or at full price. I'll definitely try Frogwares' other games sooner or later.
I have to admit, the premise of the story didn't quite gel with me at the start. I guess it is interesting that this young deduction freak happens to have the schizophrenic feat of a fully developed imaginary friend that teleports around every time you're looking away. But why should I care about this blunt, misogynistic asshole? I think the magic of the story truly materializes itself when you realize how deep it goes to deconstruct Sherlock as a person. While his journey to open up memories locked away is a more personal affair, the cases he faces along the way thrust the player to partake in this exercise with him. In that sense, the story has succeeded in developing this gauntlet of self-reflection. Getting all the information is one thing. But how do we perceive the truth and the lies? What is objectivity in the view of subjective beings? The game has provided not only the necessary challenges to indulge in this first-person train of thought, but also pulls the spotlight back to us, through Sherlock's main story. I do think that Sherlock's dialogues with Vogel can be too blunt for many people; even I felt this way sometimes. But I think it served its purpose quite well. Overall, the main story is a thoughtful and meaningful endeavor, clearly written with love and care. It's enough to make me almost shed a tear at the end, with how Sherlock wraps this chapter up.
As for its moment-to-moment gameplay, there are a lot of blemishes that can get in the way of enjoyment, but there's also a handful of interesting design decisions; ones that don't necessarily conform with modern gaming sensibilities, which provide a more unique personality to the game.
One example is the game never marking the next objective on the map for you. It instead gives you the address to the location, and you have to open the map and look for it yourself. It's not exactly hard to do, but it's enough to make you feel more involved in this open world. The world itself is mostly set dressing, in a similar way to how Mafia 1 and 2's open world only serves their respective stories, rather than providing the players with the typical game-y activities, and I think most people won't like this angle, but this decision personally speaks to me, even if its nowhere near as well done as those games.
Another example is the combat system. There are not many combat scenarios in the game at all, especially if you just focus on the main story. But they are quite interesting because it's mostly about shooting your gun at the enemies' weak points, so they become stunned and are receptive to a QTE knockout. It is repetitive, and the combat never gets deeper than what I've said. Not to mention the lackluster feel of the overall controls. But it's a somewhat refreshing take on combat that I still enjoy, albeit mostly because of the restrained implementation.
I also like to take a moment to appreciate the game's setting. it's cool to see this particular time and space: the British subjugating the Ottoman populace's idyllic island, trying to keep its far-reaching conquest under control. In these conditions, any injustice can be amplified, and it's great that the game manages to convey this through gameplay with its disguises system. You can blend in with 6 particular groups of people: Nobles, Cordona locals, Police, Military, Workers, and Hobo/Criminals. You can rent/buy outfits and accessories in clothing stores to fit whatever situation you need, whether it's to disguise as a specific person, or just to blend in so you can ask questions without getting rudely dismissed: the class divide is to blame. It's a simple but effective system that also adds further reason to the game's side activities since you need credits to buy/rent these.
Now let's talk about the rougher parts of the game. The game is simply technically mediocre: pop-ins and framerate stutters frequently occur, especially when you're running at max speed across the map. Not to mention the limited budget of the production value and graphics. Then, not all the voice acting performances are good, some of them are quite distracting in fact. Selecting which objects to examine can be a bit annoying sometimes, as the reticule is a bit finicky in deciding whether your cursor is placed in the right place or not. And in the last 3-4 hours of my playthrough, the game suddenly skips the last second of every sentence spoken. It's quite bizarre and anxiety-inducing. These are not ignorable problems, but it's not too damning overall.
I'm glad that I bought this game (as of the time of this review it's 80% off on the PlayStation store), and my only regret is that I didn't buy it sooner or at full price. I'll definitely try Frogwares' other games sooner or later.
2024
I'll be mostly talking about the offline components, because I'm not currently subbed to PS+.
Tekken 8 is probably the most complete fighting game package I've seen in a while. I can see myself playing this for a long time, unlike most fighting games, which usually won't last more than a month for me.
The story mode is pretty incredible. It's only 3-4 hours long but it has a ton of production value, and the story of Jin seeking redemption for his past actions is surprisingly engrossing. A lot of it is because of how well the story sets the stakes, but also because of how entertaining the character interactions are. For example, Leroy giving Jin epic life lessons while fighting against each other in a tournament. Not to mention the occasional fun fan service moments too, Tekken has a long history to pull from and this story mode did it so well. If you're a life-long Tekken fan like myself, I can almost guarantee that you'll love this. It definitely pushes the bar for fighting game story modes.
There's also the Arcade Quest mode, which is basically a 1-2 hour long tutorial, packaged in a wholesome, cartoonish world where everybody's obsessed with Tekken. The tutorials themselves are quite informative and succinct, and the approachable structure of the mode eases you in for whenever you want to start your online battles journey, since it basically emulates that classic fighting game player zero-to-hero story.
And around those main two modes, the core and accessory gameplay features are well-realized.
- The Heat System is pretty awesome, it's all about encouraging aggressiveness while also rewarding smart plays, and so far it's working as intended.
- The Special Mode is definitely appreciated, I had my friend use it so he can just start playing against me without too much trouble, and it works great for that.
- Having the OSTs of all the Tekken games is amazing. I've been playing with the Tekken 4 OST (my personal favorite), and I can't tell you how satisfying it is to hear that OST being tied with infinitely better gameplay.
- The character customization is definitely a step up from Tekken 7, especially with how much nicer the graphics are, but it still could be improved IMO. I hope they add more options and clothes and stuff in the future.
- The quality of life training additions are very forward thinking. I love that the move list has a set of recommended moves now. And the new stuff you can do with the replays is so useful, like being able to take control of your character mid-replay so you can fix dropped combos and such. It will be hard to go back to other fighting games now.
- The new characters are great. I see Reina becoming another Tekken icon in the near future.
Tekken 8 is definitely a new peak for the franchise. I haven't felt this energized about Tekken since maybe Tekken 5. I hope they can keep the momentum up in the future updates and DLCs.
Tekken 8 is probably the most complete fighting game package I've seen in a while. I can see myself playing this for a long time, unlike most fighting games, which usually won't last more than a month for me.
The story mode is pretty incredible. It's only 3-4 hours long but it has a ton of production value, and the story of Jin seeking redemption for his past actions is surprisingly engrossing. A lot of it is because of how well the story sets the stakes, but also because of how entertaining the character interactions are. For example, Leroy giving Jin epic life lessons while fighting against each other in a tournament. Not to mention the occasional fun fan service moments too, Tekken has a long history to pull from and this story mode did it so well. If you're a life-long Tekken fan like myself, I can almost guarantee that you'll love this. It definitely pushes the bar for fighting game story modes.
There's also the Arcade Quest mode, which is basically a 1-2 hour long tutorial, packaged in a wholesome, cartoonish world where everybody's obsessed with Tekken. The tutorials themselves are quite informative and succinct, and the approachable structure of the mode eases you in for whenever you want to start your online battles journey, since it basically emulates that classic fighting game player zero-to-hero story.
And around those main two modes, the core and accessory gameplay features are well-realized.
- The Heat System is pretty awesome, it's all about encouraging aggressiveness while also rewarding smart plays, and so far it's working as intended.
- The Special Mode is definitely appreciated, I had my friend use it so he can just start playing against me without too much trouble, and it works great for that.
- Having the OSTs of all the Tekken games is amazing. I've been playing with the Tekken 4 OST (my personal favorite), and I can't tell you how satisfying it is to hear that OST being tied with infinitely better gameplay.
- The character customization is definitely a step up from Tekken 7, especially with how much nicer the graphics are, but it still could be improved IMO. I hope they add more options and clothes and stuff in the future.
- The quality of life training additions are very forward thinking. I love that the move list has a set of recommended moves now. And the new stuff you can do with the replays is so useful, like being able to take control of your character mid-replay so you can fix dropped combos and such. It will be hard to go back to other fighting games now.
- The new characters are great. I see Reina becoming another Tekken icon in the near future.
Tekken 8 is definitely a new peak for the franchise. I haven't felt this energized about Tekken since maybe Tekken 5. I hope they can keep the momentum up in the future updates and DLCs.
Probably the first game I've played in a while that makes me feel disappointed. Was hoping for a chill, eye-candy puzzle game, and what I got is a clunky, headscratch-inducing and repetitive one.
I do not like how the game controls: selecting which blocks to move can feel very finicky with the analog stick, especially in later parts of the game. And having to hold the X button to put things down gets tiresome quickly. Maybe it would work better with a mouse.
As for the puzzles themselves, it's kinda weird. Most of the time you will have to move your character from start to wherever the goal is, and the act of repeatedly selecting which blocks your character can move to feels mindnumbing to me. The closest thing to good puzzles here are the ones where all you have to do is connect the starting location to the goal with blocks that you character can skate on, since it removes the previous repetitive act. But even then these puzzles don't feel particularly satisfying, stimulating, or interesting. During the story mode, there is no point where I felt like I was doing something fun. I'm truly baffled by it. If I didn't know it was only 2 hours, I would probably bail out midway through.
There's also the creative mode, which allows you to build freely in a 10x10 Lego area. I tried making something nice but the story mode left such a bad taste in my mouth that I just can't really put my mind into it. Bought this on 50% off and I definitely regret it.
I do not like how the game controls: selecting which blocks to move can feel very finicky with the analog stick, especially in later parts of the game. And having to hold the X button to put things down gets tiresome quickly. Maybe it would work better with a mouse.
As for the puzzles themselves, it's kinda weird. Most of the time you will have to move your character from start to wherever the goal is, and the act of repeatedly selecting which blocks your character can move to feels mindnumbing to me. The closest thing to good puzzles here are the ones where all you have to do is connect the starting location to the goal with blocks that you character can skate on, since it removes the previous repetitive act. But even then these puzzles don't feel particularly satisfying, stimulating, or interesting. During the story mode, there is no point where I felt like I was doing something fun. I'm truly baffled by it. If I didn't know it was only 2 hours, I would probably bail out midway through.
There's also the creative mode, which allows you to build freely in a 10x10 Lego area. I tried making something nice but the story mode left such a bad taste in my mouth that I just can't really put my mind into it. Bought this on 50% off and I definitely regret it.
I appreciate the lecture on explicit systems (never heard of the term before) and how the gameplay tries to mirror whatever the topic at hand, but overall, I think the perspective of the main writer is just too narrow. I never cared for people saying that there is a "right" way to make a game, and this game reminds me of those kind of people, especially in two particular moments, you'll know it when you see it. It's quite condescending, which ruins whatever enjoyment I had from all the learning thus far.
Also, I don't get why this game is being called a study. Feels more like an interactive essay. Interesting concept though, it's a cool way to learn about game design.
Also, I don't get why this game is being called a study. Feels more like an interactive essay. Interesting concept though, it's a cool way to learn about game design.
For me, this remaster is more in line with a Criterion Collection kind of package: I'm basically paying for the extra features and content, rather than the actual graphical "remaster" effort itself. The graphical upgrade is so miniscule that its embarrassing to talk about, so let me use this review as a way to talk about the two extra features that I care about the most. If you want to know my thoughts of the main game: it's my 2nd favorite game of all time. I wrote a review for it sometime ago here.
I'm entirely satified with the Lost Levels and the director's commentary. There's a cutscene selector now, so you can just watch all of the commentary that way. I'm always down to learn more about the behind the scenes of this game, and the lost levels especially are so cool to me. There's a ton of insight and fun moments from Neil and the rest of the cast, and I get to learn more about this game that I really love. Can't really ask more than that.
No Return is the kind of game mode that I've been wanting from TLOU for a while now, especially with the Factions game being cancelled. TLOU Part II has one of the best third person combat system out there, and I just wanted a way to experience it while being detached from the main story. In that regard No Return definitely succeeds. It showcases the combat at its most chaotic heights, especially when the games' crazier modes (infected holdouts are insane) or mods (like the invisible enemies mod, or the random photo filters) show up. But it still feels more like a once-in-a-while kind of mode, rather than this addictive thing that makes you want to keep playing one more time. And that's fine by me honestly, I still got what I wanted anyways. I will still miss Factions though.
Anyways, that's it really. If you're interested in the features above then it's definitely worth the upgrade price. If you haven't played the OG game then it's a no brainer full game purchase. Everybody else can sit tight.
P.S.
Some deeper thoughts about No Return:
- The intensity of the gameplay have been ramped up to the point that it almost feels tiring at times. Kinda reminds me of RE4 Remake's almost non stop combat barrage. It definitely adds to the fact that I can't play this mode for too long in one session, haha. It's not necessarily good or bad, I just thought that it's an interesting feeling to have in a roguelike thingy, where usually the game likes you to go right back in straight away.
- If they ever update this mode, I would love to something that makes choosing the branching paths more interesting. Maybe a free gun upgrade as a reward for one of the levels, or a permanent buff mod reward.
- I noticed that while your selected character still says some lines, the things they say makes it feel so detached from how the main story portrays them. I can see a lot of people being bummed by how disconnected this mode is from the main story, but I think that's for the better. I want this mode to feel like a fever dream that the character would have in the game's world. Looking at it from that perspective, I'll say that it's a pretty great time.
I'm entirely satified with the Lost Levels and the director's commentary. There's a cutscene selector now, so you can just watch all of the commentary that way. I'm always down to learn more about the behind the scenes of this game, and the lost levels especially are so cool to me. There's a ton of insight and fun moments from Neil and the rest of the cast, and I get to learn more about this game that I really love. Can't really ask more than that.
No Return is the kind of game mode that I've been wanting from TLOU for a while now, especially with the Factions game being cancelled. TLOU Part II has one of the best third person combat system out there, and I just wanted a way to experience it while being detached from the main story. In that regard No Return definitely succeeds. It showcases the combat at its most chaotic heights, especially when the games' crazier modes (infected holdouts are insane) or mods (like the invisible enemies mod, or the random photo filters) show up. But it still feels more like a once-in-a-while kind of mode, rather than this addictive thing that makes you want to keep playing one more time. And that's fine by me honestly, I still got what I wanted anyways. I will still miss Factions though.
Anyways, that's it really. If you're interested in the features above then it's definitely worth the upgrade price. If you haven't played the OG game then it's a no brainer full game purchase. Everybody else can sit tight.
P.S.
Some deeper thoughts about No Return:
- The intensity of the gameplay have been ramped up to the point that it almost feels tiring at times. Kinda reminds me of RE4 Remake's almost non stop combat barrage. It definitely adds to the fact that I can't play this mode for too long in one session, haha. It's not necessarily good or bad, I just thought that it's an interesting feeling to have in a roguelike thingy, where usually the game likes you to go right back in straight away.
- If they ever update this mode, I would love to something that makes choosing the branching paths more interesting. Maybe a free gun upgrade as a reward for one of the levels, or a permanent buff mod reward.
- I noticed that while your selected character still says some lines, the things they say makes it feel so detached from how the main story portrays them. I can see a lot of people being bummed by how disconnected this mode is from the main story, but I think that's for the better. I want this mode to feel like a fever dream that the character would have in the game's world. Looking at it from that perspective, I'll say that it's a pretty great time.
1999
As somebody who never played the pre-PS3 GT games, I think this game holds up quite well. As long as the controls feels responsive, and the car physics feels right, you can enjoy any racing game no matter how old it is. But playing this does make me want to boot up GT7 instead sometimes. It's like I'm being a sim racer beginner all over again, struggling to keep my car in control because I can't see what's ahead and I pressed the directional buttons way too long. I never got truly comfortable with the driving, and I don't think I ever will. We're so spoiled with how accurate the analog controls are in the newer games.
The simulation mode is structured pretty well, with horsepower limitations for each cup/tourney making you want to buy multiple cars and tune them accordingly for different requirements. The game doesn't just give you a lot of cash too quickly, which I do appreciate. And obviously the driving license tests are as fun as ever, wouldn't be a GT game without them. But there's some quality of life stuff that I need to enjoy it more, particularly in the process of buying and tuning cars.
Lastly, I gotta say it's a treat seeing all the 80s-90s cars here. That period of time is my absolute favorite in terms of car design and culture. It pays off for all the hassle.
The simulation mode is structured pretty well, with horsepower limitations for each cup/tourney making you want to buy multiple cars and tune them accordingly for different requirements. The game doesn't just give you a lot of cash too quickly, which I do appreciate. And obviously the driving license tests are as fun as ever, wouldn't be a GT game without them. But there's some quality of life stuff that I need to enjoy it more, particularly in the process of buying and tuning cars.
Lastly, I gotta say it's a treat seeing all the 80s-90s cars here. That period of time is my absolute favorite in terms of car design and culture. It pays off for all the hassle.
2022
Got through the first two locations and I'm so tired. I have no desire to play this any longer. I love how dumb, dirty and chaotic the combat is but there's just no variety to it. Every new enemy type introduced are not substantial enough to spice up the gameplay in an interesting way, and the level design tendencies are all the same: barely-big-enough arenas filled with at least 10 more enemies than there should be. The environments themselves are some of the most boring levels I've seen in recent times, so I'm actively trying to NOT explore. Get me out of here!!!
2021
So, I have been wanting to try this game out for a while now, thankfully it's on PS+ for December. I was quite delighted by the demo from way back before this game released. I'm particularly a sucker for stories about characters needing to find their own place in the world, and the mainly climbing and hovergliding gameplay are two of my favorite non-violent video game tropes. I got about 4 hours in and it's above my expectations. I find the world to be beautiful to look at, and I like that it doesn't feel overwhelming to explore. The puzzles I found so far are engaging enough, nothing too hard. I also enjoy how the narrative is conveyed like a book, with well written narrative third person descriptions instead of just dialogues, which I'm sure is to compensate for the lack of voice acting and extensive mo-cap. The main character's personality has a stronger presence because of it.
Unfortunately the game has serious technical issues on PS5, with frequent framerate drops that can reach what feels like 10-15 FPS. It's enough to make me physically ill, I really wanted to continue playing but I just can't, for the time being. The devs has apparently moved on to another project so I'm not holding out hope for a patch anytime soon. I am genuinely bummed by this. Oh well.
P.S. I'm writing this just past midnight in my local time, so happy new year! The world might be a shit place that just keeps getting worse, but I hope we all can be better, healthier, and happier than our past selves.
Unfortunately the game has serious technical issues on PS5, with frequent framerate drops that can reach what feels like 10-15 FPS. It's enough to make me physically ill, I really wanted to continue playing but I just can't, for the time being. The devs has apparently moved on to another project so I'm not holding out hope for a patch anytime soon. I am genuinely bummed by this. Oh well.
P.S. I'm writing this just past midnight in my local time, so happy new year! The world might be a shit place that just keeps getting worse, but I hope we all can be better, healthier, and happier than our past selves.
2022
Replaying this 'cause the GTA VI trailer got me all hyped and shit. I haven't played this game since 2014, back on my old fat PS3 (RIP). It's still real good, especially with all the touchups in the PS5 remaster. The art direction and technical team absolutely cooked here, I'm constantly blown away by how beautiful the game's lighting looks. And I can't help but yelp everytime the dusk/dawn in the horizon presents itself, the colors are so pleasing to the eyes. So hats off to them, it's a very good remaster job.
Before I started, I admit, I was expecting to enjoy the story more now, since I actually can understand English at a higher level. But it's such a dumb mess. The fact that it's mostly an excuse to be able to do crazy ass mission scenarios is just too obvious, a lot of them barely connect. I also can't stand most of Michael's scum family drama, and many of Trevor's psychotic antics. Franklin's not perfect, but his interactions with the people in his hood are always a stand out. Lamar might be a loser but he's the funniest guy around, easily my favorite out of the side cast.
At least they didn't stumble with the missions. Of course, you have to put in the fact that Rockstar is very much still in the business of putting way too many shootouts in them. In many cases, it's either not necessary, or they go on for too long. But I can't deny that there's a lot of kick-ass missions here. If I had to pick a couple favorites, it would be:
- The Bureau Raid. It's so cool pretending to be firemen and navigating the ruined floors. And you get some AAA floor mopping action too!
- Father/Son. There's so much happening in a few minutes here. Getting Franklin to jump on the yacht, catching Jimmy while he's hanging from the pole, and listening to all the dysfunctional father-son banter in the process.
- Scouting the Port. I liked all the heist prep missions because they serve well as the bridge between the hard hitting action, and this is probably the best one to me. I guess I like handling the heavy equipment too much, haha.
A lot of these missions, especially the heists, are big, showboat-y set pieces made to amaze. At this point, bombastic action doesn't hit as hard as they did a decade ago, and the aforementioned shootout bloat only makes things worse. Still, I appreciate that Rockstar were trying to push themselves, at least on the technical side.
Now I want to talk a bit about the side activities. This is where the scope of the game gets truly massive. There's just so much to do. Races, tennis, parachuting, hunting, etc. Most of these aren't individually stellar, but you can't beat Rockstar at being the jack of ALL trades. My personal favorite is the Triathlon, it's basically a set piece, but about seeing the most beautiful environments instead of killing and blowing things up. In fact, I almost shed a tear seeing the blue-orange Los Santos city scape in the distance as I was frantically mashing X, biking from hillbilly land in the other direction. And I gotta say, I like towing vehicles a lot, haha. There's also a lot of things to spend your money on, which helps the end game even more. It feels like no matter what your interests are, there's at least one side activity that you can treat like a hobby and just focus on.
This replay was a very productive one, might be the most productive replay I ever had. It's hard to believe that since GTA V first came out, there's only one game that can challenge it on its turf (Watch Dogs 2, baby!). The open world modern city genre has not been in the spotlight for a while now, and many of the old GTA clones from back in the day has taken a down turn, or outright disappear. I really think that there's still so much to gain from this open world formula, and I hope GTA VI can prove it. There's a lot of new tricks that Rockstar can learn, and I have faith in their capability to excite us with something fresh.
Side note: there's so many cats and dogs running around the city now. I'm pretty sure they added these post PS3-360. They're so cute!
Before I started, I admit, I was expecting to enjoy the story more now, since I actually can understand English at a higher level. But it's such a dumb mess. The fact that it's mostly an excuse to be able to do crazy ass mission scenarios is just too obvious, a lot of them barely connect. I also can't stand most of Michael's scum family drama, and many of Trevor's psychotic antics. Franklin's not perfect, but his interactions with the people in his hood are always a stand out. Lamar might be a loser but he's the funniest guy around, easily my favorite out of the side cast.
At least they didn't stumble with the missions. Of course, you have to put in the fact that Rockstar is very much still in the business of putting way too many shootouts in them. In many cases, it's either not necessary, or they go on for too long. But I can't deny that there's a lot of kick-ass missions here. If I had to pick a couple favorites, it would be:
- The Bureau Raid. It's so cool pretending to be firemen and navigating the ruined floors. And you get some AAA floor mopping action too!
- Father/Son. There's so much happening in a few minutes here. Getting Franklin to jump on the yacht, catching Jimmy while he's hanging from the pole, and listening to all the dysfunctional father-son banter in the process.
- Scouting the Port. I liked all the heist prep missions because they serve well as the bridge between the hard hitting action, and this is probably the best one to me. I guess I like handling the heavy equipment too much, haha.
A lot of these missions, especially the heists, are big, showboat-y set pieces made to amaze. At this point, bombastic action doesn't hit as hard as they did a decade ago, and the aforementioned shootout bloat only makes things worse. Still, I appreciate that Rockstar were trying to push themselves, at least on the technical side.
Now I want to talk a bit about the side activities. This is where the scope of the game gets truly massive. There's just so much to do. Races, tennis, parachuting, hunting, etc. Most of these aren't individually stellar, but you can't beat Rockstar at being the jack of ALL trades. My personal favorite is the Triathlon, it's basically a set piece, but about seeing the most beautiful environments instead of killing and blowing things up. In fact, I almost shed a tear seeing the blue-orange Los Santos city scape in the distance as I was frantically mashing X, biking from hillbilly land in the other direction. And I gotta say, I like towing vehicles a lot, haha. There's also a lot of things to spend your money on, which helps the end game even more. It feels like no matter what your interests are, there's at least one side activity that you can treat like a hobby and just focus on.
This replay was a very productive one, might be the most productive replay I ever had. It's hard to believe that since GTA V first came out, there's only one game that can challenge it on its turf (Watch Dogs 2, baby!). The open world modern city genre has not been in the spotlight for a while now, and many of the old GTA clones from back in the day has taken a down turn, or outright disappear. I really think that there's still so much to gain from this open world formula, and I hope GTA VI can prove it. There's a lot of new tricks that Rockstar can learn, and I have faith in their capability to excite us with something fresh.
Side note: there's so many cats and dogs running around the city now. I'm pretty sure they added these post PS3-360. They're so cute!
I have said before that Ragnarok is my easily my favorite GoW game. The way it weaved its massive tale of the Norse mythology, how it neatly tied it all at the end, and the massive strides it took to flesh out GoW 2018's combat fundamentals; it's a crowning achievement. And yet, it doesn't stop there. Valhalla feels like another leap forward, one that is taken with a good reason. While Ragnarok mostly deals with the world around Kratos, Valhalla looks within him, as he deals with a possible path to the future that is deeply connected with his past; a self he no longer wishes to be. Utilizing various lessons learned from the booming Roguelike genre, Valhalla shows this struggle through gameplay, as each repeated attempt to understand the self are displayed outwards: gaining a variety of powerups to approach things differently each time. Looking at things from a slightly different perspective. To keep moving onwards even when you have to start over, and over, and over, until clarity is achieved. But there is no end to self improvement. Valhalla always awaits you, and it is why this DLC is a gift that we all should be grateful of.