damienbutgameing
2021
I cannot possibly imagine having fun with this game without playing as asuka r♯, he hard carries my rating of this game. ignoring him, though, the ui is really crowded and unorganised, and gameplay is just kinda okay or boring for everyone else. asuka makes this game fun when everything else is just mid at best
2021
cow catcher is a very funny game, but it's actually just awful. the controls are horrible and it's wildly difficult to follow and understand, making it just awful to play
whoever's idea it was to put scrabble on wii should be immediately executed; thank god this game stayed in europe and didn't infect the us
scrabble just works awfully on wii. firstly, board games involving hidden pieces just do not work well as video games (unless you're using a gamecube with gbas as controllers), there will always be compromises and it'll always feel clunky and weird. secondly, selecting letters with the wii remote is insanely difficult, even with wii motion plus, because, for some reason, it was decided to make the letters the size of a micron, which no one would obviously have issues with. thirdly, this game is just so insanely boring. I do enjoy traditional scrabble, but, for some reason, this game is just so boring and makes scrabble feel like more of a drag than it normally sometimes is
traditional scrabble is just better than this game in every way: just play that instead, because this is an awful version of scrabble in every way
scrabble just works awfully on wii. firstly, board games involving hidden pieces just do not work well as video games (unless you're using a gamecube with gbas as controllers), there will always be compromises and it'll always feel clunky and weird. secondly, selecting letters with the wii remote is insanely difficult, even with wii motion plus, because, for some reason, it was decided to make the letters the size of a micron, which no one would obviously have issues with. thirdly, this game is just so insanely boring. I do enjoy traditional scrabble, but, for some reason, this game is just so boring and makes scrabble feel like more of a drag than it normally sometimes is
traditional scrabble is just better than this game in every way: just play that instead, because this is an awful version of scrabble in every way
2009
100% orange juice is one of the few games where I am completely drained of all happiness when I play it. it's funny when playing ironically, but, even when playing in this way, the complete and utter boredom that this game instils completely overtakes any jokes regarding it and just makes a completely miserable experience
this boredom is a result of how awful this game is as a party game. party games are fun because of the interactions between players, with most party games having elements of randomness, but also elements of strategy to make the game not feel too unfair. party games thrive off of laughing and screaming at the random but still trying during the strategy moments: mario party is THE party game series because it (sometimes) strikes this balance extremely well (specifically in mario party 3 which is peak)
100% orange juice completely puts all of its chips on randomness and leaves the tiniest crumbs of strategy. one rolls a dice during their turn and moves the given amount of spaces, and one chooses which direction to move. and that concludes almost all of the strategy of the game. the only other bits of strategy are the insanely bare and destitute battles, which demonstrate another major issue with this game
this game is one of the most boring and gruelling processes that I've ever endured. this game is literally just 'roll, choose direction', with there being essentially nothing else of value. battles are insanely simple and trivial, with them feeling awful because there's essentially no strategy or planning necessary because of how bare they are in terms of mechanics and difficulty
this game is just awful. I can barely stand it with friends while playing it ironically, it's just so insufferable. I really hate this boring and abhorrent excuse for a 'game' so much
this boredom is a result of how awful this game is as a party game. party games are fun because of the interactions between players, with most party games having elements of randomness, but also elements of strategy to make the game not feel too unfair. party games thrive off of laughing and screaming at the random but still trying during the strategy moments: mario party is THE party game series because it (sometimes) strikes this balance extremely well (specifically in mario party 3 which is peak)
100% orange juice completely puts all of its chips on randomness and leaves the tiniest crumbs of strategy. one rolls a dice during their turn and moves the given amount of spaces, and one chooses which direction to move. and that concludes almost all of the strategy of the game. the only other bits of strategy are the insanely bare and destitute battles, which demonstrate another major issue with this game
this game is one of the most boring and gruelling processes that I've ever endured. this game is literally just 'roll, choose direction', with there being essentially nothing else of value. battles are insanely simple and trivial, with them feeling awful because there's essentially no strategy or planning necessary because of how bare they are in terms of mechanics and difficulty
this game is just awful. I can barely stand it with friends while playing it ironically, it's just so insufferable. I really hate this boring and abhorrent excuse for a 'game' so much
1994
there is a very good reason why earthbound has become the inspiration for so many rpgs and game developers
earthbound has a certain energy that no other rpg - besides those in the mother series - has fully replicated. earthbound's style, its ost, its everything - it's so funky and wacky and charming in a way that one can only smile and appreciate as they make their way through the wonderful world of earthbound
the story of earthbound is timeless and applies to everyone: it's about the importance of love and friendships in life. you're tasked with finding the eight melodies which are hidden in sanctuaries that are protected by guardians. these melodies come together with the sound stone to form what is essentially the main theme of the game. while finding these melodies, your friendships with others - paula, jeff, and poo - are essential to your success. the game teaches about how love is vital to life, and, while there are bad parts of life, one can ultimately overcome the bad parts and look forward to the future with glee and optimism, illustrated by the game's other main theme song of pollyanna
while earthbound's combat is somewhat outdated (evident by mother 3's superior execution), its visual style and story are timeless. earthbound has its quirks and issues (mainly relating to its gameplay and balancing), but it is ultimately a game that makes one want to strive to be more positive and makes one want to go out and improve upon themself by doing something, even if it's crazy. because, just like how ness was just an ordinary boy who was able to save the world, you too can cause so much change if you just look forward and with your optimism guiding you and your potential propelling you
5/5
earthbound has a certain energy that no other rpg - besides those in the mother series - has fully replicated. earthbound's style, its ost, its everything - it's so funky and wacky and charming in a way that one can only smile and appreciate as they make their way through the wonderful world of earthbound
the story of earthbound is timeless and applies to everyone: it's about the importance of love and friendships in life. you're tasked with finding the eight melodies which are hidden in sanctuaries that are protected by guardians. these melodies come together with the sound stone to form what is essentially the main theme of the game. while finding these melodies, your friendships with others - paula, jeff, and poo - are essential to your success. the game teaches about how love is vital to life, and, while there are bad parts of life, one can ultimately overcome the bad parts and look forward to the future with glee and optimism, illustrated by the game's other main theme song of pollyanna
while earthbound's combat is somewhat outdated (evident by mother 3's superior execution), its visual style and story are timeless. earthbound has its quirks and issues (mainly relating to its gameplay and balancing), but it is ultimately a game that makes one want to strive to be more positive and makes one want to go out and improve upon themself by doing something, even if it's crazy. because, just like how ness was just an ordinary boy who was able to save the world, you too can cause so much change if you just look forward and with your optimism guiding you and your potential propelling you
5/5
1790+ hours
ultimate is a game that will forever hold a special place in my heart
compared to prior smash games, ultimate stands out in a few major ways. it is significantly more well-balanced than all other smash games (though it still has its moments), it has a slew of potential that has yet to be tapped, and it has a timeless energy that has only been matched by the likes of melee
all other smash games (bar melee) have had a pretty definitive 'best character' or meta: 64 has pikachu, brawl has meta knight, and 4 has bayonetta. ultimate, however, has had its top spot switch a fair amount of times in its lifespan. furthermore, not only does the 'best character' title switch fairly often, but there are few simply bad characters in the game - a majority of the cast is at least decent, and that's very commendable due to the massive size of the game's roster. its this well-balancing that makes ultimate a game that will be played for years to come, similar to melee. I'm sure that, just as melee has been at every major for the past 20 years, ultimate will too be at majors in the next 20 years
similar to melee, too, ultimate has a lot of aspects that have yet to be tapped and found. new tech is discovered all the time, and new counterplay is always developed due to how balanced the game is. other smash games suffer from there being a definitive best character who essentially negates the need to find counterplay amongst all other characters, but ultimate doesn't suffer from that, and it most likely never will, just like how melee hasn't for the past 20 years
it's the combination of these two things that makes ultimate have this 'timeless energy': it will not only be remembered purely because of how ambitious and monumentous the game itself is, but it will still have players in the coming decades. this game will stay alive and it will bring so much fun and joy with it
this is simply ignoring my personal connection with the game, but I believe that ultimate fully deserves to be called one of the best games of all time
ultimate is a game that will forever hold a special place in my heart
compared to prior smash games, ultimate stands out in a few major ways. it is significantly more well-balanced than all other smash games (though it still has its moments), it has a slew of potential that has yet to be tapped, and it has a timeless energy that has only been matched by the likes of melee
all other smash games (bar melee) have had a pretty definitive 'best character' or meta: 64 has pikachu, brawl has meta knight, and 4 has bayonetta. ultimate, however, has had its top spot switch a fair amount of times in its lifespan. furthermore, not only does the 'best character' title switch fairly often, but there are few simply bad characters in the game - a majority of the cast is at least decent, and that's very commendable due to the massive size of the game's roster. its this well-balancing that makes ultimate a game that will be played for years to come, similar to melee. I'm sure that, just as melee has been at every major for the past 20 years, ultimate will too be at majors in the next 20 years
similar to melee, too, ultimate has a lot of aspects that have yet to be tapped and found. new tech is discovered all the time, and new counterplay is always developed due to how balanced the game is. other smash games suffer from there being a definitive best character who essentially negates the need to find counterplay amongst all other characters, but ultimate doesn't suffer from that, and it most likely never will, just like how melee hasn't for the past 20 years
it's the combination of these two things that makes ultimate have this 'timeless energy': it will not only be remembered purely because of how ambitious and monumentous the game itself is, but it will still have players in the coming decades. this game will stay alive and it will bring so much fun and joy with it
this is simply ignoring my personal connection with the game, but I believe that ultimate fully deserves to be called one of the best games of all time
2018
celeste is one of the few games that I've played that I can say has, essentially, no flaws
the gameplay of celeste is simply phenomenal, with all chapters' layouts being exact and with intent. deaths never feel like they're the game's fault, they always feel like the player's fault. movement is quick, snappy, and feels absolutely wonderful to execute: very few games' gameplay has felt as good as moving quickly in celeste and barely avoiding death
this game is fairly difficult if you're not used to it, and I love that because of how simple the movement is. there are few options for what basic movement to do, but yet complex movement has still developed by doing precise inputs, making celeste simple to learn, but very difficult to master. it's this dichotomy that makes celeste so fun, because while, at its core, it is simple, it is maniacally difficult to fully understand and follow due to its nature
the story of celeste is also sweet and endearing, giving hope to those who play the game. its themes of mental illness and acceptance are themes that a lot of people - including me - suffer from, so, for a majority of its players, its story strikes a string that most often try to conceal, but it reveals the beautiful noise that it can produce once one opens and acknowledges these issues within oneself
celeste is simply a phenomenal game that everyone should play and finish - I sincerely recommend it to everyone
the gameplay of celeste is simply phenomenal, with all chapters' layouts being exact and with intent. deaths never feel like they're the game's fault, they always feel like the player's fault. movement is quick, snappy, and feels absolutely wonderful to execute: very few games' gameplay has felt as good as moving quickly in celeste and barely avoiding death
this game is fairly difficult if you're not used to it, and I love that because of how simple the movement is. there are few options for what basic movement to do, but yet complex movement has still developed by doing precise inputs, making celeste simple to learn, but very difficult to master. it's this dichotomy that makes celeste so fun, because while, at its core, it is simple, it is maniacally difficult to fully understand and follow due to its nature
the story of celeste is also sweet and endearing, giving hope to those who play the game. its themes of mental illness and acceptance are themes that a lot of people - including me - suffer from, so, for a majority of its players, its story strikes a string that most often try to conceal, but it reveals the beautiful noise that it can produce once one opens and acknowledges these issues within oneself
celeste is simply a phenomenal game that everyone should play and finish - I sincerely recommend it to everyone
2007
a perfect game
I don't know why I love this so much, but I do
incredibly underrated. it's definitely not for everyone, but I loved this game so much.
2011
what do I even say
2002
I tried and failed
2012
This review contains spoilers
persona 4 golden is easily my favourite game of all time. it may not be the best game ever, and it definitely has some flaws, but p4g has grappled and influenced me in a way that few other games have replicated, and its characters, story, and themes have deeply penetrated my mind and are subjects that I often think about
at its core, p4g is centred around one thing: the truth. thematically, characters in the investigation team must accept their shadow - a personification of their inner desires which they do not want to accept/see - to acquire their persona, which is a manifestation of their willpower to see and accept this truth: by accepting the truth and understanding it, characters acquire the power necessary to further themselves and become better people. this theme alone is very interesting to me, and I find myself constantly thinking about it whenever I think about myself and what I do because it shows how, even though some things may be hard to accept, by accepting those things, you'll be able to pursue further truths and better yourself in the process. this theme deeply hits my heart
going off the theme of finding the truth, p4g also deals with the interpretation of truth, and how, even though someone may see something as true, that doesn't ultimately mean that that thing is true. p4g suggests that, in these situations, it's necessary to reach out and find the truth hidden in the fog, as there is no sure way to figure out the truth, and this notion is deeply related to me. in my life, I've often found myself wondering about what people perceive as true and why they perceive these things in that way. ultimately, I find myself coming back to this theme in p4g whenever I wonder these things, as I always try to rid of the fog and see whether these things are true or not to ultimately pursue the truth, and I love this so much
besides the themes of p4g, the story of p4g was insanely enjoyable. I played p4g with knowledge of adachi being the murderer, yet I still found the story greatly engaging and interesting: it was still very fun to try and see the evidence for adachi being the murderer. one of the major factors that pushed the quality of the story for me were the characters in p4g, which I absolutely adore
the entire investigation team is amazing. the relationships among characters is highly entertaining and fun to observe and see. I cannot fully describe how much I enjoy all the characters in this game, with the only exceptions being teddie and, to some degree, kanji, but I still quite enjoy kanji, and teddie is teddie, which no one likes. the characters in p4g have some of the best and most realistic dynamics that I have ever seen in a game, and I believe that that's what makes them so good: it feels like a real a true friend group rather than a group of people that are simply collaborating to achieve a goal, which, to some degree, p3 and p5's teams feel like
then there's naoto. I absolutely adore naoto: she's probably my favourite fictional character. I love everything about her, which I think is pretty obvious because I use her as my pfp on quite literally all platforms
then there's adachi. adachi is one of my favourite characters ever, because I can also relate to what he stands for despite it opposing what the investigation teams stands for. adachi is a very realistic character whose points are understandable, and I really like that: it isn't completely clear who is right when it comes to truth in the game, evident by the adachi boss fight where I, personally, was torn on whether what I was fighting for during the entire game was truly the right option. I just adore adachi, even when disregarding all the memes
to save a lot more, I simply adore p4g so, so, so much. this is easily my favourite game of all time: I love p4g
at its core, p4g is centred around one thing: the truth. thematically, characters in the investigation team must accept their shadow - a personification of their inner desires which they do not want to accept/see - to acquire their persona, which is a manifestation of their willpower to see and accept this truth: by accepting the truth and understanding it, characters acquire the power necessary to further themselves and become better people. this theme alone is very interesting to me, and I find myself constantly thinking about it whenever I think about myself and what I do because it shows how, even though some things may be hard to accept, by accepting those things, you'll be able to pursue further truths and better yourself in the process. this theme deeply hits my heart
going off the theme of finding the truth, p4g also deals with the interpretation of truth, and how, even though someone may see something as true, that doesn't ultimately mean that that thing is true. p4g suggests that, in these situations, it's necessary to reach out and find the truth hidden in the fog, as there is no sure way to figure out the truth, and this notion is deeply related to me. in my life, I've often found myself wondering about what people perceive as true and why they perceive these things in that way. ultimately, I find myself coming back to this theme in p4g whenever I wonder these things, as I always try to rid of the fog and see whether these things are true or not to ultimately pursue the truth, and I love this so much
besides the themes of p4g, the story of p4g was insanely enjoyable. I played p4g with knowledge of adachi being the murderer, yet I still found the story greatly engaging and interesting: it was still very fun to try and see the evidence for adachi being the murderer. one of the major factors that pushed the quality of the story for me were the characters in p4g, which I absolutely adore
the entire investigation team is amazing. the relationships among characters is highly entertaining and fun to observe and see. I cannot fully describe how much I enjoy all the characters in this game, with the only exceptions being teddie and, to some degree, kanji, but I still quite enjoy kanji, and teddie is teddie, which no one likes. the characters in p4g have some of the best and most realistic dynamics that I have ever seen in a game, and I believe that that's what makes them so good: it feels like a real a true friend group rather than a group of people that are simply collaborating to achieve a goal, which, to some degree, p3 and p5's teams feel like
then there's naoto. I absolutely adore naoto: she's probably my favourite fictional character. I love everything about her, which I think is pretty obvious because I use her as my pfp on quite literally all platforms
then there's adachi. adachi is one of my favourite characters ever, because I can also relate to what he stands for despite it opposing what the investigation teams stands for. adachi is a very realistic character whose points are understandable, and I really like that: it isn't completely clear who is right when it comes to truth in the game, evident by the adachi boss fight where I, personally, was torn on whether what I was fighting for during the entire game was truly the right option. I just adore adachi, even when disregarding all the memes
to save a lot more, I simply adore p4g so, so, so much. this is easily my favourite game of all time: I love p4g
2017
not my thing
there's a lot to say about tears of the kingdom
personally, I really enjoyed my time with botw due to its open-world nature and its shrines, which I heavily enjoyed. furthermore, I thought the setting was very fun. the story was mediocre, but, to be fair, I wasn't expecting much from it because botw, at its core, isn't a game that's driven by story. it's a game that's meant to be explored and tinkered with in its vast world
totk has a similar core, but it was definitely altered with it making more room for story, with this being the game's major downfall
totk takes place in hyrule too, but features a new slate of shrines that are, in my opinion, not as interesting or fun as botw's, but that might just be due to botw's shrines being new at the time, so they stood out more. totk keeps true to botw's tinkering core by implementing new abilities that are frankly great at allowing players to solve problems how they want to while also allowing just being very fun to use, and I commend them for this
in-terms of playable content, totk greatly expands upon botw by having the underground (and, to some extent, the sky), which is great fun to explore and slowly map out
the story, however, which was a major focus of this game evident by it being much more linear than botw, is a major fault that ultimately pushes the game down a fair amount for me
while totk has its great aspects, I was able to mostly disregard botw's attempt at a story due to it not being a major focal point of the game. with totk, however, it was clear that the story of the game was something that wanted to be fair more promoted, so it's significantly harder to ignore its flaws. despite the story being lacklustre, however, totk still offers so much good that I have to give it 4.5 stars: it's simply a modern classic that, while definitely flawed, is absolutely a must-play, just like its predecessor botw
personally, I really enjoyed my time with botw due to its open-world nature and its shrines, which I heavily enjoyed. furthermore, I thought the setting was very fun. the story was mediocre, but, to be fair, I wasn't expecting much from it because botw, at its core, isn't a game that's driven by story. it's a game that's meant to be explored and tinkered with in its vast world
totk has a similar core, but it was definitely altered with it making more room for story, with this being the game's major downfall
totk takes place in hyrule too, but features a new slate of shrines that are, in my opinion, not as interesting or fun as botw's, but that might just be due to botw's shrines being new at the time, so they stood out more. totk keeps true to botw's tinkering core by implementing new abilities that are frankly great at allowing players to solve problems how they want to while also allowing just being very fun to use, and I commend them for this
in-terms of playable content, totk greatly expands upon botw by having the underground (and, to some extent, the sky), which is great fun to explore and slowly map out
the story, however, which was a major focus of this game evident by it being much more linear than botw, is a major fault that ultimately pushes the game down a fair amount for me
while totk has its great aspects, I was able to mostly disregard botw's attempt at a story due to it not being a major focal point of the game. with totk, however, it was clear that the story of the game was something that wanted to be fair more promoted, so it's significantly harder to ignore its flaws. despite the story being lacklustre, however, totk still offers so much good that I have to give it 4.5 stars: it's simply a modern classic that, while definitely flawed, is absolutely a must-play, just like its predecessor botw