After initially playing 10 minutes and giving up on the game I decided to go back to it and finish it. I should have listened to my gut instinct and stopped at 10 minutes.
Immortals Fenyx Rising is plain and simple a Breath of the Wild clone and not in a good way, it misses everything Zelda managed to do correctly, the vaults are tedious and boring and the stamina meter is completely unnecessary and is there so the game has some kind of 'challenge' to it.
It also felt kinda cheap knowing that some sound effects and gameplay elements were directly ripped from Assassin's Creed: Odyssey.
The game wasn't long but my god did it feel like it was going on forever - not helped by the just annoying voice overs from Zeus and Prometheus trying their hardest to be funny.
I didn't mind the combat, as it was pretty much just Odyssey's combat and there were elements of a good game in there but unfortunately those elements were buried under so much mediocrity...
Immortals Fenyx Rising is plain and simple a Breath of the Wild clone and not in a good way, it misses everything Zelda managed to do correctly, the vaults are tedious and boring and the stamina meter is completely unnecessary and is there so the game has some kind of 'challenge' to it.
It also felt kinda cheap knowing that some sound effects and gameplay elements were directly ripped from Assassin's Creed: Odyssey.
The game wasn't long but my god did it feel like it was going on forever - not helped by the just annoying voice overs from Zeus and Prometheus trying their hardest to be funny.
I didn't mind the combat, as it was pretty much just Odyssey's combat and there were elements of a good game in there but unfortunately those elements were buried under so much mediocrity...
2014
Bayonetta 2 takes everything fun about the first game and amplifies it - The relentless hack and slash action, the overarching and explicit campiness and overt sexual tones.
It was just a fun experience with a decently told story. Did it do much else past that? Nope.
Do I need it to have? Absolutely not.
I’m super excited to see where they take the series with the third instalment now…
It was just a fun experience with a decently told story. Did it do much else past that? Nope.
Do I need it to have? Absolutely not.
I’m super excited to see where they take the series with the third instalment now…
2016
Far Cry Primal tells you it’s sending you back to 10,000 BCE but feels more like it’s placed you down in a wildlife reserve with a couple of mammoths, sabretooth tigers and only some neanderthal looking npc’s.
Now, I know it’ll make some Far Cry fans hate me - but this genuinely out of the three Far Cry games I’ve played (and the two I’ve completed) is probably the most enjoyable time I’ve had in the franchise yet.
Maybe it’s because theres no cars with the weird feeling of controlling them? Maybe it’s the lack of guns and focus on melee weapons and bows / spears?
I did find the tamed animals could be irritating and get in the way all the damn time, especially when trying to loot bodies - and why do they all seem to have no health whatsoever? Every single time I was in combat they’d be dead within seconds.
However, I found the smaller world less overwhelming and made me actually want to explore it - knowing I wouldnt spend 40 hours doing the same things over and over.
4 likes
Now, I know it’ll make some Far Cry fans hate me - but this genuinely out of the three Far Cry games I’ve played (and the two I’ve completed) is probably the most enjoyable time I’ve had in the franchise yet.
Maybe it’s because theres no cars with the weird feeling of controlling them? Maybe it’s the lack of guns and focus on melee weapons and bows / spears?
I did find the tamed animals could be irritating and get in the way all the damn time, especially when trying to loot bodies - and why do they all seem to have no health whatsoever? Every single time I was in combat they’d be dead within seconds.
However, I found the smaller world less overwhelming and made me actually want to explore it - knowing I wouldnt spend 40 hours doing the same things over and over.
4 likes
NEO: The world ends with you is a beautifully stylish and story-heavy game with an incredibly addictive combat mechanic that has cemented it as one of my favourite releases of 2021.
While it does catch you off guard with the amount of cutscenes and dialogue, each of these moments helps build up the world you’re in and the adds the necessary character depth to make you want to see it through to the end.
While it does catch you off guard with the amount of cutscenes and dialogue, each of these moments helps build up the world you’re in and the adds the necessary character depth to make you want to see it through to the end.
Uncharted: The Lost Legacy might genuinely be my favourite entry in the franchise. And while it’s one of the - if not the shortest in the series, it’s certainly unparalleled.
The reasoning for it being my favourite is down to one thing - the writing and characterisation of Chloe and Nadine. I’ve genuinely no idea how Naughty Dog made such excellent choices to make these characters have completely natural arcs and incredibly witty dialogue.
The back and forth banter between the two just works.
In all honesty this game is the sole reason I picked up the Legacy of Thieves Collection and if you haven’t played it, you absolutely must.
(Now please, Naughty Dog, give me an entire series based off of Chloe and Nadine’s adventures..)
The reasoning for it being my favourite is down to one thing - the writing and characterisation of Chloe and Nadine. I’ve genuinely no idea how Naughty Dog made such excellent choices to make these characters have completely natural arcs and incredibly witty dialogue.
The back and forth banter between the two just works.
In all honesty this game is the sole reason I picked up the Legacy of Thieves Collection and if you haven’t played it, you absolutely must.
(Now please, Naughty Dog, give me an entire series based off of Chloe and Nadine’s adventures..)
Death Stranding: Directors Cut marks my third playthrough of the game, having played the original PS4 release and then the PC port of the original.
The directors cut adds in additional features and quirks that makes the replay a little more exiting but not anything that makes the game any easier or anything substantial to differentiate it from the initial release (besides the buddy bot).
That being said, Death Stranding still has such an interesting integration of storytelling and gameplay - the idea of being so alone but connected to other players through shared structures to make the ultimate ‘delivering from a-b’ mechanic much easier.
This reflects the story as a whole - a world divided by solitude due to the ‘Death Stranding’ and your goal to reconnect it all and earn the trust of the now separated ‘settlements’ (and just for good measure of reinforcing this being the story the main character - portrayed by Norman Reedus - has ‘Asphenphosmphobia’ - the fear of being touched)
While the game doesn’t have a whole lot of action and reflects closer to that of a ‘walking simulator’ there’s something so charming about it that I’m absolutely fine with the few encounters it does have with combat, infact, I’d have actually preferred it to have no combat at all just pure focus on the core heart of the story - this connectivity emboldened by isolation.
Also, just a last minute shout out to the performances by Léa seydoux, Margaret Qualley, Norman Reedus, Mads Mikkleson, Troy Baker and Tommie Earl Jenkins who were absolutely incredible.
The directors cut adds in additional features and quirks that makes the replay a little more exiting but not anything that makes the game any easier or anything substantial to differentiate it from the initial release (besides the buddy bot).
That being said, Death Stranding still has such an interesting integration of storytelling and gameplay - the idea of being so alone but connected to other players through shared structures to make the ultimate ‘delivering from a-b’ mechanic much easier.
This reflects the story as a whole - a world divided by solitude due to the ‘Death Stranding’ and your goal to reconnect it all and earn the trust of the now separated ‘settlements’ (and just for good measure of reinforcing this being the story the main character - portrayed by Norman Reedus - has ‘Asphenphosmphobia’ - the fear of being touched)
While the game doesn’t have a whole lot of action and reflects closer to that of a ‘walking simulator’ there’s something so charming about it that I’m absolutely fine with the few encounters it does have with combat, infact, I’d have actually preferred it to have no combat at all just pure focus on the core heart of the story - this connectivity emboldened by isolation.
Also, just a last minute shout out to the performances by Léa seydoux, Margaret Qualley, Norman Reedus, Mads Mikkleson, Troy Baker and Tommie Earl Jenkins who were absolutely incredible.
2009
Honestly why has this game not been ported to newer systems? If Damacy can be ported, so can this god damn it!!!
2005
Katamari Damacy may have started the franchise but We ♥ Katamari created the blueprint for the rest of the series.
As the sequel to Damacy it had big shoes to fill, successfully following on a game that created its own unique and fun gameplay and not being just a bloated rehash of the first - We ♥ Katamari manages to follow suit of the games that manage to succeed in expanding on the gameplay while retaining the core aspects of what made the first so enjoyable.
It also contains many of the levels that would go on to be the best parts of later games.
We ♥ Katamari is undoubtedly the 2nd best the franchise has to offer, being bested only by Forever (and that's only because forever does what this one does best and expands).
As the sequel to Damacy it had big shoes to fill, successfully following on a game that created its own unique and fun gameplay and not being just a bloated rehash of the first - We ♥ Katamari manages to follow suit of the games that manage to succeed in expanding on the gameplay while retaining the core aspects of what made the first so enjoyable.
It also contains many of the levels that would go on to be the best parts of later games.
We ♥ Katamari is undoubtedly the 2nd best the franchise has to offer, being bested only by Forever (and that's only because forever does what this one does best and expands).
Forbidden West takes everything that made Zero Dawn so damn enjoyable and expands upon it tenfold, with more engaging side quests that feel like whole arcs, more characters and good writing for each, more weapons and traversal tools that make it a joy to get across the vast open world.
It’s also absolutely jawdroppingly gorgeous to look at - having some of the best visuals the PS5 currently has to offer. I often found myself stopping and just staring at the beauty of the landscape and then spending too much time in photo mode.
While I did thoroughly enjoy - There were times where the controls bugged me. Underwater segments are never my favourite thing in a game, Forbidden West has quite a few of them and I found myself wrestling with the navigation through these sections. I also found a few times where Aloy would just not grab onto the next ledge or completely slide off of something she’d meant to land on.
Do not get me wrong though, I absolutely cannot wait for the sequel and that conclusion to the epic story Guerrilla have laid out…
It’s also absolutely jawdroppingly gorgeous to look at - having some of the best visuals the PS5 currently has to offer. I often found myself stopping and just staring at the beauty of the landscape and then spending too much time in photo mode.
While I did thoroughly enjoy - There were times where the controls bugged me. Underwater segments are never my favourite thing in a game, Forbidden West has quite a few of them and I found myself wrestling with the navigation through these sections. I also found a few times where Aloy would just not grab onto the next ledge or completely slide off of something she’d meant to land on.
Do not get me wrong though, I absolutely cannot wait for the sequel and that conclusion to the epic story Guerrilla have laid out…
2019
Luigi’s Mansion 3 provided a fun but short experience that had me chuckling throughout. Some puzzles took me a little too long to get (maybe that’s just because I’m stupid) but there was never a moment I stopped enjoying it.
It did make me wonder how an egyptian pyramid with tombs, a pirate cove with an ocean etc. all fit into a skyscraper-esque hotel but the variation to each level they provided was absolutely worth the absurdity of it all.
I did feel like it was missing something to actually spend all the coins on (I know the point of them is for the end scoring, but upgrades, abilities etc would’ve been a nice touch).
The bosses were each a delight to battle against having their own unique approach and style with that added charm and comic characteristics you expect from a luigi’s mansion game.
Also 2 stars just for the press A to ‘maaarioooo’ feature
It did make me wonder how an egyptian pyramid with tombs, a pirate cove with an ocean etc. all fit into a skyscraper-esque hotel but the variation to each level they provided was absolutely worth the absurdity of it all.
I did feel like it was missing something to actually spend all the coins on (I know the point of them is for the end scoring, but upgrades, abilities etc would’ve been a nice touch).
The bosses were each a delight to battle against having their own unique approach and style with that added charm and comic characteristics you expect from a luigi’s mansion game.
Also 2 stars just for the press A to ‘maaarioooo’ feature
Forbidden West takes everything that made Zero Dawn so damn enjoyable and expands upon it tenfold, with more engaging side quests that feel like whole arcs, more characters and good writing for each, more weapons and traversal tools that make it a joy to get across the vast open world.
It’s also absolutely jawdroppingly gorgeous to look at - having some of the best visuals the PS5 currently has to offer. I often found myself stopping and just staring at the beauty of the landscape and then spending too much time in photo mode.
While I did thoroughly enjoy - There were times where the controls bugged me. Underwater segments are never my favourite thing in a game, Forbidden West has quite a few of them and I found myself wrestling with the navigation through these sections. I also found a few times where Aloy would just not grab onto the next ledge or completely slide off of something she’d meant to land on.
Do not get me wrong though, I absolutely cannot wait for the sequel and that conclusion to the epic story Guerrilla have laid out…
It’s also absolutely jawdroppingly gorgeous to look at - having some of the best visuals the PS5 currently has to offer. I often found myself stopping and just staring at the beauty of the landscape and then spending too much time in photo mode.
While I did thoroughly enjoy - There were times where the controls bugged me. Underwater segments are never my favourite thing in a game, Forbidden West has quite a few of them and I found myself wrestling with the navigation through these sections. I also found a few times where Aloy would just not grab onto the next ledge or completely slide off of something she’d meant to land on.
Do not get me wrong though, I absolutely cannot wait for the sequel and that conclusion to the epic story Guerrilla have laid out…
Return of the Obra Dinn is one of the most visually distinct games I've ever played, and I mean that as a compliment.
Sure, at times it becomes hard to make out faces because of the art style, but that's part of the gameplay itself - trying to sift through these memories of people that died upon the Obra Dinn to find out who they are and what killed them.
Which brings me onto gameplay - It's such a simple premise of a murder mystery but it's incredibly addictive. Simply walk about a ship, relive memories of the crew and solve how they died, if they died, and by what means.
There's not a lot I can say without potentially spoiling the game but my god, If you get the chance and aren't put off by 'point and click' esque games, definitely check it out.
Sure, at times it becomes hard to make out faces because of the art style, but that's part of the gameplay itself - trying to sift through these memories of people that died upon the Obra Dinn to find out who they are and what killed them.
Which brings me onto gameplay - It's such a simple premise of a murder mystery but it's incredibly addictive. Simply walk about a ship, relive memories of the crew and solve how they died, if they died, and by what means.
There's not a lot I can say without potentially spoiling the game but my god, If you get the chance and aren't put off by 'point and click' esque games, definitely check it out.
2020
Honestly one of the more frustrating-yet-fun 'sandbox' games I've played in a while.
Besiege throws scenarios at you, a bunch of tools and says 'build something to conquer this'. There's so much freedom in how you conquer obstacles, so much so that half of the tools I haven't even touched through my playthrough - logic related stuff I just completely ignored and ended up creating a somewhat 'one-size fits all' type creation that lead me through the majority of the game.
Besiege throws scenarios at you, a bunch of tools and says 'build something to conquer this'. There's so much freedom in how you conquer obstacles, so much so that half of the tools I haven't even touched through my playthrough - logic related stuff I just completely ignored and ended up creating a somewhat 'one-size fits all' type creation that lead me through the majority of the game.
Kirby transitioned to full 3D for the first time and while there are a few dimensional growing pains (simplistic level design, not enough use for all the powerups you end up collecting) - the overall experience is a joyous pleasure to go through and one I’d happily do again.
I didn't think I'd like this game as I'm a big wuss who cannot do the whole first-person horror genre, but after forcing myself to just face it head on I actually started to really enjoy it.
Of course there are moments where it's 'scary' - mostly during story segments in pitch-black interiors, but even then pretty much all of those missions can be bypassed by some good old-fashioned run and 'gun'-ing.
Now, while I did have a lot of fun playing through the story the one thing that constantly bugged me throughout playing was, annoyingly, the parkour - even though this also was the best part of the game . There were so many times where I'd either end up wall-running when I just wanted to jump, or I'd miss a ledge, or I'd simply not move on a pole because I wasn't looking in the right direction causing me to then move off of the pole onto a nearby ledge and then back onto the pole again.
Annoyingly though, the parkour is the best part of the game because while the combat is there, it can be 'cheesed' by literally just drop kicking everyone - and also, no weapon repairing? really? I know you get hundreds in the game but cmon? upgrading and repairing? practically basic stuff in games now.
Of course there are moments where it's 'scary' - mostly during story segments in pitch-black interiors, but even then pretty much all of those missions can be bypassed by some good old-fashioned run and 'gun'-ing.
Now, while I did have a lot of fun playing through the story the one thing that constantly bugged me throughout playing was, annoyingly, the parkour - even though this also was the best part of the game . There were so many times where I'd either end up wall-running when I just wanted to jump, or I'd miss a ledge, or I'd simply not move on a pole because I wasn't looking in the right direction causing me to then move off of the pole onto a nearby ledge and then back onto the pole again.
Annoyingly though, the parkour is the best part of the game because while the combat is there, it can be 'cheesed' by literally just drop kicking everyone - and also, no weapon repairing? really? I know you get hundreds in the game but cmon? upgrading and repairing? practically basic stuff in games now.