Having just finished this a second ago, firstly let me say I need a nap. I need to just be in total silence for a bit.
Requiem doesn’t shake up too much from the first game in terms of gameplay - sure there’s a few extra item types and a crossbow - but it’s fundamentally the same, however there’s now more graphical detail, more set pieces, a more fleshed out story and lore to this world.
And it’s the story that really makes it all worth it. Jesus christ does it feel oppressive and bleak constantly. There’s moments of pause and cheerfulness but you know those moments are fleeting.
Also, fantastic job from the voice actors/ mo-cap that really managed to sell the emotions of the characters.
Requiem doesn’t shake up too much from the first game in terms of gameplay - sure there’s a few extra item types and a crossbow - but it’s fundamentally the same, however there’s now more graphical detail, more set pieces, a more fleshed out story and lore to this world.
And it’s the story that really makes it all worth it. Jesus christ does it feel oppressive and bleak constantly. There’s moments of pause and cheerfulness but you know those moments are fleeting.
Also, fantastic job from the voice actors/ mo-cap that really managed to sell the emotions of the characters.
2018
Yakuza 3 is an odd one, especially the remaster.
I suppose had I played 1 and 2 in their original state before their ‘remaster’/‘remake’s the combat and gameplay would feel way more natural to me, but, it annoyingly felt … outdated.
Now, as I’ve said in all of my Yakuza reviews - the story is absolutely 90% of what matters when you start a Yakuza game. The gameplay is almost secondary - but this one just irked me. Why do enemies just block constantly? Every single fight was a chore trying to break their blocks and get maybe one attack in before they blocked again.
I did enjoy yet another new area to explore, even if I just want to spend eternity within Kamurocho.
I don’t think this entry will be one I return to quickly, unfortunately.
I suppose had I played 1 and 2 in their original state before their ‘remaster’/‘remake’s the combat and gameplay would feel way more natural to me, but, it annoyingly felt … outdated.
Now, as I’ve said in all of my Yakuza reviews - the story is absolutely 90% of what matters when you start a Yakuza game. The gameplay is almost secondary - but this one just irked me. Why do enemies just block constantly? Every single fight was a chore trying to break their blocks and get maybe one attack in before they blocked again.
I did enjoy yet another new area to explore, even if I just want to spend eternity within Kamurocho.
I don’t think this entry will be one I return to quickly, unfortunately.
We Love Katamari Reroll was not on my list of games I'd see coming out ever, however, I'm so glad it did.
It gave the original the slight - and i mean slight - visual update it needed, and let me relive this classic once again.
It remains my second favourite Katamari entry (after Forever), purely because of how much level variation it has over Damacy.
I do wish the Royal Reverie had more levels, though. It felt like an afterthought - and also, the music pack dlc. lol. £10 extra for only an in-game soundtrack, and not even a complete soundtrack of all the other games either.
It gave the original the slight - and i mean slight - visual update it needed, and let me relive this classic once again.
It remains my second favourite Katamari entry (after Forever), purely because of how much level variation it has over Damacy.
I do wish the Royal Reverie had more levels, though. It felt like an afterthought - and also, the music pack dlc. lol. £10 extra for only an in-game soundtrack, and not even a complete soundtrack of all the other games either.
My second playthrough of Dying Light 2 cemented how I feel about this game,
It's good, it's enjoyable, but it could do a lot more.
It just feels like it's missing... something?
I'm also rarely-never a fan of level scaling with enemies, let me level up, reach the maximum and just plow through everyone. Why do I still feel 'under levelled' when I've got no other skills I could possibly get?
I'm also not a huuuuge fan of the weapon damage system in this, it seems weapons break way too fast and unlike other games where they have this, there's nothing else to 'experiment' with in terms of weaponry as an alternative.
Besides that, the story is alright, the world is somewhat detailed and filled with things to do and the traversal is great.
It's good, it's enjoyable, but it could do a lot more.
It just feels like it's missing... something?
I'm also rarely-never a fan of level scaling with enemies, let me level up, reach the maximum and just plow through everyone. Why do I still feel 'under levelled' when I've got no other skills I could possibly get?
I'm also not a huuuuge fan of the weapon damage system in this, it seems weapons break way too fast and unlike other games where they have this, there's nothing else to 'experiment' with in terms of weaponry as an alternative.
Besides that, the story is alright, the world is somewhat detailed and filled with things to do and the traversal is great.
2023
[Reviewed with only the main story complete]
Diablo IV is my first - I know, shocking and digusting - Diablo game I've completed, I played around half of 3 with my partner a couple of years ago, and bought the remaster of 2 when it released, but never started it.
I knew what I wanted going in to this, that same experience as before, no major changes, no deviations into something radically different, just let me be a sorcerer again and stand there and hold a button and defeat waves after waves of enemies, and, to nobody's surprise, that's exactly what I got.
Diablo IV does some new interesting things though, for a start the world is now one giant open world instead of separate open areas. For someone like me, it's not that much of a difference to notice, but I assume for Diablo's die hard fans its quite the change. The skill tree is also reworked and has some fun new abilities and power-ups for those abilities, I ended up being mostly just a Pyromancer but ended up towards the end being both that and a Cyromancer.
The story is fine, it's not anything I cared for too much, but the 'full' cinematics - as sparce as they are - are absolutely gorgeous.
There's also a l o t of side content in this game, which, is to be expected. Every Diablo game is littered with side content for that replayability and longevity of playthroughs.
I'll absolutely be going back to it to pick up where I left off and complete everything for this game, I'm so glad I took the chance of picking it up.
Diablo IV is my first - I know, shocking and digusting - Diablo game I've completed, I played around half of 3 with my partner a couple of years ago, and bought the remaster of 2 when it released, but never started it.
I knew what I wanted going in to this, that same experience as before, no major changes, no deviations into something radically different, just let me be a sorcerer again and stand there and hold a button and defeat waves after waves of enemies, and, to nobody's surprise, that's exactly what I got.
Diablo IV does some new interesting things though, for a start the world is now one giant open world instead of separate open areas. For someone like me, it's not that much of a difference to notice, but I assume for Diablo's die hard fans its quite the change. The skill tree is also reworked and has some fun new abilities and power-ups for those abilities, I ended up being mostly just a Pyromancer but ended up towards the end being both that and a Cyromancer.
The story is fine, it's not anything I cared for too much, but the 'full' cinematics - as sparce as they are - are absolutely gorgeous.
There's also a l o t of side content in this game, which, is to be expected. Every Diablo game is littered with side content for that replayability and longevity of playthroughs.
I'll absolutely be going back to it to pick up where I left off and complete everything for this game, I'm so glad I took the chance of picking it up.
2023
53 hours after I first started my journey into Valisthea and I’ve come away with some mixed feelings about it all.
Visually, the game is stunning the cinematics are some of the best I’ve seen so far this current gen and while going into actual gameplay from a cinematic you can notice a visual downgrade, it’s not significant to the point of ‘no! Go back to what I was just seeing’. There also comes a slight framerate inconsistency with this as at times - though not often - I would notice it struggle along - even on performance mode. Most notably when there was an Eikon battle or if I’d activated too many Eikon abilities that did something flashy (Bahamut’s abilities, mainly).
Now the combat, whilst it stuck to FFXV’s deviation as a mainline title away from turn-based to realtime, as did FFVII Remake, they put far more depth into it besides ‘hold square to attack’ (unless you use the accessibility equiptment, then it is just that). My issue with it is, they didn’t take it quite far enough for it to be more than just ‘good’ action combat. You have the ability to slot three Eikons and their abilities or mix and match with upgrades, but, the basic attacks lacked variety of combos to help keep you engaged when you’e burned through the Eikon abilities and are waiting for them to recharge.
The story to me though was the main draw. Square managed to tell a completely attention grabbing plot, though it has its issues - the main being that there’s no real strong female presence within it, besides Jill, who, after halfway ends up being relegated to the background in a baffling move.
I found it also ended up being far grander and in depth than the actual gameplay itself. There’s so much lore and work they’ve put into the history of Valisthea, its conflicts, the people, but they end up being mostly just footnotes and playing the game past all the explanatory cutscenes never feels as grand as these moments want you to feel it is.
Oh and as a final thought - the soundtrack. Orchestral and empowering at times, and then, for every single boss battle be it main or just a larger enemy just the same track on a loop that gets real dull and irritating after the third listen, I didn’t really even notice many changes whilst in the overworld - no real town specific music and that was kinda disappointing honestly.
Visually, the game is stunning the cinematics are some of the best I’ve seen so far this current gen and while going into actual gameplay from a cinematic you can notice a visual downgrade, it’s not significant to the point of ‘no! Go back to what I was just seeing’. There also comes a slight framerate inconsistency with this as at times - though not often - I would notice it struggle along - even on performance mode. Most notably when there was an Eikon battle or if I’d activated too many Eikon abilities that did something flashy (Bahamut’s abilities, mainly).
Now the combat, whilst it stuck to FFXV’s deviation as a mainline title away from turn-based to realtime, as did FFVII Remake, they put far more depth into it besides ‘hold square to attack’ (unless you use the accessibility equiptment, then it is just that). My issue with it is, they didn’t take it quite far enough for it to be more than just ‘good’ action combat. You have the ability to slot three Eikons and their abilities or mix and match with upgrades, but, the basic attacks lacked variety of combos to help keep you engaged when you’e burned through the Eikon abilities and are waiting for them to recharge.
The story to me though was the main draw. Square managed to tell a completely attention grabbing plot, though it has its issues - the main being that there’s no real strong female presence within it, besides Jill, who, after halfway ends up being relegated to the background in a baffling move.
I found it also ended up being far grander and in depth than the actual gameplay itself. There’s so much lore and work they’ve put into the history of Valisthea, its conflicts, the people, but they end up being mostly just footnotes and playing the game past all the explanatory cutscenes never feels as grand as these moments want you to feel it is.
Oh and as a final thought - the soundtrack. Orchestral and empowering at times, and then, for every single boss battle be it main or just a larger enemy just the same track on a loop that gets real dull and irritating after the third listen, I didn’t really even notice many changes whilst in the overworld - no real town specific music and that was kinda disappointing honestly.
2023
Viewfinder tries something new and succeeds, however it's left me wanting more - with only around 4 hours of gameplay (I understand and know it's an indie puzzle game, they tend to be only 4 hours) - I just felt like we'd started to barely scratch the surface of interesting puzzles and ideas for solving each one.
It was genuinely enjoyable replaying certain areas and creating a new solution (where possible) to solve the current level.
I just wish it was maybe another 4-5 hours longer...
It was genuinely enjoyable replaying certain areas and creating a new solution (where possible) to solve the current level.
I just wish it was maybe another 4-5 hours longer...
The Outer Worlds is a good RPG, however, there's something about it that feels... off? I can't ever put my finger on what exactly it is that just doesn't feel right about it - but I felt the same when I played through it on PS4.
There's not a whole lot of 'side content' and not a whole lot of main quests either, the areas you can explore are pretty small too - being just portions of certain planets and sure these are nicely 'detailed' areas that aren't expansive for the sake of expansive but they still feel quite empty.
You can't explore a vast majority of the 'ruined' or 'abandoned' houses which isn't exactly a big deal but when you have your playable world(s) split into smaller areas you'd expect to be able to explore pretty much all of it.
I do however, like the fact that if you put enough points into the right kinda build of character you can pretty much just walk through the game talking your way out of most all trouble put towards you - for example I pretty much finished the game by passing a persuasion check allowing me to just walk right on through the final area without the big onslaught of fighting.
It is a genuinely enjoyable game, despite how negative I appear to be on it. It has good characters and of the 'smaller' than average availability of quests most of them are well written and enjoyable. There's also 6 companions, 5 of which have pretty enjoyable questlines. It's also nice to be able to have 'skills' for your companions too.
This was also my first time playing the DLC for The Outer Worlds - I really enjoyed 'Murder on Eridanos' which changed things up to task the player with solving a murder. Meanwhile with 'Peril on Gorgon' I just didn't care for it much, it felt kinda like the rest of the game and with playing Murder on Eridanos first it was like going back to the main game after being presented something fresh.
There's not a whole lot of 'side content' and not a whole lot of main quests either, the areas you can explore are pretty small too - being just portions of certain planets and sure these are nicely 'detailed' areas that aren't expansive for the sake of expansive but they still feel quite empty.
You can't explore a vast majority of the 'ruined' or 'abandoned' houses which isn't exactly a big deal but when you have your playable world(s) split into smaller areas you'd expect to be able to explore pretty much all of it.
I do however, like the fact that if you put enough points into the right kinda build of character you can pretty much just walk through the game talking your way out of most all trouble put towards you - for example I pretty much finished the game by passing a persuasion check allowing me to just walk right on through the final area without the big onslaught of fighting.
It is a genuinely enjoyable game, despite how negative I appear to be on it. It has good characters and of the 'smaller' than average availability of quests most of them are well written and enjoyable. There's also 6 companions, 5 of which have pretty enjoyable questlines. It's also nice to be able to have 'skills' for your companions too.
This was also my first time playing the DLC for The Outer Worlds - I really enjoyed 'Murder on Eridanos' which changed things up to task the player with solving a murder. Meanwhile with 'Peril on Gorgon' I just didn't care for it much, it felt kinda like the rest of the game and with playing Murder on Eridanos first it was like going back to the main game after being presented something fresh.
2022
I went into Sifu expecting, from what I'd heard, a 'Souls-like' experience of incredibly difficult combat and, to my surprise, it wasn't really like that.
Sure the combat is tough but it just boils down to knowing parrying is key and when to avoid to not have your structure break.
I was a bit disappointed in the length of the game - you can really get through it in 4 hours, which is absolutely wild to me that something like this that feels it could go on for a good 12 hours took a fraction of that time. I do understand that the idea is to replay it and complete the additional challenges etc etc. but even so!
My main worry going into this as well was that I'd end up reaching old age fairly quickly (which, if you don't know, you age when you die - starting at 20 with 78 being the max) and yet I completed the game having never going over 27/28.
Sure the combat is tough but it just boils down to knowing parrying is key and when to avoid to not have your structure break.
I was a bit disappointed in the length of the game - you can really get through it in 4 hours, which is absolutely wild to me that something like this that feels it could go on for a good 12 hours took a fraction of that time. I do understand that the idea is to replay it and complete the additional challenges etc etc. but even so!
My main worry going into this as well was that I'd end up reaching old age fairly quickly (which, if you don't know, you age when you die - starting at 20 with 78 being the max) and yet I completed the game having never going over 27/28.
2020
Bugsnax is stupid, it's charming and it's fun. It takes the idea of 'Pokemon' or any other creature-collection game and makes it about collecting parasitic-food-creatures that turn organisms into the titular 'Bugsnax' upon consumption.
With a relatively straightforward story about a missing adventurer who was, essentially, the mayor of a small town named 'Snaxburg' on a remote island and restoring the town whilst trying to find out what happened to her. Throw in charming characters, with some actually surprising wit to them and then a whole host of side quests and requests from said characters, with challenges around each of the (small number of) Bugsnax and how to actually catch them - it made for a game that was genuinely a break from big and on occasion, mentally draining games.
With a relatively straightforward story about a missing adventurer who was, essentially, the mayor of a small town named 'Snaxburg' on a remote island and restoring the town whilst trying to find out what happened to her. Throw in charming characters, with some actually surprising wit to them and then a whole host of side quests and requests from said characters, with challenges around each of the (small number of) Bugsnax and how to actually catch them - it made for a game that was genuinely a break from big and on occasion, mentally draining games.
I went into Man of Medan hearing/seeing how much people enjoy the Dark Pictures games but had no expectations of my own for it.
I’m glad that was the case because while visually, it’s absolutely stunning even 4 years on, and, it has a really interesting premise for its story - I just feel it never quite goes anywhere with it, the game just kinda… ends.
I also found it rather easy to keep everyone alive, something I thought to be incredibly challenging given what I’d heard about it and yet I had no issue.
Aside from the story starting strong then going nowhere I take issue with the reliance on jumpscares. I only say this because there are plenty of times in this game that it does some “good” horror scares, with things moving in the foreground and background that work well in creeping you out. Then you have 9 times out of 10 where its just loud noise in-your-face obnoxiousness to try force a scare out of you.
I’m glad that was the case because while visually, it’s absolutely stunning even 4 years on, and, it has a really interesting premise for its story - I just feel it never quite goes anywhere with it, the game just kinda… ends.
I also found it rather easy to keep everyone alive, something I thought to be incredibly challenging given what I’d heard about it and yet I had no issue.
Aside from the story starting strong then going nowhere I take issue with the reliance on jumpscares. I only say this because there are plenty of times in this game that it does some “good” horror scares, with things moving in the foreground and background that work well in creeping you out. Then you have 9 times out of 10 where its just loud noise in-your-face obnoxiousness to try force a scare out of you.
The Dark Pictures: Little Hope tasks you with answering the question: Can Supermassive Games make an ending that lands? - the answer I found is: not really.
It's frustrating, I know what they were going for here, I get the ending, I get why it was done. I don't think it's satisfying however and it quite honestly takes away from a lot of what's happened throughout the 5 hours I put into it.
I did thoroughly enjoy the mystery around Little Hope and the witch trials of its past, I actually made a dumbass move this time (unlike with Man of Medan) and got someone killed! There was also more 'combat' segments and quick-time life-or-death split second decision making moments in this one compared to MoM, which, was appreciated.
While it didn't have as many obtuse jump scares, of those that still persisted felt wholly unnecessary especially as they were 'transitional' moments to other scenes - purely baffling.
It's frustrating, I know what they were going for here, I get the ending, I get why it was done. I don't think it's satisfying however and it quite honestly takes away from a lot of what's happened throughout the 5 hours I put into it.
I did thoroughly enjoy the mystery around Little Hope and the witch trials of its past, I actually made a dumbass move this time (unlike with Man of Medan) and got someone killed! There was also more 'combat' segments and quick-time life-or-death split second decision making moments in this one compared to MoM, which, was appreciated.
While it didn't have as many obtuse jump scares, of those that still persisted felt wholly unnecessary especially as they were 'transitional' moments to other scenes - purely baffling.
House of Ashes finally provides a game within the Dark Pictures anthology with a decent ending to it.
This time ditching the five ‘ordinary’ people type ensamble for five military types who trapped in an ancient sumarian temple underground during the iraq war (a bizarre setting but okay) and chance upon an ‘ancient evil’.
House of Ashes had a tonne more combat-heavy encounters this time around and was far more hands-on than the previous titles in the anthology, which really worked to offset the dialogue moments - something I don’t feel like was present enough in the previous two entries.
Though I have started to notice, and it was particularly prominent in this one, that character models and facial animations are extremely stilted while they’re choosing what reaction to have based on your choices. There also seems to be the occasional disconnect - for example, I’d chosen to reconcile a relationship and 2 minutes later the two characters were talking as if they hated each other, despite just kissing and hugging and professing their love. This is ‘minor’ though, I suppose, given how many choices you are presented with and how things can change at any given moment.
I also found it weird they’ve chosen to re-use facial models from previous entries but with a new voice cast - again, it’s minor but it feels… strange to know. Why not use the same voice cast? Or even the actors behind the faces?
House of Ashes is definitely the peak of the series for me though, I found myself desperately wanting to find out the truth behind it all, more so than Little Hope (which I genuinely enjoyed, besides that ending), and it did not disappoint.
This time ditching the five ‘ordinary’ people type ensamble for five military types who trapped in an ancient sumarian temple underground during the iraq war (a bizarre setting but okay) and chance upon an ‘ancient evil’.
House of Ashes had a tonne more combat-heavy encounters this time around and was far more hands-on than the previous titles in the anthology, which really worked to offset the dialogue moments - something I don’t feel like was present enough in the previous two entries.
Though I have started to notice, and it was particularly prominent in this one, that character models and facial animations are extremely stilted while they’re choosing what reaction to have based on your choices. There also seems to be the occasional disconnect - for example, I’d chosen to reconcile a relationship and 2 minutes later the two characters were talking as if they hated each other, despite just kissing and hugging and professing their love. This is ‘minor’ though, I suppose, given how many choices you are presented with and how things can change at any given moment.
I also found it weird they’ve chosen to re-use facial models from previous entries but with a new voice cast - again, it’s minor but it feels… strange to know. Why not use the same voice cast? Or even the actors behind the faces?
House of Ashes is definitely the peak of the series for me though, I found myself desperately wanting to find out the truth behind it all, more so than Little Hope (which I genuinely enjoyed, besides that ending), and it did not disappoint.
The Devil in Me manages to keep The Dark Pictures' slow progression and evolution as the first season goes on and builds upon it - with new gameplay mechanics thrown into the mix, like; a basic inventory, balance beams and hiding segments (I'm sure there's more).
What it also manages to keep up is the feeling that The Dark Pictures are "unrefined". Small visual glitches plague the series, and, some moments that completely take you out of it - for example, watching the villain sew up a new animatronic only to see the thread is hanging loose and clips through the doll without so much as interacting with it and then still being vertical when the animation is complete. There's just a lot of these moments, paired with stilted dialogue due to the choices that have been present in all "Episodes" that just really need that extra bit of attention and care.
Back to the Devil in Me specifically though, I appreciated it being yet another case grounded in reality and not a creature-feature (something that, besides House of Ashes, has been present in the other episodes). I thought the characters were all pretty "realistic" and well written (and Jessie Buckley was 10/10), the story itself was interesting with it being based off of H. H. Holmes and his "murder" hotel.
They also ramped up the difficulty on this one and choices that look obvious are not exactly so. This was the first game in the series where I ended up with less than 4 survivors by the ending due to things I really thought would save them.
Fingers crossed there's more of these based-on or involving serial killer type moments in season 2.
What it also manages to keep up is the feeling that The Dark Pictures are "unrefined". Small visual glitches plague the series, and, some moments that completely take you out of it - for example, watching the villain sew up a new animatronic only to see the thread is hanging loose and clips through the doll without so much as interacting with it and then still being vertical when the animation is complete. There's just a lot of these moments, paired with stilted dialogue due to the choices that have been present in all "Episodes" that just really need that extra bit of attention and care.
Back to the Devil in Me specifically though, I appreciated it being yet another case grounded in reality and not a creature-feature (something that, besides House of Ashes, has been present in the other episodes). I thought the characters were all pretty "realistic" and well written (and Jessie Buckley was 10/10), the story itself was interesting with it being based off of H. H. Holmes and his "murder" hotel.
They also ramped up the difficulty on this one and choices that look obvious are not exactly so. This was the first game in the series where I ended up with less than 4 survivors by the ending due to things I really thought would save them.
Fingers crossed there's more of these based-on or involving serial killer type moments in season 2.
2022
The Quarry proves something I didn't think possible from Supermassive Games, they can make a game that not only has interesting characters and plot but is also visually beautiful and 'polished'.
Unlike the Dark Pictures Anthology it feels like actual time and care was put into this, no random loading moments during dialogue to reflect choices made, no glitches with character models during cutscenes and smoother animations.
The overall plot was very obvious from the jump though, I would've liked just a tad more mystery behind it. However, I still had fun trying to keep as many of the camp counsellors alive as long as possible (even if I made some real dumb decisions).
There was one issue I had - with The Quarry now including quicktime events that rely on directional input from a joystick I found sometimes it registered the wrong direction, which, led to some annoying last-minute deaths (This could be due to my own controller/setup though).
Oh, also, Lin Shaye was drastically underused - you don't get Lin Shaye to be a character introduced so late in the damn story!!!
Unlike the Dark Pictures Anthology it feels like actual time and care was put into this, no random loading moments during dialogue to reflect choices made, no glitches with character models during cutscenes and smoother animations.
The overall plot was very obvious from the jump though, I would've liked just a tad more mystery behind it. However, I still had fun trying to keep as many of the camp counsellors alive as long as possible (even if I made some real dumb decisions).
There was one issue I had - with The Quarry now including quicktime events that rely on directional input from a joystick I found sometimes it registered the wrong direction, which, led to some annoying last-minute deaths (This could be due to my own controller/setup though).
Oh, also, Lin Shaye was drastically underused - you don't get Lin Shaye to be a character introduced so late in the damn story!!!