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).
2009
Honestly why has this game not been ported to newer systems? If Damacy can be ported, so can this god damn it!!!
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.
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..)
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.
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
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…
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...