jbu3
2011
This was a noticeable step down from the second game, even with good ol' Malcolm McDowell stepping up as the campy villain. It tries building on the "Did we just fuck up the whole war?" momentum from the second game, but doesn't do anything memorable with it. Still, much like Killzone 2, we wish this was playable on PS4s and PS5s today.
This was our first time playing this game, and we usually do terribly with JRPGs of a certain age, but we had a blast. Got lost a few times, but thankfully, the Sega Ages' version had a dungeon map, and there's nothing an online walkthrough can't fix! We can see why Phantasy Star is beloved by so many Sega heads.
2009
An underrated first-person shooter, Killzone 2 became something of an easy target after the graphics failed to live up to its infamous CG trailer. But it still looked impressive for its time, the gunplay felt great, and you're given this one asshole partner who you'll love to hate, especially by the end. Like many other Sony-exclusive games, it's a crying shame that it's still stuck on the PS3: we'd love to see this ported to PS4, or even PS5.
2021
Love to use our time travel powers to avert disaster, only to be roped in with a bunch of criminal-adjacent boys and their problem-solving gang!
Even though some of the scenes aren't properly subtitled, we had a pretty great time with this one! Shame the "true" route on the end takes a wild narrative turn that feels unearned and unjustified.
Even though some of the scenes aren't properly subtitled, we had a pretty great time with this one! Shame the "true" route on the end takes a wild narrative turn that feels unearned and unjustified.
2021
Pleasant little game about going on a trip, completing goofy chores for others, and filling up your photo album with memorable moments. An ideal, chill time.
Chaos, meet your maker...
This is the second ever Souls-like we've finished! Going in, we weren't exactly generous with our expectations, but goddamn, what a cool game. Once you get over the way it's clearly stitched together from several earlier versions, it's as classic Final Fantasy as you can get for the story. And we were grinning the whole way through: great cast, surprisingly nuanced delivery, just a good time all around.
That said! The post-game loot grind is miserable, and the fact that the DLC relies on said grind means we'll have to watch any story DLC on YouTube. Still. The base game is solid, and we had a blast.
This is the second ever Souls-like we've finished! Going in, we weren't exactly generous with our expectations, but goddamn, what a cool game. Once you get over the way it's clearly stitched together from several earlier versions, it's as classic Final Fantasy as you can get for the story. And we were grinning the whole way through: great cast, surprisingly nuanced delivery, just a good time all around.
That said! The post-game loot grind is miserable, and the fact that the DLC relies on said grind means we'll have to watch any story DLC on YouTube. Still. The base game is solid, and we had a blast.
2021
This is a slice-of-life story about a software programmer in the mid-80s, getting away from the bustle of her everyday life by visiting her home town and delivering mail. It's a solid premise, but the writing isn't quite up to the task, and I ended up bouncing off after a few hours.
One of those classic narrative gaming conundrums where you're feeling good about everything happening 80% of the way through, right before the final 20% comes along and disappoints you. This ending feels rushed, to say the least, but hey: we enjoyed our time with Thomasina and the residents of Bewley. We just wish there was something more compelling waiting for us at the end of the road.
2016
An excellent soundtrack, cast and setup are ruined on miserable dungeons and writing that always takes the least satisfying direction imaginable. And with the base game taking us close to 90 hours to complete, we can't even begin to imagine how miserable we'd be if we were playing the newer, extended release.
Again, Valve didn't exactly nail what made the episodic format appealing here. But this one felt far more significant than Episode One. Shame that it didn't receive a follow-up until Half-Life Alyx in the 2020s!
2021
Gunk/10
Damn, remember when episodic gaming was the next big thing? Even Valve took a crack at it! Of course, half of the appeal from an episodic game is that you get follow-ups faster than a full-on sequel, and that didn't exactly happen here. But hey, this was a fun, expansion-sized follow-up to Half-Life 2, even if Valve didn't quite know what to do with a smaller entry.
2004
As we said in our Half-Life review, hey, it's Half-Life 2! One of those games where we replayed it dozens of times, and it never, ever grew old. It's a shame that Valve doesn't make first-person shooter campaigns anymore, because they're one of the best.
2022
Simply phenomenal. We loved this one to pieces: a star-studded Japanese voice cast, numerous storylines that cross genres and toy with the JRPG format, and unforgettable music. There's still a few months left in the year, but this is far and away the best thing we've played in 2022 so far.
2000
All-time classic characters and an interesting setting aren’t enough to stop Shiki Tohno from ruining it. And damn, they did Akhia dirty in this game! Disappointing. Hopefully the remake(s) do better by everyone involved.