The marketing, box art, and even screenshots are quite misleading for the type of game this is. Even the fantastic artwork doesn't accurately convey the tone of the game. The first game was a chaotic combination of trial and error, resulting in its incredibly short duration. The second game follows more linear and traditional point-and-click adventure gameplay with digitized scenes and full voice acting. While the voice acting isn't half bad, the sprites could have used a few more animations and don't mash well with the H.R. Giger art style of the Darkworld. 

Dark Seed II focuses mostly on a murder mystery. You play as Mike Dawson, who is recovering from the events of the first game. The local sheriff has charged you as the prime suspect after the murder of your high school sweetheart, Rita. You then wander around various locations in town, talking to people trying to move the story along, and this is where the game really falls apart. Like most point-and-click adventures of the time, the game is very obtuse; there aren't any puzzles, but knowing what items to pick up and where is a real chore. The first game had issues with objects blending into the background, but in this game, you just wouldn't know where to start. I had to play this game with a full guide, or I would have spent hours wandering around, not knowing what to do or where to go. The lack of a button or other mechanism to access the map makes the significant amount of backtracking even worse. To get to the map, you must walk back to the edge of the area, slow walking speed and all.

Once you get to the Darkworld, things get a little more interesting. The artwork is fantastic, and it's a shame the low-resolution visuals don't do it justice. The voice acting didn't mesh well with the characters in this world, which put me off. They are meant to represent people in the real world, but come on. Why is there a strange statue of a gargoyle that Giger created speaking with a silly New York accent? It just doesn't sit right tonally. I still loved the bizarre architecture and surreal atmosphere that the Darkworld gave, but the repetitive music, sound effects, and half-assed animations just don't do any of this justice.

There isn't much gameplay. You can change your action icon with the right mouse button and have a pop-up inventory, but you won't be using it much. Most of the game involves walking back and forth and talking to people. While the overarching murder mystery is rather interesting and the ending was a surprise, I wanted more of the in-between stuff. There was a significant opportunity to bring the Darkworld to life, and even in the mid-90s, this could have been feasible. There was a hint of this happening when you converse with certain creatures; they mention the Darkworld briefly, but the worldbuilding simply lacks depth. The adventure titles of that era, like The 11th Hour, I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream, Full Throttle, and others, didn't follow the same pattern. Many other games did this just fine, without the macabre legacy of Giger himself lending a hand to the art department. 

Without the artwork, this would be a ho-hum adventure title. While there have been many improvements over the original title, I would still like to see more Darkworld architecture. I wanted more time spent here. Yes, there is more of the dark world. There are more screens, buildings, and creatures in the Darkworld than in other adventure titles of the time. There is a layer of cheese that you just can't look past when it comes to certain events or scenes in the game, and it made me roll my eyes or frown. H.R. Giger's art is my favorite of all time. There's so much that could be explored here, but instead we get an obtuse, backtrack-heavy game with an interesting murder mystery and the best parts taking the backseat.

I know I'm late to the party on this but Sand Land took priority and my consoomer gene took over so that Fallout 4 next gen update replay couldn't be stopped which took WAY longer than I thought.

Stellar Blade was something I had A LOT more interest in after playing the demo as opposed to its marketing campaign, which it desperately needed due to them being allergic to showing any non zoomer style fast paced editing that showed little of its combat of as opposed to the "Hot lady, uncensored outfits" focus but more on that later. I am happy to say the potential I saw in the demo was met, Stellar Blade is a fine action game from start to finish. So much so I am on another playthrough as I write this immediately after beating it which isn't something I do often, to get the final ending for the platinum and the new game plus patch helped in that regard.

The game's story, I'll be honest just seemed to exist in order to have a plot. Even the sense of mystery and intrigue the game had the characters would either immediately hint at its truth or outright say in an uninterested manor but that might just be due to the voice which, at least in english, was middle of the road. I thought Eve's (the player character) voice acting was the best and Adam, the second most prominent character, was the worst. Just the way he said so much came off as disinterested or "Reading the lines right off the page", almost was waiting for him to say the emotional tone all "DISSAPOINTED" style. If the naming of characters wasn't already enough of a giveaway, most should be able to piece it together within a few hours. The music was something I liked a lot more than the story though, as it had that somber singular vocal style I tend to enjoy a lot in games. The comparisons to Nier are not unfounded.

In terms of said action gameplay, Stellar Blade does a lot of things right with a lot of the staples I have come to expect of the genre. You have your perfect parries, perfect dodges, special moves, ranged options, variable combos and a skill tree to unlock and improve abilities all which come together to form a mostly cohesive battle system with only a couple of trip ups mostly due to needing to hold down some buttons immediately after some parries which lead me to use abilities instead. The first thing that got me was its variable combos, now it's nothing new to the genre but I still always enjoy a basic attack that's more than 4 lights and a heavy. Splicing heavy attacks into lights for different combos is nothing new but being able to go from Light>Heavy>Light for a completely different combo on top of the basic Light>Light>Light>Heavy>Heavy allowed the combat to stave off staleness in its first 2/3's. The only thing I wish there was more of in terms of basic combat was some more aerial options as there isn't much of a reason to even try fighting mid jump. Most, not all, of Eve's basic attacks could be dodge or parry canceled and it will be one of your most used mechanics. Parrying and Dodging are not only your main defensive options but they both increase your meters for special moves which as the game progressed I found myself using MUCH more as they outclass your basic damage by a large margin which they should as they use a resource. Every enemy as well as Eve has a "Shield" meter which reduces all incoming damage until it is depleted and then full damage is taken. Being able to get rid of it quickly is the main gameplan which reduces any form of damage while it’s active. However if you learn to parry effectively you can exploit the enemies (including bosses), I actually forget what they call it so let's call it poise, meter which is reduced by one every perfect parry. Once it's depleted you get to do a high damaging execution style attack that will kill most early and mid game enemies instantly, just like stealth attacks. However not all enemies have it though so you'll be brute forcing those enemies who are either lowest level fodder or annoying ranged ones. I'm not much of a parry or dodge centric individual, I'm an unga bunga tank kinda guy, but it was satisfying to perfect dodge a full combo or parry an entire combo into a high damage takedown. That being said, combat in the last leg of the game I felt got WAY too tedious and almost felt like it wanted you to tackle every fight with ability and poise meter depletion which just slowed fights to a crawl. Even with the main weapon leveled to its maximum to what available, even when shields were depleted it felt like chip damage. This is why I found myself spamming abilities more often in the late game which, imo, ruined the combat to some extent. The game also gets points off for introducing insta kills on late game bosses. I don't care if they can be stopped and you can just revive should you have an item, it's cheap. I died on the final boss due to not seeing the white on white target but I had the revive so it's whatever. The game made up those points in other ways such as not having many back to back or one life bar per phase boss fights in general though the boss variety could have used some boosting as you'll fight "same boss but different color/effect" several times if you're doing side content.

The side content in the game is the usual game fair at this point, fetch quests, grab these items, fight this enemy etc. Some of these were tied to character stories and as such were the more unique ones and if you want what easily seems to be the "best/canon" ending you best do them all anyway along with getting as many collectables as you can of which there's A LOT. Honestly I think too many, especially when getting around isn't exactly fast or fun. Hope you like deserts cuz two of the largest explorable ones are just that and I think 25 of my 33 hours was spent in them. Eve does run quite fast but she slows down when an enemy aggros and their fields of vision are far and like 330 degrees I swear. They can't hear you running behind them for a stealth kill but if you're not DIRECTLY behind them then they'll know you're coming. The only other way around is via fast travel points such as your camps, where you will respawn upon death, and phones which you unlock by activating, however you're only able to teleport to camps with phones which still makes some long trips between points of interest. It doesn't help that you cannot set a custom waypoint unless it's on some mission objective or other map poi. At the very least most of the other places you'll go are linear to the point they have no map and varied in terms of environment to even out the double desert debuff. How does this game have more desert than Sand Land, a series ABOUT A DESERT?! Can I also just say that I loved there was a platforming puzzle with the playstation button icons that turned into their colors when jumped on? I sure do hope whoever made the ps5 controller has buttons with no color got fired or they release a one with the correct coloration at some point. Oh yeah there's fishing too, and that was a fun few hours getting them all.

I've seen this game be called "Booty Souls", "Gooner Souls'' and "Horny Souls" but I don't see really see a souls comparison here outside of the fact it has specific respawn points at the camps you need to activate and enemies respawn when you sit at them. Is the game difficult? Not really no, at least on normal cuz yes the game has difficulty options but there's no leveling or stat allocation, only skill points, which imo is the main component of what makes a souls game a souls game outside of difficulty. Make no mistake I did die a few times which were mostly due to fall damage as I was awful at timing the negation or getting hit by one of those long telegraphed attacks you're given all the time in the world to avoid. However rarely did a standard encounter ever make me worry, they were more of a nuisance than anything at best even when it was 4 v 1. It's closer to Sekiro which I also don't consider a souls game for the same level related reason. Main difference between that as well is Eve can take 10 times the amount of hits Sekiro man can since he has the defenses of wet 1 ply toilet paper. I'm sure it's much closer to that bullshit while wearing the skinsuit since it disables the shield. It's such a shame that "pretty lady" is what this game will be known for

I guess it's time to address, or rather dress, Eve. Yes she's conventionally attractive, yes her outfits are cover of vogue style or centerfold levels. I had the ability to play this game both patched and unpatched since I still buy discs and I'll install updates when I deem it necessary. I'll be honest, uncensored or not, I didn't really like most of the outfits and I unlocked most if not all of them from the initial playthrough. NG+ added alt color options for most and one entirely new outfit but my stance didn't change. Once I got the Full Black Dress outfit I exclusively used it on that first playthrough though on NG+ I considered going with the bear suit for some high octane Naughty Bear action. The censoring on the outfits felt kind of lazily implemented and I'm sorry but with the information that's come out what with the devs and the CEO going "Oh I think they look better this way" and "It was our choice", it begs me to ask why even make them revealing in the first place. It was clearly the main marketing tool well before launch and I do not believe no one ever once said "Nah these aren't good, we gotta change them" with how fast it was implemented. Like fucking Sony let this shit on there, those prudes, so it doens't make sense. Now it just makes this dev look like liars. It's also one thing for a Korean dev to not know that the unfortunate placement of "Hard" graffiti next to a neon "R" sign looks like slang for a racial slur, it's another to design multiple revealing outfits. Also you fuckers make Nikke, you don't have any sort of ground to stand on when it comes to outfit and character designs. That being said, there's more you can customize other than Eve's actual outfits. There's glasses and earrings which I didn't touch either of as I'm not really one for jewelry and I didn't like any of the glasses. You can also change the "base hair", I don't know what to call it but it's the head hair that more than just bangs that isn't the ponytail which the latter can be short or long. I made Eve a redhead cuz if anything I'm consistent though it seemed colors were style locked as the one I really wanted to use didn't have red as an option. It was honestly a missed opportunity to not have the title screen Eve reflect your customization. The supporting characters have outfits too but I only found 2 for each and I do not know if there are more.


There's a fun action game here, for the most part. Satisfying combo, parry and dodging along with variable abilities for that extra OOMPH. The combat does get a little dragged out in the back end unfortunately, the story tries to be interesting but is undermined by its predictable nature and varying voice acting. The actual exploration leaves things to be desired but that can be ignored if one so chooses. I would hope someone on the fence about this game who likes action games can look past the sex appeal cuz you have a good time here in that regard.

For now, the superior version of Majora's Mask. Runs like a dream at 60FPS, there's widescreen support and loading times have been eliminated.

There's an auto save feature but be warned, it doesn't really work as intended. I stopped playing whilst in the middle of a dungeon, I retained all of the items and collected fairies but the fairies respawned and all the spawned chests despawned. So it's possible to collect more fairies in the dungeons than you're supposed to.

Please download it ASAP before Nintendo strikes it down. It's a godsend for the future and preservation of N64 games

Back to back on the PETA attack!

Hey, it beats Super Meat Boy Forever in terms of design! Aaaaand it's still one of the worst games I've ever played. Genuinely. It's not even funny bad. It's just BAD. McCardiarrac Arrest aside, this is absolutely abhorrent. Bad controls, abysmal graphics, terrible level design, I mean, shit! I could at least laugh at Cooking Mama Kills The Animals's graphics, but THIS is just blood and gore shat straight out of someone's ass. I rage quit eventually because the controls were simply THAT awful and unfun. Isn't this designed for kids???

What a joke.

Resident Evil 2 Remake is like stepping back into the golden age of survival horror, but with all the bells and whistles of modern gaming. From the moment I booted it up, I was hit with a wave of nostalgia. The gameplay loop, which perfectly balances tension, resource management, and exploration, is incredibly satisfying. It reminded me why I fell in love with survival horror in the first place.

The atmosphere in this game is nothing short of phenomenal. Capcom has done an excellent job of bringing Raccoon City to life with great graphics and immersive sound design. Especially the stomping of a certain character chasing you, had me on edge all the time. The revamped visuals and audio not only pay homage to the original but also elevate the experience.

What worked unexpectedly well for me, was how the game encourages multiple playthroughs. To achieve the platinum trophy, you have to dissect the game piece by piece, mastering speedruns and tackling various challenges and handicaps. Each run feels like a new puzzle to solve, pushing you to optimize your strategies and improve your skills.

However, not everything about Resident Evil 2 Remake is perfect. The story and characters, while iconic, feel a bit outdated and, at times, cringe-worthy. The dialogue can be cheesy, and the character development is somewhat shallow by today's standards. This didn't ruin the experience for me, but it did pull me out of the immersion occasionally.

In the end, Resident Evil 2 Remake is a fantastic revitalization of a classic that nails the core elements of survival horror. It's a must-play for fans of the genre and a great entry point for newcomers. If you can look past the dated story and characters, you'll find a game that masterfully combines the old and the new, delivering a heart-pounding experience that is both nostalgic and refreshingly modern.

My Favorite AC game ever, from the amazing story to the peak naval combat that somehow is 100 times better than most "naval" combat focus games today (aka Skull n Bones). The worst part is by far the one to one combat, oh boy does it sucks, it's a worse and buggier version of the AC3 combat, that was already pretty simple compare to previous and future games.

I remember back when this game was considered a "good game, but a bad AC games" (a discourse that hasn't change much around newer entries like Odyssey) but now is consider one of the best ones in the entire franchise, and I'm glad it is.

I have been hearing and seeing this game so much that I was expecting things about it I couldn't even fathom. Nonetheless, the aesthetics and gameplay did live up to my anticipation, however the confusing maps and navigation, along with a plethora of unnecessary backtracking - not those you see in a metroidvania, but plain walking back and forth fetching items - made the experience a little harder to put up with than I was waiting for. On a sidenote, the new companions are REALLY very interesting but there is little to nothing of development of them in the main story, which felt very disappointing to me.

The Foundation sees more of the same from the base game without much new to show for itself, at least in terms of gameplay. as someone who enjoyed the combat already, this didn't sound bad but i guess it turns out that the original had just enough for me to have my fill. it started to wear thin a bit here.

the prevalence of bland cave settings, restrictive new powers, and lack of variety overall sure didn't help things. the more i think about it the more it feels like what i liked about Control was either diminished or flat out missing here.

a pretty big miss for me, unfortunately. hoping for more with AWE but i'm adjusting my expectations.

The concept of this game is sure to make a brow raise even to those who are uninterested in games. And for the most part, it delivers what it wants in graphics, gameplay and music, sans the combat which, apart from the bosses, feels too repetitive and like you are doing the same thing, this coupled with the fact that you have to grind quite a bit for your "Evolution Points" in order to progress as a species and in the game, can make this a cumbersome task, specially in latter stages where enemies hit harder and you have little room for error, so little that you can easily get stunlocked and attacked to death from one single mistake. While this may not hinder your gameplay too much during your quest, it's on the final boss that this flaw hits you right where it hurts. You will be replaying this a lot and get frustrated out of how vulnerable you will get due to this lock.

A low-key indie game from solo developer Billy Basso, Animal Well shot up to far greater notoriety when it was acquired by popular YouTuber videogamedunkey's new independent publishing company Big Mode. Through dunkey's earnest hype over the last year and a half, his massive fanbase were ready to explore the latest well type game.

Animal Well is receiving praise for playing. Right off the bat I appreciated how well optimized this game was for PC. Somehow it only takes about 30 MB of space, and didn't heat up my gaming laptop at all so I could comfortably play on my lap in bed without a stand. That set-up worked out great, because for the bulk of its initial runtime, Animal Well is the cozy atmospheric sort of exploration platformer that's really nice with headphones on and lights off.

The visuals and sound design are immediately striking. Between the gorgeous environmental art style and neat visual effects, along with really excellent foley effects throughout the whole experience, it's an easy game to just vibe out to. Every sound effect is really satisfying and new screen delightfully unique.

The gameplay has been called Metroidvania by many but without traditional content. I was a little trepidatious when the game left me to my own devices for fear of getting totally lost in the rooms and not sure where to go next, but the world design of this game is coherent and varied enough that I never really felt that way. You'll eventually Animal Well basically has a "central area" that at any time is fairly easy to get back to, and which you can branch off from on various exploratory journeys to the four flames you are looking to collect in order to unlock the final area.

You play as a little blob guy who jumps through the environment and along the way you'll encounter various animals of both the hostile and helpful variety. Some are cute and some are downright creepy, with some poltergeist-esque creatures lurking at various spots around the map. Discovery is the name of the game in Animal Well and I enjoyed seeing the various creatures calling this labyrinth home.

As you make your way through Animal Well, you'll pick up various new tools that will help you reach new areas and which also introduce new puzzle mechanics. There are a lot of traversal brain-stumpers as well as various button and lever puzzles which are fairly intuitive. At times this sort of puzzle was growing a bit tedious for me, but overall they generally aren't so difficult as to be very frustrating for long. I appreciated how (with a few exceptions) the game generally is careful not to let you get too deep in any one direction before you have the necessary tools to tackle its challenges.

The difficulty starts to ramp up near the end of the game, where your platforming abilities and prowess with switching tools and using them effectively and quickly is put to the test. I could particularly stuck on the ghost dog (cat?) segment for a good while, easily the most frustrating and difficult portion of an initial playthrough. I really thought this part of the game asks a bit too much of the player dexterity wise. I was playing on keyboard (not the recommended way to play) so I was fumbling with the keys a bit, but even so this section is ruthless and requires patience and trial-and-error under pressure which wasn't fun for me.

I also wasn't very impressed with the final area of the main game, with a freaky final boss that is rendered unthreatening by an item you pick up right at the end. Of course, Animal Well knows lots of players will be interested in its copious post game content and I'm sure it offers bigger challenges there. It's cool that players who wish to scour every inch of this world will be rewarded greatly for doing so, but there's also an ending and credits roll in place for players who just want to see the game's main ideas and have a solid 6-8 hour adventure.

Animal Well is a strong first published title for Dunkey and an impressive feat for Billy Basso, whose hard work and loving craft for the game over many years makes it something special and unique. While I had my frustrations with Animal Well in some of the later areas, it was still a very fun time and an easy recommendation.