mayaheemayahoo
279 reviews liked by mayaheemayahoo
Ico
2001
caralho
Kojima doesn't predict shit. He just looks around him at things wrong in the world and then none of them changed for 20 years.
Persona 3 Reload
2024
This review contains spoilers
Life is fleeting, and you should spend the time you have with those you love. Obviously that use of time and the finite amount of it has been present across all 3 of the Persona games I’ve played, but it’s never felt as succinct as it does here. The story is so effective, and while the (somewhat but not really) ambiguous ending left me misty-eyed, I want to highlight the most effective moment for myself when it came to a an experience unique to gaming as a medium.
The death of Shinjiro Aragaki.
During the month Shinji joins your party, he’s among two other fresh party members. It’s easy to get lost in the shuffle, but I made sure he had time to shine in combat. I began his “linked episodes”, and while i noticed they were queuing rather quickly, i chalked that up to the game wanting his story to catch up. “I’ll have more time with him”, I thought to myself as i approached a full moon. But then Shinji died, and the first feeling of regret I felt were the handful of times I disregarded and invite to instead date Yukari or hang out with the track team or stuff my face with seafood to boost my knowledge. Suddenly he was gone, and nothing I could do could get that time back. Sure, on another playthrough I can see what that time is like and I’m sure I’ll appreciate it, but nothing will take away from this first playthrough where I was reminded that you can’t plan for death. One day someone will be gone, so you should tell them you care about them.
Persona 3 Reload impressed me to no end. I stayed unbelievably unspoiled entering this game and I’m so grateful for that. I’m looking forward to “The Answer” later this fall, but even alone this was astounding.
“He’s found the answer to life’s greatest question. It just happened a bit sooner than it will for the rest of you.”
The death of Shinjiro Aragaki.
During the month Shinji joins your party, he’s among two other fresh party members. It’s easy to get lost in the shuffle, but I made sure he had time to shine in combat. I began his “linked episodes”, and while i noticed they were queuing rather quickly, i chalked that up to the game wanting his story to catch up. “I’ll have more time with him”, I thought to myself as i approached a full moon. But then Shinji died, and the first feeling of regret I felt were the handful of times I disregarded and invite to instead date Yukari or hang out with the track team or stuff my face with seafood to boost my knowledge. Suddenly he was gone, and nothing I could do could get that time back. Sure, on another playthrough I can see what that time is like and I’m sure I’ll appreciate it, but nothing will take away from this first playthrough where I was reminded that you can’t plan for death. One day someone will be gone, so you should tell them you care about them.
Persona 3 Reload impressed me to no end. I stayed unbelievably unspoiled entering this game and I’m so grateful for that. I’m looking forward to “The Answer” later this fall, but even alone this was astounding.
“He’s found the answer to life’s greatest question. It just happened a bit sooner than it will for the rest of you.”
Celeste
2018
This is one of those games that I really want to like. I’ve tried nearly a dozen times to get it to “click” and it never does.
I always bounce off of it and I’ve never entirely understand why.
Sure, the platforming is precision machined but maybe the fact that the game is too forgiving with its checkpoints leads to a lack of stakes or tension for someone like me that isn’t going to go for every strawberry.
I also think the levels might be too long and that the game forces you to spend too much time in individual biomes.
The story’s presentation, at least early on, may also be a bit too sappy and not engaging.
Idk. I know people really love this game and what I’ve played of it is fine. But it’s lacking something crucial.
Good OST, though.
I always bounce off of it and I’ve never entirely understand why.
Sure, the platforming is precision machined but maybe the fact that the game is too forgiving with its checkpoints leads to a lack of stakes or tension for someone like me that isn’t going to go for every strawberry.
I also think the levels might be too long and that the game forces you to spend too much time in individual biomes.
The story’s presentation, at least early on, may also be a bit too sappy and not engaging.
Idk. I know people really love this game and what I’ve played of it is fine. But it’s lacking something crucial.
Good OST, though.
Stellar Blade
2024
I have no clue if this is still the last bastion of our culture war or if it’s too woke now so I’m giving it a 5/10 to average those two possibilities out
dude can you stop succumbing to the weight of your guilt and just deal with the task at hand
Do you know what day it is today?
And this is the way the world ends. Not with a bang, but a whimper.
Yakuza 5 Remastered
2019
unfiltered kino now at 60 fps
Video games that cannot be replicated in any other medium tend to be exemplary in their presentation & mode of storytelling, one that simply can't be formed through traditionally constructed stories. 13 Sentinels, alongside Outer Wilds, is the title I'd point to in saying "This is why video games are art."
13 Sentinels is such an accomplishment in video game storytelling and its status as being a severely underlooked game is quite a shame. I don't think I've seen a story with so many moving parts and elements that could so easily crumble, yet sustains the strongest parts of its plot and intertwines them with genuinely captivating and moving character arcs. Everything works together so seamlessly here: both the gameplay, the different routes and individual plotlines mesh in an ever-expansive web of terminology, events, timelines, characters & whatever the fuck in a way that all links together just perfectly. Somehow, a story of behemoth proportions in scale never loses touch of anything and in the end you're rewarded with a powerful, uplifitng message of humanity's continuous perseverance among other things that'd be spoilers you don't deserve to hear for such a phenomenal work.
To say 13 Sentinels isn't a sum of its sci-fi counterparts would be a lie, yet it doesn't even feel like any sci-fi story I've seen regardless. Pulling in tropes from all forms of sci-fi media from Evangelion, Godzilla, 2001: A Space Odyssey and more, this could've easily been a mess of tropes and a watered down version of much more iconic sci-fi tales. Yet, it is somehow just an even more impressive cumulation of all these tropes to deliver a completely mindbending story that tackles a plethora of ideas perfectly. Between all the time loops, parallel universes, robots, androids, mechas and GOD so much more, the core of the plot never loses itself and the continous back and forth mystery shifts and evolves without losing sight of anything. To have 13 individual protagonist routes combine together seamlessly with BARELY any loose plot threads (if not any) is genuinely insane. Everything works together perfectly, every reveal works, every character's arcs works and their respective dynamics and relationships unfold beautifully. It all feels naturally written and doesn't rely on bullshit to move the story logic along, instead allowing the player to connec the dots themselves and figure out this huge web and really understand just what this games about.
One common criticism you'd hear with the game is it's gameplay and I'd say...it's good! It's not very complex or difficult (though I stuck with normal all the way through), but it's still engaging and very, very satisfying. The strategic depth required to go through each level is as simple as countering what the main kaiju type is and going ham with your abilities. That being said, it all comes together really well and I was never irked by anything the game did with its systems. There are some parts I feel aren't really necessary, like the Sentinel stat upgrade system (which I kind of ignored in favour of skill upgrades) but I imagine on intense the gameplay becomes more thrilling.
Beyond that, this game is gorgeous. The artstyle, the character designs, the spritework... it's just so, so beautiful. It's not a unique artstyle per se, but its complemented heavily with visually distinct CG's and backgrounds, great character designs and some amazing lighting all in a 2.5D perspective. The soundtrack is really good, but I guess there aren't really any distinct soundtracks aside from 2? Even then, it fits the game perfectly in just about every way: from the combat themes, the slice of life friend hangouts to gripping plot revelations, the soundtrack never takes you away from the moment and puts you right into what the characters would be feeling.
I love this game so much and I wish more people played it. There's just so much passion put into it from Vanillaware, its a love letter to all forms of sci-fi media yet has its own distinct identity, one that truly gripped me from start to finish. I fell in love with this game halfway through and by the end all I'm left with is a story so incredible, so grand and yet so small in what it's really about. I love this game so much, what a journey.
13 Sentinels is such an accomplishment in video game storytelling and its status as being a severely underlooked game is quite a shame. I don't think I've seen a story with so many moving parts and elements that could so easily crumble, yet sustains the strongest parts of its plot and intertwines them with genuinely captivating and moving character arcs. Everything works together so seamlessly here: both the gameplay, the different routes and individual plotlines mesh in an ever-expansive web of terminology, events, timelines, characters & whatever the fuck in a way that all links together just perfectly. Somehow, a story of behemoth proportions in scale never loses touch of anything and in the end you're rewarded with a powerful, uplifitng message of humanity's continuous perseverance among other things that'd be spoilers you don't deserve to hear for such a phenomenal work.
To say 13 Sentinels isn't a sum of its sci-fi counterparts would be a lie, yet it doesn't even feel like any sci-fi story I've seen regardless. Pulling in tropes from all forms of sci-fi media from Evangelion, Godzilla, 2001: A Space Odyssey and more, this could've easily been a mess of tropes and a watered down version of much more iconic sci-fi tales. Yet, it is somehow just an even more impressive cumulation of all these tropes to deliver a completely mindbending story that tackles a plethora of ideas perfectly. Between all the time loops, parallel universes, robots, androids, mechas and GOD so much more, the core of the plot never loses itself and the continous back and forth mystery shifts and evolves without losing sight of anything. To have 13 individual protagonist routes combine together seamlessly with BARELY any loose plot threads (if not any) is genuinely insane. Everything works together perfectly, every reveal works, every character's arcs works and their respective dynamics and relationships unfold beautifully. It all feels naturally written and doesn't rely on bullshit to move the story logic along, instead allowing the player to connec the dots themselves and figure out this huge web and really understand just what this games about.
One common criticism you'd hear with the game is it's gameplay and I'd say...it's good! It's not very complex or difficult (though I stuck with normal all the way through), but it's still engaging and very, very satisfying. The strategic depth required to go through each level is as simple as countering what the main kaiju type is and going ham with your abilities. That being said, it all comes together really well and I was never irked by anything the game did with its systems. There are some parts I feel aren't really necessary, like the Sentinel stat upgrade system (which I kind of ignored in favour of skill upgrades) but I imagine on intense the gameplay becomes more thrilling.
Beyond that, this game is gorgeous. The artstyle, the character designs, the spritework... it's just so, so beautiful. It's not a unique artstyle per se, but its complemented heavily with visually distinct CG's and backgrounds, great character designs and some amazing lighting all in a 2.5D perspective. The soundtrack is really good, but I guess there aren't really any distinct soundtracks aside from 2? Even then, it fits the game perfectly in just about every way: from the combat themes, the slice of life friend hangouts to gripping plot revelations, the soundtrack never takes you away from the moment and puts you right into what the characters would be feeling.
I love this game so much and I wish more people played it. There's just so much passion put into it from Vanillaware, its a love letter to all forms of sci-fi media yet has its own distinct identity, one that truly gripped me from start to finish. I fell in love with this game halfway through and by the end all I'm left with is a story so incredible, so grand and yet so small in what it's really about. I love this game so much, what a journey.
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