popcultureme
2015
Playtime: 7:15 hours
Very cinematic production, little real gameplay, more tech demo than full-fledged video game. "The Order 1886" is pretty as a picture, so pretty in fact that you'd think it was a current title for the Ps5. The characters are some of the most real-looking I've ever seen in a video game. The scenario about a Victorian London in an alternative timeline with werewolves and vampires suits my taste perfectly.
And yet in the end, apart from the technical presentation, I was rather disappointed. The story of "The Order 1886" goes in a direction that I found rather boring and the shootouts are fun, but they wear out quickly. The result is a long tech demo with a lot of potential that was hardly used.
Very cinematic production, little real gameplay, more tech demo than full-fledged video game. "The Order 1886" is pretty as a picture, so pretty in fact that you'd think it was a current title for the Ps5. The characters are some of the most real-looking I've ever seen in a video game. The scenario about a Victorian London in an alternative timeline with werewolves and vampires suits my taste perfectly.
And yet in the end, apart from the technical presentation, I was rather disappointed. The story of "The Order 1886" goes in a direction that I found rather boring and the shootouts are fun, but they wear out quickly. The result is a long tech demo with a lot of potential that was hardly used.
Play time: 18 Hours
New York in winter, Miles Morales instead of Peter Parker as the new Spider-Man who has to prove and find himself and who is given new powers. "Spider-Man: Miles Morales" is structured like the first game from 2018, but feels a little smaller and more reserved in everything.
However, the fights are the absolute highlight thanks to Miles' new Venom abilities. Unfortunately, the story couldn't really carry me away until the very emotional finale and the open world activities felt even more contrived and formulaic this time. Even the boss fights were rather disappointing, except for the finale, which is absolutely great.
Miles as a character works well though and enriches the universe of the Spider-Man games immensely. I'm curious to see what the sequel can do.
New York in winter, Miles Morales instead of Peter Parker as the new Spider-Man who has to prove and find himself and who is given new powers. "Spider-Man: Miles Morales" is structured like the first game from 2018, but feels a little smaller and more reserved in everything.
However, the fights are the absolute highlight thanks to Miles' new Venom abilities. Unfortunately, the story couldn't really carry me away until the very emotional finale and the open world activities felt even more contrived and formulaic this time. Even the boss fights were rather disappointing, except for the finale, which is absolutely great.
Miles as a character works well though and enriches the universe of the Spider-Man games immensely. I'm curious to see what the sequel can do.
Playtime: 14:20 Hours
Longer, bigger, crazier, better? Not quite, but part two of Machine Games Wolfenstein reboot series is at least on the same level as the very good first part. It's hard to believe that the game was released in 2017 as pretty as the graphics are, especially the lighting effects and character models.
Apart from that, this second fight against the regime is filled with some really stupid but at the same time ingenious twists, really brute action interludes and a lot of black satirically charged humor. It all works much better than in the first game and the DLC.
Unfortunately, the gunplay is not as good and unique as in the predecessor. This one feels more like Call of Duty, has less impact and less of a trash factor. The level structure is also sometimes opaque and confusing and the AI is no longer as clever as it was in "The New Order". Nevertheless, the Hollywood-ready production and the crazy pace, as well as the action and humor, are really very successful. All in all, a very strong second part, but one that can't outdo the first.
Longer, bigger, crazier, better? Not quite, but part two of Machine Games Wolfenstein reboot series is at least on the same level as the very good first part. It's hard to believe that the game was released in 2017 as pretty as the graphics are, especially the lighting effects and character models.
Apart from that, this second fight against the regime is filled with some really stupid but at the same time ingenious twists, really brute action interludes and a lot of black satirically charged humor. It all works much better than in the first game and the DLC.
Unfortunately, the gunplay is not as good and unique as in the predecessor. This one feels more like Call of Duty, has less impact and less of a trash factor. The level structure is also sometimes opaque and confusing and the AI is no longer as clever as it was in "The New Order". Nevertheless, the Hollywood-ready production and the crazy pace, as well as the action and humor, are really very successful. All in all, a very strong second part, but one that can't outdo the first.
Playtime: 5:30 Hours
At first this standalone DLC was too much Call of Duty for me as it lacked well-built levels and variety. But in the second half it becomes a fun zombie shooter. Still, it's a shame that the game is only staged from a first-person perspective.
At first this standalone DLC was too much Call of Duty for me as it lacked well-built levels and variety. But in the second half it becomes a fun zombie shooter. Still, it's a shame that the game is only staged from a first-person perspective.
Playtime: 11:45 Hours
"Wolfenstein The New Order" manages to combine the charm and gameplay of old-school shooters like "Doom" or its namesake predecessor with a modern story and character focus and bombastic production.
Even if some cutscenes start and end rather abruptly and both the characters and the story seem a little rough and edgy, they work. I particularly liked the fact that the main character Blaszkowic constantly makes melancholy comments about the story.
In terms of gameplay, it's the clever enemy AI that provides challenges, the different enemy types, the variety in level design and the massive and extremely bloody hit feedback that made the game a lot of fun for me.
"Wolfenstein The New Order" manages to combine the charm and gameplay of old-school shooters like "Doom" or its namesake predecessor with a modern story and character focus and bombastic production.
Even if some cutscenes start and end rather abruptly and both the characters and the story seem a little rough and edgy, they work. I particularly liked the fact that the main character Blaszkowic constantly makes melancholy comments about the story.
In terms of gameplay, it's the clever enemy AI that provides challenges, the different enemy types, the variety in level design and the massive and extremely bloody hit feedback that made the game a lot of fun for me.
Playtime: 5:40 Hours
The gray-brown mud level design also runs through the DLC and the first levels are anything but exciting or in any way contrary to the main game. Towards the end, however, I enjoyed "Separate Ways" more, as there are more original ideas, including new enemies and at least a hint of scary moments. However, I didn't need the whole agent-like number in the music and Ada's staging as a character.
The gray-brown mud level design also runs through the DLC and the first levels are anything but exciting or in any way contrary to the main game. Towards the end, however, I enjoyed "Separate Ways" more, as there are more original ideas, including new enemies and at least a hint of scary moments. However, I didn't need the whole agent-like number in the music and Ada's staging as a character.
2019
Playtime: 10 Hours (Claires Campaign Run 1)
After "Dead Space", the remake of "Resident Evil 2" is probably the peak of survival horror games (I'm still missing Alien Isolation). Although part 2 is also always presented with a wink towards trash, the almost 10 hours in Claire's campaign are nevertheless much calmer and more seriously told than the action-packed chase in part 3 and the, in my opinion, far too long odyssey through Spanish forests in the fourth part.
Of course, the story itself is also rubbish here, but I don't mind it so much because the atmosphere is extremely well done and every shock is well-timed. In addition, simple but successful puzzles and a shortage of ammunition still play a major role in the gameplay, the whole level design is fantastic, both visually and in terms of the general structure, and the fact that parts 2 and 3 share the same location and time period makes for several great "aha moments".
When I first tried to play the game on release, the mechanics surrounding the indestructible Mr. X got on my nerves quite a bit. This time it was different and I love the twist they do with him. Very good game in every respect.
After "Dead Space", the remake of "Resident Evil 2" is probably the peak of survival horror games (I'm still missing Alien Isolation). Although part 2 is also always presented with a wink towards trash, the almost 10 hours in Claire's campaign are nevertheless much calmer and more seriously told than the action-packed chase in part 3 and the, in my opinion, far too long odyssey through Spanish forests in the fourth part.
Of course, the story itself is also rubbish here, but I don't mind it so much because the atmosphere is extremely well done and every shock is well-timed. In addition, simple but successful puzzles and a shortage of ammunition still play a major role in the gameplay, the whole level design is fantastic, both visually and in terms of the general structure, and the fact that parts 2 and 3 share the same location and time period makes for several great "aha moments".
When I first tried to play the game on release, the mechanics surrounding the indestructible Mr. X got on my nerves quite a bit. This time it was different and I love the twist they do with him. Very good game in every respect.
2020
Playtime: 7:40 Hours.
Fast-paced horror action with plenty of trashy charm. The remake of "Resident Evil 3" is often criticized for being too short. I found the almost seven and a half hours to be just right for this abstruse balancing act between exaggerated, over-stylized action and the atmospheric horror moments. The story is stupid, the characters flat, but every Resident Evil has that in common. Part 3, however, has an interesting opponent in the form of Nemesis, a monster that keeps coming back stronger and stronger, and I personally like the urban setting better than the Spanish hinterland in part 4, for example. The game is unnecessarily difficult in a few places and the gameplay itself is sometimes too cumbersome, but I was still very entertained by the game.
Fast-paced horror action with plenty of trashy charm. The remake of "Resident Evil 3" is often criticized for being too short. I found the almost seven and a half hours to be just right for this abstruse balancing act between exaggerated, over-stylized action and the atmospheric horror moments. The story is stupid, the characters flat, but every Resident Evil has that in common. Part 3, however, has an interesting opponent in the form of Nemesis, a monster that keeps coming back stronger and stronger, and I personally like the urban setting better than the Spanish hinterland in part 4, for example. The game is unnecessarily difficult in a few places and the gameplay itself is sometimes too cumbersome, but I was still very entertained by the game.
2023
Playtime: 70 Hours
"Hogwarts Legacy" is a game for fans of the Wizarding World. The game really captures the feeling that the movies gave me back then, what Hogwarts and the world around the castle feels like. This feeling makes up for the formulaic structure of the open world and the quests and is definitely the game's greatest strength in my opinion. The characters are certainly memorable, but the story is not. In fact, I found it extremely boring and predictable. However, similar to Skyrim, the side stories are convincing.
I was very skeptical about the gameplay, especially the combat system, before playing the game, but I think the combat and flying on the broom is actually very successful. However, "Hogwarts Legacy" is technically not as clean as it should be. Unfortunately, I often had frame drops, reloading textures, clipping errors and graphical misrepresentations. This never ruined the game, but it was annoying.
Nevertheless, the adventure, in which I was often able to make important decisions, entertained me well and I am glad to have finally experienced Hogwarts for myself.
"Hogwarts Legacy" is a game for fans of the Wizarding World. The game really captures the feeling that the movies gave me back then, what Hogwarts and the world around the castle feels like. This feeling makes up for the formulaic structure of the open world and the quests and is definitely the game's greatest strength in my opinion. The characters are certainly memorable, but the story is not. In fact, I found it extremely boring and predictable. However, similar to Skyrim, the side stories are convincing.
I was very skeptical about the gameplay, especially the combat system, before playing the game, but I think the combat and flying on the broom is actually very successful. However, "Hogwarts Legacy" is technically not as clean as it should be. Unfortunately, I often had frame drops, reloading textures, clipping errors and graphical misrepresentations. This never ruined the game, but it was annoying.
Nevertheless, the adventure, in which I was often able to make important decisions, entertained me well and I am glad to have finally experienced Hogwarts for myself.
Playtime: 10 Hours
The DLC expands on the already Good Main Game with a new Area and some very cool designed Bosses.
The DLC expands on the already Good Main Game with a new Area and some very cool designed Bosses.
2023
Playtime: 35 Hours
When "Remnant from the Ashes" came out a few years ago and was described as a co-op shooter in a sci-fi/fantasy world with Dark Souls elements, a buddy and I picked up the Double A title and actually had a lot of fun. Now part two has been released in 2023 and it was clear to us: this is going to be another good time.
"Remnant 2" does everything the predecessor did well even better. It is also visually more varied, plays more smoothly and simply offers significantly more content. It should be said that I only played through the entire story and the DLC once and then completed individual missions in other players' worlds. So, unlike my buddy, I haven't seen everything the game has to offer. Because "Remnant 2" is designed to be played through several times. The individual set pieces of the levels are hand-built, but they are put together randomly and the order is always different. In addition, the items and weapons are again completely unique and tied to areas, dungeons and bosses that do not always appear. This means you can't find everything on your first run through. In general, the game doesn't give you much help, but in this case that's good and adds another challenge to the already high difficulty.
But what I liked best, as with the predecessor, was the design of the world, weapons, items and enemies. It has a very unique morbid aesthetic and, together with the cryptic story, the challenging battles and the multi-layered and variable class system, it once again makes for a great overall package.
When "Remnant from the Ashes" came out a few years ago and was described as a co-op shooter in a sci-fi/fantasy world with Dark Souls elements, a buddy and I picked up the Double A title and actually had a lot of fun. Now part two has been released in 2023 and it was clear to us: this is going to be another good time.
"Remnant 2" does everything the predecessor did well even better. It is also visually more varied, plays more smoothly and simply offers significantly more content. It should be said that I only played through the entire story and the DLC once and then completed individual missions in other players' worlds. So, unlike my buddy, I haven't seen everything the game has to offer. Because "Remnant 2" is designed to be played through several times. The individual set pieces of the levels are hand-built, but they are put together randomly and the order is always different. In addition, the items and weapons are again completely unique and tied to areas, dungeons and bosses that do not always appear. This means you can't find everything on your first run through. In general, the game doesn't give you much help, but in this case that's good and adds another challenge to the already high difficulty.
But what I liked best, as with the predecessor, was the design of the world, weapons, items and enemies. It has a very unique morbid aesthetic and, together with the cryptic story, the challenging battles and the multi-layered and variable class system, it once again makes for a great overall package.
Playtime: 3 Hours
Both the finale and the epilogue. The DLC "Final Transmission" makes the base game "The Callisto Protocol" feel as if the final three hours of the story have been cut out of the game. Nevertheless, I also enjoyed the DLC, because there are new enemies, a new important weapon and at least the beginnings of puzzles that I sorely missed in the main game. Only the balance is off, as the new weapon is far too strong. And the ending is, to put it mildly, a worn-out formula.
Both the finale and the epilogue. The DLC "Final Transmission" makes the base game "The Callisto Protocol" feel as if the final three hours of the story have been cut out of the game. Nevertheless, I also enjoyed the DLC, because there are new enemies, a new important weapon and at least the beginnings of puzzles that I sorely missed in the main game. Only the balance is off, as the new weapon is far too strong. And the ending is, to put it mildly, a worn-out formula.
Playtime: 13 Hours
To be honest, we would all like "The Callisto Protocol" better if it weren't for "Dead Space", a game that revolutionized and defined survival horror. And yes of course that game is the obvious role model, but for me that doesn't mean that the alternative Dead Space has to be bad.
Although it never comes close to that classic, "The Callisto Protocol" looks incredibly good, has a really well-mixed sound and the atmosphere is insane. Just like the staging in the cutscenes is very well done. I've now been playing the game for almost a year after its release and fortunately haven't had any crashes, bugs or other really annoying technical errors or problems. Everything ran smoothly for me.
The problems I did have with the game only started halfway through. Although I liked the idea of the combat system, creating a mixture of dodging, melee and ranged combat using weapons and a special ability, this became more annoying than exciting in the boss fights and when there were too many enemies. And just as the intermediate bosses are repeated too often later in the game, the gameplay itself is also too repetitive, despite the short playing time of just under 13 hours. I would have liked a few puzzles to break things up.
However, the level design has made an effort to offer a lot of variety despite the limited space of a prison on an ice planet. And I think that worked. I was never bored by the visual presentation and finding the way worked well even without a map or anything similar. Which brings us to the most important thing: how scary is the game, especially compared to its role model? It's been a while since I played "Dead Space", but back then it was the scariest game ever for me. "The Callisto Protocol" never quite comes close, but there were definitely some moments when I held my breath and didn't want to look around the next corner. Overall, the game does a good job in my opinion.
So in the end I'm relatively satisfied and can't really understand all the bad reviews.
To be honest, we would all like "The Callisto Protocol" better if it weren't for "Dead Space", a game that revolutionized and defined survival horror. And yes of course that game is the obvious role model, but for me that doesn't mean that the alternative Dead Space has to be bad.
Although it never comes close to that classic, "The Callisto Protocol" looks incredibly good, has a really well-mixed sound and the atmosphere is insane. Just like the staging in the cutscenes is very well done. I've now been playing the game for almost a year after its release and fortunately haven't had any crashes, bugs or other really annoying technical errors or problems. Everything ran smoothly for me.
The problems I did have with the game only started halfway through. Although I liked the idea of the combat system, creating a mixture of dodging, melee and ranged combat using weapons and a special ability, this became more annoying than exciting in the boss fights and when there were too many enemies. And just as the intermediate bosses are repeated too often later in the game, the gameplay itself is also too repetitive, despite the short playing time of just under 13 hours. I would have liked a few puzzles to break things up.
However, the level design has made an effort to offer a lot of variety despite the limited space of a prison on an ice planet. And I think that worked. I was never bored by the visual presentation and finding the way worked well even without a map or anything similar. Which brings us to the most important thing: how scary is the game, especially compared to its role model? It's been a while since I played "Dead Space", but back then it was the scariest game ever for me. "The Callisto Protocol" never quite comes close, but there were definitely some moments when I held my breath and didn't want to look around the next corner. Overall, the game does a good job in my opinion.
So in the end I'm relatively satisfied and can't really understand all the bad reviews.
Playtime: 19 Hours
My first thought was: This is what a movie by Miyazaki would look like in a Pixar look. To a certain extent, "Kena: Bridge of Spirits" is exactly that in its visual presentation and the way the world works in the game. There is mystery, lots to discover, unusual but lovable creatures and a story about ghosts of the past. Even though I have to say that the story and Kena as a character are the weakest parts of the game. It's all kept very simple and Kena doesn't really undergo any development. Too bad.
On the other hand, the graphics, platforming and battles are convincing. While the platforming is simple but very intuitive, the battles on the second-highest difficulty level are really challenging. The big unexpected highlight for me was the boss battles, which always involved a certain amount of strategy. This is where the game was able to shine the most thanks to the supporting powers of the "Rots", because despite the fact that Kena only has two weapons, there were many ways to approach the fights.
At just under 19 hours, the game is also the perfect length, although the pure story would probably be a few hours shorter without the great challenges.
My first thought was: This is what a movie by Miyazaki would look like in a Pixar look. To a certain extent, "Kena: Bridge of Spirits" is exactly that in its visual presentation and the way the world works in the game. There is mystery, lots to discover, unusual but lovable creatures and a story about ghosts of the past. Even though I have to say that the story and Kena as a character are the weakest parts of the game. It's all kept very simple and Kena doesn't really undergo any development. Too bad.
On the other hand, the graphics, platforming and battles are convincing. While the platforming is simple but very intuitive, the battles on the second-highest difficulty level are really challenging. The big unexpected highlight for me was the boss battles, which always involved a certain amount of strategy. This is where the game was able to shine the most thanks to the supporting powers of the "Rots", because despite the fact that Kena only has two weapons, there were many ways to approach the fights.
At just under 19 hours, the game is also the perfect length, although the pure story would probably be a few hours shorter without the great challenges.
2023
Playtime: 75 Hours
Bethesda's new IP has become a really good space adventure for me. I may have spent relatively little time in "Starfield" compared to "Skyrim", just 75 hours, but these three days of gameplay were completely packed with a wide variety of experiences and lots of role-playing freedom. Compared to "Fallout 4", the dialog system in particular is once again much more in-depth and really offers many options for decisions and different approaches to mission objectives. As a result, my character didn't feel very predetermined and I was able to develop more and more into my own character over the course of the adventure, which was shaped by my decisions and alliances.
I also found the gameplay to be a big improvement on "Fallout 4". Gunplay and jetpack movement are super smooth and adapt wonderfully to the scenario. I liked the design of the universe of "Starfield" in its aesthetics, which Bethesda itself calls "Nasa Punk", but the large cities in which you are traveling are not exactly believable.
To my surprise, I have to say that I actually found the story that "Starfield" tells to be really exciting. Normally, Bethesda's big open world role-playing games are pretty interchangeable and boring when it comes to their main quests, but the story about rebirth, the mysterious Starborn and events spanning several dimensions was definitely a highlight of the game for me. Of course, as always, it's staged very matter-of-factly and without cut scenes, but if you can deal with that, the story works very well because of what you discover in the missions.
Discovering and exploring the world of "Starfield", on the other hand, is something that really bothered me, especially at the beginning. The planets are empty and every time just a boring flat plain without anything worth mentioning. And because of all the necessary fast travel, I didn't get the feeling of a coherent, freely explorable universe. But "Starfield" just works differently to "Skyrim" and "Fallout". There is a lot to discover and experience, but this happens much more in the context of the large side quests, which are really well written.
In the end, however, I really didn't have much that bothered me about the game. In fact, "Starfield" has finally given me that feeling of "Skyrim" again, where I don't even realize that I've already been playing for five hours.
Bethesda's new IP has become a really good space adventure for me. I may have spent relatively little time in "Starfield" compared to "Skyrim", just 75 hours, but these three days of gameplay were completely packed with a wide variety of experiences and lots of role-playing freedom. Compared to "Fallout 4", the dialog system in particular is once again much more in-depth and really offers many options for decisions and different approaches to mission objectives. As a result, my character didn't feel very predetermined and I was able to develop more and more into my own character over the course of the adventure, which was shaped by my decisions and alliances.
I also found the gameplay to be a big improvement on "Fallout 4". Gunplay and jetpack movement are super smooth and adapt wonderfully to the scenario. I liked the design of the universe of "Starfield" in its aesthetics, which Bethesda itself calls "Nasa Punk", but the large cities in which you are traveling are not exactly believable.
To my surprise, I have to say that I actually found the story that "Starfield" tells to be really exciting. Normally, Bethesda's big open world role-playing games are pretty interchangeable and boring when it comes to their main quests, but the story about rebirth, the mysterious Starborn and events spanning several dimensions was definitely a highlight of the game for me. Of course, as always, it's staged very matter-of-factly and without cut scenes, but if you can deal with that, the story works very well because of what you discover in the missions.
Discovering and exploring the world of "Starfield", on the other hand, is something that really bothered me, especially at the beginning. The planets are empty and every time just a boring flat plain without anything worth mentioning. And because of all the necessary fast travel, I didn't get the feeling of a coherent, freely explorable universe. But "Starfield" just works differently to "Skyrim" and "Fallout". There is a lot to discover and experience, but this happens much more in the context of the large side quests, which are really well written.
In the end, however, I really didn't have much that bothered me about the game. In fact, "Starfield" has finally given me that feeling of "Skyrim" again, where I don't even realize that I've already been playing for five hours.