shatterball
2007
On one hand, this game completely shits the bed in the third act and has absolutely no idea what to do with itself when it ends, the 'moral choice' is the most moronic seventh gen tripe, and despite its posing, it has very little of value to say about politics.
On the other hand, it has probably the most engrossing and atmospheric game world ever created and I've memorized basically every line of dialogue over the 20+ playthroughs I've done, so who really knows how good it is?
On the other hand, it has probably the most engrossing and atmospheric game world ever created and I've memorized basically every line of dialogue over the 20+ playthroughs I've done, so who really knows how good it is?
2023
Not to sound like a Pretentious Gamer Man, but I really love how deliberately obtuse this is, especially in comparison to how the later Shock games would streamline both level design and game systems. Not to mention the fact that it's just gorgeous to look at while sitting at a total of 8 gigs(!), which just goes to show how lucky we are to have such a high-gloss remake of a game like this. Firmly believe that if Baldur's Gate III hadn't come out and (deservedly) taken over the world last year, you'd have a lot more people coming out of the woodwork to talk about this one.
2021
A game made for a very niche audience (people whose favorite Quake is the first one, and people who also really enjoy Soviet aesthetics), which should immediately endear me to it, but it also understandably lacks a lot of the polish and creativity that Quake has. If the far superior Dusk or Amid Evil weren't enough for you, grab this on sale.
2005
Banjo-Kazooie for kids who were really into Invader Zim.
2011
I mean, it's not Dark Souls II, but I'll take it.
1997
They make Barret regret his strategy of blowing up Mako reactors later in the game, but don't worry babe, I know you were always in the right.
Prequels are always funny because they want you to be excited about amazing questions like "where did this axe come from?"
1996
Naughty Dog now being the very self-serious developer of violent story-driven games is really funny when you go back and remember that their big break was making The Most 1996 Game Ever Created.
"I will await you, and if you do not return, then I shall wait until my life ends, then we shall meet again, in the places where the Force does not touch."
Too weird to live, too rare to die.
Too weird to live, too rare to die.
2002
One of the most artistic, stylistic, and mechanically cohesive games ever made, trapped on a console that will literally self-destruct if left untouched.
With this game, Sega drew a definitive line in the sand: Sonic is for kids who listen to Michael Jackson, Mario is for kids who listen to Prince.
Takes the relatively tasteful LucasArts design of the first game and throws it headfirst into schlock garbage that also manages to capture that brief window of time between Quake and Half-Life where 3D FPS design was basically the Wild West.
1994
Mega Man sequels, formulaic as they are, usually try to add at least one new major feature in between entries. X2 might just be the first game where they just say 'fuck it' and change essentially nothing.
Cheap, ugly, confusing, uninspired - but hey, Mara Jade's got a pretty cool jacket on the box art.
Trying to make D&D into a beat-em-up was probably the best decision in 1996, but now it just kind of feels like making an arcade game out of My Dinner with Andre. They certainly try to make the social/roleplay elements work, but it feels pretty slight, especially in comparison to the plethora of CRPGs that were out at the exact same time, so they just made it like if Golden Axe had an inventory system and a couple of fork in the road points.