stephenage
It starts generically, a decent enough guided experience that doesn’t really showcase why this is as good as it is. And then you have an open expanse and secrets to find. The exploration and discovery is the highlight here: strong level design and great manoeuvrability making this a blast.
It’s compulsively playable, always giving new a cool new thing or wonderful locations to uncover. It also has a brilliant 3D map — a rarity. Secrets are mostly pointless cosmetics but these are goofy fun and the act of discovery is the real joy.
It still could be tighter and there’s some feature bloat — though it’s so optional it can feel additive. Side characters are fun but the core narrative does very little. A perfunctory final twist is the definition of underbaked. Clearly, Respawn had a lot of gameplay ideas for a sequel, just not really any narrative ones.
It’s compulsively playable, always giving new a cool new thing or wonderful locations to uncover. It also has a brilliant 3D map — a rarity. Secrets are mostly pointless cosmetics but these are goofy fun and the act of discovery is the real joy.
It still could be tighter and there’s some feature bloat — though it’s so optional it can feel additive. Side characters are fun but the core narrative does very little. A perfunctory final twist is the definition of underbaked. Clearly, Respawn had a lot of gameplay ideas for a sequel, just not really any narrative ones.
2009
Like seeing the face of god.
2022
Couldn’t get myself past a could of hours. I hate hot it feels, the progression is dull, the environments do nothing for me — cool looking Tokyo is betrayed by corridor after corridor when it comes down to actually playing.
Down with almost all pseudo open world games. This could be interesting as a level based shooter but the concessions to place it in a zone sap this of anything.
I hated every minute with this.
Down with almost all pseudo open world games. This could be interesting as a level based shooter but the concessions to place it in a zone sap this of anything.
I hated every minute with this.
Interlacing systems smartly diverge this from just another Souls-like. The level based structure makes for fun encounters that encourage mastery of a zone, and there are a lot of opportunities to build your character in different ways.
Core mechanics are strong and you can really choose what to engage with and lean into. It pushes back, certainly, but allows you to progress in your own way — within satisfying limitations. The gameplay is responsive and the levels well designed. It just feels damn good.
That first boss is a really satisfying skill check and makes you engage with the game on its level. The story is nonsense and not very well told, and I think the game is too long — especially for its structure.
I really enjoyed this but I felt like I was done with it. But I left satisfied, even if I wasn’t eager to keep going.
Core mechanics are strong and you can really choose what to engage with and lean into. It pushes back, certainly, but allows you to progress in your own way — within satisfying limitations. The gameplay is responsive and the levels well designed. It just feels damn good.
That first boss is a really satisfying skill check and makes you engage with the game on its level. The story is nonsense and not very well told, and I think the game is too long — especially for its structure.
I really enjoyed this but I felt like I was done with it. But I left satisfied, even if I wasn’t eager to keep going.
2023
Disappointing as a port. It is beyond bare bones. Re-releases can preserve the feeling and therefore impact of a game. Quality of life changes that link it to modern expectations place the player in a position similar to the time of release — where a game conformed to its time even if those expectations have evolved since then.
It is harder to meet this game on its level. It feels old but enough of the special is there. I love that it feels like an action game where shooting is more of an interaction than the devotional element. Progressing through levels and a facsimile of espionage via objectives makes this feel cool.
It’s old, it can be arcane and it should look and play better. The ability to play with pseudo modern controls is something, and it was nice to finally play through the campaign of a game I’d only ever played multiplayer of as a kid (but a lot!).
It is harder to meet this game on its level. It feels old but enough of the special is there. I love that it feels like an action game where shooting is more of an interaction than the devotional element. Progressing through levels and a facsimile of espionage via objectives makes this feel cool.
It’s old, it can be arcane and it should look and play better. The ability to play with pseudo modern controls is something, and it was nice to finally play through the campaign of a game I’d only ever played multiplayer of as a kid (but a lot!).
2023
Ultimate feature bloat. This is a what if it was everything kind of game. Frustratingly so.
The very thin spreading means no element feels good, though there is a technical proficiency to the visuals. Gun play, or melee, never feels good enough; the open world is pointless; climbing is janky; RPG elements are poorly implemented; driving is bad; stealth is bad… it keeps going.
And then there are puzzle rooms?
Compelling to play because it is a base level of proficient and you want to see the ways it continues to be… Bad. The story is silly, and is politically off putting even if totally confused.
The dialogue is so bad that you have to stick with it, and it’s even funnier when it tries to narrativise this shortcoming at the end.
The very thin spreading means no element feels good, though there is a technical proficiency to the visuals. Gun play, or melee, never feels good enough; the open world is pointless; climbing is janky; RPG elements are poorly implemented; driving is bad; stealth is bad… it keeps going.
And then there are puzzle rooms?
Compelling to play because it is a base level of proficient and you want to see the ways it continues to be… Bad. The story is silly, and is politically off putting even if totally confused.
The dialogue is so bad that you have to stick with it, and it’s even funnier when it tries to narrativise this shortcoming at the end.
A revisit after being underwhelmed by this at release.
With fresh eyes, and lowered expectations, it’s such a good one of these. There are a lot of systems but they link together nicely and do satisfy.
Ezio the landlord buying up Rome is still weird but the curated content is very good. The city is excellent and it encourages you to really invest in it.
I think it lacks the soul of 2, it certainly lacks the narrative. It is more proficient but it is less loveable.
With fresh eyes, and lowered expectations, it’s such a good one of these. There are a lot of systems but they link together nicely and do satisfy.
Ezio the landlord buying up Rome is still weird but the curated content is very good. The city is excellent and it encourages you to really invest in it.
I think it lacks the soul of 2, it certainly lacks the narrative. It is more proficient but it is less loveable.
2009
A slow replaying of a favourite.
The first time I’d played it with the DLC.
It’s better without as it really kills the pace. The story is really well told, otherwise, and this is such a special game. Going around the cities is so brilliant and extra special after having been to Florence and Venice last summer.
The sense of place is so unmatched for me. Such a comfy game. A favourite beyond its worth.
The first time I’d played it with the DLC.
It’s better without as it really kills the pace. The story is really well told, otherwise, and this is such a special game. Going around the cities is so brilliant and extra special after having been to Florence and Venice last summer.
The sense of place is so unmatched for me. Such a comfy game. A favourite beyond its worth.
2021
Sometimes I like having achievements.
This looks like the show and has a bewildering, paceless and listless nature. A big old nothing but probably the right thing for its intended audience.
This looks like the show and has a bewildering, paceless and listless nature. A big old nothing but probably the right thing for its intended audience.
2008
An evening revisiting it. It still annoys me in places but it is still cool and looks great. I’m bad at it, and it gets repetitive (and the zero G stuff sucks)… Great atmosphere though and very memorable.
2023
Slick and fun. The rhythm layer just makes this. It takes a genre I really like, but suck at, and makes me play it with meaning and feeling.
Visually it’s a stunner, spreading to the vibe and backed up by the music. Load up the combos, match the beat and roll with the ways the game keeps finding to be even more fun.
Visually it’s a stunner, spreading to the vibe and backed up by the music. Load up the combos, match the beat and roll with the ways the game keeps finding to be even more fun.
2022
Obvious discomfort aside (if that’s even fair to put it aside), this sucks in a vacuum.
Progression is too slow, and it never feels as good as it could. It is an echo of better games at every point and the writing is so god damn irritating.
Progression is too slow, and it never feels as good as it could. It is an echo of better games at every point and the writing is so god damn irritating.
2022
I get the appeal but, frankly, I could feel myself dying as I played it.
2023
It feels like there’s something in Redfall, but there isn’t. Every session gives a glimpse until you get a clear view of something and realise it’s bad. It is just an empty, repetitive and deeply uninteresting experience.
The repeatable content loops make it playable, but within this nothing really stands out. The designs of interiors are cool. Places evoke stories more interesting than anything in the game’s conventional arcs. The map is cool looking and I liked seeing new sights, it’s just that there’s nothing to do in any of them that legitimises them. No divergence or room for player expression.
To an extent, certain systems have promise. Nothing compelling is built out of them or around them, though. Characters are limited, best described by others as a complete character split into four deficient options.
The repeatable content loops make it playable, but within this nothing really stands out. The designs of interiors are cool. Places evoke stories more interesting than anything in the game’s conventional arcs. The map is cool looking and I liked seeing new sights, it’s just that there’s nothing to do in any of them that legitimises them. No divergence or room for player expression.
To an extent, certain systems have promise. Nothing compelling is built out of them or around them, though. Characters are limited, best described by others as a complete character split into four deficient options.
An April fools joke as an actual game, and one of the better Sonic titles. Though, that's a low bar. This is a neat visual knowledge that fits the genre well and has lots of personality. It is very feature light, an interactive story that lasts a couple of hours and clearly has limitations.
In that space, there's some creativity. A couple of times the core mechanics are used cleverly but mostly the thing is the writing. It isn't amazing but it is sweet and often funny. It has a consistent voice and the best thing to do is purposefully pick wrong things to get fun responses.
There's also this moderately annoying forced minigame that can be entertaining at times, in a rote 'endless running games are compulsive' way. It is tacked on, though, and disrupts the pacing and pulls that satisfaction away from the novel (in both senses of the word) moments.
In that space, there's some creativity. A couple of times the core mechanics are used cleverly but mostly the thing is the writing. It isn't amazing but it is sweet and often funny. It has a consistent voice and the best thing to do is purposefully pick wrong things to get fun responses.
There's also this moderately annoying forced minigame that can be entertaining at times, in a rote 'endless running games are compulsive' way. It is tacked on, though, and disrupts the pacing and pulls that satisfaction away from the novel (in both senses of the word) moments.