2021
This review contains spoilers
I feel like I must've started out as the most boring and paranoid Colt though given I got the “kill literally everyone in an area” achievement in my first loop
It’s very funny to me how this game completely justifies the weird video game thing (well, several of them, but) of there being a whole load of food just sitting around everywhere given the whole event takes place over the course of a single, forever looping day, nobody needs to worry about it going bad out there lmao
The little details about this fucked up little community are so good
I can appreciate how some people may find the repetition a little too much but I really got a kick out of gradually getting to refine my approach to a given area and time period as I progress through the storyline and nudge ever closer to the goal
I pretty thoroughly enjoyed getting owned repeatedly by apparently pretty high level Juliana players a couple of times on the way to the finale, those explosive rounds she can unlock are rough
Overall I really like the game, though I think it might’ve oversold me on the idea that the player was piecing together a series of ways to group visionaries rather than just the one possible set, so that felt a bit deflating once I cottoned on to the format of the finale. It was still real fun getting there, though!
I also re-did the ending to see the other choice - I initially figured Colt would stick to his guns and broke the loop, which was a pretty bleak ending! I speedran a loop and made the other choice, and that seems… like perhaps the more cared-for ending, what with how different it is.
It’s very funny to me how this game completely justifies the weird video game thing (well, several of them, but) of there being a whole load of food just sitting around everywhere given the whole event takes place over the course of a single, forever looping day, nobody needs to worry about it going bad out there lmao
The little details about this fucked up little community are so good
I can appreciate how some people may find the repetition a little too much but I really got a kick out of gradually getting to refine my approach to a given area and time period as I progress through the storyline and nudge ever closer to the goal
I pretty thoroughly enjoyed getting owned repeatedly by apparently pretty high level Juliana players a couple of times on the way to the finale, those explosive rounds she can unlock are rough
Overall I really like the game, though I think it might’ve oversold me on the idea that the player was piecing together a series of ways to group visionaries rather than just the one possible set, so that felt a bit deflating once I cottoned on to the format of the finale. It was still real fun getting there, though!
I also re-did the ending to see the other choice - I initially figured Colt would stick to his guns and broke the loop, which was a pretty bleak ending! I speedran a loop and made the other choice, and that seems… like perhaps the more cared-for ending, what with how different it is.
2016
I have extremely mixed feelings about the Forza Horizon series. I love the driving, the driving is great. Perfect blend of forgiving and serious, great differentiation of different cars' feels, good physics, and generally well-designed tracks.
Then there's the open-world, constant-gachapon glue that strings them together. I feel like I am fast running out of energy for it. The game gives you so many cars, so much money, and so many options, that it almost always feels unfocused to the point of waning interest. Forzathon was, while it still ran, an interesting attempt to add some focus to this otherwise almost entirely self-driven mess of options, but it was limited in this game.
I sorely wish for a more restrained version of this where it feels like you're earning things as you go along, as opposed to just constantly being showered with rewards for even middling performances. Forza's game feel but with classic Gran Turismo-style progression.
Then there's the open-world, constant-gachapon glue that strings them together. I feel like I am fast running out of energy for it. The game gives you so many cars, so much money, and so many options, that it almost always feels unfocused to the point of waning interest. Forzathon was, while it still ran, an interesting attempt to add some focus to this otherwise almost entirely self-driven mess of options, but it was limited in this game.
I sorely wish for a more restrained version of this where it feels like you're earning things as you go along, as opposed to just constantly being showered with rewards for even middling performances. Forza's game feel but with classic Gran Turismo-style progression.
2018
Like its predecessor, this game feels extremely bogged down by the overly-generous rewards and the open world which sits between each event. There's a lot to do, but there's not a lot which it feels like you need to do.
Rewards are even thicker and faster than before, with the series' "Wheelspin" gachapon evolving to include a three-slot slot machine over the predecessor's single slot, though mostly further bogged down by the inclusion of cosmetic items for your in-game driver character.
The driving remains fantastic, and this version includes a significant upgrade to the game's compatibility with racing wheels, at least on PC, which is a welcome inclusion. The addition of an interior view which hides the wheel is also a fantastic inclusion for this play style, as the disconnect between the physical wheel and virtual one (whose rotation animations are somewhat limited by comparison) is fixed by this view, and it gives a slightly wider-feeling field of view given how close you are to the dash.
The UK is an alright new locale, and the season changes are interesting, but the seasons changing on a set schedule feels jarring when you only play sporadically.
I played this on Game Pass, and with a sequel out now, I think that's how I'll try that one too. The game feels like it has no real intention of making me stick around, so I might as well treat it as fleetingly as it cares for.
Rewards are even thicker and faster than before, with the series' "Wheelspin" gachapon evolving to include a three-slot slot machine over the predecessor's single slot, though mostly further bogged down by the inclusion of cosmetic items for your in-game driver character.
The driving remains fantastic, and this version includes a significant upgrade to the game's compatibility with racing wheels, at least on PC, which is a welcome inclusion. The addition of an interior view which hides the wheel is also a fantastic inclusion for this play style, as the disconnect between the physical wheel and virtual one (whose rotation animations are somewhat limited by comparison) is fixed by this view, and it gives a slightly wider-feeling field of view given how close you are to the dash.
The UK is an alright new locale, and the season changes are interesting, but the seasons changing on a set schedule feels jarring when you only play sporadically.
I played this on Game Pass, and with a sequel out now, I think that's how I'll try that one too. The game feels like it has no real intention of making me stick around, so I might as well treat it as fleetingly as it cares for.
I realise 343 were in the unenviable position of needing to make a good Halo game, but given they did so, they needed to convince people to actually try it, and so we got this free-to-play deal. It's a real shame because the core game feels like classic Halo with a respectable bit of Reach and 4 thrown in, and I would love to be able to just buy it and avoid the horrible monetisation dreck we're left with.
The battle pass progression feels extremely predatory, and despite a welcome post-launch change to add experience for each played game, the fact that without going premium there are many levels where you get absolutely no reward feels completely ghoulish. Even a handful of armour customisation options available from the jump, or unlocked in-game would alleviate this problem, but Microsoft have clearly seen the whales on the horizon and that's now the focus.
All that being said, the core gameplay is fantastic, a real return to form for the series. Guns feel and sound great, the mechanics work how they ought to, and it's just downright fun. Jumping in a fire team with friends is a great time, and well worth the time. Some of the newer game types feel a bit off - what the heck is a power seed, anyway - but the gameplay itself is so solid that really doesn't matter too much.
Gamepad input is a bit weird, and I'm struggling to dial in the settings just how I like, I think there might be a bit of an aggressive deadzone making things feel pretty coarse.
The battle pass progression feels extremely predatory, and despite a welcome post-launch change to add experience for each played game, the fact that without going premium there are many levels where you get absolutely no reward feels completely ghoulish. Even a handful of armour customisation options available from the jump, or unlocked in-game would alleviate this problem, but Microsoft have clearly seen the whales on the horizon and that's now the focus.
All that being said, the core gameplay is fantastic, a real return to form for the series. Guns feel and sound great, the mechanics work how they ought to, and it's just downright fun. Jumping in a fire team with friends is a great time, and well worth the time. Some of the newer game types feel a bit off - what the heck is a power seed, anyway - but the gameplay itself is so solid that really doesn't matter too much.
Gamepad input is a bit weird, and I'm struggling to dial in the settings just how I like, I think there might be a bit of an aggressive deadzone making things feel pretty coarse.
2018
A rough landing after playing the two Kiwami remakes prior, this game is by every measure a PS3 game and it really shows its age. A real slog. It’s a good thing the orphanage content is so charming or I think I’d have given up. Nice to get to tour a new environment, though.
2019
Game is fun, story is bizarre, four characters is a good time. One day Ryu Ga Gotoku studio will stop writing women like this. One day.
2013
A technically impressive game in its time whose merits seem to overshadow the deeply cynical nature of Rockstar's writing and world building.
2016
I love No Man's Sky and yet I also wish No Man's Sky was more, and less, of itself.
For a game describing a lonely, vast universe to discover, each world sure does seem to have a manned trading post and some sort of abandoned science facility and some alien artefacts on it. Each system definitely has a space station and probably some pirates to come shoot at you.
Discoveries are labeled as "yours" but it's clear that you are the colonial force coming to stake a claim on a universe which was inhabited and known long before you got here. I'm almost certain that's not the point the game is trying to make, but it comes off as unable to decide what it is, and I guess that speaks to the gamer revolt incited by the game's launch.
I missed the opportunity to play it in its original state, only getting it after a couple of major content updates intended to appease those early birds, and I suspect I'll never get that chance, but in those few moments after warping into a new system and observing your surroundings, and feeling far from anything, I think I feel the seeds of the feeling the game was actually intended to evoke, I just wish it were there for more of it.
For a game describing a lonely, vast universe to discover, each world sure does seem to have a manned trading post and some sort of abandoned science facility and some alien artefacts on it. Each system definitely has a space station and probably some pirates to come shoot at you.
Discoveries are labeled as "yours" but it's clear that you are the colonial force coming to stake a claim on a universe which was inhabited and known long before you got here. I'm almost certain that's not the point the game is trying to make, but it comes off as unable to decide what it is, and I guess that speaks to the gamer revolt incited by the game's launch.
I missed the opportunity to play it in its original state, only getting it after a couple of major content updates intended to appease those early birds, and I suspect I'll never get that chance, but in those few moments after warping into a new system and observing your surroundings, and feeling far from anything, I think I feel the seeds of the feeling the game was actually intended to evoke, I just wish it were there for more of it.
This is the best racing game anyone ever made, and even Criterion haven't managed to recreate its perfection.
A completely broken racing game with shockingly poor voice acting, broken physics, a progression system seemed engineered specifically to make you frustrated at repeating content, and an utterly dire frame rate.
2019
A grim, moody randomised romp through space with enough meat on its bones to keep you interested. Enjoyably British, but in that banal evil kind of way.
2010
"This game is good, just deeply misunderstood!" I repeatedly told my closeted self as I played the cute catgirl action platformer over and over again
2017
I was out of Saints Row to play and wanted to give this one a fair chance, so I put more hours into it than I probably should've, but I eventually realised the game just wasn't respecting my time once I went into the same base structure and had the same fight repeatedly.
There's potential here, though the writing often misses the mark, and I find myself wondering if the three-character structure was originally intended as a three-player co-op experience, which was cut due to time constraints, which honestly would've made a lot of this game make more sense.
I feel like Volition were here really trying to find a way not to be the Saints Row studio for the rest of time, but couldn't stick the landing on this one. I'm hopeful they'll get another chance after the upcoming Saints Row reboot.
There's potential here, though the writing often misses the mark, and I find myself wondering if the three-character structure was originally intended as a three-player co-op experience, which was cut due to time constraints, which honestly would've made a lot of this game make more sense.
I feel like Volition were here really trying to find a way not to be the Saints Row studio for the rest of time, but couldn't stick the landing on this one. I'm hopeful they'll get another chance after the upcoming Saints Row reboot.
2021
Solid little skating game. The controls are a bit wonky which can make the game feel pretty tough at times, but at its core it's a cute ~nine-hour romp with a loose story and some damn good music choices.
Shouldn't have bought this. I was a foolish teen.