2023
The fastest I've ever felt motion sick in any game, VR or otherwise
2016
Didn't really vibe with it much at all. Some cool unique mechanics but deployed in service of a pretty rote-feeling shooter in between.
2019
What a gorgeous little game, perfect length, wonderfully explorative and with no attempt to “hook” you into completionism
2022
It's a shame this is a modern EA game engineered for subscription services first and foremost, because the racing is pretty good, and the storyline is engaging, you just don't get all that much of it unless you buy DLC "seasons".
Outside of the story mode, the career mode is pretty barebones, despite a healthy number of tracks and modes. I just wish it landed somewhere between those extremes.
Outside of the story mode, the career mode is pretty barebones, despite a healthy number of tracks and modes. I just wish it landed somewhere between those extremes.
2021
A fantastic little adventure game. I thoroughly enjoyed my time with this.
Janky as hell but just charming enough to keep coming back to
This game is so disappointing because what we really needed was a solid PC port of Geometry Wars 2, but given this is after the untimely demise of prior series developer Bizarre Creations, we're left with this pale imitation of the once-great series. Great job Activision.
Very fluid animation, but fiendishly difficult. Also I had to pay 100 cents for it. Boo!
2022
very very stylish and a cool concept, but I feel like it could benefit from some checkpointing. the fact that you can preview moves with the crank is also completely missable.
2022
The agony and ecstasy is back!
Splatoon's third outing brings some sorely needed quality of life improvements to matchmaking, playing with friends, and competitive gameplay in general. The spawn changes are inspired. Playing with your friends is no longer a chore. Dropouts are handled gracefully. The new weapons add great new variety.
Singleplayer very good, taking some design cues from Octo Expansion but keeping the difficulty curve much more generous. There are some unfortunate spikes here and there, but overall it's a good time.
All that said, it's still a Nintendo online game, so there's plenty of "a communication error occurred" to be had. It's kind of absurd that they charge a subscription (however cheap) for this kind of experience.
Splatoon's third outing brings some sorely needed quality of life improvements to matchmaking, playing with friends, and competitive gameplay in general. The spawn changes are inspired. Playing with your friends is no longer a chore. Dropouts are handled gracefully. The new weapons add great new variety.
Singleplayer very good, taking some design cues from Octo Expansion but keeping the difficulty curve much more generous. There are some unfortunate spikes here and there, but overall it's a good time.
All that said, it's still a Nintendo online game, so there's plenty of "a communication error occurred" to be had. It's kind of absurd that they charge a subscription (however cheap) for this kind of experience.
2022
This review contains spoilers
A sweet little story told over the course of a few real-time weeks of checking in. Almost virtual pet-like in that way.
The way the game turns Midori's inability to cope with her stress into the player literally not having the option to do anything but work hits extremely close to home for me.
Bloom's finale felt a little sudden to me, and I wish the gardening mechanic had had more to do with the progression through the story in the end. Could've done with a little more fleshing out, too; maybe a bouquet bonus for planting coordinating flowers?
In any case, this one is definitely worth sideloading on your Playdate.
The way the game turns Midori's inability to cope with her stress into the player literally not having the option to do anything but work hits extremely close to home for me.
Bloom's finale felt a little sudden to me, and I wish the gardening mechanic had had more to do with the progression through the story in the end. Could've done with a little more fleshing out, too; maybe a bouquet bonus for planting coordinating flowers?
In any case, this one is definitely worth sideloading on your Playdate.
2022
An absolute standout on the Playdate so far - fantastic fun little matching game which had me hooked.
It's more content for MK8, which is on its face great because between the Wii U and Switch versions I have played too many hours of the base tracks and original DLC set to really have fun playing with friends. This brings new tracks which I don't have a near decade of muscle memory with and makes it actually interesting again.
The new tracks are okay, if the mobile ports seem to reveal how uninspired the mobile game was. The new tracks are neat so far though.
Kind of a shame there's no new characters, but I guess that would've been too much to ask for. Reasonable value so far if you just want to inject some more replay value into the venerable Mario Kart 8.
The new tracks are okay, if the mobile ports seem to reveal how uninspired the mobile game was. The new tracks are neat so far though.
Kind of a shame there's no new characters, but I guess that would've been too much to ask for. Reasonable value so far if you just want to inject some more replay value into the venerable Mario Kart 8.
A solid upgrade over the original, with much more forgiving difficulty curve, largely due to significant improvements to the nanotech health system. Not quite as aesthetically charming or consistent, though.
2002
Ratchet & Clank is a real gem, gorgeous designs, a real strong sense of exploration and adventure. Lovely graphics, and memorable music.
But oh boy does it get brutal towards the end - makes me wonder if the finale was literally the last thing they developed. It requires a long gauntlet of highly precise platforming among enemies with longer targeting radii than you, with weapons with splash damage, and there are no checkpoints.
I ultimately ended up deciding to use the infinite bolt glitch to get myself the final health upgrade, and the RYNO and finally make my way to Drek, and frankly I consider this the game's penance for the absurd difficulty at the end.
A solid game, and a real PlayStation 2 classic. The Vita port does it justice, too!
But oh boy does it get brutal towards the end - makes me wonder if the finale was literally the last thing they developed. It requires a long gauntlet of highly precise platforming among enemies with longer targeting radii than you, with weapons with splash damage, and there are no checkpoints.
I ultimately ended up deciding to use the infinite bolt glitch to get myself the final health upgrade, and the RYNO and finally make my way to Drek, and frankly I consider this the game's penance for the absurd difficulty at the end.
A solid game, and a real PlayStation 2 classic. The Vita port does it justice, too!