Bully is a game that really surprised me. I really admire how Rockstar was able to create a pretty unique spin on a formula quickly gaining traction in early 2000s gaming, rather than just slapping a school uniform on top of it and calling it a day.

There are so many aspects of this game that are so well thought out:
- The varied minigame aspect with classes, and the in game rewards that going to class gives you, while not completely stunting you if you decide to skip.
- Small school things implemented into the gameplay like how you use the controller to open lockers, bikes/skateboards/buses in exchange for cars in quick travel, and forced stealth aspects (being able to be bad as a kid involves A LOT more sneaking than for adults lol).
- Popularly stereotyped high-school cliques, with unique challenges based on their individual aspects: having to get a video game high score for access to the nerd base, beating the preps in their country club sports for their respect, etc.

The humor is very 2000s Rockstar, with many of the jokes still able to stick the land, while others are just straight up uncomfortable. I think the biggest thing I couldn't stand was all the vomit and piss in the game, but again, it's a 2000's Rockstar game, I knew what I was walking into. The greasers were the only clique in the game that had me scratching my head on why the hell they added them, but the game itself even pokes fun at the choice with comments like, "Do those guys know it's not the 50's anymore," towards it. I personally think a group like "The Emos" would have been more fun to have, but that might have been just a bit too underground for Rockstar to pick up on yet.

The ending for Bully was really fun, with all the cliques in complete chaos. My only nitpicky complaint would be not seeing Gary for a fairly long time (think he's last seen with the greasers at the half-way mark), only for him to reappear as the ultimate villain, because I mean, did you expect the kid that dressed as a Nazi for Halloween to NOT be? His final boss battle is great though, building up the suspense and drama of FINALLY being able to beat up the kid that acts like all the worst people on online forums, and man, it feels fucking AMAZING when you finally do beat the snot out of him.

I had a lot of fun with Bully, and could see it being a game I try and 100% at some point! Some of the humor and relatability is a bit of a miss for me, but that's just something to expect not being the target audience for the game. Even then, I really enjoyed it, and think it works great as an example of some of the PS2's best of the bests.

4/5

What're ya buyin? Maybe Resident Evil 4 Remake ?

Capcom has released with the Resident Evil 4 Remake one of the most anticipated remakes of all time for a game which revolutionized the video game industry. I was too young to experience the original game when it released because I was born in 1999. The first time that I played the original Resident Evil 4 was in 2019 after Resident Evil 7 scared the living shit out of me in 2017 and got me into this franchise, I decided to go back and play the other entry's after the Resident Evil 2 Remake pulled me even deeper into the franchise. Since then I've become a huge hardcore fan of the franchise but I'm also not the biggest fan of the original Resi 4 because it always felt like a "foreign body" in the franchise which was a result of the more action focus of the game. But I was still excited for the remake because Leon S. fucking Kennedy ( "S" stands for sexy ) is one of my favorite characters of the Resident Evil Games and I wanted to know if Capcom could improve the original game so it has more of the Resi DNA to make it fit better into the franchise.


And oh boy, did they succeed...hold on tight, rookie!
Resident Evil 4 Remake is the highest rated game on Backloggd at the time of writing this review because Capcom has managed to remove almost 90% of the annoying segments and mechanics and they added new ones or improved old ones. The changes make the game feel finally more like a Resident Evil game but why just “almost” and not 100% you might think. This brings us to one of my two points of criticism which is the last big segment of the game, the island. I absolutely hated that segment when I played it in the original and sadly they didn't cut it out. But it was more fun in the remake simply because of the improved controls but it's still the worst part of this game. It's just way to much action and zero atmosphere, the island segment is really similar to Resi 5 and 6 and those are both pretty bad Resi games.

For my first run I played on hardcore and it was really well balanced and felt more like normal difficulty. There are a few encounters which are more difficult like the cabin but it overall feels like the right way to play it. The intro works much better this time around because the whole Umbrella stock market crash was so rushed in the original. One of the most important improvements was that the remake has a more darker tone, lightning and atmosphere are really creepy. But it still manages to be campy and the characters still have their iconic lines. The sound design is phenomenal, I can't praise it enough. The manic chanting that gets louder the closer the farmers get, growls of wolves around you in the bushes, the sounds of a chainsaw motor in the distance all these sounds create a sense of dread. The most intense segment was the underground laboratory, hearing the Verdugo snarl in the vents around you gave me goosebumps. The gameplay loop is really additive and never gets boring because the gun play feels great. There are quite a few variations of weapons and the hit feedback well done. The remake has the right amount of madness that I expect from a Resi game like blocking an axe or pitchfork attack with a small knife, I love how chaotic it gets whenever I've entered a new segment. I always thought I had a plan, but it almost never went as planned and got chaotic fast. One thing that bothered me was that some level design decisions made it too easy and that the game wanted to hold my hand for too long. Like the yellow tapes for example which are everywhere. If it would be subtle then it doesn't bother me but it was way to frequently. But sadly that is how the industry works nowadays, everything has to be more casual. Luckily all other mechanics were improved or update to modern standards. Not only the gameplay and the graphics which are beautiful, there are also so many new animations and rarely have I seen such a level of detail in the animations and level design. Leon reacts to all kinds of stuff whether he is hurt, unsure or tense. He changes his posture and even facial expressions which you can easily overlook in the chaos of the fight. The feet of El Gigante also leave footprints or rain bounces off Leon's head, there are so many details that I could talk hours about them. Both characters, Ashley and Luis have also received a major improvement. Luis whole arc works so much better and it was cool when he helped you in fights. I was surprisingly sad when he died in the mines. Ashley is amazing and so cute. The chemistry between her and Leon is great. I was glad to see that Capcom kept small details like her fist pump whenever you shoot an enemy. In the original I was glad when she was taken away but in the remake I was sad and that's probably the biggest compliment that you can give.

Overall this probably one the best remakes of all time if not the best. It plays with your expectations even for people that have played the original. I respect and enjoyed the original, but this remake surpasses it in every way possible and makes it one of my favorite games of the franchise. A must play for sure and already a GOTY contender for this year.

Resident Evil Games Ranked
Games I finished in 2023 Ranked

#1 in my List of Top 5 Games of 2023

Alan Wake was one of my favorite games when I first played it on Xbox 360, so I was thrilled when the remaster was announced for multi-platform release. Since buying it on Day 1, I have tried to play the remaster 3 separate times and gave up every time before finishing Episode 3. Until the fourth time… For some reason, on my fourth attempt, this game absolutely clicked for me again, and I fell in love with this weird Remedy world. The gameplay is still very repetitive (how many groups of three bad guys can they send at me???), but the narrative interaction between the playable world and the in-game documents is unlike anything I’ve seen elsewhere. As a narrative-first gamer, this game ticks all the boxes. Playing this has also convinced me to (1) Platinum Alan Wake Remastered and (2) give Control another shot after I fell off of it on my first attempt.