waywardlaser
2018
I love running through this whole game every once in a while. The sequels may have more varied gameplay and interesting level design, but they also force you to come back to levels later on with new abilities before you can collect all of the gems. The original Spyro just lets you do it all in one go and it's incredibly satisfying for that reason.
2022
"Reddit humor," quoth the Backloggd user.
Hey guys let's not start review bombing just because your introduction to Rick and Morty was that jackass spazzing out at the McDonald's. I'd really hate to see this site become Metacritic. But if you played it and were genuinely put off by the jokes, fair enough. Nothing dictates your sense of humour but yourself. Personally I found the game to be pretty funny, even if they blew their load and used all the best bits in the opening hours. The latter half isn't devoid of laughs, but they were definitely happening less often. I mean, the full RedLetterMedia commentary for the movie Demon Wind was reason enough for me to give this a shot. Justin Roiland is far from the only voice you'll be hearing throughout this adventure; lots of very talented voice actors were clearly having a fun time with this.
As for the gameplay, I enjoyed this more than I anticipated. After the first couple hours I thought the gunplay would become dull and repetitive; it was decent but not wowing me. However, once you unlock the other weapons, the speed boost, grappling hook, and jetpack, all of a sudden every enemy encounter becomes these Doom-esque carnage playgrounds that constantly kept me on my toes. The game definitely evokes a little bit of Metroid Prime, Bioshock Infinite, and fourth-wall breakers like The Stanley Parable too. Not unlike the latter, I often found myself standing around just waiting to see what kind of goofy, self-aware dialogue the game will throw at me. Boss fights could be underwhelming but the characters themselves were amusing encounters to say the least. Performance on Series X is fantastic, although it definitely has its share of audio mixing issues and even soft locked me on a couple occasions. Luckily the checkpoints kept me from losing no more than a few minutes of progress.
It's definitely not the most original game out there...but was it fun? Hell yeah. I'm not a big FPS guy so I will gladly take this over generic military shooter #562 any day of the week. Once again: Game Pass delivers.
Hey guys let's not start review bombing just because your introduction to Rick and Morty was that jackass spazzing out at the McDonald's. I'd really hate to see this site become Metacritic. But if you played it and were genuinely put off by the jokes, fair enough. Nothing dictates your sense of humour but yourself. Personally I found the game to be pretty funny, even if they blew their load and used all the best bits in the opening hours. The latter half isn't devoid of laughs, but they were definitely happening less often. I mean, the full RedLetterMedia commentary for the movie Demon Wind was reason enough for me to give this a shot. Justin Roiland is far from the only voice you'll be hearing throughout this adventure; lots of very talented voice actors were clearly having a fun time with this.
As for the gameplay, I enjoyed this more than I anticipated. After the first couple hours I thought the gunplay would become dull and repetitive; it was decent but not wowing me. However, once you unlock the other weapons, the speed boost, grappling hook, and jetpack, all of a sudden every enemy encounter becomes these Doom-esque carnage playgrounds that constantly kept me on my toes. The game definitely evokes a little bit of Metroid Prime, Bioshock Infinite, and fourth-wall breakers like The Stanley Parable too. Not unlike the latter, I often found myself standing around just waiting to see what kind of goofy, self-aware dialogue the game will throw at me. Boss fights could be underwhelming but the characters themselves were amusing encounters to say the least. Performance on Series X is fantastic, although it definitely has its share of audio mixing issues and even soft locked me on a couple occasions. Luckily the checkpoints kept me from losing no more than a few minutes of progress.
It's definitely not the most original game out there...but was it fun? Hell yeah. I'm not a big FPS guy so I will gladly take this over generic military shooter #562 any day of the week. Once again: Game Pass delivers.
Fun time-killing distraction although I wish it had a larger library of songs and even the DLC didn't seem very substantial for my tastes. I appreciate them including Hare Hare Yukai...but no Super Driver??? C'mon, that would've been so much fun; it's built for the drums.
2022
Pentiment absolutely floored me; what a fantastic experience. As someone with a huge interest in art history, the amount of research and careful planning that must have went into this project is insane. It's as educational as it is enthralling.
Set during the 16th century at the dawn of The Enlightenment, it's no mistake that Obsidian wanted to illustrate parallels between this era and our own. To say any more about the plot other than it being a "historical murder mystery" could spoil the experience. The way dialogue is presented through different fonts is an inspired choice which helps to indicate a character's social class or simply how our protagonist perceives them. The lack of voice acting may be a deal-breaker for some, but when you consider the size of the dev team, the number of unique NPCs, and the amount of branching paths based on the choices you make, that would be an incredibly tall order. And it's the ramifications of said choices that made this narrative feel so impactful; begging you to come back for more and see what you missed in future playthroughs. That first in-game day is admittedly a little slow but it is meant to establish the status quo in the village of Tassing before pulling the rug out from under you; of which it does several times. Once I hit that second day I was hooked until the very end.
If it wasn't for Game Pass it's possible I never even would've tried a game like this, so I'm once again extremely grateful for the service. Microsoft may not be churning out the big AAA exclusives like Sony, but I will gladly take experimental passion projects like this in the interim. Even if you find it isn't for you, which is possible because it's clearly very niche, there's still no harm in giving it a try. It's not the kind of game that'll blow up on social media or Twitch; it's a very methodical and often peaceful experience that's less of an RPG and leans more towards a visual novel.
Hats off to Josh Sawyer and his team at Obsidian; I cannot wait to see what they have in store for us next.
Set during the 16th century at the dawn of The Enlightenment, it's no mistake that Obsidian wanted to illustrate parallels between this era and our own. To say any more about the plot other than it being a "historical murder mystery" could spoil the experience. The way dialogue is presented through different fonts is an inspired choice which helps to indicate a character's social class or simply how our protagonist perceives them. The lack of voice acting may be a deal-breaker for some, but when you consider the size of the dev team, the number of unique NPCs, and the amount of branching paths based on the choices you make, that would be an incredibly tall order. And it's the ramifications of said choices that made this narrative feel so impactful; begging you to come back for more and see what you missed in future playthroughs. That first in-game day is admittedly a little slow but it is meant to establish the status quo in the village of Tassing before pulling the rug out from under you; of which it does several times. Once I hit that second day I was hooked until the very end.
If it wasn't for Game Pass it's possible I never even would've tried a game like this, so I'm once again extremely grateful for the service. Microsoft may not be churning out the big AAA exclusives like Sony, but I will gladly take experimental passion projects like this in the interim. Even if you find it isn't for you, which is possible because it's clearly very niche, there's still no harm in giving it a try. It's not the kind of game that'll blow up on social media or Twitch; it's a very methodical and often peaceful experience that's less of an RPG and leans more towards a visual novel.
Hats off to Josh Sawyer and his team at Obsidian; I cannot wait to see what they have in store for us next.
2022
It's far from a polished product: it's janky at times, jump momentum and mid-air control never quite felt right, the pop-in is abysmal, the terrain can be unwieldy in certain areas, and the third island is a bit of a pain to navigate. Not to mention they still can't seem to get away from using Green Hill and Chemical Plant Zone; the cyberspace levels seriously could've benefited from some visual variety.
But with that being said...Sonic Team finally did it. They actually did it; the blue blur is exciting again. What they've done with this new open zone system is a great foundation to build upon in the future. The Breath of the Wild inspiration is unmistakeable, but in terms of level design I think it falls somewhere between Bowser's Fury and Tony Hawk. The moment-to-moment gameplay is so fun and satisfying that I actually found it hard to put Frontiers down, despite all of its shortcomings. And by the second island I was actually getting really invested in the plot. It's a bit fragmented but damn if it wasn't great to see the cast acting like themselves again, and not the goofy archetypes we've had for years. You can tell Ian Flynn really cares about these characters. And also HOLY SHIT this has some of the most hype boss fights I've experienced in a very long time and they stand out as some of the best moments of the entire series.
I'll admit I've never been a big fan of the boost games. I fell off the series after Shadow and 06 so I never became very accustomed to them. Some fans swear by Generations being one of the series' best but I just thought it was fine, if not underwhelming; and the less said about Forces the better. Here the boost gameplay finally clicked with me. This is easily the most fun I've had with 3D Sonic since I was a kid playing SA 1&2 on GameCube all those years ago. It's been such a long time since I've had a Sonic game that was just fun to mess around in and not always have to race to the finish line. I beat the story after 23 hours which is kind of insane by this franchise's standards, and I will gladly be going back for completion.
For the first time in almost 20 years I'm actually excited for the future of Sonic.
But with that being said...Sonic Team finally did it. They actually did it; the blue blur is exciting again. What they've done with this new open zone system is a great foundation to build upon in the future. The Breath of the Wild inspiration is unmistakeable, but in terms of level design I think it falls somewhere between Bowser's Fury and Tony Hawk. The moment-to-moment gameplay is so fun and satisfying that I actually found it hard to put Frontiers down, despite all of its shortcomings. And by the second island I was actually getting really invested in the plot. It's a bit fragmented but damn if it wasn't great to see the cast acting like themselves again, and not the goofy archetypes we've had for years. You can tell Ian Flynn really cares about these characters. And also HOLY SHIT this has some of the most hype boss fights I've experienced in a very long time and they stand out as some of the best moments of the entire series.
I'll admit I've never been a big fan of the boost games. I fell off the series after Shadow and 06 so I never became very accustomed to them. Some fans swear by Generations being one of the series' best but I just thought it was fine, if not underwhelming; and the less said about Forces the better. Here the boost gameplay finally clicked with me. This is easily the most fun I've had with 3D Sonic since I was a kid playing SA 1&2 on GameCube all those years ago. It's been such a long time since I've had a Sonic game that was just fun to mess around in and not always have to race to the finish line. I beat the story after 23 hours which is kind of insane by this franchise's standards, and I will gladly be going back for completion.
For the first time in almost 20 years I'm actually excited for the future of Sonic.
This was a really pleasant surprise. After the somewhat engaging but kind of mediocre Shadow of the Tomb Raider, and based on what I've heard about Avengers, I had a lot more fun with Guardians than I expected to. It doesn't re-write the book on third person action games but is carried by its great cast of characters, clever writing, satisfying gameplay, and a touching story hat had me invested from beginning to end. The inspiration from the MCU version is unmistakeable but thankfully this adaptation really comes into its own and explores a ton of the cosmic side of Marvel that has yet to be touched on in the movies. The Guardians don't feel like carbon copies of their film counterparts and each member of the team gets an appropriate amount of development and moments to shine during the story. The amount of dialogue is seriously insane and the presentation had my full attention at all times (a podcast game this is not). While I think the script succeeds at a lot of great comedy that doesn't undercut emotional beats or feel forced, your mileage on the frequent use of the word "flark" may vary. And I can recall at least a couple jokes that I would deem cringey, but those are very few and far between; the majority of the time the writing is fantastic.
But the game does falter in a few spots. For one the graphics definitely lack polish. I'm impressed with the stable 60fps on Series X even when a ton of shit is happening on-screen during combat, but there are graphical hiccups here and there. Skyboxes will often flicker or have visible seams, which took me out of the beautiful space scenery at points. Certain character models can look or move a bit awkward, especially while they lock eyes with you during a looping, stationary animation. I got stuck in the geometry a couple of times and the camera locked into place when it wasn't supposed to, but I can count those kinds of instances on one hand. A quick re-load always did the trick and the autosaves ensured I never lost a minute or two of progress. On the gameplay side I can definitely see some people finding the combat repetitive, not to mention easy. I always found it satisfying, especially once I figured out powerful move combos with your teammates, and the exploration helps break up the monotony. And I won't be the first to say that this feels like a nice blend of Uncharted and the team building of Mass Effect, although it handles action set pieces nowhere near as well as the former. This game's idea of an action set piece is sliding down a giant hill inside of a cave, of which you will see quite a few.
Overall, I would recommend checking this one out, especially if you have Game Pass. I slept on it for too long but I really hope they can expand on this IP in the future. Seems like Eidos-Montreal got sold off to a new publisher so I guess I won't hold my breath for the time being.
But the game does falter in a few spots. For one the graphics definitely lack polish. I'm impressed with the stable 60fps on Series X even when a ton of shit is happening on-screen during combat, but there are graphical hiccups here and there. Skyboxes will often flicker or have visible seams, which took me out of the beautiful space scenery at points. Certain character models can look or move a bit awkward, especially while they lock eyes with you during a looping, stationary animation. I got stuck in the geometry a couple of times and the camera locked into place when it wasn't supposed to, but I can count those kinds of instances on one hand. A quick re-load always did the trick and the autosaves ensured I never lost a minute or two of progress. On the gameplay side I can definitely see some people finding the combat repetitive, not to mention easy. I always found it satisfying, especially once I figured out powerful move combos with your teammates, and the exploration helps break up the monotony. And I won't be the first to say that this feels like a nice blend of Uncharted and the team building of Mass Effect, although it handles action set pieces nowhere near as well as the former. This game's idea of an action set piece is sliding down a giant hill inside of a cave, of which you will see quite a few.
Overall, I would recommend checking this one out, especially if you have Game Pass. I slept on it for too long but I really hope they can expand on this IP in the future. Seems like Eidos-Montreal got sold off to a new publisher so I guess I won't hold my breath for the time being.
2015
I don't even give a fuck anymore, the truth is I love this janky ass game. I just sunk another 70 hours into it for what feels like the tenth time at least. And I finally got to play it at a stable 60fps on my Series X after years of chugging along in slow motion on my old PS4. Does it lack many of the aspects that make past Fallouts great? Yes. Is the dialogue system completely nerfed and pedestrian? Absolutely. But this game is like an endorphin-generating machine for me. Not unlike Skyrim I always find myself coming back for more.
Yeah, I forgot I even started this. This series clearly isn't for me, but I did get a bit more enjoyment out of this compared to fucking Bloodborne.
2020
No, I did not watch the anime on Netflix. I was already planning to give this game another chance once I had a next-gen console. Originally I bought it for PS4 so my plan was to play the free upgraded version once I had a PS5 but well...those are still hard to come by. So in the meantime I got a Series X, bought a used copy of the Xbox One disc for $15, and upgraded that version instead.
And I'm happy to report that this game has taken a huge leap in quality on more powerful hardware. The PS4 version was "playable" after a few major updates but they made a ton of sacrifices just so the game would run at a non-headache-inducing framerate. On Series X it almost feels like a whole new game. Night City actually feels alive; the streets are packed with people and cars at all times and it was always running at a silky-smooth 60 fps. Visual bugs were few and far between; about 40 hours in I started to see some amusing sights like NPCs walking on top of traffic dividers or pathing errors for cars. But it was nowhere close to what we were seeing at launch. Visually the game is just stunning and I can see why it would be perfect for an anime adaptation in the first place.
I'm bumping up my score by one star this time since the game is finally in the developer's intended state. I had a lot more fun this time around. But it still can't reach that coveted 5 stars for a few reasons:
A: It's hard to forget the state of the game's launch. Sure it's working now, but maybe it should've been delayed a couple more years and cancelled for PS4 and Xbox One altogether.
B: While a fun RPG in its own right, this isn't the next big step in the genre that the CDPR higher-ups wanted us to believe it was going to be. Essentially this operates similar to Bethesda games with a shiner coat of paint and a dialogue system that falls somewhere in-between F3 and NV's skill checks and F4's streamlined button wheel.
C: Adding on to the Bethesda comparison, while the world feels more alive on Series X, it fails to have that same natural progression that past games have captured so well. Mostly it comes down to two things: NPCs and quest-givers. The former I was already well-aware of on PS4; NPCs are really just set-dressing and aside from hostiles they can't really be interacted with outside of shopkeepers and alike. They only exist to walk around sidewalks and fill up space. Quests are given to you through the holophone; when you cross the neighbourhood borders in game there is a chance someone will call you and offer you a job/quest to complete. Now I understand this choice since your character is a mercenary, but I do wish there were more natural encounters within Night City. Very rarely will a quest begin through a random encounter; there certainly are a few but at least 95% of the time you're given something to do through a phone call. At least on Series X I was more inclined to explore the city and drive around rather than just fast-travelling everywhere to avoid all the graphical weirdness on PS4.
Overall I did enjoy this game, far more this time around in fact. It still falls short in a few areas but I don't think the developer's hard work should go to waste. Yeah, the launch was a disaster and a perfect symbol for the state of the AAA gaming industry, but I can look past the corporate aspect and just accept art for what it is. It's a little ironic, considering the story's subject matter. And with a (free?) DLC expansion on the horizon, I think the Cyberpunk franchise has a bright future ahead of it. Just...take your time, CDPR. For the love of god, let the devs have all the time they need.
And I'm happy to report that this game has taken a huge leap in quality on more powerful hardware. The PS4 version was "playable" after a few major updates but they made a ton of sacrifices just so the game would run at a non-headache-inducing framerate. On Series X it almost feels like a whole new game. Night City actually feels alive; the streets are packed with people and cars at all times and it was always running at a silky-smooth 60 fps. Visual bugs were few and far between; about 40 hours in I started to see some amusing sights like NPCs walking on top of traffic dividers or pathing errors for cars. But it was nowhere close to what we were seeing at launch. Visually the game is just stunning and I can see why it would be perfect for an anime adaptation in the first place.
I'm bumping up my score by one star this time since the game is finally in the developer's intended state. I had a lot more fun this time around. But it still can't reach that coveted 5 stars for a few reasons:
A: It's hard to forget the state of the game's launch. Sure it's working now, but maybe it should've been delayed a couple more years and cancelled for PS4 and Xbox One altogether.
B: While a fun RPG in its own right, this isn't the next big step in the genre that the CDPR higher-ups wanted us to believe it was going to be. Essentially this operates similar to Bethesda games with a shiner coat of paint and a dialogue system that falls somewhere in-between F3 and NV's skill checks and F4's streamlined button wheel.
C: Adding on to the Bethesda comparison, while the world feels more alive on Series X, it fails to have that same natural progression that past games have captured so well. Mostly it comes down to two things: NPCs and quest-givers. The former I was already well-aware of on PS4; NPCs are really just set-dressing and aside from hostiles they can't really be interacted with outside of shopkeepers and alike. They only exist to walk around sidewalks and fill up space. Quests are given to you through the holophone; when you cross the neighbourhood borders in game there is a chance someone will call you and offer you a job/quest to complete. Now I understand this choice since your character is a mercenary, but I do wish there were more natural encounters within Night City. Very rarely will a quest begin through a random encounter; there certainly are a few but at least 95% of the time you're given something to do through a phone call. At least on Series X I was more inclined to explore the city and drive around rather than just fast-travelling everywhere to avoid all the graphical weirdness on PS4.
Overall I did enjoy this game, far more this time around in fact. It still falls short in a few areas but I don't think the developer's hard work should go to waste. Yeah, the launch was a disaster and a perfect symbol for the state of the AAA gaming industry, but I can look past the corporate aspect and just accept art for what it is. It's a little ironic, considering the story's subject matter. And with a (free?) DLC expansion on the horizon, I think the Cyberpunk franchise has a bright future ahead of it. Just...take your time, CDPR. For the love of god, let the devs have all the time they need.
2016
Worth playing at least once just to experience that insane ending sequence. Inside is a satisfying puzzle platformer that is as breathtaking as it is mysterious and unnerving. A big step up from Limbo, for sure.
2020
My sexual attraction to Jill Valentine probably accounts for at least 50% of my enjoyment of this one.
2019
Honestly...I think I might love this more than RE4 now. Which would make it my favourite entry in the series.
That next remake has a lot to live up to.
That next remake has a lot to live up to.
Even though it's not my personal favourite Zelda, between the top tier collection of dungeons, bosses, and the greatest companion the series has yet seen...it's arguably one of the very best. It may have received a reputation over the years for perhaps being too similar to Ocarina of Time, but I think it sets itself apart in many meaningful ways. And when you compare the similarities there isn't a single thing that Twilight Princess doesn't do better.
I was THIS close to giving this game a five star rating, but then I hit the Mother Brain fight. I was actually ready to call it quits due to how fucking bullshit that boss fight was, but after...I dunno...thirty tries I finally got lucky and sent her ass to hell. However the rest of this game is pretty much perfect and it's easily the definitive way to experience the original Metroid.
Words cannot express how much this game means to me.