2004
This review contains spoilers
“Oh don’t worry, Jak beats things all the time, eh Jak?”
I fucking loved Jak II. It’s everything I could’ve possibly dreamed a T-rated gta game could be like…except bully but that’s not the point. So naughty dog now had a new task: to outdo themselves from their last effort, and did they do it? Well…not really. The thing about Jak 3 is I don’t necessarily hate it…but I don’t think it’s as good as Jak 1 or 2 for that matter and I almost feel as though it lets itself down. This isn’t a completely bad review though, I do want to point out what is good about the game whilst also pointing out what is bad because I’m going to do my first ever big critique of a game and why not let it be Jak 3? But first: what is good about Jak 3
The good (or at least what there is of that):
The wasteland - it’s basically advertised on the front of the box that ‘welcome to mad max but it’s Jak and daxter’. I really love this portion of the game and it feels cool that we’re actually trying to help this society which is cut off from everyone else. Whilst I do have a minor gripe with the driving, the missions didn’t annoy me that much and some were actually quite enjoyable. It’s just a shame that after the first act your done with the wasteland with only the odd mission with sig or the temple.
Damas - he is probably the best written character in the game and my personal favourite. Damas is introduced near the very start and takes Jak in from the desert and gives him the chance to reinvent himself as a wastelander. Slowly through the game he begins to warm up to Jak and becomes a father figure to him which connects to the plot twist near the end of the game. What I like about Damas’s character though is that he is more then just ‘oh yeah, I didn’t like Jak near the start but now I do’. Damas has a reason to like Jak, he is like the son he lost and it makes sense why he holds him up to that regard near the end of the game.
Precursor orbs - they have an actual use now which is nice. In Jak II they were used to unlock a few extras and some cheats near the end of the game. But in Jak 3 they have a much bigger use. If you get enough you can buy weapon upgrades, new desert vehicles, and even more extras than ever before. It feels like they want you to go out and get the orbs…shame about the weapon upgrades being slightly unnecessary.
The precursors being ottsels - you can’t tell me you didn’t at least do a slight chuckle when this plot twist came up. This whole time…the precursors were actually the same creatures that daxter got turned into. It’s such a nice little call back to what the original game was always pondering and it gives daxter yet another thing to brag about. It’s such a nice full circle twist and I love it.
The bad:
Keira - holy shit what did they do to Keira. “You know one of the sweetest characters that was always trying to help Jak no matter what in both games? Why don’t we make her do absolutely nothing and lose her as the love interest”…I’m sorry, why? Supposedly her actor was off doing other things or something and they decided to go for Ashelin to be the new love interest but like…they could’ve at least made Keira do something useful like she did in the last 2 games. She doesn’t even say anything. Even in the extras menu when you view her character she looks lazy and half arsed. I’m so happy she was back to how she was in Jak X because Jesus Christ.
Ashelin - I think this more goes towards her writing more than anything, her as a character is pretty sound. She has some of the biggest throwaway lines in the game. During the final scene, as Jak announces that his true name is mar, Ashelin just had to say: “wait so, Jak is mar, the mar”. WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU IMPLYING. Do you mean that he’s the mar that is meant to be the next ruler of haven city? Do you mean he’s the original mar that is talked about so much? WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU MEAN??? AHHHHHHH-
The ‘villain’ - so uhh…remember Errol from Jak II? He’s back! Just uhh…with a terrible design. What the hell did they do to him. The thing about Errol is he doesn’t really feel that threatening. Sure, he looks like an absolute menace and I wouldn’t want talk to him if I passed him on the street but like…I feel kinda bad for him. Like they may as well have just made veger the main villain because he at least has more of a reason then Errol does. Errol is only doing it because ‘he hates Jak’ and I just don’t find that to be a good enough reason. Like yeah sure he turned him into what he is but like…does that mean you also have to destroy the rest of humanity?
Driving in the wasteland - let’s set the scene. As they were developing the wasteland and trying to do the driving controls, instead of dedicating a button for drifting they decided to make it automatic drift and it sucks…like really sucks. The last mission was absolutely painful as I tried to wrestle with it and I just couldn’t. I had to put the game down for ages because of it. Eventually I would beat the mission but I could never forgive who decided automatic drift would be good except for maybe realism.
Guns - I see what they were doing here. The ratchet series allowed you to choose whichever type of gun you wanted and gave you a lot of options when it came down to that. In Jak II you only had 4. But that sort of worked as it gave you a decent challenge and fit into the gameplay really well. In Jak 3 you get not 2 extra guns, not 4, but 8. Combine that with the 4 from Jak II and you have 12 guns…and these guns absolutely decimate the enemies. I’m not gonna go too in depth about them but let’s just say they should’ve increased the difficulty to compensate for the guns.
The council - let me put it for you simply:
Near the start: Ashelin: “the council are too powerful”
Near the start of the third act: Ashelin: “count veger, I hereby dissolve the city council”
So how the hell did she just do that and why didn’t she do it near the start? It is just another throwaway line from Ashelin but it really bugs me and it clearly bugs other people.
No dynamic music - this might be me being a little nitpicky but remember when you’d pull out a gun in Jak II and the music would change to a more pumped up and anxious sounding ost? Well it isn’t here in Jak 3. I mean it is a shame they didn’t reimplement it but I guess they had other stuff going on.
Light Jak - so now alongside dark Jak we have light Jak which is so broken. You get 3 abilities with light Jak: flying, stop time, and heal. The heal ability is extremely broken, allowing you, mid battle, to heal yourself up completely. It only adds to how easy the gameplay has become which is in complete contrast to how Jak II operated. Also, you know those other abilities I reeled off? You barely use them. The flying ability is used a few odd times but the stop time ability is basically useless. There’s this one bit when you are trying to get to Errol where there are these spinning blades and I thought we finally needed to us the ability to go through. BUT NOPE. Instead we had to play as daxter to stop it…what. You made an ability which showed you that you could go through those things and like…you don’t even use it for what it’s meant for…also don’t even bother with dark Jak.
Haven city - this is probably me being nitpicky yet again but haven city feels kind of pointless. You do most of the missions in the harbour area and there are only a few areas left from the Jak II. I mean I do get that they showed how most of the areas had been destroyed but they could’ve at least spread the missions out a bit. I mean there are a few in the new haven section but what about doing a few in the slums where it all started? Or maybe even bring back how haven forest actually used to be.
And that was my critique of Jak 3. I don’t necessarily hate it, there were actually some parts I really liked. But it is a stark contrast from what Jak II was doing. While Jak II just missed the mark but did stuff really great, Jak 3 completely missed the mark and did only a few good things.
Piss easy gameplay, muddled up writing, some decent written new characters?, ost is still alright I guess, DAXTER GOT PANTS!!!
I fucking loved Jak II. It’s everything I could’ve possibly dreamed a T-rated gta game could be like…except bully but that’s not the point. So naughty dog now had a new task: to outdo themselves from their last effort, and did they do it? Well…not really. The thing about Jak 3 is I don’t necessarily hate it…but I don’t think it’s as good as Jak 1 or 2 for that matter and I almost feel as though it lets itself down. This isn’t a completely bad review though, I do want to point out what is good about the game whilst also pointing out what is bad because I’m going to do my first ever big critique of a game and why not let it be Jak 3? But first: what is good about Jak 3
The good (or at least what there is of that):
The wasteland - it’s basically advertised on the front of the box that ‘welcome to mad max but it’s Jak and daxter’. I really love this portion of the game and it feels cool that we’re actually trying to help this society which is cut off from everyone else. Whilst I do have a minor gripe with the driving, the missions didn’t annoy me that much and some were actually quite enjoyable. It’s just a shame that after the first act your done with the wasteland with only the odd mission with sig or the temple.
Damas - he is probably the best written character in the game and my personal favourite. Damas is introduced near the very start and takes Jak in from the desert and gives him the chance to reinvent himself as a wastelander. Slowly through the game he begins to warm up to Jak and becomes a father figure to him which connects to the plot twist near the end of the game. What I like about Damas’s character though is that he is more then just ‘oh yeah, I didn’t like Jak near the start but now I do’. Damas has a reason to like Jak, he is like the son he lost and it makes sense why he holds him up to that regard near the end of the game.
Precursor orbs - they have an actual use now which is nice. In Jak II they were used to unlock a few extras and some cheats near the end of the game. But in Jak 3 they have a much bigger use. If you get enough you can buy weapon upgrades, new desert vehicles, and even more extras than ever before. It feels like they want you to go out and get the orbs…shame about the weapon upgrades being slightly unnecessary.
The precursors being ottsels - you can’t tell me you didn’t at least do a slight chuckle when this plot twist came up. This whole time…the precursors were actually the same creatures that daxter got turned into. It’s such a nice little call back to what the original game was always pondering and it gives daxter yet another thing to brag about. It’s such a nice full circle twist and I love it.
The bad:
Keira - holy shit what did they do to Keira. “You know one of the sweetest characters that was always trying to help Jak no matter what in both games? Why don’t we make her do absolutely nothing and lose her as the love interest”…I’m sorry, why? Supposedly her actor was off doing other things or something and they decided to go for Ashelin to be the new love interest but like…they could’ve at least made Keira do something useful like she did in the last 2 games. She doesn’t even say anything. Even in the extras menu when you view her character she looks lazy and half arsed. I’m so happy she was back to how she was in Jak X because Jesus Christ.
Ashelin - I think this more goes towards her writing more than anything, her as a character is pretty sound. She has some of the biggest throwaway lines in the game. During the final scene, as Jak announces that his true name is mar, Ashelin just had to say: “wait so, Jak is mar, the mar”. WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU IMPLYING. Do you mean that he’s the mar that is meant to be the next ruler of haven city? Do you mean he’s the original mar that is talked about so much? WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU MEAN??? AHHHHHHH-
The ‘villain’ - so uhh…remember Errol from Jak II? He’s back! Just uhh…with a terrible design. What the hell did they do to him. The thing about Errol is he doesn’t really feel that threatening. Sure, he looks like an absolute menace and I wouldn’t want talk to him if I passed him on the street but like…I feel kinda bad for him. Like they may as well have just made veger the main villain because he at least has more of a reason then Errol does. Errol is only doing it because ‘he hates Jak’ and I just don’t find that to be a good enough reason. Like yeah sure he turned him into what he is but like…does that mean you also have to destroy the rest of humanity?
Driving in the wasteland - let’s set the scene. As they were developing the wasteland and trying to do the driving controls, instead of dedicating a button for drifting they decided to make it automatic drift and it sucks…like really sucks. The last mission was absolutely painful as I tried to wrestle with it and I just couldn’t. I had to put the game down for ages because of it. Eventually I would beat the mission but I could never forgive who decided automatic drift would be good except for maybe realism.
Guns - I see what they were doing here. The ratchet series allowed you to choose whichever type of gun you wanted and gave you a lot of options when it came down to that. In Jak II you only had 4. But that sort of worked as it gave you a decent challenge and fit into the gameplay really well. In Jak 3 you get not 2 extra guns, not 4, but 8. Combine that with the 4 from Jak II and you have 12 guns…and these guns absolutely decimate the enemies. I’m not gonna go too in depth about them but let’s just say they should’ve increased the difficulty to compensate for the guns.
The council - let me put it for you simply:
Near the start: Ashelin: “the council are too powerful”
Near the start of the third act: Ashelin: “count veger, I hereby dissolve the city council”
So how the hell did she just do that and why didn’t she do it near the start? It is just another throwaway line from Ashelin but it really bugs me and it clearly bugs other people.
No dynamic music - this might be me being a little nitpicky but remember when you’d pull out a gun in Jak II and the music would change to a more pumped up and anxious sounding ost? Well it isn’t here in Jak 3. I mean it is a shame they didn’t reimplement it but I guess they had other stuff going on.
Light Jak - so now alongside dark Jak we have light Jak which is so broken. You get 3 abilities with light Jak: flying, stop time, and heal. The heal ability is extremely broken, allowing you, mid battle, to heal yourself up completely. It only adds to how easy the gameplay has become which is in complete contrast to how Jak II operated. Also, you know those other abilities I reeled off? You barely use them. The flying ability is used a few odd times but the stop time ability is basically useless. There’s this one bit when you are trying to get to Errol where there are these spinning blades and I thought we finally needed to us the ability to go through. BUT NOPE. Instead we had to play as daxter to stop it…what. You made an ability which showed you that you could go through those things and like…you don’t even use it for what it’s meant for…also don’t even bother with dark Jak.
Haven city - this is probably me being nitpicky yet again but haven city feels kind of pointless. You do most of the missions in the harbour area and there are only a few areas left from the Jak II. I mean I do get that they showed how most of the areas had been destroyed but they could’ve at least spread the missions out a bit. I mean there are a few in the new haven section but what about doing a few in the slums where it all started? Or maybe even bring back how haven forest actually used to be.
And that was my critique of Jak 3. I don’t necessarily hate it, there were actually some parts I really liked. But it is a stark contrast from what Jak II was doing. While Jak II just missed the mark but did stuff really great, Jak 3 completely missed the mark and did only a few good things.
Piss easy gameplay, muddled up writing, some decent written new characters?, ost is still alright I guess, DAXTER GOT PANTS!!!
1985
If there’s one game I can definitely class as a ‘dad game’ it would be paper boy. The amount of times someone who grew up in the 80’s talks about paper boy is quite funny really. Oh well let’s see how I can stretch this review out for a good couple of minutes…like what more do you want? It’s a boy that delivers newspapers.
So, as the paper boy you have to throw the newspapers at the different peoples properties, making sure to throw them in the mailboxes for the subscribers and throw them into the windows of the non-subscribers. As you go along each street you make sure not to hit any of the obstacles or to put it lightly…you can kiss your career goodbye. You also have to make sure to grab more newspapers so you don’t run out of windows to smash.
Paperboy is an interesting and quirky little game that does what it says. I could’ve done a bigger review but trust me…that will come soon.
Quirky, silly gameplay, does what it says, screw that traffic
So, as the paper boy you have to throw the newspapers at the different peoples properties, making sure to throw them in the mailboxes for the subscribers and throw them into the windows of the non-subscribers. As you go along each street you make sure not to hit any of the obstacles or to put it lightly…you can kiss your career goodbye. You also have to make sure to grab more newspapers so you don’t run out of windows to smash.
Paperboy is an interesting and quirky little game that does what it says. I could’ve done a bigger review but trust me…that will come soon.
Quirky, silly gameplay, does what it says, screw that traffic
1997
Sega bass fishing is the best game that redefined the sega bass fishing genre. Sega bass fishing games like sega bass fishing 2 have been trying to catch up for years but to no avail. Sega bass fishing is the quintessential game that was ever made by sega, so much so that even their other games have failed to top it. Sonic adventure, persona 5, and yakuza 0 have not even come close to this level of expertise. It has been so highly regarded that it got the company’s official mascot: ‘that bass from the cover of sega bass fishing’. That bass is a universal symbol that shows love, hope, and above all else: bass. And you can’t spell bass without the letter A. And A is also a letter that reminds me of the word perfect, and that describes sega bass fishing.
Sega bass fishing begins with your protagonist: ‘the guy from sega bass fishing’. As the game goes on this man learns the most valuable lesson that can ever be taught in life: how to fish for bass. Sega bass fishing gives time for the characters to really think about who they are and challenge themselves to their limit, by fishing for bass. They get more and more bait as the game goes along which helps them in their effort to discover themselves and fish for bass.
Gameplay is what makes this game the perfect game in the sega bass fishing genre. For the absolutely perfect and problem ridden Dreamcast version, you have the fishing rod which is the best controller to ever grace mankind. It even contains some of the best motion controls to ever grace the sega bass fishing experience. Even with a normal controller the game is still just as perfect as ever because nothing can change how perfect sega bass fishing truly is. It is after all, the best sega bass fishing game.
Bass, Bass, Lots of Bass, Can’t get enough of the Bass, Bass everywhere, Bass in your walls, BASS
Sega bass fishing begins with your protagonist: ‘the guy from sega bass fishing’. As the game goes on this man learns the most valuable lesson that can ever be taught in life: how to fish for bass. Sega bass fishing gives time for the characters to really think about who they are and challenge themselves to their limit, by fishing for bass. They get more and more bait as the game goes along which helps them in their effort to discover themselves and fish for bass.
Gameplay is what makes this game the perfect game in the sega bass fishing genre. For the absolutely perfect and problem ridden Dreamcast version, you have the fishing rod which is the best controller to ever grace mankind. It even contains some of the best motion controls to ever grace the sega bass fishing experience. Even with a normal controller the game is still just as perfect as ever because nothing can change how perfect sega bass fishing truly is. It is after all, the best sega bass fishing game.
Bass, Bass, Lots of Bass, Can’t get enough of the Bass, Bass everywhere, Bass in your walls, BASS
2003
How to successfully change your E rated game to a T rated game in one easy step:
Step 1:
“I’m gonna kill praxis!”
Jak II was definitely something not a lot of people were expecting from naughty dog. How do you follow up a really quirky and silly platformer? You make it serious as fuck with guns, alcohol, and a bunch of sex references. Mario is practically pissing himself in fear right now. Basically, naughty dog were scared that a Jak sequel which was similar to the first game would not sell well, so instead of making minor changes they basically shoved Jak and his good pal daxter into a whole new world…oh and kicked daxter off the title of the franchise…until high impact came along but that’s a story for another day.
The story of Jak II takes place after the first game’s secret ending. They open this portal only to find creatures called metal heads storming their world and Jak, daxter, Samos, and Keira are forced into the portal where they are brought into haven city. The city is controlled by baron praxis, who is basically your big brother of the whole place. So as Jak, with his good pal daxter, you work with the underground to defeat praxis once and for all. On the way you’ll be joined with new characters including torn, ashelin, sig, crew, and many others. The story eventually shows you that this whole time, the city is actually the future and there are many other plot twists that are shown during the ending…but why spoil everything?
Gameplay is…probably the best and worst thing you can talk about. The gunplay is pretty good but it isn’t really the best part of the game. You get 4 weapons, the scatter gun, the blaster, the Vulcan fury, and the peace maker which is the crème de la crème of the weapons. The weapons aren’t the best and I think Jak 3 does it a lot better. The driving is also pretty annoying but feels very satisfying once you get the hang of it. The jetboard is also my favourite part of moving around. All you’ve got to do is jump up and press R2 and movement has finally peaked…can’t say that about normal skateboards. Boss fights are also not the best but are serviceable for what they are. And fuck those crimson guards…oh wait…I forgot about dark Jak. As a new ability in the game you can use dark Jak! Eh. It’s not really the best and I don’t find myself using it that much but some moves can be pretty good and it’s a decent last resort.
Jak II is definitely my favourite in the franchise. It perfectly throws you into its world and gives you some of the best gameplay I’ve experienced. And the music, oh my god the music. The music can change when you start using your weapons to a more stressed and anxious version and it flows into it really well. And let me just dedicated a moment for the best music in the entire game: haven forest. Aphex twin has nothing on this masterpiece (I’m joking I love Aphex twin and nothing can beat stone in focus). And the story is also at its peak here…how could Jak 3 improve this?
Don’t hold your breath
Best story, decent gameplay, good open world, haven forest is beautiful, “I miss pants”
Step 1:
“I’m gonna kill praxis!”
Jak II was definitely something not a lot of people were expecting from naughty dog. How do you follow up a really quirky and silly platformer? You make it serious as fuck with guns, alcohol, and a bunch of sex references. Mario is practically pissing himself in fear right now. Basically, naughty dog were scared that a Jak sequel which was similar to the first game would not sell well, so instead of making minor changes they basically shoved Jak and his good pal daxter into a whole new world…oh and kicked daxter off the title of the franchise…until high impact came along but that’s a story for another day.
The story of Jak II takes place after the first game’s secret ending. They open this portal only to find creatures called metal heads storming their world and Jak, daxter, Samos, and Keira are forced into the portal where they are brought into haven city. The city is controlled by baron praxis, who is basically your big brother of the whole place. So as Jak, with his good pal daxter, you work with the underground to defeat praxis once and for all. On the way you’ll be joined with new characters including torn, ashelin, sig, crew, and many others. The story eventually shows you that this whole time, the city is actually the future and there are many other plot twists that are shown during the ending…but why spoil everything?
Gameplay is…probably the best and worst thing you can talk about. The gunplay is pretty good but it isn’t really the best part of the game. You get 4 weapons, the scatter gun, the blaster, the Vulcan fury, and the peace maker which is the crème de la crème of the weapons. The weapons aren’t the best and I think Jak 3 does it a lot better. The driving is also pretty annoying but feels very satisfying once you get the hang of it. The jetboard is also my favourite part of moving around. All you’ve got to do is jump up and press R2 and movement has finally peaked…can’t say that about normal skateboards. Boss fights are also not the best but are serviceable for what they are. And fuck those crimson guards…oh wait…I forgot about dark Jak. As a new ability in the game you can use dark Jak! Eh. It’s not really the best and I don’t find myself using it that much but some moves can be pretty good and it’s a decent last resort.
Jak II is definitely my favourite in the franchise. It perfectly throws you into its world and gives you some of the best gameplay I’ve experienced. And the music, oh my god the music. The music can change when you start using your weapons to a more stressed and anxious version and it flows into it really well. And let me just dedicated a moment for the best music in the entire game: haven forest. Aphex twin has nothing on this masterpiece (I’m joking I love Aphex twin and nothing can beat stone in focus). And the story is also at its peak here…how could Jak 3 improve this?
Don’t hold your breath
Best story, decent gameplay, good open world, haven forest is beautiful, “I miss pants”
I love dlc. There’s nothing better then having the one game you like be expanded in some way. Bioshock 2 had it, the last of us had it, and sonic origins certainly has it. But sometimes, dlc ends up becoming bigger than expected. A great example of this is the lost legacy, an uncharted adventure without Nathan drake and instead, drum roll, Chloe frazer! Yeah…where’s Charlie cutter? So because she didn’t appear in the main game they decided to give her a full blown game with the length of a dlc…good enough I guess.
So we play as Chloe frazer on her journey to find the tusk of ganesh. She is helped by Nadine Ross and Sam drake as they go against Asav to get the tusk first. Not the biggest plot but it makes sense why. They just wanted to experiment with how an uncharted game would go without Nathan being the protagonist and I guess they didn’t want to waste all the assets from uncharted 4.
Gameplay is practically the same as it is in uncharted 4 with a few differences. For starters, like 4 experimented with, lost legacy tries to be a lot more non-linear and presents a non-linear space for a big portion of the game. You can do certain fights in any order you want and can even look around for bonuses. Puzzles are also probably at their height here. Even though they are practically the same as they were in 4 they have at least given them a bit more of a centre point and they aren’t too annoying. Gunplay and fights in general are the same as they were in 4 and that’s basically it…
So…that’s it for the uncharted saga so far. I doubt we’ll get any more sequels from naughty dog who seem to have dropped the franchise for now which is a shame. There have been rumours but right now I think I’d rather just have a jak 4 not gonna lie.
Good little game, decent story, still great gameplay, I love pizza
So we play as Chloe frazer on her journey to find the tusk of ganesh. She is helped by Nadine Ross and Sam drake as they go against Asav to get the tusk first. Not the biggest plot but it makes sense why. They just wanted to experiment with how an uncharted game would go without Nathan being the protagonist and I guess they didn’t want to waste all the assets from uncharted 4.
Gameplay is practically the same as it is in uncharted 4 with a few differences. For starters, like 4 experimented with, lost legacy tries to be a lot more non-linear and presents a non-linear space for a big portion of the game. You can do certain fights in any order you want and can even look around for bonuses. Puzzles are also probably at their height here. Even though they are practically the same as they were in 4 they have at least given them a bit more of a centre point and they aren’t too annoying. Gunplay and fights in general are the same as they were in 4 and that’s basically it…
So…that’s it for the uncharted saga so far. I doubt we’ll get any more sequels from naughty dog who seem to have dropped the franchise for now which is a shame. There have been rumours but right now I think I’d rather just have a jak 4 not gonna lie.
Good little game, decent story, still great gameplay, I love pizza
So I’ve been really putting off this review. I was actually tempted to do a review of jak II instead of this but I thought I may as well get this out of the way and talk about the greatness of uncharted 4. So let me ask you something: where do you take a series that has been destined to not be taken seriously? The problem I saw with the uncharted games was that they were just conceived as a way to show off the ps3’s flair and nothing more. Even with the next 2 instalments pushing the series, I never felt as though it was being taken seriously which was a shame. Even the golden abyss felt like they made it for the sake of making it (I’m coining this as the daxter effect). I hadn’t really massively been impacted by these games other then maybe the the second game, but even then it felt as though it was missing something. When I saw the reveal trailer for 4 I didn’t have the greatest of hope. Sure, it looked great and I couldn’t wait to play it, but a part of me was worried it would end up being just like the other uncharted games. But man, was I glad that was my mind going absolutely crazy for no reason.
The story is the best one in the series by far. It turns out that Nathan had a brother: Sam, who he had assumed was dead. When he returns however, it’s not as great as he first thinks. Nate and Sam are forced to find the treasure of the legendary pirate Henry Avery to repay sam’s debt. On the way they are forced to face personal problems alongside one of the best villains in the series. Rafe is probably my favourite villain because of how he is built up as a character. He is shown to be a spoilt yet powerful man who wants everything he desires. He’s a villain who is clearly built up with a good backstory and faults. He’s a contrast to previous villains who didn’t have that strong of a backstory and they were characters I didn’t really care about that much. The characters from previous games also feel at their best here. Sully returns and is as great as ever. Elena feels really important and is a vital piece of the story. And for Nate, it feels like the perfect end to his story.
The gameplay is also the best it has ever been. The gunplay is excellent and is a major improvement from what it was in 3. The puzzles are excellently put together. And the movement, oh my god the movement. To say Nate is getting old, he is probably at his most athletic here. There are new things Nate is able to do, such as using his grappling hook for more traversal and the combat also feels a lot easier and greater. Climbing is also excellent and feels really cool to experiment with. Another part I want to quickly mention is how it’s gone for a more nonlinear style. This isn’t that expanded upon but it feels nice in some areas. There are also quite a few treasures that you can find which adds that replay ability.
To call uncharted 4 an improvement would be an understatement. It’s not only an improvement, it’s a major step up. And the sad thing is that the step up came too late. I’m glad we got a really good game but I feel as tho the systems and ideas it presented could’ve made even better uncharted games. We would get the lost legacy but it felt more like dlc then it did a full game. But if I was to call uncharted 4 anything, I would call it a perfect game for its series.
Best one, perfect story, great gameplay, better gunplay and puzzles, Nate is not a gamer
The story is the best one in the series by far. It turns out that Nathan had a brother: Sam, who he had assumed was dead. When he returns however, it’s not as great as he first thinks. Nate and Sam are forced to find the treasure of the legendary pirate Henry Avery to repay sam’s debt. On the way they are forced to face personal problems alongside one of the best villains in the series. Rafe is probably my favourite villain because of how he is built up as a character. He is shown to be a spoilt yet powerful man who wants everything he desires. He’s a villain who is clearly built up with a good backstory and faults. He’s a contrast to previous villains who didn’t have that strong of a backstory and they were characters I didn’t really care about that much. The characters from previous games also feel at their best here. Sully returns and is as great as ever. Elena feels really important and is a vital piece of the story. And for Nate, it feels like the perfect end to his story.
The gameplay is also the best it has ever been. The gunplay is excellent and is a major improvement from what it was in 3. The puzzles are excellently put together. And the movement, oh my god the movement. To say Nate is getting old, he is probably at his most athletic here. There are new things Nate is able to do, such as using his grappling hook for more traversal and the combat also feels a lot easier and greater. Climbing is also excellent and feels really cool to experiment with. Another part I want to quickly mention is how it’s gone for a more nonlinear style. This isn’t that expanded upon but it feels nice in some areas. There are also quite a few treasures that you can find which adds that replay ability.
To call uncharted 4 an improvement would be an understatement. It’s not only an improvement, it’s a major step up. And the sad thing is that the step up came too late. I’m glad we got a really good game but I feel as tho the systems and ideas it presented could’ve made even better uncharted games. We would get the lost legacy but it felt more like dlc then it did a full game. But if I was to call uncharted 4 anything, I would call it a perfect game for its series.
Best one, perfect story, great gameplay, better gunplay and puzzles, Nate is not a gamer
1994
In this world being yourself is hard, it’s super hard. There are problems all around us which we usually can’t do anything about. These problems are what scare people away, these problems are what oppress the happiest and simplest of people, these problems are what I hate the most. Everywhere we go, everywhere we turn, those problems are always there. Whether it’s the clothes you’re wearing, the colour of your skin, or your sexual orientation, someone unfortunately has a problem with it. People find it hard to escape these problems and either blame themselves or hide themselves away to prevent it. It’s a sick world we live in and it changes every second. I am someone that has always been the butt of jokes, someone who has no self esteem, and someone who beats themself over silly things. For a long time I found it hard to cope with things and people wouldn’t make that better. Last year I found a game that helped me cope, and that game was called earthbound. I had wanted to play it for a while after I’d finished undertale and had toyed with the idea of borrowing my friends snes emulator. When I heard it was coming to nso I was ecstatic. Finally I could play the game everyone was talking about and I couldn’t wait. The day after it was released, I turned on my switch, grabbed my controller, and started playing. A year and a half later I finally beat it. The game took me a while to beat because I would go onto other games and then return to it. But, I would usually return to the game when I was feeling down. I slowly but surely continued until finally I beat the game. At first I was speechless. It had taken me a while to beat giygas and the excitement hadn’t really hit me. But that excitement never did come, instead, as soon as I had finished the epilogue, I broke down crying.
I’ve played many games before where I’ve been left impacted by the game. Kingdom hearts 2, final fantasy IX, undertale. But there was something different about earthbound that stuck out. Something that even now I can’t really explain.
Maybe it was the fact I got to talk to all the characters I hadn’t seen since a year?
Maybe it was how I had finally got around to finishing it properly?
Or maybe, it was because of everything that had happened in between.
So much has happened in around a year that it’s kind of hard to comprehend. I’ve lost and made friends, I’ve defended people as much as possible, and I’ve been caught up in enough drama. And yet…despite everything…the game was still there for me.
Earthbound is a sign, a sign that we as people can change if we really put our minds to it. I know for a fact there have been other people that have played this game and have done something right. Toby fox, omocat, Austin Jorgensen. These are only a few people of millions of others. I’m not saying earthbound is for everyone, because it’s not. But if we could all just take a minute to appreciate what it’s trying to say, then the world might just be better for it.
Thank you Mr. Itoi, thank you so much
Masterpiece
I’ve played many games before where I’ve been left impacted by the game. Kingdom hearts 2, final fantasy IX, undertale. But there was something different about earthbound that stuck out. Something that even now I can’t really explain.
Maybe it was the fact I got to talk to all the characters I hadn’t seen since a year?
Maybe it was how I had finally got around to finishing it properly?
Or maybe, it was because of everything that had happened in between.
So much has happened in around a year that it’s kind of hard to comprehend. I’ve lost and made friends, I’ve defended people as much as possible, and I’ve been caught up in enough drama. And yet…despite everything…the game was still there for me.
Earthbound is a sign, a sign that we as people can change if we really put our minds to it. I know for a fact there have been other people that have played this game and have done something right. Toby fox, omocat, Austin Jorgensen. These are only a few people of millions of others. I’m not saying earthbound is for everyone, because it’s not. But if we could all just take a minute to appreciate what it’s trying to say, then the world might just be better for it.
Thank you Mr. Itoi, thank you so much
Masterpiece
Mascots in gaming have never really stuck out to me. They are just kind of there to be some selling point to a certain console. Nintendo have Mario, sega have sonic, Sony have…crash and spyro? Oh wait…never mind. So Sony didn’t really have a mascot, in Japan they had toro but…let’s just say no one really knew what a white cat was in the west. Thankfully, naughty dog and insomniac, the creators of crash and spyro respectively, had new IP’s under their sleeves. But why rely on them 2? Why not have another challenger enter the ring? And that’s when sucker punch came in.
Sly is a strange game. It’s strange that, compared to its ‘competition’, it took more liberties from games such as crash and spyro. The gameplay of the game is pretty simple: you manoeuvre your way from the start to the goal of each level by jumping on certain beams and poles. On the way you have pretty simple enemies to deal with. Yeah this is basically crash bandicoot on steroids but it’s good, trust me. The goal of each level is to get a key to either get to the next area or beat the boss. The levels are all pretty simple with some trying to be more different than others. On the way you can also try to get these green bottles which will unlock a safe near the end of the level which you are then able to unlock a new ‘move’ from. You don’t have to do these, in fact you can beat the entire game without using a single one of these ‘special moves’ but I guess they are just there to look cool.
The story is also pretty simple. Because It’s a, say it with me everyone: a revenge story! Basically the kids parents were killed by a group of thieves and he declared revenge on each of them by gaining help from some friends. It’s not the most interesting story and I think the whole ‘revenge’ plot line has been done in better games but it’s serviceable I guess. The characters at least all have a personality. Raleigh is the definition of a British male in his 40’s/50’s. Mugshot has probably some of the most stereotypical American weapons I’ve seen. Ruby has an annoying voice. The panda king is the best one. and Clockwerk just isn’t that great of a villain.
I still think sly 1 has its merits. It isn’t a masterpiece, but the game knows it isn’t either and does the best it can with what it’s got which I find to be admirable in a sense. The gameplay is the one thing that probably carry’s the game but even then it’s nothing I would call perfect. The story is also something that probably should’ve been thought through a bit more. But it’s all ok, sucker punch delivered a serviceable game and I can’t wait to see how the sequels turned out!
Great gameplay, ok story, certainly had villains, no one chats shit about panda king
Sly is a strange game. It’s strange that, compared to its ‘competition’, it took more liberties from games such as crash and spyro. The gameplay of the game is pretty simple: you manoeuvre your way from the start to the goal of each level by jumping on certain beams and poles. On the way you have pretty simple enemies to deal with. Yeah this is basically crash bandicoot on steroids but it’s good, trust me. The goal of each level is to get a key to either get to the next area or beat the boss. The levels are all pretty simple with some trying to be more different than others. On the way you can also try to get these green bottles which will unlock a safe near the end of the level which you are then able to unlock a new ‘move’ from. You don’t have to do these, in fact you can beat the entire game without using a single one of these ‘special moves’ but I guess they are just there to look cool.
The story is also pretty simple. Because It’s a, say it with me everyone: a revenge story! Basically the kids parents were killed by a group of thieves and he declared revenge on each of them by gaining help from some friends. It’s not the most interesting story and I think the whole ‘revenge’ plot line has been done in better games but it’s serviceable I guess. The characters at least all have a personality. Raleigh is the definition of a British male in his 40’s/50’s. Mugshot has probably some of the most stereotypical American weapons I’ve seen. Ruby has an annoying voice. The panda king is the best one. and Clockwerk just isn’t that great of a villain.
I still think sly 1 has its merits. It isn’t a masterpiece, but the game knows it isn’t either and does the best it can with what it’s got which I find to be admirable in a sense. The gameplay is the one thing that probably carry’s the game but even then it’s nothing I would call perfect. The story is also something that probably should’ve been thought through a bit more. But it’s all ok, sucker punch delivered a serviceable game and I can’t wait to see how the sequels turned out!
Great gameplay, ok story, certainly had villains, no one chats shit about panda king
Then, Now and Forever
Then:
Breath of the wild has never really struck me as a ‘masterpiece’. Is it a good game? Definitely, but it has always been given titles that I’ve never thought have truly described the game properly. ‘Innovative’, ‘legendary’, ‘revolutionary’, and the list goes on. But what did I think of the game when it came out? It’s alright I guess. Nothing that hasn’t been done before…
You play as link yet again, with Zelda being trapped with calamity ganon. Your mission is to defeat ganon and put an end to the calamity in hyrule. A pretty simple plot which has been described as simple yet expansive and I couldn’t agree more. After the tutorial you’re basically allowed to do whatever you want. You want to go to the other side of the world? Go for it. You want to go straight to the castle and finish the game? Sure. You want to get killed by enemies and guardians every few meters? I don’t think you have a choice on that one. The game is free for you to do whatever you want. But it’s not like this is anything new right?
The problem I have is that people declare botw to be this ‘revolutionary’ and ‘timeless’ game when it’s just taken ideas from other games and refined them to not only fit Zelda, but to fit a wide audience. I’m not complaining about it, I admire the idea that they took ideas from Zelda and other games and almost refined them and meshed them together…but it isn’t necessarily revolutionary. Take the idea of going straight to the final boss. It seems quite cool and unique, but If you think about it then it’s just a really extreme version of skipping side quests and sticking with the main scenario. Things like climbing, stamina, weapon durability, wet surfaces, gliding with a glider, mini dungeons, and crafting have all been done before. So in my humble opinion botw shouldn’t be seen as this ‘revolutionary’ title. It’s great, and I’m not challenging that. But it just might not be what people label it as.
There was something I once said to a friend of mine. I distinctly remember him saying that botw was timeless and is a modern day masterpiece. I agreed it was a good game but I also said that as an open world game, something will always come along and overshadow it. I knew for a fact that when the right open world game came, it would blow botw out of the water and finally show that it’s not all these titles it was displayed as. Maybe at the time they were correct, but nothing stays like that forever.
Now:
I called it. 5 years ago I called it but I never expected it to be overshadowed by its own sequel, and definitely not this well. Tears of the kingdom has truly shown that bigger probably does mean better. But where does this leave botw? Well, I thought I’d have another look and see how different the game is and see if any of my points were proven 5 years ago.
As I had said before, breath of the wild has many systems that have been done before…just not as well. Tears of the kingdom also takes this approach, taking ideas from other games and refining them. But the best part about it is they genuinely do feel revolutionary. The ability to attach things to weapons is a cool and exciting way of doing things and building vehicles is also very cool. So going back to botw almost feels like a joke. Your movement feels very limited compared to totk and I’m surprised about it if I’m quite honest. Battling also feels quite tame and monotonous compared to totk’s ideas. Coming back to botw feels honestly like a chore when you’ve played totk and it honestly feels quite sad. A game that was so highly regarded is probably going to sink because of its sequels success.
The story of botw is still great but I feel it doesn’t carry the game as much as you think it would. It’s an open world game, the story isn’t going to be that big of a part other than lore and world building. The gameplay is always going to be the main selling point of an open world game and unfortunately compared to totk it feels quite tame and pathetic compared to it. If I said ‘I told you so’ I’d seem like someone very big for my boots and trust me when I say I’m not. I’m surprised as everyone else that’s its sequel could be this good. It’s a shame because I do feel that botw does have some great aspects, but they’ve become highly overshadowed.
Forever:
So is breath of the wild still as good as people say? Kind of.
Sure it has been outdone by its sequel and completely put it in its place but it still has something there. If people were going to go into the series I would still recommend them playing it first. Botw is a very strong first Zelda game and one I think still kind of stands the test of time. As a Zelda game it is almost like a modern day ocarina of time. But, even oot has its flaws and it has aged. But that can go for any game and botw nor oot is just ‘any game’.
So is botw still a ‘timeless and ‘revolutionary’ game? No, but it has heart, and that isn’t something you can say about every game.
Great story, decent gameplay, cool world, nothing new, currently overshadowed, and fuck those korok seeds
Then:
Breath of the wild has never really struck me as a ‘masterpiece’. Is it a good game? Definitely, but it has always been given titles that I’ve never thought have truly described the game properly. ‘Innovative’, ‘legendary’, ‘revolutionary’, and the list goes on. But what did I think of the game when it came out? It’s alright I guess. Nothing that hasn’t been done before…
You play as link yet again, with Zelda being trapped with calamity ganon. Your mission is to defeat ganon and put an end to the calamity in hyrule. A pretty simple plot which has been described as simple yet expansive and I couldn’t agree more. After the tutorial you’re basically allowed to do whatever you want. You want to go to the other side of the world? Go for it. You want to go straight to the castle and finish the game? Sure. You want to get killed by enemies and guardians every few meters? I don’t think you have a choice on that one. The game is free for you to do whatever you want. But it’s not like this is anything new right?
The problem I have is that people declare botw to be this ‘revolutionary’ and ‘timeless’ game when it’s just taken ideas from other games and refined them to not only fit Zelda, but to fit a wide audience. I’m not complaining about it, I admire the idea that they took ideas from Zelda and other games and almost refined them and meshed them together…but it isn’t necessarily revolutionary. Take the idea of going straight to the final boss. It seems quite cool and unique, but If you think about it then it’s just a really extreme version of skipping side quests and sticking with the main scenario. Things like climbing, stamina, weapon durability, wet surfaces, gliding with a glider, mini dungeons, and crafting have all been done before. So in my humble opinion botw shouldn’t be seen as this ‘revolutionary’ title. It’s great, and I’m not challenging that. But it just might not be what people label it as.
There was something I once said to a friend of mine. I distinctly remember him saying that botw was timeless and is a modern day masterpiece. I agreed it was a good game but I also said that as an open world game, something will always come along and overshadow it. I knew for a fact that when the right open world game came, it would blow botw out of the water and finally show that it’s not all these titles it was displayed as. Maybe at the time they were correct, but nothing stays like that forever.
Now:
I called it. 5 years ago I called it but I never expected it to be overshadowed by its own sequel, and definitely not this well. Tears of the kingdom has truly shown that bigger probably does mean better. But where does this leave botw? Well, I thought I’d have another look and see how different the game is and see if any of my points were proven 5 years ago.
As I had said before, breath of the wild has many systems that have been done before…just not as well. Tears of the kingdom also takes this approach, taking ideas from other games and refining them. But the best part about it is they genuinely do feel revolutionary. The ability to attach things to weapons is a cool and exciting way of doing things and building vehicles is also very cool. So going back to botw almost feels like a joke. Your movement feels very limited compared to totk and I’m surprised about it if I’m quite honest. Battling also feels quite tame and monotonous compared to totk’s ideas. Coming back to botw feels honestly like a chore when you’ve played totk and it honestly feels quite sad. A game that was so highly regarded is probably going to sink because of its sequels success.
The story of botw is still great but I feel it doesn’t carry the game as much as you think it would. It’s an open world game, the story isn’t going to be that big of a part other than lore and world building. The gameplay is always going to be the main selling point of an open world game and unfortunately compared to totk it feels quite tame and pathetic compared to it. If I said ‘I told you so’ I’d seem like someone very big for my boots and trust me when I say I’m not. I’m surprised as everyone else that’s its sequel could be this good. It’s a shame because I do feel that botw does have some great aspects, but they’ve become highly overshadowed.
Forever:
So is breath of the wild still as good as people say? Kind of.
Sure it has been outdone by its sequel and completely put it in its place but it still has something there. If people were going to go into the series I would still recommend them playing it first. Botw is a very strong first Zelda game and one I think still kind of stands the test of time. As a Zelda game it is almost like a modern day ocarina of time. But, even oot has its flaws and it has aged. But that can go for any game and botw nor oot is just ‘any game’.
So is botw still a ‘timeless and ‘revolutionary’ game? No, but it has heart, and that isn’t something you can say about every game.
Great story, decent gameplay, cool world, nothing new, currently overshadowed, and fuck those korok seeds
2013
So uhh…there was this one time in my history class, and I was sat pretty much in the middle whilst this other kid was sat at the very front. Now this kid had a laptop because his handwriting was awful and the teachers had agreed to give him a laptop so he could write better. Now this kid loved to use the laptop in history, and any chance he got you would bet that he would be doing something that he shouldn’t be on it. It wasn’t anything horrid or crude, it was just what any normal young kid with a laptop would do: either play games, watch YouTube videos or just mess around on Microsoft paint. But this one lesson, we were learning about history in dissection. Personally anything to do with surgery always makes me feel sick and I tried to find any sort of way to distract myself from the lesson this one time. Thankfully the kid who was in front of me with his laptop was playing a game: cookie clicker. The kid slowly worked himself up, he got more and more auto clickers, he increased his building levels and buildings. The more and more he played the more I got mesmerised and eventually I was probably more glued to his screen than he was. Eventually the kid clicked on that I was watching him play the game, and slowly but surely he started flexing his ability. He got even more factory’s, even more auto clickers, and got achievement after achievement. Eventually after it all, he had reached the end. The game asked him if he wanted to ascend and just when he was about to click yes…the lesson had ended. We both got up, looked at each other, and burst out laughing. I’m sure to anyone looking we looked like madmen, but in the end it was probably the funniest thing I’d ever slightly been apart of.
Good time waster, chill music, funny ideas, grannies
Good time waster, chill music, funny ideas, grannies
2006
Ahh school, we’ve all been through it…unless you were homeschooled or were just naturally born smart. But I bet a good 97% have all been through the struggle that is school. We’ve all experienced the classics: homework, friendships, relationships, and bullying. Someone should probably make a game about it…and that’s when rockstar came into the picture. I’m sure many people would’ve laughed at the idea of the devs behind gta creating a game about being in school, how ridiculous. But it fucking rules.
You play as Jimmy Hopkins, a troubled school boy who has been sent by his mother to a new school in the town of bullworth. As you proceed through the game you become accustomed to the town and the school itself. You find the groups: the nerds, the jocks, the greasers, and the preps. Unfortunately I’m from Britain and only 2 of these groups exist in my school and the rest are just more of an American thing I guess. It pretty much controls like a gta game with obvious changes.
For starters you can’t drive cars or steal cars, you can however use bicycles and steal them from other students…except the girls, DO NOT STEAL A BIKE FROM A GIRL. There are also no guns and instead you have to resort to more friendlier weapons such as potato guns and fire crackers. You can also go to lessons which are basically just little time wasting mini games with slight benefits. For example if you go through English, you’ll have to assemble different words using a certain number of letters…so you could put the word ‘war’ down and all of a sudden you know how to flirt with girls better. You can also do jobs around the town if you want to but it’s not that necessary as you just get money from completing jobs and can get pretty rich for a 15 year old. You can also compete in bike races which I’m literally an expert on. Move over Lewis Hamilton, Jimmy Hopkins is the new champion.
The story is basically about assembling the school together and forming a more friendlier society. You go up against Gary who wants to basically do the same but take it a step further by taking over the entire school and creating chaos. I don’t usually like to copy from others but there was a YouTuber that pointed out quite a few parts of the characters in the game. For example Gary mentions how he takes medication which adds a layer of sadness to the character and almost makes his actions make sense. Which is another thing about this game: it is very well written. From the grease wannabes to the alcoholic English teacher each character has interesting and unique details and dialogue.
The town itself is also a part of the game I wish to quickly discuss. You play throughout the game whilst the world slowly changes from season to season. You also get to go to the different places around the town, such as the amusement park and the insane asylum (which is right near to a school for some reason lol). Also you have the opportunity to unlock new places to rest and save. To start with you only get your room at the school to save and rest but as you continue playing you can get the basement of a comic shop all the way to a lighthouse. A 15 year old is now a property owner.
Bully is one of the most creative and witty games I’ve probably ever played. In my honest opinion it’s one of rockstars crowning achievements and it deserves a sequel or revival of some sort.
Brilliant gameplay, excellent music, beautifully designed world, well written characters, great story, everybody do the cow dance
You play as Jimmy Hopkins, a troubled school boy who has been sent by his mother to a new school in the town of bullworth. As you proceed through the game you become accustomed to the town and the school itself. You find the groups: the nerds, the jocks, the greasers, and the preps. Unfortunately I’m from Britain and only 2 of these groups exist in my school and the rest are just more of an American thing I guess. It pretty much controls like a gta game with obvious changes.
For starters you can’t drive cars or steal cars, you can however use bicycles and steal them from other students…except the girls, DO NOT STEAL A BIKE FROM A GIRL. There are also no guns and instead you have to resort to more friendlier weapons such as potato guns and fire crackers. You can also go to lessons which are basically just little time wasting mini games with slight benefits. For example if you go through English, you’ll have to assemble different words using a certain number of letters…so you could put the word ‘war’ down and all of a sudden you know how to flirt with girls better. You can also do jobs around the town if you want to but it’s not that necessary as you just get money from completing jobs and can get pretty rich for a 15 year old. You can also compete in bike races which I’m literally an expert on. Move over Lewis Hamilton, Jimmy Hopkins is the new champion.
The story is basically about assembling the school together and forming a more friendlier society. You go up against Gary who wants to basically do the same but take it a step further by taking over the entire school and creating chaos. I don’t usually like to copy from others but there was a YouTuber that pointed out quite a few parts of the characters in the game. For example Gary mentions how he takes medication which adds a layer of sadness to the character and almost makes his actions make sense. Which is another thing about this game: it is very well written. From the grease wannabes to the alcoholic English teacher each character has interesting and unique details and dialogue.
The town itself is also a part of the game I wish to quickly discuss. You play throughout the game whilst the world slowly changes from season to season. You also get to go to the different places around the town, such as the amusement park and the insane asylum (which is right near to a school for some reason lol). Also you have the opportunity to unlock new places to rest and save. To start with you only get your room at the school to save and rest but as you continue playing you can get the basement of a comic shop all the way to a lighthouse. A 15 year old is now a property owner.
Bully is one of the most creative and witty games I’ve probably ever played. In my honest opinion it’s one of rockstars crowning achievements and it deserves a sequel or revival of some sort.
Brilliant gameplay, excellent music, beautifully designed world, well written characters, great story, everybody do the cow dance
2014
“So let us then try to climb the mountain, not by stepping on what is below us, but to pull us up at what is above us, for my part at the stars; amen”
~M.C. Escher
Mobile gamers are always looked down upon as the most pathetic gamers. They’re usually classed as fake gamers, usually playing Fortnite or plants vs zombies. Mobile gaming has always been looked down upon and yet console and pc gaming is held up in such a high regard. Of course this actually makes quite a lot of sense if you really think about it, mobile gaming as a whole has always been filled with terrible and poorly designed pieces of trash, but what hasn’t? Console gaming has definitely had its fair share of shovelware but yet unlike mobile, it never clouds some really special games. One of these special games that is usually clouded a lot is monument valley.
Monument valley begins with you controlling the character Ida as she goes on a quest to return the geometry she stole. She has to go through ‘monument valley’ a land that looks like something straight out of a M. C. Escher painting which only makes it even more intriguing. This leads me onto the gameplay of the game which you can probably guess:
It’s a puzzle game! Because everyone just loves a puzzle game on their mobile phone. But what makes this one so special? Well just like an Escher painting, the game allows you to almost interact with it and find a way to get Ida from one spot to the next, and make sure to get to the end. Simple right? The beautiful backgrounds are also what make this game in every single level they mix it up and this is only reinforced in the sequel. Yes they gave this game a sequel and I couldn’t be happier. The music is also super ambient and peaceful, almost putting you in that puzzle mood.
Finally, after returning every geometry, Ida returns to her true form and everything is restored. The ending isn’t the most exciting but it isn’t meant to be. It’s still absolutely beautiful and the game wants you to know that.
Honestly, I hold this game really close to my heart for many reasons. It’s one of the only games our family have truly bonded over, this and its sequel will always have great memories because of that and I’ll treasure the games forever. This might not be a masterpiece, but it’s certainly a hidden gem that should be given a lot more respect than it gets. So I push you to try this, I really do. Because you might just find one of the best puzzle games in the palm of your hand.
Beautiful ambience, great puzzles, poetic story, eye candy, shapes
~M.C. Escher
Mobile gamers are always looked down upon as the most pathetic gamers. They’re usually classed as fake gamers, usually playing Fortnite or plants vs zombies. Mobile gaming has always been looked down upon and yet console and pc gaming is held up in such a high regard. Of course this actually makes quite a lot of sense if you really think about it, mobile gaming as a whole has always been filled with terrible and poorly designed pieces of trash, but what hasn’t? Console gaming has definitely had its fair share of shovelware but yet unlike mobile, it never clouds some really special games. One of these special games that is usually clouded a lot is monument valley.
Monument valley begins with you controlling the character Ida as she goes on a quest to return the geometry she stole. She has to go through ‘monument valley’ a land that looks like something straight out of a M. C. Escher painting which only makes it even more intriguing. This leads me onto the gameplay of the game which you can probably guess:
It’s a puzzle game! Because everyone just loves a puzzle game on their mobile phone. But what makes this one so special? Well just like an Escher painting, the game allows you to almost interact with it and find a way to get Ida from one spot to the next, and make sure to get to the end. Simple right? The beautiful backgrounds are also what make this game in every single level they mix it up and this is only reinforced in the sequel. Yes they gave this game a sequel and I couldn’t be happier. The music is also super ambient and peaceful, almost putting you in that puzzle mood.
Finally, after returning every geometry, Ida returns to her true form and everything is restored. The ending isn’t the most exciting but it isn’t meant to be. It’s still absolutely beautiful and the game wants you to know that.
Honestly, I hold this game really close to my heart for many reasons. It’s one of the only games our family have truly bonded over, this and its sequel will always have great memories because of that and I’ll treasure the games forever. This might not be a masterpiece, but it’s certainly a hidden gem that should be given a lot more respect than it gets. So I push you to try this, I really do. Because you might just find one of the best puzzle games in the palm of your hand.
Beautiful ambience, great puzzles, poetic story, eye candy, shapes
2021
RPGs huh? You either love them or you hate them. People usually get into RPGs with that game. There’s that one game that makes people fall in love with RPGs and for many it’s usually an easy RPG like paper Mario or any Mario RPG in general. Some came from action RPGs such as kingdom hearts or the ps2 era in general. But, there is one unsung game that without it, we wouldn’t have many of those games that got us into the genre in general. Now I know exactly what you’re thinking: ‘dragon quest is basically the game that invented RPG’s” or you could make the argument it actually all started with dungeons and dragons. But for me and many others, the true game that started it all, was the original final fantasy, the game that caused a chain of events that without it…would probably be catastrophic. This is my review of final fantasy.
The game takes many ideas from the tabletop game dungeons and dragons and I mean many things. For starters you can choose what characters you want in your party and what their named. The plot also feels like something you get out of a ‘campaign’. The story basically revolves around 4 hero’s of light which were prophesied to defeat chaos itself and restore the 4 crystals. So it isn’t the most exciting plot but it was 1987, Bruce Willis released an album for no reason, withnail and I was released, and the first shorts of the Simpsons were released. Pretty weird year all things considered, but I digress. So as our four heroes, we travel across the land by boat, ship, and airship. We also face many different and scary enemies. Which also brings me back to the point of the game is clearly based on dungeons and dragons cause most of the enemies are named after the enemies in dungeons and dragons so uhh…guess that’s a w for me?
Many people have gone on to say how poorly aged the game has become, and to an extent, they’re right. The game has aged pretty poorly. There are major difficulty spikes and don’t even get me started on the warmech. When you meet that thing, run, run for dear life. There are also spikes due to getting certain status effects or just being me and being really shit. The main key of the game is to grind, so maybe that’s why it’s not everyone’s cup of tea? Which is a real shame because if you just grind enough the game can become a really comfortable little RPG which you can get really invested in.
So, is the original final fantasy worth revisiting? Definitely. It’s a game I advise people experience. Definitely not as their first RPG, nor as their first final fantasy game, but as the game to try to see how it all begun. Without this game we wouldn’t have got the entirety of the final fantasy series or any other square game for that matter. It’s well known that this was going to be squaresofts last game if it didn’t sell well. So there had to be some
Magic to it if it spawned some of the best games to ever be created.
Decent gameplay, wonderful music, there’s definitely a story, finally a fantasy, and the fountain was right: I am filthy
(Hope everyone’s enjoying ff16 btw)
The game takes many ideas from the tabletop game dungeons and dragons and I mean many things. For starters you can choose what characters you want in your party and what their named. The plot also feels like something you get out of a ‘campaign’. The story basically revolves around 4 hero’s of light which were prophesied to defeat chaos itself and restore the 4 crystals. So it isn’t the most exciting plot but it was 1987, Bruce Willis released an album for no reason, withnail and I was released, and the first shorts of the Simpsons were released. Pretty weird year all things considered, but I digress. So as our four heroes, we travel across the land by boat, ship, and airship. We also face many different and scary enemies. Which also brings me back to the point of the game is clearly based on dungeons and dragons cause most of the enemies are named after the enemies in dungeons and dragons so uhh…guess that’s a w for me?
Many people have gone on to say how poorly aged the game has become, and to an extent, they’re right. The game has aged pretty poorly. There are major difficulty spikes and don’t even get me started on the warmech. When you meet that thing, run, run for dear life. There are also spikes due to getting certain status effects or just being me and being really shit. The main key of the game is to grind, so maybe that’s why it’s not everyone’s cup of tea? Which is a real shame because if you just grind enough the game can become a really comfortable little RPG which you can get really invested in.
So, is the original final fantasy worth revisiting? Definitely. It’s a game I advise people experience. Definitely not as their first RPG, nor as their first final fantasy game, but as the game to try to see how it all begun. Without this game we wouldn’t have got the entirety of the final fantasy series or any other square game for that matter. It’s well known that this was going to be squaresofts last game if it didn’t sell well. So there had to be some
Magic to it if it spawned some of the best games to ever be created.
Decent gameplay, wonderful music, there’s definitely a story, finally a fantasy, and the fountain was right: I am filthy
(Hope everyone’s enjoying ff16 btw)
2017
Everyone has that one game they slowly learn to love. At first they enjoy it but don’t find that much to love about it, they just think ‘yeah that was ok’ and leave it at that. For me, that was my relationship with Super Mario Odyssey. It began with me enjoying it at first, and slowly but surely, it’s probably became one of my favourite games of all time.
The game begins like any other Mario game: peach gets taken by bowser and it’s up to Mario to rescue her and save the day. Pretty simple but trust me, it really isn’t about the plot of this game, but we’ll get to that later. As Mario we meet our partner for the game: cappy and that’s where our gimmick for the game comes in. Previous games we’ve had FLUDD which was able to perform many different abilities using water, and we’ve had the baby luma who gave Mario the ability to spin and destroy objects. But now, we have the ability to take over different enemies and oh man this adds quite the layer to it. We can take over the classic enemies: goombas, hammer bros, etc. but also other things such as tanks, a bouncy polar bear, or a flying lizard.
There are also many different kingdoms in the game. The most adorable thing is the themes they have for each, these include: desert, sea, lunch, city (based on New York), and a beach. Whilst these seem simple, trust me they are a lot better than you think. Each is just expanded so brilliantly and it all works so well.
I have been avoiding something so far and I may as well get it out the way. Why did I give this 5 stars? Well, it’s mainly because of how much I keep coming back to it. It’s a game that becomes quite addictive after a while. It has many different things that just make me keep wanting to come back to it. Balloon world, the 2 extra unlockable kingdoms, and getting over 9999 moons. It all becomes a recipe for a masterpiece.
So, is it on the same level as galaxy? definitely
Does it match games like super Mario 64? Yes
And could it quite possibly be, the best 3D Mario game of all time? Certainly
Great story, addictive gameplay, excellent design, could be one of the best 3D platformers, the dinosaur was put in to scare a new generation and I’m all here for it
The game begins like any other Mario game: peach gets taken by bowser and it’s up to Mario to rescue her and save the day. Pretty simple but trust me, it really isn’t about the plot of this game, but we’ll get to that later. As Mario we meet our partner for the game: cappy and that’s where our gimmick for the game comes in. Previous games we’ve had FLUDD which was able to perform many different abilities using water, and we’ve had the baby luma who gave Mario the ability to spin and destroy objects. But now, we have the ability to take over different enemies and oh man this adds quite the layer to it. We can take over the classic enemies: goombas, hammer bros, etc. but also other things such as tanks, a bouncy polar bear, or a flying lizard.
There are also many different kingdoms in the game. The most adorable thing is the themes they have for each, these include: desert, sea, lunch, city (based on New York), and a beach. Whilst these seem simple, trust me they are a lot better than you think. Each is just expanded so brilliantly and it all works so well.
I have been avoiding something so far and I may as well get it out the way. Why did I give this 5 stars? Well, it’s mainly because of how much I keep coming back to it. It’s a game that becomes quite addictive after a while. It has many different things that just make me keep wanting to come back to it. Balloon world, the 2 extra unlockable kingdoms, and getting over 9999 moons. It all becomes a recipe for a masterpiece.
So, is it on the same level as galaxy? definitely
Does it match games like super Mario 64? Yes
And could it quite possibly be, the best 3D Mario game of all time? Certainly
Great story, addictive gameplay, excellent design, could be one of the best 3D platformers, the dinosaur was put in to scare a new generation and I’m all here for it
This review contains spoilers
It’s been a while huh? I’ve had my head so wrapped up with exams and just life in general I completely forgot to give any sort of shit to the uncharted series. Now I love the second game, and after I’ve reviewed this one I can’t wait to get on with reviewing the fourth game, I really can’t wait. Uncharted 3 is interesting tho, it’s mid as hell but there is a slight charm to it? I’ll try and explain in this review should I?
Our story begins in London off all places, where Nate is forced to give up his ring and we meet the best and only great character in the game: Charlie cutter. Now I could go on and on about how great this character is but that would be too nice, and anyway it’s not like he’s in it for long. Our story takes us from London to France to Yemen and finally the great city of ubar. And idk why but I find the story to be pretty short and lacklustre. Like the chapters aren’t that interesting and even when we play out as teenage Nate it’s still not that better (4 did it a lot better). The villain is also pretty uninteresting for me, and near the end we don’t even get to fight her in any form, we have to fight her right hand man talbot (I do understand fighting an elderly woman would be wrong in almost every single way but I never had that much hatred for talbot so it was kinda…meh).
The gunplay is very similar to the second game which I’m glad about. Trust me if it was like the first games this would’ve been in the trash. The puzzles…well…the fucking puzzles. There’s this one puzzle where you have to line up this light to somehow make this picture with these different body parts and oh my god it was absolutely impossible. No matter where I went I could not tell where to put it. If you didn’t use a guide for that puzzle then you are a god among us.
So…uncharted 3 was pretty mid all things considered. Yes I did give it an extra half star but only because of the tiny bit more interesting plot and better gunplay from the first game. It’s still pretty mid and it’s not a game I would say you’d fully enjoy but it has its moments.
Kind of mid, consistent gunplay, terrible puzzles, fuck the desert section
Our story begins in London off all places, where Nate is forced to give up his ring and we meet the best and only great character in the game: Charlie cutter. Now I could go on and on about how great this character is but that would be too nice, and anyway it’s not like he’s in it for long. Our story takes us from London to France to Yemen and finally the great city of ubar. And idk why but I find the story to be pretty short and lacklustre. Like the chapters aren’t that interesting and even when we play out as teenage Nate it’s still not that better (4 did it a lot better). The villain is also pretty uninteresting for me, and near the end we don’t even get to fight her in any form, we have to fight her right hand man talbot (I do understand fighting an elderly woman would be wrong in almost every single way but I never had that much hatred for talbot so it was kinda…meh).
The gunplay is very similar to the second game which I’m glad about. Trust me if it was like the first games this would’ve been in the trash. The puzzles…well…the fucking puzzles. There’s this one puzzle where you have to line up this light to somehow make this picture with these different body parts and oh my god it was absolutely impossible. No matter where I went I could not tell where to put it. If you didn’t use a guide for that puzzle then you are a god among us.
So…uncharted 3 was pretty mid all things considered. Yes I did give it an extra half star but only because of the tiny bit more interesting plot and better gunplay from the first game. It’s still pretty mid and it’s not a game I would say you’d fully enjoy but it has its moments.
Kind of mid, consistent gunplay, terrible puzzles, fuck the desert section