game review – Page 19

Disapprove: Them and Us

04/12/2021 04/12/2021

I was curious about Them and Us for the time it spent in Early Access as it seemed like a potentially curious independently made survival horror title that is an actual survival horror title. I mean, at the time I first noticed it we only had Alien: Isolation as the closest to ever attempt following the gameplay pillars of the genre in the past 5-10 years and since then the situation hasn’t changed that much, with only about 5 or so new “actually survival horror” games. After getting it a year ago and trying it out for about an hour, I saw many design flaws that the game already had, but still, was hopeful that it can at least be an interesting and enjoyable, if not notable, modern example of the genre.

I was not ready for what the game turned out to be.

O tempora: Final Fantasy II (Pixel Remaster)

29/11/2021 29/11/2021

O tempora is a series of retrospective posts where I play games from ages before to see if they stood the test of time.

While my attempts to play the original Final Fantasy usually failed because of how hard and outdated it was, while also having a really simple story, Final Fantasy II in addition to the difficulty and chunkiness was also really weird. All of my attempts quickly hit a wall and every time I’ve tried to check on some guides to help me start, I’d read about some bizarre but seemingly necessary tricks where you’d grind for a few hours by hitting your own party members. With the Pixel Remaster version I was finally able to give the game a proper look and appreciate what it tried to be. Even though it still has some questionable decisions.

Happy about: TOEM

25/11/2021 25/11/2021

TOEM appeared out of nowhere for me and as someone who likes photography, I couldn’t help but get interested. And it turned out to be a curious and sweet little game.

Disapprove: Webbed

22/11/2021 22/11/2021

When I first stumbled upon Webbed, it looked like a curious game. Yet, every time I watched any gameplay, I was getting the feeling that despite the really cool mechanics and ideas, the game isn’t actually fun to play. I dismissed the fears, however, and decided to play the game myself. It really isn’t fun to play.

O tempora: Castlevania Advance Collection

17/11/2021 23/08/2024

O tempora is a series of retrospective posts where I play games from ages before to see if they stood the test of time.

Well, this was unexpected. After spending years locked to Game Boy Advance, a console that most people nowadays probably don’t have or use anymore, Konami has decided to release the Castlevania entries made for that console for modern platforms and most importantly PC. Oh and the SNES port of Rondo of Blood as well, for some reason. Unfortunately, this isn’t some extremely complicated NightDive Studios remaster or what Square Enix did with the Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster collection. This is just a collection of original game ROMs, wrapped in a nice emulation package with a few extras thrown in. Luckily, it’s a well made collection and playing these titles is a joy.

O tempora: Final Fantasy (Pixel Remaster)

12/11/2021 12/11/2021

O tempora is a series of retrospective posts where I play games from ages before to see if they stood the test of time.

How many times have I tried to play the original Final Fantasy… I’ve tried the original NES game, the Final Fantasy Origins version on PS1, Dawn of Souls on GBA… But I’ve never actually finished it until the Pixel Remaster release. It’s strange to finally play the very first game in such a huge and influential franchise to completion. And it’s especially strange to realize that despite being so quaint by modern standards, even with so many improvements Pixel Remaster version brings, there’s still a place for a title like this.

Happy about: The Dark Pictures Anthology: House of Ashes

08/11/2021 08/11/2021

After the first two entries in The Dark Pictures Anthology I was skeptical, but still hopeful about the whole concept. Sure, I don’t particularly like games which heavily rely on QTEs, but that wasn’t my problem with the first games. Rather, they suffered from poor narrative and storytelling decisions, which is pretty important in an “interactive movie”-type game. I’m happy to say that third time’s a charm and House of Ashes is a genuinely entertaining horror themed interactive story.

Happy about: Battlefield 1 and V Story Campaigns (and a few words on Battlefield 4)

04/11/2021 04/11/2021

As someone who almost never plays multiplayer, I’ve barely ever played a Battlefield title. There have been story-driven singleplayer campaigns since Battlefield 3, but I’ve played that one and it was a really generic “modern military shooter”, so I’ve ignored them since then. However, I’ve heard good things about the stories in Battlefield 1 and have been meaning to check them some day. Now that I’ve played them in 1 and V, I have to say that they are indeed very good. I’ve also made a mistake to check Battlefield 4, so I’ll write a few words on it as well.

Thoughts on: Ghostbusters: The Video Game Remastered

01/11/2021 01/11/2021

Twelve years ago Terminal Reality still existed as a game development company and were probably best known for their BloodRayne franchise. It was still a few years before Kinect Star Wars and The Walking Dead: Survival Instinct would become the final nails in their coffin, but even then they weren’t known to make good games. Often curious titles with some neat ideas, yes. But not what you’d call “good”. And Ghostbusters: The Video Game, originally released in 2009, wasn’t “good” either. But it wasn’t terrible and had some cool things about it. The Remastered version of the game doesn’t get better.

Happy about: Lucifer Within Us

28/10/2021 28/10/2021

Probably, the last time I’ve seen a tech demo/pitch project turned into a commercial release was in 2007 when wonderful Penumbra: Overture got released. It was an unfinished and relatively short adventure with lots of promise, and Frictional Games have gotten a chance to deliver on that promise later with their future titles. I can only hope that, Lucifer Within Us, that is also for all intents and purposes a proof of concept turned commercial game project, will be a sign of things to come. Because despite its short length and and abrupt story, it shows a lot of promise.