I know that there was talk about Unheard when it was still in development, but I’ve managed to miss on it completely. And it wasn’t until after release that I got curious about what this game is. Finally I had the time to check it out and it was most definitely time well spent.
Tag: game review
In love with: Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice
I’ve had cases where I highly respected the game and could easily recommend it to others, but didn’t enjoy it myself. Or cases where I couldn’t safely recommend the game to anyone, yet liked playing it a lot myself. Sekiro, due to many unfortunate reasons, is close to the former situation, yet unlike most cases when that situation happens, I don’t just “respect” the game a lot, I genuinely like it a lot. Just didn’t enjoy it as much as I wished I would for reasons I will explore.
Thoughts on: Metro Exodus (Gold Edition)
Ten years ago Metro 2033 was an unexpected pleasant surprise. It was a scripted linear stealth FPS that cared about its storytelling, its world and characters more than about making you feel cool, something that was commonplace for the tightly scripted big budget titles of the time. It was as if Escape from Butcher Bay was based on a Russian post-apocalyptic sci-fi novel. And despite a lot of its issues, it was unforgettable and wonderful.
Ten years from then, Metro Exodus is trying to turn Metro 2033 into Far Cry. Results are far less disastrous than one might expect.
Happy about: Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night
When Koji Igarashi left Konami and later announced a Kickstarter project to revive his “IGAvania” take on Castlevania series, I was excited. Despite usually preferring the exploration, rather than the action RPG aspects of the projects IGA has worked on before and despite not sharing the same reverence for Symphony of the Night as so many people have, Bloodstained sounded exactly like what I’d want to play. It looked like a cool mix of ideas from later Nintendo DS IGAvania entries combined with a more grand presentation of Symphony, something lots of people will find enjoyable in their own separate ways of playing it. 4 years later and one surprisingly good (but completely not my cup of tea) side-game later, Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night was out. And yeah, it’s pretty damn good.
Thoughts on: Flower
It’s a bit weird to think that titles from thatgamecompany are now so revered. When flOw was released, originally as a free browser title, I liked it a lot, and so did many other people (including developers of Spore, most likely), but it wasn’t viewed as something exciting. Flower, when originally released in 2009 on PS3, was perceived as a cute oddity, rather than something astonishing. But when Journey happened in 2012 everything changed and suddenly people were interested in what the studio will create next. And since then we’ve had more games feeling inspired and influenced by the titles like what Flower used to be, including the wonderful ABZÛ from several years ago. Did Flower age well?
Happy about: Devil May Cry 5
I’ve had pretty high expectations of DMC V. Capcom have been on a roll recently, initial looks at the game were promising, reviews from everyone into the series were praising the game and what I’ve seen of it played live looked very fun. But I wasn’t in the mood for Devil May Cry most of the year and have only gotten to playing it now. Perhaps I’m still not fully in the mood, perhaps I’m a tad disappointed, but while really good and fun, Devil May Cry V didn’t excite me as much as I expected it to.
Disapprove: Kentucky Route Zero
Kentucky Route Zero has probably become more known by now not by the praise it’s first Acts received but due to how it took to get the “full” release of it. But here we are, Act 5 is out, those who followed the game since 2013 are finally getting what they wanted. Those who were curious since 2013 but don’t like unfinished products (like me) are getting to finally learn what the game is all about. I can see why 7 years ago Kentucky Route Zero, with its first two Acts out, was an interesting and mysterious journey to look forward to. As a complete game, though, it’s a drag.
Thoughts on: Frog Detective 1 & 2
I like cute little games, we need more of those. But, of course, when the game is super small, mostly cute rather than engaging or involved and at the same time costs money, the question of “is it worth it” becomes somewhat complicated. Case (no pun intended) in point – Frog Detective titles. I enjoyed the first two, but will you?
Disapprove: Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus
I was afraid that Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus would turn out to be more of what The Old Blood was – not bad, but feeling somewhat pointless. But the problem with this game is much more disappointing. Instead of continuing against the grain, it shows the desire to follow the worst trends.
In love with: HITMAN 2 (Gold Edition)
It’s been slightly more than 2 years since I’ve played and thoroughly enjoyed HITMAN (2016) in its GOTY version and since the updates for HITMAN 2 are finally quieting down I decided that it was time to give it a go as well. Originally intended to be a “Season 2” of a grand always updating title, Hitman 2 (I’ll stop using the intended all caps, but I’m not talking about the Silent Assassin from 2002) is a standalone game. Yet, it retained most of what was originally intended since you can add all of the mission content from the 2016 game to it, with some omissions (like Elusive Targets). And in its fullest form, with expansions and the content from the previous title, Hitman 2 is easily the best game in the series to date. But with the same issues as the previous game that need mentioning.