List items
-
Completed Crash Bandicoot on January 16th
[+] Remake graphics are gorgeous
[+] Very challenging levels
[+] Short, fun boss encounters
[-] Some frustating levels
8/10
-
Completed Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back on January 31st
[+] Level design
[+] Slide move adds additional depth to the gameplay
[+] Good variety in levels
8/10
-
Completed Crash Bandicoot 3: Warped on February 8th
[+] Classic platforming levels still feel great
[+] Crash upgrades are a fun addition
[-] Underwater levels are somewhat frustrating
[-] Vehicle mechanics are too stiff
8/10
-
Completed on February 9th
[+] Moving story about life through death
[+] Lots of personality in each story
[-] Performance issues
9/10
-
Completed on April 6th
I think I tried to start Hollow Knight at two occasions in the past. I played for an hour or two before the game lost my interest. I felt like the environment was confusing to navigate and too monochrome for my taste.
A couple of weeks ago I decided to give the game another chance and pushing through the initial hours. I was wrong on all accounts about this game. Because you didn't see color in the first areas, it made it all the more special when you arrived in a new section of the map and saw vivid greens, yellows and purples.
The environment were great to explore and navigate, and I rarely felt like I was stuck and didn't have anywhere interesting to go. There are so many branching paths in Hollownest, there was always something new to discover.
The combat made you feel like you were a flea fighting extraordinary monsters. I felt so much satisfaction from striking an enemy from above and using the pushback of my attack to keep striking again and again.
I appreciated the environmental storytelling that was made through visual design. The story however was way too obscure for me to be interesting during this playthrough. I'll watch a YouTube video about the lore to understand what that was all about.
I finished the game with the bad ending, and I think I'm done with the game (it took me way longer than I anticipated to reach it). I know there is more to do, but I'm satisfied with my time in Hollownest and what is certainly one of the best Metroidvania ever made.
9/10
-
Completed on April 14th
Well, this was a wild ride. Doom Eternal turns everything up to 11, often to a fault.
Some aspects of the game are greatly improved over the original, like the combat that gives you more options and flexibility. The traversal mechanics are also expanded with the addition of the dash, and the level design takes advantage of it, most of the time.
The story takes itself way too seriously. The 2016 reboot made fun of the type of grand exposition that Doom Eternal goes for. It's somewhat entertaining, but this is a case where the less story there is, the more interesting it is.
The enemy design leans heavily on the original games and it's a great thing. They look cool and are (for the most part) very fun to fight. Some additions make no sense in this game, like the marauder that is invincible to all attacks except for when you are parrying.
There is a lot of content in this game and the campaign moved at a pretty good pace. It was a lot of fun to find all the hidden secrets, but the levels often felt too linear.
This is definitively "Most Doom", but "Best Doom" is still the 2016 game.
8/10
-
Completed on April 19th
I completed the game on my first run. I picked up two super strong bow and was able to reach the last boss and beat him without dying.
The game is very fun to play, the upgrade system offers a nice amount of flexibility and the game is increasingly punishing after each NG+.
However, I don't think I'm going to finish the game 4 more times to get the true ending. I might come back to it later.
8/10
-
Completed on April 23th
I didn't know a lot about this game when I started playing it. I had heard that it had a strong narative, but that was about it. My expectation weren't very high and I happily surprise that I was so engaged with this game.
The overall plot wasn't anything out of the ordinary. What made it special was the very well written characters, their dialogue and the way they interacted with each other. I cared a lot about what happened to the characters (especially young Hugo) but didn't feel a whole lot about the world they were living in.
The gameplay was enjoyable for the most part. The mechanics are pretty simple, but the game doesn't feel repetitive and move along nicely. You rarely see the same puzzle or setup two times.
8/10
-
Completed on April 25th
Amazing mix of visual style and music. It is incredibly satisfying to push a guard into a wall, see him explode and hear a percussion at the same time.
8/10
-
Completed on May 8th
I replayed the original on Switch last year to remind me what the game was like before the remake. To my surprise, it held up superbly and was still very enjoyable despite its age.
So, what about the remake? It didn't disappoint, and that's saying a lot. This game came with super high expectations and a lot of concern. Even in the first few hours, it's clear that the remake was handled with a lot of care and love for the original, while also wanting to do something new. I thought that for the most part, the balance between the two was managed nicely.
I was worried that the combat would be a button mashing festival, but it turned out to have a lot of depth and was still fun to play after 33 hours.
I obviously am looking forward to the next part of the remake, but it probably won't be here for another 3-5 years. Maybe we can get FFXVI before that?
9/10
-
Completed on May 23rd
After finishing FFVIIR, I was craving a classic Final Fantasy. I wanted to experience the epic adventure spanning multiple continents and get to the end dealing sweet 9999 damage.
I played and finished FFIX when it came out in 2000. At the time I was rushing through the game because of a bet with a friend, so I didn't take the time to explore the environments and pay attention to the story.
This time around, I couldn't stop thinking and FFIX and its worlds. The game was obviously made with a lot of heart and it shows. It was a beautifully paced adventure, the characters were all interesting and believable, and the combat was very well balanced.
I could name a few minor flaws, but they do not matter when you see how bright this games shines. It's not my favorite Final Fantasy, but it might very well be the best one.
10/10
-
Completed on May 27th
I remember playing this game back in 1998 and thinking of how fresh is was to play an RPG in a modern day setting. I had never played anything like the combat system, an hybrid between real time and turn based.
It's incredible that today the game feels just as unique as 20 years ago. It feels like no other game.
Replaying this, I remembered most of the game from back then. By making this game as short as it is, the creators made sure that every moment was memorable.
I think the PE soundtrack is one of my favorites ever. It perfectly encapsulates the mood of the game and the suspense of the story.
10/10
-
Completed on June 16th
The main story, if a little redundant, did a good job of making you explore most of the world of Eorzea. The characters were engaging
Maybe it's because I played a paladin and rushed through the main story, but I found the character building mechanics to be lacking. There is no talent tree like in WoW and you rarely change weapons for the first 50 levels.
The soundtrack really lifts this game up. Even though the cutscenes are average like every MMORPG, the music makes most of them epic.
I look forward to playing the expansions of the game, which I heard are all better than the base game.
7/10
-
Completed on June 27th
Woah. This might be the perfect video game. This is certainly the most ambitious story ever told in a video game. The developers want you to feel sickened by your own actions and they very well succeed. It's a dark, depressing game, but it still contains humanity, in all of its messy complexities.
The gameplay is top notch. The level design amazingly complements the combat mechanics and the setpieces are frequent and oftent jaw dropping. I can't wait to see what the standalone multiplayer offering for the game will look like.
I'm amazed of the tricks that the game pulls, both in terms of gameplay and narrative. It frequently reminded me of the Metal Gear Solid and Nier series.
Just like the for the original in 2013, when the game ended I immediately wanted to go back in, to keep living in that ugly, beautiful world.
12/10
-
Completed on July 13th
It seems like the same themes or settings are used for every JRPG. Shadow Hearts went for something different and 20 years later still feels special.
The game gives you strong horror vibes throughout the game from the dark environments the atmospheric music and the general tone of the characters and the story. The good guys don't win every battle in Shadow Hearts.
The combat has a lot of fun mechanics layered on. The judgement ring is a nice way of making the fights feel more active and the SP system makes sense naratively. Near the end of the game, the same strategy can be applied to every encounter, which made the game a little dull.
The dungeons were fun, if a little brief. I like a game that gets to the point, but sometimes I actually would have liked to spend more time in certain areas.
Overall, I was happily surprised to enjoy Shadow Hearts as much as I did and I am very much looking forward to playing the other games in the series.
8/10
-
Completed on July 27th
I found the main story very enjoyable for the most part. Some of the plot twists near the end of the game didn't feel very earned, but the rest of the plot was interesting enough to keep me going.
For the first half of the campaign, I did every side quests I encountered. I stopped after a while because they weren't as wacky as those in Yakuza 0 and didn't grab my interest.
I loved the upgrade system. There is so much to choose from and so many options available from the start that you can really build your Kiryu how you like it. I went all-in with EXP upgrades in the beginning and it felt awesome to max out my stats a couple of chapters before the end of the game.
8/10
-
Completed on August 26th
I can still barely believe that I was able to get both PS1 Lunar games complete in the box for 200$ last year. I had both game at some point when I was younger, but back then I was regularly trading in my games to get new ones. I'm so happy that I can finally cross this one off the list, and I had a great time doing it.
The story was amazing. I love that it is basically a space odyssey set in fantasy land. It reminded my of Chrono Trigger and Mass Effect. The pacing felt nice, the events were always a good motivation to keep moving forward.
I loved the combat difficulty. The game always kept me on edge but it never felt frustrating. Most abilities are useful and you really feel the difference when you level up.
The music was fine, but got repetitive very fast. The style fit the game quite nicely, but with such a big game, the soundtrack should have been larger.
9/10
-
Completed on September 1st
I'm sorry 12 years old me, but this is a bad game. I was obsessed by this game when it came out, but somehow I never remembered the frustrating parts.
The controls are awful. Your characters feels like an elephant on the moon and manually aiming anything close to you is next to impossible. The lock-on mode works well, but is useless for most of second half of the game, where you have to kill enemies with headshots.
The story is paper thin and the voice acting is very stiff. The graphics are decent for PS1 but the environments feel empty for the most part.
Maybe I shouldn't have replayed this game. I'll still try to complete SF2 soon to eventually get to SF3 which I never played as a kid. Maybe the sequels aged better? Probably not ...
5/10
-
Completed on September 20th
When this game came out, I had a friend who was obsessed by this game. I remember seeing him play and thinking to myself how fun the game looked. When I tried a campaign on my own however, I always got stuck and ended up giving up before completing it.
This time, I went all in and really too the time to enjoy the game and play it right. The gameplay systems are so elegant and flexible, it's so interesting to build your perfect party and mix and match classes.
That being said, it was pretty easy to min-max the game and I ended up with a homogenous party that allowed me to steamroll through the end of the game. I was able to kill most bosses without them taking a single turn. It still felt great because it was my party strategy, but it certainly wasn't as rewarding as some of the fights early in the game.
The music and graphics are still incredible to this day. I love the look of the UI and it's so easy to navigate menus.
For me the weak point was the story. I got very confused and ended not understanding too much what was happening in the later chapters. It might be the bad localization or maybe I didn't focus enough. It was hard to keep track of all the double crosses, the characters, the locations and past events.
I'm so happy to finally cross this game off my list. It is still one of the best JRPG ever made and I look forward to trying the PSP port for my next playthrough in a couple of years.
9/10
-
Completed on September 28th
After playing Soul Blazer a couple of years ago, I was looking forward to playing the next game in the series. I was hoping it would build of the good but rudimentary mechanics of the original in exciting new ways.
Illusion of Gaia is a better game than Soul Blazer, but I dont think I enjoyed it more. The combat was fun, but not challenging most of the time. The puzzles were too infrequent to be a considered a significant mechanic.
As with the original game, I loved the upgrade system that gives you a reward each time you complete a zone. It makes progress constant and give meaning to every battle.
The story was very hit and miss for me. The characters all felt very flat, but the world story and lore were fascinating for a 16-bit game. The game tackled some pretty heavy themes and I was often surprised of the tone the game was taking.
I'm more than ready to finally play Terranigma. If the next game can keep building on the excellent combat and give me a better written story, it should be a good time.
7/10
-
Completed on October 20th
The original Devil May Cry blew my mind when I played it on its release nearly 20 years ago. I couldn't believe how cool the combat moves looked and how much control I had over Dante.
After completing this game for the first time in almost two decades, I'm surprised that it gave me some of the same feelings as in 2001. The atmosphere of the island is pitch perfect, with the gothic/horror visual design coupled with the excellent errie music.
Some parts of the game really didn't age as well. The camera is really your strongest opponent in the game. The camera cuts and angles almost always look cool, but are never a good match for the fighting system where you're jumping all over the place.
The story took itself a little too seriously, but was mostly enjoyable and never got in the way of the action.
8/10
-
Completed on November 13th
I've finally put in the time to play Xenoblade. It was one of the most enjoyable modern JRPGs I've played. Every aspect of this game is polished and high quality. While the combat is not the most fun I've ever had, the characters, the music and the setting will stay with me for a long time.
[+] Excellent voice acting, every character shines
[+] Beautiful OST, especially the piano tracks
[+] Gorgeous environments
[-] Too many sidequests, most are meaningless
[-] Combat is a bit repetitive since you only control one character
9/10
-
Completed on November 14th (Platinum Trophy)
A wonderful tribute to the PlayStation history and a well crafted showcase of the PS5 Dual Sense controller.
[+] Loved collecting and interacting with PlayStation hardware.
[+] Tons of cameos of classic PlayStation games.
[+] Just the right length.
[-] Could have been more challenging.
9/10
-
Completed on November 18th
This remake stuck close to the original, and that's unfortunate. It's a short, mostly linear game that uses a great platform (in the original Resident Evil formula) in all the wrong ways.
[+] Voice acting and actor performance was good.
[-] Too many scripted moments with Nemesis.
[-] Moments of exploration and backtracking are few and far between.
6/10
-
Completed on December 3rd (Platinum Trophy)
I wasn't expecting much from Ghost of Tsushima, I've had my fill of open world games in the past few years. I very surprised to find myself engaged in all of the activities for close to 50 hours.
[+] The side-quests and side activities are as polished and good as the main storyline.
[+] Combat is very responsive, enemy types encourage you to change your strategy.
[+] The game looks amazing, especially at 60 FPS (played on PS5)
[-] Even on harder difficulty, the game was pretty easy.
9/10
-
Completed Spyro the Dragon on December 16th (Platinum Trophy)
The game was fun to 100%, but never felt challenging. Spyro feels good to control and each level looks more gorgeous than the last. Looking forward to see if the sequels have more complex mechanics and objectives.
[+] Beautiful levels
[+] Varied enemies
[-] Is only 30 FPS
[-] Underwhelming bosses
[-] Not challenging
7/10
-
Completed on December 24th (Platinum Trophy)
Wow. I didn't expect to like this game as much as I did. The story was so compelling, both personnal and grandiose at the same time. The combat system was also very fun to play, even if it's only an abstracted version of mech combat. If all visual novel games are like that, I'll have to try another one in the future!
[+] Very ambitious story successfully hitting a lot of sci-fi tropes
[+] The combat system is just deep enough and very satisfying
[+] Menus are snappy and the game is very comfortable to play
10/10
Load Comments