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TheMasterDS

Starting to move collection, favorites, etc lists over to Backloggd. Looks like it's going to take a while, but in time I intend t...

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Collection Part 8: End of Xbox One Era

This is the eighth part of my collection. It is split into multiple list due to list length restrictions. This covers the period from 2018 to the release of the Xbox Series X in November 2020.

I make a habit of putting a number (1/5 to 5/5) and about a paragraph on each game. A heart (<3) means I love the game and it's one of my all time favorites.

List items

  • Switch (November 1st, 2020) - 5/5 - A great rerelease of a great game! I enjoyed it more this time than the two times I played the original, in part because there's a number of quality of life improvements that make the Pikmin a lot easier to use for more complicated tasks. There's also new modes, which are also really fun in their own way! This is a great package, you should buy it whether or not you played it originally.

  • Switch (October 17th, 2020) - 5/5 - Really good pack this year, I would go so far as to say there aren't any bad games in there, and some of the new games are extremely good. I hope the next one has Drawful 3 though! Been too long since Drawful got a sequel.

  • Switch (October 1st, 2020) - 3/5 - It's a neat novelty, but I think it has some pretty severe design flaws which prevent it from being incredible. To start, the physics are based on the original game, which is a shame since they're not very good compared to that of Super Mario Maker. Secondly, so long as you have a fire flower you can deal with anything the game throws at you, so it just feels like the winner comes down to whoever doesn't die of avoidable mistakes first and can take far too long. Ideally you'd like the junk to play a role.

  • Switch (October 1st, 2020) - 5/5 <3 - This is a complete version! Everything is here, and that's good. While this version lacks the workshop support the PC version has, everything it does have rules and it will be getting a small taste of the workshop in 2022. All the characters in this game are fun to play, and I enjoy idly messing around with them a lot. It's a great game for when I want to kill time.

  • Switch (September 19th, 2020) - 5/5 <3 - In a typical roguelite as you make runs, your character progresses making it easier to beat it over time. In this, as you make runs the plot progresses instead, and as that progresses they introduce fun complications that keep things interesting. Weapons, mechanics, progression systems, and more keep being introduced just when you've gotten everything down pat. It's remarkable, and feels like a step forward for the genre. Also, worth noting, the gameplay is super fun and it's really satisfying to cobble together a powerful and unique loadout each run. Cannot say enough good things about this game.

  • Switch (September 18th, 2020) - 4/5 - It's good to have these games on Switch, but they could've really used some work unfortunately. All three games could've benefited from importing Odyssey's modern camera control sensibilities, and Mario 64 could've used some major handling overhauls. Personally I didn't really like 64, but Sunshine and Galaxy still hold up and if you want to replay them this is kind of the only option besides original hardware.

  • Xbox One (September 3rd, 2020) - 4/5 - It's great that Tony Hawk is good again. This game feels right, and plays well. My only issue is I'm not a big fan of any of the 1 or 2 levels and they also I found a lot of the objectives to be more annoying than fun. Still, I like to skate around a lot, and if they use this as a base and get levels from 3, 4, THUG1, THUG2 and Wasteland in here, I would absolutely love that.

  • Steam (August 20th, 2020) - N/A - The game is too early to judge. It has some fun ideas, but the new classes aren't very fun to play yet, and it doesn't too long before you've bought everything and there's nothing left to do. Maybe wait until release?

  • (Hop's Iconic Hat DLC) Steam (August 9th, 2020) - 4/5 - Pretty good hat, though I don't like the genres in this hat as much as the genres in the original hat.

  • Steam (August 4th, 2020) - 4/5 - Incredible fun idea that's really well executed, only real problem for me is it didn't really hook me so I didn't spent all that much time with it. Additionally while I think the obstacle courses are really fun, the ball minigames are total garbage. Maybe will play more of this as it updates, wish I could've spent more time with it this year.

  • Switch (July 21st, 2020) - 3/5 - A decent action platformer with a neat gimmick - the main character being a giant mech with a small pilot who is ejected when the mech dies. That said the checkpoints are really far apart, and falling in a pit is always instant death. So, sometimes you'll be playing for like 5 minutes, die, and find yourself at the start with one less life. When that happens to me I just want to stop playing.

  • PC (July 16th, 2020) - 3/5 - It's an okay mode, I don't think Superhot needs a roguelike mode, it isn't really good enough to keep you playing more than a session or two.

  • Switch (July 10th, 2020) - 4/5 - Similar enough to the first game, except the 4 characters this time have more going on.

  • Switch (June 24th, 2020) - 5/5 - This game was just really cool at the time. This rerelease doesn't look much better, but it's still really cool. It moves fast, and they went all out building the environments. I mean, they did in 2000. This very much looks like an N64 game emulated at 1080p. Even has the original draw distance. I really enjoy playing it, and it's great to have on my Switch.

  • PS4 (June 19th, 2020) - 4/5 - Here's a game that's hard to break down. It looks great and plays great, but... Half of the game (maybe 12-15 hours worth) is just a nothing revenge story that's miserable and has nothing compelling going on. The second half improves a fuckton and feels a lot more like Last of Us Part I while also being something completely clever and new, but you do have to get through the first half to get there. I would suggest playing this game, just be prepared for a long windup before it gets good. And it won't be good in the ways you're expecting.

  • Switch (June 12th, 2020) - 5/5 - Went over really well with the family! My only criticism is it could use more games. They should add more as DLC!

  • Switch (May 28th, 2020) - 4/5 - It's the only Paper Mario style RPG out in over a decade, and it's pretty good! They get a lot more right then they get wrong, and the writing is solid! That said, sometimes the overworld stuff gets in the way. It's often harder than it should be to find the next area, complete the next puzzle, you name it. Drags things down. Still, it's really cool to play a new Paper Mario style game.

  • PS4 (May 18th, 2020) - 4/5 - Really good collection, didn't find time to finish playing the first game, let alone replay the second game. It's fine though, it was cheap.

  • PS4 (May 18th, 2020) - 5/5 - It's a really well made Uncharted that's shorter (which is nice) and features a really good non linear section, which offers a nice alternative to the linear gunfight rigmarole of previous Uncharteds. There's some calm moments in this one, which are really nice. Only issue is I miss Nathan Drake.

  • Switch (April 28th, 2020) - 3/5 - I didn't get very far, but it's a really cool game that I struggle to understand how to play properly. I don't really get when I'm supposed to attack and when I'm supposed to hold my fire. It's unintuitive to me.

  • Switch (March 20th, 2020) - 5/5 <3 - Best Animal Crossing game, really cool ramp up, really robust island customization that very quickly becomes core to the experience. It's hard to believe no previous AC let you place stuff outside. My only critiques is that I wish there were furniture set and more cool T-Shirts like in the first AC.

  • Xbox One (March 11th, 2020) - 5/5 <3 - Really fucking good platformer, much better than the original Ori. It ramps up really fast which is fantastic, and also the combat is really nice which is a great change from the original and it's dog shit combat.

  • Switch (February 7th, 2020) - 2/5 - Lost interest in this very quickly.

  • Switch (February 7th, 2020) - 4/5 - A lot of this game feels really nice. It's really fun to swing around the world making your way forward a checkpoint at a time, slicing and shooting guys along the way. The problems are the boss fights are bad, and the ending is especially bad. When you enter the end game you are locked into it, and it's just no fun at all. If only it landed the ending.

  • Switch (February 2nd, 2020) - 3/5 - This is a really well made game and very cool, but it just isn't for me. I don't like to run in place! I think it's a fake thing and it makes my feet and legs sore and tired much much faster than actual running or walking would. Also not so into the moves you have to do for the RPG combat either, especially when a few are overly sensitive and hard to get working. Really, I'd rather walk outside for 2 hours than play 20 minutes of Ring Fit Adventure any day of the week.

  • PC (December 31st, 2019) - 5/5 <3 - Still a fantastic game, though this isn't the most convenient version. I only bought it because the Xbox 360 version isn't back compat.

  • Xbox One (November 15th, 2019) - 3/5 - The Star Wars feel and the fantasy of being a jedi hold up this game, but sadly it's not enough to counterbalance the sloppiness of combat/exploration, and a myriad of technical issues. While I ultimately ended up liking it, I can't fully recommend it in the state it's in. Wait until they fix it.

  • Sword Switch (November 15th, 2019) - 5/5 - This is the best Pokemon they've made, the changes in structure serve it extremely well, and make a Pokemon game where you feel much more free to go your way and make a team that's all your own really early on. There's a lot of issues with the online, but it goes to show how good the structure is that I still give it full marks.

  • Switch (November 2nd, 2019) - 3/5 - It's okay. I never found the time to get very far in.

  • Xbox One (October 25th, 2019) - 5/5 <3 - The best one of these games if you're an adult without the time to find the good stuff- it's all right in front of you in easy reach at all times. Said good stuff is really well written, and the combat is pretty fun as well.

  • Switch (October 18th, 2019) - 3/5 - There's cool ideas here, but it doesn't come together. While I really liked the "Bash" mechanic which allows you to use enemies/projectiles to fling yourself around, other than that the game is a slog. The combat in particular just feels messy. Also the checkpoint system, while it's novel you can set your own checkpoints, if you checkpoint before an unskippable cutscene... it's more annoying than anything. A lot of the problems I have appear to be fixed in the sequel, so that's rad.

  • Switch (October 18th, 2019) - 5/5 - A super super cool game that's just a bunch of mysteries waiting to be unfolded. It doesn't quite come together as cleanly as say, Outer Wilds, but it's still super cool and hard to put down until you've figured it all out.

  • Switch (October 18th, 2019) - 5/5 - Really good party pack, most of the games are worth playing and are really fun. Much higher success rate than the average Party Pack.

  • Switch (October 13th, 2019) - 3/5 - While its gameplay and level design is a bit sloppy, the overworld is extremely cool to explore and makes up for a lot of its faults. It's very satisfying to unlock alternative versions of every level, and once you unlock one you might as well play it, messy or not. That said, the game is built around the last level, the eponymous Impossible Lair, which is a 20 minute slog with no checkpoints where you can't use moves you unlock that make the rest of the game better. Bleh. So, doesn't stick the landing.

  • Switch (October 13th, 2019) - 4/5 - This is really well made. Parts of it make me appreciate the Contra-Like as a genre. It's really cool, really well designed, my only problem with it is that I hit a wall that I couldn't get past and ended up dropping it before finishing.

  • Switch (September 22nd, 2019) - 4/5 - Honk!

  • Switch (September 20th, 2019) - 3/5 - It's a good game that's marred by a lot of design choices that sprung from the limitations of the Gameboy, and also level designs from a much different era. Now, I'm not knocking the gameboy version for being a gameboy game, I'm just saying for a 60 dollar Switch game it's very strange that you still have puzzles built around "can you find the random bush the way forward is hidden in?"

  • Xbox One (September 15th, 2019) - 4/5 - Fun gunplay, but I couldn't find the time to get very far in it.

  • Switch (September 1st, 2019) - 4/5 - Seems good, though not good enough to become a staple among my family looks like. Something about how it requires too much dexterity for non gamers. Still, happy to support it, and looking forward to seeing it in Playdates and such.

  • Xbox One (August 30th, 2019) - 5/5 - An incredibly cool game that's marred by difficulty issues. When you're running around, reading incredible documents and throwing sofas at enemies it's great! Until you die in three seconds randomly... As you get later in the game there are tougher sequences, with worse checkpointing and it really sucks. Still, the world is amazing, and you should check it out.

  • Switch (July 31st, 2019) - 5/5 - Recruiting students is a really compelling and driving gameplay loop that keeps you moving forward. The only problem is in part 2 (spoilers) that loop sort of breaks apart and, as a result, I stopped playing. Hoping to get back to it though! This is a long game! (likely new favorite when I get around to it)

  • Switch (June 28th, 2019) - 5/5 <3 - Super Mario Maker 2 has not learned any lessons from Super Mario Maker 1, but I'm still having a great time making levels and sharing them. This time around I'm finding the creation process to be a lot more draining, but that's more because I spend a lot more time per level now than I did 4 years ago due to having a lot more experience. It is still a fulfilling creative endeavor, I really like how you can take it with you on the go now.

  • Switch (June 24th. 2019) - 3/5 - The underlying game is really good, playing it on a Switch makes it look like a PS1 or DS game, and feel like a deeply compromised Wii port. It looks and runs like shit, there are huge issues. However, the underlying game is a really good one of these. Outside of a few cases where the next place to go is super not obvious everything about the underlying game rules and makes you want to play it. My suggestion, buy this game, not this version.

  • PS4 (June 21st, 2019) - 3/5 - Judgment is very cool. Taking the Yakuza engine and making a courtroom drama was an inspired direction that sometimes works very well. However, all the gameplay additions it makes to the formula to achieve that are bad ideas. QTE chase scenes. Trailing missions. Slowly looking around a room for evidence. Wounds that can't be cured by Staminans, but instead require 40,000 yen med kits. By the end I wanted no more of the combat, I just wanted the ending, which was pretty good.

  • Switch (June 16th, 2019) - 2/5 - The accessibility isn't as good in this one so I can't really play it as much as I'd like and also I don't like this as much as CoH. Ah well, it was 4 dollars, no big deal.

  • Switch (June 13th, 2019) - 5/5 - A really cool crossover that's just a delight to dig into. While I don't have enough rhythm to leave the rhythm game part on, the beat of the music/visuals is enough to keep the game moving at a steady pace, which rules. I enjoyed exploring the generated map. It's really rad that every run's map will be completely different in layout. My only issue with it is that it's hard to track down the last items sometimes, and you can't look up solutions online because it's all random. You have to play for a long time to get that point though. Up to there it's just a delight.

  • PC (June 3rd, 2019) - 2/5 - This is a well made game with a polish but I don't like to play it. It bores me. I don't see why you would want to walk around a spaceship and shoot enemies who are also walking around and loot a lot of desk drawers. My eyes just glaze over. (Note: Got a refund on this, technically is not in my collection anymore.)

  • Xbox One (June 3rd, 2019) - 5/5 <3 - In retrospect, when No Man's Sky pitched a vast galaxy to explore, what I actually wanted was this: A small, boutique, hand crafted solar system that's packed with mystery, substance and science fiction. It's profoundly rewarding to explore the system, discover intertwined histories of ancient aliens, science and bizarre phenomena, and piece a grand mystery that reminds me most ofs Fez, only this grand mystery gels together in a way that's just wonderful.

  • Switch (May 24th, 2019) - 4/5 - A classic couch competitive game on a console you can bring places. I've tried playing this with family, it went over well. I'll probably play more in the future.

  • Switch (May 17th, 1990) - 4/5 - This is two well made games. Not the best platformers out there, but they're good for bridging the gap until Super Mario Maker 2.

  • Switch (April 23rd, 2019) - 4/5 - Good story, version has a few aesthetic issues, now that I've finished the story I'll probably never play it again.

  • Switch (April 20th, 2019) - 3/5 - Really cool and well made, bad difficulty options tho. I'll probably never finish it.

  • Switch (March 20th, 2019) - 5/5 - Baba Is You is extremely cool. To play the game at all requires a lot of out of the box thinking, and as a result when you figure out how to solve a lot of puzzles you'll laugh and feel smart. That said, I did have to look at a lot of solutions since some levels would've took hours to figure out otherwise, but even when you don't get it yourself you can still appreciate how out there the solutions are.

  • Switch (February 28th, 2019) - 5/5 - Really great small game. There's not a lot to it, but what's there is extremely cool. (quite possible new favorite)

  • Switch (First Played February 17th, 2019) - 4/5 - Good stuff. I'm not a tetris person though.

  • Xbox One (First Played February 7th, 2019) - 4/5 - I enjoyed it a lot more than any other Battle Royale I've played, still not great at them so not going to commit or nothing.

  • Switch (February 3rd, 2019) - 4/5 - Really cool Advance Wars like, but has issues with mission length and difficulty. As I got further in it was harder and harder to spend the time to complete a single level. Some of these issues were patched later, but I had stopped playing by then.

  • Switch (January 24th, 2019) - 4/5 - This is a very funny short little game. I enjoyed it. The gameplay is nothing to write home about, but as a medium for absurd writing it's plenty good enough!

  • Switch (January 22nd, 2019) - 4/5 - There's not a lot to this game, but it's really fun to play. That's about it.

  • Switch (January 10th, 2019) - 3/5 - Looks really nice, sadly the normal difficulty is a bit too hard. You know the feeling when you're low on health and super need a save point? Around 20 minutes in this game just feels like that all the time. Bummer. I've restarted on easy, but who knows if I'll finish.

  • PC (December 23rd, 2018) - 4/5 - Well made park game! It expands on the Roller Coaster Tycoon 2 ideas with new ideas that work! Admittedly sometimes the layers are more than I really want to deal with, but it's really cool! I should play more of this.

  • Switch (December 7th, 2018) - 5/5 <3 - Smash Ultimate has rough edges, but it's also the most polished and fun a Smash has ever been. The Single Player Mode is the coolest and most involved one they've ever done. The gameplay changes make the game extremely tight and satisfying. The new Squad Strike mode is fantastic, and I super enjoy playing a round of that against the CPU, which has been improved significantly as well. Finally I've playing a lot of the online which I've never really done with Smash before and I've been having a great time. Also, it has K Rool. And it's getting Joker and Banjo as well rumor has it. This is the best Smash, and everyone knows it.

  • Xbox One (November 9th, 2018) - 5/5 <3 - Hitman 2 is a really fantastic continuation of Hitman 1. It introduces like 3 new mechanics which improve the maps that were bad in the first game and has 5 really great maps which have tons of amazing things to find and do in them. That's all it needs to do. Doesn't matter that the two new modes they introduce are bad, the new maps rule and I had a ton of fun digging into them. If you got Hitman 1, you should get Hitman 2. If you didn't get Hitman 1, this game has double the content for you. Either way, don't sleep on it.

  • PC (November 3rd, 2018) - 5/5 <3 - This is indeed a successor to Undertale, now in short game form. I'm glad he's still at it. This first chapter is super well paced and a nice meaty single sitting game.

  • Switch (October 23rd, 2018) - 3/5 - Played it a few times with family, didn't catch on like Mario did. There were a few elements that were a bit clunky. Still, good to have on the Switch. I'll probably play it again.

  • Switch (October 19th, 2018) - 4/5 - I think this is a really great Jackbox Pack. 4 out of 5 of the games are really fun. That said, the groups I've regularly play Jackbox with (family, mostly) did not take to this one as well as previous ones. Maybe because these games are a bit more abstract, bit more roleplay based, etc. It's a solid pack, but wasn't a great fit for my family.

  • Switch (September 29th, 2018) - 4/5 - A little short for my tastes. Doesn't have quite as much meat as Marble Blast Ultra. Plus the lack of the weird explosion jump from Ultra is a bummer as it means playing it a good deal more straight forward and basic. Still, a nice distraction and it has pottential to expand.

  • Xbox One (September 27th, 2018) (episode by episode mini reviews)

    Episode 1: 4/5 Solid premise, solid writing. That said there's no huge innovation so far that can fill the shoes of the Rewind from the first game. Still, it's the best thing they've done since then so hey. Here's hoping.

    Episode 2: 1/5 Bad. This was like 3 hours of nothing happens that's cool. Just some shit. The characters are idiots. They make dumb mistakes and get other characters killed. It fucking sucks.

  • Xbox One (Free, played September 23rd, 2018) - 3/5 - Yeah it's well done, but I felt it dragged for most of its run time, short as it was. Could've used some more pay off and a little less set up. Whatever, was free. Hoping Life is Strange 2 is better than this.

  • Switch (September 22nd, 2018) - 4/5 - Seems good, though I don't really have the crowd to play it with right now. Shame.

  • Switch (September 22nd, 2018) - 5/5 - Really really solid game. The first half was a bit of a slog to get through to get to, um, act 2, but it was fun regardless. The core mechanic of the game, getting double jumps back, is incredibly rad and never stops being rad. I'd suggest people check out this game, even if it looks plain on its surface. It's got a ton of polish and adds in a lot of depth as it goes.

  • Switch (September 22nd, 2018) - 5/5 <3 - Still one of the best I'm sure, just buying it to have it on the best console. Dunno if I'll find time to play it honestly.

  • PS4 (September 7th, 2018) - 4/5 - A very very fun game once you get into the swing of things. Two big hurdles you gotta overcome - one, the difficulty curve is steep. You'll struggle the first couple of hours. Two, the stealth missions are bad. Other than that it's a really fun game with solid swinging, fighting and writing. Check it out.

  • iOS (September 6th, 2018) - 5/5 - Short but really well written. Enjoyed it a bunch. (note: I usually don't list iOS games but I feel like I should note this one.)

  • Switch (August 7th, 2018) - 3/5 - The game seems fine, however the online mode is severely lacking. Played a single game and had an unplayable amount of lag. Plus levels in random order is the wrong way to play this game. Do not buy this looking to depend on the online play.

  • Switch (August 7th, 2018) - 5/5 <3 - Incredibly satisfying Rogue Lite with phenomenal combat and amazing weapon variety. It's really fun to work your way through the dungeon putting together a unique loadout each time. Always feels fresh because of that. Reminds me a bit of Heat Sig, but rather than being an optional roleplay thing you're basically forced to improvise a load out each game. Highest recco.

  • Switch (July 26th, 2018) - 3/5 - This game is a kind of boring puzzle platformer. The deformation is cool, but not at all exciting. Kind of a whatever all in all.

  • Switch (July 9th, 2018) - 4/5 - The specials are a bit finicky and the computer players are way too good at blocking, but I've had fun playing this against people who know just as much about fighting games as me, that is basically nothing. In that it is a big success.

  • Switch (July 4th, 2018) - 5/5 - Great version of a great game, been having some fun with it. Don't know how to do multiplayer stuff with it, but that's fine.

  • Switch (June 30th, 2018) - 3/5 - A bit hard for my tastes. Played it a couple times, don't know I'll play it much more.

  • Switch (June 23rd, 2018) - 4/5 - A super solid multiplayer game whose adventure (which you need to do to unlock stages) is super frustrating, repetitive and insipid. I was super miserable playing through it, but it's a phenomenal local multiplayer game. The most success I've had with one short of the Jackbox games. Just really well tuned Tennis gameplay.

  • Switch (June 23rd, 2018) - 5/5 - Oh shit, this game is on Switch! Great! It's been a real shame to do Jackbox with my Switch without it. Had to do the first game, which is not as good.

  • PC (June 5th, 2018) - 4/5 - Fun puzzle game in the vein of Infinifactory or Opus Magnum. It's fun to work at solving puzzles, then work at solving them more efficiently in one way or another. That said, the difficulty ramps up a little too fast and as a result you run out of stages that are reasonably doable pretty quickly. There's not a lot of content to this game, and there's no community solutions to look at for clues if you get stuck. Not my fave of this genre by a longshot.

  • Switch (June 1st, 2018) - 4/5 - A game that is quite nice to get for free. Plays well enough, has more than enough cool ideas for what could've been a throwaway pack in.

  • Switch (May 29th, 2018) - 5/5 - Hey, don't sleep on this game. It's great. It's super mellow and chill, and has great exploration. It's a game you soak into, enjoying all the way. Pinballing your way over here, then over there, then that way and so on. It's super good.

  • Xbox 360 Backcompat (May 28th, 2018) - 3/5 - I forgot how this isn't not as good as Sonic Adventure 2, it's actually much worse! Wow! Makes me appreciate Sonic Adventure 2 more, honestly. Adventure Fields are really dumb. Still, I'll probably replay it anyway.

  • Switch (May 4th, 2018) - 5/5 - This is a marvelous game that a lot of people didn't get to play the first time. Yall should buy it and play it. Even if you had the original, replaying the game as Funky Kong is super fun and I'd recommend it. This is a must for any Switch owner. It's not perfect like DKC2, but it has incredible atmosphere, very rewarding momentum and perhaps too many collectibles hidden very well.

  • Switch (April 23rd, 2018) - 3/5 - Really kooky game, but the controls are really crappy on Switch since you can't jump and use the camera at the same time without compromise. Real shame. Still, it's a nice game to play idly on the Switch, which is what I wanted of it.

  • Switch (April 23rd, 2018) - 3/5 - Seems good, but never found the time to play that much of it. All of requires a little more investment than I'd like for a game I'd play to fill time.

  • Switch (April 20th, 2018) - 4/5 - Perfectly good little puzzle game! I could do without the quick time events between puzzles though, those are really needless.

  • PS4 (April 20th, 2018) - 4/5 - Really really solid game, I quite enjoyed it. Don't love it as much as the initial wave of reviewers, but it's solid. The writing is fantastic, the combat is very cool and the axe is extremely cool. That said I didn't find exploring the open world to be especially rewarding. Mostly just good for enjoying the flavor of the relationship between father and son a bit longer. Also, I found upgrading equipment to have annoying requirements all the time, and frequently ran out of health because I usually didn't have great ways to recover health midbattle. Those are minor issues though, for the most part God of War is a really great reinvention of what was a super rote franchise and I enjoyed spending time with it every evening until I finished.

  • PC (April 17th, 2018) - 3/5 - (Early Impressions) Only played a little so far, maybe will get back to it now that I've finished God of War. So far I think it's not as compelling as the original Left 4 Dead games. Those games always had a lot of solid world building and cool premises backing up every campaign, this one leaves something to be desired in that category. Hoping there's stuff I haven't seen that is that cool.

  • Xbox One (March 20th, 2018) - 3/5 - A beautiful game, but it's very boring. I don't enjoy playing it all that much, going of voyages is monotonous. I haven't experienced the thrilling pirate adventures I had heard about. That said, I do believe them when I hear them, and I appreciate that, if nothing else, Sea of Thieves is fantastic podcast fodder.

  • Xbox One (March 17th, 2018) - 4/5 - Feels good to drive, I like driving through fences and billboards. That's very good. That said, there's a ton about this game that was clever at the time, but is inferior to the solutions of modern games. GPS should be on the road or the minimap. Random races everywhere confuse me. Fast travel would've been good. Doesn't matter, I enjoy playing this game without thinking. It's good for that.

  • PC (February 27th, 2018) - 5/5 <3 - Just, the best tactics game I've ever played. Every battle is 4 turns long, which is a good length for a battle. Each turn is like a little puzzle you have to solve. Punch that bug away from the building it wants to attack. Make the other bug hit its friend. Shield the power plant with your mech's body. On easy it's a simple but satisfying puzzle. On normal it's super harrowing but still doable if you can work it out and can make sacrifices sometimes. Tons of replay value in learning all the squads (each of which has fantastic synergies) and going for all the achievements. I'll probably play this for a long time.

  • Switch (February 17th, 2018) - 4/5 - Also super flawed, but I like it better than Part One. There are more vignettes and they're longer/more flavorful. There's a lot more personality in this one too. Part 1 had had one really good NPC, this one has over three. Big improvement! The virtual space stuff in this is really shitty but I like it better than the combat in Part One. It's not the same each time and there's not that much of it in the back half of Part 2.

  • Xbox One (February 16th, 2018) - 3/5 - Flawed but worth playing. This is the jumping off point for some very interesting sci fi. Just a jumping off point though, this is like Half Life 2 Episode 1. It's basically just a tutorial, one large vignette and a lead into Part 2. Feels short. That said the core premise is very cool and the vignette is very flavorful. Wish the combat wasn't shitty and that I didn't need to look up solutions for a few puzzles.

  • Switch (January 25th, 2018) - 5/5 <3 - This might be my favorite non-DKC 2D Platformer? It's super tight, really inventive with its level design, mechanics and collectable placement, and has really good accessibility options that are fun to mess around with on second playthroughs. On top of all that the writing is as good as in Night in the Woods? It's funny, inventive, and it deals with tricky subjects really well. Celeste is the complete package. Yall should buy it.

  • PC (Downloaded January 22nd, 2018) - 3/5 - I don't know. It took me 5 sessions to get through this one session game because the writing in the lead in was really weak I thought. I know that's the point, but since everyone knows the secret now it just seems like a lot to get through before it starts doing interesting things. Once the plot picks up it's very innovative, shocking and visceral, but also way too dark for my tastes.

  • PS4 (January 17th, 2018) - 4/5 <3 - The gameplay is pretty repetitive but this game is full of incredible cool dude shit and I love it. Need to find the time to finish it, it's possible having watched it is making it hard for me to justify spending the time again, but it's a story absolutely worth seeing twice so... I really should. This is a game you should not miss, even if it's clunky is quite a few ways.