So this was a very weird game and I like weird for the most part. There is a fine line that developers have to ride in order to make a weird game enjoyable. Kentucky Route Zero is not that game. It puts the petal to the weird metal and never looks back. I loved the art direction of the game, the minimal approach to the graphics was quiet charming. The mystery of the game (the parts that I understood) were engaging. The problem is with the games pacing, some scenes go on way, way, wayyyyyyyy too long causing boredom to set in. This is coming from someone that reads very dry books like guns, germs and steel and if you bore me something is wrong.
In addition to the pacing another problem is with the decision making in the game. There are a plethora of choices but I didn't feel any weight of my decisions in the game... and maybe that is the joke of it that none of it mattered. There was nothing in the choices that made me say "Oh I am going to have to replay this again and make a difference choice next time". There was too many choices in that everything just started blending together and it all started to feel weightless.
Although this is all complaining from me there actually is a lot of gold in KRZ and I am glad I played and saw... an ending... I am not sure if there are multiple endings. This game to me seems built on solely weird and quirky and the people who made did put a lot of work into the game and it is appreciated. So I recommend KRZ to those like me that like the weird and mystery that goes along with it but be warned, it is a long road and sometimes that road gets very boring.
Darkwood (DW) is a high difficulty survival game and that is putting it lightly. Although I did mostly enjoy my time in the DW there are some problems that keep this high quality title from becoming a masterpiece. The good things first thought. This game is oozing with atmosphere. I loved the art style, the creepy profile pictures of the characters you interact with and just the overall look and feel of the world. Eyeballs and tendrils pop out of the ground in the later part of the game. It is a great looking game. The music fits well and there are some really well designed tracks that really give you the creeps. The lore and the story doesn't give everything there is to know about the world that you are in but if you search hard enough you will be rewarded with such knowledge. However, I am not a fan of crafting games as a general rule. It always seems that when I need an item that it is missing and no where to be found.
Darkwood is no exception, in my playthrough required items for weapons and upgrades always seemed to be missing and it wasn't for a lack of trying. I thoroughly explored the map, the woods, buildings opening every crate, backpack, searching every body on the ground only to never be able to craft a gun or even fully upgrade my work bench. I was always one item short of finding what I needed. I hate this aspect of these kinds of games, I feel like there are dice rolls that are happening in the background of the game that are always unfavorable. The player should never have to finish a game so handicapped because of hidden dice rolls. That being said I still enjoyed the game overall and looked forward to another visit into the Darkwood in a couple of years
Played on - Xbox Series X
Playthrough number - 2
Difficulty - Nightmare
Playtime 18 hours
Non Spoiler
The Matrix meets Resident Evil
I like the original Evil Within, despite its flaws it was a good entry into the survival horror genre. The biggest problem is the beginning of the game which had a large non liner level design. It lead you to believe that whole game was going to be that way, however later the game turns more into a straightforward affair and to be honest it was kind of confusing playing it for the first time. Did the developers want a more open level design and then decide that they would switch over because they didn’t feel it worked? I don’t know if my theory is correct but Evil Within 2 ( EW2 ) pulled off what I think they were going for in the first one. Non linear levels mixed with linear levels and it works beautifully.
EW2 is a very underrated game and I would hope that more people look into playing it as well as the first one. The action is good, every enemy encounter is intense with you being able to approach combat in different ways. Want to go stealth? Do it! Want to go in guns blazing? Have at it! Want to set up traps and lure enemies into them? You got it! With a large skill tree for both you and your weapons the game makes it worth your while to explore to get the resources needed to upgrade.
The only things holding EW2 from being a perfect 10 would be the bizarre difficulty spikes that can occur with various sections of the game. If you haven’t set your skills for a certain part of the game that requires said certain skills you will be way underpowered and will find yourself repeating one section of the game over and over again causing your anger to boil over. Although the graphics are very good, especially with the Xbox series X upgrades, character animation can be very puppet-like when interacting in non cutscenes dialogue, it can be very distracting. In addition voice acting can ham fisted as well breaking the seriousness of t
This is a little unknown horror game that any fan of the horror/stealth genre should play. A very dark story with excellent atmosphere. It is a higher difficulty game but please give it a chance if you are a fan of that horror/stealth genre.
I remember being so disappointed with this game. Everything that needs to be said about this game already has been. There was great potential in the first story that was most Resident Evil like which I had fun with. All the other stories in the game were so uneven and not fun though. Too bad, it could have been a contender
Steller game, challenging in all the right ways with great combat, tons of collectables and voice acting that really pulls you into the story book setting. Highly recommended if you want a different kind of challenge as you control two characters at the same time. At first it is a bit jarring but you will get use to it and makes this quite the unique experience.
Gears 3 is the best in the series. The game has 4 player co op in the campaign along with a refined horde mode that was a blast to play and the multiplayer gave the game some serious legs. The main story had stakes and the graphics were top notch for the time and still hold up fairly well.
7 may seem high for this game but I am basing that score if younger Jack Mamma played the game when it was released. It is a good quality plaformer in which its rules are strict but fair. The pixel graphics hold up well and Jill's sprite and animation are good. Levels tend to be non linear so you do have to navigate your way around them which keeps the gameplay fresh. If you are a retro gamer and a fan of 2d platform games give Jill of the Jungle a try. As of this this writing the game is free on gog.com and you can't go wrong with this game at that price.
I’m a big fan of the survival horror (SH) genre ever since the original Resident Evil that released on the PS1. However the Alone in the Dark series which is the originator of the pre rendered back grounds survival horror genre would be glossed over by me simple because of money. Being younger I didn’t have a lot of money so many games would go ignored in favor of what was popular at the time. Since then I have been able to go back and play these games that I never got to play. I have played the original Alone in the Dark and now moving to what seems to be a reboot in Alone in the Dark The New Nightmare (TNN). TNN is a classic style survival horror game that I love. Pre rendered backgrounds, bad voice action and the dreaded tank controls are all here. TNN however is not a great game, what should be a game that learned from the mistakes that the classic genre it makes all the same mistakes and mixes in dull combat and a complete lack of inventory management.
In SH games one big aspect in that needs to be nailed is combat and inventory management, in the original resident evil upon first play every engagement is not only a fight for survival but a question of how much ammo do I have and do I have to kill this enemy right now? None of that is present in TNN as you are given unlimited inventory and so much ammo that I didn’t even know what to do with it. Enemies are easy and unsatisfying to kill because they can respawn randomly taking away the satisfaction of clearing sections of the mansion.
The games lackluster puzzles and massive amount of reading doesn't help either. There are some good things about TNN. The atmosphere and music is quiet good and makes you look forward to getting into certain sections of the game. TNN is a game I would only recommend to die hard fans of the genre simply because of its excellent atmosphere and music. Other than for those gamers like me TNN will be forgotten in the sands of video game time.
A good Souls game that plays it a little to basic. Love the fact that you don't have to manage a lot of inventory. Just four weapons and for pieces of armor that's it. If you have a friend that is intimidated about souls game this would be a good one to start off with because of its simplicity. However for advance players the end game gets a little boring as it is easy to find a tactic that works and just use that for every single enemy in the game. Like it though and I hope they make another one.
A metroidvania done in an 8 bit style. Short and sweet, I enjoyed my time with it but I would only buy it and play it if you are big on metroidvania and if it is on sale which I got mine for about 3 dollars which I feel is the right price for this game. There are some bugs in the game were I had to reset the game but nothing game breaking. The graphics hark back to the NES days with a pleasant if unremarkable soundtrack. Beware their is some serious platforming in this game.