by frobos
Showing 1-10 of 27 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