Reviews

feels dated at times, but it it's an extremely ambitious title that delivers well enough to be revisited any time

i don't like that you can always tell when combat is coming because every combat area contains between 5 and 50 waist-high walls, the resource-gathering mini-game is necessary but repetitive and boring, i don't like that the design of the renegade and paragon strongly recommends the player lean extremely one-sided for an entire playthrough, and some of the animations are stilted.

that said, the writing is wonderful, the environments and characters are interesting, and the combat is fun

I remembered this as my favourite game for awhile. Returning to it revealed a problem - many of the bosses are go from hard to nearly impossible without
1) gathering the right weapon from the level 
2) upgrading it a time or two (upgrades drop randomly)
3) avoiding other weapon drops until you reach the boss (you can only carry 1 weapon at a time - a new weapon drop replaces your previous weapon)

use the right weapon, and you can either stunlock or generally gimp most bosses. without this, some of the bosses make this game feel like an arcade game designed to suck up quarters from kids...which is actually kind of what it was

the platforming is damning, but great

music is good too

i played a truckload of guild wars and its expansions. i grew up on this thing, and enjoyed almost everything about it.

there's a bit too much "can i get here with careful platforming, or am i missing a power i'll later get" for my taste, but otherwise a great game

i'm happy sony went out on a limb and made this one of the PS2 launch titles. creative, with a great sense of humour for the kids that would end up playing. could be nostalgia goggles, but i have fond memories

there's a lot of fluff to this game, and even if it's not pay to win, not being a paying player nets you constant reminders of the choices you could have if you were paying. there's also a lot of waiting - the gaps between fun sequences of multiplayer combat are too long.

that said, spending the time to make the tabasco logo in the extremely limited in-game version of MSPaint, sharing it with a friend, and doing missions with tabasco themed clothes and vehicles was pretty swell

i think the cast of playable characters should be trimmed, as there are many re-skins in there, but it's a great platformer otherwise. the musical levels are a nice touch.

alone or with friends, i have a blast with the magicka series. the netcode could have been better and their brand of silly misses pretty often, but the gameplay makes it one of my favourites

A short and sweet first game from Williams Pugh's new studio "Crows Crows Crows". You'll get through it in half an hour. It's very funny. Simon Amstell narrates it. Annd it's free. Don't really know why you wouldn't play it. Tip: Once you've retrieved the emerald and got back through the laser corridor, there's a secret passage that lets you exit via the orangery and avoid the tiger. Good luck!

repetitive gameplay loop and some awkward puzzles. there are parts that can get your blood pumping, but the game has nothing else to recommend it

Few games have stuck with me as much as this, and few games are as creatively daring. Effectively utilising a "House of Leaves" like layered narrative in a way I've not previously come across in a game, The Beginner's Guide examines the need for social validation at its extremes, here in the context of the games developer and the player. Throughout it feels like a deeply personal work from its creator (whoever that may be!), and at times you almost feel like you're actually trespassing on someone else's personal space (just as the narrator is doing to Coda). Like Davey Wredon's previous "The Stanley Parable", The Beginner's Guide pushes the boundaries of what a game can be in adopting storytelling techniques not commonly seen in games. It's probably not for everyone, but at this point if it does sound even remotely like your thing - then it probably is, and I can't recommend it enough.

nice treat of a game

A great concept executed extremely well. Strong and smart writing helps the non-linear storytelling work very well. In all, a hugely engrossing, creepy, mind-fuck of an experience. Hugely recommended.

Just played through Thirty Flights of Loving and then the director's commentary. Inspiring. Anyone at all interested in narrative in games - go play it now. Best 15 minute lesson in level design and storytelling techniques in games you're likely to have.

Funny and charming. Really nice art style. Gameplay is pretty simple throughout but as the game itself isn't too long I never got bored. Really love the idea of the gameplay and characters being brought to life by these kids imaginations and their costumes. Just a sweet game, would recommend checking it out.

Just play it.

needs harder difficulties, i think the individual levels/rating system should be scrapped, and i would much prefer a minimal art style where the link to the music just through the gameplay rather than represented with so much colour everywhere

still, it's a fun way to listen to music and getting your music in is painless

kinda neat - takes inspiration from games like Counter Strike and Left 4 Dead. doesn't hold together super well and it's a bit repetitive