Turok's not going to inspire you like a seminal work would, but it will arguably captivate you more. Whether or not it will depends on how much you enjoy the prospect of a FPS game where the premise exists to throw a bunch of cool things at you, and whose world is meant to be explored as much as it is meant to be run through. Turok has a pretty simple loop: kill enemies, find items. Atmosphere turns that simple loop into a seductive dance where you're compelled to search every corner for a special item or secret. There's a lot to uncover, all of the main items you need to find are hidden cleverly, but the secrets are tucked away quite well. Story's just about nonexistent save for a paragraph from the game's manual (not included). An evil being known as The Campaigner is traveling through time and space to assemble a superweapon, Turok is caught in the middle of their plan and strives to stop them. That's about it! It works well for an explanation for the game's existence, not much else. Make no mistake, Turok isn't a revolutionary game. However, it's very well done. Nightdive provided enough quality of life improvements to make Turok control like a dream while changing nothing about the core game, and you can toggle changes as you see fit. Definitely a no-brainer for Turok fans looking to enjoy this classic on their PCs, but for curious future-Turok fans it's an easy recommend. Give it a shot, travel back in time with Turok to 1996 and leave your logic at the door. All you need is wonderment and awe.
Beating this game on GOG isn't the first time I've experienced the story, but with how much time has passed since its release... I feel this story has held up well. There's a few moments in the plot which lost me somewhat, and like most Telltale Games you're told your choices matter despite everything ultimately concluding the same way. However, it is an overall good exploration of a character who is a pop culture icon. The decision to explore Wayne's familial history allows the plot to raise questions on ethics and responsibility. Deciding between appearing as Batman or Bruce Wayne for important confrontations is quite entertaining. Though I personally found that Bruce Wayne was the sensible option every time. Despite how divisive Telltale attempts to make certain decisions to force a difficult choice upon a player... the results show a majority of players followed the same paths. Out of around 25 "pivotal decisions", about 4 had a nearly even split of players choosing between two options. Not a damning mark against the game, but something worth mentioning as this story is largely the same with most people playing it the same way. This, to me, makes everything feel pretty linear in retrospect. However, the ride is enjoyable. A lot of players have reported odd glitches/bugs, as of writing this review I can confirm this is still an issue. Nothing was particularly game breaking or immersion shattering, but a few odd stutters, broken sound effects, and some typos all add up to be noticeable enough to taint the experience a bit. All that being said, my game ran fine otherwise and I got used to the odd texture pop-in or frame drop after a while. If you are a fan of Batman or Telltale, there are worse options out there. I would recommend this game if it's interesting to you, yet with a disclaimer: your choices aren't all that important, but they provide enough engagement to keep you interested in the narrative until the end.
By now, I'm sure everyone has at least heard of Resident Evil. And if you've gone your whole life without PLAYING the original Resident Evil, you deserve to at least try it. I've grown tired of the talking point, "This game has aged poorly!" And I feel Resident Evil is a good example as to why that mindset should go extinct. This, by all accounts, is a phenomenally designed game. It set the foundation for a genre where every major release contains its DNA, which is nearly unheard of in the games industry. All the "survival horror" tropes are established here, and they're outright necessary for a survival horror to work. Enemies are obstacles to be avoided or fought at your own risk, saves are hard to come by, ammo and health is in limited supply, and the scares come from the game's awareness of your perspective. To put it simply, you could learn all you need to know about how to make a great survival horror game from playing this. However, it's important to note that the voice acting is terrible and the presentation (live action and CGI cutscenes) is cheesy... and yet that makes it perfect. This game's a playable b-movie, set in a mansion that's the central character. The fact that you can be genuinely horrified and unsettled by an exceptionally written note (itchy tasty) which you'll find about an hour after you're called a Jill Sandwich is an impressive feat. When I was a freshman in high school I booted up Resident Evil for the first time, and laughed at how old looking and playing it was. In my defense, it was 2012. But now, I can boot up this game and admire the craftsmanship behind it... like a classic book, you can feel the history being made with each scare and jolt of action. Treat yourself to a masterpiece.
At this point, Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance has a reputation that's wholly deserved. Platinum delivered a game so brilliant that it has lasted in the public consciousness since release day. The marriage between Kojima's Metal Gear Saga and Platinum's Action style results in a combination so magnificient that its creation rivals the genius event which combined chocolate and peanut butter. While I don't think this game's story is all that good--MGS 4's ending was perfect for series fans and the plot doesn't do enough to justify a follow up--it has enjoyable characters and some interesting interactions between protagonists and antagonists which touch on complex themes. However, I feel like this game is clearly gameplay focused, with the story looking to follow in Kojima's signature style while not overstaying its welcome or overplaying its hand. In short, the story is fun, but not the selling point--especially for a die-hard MGS fan. But the gameplay is a symphony of quick, precise cuts and pulse pounding parries. Enemies and locations are varied, at certain points you'll find the prospect of a new enemy to be absolutely terrifying as you're trying to keep your neck above water. That's not to say this is a particularly difficult game, but like all of Platinum's games--and every game in the character action genre--player skill is acknowledged and rewarded. If you're the type to want to replay until you've truly mastered a game, Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance encourages you to do so and makes the ride feel luxurious. Pick this game up, it's honestly a mistake to not give this game a shot.
Keep in mind, I'm not much of a CRPG fan. That's not to say I don't enjoy the genre--I love RPGs and hold no ill-will towards CRPGs. However, the amount of depth a single CRPG contains can be a bit overwhelming for somebody like me who prefers a simpler approach. Storytelling, that's the draw for me. A good story will carry me through no matter what. Even then, I prefer to not be overwhelmed by rules and mechanics. Skald keeps it simple. Don't take that the wrong way though, it's the good kind of simplicity. Easy to understand, with enough depth to allow for true roleplaying. I found myself in love with its approach towards character creation and character progression. You can create a truly powerful and unique character while not having to flip through a rulebook to understand what everything means. What kept me absolutely enthralled was the story, though. Gameplay is great: combat is quick and snappy without being confusing. But the writing is full of energy. Something as simple as picking up an item, thanks to the developer's electric writing style, is captivating. Admittedly, the plot isn't all too interesting. Standard fantasy RPG fare. However, the characters are lively--even if I wish they were fleshed out more--and the worldbuilding is extremely strong. The horror elements were awesome as well, and made the game stand out from other CRPGs I've played. One major criticism that I see brought up deals with the anticlimatic ending. Personally, I really enjoyed the ending, though I can see where people are coming from. With the amount of text in the game, and how flowery descriptions can get, I somewhat expected a lot of the game to be left up to my imagination instead of my skill as a player. Maybe that leads to some people disappointed at some boss fights, but I enjoyed picturing how everything went down in my head. I highly recommend Skald, and would urge you to play it at your own pace. There's a lot of cool stuff to find and details to uncover.
This game's 8 years before my time, but I really love Arthurian Literature and Fantasy/Medieval settings as well as adventure. So even though this game predates me by almost a decade, I felt it was made specifically for me. And although I had a good time with the game, it sadly isn't much of a delight to play. Overall, this game is just... fine. There's a lot that this game gets right. The start of the game is great, I really loved walking around the castle, talking to Guinevere, Merlin, and some castle guards. The visuals, though clearly dated, really pop. You have to admire the fact that an artist was able to do so much with such a limited color palette, and at times the game is just beautiful. Also, the soundtrack is phenomenal. I also found that most of the frustrations that come with the point&click genre such as 'moon logic' and just outright getting stuck don't come into play at the start. There are a few puzzles, but most of the game revolves around riddles and general logic, as well as some action scenes. But the game really starts to fall apart once your adventure truly gets started. You'll get stuck because your solution to a problem isn't the developer's solution. There's one specific segment where you're effectively lost, and you're out of money. I thought about chasing down the thief which made away with my purse, but the game made it clear I couldn't reach them. I was stuck. It turns out the solution to my predicament was to shrug it off and sell my donkey. What? There are other parts of the game where solutions to your problems are just hyper specific. I would not have been able to beat this game without a guide, especially near the end. I would even get frustrated when I thought I had a perfectly reasonable solution, only for Merlin to call me an idiot. I feel the action scenes could've used work. The joust is fine, but the swordplay is truly horrible. However, I had a decently good time. This game's a fine adaptation of Arthurian canon.
Oozes atmosphere with a keen sense of horror, and a charming sense of humor. HROT is one of the rare few games with a very strong sense of personality. There's lots to interact with which is great, and what really kept me playing was the fact that I had no idea what was coming next. This is thanks in large part to how well the levels are designed--fundamentally great--and how many little details there are. You'll never get lost despite the maps feeling labyrinthian which is deserving of praise. There are lots of secrets per level, including some secret levels, which I'm not quite good at finding myself... but they're still fun to seek out. I found myself returning to places I've already been just to make sure I didn't miss any tiny detail that would lead to a secret. The soundtrack is pretty ambient, though it knows when to kick in and drive the emotions home. I found myself getting quite creeped out thanks in large part to the soundtrack. There's a few good scares, but I don't think they would've worked nearly as well without the soundtrack keeping the unsettling atmosphere at a palpable level. Pair that with the great sound design, and you'll find yourself looking over your shoulder as you navigate through some rusty, bleak hallways. I really want to give praise to the little details in each level. Some levels have one-off interactable gags, and there's even a little minigame you can find just by looking around. HROT is a really interesting and unique shooter. The game's definitely charming, and I'd even say it has some quirky bits, which I mean in the best way possible. There's still a lot of secrets I have to discover, but I spent a good 4.5 hours on this game and enjoyed every single minute. I'd say this is worth a purchase even at full price, especially if you're the type of player that loves exploring levels and finding secrets. Oh, and I just have to say, love the Wolfenstein 3D and Robocop references.
Spectacular Sparky immediately caught my eye with its vibrant, bouncy visual style and adorable protagonist, and it kept my interest throughout my entire play through. I was able to beat the game in one sitting--I took a break to get some pizza, though--and I feel that's the game's only flaw: it's a bit short! That being said, it doesn't overstay its welcome, and I'm just itching to play through the campaign mode again. Alongside the beautiful graphics, the soundtrack is a joy to listen to and the voice acting adds so much charm. The game oozes fun from each and every pixel, and every game mechanic is focused on fun first. You have unlimited lives and continues, checkpoints are more than generous, and every enemy is immediately recognizable and fun to kill. The bosses are all charming, some offer a bit of challenge, and there's a cute little story to wrap everything together. Quite honestly, this game quickly became one of my favorite platformers. I'd highly recommend anyone give it a try if they're curious enough. It's well worth your time and money.
