This is one of those games that, if I were unemployed, and had no responsibilities, I would recommend playing through in one-sitting. It took me close to five hours to finish Scorn, which some people might find upsetting after waiting all this time to play it, but I think it works in the game's benefit. This is one of those 'experience' games you don't want to unhook from; something grotesque is always developing that will keep your attention. I honestly cannot think of another first-person game where I am contextualizing the protagonist's body within the environment as I play along, it's really something you've gotta see to believe. I'd recommend Scorn if you like things of a philosophical variety and can tolerate a little bit of gameplay jank, similar to 2015's SOMA by Frictional Games. I cannot wait to see what Ebb Software comes up with next because Scorn was exceptional.
Succeeds at revitalizing the Mafia series after the lukewarm reception of Mafia III. This remake does its best to stick as close as possible to the original blueprint while taking a more action-focused slant. It feels more inline with the second Mafia game, adding more intensity and gravitas to the narrative; there's a lot here that far outpaces the writing found in the original game. Hanger 13 put a lot of care into this one.
I spent an ungodly amount of time on this game for some odd reason. I enjoyed playing as Lincoln Clay, exploring a fictional version of New Orleans was a blast, and seeing Vito again was also great. The gameplay loop however became nearly torturous past a point. Everything came across as a massive course correction, based on the complaint that the cities in the Mafia games are empty and with nothing to do. Now we've got the whole place littered with junk like a Ubisoft game and Mafia III feeling like some abomination as a result. Going to avoid replaying this one for my sanity.
Wonderfully recaptures the atmosphere and intrigue of the film. It’s one of those games where you will want to explore as much of the environment as possible; where you will be continually rewarded for doing so. Whereas the vast majority of other point & click adventure games focus on puzzle solving and item management, Blade Runner adheres to a design that is driven by character interaction and clue gathering. This made the game stand out more for me and gave the entire experience a special feel. After concluding my playthrough, I checked out a walkthrough and was stunned by the variables and the number of encounters I missed over the course of my 10 hours. The developers put a lot of heart into the creation of this game. It’s one more people should play.
If you are someone like me who was letdown by the previous Darksiders game, then this is absolutely for you. While Darksiders 3 had a relatively stagnant plot and didn’t offer much to the existing mythology – Genesis not only expands the universe and offers a closer look into the insights of War and the unknown fourth Horseman Strife, it also gives a greater context to the plot of the first game.
It took me until the second level before I realized that Stranglehold has no reload mechanic. I was completely caught up in the constant barrage of action that I hadn’t noticed. The environment being ripped apart from bullets in every direction, while you’re flinging yourself through the air in slo-mo is something really special. Anyone who enjoys third-person shooters needs to check this out.
After not having played many video games for a few months, I found it hard to put down. The excessive button mashing was very cathartic.
Beautifully continues and unfortunately concludes the narrative which began with Sins of the Fathers. Going from 2D pixel artwork, to FMV, and now full 3D, the Gabriel Knight games can stand proudly as a series which was always pushing forward and evolving with the times. Gabriel Knight 3 employs a unique control scheme where Gabriel and the camera are operated independently from one another. Which means you still click and tell Gabriel where to go but now you have the ability to zoom around the environment and explore for minute details. This felt awkward at first but very quickly became second nature. Another unique gameplay mechanic is time. At certain points you’ll be given a window where you’ll only be able to investigate a certain number of people before time moves forward once again. This doesn’t effect the overall narrative but if you’re someone who enjoys exploring the backstory of characters and getting a better idea for plot lines occurring underneath the main narrative than this is very exciting. Grace returns as a playable character alongside Gabriel and continues to play an important role in exploring the historical elements present in the story. Grace also introduces the SIDNEY database which allows both Gabriel and Grace to catalog any evidence collected over the course of the game. It’s a great addition to the series. Jane Jensen and her team have not been given the credit they deserve by the annals of time. What they managed to create across these three games is truly spectacular. As someone who doesn’t normally play point & click games these are absolutely a must play for anyone who cares about the medium.
Somehow the first mech game I’ve ever played. You’ll get a solid 7 hours or so out of this. I managed to extend that to 13 by doing a quick replay of all the levels on Hell difficulty and attempting and failing to rescue all the POWs. I wouldn’t mind seeing Devolver Digital bring back some other games that are trapped on older consoles, but I’m assuming this is a one off considering the ridiculous nature of Metal Wolf Chaos. Surprisingly enough there’s no Mount Rushmore level. From Soft must’ve been saving that for the sequel. And the only gripe I had with the game is that there are a ton of missing sound effects throughout every cutscene. Supposedly that's being looked into by the devs who did the port. Good game though. Well worth a sniff on a sale for anyone curious.
