Journey Review
When your schedule hits a snag, and you don’t want it to lag, find a fellow in a rag, and hope the game’s not a drag.
The Spiral Scouts Review
An adventure rife with weiners, dooky, pooting, irreverence, and a gratuitous amount of @^#^&$ing!
(more…)
Night in the Woods Review
Welcome to beautiful Possum Springs. Where miners lie, dreams die, and the kittens cry.
(more…)
Corpse Party: Blood Covered Review
“Moisten up your bum with mama’s butter to make the inevitable fear poops go down nice and smoothly!” – A dead person.
Illusion Review
BORN IN FAKE WORLD / LIFE IS A SHIT / Shoot Myself For More G / I am edgy woman / 793,868,552 ILLUSIONARY BINARIES
(more…)
1BeatHeart Review
Miwashiba Presents: Murderous Maroon Mayhem – 1BeatHeart
(more…)
Firewatch Review
We don’t need no water, let’s just sit and watch it burn.
(more…)
Misao: Definitive Edition Review
Definitive, yet unremarkable.
(more…)
Rakuen Review
Precious beyond comparison; imperfect without a doubt.
(more…)
Finding Paradise Review
To The Moon 2: Hold The Moon.
(more…)
Yume Nikki Review
Madotsuki’s Nonsense World For Dream People!
(more…)
2064: Read Only Memories Review
I’ve noticed that as of late more and more titles are coming out with original base versions of a game before being updated, either continuously or all at once, to become more substantial and improved experiences. I know why this is the case, but it always makes me reluctant to check out a game unless I know it is fully complete and will not be given substantial updates after the fact, as I want to have my first experience with something be in its best rendition. I bring this up because that is exactly what happened with me and the original release of Read Only memories, and then I forgot it was updated until about two weeks ago. Whoops. (more…)
Darksiders Warmastered Edition Review
“Natalie, why do you do this to yourself?” Do what to myself, voice in my head? “Why are you going back to a game that you remember disliking when you played it 5 years ago?” Because I always felt that I should actually like this game, and wanted to give it another shake. “Even after re-reading your original review?” Well, I tried to. My writing was just awful back then. “You know, you sometimes have a really bad tendency for self-destructive behavior.” I know voice in my head, I know. (more…)
Owlboy Review
The storied history of Owlboy is one that stretches across almost the entire time in which independent game developers rose from an offshoot novelty to a mighty force in the game industry, and then transformed into an oversaturation of developers and games on the marketplace, where visibility and attention are in short supply. Or at least that’s how I see it. Originally announced in 2008, the game has gained something of a legacy, and just last year, it finally came out to a rather warm reception. Considering I had been excited for this game since I first heard about it while in middle school, I was naturally looking forward to finally playing the game for myself. Unfortunately… Well, I’ll get into that. (more…)
Jotun Review
Considering how utterly massive my list of games to check out has been getting as of late, it’s becoming uncommon for me to forget about certain games, or even why I was interested in the first place. Some titles inevitably fall through the cracks, and with my memory becoming progressively worse as time goes on, which is especially worrisome considering I am 22-years-old, and Jotun was one of those. The game’s premise and warm reception were enough to justify giving it a closer look and, as is the case with every game I play to completion, a review. (more…)
Inside Review
I always feel a bit odd when reviewing a game with such high critical marks and such a seemingly warm reception from the greater gaming community while also knowing next to nothing about it, as Inside is one of those select few games where discussions are prefaced with spoiler warning in order to discourage any who have not played the game from hearing why specifically it is considered a 9 or 10. Well, after making my way through it, I can firmly say that I understand why Inside has the reception it does. Or at least, sort of understand.
(more…)Evoland 2 Review
Two weeks ago, I revisited Evoland, a somewhat cute yet insubstantial homage to The Legend of Zelda and Final Fantasy that, despite holding a modicum of charm, ultimately amounted to an underwhelming adventure with an incredible amount of missed potential. Potential that could very well be pursued through a sequel, but that really is not the case with Evoland 2. Instead, the game aims to be something different and notably grander than its predecessor, but amounts to a significantly worse and less interesting title. (more…)
Evoland Review
So, I was not intending on reviewing Evoland, mostly on account of having already reviewed it nearly 4 years ago. But I recently replayed it to provide a better reference for my Evoland II review, which is not done yet because I have been unable to clear Evoland II yet, on account of a scheduling error on my part. Now, I could just go a week without reviewing a game, but I’ve got a good record going for me, and the more I thought about it, I have enough to say about this game in particular to warrant a full review. (more…)
Mad Father Review
At this point, it should be evident that I am more than happy to explore a more niche side of the already niche centric Japanese game industry, so it seems like it was only a matter of time before I delved into the super specific subgenre of Japanese horror games developed in consumer level RPG creation engines. A genre I planned on exploring with the latest version of Corpse Party, but the game has gone through many permutations and it turns out that the PC version that I purchased is inferior to the recent 3DS release, who’d have thought? So instead I’m reviewing Mad Father. (more…)
Oxenfree Review
As should be evident by now, I am very specific about the games I play and subsequently enjoy, barring a few exceptions. Those exceptions are often made due to curiosity over the specific concept of a game or the reception behind it. Oxenfree falls into the later, being a critically acclaimed narrative driven adventure game renowned mostly for its dialog. Unfortunately for me, I didn’t really like it that much. (more…)
Life Is Strange Review
It has occurred to me how little I actually research the games I am going to review until I actually play them. This is mostly because I enjoy going into a game blind and not have my expectations too heavily hued by trailers and speculation, but it’s getting to the point where I jump into games without even seeing 30 seconds worth of gameplay or more than five screenshots. I’m not sure if that’s unusual, just like I’m unsure if playing most games several months or years after their initial release is unusual, but it’s something I’ve been doing lately, and something that applies to this title. (more…)
OneShot Review
OneShot was originally developed as an RPG Maker 2003 title released in 2014, where it garnered a decent following as far as I can tell. To the point where the creative team behind the game chose to remake and remaster their work for a retail release, complete with an updated game engine. With that backstory out of the way, I should begin by stating that I consider myself to be friends with Eliza Velasquez, one of the developers of OneShot, and she graciously provided me with a code for that game. I will try to be as impartial as can be with this review, but it’s best to disclose these sort of things right away. (more…)
To The Moon Review
Since I initially played it a few years ago, To The Moon has remained in my mind as one of the most emotionally gripping games I’ve ever played. A truly heartwarming tale that I was eager to recommend after experiencing it myself, but as is the case with many things I adore, I like to revisit them and determine whether or not a game is truly remarkable, or if past-me has less refined tastes than present-me. With To The Moon, it’s unfortunately the latter. (more…)
The Beginner’s Guide Review
This game has been on my radar since it first appeared in late 2015, so naturally I proceeded to ignore it until it was conveniently placed in my hands, and long after the fuss and fervor about this game had passed. Even though at the time of its release, I had already played and coincidentally adored The Stanley Parable, and was quite curious as to what one of the two people behind that game would do with their next project. The results… were unexpected. (more…)
Dropsy Review
I regularly wonder if my thoughts on a game are too shallow or surface level, that I don’t really dig into the greater and subtler meanings of a game, and instead choose to jump from one game to another about once a week. I don’t think that’s a bad thing, but it gets to me when I play a game and feel like I’m just reciting what snippets I heard of it before, as I generally agree with the common conception about it. Anyhow, I played Dropsy, wrote a review of it, and am putting it up during the week of E3 because scheduling demands it. (more…)
The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening DX Review
“Natalie! Natalie! Why are you reviewing a game that came out 18 years ago?” “‘Cos my backlog was cleared out when I played this game a month ago. Also, I liked this game, wanted to replay it, and did so in order to reassess its quality.” “But do you really have the knowledge and foresight to properly analyze games like this in the detail they are accustomed to?” “…No. I played it for twelve hours and wrote a two page thing about it. Is that unacceptable, Maple-chan?” “I guess it’s fine. But I’m not gonna read it.” “Yeah, nobody will. Nobody ever reads anything I write…” “Okay… I’ll leave you alone now.” (more…)
D4: Dark Dreams Don’t Die Review
“Electric Nigma! Electric Nigma!” Um, actually I go by Natalie now. “Whatever! Why are you reviewing D4 now? Haven’t you owned it for almost a year now?” Yes, I have owned it for several months. I did not review it because I was afraid I would not like it after playing it for 20 minutes. “But didn’t you adore Deadly Premonition?” I still do, but that’s not how enjoying things works. If you are a good girl, I’ll tell you why in the form of a review. “Natalie! Natalie!” What? “Do you feel like an insignificant creature who will never accomplish anything of worth in their sad little life?” …I’m glad I’m killing you off. (more…)
LiEat Review
One of my biggest worries for the future of the medium is how people will find, uncover, and catalog the thousands of games that come out each and every year. Especially with Steam opening the floodgates for any small time developer with a Unity license and a nifty idea. The problem gets worse when you consider how many games are not made for a specific language, namely the scrappy little mutt that is English. But somehow small freeware titles like LiEat can still be picked up and sold by the folks at Playism. (more…)
Jazzpunk Review
This game has been sitting in my backlog since around the time of its release after I experienced technical difficulties for reasons I could not determine. So after roughly two years of tempered anticipation, I finally had the chance to go through this eccentric little game. Although, that three word description exemplifies it all too well. (more…)
Gone Home Review
A few months after its initial release, I reviewed Gone Home, a very divisive little game that I knew next to nothing about before playing. Despite my attempts at the contrary, I walked away from the game with a rather negative opinion of it. Not because of the subject matter or my bias against it, or the lack of traditional skill based gameplay or any one of those common criticisms that are brought up by some people. Rather, my problems come from the story itself, and seeing as how the game recently released on consoles, I figured now is as good a time as any to better explain why. (more…)
Grim Fandango Remastered Review
Normally I try to include a little personalized intro that helps to explain, in some weird manner, why exactly this review exists other than the game was next in my game library. However, that was exactly the case for Grim Fandango Remastered, a game I checked out on a whim due to its level of reverence and praise, knowing nothing about the game that was not included in the initial trailer I watched about a year ago. (more…)
Remember Me Review
I often try to avoid playing games that bring me frustration, and even if I want to write a review about it, I try to stop my playthrough after I invested two digits of time into the game. However, I only got about seven hours into Remember Me, a ten to twelve hour long game, before I became so frustrated with it that I felt that it would be a waste of my time and energy to continue playing it. Why did I feel this way? I would likely forget within the year, so here’s a review to properly articulate why I disliked this title
(more…)
Saints Row IV Review
As the years have gone on, I feel as if I have gotten increasingly more cynical, and less permissive of things that I openly would have praised in year’s past. I do truly and always want to sing the praises of just about anything I believe to deserve it, but there are and were moments where I was a bit too excited and felt too justified in saying nice things that I ignored some of the negligence thoughts that now fill my mind whenever I play any game, which kinda sucks now that I think about it. (more…)
Saints Row: Gat Out of Hell Review
I have professed pretty regularly that I have nothing shy of a strong affection towards the Saints Row series, well, namely to parts two and four. I have mentioned my issues with Saints Row: The Third but most of those stem from how much I enjoy the two aforementioned titles and very much want to love everything related to the series. That said, even when viewing Gat Out of Hell as a standalone expansion that I managed to get at launch for $5 because of a pricing error, I have some pretty major qualms about it. (more…)
A Bird Story Review
To The Moon has been on my list of games to review a second time for a while if I am being honest, due to how it is another piece I believe I may better describe, but also because I really want to play it again, as the game was nothing short of delightful. Yes, I’m sure that some would argue if it is a proper video game, but that doesn’t change the fact that it is a thing that is great and I like a whole bunch. A Bird Story is a taste of sorts for the sequel Finding Paradise, and it brushes up against the definition of game notably more than its predecessor did. (more…)
Batman: Arkham City Review
Okay, so earlier this year I decided to revisit Batman: Arkham Asylum, where I investigated the doubt I felt after playing the game, and decided that I really did not find the game to be all that great. I gave it a 7.5 and all that, but not GOTY material in my book, just a surprisingly good liscense game. I did recall enjoying its sequel, Arkham City a bit more, but even after plowing through it I distinctly remember feeling a sense of emptiness, and I figured out why… at least partially. I mean, I’ve yet to reach max reviewed level, but I’ve at least gained ten since I started, right? (more…)
The Wolf Among Us Review
Oh goodie, another Telltale Games season that I plowed through rather quickly and walked away less than dazzled by, and having quite a bit of discomfort with what I just played, while being peased about how it was a different experience. Yes, The Wolf Among Us was on my list of to-do for a while, and I finally dedicated two days to beat it. I paid little mind to it during development, hoping it would pull another The Walking Dead Season One, but it did not.
Saints Row: The Third Review
If you put me on the stop at this very moment and asked me what my favorite franchises are in the realm of video games, I would probably ponder and stutter for a few seconds before spitting out Pokemon, Metal Gear, and Saints Row. The last one is naturally what I’m here to talk about, as while I do adore parts two and four, the first and third parts of this to be pentalogy are far lower on the totem pole of quality in my mind. While part one is the franchise before it really got its own identity, part three was where the franchise was established, became AAA to a certain extent, and had a staff that was 80% people who did not assist in building this franchise up. But that was three years ago, and I feel it is worth revisiting… That, and I was in the mood for a game with character creation, and this was the only one on my list of games I own which I ought to play. (more…)
The Walking Dead Season Two Review
Okay, Telltale’s The Walking Dead. Opinion on the first season? Delightful little gem that I think should be played if you happen to own one of the dozen devices it was released for. However, following up on something that was lightning in a bottle and very much stood on its two legs several playthroughs in, and doing that while also making another title is a feat I would dub insane regardless of the pedigree. So it is a bit sad that I have to say that I did not find season two to come notably as close as season one did in just about any of the factors that would place it highly on my favorite games list. Yet I am one to provide reason for claims, and here is my review claiming why by dissecting season two to the best of my ability after one playthrough. I originally intended two, but then Danganronpa went on sale and I wanted to play it in order for a semi-timely review… over a week after the sequel comes out. (more…)
Stick It To The Man Review
So, I really did not hear much about this game beyond some praise from a few outlets, and it somehow wound up in the hodgepodge that is my games library, so let’s just dig right in.
Alice Madness Returns Review
I have a small list of games that I feel I should have really played through this past generation, simply due to my own curiosity surrounding them, and if those games happen to be $5, then I haven’t any reason to pass them up, especially when they are technically two games. Unfortunately, American Mcgee’s Alice was very much a PC game, so controlling it with a controller felt odd, and the gameplay was more daunting than it had any right to be. So how is its more modern sequel? Pretty bad.
Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag Review
I have not touched the Assassin’s Creed series in nearly four years. It began with the prior two numbered titles, and I certainly enjoyed them at the time, but past-me is an idiot, as he didn’t like 999 and was adamant about defending Final Fantasy XIII, as that is why he bought an Xbox 360. So, skipping three iterations, my thoughts on this installment could have been summarized by how I ended my first day of 11 hours of play with, “Well, today was devoted to Assassin’s Creed IV. The game is fun, but it probably won’t be 40 hours in.” Which it sure as sugar wasn’t.
(more…)