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Starfield (2023)
Without a single gripping plotline, this vast expanse of planets is nothing but a desolate void
Let me start by saying that Starfield was the main reason I bought Xbox in addition to PS5 to be all set for the release, and I certainly had the game pre-ordered on day one. However, after playing for some days, I quit because the missions were lackluster and uninspiring, and there was no promising storyline ahead.
Some weeks later, the presence of my Xbox prompted me to resume playing the game, but again I was eventually disappointed to find it still lacked engaging missions and a decent narrative, so I quit again.
Then I guess I was keen on proving to myself yet again that buying the Xbox was worth it, so I gave it another go only to be let down once more.
To sum up, I found myself repeatedly returning to and then giving up on this game in a span of 3 to 4 months, and despite my best attempts, I couldn't identify any redeeming qualities.
The game's standout feature is the vast galaxy it offers but even with that being said, the planets design as such is pretty monotonous and imaginative. I think of all the planets I visited only one was somewhat compelling.
I'm still finding it hard to believe how bad this game turned out to be, and what's even harder to believe is that it's been in development for decades, at least that's what the trailer said.
One more solid proof to make you realize how inefficient and weak as a console Xbox is compared to PlayStation. Just when you thought Microsoft has finally found the right title to make it big, this disappointment arrives.
Shame on you, Bethesda and Microsoft!
In the recent years PlayStation has had tons of wonderful exclusives, yet you were unable to properly handle even one single game.
Just how shortsighted Microsoft can be to release on one hand a garbage like this, and on the other choose to close down Tango Gameworks, the wonderful company that gave us Evil Within and Evil Within 2?
Very much hoping that the next Elder Scrolls will have better luck. As for Starfield, it is undoubtedly the worst game Bethesda has ever made.
Last but not least, with both Redfall and now Starfield being complete failures, the only way to save my Xbox from collecting dust would be probably using it as a UHD/Blu Ray player.
Redfall (2023)
The low rating for this game has nothing to do with technical issues, it's simply a dead space of a game and a mindless shooter
I bought this game at a great discount, so cheap I couldn't believe it, and shortly after I tested it out, I knew exactly why it came so cheap.
Very mediocre level design, absolutely twilight and barely serviceable missions, no characters, no story, at least I have been playing for 4 days or so now, and can confirm there's been nothing but running around from A to B and aimlessly shooting vampires or cultists.
If like myself you're a Dishonored fan, you'll end up disappointed even more. You'll get the impression this game was cobbled together in a month tops.
'What the hell, Arkane? This was supposed to become a breakthrough of a console exclusive for Xbox. How could you mess things up this bad?'
Overall, the low rating for this game has nothing to do with technical issues, it's simply a dead space of a game and a mindless shooter and there's no way the recently released patches will make things worthwhile.
I actually got myself Xbox SX in addition to PS5 (Sony is my primary console) for Starfield and Redfall, and both games turned out utterly disappointing.
Lies of P (2023)
A Masterpiece!
Insanely addictive, highly rewarding game in an exceptionally classical Dark Souls style with delicious level design and utmost effective level up system.
After getting platinum trophies for just every game in this genre, I was pleasantly surprised at how great Lies of P is.
One of very few SoulsBorne games where you invest in your character, your character thanks you. Takes everything the best from the genre and marries it to an amazing story.
Got my platinum trophy yesterday on PS5 and already hugely miss this game. Will most likely get Lies of P on Xbox too and get all the achievements.
This masterpiece easily deserves to have over 90% on Metacritic.
Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order (2019)
Good storytelling undermined by idiotically tricky controls the game fails to explain or fully accomplish
First things first, this game has a wonderful storytelling and voice acting and breathtaking views, in other words - everything a great game needs to have. For Dark Souls fans this game might even work better by paying tribute to the wonderful genre we all love.
I was certain this would end up one of my top favorites and was even excited with the sequel being released in a month or so, but sadly... things didn't work out, and that's due to absolutely idiotic controls that are unable to handle the overly challenging terrain. Bosses-wise the game is not hard, it's very entertaining on the contrary, but it's overly arduous when it comes to wall running, double-jumping, rope climbing with the ambiguous controls the game offers. Mostly the problem is you don't have a clear control over jumping/double-jumping, whereas you have to overcome climbing challenges that consist of cascades of the aforementioned techniques, and, sadly, most of the time you masterfully perform some perfect set of moves just to go to waste with the final jump that you fail, not because you're a bad gamer, but because you're not fully confident how the Goddamned jump works here. Whoever were responsible for this part should be immediately fired as they completely ruined my experience with Jedi: Fallen order.
Before buying this game, do keep in mind, that for people who have acrophobia (fear of heights) this game will seem like the Sekiro of climbing games and a true nightmare. Sekiro I platinumed, but I refused to play by the idiotic control rules set by this game's developers.
Again - very good story and level design completely undermined by the horrid controls.
If you decided to go for a platinum, be prepared for pulling your hair out.
Mortal Shell (2020)
A game with phenomenal level design and controls
Take it from a die hard SoulsBorne fan - if you love the genre like myself, this game has everything to keep you fat and happy for a quite some time. The world design is breathtaking, and the ideology stands out on its own. Bosses are a lot of fun, meaning they're challenging but due to nimble controls, figuring out their patterns and finding windows to deliver your blows becomes so much fun.
I personally loved unlocking platinum for this one. Even compared to genre's best entries, this game deserves solid 10 out of 10, and the metacritic rating is utterly unfair - they should've rated Mortal shell at least 85-86%.
One of the achievements comprises beating the game without any shell, meaning you'll most likely die from just one blow, like in Evil within's Akumu difficulty, but again - the controls will make the challenge entertaining. Not many games out there can boast having this quality.
Must play!
Three Day Millionaire (2022)
An outstanding Film with a lot of heart and soul
It's truly heart-breaking knowing that some empty-headed stupid high-budget titles get all the fame, whereas the true art can be overlooked.
Three Day Millionaire has everything you need for a gem of a Film - characters you care about, strong plot, suspense, decent writing, passionate execution, fluent editing, remarkable score/soundtrack.
I felt so much emotionally attached to the story in just no time and the last thing I was expecting to see on the IMDb page was the rating this low.
I've never visited England before, but once I do, I'll definitely go see Grimsby.
Can't wait for this to come out on UHD.
MADiSON (2022)
It's not the hype, the game is so scary, it feels more like an ordeal
The only horror game that manages to deliver one effective scare, then the second one even more intense, then gradually increasing the tension for the other, and so it goes, until you have no choice but to take a break, because it's just way too fierce.
The only game that pushes things to the limit.
The scariest game to date guaranteed to give you a heart attack.
I'm frequently encountering stories - be it a game or a film - where you have a disturbing story, but don't have effective scares, or vice versa. Well this game succeeds in both aspects, but many of you will not want to thank the developers for that.
Seriously, I'm not the easily scared type and have discredited many-many horror movies/games, considering them far from being accomplished, but this time I paid dearly for thinking this will be just another serviceable effort. Right after the short warm-up, every scare it delivered was so genuine, I thought my heart would literally jump out.
Even when you think you know what's going to happen, it'll still manage to catch you off-guard and scare out of your pants.
With this game it's not just about the scares, the backstory alone is very disturbing and realistic.
Without any prejudice, I can say that Madison is the scariest game to date. It wouldn't even be an exaggeration to say it's so scary and hard in terms of the puzzles, it literally stops being an entertainment and becomes an ordeal. In fact, when you're stuck on a puzzle, that's when the game will try to take advantage of your predicament the most. Having you cornered, it starts a barrage of the most authentically effective scares you have ever experienced, leaving you yearning for a glass of water. Only on my third play-through I was able to somewhat trivialise the game, thanks to already knowing all the puzzles by heart, but for your first run, you're doomed.
If you are newcomer to this kind of games or think that RE7 was scary, be advised that compared to Madison, it will feel like a child's play, and the same goes to Visage, the puzzles of the latter, however, were extremely hard, compared to Madison.
There are some great horror games among my favorites that are meant to be fun, such as Evil within, RE7, Silent Hill: Downpour, Until Dawn, Alien: Isolation; and then there's Madison that aims to be something very different.
Had they made this VR compatible, it would've probably been impossible to play.
The Medium (2021)
A work of exceptionally strong imagination, a true art and the evolution of Silent Hill 2
Finally we're getting a "Silent Hill" successor, and what's good about it is the game mechanics literally take it from where "Silent Hill 2" stepped out.
I'll go ahead and say "They've brought Silent Hill to Krakow, Poland". In this regards, "The Medium" is like "Silent Hill 2.10" with the highly advanced camera techniques the latter used, which allows you to enjoy "The Medium" both as a game and a film.
As for the visuals, it's a stunningly breathtaking ghost town. One of those games it's obvious from the start, you're in for a treat.
It boasts Akira Yamaoka's ("Silent Hill" co-creator legend) mesmerisingly haunting score and has "Silent Hill" written all over it.
While not an open world, it sure is one you'll have a lot of fun exploring.
Apart from bringing onboard everything we loved about Silent Hill games, they also took a lot of inspiration from H. P. Lovecraft.
As the plot unfolds, you will be astounded by the top-notch writing and fabulous locations this game has.
Easily one of the best psychological horror games ever made. I'm so happy they finally brought it to PS5.
An absolute must!
The Dark Pictures: House of Ashes (2021)
If you want to not get disappointed, aim for saving everybody, and you'll find a very decent plot
Originally I had completely trashed this game since I got the casual plot development, that is at the end of the day only one of the playable characters survived, and that unfolding was fairly tedious, boring and made the game look like it lacked any spark or commitment.
However, after playing The Quarry, coming from the same SuperMassive Games, and absolutely loving it, I felt kind of guilty for downgrading the House of ashes, so I decided to try another playthrough, instead this time I aimed for saving every playable character, and it did the trick, leaving me pleasantly surprised.
This is exactly why I strongly recommend you do the same with your very first run, or even if you felt disappointed like myself, don't give up on this game, re-play it, saving everyone, and you'll like it quite a bit, to say the least. To get the job done, it is mandatory that you set the difficulty settings to easy/forgiving for your first time around.
One more thing to keep in mind early on is, it starts off pretty weak and slow, but I personally could forgive that, since Resident Evil Village had the same issue, but eventually redeemed itself. So don't get your hopes too high up until halfway into the game or so. The game is pretty long, so don't worry, you will have all the time to enjoy it later, just be patient, enthusiastic, and give it a chance.
As I unlocked more plot developments required for different achievements, I can confirm the script variations for this game are pretty ample and dense, hence, if you want to get the most out of it, you better go for platinum.
Definitely the best game in Dark Pictures Anthology series.
So good in fact, I'm gonna revisit the previous 2 entries before playing the Season One Finale.
Well done, SuperMassive Games!
Looking forward to playing The Devil in me.
Maid of Sker (2020)
Simply an outstanding British stealth-puzzle-horror game with great atmosphere and elements of H. P. Lovecraft's works
The game is set in Sker hotel, and it's a pretty fun place to explore for collectibles. An absolutely mesmerising atmosphere in good old British style. The puzzles in this game, just like everything else, aim for the entertainment and easily succeed in what Visage didn't. Honestly I couldn't help comparing these 2 games, since I played the latter just recently, and must say - "Had Visage chosen the same path as 'Maid of Sker', it would've simply earned itself 'One of the most influential horror titles ever' award, whereas sadly by the most it is now deemed a wasted potential. So let's see what is it that Maid of Sker did so well. Well, it's tense, top notch suspenseful, keeps you thinking, has Lovecraft's works' vibes, and - just like the Baker house from Resident Evil 7 - makes you want to explore just every corner of it. From the first taste, I already knew this is a delicious course, so for my first playthrough I really took my time and unlocked over 90% of the achievements in one run. Even before finishing it, I googled to see what other games Wales Interactive have developed, and was very happy to find "Don't knock twice". Will buy it once I finish House of Ashes and Madison. The company has a huge potential, I can only imagine what they would've accomplished with a bigger budget.
Maid of Sker is very story/genre-focused, hence delivers only the necessary.
I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw the low rating on IMDB. This just can't be, the game is a masterpiece, and if you love horrors, this one is not to be missed.
Last thing to add is visually it reminded me of the first Dishonoured's watercolour effect and architecture a lot.
Not many games have this much heart and soul.
Faceless (2021)
Poignant atmospheric psychological horror/thriller...
The low rating is one big joke. We're talking one of the best horror/thriller films I've seen in years. Excellent story-telling/writing, poignant atmospheric production design/photography, great acting, incredibly well-done practical special make-up and wonderful direction.
The film was obviously inspired by Adrian Lyne's Jacob's Ladder (1990), one of the best films ever made in film history.
Also what you need to know is that Faceless comes from Marcel Sarmiento, who earlier shot the absolutely phenomenal Deadgirl (2008) and who also served as an executive producer for The Exorcist: Legion VR video game (for me, the scariest VR game ever), just to highlight that this guy has a lot of passion and creativity for the genre. I only hope he continues expanding his horror legacy.
As for Faceless, it's a must-see.
Elden Ring (2022)
'Dark Souls goes openworld' equals 'the best game ever that even tops all of Miyazaki's previous masterpieces'
Miyazaki and Martin make quite a team presenting this new incredibly rewarding and completely fresh vast open world designed from scratch with plenty to explore/loot and huge abundance of bosses.
After playing for 2 weeks and having defeated at least 10 something bosses, I realized I had barely even scratched the surface, and even at the early stage Elden Ring provides a decent challenge. At the end of the day I'm sure it'll turn out way more challenging than Dark Souls 3 and even Sekiro, however, this time Miyazaki aims for an entertaining gameplay as well, and that's thanks to the highly effective level up system and the fact that you start both with a decent amount of stamina and robust flexibility, encouraging fans to upgrade their physicality first and only then the sorcery.
Without exaggeration the best game I've played, and 97% on metacritic is more than well deserved. Elden Ring will obviously be recognized the game of the year, topping even Sekiro's success.
To summarize, it is now the time to officially admit that Miyazaki is the absolute king of gaming industry. An unbelievably talented guy whose works I've been admiring for over a decade now.
Assassin's Creed: Valhalla (2020)
Perfection of a game is what Ubisoft achieved this time
Much as I loved Odyssey, Valhalla is not just 1000000 times better, in my opinion it's perfect. So let me do a little break down and explain why.
Story/screenwriting/characters - 10/10 - to me the best, AC series ever knew
Visuals - 10/10 - one of the most breathtaking worlds ever created
Music - 10/10 - not just the best soundtrack a Ubisoft game has ever had but easily one of the best soundtracks in gaming history. Among Ubisoft's titles I'd only compare it to Far Cry 3.
Level up system - like a highly advanced version of Skyrim's level up and my top favorite of all AC games
How easily you like this game and how addictive it grows - When I look back at many of great franchises I'm now a huge fan of, I must say there have plenty of cases where I felt like I had to give the game a little time before I could figure out whether I liked it or not. Well, AC Valhalla I loved from the opening cut scene, and every next minute of the playthrough masterfully delivered just everything it promised. As for the world, it's so addictive to explore, I spent the first couple of days just travelling before I started the main campaign.
It's obvious the developers spared no means for this project, marking it as the most commercially successful entry in the series.
Perfection of a game is what Ubisoft achieved this time, and I absolutely love what they're doing to the series. Hopefully they will set the bar this much higher with each upcoming project.
Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy the game!
The Exorcist: Legion VR (2017)
Just as great as Friedkin's masterpiece
What can I say? After playing some of the best games available for PSVR (Skyrim, Resident Evil 7, Persistence, Inpatient, Until Dawn: Rush of Blood, Farpoint), I'd say this is the most spine-chilling experience I've had so far, and I absolutely enjoyed every second of it.
What we have is an investigation/horror game that boasts an absolutely top-notch writing and stunning level design for each of the 5 chapters it consists of.
I will highly recommend to refrain from tutorials on your first playthrough and try exploring just any item you can interact with. Also, to get the most out of it, Exorcist Legion VR is a game that should be played standing.
Overall, I would describe it as 'goosebumps all along' meets 'nightmare fuel'.
Right from the start the developers set an extremely high thrill bar, and as you progress further, things will grow even more intense.
So many genuine scares, you won't believe it.
I personally had to take a break after each chapter, so it's needless to say 'as a horror fan you're in for a treat'. Enjoy!
Even if I had bought my VR for this title alone, I'd still be happy I did. Very much looking forward to a sequel, and hopefully they will make it significantly bigger than this one.
Thanks for reading and I hope you'll enjoy the game just like I did.
Resident Evil Village (2021)
You will not believe how inferior this is to its predecessor and no VR mode either
Up till now I thought 2019's RE3 was the worst in franchise I'd played. Little did I know Resident Evil Village is on its way to prove me wrong.
Complete disaster of a game and one big chaos of bad choices. The overall setting is boring and uninspired to say the least, maps are so badly designed they give the impression Capcom was so much in a hurry to finish this abomination. I do admit that separately applied textures could seem polished, but the problem is that all the components of this game just don't add up and don't belong together. It's like they never had a bird's-eye view of the entire project to see those issues resulting in such mess.
The game doesn't have a single distinct villain, but they tried to compensate the lack of villain quality with quantity, offering instead a bunch of potential bosses that look and sound extremely contrived and monotonous in their lines and unrealistic in all aspects. The protagonist's motivation too doesn't work, and after playing the Village for over 3 hours, I still couldn't bring myself to care, no matter how hard I tried. The writing is very bad and lacks any hook. The ordinary minions in RE 7 had more quality than this entire village.
Wake up, Capcom! This game lacks any visual and narrative originality. Where is your imagination?
You will not believe how inferior this is to its predecessor, and no VR mode either. Now I can see why the developers after all made the game PS4-compatible. Had the Village been released for next-gen consoles only, it could've been a catastrophic failure.
I bought this at 40-something-percent discount and still want my money back. Frankly, I'd feel disappointed even if it came 100% free. This is definitely not how a good game should be made.
Assassin's Creed: Syndicate (2015)
Assassin Creed fan or not, you'll love the Syndicate, the second true Ubisoft masterpiece
Honestly, I came not knowing what to expect and stayed for one of the best games I had ever played. In fact, I could go on enjoying it for months.
Let's start with what stroke me first, which is, of course, the Victorian London. Saying 'it's breathtaking' would be an understatement. Even if you decide to explore the city first, you will never be bored exploring/looting/conquering, before embarking on main campaign.
As for the story-telling, Assassin Creed Syndicate is another pinnacle of perfectly executed cut scenes and voice acting. The writing and the execution are simply phenomenal, no other way to put it. The game is so immersive and addictive, I wouldn't even mind replaying it from scratch.
You'll most likely love this game whether you're a fan of the franchise or not. I'll go ahead and call it 'the second true Ubisoft masterpiece after Far Cry 3'. Being my first Assassin Creed experience (not counting 'Origins'), now having finished it I'm ready to play just any title in the series.
Assassin Creed Syndicate could've easily been the Game Of The Year, or least get a 'Must-Play', very surprised it didn't. It's not just one of the best games I've played, not just one of the most beautiful games, but one I will definitely play even after getting the platinum trophy.
She's in Portland (2020)
Came for Minka Kelly, stayed for a great love quest movie
While being a rom-com, the film starts off a pretty fast-paced and exhilarating.
Right from the opening and the presentation of the Sidekick, it becomes clear the writers took their time in creating profound characters of good heart and soul, and the actors with brilliant portrayal got the most out of the stunningly written script.
The director's visualisation is top notch. This guy has a great career ahead of him, and I would definitely entrust him to make just any film in any genre.
The locations and the photography is something you can never stop admiring, the soundtrack is ecstatic.
The only thing making me sad, is that Minka Kelly, who is the main reason I wanted to see the film, has very little screen time, and I don't see why. I'm currently writing an action sci-fi adventure romance story, and sculpting the Love Interest I have in mind but her. If the script is green-lighted, I'll submit to the producers my dreamcast as well. This girl deserves much more attention.
And to summarise my review, 'She's in Portland' is a great heart-warming story about love and friendship. Very poetic, deep, realistic and beautifully captured, absolutely ranks as one of the best in the genre for me.
In fact, if you're ever to embark on a love quest, make sure to first check this out for good luck, it's full of positive energy.
Stay safe. Thank you for reading. Now go see this movie.
Blood & Truth (2019)
Not only the worst VR game I've seen but one of the worst games I've ever encountered
Don't believe the metacritic rating. This sorry excuse of a game barely deserves 40% at most. Before buying at least check the play through on youtube, don't make the same mistake I did.
The biggest problem with this game is you're restrained from free movement - you only move at the designated moment, when the game hints you to take this or that position to the left, to the right or ahead. But you can't just turn around, walk/run/explore the place, try your own tactics, no! The game entirely plays itself. Possibly as a counterweight to this stupid controls, doing the simplest things, like climbing a ladder or going through a vent shaft, might require some effort, at least if you're using a Dual Shock, which makes the controls look even more stupid. I don't understand, what they were trying to achieve with that?! Realism? If so, then why restraining from movement?
All this is followed by an extremely shallow writing, uninteresting characters, very bleak lifeless level design. The game doesn't engage with its narrative, and the graphics are horrible. I was hardly able to finish 4 missions or so, and that's when I ran out of patience.
I can't believe Sony bought this as an exclusive.
By far one of the worst games I have ever played.
If you want a good VR experience, get Farpoint, Skyrim, Until Dawn: Rush of blood, Inpatient, RE7...
Even the buggy and extremely short Exorcist: Legion is a masterpiece compared to this atrocity.
Avoid even if it's for free.
I'm really sorry for posting a negative review, but this is not how a game should be done.
The Inpatient (2018)
The reason I got my VR, and I'm more than happy I did
This was my first VR game, I was completely new to this technology, and despite of some blurriness, I hugely enjoyed it.
To me after Until Dawn, The Inpatient is the second best title done by SuperMassive Games. Despite of being a decent prequel, The Inpatient, unlike its predecessor, is not that action-packed and suspenseful, instead it relies more on a psychological horror. It has no score, but the scares are good.
The atmosphere is stunning just like in Until Dawn. As the title implies, we get to explore the Blackwood sanatorium before it closed down. While the place looks great, I wished it was a bit larger and some parts of the mountain could be revisited as well. In fact, I don't understand, why they didn't start the story from the point where the miners incident took place. It could make a much better experience if we had several playable characters stuck inside a cave, struggling to survive and remain human. The cave part of the prequel can still be told even now, and I recently wrote about it to SuperMassive games, but at this point I guess they're not looking to do another Until Dawn game, which is kind of sad, because I'm more than certain, the fans would love that.
The summarise this review, The Inpatient was the reason I got my VR, and I'm more than happy I did. If like myself you are crazy about Until Dawn, The Inpatient is a must-have, and you'll love it.
Go get this game!
Stay safe and thanks for reading.
Code Vein (2019)
The game that inspired me to learn Unreal Engine
Finally I got what I always wanted - a Souls game that would keep the players engaged, thanks to its story, and not just rely on the unbearable difficulty alone, that most of its predecessors coming from Miyazaki did. And Code Vein brilliantly achieves that. The writing was incredibly well done. In just no time I realised I was in love with the characters.
Bandai Namco did the right thing by creating a game that would first and foremost entertain, which is why some people got it wrong, probably because they've got used to being tortured. But still Code Vein can be extremely hard, if you stop partnering with any of the NPC's.
To me personally this was the best souls experience ever. Even after getting the platinum trophy, I still play it.
The visuals are amazing, the gameplay is long enough, and although it has its challenging moments, the developers did their best to ensure you'll have a good time with it.
Among the advantages Code Vein has compared to previous entries are -
1. Great storytelling and characters.
2. Phenomenal visualisation. The level design is unlike anything you've seen before. Much better than DS3 and Sekiro.
3. Phenomenal score by Go Shiina.
3. Great voice acting.
4. A map that will be a lot of help making it significantly easier to not miss out any important item.
5. The co-op with other players is greatly simplified here. You don't have to place any signs like in DS3. You can be in one area and still be teleported to the other end of the game world to aid another player.
6. Reasonable difficulty level, unless you choose otherwise.
7. Even when you start a NG, it doesn't have to be NG , so if you're doing an additional run for platinum trophy, that will come in pretty handy.
Even the soundtrack I loved much much more than in Dark Souls. There are at least 3 pieces I will forever keep in my phone now. The track called 'Requiem', playing during one of the endings, I couldn't listen to without tears. Needless to say I was overwhelmed every time I finished the game.
Although I have favorite animes, I never considered myself being a huge fan of the genre before, but now, thanks to Code Vein, I do. I'm eager to see just any anime title there is.
Don't listen to the reviews downgrading this game!
It's sheer brilliance!
I was an idiot to refrain from buying it the day it came out, but later I wanted to kill myself for that. Not as a punishment, but just to support the developers, I additionally got 2 more copies - one for my brother-in-law and another for my best friend.
I will gladly give my money to Bandai Namco and buy just any title they make. Thank you, guys, for these wonderful emotions.
Color Out of Space (2019)
Bravo, Richard Stanley!
Vivid, creepy, atmospheric, suspenseful, poetic, unsettling, spectacular and fresh. Basically I'd call this a fine line between mainstream and art, but mostly it's pure art, a visual masterpiece and a learning guide on how to write a good script and neatly edit your film.
I read the book prior and must note, they really added some nice twists to the source material. The acting was top-notch. The special make-up monster design was absolutely old-school and practical, but what I loved even more was Richard Stanley didn't exploit gore, neither overused the jumpscares here - just enough to convey the story - and the CGI was unbelievably well done, considering the budget. If like myself you enjoyed H. P. Lovecraft's story, you'll most likely love Richard Stanley's movie. I can only dream of sights that man can show us if he's given bigger projects and total freedom. Producers need to pay more attention to artists like him.
Detroit: Become Human (2018)
We could learn a lot from deviants
To David Cage and his team
Your art will restore humanity in this world! Detroit: Become Human changed my life. You are the best. I love you, guys. Thank you for all the emotions I experienced with Marcus, Kara and Connor. These guys will stay in my heart till the end. I wish deviants existed. I'm sure people could learn a lot from them.
Detroit: Become Human is a work of art you don't just enjoy... You live it... you cry for the heroes...
Alita: Battle Angel (2019)
Wish to see more Rodriguez - Cameron collaboration
The most spectacular and humane movie I've seen in a long time. Goes to my 'top favourites' list. Finally, good writing combined with awesome CGI. A total masterpiece that kept me on the edge for 2 hours. Robert Rodriguez proves once again he's a true artist. Really wish to see more of his collaboration with James Cameron. Lovely movie I'm ready to see again any time.
The Sinking City (2019)
Don't judge this by the cover
First things first, do not judge this one by the cover. The game is far from being polished, looks old, the combat system is clunky and outdated, yes, but due to a lot of passion and commitment behind it, the plot and the Lovecraft atmosphere will engage you pretty fast. Kept me playing for the entire weekend. A good thing I want to point out straight-ahead is even the side missions/cases are pretty interesting to solve. However, you'd better stick to the main plot for your first play through, it's pretty intriguing, as the side missions will only ruin your first impression, because it's not a high budget game and it shows. Among the downsides - the house interiors are pretty similar one to another. Halfway I came across a ruined house which looked like exactly the same as the one I had to investigate at the very beginning, up to the holes in the floor and the second floor wall. Later I would realize that nearly every house in the suburbs looked the same. Some characters you meet too will look the same with only different hair and clothing. What were the creators thinking? They should've waited to raise more money for this project instead of serving it half-cooked. So be prepared to come across some feel cheap stuff. It's strange that Man of Medan by Bandai Namco already announced will have a significantly lower price, while obviously being a much better looking game than this.
Needless to say the Sinking city is not an AAA game. Definitely a guilty pleasure but worth checking out. I personally did not regret getting it on PS4 on the very first day it was released because the Lovecraftian cosmic horror detective story plot saves it all. What more do you need to be entertained?
Even after Sekiro and RE 2 remake (2 of the best games ever and the best games of the year for sure) I enjoyed this game a lot. Do not judge it by the cover. This is one of the best games you'll ever play. Extremely addictive.
Let's get to the main issues
1. Mechanics and especially the combat system are dated
2. Cheap repetitive interior designs. I don't know why the developers didn't improve this part. It's just too obvious.
3. Some minor glitches
Now... did any of the aforementioned ruin the game play for me?! No, absolutely not, because, again, the story and the atmosphere are so nicely executed that you will want to forgive the downsides.
I'm not rating this game 10/10 because of the technical issues and would want the developers to go back and fix/polish it. What I want even more, is that team making as many Lovecraft games as possible, because they know how to do it.
Shadow of the Tomb Raider (2018)
A masterpiece!
Just who are the critics underrating this game? The Metacritic ratio is a joke. Don't believe it. This game is epic. The ending really had me hold my breathe. The visuals are stunning, and, yes, I think this is the best Tomb Raider, but having said that, there's no way I'm downgrading the previous 2 games. Each one of them is a masterpiece, but this one sort of exceeded my expectations. 2 sleepless long nights devoted to one of the best games I have ever played. I would seriously buy the second copy just to support the developers. At the end I was very sad though. Loved it so much I wish the main campaign could last for at least 2 months, so needless to say I will revisit Shadow of the Tomb Raider tomorrow already. Watching this sweet girl is always a pleasure. I'm very happy I got this game on the very first day.
To everybody involved in this project! 'Thank you guys, I love your team for this wonderful time. I'm writing this review listening to the wonderful soundtrack as the end credits roll, absolutely overwhelmed but still sad I have finished the game. So please, give us some great dlcs too. And I'll be looking forward to the next game in a couple of years. We need more and more and more and more of Lara'.
As for the rest, go and get this game!