Game #882: Sayonara Wild Hearts

 The coolest, most badass 70's infused acid-trip.

 What is Sayonara Wild Hearts? It's hard to explain, but it's kind of a on-rails runner in which stuff happens at the beat of whichever song is playing. It's also a story about heartbreak, self love and a bunch of other stuff that's hidden beneath it's very stylish aesthetics.

 In the game, the nameless heroine is constantly moving forward, so you have to move from side to side in order to dodge obstacles, enemies or projectiles. Every now and then you'll also get a few button prompts to act, once again, at the beat of the song. The game is INCREDIBLY cool, the aesthetics are simple, but the animations and the things the protagonist must go through are nothing short of jaw-dropping.

 Clearly there's a big emphasis on music, and thankfully, the soundtrack is fantastic. Both me and my girlfriend wound up hearing the OST after finishing the game, it's that good.

 The game is on the short side, we finished it in about two hours, but it's really fun, and it's entertaining as a spectator, which is how I spent 95% of the playthrough as my girlfriend handled the game, because everything looks SO cool, and the implied narrative is honestly very endearing.

8.0

Game #881: Donut County

  Donut try this at home.

 As a fan of Katamari Damacy, to say that Donut County was a big blimp on my radar would be an understatement. Thanks to the people at Iam8bit, I've finally been able to get a physical copy of the game, the way games are meant to be preserved.

 The premise is fun. You play as a small hole that grows into a bigger hole as it sucks stuff in. You move around on the floor, trying to get stuff to fall in you. So it's kind of a puzzle, you have to figure the right order in which to suck stuff in, so that you get larger and can fit even larger stuff in. 

 Unlike Katamari, there's no time limit, so it's much more laid back, which I liked. There are a few other puzzle elements every now and then, like the addition of a catapult that lets you shoot stuff upward, which must be used in order to clear certain levels. There's pretty much no lose state, except maybe in the last level, so you can just take your time and mess around until you figure things out, not like it's hard to anyways.

 The game is short, it felt like it lasted about 1:30 hours, but, hey, it's a very fun time. The plot is dumb, in a good way, and the gameplay is relaxingly fun. Anyone up for a chill, simple game will be right at home with this one.

 7.0

Game #880: Trap Gunner

 I guess you could say that... it's a trap.

 Back in the day I used to purchase videogame magazines. It was in an issue of either Xpert Gamer or Gamepro that featured a guide for Trap Gunner, and it had a section that featured all the playable characters, and man, the Ninja looked so cool! Everyone looked cool!. I spent years wishing I could play the game until I forgot about it. And now, years later, I finally got to play it. It was OK.

 Alright, so here's the thing with Trap Gunner, just like games like Twisted Metal, it's supposed to be played against other people, and playing by yourself just isn't very fun because matches can go on for a long time, and it's not like you can have a trash-talking back and forth with the AI.

 Regardless, what is Trap Gunner? It's a one-on-one versus game. You play as either of six characters, 9 if you unlock the bonus characters, and must shoot down your enemy, using traps to deal big damage or your pea shooter to help you. The game seems more complicated than it really is, but it features a serviceable, fully voiced video tutorial to put you up to speed.

 Each character has many elements that set them apart from the others. Their starting trap set is different, they have different projectiles that deal different amounts of damage, have different sized clips as well as speeds. Even their walking speed can be different. My favorite trap was the Mine, because it's very simple to use, so the Ninja I liked so much back then was a perfect fit, since he starts with 3 mines. On the other hand, keep in mind that your basic, infinite projectile weapon turns into a melee attack when an enemy is close to you, a melee attack with different speed and properties than your main gun.

 Your basic gun deals pathetic amounts of damage, so it's best used as a keepaway tool... or to make an enemy botch their attempts at disarming a trap. There are many traps: Mines, bombs that can't explode on their own, detonators(Detonated with the X button and can trigger mines and bombs in its vicinity), gas traps, force-push traps and pitfall traps, and the beauty of it is that you can combine traps. For example, surround a mine with bombs to deal massive damage. Or use a force-push trap to push an enemy into a mine. It's not like there are a million different combinations, but you can have some fun.

 The game is played in split-screen, even against the CPU, so you can see their part of the screen to aid yourself. Holding down the Triangle button slows you down to a crawl, but allows you to see enemy traps... and disarm them. Disarming a trap involves simple button inputs, and if you get it right you get a bit of health back and the enemy loses the trap, since they normally restock after an enemy sets them off. However, if you fail the inputs, or if you get attacked when you are doing the disarming, the trap will trigger.

 To keep you on the move, the game will regularly spawn traps or power ups on designated spots on the map, and you can tell that something has spawned because the spot will blink on the mini-map. It can also lead into strategizing, since you might want to set up traps for the enemy to trigger when trying to get more traps or trap stocks. Eventually, The Unit will spawn, an enemy tracking, plasma-sphere that deals a ton of damage, and it usually turns into a scramble to get The Unit before the enemy does. And if they do, trying to knock them down so that it breaks.

 I'm glad to have finally played the game, even if it wasn't everything younger me expected. That said, call it a hunch, but I've a feeling this game can be quite fun when played with somebody else.

 6.0 

Game #879: Naruto Shippuden Dragon Blade Chronicles

  Naruto, prankster, ninja, jinchuriki and... dragon slayer.

 I don't know who came up with the idea behind Naruto Shippuden: Dragon Blade Chronicles, but this is an idea that could've resulted in something disastrous. Naruto wielding a sword and fighting dragons? First, why? Second, WHY? Well, the truth is that this isn't a very good game. But it does have its charm, believe it or not.

 What is the charm? Despite the story feeling like just more of your dumb filler episodes, every character involved gets redesigned to use armor bits.... and I really like the new designs! Honestly, I think the armor bits make everyone look rather cool, heck, Naruto, Sakura and Sai got full redesigns and not just armor added to their outfits. When Shippuden came out everyone got simplified, boring redesigns, these new designs makes everyone look more interesting, like Neji. Even the Akatsuki and Team Taka got new duds! This also made it disappointing that only Sasuke and Naruto are playable, the rest of the characters barely appearing in the game. Heck, Sai gets sent away to 'spy' on the Akatsuki, not being seen again until the end of the game, even if he gets a few audio bits talking with Kakashi.

 Other bits I liked: You can use the Gamecube controller to play, and the game features a completely unnecessary Naruto VS Sasuke 2 Player mode! I also found it interesting how there's no Normal difficulty, it's either Easy or Hard, no in-between. Why? Same reason this game exists: Nobody knows.

 The game itself is a very linear action game in which you play as Naruto, and a very few times as Sasuke, as you try to defeat the five elemental dragons. The game is 3 hours short, maybe shorter. It took me just shy of five hours to beat the game because.... in order to extend the game's life, the game hides a few upgrades behind gates that can only be broken on your second visit through a level, something you can only do once you get to the final level, and you can't just get the upgrades and turn tail, oh no, you have to finish the stage again and fight the boss again. Pretty lame way to extend the game, and sure, it's optional, but the completionist inside me just had to scratch that itch.

 The second fight against the Lightning Dragon is absolutely insane. In the first fight you can call in Rock Lee to make him approach. But without Rock Lee there was no way to dissipate the fog. GameFaqs has no FAQs, nobody asked about the fight, and nobody recorded the rematch. What you actually have to do is spam Rasengan until the fog clears. This fight took me almost an hour because I just couldn't figure out what to do, and there's absolutely no hint about using the Rasengan.

 I got a bit ahead of myself there! The game is simple to a fault, you mash the A button to repeat the same combo over and over again. Hopefully you explore a bit(Not like there's much to explore) and find Ninja Scrolls that allow you to use Jutsus after the third hit, as well as the scrolls that extend you basic 3 hit combo. That said, even after getting every possible skill the combat remains dull, there isn't much in the way of creativity and the combat never evolves. You can change the nature of the Dragon Blade, but why would you? The benefits it confers you are meaningless. The Lightning blade may paralyze the enemy. The Fire blade might put them on fire. The other three I've no idea. Enemy waves are seemingly endless, and there's no reward for defeating them besides health and chakra restoratives, so eventually I just started avoiding them unless fighting them was an absolute necessity to progress.

 Besides the Ninja scrolls you can also find Health and Chakra upgrades as well as new Jutsu. You can equip four jutsu at a time, each one assigned to a different direction on the D-Pad. Just by telling you that you can realize how uncomfortable that is. With the gamecube controller you attack with the A button, and must now use your movement-thumb to use a Jutsu. It's even worse with the Wiimote. Sure, you can remap the buttons, but no configuration is good enough. The C-Stick would've been a better choice. But here's the thing... there's no depth, no fun to be had. It's not like you can use a Jutsu to pop the enemy into the air and continue your combo, or Jutsu with different properties for different situations, there's nothing here.

 The story is so damn intrusive. You can't go two steps without triggering a game-stopping conversation. The cutscenes are lifeless AND boring, not a good combination. But the worst part about it? You can't skip dialogue. You can skip ENTIRE conversations or cutscenes, which is the bare minimum, but you can't read the dialogue at your own pace, instead you have to wait for the characters to say every single line if you want to know what's going on. By the by, it's not very interesting, feel free to skip it. This isn't the anime, I want to play, not watch. And the script is pure filler, without any real character development or consequences, which means the game's plot DOESN'T MATTER, so don't shove it down my throat.

 Since I'm at it, words can't describe how boring the ending is. Characters go on and on about pointless drivel or take an exceedingly long time to explain things that you already know. Jesus Christ, just get to the point already. And your reward for finishing the game? A Dragon Rasengan Jutsu and a hideous red and yellow recolor for Naruto.

 The final nail in the game's coffin is its performance. The game slows down to a crawl ALL the time. The game isn't particularly good looking, nor does it feel like it should tax the Wii that much, and yet, even having enemies spawn far away from you, not even appearing on the screen, can make the game's framerate drop into the low 10s. I'm not exaggerating, this game runs incredibly poorly.

 So, Naruto Shippuden: Dragon Blade Chronicles is pretty bad. Boring combat, even duller story that interrupts the game all the time and a massive amount of slowdown makes for a poor showing, even for a licensed game. The one thing I'll commend them for is giving every character involved a redesign, but as amusing as it is to see everyone wearing something different, it can't make up for what a terrible game this is.

3.0

Game #878: Dragon's Lair 3D - Return to the Lair

 No animated eye-candy in this one.

 So, I've something I gotta admit... I never played the original Dragon's Lair, something I'm quite ashamed of, but I just haven't had the chance. And yet, I decided to take the plunge with Dragon's Lair 3D: Return to the Lair. It looked decent, and it was my chance to experience a slice of the Dragon's Lair franchise.

 Unlike the original game, this is a very linear adventure game in which you take direct control of Dirk the Daring. You can jump, slice with your sword, use a crossbow or even use magic items, such as a hovering wings or a magical armor that protects Dirk from heat. That sounds very different, and it is. Even the plot has changed, into a weird amalgamation of the first two games, taking bits and pieces from the plots of both games. The only animated footage you get is the intro, which I found quite disappointing as I had hoped it'd used cutscenes from the original game.

 Something that hasn't changed, however, is that Dirk must deal with a ton of one-hit kills, to the point of annoyance. There are plenty of murderous traps that there simply is no way for you to know they are there until you fell for them at least once. There's a particular nasty one near the end of the game, in which just try to open this mundane looking door ends with Dirk dying. It's not funny because the game recycles the same death animation over and over again. It really turns a somewhat average platforming game into a dull trial-and-error-athon..

 The game has some... interesting design choices. For instance, you must sheathe your weapons if you want to cling to any surface, so if you want to do some platforming you'd best sheathe your weapons. It's not too bad, but my biggest gripe with the controls concerns jumping, for you see, you can't jump immediately after jumping, despite Dirk already breaking into a run. There's a platform almost-puzzle section in which you must jump from platform to platform, avoiding fireballs that can kill you if they touch you, and for the longest time I thought my Joystick was giving out on me. It wasn't, I realized that you couldn't jump immediately after landing. The section was still annoying because Dirk running jumps went too far, but once I understood how things worked I finally managed to clear this section.

 I liked the graphics. Dirk and his enemies feature a very simple look, with an equally simple cell-shading applied to the models, but this simplicity makes characters look like their 2-D counterparts. Well, this applies to Dirk and a few key enemies, since I don't know if some of the common enemies actually appeared in the original.

 Dragon's Lair 3D: Return to the Lair is almost good. I'm not gonna lie, there are some very decent and exciting sections in the game, so when everything manages to gel together, it can be decent fun. That said, most of the time is spent falling victim to numerous traps you simply didn't know where coming, and some boss fights can be downright frustrating, requiring strategies that make it feel as if you are cheesing the game and not playing properly.

 4.0

Game #877: Bloodstained - Ritual of the Night(Playstation 4)

 At least it ain't an oil stain, those are nasty.

  Man, this game couldn't catch a breath! While most people would agree that Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night is, at its core, a good game, it received a lot of complaints, mostly from players, regarding its performance. They said that the Switch version was unplayable, which was a flat-out lie as I finished the game on that console, and trust me, it's VERY playable even if it didn't have a tip-top performance. I read that performance on PS4Pro and XOneS was just as bad, with as many crashes and... that's a lie too, as I played the game on the basic PS4 and, lemme tell you, it was a fun, fun time.

 Since I already talked about the game at length on the Switch entry, and the game remains pretty much the same, I'll delve into the little things I noticed on my second playthrough. But first, I'll start with the performance... The game is beautiful, and it plays great. Back in the Switch version I got used to saving before talking to any NPC, to protect myself from crashes, but after a lot of paranoia induced saving I realized that... it isn't an issue on this version. I read that the PS4 version also crashed when reading books or talking to NPCs, but that was NEVER an issue on my playthrough. And I played the unpatched version. There are a few frame drops here and there, sometimes in areas that aren't even graphically intensive, or during moments that don't even have a lot of things moving around at the same time, but they aren't intrusive or detrimental to the player, at all. I'll admit that the game crashed one time in the final area, the Ice Tomb, but it was a single crash, a stark comparison to the crash-prone Switch version. This is the best way to experience the game, no ifs or buts, although I still think that a handheld console feels better for this genre. 

 One feature I really hated is that accessories and hats show on Miriam's model. This wouldn't be an issue if I didn't want stat boosts... without looking ridiculous. Like the stone mask, it has some pretty good stat bonuses... but Miriam looks hideous wearing it. In these games I usually use accessories to boost my Luck, and thus get better goodies, but I hated having to use that Santa Claus hat for so long since Miriam looked dumb. At least the ribbon, later in the game, conferred better stats and didn't look as silly. Miriam has a great visual design, and these 'funny' accessories kinda detract from how good she looks.

 The game is still fantastic, I still think it's one of the best, and largest, Metroidvanias Koji Igarashi ever made, however, on this second playthrough there were two areas that rubbed me the wrong way. Firstly, the underwater section. You get two means to traverse these parts: First, with an optional Soul that lets you shoot water stream jets to propel yourself in the opposite direction. It's imprecise and not a fun way to move around underwater. Then you get a Passive ability that lets you sink and walk underwater.... but you move at the speed of molasses, making it impossible to dodge the underwater obstacles. The worst part about it is that you can't mix both means of traversal, either you toggle the Sink ability On or Off, because if it's on, you can't use the water jets. I was so happy the moment I was done with the underwater caverns.

 The other area that feels a bit week is the penultimate environment, the Den of Behemoths. Firstly, it has got a very uninspired theme: Giant versions of enemies you've already fought, while traversing through enlarged areas you've already explored, The Garden of Silence specifically. But each zone of this area is so massive in size that exploring it becomes a chore. It's the only zone I didn't bother to fully explore, because it was so boring, and due to its size, it could be a bit hard to figure out how to get into some of its nooks and crannies. Enemies in this Zone also have a particularly low Shard drop-rate, which made it even more of a bore. Add to that the fact that, for a Metroidvania, this is a rather lengthy game, so by the time you arrive to this area you might be starting to feel a bit burned out, so the fact that it's made of enlarged-recycled stuff kinda kills the momentum. Luckily, the are ends on a high note, with a fun boss fight against the Gambler, and then the game picks up back again with the Ice Tomb. Still, I think Bloodstained would be a better game if the entire Den of Behemoths got cut, and this is a hill I'd die on.

 I know, I know, most of this entry is made up of criticism, but the original Switch entry is pretty much all praise, and I stand by it, the game is an absolute blast, and as I said above, I think this is one of Igarashi's finest. I'd easily place this game on the top echelons of the genre, beneath only Portrait of Ruin, Symphony of the Night and Aria of Sorrow. The developers put the huge amount of money they collected to good use, and it really shows that this was a passion project for Iga and his team, and I just can't wait for them to apply everything they learned making this game on a sequel.

 8.5

Game #876: Naruto - Clash of Ninja

  They had to start somewhere, right?

 In what feels like a lifetime ago I played Naruto Shippuden Clash of Ninja Revolution 3, and it was really good. It was touted as a anime fighter that could also be played competitively, and while your mileage may vary on that one, it was certainly a fun one... even if it played exactly like every single other fighting game 8ing ever made. Seeing how it was the last Clash of Ninja game ever released, at least outside of Japan, I decided to go back to their first entry, Naruto: Clash of Ninja.

 Well, the good news is that the game plays well. You have two attack buttons, and characters have pre-set combo strings using those buttons, sometimes needing to add a directional tap alongside the button press. There's also a grab, a super move and a substitution dodge that consumes chakra. It's fine, it feels just like Bleach Heat the Soul, Fullmetal Alchemist Dream Carnival or Bloody Roar. As far as mechanics goes, it's more than serviceable, and characters feel different enough... even if most of them have a counter move.

 The problem is... there's no content in the game. There are only 8 different characters(10 if you count alternate forms) and barely any content. There's a 40 minute story mode that features a truncated bit of story, from Naruto becoming a Ninja 'till the start of the Ninja trials. It's just an excuse to have you, as Naruto, fight the other seven characters: Iruka, Sasuke, Sakura, Kakashi, Haku, Zabuza and... Rock Lee. If anything, I'm glad we have a playable Iruka that has an actual moveset and isn't a joke character. He also fights with a giant Shuriken, almost, as if he was meant to be Mizuki... Which, honestly, would've made more sense even for the story mode, since Iruka never tests Naruto in physical combat!

 Alright, so how do they fix having no content? By making unlocking characters as annoying as possible. In order to unlock One-Tailed Naruto and Curse-Mark Sasuke, first you have to beat the Arcade mode as everyone, which unlocks Sound Test. Now you have to beat Arcade mode as everyone, AGAIN. I did it once, and the game was fun, but, no thanks, I'd rather spend my time doing other things.

 Naruto: Clash of Ninja is alright. If the game was analyzed in a vacuum, sure, it's fun, plays well, the whole gamut. But... the roster is pathetic, the amount of content in the game is pathetic, the fact is, you can get Naruto games that play exactly like this one but have tons more characters, making this entry a fun curiosity at its best.

 4.0 

Game #875: The Simpsons Game

  Well, the beat'em up genre worked before, so...

 The Simpsons Game is a weird one. It has a lot of really strong points and neat ideas, but it's also very clunky and boring. In a few areas it actually excels over every other Simpsons game I've played, a list that includes the Arcade Game and Hit 'n Run, but the fact that it falls behind in a few key areas means that this one is just for the fans.

 The best part about the game is that it has about 40 minutes of all new original animation made exclusively for the game, and they cut no corners, this footage is as crisp and well animated as any episode from the show. Your mileage may vary on the quality of modern Simpson's scripts, but the script was written by the same staff from the show, and they made it very self-referential, as the Simpsons know that they are in a videogame. I won't lie, some of the references got a few chuckles out of me, as the game loves lampooning other videogames, even Maxis' own Will Wright makes an appearance! The game gets an A+ on effort alone.

 While the game is divided into different stages, each one requiring a different pair of Simpsons, you get a fairly drab recreation of Springfield. What makes it so lackluster is that there's nothing interesting to do in the city. Sure, you can try to find all 300 collectibles, 75 per family member, but they really aren't worth it. Still, they went the extra mile and modelled a lot of the interiors, even the entire Simpsons house, however, as accurate and amusing these interiors are.... they are filled with invisible walls that makes exploring them very dull. It's almost annoying how much effort they probably spent only to get some very awkward movement inside them. And there's not reason as to why HOUSE INTERIORS should have friggin' invisible walls, it makes no sense. Why try so hard but make it so lame?

 Here's the truth of the matter, at its core, this game is a very basic beat'em up. You move from end to end, mashing the Square-Square-Triangle combo while solving some sometimes annoying puzzles. Each character has different abilities, Homer can turn into a giant ball of fat(Because he is fat, get it?) and roll around, or inhale helium and turn into a balloon. Bart can shoot with his slingshot or glide as Bart-man. Lisa can find a few select spots where she can meditate to interact with a few objects, lifting them in order to create bridges or activate bridges. Marge can rile up mobs and direct them to destroy or build stuff.

 Despite all these abilities, 70% of the game will be spent mowing down enemies with the same, unsatisfying square-square-triangle combo. Often times against either endless waves of enemies or trying to clear a way towards the enemy generator. Because having an enemy generator makes so much sense in a Simpsons videogame. It's super easy too, despite how dumb your AI partner is. The game has 2-Player co-op, which is probably a BIT more fun. Even if a character dies, which your CPU ally will probably do a lot, all you have to do is run around until they wake up, with the cherry on top being that health regenerates all the time, so you even get healed while you wait for your partner to wake up.

 Lisa and Marge get the least play time, and it makes sense, because Marge is boring and List just as much. It's ridiculous how much playtime Bart and Homer are given in comparison, y'know, heck, even Lisa gets more stages than poor Marge. Marge doesn't even get a paired stage with Bart. And it makes sense, between all gimmicks, hers is the worst. But don't worry, they gave Lisa some very annoying segments. Segments in which you have to attempt to meditate to move stuff while endless waves of enemies try to interrupt you, as your AI partner fails to protect you. Honestly, who thought that was fun?

 And to compliment the mostly boring gameplay, we get a wonky camera that sometimes fixes itself on an awkward angle. Moving around also feels like it's slightly slower than it should.

 As far as fanservice goes, this is the best Simpsons game by far. The new footage is a brilliant addition, and the script feels like something that could've come out of the show's modern era. And yet, as much as it succeeds on its window decorations... it fails to provide a fun experience. Beat'em ups are fun, I like beat'em ups, but combat in this game is so unsatisfying, and the 'exclusive abilities' each Simpson gets fail to make for fun objectives and goals. Still, I'll give them this, I think enduring through the game could be a worthwhile experience for funs of the show.

4.0

Game #874: The Evil Within(Playstation 4)

 Slightly buggier than I remember... 

 The Evil Within is one of my favorite survival horror games of all time. Back when I played it, it felt like Resident Evil 4's real sequel, and I loved how it merged Resident Evil's gameplay with a more Silent Hill-ish brand of horror. On this second playthrough I'm willing to admit that they didn't quite nail SH's horror, but it's still really good.

 Since I was replaying this game, I opted for the easiest difficulty setting, and I think it was quite alright. Ammo is still a bit scarce, which will force you to juggle your weapons, but the game isn't overly hard. That said, I think that the game is a bit too nasty with bosses and their one-hit kills. Pretty much every big boss has at least one way of killing you if they touch you, which feels a bit unfair. The environment too is filled with traps, some that could kill you if they touch you, but they weren't too bad. The issue with one-hit kills is that the game must load again after you die, and sitting through loading screens is the worst punishment out there. Luckily, the game loads much, much faster on PS4 than on PS3, which made dying so much bit more palatable.

 The PS4 version looks pretty similar to the PS3 port, but it has an entirely different lightning system. Your mileage may vary on this, I saw some comparisons in Youtube, and I think I liked the more artificial lightning on the previous-gen ports, rather than the one in this game. On the other hand, I had the weirdest glitches. The game would return me to the Start Screen midway through loading Chapter 9. This happened like NINE times until I close the game and booted it up again.... and then it happened again on Chapter 10. Absolutely ridiculous, particularly because I don't remember the PS3 version having these bugs.

 My biggest pet peeve is that the overall performance of the game isn't such a big step up on this version. It plays well enough, but since this was one videogame-console generation above I expected at least a fixed 30 FPS performance, but it can still get jumpy at times, mostly on the latter city chapters. I must insist, the game is very playable, and so it was on PS3, but I expected something better out of more powerful hardware.

 As per usual, I always want to play my games as they are out of the box, without patches, because a game should work without needing a patch. Four years ago, on one poorly written entry, I mentioned how these big, black bars didn't bother me.... and they still didn't. To be fair, unlike the last time, I did notice them plenty of times, and I'm sure the game would've looked even better without them, but they weren't bothersome.

 What really matters is... that this game really is one of my favorites. I love how it plays. I love how it looks. I love the setting and how its premise allows for such varied locales. Heck, I love how long this game in and how many different set pieces it has. I love how Sebastian looks, vests are cool, and even if he has little personality... he looks really cool, and what matters in a HORROR game is the horror itself, and the game really excels there too. Man, the upgrade system is glorious, I love collecting green gel which I can then use to enhance my survivability with more health, more stamina, higher ammo caps, or maybe spend that currency to enhance my proficiency with my weapons. In short, I pretty much love everything about this game, except maybe how much it loves to one-hit kill you. Playing this again really proves how, despite Evil Within 2 being a much better game on a technical level, it really failed to capture what made this one so special. Shinji Mikami should've returned to direct the sequel, and what's more, people didn't really understand what a gem they had in their hands when they played this game.

 9.0

Game #873: Dante's Inferno

  Talk about edgy reimaginings....

 Remember that book, y'know, the one which nobody ever read past the first part, and whoever says otherwise is lying, the Divine Comedy? Well, what about making a God of War clone out of it? Lo and behold, Dante's Inferno, specifically designed to make Dante Alighieri turn in his grave. Plus, the game is demonic as sin, which made it a prime candidate for this year's Halloween Season.

 Yeah.... I don't think using the Divine Comedy license was a good idea. I mean, they could've used the same characters with other names, while keeping the script intact, and just call it a homage, because this has jack all to do with the original book. What's more, they turned Dante into a righteous prick, which is a bit awkward considering he was a real person.

 What I really appreciated about the game is that it was a God of War clone through and through, and a really good one at that, not only proving even further how versatile Visceral Games were, but also being an enticing alternative for Xbox fans curious about God of War.

 Controls and gameplay is very simple, and executing your moves is fairly easy. The right analog stick dodges, Square and Triangle are your basic Scythe attacks and Circle is your 'I win Button', the Holy attacks. You can purchase new moves, most of them executed by holding L2(block) and pressing any of the face buttons, and sometimes, holding L2 and pressing another face button as soon as your last L2 attack finished. You've got aerial combos, a launcher by holding down triangle, unnecessary and obnoxious QTEs and even parrying, everything that makes GoW good is here and it works well. If anything, it's a bit disappointing that Dante doesn't get any new weapons....

 ....but you do get a few nifty ways to customize your Dante. For instance, you can equip up to four different Spells, which are obtained through your skill trees or just by progressing through the game, and you can also equip Relics(2 at first, but the skill trees hold 2 more optional slots) to get some passive bonuses. From garbage such as bonus Holy/Unholy XP to more interesting abilities such as some super armored-attack frames or even undodgeable scythe attacks.

 The game revels in its edginess. Dante wears a torn cloth in the shape of a cross he sew himself to his chest to remind him of his sins. Beatrice showcases her beasts proudly, and pretty much every female in the game bare their breasts. Oh, and a few fat, rotten, nasty guys too! Oh, and Dante's main weapon, his scythe? It used to be Death's, but Dante murdered Death itself with its own scythe. Oh, and Lucifer's penis is a thing. Words can't explain just how edgy this game is... for good or bad.

 Back when the game first released I went out of my way to avoid it. Every review, every bit of footage, heck, even when I played a bit at a friend's house.... I thought the game lacked environmental variety. It takes places inside Hell after all. But thinking like that was a disservice to the game, for the developers managed to make each circle of hell look different enough.

 The circle button produces Dante's ranged Cross combo attack. It starts off as a single projectile, but you can upgrade it into a 3-hit combo or a 5-hit combo. This thing, at least on the Normal difficulty setting, makes mincemeat out of pretty much 90% of your enemies. It's a bit less useful during boss fights, but it's a bit silly how useful this weapon is. Particularly because enemies are supposed to have different weakness, either to Holy(Circle) or UnHoly(Scythe) attacks, but while you may come across enemies that can power through your scythe, your cross is good every time, all the time.

 The difficulty is a bit uneven. The game itself is pretty easy, but a few bosses may prove tough roadblocks, even when you've learned their gimmicks. On the other hand, while battling basic enemies isn't hard, I feel like too many enemies have too much super armor and can all too easily interrupt your combos with their shields. Or just, y'know, spam your circle attack and watch everyone go down in a shower of souls(XP). There were a few puzzles that didn't involve combat that really got my noggin' joggin'.

 85% of the game is super enjoyable, but the 8th circle was a very lame cop-out. Basically, it's a collection of about 8 challenge rooms. No interesting vistas, and very basic, to the point of boring, platforming to get onto each challenge platform. The 9th, and final, circle, starts off with a battle on top of an icy platform from which you can slide off, and alongside your enemies you also have to deal with a giant who'll periodically try to blow you away. I died SO many times on this part, because it's so unfairly tough. You can fall off by sliding after pulling off a parry, you can slide off because you initiated a finished and the giant decided to blow, and you can simply slide off because you're getting frustrated, making you clumsier which means enemies could land a lucky hit in and throw you off the platform. Ridiculous.

 Despite having a few boring and, in my opinion, poorly designed segments near the end of the game, the game is really good, and very enjoyable too. I think there was potential in the engine, and this could've been a really good starting point... of only EA didn't have to be EA and shut them down. As simple as giving Dante at least one alternate weapon, adding more combos, the potential for something amazing was there.

 7.5

Game #872: Until Dawn

 No celebrities were harmed in the making of this video game. But I'm sure they tried!

 It's no secret that I hated it when videogames started to turn into movies, when they started sacrificing gameplay for cinematics. Until Dawn is a QTE paradise that tries to be a Hollywood slasher flick and even got a few famous actors(Hayden Panettiere, Rami Malek), and their likenesses, to play some characters. It's one of those games that goes against everything I like in a game, yet managed keep me invested.

 Throughout the game you'll play as 8 different teenagers, 4 boys and 4 girls, who find themselves harrassed by a mysterious psycho while trying to party on a secluded mansion on top of a mountain... during a snowstorm. It has some slasher elements, some supernatural elements, jumpscares and all the cheesy dialogue you could hope for. The story itself is alright and the dialogue is pretty bad, usually in a good way, although a few of the quips and one liners felt TOO out of place, even if they were going for pure cheese.

 The fun part about the game is how many decisions you can make. Some will affect how characters treat each other, and some choices will have a bigger impact on the story than others. Most characters have quite a few scenarios that could lead to their deaths if you're not careful. It is entirely possible to have all 8 characters die, although, on the flip side, all 8 characters could survive if you make the right choices and don't mess up the QTEs. While they claimed that the game has about 100 endings, that's not entirely true, what they mean is that there are a ton of variations to the ending depending on some of your choices and which characters survived, factors that change what the survivors, if any, have to say at the end.

 My biggest issue with the story itself is how not every character gets equal screen time. Mike, who seems like a side character, gets the longest segments, and in my opinion, some of the most important ones. Sam, played by Hayden, seemed like the protagonist, but she is behind Mike and shares as much screen time and importance to the plot as Chris. I can't even remember the name of the fourth guy, the one that isn't played by Rami Malek, because he gets so little screen time. And sure, some characters' limelight could get turned off early if they died, but still, there's no reason as to why it's so uneven even in the best case scenario in which everyone survived.

 So, here is how the game works:

5% of the time you'll have to stay still in order to 'hide'.

10% of the time you'll be picking between two choices(Although, sometimes, doing nothing is a choice).

10% of the time you'll be pressing QTEs to survive.

75% percent of the time you'll be slowly walking from A to B

 That's the game in a nutshell, a lot of very sloppy walking around. You can hold L1 to walk faster, but it's still pretty slow. To be fair, you can explore around, if you wish, in order to find hints as to what is going on, and, in some cases, discovering some evidence may alter the way the story proceeds. You can also find Guidance Totems that will 'hint' of events to come. They are too vague to be of any help, and some of them might even work against you(Turns out not keeping the flare gun was a mistake), so just collect them for completion's sake, but don't worry about them.

 The game was made with Playstation's Move(Remember that Wii-mote knock-off?) in mind, so there are quite a few motion inputs. Thankfully, you can turn most motion controls off, pretty much anything that isn't 'keep joystick still to survive'. Using button prompts means you'll be using the R2 trigger a whole lot in order to grab objects you may come around, and then using the right analog stick to turn it around.

 Truth: The gameplay is an absolute bore. But, on the flip side, I think the game offers an interesting premise. There's this whole Butterfly-Effect motif going on, and so the game will warn you every time you made a choice(Or sometimes the consequence of failing a QTE) that will make a significant change in the future. This also makes it easier in future playthroughs to know a few variables you can play with. Mind you, the brunt of the story never changes, how characters get divided never changes(except if someone is missing because they died) but there are some fun variations in how things play out, heck, some characters could even end up as a couple if you play things right, to make your choices interesting. Oh, and the auto-save is pretty nasty, so if you mess up there's no going back.

 Until Dawn is like a decent slasher movie, not very memorable, not something to write home about, but a fun time nonetheless, and it can be fun even on repeat watches, or in this case, playthroughs. And in this case, you've got the incentive to, since things might not even play exactly like they did before!

 7.0

Game #871: The Sinking City

 More Cthulhu, more problems.

 A detective with a mysterious past and an ominous part to play in the fate of the world? A focus on a fishing city? A sanity meter? Decisions that slightly change how you go through a chapter? If the game wasn't titled The Sinking City I'd might very well think it's The Call of Cthulhu. But there's a major difference between games, while CoC was a very linear affair, TSK went for an open world design, to mixed results.

 Most of the game is a very basic third-person affair. Combat is an absolute clunkfest, you have little ammo(Even when fully levelled up) and Charles Reed, the hero, is as nimble as a rock. I'm not ashamed to admit that I had to lower down the difficulty, sue me, at least the game became a bit more tolerable. On the flipside, I didn't realize that I was making it hard for myself, as I kept revisiting a house with a giant enemy just because I didn't realize I had completed the quest, so I kept returning with very limited ammo. Plus, took me a while to realize that enemies don't take damage when they are in their hitstun animation, so conserve your ammo! Still, the game becomes easier when you realize that your melee attack is very reliable on everything but the largest monsters. Plus, there are pretty much no bosses, the only ones I can think of where  a giant watery-mouth thing you just shoot at until it dies, and the other is an optional witch-thing you can melee to death. 

 The game received a lot of praise for how they worked the detective angle, but I don't really agree with it. Whenever you reach a 'crime scene' or a 'mystery scene', you have to go around the house, through every floor looking for every bit of evidence to interact with it. Finding the necessary evidence isn't too bad, usually, but if you want the bonus experience you need to find every single piece. And that can almost turn into a pixel hunt. It's so annoying when you missed that single poster that didn't bring up the interact prompt and you go up and down through the house over and over again.

 People also liked having no automatic map prompts. Instead, you have to read the clues and make your own markers. Honestly? It's just a waste of time. Maybe it's because I was playing on the Easy investigator difficulty, but every clue laid the exact streets pretty clearly, so it was a matter of remembering the name of the two-three streets when the map appeared on the screen. And if I didn't remember? Screw me, back to the clue and hope my short-term memory doesn't fail me. The Archive clues are the worst. Sometimes the clue will mention 'news', 'interviews' or stuff like that. In those cases you have to decide to either visit The Police records, the Hospital Records, the local news records or the University Library records. Once you get there, you have to pick the three correct criteria for the next clue to appear. Not gonna lie, I searched online for an Archive guide and never looked back. I think I can almost understand why some people find it immersive, but I found it annoying. Heck, the final chapter's clues are pretty much impossible to figure out the criteria for on your own. Or maybe I'm just dumb.

 That said, I liked the Mind Palace element of the Detective features, basically, you can mix clues to turn them into deductions, which felt pretty neat.

 There's a crafting element to the game, you collect scavenge and you can turn into bullets and healing items. Nothing to write home about, and adds nothing to the game, but hey, it's there. Surprisingly, you can also level up. You obtain experience points by killing monsters or solving cases, which you can then use to upgrade Charles' abilities. These abilities are pretty lackluster, such as extra health, stronger attacks, higher ammo capacity or a chance not to use resources when crafting items.

 The open world design was a mistake. They didn't have the budget for something so ambitious. The city, on the outside, is quite good looking, I'll give it that, the partly sunken city looks damp and desolate, and the meandering Innsmouther immigrants as well as the locals make for an interesting atmosphere. Heck, having to use a boat to traverse the sunken parts of the city was an engaging idea, even though it controlled a bit poorly. In more than a few ways, it reminded me of Silent Hill Downpour, which I really liked(Sue me). However, they didn't have the budget, so there are about 5-6 house interiors that get recycled entirely, and sometimes partly, over and over again. It's almost ridiculous. Don't even let me get started on the technical issues, it's not unusual to run into parts of the environment that haven't loaded yet, so the game will abruptly cut to a black loading screen. Heck, every time you are going to enter a house the game will have to enter a black loading screen. Every time I brought up the map it felt like the game was about to crash. I can respect ambition, but in this case it pretty much sunk the game.

 Besides the technical issues, this large scope makes the game feel bloated. This is how every single part of the game plays, be it the main story cases or the side cases you can find: 

Step 1) Read the clue, if it mentions the streets place it on the map, otherwise go to right archive and get the clue so that you pinpoint the location through the map.

Step 2) Get to the right location and find the house you can go in(Turn in your magical Detective Eye and spot the door with an H on it).

Step 3) Kill the monsters if they spawn, otherwise...

Step 4) If it's one of the simple sidequests, just find and collect the right item. If it's a main story case or one of the better side-missions, just find all the clues, trigger the 'past visions' if necessary, and use the new clue you found to go back to step 1.

Step 5) Repeat until the mission ends.

That's the ENTIRE game.

 While I've been quite negative about the game, it does have a few things going for it. For instance, I must stress just how much I liked the game's atmosphere. The sunken city lives up to its name, and makes for a very attractive, in a creepy way, location. While most decisions you can take in the game are pretty superfluous, I liked having different outcomes to each chapter, and I liked how pretty much every single time there was no clear 'better' route. I insist, in the grand scheme of things they amount to nothing, but it's a very sweet nothing.

 The story, while nothing special, was pretty interesting too, it was an interesting romp, with interesting characters and even more interesting situations. A few of the horror elements, like pretty most monsters, didn't feel very Lovecraftian, but when they nailed a monster design, they nailed it.

 If you have time to spare and enjoy the Cthulhu mythos, The Sinking City might be worth a look, but I feel like most horror games you can find on the system are better than this one. I do feel like a more simple, and less ambitious approach would've worked much better under their budget constraints.  But, y'know, I don't really regret having spent my time with this game, as I think it's better moments made up for its shortcomings.

5.0

Game #870: Remothered - Tormented Fathers

  Clock Tower, made in Italy.

 It seems humble budgets is this Halloween season's theme, now with Remothered: Tormented Fathers. This one is a bit interesting, because it takes after the Clock Tower brand of horror, in which you assume control of a helpless women as she contends with Stalkers that want to murder her.

 The original game was Italian, which explains why sometimes the dialogue can feel weird. The story had a few bits that were hard to understand, but nothing in the game is as bad as the ending cutscene, in which our protagonist and the final Stalker decide to talk. It was so bad. It didn't make sense, and it was a very lame way to end an otherwise fine game.  Still, while the story is nothing to write home about, the game makes up for that with a fantastic horror atmosphere.

 The entire game takes place inside the Felton Mansion, it's creepy, it's dark and the sound design makes it even creepier. It really evoked the feelings of unease that Haunting Ground and Clock Tower 3(Sometimes...) pulled off so well. You get a flashlight, but you don't really need it, and if a Stalker is nearby he or she will instantly notice you, so I had it turned off throughout 95% of the game.

 Rosemary, our heroine, can carry up to three distraction items, which she can throw at an stalker to stun them or place them on the ground to distract them as well as carry a single Defense item, a one-time use item that can be used to prevent a killing blow from murdering you. However, that can only aid you in getting away from a Stalker, ideally, you'll be playing very stealthily in order to avoid detection as you gather key items in order to open up the secrets of the Mansion.

 The game is all about patience. While Rosemary can run, it will pretty much alert the current Stalker of your position, no matter where they are. This really threw me off at first, because it was beginning to annoy me just how frequently the first Stalker would be roaming close by. So... I willed myself to temper my impatience and spent the rest of the game walking or walking while crouching and then it became much more tolerable, only breaking into a run if I got spotted or if I wanted to make it to a save spot I knew was around the corner. 

 As a lower budget game, it does have a few technical issues. The game crashed one time, and I was victim to at least two black cutscenes. Apparently the latter one also happens on the PC version and can be avoided by not running out of breath before triggering the cutscene.

 Getting used to having to walk slowly throughout the game took a bit of getting used to, but it was not as annoying as I thought it'd be, and as soon as I did learned to love the game. Heck, I beat it in one seating, not only because it's a bit short, but because I was enjoying it so much. On the whole, this is the scariest game I've played so far this year, and I can't wait to play the sequel.

7.0

Game #869: Resident Evil 3(2020)

  Did anybody order STARS for breakfast?

 The original Resident Evil 3 was the first survival horror game I ever played, and it alongside Martian Gothic were enough for me to decide that... yeah, as much as I loved horror, this genre wasn't for me. If this blog can attest to anything it's that I was quite wrong and deprived myself from games I'd end up loving later in life.

 Resident Evil 2 Remake was all sorts of amazing, so I wasn't gonna miss out on this remake, no way Jose. After playing this game, well... it's a much looser reinterpretation than Remake 2, and I think I can guess why... Capcom wanted to push for their new online multiplayer game, so they used a lower budget REmake to push it onto consumers. So, getting down to brass tacks, this game recycles a ton of assets from REmake 2, makes a ton of changes to the source material and is quite short to boot, my blind playthrough took me 5 hours to complete. And there are no bonus modes here, remember mercenaries? Gone. Remember REmake 2's bonus mode? Gone. All you get is the online component.

 I'll say it now, as much as I enjoyed the game, I understand why longtime fans could potentially hate it. The thing that made Resident Evil 3 Resident Evil 3 is gone, for Nemesis is now 100% scripted and you've no say in how to deal with it. You'll either have to run because the game decided that your guns won't work, or you'll have to fight him because he is a boss.

 I really liked Jill and Nemesis' new designs, the older Nemesis is a bit more iconic but in the new one's defense, the older one had more time to seep into people's memories. Carlos... I didn't like as much, I don't like scruffy characters, but it was probably done in an effort to make him stand out from the other pretty boy, Leon.

 The game has a live-action opening, say whaaaaaaaaaat? And all the talk about the biggest pandemic in the world just got a lot more topical considering current real life events. The game has a hidden install, at least on PS4. After the game installed, and I started playing it, I met up with Carlos and... 'The game hasn't finished installing, returning to the main menu'. Wait, what? There's no progress bar, there's nothing, I only realized the hidden install finished because the disc drive stopped making noises. Hidden Installs are not cool, yo!

 REmake 2 was a blast to play, and this this game uses the same engine you can bet it's just as fun. This game is a bit more linear, and 'puzzle zones' are a bit smaller, remember, lower budget. Unlike Claire and Leon, Jill can't use grenades or knives defensively, but she gets a R1 dodge. If you learn the timing right, you'll be able to dodge zombies and thus conserve both ammo and health. I liked this new mechanic, having more options is always nice.

 While a lot of enemy zombies got recycle from the first game, there are new enemies here. Pale Heads, fast zombies that can take a lot of punishment before going down, big sewer-creeps with a zombie mouth inside their mouths, insects that love to shove tendrils down peoples' mouths, Japanese-style, to infect them with bugs as well as Hunters, lizard-like beasts that hit hard, so it's not like they recycled everything.

 Carlos is playable in two sections of the game. He gets his own inventory and his own chests, but you don't really need to use the chests as him, as he is supposed to be a bit more action-based. He even gets an Assault Rifle with lots of ammo to spare, as you are supposed to gun down everything in his path. Remember how Chris punched boulders? Well, Carlos' dodge is actually a punch that shoves enemies away. Still, I think his bits are well integrated into the Jill's campaign.

 Two boss fights were a bit hard to predict, since there wasn't any build-up or clear indication that they'd come up. You could say that that adds to the Survival Horror elements of the game, but I tend to run around with the minimum amount of weapons, ammo and healing items necessary in order to grab as many items I can find lying around, so I had to fight the first boss with just my handgund, and I had to restart the second boss fight because there was no way I was taking him out with the handgun and what little ammo I had on the grenade launcher.

 I think REmake 2 is better than REmake 3 in every single way. Better story, better characters, more and larger environments which lend themselves to more exploration, and thus better puzzles and set pieces. Heck, even better extra content. That said, Resident Evil 3 Remake is really darn good, because it uses the same fantastic engine REmake 2 did, and while you can tell that the budget wasn't as high, they still came up with a few new environments, enemies and puzzles to play way, maintaining the same level of quality as before, only smaller in scope. Still, it'd be a mistake to approach this game expecting as faithful a remake as REmake 2 was.

 8.0

Game #868: Deadpool

  It's the clone saga, Deadpool style.

 A big part about Halloween is dressing up, and people dress up as Marvel characters, so this Halloween season I also played Deadpool. Y'know, this guy used to be my favorite Marvel character before he became so mainstream and overexposed, to the point I couldn't even stand the guy anymore.

 Back in the day the game released at a budget price, and it shows... it's very clunky. And yet, it shows that the people that worked in the game really liked the character. Mind you, just as Deadpool himself tells you after looking at himself in the mirror in his house... this game leaves all of Deadpool's depth and more tragic themes aside, this is a wacky and zany game, featuring a very crazy and random Deadpool without his more serious and understanding traits. If you're cool with a flanderized version of Deadpool, then you'll most definitely enjoy the story.... even if Deadpool behaves a bit rapey at times. Still, the overall plot feels like one crazy acid-trip, and it has some honestly funny moments... although the self-referential, fourth-wall breaking references to the developer itself got a bit old after a while.

 The game is an action game through-and-through, with Deadpool having access to both melee and ranged weapons. The emphasis is clearly in the latter, as projectile shooting enemies will shred Deadpool in seconds flat if you try to get in close and ignore your guns. While you start off with his classic Katanas and Pistols, you can use DP(Deadpool Points) to purchase double Sai, Hammers, Machineguns, Shotguns and/or Pulse Rifles, as well as four types of grenades. You can use the directional pad to swap between your available equipment. Close-range weapons and guns can be enhanced by purchasing upgrades, upgrades that must be unlocked by killing enemies with the weapon itself. It's a cool system, you've loads of upgrades to get, and it's not just passive upgrades like more damage or damage-over-time effects, but also new combos and even combos that involve your guns.

 You've got a weak and a strong attack, a teleport/counter button and a double jump. The shoulder triggers are used to aim and shoot your guns and grenades. There are also super moves that you charge by landing attacks in quick succession,     shots count toward them! It's a serviceable moveset, but it kinda sucks how you get no melee lock-on, and the long-range lock-on is kinda spotty, and how most enemies have an ungodly amount of super-armor on their movest. This means that fighting big enemies turn into an unsatisfying attack-attack-teleport loop... unless you use guns. The teleport-as-a-dodge mechanic isn't so fun, since it teleports you too far away from the enemy. A more straightforward dodge or roll would've been much better and would've fit Deadpool just as well. The ranged combat, ignoring how the lock-on is a bit wonky, is a bit more fun since enemies do flinch when getting shot.

 Most of the time there are no penalties to failing the platforming sections, and that's for the best, because movement and platforming feel very clunky. As to why, well, running feels almost as if Deadpool is gliding instead of taking proper steps on the ground. It doesn't get in the way of the gameplay, but it feels as is something is off.

 Deadpool is alright, y'know? It's not very good at a technical level, but boy, does it have a lot of heart behind it. With more money and time behind it, it could've been quite good.

 5.5

Game #867: Dead Space 3

 Also known as how EA closed down one of their best, most versatile studios.

 Picture this: You're the lowest of the low, meaning, you are EA, and you've got this amazing, very versatile studio that has been doing a fantastic job at producing licensed golf games, well received James Bond games, the well received Simpsons game, the highly original LAPD Future cop and also the guys that proved Survival Horror sold through their Dead Space series, heck, they even made a well-received God of War clone with Dante's Inferno! This studio knew what they were doing, they had the chops and the experience. So, for the third iteration of their beloved survival horror series, Dead Space 3, you'll cut their budget, expect them to make over 5 million sales(More than DS 1 and DS 2 combined!) and force them to shoe-in microtransactions while also make them go in less scary direction. Of course, the game tanked, but instead of accepting their responsibility they just shut down this fantastic development team.

 So, Dead Space 3... First things first, this game isn't bad by any means. It's the weakest game in the series, probably even below the spin-off, Extraction, but it's still the good. The core gameplay elements are more or less as solid as they were before, even if the game got tweaked in less than desirable ways. It's a fun game, and it's easily the beefiest entry yet, there are plenty of side missions, and there are also exclusive co-op cutscenes that might make a second playthrough enticing... if only the game had offline co-op.

 EA wanted to nickel and dime its players, so the entire weapon system got overhauled for a disappointing crafting system. While in previous games you could carry up to four very different and fun weapons, each one with their own alternate fire, now you can only carry two. Each weapon must be built by combining a frame with two main pieces, which are your two modes of fire. You can create the previous games' weapons, yes, if you find the blue prints and the required parts to build them. I'll admit, you can create some interesting guns, but they lack the personality that the series' weaponry used to have. What's worse, Visceral Games were forced to justify this system by claiming that this was put in the game to combat players relying on a single weapon. Which is hilarious, because building an over-powered weapon isn't hard, and ammo is UNIVERSAL in this game. In DS 1 and 2 I had to use my entire weaponry since I'd run out of ammo for my favorites, or sometimes, I wanted to hoard my favorite's ammo. In this game I only switched guns if I felt like I wanted variety since I got bored of the one I was using.

 RIGs are just cosmetics in this game, your armor, health and Stasis upgrades are obtained by using the same parts you use to craft guns. The game isn't particularly stingy with parts, I think, but the overall system left a sour taste in my mouth. Besides parts you get from fallen enemies or crates, you can also send bots to scavenge for parts through a dumb and time-consuming radar-mini-game thing. Basically, you hold out the radar and follow a signal, once the radar screen turns green it means you'll maximize the amount of parts your bot will have gathered once it finally returns to the work bench. Here's the thing, through microtransactions you can get any part that you need right then and there or purchase more bots. It's idiotic. You don't really need to purchase these microtransactions, but it's hard not to wonder if the pace in which you upgrade your equipment is alright or if it's been made slower due to EA's want for money.

 Another way to earn parts is to go through side-missions. These optional missions are usually a bit tougher than the main game, but I liked a few of them... even if a few of them recycle entire layouts. What really sucks, however, is that a few optional missions are exclusive for co-op. If only it had had split-screen....

 While the horror elements took a step back, although it seems they are more prevalent in the co-op exclusive cutscenes, that said, enemies are tougher than before. They don't flinch as much, so until you get the parts you need to build one of the overpowered weapons, you'll have to rely on this pathetic short roll by double tapping the run button. There's this recurring, four legged boss, that tackles you every now and then. You'd think that the roll would be perfect.... but it's not, if you're lucky you'll dodge 1 out of every 4 tackles. The only way to reliably avoid its attacks... is by running around rocks or stacks of boxes which will interrupt its charge. It's as dumb as it sounds, it almost feels like you are doing and exploit, since the roll should've been the expected way to dodge out of it way.

 While Dead Space 2 went out of its way to prevent you from fighting humans... That's not the case in this one. You can crouch with the R3 button, or take cover by pressing L1, the button you use to AIM, near short barrier-like objects. The cover mechanics are mediocre, and the bits in which you fight humans add nothing to the game.

 Chapter 13 has some awful, AWFUL, ice-wall climbing sections. The wall climbing mechanic gets used a few times afterwards, but it's not as bad.

 There are a few tougher puzzles than the ones in the previous games, and... I didn't really like them too much. Some aren't even hard, you see three symbols on the screen and you have to match them on a machine, there's no time limit and no punishment if you get it wrong.

 As fun as Dead Space 3 can be, one can't help but feel disappointed. Dead Space 1 and 2 are classics, thanks to their timeless, fun gameplay, as well as their settings, environments and the whole horror atmosphere they crafted so well. This game is the gameplay without the rest of the elements that made it so great, and even so, the gameplay isn't as good, for you see, the crafting system was a huge step backward, and I really think it soured the rest of the experience, since many poor design choices were made around it. For instance, finding a new Power Node felt so rewarding in previous games, here I'm just hoarding resources until I can purchase the next armor upgrade. Universal ammo was a really bad idea. And, y'know, I don't blame Visceral games for what happened, I'm sure they did the best they could under EA's horrible orders.

 7.0

Game #866: Call of Cthulhu(Switch)

  Please stop doing the Switch dirty!

 It's a first person adventure game, it's all about talking with NPCs and investigating objects. The more you investigate the more dialogue options you can open up with NPCs. You also have different stats(Investigation, Strength, Deduction, Medicine, Occultism) that you can spend points in to open up different dialogue choices. Some dialogue choices may open up different routes towards your objectives.

 At the beginning of the game I decided to spend all my point in Eloquence and proceeded to fail every single Eloquence check chapter 2 threw at me. Turns out that anything below the maximum level is just a percentage, meaning, there's always chance involved, which is... interesting. It's interesting because this is a bit annoying, but in a weird way it also adds a certain spice to the game, since you can't really be sure if you're gonna succeed and get a conversation to go your way or even gain access to the routes you wanted. If this was an Action game I think I'd be pretty pissed about this, but since it's an Adventure game I kinda, sorta welcome it.

 Loading times are a bit excessive, but the game loads an entire chapter every time it loads, so it's one big loading screen instead of various loading instances throughout a chapter.

 That said, the game has a HUGE issue on Switch... Chapter 5 is broken. How the game shipped like this is baffling, but I saw other people complaining about the same thing, Chapter 5 can't be completed for some of us. In my case, I wasn't sure about what I was doing, so I triggered both the Gas Leak and Electric sub-objectives, so it got to the point that if I tried to finish either objective the game would crash. Other people managed to get through that part, but the game would crash come the next cutscene. This is absolutely inexcusable. They released a patch, so I did manage to finish the game, but the fact that this game released in with this GLARING game-breaking bug is nothing short of a disgrace.

 The game is pretty much a walking simulator through and through. What's more, its attempts at real gameplay fall short of their mark. The stealth segments are boring, the Shambler boss is boring and annoying, the two-lamps-and-fog segment is dull.... Honestly, the game is at its best when you are talking and investigating. The story is pretty good, and it feels fairly in-line with Lovecraft's works, even if it's probably a bit less subtle.

 I liked the game, I liked the story and I liked delving into its world. While the gamey parts of the game were pretty lackluster, the overall game is very engaging, particularly if you enjoy Lovecraft. That said, EVEN if they did patch it, I can't in good faith recommend a game that has a game breaking bug right in the middle of the game.

 4.5

Game #865: Dead Space 2 Limited Edition

 Isaac speaks! 

 I purchased Dead Space 2 used, so while it claimed to include Dead Space Extraction I thought I'd miss out since it'd be a DLC code. Nope, it's right here IN the disc! That's amazing, so I'll get this little enhanced port of the Wii original first.

 Dead Space Extraction

 This light-gun on-rails shooter was made for the Wii in mind, and it shows. You can play this game with Playstation Move, which would probably work fine, but the joystick gets the job done, for the most part. You'll be missing out on a few goodies since the camera will move too fast for you to catch up with the analog stick, and the game uses a surprisingly large amount of buttons, but you can have an OK experience with the joystick.

 The story is AMAZING. The game does have a few small contradictions with the first game, like the fact that the crew of the Ishimura go insane almost immediately while the original made it seem like it was a slow process, but for the most part it gels pretty well. As a matter of fact, you'll visit a lot of areas from the original game, and you'll get to see why the Ishimura was as it was during Dead Space 1, since you'll be directly responsible for a few obstacles Isaac will encounter!

 The game follows an ensemble cast of four main characters, and you'll play as four different characters(Not necessarily the ones from the main cast!) throughout all 10 chapters. The characters are pretty interesting, although I wasn't a fan of Lexine and her... peculiarities, I think it felt a bit too far fetched.

 The first chapter is incredible. You start off in the final area of Dead Space, and get to experience first-hand how everyone goes crazy. And this first chapter is but a taste of things to come. I'd say this game is way scarier than the original game, in no small part due to the fact that your playable characters will struggle against the effects of the Marker.

 You get alternate guns, and can carry up to four different guns. Only the basic weapon has infinite ammo which is why I stuck with it for most of the game. I experimented with a few others, but the basic weapon is just fine. You can also uses Stasis and Kinetic modules to aid you in combat as well as solve some very easy puzzles.

 There are a few annoying minigames in which you must "hack" stuff by tracing lines with the analog stick. I'm sure they weren't too bad in the Wii original, but having to use my old PS3 analog stick proved less than ideal. The few instances in which you must fend off enemies WHILE hacking are just cruel if you aren't using PS Move/WiiMote.

 Overall? I can tell that this game was fantastic on the Wii, and it's probably just as great on the PS3 if you have the Move controllers. I didn't, but even then I couldn't help but admire the game's high production values and top-notch quality.

7.0

Dead Space 2

 As stated on the opening headliner, Isaac speaks now, which is a welcome change that makes for a better protagonist. Screw silent protagonists.

 The game is exactly like Dead Space 1 but more polished. Moving around feels better, the framerate feels more stable(Even if it has a few drops every now and then), the graphics are better... It's like a highly polished version of the already highly polished original game.

 Zero-G areas were re-designed, now you get free movement when you float, just tap L3 to take off the ground, and L3 again when there's a floor beneath you to land. You can even shoot while floating!

 While the Ishimura was fun to explore, this new game has more environments and more variety, since you are not contained to a single ship, but rather, you start off in a civilian space-station, so you'll get to explore an apartment complex, a store and even a Unification Church. It's not better nor is it worse, it's just different, which is a good thing since it makes both games have their own identity while sharing the same gameplay.

 Enemies are deadlier and require different strategies. In DS 1 you could pretty much shoot your way through the game, but in this one enemies seem to have more varied patterns and ways of approaching you, so it's not as simple as it used to be. For instance, the brutes were fairly simple to take out in the original, but now Stasis is pretty much required to defeat them, heck, Stasis is now a vital part of your armament. The game feels tougher as a whole, which isn't a bad thing considering how easy the original was.

 The original game was a Resident Evil kind of Survival Horror, y'know, one in which the focus is more on the action rather than the actual survival. While ammo and healing supplies felt a tiny bit more sparse and the combat was tougher... It can't be denied that there's a lot of combat in this, and the game pretty much expects you to clear every area of enemies. Heck, there are a ton of very action-packed set pieces, such as having to dive into a falling train and a few others, this game is quite bombastic in that regard. And Isaac? He gets a few witty and not-so-witty remarks, as well as a few one-liners worthy of any action hero.

 The story is sorta there, I think the set-up is more interesting than the plot itself, but it's not as endearing as the first game's trope extravaganza, nor is it as interesting as the one in Extraction. At least the game has some great environments.

 I think Dead Space and Dead Space 2 are equally good, but in different areas. There's a certain charm and magic that the first game had that this one just can't repeat, however, from a technical stand point this game is much better, the controls, the combat and even the explorations feel much tighter and polished. So, yeah, I don't think it's necessarily 'better', but it's just as good and yet another must-play Survival Horror classic. 

9.0

Game #864: Dead Space

 Cut'em 'n' chop'em

 The plot has Isaac enter the USG Ishimura, a ship that requested aid, only to find it infested by zombie like creatures. Oh, and his girlfriend was part of the crew. The game follows every trope and cliche from Horror/Sci-fi movies and games, sharing more than a few plot points with RLK: Run Like Hell. Still, I liked it, Cliche pastiches are not necessarily bad if they are well executed. This plot is simple and doesn't try to be more than what it is, thus ending up being quite solid.

 It's amazing. Just a few minutes of gameplay were enough to realize how great the game was, from the ambiance to the gameplay. I'd put it alongside Bioshock, Batman: Arkham City, Uncharted 2 and Assassin's Creed 2 as one of those mainstream must-play games of its generation.

 It's pretty much an evolution of the Resident Evil 4 formula, like Evil Within and Resident Evil 6. It has an over-the-shoulder camera that puts you right into the action, but you can aim and shoot while moving. While it is survival horror, you are pretty much expected to kill and murder everything and anything that comes your way, at least on the Medium difficulty Setting. When it comes to Survival Horror I'm usually a big hoarder, but I had healing and ammo to spare... so much so that I actually started selling my healing supplies for money.

 Money is one of the best thing about the game, alongside Power Nodes. Power Nodes are rare items that can be used to enhance your armor and/or your weapons. The game rewards you constantly for exploring and defeating enemies, either with ammo, healing supplies, money and said Power Nodes, and then you can invest the latter two into getting even stronger. In order to open up most valuable items in the store you need to find Schematics, which will then allow you buy the really good stuff. That said, I spent all my money on Armor Upgrades(Different upgrades than the ones you get with Nodes) and extra Power Nodes. I also purchased a few weapons, the only way to get other weapons besides your basic gun, but I preferred carrying a few but enhanced weapons over getting everything.

 Combat is built around severing limbs, that's the ticket if you want to make short work of your enemies. Also, it seems they are more wont to dropping goodies if you kill them quickly through severance of limbs. Stomping on dead bodies with R2 is sinfully fun.

 You get a few bonus powers, which consume a separate energy gauge, Stasis and Kinetic Pull/Push. Both are used, mostly, to solve some very simple puzzles, buuut they can be used in combat too. I didn't use them too much, didn't need them and the gunplay was good enough.

 The game has two gimmicky areas: Zero-G and Vacuums. Sometimes, they come together. When you exit the ship, or if there's a hole in the room, that creates a vacuum. In a vacuum you must move quickly lest your oxygen runs out. These areas are fairly simple, and if they expect you to explore there are usually unlimited free oxygen refills around. There were a few tense moments where enemies would try to get in my way as I dashed as my oxygen ran out, but nothing to write home about. Zero Gravity areas lets Isaac walk on ceilings and walls, you aim with your gun and press triangle to zip towards the wall you are aiming at. They are a bit clunky, but are decent reprieves from the basic gameplay.

 I love how most chapters end and begin on a tram. On each chapter you are sent to a different section of the ship, with various sub-objectives to complete. Once you are done you return to the tram in order to go into another section. It's very repetitive, but I found it charming.

 The worst part about the game are two turret sections, the first one is surprisingly tough, the other one is just annoying.

 Once I picked up the game I couldn't stop playing it, it's REALLY good and a lot of fun. Beneath its gory and gruesome exterior lies a very elegant game with very polished gameplay and ideas that work well together. I do feel like this is a true classic and a must play of the PS3/X360 generation.

9.0