Beyondthegrave07 Posted July 27, 2022 Share Posted July 27, 2022 Btw, I wanted to let you know that I tried your scientific method to make a top 20 favorite games of all time list, and I think it actually went pretty well! I was pretty satisfied with it! I essentially listed every console I played and listed games I really enjoyed from each one and then did the old fashioned, "Is this game more awesome than this one?" after doing it for 20 random games. And, if it wasn't better than #20, went on to the next game. So, I just wanted to let you know that I think you're really onto something here... This method does work. Lol. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Platinum_Vice Posted July 27, 2022 Share Posted July 27, 2022 30 minutes ago, Beyondthegrave07 said: Btw, I wanted to let you know that I tried your scientific method to make a top 20 favorite games of all time list, and I think it actually went pretty well! I was pretty satisfied with it! I essentially listed every console I played and listed games I really enjoyed from each one and then did the old fashioned, "Is this game more awesome than this one?" after doing it for 20 random games. And, if it wasn't better than #20, went on to the next game. So, I just wanted to let you know that I think you're really onto something here... This method does work. Lol. What are the results? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Beyondthegrave07 Posted July 27, 2022 Popular Post Share Posted July 27, 2022 (edited) 1 hour ago, Platinum_Vice said: What are the results? I don't want to throw off the topic too much. (DrBloodmoney can report it and I'll happily remove this post), but I'll share both the base and the results. Wii/Switch/3DS Fire Emblem: Awakening Xenoblade Chronicles Legend of Zelda: Botw Fire Emblem: 3 Houses SMTV Mario Kart Wii Mario Odyssey Super Smash Bros Ultimate Monster Hunter Rise Super Smash Bros Brawl PS2/PS3 TLOU Dark Cloud FFX OKAMI HD KH2 Journey Ratchet and Clank 3 Up your arsenal Bioshock infinite Bully Uncharted 3 PS1/N64/SNES Tomba 2 Zelda Ocarina of Time Final Fantasy IX Paper Mario Final Fantasy VII Mario 64 Banjo Tooie Super Metroid Star Fox 64 Pokemon Puzzle League PS4 Catherine: Full Body Resident Evil 7 Bloodborne Nier Automata Resident Evil 2 Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair Undertale Disgaea 5 Persona 5 Tetris Effect Top 20: 1. Catherine: Full Body Edition 2. Fire Emblem: Awakening 3. TLOU 4. Dark Cloud 5. Tomba 2 6. Zelda: Ocarina of Time 7. Xenoblade Chronicles 8. FFX 9. Resident Evil 7 10. Bloodborne 11. Nier Automata 12. OKAMI HD 13. Final Fantasy IX 14. Resident Evil 2 15. Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair 16. Undertale 17. Paper Mario 18. Final Fantasy VII 19. Disgaea 5 20. Kingdom Hearts 2 Probably not the perfect list, but I was really satisfied with how it turned out. I tried to list them in order of awesomeness by console, but that was honestly the hardest part. Really like this method though. I think it's a great way to organize a lot of data and to rank them rather quickly. Edited July 27, 2022 by Beyondthegrave07 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post DrBloodmoney Posted July 27, 2022 Author Popular Post Share Posted July 27, 2022 (edited) 1 hour ago, Beyondthegrave07 said: I don't want to throw off the topic too much. (DrBloodmoney can report it and I'll happily remove this post), but I'll share both the base and the results. The day that enthusiastic discussion of awesome games feels "off topic" to this thread is the day I shut it down, man! ? Quote Top 20: 1. Catherine: Full Body Edition 2. Fire Emblem: Awakening 3. TLOU 4. Dark Cloud 5. Tomba 2 6. Zelda: Ocarina of Time 7. Xenoblade Chronicles 8. FFX 9. Resident Evil 7 10. Bloodborne 11. Nier Automata 12. OKAMI HD 13. Final Fantasy IX 14. Resident Evil 2 15. Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair 16. Undertale 17. Paper Mario 18. Final Fantasy VII 19. Disgaea 5 20. Kingdom Hearts 2 Probably not the perfect list, but I was really satisfied with how it turned out. I tried to list them in order of awesomeness by console, but that was honestly the hardest part. Really like this method though. I think it's a great way to organize a lot of data and to rank them rather quickly. That's a spicy list... and I love it! (@Copanele might have a heart attack when he sees the No.1 though ?) Definitely few on there I'm not particularly familiar with (Tomba is a series I don't think I ever really played, I never did try Undertale (for reasons), and I've never dived much into Danganronpa or Kingdom Hearts beyond the first one...) - but I've played a lot of the others and agree on a lot! RE7 as the top RE game is totally correct... I've been a bit RE-happy lately, with RE7 and RE8 reviewed recently, and working on an RE5 one now ( @grayhammmer - I know you actually requested RE6, but I tried to start it, and it was impossible to write without doing RE5 first, as it would end up eating the lunch of the bulk of an RE5 review any time I tried!) and I can't see a world in which RE7 isn't considered the best of the bunch! Interesting to see Bloodborne up there as the only Soulsborne game - I dug Bloodborne a lot, but never quite jived with it as much as the best of Dark Souls... though it's still crazy high on my list! FFX as top FF game is interesting - I see a lot of folks ranking that one as one of the best, so you're definitely not alone - but I must admit, it always seemed odd to me, simple because it's the earliest of that style of FF game - to me it felt like a good test of things to come, but never quite lived up to its potential - still enjoyed it plenty though. FFIX though... ?? The only one on there I personally recoil at is Disgaea 5 - I actually liked Disgaea 3 a lot (that was my first one,) but holy hell, did I not get on with 5 ? Edited July 27, 2022 by DrBloodmoney 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Copanele Posted July 27, 2022 Popular Post Share Posted July 27, 2022 (edited) 1 hour ago, Beyondthegrave07 said: Top 20: 1. Catherine: Full Body Edition 9 minutes ago, DrBloodmoney said: (@Copanele might have a heart attack when he sees the No.1 though ) Swear, Beyond wants to get me with that ?? (sick list though, that much I can agree on !!! ) Edited July 27, 2022 by Copanele 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beyondthegrave07 Posted July 27, 2022 Share Posted July 27, 2022 (edited) 7 hours ago, Copanele said: Swear, Beyond wants to get me with that (sick list though, that much I can agree on !!! ) It's been 2 years since I got the plat and I still have Catherine downloaded and play it from time to time. I'd be lying to myself if I didn't put at #1. Not sure where you got that gif, but it's killing me, LMAO! @DrBloodmoney, RE7 in VR mode is still one of the most unique experiences I've ever had playing games. No VR game no matter what I've tried has come close to it. It deserves a spot in the top 10. Bloodborne is the only Souls game on the list because it's the only souls game I've played. Not really sure which one to play now tbh. Will probably give them all a whirl at some point. As to FFX, I think the story and world captured me, and I liked how the sphere grid was set up. I am also a huge fan of blitzball and still think it's one of the best minigames in a game I've ever played. Edited July 27, 2022 by Beyondthegrave07 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Copanele Posted July 27, 2022 Share Posted July 27, 2022 6 minutes ago, Beyondthegrave07 said: It's been 2 years since I got the plat and I still have Catherine downloaded and play it from time to time. I'd be lying to myself if I didn't put at #1. Not sure where you got that gif, but it's killing me, LMAO! Search for "Kratos throwing away computer gif" and you'll find a TON of Kratos gifs Speaking of, it's what I want to do with my PS3 whenever I remember Catherine ? 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post DrBloodmoney Posted August 4, 2022 Author Popular Post Share Posted August 4, 2022 !!SCIENCE UPDATE!! The next (somewhat) randomly selected games to be submitted for scientific analysis shall be: Legacy Matterfall Resident Evil 5 New Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy Stray Backbone Subject(s) in RED marked for PRIORITY ASSIGNEMENT [Care of @grayhammmer ] Can 'Current Most Awesome' game, Hitman 3, continue its glorious reign? Is gaming turdlet LA Cops ever going to lose the title of 'Least Awesome Game'? Let's find out, Science Chums! 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Platinum_Vice Posted August 4, 2022 Share Posted August 4, 2022 Hey, not for nothing, but are you aware that the current most "in the middle" game on your checklist is Lost In Random...? Coincidence? Or art imitating life? 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrBloodmoney Posted August 4, 2022 Author Share Posted August 4, 2022 3 minutes ago, Platinum_Vice said: Hey, not for nothing, but are you aware that the current most "in the middle" game on your checklist is Lost In Random...? Coincidence? Or art imitating life? ? That's funny! ..it also makes me feel pretty good about my gaming choices - I liked Lost in Random a lot, so if that's only the halfway point, then I've generally been doing pretty well picking stuff to play! ? 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post DrBloodmoney Posted August 5, 2022 Author Popular Post Share Posted August 5, 2022 NEW SCIENTIFIC RESULTS ARE IN! Hello Science-Harolds and Science-Maudes, as promised (and in some cases requested), here are the latest results of our great scientific endeavour! Matterfall Summary: A Twin Stick 2D scrolling platform shooter from modern-arcade darling Housemarque, Matterfall released in 2017 as a PS4 exclusive, and unfortunately, was almost immediately undercut and forgotten. The reason? Because while it was solely available on Playstation, only 2 months previous, Housemarque had released another modern-arcade game - Twin Stick Bullet-Hell shooter Nex Machina - on all systems. While critical reception of Matterfall was relatively positive, it was almost impossible for it to be publicised without comparison to Nex Machina, and the simple fact that Nex was more available, made it the instant winner in terms of popularity... ...and the fact that it was of excellent quality to boot, meant it was destined to overshadow Matterfall, regardless of the quality of Matterfall itself. That's a pity though - as while it might be true that Nex Machina is the better game, Matterfall is undeniably a quality game in its own right - and one that might have found more success had it not released in such a fashion. Operating somewhere between Housemarque's other arcade fare, Strider, and 2D Metroid games in terms of style, Matterfall takes place on a futuristic sci-fi world, where technology has been infected by "Smart Matter", making them run amok. The player takes the role of Avalon Darrow, a human in a Metroid-esque mech-suit, and must battle through the AI infected world, attempting to stop it. The plot is very thin here - to be honest, what narrative hooks there are simply serve as a setting for the chaotic action, as was the case in Resogun or Nex Machina - and realistically, I must confess, even as a player who platinumed Matterfall... I had to look that limited plot summary up! Narrative is not the draw whatsoever - what is, is the mechanical gameplay. Mechanically, Matterfall feels somewhat familiar to the Housemarque veteran, but the 2D platforming nature of it is unique in their stable, and so there are some elements that take some getting used to. The game has, it should be stated, a somewhat peculiar control scheme. It is, arguably, the most unintuitive game Housemarque have made, in the sense that almost all of their games feel very "pick-up-and-play" whereas Matterfall takes a bit of practice to really feel in tune with - however, within a few hours, once the player finds their rhythm, the speed with which they can dash, jump and blast their way around the 12 levels does retain that Housemarque speed and fluidity. A "Dash with shockwave" move is the real key to Housemarque twin-stick gameplay working in the 2D bullet-hell platformer that Matterfall is. The shield blast clearing dangers, dash shifting through them and other dangers, as well as functioning as a facilitator for traversal of the platforming elements. That can be a complicated dance to master at first - certainly Matterfall has the most scope for potential stumbling, and doing poorly in Matterfall undoubtedly feels less slick than the equivalent poor play in Nex Machina, Resogun or Dead Nation would... ...however, once the controls feel send nature, and the player settles into the game, the ability to constantly move through the platforming and deal with the threats is extremely satisfying, and feels as fluid as any Housemarque game. The game maintains a focus on movement and speed at all times - it is in the player's interest to always be moving, and always on point - and the game requires constant awareness and on-the-fly analysis of what the dangers are. Some objects and enemies can be dashed through, some can't (generally conveyed through the colour-scheme of the game) and so the bullet-hell is mixed with significant combat-puzzling. Visually the game is very good. Housemarque's signatures are all present - enemies move and dance smoothly, and explode apart with a rush of psychedelic particle effects, and at its most chaotic, the visual sensory overload is almost hypnotic. Environments have a not entirely original steel-and-glass look to them, not unlike a Strider or a Metroid, and there is little really original flair on show there - nothing on the environmental design level of Returnal, for example, however, it works just fine - and when Housemarque's staples are layered on top of it, it is lent a more unique overall visual flavour. The audio, on the other hand, is among Housemarque's best. The music is awesome - a pounding electronica score on the level of Shatter, that is enjoyable in game or outwith. Sound effects are very important in Housemarque games - the player has a lot of on sensory information to process, and so sound effects must be crisp and clear, conveying information as their primary function - but that doesn't mean they sound anything less than bad-ass as pure, satisfying audio stings either. Shooting and destruction sound great, and very satisfying. The one real downside to the game is in its length, and replayability, however. As said, the campaign comprises only 12 levels. These are fairly sizeable, however, at the speed Matterfall should be played, a full run takes around 2 hours, and is very unlikely to take longer than 4. Score chasing and repeat play is certainly encouraged in the mechanics (enemies show points values when killed, and maintaining multipliers is key, and there is a global leaderboard,) however, Matterfall does lack some of the tertiary game trappings of other Housemarque fare. The Notable absence of Challenge or Survival Modes, or any real non-campaign modes does mean that from a completionist point of view, the game is among the shortest Housemarque have made. Replaying the campaign for better and better scores, or on increasing difficulties is undeniably fun - however, this, more than any other Housemarque game, could have used some DLC to pad it out. Unfortunately, it did not receive any. There is, unquestionably, something of a lack of content after finishing the campaign, though it is worth noting, Matterfall is the only one of Housemarque's games to include the requirement of full completion of it's toughest "Master Difficulty" mode for the platinum, and this is no an accident. On paper, this would suggest that it is the toughest of their fare, though the Master Mode here, while certainly challenging, is far less brutal than in the likes of Resogun or Nex Machina. It is, however, more interesting. Master Mode in Matterfall reduces player health to one-hit kill, and - more importantly - introduces "revenge bullets" to all enemies - creating a new and interesting slant to the challenge. Because of the tight nature of some areas, and the unpredictability and difficulty in dealing with revenge bullets from felled foes, the game becomes significantly more strategic in nature - the player is required not simply establish how to kill an enemy, but whether to kill an enemy, and if they will, where to do so, to allow them to escape the destructive death-rattle attack that comes after. It's an immensely fun mode, and one that goes a long way to providing the late-game content the game otherwise lacks. More so than another Housemarque game (in the majority of which the difficulties feel like compounding challenges of the same broad type, and where simple finessing of a core play-style is key,) Matterfall's Master Mode not only is more difficult, but requires significantly different play-style and approach, and new tactical thinking to conquer. Overall, while Matterfall is perhaps lacking some of the robustness of some of their other offerings to rank among their top tier, it remains a great game, and a personal favourite of mine. The combination of Strider-style 2D Sci-Fi action platforming and Housemarque bullet-hell psychradelica is a winning formula, and while the game is lacking in post-game content, the genuine effort to make Master difficulty feel markedly different to lower levels alleviates some of that concern admirably. It's a great looking and sounding game, with solid mechanics, which, once mastered, can maintain a pace and rhythm to match any of Housemarque's other fare, in a genre style I very much enjoy, and made with the excellent level of care and finesse I have come to expect of them. The Ranking: In ranking Matterfall, the ceiling and floor jumped out fairly quickly. Despite my personal (slight) preference of 2D platforming over top-down bullet hell, and some of the elements (music for example) being superior in Matterfall, Nex Machina remains the better all round game, so has to rank above it. As a floor though, I can see no world in which the unfortunately-inferior-to-its-predecessor Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number ranks above Matterfall. While Hotline Miami 2 has the music and some of the gameplay of its parent game, it lacks a lot of the really good flow and gameplay of Matterfall. That put Matterfall somewhere between, and without an awful lot of direct, arcade-y comparison. Superhot is in that range, and while is a very different game, it plays on some of the same fun, detached chaos that Matterfall does, and it a curious fight. Superhot wins on originality, and on visuals, but Matterfall takes it on audio and controls... and overall, I think Superhot has to win out. That narrows the field down a lot. In between, lies Super Time Force Ultra, and while that is a more complete package, an awesome game and a tonne of fun, I do have to admit, I would likely replay Matterfall before replaying Super Time Force Ultra, and so I think I'm comfortable ranking it higher. A few spots above is a completely different type of 2D sci-fi game - The Swapper - and I don't see Matterfall placing higher than that one, for reasons evident in that review. It comes down to feel in the few games left - and in simply asking flat-out "is Matterfall more awesome?" for those, the one it cannot beat out is God of War II... ...and so Matterfall finds its spot! Resident Evil 5 Summary: The fifth mainline entry in the Resident Evil series, and first to appear on Gen 7 consoles, Resident Evil 5 is potentially the most divisive in the series in terms of fan reception... both at the time, and in terms of lasting reputation within the canon. While the broad community retains a relatively steadfast consensus on RE4 being beloved, and on RE6 being a significant weak point, RE5 is something of a mixed bag. There are those who argue the franchise rot began here, and those who argue it is a fine game, and the formula only failed when overstretched to the next bloated entry. Personally, I tend to fall somewhere between those two camps... though I suspect that has as much to do with my personal ambivalence towards the much lauded Resident Evil 4, than it does with my own experience of Resident Evil 5. I was never a fan of the direction of Resident Evil 4. I didn't much care for the slide towards action over horror that began with that game, and so while I fully accept its place in the annuls of videogame history as correct and well-founded (I fully agree that without Resident Evil 4, there would have been no Gears of War, and concede that Resident Evil 4 pushed the 3rd person shooter genre firmly forward,) I had - to a certain extent - already got my dissatisfaction with Resident Evil's specific genre direction out of my system before ever coming to RE5. Where a lot of people argue RE5 went too far towards action, I already felt that line had been crossed, and so was approaching RE5 with an expectation of action, rather than horror. RE5 is, assuredly, an evolution of RE4. It is even less focus on horror, even more on action and location hopping spectacle. The franchise at this point was in its action heights, barely recognisable as compared to its original entries, but not quite at the shark-jumping, complete detachment that RE6 would bring later. This is still in Rocky III territory, but not quite crossing the line into Rocky IV, if you will. Taking place years after the Racoon City events, series staple, boulder-punching-enthusiast and visibly steroid-enhanced human-building Chris Redfield is dispatched by his new employers - the Bioterrorism Security Assessment Alliance (or BSAA) - to Kijuju, Africa, ostensibly to stop the sale of a bioweapon on the black market. When he and his new partner (the delightfully well manicured, yet stone-cold gymnast-come-killer) Sheva find evidence that old nemesis Wesker is up to his Umbrella Corp-flavoured tricks there (with a huge infected population to boot, and a new, distinctly 'What-If-David-Bowie-Was-In-The-Matrix' look,) and find evidence that Chris's old partner Jill Sandwich Valentine may not be - as he thought - dead, they embark on an explosion, bullet-riddled, horror-free action jaunt through a variety of very impressively detailed locations, to stop Wesker, and save Jill. The narrative is truly ludicrous this time - though in a way perhaps a little more palatable to my own sensibilities than RE4's was. Not because it is better necessarily, but it feels more solidly one thing, rather than awkwardly straddling the line between old RE and new. In Resident Evil 4, I felt some real tonal dissonance, in the sense that the game was bigger, the story broader, and the villains much sillier, but it still felt like it was trying to retain some of the old RE horror roots. RE5, on the other hand, doesn't seem to feel beholden to those roots. It is heightened silly action, bordering closer to Sci-Fi than horror, and as a result, feels more comfortable when it goes "full crazy". Anyone who read my RE7 review knows, I like my Resident Evil small and scary - I like it to be the horror franchise it started as - however, if I can't have horror, I'd rather the game just fully divested itself of the pretence of horror, rather than trying to awkwardly bolt its action-Bruckheimer nonsense onto a facade of horror. If you're going to be stupid, then don't second guess... go full stupid! RE5... is full stupid. The plot resembles action manga, in a way that could give even the Metal Gear franchise a run for its money, but - crucially - never really tries to be anything else, or take itself in any way seriously. There is no pretence of a message, or broad themes present here - the narrative exists purely as a delivery mechanism for action set-pieces, and for extreme, heightened cut-scenes. Bad guys chew the scenery, heroes deliver growling one-liners, boulders get punched, rockets get fired into eyes, enemies get exploded in volcanoes. It is Resident Evil as 90's Image Comic-Book... and while that does feel somewhat grotesque when considered n the context of what was once (and would again become) - a horror franchise - the mere fact that this particular entry is very co-op focussed, and therefore facilitates having a laugh with your buddy as you play, never really feels as off-putting as it might otherwise. RE5 is, undoubtedly, even more bombastic and silly than RE4 was. It is a bigger, longer game, even less rooted in horror than the game that preceded it, however, that is not the most distinct thing about it at the time it released. It was also multiplayer forward. A fully co-op focussed experience. That was unusual for the franchise, but even outwith it, the level to which the co-op was implemented was unusual generally. Most single player games that chose to incorporate co-op later in a series tend to do so tepidly at first. Think split-screen in Call of Duty, for example. Capcom did not do that here - they jumped right in. Despite RE5 being the franchise's first foray into co-op, it is no half step - Capcom made it integral to the core design, and even making the single player experience essentially co-op too, but co-op with an AI companion. That AI is actually pretty good - the co-op partner is not useless in combat, and the same functions used for basic non-mic communication in 2 player co-op is used effectively as AI commands. While I do think co-op is absolutely the way to play RE5 (ideally couch co-op) the single player does laudably lack the frustrations of AI interaction that plagued so many games with similar design ethos' in the same era. That said, playing the game with a human companion is vastly preferable to single player - and I do think part of the divisive nature of the games reception is simply down to the different experiences different players had with the game. I played the entire game in couch co-op, and found it a very enjoyable, if silly, game. Those who played it entirely single player, reliant on an AI companion, may well have viewed the game as more of a misstep than I did. Mechanically, the game is very well put together. There is a certain stiffness to the game - inherited from RE4 - where the lack of aiming while moving, and the deliberate feel of movement does tend to slightly stifle the sense of action pacing as compared to many other games in the genre - however, this isn't something that feels burdensome once the controls become natural, and can even help heighten the tension in some areas, where the player feels forced to really pick and chose their moments to attack carefully. Shooting feels good, and while the slightly swimmy feel of the laser aiming, again, can feel antiquated in 2022, it still works well, and the game is designed to work with it. The controls and feel of the game generally are heavy, but feel good, and it's pretty rare to really feel like that more deliberate pace of the characters is a detriment. The downside to the gameplay is that RE5, like many games of the era, was still plagued by the legacy of God of War... in that it contained numerous QTE sections. Unfortunately, in RE5, they are among the very worst examples of them in videogames. God of War tended to make failing a QTE result in a little more work in a fight, or a small health loss... in RE5 though, the QTEs are routinely much more difficult to see, require much more stringent timing, and failing them often results in instant death, necessitating an often lengthly retread of an area after reloading a checkpoint. There is not real excuse for these - they aren't fun, even when done correctly, and because the timing is so strict, tend to force the player to avoid paying too much attention to cut-scenes, for fear they might miss a button prompt. Visually, the game is pretty stunning from a technical stand-point - particularly for the era in which it released. when the game came out on PS3 in 2009, there could be a very real argument that RE5 represented the best looking console game up to that point - particularly when the scope of the game is considered. Few games of that era had the bespoke, tailored environmental detail RE5 boasted, and very very few games that did did it with the size and variety of locations RE5 did. Character designs are good - Chris's brick-shithouse, muscles-on-muscles-with-a-side-of-muscles design is a little bizarre, and his facial expressions seem carved out of oak, but really, he is just acceptably silly - Sheva is a good character well designed, and most of the coterie of villains and tertiary characters look appropriate and well drawn. There is one true weak-link looking back with 2022 hindsight, however - Jill Valentine. Her character is visually unrecognisable from any of her other incarnations - before or since - and feels a little odd. She has been turned, in this game, into a whole different character really, visually and in terms of writing, and feels a rather bland, weak and uninteresting. This is particularly jarring now, as compared to the phenomenal performance Nicole Tompkins gave in the RE3 Remake, breathing new life into that character, and effectively redefining her from that point on. I do think audio is a probably the weak link in terms of the overall game - voice acting is hammy, though arguably deliberately so - Wesker in particular - however, there is something of a B-Movie, Steven Segal level action film growl to almost all lines delivered, which tends to add an unintentional humour to most of the proceedings, and undercut what limited horror or tension elements are still left over from the series roots. The score is pretty milquetoast, and foley and sound work is fine - serviceable and gets the job done - but not much more. Certainly the lack of tension or atmospheric game design is mirrored in the much less tense or brooding soundtrack. With the focus on action, the soundtrack follows suit, but never really stands out above the constant gunfire and bombast. I like the multiplayer co-op elements of the main campaign, (and actually think they work very well in the two sizeable DLC packs released for the game, both of which are pretty good, though the clear highlight being Lost in Nightmares, wherein Chris and Jill explore a more traditional Resident Evil-style mansion, in pursuit of Wesker, and the reasons behind Jills place in the main campaign are explained.) However, the one area where multiplayer is extremely unwelcome, is in the questionable decision to add a competitive multiplayer mode to the game. There is a turgid and bafflingly dull competitive multiplayer mode - one of the true poster-children for PS3-era tacked on multiplayer - and it is a horrendous misstep. The stiff, heavy controls of RE5 are perfectly adequate for fighting hoards of slow-moving undead, or large, mostly-stationary bosses, however, they are incredibly unwieldy and cumbersome when pitted against each-other in player-vs-player combat. I can only assume this mode was trafficked in exclusively by the trophy-hungry, looking to fill out a list for a platinum... ...because the idea that anyone looking for a fun multiplayer - in 2005, when multiplayer shooters were the in-vogue game, and some of the best entries the genre has ever seen were abundant - turning to RE5 for their multiplayer good time borders on ridiculous! Overall, Resident Evil 5 is in somewhat the same boat as Resident Evil 8 was 16 years later - a good example of an action game, somewhat awkwardly forced into a franchise to which it really shouldn't belong. It is undoubtedly a technical achievement of its time, and undeniably a fun, goofy, rip-roaring, gun-totting, barrel-exploding good time... and an even better one in the well implemented and well executed co-op multiplayer... it just doesn't retain enough elements of the original series elements to feel like a really great sequel. As a horror game, RE5 is a failure - there is not a scare to be found anywhere in the game - however, RE5 does represent a solid entry the series has in it's (somewhat ill-fitting) action-costume. The Ranking: In ranking Resident Evil 5, the obvious comparisons are the other RE games, however, the problem is that the only ones currently ranked are some of the better ones the series has to offer. Even Resident Evil 8, which was a pretty disappointing game in many ways, still does outrank RE5 an a number of key factors... most of them named Dimitrescu! The other factor is, RE5 is fundamentally - at least in my estimation - far more appropriate to consider as a Co-op game, than as a horror, or even as a Resident Evil game. Co-op is its most defining factor, and the best element in its favour - and so I started looking for a floor and ceiling based on those elements. The ones that really sprang to mind were the delightful Little Big Planet series, and negligent-parent-simulator It Takes Two. In terms of Little Big Planet, I don't think RE5 can compete with any entry really - co-op is its strongest suit, and it isn't as good a co-op experience as any of them, and so the lowest ranked - Little Big Planet 3 - becomes a ceiling. I do, however, think even the good elements of It Takes Two - its co-op gameplay, divorced from its rancid writing and narrative - don't match the fun of RE5 in co-op, so it provides a floor. There is only loose comparison points in between... however, it actually became rather simple once Little Big Planet 3 became a stopping point, because I think that Resident Evil 5 still has to rank higher than the very next game below it - Gods Will Fall. Gods Will Fall is interesting, and fun, and has a metric tonne of good ideas in it, but it just doesn't pull them all together terribly well. RE5, on the other hand, may have little in the way of great new ideas, but the final product is a very solid, well polished and fun game to play game... and one that I would likely replay before replaying Gods Will Fall. As such, it finds its spot! Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy Summary: A 2021 released narrative 3rd-Person shooter from Eidos Montréal - developers of the latter day Deus Ex games - and released in the wake of the abysmally received Marvel's Avengers game, (which Eidos Montréal also had some hand in assistant development of,) - Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy was a game with a significant uphill battle to fight for credibility. Indeed, there could hardly be argued to ever be a worse time for a big, splashy Marvel action game to release. The rampant micro-transaction-riddled mediocrity of the Avengers game had salted the earth, Deathloop, Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart, Psychonauts 2, It Takes Two and Returnal had already released the same year, each doing more interesting (or at least, more unusual) things in the big, single-player space, and to top it off, the Marvel Movie Machine had never been more subject to talk of over-saturation and fatigue among the fan-base. The situation was a recipe for mediocrity at best, and disaster at worst, and frankly, more than a few players (myself included) had all but written off Guardians of the Galaxy before it even hit shelves. What a pleasant surprise it turned out to be then, when (possibly as a direct result of the dire showing the Avengers game made,) Guardians came out - and was a true single-player game, free of micro-transactions, modest in its pre-order bonus commercialisation, absent season-passes or loot-box style elements... and was in fact, a pretty solid, well made game, telling a decent (if not revolutionary) story in a fun, established fiction. That narrative is pretty good, all told. The Guardians - seemingly relatively early in their tenure as a team - are conducting several small stakes missions, trying to build their reputation as a mercenary group for hire (and spending more time fixing the problems they create for themselves than those of others,) when their own actions spark and interweave into a larger, galactic threat, as the Universal Church of Truth regains former glory, and threatens to envelop the entire galaxy in its cult. The actual beats of the main narrative are relatively simplistic and somewhat throwaway, however. The real meat of the story is in the interplay between the members of the team themselves - Gomorra, Drax, Rocket Raccoon, Groot and Star Lord- and with the few tertiary characters who most notably affect them. It falls in the grand tradition of comedic adventure movies, where the "heroes" are often simply stumbling around the perilous universal dangers, either oblivious to, (or actually responsible for) them, but manage to come good in the end. That is a formula that can really work - just ask Marty McFly, or Indiana Jones. Here, I'd argue it is pretty successful, and the reason is the same as in those case - fundamentally, it is just fun to be around the characters. We like spending time with them, whatever they're doing. The game knows this is its strength, and works with that. There's something I should probably state that has some bearing on my relationship with this game: I am a sucker for teams. (which is odd, considering how anti-social I am as a person!) I love Sports movies, I love heist movies - I love fiction where a team comes together to do a thing. I find pep-talks and team dynamics genuinely affecting - even in situations where others find them cheesy or cringe-worthy. Guardians of the Galaxy is 100% a game whose narrative theme is the power of friendship, and the power of teams - and so there is a certain extent to which I give leeway to the story. I am primed to like it, simply because I am a sucker for its thematic principles. That the characters are all good, and that their dynamics are fun to be around, and fun to tag along with as they stumble through their narrative is kind of all I need... but I do think the plot works well enough, even for those who aren't of the same persuasion! Most characters in Guardians walk something of a creative knife-edge. They almost all have the potential to be either one note, or insufferable in the wrong hands - but here each avoids that trap. The closest to grating is Rocket - he can be a little much sometimes - but even his overly caricatured New York cabbie, “I’m walkin’ here!” attitude is still effective and funny in some key moments. A lot of this success comes down to the voice acting, which is uniformly great in the game. Virtually every actor gives a good performance, imbuing their parts a lot of character, and - importantly - making the jokes hit well. Even the clunkers are saved at times by the voice cast. Particular props should be given to Jason Cavalier as Drax, who turns what could be a dull, one-note joke into a really likeable and funny character, (his delivery of the line "Ha! Congratulations Peter Quill! You will make a terrible father!" managed to get the biggest laugh I've had in a game this year)... ... and Emannuelle Lussier Martinez, who's fantastic performance as Mantis absolutely blows the tepid, dull version of that character featured in the lacklustre second Guardians film out of the water. Let's just state for the record - Mantis as a character was really done dirty by that film. Here though, she is easily the highlight of the entire game. The game plays into her psychic abilities, (Mantis is able to see the future, but is unable to distinguish between which version of reality she is seeing, and so is constantly both the most, and least knowledgeable person in any situation!) That makes her both difficult to write, and to plot around effectively. It makes her even more difficult to portray. She is one character that could easily have been insufferable, but is given exactly the right balance of confusion, detachment, omniscient wonder and sensory-overloaded hyperlexia to become a really strange, compelling and charmingly odd character, whose presence elevates every scene she is in. The game itself is, mechanically, pretty simple - even by the already streamlined mechanical standard of the big, splashy "Triple A" linear titles that are its peers. While all the visual and narrative hallmarks point to a similar design to something like God of War 2018, or Uncharted, the game really does focus primarily on two element of those games above all others - narrative, and spectacle. this is not necessarily a detrimental negative on its face - both God of War 2018 and Uncharted, I would argue, sell themselves on those two elements at their core - but the fact remains that both also have significant "B-Cores" backing up that spectacle. In the case of Uncharted, there are puzzle elements, which while never approaching the level of a true puzzle game, are engaging enough to have weight. In the case of God of War, the combat, while never overly technical, does have some nuance to it. Guardians, on the other hand, doesn't really. There are no real puzzle elements to the game, and so aside from the (genuinely good) story, and the fun, very likeable characters and camaraderie, all it really has is combat. Lots and LOTS of combat. If only it were interesting. While the game is rife with combat encounters, these are remarkably - almost impressively - one-note. Star Lord has his gun, and over the course of the game will unlock various elemental modes for them, but really, use of these boils down so simply "match the symbol". Each enemy has a weakness, which is shown floating above their heads. Use that element, and they go down a little quicker. Throughout combat, the other four members of the team will fight independently, doing modest damage to the swarms of enemies, with their "special" moves reserved for Star Lord (i.e. the player) to determine when to use. These, unlike regular attacks, are absurdly powerful, but operate on a timer cool-down. The general flow of battle, therefore, becomes simply a case of slowly chipping away at enemies, while waiting for cool-down timers to allow the next devastating special to be unleashed. There's an odd element to this set up - it feels like it was designed to make the game lean into the thematic elements of the game, i.e. the importance of teamwork, and of working together and having one another's backs... however, because the teammates fight on their own, and will simply "warp in" when called on for their specials, (or to use one of the conveniently abundant environmental combat objects they can use,) it actually has the opposite effect. There is no feeling of being a team, and in fact, each other member simply feels like a tool to be exploited. There is no real requirement to fight together, and every reason to simply avoid combat until the next cool-down meter is filled. As a result, the general combat (which makes up over half the game time,) works in direct opposition to the narrative, which makes up the remainder. There is one element of combat where the narrative themes shine through however - the morale speeches. After a certain amount of "momentum" is built up (through successful attacks), Star Lord is able to call his team to a "huddle". These are something of a flight of fancy (they seem to take place in a fugue state, with the enemies presumably waiting patiently outside!) where the team members will comment broadly on what is happening in the fight, and the player given a choice of two possible responses - one of which is a situationally appropriate morale boost, and one of which isn't. If chosen correctly, the team morale is boosted, all characters receive a health and damage boost... but more importantly, one of the games (many) licensed music tracks will replace the general combat score. It may be a small thing, but these are genuinely fun moments, and because the song is random, they can either be delightfully cheesy and satisfying (if, for example, Holding out for a Hero by Bonnie Tyler or White Wedding by Billy Idol is randomly selected,) or comically dissonant and funny (if, for example, Bobby McFarrin's Don't Worry, Be Happy, or Never Gonna Give You Up by Rick Astley cues in!) Those moments aside though, the combat in the game looks good, and is never completely unsatisfying or terribly dull - the issue is there is simply far too much of it for as little variety as it has. Speaking of visuals - they more than live up to the Triple A nature of the game. The Guardians universe is a lively, fun, colourful one, and the game does a great job of working within that template with their art design. Character designs are highly detailed, emotive and fun, and the game does a good job of both designing new characters to work within the world, and with established characters, making them recognisably themselves, but with some distinct, signature flavour. The weakest among them is arguably Star Lord himself, who's look is a little close to a Sims 4 character, and a little "over-animated" given that he has to bear some mild emotional scenes, but aside from him, the designs are very good across the board. Locations are fun and varied, often gloriously bizarre, and attention to detail is impressive - there isn't huge scope within the linear game for exploration, but in the few areas where it is possible (the spaceport Knowhere, for example,) the art really gets to stretch its legs, and meets the challenge well. From a technical point of view, of course, Guardians in on the higher end of console games - I'm not sure it quite matches the pinnacles of the likes of Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart, but it comes very close. The bright and colourful universe really lends itself to HDR too - I do think Guardians has the most vivid and best use of HDR I have personally seen on console - the whole game pops off the screen and really compliments the vibrancy of the universe it is set in. Audio is mixed - in terms of music, the original score is decent at best, and generally just serviceable, however, the licensed 80s soundtrack (a staple of the Guardians universe,) is well chosen, varied, fun and silly, and used well within the game. A lot of its music cues are played for comedy, and like the writing, some hit and some miss, but the misses are inoffensive, and the hits pretty good. The big audio draw here though, is, as said earlier, the voice acting, and that is what is most likely to be remembered. Overall, Guardians is exactly the kind of game it should be, given the films that facilitated its existence - fun, silly, watchable and likeable, if never quite as mechanically varied as it could have been. Yes, the story is a little dull in its overall plot beats, and yes, it is over-reliant on a combat model that isn't even close to capable of handling the absurd screen time it is given, however, even at it's lowest points, Guardians of the Galaxy is still enjoyable popcorn fare... and its high points are far higher - and more numerous - than one might expect. The characters and the interplay are well crafted and well drawn, keeping the player engaged even when the mechanics drop the ball, and the voice cast do a sterling job delivering on that. While that might not make for the most replayable (or sequel-friendly) game, it does make for a fun, frivolous good time. The Ranking: Guardians is a great looking game, and one where story is key, but the gameplay lets it down a little and doesn't really live up to it's potential. As such, those elements were key in finding the floor and ceiling for the ranking. In terms of narrative games with amazing visuals, Detroit: Become Human came to mind. I actually think that for all that I found Guardians character interplay more fun and well done, the actual broad narrative of Detroit is better - plus it has the benefit that the gameplay is actually good for what it aims for. It is limited, but that is the intent. It didn't feel lacking, whereas Guardians did. As such, I think Detroit has to rank higher, and provides a ceiling. Another game with amazing visuals (for the time,) but whose gameplay potential is squandered a little is Hitman: Absolution. While I'd argue the mechanics of that game are more enjoyable than Guardians (and certainly more varied,) there is more potential squandered in Hitman as a franchise - obviously. I mean, a Hitman entry has squatted on the top spot of this list for almost a year now - and it doesn't feel like it's going anywhere in a hurry. Hitman as a franchise has the capacity to be among the best games EVER... so Absolution really had to fluff that potential in a major way to rank so low. I think Guardians has to rank above it for that reason. Recently ranked Resident Evil 5 falls between those two, and I think that game - for the reasons already discussed - must rank higher than Guardians too - it is less well written, but much more fun mechanically, and has the co-op going for it. Another David Cage game is a little lower though - Heavy Rain - and that game doesn't have nearly the narrative Detroit does, and Guardians, frankly, stomps all over it. Looking at what's left above Heavy Rain, there's Mafia II and Mini Ninjas, both of which I think Guardians fun, silly romp outpaces, but I hesitate to place it any higher. The next game is Jazzpunk, and while a technically inferior game, I still have to consider that Guardians biggest draw is the comedic elements of its story... and Jazzpunk is still by far the funnier game. I'd 100% rather play Jazzpunk again than replay Guardians... ...and so Guardians finds its spot! Stray Summary: A 2022 narrative Adventure / Puzzle hybrid from small developer BlueTwelve and published by premier purveyor of quality Indie fare Annapurna, Stray is arguably one of the smallest games ever to reach the heights of bonafide gaming phenomenon status! After its reveal and initial showing over two years prior as one of a handful of games included in visual showcases of future PS5 games, "That cat game" managed to secure a place in "most anticipated" lists the world over. The reasons are obvious - we, as a culture, are, frankly, obsessed with cats. Just ask the internet. As a people, we agree on nothing. We differ on politics, we differ on movies, we differ on book and TV shows and celebrities, and virtually everything else. We can't even reach a consensus on whether pineapple belongs on a pizza... ...but we all seem to love seeing a cute cat do a thing! Rampant anticipation, of course, can be a petard, as well as a benefit. One need only recall the debacles of Cyberpunk 2077, or, (more applicably,) indie game No Man's Sky, to see how quickly rabid public anticipation of a game can sour when the game fails to live up to those expectations. For a game as small, crafted and intimate as Stray, the chance of it being overwhelmed and crushed by the weight of the expectation was not an inconsiderable danger. (I do wonder, in fact, what the final consensus will be on the game, once the dust settles. While anyone who reads on will quickly learn that I very much liked the game - it is a game in my particular wheelhouse. The sheer number of people playing it currently does dwarf the numbers I traditionally see for games of this ilk though, and so whether it connects with all of them remains to be seen.) Qualitatively though, Stray inarguably lives up to the level of hype it - for better or worse - acquired. The player takes the role of a stray cat - living a seemingly rather idyllic life with his feline friends, in a dilapidated, overgrown and dried-out water canal system. The place is clearly run down from a human point of view, but free, bright, and perfect for the feline inhabitants, who live their days exploring under the clear blue sky. When, on one of these explorations, the Stray jumps to a broken pipe, and falls down a drainage ditch, he finds himself in a dank, dark alley. Exploring, he soon finds himself lost in a strange, alien city, under a dark, starless sky. The City, populated only by robots playing out some feeble approximation of a human existence, know nothing of the outside, and consider the very notion of a blue sky to be the stuff of myth and legend... but when Stray stumbles upon a chirpy drone robot named B-12, the two set out to cross the dark city, and find the fabled outside once more. The narrative is a very good one here. There is a remarkable amount of story and environmental lore in the game, considering the "critical path" playthrough can be fairly short. Told over ten chapters, the narrative is fairly tight, but there is ample scope in many areas to investigate beyond that critical path by talking with different NPC robots (via B-12's handy translator,) or by simple exploring the spaces and drinking in the details, and this is almost always rewarding and worthwhile. The storytelling can feel at times a little bit over-reliant on a principal contrivance: that the cat would understand complex human concepts, if only the language barrier were removed... however, the world of Stray is not aiming for realism, but rather magical realism. This is not a realistic world, but rather one more akin to Studio Ghibli, or Wes Anderson's stop-motion films, and within that context, that contrivance feels right at home. It still retains enough emotional connection to the player that when the game chooses to weaponises it - particularly at the end - it is very effective. The game functions generally in the realm of light social commentary - the robot inhabitants of the city life a facsimile of human existence, and while this is used (as in much sci-fi) as a way to shine a light on real-world issues (class and caste systems, the futility of struggle vs. the blessing and tyranny of hope, the pathos of aimlessness or purposelessness,) these concerns are generally treated fairly broadly, and with a light touch. There are poignant moments for sure, but more often these are purely emotional in nature. Unlike something like Nier Automata, which uses some of the same "machine-as-human-facsimile" notions, but does so with a more cerebral nature, dissecting specific human philosophies or cultural eccentricities to show divisions in human types, Stray is more interested in broad, universal elements of the human condition - hope, fear, inertia, listlessness, anguish. Stray is a game that really leans into the concept of environmental storytelling. Detail in the environments - particularly the attention to detail in some of the dilapidation and ruin of the broken city - is extremely good - not just for an indie game, but for any game. Frankly, it is on a level I have not really encountered since The Last of Us Part II. Obviously Stray is a smaller game, and with a more heightened tone, however, that can almost be a distraction from the really impressive art on show. This is an instance where fantastic artwork is almost overshadowed by cool, interesting art design - not because one is stronger than the other, but simply because one is more obvious than the other. The design of the robots and the technological anomalies of the city are genuinely interesting - they would warrant mention even without the level of fine detailing in the environmental design - but because of that, it can almost pull attention away from what is a really incredible level of finesse in the background environmental details. In Stray, the world is a human proportioned one, yet seeing it from the perspective of a cat really makes it feel like a whole different world. The player is forced to constantly think twice about what is accessible or isn't, or what is a barrier, or what is a passageway, as their human understanding of the landscape is not applicable to little Stray. In fact, the environment design of the game really shows how limited some other games are when showing "alien" landscapes or locations when the player is playing as a human. Often when a player is exploring a ship / building /location that is narratively supposed to belong to an alien race of beings, the designers still tend to "default" back to one-to-one correlations to human proportioned or familiar elements. Doors are human-sized, walkways still have barriers, steps are designed for the human player to navigate, despite there being no narrative reason why this would be the case. It is a convention so common, that as gamers we have been conditioned not to notice it. Stray, however, specifically and deliberately shows the player a familiar "human" world... ...but then asks that they think about the space on new terms, to review what is actually possible, not for them, but for the feline protagonist they control. The world is designed to make narrative and stylistic sense for the primary occupants of it, not necessarily the player playing it. As such, the player is forced to really consider their path from a new, unusual angle, and a lot of the puzzle solving is essentially predicated on the players ability to adapt a surface level understanding of a space to one custom to the avatar they inhabit. Mechanically, the game functions relatively simply. Actual puzzles and platforming are pretty basic - in fact, all gameplay elements are, though not detrimentally so. There are sections of the game that dip lightly into various different genres - platforming, stealth, puzzle, action, exploration, and even light RPG or Adventure game mechanics - however, the game tends to favour retaining its own unique style and overlaying these elements on top of that, rather than contorting its core design to accommodate them. Because Stray is a game that very much favours quality over quantity in terms of its pacing and mechanics (something I appreciate) and tends to feature single, well implemented uses of a mechanic, rather than over-egging the pudding with full "sections" of one style or another, (which I also appreciate!) the player is never really made consciously aware of the changing mechanical dynamics. While the puzzle-solving Adventure game mechanics involved in acquiring a cassette tape, to then distract a shop-keeper long enough to acquire a stolen jacket are a long way removed from an action chase sequence through the sewers with Zurks (enemy blobs) on Stray's tail, or an RPG-style "collection of items for an NPC" section, it still all feels cohesively "one thing". The game manages to contain elements of many genres, without feeling like it is bogged down in - or inelegantly stitching together - any of them. The music is wonderfully odd - the soundtrack is a strange mix of electronic, atmospheric and oddly cartoonish and cheery - and it works both as a unique audio signature, and as a mood setter. The game flips between genuine emotional beats, where the music "plays it straight", and sections where the music seems to actively work as a contrast to the setting - but that dissonance never feels like an accident. In fact, the oddly cheery or plucky music in areas of extreme dilapidation and seeming hopelessness is actually something of a mood setting element in itself. Because Stray is a "fish out of water" in the City, and his spirit has not been crushed by the oppressive darkness and malaise that the robotic inhabitants have bene living in - and because this world is not one designed for him - the oddly dissonant musical tones feel somehow more appropriate than straight emotional ones would. When Stray himself is sad, the music follows suit, but when he is simply navigating a world that is sad around him, but he himself is indifferent or unbroken by it, the music is more upbeat. It follows the path set by the protagonists understanding of the world - not the players. Sound and foley work is excellent too - the robots speak in a kind of buzzing, half-broken early Macintosh style (befitting their design, which also seems inspired by the Apple Macintosh,) and the sounds of object clinking and clattering as Stray pushes past them or knocks them over (which happens a lot!) are satisfying and well implemented. The fact that there is a "meow" button mapped is a curious and fun little thing - its virtually impossible not to keep meowing at the world as you play, and there are quite a few different sound samples mixed in to make Stray himself feel more natural, and less robotic. Overall, Stray is a great game - a short, sweet gameplay experience that works on a gameplay and mechanical level, and tells a genuinely affecting story within a unique, interesting and compelling world. It's not a game likely to take any player longer than 10-odd hours to platinum, and there is nothing particularly challenging in it, but it's a game that leaves its mark, and will likely remain alive in their memories for a long time afterwards. The Ranking: So.... Stray should be a complex one to rank, one might think - I could have along discussion about its place as compared to other indie games in its wheelhouse like Little Nightmares, or Limbo etc... ...but that would be something of a waste of time, since when thinking about recent excellent smaller indie games I've played, it suddenly became very easy to narrow the field! I think Stray isn't quite able to outdo The Artful Escape, but is able to outpace Telling Lies... ...and since those two are right beside each other on the current ranking, Stray found its spot almost instantly! Backbone Summary: A pixel-art Narrative Detective Adventure with a sci-fi, dystopian slant, Backbone, from Eggnut Games, takes the basic staples of old detective Adventure games like Gabriel Knight, but adds a modern slant, in the vein of latter-day Telltale - minimising the mechanical and puzzle elements, and instead focussing on atmospheric storytelling and branching dialogue. The narrative is a curious one to say the least. It begins as pure, hardboiled detective noire - and is pretty on point... more so than most games which dabble in the genre manage. The game is unusually - almost oppressively - bleak: in setting, in tone, and in plot. While the City Backbone takes place in is populated by anthropomorphised animals, this is a far cry from Chicory or even Night in the Woods. This a a grimy, seedy world, populated by down-and-outs, have-nots, and those simply scraping by. Drugs, prostitution and crime are rampant, and the city operates on an extreme caste system, with Apes as the elite ruling class who live in the opulence of obscene wealth and power, iron boot on the face of the proletariat. The noire overtones are closer here, in fact, to the abject hopeless noire of 1984 or Bladerunner than the somewhat sanitised versions of Raymond Chandler more traditionally seen in videogames. In fact, both 1984 and Bladerunner are interesting as parallels for another reason too - because they are ostensibly Sci-Fi noire. Backbone takes from that specific strain of the genre far more than one might initially expect. Without going into spoilers, the game actually takes a fairly sharp turn in its second half, where the more hard-boiled detective elements give way to a pure dystopian sci-fi angle... one that can feel jarring, (deliberately so,) though admittedly, never quite feels as absurd as it might, simply because the dour, sombre tone of the whole game is measured and retained effectively throughout the genre bait-n-switch. That bait-n-switch is a very unusual thing in games - and truth be told, Backbone does something with its narrative left-turn and mechanical gameplay shift that has been seen in other games more as a reflection of troubled design, or mishandled deadline management, where games feel like they abandon one genre in favour of another simply as a band-aid. However, I am confident that here, the turn is absolutely planned and executed as intended - and worked for me. While I was initially turned off by the game's abandonment of its initial mechanics - and apparent direction, in favour of a new one - the more I progressed, the more it came to feel like a fluid, deliberate design, used to effectively wrong-foot the player, in a mirror of the protagonists situation. The game goes further than that even, doing something pretty wild in terms of narrative towards the end - (I guess this is a very mild spoiler, though I won't give any specifics) - in true noire style, the main protagonist - Howard Lotor - is revealed to not only not be the linchpin of the narrative, but in fact, to have simply been a small cog in a very large narrative machine. The portion of the broad story to which he was privy, is also the only part of it we as players are really privy to. We see only a little more than he does, and so the narrative feels very much like it "goes on" beyond the game. Personally, I loved this idea, it found it both fitting for the noire style, and bold as a narrative device... but the fact remains - it has the potential to leave no small portion of the audience unsatisfied - particularly after the narrative already took a hard left turn from detective noire to sci-fi noire at the mid point. Mechanically, Backbone is very simple. There are a few very slight puzzles, and several "stealth" sections (that are, frankly, so insignificant and simple as to border on superfluous,) however, that isn't the draw here. What is, is the dialogue and the narrative. The actual conversations and dialogue trees are varied, and genuinely interesting. There is no hard "Paragon / Renegade" dichotomy in play - Howard can be many shades of himself, but rarely is he in a position to be fully one or another, and the dialogue does feel more flowing as a result. This is noire - it's not exactly "natural" dialogue (I'd contest that none of the dialogue in the Maltese Falcon, or The Big Sleep, or Chinatown is "naturalistic" either,) however, it does feel freeform enough to give the player agency, yet genre appropriate enough to have the ring of truth. While the broad narrative does not change significantly depending on conversational choices, the individual conversations certainly do. In terms of fitting into the grimy noire-fiction genre, it hits the nail squarely on the head, but without feeling like a pastiche of the genre. Howard Lotor doesn't feel like Sam Spade, or Jake Gittes, or Phillip Marlowe because he is doing an impression of them - in fact, his dialogue is fairly distinctly different from that filmic archetype - but he does feel like them within the game fiction, simply because the plot, pacing and themes of those noire anti-heroes and their worlds are well transposed. Howard is not good in a fight. He takes more punishment than he gives. He is street-smart, but not a genius. His personal life is messy, but not a mess. His apartment and office is a mess, but not a sty. He is realistically noire, without being a caricature of noire. In fact, were he not a bipedal racoon in a raincoat, I might be tempted to describe him as one of the most realistic noire protagonists I've seen in a videogame. Backbone is, it must be said, an unusual game, in the sense that it feel mechanically thin, (it undoubtedly is,) but it's hard to really hold that against it, because the areas in which it really shines, are also the areas with the least mechanical involvement. It feels good to put together the clues of the case in the early part of the game - but really, this is fairly guided. There isn't an LA Noire style potential for failure - or an Outer Wilds style potential to miss elements - the broad structure of the case will be known to the player by the time the game ends, even if they fluff every single dialogue, and look like a prize idiot in every conversation - however, how much they really understand of the world around the case - of the reasons - often come down to how they conducted themselves. Who they spoke to. How they spoke to them. What they learned, or what lines of enquiry they focussed on. As such, the short puzzles, or minor stealth elements are presumably made so simple purposefully. Backbone isn't a game where failing a stealth section or being stuck on a puzzle would be in any way fun, and so they exist simply as narrative device - to show the tools of Howard's trade to the player, rather than to actively challenge them. Actually, some of the games best moments of atmosphere and storytelling - where it really comes together perfectly - are often in sections where the only mechanical involvement is in holding right and walking... and so the odd lack of depth in the occasional stealth / puzzle elements don't feel particularly detrimental. In terms of audio - there is little in the way of sound effects, and no spoken dialogue... but the score is - and I don't say this lightly - the best element in the game. It is wonderful. A strange mix of traditional brooding jazz tones and noire themes, with occasional shifts to (very evocative) vocal tracks, or more modern, slightly electronic elements, and it works perfectly in every instance. Visually too, the game is top-notch. It is, of course, pixel-art, so there is no real technical prowess on show, but some of the ways little technical flourishes are used on top of the pixel-art are subtle, but really effective. Raindrops on the camera, or water in the environment, or lighting effects and interesting parallax scrolling techniques really make the environments pop. Character design is good for sure - creating a rabbit one feels genuinely sorry for, or a racoon that is visibly suffering drug withdrawal is tough, and is done well - but city and environments are where Backbone really shines. They are very evocative, and while little is really seen of the broader city, the few locations there are all feel distinct, yet part of a grand whole, and do a fantastic job of evoking the run down bleakness or obscene opulence of the different locations. There is one genuine downside to the game, however, that I really didn't appreciate, but must be mentioned here: The Trophies. The Trophies in Backbone... are a bit of a mess. The game itself functions perfectly well - I experienced no glitches or technical issues on that end, however, the trophies seem particularly prone to issues. This is problematic, in the sense that so many of them require specific playthroughs, and have multiple, not-always-clear requirements. When coupled with the tendency for trophies to fail to unlock due to issues with save files, that is a recipe for frustration - and I required a full 5 or 6 playthroughs to unlock the platinum. The game is short (around 2-3 hours,) and conversations in it are quite interesting and relatively variable based on dialogue choices, that is still stretched far beyond the game's ability to sustain. Unfortunately, that makes this a rough one in terms of recommendations to others, particularly on this site - I think Backbone is a really interesting, genuinely good game... but for the trophy hungry, and the completionist among us, they should know that the road to the platinum will likely contain some real annoyance at times. Overall, Backbone is a smart, interesting and very engaging mystery, which keeps the player involved throughout and keeps ahead of them with plot twists that feel genuinely interesting, narratively bold, and both original, and within the genre to which it belongs. It is a great example of pixel-art as evocative art-style, and features stellar music... and while the trophies do make it a little rough as a recommend, I'd still advise anyone with a taste for noire to check it out. The Ranking: My initial expectations with Backbone were that it would by synonymous with games like White Night or Uncanny Valley, and it was in that area I honestly expected it to rank, but really, the narrative, tone and quality of the game elevates it quite a bit above those games. Actually, in terms of noire or noire-adjacent games, the one that provides the most useful comparison is Heavy Rain... and it's not as a ceiling, but rather a floor. Backbone is the smaller, less technical game by a country mile, but it is undeniably the better narrative, tone, music and writing, has the more engaging characters, and while Heavy Rain was a technical marvel, I actually think Backbone has it beat on visuals too - owing to the fantastic pixel-art design of the environments. A little way above Heavy Rain, lies Stories Untold. That game isn't noire exactly - it's closer to horror, but certainly calling it "horror-noire" wouldn't be false. It's a game closer to Backbone in scope and length, and likely in budget too - but I do think Stories Untold has the edge. Backbone wins on music and probably writing, but Stories Untold has the visuals, and the variety... and it doesn't have the unfortunate technical and design issues the trophies add to the mix. That puts Backbone somewhere between - but I have genuine trouble imagining it landing lower than Shady Part of Me, which was a smart and clever puzzle game, but never hooked me the same way Backbone did. I think the game right above Shady Part of Me - Lost in Random - does enough to probably beat Backbone out though... ...and so Backbone finds its spot! So there we have it folks! Thanks to @grayhammmer for putting in a request! Hitman 3 remains as 'Current Most Awesome Game'! LA Cops stays as the worst-of-the-worst, with the title of 'Least Awesome Game' What games will be coming along next time to challenge for the top spot... or the bottom rung? That's up to randomness, me.... and YOU! Remember: SPECIAL NOTE If there are any specific games anyone wants to see get ranked sooner rather than later - drop a message, and I'll mark them for 'Priority Ranking'! The only stipulation is that they must be on my profile, at 100% (S-Rank).... and aren't already on the Rankings! Catch y'all later my Scientific Brothers and Sisters! 13 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kingofbattle8174 Posted August 5, 2022 Share Posted August 5, 2022 Just for you, since you are a sucker for them. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YaManSmevz Posted August 6, 2022 Share Posted August 6, 2022 1 hour ago, DrBloodmoney said: NEW SCIENTIFIC RESULTS ARE IN! Woohoo!! 1 hour ago, DrBloodmoney said: Matterfall Okay, okay! Funny you mentioned Super Time Force Ultra, that was the first thing I thought of when you mentioned the concept of revenge kills. I guess it applies to any game where you're in a hurry, you're just like "do I need to kill them? I'd really rather just dodge and be on my way." Might be out of my wheelhouse but I'll have a watch at least, I'm definitely intrigued! 1 hour ago, DrBloodmoney said: Resident Evil 5 Very nice! Also as someone who played this largely solo, I have to agree that the AI was perfectly fine, the experience was still a good time, and haters gonna hate. I actually ended up liking it a lot more than expected! Loved the Rocky and David Bowie references, loved the QTEs getting the slapping around they deserve, and an interesting point about Jill - I like her role in the DLCs but I'm yet to play the Res 3 Remake.. maybe that should be moved up the list! 1 hour ago, DrBloodmoney said: Stray Annapurna has been impressing the hell out of me, truth be told... maybe once the hoopla dies down a bit I'll try this one out. It's always nice to see hype being lived up to, especially for smaller developers! Though pineapple absolutely does not belong on pizza #sorrynotsorry. 1 hour ago, DrBloodmoney said: Backbone Maybe the most interesting of the bunch. I surely could use a dose of faithful noir in my gaming life, and yours is an opinion I absolutely trust when it comes to that sort of thing (well gaming in general really, but you know what I mean). A shame about the trophy list, but if the game is good enough, fuck it, eh? 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrBloodmoney Posted August 6, 2022 Author Share Posted August 6, 2022 7 hours ago, YaManSmevz said: Okay, okay! Funny you mentioned Super Time Force Ultra, that was the first thing I thought of when you mentioned the concept of revenge kills. I guess it applies to any game where you're in a hurry, you're just like "do I need to kill them? I'd really rather just dodge and be on my way." Might be out of my wheelhouse but I'll have a watch at least, I'm definitely intrigued! If nothing else, worth it to check out the music! 7 hours ago, YaManSmevz said: Very nice! Also as someone who played this largely solo, I have to agree that the AI was perfectly fine, the experience was still a good time, and haters gonna hate. I actually ended up liking it a lot more than expected! Loved the Rocky and David Bowie references, loved the QTEs getting the slapping around they deserve, and an interesting point about Jill - I like her role in the DLCs but I'm yet to play the Res 3 Remake.. maybe that should be moved up the list! Ooooohhh - do it. I admit, I didn't play the original RE3, so I'm not primed for the main complaint people had about it (that it cut out some stuff in the remake)... but I really thought it was a great game... and I genuinely think that character performance / writing made Jill the instant best character in the series! 7 hours ago, YaManSmevz said: Annapurna has been impressing the hell out of me, truth be told... maybe once the hoopla dies down a bit I'll try this one out. It's always nice to see hype being lived up to, especially for smaller developers! Though pineapple absolutely does not belong on pizza #sorrynotsorry. Yeah - it's nice when something has sky high expectations.... and actually meets them... it seems to so often go the other way! But also... HOW DARE YOU?!1! Pineapple on a pizza is ?? ? 7 hours ago, YaManSmevz said: Maybe the most interesting of the bunch. I surely could use a dose of faithful noir in my gaming life, and yours is an opinion I absolutely trust when it comes to that sort of thing (well gaming in general really, but you know what I mean). A shame about the trophy list, but if the game is good enough, fuck it, eh? Oh, it's something... if you've ever liked a noire film, I reckon there's enough here to satisfy... just strap in and prepare for some nonsense towards the end of that platinum! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YaManSmevz Posted August 6, 2022 Share Posted August 6, 2022 35 minutes ago, DrBloodmoney said: But also... HOW DARE YOU?!1! Pineapple on a pizza is I guess we were due to disagree on something. And you know what that means... From what I understand, the Res 3 remake is relatively quick too! I absolutely loved the remake for 2, perhaps I'm looking at a no-brainer! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aceterix Posted August 6, 2022 Share Posted August 6, 2022 I often forget anything i want to comment whilst catching up on this checklist, so perhaps I should say, great idea, great checklist and marvellous reviews in case I have never said it. The point in this instance I am attempting to remember to say is thank you for putting backbone in my eyeline, sounds great and something a bit different I will be purchasing asap. Keep sciencing, any pace is progress. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrBloodmoney Posted August 6, 2022 Author Share Posted August 6, 2022 59 minutes ago, Aceterix said: I often forget anything i want to comment whilst catching up on this checklist, so perhaps I should say, great idea, great checklist and marvellous reviews in case I have never said it. The point in this instance I am attempting to remember to say is thank you for putting backbone in my eyeline, sounds great and something a bit different I will be purchasing asap. Keep sciencing, any pace is progress. Thank you man - I appreciate that! And on Backbone - that’s great! I’m always happy to get an underplayed game on someone’s radar - that’s the best outcome I can think of with this thread! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Copanele Posted August 7, 2022 Share Posted August 7, 2022 On 8/6/2022 at 1:51 AM, DrBloodmoney said: Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy I've actually been eyeing this game for a while. Did not buy it due to commitment to other games, but it's on my radar for sure! Glad to see it lives up to expectations (well..except combat) but hey, if a game can go "Never gonna give you up!" while fighting monsters and aliens, I am sold On 8/6/2022 at 1:51 AM, DrBloodmoney said: Stray After its reveal and initial showing over two years prior as one of a handful of games included in visual showcases of future PS5 games, "That cat game" managed to secure a place in "most anticipated" lists the world over. The reasons are obvious - we, as a culture, are, frankly, obsessed with cats. Just ask the internet. As a people, we agree on nothing. We differ on politics, we differ on movies, we differ on book and TV shows and celebrities, and virtually everything else. We can't even reach a consensus on whether pineapple belongs on a pizza... ...but we all seem to love seeing a cute cat do a thing! I am so glad this game was successful and YES this game is beloved because CAT! Another game that I have to try, interested in that Mein Leben Cat trophy too, it really caused some ...unrest on the forum . Ok I think this time I have some requests, if that's still up Since this is a lazy Sunday, I had a sneak peek in your list and...I would love a review of Alice Madness Returns. Truth be told, that would be a double review because that list also contains the original game American McGee's Alice. Curious what you thought about them! P.S. Speaking of Pineapple on pizza...that's not even the final form. This is: 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrBloodmoney Posted August 7, 2022 Author Share Posted August 7, 2022 5 hours ago, Copanele said: I've actually been eyeing this game for a while. Did not buy it due to commitment to other games, but it's on my radar for sure! Glad to see it lives up to expectations (well..except combat) but hey, if a game can go "Never gonna give you up!" while fighting monsters and aliens, I am sold Yeah - definitely one of those games where it’s not exactly interesting mechanically… but it keeps things moving with everything else, and you’re done with the platinum before you really get a chance to get annoyed by it’s shortcomings! I reckon it’s a lock for being well liked if you dug those Guardians movies - the tone is right, and the characters are fun… and that’s plenty for a big silly Triple A in this genre! Quote I am so glad this game was successful and YES this game is beloved because CAT! Another game that I have to try, interested in that Mein Leben Cat trophy too, it really caused some ...unrest on the forum . Dude - I’m not one for calling out other people’s trophy gripes as whining - but seriously… there is NOTHING THERE! I’ve never seen so much fuss over such a nothing trophy. It’s bizarre. If I hadn’t seen that thread, I would literally have no idea which trophy people even meant if someone had said “the difficult one”. It took me 3 tries - I’ve had walking sims take more attempts ? I honestly haven’t seen such an odd case of “The Emperor has No Clothes” on this site since Death Mode in Sound Shapes - half the community calling it brutal and unfair… and the other half just being like “which one? Wha?” ? Quote Ok I think this time I have some requests, if that's still up Since this is a lazy Sunday, I had a sneak peek in your list and...I would love a review of Alice Madness Returns. Truth be told, that would be a double review because that list also contains the original game American McGee's Alice. Curious what you thought about them! Added to the Priority list with your name! Quote P.S. Speaking of Pineapple on pizza...that's not even the final form. This is: OMG - Truly the fruitiest of perversions! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aceterix Posted August 10, 2022 Share Posted August 10, 2022 Can I ask you to review something that isn't yet on your completed item's as a way of making sure it is on your radar? It may well already be in your backlog but I couldn't see it on your profile. My memory of us I need to hear musings from someone with your prose, it's not a 10/10 but it is very interesting, it has the vocal talents of Patrick Stewart and has a slightly whimsical (but deliberate) take on some events from WW2... playing it made me think of the many reviews of yours I have read, including some quite niche ones along the lines of similar topics (through the darkest of times review was forefront of my mind, but also this war of mine and your appreciation for it (and I'm afraid I can't remember a review but tonally it's also similar to valiant hearts)). Please tell me to delete this if my subversion is unwelcome in this rarified checklist completion turf. No sweat! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrBloodmoney Posted August 10, 2022 Author Share Posted August 10, 2022 1 minute ago, Aceterix said: Can I ask you to review something that isn't yet on your completed item's as a way of making sure it is on your radar? It may well already be in your backlog but I couldn't see it on your profile. My memory of us I need to hear musings from someone with your prose, it's not a 10/10 but it is very interesting, it has the vocal talents of Patrick Stewart and has a slightly whimsical (but deliberate) take on some events from WW2... playing it made me think of the many reviews of yours I have read, including some quite niche ones along the lines of similar topics (through the darkest of times review was forefront of my mind, but also this war of mine and your appreciation for it (and I'm afraid I can't remember a review but tonally it's also similar to valiant hearts)). Please tell me to delete this if my subversion is unwelcome in this rarified checklist completion turf. No sweat! Appreciate the kind words mate - and yes, I do actually own My Memory of Us! (Looking at my recommendations list - seems it was courtesy of an existing review by my friend @YaManSmevz !) (That's not always a guarantee I'll get to something, as my backlog is enough to make a grown man weep.... however, I'm fairly confident in saying this one will get done, as it has moved into the top end of my list, in that I've actually downloaded it to my console... and it's fairly rare that I do that, and don't get around to a game eventually, as I don't like deleting something I haven't played!) I won't give a guarantee, as I never like to tempt fate, by presupposing I'll S-Rank a game, and I don't like to review anything I haven't fully beaten... but I think this one looks a pretty safe bet that i'll see it through to the finish! 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aceterix Posted August 10, 2022 Share Posted August 10, 2022 9 minutes ago, DrBloodmoney said: Appreciate the kind words mate - and yes, I do actually own My Memory of Us! (Looking at my recommendations list - seems it was courtesy of an existing review by my friend @YaManSmevz !) (That's not always a guarantee I'll get to something, as my backlog is enough to make a grown man weep.... however, I'm fairly confident in saying this one will get done, as it has moved into the top end of my list, in that I've actually downloaded it to my console... and it's fairly rare that I do that, and don't get around to a game eventually, as I don't like deleting something I haven't played!) I won't give a guarantee, as I never like to tempt fate, by presupposing I'll S-Rank a game, and I don't like to review anything I haven't fully beaten... but I think this one looks a pretty safe bet that i'll see it through to the finish! Wahoo, noted that you haven't entered into a contract with me to review it, but if and when it does happen I look forward to enjoying it. In the meantime I will see if I can find Yourmansmevz checklist and see if they have posted a review. So thank you for that direction also! 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YaManSmevz Posted August 10, 2022 Share Posted August 10, 2022 4 hours ago, DrBloodmoney said: Appreciate the kind words mate - and yes, I do actually own My Memory of Us! (Looking at my recommendations list - seems it was courtesy of an existing review by my friend @YaManSmevz !) Ayyy thanks for the shout, homie! 4 hours ago, Aceterix said: Can I ask you to review something that isn't yet on your completed item's as a way of making sure it is on your radar? It may well already be in your backlog but I couldn't see it on your profile. My memory of us That makes two of us, I'd love to hear his thoughts on that one as well? In case you're curious, there's no need for you to search around, I have a link right here! 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrBloodmoney Posted August 20, 2022 Author Share Posted August 20, 2022 !!SCIENCE UPDATE!! The next (somewhat) randomly selected games to be submitted for scientific analysis shall be: Legacy Alice: The Madness Returns (feat. special guest star - American McGee's Alice!) New My Friend Pedro RiffTrax: The Game Untitled Goose Game Subject(s) in RED marked for PRIORITY ASSIGNEMENT [Care of @Copanele ] (Note - Only 4 games this time for ranking... but that's because @Copanele's request for Alice: The Madness Returns includes its prequel as part of it's trophy list on Playstation.... and therefore must be considered too! As such, I'll be taking a (admittedly, somewhat welcome!) break from the Resident Evil franchise this batch, and will get to @grayhammmer's final request next time!) Can 'Current Most Awesome' game, Hitman 3, continue its glorious reign? Is gaming vomit LA Cops ever going to lose the title of 'Least Awesome Game'? Let's find out, Science Chums! 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post DrBloodmoney Posted August 20, 2022 Author Popular Post Share Posted August 20, 2022 NEW SCIENTIFIC RESULTS ARE IN! Hello Science-Buttercups and Science-Wesleys, as promised (and in some cases requested), here are the latest results of our great scientific endeavour! + Alice: The Madness Returns ☢️☢️SCIENTIFIC NOTE☢️☢️ Alice: The Madness Returns on PS3 includes not only the game itself, but a full version of its progenitor, the original American McGee's Alice. While that game is ostensibly included as a bonus feature, it does have a rudimentary trophy list associated with it, separated as a DLC, and therefore has to be considered a part of the game, given my self-imposed requirement for S-Ranking all ranked games. I am not going to treat them as two separate entities for ranking, as playing one without the other is impossible on Playstation - but I will talk a little about American McGee's Alice, before diving into Alice: The Madness Returns. Summary: The original American McGee's Alice, released in 2000, and created by industry veteran American McGee (of Wolfenstein, Doom, Hexen and Quake lineage,) is something of an anomaly of a game. There are a quite a number of games from the period that have stood the test of time on the merits of their gameplay, even as advances in technical visuals and graphics have all but nullified them on those artistic fronts - but American McGee's Alice is an odd - and much rarer - case, where the opposite is actually true. Gameplay-wise, American McGee's Alice was never incredible, and frankly, those elements have aged even more poorly than most games of that era... ...however, because so much of its original appeal came not from the gameplay, but from the tone, style, artistic direction and artistic design, rather than any technical merits, it is a game that manages to remain rather playable, even in 2022, on those bases. Even back in 2000, the game was compensating for less than exceptional gameplay, with more than exceptional art design and tone, and - those elements being virtually immune to the decay of time - it remains in roughly the same boat it always was. Gameplay-wise, yes, it feels even more antiquated than ever... but that only means the elements that were most important then, are simply more obviously important now. The narrative is really very good. The titular Alice, of Lewis Carroll's creation, is the protagonist - a girl who's imagination and psyche is the creationist catalyst for the magically realised world of Wonderland, into which she can venture. The game is partially a retelling of Lewis Carroll's stories - it supposes, I believe, that at a minimum, his first two novels have already happened in some capacity, (though to what extent Alice believes their events to be real, or simply dreams is not made explicitly clear) - however the real meat of the narrative of the game is not in continuation of Carroll's work, but in re-contextualisation of it. McGee takes the core premise Carroll created, and posits a rather dark, "What If" scenario. In McGee's game, Alice has suffered an unspeakable tragedy. A house fire kills her parents, and scars her, both emotionally and physically, seeing her life turned upside-down, and her confined to an asylum in Dickensian London, where she languishes, catatonic. Since Wonderland - her dreamland escape - is entirely a construct of her own psychological makeup, the game concerns itself with that idea... if Alice is psychologically scarred and broken - pushed to the brink of genuine madness, as opposed to simple flights of youthful fancy - what might happen to a land borne entirely out of it? As a premise, it really works - American McGee's Alice's delving into the corrupted Wonderland, to battle through (and ultimately defeat) her own madness - is interesting, and, at the time, the aesthetic was pretty unique in 3D games. Certainly the specific style of delirium-based otherworldliness Carroll revelled in has always had a strong influence on other media (Tim Burton was doing Alice, long before he actually did Alice!) however, in 2000, going directly back to the original well was fairly unique - particularly given the indie scene was still nascent. The design of the game, (while rudimentary by modern standards,) was excellent, and the macabre reworking of a well known classic was really something quite special. Even back in 2000 though, American McGee's Alice suffered for its technical elements. It was one of a spate of games around that time to experiment with creating 3rd Person games using engines primarily developed for 1st Person games (in this case, id Tech 3 - or "The Quake Engine",) and the results were not always perfect. American McGee's Alice controlled fairly poorly, with a skittish, finicky wobble to her movements, and an unwanted slipperiness to her contact with her surroundings. Combat was clunky and imprecise at times, and the interplay between the player, the weapons and the enemies veering often into awkward and unwieldy territory. Camera control was a particularly irksome affair - seeing the player consistently struggle to maintain useful visuals when performing often precision-requiring platforming. There are good ideas in some of the gameplay itself - there is reasonable, if not astounding, variety in the technical game design, (to accompany genuinely good variety in the artistic design,) - and some of the light puzzle elements are fun in their implementation... ... but it cannot be denied that the gameplay shortcoming do get in the way of those good ideas. Those mechanical elements make playing the original American McGee's Alice, in 2022, a somewhat tough ask, particularly for the new player, unburdened by nostalgia. Early 3D platforming games have aged perhaps the poorest of any genre in video game history - far, far worse than their older, 2D counterparts, and far worse than their 1st Person shooter cousins - and American McGee's Alice could be argued to be even more in the firing line than most, as it wasn't the most technically sound game to begin with. However, there is one element that American McGee's Alice has, that cannot be tarnished - its visual design. Even in 2022, as the technical side of the id Tech 3 engine looks more and more antiquated, I still believe one would have to search long and hard to find a more interesting, visually distinct or artistically imaginative game using it than American McGee's Alice. Wonderland's design looks fantastic, even now. The land is one of chessboards, checker-patterns, playing cars, dice, spires and clockwork mechanisms and household objects given life and unusual purpose, and with the macabre slant McGee adds to them with the darker tone, the game really stands out. The levels tend to exist within ghostly, otherworldly voids - thus saving the game designers the trouble of rendering deep background elements or vast landscapes... however, given the nature of the game narratively - that Wonderland is in chaos, falling into madness as Alice herself does, and a manifestation of her own catatonia, this tends to feel appropriate, rather than the shortcut it might seem elsewhere. A happy accident perhaps, or clever narrative design around technical limitations... but either way, the fact remains that the decision to do this favours the game, rather than hindering it. I will also note, the "macabre fairytale" aesthetic American McGee's Alice revels in, and in many ways pioneered in the 3D video-game space is not as unique in 2022 as it was in 2000. Indeed, there have been many examples of that visual style created in games since (Lost in Random, for example, is a recent game very clearly inspired by McGee's work) - however, in the 3D space, there is a real argument that American McGee's Alice was one of the first... and certainly one of the most prominent. Alice herself is a cool take on the character - both prim and proper, yet dark and oddly accepting of the nightmarish elements of the world she finds herself in, and oddly, (somewhat frighteningly,) adept at navigating whims of the grim cast of characters. The takes on these creations of Carroll's, from the Cheshire Cat, to the White Rabbit, to Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum, to the Jabberwocky, are smart, interesting and well drawn - adhering both to the outline Carroll created, and the new, darker, macabre tone of the game. Tonally, the game is, in fact, able to navigate from whimsical fairy-tale, to gothic horror, to psychedelic phantasmagoria, to otherworldly, dark dreamscape all within a coherent, fluid and well balanced narrative and without ever really feeling like it is taking hard swings one way or the other. Audio is good for the era. Voice work is good - not necessarily outstanding across the board, but appropriately creepy and fairytale-esque, and Alice's rather stern, yet oddly plucky tone in the performance by Susie Brann is key to keeping the whole game feeling magically buoyant in the face of the grimness of some of the less savoury elements. Indeed, the character of Alice, and the vocal performance in particular, is how the game is able to serve up so many elements that veer close to horror, without ever feeling like it veers beyond creepy, and into scary. The score, (by Chris Vrenna, of Nine Inch Nails and Marilyn Manson fame,) is phenomenally good - an evocative, varied and curious amalgam of orchestral and choral instrumentation with electronica and rock signatures, and it remains one of the most recognisable and genuinely filmic original scores of any game of the era. In fact, I believe that the soundtrack to American McGee's Alice may well be the oldest game score that I regularly listen to divorced form the game itself. Overall, while the original American McGee's Alice is likely (on Playstation, at least,) to be played only by the more completionist minded (either trophy-wise, or franchise-wise,) as a prelude to playing its sequel, it remains a game who's strongest elements shine brightly. Yes, the mechanical gameplay can be rough, or even sorely lacking in parts, but those were never the elements that cemented its place in history. The narrative, tone, art design and music of the game did - and those elements remain impactful today. Summary: Released over a decade after the original American McGee's Alice, Alice: The Madness Returns - from American McGee's Shanghai-based (and gloriously named) Spicy Horse - picks up the thread of his dark, twisted take on Lewis Carroll's creation, this time with a modern (at the time) engine, a bigger, (though still relatively modest,) budget, and a furious adherence to the originality and tonal distinction that made the first game as revelatory as it was. Taking place a year after Alice's release form the Asylum of the first game, Alice, now 19 years old, resides at an orphanage in Victorian London, under the care of a psychiatrist - Dr. Bumby. His specialty - using hypnosis to suppress negative memories is apparently helping Alice to cope with her loss - though she still suffers from "hallucinations" about Wonderland. During one such trip to Wonderland, the restored land is plowed through by the demonic Infernal Train - a chaotic, evil locomotive, which destroys all in its path, and leaves in its wake The Ruin, a force that corrupts Wonderland. When her old friend-come-mentor-come-NPC-Guide, the Cheshire Cat, confirms this corruption - unlike most elements of Wonderland - stems not from Alice herself, but some outside force she is set on a path to discover who - and how - such corruption might be infecting the land that is a manifestation of her own psyche. The narrative of Alice: The Madness Returns takes tonal cues to the original American McGee's Alice, however, the actual method of narrative is a little more complex here. While the bulk of the game still takes place in the newly corrupted Wonderland, this time, there are significant playable section set in the "real world" of 1875 London, and Alice's investigation into the evil Train and The Ruin incorporates investigative elements in both realities. While I will not delve into spoilers, Alice: The Madness Returns does do an excellent job of feeling like a narrative continuation of the story of the original game, while still standing on its own as a yarn. It incorporates elements of the original game, and both fleshes out, explains and delves deeper into the key elements of that original game's narrative, (the house fire, Alice's part in the tragedy, her connection to Wonderland etc.) without feeling like it is actively ret-conning or treading on its toes. It manages to craft a genuinely interesting - and at times, horrifying, and even sickening - tale of magical, fairy-tale evil as a mirror of, and window into, real-world, pedestrian evil, and does it with a tone that allows the player as much leeway as possible to ignore, or scrutinise, the true horrors it evokes. Tonally, Alice: The Madness Returns is clearly working to an established set of parameters, however, the simply advancements of technology, the greater emphasis on dialogue and narrative interplay to tell a story that the 2011 landscape allowed (and expected,) and the more back-and-forth nature of the story between real life and fantasy, means that tone can feel considerably darker here than it ever did in American McGee's Alice. Fundamentally, American McGee's take on the Alice in Wonderland fiction (in both games) essentially flips the original intent of Lewis Carroll's world on its head. Carroll told a story of a child dealing with her first notions of adult issues via whimsical fantasy, and did so as a way to allow his primary audience (children themselves) to do the same vicariously. McGee's take does the opposite. Knowing his audience is primarily adults, he uses the childish, fantastical elements that they are already familiar with as a way to address the darker, more unspoken or taboo elements of adulthood - the areas difficult to deal with in any capacity - and by re-injecting childhood fantasy into a very adult world, his road to Wonderland becomes darker by nature, before any design or visual work has even taken place. A child viewing adulthood through childish flights of fancy is whimsical. An adult viewing traumas of adulthood through childish fantasy is macabre and nightmarish. Both allow complexity to be broken down and personified in a detached, and therefore digestible manner, but where the former is light by nature, the latter is as dark as the imagination of its audience... ...and videogame-savvy adults are a dark bunch at the best of times! As a mechanical game, Alice: The Madness Returns is a significant step up from American McGee's Alice. Some of this is technical in nature of course - where the original game suffered quite considerably for having its 3rd Person gameplay built in an engine designed from the ground up with 1st Person gaming in mind, Alice: The Madness Returns is built in an engine far more suited to its needs. Alice moves much more fluidly, her animations are much more elaborate and solid feeling, and the slippery, imprecise feeling of combat and platforming are gone here. Technical aspects are not the only improvement, however. The game is far more varied in gameplay than its forbearer was. There is a lot of variety across the game, and it's paced well - while individual levels are on the long side, the plot moves a a relative clip, remains pretty interesting throughout, and the gameplay switches up often enough to never feel fatigued. Gameplay flits between action heavy levels within Wonderland itself - where it is primarily a 3D combat platformer, and one with a very loose, free control scheme, featuring floating and high jumping, as well as not simply a double... but a triple jump, making navigating and exploring the visually varied and distinct levels fun... (when the game allows... more on that later!), and less action, more narrative-heavy, (even Walking Sim / Adventure Game adjacent,) sections, in Dickensian London. It is also punctuated, at times with other genres though: side-scrolling platforming levels, some scrolling arcade-shooter, Galaga-style levels, and even some single screen, almost Artifex Mundi style puzzles round out the gameplay. Combat remains a relatively simple affair - there isn't any attempt here to ape real technical games like DMC or Bayonetta, or even God of War, however, there is variety in the form of different weapons, enemies and the hits feel impactful, fun, and good play is certainly rewarded over button mashing... even if button mashing will take a player pretty far on most difficulty levels. It is a slight disappointment that the increased robustness of the engine and resulting increase in combat fidelity is not really afforded a corresponding increase in mechanical complexity of the combat - generally, the move set and combat encounters feel like an extension of those in American McGee's Alice, and therefore somewhat antiquated in the gaming landscape of 2011 - however, what variety there is is at least visually interesting, and while not necessarily a strong arrow in the games quiver, it doesn't feel detrimental per se - more just a missed opportunity. Puzzles also remain fairly simple - they generally take the form of the simple "pull the lever" variety - never challenging as puzzles themselves, but serve as ways to give a structure to the platforming and fighting, and to guard the pace of movement through the visually spectacular levels. That leads us to the strongest element of the game - the same elements that was strongest in its progenitor: the artistic design. The design work in Alice: The Madness Returns is fantastic. The art design in environments, characters and objects in the world is imaginative, interesting and manages to marry all the core elements of the game - the Victorian Era, Alice's real-life, Lewis Carroll's creations (both the novels, and the sketchbook pictures that accompanied them in their illustrated versions,) and the darker, Tim Burton-esque dreamscape side perfectly. There is a huge amount of effort that has clearly gone into crafting the various areas of the gothic, slightly steam-punk take on Wonderland, and it pays off - each level and area is distinct and interesting, with its own signature hook and style, and the creatures and characters who reside in them are wonderfully strange and unusual. There was, truth be told, clearly the same ethos driving the creation of the original American McGee's Alice, but as well as it worked then, the limitations of the times and the engine did hamper it a little. Here, no such anchors exist in terms of raw design freedom, and the game makes full use of that freedom. Cut scenes, rendered in a sketchbook style (most evocative of the Lewis Carroll book illustrations,) are a lovely touch, and the varying styles of different areas of Wonderland are lent further variation in the 2D, even more stylised areas. The London sections look great too - it is still a highly stylised version of course, closer to Terry Gilliam than to true reality - but its colour palate, (far more muted,) and almost nightmare-noire quality are as tonally specific as the narrative itself. The technical visual aspects are a little murkier, however. Alice: The Madness Returns significantly outdoes the technical visual elements of the original, obviously, though truth be told, it is no graphical powerhouse on the technical side, even for its era. It is fine, but never much more than that with a fair bit of texture pop-in, rough geometry... and visible cracks in the illusion of the world, in the form of some of the most egregiously un-disguised invisible walls ever included in a game designed with exploration in mind. Even the unique and interesting visual design elements are somewhat impacted by this as often as they compensate for it. The entire basis of this kind of "fantastical otherworldliness," is to invite the player to explore it, and that goes hand-in-hand with the nature of 3rd Person platformers. More so than any other genre, the player is actively encouraged to explore every nook and cranny of levels (there are, after all, copious collectibles littered throughout virtually every example of this genre - including this one - to further hammer this idea home) - and so it is the genre most directly damaged by the presence of artificial blockades, or a lack of care in the design of levels to hide the seams. The last game I reviewed that I recall being particularly plagued by these false level-edges or "visibly-accessible but materially-inaccessible" areas was Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart. It was a problem in that game for sure, but really, that game stood as such out only in comparison to its predecessors who were not similarly burdened. It was problematic when viewed within its native franchise. Unfortunately, Alice: The Madness Returns, stands out as one of the worse examples of this issue genre-wide. Because of the nature of the game (wherein, for example, Alice can shrink to a very small version of herself to access some specific areas,) the levels really should have been more carefully designed, to hide the "edges". They aren't. The focus is clearly on visuals, and not mechanical gameplay, and as such, there are myriad points throughout the game where level geometry is visible, but arbitrary feeling invisible walls block Alice form accessing them. That is, of course, part and parcel of game design - the world is finite, and the player cannot go everywhere... but if those walls are not disguised well enough, and the player finds themselves constantly encountering invisible walls, it tends to discourage the very exploration the rest of the game is encouraging. Audio, thankfully, is not similarly burdened. Voice work - which there is significantly more of here than in the original American McGee's Alice - is very good. Susie Brann returns as Alice, bringing her trademark "slightly school-matron, slightly unhinged-teen" performance with her, and it once again serves the game very well. Most performances are very good, and all concerned clearly understand the dark fairytale tone they are working within, and deliver on it. The Score, this time primarily by Marshall Crutcher and Jason Tai is perhaps not quite on the level of the original game by Chris Vrenna, but they are working within the soundscape he created, and do a good job of aping the style with new themes. (Chris Vrenna does actually provide one track on the OST, and so was clearly involved in some capacity.) Even not quite hitting the absurdly high bar Vrenna set back in 2000 is a pretty tough ask, and while I don't find myself listening to the Alice: The Madness Returns divorced from the game, I still enjoyed it thoroughly in context. Overall, Alice: The Madness Returns is a worthy, if not revelatory sequel. It continues the narrative very well, expands on the gameplay to a reasonable degree, and certainly lives up to the fine artistic and tonal high-bar its predecessor set. It is a game devoted to the traditions of its forbearer - for good and ill. The elements that were the high-watermark of American McGee's Alice are built upon, and become the high-watermark of Alice: The Madness Returns also, and the areas in which American McGee's Alice was lacking, it improves, but not necessarily enough to really change the qualitative dynamic. The combat is better, but still inferior to the game that houses it and the mechanical design is more varied, but still subject to some of the same issues, albeit less cripplingly so. American McGee's Alice was a game that stood the test of time narratively and artistically, even as its mechanical failings magnified. Alice: The Madness Returns is a game that, looking back from the vantage point of 2022, has largely done the same... ...but in both cases, the good aspects are enough to carry the less good ones. The Ranking: Ranking both American McGee's Alice, and Alice: The Madness Returns does present something of an issue, given that the two games are of wildly different eras (and therefore expectations,) however, as the reviews show, the fundamental positives and negatives of the two games are actually oddly similar, despite the decade of time between their releases. Given that the "true" game being ranked is Alice: The Madness Returns, with American McGee's Alice as the bonus, however, does give it some advantage. Essentially, it is a 2011 game, benefitting form all the positive improvements Alice: The Madness Returns made to the formula, and the inclusion of the original game can only really be considered a benefit on it's good elements, and less of a detriment on it's less than good ones. With that in mind, I'm looking at the PS2/PS3 era, and at character or narrative driven action games for comparison. Hitman: Blood Money is a game that has certainly aged a little poorly, and who's (excellent) elements keep it alive in 2022, but require a fair amount of leeway to be given to the more antiquated elements to properly appreciate. That's certainly true of Alice: The Madness Returns too, and so a comparison feels correct. Alice: The Madness Returns would certainly win on artistic design, and I think, despite the excellent score of Blood Money, Alice: The Madness Returns would still beat it on that front too, as well as on narrative and tone... however, Hitman: Blood Money still holds up mechanically in a way aspects of American McGee's Alice certainly doesn't, and even Alice: The Madness Returns sometimes fails to. I think the fundamental gameplay, divorced form narrative, is much more interesting and variable in Blood Money, however, and it becomes difficult, even with Alice's good points, to justify it falling above it as a result. Looking at the game just below Hitman: Blood Money though, we have the current highest ranked of the Sands of Time quadrilogy - Prince of Persia: The Two Thrones. I think that game is very good, however, in a match-up with Alice: The Madness Returns, it does show some weakness. The Two Thrones would take it on platforming and core gameplay mechanics, however, it loses on, narrative and variety to some degree, and on music and artistic design by a fairly wide margin. Once the inclusion of the original American McGee's Alice is thrown into the mix, adding longevity, length, and strengthening the music, narrative and art-design side, it becomes virtually impossible for Alice: The Madness Returns to rank lower than it. With no games in between, that cements Alice: The Madness Returns' spot! My Friend Pedro Summary: A fast-paced arcade shoot-em-up and debut game from Swedish developer DeadToast, My Friend Pedro came to Nintendo Switch and Xbox One in 2019, with a port to PS4 following in 2020. Taking the role of an unnamed, amnesiac protagonist, the player wakes in a butcher shop, with little context for his surrounding... aside from those given to him by Pedro - a floating, sentient banana. Pedro provides the player with their instructions throughout the bizarre, hyper-violent, and tongue-firmly-in-cheek proceeding... namely, who to kill, and where to go to kill them. Across 40-odd levels, comprising 5 distinct areas, the player must shoot, parkour, flip, spin and destroy their way through a litany of guards and enforcers, in pursuit of several criminal big-bads, to put them in the ground. The narrative of My Friend Pedro is silly and throwaway - by design. The world in which it takes place is a heightened, silly one - a crime-riddled, dilapidated and drug-induced-sci-fi-psychedelic near-future, that plays off the same desensitised-to-violence dystopian vibes of Robocop or Demolition Man. It is never really given much in the way of context or fleshing-out - indeed, the mere fact that the player character is very clearly out-of-his-mind (did I mention the talking, floating banana?) is really the most concrete and clearly defined aspect of the narrative...and given that that is true, the lack of true context to everything else is largely acceptable. DeadToast clearly understand that in a game like My Friend Pedro, the narrative is by far the least important element, and really don't lean into it. That isn't something particularly negative - I certainly didn't feel the lack of narrative investment to be a big detriment to the game - however, I do think that a game simply not requiring a great narrative to work is necessarily a reason not to have one. A game that is likely to be referenced several times in this review is Hotline Miami. That is for gameplay reasons primarily, but it's worth noting that Hotline Miami is also a game that does not require a functional, deep narrative to work, but benefits quite a bit from managing to have one anyways. It is actually rather well fleshed out, as little screen time as it has, and does so without it ever drawing from the more important shooty-smashy-bloody elements. Mechanics are where My Friend Pedro places all its bets, however, and so mechanics should be the main area of concern. In terms of gameplay, My Friend Pedro operates somewhere between Hotline Miami, Guacamelee, and Little Big Planet... and if you can spot the odd-man-out in that trio, then you can also, unfortunately, spot where the game's biggest weakness lies. Levels are in a 2D plane, and take the form of jumping / light-puzzle platformer, but actual shooting is done via-twin-stick aiming, run-n-gun-style. The player (and the enemies) are relatively fragile - taking only a few shots to dispatch - and the pace of action in the game is furious. The player is extremely nimble, able to roll, wall-jump, dive, shoot and spin their way around at high speed, however, enemies are also very fast, and remarkably good shots too. The game would, therefore, be virtually impossible to play, were it not for the game's primary mechanics - time slowdown. At any point, with a click of the L3 stick, the player can slow time to a crawl. This does not speed the player up relative to the enemies or the level - the player slows down to an equal degree - however, what it does do, is allow the player fine control over multiple inputs in an incredibly short time envelope. They will not be able to, for example, outrun a bullet, however, they will be able to activate their dodge manoeuvre with the precision required to avoid one... even while also picking which enemy to fire at, which wall to jump on, which torso to kick, and which frying pan to ricochet off in order to maintain their ever-depleting combo score multiplier. That score multiplier is the key to the game's longevity, difficulty, and skill ceiling. Unlike Hotline Miami, My Friend Pedro is not a difficult game at all, if the aim is simply to complete it and see credits. Indeed, simply seeing each level through, without attempting to set a high-score or reach the coveted, (and Platinum Trophy required,) S-Rank is a very simple task. Levels are heavily check-pointed, and the player is (on most difficulty levels) given a generous health regeneration mechanic. However, where it gets closer in spirit to Hotline Miami, is in that simply seeing the game through to completion is merely the stage setting for the bulk of the game's challenge - getting the scores required for S-Rank in each level. Each type of kill, or each fancy manoeuvre the player is able to pull off involving a kill, is worth varying levels of points, and each kill/ shot that hits a target also refills a continually depleting combo meter. In order to achieve the scores required for the coveted S-Ranks, the player needs to not only be as stylish as they can in the ways the dispatch the enemies in a level, but also to move through in a flowing, rhythmic way that allows for continual refilling of the combo meter, (and avoids incoming fire, which markedly deletes it.) It's a familiar system, (incredibly so for Hotline Miami veterans,) and the slowdown mechanics and chaotic, freeform platforming does lend it an interesting edge. Certainly, it is a system that - when working well, and the player is performing well - can look stylish as hell... ...however, it is not necessarily the best implementation it could have been, for a number of reasons: Firstly, the controls. The actual platforming control the player has in My Friend Pedro is remarkably loose. There is a floaty imprecision to the movement of the character (hence the Little Big Planet reference,) that works rather well for the game when in the middle of a chaotic firefight or bouncing around a level without a high-score or combo in mind. However, when attempting to maintain tight combos in difficult areas - where the difference between success and failure can come down to making a specific wall-jump with millisecond precision - it can often be a source of real frustration. The twin-stick controls of the game do not allow for the d-pad to be used as an alternate to the left stick, and this tends to exacerbate the issue, as the throw on the sticks are not conducive to precision movement. Secondly, there is the shooting. Shooting in My Friend Pedro is not a precise science - it is an art. Aiming is by way of a rough "snap-to-target" style, and it works well for the most part, however, there is an element of randomness to the individual bullets. Because the player with often be firing in slow motion, while simultaneously leaping / spinning / bouncing around the level, the approach to shooting is more of a "spray in the general direction" than a "pick your target" affair. That is fun, for sure, however, the S Rank requirements rarely seem to take account of this element. In the majority of levels, there will be one or two specific, distinct "pinch-points". Sections where getting from one section to the next while maintaining a combo requires a very careful, systematic approach and a very specific order enemies must be dispatched in. Often, the difference between success and failure in these already fraught and tight sections can be the difference between a single bullet landing or not... and it can be crushingly disappointing and frustrating to do the full section perfectly, only for the combo to be dropped due to a bullet sailing wide through no fault of the player themselves. That frustration can magnify at a logarithmic level, when it happens multiple times in a row... and make no mistake: it will happen multiple times in a row! That is a problem in games like My Friend Pedro, which derive the majority of their lasting appeal from the pursuit of higher-scores. Hotline Miami is a difficult game, requiring extreme combos to achieve the required scores for the higher-end trophies, however, the controls are blisteringly tight and precise. As such, every failure feels like a lesson - and every player death leads to a greater understanding of what not to do in any situation. Even Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number, which suffered in many areas as compared to its prequel, and introduced a fair amount of "unfair" issues, (deaths from offscreen, for example,) still retained a tightness of control and shooting that meant even "unfair" deaths could be learned from. With My Friend Pedro, however, this isn't really the case. Dropping a combo, or failing isn't necessarily an always an issue with the player's own input. The very same method or route through a section that fails once, may succeed another, and as such, it is more difficult to discern, upon said failure, if the player is genuinely at fault, or simply was unlucky. This makes the process of engineering a good run more frustrating, as each failure must be repeated many times, before it can be truly ruled out as a solution, rather than simply a victim of randomness. This leads to the third issue with the combo system - the scoring. While arguably the most unique, most fun hook in My Friend Pedro is the freeform ability to kill in a variety of skilful, visually stunning parkour ways, and points are do vary based on variety and intricacies of kills... the fact remains that very rarely is this really the deciding factor in achieving an S-Rank. The way the scoring is set up, it heavily favours combo retention, over combo finesse. While at the extreme high echelon of the scoring leaderboards for each level, the difference between scores will be impacted by the incorporation of more elaborate, fancy moves, at the level in which regular players operate, a basic long combo is rewarded with significantly more points than a shorter, more elaborate one. As such, many of the more impressive visual and mechanical elements of the game are rather side-lined in these runs - which (particularly to the trophy hungry) will likely be the bulk of their time with the game. All that being said though, the fact remains, that even with the myriad issued My Friend Pedro has in terms of tightness and the uneasy pairing of loose controls with tight scoring parameters... it remains incredibly fun to play. Levels are short, and the game moves with a speed that feels fantastic, and really contrasts well with the "bullet-time" mechanics. A good run feels great to pull off, (arguably even more so, given the randomising elements that must be overcome,) and the game looks and sounds great doing it. The levels are nice and varied in terms of mechanical design - some are simple affairs focussing on kills only, and those are the most fun. Some mix in puzzle platforming, which is enjoyable, if a little tough to manage in the S-Rank runs, and very occasionally there is a "pure" platforming level. these are where the game stumbles, for the reasons outlined already - the controls aren't there to back up the requirements... but these levels are few and far between. Visually, the game is good, but not great - the backgrounds and designs are relatively indistinct and rarely stand out, nor do the NPCs... though the player character himself is quite unique looking. The game does a good job of standing out more in terms of the visuals of the action itself. The player's pirouettes, jumps, and moves all look good, and while they can occasionally get awkward if too many inputs are made during a slow-motion sequence, resulting in an odd looking limb-spasm, they still hold up pretty well for the most part. The game is not the psychedelic eye-gasm players might expect from, say, Housemarque fare, but a good run is an impressive, cool looking thing to see, and some props must be given to DeadToast for managing to convey a lot of complicated information to the player at a very high speed, without making the whole game feel impenetrable. Audio is fairly sparse - there is no spoken dialogue, and only Star-Fox-style blippy-blippy-blips are used to punctuate the on screen text, but the score is good - thumping, drug-haze electronica and grinding synth-pop tracks accompany the action - and they compliment it well. To be honest, this soundtrack is actually better than good - under normal circumstances, I might call it great... but once again, My Friend Pedro suffers a little by its proximity to Hotline Miami. Because the game is playing in that same genre, the comparison is impossible not to make... and Hotline Miami had one of the best electronica soundtracks ever to grace a video-game, so My Friend Pedro tends to shrink a little by comparison! Overall, My Friend Pedro is a fun, silly, action-good time, and a game that cannot help but bring a smile, even as it occasionally infuriates. Its narrative is nothing of note, and it suffers a little when it gets into the higher echelons of its skill ceiling, due to less than precise controls, but does manage to remain admirably fun and playable, even though its most extreme instances of frustration. It is a game that certainly takes cues from Hotline Miami in many areas - and that's a tough thing to do. There is a risk involved in taking cues from, and in invoking, a game as good as Hotline Miami... Just ask LA Cops. Some of those risks do bite My Friend Pedro in the ass a little... but it still manages to be fun, silly, tricky and have its own signature style that evokes Hotline, but never feels entirely derivative or slavishly devoted to it. It's no Hotline Miami, for sure... but it's far closer to it than it is to LA Cops, and that alone makes it worthy of a players time. The Ranking: So, the obvious comparisons are already noted - namely Hotline Miami and its sequel, along with turgid also-ran LA Cops... however, those don't help much. Even the flawed Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number is ranked pretty high, and still outclasses My Friend Pedro by a relatively wide margin... and so saying it falls somewhere between that, and LA Cops - one of the worst products I've ever encountered - doesn't really narrow the field much! Instead, I started looking at smaller indie games that have a lot of cool stuff, but don't necessarily pull it together quite as effectively as they might... and the two that jumped out as floor and ceiling were DoubleFine's Headlander, and Gods Will Fall. In the case of Headlander, the game has some issues here and there, but I think the variety and visuals outmatch My Friend Pedro, the score is on par, and while it also has an irreverent narrative, I think it works better. As such, it provides a ceiling. Gods Will Fall is a game with more unique ideas, but it also is playing off a care design from elsewhere (in its case, Souls-Style games and Rogue-likes,) but I think its issues are more fundamental, and a bit more detrimental, than My Friend Pedro's. My Friend Pedro is the more fun game overall, so it has to rank higher. Looking at the small cadre of games in between, there isn't much direct comparison, so its gut-feel time, and on that simple "is it more awesome?" question, the answer is remarkably clear:My Friend Pedro is more awesome than Concrete Genie... but not quite as awesome as Hitman Go... ...and so it finds its spot! RiffTrax: The Game Summary: A party game developed by Wide Right Interactive, and working as something of a loose re-skin of their previously developed What The Dub? game, this time in collaboration with the RiffTrax people (formally of Mystery Science Theatre 3000 fame,) Rifftrax: The Game is a simple concept, made easy enough to use that even non-gamers can play, and with a core design that - like the best party card-games - is endlessly repeatable, and as variable as the players' own imaginations, and senses of humour. Casting players in the role of the riffing joke-misters, The game presents various 5-10 second clips from a pretty sizeable bank of weird and wacky movies / TV shows / Public Service broadcast and the likes - generally featuring a few existing lines - before silencing the audio and keeping the clip running. The players are then tasked with filling in the blank, with as funny a clip as they can think of. At the end of each round, the clip is replayed, with each player's riff inserted into the proceedings, and the players are given the opportunity, upon hearing all the variations, to vote on which they found most amusing, with the game keeping score. Mechanically, the game is very simple. Astoundingly so, in fact, considering players need not even understand how to use a controller. While the Duel-shock / Duel-sense is used to start a game, once in play, the controller can be set aside, as all players control their game simply via any browser-enabled device. A phone / an iPad, a laptop - if it can go to a website, then it can be a controller, and that allows for the typing-under-pressure aspect of writing a riff in time to function. There are two game modes contained within RiffTrax: The Game. In one - "Pick a Riff Mode" - a small selection of pre-made riffs are given to each player - out of context - and they must chose which feels the most appropriate / funny for the random clip. This version feels adjacent to the popular physical party card game Cards Against Humanity, in the sense that the game comes as much from figuring out which clip seems at least tangentially related, if not outright funny for the situation. There is certainly ample opportunity for the player to be left with absolutely no riffs that seem in any way apropos to the clip itself, which should, by rights, seem less than ideal, however, in a party setting, and where every other player is subject to the same whims of RNG, there is actually as much opportunity for hilarity in the form of complete abstractionism as there is for on-point joke-making. The other mode - "Write a Riff Mode" - (by far the better of the two, in my opinion,) allows players to write their own riffs, and they are translated via a text-to-speech program in the riff playback. This is the real meat of the game, and the reason for the game having genuine long-lasting, repeatable gameplay. The players are free to write anything they please into the game, and there is, therefore, ample scope for variation of tone within it. A group of friends who know each-other well will be able to crack jokes within the game that would make no sense to anyone outwith their circle - and that makes it feel tailored in a way few party games can - however, in any online game, universality is king. The best way to win a game, is not just to be funny, but to be funny in all time-zones! As said, I much prefer playing the "Write a Riff" Mode, though it does have some drawbacks in online. If playing an online game with people across the world, the game does a fine job translating actual text in its text-to-speech generator, but it is often very clear where it has correctly translated the words, but the humour has been lost. Comedy, of course, requires more than simple understanding, there is nuance and cadence involved, and so language issues can still rear their head. In some instances, in fact, even games where all players speak the same language can have some issues, as the text-to-speech synthesised voice is always read in a flat, dull cadence. Sometimes this is funnier, sometimes it isn't... though players who know each-other do tend to hear cadence anyway, as they add it in their own minds! The game does offer some additional punctuation too, in the form of a library of sound-effects that can be added to riffs, (the Wilhelm Scream, or Mortal Kombat "Game Over" are personal favourites!), as well as offering players who are truly stumped the opportunity to have the game "Riff for Them", with one of the pre-made riffs substituting. (Though, I have found that, because these pre-made riffs are in different voices, they are instantly recognisable as such, and rarely get any votes. Players tend to appreciate effort, even if it's not successful, more than falling back on the safety net!) "Chose a Riff" mode does have some distinct advantages - because all the pre-made riffs are by the 3 RiffTrax guys, there is a certain tone and cadence to the humour (familiar, of course, to any MST-3000 or RiffTrax fans) and because they do, there is a cross-language barrier aspect to them. It makes for a somewhat more level playing field, in the sense that everyone is choosing from the same scrabble-bag of pre-made jokes, and simply seeing who makes best use of the hand they are dealt... but there is limited longevity to the mode. Eventually, all pre-made riffs will be heard, and the cycle becomes less funny, and more mechanical in nature... ...and to be perfectly honest, the levelling of the play-field is not really important here. If anyone is playing RiffTrax: The Game just to win... they are kind of missing the point. The point, is to laugh... and not to care who wins! There's little to really say about the usual technical aspects with Rifftrax: The Game - visually... well... it's clips of terrible movies. So it looks... terrible? No, but really, what visual aspects the game needs are all there - the UI is a fun little riff on old VHS, and the pizza-box game-joining screen, where each player filling a room takes a slice is fun, clean and simple. The whole game is clearly designed to be as clean and simple as possible, allowing a whole room of non-gamers to easily understand the proceedings, and as long as a single person is present, who understands to basics of the PS4 / PS5 UI, they will not have any trouble explaining the concept to the others. Audio discussion is similarly moot here - the clips sound like the clips (so often awful!) but the background music in menus etc is fine, and tone appropriate. The vocals are good, and the text-to-speech works as intended. The game takes clear note of streaming / party atmosphere - if playing online, games can be dropped in and out of very easily... though there is a slight hindrance, in that if a player drops out, their avatar remains, taking up a slot, until the host actively "kicks" them. This does add a slight annoyance to the proceedings if playing long sessions (and can cause an issue, as any player "kicked" cannot rejoin,) however, it is manageable. The game also allows for more players to join than can actively riff - the maximum number of players in any game is 6, however, anyone who joins beyond that number will be able to see the riffs of those 6 players, and vote as an "audience member". There is also some head-nod to making games easier to start, in that a game with only 2 players (wherein voting would be moot,) is given an additional "AI" player, who's riffs are selected from the bank of pre-made ones, giving the game some variety to the voting, before any additional players join. Really, there isn't too much to say about Rifftrax: The Game other than this: It is simply good fun. If you like MST-3000 / RiffTrax - or, indeed, any of the litany of Bad Movie Podcasts out there (My personal favourite is How Did This Get Made?,) - or if you simply have a love for dumb comedy, silly movies, and want to have a fun time with friends (or online randoms) RiffTrax: The Game works well. It has more than enough fodder (with more being added in free updates,) and has plenty of opportunity for laughs. This is a game that won't be leaving my console, even after getting the platinum, and I can see it being cracked out whenever there are like-minded folks around! The Ranking: RiffTrax: The Game is a really hard one to rank - it's not a game reliant on visuals or audio - its core concept is all it really has, and there are virtually no party-games of that ilk on the list currently. Unfortunately, it's one of those games that is likely to be a victim of its genre - it's a great time, but entirely dependent on the players' input, and as a straight "video-game" it is very bare-bones. As such, it is likely to rank pretty low, but that should not necessarily reflect the enjoyment of it, as I really do recommend the game for the right group of people! That said, there probably isn't much to be gained from doing any real comparison with other games on the list, as those comparisons would be immaterial and worthless, given how little stock RiffTrax: The Game puts in the traditional game elements on which other games are judged. Instead, I'm just placing it where I feel it should go, based on how much I enjoy the game, and how good it can be when the right game gets going, and everyone is firing on all joke cylinders! That is... above interesting, smart but ultimately a little too short One Night Stand, but below incredibly difficult, brain-bending but visually indistinct puzzle game Cuboid. Untitled Goose Game Summary: A tongue-in-cheek combination of Puzzle Game, Sandbox, and modern Adventure Game, the amusingly titled Untitled Goose Game, from House House Studio sees the player take the role of the devil in anserine form, honking, flapping, and causing untold chaos in a small, idyllic English country village! Across a short campaign that comprises 4 main sandbox regions which fill out a large, contiguous space, the player in goose form must use their Goose abilities, (namely, stealing items, moving things, HONKing loudly, and flapping their wings,) to visit various dastardly deeds upon the hapless, unsuspecting denizens of the town. Each area features a small area to explore, along with a small selection of humans engaged in various clockwork tasks... and a list of nasty mischiefs that must be completed (with such hideous malfeasances as stealing a man's slippers, pulling a chair out from under an old man, smashing a prize vase, or scaring a child into a phone-box.) Each task is generally relatively simple in nature, however, some can be quite tricky to figure out how to achieve with the limited set of abilities the goose has. There is a challenge in puzzling out how each NPC will react to different actions, and so interacting with each element within the level, and exploring what chaos can be caused with each of them is both fun, and a necessary step in solving each of the checkbox tasks. In fact, while the game is wildly different in tone, there are genuine similarities to the current incarnation of Hitman, in some ways. (I know, I know - but seriously, hear me out!) Both games encourage stealth as a primary mechanic, yet facilitate "Going Loud" when things go sideways, both games spin significant comic hay from the chaos that can be visited upon hapless NPCs, both game operate on the basis of "checklist challenges"... really, there is more in common than one might think on the surface! Agent 47 is looking for a clean, silent way of killing a target, whereas the goose is looking for a way to force a boy to buy back his own model airplane from a woman's garage-sale... but the fundamentals are oddly similar. Explore, Observe, Tinker, Distract, and see how variations of NPC patterns can be manipulated to engineer the situation to the players advantage! Mechanically, the game is - if you will forgive the phrase - an odd duck. The actual controls of Untitled Goose Game are (I think, quite deliberately,) awkward - as, I would imagine, the human world likely is to navigate with only wings and a bill. In some ways, Untitled Goose Game actually operates somewhere in the vicinity of that style of game to which Surgeon Simulator, Octodad or I Am Bread belong - wherein dealing with purposefully obtuse or awkward controls in a physics-based environment is a fundamental element of the game, and of the challenge. The actual reactions of NPCs (most of whom will interfere if they see the goose doing something untoward... which is always!) will vary based on both RNG, and a loose "hierarchy of badness" (i.e. will stop dealing with one thing, if something more important comes up,) and so achieving certain tasks can become an oddly precarious balancing act of distracting them, setting up objectives, then manipulating them to react certain ways, in order to achieve the desired outcomes - all the while fighting the physics-based object movements with the peculiar, tank-control goose. This remains a merely academic and largely trivial element in upon first play-through, however, each area also features - beyond the defined objectives, both a list of secret objectives, (tied to trophies, and actually made explicit upon completion of the main campaign,) as well as a "speed challenge". These speed challenges are where the player is really tested on their ability to spin plates - each area's 7 objectives must be completed within a fairly strict time limit of 6 minutes, and doing so requires not only skilful control and dexterity, but also quick reflexes, and an analytical approach to the whole list. These times can only be achieved by dealing with multiple objectives simultaneously, and so require a "finessing" of an optimum route, and on-the-fly management of the random elements of the NPC behaviours. Visually, the game looks just fantastic. The whole game is highly stylised, with a pastel colour scheme, and a clean, cell-shaded aesthetic. It's an unusual looking game - cell shading is not hugely unique, however, Untitled Goose Game does it a little differently to most - there are no outer lines or edges to anything, nor is there lines of discerned detail within them, and any single shot of the game looks quite beautiful - as if created using cut-out coloured paper, without any pens or pencils. It's a look relatively familiar to anyone who played equally silly and fun indie nonsense-simulator Donut County, in fact - though I'd argue in Untitled Goose Game, that stylistic leaning is lent even more artistry, and looks even better. NPCs are simply drawn, however, they have enough detail to be instantly recognisable for the archetypes they represent, and the goos himself looks and moves very well. Visually, Untitled Goose Game is about as distinct from recently reviewed Stray as it is possible to get, yet those games share one thing in common - they are the only two games I have played, where the player controls an animal, and that animal really moves and feels like its real-life counterpart. Of particular note in the game is not only the visuals in game, but the UI - menus are fun and lovely to look at - the clean, unadorned aesthetic is maintained here too, and the whole game is really presented beautifully. There is no voice work in the game at all, except the HONKing of the eponymous goose (which is tied to a button press, and - like Stray - very difficult to not be constantly pressing!) however, the game does have some great audio in the form of its score. The whole game is scores with a calming, piano-jazz theme, which is both nice to listen to, and quite reactive - the music manages to swell and change in tone based on the actions of the player - and the level to which the NPCs are aware of him - without ever seeming to cut or change in style. I can only assume every part of the score was played in multiple versions, and the game dynamically switches them as required. Whether that is the case or not though, the effect is quite impressive. The one downside to the game is its length. Any way one slices Untitled Goose Game, it is notably short. Each individual area has a small selection of things to be messed with, and not every one is related to the checklist of chaos... but a good proportion are. There isn't an enormous amount of scope for further bad behaviour beyond what leads directly to game completion, and most objectives are only achievable one of a couple of ways, so replayability really comes down to personal enjoyment of the artistry of the game beyond the 4-6 hours it takes to complete the campaign, and master the speed-runs. There is a co-op mode, added as a patch after the fact, but this is just an additional player in the standard levels, fun for some sandbox silliness with a friend, but not offering much in the way of additional longevity. Overall though, despite its limited length and repeatability, Untitled Goose Game is an unusual, joyously silly romp that looks fantastic, sounds lovely, and offers some genuine laughs and some light puzzling fun for the entirety of its limited length. Like a Pixar version of GTA, it taps into the fun of player-generated chaos, but without any of the child-inappropriate elements, and is tongue-in-cheek and unusual enough in premise to stand out, even in a crowded indie scene. The Ranking: Looking at similarly small, yet visually nice games that rely on puzzles and goofy, fun tones, one game in particular jumped out as a comparison - The Touryst. The Touryst is, I think, the better of the two - it has more variety (and length) and while I like the visual design of Untitled Goose Game quite a bit, I do think The Touryst has it beat on that front, if not by a huge margin. The music of Untitled Goose Game and the UI elements are superior, and I think the tone it strikes is a little more consistent... but that's hard to hold against The Touryst, which uses changes in style and tone a a deliberate gameplay and stylistic mechanic. As such, The Touryst does retain its place - but Untitled Goose Game isn't too far behind it. A little lower on the current list is gorgeous indie platformer Hoa. That is a game who's visuals certainly outmatch Untitled Goose Game's (they outmatch a LOT of games!), however, on all the areas where Untitled Goose Game falters, Hoa falters more. Hoa is even shorter than Untitled Goose Game, it is even less repeatable, and it has an additional issue - Hoa is far too easy for the genre to which it belongs. Untitled Goose Game, while easier than a lot of game, does have legitimate challenge in its adventure game puzzling, and in its speed-runs. When the fact that Untitled Goose Game has co-op added to the mix, I think the visuals of Hoa can no longer keep it abreast, and Untitled Goose Game has to rank higher. Looking at the small collection of game between Hoa and The Touryst, I think there presents a rather clear placement for Untitled Goose Game. While I think Stick It to The Man would be eventually overshadowed by its future sibling Flipping Death, it remains an artistically interesting, genuinely funny and awesome little game, and I think does enough to outdo Untitled Goose Game. Just below it, however, is VR game Ghost Giant (oddly, also from Zoink Games.) Ghost Giant suffers for its short length, and lack of replayability too, but I think the actual meat of the game isn't as good as that of Untitled Goose Game. Untitled Goose Game also has Ghost Giant beat on visuals, and on music, and has co-op... and so pretty clearly outranks it. As such, Untitled Goose Game finds its spot of the list... ...HONK! So there we have it folks! Thanks to @Copanele for putting in a request! Hitman 3 remains as 'Current Most Awesome Game'! LA Cops stays as the worst-of-the-worst, with the title of 'Least Awesome Game' What games will be coming along next time to challenge for the top spot... or the bottom rung? That's up to randomness, me.... and YOU! Remember: SPECIAL NOTE If there are any specific games anyone wants to see get ranked sooner rather than later - drop a message, and I'll mark them for 'Priority Ranking'! The only stipulation is that they must be on my profile, at 100% (S-Rank).... and aren't already on the Rankings! Catch y'all later my Scientific Brothers and Sisters! 8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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