DrBloodmoney Posted June 17, 2021 Author Share Posted June 17, 2021 (edited) 11 minutes ago, GraniteSnake said: It’s been fun, your reviews are a joy to read. If the request-log isn’t too big, I’d like add another to it: What Remains of Edith Finch Absolutely mate - added with your name ? Quote It upsets me that you don’t have any MGS on your profile to review At least I can look forward to whenever you begin reviewing the Uncharted series, some real gems there Trust me... it's not anything close to how upset you would be if I did have MGS games eligible for review... ? I'm afraid there is one Metal Gear game I enjoyed - Metal Gear for the MSX... ...beyond that... I will simply say, diplomatically, that - I... can respect those game ? Uncharted is going to be a strange one, as, despite having all three mainline games double stacked, only the first game, the vita one and The Lost Legacy are eligible - damned Brutal mode and multiplayer DLC! Edited June 17, 2021 by DrBloodmoney 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glorious Fury Posted June 17, 2021 Share Posted June 17, 2021 It's been a great read so far, and your an exceptional writer to boot. Also, I picked up the Arkane Collection last week after meaning to buy it for ages. I already have a huge backlog to play, but think Dishonored/Prey will get bumped up the list somehow! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrBloodmoney Posted June 17, 2021 Author Share Posted June 17, 2021 21 minutes ago, GloriousFury9414 said: It's been a great read so far, and your an exceptional writer to boot. Also, I picked up the Arkane Collection last week after meaning to buy it for ages. I already have a huge backlog to play, but think Dishonored/Prey will get bumped up the list somehow! Awesome mate! I’ve seen that collection go on sale before, and man - that has to go down as one of the best deals in gaming history in my mind - thats some seriously top quality gaming right there! Hope you have as awesome a time as I did! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The_Kopite Posted June 17, 2021 Share Posted June 17, 2021 @DrBloodmoney It's been a great read so far and I'm sure that it will carry on being so! It's nice that your creation of this thread has led to some interesting reviews, some well reasoned and thoughtful discussions and for like minded people to chat about various game interests stemming from this setup. Certainly I have enjoyed chatting to @rjkclarke very much and you as well, and I'll bet others have and will have these same kind of experiences, so for that - Thank you! I'm only seeing one Resident Evil game and no Final Fantasy games in your top 25 here though, tut tut I thought this was supposed to be scientific!!! lol 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrBloodmoney Posted June 17, 2021 Author Share Posted June 17, 2021 (edited) 3 minutes ago, The_Kopite said: I'm only seeing one Resident Evil game and no Final Fantasy games in your top 25 here though, tut tut I thought this was supposed to be scientific!!! lol Haha, well, I never like to make pre-scientific judgements about "top X" for any game now - as the list is pretty fleshed out already, and a real tough set of cookies up at the top there, but, I can say this... While I believe my personal favourite (eligible to rank) RE game is already ranked, I know my favourite eligible Final Fantasy isn't yet... ? Edited June 17, 2021 by DrBloodmoney 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The_Kopite Posted June 17, 2021 Share Posted June 17, 2021 6 minutes ago, DrBloodmoney said: Haha, well, I never like to make pre-scientific judgements about "top X" for any game now - as the list is pretty fleshed out already, and a real tough set of cookies up at the top there, but, I can say this... While I believe my personal favourite (eligible to rank) RE game is already ranked, I know my favourite eligible Final Fantasy isn't yet... ? Haha well I'm looking forward to seeing where that places then! ? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Together_Comic Posted June 17, 2021 Share Posted June 17, 2021 (edited) 8 minutes ago, DrBloodmoney said: Haha, well, I never like to make pre-scientific judgements about "top X" for any game now - as the list is pretty fleshed out already, and a real tough set of cookies up at the top there, but, I can say this... While I believe my personal favourite (eligible to rank) RE game is already ranked, I know my favourite eligible Final Fantasy isn't yet... ? "Top X Games".... Favorite FF.... I see what you did there (In before its FFVII ??) On your previous comments (I would quote you, but I cant seem to get a quote to work between pages if I want to quote multiple things ?) I really enjoy reading your reviews. They are always well written and thought out and Jak II not withstanding, we seem to have a lot of similar takes on games. Edited June 17, 2021 by Together_Comic 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrBloodmoney Posted June 17, 2021 Author Share Posted June 17, 2021 27 minutes ago, Together_Comic said: "Top X Games".... Favorite FF.... I see what you did there (In before its FFVII ) Haha, well, I'm going to have a tough time ranking them, but I will say - I don't know the general feeling of the FF Fans here, particularly with regards to FFVIIR, but I'm a huge fan of both FFVII, and the remake, so both I expect will do well. I'm interested to see if this talk of remasters of the first six games ever results in a trophy supported FFVI though. If that happens, lemme tell you - I will sing the fuck outta some Octopus-Operas, and Suplex the hell out of some Spectral Trains, that's for damned sure! ? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
craig_obviously Posted June 17, 2021 Share Posted June 17, 2021 going to pick up Prey...based solely on the ranking and glowing review 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slava Posted June 17, 2021 Share Posted June 17, 2021 6 hours ago, DrBloodmoney said: they can feel like they take a lifetime to read, and certainly place a premium on your time Hmmm... ? I see what you did there. Thanks again ?. I feel like I wasn't as active as other people in this thread. I contributed a few times, but It's been fun so far. I'll definitely keep returning to check your reviews ?There are still some games I'd like to request. Speaking of which, may I request a scientific analysis of Ratchet & Clank 2? Also, I just checked the first pages of this thread. It felt a little weird seeing at the first reviews, they look so short compared to the more recent ones ? 5 hours ago, GraniteSnake said: It upsets me that you don’t have any MGS on your profile to review. 5 hours ago, DrBloodmoney said: Trust me... it's not anything close to how upset you would be if I did have MGS games eligible for review... ? I'm afraid there is one Metal Gear game I enjoyed - Metal Gear for the MSX... ...beyond that... I will simply say, diplomatically, that - I... can respect those game ? Well, since @DrBloodmoney won't be ranking the MGS games, someone else could do it. I'd certainly be interested in an MGS-related thread that covers and ranks all the games in the series. Just throwing it out there ? 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rjkclarke Posted June 17, 2021 Share Posted June 17, 2021 44 minutes ago, Alderriz said: Well, since @DrBloodmoney won't be ranking the MGS games, someone else could do it. I'd certainly be interested in an MGS-related thread that covers and ranks all the games in the series. Just throwing it out there I'm not volunteering or anything, but I am going to be reviewing them in the future in my own thread at some point (can't promise I'd rank them though). Well, all of them except Metal Gear Rising at least. I haven't played that one yet. I'm probably doing myself a disservice by not playing it too. I just don't like where it falls in the series timeline. I think where its set ultimately ends up undermining bits of character development from Guns of the Patriots. So as seems to usually be the case my own personal baggage has reared its head and stopped me playing a game once again. 3 hours ago, The_Kopite said: It's been a great read so far and I'm sure that it will carry on being so! It's nice that your creation of this thread has led to some interesting reviews, some well reasoned and thoughtful discussions and for like minded people to chat about various game interests stemming from this setup. Certainly I have enjoyed chatting to @rjkclarke very much and you as well, and I'll bet others have and will have these same kind of experiences, so for that - Thank you! I'd also like to second this and say thank you as well. I've really been enjoying all the discussion and hopefully look forward to many more to come. that feels weird quoting a post with my own username in it haha 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YaManSmevz Posted June 17, 2021 Share Posted June 17, 2021 I don't know why, but that made me think of Kent Brockman saying "The following people... are gay!" Aw shucks. It's been a fun thing to follow, what can I say. Your thoughts are consistently well articulated and backed up with solid arguments, not to mention that you've got great subject matter to work with! Don't let all the love go to your head though! I'll ask that Jak 2 guy to come back? 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The_Kopite Posted June 17, 2021 Share Posted June 17, 2021 3 hours ago, DrBloodmoney said: 'm interested to see if this talk of remasters of the first six games ever results in a trophy supported FFVI though. If that happens, lemme tell you - I will sing the fuck outta some Octopus-Operas, and Suplex the hell out of some Spectral Trains, that's for damned sure! That announcement at the Square Enix conference was so awesome.....and then so bloody annoying! Bring them all to PS4/PS5 with platinums and it's easy money and I'll be platinuming every signle one of those! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoesusHCrust Posted June 17, 2021 Share Posted June 17, 2021 4 hours ago, DrBloodmoney said: Doc, your reviews are getting pretty meaty now and it's a lot of work for you to produce this science. Have you considered releasing reviews in batches of five instead of ten to make it more manageable for you and less time between posts to keep the punters hooked? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Together_Comic Posted June 17, 2021 Share Posted June 17, 2021 1 hour ago, The_Kopite said: That announcement at the Square Enix conference was so awesome.....and then so bloody annoying! Bring them all to PS4/PS5 with platinums and it's easy money and I'll be platinuming every signle one of those! If you haven't played it before... I would skip FF2 that game is terrible (IMO) ? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrBloodmoney Posted June 17, 2021 Author Share Posted June 17, 2021 (edited) 31 minutes ago, Together_Comic said: If you haven't played it before... I would skip FF2 that game is terrible (IMO) Not wrong there! TBH, I think FF1 & FFIII would be tough to go back to now too - they are demonstrably better games than FFII, but they do predate a lot of the 'bull-shit smoothing' that would be done for the genre (mostly by Square themselves) that would follow them - stuff like queued attacks just missing if the enemy targeted dies before the attack happens, for example, are incredibly irritating - and really don't help those games when going back and playing nowadays. 3 hours ago, Alderriz said: Hmmm... I see what you did there. Thanks again . No idea what you could possibly mean there... Quote I feel like I wasn't as active as other people in this thread. I contributed a few times, but It's been fun so far. I'll definitely keep returning to check your reviews There are still some games I'd like to request. Speaking of which, may I request a scientific analysis of Ratchet & Clank 2? Absolutely man - flagged with your name ? Quote Also, I just checked the first pages of this thread. It felt a little weird seeing at the first reviews, they look so short compared to the more recent ones I know, I know ? I may, at some point, decide to go back, and do some more fleshed out reviews for the original few batches, and the 10 baseline games that never got their due. Of course, I wouldn't change the actual rankings, (that would be chaos - blood would start weeping down the walls, cats and dogs would start living together - anarchy!) but it might be fun anyways. There was a bit of method to that madness - in the very early days, it was easy to rank and not feel like I had to really do a long justification, as the gaps were pretty wide in the list - but later, I really felt I needed to explain my reasoning as the rankings got a lot harder! To be honest, I think these got as long as they did, because I eventually got on to doing games where I knew my opinion is the minority one. There are some games (like Jak II, or to a lesser extent, GTAIV, where I know they are loved, and I know why, but I felt like I really needed to take the time to explain why I didn't like them so much, so I didn't seem like some kind of 'gaming hipster' just hating on 'good' stuff for attention. Also, the flip-side too. Prey is a game that I think is utterly amazing, but I know it is underplayed and under-appreciated - if I'm going to have it as current No. 1, I need to have an appropriate amount of explanation as to why, just so my list doesn't seem like the ramblings of a lunatic (or, at least, seems like the justified ramblings of a lunatic ?) 32 minutes ago, JoesusHCrust said: Doc, your reviews are getting pretty meaty now and it's a lot of work for you to produce this science. Have you considered releasing reviews in batches of five instead of ten to make it more manageable for you and less time between posts to keep the punters hooked? I have definitely though about it. The main reason I haven't so far, is just the convenience of having all the reviews in a few discrete 'batches' and doing that would mean something like 100 batches by the end, as opposed to 50-odd, but I must admit, with each batch, the argument in favour is getting stronger... maybe I will try doing that after this one Edited June 17, 2021 by DrBloodmoney 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The_Kopite Posted June 17, 2021 Share Posted June 17, 2021 (edited) 1 hour ago, Together_Comic said: If you haven't played it before... I would skip FF2 that game is terrible (IMO) Massive FF fan, so played all of the first 6, and the battle system took a while to get used to defo but I enjoyed FF2 personally. I can understand people not liking it compared to the others in the franchise though. 45 minutes ago, DrBloodmoney said: Not wrong there! TBH, I think FF1 & FFIII would be tough to go back to now too - they are demonstrably better games than FFII, but they do predate a lot of the 'bull-shit smoothing' that would be done for the genre (mostly by Square themselves) that would follow them - stuff like queued attacks just missing if the enemy targeted dies before the attack happens, for example, are incredibly irritating - and really don't help those games when going back and playing nowadays. Again I can understand that, and the first 3 aren't a patch on 4 onwards in the classic ones, but trust me I'd plat every one of them and would enjoy it all the way lol For me, it'd be that gif of Fry from Futurama with his wad of cash haha Oh, btw (to both of you) please note I did play the GBA versions of 1 and 2, and the DS remake of 3 so I've never played those Famicom originals, so I know they did a lot with those versions to improve them. So my opinions of 1, 2 and 3 are based on those. I'm sure the originals are worse, but I'd still plat them all anyways lol Edited June 17, 2021 by The_Kopite Updated information 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Together_Comic Posted June 17, 2021 Share Posted June 17, 2021 21 minutes ago, The_Kopite said: Massive FF fan, so played all of the first 6, and the battle system took a while to get used to defo but I enjoyed FF2 personally. I can understand people not liking it compared to the others in the franchise though. Again I can understand that, and the first 3 aren't a patch on 4 onwards in the classic ones, but trust me I'd plat every one of them and would enjoy it all the way lol For me, it'd be that gif of Fry from Futurama with his wad of cash haha Oh, btw (to both of you) please note I did play the GBA versions of 1 and 2, and the DS remake of 3 so I've never played those Famicom originals, so I know they did a lot with those versions to improve them. So my opinions of 1, 2 and 3 are based on those. I'm sure the originals are worse, but I'd still plat them all anyways lol I talk a big game, but there is something incredibly satisfying about having an entire series done and If for example one day when the backlog gods smile upon me and I had 1, and 3-10 finished... there is no way that I wouldn't go back and pick up 2. Heck I am even considering messing around with 14 and all the nonsense that entails... ?? 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rjkclarke Posted June 17, 2021 Share Posted June 17, 2021 (edited) 4 hours ago, DrBloodmoney said: I need to have an appropriate amount of explanation as to why, just so my list doesn't seem like the ramblings of a lunatic (or, at least, seems like the justified ramblings of a lunatic ) You have no idea how much I can identify with that one. Although strictly speaking you do a far better job of that, than I do.That's why I wrote that long as anything post about Venetica, because I felt I needed to justify it, most people wouldn't even play it let alone write some huge endorsement about how much fun they had with it. It is a shame sometimes that we can only slap one rep point on a post, because that one made me laugh A LOT. I think I'd settle for my own posts sounding like the justified ramblings of a lunatic - instead of, I don't know; a lunatic that's been forced to listen to the back catalogue of Barry Manilow for a year, as a form of torture with his his eyes propped open with matchsticks that some of my output probably reads like haha. . Edited June 17, 2021 by rjkclarke 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GraniteSnake Posted June 17, 2021 Share Posted June 17, 2021 13 hours ago, DrBloodmoney said: Uncharted is going to be a strange one, as, despite having all three mainline games double stacked, only the first game, the vita one and The Lost Legacy are eligible - damned Brutal mode and multiplayer DLC! Shit, I forgot about that, that’s a shame. You could argue that those 3 are the weaker half of the series (although I haven’t played TLL in full yet) - TLL failed to entertain me in the few short hours I played. I want to get the series to 100% one day, except Fight for Fortune. Was unobtainable by the time I’d even heard of it ? 6 hours ago, rjkclarke said: Well, all of them except Metal Gear Rising at least. I haven't played that one yet. I'm probably doing myself a disservice by not playing it too. You should definitely give MGR a try! I hated it when I first played it because I couldn’t parry to save my life and I just plain sucked at the game. Returned to it years later and had an absolute blast, such a fun experience 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The_Kopite Posted June 18, 2021 Share Posted June 18, 2021 10 hours ago, Together_Comic said: I talk a big game, but there is something incredibly satisfying about having an entire series done and If for example one day when the backlog gods smile upon me and I had 1, and 3-10 finished... there is no way that I wouldn't go back and pick up 2. Heck I am even considering messing around with 14 and all the nonsense that entails... lol I wish I had the time for 14, I really do but life is life you know lol o and I'm pretty sure everyone has a backlog and is praying to those backlog gods haha I know I am! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Copanele Posted June 18, 2021 Share Posted June 18, 2021 20 hours ago, DrBloodmoney said: Trust me... it's not anything close to how upset you would be if I did have MGS games eligible for review... I'm afraid there is one Metal Gear game I enjoyed - Metal Gear for the MSX... ...beyond that... I will simply say, diplomatically, that - I... can respect those game I can't believe I found another person with the same mindset regarding MGS respect....is the proper word there indeed (including the dots after, for extra effect) Speaking of sneaky games...I haven't seen Hitman 2 Silent Assassin and Hitman Contracts on your list! Any chance you'd start them later on, seeing that you love the best assassin around? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrBloodmoney Posted June 18, 2021 Author Share Posted June 18, 2021 5 hours ago, Copanele said: Speaking of sneaky games...I haven't seen Hitman 2 Silent Assassin and Hitman Contracts on your list! Any chance you'd start them later on, seeing that you love the best assassin around? I do love me some Agent 47... ...there's nothing really stopping me from playing those ones - I do actually own them on PS3, though to be honest, the thing that is holding me back a little is the current Hitman. There is just so much game in the new games, and they run so smooth and well, that going back to the old mechanics is very jarring. I absolutely loved, and played the absolute shit out of, Silent Assassin, Contracts and Blood Money back on PS2 - they were among my favourite games - but going back to even Blood Money, which was by far the most technically advanced and well-playing of those 3, was very eyeopening when I did it a couple years ago. I enjoyed it for what it was, (enough to do it on PS4 and PS3 ?) but, I can't deny that the whole experience was a little bit bitter-sweet. So much of my memory of those games was rose-tinted, that seeing the dramatic way it failed to match up to the incredible game it led to, did feel a bit like sullying my old memories. I was a little scared to do the same to Silent Assassin and Contracts too - I like how large those games loom in my memory, and I'm not sure I want to shine a light on them now, and realise that it's more their shadow that looms large, rather than the games themselves. Never say never though - I reckon I still remember them well enough to probably fly through most levels... 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post DrBloodmoney Posted June 19, 2021 Author Popular Post Share Posted June 19, 2021 ?? NEW SCIENTIFIC RESULTS ARE IN! ?? ☢️☢️SPECIAL SCIENCE NOTE☢️☢️ After it was brought up a couple times (most recently by @JoesusHCrust) I have decided to reduce the number of reviews in each batch from 10 to 5. The early decision to do these in batches of 10 dates from a time when they comprised of a few sentences each - with each now being a fairly substantial write up, it is becoming untenable to keep up doing 10 at a time. The forum software issues are a problem, the length of time between posts is getting unwieldy, and I suspect it means reading these is becoming too long a task, even for the most faithful Science-Chum to do in one go! As such, I will use this post to do the first 5 games from this current crop of test subjects, and will follow it next week with the second half. After that, the 'New Subjects' posts will feature just 5 games, rather than ten. I realise this will mean folks who put in requests will need to wait for potentially double the number of batches for me to get to their games, however, the actual time it takes won't be different - just the amount to read in-between! Hello Science-Fellas and Science-Fems, as promised (and in some cases requested), here are the latest results of our great scientific endeavour! Firewatch Summary: Ostensibly a Walking Sim, Firewatch, the debut game from Campo Santo, sits at the extreme edge of that descriptor, on a number of fronts. At 5-6 hours in length, it is markedly longer than most entries in the genre. It contains much more in the way of interactivity than most, and, narratively, occupies an unusual place, in the sense that, while a solo experience, it's story operates as a two-hander. Campo Santo studio was founded by two writers - Sean Vanaman and Jake Rodkin - both of who had previously worked on the wildly successful (and extremely good) Telltale Walking Dead game. As such, it is unsurprising that great dialogue would play a major role in whatever game they went on to make, though to simply gloss over the high quality of the script of Firewatch as 'to be expected' based on their previous work is to do the game a massive disservice. Be under no illusions, I liked the writing in The Walking Dead quite a bit, but the script of Firewatch is on an entirely different level. There are only a few games I can think of where I believe a simple recording of the audio of a playthrough of the game could function adequately as a completely acceptable radio-play. While something like Dear Esther or Gone Home may work on some level, given the high quality writing they also feature, they would feel a little stilted and one sided, given the monologuing nature of the dialogue. Firewatch, however, does what surprisingly few Walking Sims do - it gives a voice both the the player character, and an offscreen companion, and flips the genre's common reliance on monologuing, into a blossoming, nuanced, dynamic and 'grown-up' relationship between two character. The player takes the role of Henry (played by TV veteran Rich Sommer, (know best, to me at least, for portraying Harry Crane on greatest-TV-show-of-all-time Mad Men.) He is a not particularly out-doors-y guy, who takes a seasonal post as a fire-watcher in the vast National Park of Shoshone in the late 80s, primarily as a way to escape the seeping horror and sadness that has entered his life, in the form of crippling early-onset dementia that his wife has succumbed to. He develops a (purely auditory) relationship with Delilah (played here by veteran voice-over artist Cissy Jones, known from many other games, though probably most prominently as Katjaa in The Walking Dead, or Joyce (Chloe's mother) in DotNod's Life is Strange,) a fellow fire-watcher based in another, distant Fire-tower and who has significantly more experience in the field. Over the course of the season, that relationship grows, and a mystery involving the disappearance of a previous fire-watcher and his son is explored. I know I rarely mention the specific actors or voice-over artists in these reviews, but do so here for good reason. It is not by way of diminishing performances in other games, but rather to highlight those in this one. The vocal performances in Firewatch are stunningly good - rich, nuanced, realistic and emotive - and serve, along with the previously mentioned writing, as one of the games three major strengths. The third pillar of the game is the visuals. Firewatch is gorgeous to look at. In approaching the Wyoming wilderness, it does not go for a 'realistic' art style, but rather an evocative one. With art direction taken from print artist Olly Moss, the landscape is rendered in a low-poly, high contrast art-style that is incredibly effective at conveying the feel of a particularly wild and beautiful part of the world, without requiring the level of rendering, (or development cost,) needed to recreate it exactly. It does a fantastic job of giving a perfect feeling of place and atmosphere, and crafting a game space full of specific landmarks and areas that the player comes to be familiar with, without ever needing to strive for photorealism. All this being said, there are some issues with the game, primarily pertaining to the actual gameplay side. The lack of an in-game UI-type map, forcing the player to use an actual map and compass at Henry's disposal is a great idea, and works well early on, but does eventually become a little tiresome, particularly once the player has more plot-motivated reasons to get somewhere, and is more interested in uncovering the mystery than purely appreciating the surroundings. The relatively limited traversal methods for things like cliffs, and these are in set spots, so getting lost does tend to mean a lot of backtracking. While the game does an admirable job of disguising its 'invisible walls' it isn't able to do so if the player gets genuinely off-track, which can make the illusion of the vastness of the wilderness break down. There is also potentially an issue with the overall plotting, though I am in two minds about whether this is a strength or a weakness. While dialogue is incredibly well done, the actual mystery being uncovered is relatively pedestrian, and has a fairly anti-climactic finale. While I believe this is likely intentional - speaking to Henry's desperate attempts to attribute more mystery and fascination to the temporary life he has volunteered for, drawing his mind away from the pain waiting for him upon his return to his permanent one - that works on a macro level, but not necessarily a micro one. There is a tendency for the player to be a little let down by the lack of a big reveal, just as Henry is. If it was the intention on the part of the writers to use the lack of an ultimate twist as an intentional beat in Henry's story - it is never made particularly clear, and not too much is done with it. There is no inherent repeatability in the game from a traditional point of view. Despite the admirable amount of choice the player has in how individual conversations play out, those choices generally set the tone of the relationship and the flavour of the response, rather than having any major material impact on the overall plot. As a result, broadly speaking, every playthrough will play out roughly the same way - however, it is worth nothing that, again, the art, writing and performances do save the day again somewhat. While the plot may stay static, I have returned to Firewatch more than once, simply to play through the story I know again. Much like re-watching a film or TV show, I know the plot, and the dialogue, but it is of such high quality, that seeing it play out again in the same way is still enjoyable. I do, however, think that the limited gameplay and lack of meaningful plot choice does mean that it is questionable how much additional benefit actually playing it adds, as opposed to simply watching it be played, either by another player on the console, or via a long-form youtube playthrough. The Ranking: The highest currently ranked Walking Sim is Dear Esther: Landmark Edition, and that game has a lot of the same elements that make Firewatch great - fantastic writing, good voice work and great, evocative art. I believe on one of those fronts - the writing - the two games stand side-by-side as pinnacles of their genre, but on the other two - the voice work and art style, Firewatch is the winner, and so it outranks Dear Esther. While not a Walking Sim, there are some crossover aspects that Firewatch shares with SOMA - the heavy reliance on an auditory relationship, the emphasis on plot and self-discovery of the protagonist etc. In SOMA's case, the overall plot is markedly better, however, the dialogue and relationship notably less well done. I do also think that, as good as SOMA looks and as evocative as it is in its visuals, Firewatch has it beaten on that front. This turned out to be a much more difficult match up than I would have imagined! In the end, I believe the strength of the performances in Firewatch are exemplary enough to outmatch the highest heights of any individual aspect of SOMA, granting it the ability to squeeze past that game. However, it is such a difficult call, and such a marginal win, that I feel comfortable leaving Firewatch just one rung above it. Mass Effect 3 Summary: The final chapter in Commander Shepherd's story brings the final battle with previously nightmarish, looming omni-present background threat The Reapers to the forefront. Beginning a year or so after the events of Mass Effect 2, Commander Shepherd - now cut lose from Cerberus ties, and back in the fold of the Alliance (albeit, under some rather unjust military shackles) - is on Earth. Meeting with the Earth Council, just in time to see them turned into a fine paste as the Reapers land, beginning their long prophesised harvest of all advanced life in the galaxy, a quick field-promotion-style reinstatement by long time friend Anderson and hasty exit, along with a new mission follows - unite the forces of the galaxy, build both a coalition, and a mysterious, half-understood Prothean super-weapon, and stop the Reapers. Narratively, the game's structure is a little less focussed than the previous games - by the simple necessity of it being forced to conclude the overall trilogy story. The first game had Saren and Sovereign as singular antagonists, and was narratively structured as essentially an interplanetary chase. The second game has a defined single 'mission' which the whole game balanced on the preparation for and subsequent execution of, very much in the Oceans Eleven style Heist Movie wheelhouse. In both cases, Shepherd and her crew are the majority players on the 'good-guy' side. With ME3, and the full invasion of the Reapers, Shepherd and the Normandy may still form the tip of the spear, but they are part of a much wider and broader galactic effort, and as such, there is more of a sense of being swept along a narrative path, than cutting one alone. This makes sense, but it does make one of the signature elements of the series - running into characters form previous missions and games - seem a little overly convenient and fan-service-y. In ME2, happening upon a previously seen character was certainly a contrivance, but given that Shepherd was choosing her own path, it was more forgivable. Now, the fact that the entire galaxy is swept up in a massive, all-encompassing war, means that running into old friends - seeming every time she sets foot outside the Normandy - does start to give the feeling of the game being a 'greatest hits' rather than a final chapter. Speaking of final chapters, there are a few areas in which I think narrative complications have arisen from this being the third in a trilogy featuring the same lead character. Shepherd having literally (both publicly and famously,) saved the galaxy twice now in a matter of a few solar years, there is a certain level to which she runs the risk of becoming such a galactic legend, and so widely adored within the fiction, that her interactions with other characters on a relationship level begin to strain credibility. Bioware, clearly aware of this, take some fairly clear steps to try and 're-humanise' her, and while I think this is a smart idea, the actual execution is a little scattershot. One new squad-mate, for example, - the muscle-heavy, brains-light, Freddie Prinze Jr-voiced James - assigns her a nickname and flirts constantly and ham-fistedly. It's clearly meant as a method of showing Shepherd to still be 'one of the troops' and down for a laugh, but it doesn't really work. The woman literally saved the Galaxy. Twice. You don't call her Lola and act like she's swooning over your 'roided-out arms. Stop doing pull-ups and show some damned respect! In every interaction with, on the other hand, stalwart Citadel C-Sec Commander Bailey, the easy camaraderie borne of respectful, if sometimes combative, history, mixed with his clear understanding of her towering galactic importance, is played very well and really does work as a grounding element. The almost outrageous insubordination of Ashley, early on,, who seems incapable of taking a telling with regards to Shepherd's lack of remaining Cerberus ties, does not. Shepherd's fractious dealings with the Council - who are batting 0 for 2 at this point, are also something of a narrative dead end - given that Shepherd has been proven right ever single time they have stood in opposition to her. Them doing so once again feels less like a genuine political and bureaucratic frustration within the fiction, and more like a convenient narrative device to get them out of the way. Arguable the most effective way Shepherd is humanised, in my opinion, is in the inclusion of the (much derided) 'star-child' scenes - in which a child, seen by Shepherd briefly during her hasty escape from a newly embattled Earth, and subsequently killed by a Reaper in front of her, haunts her dreams. While these do get a lot of flack from some segment of fans, particularly for the slightly bizarre and hackneyed way in which the child is entwined into the finale of the game, I can't deny that from the point of view of a Female Shepherd player - and a father - those largely dialogue-free scenes do more to ground her war and character than most of the written dialogue does. (For what it's worth - and I am likely giving away some of my inherent biases as a cis white male here - I can imagine these scenes might work less well for me with a Male Shepherd. It is easier for me to buy the dramatic effect that seeing a child she was trying to protect die, partly due to her actions, would have on a female Shepherd - particularly one who's conversations with long-term love interest Liara stray so often towards the subject of a future featuring "little blue children" - than the same effect on a Male Shepherd. While the paternal instinct tends to kick in after the birth of child, I do feel like the maternal is more engrained, pre-children. Yes, I know. I try to be woke, but that is my experience!) I realise that I have gone into significantly more specific detail here narratively than in the previous games, but I believe it is warranted. For starters, narrative is the primary driving force behind these games, but also, it is the source of virtually all the negative reaction to this game specifically. Primarily this was focussed on two significant aspects - the ending, and the apportioning of certain story elements to dlc. On the ending, I will not get into some huge descriptive justification. I could write a 10,000 word essay on the subject, (I might at some point!) but all I will say is, I had no real issue with it. It is a weaker aspect of the overall story, but I would argue that virtually all long-form fiction is weakest at the end. Sticking the landing on such a broad and rich narrative is difficult, and it is nigh-on impossible to satisfy every strand of what makes a long narrative great in a tidy package. (See Game of Thrones, The Sopranos, The Dark Tower, The Lord of the Rings, Star Wars... the list goes on and on...) I believe Mass Effect does about as well as I would have expected in that regard. I do think a trick is missed gameplay-wise, in the sense that the final mission feels short, and should, I think, have been crafted in such a way as to involve the entire squad, rather than simply choosing two squad-mates as in regular levels (something done quite well in the finale of the Citadel dlc missions, now found mid-way through the game.) On the other point - with regards to the necessity of dlc - I would broadly agree. There are three areas relating to this. Firstly, the entire introduction of ME3 is contingent on knowing the events of The Arrival DLC for Mass Effect 2. Secondly, the ME3 Leviathan dlc provided a lot of the most important background information on the actual ending, and contextualises it in a way that, had it been part of the main narrative, would likely have softened the negative reaction to the ending quite a bit. Lastly, the inclusion of the unearthed Prothean squad-mate - Javik - who's background knowledge of the previous galactic cycle, his war-mongering attitude, and his soothing, Space-African accent, provide a lot of the best insight of the narrative - as a dlc was a mistake. However, none of these factors are of any importance to this review or ranking. For starters, I only rank games I have the S-Rank in, as I consider dlc to be a part of the game anyway. Also, any serious Mass Effect fan - certainly any one serious enough to have a valid opinion on the narrative of the trilogy - would have played all dlc anyway, as a matter of course. Not only that, but the point is moot with the recent release of the Legendary Editions, which include all dlc integrated into the games as standard. Ho-boy. Anyway. Stepping away from the narrative, virtually every other aspect of the game is an improvement over the previous games. The technical jump from ME2 is notable - not quite the massive leap ME2 took from ME1, but still very significant. Combat is much tighter affair, even than the previous game. Level design is massively improved, and, finally, in ME3, some serious care has been taken to make combat 'arenas' much more dynamic and interesting than the flat affairs of the previous games. Graphically, the game takes a leap forward again - faces are more expressive, characters better rendered, and lighting has been dramatically improved. There is much more variety in terms of adding darkness, and having torches as a light source, allowing for more atmospheric areas. Weather effects are more prevalent. Art design remains a highlight, and is as varied and interesting as ever. Particularly of note - I thought - was the level on Kallini, the Ardat-Yakshi Monastery, which, while short, is one of the most striking locations of all three games, and features a battle in falling snow that is breathtaking to see. The inclusion of a multiplayer in the original version was interesting, and actually much more fun than expected, however, it clearly was not a priority for players, or the developer, as it was removed in the Legendary Edition. All in all, I believe Mass Effect 3 is a fine, fitting conclusion to the trilogy. It has flaws - and narrative flaws at that - which are more striking than any in the previous games, and it does lack a little in the 'discovery' side. Unlike the previous games, there are very few, if any, introductions of brand new races or ideas, and this game is more about playing with the concepts set in the first two games than adding more to the mix. The ending is a little bit of a soft landing, but works for the most part, and any narrative low points are offset by the dramatic betterment of the gameplay aspects - particularly the combat. While nothing in the game ever reaches the incredible heights of the finale of Mass Effect 2 (arguably an hour or so of the best, most rousing and most exciting material on show in all of video-gaming,) there is also nothing as dull or uninteresting as, for example, the Mako exploration in Mass Effect 1. I still enjoyed every minute of the game, felt truly connected to the characters all throughout, and was left with a satisfied, and distraught feeling when I saw the credits roll, and realised the epic journey was over. The Ranking: We're in rarified territory to begin with here - while Mass Effect 3's narrative setbacks do ensure that even the elements that outshine Mass Effect 2 cannot compete with it overall - I do believe that, pound for pound, ME3 is a better all-round game than the original Mass Effect, who's flat, unfocused combat, lack of meaningful side missions, and lack of variety in of locations does drag it down a little, despite phenomena lore, narrative and dialogue. In the end, ME3 falls closer to ME1 than ME2 though, and while it's many laudable aspects are, I believe enough to beat out fellow third-in-a-series Dark Souls III on total package, it is not able to slip past first-time IP Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, which, while still playing in the dirt Dark Souls tilled, still benefits for the originality a new IP brings, and doesn't have the anchor that a previous, better entry in it's series applied to Mass Effect 3. Neverending Nightmares Summary: A short, survival horror / 2D walking Sim hybrid, Neverending Nightmares is one of the rarified set of indie games to spring almost entirely from one person. aside from the minimalist (and pretty good) musical score, the entire game is the product of developer Matt Gilgenbach - and seeks to, over the course of a few playthroughs of an hour or so, bring the player along on an unsettling journey through some of his own nightmares. Gilgenbach suffers from depression and OCD, and is plagued by persistent nightmares. The game takes those nightmares, and with a sketchbook, monochromatic art-style and limited gameplay hooks, crafts a sort of limited 'choose your own awful nightmare' adventure. The player controls a protagonist who wakes in bed, they then walk him through a series of nightmares, from a far-too-big-to-be-real house filled with creepy dolls, to an asylum filled with horrors, to a woodland area filled with traps and darkness, and beyond. The game looks nice (well, not nice - the game looks grotesque, but, you know, good-grotesque,) and the sketchbook look is a big asset - it is cartoonish enough not to make the horror on show palatable to those not down for 'full gore', but realistic and 'grown-up' enough in it's style to still be deeply upsetting at times, and the tone of the game (helped by the music) is extremely unsettling. There are multiple paths that can be taken, based on how the player progresses, and though these are interesting ,they generally break down simply to picking a direction, rather than to any actual difference in gameplay. Generally, the gameplay is simply walking - experiencing the nightmare, rather than solving it, so to speak. There is some limited stealth sections in some of them, though the controls are quite stiff, and I never found these sections to be particularly fun to actually play. The game is a little esoteric in it's story-telling - it doesn't explain itself particularly, and leaves the player free to interpret the meaning of specific aspects of the nightmares, though unlike something like, say, Little Nightmares, there is less of an overarching and coherent mystery to the whole affair. Each nightmare is - as I understand them - more a discrete one to one facsimile of a real world fear or anxiety, rather than jigsaw pieces in a larger, overarching narrative. This means that while seeing each ending is somewhat rewarding, by the third of fourth playthrough required to do so, the sections of the game that are common to all playthroughs do get a little old and tired. The game is very, very effective in the first run, but the feeling of disquiet and unease fades upon re-visits. Not a bad game, but very short, and given the lack of meaningful gameplay, the requirement for multiple playthroughs is a little jarring. The art looks good, and some of the nightmares are genuinely unsettling - if never out-and-out scary - and the tone works, but really, just the once or twice. Does run very well on Vita, which is nice - and playing with headphones in the dark is the best way to play! The Ranking: The monochromatic horror brings to mind some comparison with White Night, though I do feel that that game has significantly more going for it that Neverending Nightmares does. Lower down the list through, Pixel-Art horror game Claire, while vastly more heavy on gameplay, is never once as effective as Neverending Nightmares is at invoking the tone it is going for. Between those two games, there is nothing that compares directly, and so we are looking at the degree to which the games in the list nail their respective tones and genres. Mortal Shell and to a lesser extent Arcade Archives: Crazy Climber, I think do a works job of hitting their own respective strides than Neverending Nightmares does, but happy-go-lucky rhythm game Invector presents itself with a confidence and swagger that I think is missing in the presentation of this game, and so Neverending Nightmares finds its spot just below. Prince of Persia: The Two Thrones Summary: For anyone who hasn't played Prince of Persia: The Two Thrones, but is reading this review, and is wondering how the game is, as compared to the previously ranked Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, and Prince of Persia: The Warrior Within, there are two salient points about the time it released that are essentially the key to understanding the game: 1. Ubisoft knew the 'Emo' Prince of Warrior Within was a mis-step. 2. God of War had released. If The Sands of Time was our Prince's wide-eyed, naive-but-lovable tweenage years, and Warrior Within was his eye-liner sporting, wallet-chain dangling, dog-collar and black-nail-varnish wearing, "Ugh, everything-sucks" teenage years, then The Two Thrones is his well-rounded, more grown-up and self-aware college years. The Prince here (and, by extension, the overall tone of the game,) splits the difference between both previous games very well - the Prince has recovered from having listened to too much Godsmack, and is back to giving a shit about other people, but is not so Bambi-eyed or ignorant as in the first game. He is cautious and smart, and still able to draw on his anger, and can be overwhelmed by it, but is aware of this, and it is a source of shame rather than a default personality. He is aware he has a dark side - one that haunts him, and is given corporeal form here, in the form of the 'Dark Prince', who is both a psychological (and, later, physical) antagonist, and a well of tainted strength, drawn upon to conquer his enemies - but the game plays with a knowing, often fourth wall-breaking narrative in which he is constantly reminded of the power he has by being the 'Dark Prince', but wants to fight against it for the greater good. It's a clear meta-game commentary on the sales figures vs. critical reception of the previous games. While his 'good side' - The Sands of Time - was lauded critically and adored by fans, its sales were nothing to write home about. His 'bad side' - Warrior Within - was critically less well received, but its sales were through the roof. Power vs. Goodness, so to speak. The narrative is a linear one, but compelling as these tales go - more engaging than WW, and more interesting and character driven than TSoT. Essentially acting as an alternate history of the first game (the Princes actions in The Warrior Within having erased the original game's timeline,) here, the Vizar is alive again, and Farah - love interest in The Sand of Time - has never met him. When the Vizar stabs Kaileena (from WW,) with the dagger of time, it gives him tremendous power, and also affords corporeal form to the Dark Prince, setting in motion a new story, in which the Prince must essentially repeat the events of the first game - albeit in a different way - rekindling a relationship with Farah that is remembered by him, but new to her. Gameplay-wise, The Two Thrones is a further evolution of an exiting formula, and works better than ever. The engine has clearly had an upgrade, and movement and traversal are smooth and clean. There is still the usual issues of over-shooting ledges and the prince doing a 'dance of dangling' on the edges, but those are more issues of the era than the game - until Uncharted came along and refined 3D action platforming to the level it did, most games of the genre had similar issues. Combat is still a fun affair - though here, it is made deliberately harder to survive long, multi-enemy encounters. The prince has a wealth of combos and moves at his disposal, but the addition of 'quick-kill' stealth type actions, encourage a different style of play to the earlier games - there is a huge advantage to sneaking up on enemies and taking them out unawares, particularly since most enemies will call for backup in open combat. As previously mentioned, God of War had taken the PS2 by storm by the time this game released, and its influence is clear. There are quick-time button press actions galore, and the sections in which the Prince is transformed into the 'Dark Price' gives him use of a flailing chain weapon that is the Chains of Olympus in all but name. It's a bit of a risky step, in the sense that it invites comparison to God of War, who's combat was significantly more finessed, but still a fun variation in this game. Boss fights are pretty fun, and a lot of care has clearly gone in to making each one feel unique and interesting, and, like the rest of the game, there is a much better variety and amalgamation of the two core elements - platforming and combat. Combat sections (and boss fights) feature platforming as a key component, and platforming sections will often be broken up with fairly well placed combat sections. The aesthetics are pretty nice for the era, and the art on show is the grandest of the ranked PoP games so far - diverse and interesting, with a uniformity of architectural style, yet a decent breadth of variety. Musically and auditorially, the game does well too - the emo rock is gone, and the more style-appropriate Persian-influenced score is back. The Price sounds much more human, and that adds to his reclaimed likability, and cut-scenes are good for the time in which the game released. All in all, the game goes a good job. It manages to both acknowledge the narrative failings of The Warrior Within, but inherent the good aspect of it - the better combat and platforming - while returning the tone to a more Sand of Time style. As the third game in a trilogy, it is naturally the most technically finessed, but the advances are greater than simply what would be 'expected', and the familiarity with the formula has allowed Ubisoft to concentrate more on the flow and the flair with the game than simply pedestrian improvement of base mechanics. The Ranking: Prior to this review, I would have said that The Sands of Time was my personal favourite of the modern Prince of Persia games, but having revisited them all now, and upon reflection, I no longer believe that to be the case. While I would still argue that narratively, The Sands of Time has the edge, The Two Thrones is no slouch, and is significantly more nuanced when it comes to characters, if a little more hokey in the overall plot. Gameplay-wise though, The Two Towers, when compared directly to The Sands of Time is a significant cut-above. (To be honest, so was The Warrior Within, but other aspects dragged it down so far as to be unable to compete with its predecessor overall.) With the variety on show in the boss fights, the better music, the variety of art and the inherent leaps forward in technological aspects, I do think, overall, The Two Thrones beats out its fore-bearer. With that as a starting point, I think The Two Thrones is able to slip past the PS3 version of Shadow of the Colossus, due to its issues. (Perhaps in a world without the Bluepoint PS4 version, I would be stricter there, but it's harder to judge purely on merits, given that a far superior version exists now.) I also think that, despite the stonking good time I had with Driver San Francisco, I am far more likely to want to return for a full playthrough of The Two Thrones. I might have a few hours blast on Driver from time to time, and probably would have more fun than any few hours of The Two Thrones, but the narrative isn't enough to keep me there to see it through again, and with The Two Thrones, I think it is. It's a tight match-up though, and so The Two Thrones takes its one throne, just above Driver San Francisco. Proteus Summary: Sitting among a cluster of games that could, albeit reductively, beg the question "is this a game, or an 'experience'?", Proteus lies, even in comparison to other games within that distinction (Journey, Abzu, Shape of the World, Everything) at the most extreme end of the 'experience' side. In Proteus, you walk around a procedurally generated island. That is it. There is no puzzles to solve, there are no obstacles to overcome, there is no story to reveal or mystery to unravel. There is nothing to interact with in any traditional gaming sense, beyond simply observing it and getting from that experience exactly as much as one might get from doing so in reality. Drinking it in, appreciating it, and moving on. That is not to say there is no impact the game has on the experience, though. The ambiance is fleeting in a sense. Seasonally, the surroundings begin in Spring, and the more the player explores, and observes, the quicker the seasons change, the environment running through Summer, then Autumn until finally, in the dead of Winter, the game makes its closing statement, in the form of very light metaphor and commentary on the fleeting nature of life and it's eventual absorption back into the cosmos that birthed it. That is the closest pass at any kind of discernible narrative Proteus is willing to offer, though it remains about as close a pass as when you hear on the news that Mars is making its closest pass of the Earth. Yes, it is closer, but it's still merely a slightly less tiny spot in a vast and mysterious night sky. I am fully aware that so far this description gives nothing away of the crucial question that is the concern of this project- how awesome the game is, and that is by design. Proteus is absolutely not a game for everyone. By its very nature, it is liable to infuriate those who feel gaming needs to be about, well, game. I do not fall in that camp, but truth be told, I broadly agree with the argument that Proteus is not really a game, per-se. However, to make it clear here - I very much like whatever Proteus is. The landscape to be explored is interesting. The graphical style is extremely stylised - entirely pixel-looking, and cell-shaded in bright, primary colours. Stand still at any moment, and the distinct impression is of looking at an artistically gifted child's rendition of a landscape, rendered using Microsoft Paint. Behind that art-style though, the island itself is not quite a recreation of any simple island in the real world. Everything is ever-so-slightly askew, a little odd and a tad more mysterious than any real place. The impression I got, going back now, was that Proteus is the game the Johnathon Blow's The Witness would be, if he had created it on the Atari 2600, and had decided not to put any actual puzzles in it. Knowing there is no great mystery to solve, might make some people decide simply that there is nothing of value in this slightly alien take on Earthly landscape, but I tend to disagree. I found the whispery oddness lent a soothing and meditative experience enough cerebral hooks to keep me chewing on for at least the 3 or 4 playthroughs required for the full S-Rank to be achieved, and then some. In fact, in revisiting the game, I ended up playing a full cycle again. Yes, it is only around an hour, but it is a quick and pleasant hour - and the visuals, while demonstrably basic in style, are oddly and deceptively rich. Proteus is a really interesting testament to how a complete package - ambient sound, random generation, a musical score that varies depending on player action - can compliment a visual style, and turn simple, broad-stroke visuals into something more than it might, at first, seem. Having a game that feels less like a challenge and more like a catharsis - like the videogame equivalent of taking a cool dip in an isolated lake, or a solo walk in an unfamiliar woodland - is of value, I think, in a landscape dominated by rocket launchers and swords. A game that simply tries to clam and soothe you - to make you feel comforted and safe and take a moment to think about the ephemeral nature of life, without lecturing you about it - is something good. Not all the time, but sometimes. Full disclosure: I would imagine that the fact that this review happened to be timed such that, the day I replayed Proteus is the same day my cat died, may well be colouring my view of it... ...but I think that in this case, bias is is a benefit rather than a hinderance. Proteus is not a game for all the time. It is a game for the right time - and this was the right time for me. The Ranking: There are not a huge number of "is this a game?" type games on the list already, however, aside for a couple of the more 'tutorial' type affairs such as the Vita Welcome Park and Paint Park Plus, neither of which has anything close to the ambiance and odd majesty of Proteus, or limited tech demo type affairs such as .detuned, and again Proteus clearly falls well above that game. Comparison to Walking Sims seems somewhat appropriate, but so far, the only 'true' Walking Sim one on the list is Dear Esther: Landmark Edition, and for all its positives, Proteus is simply not getting close to that game on grand vision. Strangely, the most appropriate comparison point I find, is recently ranked Neverending Nightmares. That game is playing on the flip-side of the coin as it were - it is also a game about simply walking through environments and experiencing them - though in that case, it is to see the horror of the place, whereas Proteus is about the beauty. Where Neverending Nightmares wants to unsettle, Proteus wants to comfort. Taking each on their stated intentions, I think Proteus is the clear winner - Neverending Nightmares did unsettle me, at times, but only really on the first playthrough, and nothing really changes. Proteus was able to soothe each and every time, and changed enough to keep me interested 5 or 6 times over. Slightly above Neverending Nightmares, White Night is a game that has a similarly striking visual style that is a selling point. White Night has real meat on its gameplay bones - it is an actually quote unquote 'game', however, the fact that the gameplay is arguably the weakest part of the game, dragging down it's art-style, rather than complimenting it, it raises an interesting question when matched up with Proteus: Is poor gameplay preferable to no gameplay? In the end, I reason that the primary aspect keeping White Night in the spot it sits on the list is the visual style. Without it - if it featured generic horror visuals, for example - it would place much lower, and as a result, I think in a match-up with Proteus, it is fair to simply judge the two based on art. As such, I believe the variety of the landscape and seasons, and the effectiveness of the art-style in Proteus does actually beat out White Night. Its signature monochrome look is incredibly good, but it is put to limited use, only serving to show a single, architecturally uniform setting. Proteus wins that fight, but after such a hard battle, it can move no further, and so it finds a spot, just above White Night. So there we have it folks! Thanks to @Copanele for putting in requests! (@JoesusHCrust & @TimeLordCrow13y - your priority assessments will follow in the next batch next week - promise!) Prey still cling onto 'Current Most Awesome Game' Kick Ass: The Game remains the current 'Least Awesome Game', once again! What games will be coming along next time to challenge for the sweetie... or the pocket lint? 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! ☮️ 9 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoesusHCrust Posted June 20, 2021 Share Posted June 20, 2021 On 6/19/2021 at 8:41 AM, DrBloodmoney said: Proteus Also to add that Proteus has some extremely long (and rather lovely) Lao Tzu quote 'trophy descriptions' as an odd 'USP'!! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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