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An Fun Arena Shooter, But A Bit Too Dated

Quake III: Arena was the Quake series' departure from the traditional single-player FPS focus of the era, and instead provided a near-fully focused multiplayer experience (with some singleplayer content). While a compelling game for many multiplayer fans at the time, I was barely a fetus when this title came out and thus "just" missed the mark of playing it myself with my own barely developed hands. Thus, here I am now critiquing a game from my birth year trying my best to combine my understanding of its value to the industry with my delayed experience of playing it myself. This will be fun...

I mostly focused on the singleplayer aspect of this game since there are very few legitimate servers still in existence, and every time I tried to join one of those they would be empty or full of AFK players. Thus, my experience was with the solo arena mode...and it wasn't half bad! Granted the concept of fighting AI opponents in a random stage got a bit repetitive, but each stage was unique and provided a lot of action to get accustomed with the mechanics in this title.

The mechanics are pretty much the same as other Quake games. Here, you will pick up weapons from specific spots around each map as well as ammo from similar spots. There are some upgrades around the map as well that can make your character deal more damage or run faster, and there aren't too many that complicate the game flow or mechanics too much.

Enemies are pretty stupid at the "normal" setting (forgot the name but it was the perceived middle difficulty). They'll be entertaining and run around the map fighting you or each other, and are capable of getting some kills (mostly not on you though). Maps are designed with enough verticality and size to allow for some breathing room between fights, and the textures are about the same as Quake II's.

However, I didn't really get to experience the game's multiplayer, which is what the game was designed around. The singleplayer version of it was alright, but there weren't enough servers in my tie zone to get into games consistently, and honestly playing it this far down the line it would be lacking the original feel anyway. Therefore, I can't review the game based off of that component.

It is still a weird thing to me that ID Software decided to create a multiplayer focused Quake so early on in the IP's lifetime. While it definitely increased the game's popularity in the short-run, in the long-run it stifled the game's potential for solid singleplayer adventures like in the first two titles. I'm aware that Quake IV was somewhat of a return to form, but the lack of future sequels afterwards proved that the original formula lost its audience in ID Software's eyes.

Overall, this is a game that I can Recommend despite difficulties in actually experiencing its multiplayer components. It has a cheesy, basic, but fun solo arena mode, and the mechanics are solid, yet familiar enough to get some enjoyment out of. Try this one out if you enjoyed the first two and would like an arena style version to mess around in, but don't be surprised if there is a lack of content in that same regard. It's a classic FPS multiplayer shooter that had its day and age, but as far as solo play goes its a bit generic now.


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A Sequel To A Hardcore Rally Racing Simulator That Is Fun But Punishing To Casual Players

I wouldn't have tried out this title had I not already owned it, but since I did I figured I would. I didn't enjoy the first game too much, and found it to be pretty difficult to control and learn its gameplay mechanics. Co-driver calls were okay, but the handling of each car on the tracks was too removed from the arcade racers I normally would play. With that being said, this sequel is pretty much more of the same from the first title. There are many more features in this title, but the core gameplay stays true (though cars seem to be more prone to spinning out in this title). I tried a race for myself to see if anything different stood out, and while I had a hilarious time failing to finish the introductory race, I knew this title wouldn't convince me to hop on board to the series any more than the first game. The presentation is great, as is the audio design, but everything else is more tuned for serious sim-racing fans rather than a more casual racing fan.

Overall, I would Not Recommend this title to casual racing fans for the same reasons as the first. While the idea of the game has a strong pull, the actual gameplay is difficult to get accustomed to and led to more frustration than fun. There is a plethora of options here for the audience the game is pandering to though, so if you enjoy rally sims, hardcore racing mechanics, or are a sucker for difficult to master titles, look no further than this one. It's a game that narrowly missed the mark to convince me to hop into the genre, but has still made me appreciate the fact that these game's exist for those who are fans nonetheless.


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A De-"light"-ful Metroidvania (Sorry, Had To Do It)

Ori and the Blind Forest: Definitive Edition was a surprisingly enjoyable platformer! I had tried this title out in the past and had lost due to *insert stupid reason not to play this magnificent title*, and figured I owed the game another chance. Boy, am I happy I decided to do that!

The first things that a player will notice are the exceptional relationship between Ori's visual style and soundtrack. The unique environmental details which showcase both places of intense warmth/light and cold/darkness are compounded by some astounding parallax in the background to create a truly awe-inspiring image, one which is very easy on the eyes. The score is beautiful and tranquil with some very solid ambient tracks alongside some bombastic and powerful pieces of sonic bliss (oh yeah, this soundtrack is GOOD). These elements combine to create a part of some of Blind Forest's best moments, and yet this game decided to also have a story AND gameplay to boot as well. I felt so spoiled playing this one!

The story in Blind Forest is actually pretty solid. The characters are simple in design, but they retain some key features that can give insight as to who they might have been before the events of the game took place. The main villain is menacing and unlikable in many ways, but the writers manage to make her pain relatable and understandable by the end of the title. There isn't any normally spoken dialogue (that is, not in any decipherable language), but it is delivered gracefully and added to the mysticism of the world Ori traverses.

Gameplay-wise, this title nearly perfects what it is aiming to achieve. Maneuvering in the world with Ori feels very responsive, and the fact that the world is designed in such a way where there is nothing that seems "blocky" or "inorganic" is very impressive. It feels like you are actually travelling around a forest that is interconnected, which is a core mechanic of any metroidvania title. Platforming is pretty smooth and there are some very tight sequences where you use a variety of jumps, bombs, dashes, and bounces in order to fly from one location to another, and it felt awesome to play through. Puzzles and exploration are very solid as well, with collectibles testing out your skillset before you are able to collect each one. Sometimes items require certain abilities in order to collect them, other times you are required to use your already learned abilities in order to discover new ways to traverse the world. It created some moments of intrigue for myself as I attempted to unlock certain pathways or collect upgrades, and it felt rewarding to finally solve these areas of the game. However, the only areas of the title which I found to be a bit weak in these aspects are "Black Root Burrows", the escapes after collecting the second and third elements, and "Forlorn Ruins".

The problems that I have with each area listed above are straightforward and increase in frustration successively. In "Black Root Burrows", the biggest obstacle is a lack of light source in order to traverse the area. While this is the main theme of the area to begin with, I feel that as an add-on with the Definitive Edition, it shouldn't have relied on having an item that doesn't exist in the game. Thus, there are some blind jumps you are expected to make that are extremely hard to recognize. However, the escape sequences are much worse. These areas repeatedly aim for flashy, over-the-top escapes, but fail to provide proper insight as to where the player is expected to go/what they are supposed to do during each one. This wasn't a problem at all with the first escape in the "Ginso Tree", but in these areas obstacles are indecipherable from one another, and the player is expected to react almost "before" seeing each threat. This led to many more deaths on my end that I felt was reasonable, and I had to essentially memorize the entirety of each escape in order to finish them. Lastly, the gravity mechanic introduced in the "Forlorn Ruins" is a complete failure in my opinion. The path towards the end of the level is difficult to decipher, and I resorted to abusing my leveled-up health and abilities in order to reach the end rather than use the gravity mechanic itself. There are many insta-death obstacles here as well as small platforms, which only compounded with my frustration with the mechanic itself.

Besides these flawed areas, there was also an issue i had with the balance of the game with its upgrade tree. I was able to fully specialize my Ori and started to breeze through most combat and platforming challenges by the halfway point of the game, and the game felt much too easy for my tastes. Combat is already very "abstract" due to just pressing your attack button and having your helper "Sein" shoot enemies for you, but by upgrading their power you can totally melt most enemies in the span of seconds. This causes Ori to transform from a weak, vulnerable character into a ravenous god who can destroy any creature at will - not the best for what the game is trying to portray them as.

Yet despite my complaints with some locations and with the balance of the game, I consider Ori and the Blind Forest: Definitive Edition to be an absolutely excellent title. Its strong relationship between platforming, puzzles, and combat alongside its fantastic visuals and soundtrack make it a must play for indie gamers, platformer fanatics, or art connoisseurs. It is one of the best titles I have played from 2015/2016, and I can easily Recommend it as a must play platformer for the 2010's. Now go on - play the damn thing!


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Struggling To Stay Afloat

Knockout City is a unique casual/competitive dodgeball arena game with an assortment of special balls and a high skill cap. What seems to be a fun, casual dodgeball game has slowly become more of a pseudo-competitive battle arena for groups of friends to fight each other, and this has led to a bit of a disappointment for this game's life cycle so far. The game sports some fun combat, nice customization options and quirky visuals, but lacks a bit in gameplay diversity/content and a a lesser focus on casual players, which has led to a quick drop in playerbase numbers to boot.

The dodgeball mechanics are really good for the most part. Like dodgeball itself, you can throw, pass, dodge, and catch balls. In this game, throws consist of straight shots, wide angle sidewinders, and high arcing scoop shots with the ability to adjust speeds for each. Passes are conducted with the click of a button, and cause the ball to increase in charge for a successful pass (I will elaborate on charging throws/passes in the next section). As for dodging, it is used simply to dodge (obviously), leap for balls out of reach, to disrupt opponent moves, and to occasionally block an incoming ball with the correct timing. Lastly, catches are conducted with another simple button click, and help you avoid damage with the ability to time a "perfect catch" to increase the ball's velocity upon throwing it back at the opponent. All in all, some really solid mechanics with some great depth and nuance in terms of active gameplay.

However, there is a flawed mechanic that takes center stage in Knockout City - charging balls. Charged balls travel faster than normal balls, making it harder to react to particular throws and team maneuvers. Charges are conducted in two ways: catching repeated throws (up to six charge levels) or passing between teammates (only one charge level). While I think this mechanic is neat, I have my problems with charges gained through passes. It specifically endorses a style of play that is just not encouraged enough in this title, but it also can be abused extremely easily by teams who are coordinated enough. There is no exhaustion effect for passes, so teams can spam passes forever and keep a charge going until the opponent eventually tires of the nonsense and makes a mistake, leaving them open for damage. I believe this mechanic was included to endorse team play, but I do not see non-three stack teams use this mechanic very often and ultimately think it serves no purpose in the game at all at its current point. It exposes too much of a coordination gap between players, and really makes some matches into stomp-fests that, for a more casual player like myself, just aren't as enjoyable. This is especially highlighted by the fact that the main types of players left are high in skill and have organized teams.

Consequentially, this causes matches to feel repetitive more often than not, which is surprising considering the solid base of combat mechanics that are at play. There is a good amount of customization content to play around with, but nothing really affects gameplay. There is planned content coming very soon and in the future (new balls and maps), but I think the passing mechanic limits the variety of gameplay quite a lot. I also think this game has an identity crisis in that it portrays itself as a casual dodgeball game for your friends, but ends up playing like a hyper-competitive and reactive arena title instead. I honestly have not checked out the competitive mode for lack of personal interest, but if it is anything harder than the quick play matches I have come across it certainly will be something I continue to avoid (that is, if anyone is even playing it in the future).

The title has quickly started to lose its playerbase due to these mechanics (as well as network issues, though I personally haven't faced these myself), and I believe something besides a new ball and map must be done in order to keep this game alive. At this rate, there are two fates for this title: it remains a competitive title with a niche audience, only ever adding new content every 3 months until players move on to a new competitive title and the game eventually dies; OR the developers clean up some of the non-casual systems, make this game free-to-play, and promote more casual-friendly party modes and mechanics while SEPARATING the still-solid competitive format from the quick play modes. Right now the game is in a very vulnerable spot, and as someone that found themselves delighted by the charm and mechanics of the title, it would be a shame to see it die a quick death.

Overall, I enjoyed Knockout City and its good dodgeball mechanics at its core, but I have lost interest in its competitive focus and unfriendly casual mechanics. The game's $20 price point doesn't help its lifespan much and it would benefit this game to go free-to-play, but until the game's passing mechanics and focus on competitive action are figured out it will not make a difference. I think these are easy problems to fix for the developers because they have clearly shown their skill and love for dodgeball mechanics, but it will have to be done fast if this game wants any chance of surviving with a relevant audience. I can Not Recommend the game despite its solid core since I have to voice my concerns for the future of the game as a casual title. These types of titles don't come around too often, and it would be a shame for its one chance at glory to be wasted.


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The Best Battle Royale Out There, But Still Limited By The Genre

I've played Apex Legends on and off since its initial release, and I have enjoyed my time with it. I find it to be the most consistent battle royale in the market, and the fast-paced gameplay and stylized characters help to separate this title from other BR's. However, this title still suffers from the same flaws that I find other battle royale's to have, leading to me straying further and further away from the genre. This is pretty much the only one I still play, and I'll be walking through what draws me towards wanting to play the game as well as what pushes me away from enjoyment at times.

Apex Legends has some pretty solid gameplay. Shooting feels pretty good, but traversal is what separated this game from many others at its time of release. The ability to slide and accelerate your movement while also having movement based abilities (grapple, jump pads, boosts) and environmental movement avenues (ziplines, launch balloons, vehicles) helps blend the movement into the shooting very well. I enjoy the many methods of traversal, but I do find one unfortunate flaw from the mechanic that affects my personal enjoyment - the game's skill cap. I'll be going over this in a later segment, so bear with me. Overall though, I enjoy the gameplay and find it to be better than most BR's.

Characters have some interesting abilities, though I do find some issues in terms of balance. Since each character has a different hitbox, smaller characters find themselves at a greater advantage. While this has been countered by buffing larger characters while nerfing smaller ones, I still feel that smaller and skinnier characters have the advantage more often than not. These characters also tend to have the best abilities, such as Octane's stim shot + jump pad, Pathfinder's grapple + zipline, Lifeline's healing drone. or Wraith's teleport + warp (to name a few). Now this isn't true for all characters, as some larger ones have some useful advantages (Gibralter's shield + dome, Wattson's barrier), but I've always felt smaller characters have an inert advantage despite technically "taking more damage" from outside attacks.

This imbalance is unfortunately amplified by the skill cap of the game. I don't consider myself to be the "best" FPS player, but I have my skills with aiming and situational awareness for the most part. However, the best Apex Legends players have mastered the art of shooting while moving, which is something I have never fully gotten the hang of during my time with the game. While some players may just say I need to "git gud", I think it is an unfortunate clash that occurs with the battle royale genre. In this title, the players with the most skill win the most, and those with lesser skill win less - pretty straightforward and logical. However, with the random nature of loot drops, "spawn points" (drop locations), and circle locations, many elements of the game are randomly implemented and outside of your control. I find that when I win, I feel luckier rather than more skilled than my opponents, and when I lose I feel the same way. This leads to an imbalance of satisfaction for some players - the elements of randomness and luck in Apex Legends conflict with the skill cap required to win, which makes the game less satisfying for players both skilled and unskilled.

I don't want to come off as someone who might sound like they are whining, but this is my experience with the game over the years. I find that my sessions become super inconsistent in terms of enjoyment, with high peaks and low lows, and this is not necessarily connected to my win rate. I feel that winning in this game lost its charm for me, as I'm more preoccupied with "how/why" I have won/lost - with the main culprit being RNG. It's a blessing and a curse of the game, as randomness creates moments of pure thrill and tension as well as impatience and dryness for gameplay. A lot of other games don't have this issue, and I have more consistent experiences with them. However, Apex Legends keeps drawing me back, and I think it has to do with the fun gameplay loop that is held back by some RNG mechanics and harsh skill caps.

I wouldn't be playing this game years after initial release if I didn't still enjoy it, but I've come to realize I find some flaws in it as well. The moment to moment gunplay and movement feels very good, but randomness with loot and enemy encounters can lead to some dull and frustrating sessions. In order to combat this, you must become more aggressive, and unfortunately I don't have the patience to dedicate that time and effort into "getting good". As a casual game, this title is good but not great. I can't speak from the perspective of someone more competitive or even "pro", but I think its a solid game that captures the best and worst of the battle royale genre. I think its the peak of the genre from the last few years, and have yet to see something that shook up the genre as much as Apex Legends . Overall, I Recommend this game, especially with its addicting gameplay and attractive price tag of "free". However, its a game with flaws, and many players may find them too numerous to fully enjoy the ride. I'll be sticking around for this one though, since I still think its the best battle royale out there.


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A Puzzler With A Different "Perspective"

Etherborn is a type of game that I would label a "perspective puzzler" due to the player's interaction with changing the layout of the environment in order to traverse or complete tasks. By running up a curved/ramp-like section of wall, the player shifts the gravity to be wherever the character's feet are placed. While a simple formula, I feel that this game achieved a lot with its short length.

The visuals are very soothing and meditative with a variety of colors. The environments are simple so that points of interest and pathways can be identified easily. The game is a mixture of a dream-state and spiritual experience, and the calming soundtrack really helps to tie it all together. My god, this soundtrack is fantastic. There are some subtle melodies that allow for ambiance as you traverse each level, and there are some powerful crescendos that culminate in some moving moments of artistic flair. This is impressive considering the incredibly vague story.

The "story" is little more than a strangely vague commentary of humans and spirituality in relation to a "higher plane / level of existence". It is told in a confusing way, which is strange because it is really just a simple thought-piece rather than a structured plot. I did not enjoy the story very much, though the tone was definitely set for the trippy, mellow visuals and warped perspectives found throughout the game's puzzle sequences.

Puzzles are at a great difficulty pace. There are some obvious tutorial sections meant to introduce the player to the mechanics, but there is a nice and steady difficulty increase throughout the game's half dozen or so levels. Paths became more complex, and it felt like I had to work to complete some puzzles. They never got too frustrating, which is very impressive considering I tend to become impatient with puzzle games in general, and I enjoyed the pace the game moved at.

Despite my enjoyment of this title, I do wish the story was more fleshed out, and I do wish there was a bit more variety with puzzles. This may be due to the length of the game, which was only a bit over an hour (maybe hour and a half). While it was good as a bite-sized title, it needed more content in order to expand on the ideas introduced.

Overall, I enjoyed Etherborn more than I expected. The art and music are a great combination that provides a meditation-inspired journey, and the puzzles are a good challenge. The length is too short though, and the story and variety of puzzles ends up being stagnated because of this. I would [/b] Recommend [/b] this one to fans of puzzle games that make you play with gravity and perspective, and for those who would enjoy a meditative experience with simple visuals and a great soundtrack.


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A Generic VN With A Smidge Of The Uncanny

Creature Romances: Kokonoe Kororo is a visual novel where you play as a normal human high-schooler who exists in a world of random hideous creatures. You are about to flunk out of school, but you are convinced by your longtime crush and childhood friend (who just happens to be a praying mantis) to study hard and attempt to get into the same college as her. You take on this challenge and work hard, hoping to turn your life around and end up with the girl of your dreams. Essentially, this game takes a boring and predictable VN story, but adds strange characters to up the "shock value" and weirdness. Instead, it ends up being worse than a traditional VN with the same story, only with more normalcy.

Gameplay is typical of VN's with no new parts - click, read, and click some more. The art and music is okay but pretty generic looking. The plot is barebones and mostly filled with some witty humor and romance. The main thing this game does different is replace all characters besides the protagonist with anthropomorphic creatures. This includes a bat, praying mantis, demon, and...whatever exactly the principal of the school is supposed to be.

The game does absolutely nothing with these designs apart from including them as a part of its dry humor. The humor is essentially "Wow, its so funny that everyone is a weird creature instead of being human, yet there's a romance plot from a VN occurring". That's it. No attention is paid to why these individuals are not human, and nobody ever mentions it throughout the game. It's a very apparent selling point that is surface level, and really doesn't add much to an experience which is already barebones.

The writing is really basic and amateurish. Dialogue is predictable and empty, and the game thankfully ends before anything drags on too long. This game brings very little to the table beyond its creature design, which while underutilized was at least good for a bit of confusion and humor. Unfortunately, it doesn't really make the game worth playing. I will Not Recommend this title, since it is just a dime a dozen VN with a slight hint of strange character design which ends up taking more away from the experience than what it adds.


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A Simple Game With Bad Gameplay And Humor

Fingered is a very small and basic puzzle game. The player is tasked with identifying criminals out of a police lineup based off of a set of characteristics given to them. These characteristics range from basic descriptions like height, weight, and general appearance, to much more interpretive descriptions such as "ugly", "weirdo", etc. Other than that, this is the entire gameplay loop.

This game was really bad. It had some potential to be decent, but the vague descriptions and extremely repetitive gameplay held it back from being even semi-competent. There is no plot, there is a single repeating song playing throughout the game, and there are really no funny moments. The game heavily pushes its humor as a main selling point, but it really just turns out to be weird and off-putting. The levels are short and to the point, but there is no replay value (hell, there's no value in playing it at all to be honest).

This game is just bad. There is extremely limited and boring gameplay, ugly art, dumb humor, and no plot. The occasional weird scenario made me half-smile, and the first few levels introduce the mechanics simply enough, but there is just no lift to this game's tattered wings. I would Not Recommend to anyone, as it doesn't really have any other potential beyond being a free flash game buried on some random online website.


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A Serious Mess, But One That Has Its Charm

Serious Sam 2 is generally seen as the red-headed stepchild of the Serious Sam franchise (you know, if you don't count the spin-off games). This game got rid of the generally more "realistic" tone of the first few titles in the series, and instead opted to go for an over-the-top, cartoon-like, goofy adaptation. While this might turn off some more hardcore fans of the series, I for one was intrigued by the change in tone. I always felt that the Serious Sam franchise needed to accept its goofy personality and embrace more colors, slapstick, and crazy encounters, and this title seemed to have all of that. I felt that a change of the surface material may also have reflected some fine-tuning towards gameplay, something I personally desired after playing the first set of games in the series. These titles were good fun, but I always felt they were limited by their lack of plot, somewhat dry worlds, and less than intriguing weaponry styles. Finally, a Serious Sam made for me! Yet with all of this newfound experimentation, did Croteam finally nail the formula for this beloved franchise? The answer to that question is...no.

If you've played any other Sam games before, the first thing you'll probably notice is the enhanced visual and audio presentation this game offers. While characters still look really goofy and strange, the textures have been tightened up, the audio felt more crisp than previous titles, and there is voice acting and NPC's EVERYWHERE. It's really quite jarring at first, but you become accustomed to it as you progress through the first few levels. While the voice acting is pretty crap, it's at least "there". Still, there could have been some better takes for these dialogue sequences, and more professionalism would have brought a huge amount to the VO side of things.

Let’s start with gameplay. As you chug through the first level, you'll notice that there is a new physics engine in the game. You'll solve a little puzzle by pushing some boxes onto a switch...and proceed to pretty much never do this again. This was extremely disappointing to me, as I thought the introduction of some puzzles would help to shake things up during a playthrough. Instead, this serves as a "look at our new engine" moment before the player continues onwards to engage in the classic Sam experience - shooting enemies. What surprised me about this title is that it has the most competent gunplay of the entire series (at least to the point of this game's release). There are some interesting guns, and each has a much cooler look and feel to them compared with the previous titles. Another change that took place was the addition of turret/vehicle sequences which were fun at first, but showed their frustrating jank by the halfway point of the game. This was a pretty shocking setback to the momentum of the gameplay, and while not unbearingly numerous, you will likely find more than one for each world you travel to.

Next up, the level/enemy design. Yet again, this game loves to throw you in large open areas, though there is more detail in these areas for this entry compared to before. It's still not my cup of tea, as these fights in these segments always wear out their welcome, but it was at least better than TFE and TSE. However, what got annoying were some of the enemies you faced. While there aren't really any hit-scan/lock-on target enemies, there are many extremely mobile ones that are difficult to hit. These proved to be much more irritating than I initially believed they would be, and I was constantly harassed during combat by these chumps. They proved a challenge, but it wasn't a very enjoyable one. I felt I had to waste more ammo and life than I desired on these guys, and they really just became distractions from the more "in your face" enemies that tend to pop up. Adding on to this, there are no real improvements to how an open area functions. You just tend to go around in circles strafe-running while trying to kill hordes of enemies, which gets old yet again. I already thought these sections dragged down prior games in the series, but it really got unbearable at times for this entry, especially with the game’s bad pacing.

This game is the definition of "barely any meat but a whole lot of fat". This game should have been half as long as it ended up being. I thought that there would be maybe one extra world on top of the (five!) worlds that were presented, but nope. The game nearly doubles the amount of worlds you go to, and each world lasts way too long for its own good. The game has horrid pacing, and you generally play through the same gameplay loop for over a dozen hours. This is the biggest problem with Sam games as a whole, but instead of ramifying the issue, Croteam decided to beat it to a pulp. If the game had a somewhat interesting story this would have alleviated this major flaw, but they failed there as well.

This game's story is garbage. Stinking, leaking, soggy garbage. There is no coherent structure, no real plot points that are quality, and the characters (while funny at times) are useless for the majority of it. Sam loses a lot of his charm from previous games, and instead acts much wackier in this title which doesn't fit his character. I loved his snarky responses from previous games, but here he is just a complete moron. As for the levels in this game, each world is just filled with either randomly offensive characters (China-world, really?), completely random settings (magical fairy land with midget Elvis people?), or just plain boring environments (Kleer planet with fire, lava, and Kleers…*snore*). At no point did anything in this game feel connected, and it dragged down the pacing heavily. By the end of the experience, I was only enjoying the gameplay, but the pacing also wore that down to a bitter pulp. This really soured the mood of the game, and it's a shame Croteam didn't try harder in terms of story.

Finally, I'll wrap up some other aspects of the title I encountered. The game is randomly buggy, with moments where I would get stuck on environmental pieces and see weird texture glitches. There are some power-ups strewn throughout the game that give a nice power trip, but feel out of place yet somehow underdeveloped and underused. Finally, this game is enjoyably random and funny but really doesn't have any sort of filter, so a lot of terrible jokes and gags are included throughout the experience. I found them to be equally entertaining and cringe-worthy, but it still kept my eyes glued to the screen during cutscenes so...success?

Overall, Serious Sam 2 is a strangely mixed bag. It provides some pretty good combat and quirky humor, but has an awful story, terrible pacing, and some lazily constructed levels. It looks and sounds fairly good during combat, but the voice acting is atrocious and characters have really strange behaviors. The worlds are varied and colorful for the most part, but there are no solid themes and consistency to any of them. After completion, I can see why this is the most divisive Sam game, and I was proven wrong about both my desires of change for the franchise as well as my future desire in it as a whole. This was the series' shot at reeling me back in, but instead I feel further away from being a real "fan" of the series now more than ever. While I can Recommend this game due to its fun gameplay and unique personality, I also think its a complete failure at progressing the Serious Sam formula any further, and likely capped the series’ future potential as a result. It's an entertaining and colorful shooter, but not one that will blow anyone's mind.


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An Emotional Tale of Love And Innocence

Rakuen is a RPG Maker title that contains a deeply emotional plot, some wonderful and colorful characters, and fantastic art and music. It is a game that took me a few years to actually finish and appreciate, and is a game that has contributed to my newfound respect for games built in a similar way to many RPG Maker titles. In the past, I have tended to find these game a bit dull and generic, with simplistic stories that tend to tug at the heartstrings or focus on pure horror and puzzles that are either braindead simple or smothered in moon logic. Thankfully, Rakuen breaks through these conventions not only to bring forth a great video game, but for many this might be one of the best titles of its genre ever made.

I'll start by going over the visuals, music, and sound, since it is what you will encounter first. The visuals in this game are stunning, with colorful environments and detailed, original characters everywhere you travel. It feels as if nearly no color is left underrepresented, and various lights and darks are showcased in impressive fashion. The stunning art is paired quite well with a great soundtrack and some quirky sound design. The music fits many situations and amplifies the personality of every location and character that you encounter. The sound design fits well here as well, with various bumps, sound effects, and short melodies adding richness to each encounter and dialogue interaction. It is truly a great mix of art and sound design, with only one flaw that I personally have - the theme songs that play throughout the campaign. These songs were structured well and made great sense with the overall plot, but I just felt they were a bit too "cheesy" at times for me to fully enjoy them. Each voice actor has a bit too much crispness in their singing, and it feels a bit "off" when listening to it. I may be in the minority here, but I felt it reduced the impact that some of the songs were aiming to make on the player. Still, besides this minor flaw, Rakuen shines on an appearance and auditory level. Yet how does it fare once you peek under the hood and listen a bit closer to its message?

The main selling point of this title is the story, and it is pretty damn good here. The plot revolves around a young boy needing to assist various characters around a hospital with their personal issues, all of which involve a mix of personal strife and medical complication. The boy's goal is to help everyone in order to get chance to wake up and talk with a great and powerful forest god named Morizora, who will grant him a single wish upon his completion of his journey. The plot throws many original backstories and interactions at the player, and many bits and pieces of the main character, various side characters, and the world are introduced as you progress. There is a lot of emotion in this one, so have some tissues ready if you tend to react a bit more strongly to emotional titles. The plot wraps up pretty nice, but I also have an issue with a bit of the pacing. I felt that there could have been one less story out of the four or five you encounter, and it would have helped with the length and pacing of the game a lot more. I sank a bit over 12 hours into this one, and if it were to have ended around the 10 hour mark I would have had a bit less fatigue with the game as a whole. The plot is still great at the end of the day, and it is likely the primary reason you would play and enjoy this title.

Next up, gameplay. If I had to pick a part of the game to label the weakest, it would likely be the gameplay portions. The gameplay is by no means poor in any way - however, it could have used with some more interactivity, minigames, side quests, and puzzles to shake things up over time. The puzzles in this title were a bit less than what I was expecting, and they never ended up being too tricky besides the occasional one or two. Since most of the game is spent walking around and talking to characters, it also would have been nice to have some more minigames/activities to do during these encounters. The gameplay seems to show everything its got by the 3-4 hour mark, and while it never becomes horribly dull, I feel that they missed a huge opportunity here to add a bit more life to the title. This is the weakest aspect of Rakuen , and while traditional RPGMaker fans may not be bothered too much by this aspect of the title, other players may find it to become a bit repetitive.

As for other aspects of the game, I will cover them in this section. The UI is fairly simple and clean, with not too much involved from the jump. The lack of voice acting is a smart choice overall, though it does become a bit jarring to hear a character's voice in a song if you had never heard it in any other context beforehand (which may be the reason I was so put off by it from the start). The game is very theme-heavy, with each character representing a specific emotion, lifestyle, or character trait. Lastly, some background details may require the player to put two and two together, as it delivers information in a bit of an ambiguous yet intriguing fashion.

Overall, I found Rakuen to be a delightful game. The story, characters, art, and music made it such an enjoyable experience to partake in, and I'll likely remember my run through the game for a long, long time. I played this title with my girlfriend, and it was a memorable way to bond, talk about complex topics, and get emotional together. The shortcomings in gameplay, some aspects of the music, and the overall length/pacing brought this title down a bit more than I expected, but I still thought the overall experience was something extremely valuable and artistic. I can easily Recommend this title to those looking for an emotional story with some albeit simple gameplay, all wrapped up in an attractive visual and auditory package. Rakuen is one of the best RPGMaker-style titles I have ever played, and one that should not go under the radar for fans of indie titles.


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