rjmacready
Michael (NO TRADE, NO FRIEND REQUESTS BELOW LEVEL 10)   Australia
 
 
For your delectation, I have two very different Curator pages:
http://gtm.you1.cn/storesteam/curator/9284586-ReviewsJustfortheHELLofit/
http://gtm.you1.cn/storesteam/curator/10868048-Truly-Horrible-Horror-Games/?appid=398210

Ever wonder how I rationalise those crazy Verdicts which I deliver in my reviews? Well, wonder no longer:

RATINGS GUIDE (out of 10):
10 = About as good as it gets. Not necessarily “perfect”, but as close as it could have been, all things considered.
9.5 = Very, very nearly “gets there”, and honestly not much at all to complain about.
9 = An awful lot to like, but somehow lacking in some spark or touch of perfection which would make it truly great.
8.5 = A hell of a lot to recommend, but also some reservations.
8 = Very, very solid, but still quite a ways from greatness.
7.5 = A very firm recommendation, despite a number of shortcomings.
7 = Shows definite potential, but for whatever reason(s) falls quite a bit short of what it could have been.
6.5 = Really could have been something, maybe still could be, but still some way from that goal.
6 = “Above average” in its appeal, but not by a great margin. Definitely underwhelming.
5.5 = Not much above a pass. Not a COMPLETE insult, but far from something to write home about either, and not something you’d heartily recommend to anyone (even if you thought it was “their thing”).
5 = A pass. BARELY.
4.5 = A fail, if only just.
4 = Really, really not good. Could be made passable, but only with significant work.
3.5 = Pretty woeful, really. Probably COULDN’T be rendered passable, even with significant work.
3 = Awful. Either the devs were incredibly lazy, or incredibly lacking in anything resembling “talent”.
2.5 = Abominable. Even the best of intentions – if any were indeed present – couldn’t save THIS one.
2 = A failure at every conceivable level. Either the devs are full-blown “con artists”, or really should give up all their hopes and dreams of being professional video game designers (or at the very, very least, should wait for their skills to improve a bit, before releasing some half-baked “demo” as product).
1.5 = Downright insulting. The people who made this should definitely be ashamed, especially if they asked MONEY for this ♥♥♥♥-sandwich.
1 = The devs hate you. Or, failing that, I at least hope that they secretly despise THEMSELVES, for having released such a lethal stink-bomb into the public consciousness.
0.5 = The devs may as well have choked you to death with their own faeces, and pissed all over your shallow grave for good measure.
0 = SERIOUSLY?! Is this even POSSIBLE?!? YOU PEOPLE SHOULD BE SHOT!!!!!!!!

Oh, and here's another site I write for upon occasion:
https://www.scaredtoplay.com/

And finally, here's a few things about Yours Truly (as a "person" an' all that):

My name is Michael, I enjoy playing and reviewing games, and yes, I'm currently 42 years old. If this is something which makes you uncomfortable, please DON'T ADD ME. Similarly, if you don't appreciate my somewhat dark sense of humour, DON'T ADD ME. Neither of these things are liable to change or improve in the foreseeable future (quite the opposite, I suspect)! Other than this, I'm happy to be Steam friends with virtually anyone, though I may be suspicious if your Steam level is 0 or 1 and the only game you "own" is Team Fortress 2. I'm not much into trading, especially with people I haven't known for a loooong time, so if you're only looking to get stuff off me - especially totally, 100% free stuff - please, for the love of God, DON'T ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ ADD ME!!

Having said that, my ambivalence towards generosity runs both ways. While I have absolutely no problem with people gifting me games, please note that I have about half of the Steam catalogue currently in my wishlist...so if you want me to play something you gift ASAP, just message me and I'll be happily honest about my chances of playing it in the near-future :)

Currently In-Game
gravilon
Screenshot Showcase
"I feel so small and insignificant," said the knight. "That's because you ARE, you fat fucking tosser," said a voice from up above.
12 13 1
Review Showcase
20 Hours played
Well: this was an odd decision for Bloober to have made (even in association with another dev company)! That said: an "enhanced" version of two really great games, somewhat haphazardly spliced together...is still two really great games...

Whether the stories for Layers of Fear and Layers of Fear 2 were ever "meant" to be run back-to-back - with some tenuous new links and further, shorter stories tossed into the cracks (including the formerly-released "Inheritance" DLC, for the first game) - is another question entirely. Similarly, some of you may have mixed feelings about the added "gameplay"/"danger" elements - most particularly to the formerly peril-free Layers of Fear 1 content - but I, for one, certainly felt it added some freshness and longevity/replay value to the whole package for a long-time fan, even if it does feel a bit "tacked on" at times.

Honestly, if you haven't played the original games, you may as well start here. If you have played the original games - and LOVED them - then there's plenty of newness and "improvements" (especially those to do with handheld light sources like lanterns and flashlights*) to make this a more-than-worthwhile purchase. (The new, occasionally gobsmacking imagery in "The Musician's Story" is almost worth the price of re-admission alone.) But if you're one of those people who played one or both of the first two games...and was a tad underwhelmed? Not enough has changed here to change your mind. 75% of what's present is much the same, with the odd alteration, the aforementioned added danger and, y'know..."better graphics". But it's not a revolutionary new experience, and will probably still bore those who were bored the first time.

One definite plus, for those of you who frequently complain that story-oriented horror games tend to be "too short"? This one easily lasts over ten hours! So if you were sitting on the fence, purely due to the monetary value you associated with each individual game's running time...I guess they "fixed" that part! (Me: I'll happily pay the asking price for a quality horror gaming experience of almost any length; or, failing that, I'll just wait for a sale. But I know I'm not everyone in that regard.)

Verdict: 9.5/10 (the exact same score I gave the exceedingly good first two games)!

(* Actually, unless I'm somehow mistaken: I believe they've made the Layers of Fear 2 content a tad less deadly...thanks to the addition of the lamp. So they've essentially made the Layers of Fear 1 content MORE challenging, and the Layers of Fear 2 content LESS challenging; roughly balancing the two games out. Up to you whether that sounds like a wise idea or not.)

(PS If you enjoyed this review, feel free to check out my two Curator pages: http://gtm.you1.cn/storesteam/curator/9284586-ReviewsJustfortheHELLofit/
http://gtm.you1.cn/storesteam/curator/10868048-Truly-Horrible-Horror-Games/?appid=398210
Cheers!)
Rarest Achievement Showcase
BEWARE THE STENCH: SEWERS AND TOILETS IN HORROR GAMES (a short essay)
Yes, there may be monsters. And sure, there's probably gore.

But how do you truly, honestly know you're playing a horror video game? Answer: you're standing in a public toilet or a sewer.

I've played hundreds of horror games in my time, and off the top of my head I can't think of a single one that doesn't feature one or both of the locations I just mentioned. Even when you're deep in Dead Space, public lavatories abound. And directly beneath the Mount Massive asylum, you'll find an expansive sewer system. Let's face it: if your character isn't whiffing human excrement and/or urinal cakes at some point of their adventure, chances are you're not playing a bona fide horror game.

Now, we could get all Freudian and try to plumb the psychological reasons for this omnipresent phenomena, but there's possibly a couple of simpler answers. Firstly, there's the obvious fact that horror is generally kinda "yukky". A good deal of horror revolves around the disgust we have toward our own bodies, so...it stands to reason that certain settings seem especially apt. Secondly, horror tends to work best when set against a background that is "gritty" or, in less pretentious terminology...realistic! Asylums need sanitation, too; and even in space, where no one can hear you pee, you're not liable to have a very good time if the facilities are found wanting.

Horror, more than any other genre, has always spoken directly to the base and biological nature of the human experience. Fear of death, fear of disease; fear of being caught without a place to poop. Horror forces us to confront our very worst anxieties, and let's face it: the epic entry hall of an abandoned mansion might evoke a certain kind of spooky, but we'd much rather be there than waist-deep in a stench-ridden sewer, with no idea what might be lurking just beneath the surface. Even if it's just last night's steak 'n' chips, it's clearly something best left alone.
Recent Activity
1.6 hrs on record
Currently In-Game
2,278 hrs on record
last played on 26 Jan
4.2 hrs on record
last played on 22 Jan
rjmacready 1 Jan @ 3:04am 
2025 already? Geeeezz...
╔╗╔╦══╦═╦═╦╗╔╗ :arrstar: :arrstar: :arrstar:
║╚╝║══║═║═║╚╝║ :OverStar:¸.•°*”˜˜”*°•.¸:OverStar:
║╔╗║╔╗║╔╣╔╩╗╔╝ :phoenixstar: NEW YEAR ☆ 2025 :phoenixstar:
╚╝╚╩╝╚╩╝╚╝═╚╝ :heartred::heartgold::heartblue::blobhearts::blackheart::Loving::blackheart::blobhearts::heartblue::heartgold::heartred:
rjmacready 31 Dec, 2024 @ 6:00am 
Happy New Year!!!!
Game Explorer ❄ 31 Dec, 2024 @ 5:14am 
█░█ ▄▀█ █▀█ █▀█ █▄█
█▀█ █▀█ █▀▀ █▀▀ ░█░

█▄░█ █▀▀ █░█░█   █▄█ █▀▀ ▄▀█ █▀█  █
█░▀█ ██▄ ▀▄▀▄▀   ░█░ ██▄ █▀█ █▀▄  ▄

▀█ █▀█ ▀█ █▀
█▄ █▄█ █▄ ▄█
Game Explorer ❄ 30 Dec, 2024 @ 4:50am 
                     ⡠⠖⠉⠉⢾⣉⡽
                    ⡎    ⠷⢄
                  ⡼⠓⠒⠒⠒⠒⠒⢥⡄
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⢀⡤⠒⠝⠉⠑⠒⠒⠒⠒⠒⠒⠒⠉⠲⢄⠀
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⢀⡴⠋⠀⠀⠀⠀⣀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⢠⣢⠐⡄⠀⠉⠑⠒⠒⠒⣄
⠀⠀⠀⣀⠴⠋⠀⠀⠀⡎⢀⣘⠿⠀⠀⢠⣀⢄⡦⠀⣛⣐⢸⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⢘
⡠⠒⠉⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⡰⢅⠣⠤⠘⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⢀⣀⣤⡋⠙⠢⢄⣀⣀⡠⠊
⢇⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⢀⠜⠁⠀⠉⡕⠒⠒⠒⠒⠒⠛⠉⠹⡄⣀⠘⡄⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
⠀⠑⠂⠤⠔⠒⠁⠀⠀⡎⠱⡃⠀⠀⡄⠀⠄⠀⠀⠠⠟⠉⡷⠁⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠹⠤⠤⠴⣄⡸⠤⣄⠴⠤⠴⠄⠼
The end of the year is a time to remember every lesson learned and laugh shared
Game Explorer ❄ 25 Dec, 2024 @ 7:38am 
★Merry★* 。 • ˚ ˚ ˛ ˚ ˛ •
•。★Christmas★ 。* 。
° 。 ° ˛˚˛ * _Π_____*。*˚
˚ ˛ •˛•˚ */______/~\。˚ ˚ ˛
˚ ˛ •˛• ˚ | 田田 |門| ˚ ☃
☆¸.•°*”˜˜”*°•.¸☆ ★ ☆¸.•°*”˜˜”*°•.¸☆