Below are all of the games I have played and logged, along with my ratings and reviews.
Score | Title | Console | Year | Genre | Review | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
10 |
The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening | Nintendo Switch | 2019 | Action / Adventure | By no means do I claim to be a gaming historian or an expert on the Zelda franchise, but in just piecing together my own history based on the games I've played in my life so far, and more specifically in my attempt at playing the franchise in chronological order on my Steam Deck, I believe that Link's Awakening is when The Legend of Zelda really found its footing as a franchise. The dungeon-palooza of Link to the Past is scaled way down in favor of overworld exploration and actual side characters to drive an intriguing, personal plot forward, which makes Koholint Island feel alive in a way that Hyrule hadn't before. The fun and distinct dungeons are still the real meat here, as they escalate in difficulty and even experiment with verticality and non-linearity, but it was a treat to take a breath between each one and know I actually had things to do that would give myself a more complete experience. Sure, there is a bit of nostalgia here for me that might be knocking this up a point or two, as I got the DX version on my Gameboy Color in between the two N64 titles, making it my second foray into the franchise, but it holds up just as well today. The Switch remaster only adds to the fun, giving it a totally fresh visual style while making great quality-of-life improvements. Reviewed on Sunday, April 2nd, 2023, 6:53am. |
Nintendo Switch - The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening - Action / Adventure - 2019 - By no means do I claim to be a gaming historian or an expert on the Zelda franchise, but in just piecing together my own history based on the games I've played in my life so far, and more specifically in my attempt at playing the franchise in chronological order on my Steam Deck, I believe that Link's Awakening is when The Legend of Zelda really found its footing as a franchise. The dungeon-palooza of Link to the Past is scaled way down in favor of overworld exploration and actual side characters to drive an intriguing, personal plot forward, which makes Koholint Island feel alive in a way that Hyrule hadn't before. The fun and distinct dungeons are still the real meat here, as they escalate in difficulty and even experiment with verticality and non-linearity, but it was a treat to take a breath between each one and know I actually had things to do that would give myself a more complete experience. Sure, there is a bit of nostalgia here for me that might be knocking this up a point or two, as I got the DX version on my Gameboy Color in between the two N64 titles, making it my second foray into the franchise, but it holds up just as well today. The Switch remaster only adds to the fun, giving it a totally fresh visual style while making great quality-of-life improvements. | |
9 |
Control | PC | 2019 | Action / Horror | What an awesome, mind-bending experience. I cannot say enough about the creative world-building and effective mind games that it plays as you go deeper into the "Bureau" and unlock its secrets. For such a closed-off world, you get to experience so much and the somewhat uniform physical setting is more than enough to play around in as you unlock more abilities and learn more secrets about the story. The way that you can weave each power into combat is seamless and so fun to utilize; it's like you control Scarlet Witch with a gun, and it actually feels that way too. I don't think at any point during my playthrough did I feel like the physics the game sets up get betrayed; basically anything you can imagine you can do is possible in combat, and that's incredibly fun and satisfying. I still have a ton of DLC to play, but felt like I reached the end of my playthrough with the main game content and it had a very satisfying conclusion, so I'm not sure I'll go back and explore the new sectors anytime soon, but that's not a knock on the game at all. I feel very pleased with the arc of the story and gameplay. Reviewed on Thursday, September 21st, 2023, 2:41pm. |
PC - Control - Action / Horror - 2019 - What an awesome, mind-bending experience. I cannot say enough about the creative world-building and effective mind games that it plays as you go deeper into the "Bureau" and unlock its secrets. For such a closed-off world, you get to experience so much and the somewhat uniform physical setting is more than enough to play around in as you unlock more abilities and learn more secrets about the story. The way that you can weave each power into combat is seamless and so fun to utilize; it's like you control Scarlet Witch with a gun, and it actually feels that way too. I don't think at any point during my playthrough did I feel like the physics the game sets up get betrayed; basically anything you can imagine you can do is possible in combat, and that's incredibly fun and satisfying. I still have a ton of DLC to play, but felt like I reached the end of my playthrough with the main game content and it had a very satisfying conclusion, so I'm not sure I'll go back and explore the new sectors anytime soon, but that's not a knock on the game at all. I feel very pleased with the arc of the story and gameplay. | |
8 |
Blasphemous | PC | 2019 | Metroidvania / Action | For how much I loved the vibe and atmosphere of this game, I wished just as much that I had a little bit more of an understanding of the lore that surrounds it. The items, characters, bosses, purpose, etc all are shrouded in mystery for me, and I'm not sure if that's because they kept it purposely vague and mysterious, or if it just went over my head. Either way, I still really loved Blasphemous and look forward to playing the sequel. I didn't mind the relatively basic traversal, where you don't gain any new movement abilities and unlock new areas through back doors and switches, but I am interested to see how they expand on everything. I am definitely hooked on the world they've got going and the absolute metal-ness of it. Reviewed on Tuesday, September 5th, 2023, 1:08pm. |
PC - Blasphemous - Metroidvania / Action - 2019 - For how much I loved the vibe and atmosphere of this game, I wished just as much that I had a little bit more of an understanding of the lore that surrounds it. The items, characters, bosses, purpose, etc all are shrouded in mystery for me, and I'm not sure if that's because they kept it purposely vague and mysterious, or if it just went over my head. Either way, I still really loved Blasphemous and look forward to playing the sequel. I didn't mind the relatively basic traversal, where you don't gain any new movement abilities and unlock new areas through back doors and switches, but I am interested to see how they expand on everything. I am definitely hooked on the world they've got going and the absolute metal-ness of it. | |
8 |
Disco Elysium | PC | 2019 | RPG | I really enjoyed this game overall. The storyline and the way it unfolds with choice-based mechanics all taking place in my character’s head, and how tackling certain things at certain times only makes sense with the necessary skills. I didn’t utilize the thought cabinet nearly enough, given the fact that I was using my skill points to upgrade abilities throughout. One thing against the game, and really this is probably more against me, is that the propulsion to solve the mystery and advance the main story had my eyes glossing over some of the historical and political context of Revachol. Especially after long stretches of playing and needing to feel a sense of accomplishment, I would breeze through a lot of dialogue without actually reading it if I didn’t feel it pertained directly to the case. That shouldn’t be a knock on the game, because it is great world-building, but there might have been a way to make it flow better? Reviewed on Monday, December 26th, 2022, 12:00am. |
PC - Disco Elysium - RPG - 2019 - I really enjoyed this game overall. The storyline and the way it unfolds with choice-based mechanics all taking place in my character’s head, and how tackling certain things at certain times only makes sense with the necessary skills. I didn’t utilize the thought cabinet nearly enough, given the fact that I was using my skill points to upgrade abilities throughout. One thing against the game, and really this is probably more against me, is that the propulsion to solve the mystery and advance the main story had my eyes glossing over some of the historical and political context of Revachol. Especially after long stretches of playing and needing to feel a sense of accomplishment, I would breeze through a lot of dialogue without actually reading it if I didn’t feel it pertained directly to the case. That shouldn’t be a knock on the game, because it is great world-building, but there might have been a way to make it flow better? |