Cubivore: Survival of the Fittest (2002) - ★★★
Wed, 04 Jun 2025 23:59:28 +0000
The ost consists of 2 midis that are like 5 seconds long and loop continously, one I quite like, the other sucks. Enjoy listening to it for the next 5 hours. I love the design of the cube beasts. Watching these absurd comedic animals perform visceral take down animations is very entertaining. It felt like it was building up to some epic box monster abomination boss fight that never came.
The 7th Guest VR (2023) - ★★★½
Tue, 24 Dec 2024 21:36:29 +0000
The 4D volumetric capture they used for the cutscenes was awesome! Not something I've seen used in games much before, and a natural evolution of the FMV. It captures the performances better than mocap imo - in VR you can really see those small details. I prefer puzzle games that involve the whole environment (like Myst) rather than a sequence of small contained puzzles, but that's not really a fault of the game. Just a personal preference. I understand this also can't deviate from the source material too much. Overall, a fun time that is largely carried by its well-crafted ~spooky~ visuals.
Mon, 06 May 2024 00:18:17 +0000
Yes, the gameplay is atrocious. Yes, I gave it a higher score than it deserves because it's a Japanese furry rhythm game with pre-rendered 90s CG cutscenes and is somewhat reminiscent of the musical "Cats".
Forestia : la grande aventure (1998) - ★★★★
Sun, 05 May 2024 12:04:06 +0000
The hell level was a formative childhood experience.
Beyond Good & Evil (2003) - ★★★★
Sun, 05 May 2024 10:52:07 +0000
I love the detailed whimsical world which contrasts nicely with the dark authoritarian regime. In the modern age of AAA megascans asset flips it feels refreshing to come back to a game where every texture was hand painted - with thought as to the art direction and function of the world being built. Admittedly my drive to play this was off the back of loving Rayman 2's art and it did not disappoint. I even tried to go through all the artists in the credits of both, to see if any had worked on other projects with a similar feel after this, but didn't have any luck. I guess Ancel's team in the late 90's just had a magic spark. All that praise said, the story was fun but predictable. As everyone has mentioned: despite the name of the game, morality is completely black and white. Boring, but comfy - like an action movie. The gameplay was hit and miss, I liked the photography and the puzzles where you had to interact with the environment, some of those made me think for a minute but I never found them obtuse. The stealth and combat were very one note, but that's ok. Overall a great game, most of my enjoyment came from existing in the world itself and absorbing the vibe.
Forever Worlds: Enter the Unknown (2004) - ★½
Sat, 14 Oct 2023 20:10:25 +0000
Words alone cannot describe this fever dream, so instead here's a clip of my favourite moment: (Very minor spoiler warning for a puzzle but trust me it's not worth it) https://youtube.com/clip/UgkxTe8vtC1v5vPV2E8s7Ob3wvYiiE39pZPa?si=JcQwIsjuAxQsnuXB
The Desolate Hope (2012) - ★★★★
Sat, 14 Oct 2023 17:26:54 +0000
The central space station is so visually stunning, I just wish we saw more of it!! The combat system is also fantastic, though a little overwhelming at first. Story was good - I was hoping the insane robots would be a little more unhinged than they were, but it kept my interest throughout. - 1 star because both the night sections and hacking minigame feel pretty drawn out and repetitive on a typical playthrough.
Doctor Who: The Last Dalek (2005) - ★★
Fri, 13 Oct 2023 20:59:43 +0000
Game where you get to destroy shit as a Dalek. Could've been metal af, shame it's a flash game. Still probably the most interesting Dr Who game just on premise alone.
Spore: Galactic Adventures (2009) - ★★★★★
Tue, 09 May 2023 16:41:47 +0000
A better game than the base game. I spent more hours making levels for this than I did in any other game with a level creator, including LittleBigPlanet, Roblox etc. It doesn't have infinite freedom like a game such as Dreams does, but you can get pretty expressive with the building prefabs if you know how. I think that pushing the limits of what you can do with the tool is half the appeal - it's like trying to draw well in MS Paint.