Posts in reviews
Foundation: from organic sprawl to production woes
I’ve always been a fan of city builders. Many city builders use a grid, which makes sense from a gameplay standpoint but can be limiting to creativity. Even in games that don’t require you to follow a grid - like Cities: Skylines - it’s easy to fall into building identical squares. It’s efficient and works just fine. But grids can be boring; grids are missing a soul: the aesthetics are repetitive, the feel is inorganic, and the layouts are predictable. I think of genres like city builders as a method of self-expression, and you do need a soul for that.
... (keep reading)Thoughts on 150+ PC Game Pass games
Is PC Game Pass worth it? Yeah, I think it mostly is, unless you’re ideologically opposed to it. You can stop reading now if you want. Otherwise…
... (keep reading)Indie detour: Kiosk
As I’ve gotten older, and as I have more responsibilities, I’ve been having more appreciation for short games. Smaller, more focused indie experiences are fun! After all, I love games as a medium, and shorter games allow me to experience even more games. Because of the indie titles mixed in, I get to experience around a hundred titles in any given year. It’s great.
... (keep reading)A nostalgic, flawed return to Oblivion
TES IV: Oblivion remaster shadow dropped on a random Wednesday. I don’t generally play games as soon as they come out; I’m more of a patient gamer. But I’ve been testing out PC Game Pass (I’m late to the train, I know), and I was able to pick it up “for free”. Oh, and be warned - nostalgia for 2005 is a factor in this review.
... (keep reading)Why I bounced off Avowed
For whatever reason Avowed didn’t really grip me. I spent 6 hours in the game, and ended up bouncing off.
... (keep reading)The Long Dark: interloper death march
I’ve played The Long Dark on and off before: I enjoy the slow-paced survival gameplay, and focus on grounded realism is not something that’s particularly common in survival games. I stumbled upon Majuular’s review of The Long Dark: I liked his take on the fact that The Long Dark difficulty doesn’t meaningfully change as you play: a campfire is just as welcoming after weeks pass in-game, and a wolf is just as dangerous as it was in the beginning of your run.
... (keep reading)Why I enjoyed Dread Delusion
I agonized about which game I’d like to write about first, and decided that Dread Delusion is the perfect candidate: I loved it, it tugged on my nostalgia strings, and it’s still fresh in my head. Let me tell you about why I enjoyed Dread Delusion.
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