Recent reviews by Tack

This is one of the rare times that my nostalgia didn't deceive me. It's just as fun as I remember. Bought it for $5 on sale but I wouldn't write off buying it at full price.

lots of annoying ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ that comes alongside a game from the era that it's from, but still a pretty fun time if you get over that

This is a review of the multiplayer. The campaign is one of the best in the franchise, and everything runs very smoothly once you find your resolution. In MW2 Multiplayer, I have 266 hours as of 7/19/19, but I have around 27 in this game because I've replayed the campaign multiple times.

You know what game this is. It's ridiculous fun where you'll be yelling bullsh!t with every other death (because it probably was bullsh!t.) I play this game WAY too much because it's a great way to kill time and just have fun. Alongside, the chat function really brings a whole new element of interaction in this game, with MOST people being very nice and open for any kind of conversation (some toxicity, racism, etc, but it's call of duty. It's to be expected.)

However, people still occasionally camp, people still tube, you'll come across the occasional subtle or not-so-subtle cheater, and there's a 30% chance you'll end up in a modded lobby, where you're at a risk of getting 10th prestige'd without your permission, or you'll have your loadouts blocked, or killstreaks/knifing will be disabled, etc. It all depends on the host. Speaking of hosts, it's a gamble whether you'll get a solid connection through the randomly-selected host (if the lobby is unmodded.) But most of the time you'll be okay.

I think the fact that I have so many hours in this game proves that it's a worthwhile purchase. It's definitely worth the $20, but if you don't see yourself playing it as much as I have, I recommend waiting for a sale.

I accidentally left it open for 20 hours LMAO still a great game tho

This is my first Max Payne game, and for an outsider looking in, with five hours in the game as of right now, it really just feels like a restrictive linear shooting gallery. Fun for a bit, but once you get tired of killing ethnic minorities in slow motion it gets boring quick. Buy on sale. 5/10

Buy on sale. Beautiful atmosphere, rich story with wonderful voice acting, and charming charisma between characters. However, this game is still only around four hours long and definitely has some problems with FPS, movement, and bugs sometimes. 6/10

I know this is set in Japan, but almost every piece of evidence you acquire is admissible in American court because of the 4th amendment lmao

good game

Rich story, overwhelmingly detailed world, convincing voice acting (especially from Geralt), and endless amounts of exploration. It's obvious the developers put everything into the world this game is in. Unfortunately, a lot of it is overshadowed by the clunky, distracting, and frustrating movement (frustrating running mechanics, and very clunky horse riding). There are thousands of games with less budget and technology available to them that have much better movement systems. Why CDPR didn't polish one of the most essential parts of the game, I'll never know.

Another criticism is how unbearably repetitive so many witcher contracts (optional side quests) are. The process for most of these is
1) Talk to contract holder
1a) Make a choice (maybe)
2) Use your witcher senses to look around the area
3) Talk to someone/contract holder
4) Fight animal/person/monster
5) Recieve your reward

Granted, not every contract is like this, but there are so many that seem so shoved in at the last minute. If you can get over the movement and slight repetitiveness, then this is a solid open-world fantasy game. 6.5/10

Way too short. Takes around an hour to beat it. I beat it twice and I'm still eligible for a refund. Not worth it at all.

T/W BEFORE YOU BUY: This game emphatically and unforgivingly covers themes of suicide, murder, depression, and loss of family. I wish this game had pointed this out before the story began, but that's just my own (controversial(?)) opinion.

Quick disclaimer: I'm going to censor some of this review as it contains very minor spoilers like character names and general themes of their stories. I'm doing this because I feel the best way to experience this game is as I did, completely blind. Each story was a new surprise and I'm grateful I began the story the way I did. However, if you've already played or don't want to enter this game completely blind, feel free to hover over my spoiler tags. Again, they're very minor spoilers.

Overall, this game is much like a playable choose-your-own-order movie, with many fascinating and incredible plot points being entirely skipped if the player doesn't focus on their environment. The map in this game is structured with a sort of simple-complexity to it. Each section has been designed to make you feel like you've overcome a challenge or an obstacle when in reality you've merely walked along the linear road to progress the story as the developers have intended. With design like this, the game is very immersive. I found myself crying at two points of the story. At Lewis' flashback, I cried due to how much I saw myself in their shoes, relating to their suicidal depression and feeling of hopelessness. Another was the fantastic ending, which choked me up and made me want to hug my parents.

Playing through the game's story one time will roughly elapse to a time of 2 hours, with some small points feeling a bit tedious and slow. However, these low points are completely overshadowed by the gorgeous atmosphere and gripping story. The voice actors (even the child) never fail to deliver gripping and fresh dialogue (which is quite rare in the indie game sphere). Again, this story had me in tears towards its resolving moments. In my experience, not many games, movies, or stories can reach so deeply into the head and heart to grapple such an emotional response in only two hours. I am also incredibly ADHD, especially when it comes to video games (considering I have all this other technology around me constantly competing for my limited attention). Despite that, this game had me fully intrigued for its entire running time. Which even some of my favorite titles fail to do.

As far as the controls go, walking, which takes center stage during this game, is relatively smooth and polished. However, in certain dream or flashback sequences, like Molly's owl, shark, and monster stages, I found myself spamming controls and feeling constricted with my movement. Alongside, having to interact with the environment using WASD wasn't ideal nor too well executed, with directions of buttons spontaneously switching without my knowledge, creating some unintentional flow-disturbing awkwardness.

Lastly, I want to talk about the environment. Edith Finch's house is beautifully constructed, blending gorgeous pastels with a dark and dead environment, giving off a feeling of lost happiness and a buried past. Some architecture and design reminded me of the opening montage of Pixar's Up; not just aesthetically, but emotionally as well. One section has you playing inside a mid-20th century comic, employing the same, or at least very similar rough and unique graphics found in games like Borderlands and The Walking Dead, creating a very memorable split from the game's typical graphics. After closing this game, I'd realized that I had reflexively lined up and taken over 100 screenshots of desks, rooms, nature, and individual subjects in this game. I plan to pick out the best and use them as randomized wallpapers for my desktop for quite a while. If anything, that shows just how beautiful and gripping Finch's environment comes to be.

If I had to compact this work of art into a 1-10 number rating, I'd give What Remains of Edith Finch a 7.5/10, with 5 being average. I bought this game on sale ($10, from the original $20 price), and I feel like I've spent my money on a good product, and I am happy to support the studio that made this game so they can pursue future pieces of art.