Скорошни рецензии на fernandopa

Skullgirls is an incredible game - the artstyle is vibrant and rich, the soundtrack is dynamic and exciting, and characters play very differently from each other. I've finished all the Stories on Normal difficulty, and for a casual fighting game player like me, it was just the right amount - challenging but not overwhelming. I could see the richness in the game's dynamics for veteran players thou, even while not super interested in it. It's obvious why the game is still popular so many years after it's release.

One of the best fighting games I've played in the last few years, more complex than Marvel vs Capcom and other x vs x games, but infinitely more accessible than Guilty Gear.

Ugh I'm so frustrated! Ballistic Zen was one of the nicest surprises I've encountered recently. I had never heard of the game or have any idea what it was about, but it was bundled recently and I decided to give it a go. I ended up giving away all other games in the bundle and just kept this one. And boy, what a delight!

Ballistic Zen is a first-person platformer / parkour game. It controls basically just with the mouse - left-click to start or stop, right-click to jump. You accelerate by riding downhill or by quickly shifting between left and right. And ... that's pretty much it, a whole game built upon first-person movement, which I'm a sucker for. The goal is to ride "lines", which are courses snaking through the massive, brutalist, vertical open-world. It's literally so simple yet so, so enjoyable.

The part that I hated the most is the realization that I suck at it. The first world kind of warms you up to the game. It took me a while, but eventually I was able to beat all the lines there. Then I went to the second world, and managed to beat maybe 40% of the lines. Third world, 20%, last world, none of them. I eventually made my way up the Pyramid, which is the end-game, and called it a day. Decided to pick it up again to try to clear lines I've had previously struggled with, and even though I played for a loooooooooong time, I managed to beat none of them. Which is fine because the game is still a treat and I'll be booting it up every now and then to go and have fun with it, but man, it is SO HARD to get better at it, and of course, being a niche title, there are no guides or tips and tricks for it.

Absolutely worth buying full price if you enjoy first-person parkour or platforming games with lots of wallrunning and beautifully realized movement mechanics.

I thought I would never find a 2D Metroidvania I didn't like. But then I played Chasm.

In the most basic level, a Metroidvania has to do two things well: combat and exploration. Chasm draws a lot from the SNES Castlevania titles for combat and movement, with long wind-up times, stance locks during attacks, stun locks during jumps, and different attack reach and arcs based on the weapon. Also the "magic" system is copy paste from Castlevania, particularly Castlevania X and Super Castlevania IV. The problem is that these games are not known for their expressive combat options, or for their fluid and responsive platforming.

If you've played any modern 2D action adventure game, you'll be left scratching your head as why Chasm is so dull. Combat options are extremely limited, and you're constantly punished by enemies that hit pretty hard and stun lock you into place, even on the Normal difficulty. You'll be missing ledge grabs and wall jumps because the inputs for these moves are arcane and unresponsive. You'll be jumping on disappearing platforms, and they will fade before you had a chance to register a jump away. Moving around and fighting enemies is just not fun, and given this is the core of the game, this makes the whole experience a chore.

I could live with these flaws if difficulty was balanced or the map and level design were fun to explore, but alas, they are not. There are very few save points in the game, and they are far from each other. Re-entering a room re-spawns enemies. The first time you encounter an enemy, you'll likely lose a big chunk of health trying to learn its moves (which is harder because your own moveset and attack is sluggish), and then you'll face a challenge: go to the next room hoping it's a save point (probably it won't), or try to backtrack to the last save point but risking dying in the process? If you die, it's game over, main menu, so dying in the game is very punishing. And this system incentivizes you to grind enemies besides the save room. Seriously, a grand total of 0 people find that fun. The amount of times I had been playing for a while (like, thirty minutes) and died, only to have my progress reset, was frustratingly high. And I wasn't even playing on hard, I was just fighting the controls and the platforms instead of fighting the enemies.

To top it off, the devs seem to take a lot of pride from having a proc-gen game. But if I'm just playing the main story once, does it matter? Spoiler alert, it doesn't! Proc-gen makes sense for games with weak narrative and quick gameplay loops, like Rogue Legacy or Enter the Gungeon. Chasm tries to be a narrative-heavy game with a random dungeon that is all disjointed and makes no sense, relying on teleports to "connect" the world, and it fails. It tries to be a modern SNES Castlevania with RPG elements, but fails at that too. It tries to have puzzles, platforming, combat, an in-game economy, and it all falls through the cracks. It's a game that's not fun to play, trying to do too much and doing none of that right.

It's free, so one might as well recommend it. But it's more akin to an experiment of a flash game than a proper game. This is what I imagine Daniel Mullins's prototypes probably looked like before he developed Pony Island. It's only one hour so it's not too bad, but it's also not such a fun hour. Worth more as a cultural gem than as a game

Pretty solid top-down tactical-action game. The artstyle in the cutscenes is superb, in the game itself it's less remarkable but well done. Environments are varied but still readable. Enemies and hostages are a bit samey, but nothing that ruins the game. Music is a bit generic but works well with the atmosphere of the game. There is a plot, but it's not why you'd be playing the game - it's quite cliché and predictable.

But the gameplay, oh, that's where the game shines at. The first few missions felt really hard and clunky for me. I tried playing with the gamepad, but the controls were very confusing and I was struggling to beat the second or third mission. Changing to K+M made so much sense, but I still struggled on missions four or five because my gear was a bit lacking, and I did not truly understand how to use my AI partner and how the gameplay loop works. In that sense, watching a guide on Youtube providing tips on how to approach the game was the best thing I've ever done. Once I had a clear idea on how to move, from room to room, punching all hostages and disabling hostiles without firing shots, the game became really fun and the levels flowed in a very satisfying way. As you get better gear, the flow just improves.

It's when you're in that flowy state that the game is at its best. I would sit down to play two or three missions, and play seven or eight without realizing. The prologue is free and also really good, and the Zombie DLC changes the gameplay a lot, introducing much needed variety by the time you get there.

Definitely good for a few hours of single play, or many more hours of co-op fun.

Pretty good introduction to the main game - I actually liked the tutorial better here than in the main one. Worth checking out if you're unsure whether the main game is for you or not!

While cute, nicely drawn, and straighforward, it's hard to justify $6.99 or even $1 for the game. I would be very happy to recommend it for free, but I can't in good conscience suggest people spend money on this "game", which lasted a total of 13 minutes for me.

Mostly fine shooter but with too much fat around it.

Graphics are simple but good, I think aesthetically the game is pretty enjoyable, even though the textures get repetitive after a while. It would be cool to see each world having a different look and feel, but that's my main complaint. Sound is unremarkable.

Now, the shooting itself is fine. Shooting far away enemies is kinda tricky because of the realistic projectile physics, but you can get used to it. The game is theoretically fair since both you and the enemies all have projectile-based guns, so you could circle-strafe forever and not get hit. And that's good. Narrow corridors or small rooms are usually fun to clear, because you have clear line-of-sight and usually few enemies, which allow you to handle your guns appropriately. At those points, it feels like an action-heavy boomer shooter.

But when you get to open areas, the flaws of the system starts to show. Enemies hit you from everywhere, even from rooftops and side-areas you were not aware were there. Given the high lethality rate (particularly if you haven't figured out the survival system), that also means dying a lot without knowing why and having to repeat the level over and over again. Enemies drop cash but not ammo, so it's not clear whether you're incentivized to clear rooms or to just speed through.

In open areas, you're usually overwhelmed by enemies, but also overwhelmed by your kit - few guns are well suited to long-range combat, and the reloading mechanics (having to manually reload each bullet for some guns, or exchanging a whole clip and losing the bullets in it) are realistically but also not fun. At this point, the game is already lost - it doesn't know if it's an action shooter or a tactical shooter, an arcade-like game or a simulator-like game, a fun game or an mechanically impressive game - it tries to be both in all instances, and fall flat at both.

To top it off, the game throws a lot of systems on top of this already complicated layout and does a poor job at explaining them. The game teaches you that you have health and bloodbanks, which are ways to recover health on the fly, but that same dynamic is never taught for your other two bars: oxygen and food. Food depletion limits how high your total health and stamina can go, and it was never clear I had food pouches to recover food on the go, and in some instances I went through many levels without finding and simply being capped at a maximum of 20% of my max health, which further increased the lethality. Layer that on top of a market system which throws so many types of guns, ammo, alternate fire modes, gun mods, and survival resources, and at that point everything is a whole mess.

And all of that was in the easiest difficulty. I started on Medium, died a few times and had to reload entire levels, and realized this was not a game I would have fun playing on Medium, and reverted back to Easy. But even on Easy, most of the annoying/grating part of these systems were still there. Enemies are less aggressive, sure, but hunger still hits you extremely quick, and the fun weapons to use are still short on ammo.

To summarize, the game is extremely fun when you have good weapons and plenty of ammo clearing room after room in close quarters combat without worrying about long-range bullet physics or enemy snipers that immediately know your location from half an universe away. But the game usually tries to blend in tactical shooter elements, platforming, survival stuff, and all other mechanics that just get distracting, hard, and not fun. Could have been a focused shooter, ends up being all over the place.

Graphics are nice thou

The Red Faction series, starting as a well-regarded FPS on PS2 and Windows, transitioned to an open-world third-person shooter with Red Faction: Guerrilla. Unfortunately, this shift feels like a clumsy attempt to mimic the GTA open-world formula, failing to execute its unique ideas effectively.

The game's plot feels forced and rushed. You play as Alec Mason, a new miner on Mars who quickly joins the Red Faction insurgents after his brother's death. The narrative lacks organic progression, and characters are flat and uninspiring. Important events often unfold in cutscenes rather than through gameplay, reducing immersion.

The visuals, despite the remastering, show their age. While the photorealistic attempt was impressive in its time, character models now fall into the uncanny valley. However, visual effects like shadows, lighting, and building models hold up reasonably well. Terrain and background textures often make it difficult to spot enemies, which hinders gameplay.

The audio design is unremarkable. Music, if present, is forgettable. Voice acting is passable but limited by uninspired dialogue. Sound effects are decent, with satisfying destruction sounds that support the game's standout feature—its physics-based destruction engine.

The destruction mechanics are the game's highlight, offering a range of tools to demolish buildings creatively. However, the core gameplay—shooting, driving, and exploring—is flawed. Combat is frustrating due to high aim sensitivity, a poor cover system, and limited ammo. Driving is equally problematic, with vehicles handling poorly on Mars' bumpy terrain. Exploration is monotonous, with repetitive environments and side missions.

Red Faction: Guerrilla offers a glimpse of what could have been an exceptional game with its impressive destruction engine. However, the forced narrative, aged graphics, lackluster audio, and frustrating core gameplay make it hard to recommend. Fans of the series might find some enjoyment, but newcomers are better off exploring other open-world titles.

I agonized over whether to recommend "A Story About My Uncle" or not, because it has some critical flaws in its most important systems, but overall it's still mostly 3-4 hours well spent (way more if you're going for 100%). For those who know nothing about it - it's a first person platforming game with focus on grappling and swinging from platforms, manuevering mid-air.

The game shines with its (mostly) solid gameplay, its stunning graphics and its imaginative level design. Every new level not only look gorgeous (in a very generic Unity way, but without hindering the wow factor), but also introduces new gameplay elements, keeping the platforming challenges fresh and engaging. Each new area brings a unique aesthetic and set of mechanics that maintain a sense of wonder and excitement. Not every level is perfect thou - level readability takes a plunge in the Chasms and in the Ice Caves, and some segments of Star Haven are also hard to navigate. While the platforming is generally enjoyable, certain sections can be frustratingly finnicky, particularly when dealing with stalagmites and falling boxes. Some mechanics, like needing a grapple charge to recharge at crystals, are poorly explained, leading to unnecessary confusion. The game's focus on carrying momentum in first-person platforming is compelling, but moments where you can't control your power leap disrupt the flow and can be jarring. The game is all about air movement and carrying momentum, so when you're unable to do so effectively, you feel hindered by the game and it kind of breaks the magic. That happened too often during my gameplay, and was the biggest reason why I almost gave it a thumbs-down. It might be the thing that stands between me finishing the game and shelving it, and other games I pick again after beating.

The plot - man, there is a plot, but I almost wished it hadn't. It feels tacked on and rushed, adding little to the overall experience and often feeling unnecessary. Voice acting is inconsistent, ranging from decent to unconvincing, which can detract from the story's impact, and the story just happen too quickly, in too few beats. Some characters (like these villagers in Star Haven) appear once and have literally 1-2 minutes of screen time. Why bother? World-building is NOT the strongest suit of the game, and maybe having none of that nonsense would have worked much better. Maybe they were going for something Celeste-like, with some episodic characterization between platforming gauntlets, but they didn't land the hit at all. Also, the tongue-in-cheek humor with pictures of Breaking Bad's Heisenberg and Youtube links to a Rick Roll are just, man, not funny.

Despite these flaws, "A Story About My Uncle" offers a visually captivating and creatively challenging experience. The gameplay, graphics and level design are truly standout features, making the journey through its fantastical world worthwhile. With more polish in its narrative and mechanics, this game could have been exceptional. As it stands, it's a mixed but intriguing adventure that first-person platforming fans may still enjoy.