Recent reviews by Sid Days

tl;dr Looks pretty-ish but needs a LOT of work to be playable. (Yes, I know this game is Early Access, but even the stuff being showcased in trailers is half-baked.) If you can find a way to continue to play the Creator Studio demo, it might be much better use of your time while waiting for the actual game to get updates.

Here's a few pros / cons, first up the positives:

• The Zoi creator is the standout to me, and has a lot of options, and folks have already uploaded some great preset Zois to Canvas. I particularly like the custom clothing designer and color / style options - for example, I was able to create a turtleneck even though I couldn't find one in the preset clothing options. Being able to upload your own textures is very exciting and lets you create really interesting combinations.
  
• Visuals are gorgeous, and you can take some really good screenshots for storytelling. Zooming in reveals that a lot of the game's objects have a really high level of detail (e.g. different cloth fabrics reacting differently to light.)
  
• The schedule feature is very useful to plan your Zoi's story ahead of time.
  
• Build mode is really cool with a lot of flexibility (and you can customize ceilings!). The 3D printer feature is neat.
  
• Being able to control city parameters without having to get overwhelmed (e.g. customize each individual detail) is interesting, and I am looking forward to more worlds.

The bad:

• My biggest gripe is that Zoi interactions are currently very buggy. In the first 5 minutes of my gameplay, my Zoi with the "entertainer" personality took eight selfies autonomously. The first task given to him was to cook some food, and halfway he stopped cooking to take another selfie [?]. While multitasking is supposed to be part of the upcoming roadmap, even solo interactions are very clunky. Zois often freeze when assigned social interactions - if the other Zoi to interact is busy, a Zoi has no way of interrupting. Actions with the same context are not grouped, resulting in Zois interrupting themselves to do the exact same thing (e.g. getting off a computer and getting back on between two consecutive computer actions.)
  
• The 'open world' is more fun on paper than how it ends up working - attempting to travel to places on the map makes Zois use a loading screen, so the "open world" way of travel appears to be manually walking or driving to wherever you want to go. This would have been fun and immersive, but there doesn't seem to be much to do in the city, with many of its props appearing to just be set dressing.
  
• Careers are currently very boring and feel like a complete chore. Tasks pop up at scheduled times, and even if you complete all your tasks, there's no way to leave work early. Is this realistic? Sure, but it really doesn't seem fun - the actual tasks themselves don't take very long either. An average "work day" looks like you queuing up work actions and just waiting until the next set of actions pop up. For "active" jobs, I also couldn't find a way to avoid following my Zoi to work to skip the chore.
  
• Pathfinding is still buggy, with Zois walking through objects or other Zois frequently.
  
• Graphical issues - pop-ins are the most evident right now, but it isn't deal breaking.
  
• Zoi creator doesn't allow much in terms of making people who aren't perfectly toned or skinny. This is pretty noticeable in preset Zois that the world spawns. I'm sure some upcoming patches will fix this but as it stands, most Zois end up looking very similar.
  
• Zoi sounds need more work, and hearing repeated lines is very quick and jarring.

I will continue to play this game, and I'll be happy to update this review if most of its issues are addressed in future patches (I do have hope that they can be addressed) -- but right now, it's hard to recommend this game. Some if its current problems really go beyond "the modders will fix it".

The people who loved the original games will definitely enjoy this one, however these games are far from dated. Some of the new features actually make these games more accessible than ever:

• The photo mode lets you spot areas and objects that would be obscured, and greatly reduces the amount of backtracking you might need to do while solving puzzles.
  
• Being able to swap between the original and remastered graphics with the click of a button is actually extremely useful in areas that are dark or detailed.
  
• The new action indicator makes it easier to spot interactibles that could otherwise easily be missed.

The game looks absolutely gorgeous, and retains the amazing sound design of the originals. As before, it is focused entirely on gameplay and narrative world building, with minimal interruptions such as cutscenes. There's absolutely no reason to play the originals whatsoever at this point, especially considering there's a mod that lets you unlock the FPS even for the original graphics.

Of course, there's a few caveats for an otherwise amazing experience:

• The new modern controls are fun (and eventually more fluid to use, especially with a controller), but the game was not designed with these in mind, and extremely precise movements can get hard if not using the original tank controls.
  
• Combat can be clunky, especially in claustrophobic areas, or by gun-wielding enemies, which are heavily featured in the second game. However, ammo and health items are in plenty, and saving is unlimited (save often!)
  
• Some of the puzzles can still feel obscure, and some of the traps rely on trial and error. Don't be ashamed to occasionally look up a guide–the game stretches the limitations of its engine as far as it can, but learning to solve one puzzle can guide finding solutions for others.
  
• The games are LONG. This package contains 3 full adventures AND each of their expansion packs, altogether which make up over a single game's length. There's a lot to keep you entertained, but don't be afraid to take your time!

I'd call this package a must buy for anyone interested in a third-person puzzle focused precision platformer, with a sprinkle of action thrown in. Recommended!

I feel conflicted. I started a playthrough immediately after completing (the incredible) Yakuza: Like a Dragon, which remains my main frame of reference, since this one is a sequel. I wish I could ‘soft recommend’ this game instead, but let’s start with the positives:

• The entire amazing cast of Yakuza: Like a Dragon is back and expanded, and now features appearances from characters from across the entire franchise. Ichiban is his usual bubbly self, and the game features the same brand of grandiose epic adventure main story missions, and quirky and comedic side missions.
  
• It includes all the mechanics that worked for Yakuza: Like a Dragon and mostly improves on them. Combat, for instance is a lot more streamlined and less grindy, and you can completely skip low-level mobs. Direction indicators and slight movement also let you plan attacks much better, and the new job system lets you combine skills from any jobs in an easier way.
  
• Getting around the map is quicker, you now have a vehicle of sorts, and the taxi system is improved.
  
• The environments (mostly) got a visual upgrade. Hair, skin and cloth materials on characters react beautifully to the new lighting, and indoor environments especially look stunning and detailed. There’s a brand new map, set in Hawaii, definitely a setting you don’t get to see too often!

Now on to the criticisms:

• The overall story/narrative seemed… lackluster. The prequel had a single tight main narrative, but Infinite Wealth seems to have a LOT going on. The character motivations are more questionable, and seem overall less deep or charismatic. The ending also felt a little predictable, and the game overall seemed more focused on fan service than being an engaging stand alone product.
  
• The game introduces a whole bunch of overworld items, such as food ingredients and crafting materials. This means that you’ll always be pressing buttons every few steps to interact with items that you can pick up. This ended up becoming way too distracting pretty early on in my playthrough, especially considering how valuable some of the junk you pick up can be.
  
• In a similar vein, the game also dials up fetch quests to a 200; the character bonding mechanic now involves you having to traverse the entirety of the map to unlock all social interactions. At first, this seemed like a good way for the player to explore the massive map, but it can get frustrating; for example, traversing the entire map to complete all of your current fetch quests, and then immediately getting a new party member who adds quests of their own.
  
• The mini games personally felt less exciting. The Pokemon-inspired minigame was really fun at the start, but was so skippable / divorced from the main story that it almost felt weird how much content there is for it. Its actual questline is also kind of forgettable. There’s also an Animal Crossing minigame that I almost completely skipped out on.

This might be the newest game in the franchise at time of review, but I’d strongly recommend for this game to not be your entry into the Yakuza franchise.

Uhh... I enjoyed this game. This is one of those times I wish Steam really had a "soft recommend" option or a rating system.

First up, the good—this game is a pretty cool horror experience with some great thrills. I didn't think the story was anything particularly special, but the cutscenes and gameplay are genuinely terrifying. I came to really enjoy the game's video tape system, which (very mild gameplay spoiler) lets you to play through certain areas in a "flashback"; this gives your player character big hints for approaching the same situations in present day.

Playing in first-person not only adds a layer of immersion but also makes combat more complicated, with a decent chunk of the game taking place in dark and claustrophobic areas. Jump scares were pretty well executed. Visual and sound design is overall amazing, and the game is very atmospheric.

I finished RE2, RE3, and RE4 remake before playing this one, and my big gripe with this game was the just strictly worse map in this entry. There's a map and objectives screen, and even then I found myself lost on a few occasions. The game takes place through a few different set locations, all starting off as small and closed off, allowing you to unlock more areas. Even though the next objective to get to is pretty linear, once the map has been fully opened up it can get annoying to traverse especially if you missed a puzzle or a key item.

Combat was also not my favorite. At this point I'm familiar with RE's signature style of creating tension through ammo scarcity (mainly just at the start), and that you don't have to kill every enemy, but several enemies quickly began to feel like bullet sponges. Crafting materials are fairly abundant, but I found myself hesitant to use them on regular "mob" enemies due to how many hits bosses can take. Thankfully, some enemies despawn if you leave a certain area, and you can outrun many kids of enemies.

Overall, I'd still recommend this game as an entertaining horror experience; but even among other RE titles, I find it harder to recommend over titles like RE2 or RE4. Might revisit at some point to play some of the side content though, it looks fun 🎈

Genuinely unnerving horror masterpiece. Haven't played the original, but from what I can tell this game certainly feels like a definitive first-time experience. The graphics and visuals are absolutely stunning, and the motion-captured cutscenes really help with the narrative storytelling. Also love this game's implementation of the map, which is such an immersive way of keeping track of things to do, and rarely ever did I find myself truly "stuck".

My only slight criticism would be the performance, but even since release it has improved quite a bit and the devs are still actively releasing improvement patches. That said, if you can spare an extra $7, this game works flawlessly with Lossless Scaling -- if not, there's also some excellent community guides and tweaks to achieve respectable graphics quality.

Absolutely recommended, even for beginners to horror games in general; this game is a slower burn psychological horror, and does not rely on cheap jumpscares to tell a thrilling story.

I am in disbelief... this is absolute wizardry. Literally lets you double or triple game FPS with some caveats.

I was using it here and there for some heavy games, but I'm especially enjoying it for playing the Silent Hill 2 Remake, which struggles to maintain a constant 60fps even on my otherwise beefy gaming laptop. With this enabled, I can lock the game's in-game FPS and enjoy a buttery smooth experience. It also works beautifully for emulated games locked to 30fps (such as any 3D Pokemon game or most Switch title in general).

It might not work perfectly for every games that need really precise input, but pretty much any single-player game works fine, even ones that are combat heavy. You can even use it for multiplayer games but the slight response delay can be jarring.

Bonus: This software additionally also works flawlessly for videos, and anime in particular looks especially stunning. Can't recommend this enough!

Classic JPRG with turn-based combat elements that is truly a must-play. It has many classic elements that will make most players feel right at home, and most mechanics are pretty simple (but still layered) so that you can get by ignoring them, but the game incentivizes completion and exploration which yields useful rewards, to optimize your build or make combat easier.

The real charm of this game is its heart. Ichiban is definitely one of my favorite video game protagonists of all time, and the game takes you on a journey filled with laughs (and also tears). The side missions are quirky, and sometimes involve minigames that are absolutely addictive and fun (especially the racing one). All of your companion characters are also fleshed out throughout the game and make for some really memorable and enjoyable moments.

In terms of criticism: the game can be grindy at times; trying to 100% this game is especially brutal, but the grind is only ever noticeable if you rush through the main story -- if you engage with the (truly massive) breadth the world has to offer, it's a pretty run ride start to finish. Recommended!

What a wild ride—yes, it's still worth picking up Dark Souls 2 in 2024.

This game gets a bad rep (compared to other Souls games) for some of its more frustrating elements, but honestly there is so much to enjoy about it, including some innovative design elements that were removed from later FromSoft titles.


• A lot to do, in a fairly non-linear fashion. The game also lets you skip optional content and stick to the main story if you feel like it. Most of the parts of this game people usually complain about are entirely optional, and can be more easily approached after getting more valuable gear through the mandatory quests.

• Large list of bosses, with a surprising amount of variety. I've played DS 1,2,3 and Elden Ring and DS2 bosses were by far my favorite, with even some of the most challenging fights being fun without seeming impossible. Most bosses allow you to observe and react to their movements, avoiding the player having to memorize complex attack patterns.

• Great build variety; leveling up is much faster in this game compared to the others, and upgrade materials are in plenty. I played a melee run but was able to switch around using swords, rapiers, hammers, whips and great clubs as needed, which made combat always fresh.

• An actually worthwhile NG+ experience; even if you don't begin an NG+ system, an in-game item (Bonfire Ascetic) allows for bumping individual areas to NG+ difficulty, re-fight bosses, respawn most item rewards, and in many cases, provide additional upgraded items normally unavailable.

• The ability to despawn (and respawn) regular enemies; Souls games can be stressful. Repeatedly dying while exploring can be discouraging, but knowing that every enemy kill is closer to making the area permanently safer is comforting compared to the dread of having to navigate treacherous areas repeatedly.

• Fashion souls! Armor matters less in this game than others, allowing you to mix and match pieces to let your character look just as you like.

• Fun NPC questlines and interactions, and questlines are generally easy to follow, especially if you're playing online and can see player messages. The game has a (sometimes twisted) sense of humor and tries to troll you every now and then. I can't even be mad at some of the gotcha moments.


• The hollowing system; your max HP slightly reduces per death (capped at a certain percentage), until you use an item to replenish it (and these items can be hard to come by early.) This seems especially punishing early on, but there's a ring that limits this loss to 25%. I played most of the game with it on and still had a good time.

• Some mechanics are obscure. This game is best played if you're willing to occasionally look up what certain things mean (e.g. the Adaptability stat). I can't recommend a fully blind playthrough, though (and worse, offline without being able to see player messages).

• Boss runbacks can sometimes be brutal. Most of the annoying ones are for optional bosses, but especially towards the later half, there's plenty of room to experiment with fun builds (and switch them out on the fly).

• Graphics; by default this game looks pretty gross (somehow even worse than Dark Souls 1). Still, with just a single easy-to-install mod (Dark Souls 2 Lighting Engine) which also works for online play, the visuals transform to absolutely gorgeous, even better than DS3 / Elden Ring in my subjective opinion.

Don't let what others say about this game stop you from giving it a shot, especially if you'd like the full FromSoft catalog experience and don't want to skip a Souls title 😄

There was a lot about this game that I enjoyed. As one of the earlier Souls entries, this game lays most of the groundwork for some of the later masterpieces in the series. It has a surprisingly large world that is beautifully interconnected (for the most part), and some decent variety in settings, lore, enemies and builds. I grew to enjoy the rhythmic pace of combat compared to the aggressively fast pacing in a lot of modern games, and it really does teach you the value of patience and forces you to learn how to play it, sometimes requiring you to unlearn things you know from other games.

Unfortunately starting the second-ish act the game really went downhill for me. While the first half had some frustrating YET immensely enjoyable sections (Blighttown and Sen's Fortress both broke me but were a blast to conquer bit by bit), Anor Londo and beyond just felt like a slog. The world past it is also filled with massive empty spaces. Beyond a certain point, the runbacks to boss fights become more annoying than the bosses themselves. Some such as Bed of Chaos are known to be notorious, but honestly I found the runback to Ornstein and Smough especially unbearable, despite the actual fight providing a very worthy challenge. Constant "down" time with just holding the run button in large spaces of open land, especially in the headache-inducing lava-filled underground sections gets tiring real soon. The teleport functionality comes way too late and is still severely limited. You're guaranteed to spend minutes just running around in places you've been before, and the lack of a compass also becomes very noticeable in some labyrinthine sections.

I might return to finish the DLC, the first couple boss fights were a lot of fun but I decided to just finish the game since I was getting super fatigued.

It could be worth playing this game if you really want the full Souls experience, however it just lacks a lot of polish and has imperfections that were ironed out in later titles. FromSoft has enough titles at this point—if you're just trying to get your feet wet with the genre, you can skip this one.

I'm a newcomer to the Assassin's Creed series. I'm familiar with the sentiment that the the Origins/Odyssey/Valhalla trilogy departs from the usual contained, linear formula of the series in favor of a more massive, sprawling world; it didn't detract from my experience playing this game at all.

This game is amazing. The visuals are breathtaking: From what I can read online, it looks like a lot of care was taken to recreate the environments of ancient Greece in great detail. The protagonists themselves are absolutely charming. I've seen a lot of praise for Kassandra (the canon protagonist), but I'm playing as Alexios and having an absolute blast. The actor's more comical portrayal makes for a very entertaining cinematic adventure.

Gameplay-wise, it seems like your standard RPG fare, but that's not to say that it does anything poorly. I loved the variety of available builds and options; it can almost start as being too overwhelming, but you can play through a large part of the early game and take your time learning the specifics. There is a LOT to do—the main story is just a fraction of everything this game has to offer. It's totally possible to only stick to the main story, but so many of the side quests are absolutely charming and offer a lot of heart and humor. Them being fully voiced for both player options is a nice cherry on top.

(A special callout to the "Exploration" option that turns off map markers by default, forcing you to use your scout; this feature is essential to really enjoying the game and immerse yourself in the gorgeous world.)

Considering this game goes on sale for super cheap very often, highly recommend picking up the complete base + DLCs game and giving it a shot!