Michael Fowler

Amazing game. Really hate the load times on console. It adds up to 45 minutes or more during a 4-5 hour gaming season. About my only complaint.

With the nothing that has been coming out, The Old Guard was a decent watch. Not groundbreaking or overly shocking, just a solid action movie. With any movie Netflix pumps out you can expect 2 things. A good budget and a good plot formula. That’s where the “not groundbreaking” comes into play. Still... I have watched it and I have hardly anything negative to complain about. This was a different take on a Highlander type of theme meets every villain who tries to take the heroes power away. Predictable but good.

I’ve never really been someone to line up for remakes. Often times the remakes don’t match up with my expectations and insult the original. I was pleasantly surprised when the Resident Evil 2 remake not only played amazingly well, but was actually better than the original. Graphics set aside of course. If you’re a fan of the Resident Evil series, you’ll love this game. A perfect tribute to the original.

Yet another “death genre” title that is specifically designed to kill you. With titles like this, it’s often a hit or miss balancing the challenge rating without being maddening. This game does a decent job with that balance. I always felt like I was going to die if I stopped paying close attention. Often times that was very true. However, if you’re on top of your game, you can dominate your opponents. As you level up your gear and guns, this game starts to sway in your favor. Still challenging to the end, but also highly enjoyable. It’s a weird adventure that sucks you in. I had a lot fun playing this title and recommend it to anyone who enjoys this sort of game.

Those who rated this game a 1 Star... its understandable considering the mountain of anticipation this game had set up for itself and what we ended up getting. The opening two hours is the hardest part. If you struggle through the forced lesbian scenes (or just skip them if you’re uncomfortable) and the heart wrenching death of Joel, then you will see why this game probably deserves only 1 Star in the story department. If you’re not ok with homosexuality, you won’t like this game. Many people have said the liberal agenda is pushed pretty hard in this game, but it’s mostly because the main character happens to be gay. This wasn’t a huge concern for me, but it was strangely focused on in the game. No reason why, but there you go. Enough man hate for everyone was also present as any male character was either killed or emasculated. I’m upset about that as are many others, but it wasn’t a fatal decision. Just tiresome. There seems little to no reason why Naughty Dog was compelled to write such a hateful, everyone looses story. Especially since the first one was so well done. It’s like Hollywood has spilled over into our video games now. Parts of the game made me uncomfortable in an assortment of ways. This game is not a continuation of the first game, but rather a separate journey. One without Joel. The game brings to light that all past decisions in life have consequences. I understand what Naughty Dog was trying to do there, but it also preaches forgiveness over revenge... by the player murdering everyone in their path to get to the end. This confused me slightly as did a few other plot holes. My hands don’t possess enough middle fingers for the story that felt jumbled and incomplete. I won’t spoil anymore of it, but it doesn’t get happier. Setting that negativity aside, the game itself is gorgeous. The attention to detail in this game is some of the finest and most in-depth I’ve ever seen. You can tell they put a lot of effort and soul into the world of The Last of Us. They did, however, bite off a little more than they could chew with the open world city. Corners had to be cut with boarded windows and background buildings only. There were many areas that were inaccessible, but made the environment appear large and involving. This is understandable and I can’t be too critical of this considering there are a lot of other areas you can access. The graphic perfection and enjoyable gameplay are the redeeming qualities of this game. Although, the story left me unsatisfied in a few areas, I’m not going to overlook all the work that went into this stunning game. Final word: this game was a mixed bag for me. 3/5

If you enjoy a retro throwback side scroller style RPG, then you will like this game. Be warned ahead of time though, this game is not for the faint of heart. This game is a challenge. Many people associated this game with dark souls and it’s definitely got the same feel. Especially in its challenge rating. I’ve rage quit a few times, but the game play is so solid and enjoyable, I had to press forward. It’s a grueling yet rewarding experience. Every boss you defeat makes you feel like you actually accomplished something. Nothing is given to you in this game. You have to be steadfast and get good.

Aside from a few annoying glitches and bugs, this game is absolutely amazing. They probably could have polished the dialogue options better. It seems no matter what option you choose, the story moves forward as intended. You can’t be a “bad guy” in this game. Not really. Although, not a crippling issue, it did make the game feel less immersive when your decisions in dialogue really didn’t make any difference towards the outcome. That’s my only gripe about this game. The game itself, including the many expansions, was extremely entertaining to play. I’ve enjoyed the settlement building as well as the exploration of the commonwealth.

The best part about this game is the decision making story and different paths you can take. This really helps with the replay value. I’ve beat this game several times for the alternate journeys and endings. In its own right, this game is a masterpiece. The combat can be a little tedious at first, but once you get your crew rolling it gets better. The downsides for me in this game are: 1.) some of the wonky screen angles during combat. 2.) your team likes to spread out and hit land mines all the time while your exploring. 3.) The beginning character creation doesn’t offer enough character pictures or models to choose from. These are slight issues that I hope they fix in the 3rd installment. Other than that, this game is very enjoyable and challenging. If you like strategy RPG’s, you’ll enjoy this game.