[blog] NotConnors Random Blog

01/07/24 - Portal 2: Co-Op Campaign



Recently, me and a great friend of mine have been playing random co-op games just for some fun.In the past few weeks, we landed on probably the most well-known and acclaimed co-op game: Portal 2. Whilst I have played both games and dabbled in the co-op campaign, my friend hasn't had any experience with this Valve game despite an odd reference here and there. Despite this contrast, we were both willing to give it a go since it promised a bunch of fun! Here is the overall experience and review of that.

So first off, it may be best to explain what the game is for those who may have not played before. By placing two portals, it is possible to travel from portal A to portal B by walkthrough into A instead of walking from A to B. Using this technique, the aim of the game is to get both players to the end of the level. There is no time limit or live system here, just the two of you and a range of items. This can be items such as boxes to hold pressure pads down, red gel to increase speed, blue gel to jump higher, and lazers that can take out turrets or activate switches. If you've played the single-player campaign then these should not be anything new to you, but the extra player adds another layer to the game by doubling the number of portals from two to four. The story here also takes more of a backseat than the single-player campaign, serving as only a way to keep the players laughing and the game rolling. Nothing out of the park, but good for any type of player to jump into.

The game starts off simple enough, separating the players by getting them to test their tagging and portal skills. Soon enough, both players come together and begin to tackle rooms that get larger and introduce new gimmicks across five courses and a bonus course upon completion of the main campaign. Each gimmick/item is introduced smoothly, done using either a little icon on the wall or by just letting us mess about with it. None of them felt awkward to use and the use of colour ensured we know what was portable, what we can use, and where we had to go. A vast majority of the puzzles are completely different to those in the single-player campaign, mostly due to the fact another player is here and that's not just because of more portals, sometimes it can be the player themselves! For example, a level requires both players to jump in the air at the same time so that they may collide with each other and fall onto the platform below so that they can leave together. A very clever idea! The later levels were big but not overwhelming. Me and my friend got stuck in some of them for 10-30 minutes trying to solve a certain puzzle until one of us managed to figure it out which was always a satisfying and joyful moment.

The game ran smoothly for the most part. There was an issue with an echo in the mics, but that was resolved by simply muting the voices in the game and going into a Discord call. There were also two parts where the game got laggy, the first time only my friend was experiencing it but a simple restart solved it and the second one wasn't a big issue by any means. Besides those incidents, the game was fast and responsive with no worrying about timing certain jumps. Tagging worked quite well and prevented us from being confused on what the other person was saying. Although we barely used this, the chat function worked perfectly and the gestures were a cute little addition to these robots. Another neat function is by pressing tab, you can view your partners screen which was handy when we wanted to guide each other if we were separated.

That's about it really. I enjoyed my time with the game and so did my friend which I am very happy to hear (if you're reading this, thanks for playing with me ^^). Will we play the co-op mods out there? No idea but we both enjoyed putting about 10 hours into this iconic game.

Summary: One of the best co-op puzzle games out there, something that lives up to its fame. It's clever, responsive, and just a lot of fun. If you enjoyed the base game and have a friend who is willingly to play then why not give it a go
Rating: 9/10

02/08/2024 - Runbow



Sometimes I just want a quick and simple game to play, and I found Runbow to be the ideal game for me.

Runbow is a platform racing game published and developed by 13AM Games. Usually, the gameplay revolves racing towards the end of a level to collect a trophy although sometimes it can alternate to collecting several coins throughout the level or taking out a specific number of enemies. There is a multiplayer aspect to this game but I'm going to focus on the "Adventure" mode as I prefer to play single-player games when I can.

The game is split into four different zones, each containing 36 levels apiece with the last one being a boss fight. Each level is quite short, each being a minute or less so it's ideal for those who like bite-sized gameplay. A zone tends to only have one track being played in it so if you're playing the game in one sitting, it can feel repetitive. The art style doesn't help either, it's kept quite basic and while it's clear where each obstacle lies, it does leave a lot to be improved.

Gameplay itself is fine. Every zone presents a unique challenge to the player, requiring fast reflexes and precise movement. If you've played your fair share of platformers, then don't expect anything new here as it's standard stuff with a time limit set. Despite this fact, the levels are designed quite well with some of them allowing a player to take different routes to get to the end of the level. I also like how colour is being used with certain platforms and obstacles activating if the colour of the level changes. The controls for the most part are just ok although it can be a bit of a gamble if a dash can be executed in the air in the right direction as sometimes it seemed like it failed. Nothing drastic as the levels are short-sized but it does stop the flow of the game.

Some features are designed with the multiplayer aspect in mind. A character can be customised before each level, with some characters coming from other indie games like Shovel Knight from Shovel Knight, CommanderVideo from Bit.Trip and A.R.I.D from The Fall. Each character also has their own unique taunt so while you can't speak to the other players, you can annoy them to your hearts content. From what I've heard, the multiplayer aspect is this games strongest aspect so if you want a fun hour with friends, then I'm confident that Runbow won't let you down.

Summary: A solid platform game that utilises speed well whilst also providing fun bite-sized levels. The art style can be a bit bland and the controls aren't perfect, but this can be a fun little game with friends.
Rating: 7/10

16/08/2024 - Batman: Arkham Knight



The most recent game I finished is Arkham Knight, the final game in Rocksteady's trilogy of Arkham games which involve Batman fighting against the criminals of Gotham. I picked this as I started this in 2017 but stopped right before the end. This week, I decided to correct that and finish it off once and for all. Was it worth it? Mostly yes but with some no throw in too.

Arkham Knight starts off strong with the first five minutes of this game really shows some of the strengths of this game. Amazing graphics that still hold up almost 10 years from today, an intriguing plot involving Scarecrow, the scale of Gotham (the open-world city that can be explored) and some strong voice acting all around. It truly shows how far the game has come from the previous entries in terms of ambition and scope, I just wished it continued like that throughout.

Lets start with the main plot involving Scarecrow and the Arkham Knight. It's ok. The latter character acts as a mystery throughout the whole game but if you have some understanding of Batman's history, it won't very long to figure out who it is. Even if you don't know anything about Batman and this is your first time with any Batman-related content, the game does spell it out for you. I don't think this character is a bad choice, in fact it's a very good pick but it should have been handled better. Scarecrow is alright too but he is overshadowed by other characters returning (real or in a dream) as well as some of the bloating the Arkham stories tend to have. Fortunately, the character designs are fairly good and again the voice acting is solid so it was engaging throughout even though I was glad to have it done by the end.

Each game in the Arkham franchise introduces something new, in Arkham Knights case this is the batmobile, a high-tech car that can travel fast distances along with wrenching onto things and change into battle mode to take out enemy tanks. On the surface, it's a cool addition! The controls are quite smooth and easy to use, each obstacle or enemy is easily identifiable by either sight or radar, and its fun to travel around Gotham in and (non-lethally) running over criminals! My big problem with it is that the Batmobile is used too much. I'd reckon at least half the game is in the vehicle as it becomes too dependable. That can easily be seen with the usage of Batman's gadgets with some items like the Freeze Blast and the Line Launcher barely being used besides some very situational uses. Additionally, there isn't as much variety in terms of enemies in tanks as that with physical combat which adds to the repetitive nature of the fights. If another open-world Batman game was to be made, I would like to see the Batmobile return but not used as often as it was here. Maybe just removing the battle mode could work so it just focuses on chase scenes.

I mentioned hand combat so it's a good idea to focus on that next. As with Asylum, City, and Origins, the combat is tight and fun. Like the Batmobile, there are no issues with the controls with each combo and takedown being easy to execute. A fight never feels dull but can be intense especially if new enemy types like medics appear to revive or electrify enemies. Gadgets continue to be beneficial during these fights, even being necessary in some of them if you want to avoid being hit. Predator rooms, the areas in which Batman takes out enemies without being detected, remains the best part of the Arkham series due to how it combines physical combat, multiple gadgets, and utilising the environment to the players advantage. Sentry weapons, fear multi-takedowns (allowing Batman to take out three enemies in less than two seconds), mercenaries with mini guns, and messing with detective mode ensures that the rooms remain dangerous whilst highlighting what makes Batman a dangerous threat as opposed to other superheroes.

There are many side missions (known as most wanted missions) in this game so let's go through those quickly.
- The Line of Duty: This involves having to find members of a fire crew that have been captured throughout Gotham. It's ok but it went on for a bit too long and wasn't really that interesting.

- Gotham on Fire: Firefly is back from Arkham Origins and is setting fire to the fire stations. This one is more entertaining, having to use the Batmobile to follow firefly so that he would get tired, allowing Batman to eject out of the seat and beat him up. It's about the right length too, although it would have been cool to see this mission and the previous mission combined as one. It would give The Line of Duty more excitement, especially if it wasn't known when Firefly would strike next.

- The Perfect Crime: A very creepy one, making use of Batman's detective skills which slowly unravels and leading to an eerie confrontation. I'd say this is my favourite side mission.

- Riddler's Revenge: I like Riddler's different riddle rooms that continue to surprise the player. I like Catwoman being present to annoy The Riddler or chat with Batman, even if I do wish she was playable more often. I am not a fan of having to collect 243 trophies that are needed to properly finish not only the side mission but the main campaigns true ending! I know City had a lot more (440) but the map wasn't as big and it wasn't compulsory. A shame really but at least there it unlocks some concept art and tapes with the characters.

- Occupy Gotham: Involves taking down watchtowers through Gotham. It's just combat with not much of a story going on.

- Own the Roads: Similar to Occupy Gotham, only this is on the ground rather than on the buildings. This is a bit more intense due to more weaponry being used but it's essentially the same thing. If all the militia are cleared in the city, an underwhelming tank boss fight is unlocked (if you know who it is and have played Arkham Origins, you'll understand why it's so disappointing).

- Armoured and Dangerous: Making use of the Batmobiles tracking system, this mission aims at taking down armoured personnel carriers that are equipped with weapons. Again, no story going on here but this is a bit better than the previous two as the batmobile's tracking system is rarely used outside this side mission.

- Campaign for Disarmament: These are tank battles. Fairly straight-forward with again no plot happening besides clearing out the map.

- Creature of the Night: Although Man-Bat is taken out a bit too easily, this is another creepy and tragic antagonist that works really well in this game. It definitely makes for the best entrance of all the side-missions.

- Gunrunner: Tagging a car, following it to base, and then taking out all the enemies in that base is essentially Batman in a nutshell. Not the most exciting side mission but an entertaining one that doesn't outstay its welcome. Plus you can play as Nightwing so you can expect some fun dialogue between them two.

- Heir to the Cowl: Azrael returns from Arkham City, this time wanting to prove he is worthy of being Batmans successor. This turns into a challenge of taking out a bunch of militia without being hit. There is some story to this but it's done fairly quickly. Overall, fine but could have done a bit more with it

- Two-Faced Bandit: This is essentially the predator room side mission. Stopping two-face was done fairly quickly and there isn't much to say about the combat itself. Although there were 3 predator rooms, this was a short mission which is a bit of a shame for the Two-Face fans, particular since he was in the trailer for this game a bit.

- Friend in Need: This is ridiculously short and the most underwhelming part of the game. Setting up an iconic villain in the last game only for him to be beaten as a quick time event is just embarrassing.

- Lamb to the Slaughter: This is also very short but has a bit more going for it. This could have been as good as The Perfect Crime but just ended up as "this thing is happening, go stop it".

The game does still have more content but I did not focus my time on it. The VR challenges just test out your skill in several areas, but I didn't find it necessary to do since I did a lot of that in the main game. There are also DLC stories focusing on several characters in the game, I've heard those are short so I may not be missing out on much. There are even more side missions that can be unlocked but like the DLC stories, it may be best to watch some of them on YouTube to save some money. New Game Plus also exists, maybe I'll play if I ever want to play Arkham Knight again but the amount of tanks destroyed and Riddler trophies collected makes me think it'll be a while before that happens.

Summary: Arkham Knight is the weakest entry in the Arkham series due to its weak plot, repetitive nature, and too much dependence on the Batmobile. Despite this, the game can still be fun with its world-building, combat, characters, and some enjoyable side missions. I recommend playing the other Arkham games (or at the very least City) before playing this one so you can get the best experience.
Rating: 7/10

04/09/2024 - Middle Earth: Shadow of War



Following the last post, here is another review of an open-world third-person action adventure game where the world it is based on comes from famous literature. While I haven't played the game previous to this, Shadow of Mondor, I still heard good things about the franchise so I was willing to give this one a go.

The prologue, naturally, sets up the story and the game itself. The first thing shown is a recap which is certainly handy for newcomers like me. After this recap, the first taste of combat is given and can be done either with stealth or with force. I opt for the stealth when I can, especially when given upgrades later in the game that allows hoping between areas at a fast speed. The actual sword-fighting is good, it's quick with plenty of chances to provide special moves and points to counter-attack. Weapons and equipment can be replaced when taking down stronger enemies later in the game which tends to be useful but can lead to a messy inventory rather quickly.

Since the prologue is fairly short, Act 1 arrives quite quickly. It offers the first glimpse of the world itself which certainly embodies Middle-Earth quite well. Sure not every location within the canon is there but the five locations that do exist provide lots of tasks and tend to be well-detailed. At this point, the plot is getting a bit more gripping with its characters and story, with the introduction of the nazgûl being the highlight of the game. Some side missions also start opening up but this is nothing that hasn't been seen in open-world games before. There are the towers that can be climbed to enable fast travel and locate items (both very useful as always). Artefacts are scattered across the map that need to be collected which can be dull but isn't pointless as it provides some lore about the world as well as xp and a skill upgrade towards the end. Talking about XP and skill upgrades, levelling up does exist to enable perks. They are quite easy to get and getting them unlocks quests that act as tutorials for these moves. So far, Act 1 seems pretty solid stuff.

Moving onto Act 2, the story starts to slow down. This is the biggest act of the game and one that drags out the most story-wise. To make progress, all the fortresses throughout each of the regions need to be taking down. Now that I don't mind as much as it can be satifying and challenging to take each of them down, but the main quests so to speak can feel very repetitive. Luckily three other side quests, Carnán, Gondor, and Brûz, have their own stories which keeps things engaging and provide further detail to the world about. This act also introduces the rest of the Nemesis System, a patented random enemy generator that can be used to throw different enemies for each playthrough. I see why they didn't want others taking it, it's a clever idea and the idea of enemies levelling up after killing the player is so cruel, I love it. Ideally, the best strategy to defeating those forts is to dominate (i.e., mind-control) powerful orcs to attacking alongside Talion (the protagonist). It can make fights absolutely chaotic but the chances of winning increase significantly in doing so.

Act 3 concludes the main campaign and left me with some mixed feelings. On the one hand, Saurons forces are at their strongest and it does feel very threatening to face the army. Seeing Talions arc going to his conclusion along with two of the other characters does make up for the waiting involved, especially with the surprisnig direction it took. However, none of the characters here get any real closure. I talk about Talion in a bit but the other characters tend to be locked behind DLC (which is a big shame) or have their story continue within LOTR. The final two bosses, while cool, are over relatively quickly as it's nothing too different from all the other boss fights before.

Act four, better known as "The Shadow Wars", is just a bunch of siege fights on after the other. To do that to get the true ending is just dull to me, surely the final missions ought to be more thrilling and memorable rathern than repeating the same mission five times in a row. Is it something to do with the online aspect of the game? I'm not too sure but there is certainly a grind aspect to it. Also if you happen to lose the mission, that can take from 20 minutes to 2 hour to try again, depending on the strength of the army. A shame as the final cutscene does give Talion a good send-off and links the events of Shadow of War to Lord of the Rings quite well. Might be best to just watch the three-minute cutscene on YouTube if you don't want to kill any more orcs.

Summary: A fun action-adventure game set in Middle Earth with a well-adapted world and characters that feel that they belong in the game. Combat is fun to do and the nemesis system remains a clever idea for villian generation. The story does have its ups and downs and the repetitive nature of the game can get a bit dull towards the second half of the game. Regardless, I still think any LOTR fan will enjoy their time with this.
Rating: 7/10

I also want to add a little bit at the end about Amazon Luna, the cloud-service platform for gaming. Normally my PC couldn't handle this sort of game but since I have a free trial of Amazon Prime, I decided to give Luna a go to play some games I couldn't normally play. Performance-wise, it's decent. Load times are quick and the graphics are generally alright although nothing mind-blowing. I played using a wireless keyboard and mouse which may have results in the game having an input delay but considering I don't have the issue with anything else on my PC and that sometimes the delay can be up to five seconds, I think that issue lies on their side. Another issue is the lack of games, it's understandable of course but it's still not worth paying $8 a month to use. Overall, it's a fine enough alternative when the hardware isn't available but if given the choice, I'd rather play on hardware. I'll play some of the games on this service until the trial as ended as it'd be a waste of it otherwise, plus there are still some games on there if not many.

16/09/2024 - Tomb Raider: The Last Revelation & The Times

Continuing through the Tomb Raider games, the next stop is Tomb Raider: The Last Revelation which is the fourth game in the main franchise. Does the subtitle mean it is set during the crusades or has something else to do with Christianity? Not really? The game focuses on trapping the Egyptian god Set back into his tomb so the subtitle might come from Lara trying to stop the end of the world from occuring. But the subtitle could also come from this being Laras final adventure as the developers, Core Design, had been working on Tomb Raider games continously for four years. Obviously this didn't work but it really shows how fast these games had been pumping out until this point, with Tomb Raider III only being released the year before this. Anyway that's enough rambling about three words in a title, here's my experience with The Last Revelation.



The first location of the game is Cambodia. These are essentially tutorial levels which is a bit different for the franchise as typically these are placed in Lara's Home which is completely optional. The controls are the same as the previous game, your opinion of them in Tomb Raider I will be the same in this game. Ropes are introduced which are a bit of a hassle to get right but luckily they rarely appear in the game. One small detail I enjoy more than I should is being able to shimmy across corners, can't believe it took them three games to do that but I'm happy it's there as it just makes Lara more natural. These levels also introduce the story of the game, as with the other entries the plot isn't anything special or ground-breaking but each cutscene is enjoyable to watch and I like the few characters that have been thrown in.

King's Valley is essentially the true levels of the game and what I consider to be the peak of the game. We can see here that this game goes back to its roots where its just focusing on the temples as opposed to lots of combat like TRII. The atmosphere is creepy as well, something TRIII lacked as that wanted to be more of an action game than an adventure. That, the puzzles being clever but not vague and the graphics being top notch, this is on the same level of quality as the first game. Even if the story is set Egypt for the rest of the game, every area feels fresh and exciting. Platforming is naturally still present but it's less annoying with more time to think about where you want to jump and less do-or-die situations.

The quality of the game declines a bit with the Karnak section but its still fine. It's more of the same here but with a heavier emphasis on combat. Again, combat is mostly the same as with the other games although enemies like mummies (that are immune to shooting) and desert warriors (that can deflect shots with their swords) keep things from feeling too repetitive. But what does Lara have to help fight these enemies and raid tombs? Well we still have the pistols, uzis, grenade gun, and shotgun from the previous games along with medipacks for health, flares for lighting up areas and a compass for navigation all making their return. There are also binoculars that can be used to see whats ahead but its mostly used for problem-solving in the latter half of the game. A crossbow, introduced in Alexandria, is essential for problem-solving as combining it with a lasersight can allow for precise aiming. As a weapon, it's fine. I mostly used it to destroy mummies and skeletons using the explosive ammo. Similarly, the revolver was introduced a little later for a similar purpose, I found this one more useful in combat but ammo is quite rare so if you do happen to play this game, use it wisely.

After an amazing level involving fighting desert warriors on a moving train comes Alexandria which is where the game goes from fun to frustrating. This all comes down to backtracking. Now I'm fine with exploring in games, but when it comes to finding small items that can be easily missed with no map and requiring some platforming to get to then it becomes a problem. The fact that each level is not only large but non-linear just makes the task become even more of a chore. Even if I knew where every item is, that's still a bunch of waiting times and going back and forth. And that's the frustrating part because everything else here is good! Combat is more difficult but fair, secrets are still fun to find, the music still adds to the tension of the game. It's just the back-tracking ruining it. Luckily not every level here is bad, The Lost Library is my favourite level of the game as it utilising the puzzle aspect quite well alongside the Egyptian setting.

If you think the next section, Cairo, is better then I'm sorry to say but it's actually worse. The items that can be found are even more easy to miss and the non-linear issue is still present. Again, Tomb Raider III did have aspects of going in large areas to find small items and back-tracking was involved but I found this one more annoying as it just takes longer and are sometimes in places you wouldn't think to look. Areas start to feel the same as well with one puzzle being timed which you may not know until you mess it up, requiring another five minutes to try and time it well. I don't even want to mention the motorbike parts which involve driving around a corner and being showered in bullets by a machine gun turret.

The final stage, Pyramids of Giza (which I keep reading as geezer because I'm too British sometimes), is a slight improvement and a more enjoyable experience. Back-tracking is still present but most of them are kept into confined mazes which, while annoying, reduces the scope a lot. Enemies are tougher but there's enough ammo to take each of them out, with even moving between levels allowing Lara to get all her health back. The platforming is at its most difficult here, some of the jumps being quite hard and precise. It can be annoying but I think the difficulty platforming-wise rose gradually enough for this to be fine with me. The final confrontation with Set is cool but didn't really land as powerfully as the previous games. It's essentially a puzzle which is alright but could have had something else to it to really end the game and what could have been the franchise.



Before concluding this post, here's a few notes about The Times. Unlike the last three games, this is not an expansion pack that adds to the story of the game but rather a bonus level that is separate from the events of the game. To celebrate the 75th anniversary of The Times newspaper reporting the discovery of Tutankhamun's tomb, a short level was released of Lara going into that tomb and taking an artefact before others get to it. For the 20 minutes the level took me, it's alright. It captures everything Tomb Raider is with a sprinkle of each main aspect of the franchise thrown in. Could have done with a short cutscene at the end rather than just abruptly end but for what it is, it can be accepted.

The Last Revelation
Summary: The Last Revelation takes the best and the worst parts of the Tomb Raider games. If you don't mind spending hours looking for a small object or using a guide, then you can expect a fun adventure that combines well-made puzzles, varied enemies, and the detailed environments that can be expected at this point in the franchise.
Rating: 6/10

The Times
Summary: Fun little level. Nothing special or noteworthy but if you want a demo of what Tomb Raider is, The Times can deliver you the core experience.
Rating: 6/10

And since I'm going through the franchise, I'll add a little tier list of the main games at the bottom just for a bit of fun :)
Tomb Raider (1996)
Tomb Raider II
Tomb Raider: The Last Revelation
Tomb Raider III

19/09/2024 - Doom (2016)



It's quite hard to write about something that's universally acclaimed and well-liked without it coming across as repetitive, but I'll give it a try.

Doom (2016) was the reboot of the Doom franchise with the last main entry being Doom 3 and that was a gap of over ten years. Unlike its predecessor, this moves away from the horror atmosphere and moves back to its original roots of just killing enemies. Another key difference is that instead of tight corridors that occurred in all the main entries before this, combat typically takes place in large open areas which makes it more like Quake sometimes, especially with jumping from platform to platform whilst having access to quad damage. But don't worry, this isn't a Lovecraftian-like invasion or involves a war with aliens, this is Doom back to its bloody self.

There is a story but it's just there. It's quite similar to Doom 3 with only a few characters being involved. However people don't come on here for the story. They come for blasting demons in horrifying locations whilst hearing a great soundtrack throughout. Although if people really want to explore the world, there are data files scattered throughout each level that gives some info on the characters and locations. It's handy I guess, it did reveal one of the bosses before I encountered it but it's not a big deal.

Is there anything else, besides data files, that is found within each level? As a matter of fact, there is more than enough. Like with the previous entries, secrets tend to be scattered all around each map and usually contain supplies that are very useful for combat. There are praetor tokens that can be found to upgrade the suit and weapon tokens that can upgrade weapons. Both are these are incredibly useful and I never found myself having to go out my way to get them. Rune trials can be used to obtain certain perks and can be a nice little challenge to get and upgrade, I always enjoyed playing these.There's also map access points which isn't as crucial but gave me a hand in some spots. Doom figurines also exist but they don't really do anything besides being cute. Each collectible is marked on the map so this does increase replayability, even though it's possible to complete all of them first time around

I should really talk about the combat considering it's the defining feature of the game. The Doom slayer (no longer doom guy) is very easy to control so during combat, he can get around with ease. Selecting the right weapon is as fast as it is in the original games, being accessed by either pressing a number or using a weapon wheel. He also unlocks a double jump early in the game so grabbing ledges is very convenient (I am also very grateful that there are no inescapable pits during those fights otherwise my clumsy ass would have died multiple times). Aiming the weapons were not issue at all and having no reloading just makes the fighting even more chaotic. This game also introduces glory kills, weaken an enemy enough and you can literally rip them in half for some health. Stuff like this is why Doom is so popular, it leans into the coolness of it all by fully embracing gore and not holding back on anything.

Moving onto weapons. The most essential part of any Doom game. The pistol now has infinite ammo but is quite weak, doesn't mean it's completely pointless but I barely used it. Amazing as always is the shotgun and its counterpart the super shotgun, both being perfect for close encounters and is my favourite (ranged) weapon for that alone. The plasma rifle exists. Both the assault rifle and the chaingun are decent weapons, not much I can say besides the fact they do the job well. I kinda liked the rocket launcher due to its range but I can see why it's not a fan favourite. The remaining weapons, the chainsaw, gauss cannon and BFG, are very powerful and delightful to use. A special mention to the chainsaw with how brutal it is and how it can drop ammo supplies.

I won't go over every enemy in the game as that would be exhaustive but I don't think they have ever been so dangerous. They are fast and like to approach close to inflict as much damage as possible. Most enemies, but not all, enemies return from the previous games and can range from easy to handle to very dangerous. For example, imps tend to be easy enough to avoid but pinkies are difficult beasts, requiring dodging and lots of ammo. A few new enemies are introduced as well like the Summoner which can be a nasty enemy due to it being able to (unsurprisingly) summoning enemies to fight as well as firing some nasty vertical shots. Playing on the "Hurt Me Plenty" / normal difficulty isn't too hard but it does have its challenging moments, particular towards the end of the game. However, the demons can be handled well enough with ammo management, equipment such as grenades (that wasn't too useful for me), and some gruesome powerups such as the berserk. Bosses are also a bit more tricky but still have attacks that can be easily avoided after some quick memorisation.

A few extra things exist outside the main game. There are the classic levels which are fine although it was weird playing 1993 maps with 2016 enemies in. Also I seemed to fall off the map a few times which is a right pain. There's an arcade mode which can be enjoyable for a quick bit of demon slaying. SnapMaps are essentially custom-made levels which is always a welcome addition, even if none of them appealed to me all that much. Multiplayer does also exist but I don't usually play those, I hope it's fun and works well for those who do want to go around killing other players.

Summary One of the best FPS games of the 2010s and for good reason. It fully embraces the violent and chaos of what demon slaying should be, with a strong selection of weapons against a dangerous variety of enemies. It's easy to see why it's already considered a classic.
Rating: 9/10

Update: I should really try and make this more blog-like haha, that way it'll keep me engaged and motivate to update these. I do have Doom Eternal with its DLC but I'll move onto that a little later as I don't want to burn myself out on that. There's also a new episode for Doom 1 + 2 called Legacy of Rust that I want to check out so expect that someday. For now, I'll probably continue with Tomb Raider by moving on to Tomb Raider (2000), the Gameboy game which I didn't know existed until recently. I don't know what to expect but I hope it'll be fun.

27/09/2024 - Tomb Raider (2000)



The next entry in the Tomb Raider franchise is the first one for handheld devices, in this case the Game Boy Color. The game is known as "Tomb Raider" which is the same name as the first game in the franchise and the first of the survivor trilogy (i.e. the one released in 2013). However the game also has the names of "Tomb Raider Starring Lara Croft" which is also confusing because the "Starring Lara Croft" is the subtitle for Tomb Raider II. And if that's not enough, some people call it "The Nightmare Stone" to distinguish it from the other games in the franchise. Who names these things! Well to keep things simple, I'll keep it as Tomb Raider (2000) as its the title of the game whilst also avoiding getting mixed up.

The plot for Tomb Raider (2000) is fairly brief. On a request from her friend, Lara needs to locate the Nightmare Stone within the jungles of Central America. When she arrives, she finds her welcoming party has disappeared and that other malicious parties are present, interested in unleashing an evil god known as Quaxet. Without going into spoilers, its a simple plot with only Lara being the character here. Nothing mind-blowing or tense by any means. But it's an early Tomb Raider game for a handheld, it's not something I was expecting much from. It's just a good way to set things up and the addition of cutscenes was a nice surprise rather than just instantly dropping Lara into the start of the first level.

The game is divided into 5 sections: the temple, the royal tombs, the treasure chambers, the caverns and the volcanic temple, each having their own little theme. The objective of each level, as with most Tomb Raider games, is to make progress by finding relics and pulling levels to unlock certain areas. It is fairly non-linear, with backtracking and multiple maps being used on each level. So it can be quite puzzling but the size of the maps never made it feel overwhelming although it may take some time to figure out what needs to be done and in what order. Save crystals also provide safe spots to save the game to prevent too much progress from being lost. Along with traps, ammo can also be found in each level. There are fast bullets to shoot at enemies quicker and heavy bullets to inflict more damage. It's useful to have but I wouldn't call it essential, Lara's pistols already pack a big punch as it is and as I mentioned earlier, the enemies aren't much of a threat. Medikits are also scattered across all the maps. They did occur a lot since by the end of the game I had about 99 small medikits and 54 large medikits, so it can take away the challenge of the final levels when you can simple walk past steam vents and patch yourself up. This may sound quite long and repetitive but it went fairly quickly and therefore I didn't really notice it that much.

Here's a screenshot from the first level of the game.



Obviously the dimensions are a bit different since its supposed to be on a Gameboy Colour but we can see all the details thrown in that make the game work well. There's good use of colour, nothing as dark as the 3D games with each level feeling part of the adventure. We also have a background that adds to that which is a lot better than just sticking to one colour. Lara looked a bit odd when I started but her animations are also quite impressive for its time, with her other pistol being visible when she crouches. One thing the image cannot tell you, however, is how quiet the game is. Music rarely plays in the game and only several sound effects are used throughout the whole game. If the game were to have a remake or remaster, I think it needs some ambient music to add a level of dread or mystery. Of course this is likely a limitation of the hardware at play, but it is a noticeable drawback when playing through each of the 14 levels.

So what dangers are present in this game? Well like with many Tomb Raider games we have bats, they can appear in annoying spots during climbing but their movements make sound and they can be taken out in one shot so they are almost harmless. Skeletons, mummies, and scorpions are also not much of an issue, only presenting a problem in areas where movement is limited. Mercenaries aren't too bad either, sure they can shoot Lara on sight but with the large quantity of medi-kits in each level as well as the fact they cannot shoot Lara vertically (yes you can exploit that fact to shoot them to death from above or below), they don't present much of a threat as their 3D counter-parts do. Aquatic animals are more of an obstacle than a threat, they can be simply swam past without much of a worry about health. Out of all the enemies, I found the reapers the most dangerous due to their homing attacks but they rarely appear and stop showing up after a few levels. Lara's combat is pretty on point when dealing with any of these enemies, even if she can shoot a bat at a weird angle through a wall. Overall, its simple but well-executed.

Other threats arise from the environment. Dart traps are the most common obstacle in the game, they tend to be well-used within each level and were a reason why my health went down quickly. Spikes were worst though, being the reason for most of my deaths but none of them were placed cheaply. Boulders just existed. I don't really know what to say about them, they are usually placed in areas where running doesn't occur so they mostly just fell in front of me before I even noticed. The steam vents were quite hard to avoid but were the challenge needed for the latter half of the game.

With all these traps, some people say the controls present a bit of a problem but I think they were decent enough. Jumping off a slope to avoid a spike trap can be a bit awkward and sometimes it is a bit of trial and error on whether you need to use a standing jump or a running jump to clear a gap. Lara's fairly quick at both running and grabbing ledge although it can take a few moments at the start of the game to figure out where she needs to grab the ledge from. Ladders and monkeys bars work quite well, with Lara being able to use her gun and even jump to grab another ladder which is quite impressive for the time. I wish I could comment on the swimming but it's not used too much in the game. From what I recall, it works well enough although moving Lara up and down can be a bit awkward. Overall, the controls aren't perfect but they do what they need to well enough.

Summary: An underrated Tomb Raider game that, while aged in some places due to hardware limitations, offers a fun 10-hour platform challenge. A great effort for Lara's first handheld adventure.

Rating: 7/10

Current ranking. Maybe its controversial but I prefer exploring to being constantly shot at and finding small items in large maps.
Tomb Raider (1996)
Tomb Raider (2000)
Tomb Raider II
Tomb Raider: The Last Revelation
Tomb Raider III

Update: Chronicles will naturally be the next game I'll play in the franchise. No idea when I'll get around to it but hopefully soon. In the meantime, a friend has recommended me a horror survival game that he has enjoyed the lore off so that will likely be my next post. Considering I'm not too experienced in survival games, let's see how long this one takes...

11/10/24: Doom - Legacy of Dust



Recently, Doom 1 and 2 has another re-release on Steam that improved on the last re-release and came with all sorts of new features. Mod support that holds many Doom WADS, a new engine (that is alright although I have seen some enemies get stuck running in corners), multiplayer, and a remixed soundtrack to name a few. It also added Final Doom, Master Levels for Doom II, and Sigil alongside a deathmatch map pack. This post, however, will be focusing on the new addition to the lineup: "Legacy of Dust". This is a 16 level WAD that was not only created by id Software, Nightdive Studios, and MachineGames but also introduced new enemies, new weapons and new textures. As someone whose played several Doom WADs, this caught my eye so when I got the chance, I downloaded it and went through it. Here's my experience with it. Also, if you want to play this completely blind then there are a few spoilers about the new enemies and weapons so be wary of that!

The opening level Scar Gate illustrates the visuals of the game and a small taste of what's to come. While the gameplay for this level is what you'd expect (killing imps, zombiemen, and shotgun guys with the pistol and shotgun), the new textures already set itself apart from the other official Doom episodes. Does it affect gameplay? No. It is cool to look at and generally fits the Doom vibe well? Yes! It may be common within the Doom community but the official Doom add-ons need it to distinguish themselves from each other. We even have the first of six new enemies being introduced towards the end. It can deal a fair bit of damage with its small, fast projectiles and they normally come in swarms, but they are fairly weak. A great addition to the line-up as it provides a decent challenge whilst blending into the Dooms atmosphere fairly well, although that can be attributed to the fact that it is based off an early Lost Soul design.

Actually, lets go through the rest of the new enemy line-up before looking at all the other levels. The Banshees behave exactly like the kamikaze in a Serious Sam game, they run (well these guys fly) towards the player and blow up. I never found them much of a threat but their shrieks are unnerving. A mindweaver is pretty much a small spider-mastermind, they can be dangerous although usually there's enough ammo to take them out when they do appear. Shocktroopers are similar to players with plasma guns, quick and dangerous but fragile. I normally rocket these guys just to be safe. The most dangerous new enemies are the vassagos, firing a projectile that causes an area to catch fire which damaged the player if they are on it. They are strong and need a lot of ammo to take down so be wary of them. Tyrants, which are basically small cyber-demons, only appear once but if you are playing on a hard difficulty, they will require a high-level of rocket dodging skills to survive.

Now with those out of the way, here was my experience with the first half of Legacy of Dust titled "The Vulcan Abyss". I should mention I played this one on Ultra-Violence so my opinions reflect on the game with that difficulty setting. Sanguine Wastes was a fun level and is a more accurate depiction of what Legacy of Dust had to offer with level design moving away from the traditional fights in dark, tight corridors to fights ocurring in large open areas with many enemies about. Each level for me took about 20-30 minutes from this point onwards which is fine, I like my maps to have a lot going on. I won't say much about the secret level Ash Mill but it was certainly a memorable and spooky one. Spirit Drains was a tough third level, introducing the remainder of the common Doom II enemies and being challenging in the use of ammo preservation. As you can tell, this is quite a hard WAD so if you haven't played Doom too much it may more of a pain than a joy to play. Descending Inferno was a bit of a breather from the last level, due to more low-tier enemies being scattered across the level although the next level with Creeping Hate continued the challenge of ammo usage whilst having a more hellish design. Out of all the levels, I disliked The Coiled City the most due to how the level completely depended on the new weapon: the Incinerator. Although this flamethrower is fun and easy to use, stunning a group of enemies with ease, attempting to use it on ledges that are easy to fall off whilst avoiding enemy projectiles that cannot be taken until a later point is just cruel. Episode closer Forfeited Salvation was solid, it had some nasty traps and could have more of a big closer but it made a creative use of a small map.

The 2nd episode now (titled Counterfeit Eden) only this time on Hurt Me Plenty because I feel like Ultra-Violence would kick my ass on this one. Second Coming I didn't enjoy too much due to the lack of ammo, weapons, space, and medi-kits with a sniping cyber-demon to add to the mix although I still think it was well designed. Falsehood was more fun, although some switch hunting was involved there were a lot of enemy waves which kept the flow going. Dis Union is fairly short and another example of making good use of a small map, even if the damaging floor whilst fighting enemies is a true pain. Again, I won't say much about the secret level (Panopticon) but it made a fun use of the cyber-demon and while I do prefer Ash Mill due to its eeriness, the reward of the new weapon The Calamity Blade at the end was certainly a wonderful addition to the arsenal. It's ability to charge up and attack and release a horizontal wave of pain made the next level, Echoes of Pain, almost a walk in the park. I don't have much to say about that or The Rack since it's mostly handling a moderately-sized number of low-tier enemies. Soul Silo is both amazing and hard. This is Doom at its most brutal and straight-to-the-point, going from room to room taking out a large number of enemies. Even at the end with multiple soul-spheres and an invincibility, it's a very dangerous level but certainly makes for a thrilling penultimate level. The final level of the episode and the WAD, Brink, is fine. I didn't think too much of it besides the already-mentioned tyrants and how hard it is. It did, however, wrap things up nicely and even gave closure to the first level.

Summary: Legacy of Rust mixes the old with the new in an entertaining and challenging way. The new enemies and weapons typically blend in well with the other classic enemies, with the new textures also assisting in presenting a fresh experience. Due to how cruel some of the level design can be, I recommend playing this after playing the original games and some other WADs.

Rating: 8/10

Update: I'm very slowing going through Darkwood (the game I hinted at in the last update I did) but it'll be on hold for a while as I need to have a certain mindset for survival games. As for whats next, I'll jump into a different horror game as it is that time of year after all! Also I should mention that at some point I do want to go through all the "featured mods" on there but that would take a long time and I would get burnt out too easily. Maybe one day...

20/10/24 - Amnesia: Rebirth



I'm not really big into horror games but I don't mind playing one or two during the Halloween season.

This is the third game in the Amnesia series: a franchise that involves the protagonist attempting to recollect their memory whilst attempting to escape from the dangers that they are trapped with. The first game, The Dark Descent, was a pretty good horror game. I can't recall everything from it but there were some iconic moments and a thrilling story. The introduction of the sanity system (where staying in the dark for too long caused the protagonist to go insane) really added dread and anxiety to the game, it was very clever. A Machine for Pigs followed this and it wasn't anywhere near as scary. Maybe it was because different developers worked on it but what was produced was a very linear experience with simple puzzles, no sanity meter, and monsters that weren't much of a threat.

7 years later game the third instalment: Rebirth. The story takes place in the Algerian desert where Tasi wakes up in a crashed helicopter to find her companions, including her husband, missing. One strength of this game is this plot of Tasi trying to find these people and escape from the place. It's satisfying seeing the mystery unravel bit by bit, even if some parts are a bit on the nose. The small dialogues during loading screens or found across the level provides just a bit of information to fill in some of the gaps in the story and add some character to people you may never meet. It adds a whole extra layer of tragedy to the game which is conveyed fairly well through the voice acting. Also the idea of the game being set in a desert is a good pick as it really lets the designers go wild with what is beneath the sand. Overall, a good plot!

Thinking about it, the gameplay can be described as a weaker Dark Descent. We have the returning sanity meter and that's executed well, some areas such as the fortress really play on that mechanic well. The monsters compared to the first game are frankly just embarrassing. Although they are well-designed and are way of a threat then the creatures in A Machine for Pigs, you can't really lose to them. If you get caught, you are either thrown a little bit across the room to try again or the game just skips that section for you by either skipping ahead or removing the creature! Despite this feeling quite cheap, I don't think it ruins the tension of the game, particularly in the first half where you are exploring and seeing some of the sights for the first time.

Rebirth does introduce some new features as well. Tasi can calm herself down by simple pressing a button (no spoilers here for exactly why she does it) which is useful although I'm not sure how well it really works. There was also an amulet that could be used to open certain areas but it was barely used. I felt like it could have been fun to combine the amulets power of unlocking and locking doors behind walls with the monster but for some extra resources to light my way, it's a welcome addition. Adventure mode is a game mode I saw but never tried as it was simply the game without the monsters or fear of the dark. Seems a good incentive if someone wants to experience the story.

Gameplay isn't just a walking simulator like most people tend to point out. Puzzles often make an appearance that requires the use of observations or exploration. None of them are hard as such, normally it requires hunting down a key or figuring out the right combination. However, they provide a good break from being chased about all over the place and can take a few moments to figure out exactly what needs to be done. Luckily, the inventory is easy to access and objects are easy to pick up. I never really mastered throwing too much but I didn't really need to do it besides a couple times. Could they be more varied? Perhaps but for a 10 hour horror game it doesn't really need to be that varied. There was probably more puzzles in this game than either of the last two games.

Summary: An eerie story with tense moments in a well-crafted environment. It's just a shame that the creatures are such a let down.
Rating: 6/10

Update: Not sure what I'll play this. Might be horror, might be something else. Whatever I do play next, I'll probably jump back into Tomb Raider afterwards as I want to try and get through all of it before the new remaster comes out in Feburary. We shall see what happens.

30/10/2024 - Sanitarium & Mystery Box: Hidden Secrets

Last time I posted on here I was wondering whether I should play a horror game or just a random one (have to keep this blog somewhat random). So it seems I went for both in the end. Here they are!

Sanitarium



Sanitarium is a bit of an odd game. This point and click adventure can be found in many "best" lists of its genre and is well-liked on many forums. It's been given many awards, had a mobile port released in 2015 and was a commercial success with its release in 1998. And yet it seems to be a bit of an obscure title these days, at least compared to other games released in that time. Perhaps it's because the developers studio, DreamForge Intertainment, dissolved in 2001 after having delays making Werewolf: The Apocalypse – The Heart of Gaia which resulted in them not making enough high-profile games for others to be willing enough to go through their catalogue. Although I doubt that's the case since they seem to be well-regarded enough to be working on Myst IV, a game that was eventually finished by another studio. If I were to guess, I think it's because most of the iconic point and clicker games came out in the early 90s, stuff like the original Myst, The Secret of Monkey Island, and I Have No Mouth, I Must Scream. Point and clicker games were still about at this time, Blade Runner came a year before this but I'm betting the jump to 3D games and the volume of games from this genre didn't really get peoples attention. Well this games certainly caught my attention so here's my little review on it.

For a psychological horror game, Sanitarium certainly has a trippy plot. I mean it makes sense, it takes place in an asylum after Max (the protagonist) gets into a car crash and loses his memory so naturally things must be insane. Stripping away the weirdness for a second, the plot is alright. I like how it continues to unfold itself throughout each chapter and, although character development doesn't really happen with any of the character, it kept me hooked until the credits. Sanitarium also has lot of voice acting and cinematics going around, nothing note-worthy here but it's great to have a little reward for making progress. Some people mention that this game and its plot loses the horror atmosphere halfway through and I mostly agree as once you understand what's exactly going on, the game doesn't really focus on the horror and more on providing nonsensible situations. Considering the 12 hour length of the game, it didn't really bother me that much although it would have been stronger if it did. Even if you didn't care much for the games plot, I think its unique atmosphere will prevent it from feeling like another generic horror game.

A screenshot of the game from the Steam store page as I forgot to take one. This is from the first level and as you can see, it's starting off strong and really emits a gothic vibe.


Gameplay is divided between things that work well and things that are executed poorly, lets focus on the good first. Each chapter offered something different whether that's finding objects that can be used to change the environment, talking to people to gain knowledge about the location and other people, or solving puzzles to make progress. Some levels may look daunting but they are never overwhelming. A cursor acts as a magnifying glass which can allow Max to comment on something in the environment. I liked it be honest, sure Max's VA can exaggerate things sometimes but I appreciate the world-building going on whilst seeing how Max reacts to things. Max can also hold equipment using an inventory system that can be accessed by simply clicking on him at any point. It hasn't aged amazingly as I could end up clicking something in the background by mistake but I do like being able to see the equipment I have as well as the item I'm using. The levels themselves aren't too confusing either, despite some things that I'll mention in a few moments each area of a map has something going on, whether it's for making progress or to just add to the feel of the game. Strangely there are even boss fights in this game which, while not the most impressive, really keeps the surprises going until the end.

On to the bad aspects, this games biggest weakness is oddly its graphics. On the surface it's eerie, strange, and disturbing which is exactly what I want from a horror game. Some of the pieces really let this game shine as one of a kind, despite the fact its from the late 1990s. However sometimes objects on the floor blend a bit too well in the environment. The parts I struggled with most was to find these objects in the maps with a lot going on as it's that well hidden sometimes. This also applies to paths as well, sometimes you think you can't go further but you can. Could these things also be a puzzle in themselves? You could argue that but I think this game is a fine line between fair and unfair in this aspect. Controls don't help with this issue either as Max can walk at the wrong angle causing a few moments to adjust him or walk in the right direction, so it's easy to miss a path. This can really come to a problem with areas that require precise walking which can be frustrating but fortunately not aggravating.

Summary: Although the games mechanics haven't aged well, this is a unique horror game that really pulls the player in and keeps the surprises going until the end. If you are a fan of retro point and click adventures, this one is worth checking out.

Rating: 7/10

Mystery Box: Hidden Secrets



I won't lie, I played this one because it was free and I'm a bit of a sucker for games like this. That latter fact and the three hour playtime is why I'm putting it in the same post as there's not much to discuss. So I think this was designed by XSGames whose whole company focuses on mystery box games. I mean they have multiple mystery box games on their website as well as a 3D jigsaw game and a spot the difference game....yeah this isn't going to be a good review. The platform I used to play the game, Legacy Games, didn't fill me with much confidence either as it was full of match-3 and hidden objects games so it seems I'm getting into one of those games. Well I downloaded the game by then so I decided to bite the bullet and play through it in one sitting.

From the get go, I could tell this was designed for mobile users which isn't too surprising. These sort of games are everywhere on mobile. Despite this, the game was easy enough to control on my PC with fast responses and a smooth framerate. It did have issues sometimes where I clicked back too fast so I had to click back again but outside that it was decent enough. Each button and switch on the boxes was easy to see, nothing blending into the environment unless it's a collectible. Now I'm reflecting on this, I think that's most of the positive things I had to say about the game, it just ran well.

So the puzzles, what's wrong with them? Well they were dull. Simple, repetitive and dull. If you know roman numerals, how to read a clock, and can memorise symbols and patterns then this game shouldn't take too long to complete as it's mostly just that for about three dozen levels. Even if this was a persons first time playing a game like this, you really need more things to keep the game refreshing throughout and to make it a worth-while experience, especially with it being a 2021 game, a year where many games like this already exist on mobile alone such as the The Room franchise. People who've played many of these may find odd emissions such as no audio cue to indicate that the box has been unlocked. My guess is that the developers didn't want somebody trying to brute force their way through each puzzle but surely people could still do that? The repeating music track and the light blood background really didn't help things either, I just ended putting it on mute about halfway through.

On a more positive note, each side of the box was used and they opened up quite well. There were also some themes for each set of boxed alongside notes that were hidden quite well. By collecting them you get to unlock a puzzle that reveals an invention with some text about how it was made. A decent enough thing with some trivia to go with, I'll take it. Oh and to really clarify this games quality, one of the notes that described the invention was copied straight from Wikipedia to the point where they didn't even delete the numbered references! That is lazy, hilarious, and frankly embarrassing.



Summary: A very simple game with repetitive puzzles and nothing really going for it that can't be found elsewhere. I don't think it's worth the boredom to play through unless you want a brief taste on the bare bones of this genre.
Rating: 3/10

Update: After Sanitarium, I'm certainly more curious to play point and click adventures in the future but I'll leave it for the time being. For now, I'll head back to TR Chronicles to make some progress on there before I'm distracted with something else again. Thanks for reading :)

02/11/24 - Tomb Raider: Chronicles



I have now finished the fifth main title in the Tomb Raider franchise and the sixth game in the franchise overall: Tomb Raider Chronicles. Despite it not being as famous as the games before it, Chronicles is important for a few reasons. Firstly this is the last game to use the game engine that all the games have been built on for so long. Considering the games release was in 2000, it makes sense that it would be time to shake things up by that time. Chronicles is also the last game to be pumped out annually. Core Designer were likely getting very tired of making new Tomb Raider games every year since 1996. Yeah no one liked making this with designer Andy Sandham saying the staff made it "to earn a living" and that it was "the worst title in his career". The lead animator even spent lots of time making fun new ways to kill Lara as he hated making it so much. Well it sounds like this is going to be a stinker if the people who developed it didn't care so lets see if any care went into it.

Although Chronicles continues exactly where The Last Revelation left off, a majority of the story takes place in the past. You see unlike the last past games where there's one big plot, this game is divided into four small stories that occur within different parts of Lara life. Generally, I like this change. They are essentially short adventures that last 2-3 hours long and having 3-4 levels in length. Yes it's a short game with it almost being half the length of the last two games, but if the game has a great pace and has the best character of Lara yet then I see no issues with that. There's even more cutscenes in this game than ever before so its almost cinematic feel made playing through it like a breeze.

Let's go through each section/story. The game opens with the Rome levels, these are the most Tomb Raider like levels there are. There's a good mix of combat, platforming and puzzles here. Controls are still the same as ever and the camera still points to where you need to go occasionally so if you hated or loved them before, you'll still hate or love them here. I think I should mention this now but Chronicles really suffers from a lack of creativity as barely anything new is shown off here. Let's go through most of them briefly, we have the ability tightrope walk which is fun but is barely used and could have been utilised further. Lara can swing on horizontal bars which is great, probably the best new feature on here as it just makes platforming a bit more fun. Finally there is the grapple gun which can be used to attach ropes to the ceiling so Lara can jump across places, a solid weapon but used in one level so not many chances to really let it shine. It's a shame there isn't much more but I'll take the little things we've got.

Next up is the Submarine section. This one is also decent, most of it is fairly linear with a heavy focus on combat against armed soldiers. The soundtracks lives things up a bit but I wasn't a big fan of essentially doing the same level twice. Despite that, it's still well-designed with no cruel traps or hidden items about, although some of the environment could be improved further by making it more visible which areas can be climbed and which cannot as most of the time spent wondering about can be solved by simply climbing on something that didn't look climbable. I did manage to find my first secret "golden rose" on here and they do actually come with the benefit of accessing the behind the scenes of how the game was made. I didn't do this but it's really nice to see how everything was made for those who want to go the extra mile.

The Ireland sections were the most appealing in terms of visuals. I don't think it's anywhere near as striking as II, III, or even The Last Revelation, but there is something about having a horror setting within the abandoned countryside that makes it very appealing to me. Gameplay-wise, I'd say that it's good. There isn't any combat in these levels (in fact say goodbye to the unlimited-ammo pistols for the rest of the game) but the puzzle aspect along with the platforming is strong enough to merit it as, in my opinion, the best section of the game.

Finally, the game concludes with an espionage sort of mission. It's a different take on the traditional formula with these levels requiring stealth in order to survive. We have gone back to the hard difficulty these early Tomb Raider games have with some messy bugs thrown in too. One of the parts I needed to get to exit the final level didn't drop so I have to load in a save game to finish the game. I also got stuck in an elevator three times so that was fun. If all the bugs were removed from this level, I think the game would have ended well as its restriction on ammo and traps throughout provided a good last impression.

Summary: A Tomb Raider game that executes what it knows moderately well but doesn't bring anything new to the table that separates itself from the other games. Expect a well-designed but slightly dull experience.
Rating: 6/10

Current ranking. Chronicles may not have frustrating moments like The Last Revelation or III have, but those left more of a mark on me than this one. I moved the gameboy game down slightly, II and The Last Revelation have some iconic moments whereas the gameboy game didn't really have a "wow" moment for me.
Tomb Raider (1996)
Tomb Raider II
Tomb Raider: The Last Revelation
Tomb Raider (2000)
Tomb Raider III
Tomb Raider: Chronicles.

Update: I finished this a lot quicker than I expected! Since these games are going to get shorter now and more modern, I think I'll get through them a bit quicker rather than spend 2 weeks going on and off them. The next stop will be the next portable Tomb Raider game, Curse of the Sword so I hope that will be more fun. Almost forgot to mention but another blogger on here, Dorodo, is going through all the Tomb Raider games as well. He's almost done with the franchise although he's saving IV to VI until February when the remaster comes out so if you want to hear a good review of each of the games from a person learning level design, I recommend checking him out. It starts here for those interested!

Thanks for stopping by!

04/11/2024 - Tomb Raider: Curse of the Sword



Due to this games length, the fact I reviewed the other TR Gameboy game, and the fact it's my third post in a week (somehow), I'll keep this post brief.

Since a Tomb Raider film was coming out in 2001, the publishers wanted a Tomb Raider game to be released as well as the film, likely for financial purposes. The developers of the last portable Tomb Raider game set to work on this and is essentially the sequel to Tomb Raider (2000). You may have noticed there's only a one year gap between the two games but at this point it's not much of a surprise these keep appearing. Let's see what's changed and what's stayed the same.

As with Tomb Raider (2000), the plot is very simple. An unnamed antagonist is attempting to resurrect an ancient evil magician using a cursed sword and a willing "host" for her to be resurrected in. Naturally, Lara has to stop this to not only prevent her from returning and causing chaos, but also to remove a curse that she received from the antagonist. Despite it being short and basic, this plot flows a lot better than the last one due to the mystery of where Lara will go next (as the game is not set entirely within a temple) and that each level ends in a cutscene. Also helping this is the game length with it being half the size of the original game, not too surprising considering the lack of development time. One thing I do wish the story did was throw in a cutscene before the final level as it just felt a bit too sudden for my liking.

Gameplay wise is more of the same as its predecessor. Controls are still fine, there are less "sliding into death" moments in this game so areas seem to accommodate these controls better. Enemies are still quite simple and don't really need any of the different ammo types, although some enemies attack the second you go through a door so that sucks. A lot more boss fights than the last game, the final boss was a bit too easy in my opinion but I liked how different and unexpected each of them were. Levels aren't as confusing as the last game as each area is given different and more detailed backgrounds than before which really makes a big difference. A couple levels are even timed which is good but I'd rather explore each area than run to the end of the level avoiding areas that will instantly kill me. Medi-kits aren't as well hidden in this game since secrets don't appear as often, but these are always plentiful so health wasn't a major concern in this game. Music continues to be absent from most of the game but again it can be forgiven as it's a Gameboy Colour game.

Summary: An improvement over Tomb Raider (2000). This provides a fast-paced yet short Tomb Raider experience with a nice art style and the sense of adventure that any good Tomb Raider game has. If you don't mind some ok controls and a barebones plot, this is worth spending a day playing.
Rating: 7/10

Current ranking:
Tomb Raider (1996)
Tomb Raider II
Tomb Raider: The Last Revelation
Tomb Raider: Curse of the Sword
Tomb Raider (2000)
Tomb Raider III
Tomb Raider: Chronicles.

Update: Another Tomb Raider game down. While I do want to get to play Tomb Raider: The Prophecy fairly soon, I want to avoid burn out from the franchise. So I'll play something else before I move that. Maybe a bit of a longer game too so I don't burn myself out on these posts either. We'll see what happens. Thanks for stopping by :)

01/12/24: Apogee Throwback Pack Part 1 - Rise of the Triad: Dark War



One of the reasons my backlog is quite big is because I tend to buy a collection of games. In todays case, I got the Apogee Throwback Pack which I managed to get by selling Steam trading cards (since I'm not the sort of person who wants to collect them). This pack is a collection of four titles from Apogee Software, two of them being expansion packs to the other two games. As there's a bunch to talk about with each title, I'll tackle each game one at a time rather than all in one go otherwise it'll be overwhelming. The first of this four is Rise of the Triad: Dark War.

For simplicities sake, I'm only focusing on Dark War. I'm not doing the shareware version "The Hunt Begins" as most of the levels are in Dark War anyway. I'm also not playing the remastered Ludicrous Edition although maybe I'll play through it someday. No, I'm playing the original 1995 release that was supposed to have been a follow up to Wolfenstein 3D but ended up being its own thing. This four-episode game lets the player take control of one of five different characters known collectively as The Hunt. Their mission is to infiltrate a fortress and stop a cult from destroying millions of people. Not much of a plot but early FPS games rarely have any. In this playthrough, I'm playing as Taradino Cassatt as his stats are all average meaning he wouldn't be easy to kill and fairly quick to move.

The first episode showcases the gameplay quite well, which is good since it doesn't really change much throughout the course of the game. There aren't many choices in terms of standard weapons, with the pistol and dual-pistol only existing for less than a minute until the MP40 appears. It isn't an exciting gun by any means, but it's unlimited ammo and ability to stun-lock most enemies makes it ideal for taking out the basic guards. Other weapons exist as well, although these are scattered across each level and better suited for bosses.
- Bazookas are simple enough, shooting a missile and exploding upon impact. I stuck with this most of the time since I could defeat strong enemies from afar.
- Heat-seekers lock onto heat sources, allowing missiles to home-in towards it. It's solid although I prefer to focus on weapons that fire in a straight line.
- Split missiles shoot two missiles at once at 45 degree angles. I didn't use this one much as if an enemy was straight ahead of me, it'd just miss.
- Drunk missiles fire 5 small missiles at one specific enemy. I also didn't use this one much but it was great for bosses.
- The flamewall shoots fire on the road that, when hitting an enemy, releases a small detonation. This one I did not collect as much but it was the most fun weapon in the arsenal.
- Last and not least is the firebomb, a missile that creates explosions in four directions. I don't remember using this one but it was likely handy.

Ok enough waffle about the weapons, what about the levels themselves? The first episode was probably the most enjoyable to me. The maps here were moderately varied in terms of scale and appearance, some being small and inside closed corridors, other being large open spaces. Each level contained lots of collectibles to get
for a player to earn points, with 100 points equalling an extra life. Despite being very retro, I never bothered collecting them as the save system makes lives almost pointless. It's the same with the secrets too, if I saw them then I'd go after them but the sheer quantity put me off alongside the fact that I'm usually well-equipped as it was already. Health was also scattered fairly across the levels so secrets were only really for gaining it back if I ran out. Take the boss of the episode for instance, nothing too harsh but is fairly unique for its time by popping in different areas of the room. Luckily, there was enough weapons and healthy lying about that I didn't feel the need to start looking for secret walls or hidden pressure pads.

Moving onto episode 2 now with not too much changing. Despite grenade-throwing enforcers, rolling strike guards, and weapon-stealing lightning guards, the action in this part of the game continues to be fast and somewhat repetitive. The music keeps things going and fresh with plenty of bops playing throughout the campaign. Power-ups are almost more present in this episode than the previous one, these are the main ones :
- God mode: I doubt I need to say the amount of joy I get from running over traps without pain and vaporising any enemy in front of me.
- Dog mode: Turning into an invincible dog and killing enemies with a loud bark is all I ever want from a game.
- Mercury mode: Flying about was fine but this is a bit more gimmicky than useful.
- Elasto mode: One of the power downs. It's quite an annoying one so it wins as a power down, even if it was only dangerous about once or twice throughout the whole game.
- Shrooms mode: Being on drugs for 15 seconds can be a real pain but again it was only dangerous a couple times.

Not much to say about the boss in this episode, probably the most boring one but nothing bad by any means.

Third episode now and it's starting to get more difficult with is mostly because of the introduction of robots that could only be destroyed using a missile. It's not horrible as long as you keep a fair distance and shoot them down quickly. Traps are becoming more present here too but many can be avoided by some careful movement. The boss on this level is very hard, easily tougher than anything found in episode 4. It's down to being very quick and being able to kill a player within two hits. I didn't like it at all, it felt too out of place in terms of difficulty.

The last episode is fine although it starts to decline in level design. Almost all of the enemies are monks which can be stunned before firing a missile although their number is quite high. Their health does slow the action down but considering it's near the end of the game, I don't mind it that much. Despite these levels being the biggest in the game, it was still quite easy to know where to go mostly due to the handy map that shows where doors are and where the pressure pads are located. The levels themselves do differentiate in terms of colour too and so while it can feel repetitive at times and not the most detailed ever, the chances of getting lost are low. The last boss is the most frustrating part of the game not because of its difficulty (it's actually straight-forward) but what is needed to do to in order to win. I won't write exactly what happens here but I had to restart the level because of it. It's a shame really as I felt this game could have ended better and not have been an out of place puzzle that requires restarting the whole level for.

Summary: Besides a few flaws with level design and how little it changes throughout the game, Rise of the Triad: Dark Water is an enjoyable FPS. I wouldn't recommend it as the first game of the genre to play but would be ideal after playing a couple others, especially Wolfenstein 3-D.
Rating: 6/10

Update: Not much to report at this point. I'll likely ever continue with the Apogee Throwback Pack or move to the next portable Tomb Raider game. Wouldn't like to say which at this point but I'm sure I'll update this again soon enough.

02/12/2024 - Tomb Raider: The Prophecy



Another quick review of a short game. As with the last two Tomb Raider games, this one went quicker than I expected.

Tomb Raider: The Prophecy is a 2002 Game Boy Advance game that is placed between Tomb Curse: Curse of the Sword and Tomb Raider: Angel of Darkness in the release timeline of the franchise. This title was developed by Ubisoft Milan which are best known for the Mario + Rabbids games although they are also part of the development for the Just Dance franchise. As with the other Gameboy TR titles, there isn't much information about the game so let's jump straight to the main content.

Like with The Nightmare Stone and Curse of the Sword, the plot for this game is quite thin which should come as little surprise. This game tells the story of Lara collecting three magical stones to stop an evil cult from resurrecting The Great Grey One. Lara is a lot more chatty in this one, taking moments during the game to comment briefly on something ahead or just randomly drop exposition out of nowhere. It can get a bit annoying if you walk past an area as it may trigger the same conversation twice but for the most part it gives life to the game.

The best thing about this game is how pretty it is. The isometric view and vibrant colours really give something none of the other games have given so far. Although only four sections of the game exist, each is fairly distinct even if in some cases it's a matter of changing a few colours. There are also very short levels too that act as a short bridge to connect two big levels together which I find quite charming. Music and sound effects are fairly present in this game and contribute to the world, whether that's by an enemy far in the distance or simply wind blowing in the background. I would be very eager to see another Tomb Raider game in this sort of style again.

Gameplay-wise it's fine but suffers from repetition. Controlling Lara is quite easy compared to previous entries with the ability to lock-on to enemies during combat and now being able to jump other enemies. Platforming can be a bit tricky with a mix of depth perception and Lara's jumps being a bit awkward, but generally it's a fun challenge. Combat is generally ok but fighting only three enemy types can be a bit dull. The same applies to how levels are solved, 90% of the game is simply hitting switches and moving past the same two traps. As it's only about 5-6 hours long and a portable game, it can be forgiven but it can be a bit underwhelming to see features like dart traps barely implemented.

Summary: A pretty if a bit repetitive game that translates the 3D games into 2D quite well. If you want a fun afternoon game, give this game a shot.
Rating: 6/10

Current ranking:
Tomb Raider (1996)
Tomb Raider II
Tomb Raider: The Last Revelation
Tomb Raider: The Prophecy
Tomb Raider: Curse of the Sword
Tomb Raider (2000)
Tomb Raider III
Tomb Raider: Chronicles

Update: Blimey that went quicker than I expected but still a decent time. Next time I play a Tomb Raider game will be Angel of Darkness which will be....interesting considering it's reputation. For now, I'll head back to the Apogee Throwback Pack which should be another short review considering it's an expansion pack. Until next time :)