Recent reviews by Tragedy15

“The path ahead may take a lifetime. But I will walk it with you. Always.” - Lord Shimura

Overview
Let’s skip the drama; PlayStation should completely rework how they handle the PC as a platform. That being said, what Sucker Punch Productions (Sly Cooper, InFamous) have created with Ghost of Tsushima is something that could only come from a true admiration, appreciation, and respect for the source material. One could spend hours wandering around the mountains and valleys of Tsushima on horseback, playing the flute and utilizing the lovely photo mode. You will find yourself lost in the beauty of the varied landscapes – coastlines, mountain peaks, villages, snow, rivers, lakes, forests, and more. I have 40 hours logged in GoT at the time of writing this review. Yet, I have posted more screenshots than I have hours logged. Tsushima (both the game and the island) lend themselves so well to screenshots. All of this means nothing if the game is not enjoyable, though. So, does it warrant your time? Yes.

While the story may not be for everyone, there are certainly aspects that bring Tsushima to life in a way that I haven’t seen many games achieve. I am brought back to playing Uncharted 3 on the PlayStation 3 and thinking how much that game felt like an adventure movie. Ghost of Tsushima gives me that same feeling, but as a samurai film (there’s even a “Kurosawa” mode, which replicates the sound and visuals of Akira Kuorsawa’s movies). It starts off a little bit slow, but the voice acting (in both English and Japanese) convey so much emotion and authority. I noticed little things like Jin’s or Yuna’s eyes darting around mid-conversation, as if unconsciously (naturally) responding in deep thought to something another character had just said. During one particular scene, I found myself thinking “That looks like how I would respond to X character saying Y statement, which I would follow with…” only for the character to respond with exactly the words I was thinking. There are other things, like the audio design during more impactful dialogue exchanges. I distinctly remember a scene where Jin was in an argument with another character, and the audio went quiet except for the voices of the two characters. In such a way that it took all of the focus off of the environmental audio and brought the intensity in their voices to the front and center of the scene. Much as one might effectively do in a well-directed film.

Jin’s journey and struggle within is something that is not only conveyed effectively, but is also something that is entirely relatable in its humanity. Jin’s desire and his will to free his people from the terror of the invading Mongols is constantly on full display. He must choose between doing what he believes “is the right thing” and evolving with the times, or sticking with tradition and continuing to honor the way of the samurai. There was one scene in particular in which I felt was a major turning point in Jin’s character arc. You will know it when you see it, but if you must know, it was when he became the Ghost at Yarikawa.

One thing that I particularly liked was how Jin lowered himself to sit down when talking to villagers or peasants, showing his humbleness and his respect for the people of Tsushima. Jin is also not the typical character who is different in gameplay than he is in cutscenes. Jin does not like to resort to such tactics, and he expresses as much. However, he also lets it be known that he will do what he must to protect Tsushima from the invaders. The player is at times forced to adopt certain playstyles, which I was not a fan of at first. After thinking about it some more, though, I think it was an intentional gameplay decision from a player-centric standpoint, as well. The player is forced to adopt new or different fighting/combat styles much in the same way as Jin. When at first, I didn’t like the stealth aspects, I learned to enjoy them and use them to my advantage. I leaned into them similar to how Jin himself must lean into tactics he is uncomfortable with on the battlefield. In this respect, Jin’s journey is our own journey. What he must figure out about himself, we, as players embodying Jin, must also figure out for ourselves.

The player may find themselves writing haikus reflecting on themes such as loss or defeat, and refuge or peace.

Performance
I played the majority of this title on my main computer (2560 x 1440p, AMD Ryzen 9 5950X, NVIDIA RTX 4070 Ti, 32 GB DDR4 RAM, Windows 11, and game installed on Samsung 990 Pro) with the rest of my playtime being on my Steam Deck LCD (modded with a Corsair SSD). I believe there to still be a memory leak in this title. The game would have a few stutters here and there, but after about 1 - 2 hours of playtime, I would get more frame drops, and I got three cases of crash-to-desktop on the final mission in the game. That being said, I don’t know if those three crashes were a result of the game or my system, as my machine had already acted weird on the boot leading up to that session. Frame drops were also a thing on my Steam Deck. Running DLSS set to 72 FPS on my main machine provided a great experience with all graphics settings at either their highest settings or just below the highest settings. Steam Deck tried its best to run at 40 FPS at medium/low settings. Certain environments and loading certain areas/scenes caused dropped frames to around mid-high 20s. Playable but not preferable. Still amazes me that handhelds can even run games like Ghost of Tsushima.

Additionally, Sucker Punch has gone out of their way to make this title a treat with a DualSense controller. The DualShock 4 felt gimmicky to me, and no other title I’ve played with support for DualSense has felt so purpose-built for that controller. The environmental audio and certain enemies coming through the speaker at appropriate audio levels, the triggers tensing up and getting firmer/heavier based on what throwable weapons and ranged weapons the player is switching between, the touchpad integration, the haptic feedback when riding around on horseback – it’s all a treat. Definitely a showcase piece.

I’ll close this review off by saying this is not my favorite game. That being said, I can easily see it being someone else’s favorite game. It’s a fantastic game with a lot of attention to detail, care, passion, and love. I’d go so far as to say it could be propped up as one of the titles in the “video games as an art form” discussion (video games are art). So, while it starts slow, and it might not be to everyone’s taste, I think if you stick with it, and you appreciate games on a deeper level, then you will find something to enjoy with Ghost of Tsushima.

”The proud do not endure. The greatest of us fall in the end.” - Yuriko

Edit: I initially forgot to post what resolution I was running my monitor at for the performance section of this review. (LG UltraGear running 2560 x 1440 @ refresh rate of 144hz).

Edit 2: I also realized I forgot to post my operating system for my main machine: Windows 11.

It is inherently difficult to surmise what any one thing means to any one person on a deeply personal level. You will never know exactly what thoughts, feelings, and emotions I experienced, nor will you know the level at which I experienced them. The same as I will never understand your inherently deep and personal experiences in life. That being said, I will still attempt to convey exactly such a thing as my review for NieR: Automata.

I genuinely do not think I will ever play another game quite like NieR: Automata. It is so unique, so profound, so emotional, so philosophical, so player-focused, and so artfully and masterfully crafted.

Finishing Automata sent me back to the exact moment when I was sitting in front of the TV playing Shadow of the Colossus as a kid, and had a massive revelation of just how much of a high art form video games are truly capable of being. NieR: Automata sits high atop that throne of masterpieces and outliers that challenge the norm to drive the medium forward.

It challenges what you know about video games and what you think you know about yourself.

Automata is one of those "Game of the Decade" titles that surpasses so many different amazing games in their own right. With music that is so integral as to become part of the actual gameplay. This poignant experience evoking such emotions as despair, loneliness, hope, sorrow, encouragement, enlightenment, anger, hatred, and emptiness. Automata is a true commentary on the state and history of humanity.

You do not come out of NieR: Automata as the same person who first went into the game.

“I've had my share of hardship. Just remember, you're not the only one.”
The end is only the beginning.

Glory to Mankind.

Disclaimer/Backstory:
This game was gifted to me around 2019. I would have the same opinions about this title if I had purchased it on Steam with my own money. I, in fact, enjoyed the game so much (getting to the "true" ending), that I purchased a physical copy with my own funds.

Fantastic, fantastic, fantastic game!
To compare this to Pokémon is to do Cassette Beasts a disservice. Pokémon feels to me as though it has lost its heart and soul. This game plays not like a Pokémon made for kids or to print money but a game made for all ages, and a game made out of love and passion. I'm so ashamed of myself for sleeping on this for so long. I bought it back when it came out and just never got around to playing it until now. Ironically enough, I kind of put it off a bit thinking it would be “yet another Pokémon clone.”

I'll be transparent and say I haven't finished the game, but I'm on track to doing so. It runs well enough on Steam Deck and utilizes the Godot game engine. My playtime has been split between playing on my laptop and playing on my Steam Deck. I leave it set to 50 Hz on Steam Deck, and leave all other battery settings at their default values. Turn off half rate shading if you're using DeckyRecorder. HRS seems to cause some sort of flickering in footage. May cause epileptic episodes if you open footage without realizing you've left HRS on. Steam Deck does get frame drops, and they are noticeable, but due to the nature of the gameplay, they are not game-breaking. I did get some crashes, and I think my issue was limiting the wattage to 13 instead of leaving the limiter off. I have been unable to recreate the crashes after setting wattage back to default. I don’t have an OLED model Steam Deck to compare, but the fans ramp up quite a bit on the old 512 GB LCD model Steam Deck.

Cassette Beasts is 100% what I would call a wholesome and cozy game. It's got some creepiness and some cuteness. It’s got a good amount of diversity. It’s got some heartfelt moments, and some good potential for character development. There’s been some really clever moments that made me go “Huh. That’s interesting,” as well. I think I still have quite a bit left to do, and I've been stumped a couple of times. The game could do with some more hints or giving more guidance on what you're supposed to do next at certain points. It just kind of started to slow down at one point, and I ended up wandering around until I stumbled into what I was supposed to do. This actually happened a couple of times during my play sessions.

There’s some really good music in certain locations and boss battles of this game as well. I was in a cafe at one point and was suddenly hit with some music that took me aback for a moment. I wasn’t expecting that kind of vibe from this game going into it. As a music lover, I can’t help but love the record-themed stages. The first boss encounter had a really good song, as well. Not quite the kind of music I was expecting from this game, but definitely not disappointing by any stretch.

I find the fusion and cassette/recording mechanics to be really interesting. They’re a good twist on the monster collector formula. Type matches and mismatches, abilities, buffs, and debuffs all feel really good to me. They’re fun to play around with, and they make sense in this game’s world. I really like the way the leveling system is implemented as well. I never felt like I was hindered by the beasts I wanted to use. Your beasts level up, evolve, and all that good stuff. However, your player character also levels up. That’s the interesting part. There’s a lot to play around with here, and a lot of interesting twists on the monster collecting genre. It’s really not “just another Pokémon clone.”

To just describe it as “Pokémon but better” or something along those lines is to do Cassette Beasts dirty. It’s so much more than that. It’s a love letter to what made those classic Pokémon and Zelda games great. It wears its inspiration on its sleeve, and it does it in the best way possible.

Pick this one up. Buy it on sale if you want, but I think it’s worth the full asking price.

Edit: I beat the game. I cried. I'm now playing the DLC. Cassette Beasts is definitely worth the asking price. So much so that I've gone back and purchased their previous game, Lenna's Inception, as well.

Edit 2: I nominated Cassette Beasts for the Labor of Love award in the 2024 Steam Autumn Sale because this game still truly feels like the epitome of a labor of love.

Ragnarock is a really solid VR rhythm game. I haven't played it in non-VR mode but it actually gives the same feel as playing Guitar Hero back in the day. That arcade feeling of actually being really good at whatever instrument they place in your hands (Guitar Hero controller back in the day or hammers in this VR game.) Great music (viking metal and power metal bands like Gloryhammer, Wind Rose, and Alestorm.)

Custom beat maps are easy to download, install, and find. Graphics are a bit generic and don't do much for me, but that's very subjective. You may very much like the more cartoon-y viking-inspired art style. Gameplay is phenomenal. It's so fun. Just so much fun. Again, going back to the Guitar Hero thing, it makes me want to keep playing well after my arms are sore and I'm tired from playing so much. Good difficulty range, too. It goes from fairly easy while still making you feel like you're actually some sort of cool viking leader to being really fast and difficult, making you feel like a Norse God. There's a decent tutorial that explains the mechanics well enough. The game can be comfortably played seated or standing, though you'll probably want to be standing for the faster-paced songs (at least I like to stand for that.)

Not much playspace is required (compared to games like Beat Saber.) Just enough room to stretch your arms out like you're T-posing. Everything can be easily re-centered, and the drum heights can be adjusted. Hammer angle can be adjusted, shield (equivalent to Star Power from Guitar Hero) can be adjusted in angle, height, and position. Everything can be rearranged to fit your setup.

Performance is very smooth on my machine, but I do have a higher spec machine, especially for when this game came out. You can find my full specs on my profile, but the basic ones are: AMD Ryzen 9 5950X, 32 GB RAM, and 12 GB NVIDIA RTX 4070 Ti. Played on Windows 10 using the Valve Index with Knuckles controllers. I only got performance hitches when I moved my head really fast to the beat of the music (aka when I got really into the song.) I don't believe that to be the game's fault though. I'm pretty sure that's just a limitation of the tracking on the Valve Index. It was also nothing game breaking, and actually helped me pace myself a bit more.

The game is much less exhausting than Beat Saber, and I think some people could still play it even if they had some sort of disability where they had to stay seated or were in a wheelchair. Your mileage will definitely vary there. Compared to Beat Saber, there is a lot less full-body movement. I think you could play and enjoy this game a decent amount if you must play seated. It will make you sweat on the higher difficulties, but can be played comfortably on lower difficulties.

Ragnarock still holds up, and I'm ashamed to say I've been sleeping on it so hard. Part of my mistake was sleeping on it because of the graphics. They just didn't appeal to me. Graphics aren't everything in games though, and gameplay along with music can make all the difference in a game like this. The gameplay is there. The music is there. It's worth your money. I picked this up on sale as the complete collection for about $30 USD during the 2023 Steam VR Fest. It was 100% worth it. The game is still on sale at the time of writing this, so I say go for it if you have any interest in it. There's a free demo, so I'd recommend downloading that, giving it a go, and seeing if this is your thing. If it is your thing, you'll be happy to know the full game plays just like the demo.

Rating: 8/10. Fits right up there with Beat Saber as some of the best rhythm games in VR.

Go on a cute little charming adventure as a lil gator.

No game has quite managed to make me feel like a kid again like Lil Gator Game has. Really nice, charming graphics. LGG has some genuinely great writing that feels surprisingly real and relatable. This is a game for the family, but in the way that Super Mario Odyssey is for the family. Obviously, the polish isn't quite the same level as Super Mario Odyssey. It doesn't even try to do the same thing. But what I mean by that comparison is, anyone and everyone should be able to pick up and enjoy something about this little adventure. Takes clear inspiration from A Short Hike, but in the best way. It's not ripping anything off. This is full of creativity, passion, heart, soul, and imagination. Relive those days of imagination and finding creative ways to play on the playground when you were a kid. Lil Gator Game is wholesome, cozy, heartwarming, heartbreaking, grown-up, and mature, but at the same time full of "childlike wonder" all at once.

Finally got around to playing this game last year. I played the whole game on Steam Deck and had a wonderful time with it. Metal Gear Rising definitely still holds up and is absolutely worth your time and money.

No prior knowledge of any of the Metal Gear Solid games is required to enjoy Metal Gear Rising. I've never played a Metal Gear Solid game and I still thoroughly enjoyed my time with Rising.

Do you remember Jet Set Radio? Do you remember Devil May Cry? Do you remember Sunset Overdrive? Did you like those games? Well this plays like Devil May Cry in the art style of Jet Set Radio with the energy and attitude of Sunset Overdrive. It has very forgiving timing (though it's not so easy it feels pointless) and it has really satisfying combat. Enemy design is varied and interesting. The story is fun and self-aware from what I can tell of my 3.5 hours spent playing Hi-Fi Rush so far. The bosses are fun, the cutscenes are fun, the dialogue may elicit a chuckle here and there, and the music is great as well. There's an optional "Streaming Mode" that changes out some of the music for tunes that are less likely to cause copyright strikes or muted audio on Twitch/YouTube for those of you who do streaming or make video game-related content.

I already see Hi-Fi Rush as a contender for Best Soundtrack or Outstanding Visual Style for the 2023 Steam Awards. Optimization is great as well. I capped it at 47 FPS on my non-gaming laptop (Dell Inspiron with 16 GB RAM, Intel i7-1255U, 8 GB Intel Iris Xe graphics, and running Windows 11) and it ran around 30 FPS - 48 FPS at 720p with low settings on that system. My desktop had solid performance as well. I capped it at 99 FPS on my desktop (custom rig with Ryzen 7 3700X, 8 GB RTX 2080 Super, 32 GB RAM, and running Windows 10) and I had the resolution set to 1440p with high settings. Performance was absolutely solid. No noticeable frame drops. I've heard people say it runs solid on Steam Deck as well but I don't have it installed on mine and haven't tried it myself so can't verify that. Just something to keep in mind though. People generally seem to be saying that it runs well on Deck.

It's rare that a game captures my attention this quickly and holds my interest like Hi-Fi Rush. This game seems to have come out of nowhere and everyone is loving it. For good reason, too. I say it's definitely worth the $30 USD price tag. Not even a full-price game. It's a Microsoft game too so it should be on Game Pass if you have that as well. Give it a try. You might be surprised with how good of a time you'll end up having.

Vampire Survivors is one of the best buys you'll find on Steam right now. I played a bit of the Early Access build and found myself sinking countless hours into it. I dare say Vampire Survivors overtook The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth as my go-to game to play when I only have a few minutes or even when I really want to try and sink about an hour into a couple of runs.I decided to wait until the full release and wow there's a lot that's changed already in one run. Changed for the better, I should say. The new music is fantastic. The controls are solid and I feel anyone could pick it up and learn to play this game with a little bit of time. There's still a heck of a lot of game that I have yet to discover/play but from what I've played so far I can safely say this game is definitely worth the full $5 asking price. Most of the hours I've put into VS have been on my Steam Deck and I have had zero issues with running it whatsoever. Runs great on Steam Deck, runs great on my desktop, and runs great on my laptop. No issues at all.

I wholeheartedly recommend Vampire Survivors.

From a design standpoint, I already see a lot of interesting and unique game mechanics in Tunic. At the time of writing this review, I have only put about 2 hours into this game. I look forward to finding more hidden mechanics and design elements. As it stands, I feel as though I can safely recommend Tunic for its game design if nothing else. The game also sports beautiful visuals and good music (it works in its setting and succeeds at what it tries to do). This is truly a passion project. I feel it is also worth mentioning that this seems like the kind of game that works best if you go in blind. I won't say why. I won't say more. I won't say less. Just go in blind.

I paid just $0.99 for this garbage, and it's still not worth it. This doesn't control or handle like any racing game should. It opens in some weird resolution and then jumps up to another weird resolution that either isn't even 16:9 (I'm running a 2560 x 1440 monitor) or the textures and menus are weirdly stretched. No controller support from what I can tell. Drifting is like floating on ice. Heck, just driving around feels more like you're driving a jet ski around a harbor or a pond. I accidentally Austin Powers'd my car multiple times just because of how poor the handling is. There are stutters in the menu when you switch cars and characters. I'm not one to jump on the hate bandwagon. I'm not the kind of person who just wants games and studios to fail. I want indie developers to succeed. I want most games in general to succeed. Flatout 3 is just a mess of a game though and it isn't worth your money at any price point.

EDIT
It has controller support. It just doesn't always work, and it's hit or miss whether or not it'll register that you have a controller plugged in. It also still shows KB+M controls even when you have a controller plugged in and registered, so that's super helpful.