Recent reviews by Neko-Chan

Kind of depressing to see just how many people seem to be giving this clearly unfinished game a pass simply because RWS are “based”. Even when you try to look past the bugs (which is incredibly difficult as they often hinder your progress) and often terrible performance, this just feels like a worse version of Postal 2.

The map is a lot larger than in its predecessor (I assume all of us are ignoring the third game), but this has come at the expensive of navigation and general pacing. Simply put, it is too empty to justify its size. Exploration is almost never rewarded (unlike in 2) which means that it just slows the game down when you must run (or drive one of the game’s terrible scooters) across one side of the map to the other. The game world feels static and there is no proper faction system like in 2 which makes the NPCs even less distinct from one another.

The errands are tedious and are often filled with unfunny cutscenes which slows the pacing down even further. The writing in general is low-effort and lacks a lot of the satire found in 2 (which was pretty hit-or-miss to begin with) and I do not think I cracked a smile even once.

I could go on and on about other issues the game has but there really is no need to. The only improvement over 2 (outside of the graphics) is the gunplay which is actually not too bad now, despite the roster of weapons being significantly smaller this time around. In conclusion, this game is simply not ready for a 1.0 release. If you look at the recent patch notes for the game you can see that BASIC FUNCTIONS are STILL being added (such as bosses having health bars and adding subtitles that actually function) to the game post-launch. In short: do not support this game. Even when it is actually finished (which might take years), I think the foundation is so fundamentally flawed that I would still recommend just replaying the second game for the umpteenth time.

If you enjoyed Far Cry 3: Go for it. However, as I did not, I cannot justify giving this a positive rating. I do think this is a better game as it cuts out some of the tedium that presented itself in FC3 (although it is not completely free from it as you have to grind side-missions to get weapon upgrades and whatnot) mainly thanks to the smaller map. The whole "80’s" aesthetic has been so played out by now (although slightly less so back when this was released, I suppose) but the presentation is overall appealing enough with its charming cutscenes and original score. It is with the gameplay where I once again have issues. Despite Ubisoft’s best attempts at creating a faux-old school aesthetic the game is the same cookie-cutter structure as most of their singleplayer games post-Assassin’s Creed 2. A big, yet empty, map with a bunch of markers that, at the end of the day, creates tedium rather than engaging content. The shooting is the typical hitscan garbage we have gotten used to (which is rather problematic when the enviorments are this large and empty...) and the stealth is just as undercooked as usual (meaning that there is just a quarter circle that fills up and a giant neon sign is magically attached to the player once you get detected). There is nothing old school about the actual gameplay no matter how cute the introductory parody on modern tutorials may be. At least you are not tortured by the presence of Jason Brody this time around.

Comparisons have been drawn to the Silent Hill series but I would describe Lost in Vivo to something akin to Cry of Fear meets Eternal Darkness (although the former is heavily influenced by the first three Hill games so jokes on me I suppose). Although it is short in length (the price reflects this) this is a game that excels at creating an eerie atmosphere rather than a compelling narrative. There are some design quirks (why does the pistol do more damage than the shotgun?) and the game is overall too easy (do not expect a survival horror experience) but these are minor blemishes and should not discourage you from taking this trip down the sewers.

Stylistically and mechanically this is a one-of-a-kind experience. Unfortunately it is a hard sell when the game is as flawed as it is. The plot itself might be presented in a somewhat unique way but what actually happens in it is nothing exciting. The gameplay itself has similar problems; the platforming initially seems promising but hopping between the shadows and the real world in quick succession often causes frustration as it is easy to fall out of the shadows when boosting in the air (as a footnote I played with a 360 controller but I would imagine this problem to be even more evident when playing with a keyboard).

For some, the jazzy style will certainly trump these gameplay issues. I think the mechanics presented here are interesting but when they actually start to become really interesting (which is during the third chapter) the game just comes to a screeching halt and ends.

Disappointing but perhaps worth a look during a major sale.

A very pleasant surprise. Having grown very tired of cookie-cutter open world games (which seems to have replaced lazy cover shooters as the main way of making a generic game nowadays) I had low expectations going into Sunset Overdrive but its smooth movement and carefree attitude won me over. There are quite a lot of cringy jokes here (nowhere near as bad as something like Borderlands 2) but the pacing is so fast that they are quickly forgotten; never ruining the genuinely funny ones in the process.

This game is basically what Agents of Mayhem should have been. I cannot stress enough how fluid and fun the movement is in this game and that same sense of fun is carried over to the creative weaponry. The one weak link in the chain is the mission design which can get rather repetitive, especially the tower defense-esque missions (which forces you to use the trap system which feels rather sloppy and rushed). However, because of the fun gameplay I found it to be forgivable, even if more variety would have skyrocketed the game into sheer greatness.

Highly recommended if large parts of your childhood were spent on overdosing on third-person shooters, the Tony Hawk franchise and pop/skate-punk.

For what this game sets out to do, it succeeds. However, it is aimed at a very specific crowd that I unfortunately am not a part of, meaning that I found this game to be a chore to get through overall. This means that me giving this a negative rating is extremely subjective and should be taken with a grain of salt.


What I did like: The hand drawn graphics are beautiful. The animations are (with a few exceptions) excellent with lots of personality to match. Having the voice acting be in Icelandic is also a nice touch which increases the immersion.

Now, for what I did not like: The combat is slow as molasses and while there is nothing inherently wrong with that, it also lacks depth. You only have two different attacks, a light and heavy attack (the heavy one is not useful for a majority of the combat scenarios) and a handful of special abilities that have a wide arrange of purposes, although very few of them are attack oriented. This lack of depth is what dampens the enjoyment for me, especially since the game is so dependent on the boss battles which are a mixed bag, with really only one standout (which, to be fair, is really good) with the rest ranging from too way easy to oddly frustrating. There seem to be no difficulty curve either, as these spikes of frustration occur sprinkled throughout the game.

If you are wondering why I am only writing about the bosses is because the rest of the game is so pedestrian that I have barley anything to say. There are basic puzzles here but the areas are so large that most of the levels simply feels like a glorified walking simulator that just happen to be from a top-down perspective. The two ice levels are the biggest offenders of this aforementioned syndrome of way too large and empty enviorments.

I also found the plot to be equally pedestrian, almost all of it being delivered in a heavy exposatory manner which got old very quick. Some of the visual storytelling is quite nice (although brief and not very important to the overall plot) but there is too little of it. The woman doing the voice acting for Thora is very pleasant to listen to however even what she is saying (according to the subtitles) is not varied enough and feels written only to explain to the player what is going on rather than making it an immersive experience.

Overall, I did not enjoy Jotun at all really. If you could find yourself enjoying a very slow and somewhat methodical combat system and/or are very interested in norse mythology you might find something here to enjoy. This is definitely not a game for everyone.

Solid squad based shooter that plays very similarly to Republic Commando. This game is however much slower paced and has less bullet-spongy enemies making the combat overall more satisfying and engaging. There is a fairly large selection of weapons, all of which pack a punch and are fun to use. The game's biggest weakness is perhaps its lack of variety, however, it does not overstay its welcome as the campaign is well paced and is just long enough to not get stale.

Overall recommended, but fans of the previous Rainbow Six games might have to approach this one with causion as it is very different from the more tactical and hardcore gameplay of the previous games.

While I'm a bit allergic to games that rely on nostalgia (this includes films as well) I was overall very pleased with Sonic Mania. The spritework is gorgeous and the level design overall feels very influenced by Sonic CD (which is my personal favourite in the series). I would have preferred that every level would feel more original rather than so many of them rehashing old stage aesthetics as the new sprites are so beautiful. However, it is difficult to be too critical of this as the game is so much fun and the visual storytelling manages somewhat justify it. I also don't think I need to tell you how amazing the music is as it is already expected from the series at this point.

Recommended if you like the Mega Drive games and CD.

There is one simple main reason why I did not enjoy this game. A majority of it is simply busywork. The entire game feels like a slog, you go across the map, shoot some bad guys, climb some watchtower, rinse, repeat. All the mechanics are functional (albeit way too simplistic) but are so generic that none of them stand out, which is kind of the vibe I got from the game as a whole. There are no unique missions, the shooting is bland, the game is way too easy, the plot and dialogue is poorly written and all of the characters are either annoying or forgettable (the exception being Vaas of course)

Perhaps the apex of the Ubisoft-formula, this game is the textbook example of how to make a bland open world game.

63/100

I'll be the first to admit that I was not a fan of the first game. It was a clunky experience plagued by exposition, poor implementation of lore and bad gameplay. However, there was the potential for a great game somewhere in all that dirt.

Mass Effect 2 does improve the formula overall despite it stumbling at a few key points. The plot being one of these which seem to be the general consensus. To me, it didn't matter too much as I wasn't a fan of the plot in the original game but it is something to consider. Some other cons to consider is that the game could be considered "dumbed down" from the first one (such as how leveling up and combat in general is handled) but that would imply that the first game was deep by any means.

Everything else however I see as an improvement (however minor they may be), in particular when it comes to the characters. Sure, there's still exposition here but they are more interesting as a whole, with a majority of the newcomers being a lot of fun. The loyalty missions really make the game for me personally.

Overall, I think Mass Effect 2 is a decent game even if I don't understand the hype for the series as a whole.