Recent reviews by Paranomaly

The game that we were hoping for in 2017, save perhaps the occasional over correction toward Mario Odyssey. Very solid and made of worlds that actually feel properly filled now. Will be happy to see how they iterate on this going forward.

The best review I could give this game is how pointedly I had to stop myself from playing in order to get to other things in my life.

A snapshot of the time when western RPGs weren't embarrassed of what they are.

I had my suspicions in Automata, but playing this confirmed it: Yoko Taro is a bastard

So there are a lot of weird points to this one. Being a Diablo-like game and being controller only is very odd. All the missions being selected from a map rather than any sort of in world cohesion feels really clunky and it took me a while to figure out that you need to "Abort" the mission after clearing it in order to exit. Always being online when in single player is just a big no-no as well.

My biggest complaint, and reason for refunding, honestly, is that I bought it as a "Complete" package but it does not include all of the DLC. Look, if you don't want to sell everything as one big go, sure, but don't go calling it a complete package. It just makes me feel bamboozled and gross while playing.

Doom Eternal strips away all attempts at realism that would get in the way of just having a great time. It shoves its face into its gameplay and history, enveloping itself in each like a toddler left alone with the cake. I can see why some prefer its predecessor to Eternal, the gameplay rewarding strategy and encouraging the constant swapping of weapons. Furthermore, the game has moved further away from any sort of dark or serious tone, the whole game one long metal music video. For me, however, it was all I could ask for. The pacing of levels is much smoother with less involved secrets and power ups, allowing for less scouring of levels to find everything. The fast travel alone completely makes up for points of no return that would force a player into restarting a level in 2016 due to bumbling too far along the path. However, the biggest sign for me that this is a special game is that I found myself eagerly moving toward the big areas for fighting challenges rather than dreading the oncoming enemies. The game play is just that good.

S

Okay, so yes it is hornier than most, but it's a very solid Doom clone. Weapon variety is nice, most weapons feeling like to fill a niche without much overlap. Levels are large and interesting, if labyrinthine, so each stage can last for quite a while (average par time is 45 minutes, though you don't have to rush to hit it.) While not a genre defining experience, a rather enjoyable one. B

There's a lot about ICEY to like. However, at its core it is an action game with wretched combat. Lack of i-frames on hit, large knock back, and spammy enemies lead to fights that turn into juggle fests. It is hard in a mean way. Instead of this, go play The Stanley Parable and Bladed Fury for better examples of its parts.

A Sonic clone that is able to capture the essence of the 90s games better than most Sonic games. It isn't without faults, the power up system completely unbalanced in terms of usefulness, the momentum can fall off faster than feels natural, and the game chugs WAY harder than a game this simple should. Good level design, a great soundtrack, and the sense of freedom made up for it for me, but your milage may vary. Would love to see a remake just where things under the hood are optimized better so that the game can truly shine.

Honestly should be preinstalled on the steam deck as a feature showcase.