Recent reviews by Dr. Gaming

yeag

yeah

this is the cruelty squad of video games

I have been playing Fallout New Vegas off and on for about a decade now, between console and PC, and while I'll probably never again reach the height of obsession and fervor with which I played it in high school, it remains one of my all-time favorite games. Not only that, but the philosophical ideas and ethical dilemmas presented in this game are things I can say informed my worldview as an adult. If you are breathing and own a computer, you should own this game.

it looks gorgeous, but the story is so disappointing.

play while wearing adidas and drinking vodka from metal cup for maximum soviet energy

I haven't had much time to play many "current" games lately, and even at that, I struggle to really get into many titles the way I used to. Something-something-the-magic-is-gone-etc. NieR:Automata was, I think, the only one that I played that was *released* this year. I've still played other games in 2017, but mostly ones I was already playing, or ones that I've had for a long time now. There are definitely a lot of other neat games out there, and surely ones that have gotten lots more attention than this one. That said, this is one that not only will be worth your time this year, but will be worth your time next year, and every year after that. I'm not necessarily talking about replay value here, but more that the message of this game is timeless, and I have no doubt that the people who missed out on it this year that will eventually get around to playing it will still get just as much of a rewarding experience as those playing it on release.

This game can be a tough one to love, but it is well worth the effort. It takes more than just the first, or maybe even the first two playthroughs to really get the full picture. Personally, I'm a fan of media that makes you work a bit (see dark souls) to get what the creators wanted you to experience. There's nothing wrong with straightforwardness in games, sometimes that's just what you want, and that is 100% ok. Not only that, but this game is absolutely not afraid of being a game, which I think is pretty cool. Where so many other modern games drop you right into the boots of whoever you're pretending to be while you play that game, this one takes a hint from older games in that the silly little quirks and video-gamey-ness (♥♥♥♥♥♥ term, but I think it makes sense) of the way you interact with the game and the world the characters inhabit show us as that we are the *player*, and the characters are just vessels for us to experience things through. They might be the subject of the story, but WE are the subject of the GAME.

So, I might have missed out on the big hype of PUBG and other hugely booming games that made their mark this year, but if NieR:Automata was the only new game I played this year, then I have zero regrets.



PS: To make sure this game functions on PC, download the patches that the community have made to ensure that your game doesn't look/play poorly. Unfortunately, the developers seem to have left us hanging for any official fixes to the resolution bugs and such.

This game is a ton of fun. It's got a great soundtrack, and if you're like me and are nostalgic about ps2-era games, and like sandbox skater type games, then you will enjoy this.

I am writing this within the 5-10 minutes after completing this game. I... I'm not really sure what all I can say about it. I don't even know if I can call this a game. It's an experience, for sure, and one that I feel like I needed. I'm starting to rethink some of the ways in which I've interacted with some friends, and how I feel about my own way of creativity. I dunno. I just feel like I needed to put my thoughts down somewhere before I pack them back up. If you're in a thoughtful right frame of mind, and have a couple hours to yourself, (this isn't the sort of thing you'd want interrupted) I'd say check this one out.

I picked this up knowing nothing about it for free a while back, because the art looked really nice and because it was free. I just now got around to playing it and... wow. This game is just very heartfelt and beautiful. It may not be long and expansive, -in fact it took me only roughly 40 minutes to complete it- but it really spoke to me in that short amount of time. I won't say anything else really, as it's just an experience you need to have yourself.

another note: If you loved the atmosphere of Hyper Light Drifter as much as I did, then this game will be right up your alley.