Not A Game Review

I went in thinking that the title was a fun reference to a humorous game. Ten minutes in, I realized that they were earnest about the title - it is  what it is. No joke intended. The game delivers exactly what you would expect: you're a dead detective and you need to figure out who the killer is, in order to move on from this life. I am still not sure how I feel about this game; I am not tearing my hair out in frustration or staring at my screen the way I did when SOMA ended. I don't hate it, but I don't love it either. It's like that random person you chat with on a short bus ride; you feel good while talking to them, it helps you pass the time, but you can't even recall their face after a week has elapsed. I think the main reason this is so is because the story contains several  cliché elements: a disgruntled teen who helps you in your quest, a mysterious killer, a cop with a shady past... you get the idea. The story is fast-paced enough so that you (...

"Cool guys  girls don't look at explosions." No, I have not stopped playing games. I'll keep it short from now on. Too much has been going on the last few months and I just haven't had the time for getting back on here. As for Tomb Raider: I had fun, it's got a gripping story. You end up on an island, and you're not alone. All elements that make up a good game are present here. Too many explosions for my taste, though.  Seriously though, this game is an extremely engaging origin story, one that definitely deserves your attention. 

I just completed this very special game, and I felt I had to write about it right away. No clever comments, no jokes. I believe any of that would be an insult to what I am feeling right now. This indie RPG is one unique experience. To the Moon had been on my to-play list for a long time; a highly positive review on Steam finally provided me with the necessary impetus to try it out at once. Now, I can't believe I have let this game just...be, all this time, without experiencing it. I won't spoil anything here - you will enjoy it best if you go in knowing as few details as possible. It checks all the boxes for a great gaming experience: a haunting story and soundtrack, the ability to punch you in the gut (in a way only certain games can) when you least expect it, the ability to make you feel . Also, there's a small part of the game that really tugs at my love of "this action will have consequences." Be prepared for a ride full of emotional highs and lows. (A...

The title can be misleading - the game wasn't released in 2014 as a whole, but in an episodic format over the next two years. Now that that's out of the way - welcome to Dreamfall Chapters. Where you curse at everything using the words "Shadow!" and "Light!" alternatively. Where certain lines (and scenes) seem like they were borrowed from a scrapped Star Wars script. Where you visit an establishment whose emblem has a kitten riding a rooster. Where a disgraced wizard puts on a puppet show called The Fingerlings. Or as he calls it, "fingering. Trademark and patent pending." Oh, and "the women in particular are quite ecstatic about it." (I'm not making that up)                                                                                             ...

I almost gave up on BioShock. Another one of my Steam sale acquisitions - yes, I bought it along with SOMA, if you were wondering - this was a game I had always wanted to play but never got around to actually playing it.                                                                                                     I also got the Remastered version bundled with the regular one - of course I opted to install the former. And turns out it had audio issues. I lost all sound after the intro. Apparently, it's a very common issue, but none of the fixes - that seemed to help everyone - could help me. I tried everything - from obscure forums to the Steam forums to random sites - and nothing worked. After two days, I uninstalled the gam...

I'll start by saying this- I'm not a fan of the horror genre. I hate the fact that I'm not brave enough to sit through horror movies, while almost everyone I know brags of doing just that. I hate the fact that horror has the potential to reward me with sleepless nights, even though I'm an adult and know very well that those "things" cannot get to me.  And yet, I ended up purchasing SOMA during a Steam sale. I don't know what made me make up my mind - the heavy discount (I got it for less than 100 Rupees (that's like $1.40 as of 10:44 pm on 16 Feb. 2019, in case you were wondering) or all the praise the game has received. In hindsight, it was one of the best decisions I've ever made.                                                                   SOMA is a unique experience. It's the best atmospheric horror I'...

It's been a while since I played this (I played it shortly after I promised to write about it the first time), but it's a testament to the quality of the game that I'm attempting to talk about it after all this time. I usually avoid writing about games that I played a long while ago (that's why you don't see titles like The Wolf Among Us, Among the Sleep, San Andreas (the game, obviously) on this blog).  So, Hellblade. First off, it's gorgeous. I had a hard time believing it was an indie game (it's self-described as an "independent AAA game"). I loved every component of the game - be it slashing down enemies or aligning runes. And the performances - both voice and motion capture. Just amazing.                                                  I won't discuss the plot - it's much more fun when you go in knowing very little besides the fact that it...