Game 31 - Devil May Cry 5 - Week 35 - Aug 20

evil May Cry 5 is a game I've been waiting for what feels like an eternity in hell. One of my favourite game series of all time. I absolutely loved the original and DMC3 to death. DMC4 was the first game I bought on PS3. And the others? Well lets not talk about those... First off the bat, what a return to form. The intro prologue is enjoyable foreshadowing. But that first cutscene with Nero in the van, cutting through demons amongst the opening credits, that's the DMC I love. And straight away, my main gripe with DMC4 is instantly addressed. Nero in DMC4 felt like a $2 Dante wannabe. And the fact that he took up two thirds of the game when I just wanted more Dante, made it all the more worse. Nero is far more fleshed out and a complete redesign makes him feel like his own character in DMC4. I have monumental appreciation for how they've overhauled the character. Not only did they fix OG Nero, they included a lot of punk aspects of the cock-ne-y Britesh Dude from "DMC DMC", fixing that character (dare I call him by his ingame name). For the few non-fans who liked the game in all seriousness, I played the demo and the gameplay was quite good, but that wasn't Dante and thus by extension, not DMC. Doubling down on gameplay and game title doesn't make it a good DMC game. I'm sorry to say, it was just a fun inspired hack and slash. A nice little side-romp or vacation. An appetizer to the main course that has now arrived. 

DMC5 has the same split storyline and missions as DMC4, except now for a fair few of them you're able to choose which you prefer. Dante, Nero or the new character Virg.... uhmm I mean the mysterious V. The game opens with Nero losing his devil arm Yamato to Vir... I mean a enigmatic cloaked powerful figure. As you can tell, the story isn't exactly nuanced. But anyone who plays Devil May Cry for unpredictable twists and turns isn't a true fan and misunderstands what the game is about. What we really come for is campy bombastic cutscenes that get us jacked up for stylish super slashing good fun  demon hacking filthy gameplay, all the while rocking to a badass fucking soundtrack. 

Speaking of, the soundtrack is a standout, each character has their own 'themetrack' with standouts as Devil Trigger for Nero, highlighting the characters absolute badassery in this sequel. While it doesn't quite reach the awesomeness that is Devils NEVER Cry from the ending of DMC3, the OST certainly comes close which I would place second in the series. 

The gameplay is an absolute return to form, even more so than DMC4. I don't remember the last time my fingers and thumbs got combo cramp (honestly, it was probably DMC3). I've always loved this innovative formula dubbed stylish hack and slash. Just pure energy that felt like a mashup of Tony Hawks Pro Skater trick shots and beat-em ups. They should have called the genre Stylish Super Slashers though. Dante has his signature styles Trickster, Swordmaster, Gunslinger and Royalguard. While it's one less than DMC5 and 2 less than DMC3, it still feels no less intense here. Each style has a litany of abilities, each requiring practice and mastery and can be upgraded into something stronger and even harder to pull off. By the end of the game (which I was playing on the hardest difficulty available from the start) I only felt like I was close to mastering Swordmaster and Gunslinger, followed somewhat by Trickster and then Royalguard nigh untouched. Oh and that's not even factoring in that you can swap between eight weapons, each changing the appropriate style.... fuck me. I could dedicate an entire paragraph just to how awesome each move set is. But favourites had to be the demon motorbike that turned into chainsaws. A risk reward cowboy hat that shoots blood orbs for increased style and higher orb return if you maintain your style. And of course the classics. Rebellion, Ebony and Ivory. My babies. There was a nice moment too where Dante completes his father's footsteps and through Rebellion impaling Dante's heart, his father Sparda's will is made manifest into a new blade. The sword is like a combination of Rebellion, Yamato and Sparda. Don't ask. 

Devil Trigger has always been slick. A demon trench coat? Ugh help.

This game is the highest on my list of games to return to, simply because I want to master Dante in the classic Bloody Palace arena. V is the most fascinating and newest, fitting of his character. V fights from afar, using his conjurations to fight fore him. The wise cracking, swooping and lightning firing Griffon. The in your face, spike summoning, blade spinning black panther Shadow. And finally the meteor shattering Nightmare the demolishes enemies. Staying out the action and using V only to finish enemies makes him the safest and easiest to maintain style. I did find his character fascinating as the poetic and pretentious Edgar Allen Poe reading enigma. And how he incants from his tome to increase his devil trigger, is a fun twist overall fitting of the DMC stylish campiness. Nero while not as fun as Dante still holds up in his own right. I loved playing him in DMC5. The challenge of his motorized blade Red Queen. Ramping up the blade in between swings or timing a rev perfectly with a hit for an instant boost is just... so satisfying. Adding to this is his robotic replacement for the stolen devil arm called Devil Bringer. The main function is, surprise surprise, to grapple enemies towards you but the arm is so much more then that. Essentially it acts as arcadey style platform for powerups that you pickup throughout the level or buy with red orbs, and equip from Nico's van. Nico is an interesting side character as Nero's gunsmith and sidekick. But the character can be a little annoying and miss the mark with her outlandish personality. At the same time her character does have it's charm, she's just along for the ride and her demon shaming quips are sometimes fun. Her grandmother made Ebony and Ivory for Dante, and Nico is a stan of the half-man half-devil. Charming.  

As you can probably tell I like DMC3. A lot. All you need to do is watch this scene to see that this game has the youngest, fittest, peak Dante. It still sends shivers down my spine. I'll always believe Dante is Devil May Cry, I just love the character too much. So that makes it the apex DMC game. It sets the standards by which all Devil May Cry games are measured. The stylish slashing. The symphony of the damned. The stylish cutscenes and characters. All criteria by which DMC are set are at there best in this game. 

As for the story... well what can I say, it's just pure fan service. As it should be. Favourites return. Lady. Trish. Etc. But really it's Vergil who makes the game. After splitting himself with Yamato to prevent some demonic influence and corruption from his time trapped and fighting in hell post DMC3, he turns into V (his human half) and Urizen (demon half). Urizen begins to corrupt the town of Redgrave, home to Dante and Vergil. Redgrave is an awesome setting, it comes full circle and reconnects the brothers in their hometown. We're treated to seeing their mother for the first time when they're attacked by demons, and how the brothers are separated as younglings. It was an absolute joy. I really hope they find Sparda.

Returning to the brotherly rivalry is where the game excels in its fanservice. Starting in DMC1 with the Nelo Angelo fight, and truly explored with Vergil in DMC3; Dante's arc has come to an end with closure in all plots. It returns to where it start in his home country town, quarrels settled with Vergil, family avenged, Sparda legacy fulfilled, etc etc. The final fight, more important than any story, between the two brothers is so epic, both in and out of scene. Certain moves of Vergil if you don't telegraph will instant KO you from full health. Insane. Intense. In love... Of course the fight is brought to a grinding halt by Vergil's son, Nero. Now with his very own Devil Trigger. Ah... they grow up so fast. He beats his father down (because this of course is truly Nero's story). The game ends in the best possible way it can. The two brothers seal themselves in the demon world, as Vergil and their father had done before them. Sealing the gate borne of the hell root 'Qliphoth' behind them they queue credit scene fighting back to back demons across the hellscape. PLEASE MAKE THIS DEVIL MAY CRY 6 I WANT TO DESTORY HELL AS SPARDA'S TWIN LEGACY. And of course, Nero and Nico take up the Devil May Cry legacy in the mortal realm. I really do hope we play across hell as the two brothers in 6; perhaps setting up the villain as one or both, corrupted from spending too much time there or finding a new threat or pehaps some kind of twist to sympathise with innocent inhabitants of hell, go nuts! Can't wait! 

Game 30 - South Park: Fractured But Whole - Week 35 - Aug20

The Fractured But Whole

So a quick summary of A Stick of Truth. Even now rewatching that intro scene voiced none other than Cartman brings the biggest smile to my face. Of course Cartman is the grand wizard, leading the mere mortals against the dark pointy dagger ears. Also of course.... Kyle is the leader of the wood elves, Kenny is a princess, Stan is some generic warrior, and Butters is the innocent noble Paladin. 

I absolutely just LOVE how they handled your character as "the kid" or Sir Douchebag as he's known to the common folk. Your parents talk about you like some unaware idiot (which you are) and you moved to South Park to run away from something. Their conversations, like much of the writing done by Matt and Trey is hilarious. Of course I had to choose the jew character class... and together with the Kooper Keep Kastle we'd get anal probed with Randy,  crash land a UFO new taco bell that infects the town and creates mutant Nazi zombie everything (including cats). I LOVE (I'm going to use that word a lot, geeking out here) that the Nazi Zombie voices are Hitler dubbed from historical videos. Just perf. Mwha. 

So you continue to travel the lands and save the people, recruit the Emo Kids, The Federation and god forbid... The Girls.... *shudders* All to stop the forces of darkness from putting a snook in a woman to nuke all of South Park. So of course you have to journey to the local abortion clinic, the spec ops team have entered to neutralise the snook but have been picked up by something sinister.... of course it's Nazi aborted fetuses and  you have to fight them.... wow. The Big Bad Government Guy shows up to tell everyone you're the child of prophecy, Dovahikn, Dragonborn, before you were even 5 you had 3.2 billion followers - unlimited power in today's world. Well, he's meant to abduct you with the swat team but he steals the Stick of Truth and goes crazy with powerm stripping down completely naked. Kenny betrays you, takes a vial and becomes Nazi Kenny and to stop him you must do what you were told by everyone including your Fart Sensei (Randy) to never do. Fart on Nazi Kenny's balls. This purifies everyone of their Nazi Zombiesm. Congratulations, you just saved South park. 

In comparison my overall enthusiasm for Fractured But Whole is much less. The fact that this is started as a DLC feels evident in it's lack of synergy. Part of me has wondered if I only feel this way because The Stick of Truth landed first or perhaps super heroes have become a more tired idea. But ultimately I think no, The Lord of the Rings and DnD just makes for a more epic set piece across South Park - and the first game just had you acting out more depraved humour that South Park is known for. But the alter ego of each character are mostly on point, Catman, Twitch goes fast, Timmy is Xavier, etc. Fight strippers, collect Yaoi, fight Santa Claus and the evil Woodland Critters, Morgan Freeman, Kyle's Mom, defend Mongolian Beef against the Mongols, fight angry high Towely, red necks (in multiple drive-bys) in Medicinal Fried Chicken and drunk Randy - who as usual is absolutely hilarious and keeps keying his own car every night as you walk past. 

The gameplay has had huge improvements. And oh wow off the bat... the difficulty slider is based on the colour of your skin (darker the harder). The grid based combat was a welcome edition, giving another dimension to power and making the combat more fun then Stick of Truth. In addition to this unlike Stick of Truth your initial class isn't permanent, and you can switch up abilities and make your own hero as you progress through the game. I did a lot of experimenting. But still, expect more laughs then depth when it comes to combat. You will do a lot of puzzles with your super powers (these are cool) and collect every single item imaginable - though tedious at times, both have their own injection of South Park humour. I mean that probably sums it up as a South Park game. Fart jokes (albeit creative fart jokes) and poking the more sensitive areas of society. Your super hero origin story... well... as a child you saw your Dad fuck your Mom. dun dun dun. Pretty hilarious on the offset but they already did this better in Stick of Truth. If I recall the gnomes shrunk you and took you through your parents room as they were literally doing it in the background. Instead you get a glimpse of a flashback. I think this encapsulates why the sequel doesn't quite hold up to its predecessor. It feels like they're pulling their punches. It didn't have those absolutely obscene moments like the abortion clinic, traveling through Mr. Slave or visiting 8-Bit Canda with was a Mario style overworld and medieval like fantasy world. The less said about the ending the better. As a friend of mine aptly put it - if Stick of Truth was a staple episode of a South Park season (like Make Love not Warcraft) this was less memorable, but overall solid episode with plenty of chuckles. 

Of course the racist cops have been sacrificing the black residents to Shub-Niggurath...

Other standout moments include, diabetes sugar rages, defeating priests (as a child), Mr. Mackey's Gender Questionnaire and well Jared...

Intermission 1 - Covid-19 & The Setup II

ovid-19 and co. had you thinking I'd forgotten about you right? (Yes I'm speaking to my blog). 

Life as it often does got in the way. You'd think pandemics and lockdowns would mean more time to journal my gaming escapades. But 2020 seem to be the year it all happened. Work changes, big move, bigger breakup - just to name a few. 

In May-July I played multiplayer games up until the move. Deep Rock, Warhammer 40k Inquisitor, Titanfall, etc. Which I often tend do when I want to escape through my closest friends. But from August to December the PC collected dust. 

But now I'm back with a new 65", sound bar, a loungeroom to myself for the first time in my life and a ton of PS4 exclusives to catch up on, I was no less busy for latter half of 2020. 

Pretty dope right future Dan reading this? See that collection of PS2 games you started for a couple months and stopped. Yeah, when you're reading this you should probably finish that before the games are all overpriced and unattainable - looking at you Jade Cocoon, currently the only collector-worthy title I must have. 

Well without anymore delay. Lets do a recap of the games I played in the hiatus. Lets keep it short. Lets fail that (for some special games).

[Edit] this was meant to be a recap post but well.... I just can't 

Game 29 - Euro Truck Simulator 2 - Week 18 - April 20

uro Truck Simulator 2. What is there to say? I can see the appeal to a petrol head and truck enthusiast but that's not me. After 10 minutes all the accoutrements and nuances, the detail put into the dash and GPS, the meta game of developing your character and career as a professional truck driver, all went out the window. The game became Burnout 3: Takedown and I was on the wrong side of the road, going for every near miss I can for bonus points. Working in logistics it reminds me of....work. Not exactly what I look for when I want to escape. Cool game that looks addictive for fans interested in this type of experience. 

Game 28 - Metro Last Light - Week 17 - April 20

etro: Last Light had an interesting transition problem, as a continuation of a story that had two endings. I can understand why they made the 'bad' ending canon, to keep in line with the source material and maintain control of Artyom's journey for a more interesting arc. But on my second playthrough I had the good ending, sparing the Dark Ones. So it was jarring to go from that ending, to Metro Last Light picking up 1 year after the bad ending right away. Luckily on my first play through I witnessed the bad ending. So my I treated my first experience like canon and my second playthrough like a recurring dream from the dark ones, and Artyom reflecting on what could have been. Interestingly, this ending up being very relevant to the redemptive story of Last Light. 

Difficulty was confusing at first. I loved playing through Metro 2033 on ranger. In my post I mentioned it's the most immersive experience I've had in a game and wanted that to transition into LL as seamlessly as possible. I read up on it online and everything I read (including in-game) said "don't play ranger on your first playthrough. There's no UI and you can't see your filters or ammo". So I didn't. I went hardcore instead. As feared the UI was an abrupt change. I instantly turned the cross hair off. But the new hit markers remained, which were unbearable. After 2 hours of playing through I had to try ranger. To my pleasant surprise it was far far superior. Filters were easy, with a timer on your watch. In fact you could see how much you had spare on ranger normal and even your ammo (contrary to everything I read online). But there was a catch, you could only see your ammo in a safehouse or station. Maybe this was a change with the Redux. But in the end I felt this was even superior than the ranger mode in 2033, which was always visible on your journal. It makes sense that Artyom wouldn't be trapped in a tunnel, surrounded by enemies, under pressure from limited air filters and writing down his bullet tally with dwindling supplies. So for him to do that at base and then (me) remember how many bullets he shoots, counting them like a real SAS, Spetsnaz or post-apocalyptic warrior would be required to do.... that's the true ranger experience. In addition to limited UI, no clear indication of all your equipment, and items not glowing makes for an unparalleled scavenger survival experience - and it all just leads to holistic fucking awesomeness. I'm so glad I replayed the first 2 hours (which acted as a pseudo-tutorial in a way) to transition into this experience, as it lead to an even more immersive experience. Instead of a step down it one-upped Metro 2033. Just... just look at this....

Again, I'm unsure what came with Redux and what was the fault of the original, but there are two minor changes I would have made. Allowed an in game journal for writing notes (literally drawing on it with the cursor), so you can keep track of bullets, maintaining immersion by eliminating any need to do so external to the game. And include more immersion animations a kin to Far Cry 2. Such as using pliers to remove bullets when you're shot so you can 'regenerate' to full health. A lot of 'immersive animations' are in the game, but mostly around jump scares or cleaning your gas mask from various wasteland offspring ala sludge, bugs or flies. The latter of which is extremely well done and just ropes you further and further into their world. I only wish there was more to pull you even deeper in the wasteland. 

More animations like this please. 

Characters - I won't dig quite as deep here. As many character remained unchanged from their excellent performance and roles in 2033. This is simply the next chapter. However I have new found appreciation, replacing a big criticism I had for 2033. That's how bland and seamless the wasteland survivor felt, like homogeneous military. This is still somewhat true in the average Metro dweller. However I don't mind that as many would blur into the bleak reality of surviving this world. But for the standout characters, the makeover was well appreciated. The story though, like any great story, is told through its characters. And Metro's are always exceptional. 

Spartans - Now lead by Miller as they flock from Polis to D6, to protect the power within. The man leads with the same fiery passion as he does before. Protect the Spartans, protect the Metro, protect the people, protect Anna. If any of those fall, the next is in line and this is the purpose of a Spartan. Follow your orders and your loved ones live. So of course when rumours of a dark one surviving the D6 blast of their home is delivered by Khan; Miller tasks his best man, and his crack shot daughter with an attitude problem to track it down dead or alive. Khan contests; he feels what Artydom did was a mistake and this is his chance for redemption. Setting fourth the path of Last Light. Sound familiar? It is. Miller is Hunter and Khan is Alex. And yet again, Artyom must make a choice. 

The Big 3 - They're back here but with D6 on the block, any armistice with the Spartan's is soon to be broken as the Nazis and Reds seek to take it to tip the balance of power. Both factions are far more brutal here. Both rule with harsh order. 

Reds - Lesnitsky, Czeslav Korbut, Andrey and Maxim Moskvin. The reds are the main antagonist and pose the biggest threat to Spartan's peace and the Metro way of life. The former, a double agent seeks to viral bomb D6. Korbut is the head of intelligence and through a coup and his agents Pavel and Lesnitsky, seeks direct control of D6. Andrey and Maxim are the leader and right hand man to the Red Line. The former leader is poisoned and manipulated by his envious brother under Korbut's plan to take control of the Metro. 

Anna - Clearly disapproving of  'Rabbits' softness and vying for her father's attention, she has a bone to pick with you and something to prove. This is pushed to its limits on your mission to retrieve the dark one, when the legendary Spartan has so much trouble capturing it, Anna questions your loyalty screaming through the radio as she herself tries and fails to snipe it. Before you can capture it you're apprehended by Reich Stalkers. I love her journey. Naturally, as you go back and fourth saving each other from reds, reich and rogues alike, you bond and her respect grows for you. Because surprise surprise, you remind her of Miller, appealing to her deep seeded daddy issues (probably). This culminates after she's saved from the reds and Lesnitsky. All out war is on the horizon and he's about to leave for war she confides in Artyom the loneliness she feels akin to when her father use to range. They make love. 

Pavel - Not to be confused with the quartermaster from 2033. The friend of Artyom, helps him survive and escape the Reich similar to Bourbon. But is eventually revealed as a Red spy and his loyalty causes him to betray Artyom. He is the Garry to your Ash, the Dante to your Virgil, the Vegeta to your Goku. The endless story of paragon and adversary on the heroes journey. After many confrontations I chose to spare the man, lest he seek redemption as Artyom does for his sins. The visions the game has through the little dark one are just phenomenal, and add so much flair to the typical grey wasteland. Below for example you see Pavel, about to meet his end. This is as everyone sees it, however mirrored by the real world is the reflection of Pavel about to suffocate after the final confrontation and Artyom's choice to spare and send him to the Damned Souls. I saw this as all the souls Pavel tarnished, in his efforts to repeat the same mistakes that caused their suffering in the world ending event. 

The Dark Ones - the visions were vague and roughly explored in Metro 2033. And by the end you're left wondering if you made a mistake or not nuking the Dark Ones. Metro Last Light explores that. The child is the last known survivor of your genocide. And is the proxy for the race. He speaks to you and gets to know you. Even saving your life and those you love at times (such as Anna from Lesnitsky). Here is where the story is anchored and peaks. After you save the child from Reich captivity, it observes you and grows to trust you. You don't choose whether to silo the child or not, but rather your actions influence it and the final outcome. To complete the redemptive arc Artyom follows the path of Khan this time. As a result the child recognized that these humans have good in them and have a place in this world. Previously in a twisted turn of events it's revealed that the Dark Ones saved Artyom as a child. In turn years later he would send many of them to the damned souls, as the little dark one states all dead go. Artyom would redeem himself somewhat by saving a Dark Ones child this time. In the final confrontation you fend of wave and wave of Reds. Like the true Red Army the Spartans are washed over by a sea of blood, as one man dies the man behind him picks up his weapon. Alas, inevitably the swarm overwhelms your final phalanx.

As a last resort, Artyom prepares to denotate all of D6 as ordered by Miller, leaving Anna to raise his son alone. Instead Artyom is saved by the child and his fellow Dark Ones. Korbut and his guard are hypnotised into murdering each other, and their fearless leader is shown fear, torn to shreds by the little one. Unlike his typical pacifist kind, he has clearly taken on board the lessons of balancing enlightened peace, with survival of the fittest, as witnessed in his journey with Artyom. Uhlman and most of the Spartan's have died and Miller is in a wheelchair. The child leaves with his kind, saying it will be better for humans, but they will return one day. Khan follows in pursuit. It's clear the the humans are too fearful to learn from the Dark Ones, and until they are ready to remove fear from their hearts they cannot be helped. 

What can I say. It truly is Metro 2.0. I can see why some prefer 2033, carrying that old school shooter vibe reminiscent of STALKER and FEAR. While I noticed Last Light has made some concessions for console and casual shooters (especially on non-ranger difficulties ala hit markers), I feel this is negated by simply playing on ranger. Which excels even more so then 2033 at providing the apocalyptic ranger experience. Overall it is a better game and a worthy sequel. 

Game 27 - Metro 2033 - Week 16 - April 20

etro 2033 was a game I first experienced in 2012 in anticipation for the sequel to be released in 2013. This was during the first year of my university, so understandably it got away from me. By the time Exodus rolled around, I decided I'd wait until it was on special on Steam and play through all 3. Well, one 50% off deal later here we are.

I love immersion. I crave it. I'm of the the belief that no other medium or genre does it quite as well as video games with a first person perspective. In recent years we've seen VR leading the charge on immersive experiences with FPS as the spear head. Nothing lends itself quite as well as being in control, and seeing everything, a story, a world, engaging characters through your very own eyes. So whenever a game seeks to double down on that through design such as Far Cry 2 or S.T.A.L.K.E.R did so many years ago. I know that I'm guaranteed to love it. Speaking of Far Cry 2 I wish more games adopted the wound mending mechanic, instead of magic med kits. Or the dynamic embedded storytelling laid down by STALKER. To this day no game I have played or am aware of has executed the immersive interactive first person experience as well as the Metro series. This is highlighted most of all in Ranger modes, the hardest, most realistic and true Metro 2033 experience. No crosshair, limited HUD, no ammo count. Make sure you count down each bullet fired, lest you find yourself pointing an empty barrelled shotgun in the face of a mutant. Keep those hawk eyes peeled or you'll miss essential items hidden in the environment. Make every bullet count and your rifle raised, iron sights are a survivor's best friend; laser sights and scopes even more so. As with real life a single bullet can kill foe or yourself alike. Direct approaches are suicide and darkness is your greatest ally. Silenced weapons help remove light sources. The reason all this works is due to the generous in-game "physical" HUD. Bullets are tallied in your journal. A watch on your wrist keeps track of oxygen. Cracks in the screen indicate when your mask is about to give way and leave you vulnerable to the radiation and corrupt. It tethers you to the world, because every status indicator is in that world. It'd be pretty cool to see the next Far Cry use a Garmin to track health through heartbeat. 

It surprises me how all well this holds up. The gameplay helps draw you in and keep you there, but it's the world itself that makes you believe the world around you exists. Like a great fantasy novel. I loved the themes of the story - how it was presented through Artyom (your) eyes in journals what you witness in character. I appreciate a silent protagonist here. While it's old school and often antiquated, in this instance it helps feel like you yourself are the character, an actor, an observer, his voice (or lack of) is your voice. The world is fascinating. Driven into the Metros by nuclear fallout, the remnants of humanity survive in stations. There are three main factions. The Nazis, The Reds and The Spartans. The former two hold their old world views, but in line with human nature, more than anything they want power and control. The Spartans or Rangers seek to protect humanity and the stations. A ranger is anyone who roams the surface for supplies. And the Spartans do so as an organised militaristic collective to protect humanity, scouting and neutralizing threats of mutant origin. As Artyom, you're a green boy from a lesser known station. Dark Ones, the creatures of bedtime stories across the Metro are being spotted at an alarming rate and the apparent myths threaten the extinction of all humans. 

It's the characters that make you believe in this well crafted world based on Dmitry Glukhovsky novel of the same name. In appearance characters tend to blur together into one grey blob of human survivors, but the performances were so damn outstanding that it's hard not to recognize them all. They set out stages for Artyom's journey. 

Hunter and Alex - The Dark Ones are coming and at the edge of the line, Exhibition is in danger, the threat must be due to... the Spartan tries to say before you're attacked by crawling dark ones. "If it's hostile, you kill it". Artyom's childhood role model sets the tone for the rest of the game. A struggle for survival. Bullet for bullet, body for body, dust to dust. As the fallout settles, Hunter argues with Alex, your other role model and adoptive father who saved you from a swarm of rats as a child. A fatalist, he believes humanity is destined to perish, and this is the next step in evolution.  Hunter takes issue with this, and leaves to take the fight to the enemy and hunt down the Dark Ones. But not before he tells Artyom if he doesn't return, he must deliver a message to the other Spartan's at Polis station. Of course he doesn't return and while Alex disapproves, this sets the path for Artyom and his future. 

Bourbon - another mentor and key influence on Artyom's survival. As a green boy out of the station, this hardened loner offers you a path to the next station. 
Some people call these demons, I call them bitches. — Bourbon talking about Demons

Bourbon joins you on your first journey to the surface. A man without fear, life dealt him a set of cards and he's ready to play them without hesitation. He teaches you to survive, and more importantly how to kill in the Metro. At the cost of his own life he saves you. His voice and lessons carry on with you throughout the game - because without them Artyom and all of humanity would have been doomed. 

Khan - No sooner does Bourbon die, that Khan shows up. An enigmatic figure and another loner. To him the Metro has its own voice. Which is no surprise, he seems to understand supernatural aspects of this new world better than anyone. Through Khan's lens you're able to witness ghosts, anomalies and understand the Dark Ones better, becoming more enlightened as you do. If Bourbon carried the mantra of Hunter, kill or be killed, Khan carries the opposing torch of there's another way - two views that are echoed throughout the journey. 

Ulman and Pavel - the two man operation (as Spartan's often are) save and lead Artyom to Polis. Both are quick witted, hence the opportunistic ability to survive so long as rangers, but the latter a little more reserved. Ulman is wry, always meeting foes with an eager smile. Pavel also talkative, is more grounded and realistic. 

Boris and Stepan - are the forgettable KIA Spartan extras, possibly cause you only meet them at Sparta, before the final struggle. Best friends, possibly but unlikely before the bombs fell. One is the wheel man, the other a Russian military veteran who tells of manning the radio and stories of those who perished. 

Miller - Carrying the rugged exterior you'd expect of a modern day Spetsnaz leader (which makes sense, as he reveals in Metro Exodus - he was a Colonel of GRU, Russian's military intelligence). A man of pure action. Even when the Spartan council denies Artyom's plea for help against the Dark Ones; Miller gathers a loyal cabal of Spartan's to take D6. He has a daughter, Anna, also a Spartan and a crack shot sniper. 

Danilla - Nosalis is the mutant rats of the Metro, suspected as Dark One offspring. While the winged demons are only found on the surface. Feared due to their size and danger for good reason. It is one of these bitches that flies through the ceiling of the Library the Spartan's find themselves in, mangling Danilla. Little is known, but he does reveal a lot about the Spartan's as a general character. Like the rest of the Spartan's Danilla is warrior hiding his fear through a veil of humour. When injured, Miller takes Danilla back to Poilis. Choosing to jeopardize the mission over leaving a man for dead. 

Vladimir - calculating and strategic quartermaster of the group, like Miller he would sit back and analyze a situation before rushing in. Wasted in the front line, he is a master technician, with unparalleled  knowledge of old world tech. 

The Metro - The world is it's own character. A dying world. A darwinistic world where cockroaches, you fight for the last scraps of survival. Society is grim and life more harsh then you can imagine. Food and water is a luxury. The Metro's currency is the most valuable item in human survival, high quality bullets. I love this. You have dirty ammo which is not nearly as effective. So you need to choose in every situation. Should I use bullets to put this threat down quickly? Take the risk now or the risk later when I need to trade these later to stock up for weapons, oxygen canisters, unique ammo, etc? A perfect representation of the harsh realities of surviving in this world through in-game economies. On top of this the Metro has a supernatural element, as mentioned and experienced through Khan and your own visions which become more intense as you venture further into the rabbit hole. 

Old Ones - the mysterious creatures are feared by all, but as you learn more and more you start to question if they're a threat to humanity, or if they might even help us. They stalk your dreams and are clearly trying to tell you something. 

The evolution of the experience from start to finish is overcoming your fear through hardened experience. This is the represented perfectly in the game. Ranging the surface has you feeling trepidatious and timid the first few times, especially when separated from your wasteland mother Bourbon. But by the end you feel confident and well equipped for anything. Nazi, Bandit, Demon. The surface has the most dangerous of threats and it's just another enemy for Artyom to outsmart and outwit. A journey from boy to man. It's funny that I mentioned Far Cry earlier as some of the most immersive experiences out there. These games represent a Far Cry from home, the journey of Alice into Wonderland. Experiencing the character arc of this power fantasy is none better then when the game makes you believe you're an actor in a real world. 

Game 26 - Doom Eternal - Week 15 - April 20

oom fucking Eternal son. Now strap the fuck in this is gonna be a long one (with a lot of fucking cursing).


Doom 2016 

If Brutal Legend felt like getting sucker punched by a big fat guy, Doom 2016 (or DOOM) felt like getting haymakyred by Doom slayer. I was not expecting anything near to what I got when playing this game. It uplifted the original DOOM format into the modern era so damn well that it made anyone who played it forget about how terrible Doom 3 was as a sequel. DOOM was easily the best shooter of the decade for me (yes, the decade ends in 2019. I don't care if there was no year 0). To me DOOM was a perfect game. And it came in three forms.

Gameplay loop - Shoot demons with guns until they stop bleeding. That hasn't changed. What did change was the glory kills. No longer do you run away like a bitch to find a health kit when you're low. Get in there and fuck shit up, because executing enemies now gives you health, it feeds a loop encouraging the player to get deeper and deeper into the fight is what leads to those intense moments and supported by strong foundational shooting mechanics put Doom 2016 back on the throne.

Sound design - Every time I recommended this to someone I said it "felt like Heavy Metal the game". Every fight was amped up by not only one of the greatest soundtracks I've ever heard, but how the sound designers weaved it into those intensifying gameplay moments.

Legend of the Doom Slayer - The nuance of the story in this game went understated (and we'll get to that more in Eternal). It was very clear from the moment that you get off that slab, cock your pistol and bitch slap the demanding voice away on the monitor that you're pissed, and you don't want to talk it through, you want to kill fucking demons until it goes away. It was a common complaint that there wasn't much story, and I couldn't disagree more, because those people didn't read the codex's. That's the beauty of Doom 2016, the story was nonobligatory, if you just wanted to just kill demons like Doomguy does you could. The voice log Bioshock style character performances were excellent, particularly Hayden providing the voice of doubt for you to constantly surpass (who returns to do the same in Eternal) and the mystery of how Doom Slayer ended up leading a group of cyber templars through hell was fantastic.

Doom Eternal

Now here we go.

The Good

Soundtrack - Mick Gordon you beautiful Australian bastard. You did it again. I'm not sure what else to say other then the soundtrack is dope and if it ain't broke, don't fix it.

Gameplay loop - so remember how I said Doom 2016 gameplay loop was so phenomenal that it became my game of the decade? Well I'm not sure how to feel about the fact that Doom Eternal surpassed that so much that it's probably the best shooter I've ever played, and in 2020 it could be the shooter of the decade. A dash has been added making the game even faster (along with Monkey bars). The platforming was mixed for many but I enjoyed it. Glory kills are taken to the next level. Need health? Snap a neck. Need ammo? Chainsaw. Need armour? Belch fire onto the unholy. I played on Ultraviolence in my first play through and it very quickly became apparent that clinging to this like a 6 year old to his mother's leg before his first day at school was the most effective path. Everything is additive. Weapon mods are now more in-depth, allowing you to unlock perks for mods. Praetorian armour has perks that enhance movement or grenades. Then there are runes that drastically change your gameplay style. All this is synergised in such a masterfully designed way. For example I first upgraded my suit so grenades do more damage and recharge quicker. My first rune made those abilities recharge quicker if a foe died under their effect. Allowing me to dominate with that health-armour-ammo generating loop. You can't adhere to a few weapons anymore, every enemy has there tool and ammo is shared/limited so unless you're playing on easy you'll need to mix it up. All this rapid weapon switching like Jesse James on meth amphetamine felt even more like Doom then Doom 2016 did. Unlike it's predecessor I don't want to move on and I don't think I could go back.

God it feels good...

The Bad

The Marauder - This naughty boy wasn't hard (shoot & dash back, repeat). He was just boring. In a game that requires such fluidity, movement and mastery of the environment around you an enemy designed to demand your attention is the antithesis of everything that is good about the game. He was cool as a boss, he should have remained that way. Or hell, maybe he gets away and brings a few extra (of the many many) tools he has with him in the next fight. A nemesis to rival the doom slayer.

Bethesda - You know what's worse at interrupting flow then the Marauder? "But Bethesda didn't develop it and isn't in the game you say?" Yes they are. Even the taint of Bethesda's slow corporate corruption from within can be felt here. It's felt every time I get taken out of the action because of a Bethesda account pop up saying I disconnected from their shite servers. There's nothing worse then being full immersed in a fight as it ramps up and you're carving a killing field and then BAM. You're sitting in the menu wondering what happened. Give us an option to disable this for fuck sake.

The Doom Fortress - Now don't get me wrong, standing over a ledge as you peer down at a Demon infested Earth is phenomenal. The general sense of power as you orbit Earth from your floating castle is fantastic. And the home for your collectibles, unlocks, and hub in general was fun to explore.

But I like the many Demons that lay in my wake, am torn. I felt like overall it created a mission and story structure that was vastly inferior to 2016. I'm the type of guy that feels RPGs are at their peak during long dungeon crawls, the type of fight that feels like you've put everything you have into it and you're throwing punches that feel like they're in slow motion with every ounce of energy you have left pouring out of you and each blow you throw feels like it might sap the last of life you have left. What do you do when you have nothing left? In other words, any experience or story of this nature is at it's best when it requires struggle.

Doom Fortress is not that. You're Superman launching yourself from Solitude into whatever the fuck you want to do whatever the fuck you want. And hey, that's pretty darn cool. It's all additive to the badass mythos overall that is Doom Slayer.

Witness the Legend of the Doom Slayer - this leads to my next point. While I like a lot of the story beats in Doom Eternal, Slayer's million yard death stare, any human or demon cowering in your presence. The story overall felt less nuanced then 2016 and this as a result made the game feel less complete. There were a lot of cool cut scenes, but they were overused. I don't want to witness Doom Slayer do something I want to do it. Even if more of those scenes are in first person. Why do I see a scene of Doom Slayer raising his shotgun to the Hell Priests as they cower and flee, witnessing it from the periphery and not in first person? There are a few moments where this does happen and I asked, why didn't I get to pull the trigger? Such as the tentacles at the gore nest or getting to blow a fucking giant crater in Mars with a planetary BFG.

The game does tell a story in nuanced ways such as the human resistance reporting on your demon slaying, adding to your sense of badassery or audio logs of a scientist turning from skeptic agnostic to devout believer in your absolute divinity and godhood. I didn't really care for the general plot as well and felt the mystery from the first game was more alluring then the truth of Eternal. Heaven and hell is overdone and the Makyr's did not really interest me at all. I believe a story between humanity and hell would have been far better, not these two alien entities that I'm happy to commit methodical genocide against (where's some human betrayal? human cults? human greed and sin?). Overall I felt the Makyr inclusion dampened the mystery of the Night Sentinels. I was never surprised. Hopefully the next game is set around the alluded to "Father" or the hooded figure who gave Doom guy his divinity.

I've harped on about the bad far more then the good. But I think comparative to the colossal gameplay it's still minute. I criticize out of pure infatuated love and considering how every single criticism has a big fat asterisk next it is a testament to how good this game is. In a lot of ways it's vastly superior to its counterpart, I simply felt for it's time those few mixed issues were holding it back from greatness. From becoming the masterpiece that was the complete Doom 2016 package.

I miss Deathmatch </3 id please just remove the auto-minigun and let us tear each other in half. Or mod support. Yes. Do that.

The Ugly

So what's ugly about Doom Eternal you ask?

Well how about this?

Or this? 

Or these?

Yes. I made a collage to Doom Slaying....

Well, I'm going to back my safe space to....RIP AND TEAR! 

Game 25 - Deeprock Galactic - Week 14 - April 20

eeprock Galactic has a funny story attached to it. The video that convinced me to buy this game Leave No Dwarf Behind (A Deep Rock Galactic Music Video) by CrimsonGamer99 also got me to listen to the song behind the video Diggy Diggy Hole by the dwarven themed Wind Rose. I've probably listened to their album Wintersaga a dozen times in a month now and comparitively in their respective genres, I like it far better then Deeprock. But a dozen times in a month.... that's like my Top 20 albums. This game is fantastic, but not Top 20 good. What's there to say? You drink. You dig holes. You sleep and you repeat. Occasionally you get together with a few friends and kick every barrel you have in the space station into the dropod and launch yourself into the stratosphere only to be surprised by that ding and an achievement.

This game is the perfect game to just chill with a few mates, knock back a few beers and slaughter space bugs as you mine for those precious resources. The hub world is fantastic and feels like how a space dwarves hub should feel (a high tech bar with a lot of toys). The upgrade system is well done with equipment upgrades tied to specific resources and perks received for completing missions. And that's what this game is, synergy and drunken brotherhood. There are four space dwarf classes that have combat and traversal abilities. The best miners will work together and tactically coordinate abilities. Naturally I choose the best one for killing bugs, the flamethrower wielding Digger. Also best for digging down and down into the deep because who knows what we'll find beneath? Diamonds, rubies, gold and more that'll be hidden in the mountain store. If you want to play creatures born underground, suckled from a teat of stone and raised in the dark, the safety of a mountain home, look no further.

ROCK AND STONE!

I should note that this game is in Early Access. It's a game I'll continue playing and likely do an update or second post with my thoughts. Making sure to not double-count of course.

Game 24 - Call of Duty: Warzone - Week 14 - April 20

all of Duty: Warzone is a breath of toxic and fresh air. On the one hand it's probably the best Call of Duty I've ever played. On the other the playerbase is just as toxic it was on MW2. Whoever made the decision to allow you to hear the last thing someone says on mic after they die is a fucking GENIUS. This should be in more games, it's HILARIOUS. While it couldn't surpass Apex Legends as king of Battle Royals it certainly gave it a run for it's money. It showed me how tight the gunplay was in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare remake and convinced me to buy and play through the campaign at some point where I'd otherwise decided I would not. I don't think I've had this much fun with a Modern Warfare game since the first Black Ops (where my interest really stopped afterwards). Not only does each gun feel different and satisfying to kill, but the sheer amount of gadgets on display here is fantastic. Heartbeat sensors as a standout. The extent of weapon customization is insane, to the point of stripping an AK47 down to no scope or barrel until it's functionally an SMG. Most weapons have over 7-8 attachment slots! With half a dozen plus in each. The actual gameplay is fresh. Find money in chests or dead people (a long with weapons of course) and buy killstreaks, equipment, protection or even your team mates back. This keeps the flow going (cough PubG) and the matches intense. The parachute is your best friend. Taking an elevator shaft cable line to the top of a skyscraper, duking it out and then launching yourself off it to skydive in pursuit of an enemy is phenomenal. In one example I was in that exact situation but on the receiving end. I jumped off the building but came back around, parachuting into the side stairs, returning up and gunning down two enemies. Special shout out to plunder/blood money which was chaotic fun. Collecting and exhilarating bags of money you liberate from chests and corpses (with unlimited deaths) was great fun, particularly around the hotspot collection points. The best moment had to be jumping in a chopper with my cousin, as we did drop by collections and he launched himself from roofs back into the chopper as we flew off. When it's good it's good, and while it doesn't push the envelope to the nth degree and is marred by selective technical issues (my cousin had constant desync and stuttering), the tight shooting and intense moments make for a very fun distraction.

Game 23 - Halo: Combat Evolved (MP) - Week 14 - April 20

Now you might be wondering "dude, why have you been posting so little compared to when you started?" Well the answer is in March, as the next three games will prove, I've been on a multiplayer binge.

alo: Combat Evolved. Not sure what to say other then it still holds up. The glorious gameplay, warthogs on acid, unbalanced weapons (looking at you sniper and magnum). A silent sniper rifle with no recoil just... ridiculous. Though no where near the shit show that is DMRs in Reach, rebalance the sniper and this would be a flawless game. Shotguns, frags, rocket launchers, wraiths, ghosts, camo. It all feels good. Blood Gulch, my god, that is up there with Dust 2, Facing Worlds and Nuketown in the pantheon of fantastic designed maps. Halo does and always should harken back to the arena shooters of old where skill and map control trumps loadouts.

Classic

Game 22 - The Haunted Island, a Frog Detective Game - Week 13 - March 20

I acquired in the Humble Australia Fire Relief Bundle in support of the great fires of 2019. I'd be lying if I said that was the only reason I got it, as there were several games like Hollow Knight and Hands of Fate 2 that had been on my list for a while. But I typically keep the games I want and give away the rest. I did not expect that a game I'd never seen,
he Haunted Island: A Frog Detective Game would fall into the former category. It wasn't until about a third of the way in that I'd realize this was probably intended for kids. The writing and characters are kooky, though like most cleverly written fiction for children there was enough there to make an adult laugh. Examples you ask? Well how about collecting toothpaste and wool to create dynamite so you can blow a cave open and uncover the mystery of the haunted island, only to find it's the king of islands best friend who's been practicing for the upcoming dance competition (which you're the defacto judge for, of course). It was a cool game, reminding me of the games I use to play in daycare and I'd recommend it to any parent.