14
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reviewed
183
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Recent reviews by Nicktai

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Showing 1-10 of 14 entries
10 people found this review helpful
10.3 hrs on record
See, if you're looking for something for the kids to play or a very short pastime, this game won't offend you. The reason I find it not quite worth it is that it seems like a game that is average by design, which means that, if you're looking for something interesting or challenging, this game isn't even trying to offer you that: it has extremely short levels, rushed story told mostly through text, reused concepts for locations and enemies, and a soundtrack with weird instrumentation and lots of tonal dissonance (it's not like they can't make electronic music work, because they did multiple times before, but it feels weird when you're going for triumphant emotional melodies).
Even so, this game has some elements that also really tick me off: Visual clarity is sometimes very bad, with enemies, hazards, items and even the player character blending into the background; physics are not particularly interesting to play with, which is a shame, since this is the absolute strongest point for the earlier entries in the series; and lastly, as a lesser point of contempt, the blocky and extra cartoony design of the levels, when compared to Unleashed or Generations, doesn't fit the supposedly dark tone of the game nor highlights the new graphics engine, which apparently took a lot of time to develop.

TL;DR: OK game for casuals, but an absolute downgrade compared to previous titles.
Posted March 13, 2022. Last edited May 21, 2022.
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5 people found this review helpful
14.7 hrs on record (14.4 hrs at review time)
At some point you have to wonder, how can Sonic Team struggle so much nowadays to build an experience that feels true to the original essence of the Sonic series when they pretty much nailed it on their first try? Sonic Adventure isn't without its flaws and may have much room for improvement, but in what it sets out to do, it is far from falling flat on its face.
On the gameplay department, especially when it comes to the S3&K trio, the game does the seemingly impossible and transports the exact feel of running through stages on the Mega Drive/Genesis era into 3D. It feels good, responsive and empowering but at the same time manageable and consistent to control Sonic through fast highways and loops as well as platforming sections.
The story element and presentation are amusing. Adventure chooses to place you into a hub world where you'll have to find your way into the next Action Stage or event to progress the plot. The plot can feel very dumb at times and the exploration a little superfluous, but they can be just entertaining enough to get you into the next bit of action. The highlights here are the bits of lore through flashbacks and the intersection of multiple campaigns into a single interconnecting whole. Those are what comprise the... "adventure" aspect of SA.
It's a relatively easy game that's at the same time ambitious and simple depending on how you look at it. Its multiple play styles will offer some (honestly not that bad) variety and the remarkable fluidity of the game is enjoyable.
Sonic Adventure is a fun and solid adventure game from the 90's, that would set the blueprint for future Sonic games to ignore in their own different ways. Is it the absolute best game in the series? Probably not, but impressive none the less.

When it comes to port stability, quality and visual appearance, i must admit I have nothing to say as I've been playing with the Dreamcast conversion mods installed that aim to restore original Dreamcast designs for locations and characters. If I had to guess, it probably works just as fine without them.
Posted July 4, 2020. Last edited July 4, 2020.
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39 people found this review helpful
2 people found this review funny
23.5 hrs on record (14.1 hrs at review time)
Rejoice, the best Doom is finally here!
Doom 64 is an amazing game; being a sequel to Doom 2 (essentially, the true Doom 3), it manages to capture everything that makes the first two games timeless and fun, while having a ton of personality on its own and, sometimes, making some improvements to the formula.
Its atmospheric impact is unmatched due to improved and richer color palettes and texture variety, making each level feel like an actual place instead of regurgitated pieces of texture jumbled up in a fever dream - I am not exagerating when I say this game looks VERY good. The visuals of course get some aid from the chilling ambient soundtrack to create a remarkably darker experience.
All of that would be of no use if the gameplay itself was lacking, but I'm happy to say that it isn't the case in one bit. All the fast-paced circle-strafing combat is here and as challenging as ever. It requires quite a bit of strategy as well; the chaingun is recommended as your default weapon to turn corners so as to not get swarmed by vicious Lost Souls and hitscanners, while rockets and shotguns take care of slower heavier enemies, and plasma types serve as your power weapons for overwhelming moments.
Everything has a place and a time and the level design pushes you to think beforehand as it is always trying to mess with you in one way or another - be it through lighting trickery or puzzles that require you to listen closely to audio cues and pay attention to recurring symbols, navigating the levels is made mysterious and interesting, but makes more sense than the wall-punching days of Doom 2.
On a final note, technically the port is very nice. Looks sharp, the controls work very well and I enjoy having the vertical aim locked, as it has no place in old-school Doom. The only minor inconvenience is how confusing the button configuration menu can be, but that hardly gets in the way of my fun.
Posted April 5, 2020. Last edited April 9, 2020.
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23 people found this review helpful
1 person found this review funny
129.4 hrs on record (100.9 hrs at review time)
Between its haunting, aggressive and unique award-winning soundtrack, fast-paced old-school-inspired elements in the campaign, and surprisingly deep but mysterious and unintrusive lore, there's not much left to be said about DOOM that hasn't been repeated since 2016.
There are elements that have certainly been neglected however - namely, its multiplayer. DOOM's multiplayer is surprsingly still active in 2020 and is impressively fun. While somewhat repetitive (as is the norm for Arena style online shooters), the amount of crazy and exhilarating elements can be honestly overwhelming. Turning into demons, crafting loadouts with almost any weapon in the game, glory-killing the competition and facing each other in bizarre game modes (such as a more murderous game of tag where you "freeze" your opponents while unfreezing allies) all come together into a package made with love that is worth checking out for at least a couple of hours.
If you have even the slightest interest for a fast paced classic shooter with a modern touch, give DOOM 2016 a(nother?) try. Not only because playing the campaign will get you in the mood for the sequel that is less than two months away, but also because these few days might be the last few where the multiplayer component is still breathing (and you're probably still able to get those MP achievements, they don't take too long to unlock!).
Posted February 6, 2020. Last edited February 7, 2020.
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34 people found this review helpful
6 people found this review funny
87.0 hrs on record (85.6 hrs at review time)
Don't listen to the Mavericks that tell you the X Legacy Collection 2 isn't worth buying; with this collection you are, at the very least, getting two great games in the form of X5 and X8, and two wacky, but certainly intriguing, pieces of Mega Man history in the form of X6 and X7.
X5 is the culmination of four games of lore build-up and in-game content with fresh and fun aditions, while X8 shows a modern and exciting look into what the future of the series could be - and again, with a ton of collectibles and graphical upgrades.
As for X6 and X7, all you need to know for the former is to get away from red-marked stages and grab a hold of meteor storm before visiting the magma area. As for the latter... Don't take it too seriously.
Posted December 4, 2019. Last edited December 4, 2019.
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9 people found this review helpful
1 person found this review funny
25.0 hrs on record (21.4 hrs at review time)
Sonic Generations represents everything great about the Sonic franchise; it's colorful, fast, lighthearted and a good starting point if you want to get into the series.
The fun level design that mixes platforming and action in just the right measure makes this the best feeling Modern Sonic adventure to date, while Classic Sonic - even if his physics aren't as tight as they were in 1991 (or Sonic Mania) - introduces super cool 2D, platforming focused, versions of the levels.
It plays beautifully, looks even better and is complemented by the amazing talent of the Sega Sound Team. Highly recommend this one.
Posted July 1, 2019. Last edited July 1, 2019.
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6 people found this review helpful
357.5 hrs on record (71.8 hrs at review time)
Stardew Valley is a lovely game I never would have thought I'd enjoy so much. The game offers rich and colorful visuals, plenty of different activities and ways to grow your farm and a world that, while simple, feels very much alive with all the character interactions, small roaming creatures and pretty seasonal changes that challenge you to plan accordingly.
If you like Slime Rancher, there's a good chance you'll enjoy this one (or vice-versa). Just relax, explore and have fun figuring out (or googling) all the possibilities to evolve, make friends with the townspeople and take care of your crops / animals.
Stardew Valley might feel repetitive after some time, but, honestly, by the time that was the case, I had more than 70 hours played and, even then, there's quite a bit that makes me want to go back and experience the world some more.
Posted May 30, 2019.
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7 people found this review helpful
0.4 hrs on record (0.2 hrs at review time)
Final Doom is a tempting package. It brings two new 32-level episodes to Doom 2, giving you plenty of extra content to one of the greatest games of all time. But is it good?
If I had to use two words to describe these levels, they would be "Inconsistent and Unbalanced". Being made by different teams from the originals, it seems they had a pretty different idea on how level design and challenge should work in a Doom game.
TNT: Evilution is blast for the first 15 or so levels due to its new soundtrack and quirky enemy positioning, but it soon becomes extremely cryptic and annoying with levels that make absolutely no sense. Hell, level 20 was impossible for me to figure out even with no-clip.
And then there's The Plutonia Experiment, which, for the sake of preserving my mental health, I'm not gonna bother with. The first 2 levels are already extremely unfair and unfun and make a pretty compeling point that the level-designers did not care about difficulty curve and just backstab you with infinite sudden traps full of chaingunners and revenants.
All in all, Final Doom is not a fun game and pales in face of the legacy of the original ones. Finishing it might give you a sense of accomplishment though; since this game seems to be made to not be completed by anyone ever, you should feel proud for enduring this mess.

Disclaimer: I got 0 playtime here because I accessed the game through ZDoom, which is the only way to go if you're playing those games in 2019. The modding it offers might even make those maps less of a pain if you get an overpowered weapon mod or something similar.
Posted February 23, 2019. Last edited February 23, 2019.
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10 people found this review helpful
1 person found this review funny
24.1 hrs on record (18.7 hrs at review time)
First of all, this game is not only a revised version of Doom 3, but also a collection of the first three Doom games and their expansions (Ultimate Doom, Doom 2: No Rest for the Living and the DLC content for Doom 3). For this reason alone, I think it becomes a solid package to buy, although the first Doom games miss some aspects like cheats or the ability to add mods.
Doom 1 is a straightforward but extremely satisfying classic, Doom 2 adds a lot - but is hindered by cryptic and gimmicky level design in my opinion - and Doom 3, well...
Doom 3 is a fairly good horror/fps game by itself; Its spooky vibe is unique and gruesome, even if being unable to see anything beyond your flashlight's range gets old fast. What is visible though, is a deliberate effort to focus on atmosphere, puzzle solving, exploration and smaller scope encounters, as your running and weapon switching speeds are very compromised this time around and being aware of your surroundings is much harder with how dark everything is.
As a Doom game, however, I think Doom 3 misses some marks. The enemy and environmental design feel extremely bland and depressing - might've been their intention, but it ends up just feeling generic. Colors aren't a bad thing and I'm glad the art style didn't stick with the 2016 reboot (not all of it, at least). The slower pacing and fewer enemies per encounter is an odd choice too; it does fit the atmosphere they were going for, but not sure about fitting the Doom franchise as a whole.

So, in the end, it's a really nice package filled with good games and content. If you're looking for an interesting horror fps experience, Doom 3 can surprise you, just don't expect the same general atmosphere from the other Doom games.
Posted August 28, 2018. Last edited August 28, 2018.
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6 people found this review helpful
14.6 hrs on record (5.5 hrs at review time)
You know, compared to Sonic 1, 2, 3 & Knuckles and Mania, there are some pretty odd choices here. The verticality found in most levels and the numerous speed bumps in the form of small rocks and other things, make the general pacing feel very awkward at times, especially when gaining speed is a crucial part in this game - at least this core mechanical concept it got right, as it fits the series.
Not to mention that pretty much all bosses are silly and easy and the time-traveling mechanic is rendered useless if you just complete the bonus stages in its place.
However , it still feels like good ol' classic Sonic and presents us with a multitude of charming redeeming qualities like a great soundtrack, great graphics and art (especially the hand-drawn animated cutscenes), the usual stelllar physics, responsive controls, etc.
It is worthy of being amongst the classics from the golden era of Sonic games and I recomend for those who enjoyed the other ones mentioned before.
Posted May 29, 2018.
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Showing 1-10 of 14 entries