Recent reviews by Hailey

Undertale 2

bing bong sex

Back in 2020 when this game initially released, it was an absolute mess of a game. Nearly every article I saw had SOMETHING to say about this game. Taken down from Playstation store, refunds being handed out left and right, and endless videos of bugs. I had to wonder what went so wrong for a game promoted to this caliber.
Fast forward nearly 2 years later and Studio Trigger releases Edgerunners. I DID NOT WATCH IT. However, the buzz surrounding Cyberpunk grew and grew. Reviews went from mostly negative to mixed. Soon enough, it seemed like everyone had changed their opinion on this game. I bought it to leave it in my Steam library (like every person on Steam) and waited when I was ready to play.
December 4, 2024 . I decided to play the game for the first time. Expecting bugs everywhere and a unfinished story line, I was more than wrong. I was extremely lucky to pick up the game right before update 2.2 and was able to experience what CDPR had initially intended this game to be. A vibrant city, drug addicts on the streets, gangs fighting for territory, and political/economic commentary. That last part is extremely important to me considering what happened the day after I started the game (Whoops!).

The story is an absolute blast to play. Even though there are times where I hover my finger over the "y" key, most of the stories and plots are engaging and fun. The combat is super satisfying with the introduction of 2.2. The new skill tree allows players to play how THEY want. The characters all have their charm and every detail presented in this game makes me feel like i'm part of the world. The choices you make actually matter with different characters. Characters recall your actions and choices. Some choices will completely change how you perceive the game. In terms of visuals, it must be played on ray tracing. Night City is beautiful and there are some moments where I think to myself, "Maybe just a few more seconds on this view". Character customization is filled now. New chrome, new clothes, and even a whole new wardrobe system. PHANTOM LIBERTY: A DLC. A proper DLC. If you enjoyed the main game GET PHANTOM LIBERTY. It adds so much and is (my opinion) the rest of what CDPR couldn't do because of the deadline. If you are looking for reviews on whether or not to get it, THIS REVIEW IS YOUR SIGN. Get it on sale and enjoy the rest of your $60 game . The game is FUN. VERY FUN.

You can't win it all. There are still bugs in this game that have me looking at the CDPR Forums. Bodies being flung, NCPD spawning in the floor (sometimes), Optimization issues (ESPECIALLY IN DOGTOWN) , and graphical issues. Remember how I said that this game must be played on ray tracing? Well this game must be played on ray tracing. Otherwise, it won't look like the Night City. Sometimes the radio will start blasting when I exit a car AT 100 PERCENT VOLUME. Triggers for some quests happen when I don't intend to start them. Triggers for some quests don't happen when I do want them to happen. Driving overall is fixed but it gets silly on uneven road. Lastly, don't look at V's shadow, ever. Not that V's shadow is game breaking, just nothing you would want to see in an "immersive open world game".

Play. This. Game. I was so fortunate enough to play it during 2.2's release. If there is ANY time to play Cyberpunk, it would be NOW. There are not many games I would recommend to co-workers. However, for this instance, I couldn't shut up on how fun the experience was to them. Before we touch GTA 6, please enjoy this game while we wait. Whether you are gameplay oriented or looking for something to replace Fallout in terms of detail and lore, Cyberpunk is the city of dreams.

And I believe that all of us are dreamers.

very frustrating

i hate that bird

constant yapping

fun

As a Rally fan, this DLC sorta jaded me in a way. It felt insulting yet it's trying it's best to show "We at Playground games love rally too." Here is my experience with this DLC.

To those who care, the important bits are marked with a *

*The Map :
The map itself works. There is no other way to explain it. It looks pretty, it has dirt, asphalt, and whatever you need to make a Rally DLC. That's the problem however, it feels so bare bones and minimal. Halfway through the DLC, it became less of an adventure to me and more of the same race replayed. It is also very small.
The map works, but there is nothing special about it. AKA: it gets really boring.

The "Story" :
Especially with recent titles, there is basically no story. I felt disconnected in a way when playing and basically forgot there was this "competition" at all. I just did rally races and that's it. The missions didn't provide much value at all either, mainly telling me to "do this stunt jump" or "win this race". To me, I felt like I got slapped with a battlepass and told to have fun.

Anti-lag :
I'm not sure if this was me but the anti-lag mod all sounded the same. It also felt like it didn't do anything either. Don't get me wrong, Anti-lag is an awesome thing. It just felt lack-luster when given to us.

*Pacenotes :
This is the part I was the most disappointed in. Pacenotes are essential when it comes to Rally. Get the wrong pacenotes, and your car is totalled. Sadly, the pacenotes in this DLC are extremely lazy. Rather than having precise pacenotes, we get broad descriptions of the corners and turns. "Medium right to Easy left"? What is that supposed to mean???? Is it "Right 4 into left 6"? And it doesn't even matter actually. BECAUSE YOU STILL GET A GPS WITH A MARKED ROUTE REGARDLESS. So the pacenotes actually provide NOTHING to the gameplay and is just flavor text on top of your screen.
Oh, by the way, you don't get a co-driver INSIDE your car. They're in a helicopter above you. Real fun.

*The BUGS :
Like every game, there are bound to be bugs. However, the bugs in this DLC are genuinely insane. Finishing a race could soft lock your game. Forcing you to restart and redo the entire race. *The optimization in this DLC is horrendous. I would say I have a medium to high end PC and some parts of the map make me drop down to 59 FPS. In the menu before the race begins, I drop down to a WHOPPING 29 FPS. For comparison, in the main game I get 120 FPS. If you are planning to buy this DLC, EXPECT BUGS.

*The difficulty :
For some reason, the difficulty in Rally mode gets squared and it feels impossible to complete some races sometimes. The drivatars for some reason get ultra instinct powers in this DLC because they seem to complete these races better than Colin McRae. Rally is difficult. I like that. But this is a whole other level. (Or maybe im getting skill issued for racing against the hardest difficulty). HOWEVER, the difficulty seems to disappear in the boss races. For some reason, the regular races are actually HARDER than the supposedly challenging bosses. It makes absolutely no sense!

The Cars :
I thought this was a Rally DLC? There are some cool cars here but what about the GR Yaris? Hyundai's i20? There are plenty of cars that would fit perfectly for this DLC and it's not here. I understand that this is probably a licensing issue so ill just leave this as a note for those that expected some modern rally cars.

Personal gripes :
As of writing this review, the current season had the Quattro as a limited car. One of the first cars you unlock when playing this DLC? The Quattro. A car already in the game, in a DLC. I feel robbed ngl. That just sucks. The voice acting in this DLC also sounded off to me. Alejandra sounded like she was sick and still decided to voice for the DLC anyways. The new radio personally sounds corny. Pop punk? In a Rally DLC? Am I losing my mind?

***Summary :
If you're a Rally fan, it's best if you don't buy this DLC. The DLC probably came with good intentions but it felt very lazy in the end. For entry players that want to experience Rally at it's fullest, PLEASE buy either Dirt Rally 2 or Dirt Rally when it is on sale. It is probably going to be WAY cheaper than this DLC and it is fun. It won't have the customization that Forza Horizon does, but it's a Rally game. A GOOD Rally game at that.

TLDR: I do not recommend this DLC.

they shoot me :(

Kanye made better decisions than the devs lol