Desecrators (PC) Review

On First Person Fridays for Extra-Life, I am trying to alternate between more action based and more puzzle based games. With the last game being more point and click then action and a craving for more games like Descent, I found myself picking up and playing a game I had never heard of, but a certain prominent youtuber pointed out during his review of my personal favorite Boomer Shooter. And while he was right about the game being straight up sadistic from time to time, I always walked away happy with my night and somehow wanting more.

The First Descendant (PC) Review

I have been watching this title since the first trailers were revealed. Right away the world itself pulled me in with an aesthetic that harkened to one of my favorite franchises, but with a realistic looking twist. So when this became the co-op game to play, I eagerly agreed. Looking back, it started with a bang and for a while did everything I could hope for. But as I put down the mouse for the last time, the game definitely feels like it ends with a whimper, especially compared to that strong start.

Phantasy Star IV: The End of the Millennium (PC) Review

As I put the controller down, we have reached a turning point of this franchise. For those of you who join me on Twitch, I have been on a campaign with this series, to both celebrate it in it's own right and raise money and awareness for Extra Life by playing literally EVERY US release of it. (I do this every Wednesday night.) And now we have finished the classic era.... and man did it go out with a BANG!

AI: The Somnium Files (PC) Reiview

Gonna be honest, this was not a game I was hyped for. I picked it up at some point as part of a steam sale which is how a lot of my backlog was built up. However it looked interesting enough so when the dice rolled it up, I was intrigued. Turns out, this was for good reason even if it comes with a bit of a downturn for the studio behind it. Come... step inside.

Phantasy Star III: Generations of Doom (PC) Review

As we continue our journey through the classic franchise in the name of Extra Life, we finish another entry from the Sega Genesis era, and probably the one that both has the least fans and the least audience to have played. This is not without good reason, however as it is also clearly the outlier that it takes little time to see was not even originally supposed to be a Phantasy Star game. Still, does it deserve the reputation it has? Or is all the hate just because this game is so different. Well, it may get harsher then it deserves, but... that doesn't change this is the lesser game of the set.

Phantasy Star II (PC) Review

We have come full circle with the first Phantasy Star game I ever played. I did not play this on the Sega Genesis like so many others, however. Back in that day, I was much more of an SNES fan, so I missed this game until I had left consoles for PC entirely for a streak. Back then, I had stumbled on a CD-ROM called the Sega Smash pack which I picked up with the intention to play with Altered Beast more then anything else. But this game was also on the disc, and I fell in love with it the moment I started playing. So is it everything I remember it to be? Well, it's still pretty good, but... let's talk on it.

Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII (PSP) Review

This time we have a game that has been hiding in the backlogs for many many years. Way back in the day I had bought a PSP for the soul purpose of playing two games: Phantasy Star Portable and the recently released remake of Persona. But to have a console and not play more the two games is an absolute waste, so I would pick up other titles during it's life. Unfortunately I did not get to play them all over the lifespan of that machine, but it would hint at it's own demise coming, so I had time to prepare, ripping my library to file form so I could eventually play them all anyway. Today this should have paid off with an interesting view of how the events of Final Fantasy VII were set into motion. But I am sorry to say, it did not. I found myself bored by it to be quite honest.

Now before we begin, I have to admit, just as the above suggests, I did not play this game on the PSP. Rather well after my actual hardware died, I played via emulation ripped from my original copy, so my experience could well be different then yours. But with that in mind, step inside.

Shadowgrounds (PC) Review

Today we get to visit an old game that hasn't spent very long in the backlog. Rather I picked it up for little more then I might have spent in the arcade to play a game of Mortal Kombat as a kid, so it was a no brainer to pick up and try. And promising to be "Doom 3 meets Smash TV" it sounded like it could be a really fun time (I love both games). I can't say I was wrong, but I also wouldn't call it as good as either individually. Come on in.

System Shock 2023 (PC) Review

I waited a LONG time for this moment. Back in my high school days, I played the original title and loved every second... enough so that I was biting at the bit for the sequel and was given it as a b-day gift just before my first days of college. Yeah, my time with this franchise has been amazing, but even I had to recognize the original game did not age well. Releasing before we had a standard of how to use a mouse and keyboard together and trying to be as much a simulation as a game, the controls were clunky as hell, even for their day. Today, the original release would be nigh unplayable. So when Nightdive announced a kickstarter to remake the game, I was was excited! Don't get me wrong, Nightdive was as of yet untried and I was already watching people get nothing for their investments on this site, so I stayed on the sidelines, but I wanted to see this make it and bring the classic game to the modern gamers.

That was in 2016... seven years ago. Many years after it was expected, Nightdive delivered on their promise, and let me tell you right now, it was worth waiting for.

God Eater: Resurrection (PC) Review

I really wanted to like this game. Having watched the anime, I absolutely love the world created for it so I was looking forward to taking part. However, trouble brewed with this one very quickly. I found myself repeating the first hour of the game to figure out which way would play better: keyboard and mouse or a controller. Mixing two forms of combat repeatedly, both fitted well for only one type of control did not bode well for this game... and ultimately was the first hint of it's undoing for me.

Star Trek Online (PC) Review

This is a game I have some history with. When it first came out, I ordered a copy and had it delivered to my door. Back in the day I believe I was still playing on an Athlon 64 x2 based PC, and I fell in love with this game. It made it all the more heartbreaking when I had to stop playing within the week due to technical issues in the game that were so bad, when it crashed I would have to restart my computer to get out of it. With this sour taste I walked away for years, and yet I could not deny the temptation to see if it was still worth playing when I saw the game join Steam as a free to play title.

But come November my group of gamers decided we were going to play together in the Extra Life marathon and the game was suggested.... so I installed and on the big event began one of the longest games I have played to date (competing with the Phantasy Star Online and Universe titles almost exclusively for time I sank into them). And while I did not finish the story line before ultimately a tech issue told me it was time to hang it up, what we have now is MILES ahead of what we once had and I have only one thing I really can say. Welcome to Starfleet, Captain.

Blaster Master Zero (PC) Review

When this game was announced, I was excited. As a little kid, I had Blaster Master on the NES and absolutely loved it so I picked this up for the 3DS as soon as I could. Still, I understood the version I had was the lesser one as it was also on the then new Nintendo console, the Switch with additional features. As such, I put the game aside to play later. I'll admit, I smiled a bit when this and it's sequels made their way to my choice platform, the PC. So when the dice picked the game, I took a hard look and went to check on the Steam version... and sometimes fate grants you small nice things... like a sale so I could fix the mistake and get the best version of the game dirt cheap. I did, I played, and had so much fun playing it.

Control: Ultimate Edition (PC) Review

If you saw the trailers for this game, you knew this was only a matter of time. How could I resist the twisting world it showed us? Long story short I didn't and I started playing from my backlog a few weeks ago. And while it was intriguing, I am very happy I didn't get it at full price to find out just what the whole thing was about.

Observer (PC) Review

I know there are people who are looking at this game and thinking “FINALLY! A MODERN GAME!” And indeed it is. This game grabbed my attention the moment it launched as it combines some of my favorite things in a nice neat little package. I LOVE horror games and I love cyberpunk worlds. However, this is also a publisher who’s known for less games and more walking simulators, and with the backlog I’m looking at, I decided to wait.

Turns out this was a good choice as the came came in a humble bundle a few months ago, and when the dice picked it as a potential game in the last few hours of the Extra Life marathon, how could I say no?

Crosscode (PC) Review

I have made a point to avoid playing games while they are still in early access. My experience with betas have left me jaded when playing games that are not yet finished. But when I played the demo for this game a few years ago and I was already impressed. So when I saw news that this would be the last update before the game gets to full release, I decided I would take the risk. If they were so close, I figured the main story would probably be finished or close to at the very least. Unfortunately this would not be the case, but with the game getting every close to 1.0, I look forward to returning to finish this adventure.

Star Ocean: The Last Hope (PS3) Review

Here we are. I finally finished playing yet another one of the original 5 games that convinced me to buy a PS3. When I first saw this game, I got a very “Phantasy Star” vibe from it, and being a huge fan of that series, I knew I wanted this game. Fast-forward to about a month ago, I decided it was time to play with the PS3 and having been kinda bummed out by the odds that we would never see Phantasy Star Online 2 officially hit the United States, I came back to this box. It was better then nothing, and I refuse to hack a game to play it when I have so many others to play now, so I wasn’t going to be playing the Japanese PSO2 anytime soon.

I finished the game today, and all I can say is you might want to sit down for this one. What I’m about to say isn’t pretty, but it must be said. While this game really isn’t bad, it definitely isn’t good… and there are a lot of parts to it that downright suck.

Doctor Who: The Eternity Clock (PC) Review

Here is a game that while I was interested as a fan, I wasn’t sure what to expect. I had previously tried a Dr. Who game created directly by the BBC, and to put it mildly, I was unimpressed. But knowing this was both a different kind of game and not one that was released as free promotional material for the TV series, I had some hopes this would prove a lot better then the previous titles. So when it came out, I picked it up, hopes still high. I just finished the title this morning… and I think the Doctor has finally had a descent outing in the gaming world.

Quantum Conundrum (PC) Review

This game and I have a small history. Back during the summer sale this year, I was interested, but not sure I should put my money into it… and then my brother opened up the demo on the 360. I believe he was trying to show me how bad the game was, but what he showed me is an amazing turn of events where I was jumping between flying furniture, dodging lasers and having a blast with it all. I bought the game that afternoon. Now, having just finished it, I am not sure I should have been as excited as I was. Overall it was great but there were issues along the way had I known they existed, I probably would have bought it with a little more “this will be fun” and a little less “HELL YES!” Let’s go over it, shall we?

Transformers: Fall of Cybertron (PC) Review

Once again, the Transformers have it the PC with High Moon Studios picking up the reigns. When this did this with War For Cybertron, they created an amazing game, and the second time anyone on any platform got a descent Transformer game ever. (In case you are wondering, the first was the Trasnformers for PS2… the one made to go with the Armada cartoon.)

Now we have a proper sequel, and it’s time to see if High Moon Studios can do it again. Read on and roll out!

Mass Effect 3 (PC) Review

As of this week, I can finally say I finished Mass Effect 3, the game toated as the first blockbuster title of the year. And while I can not join the angry mob who hated the end of the game, I can explain exactly what I thought of the whole thing. Join me now....