The Toad's Burrow

      I shall be the first to admit that I am a whore for Bethesda Game Studios games. I have way too many hours in both the Fallout  and Elder Scrolls  series by them. So the real question is, how much did I enjoy this game? The truth is less than I should have, and there's a couple reasons for that. Honestly, the short answer is if I hadn't already played this game I would have enjoyed it more, but I already did, and that's ok. I doubt this game would have been as successful if it wasn't already squeezing nostalgia out of any gamer who had their childhood defined by this game. I suppose the main issue was I was not one of those kids, so I have absolutely no nostalgia about this game.     Don't get me wrong, I liked Oblivion  when I first played it, but that was in like 2021, and honestly I've always been a Skyrim  man through and through. I suppose I would have enjoyed it more if the game was an actual remake compared to a remaster, though ...

      Look, I know in recent years, at least online Detroit: Become Human  has a bit of a reputation as a game that's a little too on the nose with its commentary. Look, I get it, it does kind of give off some 2016 liberalish vibe, not to say it's necessarily bad, but I would not call it a little nuanced. All of this to say that I did indeed come into this game with a little bit of a bias, I did chuckle when the first mission you go on with Markus has him wear a sash like a Jewish person in Nazi Germany and then ride the back of the bus like Rosa Parks. Honestly, it does feel like perhaps this society should have been more woke and did need some diversity hires to tell them how bad the optics are. Jokes aside, they quickly faded, because even in spite of the hamfisted themes the game is good and I managed to suspend my disbelief very quickly. I can also gladly say that I finished the game with everyone, sadly I didn't really believe in violence. So how was it all? ...

      I have close to 100 hours on this game, and I can say with confidence that it is certainly an experience. I'd like to give my flowers out now, get it done with before I unceremoniously rip into a mod who's insides are barely being held together by tape as we speak. It truly is a testament to the FOLON team that this mod made it to release, in whatever state it might have been. I truly do mean it as a compliment when i say I don't think I've ever experienced a mod this ambitious, and the environment they created is massively impressive. To me, that is by far the coolest part about this mod, they created this entire detailed setting that transports you to another region, and does so fairly convincingly (as someone who's never been to London of course). I will say this, when you can suspend your disbelief, and find yourself completely immersed within the game it truly is incredible. I remember the first two hours that hooked me into this game, finding myself alon...

       LET ME OUT LET ME OUT LET ME OUT LET ME OUT. I originally started to re-playing all of the games in this series because the Borderlands  movie was finally coming out. I had played Borderlands 1/2 before, but without any of the DLC's, so this time I was hopeful that I'd have more to play for since I now own everything these games have to offer. I absolutely regret playing this game, not because I think the base game itself is bad, but this is an awful, and I mean awful remaster. If you do plan on playing this game I just hope you do it early enough in your life so that the humour still might make you laugh, and frankly just stick with the original if you can. I actually really loved this game as a child, and for the most part I still do, it's just that it's aged terribly, and frankly if you save the DLC for the end, like I do, any and all passion you have for the game will be lost. At this point, all I hope for is that Borderlands 2  hasn't aged as po...

    Look, The Outer Worlds tries, it tries so very hard to be like those Bethesda games you are so familiar with. And it achieves that, to a degree, but after a certain while the allure of playing another  "Bethesda caliber RPG" (for whatever that's worth these days) just rubs off, and you're just left with a story, and a game that doesn't really pull you in as hard as it needs to. I mean I'm not saying the game doesn't try to differentiate itself from the first-person RPG genre, it's just that all of these changes/differences can mostly be ignored, to little effect on gameplay. Also, the game is a lot smaller than you'd think, I mean I only spent about 25 hours of actual time on my save, and judging off of my playtime on Epic Games I'd say I spent about the same amount keeping the game in the background because I went to go do anything more interesting. That's not to say that it's a terrible game for one that's a first iteration, j...

      Look, my opinion on the Saints Row franchise are is not the consensus, which is understandable. In 2024, if you weren't present for when the games came out, or just have a general feeling of nostalgia for the series, there's no good way to appreciate what came before. Saints Row 1  isn't playable on PC without emulation, Saints Row 2 is running on a thread, and Saints Row III is is kind of boring if we're being honest. That being said, I liked Saints Row IV , and probably for the same reasons a lot of people liked the earlier games in the series, nostalgia. This was one of the first games I bought when I first acquired my Steam account, and frankly it shows. I think it's more apt to say that this game is a sandbox that makes references to the Saints Row universe, rather than an actual Saints Row game, but do I really enjoy it still.     I know why people are mad at this game, it's basically the same map from Saints Row III , just this time they don't ...

    I have finally finished Saints Row: The Third , and all I have to ask myself is, why did I play through this all? Look, the game's better than Saints Row 2 , I'll give you that, but considering it's predecessor was liable to crash on me at any moment, it was a miracle I even finished that game (I can't remember if I actually finished the game). I mean this game is fine, sure, but it's pretty much what you'd expect from any sort of open world "GTA-ish" sort of clone, only this one just doesn't take itself as seriously. I think my main issue with this game is that it had a lot of content, but ultimately most of it was useless. Which I suppose is my issue with this game, frankly it's kind of boring.     I mean let's just start with the DLC, which might have been "funny" or cool when the game was first released, but simply fall flat now. Maybe I just hate fun, maybe I just need to go find other games to play or something, One of t...

      When you first hear about The Forgotten City, I don't blame you for being skeptical. Honestly, if it wasn't for the fact that I've heard about the mod for quite some time during my ventures into the Skyrim modding scene I would have never touched it. I mean they call it "an award winning mod turned game", and while a lot of good games started off as mods, this one doesn't exactly look the part to sell you on it. At a first glance I understand why one would be turned off by it, it basically looks like one of those shitty unity asset porn games, and for a game that lasts about eight hours I wouldn't really say it's worth it unless on sale. Nonetheless, I will strive to judge the game on what it is not, but rather what it does, and if you catch it for cheap this game is a small, pleasant bundle of story to sink your teeth into for a day.     Now, the real joy of this game is the story, which is honestly better written than you'd think. I underst...

      Look, my displeasure with the Batman: Arkham  series is well documented, I thought Arkham Asylum  was fine, Arkham City  was better, if not bogged down by an offensive amount of riddler trophies, Arkham Origins Blackgate should have never existed, and that Arkham Origins  was pleasantly fun. When it comes to Batman: Arkham Knight  though, it just feels like my prayers have been answered, it feels like the vision you could see in the original games had finally been actualized, and frankly it felt amazing. Now I understand that this is all with the benefit of hindsight, I remember 9 years ago when I was a child and there was so much controversy surrounding this game and the performance issues that plagued its PC release, but it's safe to say that those are all gone. If you pick up Batman : Arkham Knight  on PC right now, I would argue you're picking up what is easily the best superhero game I've ever played, that easily holds up with any ...

      I have not played a game as begrudgingly and as frustratingly as this one in a while. Plain and simple, this game stinks. I don't even know where to start, should it be the fact that it's a mobile port titled "deluxe edition" yet I can't actually tell what's deluxe about this game? Graphically, it looks terrible, performance wise, if you cannot run this game then you need to get a new computer. Gameplay wise, it feels terrible, technically the "flow-state" combat from the previous games are there but it feels just so much worse. And while on paper, having the game be 2.5D, more of a side-scroller does sound interesting, in practice what you do end up getting is a game that has you contemplate whether or not you should even finish it at every single step. If you were like me, and wanted to play all of the Arkham games, know this. This game is a Batman Arkham game only in name, in every other sense it could just be any other shitty Batman game, a...

      Look, I'll admit it, at first glance when I saw this game I was a bit skeptical. While it absolutely looked right up something my alley: medieval, open-world RPG, and filled with quests, I just never got around to the game, until now. And I have to say, it is so very much worth it, and now I am filled with delight waiting for it's sequel, set to come out at the end of this year. Where do I even start? After 112 hours on this game, I can safely say that this game deserves all the hype it got, and frankly it's impressive that its roots began on kickstarter. If you want a quick rundown of what this game will provide, think of it like Skyrim if it had a real dynamic combat system, and it was much more grounded, in terms of both gameplay and story.     So yes, while technically there is alchemy, and some very questionable moments of magic, expect this game to keep its head very close to the ground when it comes to the actual "fantasy elements" it provides. For ...

      Look, I get it, at this point I've come to accept that maybe the Batman Arkham games aren't for me, but I have to say this one almost kind of impressed me? At first, I was prepared for another slog, after all this game technically isn't even a mainline game, and considering the fact that the graphics seemed a little off then what Iwas used to, I wasn't exactly expecting much from this game. But frankly, I'm impressed. My biggest complaint with the Arkham games is that they felt way too repetitive to get the full experience. And yes, I am referring to the Riddler trophies which I think really killed Arkham City for me. Though, while this game still suffers from that, I can safely say that this might be the most fun I had playing a Batman Arkham game.     Let me explain, for too long, have the boss fights and endings of these games felt anticlimactic. I absolutely hated how Arkham City  ended on the equivalent of a Clayface fight, and I always preferre...

       When I think of Batman: Arkham City , I think of people calling it the greatest superhero video game of all time, or at the very least it's up there. When I play it though, I tend to ask myself the same questions I had when I was playing Arkham Asylum: that's it? That's not to say it was bad, this game was far from that, but in my mind, it's basically a bigger Arkham Asylum, with more riddler trophies to get, and that's basically it. I mean playing as Catwoman was a fun change of pace, but the truth is the game just felt kind of underwhelming for the cult status it had attained.     I think part of the reason is that it's an open-world game, but in practice it's far from that. The story is very linear, and frankly quite short. Don't even get me started on how it finishes. Once again the final fight just leaves you wanting more, and feeling as if the other boss fights were actually better. For those who don't know, the final fight is Clayface, ...

      Look, I am most definitely not the first, and I won't be the last to rave about Batman: Arkham Asylum , from what I remember people looked at Batman: Arkham City  most favourably, but that's just what I remember being a kid, and considering this game was released almost 15 years ago, it holds up remarkably well. In fact, if I had to complain about this game there's only one real thing I feel like is slightly holding it back, other than the fact that it feels relatively short, combat. That I will touch upon later, but right now I think it's prudent that I continue to give this game the flowers it deserves almost 15 years later, because from what I've seen from other superhero games, having a success like this isn't given.     First of all, it's clear it's a bundle of love, look for some open-world games, I'm looking at you Bethesda, it's not a given that it'll be relatively bug-free, but with this game the map might be smaller but you ca...

      The truth is, this game is just not that good. It's not why you think though. For once in a Telltale game, your choices actually matter, the fact that episode five changes dramatically depending on what you do is a nice touch, the only issue is that to achieve this, the game makes you jump through many hoops. And it all centers on one person, one man, John Doe, otherwise known as the Joker, the man of the hour for this show, and how the game treats him. It's weird actually, because I would say that the story of this game is pretty good, other than all of the Joker being a hero stuff.      One aspect of last season that I actually enjoyed was the new spin on classic Batman villains. I mean with the emphasis on Harley Quinn over the years, it was nice to actually see the roles reversed, where she was assertive, and in charge. That in spite of the fact that Bane and Mr. Freeze actually have powers Quinn still manages to keep them in line. Can you imagine...

      I have played many a game developed by the legendary Telltale Studios. I mean some of the first reviews I did for this blog were about The Walking Dead , the series that put Telltale games on the maps, showcasing their ability to put compelling stories, with characters people actually cared about, and choices that felt like they mattered. This reputation, however deserved it might be, has sadly not stuck around, and nowadays if you ask people what their opinion on Telltale Games is they'll probably say that the choices don't really matter, everything feels much more shoddy, and the story seems to have more holes in them the longer it goes on.      That's not to say that I didn't enjoy this game, as a big fan of DC comics, and someone who's getting back into comic books this game was a welcome addition to my library, but some aspects of it do leave you scratching your head. Most specifically, the villain of this series, Lady Arkham, Vicki Vale, yes tha...

      Look, I've played some buggy games before. I've suffered through Fallout: New Vegas  and it's consistent crashing every 30 minutes, but at the very least the game had a world that I could explore for the rest of my life. I've played Pokemon Scarlet and Violet  but at least I had nostalgia to justify playing the ugliest most unoptimized game I've ever seen. I've even played done completionist runs of literal porn games, curious to see how long it'd take to do them and if it would be worth it. But I will not mince words when I say I tried to finish this games story as quickly as possible, and uninstalled it just as quickly.     My experience with the Saints Row series is exclusively playing Saints Row 4  as a child. Was it on the lowest settings? Of course. Do I remember anything about it considering I was 12? Of course not. Was I still excited to finally play the games in this series that brought me joy as one of the first games I bought? Of ...