(This will be a short summary) Maybe I put a (READ MORE) link or something at the end? Or maybe behind the summary arrows? Since each blog thing would be a seperate HTML document, I could try to revive the old review concept and have each page themed slightly towards the topic.
After being pressured to get the game practically day 1 by my friend group, what seemed like a open world puzzle exploration game quickly turned into tedium and an unrewarding time-sink.
(points: Big Walk designs moments of talking i.e the wait room where other games natrually foster it through the standard gameplay loops.
-The walks themselves are uninteresting; the map is boring, and night is a great hinderence; lots of backtracking.
-There are alot of non-puzzles that require people to stay behind and remain idle & alone until everyone else is in position.
-Inventory management is a mess, smaller groups have less QOL items (lights, radio, etc) or even essential items (puzzle reward) but i imagine while larger groups will have access to more items, more people will have no puzzle related tasks, basically reduced to pack rats.
-The transport options are pretty bare bones and slow.
-There are no side activities to add to the experience or make the world feel more alive. Why not have drawing whiteboards; a polorioid camera to take photos and put onto a board or scrapbook, heck even decorative items you can find and add to spawn; literally anything to enrich the experience.
-There's also this tower towards the end of the game; it seems like a big missed opprotunity to not have an endless tower puzzle gauntlet; so you can do the fun part without the tedium of having to start a new game and slowly walk across the island.)
Neofeud 1's social work perspective led me to conclude that its weakest elements came from a place of grounded earnesty; but now Neofeud 2 has made me reconsider. From a constant barrage of political soapboxes, worldbuilding that dilutes its messaging, extremely poor taste racial depictions that feel borderline hateful, and the appropriation of real life people and events, turns what should be leftist into a contempt filled satire that makes it feel more centerist than anything.
(I never cared for MOBAs but Deadlock has been the exception. Fun characters, third person shooting, and a satisfying gameloop.)
(Accessible B-hopping, with more movement techs unlocked as you play, great humor, and a fantastic aestethic; what more can you ask for?)
(As someone who struggles with horror, VOTV is one of the few games I've persisted through because its gameplay loop is so open and engaging. There's also a fine balance between its silly and scary elements; though it seems like with recent update there may be a shift in tone soon. This will be a big writeup maybe I should wait until the next major update?)
(Just looking back on my childhood, complaining about my many conflicts with gamestop. Including having to sell games at like 10% of their value, the hateful manager at our local location, etc.)
(As a curator, I play lots of games. sometimes games I've spoken positively about end up revealing AI usage after EA peroids, or just seemingly randomly. As someone who is trying to resist gen AI; this leaves me in an awkward position. The technology is clearly more accessible than ever, so we must have hit a point of no return; so the question is, where is the line drawn. What is acceptable usage?)