Liverpool 2-0 Everton – Liverpool Return to Winning Ways Amidst Further Referee Drama – By Nathan Brennan

Getting back into consistent writing is difficult, and as I work on more hardened projects, I thought it’d be beneficial to write about sport again, football specifically. Liverpool and Ireland are the teams I support, although I am also a follower of Bordeaux in Ligue 2, and a general watcher of the sport at all levels. To get back into the swing of things, here is what I thought of Liverpool’s ____ against Everton. 

In the build-up to the game a lot of the talk around the game has been centered around the idea of the derby, with Liverpool ending their last game on a few rocky results, and Everton finally finding their feet in the league after a dire start. It did not help that Liverpool’s injuries have started to crop up again, with Everton’s beginning to return, as Andy Robertson picked up a shoulder injury whilst on Scotland duty, and who will be out for a significant period of time. That being said, Liverpool were still heavy favourites heading into the fixture.

The Back-Line

As mentioned, the loss of Andy Robertson cannot be understated, with him remaining to this day, the best in his position in the world, and with Tsimikas, his replacement for the time being, proving in recent months that he isn’t really up to the standard that Liverpool need consistently in the left-back position. In the first-half, it was proven time and time again that Tsimikas would look more in-place in an Everton-level squad than Liverpool’s, being lethargic on the ball and constantly misplacing his positioning and passes. It did not help that his left-hand side partner was Luis Diaz, who is definitely a fantastic player on his day, but has been caught in a bad run of form, compounded by his performance today as he struggled to get the better of any man he took on, and once again highlighted how poor his final decision making can be. 

I think in terms of future games, the answer whilst Robertson remains injured should be Jota on the left, with Nunez down the middle, to solve the Diaz issue, with Gomez as the left sided centre-back in a back three, allowing Trent to be played even-more-so in that dynamic midfield role that worked so well toward the end of the 2022/2023 season.

The New-Look Midfield Debuts –

A lot of talk has been said in regard to Liverpool’s midfield over the last 18 months, and the response to that talk has been the complete overhaul of Liverpool’s midfield options. Mac Allister came in from Brighton and has since been utilised in an out-of-place defensive midfield role after the club failed to address the issues in that position, Szoboszlai has come in as the most advanced of the midfield options and has looked at home in this team instantly, and Gravenberch arrived on deadline day and has impressed in cameo appearances for the most-part. 

Today against Everton was the first time that all three of these midfield options started a game together. Mac Allister continued to look out of place in the defensive role, having minimal effect on the game, whilst Szoboszlai looked an immense threat from the attacking position, coming close to scoring on several occasions, and Gravenberch was probably the most surprising of the lot, as he threw me shades of a prime Pogba, which, I understand it is still early days, but I make the comparison nonetheless as he strided with the ball, used his strength to shield, and had that gliding first-touch that Pogba once had to create space in tight areas. There is definitely more to come from Gravenberch in particular. 

Refereeing Decisions –

Of course the biggest talking points from the game once again fall the way of the referee. Just to state, yes, Ashley Young deserved to be sent off for his two challenges, but at the same time, the decision to not keep Konate on the pitch, particularly after Young’s sending off, makes absolutely zero sense and stinks of favouritism in some form or another. If Young’s challenges were worth two yellows, then so were Konate’s, and Everton had been more than hard done by in that sense of the game.

Elsewhere, in terms of the penalty, on commentary for TNTSports, Ally McCoist made a good point in regard to the handball rule, that it needs to be altered to be solely penalised with the intention of handling the ball. However, under current ruling, it was a clear handball and a clear penalty.

Team Ratings – Liverpool

Alisson Becker – 6.5/10 – Had pretty much nothing to do all game thanks to Everton’s ten-man situation and lack of attacking prowess but still did his job correctly when needed and obtained his fourth Merseyside Derby clean sheet in a row, a record only ever achieved by former Liverpool goalkeeper Ray Clemence.

Trent Alexander-Arnold – 7/10 – Held the pace of the game well from midfield.

Ibrahima Konate – 8/10 – Yes, he and Virgil did not have much to do given Everton’s red card, but they still dominated aerially and on the ground.

Virgil van Dijk – 8/10 – Same points as Konate.

Kostas Tsimikas – 5/10 – Wasn’t abysmal, but even in favouring circumstances looked well off the standard to be a consistent starter in this Liverpool team.

Alexis Mac Allister – 5.5/10 – Looked out of the game in the defensive role once again, clearly not his best position.

Ryan Gravenberch – 7.5/10 – Before being substituted, I thought he gave visuals of a prime Pogba in the way he pushed forward with the ball when attacking and shielded with his body when defending, definitely more to come from this young man.

Dominik Szoboszlai – 7/10 – Definitely looked more lively in the first-hand than in the second, that being said, once again looks ready made for the Premier League.

Mohamed Salah – 7/10 – Despite two goals, I thought Salah looked distant in this game today, rarely made an impact outside of the two goals.

Diogo Jota – 7/10 – Almost scored a few goals from incredible solo runs, and definitely should have got on the scoresheet today, would give him a run out on the left side of the attack in future games.

Luis Diaz – 4.5/10 – Put a shift in but his final decision making was so far off the mark.

Substitutions – Nunez (6/10), Elliott (7/10), Matip (6.5/10), Gomez (7/10)

Team Ratings – Everton

Jordan Pickford – 7/10 – Definitely should have had more control of his box but made a few excellent saves.

Ashley Young – N/A – Thought he played well and made a crucial tackle before being sent off but cannot give him a rating given that he was sent off in the first-half.

James Tarkowski – 7.5/10 – Excellent defensive performance all round.

Jarrad Branthwaite – 8.5/10 – One of the best players on the pitch and went toe to toe with every player he came up against. Definitely one of the brightest prospects in the Premier League.

Vitaley Mykolenko – 6.5/10 – A decent performance.

Jack Harrison – 6/10 – There isn’t much to say about Everton’s attackers given the circumstances they were playing under.

Andre Onana – 8/10 – An immense defensive display and saved his team on several occasions.

Gana Gueye – 6.5/10 – Put a shift in.

Dwight McNeil – 6.5/10 – Came close to scoring despite the few chances he had, and caused issues where possible.

Dominic Calvert-Lewin – 5.5/10 – Of course he is still getting up to speed, but he really should have done better with that headed chance he had in the opening seconds of the game.

Substitutions – Patterson (N/A), Keane (5/10), Danjuma (N/A), Beto (N/A), Chermiti (N/A).

2022

After taking an extended hiatus from writing in the last year, I’ve kind of come back around to realise that this is what I will always default back toward. I’ve never really done a reflection upon the years of my life, but I do feel that now would be a pretty good time to start doing something of this ilk given my circumstances in the last month. I am in a negative headspace for the most part right now, though I will aim to write this with the goal of being completely unbiased when reflecting upon the events and emotions I have experienced in 2022. So, let’s try to start and end on a positive and realistic note.

This year started confusingly. I almost cannot even remember or reflect upon what happened/what I felt in those first few months of 2022. I felt like I had experiences with ex partners, which left me feeling very distrustful and broken, but gave me a valuable experience of learning my own self-worth and realising that out of the two of us in that relationship, that I was the one who learned and grew from it, whilst she didn’t. Despite the anguish I felt at the way that ended, I learned from it. However, not immediately. I then went on a multitude of empty experiences, doing things hoping to find an answer, a moment of pleasure, with no real goal in sight, and this ultimately left me feeling pretty hollow and defeated entering the beginning of the second-half of 2022. The one thing I feel I did have at this period was a solid idea of who I should consider genuine friends that I would be willing to go above and beyond for, and those who are not here to stay, and that’s okay.

Approaching May/June, I still felt that this massive hole in myself was missing. I suppose this is a common trend in my life, that I need someone else to care about, something bigger than myself as an individual, someone to share my experiences with, both good and bad. I didn’t have that at the time, and again, felt very unsure of whether I’d have it in me to trust someone to that capacity again. However, come May, I took the leap of faith and approached someone. What ensued was some of the most wholesome, loving and magical months of my life. I didn’t even have to hesitate when it came to fully trusting and committing to this person, regardless of my past, I felt I’d be crazy not to. However, perfection is unachievable for anything and everyone in this life, and I am not different.

Despite the seemingly perfect scenario of my circumstances, I did have a realisation this year of how much my past traumas are going to impact me going forward. I hindered that seemingly perfect relationship with feelings of fear, anxiety, insecurity and a need of reassurance, and no matter how much I tried, I felt there was nothing I could do to fix it, despite knowing how delusional my thoughts were. That being said, eventually those emotions just vanished, not entirely, but to a controllable level. However, by then, the damage had been done in many ways, and she began to spiral in herself despite my healing. It ended. All of the memories, talking non-stop everyday, plans of the future together, things we’d booked and paid for like holidays, gone in an instant, and never returning. I’ve experienced heartbreak before, the tragedy of being hurt, but never like this. I still don’t think I fully have the words to explain how I felt, I still cannot fully process what had occured, or why she left the way she did, with no real explaination, treating me worse than she did people who had genuinely hurt her in the past. I never got the closure I needed, and it tore me apart, it still does.

If anything, I have learned from the end of this year that no matter what, your emotions will deceive you. You are in the life alone, and you may choose to share it with someone else, but at the end of the day, all you ever truly have is yourself. That works in both a positive and a negative sense. Nobody is going to be able to lift you up, they may help, but they cannot do it for you. This goes the same way that nobody is ever going to entirely put you before themselves, even if you were to do that for them, and they’ll drop you instantly if they have to, with no regard for how you’ll feel or recover. I feel this year, I have experienced both sides of life at max level. I have felt highs, excitement, love, happiness, fulfillment, pleasure, all at the highest I have ever felt it. Whilst at the same time, I have experienced the lows of life at the lowest I have ever felt it, with isolation, sadness, betrayal, sickness, anxiety, worthlessness, uncertainty, and fear. It is hard to come out of 2022 and not focus on these extreme negative emotions I have felt and am currently still feeling in many ways. It is hard to see how to move on from this year, and where life will take me going forward. However, all I know is that there is no easy way out. Life keeps going no matter what, and in some ways, that is good, and in others, it is relentlessly fast-paced and unforgiving. It is down to me and me alone to keep up with the pace or fall even further behind.

Pokemon Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl – Review

For almost two decades, I, and many other Pokemon fans have waited eagerly for the most anticipated Pokemon game of all-time. The fabled ‘Sinnoh Remakes’ have long been a meme in the Pokemon community, and it wasn’t until the approach of the 25th Anniversary of the franchise that they may have seemed truly possible. Well, they released, and I played them. Thus, here is my review of Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl.

Pre-Release Beliefs and Expectations –

I think it is important to take into account just how high the expectations were for Sinnoh Remakes before giving a review of what I thought of the games. Now, in fairness, it is not unusual for Pokemon fans to set their expectations a bit too high, but at the same time, it isn’t unusual for the series to deliver sub-par experiences as of recent. I cannot speak for everyone, but personally, I felt that a truly next-generation experience of Sinnoh is what I always wanted. Did BDSP deliver on this concept? Not in the slightest, almost nothing that I expected in my wish-list for the games that I wrote last year came through. However, that isn’t to say all hope is lost, as Legends: Arceus seems to have delivered upon the potential I was imagining (more on that in the future).

Story –

The story of BDSP follows the exact same lines as the original games, with it being an almost 1 to 1 remake of the original Diamond and Pearl. I do wish there were some changes to the general story, however, I cannot really complain, as Diamond and Pearl is one of the best Pokemon adventures to run through in my opinion. I guess in a sense you can say that you shouldn’t fix what isn’t broken. That is certainly what Ilca went with here, as the story remains completely the same.

Art-Style & Graphics –

One of the biggest controversies surrounding almost every 3D Pokemon game these days seems to be the art style that is used for each game. The moment in which the reveal of the style used for BDSP was shown will forever go down in history as one of the biggest collective groans in Pokemon history. Now, the art-style isn’t bad by any means, but in my personal opinion, it just doesn’t work. It gives off the impression of a cheap app-store game in many areas. I was not a fan of the decision to revert back to a chibi style.

That being said, despite disliking this decision and finding the game unpleasant visually for the most part, there are times where the game’s visuals really do shine. One of these moments particularly shines through when you go to the lake with Barry at the beginning of the game. The water, music and general aesthetic gives off a vibrant and lively feel. It is just a shame that this quality doesn’t remain consistent throughout Sinnoh.

Pokemon Themselves –

Sinnoh has long been hounded for lacking choice in a variety of areas. In the original Diamond and Pearl, there were two fire-type Pokemon available. Thankfully, this oversight has been addressed in BDSP. That being said, choosing my team members never feels meaningful in modern Pokemon games thanks to the inability to turn off the collective gain of experience. Why does strategy matter in building my team and its members when realistically they are all going to be over levelled in comparison to my opponents anyways. For a few years now my thought process regarding choosing my team members has shrank smaller and smaller This depletion of meaning leaks over into the battles in recent Pokemon games, which will be my next point of discussion.

Battles Losing Meaning –

As well as choosing your Pokemon strategically losing its meaning as of recent, the battles themselves are also losing all meaning. Teaching your Pokemon specific moves, or getting them specific traits and abilities, all holds quite literally ZERO meaning in BDSP especially. I found myself only running into battles because it has been ingrained in my since I was a child. But, if I was honest, battles in BDSP are nothing but button mashing fests that are completely empty and hold zero meaning whatsoever. This is extremely detrimental to the experience of the game when the entire concept of Pokemon being enjoyable is built upon choosing your teams and excessive battles. Unfortunately I cannot see this changing, as Pokemon as a game franchise remains hellbent on keeping the collective and permanent EXP Share on at all-times.

Pokemon Following You –

Now that my major gripes with BDSP are out of the way, I will actually speak on a positive. Pokemon following you has been added back. This is a great feature that needs to be permanent throughout every single Pokemon game. It shouldn’t even be a question fans have whether Pokemon following you will or will not be in each Pokemon game before release. Unfortunately, I don’t see it remaining a permanent feature, as history shows that these games follow a trend of removing and adding back the same features over and over, much like how annual sports games do.

Underground –

The underground is nice to see return, and building bases can be quite fun. However, that being said, the new rooms of Pokemon do feel quite pointless. They are essentially just Let’s Go rooms, and serve little purpose beyond seeing some special rare Pokemon. But, it is something different that they didn’t have to add I suppose, and for that reason, it is a welcome addition.

Missing Online Features –

The former GTS building (not sure what it’s been renamed to in BDSP), along with union rooms not holding the advertised amount of people from the trailer are all things missing from the game at launch. Despite now being added, it is too little too late, and the game feels effectively dead since the release of PLA and the announcement of Pokemon Scarlet and Violet.

Lack of New Additions/Old Events –

I know these games are meant to be 1 to 1 remakes, and I know the events were added in the end, however, let us not beat around the bush, this is the fastest a Pokemon game has ever died out. Adding these events in 2022 effectively made them meaningless and they should have been in the game from the beginning, just like the missing online features.

The Bare Minimum Once Again –

Unfortunately these games are just another show of Pokemon settling for literally the absolute bare minimum and the lowest acceptable standard possible. These games were the most anticipated Pokemon games of my life-time on a personal level. Yet, if I am honest, they are the ones that have killed my spark for the series. It was the first time that I had to force myself to finish the main story of a Pokemon game, which is upsetting. It was a complete slog, and by far the worst and most unenjoyable experience I’ve ever had playing through a Pokemon game.

Thankfully, Legends: Arceus released, and that addressed a lot of issues I have with modern-day Pokemon, and with Pokemon Scarlet and Violet on the horizon, things seem to only be on the up from here. That being said, BDSP are Pokemon games to forget. I have been tame in my criticism I feel, but these games are not even worth half the price they go for. I would be more angry in my tone, but these games have almost zero effort put into them, so that’s about as much time and effort I am willing to give them in my review.

Final Rating – 4.5/10

Crash Twinsanity – Retrospective

I am back to writing. Apologies, I have had a cheeky mental breakdown for a few months there. Nonetheless, it is appropriate to mark my return with a mental breakdown of a Crash game, Crash Twinsanity.

After a rocky start to the PS2 era for Crash Bandicoot with Wrath of Cortex, next up was a new approach to the genre of game that Crash had perfected in its first three entries. Crash Twinsanity is a game that divides opinion. With its back story being very well known by now, I sat down to finish this game, and give my genuine opinion on what I thought of the experience.

Story –

Crash Twinsanity does try to have more of a story approach than previous games. Cut scenes are aplenty and there is far more dialogue. I thought that Twinsanity had moments that were peaks for the Crash series at the time in terms of story. The concept into Cortex’s time at the Academy of Evil, amongst his treatment of Victor and Moritz, are some of the most interesting expansions in the series. That being said, the story is still not anything to blow you away. However, I do not feel that is all too important in a Crash game personally.

(Source: Crash Mania)

Character Portrayal –

Crash games had been introducing a variety of modifications to character appearance and portrayal in the years leading up to Twinsanity. Crash himself remains largely the same, so no complaints there. Other notable characters such as Aku Aku, N’ Brio and N’ Tropy almost have zero bearing on the game despite their presence. They never really feel relevant. This could be said about every character that is not Cortex and Crash. Even characters such as Nina, who play crucial roles near the end of the game, do not even speak a single word. It was odd.

Speaking of Cortex, I feel this was a game where his character excelled. A look into his past, as well as plenty of funny and iconic lines, make this one of his more memorable portrayals. I especially loved the line of ‘Wrath of Cortex hadn’t done as well as we would have hoped’ and ‘there was supposed to be two dimensions but we ran out of time’. Meta quotes like this are in line with the humour of a Crash game, although admittedly the meaning behind them doesn’t hold well to Twinsanity as a game.

‘Open-World’ –

As mentioned earlier, this was the first time that Crash had moved into a new genre of gameplay. Obviously, at its core, Twinsanity remains largely the same as the original formula, that being, smashing crates and platforming. However, Twinsanity does have more of an ‘open-world’ feel to it. This would become a trend for the remaining titles that would release on the PS2 for Crash. Although it does feel odd, I would not necessarily say it failed as a new turn in ideas, and would genuinely love to see what a new Crash game in this style could accomplish if given the resources and polish of what Crash 4: It’s About Time got.

Length –

I am not one to complain about length in video games. No game has to meet a certain threshold in terms of hours for it to feel worth my time. However, that being said, Twinsanity kind of is ridiculous in terms of length. If we ignore glitches that allow the game to be beaten in minutes, it will take the average person five hours to finish the game. It took me just over four hours to finish the main story and collect 75% of collectables and other items of interest. This is due to cut content or lack of time, which was noted in the literal script of the game itself, but that doesn’t excuse the lack of content here as a package. It was still a full-priced product when it was released despite the knowledge of rushing and cut content.

Glitches, Cut-Aspects –

This is where the game is inexcusable. I do not think I have played a game where this many glitches occur naturally throughout a playthrough. There are compilations of glitches for this game, that is how many bugs crop up throughout.

Off the top of my head, I can note missing sound effects throughout many large portions of the game, making it feel incredibly awkward. Missing or extremely quiet music, this was the case particularly for the first skiing mission upon Cortex. Elsewhere there are glitches where Crash just floats along the ground, rather than moving any of his limbs, or when Evil Crash chase mission, Evil Crash would endlessly twirl in place and fail to even chase after Cortex every single time without fail.

These are just some of the bugs I encountered, there are quite literally hundreds more that not just myself, but other players have encountered. This game was released in an unfinished state, and that is inexcusable despite the common trend of modern games releasing in unfinished states.

Conclusion –

Crash Twinsanity was an okay time. There is so much potential here that it almost hurts the game, even more, to see where it all went wrong. I can acknowledge the new approach and even embrace it in many instances. I think Twinsanity is truly the first time Crash hit a low point. This game is buggy, unfinished, and just a genuine waste of potential. This is not the fault of the developers if their crunch and time schedule is to be believed, but that still does not make it okay.

Final Rating – 5/10

Longing

They say it is better to have love and lost than to have never loved at all. I say the opposite.

Years prior to having genuinely loved someone, I was content with the concept that it is me. I am the only one in my life who is truly on my side no matter what. Upon meeting someone who I shared that instant bond with, someone who just ignited every single positive emotion within me, I began to realised that life is only worth living as a shared experience. For years, I committed wholely to one person, and they did to me, and this made me feel full, complete, and utterly content that no matter what, it was going to be okay.

In contrast, upon spending five years with one person, and giving them everything I had to give emotionally and mentally, to see them leave broke me. At the time I didn’t know how to react, I still don’t. I went into a complete state of shock, almost grieving that the one person who swore to always be there, and had been, was now gone, and there was nothing I could do about it. Now, I still find memories of those times in everything I do, and it paralyses me.

The timeline of my recovery is all the more confusing than the actual situation itself. I don’t know if I am even recovering or not. I went through months where suicide felt like the only option, as I felt anger, hatred and sadness for everything. I then progressed into optimism, seeing the beauty in putting myself out there and trying to move toward a future where I could be my best self, as an individual. Then, recently, it all fell away. I don’t feel angry, I don’t feel like I am grieving, I just feel two emotions at their height, and that is numbness to the world around me, and immense and sudden outbursts of sadness. I can go from sitting in my room, ignoring my surroundings, to feeling one sensory reaction to something surrounding me, and in that moment, it hits me. I often have incredibly terrifying panic attacks when alone, where I feel as though my lungs are climbing out of my chest. I often break down into fits of tears, where it can go on for hours.

I do not know what I miss, what I am sad over. I don’t know what I want. I know nothing can ever be the way it was, that is the only certainty. If I had to hazard a guess, I would assume my sadness stems from a lack of trust, a lack of self-confidence, a lack of having someone who genuinely loves me, and the fear that I am broken and thus cannot allow myself to truly love anybody again, or even if I did feel affection for someone, I would have no idea how to display it, or whether I would even be able out of fear of rejection or it ‘not working out’. All I know is that without this longing being filled, I am completely disenchanted with life, I feel no connection toward it, and feel completely indifferent as to whether it continues or ends.

There is no meaning to this post. I once again am speaking my mind in an attempt to keep myself alive. I am longing for something with someone, I don’t know what, and I don’t know with who, or whether I will ever be able to find this person, as I truly don’t think they exist.

Admission

Anyone who knows me knows that the last thing I want is people to know my personal business. Yes, I have had moments in which I’ve shared too much, in these moments I was not thinking rationally. Even now, I don’t think I’m thinking fully rationally about all this, but I cannot sit and go over it in my head by myself any longer. I am essentially writing this purely to have the ability to vent out my thoughts right now, as they are building, and I am not sure where to turn. This is my way of coping, and I feel like bottling up past issues has caused me problems in the present, so I am airing everything out.

Two months ago, and only two people and my family know this, I nearly died. It was the first true time I’ve made an attempt on my life. At the time, I had finished a 5-year relationship, in which, the last few months I had been told some awful things by the person I thought was supposed to care about me. Being told you’re ‘never going to be loved by anybody ever again’, or how your anxiety attacks are ‘ruining their life’ whilst you are crying so hard you can barely breath, it has taken its toll. This is only the lightest things I feel comfortable mentioning.

As for the attempt, it was the worst day of my life. The worst feeling imaginable. It still haunts me, and I can remember every single moment of the day down to the smell of the air. I essentially woke up, and like most days at the time, felt I was not worthy of living another day. Except this time, I took the steps to actually leave my house and end it. I sat at the edge of a river for a total of nine hours, crying, completely alone with my thoughts, waiting to end my life. Every second I felt like it could happen, until it did, and I wish not to expand further on the moments in which the situation climaxed. Essentially, I was eventually brought to the guards, kept in a waiting room for four hours, only to be asked by a doctor if I was ‘planning any murderous thoughts upon others’ in the same day where I tried to end myself.

After this event, I lost 12kg over the following weeks, I could not eat. Even now, I struggle to eat consistently throughout the day. I could not even leave the room; I had felt my life was literally just passing me by every single day. It did not help that at this time, I had no friends. I had spent two years online in college, so I had zero opportunity to get to know people. Even when I did get the chance to interact, my chest would seize up, my entire anatomy would tighten to the point where I physically could not get any words out.

Eventually, I forced myself. I decided if I did not begin to hype myself up and force myself to go outside my comfort zone, I would end up dead. Thus, in September and October, I forced myself to speak to everyone I possibly could, go to everything I possibly could, and it worked out great. I felt accomplished for the first time in so long, and that I finally deserved to be alive.

That being said, the rise is only as high as the fall is low. All it took was one trigger to plummet me back to rock bottom, and that is how I have felt these last two days in particular. I fear losing everything I spent all my energy trying to accomplish. The fear of ending up alone again with nobody to turn to makes me physically sick. I feel insignificant, as though my presence in this world would not be missed, nor is it wanted. The worry of having no friends, nobody who values my life is something that is embarrassingly upsetting to me, as I know I should rely on myself to find value, and I did, but in these low moments, all self-value is missing. When I am not talking to someone, I sit alone in my thoughts, completely paralysed wondering why I am still going.

I don’t know what the point of this is, truly. I just wanted to get my thoughts out there. I am not okay, and I continue to fall and feel more and more meaningless as a person day by day.

Bioshock: Infinite – Review

Having played both previous Bioshock games, it is fair to see my experience has been a mixed bag. However, Bioshock: Infinite has always been the one game of the three that has piqued my interest the most. This is due to the conversations surrounding it of people either adoring or hating it. As well as this, the massive stray in atmospheric tone was something that I was very keen to experience. So, here is what I thought of Bioshock: Infinite.

Story –

Bioshock: Infinite managed to do the impossible and not only matched the incredible story of the original game but also bettered it. Like the first game, Bioshock: Infinite creates characters that feel they have a genuine impact on the situations of the game. As well as this, it’s full of twists and turns around every single corner.

I didn’t think any video game twist could match that of the ‘would you kindly?’ moment of the first game. That said, Bioshock: Infinite’s ending, revealing that you are the father of Elizabeth, and also explaining the premise of never-ending worlds and scenarios, left me speechless. It left me with the feeling that only the best games leave me with, that being the feeling of emptiness. Upon finishing Infinite, I took a break from gaming, as I knew nothing could match what I’d experienced for a while. I needed time to take it all in. It was a phenomenal experience was capped off perfectly.

Characters –

Bioshock has always managed to create iconic characters. Yet, especially in the second game, characters are often left in the background. This leads to them playing little physical role throughout the story. This was far from the case in Infinite.

For once, your character is audibly present. You play as Booker DeWitt, voiced by the iconic Troy Baker. Booker is fleshed out as a person. His morals and reasoning are always being questioned throughout large portions of the game, only for it all to make sense in the end. Although generic in appearance, he is far from generic in his characteristics. Other characters that supplement the protagonist are also huge plays on the way the story pans out. Elizabeth is ever-present. She is constantly offering an opposing viewpoint to Booker’s morals and feelings. There are also side characters that physically have a presence but do not play a consistent role, such as the Lutece Twins or Songbird.

Lastly, there is the main villain. The main villain in Bioshock games is always the character on which the world and story build their foundations upon. Comstock for me regains the iconic status of villains like Atlas (Ryan). This is despite not being visually present for the majority of the game. This is due to the world Comstock has created constantly reminding you of his presence, even when he is not physically there.

Columbia –

The world of Columbia is a vast change in atmosphere and visual representation from that of Rapture. This was something I had been calling out for after the second game. I felt Bioshock 2 had hit a point where the game no longer felt as impactful due to the repeated world of Rapture Bioshock: Infinite addresses this perfectly by straying from what the series had become known for, whilst still including dark moments that remind us of Bioshock’s roots.

Infinite gives birth to a completely bold and new world. Columbia offers a new experience and message. Every single aspect of its scenery and messaging lands perfectly. For me it wasn’t just the best world of the Bioshock series, it was one of the most immersive video game worlds I have ever experienced.

Visuals –

Despite not being visually incredible, Bioshock: Infinite is still easily the best looking game in the series. This is due to the change in tone of the game, once again. The brightness and lighting allow for a more colourful and vivid world to look at. I suppose being a come from early 2013, it is impressive for its time, although there was definitely better-looking games at the time too.

Game-Play –

In many ways, Bioshock’s general game-play has never felt smoother. Gun-play is as precise as it has ever been in a Bioshock game. But, I felt that this could be somewhat of a complaint as Infinite feels more like a generic shooter than the first two games did.

In other areas of game-play such as navigation and customisation, navigation was handled poorly. The navigation arrow is no longer a permanent fixation. Instead, needs to be pressed every few seconds to display the correct path again. Infinite tries to be seen as a game that promotes arranging some sort of class set-up system, but really, I never customised any of my gear whatsoever. It felt as if it had zero bearings on how easy or difficult the game was. As a side note, I found the audio of the game to be odd on many occasions. This was particularly evident with voices being so much quieter than any other auditory aspect of the game.

Generally though Bioshock’s game-play is smoother than ever. Although there are many areas in which could be seen as a double-ended dagger, straying too far from what Bioshock was originally.

Music –

There are songs in Bioshock: Infinite that set the tone perfectly. One of the most memorable moments in the game is arriving at Shantytown and walking past two homeless, poverty-stricken children. The girl is singing Shake Sugaree, and for about five minutes I did nothing but stand there and listen to her sing.

As well as this, one of my favourite tracks used in a game of all time has to be Will the Circle be Unbroken. This song is used at the start of the game in some ways, and the minute I heard it, I knew this game was going to be something else. Every time it’s used, it invokes something inside me as the player. It is as if it adds meaning to anything around you.

Binding a Story Together Through an Ending –

An ending to a story-driven narrative is so vital. It is the foundation that can cap off or destroy an experience. There have been so many occasions for me in which I adored something, only for the narrative to be spoiled due to a disappointing ending. Bioshock: Infinite avoids this completely. It caps off with a heart-stopping and exciting ending, with twists at every corner. It was captivating, enthralling, and come the end, left me speechless. So much so that I booked a tattoo to commemorate my experience almost immediately after finishing the story.

Conclusion –

Bioshock: Infinite is the game I have been looking for. After getting sick of the repeated surrounding of Rapture, Infinite takes a bold step in a new direction. It tries something completely different whilst still retaining many elements of the original game. Bioshock: Infinite is a rollercoaster, and a story-telling masterpiece, and truly one of the best and most exciting games I have ever had the joy of finishing.

Final Score – 9/10

Bioshock 2 – Review

After the incredible experience that was my delayed time with Bioshock 1, I decided that moving onto its sequel, Bioshock 2 was an order. Sequels are notorious for not living up to their predecessor, and given how revolutionary Bioshock 1 was for me, I was excited to see if its sequel managed to better it somehow. Nonetheless, here is what I thought about Bioshock 2.

Story –

Although captivating, I thought Bioshock 2’s story was a lot less… enthralling than that of the first game. Bioshock 2 follows similar story-bases as Bioshock 1, with a cast of characters that are rarely seen yet play vital roles throughout. Personally I thought that one of the main reasons I could not really get into the story of Bioshock 2 was for large portions, I never really understood what was happening. Still, I do not know why I was a Big Daddy, or why I was supposed to actually care about Sofia or Eleanor in the end? It lacked the real ‘wow’ moment that came from the first game when you find out you’ve been tricked throughout your entire journey by Atlas.

(Source: Shadow of Theta)

That all being said, it was still interesting, and I never really thought of it as a slog to get through, making it to the end regardless. It is just, when I finished the experience, I was kind of left with no real impact or satisfaction from what I had experienced.

World Premise & Characters –

Bioshock 2 follows a lot of the similar patterns of the first game, however it lacks the first time impressions left from your first visit to Rapture. It also lacks that kick that the cast of characters from the first game left upon you as the player, with Eleanor Lamb not really having the same footprint as Atlas. The setting and characters are still okay, but as is the case with most sequels in gaming, they do not feel like they leave the same impact as the original title. I really cannot understate how a nearly identical world and atmosphere impacts this.

Game-Play –

Bioshock 2 is the same as Bioshock 1 in terms of game-play. It has everything you’d come to expect, such as plasmid and gun-play in a horror/dystopian setting. However, there is one major difference, that being that you are now a Big Daddy.

Being a Big Daddy in Bioshock 2 was a unique play in comparison to the first game, however, I never really understood it? It made the game-play feel slow paced and generally I never really *felt* like I was a Big Daddy, especially when compared to how intimidating they seemed in the first game. I never felt like I was suddenly the character to be feared.

(Source: Adam Powerhouse)

That being said, being a Big Daddy opened a space up for a new main enemy, that being the Big Sisters. These enemies are a lot more terrifying than Big Daddies in the first game. Their sudden arrival, combined with the announcements of their incoming created a sudden adrenaline rush that the first game couldn’t match. As well as this, they were the first enemy to actually kill me between the two games. I thought they were a great addition and allowed for a lot of tense and difficult moments.

(Source: WIRED)

Unfortunately though there were a few glitches throughout my play-through. There were times where enemies would become lodged in walls or floors, or more importantly, where my left hand would just vanish, and it would take spamming of all the shoulder buttons to randomly bring it back.

The game felt incredibly rushed playing through it, not in terms of development, but in terms of actual length. Once again comparing it to Bioshock 1, Bioshock 2 felt very fast to finish. This may have contributed to how unsatisfied I was with the ending, due to how quickly I got there.

Visuals –

I am not sure whether it is just a me-thing but Bioshock 2 had some absolutely awful visual experiences. This was especially the case during cut-scenes, where they would look as though they were displaying at 240p resolution, despite playing on a PS5 and a 4K TV. This was particularly the case in the final CGI/cut-scene moment of the game, I barely could see what was going on visually.

As for the actual game-play visually, I found no real issues, it looks the same as the first game.

Music –

Something Bioshock always gets right is the music. Bioshock 2 had more impactful music in my opinion, particularly in the loading screens. Songs like ‘You Always Hurt the One You Love’ and especially ‘Hush, Hush, Hush, Here Comes the Bogeyman’ left such a brilliant impression. Bogeyman sets more of an atmospheric tone that most of the actual game-play, especially with you being the bogeyman per se this time around.

Conclusion –

Generally, Bioshock 2 was a good enough experience to finish, however it really failed to leave the lasting impression that the first game left upon me. This is largely down to the repeated visuals from the first game, with similar scenery and world. Characters are not as memorable as the first game, and the story feels somewhat pointless come the end. It is a traditional Bioshock experience, but that is its downfall, it fails to really innovate in any way from where the first game was so great.

Final Score – 6/10

Breathing? Yes. Living? Yes.

For the last several months of my life, I have personally struggled with feelings of severe anxiety, self-doubt and fear that my life has little worth in the grand scheme of things. This has ultimately been amplified in recent weeks due to a five-year long relationship ending suddenly, and an unnamed event I wish not to speak of as of now.

That being said, I’ve felt anxiety and obsessive tendencies for almost all of my teenaged life, maybe even during the latter years of my childhood too. I distinctly remember the moments where the inability to stop the thoughts of overthinking began. I remember sitting in classrooms, and teachers would write on the white board and if they wrote a letter incorrectly to how I would have done it, or if something around the top of the room was *off* it would drive me to insane levels of stress in my head. It was moments like this where I felt I was insane, nobody else at that age seemed bothered by these little things, yet I felt almost like a nagging voice in my head urging me to scream out to change the thing that was seeming off for me.

That is just a background into my anxieties and obsessive nature from a young age. This has only ever grown since then. Luckily, I got it under control between the ages 17-21. This piece is essentially me trying to share some personal help I use in these moments of extreme stress and anxiety. It is very simple, but for me it almost always works. Ask yourself, are you breathing? if the answer is yes, that is a start. Ask yourself, are you living as a result of being able to breath? The answer is yes, therefore so long as you have your breath, you have the ability to control your emotions, to control the feeling of pressure weighing down upon you.

I often find myself paralysed, completely frozen, often in tears with little to no control of my reactions. In these moments it is impossible to control your breathing, let alone acknowledge it and harness it to help you. It is in these moments where the only thing I can focus on is my heartbeat. My heartbeat is like a metronome, it can set the tempo for the rest of the body and mind. Listen to your heart beating, zone in on it, allow it to be the tempo-setter for the rest of your physical and emotional being, you’ll soon find that your heart can set the tone for your body and mind.

So, at the end of this writing, what do I have to say…

Are you breathing? Yes. Are you living? Yes.

Allow your heart to be your metronome in moments of loss. Let it set the tempo for your existence in these moments.

Hades (PS5) – Review

I have never really been a fan of the rogue-like genre of games. However, upon seeing the renowned praise Hades received when it released for Nintendo Switch and PC, my interest was peaked. That being said, I waited for a Playstation release, mainly due to trophies being a huge factor in me maintaining my interest in a game like this that will constantly reset. Regardless, I picked up Hades for Playstation 5 in August and here is what I thought of one of 2020’s most critically acclaimed games.

Story –

If I speak truly, I never really showed an interest in the story of Hades. I found myself always listening in on the dialogue options, but constantly zoning out after a while. This is understandable though, as I think in most games of this nature, story is never really the first point to move toward.

However, it is quite disappointing that a story to become infatuated with wasn’t spawned out of Greek mythology, as I think that is a field that a lot of creativity can spawn from. I just personally never really took any interest in the story premise of escaping your father’s torment in an attempt to reunite the Greek Gods as a family.

Characters –

Despite the story not really doing much for me, the characters were always well portrayed. They are light-hearted, cracking jokes with Zagreus. There is very in-depth index’s dedicated to every character, weapon, item and location in the game, ever growing with more information on each aspect. On top of that, each character does a good job in portraying their relationships to each-other in the ‘reality’ of Greek mythology.

Voice-Acting –

Although characters are well portrayed, I have to admit, Greek mythology and voice acting must be a match made in hell (no pun intended). In the last twelve months, I have now witnessed three Greek mythological horror shows when it comes to voice acting. Those being, Blood of Zeus on Netflix, Immortals: Fenyx Rising, and now Hades. That isn’t to say there isn’t some good performances, but truly I do not know what it is about Greek mythology and annoying voices.

I think it must come down to the English-ness of the lines. There is nothing that makes my skin crawl more than hearing Zagreus address everyone as ‘mate’, whilst a lot of the other characters seem to just sound like similar versions of each other. The voice acting in this game and in Greek mythology-themed forms of media just do not seem to do it for me whatsoever. They give off the same effect as when playing Final Fantasy. That being, enjoying the game, only to have the moment ruined by the generic ‘anime sounds’. Greek mythological media seems to be the anime sounds of the West.

Rogue-Like –

I already said to begin with that these genre of games are not my cup of tea. I find them tedious and repetitive, never really feeling motivation to slog through the repetition. However, that being said, Hades is an outlier in some ways. Hades provided me with a game-play loop that was ever-changing enough to keep me coming back through the varying sets you can run through each escape attempt.

As well as this, the combat and general game-play is something of major importance to me in these games. Similarly to what I said in my review of Returnal, its biggest achievement was the fluidity and freshness of its gameplay. Hades has this also, and is arguably much better than Returnal in this area. Hades provides enough of a mix and differentiation between escapes that every re-try is just as intense as the last, which is accomplished mainly through the variety of temporary upgrades and boons that can be mixed and matched.

One thing that a lot of rogue-like games ignore, for me, is the importance of permanent upgrades. That ability to constantly feel like your progression is not left purely down to your playing performance in comparison to the last time is massive for me. Hades sorts this issue I have with games like Returnal through the use of the mirror in Zagreus’ room. This allows for permanent upgrades to provide clear progression going into each escape attempt for the player. It can provide something to save up toward, something that you know will definitely give you an extra edge once you achieve it. Permanent upgrades create sub-goals to work toward separate from the main goal of escaping.

Music –

Hades has a very distinct and stylised track fitted to the locations and scenarios of the game, however, on a personal note, I never really found any of the tracks throughout the game to be that memorable or adrenaline inducing. This isn’t to say there was a lack of care in terms of musical output, there obviously was, but just on a personal level nothing really connected with me unfortunately. I think this is just how it is with music, you either connect or you don’t.

Visuals –

As someone who was looking from the outside-in at Hades when it initially released on Switch, I was deterred. This was not because of a lack of visual quality, nor was it because of the art-style. However, it was because of the connotation I had subconsciously built up against top-down dungeon-crawlers or MMO visually styled games. Hades has this style, although more vibrantly distinct. This initially deterred me as I had not bothered to do my own research, and instead assumed purely by the style that it would be the same type of game as the likes of Diablo. In some ways, it is similar, but in almost every other way, it is different.

Away from these assumptions, Hades has a very distinct style. Areas are vibrant and uniquely stylised. All character sprites and models are crisp and excellently portrayed. For what Supergiant went for, I genuinely do not see how else this game could visually be any better.

Replay-Value –

I think one of the main aspects of a game of this genre is the replayability. Hades masters this. When playing Hades, or not playing Hades, you’ll find yourself contemplating whether or not you can fit in one more run, or adjust to a new style of play in the next run. Even if you beat a boss, you can try beat it again with a different weapon, or set-up. The fluidity of the game-play is what makes this so easy, it allows for a non-tedious flow between escape attempts.

Thus, I would argue that Hades probably has the most replay-value of any rogue-like that I have played, not that I’ve played many, but still. A combination of addictiveness, fluidity of game-play and variations in escape combinations creates a game where new ways of playing are always encouraged.

Conclusion –

Hades is a game that surprised me, as one of the best of the few rogue-like games I have played. The general combat and game-play create an addictive experience, with permanent upgrades ensuring that it never really feels up to performance, and that you will always be working towards being permanently better in the next escape attempt. However, a lack of impact in terms of the track means no area or moments in the game really made much of an impact to me. With that, often cringe-worthy voice-acting combined with a story that sort-of takes a back peddle to the general game-play, meant that I generally found it being a nuisance to be interrupted by dialogue and ‘story’.

Despite these complaints, Hades was an enjoyable and addictive game, and one that is great value for the cheap price that it currently is on PS5.

Final Score – 7/10

The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD – Review

Firstly, I’d like to provide an update on my website. I usually post weekly, however, I have had a difficult few weeks in my personal life and thus decided to take some time away from writing, I hope all readers understand. Weekly posts are expected to resume as normal from here on out! Nonetheless, let us get into the main topic of this article.

Few games I have given my firm ‘no, I’m not buying that’ stance to as much as I did to Skyward Sword HD. This was largely due to the insane prices that Nintendo charges for these ports. It is also due to my bitterness that my beloved WindWaker HD port was ignored in favour of this game. However, leading up to the release, I kept seeing advertisements and I was led into what was truly my first Zelda experience that left me completely infatuated. Anyways, here is what I thought of The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD.

Story –

I am going to be honest, I’ve never fully beaten a Zelda game outside of Breath of the Wild. This isn’t for lack of wanting to, it is just that when I was growing up I was always more of an Xbox and Playstation kinda guy. This meant I never really got to experience any Zelda games growing up. It also meant that Breath of the Wild was my first Zelda experience.

However, despite the fact I have nothing to compare and contrast it against, I can say that Skyward Sword’s Story really is fantastic. I’d say my favourite genre of games are cinematic, linear, story-driven adventures. This game quite literally ticks all those boxes, which was a surprise that I was not expecting whatsoever.

Obviously Skyward Sword keeps in line of the simple and over-done ‘go save the princess’ tagline that Nintendo loves. However, in this game, it feels like it has a lot more depth to it. With Zelda playing active roles in the story, fleshed out areas, and characters that combine to create a sense of true adventure and meaning behind what you are trying to accomplish.

A ‘save the princess’ story can never be the most amazing thing to hit the market. That being said, I’d say Skyward Sword HD, as of now, is the best iteration I have seen that has managed to make it with more depth and meaning.

Characters –

Truly, Zelda has always had great character portrayal from what I’ve experienced. That being said, once again, all I’ve really experienced is a bit of Link’s Awakening and Breath of the Wild. However, it has seemed that from the outside looking in anyways, character portrayal has always been handles well. This is the exact situation with Skyward Sword HD.

Personally, from the few Zelda games I have played, Skyward Sword’s characters and designs are the best for me. I can say characters like Zelda herself are really well fleshed out. Others such as Groose offer a lot of character and personality to the game also, with there being a few funny moments sprinkled about too. This is all combined with him especially having a redeeming side-story.

However, there is also the side-characters who do not really play much of a role in the game’s story. Characters such as Beetle and Rupin are brilliantly designed and are just bursting with really unique personality traits in how their characters interact with Link. Rupin specifically shows the passion that went into making this game truly feel like a living world filled with unique people.

That being said, one of the main complaints against characters in this game comes against Fi. She is Link’s servant, attached to his sword in his quest to stop Demise. I would have to say I agree with every complaint made against Fi. I understand she is supposed to be an emotionless spirit/robot, but that being said, it just feels awkward and annoying to listen to her repeat the same phrases over and over completely void of any personality. I can only imagine how annoying she must have been in the original version of this game where her dialogue wasn’t optional.

The World –

Obviously a big aspect of Skyward Sword is the world in which it takes place. That being Skyloft or The Surface. These two areas act in-tandem from one and other despite being completely separate in terms of what they offer to the game-play.

Skyloft acts as one of the most iconic ‘hub-worlds’ I have ever witnessed. Everything from the design, to the people, to the general atmosphere just creates a constant feeling of returning home every single time you harken back to their from your adventures elsewhere. Admittedly, there isn’t really much to do in Skyloft itself, other than the odd side-quest. However, ignoring that, it acts as a fantastic and memorable hub-world to reach the rest of the map from. That being said, it can become quite tedious to have to slowly fly to every single area of the game from Skyloft.

In terms of the rest of the game, which mostly takes place on The Surface. This area initially feels exciting at every turn, and that remains true until the end of the game. However, with a game as long as this (I finished it in around 35hours), I do think there needs to be more unique areas to traverse.

The game tries its best to freshen up each area with new challenges and changes in the environment, but usually these changes do not differ much from the original look of the environment, and in some cases (Faron Woods), they become worse for their changes by becoming flooded with immense amounts of water. Trust me, you do not want to be trying to move through a world filled with water with motion controls whilst having to accurately collect notes on a timer.

The game also introduces Silent Realm versions of each world, which are the most unnecessarily stressful sections of a game I think I have ever gone through. Ultimately, the world is vibrant and memorable, but I think for the length of the game there can be a little bit of staleness that settles in through the world progression and development later on in the story and although they attempt to freshen things up with the environment changes and aspects like Silent Realms, they never really make the experience change for the better.

Controls –

Moving onto the controls, which judging from the internet, was one of the main reasons Skyward Sword was regarded as a bit of a disliked title when it originally released on the Wii in 2011. If I was totally honest, this game would definitely be a lot more enjoyable if it had the controls of a traditional console title. However, that isn’t to say the motion controls are disgusting. They are sometimes annoying, particularly when the game forces you into an entire world of water, but they can often immersive in some cases too. For the most part though, the motion controls are bare-able, and just leave you imagining how much more enjoyable this already great game could have been had it been made with button controls in mind.

Speaking of button controls, this is something the Switch version of Skyward Sword attempted to address. The key word here being ‘attempted’. It is an incredibly difficult task to make a game designed for motion controls to work with solely button controls. This is particularly noticeable in areas of the game that have design choices such as making every encounter with an enemy a puzzle in itself, that the player has to work out through the use of guiding your weaponry through motion.

Aspects of the game such as this that are designed with motion in-mind are possible through button movements, but never really feel like a real alternative. Essentially, button controls sound good in concept, but in this game, they are completely worthless. This comes mainly due to being unable to efficiently move the camera via gyro and just design choices being designed with purely motion in-mind back in 2011. I played almost the entire game with motion controls, as buttons never felt like a real option.

Freedom Within Linearity –

This section of the article is based completely on personal preference. I understand that a lot of people prefer to have a more open-ended adventure, something akin to Breath of the Wild. However, for me, I find my mind more focused and attentive to a game that is open-ended, but still promotes linearity in its objectives.

What I am trying to say is linearity within games and clear goals promote freedom within my mind as the player. Games that have vague or optional goals, such as open-world titles are less preferred for me, and I often find it incredible difficult to ever have the motivation to finish them. I like knowing where I am going, what I am doing and everything I am doing being focused toward one particular end-goal.

As someone who had only ever really played Breath of the Wild before Skyward Sword HD, I never really considered myself a Zelda fan. I enjoyed and was blown away by Breath of the Wild, but the open-ended nature of the game never really allowed me to fully immerse myself in the story or world. Skyward Sword’s linearity addresses all these issues for me and allowed me to have a focused experience where I was fully immersed every single time I sat down to play.

It was this alone that made me realise that it isn’t that I am just ‘not a big fan of Zelda’, instead it made me realise that I just am a fan of a ‘particular’ Zelda. That being, more linear 3D Zelda games!

Boss Fights –

Boss fights in this game are memorable and never really easy the first time around. I expected a Mario level of boss difficulty with the bosses and was surely surprised. However, they are not exactly unbeatable. Almost all the bosses in Skyward Sword balance a good difficulty with beatability. Ghirahem and Demise are great ultimatum villains in particular.

However in contrast, was it REALLY necessary to fight The Imprisoned, not once, not twice, but THREE times? To make it worse, the fight just becomes a more annoying and tedious version of itself each time it occurs. It truly is was the worst experience in the entire game one of the worst experiences in the game.

Visuals –

Visually, this game obviously falters in some areas given its age and just generally some bad animation choices. These odd facial expressions can be seen a lot, but are none more obvious that whenever Fi decides to spawn satan with her signing animation. It truly is a thing of nightmares.

However, beyond that nightmare. Most of the visuals look fantastic. I think the design for Zelda is my favourite in the series, and Link looks great too, although not my favourite design of him personally. The world is bright and vibrant, and just completely bursting with life, or a lack of it through dark-toned areas.

Skyward Sword HD is one of the more cinematic Zelda games from my understanding and is definitely one of the more cinematic games I have played on the Switch. There is an endless amount of iconic scenes, one in particular for me is when Link plays the harp whilst Impa sings for the first time. This was the one scene in particular that made the hairs on my arms stand up, it was the point in the game where it finally clicked for me that ‘this’ was THE Zelda experience I had been waiting for.

For a Wii game that initially released in 2011, I personally think Skyward Sword looks great, and with it being in HD with this port, it looks even better. It is definitely the peak cinematic experience I have played through on Switch thus far.

Music –

I have never really been a fan of any music from the Legend of Zelda series. In Skyward Sword HD though, that all changed. Although there is a lot of tracks that I am not a fan of, the ones that do click with me were more than enough.

It all begins with the title screen. My first experience of this game was literally sitting moving the motion pointer in tandem with the beats of the title screen theme to the noise that your save files make. As mentioned earlier, the place you’ll visit most in the game consistently is Skyloft, and thus, it needs to have a memorable and lovable theme that never gets old. This is perfectly achieved through its theme that is heart-warming, calming and just generally amazing all round.

There isn’t just joyful themes though, how I judge a game’s music is if a track truly indulges me in the experience. If it connects me with the game I am playing. Songs in Skyward Sword HD such as the Ballad of the Goddess, and the theme of the Gate of Time are pieces of music that I think will stick with me until the day I die. These themes awakened something in me, something I don’t think I have felt since I was a child, and that is pure nostalgia, pure immersion, complete fulfilment from being in-the-moment in a game. They are bone-chilling, they are what I think of now when I think of the Legend of Zelda.

Toxic Traits of Nintendo –

With all the positives being said, and some negatives. I do think there is some things that need to be addressed regarding Nintendo, not so much Skyward Sword HD before capping off this review. This is obviously regarding some of the anti-consumer practices that cropped up through Skyward Sword HD’s release, and some Nintendo releases recently in general.

The practice of pricing with Nintendo has been a major issue. I fully think Skyward Sword HD was a full-price experience, however, when it had been available on Wii-U for €19.99 before releasing on Switch, it is easy to see why charging essentially triple the price for the same product is wrong. It also just makes no sense. How can a HD port of a Wii game cost the same as Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury? How can it cost the same as Super Mario 3D All-Stars? Where is the logic and continuation in how products are priced with Nintendo.

Also, the practice of looking features behind amiibo is wrong also. I am not talking about locking invincibility or extra-life behind amiibo, but locking fast-travel behind a figure that is not even readily available for all fans of the game shouldn’t need explaining as to why that is wrong, even if I found that a lack of fast-travel bore almost no impact upon my personal play-through of the game.

Conclusion –

Despite the obvious negative connotations that came with Skyward Sword HD, I have to admit I was wrong. I fully expected this game to leave me feeling unfulfilled and robbed, and instead, I got one of the most beautiful, complete, and immersive gaming experiences I have ever had the pleasure of going through. Not supporting Nintendo’s ridiculous practices is perfectly justified, however, for anybody sitting on the fence as to whether this game is worth the money, I can just say, take the leap of faith and you will not be disappointed.

Final Score – 9/10

Sonic Mania – The Rebirth of Sonic – Review

Sonic is a name that has written itself in the history books, however, it is no secret that since the Hedgehog’s move to 3D, there has been a distinct lack of quality and identity in Sonic’s adventures. Although after almost two decades of 3D flops, Sonic returned to its roots with the game Sonic Mania. In this review, I’ll be going over the magic of Sonic Mania and how it ignited that love I had for Sonic as a child.

Game-Play –

The most important aspect of any Sonic game has to be the game-play and momentum. This has been an area of Sonic games in recent years that has felt choppy and broken. However, in Mania, the momentum and speed is fluid, lightning quick, riveting and most importantly, replayable and addicting.

The game-play of Sonic Mania is what makes it so brilliant, and it is also what made the original Sonic games such hits too. Mania has a game-play loop that is just quick enough to keep the player coming back, even after beating the game, to beat it all over again. This provides potentially multiple play-throughs, with multiple characters such as playing as Tails, Knuckles, Sonic, Sonic & Tails or if you are playing Sonic Mania Plus then you can do even more with Mighty the Armadillo and Ray the Flying Squirrel.

(Source: Stack)

Visuals and Style –

Personally, I always thought Sonic looked his best when he was in 2D, and I hold that opinion more than ever after playing Sonic Mania. Sonic Mania, despite being a 2D game based on pixel-type graphics, is on another level with vibrancy and distinct locations.

Each zone vibrant and offers something fresh, even the old zones are great to go through again (except for Chemical Plant Zone). General animations of the characters are a charm, as noticing even the idle animations of both Sonic and Tails for example was something that showed me the passion the developers for Sonic Mania had for the identity that they felt matched these characters since their creation.

(Source: Videogamegenius)

I also cannot ignore the animation at the start of the game. I would pay to watch a show in that style, it perfectly represents Sonic Mania and reignited that feeling and love for Sonic that I haven’t felt since I was a child.

(Source: Fortress of Solitude)

Sonic Mania has beautiful and vibrant designs and locations, and the sprite work shows for me, what has been a major missing component in modern Sonic games, similarly to what Pokemon lost when they abandoned their sprite-based designs in favour of 3D models.

Music –

Even if Sonic has failed in recent years, something it always achieves is a stellar OST, I guess that is another similarity Sonic has with Pokemon in recent times. Sonic Mania is no different when it comes to the stellar songs that are at play. Some of my personal favourites are Metallic Madness Zone Act 2 and Studiopolis Zone Act 1. These tracks create that drive to move forward, and when you’re going at full speed with these kinds of songs playing, it feels like such a high for adrenaline.

(Source: Gameranx)

What Has Sonic Been Missing? –

Sonic has been missing a number of things. Most significantly for me I think Sonic Mania provides a sense of natural speed and momentum that feels almost artificial in some way in the 3D games. The game-play in 3D has felt choppy and like it leaves the player without consistent control throughout, this couldn’t be further from the case in Sonic Mania. As well as this, a consistency in style and distinct sprite work that makes the characters really stand-out and pop off the screen is just something that hasn’t been the same in 3D. I could write an entire separate piece about what Sonic has missed in recent years but for now I’ll leave it at that.

(Source: Alpha Beta Gamer)

Conclusion –

Sonic Mania was an insight to what Sonic should have remained as over the last two decades. Sonic Mania is a love letter to what made people fall in love with him, and is a complete diss to what he had become and what followed this game with Sonic Forces. It is disappointing to see that this game was swiftly swept under the rug in favour of a failed formula, however, with Sonic’s Anniversary being this year, one can always dream that they heard the love for this game and seek to make a Sonic Mania 2.

Final Rating – 8.5/10

Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy – Retrospective

I always admired Jak and Daxter from afar, even as a child. However, as a child, my options of games were limited throughout the year, and when I did get the chance it was usually Crash Bandicoot or Spyro that I turned to rather than Jak and Daxter. Since maturing though, I obviously have had a chance to revisit some games from the past, and one of them was Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy. So, what did I think all these years later?

Story –

Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy follows Jak and Daxter. They were caught in the midst of stalking on Mirage Island and ended up in an accident in which Jak accidentally pushes Daxter into a pot of dark eco, turning him into a ferret-type-thing. As you can probably imagine, Daxter wants to be turned back to his old human self. This is where the duo set out on a mission to collect power-cells and travel across the world in an attempt to try and manage to convert Daxter back to his old self before Daxter realising he would have to sacrifices his chances to ever become his old self again for the sake of the world.

(Source: JakvsRatchetFanPage)

The story of Jak and Daxter is nothing special, but then again, nor was many games in the Playstation 2 era. However, it does suffice. The story is mainly brought alive by the expressive characters and voice acting performances that give off that butterfly feeling of being a child and loading up a new game for the first time.

Game-Play –

Jak and Daxter follows similar feedback game-play loops to a lot of 3D platformers like Spyro and Super Mario 64 in the late 90s and early 2000s. The game has a lot of counters, for the player to keep track of what power cells they haven’t gotten yet, as well as what precursor orbs they haven’t got. The game is nothing deep or complex, and missions and collectables are pretty easy to figure out. Despite this, it is incredibly satisfying every time you get a new power cell, giving off that same feeling you’d get when getting stars in Super Mario 64 all those years ago. However, just like Mario 64, there is plenty of levels and power-cells that grind the gears, with some of the checkpoints being nothing short of completely ridiculous.

(Source: Basement Rejects)

The world feels alive, and large. There is very few loading screens and transition from area to area feels very natural. A big part of the game-play in this game for me was actually becoming immersed in what I was doing at a given point in time. This lack of loading and breaking the immersion is something that helped me in going through large spaces of time of continuous play. It is genuinely quite impressive how fluid and connected the world is for this era of gaming.

Visuals and Graphics –

Visually Jak and Daxter is obviously quite aged. Admittedly I should have played the HD version of the games on PS4, but I wanted that authentic PS2 experience. Despite ageing, these games have such a vibrant and atmospheric charm to them that it is hard to not feel impressed. Even with the aged resolution, there is a lot to be in awe by.

(Source: Wikipedia)

Once again, the world is impressively connected, and the characters are impressively animated. This can be seen especially in Daxter, whose face and mouth movements bring him to life, and his dancing whenever you get a power cell makes it feel like these aren’t just hollow bodies, and are actual characters that you could get to know.

(Source: Game(r)-Views)

The game has aged, but the charm is still all there for you to take in, and that is what is a big draw in for a lot of people returning to these old and classic games from this era.

Conclusion –

Jak and Daxter is really one of the best games on the PS2. It takes a lot for an old game to maintain my interest, or any game really, yet Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy manages to do that. It is a game with a lot of charm, world-building and simple, yet addictive game-play loops that feel similar to that of the stars in Super Mario 64.

Final Score – 7.5/10

Bioshock – Review

So, after all this time, I have decided to actually give Bioshock a try. I played this game through the Bioshock Collection on PS4. I’ve sat back and heard the praise for this series of games, in particular the first game, for years. Despite hearing the constant praise, I never seemed to be interested in giving it a go, due to its ‘fallout’ style of game-play visually. However, this didn’t prove to be a stumbling block, and actually enhanced my experience.

Story –

To come out in 2007, Bioshock really is a landmark in gaming storytelling. Although I am usually turned away from dark stories or games, Bioshock drew me in. This game is dark, filled with interestingly psychotic characters and twists. This captivating story is obviously helped by the interesting and unique world in which Bioshock takes place in. It takes a lot to get me to play a game to the end, and having a captivating story is one of the key factors in enabling me to do that. Bioshock had the captivating story ten-fold. There has been few moments in my gaming-life that havve made my heart drop as swiftly and heavily as the ‘would you kindly reveal’, it was truly an iconic gaming moment.

(Source: VICE)

In terms of negatives my only complaint is that it does seem to end rather quickly, although that can be looked past as it prioritises quality over quantity.

Game-Play –

Bioshock’s game-play was what initially turned me off of it for so many years. I had played first-person perspective games with similarly styled game-play, such as Fallout, and was never really captivated. This translated over into my perceptions of Bioshock, however, I was pleasantly surprised.

Bioshock offers a very unique way of playing. A variety of weapons, ammunition, gene modifications and upgrades allow for the player to move their character toward the direction that they want to play. Although the gun-play and movement isn’t perfect, it isn’t awful for the time, especially for what a game like Bioshock is.

(Source: Port Forward)

World-Premise –

As I said in the summary of my feelings on the story, the main captivating motive for me is the world-premise. Even almost two decades later, Bioshock still has one of the most unique and interesting concepts for a world in a game. The idea of building an entire psychopathic and modified city underwater, is brilliant. Rapture is a place with so much detail put into it, with every being, visual and area fully fleshed out to its max potential.

(Source: PopOptic)

Rapture allows for the player’s own interpretations. It is whatever you want it to be for a large portion of the game. It plays into the game-play elements that I discussed through allowing and feeding into unique pathways for the player, such as choosing whether to harvest or purify the little girls for example. As a concept, and as an executed idea, there are few games even in the modern-era of consoles that have achieved the level of world-realisation that Bioshock did, and it is the main reason this game was so great.

Visuals –

For 2007, Bioshock has visuals of its time. The game looks like a good PS3 game, and that is fine. Obviously there was better games visually at the time, but Bioshock still holds up, especially to visually accomplish what it does in such an interactive world. It could look better, it could look a whole lot worse. Little details, phrases, posters and other depth-bringers are key to adding depth to the surroundings. These are ways in which graphical limitations of the time are brilliantly glossed over.

(Source: ScholarBlogs)

Conclusion –

I truly cannot believe it took me almost 15 years to give Bioshock a try. This game obviously has limitations of its time, but in other ways it excels and sets a new standard for games from the mid-2000s. The story and world-premise showed that video games could be a lot more than fun, and could also provide captivating and meaningful story-experiences. I certainly will be doing reviews on the sequel and Infinite in the near future. However, if you were like me and thought Bioshock ‘wasn’t for you’ then would you kindly reconsider and try it now. You will not be disappointed.

Final Rating – 8.5/10

Returnal – Review

I wasn’t getting Returnal right up until the day before it released, when social media praise and high metacritic scores led me to believe that maybe this Rogue-Like is the one for me. I have never really been a fan of the genre, I usually find it tedious and repetitive, however, Returnal in some ways made this satisfying. With Sony recently acquiring Housemarque, lets see what I thought of the first major game that certainly made them take the next step toward purchasing Housemarque as a development studio.

Story –

The story of Returnal makes up a decent amount of the game. Selene, an astronaut who crash lands on an alien planet, is forced into trying to uncover the secrets behind the species, lore and other elements of the planet. Along with this, the incorporation of the Rogue-Like tropes being put into the story to make sense was something that I rather enjoyed, with Selene trying to discover how to break this endless cycle she has discovered herself in.

The story takes second-fiddle to the game-play, however it is decent enough to maintain the player’s interest throughout and will obviously take a lot of commitment to get through.

Rogue-Like –

Obviously if you know anything about Returnal you’ll know it is part of the Rogue-Like genre. I for one have played games in this genre before such as Enter the Gungeon and just generally found that these sorts of games are not for me. However, despite how hard Returnal sticks to the genre’s ideas, this was definitely the first time I have played a rogue-like and not found the resetting aspect to be tedious, pointless and annoying. It served a purpose, I think it also helped that it was adapted into the story to add meaning to the cycle.

Ability to Save During a Cycle –

For all the praise I stated about the genre’s tropes, I do think at times maybe Returnal sticks to the concept a little too much. The concept of having to leave your PS5 on rest-mode purely just because you have to do something can be quite annoying. Each cycle can take hours depending on how far you go and how much stuff you get in advance prepping for future biomes, it is quite ignorant in a way to think that players can commit half of their entire days to just this one game without taking a real break.

I am not saying resetting is a bad thing, far from it. However, I see little reason as for why the game resets when you turn off the console. It punishes you for having real-life commitments, not just dying in-game. There should definitely be a save system in-place for when you are in the middle of a cycle and are yet to die. For me, I think the lack of a save and quit system to the liking of which I have mentioned has almost made the game unenjoyable to play for the most part.

Stick to the Objective –

One thing I realised pretty early on is how easy it is to think that this game is just a mindless corridor fest. I found myself just going from room to room, taking out enemies, with no real idea of what I was actually trying to achieve. My best advice is to follow the main objective in the top-right of the screen. This is the ultimate guide and keeping it in mind as you go from room to room will allow you to add meaning to why you are going into these repetitive sequences and rooms. Stick to the objective.

Game-Play Elements –

The thing that keeps games like Returnal fresh amongst the constant restarting is the game-play elements. There is a variety of weaponry, each with specific alt-fire modes, all of which allow the player to eventually pick one that suits their style of play best pretty quickly into the game. Among the weaponry there is also the enhancers such as parasites, which allow the player to gain benefits but also lose something in return. Silphium resins which can be malignant and once again makes the player weigh a risk/reward scale and other general improvements such as consumables and artefacts that make the journey just that little bit easier.

Smoothness of Gun-Play and Movement –

Returnal is the first game on the PS5 to fully get the DualSense haptic feedback and adaptive triggers right. Games like Demon’s Souls and Sackboy: A Big Adventure incorporated the features, but Returnal fully commits to them. This full commitment shows its benefits as it feeds into some of the most smooth and responsive gun-play I have ever experienced. Combined with movement that is satisfactory and smooth, it creates for a fun experience that allows repeating areas to be enjoyable.

Enemies –

Returnal is a game that is about remembering patterns. Although enemies are difficult, if you can remember their movements and attack patterns, it obviously becomes easier. My first encounter with the first boss of the game, Phrike, was a complete failure. It didn’t take me long to realise that this boss was easily the easiest boss in the entire game. Enemies aren’t as daunting as games like Demon’s Souls, however they do give you that immense satisfaction upon beating them.

Visuals and Graphics –

Now this will be probably the hottest take in the review, but Returnal doesn’t look that good… yes it has its moments, but on the most part I came across some genuinely awful graphical attempts. The atmosphere is down to a tee, but when you enter an eerie house and look in the mirror only to see Selene look like she is from the PS1 era, it does take away from the illusion a bit.

Elsewhere there is just some issues such as sudden pop-in, particularly in the opening cut-scene that plays. There is also the issue with textures and blurriness of elements such as fog, which you see most noticeably during the battle against Phrike. There is also notable bugs that have been shown online once again, such as personal issues that I experienced being sudden loud and painful audio distortions that sounded like high-pitched static, and on other occasions audio intermittently cutting out for no particular reason. As I said, despite these issues the game has its beautiful moments and the atmosphere of the worlds are great, it is just not up to par for an €80 AAA title on the PS5 in my opinion.

Conclusion –

Returnal is the first Rogue-Like to genuinely maintain my interest and not burn me out instantly. The game-play is unforgiving and definitely should include a save system during a cycle, the lack of this save system makes the game incredibly tedious and hard to commit to when living with a life outside of the PS5. Visually, the game is not up to scratch in many areas, but it also has its moments. Is the game worth the €80? No. I’d say it is more of a €50 game to be honest. However, it is still a premium experience and one that highlights and utilises the PS5’s controller and features perfectly.

Final Score – 7/10