Recent reviews by Alex of Ander

Does a lot with very little. Conceptually horrifying. Absolutely impressive with how much dread it manages to instill.

There is a lot of things I want to say about this game and none of which I can say without spoiling some cool feature about the experience. Just play it, please. Enjoy it, and then suffer along with the rest of us knowing you can't talk about any of it.

amogus

Game crashes so hard when starting up, it takes Steam with it in its incompetence. Also lol 10 euros for a DLC gun are you out of your minds

While I understand that this is currently an early access title, it nevertheless feels very limited and worst of all: empty. I understand they are not working with the budget of the likes of Skate and it would be cruel to compare the two, so I'll abstain. Despite its more humble means, it has some good qualities, what gameplay there is pretty solid although it takes a little while to get used to, but you'll be flipping and grinding in no time. However, once you do manage to get the hang of it, I found the novelty wore off pretty quickly. At present there's no handplants or anything, and it all feels a bit stiff somehow. Neither is there a scoring system, there's no rewards to work toward, nothing to explore beyond a handful of locations which get dull very quickly. The gameplay loop is currently just tricks for tricks' sake. Which I guess is fine, I suppose, that's what actual skateboarding is about anyway. But I can't help but feel it's lacking. While it is obvious there is a solid foundation, it just kind of lacks a certain spark at the moment. I don't necessarily regret my purchase, like I said, it's fine. The gameplay is fine. The locations are fine. But neither do I really recommend it. There's nothing to keep you here. If you're cool with that and you're itching for some skateboarding, even then I would give it a very tentative 'maybe' just because there's a lot better titles out there already. And despite what I said previously, Session has incredibly stiff competition in the likes of Skate and Tony Hawk Pro Skater, and it will have to do better if it wants to follow those footsteps.

This game has the some of the highest highs and lowest lows I've experienced in multiplayer gaming. But all of them, every single experience I had - whether that be bad or good - was memorable. Whether that be taking revenge on a galleon that broadsided our ship as a spawn and sank us, or outrunning a brigantine for 50 minutes while forced to deal with literally every obstacle the world had to throw at us. You will play this game, and you will have a story. Maybe that story ends abruptly, from the business end of an enemy cannon. Maybe it's about the first time you ran into some of the world's obstacles. Or the time you soiled yourself mistaking a guard tower for an enemy ship on the horizon. Don't lie, we've all done it. But you will at the very least have one good story to tell your friends about the adventure you had in this silly little pirate game. And one thing is for certain, it is absolutely meant to be played with friends. While it is doable by yourself, it's just so much better with other people. Because adventures, like stories, are best when shared.

We shall sail together.

Very atmospheric, extremely gorgeous and outrageously well-animated hot air.

A distinct and distinguished entry in a genre filled with quality titles, which not only matches previous glories but surpasses them spectacularly. Hollow Knight is the bar in terms of quality from independent development, and the aspiration for triple A development. There is not a single solitary thing that has gone underdeveloped, overlooked, or mismanaged. I cannot heap enough praise on Team Cherry or this title. Be it from their realization of the world, its story, its tight controls, its pacing, to its willingness to let you miss half the game before letting you beat up the final boss without (strongly) railroading you in the desired sequence of areas. You will get lost in Hollow Knight, you will get stuck, you will get frustrated, and in the end you will thank the game for respecting you enough to let you figure it out yourself. For me, it took me three attempts before I ever got the first ending, and I intend to get some more.

Hollow Knight will go down in the annals of gaming history as required playing. It is absolutely nothing short of a masterpiece.

A downgrade in story quality, an upgrade in pretty much everything else.

For all intents and purposes, that makes it a fantastic Borderlands title, seeing as story has never been its strongest point. And no, Tales from the Borderlands doesn't count. That was made by an entirely different developer, who - credit where credit is due - showed off how you can do an interesting story in the ridiculous universe of Borderlands. It is evident that no notes were taken by the actual developer, given the pile that followed Tales from the Borderlands was the Pre-Sequel, which was neither fun nor interesting.

Frankly I do not expect compelling writing from those who include stale memes, routine fallbacks on literal toilet humor, and continuous goading by an obnoxious main villain which is so moustache-twirlingly evil, it's hard to take him seriously when he does accidentally acquire some humanity. This, of course, in reference to Handsome Jack. A character they've been desperately trying to replicate since his popularity, and which is painfully obvious with the Calypso Twins; who have all his mannerisms but none of his gravitas.

Besides this, the jump to the Unreal engine is obvious and very welcome, as it allows for a certain refinement while retaining the Borderlands aesthetic. Now it looks less like a papercraft, and a more grounded version of their own style. The zones look distinct and interesting, with beautiful sky boxes. The shooting feels great, the looting feels great, the story is awful. Essentially what you have come to expect from Borderlands, but better.

If you like shooting ♥♥♥♥, you'll enjoy this game. If you want a compelling story to bring you through a memorable experience, look elsewhere. I, for one, love shooting ♥♥♥♥.

Starts incredibly strong and compelling, only to fall off a cliff in the back half with little to no development for half of the main characters, while not caring for the half that does get it. Also Pharos can ♥♥♥♥ off.