Recent reviews by Legs

I'm not sure why I hadn't reviewed this game despite owning it since 2014.

It's kind of the best game I've ever played.
Which is shocking..
All these different genres and styles I'd usually commit to, but it's the survival, RTS "create your story" sim, that came out on top.
You can start a story with so many presets, yet the "5 builders, 1 Old Guard" start, turned into a 9 year on-going session.

I'd like to just thank lead dev, for making a wicked game where you can create a bunch of characters to experience a world with stories birthed from any interaction.

I imagine so many people have genuine quality experiences with Kenshi when they decide to put time into it.
I'm still quite blown away how the algorithms, world & A.I. mesh together in such a way to create some pretty unforgettable experiences.

I think it speaks volumes that I was able to turn up at my best friend's Xmas dinner and retell stories of my Kenshi experiences, to his mother & girlfriend.
They were completely enthralled and only 1 of them was a hardcore game enthusiast.
It's really a top shelf contender for: "You had to be there" moments.

Looking forward to Kenshi 2. Though I can definitely wait.
I'm thankful dev & crew decided to leave Kenshi as it is, whilst they work on the next game.
It's an absolute passion project and it shows.
Need more devs like this English fella.

I left this game on the shelf for 7 years and only got around to playing it recently.

Definitely worth the delayed experience.
Though the biggest disappointment was that 2 particular characters are not playable.

I can recall Itsuno walking up on stage saying something along the lines of DMC5 being a "realised experience" that he was very happy with.
It's a pretty solid love letter for anyone who's played a good portion of the series up until this point.
There are alot of nods that made me smile. No spoilers.

All the returning characters have some pretty blessed additions to their overall kit.
It feels very good to play, which is nice to see as the Grandfather of character action.

If only it could've received a little surprise love upgrade, similar to the blessing that was:
Devil May Cry 4 Special Edition.

I hope Co-op Bloody Palace becomes a staple one day.
And if DMC2 is ever revisited with a hammer and chisel..
Consider sticking Lady & Trish in, as main characters alongside Dante & Lucia.

Business relationships GO UP!
Game balance GO DOWN!

Let's briefly compare Tekken 7 release Leroy, to Tekken 8 release Clive.
Without using too much jargon.

T7 release Leroy was an absolute travesty in balance, whilst breaking the rules of move function vs. move properties.
He was unhealthily strong and should never had shipped in such a way.
But..
You could play Tekken versus Leroy.

T8 release Clive, can simply prevent you from playing Tekken if the player deems it so.
-9 nonpunishable Demon Breath (1+2) and a reversal that outclasses any existing reversal in Tekken history.

Awful addition.
Until that reversal loses its ability to have a followup outside of heat, this character will always be a problem.
This is only scratching the surface, because ADHD will prevent anyone caring about a longer post.

So long as Clive is on the screen.. Your ATB gauge will ALWAYS be filling up.
Clive, is the main character.

Good fishing game.

Genuinely solid experience.
Expectations were not high given the state of Konami for the past decade and Bloober team's previous releases.

However.
It's hard to not say that this game has managed to not only stay true to most of Silent Hill 2's appeal, but also build upon it in a very respectful way.

Visually the remake is incredible.
The general atmosphere of the exteriors and interiors are absolutely fantastic from start to finish.
There doesn't feel like an area that was slept on in the slightest. It's gorgeous. Especially Lakeside, probably the most pleasant earned reprieve after trudging your way through Silent Hill and all its dark decrepit horrors.

The gameplay ended up being more than serviceable, despite how everything looked from previews.
It simply works.
Health items may be over abundant even for Standard difficulty, as I ended my "Leave" playthrough with 57 health items to spare!
Though the biggest peeve as to why that is, is because the dodge mechanic was also gifted with the modern appeal of:
Invincibility frames. An egregious amount, that with any amount of patience..
Your combat encounters should never trouble you.
I don't believe it is a bad mechanic. It actually allows combat to feel fun and rewarding.
But it is noticeable how generous the devs chose to be with its i-frames.

The acting manages to not only respect what already existed, but flow in such a way that it still retains that semblance of weird characters in foggy town.
Everyone very much "talks" to each other and everyone feels quite natural, except for the one certain character you'd expect.
None of the visual design changes to certain characters felt distracting by the time I got hands on with the game and Angela still comes across like Angela, despite some changes..
She is a mess. It shows. It's far more on the nose as to why.
Eddie is done well.
Maria is insufferable for all the uncanny reasons.
Laura has far more character, with her artistic storytelling revealing her mental state throughout James' journey.
Mary is wife. Seek wife.
Sunderland is probably handled the best.

The town and interiors have been truly fleshed out.
No cut corners in the way you could gripe about Resident Evil 2RE or (especially) RE3 remake.
It very much provides you a Silent Hill 2 experience with some extra meat and seasoning to each environment you'll stumble upon.
Whether the intense build up of most interiors or the brief respite of returning to Silent Hill's outdoors, it all feels like alot of consideration and love was poured into these spaces, which is truly blessed.

Enemy variety in Silent Hill 2, compared to SH 1 & 3 has always been quite tame.
James' inner turmoil aside, the remake did a good job of spicing up the encounters with what already exists:

• Lying Figures (Spitters) can be a pain in tight spaces so choosing whether you wish to dodge, smack & weave them, over spending a few bullets to clear the path, is quite a nice (modern) survival horror element that is retained.
  
• Mannequins (Legs on Legs) are probably the most well designed enemies in the remake.
  They're real fighters that can dish out some punishment if you don't respect their ability to also dodge & weave.
  Sometimes they pose up and hide in precarious places, either mid encounter or well before you've even noticed them; radio static goes silent so there's a nice "Hide & seek" horror element to facing them.
  They will jump you if you don't spot them first.
  Usually worth shooting in numbers or when mixed with other enemies.
  
• Nurses are the next step up in danger, only in that they hit far harder, do not stagger from typical melee attacks and sometimes like to play dead. It's probably the most ideal enemy that you either avoid when possible, or blast them with high firepower on sight.

And then there's the variants.
Each main enemy has an additional variant that adds some extra spice to their encounters, but I think that's worth seeing more than reviewing. They were handled quite well and keeps the game from being too repetitive, combat wise.

Puzzle difficulty is still a choice when you start your playthrough, which I was surprised to see.
Very cool.
Only experienced Standard so far.
They've all been handled quite well.
Visually, some of them are quite creative.
It still feels like you're playing a Silent Hill title, rather that some silly people got a hold of an IP and just tried to do what they think a Silent Hill puzzle would look like.
Some are quite remarkable in their format, others are very standard.
No Silent Hill 3 Shakespeare knowledge checks, but I'll have to check Hard puzzles soon.

I'm genuinely shocked to see a title of this calibre remade in 2024. Retain multiple endings and not just feel as if it is preying upon nostalgia for a quick penny.
It's a game.
That's nice to see.

While the world and game dev isn't always such a simple place.. I genuinely would not mind seeing Bloober Team handle a Silent Hill 1 remake, if it is anything NEAR as close as what was produced with this Silent Hill 2 remake.

Playing through this not only felt fun.
I actively felt inspired to load up Silent Hill 2 again. The original.
I've always loved Silent Hill 3 and I will always prefer 3 when thinking of: Cool survival horror title to play.
Though I like that this managed to spark some new interest in revisiting the original Silent Hill 2, as it was my least favourite of the original 3 Silent Hill games.

Very cool experience.

Masochism.
Sadism.
Everybody finishes.

If you like Dogma's pawn system in general. Character creation.
On top of a quality experience of venturing through lands with a cool combat system & party in tow.
Dogma 2 does have enough to offer, from a gameplay perspective, to be a very fun experience.
That's why I clocked 200 odd hours on this English playthrough, and 100 odd hours on an alt account Japanese playthrough.

But it has problems that it simply should not have, after such a long time in the oven.
It's like stubbornness or lack of flexibility made this game far worse than it deserved to be.
But it is pretty cool.
If you can't appreciate the pawns and gameplay as the major factors, the cracks are incredibly visible as you progress through your playthrough.

It needs a lovely kiss & cuddle like the first game got, when Dark Arisen dropped.
Anything similar to Bitterblack Isle would improve this game drastically.
Hard mode. More enemies. Anything to warrant loading up Dragon's Dogma 2 beyond an initial playthrough.
Only enthusiasts will put time into this game consistently, by challenging themselves to create fun beyond what's given.

Fun game.
It's scratches all those routing/planning itches that come with classic Resident Evil titles.

8 characters to choose from.
14 contestants overall.

If the others become playable, I hope they have a more structured/unique playthrough.
I quite like Henryk after witnessing his behaviour on my first clear.

The discovery of what choices lead to certain events, is probably my favourite aspect of this game.
There's alot you can and can't do on any given day, that may result in additional party members, or loss of contestants.
It's a very cool feature that encourages thoughtful planning, if aiming for certain results.

I can play as RE characters.
Run away from big danger!
Whilst supporting team.

Big fun.

Shame this dev team made a better game a few years ago called:
Death Garden: Blood Harvest.

No more innovative asymmetrical horror parkour experience..
DBD will have to do.

If clinically depressed?
Don't.

Otherwise, a cool platform to speak to characters around the globe.
Nice variety of worlds to explore, whether "original" or rips of classic games.

The experience can be about as cool and sanitary as you allow it to be.