amphibious_ReViews

For the longest time, I had thought Metroid Prime would be the first Metroid game I would beat. The trilogy mocked my empty wallet from its pedestal in the WiiU eShop until I got distracted by the Switch and left it behind. I would still look back on it with longing every once in a while, but one day I felt compelled to try Zero Mission and 2D Metroid consumed me. Now, having beaten at least one iteration of every game in the mainline saga, Metroid Prime once again entered my sights. Easily the definitive version, Metroid Prime Remastered graced the Switch and showed me what I've been missing after all these years. I was honestly a bit worried after having played Dread so recently because I wasn't sure how well the search action formula would translate to 3D. I had heard that the backtracking had turned a lot of people off, which was never much of an issue for me in the mainline games, but I still felt a bit anxious about it. I quickly learned that those fears were entirely u

We had a plethora of Star Wars games on our Xbox when I was a kid. My dad, my younger brother, and I would play through most of them so many times that they literally had nothing left to discover, but then we'd just play them again! There was one exception to this phenomenon, but it wasn't due to disinterest. I loved watching my dad play Republic Commando, but as a kid, I couldn't get further than the first couple of chapters. The coordinated, team-based combat with surprisingly powerful enemies is incredibly intense and deserves a whole TV show on its own. Unfortunately, those surprisingly powerful enemies were too much for little old me to handle, and I was relegated to the audience. My appreciation for the game never dwindled though, and now that I have a little more experience with first-person shooters and games in general, I'm ready. Republic Commando introduces a new type of trooper in the clone army. Commandos have more training, better weapons, additional impla

From the moment you pick up Doom , you're in the action. Actually, you don't even get any sort of exposition or context until you complete the entire first episode. Normally this kind of disregard for storytelling and world-building would disappoint me, but it feels perfect here. I'm definitely a sucker for a good story and an engrossing world, but Doom taught me that sometimes getting in the zone and wrecking house can be pretty good too. On paper, Doom really isn't my kind of shooter. When playing an FPS, I prefer to play smart and deliberate, making all of my choices cautiously, or based on well-planned strategies. Doom instead requires quick thinking and on-the-fly reactions, punishing you for moving too slow or playing it too safe with your resources, especially later in the game. That's why I was surprised at how much I enjoyed the whole thing. I would occasionally fall back into my habit of planning and risk management, fail, and remember how to play again.

After my experience with Battlezone , I had a really tough time deciding how I felt about it. The game is technologically fascinating, and is truly a well-made tank simulation for being four decades old. However, it would have taken a miracle for me to survive more than a minute or two in my playthroughs, which is pretty disheartening. Battlezone puts you in the role of a tank with seemingly no allies and legions of enemies.  Without the ability to strafe, I could never really figure out how to balance dodging and shooting in order to be successful. However, that difficulty aided my suspension of disbelief; even though I have no idea what driving a tank feels like, this game made me think I do. Unfortunately, constantly seeing my screen crack after less than a minute of roaming this endless wasteland was pretty discouraging. I was usually able to take out a couple enemy tanks before I lost, so it wasn't all for nothing, but it still sort of felt like it was. Of all of the classic

  When I first heard about SUPERHOT , I thought it was an awesome concept for a shooter. The thought of transforming the bullet-hell shooters that I was used to playing into a game of pure-strategy seemed like an exciting proposition. Now that I have actually played it, I realize that it offers so much more. Even without a story, SUPERHOT could have been an amazing arcade-style game. However, that wasn't enough for the developers, and I'm grateful that it wasn't. SUPERHOT is a first-person shooter with  simple-yet-impressive graphics, and a simple-yet-impressive gimmick to boot. That is, time only moves when you move. Every little action has to be calculated if you want to defeat the opposing army of "red guys." No turned head, fired shot, or thrown bottle should be wasted. On top of that, SUPERHOT' s story acts like a psychological thriller, and I'm all for it! I'm a sucker for world-building story, especially one that makes me think; for such a sho

Bioshock combines an eerie atmosphere, an engaging plot, morality-based decision-making, and phenomenal gameplay to create a hugely creative and enjoyable FPS experience. I found myself constantly being pulled deeper into the underwater dystopia of Rapture, and I almost wanted to stay as much as I wanted to escape! The gameplay centers around shooting your way through the surviving gene-splicing lunatic residents of the submerged city, but the real fun comes when you start splicing your own genes. Known as "plasmids," Bioshock gives players the opportunity to use inhuman powers to melt walls of ice, disarm traps, swarm enemies with bees, and more! However, most of the better plasmids need to be purchased using the genetic currency, "adam," which can only be collected from the mutated little girls of Rapture known as "little sisters." Bioshock challenges players to decide whether they want to rescue the girls and receive a small portion of adam, or mur

I haven't been doing reviews outside of my 1001 games list yet, but this game is a perfect reason, in and of itself, to change that up a bit. Transmissions: Element 120  is a Half-Life 2 mod that brings so many new mechanics and environments to the table that it feels like it could be something completely new, yet it still feels like a professionally-built entry from the Half-Life  series. Every step of the way I found myself completely immersed in the action, the puzzle and everything in between - seriously, there is so much that this game has to offer that I had never seen before. I have played mods that just alter what is given to them, creating something perfectly enjoyable, but this game takes it so much farther, adding a new weapon, new assets, a completely original soundtrack (that is phenomenal, by the way), all-new mechanics, and still pulls it together so perfectly. Transmissions may be a bit short, but that doesn't mean it is bad in any way, shape, or form. It d

When it comes to war-themed-hat-simulators, this is the best there is. If you were to combine the amazing gameplay that I raved about with TFC , a violent but hilarious sense of humor, a completely unnecessary (but surprisingly awesome) backstory, and hats, lots and lots of hats, you would get Team Fortress 2 ! Valve 's beautiful triumph of free-to-play gold. The real excitement in this game comes out of the many game modes presented to players. Each game mode brings a new feeling or possible set of tactics to the table without ever letting players get lazy. The goals often require a lot of teamwork and some self-coordination, but never ever seem to crazy or too out of hand to be fun. The achievements are also a fun touch, with there being 518 of them at the time this was written, and each of them pushing the player to spend some time improving themselves... or doing something utterly ridiculous (and often hilarious). Overall, this game is a great time-waster, and I definitel

This is my all-time favorite kind of multiplayer FPS action. There is a goal, and the only way to get to it is a wild, chaotic mess of flying bullets and a fast-paced, shoot-die-respawn-repeat experience. It brings me memories of Halo: Combat Evolved online split screen, but with a class system perfectly eased into the experience, giving each player an important role in guarding flags or leading the carnage. But one of the most redeeming qualities is the incorporation of player-made maps, textures, and other oddball additions to each and every server, allowing for a new adventure every game for server-surfers like me. This game can be picked up for only $5 on Steam, so if an exciting online onslaught of shooter madness is something you are craving, I can barely recommend anything higher than this. Unless of course you have the Halo: Master Chief Collection , in that case give Combat-Evolved online a fair share of your time as well. The game can be bought at this link (as of 4/