Recent reviews by 9seed

The System Shock remake sought to update an old game that I am quite fond of, by giving it a graphically updated retro-futuristic aesthetic that I really dig, replacing a frustrating HUD that I found fascinating with one that manages to accomplish many of the same feats that made the original system work while smoothing out what didn't, all while maintaining the game as the same tense and engaging dungeon crawl that made the original so special.
There are definitely some very minor nitpicks, I'll always prefer Edward Diego as the trust fund boy in dire need of a punch to the face over the bond villain seen here, and that final boss is undercooked, but the overall experience is still addictive, atmospheric, and - without a doubt - the best way to play System Shock, and one of my personal favorites this year.

I remember about five years ago, when Undertale was the talk of the town, so to speak. I think I always kinda knew I was going to have to give it a go, but at the same time I kinda found myself avoiding it, due in part to certain stigmas surrounding the game. After about five years of hearing it hyped up (and getting quite a few school assignments done to the game's soundtrack), I finally got around to giving it a go, and honestly, it lives up to that hype, it's EARNED all of the praise it's received.

Undertale is, for the most part, a character study of it's main characters. Each area centers around a different character, and through your interactions with that character (or through storytelling in the environment), you learn who they are, what their hopes and dreams are, why they're helping or hunting you, and for the most part, whether you kill or spare them, it all feels like a satisfying conclusion to their arc. They key to this character study, however, is that the game's multiple playthroughs you can see different sides to each character. How they react to the worst case scenario, their hopes and dreams realized, or just seeing them unravel at the behest of their faults. It's most memorable and iconic character study of course, is when it starts to dissect the player.

The game's aesthetic uses pixel art, and it's menus and overall style are most reminiscent of the first MOTHER game, however I'm more inclined to compare it's visual style to that of a flash game. This feel is mostly shown in the way certain character designs resemble the faces of early 2010's "rage comics", and a degree of humor is borrowed from internet humor of that general time period, but not in a way that's overdone or obnoxious. It also takes quite a bit of inspiration from the MOTHER/Earthbound series, and contains more than a few winks and nods to those games, however the core appeal to undertale is quite different to that of Earthbound: it never feels like imitation. The game's soundtrack takes on a variety of styles, and uses motifs expertly, and almost every track is a winner.

In conclusion, Undertale is a great game, that very much worth playing. That said, it's also got it's fair share of twists and turns, so make sure to avoid spoilers.

Look, it's DOOM. It's not as groundbreaking a it once was, but it's still fun, the spark's still THERE. It's totally worth playing, the visuals have aged to the point were It's pretty much safe for all ages (but still looks good), and the official minimum specs on steam are pretty much just "a computer that can run a program". My point is, is that there's no excuse for anyone to not play it.

Heck, it should pretty much just come bundled with windows, like solitaire and minesweeper.
...wait, didn't Microsoft buy Bethesda?

Busted to high hell, POS, i'd recomend steering clear, but it's free, so you might as well give it a shot to see if it works for you.

Don't get your hopes up, though.

Not only is Eternal a kickass game, but ID actually listened to it's community.

Dusk is some of the most fun I have had in a game. The game repeatedly and masterfully switches between badass, fast-paced gunplay, and tense, gut wrenching, atmosphere-driven horror. This is intensified by Andrew Hulshult's brilliant soundtrack, and the game's excellent sound design, alongside the unsettling retro asthetic.
Alongside this, of course is the game's unspoken sense of humor. It is very much the sort of humor shared between the developer and the player. Details such as a thrown bar of soap doing (no joke) 100 million damage when thrown at an enemy, the way pressing what would usually be the "reload" key spins your guns for no other reason than because it's cool, the way there is a secret level filled with just rats, or the way there are seriously so many graphical options that it practically adds replayability to the game.
The only critique that comes to mind is that multiplayer is a bit lacking, but other than that, I came expecting something that did for the 90's fps's what shovel knight did for 80's platformers, and I think I got that!

Edit; scratch that stuff about the multiplayer, it's awesome too!

Edit2; voting for this as GOTY 2019

While not yet released, SUPERHOT; mind control delete already shows improvements over the original game in almost every way. The rouglite elements keep the game focused on being turn based instead of feeling like a puzzle, as does the induction of a health system. The environments are tighter in design, making them feel more intense. The mind system, along with the introduction of a new weapon, leathal throwables, enemy types, mushrooms and glitch barriers, keep the game varied, challenging, and bada$$.

One of us.
One of us.

A great game with a great soundtrack, a great, heart-breaking story, and yeah, one of the best narrators out there. A must play.

This is some of the best level design I have ever seen. I dearly look foward to the next part, and hope that these developer's talents do no go to waste.

System shock was one of the first of a genere known as an "immirsive sim" to some or "0451" to others. While most of this particular genere uses a mixture of FPS and RPG elements System Shock is a bit different.
It instead provides a mixture of an FPS, a point-and-click adventure game, and a metroidvania game. Because of this, the game comes off as rather clunky and poorly aged, but at the same time provides mechanics that where supprisingly ahead of it's time. Where SS has aged well it's quite engaging, and where it's aged poorly it's become cheesy, from it's lackluster voice acting to it's quaint usage of cyberspace.
Overall, if you're the kind of person who can watch an old B-movie and still find it engaging despite low-bugetness, then you'll feel right at home. Overall this is a rather awesome game.
(I definitely recomend that you navigate to the game folder and read the stratagy guides and manual before playing, if only because it gives the plot a tad more context.)