Posted on by Annie Gallagher · 47 Comments

Undertale (PC/PS4/Vita/Switch): A Deeply Moving Tale (Detailed Review)

Undertale | Memory Statue

Chances are, most gamers nowadays may have heard of Undertale. After all, it won GameFAQs “greatest games of all time” contest and beat out games like Ocarina of Time and Final Fantasy VII. Some may argue that the victory doesn’t count because it most votes came from Tumblr users who don’t frequent GameFAQs, but it does not change the fact that it was always intended as a popularity contest and that every vote was from an individual who thought it deserved to win. So yes, it did in fact prove that Undertale is very highly regarded in the gaming community.

Keep in mind that this was all for a game created in Game Maker and that did not even have a press kit when IGN approached Toby Fox. So no this is not the same as some crap like game publications proclaiming a multi million dollar AAA title to be the Citizen Kane of gaming within a minute of putting the disk in the console. The only boost that Toby Fox got with Undertale was a successful Kickstarter campaign, and regardless of how one feels about Kickstarter, this shows how good it can be when used correctly. Read more

Posted on by Annie Gallagher · 23 Comments

The Beginner’s Guide (PC): A Postmodern Masterpiece (Detailed Review)

The Beginner's Guide | The Machine

This review took me quite a while to get to now didn’t it? I didn’t expect much going into The Beginner’s Guide and I didn’t know a thing about it. Pretty much all the odds were stacked against this game clicking with me. I’ve made it known that I detest the “environmental narrative” genre and I consider games like Gone Home and Dear Esther mediocre at absolute best and terrible at worst. Even some of the arguably better examples like Yume Nikki don’t really do anything for me.

I adore The Beginner’s Guide though. Until I played Euphoria, The Beginner’s Guide had the strongest narrative out of any game I have ever played, even more so than NieR Automata. What really impresses me about The Beginner’s Guide is just how much of an impact it left on me despite the fact that it is beaten in little over an hour. Even games like To the Moon have had trouble really sticking with me the way The Beginner’s Guide has, and I grew to believe that being shorter just meant it wouldn’t be as impactful for me. Read more

Posted on by Annie Gallagher · 5 Comments

Steam Greenlight Landfill: Midnight Carnival

Midnight Carnival | Header

I’m going to clarify that I am reviewing this game off of memory from playing it back during the summer, and my memory is not entirely clear. The reason for this is not just because of how long it has been, but also because this game is only fifteen minutes long. As such, it is naturally tough to remember all of it. On top of that, I got a refund for this game after playing it and I’d rather not buy it again just for the purpose of trashing it so I’m going to go based off of memory. Anyway yeah, Midnight Carnival is pretty shit.

I know, when an article of mine is prefaced with “Steam Greenlight Landfill,” that is usually an indicator of the overall quality. I use this title because I don’t usually think about these games that much. That is also because these games are also shallow and lacking in depth or content. A number of games I reviewed on GameFAQs definitely fit the “Steam Greenlight Landfill” category and I currently of a library of over 500 Steam titles, a lot of which are highly obscure and low in price. Of course, I do usually feel the need to review these games for a few reasons, and no it isn’t because “le edgy gamer rage.”

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Posted on by Annie Gallagher · 4 Comments

Standard Review: Worms 2: Armageddon/Worms Reloaded (PS3/360/PC/Ios)

Just to clear up any potential confusion, Worms: Reloaded, and Worms 2: Armageddon are the same game and just have different titles on different systems. Worms is a turn based strategy game series that dates back to 1995 with the original Worms. The original Worms was released on the PC, Mega Drive, Super Nintendo, Gameboy, Amiga, PS1, Saturn, and even the Atari Jaguar, but only the PC, PS1, and Saturn versions got a release outside Europe. Seeing as how there have been at least ten games in the Worms series released between the original game and Reloaded, that should be enough to indicate that this is NOT the second game in the series. In actuality, the game was intended as a sequel to Worms: Armageddon, the third game in the series, but they put the 2 in the wrong spot (don’t ask me how they managed to mess that up).

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Posted on by Annie Gallagher · 1 Comment

The Guardian Acorn Reader Interest Polls

The Guardian Acorn | logo

It took a little bit for me to put together, but here it is. I have been meaning to find a way of how I can gauge reader interest in various specific areas of my content. I was initially planning on having polls be available only to patrons but I only have 2 of those at the moment. Anyway, I have decided it was easier to just put together every poll I can think of related to content and put them all in one article rather than spreading them all out. Also yes, a lot of them have a LOT of options, simply because I tend to be very thorough in regards to these things, and I would greatly appreciate it if one could vote in some of these, as I don’t want the amount of time spent going to waste. Anyway let’s begin.

Note: You can vote for as many options as you would like in each poll.

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Posted on by Annie Gallagher · 2 Comments

Steam Greenlight Landfill: Darconika: The Cube of Soul

Darconika | logo

I must admit that I have a fair bit of interest in the indie visual novel scene. I often have a difficult time getting into the larger visual novels made by more professional teams for a variety of reasons. These reasons are oftentimes due to their length and the fact that they tend to be paced very slowly. Indie visual novels, on the other hand, are usually about the same length of a movie so they are easier to digest, and are more likely to get straight to the point.

Also there is the fact that you are more likely to see raw creator expression that is not hampered by corporate interests, although the same could be said of most indie products. Unfortunately, Sturgeon’s law greatly applies to a lot of these visual novels. For every brilliant gem like My Name Is Addiction, you have about twelve mediocre, poorly written and drawn visual novels that are just not interesting. Darconika: The Cube of Soul fits into the latter category. Read more

Posted on by Annie Gallagher · 33 Comments

NieR Automata: The Type of Masterpiece that you Rarely See, Especially in AAA Games (Detailed Review) (PS4/XONE/PC)

NieR Automata | title screen

Just a heads up, the reason the review is no longer up  this site is because it is now up on Brash Games, and I figure they wouldn’t want their content hosted elsewhere. There was a lot that I had to say about this game seeing as how it is currently in my top 3 favorite RPGs (or games in general for that matter).

http://www.brashgames.co.uk/2017/05/15/nier-automata-review/

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If you would like to play this game for yourself (which you should) it can be purchased here (PS4 Physical), here (PS4 Digital), and here (PC Digital).

If you would like to support me or this site, then please support my Patreon if you would like to see higher quality content with more resources to put towards it. If you don’t want to spend any money on me, then you can also help out by simply sharing my blog on Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, Reddit, or anywhere else where others will see it. You can also follow this blog if you would like to be kept up to date on my stuff, or you could follow me on any of my social media pages (listed at the top of the page) and could stop by The Guardian Acorn Discord chat if you would like to talk to me and my homies.

 

 

Posted on by Annie Gallagher · 16 Comments

NieR: Breathtaking Story, Okay Gameplay (Detailed Review) (PS3/PS4/360/XONE/PC)

NieR | Cast

My experience with NieR was… really something. While it is pretty weak in the gameplay side of things, it really makes up for it with a very well crafted story, albeit one that has some pacing issues on the first playthrough. NieR was one of the last games by Cavia, a company that has been previously known for the Drakengard series. NieR also takes place after one of the first Drakengard’s ending D.

NieR is pretty much a game that is driven on its narrative, and it manages to hold its own well enough that it will still be a very impactful experience by the time you are done. Yes the gameplay is undeniably bland, but the overall artistry of the game makes it one that is definitely worth playing. Read more