When one looks at all the viral clips of Palworld gameplay stepping on every taboo Pokemon dares not come close to, it's no wonder that it was a financial success. But is the game actually worth spending that money on once the high from those clips has died down?

Links:
Let's Play & Streaming Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCK_V2D96Uk5Z-qtsHZrkXZw
Discord server: https://discord.gg/gEPNBpnTVS

In which I look at older games from the perspective of a newcomer. On the chopping block is a return to the Diablo-style genre with a curious deviation in the genre.

Links:
Let's Play & Streaming Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCK_V2D96Uk5Z-qtsHZrkXZw
Discord server: https://discord.gg/gEPNBpnTVS

As conversations about localization and adaptation have continued over the years, I've heard very similar arguments surrounding both topics, and wished to explore said arguments.

Timestamps:
0:00 - Introduction
0:40 - Does an objective analysis even care?
1:46 - When a fan loves a work and an outsider doesn't
3:59 - When an outsider loves a work and a fan doesn't
6:38 - The intention behind a work's creation
8:15 - Why a fan would care
9:35 - The historic success of Japanese media
11:31 - A case study of Fire Emblem: Three Houses
19:34 - "Why not just learn Japanese, then?"
20:46 - Do we even want the source adapted as closely as possible?
24:16 - The danger of "appealing to a wider audience"
28:18 - When companies want to "appeal to a wider audience" but don't want you calling them out
30:18 - Maintaining perspective
34:07 - Thanks for watching!

Music used, in order:
Learning Lesson - Fire Emblem: Three Houses OST
Hydrocity Zone Act 1 - Sonic 3 OST
The Honeyhive - Super Mario Galaxy OST
Spiderweb - Fire Emblem: Three Houses OST
Dirtmouth - Hollow Knight OST
Tidecaller - League of Legends OST
Shulk and Fiora - Xenoblade Chronicles OST
Calm Winds Over Gentle Waters - Fire Emblem: Three Houses OST
Beyond the Crossroads - Fire Emblem: Three Houses OST
Respite and Sunlight - Fire Emblem: Three Houses OST
Recollection and Regret - Fire Emblem: Three Houses OST
Time to Fight! - Xenoblade Chronicles: Definitive Edition OST
Rift Riders - Into the Breach OST
One Planet at a Time - Supreme Commander OST
Tatooine - Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic OST
The Hamlet - Darkest Dungeon OST
Ondra's Gift - Pillars of Eternity OST
Andy's Anthem - Advance Wars 1+2 Re-Boot Camp OST
Jess's Theme - Advance Wars 1+2 Re-Boot Camp OST
A Promise - Fire Emblem: Three Houses OST

Sources:
Cowboy Bebop comparison: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-8m8xC8Gswo
Fire Emblem: Fates infamous localization change: https://wccftech.com/fire-emblem-fates-western-release-entire-support-conversation..

It's been an interesting year, and one where very little according to plan. Let's reflect on that, and discuss what you can expect for the next six months.

Links:
Let's Play & Streaming Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCK_V2D96Uk5Z-qtsHZrkXZw
Discord server: https://discord.gg/gEPNBpnTVS

In which I look at older games I haven't played before to see if they still hold up. This time around, time for an action-oriented game and a pioneer of the character action game.

Links:
Let's Play & Streaming Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCK_V2D96Uk5Z-qtsHZrkXZw
Discord server: https://discord.gg/gEPNBpnTVS

Wanna know what it's like to chase communists across the stars in search of alien technology? Well wonder no more, because today we're looking at Battlezone '98, one of the most unique games I've ever played.

Links:
Let's Play & Streaming Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCK_V2D96Uk5Z-qtsHZrkXZw
Discord server: https://discord.gg/gEPNBpnTVS

or: how I learned to stop caring and ignore the key jangling.

Our exploration of the Master Chief Collection continued with the final game to look at from a gameplay standpoint: Halo 4.

Timestamps:
0:00 - Introduction
2:16 - Audio & Visual Changes
6:21 - Gameplay Changes
8:23 - Campaign
12:06 - Weapon Variety & New Armor Mods
16:28 - Infinity Slayer
17:21 - Spartan Ops
18:46 - Conclusion

Out of all the Star Wars characters to come from a video game, Revan is one of the most widely remembered, both due to his influence on the story, itself, and due to one scene, in particular. Today we discuss that scene.

Originally uploaded to Youtube on Feburary 21, 2021.

With all the hype rallied behind Breath of the Wild’s sequel, let’s see if what Nintendo marketed as a prequel was able to entertain in the meantime.

Credit to Majora's Puppet for co-op gameplay: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MXRMlnCz7UM
Marketing example taken from the game’s launch trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jmzvNn4682A

Timestamps:
0:00 - Introduction
2:17 - Gameplay Introduction
4:01 - Character Variety
6:42 - Performance
8:01 - Flurry Rush
8:32 - Consumables
10:42 - Game Balance
12:36 - Enemy Variety
14:29 - Combat Summary
15:13 - Camera Issues
16:50 - Co-op Mode
17:58 - Divine Beasts
18:58 - Progression System
26:17 - Story Introduction
27:36 - Characters
29:31 - Presentation
31:14 - A Cautionary Tale
32:28 - SPOILERS: Why would you do that?
38:09 - SPOILERS: What it did right
41:07 - SPOILERS: What it did wrong
43:19 - Spoiler Conclusion
43:52 - Overall Conclusion
45:07 – Thanks for watching!

Originally uploaded to Youtube on August 20, 2020.

After growing used to modern-day Fire Emblem, let's see how well an indie game can do when it tries to emulate a much different kind of turn-based RTS.

Get the game: https://store.steampowered.com/app/607050/Wargroove/

Timestamps:
0:00 - Introduction
1:26 - Story Introduction
1:59 - Tonal Inconsistency
4:11 - Story/Gameplay Integration, plus some surprises
5:10 - Co-op Story
5:44 - Presentation
7:42 - Gameplay Introduction
10:09 - Unit Variety and Game Balance
13:45 - Map Design
16:47 - AI Shenanigans
17:34 - Army Differences, or Lack Thereof
20:26 - Usability
21:37 - Campaign Variety
24:57 - Puzzle Mode
25:53 - Arcade Mode
28:26 - Multiplayer/Skirmish Mode
31:13 - Conclusion
31:43 - Outtro/Thanks for Watching

Originally uploaded to Youtube on July 16, 2017.

In which I look at old games I haven't played before to see if they hold up. This time, I go off on a personal tangent to play a game I've been wanting to for a long time.

get the game: https://www.gog.com/game/the_witcher

Thus does our exploration of Halo: the Master Chief Collection continue, with Halo: Reach's gameplay section being on the chopping block this time around.

Originally uploaded to Youtube on January 21, 2018.

Over the holidays, I had time to play a small puzzle game. Here's what I thought of it.

Get the game
GoG: https://www.gog.com/game/gorogoa
Steam: http://store.steampowered.com/app/557600/Gorogoa/

The copy used for this review was received as a gift over the holidays.

How do you make a slog out of the underworld fun? Let Supergiant make the game and watch the fireworks.

Get the game:
Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1145360/Hades/
Epic Game Store: https://www.epicgames.com/store/en-US/product/hades/home
Nintendo Switch: https://www.nintendo.com/games/detail/hades-switch/

Timestamps:
0:00 - Introduction
2:26 - Story Introduction
3:04 - Attention to Detail
4:22 - Intrigue
5:33 - The Long Haul
6:08 - Presentation
10:08 - Gameplay Introduction
11:37 - Progression
12:22 - The Pact of Punishment
13:37 - Back to the Grind
16:12 - An In-Game Wiki?
16:46 - Combat
17:41 - Upgrades and their Efficacy
22:43 - Skill vs. Luck
26:28 - Controller vs. Keyboard & Mouse
28:09 - Final Thoughts & Performance between PC and Switch
29:57 - Outtro/Thanks for Watching

If you had told me years ago that I would consider a Torchlight game to be disappointing, I would have laughed you out of the room. And yet, that time has come, and as someone who holds Torchlight 2 to be their favorite Diablo-style game, let’s talk about why Torchlight 3 fails to live up to that.

Timestamps:
0:00 - A field of red flags
7:41 - The relic system, and a Railmaster
9:32 - Animation Quality, and the Dusk Mage
13:46 - The remaining classes
16:54 - User interface
20:26 - Game balance
23:01 - The waypoint system
25:03 - Conclusion

Since it's been a while since I posted an update, let's talk about what my plans are for the channel moving into the rest of the year.

TL;DW: over the next few months, I'm going to be refocusing on RPGs and strategy games, as that seems to be where I thrive in terms of game critique, and it's something that the majority of my audience seems to enjoy watching. I do still have obligations to fulfill with the Halo review series, and will occasionally deviate from this to maintain a bit of variety, but for the most part, that is what you can expect. For now, here's a tentative schedule for the rest of the year:

August: Halo MCC Review part 5, focused on Halo: Reach
September: A discussion on Star Wars: The Bad Batch
October: Orcs Must Die 3
November: Halo MCC Review part 6, focused on Halo 4
December: Pillars of Eternity

Originally uploaded to Youtube on February 18, 2018.

In which I look at old games I haven't played before to see if they hold up. This time, I'm stepping away from the usual deluge of FPS and RPGs that I normally spend time with, in order to try out the game that created the Arkham combat system.

get the game: http://store.steampowered.com/app/35140/Batman_Arkham_Asylum_Game_of_the_Year_Edition/

The copy used for this review was purchased as part of a Humble Bundle.

Originally uploaded to Youtube on January 16, 2021.

In which I look at old games I haven't played before to see if they hold up. This time, we wrap up our exploration of the Infinity Engine games with the last one that was released.

Get the game: https://www.gog.com/game/icewind_dale_2

Originally uploaded to Youtube on December 21, 2017.

Just in time for a steam sale, here's a look at the world of Hob.

Get the game:
Steam: http://store.steampowered.com/app/404680/Hob/
GoG: https://www.gog.com/game/hob

The copy used for this review was purchased from GoG at full price.

Thus continues our exploration of Halo: The Master Chief Collection, with this video focusing on the gameplay for Halo 3 and ODST.

Timestamps:
0:00 - Halo 3 Introduction
0:36 - H3: Weapon Variety
4:30 - H3: New Equipment
8:36 - H3: Vehicles
10:41 - H3: Multiplayer Game Modes
14:09 - H3: Singleplayer & Level Design
16:46 - H3 Conclusion
17:10 - Halo 3: ODST Introduction
18:06 - ODST: The New Stuff
21:01 - ODST: Campaign
24:39 - ODST: Firefight
27:12 - ODST Conclusion
27:47 - Thanks for Watching!

Originally uploaded to Youtube on June 29, 2016.

Welcome to Through the Looking Glass, where I look at old games I haven't played before to see if they hold up. Today, we examine the most unique game I've played for the series thus far, Dungeon Keeper.

get the game: https://www.gog.com/game/dungeon_keeper

The copy used for this review was acquired while the game was being offered for free on GoG.

Originally uploaded to Youtube on April 11, 2021.

Thus continues our exploration of Halo: The Master Chief Collection, with this video focusing on the gameplay for Halo 2.

Release Date Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZDvYJGquXgE

Timestamps
0:00 - Introduction
0:29 - Where did my health bar go?
1:25 - Weapon Variety
6:04 - Campaign
14:04 - Anniversary Edition
17:14 - Multiplayer
20:14 - Conclusion

Originally uploaded to Youtube on October 1, 2017.

In which I look at old games I haven't played before to see if they hold up. Whenever you're not sure what to review next, just take a page from Core Design and do more of the same, while hopefully better, with Tomb Raider 2.

Get the game: https://www.gog.com/game/tomb_raider_123

The copy used for this review was the GoG version, purchased at a discount.

In which I look at old games from the perspective of a newcomer. On the chopping block today is a novel spin on the turn-based strategy genre: Valkyria Chronicles.

Get the game:
Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/294860/Valkyria_Chronicles/
Playstation: https://store.playstation.com/en-us/product/UP0177-CUSA03880_00-BFVALKYRIE000100
Nintendo Switch: https://www.nintendo.com/games/detail/valkyria-chronicles-switch/

Timestamps:
0:00 - Introduction
2:21 - Gameplay Introduction
4:22 - How intuitive is it?
5:42 - Too much at once
6:48 - User Interface & PC port woes
9:06 - Classes
11:08 - Game balance start
12:30 - Command point abuse
13:40 - AI shenanigans
14:56 - Weapon customization
16:10 - Orders
16:35 - Game balance conclusion
16:48 - Skirmish missions
18:19 - Challenges and DLC missions
19:01 - Story Introduction
20:29 - A long-winded setup
21:13 - Voice Acting
23:23 - Why are you like this?
25:35 - A familiar beat, but not an unwelcome one
26:09 - World-building and internal consistency
26:42 - Presentation
27:30 - Non-Spoiler Conclusion
27:59 - SPOILERS: Exploring a theme
32:07 - SPOILERS: THAT scene
36:27 - SPOILERS: The Valkyria
39:26 - SPOILERS: How does one act?
43:15 - SPOILERS: How does one respond?
46:07 - SPOILERS: Unanswered Problems
49:48 - Spoiler Conclusion
50:33 - Overall Conclusion