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Reviews
Home Sweet Home Alone (2021)
A nostalgic glow in the shadow of giants
I consider Maculay Culkin one of the greatest child actors ever, and his performances in home alone 1&2 made him an international treasure. I watch both of the originals every year, and I knew that Home sweet home alone wouldn't get close to the brilliance of the OGs. That being said, it wasn't terrible.
We do get to see Buzz again, and along with all the callbacks, that made it all worth it to me. The charm, humour and wit of the first movies are lacking, and I didn't laugh more than a couple of times throughout the entire movie, but the nostalgic music, traps and callbacks made me smile throughout.
Give it a chance. If you love HA 1&2 I think it'll be worth your time, just don't excpect anything close to the classics.
One of Us Is Lying (2021)
Little liars, not pretty.
It's basically a worse version of Pretty Little Liars and Gossip girl. Acting is mediocre at best and the characters couldn't be more
stereotypical.
The pretty blonde with the "perfect" life. The nerdy girl that falls in love with tje badboy. The misunderstood badboy with a heart of gold and the gay sportstar.
This is so predictable and overused. Do not expect greatness. This is mediocre.. at best.
The Walking Dead: The Game - Season 2 (2013)
Hail the queen. Clementine.
The Walking Dead season 1 was something special. A true masterpiece in storytelling and character development. It was a true 10/10, and the finale made me feel a sadness I've never before felt in a video game. So how does season two stack up in comparison?
In season one we played as Lee, doing our best to protect precious little Clementine. In the second season we play Clementine herself. The difference is that we are met with an older, more mature and independent Clementine. This season really cements her as a true protagonist, and a damn good one at that.
One of the biggest drawbacks in my opinion when it comes to the second season is that the majority of characters we meet feel like completely dead weight, unable to perform even the simplest of tasks. It seems ridiculous that a bunch of adults put all the responsibility on an 11 year old girl, but game has to game I guess. Not all characters fall into this catagory though. In fact, the second season hosts a multitude of amazing characters, that you will either end up loving or hating depending on how you play. In my opinion season two gives us THE most complex character in the entire universe, and I'm not talking about Clementine. It also has arguably the greatest villain in the entire Walking Dead universe.
The early part revolves around getting to know new characters, and being introduced to old ones as well. The later half of the game focuses on a sort of rivalry between different characters, and you as the player has to choose which side you are on. The ending (depending on how you play it) is again very emotional, and though it's hard to replicate the impact of the first seasons ending, in my opinion it got pretty close. I won't tell you which ending I got, but I will say that it involved a hard to swallow good bye that was absolutely excellent.
Season one introduced us to a young girl, that we would die to protect. Season two gave us a development in Clementine that is hard to accomplish. She is still a young little girl, but a fierce survivor that beyond all else tries to navigate the moral dilemmas she is faced with. It's hard to create a character that the player really connects with, but TellTale has gone beyond that with Clementine. I felt a responsibility and admiration I've never felt for a character in a video game ever. In my book Clementine is the greatest video game heroine of all time, and season two is pretty damn close to the masterpiece that was season one.
The Walking Dead: The Game - Season 1 (2012)
The best story ever told in a video game
I don't know where to even start with this. There is so much to say, but I will try to contain myself.
I'll start of by saying that I've played a lot of story driven games. The Last of Us, Life is Strange, Detroit Become Human, A Plague Tale and The Wolf Among Us to name a few. None of these games came even close to The Walking Dead. There are a few reasons to this, and I'll talk about all of them in-depth, because this game deserves it.
The game centers around a man headed for prison, Lee Everett. Lee ends up meeting an eight year old girl, named Clementine. Now, this is where the story shines, their relationship. Lee quickly becomes like a father figure for young Clementine, and will do anything, literally anything to protect her. Both of them are so well-written that I've never cared more about fictional characters. Ever. The voice actors did such an amazing job that there are multiple times throughout the game I was left speechless, with tears pressing. Thank you Dave Fennoy and Melissa Hutchinson for a perfect execution.
Clementine, which will go down in history as the greatest protagonist of any game ever, at least in my book is there to act as a moral compass. Her input and opinions guides the player through what feels like at times, impossible choices. What makes this game so good also comes down to the side characters, that are also perfectly executed. Some of them you'll love, some of them you'll hate, and they all feel really real.
I won't spoil anything for you, but this game IS emotional. You will end up caring about the characters, and you will feel a lump in your throat at some point in the game, if you don't, I'd be worried. The ending puts the perfect ribbon onto this perfect package of a game. I can literally say that it changed me as a person. It completely broke me, but I am so impressed that a video game could make me feel so invested.
The Walking Dead doesn't have the best graphics, and it doesn't have the best gameplay, but it has the best story, and best characters I've ever come across in a video game. As I said, I've played a lot of video games, but none come close to the exceptional masterpiece TellTale created in The Walking Dead.
Life Is Strange (2015)
Emotional, beautiful, masterful
Life is Strange is a choice based game where you have the power to go back in time, pretty cool eh? Yes it is, but that is not what makes Life is Strange great. What really makes the game shine is the characters, the beautiful visuals, and a heartbreaking story.
The story takes place in Arcadia Bay, and it's quite literally breathtaking. The environment feels so immersive you'd wish you were actually living there yourself. Well kinda.
The game revolves around Max and Chloe, which are long time best friends. Max is reserved, shy and well, has a superpower. She can reverse time! Chloe is a rebelious dropout with a heart of gold. Together they're trying to stop a hurricane who's threatining to wipe out Arcadia Bay and everyone who lives there. But that's not it, they also have to solve the mystery of what happened to Chloe's friend Rachel Amber, who disappeared one year earlier. There's also a bunch of other stuff going on in Arcadia Bay, but it's all told in such an amazing way that you'll be longing for more when it's all done.
Life is Strange ties story, characters, visuals and ambient music into the perfect package. It's emotional, well written and relevant on so many levels. I've played a lot of story driven games, and I can honestly say that Life is Strange is one of the best one's out there. Please, do yourself a favor and play it.
Detroit: Become Human (2018)
A true masterpiece
Detroit Become Human is one of the greatest video games ever made. It has amazing characters, stunning graphics and a story that can bring tears to even the most cold-hearted of players.
What really makes Detroit so excellent is the way it navigates the moral choices we as players make. You end up caring so much about the characters that every choice feels important, and in this game it actually is.
I loved both Marcus and Connor. Both their story and development, but it was Kara's journey that emotionally made me a wreck. I won't spoil anything, and your experience will probably differ, but her progression and emotional impact was something special.
If you are on the lookout for a game that will immerse you in a futuristic world of androids that you'll end up loving, this is the game to get. It's visually beautiful, has amazing characters, and depending on how you play, either a marvelous or tragic end.
A Plague Tale: Innocence (2019)
One of the greatest story-driven games ever
A Plague Tale tells the story of a girl named Amicia and her brother Hugo, who travels through 17th century France to seek out a cure for Hugo's mysterious illness. It's not an easy journey, as France is threatned by the black plague, and the british inquisition.
What makes the story so appealing is tied directly to the characters. You end up really caring about Amicia, the brave heroine who will do anything to protect her little brother, both from deadly rats, and evil knights. Her sling is in my opinion one of the greatest weapons I've ever had the pleasure to use. It sounds plain, but wait till you see what it can do, and you will be just as impressed as I was.
Amicia is in my book one of the best female protagonists of all time. I'd put her up there with Ellie from The Last of Us and Clementine from TellTale's The Walking Dead, and that says a lot.
If you want to play a story rich game, with stunning graphics and top notch characters, look no further, A Plague Tale's got it all.