Tag: playstation 3

How video games helped me during the pandemic

The Covid-19 pandemic has had an enormous impact on the video game industry. With restricted movement as people are forced to quarantine at home, interest in gaming has just boomed. People have turned to video games as a hobby and means of socialization, organizing virtual meet ups with friends through games. While many industries are still struggling to find their footing, video games continue to be developed and released digitally, so it’s still possible to access new games and content even with prolonged lockdowns.

Continue reading “How video games helped me during the pandemic”

Game Review: Lost in the Rain

01. lost in the rain coverLost in the Rain is one of the most mysterious and melancholic games I’ve played in a while. Originally released as Rain to European and Western markets, the adventure video game developed by SCE Japan Studio published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation 3 was launched last October 2013.

Intriguing story, unique gameplay and haunting music is what stands out in this game. It actually reminded me a bit of the adventure / art game Journey in a more dark and depressing way, since it has the same indie and experimental vibe. There’s a strong focus on the puzzle platformer elements instead of battles using relatively simple mechanics, which sets it apart from traditional adventure games.  Continue reading “Game Review: Lost in the Rain”

Game Review: Beyond: Two Souls

01. beyond two souls ps3

Beyond: Two Souls is an interactive drama action-adventure video game for the PlayStation 3 console starring actors Ellen Page and Willem Dafoe. It was developed by French developer Quantic Dream, the same team behind the hit Heavy Rain.

Released just last October 2013, the game has received mixed reactions from critics. I was excited about it when it first came out, but after one playthrough, I found the whole gaming experience a bit disappointing. Overall, playing Beyond: Two Souls feels like watching a bunch of (cool) cutscenes, where your actions have very little bearing on what happens. Continue reading “Game Review: Beyond: Two Souls”

Game Review: The Walking Dead

Season 4 of The Walking Dead TV series is set to resume in a couple of days and it’ll be great to get my zombie fix again! To celebrate, I finally got around to writing a game review for The Walking Dead (A Telltale Games Series), which I played and finished at the start of the year.

The Walking Dead  is an episodic single-player graphic adventure based on Robert Kirkman’s The Walking Dead comic book series. Instead of the usual zombie shooting spree you see in most games of this genre, this focuses instead on story and character development. As the protagonist, your must do your best to survive amidst a zombie apocalypse, interact with other survivors and make difficult decisions that will ultimately impact the storyline. Since the game adapts to your choices, playing this feels like one of those “Choose your own Adventure” books, and each gaming experience is unique.

My immediate reaction upon finishing it was that it was one of the most “mind-blowing” games I’ve played in recent history. Pun intended. [Note: OK, I changed my mind. The Last of Us was mind-blowing x 10. Separate review on that.]

Continue reading “Game Review: The Walking Dead”

Game Review: The Last of Us

The Last of Us is an action-adventure survival horror video game developed by Naughty Dog (the same team behind the hit Uncharted series) and published by Sony Computer Entertainment exclusively for the PlayStation 3. Released just last June 2013, the video game has already reached critical acclaim, with many gaming publications giving it a perfect score.

Having finished playing it a couple of weeks ago, I totally agree. This is just one mind-blowingly amazing game. Playing it was such an intensely riveting experience. Yes, it may have been brutal and violent, but in between all that blood and gore was a powerful story and flawed characters that I cared about.

As author Karl who I lent the game to said in this awesome 8 List article on life lessons we can learn from The Last of Us said: “If you are at all interested in video games and the narrative power they possess and the fuzzy feeling of happy happy joy joy they can imbue, then you must (YOU MUST) play this.”

Continue reading “Game Review: The Last of Us”

Game Review: Tomb Raider (2013)

tomb raider 2013 ps3 cover

Tomb Raider is an action-adventure video game published by Square Enix. The game released in 2013 is a reboot centered on the character of Lara Croft, an archaeologist-adventurer who travels the world in search of rare objects and mystical artifacts.

Lara Croft is arguably the most famous female video game protagonist, so rebooting the series was no small feat. Even those who are not familiar with the video games are familiar with Lara’s adventure through the movies Lara Croft: Tomb Raider (2001) and Lara Croft: Cradle of Life (2003) popularized by Angelina Jolie. This video game reboot was able to hold its own and successfully establish the origins of Lara Croft and the circumstances that made her into the strong protagonist everyone knows her to be. Continue reading “Game Review: Tomb Raider (2013)”