Paradox Quest Log

I'm Michael. I have a massive video game backlog I need to get through. This is where I'll post what I've been playing, and give short reviews and ratings of games I've finished.

[iceparadox64]

My Rating System

Along with my reviews, I want to try giving all games a rating out of five. Most people would see 3/5 as a bad rating even though first-grade math suggests it should be average, so I'll go ahead and explain my rating system here. The descriptions are kind of just an example of what kinds of games would get that rating, but obviously there are exceptions and I mostly go off my gut feeling.

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⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 5/5 - Masterpiece, absolute must-play, other developers should look at this game and analyze what makes it so great.

⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4/5 - Truly fantastic game, GOTY material, highly recommend.

⭐⭐⭐ 3/5 - Well worth your time and money if you like the genre, might not necessarily appeal to everyone.

⭐⭐ 2/5 - Pretty weak game that still has charm or may have some niche appeal, wait for a sale if you buy it at all.

⭐ 1/5 - Critically flawed game that is just not fun at all, can't recommend buying.

💩 0/5 - Send this back to the depths of the junkyard dimension from whence it came, this game should be neither played nor witnessed by anyone, we must all atone for our sins and work together as a society and as a species to come back from this travesty.

➕ .5 - A half-rating is my way of saying "I really want to rate this game higher, but it just has too much holding it back."

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Each review will have tags representing the rating, for easy searching in the future. I don't want the half-ratings to feel like they matter too much, so the half-rating tag is separate from the stars— i.e. a review of a 3.5/5 game will have the tags "⭐⭐⭐" and "➕".

I am not an experienced game reviewer by any means, and I've missed out on a lot of great games over the years. Hopefully I can get better over time!

[iceparadox64]

Fallout: New Vegas (2010) [PC]

Start Date: Oct 25, 2022 | Play Time: 87 hours Original Review Date: Jan 27, 2023

(Note that I was playing with the Viva New Vegas modpack, using the default profile which is just bug fixes, QoL, visuals, etc. In terms of gameplay this was a mostly vanilla experience.)

So I'll admit I've tried New Vegas before, but after many years of playing Skyrim (and a few hours of Fallout 4), I couldn't get past the jankiness of the gameplay. But this time I stuck with it, and after getting past said jankiness, holy shit I love this game.

I'm well aware that New Vegas has been talked to death around the internet, but seriously, this game blew my mind once I really got into it. I found myself loving the character building way more than other Bethesda games I've played— the perks felt very impactful, and I was so happy to see the skills not only affect the gameplay, but also regularly have skill checks in dialogue and random quest objectives. I swear I never found myself taking any less than five minutes on the level up screen.

The story was amazing, and I loved how I could pick any side and kill anyone I wanted. Loved the characters, especially the few companions I picked up along the way. And for those that are curious, I did an intelligence build with energy weapons and high science and repair.

I spent 87 hours playing this game over the past two weeks and I know for a fact it has a lot more to offer me. When I'm not focusing so hard on my backlog, I'm absolutely going to go back into this with a new build and make some new decisions. If you're like me and couldn't get past the crusty feel of New Vegas because you've been spoiled by years of modding Skyrim, trust me, give it a shot.

⭐ 4/5 ⭐

Save 50% on Fallout: New Vegas on Steam

Welcome to Vegas. New Vegas. Enjoy your stay!

[iceparadox64]

Trials Evolution: Gold Edition (2013) [PC]

Start Date: Oct 28, 2022 | Play Time: 18 hours Original Review Date: Dec 3, 2022

There's really nothing else like Trials, and I have to recommend everyone at least try this game. I remember playing the hell out of the original Trials HD demo on my 360 back when I first got it, along with Peggle and Hexic HD. I've seen many people say that this is the best Trials game, but I've only played a bit of Fusion so I can't comment on that. But I can say that Evolution was extremely fun.

Trials is a game that gets very hard, but I have to commend it for its great difficulty curve. You start out with some Beginner courses, learning how your bike controls, then Easy and Medium teach you some more advanced techniques like throttle control and bunny hopping, and before you know it, you've beaten all the Hard tracks and are grinding to unlock the Extreme difficulty courses. And this is all because beating Trials courses is extremely satisfying, each obstacle being like a puzzle you have to solve, and even if you come out with just a humble bronze medal, it still comes along with an amazing sense of gratification.

That said, the Extreme difficulty courses are fucking hard. There are only 11 of them in the game— about two-thirds of them are exceptionally satisfying to beat, really making you realize just how good you've gotten at the game. But the remaining third all contain an obstacle or two that just… are not fun. I'm not exaggerating even a little when I say that I spent over an hour on one obstacle, and then in the very next level I spent nearly two hours. Each on one single obstacle. Those kinds of hurdles simply were not fun, but I honestly do think that the satisfaction of getting through the rest of the Extreme levels just barely makes up for the pain and anguish of those few bad eggs. I unlocked all the bikes and completed all levels individually, the only thing I didn't do were some of the tournaments, which are essentially the Trials equivalent of cup races so I didn't care to unlock them.

It's far from perfect, but it's a short burst of gaming that will always hold a special place in my heart, and I think it'd have the same effect on most anyone. Just don't play with a keyboard, I literally cannot imagine a worse time.

⭐ 3/5 ⭐

Trials Evolution: Gold Edition on Steam

Trials Evolution: Gold Edition marks the Trials franchise’s triumphant return to the PC gaming platform. RedLynx’s signature franchise, the

[iceparadox64]

Demon Turf (2021) [PC]

Start Date: Sept 26, 2022 | Play Time: 32 hours (💎100%) Original Review Date: Dec 3, 2022

If you like 3D platformers with a big focus on movement, like Super Mario 64/Odyssey, play this game. This small indie game is by far the best moveset-based 3D platformer I've ever played that doesn't have the name Mario in it, and I probably don't have to stress how unbelievably high praise that is. I remember I wasn't even out of the tutorial level before I was trying to find speedrun skips.

The characters and setting are great, the story is simple but cute, it's just the right level of challenging. The levels aren't as omega memorable as Bob-Omb Battlefield or Tick Tock Clock, but that's mostly because there are four worlds, and each level in a world shares a similar theme and setting. There are also four new abilities that you unlock with each world's boss fight, three of them are awesome, but the fourth one kinda has that feeling of "This was added because we needed a fourth ability". It doesn't change how amazing the other three are though!

Important note if you want to play this game:

Go into options, find the "Move Deadzone" slider, and turn it all the way down. I don't know why it starts at its max value, but movement will feel a bit stiff if you don't change it.

Notes from 2025 Michael: Since writing this review, the Tower update released, which is a hellish gauntlet of increasingly difficult platforming challenges where you have one shot to get to the top. I have not gotten past floor 45/50 but it's insanely good, I can highly recommend it to anyone who enjoyed the base game. Everything is available in the new "Queens Edition" of the game (not an upgrade or DLC or anything, it's just how the game is sold now), including the Neon Tides mini-spinoff that I admittedly haven't played. Also, play the Demon Tides demo, holy shit it's so good.

Anyway, I 100%'d this game—mostly on my Steam Deck!—and had an absolute blast doing it. If you like 3D platformer collectathons with sick-ass movesets, tight controls, cute designs, and good humor, and you haven't played this... what the fuck, go play it right now, the sun and all it shines down on should not concern you in the slightest until you've beaten this game. Take the demon pill already. Take it.

⭐ 4.5/5 ⭐

Demon Turf: Queens Edition on Steam

The ultimate version of the 3D Platformer with attitude! Join Beebz on three seperate adventures to ultimately claim the Demon Queen title!

[iceparadox64]

Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance (2014) [PC]

Start Date: Nov 18, 2022 | Play Time: 12.1 hours Original Review Date: Dec 3, 2022

I have never played another Metal Gear game before. I don't play hack n' slash games (tried Bayonetta but couldn't get into it). And I don't particularly like anime. But despite those things, this hack n' slash Metal Gear game, which is peak Dumb Anime Bullshit™ in sci-fi form, had me hooked like I never could have imagined.

Like I said, I tried getting into Bayonetta, but I just couldn't stick with it (though I acknowledge I may not have given it enough of a chance, may go back to it in the future). But as soon as I was in control of Raiden, fighting cyborg super-soldiers and giant war machines, the controller was glued to my hands. Something about it just clicked with me. I mean, this game lets you slice dudes up into hundreds of pieces, and even has a fucking counter for how many pieces. That's my kind of fucking game.

The only problem I really had with the combat was dodging. You don't start the game with it, you can't unlock it until after the first chapter (well, chapter 0), and it's bound to two buttons, one of which is the light attack button. It worked fine more often than not, but I still ended up attacking instead of dodging more often than I would have liked. Also, I'm willing to accept that this may be some weird quirk with using a controller on the PC version, but some QTEs in the game require you to move the left stick back and forth rapidly, and I swear they are literally impossible sometimes.

Anyway. The story is amazing and the characters are great and memorable, even though I had no idea the optional codex conversations existed until I finished my playthrough -.- The boss fights are cool as hell, and I don't think I even need to mention the music. The game is pretty short at only about eight hours, but a game being short is rarely a negative for me— I think one of the worst things a game can do is overstay its welcome.

There are also two DLC stories at about an hour each: I loved Jetstream all the way through, and while I wasn't really a fan of Blade Wolf, its final boss fight somehow ended up being really fun? But both are worth playing! And the optional VR missions are there if you really want to master the movement and combat, though I only did a few before deciding I'd rather spend my time playing the main game Because the main game is so good.

This game is hype as fuck. Play it.

⭐ 3/5 ⭐

METAL GEAR RISING: REVENGEANCE on Steam

Developed by Kojima Productions and PlatinumGames, METAL GEAR RISING: REVENGEANCE takes the renowned METAL GEAR franchise into exciting new

[iceparadox64]

My Friend Pedro (2019) [PC]

Start Date: Sept 23, 2022 | Play Time: 3.5 hours Original Review Date: Dec 3, 2022

For a while, I've had a saying: "Devolver don't miss." And I'm happy to say that My Friend Pedro doesn't disappoint. It's ultra short, but what's there is perfectly good, and there's lots of replayability in going for high scores and combos. Kind of like Hotline Miami. And the story is a fun time as well.

And in terms of combos, there are so many fun ways to kill dudes in this game it's unreal. You have a small variety of guns, the pistols and SMGs being dual wielded and letting you aim in separate directions, you have a rocket launcher, you can kick objects at enemies from a distance, you can flip tables for cover or roll under them, you can shoot gas canisters to blow them up, sometimes you ride skateboards or ziplines, you have a grappling hook, you can shoot fucking frying pans and have your bullets ricochet off them to kill enemies, even being able to kick them into the air first so you can kill enemies above you... It's one of those games that seems way too bloated on paper, but then you start playing and you're trying to incorporate everything into your combo because it's so damn fun and satisfying.

There's not much more to say about the game, honestly. If what I've already described sounds fun, and perhaps you like the idea of having a talking banana as your partner in crime throughout the game, consider picking this up.

⭐ 3/5 ⭐

My Friend Pedro on Steam

My Friend Pedro is a violent ballet about friendship, imagination, and one man’s struggle to obliterate anyone in his path at the behest of