Recent reviews by Alicia mon Goose

Before playing Finding Paradise I used to speak German.
Soon after finishing it and having too much on my mind to handle at once, I've decided to shake myself up a bit listening to the latest Rammstein album and run into the track "Adieu".

Now I speak German and suffer from alcoholism.

But, as for me, this VN isn't even trying

What did you say? "U kent be so critikel cuz it iz free"?

https://youtu.be/mBet2BhlP-M
Delivering a piece of bad content for free never made it and will never make it anyhow better


And leaving out annoying music ("cuz it is fur free" doesn't work here either because you can access a lot better free music on the net) and unappealing art style (spending some time to practise with an "Anime artist in 5 steps" book wasn't an option either, I guess) lemme start with an obvious complaint:

- Lack of exposition
Pushing a player into the story with no exposition and information is a good idea ONLY if it is executed properly later. The ending just pops out of nowhere, making little to no sense, because there's no (I mean it, NO) motivation stated. Did previous GF die in a car accident, cut her veins or was eaten by rabies hamsters? Is the protagonist an obsessed scientist or just a smart otaku?
Why the hell should I sympathize someone with no logical reasoning?
Adding even a single flashback screenshot or a little item on the table would make everything MUCH better


Here is an unusual one:

- The title
"Carpe Diem" can be translated from Latin as "seize the day"... Which makes no sense to me, taking a look at the plot
When did attempts to create an AI capable of passing the Turing test become a waste of your life? Does the creator realize what a breakthrough it will become or just use intelligent sounding words to... sound intelligent?
The original message (jumping back to the lack of exposition) would make MUCH more sense if I felt ANY emotional impact and knew the motives. But at this state, a single question "Why combining science and girly girls wouldn't work?" ruins everything

"But hey, bro, take a closer look at the title, that's some smart move"

Just like the Wachowskis' lazy letters juggling in Matrix Revolutions with "Mobil Ave" being an anagram for "Limbo"? No, it isn't
There are loads of much smarter visual symbolism examples in movies and games

"But the protagonist's name gives us..."

*sigh*
Putting the name "Jung" and some symbols and references together gives you nothing, but a reference to Carl Jung's theory. Does it affect or improve the story and characters? Or is it somehow speculated on?


- Uninteresting story telling
Dialogs are the core of any VN (Captain Obvious breaks in through the window)... And they are lame. There is no effort put into them. Location A, useless talking; location B, useless talking; location C, the ending right in your face. Even 20 minutes long talking could have been improved even a little bit by adding several intriguing or serious moments during the conversation.

Wunderbar concept ruined by lazy attempt
A true waste of time, as the achievement states, even "fur free"

Man, I love F.E.A.R... It is one of those old school FPSs that I miss today and that remind me of my childhood filled with both children-friendly games like Crash Bandicoot and Gex and mature ones like Prince of Persia, System Shock and, of course, F.E.A.R.
Looking at everything you loved being a kid after growing up, you start to notice that everything you admired does have problems (and sometimes severe ones). This game is no exception:

- Mediocre plot with few memorable characters
That might be weird to ask for a decent plot in a shooter, but this one would have been much better if the allies had been much more memorable (antagonists are wunderbar though)

- Repetitive surroundings
I ain't talking about level architecture, but office and labs interior, which starts to get you bored to the end of the game


But this is nothing compared to everything that makes dat gaem rock:

+ Shooting mechanics
One of the best ones you may find in games which concept was abandoned by game industry (I'm looking at ya, filthy casual who creates demand)
And level design (forgetting about interior) is perfectly made for such mechanic supporting severe close quarters combat

+ Enemy AI
It is harsh, believable and unforgiving. When did you last experience a game where enemies were trying to flank you, suppress, surround and surprise-buttsecks you without giving you a breather since 2005?

+ Slow-motion
A great addition which can be turned off if you want a real challenge

+ Physics
Everything is well-made from bullet traces and particle effects to lighting when a lamp shakes after an explosion

+ Atmosphere
Even though plot's not as wunderbar as it could be, the paranoid and claustrophobic atmosphere will crawl right under your skin and won't leave you alone till the credits

Answer me this, prijatelj...
Would you like to see how FPSs could have changed if developers had chosen the path of interesting shooting mechanics, atmosphere and challenge? I would

Overall: 9.5/10 - one of the most significant events of gaming history
P. S. You ever thought of making a modern FPS player launch F.E.A.R.? Give it a try and grab some popcorn

Despite me being pure hetero, I did enjoy this VN

I personally had much better time at summer camps, but that doesn't mean I don't have demons inside me screaming and craving for feeding and acceptance like greed, wrath, tendency to send everyone who tries to show he knows stuff better to hell and will of success and showing off
And let's admit it, everybody has their own

Do you remember those dumb and tasteless movies about teenagers (especially horror ones) doing dumb things?
THIS is a story about teenagers facing their own demons done right. It covers almost everything it should: friendship, loneliness, love, fears, looking for who you are and struggle with norms of society without making you sick

Yeah, it's surreal, confusing at first, but satisfying and awesome once you finally understand the plot thinking over it multiple times
Despite the fact I have become much more rational, cool-headed and stone-hearted than when I was a child, it made me remember some feelings I haven't had for quite a long time and everyone I chose to go on caring about and those I chose to leave behind to deal with their devils themselves

And now I wonder how my own one would look like and whether I would ever completely accept it...

I guess this VN won't suit everyone. But still give it a try
The hell is empty, and all devils are here...

A thermonuclear cocktail of Nonograms and Minesweeper, which I enjoyed as much as Hexcells

Some puzzles might seem frustrating as hell at first glance, but it's later overwhelmed by satisfaction after guessing just the right move and beating the level

Plz, gimme moar

...but despite that, it still rocks

- The only one disappointing thing are the Darkness repetitive executions, which really start to annoy you after several times, nevertheless I love the gore in games

~ I'm still quite unsure about the visuals and setting, because I really loved the dark and depressing atmosphere of the original game. But the comics-like graphics feels... well, okay

The other parts of the game are decent and wunderbar
+ The story is very well written with several interesting twists and minimum amount of cliches I didn't even pay attention to during gameplay.The ending is brilliant and might break even the heart of rock and steel into small shards
+ The romantic part of the game is well organized: it doesn't make you sick and fits in the story quite well
+ The FPS and action mechanics are great with akimbo weapons literally dancing in your hands and slashing through piles of enemies
+ All the characters are charismatic as hell: Jackie Estacado himself, members of his mafia clan and family, enemy mobsters, demon sidekick, the madguy and of course, the voice of the devilish symbiotic core

I'd actually love to see the remastered version of the first game for the PC, but looks like it'll never happen

Overall: 8/10, highly recommended
EMBRACE THE DARKNESS, JACKIE

The story, RPG and combat system are simple, but awsum graphics and voice acting make this game a wunderbar fairy tail for those who are tired of pathos AAA projects

And another thing...
GIMME DA ELYSIAN TAIL CARTOON ALREADY

I never asked for this... piece of ♥♥♥♥

11/10 gonna beat Satan's butt with his own powerups again