UNDERTALE (PS4)

 

One of the most prominent recent “indie darlings”, Undertale was praised as a contender for the GotY award back in 2016. Based on the videos I watched I wasn´t that hot for it so I passed. Thanks to Steam sales I got a PC copy and played a couple of hours, but again not super fan

Recently it was put on sale again but on PS4. I have a tendency to favor console versions because I am an achievement hunter, and somehow suspect they´ll be more permanent if obtained in a console. Just finished it and… well, my opinion certainly improved, but I´m still not convinced the game is that historical cornerstone as it was sold to me back in the day

Overall it´s a great indie game. You expect them to be risk-taking, unconventional and rule-breakers, and Undertale certainly is (but not a lot, I´d say). The fresher aspect of it is the possibility of finishing the game either by killing all enemies or sparing them. I wasn´t aware when I started that the ending would be so vastly different depending on that choice (being the “pacifist” run way more complete in terms of content) so I just killed my way through the game… to find out a slightly bitter end. The game mechanics are simple but imaginative - and you cannot expect much more from just one developer. The story has some interesting characters and the level design offers more variety than you can expect, wisely taking premises to a quick end instead of cloning ideas for the sake of cheap content. There is also a lot of unexpected details that shows caring for the project and the will to always surprise the user. You definitively feel the creators really wanted to go the extra mile to keep your jaws open

On the other side – and we might be entering subjective territory here – I didn´t feel engaged by the setting (a monster-ruled dungeon. Wow, never heard of that), the story is not that hilarious as the creator probably thinks it is, the monster roster is too hectic to have logic for my taste, and not a huge fan of the old Final Fantasy “Stop and fight, you just got attacked by an invisible pack of enemies” approach

Anyway, I strongly recommend the game especially if you´re looking beyond the mainstream experiences that most AAA games offer. It has its own flavor, charm and does try to do something different. Few devs do these days. Respect

GRAND THEFT AUTO 4 (PS4)

 

I briefly played GTA4 when released (2008) and it didn´t impress me. I always felt it was one of the weakest games on that IP. At some point I got a PS4 copy and left it rotten in the shelf for years. Just recently I felt my gta levels in blood being too low, and gave it a try. Guess what? I still think it´s the weakest I´ve played, but still enjoyable

I have to give that to Rockstar: Driving around the city feels hypnotic, you just focus on the traffic and let it flow. And it is indeed a more detailed world than the previous installments. Generally speaking it just works: You have your "good at heart who does horrifying things because of reasons" guy, there is plenty of content, the usual array of semi-comical characters and a fair amount of freedom to do as you please to whoever you choose

However, I miss something memorable. A unique selling point, if you will. There is nothing wrong in the game, it´s just that all novelties are meh. Sure, there are more graphic details in the city, and some standard multiplayer options... but that doesn´t feel a big jump for the IP. GTA5 for example allowed to play 3 characters at will, and a MP mode that felt unique

And the NPC friends, oh my god, so annoying! They constantly ask you for dates in the most inconvenient times. I kinda felt sorry for them, always rejected. And the mobile phone UI was less than efficient to understand the options you had, and how to trigger them

Some more: The radio stations seem to be based on B-side songs. The story and in-game economy are - commonly in the IP - absolutely not in sync: Your character commits all kind of crimes in the name of money, when your wallet is obscenely full. The story had some interesting moments but overall it wasn´t as satirical/funny as previous games 

But I did finish the game. Once you get into the rhythm you wanna see what´s next. I won´t try to get the platinum (as I did for GTA5) but I´ll try to complete the reasonably-accessible trophies. It´s not 5-stars shit, but sometimes 2 stars will do