first impressions – The Daily SPUF

Elden Ring: First Impressions From a Total Beginner

March 19, 2022March 24, 2022 aabicus 0 Comments dark souls, early review, elden ring, first impressions, first thoughts, first time, FromSoftware, masochism, new game, recap, review, rpg, souls

Advance note: In no way would I consider this a full review of Elden Ring, as I’ve only played for a few nights and can easily tell I’ve barely scratched the surface of what the game has to offer. I know I’m not the only person who’s heard all the mysticism around the FromSoftware label. The Soulsborne ‘series’ has captivated a community and seems to hold a venerated place in the pantheon of gaming. Above all, its main reputation seems to be that of brutal, gut-wrenching difficulty that only masochists could enjoy. And it was for this reason I avoided… [Continue Reading]

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Five Nights at Freddy’s: Security Breach

February 4, 2022January 30, 2022 aabicus 0 Comments first impressions, first thoughts, five nights at freddy's, horror, review, security breach, stealth

I’ve personally been an almost-exclusively PC gamer throughout my life, mostly because I never had enough money to buy a second platform. Plus I prefer the moddability, customizeability, and non-gaming functionality that comes with the territory. But recently I’ve spent several days watching my boyfriend play FNaF Security Breach on his PS4. And I can’t even complain because the game is a real treat on the eyes. (Caveat: I’ve only played the first FNaF, back when it just came out. So this review will be ignoring lore entirely.) Since I don’t know how to do anything on a PS4, all… [Continue Reading]

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Stardew Valley

December 2, 2021December 30, 2021 aabicus 2 Comments farming, first impressions, first thoughts, stardew valley

The first time I tried Stardew Valley in 2016, I just couldn’t get into it. It felt like a grindfest, it felt like a timesink, and it felt like I never had enough time in the days. I futzed around for a while, ran out of inventory space from all my tools, and gave the game up. But perhaps my life was just too hectic back then. In the new pandemic-ridden reality of 2021, I suddenly found a whole new appreciation for Stardew Valley. Sow the land Stardew Valley is a shameless Harvest Moon clone who nevertheless does such a good job you can’t… [Continue Reading]

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Back 4 Blood Beta Review

September 4, 2021August 28, 2021 aabicus 0 Comments back 4 blood, beta, early review, first impressions, first thoughts, Left 4 Dead 2, open beta, review, spuf of legend, zombies

I was lucky enough to get to play the Back 4 Blood beta thanks to my friend AngelOfWeir gifting me a pass! I will admit going in that I had some serious reservations about what I’d seen. After over 1800 hours in the Left 4 Dead, Payday, and Killing Floor franchises, I was seeing some massive issues in the early streams. So I was very happy to play the beta and see that all of the issues I was concerned about got fixed. Here are some reasons I’m definitely gonna buy the game when it comes out: 1. The zombies… [Continue Reading]

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Doom 64: Is it Worth Playing?

April 25, 2021April 19, 2021 aabicus 0 Comments doom, doom 64, doom II, first impressions, review

I’ve been craving more Doom since finally experiencing the original two games earlier this year. So imagine my surprise when I learned there’s a followup game that largely passed under the gaming community’s radar when it first came out. Having now blasted my way through the true third game in the classic Doom canon, I can comfortably say any Doom fans who haven’t tried Doom 64 should immediately grab it. It’s only $5 and it’s a really worthwhile experience. A New Experience. I didn’t play this as a kid, didn’t have an N64, so the 2020 Steam port is my… [Continue Reading]

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Quake: Does it Hold Up?

March 8, 2021February 7, 2022 aabicus 0 Comments early review, first impressions, first thoughts, quake

In keeping with the spirit that inspired me to play the original Doom and Doom II to fill the pre-Team Fortress Classic hole in my repertoire, I would be remiss to not also try id Software’s other magnum opus. Their followup game that nevertheless managed to redefine the shooter genre again and take the gaming industry by storm. I don’t know how they managed to do it twice, but the original Quake is a fantastic experience. If you haven’t played it, you really need to go see what all the fuss was about. Now I must confess that I didn’t… [Continue Reading]

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Cyberpunk 2077: First Impressions

January 5, 2021December 29, 2020 aabicus 0 Comments criticism, cyberpunk 2077, early review, first impressions, review

Cyberpunk 2077 has had a…polarizing release, to say the least. We were all pretty much expecting that, given that all the pieces were there for a very tumultuous recipe. Massive overbearing hype, multiple lengthy production delays, a widely-trusted developer hoping to meet lofty expectations, and a suspicious lack of actual gameplay in the trailers. But even I was surprised by the extreme variance in incoming early reviews. Some people (myself included) reported pristine performance, others were experiencing barely-playable messes. Certain aspects of the game were incredible, often genre-forwarding improvements to the formula. Whereas other core fundamentals were lacking or downright antithetical… [Continue Reading]