first thoughts – 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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Star Wars: Republic Commando, a 2021 Review

September 15, 2021September 13, 2021 aabicus 0 Comments first thoughts, republic commando, retrospective, review, shooter, star wars

Growing up, I loved Star Wars Battlefront II and its predecessor. It probably still ranks in my top 3 games of all time. But I’d actually never played Republic Commando until this year, despite knowing it was another iconic Star Wars shooter from the same era. Now that I’ve played it, I can 100% see what all the hype was about. The first thing you’ll notice while playing through is how modern the game feels. The controls are crisp, the sound design and lighting are immersive, and there’s a surprisingly-high emphasis on environmental storytelling. The campaigns are full of memorable… [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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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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Dark Spooky Forest Week: Hunt Showdown

November 4, 2020December 23, 2020 aabicus 0 Comments battle royale, first thoughts, hunt showdown, review

I had been looking forward to Hunt: Showdown for years, since it was first announced as Horrors of the Gilded Age back in 2014. The many comparisons to Left 4 Dead was the first selling point that caught my attention, and the unique 1860’s aesthetic was just gravy. But I didn’t expect how long I’d have to wait. The game labored in development hell for over half a decade, going through a massive rebranding into a pseudo-competitive Battle Royale with a new name that I honestly didn’t like as much as the original. The title Hunt: Showdown tells me almost nothing about the… [Continue Reading]

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The New Left 4 Dead 2 Update is Awesome

September 27, 2020September 28, 2020 aabicus 0 Comments community, early review, first thoughts, Left 4 Dead 2, update

I had high hopes for the Last Stand update, and by golly it met and exceeded all of them! For those not in the loop, in early September we got our first teaser trailer for a brand new community-created update for Left 4 Dead 2. Since then, we recieved hints and tie-in trailers promising new weapons, new voicelines, new Survival maps, and all sorts of quality-of-life updates. And did it ever deliver on all fronts! I ran through the new campaign, The Last Stand, with three of my college friends and it was a grueling run, definitely a step-up on… [Continue Reading]

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Trying EverQuest in 2020

August 19, 2020October 10, 2020 aabicus 0 Comments analysis, everquest, Final Fantasy XIV, first thoughts, mmo, review, world of warcraft

Despite not considering myself an MMO kind of guy, I’ve somehow put in hundreds of hours in both World of Warcraft and Final Fantasy 14, mostly because they’re great games to play while plowing through my TV backlog on the second monitor. Both of them were highly influential games for their generation of MMOs, cornering the market by setting the standards many of their competitors would try and (for the most part, fail to) surpass. But they’re only two parts of the triumvirate. There’s a third game, one that first put 3D MMOs on the map. Most of the earlier… [Continue Reading]

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Portal Stories: Mel Review

August 12, 2020August 6, 2020 aabicus 0 Comments fan game, first thoughts, portal, review

Part of me feels unsure about writing an article on Portal Stories: Mel, because it’s the sort of game that’s best played by leaping in without knowing anything beforehand. That was how I did it, and I’m very glad I didn’t perform my usual pre-game research. Not because there are twists or spoilers or anything, this isn’t Doki Doki Literature Club or Undertale. The game is very straightforward, but the player character has no idea what she’s gotten herself into, and ideally you should be in a similar state if you give the game a try. The Portal series will… [Continue Reading]

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