a medium defining epic, as paradigm shattering as the first non silent film

this isn't a "video game" as we've known them anymore, this is something else, and not something any other developer can replicate for the foreseeable future (they'd need 20+ years of IPs they could pull elements from to even get started)

a masterclass from sam lake and remedy, whom I hope are sleeping VERY WELL on beds made of money

Spiderman 2 is a game that if I'm being totally honest I wasn't super looking forward too. Let me explain, I've always held the thought that Insomniac made good games, but not great games. The OG spiderman was a fun game for sure, but at the end of the day the story was a little too inconsistent for me overall, and besides Doc Oc the bad guys didn't do much for me. I had avoided most trailers for this game thankfully, and I almost skipped buying the game day one.

However, I'm happy to report, not only did I really end up loving this game, I think it's pretty easily my favorite game Insomniac has made. This game is just more spiderman at it's core, something I see being hurled towards it as an insult a lot, but it's more than that to me. It's the best possible version of Spiderman one. The combat is more fun, the swinging and traversal is even better, and the biggest upgrade is in the story in my opinion. The opening few hours can be a little slower, but I was invested when Kraven made his first appearance and everything that followed in this game.

There's so many little easter eggs, and setup for possible future games/DLC in here, and it's clear Insomniac loves Spiderman with the love they've put into a lot of this game.

Also, the reports of bugs and crashes in this game is RAPANT, but funny enough, I had one bug the entire game, where the audio stopped working and a restart fixed. Not one crash otherwise. Perhaps I have a golden PS5, but nothing effected me here.

I think my biggest complaint with the game, is some of the pacing in the story seems almost a little TOO quick paced, and I will say I wished for a little more risk/consquence in the story especially with the ending. But overall, this was a fantastic game, one of the very best in a stacked year. Can't wait to see what they cook up next!

Spider-Man 2 is an absolute triumph and masterpiece for me in the world of gaming. It's a masterful amalgamation of various Spider-Man narratives, expertly woven together to create what I genuinely believe to be the quintessential Spider-Man story. This game is a finely tuned masterpiece, crafted with an abundance of love and soul. Even a week after completing it, I'm still captivated by its brilliance. Insomniac has gifted us a heartfelt love letter, and they've earned every ounce of our admiration. Spider-Man 1 was already a top-tier game for me, defying all expectations when I had lost hope in Spider-Man games. Spider-Man 2 takes that foundation and elevates it to unparalleled heights.

This game showcases my favorite portrayals of Peter and Miles. While the Spider-verse films deserve credit, these two characters shine brighter, move faster, and hit harder than any other medium. The abilities you acquire in this game are absolutely amazing. You can feel the impact of every punch and kick not only in your DualSense controller but coursing through your veins. Pinning enemies against walls and shattering their ribs with a flurry of kicks, hurling chains of lightning, or employing symbiote tendrils to lift a dozen foes into the air before slamming them down – it's addicting and seriously badass. The gameplay remains endlessly engaging, even when facing challenging foes. Not once did frustration overtake me despite dying more times than I can count. With each boss, I embraced the learning curve, meticulously dissecting their attacks and ultimately reveling in their defeat while hardly upgrading my health and damage.

Yet it's not just the gameplay that astounds; it's the story. In just under 20 hours, Spider-Man 2 delivers a rich, detailed narrative laden with lengthy, cinematic cutscenes. Each cutscene draws you in, akin to watching the perfect Spider-Man movie, evoking nostalgia and wonder. I never wanted this story to end. Without delving into spoilers, rest assured, the story caters to Spider-Man enthusiasts. If the first game left you less invested in the narrative, Spider-Man 2 won't drastically change that, as Insomniac tailored it to a specific audience. Peter, Miles, MJ, Harry, and other characters are faithfully and expertly written, making them arguably the best adaptations. Even a character like MJ, who was "okay" in the previous game, shines as a favorite adaptation in this installment. The overall narrative is exceptionally well-crafted, raising the bar for the MCU's portrayal of Spider-Man.

I also briefly need to discuss Venom without spoilers. I had high expectations, and this iteration did not disappoint. He is a formidable presence on screen, with a scale that dwarfs the Spider-Men, impressively bringing justice to the character. This version of Venom stands in stark contrast to the Tom Hardy version I've been familiarized with, making it difficult to appreciate the latter. The distinction in design, personality, and sheer raw power is remarkable. And with Venom in the picture, I absolutely must mention the symbiote in general. Avoiding spoilers, this game excels in portraying Peter Parker's gradual descent into aggression, jealousy, and hatred, outshining Maguire's version in Spider-Man 3 without any close contest. Yuri Lowenthal's performance as Peter's darker side is nothing short of exceptional, further solidifying him as my favorite voice actor.

Spider-Man 2 doesn't stop at fantastic gameplay and storytelling. It boasts an electrifying soundtrack, particularly the main theme, jaw-dropping setpieces, and an exceptional traversal system that outshines all previous Spider-Man games. The web wings in particular pleasantly surprised me, as I initially had low expectations for this mechanic and expected something half-baked. I found myself frequently using it while swinging through New York, more-so than I'd like to admit, and it definitely added a huge new layer of fun to the experience.

Insomniac Games has created what might be my favorite gameplay in any video game with Spider-Man 2's combat and web swinging. Playing Ultimate Spider-Man after this will be a tough act to follow, but my gaming appetite will have to adapt. Earth-1048 represents the quintessential Spider-Man experience, and I'm immensely grateful for this top-tier celebration of my favorite superhero. Thank you, Insomniac Games, for delivering one of the finest games I've ever played.

This is genuinely the first time I’ve been excited for Halo Infinite in a long time. Not only are we getting new cosmetics and modes, but we’re also getting even more new maps, a new playlist soon, and PVE! I am so happy with that last one in particular, as I believe Infinite has the strongest gameplay in the entire series, so I really can’t wait to put some lead in the heads of the Banished!

Of course, this season isn’t perfect. Having CE Mark V locked behind a paywall is pretty lame if you ask me, and shop prices have raised once again annoyingly. But otherwise, consider me impressed. I’m genuinely excited to play Halo again!

Coming from "Untold Stories" I didn't know what to expect from Observation, No Code was able to masterfully craft a perfect atmosphere to what was one of the most unique experiences I had with gaming, but that game was a lot more "static" than Observation, most of the gameplay was akin to an adventure game, clicking on stuff and typing on terminals.

Observation, has you controlling SAM, an A.I. controlling a space station that is misteriously teleported to the orbit of Saturn. While I found the story to be intrguing, i dont know if it pays off that well, the ending feels a bit non-sensical, but the journey is what matters, right?

Then in that case, the journey is a mix of more of that high quality atmosphere that we saw in Untold Stories, an intriguing mistery, high quality voice acting and unexpected ammounts of jank.
More than just a handfull of times character models glitched, clipped through walls, had their animation not match their location, teleport around a room and have overall unatural movements. For the most part they work fine but it happened enough times and agregiously enough that it took me out of the experience.
The gameplay, feels a lot more like busywork this time around too, instructions are not always clear, objectives are sometimes incoherent and feel a lot more like the game is just keeping you busy for the sake of it in order to extend gameplay time.

Don't get me wrong, I really like Observation, I love the atmosphere, I like the characters and impecable line delivery, I like the story beats that feel a lot like 2001: A Space Odyssey, and I mean A LOT.
but the GAME part of this game isnt as good as it could be, as Untold Stories was, so I find myself wanting to give this game a higher score but I can't because even if the positives outweight the negatives, there too much wrong for me to ignore it.

Observation is not a game for everyone, i think most people will be bored before its over or won't be interested enough to see it through.
But if you like Sci-fi or liked Stories Untold like me, definitivelly go for this, I bet it'll be worth your time.

So far I'm 15 hours in and I want to love it more but its held back by annoying things.
1. There is waaaay to many enemies coming at you at once. Even more then Dark souls 2 its very annoying and tedious when you have to fight 20 enemies at once, with Mages and Archers on you as well.
2. The bonfire system I'm not a fan of. There are main bonfires and then there's ones you can put down with a consumables. The problem this can cause is the run to the boss is very long and your getting swarmed by tons of enemies while your trying to climb a ladder damaging you.
3. The performance is all over the place on every platform. Because this is a Unreal engine 5 game, it suffers from stuttering and other issues.
4. The co-op system is Disappointing,You get 30% less souls then the host and you can not pick up loot or carry over the progress to your world.
5. Combat is fun and satisfying. With smooth movement and dodging.
6. Lastly I'll just say some of the areas are stunning and I love how the areas are layed out with the 2 world system. Its by far the best aspect about the game.
Its a game I would recommend on sale and has some patches.
I will update when I finish the game.

So this was a game that for a while was on my "world famous" spite list, but thanks to my buddy Poot for gifting me Sea of Stars (which I loved) and motivation to listen to the episode on his wonderful podcast (Why You Should Play, check it out people) I decided to finally give this a shot, and for the most part, I'm certainly glad I did. While I didn't enjoy it quite as much as Sea of Stars, there was a lot to like about this game.

First of all, without delving into spoilers, let me say the first half of this game is definitely stronger in my opinion. If I was to rate this game, the first half would be a rock solid 4/5, while the back half would be a 3/5. It's certainly not bad, but I really like the vibes, and how simple but fun the opening half of this game is. It really does feel like an old school Ninja Gaiden throwback and it's a joy to play.

Some of the mechanics in the second half bother me, which I'll save talking about cause I find it a spoiler, but overall, you do get a pretty satisfying conclusion.

The writing in the game is great, it's very funny, and well written. The music is great too, a nice retro throwback that's hard not to jam out too.

Overall glad I played it. Really cool to see this studio make (three) really totally different type of games. Wonder what they will do next.

Cyberpunk 2077 has always held a special place in my heart. When I first experienced it in September 2022, over a year ago, the game transformed my perception of narratives, lore, and world-building in the realm of video games. The recently released expansion, Phantom Liberty, continues this tradition by delivering an unforgettable 20-hour narrative that left me profoundly moved and prompted a deep introspection of my own moral compass.

The expansion also introduces two new amazing characters. Solomon Reed, a new character brought to life by the masterful Idris Elba, is a formidable FIA agent wrestling with internal demons. Idris Elba's portrayal is nothing short of extraordinary, and as a huge fan of his past works, I thought his performance in this role stood out as one of his most compelling acting achievements. Songbird, on the other hand, is a character of profound complexity and an enigmatic backstory. Minji Chang's portrayal breathes life into Songbird's entrancing aura and presence, and the level of detail in her chromed up character design is truly awe-inspiring. Every encounter with Songbird is a testament to the exceptional hard work invested in crafting her character.

While the majority of Phantom Liberty takes place outside the familiar confines of Night City, Dogtown, a mini-city in its own right, holds its own unique allure. Despite its relatively compact size, Dogtown pulsates with life and tension, marked by frequent confrontations between rival gangs and the formidable Barghest. Upon close inspection, the remnants of what was meant to be a resplendent Pacifica are now reduced to rubble and unfinished architecture. Dogtown's aura is distinctly unforgiving and rotten, to the extent that even the NCPD and Trauma Team hesitate to venture within its boundaries.

Gameplay enhancements in Phantom Liberty are nothing short of exceptional. The skill trees have been meticulously revamped to eliminate redundant abilities that merely bolstered statistics, making room for meaningful additions. Melee combat, now refined to perfection, has become my preferred style of engagement. The ability to hurl adversaries with guerilla hands or execute brutal decapitations with a katana exemplifies the level of refinement. Even throwing knives have been reinvented, rewarding players with an immediate recovery upon a headshot kill, leading to thrilling moments of unstoppable precision. These gameplay changes not only invigorate the expansion but also breathe new life into the base game for those contemplating a replay.

Without venturing into spoiler territory, Phantom Liberty introduces a critical narrative juncture where the plot diverges into two distinct routes, each culminating in two separate endings. After experiencing these four conclusions, players are treated to a fifth ending that pertains to the base game itself. The enigmatic quality of each ending left me deeply conflicted, unable to definitively pinpoint the "best" outcome. This expansion perpetuates the haunting thematic undercurrents of the main game, where happiness remains elusive, and every character harbors a fractured and broken facet of their being by the story's conclusion.

Phantom Liberty is a testament to the true narrative essence of the Cyberpunk universe, and it leaves me eager to explore further depths in the forthcoming Project Orion. To this day, Cyberpunk's universe stands as my favorite place to be.

As someone who has never quite conneceted with BGS games, I might not be the intended audience for this game, in a good way. This certainly is different then what Bethesda has done in the past.

This game feels like Mass Effect and Deus ex had a baby, and I'm all here for that. The immersive sim stuff is great, this feels like a true role playing game, I truly felt like my character (a beautiful man if I do say so myself). Which is really nice considering other RPGS recently like Cyberpunk and FFXVI (which I both really liked) I did not feel like the main character, but more that I was watching a really good story unfold.

I do have a lot of minor complaints about the game. Some of the stuff near the very end of the game is rather frustrating. I wish the game had a map. It takes a couple hours to fully get cooking. But what's here is pretty magical and pretty damn awesome.

The main storyline is so interesting, and a fascinating concept all the way to the end, that really needs to be seen to believed what they cooked up.

The gunplay felt good here, much better than fallout (see ya vats rest in piss) and the different amount of loot you got, I always felt like keeping my eyes open for a better reward which was great compared to some games earlier in the year (looking at you hogwarts legacy).

Overall just a fantastic experience, and a game that truly feels like an honest to god roleplaying game, one where I got to live out my dreams of being a space cowboy. I hope this isn't the last we've seen of this awesome universe.