I’ve been playing more survival horror games than usual lately, and this managed to clear absolutely every single one of them. Where the horror in a game like Resident Evil comes from its harsh mechanics, the horror in Silent Hill comes mostly from its story and aesthetics. The story is interesting and creepy, and while it may not reach the heights of SH2, it’s still pretty good. Where this game truly excels are the aesthetics and especially the environmental design, it’s truly unreal. There are areas here that look and feel completely unlike anything I’ve ever played, and I mean that in the best way possible. The game is incredible at getting under your skin with its suggestive design. I was consistently impressed with every single area. This is arguably the best looking game on PS2, it holds up remarkably well especially playing on original hardware. Sound design is also excellent, as expected coming off of SH2. The atmosphere in this game is meticulously constructed in every single area, completely impossible to replicate. This is right up there with its predecessor as a must-play experience for any horror fan.

This is your brain on capitalism.

GARAGE is the kind of experience that'll stick with me forever. An immersive, overwhelming, one-of-a-kind world full of suffering, charm, grit, and love. At its simplest, it's a game about a stranger in a small town full of quirky characters not unlike Twin Peaks, but with your only mission being to escape. The layers which reflect capitalism, industrialization, misogyny, and the body, all come after. It's got a pretty heavy third act with thoughtful and harrowing emotional and psychological threads, all tangled up like pipes and wires - no matter which ending you land on.

I can totally picture myself wanting to recommend this to people, but ultimately I kinda think I can't - just because of how totally obtuse, cryptic, and kind of impossible it is to play without the assistance of the very welcoming discord community.

Great game for me. But I dunno who else it's for.