CampTheMVP
2011
There's a reason this is considered one of the best games in recent memory. A great sequel that expands on the first while also retaining its own identity. Great writing, great level design. I love the dynamic of Wheatley and GLaDOS with the silent protagonist, learning more about the weird lore through Cave Johnson's recorded lines (by JK Simmons!) and learning about how all of that became heavily embedded in gaming culture was really fun for me. The essential puzzle game with a great sense of humor.
Henry Stickmin's been around for my middle school days, it's a wonderful sendoff to the franchise. I went back a minute ago and 100%ed the game, grabbing all of the achievements. A really fun point and click to see funny things happen to this stupid but loveable stick man.
2016
I'm here to mourn the dead.
It was a very frustrating experience overall, but damn it I had to beat it. I kept working on it, improving my skill. There was plenty of triumph and plenty of failure, but in the end, I got over it. I ordered a t-shirt as a conversation piece.
2021
It was early access, so there wasn't much single player content. That said, the gameplay loop is excellent and fresh for a platform fighter. A sword, a gun, and specials with OHKOs leads to frantic mayhem.
2022
A very fun rhythm game with...batshit crazy stuff going on under the surface. Like I just wanted to play the funny trombone game and then all this stuff happens out of nowhere and it's kind of absurd. I kinda love it. Glad it popped off when it did.
A great collection of games that harken back to the asshole-clenching games that were big in the 80s. While I am only a little bit familiar with the Nerd, I have enough knowledge to appreciate all the callbacks and references that are peppered everywhere throughout this game. Even if it's very difficult, I can confirm that this is no shitty game that sucks ass. I would go so far as to say it's an excellent collection of tough platformers that are definitely worth any nerd's time.
A decent sequel that adds more cars to play with and makes the gameplay a little deeper thanks to the introduction of the jump and bump mechanics. They utilize the same resource as your boost so you actively keep track of how much meter or nodes of boost you have in order to not miss an important jump or bump an opponent off the road. I think that the lack of change outside of the bigger lineup and couple of mechanics is what drags it down because this is really just an updated and better version of the original with little changes...but it's still very fun to play (Sol-Aire CX4 my beloved). Also what the hell was the story and why did they show off the features of the one lady? That doesn't matter. Had a good time with this one. Not exceptional, but still a good arcade racer. It's a point above the original for me.
2010
A fast and frantic platformer that really tests your perserverence while still not asking for a lot considering each level can take 10-30 seconds. It feels good to control, the cameo characters are fun, and has a good amount of challenge that doesn't make you rage too hard.
Now this is a certified neighborhood classic. It's a fantastic and simple introduction to the tower defense genre with endless amounts of replayabiltity outside of the campaign thanks to the minigames, multiplayer and survival modes. This was one of my main childhood games that still holds up. I mainly played the Xbox 360 version back then but the Steam version is the optimal version in my opinion since...well you know it was built for computers. I digress. Play it.
A decent follow up that while it doesn't reach the highs of 2, still brings a fun experience with a bigger hub world and more laid back difficulty.
2007
It's revered for a reason. A fun puzzle game that can be a real brain teaser. GLaDOS is a fun villain to hear the banter from. It feels somewhat inferior to the sequel but that's not really its own fault. I definitely think it's worth checking out to see what the stepping stones were because it holds up on its own.
1993
The FPS game that made the genre explode to the point where other FPS games were called "DOOM Clones." How does it hold up? I am happy to report that it does in an excellent matter. The combat is fast-paced and frantic, where one wrong move could spell the end of your run (until you pull up your convenient save state anyway). The weapons all feel awesome to use (except the pistol but that's kind of the point), the enemies are fun to fight (sometimes), and the puzzle elements are engaging. I didn't expect that last element to be very important coming as a 2016 and Eternal player, but it was satisfying to pick apart and could be real brain teasers if you didn't pay attention. I will say that the major flaw is that Thy Flesh Consumed is a very frustrating difficulty spike to handle, but give it enough time and you'll come out on top. The Doom Slayer's humble beginnings are an explosive and fun game to come back to even 30 years later, and worth checking out.
A fantastic collection of campaigns where each character feels excellent to play, as well as seeing different angles on the same story. The gameplay is fun, the sprites look fantastic, this is what made indie games big in the modern day. Anyways, campaigns from least good to most is Plague, Shovel, Specter, King.
Tried grinding for achievements but ended up stopping because I think it didn't trigger the S-Rank License one, very frustrating. Otherwise my favorite kart racer.