An excellent platformer that tests your skill and perserverance. Admittedly I did not try to get all of the strawberries (still collected a little over 100) or attempt the B-Sides or C-Sides, but I may return to that one day. I have played it before but wanted to refresh myself. Still has great sprite art, music, and a story that genuinely made me cry a little bit because it's so sweet but really dives into how it feels to think of those moments where you're battling yourself. Genuinely fantastic game that everyone should play at some point.

This is my first Resident Evil game, so I do not have previous franchise exposure to weigh this against. I have not played the original RE4 so I can't see how it stacks up as a remake. However, what I can tell you is that that doesn't matter and that this is a really fun game to experience. The combat is tense and engaging, as you scramble between furious shots and having to back away to reload or craft ammo and healing items. The characters are very likeable, I love the dynamic between Leon and Ashley and how they grow individually and as a duo stranded on this crazy ass cult island. I will say this is an action game mixed with horror elements rather than a straight horror game. There were a few moments that caught me off-guard but nothing that utterly shook me to my core. I don't see this as a downside because that's the kind of experience it set out to be. As a game of its own volition, it was nothing short of fantastic.

The Modern Warfare that started it all. I didn't grow up with the franchise at all so I don't really have any attachment or nostalgia to this game. I will say that I only played through the campaign and not the multiplayer because I've heard it's very dangerous to do so and Activision doesn't give enough of a shit to fix it. Overall, I thought the game was serviceable. I had some frustrating snags (granted I was playing on Hard mode, one step under Veteran) with the last couple of missions, which makes sense in terms of difficulty curve but I felt there were some deaths that weren't my fault. The story was pretty fun, I like the dynamic between the SAS unit specifically. General COD gameplay which I'm sure gets a bit more refined with the later entries.

A sequel that gets the time in the oven that the first one deserved. The single-player content alone blows the first one out of the water, but the refined gameplay mechanics and movesets also show the massive improvement this game is. While the story is pretty straightforward and kind of underwhelming and there have been some horror stories regarding jank and bugs, the game itself feels great to play and each character has been lovingly crafted to play exactly how you think they would alongside some extra sauce that makes them stand out from the rest of the cast. The roster is divisive, where people have good reason to be critical of the cuts made in favor of weird replacements but it's also combined with the fallout of a post-Ultimate world causing high expectations. I don't mind the roster personally but I don't judge others for their critiques. Online is really solid, like amazingly smooth. There are some really gross bugs that have caused me to lose some of my ranked points and those really blow. The additional Day 1 DLC is a bit scummy (like $20 for the DLC AND additional costumes for $10 is yeesh), but I will admit that I splurged because it was on sale and I wanted to support the devs. DLC characters are fun picks in a vacuum but as a package is pretty disappointing, especially since no new series are added or veterans return. To not end on a downer though, if you're looking for a new mascot platform fighter to mess around in, this is a good choice. And if you were burned by the first one and are skeptical, I can confirm that this game is good. I'd wait for it to go on sale though.

A really solid follow-up to the original. I'm only going off of the campaign in terms of rating because that's where my interests are. I've heard really good things about Special Ops and the multiplayer, but I wasn't interested in the former and the latter has been glitched and infested with malware. I think the story really ramps up the tension and weight of the fights at hand. While the first game had those elements, this game knocks it out of the park. The characters are fun to follow (mainly for Task Force 141) but the environments really convey the storytelling, especially the fights around Washington D.C., those visuals especially stick out to my mind. I unfortunately was spoiled on the ending but it still left an impact, as it shows the twisted ideals of painting yourself the hero in any war. All-in-all a really great follow-up that expands on the first one.

The finale to the original (and some would say only) Modern Warfare trilogy. I have rated these games solely on the campaign and I have to say that this is a satisfactory ending to a story that I didn't expect to really be engaged by. It might be more surface level because I have played better games in that regard, but make no mistake this game is really solid. Both stories are engaging and them coming together towards the end is really cool. I feel like these campaigns are like playing through a war movie or TV show and they succeed in that regard. Overall a pretty solid experience from someone not familiar with the franchise.