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.

I remember being weirdly hyped for this when it was fully announced and it felt rewarding to get a licensed game with some level of care and passion put into it. The gameplay is solid, the lineup of cars makes the inner 7-year-old in me froth at the mouth, and the amount of customization in there makes my head spin. However, loot boxes, not great online and heavy reliance on DLC is pretty much what killed long-term interest. And now that the sequel is out and is pretty much agreed to be the superior game, there really isn't a need to return to this one.

Now THIS is how you do a sequel. Literally expand upon every element from the first one and make it better. This feels like the 2016 game on crack, and it shares a similar level of addiction. I have replayed this game quite a few times, 100%ing it every time. It continues the lore that is intriguing for newer fans like myself while also being rewarding for older fans. The weapons all feel amazing to use and play around with. The movement has been made faster and each encounter fills you with adrenaline and a thirst for blood. The Ancient Gods 1 and 2 were solid additions to the campaign in terms of story content, but the phantoms can suck an egg. It's an amazing first person shooter, probably the best in terms of campaign and what I believe to be the peak of the franchise. Please do yourself a favor and check it out when you get a chance.

An intriguing puzzle game that holds a profound message. I knew going in that it radiated Stanley Parable energy (which I love), but I wasn't expecting the gameplay to be deeper than Stanley Parable's walking around. I would argue that the writing alone causes Stanley Parable to be excellent, but Superliminal takes it a step further by adding deeper gameplay to the mix. The story is a bit more in the background but it's still ties the concept together excellently. I love the idea of messing around with perspective from a mechanical standpoint and how it plays into the real themes of understanding other perspectives in your own life. Excellent game that hit me with the feels at the end.

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.