Fortunately , a lot of the positives from the first game come back here. The psychosis is still unlike anything another game I've played has done, paired with incredible use of spatial audio once again. NinjaTheory's interpretation of this era of Vikings is stunning too with its art direction (though, noticeably much less varied than the first). This is pretty easily in the top three best looking console-games I've played falling ever slightly behind Alan Wake II (mostly due to UE5 feeling grating to me personally after staying in the same "biome" for extended bits). The cutscene direction is stellar which may be a negative to some but as someone who has come to watch a lot more movies these last few years some of the combat animations actually had made my jaw drop, seriously unlike anything I've seen before in a game. The combat though is kind of questionable, it seems somewhat stripped down from the first which already felt barebones, more scripted, less gamey.

Where it struggles for me though is the narrative and with that I guess the point of all of this? Senua's arc in the first one I find so moving and this one it feels... almost nonexistent? There is maybe one moment in this story where there is something tangible, but other than that there's no real through-line for this story. Beyond that though I just found this whole plot to be somewhat contrived we are giving next to nothing as to why the plot is in motion, I would've loved to see what happens leading up to the opening cutscene as I think that would have done a lot for both the character of Senua and add urgency to it.

This all leads me to having really conflicted feelings towards why this sequel even exists. Announced alongside Xbox Series brand consoles a game like this makes PERFECT sense to be a show-pony for what your new systems can do... but it has released a quarter away from the consoles fourth year on the market. I may had been more lenient if this was a trimmed down version ready to go at some point in 2021, that would make sense. Now, I am glad that if Xbox is doing anything right currently, it's giving their studios as much time as possible to work on their games, but the five years of anticipation they sought for this game... isn't really amounting to much. I'm also wondering if being a "show-pony" is why this was greenlit to begin with, because the story does not do really anything meaningful to Senua in my opinion. I'd almost prefer it just didn't exist at all, especially with some of the choices towards the end.

It's weird, dreadfully weird, enduringly weird, it doesn't work all the time, and it won't work for everyone, but it worked for me, and I feel very fortunate. From a presentation standpoint, it's perfect. The visuals, the score, and contains probably the best ensemble cast I've ever witnessed in a game (but how Mads and Norman got the nomination over Tommie I do not know). It took me a long time to finish- starting on pc, then restarting on PS5 with the new edition. But Kojima definitely crafted something so unlike anything I've ever played before that I feel like it's something you have to try at least once. I am so glad he is able to continue to make weird shit, and while Metal Gear was always somewhat based in reality Death Stranding throws proper nouns at you from the start and expects you to remember it all, and it rules for that. I hope he can continue to do this. Docked points because I cannot safely play this game with a beer in one hand without risking dropping all my cargo.

I just think its impressive this game will turn out to be a better live service game than the Avengers. Not really sure how to score it yet, the core gameplay is pretty quick and not stressful which is perfect for its mobile format, and there doesn't seem to be predatory microtransactions. I can see myself getting addicted to this but that is exactly what I should've expected from former Hearthstone devs, thanks Ben Brode.

UPDATE:
Pretty comfortable leaving a score after the first season being completed. I got to level 50 on the battle pass- the game is great! However, with the progression slowing down after reaching the second pool I see myself playing less and less. But it is a fantastic mobile game.

Such a great game to break in my new Series S, one of the best I've played in the last two years. An amazing aesthetic and really great combat keeps this short adventure feeling fresh every encounter. That soundtrack too, you find yourself bopping your head without even realizing it. The story is weak, but serviceable enough, but the characters are really loveable and endearing. Ran excellently too, no noticeable frame drops even when its covered in enemies. I hope the inevitable sequel is able to follow something a bit closer to Devil May Cry's combat and reward you for actually varying your attacks, my major issue with this one is you can get max rank by just spamming the light attack combo over and over while cycling through your ally assists.

Ended up playing this on a whim after it being in my backlog for so long, really glad I did. It's aged quite well, the visuals still hold up as does the unique level design. The writing is really great too, haven't laughed at a game this much in a long time. I think the pacing is a bit odd but I guess with a game that can be beaten in <10 hours it needs to ramp up pretty immediately. I think the end drags on a bit long but maybe that's just the effect of the Meat Circus on a players psyche....

....also its a shame the game peaks in the first minute with the introduction of dogen boole, love that guy.

The first and only Max Payne without Sam Lake being the main writer and it is pretty immediately felt. The gritty, noir feeling of the first two is replaced a somewhat sunny but still grungy setting as Max hangs up his leather jacket in Hoboken for a flak jacket in Sao Paulo. Dan Houser's writing for Max is still great and the story really grabs you starting in the third act but before that it felt like I was just being dragged along. The gameplay is solid but feels more limited due to the nature of Rockstar's somewhat realism in most there games. No longer is the one man army Max Payne who can carry 2 shotguns, 3 rifles, 4 pistols, and a holy plethora of grenades. You are now limited to 2 pistols and a rifle, the attention to detail is nice but really makes the game feel less fun. Bullet time remains and like everything else in this game feels weighty and visceral. My main complaint with this game however is that it almost feels more like a cover shooter then the power fantasy of the first two games, maybe its due to the age of Payne or Rockstar's commitment to realism but you are a lot more vulnerable and I found it a pretty frustrating shift in gameplay. Overall, Remedy's titles are the superior Max Payne games with their tone and gameplay but this game is still worth the playthrough.

There has never really been anything quite like Alan Wake, this remaster proves it. This edition improves everything that Remedy did great the first time, the excellent use of lighting and use of environment to guide you through this twisting tale. I wish that the combat was improved as this game still contains the most unreliable dodge button in any video game ever. Due to this the game still feels somewhat aged and is pretty difficult to play due to this. The frustrating nature of the gameplay would make this game a hard recommend, however I still believe that this game is one of the pinnacles of game writing. It's bonkers how well the game is written and how much depth every little manuscript you pick up contains. If Remedy learns from Control I do believe the upcoming sequel could be their best game yet.