The resident evil remake train takes a significant step backwards on this one. The game is fine, and has plenty of good moments, but it's so short that it felt like it should have been DLC for RE2 remake but was instead a stand alone release with a $60 price tag. The level design seemed rushed, certain parts from the original game were cut for some reason, and the opening scene has a dream sequence that implies that Jill has something wrong with her, maybe is infected or is having hallucinations but this is never touched on again for the rest of the game. It's almost like the writers forgot they included that scene or something, genuinely confusing. Hopefully they redeem themselves with the soon to be released RE4 remake. Fingers crossed.

One of the most stylish and most high energy games you'll ever play with probably the best opening 30 minutes you'll find in an action game. Doesn't take itself seriously and is very tongue in cheek most of the time but still makes real comments on the idea of justice and the military industrial complex. And simply put, cutting goons into ribbons in this game is a singular experience that no game since has been able to come close to, very well done.

However, the decision to make parry and attack the same button (where parry is the same button as attack only pushing your analog stick towards the enemy) was a terrible one and I will not listen to anyone who tries to defend it. Because of the fast paced nature of the game when you are attacking an enemy, most of the time you are pushing your analog stick towards said enemy already anyway. This creates situations where you will parry/block when not meaning to and even worse, the opposite where you will try to parry an attack only to swing your weapon at the incoming threat like a doofus and take unnecessary damage. This being a fast paced frantic action game, you need clearly defined and distinct commands in order to get in the flow of combat and this game misses the mark in this regard which is a shame because some of those boss fights would have been truly amazing if not for the clunky controls. The game also doesn't tell you how to perform any of the new skills you unlock at the end of each level, choosing instead to hide it deep down some awful help menu somewhere. Some of said skills require pressing two buttons at the same time which on their own may have a totally different effects meaning even more unintended consequences by not pressing them at the exact same time. Creating a control scheme in which one could attempt to perform a dodge step and instead perform a light attack or just jump in the air is simply put, not a good one.

Another issue is that the timing of the game seems a little off at times and could have used more work. What I mean by this is for example when you finish a fight it takes a little too long for the invisible walls to disappear so you have to stop the action to wait for them the be lifted, killing the pace of the game. A similar thing happens with the intermittent phone calls. You often finish a section and while moving to the next section you get a phone call with the next chunk of dialogue being fed to you. This dialogue should last as long as it takes to get to the next section but it doesn't, I often ran out of real estate before the call was up and had to just wait for the dialogue to finish before I could jump into the next section. This is most blatant when it happens on an elevator: why not just make the elevator ride take as long as the dialogue? But instead the elevator reaches its stop, it lets you out, you slowly walk 20 steps or so and are blocked by a ledge that you have to jump off... But you can't jump while on the phone so you have to wait for 30 seconds for the dialogue to stop before you can continue. This isn't game breaking, but it does negatively effect the pacing of the game... And for a game that is at it's best when you are hopscotching off missiles before cutting a mech's face into a thousand pieces in bullet time while heavy metal roars in the background, this is all the more noticeable.

In the risk averse world of the modern game industry it is so rare to find a game that I can honestly say is a singular unique experience. This game checks that box in so many ways. while there are enemies both of the human and checks notes Ghostly oil monster variety these are hardly the main obstacle/challenge in the game. That would be traversing the rough terrain of this post apocalyptic world... And the 150 lbs. of supplies on your back that need to be delivered.

The gameplay loop is one that I have never experienced and while it has received the criticism of being a mailman simulator, it is so much more intricate than that. Every job is a gamble where you either risk taking too much stuff and overwhelming yourself, or not maximizing the profitability of each trip. You also have to carefully plot your route to avoid bandits and BT infested areas when possible and bring only the equipment that you think you will need. Bring too much and you further overburden yourself. Bring too little, and you might not be able to rappel down that cliff, or cross that lake, and may have to take a longer or more dangerous detour. In most games the journey between point A and B is just a hurdle that you rush through to get to the next quest or boss fight. In this game the boss fight is the journey.

Finally the soundtrack is simply stunning and seems to pop in just at the right time. The highlight of the game for me was right at the end of a long arduous journey, I walked up over the crest of a mountain and finally for the first time saw my destination on the horizon, a feeling of triumph washed over me as I finally saw the light at the end of the tunnel and all of a sudden the song "Asylums For The Feeling" by the Silent Poets starts playing and it made the short jog down the hill to my destination feel somber and lonely yet hopeful and this perfectly encapsulated the tone of the game for me.

One of those games that I grew up on and had a formative effect on my taste in video games. Diablo II will always have a special place in my heart, I still remember the first time I went to the secret cow level, the first time I got a SoJ drop, the first time I got a torch, the first time I got an Anni, and the first time I made an enigma (also the first time I screwed up the order and wasted high runes). People who didn't grow up with this game might find it overly grindy and repetitive which are definitely valid criticisms but man there is something special about this game. D2 is the game that most seasoned gamers compare any new ARPG to and it sits forever in the pantheon of all time great video games.

I seem to be in the minority here, but I love FFXIII. It's not my favorite FF game, but imo it is objectively one of the best if you sum up its individual parts. Some of the best graphics in the history of the franchise, Probably the best voice acting in franchise history (maybe 7 remake beats it), some really good character work where every character has a compelling arc of some kind, and an interesting world that is complex and deep. I also personally really liked the combat and the whole stagger meter system. I guess you just have to be able to get past the pretty linear game design through the first 10 or so chapters. I understand why people don't like this but it does make the world suddenly feel huge when it all opens up finally.

A really well made reboot with an interesting premise. Kratos has grown tired of slaughtering gods and retired to a different world where Norse gods reign supreme. We pick up some time into his new life with his partner having just passed away leaving Kratos, a man of very few words and a gruff demeanor, to look out for and raise their child by himself all the while dealing with the grief of losing his partner. This leads to some really emotional story beats that I won't spoil. I'll just say it's very well done.

This quite endearing story is paired with a beautiful, mostly open world just begging to be explored and a combat system that may feel strange to the God of War purists as it feels influenced by the more deliberate combat of Dark Souls. This isn't to say that you will be cowering behind a shield the whole time, there is plenty of hacking and slashing, but you have to dodge and parry or you won't last. Took some getting used to this new combat and over the shoulder camera style but it grew on me. Simply put this game is really good and there isn't much I didn't like about it.

Dark Souls 2 is the red-headed step child of the souls franchise and seems to be either loved or hated with no middle ground. I think this is because Dark Souls 2 has some really high highs, and some really low lows.

Some of the environments are superb and the sheer size of the game is deserving of praise. This also speaks to its shortcomings though, there seems to have been a quantity over quality approach by the designers. There are so many different environments and some clearly received more love than others. Same with the items, there are way to many different weapons and most of them feel identical to others like it. Some people might like this aspect as more content can be a good thing but a lot of things in this game just feel thrown in.

This isn't to say I didn't enjoy the game, I am actually on the love side of the fanbase. I'm not blind to it's flaws, I just enjoy so much about the game. I found the Vendrick/Giants storyline to be tragic and enthralling, there are also some really interesting and unique areas in the game, and holy shit the music in Majula!

Ahh, Palworld. Simultaneously representing the best and worst of the gaming industry. The worst in that the game is borderline IP theft and blatantly stealing and combining elements of other games. But the best in that it somehow all comes together to create something quite unique, fun, and better than anything the main victim of said IP theft has created in years.

In fact, this duality almost perfectly describes the tone of the game - adventuring around the colorful world catching cute Poke... erm Pals one second, then farming for the souls of dead Pals and sacrificing them to some Palworld deity in order to strengthen your little furry friends the next. You don't battle and incapacitate Pal's and their tamers, you kill them and take their hide, meat, and bones to craft better equipment. It's darks stuff, but the backdrop disguises it in an interesting way - Basically Pumped up Kicks in video game form.

As of now the game does reach a point where it starts to feel repetitive and could definitely use more settlements/towns, maybe some random encounters with other tamers who want to battle, a main storyline, more unique pal attacks, and more dungeon variety. I'd like to see Pocket Pair leverage their insane viral profits into a more complete game over the coming months, but I hear the player base is rapidly dropping off already so maybe it would make more financial sense to just take the win and move on to something else. Guess we will see what type of developer they are in the near future.