This game absolutely kicked my ass. Repeatedly. So much so that I had to take a break from playing any video game for a couple of days just to refresh my brain.

That doesn't mean I didn't have fun. I think this game picked the best parts of both prior titles in the series, and put them together to create the most polished and varied experience of all the games so far. The environments were varied, and exploring them was always interesting - and the enemies seemed perfectly placed, with plenty of ammo to go around meaning I never felt short on ammo for my favourite weapons, except for a few places where by design you are short of your firepower.

I loved being able to choose what order to tackle the levels. The more open end feeling did mean that the difficulty curve was more like a difficulty brick wall, with the entire game being difficult from start to end, but it was incredibly satisfying to conquer some of the trickiest parts. There was at least one part in each major part of the game where I had to look up a guide to help, which again I'm unsure if it's just me being dumb, or some of the puzzles being a bit obtuse - though it didn't mark my enjoyment too much.

In spite of all the positives about this game, I didn't quite enjoy it as much as Tomb Raider 2. The major gripe that certainly made my experience less enjoyable was the sheer amount of backtracking in almost every level. I enjoyed how dense each level was, though the more you backtracked, the more you realised that most levels are actually very small, they just have puzzles layered on top of each other, and you go back and forth through the same areas constantly. This actually ends up making some things more confusing (especially in the London levels.) Luckily, each stage of the game feels varied enough that completing levels and finding a new type of environment to explore is very satisfying.

I think this is a great end of the first trilogy of games. It's left me excited to see what other mechanics or challenges these games can throw at me. I just hope the levels don't keep following this trend of backtracking - or if they do, I hope it's handled in a more open ended way like levels in Tomb Raider II, such as Barkhang Monastery.

The Golden Mask is a fun little add on to Tomb Raider II that had the atmosphere of the first game, with the tighter puzzle design and action segments of the second.

The variety in each level meant it was always exciting to advance further through each challenge, and I even enjoyed the silly but entertaining bonus level for finding all the well hidden secrets. I wouldn't necessarily rush to play this unless you're a die hard fan of the series and want to play everything, but it was time I enjoyed before sinking my teeth into the next main entry.

It's hard to rate this much higher seeing as it's more bonus content than full game, but yet there's not much to criticize as it's just more of the same for the series so far.

I feel like such a hypocrite playing Tomb Raider II, as all of the things I enjoyed about the first game seemed lessened, whilst the things I hated there were more of. Yet for some reason, I had so much more fun with this game than the prior.

For most of Tomb Raider II, the atmosphere of isolation and the unknown is completely missing, replaced instead with a fun variety of environments, from the canals of Venice, to the interior of an abandoned Opera House, to the wreck of a ship at the bottom of the ocean, and beyond. The level variety meant I was never bored, always finding it a thrill to explore the different environments, with a much greater variety than the slightly different shades of brown and grey you'd find in the first outing.

The platforming was equally as satisfying here, with very fun to solve puzzles in environments that weren't as tedious to explore when lost, and very creative use of the same control systems that really rewarded you experimenting with all of the movement options available to you.

In the first game, I found combat very frustrating. At first, I felt my stomach drop at the amount of human enemies this game featured - very much fearing for the worst at the new action focus. Yet for some reason, with the change in environments, I found it nowhere near as annoying as the first game. The new weapons, and increase in medkit and ammo drops meant the combat was way more fun. I still found movement during combat an issue, especially towards the end of the game, but overall, an improvement.

One noteworthy level was the Barkhang Monastery. Fighting alongside the monks and exploring the very open level was an absolute highlight for me - probably my favorite in the franchise so far.

The main criticisms of this game probably fall to the last few levels, where the fun did start to wane a little for me. I found the end level especially fairly unsatisfying, though this may just be to playing it all in a reasonably condensed amount of time.

This game has left me thoroughly excited to explore more of this franchise, and really cemented why these games have had so much staying power throughout the years.

This was pretty poor. I enjoyed the base game a lot, but this was just a frustrating collection of all of the least enjoyable parts of the Tomb Raider I.

I did find some of the challenges satisfying to pull off, but there was too much annoying combat in a system that does not lead to fun gunplay whatsoever.

Mostly, the puzzles were too long winded, and the levels just didn't seem to end. Not to mention the atmosphere of the levels was very tired by this point after playing through the main game itself.

The Egyptian levels were certainly better than the Atlantis levels, but not by much.

I wouldn't recommend this unless you're a die hard fan of the main game and want to test yourself with those mechanics, or are a completionist. I probably wouldn't have kept playing past the first level if I wasn't the sort of person that has to finish every game they start - but I'm sure some people would find something fun in this.

I have very mixed feelings about this game. Overall, I had a great time, but the road to the finish was definitely very bumpy.

The gameplay as a whole was fun, and very satisfying. I specifically enjoyed how predictable the platforming controls were. The consistency in what you know is possible with the various ways to jump, climb or traverse around the levels means that most of the time, any failure feels like your fault. This means it is rarely frustrating, with the exception of forgetting to save for a while and having to replay lengthy sections.

Some of the puzzles made sense, and were fun to solve - and the environments were interesting to explore. I especially liked the non-linear level design - it was very fun to explore a new area for the first time, seeing areas further into the level that are not yet accessible, and then progressing and finding your way to these secrets.

My biggest gripes with this game all came down to pacing, and the combat. A lot of the time, I'd be having fun with a tight platforming puzzle, enjoying the consistency of the controls, to be interrupted by tedious and annoying combat. The gunplay never really felt like I was fully in control, and the randomness of the enemy AI meant there were times where you'd easily get stuck with no way out of a situation. This wouldn't be a problem if combat could be avoided, but it is a huge part of the game, and never added to the fun of the game for me.

I also found the camera very frustrating. It was often difficult to see where to go in tight spaces, and this game seemed to love tight corridors with hidden platforms near impossible to see. I try to play games with as little help or guides as possible, and I had to look up solutions or directions various times throughout this game. While this may just be my own failing with my own abilities, most of the time when I was stuck or confused, it was due to not being able to physically see where I was supposed to be going.

This game of course is incredibly ahead of its time, and any of these failings are just examples of trying something new, which is always a messy road. The platforming is still satisfying all these years later, and you can easily see how this game has stood the test of time as a classic.

I'm intrigued to player further into the series to see how the gameplay develops - and I'm hoping to see the formula tightened and improved as things advance.

I had an absolute blast with the story and gameplay of this game. I found the atmosphere incredible, the characters fascinating, and most importantly the gameplay was a lot of fun, with tons of ways to approach each encounter with the variety of weapons and powers available.

The start of the game was super creepy, and it was very satisfying to upgrade the different systems and feel yourself getting dramatically stronger as the game progressed. The combat was always the perfect amount of challenging, and never got tedious.

I loved the visuals and audio in this game. Rapture is one of the most immersive game worlds I've seen - even the fairly repetitive level design didn't draw back too much from the fantastically realised world. The mission structures were linear enough that it was always clear what needed to be done, but open ended enough that there was plenty of time for exploration - which was heavily rewarded.

The audio logs were a favorite feature of mine - I loved how much of the story of the world was amongst the worldbuilding, rather than told to the player in cutscenes. It made everything feel very natural, and all of the various villains so hateable.

This game did fall off in atmosphere towards the end, as I'd become so strong in terms of abilities that any sense of vulnerability or horror was lost in the final third of the game. It's very difficult for games to stay creepy though, and it was incredibly fun using all the different abilities, so this isn't a huge downside - but thought it was worthy of note.

My main criticism of the game were the vita-chambers - dying and then being able to just jump right back in, without any consequence other than a small bit of time completely destroyed any fear over some of the more intense sequences of the game. I feel as though there should have been a higher penalty to death to make fighting the Big Daddys truly terrifying.

Can't believe I waited this long to play this game properly. I did play it once as a teenager, but didn't pay attention to any of the story, so it still felt fresh on this playthrough.

This game is incredible. So much charm, and the creativity doesn't stop right until the very end. Each level felt so unique, with all of the characters being so likeable (or hateable, but in the best of ways!)

The platforming definitely hasn't aged well, but when I'd gotten used to it, it was very satisfying to use all the different psychic abilities to travel around the levels finding all the secrets.

It's very rare a game is as genuinely funny as this. Not only that, but the story was wonderful - I was invested from beginning to end in the colorful cast of characters I met along the way.

The art style and music helped create such a unique atmosphere to every level, and the voice acting had a perfect "Cartoon Network" feel to it that was just what the game needed.

The only criticism is the controls sometimes felt a little janky, and did create a few frustrating moments with some of the more intense platforming sequences. However, this was only a slight blemish on an otherwise perfect game.

I saw all the bad reviews of this game, and for the first Chapter or so, I thought I was weird for enjoying myself. The visuals were nice, the combat was fun, and the world/story seemed interesting!

Then I kept playing.

This game is so incredibly sub par in every way. The combat is satisfying at first, but the enemy variety, and repetitive level design makes it boring and annoying after the initial few chapters.

The voice acting and writing is awful, and cringe inducing, with the notable exception being Andy Serkis, who does a great job playing the villain.

The cutscenes themselves were fine, though the game too often would throw poorly telegraphed quick-time events, which would make trying to relax and enjoy the cutscenes impossible. The margin for error was slim too, which was especially frustrating for every single boss fight that had to end in that way.

Don’t even get me started on the “puzzles”. Throwing objects with poorly thought out and annoying to control motion sensors were some of the most frustrating parts of the whole experience. Even when I turned the motion controls off to control projectiles with the analogue sticks, it just slowed down gameplay for an already tedious game.

The last chapter however, was very fun. The final battles felt huge, and even with a choppy frame rate and some minor design annoyances, the entire chapter was a solid end to the prior levels. The final boss fight I found very satisfying to learn the patterns and timings of - though the aforementioned quick time events certainly ruined a lot of the fun I was having, even here.

I fear a lot of these issues are just due to this game ageing poorly - but all in all, I won’t be touching this one again.

Very fun game, though CRIMINALLY short.

This game I was very excited for after enjoying Halo 1 and LOVING Halo 2, but something felt a little off about this. It felt way less adventurous, and more like fighting through bland, brown and grey corridors and set pieces. The gunplay also seemed way less impactful than previous games, but the weapon variety was amazing. By the time I'd got comfortable with the weapon options open to me, it was an absolute treat to find my favorites as I'd explore the levels.

Some of the action set pieces in this game are certainly highlights of the series. Fighting the scarabs was very satisfying, as was vehicle combat in general. I also found the final level to be a highlight of the series - directly fighting and charging against the horde of enemies, followed by one of the most action packed and fun endings to a game I've played in a while, if not quite feeling as emergent and a little too scripted compared to the run at the end of Halo 1.

My main criticism with this game is the length. By the time I'd really started to sink my teeth in and get into it, it was over. I finished this in a single evening, without even trying to go particularly quickly. I was trying to explore and take my time, but the game was so fast paced that you didn't have much time to think before being moved on to the next section.

If the story was a little longer (just a couple more missions maybe) - or the levels themselves had a little more variety (like Halo 2, the start of Halo 1) then this would have been much more enjoyable, but overall, for a short FPS, this is still a lot of fun.

What a step up from Halo 1 - this game took everything Halo did right, and amplified it, and improved upon most of the flaws. The story was much larger in scope, with the added worldbuilding elements attaching me to the world and the characters in a way the first game just couldn't quite get right. Not only this, but the missions felt much tighter in their design - not completely missing out on the choices of weapons and the different feel that choice would give the level - but refining it so that no matter the choice you made, you'd have an absolute blast along the way.

I loved the two separate stories converging into one, and the new weapon choices were a lot of fun to play with (energy swords are still one of my most nostalgic video game weapons.) The vehicle controls felt much better, and more enjoyable, and the variety of enemies was also much more fun.

The only reason this didn't quite get the 5stars from me was some slight level design issues towards the end, and the cliffhanger ending after quite a disappointing final level (the level was fun, it just didn't quite feel like an endgame encounter).

I can see myself replaying this again certainly, very glad I went back to explore this series properly after only playing around on multiplayer as a teenager. Much recommended!

I really enjoyed my time with this game, though I can't help but feel a little let down in some ways. The first few missions are an absolute treat, with so much variation in gameplay and locations that give you multiple weapon choices, all placed perfectly to give you a completely different mission feel experience upon replay. There is a lot of intrigue, and the combat is simple yet satisfying.

However, the second half of the game becomes very repetitive, and a bit of a slog. The level design suffers greatly, and becomes a confusing maze. This is not helped by some frustrating checkpoint mechanics, where if you get unlucky with a bad checkpoint, you can end up walking through the same hallways before getting back to some forward momentum. The exception of this is the final level, which is an absolute treat. It does the perfect job of making you feel like the main character in an action movie, and it does make up for some of the frustration of some of the previous levels.

The story is simple, straightforward, and functional. The gunplay is satisfying, with each gun feeling very different with it's own advantages and disadvantages - and the atmosphere is great, especially on the level where you first encounter the flood. I can't see myself replaying this again, but it was definitely fun to run through the once.

This game is an absolute treat story wise. I fell in love with the characters, and the journey you take on this quest for revenge hits all the right beats, at all the right times. It's incredibly well paced, with just enough side quests in the open(ish) world to keep things interesting if you need a break from the main story - but not too much to distract from Jackie's main goals.

The combat is very satisfying, with the darkness powers adding a lot of choice as to how you want to approach each encounter. There was a lot of experimentation to be had, and it would be very satisfying to learn which powers or weapons were best suited to each situation as they occurred.

I also loved the navigation - using the subway and using in world maps to figure out where to go really helped my immersion, and make exploration interesting. Though the walking speed did feel a tad slow at times, the maps are sized just to the point where it's never too much of an issue.

Only nitpick is that the locations all look very similar, mostly due to the aesthetic of the game. There is little that makes each place stand out, which makes the already small world feel even smaller.

This is an absolute hidden gem, and has one of my favourite cutscenes I've seen in a while. (In the orphanage - you'll know the one!)

Overall had a lot of fun with this. There's such a strong sense of personality in this game, and I loved exploring Albion, getting stronger and fighting enemies. The story was simple, cliché, but functional, and there were some amazing characters that really got me invested in the world. It was also a very satisfying sense of progression - I really enjoyed going back to enemies that kicked my ass when I'd got better equipment and skills, and enacting my revenge!

However, the combat and targeting systems did feel a little clunky, and haven't aged well. I also found the ending section quite underwhelming, as there was so much to explore, but not much to gain from doing so, as opposed to the rest of the game, which was overflowing with things to do around every corner.

Although the progression felt great, towards the end of the game I had more health potions than I knew what to do with, which did make combat incredibly easy and a bit tedious at times.

I did also run into some freezing issues towards the start of the game, which made it a very rocky start - though this did stop towards the middle of the game itself.

Overall, very fun, but marred by a few issues, and overall a bit too easy. Recommend at least one playthrough!