Very much like Persona 4, Persona 5 got the highest highs and the lowest lows:

Some of the most thrilling and intriguing moments and story-telling that i ever seen in a video game on the start and the end, accompanied by sluggish and slow mid-game, where the motivation of the group itself are questionable. the main motive of the group is not really clear a lot of times, and a lot of times it just seems like its driven by ego, which makes it less fun to actually go through the game where you don't feel like there's big enough payoff (Which isn't the case on the beginning and end, which are very emotionally driven)

As usual, The game got a speculator sense of style, with amazing and unique boss and enemy designs (visually) which makes it so much fun. It's quite hard to put into words how much the presentation of P5 attributes to it being a fun journey overall, but the persona series still stand for me as the series with the best presentation in the video game world. The only downside on that aspect is rather boring and simplistic battle animations that makes battles feel underwhelming.

This is finally the sort of game I have wanted to see from the Sonic Team after over a decade of mediocre entries to the franchise. Sure there are some tedious parts here and there through game design flaws, but for what it lacks in polish it makes up for in heart and ambition. You can tell that this was made with care when you look at how the movement, level design, boss fights, character interactions, and references to past games all come together to make a great game. I just hope that Sega uses this as the foundation for a sequel where they can build upon the ideas used here and make an even better game in the future.

1998's Sonic Adventure is a game you have to learn to love. In 2022, it's easy to write this game off as a failed game that breaks more often than it works. With terrible cutscenes, bad voice acting and an even worse camera, it's not hard to see that point of view - but when you actually sit down and play it, I think this game has a lot of fun to offer.

Again, there's a lot of clunk here, and the DX version I played on Steam adds to that. The camera is abysmal. Genuinely terrible. You can barely control it and half the time it snaps to behind a wall so you can't see anything. It's not a huge problem in some levels, but in most of the open hub worlds it sucks and in some campaigns (cough Knuckles cough) it can easily ruin the experience.

The cutscenes look and sound horrible. I know it's an old game, but it's insane how in just 3 years, Sonic Adventure 2 looks so much better in a lot of its cutscenes. And the voice acting is far better there too.

Now, since this game is actually more like six games in one - I'm going to talk about them each separately. Starting with the best of them - Sonic.

SONIC THE HEDGEHOG:
Sonic's campaign might just be the single best 3D Sonic anything. No, I mean that. The level design is so damn good, with alternate paths and secrets along every possible corner. The levels are a blast to play through (except Sky Deck) and I genuinely want to revisit all of them to get all of the emblems.

The best stages are easily Emerald Coast, Red Mountain, and Speed Highway. All three of those feature some of the best Sonic level design in 2D and 3D, by just allowing Sonic to explore these vast open areas - while also throwing in some terrific set pieces.

Not to mention, Sonic controls brilliantly. How Sonic controls in 3D has been a topic of tense debate recently, with people criticising the lack of momentum in recent games. It doesn't bother me too much, but I will say - coming off of playing all of the 2D games before this, it's really awesome to see Sonic control basically the exact same as he does in those games. Being able to use your momentum for a jump to carry you the entire way is so nice. I love how Sonic feels here.

MILES "TAILS" PROWER:
Tails' campaign is a lot shorter, so I don't have much to say about it, but it's good! The concept of racing Sonic is fun and it's really fun to break the level geometry with Tails and just go flying off into wherever you wanna go.

A lot of his stages can feel a little too simple, but he makes up for it by just being fun to play and I like his bosses a decent amount, too. It's also a really neat fact that the game makes Eggman's dialogue more menacing in the Tails story!

KNUCKLES THE ECHIDNA
Knuckle's story is the first one to have a radically new gameplay style. Both Tails and Sonic just focused on getting to the goal ring, but Knuckles is all about treasure hunting. This is both cool, and frustrating. For one, when the treasure hunting is in an appropriate level, it can be really fun! Red Mountain and Lost World really put Knuckles in the best places to explore for pieces.

On the other hand, placing him in Casinopolis, Sky Deck, and Speed Highway end up leading to levels that either take no time at all, or too long because this is not a level Knuckles should be in. I do enjoy how Knuckles plays and I find his levels to be fun at the end of the day, but there could've been better choices for some of his levels. Windy Valley, Ice Cap or Emerald Coast would've been better than the three I brought up.

AMY ROSE:
Amy's campaign is three levels. It's fine. I don't really like how Amy controls. It's cool in concept, but in execution she's often too slow and having to rely on her hammer jump is very aggrevating.

The straightforward platforming is cool, but it's three levels and just too short to really care for. It's one of the core issues with a few of these campaigns - they don't really add much. Once you get through the big trio, the rest just feel like fluff.

BIG THE CAT:
It's fishing. On the Dreamcast. It's not good. It's not terrible, but it's not good. If this were a minigame, nobody would care. But locking Super Sonic behind this campaign is so ridiculous.

E-102 GAMMA:
This is the second best campaign after Sonic. Once again, I don't feel like it adds a whole lot to the game, but the run and gun shoot 'em up action of every level is so fun. I also like scoring combos to get time back. All of the boss fights are fun, too.

And Gamma does have a cool character thing, so maybe it does add something!

SUPER SONIC:
Chaos final boss is lame. It's cool as a set piece, but the boss is piss easy and really doesn't feel as grand as it should.

So yeah, that's Sonic Adventure! The story is whatever. It's not very good, but it's not bad either. I do like how it's split up among the characters, and the fact that you don't feel like you're missing any huge pieces is nice, since every story just tells you the relevant info to the character you're playing as. BUT playing all of the campaigns and seeing everything is really fun.

I wish the game was maybe just Sonic, Tails, Knuckles and Gamma, because i'd replay the whole thing a lot more - but from now on, I'm probably just sticking with Sonic and Gamma. Still, Tails and Knuckles would be fun to revisit sometime!

Never Big.

Controls
SMG is extremely intuitive. It all just clicks. Mechanics, power-ups, and three-dimensional challenges slowly unfold to allow you to ease into the complexities of this game. Subtle aim-assist and movement assisting keeps the focus on fun over frustration.

There’s a harmony between pressing buttons and swiping the screens. It should be chaos yet it works with ease.

The spin move is artfully implemented. It’s a multifaceted tool that acts as an attack, an interaction maneuver (e.g. screws), a propulsion boost in water, and an extra oomph after jumping. That final usage, spinning in air after jumping, is actually quite genius as it’s what allows the player to safely navigate to landing pads as it softens the jump while also lifting.


Design
There is so much rich, brilliant, innovative level design and use of three-dimensional space throughout the galaxy. The boss battles, of which there are plenty, are fairly simple yet always fun. And there’s a clever mixture of activities, spaces, puzzles, and upgrades, making it so that no level is like any other.

Tilt mechanic based levels such as surfing and golf don’t overstay their welcome. I would easily be frustrated by these types of levels if I was asked to collect 3-7 stars while tilting my way through bumpy waves or riding a ball on a precarious, narrow field. Instead the designers set up these levels to be one-and-done, a wise move on their part.

Much like SM64, and much unlike SMS, Galaxy is gracious with the 1-ups, and even strategically placed them in areas that are most dangerous. The creators recognize that punishing the players with limited lives is not fitting in this series.

Tutorials are cleverly camouflaged and well-integrated. For example, when first moving on ice a cute penguin challenges you to catch him. This allows you to get your feet wet (pun intended) before tackling the level. You never feel like you are being told what to do, and because the controls are so intuitive and finely tuned, picking up a new mechanic comes with ease.


Camera
The camera, which you would expect to be the biggest challenge in developing such a topsy-turvy 3D experience, works beautifully. It locks and adjusts to predetermined angles for most of the levels while allowing for freedom to manually rotate only in those areas where appropriate. It always feels right, focusing your attention on the path ahead with just the right amount of edge space to plan ahead.


Visuals
SMG is a visual spectacle. It’s simply dazzling. I found myself frequently hitting the screenshot button on my Switch as Mario soared through the starry fields that were painted vividly with swaths of purple and blue tones.

There's also a ton of attention to detail and polish that went in to enhancing the visual experience. For example, if you spin near friendly characters they will gyrate in excitement.


Story
There’s just enough story elements running throughout the adventure to keep it anchored in the narrative without interfering with the fun. And familiar staples to the Mario universe are sprinkled throughout the game who drop hints and add charming dialogue.


Closing Thoughts
The deeper you get the richer the experience becomes. Levels become more complex, more characters appear, different star types are located, planets can be revisited with new challenges, the story unfolds, and more and more Mario power-ups are discovered. This is a game that only gets richer and more flavorful the more you play.

Putting in words how I feel about this game it's boderline impossible for me, this is not only my favourite game of all time, is my favourite work of art period. Its ambience, its design, its world, its gameplay, its music, everything fits perfect with one another, forming a complete picture about a sad kingdom in ruin, and the tales and tragedies of its inhabitants.
As a metroidvania, it's just perfect, Hallownest is full of wonderful, beautiful areas full of secrets and life, it's a world that feels alive, something that few games have accomplished in the history of the medium.
It's simply an unrepeatable experience, one that I'll forever remember, one that has changed my view on art, and one that I love with all of my heart.