One of the few titles to understand that the true mark of a game as an animated film lies not in graphical fidelity, but expression and smart direction (the only other game that comes to mind is Luigi’s Mansion 3). Psychonauts 2 is much closer to the works of Laika and other animated greats than Ratchet & Clank has ever come to earning those tired Pixar comparisons.

As almost all AAA games, the game is really too long and contains some open world segments that I really could’ve done without, but I think the biggest mark against it is the game’s structure and pacing. For as well scripted and directed the individual moments and conversations are, the whole script starts and stops in strange spots and drags when it should speed up.

Still, I can’t deny that the game is infinitely charming and more often than not gorgeous. Not entirely sure how I feel about the games themes and subtext, but for a non-Nintendo platformer to look and play as good as this WHILE trying to tell an actual story is a pretty great feat.

I think I fell out of favor with Sony's first-party exclusives in the last console generation. As God of War ditched fast combat and bombast for slower and more heavy-handed drama and Naughty Dog shifted gears from fun adventure serials to dead-serious zombie survival games, I couldn't help but feel we were trading away the unique joys of video games in pursuit of cinematic heights that simply couldn't compare to what cinema itself had to offer.

I didn't buy a PS4 until Marvel's Spider-Man came out on the platform. Spider-Man was the system-seller that came out several years too late, but it got me. It was fast, frenetic, and fun. It told a serviceable story without diving into the morose misery of Sony's other offerings.

Miles Morales isn't the system-seller its prequel ended up being, but it's still an absolute delight to swing through New York and take down criminals with its sleek combat and stealth mechanics. It's a shorter game, but that only makes it more enticing for someone like me who wishes more games didn't overstay their welcome. The new venom mechanics make the game easier, but it adds to the superpowered feel of the whole affair.

Miles Morales isn't revolutionary by any means, but it's a short and sweet return to one of Sony's last remaining fun series.

A visual treat filled with (mostly) accessible and fair puzzles that doesn’t overstay its welcome, I had a really fun time with Call of the Sea.

A lot of the direction for the more guided walking/swimming segments felt straight out of a Disney theme park attraction. Even if the story itself feels slight and ultimately the final decision was not heavy on my heart, I find myself wishing more games operated at this level of length and presentation. I would venture to say 90% of games are too long, but this isn’t one of them. For that alone, I’ll end up remembering it more fondly than many other, more meaningful titles.

I wasn’t convinced I was going to see this game through at first, but despite a tepid first impression this game got its hooks in me. Outside of The Last Jedi and Galaxy’s Edge, this is probably the only other worthwhile Star Wars project Disney has produced since taking over the property.

This is as close as I’ll ever get to playing a Dark Souls game, I think. Difficult, but fair and rewarding and propped up with story and characters that I (eventually) grew really fond of. Despite being rushed to its conclusion, I had a blast with the ending.

That being said, I didn’t come close to 100% this game. That’s all on its shoddy performance, texture pop-in, and bugs, which have not been corrected in the year (?) since it’s been released. This game shouldn’t have released in this state, much less remained this way. As it stands, the game is like a beautiful figurine made with fragile parts and brittle plastic - it looks great, but the moment you start playing with it you can’t help but feel it’s one bad move away from breaking into a million tiny pieces.

You can find better Metroidvanias than Iconoclasts, but what you won't find is another metroidvania-style game that is so invested in the ways people treat their labor, their neighbors, and their gods. The fact that the game isn't riddled with so many power-ups and resources to obtain is part of the point: in a world so ravaged by our greed, stubbornness, and zealous indifference, what more can we hope to obtain from this dying land?

I wish more games endeavored to tell such a captivating narrative. I also wish the people playing games put more thought into the stories they're experiencing. A medium with this many dystopias deserves to have a few more stories dedicated to how they got that way.