It really can't be overstated how big of a jump it is from the first Skate to this one. It feels like night and day, this one is just so much better. It's one of the best sequels ever made, taking everything about the first game and improving upon it. The challenges are better, the controls are better, and most importantly, the world. The world of this game is absolutely phenomenal, probably the best open world in any skateboarding game. It's packed to the brim with so many skate spots and fun challenges that you could probably play this game for years and still find new things to do. Of course, I really want to play Skate 3 so I'm done with this game for now, but god damn I just had such a fantastic time. It's hard for me to see it getting much better than this, but hey maybe Skate 3 really is the peak of the series.

What this game does better than Skate 2: The overall gameplay. This is definitely the most balanced game in the skate series. Sure there are some challenge types I don't really like, but overall there weren't any challenges here that felt unfair. Also, the controls are the best they've ever been in the series, as there is even more to do trick wise in this game. I also want to mention the soundtrack, which is my favorite in the series.

What this game does worse than Skate 2: I kind of feel like Skate 2 had... more personality? I know it's kind of dumb to put this much thought into the story of a game in this series but this game feels really lazy in the department. Skate 2 has an interesting backstory to the world and that made it more fun to explore. The world in this game is good, but it pales in comparison to the city in Skate 2. Also, this game feels much less stable. I know it's cliche to talk about glitches in this game, and for some people they add to the experience, but to me they kind of hurt it.

These aspects of the games mostly even out in terms of quality, but overall, I have to say Skate 2 appealed to me more overall. That is not to say this is a bad game though, it's great! I had a ton of fun with this title and it absolutely blows Skate 1 out of the water. Definitely very glad I played through this and the series in general.

Horizon Zero Dawn is an… interesting game, to say the least. On one hand I thought it did a great job at creating memorable enemy encounters, an intriguing backstory to explain the state of the world and exploration that felt enticing, along with a decent selection of weapons. However, these positives are weighed down by an open world formula we’ve seen done a million times, a mostly forgetful set of side characters and a lot (and I mean A LOT) of filler content which pads out the game’s playtime.

Let's begin with what I think is Horizon’s greatest aspect, it's world-building. From the get-go I think it does a fantastic job at grabbing your attention with its beautiful visuals, helping realise what Guerilla Games was trying to achieve. If you’re going to make a game based around futuristic primal exploration, fighting with bows, spears & slingshots, then having nature & machinery that looks eye-catching is key in making you want to explore more of its environments. From open fields of destroyed skyscrapers to snowy mountain vistas, the game has enough variety to make you keep exploring. There may not be any unique designs that you haven’t seen in other games (besides the main cities such as Meridian and the underground bunkers) but it's done with high detail that’ll make you venture more, I only wish there were optional ways to traverse these environments, like maybe a glider or open climbing perhaps ;)

To go along with the world, sound design plays a good supporting role. The soundtrack never shows itself too much, but when it does it fits the tone of what the world is going for, giving a mixture of calm ambience & intense combat music. Weapons sound punchy, machines are easily identifiable and the world in general feels alive and ripe to explore. The only gripe I have with sound is the menu music that replays EVERY TIME you open it. I'm not sure who thought this was a good idea but by the end I’m pretty sure I was hearing that song in my sleep and I hated opening it up. Other than that tiny problem, it does its job well.

Since Horizon has been able to create an enticing world visually & audibly, what sort of gameplay challenges does it have to offer? Unfortunately… the same things you’ve seen in most open world games of the genre. Hunting challenges, Tallnecks, Collectibles, Cauldrons, Camps & Corrupted Zones. A lot of these types have become typical and whilst I do like the switch-ups Horizon does in order to make these seem unique (like with the Tallnecks as moving ‘Far Cry’ radio towers or the Cauldrons acting as mini-dungeons), it's still the same as others before and doesn’t pave the way for much new so, however you feel about these might either make or break your experience.

Whilst decent, Horizon’s story initially had issues which made it hard to feel engaged. I liked the world & setting they created, but the storyline seemed to follow a very cookie cutter plot that wasn’t really pulling off anything interesting, mainly in the first half. You aren’t necessarily learning much about the history and are more following Aloy’s journey on experiencing the world outside her comfort zone, I understand why but it never drew me in to what was being told. I think the second half remedied this as it began to lean more into how the world ended up the way it did, finally getting my questions answered that I’ve had since the beginning. It made me want to explore more of the audio logs and entries which, up to this point, I’d mostly not cared about because I had no reason to, but as soon as the big lore dump happened I wanted to learn more as it felt like they intentionally left gaps for the player to fill in. Now every new bunker I went into I was scanning and reading everything, trying to piece it all together. It’s crazy how with just a simple change I was more intrigued with their world, though I wish it was something I felt more at the start. The ending wasn’t anything that blew me away, but I’m always a sucker for bringing all the characters you met throughout the story back for the final battle (including any side characters you’ve met personally) as it feels rewarding for your time, albeit cliche.

Speaking of characters, I think Aloy is a solid protagonist. You feel like you’re learning about the world at the pace she does and being able to play as a badass warrior fighting hordes of machines was great, she's definitely up there as one of my favourite female protagonists. Ashley Burch does a great job of emotionally portraying the character, though she doesn’t have much to go off considering the writing isn’t all that great, but it doesn’t mean there aren’t some great choices made that give her some depth.

Regarding everyone else outside of Aloy, it’s…. a mixed bag. The allies you make along your travels are either vaguely/semi-interesting or are just there to fill a role in the story, plus it doesn’t help that most of their interactions are told through automated facial animations that look very robotic. One of the more interesting characters is someone you meet in the latter half of the game, Sylens. Whilst he does help you, you soon realise it's only to help him get what he wants more than anything, knowledge. It’s a relationship that’s constantly bouncing back and forth, and because of that you never know what he might do next, so do you treat him as an ally or an enemy? This level of depth makes an encounter with him all the more interesting, it's just a shame that the rest of the characters don’t offer as much. Erend, Talanah, Petra, whilst these might’ve been interesting as ‘in the moment’ side missions, I’ve mostly forgotten their storylines, besides prophecy dude whose mission never ends and creepy bandit camp helper.

So, how are the side missions in the game? Okay, but most feel lacking in substance. Whilst there is a variety of side content with stories told over multiple missions, all of the final resolutions feel empty as they don’t give you much for your time. Take for example Erend’s final quest, which feels confused and rushed in its pacing due to all of the events happening way too quickly as it's hurrying through everything in one side mission, trying to act like a main mission. Other examples of this same issue include Talanah’s hunting missions & taking over all the bandit camps.

Discussing enemies, they’re either very good or completely worthless. For the most part I always enjoyed fighting the machines, especially ones such as the Thunderjaw & Stormbird (even though the latter could be annoying depending on the location, alongside Rockbreakers). You’re always looking at your arsenal, deciding which weapons would be best suited at dealing the most damage, learning how to mix & match to get the best outcome. It was always great coming across a new machine type & understanding how it works to see what kills it the quickest. All of these great ideas I feel sadly go out the window when you fight your typical human enemies as none of those mechanics that made the machine fights interesting matter anymore. They’re only really 2 options to taking down other tribes and that's either A) You sneak around and take them out with a strong bow, which gets painfully boring the hundredth time you’re doing it or B) You run around using whatever you want with no tactics whatsoever, which never makes you feel like you’re achieving anything, so in the end both methods suck. I think at the beginning other humans were able feel like a threat as you were fairly weak when it came to your skillset, but once you get to around a third of the way through the game these feelings vanish because the game wants you to have a fighting chance against bigger machines, but in turn makes the other tribes pointless as enemies.

Alongside enemies, the weapons all felt like they had a purpose, just more variety would’ve helped keep things new and fresh. You’re only able to pick from 6 main weapons types: Spears, Bows, Slingshots, Rattlers, Ropecasters & Tripcasters. Horizon tries its best to masquerade this by making multiple variants, which doesn’t give the fighting too much variation, just more ammo types to use & optionally more upgrade slots. I liked how each of them felt, but halfway through the game has already shown you everything it has to offer weapon wise, besides the few unique weapons you use in hunting challenges or pick up from bandits.

Finishing the main game, I realised Horizon was however able to achieve a good sense of progression. In one of the earliest missions you had to fight your first Sawtooth and afterwards you realise how weak you are compared to the larger machines, so I was worried if that would become an annoyance later on. But luckily it was able to show you getting better at the game whilst also giving you harder foes to manage, and over time what at the start of the game was giving me huge problems all of sudden felt like a cake-walk, which I think it deserves a lot of credit for.

Up to this point I’ve only really talked about the main game, but the complete edition does come with the expansion ‘The Frozen Wilds’ which has a decent amount to unpack. On the surface it may seem like more Horizon content within a new environment, but I feel like a lot of improvements were made here, the first being that conversations with NPCs no longer feel awkward and stiff as they did before. Each side mission also seemed more focused on trying to tell you a new piece of information about the world instead of existing for the sake of padding, don’t get me wrong there’s still some that have that feeling (as the challenges in the base game are still prevalent), but it feels cleaner overall. As for enemies, The new machine types are just as engaging as before, and luckily they put less focus on the bandits in the expansion so it becomes less of an annoyance. The story isn’t as engaging as the second half of the base game, but the spectacle is there and it's decent for what it is as a DLC.

Overall, would I recommend Horizon Zero Dawn? I would… but this game definitely has a lot of flaws that can dampen your experience, mostly stemming from ideas feeling overused or not polished enough. I think it does enough different to stand out in the open world game genre, with its unique weapon mechanics & surprisingly detailed world, but it's faltered by unengaging side content. If you’re looking for the next open world game to sink your teeth into, maybe there are better options out there that are more rewarding, but I don't think you're wasting your time checking out Horizon either as there are some neat ideas put to the table.

Me when a game is full of references:
just NAMING something ISN'T a JOKE !!!!! PICK up a PEN and start WRITING actual CONTENT !!!!! 🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬

me when every single reference is about something i really like:
oh my god... 😊😊😊 they like that... 😊😊😊 i also like that 😊😊😊.... can't wait to see an interview later talking about some minor details I may have missed 😊😊😊... videogames are art this is so cool... 😊😊😊

Silent Hill 2 is a game focused around regrets and how to confront them in order to move on. Whilst it may not be the smoothest experience in its gameplay mechanics, with stiff tank controls, rough combat sequences and awkward boss fights, it clearly wasn't the main focus so much as the story, music, atmosphere and art direction was, which are all executed so flawlessly that it makes you forget any of the tiny problems it has.

It’s clear from the start that SH2 wants to treat it's stories topics with the care and respect they deserve. When I think back to my favourite parts, I think about how well this game is able to represent different aspects of trauma and the effects it can have on people. I think the voice acting strengthens each of the characters' personalities, making them come off as these uncomfortable adults who feel just as isolated and lost as you do, not knowing who to trust. Each person has their own story and journey in Silent Hill 2, and seeing how characters such as James (the main protagonist), Eddie and Angela end up ‘dealing’ with their baggage is captivating enough to see your way through the whole game.

I think where the game peaks for me personally is when you arrive at the Lake View Hotel. I won’t get into events, but the embodiment of emotions mixed into the level design, the final interactions with each of the characters, alongside the final goodbye was gut-wrenching. It’s moments like these that prove that games can be the most human form of media and don’t have to be all 'spectacle' to keep you engaged.

One of my favourite inclusions has to be the dynamic endings depending on how you play the game, which was quite innovative considering the game was released back in 2001. Playing as James, if you heal after battles and make sure he has a fair amount of health, you’ll get the more bittersweet ending, ‘Leave’. But leave James always on low health or let companions get hurt more often and you’ll get the more unpleasant ‘In Water’ ending. This makes the game have some replay value, seeing where different playstyles will get you, whilst also including secret endings once you get all the mainline ones (woof woof).

You can't discuss SH2 without also mentioning its sound design. Each individual sound feels like it has some sort of purpose in making you feel something, fleshing out the world and expanding your imagination on what sort of horrors could be out there, especially when combined with the level design that becomes more of a map for James’ torment, all connecting back to the stories’ themes.

And my god, the brilliant soundtrack composed by Akira Yamaoka is equally beautiful & horrifying. It's the perfect blend of sorrow, despair & hope that you'd imagine from a game such as SH2, strengthening each scene when used and helping push its ideas & emotions to the forefront. This game truly wouldn’t have the impact it did if it wasn’t for its music.

Whilst I have a lot of praise for SH2, I do think there are areas of the game that could’ve been improved. I think more enemy variety would’ve been nice alongside different ways to fight instead of just hitting the same button over and over again because it made the boss battles not as intense as they should’ve been… and don’t even get me started on the dreaded row boat section where I got stuck for half an hour.

Overall, SH2 is a game I’d highly recommend anyone to play. I can understand why it gets all the acclaim it does because put simply, it's human. I don’t think it's a perfect game, but the few issues it does have are very easy to neglect when you look at the bigger picture. Play this game yourself and go in with your eyes closed, because you’ll be in for one of the best psychological horror games of all time.

As an extra mention, I also want to appreciate the fantastic work done by the Silent Hill 2: Enhanced Edition Team to make sure it retains the same feeling as the original whilst making improvements to make it more accessible. I think its the best way to experience the game, especially when you compare it to how much it was butchered with the re-release on PS3.