The combat is as good as ever - there's over a dozen weapons in here, and they all feel distinct and unique. Enemy and level design is top notch - they didn't skip out on the visual spectacle here either.

But it's just slightly better and slightly worse that it's predecessor in certain ways. There's a little something missing in Bayo 2 - you can feel it in the cutscenes that are basically just comic animatics used to save money. There was a focus on making the really good things really good - but other things may have taken a hit in the process.

It's still an amazing game - it's so close to living up to the first one. I think it'll just keep living in it's shadow.

At least until Bayo 3 comes out, and I hope my extreme hype for it is worth it.

That should say something about Bayo 3, actually. Bayo 2 was a huge commercial failure, but they get to make a sequel, because the fans love this game, and they love the series, because it's still all THAT good.

Played a review copy prior to release.

I don't like FF7. I played it as a kid but I think a lot of things are way better, and don't understand the cult surrounding it.

But hey, they did a good job with Aeris. And that's good enough for me.

Played a review copy prior to release.

I ripped. I tore. Until it was done.

Great game.

Maybe my GOTY 2021.

Tons of fun trying to solve a time loop murder mystery, where you're the one doing the murder.

Highly recommended. Possibly the best Arkane game.

An absolute darling for competitive indie stealth action. This game is fun eve if it's 2v2, 2v1, 1v1, it never gets old.

The options you have are easily able to get a grasp of, and can be used in a lot of ways that one may not expect.

Highly recommend, even if you have to host your own servers to play it; the community is still rather small as of March 2022.

Just get drunk and play with buddies, it's great.

I wrote a 112 page journal to keep track of my progress and any points of intrigue.

This encompassed the majority of Limgrave alone, as I basically stopped it after the Rennala fight.

This game is cool enough to make me want to draw MAPS and take NOTES, like a CRPG.

Plus I shot lasers at bosses and kill them in 15 seconds.

Great game. Probably GOTY 2022. Best Fromsoft game.

Edit: Having completed the game on April 8th, I can conclusively say this is the best open world game I've ever played, let alone the best Fromsoft game (sorry Bloodborne!)

The map is densely packed, deviating from the industry standard of "make big map and populate it with sparse busywork." Like, there's almost TOO much in this game. And that absolutely rocks.

There's also some of the best boss fights I've ever seen, both in a mechanical and spectacle sense. More often than not, you get BOTH complexity and a crazy show, and that's just awesome.

I've beaten this game "as intended" before any nerfs or patches changed bosses (RIP to my fave, Sword of Night and Flame, which honestly still rocked through 80% of my playthrough anyway), but that's not important - I believe as long as you beat the boss, through cheese, summoning, or legit memorization/perfect timing, you won. And these bosses are seriously not a joke, you might need a ton of help based on your build or skillset. But when you win, it feels better than any From game before.

I have a lot to say about this game, but not a lot of time to do it.

I've likely spent literal years of time playing this game.

The story is an incredibly varied trip, the characters are all bonkers, the writing is funny, and it all comes together as a time travel story should.

Multiplayer AI is busted and amazing at the same time, sniping feels great, guns are fun and interesting and all unique.

This needs a 4k remaster pronto.