While I'm not a fan of "realistic" war games, by which I mean based off of the real world and modern conflicts, the campaign of Modern Warfare Remastered was (mostly) a good time.

Some missions / sections of missions are a bit rough around the edges in terms of gameplay - however most of them were well crafted, giving an all-rounder experience as you take on all kinds of missions.

The graphics look great, considering this came out the better part of a decade ago, I begin to question how Nintendo haven't caught up.

The story is slightly contrived and uninteresting apart from some more cinematic and (what I assume were supposed to be) emotional moments.

Wouldn't play again but if you're a CoD fan, or simply like modern warfare themed games, this is quite literally the game for you

As much as I'm not a fan of stealth games, the story and world kept me playing this all the way through. While I feel like sometimes it could be a bit harsh with the lack of resources it gives you (especially at the end), that is definitely intentionally part of the challenge, no matter how frustrating.

In my opinion, spoiler free, the ending did not quite stick the landing. It's hard to end a game so intrinsically story-driven in a way that's going to satisfy the player finishing their 10+ hour journey, while also setting up a sequel.

Would 100% recommend to have a playthrough if you get the chance. I played it alongside a friend or two over a few sessions and it was great fun - the game is just as entertaining to watch as it is to play, which is a difficult sweetspot to hit.

An example of a game that has aged beautifully with time, though not without it's flaws.

A genre defining game that set the bar high for all future metroidvania games, the combination of the pixel art (high attention to detail), music (incredibly catchy), and gameplay (difficult but not too punishing) - I wouldn't be surprised if this is the best game of the system.

Unfortunately, 30 years does have a toll on games - notably the map system, while heavily appreciated, has many imperfections (that I hear are resolved in later iterations). On top of this are the classic issues with games of this era such as save points and bland boss battles that only use high damage + high health. With that said, and to avoid spoilers, they do add a couple great twists during the final boss that easily made up for the others.

If you've not stepped food into the metroidvania genre, but are a fan of platformers / adventure / puzzle games - this is genuinely still a great place to start!

For a game that only takes about 10-15 hours to complete, this is pretty fun! I'm impressed by the randomly generated dungeons and you definitely get that "numbers go up" feeling which is always nice. However I'd say that this gets pretty repetitive by the 10 hour mark, and the gameplay doesn't really change no matter what you're doing. The only replayability I could see is playing as the different classes, and even then I could imagine that could get dull

Art style is awesome and I can see how it's inspired many modern games since. The sound design is pure 90s vibes and I'm all here for it. Glad I got to experience some PC gaming history with this one!

When I finished the original VJ I wrote that it was a crime that this series hasn't seen a sequel in 18 years.
While I still think that's true, I can see why. This game is almost a copy paste of the original, with the additional playable character of Sylvia. Unfortunately Sylvia feels extremely weak compared to Joe and I can't say I really used her for anything other than when necessary.
Obviously the game is solid, and there are many good things to be said but I've said them all in my original review - which for me is the main issue, nothing new.

There were a lot of improvements made from the original, however the anniversary edition version seemed to detract from this as it was fairly buggy and made parts of the game feel 'off'. For example, epic cut scenes with a lot of sound design which then put you directly into gameplay with no correlating music/sound, sort of ruins the immersion.

The story of Halo 2 doesn't feel like it flows as well, which reflects in how clear it is with what you're meant to be doing. Where Halo: CE felt very clear and like you were always moving forward, Halo 2 sometimes has you confused about what the objective of the mission even is.

The main improvement on Halo: CE is the substance of the missions, especially the vehicle missions which are tons of fun, especially with co-op

This review is a rare instance of where I'd rate the game lower based on my experience, rather than how good I believe the game actually is.

The Layton series continues to be a great puzzle game to play either by yourself or with your partner whether you're traveling or settling down for bed - the puzzles and characters will keep you engaged

However we found that the story in Pandora's Box was heavily disjointed compared to Curious Village, and the payoff just didn't hit as hard as it could have.

Despite this, we look forward to starting the next one!

Became instantly addicted, have played almost 70 hours in the last month from first playing and reached the epilogue.

As a roguelike enthusiast, this is the best in the genre.

The story is incredible and there is always something to aim for, something to strive for and plan your runs around. The heat gauge system is the perfect way to ramp the difficulty and keep yourself challenged.

I am going to continue playing to 100% the steam achievements, there is no doubt about that

Played on Switch

I'm torn between 3.5 and 4 stars because while this game was action packed and super fun, it was also very easy and very short to beat.

After spending the first 2 - 2.5 hours playing and learning the mechanics / controls, once I won the 1st cup I went on to beat the 2nd, 3rd and secret 4th only losing once within another 1.5 hours.

I wish there was more to the game, but I'm also not sure what that would be. I'm looking forward to playing the later iterations and seeing what they do differently.

Sometimes when beginning a series with an older game of a genre I don't always fully enjoy, I do worry about my experience

However, Halo CE Anniversary Edition has totally made me reconsider. The game at its core is a perfect length, has just the right amount of complexity, a well thought out world, very good level design, a story you can actually follow while running and gunning with a handful of well thought out characters, and (of course) an addictive combat. Tie this together with the (mostly) all the positive charm of this generation of games, along with the revamped graphics, sound, HD rumble, and lightning loading times - you've got a hell of a fun 5-7 hours with a buddy (I recommend highly)

My main qualms are just the very slight repetitiveness of gameplay in some parts as well as some random buggy pauses in the game (one that resulted in a crash), and some forced platforming with terrible platforming mechanics

While this game is absolutely incredible, I can't say I enjoyed it as much as the first game.

While they did manage to make the mechanics fresh, I didn't feel that they were better than the originals, and the world didn't feel as new and exciting.

The fact I have to argue why I basically gave this an 8/10 instead of a 9/10 is a testament to how incredible the pair of games are

An incredible game for 1989, but can struggle in parts today. The charm is still massively there, and probably the best part of the game.
The combat seems nedlessly overcomplicated in terms of how many options you have, especially the PSI powers.
I never really felt like there was a real challenging opponent. If I died once, I knew exactly what to do the next time, and even that only happened a couple times.
The music is incredible, hard to not sing along with. The artstyle was very engaging.
I can see why this game is so widely loved, and I very much look forward to playing it's sequel.