This is a really incredible half of a game. The gameplay itself is fantastic, it feels like the series finally hit its full stride here. It takes everything that was established for dante in 3 and tweaks it to further prioritize fluidity and experimentation; letting the player change dante's style on the fly in combat rather than at a divinity statue might be one of, if not the best, design decision the devil may cry series has ever made. That focus on making player options more open applies to the ability to refund and rearrange skills (which, even if I never used because it's pretty easy to get enough souls to buy just about everything, is pretty cool). Nero doesn't feel too different to play but it's just enough to make him interesting, especially how the devil bringer offers a totally new toolset to create combos with a unique rhythm.

It's too bad that halfway through the game you realize you've actually seen basically the whole game and now you're just going to be doing it all again in reverse. The bosses, on the whole, are pretty good: maybe a little too easy at times, but still fun to fight. I didn't think they were quite as good after learning that there's only, like, six of them, and you fight almost all of them twice. Not to mention, they're all pretty much pushovers when you get dante's bigger moveset. A really odd choice that must have been because of time constraints, because otherwise I just don't get it.

It's just not the complete package that dmc 3 is. It feels amazing, it looks amazing, it's really good, it just seems a little... underbaked in the mission count and boss designs. I'm not sure how well it'll lend itself to replays, since one playthrough already felt like two. Still a good entry, solid follow-up to 3, makes me even more excited to start 5.

This is what I'm talking about baby. Some really obtuse puzzle moments in the latter half and the layouts could get confusing, but the first half unfolds so smoothly and the gameplay improvements for both sneaking and boss fights make for a fun experience. This game really holds up; it just feels good to play. It's fascinating how many elements Metal Gear Solid reuses and tweaks from MG2 to become one of the best games ever and I think the franchise really flourishes in 3D, but this is definitely still worth playing.

Left 4 Dead is - in my opinion, one of the best examples of Valve's ingenuity when it comes to game design. They really could have been a less kid-friendly Nintendo if they wanted to. In a time where so many FPS'es were gritty, realistic and built around PVP multiplayer and story-driven campaigns, along comes a game like Left 4 Dead to subvert your every expectation.

Left 4 Dead is simultaneously a silly, arcadey shooter with charming, quotable characters and also an incredibly tense, nailbiting fight for survival. The "AI Director", the game's AI that chooses when to spawn in hordes of zombies and when to spawn in special infected does so much legwork for fuelling the sense of dread the game is able to instil in the player, even when they're replaying the same campaign for the 100th time.

If you stay in one place too long, the AI Director spawns in hordes and special infected to punish you and encourage you to get moving. It does the same thing if you're progressing too quickly and vice versa, if you're really struggling early on in a map - it lets off a little and eases the breaks to give you a breather. It's such a genius little system and the knowledge that this AI Director exists, the feeling that you're being watched by something, or someone at all times is really pretty daunting.

Left 4 Dead's atmosphere is helped a great deal by its sound design. The noises that the terrifying Witch makes, the Tank's theme song that often comes blaring in out of nowhere - alarming the whole party, and the Horde theme are all near-iconic at this rate. Even those who haven't played the game can likely recognise them from having heard L4D players talk about their 1st Witch encounter and the time their friend accidentally triggered a car alarm or something. Each of the game's uniquely dangerous special infected have their own musical sting that plays when there's one nearby. You can tell a Hunter is stalking you just for listening out for that creepy little piano riff. Valve put in so many little pieces of design like this in the game that they didn't need to, just to give it that identity. To make it so much more memorable.

A ton of great and very intelligent design choices come together in Left 4 Dead to make it endlessly replayable. This is a game that is more than the sum of its parts. There's no iron sights on the guns, and the moment-to-moment gameplay is incredibly simplistic with little depth, and yet the AI Director makes every playthrough of the game's relatively small number of maps feel markedly different, and all the little touches give it an unrivalled atmosphere that I don't even think its sequel could match.

the most "2000s cartoon network" videogame ever made (probably). i cannot imagine this game being made today, it has such billy & mandy type of humor and when the conspiracy hits is just like, KND movie levels of nonsense and paranoia (zombies that are actually old people (everyone is afraid of old people, i guess?)). just real clever writing, with good timing for comedy while showing a lot of different mental illness and traumas with a bit of dark humor here and there, but never losing sensibility (not the same you would see in today's games like celeste, but still!! (and to be honest, this approach feels better for my tastes)). the main character, raz, is very well developed and his character arc is concluded in the most unexpected way. love the whole contextualization of "videogame things" into mind-things, i.e, your health bar being "mental health" and your power being medium powers (im surprised i've not seen a joke about bending spoons) and stuff you see in cold war media (btw, is this game happening in the 60s? 70s?). the gameplay being janky as it is and some levels being a little frustrating just helps with the comfy-yet-menacing vibes and the whole mean comedy it has. some of the levels are, by the way, one of the best i've ever seen in a videogame -- milkman's conspiracy is just such an engaging story and meat circus is at bowser's castle from super mario 64 level of "utilizing everything you've learned from the game" (while being a scout mission, too!). really like how the camp is a whole place and not a mini HUB -- love when games with levels have a way of locomotion between them, makes the world feels more real and is crazy the amount of, cough, "lore" it has -- hidden stories about the other kids in the camp or bizarre things that you may encounter soon but, until there, is just legend. the kids, by the way, really act like 10~13 years old kids: they are starting to fell in love with each other, talking about "making out" but still have both meanness and innocence a kid has -- you can see this in raz own character, like how he reacts to some of the adults problems while you can totally relate to them, but is still gentle and helps in the way he can.

is just. a really good game.

The thing with the first Uncharted is that it was a remarkable game for the year 2007, but it feels a bit wooden by today's standards. There are some aspects of the game that feel dated, which is understandable given its pioneering role in the series.

The story is alright, not groundbreaking, but it sets the stage for the series by kicking off Nathan Drake's adventure. The real highlight is the characters, especially Elena and Sully, who bring charm and personality to the game. Their interactions and chemistry with Nate make the narrative engaging, even if the plot itself is relatively straightforward.
For its time, Uncharted: Drake's Fortune was visually stunning. The lush environments, detailed character models, and fluid animations were a benchmark in 2007. While it may not hold up to the graphical standards of today, it still has a certain charm and showcases the technical prowess of Naughty Dog at the time.
The gameplay is decent, combining shooting and climbing mechanics that were innovative at the time. The cover system trick is a life saver, especially on Crushing difficulty where you die immediately. The game's areas are well-designed, capturing the Indiana Jones ancient lush jungle vibes perfectly. The mix of exploration, puzzle-solving, and combat keeps the gameplay loop engaging.
However, not everything is perfect. There are some annoying sections, like the Jet Ski segment with Elena, which can be frustrating and break the flow of the game. These moments are few and far between but noticeable enough to impact the overall experience.
The soundtrack is pretty much nonexistent besides "Nate's Theme," which every game in the series has recycled. It's Naughty Dog's fault, they fail to create more than one memorable track per game, whatever that game might be. This lack of a varied and impactful soundtrack can make some parts of the game feel less immersive.

Even though this is my least favorite Uncharted, it remains a solid game that set the stage for an incredible series. While it may feel dated and wooden in some areas, it remains an important piece of gaming history. The characters, gameplay, and overall adventure capture the essence of a great action-adventure game.
However, the fact that it didn't age as gracefully as its sequels and that the later games surpassed it in almost every aspect drags the game down a bit.
But despite its flaws and the superior quality of its sequels, it's still worth playing for anyone interested in the origins of Nathan Drake's epic journey.