TheVan75
1995
I understand the appeal but it doesn't scratch that retro shooter itch like Doom does.
2020
It's alright. The puzzles are fun and the set dressing is nice but the story isn't very compelling.
2011
There's a reason the series peaked with this entry. Star Fox 64 is the perfect distillation of what the SNES original was getting at. They took a glorified tech demo (let's be honest) and turned into something special.
The best of the Arkham Knight DLCs. Feels like Asylum and is longer than 30 minutes.
2020
Really good remake taking many queues from Valve design post Half Life 2. Very faithful when it needs to be and unafraid to take its own direction when the source material doesn't hold up. For the most part it nails bringing Half Life up to date for modern audiences. Everything before Xen is damn near everything I could've asked for in a remake.
Xen on the other hand I'm mixed about. It feels like it's own mini campaign stapled onto Black Mesa. I appreciate all the design work that went into creating the almost entirely new version of the world but I feel Crowbar Collective went too far with it. It's 4 times as long and definitely overstays its welcome. That and they somehow made the Controllers even worse enemies than the original game. Overall the Xen chapters aren't bad but they don't really fit with the design and vibe of the rest of the game.
Xen on the other hand I'm mixed about. It feels like it's own mini campaign stapled onto Black Mesa. I appreciate all the design work that went into creating the almost entirely new version of the world but I feel Crowbar Collective went too far with it. It's 4 times as long and definitely overstays its welcome. That and they somehow made the Controllers even worse enemies than the original game. Overall the Xen chapters aren't bad but they don't really fit with the design and vibe of the rest of the game.
Classic Metro gameplay coupled with a compelling narrative.
Pretty good. A fitting epilogue for Sam's character however the boss fights are pretty cheap.
They couldn't even go one game without coming back to Rapture huh?
2019
I don't play just any game 4 times through in a row.
Neat mod with some cool ideas. I wish it built on them more but at only 45 minutes to an hour long it doesn't have much time.
2022
Cute. I feel like this should've come preinstalled on the Steam Deck to show off the features.
Top tier platformer. Retro-revival done right.
An interesting expansion allowing you to play through old levels in a different context with a completely different move set.
2017
Starts off alright but falls flat in the underground sections. From there the puzzle design often expects you to look up which is really hard to convey even for expert developers. Kinda interesting in parts but really annoying in others.
A fine swansong to Shovel Knight. The card game can be annoying though.