This game was just incredible. I waited for a sale when it released and got good reviews because "it's a Ubisoft game, it can't be THAT good"... It was that good.
This has quickly become one of my favorite Metroidvania's, even rivaling the brilliant Metroid Dread. None of the standard Ubisoft garbage is here, no micro transactions, no XP boosters, no season pass. The only Ubisoft slop here is a pre order bonus, which is basically required with every game nowadays.

Now to the gameplay, it's amazing. Combat is basically just a platform fighter, put in a platformer. You have high, medium and low attacks. You can sweep, juggle, grapple, air combo. It's easy to learn, but hard to master as you learn more abilities on your adventure, which almost all have combat purposes (even when you don't think so at first).
The bosses are also amazing, they test your abilities to the extreme. With a ton of attacks that you might think are undodgeable, but with some experimentation with your abilities, there is always a way to avoid damage.
For example, the fourth major boss constantly zones you, jumping away when you get close, and shooting you from a distance. He seems near impossible to get close to. But then you realize that you can use your teleport (which you have likely only been using for platforming until this point), to cut off the boss' retreat.
The bosses always make you learn something new about the capabilities of your abilities, and it's incredible .

There is also a boatload of customization to your play style, there is a talisman system, similar to the charms in Hollow Knight. Which allow you to tune Sargon to how you want to play him. I went for a glass cannon approach, buffing raw damage from sword attacks (especially in the air), but you can go for a parrying build, healing you for every parry and creating a slowing bubble when you hit a parry, a zoner build with fire arrows and sword projectiles and so much more. Nobody's playstyle is the same, yet this game has a system that accommodates for everyone.

The story is also very Metroid-like, where it's surfacable by just following the cutscenes, but the real story is revealed from reading lore items like scrolls and ancient texts. It rewards patient players with a deeper story, without alienating people who just want action and a story with it.

But I need to talk about the platforming, which felt amazing. There is no momentum system like a 2D Mario for example, when you start running. You are at your top speed, when you stop (even mid air), you stop. It makes the platforming incredibly precise, and makes the harder platforming sections feel amazing to pull off.
New abilities unlocked during the game make returning to old platforming sections a breeze, with you nearly being able to fly over the stuff that gave you difficulty at the start. It's an incredible feeling.

Lastly, I shortly want to mention the protagonist: Sargon. Which I really enjoyed. The reveal trailer for the game used rap, which made me afraid he'd be an overly "cool" character. Which he luckily wasn't.
He's serious, but generally really kind and respectful. There is a certain side character he has to repeatedly save, but instead of getting annoyed that he gets in constant danger. He respects him for his courage to go through dangerous territory, even though Sargon doesn't understand his goals. And even calls most friendly NPC's friend.
It's not much, but it's the positivity I really like in games, and hope we get more of. Just because a character is serious and doesn't crack jokes, doesn't mean they can't be nice to people.

Overall, this is one of the greatest action games, platformers and Metroidvania's I've ever played. It deserves way more praise than it got, and it's a shame that it sold so little.
Give this one a shot if you can, you might find a hidden gem.

I wanted to like this. Splatoon 3 kinda felt like a cash grab with Splatoon 2 already being on the switch. So I welcomed competition, even if Foamstars looked to be a rip off of Splatoon, it could still be a good one. The announcement trailer looked high quality. But this just ain't it.
The single player is downright pathetic. It's a tower defense game, where all maps are an open square, where all enemies come from one side in very small numbers, and there are more boring conversations than actual gameplay (maybe the others are better, but I did all three for Soa. And it's all the same). I did all three Soa missions with an S+ rank on my first try, and I suck at tower defense if that gives any indication.
The online is pretty fun, but it often takes a while to find a lobby, especially for any mode other than Smash the Star. Combine this with a battle pass and microtransactions and it's a recipe for yet another failed live service game, I wonder if this game will even make it past season 1 or 2.

I had a lot of fun with this game.
The story was very weak, but the gameplay was great. If you like the norse God of War games, you'll like the combat in this game.
Upgrades actually meant something, with every upgrade giving stuff like new moves or actual noticeable effects. And the game consistently gives new weapons, tools and enemies types to fight. Never making the combat dull.

I also really like how you can reset your upgrades and skill trees, and wish more games allowed you to do this. Skill points are pretty rare, so I really appreciate that you can just get them back if you get an upgrade you end up not liking. Since you likely won't get all abilities in one playthrough.

I have seen a lot of problems with the enemy variety, which I understand. But in my opinion, it's compensated by the weapon and location variety. For a Wild West game, I'm so glad I wasn't just in a desert the entire time. Environments were diverse, lush and kept he game from getting repetitive.
And due to you constantly getting new weapons and new attacks, fighting enemies again didn't feel like a chore. Since you could take them down in a new way almost every time

The game was also a perfect length, where it ends at just the right time, since it ended around the moment where I was hoping for it to wrap up. For it's $50 price, that might be a negative. But it ended at a point where I felt satisfied, but still wanting more. Which is the perfect feeling to end a game in my opinion.

I wouldn't mind a sequel or DLC, which the ending did hint at. But they are going to have to diversify the enemy roster if they did.

It's a neat little mode, the songs are good. It's polished, but the songs and especially instruments are extremely overpriced. Not to mention the event more expensive battle pass for the mode. Which is a far too big grind.

These things are the main reason this isn't rated higher. It's a fun rhythm game. But the absolutely terrible monetization is a huge factor in my rating. You can buy the songs on iTunes for a quarter of the price they are in this game, and you'll be able to listen to them at any moment instead of only when playing Fortnite.

Genuinely one of the most fun racing games I've played in a while. I like rocket league's driving style, but I prefer racing games over sports games. And I kinda hoped we would get a racing mode for the game. And this is it!
I love the controls, the addition of flying, air dodges, wall and ceiling driving and the very polished controls make it an extremely fun time. It's fast, it controls wonderfully and the tracks are well designed.
The track design is a little repetitive though, and I hope we get more track themes other than desert and castle. But it's a good start. Especially since it seems like we're getting a track builder.

It has some bugs, I once got trapped under the road, and I once died out of nowhere. But those will likely be fixed. And I feel like at it's core, it's one of the most fun racing games I've played since CTR: Nitro Fueled

I was really excited for this one. I have followed the leaks for months, I love Fortnite, I love lego. It was a match made in heaven.
But I found the game far too grindy and slow. It's just a worse Minecraft (which I'm already not the biggest fan of). There is no Ender Dragon to work towards, there is very little variety in materials and it just feels needlessly grindy and time consuming.

It's graphically very impressive, but the gameplay did not impress at all. I just played until I got the free skin, and I probably won't pick it up again unless it gets a big update

Incredibly smooth combat, really well designed levels. And tough but fair challenges.
I did find the game a bit too punishing, and having to replay levels all the time got a bit tiring. But I still found it enjoyable.

The only big gripe I have with the game is it's easy difficulty setting. It gives you more health, and enemies easier attack patterns. Which is fine, the problem is that it also basically removes all the difficulty and strategy from the aging mechanic. With you always aging one year every time you die (basically allowing you to die 51 times, and even being able to de-age yourself by five years at the shrines). I wish there was an in between difficulty with the easier patterns, without sacrificing the aging mechanic that made the game special.

Still, the combat, artstyle and general gameplay is so much fun that in the end that doesn't even matter.

It should almost come with a disclaimer to skip the first game if you don't like it, saying the later entries get better.
I played this for the first time years ago, and couldn't get into it at all. The unnecessarily punishing vehicle sections, unvaried locations and mediocre story made me stop the first game about halfway through.
I just wrote it off as not being my thing. But after a reddit thread praising the sequels as being much better, and an empty void inside of me waiting for Spider-Man 2. Wanting some action packed games made me pick it back up.
And man was I missing out. The sequels are way more varied and fun. These adventures are some of the most enjoyable games I've played in a while.

I'm still finishing up 3, and have yet to start 4. But I really wanted to write my thoughts. This series really went under the radar for me. And I'm so glad I'm finally getting through them.

Edit: I've since beaten 3, 4 and Lost Legacy, and finished Drake's Fortune after dropping it. And man, what a special series. It doesn't leave the best first impression, but every game is incredible in it's own way. This series is truly something special

Honestly, I had a blast with it. It's no Arkham, but if you don't go in expecting a materpiece. You might have more fun with it than the reviews make you think.
The best parts are easily the character interactions, they are all very interesting. All four of the knights have interesting problems that fit their characters extremely well.
The combat is simple, but is at least more than pressing three buttons thanks to the momentum abilities. And the court of Owls was a very interesting enemy faction, their hideouts and area's were easily the highlights.
The boss fights also manage to be very fun, and challenging. The game has it's flaws, but WB Montreal knows how to make a good boss fight

All in all, it's a fun romp that is probably best played with friends (I couldn't tell you, I don't have any). Don't go in expecting Arkham, and you'll probably have a fun time with it

Got this on PS Plus, and went in with no knowledge on the game, and no specific expectations. And I was very pleasantly surprised. The game looks gorgeous, the combat is fast paced and smooth and the voice acting is great.
The game also has fantastic atmosphere. The burning villages and the swamp town in chapter 4 feel completely destroyed and the suffering people make you really feel for them. I love it, it gives you a sense of dread and unease, but without resorting to actual jumpscares.

That said, the game has its flaws. It doesn't have a chapter select for some reason, so if you missed a collectible without knowing. You have to replay the entire game to get them all. I get it is to motivate you to get all endings. But it feels more like artificial padding.

Still, the amazing environments and fun combat leaves you wanting more. Which is great, since I rather have a game be short. But fun all the way through, than it'd become a repetitive slog