The game Platinum Games was always destined to make. Maybe the most interesting action game I've ever played, and the ultimate Platinum package. It's such a bombastic journey from start to finish, and finally allows the over-the-top set pieces and genre-bending mechanics and levels to be the meat of the game rather than a distraction. It's by no means perfect, but it may be the perfect Platinum Game's game. Also, the finale is probably Platinum's best final act in any of their games. Thank you Kamiya for making really weird games.

101/10

Probably the best follow-up to Silent Hill 1 that could be made, given the critiques of the second game at the time. More nightmarish. More gruesome, better to control, and flat-out more fun to play in general. A lot fewer puzzles than I expected, and the combat still has a few hiccups, but the overall progression throughout the game feels great. Heather may be my favorite protagonist in all of Silent Hill, simply because she is not a Silent Hill character. She's like if you put a normal teen into Silent Hill. She hates the place. She's tired of the nonsense about God and Paradise. She's freaking funny, charming, and such a stark contrast to the stoic Dad of SH1 and the apathetic and depressed husband of SH2.

I think what keeps me from loving this game is the fact that it's indeed a follow-up to SH1. The wow factor of that game really can't be topped, which is why the direction of Silent Hill 2 feels so fresh. Sh1 is a nightmare, while SH2 is dread. Sh3 is returning to The Nightmare, which works but is not nearly as impactful as the other two titles. The environments and the visual design are impressively terrifying but almost familiar at this point. It also doesn't help that I think the weakest part about SH1 was the plot with the cultists. I've always seen Silent Hill as a catalyst to explore a character and their fears, but focusing on the rebirthing of a God plot is just too goofy of a premise for me to ever take seriously. In other words, there's nothing for me to latch onto with this title. I can just recognize how expertly the game is crafted, and how much better it feels to play SH3 in comparison to the rest of the series. It's the perfect sequel on paper, but I don't think it's allowed to shine as much when it has so many roots to uphold.

Silent Hill Again/10

Oh Kingdom Hearts. My beloved...

This is one of the earliest example of a video game I so vividly remember as a kid. Not due to playing it lot, but rather just having my first time experience stick with me. And man, what a perfect childhood game. Kingdom Hearts takes it self super seriously. It's incredibly corny, but so genuine that I can't help but love all the back and forth about light and dark. And the characters are the perfect combination of Disney and Final Fantasy. It's a certain sweet spot in the writing that comes off as either incredibly charming if you vibe with it, or straight up cringe. The grand adventure of exploring the Golden era of Disney animation is like any 90s-00s kid's dream, and I think Nomura and his team capture it so brilliantly. Sucks that not all worlds are created and equal, and some are named "Deep Jungle".... Despite the hiccups in some level design, they are all a blast to explore, brimming with so much life, energy, color and style. And the music is god damn good. To the intro song, to the Disney worlds, almost every song is an absolute hit.

The combat is good. We're not there yet as the main mechanical staples of the series are not introduced yet. It can lead to some clumsy feeling encounters, and some flat out uninteresting bosses. But, I think Final Mix atleast tries to remedy this by adding in moves and progression changes to create some of that fluidity that KH2 introduced. Despite my complaints, combat is fun as hell.

I'm bias towards KH1. It's such a solid little game that meant so much to me as kid. I don't think it can ever recapture those early memories, but this replay made me realize how magical this game still feels.

Nostalgia/10 :)

What a waste...

The Callisto Protocol is an interesting beast of a game, in which its entire existence confuses the hell of me. It's a game that is probably in the top 10 best-looking games graphically of the 2020s, has fantastic environmental designs, and a killer setting for a horror action game. However, it's also a game that plays itself, with mechanical choices that seem to scream "Oh, this is just a tech demo of what we want to do with Callisto Protocol". The combat is the most barebones melee system I have ever played. I don't understand the point of providing the player a literal zero-timing dodge window for evasion and basing the entire combat around holding left and right to dodge 99% of the attacks. There are no threats in Callisto Protocol. There are no unique enemy designs. There are no combat choices. There is no progression. There is no game. Why? Because, how you take down the first enemy of the game is the exact same method for EVERYTHING in the game. Nothing will ever challenge you, beacuase nothing will ever hit you. Weapons serve the same purpose, because the combat loop is melee, melee, melee, shoot (or shoot weak point). Item management doesn't matter. The grip mechanic is overturned. Weapon balance is terrible. Nothing matters.... So, on paper you may have varied combat encounters, letting players take on each encounter with a mix of melee combos, stealth, and a variety of weapons, while different enemy types synergize to take you down. But, in execution, you have a very basic demonstration of these mechanics in an almost Alpha state of development. Not even the story can save this game either, although it can be quite engaging at times.

Why spend all this time on this game? Why make it so gosh darn beautiful, and pour in all this time and effort with not a single creative vision behind it all to truly evolve what Dead Space started? Maybe to cash in on the Dead Space's creator's name. Maybe the game had a rocky development and transformed into the product we see today. Whatever the cause, we are left with one of the most disappointing horror titles in a while. However, the game can be occasionally fun once you fully accept what the game is.

5/10 :(

God, I wish we had a Sunset Overdrive 2....

Spiderman 2 on paper is the strongest entry within the Insomniac Spider man games. It improves mechanically almost all of the issues in the previous games, providing a sort of polish that you wish you could reintroduce into the older games through some sort of free update. The speed as been increased, swinging has a bit more depth with the swing control option, and combat (albeit still very shallow) is really funny now. Even traversal has gotten an upgrade through the wingsuit, which adds a new layer of speed to the game. However, mechanically, these Spider-man games have never clicked with me. They are a mashup of mechanics that are explored much better in different games, plastered in an open world where you swing around doing the same 4 missions over and over. The reason it works is because you're Spider-man! You do cool Spider-man stuff. And it looks and feels good to do. However, I think the novelty is finally starting to wear off. It doesn't help that the story is a bit of a mess.

The story starts strong, finally exploring the Peter/Miles side of being Spider-man while introducing a villain that pretty interesting. But then the pacing just flies out the window, with back-to-back boss fights and character arcs finishing in the span of one mission, and things just happening with no real room to breathe. At times, I felt lost with some of the dialogue going on. Like I had missed major portions of the story, that in reality never existed. It kinda feels like Uncharted 3 in a way, where setpieces and cool concepts take priority over any semblance of pacing. In addition, I just wish this game was about Miles. In so desperately wanted Miles to be the true protagonist, but it regrettably holds on to Pete as the main character as he "struggles" yet again to balance being Spider-man/Peter and dealing with conflict from a close friend. It's weirdly handled, while Miles just knocks it out of the park, with every scene he's in. The problem is, he's barely in the game! At times when he shoud be, he isn't because of reasons?? I don't think they knew exactly what to do with Miles, but when he gets the spotlight, he shines. I understand wanting to give the fans what they want with a dual-character setup. But, it felt wasted in the grand scheme of things.

I wish I could say more about this game, but my feelings are almost identical to both Miles Morales and the original Spider-Man. The game....is fun But, it's nothing spectacular. However, in viewing the game as an opportunity to live out the perfect Spiderman fantasy mechanically, with tons of villains and fantastic setpieces, Insomniac may have just nailed it. It's the best Spider-Man game on paper, but in a few years, it may just be a blur.

8/10

I cried at the end of the game. It's the ultimate conclusion to one of the most dreadful, terrifying, thoughtful, emotionally driven gaming experiences that I have ever played. And to think that this is also a fantastic survival horror game under the layers of fantastic storytelling, and heart-wrenching themes of death, and depression. I kinda never want to play this game again, because of how it made me feel. But, it's an unforgettable experience that's filled with so much to digest.

Silent Hill 2 is the definition of dread, but it's a good dread.

What if RE4 was filled with mediocre ideas, a worse inventory management system, but covered up with a really fun co-op component? You'd get RE5, a game that solidified the downfall as Resident Evil as a horror game to any extent. Resident Evil was no longer the trendsetter of the gaming industry, but rather a trend chaser that with every entry, seemed to completely lose its identity. Atleast the co-op can be really fun, and combat wise, it's still RE4 under all the 7th gen piss filter makeup.

Thankfully, with Resident Evil back on track, RE5 doesn't need to a great "Resident Evil" . It can now be praised as just a fun co-op experience, no strings attached. But there's no doubt this was the beginning of weird age of the Resident Evil franchise. Regardless this is still one of my favorite Co-op games.

BringBackSheva/10

Killer7 rules
There is nothing like this game
I am still confused

Haiku/10

I was expecting Alisa to be a modern take on Resident Evil, using modern accessibility but keeping the PS1 aesthetic. Instead, Alisa is a direct competitor to the 90s classics it takes it inspiration from. It's not looking to evolve the genre but just recapture what made the originals so good. With this philosophy, comes a lot of the 90s frustrations just for the sake of "keeping with tradition": A map that's not nearly as clear as anything post REmake, progression locked behind some egregious backtracking (if you miss one little detail), and some rough puzzle logic. However, when Alisa breaks the conventions and limitation of the genre at the time, the results are a mixed bag. The bosses are fantastic, but combat is not the greatest as to be expected. The currency system is a bit too strict in motivating combat over evasion, in a genre defined by its lacking combat. And the stealth section is a nightmare for a game crafted entirely of beautiful fixed camera stills. In other words. Alisa shines with its imitation of the Classics, but falls short in trying to truly distinguish itself mechanically. I really dig the doll house aesthetic, especially when they really lean into the weird and wacky ideas that comes from a "madhouse of fun".

If this game came out in 98', I think it would have given Capcom a run for its money. But in 2023, it's hard to overlook the problems deep rooted in a genre that has transformed tremendously over 25+ years. It's a fantastic period piece that truly delivers the old school survival horror, warts and all.

6.5/10

Somewhere rooted in this game, is a Team Ico masterpiece that might even surpass both Ico and Shadow of the colossus. However, it's ambition may have been too much to execute properly, but I loved it regardless.

The Last Guardian feels like a direct evolution of Ico's design, borrowing much of the same design philosophy and overall plot progression. Two unforseen partners must escape together, but now you have a giant dog instead of a spirit girl. Trico is such an impressively frustrating companion, that I love/hate. The AI leads to some very incredible moments, where I'm blown away by what Trico can achieve so naturally as the game progresses. On the other hand, Trico's AI sometimes gaslights the player into thinking they have the wrong idea for progressing, resulting in loads of wasted time and unnecessary frustration. It doesn't help that half of the game can be summed up by "waiting for Trico to do his thing". I honestly like this aspect, since Trico waits for you to do your thing. It's a mutual relationship in which you have to rely on each other, rather than one controlling the other. It makes the story, the clear highlight of the game, land even harder.

The world, level design the relationship of the boy and Trico, and the shear innovation with Trico's AI was quite enough to make me forget the shortcomings of the game. But when they poke their heads out, it can really take the momentum out of this fantastic journey.

8/10 :)