dashpoint
2023
The wait was fully worth it. This is a masterful sequel, and may very well be Remedy's peak. While the gameplay is fantastic, especially for a developer stepping pretty deep out of familiar waters, the story is an ocean that I didn't want to see the end of, but couldn't live without seeing where it goes. This is the Sonic Adventure 2 of horror games, and the Infinity War of Remedy. I mean those in every positive way possible. This is my Game of the Year, and that's in the same year as RE4.
2023
The original Resident Evil 4 is, in my opinion, the best game ever made. Just a perfect game in my mind. When I say that, somehow, these guys were able to improve even on that masterpiece, that should sound alarms. RE4 Remake has some of the best combat I've ever played, makes changes that keep every moment fresh, yet familiar, and looks insane to boot. A must play in every way, even if it does lose a bit of the camp I latched onto hard from the original.
2011
While not as good as the game prior, especially story wise, Killzone 3 still finds way to improve and advance the series into a great trilogy. Some of the back to back set pieces here are incredible, it continues the trend of Killzone looking better than any game of its time, and I very much enjoyed the more aggressive gameplay compared to the prior entries. I totally see why some people say this is the series peak.
2004
Killzone was never going to meet the demand. Going against the likes of Halo 2 would kill most, let alone alongside Half-Life 2 and DOOM 3. The fact that it became a series afterwards is a miracle. Even more surprising is that, despite some pretty harsh difficulty spikes and some clunk, Killzone is actually damn good.
Shadow Fall is a FPS campaign at it's pure basics: short, but sweet with a lot of exciting setpieces. However, under that is also an shockingly well done take on the VSA/Helghast fight, becoming, surprisingly, the most anti-war entry in the series. Add on tight gameplay and jaw dropping presentation, and this has now become one of my favorites in the series, second only to Killzone 2.
The multiplayer may be fun(mainly cause it's just more MWII), and the Zombies mode is the biggest advancement in series history, but it doesn't excuse the clear rush job the devs were put under, and the campaign is the series' low point. Total filler that I was able to finish in maybe three hours on the second hardest difficulty, where nothing happens except for the very end. This is to date the only COD I truly felt my money was wasted on.
Wind Waker is an important game in my life. For my late older sibling, it's the series peak. I loved watching them play Wind Waker, and in turn trying it out myself. Returning to the game post their passing has been bitter sweet, but it's helped me realize that Wind Waker, while not perfect, is just so appealing.
Yeah, maybe the game overall is too easy. Maybe the dungeons are just okay with the exception of two, and yeah this game has you meander all over the place towards the end. But honestly, none of that really matters as much. The game is extremely charming and funny. The world is a bliss to explore, thanks to the beautiful artstyle and fun sailing. The combat is flashy and great at making you feel awesome. It tells an amazingly heartwarming story, and I love how Link's first and foremost worry isn't saving the world, it's his sister. Family is everything, and in a world where family can be fractured in just a second, I'm happy Wind Waker is here to show everything will be okay.
Yeah, maybe the game overall is too easy. Maybe the dungeons are just okay with the exception of two, and yeah this game has you meander all over the place towards the end. But honestly, none of that really matters as much. The game is extremely charming and funny. The world is a bliss to explore, thanks to the beautiful artstyle and fun sailing. The combat is flashy and great at making you feel awesome. It tells an amazingly heartwarming story, and I love how Link's first and foremost worry isn't saving the world, it's his sister. Family is everything, and in a world where family can be fractured in just a second, I'm happy Wind Waker is here to show everything will be okay.
I KNOW this game is good deep down, and I love quite a bit about the game. It has a unique story for the series, the world is exquisitely created, and the three day mechanic, while too easy to make irrelevant, is a solid mechanic. However, the game clearly deserved more time. It doesn't have enough of an identity, and what it does have, while solid, isn't enough to save mediocre dungeons, beginner's trick design, and the game just clearly deserved at least another year. I've tried so much to like this game, but I think it's too late now. My time has run out on Majora's Mask.
Ocarina of Time feels like a fluke, it's so good. Zelda has always been good leading up to it, but Ocarina is so confident in itself. It know it's the shit, and it's right. Near perfection in video gaming, and it and Mario 64 showed that, even with mistakes in console design, Nintendo can still make classic after classic with ease.
in a time where it feels increasingly harder to feel okay about life, Metroid Prime Remastered makes me feel human. Alive even. it's a perfect remaster of one of the greatest games of all time, and I've been loving every second.
2022
at its core, the game plays amazing. It's beautiful and engaging every time you get into a race, both graphically and in its feel. However, I can't help but be disappointed in how genuinely bad the gameplay loop is, or at least was at launch. It halted any sort of excitement I had towards sitting down and doing what I had fun with.
despite the horrendous advertising, Guardians of the Galaxy is one of the most heartfelt, sincere games of the generation so far, It's exciting, fun, and the story is easily one of the best of its ilk. A sequel may very well never happen, but I still have hope.
2021
if F.E.A.R., Super Hot, and Max Payne concocted together, and made a game that was so short but enticingly sweet, Severed Steel is exactly that game
this is the best game on PS4, and because the PS5 has no games, it's the best game on PS5. easily one of the greatest games in recent memory, and the best open world game to come in the last several years.
2021
the only reason this game has a higher rating is because I love the original game, it's one of the 360's best. this, however, was a piss poor remaster. some hud elements are too small, while others are too big. the game genuinely looks basically the exact same, just with a better framerate, which the 360 version now can get because of FPS Boost on the new Xboxes. Only worth it if you have no access to a PC or Xbox.