+ Tons of joker and build variety makes each run a fresh challenge
+ Casino-like sound and visual effects are addicting on a primal level
+ Near endless replayability with decks, stakes, challenges, etc
+ Fun risk vs reward decision making
+ Largely rewards strategy for consistent success, luck plays limited role
+ Mind blowing interactions create memorable stories and incredible high scores

+ New stealth focus feels fresh for series if a bit unrefined
+ Exploration focus with open areas and secrets to discover
+ Rapture fanservice
+ Paris and lobotomy scenes are memorable highlights

- Story contradicts itself and feels like it is being made up as it goes
- Ties to Bioshock 1 largely diminishes that story by placing too much importance on Elizabeth

+ Focus on platforming and great movement feel
+ Massive world and meaty metroidvania campaign
+ Creative powers put to great use in platforming, puzzles, and combat
+ Satisfying combat system

- Story never grabbed me
- Collectibles often underwhelming
- Poor technical performance, very buggy

+ Satisfying movement with great sense of speed
+ Nonstop action with instant die and retry system that also encourages experimentation
+ Tight campaign with varied levels doesn't overstay it's welcome, additional modes for those who want more
+ Sharp visuals and strong soundtrack

- Focus based abilities feel tacked on and clash with simple but demanding combat system
- Sensory boost ability to slow time ruins sense of momentum and trivializes some encounters
- Punishing platforming in final level almost made me give up

+ Feels fresh despite recycled environments/mechanics
+ Fantastic value ($10 is a steal)
+ Excellent pacing; feels more cohesive than original Separate Ways
+ Ada is a captivating character to follow; her story doesn't just rehash Leon's

- Complete treasure map removes challenge of treasure hunting

+ Legendary design of Half Life remains intact and is even enhanced further
+ Skillfully revamps weak sections of original Half Life; entirely new Xen arc is high point
+ Impressive visual overhaul; frequently jaw droppingly beautiful (excellent OST as well)
+ Incredible journey, massive distance traveled all in real time
+ Fun and satisfying weapon loadout with challenging enemies

- Isolated points of frustrating progression (path forward not clear)

+ Solid RE4 combat base

- Recycled environments
- Too easy, no resource scarcity
- Disjointed story that fails to add to existing narrative

+ Commitment to open ended, player driven exploration
+ Massive scope of world
+ Creative new tools offer even more freedom
+ Learns from some of BotW's mistakes (more direction, fuse fixes weapon durability system, far better ending sequence)

- Recycled world and elements from BotW take away from the thrill of discovery
- Too much bloat and busywork quests
- Shrines and Divine Beast-style dungeons can't match the satisfaction of classic style dungeons
- Impressive for Switch hardware but still held back technically (frame rate)

+ Epic scale and spectacle
+ Tons of ways to customize your mech, extremely different playstyles
+ Strong combat design, especially in bosses

- Segmented mission structure, inconsistent quality of missions
- Too easy to find OP builds and trivialize difficulty

+ Grand adventure on humble handheld
+ Well designed dungeons are a blast
+ Whimsical/fun new world to explore

- Seasons gimmick and item gates make overworld exploration a chore
- RNG, bloat, and unnecessary complexity in Gacha Seed and Ring systems
- Uninspired story
- Overly iterative, doesn't bring much new to the table

+ Tons of variety in game modes, never stale
+ No guessing allowed, really tests reasoning skills

- Insufficient training for the less intuitive variants
- Trial and error often only solution to puzzles
- extremely basic appearance

+ Wholesome fun permeates the entire game (visuals, music, comedy, etc)
+ Lovable characters and excellent comedic writing
+ High skill ceiling for rhythm action gameplay, but fun even for less skilled players
+ Perfect tight campaign that doesn't overstay it's welcome but tons of replayability and optional challenge modes for those who want more

- Occasional points of frustration for players who have issues with rhythm
- Platforming feels too loose and sloppy, Chai's jump is awkward

+ Genuinely scary, incredible sense of immersion
+ Ishimura well realized setting, feels like a real place and is satisfying to explore (connected zones big upgrade over original's segmented sections)
+ Amazing sound design and atmosphere
+ Refined combat compared to original

- Performance issues (stutter)
- Lack of momentum in plot
- Remake adheres pretty closely to the original's template

+ Great combat system with 3 fun, unique weapons
+ Unrestricted nonlinear exploration
+ Great use of ability gates to reward backtracking
+ Rewarding unlocks and satisfying completion incentives

- Map zones blend together a bit, lack strong identity
- Inconsistent boss fights and difficulty ramping

+ Excellent art direction and atmosphere
+ Satisfying weighty combat with high skill ceiling and many options available
+ Engaging story and world building

- Linear level design disappoints, few secrets to discover
- Strictly adheres to FromSoft foundation without bringing much new to the table
- Consumable items and summons overpowered and ruin balance of difficulty