the most revolutionary call of duty of all time, and arguably one of the most impactful shooters of all time. introducing the Create a Class, and Kill Streaks, along with one of the most thrilling cinematic campaigns which was so good that they remastered it, twice. it was mad fun. the perfect call of duty, all ghillied up, crash, soap, the ending scene when Price slides you the pistol, and the intro when you are in the POV of the leader of a nation about to be assassinated. overall a perfect call of duty that can never be replicated again.

Although I am not at the finish line of P3R just yet, I figured it would be best for me to put out something representative of my love for this game in between sessions, as my thoughts are more thoroughly collected. I am damn near close to 2 consecutive weeks of playing (12/14) and have just breached 60 hours of gameplay. On track to obtain a platinum trophy on my first playthrough, it feels good to be reminded of why I loved an older title I have played, and it feels even better to be reminded that the people behind said game still "get it."

Persona 3 Reload sits comfortably well above the other remakes and remasters of any game I have ever played, and it will continue to do so either for a long while, or forever.

For the longest time, integration of styles and gameplay similar to that of Persona 5 never rubbed me the right way. I was anticipating this game to be a massive stinker. Something in the vein of Atlus trying to cobble together something to milk even more money off of their best selling game. I am sure most people are aware of Persona 5 Tactica, Scramble, and X. I am in not any type of position to commentate on their quality, but the reception of these games amongst my peers has led me to a train of thought to be quite weary of what Atlus decides to output next. But their continuations of an aesthetic spawned from their best selling title into something that is seemingly absolutely unlike it reeked of creative bankruptcy. That being said, I was wrong.

And I couldn not be happier about it.

Everything from the reestablished visuals, voice acting, to the gameplay and even the music. I have not the slightest hint of a complaint or grievance. P3R's UI is an absolute gem to witness, it is fluid, intuitive, and has an identity of its own. The new cast of voices are out of this world, Yuko's especially. All of the voice actors put on a spectacular performance and their ability to encapsulate you in the world of the game is unreal. Having finished P5R's merciless mode and not having that great of an experience, I decided to go into my P3R playthrough with merciless mode, and I am having an absolutely great time with it. Theurgies add much to the strategizing and in addition with keeping the "1 more" system, I enjoy the gameplay so much more for the depth it brings. All of the remixed tracks are wonderful in their own regards, at first stuff like "Mass Destruction" did not rub me too well, but over time I broke in and I love it much like the original track, likewise the others. Truly a remake that lives up to and, in some instances, surpasses the existence of its source. I can not wait to play through P3P and watch the films and whatever extra content there is to finish up the whole complete Persona 3 experience.

Persona 3/FES and Persona 3 Reload will atmospherically provide different experiences (assuming people care about that) but otherwise I honestly can not see a reason to not play this game. It feels so good to be in love with a Persona game again.

This is peace walker ALMOST perfected. I loved this game besides the pacing issues and unresolved storylines in chapter 2. Again, I love the real world history being interwoven with the narrative. The blood diamond trade and child soldiers in Africa as well as the Mujahideen in Afghanistan (reminds me of Boss' sentiment that one day friends will become enemies) help to ground the game and give a point of reference. Moment to moment gameplay is perfected. The game builds tension so well that at times this felt like a horror game and I was genuinely scared. The writing and character progression is really gripping. Kaz is definitely the most compelling character for me. His quest for vengeance is really the driving force for the story and its themes. I loved his progression into this angry and jaded man who is willing to go to extremes to get retribution for what was taken from him, and where he finally ends up once he gets it. He also gives the coolest lines in the game, my favorites being-

"Why are we still here? Just to suffer? Every night, I can feel my leg... And my arm... even my fingers... The body I've lost... the comrades I've lost... won't stop hurting... It's like they're all still there. You feel it, too, don't you?"

"Still, doesn't feel liike this is over...and I'll never be whole again."

"Cipher sent us to a hell but we are going even deeper. Take back everything that we have lost."

Also the fact that smoking a cigar makes time go by faster is such a funny game mechanic.

This game is so close to being a masterpiece. Such a shame the second chapter isn't fully realized.

I enjoyed this more than I thought I was going to. Snake helping the Sandinistas is fitting knowing what they would become in Nicaragua. Reminds me of what the boss said about changing tides and enemies becoming friends and friends becoming enemies. I love that real history is mixed with fiction, as CIA led coups in Central America lay the foundation for the story. Snake creating MSF goes perfectly with his character arc. He does not answer to anyone and is more grizzled and tortured after what happened in Snake Eater. I enjoyed outer ops and building equipment and preparing for missions in mother base. Building mother base as the game progresses is satisfying and shows how far MSF and outer heaven have become. The gameplay is much smoother than MGS3, as crouch walking is added (but no crawling???). The la la la AI song is haunting but repetitive. Kojima joining MSF. Everyone thinking Snake is Che Guevara. I enjoyed the story but its a shame Chapter 5 is hidden behind repeating boss fights for Zeke parts and waiting for Kaz to tell you there is a new mission. I would rate this higher if not for the chapter 5 unnecessary grind. The boss fights were also not that enjoyable. They were not difficult but were time consuming. The quick time events and button mashing during cutscenes also sucked imo. Finally, Kaz Miller is HIM. Cant wait to continue with Ground Zeros and Phantom Pain.

after getting used to the controls, this game hits. The sorrow floating around with his cheeky smile. Ocelot constantly flipping his guns around and waving his hands for no reason. Being confronted with the souls of everyone you murdered. The ladder. Pressing a button too hard and accidentally slitting an enemies neck. Real life cold war era history forming the base of the setting and story. Double agent espionage. Triple agent espionage. Movie talk with Para medic. The cutscenes with energetic camera work. A title screen with style. An intro theme song that slaps with James Bond inspiration. Various gadgets and weapons at your disposal. Disguises. Johnny Sasaki scene. The end dying of old age. Snakes arc. This is my first metal gear solid game and im excited to experience more characters and the story in chronological order.