The original and purest hack 'n' slash game. Some might find it hard to return to after DMC went full CUH-RAYZEE but over time I find myself preferring this game's approach to combat. The guns are actually viable in this game, for one.
Also in love with the atmosphere, it may have been a holdover from the cancelled RE4 project that this was built on top of but a giant gothic castle is always appealing. Also knows when to let you walk around areas in silence with deep fog and heavy winds with no music - Devil May Cry used to actually be kind of creepy.
The most 'controlled' of all the games too, each enemy is carefully placed and considered without prioritizing making things into into a combo-fest.
It's kind of remarkable how this game did basically everything right and created my favorite genre of action games in the process.

Still unmatched. Worlds that actually feel alien, gameplay that feels just good enough to be engaging, excellently told story with environmental design and zero dialogue, THAT soundtrack.
For the most part the exploration/progress ratio is done well, but there were a couple times where I felt like I was bashing my head against a wall for hours, finally caved in and checked a guide for where to go next, and being in disbelief at how I was supposed to figure that out.
Still, this is probably the only Metroid game to have it all. Highly regarded for a reason.

New control scheme and improved mechanics make this the best feeling PS2 AC game yet. While I'll miss the old Arena system of being able to endlessly replay battles for free until you win, the new one makes more sense with this game's focus on allowing you to fail missions while the plot continues and reacts to the outcome (though maybe not as much as the messages would lead you to believe).
The missions themselves are unfortunately quite repetitive for a large stretch of the game, especially if you're playing this right after the previous games, but this will not be a huge problem for newcomers who will likely mesh a lot better with the dual-analog controls. Even then the lacking mission variety is somewhat helped by the second disc remixing some of the most iconic levels in the series. There's plenty of quality and quantity here to enjoy, if not always at the same time.
The way the final gameplay sequence is handled is one of the most memorable in the series.
Feels like the start of the transition into AC4-style gameplay while still clearly shooting off from AC3.

Where Ridge Racer 4 felt buttery smooth and gorgeous in every way, V tests your limits with some truly unforgiving AI and harsh penalties for the smallest mistakes. The mood is darker to match this, the story is completely absent again and the soundtrack has shifted gears; DRFTDVL and Fogbound are excellent. The handling is precise to a fault and never feels off, and the return to arcade-like 60fps helps massively. I see this and R4 as complimentary to each other, though the full package isnt quite as smoothed off. I wish I could turn the announcer off, there is very little track variety, the resolution feels less crisp than it's PS1 predecessor thanks to poor software-level interlacing.
Still, this is just as worthy as Ridge Racer 4. An excellent sequel that treads new ground without forgetting what made it so great. Unbelievable that a game launched the same day as the PS2 can play this well.

A PS1 game running at 30fps has no right feeling as good as this. Insanely good OST. A beutiful and cohesive aesthetic. Also has cool GP mode that gives you time to breathe in between races with some light story (also reactive to your performance in the races) and even allows you to save partway through so you can return to it later, making this an easy one to pick up and play for a quick few minutes at a time. I can overlook the small number of tracks when everything is as tight and perfected as this.

Proof that Grasshopper is straight up incapable of making the same games it used to, opting instead to make something with next to no substance and a failed attempt at capturing previous styles. Shading looks nice but these animations are disgustingly stiff which is a death sentence for an action game.
I got sick of the "story" when it was clear that the whole game was going to just be a circus, roll up and see what the wacky dudes at Grasshopper are doing! Her head rotated 180 degrees and she's a spider now! WTF!!!!
just go away lol

A great introduction to a new generation of Armored Core and the reduced difficulty makes this one of the best introductions to the series in general, though for anyone who beat the previous games this will prove to be one of the easiest in the franchise which takes away some of the shock value when an AC suddenly appears in a mission, drastically reducing your chances of survival (or slightly in AC3's case).
Story is the most cohesive it's been yet, though perhaps one of the most predictable and straightforward too. Again, great for new players, less so for series vets.
The increased production values let these mechs feel as great as ever, easily one of the best things this game has over AC2, even if I slightly prefer that game's grittier aesthetic. Here every part feels a lot more unique thanks to the extra effects and animations at play.
I also massively appreciate the less irritating mission and enemy design over AC2/AA - no more 'your mech can't jump this cliff fuck you lol' moments, for once I didn't feel the need to save after every mission.
One of the best main themes ever composed, at least boot it up for that (but I'd stick around for the sick mecha action too).

Took a few attempts but once I got past the jank I found one of the most beautiful games I have ever played, and found the jank to be a part of the experience.
Everything feels broken in visuals, gameplay, and story. Nothing ever feels right and every single aspect of this experience supports that, deliberate or not.
The way the final act of the game pans out completely blew me away. I'll never forget the feeling of hearing 'Black Fairy' for the first time. To date this is THE definitive horror experience, no game manages to hit it's mood successfully in every regard quite like this one.
Get the Enhanced Edition mod on PC - it's mandatory if you want to get anywhere close to playing the original PS2 copy on a CRT monitor.

Very empty, frustrating, often quiet levels and a by-the-numbers action story/characters. That said, I love the combat system to bits and I've replayed this game multiple times just to get into it.
It's hardly the level of a fighting game, or even something like Devil May Cry or Bayonetta, but it feels like one of the best translations of the old beat-em-up formula in both combat and difficulty. You constantly feel like you're barely scraping by; every single health pack feels like a blessing and just when you think you're getting the hang of things, the enemies get significantly harder and the spaces between checkpoints feel more and more brutal. I still don't feel particularly good at this game but it's immensely satisfying when you learn to overcome the insane challenges and there's a surprising amount of versatility in how you can beat them.
I also deeply love the clear Otaku influence all over this game. The whole thing is just a big celebration of anime tropes including poor attempts to accurately replicate the traditional manga/anime artstyle and a protagonist that borders on copyright infringement - this could easily have been a licensed Ghost in the Shell game in another timeline.
Flawed as fuck but I really like this a lot despite everything. Has an active modding community!