This is going to be a long one...

It's hard to describe what I felt playing this game. It's honestly not only one of the best JRPGs ever made, but also one of the best games I've ever experienced. Coming from P5, I sort of knew what to expect, at least from a gameplay perspective. And although I wasn't wrong, the time I spent with it felt much more special.

First, I want to blame Shoji Meguro for making me P4G this game so much. The soundtrack is not only 100% perfect, but it also blends extemely well with the tone of the game. Every single song fits like a glove. Whether you're dungeon crawling, maxing out social links, fighting bosses or just walking around Inaba. If the soundtrack sucked, going from one place to another to do anything in this MASSIVE RPG would be boring as hell! The soundtrack is well produced, different, creative, whimsical, ominous, sad, joyful, angry and beautiful.

After P5, I didn't think they would pull it off... But they did! Thanks, Shoji!

The gameplay is typical Persona. Max social links, fight shadows, progress the story, manage your inventory, personas and stats. It's a loop that can get very tedious if you're not invested in the characters, the setting and the story. But thanks to the AMAZING cast and some great (and kinda quirky) voice acting, I couldn't help but be sucked into my character's life. I actually cared about my party members and actually laughed with the writing. Side-characters' social links' stories were also very intesting to explore. Even school life was nice.

During dungeons, things could get a little hectic, especially since this game can get quite tough and the time limits give me an anxiety crisis. This wasn't a walk in the park like most of P5, but I loved the challenge. Exploiting enemy weaknesses and getting your party/personas tactics right for a hard boss made up for some truly captivating moments. If you've played any other Persona, you know what to expect from its gameplay. The thing is... this one feels excepcionally good to play.

As for the story: I loved it! It's slice of life done right. The murder mystery is very well done, gripping me from beginning to end, making my brain figure out every clue, motivation and explanation for the things presented in the case.

But although the crime thriller was quite fascinating, with a few unexpected twists, the core of this story is your main character and his friends. The time you spend with them is precious. You watch every character grow up. You experience their life in school, their teenage dramas, their hardest moments, romances, fights, and brightest hours. Teenage life is turned to a spectacle thanks to pacing, themes and writing. Sure, there are anime and JRPGs cliches floating around the entire game, but I'm used to it. You'll learn to love it too.

The game might be extraordinary, but it's not flawless.

Somethings feels dated. Especially if you've played Persona 5. And I'm not even talking about graphics.

The dungeons are charming, but they're not well designed at all. Infinite corridors that gets dull pretty quick. The unhealthy amount of griding you have to do in this game may also drag this it down. And the problem is that the grind here is NECESSARY! You don't get a lot of money in fights and it takes some time until you level up. It can hamper the dungeons' fun-factor. And I know it's part of the Persona experience, but goddamnit, there are MANY missable events! You can miss entire side-stories if you don't manage your time well AND know exactly what you're doing. Just getting the true ending, with the secret dungeon and all, felt completely random. THANK GOD for guides...

And last, but not least, sexualization is once again a problem. Half of Teddie and Yosuke's conversations are about women. And I know that they're adolescents, but come on! It's quite unnecessary.

Persona 4 Golden felt like a wonderful cozy and mysterious experience. Inaba's atmosphere, the perfect soundtrack, challenging gameplay and a beautiful story feels elegant and joyful. If you love RPGs and have a bunch of free time in your hands, please try this delightful game. You won't forget it that easily.

Good luck uncovering the truth.

Spider-Man Miles Morales is a good game. Short and sweet, while not being a major improvement over its previous entry.

One thing that I want to get out of the way first: The graphics are gorgeous! The first Spider-Man game, on base PS4, already looked amazing, but this is definitely the most significant improvement over the original. And not only it looks good, it also plays great! Swinging around the city is still a joy, the fast-paced combat system continues to excel expectations and unlockables like new suits, gadgets and skills feel very rewarding.

The story is also great. While not as involving as the original game, I felt like Miles' story is much more personal, with freedom to take the character into different and more original paths than the ones we've already seen in other Spider-Man media. Great voice performances, exciting action moments and emotional cuts make this game worth picking up.

What hurts this game, in my opinion, is the lack of novelty. A few things that I did not like in the original are still here. And since this is a much shorter experience, these things just get in the way of a great story being told.

Side quests are still repetitive, but this time they don't add anything cool to flesh out the Spider-Man mythos, like the previous game did with some of them. The lack of enemy variety is sad and in harder difficulties, they still take forever to die.

And the worst thing in the entire game: THE PUZZLES! They get old quick. Basically, they turn Miles Morales into a walking "generator energy". It's absurd!

This game is very short, so buying it at full price might not be the best idea, but if/when you do pick it up, you'll definitely have a great time, whether you're a Spider-Man fan or just a sucker for good Action Adventure games.

Now, if you've played the old one, you'll probably reach the credits with the taste of an overglorified DLC, in your mouth...

Bluepoint strikes again by transforming an already beloved game into something even more beloved!

If you've played Demon's Souls back in the PS3, chances are that you'll feel, like me, right at home!

Everything is here, just as it was back then. The creepy atmosphere, the experimental systems, the challenging tactical combat mechanics, the great soundtrack, the cryptic NPCs, tough bosses, the raw anger you'll feel after losing 40k souls to a stupid death... Everything!

The difference is in the visuals, the performance and some very few quality of life improvements. Demon's Souls Remake is BEAUTIFUL! Probably the most visually detailed and stunning game I've ever seen. It even looks great on Performance Mode. Shit, even those unnecessary filters are pretty! Now combine this visual prowess with the bleak and difficult atmosphere of Demon's Souls, plus the insane redesigns from some creatures and NPCs, and you have yourself one of the most faithful remakes ever made.

Maybe too faithful, actually!

A few things could have changed, since remakes were supposed to improve on all things.

For example, the world tendency system is still a confusing mess, checkpoints are still annoying as hell, item descriptions could've been improved to give us a bigger sense of the lore and, DAMN... I really wanted that sixth pillar to be an ACTUAL level in the game. They could've given us that, right?

Well, you can't have everything in life...

Demon's Souls Remake is the BEST way to play a very good/very old game. Probably the best thing to spend money on, if you own a PS5. You owe it to yourself.

It's not Miyazaki's masterpiece, by any means. Far from it. But it's a hell of a good, weird and challenging ride.

Ah... Good old Fallout New Vegas! After playing Outer Worlds, I've decided to go back and replay New Vegas. Although I did have an excellent time with the game (again), some issues prevented it from being as good as its predecessors (again).

New Vegas is familiar to anyone who played Fallout 3. It's basically a glorified expansion of that game, with a few twitches here and there. But that's not to say that this is a bad game! In the Mojave Wasteland you'll meet great characters, amazing new factions to connect with (or not), fine companions, interesting quests, crazy guns, mysterious areas, plenty of secrets and a VAST open world location to explore. And I'd like to reiterate: A HUGE world of possibilities!

When it comes to gameplay, the combat may not shine, but I do believe that the V.A.T.S. system compensates for this. If you have played previous Fallout games, you probably know that this game is about talking your way through a problem instead of shooting your way out of it. But the greatest thing is that, if you want to shoot anything and anyone, well... Go ahead! The sheer freedom of choice in this game is insane. I don't think the story is as great as other games of the franchise, but the overwhelming amount of options and independence is astounding. Especially how they tackle the main quest.

This, the personal sense of progression and the scale of things you can discover in New Vegas, make up for a great time.

The problem with New Vegas is the fact that none of previous mistakes were fixed here. In fact, some of them got worse. This game is not polished at all! It's rough around ALL of its edges and it just gets more and more dated.

It crashed CONSTANTLY, there were glitches EVERYWHERE, game breaking bugs around the corner of every decision/movement your character takes, maze-like dungeon design, annoying unnecessary filler fetch quests, slow combat system, cluttered UI, confusing quest objectives and a karma system that doesn't work properly. These are just a few of the problems you will encounter on your playthroughs, but I could go on...

Also, although dialogues are well-written here, YOUR character's dialogue choices are very vague. Back in the day, that didn't bother me so much, but after games like Mass Effect 2, Witcher 3 and Outer Worlds, the lack of persona in your character is highly noticeable and quite awkward.

And to think that this game came 2 years after Fallout 3... Things could have been better optimized, at least.

Despite its jarring shortcomings and its overwhelming nature, Fallout New Vegas can still be a great experience. Not as good as the other games in the series, but I definitely recommend it, in case you want to scratch the Fallout itch or just feel like playing a bleak, but sprawling RPG.

I honestly wish I liked this game more than I did... But I just couldn't! Kingdom Hearts 3 may not be a disaster, but it's certainly a disappointment.

Starting with the good things. The game is astonishingly BEAUTIFUL! I couldn't stop drooling over the graphics. The animations, different skills, sounds, music, the aesthetic and with just how smooth it played, despite a few hiccups when the screen got too busy. It's going to be hard to look at the other games after this one. Sometimes it was hard to tell what was CGI and what was in-game! Just WOW! Aside from how gorgeous it looks, it's also a JOY to play. The battle system is what kept me going until the very end. The freedom of movement feels pleasant. New additions, like the Keyblade transformations are awesome. You can pull crazy combos with ease and the satisfaction of making Sora and his team stronger is addicting. The gameplay hook keeps you going, even if it's a bit too easy, at times. And it's not only great to slay enemies and fight creative bosses, but it's also great to play the mini-games. Not all of them are good. Some are quite boring, actually. But when they get it right, it'll hook you up. It's also nice to see KH finally trying to wrap a few plot holes up (trying, at least). After so much build up, it's good to see characters coming together and things climaxing. I wish Disney worlds felt a bit more important to the overall story, but it was nice to visit some charming new ones, like Toy Box and Monstropolis.

Sadly, what I liked about the game didn't outweight what I didn't. The story and writing were the true enemies. A large chunk of it seemed irrelevant, clumsy and hollow. Worlds were cool to visit, but felt empty and lacked importance. Sora's final objective was supposed to be epic, instead, he spent more than half of the game going with the flow and seeing what happens. It was pointless and it took too long to ACTUALLY get going. By the time I got to the final areas, everything was thrown at the same time. It all happened too fast, while few things bothered to make sense. They even managed to open up more questions, instead of just ending it for good. Dialogues were dumb and VERY overexposed, emotional moments were lifeless, villains' goals were convoluted and death mattered not. It failed to grip me with any interest. KH3 is short, nonsensical, Gummy Ship missions are a mess, the optional boss is a joke, there are NO FF characters and the difficulty is a walk in the park. I mean, DAMN! Mini-games were harder than the final bosses. The DLC tried to save the final moments from being an utter disarray of ideas, but rehashed too many things and failed. The ending and the Limit Cut Episode were great, though.

I only recommend this game to huge fans of the franchise, like me. Other than that, you're better off replaying past games.

The Outer Worlds is almost the Fallout sequel I was expecting, but mixed with a bit of Borderlands and a bit more of Star Wars. And that alone is already amazing!

I did not know what to expect from this game other than, well, an Obsidian RPG. The thing is, I didn't think I was going to enjoy it so much! All of your common Western RPG elements are here, done in the best way possible. It's a VERY familiar game, ESPECIALLY if you've played Fallout 3 or New Vegas. The graphics are cute, the performance is good (albeit a few hiccups), the quests are entertaining, the shooting mechanics works fine and the progression system functions like it should. But the thing that makes this conventional game shine among its peers is the writing! The story is great! It won't blow your mind, but it will convince you! I got invested in my character, in my crew, in the colony, the state of each world, each long and short quest, the role I played in the tale and in the witty dialogue. Just talking with people and deciding my lines got me super pumped because it's all so clever and very well done. The Outer Worlds has this magic that made me care for the things I said, did and its consequences. Few games like that made me feel this way, while still making me laugh.

The game isn't roses all the way through, though. Despite its amazing storytelling, the ending is abrupt and anticlimatic. I liked what was written in the aftermath, but it was poorly handled. Some parts of the gameplay felt dated. For example, melee combat is suicidal and impractical. MANY items you pick are useless and VERY repetitive. After a while, looting becomes boring and unnecessary, especially once you get to higher levels or close to the endgame. And I get that the game is a FPS, but then... what's the use of creating and decorating your charachter? Also, fuck Monarch! That place is dull as hell!

I totally recommend this game, but I can see why people wouldn't think much of it. I loved it and I think you should try. That might scratch your Fallout itch for a while, at least...

I didn't think I was going to like Doom Eternal as much as 2016's, but I ended up loving it just as much, if not more! Simply put: This is just much MORE of what you got out of the first Doom, but it's bigger, larger, prettier and meatier.

Controls are tighter than ever, precision and agility is still essential, every single weapon feels brutal and tasty, level design is clever, enemy variety is still as good as in the first game, graphics are amazing, the pacing is brilliant and the soundtrack packs an even bigger punch than before. Everything just works amazingly well! Doom Eternal's gameplay is so well done, that makes its flaws feel very small. Hell, even the control scheme makes every mechanic seamless to use. And there are A LOT of mechanics to learn, use and master.

Everything feels much more epic and I think that this happened not only due to the precise and frantic gameplay, but also because of its new charm and aesthetic. Cutscenes are way more cinematic, Doomguy's portrayal is better, each level feels different, with beautiful/grotesque environments throughout the entire campaign, glory kills are satisfying to pull and the sense of scale in each of the 13 missions is incredible. Even the story is better. It's still forgettable and lacks character, but it's a bit more interesting than before, certainly weightier and perfectly fits with the context of... Well, Doomguy's endless demon killing spree!

Doom Eternal's flaws are almost the same as its predecessor. Since it got bigger and tried different things, some issues were a bit hard to ignore, despite the stunning time I had with it.

Platforming moments felt clumsy and a bit out of place - Doom's gameplay is so polished, that when something goes wrong, it's very easy to notice. The platforming sections, for example, felt janky and kinda off.
Some levels were VERY long - I like the larger nature of this game, but I prefer Doom 2016's more streamlined missions a lot more. They aren't SUBSTANTIALLY bigger, but they can get a little bit tiring.
Collectibles/Secrets overdose - One of the things that I did not care for in Doom 2016 were its collectibles and secrets. Here, the feeling of completing a hidden challenge or finding a secret is nice, but they focused TOO MUCH on it. Everything is optional, but when your entire fortress is basically a collectible sanctuary, it's hard to ignore. I much rather focus on demon slaying.
The Marauder - Fuck this guy. He is broken. ESPECIALLY on the hardest difficulties. Just nerf him or take him out, because he can EASILY disjunction your experience.
I HIGLY RECOMMEND Doom Eternal! Whether you played the first one or not, this game is fantastic!

Play it now, unless you have a problem with FPS games, blood or demons.

Shadow Warrior 2 is a mess, but I just couldn't stop playing it! It's an extremely fun time, with some huge flaws that makes it difficult to stand out from its genre peers.

What made SW2 so addctive for me is the freedom of mobility! It's fast-paced, with a satisfying combat system and a nice variety of enemies and guns for you to run, loot and shoot your way through the campaign. It gives you room for improvisation and growth, killing repetition and keeping the challenge fair and entertaining. It's shooting and moving mechanics work so well that gets close to other games like Doom and Borderlands 2, in terms of enjoyment, but it's just not polished enough to stand besides them. One other thing that kept me going was the story. It's not great, but it's very funny! The writing cracked me up sometimes and characters were actually quite humorous and cool to pay attention to. My only gripe with the story is it's ending. It's abrupt and pointless.

But while I couldn't stop playing SW2, I also couldn't help but notice it's jarring defects. The entire game, while amusing, feels unpolished and underdeveloped. One of it's biggest problems is the fact that you'll simoutaneously face TOO MANY BULLET SPONGEY enemies, ALL THE TIME, CROWDING the screen and unecessarily WASTING your health, ammo, time and patience. It's a clusterfuck of a messy hostile party and it just gets worse towards the end. On top of that, the UI is downright ugly! It makes everything confusing. The looting system isn't user-friendly enough for you to understand and remember what is what. It's chaos! Upgrades can feel useless, the loot is redundant, ammo is somewhat scarce, objectives are dull, melee combat feels toothless and I've also experienced several bugs that forced me to restart the game.

I finished Shadow Warrior 2 in 10 hours and I had A LOT of fun with it, but its faults made it VERY hard for me to even think about going back to it or recommend the game. If you want mindless funny entertainement, you'll find it here, but you'll also experience plenty of set backs that might hinder your enjoyment.

This is my 3rd Yakuza game, so far and... Well, also the worst one. The biggest issue is that Kiwami 2 is A LOT like 0 and Kiwami 1. The good and bad things are utterly similar.

A few things are still as good as before, though. Kamurocho and Sotenbori are still great places to "live" for a while, the soundtrack is amazing, the graphics are beautiful, the battle system is much simpler now, mini-games are still fun and the new characters fit perfectly with the series' story.

There were 3 things that I LOVED about Kiwami 2: The first few chapters, the sidequests and Majima's 3 extra chapters!

. The story is pretty inconsistent and even boring, at times, but DAMN! The first 5 or 6 chapters are intense, well paced and FUN!

. The other Yakuza games I played had GREAT sidequests, but this one takes the cake! If you want a glimpse of how creative these optional stories are, just search for the 'Be My Baby' substories and thank me later. . Majima's 3 chapters are pure joy and simplicity. It gives an "ending" to Majima's events that took place in 0, packs a very good short story and let's you play as the Mad Dog himself, which felt awesome.

But here's the thing. There are 2 major flaws that kept me from liking it too much...

. The game is VERY similar to past entries. By this point, I know how Yakuza games work, but that doesn't mean that the games need to be almost the same.

. Story themes were similar, mini-games are the same, some sidequests were just repeats and even some plot twists felt EXTREMELY predictable because past games did the SAME thing. The whole plot starts great, but just loses itself in the middle and never picks up again. There are at least 3 chapters that were pure filler. The pacing is bloody terrible! And I won't even say anything about the final chapters' 100 plot twists. It was just too forced.

. The fighting system still needs a lot of work. It's not good at all. Bosses and mini-bosses can still overwhelm Kiryu with ease. The flow of every fight feels broken. Just actually hitting a full combo in a major enemy is a chore. It's unnecessarily janky and brutal. This mess could be solved with a dedicated dodge button, a lock-on system that actually works and a consistent defense mechanic, but at this point, it's a lost cause.

I did not like Kiwami 2 very much, unfortunately. I still love the world and characters of this series, but I can't shake the feeling that there are little to no development and novelty to things. There's a unique charm in its tales and gameplay, but it's not enough. It's pretty sad, since Yakuza 0 became one of my favorite games. I still want to try the other games of the franchise, but Kiwami 2 made me think about entirely dropping it. I can only recommend it if you REALLY want to play Yakuza.

Ghost of Tsushima could've been a mediocre game at best, but it proves to be much better than many other open world games out there.

This is probably the most beautiful game I've ever played, after TLOU2. Part of the reason why it is so fantastic is because of its scenery. The art direction and evinronmental design is near-perfect here and it merges VERY WELL with story and gameplay. The island of Tsushima is so rich with beauty and secrets to find, that makes you ACTUALLY strive to defend it from the Mongols. It makes you give a **** The gameplay is also top-notch. I confess that it took me a long while to fully get used to the combat but, when it clicks, it CLICKS. It mixes style with substance with ease and makes every single encounter be slightly different or intense enough to make you search for more. Especially during the big battles that the story throws you in.

Exploration (of course) plays a gigantic role in how you'll enjoy the game's progress and I'm happy to say that riding and running through the fields of Tsushima is one of the "chillest" things in gaming, in 2020. Discovering secrets, experiencing the calm soundtrack, collecting masks, flowers, completing objectives, raising your legend status and doing everything else that the open world has to offer is stunning. It might get repetitive, since objectives lose variety halfway through the 2nd act, outstaying its welcome a bit, but it's nothing gamebreaking and it's just incredible how GoT's collectables managed to keep me interested until the credits roll. Even the sidequests got me hooked. There are some very fun and well-written ones.

But the story is probably the weakest part of GoT. While it does get better in the 2nd act, characters have no charisma and the writing lacks any surprises and charm. It does come with some impactful high stakes moments and a few enjoyable samurai tropes, but not enough to make it stand out. Combat, while VERY stylish, does require some time to get used to. At first, it might feel clunky, especially when you're fighting many enemies. Fighting does not work against mobs in this game. Also, stealth mechanics, while seviceable, only work when you done perfectly. Problem is, GoT will seldom give you space or a path to always eliminate entire groups by only using stealth.

One last thing that might push you away from Ghost of Tsushima is how "cliché" it can become. It is an open world that WILL get repetitive, DOES use a bunch of systems and mechanics from others of the genre and NO, it's not as good as industry colossi like The Witcher 3 or Zelda BOTW. The thing is: That's fine! Ghost of Tsushima gets all of those clichés and problems, put them in a powerful blender and makes an impressive and bonafide juice with it. If you like action and open world games, I definitely recommend this one. It's one of the most remarkable exclusives on the console.

Unless... Unless you don't like the samurai, for some reason.

A Way Out was surprisingly fun!

It's a game filled with bugs, bad dialogue, ridiculous action-movie-sequences, cliche characters and clunky gameplay, but somehow... It kinda works?

Way Out's trump card (obviously) is the co-op. Playing this game alone would ultimately feel like a waste of time, but when you're playing with s friend, you get the most out of this weird experience. It's a mini-game bonanza!

There's a real sense of cooperation, very light planning and competition. Some moments got me sleepy, but others were just plain entertaining. Like the very good plot twist in the final chapter that surprised me and sort of changed the story perspective of the game. Or the well-directed hospital chapter. Actually, the worst parts of the game are set during the prison. When it "opens up", it's nice.

I recommend this game if you're doing it by couch co-op. You're going to have a blast. If you play it any other way, don't even bother.

Since I revisited F.E.A.R., which is one of my favorite horror games of all time, I decided to do the same with its only good sequel. While not in the same level as its predecessor, F.E.A.R. 2 managed to address some issues, while carving its own action-packed path.

Before I say anything else, F.E.A.R. 2 is very pretty to look at. It's not groundbreaking and the screen can be quite blurry sometimes, but I'd definitely put it on a list of graphics that still holds up. Also, in comparison with the first one, this is miles ahead.

Project Origin continues to blend horror and action very well. I did find this one way more frantic in its shooter roots than the first entry, but I think this helped the game to become its own thing, not "only a sequel." There are a lot more things to shoot at, more enemy types, decent mech sequences, more guns and dangers to tackle. The best thing is that, while not as groundbreaking as the first F.E.A.R., it all just works with ease. The spooky parts did feel a little less impactful, but there are still some very freaky moments. One HUGE improvement was the level design. Sure, it's still very linear and "corridor-oriented", but it's not as repetitive as before, areas are larger, more apocalyptic, features some memorable environments (especially towards the ending), has a better pacing and it's overall a LITTLE more dynamic. This is one of the things that bothered me A LOT in the past and I'm glad that they tried to fix it here. As for the story, It's still nice. I'm glad they expanded on what happened in the first F.E.A.R., answered some unanswered questions and actually created an interesting lore to follow. I do prefer the first one, since it's a lot more mysterious and told through a very bizzare writing, but it's cool to see that they did not stray from their weird path.

But I also felt that Project Origins faltered in many ways. Much more than the first game.

For starters, if you loved the soundtrack/sound design of the first F.E.A.R., you'll see none of it here. I do not know how they managed to fuck it up so much. While the story is good and can stand on its own, if compared to the first one, it feels weaker. Monolith explore themes and events a lot more here, but fails to make it in the quiet, ominous and very menacing way that the first one did. I liked the action, but, sometimes, it feels like they forgot the horror. Also, the audio message and audio logs are gone. Now you'll find files and you have to stop the action to read them. If you want to do that, you'll read A LOT! F.E.A.R. 2 feels a lot easier than its predecessor and, while that's not an objectively bad thing, I miss the tactical and mindful shooting system. The speed of duels and number of enemies hinder this feeling. Especially since their A.I. is very dumb. New enemy types like ghosts and the "undead" are not fun at all to fight against. In fact, they're even more annoying than the INVISIBLE enemies. Also, the 5th and 6th are not good. The school has some of the worst level designs of the game and the subways are just very uninspiring. I loved the final interval, but MAN! The game DRAGS a lot before you can reach it.

F.E.A.R. 2 is not as good as its incredible first game. That much is true. But it doesn't make it less enjoyable.

I definitely recommend this for fans of the first game and, if you're a fan of horror games, you should try it too. Now, if you do not fit into these two categories, you might find it forgettable and a bit generic.

I've been meaning to replay F.E.A.R. for quite a while and I'm glad that I enjoyed it just as much as I did, back when I first played. While it didn't age VERY well, it still plays like a charm, owing a lot to the first Half Life.

Love it or hate it, F.E.A.R., alongside RE4, is one of the best games to blend horror and action together. It's a little more action oriented than it should, but its suffocating creepy atmosphere and ominous pacing keeps you on your toes. You never know if you're going to get jumpscared by a terrifying little girl or shot by a dozen heavy armored replica soldiers. It seems weird and it kinda is, but it works! I believe that half of the reason why it works is due to its strange story. It's a mystery told in 11 chapters that still grips me to this day. It's not INCREDIBLY well-written, but it's engaging. It made me want to get to the ending and uncover whatever the hell was happening in the Origin project. Alma, Fettel and even you, the silent protagonist, are driving forces in a quiet story that, in my opinion, did not disappoint.

Gameplay is also quite competent. Weapon variety is good, using SlowMo gives you a huge boost in combat, guns are impactful and the action is way more tactical than I remembered. Enemy variety sucks, but the AI compensates, since they constantly try to flank you, react to your actions and force you to play smart to get to the next area. And while the game might be challenging, it plays so nice that I love how accessible it is for anybody to just pick up and shoot. One other thing that I LOVE is the sound design. Horror games usually nails this, but F.E.A.R. took it to another level. Do play this with a headset, please!

F.E.A.R.'s biggest enemy is the level design. I usually prefer linear games than sandbox/open-world ones, but this is a perfect example of linear design gone terribly wrong. Levels are a repetitive, unimaginative and bland hallway fest. Some corridors feel like labyrinths. I got lost so many times on some areas that I just got bored! The pacing is not bad, but its straightforward nature hurts how well the game could hold up nowadays. I may love the story, but MY GOD does it take its time to unfold. You're basically left in the dark for the first 7 chapters, with minimal information and the same objective. And It's not like they did not have anything to reveal, they just decided to wait and rush it by the end. I love the final chapters, but if the game just focused in telling the story and frightening you more than throwing more enemies in the way, it would be much better.

Also, whose idea was to make the flashlight so annoying? And why are there MECHS in the game? They feel so out of place...

F.E.A.R.'s problems did not break the game in any way for me. This is still an amazing hair-raising experience. It's easy to recommend this to anyone, since it works so well as an fps and as a horror game. Sure, it didn't age like a fine wine, but it does its job of keeping you hooked and terrified.

I had fun with Republic Commando but, to be honest, I wouldn't give two shits about this game if it didn't carry the Star Wars name.

And I dare say that you also wouldn't.

I like the fact that this game manages to capture what we've seen/read about the clone wars, putting you in the boots of Delta Squad's leader. Giving orders to your team, managing them in the field, aiding them when they need, blasting droids and even ocasionally seeing familiar faces was pretty fun. I also loved the portrayal of famous Star Wars areas, ESPECIALLY Kashyyk's Shadow Lands, which's always a great place to visit in a SW game. I somehow got lightly attached to my teammates. Maybe it was the convincing voice actors. Or maybe it was because they're clones and I LOVE that era of the saga. Probably the latter.

The shooting's quite competent. Not quite as tactical as I expected, but if you go in gun's blazing, you'll quickly die. This isn't Doom and it's better for it. Soundtrack's also pretty good, but that should go without saying, since most SW games nails the music and atmosphere. And while the challenge feels unfair, the sense of accomplishment you get after surviving a maneuver with your squad is great.

The problem with Republic Commando is that, besides being a SW fps, it's just very... Generic? The shooting might be good, but it lacks any surprises. Enemy variety is a joke and some objectives are utterly unbalanced. In the first mission you are a badass, but on the next, your character is made of GLASS! Anything kills you! Especially since you're alone for the majority of that level.

The environments are cool, but they're only cool because you know them from the SW's universe. Outside of that, they're bland, uninspiring and painfully repetitive. Checkpoints are atrocious, the AI doesn't always function as well as it should, the weapons feel weird to use and everything gets old fast. This game only has 3 missions, around 8 hours, but it manages to OUTSTAY ITS WELCOME! The controls are very clunky too. Even changing weapons or picking up ammo feels, somehow, unresponsive. I get that the game is old, but goddamnit, HALO Combat Evolved is from 2001 and did it masterfully. As for the story? It's nice. Typical Star Wars. I liked it. Until the final scene, which just murdered the climax. Credits just rolled. A big letdown, to be frank.

Whether I recommend Republic Commando or not can be boiled down to a question: Do you love Star Wars?

If you do, pick it up. It's filled with flaws, but you'll get some entertainment out of it. If you don't, just stay far away from it.