Struggled to put together my thoughts on this. Escalates from mediocre to engaging somewhere about ten hours in, followed immediately by an overwhelming sense of emptiness. All of Bethesda's quirks are here in the worst ways: dead mannequin npcs, clumsy systems that don’t quite cohere, a terrible main quest that drifts across the flimsy surface of alien artifact sci-fi stories.

But something worse about this one is the lack of texture. There are very few freaks, minor discoveries off the beaten path, companions that make you feel something (Nick <3). Everyone is so nice, the politics completely empty. Cities are so strange and dead, with sound design attempting to evoke the density of Night City but lacking any real scale - the abstraction of a fantasy setting no longer here to distract you from asking: why is this just one square block?

This must’ve been a monumental effort to produce, but why dedicate seven years to creating a pale echo of The Expanse, Mass Effect & Firefly? There are hints of another game in here - one with meaningful travel and fewer, more fleshed out worlds - that was abandoned prior to shifting to this smooth, soulless, bloated final form.

Some cool tech & snappy gameplay trapped in Free-to-play hell. We talk a lot about games being tied to & shaped by their technology but little about how they’re shaped, and hollowed out, by their revenue model: GaaS “living games” are released (and shut down) before there is any life in them.

The Finals contains the movement & sugary energy of nu-battlefield (post-Battlefield 1) wrapped in the most horrid vibes: Forza Horizon-esque npcs at their infinite party, Siege/Valorant/Hyperscape-adjacent esports mush. Embark has managed to make Unreal resemble Frostbite, including impressive physics & destruction that echoes the chaos of bad company 2, but it’s all wasted here.

Even for a tight competitive shooter, this needs a more fleshed out setting, either leaning further into the surreal elements (bodies exploding into coins) or situating it in a world that is more than a watered down squid-game/mirror's edge/DICE's entire catalog. Feels like a very polished tech-demo and I refuse to play 100 hours to unlock interesting mechanics or outfits, which has led to every character running around in the default tracksuit/pyjamas. And don't get me started on the AI voices.

I am cautiously optimistic about embark’s other beautiful but empty sci-fi project, ARC raiders, which has seemingly transformed into yet another extraction shooter.

From the moment this game was revealed, it was one of my most anticipated games of 2024, and I'm happy to say that my excitement was not misplaced.

Even just a few hours into the campaign, I couldn't help myself saying out loud just how much I was loving everything The Lost Crown had to offer. The PS2 aesthetic, the perfectly tuned character handling (showcased by the Celeste-level platforming challenges that'll have you jumping out of your seat when you finally overcome them), the punchy and satisfying combat, the intriguing and mysterious story, and the exploration of a gorgeous, captivating world all coalesce into a game that belongs in the conversation for the best search-action game of all time.

Even after rolling credits, my affection for this game has only grown. Some minor bugs and an occasionally-tedious fast-travel system aren't enough to keep this game from being an early but mighty GotY contender.

Somehow even more visually and sonically stunning than its predecessor. I was still not as engrossed in the story as others for whatever reason, but it still deserves its flowers, especially that gut-punch of an ending…

The most notable deviation from Innocence comes in the gameplay. Requiem is a marked improvement on the previous game in this regard, with even better puzzles, and actually viable stealth mechanics for most of the campaign. Unfortunately, a select few sections do still revert to the old “kill everything to sneak” methodology. It’s just as painful, but thank goodness they’re a lot less prevalent this time around, and you’re given more tools to make an escape if you find yourself spotted.

I also just want to mention that I found the use of haptics for the PS5 DualSense controller to be really nice for a 3rd party title.

The first entry in the Plague Tale duology is a real mixed bag. There is a lot I really liked, but there’s some glaring issues, so I’ll start with my greatest complaint.

This game is rife with tired “stealth” segments that take all the wrong lessons from The Last of Us. The vast majority of these sections provide you the illusion of choice when you really just have to kill your way through almost every obstacle, or cheese your way through to the exit, leaving you feeling dissatisfied either way. Plain and simple: it’s not stealth if there’s nothing alive to sneak past. The absolute best stealth systems allow for pacifism, or at the very least some semblance of flexibility (ex: the Metro series).

The implicit and explicit commentary on the terrible things our heroes must do to survive the horrors of the world they’ve been thrust into is not lost on me. I don’t expect them to be able to get through this dark and grisly situation without blood on their hands, I just wish that we were actually given more agency, as opposed to putting up this facade for what is - in reality - a bit more of a guided experience.

Aside from my complaints regarding stealth, I actually find the rest of the gameplay very well done. All of the light puzzles are a blast, and when you are in combat, it feels absolutely fantastic. The penultimate chapter specifically is when everything clicks into place and hits its stride; a bit late, but well worth it.

Immediately at its onset, the presentation is a feast for the senses: highly immersive, and a wholly impressive accomplishment for a smaller studio. The music and graphics are spectacular, helping to punctuate key story moments and take them over the edge. While the world around you is bleak yet captivating, I couldn’t help but feel that the story itself left more to be desired.

While not as compelling a narrative as its clearest inspirations, this is a game that devotes a lot of time and energy towards story-telling. There were some moments in the back half where I struggled to maintain my engagement, but it had reeled me back in by the end. Not my favorite story in gaming, but without any specific things to nitpick, I’d say it’s decent.

Furthermore, the acting is exceptional throughout for the English cast. The children performing are consistently impressive, but delivery feels a bit awkward in many instances. To me, it seems like they were always recording separately, and the dialogue doesn’t feel conversational at times. Not a big deal, but it takes the wind out of the sails of some otherwise killer performances.

First run: 2009-2010
Second run: 2023 December
Story+Riddler Trophies: 15-16 hours

So here I am the last day of 2023 and I'm wrapping up the year by finishing a game for the second time that is almost 15 years old, which was also the age I was when I played it for the first time.

I did one thing I wanted to do since I fell in love with the series starting from Arkham Origins: I did %100 Riddler trophies, there are 240 of them, maybe 50 of them are frustrating, but the rest are the easiest in the whole series. All in all, the Story + Riddler run took me around 15-16 hours, which makes this one also the shortest in the series.

What can I say about this game? It's the game that made Batman and Superhero games cool and showed that they can tell a profound story, with compelling characterization and cinematics. Stealth and combat is still fun as of 2024. Although knowing the combat improved tons with the sequels, such as the counters and free flow improvements, more gadgets, more responsiveness, more animations. It also is clear that this game was made as an introduction for Arkham City, as can be seen clearly in the Secret Room of Quincy Sharp, which can be accessed by bombing a wooden wall in his office, check youtube.

It's unbeliable that this game, 15 years old, still holds up against almost every game that has been released this year or the last. I definitely enjoyed playing this game again more than playing Spider Man 2018 for the first time last month (that game has decent story but Ubisoft design).

Graphics are still okay, nothing that will burn your eyes, combat and the general flow of narrative and pacing.

I would still give this game if it was released this year with modern graphics an easy 9/10.
A 8/10 amongst the Arkham games, being my least favorite.
And as a trend-setter, a masterpiece of game design, I would give this a 10/10.