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2015
A real masterpiece of a horror game, with a world so appealing and a story so memorable than even non-horror fans were clamoring to play it. Frictional Games really knocked it out of the park here.
2018
One of Wadjet Eye's finest adventures. A real treat of a game, combining adventure logic with BioWare-esque team management. That's a combination we'd love to see more of in the future! And damn, has it really been four years since it launched? Damn.
Now we're talking. This is the one Uncharted game that stuck the landing: it's a blast to play, even in 2022, and they found ways to make Nathan Drake more than a quippy Indiana Jones with occasional bouts of guilt. A fitting send-off to a franchise that had a few strong ups and plenty of downs.
Woof. Stunning to look at, but this Uncharted had the worst plot of the bunch. They couldn't pay us to give a shit about the villain, a magical McGuffin gets introduced so one of your allies distrusts you (???), and at this point, we were growing tired of Nathan Drake's adventures. The multiplayer was still solid, though!
Uncharted 1 caught folks' attention, but Uncharted 2 was the game that made the series big big. Again, the story doesn't quite hold up if you replay it today, but it was special for its time, and we had so much fun with the multiplayer.
Doesn't hold up at all for a modern replay, but at the time? This was one of the few games that sold us on the PS3. A bombastic adventure that does just enough to keep the action varied (but the less said about the "Sixaxis" controls, the better).
2011
This was a noticeable step down from the second game, even with good ol' Malcolm McDowell stepping up as the campy villain. It tries building on the "Did we just fuck up the whole war?" momentum from the second game, but doesn't do anything memorable with it. Still, much like Killzone 2, we wish this was playable on PS4s and PS5s today.
2009
An underrated first-person shooter, Killzone 2 became something of an easy target after the graphics failed to live up to its infamous CG trailer. But it still looked impressive for its time, the gunplay felt great, and you're given this one asshole partner who you'll love to hate, especially by the end. Like many other Sony-exclusive games, it's a crying shame that it's still stuck on the PS3: we'd love to see this ported to PS4, or even PS5.
A rare miss from Love Conquers All Games! The banter plays out like tweets that should've stayed in the drafts, the combat sucks, and the boardwalk chapter trapped several of our friends, who were playing it for a podcast alongside us. Just left a sour taste in our mouth all around.
2021
Love to use our time travel powers to avert disaster, only to be roped in with a bunch of criminal-adjacent boys and their problem-solving gang!
Even though some of the scenes aren't properly subtitled, we had a pretty great time with this one! Shame the "true" route on the end takes a wild narrative turn that feels unearned and unjustified.
Even though some of the scenes aren't properly subtitled, we had a pretty great time with this one! Shame the "true" route on the end takes a wild narrative turn that feels unearned and unjustified.
Chaos, meet your maker...
This is the second ever Souls-like we've finished! Going in, we weren't exactly generous with our expectations, but goddamn, what a cool game. Once you get over the way it's clearly stitched together from several earlier versions, it's as classic Final Fantasy as you can get for the story. And we were grinning the whole way through: great cast, surprisingly nuanced delivery, just a good time all around.
That said! The post-game loot grind is miserable, and the fact that the DLC relies on said grind means we'll have to watch any story DLC on YouTube. Still. The base game is solid, and we had a blast.
This is the second ever Souls-like we've finished! Going in, we weren't exactly generous with our expectations, but goddamn, what a cool game. Once you get over the way it's clearly stitched together from several earlier versions, it's as classic Final Fantasy as you can get for the story. And we were grinning the whole way through: great cast, surprisingly nuanced delivery, just a good time all around.
That said! The post-game loot grind is miserable, and the fact that the DLC relies on said grind means we'll have to watch any story DLC on YouTube. Still. The base game is solid, and we had a blast.
Ugh. They do Mizuki so dirty in this game! This was such a disappointing sequel: we loved the new crime-solving duo (Tama and Ryuki are treasures), but the big mystery can't compare to the first game, and the "gotcha" moment towards the end means that basically no one is allowed to change over six years of time. Excellent cast, but they deserved a far better game.
Even though this is technically the second half of Hakuoki, it's closer to the last 20-30%. That said, every single character gets several hours of story all to themselves, so we never felt short-changed in this second part. We do wish Chizuru Yukimura had more agency in the story (she knows how to wield a sword! She can fight! Let! Her! FIght!!), but the cast was still wonderful, and we were glad to see the whole story through.
2018
Two phenomenal games well worth playing, even in the modern era. Shenmue 1 is a tragedy about a boy shaking away every support system he has to go on a quest for revenge. Shenmue 2 might be more of a bog-standard adventure, but it's a damn good time, all the same.
2022
Simply phenomenal. We loved this one to pieces: a star-studded Japanese voice cast, numerous storylines that cross genres and toy with the JRPG format, and unforgettable music. There's still a few months left in the year, but this is far and away the best thing we've played in 2022 so far.