Whew. This is probably the first game I ever really got to try on my own merit. I had played the first half at 20FPS thanks to my terrible integrated graphics, but with the know-how of installing a 750 TI, the game ran at nearly 100FPS at the highest settings, and I thought it was worth a restart.

I've played this game countless times, but one thing I'll never say anything bad about is the gameplay. For the time, this just felt so beyond where it should be. The guns were completely customizable, the takedowns were quick and brutal, and flying through the skies was seamless if you didn't run into a hawk. Tagging out an enemy base, being able to see them through walls as the enemies did extremely human actions, like taking a piss while you shove a blade through their back, everything about the gameplay was amazing. I think there's a good reason this series hasn't messed with that formula for nearly 10 years. It works, and to play it back in 2012, and even today, it still feels original and akin to a new game you'd buy in 2022.

The story is such a mixed bag, and it's probably the one thing that holds me back from being over the moon about this game. Vaas is great. I think he came when his character trope wasn't being overdone or replicated like every game wants to do now. He was this guy who was often sentimental, bipolar, and completely sadistic while giving Jason every chance to take his life. He was just the right amount of crazy, mixed with the right amount of profound.

Then, you realize that's the first half of the game. Oh man, who is bigger than Vaas for the second half? Hoyt. This literal weirdo human trafficking guy who is less of a pirate, and more of an FBI's Most Wanted dude. But he is much more in line with most villains in gaming, being dumb, obtuse, rarely shown, and completely lacking any coherent ideology than "I am a villain and I take what I want." He really sours the second half as there's no real good moment with him, until he kills arguably the best character in Far Cry history just to scare the player, which is...okay.

I don't even want to talk about the multiple endings or how weird the final cutscene is, on either side. I kind of hate the Act 2 and Act 3 with most of my heart, so, yeah. It really sucks that this game was so so close to probably being perfect in my eyes, but it seems like they took the great writers out after Vaas is "killed".

A great game though that's worth a try to anyone who wants to see one of the better Ubisoft open world games. This really is more profound than their new fodder with Assassin's Creed, or even Far Cry 5 and 6.

I don't think this is some sort of masterpiece or gaming perfection, but it often reminds me of an era in which we weren't afraid to have silly games and expansions that were just made to be fun.

Is the story good? No, it's basically meaningless and set as some 80s thriller movie with a whole lot of cheesy moments dumped over it. I doubt almost anyone could quote even a moment from the story that isn't the first 5 or last 5 minutes of this game.

Is the gameplay good? Some ways, yeah, others, no. I think it's an extension of the already good Far Cry 3 engine, but I think the way enemies work in this expansion is super annoying. You won't be driving much if a blood dragon gets the sight of you, and you may be walking around just to get owned by one too. You can't kill them with ease until you've maxed out everything you've done in the game, so good luck trying to avoid them or cheese them through other means.

That problem doesn't exist in FC3 and I'm happy it doesn't. 3 would be so much more irritating if some enemy could kill you anytime you ran into it, but I don't mind it that much in Blood Dragon thanks to the mobility upgrades.

Honestly, this game is probably closer to a 3 or 3.5. But I do miss this era a fuckton, and I'm not afraid to say I'm nostalgic for times when this was the quality of the average DLC, and not what we get now. It's just fun, doesn't take itself too seriously, and doesn't overstay its welcome. Just a fine game.

This was a pretty powerful expansion and was akin to a cold drink after walking through 500 miles of the desert of A Realm Reborn. Maybe that biases my opinion but it's still a wonderful expansion and I think this was the best XIV ever got to great narrative cohesion.

All characters are likable, the dungeons are sprawling, massive, and take on enemies 15 times your size through unique mechanics like defending a bridge or fighting a dragon while defending an NPC through epic boss battles. This really was the peak experience I had with XIV, and while it didn't really blow me away, it left me craving more, despite heading back to that 500 mile desert for Stormblood.

One of the best PS4 exclusives, an engaging story that subverts tropes with amazing cutscenes, and a smaller open world that feels much more manageable than its competitors.

Ghost's gameplay is pretty good. It's fun to take different approaches from stealth to an honorable samurai, challenging everyone in a camp to charge at you, and pinning them down with a single blow. Combat changes in fun ways, despite them sometimes drifting into unfun enemy tropes like "the big guy who takes a lot of damage". Ideally, I really would want a game to be unique on enemies, instead of having 3 or so classes they throw at you in some of these games.

The story is probably the best part of Ghost. It's a pretty fun, Kurosawa-inspired film that has great cinematography and fun cutscenes, where most open-world games like Ubisoft have now drifted into cutscenes just being two NPCs talking to each other and smash-cutting from their face to the NPC's face. Ghost has a great story, a hateable villain, and even something after to give players that epic end they deserve. It's wonderful, the best part of this game.

I think overall, Ghost is a must-play for open-world fans, but it's hard not to feel like this is just an upgraded Ubisoft game or something of the sort. Not like this game is unoriginal, of course, but it feels like window shopping at times. Instead of a quest marker, you keep flicking up on your touch-pad for the wind to tell you where to go. It's really campy in some regards, but overall, still, a great game with a surprisingly fun added Multiplayer mode, too.

God of War is an awesome experience that I still think everyone should play.

The gameplay still is pretty tight despite all these years. The combat is always feeling fresh and fun as you unlock new moves by spending your blood/orbs to power Kratos through his journey. Along with this, the magics you collect are those of mythical creatures and Gods who try and power you up to take down Ares, the game's big bad.

The story, despite being basic by today's standards, was pretty motivating. Kratos's downfall is told by the Gods, along with them encouraging him to redeem himself and take Ares's life for them. It's fun to trek through destroyed Greek towns and forests, even heading into hell for a portion of the game. It really creates memorable areas.

My biggest gripes would be a lack of cutscenes or enemies who really try to stop Kratos. There are all of three bosses in this game, and one isn't even that memorable and is more like a weird mech inside the chambers storing Pandora's Box.

Along with this, the game just doesn't hit the same highs you'd expect it to. The ending is pretty good and worth staying along with, but at no point, unlike every other GOW game, do you really feel mighty in this game. It has a really good beginning, and a really good end, but the middle just feels like Kratos's generic quest to obtain the McGuffin. I don't feel like this game has the meaning of most other GOW games, which is why it's good, but not great.

Due for a replay, but I really do enjoy this game and every bit of it.

The gameplay is pretty fun, with fun third-person shooting, a variety of weapons, and thrilling chases. Most missions in this game are extremely memorable and yet somehow still so grounded. It's crazy how this game pushes the envelope on so many levels despite being a game that takes place in a "modern" city. All the characters are pretty much personified to an irrational level, but it really amplifies the message of the people who resort to crime for their own motives.

The story is pretty outlandish and fast-paced, with three unpredictable characters and deep motivations and aspirations behind each character that drives them to do what they do. I feel mixed about Trevor, I know there's some huge love for him, but the guy just comes off as schizophrenic more than likeable, but I suppose that's some people's style. It's also been fun to see people continue to analyze the story and craft fun theories.

GTA Online is--was great. An online hub to spend time with your friends is great, but it's kind of turned into this place where everyone goes to troll and few people do like to actually do heists and play the game. It's also been privy to pay-to-win tactics with shark cards and stuff like that, which puts a damper on my rating.

But overall, it's my first GTA, and I'm happy it is. It's a wonderful romp that ages well like most Rockstar games.

Second Son is a pretty nice game that cements inFAMOUS as one of the best open-world franchises that gaming has seen.

The gameplay is super fun. I wasn't really sure to think about it at first because Smoke powers were just okay to start, but then, I remembered it's one of those open-world games that have developing skill trees. Doing side-quests and progressing the story allow you more powers, with Neon being my personal favorite and Pixels...for some reason. I didn't use that too much. Regardless, each one is satisfying in their own way. Smoke is pretty floaty and stealth based, Neon is more like a shooter, and Pixel...well, I didn't use it that much for a reason, it's not that great.

The story was nice, really playing into the angsty teenager vibe Delsin gives, but also making him love his family and caring about those who are also downtrodden by the DUP takeover of Seattle. Missions are somewhat memorable, usually the arcs involve you meeting characters that share their powers with Delsin, but there are some pretty good missions alone like climbing up the Space Needle, and sharing some tender moments with side-characters (assuming you're being a good guy, if you're not, you'll just be manipulating people the whole game). I like how the paths divulge in fun ways but hate how certain side activities are locked behind choosing a path, or maybe even a more neutral option would be a fun playthrough, but you are forced to often pick a good or bad side.

Overall, the game is pretty great, memorable, and a fun open-world romp if you're in the mood for one of those games. It just suffers slightly that nothing about it is amazing, but few, if any things make it bad.

Overall, the game is great. I think it has a bit of missed potential, but it's a good attempt to bridge the gap by mixing this game's Telltale counterpart with something a bit more basic than Final Fantasy XV.

The story is good when it tries. I think the themes are pretty profound for a "superhero" game, dealing with loss, and I always love a game that's not afraid to deal with more tender topics in a lighthearted, yet serious way. In a few moments, choice in this game really DOES matter, which I find astounding, but sadly, the game really only does that to you once or twice. The fact that who you choose to sell in Chapter 4 is great and leads to two completely different levels that converge in a pretty natural way. It's a shame that's one of the only times in the game where levels are dramatically affected by your choice. The rest of your "choices" really lead to similar outcomes -- like a space battle without a better gun, etc. No choice outcomes the ending of the game. I thought most characters got a good arc besides Rocket, who really just tries to be as insufferable as possible, even after his "shining moment".

The gameplay is great, but repetitive, and has a really weird system that I didn't vibe with. I don't really love how this game has "leveling" despite all fights being story-based and not skippable, it's not like there's side missions that could max you out further, everyone who plays this game will level all abilities. Along with this, collectables and going off the beaten path are pretty annoying, despite the fun collectable system with showing artifacts to characters to hear pretty awesome stories about how they met up with Peter.

I think there's a lot I didn't touch on that really make this game better than I made it sound. If this was a Ubisoft game, or some sequel, I'd really be less forgiving, but it's nice to see something unique like this come out in 2021. It doesn't feel nearly as formulaic as most other games, and it really is its own game, pulling from plenty of other great game's cloth and weaving its own way into a cozy blanket.

This game is pretty awesome. Insomniac really took the concepts from Spider-Man 1 and applied them insanely well to this spin-off.

The story is pretty good, touches on a lot of modern issues, and has an ending that really feels more emotional than most other games. Spider-Man 1's was great too, but I liked how they really weren't afraid to get a bit darker with all their concepts: the fact that a co-villain is basically Elon Musk, the tensions between ideology being able to make a person willing to die for their cause, etc. I liked it quite a bit.

Gameplay is extremely good too. Instead of Peter's web-gadgets that were extremely powerful, they balance Miles out a little by giving him a powerful special that depends on you not getting hit, offering a different style of play with something more in like of the Arkham games rather than the uniqueness of Peter. But I didn't mind that at all, and still found the combat satisfying.

I think the only major critique I have is that the game's length and side-missions really do suffer a bit more than the originals. Sure, there's charming moments like Miles helping a deaf girl through his own knowledge of ASL, but there's a lot of side missions that lack meaning, along with Spider-Man 1's missions that were just "kill the Demons at this place, kill Fisk guys here". I really thought there'd be a bit less of that, along with the mediocre crimes system that you often get roped into.

The other critique is maybe the value of this game. Not asking for a 500 hour voyage, but the game is short, even with the Platinum Trophy requiring another playthrough and New Game+ for certain skills. I 100%'d this in a day, and I don't even think I played for more than 10 hours.

It's a good DLC, but maybe falls a bit short of a great game like the original. Still, play it and get hype for Spider-Man 2!

I thought this game was really good and changed everything from the original Ultimate Alliance and made it better.

They improved the story by adapting a much better, more involved comic, the Civil War storyline was pretty great, despite it blatantly making Anti-Registration the villains and not really having the game go in a more different direction in the second act. It's a lot better than the first game, which was basically just Doom being one step ahead of everything until the final mission.

The gameplay got a huge upgrade too as it plays more like a beat-em-up and movement is more fluid than in Ultimate Alliance 1, as you charge, smash, and fight your way through the story. A welcome addition is more devastating special moves, that can also be paired with a team-up between two characters. There's only about 8 unique animations, but it's still cool that 250 or so combinations exist for all the heroes in different, albeit minor in ways.

Only complaints are a bit short, and some character balancing is pretty shit (I thought Fantastic 4 wiped nearly every other character in this game), but a good and fun game that is pretty hard to find now.

This game is pretty fucking awesome, with upgrades in every way since the original game. You now are graded and can at least pass by pressing the notes at the same time the boss is singing their song, versus how weird it could be sometimes in Parappa 1.

The songs are miles better than anything Parappa 1 put out, especially something as funky as Hair Scare or Romantic Love. They really are fun to play and repeat, as songs in Parappa really should be.

I think the only things I would be frustrated with would be the fact that once again, freestyling is the meta, and it's pretty hard to get the hang of. By freestyling, I mean usually making noises on off-beats and creating your own track, which sometimes, the game will LOVE, and the next time, penalize you to kingdom come.

The only other complaint would probably be not too many extra modes, even though playing with a friend to a beat was a great idea. The whole game is probably an hour or two, which just seems pretty insulting, even for rhythm game standards. Length isn't everything, but it's just a good hour and then, it's done. You can keep repeating the levels to change Parappa's hat color. A hidden song or two would be awesome.

A good game! Just not one that really goes beyond being that.

This game fucks. I--I'm sorry, this game just is pretty cool. I think it's probably in the running for some of my favorite rhythm games, sparing my love for all sorts of other franchises like Guitar Hero, Groove Coaster, etc.

But in general, I think this game rocks. The story mode is probably the weakest part of it, in which you're treated to entire chapters of dialogue back in, trying to explain a story that's really not the most complex. It really has a mysterious atmosphere of a whodunit, similar to Persona 4, but this game really has no payoff in that regard, as it's more just elder shadow Gods pulling the strings than who you expect.

However, all that can go out the window when you're hearing the songs. Oh my fucking God, the music for this game. I don't think there's a game that can compete with this soundtrack, which I'd argue is the most important part of a rhythm game. Every song really puts you in this mood to try your best, never give up, and keep on dancing. It's really a great thing to have almost every song be this uplifting, yet groovy song remixed into these blissful tunes.

Best songs: All of them but...
Worst songs: dedemouse shadow world why do you exist WHYYYYYYYY

This game also has a great shop so you can work on tailoring your characters, which I didn't do that much, but it can be somewhat fun. The real fun stuff in the shop is the modifiers, which make the game easier or harder and lessen or multiply your score accordingly. While I wish some of these would be a bit fairer (if you put on all modifiers you basically have to play the song by heart), it's still a great addition to an already great package.

So yeah, try this one! It's the most complete dancing game with the best songs, sadly you do have to buy P5D and P3D to get this one, but y'know, on sale, it's worth it.

One of the most underrated games of all time. SEUM delivers high-speed gameplay mixed with the precision of movement shooters to deliver a hell of a game.

The gameplay is just your character walking/running, which sounds super boring, but with the addition of various powerups, accuracy checks by shooting fireballs into gold containers, and huge levels that have big drops or epic highs, makes this game a true joy to play.

I also love as a completionist the various secrets hidden in this game. Going for 666% is super fun, and challenging in just the right ways. It combines an ARG with a completion perspective, and I almost wish I never looked up a guide to get it and tried it on my own to figure out how to unlock secret levels.

The only place this game really just is "okay" is for extra modes and the story. I'm not saying I needed something super complex, but the story is told in JPEG comic book images with beer chug sounds played over it, along with sub-par VA. The bonus modes as well are really terrible for something that should have infinite replayability, sure, you can try out improving your time on the maps, but good luck with the infinite runner mode that's boring as all hell.

Overall, a great game that one day should really see a sequel and the appreciation it deserves. It's really a gem, if you ask me.

Overall, a great game that continues the legacy of Mario Galaxy through its developed levels, new powerups, Yoshi Fruits, and a magnificent score just like the first.

Where this game just goes astray for me is that they really regressed when it comes to the overworld. Mario Galaxy hid so many secrets and huge areas as you're restoring Rosalina's ship along with heading off to side areas like the green star, lower portions of the ship, etc.

Mario Galaxy II is...sort of like the New Super Mario games when it comes to level selection, and that kind of irked me. You do get an overworld in the shape of Mario's head, but it's really nothing much to explore or look at. Yes, there are a few secrets, but most just enable you to get 1UPs or more star bits.

Along with this, this game really lacks the narrative SMG1 did. SMG1 had this really child book aesthetic of Rosalina telling her story about stars rebirthing, and saving the galaxy and making the ultimate sacrifice of flying into the center of the galaxy is just another form of rebirth.

Far as I remember, SMG2 had nothing of this sort. Just a "defeat Bowser with this ship captain guy!" and piloting the Mario head to different worlds, almost reminiscent of what would become Mario Odyssey.

Overall, it's a great game, but it only seems to change for the worse in some ways from SMG1. But changing from perfection slightly still gets you a hell of a good game.