This was a really entertaining time! The characters are all endearingly funny, Sam and Max of course make up the bulk of the dialogue and laughs but they aren't alone. The recurring characters Sybil and Bosco are great (I love how their gimmicks would change in each of the 6 different episodes) plus tons of other funny characters that pop up here and there. The 6 episodes are all very unique in setting: a casino, tv studio, the white house and more keep the situations fresh and entertaining. There is also a solid narrative thread connecting them all, even if it is a bit lose, that keeps you wondering what is going on in the grand scheme of things, even if the game doesn't take itself very seriously. Gameplay is very class point and click, which I don't mind ultimately but it isn't ever going to be my favorite. As the episodes get more complicated it does fall into the trap of just being confused which random object to use with random objects in the environment, this is a stable of the genre so I don't hold it against it too much. Luckily the rest of the game was good enough to keep me entertained and playing.

This one started a bit slow to me but once it picked up I was super into it just like the rest of the series. I was scared at first that the Akame Network little fetch quests totally replaced the substories but once those got introduced I spent hours going through basically all of them. Substories are my fav part of the series and these didn’t disappoint, there aren’t a ton but there are some high quality ones, especially if you’ve played the whole series cause there are tons of references. The combat is really good too like always, the two styles are quite different and both fun to use. Agent style took me till almost the end to really vibe with but I finally found my uses for it and used it a ton to finish up this 10 hour adventure.

The plot is pretty standard Yakuza for most of it, some drama between shadowy crime organizations with some twists and turns. It’s a really great companion to Like a Dragon, with it tying directly into that game in a major way. I would definitely not play this until you’ve played that game, I feel like you would be a bit confused. Really this game provides a huge benefit to those who played every game, because the final part of the story drops all the crime drama and really hits home the emotions and character of Kiryu. It is full of references to other games and this is the absolute peak of the game. This was a very worthwhile mini adventure in the series, it’s better than quite a few of the main entries which is an impressive feat.

This is a weird one, at its core the gameplay is very good. The combat feels as good as ever, the weapon selection is quite good, I like the classic enemies with some additions, the vehicles are all here and are fun to use, the AMAZING addition of the grapple hook, and minus some glitches the co-op worked well. I just can’t be too high on the game though because a lot of the stuff surrounding it is just so meh to me.

The open world I actually didn’t mind, it’s full of enemies to fight and it’s not obnoxiously big like most games tend to be aiming for these days. However the purpose of the open world is nebulous… there are different things to do like taking bases or fighting mini bosses but to what end? You unlock the ability to spawn guns but almost all the missions are long drawn out corridors so you are swapping guns around anyways. There are no real side missions either, it just feels like padding which is a shame cause I like the idea in theory, it just needs some actual reasons to want to do activities. The campaign missions are fine but really nothing memorable about them, you wander hallways and get stopped for cutscenes constantly, where the story is okay but nothing I really was enamored by personally (granted I’ve been out of the story post Bungie so I’m not going to pretend I was fully prepared with all the context needed).

This review came out pretty negative, I was pretty disappointed with a lot of the game, but they truly did really nail to combat and grapple hook so well that I had to give the game a boost for that. I could see myself jumping in to clear a bit more of the map some time just to get that combat loop, but ultimately pretty forgettable campaign to me.

This game is amazing if you are into boomer shooters you have to try this one out. The weapon selection is awesome, you have the usuals like the shotgun and machine gun, but they add some really fun unique ones like a voodoo doll, pitchfork, dynamite, aerosol can, and a bunch more. The level variety is really great, especially if you are a horror fan. Mixed in with the large variety of settings are some horror movie parody levels like the Shining and Friday the 13th. Enemies are also really unique and well done, I especially appreciated the little crawling hand enemies that would jump up and choke you. Really glad I played this one as I rediscover my love for this genre.

Gameplay is the same as the first two Layton games, pretty simple moving around and speaking to people like a point and click adventure game but filled with brain teaser type puzzles. The story in this one is absolutely elevated though, the first two games had really fun mysteries but this game ramps that up to 11. It also throws in a shockingly emotional personal element as well, I felt like for the first time in the series we got to really know Layton as a character as well as his past. The whole cast has great moments as well it was nice to see them all again.The cutscenes are beautiful in this HD port so I’m very glad I went with this version for that alone, I really hope the other games get this sort of treatment eventually.

Mechanically I don’t have much to say about this one, it was a solidly made platformer and it was cool how there was a day/night cycle that gave each stage two unique paths and collectables. Most levels are standard action platformer affair but it does shake it up with race and chase levels which were really fun. The best part of this game was the sprite work, they are all really big and full of life. The animations are great, especially for the main character who has the living beard. Watching him climb using it is funny every time, and see it transform into an array of weapons is really charming. The game doesn’t bring anything super unique to the gameplay department but it looks and sounds great.

The original Alan Wake is one of my favorite games of all time, so after seeing all the hype for the sequel I was dying to play it. While I am not as high on it as the average seems to be I did find it to be a really great sequel in many ways. It definitely leans more into the horror than the original, the graphics and sound design are absolutely insane... I am not easily scared but there were a few times I jumped (not counting the really annoying unearned jump scares that happen constantly, those are my only complaint with the horror in the game)

The addition of Saga was questionable to me from the trailers, but she really stole the show for me. Her sections play exactly like I would expect a modern Alan Wake to be, the combat is improved and has a nice weight to it, and her loadout is super fun to use (shout out to the bow). Her story has a lot of similarities to the first game but I love the additions she brings being a detective, the mind place board is a really neat way to follow along and figure out the mystery of the plot.

The Alan sections are a bit more mixed for me, there are some really amazing scenes here that I won't spoil and the really high production value is even more prevalent in these areas. The gameplay though is just lacking to me, swapping the scene to progress constantly is a neat idea but I just didn't ever get into it. The story of Alan resolves really nicely in the end, and I appreciate the really unique meta way of telling it, but it's just not ultimately my favorite delivery method. It is very modern Remedy which fans will enjoy, but I am definitely less of a Remedy fan and more of an Alan Wake 1 fan specifically.

This game was not what I expected in a lot of ways but I appreciate how unique it was, and the survival horror elements are still very good when they are given the time to shine. I recommend for sure.

This game accomplishes what it set out to do: it would feel perfectly at home on a Game Boy Color. The graphics and music are a perfect recreation of this era, the chip tunes are melodic and catchy and go well with the bright colored visuals. Gameplay wise it also captures this vibe, but that’s a mixed bag now. The game can feel pretty tough in ways that’s aren’t quite intended, the power ups are all neat ideas but some of them (especially the ice) control very clunky so you end up dying while battling the controls. It all feels pretty good to play but not great, but the level design and power ups do have good variety and you can tell a lot of love and care was put into it so I give it extra points for that.

I love the theme of this game, having every level be based on tv shows/movies is a really fun idea and allowed them to fill each world with tons of fun references. The stages are all really varied as well, flying planes, amusement parks, beaches, hot springs and a lot more, each level feels really fun and unique. The gameplay is improved as well, the core is still the same dual analog stick monkey catching and platforming action, but they add fun transformations that shake things up. Some are better than others but it leads to fun moments and makes the boss fights more interesting than the typical affair. This is a series I grew to like more and more as I played them, I wish I played them growing up because they almost definitely would have been favorites of mine.