The announcement of the Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy initially blew my mind, given my fond memories of playing Crash as a kid. The excitement of revisiting these beloved titles was palpable. However, the trilogy primarily served to revise my perception of the Crash games. Sadly, the games didn't live up to the nostalgia. The platforming, which should be the core joy of any platformer game, felt fundamentally flawed.

The main issues with the trilogy stem from its physics and camera angles. The jump mechanics in the game have zero float, which, when combined with camera angles that do not adequately convey the distance to enemies or obstacles, creates a recipe for frustration rather than challenge. This is compounded by level designs that feature overly tight jumps, transforming what could be challenging gameplay into mere irritation.

Although Crash 2 and Crash 3 introduced new moves to Crash's moveset, offering a slight improvement, they were not enough to elevate the games. The additions made the experience slightly better but the games still remained far from the top of any list of satisfying platformers. The fundamental issues with the gameplay mechanics held them back, solidifying their position towards the bottom in terms of platforming enjoyment.

Fallout has a very captivating setting in general, and Fallout 3 is not behind with its great world building. The game's open world was a joy to explore, with intriguing points of interest always drawing me in. The RPG elements provided plenty of variety, offering different approaches to gameplay. Despite the generally weak and one-dimensional main storyline, the side quests and the environmental lore added depth to the overall narrative, which was very much enjoyable.

On the downside, the combat mechanics and balancing left much to be desired. They felt inconsistent, swinging between feeling overpowered and underpowered, which made it difficult to develop any meaningful strategy. The cities and interiors were confusing to navigate, often feeling like labyrinths with their lack of clarity, and Bethesda damn well knew this since there are signs everywhere. Additionally, I found there was a lack of substantial content within the cities and the world in general, with few side quests and even dialogues available compared to other games in the genre, making some cities feels like they just exists (Tenpenny Tower is a great example, there is simply nothing to do there after getting rid of the ghouls). Even the DLC content failed to meet my expectations, falling short of providing a satisfying expansion to the game.