I remember playing the demo for this game constantly back in the day. Trying to get a higher score per kill and trying to creatively dismember every freakzoid that ran past me. I thought the mechanics made the shooting so cool. I memorized the set pieces and where each weapon drop was. It felt the right amount of Arcade yet console.

So when I ran into this same space at the end of the game, everything became so familiar. All game I've kinda just played it as a shooter with the mechanics given to me, not really maximizing what I could do because well... I already maximized all my weapons and upgrades. But when I got to this part, It kinda felt like that ratatouille scene with the critic. I was having a blast trying to recreate that optimized run I did so many times, playing through the demo once more. It was second nature to me.

Second Nature is a good review of Bulletstorm. At first, the slow motion of the kick and leash feel weird, but very quickly they become second nature to your arsenal. Sliding, kicking, pulling, thumping; the core movement and non gunplay mechanics all bleed into one another that just feel good to use. They allow for positioning and forcing enemies to fear for you instead of hugging cover every 5 feet. It's all super addicting. Once again I found myself sitting on my porch, playing this on my Steam Deck damn near until completion.

The biggest surprise for me was the story. Funny enough, I just talked shit about Borderlands 2 like a month ago for the same caliber of writing, but for some reason it just feels....right here. General Sarrano is a supreme asshole. Every time he spoke, it made me mad I couldn't pull the trigger my damn self. For the chaos that occurs just off one shipwreck, you can understand why the tone is irreverent. Though the ending sequel teaser is kinda lame.

I'm not new to Ninja Gaiden, As I've platinum'd 2 and played 3 (even the Wii U version) to death. Though, I've never actually played through the first game. It's a game that teaches you each and every mechanic in order to succeed. Parrying, Flying Swallow, and Izuna Drop are neccesary to finish. It is almost like playing a Beat em up Dead or Alive. Learning not to mash and the context of which to use each combo is super addicting. Though, my enjoyment was kinda soured.

The steam version of this game does not have audio in the FMVs, also some FMVs just had a weird outage screen and just skipped (mainly the most important cutscenes lol). I went through a lot of frustration with backtracking and trying to figure out where the hell to go in Tairon. That, and getting hit and losing a third of my health or getting jumped by piranhas, or fucking up platforming because Ryu wants to be too much of a ninja for a simple platforming section. It's arduous just off of style. It's not even all that difficult of a game, per se, it's just frustrating as a package...but damn is it fun to play.