Finished: Spider-Man: Miles Morales (PS5)
Insomniac gets a lot of credit this generation because they put out a lot of high quality games, but I do feel these Spider-man titles get a free pass on their nearly criminal open world sins. Even Ubisoft games don’t annoy me so much. The way these icons are flaunted across the map, reminding you constantly that there’s more game aside from the story feels so desperate; the fact that the game pauses the story a few times just so you can find damn pigeons kills a lot of my love for what works. Miles Morales does have a better story than it’s predecessor, and it’s brevity is preferred because it doesn’t provide MJ stealth levels of filler in its main missions. But despite my enjoyment there, the lack of enemy variety and a reliance on the same old gameplay mechanics makes me feel like this is just a highly polished version of the same old licensed superhero game we’ve been sold for years. Miles is cool and his abilities are fun for a beat, but fuck the notion of stealth by the end. Combat gets just as stale; skill trees lack interesting innovations and there’s this overall aura of simplicity that made this feel like DLC rather than the fully fledged game that’s been marketed. It’s a completely new story, surely, but one that feels limited by design decisions around it. I had fun with Miles despite my tone, but the world is filled with unforgivable filler and un-evolving gameplay. 3/5

Finished: Resident Evil 2 (XSX)
I really tried to endure the tank controls of the first game, but 30 fps and forced cameras pushed me to skip it entirely. I almost abandoned the franchise then and there, thinking maybe it just wasn’t for me. I’m SO fucking happy that I went forward with the remake of 2 because it’s far and away the greatest horror game I’ve ever played in my life.

I watch horror movies all the time and never really get scared, but there is nothing…absolutely NOTHING scarier than tip-toe limping my way through a room looking for a key with next to no health, out of bullets, while two blind tongue-zombie fucks sniff at my frozen body ready to insta murder me when a zombie sees me and I’m supposed to somehow book it out of there and not make noise. Or how about Mr. X, the massive tyrant that chases you literally the whole game, who makes his presence known with theme music and heavy footsteps that did me worse than Michael Myers on Halloween. Tense isn’t the word. I actually whined my way through bits of this game; thrilled and excited to get past the next challenge but also worried as hell that I was going to get stuck, unable to finish such a monumental experience.

This truly was an achievement to me; a masterclass in level design with exploration and puzzles that immerse you in this police station to such a degree that it feels like a character in this story. Sure, I wish I could dodge in boss fights and I don’t want to beat the game twice just to see everything. But god DAMN this was an unforgettable experience. 5/5

Finished: Call of Duty: WWII (XSX)

I’ve definitely been in a mood lately, tackling two of these things in only a week and a half. WWII is refreshingly traditional for a while. Its weapons are varied and the return to health packs require a bit more patience and strategy compared to more recent titles in the franchise. Stealth missions are the cream of the crop, per usual for these games, though the team abilities in more kinetic firefights add welcome assistance on higher difficulties. I enjoyed my time with this, but the lack of interesting characters and a terribly anti-climactic final few missions left me underwhelmed. Set pieces are tamer than other CODs, and there’s this generic personality in WWII that makes it a tougher recommend for more casual players of this franchise. It’s still a blast and the level design is certainly competent, but I do find Sledgehammer Games to be the least interesting studio working in this space. 3.5/5