i thought vanquish was almost too generic for its reputation for a while there, and while i don't believe its mission structure ever gets creative enough to justify its cool slide boost mechanic it is ultimately a work of pure joy story-wise and really comes into its own on the last two acts.

i think this game needed to be fused with titanfall 2 so you could run on walls and shit but obviously replace the silly american pathos of boy and his robot story with this japanese depiction of US interventionism and over the top machismo.

i am hyped to play metal gear rising after this because it feels like platinum may have funneled what they had lying for this game's never-materialised sequel into that. this game itself wears its metal gear solid influence on its sleeve already.

A game about a murderous AI's inability to address its feelings and move on from a toxic co-dependant relationship.

So much emotion in the ending, partly from the thrill of the escape, but GLaDOS' song is genuinely heartbreaking. Her arc from wanting Chell dead to simply out of her life pack a real punch.

I found the entire second half of the game and its lifeless depths of a long abandoned facility incredibly depressing as hell. Just thinking of all the lives that went into constructing each area, placing each sign; each terrified and victimised test subject; all the souls that once occupied this site, now forgotten. All that's left are rusted remnants of an industrial scientific horror-house.

I don't know. I can't help but think it's one of the best games about regret and death.

Basically you spend 35 hours becoming 13th Century Batman in what might be the PS4's most striking open world. Ghost of Tsushima is not a game that holds up under scrutiny; its beauty is skin deep, its textures beneath the vibrant foliage are not as richly detailed as they may appear from a distance. When I am not playing this game, my brain is scrambling for ways to dismiss it, either for its rote mission structure, its paper thin characters, its sophomoric morality or its less than stellar attempts at appearing cinematic. Yet, when I am playing it, it's as comfortable as old pair of gloves. Combat, without the hassle of a lock-on, is swift; riding and movement is equal parts weighty and frisky (it means the game feels immersive without any clunkiness); and, yeah, I am easily dazzled by the colours, from the leafs and landscapes to the various outfits, headbands and sword kits you can equip. I always felt really in the zone coming home, chucking on some colourful duds, and riding around, wind whipping my cape, fully immersed in a smartly designed, satisfyingly diagetic world. This game will live on as "that samurai game that replaced the mini map and HUD with wind and birds", which is fitting. The game is about as nice that sounds. "Yeah, I remember that. It was a fun game". About as much as you can ask for.