Twisted Metal 2 was an overall improvement on its predecessor. The level design is more inspired and interesting, with the overall "Special" and regular weapons available to the player being more interesting combat contributors than in the prior game. Still, even beyond the ice level, all the cars feel as though they're driving with skates on - the hypersensitivity applied here does not lend itself well to the vehicular combat. AI can be excessively oppressive on higher difficulties, seemingly doing no damage to each other throughout the match and spamming the player with near-infinite abilities as well as absurd precision with even backwards attacks. The boss fights too feel a bit unbalanced, yet can be overcome with player knowledge of special button combos (not explained in-game, but the shield is your friend!). Twisted Metal 2 is a thoughtful continuation of a wonderfully weird world, and at the time of its release unique in its promotion of pure vehicular combat.

Final Fantasy XVI is an absolute triumph. This franchise's glorious return is marked by phenomenal action combat, scrupulous attention to world-building, an impeccable OST, and a grandiloquent celebration of all things "Final Fantasy." Although light on the qualities that we would typically attribute to a role-playing game, make no mistake about the veracity of that last assertion. This game, outstanding in its own right, serves as a love letter to the many Final Fantasy games that came before it. Within a new world, with new lore, there is a slew of creatures, names, weapons, themes, and icons of the franchise realized in a reverential manner. The kinetic combat is naturally a departure from previous Final Fantasy games, but it is a terrific venture. Fast-paced, evolving, responsive and flashy… FF XVI's combat provides a power-fantasy that is unapologetically fun. It truly shines in the grandiose boss battles that mark the most iconic moments in Clive Rosfield's journey. Speaking of Clive, he is perhaps one of the best realized protagonists in a video game of recent memory. Ben Starr delivers a superb performance as Clive. The supporting cast of Ralph Ineson, Susannah Fielding, Logan Hannan, and others deliver fantastic efforts as well. Clive's closest companion, Torgal, is of course an absolute standout. In fact, Torgal might just be one of the greatest canine companions in all of video games. It is exceedingly difficult not to be enamored with the cast of Final Fantasy XVI. While some of the earlier side quests feel relatively bland, there are some absolutely phenomenal efforts in the later goings that congeal the complexities of the supporting cast and prompt stronger understandings of their motivations or relationships. I will not delve into the intricacies of these side tales or the main story and overarching narrative here with these thoughts, as inadvertently spoiling what I found to be a special experience is not something I want to risk. Suffice to say, FF XVI embarks players on an emotional and captivating journey.

Clive's journey is truly an epic one: it defined only in part by the before said boss encounters, the thoughtful motivations for the main crew's actions, the stunning locales the game brings you to, and the complexities of a deeply divided society. Final Fantasy XVI's shortcomings are minimal in nature. Difficulty settings aren't particularly well-realized, electing to make enemies more "spongy" rather than tweak the challenge through more meaningful implementations. Performance leaves something to be desired when traversing from mission to mission, generally not holding up in its 60fps performance mode, although more consistent in combat. The last reasonable complaint would be the presence of some filler content, with some side and main quests disrupting pacing and not contributing meaningfully to otherwise wonderful world-building. It cannot be emphasized enough how complex and deeply thought out this world is too. "Active Time Lore" and designated NPCs assure that players may always keep up with the rapid pacing by which you learn more about this world, making it quite approachable in spite of its richness. Further adding to the realization of this world is superb visual fidelity and art direction. By the end of my two playthroughs, my PS5 harddrive was laden with screenshots of FF XVI - it is simply stunning. All of this is packaged together with a moving, transcendent original sound track befitting of the epic nature of the tale FF XVI seeks to tell. Final Fantasy XVI is a phenomenal title that I would recommend to nearly anyone. It represents an inspired return for this beloved franchise, supported by incredible performances and a loving veneration for Final Fantasy's 36 year history.

FFXVI is, without doubt, a fantasy worth witnessing.

Alan Wake, as a game: ★★★★
Alan Wake's remastering efforts: ★★★

An absolutely unique gem, special for its time, and with a narrative intrigue that ages well. Alan Wake is a wonderful, contained action-adventure oozing with style. That style takes influence from a slew of television, cinema, musical, video game, and literary sources in an endearing way. That said, Alan Wake is in itself, fresh and novel. In addition to the well-crafted story, I especially enjoyed the soundtrack and the general atmosphere of the game's setting. I look forward to exploring this deeply weird world more with Control, American Nightmare, and Alan Wake's imminent sequel.

If I were to rate the remastering effort itself, my reception would be much worse. I do not think the remaster offered much in the way of updated performance or gameplay. There is a significant visual improvement, but it comes with a compromised product laden with bugs. Oddities with audio are persistent. However the most frustrating items were the progression glitches. Upon completing the game, the title deleted 2 episodes (and roughly 3 hours) of progress… disabling my ability to replay the final episode and resetting collectible statistics to their prior state. This is frankly unacceptable for a 'remaster' that has been out for as long as this one has. If such a bug is not prevalent in the backwards compatible version, I would recommend playing the game that way instead. On Series X, via FPS boost, the original can still be played at 60fps.

Where there is Coral, there is Blood

Impeccable Mech Combat with an intriguing setting and fluid controls. Boss fights are appropriately imposing and gratifying, as I have come to expect out of every FromSoftware game. There are some standout, spectacular moments throughout this campaign that are like nothing I've seen elsewhere. There are also missions that are more mundane and have tasks or environmental obstacles that prove to be more obnoxious than they are fun to navigate. The narrative leading up to my ending was predictable but interesting, and I hope to delve into it further with more campaign runs. However, this game absolutely sings when it lets you experience what it does best: the combat. It is elevated by impressive verticality, the before-mentioned fluid controls, epic levels of customization and build-craft... all while running silky smooth. The performance on Xbox Series X through my first play-through was impeccable. 60fps was maintained throughout, and I experienced 0 crashes or bugs (aside from pre-order content unlocking late). The combat and general polish of the game are accompanied by a few caveats. AC VI is somewhat held back by an unsteady consistence in mission quality, lacking enemy variety, environmental interference with camera angles (only in particular fights), and repetitive environments or architecture. Qualms aside, Armored Core VI is a great video game that absolutely deserves to be played even in a year supersaturated with outstanding game releases. There is no other game on modern systems that realizes the Mecha fantasy like this one.

I have already started NG+ and aim to spend more time on Rubicon seeking out other endings and blowing up as many mechs as dare cross my path.

"I know that without that balance within, I become my own worst enemy. Now I strive for equilibrium, and with that, I'm strong enough to get where I want."

And with that, Alan echoes the sentiment of the returning in-game band, the Old Guards of Asgard. They make their presence felt once again with a new song, "Balance Slays the Demon." As can be expected with Alan Wake, everything is thematic, it is weird, and it is wonderful. The featured song served as one of many such examples.

Alan Wake's American Nightmare was a fun little jaunt back into the wacky Alan Wake universe. The core combat of Alan Wake (2010) is brought forward here, but with an expanded arsenal and more satisfying demons to slay. I definitely enjoyed this brief venture, mundane assignments or repetitive environments aside. Although the narrative is not nearly as compelling as its predecessor, I think American Nightmare serves to further build Alan Wake's story, setting itself two years after the second Alan Wake DLC, The Writer. I am eager to see if there are ramifications secondary to Alan Wake's interactions with "Scratch Man" in the long awaited Alan Wake II. American Nightmare certainly gives some useful insight into the protagonist's thoughts in the meantime. I collected all 52 manuscript pages in this pseudo-expansion, and it felt overall worthwhile.

"I've seem the enemy, and it's me."

My high takeaway from Control is the same as it has been for other modern Remedy games: It is wonderfully weird. The Oldest House and the Federal Bureau of Control (FBC) are formidable to understand at first, offering many questions upfront but stringing along the answers over a roughly 10-15 hour main campaign and a healthy offering of side content. The world Remedy is building here is nonetheless engrossing. Navigating The Oldest House might not initially be as invigorating as the narrative threads, but I found myself quite comfortable with the task after a couple hours with the game. There is a lot here to love. Jesse Faden, the protagonist, comes across a bit blunted at first. She speaks with a flat affect, but ultimately a subtle tone of dry humor and unnerving acceptance regarding the bizarre series of events that unfold. Other characters are written with contrasting enthusiasm, such as the excellently acted Dr. Darling who appears throughout various Live Action recordings littered through the game world. Ahti, the janitor, is a particularly excellent character. He leans into the sheer mystery and unabashed quirkiness Control builds its identity on.

The Oldest House itself, as a character, surprises. I approached exploration in Control with incredulity, fully expecting the excellent visual fidelity and art direction to be marred by repetitive environments. However, this is proven untrue by The Oldest House's unwavering commitment to surprising the player with its shifting structures and secretive connections. Yes The Oldest House and the side quests it harbors are absolutely worth exploring, further unraveling the nature of what the FBC is. There are some outstanding highlights throughout the main missions too, particularly one sequence involving a "maze," to put it vaguely. Remedy also outdid themselves with the combat in this game. Telekinesis has never quite felt so good in a video game, especially while coexisting with a smooth 60fps performance, environmental destruction, various explosive effects, and some of the best visuals in modern gaming from a pure fidelity perspective. 1000 enemies later and hurling a fire extinguisher across the room is still exhilarating. Gunplay and other abilities are similarly fun, giving an overall polished combat experience. The game would be better off without its incessant commitment to spamming you with personal/weapon "mod" drops and also with time-dependent radiant quests that serve no purpose beyond giving you more excuses to dabble with the combat. Another point of criticism I could see leveraged towards the game is its convoluted storytelling nature, albeit this is something I found charming and rewarding to solve. While the narrative delivery might be obtuse to some, I would wager the scattered puzzles are more likely to be appreciated as being quite clever. I normally don't clamor for more puzzles in games, but I think some of the interactive ones on display here justified having more in the game than we got.

Overall, Remedy has constructed something masterful with Control. Its intricate connectedness to the world they have built with "Alan Wake" intrigues to a degree that might be unparalleled in terms of connected universes we see in the gaming medium. The combat is slick and satisfyingly unique. The art direction and overall wackiness of the experience elevates it, even if some of the flavor text comes by way of collectible notes or non-mandatory side content. From music videos to sentient refrigerators, Control surprises with glee and charming distinctiveness.

A truly wonderful, triumphant reimagining of an absolute classic. Without having played the original FF7, I may only comment so much on how this game evolved and pivoted away from its original story, but I can at least say I am hooked. The characters are brought to life fantastically, with superb performances throughout. The combat system, a mix of turn-based as well as fast paced action, is sublime. In proceeding through the "hard" difficulty play-through, I grew to appreciate just how complex and refined this system truly is. It is especially important to commend the visuals and soundtrack on display here, as they are truly masterful at times. There is naturally some room for improvement in the second part of the FF7 remake trilogy, "Final Fantasy VII Rebirth." FF7 Remake is held back ever-so-slightly by some uninspired side quests in the early goings, dips in the pacing, and slowdowns in the gameplay whether deriving from forced walking at 0.2x speed or the classic video game shimmy and wall squeeze. Minor nitpicks aside, this was an absolutely phenomenal experience that demanded engrossment... I am now "all in" on Final Fantasy 7, fully intending to play updated port of the original PlayStation experience as well as the recent "Crisis Core" remaster.

Insomniac just gets it. They get Spider-Man. They get who he fundamentally is as a character, how he might interact with others, and how his values persevere in the face of overwhelming challenge. Marvel's Spider-Man 2 is an 'amazing' entry in what continues to be the 'ultimate' Spider-Man video game series. Awkward, perhaps forced parrying gimmick aside, the combat shines and improves upon what we saw with the 2018 entry or the Miles Morales spin-off game. NYC is beautiful, with Manhattan being thoughtfully joined by Queens and Brooklyn. The traversal has also never felt better, with the wingsuit serving Miles and Peter favorably as they traverse the expanded map. Speaking of the two spider-men, their relationship is certainly a highlight of the storytelling on display here. Yuri Lowenthal and Nadji Jeter deliver terrific performances throughout. The supporting cast also make meaningful contributions, and this game also provides the greatest Venom story outside of the comics, comfortably. Insomniac unfortunately found themselves falling into certain tropes with the means by which they deliver some of their storytelling, slowing down the action in ways that were at times ungraceful and non-contributory, but largely the overall journey is a fantastic one. I think it is fair to critique repetitive open world activities and what are functionally Interactable cutscenes (I.e. picking up trash around the house). Playing as Peter or Miles is necessary to do these characters justice, but we need to learn more about them when we assume their non-costumed roles... despite being a refreshingly brief AAA game, some of these sequences fluff the narrative without aspiring to be greater in their character building. However, I do not want to undermine just how incredible the minute-to-minute gameplay is for the vast majority of this title's runtime. Playing as Spider-Man has never felt better, and this game comfortably sits amongst the best super-hero games out there.

The spectacles, boss fights, twists, and set-pieces of the main narrative are amongst the best gaming experiences you can experience this year. Side quests are a bit disappointing in comparison, with a few prominent exceptions. They are surprisingly few in number, and a couple of the ones provided take you out of the shoes of the two Spider-Men without compelling reason. There still seems to be some reservation about pulling further from Spider-Man's rogue gallery for side quests, as well as a hesitation to provoke more elaborate storytelling within them. The point on abandoning Peter and Miles for side quests is the most frustrating of these nitpicks, given just how superb the core gameplay is here.

Yet still, Marvel's Spider-Man 2 is one of the easiest games to recommend from this year. The action is kinetic, the experience is highly polished, and game demonstrates an enduring, loving respect for everything in the world of "Spider-Man."

Alan Wake II is an absolute masterpiece, defying expectations and transcending the normal bounds of the medium to explore storytelling in a completely unprecedented format. It is brought to life through masterfully crafted art direction, graphical prowess, chilling sound design, enchanting performances and powerful music. It is an emboldened, metatheatrical, multi-media driven, survival horror game setting place in a lovingly crafted connected universe. Sam Lake has proven once again that he is a virtuoso of modern storytelling. His team shares a vision of salient ambition.

Back in September of this year the website "The Gamer" published an opinion piece titled, "2023 Has been a Horrible Year for Gaming." It was, of course, meant to be provocative and invite readers into an ongoing conversation around problematic trends in the industry: incessant lay-offs as companies haphazardly excise perceived sources of "bloat" without accounting for their heads' taking ownership over their gluttonous habits and actions during the pandemic. Indeed, this commentary should of course be considered alongside problematic cultures manifesting within the AAA development space and the completely unsustainable means by which many of these blockbuster games are being made. 2023 has also been a monumental year for video games. It is without a doubt one of the greatest, ever. The machinery of the game industry has caused much suffering to its artists, but we should also acknowledge the onslaught of phenomenal video games that have managed to release in this post-pandemic development era.

Enter, Remedy Entertainment, who have chosen to return as a true champion of light. They have, outstandingly, delivered on sustainable budgets and time structures. They developed the 2019 hit "Control" with uncompromised graphical and technical prowess at a mere fraction of what we might see with other AAA hits. This rings true with Alan Wake II as well, which has already at the time of my writing recouped its development costs. They continue to keep their staff from project to project, and once again with Alan Wake II (shortened to AW2 throughout this review) they bring forward many of the lovely faces they've been working with for years… in reprised, reimagined, and new roles.

For 13 years, as he has outlined for us, creative director Same Lake has wanted to make a proper sequel to 2010's "Alan Wake." He has stood on this promise and dream with stoic determination, or perhaps more appropriately, "sisu." Finally, we have it, his initiative brought forward in Alan's highly anticipated return. I believe Sam Lake when he says he is grateful it took so many years to logistically make this project viable, because there is now a cauldron full of bubbling ideas seasoned and adjusted to perfection after the learnings of many other projects since 2010. Frankly, Alan's overwhelming journey is reflective of Remedy's own learnings and attempts to manifest this game from writing to reality.

Making a sequel to a cult classic is truly no easy task, especially when you have chosen to completely reinvent the genre it will abide by. "Alan Wake" (2010) certainly had unnerving elements, but ultimately it was a campy jaunt through what the protagonist told us was a horror story. You often fought hordes of Taken, plowed them down with cars, and had plentiful access to ammunition and batteries for your trusty flashlight. AW2 grounds the experience. The resource economy is well tuned, where every bullet, bandage and battery pack counts. A push-and-pull of exploration exists, which promises more invaluable resources but at the possible cost of spending more to survive. There are periods of suspenseful silence and uneasy tranquility, inviting players to let their guards down before suddenly being attacked by 1-3 Taken. Frankly, there is one thing hasn't changed since 2010: there are few gameplay moments more satisfying than shattering a Taken's shadow shield with a burst from your flashlight, followed immediately by a blast from your trusty revolver or shotgun. In AW2 the guns feel punchy and impactful, but anything that might feel overpowered naturally suffers from resource scarcity. Combat isn't necessarily a focal point of this experience, but what is here feels good and responsive. The crowds of enemies are, as previously alluded to, notably toned down compared to the original game. However, the campiness is still present. AW2, for as much as it revels in jump scares, pitch-black environments, or horrifying scenes… loves throwing in a little bit of zaniness at every other corner. "Wonderfully weird" is my recurring phrase for Remedy video games… it continues to be apt here.

Alan Wake II explores new-form storytelling. What is accomplished here is not paralleled by any other game, and Remedy will make you believe that this is the only medium by which they could accomplish this. It is uncompromising and tenacious in its efforts to lead a completely unique experience. Interwoven into the plot are jaw-dropping set pieces, seamless integration of expertly acted live action footage, and a captivating soundtrack. In this nightmare, everything around you is riddled with as much art as there is darkness. Thematically, as you will find with many facets of Alan Wake II, this works perfectly. The Dark Place and Cauldron Lake feed off creativity. The very lore that tells us fiction might manifest reality in this place invites the submission of art to wield this power. Whether it be to bend it to one's will in a play for power, the ramblings of a mad creative, or a desperate act to survive, you will find art everywhere in Alan Wake 2. The absurdly proficient art direction, graphical fidelity, and sound design all serve this well. This is certainly a game meant to be played with headphones, complete with haunting ambient tones and often terrifying directional audio. Even the technical prowess on display is a means by which to capitalize on AW2's multi-faceted approach to storytelling, allowing for instantaneous transitions in and out of live action pieces from controlled gameplay. Alan Wake II plays plenty homage to its inspirations, from "Twin Peaks" to Remedy's own work in "Max Payne," you will find nods and references to real-life art everywhere. AW2 is certainly not afraid to broach metatheatre throughout its own narrative, embodying the campy nature of its predecessor by doing so. The Poets of the Fall (and their alter ego, The Old Gods of Asgard) make a dazzling return as well. The music choices throughout are excellent. I made sure to jam out with end of chapter song every single time, each of which remarkably coincided with the themes of the concluding chapter. Much can be said about how Remedy chose to characterize this world, but that does not even scratch the surface of other narrative techniques employed here: inspired use of dual protagonists and the ongoing construction of the Remedy Connected Universe should also be discussed.

Agent Saga Anderson and Alan Wake are notably different protagonists, with equitable contributions to the story, in spite of the game's title. Saga represents a newcomer to Bright Falls and is fairly naïve to the altered world event occurring there in 2010. In her segments Remedy heralds in a "True Detective" style to building the narrative, demonstrating Saga slowly put together the sensible through-lines within a maddening ocean of information. Her segments often are slower paced, plotting, and inspire horror through tension or unnerving encounters in the "real world." Saga witnesses firsthand the human consequences of the horror story in a way Alan is not privy to while trapped in The Dark Place. Alan's segments, on the other hand, are notably more weird. The Dark Place's rules are loose and poorly understood, by him and us. The vastness of the Dark Place is on full display here. Alan, stuck here 13 years, remarked for us long ago that its influence was not nearly as confided as observers expected. "It's not a lake, it's an ocean." Its depths also represent the unconscious mind, although burdened with darkness and a seemingly endless loop of directionality, thus allowing its vastness to directly contribute in driving Alan past the brink of insanity. AW2 continues the franchise's ongoing themes of reality, creativity, and the power of storytelling. It pulls these threads in new directions, challenging the rules it establishes and inviting a greater depth of exploration. Deeper and deeper it seems to go, truthfully making it hard to stop thinking about AW2 even after credits roll. Alan's wrestle with identity throughout it all is brought to life with a captivating, page-turning performance. He reckons himself everything from husband to writer to monster. As Alan, more questions will arise than answers, but not in a cheap or dissatisfying way. He too plays the role of "detective" and utilizes various light puzzles to explore the nature of murders occurring in the real world that might just be directly inspired by his writings. He must navigate what feels like "loops," first introduced in Alan Wake: American Nightmare, where he must suffer through repeated events with slight variations. He is constantly left to question if he is in the last one? If they will end at all? If the content of these loops can be in any way influenced or changed through his actions, or are instead up to predetermined fate? The enemies in these segments also are questionable in their sheer threat. Distorted shadows approach you in masses… many of which will dissipate yet still others will take more solid form and attack with little warning. This adds a level of tension to every encounter unique from the quietness we experience with Saga, where your ammo conservation demands reservation in the face of constant stimulation. Alan and Saga's tales connect in a natural, understandable manner and in many ways help make two stories form one cohesive narrative. That goal takes both metaphoric and literal form, because of course it does.

Lastly, I want to speak a bit to what is building here with the "Remedy Connected Universe." With just 4 games now, including American Nightmare, it already feels like it has the makings of something special. Familiar faces from Control are seen in AW2 in ways I will not divulge here, but in charming capacity that respects recurring players and invites intrigue from new ones. Callbacks are tactful, ranging from cute and small acknowledgements to huge payouts. Old faces return from prior games, with no stories to be told. Others are yet alluded to. Small things like the "Drink 'Em Both Up" achievement or stacked solo cups of the original Alan Wake are explicitly referenced here. More critically, the Federal Bureau of Control (FBC) plays such a meaningful role in this story. There are small payouts here too, including an explanation of the "raccoon situation" you could read about in a lore piece from Control's AWE DLC. Grander implications for the FBC's monitoring of Cauldron Lake, Alan Wake, and so on are of course revealed as the player presses on. All throughout, and most importantly, I felt thoroughly rewarded for my knowledge of these prior games.

There is so much love put into this title. You can tell Sam Lake has inspired a tremendous crew to adopt an outlandish shared vision that only they are truly equipped to deliver on. I welcome the upcoming DLCs "Night Springs" and "The Lake House," desperate to spend more time exploring Alan Wake II's narrative riches. I also look forward to Control 2, and whatever else might follow. This really is a special team, doing special work. There is not one game out there that is "like" Alan Wake II. It is truly, emphatically, "one of a kind."

May the Remedy Connected Universe continue to spiral, bringing us ever closer to new answers and infinitely more questions.

Bravo.