This is easily one of the best games of 2023, one of the best superhero games ever made and probably the best game Insomniac has made thus far. Each Spider-Man title from them I've found to be better than the last, as they continue to iron out their formula and improve on any problems I've had with previous installments. That's not to say that the game isn't without its flaws. I think the story doesn't really pick up for a little while. I think the game starts out incredibly strong, dips a bit and then really ramps up in the second half. I'm glad that all the science puzzles are skippable again because they're still not interesting. Playing as Peter or as Miles, walking around or riding a bike is not fun. I get needing to spend time with these characters outside of their costumes is necessary for the story, but I'm not convinced all that just couldn't have been cutscenes.

All that being said, web swinging has never felt better. It's so good that I didn't even use the amazing fast-travel until late in the game. Combat is tons of fun. The boss fights are better. I found the second half of the narrative incredibly strong and I love what Insomniac did with some of these characters. Shoutout to Yuri Lowenthal for an amazing performance.

Platinum Trophy #137
Platinum #13 of 2023

I'm not going to review this game because you all should know by now how great it is. It's my third favorite game of all time. That being said, I think that at least some quality of life improvements could have been added to the Master Collection, even little things like skipping the end credits would've been appreciated. Nevertheless, I'm just happy it's playable on modern consoles and with trophy support.

Speaking of trophies, I'm abandoning my platinum journey for the time being. I beat it four times, the last one being my Fox/Big Boss run and I was left utterly confused when it told me that I hit all the qualifications except I killed 37 people, and you need to kill less than 25. This left me a bit baffled, as I feel I only killed who I had to to advance the game. Anyways, I'd rather play other things than play through this a fifth time for an arbitrary platinum trophy. As much as I love them, I'm not the trophy hunter I once was.

I have now completed the Bioshock trilogy, and they truly might have saved the best for last. I am not a fan of shooters typically, but Bioshock as a series may change that.

As for Infinite, I feel like the gameplay and characters are a step above 1. The gunplay feels great and I like riding around the sky and attacking enemies. I also love the plasmids in this game and I had plenty of salt to use them.

The story was top tier just like 1. Some huge twists and DLC put it even more over the top for me. I really liked the character dynamic between Booker and Liz, and I fully explored the area unlike Rapture since I was freaked out.

Overall this was a masterpiece and now I can finally understand why this game and the Bioshock trilogy is held up among the greatest trilogies of all time.

I have a strange relationship with Dead Space. I missed the original when it came out, because at the time I was in high school, I had no money, and my parents had no money. When I finally managed to get an Xbox 360, it red-ringed on me too many times and as a result, I came to this generation late, only really starting in 2012 when I got my PS3. I went back to the original Dead Space originally in 2015, played a little and stopped. I went back in 2016, played a little and stopped. I went back one more time in 2017, played a little more and ultimately stopped.

Why? I'm not exactly sure. I can tell you then and I can tell you especially now, having beaten this remake from start to finish that for reasons I may need a therapist to truly understand, I don't love this game.

I like the atmosphere. I like the limb mechanic. I like stasis. I love survival horror. What's missing? I guess for me, it's hard not to look at the Resident Evil franchise, specifically Capcom's modern output, but really Resident Evil 4 (2005) and on. They play similarly, third-person, over the shoulder, action emphasis with horror, slow-ish movement, creature enemies. Yet I find Resident Evil way more compelling. I'm not comparing the two and definitely stating that one is better than the other; it's all subjective, anyway. But I think analyzing what I like more about Resident Evil educates myself on what I don't like as much about Dead Space.

For starters, I've heard that the Ishimura is this great setting and a character unto itself, and I....disagree? What I did like was some of the environmental storytelling, specifically with the in-game cult (that's also really the only part of the story I found interesting). There was also additional story littered throughout the game but delivered in different ways, like text or audio or video logs, but I couldn't be bothered to care about any of it. And I tried. I even did some side mission content but didn't care about any of that either. With Resident Evil, the characters feel a bit more established, especially the protagonists. I don't feel attached to Isaac at all in this. Resident Evil has diary pages and the like that help flesh out some story, but a lot of it is presented to you in more straight forward fashion. Here, this game felt like its story was throwing as many setbacks as humanly possible (to a nearly laughable degree) to your character and flooding you with enemies to elongate your time with the game. And that's not a completely bad thing because a lot of the gameplay is fun. But it gets tiring.

My criticisms aside, I don't want to give the game lower than a 3.5 because I did have fun with it, and I recognize that it's a good game, but I also recognize that it's just not one that I really connect with. And that's probably just a me thing.

Spider-Man 2 is an absolute triumph and masterpiece for me in the world of gaming. It's a masterful amalgamation of various Spider-Man narratives, expertly woven together to create what I genuinely believe to be the quintessential Spider-Man story. This game is a finely tuned masterpiece, crafted with an abundance of love and soul. Even a week after completing it, I'm still captivated by its brilliance. Insomniac has gifted us a heartfelt love letter, and they've earned every ounce of our admiration. Spider-Man 1 was already a top-tier game for me, defying all expectations when I had lost hope in Spider-Man games. Spider-Man 2 takes that foundation and elevates it to unparalleled heights.

This game showcases my favorite portrayals of Peter and Miles. While the Spider-verse films deserve credit, these two characters shine brighter, move faster, and hit harder than any other medium. The abilities you acquire in this game are absolutely amazing. You can feel the impact of every punch and kick not only in your DualSense controller but coursing through your veins. Pinning enemies against walls and shattering their ribs with a flurry of kicks, hurling chains of lightning, or employing symbiote tendrils to lift a dozen foes into the air before slamming them down – it's addicting and seriously badass. The gameplay remains endlessly engaging, even when facing challenging foes. Not once did frustration overtake me despite dying more times than I can count. With each boss, I embraced the learning curve, meticulously dissecting their attacks and ultimately reveling in their defeat while hardly upgrading my health and damage.

Yet it's not just the gameplay that astounds; it's the story. In just under 20 hours, Spider-Man 2 delivers a rich, detailed narrative laden with lengthy, cinematic cutscenes. Each cutscene draws you in, akin to watching the perfect Spider-Man movie, evoking nostalgia and wonder. I never wanted this story to end. Without delving into spoilers, rest assured, the story caters to Spider-Man enthusiasts. If the first game left you less invested in the narrative, Spider-Man 2 won't drastically change that, as Insomniac tailored it to a specific audience. Peter, Miles, MJ, Harry, and other characters are faithfully and expertly written, making them arguably the best adaptations. Even a character like MJ, who was "okay" in the previous game, shines as a favorite adaptation in this installment. The overall narrative is exceptionally well-crafted, raising the bar for the MCU's portrayal of Spider-Man.

I also briefly need to discuss Venom without spoilers. I had high expectations, and this iteration did not disappoint. He is a formidable presence on screen, with a scale that dwarfs the Spider-Men, impressively bringing justice to the character. This version of Venom stands in stark contrast to the Tom Hardy version I've been familiarized with, making it difficult to appreciate the latter. The distinction in design, personality, and sheer raw power is remarkable. And with Venom in the picture, I absolutely must mention the symbiote in general. Avoiding spoilers, this game excels in portraying Peter Parker's gradual descent into aggression, jealousy, and hatred, outshining Maguire's version in Spider-Man 3 without any close contest. Yuri Lowenthal's performance as Peter's darker side is nothing short of exceptional, further solidifying him as my favorite voice actor.

Spider-Man 2 doesn't stop at fantastic gameplay and storytelling. It boasts an electrifying soundtrack, particularly the main theme, jaw-dropping setpieces, and an exceptional traversal system that outshines all previous Spider-Man games. The web wings in particular pleasantly surprised me, as I initially had low expectations for this mechanic and expected something half-baked. I found myself frequently using it while swinging through New York, more-so than I'd like to admit, and it definitely added a huge new layer of fun to the experience.

Insomniac Games has created what might be my favorite gameplay in any video game with Spider-Man 2's combat and web swinging. Playing Ultimate Spider-Man after this will be a tough act to follow, but my gaming appetite will have to adapt. Earth-1048 represents the quintessential Spider-Man experience, and I'm immensely grateful for this top-tier celebration of my favorite superhero. Thank you, Insomniac Games, for delivering one of the finest games I've ever played.

Very light spoilers
I have been a Spider-Man fan my entire life and read more Spider-Man comics than I could even count, so to say I have a love for the character and his world is an understatement. I can safely say this is one of the best adaptions of the character and even surpasses the original Insomniac game in basically every single way. Plot wise this game really excels to me, it showcases both Peter and Miles giving them each a lot of character development and plot lines that really resonated with me. Their supporting casts are also done extremely well, Mary Jane, Harry, Rio, and Ganke are all wonderfully done, and original character Hailey steals the show multiple times. This game is also loaded with villains, I won’t spoil them all but seeing so many of this famous rogues gallery given time and care made me extremely happy. Kraven and Venom are both imposing, frightening figures that bring a lot of intensity to the story and creating amazing set pieces. The plot itself isn’t too crazy if you’ve seen the movies or read the comics but it is well done and very nicely intertwines multiple famous storylines together while adding a unique spin on it all.

The gameplay is somehow even better than before. The combat feels amazing and more streamlined, losing some of the gadgets might be sad to some but I didn’t miss bringing up a gadget wheel personally. Having powers and gadgets mapped to L1/R1 made it super fast to jump between all your different abilities, and the upgrades make you feel powerful which is half the fun. They somehow made movement even better which I didn’t think was possible, the web wings just fit in to the swinging and launching so seamlessly it honestly might be hard to go back to the games without it. The fast travel is lighting quick but swinging and gliding is so fun I hardly used it.

The side content also got a make upgrade in this game. I liked it in the original game but it got pretty repetitive, whereas this game has a ton of different types AND most importantly captures that Arkham feel by incorporating different villains not in the main story. This makes the whole world feel more fleshed out and I love it. There are even a few that really make you feel emotional. MJ stealth missions are also back but much improved and didn’t take away from the experience at all.

I could say a lot more but ultimately I can just say that this is my favorite Spider-Man game ever, one of my favorite versions of the world, and I look forward to seeing where they go next.

This is easily one of the best 2D platformers I've played. The levels are creative, fun and innovative. Having a wonder flower in each level adds a unique twist and the badges give you a unique advantage depending on what your goal is. The boss fights are pretty lacking minus the last one which is amazing.

Overall the challenge was good though I wish they would have made it a little harder. I really only struggled with 2 levels, but this is a step in the right direction. I haven't been this excited about 2D Mario since World. We are living in good times

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.

I’m a big fan of Danganronpa so I was looking forward to this when it got announced. This game definitely has some of the same charm as Danganronpa which is great! I really liked the story and the mystery dungeons which are a lot like the trials from before.

Unfortunately this game performs terribly on Switch, which at this point isn’t anything new. Chapter 3 is also boring and I feel like the ending kind of wimps out a bit.

Overall I really enjoyed it and would be excited for another one. It doesn’t reach the height of Danganronpa but still a good time if you enjoyed them

This feels more like Dead Space Replay more than Dead Space Remake. I beat the original about 2 years ago and really liked it. As I beat the remake today, my thoughts have quite literally not changed. It's still the same Dead Space I liked 2 years ago. It's the exact same game with very minor changes aside from the obvious graphical upgrade and voiced protagonist.

Gameplay is fun, atmosphere is good, story is solid, the weapons are cool and just like the original, I did not find this one scary at all. The original and remake are great games.

I am glad they did 1:1 remake instead of FF7-esque where they drastically changed things. Did this game need a remake though? Honestly, no but it is good that it is accessible to a more modern audience on current hardware via the remake. I would still recommend this over the original since its technically an upgrade and its on modern hardware but the original still holds up incredibly well.

I also played Dead Space 2 after beating the original Dead Space 2 years ago. That game holds up incredibly well so I really doubt my opinion will be any different when it inevitably gets a remake. I would love EA to remake Dead Space 3 and have a do-over though. I still have not played that one since I hear bad things about it all the time so that game could use a remake more than these two.

The Science Adventure series has been a favorite of mine for a long time, so this game has been highly anticipated by me for quite a while. I am happy to say that it delivered and it’s up there as one of my favorite entries in the series. It is definitely the most visually impressive and stylistic game in the series, with beautiful nothing character models, lots of flashy scenes, and some awesome comic book sections. There is also a very unique mechanic that you learn about early in the game that really takes advantage of the visual novel medium that couldn’t be replicated by a book or comic.

As a pure VN I can’t get into too much without spoilers, but I can say that the narrative is very interesting, unique, and engaging led by two very strong characters in Pollon and Momo. It bucks the usual trend of the series and has a breakneck pace almost the entire runtime that keeps you wondering about the greater mystery that I won’t dive into. The only downside to this is that the supporting cast, while lovable and interesting, don’t get a lot of time to shine so they don’t quite stack up to the steins, robotics, or chaos;child casts as a whole. Luckily Pollon and Momo are right up there with the best in the series so it balances out.

This was a great narrative that makes me even more interested in where the series goes from here.

"The mitochondria is taking over the nucleus!"

If I had a dime for every time someone in this game said mitochondria.

Parasite Eve is an obviously dated but nevertheless very fun time. I can see why fans have clamored for this series to return in some form. There's a lot of great things about it. I think the story is fun, the characters are a bit over the top but also fun, the RPG mechanics are interesting, the soundtrack is great. The cutscenes are pretty top notch as far as PS1 games go. I found the focus on inventory management interesting and how it levels up as you do.

However, a few things hold this back from a higher rating. Movement speed is a little too slow for my taste, especially when the camera angle far away and you're crossing a room. It's not tank controls like Resident Evil, but even those games had sprint buttons so that would've been appreciated here. Some of the systems in the game I felt weren't really explained very well. I thought the trading cards were all but useless until they weren't. The menus are a little clunky but work fine enough. I couldn't have imagined playing this without a guide, but that goes for a lot of games from this time. Also, there were times were this was pretty challenging for me, but that's more of a me problem.

This definitely deserves a remake or follow-up of some sort. Imagining this with more modern game design sounds like a real treat.

Sea of start is wonderful game that make us travel back to an RPG era that a lot of RPG fans love and treasured
The gameplay is mixed with an outstanding puzzle solving and strategic yet entertaining balanced and enjoyable battle system
the different between each character is remarked and fun
The story some part were amazing with amazing twists throughout the game
and some part felt rushed and basic specially the true ending was not satisfied with it completely it’s good but not the impactful I was hopping for
The outstanding soundtrack lift this game to another level the atmosphere and art design are outstanding I do have have few other things I didn’t like but it might fall out under spoiler overall this is a must for RPG fans

I was really looking forward to this game and it pretty much delivered on all fronts. The story, characters, and battle system are all great!

I do have a few nitpicks so let’s start with those. First of all the backtracking can be annoying in this game, and while it gets mostly fixed later on they could have included more short cuts in the world map. Second I feel the battles are a bit too easy and a difficulty setting or increased challenge would have made me like this even more. My last complaint is with the post game. Now since it’s optional it’s not a big deal but requiring a collectible that they don’t tell you is a big deal and is easy to miss is a pet peeve of mine. You can’t unlock the final secret dungeon without it, which is a bummer so I’ll have to do that next playthrough.

Now the good! As I mentioned the story is fantastic and very well done. It has lots of twists and some great surprises that generally shocked me. The characters do a good job of showing personality especially Garl who was my favorite.

The battle system is Super Mario RPG mixed with Mario&Luigi which is fantastic. I also love all the different combo skills and ways to unlock them. The graphics are beautiful as well and I really like the boss designs especially.

Overall a great game that I will replay and can’t wait to see what they do next