Dos jogos da série Hitman que experimentei, todos me proporcionaram uma sensação que raramente encontro em outros jogos: a percepção de que cada NPC exerce uma influência, seja direta ou indireta, na narrativa. Eles instilam um nervosismo constante, como se estivéssemos sob vigilância a todo momento, obrigando-nos a agir com cautela para evitar qualquer comportamento suspeito que possa nos comprometer. Desde a ansiedade ao entrar em um local com o traje inadequado até a tensão de parecer suspeito entre a multidão em uma festa, os jogos da série Hitman oferecem uma experiência imersiva única.

Admiro especialmente a variedade de abordagens para superar as fases, permitindo que os jogadores mais dedicados explorem múltiplos caminhos. O lançamento episódico, embora tenha sido uma proposta inovadora, acabou enfrentando desafios comerciais, visto que muitos jogadores não estavam familiarizados com esse modelo de distribuição fragmentada e relutavam em pagar por um jogo que seria entregue aos poucos ao longo de semanas. Confesso que também fiquei surpreso na época com essa decisão, só vindo a experimentar o jogo completo mais de um ano após o término do lançamento de todos os episódios.

Entretanto, não acredito que essa estratégia tenha comprometido a jogabilidade, pois cada fase é tão distinta entre si que o principal impacto recai sobre a narrativa. Ao concluir o jogo lá em 2019 (se minhas contas estiverem corretas), já percebia a história como confusa ao jogá-la de uma só vez. Revisitando o jogo através de análises em vídeo, constatei que essa foi uma questão enfrentada por muitos jogadores: a dificuldade em compreender a trama intrincada do jogo.

Apesar das falhas na narrativa, aprecio imensamente a experiência oferecida pelo jogo, pois acredito que ele resgatou o que a série tinha de melhor. Recomendo-o muito para os entusiastas do estilo stealth.

"This is a shelter. There's nothing to steal. Get out." and he did! - A secret dialogue when Aunt May talks to a promising Brooklyn Kid from 2018's Marvel’s Spider-Man.

This conversation is incredibly important and details how strong May’s willpower is to face off a major villain all by her lonesome. And her nephew Peter Parker AKA Spider-Man also inherits the strong willpower to face off dangerous adversaries. And the sequel is no different giving off the same phenomenal faceoffs, secret dialogue, and payoffs. Speaking of face-offs. The Spider-Men will struggle against new foes on the hunt with a different flair from the earlier. Like noticing sand in the air… Hmm… Strange… Guess the forecast for the day is sandy, with little chance of rain. A pity. Still what remains from the foreboding skies is a bolder game from the previous installment with new developments and reaching higher wings alongside venomous tidings. And yet a question arises whenever any game receives a sequel and follow-up. Is it better? And 2020’s Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales? The short answer is yes. And the long answer is a bit complicated to call this almost everything I wish for.

Before I start I have to say I’m no expert regarding how sequels do a stronger job than the predecessor. In my eyes the next entry has to meet certain criteria to call itself worthy. I won’t bore you with the exact standards because sequel principles vary for every other individual and everyone has their own values on which they can base. To put it simply and succinctly I’ll say if any of ‘X’ improves that the earlier entry didn’t. Then that should be enough. I’ll attempt to condense my thoughts as to why Marvel's Spider-Man 2(MSM2) exceeded my expectations to the point I think it is a spectacular must-play for those who enjoyed the first and follow-up game. Without any spoilers. I’ll try to vaguely reference without hinting at anything concrete. If I fail to do so, you have my permission to send me to the dark dimension. First, the story. Moving past the sinister plot in the beginning and set up with Morales in the follow-up. Two strives to enrich the player in becoming not just Spider-Man within the game, but the man behind the mask. A focus on Peter Parker's desire to become a better person while Miles struggles to become a better Spider-Man. It features new villains kraving for a final hunt, a return of a scaly foe, and one para-. Man New York City can’t catch a break huh? Gotta stay positive and not negative with the webhead's rogue gallery eh?

Gameplay is a solid step up from eating decent pizza from before. Now we're having quality dishes served for NYC’s finest without a certain J. Jonah Jameson(JJJ) harping on our heels. Same but with improved combat and traversal mechanics. The former received new abilities to utilize like spider arms reminiscent of Parker's greatest enemy. Switching between the older and wiser web dude to a Brooklyn kid. So, you can’t go wrong playing as either a mentor or a fresh dude on the block to help the innocent. Morales has youthful, vibrant enthusiasm for taking on his new role from his debut and MSM2 demonstrates a wonderful way of how he is coming to terms with helping beyond Harlem for close to a year since his debut. As you progress further you can unlock new abilities once you accrue enough experience, allocating tokens for new suits and gadgets. These help instrumentally and leave a nice way to keep the gameplay fun factor fresh and exciting. Costumes allow you to customize each protagonist's looks with favorites like Cat Bodega and Scarlet + 2099 suits with classic into and across the spider-verse outfits. Honestly, there’s plenty to unlock to suit your needs heh. Gadgets return, a tad bit simplified from the many weaponry you could utilize, but it's not a downside since you have new abilities to utilize. Both arachnids have their skill trees with a shared linked tree to take advantage of new combat moves on foolish baddies. Super cool. The latter concerning traversal introduces a new form of travel in the form of webwings. And I kid you not, I felt like I was transported back in my childhood playing Spyro once again except taking inspiration from the guiding wind mechanic from Ghost of Tsushima in the form of wind tunnels to guide and accelerate our web slingers across blocks and tall skyscrapers. The new addition is very satisfying to a degree I find myself forgoing fast traveling multiple times to woop in delight as I soar to the skies and keep my arms by my sides to keep my speed in tip-top form. Ah, magnificent. Man if Vulture or Shocker were here, I bet we could fly circles around them.

Side activities (including city-wide collectibles) are a remarkable improvement. In the past I had mixed feelings about them as a whole since there were some activities worth completing to become a taskmaster with some caveats. In the 2020 game, they for the most part improved on the side content a vast deal. Here they’ve taken a sensational upgrade, with minor blemishes I’ll discuss later. Without going into too much detail to prevent spoilers. Mysteriums, photo ops, M. memories, Flame, FNSM App, prowler, EMF experiments, cultural museum, Brooklyn visions, and hunter blinds/bases are satisfying to complete in my honest opinion. To give a brief praise why: Mysteriums offers both a visual treat and somewhat of an extension from 2019’s Far From Home film concerning a mysterious baddie. Taking on handicap challenges to defeat within each location. Photo ops return. You gain cool NYC lore from Pete’s old Daily Bugle coworker Robbie Robertson. M. Memories, offers a melancholy monologue from the man who has sand, offering the big question of why he’s here and what he was doing. Moving on, The Flame quests is a nice departure from the pleasant vibe of the city, detailing a very serious tone and atmosphere bringing a familiar companion back to spice up moments. Love the companion of which I wont to say the name, but I’ll keep it as a surprise. The development the individual undergoes with Parker is a must-see and offers a tantalizing tease of a possible DLC. Anyway, the friendly neighborhood Spider-Man app returns taking cues from 2020’s excellent side-content to help the troubled New Yorkers in the Big Apple is without a doubt spectacularly strong. They’re not the most fleshed out, not visually stunning nor are they dropping maximum compelling narratives with eyes glued to the screen nor do they offer awesome scenes with the funnest gameplay inside. Instead, what is here is simply helping your everyday citizens. And while others might see this as “meh not worth it then!” I assure you if I were to rank all the optional content. This would easily be at the top. Two requests in particular brought home an excellent display of the man behind the mask to help the people in need. Howard and the Grandpa's request demonstrate the little things of simply talking with a person in need resulting in I would say superbly profound dialogue I witnessed. I want to say so much more here and why I appreciate these two requests in particular but I’ll refrain. Suffice it to say, please complete them. The other quests from the app are also beneficial to do to a lesser extent displaying humorous & serious content.

Prowler stashes. A banger job to showcase more conversations between Miles and his uncle. Very nice re-connecting filled with bonds, love, redemption, and greater insight into the brotherhood between Miles' father and his brother. Excellent addition from the 2020 follow-up. EMF experiments, please forgive me for not saying the acronym, but again a pleasant surprise for when you learn-ingame. This features creative tasks to do in a similar vein to the research stations in the first installment. Here were charged with healing the world. Using methods to help citizens via finding alternative sources of food, preventing pollution, and providing new means to make the world a better place. Much like how Pete and Doc did with their start-up. Terrific to do featuring different tasks like blasting wasps, testing out a new bike, and more. Man, I couldn’t get enough of these. Cultural Museum surprised me considerably in enriching the player on notable African-American idols while intertwining an investigation spearheaded by none other than Miles and his mom. Finding clues as to who would try to steal priceless artifacts related to music. Nice to see them not just for culture learning, but bonding with his mom. Brooklyn Visions is a series of simple, yet creative tasks on Miles' high school to help his fellow students. Sneaky Insomniac pulling inspiration from Talos Principle puzzles, a rescue, a very heartwarming quest to help a student help facilitate a proposal for homecoming, etc. Lastly, Hunter blind/bases offer a classic clearing out hideouts, but I felt they’re more reduced in quantity and far less in numbers which is a smashing plus in my books because the previous game featured them too much imo. You also get a nice slice of lore background upon completing them. So worth it to complete. And it is cool to flex out new powers to test on foolish goons who still think once again they have a chance at defeating the spider-bros. Seriously, these guys never learn…

Speaking of learning, the devs learned quite a lot since their debut with the webslinger back then. I am over the moon to say there are plenty of interactions of the men behind the mask to show, don’t tell. And this is huge because at the core of the wall-crawler is a man who continues to struggle to manage his personal and hero life. His relationships with Mary Jane Watson and Harry Osborn, two lifelong buddies, are instrumental in giving him the push and nudges he needs to support him and vice-versa. I witnessed endearing flashbacks back in high school, I spent a well-earned break with my loveable comrades in an amusement park. Taking the time to wisely, but gently push Miles to remember his college application. And partake in an old memory with none other than JJJ. These memories are vital to Pete’s mental health and maintaining a healthy balance. It is something that was touched upon earlier, but I felt it coming more into fruition here to a high degree. This coupled with interesting gameplay sequences like finer stealth sections and not drawn out added a stronger tie to the plot while delicately embracing bonds, friendship, brotherhood, and even love. Magnificent to witness and playthrough.

Also, I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I like JJJ’s podcast. Shocker I know. I didn’t before since dude continues to be a douchebag. But the sheer amount of mental gymnastics the man has to go through to tear apart the Web menace/s is quite frankly amusing to hear. More so to listen to how he included Miles in the equation with Spider-Men. But I have to give props to him. Due to one segment in the game, which made me go “Huh I didn’t think of him that way before.” A layer was peeled off upon completing the segment and in a way brought a shaky new light to him. So here’s to you Jonah I’m giving you the praise for doing that. Although, I can never forgive you for smearing Pete’s name over the years… manchild never quits having a hate mode for all things web-like.

Before I forget I have to confess on coming into this game doubting how much Miles will contribute and I’m glad to report how wrong I was to think of that. There are plenty of main story and optional quests to undertake which do a sizzling job of contextualizing the kid becoming a man, and transitioning his life from high school to college all while maintaining healthy relationships with family. Despite hurdles along the way, he manages to help his mentor in becoming a reliable partner. Shows no fear in telling the truth and admits when he’s wrong to become a better person. Struggles internally with understandably traumatic episodes with unresolved emotions toward someone I shall not name. But here, we see so much relatability emerge and how the human element of Miles shines brightly among the darkness. And most of all he’s not alone, others think highly of him and support him when he needs it. Like Hailey. There is a wholesome segment regarding her which made me reminiscent of Jet Set Radio Future oddly enough. Pretty rad.

Before I move on, I must talk about the fantastic accessible settings the game features. QTE autocomplete, puzzle/explicit hints with skipping, chase assist, dodge/parry timing increased, swing/parkour mode, tricks mode, and turning off visual effects like motion blur and depth of field is an absolute godsend. I kid you not I abused these settings without an inch of shame so much so it increased my enjoyment of every aspect of the game to the nth degree. No more failing chases, no more head-scratching puzzles! There are loads of different and varied ones you can complete so it feels good to try and solve them before resorting to the skip option. Moving on, forgiving dodge/parry mechanic, auto web-slinging, and turning off unneeded visual effects help so much in making the hero’s life easier. Don’t get me started on the quick-time events. I love watching the cutscenes uninterrupted without the requirement to press a button. I get it if others like that, but for me, I prefer a smooth scene to watch, soak in the dialogue, and take a breather from intense action sequences. At least it's not Hideo Kojima long cutscenes to movie length here… Despite the fact, that I love long cutscenes heh.

As much as I love the game. I did have some mixed feelings. Not a positive or a negative, but for the sake of transparency I’ll note them below, since I think these elements could’ve been improved, cut, or redone. Let's start with the big one.

Two villains needed more screen time and development which was another case I talked about previously for the 2018 game. And while I didn’t make a review(yet) of Miles Morales I completed the game twice to get a feel of them. From what I could ascertain, the 2018, 2020, and 2023 arachnid games share similar problems with not enough focus on antagonists/s which I won’t name. Twist the knife deeper and attack one of either spider’s family/friends, more depth to the bad guys, more missions. Additional screen time and development. Etc. While MSM2 improves tremendously in doing something for past foes. An element I liked to see. Nonetheless, I was hungry for everything above on my suggestions regarding the two. However, I think the devs do a good job of fleshing out enough of the rest you’ll come across later.

MJ stealth missions are back and while I was dreading their possible resurgence, I have to admit it does improve a bit from the original formula. Thankfully not dragging out too much while giving her enough new tools to help. Their frequency of coming back to these sections is enormously lessened too. Granted I believe they could’ve forgone with some of this or implemented other changes than a back to the old rinse and repeat method. The director sure ain't caring a whole lot it looks like, which I think speaks volumes about her stealth sections. So perhaps it’ll change in a possible third entry? Though considering his words I heavily doubt it. Would love to be wrong though.

Several activities needed major improvement. Such as Spider-Bots return in certain parts of the game and as a collectible to collect which I love, but this time I'll discuss strange spider-bots in random parts of NYC to capture. I find it mega lacking since both web dudes will say a brief comment and a very short note in the collections menu. Felt this could be improved like how finding backpacks included a nugget of lore for past Spidey villains. They could’ve added a recording from where the bots originated to confuse Parker and Morales on why the information being extracted feels so unfamiliar and familiar. Nonetheless, the reward for collecting all of them is such a tease for fans. So I recommend it despite my thoughts on it. Furthermore, one optional activity is rinse and repeat following a drone. With barely any payoff in the end. Nice to know the outcome, but I think this could’ve been constructed differently to make the gameplay more engaging. Thankfully there is a button you can press in the menu to skip the activity altogether, yet this is merely a band-aid instead of a proper solution. The [redacted] nests are pretty repetitive time-limit challenges to complete by preventing enemies from destroying a device to destroy said nests. An easy alternative would’ve been to include more lore/worldbuilding here or replace it by having our heroes rescue our allies. Granted I will give credit for making it a cleanup task to do.

Finally, there is a stretch of the game I won’t pinpoint while excellent in its execution I think the section needed more time fleshing out. At least two to five plus hours more to let the events that occur settle in and explore more complicated nuances in what happens in friendships/family. This ties into the [redacted] nests from earlier along with more missions to showcase devastation, further ramifications of a character's actions, and worthwhile optional content related to it. Why not a side mission to save some close friends? Family? Heck, even JJJ. Introduce new enemies taking advantage of the city and criminal team-ups. I had heavy nostalgia despite the fact I’ve barely played any Spider-Man games. And there’s one in particular this game takes large inspiration among other things like the films.

One silver lining to all these mixed feelings I have that it doesn’t impact my overall experience too much. The full package of controlling either Spider-Men and living their private life is as gratifying as it is to see their hero life continue among troubled times. Which reminds me of one quote that the dev’s continue to hit time and time again to marvelous effect. “-nothing ever turns out 100 percent OK; he's got a lot of problems, and he does things wrong, and I can relate to that.” From a Stan Lee interview with the Chicago Tribune. We see constant internal and external forces continuing to batter our strong-willed protagonists to the point I was left on the edge of my seat at times. Saw them during their darkest moments. Leaving me filled with dread and anxiety. Yet despite these tumultuous emotions. There is careful thought, precision and passion in crafting original new material while taking great cues from classic sources we know like Raimi’s Spider-Man 3. among certain liberties with one of their IPs to excellent effect. Making MSM2 almost like a careful love letter without treading on familiar material to utilize. Embracing realistic and surprising scenarios sending my eyebrows nearly to the top of my hairline and my eyeballs close to expelling from my sockets. So you could say I was pretty impressed by how far Insomniac continues to twist the narrative to make it both compelling and impactful to newcomers/ veterans well used to spidey lore. And boy oh boy are we in for one hell of a ride with a spectacular duo. If this is how much Insomniac upgraded after several years, I can only shudder at how much a third possible entry would reach in the future.

8.5/10

Additional Material:
Why Miles is the MVP - Major spoilers to endgame, good focus on Miles parts.
Villains and %^&$ - Same warning as above, related to what I discussed early on villains doing something
Black Suit $%^* - Same warning as above - Related to my last point in mixed feelings
Discourse on Peter and Miles - Same warning as above - I’m hesitant to link this since I think its kinda controversial in the fandom, but I think its good food for thought. Regardless, I agree with OP.
Marvel Spider-Man 2 & Raimi’s Spider-Man 3 scenes compilation - Same warning as above. Related to my point on Raimi above. I love it.
MJ in Spider-Man 1 vs. Spider-Man 2- minor spoilers, but meme sums up her performance to a T.
If this Be My Destiny - Fascinating look on early Spidey and one of his most defining traits.
My spoiler thoughts throughout the game up to the post-credit scene - same warning as above
Spider-Man’s Marriage- Not related to MSM2. But this recent news is so uplifting I have to share it since we’ve been in major dark times ever since Paul was introduced in the comics. Finally, good news.

“Hey caras, guerras não são legais, parem com isto!”.

Achei super interessante a forma que a história é apresentada ao jogador. Ao invés de controlarmos um personagem principal, em Battlefield 1 você assume o papel de diferentes protagonistas, e joga histórias contadas em forma de “crônicas” que são unidas por um tema em comum: O quão cruel pode ser uma guerra.

Eu poderia reclamar que o game é curto, mas sei lá, o jogo consegue ser 0 cansativo. Quando você acha que a gameplay vai começar a ficar repetitiva o ótimo ritmo da narrativa e frequentes mudanças de abordagem mantém o jogador entretido o tempo inteiro (As variedades de missões abrilhantam o jogo, uma hora você está correndo por campos abertos tentando driblar as explosões, outra você precisa ir stealth pois tem muitos inimigos. Ainda sobra espaço para pilotar veículos).

A gameplay por um todo é agradável, sendo super frenética e precisa (A dirigibilidade do tanque de guerra deixa um pouco a desejar mas em contra partida dirigir o avião de guerra e derrubar outros aviões no céu é um dos auges do jogo).

Battlefield 1 acerta muito em acontecer na Primeira Guerra Mundial pois além de fazer a franquia ganhar um novo tom, continuou agradando os jogadores fiéis que curtem o modo online.

PRÓS:
- Ótimas histórias de guerra.
- Gameplay satisfatória.

CONTRAS:
- IA inimiga burra em alguns momentos.

Esse jogo foi um dos principais motivos pra eu querer um PS4 mesmo que tardiamente. E depois que eu terminei, eu entendi porque fixei tanto nele.

Não consigo descrever o tanto que esse jogo me impactou. O jeito que conseguiram renovar a franquia, dar uma cara nova mas sem perder a essência. O puta desenvolvimento de personagem que o Kratos tem, a dinâmica dele com e o arco de evolução e amadurecimento do Atreus. As reviravoltas.

God of War é o tipo de jogo que tu começa a jogar e não consegue parar. Tu simplesmente te perde dentro dele, explorando o mundo lindo que o game te entrega, descobrindo cada vez mais coisas e simplesmente sendo pego pela gameplay viciante. O sistema de progressão também que te fazer sentir o quão mais forte tu vai ficando e te fazendo querer upar cada vez mais.

Os diálogos, o jeito que a história consegue ser delicada e poderosa. A trilha sonora absurdamente bem feita e que te coloca dentro do clima necessário pra cada batalha e cada acontecimento. Eu tô simplesmente apaixonado.

Juro que queria fazer uma review mais técnica como eu vejo o pessoal que acompanho aqui fazer de maneira incrível e que eu também tento fazer com os outros jogos e falho miseravelmente, só que eu realmente não consigo botar em palavras o quanto eu amei o que esse jogo proporciona e o quão emocionado fiquei em diversos momentos.

God of War me lembrou do porque eu amo tanto video games e me fez pensar no tanto de jogo maravilhoso que eu ainda não joguei e preciso começar o quanto antes. Eu imaginei que eu fosse curtir pra caramba assim como eu simplesmente amava os do Playstation 2, mas eu real não esperava que eu fosse ficar completamente apaixonado pelo game desse jeito. Sei lá, acho que não sei mais o que falar.

DE QUE SERVE UMA HONRA QUE PODE TE CUSTAR TUDO?

Ghost of Tsushima é um dos jogos que eu mais queria jogar antes mesmo de pegar meu PS4. Sou completamente apaixonado pela cultura japonesa e por obras jidaigeki, sejam elas filmes, mangás ou, nesse caso, jogo. Então, era quase certo que eu ia amar o que o jogo tinha pra me oferecer. E ainda assim eu consegui ficar surpreso.

Primeiramente, a ambientação é linda. O recurso do vento guia, que eu achei incrível, me fez querer explorar cada vez mais o mapa. Direto eu parava de ir pro objetivo marcado e ia fazer algum objetivo secundário ou ia pra algum ponto lindo do mapa (que são vários) só pra brincar no modo foto. O combate é extremamente delicioso, dá gosto de aparar ataques, usar as diferentes posturas pra enfrentar os diferentes tipos de inimigos, de entrar nos confrontos e nos duelos. O sistema de progressão do jogo também é muito bem feito e a sensação de recompensa é enorme, principalmente quando tu desbloqueia posturas, aprende movimentos novos e ataques míticos. As atividades secundárias também são muito legais de fazer e eu poderia ficar horas só escrevendo haikus e indo em águas termais.

Mas agora eu quero focar no ponto que mais me pegou nesse jogo e o que fez eu me apaixonar tremendamente: a história. Eu acho que poucos jogos tem uma história tão ou mais profunda que a de Ghost of Tsushima. Jin Sakai é um personagem extremamente bem escrito, repleto de dramas pessoais, inseguranças e ainda assim um senso de justiça muito grande. Todos os personagens coadjuvantes são muito bem desenvolvidos também e tu te apega a cada um deles. Destaque pra Yuna e pro Lorde Shimura. O Khotun Kahn é um vilão memorável, daqueles execráveis que tu não tem escolha a não ser odiar e querer enfrentar ele o quanto antes por causa de todas as atitudes dele. Poucas vezes também me emocionei tanto com um jogo como aqui. Talvez seja por eu amar cultura japonesa, ter me apegado aos personagens, não sei. Sei que eu acabei chorando sim algumas vezes na reta final do jogo.

E eu simplesmente fiquei completamente envolto no desenvolvimento do Jin e nas questões pessoais que ele enfrenta durante o jogo todo, que chegam a ser filosóficas e fazem até mesmo o jogador se questionar. De que serve a honra de um homem se ela vai contra tudo aquilo que ele acredita? É honrado colocar teu povo e aqueles com quem tu te importa de frente pra morte só por um código? E até que ponto também vai a desonra e o que seria a desonra no fim das contas? Vale a pena abrir mão de um suposto código de gerações quando ele se prova tão falho quanto a falta dele? Manter o povo vivo, mesmo que por ações dúbias diante da tua realidade é realmente uma desonra ou é apenas medo de que na verdade isso mostre que honra é algo relativo quando se dentro de uma guerra?

Sinceramente, é difícil elaborar tudo e todas essas questões que os desenvolvedores colocam pra gente podem render horas de conversas. Independente do que pra um Clã isso tudo significa, sei que, pra mim, foi uma honra poder passar tanto tempo dentro da Ilha de Tsushima e experienciar a história desse que, sem sombra de dúvidas, se tornou um dos meus jogos favoritos.