The perfect conclusion to the BUNGIE Saga.

Now, I will say this…

Some things…

I preferred them in the book.

THAT BEING SAID, i adore Noble team and their story with all of my heart.

Halo Reach was a bit of a mixed package when it released.

Changing a lot of the old staples, evolving the franchise, and adding stuff that fans either embraced, or hated.

I think this game is an acquired taste by fans of the franchise, yet, the one constant in every type of fan is: they all absolutely adore at least one aspect of the game, if not all of it.

The extremely emotional and gripping campaign, the fun and intense combat, the ever beautiful soundtrack by Martin O’Donnell, and the incredibly robust multiplayer offering, made this an instant classic, worthy of standing side-by-side with the rest of the iconic entries of the beloved franchise.

BUNGIE’s classic saga came to a closure with Reach, yet jumped to legendary status as time went on, and believe me…. None of the praise for this saga is unearned.

Halo truly was one of the most important franchises of gaming history when BUNGIE ran the show.

Bigger, badder, better.

This game was everything it needed to be as a sequel.

Brighter and more colorful color palette, more bombastic set pieces and locations to play in, more and better looking weapons with greater customization options, absolutely unbeaten multiplayer offering, and a bold, unapologetic story about treason that hurts even to this day.

This game was revered back then, I hardly understood why…

Until I played it, and immediately, the whole modern warfare trilogy, became one of my favorite gaming trilogies of all times.

Call of Duty might’ve started its climb to fame with Modern Warfare and World at War.

But it was Modern Warfare 2 that sealed its fate as an absolute powerhouse.

Dice created so high a standard in their own franchise, that practically, immediately doomed the rest of their future installments to fail…

Battlefield 1 was an immediate win from the very first trailer.

Coming out at a time where both WWII and Futuristic Combat games were starting to go stale, Battlefield 1 made the bold choice of going as back as humanly possible, to where they could still make a proper Battlefield game, and of course, they succeeded beautifully.

The look, the sounds, the immersion, the short but heartfelt campaign, the insane combat scenarios, the massive and destructible levels, everything was increased by a thousand, and absolutely rocked gamers hearts for as long as it lasted.

Ask anyone around, any real gamer…

They’ll all point back to 1, as one of the best Battlefield games that’s ever been released.

And that’s one hell of a mountain to climb…

The game that changed everything…

Above and beyond the call.

Both the game and its marketing were absolutely unhinged, and we loved them for it.

Releasing with trailer music like “99 problems but a bitch ain’t one”, and tag lines like “above and beyond the call”, accompanied by quotes by reviewers explicitly stating: “this game puts COD Ghosts to shame”, Battlefield 3 knew what it was, and rocked with it.

It was the evolution of Battlefield, the next numerical entry in the franchise, with an extremely high budget campaign that STILL looks great, a stunning graphical engine, absolutely immersive sound effects, and so much chaos and destruction that reduced entire sessions to shaky screens and rains of rock and debris everywhere.

It was the beginning of something extremely special for the franchise, and a well deserved push forward to the formula that had already dominated PC’s since the early 1942 and Vietnam games.

And it is without a doubt, a timeless classic, that will forever live in the heart of those who got to experience it when it originally came out.

First of all… do forgive me for the harsh language I’m about to use, but it is necessary to relay my opinions on this game.

Now….just like Dead Island, Dead Island Riptide, and Escape Dead Island, this game is at its best when it’s NOT IN THE MOTHER FUCKING SEWERS!!!!
FFFFUUUCK…..

GRANTED…. The sewers were shorter than all the ones from the previous games, BUT…. What makes them more annoying, is that this is the most beautiful, and lush-looking game of the franchise, and one of the best looking in general…. It’s really gorgeous.

So them, locking you in annoying, generic, Back 4 Blood-looking, ugly ass tunnels, is a crime…

On top of that, the last few hours of the game, as you make your way to Hollywood, are riddled with sooo much padding, and filler boss battles, that don’t feel earned, and even the last boss feels cheap, with its constant spawn of other enemies just to add a fake sense of “challenge”.

The last minutes of the game are nothing but a brainless button mash of flying critical hit boxes and numbers, just like many of the RPG wannabes out there nowadays.

So, if all I’ve said so far is nothing but negatives, then why in the FUCK, did I give it a perfect rating…. You might wonder….

Well, it’s because of literally every other aspect of this goddamn game.

As a die hard fan of Dead Island who followed the original game since its very first teaser (way before the falling-out-the-window-girl-phenomenon)and who got the first game on launch, loved Riptide and even loved Escape Dead Island, I have to say…

This is the sequel I absolutely wanted AND needed.

The story is really well made, with stupendous facial animations that more than often do make you feel for the characters you encounter, and a journey that takes your survivor through a conspiracy that mimics everything the previous games did. (down to military conspiracies and mind bending hallucinations)

Characters are mostly well written (apart from one or two who are utterly unbearable), and properly show you the type of apocalypse that would happen should a virus be released in rich, out of touch areas of the United States (which I found utterly amusing….hehehe).

But the Star of the show to me, was the beautifully well-crafted open world areas, the combination of its colorful and bright graphics running seamlessly at 60 fps mixed with the dreadful, and depressing sounding ambiance that properly immerses you into apocalypse-riddled Hell-A , makes this A FUCKING JOY to complete.

Slowly exploring each building, listening to the far cries of anguish and terror, mixed with both, random moments of chaos and destruction sounding all around you, and long, dreadful, moments of disheartening silence, transforms exploration into a completely unique experience.

As a zombie fan, who’s always dreamed of the perfect zombie game, that perfectly explores the initial hours of chaos during an outbreak, and happens in a lush, urban environment (unlike most other zombie media that happens way after the outbreak and is always in forest or desert areas with small towns), I can tell you, this game gave me EXACTLY THAT.

As stated in the beginning, the game is not perfect, far from it if you see it objectively.

But as a zombie AND Dead Island fan of heart, I can tell you, the undeniable strengths of the game absolutely made up for its shortcomings, and this is a game I do not tire to play and explore, long now after finishing it.

I eagerly await the DLC expansions, and hope this is the rebirth of what in my eyes is one of THE BEST zombie videogame franchises in the market.

… little grievance though: where THE FUCK are the analog controls for the combat???….. COME ON!!!

This game lives rent free in my heart…

Now, this one bothers me because it is the only damn Jurassic Park game I haven’t found physical for my Xbox and that infuriates me…

But that has nothing to do with my review…

It was just a comment.

This game gave me something I never knew I needed, at a time where I absolutely wanted it.

Being a huge fan of Jurassic Park/World, this game gave me the opportunity to role play as my very own version of John Hammond, and create the perfect Jurassic Park I never thought could even happen.

And just like in the film, it was not meant to happen…

The many different things that can go wrong in this game keep you on your toes at all times as you try to reach the maximum star rating possible, from weather problems like rain and hurricanes, down to more, typical, Jurassic problems like, certain species wanting to wreck havoc around your civilian-riddled park.

Still, the reward factor of slowly building your park has no equal, from sending teams to dig up new skeletons and completing DNA sequences for more species, to researching new security measures and park attractions.

I swear, it’s so fun and intuitive, it physically prevents you from leaving the game FOR HOURS, as you get closer and closer to the final goal.

Apart from the classic sim aspects of the game, it also has some interactive sections that make it a little bit more of a hands-on challenge.

From driving around and experiencing your rides in first person, to chasing down roaming dinosaurs and bringing them back to their enclosures, it definitely has a lot for everyone who plays it.

Now all of these things Can also be found in today’s Jurassic World Evolution games, which are basically spiritual successors to the original al Operation Genesis, however, while good and fun on their own, I still firmly believe none of them were able to fully stick the landing about as good as Genesis did.

Is this nostalgia speaking?…. Most definitely.

But it is one that matches the opinions voiced by many who still revere this game as perhaps the best Jurassic Park game ever made.

And I kinda agree.

Somehow, somewhere… this game, still… found a way.

This game was perhaps one of the most important releases in videogame history.

In all of my years of playing, I had never seen a game create this much hype.

I live in Mexico, and gaming had always been sort of an underground thing, even more than in the U.S, so very rarely did you see ads for games on magazines or let alone TV.
If anything all you saw prompted were the consoles, and that’s it.

But Halo 2 changed that…

Ads in every street, on every building, tv ads running left and right, promos on magazines, newspapers and posters on the streets.

This, I had seen many times with movies, but NEVER with a game.

The level of excitement and anticipation I believe was similar to anything Star Wars had experienced before and after….

Halo did that.

In only two games, Halo became comparable to Star Wars.

How was that even possible? I thought.

Then, a couple years later, I was able to play it with a good friend of mine, and I finally understood what everyone were so excited for…

Halo 2 is an experience…

The epic, immersive, and legendary campaign is a complete, narrative overhaul, now focusing on telling the player a proper, blockbuster story, from two sides of a violent war.

The characters are eternally praised as some of the best characters in Halo, from Sgt. Johnson, to Miranda Keyes, and of course, the introduction to the Inquisitor.

(The ending is everyone’s only complaint, as it is one of gaming’s most egregious cockteases ever conceived….. but even that, I like it)

And then of course… OF COURSE.

The innovation of every, single, multiplayer aspect of this game.

From the seamless integration with Xbox Live, a the innovative matchmaking system, and the extremely social lobbies that created countless friendships during its lifespan, Halo 2 ROCKED the Xbox live service and squeezed every last drop of it for as long as it could.

It was an experience.

Somehow even greater than the original, while at the same time, not destroying its legacy.

It was the James Cameron’s Aliens to its Ridley Scott’s Alien.
Or the Empire Strikes Back to its Star Wars A New Hope.
It was a once in a lifetime achievement for this franchise that would secure its place as one of history’s most important Videogame franchises.

And all of this… while still being full of heart, and fun to the core.

Simply magnificent.

The highest point of the NFS franchise…

The perfect mix of irreverence and street racing, action and car customization, being the best racer and the most wanted.

Of course people today will think this is far from a good game, probably criticizing the overly ridiculous cop chases, arcade controls, and yellow filter the game has at all times.

And they’re absolutely right.

But there’s something this game has, that none of the newest, more realistic-looking (ish) or complex feeling (ish) NFS games have…

Heart.

And I will always cherish this experience for as long as I can, and it will always be the single best product that came from the classic black box NFS era.

Is it nostalgia?

Absolutely.

Do I care?

Absolutely not.

Everything about this game speaks directly to my heart as soon as I turn it on.

Warning, as most of my 10/10 reviews, this is nothing but my personal nostalgia speaking.

But oh boy do I not give a damn when it comes to this game…

The colors, graphics, sounds (the damn engines), music (I love riders on the storm, sue me), controls, races, open world, EVERYTHING.

It is to me, the perfect racing game.

I pray EA leave it alone, unless they make a remake that fully respects and honors the game as a whole and not just parts of it.

This is a game I often go back to replay, and constantly reference when both criticizing and playing any and all new Need For Speed games.

It’s one hell of a good time.

This game is a masterpiece of Survival Horror…

Now, contrary to many here, I actually played this game way later than I should have…
My family didn’t have a lot of money, so, we never had a GameCube, however, around 9 years ago, when I had my third or fourth job I think, I made the decision to awaken that part of me that always wanted to play the GameCube.

I got one, and a whole entire world opened up for me, leading me to some of the best games that I had never been able to play before.

One of them, was this little gem.

Now I had already placed the original on PS1 back when I was in Junior High, and was already a fan of the franchise, however, this game completely took that knowledge away, and forced me to re-experience the first game as if it was my very first time playing it, and boy oh boy did it quickly climb into my top 10, both as a resident evil game, and as a game in general.

The level of attention and detail, and quality that this games exudes, is breathtaking, even today.

And as always, the replayability factor is off the roof with it.

It’s a must have or a must play to every single survival horror fan, and I believe the number one game for… I’d say, 85% of the Resident Evil community.

And for good reason.

Here’s where a lot of people started to drift away from the franchise… and I understand that…

But it’s still my absolute favorite game of the series, and I’ll tell you why!!:

While RE 2 was the first RE game I played, it was Nemesis the very first one I beat.

The switch to a more action oriented system wasn’t to everyone’s liking, but, it enhanced the experience to me.

Puzzles were everywhere just like in the previous 2 games, but now, it expanded on that initial level from RE 2 and built an entire experience around exploring the enormous, desolate, and destroyed, city of the dead, with an atmosphere that I kid you not, makes me anxious to this very day, and makes my guts curl as soon as I hear the desolate winds whistle through the city, as distant sounds of death and chaos help paint the gruesome and obscure scenarios that you come across in your zombie riddled journey.

And then… there’s Nemesis.

The stuff of nightmares I tell you, his single presence made my 8 year old ass panic like my literal life depended on it.

This game was simple, and, well, it’s not its fault, since it was originally going to be a spin off, but later changed into a main entry, however I think that, in that process, the game managed to create something extremely special for gamers just like me, who loved the dread and horror of solving puzzles around monster infested streets, while also going crazy with a powerful assault rifle, unloading round after round on the dangerous walking corpses plaguing Raccoon City.

It May not be the best to many, but, RE3 Nemesis, to me… you’re definitely one of the greatest Action-Survival Horror games of all times.

Playing this game was a one in a lifetime experience, and it’s one I will never forget…

I remember when it first came out, seeing the absolutely insane reaction in every magazine, review show, and game store, everyone was talking about it.

I myself always wanted the chainsaw controller edition that released later on.

However, I never really got to play it.

All I could do was, watch all the images, read all the walkthroughs, and watch as many videos as I could find.

It wasn’t up until I was already a working adult, that I was able to buy my own GameCube, and a copy of this game.

And boy oh boy, was the experience exhilarating…

Just entering the game for the first time, watching the classic, gritty textures, and listening to the desolate ambiance was already thrilling, but then you’re welcomed by the most anxiety inducing opening level in any game, fighting off dozens of plagas AND the chainsaw dude, safe to say, I was already sold on it, but as the experience kept going, it kept getting better and better for the most part.

By the end you do see a few levels that were a bit too much, and just the level of insanity that the story has, but for some unknown reason, it all works out perfectly together in the end.

This is perhaps one of my most replayed games ever as well, and the one I own the most I think, coming down to Cube, IOS, Xbox 360, PS4, PC and now the remake.

While not perfect when fully analyzing every level and mechanic in detail, it definitely works all together as one of the most epic and memorable Survival Horror Action experiences out there.

This game is far from perfect.

Typical wave shooter, left 4 dead-style, with limited roster of levels, and very little variety.

Then…. Why do I rate it that high?.

Because, as both an Alien fan, and a gamer, this game did to me, what Aliens: Colonial Marines only managed to promise.

If you’re on auto pilot, playing a game just to play it, expecting it to have so much crap to do and unlock, that you can stay busy for the rest of your life, of course you’re gonna hate it.

But if you slow down, put your “Alien fan” hat on, and play it on your own terms, you’ll find the awesome game hidden beneath.

The story is fascinating as an Alien fan, taking place much much farther into the future of the franchise, avoiding to destroy canon in any way, and telling a story new, but familiar.

The environments take you through almost all of the most memorable Alien locations, from mining ships like the Nostromo, to Engineer ruins like Prometheus, and Alien forests like Covenant, always hiding secrets and unlockables that add to the ever expanding lore.

And then, the gameplay.
Fast paced third person shooting, frenzy on your own, tactical as a squad.
Unlocking and customizing your weapons is addictive, as well as playing with each of the classes and maxing out their specs.

And finally, the music.
The soundtrack is downright perfect.
An excellent mix of classic Alien themes, and new music that fits perfectly with the franchise.

It’s more than likely that I’m looking at this game from a place of zero constructive analysis.

But I’m an alien fan, who loves crazy fun shooters, with tons of stuff to unlock and customize.

So it feels like this game was hand made for me.

I get it if you don’t like it, but if any or all of the details I spoke of before apply to you, then perhaps you should consider giving it a try.

It’s a game I never tire of playing.

Without a doubt, some of the most fun I’ve ever had with Battlefield.

This game rocked my teenage years, playing with a full squad of friends online, taking objectives left and right, and showing off my helicopter piloting skills that would inevitably land me dead at some cliff.

Bad Company 2 started the revolution of Battlefield.

Improving a lot on map size, environmental destruction, weapon variety and customization, and adding a fun, charismatic single player campaign, the game gave gamers from every walk of earth a little something to latch onto, and created within them everlasting memories of action and chaos that are even revered today, as both 2042 references maps and guns from the game, and as players desperately ask for a part 3 of the crazy stories of Battlefield’s own A-Team, the Bad Company.

No one knows if we’ll ever see a third part, but I can tell you this….

Part 2 is still called one of the best games in the franchise by many of its fans and for good reason.

Also long live the X-M8 Assault rifle, not enough games feature that majestic piece of deadly machinery.