Celio1
FF7 Remake was my favorite video game of all time. It was my first Final Fantasy game. I loved the characters, story, gameplay, world building, music, everything. However, the main reason it was my favorite was because it taught me to open up, try out new things (and I'm not just talking about video games). Before, I was really stubborn, only sticking to what I know. After playing FF7 Remake, I became more open minded. With that said, how does Rebirth compare? As expected from a video game sequel, Rebirth expands and improves upon FF7 Remake in very matter. It should be no surprise that this is my new favorite video game of all time.
There is so much content! Took me 101 hours just to be the main story. Granted I did all the side quests and world intel, but still. It never got boring or long but that's thanks to the fast-paced combat, basically non-existent load times and how refreshing the level design is with all the sections with other characters and minigames (I'll touch upon that later). I've had a PS5 for 3 years now and this is the first time a game felt "Next Gen" and not just an enhanced PS4 game. Really got my money's worth, unlike with Spider-Man 2 which took me 20 hours to 100% complete.
My biggest gripe are the minigames. Most of them are fun and fairly simple. However, there are some that I absolutely loathed playing. The Whirling Whack frog Fallguys, the sit-ups, the third Chocobo flying and the Two Legs? Nothin' to it piano. Of course, I eventually beat them with the highest score, but still.
I am absolutely awe struck by FF7 Rebirth and I can't wait for Part 3, whenever that comes out. Will probably release before Kingdom Hearts 4.
There is so much content! Took me 101 hours just to be the main story. Granted I did all the side quests and world intel, but still. It never got boring or long but that's thanks to the fast-paced combat, basically non-existent load times and how refreshing the level design is with all the sections with other characters and minigames (I'll touch upon that later). I've had a PS5 for 3 years now and this is the first time a game felt "Next Gen" and not just an enhanced PS4 game. Really got my money's worth, unlike with Spider-Man 2 which took me 20 hours to 100% complete.
My biggest gripe are the minigames. Most of them are fun and fairly simple. However, there are some that I absolutely loathed playing. The Whirling Whack frog Fallguys, the sit-ups, the third Chocobo flying and the Two Legs? Nothin' to it piano. Of course, I eventually beat them with the highest score, but still.
I am absolutely awe struck by FF7 Rebirth and I can't wait for Part 3, whenever that comes out. Will probably release before Kingdom Hearts 4.
2023
I finally understand the people that say Resident Evil 4 is a masterpiece and it's one of the best video games of all time. Resident Evil 4 Remake is peak horror and also a very good action/adventure game.
I honestly have very little bad to say about it. Having to constantly rescue Ashley can be a little annoying and so is having to do multiple playthroughs to obtain the platinum trophy. However, neither spoiled my experience. As a matter of fact, this is one of the few games where I'm having more fun the more playthroughs I'm doing. Doing a professional S+ run was challenging but not too difficult. I like having to meticulously plan my 15 saves and utilize the skips to save time and resources.
My favorite types of video games are ones that are easy to pick up and challenging to master. Resident Evil 4 is one of those games and it will go down as one of my favorites.
I honestly have very little bad to say about it. Having to constantly rescue Ashley can be a little annoying and so is having to do multiple playthroughs to obtain the platinum trophy. However, neither spoiled my experience. As a matter of fact, this is one of the few games where I'm having more fun the more playthroughs I'm doing. Doing a professional S+ run was challenging but not too difficult. I like having to meticulously plan my 15 saves and utilize the skips to save time and resources.
My favorite types of video games are ones that are easy to pick up and challenging to master. Resident Evil 4 is one of those games and it will go down as one of my favorites.
2019
Playing this reassured me of two things to expect for GTAVI. The story mode will be a narrative work of art but will be a nightmare for completionists. And the online will be interesting in theory but a train wreck in practicality.
Red Dead Online has the weirdest progression system I have played in an online game. Like GTAV Online, money is a bitch to come by and everything is super expensive. But, Red Dead Online one ups that with a second currency that's even harder to obtain without paying real life money: gold. Every 5th level, you get a treasure map. So, the most consistent way to earn gold and money is by leveling up. The easiest, quickest, but most boring way to level up is with the collector role. What this means is the best way to progress and unlock more content is by going around the map collecting a whole bunch of tarot cards, flowers, coins, alcohol bottles, fossils, arrowheads and jewelry. It's pretty much story mode except you can't pause the game. Not exactly the most fun experience.
Red Dead Online doesn't feel like an online experience where you interact with other players around the world. But when you do, you'll want to go back to isolation. This game has the absolute worst PVP I have ever played. You die instantly. Any gun from any distance + deadeye will always kill someone. I'll play a TDM series and die 30 times because some level 1000 tryhard instantly locks on to my head and shoots me. It's really not fun.
Just like GTAV, Red Dead Online is extremely tedious to progress through and has a terrible pvp experience. I hope Rockstar learns from these two games and make GTAVI Online enjoyable, but knowing them, they won't and GTAVI Online is be just as disastrous if not worst.
Red Dead Online has the weirdest progression system I have played in an online game. Like GTAV Online, money is a bitch to come by and everything is super expensive. But, Red Dead Online one ups that with a second currency that's even harder to obtain without paying real life money: gold. Every 5th level, you get a treasure map. So, the most consistent way to earn gold and money is by leveling up. The easiest, quickest, but most boring way to level up is with the collector role. What this means is the best way to progress and unlock more content is by going around the map collecting a whole bunch of tarot cards, flowers, coins, alcohol bottles, fossils, arrowheads and jewelry. It's pretty much story mode except you can't pause the game. Not exactly the most fun experience.
Red Dead Online doesn't feel like an online experience where you interact with other players around the world. But when you do, you'll want to go back to isolation. This game has the absolute worst PVP I have ever played. You die instantly. Any gun from any distance + deadeye will always kill someone. I'll play a TDM series and die 30 times because some level 1000 tryhard instantly locks on to my head and shoots me. It's really not fun.
Just like GTAV, Red Dead Online is extremely tedious to progress through and has a terrible pvp experience. I hope Rockstar learns from these two games and make GTAVI Online enjoyable, but knowing them, they won't and GTAVI Online is be just as disastrous if not worst.
2022
This game goes unnecessary hard. Normally when people say this, it's a slang for saying something is cool, awesome or at least that's what I think. When I say it, I'm calling something acutely strange and awkward. Like your "Johnson" going erect mode in the middle of school. Hello Neighbor 2 is that mid school day erection.
There's so many elements from 10 games mashed in one here and none of it works. Supposed to be a horror game but there's nothing scary or creepy about it. You're supposed to walk slowly, not make any noise and hide from the enemies if they spot you, but the optimal way to play is by sprinting past the enemies because they lose sight of you really easy. Puzzles aren't really puzzles. There's an interesting and tragic story, but you need to Youtube it to even know what it is about because the game doesn't tell you squat. Sensitivity is really slow. The jumping is bad which wouldn't be an issue except there's a decent amount of parkour for some reason. Art style is not my cup of tea. To break glass, you need to throw an object and then pick it back up. Why not have a control to swing the crowbar you always need to carry? Everything is so short sighted!
Hello Neighbor 2 is not terrible and I certainly don't hate it. It's a quick and stress free platinum trophy. However, I have to put it as one of my worst rated games because there's not a single thing positive or even half decent to say about it. Just like an erection in the middle of school.
There's so many elements from 10 games mashed in one here and none of it works. Supposed to be a horror game but there's nothing scary or creepy about it. You're supposed to walk slowly, not make any noise and hide from the enemies if they spot you, but the optimal way to play is by sprinting past the enemies because they lose sight of you really easy. Puzzles aren't really puzzles. There's an interesting and tragic story, but you need to Youtube it to even know what it is about because the game doesn't tell you squat. Sensitivity is really slow. The jumping is bad which wouldn't be an issue except there's a decent amount of parkour for some reason. Art style is not my cup of tea. To break glass, you need to throw an object and then pick it back up. Why not have a control to swing the crowbar you always need to carry? Everything is so short sighted!
Hello Neighbor 2 is not terrible and I certainly don't hate it. It's a quick and stress free platinum trophy. However, I have to put it as one of my worst rated games because there's not a single thing positive or even half decent to say about it. Just like an erection in the middle of school.
The Indigo Disk is everything I already love about Scarlet and Violet but more.
My favorite Pokémon of all time Flygon is back. The others are cool, but many of them are trade evolutions so you'll need a buddy and some cash for Nintendo Switch online, or hope they appear in raid dens. You can actually catch all the starters for the first time. That's pretty awesome. Legendaries are back but not all for some reason. Where's Xerneas, Yveltal, Zygarde, the Tapus and Ultra beasts? Doesn't make a whole lot of sense to exclude them consider their models already exist in Sword and Shield and Gamefreak could just copy/paste them in Scarlet and Violet. Oh well, I'm not super crazy about them anyways so I don't really care. Also, they're shiny locked. I don't care because I don't shiny hunt but it still doesn't make any sense why they are.
The new Pokémon are very cool and strong. The two new evolutions are killer. The four new paradox mons are epic. Terapagos is interesting because of its Stellar tera type, but I'm kind of disappointed. I guess I was expecting too much because how much Pokémon was teasing it since the first episode of the Pokémon: Horizons anime back in April. I expected a total powerhouse beast, Instead, it's a turtle. Still cool, just not epic.
The map is simple and very straight forward. Very cool how you're in an underwater biome. I don't know why but the frames drop to bedrock level whenever I'm near mud. The game is already kinda choppy but for some reason when I'm around the mud, my Switch is about to commit die.
The BBL elite four are cool but you don't interact with them very much so they are kind of forgettable. I can't say the same for Carmine and Kieran. Carmine is such a cool character. I love everything about her: her design, personality, her hair, how tall she is. My second favorite behind Rika. Kieran has a pretty cool character arc. He doesn't think he's good enough, so he trains harder. Eventually, he becomes the strongest around, but becomes a bit of an edge lord. I can relate because I went through a similar phase and am still going through it. Minus being the strongest and the acting like a douche. Kieran undergoes one of the biggest characterizations in all of Pokémon and I'm all for it! One of the many reasons I love Scarlet and Violet are the characters, and the dlc brings us two more great ones.
Being able to fly and not having to charge your tera orb are nifty quality of life improvements.
Soundtrack's alright which is kind of lame considering how many bangers the main game put out.
There's a little team star side mission you can do where you can see the admins in school uniforms and without their crazy looks. Seeing Eri without makeup or Mela in normal sized shoes but still walks as though she were wearing them was something I didn't know I needed until I got it. It was pretty nice to say the least.
There's a "final" cutscene where you meet up with the professor, but from the past. Essentially, the player inspires the professor to do the things he does in the main story and this creates a cool and kinda confusing paradox. I thought it was nice to see the story get proper closure.
In the BBL academy, you can invite the gym leaders or your teachers to visit. I love these characters and I'm super happy to interact with them more. But most importantly, you can invite Rika. Nothing written above matters, that alone makes this a 10/10.
My favorite Pokémon of all time Flygon is back. The others are cool, but many of them are trade evolutions so you'll need a buddy and some cash for Nintendo Switch online, or hope they appear in raid dens. You can actually catch all the starters for the first time. That's pretty awesome. Legendaries are back but not all for some reason. Where's Xerneas, Yveltal, Zygarde, the Tapus and Ultra beasts? Doesn't make a whole lot of sense to exclude them consider their models already exist in Sword and Shield and Gamefreak could just copy/paste them in Scarlet and Violet. Oh well, I'm not super crazy about them anyways so I don't really care. Also, they're shiny locked. I don't care because I don't shiny hunt but it still doesn't make any sense why they are.
The new Pokémon are very cool and strong. The two new evolutions are killer. The four new paradox mons are epic. Terapagos is interesting because of its Stellar tera type, but I'm kind of disappointed. I guess I was expecting too much because how much Pokémon was teasing it since the first episode of the Pokémon: Horizons anime back in April. I expected a total powerhouse beast, Instead, it's a turtle. Still cool, just not epic.
The map is simple and very straight forward. Very cool how you're in an underwater biome. I don't know why but the frames drop to bedrock level whenever I'm near mud. The game is already kinda choppy but for some reason when I'm around the mud, my Switch is about to commit die.
The BBL elite four are cool but you don't interact with them very much so they are kind of forgettable. I can't say the same for Carmine and Kieran. Carmine is such a cool character. I love everything about her: her design, personality, her hair, how tall she is. My second favorite behind Rika. Kieran has a pretty cool character arc. He doesn't think he's good enough, so he trains harder. Eventually, he becomes the strongest around, but becomes a bit of an edge lord. I can relate because I went through a similar phase and am still going through it. Minus being the strongest and the acting like a douche. Kieran undergoes one of the biggest characterizations in all of Pokémon and I'm all for it! One of the many reasons I love Scarlet and Violet are the characters, and the dlc brings us two more great ones.
Being able to fly and not having to charge your tera orb are nifty quality of life improvements.
Soundtrack's alright which is kind of lame considering how many bangers the main game put out.
There's a little team star side mission you can do where you can see the admins in school uniforms and without their crazy looks. Seeing Eri without makeup or Mela in normal sized shoes but still walks as though she were wearing them was something I didn't know I needed until I got it. It was pretty nice to say the least.
There's a "final" cutscene where you meet up with the professor, but from the past. Essentially, the player inspires the professor to do the things he does in the main story and this creates a cool and kinda confusing paradox. I thought it was nice to see the story get proper closure.
In the BBL academy, you can invite the gym leaders or your teachers to visit. I love these characters and I'm super happy to interact with them more. But most importantly, you can invite Rika. Nothing written above matters, that alone makes this a 10/10.
2014
The powers are really imaginative and unique. Most games have you use fire, water, earth, air, lighting and ice. This game, your powers are smoke, neon, video and concrete. I really like that it's something different for a change.
The differences between a good and evil playthrough is cool. Story is different, as it should be, but more importantly the powers and playstyles are different. The good powers are more passive because you're trying to subdue the enemies. The evil powers allow for a more fast and aggressive playstyle. I found the evil playthrough more fun to play, but I like the good side's story more.
Speaking of story, I like the concept and not so much the actual plot. It has an X-Men vibe which I dig especially considering I just finished watching the X-Men '97 show (which is amazing). The plot itself leaves a lot to be desired. There's no real build-up to anything that happens. Events just transpire. It doesn't really bother me because the powers at your disposal are fun and the game isn't long by any means. 10 hours is just right for a game like this. Voice acting is good but that's too be expected from Troy Baker and Travis Willingham. My favorite moments were when they were bantering with each other.
My biggest gripe is the lighting. It's so realistic to the point where on multiple occasions, I couldn't see shit. When it was evening or night, all I could see is darkness. That really peeved me but what peeved me more is how often it occurred.
The differences between a good and evil playthrough is cool. Story is different, as it should be, but more importantly the powers and playstyles are different. The good powers are more passive because you're trying to subdue the enemies. The evil powers allow for a more fast and aggressive playstyle. I found the evil playthrough more fun to play, but I like the good side's story more.
Speaking of story, I like the concept and not so much the actual plot. It has an X-Men vibe which I dig especially considering I just finished watching the X-Men '97 show (which is amazing). The plot itself leaves a lot to be desired. There's no real build-up to anything that happens. Events just transpire. It doesn't really bother me because the powers at your disposal are fun and the game isn't long by any means. 10 hours is just right for a game like this. Voice acting is good but that's too be expected from Troy Baker and Travis Willingham. My favorite moments were when they were bantering with each other.
My biggest gripe is the lighting. It's so realistic to the point where on multiple occasions, I couldn't see shit. When it was evening or night, all I could see is darkness. That really peeved me but what peeved me more is how often it occurred.
2022
Don't confuse my score for the quality of the game. It's a pretty fun fighting game, it's just they aren't my cup of tea. There's a wide variety of kung fu moves with your bare hands in addition to the weapons you can pick up. It all looks cool. Too bad I can't consistently execute them. I hate fighting games where you have to push up on the left stick, then down, then right, press x and then circle + triangle to perform the swinging ball sack. I think this is stupid. But here, that's just me being a noob. If you enjoy these types of games, Sifu is a must pick.
I like how you can choose to kill or spare your enemies and the aging with death mechanic is very unique. I also like the art style, very creative in my opinion.
I like how you can choose to kill or spare your enemies and the aging with death mechanic is very unique. I also like the art style, very creative in my opinion.
"I haven't been in this good shape since the last time I saw that cat doctor."
2023
Guess the game awards were right, this game is awesome! Story had me gripped from beginning to end. The songs are awesome once again. Unlike the first Alan Wake, getting the collectibles this time round was fun. Getting all those manuscript pages and coffee thermos in the first was tedious. Unlike Control, the map didn't confuse me and I knew where I was going most of the time. Graphics are incredible, I really liked how some of the cutscenes were filmed like a movie with the actual actors and not them in mocap suits. Very unique direction. The mind place and the writer's room were my favorite. I love piecing the evidence I collected to get a better understanding of the story as Saga and especially creating new scenes that changed the level design as Alan. The trophy grinder in me loves the simplicity and quantity of trophies to earn. 67 trophies but 65 are bronze. I found that kind of weird but trophies are trophies.
I would give this a perfect score but the combat was pretty buns. Reloading takes too long and I really don't like how to have to wait for your character to heal. You get hit, flinch and don't really have the option to run away. You can't heal either because the Taken will just kill you before you heal yourself. So you're forced to just fight but when there's more than one Taken, they'll clobber you and you'll die. I might have had different opinions if the game I played before wasn't a horror game with perfect action (I'm taking about RE4 Remake).
I would give this a perfect score but the combat was pretty buns. Reloading takes too long and I really don't like how to have to wait for your character to heal. You get hit, flinch and don't really have the option to run away. You can't heal either because the Taken will just kill you before you heal yourself. So you're forced to just fight but when there's more than one Taken, they'll clobber you and you'll die. I might have had different opinions if the game I played before wasn't a horror game with perfect action (I'm taking about RE4 Remake).
The game goes on about explicit interactions and making games more creative while seemingly forgetting very important game designs. Like camera sensitivity, camera angles, the enemy hitboxes, and color. And where's the platinum trophy? Another indie game that tries too hard to be brilliant falls flat on its face.
2023
You know a franchise is running out of ideas when they have to make a racing spinoff game. At least it's free and not full price like LEGO 2K Drive or Disney Speedstorm.
Rockstar games has once again made an absolute banger of a video game. Red Dead Redemption 2 is as close to perfection as one can get with a video game. The story and its amazing cast of characters had me super invested. Honestly, RDR2 might be the best in this regard, but that’s a debate for another day. Even the stranger missions are awesome. Hell, some of them are better than a lot of the main ones. Exploring RDR2’s map has probably been the most fun I have had exploring an open world out of any video game. I love how realistic this game is. Graphics look like real life. There’s a weight system. There’s a body temperature system where you’ll need to wear the appropriate clothing depending on the climate. Your hair and beard grow and you can chose to trim it. It’s not like GTAV where you can go to the barber to grow hair and wear undies in the snow. Your gun gets dirty the more you use it, and you’ll have to clean from time to time. The only thing missing is a piss and shit mechanic.
Red Dead Redemption 2 is so close to perfection it hurts. What’s setting it back is the requirements for the 100% completion. I want to clarify that as of January 16, 2024, the day this review was written, I have yet to 100% completed the game. I know the requirements and that alone should be enough to judge.
I 100% complete games because I want to experience everything the developers put into their games. That and to boast about my platinum trophy count. I don’t know why but Rockstar Games aims to make their games’ 100% as long and tedious as possible to where completionists such as myself want to die. GTAV’s platinum trophy was the most tedious one I earned. It has held that title ever since July 9th, 2019, and none of the 93 platinum trophies I earned afterwards as even come close to swiping that title away. That is until I played RDR2. You must earn 70 gold medals again out of the 104 main missions. Complete 90 challenges and these challenges are not simple. Collect 30 dinosaur bones. Catch all 13 legendary fish. Just like real life, fishing sucks. Complete 6 exotic tasks for Algernon Wasp which having is pick up a whole lot of plants. How fun. Find 20 dreamcatchers. Find 10 rock carvings. Complete 5 hunting requests which I swear to God is rigged. Hunting animals is probably my favorite aspect of this game, especially the legendary animals. For the 3rd hunting request, I needed an opossum. For 2 hours, I have found nothing but skunks. For the 4th hunting request, I need a skunk. I went to the same location where I was hunting opossums because I was finding a lot of skunks. So, finding a skunk should be super easy and quick, right? NOPE! For another 2 hours, all I was finding was opossums. Don’t even get me started on the tiny birds you need a small arrow to get a perfect kill. You can never sneak up on them. Obviously, they’ll fly away. Good luck trying to kill a bird flying with a bow. So instead, you’ll need the varmint rifle and the buck antler trinket and pray to the RNG gods you’ll get a perfect carcass and not a good one. Fucking stupid. It should be noted that I didn’t include all the requirements for the 100%, only what I found to be tedious. Everything else you earn just by playing. I’m happy the 100% can be completed in more than 3 days like Spider-Man 2 but Rockstar, you do not have to make it this lengthy and monotonous. This is the number one thing I am most worried about GTAVI.
I want to end this review by stating that I have yet to play Red Dead Online. I will do a separate review and rating because I feel as though the games and my feelings towards them are so different that they might as well be two different games entirely.
Red Dead Redemption 2 is so close to perfection it hurts. What’s setting it back is the requirements for the 100% completion. I want to clarify that as of January 16, 2024, the day this review was written, I have yet to 100% completed the game. I know the requirements and that alone should be enough to judge.
I 100% complete games because I want to experience everything the developers put into their games. That and to boast about my platinum trophy count. I don’t know why but Rockstar Games aims to make their games’ 100% as long and tedious as possible to where completionists such as myself want to die. GTAV’s platinum trophy was the most tedious one I earned. It has held that title ever since July 9th, 2019, and none of the 93 platinum trophies I earned afterwards as even come close to swiping that title away. That is until I played RDR2. You must earn 70 gold medals again out of the 104 main missions. Complete 90 challenges and these challenges are not simple. Collect 30 dinosaur bones. Catch all 13 legendary fish. Just like real life, fishing sucks. Complete 6 exotic tasks for Algernon Wasp which having is pick up a whole lot of plants. How fun. Find 20 dreamcatchers. Find 10 rock carvings. Complete 5 hunting requests which I swear to God is rigged. Hunting animals is probably my favorite aspect of this game, especially the legendary animals. For the 3rd hunting request, I needed an opossum. For 2 hours, I have found nothing but skunks. For the 4th hunting request, I need a skunk. I went to the same location where I was hunting opossums because I was finding a lot of skunks. So, finding a skunk should be super easy and quick, right? NOPE! For another 2 hours, all I was finding was opossums. Don’t even get me started on the tiny birds you need a small arrow to get a perfect kill. You can never sneak up on them. Obviously, they’ll fly away. Good luck trying to kill a bird flying with a bow. So instead, you’ll need the varmint rifle and the buck antler trinket and pray to the RNG gods you’ll get a perfect carcass and not a good one. Fucking stupid. It should be noted that I didn’t include all the requirements for the 100%, only what I found to be tedious. Everything else you earn just by playing. I’m happy the 100% can be completed in more than 3 days like Spider-Man 2 but Rockstar, you do not have to make it this lengthy and monotonous. This is the number one thing I am most worried about GTAVI.
I want to end this review by stating that I have yet to play Red Dead Online. I will do a separate review and rating because I feel as though the games and my feelings towards them are so different that they might as well be two different games entirely.
2007
Can always rely on my favorite childhood card game/videogame/tv show to pull through: Chaotic.
This review contains spoilers
This is what a video game sequel show be! An improvement over the original, but doesn't deviate to the point where it's unrecognizable. Spider-Man 2 is just about as perfect of a sequel as you can get. Everything is refined. Combat, exploration, map traversal, graphics, load times, story, characters, side quests and their respective stories, everything! There are a lot more Spider-Man villains involved & some new playable characters I was not expecting to play as (you don't really play as them for long, but it's nice they got their own sections).
While this game does many great things, there two things holding it back. One's a nitpick, but the other is an overarching problem that honestly makes me want to lower the score.
Nitpick: Like the first one, there are some mini-games & MJ sequences. I consider this a nitpick because they're not as frequently or "bad" as the ones in the first. The MJ sequences are kind of fun because you got a gun this time and it's not purely hide & seek. The bee drones are fun as well. The molecule & plant hexagon puzzle is alright I guess. I do see the point of view where these sequences kill any replay value or incentive to start a New Game +.
The Big Problem: I know a lot of friends who've fallen out of gaming because they're too long. Long as in they're more like movies with how many cutscenes there are. Spider-Man 2 does not fall under this problem. The game is very fast-paced, but not just in gameplay, but also the story. I'm probably the only one who thinks this, but the story feels kind of rushed. Not the whole story, but some bits here & there.
First, I want to talk about when Peter gets the Symbiote suit. The symbiote is supposed to make Peter stronger, but takes away his humanity. Makes him heartless & mean. That happens here, but there's not really a build-up. Peter just starts getting mad. In Sam Raimi's Spider-Man 3, Peter was angry before he got the symbiote suit because he found out Sandman killed Uncle Ben. When the symbiote bonded with Peter, it just fueled an already existing anger. In the Spectacular Spider-Man animated series, Peter was undergoing a lot of stress with school, his job & getting paid enough so he doesn't go broke, Aunt May getting a heart attack & being in the hospital, & all his previous villains breaking loose & forming the Sinister Six. We all know that stress can lead to anger. Again, the symbiote fueled the anger that was already there. In Spider-Man 2 PS5, there's nothing building up to Peter's descend. He snaps instantly. The only logical answer I have is that the symbiote was already pissed so it just transferred over that anger to Peter, but that doesn't really make any sense because Harry's had it before & his nut never cracked. I don't know maybe I'm thinking too deep.
Black Cat makes an appearance, albeit a very brief one. Wish we could have spent a little more time with her, flesh out her arc more but I guess I should have bought the DLC in the first one for that. Oh well...
Another criticism with the pacing is the ending. Very underwhelming in my opinion. It's cool to see Venom get wings, but his boss fight & the way he went out was kind of anti-climatic. The final boss with Doc Ock was epic, the stakes were high, the emotions were running, I was on the edge of my seat. Against Venom, not so much. The boss fight was easy, it ended with Miles & not both of them together for some reason. Hell, it would have been more awesome if MJ got in the action, too. But, no. Venom dies because you stick a meteorite inside a microwave. Lame sauce. I'm glad Harry lived & I'm curious to see if you're going to fight him all over again as the Green Goblin. However, I would have much preferred the symbiote not get destroyed & Harry could learned to control it & we get a playable Agent Venom character in Spider-Man 3. Instead, it seems Spider-Woman will be the third Spider-Hero we play as. I understand why Venom had to die. He's clearly too badass, strong & evil to stay alive, but the execution left a bad taste in my mouth.
I'm willing to overlook the pacing for the aforementioned problems & not dock off a point. However, my final criticism with the pacing, the one I'm considering lowering my score further is how quick the game is & how that correlate with the price. I live in Canada. I bought this game for 103.47 CAD (this includes taxes). For you Americans, this is about 75.47 USD. Pretty expensive! I'm not trying to stay afloat poor, but I'm not spending a million dollars a day rich. 100$ is a lot of money that could go into a lot of things far more important than ONE video game. If I spend that much money, I better be spending weeks trying to 100% the game. I 100% completed Spider-Man 2 in 4 days. Really? Game's got to last longer than that. This game does not feel worthy of $100. For the first time ever, I feel scammed buying a video game. So much so, that I'm considering returning the game for a refund. Normally, I leave it on the shelf for display, but here's where I draw the line. I love most of the video games I played! The ones I don't were either free on PS Plus or came cheap. To have a video game I genuinely enjoyed & spent a lot of money on make me feel this level of unsatisfaction is unnerving to say the least. Now I'm contemplating selling all the other games I haven't touched since beating them. I don't want to for emotional attachment, but money is king. I don't know I'm still considering my options.
Alright, let's ignore my dull contemplations with a vibrant recap. Overall, Spider-Man 2 PS5 is a perfect sequel & an absolute must-play if you own the PS5. If you're a Spider-Man fan, you'll definitely love this. I would even go so far to say this is THE SPIDER-MAN story (as in this feels like all the comics mashed together into one, and it's epic!) I had a great time playing this, even though it's giving me a mini existential crisis (if I can call it that).
While this game does many great things, there two things holding it back. One's a nitpick, but the other is an overarching problem that honestly makes me want to lower the score.
Nitpick: Like the first one, there are some mini-games & MJ sequences. I consider this a nitpick because they're not as frequently or "bad" as the ones in the first. The MJ sequences are kind of fun because you got a gun this time and it's not purely hide & seek. The bee drones are fun as well. The molecule & plant hexagon puzzle is alright I guess. I do see the point of view where these sequences kill any replay value or incentive to start a New Game +.
The Big Problem: I know a lot of friends who've fallen out of gaming because they're too long. Long as in they're more like movies with how many cutscenes there are. Spider-Man 2 does not fall under this problem. The game is very fast-paced, but not just in gameplay, but also the story. I'm probably the only one who thinks this, but the story feels kind of rushed. Not the whole story, but some bits here & there.
First, I want to talk about when Peter gets the Symbiote suit. The symbiote is supposed to make Peter stronger, but takes away his humanity. Makes him heartless & mean. That happens here, but there's not really a build-up. Peter just starts getting mad. In Sam Raimi's Spider-Man 3, Peter was angry before he got the symbiote suit because he found out Sandman killed Uncle Ben. When the symbiote bonded with Peter, it just fueled an already existing anger. In the Spectacular Spider-Man animated series, Peter was undergoing a lot of stress with school, his job & getting paid enough so he doesn't go broke, Aunt May getting a heart attack & being in the hospital, & all his previous villains breaking loose & forming the Sinister Six. We all know that stress can lead to anger. Again, the symbiote fueled the anger that was already there. In Spider-Man 2 PS5, there's nothing building up to Peter's descend. He snaps instantly. The only logical answer I have is that the symbiote was already pissed so it just transferred over that anger to Peter, but that doesn't really make any sense because Harry's had it before & his nut never cracked. I don't know maybe I'm thinking too deep.
Black Cat makes an appearance, albeit a very brief one. Wish we could have spent a little more time with her, flesh out her arc more but I guess I should have bought the DLC in the first one for that. Oh well...
Another criticism with the pacing is the ending. Very underwhelming in my opinion. It's cool to see Venom get wings, but his boss fight & the way he went out was kind of anti-climatic. The final boss with Doc Ock was epic, the stakes were high, the emotions were running, I was on the edge of my seat. Against Venom, not so much. The boss fight was easy, it ended with Miles & not both of them together for some reason. Hell, it would have been more awesome if MJ got in the action, too. But, no. Venom dies because you stick a meteorite inside a microwave. Lame sauce. I'm glad Harry lived & I'm curious to see if you're going to fight him all over again as the Green Goblin. However, I would have much preferred the symbiote not get destroyed & Harry could learned to control it & we get a playable Agent Venom character in Spider-Man 3. Instead, it seems Spider-Woman will be the third Spider-Hero we play as. I understand why Venom had to die. He's clearly too badass, strong & evil to stay alive, but the execution left a bad taste in my mouth.
I'm willing to overlook the pacing for the aforementioned problems & not dock off a point. However, my final criticism with the pacing, the one I'm considering lowering my score further is how quick the game is & how that correlate with the price. I live in Canada. I bought this game for 103.47 CAD (this includes taxes). For you Americans, this is about 75.47 USD. Pretty expensive! I'm not trying to stay afloat poor, but I'm not spending a million dollars a day rich. 100$ is a lot of money that could go into a lot of things far more important than ONE video game. If I spend that much money, I better be spending weeks trying to 100% the game. I 100% completed Spider-Man 2 in 4 days. Really? Game's got to last longer than that. This game does not feel worthy of $100. For the first time ever, I feel scammed buying a video game. So much so, that I'm considering returning the game for a refund. Normally, I leave it on the shelf for display, but here's where I draw the line. I love most of the video games I played! The ones I don't were either free on PS Plus or came cheap. To have a video game I genuinely enjoyed & spent a lot of money on make me feel this level of unsatisfaction is unnerving to say the least. Now I'm contemplating selling all the other games I haven't touched since beating them. I don't want to for emotional attachment, but money is king. I don't know I'm still considering my options.
Alright, let's ignore my dull contemplations with a vibrant recap. Overall, Spider-Man 2 PS5 is a perfect sequel & an absolute must-play if you own the PS5. If you're a Spider-Man fan, you'll definitely love this. I would even go so far to say this is THE SPIDER-MAN story (as in this feels like all the comics mashed together into one, and it's epic!) I had a great time playing this, even though it's giving me a mini existential crisis (if I can call it that).
2023
Peak Fiction. Cannot get more epic and cinematic than this. Debating if this is my new favorite game of all time.