Halo 2......... I have a lot of thoughts about this one. To get the obvious out of the way, the game was clearly rushed and Bungie did not get the time to cook that they sorely needed. There are segments in some of these missions that are barely functional. The gondola segment in Quarantine Zone was so frustrating and unfair that I was resorting to manipulating enemy spawns to try and close them out easier. The ending of Gravemind felt like the game was taunting me with how brutally (haha) difficult it was. Some levels were just confusing to figure out where to go!

The difficulty in the middle of this game pushes you to your limits (at least, if you're bad at shooters like me). Gravemind feels like the ultimate test of your skill. It's frustrating, but beating it gave me such a satisfying feeling of accomplishment. I felt like I could do anything after that.

This game improves in so many ways and some missions reach higher highs than anything in the first game. Metropolis is easily the highlight, having basically everything you'd want in a level while being incredibly high-stakes and fun with so many set pieces and combat scenarios. For every frustrating thing Halo 2 throws at you, it also throws genuine improvements. So many fun new weapons are added, the Covenant Carbine is my favorite. Dual wielding can be slightly cumbersome but is rewarding if you use it effectively. Brutes are tough, but a fair challenge. I prefer taking them down to Elites honestly. The story, while still being nothing too special, is much more ambitious and serious. Getting to play as the Arbiter is also a wonderful gameplay and storytelling device.

I don't know how to feel about this one, honestly. It's about the same as the original, but whether or not it's better will take some reflection. Right now, I'm leaning towards no - but that could change.

While the predecessor managed to be a fairly impressive albeit limited half-demake half-original version of the first Sonic game, this sequel strives to innovate and differentiate itself with interesting new mechanics. Unfortunately, almost nothing works in this game. Every step forward comes with several steps back. While the first 8-bit Sonic title wasn't exactly the pinnacle of level design, it at least felt fair (most of the time). Here, almost every single act features traps and obstacles you can't see coming. It's infuriating to play. In addition, the game is wildly unpolished, even for the hardware. Hitboxes are still janky from the predecessor, and I even was softlocked after beating Mecha Sonic. From the bugs to the absolutely terrible level design, it seems very little playtesting went into this one.

That being said, there are glimpses of quality. There are a few well-designed acts. Green Hills (not Green Hill!) has two really fun acts, it honestly felt like a completely different game. The bosses are also (mostly) really well-done, I honestly like them more than the ones from the Genesis games. The Mecha Sonic fight in 8-bit Sonic 2 is unironically wayyy better than the fight in the 16-bit Sonic 2. The bosses are a highlight, even if the third act in general is almost always a stupid poorly designed test of patience leading up to it.

Overall, while I don't hate this game, it's easily one of the worst games I've played and the worst Sonic game so far. I'd recommend skipping it, or just use a level select cheat and play Green Hills Zone since it's actually pretty fun.