While not as refined and neatly designed as the cream of the crop of its genre, Alan Wake 2 still delivers engaging and challenging survival horror gameplay. The challenge emphasizes the eerie atmosphere and regularly manages to send shivers down your spine when it asks you to strive through a myriad of dark figures, each concealing potentially hostile intentions. Having the possibility to swap between the dual protagonists at any time keeps the experience fresh, given the differences in level and puzzle structure. The masterful visual design, tight atmosphere, and incredible cutscene direction, paired with some excellent pieces of mood-setting music, are what propel Alan Wake 2 to legendary status. Developer Remedy crafted a rich meta-narrative that boldly breaks the boundaries of its own medium. The result is nothing less than an exemplary accomplishment.

I was surprised, to say the least, that Streets of Rage 2 still holds up as a very fine representative of the beat 'em up genre. It's always lauded as a timeless classic and while I had some issues with it, mainly centered around the slightly aged controls, it still managed to entertain me with a couple of hours of very fun gameplay, banging music, and great retro visuals. I am sure had I played it back in the day, when my tolerance for somewhat clunky movement was still higher, I would have counted it amongst my favorites!