It's been so long since any game, indie or otherwise, has worn its heart on its sleeve the way Pizza Tower does. Over 5 years of time in the oven and it shows in every screen, every frame, every button press, every bite. Pizza Tower has more than deserved its right to stand amongst the greatest culinary triumphs of the single-chef indie scene alongside Cave Story, Stardew Valley, Hypnospace Outlaw, etc, joining the ranks of my personal 5-star favorite dishes.

There's something truly special about the way Pizza Tower sprinkles its influences to spice up its unique blend of score attack. It's not just the Wario Land heritage, its the way Tour de Pizza has taken its recipe and made a pie so perfectly seasoned and crisped, down to its crust. It's more than just a familiar flavor on a new dish. It's the ultra responsive and gooey momentum that makes combo racking so addictive. It's the undeniably charming SatAM flavor of every frame of animation that makes its slapstick marinate so effortlessly with its gameplay. It's the ear candy soundtrack so infectious and diverse, taking pieces from different cultural dishes like chiptune, new jack swing, tropical house, disco; all appreciated, never appropriated. Every bite culminating in a finale so unexpected, spicy, and cathartic; one of the most memorable last courses I've ever eaten and unlike anything I've ever tasted. Even after a week I still cannot stop thinking about it.

Pizza Tower was a daunting dish for such a small team of chefs to cook, and was something I was watching from outside the oven with such interest that I was genuinely worried it might come out overcooked, or maybe not even come out at all. I'm so glad to say this was not the case.

Bellísimo.

I can never properly review this game because it's so near and dear to me that saying I'm biased towards it would be an understatement.

Despite its flaws, I'd still like to convey that it's a visually stunning masterpiece with an equally memorable soundtrack, cast, and world.

Gameplay is admittedly, very very easy. People hold this game up to other platinum titles, and I think their enjoyment suffers from that.

Ōkami is NOT a game that's going to be hard, or unforgiving, or very complex. But what it IS, is something beautiful, engaging, unique, and very special. It's a relaxing and heart warming experience that I turn to whenever I feel down. Issun makes me laugh, the majestic sounding music and sumi-e (Japanese ink wash painting) aesthetic makes my artist heart bloom, all of this game is simply just unforgettable.

Ōkami is truly something special to me, it's so much more than a video game. Of course, it's not at all perfect, but if you were to ask me about it, my love for this game prevails above all else, like soft rays of sunshine through the clouds.

looking back to the miserable state of the games industry in the seventh generation, i have to say that the feverish cries to find the citizen kane of gaming - basically paltry, philistine shorthand for the holy grail of the medium, a work that legitimizes the practice and is enshrined in the canon - were super funny, not only because of the obvious nod to that works strengths with relation to filmmaking (which cant be replicated in games wholesale), but also way more specifically because that movie is the direct result of several contextual, social, and political factors that basically 100% mean games will literally never, ever get their own citizen kane. the last of us, for a time, was that 'citizen kane', in the eyes of many. which is insane because this title introduces literally nothing new in the AAA environ through either storytelling, mechanics, or structure (even when it was released it was patchwork pastiche of everything that came before it) and on top of that it was heavily corporate funded focus-tested prestige slush which in effect fully betrays the idea of this game being a ‘citizen kane’ type. a citizen kane of the medium would have to do more than be soulless and perfunctory interactivity Big Video Games decide for you has artistic merit - i'd even go one step further to say that if anything, Big Video Games would probably frown on the citizen kane of video games, similarly to how orson welles legacy was attacked and dismantled by hollywoods vanguard again and again, and again and again and again. it amuses me this is happening yet again with god of war but what can i say i guess it's tough being a sore winner

My first ever and favorite video game; I have memorized the lines in my heart.

-The gameplay the probably the number one thing that comes to the mind; it is breathtaking. Not the first ever game to introduce "bullet time", but definitely the first one that mastered it.
-The story is fantastic as well. Starting as an American dream, "But dreams have a nasty habit of going bad when you're not looking."
-The atmosphere is in the top three for me alongside "The Witcher 1" and "Machinarium" . The Noir York is absolutely gorgeous and perfect for the tone of the game; the snow, the darkness, the scum. The music is another thing mastered by Remedy entertainment; it's really beautiful and use you ears as small gateway to easily get into your heart.
-Graphics are not great, but they are good. Considering the time the game was released, they are not outdated at all.
-The comic book art style is absolutely amazing. They are so unique and enjoyable to look at. I am glad that whoever came up with it, did actually come up with this idea.

I have played this game for god knows how many times; and I still do play it. Every summer, the first two games I play are Max Payne 1 and 2; it has became like a ritual I have performed for a few years .

Edit: RIP James McCaffrey

I soyjak pointed at like 10 different nods towards PSX/SNES JRPG's and even then I'm genuinely amazed at how well-crafted and unique it's world, story and characters are.

It's taken nothing but the best from it's inspirations and wears them on it's sleeve - and so it's an absolute blast to play through if you have any love for the genre whatsoever.

Gameplay's ridiculously good too, the Overdrive system keeps you on your toes and makes sure you don't just spam your strongest moves and I absolutely adore that it has a leveling system akin to Chrono Cross and gets rid of grinding entirely.

Just a really solid game on all fronts honestly, I absolutely loved it.