Being someone who is deeply invested in From Software's work in the Soulsbourne genre, you hear a lot of reasons why their games just don't click for people. The one statement that every fan will defend is that "Souls games are unfair". Move in a little closer to read this next part. THIS GAME is unfair.

This game feels like everything that people who don't play Souls games complain about all packed into one game. Truly one of the most bullshit video game experiences I've ever had. But for some reason, I sunk 33 hours into this game. 33 hours of pushing a boulder up a cliff just to watch it roll back down. But at a certain point, when the stars align and when you finally understand. It clicks. The weapons, the timing, the mechanics, they all make sense and the game starts to give. suddenly it feels amazing. That anger and frustration stays now as fuel to kick the boss's ass. To show the game that you're in charge. The experience that you get from this game is Player Vs. Designers and it's unlike anything I have ever played. A game that actively wants you to fail. Fighting against the game and getting your teeth kicked in for 30+ hours. Did I enjoy my time in Nioh and would I recommend it? I really don't know. But did I beat it? No. I conquered it.

I freaking love this game!

TMNT: Shredder's Revenge is a love letter to TMNT fans old and new. Even as someone who barely remembers anything, other than which turtle was my favourite as a kid, Shredder's Revenge somehow makes you feel nostalgic for a time you were probably not even born during. I sure as hell wasn't.

Games often use nostalgia and "old" graphics as a crutch but, Shredder's Revenge is backed up by a beautiful pixel art style, stunning backgrounds and expressive animations filled with, not only references to the TMNT shows and movies but also other games like Street Fighter, King of Fighters and Smash Bros.

If you have any interest in the beat-em-up genre or Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, you will have an amazing time solo, or with up to 5 others, beating the shit out of some ninjas in the streets of New York.

Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker is, no pun intended, a solid experience for any Metal Gear fan. The story is engaging and emotional and the gameplay, using the systems from MGS4, is enjoyable. The more condensed and streamlined missions work well for an initially portable experience, but when played on a TV screen and not on the move, the experience feels segmented and disconnected.

Exploration was always something that was rewarded in the previous games. Whether it was an extra weapon or item or a fun codec call, all the previous games had a huge level of detail in the levels.

The reason I even bother criticizing an HD port of a non-numbered PSP entry is because this game's working title was Metal Gear Solid 5. Clearly, as early as the game's inspection, even though the budget was much lower, the importance to the series was as much as any other numbered game.

Overall, I still really enjoyed this game and its story but this was the first game that really made me realize this franchise may never reach the same heights as it did with the first 3 games. It's a sad thing to experience the slow decline of such a legendary series. Overly ambitious and misguided, a director ready to quit every step along the way, all while the series captor, Konami, wants nothing to do with him or Metal Gear. The Series should have rested on its laurels. Instead, the series wants to introduce more ideas, characters and plot twists ignoring the existing gaps in the stories and further widening them. This is what happens when one man claims all responsibility for a series. He's been idolized and fantasized into an amazing and inventive auteur where none of his ideas are bad and everything is gold.

I hate to have such a negative take on a series I've grown to love but it really bothers me when a company/developer doesn't know when to throw in the towel. I'm sure I'll have a lot more to say when I play through MGSV but as it stands now, the series has been over long before Metal Gear Survive. Konami was just the last one to find out.

I think the first thing someone asked about this game was if it was better than the original. "RE4 doesn't need a remake" was the sentiment all around the internet before this game's release. A sentiment that I agree with. The original, even being played nearly 20 years later, is a masterpiece. With updated visuals, completely reworked controls, new voices and many story changes, Resident Evil (2023) does a lot to draw a line in the sand between it and its older sibling. The first few hours of this game were full of me comparing and contrasting which part is better and which part is worse until around the halfway point I came to a really important realization that these two games don't need to fight for the spot of "definitive RE4 experience". Both are available to play on modern systems and give some of the best single-player entertainment the medium has to offer.

Resident Evil (2023) is a wonderful, heartfelt and exciting love letter and reimaging of the 2005 original. Whether you are a fan of the original or are just diving into Resident Evil for the first time, this game is GOATED