Great base game! But as far as the "remaster" changes go, they added foliage and animations to Firelink Shrine (nice!) and did some modern FromSoft tweaks like multiplayer passwords. Past that it's all the original game's assets run through an engine with botched material lighting. Metals are all dull, stone and living things look more wet than intended, and strangely enough they decided the bonfire looked too ethereal and abstract so they put normal fire there instead. The original Dark Souls didn't look like this! If you can manage, please try to get a hold of PtDE or use a fanmade texture overhaul mod.

While earlier Ratchet and Clank games felt like trailblazing inventions, this game is the first of many in the series to feel like a slight iteration on what came before. It comes short in presentation apparently due to troubles with getting online multiplayer done within the same release schedule as the previous game. I definitely feel for the devs and think they still released something good, but I don't think I'll be coming back to this game like the first two.

The core gameplay is solid as always, mostly comperable to R&C2. Weapons feel good to use and have some interesting effects, but definitely don't feel particularly inventive. The biggest change from 2 is a shift from a large arsenal of weapons with one upgrade each to a slim roster with five levels per weapon. Effectively you get more time with each weapon, though by the end of the game you'll have cycled in some new weapons to replace early game ones, much like R&C1. Though many of the late game weapons are recycled weapons from 2, which feel a lot more unique in comparison to such inventive weapons as a plain sniper rifle again, "light cannon" shotgun again, throw bombs for the third game in a row, et cetera.

Where this game really falls flat is level design. Nearly the entire game is structured around shooting gallery levels like Notak (Canal City), Joba (Megacorp Games), and Todano (Megacorp Armory). None ever feel as bold or memorable as Boldan or scenic like R&C1 planets. In fact Kerwan (Metropolis) and Aridia (Outpost X11) from that game return in short and ugly form. Variety in general is low with the least amount of Clank stages, unique level gimmicks, and a lack of space flight stages. Though this game does have the most robust coliseum mode thus far, which is fun.

Music takes a pretty big hit as well, with the series for the first time feeling cliche. Same goes for the story, no longer as dry or funny as the series is known for. Some jokes land but not the same as it used to be, and the general plot is much less engaging. I sill give credit in that this game has the best bosses in the series so far, especially with a final boss on par with the first game's to make up for the limp one in R&C2.

This felt a bit like a proto-Dark Souls 3 in many ways. Level design, enemy placement and movesets, and branching paths all felt very familiar to me after playing later From works. Overall this was extremely refreshing in comparison to the slapdash level progression of the base game, and bosses greatly enhanced the experience as well.

Obviously to anyone who played this, Frigid Outskirts notwithstanding. Don't even bother, it's a giant empty room with annoying enemies that culminates in a repeat boss with the "now there's two of them" trope thrown in to juice the deaths in this section harder than ever before in the series. It's a middle finger to the fact that FromSoft were contractually stuck making three DLCs to the worst development disaster in their home grown franchise. Something "only Dark Souls fans would like" I guess :^)

It's pretty easy to see why this game got the reputation it did as a lousy sequel. Ultimately speaking, yeah it's weak. Animations, combat mechanics, visuals, music, world design, and just about everything else feel undercooked. I don't know specifics on this game's development but I have heard it was overly ambitious for the target hardware and was retooled by mashing whatever was finished together however they could in time for release.

What I will say is it's serviceable and not overall a bad time. Rather, it frontloads all the worst elements at the very beginning and for the rest of the playthrough feels alright, if a bit unceremonious. There are moments that land though, and I appreciated playing at least one more Souls game that didn't hate me for using a greatsword instead of something faster. But I wouldn't really recommend this game to many people, only those really interested in the franchise who have already played both Dark Souls and Demon's Souls.

Never before or after have I had such a memorable video game experience as the first playthrough of this game. I came in after playing a bit of Bloodborne and loving Dark Souls 3 so much I beat it thrice. And in my first impressions, I was frustrated here. I didn't like the clunkier rolling and lock on mechanics, the slower flow of combat, or the tighter spaces I was forced into fighting enemies in.

But as I progressed, I found more and more I was enraptured with Lordran. It felt so effortless how it all tied itself together, and it was just as effortless for me to find my way around it. After years of scouring maps in Metroid, here I was just mindlessly connecting completely opposite locations. And it all felt so vast, like there was so much revealed every time I passed a challenging part, or even gave up and wandered elsewhere.

This game has an atmosphere unlike any other. For all the games From has made about worlds in decay and disrepair, never before have I felt so immersed in the feelings of one. Everything is so far gone that at times it feels hopeless, yet other times the natural beauty of the world shines even stronger in the serenity of society itself nearly ceasing to function. When you first find your way into a man-made place, it can hit so many different emotions. Some are just as beautiful as the world untouched, while others can horrify in how such a place ever felt just to create.

The gameplay here is a completely different beast to From's later games in this style, so I understand it's not everyone's cup of tea. Combat is measured, generally slower but usually more thoughtful as well. You have to consider your build's strengths and weaknesses in relation to your surroundings many times in finding new places. And of builds, you can specialize in just about any playstyle and find success in this game, unlike games like Bloodborne and DS3 that either restrict or weaken many approaches in favor of faster combat.

I will never forget my first time getting cursed and spending hours making hell runs trying to return myself to normal. Or my amazement at learning I went through all of Blighttown without ever seeing half of the areas I could explore at that time. There were multiple times I felt I had a good grasp on the type of locations I'd be seeing just for the rug to be pulled by the game showing me some new area I never would have imagined I would see. And I have never felt accomplishment quite like beating Smough and Ornstein for the first time.

This game is legendary for the legends you live playing it. They're experiences you can share with friends who have played and will be shocked by the many turns your journey took, and you can then show this game to others who will in turn shock you in how they play and experience it. I have journeyed through this masterpiece over 10 times now and I suspect I won't stop coming back ever.

This game is often compared to Super Metroid, and while the influence is obvious I think it deserves to be viewed as it's own work with how many ideas it brought into the metroidvania genre. The greater world design and item progression are key elements of that formula, and while SotN is pretty uneven in both areas, it greatly enhances the smaller scale experience with a plethora of weapons, items, and minor upgrades all throughout the game.

The titular castle is now more than set dressing for an action platformer, and features locations you both expect to and would be suprised to see in such a grand structure. And while action combat is fairly easy (especially for the series), the feel is incredibly strong and enemies are extremely varied and fun to fight. Visuals and music are of course some of the best imaginable, and the campy voice acting is iconic from the well known opening scene to hidden encounters many players never find.

I played the earlier parts of this game many times throughout my life and found it to be fun but ultimately not worth playing through. But upon revisit on original hardware and a nice CRT, SMW's outstanding elements truly shined.

A stylish visual presentation isn't all this game has over Super Mario Bros 3; it has a completely new philosophy on exploration and secrets in a game that's still incredibly newcomer friendly and straightforward. Controls are less weighty and quicker, and the new and returning enemies perfectly compliment that new feel. I appreciated most that the game gave back however much detail I wanted to comb into the levels, to the point I found secrets in secrets in secrets... and so on.

I ended up getting 95 exits (thanks to the Forest of Illusion fortress being a one-time affair) and very much look forward to revisiting this in the future.