Over 20 years later, Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty is still a fantastic game with a boat load of bombast and personality. However, at times, it still suffers from the same dated, clunky controls that I found within its predecessor -- albeit with some slight improvements due to the addition of the first-person view mode. Additionally, I quite enjoy Raiden as the primary protagonist in this game. I know many have severely criticized him as a game character, but the juxtaposition between him and Snake strikes a really nice balance in my opinion.

I had forgotten a majority of the plot since I last played this game in 2002, so replaying it again, it was almost as if I was experiencing it again for the first time. For the first 3/4 of the game, the plot really had a tight hold on me with its deep mystery and neat twists. However, in the final act of the game, I really felt like Kojima went completely off the rails. During the absurdly long exposition dump at the very end of the game, my brain nearly melted with all of the revelations that the game was trying to explicate. However, there is just something simply endearing about Kojima's absurdity, and I can't quite put my finger on it. As a result, despite being mostly in a state of confusion while trying to wrap my head around the metacommentary, I was still quite entertained -- almost in a comedic sense. Moreover, the idiosyncratic cautionary narrative regarding our foray into the digital age remains astoundingly relevant today in modern-day society, even more than it did back when the game released at the turn of the century.

Ultimately, even though I think I ended the game with more questions about the plot than I had at the beginning, I still found Sons of Liberty to stand the test of time, and I'm really happy I decided to replay through it again.

What can I say about Bloodborne that hasn't already been said? I went into this game with nearly 10 years of hype, and without question, my experience lived up to every facet of it. When I wasn't playing Bloodborne, I was thinking about it. When I would fall asleep, I would dream about it. I found myself perpetually enthralled with the amazing level design, the incredible world-building, and the viscerally satisfying combat. And now, having come to the end of my first playthrough, I am proudly hopping on the Bloodborne train and will be heralding this as one of the best games that was ever created.