To preface this review, I first played SWAT 4 about 5 years ago. I consider it one of the best games ever made, full-stop. So I came to the Stetchkov Syndicate knowing that, at the very least, I'd enjoy the experience. And, to be honest, it met my expectations but didn't exceed them.
It begins where SWAT 4 ended. It is just another week for the SWAT boys, with more terrorists to take out and hostages to save. But this time you are on the trail of the Stetchkov Syndicate, a group of Eastern European collectors whose criminal activities have upped the firepower the local gangs have access to. It begins with a normal mission in an arcade, filled with sly references to Irrational Games' games, where two gangs have opened fire, then escalates to a bomb defusal, a shootout in a train station, and finally an assault on a warehouse. Each level brings its own challenges and is a real escalation from the base game.
The expansion pack’s most notable addition is the ability to punch, which not only adds a new dynamic to gameplay but also conserves ammunition. Additionally, the introduction of Night Vision goggles enhances the game’s oppressive atmosphere by making it difficult to distinguish between criminals and bystanders, while also limiting your vision.Admittedly, I only used them for one mission, but that mission was a real highlight. An improved taser and several lethal guns have been added to the expansion pack. To be honest, aside from the punch and the taser, I mostly relied on the familiar weapons from the base game. Nonetheless, the new additions are appreciated.
Late-game SWAT 4 was exceedingly difficult, and the expansion pack continues that trend by upping the ante. The criminals, thanks to the Stetchkov Syndicate, are better equipped than the mid-game rabble in the base game. Facing assault rifles and body armour was a real pain, as I try to be as non-lethal as possible when playing. While the terrorists run more and open fire at the drop of a hat. I may be misremembering, but I don't remember already subdued suspects standing back up, grabbing a weapon, and opening fire if you are slow to confiscate their guns or handcuff them. Although initially leading to some mission failures, this behaviour swiftly taught me to be quick and decisive with my handcuffing. Additionally, the later levels are wide open and filled with areas for terrorists to hide in, which makes clearing each room even more stressful than it already is. Sometimes the A.I. would declare a room to be clear, only for some terrorist to be hiding behind a corner in that exact room, waiting to unload a clip into my head. It didn't become too frustrating, but there were some rough moments. 
My biggest problem with late-game SWAT 4 is that it dissuades you from going non-lethal. Body armour neutralises particular grenades, while gas masks stop CS gas from being effective, so you have to resort to killing people in order to make it through a mission. As previously mentioned, the punching helps in that regard, but I was still capping terrorists at the slightest hint of a bullet coming my way. Depressingly, from what I have learned about the American police force, what I was doing was pretty accurate. However, unlike the final level of SWAT 4, the expansion pack makes you face off against well-armed but not necessarily well-armoured terrorists on their home turf. So all your gear is effective, which was a nice surprise.
Overall, The Stetchkov Syndicate is a bit of a small expansion pack if you discount the online component. While it may only include seven missions, each is crafted to the highest standard and SWAT 4's fantastic intense tactical gameplay meant that it was a great experience.  

I'll just preface this review by saying I'm not a fighting game expert. The last one I fully committed to was Mortal Kombat 9 all those years ago, although I have dabbled in Street Fighter and Guilty Gear over the years. I enjoy them, but I don't have friends who play fighting games, nor do I come to them early, so there is usually no one online. So if my review is lacking in certain mechanical aspects, that is the reason.

I've heard that this game is a bit of a red-headed stepchild of the reboot series (at least, pre-Motal Kombat 1), and I can absolutely see why. There are several aspects that I think are a bit flaccid compared to MK 9, even if the core fighting is fantastic. 

For one, the story isn't as good as what I remember from the previous release, but that did have the benefit of using the OG games as a source. This was the first to have a wholly unique story. The basic premise is as follows: Shinnock, an evil Elder God, had his lifeforce sucked into an amulet. Twenty-five years later, this amulet was stolen by Kano and given to Milenna for an attempted coup d’état against Kotal Khan in the Outworld. The story spirals out from there, with the ramifications of these events, along with the aftermath of MK9, deeply influencing the plot. To fully grasp everyone’s motivations, familiarity with the previous game’s context is essential. There are a couple of structural things that left me a bit cold. There are a lot of flashbacks that muddy the narrative; some parts seem rushed, and the ending is flaccid. I had fun, don't get me wrong, but it was rather underwhelming.

I have that feeling about a few other parts of the game, to be honest. The graphics, for instance, show their age a lot more than you'd think for a game that is only nine years old. Mortal Kombat X exhibits a common visual trend known as ‘Unreal Engine Syndrome,’ characterised by a muted, brown-dominated colour palette. It makes the game not really 'pop.' The facial animations of the human characters in the cutscenes are firmly in the uncanny valley, which stems from the more'realistic' (as a game involving ninjas, gods, and an insect lady can be) style it has. Additionally, the transitions from cutscene to gameplay are rather jarring these days, as the quality of the CGI doesn't match the resolution of the graphics. The concept retained from MK9 is commendable, and I’m pleased it was preserved. However, by today’s standards, it no longer stands out as particularly remarkable. It is rather unfair of me to criticise the graphics of such an old game, but it just solidifies my opinion that stylized graphics age a lot better than any attempts at realism.

I don't want to keep criticising the game because there is a lot to like. I love the characters, for one. Almost all of them are instantly iconic and have never looked better. A personal favourite is Jax; his arms look so sick, and his character matures a lot (I guess having your arms ripped off and then being killed does that to you). A lot of the new characters are really good, with Kotal Kharn and D'vora being real highlights; they're unique even when compared to the zany roster. I do think the more human characters, the Kombat Kids and Johnny Cage, are a bit more subdued and generic in comparison to the very best. The unlockable skins do help in that regard. The backgrounds are equally as good, although the Unreal Engine issue does dull them somewhat. The visceral impact of executing a fatality in Mortal Kombat X is so profound that it often leaves me in awe. This franchise has always pushed the boundaries of intensity, and this installment significantly raises the stakes. In terms of style, MKX is a monumental advancement over its predecessor; it portrays female characters with more realism and less objectification, a change that deserves recognition.

The gameplay is incredible, to put it mildly. It builds upon MK9 in all the right ways by increasing the speed and adding some bits and pieces to give each match some more tactical depth. For instance, you can cancel out of a throw and instead push the person away, which gives a great opportunity to unleash some hell. The tutorial excels at providing a comprehensive introduction to various moves, ranging from juggles to combos. However, it does omit minitue, which I presume is best mastered through extensive gameplay. The story mode really helps teach you bits and pieces about several characters, giving you four fights with each character, but it leaves a go-half or more completely untouched. Sure, I saw Reptile being played by the computer against me, but I never touched him until I decided to use him in an exhibition match. I feel like the previous game was a bit better in that regard, which is unfortunate. I am dreadful at the game, resorting to button-mashing a lot rather than stringing combos, but I still had a lot of fun.

I wish I had played this game when it came out. There is a lot of stuff in MKX, but it relies on friends and a vibrant online community to really make the most of the game. Yes, the towers, basically in arcade mode, are there, but they don't replace the real thing, and I didn't want to grind out points and coins by repeatedly playing them. So there is a lot of stuff I haven't unlocked in Krypt, but there is only so much music and concept art one can stomach. Despite these misgivings, playing MKX is gallons of fun; it is just missing that je ne sais quoi that stops it from being a really great game. 

There were two moments, in relatively quick succession, that showed me just what I was in for with Sly Cooper. The first was when I attempted to pick up a coin and had to be directly on top of it, and the second was dying in one hit from an enemy. Once I experienced those two disquieting things, I readjusted my expectations for just what kind of game Sly Cooper was. For some reason, I had it in my head that the game would be a fun, light-hearted stealth game, not a platformer that is closer to classic Crash Bandicoot in design. I still had fun, but there were some glaring issues that can only come from its genre and age.

So, positives first. For one, I thought the platforming, for the most part, was really good. I felt like I could slink around the maps with ease, and the stealth sections added a nice twist to the gameplay. Sly Cooper is hardly Hitman, but the stealth was suitably challenging for a game about a Master Thief Racoon. Just pressing circle to swing from hooks, climb up pipes, slide along walls, and run along walls created a nice flow. I found the design of the world and its inhabitants quite appealing. The use of cell-shaded graphics, which tend to remain visually impressive over time, added to its charm. Despite not being as intricate as Wind Waker, the game’s visuals have aged gracefully, making it remarkable for a title that’s 22 years old. I must commend the game’s overall style. Its structure is reminiscent of an after-school cartoon from Cartoon Network, capturing that essence flawlessly. From the episode titles, the quirky side characters, the main villains being broad caricatures of certain parts of the world, and the confident, smooth-talking nature of Sly himself. 12-year-old me would've loved it.

There are some festering, rotten issues with Sly Cooper that really make it a struggle to play at times. Every minigame is awful, with the racing one being an abomination. From what I recall, it was common practice for platformers to throw in an abundance of abomnibal minigames in an attempt to add 'variety' to their game. Whether this was from boredom or a lack of confidence, who knows, but they were almost universally terrible, and Sly Cooper is no different. To make matters worse, they are mandatory. Discovering this, I nearly quit there and then. They all control like shit, and cost you a life when you lose, which is absolutely wild. These minigames also infected a few of the bosses and made the experience of beating them miserable (hello, the sudden rhythm game section). I really hope subsequent games either design better minigames or have less of them. 

Additionally, I found that tying Sly's upgrades to collecting items to be a double-edged sword. On the one hand, some of them are really good, like the dive or briefly going slow-mo; on the other, so many were utterly useless that I felt kind of ripped off (why would I ever roll when it was slower than moving?). I couldn't believe you had to unlock the ability to hoover up coins at a reasonable distance—something that should've been in the game to begin with. Admittedly, I didn't see all the upgrades, as I missed a few collectables and had no desire to go back and find them. But I saw enough to know that the effort wasn't always justifed.

There were also a few weird technical issues that I assume came from the PS3 HD remasters, although it could equally just be age. The characters voices were very low-bitrate and sounded rough. I also thought the mixing was out of wack. The atmosphere was super loud in spots; sound effects were missing entirely, and when you start the game, the music is obnoxious. Minor things but over 8 hours, they became grating.

Sly Cooper and the Thievius Raccoonus was a game I ended up enjoying on an academic level rather than a qualitative one. It is nice to go back in time and see what the gaming landscape was like 20+ years ago as well as where a beloved series began, warts and all. Believe me, the game is warty as hell, but it still has its charms. I look forward to seeing how it develops from here.