Perfectly adequate DMC/GoW clone that I’ve wanted to play for years since I’m a big fan of the character. Sure it’s a movie tie in and a 2007 ps2 game but I had a pretty decent time with it and since it’s the only solo ghost rider game on console I’m grateful it’s not horrible.

The gameplay is divided into two sections: hack and slash gameplay and motorcycle sections.
The character action parts are just the player going room to room beating up waves of enemies or bosses to unlock the next door to progress. You start with a few basic combos but can upgrade your abilities with the souls you collect from slain enemies. You’ll be able to unlock new strings as well as buff moves you already have. The upgrades are pretty cool and mixing and matching different moves keeps your style meter up to maximize your end of level score. There are ground pounds, chain swings and a shotgun to help crowd control. You also have a block move and a roll to use as your defensive options. There aren’t a ton of different type of enemies and most enemies have only one or two moves but on higher difficulty you definitely have to use a good variety of your tools to survive and not simply button mash although as I got further in the game I realized you “devil trigger” was a bit OP and recharged a bit too quickly and could be abused a little.
Aside from the combat there’s absolutely nothing else to these levels. No platforming (the jump button is solely there for aerial attacks and juggles), no puzzles, no key items, no collectibles and the environments are pretty good graphically for a ps2 game but artistically bland and forgettable.
The motor cycle sections are there instead to break up the pacing and they’re ehhh ok. Not horrible. The physics are a little janky but they’re short and don’t overstay their welcome. Even if gameplay wise they’re a little bland it’s bad ass to slide your flaming hellcycle under an obstacle and then wheelie off a jump over a chasm in slow-mo. Unfortunately a couple bosses are wasted on dumb vehicular combat but the few bosses you fight in the regular combat sections are competent enough.

This game isn’t amazing by any means and I wish there were CG cutscenes instead of comic panels voiced over but playing a passable ghost rider game was really fun for me and the unlockable cheats and characters (including Blade with a whole different move set) makes me almost want to play it again…almost.
6/10

I’m a really big fan of the first game but for some reason I never got around to playing this sequel until just now and it was solid but flawed.
I knew when the first action I did in the game was turn to check out a waistress’ tits to learn how to control the camera I was in for a good time. This game ditches the dark and serious broodiness of the first in exchange for a more over the top and comedic tone. The cell shaded art style and color pallete enhances this decision with the bright red blood really popping everytime you disemember an enemy. It’s clear a ton of effort went into the script for this game with tons of dialogue with various characters that are all fleshed out pretty well and given their own personalities. The story comes pretty natural from where the first game left off. There’s a lot of comedy and one liners here but still maintains an emotional hook through the game and the relationship between Jenny and Jackie is believable.
The gameplay is similar to the first but more streamlined with the open areas and side missions removed now in favor of more linear levels which I don’t hate but it always felt like I was spending more time in dialogue, dream sequences and cutscenes than plowing through enemies.
The shooting feels great and feedback is very responsive. Your darkness powers are what separate this from an average shooter and they really shine here with your abilities to slash enemies vertically or horizontally. You can also pick up many objects in the levels and use them as shields or hurl them at enemies to impale them or slice them in half. You’ll also be able to grab stunned enemies and perform executions and depending what execution you do you’ll get back ammo, health, shields, etc which is a mechanic I really enjoy. The more violently you play the higher your score gets and then in turn these score points can be used to buy upgrades and new moves at checkpoints. Including a new game plus to unlock all the abilities is a nice touch too.
The other main gimmick in this game like the predecessor is staying out of the light as you can’t use your powers in light. You’ll neee to shoot them out or avoid them. This game has some annoying ass enemies that shine flashlights at you and throw blinding flash grenades. It makes sense in the story but these enemies are never much fun to fight since the only real tool you have to stop them is shooting their flashlight out which can be a pain while you’re swarmed with other enemies and can’t use any of your powers.
The game is too short too clocking in at around 5 hours including all the optional dialogue and cutscenes. I really felt like I was only in the action for 2-3 hours and kept getting frustrated as it would end so briefly and go back to story moments.

All in all the gameplay is extremely satisfying outside some annoying enemies and some frustration with the pacing. There’s a couple sections you play as your darkling sidekick which are pseudo stealth sections that are awful but very brief and there’s an on rails section that’s also brief but equally as pointless.

I wish this game played more to its strength and gave me more time eviscerating enemies because that’s really what you’re there for. This game is really fun when you actually get to play but there’s just too much holding it back from being great.
6/10

It had been well over a decade since I played this game. I had strong nostalgia for this one. I remember seeing the trailers on tv as a kid being so awestruck by the graphics and thinking it looked like the coolest game ever. I know I enjoyed it a ton when it came out and remember general plot points and gameplay but DAMN going back all this years later: this game kinda blows and it’s one of the most needlessly frustrating games I’ve ever played.

There’s no real gameplay loop to be had here. You’re either in third person shooter combat or piloting various mechs that all control somewhat differently but have different movement abilities and durability.
The only unique mechanic is since you’re in the freezing cold you’ll need to constantly be picking up thermal energy from checkpoints, killed enemies or destructible objects in the environment. If you run out of energy you freeze to death and it’s game over. It’s an interesting enough idea but I found there’s always a surplus of it as long as you’re killing everything and not taking too much damage so it didn’t really impact the gameplay too much or make me feel rushed.
Enemies are either various sized alien Kaiju, humans with guns or other mechs. Fighting the monsters is ok as there’s some strategy to hit their weak points and avoid their massive ground shaking attacks but fighting human enemies is dull garbage and the mech fights are clunky and not fun either.
There’s not much strategy to this game except run in circles and keep shooting. You have a grappling hook but it’s very slow and not practical to use in combat usually and you’re very limited in the areas you can access with it. You can also jump but that’s not helpful for the most part. There’s a dodge roll but it’s very clunky and requires you to click the left stick in a direction as you press the A button and just never felt smooth or useful.
It’s insanely frustrating that almost every attack from every enemy hard knocks you down and you take forever to get back up. If you’re surrounded by enough enemies you’ll get looped endlessly as there’s no way to get up quickly or roll out of danger. You’re jump also can’t really avoid explosions from rocket launchers or monster projectiles.
The shooting itself uses a strong lock on system and feels ok but again any time you’re fighting anything but the Akrid the game blows.
The game is still very visually impressive and holds up well and the scope of some of the more open snow covered areas is impressive. The scale of some of the monsters is also impressive too and the ground shaking making you stumble is a nice touch but in a game that is already painfully slow it just ads even more frustration as Wayne stumbles around everywhere and slowly picks himself up off the ground. I guess it’s supposed to be immersive but it just results in the game being totally unfun to play. I wanted to finish it but I tapped out with a mission or 2 left. I should have just kept the fond memories from my childhood but now I have a bad taste in my mouth and don’t think I’ll revisit this one ever again.
4/10