I remember being really excited seeing the initial teaser, showing a very worn-down "What a fucking week, and it's only Tuesday" look on Chris' face as he points his gun towards an oncoming mob of infected locals. I remember also loving all the survival aspects they had planned for the game, like sun exposure, hunger, etc.

Too bad literally everything I was excited for got removed/replaced LOL. At launch, I despised everything about this game, and I still think it's kind of shitty now. Granted, it plays about as well as Resident Evil 4, perhaps even a bit better with a handful of new options. It's the experience itself that offers nothing very unique or interesting.

I never looked that deeply into the production, but I imagine adding co-op is what overhauled much of the game's design, demanding it be simpler for a full 2-player experience. And that's a big bummer, despite co-op being fun enough with a friend.

The story itself starts off okay, but careens off a cliff about halfway through into absolute ridiculousness and terrible writing. Some of that is still fun, but overall it's very forgettable. Slapped together with unbelievably boring environments and awful monster designs, Resident Evil 5 remains as a mostly-disappointing experience.

I know very little about the Twilight Syndrome series, but from my understanding, the original game was an impressive horror adventure about highschool girls investigating paranormal activities and urban legends active in Japan. Suda51 aided the production of that game near the end of its development period, and its success granted him the keys to the series . . . for a brief moment.

With that, Suda's sequel, Moonlight Syndrome, was basically him going "You know what's way scarier than ghosts and urban legends? PEOPLE. They're fucked in the head, and commit evil when they want to. This sequel ain't gonna be about those ghosts or ANY OF THAT BABY SHIT. The human mind is the true horror! That's what the fuck I'M TALKIN' ABOUT! THAT'S WHAT THE F-" and then everybody hated it, and Suda shortly left Human Entertainment after warping this series so unrecognizably, that Human removed this game from the continuity for future titles.

Thanks to the fan translation by CJ_Iwakura, I was able to play through the first 5 chapters, and the game is absolutely WILD. The depth he goes with these characters is very interesting, and the entire game doesn't stop exuding this discomforting aura, it's a very creepy score by Masafumi Takada, who has incredible range!

There isn't much to the gameplay, as it merely expects you to walk to places and make choices while listening to the characters interact. There's choices to be made throughout, but it doesn't really change the story much, if at all. The story is the real meat, and so far, I love what I've seen! As someone that has experienced Suda's future titles such as The Silver Case and The 25th Ward, it's so fascinating to see the kinds of themes and analogs that this title has in common with those games, such as the dangers of the human psyche, and commentary towards modern housing/infrastructure, along with what that does to a society.

While I've really enjoyed the "patient zero" of Suda51's 'Kill the Past' ethos, I can't give this a full score, as I didn't finish the game, but intend to once the translation is finished.

Anything I have to say about RE4 has probably been said a billion times by others--and probably with better vocabulary--even on this website. Even so, I want to fill this log with all the games I've experienced and want something to write about each of them.

Roundhouse Kick 4 is awesome. Everything from the action, the head-splitting effects, the feel of the guns, Leon's goofy behavior, and the infected Spaniards that all sound like Mexicans! This blend of action and horror with stupendous monster designs drizzled across this adventure makes for an unforgettable experience!

Resident Evil was already on its way towards being more action-oriented with 2 and 3, but the emphasis on gunplay and third-person camera fully-cemented the new direction for years to come. For better or for worse.

Throughout my teen years, there was a really REALLY awesome arcade near me that took pride in providing the latest and greatest arcade experiences, and did a great job maintaining all their machines. They would not only keep the big classics in premium condition, but also get the newest in high-profile arcade action. Time Crisis, Tekken, Initial D,, you name it! This place had them all! They were usually imports of the Japanese cabinets, since they would arrive much sooner. People from across the East Coast would hoof it to this humble arcade in New Jersey.

One of those machines was motherfukken F-Zero AX! The premium cabinet with the moving seat, and this was about a month or so before the Gamecube counterpart hit store shelves. I was already a big fan of F-Zero X, so witnessing that big beautiful bastard show up at this arcade was a really significant point of my nerd-ass teens.

I will never forget the first time playing the simplest course for the first time, Mute City. The stunningly gorgeous graphics, the intense speed, the roaring sound design, and that INCREDIBLE remix to the familiar song! Hearing that guitar riff the first time, I want to cry just thinking about the dump truck of dopamine my brain experienced that very moment. It's something I've never felt before, and probably never will again. F-Zero AX still stands as the absolute PEAK of arcade racing goodness, everything about it is perfect.

I even remember getting the Gamecube game immediately when it released. They offered exclusive content if you brought your memory card to the arcade machine and insert it while playing! Unfortunately, the cabinet broke down the day after the game came out, so I wasn't able to even try that. Apparently there was a serious problem with the machine, so they sent it back. Never to be seen in that arcade again. Never did I experience the feeling of heaven-on-earth and then immediate heartbreak like that.

The only other time I've seen this machine was at MAGfest. If you ever go to MAGfest and want to find me, I'll likely be skulking around the F-Zero AX machine because that's all I want to play when I'm there.

I have very fond--albeit hazy--memories of being very young and playing this at a friend's house. We were a Super Nintendo family, but he had a Sega Genesis. This was the first game I played on that console, and damn did it make me jealous!

The sequel puts more premium on speed and rewards you further for understanding and memorizing stage patterns in order to keep up the speed, not that careful platforming wasn't part of the formula, as the later stages can tear you up and drink your extra lives if you're too hasty!

All of this is glazed with a wonderful art style and brilliant score that makes that Genesis sound chip sing like a canary! It's not hard to see why Sonic the Hedgehog 2 is one of the highest points of the franchise.

One of the most personal games I've ever played. Travis Strikes Again is a prime example of a creator putting their own life into a game. It's something Suda51--the game's main director--poured his heart, soul, happiest memories, and biggest hardships into. And what came out was a very unique beat-em-up with a dazzling assortment of different worlds, topped off with an incredible soundtrack that enhances the narrative and atmosphere throughout the entire game.

Besides the endearing story, the gameplay itself is really good, albeit monotonous in single player. It really shines when you're playing co-op with a friend. This was a trip down memory lane that no hardcore Suda fan would dare to miss!

Contra STOPPED walking in the mid-90s so Metal Slug could run . . . AND GUN. And boy howdy, did this game run! Metal Slug 1 is such an impressive game with its expressive characters, giant enemy vehicles, and beautiful sprite work of this war between SD mercenaries and soldiers!

The gameplay is great too, with easy-to-understand mechanics and playing with a buddy can be a blast too! While the sequels would thrive with fantasy elements of all kinds, this was the only Metal Slug game that purely focused on "war" aspects and cartoon versions of actual military weapons and vehicles. Metal Slug X and 3 would be the peak of this game series, but I still love this original title and everything it stood for.

One of the most interesting games made for Kinect. Diabolical Pitch is, as the name implies, about pitching. and you gotta pitch . . . a lot. The atmosphere rides a line between spooky and goofy, and it's pretty charming, albeit a bit too muddy-looking at times. The sound design is excellent, giving great feedback when defeating foes. The mechanics work fine for Kinect, but become really tiring. It's a short game that I beat in a single playthrough, and my right arm was dying for a couple days after that.

The worst part would probably be the story itself. It's very unimaginative and doesn't really go in any interesting directions. It might not be as enjoyable as a few other Kinect games, but for a $10 launch, it's definitely worth at least a couple sessions for those that are morbidly curious of this dumbass peripheral Microsoft desperately pushed.

A somewhat rushed sequel that ups the ante in a lot of ways. Many would consider the original Earthworm Jim to be an off-beat and non-traditional platformer, which helped it stand out along with its artistry. Earthworm Jim 2 sees this, and pushes that direction so damn far, that the better terms describing this game would be obtuse or obscene. This game has such a bizarre structure that you'll be applauding the designers for their creative output one minute, then booing them the next.

Despite its gaping flaws, I definitely have a really soft spot for Earthworm Jim 2. I actually have more fondness for this game than the original, perhaps because it's so obscenely odd without really needing an obnoxious "gross" factor (Boogerman sucks).

The 1-2 punch of the Earthworm Jim series is a testament of the mid-90s where some funny folks wanted to push the envelope and express their unique ideas in a really strange way, and it's something I don't think can be replicated ever again. And, like the original game, I prefer the SNES version as I think it has smoother gameplay and better visuals.

Possibly as straight-forward as a sequel can get. Guitar Hero II builds upon the roaring foundation of the original game, and simply adds more to the experience, that's especially the case for the diverse music.

There isn't a lot to say about this experience, although its expanded multiplayer features were nice, such as the added bassline for all the songs. A slumbering beast that will soon awaken . . .

Also, the X-plorer guitar that came with the Xbox 360 port is amazing. It's still the best peripheral ever made for modern rhythm games.

Standing in the place of Sonic as a new generation of gaming opened up a new dimension to compete with Mario, Crash Bandicoot is a competent platformer with impressive presentation, especially for the mid-90s. The only thing that really holds it back from being a classic is how obtusely irritating a lot of the stage designs are. Perhaps it was to ensure players would take their time and hone their skills at this panicky platformer with a panicky protagonist, but this game wouldn't really meet legitimate quality in the sum of all its parts until the sequel!

If there was any game in the 90s that made kids want to impulsively air guitar, it was F-Zero X! This intense racing game was something no other racer could even come close to being as awesome (until its own sequel years later).

I also adore that the staff involved opted for the game to have a smooth, stable 60 frames-per-second, which meant sacrificing most textures and graphical fidelity. They just knew how important a high framerate was not only for playability, but also to emphasize the SPEED of the game. And damn, was it fast!

I also adore the character designs that perfectly meld with the atmosphere the soundtrack ensues! I wouldn't be surprised if the artists involved were inspired by "Heavy Metal" magazine and/or its 1981 film! Literally everything about F-Zero X kicks so much ass! I just wish we somehow got the expansion kit here, I definitely would've spent hours on-end making custom stages!

Also, the Switch emulation is garbage. Don't play it on there.

An ambitious platformer that gave Nintendo a run for its money back in the early 90s! Sonic the Hedgehog is an interesting 2D platformer that gives you the ability to go really fast, but what it really calls for is careful platforming. Not that there ever isn't a need for speed, as it can be awesome once you learn and understand the stage designs!

It's not the most graceful platformer, and its successor would end up blowing this game out of the water, but the visuals, music, and satisfaction that comes from clearing the stages make it a genuine classic!