Kane and Lynch 2 has received a positive reappraisal in recent years and having played it for the first time a year or so back I’d have to agree. Dog Days is a filthy and visceral satire of the PS3/360 gen of shooters and crime games. I have some familiarity with the first game and this game also feels like a takedown of its predecessor as well and its attempts to try and make Kane and Lynch gritty anti-heroes. The titular duo engage in the usual maelstrom of hyper-violence most shooter game protags get into but unlike most of those protags Kane and Lynch are completely loathsome and pathetic scumbags who created said storm of bloodshed completely out of their own blundering bullshit. They have no real sense of comradery; their hatred of each other bubbles up multiple times over the campaign and the only reason they stick together is that at this point all they have left is each other as well their shared delusions of being cool crime-men who are going to have one last big score. And the game loves showing how selfish and delusional they are without really stressing it; Kane thinks that his estranged daughter will just completely forgive him for years of his bullshit by throwing dirty money from a gunrunning job at her and its clear he has never considered her feelings and what she actually wants while Lynch callously disregards his girlfriend’s wellbeing by dragging her into his violent screw-ups which leads to its inevitable conclusion. They’re ugly, vile, washed up old men and the game neither sympathizes with nor glamorizes them.

One of the most discussed elements of the game is the camera and I have to agree that its rad. The camera really does feel like there is some unseen camera man chasing the duo around with a crappy camcorder. It can be a bit disorientating so it’s probably not recommended if you have a propensity for motion sickness but I was fine playing it. The VHS effects are also done real well, effects such as head-shotting a dude and having it be censored by a ball of static makes the game feel even more visceral and messed up.

The gunplay isn’t exceptional but it does add to the hectic and visceral feel that envelops the game. One interesting thing is that there isn’t any truly safe cover, enemies will plink away at you if you stay behind a piece of cover for too long, incentivizing you to be on the move when need be and to take out enemies as quick as you can. Kane and Lynch are also kind of crappy shots so they chew through assault weapon ammo if you’re not too careful, which also adds to the breakneck and sloppy feel of the game. The game is rather tricky at first, but once you get the feel for it gets more manageable as you go along.

The game ends in an abrupt anti-climax but I think it’s the perfect ending for the game. Kane and Lynch will never have a happy ending, will never find peace, they are incapable of achieving it due to their grievous character flaws and they don’t deserve it either. You know they’ll just meet their gruesome ends in a rain of gunfire eventually so the game doesn’t give its characters or the players any sense of closure. It just bluntly ends, just how the rest of the game has been so brutally blunt and breakneck paced. Dog Days is a short campaign, around 3-4 hours, but honestly as I said it as long as need be. Really I just love how abrupt the whole game is and even though I do like this game I don’t think I’d want a sequel, it would just feel unnecessary to me. Definitely check the game out if you’re interested, especially because it’s usually on sale on Steam for like three bucks. Just a unique game that we’ll probably never get again in the AAA sphere.

really doesnt do anything to improve the original's gameplay (i.e. the combat still feels muddy, especially compared to Sekiro) and also really fails under scrutiny when later sections resort to hardcore aggressive enemy spam that tests the player on how efficiently they can use their force currency to insta-kill enemies rather than actually engage with combat. it adds stuff, but its more facetious fluff than meaningful evolutions of the gameplay.

the metroidvania structure of the original is mostly thrown aside in favor of a more generic open world with side quests and fewer key abilities. it still maintains the facade, but the focus is definitely on being "big," the opposite of where the genre thrives.

story-wise its about as schlocky as the original, although somehow feels more self-serious. the drama still falls completely flat and includes more of it thanks to the naughty-dog-esque "slowly follow behind somebody while they mumble at you" sections during the massive walks between objectives. however, to a lesser extent than the original granted, it still is very much capable of that star wars shlock with insane plot twists and cool displays of force abilities. watching cal use sith abilities on someone because hes pissed about a recent plot twist is awesome, listening to him mumble to his girlfriend about nothing is not. one of those is much more prevalent than the other.

the reason im being so harsh, even though i do ultimately like the game, is because its a sequel to a star wars game. i dont feel like any leeway is granted in something so safe as that, and for it to take so few risks or even improve in any meaningful way makes me inclined to treat it a little more harshly. honestly, as an aside, so much about this game reminds of God of War Ragnarok which i had damn near the exact same feelings about.

heres the review: if you liked fallen order, youll like this. just dont expect to be excited by it.

that extends to the fact there are still ZERO circle wipes in a DAMN STAR WARS GAME

This fucking game, man.

Here I sit in front of the dim glow of a computer monitor, inebriated, ready to spill my guts over a video game. I will just embrace the cringe and do as the Elden Ring meta dictates and smash that L2 Seppuku.

Playing through the Souls games was a sort-of gaming evolution for me - a transition away from Bioware and Bethesda RPG dominance into widening my perspective. I talked about that in my Dark Souls Remastered review, so if you're interested in more saccharine reflection, it's there. So when Elden Ring was announced and trailers debuted, I thought "holy shit. This is going to be my favorite game of all time."

It's this expectation that has killed me over and over again. I have thought so many times that I loved open world games. I probably put over a thousand hours each into Morrowind, Oblivion, and Skyrim. I also love Souls, with over a thousand hours in Dark Souls 3, let alone the series, so it should be the marriage of both things into an epic triumph of everything that I want from a video game. Yet, I remember after finishing Elden Ring for the first time, where this intense excitement and longing had been burning, the shadow of disappointment set in instead. Then followed the guilt.

What a stupid thing to feel - guilt over not liking a video game as much as I expected, and yet it destroyed me all the same. So I parsed out my feelings into a review and then guarded them by joking Elden Ring was a "bad game," because you can't critique me if I'm just being funny! It, obviously, is not a bad game.

And then, I played Elden Ring for about 700 more hours, battling with other Tarnished, and helping others overcome Malenia and her incessant need to remind us of who she is.

Here's the deal: I still mostly feel and believe the same things I did about Elden Ring as I did in my first review, however what has left is the guilt and frustration over those opinions. I still dislike several of the end-game bosses. I still think after the first playthrough the world feels lonely and lacking. I still prefer the more closed structure in these types of games. I still feel like some of the balance is lazy. I still think the multi-player in this game is a big step back.

I don't really care anymore though. The art direction is incredible from the just horrific nightmare that is Caelid to staring down giant arrow-shooting golems in Limgrave in the face of a thunderstorm. The framing of events is spectacular, and I get to be the camera man. There is a ton of customization and build-crafting that can be done, a thousand different ways to overcome obstacles, and despite the irritation I have with some of the end-game bosses, I still look forward to running through the game and fighting everything, as I find something new each time. Sure, some of this transformation does stem from "mad because bad," but so much of it is a result of eschewing expectations.

I have managed to make some amazing memories in the Lands Between, and will continue to find more. I hereby change my disappointed 9/10 review to a 10/10. Please, cringe at me. I invite it - I know the Vow of the Indomitable.

Amazing how a remake of one of my very favourite video games I never wanted and was originally against is better then practically every modern AAA Video game release because at the end of the day not only is it Incredibly faithful to the original but is proudly let's itself be a video game and not push stick forward for cutscene with some of the best gameplay Resident Evil as a series has ever had. Absolutely astonishing work and my favourite new RE release since Capcom truly revived it in 2017. Hope RE9 and future games don't Abandon what made this re-experience truly something extraordinary. Masterpiece