Death Stranding replay challenge complete

I think I was expecting more from this as a gameplay experience, I wish they leaned into bringing back Greek mythology more and I was hoping for more enemy and location variety in general. But it is a really fun mode and worked really well as a little epilogue to Kratos' story.

2018

I really enjoyed the first half of my time with the game, the basic mechanics and the story are fantastic. After that the sense of progressione grinds to a halt and the repetition to get to the story's ending started to bother me a little. I also think some of the side stories take too long to unlock.

But overall, a really good game.

Stunning little game, loved every second, even if I kinda wish there was a tiny bit more

Insomniac continues its track record of making really solid fun video games that never quite break through into being truly great.

A game that seems tailor made to cater to all of my specific interests in storytelling. Loved every single second, haven't felt this tense and immersed in a video game world in a long while. Easily my game of the year and instantly an all time favourite for me. Can't wait for any continuation.

Constantly joyful. Not as innovative as it could have been but a great time.

I wish the british merchant bloke played into the story by the end. That dude is hilarious. Good video game!

Nintendo is so funny. They make some of the greatest games of all time every 5 or 6 years and then the rest of the time it's just rereleases and iterative sequels.

I love them.

Combat and exploration are really good, maybe even better than the first one, but overall I found the story less compelling and wish there were more smaller locations rather than fewer big ones. Good game though.

Kind of similar to the original but less impactful, great setting and mood but the story was a bit too confusing

The definition of "they don't make them like this anymore".

Ragnarok is not as impressive as the 2018 game, just because for the most part it builds on its predecessor without revolutionising the series like that first game did, but it is just as good on a narrative level overall (although a little more fragmented) and it perfects the gameplay and exploration.

A tough battle between this and Elden Ring for my favorite of the year. Ragnarok is probably more "perfect" in terms of really not having any significant flaws, while Elden Ring is a more ambitious and innovative game even if there are some small issues I have with it as a souls fan. Either way, finally a second game I love in 2022.

A game that for better and for worse is stuck 10 years in the past. It's refreshing to play something so straightforward and linear without all the unnecessary padding a lot of games have now and the basic combat system is still fantastic, but all the attempts at innovation just did not work out for me. The summoning system is fun when it's used in specific set pieces, but ultimately never feels as good as just controlling Bayonetta. The second playable character, Viola, just isn't that fun to play as, in fact it gets quite frustrating and feels clunky compared to the perfect fluidity of Bayonetta. Also, the story is even more nonsensical than the first two games and graphically it looks dated and doesn't run very well.

The first game was an incredible first entry and at least tried to tell a cool story you could care about a little. The second game ironed out and perfect the combat system and fully realised the over-the-top style. The third game is more of the same thing with new additions that just aren't that good.