IsaacAdept123456
A small but more sizeable than expected spinoff using Uncharted 4's engine. It was nice to have Chloe back and giving Nadine some needed growth after her story abruptly ends in 4. The gunplay segments build on the parts that Uncharted 4 did well and while some of the puzzles were nothingburgers there were some solid ones that made me think and were better than base Uncharted 4.
Of course while the story is fun it is pretty by the numbers especially for Uncharted standards, I liked Chloe and Nadine growing to trust each other but it was played in a very cliche and rushed manner at times. Also the one chapter where it's a massive area you can explore while was really cool initially really overstayed its welcome and Uncharted's gameplay style is just simply not designed for open-ended exploration in this way,
Of course while the story is fun it is pretty by the numbers especially for Uncharted standards, I liked Chloe and Nadine growing to trust each other but it was played in a very cliche and rushed manner at times. Also the one chapter where it's a massive area you can explore while was really cool initially really overstayed its welcome and Uncharted's gameplay style is just simply not designed for open-ended exploration in this way,
2006
I'll applaud the graphics, the technical achievement of getting a Sonic game running on the Doom engine. the fun Nights inspired special stages as well as it's application of modding tools.
But holy shit the level design is such a confusing mess I couldn't make it through. The controls and physics are wack too just making obvious spring jumps impossible. It's way too open making you lose track of your position in the level and a long time wandering in circles. What a shame because i really wanted to like it
But holy shit the level design is such a confusing mess I couldn't make it through. The controls and physics are wack too just making obvious spring jumps impossible. It's way too open making you lose track of your position in the level and a long time wandering in circles. What a shame because i really wanted to like it
2020
Definitely too short and seeing the amount of cut content from the original was disappointing. The replay value is very lacking and the levels aren't as tightly designed besides the hospital which was a highlight.
Still I had a ton of fun with this game. The RE2 remake engine is already fun alone so getting more of that was great. I also really liked the perfect dodge mechanic giving a fresh new way to avoid zombies. Nemesis wasn't perfect but I really enjoyed how menacing he was and how he constantly evolved throughout the game. I enjoyed seeing Jill again and Carlos was a surprisingly awesome character.
Still I had a ton of fun with this game. The RE2 remake engine is already fun alone so getting more of that was great. I also really liked the perfect dodge mechanic giving a fresh new way to avoid zombies. Nemesis wasn't perfect but I really enjoyed how menacing he was and how he constantly evolved throughout the game. I enjoyed seeing Jill again and Carlos was a surprisingly awesome character.
1996
The gameplay and visuals are timeless with fun and smooth controls with expressive enemies as it rapidly escalates its mayhem as the game progresses.
However the difficulty does get really bullshit towards the end as it throws a million explosives at you and expects you to avoid them all with precision or else you'd get a game over. A sad symptom of the need for more arcade quarters at the time
However the difficulty does get really bullshit towards the end as it throws a million explosives at you and expects you to avoid them all with precision or else you'd get a game over. A sad symptom of the need for more arcade quarters at the time
2019
I didn't enjoy the first RE remake so getting right into this I couldn't be more pleasantly surprised. The game generally feels really great to play and really perfects the Resident Evil formula and fixes a lot of tedious aspects that hold back the classic formula from being truly enjoyable for me. It gives you so many options to play it your way that even when I came up some frustrating segments I had the freedom to experiment until I mastered some segments.
The general atmosphere, environments and map layout are so well crafted that I was fully immersed in it's world and did legitimately get spooked by some parts when I was on low health. Of course there's still some weaker puzzles and some less than stellar backtracking but it was very few and far between that it didn't bother me as much.
The general atmosphere, environments and map layout are so well crafted that I was fully immersed in it's world and did legitimately get spooked by some parts when I was on low health. Of course there's still some weaker puzzles and some less than stellar backtracking but it was very few and far between that it didn't bother me as much.
2004
It's a ton of fun, Crash controls really well (besides the slide jump being really stiff) and some of these levels are really well designed especially the final one. I really enjoyed the off the wall humor and the really endearingly goofy ways that Crash and Cortex team up in some segments leading to some fun gameplay gimmicks that spruce things up.
Sadly the nature of it being rushed does lead to a lot of jankiness, awkward structure and really odd glitches that makes you lose a lot of progress. The physics for those little ball challenges were so finnicky that I went crazy. Nina was a fun addition but her being mute was very obviously not the plan and made her scenes really awkward, this also affects some bosses which appear out of nowhere without any build up and some are weirdly designed in general. While Crash and Nina are fun, Cortex's sections are really boring and halt the pacing down.
While it's a really fun game, the rushed nature of it does get in the way of it being truly great. I hope a remake that lets the game live up to it's true potential is on the cards in the future.
Sadly the nature of it being rushed does lead to a lot of jankiness, awkward structure and really odd glitches that makes you lose a lot of progress. The physics for those little ball challenges were so finnicky that I went crazy. Nina was a fun addition but her being mute was very obviously not the plan and made her scenes really awkward, this also affects some bosses which appear out of nowhere without any build up and some are weirdly designed in general. While Crash and Nina are fun, Cortex's sections are really boring and halt the pacing down.
While it's a really fun game, the rushed nature of it does get in the way of it being truly great. I hope a remake that lets the game live up to it's true potential is on the cards in the future.
1999
Fun arcadey goodness but it does feel like it's lacking some extra oomph to really push this gameplay forward. The console port is also very lacking in features. I'd love to try out the sequels one day to see how they evolve this formula.
This game was such an awesome staple of my childhood. Have no idea how I never logged this until now lol
The journey I began with Nathan Drake since I've been giving these games a try since February finally wraps up.
The stories of these games didn't completely live up to the endless praise I always heard about it, but it still overall was a solid story as the acting, visuals and earnestness of it all kept you immersed in it's characters and world. I thought it was at least a step-up from 3 and delivering a satisfying conclusion to his character. It's worth applauding that the introduction of his lost brother who hasn't been mentioned a single time in the previous games was handled well. There's great moments of acting and you begin to connect with these characters you've spent the in thanks to the amazing acting and convincing motion capture/ facial expressions. It still does try a little too hard to be emotional just slowing the pace down and taking a long time before you get back into gameplay, like the scenes with a younger Nate and Sam, the first one was fine for reintroducing the mechanics and their relationships. However the second time was just really boring and went on too long, I would've appreciated dialing these back a little
It did however feel like another rehash of the previous games even with the promise of something much more darker toned and challenging for an older Drake. The Uncharted villains have always been the sour spot of their stories, Rafe had some potential for being a better villain but the way his character is wrapped up made him revolve to a one dimensional angry rich kid which was lame, Nadine just disappears and doesn't have a complete storyline, even with Lost Legacy bringing her back this felt unsatifying. The tension feels non existent as the same ridicolous plot armor on a story trying to be more grounded and dark, while it was well presented it didn't feel like it's consequences really justified the whole thing besides setting the stage for a new adventure for Drake to embark on. I'm usually not too hard on the story for videogames like this but when they spend extended downtime feeding you a story you're supposed to take more seriously then I'll critique it harder.
This is still visually one of the most gorgeous games on the market and it's been seven years since it released. The character models and the environments are so life-like that it's pretty insane how so few games have been able to keep up with bar it set. There's some great setpieces here especially the chase in the streets of Madagascar which dynamically changes between different scenarios. It does feel like the other setpieces however are much more automated and don't reach the heights of the last two games.
Finally getting to the gameplay, it's still very similar to the previous games but has an added stifness to it to emphasize his older age. The grappling hook is a really cool addition and adds some more manouverability to the climbing, combat and puzzle sections though by the end of the game it doesn't really do anything new with it so it loses it's innovation.
The puzzles in this game are a lot more simplified than the previous trilogyThe shootouts were solid but their sense of pacing was a mess. The game hardly attempts to keep things fresh in the encounters unlike Uncharted 2 which was excellent in elevating the combat encounters as the game went on unlike this one where most of them felt the same. When the game finally begins to include more dynamic maps for combat and more varied weapons it's pretty much the last hour and it's over quickly after that. It's a shame because the shooting and the animations are so much better than the previous games and while it was still fun it's own right there was more potential to really push it further.
Another repetitive aspect of this game is the traversal, the climbing segments went on for way too long and the amount of times I had to wander around for some vague wall that lead to another box you had to climb was really pushing it by the end. The game's levels are created to be much more open which really did add to a sense of immersion and scale and was a pure joy to but it often lead to me wandering off from where I needed to go, it feels like it clashes with the linear structure of the game at times.
It may seem like I'm going too hard but I did fall for a bit of overhype expecting a masterpiece. I still think its overall a well polished and fun shooter with fantastic presentation and a flawed story that still kept me immersed with great acting and characters.
The stories of these games didn't completely live up to the endless praise I always heard about it, but it still overall was a solid story as the acting, visuals and earnestness of it all kept you immersed in it's characters and world. I thought it was at least a step-up from 3 and delivering a satisfying conclusion to his character. It's worth applauding that the introduction of his lost brother who hasn't been mentioned a single time in the previous games was handled well. There's great moments of acting and you begin to connect with these characters you've spent the in thanks to the amazing acting and convincing motion capture/ facial expressions. It still does try a little too hard to be emotional just slowing the pace down and taking a long time before you get back into gameplay, like the scenes with a younger Nate and Sam, the first one was fine for reintroducing the mechanics and their relationships. However the second time was just really boring and went on too long, I would've appreciated dialing these back a little
It did however feel like another rehash of the previous games even with the promise of something much more darker toned and challenging for an older Drake. The Uncharted villains have always been the sour spot of their stories, Rafe had some potential for being a better villain but the way his character is wrapped up made him revolve to a one dimensional angry rich kid which was lame, Nadine just disappears and doesn't have a complete storyline, even with Lost Legacy bringing her back this felt unsatifying. The tension feels non existent as the same ridicolous plot armor on a story trying to be more grounded and dark, while it was well presented it didn't feel like it's consequences really justified the whole thing besides setting the stage for a new adventure for Drake to embark on. I'm usually not too hard on the story for videogames like this but when they spend extended downtime feeding you a story you're supposed to take more seriously then I'll critique it harder.
This is still visually one of the most gorgeous games on the market and it's been seven years since it released. The character models and the environments are so life-like that it's pretty insane how so few games have been able to keep up with bar it set. There's some great setpieces here especially the chase in the streets of Madagascar which dynamically changes between different scenarios. It does feel like the other setpieces however are much more automated and don't reach the heights of the last two games.
Finally getting to the gameplay, it's still very similar to the previous games but has an added stifness to it to emphasize his older age. The grappling hook is a really cool addition and adds some more manouverability to the climbing, combat and puzzle sections though by the end of the game it doesn't really do anything new with it so it loses it's innovation.
The puzzles in this game are a lot more simplified than the previous trilogyThe shootouts were solid but their sense of pacing was a mess. The game hardly attempts to keep things fresh in the encounters unlike Uncharted 2 which was excellent in elevating the combat encounters as the game went on unlike this one where most of them felt the same. When the game finally begins to include more dynamic maps for combat and more varied weapons it's pretty much the last hour and it's over quickly after that. It's a shame because the shooting and the animations are so much better than the previous games and while it was still fun it's own right there was more potential to really push it further.
Another repetitive aspect of this game is the traversal, the climbing segments went on for way too long and the amount of times I had to wander around for some vague wall that lead to another box you had to climb was really pushing it by the end. The game's levels are created to be much more open which really did add to a sense of immersion and scale and was a pure joy to but it often lead to me wandering off from where I needed to go, it feels like it clashes with the linear structure of the game at times.
It may seem like I'm going too hard but I did fall for a bit of overhype expecting a masterpiece. I still think its overall a well polished and fun shooter with fantastic presentation and a flawed story that still kept me immersed with great acting and characters.
1958
The world was never the same after
(I played the browser version for two minutes and just felt like logging in one of the oldest games)
(I played the browser version for two minutes and just felt like logging in one of the oldest games)
2014
I genuinely respect what the original Resident Evil did for the industry and the horror genre but as a video game I didn't enjoy it much. This was way too much backtracking and vague guessing having to force me to keep relying on a guide to even know where tf to go out of the how many doors there and what specific things need to go where for my liking, and besides a few exceptions the puzzle sucked. The fixed camera angles were really annoying making me run in circles at times and making combat a slog. A lot of things are generally a tedious mess and I feel only die-hard fans would get a kick out of this one these days.
The game is gorgeous for it's time and I will admit it does have that satisfying dungeon feel at times when you figure something out, but overall I'm glad this game is over and I never want to slog through it again.
The game is gorgeous for it's time and I will admit it does have that satisfying dungeon feel at times when you figure something out, but overall I'm glad this game is over and I never want to slog through it again.
2003
My save file got corrupted around the third dungeon or so and I'm not really motivated to go back to it for the foreseeable future. Maybe one day =P
Overall I enjoyed what I played of it even though the combat didn't click with me as much as I would've liked. A bit too stiff and limited
Overall I enjoyed what I played of it even though the combat didn't click with me as much as I would've liked. A bit too stiff and limited
The core gameplay is fun but the second half of the game has so much unfair bullshit that it was pretty much impossible to beat without abusing rewinds.
I'd still like this IP to be revisited because there is potential there
I'd still like this IP to be revisited because there is potential there
2012
Hearing the praises for this game for so long, I'm glad I finally completed it. To start off, the presentation is absolutely gorgeous with an artstyle mimicking ancient Japanese paintings. Amaterasu is easily one of the stunning character designs for any video game protagonist brimming with elegance and just being adorable. The music utilizing ancient Japanese style really added so much to the mythical atmosphere of this adventure. The core characters are very charming and the quirky humor while not perfect, was implemented well enough to complement the story. Issun, your main companion, started out being this overly talkative Navi-like character who fell into some annoying tropes like being a weird little pervert and just being a douche for no reason. He does end up becoming much more well rounded and his friendship with Ammy really pulled through later on, his backstory is a little rushed but he's an endearing character when it comes full circle.
I enjoy the core gameplay on the basic structure it operates in, but the game can be wonky with it's execution. To start off with the basic movement and controls are at least really good and fun to control. Running around vast lands as this majestic wolf is pure bliss. In terms of core gameplay mechanics we have the celestial paintbrush which uses the environment as well as different brush strokes for different spells and environmental manipulation. It was a really fun mechanic to use but the annoying cooldown time during parts of the game where they force you to use it a lot (fuck the digging mini-games especially the second one) which luckily there was an item to negate that as well as it being weirdly irresponsive to me making the right input and then accepting something that resembles the intended design even less, it got inconsistent sometimes. Moving onto the combat, it basically puts Amaterasu in these little arenas where she has to eradicate all the demons to progress. I generally enjoyed the feel of combat and mixing different sub weapons and the celestial paintbrush which adds some flavor and versatility which I enjoyed. However the issue arises with the game being too damn easy, I didn't die a single time and eventually combat encounters became way too easy to cheese and it often just led to the mechanics not really being given the chance to be fleshed out to their fullest potential.
The game took me by surprise with being Zelda-like in some aspects especially with the dungeons you encounter throughout the game. Some of them felt either pretty decently well rounded and others could be way too short or way too long mostly stemming from frustrating excuses for puzzles or some brain-dead ones you barely need to think about. A bit of a mixed bag but they had some genuine stand-out moments I had a ton of fun with in the dungeons which I wish were fleshed out a bit more. Amongst non Zelda games though the dungeons do stand out a little better.
The structure of the game really threw me off guard, once you defeat the supposed big bad it just keeps going into two more semi-isolated stories with a half-assed way of connecting them all at the end. At the very least they do manage to still have an entertaining story and fun scenarios to keep it going beyond that but the game did feel like it got way too long and I was ready for it to be done at that point.
Another thing I'd like to mention is how this game is really weird when it comes to collecting things, it's generally fun to utilize your movesets to explore this gorgeous world and hunt for treasure but a lot of it is useless (plus the game being cryptic on how they can be used), plus some of them only help let you cheese and already easy game even further so I found them pointless. Some rewards you get for fully beating the game are locked to new game plus, and once you get into the final area of the game it doesn't allow you to exit and retrieve the final collectibles. So my desire to at least try finish some more side-quests and get some more collectibles were crushed.
Even though I've ragged on it's issues, I overall had a great time with Okami, the foundations are here for an even stronger follow-up that irons out the kinks for something truly special. I hope Kamiya gets to it soon.
I enjoy the core gameplay on the basic structure it operates in, but the game can be wonky with it's execution. To start off with the basic movement and controls are at least really good and fun to control. Running around vast lands as this majestic wolf is pure bliss. In terms of core gameplay mechanics we have the celestial paintbrush which uses the environment as well as different brush strokes for different spells and environmental manipulation. It was a really fun mechanic to use but the annoying cooldown time during parts of the game where they force you to use it a lot (fuck the digging mini-games especially the second one) which luckily there was an item to negate that as well as it being weirdly irresponsive to me making the right input and then accepting something that resembles the intended design even less, it got inconsistent sometimes. Moving onto the combat, it basically puts Amaterasu in these little arenas where she has to eradicate all the demons to progress. I generally enjoyed the feel of combat and mixing different sub weapons and the celestial paintbrush which adds some flavor and versatility which I enjoyed. However the issue arises with the game being too damn easy, I didn't die a single time and eventually combat encounters became way too easy to cheese and it often just led to the mechanics not really being given the chance to be fleshed out to their fullest potential.
The game took me by surprise with being Zelda-like in some aspects especially with the dungeons you encounter throughout the game. Some of them felt either pretty decently well rounded and others could be way too short or way too long mostly stemming from frustrating excuses for puzzles or some brain-dead ones you barely need to think about. A bit of a mixed bag but they had some genuine stand-out moments I had a ton of fun with in the dungeons which I wish were fleshed out a bit more. Amongst non Zelda games though the dungeons do stand out a little better.
The structure of the game really threw me off guard, once you defeat the supposed big bad it just keeps going into two more semi-isolated stories with a half-assed way of connecting them all at the end. At the very least they do manage to still have an entertaining story and fun scenarios to keep it going beyond that but the game did feel like it got way too long and I was ready for it to be done at that point.
Another thing I'd like to mention is how this game is really weird when it comes to collecting things, it's generally fun to utilize your movesets to explore this gorgeous world and hunt for treasure but a lot of it is useless (plus the game being cryptic on how they can be used), plus some of them only help let you cheese and already easy game even further so I found them pointless. Some rewards you get for fully beating the game are locked to new game plus, and once you get into the final area of the game it doesn't allow you to exit and retrieve the final collectibles. So my desire to at least try finish some more side-quests and get some more collectibles were crushed.
Even though I've ragged on it's issues, I overall had a great time with Okami, the foundations are here for an even stronger follow-up that irons out the kinks for something truly special. I hope Kamiya gets to it soon.
This review contains spoilers
I really loved the first game and had a lot of fun with the standalone Miles Morales game so this game was easily one of my most anticipated titles of the year.
I'm glad to say Spider-Man 2 is generally an excellent game. Brimming with fantastic spectacle, web swinging being even more fun than the previous games (web wings are cool too but sometimes make things feel too automated) and generally just being really fun to breeze through as these amazing characters. Aside from some minor visual glitches I encountered, the game is a technical triumph boasting super fast load times and giant visual treats which really add to the immersion and excitement.
However it did let me down in some aspects compared to the first game. For one, the combat is a little less fun for me with the gadget overhaul taking the strategy out of them completely just feeling like spammy cooldown moves you'd see out of a mobile game. The original powers Peter and Miles have are a little better but still fall victim to that cooldown thing to a lesser extent. However later in the game with Peter's symbiote powers and Miles upgraded venom attacks, they do get a lot more fun to use. The parry mechanic was really weirdly implemented to me, the red alert alerting you to time it right felt inconsistent at the beginning and it's annoying to manage when you have a dozen enemies swarming you. However when I did get a little better at the timing it was more tolerable but the annoyances still crept up. Beside that combat is still really enjoyable and racking up combos is still satisfying. That animation where you back enemies to a wall and rapid kick them is so cool, I wish they did more environmental centric attacks like that since it's so dope.
A quick word about the stealth, while the web-line was a great way to expand moblity, the stealth sections however weren't as interesting as the last game. There isn't any gadgets to use to freshen it up so they generally didn't offer much variety. The two Kraven bases were one of the few spots that used it decently but still the Sable bases from the first game were much more better designed for it.
The MJ sections are an improvement over the first game but in universe, MJ being able to take out these hunters and not getting one-shotted by their weapons was such a bruh moment that broke my immersion.
The story is generally really exciting and has some fantastic moments but it didn't hold itself the whole way through as well as the first game did. It has to juggle so many storylines and characters which at time it does really well and other times it leaves some parts feeling undercooked. The black suit arc for Peter was a little rushed and they overdid it with the symbiote just making him outright evil when it's just supposed to make him more of a douche. I will give props to Yuri Lowenthal being genuinely menacing when he's in the black suit, he did a fantastic job with this game generally. I like Miles personal story but his role in the story can get pretty half-baked sometimes in the grand scheme of the story (especially using him to cap off the final boss which held less emotional weight).
Speaking of, Kraven and Venom were really entertaining. After being robbed of Kraven in the films for so long, I'm glad I got to see him depicted as this, a little bit too overpowered compared to other villains but a genuinely menacing threat who pushes Peter to his limits. His presence in the story is a little more limited than I'd like but generally an awesome villain. It is weird that he has this many goons at his side helping him but I can let it slide from a gameplay perspective
With Venom, he's a little rushed into the story but otherwise an awesome iteration of the character imo. The one level where you play as him was dumb fun I wanted more of, i pray Insomniac gives us an expansion or stand alone game that expands on more Venom gameplay. His voice is fucking awesome, Tony Todd nailed it. Harry Osborn being Venom this time ended up working for the specific story they're telling. Harry's hate for Peter tiptoed a little into TASM2 Harry which worried me a little but his later confrontation with Peter redeemed it, especially some dope moments in their final boss together.
The side quests in this game is very hit and miss. The enemy The Flame missions stood up to the mainline content and even has an exciting reveal at the end. The EMF mission for Peter weren't terrible but they were pretty forgettable. Meanwhile the side missions for Miles did get boring and really mundane. I do like how they're focused on the friendly neighborhood aspect for Miles but these missions really do begin to meander and overstay their welcome becoming total pace breakers. Though some of the other app missions were sweet, especially the Howard one😭
Even with all these problems I really enjoyed this game and until the DLC expansions I can still get a kick out of just having a ton of time.
I'm glad to say Spider-Man 2 is generally an excellent game. Brimming with fantastic spectacle, web swinging being even more fun than the previous games (web wings are cool too but sometimes make things feel too automated) and generally just being really fun to breeze through as these amazing characters. Aside from some minor visual glitches I encountered, the game is a technical triumph boasting super fast load times and giant visual treats which really add to the immersion and excitement.
However it did let me down in some aspects compared to the first game. For one, the combat is a little less fun for me with the gadget overhaul taking the strategy out of them completely just feeling like spammy cooldown moves you'd see out of a mobile game. The original powers Peter and Miles have are a little better but still fall victim to that cooldown thing to a lesser extent. However later in the game with Peter's symbiote powers and Miles upgraded venom attacks, they do get a lot more fun to use. The parry mechanic was really weirdly implemented to me, the red alert alerting you to time it right felt inconsistent at the beginning and it's annoying to manage when you have a dozen enemies swarming you. However when I did get a little better at the timing it was more tolerable but the annoyances still crept up. Beside that combat is still really enjoyable and racking up combos is still satisfying. That animation where you back enemies to a wall and rapid kick them is so cool, I wish they did more environmental centric attacks like that since it's so dope.
A quick word about the stealth, while the web-line was a great way to expand moblity, the stealth sections however weren't as interesting as the last game. There isn't any gadgets to use to freshen it up so they generally didn't offer much variety. The two Kraven bases were one of the few spots that used it decently but still the Sable bases from the first game were much more better designed for it.
The MJ sections are an improvement over the first game but in universe, MJ being able to take out these hunters and not getting one-shotted by their weapons was such a bruh moment that broke my immersion.
The story is generally really exciting and has some fantastic moments but it didn't hold itself the whole way through as well as the first game did. It has to juggle so many storylines and characters which at time it does really well and other times it leaves some parts feeling undercooked. The black suit arc for Peter was a little rushed and they overdid it with the symbiote just making him outright evil when it's just supposed to make him more of a douche. I will give props to Yuri Lowenthal being genuinely menacing when he's in the black suit, he did a fantastic job with this game generally. I like Miles personal story but his role in the story can get pretty half-baked sometimes in the grand scheme of the story (especially using him to cap off the final boss which held less emotional weight).
Speaking of, Kraven and Venom were really entertaining. After being robbed of Kraven in the films for so long, I'm glad I got to see him depicted as this, a little bit too overpowered compared to other villains but a genuinely menacing threat who pushes Peter to his limits. His presence in the story is a little more limited than I'd like but generally an awesome villain. It is weird that he has this many goons at his side helping him but I can let it slide from a gameplay perspective
With Venom, he's a little rushed into the story but otherwise an awesome iteration of the character imo. The one level where you play as him was dumb fun I wanted more of, i pray Insomniac gives us an expansion or stand alone game that expands on more Venom gameplay. His voice is fucking awesome, Tony Todd nailed it. Harry Osborn being Venom this time ended up working for the specific story they're telling. Harry's hate for Peter tiptoed a little into TASM2 Harry which worried me a little but his later confrontation with Peter redeemed it, especially some dope moments in their final boss together.
The side quests in this game is very hit and miss. The enemy The Flame missions stood up to the mainline content and even has an exciting reveal at the end. The EMF mission for Peter weren't terrible but they were pretty forgettable. Meanwhile the side missions for Miles did get boring and really mundane. I do like how they're focused on the friendly neighborhood aspect for Miles but these missions really do begin to meander and overstay their welcome becoming total pace breakers. Though some of the other app missions were sweet, especially the Howard one😭
Even with all these problems I really enjoyed this game and until the DLC expansions I can still get a kick out of just having a ton of time.