LemonCoffeeCake
2018
Earnest, heartfelt, and beautiful. I loved every bit of this weird little game. Sing your songs, my guy.
It's an Ace Attorney, but to be honest that's high praise coming from me. This game never reaches the heights of the best games in that series, but it's still a very solid mystery-solving experience with some fun gimmicks that keep it from getting stale.
2016
I would die for that fucking robot
2016
Only an OK story, but the gameplay gimmick SUPERHOT presents to you is so strong it doesn't really matter. Incredibly stylish.
This review contains spoilers
A pretty good soulslike, and very good at also being a Star Wars - not a particularly inventive Star Wars (oh wow, a young Jedi must struggle against the power of the Empire to hopefully save the future of the galaxy, who knew), but I like Star Wars. The only really exceptional part is the concluding encounter with Darth Vader, which is incredible at making you realize why Cal, despite his relatively higher skill than Episode IV Luke, has no business being in the wider universe at all.
2012
This review contains spoilers
Gameplay is mediocre and the "war is bad and military shooters are also bad and propaganda" message, while accurate, is exceptionally heavy-handed to put it mildly. That being said, some of the actual moments in the game's story are exceptionally affecting (the white phosphorus in particular sticks out), and I appreciate the gumption of releasing this exact game in 2012, close to the peak of Call of Duty's dominance over the entire medium of "video game."
2017
Lots of laughs.
Similar writing quality to West of Loathing, but the added gameplay complexity ultimately drags it down somewhat in my estimation because it doesn't feel more rewarding to engage with. Still extremely funny.
2011
The only flaw with Portal 2 is that it kind of Seinfelded itself and now playing it feels like you're hearing overused Internet humor because this game basically defined how people talked online for like 5 years. Exceptional puzzler.
2007
This only has 4.5 stars because I would feel wrong giving this the same rating as Portal 2. If there was a 5.5 stars, Portal 2 would get that. These are probably the best puzzle games ever made.
2023
I gather this game is to transmascs what Celeste is to transfems. I wouldn't really know both because I am neither (boring nonbinary) and because any deeper meaning I might have derived was channeled into screaming internally about exactly as loud as Peppino is screaming externally for basically every second of my playtime. "It's Pizza Time!" is an achievement in game music that will go down in history.
2019
This review contains spoilers
Really love the Pokemon-but-weird-and-horny gameplay of the SMT franchise, and P5R feels like an exceptional refinement of that. That being said, I feel like this game's greatest weakness is very much that it is trying (and often failing) to straddle the line between "meaningful critique of societal problems in Japan" and "teenage boy anime wish fulfillment." Why can you romance your teacher after the first villain in the game was a teacher grooming his student who is now one of your best friends? Why does Makoto want to be a cop when the entire game is basically screaming "THE JAPANESE SYSTEM OF CRIMINAL JUSTICE IS UNJUST AND WRONG AT A FUNDAMENTAL LEVEL" for its entire runtime? Why is Ryuji nobly sacrificing himself to save the people who changed his life, only to barely survive through sheer luck, turned into a "ha ha girls beat up boy" punchline? Why are the Velvet Room attendants dressed like that? Why why why why why.
2013
Lucas Pope is some sort of games wizard. Playing as a bureaucrat in a boring job isn't "fun," in the traditional sense, but it's engaging as hell. Glory to Arstotzka, etc.
If I ever do not scream along when the vocals kick in during this game's bosses, please assume I am dead. Legitimately insane game that perfectly merges the "insane storytelling where Hideo Kojima's political opinions are told at you for 45 real-time minutes in between some of the most emotionally powerful moments in any game" of Metal Gear with the action game formula Platinum had down to a T at this point.
As a complete world, a science-fiction story, or just an immersive experience, very little beats Mass Effect. Each game has its own annoying gameplay quirks that holds each one back from being a truly perfect gameplay experience (personally I think 2 had the fewest of these), but as a series it is a truly exceptional work of storytelling with one of the best casts in gaming and a truly excellent protagonist to go through it all with. You'll never be better than Commander Shepard, after all.
Also, Jesus Christ are those aliens hot. I want to be the center of a Garrus and Tali sandwich and I am not apologizing.
Also, Jesus Christ are those aliens hot. I want to be the center of a Garrus and Tali sandwich and I am not apologizing.