LemonCoffeeCake
Still very fun, but this really does feel like it should have been a DLC to Spider-Man 1 - very little gameplay is meaningfully changed, and Miles's unique powers mostly just end up removing whatever limited challenge was already present (also, giving him a roster of Spider-Gadgets felt like a real mistake, seeing as part of Miles being the "All-New, All-Different Spider-Man" is that there are things Peter can do that he can't).
Politically speaking, I mean ... much has been said about how the first game decided the NYPD were morally perfect, which isn't even true in the comics, but this game really feels dialed in on the "any change to the status quo is bad" thing. Why are you fighting the woman trying to stop the evil corporation, Miles? For that matter, why do the anti-corporate forces have to fund themselves via organized crime when their leader is a science wizard? What is going on?
Politically speaking, I mean ... much has been said about how the first game decided the NYPD were morally perfect, which isn't even true in the comics, but this game really feels dialed in on the "any change to the status quo is bad" thing. Why are you fighting the woman trying to stop the evil corporation, Miles? For that matter, why do the anti-corporate forces have to fund themselves via organized crime when their leader is a science wizard? What is going on?
2014
Second Son is fun, but essentially having to serve as a tech demo for the PS4 (it's no accident that all of Delsin's varied powers throw a lot of particles everywhere) holds it back as an actual game. Still holding out hope for inFamous: Third Daughter or whatever to revitalize this franchise.
2011
Very literally just inFamous 1 but better. Honestly surprised Sony kind of gave up on this franchise after Second Son, though having the option to have the actual Spider-Man as your console's "superhero" probably made that decision easier.
2009
Kind of janky, and works off a morality system that was outdated in 2009, but at the same time there's still a lot of fun to be had zapping around Empire City. Fine setup for much better sequels.
The best superhero game since Arkham City. I personally had more fun with this (I have always liked Spidey more), but it doesn't quite match the perfect flow state of that game. Still really fun, though.
2017
An exceptional metroidvania with some incredibly tight combat and more build variety than I ever expected. The world is beautiful and melancholy, and the boss fights are ruthlessly difficult without ever actually feeling unfair. Good game.
2021
The card game part was ok, but the horror and narrative outside and surrounding that card game really got me hooked. Daniel Mullins pretty much has exactly one trick in his book (what if video game but evil??!??!!!?), but he does it very well here.
2018
Probably Mullins's worst game, mostly because it puts too much of itself into the metacommentary and not enough into ensuring that it's actually a reasonably enjoyable game. Still good, and I would definitely play it if you liked Pony Island.
2016
A worthy start to the Daniel Mullins canon. Very weird.
The best Ace Attorney games since the first ones. I will admit the first game by itself feels like it has a weaker narrative arc, but taken as a whole these 10 cases are exceptional storytelling and mystery writing, and it was refreshing to step back from the lawyer magic that the later Phoenix Wright games were really focused on and just go to court. Also appreciate that it features easily the third or fourth-gayest prosecutor in the series (my personal order, for the record, is Edgeworth-Klavier-Van Zieks-Nahyuta-Fransiska-Blackquill-Godot).
I love it when games are weird
2010
Note - if playing on PC, do yourself a favor and consult one of the many excellent guides on modding this game for stability. An 18-month development cycle on one of Bethesda's famously buggy engines did it no favors.
New Vegas is the best modern Fallout game, and one of the best RPGs ever made. Obsidian took Bethesda's open-world formula, combined it with the quality writing of Black Isle's previous Fallout titles, dialed back the silliness of those games just a little, and made something truly extraordinary. I only wish they had been given more time to refine some of the elements that clearly needed more development, mostly concerning the Legion's pretty unambiguous "bad guy" status - the Roman-LARPing fascists were going to be the villains anyway, but they feel too simple for a game which truly revels in the moral complexities of its setting.
New Vegas is the best modern Fallout game, and one of the best RPGs ever made. Obsidian took Bethesda's open-world formula, combined it with the quality writing of Black Isle's previous Fallout titles, dialed back the silliness of those games just a little, and made something truly extraordinary. I only wish they had been given more time to refine some of the elements that clearly needed more development, mostly concerning the Legion's pretty unambiguous "bad guy" status - the Roman-LARPing fascists were going to be the villains anyway, but they feel too simple for a game which truly revels in the moral complexities of its setting.
2022
"Dark Souls but open-world" is accurate, except that I liked this a lot more than Dark Souls. I feel like the RPG elements of this formula synergize with open-world gaming a lot more than the more linear Souls games, where I would often feel obligated to grind through previous areas for things I'd missed. Not my favorite Fromsoft game, but still a very good one.
2019
Actually, no joke, changed my life and how I thought about the world. Even beyond the stellar writing, the beautiful art, and the voice acting that shook me to my core many times over, the gameplay choices made here with the skill system are an advancement I truly think we'll all look back on in 20 years as some sort of "Citizen Kane moment" in the medium. The best video game ever made.
I played Cyberpunk a little bit after the release of Edgerunners, but it still felt like it was in an "unfinished" state at that point. Coming back to it in 2023 with the main discourse being "oh it's good now" was an incredible decision. The roleplaying opportunities for each playthrough coupled with the incredibly varied styles of gameplay, the hyper-immersive world of Night City, and some of the best character writing in any game I've ever played makes for a truly unforgettable experience. If CDPR can release Project Orion (the sequel) in anywhere near this state, I will accept literally any delays they make. Shigeru-miyamoto-delayed-game-quote.jpg