Part of the appeal of the classic Castlevania games that was sadly lost in the transition to the newer games focused on exploration - commonly called Igavanias - was the difficulty.

While the exploration aspect of Igavanias is fun, what I most enjoy about them remains the same thing I love about the classic Castlevanias - the music, the combat and the atmosphere.

For me to enjoy a combat system to its fullest there has to be some sort of challenge in which I can measure my improvement so that's where the Igavanias I have played before fail for me... and why I played Order of Ecclesia before the other games as I heard this was the hardest Igavania.

Order of Ecclesia takes a more linear approach to level design but it still incorporates exploration to smaller degrees which works better for playing in short bursts - perfect for a portable console.

The benefit of the game being more linear is that the combat is better balanced and some bosses can pose a genuine threat to your patience. Speaking of which, I found all of the bosses to be creatively designed and fun to fight against; the enemy variety was also good.

Even without taking the difficulty into account, I really enjoy the combat with the glyph system which lets you experiment with two different weapons/spells- or two of the same - and rewards you for attacking with one and then the other; this adds a small layer of mechanical complexity.

Because Shanoa is going to all sorts of different places saving villagers the atmosphere doesn't have to limit itself to "Dracula's Castle" and while I don't think this is necessarily better, it is interesting to see something different and it was perfectly executed.

Gamer moment but it's also easy to enjoy this when the soundtrack is this good and Shanoa is hot.

i made the mistake of initially dismissing this one after a two hour trial/refund. now that i've come back around and really taken my time to experience everything it has to offer, i'm pretty blown away by prey 2017

i'll get my one slight out of the way first: the aesthetics. arkane has given us the closest thing we'll ever see to a metroid prime 4, but the whole look of the experience is standard 60s space sci fi shit. enemy design doesn't fare much better - gooey black blobs of varying sizes. it lacks identity visually, but thankfully the atmosphere is still pretty strong due to some great trent reznor-inspired ambience

as for everything else? top fucking notch. the narrative is constantly intriguing and takes the oft unfulfilling "choices matter" angle in a creative and effective direction, while the sheer amount of freedom to explore gives even the best 3d platformers a run for their money. it's so open-ended that i'm actually pretty eager to check out some longplays just to see how other people found their way around talos i

prey 2017 is not prey 2, but that's a beef to be had with bethesda rather than arkane... and honestly? between the two games this is probably the best outcome

Itagaki`s final Deathmachine
After TECMO stole his unfinished Dead or Alive 2 prototype and take it to production without him knowing, being acussed of sexual harassment and fall into depression and drink,the Michael Bay movies and Aerosmith songs made him resurge as a Chad-rockstar human-hater (also he began to shout that those who play videogames in easy mode are nothing but dogs xd)
And so Ninja Gaiden 2 was created (actually, Doa 2 Hardcore was created first, but that's not important now) a non-stop action videogame made by insane and horny people, taking the movement and management dilemmas of the reboot and black version and multiplying the pivoted combat while leads the action through relentless pressure due to the insane avant-garde bunch of enemies which any of they can potencially end you.
Nothing impossible tho, there is already a Chinese guy who has completed the game without taking damage ,and how the hell has done it is what I wonder in my lonely nights.
I presume this emphasis in bolt action ,explosions and high numbers beyond human limits of cocaine is the result of the overdose of Bay movies that Itagaki was exposed during his depression.Or maybe not.
I buy it anyway.
With a great sense of energy, complex streets built for bouncing, jumping and acrobatics, the game is an ode to digital topography and stunts.

at one point of the game the classic flamboyant-demon-Boy falls in love with the statue of liberty (yes) and you have to fight both. Yes, you fight the Statue of Liberty with a katana. Allegory.
Maybe videogames are too good for us.