MaggotMagick
A game about how beautiful the world is and how much love everyone is capable of. Even more than the first Katamari, this is life affirming art. A celebration of everything that makes life worth living and the beauty of friendship. It sounds corny but it pulls it off with unbelievable grace and manages to be one of the purest expressions of joy I have ever been able to experience.
Well runs dry pretty quick on this one as soon as it mostly drops human enemies for little ghouls and spiders and becomes a "run around caves looking for the next area" simulator. Despite this though, it manages to set up some real next level fun situations when you get to fight the humanoid characters and kick them off cliffs and into campfires over and over and over again.
2023
Skillfully revealing itself as more than the sum of its influences over the course a playthrough, Bomb Rush is masterful. A snappy, gorgeously designed and lovingly detailed ode to some of the other greatest games of all time, while standing shoulder to shoulder, and often exceeding them. At first I was unsure about the story and how it linearly trotted along, but as the world opened up, characters were introduced, and I realized the sheer amount of STUFF that is in this game, I was won over. Hours and hours spent working on getting new characters, none of it feels wasted exploring the multilayered city of New Amsterdam. A new classic, the ultimate idle hands time waster. The perfect Jet Set Radio 3.
2014
I've never played it but I've done the equivalent (watched youtube videos).
One of the purest pieces of horror media ever made.
One of the purest pieces of horror media ever made.
2007
One of the definitive video games of my life, a perfect combination of the series' best traits leading up to this singular experience. The arenas and levels are fleshed out and combined with new weapons and abilities and vehicles that allow for emergent gameplay solutions, and enemy AI that is just good enough to ensure you never play an encounter the same way twice.
2004
Triumphantly cements Halo as a monolith of pop culture and video games as a whole. Improves the original an indescribable amount by fixing all of that game's quirks and delivering something iconic. Iconic locales, characters, weapons, enemies, dialogue and moments. One of the capital 'V' VIDEO GAMES.
2001
A game that walks a weird line between the 20th and 21st century. Hammy and often corny video game writing and performances at odds with this eons long story of religion and cosmic horror. The groundwork of something huge, one of the most important pieces of science fiction of the 21st century. Pretty good despite its often nonsensical level design, and impossibly difficult enemy scenarios.
Life-affirming art. Filled to the brim with nothing but joy and imagination. Scored by a playlist of beautiful tracks.
2023
Beautifully crunchy combat, an inherent cinematic flair, and pitch-perfect pacing make this as close to perfect as video games can get. The series' reboot powers are at full strength here, pulling out jaw-dropping creatures and stunning environments at every turn. One of the purest video game experiences in recent memory.
2019
Razor sharp gameplay and genuinely impressive level design that runs maybe an hour too long. The cyberpunk first act and goopy zombie laboratory final act are amazing, with a bit too many sewer and grey concrete levels in the middle.