Killer7 is kind of an enigma. It lifts its disparate gameplay mechanics from a number of different genres such as survival horror, first-person shooters, adventure games, and even rail shooters. Its story is an utterly incoherent, fast-paced, and babbling fever dream comprised of political intrigue, spiritual symbolism and cultural variance. Simply put, nothing about Killer7's mechanics or narrative should work, on paper. But it all does work, incredibly well.

The game is often disarming and challenging. Both in terms of mechanics and narrative. In both regards, there's always something new around every corner and in every chapter to take the player by complete surprise. It's an utterly unpredictable experience, and that unpredictability works strongly in the game's favor. It creates a strong sense of discomfort and unease. Killer7 doesn't want you to get comfortable. As soon as you think you are, it throws a legitimately disturbing and challenging narrative aspect your way, or a new enemy type or puzzle that completely changes your way of thinking about how the game has been played up to that point.

And despite this constantly changing pace, there are definitive constants. There is a genuine gameplay loop to Killer7. In essence, you explore levels, kill enemies, solve puzzles, collect items, and find what are essentially keys to unlock a door to that level's boss. It ends up playing somewhat like a Resident Evil that, instead of exploring a few consistent, large areas, is separated into chapters which act as the game's levels. Simply put, if you like the exploration, the backtracking, and the puzzles of Resident Evil, you'll likely find a lot to like in Killer7's gameplay.

The often disarming and challenging nature of Killer7 doesn't end with its gameplay or story, however. The sound design in general is often as advanced and equally interesting. The voice acting and direction is top notch. The music is both eclectic and suiting. The sound design, much like the rest of the experience, is masterfully crafted.

I won't pretend that the game is for everyone, though. Killer7 is intentionally weird. Not to insulting or unconvincing degrees. In fact, this is likely the most convincingly strange game I've ever played. It doesn't feel as if it's trying to convince you that it's weird. It just is. It occupies that space and you end up accepting it for exactly what it is. But its dedication to being as obtuse as it is will surely turn some players off.

However, even if you initially think it's just too weird, Killer7 is a game worth sticking with. Initially, the gameplay was just too obtuse, to me. I really wasn't jiving with the on-rails exploration, or the shooting mechanics. Everything about the experience just felt kind of off. But I stuck with it to the end, and what I found was one of the most surprisingly well crafted games I would personally lump into the "adventure" category, and a story that, despite as incoherent and confusing as it can be, ended up being filled to the brim with legitimately great plot twists, revelations, and surprisingly great commentaries. It manages to become an incredibly immersive and interesting experience completely in spite of everything that shouldn't make it immersive.

Killer7 can manage to be incredibly inaccessible and often confusing, but once seen through, it's as equally rewarding and brilliant. I promise that you haven't played anything quite like Killer7, and you likely won't find anything else like it in the future. It's a dark, comedic, genuinely disturbing, yet genuinely fun adventure game, crafted in such a simple and effective way to allow everything it offers to fit perfectly together. It gives you only as much control as it deems necessary, and only as much narrative thread as necessary, and what we're left with is a concise game that simultaneously manages to feel all over the place. It's a game made of contradictions that the folks at Grasshopper Manufacture somehow made work in every conceivable way. It really is a marvel, and even if you've already experienced some of the later GHM games that weren't your cup of tea, I think it's still worth playing. Simply for the fact that a piece of media like Killer7 exists, and that it managed to turn out as legitimately great as it did, I personally consider it an essential experience that should not be missed in your lifetime.

Outdoing the original Half-Life is no easy task, but I am happy to report that Valve has succeeded in exactly that.
The thing about grading a game like Half-Life 2 is that you have to remember it was released back in 2004. Consequently, some technologies in the Source engine might not have been on the same level as, say, Frostbite 2. That still doesn't stop it from looking absolutely amazing today, complete with lip-sync and NPC animations that don't plunge straight into the uncanny valley...back in 2004. The gameplay and story are also pretty solid, the latter particularly because it never takes away interactivity entirely just to show you an overwrought cutscene. It might lock you in a room, but you can still bunny-hop everywhere if it makes you feel better. On the whole, though, Half-Life 2 is a game that was ahead of its time back then, and honestly, to me, it still is.