I did skip this on my MCC run, since i heard it sucked. Well it was true.

Level design is horrible and repetitive. Every weapon in the game sucks ass. There isn't a weapon in this game that feels good. New enemies are bad too. Ending was also pretty lackluster, gameplay-wise. Every enemy takes ages to kill and there's not enough ammo in the game. It doesn't make the game hard, just tedious.

I personally think story was decent and non-fps sections especially vehicle parts were fun.

Multiplayer: 5/10
Campaign: 4/10

Great improvement on the Cotories. It ties side characters archs, solves lot of problems that first game created in terms of story. It also abandons some mechanics of first game such as hunger, clans and continuing side stories. Story itself written in a very good way. Pop culture and covid references gives it a sense of sincere mood. I like new characters and what they did with old characters. Endings were also satisfying and dependent of your choices. It also has a thematic consistency.

I still have problems with it. It still feels too railroady, lack of choices in some places really annoyed me. Main character has a personality that you can't change which is an issue to me. I like first games approach to main character but this one feels like you're just witnessing the story much more.

I still prefer it to original game since it is at least written in a good way and is consistent. Your choices at least matter at the end.

Great atmosphere, good replay value with 3 characters with different clans and multiple side quests that can be ignored and nice implementation of game mechanics such as hunger, skills and clans.

Main problem of this game is final act. Oh boy its rushed and absent of any meaningful choice lead up to that. It's not an RPG so it makes sense to have less choices and skill checks but few sections feels like just too rairoady to me.

Overall, game has very strong foundings that needs a better writing. I still had fun besides the ending.

Well this was unique. Portrait of Ruin tries to spice things up with Portraits, hub worlds inside of a main castle. You also play with 2 characters but i never find it useful. Map design is boring with long corridors. Quest system is also not very good and forgettable. Story is alright. Portrait of Ruin really tries to make a different Metroidvania experience but fails miserably imo. It's still a decent game but just because it has quality core gameplay that carries over Dawn of Sorrow. One positive can say about this one is that it doesn't have annoying touch gimmicks.

Indie Classic. Mark of the Ninja uses 2D perspective at its advantage to perfect stealth formula. In 3D games there's always an angle you cant see, but in 2D games stealth makes much more sense because you have all the information you need in your screen. On top of that you have perfect controls, nice AI and one of the most fluent stealth systems ever made. Upgrades you get also makes games even more interesting. Normally this game is very easy but you have secret levels, challanges and different loadout options for different types of players. Story is kinda average but i really dont play this types of games for its story tbh. Highly recommend it to 2D platformer and stealth fans

Great game but definitely a huge drop in quality compared to Aria. Level design is uninteresting, touch screen mechanics are cringe, weapons are less diverse compared to Aria, exploration is just not as fun. Story itself is also not that interesting too but i love everything about Aria so much that ive cared about it. And idk if its just me but even graphics are worse than Aria. Those are my complaints basically

But.. Soul system, good controls, great boss battles and everything good about aria (besides the ones ive mentioned) are here! So its still an amazing metroidvania, just a bit lower quality compared to Aria of Sorrow and Symphony of the Night.

Max Payne is a special game. It has one of the best presentations and art directions of its era. Comic book style cutscenes, cold wintery ambiance, depressing revenge story, trippy dream sequences.. i can go on and on. Max Payne also has seamless feeling of exploration. If you need ammo and painkillers, well you need to explore every part of your surroundings. Weapon selection is also excellent.

It has two major problems in my opinion. First one is, the gameplay lacks diversity. Whole game feels pretty much the same. Yes game throws at you puzzles, new weapons etc. but, the core gunplay and your enemies gets old very very quickly. I get tired of doing same shit over and over again. Second problem is, oh boy that platforming is god awful. Jumping fucking sucks and whole platforming parts feels like a pain in the ass.

But overall, Max Payne is a huge leap forward in video game visual direction. Some shots between levels are absolutely amazing. It reels feels good. Gameplay holds back but i really love its unique charm. Pretty good game