Nazenthedark
2005
A surprisingly deep platformer in both it's mechanics and story telling. Wonderful levels that marry narrative and gameplay seamlessly in ways most platformers can't or wont do. The result is a game that sticks in your brain long after it's finished.
2020
You have to give them credit trying such an ambitious idea, and I do. Sometimes the system works and creates memorable moments. Most of the time, it just makes things awkward and stiff. The story remains just as messy but lacks the fun tone and interesting personalities to make up for it.
2012
A tough to stomach meditation on violence and responsibility. Average gunplay is excused for the richness of the narrative. Hasn't necessarily aged super well, but by the standards of its time remains sharp.
Stupidly straightforward, and stupidly fun. The best destruction system in all of gaming brings real weight to your actions as you blast through an utterly forgettable story. The best game in the series hands down.
2021
A fantastic multiplayer mod held back by terrible progression. Emotionally resonant story moments and an outstanding open world held back by a lack of variety and an overarching story that's too concerned with sci-fi gobbly gook and sequel baiting to be satisfying on it's own. In every way Halo Infinite is a game one or two steps away from greatness, but what it does achieve is still pretty amazing.
2003
This game lives and dies on its sense of style. The shooting, stealth and story are average at best, but it's presentation is top tier. A true cult classic. Shame about the remake.
Not quite as free form as the first game, but far more polished and easy to play. A gripping conspiracy narrative combines with multi-layered level design and terrible boss battles to make one of richest Immersive Sim experiences this side of Arkane studios. If the jank of the original turns you off, then give this one a try.
2007
A weird, janky mess of an RPG that I just love. Jank aside, it's quite well written and surprisingly free form for a game of it's type. In my opinion, the series only got worse from here.
A step down from the first game in terms of writing quality and player choice. The combat is more fun, and the graphics much better, but it losses the soul of the first game in the process.
This game has a lot of content... way too much. None of that content is necessarily bad, but it's so all encompassing, and so formulaic, that it just become rote by the half way point. There are moments when the soul of the first return, particularly in character moments, but for the most part it's buried under just mountains and mountains of content. It doesn't help that it's the most restrictive and least reactive game in the series. Soundtrack is a ten out of ten though.
A fun adventure from start to finish. A bit of a slow start, but once the game gets rolling it's one heck of a ride, and one that I wish lasted just a little longer.
2003
A janky mess of a game with the humor of your annoying middle school friend who you don't hang out with anymore after he stopped showering and refused to wear anything besides trench coats and sunglasses. In spite of all that, it's a fascinating little pseudo-immersive sim with fun and visceral combat. And beneath the lazy racism and misogyny, it does has some clever satire to offer.
Boy howdy this is a weird one. A very janky kind of, not really, clearly unfinished RPG. Features a combat system that's a mix of Devil May Cry, Dark Souls and, of all things, Dynasty Warriors. Weirdly though it kind of works, and the form switching mechanic opens up a lot of fun combo possibility. Unfortunately even on normal the game is far too easy for it's own good and the story is just an absolute mess that does my boy Aruto dirty. All that said, it's still a fun time, especially if you're a rider fan.
Detroit: Become Human is story that focuses on three protagonists. Conner, a detective who ad-libbed all his lines and is thus the best part of the game. Markus, whose story is a hilariously obvious racism metaphor that's so poorly thought out it comes back around to being racist. Finally, there's Kara, whose story is just flat out racist and has a plot twist that actively ruins the rest of her story. Luckily for this game, when it's not being actually kind of good, it's very very funny.
2018
This game really makes you feel like someone having a good time playing Spider-Man PS4. Jokes aside, Spider-Man PS4 is a brilliant super hero title that captures the fun, pathos and most importantly the game feel of Spider-Man. What really pushes this game over the edge though is the attention to detail. Without question the best Spider-Man game and one of the best Super-Hero games as well. I actually like the non-Peter sections. The only issue I have really are the thin somewhat repetitive side content.