Shin Megami Tensei III Nocturne HD Remaster is an excellent port of an excellent game (keep in mind I am playing on PS5.) It is everything I love about nocturne and more with new added dialogue, upscaled textures and minor QoL features that make this game worth replaying or anybody who has played it before. For new comers there has never been a better way to experience Nocturne officially, and I highly recommend anyone who is slightly curious about SMT to pick it up, at least on PS4 and PC. WARNING: EXTREMELY UNPOPULAR OPINION AHEAD.... I know a lot of people have complained about the game not running on 60fps or higher but honestly I don't think you need 60fps for a turn based RPG. Would it have been nice if it did? Sure, but when paired up with the original that didn't run at 60fps to begin with I have no qualms with what we got. I know the switch version in particular likes to dip below 30fps, but I have yet to encounter this once in my 60 hour play through on the ps4 version through PS5 backwards compatibility. Overall this is everything to love about Nocturne with the engaging Press Turn System combat, and challenging and memorable boss fights. Even if you are a fan coming in from P5 and P5R I highly recommend trying this out as this was directed by Katsura Hashino, director of P3, P4, and P5 and you can definitely see the DNA of those games in this one. Keep in mind it is a game that originally came out in 2003 so it isn't perfect, but the minor adjustments they made here should keep it fresh for any new comer.

Saints Row is the first game in Volition's long running open world sandbox gang simulator. The game takes you in the boots of the Playa, a new recruit to the fledgling gang, The Third Street Saints, who are fighting to reclaim their turf. The game is very similar to it's contemporary competition, GTA, but with some bold differences, and that is it's more cynical and comedic nature. While more stripped back than what the series would become with Saints Row the Third and IV, the game will still deliver plenty of environmental gags, and witty/absurd lines that will leave you chuckling while still engaged with an interesting story of warring gangs. There is plenty to do in this game with customizing your characters clothes, customizing cars, and participating in activities such as Insurance fraud, and mayhem. Each story mission sees you take different districts back from rival gangs, with a healthy level variety such as races, shootouts, and vehicular combat. If you are willing to go back and look at the slightly dated, but still largely enjoyable roots of this iconic series I think you will be left with a decent time, and a couple laughs along the way.

Ratchet and Clank Rift Apart is the long awaited sequel to the series that continues where Into the Nexus left off. The story picks up the plot threads left by the "Future" series but many years later where the titular Ratchet and Clank are now feeling out of shape as heroes since they haven't been on an adventure in many years. But they are quickly thrust back into action when Dr. Nefarious gets his robot claws on Clank's Dimensionator which sucks them into a parallel dimension where Nefarious always wins. It is here where Ratchet and Clank get separated and clank meets up with the alternate reality version of Ratchet, the rebel lombax, Rivet. It is here where Ratchet and Rivet's fates intertwine on a journey to send Ratchet and Clank back to their dimension and stopping Nefarious from conquering the multiverse. In this game you play between 4 main characters, which mirror each other resulting in honestly just 2 different play styles. Ratchet and Rivet play the exact same as each other in the typical R&C format. Quick gunplay while strafing with occasional melee and platforming. There are some minor additions such as "Ghost Shifting" and the use of Rift Portals which help you zip and fly around battle arenas. The gameplay is a ton of fun as is the case with most of the Ratchet and Clank games. Clank, and his counterpart Kit play the same segments where they enter dimensional rifts where they solve simple puzzles to reach an objective. These puzzle segments aren't as complex or difficult as Clank's puzzle segments in Crack in Time, but they feel just as rewarding when you solve them. The visuals, as are with most PS5 first party games, are absolutely stunning, and a great example of the PS5's power. The non existent load times also help keep the flow of gameplay at a constant stream which will keep any player engaged to the gameplay. I really hope Sony is willing to see the excellence and sales of this game and seek to bring back the golden Playstation trio of Sly and Jak back into the fold with this type of fidelity, but only time will tell. My only major complaint for the game was I wished there was a little more diversity between Rivet and Ratchet's play-style but I understand why the didn't, and honestly that's just a minor complaint. Overall this is a great return to the main story line of ratchet and clank, and I cannot wait to see what insomniac has in store for us next.

Layton's Mystery Journey is the newest, and final (at the time of writing this) game in the Professor Layton series, and what else can I say other than what a bad way to end the series. I must make it clear from the start, this game's biggest issue is it's complete and utter lack of focus. The game is about the daughter of Professor Layton, one Katrielle Layton as she starts her own private detective business in London. The game, much like the previous entry, Layton Brothers, is split up into cases for you to piece together and solve, but unlike Layton Brothers, this game just lacks a central focus and plot line to follow. Instead we just get little slice of life chapters with very simple and predictable mysteries that struggled to keep my attention in fact my main enjoyment from the game was the very minor call backs to the previous games in the series. I don't necessarily think the characters or the set up of the game is bad, in fact it's far from it, the problem stems from the fact the game completely ignores all the interesting plot points it sets up for the complete opposite. For instance the set up shows Professor Layton leaving Katrielle on a foggy night setting up for an interesting premise.This plot point is never brought up again until the post credit scene, but more on that later. Next we have Sherl who is allegedly a human trapped in the body of a dog introduced in the first case who tags along with the main team for the complete length of the game. Sherl, and Katrielle's fates intertwine when Sherl reaches out to Katrielle's detective agency to help find out how he turned into a dog, but guess what, that plot point is completely waved away, and is NEVER brought up again for the remainder of the game. In stead we spend around 15 hours lolly gagging with Katrielle and crew as they solve, quite frankly, very boring cases that you can probably guess the answers to before you even start them. The only case that really was interesting to me was the 12th and final case 'Diamonds Aren't Forever.' The mystery is compelling enough, and the big reveal was genuinely surprising to me, but too bad it felt like one of the shortest cases in the game. The gameplay overall is the best part, as the typical layton formula is translated well enough to the nintendo switch system. Map navigation, interaction and puzzle solving feels true to the series and or that I honestly cannot complain. Some of the puzzles were a little too simple, but with the passing of the original puzzle master for the main series, I feel like they picked up the pieces as best as they could, and I can't fault them for that. All that said, this brings us back to what's up with the """"central"""" mystery of the game, what happened to Professor Layton? Well instead of making a sequel game, they decided to make a follow up anime that is 50 episodes long and is only officially released into japan that answers that exact question. And seeing as how Level5 USA is no longer existent it feels surreal that us in the western audience will potentially never get a conclusion to this question. Sure there is fan subs out there, but this is honestly less than ideal. I genuinely hope this is not the end of the Layton Series but seeing as the sales and reception for this game aren't particularly great, this might actually end up being the lasting legacy of the series which is actually incredibly depressing. I feel like the better route for the series was to perhaps continue the Layton Brothers story, but instead we got this (which does reference characters to Layton Brothers.) I didn't mind Katrielle as the one to continue the torch of the series, but she really needed to be in a better overall game. Sad to see it end like this, honestly.

Silent Hill is a game brought to us by Konami in their golden age. The game sees protagonist Harry Mason, and his young daughter Cheryl heading into a wooded resort town for vacation when they get into a car wreck. Harry wakes up to discover Cheryl is gone and is thrust into the mysterious town of Silent Hill where he must find not only his daughter but also the secrets of this isolated town. The game is a survival horror classic where ammo can be sparse, and tank controls and fixed camera angles are the name of the game. This game takes a while to get used to in terms of controls from a modern perspective but once you do it should get easier as you go on. The game has you exploring the misty and dark streets of Silent Hill solving puzzles, reading memos, and fighting for your life as you look for your daughter. There isn't much to say without spoiling the game but I highly recommend this game to anyone who is a fan of horror games and a great mystery.

Sifu is the newest game from the studio that brought you Absolver, and it is a high octane, quick paced Kung-Fu action film akin to the works of John Woo, or Wilson Yip in video game form. The story follows our protagonist who witnesses the murder of his father/master at the hands of a former student. Now it is up to him to claim his revenge on those who sought to bring an end to his family with the help of his magical pendants which allow him to survive guaranteed death at the cost of aging one year at a time. The game is a third person over the shoulder Kung-Fu simulator where you have to choreograph your moves in real time whether it's light attacks, heavy attacks, dodges, parries, and blocks which is easy to learn, but hard to master. However once you master the base mechanics that this game has to offer you will be flying through enemies and levels at a breakneck pace in the most satisfying way possible. You will be clearing rooms as a one man army, and it will leave you feeling not only badass, but invincible. I highly recommend Sifu to anyone who is a fan of quick paced action games as there are tons of fun combos, and new skills to learn to become the ultimate Kung-Fu master.

Killer 7 is a highly unique and interesting game for it's era, and as a chapter in the "Kill the Past series." This game is easily one of the most unique, and impactful games on the Gamecube in terms of visual presentation. The cel-shaded graphics give a precursor look to what we would later see in future Kill The Past games such as No More Heroes, but with a more rough angle to it. The gameplay features you running on a set of preset paths where you can chose a direction to go once you reach an intersection. This style of movement took a little getting used to, but it also gave me a hint of the feeling of playing the previous Kill the Past entry, The Silver Case, so after a couple levels I got the hang of it. The combat requires you to stop in place to aim down sights like a rail shooter and hitting targets before they attack you and blow up. Successfully killing enemies gives you thick blood which is then used to trade into levels to further buff your character of choice. Speaking of characters, you play as the titular Killer 7, who are a group of world renowned assassins who all possess the body of Harman Smith, an old man in a wheel chair. You are able to switch between any character in the killer 7 via a safe room through the TV or through the pause menu, each character with their own sets of strengths and weaknesses. My personal favorite to play as were Dan Smith, and Mask De Smith who use a revolver, and grenade launcher respectively. The story primarily follows the exploits of Garcian Smith, one of the "personalities" that reside within the head of Harman smith as he goes on a mostly episodic adventure taking out various targets to help the prevention of terrorism in the United States. The story starts to explore the origins of Garcian and the other Smiths towards the end of the game, culminating in a truly mind bending and interesting conclusion that is sure to stick with anyone for years. Killer 7 is a worthy game to add to your backlog, and a great game in the Kill the Past Series. My only complaints are that I wish the story had more focus during the middle portion of the game, that's not to say that the episodic structure is bad, or that I didn't enjoy those missions, but having them tie in to the overall narrative would've made the game that much better. Also some of the songs in this game are absolutely stunning, but for some inexplicable reason Suda (the game's director) decided the best course of action was to put the best song in the game, Rave On, in a short 5 second section, really an odd choice. But regardless Killer 7 is a game that will forever hold a special place in my memory, and I cannot wait to see what the rest of Kill the Past has to offer.

An excellent, yet flawed game. There is a lot to be enjoyed in this wonderful Open World RPG. As someone who didn't buy into the prelaunch hype, I went in with 0 expectations, and was simply blown away by the lovable cast of characters you interact with in Night City. Much like other titles before it (like death stranding) this game fell victim to high expectations before launch. There are bugs a plenty in this game, yet I didn't feel like it was an end all be all. Other games of this genre (namely Fallout New Vegas) are also riddled with similar bugs yet receive not as much hate. Hopefully this game will see a second life years down the line with some of the bugs ironed out.

An interesting, and engaging soft reboot for the Hitman franchise. From the ashes of Hitman Absolution, comes this game which is a refreshing take on this sandbox like genre. The freedom given to the player to try different takedowns is a really addicting aspect of this game and allows for a ton of replay value. My major complaint is the story is a little muddled and lacking for the most part. I wish they would have put a little more time into fleshing out the overall narrative, but given how constrictive Square Enix was to their western developers at the time I can see why the story was cut a little short. Overall my experience is a positive one and I can't wait to see what the next game in this reboot series has in store!

As the first entry in the Professor Layton saga, The Curious Village is both a unique, interesting, yet simplistic take on the Point and Click genre of games. It's presentation as a cartoony European adventure in a mysterious and hidden Bavarian styled town is incredibly cozy and enjoyable. This combined with the folk-y accordion soundtrack carries the game for the most part. The story is a little simplistic, but engaging none the less, however the major twist on what the secret of the village is left me with a kind of odd and sour feeling and is probably my least favorite part of the game. The puzzles were fun enough to playthrough, but some puzzles felt too similar to others thus making some of the later ones too easy. All in all Professor Layton as a series has a fun cast of characters and a good enough formula that can easily be improved on, so I can't wait to see what the series has in store next.

The Unwound Future is perhaps one of the best puzzle games I have played in recent memory. The puzzle selection is just superb, the environments to explore are amazingly detailed for a regular DS title and it's all amplified by the wonderfully zany and cartoony world that Professor Layton and crew inhabit. The story this time around takes some emotionally impactful twists and turns i'd never to expect to see in this particular series. The best way I could describe the unwound future is that it's both parts gleeful, and sad and does both with grace. The twist at the end of this game is perhaps the most unbelievable out of the bunch but by this point it's to be expected, and it works perfectly to convey a resonant and impactful story that will surely leave you thinking about the events that just unfolded for years to come. My only major complaint is that i'm not 100% on board with how Layton acts so dismissive around Flora, but it seems like i'm not the only one of that opinion. Otherwise this is an excellent journey and great way to cap off the original trilogy of the Layton Series. Next is the Prequel trilogy, and i'm really curious how they will approach the story from that angle.

The Silver Case is (officially) the first game in the Kill the Past Saga, and is also the first game by Grasshopper Manufacture. This game is also the first true VN I've managed to sit though, and I don't regret it one bit. The game follows several people from the Heinous Crime Unit as they pursue the elusive serial killer, Kamui Uehara, and his influence over the 24 Wards of Japan. And that's all I'll say as It's hard talking about the game without giving too much away, but the game has a really interesting and engrossing story that is split in two parts through Transmitter, and Placebo. These two halves slowly merge together the further you go. The gameplay, yes there is gameplay, is actually not what I expected. We get to play the game through a first person dungeon crawling perspective and I find it very fun to explore and interact with the world but unfortunately these segments are a little short for my taste. My biggest problem however, with this game is the fact that it ends on a bit of cliff hanger, but I can't hold it against it too hard as there are 2 follow ups that continue the story. So overall Silver Case is a great introduction to this universe that would later foster the No More Heroes games, and I highly recommend it to VN and NMH fans alike as there really isn't anything like it out there.