…Where to begin? Seriously, this game is crazy.

I haven’t had this many mixed feelings about a game since Last of Us part 2. Rebirth ran at varying extremes of quality in terms of its tone, storytelling, character development, combat, pacing, and side content from when I turned the game on to when I finished over one hundred hours later, and boy what a ride that was. Some story moments were compelling, others were impossible to take seriously; Some side-objectives were fun and rewarding, others were tedious and lame; Sometimes the combat was fun and engaging, and other times the game was making me play as Cait Sith. I remember thinking that the previous game had some issues with pacing and had maybe just a touch too much fanservice, but Rebirth helped me to realize how excessive it could have been.

I’ll say it right now, my favorite aspect of Rebirth is just that it made me appreciate Remake a lot more. I’ve always loved Remake, and I love it just a little more now that I’ve re-visited the original FF7 and can respect the wise changes made from the source material. I’ve also had the chance to play Rebirth and see what a bloated, unfocused, pretentious, self-indulgent mess Remake could have been. None of this is to say I hated Rebirth; it certainly had its moments, but as a man who will probably be re-visiting Remake many years into the future, I think one full playthrough of Rebirth was enough for me.

For the sake of being nice, I’ll start by talking about that this game does better than its predecessor (one paragraph should be enough). Queen’s Blood is awesome; best mini game of any of these games if you ask me. Some of the open-world exploration can be fun and rewarding even if it is a bit excessive, and of course the locations are varied and gorgeous. I suppose I can take Sephiroth just a hair more seriously in this game than the previous one, because his dialogue isn’t quite as painful and he’s better incorporated into the narrative. I like how each side-quest builds your relationship with a different party member, this mechanic reminded me of Mass Effect 2. I blush to admit I still liked most of the fanservice, even if some scenes are definitely guilty pleasures. Lastly, if this game gets top marks for anything, it would be the soundtrack. Rebirth has one of the best scores I’ve ever heard in a video game. There are so many tracks with such an effective variety of tones, each one fitting its respective scene perfectly. One-winged Angel may have lost its impact for me as I can no-longer take Sephiroth seriously(I’ll complain more about him later), but that’s ok, because Rebirth introduced the new greatest video game villain theme ever: I’ve been listening to Gus’s theme for weeks now; it was worth the price of admission alone.

It's a shame that I must rag on a game that clearly had so much hard work put into it, but the flaws of Rebirth are excessive enough that I can’t let them slide. Remake did an excellent job of keeping the main cast focused by limiting you to three playable characters at a time based on the story. Right out of the gate, Remake loads you up with five, adding more as you go. And, honestly, I don’t find any of the new recruits fun to play as: I always just picked among the four from the previous game if I had a choice.

The game’s pacing is awful, I feel like tens of hours can pass without meaningful story development: That problem is exacerbated by what a bad job the game often does balancing gameplay and cutscenes, said cutscenes can drag on so long I forget I’m supposed to be playing something and still add little to the following gameplay segments. The tone is very inconsistent as well; following a chapter about a town that was ravaged due to the tragic mistakes of one of our main characters with a chapter about the cast going to an amusement park. I stand by that some of the optional content is very fun, but some of the mini-games and challenges are slow and tedious to the point that they have me pulling my hair out: flying slowly through rings on choco-back is not fun, I hated every part of the quest to get the third protorelic, and whoever had the bright idea to have a colosseum challenge where you play as a frog should be turned into a frog themself. I’ll give Rebirth credit that our main heroes are very compelling, with strong voice work, meaningful stories, and a strong camaraderie; but the same can’t be said for the villains.

The Shinra executives served their roles as one-dimensional evil caricatures fine in the first game where they barely had any screentime, but their charm has worn off and they only really worked as side-villains anyway; None of them are strong enough to support the game’s plot, which is a problem because, just like in Remake, the game can’t seem to decide if they or Sephiroth are the main antagonist.

Oh Sephiroth, a big part of the reason why I wrote this was just to complain about you. I’ll say it, Sephiroth is the worst thing about the entire remake series thus-far. The game doesn’t do anything interesting with his design, his dialogue sounds like it was written by a middle-schooler, his appearances don’t make sense in the context of the story, his voice actor sounds like he’s falling asleep, and he appears so much without making an impact on that story that his presence has lost all meaning. In summary, he was more intimidating in Kingdom Hearts, and that’s not good!

To be fair, I blame Remake for his botched appearance more than Rebirth, but nothing in Remake can excuse Rebirth’s biggest sin; what happened when the character the series did the worst killed the character the series did the best.

I loved Aerith in Remake. She was spunky, expressive, supportive, and had great relationships with the other characters. She was a crucial part of why I loved that game so much, and I honestly wasn’t ready to see her die going into Rebirth. But it’s ok, because her death scene was botched so thoroughly that the only thing I could feel was confusion while watching it. Rebirth’s endgame sucked to begin with, most of it was confusing cutscenes leading to an underwhelming boss fight and it made me feel bad I complained about Remake’s endgame, but I’d forgive it if they hadn’t done our beautiful girl dirty like that. Much of my cynical tone in writing this is due to the bad taste the game put in my mouth at the very end. Still, I find myself wishing I could have played something that was good beginning-to-end.

Maybe my feelings about Rebirth will change with time. I’ll go back in a bit to get the platinum trophy, and perhaps I’ll find some more appreciation for the game. It gave me a lot to talk about, I’ll certainly give it that. I can now say I: loved Remake, couldn’t stand Intergrade, and don’t know how I feel about Rebirth, I don’t know what to expect going into the final chapter. I’ll play part three when it comes out with cautious optimism, but I’ll try to be ready for anything.

So, I played GoW 5 when it first came out, and it was the easiest 5/5 I ever gave. I didn't feel like my initial review did the game justice, but it was simply one of the most varied, polished, artistic, satisfying, and just damn fun games I had ever played. With a year having passed, I decided to consider the possibility that my opinion on what I thought was one of my new top-ten favorite games of all time would change if I played it again: It did, the game actually got a little better. It isn't a top ten game for me anymore, it's a top 5; top 3 isn't out of the question.

I found the performances even more compelling, the combat even more engaging, I unlocked a whole new tier of appreciation for the level design, and even the parts of the game I wasn't looking forward to as much weren't as tedious as I remembered them. I'm so glad the DLC came around to compel me to revisit this masterpiece, and you should definitely play that as well.

I don't think either of my reviews do this game justice, it is one of the greatest accomplishments in the medium of video games this decade in my opinion, but if even one person gives this game a chance because of either of my reviews, I'll be pleased with myself.

Best combat system I've ever experienced.

The intuitive controls, lightening-quick traversal, and satisfying duals with grunt enemy and intimidating boss alike make Sekiro a credit to FromSoft's already stellar lineup of interactive epics. I've waited my entire life to play a game wherein every encounter with every enemy felt challenging and engaged, and Sekiro made that possible by combining a skill-based combat loop that rewards strong reflexes and is bolstered by a section of inventive gadgets and an abundance of enemy variety. These legendary duals take place with a backdrop of atmospheric music and a gorgeous setting which captures the beauty of both historic Japan, and Japanize folklore.

Honestly, if this game had a story I cared about and a bit more variety in terms of bosses, it could have taken my top spot for FromSoft games. Sadly, Sekiro's boss roster would be sparce by FromSoft standards even without all the repeated encounters. I found the characters to be cliched and underdeveloped with lethargic vocal performances not doing them any favors for memorability; And the storytelling and lore also failed to captivate me. I would never say the game has a bad story, but it's not one that I will remember.

I can only say this game represents the best if gameplay is the only factor, but that gameplay will stick with me as long as I continue to play video games. FromSoft is among my favorite game studios, and I consider Sekiro among their greatest acomplishments.

I would rather re-watch Lightyear.

Bad graphics, lazy storytelling, repetitive gameplay, and an awful camera with terrible controls. I can't remember the last time I abandoned a game after thirty minutes.

The only remotely-enjoyable parts of the whole experience were those split-second cutscenes from the show. I never watched the cartoon myself, but I trust it's much better. If you're ever tempted to play this game, just watch that cartoon instead,.

No, it isn't as good as Arkham City. No superhero game ever will be; I accepted that years ago.

Spider-Man 2 has an even blend of steps forward and back compared to the 2018 game: the bosses are more consistent, not reaching the same dizzying highs as the Doc Ock battle or the same mediocre lows as most of the other bosses from that game; The first two-thirds of Spider-man 2 are much more compelling, better paced with a more interesting story, but they lead to a very haphazard and poorly set-up last third (The exact opposite of the first game which had an underwhelming lead-up to an incredible last third); I found the side-quests and other playable characters much more enjoyable this time around, but the cast has become a bit oversaturated and not every character gets as much development or screentime, leading to some emotional moments not hitting as hard as they could. Broadly-speaking, I'd say I liked both games about the same, but for different reasons.

Marvel's Spiderman: A long car ride to Disneyland. It's hot, traffic is bad, and we ran out of snacks an hour ago. But, once we get there, we have the time of our lives.

Marvel's Spiderman 2: A really fun car trip. We are stopping at attractions, everyone is getting along, and we are loaded on snacks. We get there, Disneyworld is closed.

The best boss fights of any FromSoft game (and possibly any game period).

Sekiro may have the better combat, Elden Ring may have better controls, and Bloodborne may be my favorite overall, but just going based off the bosses themselves, I think DS3 is the best. Every boss has lore significance, a wonderfully-creative design, at least two phases, and supports a dizzyingly-high standard of quality.

I honestly found even the worst bosses of DS3 to be perfectly serviceable. Ancient Wyvern and Deacons of the Deep were nothing special, but I'd take them over Bed of Chaos, or at least a third of the DS2 bosses any day. Besides, even if they were truly awful, sitting through them to experience the ecstasy of the Abyss Watchers, the Pontiff, the Twin Princes, Nameless King, or the Soul of Cinder would be more than worth it.

These bosses were S-tier before the DLC even came out and added at least four more of the trilogy's best encounters. Dark Souls 3 is truly a boss among bosses.

I'll admit I'm not as passionate about most other aspects of the game: it does have some of the weaker level design among FromSoft games in my opinion, most of the story and characters feel familiar if you've plaid DS1, and while I still think it looks and controls the best of any game in the trilogy, I still have issues with it in that regard.

In summary: I don't always like the parts of this game that aren't boss fights, but the parts that are boss fights, I like a lot, and boss fights are usually my favorite part of a game. So, are my reasons for listing this as my favorite game in the trilogy shallow? Maybe, I'm still going to do it.

I liked this game more than I remembered, and I remembered liking it.

The storytelling in this game is soooooooooo much better than the previous game, and the tone feels appropriately lighter and more self-aware. The enemies have been amped-up, making combat with the different rangs much more satisfying. There is a greater wealth of quirky characters and funny interactions. I also found the collectables so much more reasonable and rewarding to collect. I was honestly shocked by how much this game improved from the first game, which I already liked.

Not every change was for the better: Ty 2's biggest problem is a strange dependence on vehicle segments, few of which are good and take up a significant portion of the game. The level design is also a bit more hallway-like, making exploration less-satisfying in many areas. The pacing of the story is also somewhat awkward, as the first game went much too fast, this one goes a bit too slow, having very little story development between missions and reaching the end without feeling like much has happened.

Nitpicks aside, I love this game, and will definitely re-visit it in the future. I haven't played Ty 3, but everyone says it's complete trash. So, for me, the series ends here, and it was a good note to end on.

Ty 2, You little Beauty! (I did it again)

Why did I remember this game being so mediocre? It's actually good!

Tight controls which compliment a distinct gameplay loop; A charming Outback aesthetic and lovely soundtrack bolstered by strong enemy, character, and level design; and a good variety in terms of weapons and gameplay styles. It feels great to re-visit an old game and realize it's way better than you remember it.

However, not all of my initial criticisms were unfounded. Ty is an early, low-budget PS2 game, and the first game in a series, and it shows: Character interactions and dialogue are very awkward(and not in a self-aware kind of way), the cutscenes don't look great, and the storytelling is so poor the basic narrative can be confusing. The game also suffers from tedious item collection and an abysmal boss roster. These are definitely issues, they just aren't as bad as I remembered them.

Given how much Ty had going against it, I think Chrome turned out a strong product. I'm very glad I gave this game a second chance, and I'll happily recommend it to any fan of classic platformers.

This game is RIPPER! (there I said it.)

I apologize.

I somehow failed to acknowledge this as a five-star game when I first reviewed it. I am a flawed human capable of mistakes, and that's one of them.

Forgive and move on.

A near-perfect adaptation and a just-ok game.

FBW captures the look, feel, sounds, lore, humor, and pacing of South Park perfectly. If you're someone who deeply desires 'South Park with a controller' this is going to be your new favorite game, and That's enough to make up for the fact that the gameplay is basic, repetitive, and uninspired; but just barely.

This is a tricky game to review, because I feel it does what it sets out to do very well, in that its an excellent recreation of the show. But, as a game, I can't say it's anything special, and I don't suspect I'll be playing it again.

If you love FBW, I totally see why. It's a must play for diehard South Park fans, but a very soft recommendation for RPG fans.

I used to think I hated this game, but I was just completely indifferent to it.

The original trilogy was very flawed, but also very inspired. So, when you follow up a unique, mature, and well-written trilogy of games with one of the most generic, neutered, and un-original children's platformers I've ever played, the backlash is understandable.

I have so many complaints about Thieves in Time: from the childish writing which clashed hard with that of the previous games, to the gimmicky gameplay lacking depth or ambition, to the weak story loaded with missed potential, to the flaccid cast of characters featuring easily the worst rough's gallery of any Sly Cooper game (El Jefe is the only one I can take seriously and Le Paradox is one of the worst villains I've every seen in a game). I have so many complaints to make, but none of them feel worth making (Except the one about Le Paradox, f*ck Le Paradox).

I'm so dispassionate about Sly 4 that it took me nearly a decade to re-play it and several days to crank out this review. The game is competent enough that I can't be angry about it, but if it were shockingly bad, I'd at least have more to say. As is, this game will leave my memory very soon, and I'll have made room for new games.

For all my problems with the first three games, I respect their maturity and ambition enough that I'll still revisit them in the future, but, for me, Thieves in Time is staying in the past.

This game doesn't need a sequel; it can have a remake if it wants one.

The ethereal world and mystifying story of Bloodborne will captive me no matter how many treks I make through Yharnam. I've plaid Bloodborne many times, yet I feel I've only just begun to appreciate its visceral combat, immaculate art design, unforgettable dialogue, and variation in character build and gameplay progression. How this game manages to be something so familiar, yet so distinct; so simple, yet so complex; so streamlined, yet so customizable. The majesty of FromSoft's work has left me at a loss for words. I don't often say this, but I wouldn't want a sequel. This game left every piece of its story, world, and lore where it needed to be, and I'm happy that the studio is still making creative, new projects; they've made more games I love since.

We'll never have another game like Bloodborne, but I don't see that as a bad thing. And, having just started Elden Ring, I can tell that FromSoftware will continue to amaze with new titles and ideas.