If someone says video games can't be art, show them this.

I won't shake any conventions by saying this, but Cuphead is gorgeous. So many animations, so much creativity, and countless references to classic cartoons; I love how this game pays homage to so much classic animation without ever feeling derivative, each beast the game creates still feels like its own thing. The game boasts excellent weapon variety and a near-perfect upward turn in both difficulty and quality as the adventure goes on. Sadly, I found Cuphead's core gameplay just basic and repetitive enough to hold the game back from a perfect score, but I'm still giving it five stars in the artwork department: All these same feelings apply to the DLC.

At one point, King Dice addresses you and says, "You mugs." I can't not love this game.

They nailed it.

Make no mistake, I'm glad they continued making MegaMan X games after this (mostly just for 2 and 4), but they could have stopped here, and I'd have been completely content. The X series is the inverse of the original MegaMan series, which had a troubled start, but a lot of potential for improvement. Here, they hit it out of the park on the first try.

From the first frame of the game, MegaMan X hits you with stellar music, strong enemy design, and a revamped move set that feels loyal to classic MegaMan while adding just enough new mechanics to make X entirely its own thing. The player gains a sense of accomplishment from blasting through imposing enemies, but that is stripped away when you are easily defeated by Vile. His mech suit is a clever way to show he isn't using his full power, and being saved by Zero is reliving, but humbling. I remember playing this game for the first time and being hellbent to redeem myself after that humiliating loss. Honestly, I could devote the entire review just to the first level of the game, But I don't wish to imply the rest of the game falls short.

Every single enemy, boss, and level are distinct, fair, and look good even by today's standards. The upgrades in the game are all worth the effort to find, being well-hidden without being unreasonable. Trust me, you'll need every rewarding upgrade, varied boss weapon, and ounce of resolve to get through this game, as its infamy for high difficulty is well deserved. Be that as it may, it is a challenge I will be revisiting for a long time.

So, in short, not bad for a first attempt.

My first GameCube game, not a good note to start on.

One of the most rushed, unfair development cycles in gaming history brought us this ugly, glitchy, over-before-you-know-it beta test of a game. Please don't get mad at the developers, they wanted to make a good game.

UN-charted

UN-original story, UN-likable characters, UN-interesting locations, UN-necessary side-characters, UN-der developed antagonists, UN-inspired and UN-varied gameplay, it's UN-derwhelming beginning to end.

It feels pointless to complain about this game; everyone knows the sequels are better. Be that as it may, I don't see any good reason to revisit this game anymore. Play Drake's Fortune if you want, but don't feel obligated to do so even if you are going to play the sequels. If I can give this game credit for anything, it's very consistent with Drake's motto: Uncharted is a franchise with greatness from small beginnings.

I didn't remember Ascension being this bad.

The story of this game is awful: I have no idea what Kratos is doing half the time or why he's doing it. There's no tension, no sense of urgency, no levity, and no dramatic weight. Every character introduced in this game is completely forgettable and adds nothing to Kratos' character arc or the lore of the series, there are also questionable liberties taken with the mythology.

I would say the game looks and controls well- if it didn't come off the heels of GoW 3. The biggest spectacles and best encounters of Ascension would be the weakest parts of GoW 3, and I mostly just find it frustrating that skilled programmers were wasted on such a lackluster project as Ascension. Most of the game's ideas are lifted from other GoW games, and I don't buy for a second that all of this happened prior to Chains of Olympus. Seriously, how is Kratos killing a god at the end of GoW 1 such a big deal if he already killed all three furies? Better question: why were Chains of Olympus and Ghost of Sparta delegated to handhelds while this game got a console release?

Ascension has some value: it still looks good, the combat is occasionally fun, and the time-altering mechanic can lead to some cool puzzles; but those things weren't enough to stop me from being bored most of the time.

Ascension definitely has its fans and good from them. As for me, it feels good to have Ascended past this game.

Style over substance.

One of my only real problems with God of War 2 is that it didn't leave the sequel much to work with: Kratos already defeated Zeus, you can't really go up from there. Still, given how perfectly paced and compelling 2's narrative was; the awful pacing, tonal inconsistency, and lack of dramatic weight and character motivation in 3 is rather disappointing.

The game starts on an amazing note, but grinds to a halt just after and never reaches that same height again in my opinion. The gameplay is certainly fun, and the graphics are phenomenal, but even the quality of the game's set pieces I found to be rather inconsistent: Some of the boss fights were magnificent, but others were pitiful; Some enemy encounters are creative and engaging, others are tedious and frustrating; some character interactions and story beats are very compelling while others have my jaw hitting the floor at how unjustified and nonsensical they are. This is about as uneven a game as I've ever played.

I don't hate God of War 3, I still enjoyed my time with it, but it definitely left me wanting more. I find it ironic that the PS4 game felt so much more epic despite being more grounded with fewer characters, but that's a good example of why restraint is often necessary in the face of reckless ambition. In fact, I think 'reckless ambition' is the perfect way to describe this game. I am relieved that the series, much like Kratos himself, has calmed and matured.

This is how you do a sequel.

Much better boss fights. More varied weapons. Levels that are less idle and better designed. Each and every aspect of the first game was improved for part two. The occasional unfair level hazard and terrible boss fight stops the game from being amazing by today's standards, but it was still a huge step in the right direction for the franchise.

Like a fine wine.

Returning to the planet Zebes allowed me to re-experience the harbinger of both the modern Metroid game and the Metroid-vania sub-genre. So many of the tropes and overall structure of modern Metroid was introduced here: from the environmental storytelling, to the nonlinear and exploration-based progression, to a number of specific plot points that I can't mention because I didn't hit the Spoiler Warning button. For as much as I loved Metroid Dread, the game relied a bit too heavily on flashy cutscenes for its combat and dialoged-riddled cutscenes for its storytelling. By comparison, Super Metroid's biggest accomplishment is how it can do so much with so little.

This is one of the finest examples of how video games can be timeless. It paved the way for so many games to come, and it's a great game it its own right.

Few games are hampered by their own ambition the way this one is.

The worlds of Banjo-Tooie are massive yet mostly empty. The open world approach simply does not fit the Banjo series, which benefited much more from compact, meaningful levels wherein everything serves a purpose, like in the previous game. Trekking through these massive landscapes, switching between characters and effecting elements in future levels only to come back can feel extremely tedious. I do not recommend playing this game to 100% at all.

The abundance of new moves for the iconic duo, new gameplay styles and new boss fights are all fine ideas on paper, but the game bounces back and forth between ideas far too often for anything to leave an impression. Very little in this game feels polished or inspired, instead opting to throw every idea at the wall and see what sticks.

I can play the original Banjo-Kazooie to 100% anytime, anywhere, and I remember so much from that game, yet so little from this one. I think the overall experience would have been much stronger if some ideas were cut and the levels were shortened.

With that said, the game is still enjoyable up to a point. Many of the levels, while huge and unfocused, still provide fun objectives from time to time. The game will make you work very hard for many of those golden puzzle pieces, but they can be very satisfying to collect for those willing to spend the time.

Altogether, I can still recommend this game for a casual playthrough, but it would have benefitted greatly from keeping its ambition in check.

Why is the final boss of a dinosaur game a blue devil? Because this is a golden era where games didn't need to make sense

Still the best.

As a guy who thinks the first R&C doesn't hold up very well, I think this one holds up spectacularly. Going Commando fixed every single problem I had with the first game and installed so many of the franchise hallmarks that are still present in the series today. I'll give the first game credit for creating the formula. But, if you ask me, this game deserves credit for perfecting it and putting these games on the map.

The controls are much better: I can finally strafe! The banal weapon selection from the first game was overhauled into an amazing selection of creative weapons that became more addicting to use due to the weapon upgrade system which would be featured in every game in the series henceforth. There is great gameplay variety as well: I can play the racing, arena, and crystal collection sections for hours(and I do): It is very impressive how this game adds so much variety without shattering the core gameplay loop in an obtrusive way. The fact that they are optional is objectively good, but I'd play them all anyway. After all, with 100% completion as excellent as this it is no trouble to get every clever skill point or devilishly-hidden platinum bolt leading up to the excellent hidden museum reward.

To be fair, the writing hasn't much improved unless you count all of it. Going Commando has a really fun, unique story that doesn't remind me of any other video game narrative, and it is the only game in the series not to use the exact same structure of, 'lengthy, contrived series of events to hunt down an obvious bad guy in an inefficient way.' The game is filled with quirky humor and memorable characters. The charm in this game is palpable, Ratchet is no-longer the worst main character ever, and the game features Ratchet's first, and easily best, love interest. Seriously, I never got over the series writing her out after this installment. I'm not too hopeful, but I'd love to see her again.

My problems with the game are very minor: I really like most of the optional content, but I wasn't crazy about the dogfights or the giant Clank sections; Most boss fights are very easy and basic; And the fact that the development became rushed near the end does show. The final few levels are weaker and the conclusion is rushed. But, honestly, who cares? This game is amazing.

In fact, much of this adulation may sound familiar to another Insomniac Game I bent over backwards to praise. The wonderful side-characters, the excellent 100% completion, the fantastic level design with the captivating worlds and quirky charm? To me, this game is the closest Insomniac has ever gotten to recapturing the original Spyro 2. I see so much of that game in this one. And, while I don't like Going Commando quite as much, it is another game I wouldn't have wanted to grow up without.

I don't know if this series will ever reach these same heights again. But, as long as I have this game to come back to, that's fine with me.

But seriously. Bring Angela back! #SaveAngela

Please don't take me ranking the second game over God of War PS4 as a knock against that game, instead take it as an indication of what an accomplishment this game is.

GoW 2 blew the first game out of the water in every possible way, and the first game was good! Still, I found 2's epic story, powerful music, sense of scale, and investment with the mythology to be magnificent enough to cement it as the ultimate God of War game fifteen years later!

Gone are the droves of repetitive enemies and static levels which help the previous game back. God of War two is constantly peppering in new enemies, levels hazards, unique set pieces, new weapons/spells, and mythological references which ensure there is something new around every corner. The fact that this game manages to have so much variety and progression without feeling rushed is amazing.

I could nitpick some dated graphics, a few characters who could have used more development, and an ending which I have mixed feelings about, but whatever problems this game has are washed away by a tidal wave of gaming excellence. The only real problem is that Kratos' character in this game feels like a regression from his counterpart in the first game. If he was more compelling and his personal journey more meaningful, we'd be looking at a ten out of ten game here.

Given what a huge improvement this game was over its original, I am all the more excited for Ragnarök.

A unique, enduring classic which deserves every bit of the love it gets.

In Thousand-Year Door, you don the red, 2-dimensional hat of Mario as you explore some of the most distinct, unconventional and fleshed-out worlds ever brought to life in a Nintendo game. While it is true that other Mario games may have this one beat in terms of inventive gameplay mechanics, this one succeeds at creating worlds that feel inhabited, characters with meaningful issues and stories and an overarching narrative that is gripping and memorable both chapter by chapter and when looked at on a grander scale.

Take any of Mario's new, and frankly, wonderful companions into varied and rewarding battles. Although simplistic, the combat in this game is fun, addictive and endlessly customizable with the different upgrade options. The main quest offers plenty of challenge, but the game also hides away a few crushing hurtles to overcome for those wishing to push themselves further. Whether you wish to play the game casually, or to 100%, there is something here for every gamer.

Sadly, the trip to 100% does bring attention to some of the games issues. The side quests found at Rougeport's Trouble Center are amazingly tedious and repetitive; I'd have to recommend skipping as many of them as possible. Completion of the recipe log is very daunting as well, even with a guide in hand, and I can't recommend that either. Lastly, I was disappointed with the rushed epilogue and overall lack of postgame. The game created such wonderful characters, but I feel the conclusions to many of their stories weren't as satisfying as they could have been.

Even if the game didn't end on its strongest note, I would still highly recommend Thousand-Year Door to nearly anyone. The versatile gameplay, character-driven story and charming world with even more charming inhabitants award Thousand-Year Door the distinction of 'Favorite Paper Mario Game' to many long-time fans, myself included.

This game is a surreal, incoherent hodgepodge of different ideas that don't go together and I loved nearly every minute of it.