The fact that I am so compelled by such a strange premise shows the developers must have done something right.

The game's combat provides a good blend of mindless fun, skill-based progression and resource management. The iconic Disney worlds are brought to life and are captivating to explore. Seeing Sora interact with the beloved characters from Disney's pantheon is surprisingly endearing as a premise which must have sounded like a teenage fanfic on paper evolves into a gripping, atmospheric and unique gaming experience that is worth revisiting many years later. I love this game, and there is a good chance that you love it too. However, I need to discuss negatives. So, if you want good vibes only, I'd stop reading here.

For all that I love, this game has three big strikes against it:

1) Monstro is one of the worst levels in any 3D game I've played. The inside of the whale is undetailed, repetitive and butt-ugly. I always get lost despite the level being so short. It's a low point in every playthrough. But, despite being terrible, at least Monstro was one-and-done, unlike...

2) The Gummi-Ship flying in this game is everything I hate about Monstro, hideous and repetitive, but on a much larger scale. I have to come back to this unfinished flight simulator several times throughout the playthrough and it's almost enough to make me turn the game off.

3) Riku can piss off. One of the worst characters in video game history. It's embarrassing how Maleficent is able to completely deceive him after ten seconds of obvious lies, and that Riku considers it a betrayal that Sora banded together with friends to stay alive rather than trudging through those dangerous worlds alone because Riku and Kairi had to be his only friends. Speaking of Kairi, Riku is overwhelmed with sympathy for her, despite her physical body being completely safe, and doesn't seem to care that Sora is nearly getting his heart ripped out on an hourly basis. Noticing Riku staring avidly and Kairi's unconscious body legitimately makes me uncomfortable, especially considering how obvious it is she loves Sora, not Riku. I honestly get the feeling that most of Riku's saintly future appearances are just to make up for everything he did here. If so, I suppose it worked. But still, considering KH1 alone, I hate this kid.

Sorry, that got a little out of hand, I still love the game though!

I've played some amazing sequels in my day; this is not one of them.

Strap in yall, this one is going to be long.

Part two is a step backwards in every conceivable way. The fascinating themes, implicit characterization, haunting atmosphere, sharp writing, subtle worldbuilding, and air-tight cohesion of the first game is mostly, if not completely gone. The sad thing is that many of Bioshock 2's ideas are good, many of its characters have promise, and many of the changes made to gameplay were for the better. Hell, the game fixed my two biggest issues with the previous game(the pipe minigame and the binary endings). I feel like these ideas would have worked brilliantly in a different game, but they don't fit here.

Sophia Lamb could have been a strong antagonist, but she doesn't fit the world of Bioshock at all; she feels more like a Harry Potter villain than a Bioshock villain, and she could never compare to Andrew Ryan in terms of dialogue, presence, or ideology. Some changes to gameplay were improvements, but they take away from the atmosphere just as much as they add to the fun. It is hard to be scared when I'm this overpowered and the enemies need to be this ludicrous in order to pose a challenge. I played the game on the highest difficulty and rarely felt in any danger. I also feel the emotional connection between Elanor and Delta could have been very strong, but the two needed more time together for it to resonate, and the game's structure didn't allow for that. And, both as a follow-up to Bioshock 1, and as a story on its own, this game has far too many plot holes.

The next paragraph is just plot holes

How is the city still habitable with all those leaks from the first game? Why were Lamb, Alexander, or Sinclair never mentioned in the first game? How did all these non-splicer characters survive in Rapture for ten years? Why is Delta the only Big Daddy who can use plasmids!? How was Elanor able to revive Delta and why did she wait ten years to do it!?! How are there still so many splicers in the city eight years after Jack left!!?!! If Lamb could sever Delta and Elanor's bond by temporarily stopping her heart WHY DIDN'T SHE DO IT SOONER!!!!!? Why don't the splicers attack the little sister I take control of when I use her to gather ADAM? THEY ATTACKED EVERY OTHER TIME, AND SHE'S RIGHT THERE!!! Why... in her great wisdom... did Elanor choose to revive Delta ON THE OPPOSITE SIDE OF THE CITY!!!!!!!!?!!!!!!!! You could have brought me back at the chamber right outside your room! THANKS FOR NOT SAVING ME A TRIP ELANOR.

So, it sounds like I'm not the biggest fan of this game... I'm not. You may ask the question, 'why recommend it at all? Why a score as high as even a seven?' A valid question, the answer: Minerva's Den.

This DLC campaign is everything the main game should have been. It's a bit shorter obviously, but most of Bioshock 2 felt like filler anyway, so a more concise game was a nice change of pace. Minerva's Den brings back the atmosphere and sophisticated storytelling from the first game, as well also having a plot twist that, while it certainly wouldn't rival that of the first game's plot twist, is still gripping and well-deserved reveal. Minerva's Den is also a blast to play, adding so many new weapons and plasmids to make it really stand out from the main campaign. This is honestly one of the best DLCs out there, and I enjoyed it quite a bit more than the main game. The protector trials were fun too.

I must recommend this game, just to experience Minerva's Den. Play the main campaign if you want.

A detailed, captivating world rich with deep lore, interesting characters, useful collectables and perilous enemies. The intricate, cohesive world of Hollow Knight begs to be explored. The massive, sprawling land of Hollownest lures the player in, many hours spent filling out a huge map, never feeling frustrated in doing so on account of how compact and reasonable the game's exploration is, featuring a streamlined badge an upgrade system which gives weight to every decision the player makes. This game boasts a huge amount of content outside of the plentiful DLC, which adds even more character, lore and replay value to this powerhouse of an experience.

Also, the best Boss roster in the history of video games. Just saying.

If you play Resident Evil 7, you need to play this version.

The base game of RE7 was already a strong experience: with a thick atmosphere, decent gameplay, and gripping story. But, Gold Edition takes everything that made the base game good and builds on it beautifully. The different side modes add new story details and character moments that bring closure to the main game and make it better in hindsight. The added gameplay variety is an excellent touch as well; there are a whopping 8 sidemodes added in this package, at least doubling the amount of content from the standard game, and no two modes play alike. I liked every single side mode to some degree, and I can't imagine the game without them.

Re7's DLC package may be among the best in gaming history, and I can't recommend the game without it.

There's plenty I like about Psychonauts, but I don't like it as a game.

The game is worth experiencing at least once for sure, providing a surreal, charming, and unconventional experience which could only have come from the mind of Tim Schafer. Psychonauts brings to life such entertaining characters and ingenious levels that I would recommend at least watching a playthrough to see this delightfully absurd tale you couldn't have seen anywhere else. But, this doesn't change the fact that I don't think the game is fun to play.

Item collecting in this game can be insanely-tedious, the platforming is often frustrating, and the combat is shallow and underwhelming. The countless abilities provided to you in the game feel cluttered and unhelpful. I rarely made use of them and when I did I still didn't enjoy the combat or the platforming. The ideas were brilliant for sure, but the gameplay wore me down with its repetition and lack of polish too much for a second playthrough to be appealing.

I don't love this game, but I really wish I did. I would love to say I enjoyed this game as much as Grim Fandango, but that game just provided an experience that, while certainly shorter and less varied; was much more polished, compact, and focused. To those out there who love Psychonauts to death, that's great. I honestly wish I could relate. Perhaps part 2 will provide the 3D platforming bliss I'd wanted in part 1. I'm going to start it soon, fingers crossed!

The cutscenes in this game are truly the stuff of nightmares.

Fortunately, the rest of the game fares far better. Amusing writing and varied missions taking you through big, detailed worlds filled with collectables and references to the iconic show.

I didn't care much for the second half of the game. The reused locations, jacked-up item prices and eventual sense of repetition stopped me from calling the game amazing, but I can recommend it to any diehard Simpsons fan, or anyone looking for a less violent GTA game.

The formula is getting a little stale.

X3 brought back the core gameplay loop of X2 with a few additions, almost none of which were for the better. The game has more upgrades, most of which are unhelpful; the game has a new villain, who gets swapped out for SPOILER at the end anyway, so what was the point; the game has the most obnoxiously cryptic hidden items in the series yet, and I don't like that. When the game isn't the same as X or X2, its worse.

X3 isn't a bad game by any stretch: the excellent core gameplay loop of the previous games is still done justice most of the time, and a number of the new boss fights, levels, and enemy designs are excellent. Sadly however, the game feels to be doing both too much and not enough.

Much like Mega Man 10, the game is perfectly acceptable, but hard to get excited about. Fortunately, the next instalment would go on to make the series feel fresh again.

The magnum opus of the 3D superhero game.

Succinctly conveying everything worth loving about the caped crusader's night in Arkham City may very well be beyond this review's skill. From Arkham City's exciting opening to its chilling end, the game provided varied gameplay, meaningful side quests, and memorable characters all supported by one of the best stories ever told about Batman. The improved presentation, new gameplay mechanics, and fantastic boss fights made the flaws of the previous game feel like distant memories. So many of Batman's iconic characters make appearances without ever feeling forced redundant. Collecting Riddler trophies is satisfying, the side quests often rival the main quest in urgency, and the gameplay is so strong that the combat/stealth side modes can provide hours of senseless fun.

It was hard for me to convey everything great about this game, I just adored it. Ten years later, and it has aged like a fine wine. I don't think we will ever have a better superhero game.

One of the most underrated games I've ever played.

A compelling story loaded with memorable gameplay sequences, strong characters, entertaining boss fights and powerful themes. Seeing a younger, edgier and less experienced Bruce Wayne interact with a begrudging Alfred was interesting, and the thematic parallels between Batman and Joker were nothing short of artful.

I can't say I encountered many glitches or performance issues on my playthrough, but a number of re-used assets and ideas from city were distracting, and the side quests weren't as distinct or meaningful.

Still, I respect Origins as an essential chapter in the Arkham Legacy. And, just in case this review wasn't divisive enough:

Origins -> Asylum -> City is a far better trilogy than
Asylum -> City -> Knight

Well that was fun: basic, but fun.

The campy tone and self-aware humor of Ape Escape 2 are enjoyable: the varied level design and gadget use spiced the gameplay up enough for me to see the trip through to the end.

However, I grappled with a frustrating camera, questionable control schema, and enough repetitive and unmemorable gameplay to make another playthrough unlikely.

It is always so obvious and easy how to catch certain monkeys and progress that the gadget variety doesn't add much; The levels look nice, but feel empty and go by too quickly to leave much of an impact; And the optional collectibles are satisfying, but putting the coins into the machine and running it over and over again makes it not worth it to get them given how long that can take.

Most importantly of all: If you do play this game, I must insist on playing the PS4 version. Otherwise, you'll be listening to Ash and Misty the whole time: That is a hard no for me.