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.

If you can do one thing really well, why shouldn't you?

Doom is a true return to form for classic shooting games. Throughout the years, many tedious additions have been made to first-person shooters. Reloading, stamina gauges, and fall damage are considerations which added a layer of realism to shooting games that is often made at the expense of fast pacing and
distinct gameplay. Doom 2016 throws all that out and takes the genre back to its roots, providing a visceral, bombastic gameplay loop of nightmarish enemies, ridiculous(in a good way) weapons, and hellish landscapes all delivered at a breakneck pace. The shooting mechanics of this game were indeed polished to a bright shine, but one that could be overbearing after a while.

Shooting is essentially all you'll be doing in this game. This basic gameplay structure was acceptable for 1993, but Doom 2016 lacked in alternate gameplay styles, meaningful story development, compelling characters, and varied locations when it had the resources to expand more on the classic game's structure. I found Doom 2016's gameplay so repetitive I could only play the game in short bursts.

Structurally, Doom 2016 is an incredible game by the standards set in the nineties, but only a good game today. I'll recommend this game to any fan of first-person shooting in a heartbeat, but for a game to truly be considered a masterpiece by today's standards, I expect a good deal more.

…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.

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.

The game that revolutionized the 3D superhero experience.

In 2009, the charm and aesthetic from the beloved animated series came to home consoles and took gamers by storm, creating an experience that was varied, atmospheric, and just damn fun. The unforgettable events of Batman's trek through the cursed asylum saw him bouncing between fun combat and pulse-pounding stealth. Unraveling the mysteries of Arkham, confronting Batman's rogues gallery, and saving Gotham is an enthralling experience worth having to this day.

Though I'd love to say this game remained the greatest of its contemporaries, some aspects of the game do feel basic and unpolished. I didn't care for many of the character designs(almost anyone other than Joker or Batman), and the NPCs can look dreadful in motion. While the stealth and combat are fun, they can feel rather basic without the variations brought by later games in the series. Lastly... the boss fights suck. Just about every single boss in the game relies heavily on grunt enemies and repetitive mechanics, some of them have good presence and aesthetics, none of them are enjoyable from a gameplay standpoint. Mr. Freeze and Deathstroke would not join us for some time. However, while the initial experience may have been flawed, it was well worth the time.

From Spiderman to Middle-Earth, so many games owe respects to Arkham Asylum to this day, the landscape simply would not be the same without it. While it is a cliché to say this game makes you feel like Batman, it is a cliché for a reason, and it is hardly a bad thing.

The fact that I have to give a 1/10 to a Spyro game makes me profoundly sad.

The true tragedy of Spyro Orange is that a crossover between Crash and Spyro could have been amazing. It's a fantastic idea the game took no advantage of and instead opted to turn the game into a sequence of lame, generic minigames. The gameplay of Spyro Orange is so dreadful that the mere process of walking from left to right in the hub world is remarkably tedious. I hope beyond hope that the purple dragon and the orange marsupial try the crossover thing again. A fabulous crossover between these two could tear away this game's last shred of relevance. Judging by the other scores I've seen for this game, I'm guessing you'd all be fine with that.

When elegant simplicity meets mind-numbing repetition.

If you've played the first level of this game, you've essentially played the whole thing. Yoshi's Island's beautiful artwork, strong soundtrack, and solid gameplay loop weren't enough to stop me from being overwhelmed by a feeling of repetition so strong I could only play about three levels at a time. Worth mentioning is that the game's stressful 100% completion, tacked-on minigames, and (mostly) weak boss roster didn't help.

Play this game in short bursts, and you'll have a good time.

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.

Ok, I need to make sure I get this right; this game is really important to me. Even if no one reads this, it’s important that I get all these thoughts out, even if just for myself. Alright, let’s get started.

No game left an impact on me the way the original Spyro 2 did. I have vivid memories of being in kindergarten and feigning a stomach virus so I could stay home and play the game, howling in exaggerated pain every time my mother walked by. Nothing could ever measure up to the magic of playing Ripto’s Rage for the first time, and this game is one of my all-time favorites even after twenty years. I am going to discuss my love of this game in five main categories, the things that really make Spyro 2 stand out from other 3D platformers. These categories are: gameplay, worldbuilding, characters, charm/aesthetics, and completion.

Gameplay: Spyro the Dragon was a competent game; it controlled well, the camera was good, and Spyro had a unique feel compared to other game mascots. However, while the gameplay was good, it could be rather basic. The sequel managed to overhaul Spyro’s move set so that it felt like a perfect evolution of the first game, being much richer and more varied. The addition of new power-ups opened so many new possibilities for new combat and side-objectives. Little touches like the hover and ability to climb added so mobility and opened the areas up much more for exploration, but the aspect of Spyro 2 which the game doesn’t get nearly enough credit for is the swimming controls. Underwater exploration in this game has the exact same speed and feel as on-land progression, and the transition is seamless. Underwater traversal in just about any 3D platformer from this era almost always ends up being the worst part of the game, but here it’s a complete nonissue. It’s simply incredible how much depth and variety Spyro 2 adds to the first game’s gameplay without feeling gimmicky or unfaithful. It is also impressive how it manages to keep the gameplay consistent; adding so many new objectives without deviating from the core gameplay loop in any way that would feel jarring (take notes Spyro 3).

Worldbuilding: One thing you’ll hear me say a lot about all three Spyro games is that they’re all really good, and one thing they have in common is great level design. Every Spyro has big, sprawling levels which are equal parts creative and immersive. However, while I love them to pieces, the levels of Spyro 1 and 3 feel like levels in a video game, but the levels of Spyro 2 feel like living, breathing worlds.

The intro and outro cutscenes for each level add so much personality to each world. Not only does every level in the game have unique enemies and conflicts, but we also learn about much of it through gameplay. Whether you are flaming sentient tikis in Idol Springs, blasting stone apart with bagpipe music in Fracture Hills, or turning on a Fountain to stop giant elephant-snails in Mystic Marsh, each area is wildly creative and distinct from any other level I’ve seen in any other platforming game. Other details like characters in one world mentioning another, Zephyr being at war with Breeze Harbor, or worlds with adjacent portals having similar character models all go a long way to making the world feel cohesive and alive. Almost every side-objective in the game teaches you something new about the world you’re in, and the objectives manage to be so creative and memorable, rarely boiling down to ‘just go here and beat up a bunch of enemies’ (are you taking notes Spyro 3?)

Characters: The repetitive Dragon rescues from Spyro 1 were easily the most grating aspect of that game. They lacked in design variety, weren’t well voice-acted, and didn’t add much of a sense of accomplishment to find. Yes, the Reignited version fixed this problem, but that’s a discussion for another time. Ripto’s Rage improved this by having a much smaller cast of characters with much more personality.

Spyro himself has a much better voice actor this time around, but he hasn’t lost any of his spunk from the first game. Elora is a wonderful support who manages to have a lot of personality despite the limited facial animation, Hunter is an endearing companion with a lot of charm, the Professor and Zoe are alright, Moneybags is a funny punching bag, and Ripto is one of my favorite video game villains of all time; the way he can have so much presence and charisma despite his small stature is very impressive. His boss fight is one of my favorites as well.

Even the side-characters manage to be very distinct and memorable. Few of them fall into typical cartoon archetypes. The Juliet character in the game’s Romeo and Juliet spoof has a hilariously non-feminine voice, the fauns in Fracture Hills talk like valley girls because they live in a valley, and the game has a dancing skeleton. Unfortunately, many of these nuances were lost in the transition to Reignited. Many of the characters in the remake have typical voices and personalities, and it makes some levels less memorable. I still think the Reignited version of Spyro 2 is great; I love the revamped soundtrack and a lot of the new character designs and visual details, but a few questionable changes like removing the epilogue and some worse voice acting make me hesitant to call it the definitive way to play the game(they also needed to change Hunter’s age. Seeing him date Bianca is going to be uncomfortable knowing that he’s 42).

Charm/Aesthetics: As a grown adult, I can still listen to Spyro 2’s soundtrack while doing my job, it’s just so damn good. As stated previously, the game is filled with charming characters, unique levels, and beautiful music. There is no other game, even any other Spyro game, that looks like Spyro 2. The aesthetics and music of Spyro 1 and 3 are wonderful as well: this is the only category out of the five where they may actually be as good or better in my opinion, and this was definitely the category I had the least to say about, because the wonderful presentation of these games speaks for itself.

Completion: I was discovering new details and gameplay factors in Spyro 2 up until the remake came out: I spent twenty years coming back to this game, and I was always glad I did. The cutscene theater was a neat reward for the PS1 era, but the permanent super-flame may be the best 100% reward I’ve ever seen in a game. Having the option to neuter the game’s challenge as a reward for finishing the game the first time is ingenious and learning years later that I can start a new playthrough with it was incredibly satisfying. Years apart: I learned about the new game file with the super-flame, the deviously hidden skill point challenges, the cheat codes, the adorable epilogue you get for getting all the skill points, and there is a game-breaking double-jump which lets you skip massive parts of certain levels.

… this game man

I honestly could have kept going. This game was such a crucial, irreplaceable part of my childhood. I love the other Spyro games, and I love the remakes, but the original Ripto’s Rage will always be the best in my eyes. I’m so happy to finally be able to pay my respects to a fantastic game which made me happy and brought me back time and time again. The Purple Dragon has had some less-than-stellar games since the original trilogy, and the future of Spyro 4 is still uncertain. But personally, I’m not worried at all, because I know that no matter what happens, the original Ripto’s Rage will be there for me if I ever need it.

Thanks, Spyro
and thanks Insomniac

If Tools of Destruction and Quest for Booty were done better.

Into the Nexus takes its main plot and most of its plot elements and gameplay mechanics from Tools of destruction, but it also refines them, creating a game with strong level design, intimidating and well-established villains, a strong gameplay loop with no major low points, and a story that is well told; well paced; and free from major plot holes.

Quest for Booty's short length held it back because it had too many recycled elements from the previous game and too underwhelming a story for it to be memorable. Into the Nexus has a distinct story with distinct characters and meaningful plot events that stand on their own. Nexus can be described as a compact and polished chapter in the R&C saga, where Quest for Booty felt more like a redundant side-note.

Unfortunately, Nexus didn't deliver any major refinements to the R&C formula: The story is functional but nothing special, the gameplay is fun but not drastically better than any game before, and while the short length isn't a major problem, this is the only game in the series I do wish was longer as many of the ideas and characters could have been fleshed out more. It is better to want more than less, but Nexus still ends before a truly great impression has been made.

I still recommend into Nexus. It may only be five hours, but it is five hours well-spent.

I can deny it no longer: I like Dark Souls 2

Is the game amazing? No. Is it the weakest game of the trilogy? By a Lordran mile. Is it the worst FromSoft game due to its nonsensical enemy placement and bad level design? Actually no, have you played Demon's Souls?

Flaws aside, I don't want to sell Dark Souls 2 short. The attention to detail in this game is really admirable; finding all the shortcuts and hidden bonfires was always satisfying. All three DLC campaigns were strong, and the classic Souls combat and character building is as satisfying as ever, bolstered by worthwhile collectables and strong enemy variety.

The level design of Dark Souls 2 is excellent. If there is anything DS2 is the best of the trilogy for, it would be that. The levels don't feel as interconnected as in the previous game, but the endless hidden secrets, fair progression, and wealth of variety in themes and enemies made each location memorable and enthralling.

I won't pretend the critics of this game don't have a point: I didn't find the lore interesting, far too many ideas are lifted from the previous game, some graphics and designs can be banal and ugly. The game is also abundant in bad hit boxes, lame boss fights, and nonsensical enemy placement. DS2, while a worthy undertaking for sure, is unpolished at the best of times.

Darks Souls 2 deserves its bad reputation to a degree, but the positive aspects shouldn't be overlooked. If this installment truly ranks among FromSoft's weakest work, then they must be an amazing studio.

I can't recommend this game without the rewind feature from the legacy collection.

This playthrough reminded me a lot of the original DKC. While I think that game is dated and frustrating by today's standards as well, it still boasts a timeless art style and great soundtrack: This game can't even boast that. The game is simply ugly with uninspired levels and enemies. Your playthrough will be short and unsatisfying if you are very good, and a tedious slog otherwise.

As stated before, the legacy collection's rewind feature at least turns the game into a moderately-amusing way to spend an hour, but the game simply isn't worth playing without it.