I thought diluting the first 10% of FF7 into a full-fledged, AAA game was a terrible idea on paper; I love being wrong.

Beautiful graphics, an excellent soundtrack, pacing that is nowhere near as bad as I thought it would be and probably my favorite combat system in any RPG make for an experience that captivated even me, even as someone who did not grow up with the original game.

I found a strong sense of attachment to the characters, due in no small part to the excellent facial animations and lovably-corny writing. This game is very at peace with its sense of camp, and I love it for that. I found the main heroes to all be lovable and distinct, the villains to all be the kind of mustache-twirling caricatures I'd want to see in such a tale and the story overall to have some surprisingly powerful themes and ideas.

However, had I hated the story, I still would not have walked away from FF7 remake with nothing, as the gameplay was fantastic as well. A main team of four members, each with different strengths and weaknesses, reward an experimental approach to different combat scenarios. I felt a true sense of accomplishment once I had cleared this game's hardest difficulty, as doing do without intimate knowledge of this system would be virtually impossible. This game has fabulous enemy variety and one of the best boss rosters I have seen in years. I cannot discuss my favorite boss in the game without going into spoilers, but I will say that chapter 9: the City that Never Sleeps, will be remembered as one of the greatest levels in video game history. I truly wish I could discuss it here, but I would not dare spoil it for those who hadn't seen it.

Even some factors which I had thought would bother me on a second playthrough turned out to be nonissues. Some of the worse level design, such as in chapter 10, didn't bother me because none of the chapters outstayed their welcomes in my opinion. Learning the layout of the different slums and then having them all come together in chapter 14 was satisfying, and the added fast-travel system made exploration reasonable.

The game's issues are minor but worth mentioning. Firstly, Sephiroth's inclusion in the game feels unnecessary. The majority of the game sets up the Shinra President as the main antagonist. While Sephiroth does get a lot of focus, he does nothing to deserve it in my opinion. The games conclusion shifts all focus to him and it plays a large role in the game's final level and ending feeling rushed, underwhelming and overall the weakest part of the game.

Also, the abundance of new narrative elements added for the remake, while well-written and enjoyable in the moment, added very little to the overall experience. Many plot elements felt unnecessary and didn't deserve their screen time. At worst, I did get Hobbit Trilogy flashbacks. I feel some chapters could have been combined together, (chapters 5-7 could have been folded into 2), and some chapters could have been side quests or sections within other chapters, (chapters 4, 10 and 11 come to mind). I'm not saying an chapters should have been removed, but some could have been shortened.

Lastly, while I enjoyed every main character in the game, I didn't care for many of the minor NPCs. They were often unpleasant to talk to, and their facial animations were easily the ugliest things in the game. I hope the sequel puts more effort into them.

Small grievances aside, FF7 Remake is a fantastic overall package I can recommend even to those who were not engrossed by the original game. It brings me joy to see such a beloved game brought into the new generation, and I am excited for what part 2 will bring.

The flawed yet powerful framework for dozens of games to come.

Dark Souls was among the most influential games of the previous decade. The punishing difficulty, hands-off storytelling and RPG-fueled hack-and-slash combat would be emulated time and time again. Dark Souls laid that foundation back in 2011, and the game is still very enjoyable even now.

Lordran is vast. Flying through that desolate land for the first time is unforgettable, fighting through waves of unforgiving enemies as you unravel the tale of four corrupted lords and a destroyed empire. In addition to being a great entry-point for the series, the new game+ options and hidden lore details make a trek through Lordran worthwhile even ten years later.

Sadly, like many games before it, it can't maintain the same level of quality in the latter half of the experience. The Nito quest is plagued by lackluster boss fights and terrible level design, and the Witch quest suffers from lackluster level design and terrible boss fights. I see fit to deduct one point for each.

It hasn't hurt this much to only give a game a 9/10 in a while.

Gushing over Wind Waker's beautiful story, lovable characters, fun exploration, expansive sea, gorgeous soundtrack, rewarding upgrades, strong dungeons and amazing charm would hopefully convey why this game holds such a special place in my heart. This enthralling, character-driven masterclass of story and game design will always hold an irreplaceable spot in my heart. Some monotonous quests and an overall lack of difficulty hold this back from being my favorite Zelda game, a title it held for many years. But still, if this is the only Wii U game I ever care to revisit, it will have justified the console's purchase.

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 liked Miles Morales more than the 2018 game.

While having less content, I thought the overall pacing of the story was much better. Miles's personal dilemmas resonated much more with me due to the consistent tone and intimacy of the story. Gone are the tidal wave of repetitive side quests and gimmicky gameplay sections that held the 2018 game back. If the compactness and streamlined gameplay structure from this game could be applied to a story with more content, the next Spider-Man game could be getting five stars from me.

Just because I loved Arkham City doesn't mean I want to play a much worse version of it.

The plot holes in this game are ridiculous, the villain motivations are non-existent and every villain in the rogues gallery is pointlessly shafted and delegated to repetitive, serialized side quests with the exception of three. The explosion of repetitive, tedious Riddler trophies are almost preferable to the repetitive tedium of the main quest. Nearly every plot point from this confused, unnecessary story is directly stolen from Arkham City, and the 100% ending is actually somehow worse than the base ending. I did find the tank gameplay fun for a time, but there was far too much of it and it didn't fit the tone of the rest of the game at all.

While far from the worst game I've every played, Arkham Knight is among the most disappointing.

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.

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.

One step forward, one step back.

Ratchet is much more likable in this version, but his relationship with Clank feels like an afterthought. The gameplay is much more addicting, but the story is far weaker. As a remake, it changes too much to feel loyal to the original game, but keeps enough elements from the 2002 game to stop it from being able to stand on its own entirely.

Oh well, at least it was better than the movie