Psychonauts 2 is the type of game you have to respect purely for the amount of ambition and creativity that came from so many talented people.

Many platform games will merely use story to justify gameplay (ie "X was stolen! Jump from point A to B!!"), but Psychonauts prioritizes story and gameplay equally. In fact, these two elements are intertwined such that your objectives within a given level directly correlate with a turning point in the story. Facilitated by the fact that each level is a literal manifestation of each character's mind.

While this is not necessarily profound, its definitely enough to set it apart from most 3D platformers. Raz doesnt control quite as enjoyably as Mario, but his story is what allows the game to stand a chance against Mario Odyssey, whose story was "Collect the _____ to save the princess!" once again.

Though don't get me wrong, Raz controls well enough. Not the acrobatic fluidity of Odyssey, but it didn't really need to be. The levels are what steal the show, anyway. Creativity and originality ooze from each level. From a dental horrorscape to a casino hospital - there's nothing quite like the twisted feverdream levels of Psychonauts. Each one strengthens the characterizations of the people whose minds you inhabit.

And this game is BEAUTIFUL.Great artstyle, executed perfectly makes a great visual experience. Its always impressive how these mental spaces twist and connect in mind-bending ways.

Only imperfections I noticed: sometimes slow model loading, and some dialogue awkwardly cut by transitions/loading. But does this bother me? Nah. Im just impressed this game exists at all. You should play it tbh

Kiwami 2 is another gripping crime drama story - the best in videogames - with a sense of humor I love. After playing 0, 7, K1, and now K2, Id say K2 has the weakest story so far. But the weakest Yakuza story is still great.

This game is also gorgeous. I spent a lot of time just walking around in first-person to see the sights. I was also impressed by the Majima minigame (which is effectively a miniature RTS game).

Yakuza series is like comfort food to me. I just like to hang out and spend time in its world. K2 delivers again.

of all the RE games Ive played, Village is the most like a theme park ride. feels more linear than VII (or what I remember of it), with a lower focus on tension and higher focus on spectacle and story.

is the spectacle good? Usually. The setting is nice (though I preferred the Baker estate) and the enemy + boss variety is much, much greater. Especially a particular section near the middle. Is it a masterpiece? Nahhhh. But its a really entertaining piece of media :]

Also this game is beautiful

Somehow a more ambitious story than 999. It'll blow your mind wiiiddddeee open. Mixed with some decent characters, and some of the best VA in anime games. BUT the dialogue and prose can feel repetitive and stretched out, filled with long explanations that are only semi-relevant/useful. I found myself skipping a lot of it. The game should be shorter.

2/3 of the game is story. The remaining 1/3 is a series of escape rooms, which is my favorite part (as someone who likes logic puzzles). VLR's puzzles presented a decent challenge and stumped me a few times. I loved diving headfirst into these rooms.

Zero Escape is the best series of VN games Ive played. I cannot decide if I like 999 or VLR more. VLR has harder puzzles and better endings/reveals. 999 has better characters and has LESS (not zero) needless dialogue.

FF7 Remake is NOT a remake. It is a live-action adaptation. FF7 Remake is to FF7 as the MCU movies are to Marvel Comics.

It's a chance for fans of the source material to follow FF7s story, originally told using cruder visuals, but with all the spectacle that only previously existed with the aid of the imagination.

But because its core gameplay has almost nothing to do with the original, it's really not a remake. Not that this is a bad thing.

Much like 80% of MCU movies, I found the entire experience to be just "ok". I found the voice direction to be awkward, the story beats to feel stretched out, and the puzzle segments to be completely awful. Also, I never understood the combat well, but maybe that's on me.

I really believe that FF7 Remake was carried by its gorgeous visuals and the PS1 original's prestige.