Fixed the tedium overflowing in the first one with smarter traversal, purpose to mechanics that lacked previously, and removal of the time filler. People complaining too short, probably forgot how many hours were spent redoing stealth missions because they were spotted once, missions where MJ/Miles play walking sims, or the taskmaster challenges that were more frustrating than fun most of the time.

This isn't even getting to the story, which unlike the first game, is truly a world unto itself. The first was really just a rehash of various brand new day stories with one or two twists. Spider-man 2 really plays with pieces and becomes a breath of fresh air for the franchise in much the same way that Ultimate Spider-man (the comic) was in 2000.

This is barely a knock and truly didn't change the rating, but Venom is as fun to play as here as he was in 2005 (not) and if they really want to make a spinoff featuring him, they need to COMPLETELY fix that.

A remarkably ambitious game with a compelling world and excellent quest variety. Even quests that at first seem periphery often lead to creative, thought-provoking, and emotionally resonant scenarios that really take advantage of the cyberpunk setting.

The game clearly loves and understands its world, immersing you in this late-stage capitalist dystopia not too far removed from our own world. Commercials and news serve as the only content on TV, and billboards assault you with exploitative sexuality. Violence and death are fetishized. Beggars wander the streets in the shadow of glimmering corporate megastructures while police harass civilians with impunity. Politicians' minds are controlled from the shadows. This is a very politically engaged game, and it compels you to explore every inch of this world.

Yet Cyberpunk 2077 is hampered by lingering technical issues and gameplay that proves more shallow the longer you play. The initial lifepaths serve as little more than flavor text for interactions throughout the game, and the combat systems, while fun and varied, don't expand as they should in a game that touts itself as a deep RPG. It's easy to settle into a groove and avoid experimentation, especially since the quests are designed to be achieved by anyone regardless of playstyle.

The game begs to be compared to Deus Ex, the gold-standard cyberpunk RPG, but really it's more Grand Theft Auto meets Deus Ex: Human Revolution. I enjoyed my time with it, but the game clearly wanted to be more and sadly doesn't live up to its potential. Ambition only takes you so far.

I think this game cements Santa Monica as the best out there (at least in the Triple A space) when it comes to marrying narrative and game design.

I prefer 2018 mostly because of its tighter focus. This game is more ambitious, but as a result there's much more to be nitpicked. Most notably, I think the writing gets too hokey in the last couple hours, but maybe it will work better for me on a replay.

Really appreciate the attention they've put in across these two games to making Kratos a three-dimensional character and actually giving him a satisfying arc.