Chalk it up to this being another example of a game that is just so much a part of who I am that it would be fraudulent to not rate it this highly. This is undeniably one of my favorite games of all time. I still have such a blast revisiting it today to experience its incredibly immersive and captivating narrative, with a wonderfully written cast of memorable characters, raw, acerbic dialogue, a beautiful yet grounded world that’s rich in both atmosphere and vibrant attention to detail, complimented by timeless gameplay mechanics and the eclectic, awesome soundtrack. It’s more than evident that the devs at 2k czech (even through the game’s rather notorious fraught development cycle) poured genuine passion into this game and it effortlessly coalesces into a gripping final product that holds up brilliantly even 13 years later. I love the hell out of Mafia 2 and I seriously doubt that my fervent enthusiasm for it is going to waver anytime soon. What a flawed but immensely special gem this game is.

Was I full of shit when I originally gave this game a paltry 3 star rating and I rather glibly dismissed it as being largely boring? I absolutely was. This game is fucking amazing. What few gripes I do have with it are slight because this is seriously one of the most inventive, deeply original, and (for lack of a more apt descriptor) wonderfully weird games that i’ve ever played and I wouldn’t hesitate for a second to call it a masterpiece. The sheer leap in quality from Limbo to this game alone is nothing short of incredible. The levels are equally as tightly wound but far more creative and complex, managing to avoid feeling stiflingly linear while still remaining an incredibly focused and cohesively packaged experience, the mechanics feel weighty and smooth, aided by some fantastic controls and responsive animations, and the game features plenty of interesting and detailed environments that are consistently a treat to explore. The underwater levels are especially wondrous and they add a ton of flavor and tension to individual stretches of the game. From a technical and sensory standpoint the game is equally as outstanding too, sporting rich and captivating art direction, stark and beautiful visual storytelling, and a droning, atmospheric ambient score that’s coupled together brilliantly with the eerie and immersive sound design. All of these elements are just some of Inside’s many sumptuous delights. It also excels in regards to gameplay variety and it never once feels boring or uninspired. Nary a moment goes by here that’s not exciting or memorable in some way or another, the game masterfully blending and balancing platforming and puzzle solving, highly scripted but no less fun pseudo stealth sections, and equal parts engaging and thrilling action set pieces to great effect. The puzzles in particular deserve to be singled out for how surprisingly enjoyable they are. They’re unique, challenging, well wrought, and both immediately rewarding and immensely satisfying to solve, requiring genuine thought and skill from the player but never once feeling obtuse or oblique. The more trial and error driven gameplay segments from Limbo are still very much present here and they too are vastly improved over its predecessor. Not only are they utilized far less frequently throughout (on top of being generally less frustrating to play through due to very merciful checkpoints) but the game is so brilliantly designed and deftly paced otherwise that they are easy to discard as minor hiccups in the grand scheme of things. Bottom line? I had a total blast coming back to this game all these years later and it’s definitely much better than I had remembered it being when I first played it. It was frankly erroneous of me to have taken it for granted. It’s abundantly clear to me now that playdead studios are extremely talented game developers and I’m excited to see what they do next.

I’ve considered myself a fan of the Resident Evil franchise for a few years now and to say that I was ecstatic to have finally played the seminal classic that started it all would be a seismic understatement. Put bluntly? This remake fucking rules. It completely executes everything that it sets out to accomplish and it does so with aplomb, creating an incredibly immersive, deep, atmospheric survival horror experience that had me thoroughly enthralled from beginning to end. Couple that with a solid story that presents you with just enough intrigue to keep you engaged and gameplay that honestly hasn’t aged all that much. If anything i’d argue that the tank controls and the fixed camera system are only a boon to the tone that this game is going for rather than detrimental flaws that detract from it. From the expertly crafted and intrinsically connected level design, the deeply rewarding exploration loop, the puzzles that are simple, well designed, and immensely satisfying to solve, to the beautifully haunting soundtrack from the musical genius Masami Ueda which adds a ton of emotional resonance to the game. It’s all so deftly handled. Add to that the tight inventory mechanics, the resource and item management, coupled with the punishingly limited checkpoints, the frequent sprinkling of frantic combat encounters and set pieces, and you’ve got yourself one hell of a scorching powder keg, making for moment to moment gameplay scenarios that are both palpably intense and positively thrilling. The only aspect of this game that I’m not totally crazy about are the frequent door loading screens. They are incredibly archaic and they have a tendency to bring down the game’s otherwise flawless pacing to a languid halt at points. I also found the boss fights to be somewhat lacking (the final one is especially disappointing when you consider the build up prior to it) despite them being consistently enjoyable to play through. Otherwise though? Resident Evil is pretty much pitch perfect and it’s every bit the unassailable masterpiece that it has been hyped up to be.

I liked Papers Please a whole lot when I finally played it last year for the first time (holy shit does time fly) and I figured that it was only a matter of time until I played this game. I’m glad to declare that it completely lives up to the hype. The sheer level of detail in the storytelling here is nothing less than staggering, Obra Dinn conveying a deeply layered, richly complex, and utterly compelling mystery through a unique narrative structure that only pulled me into this world deeper as it went along. Learning more about this cast of diverse, colorful, and interesting characters is incredibly involving and engaging throughout, combined with the subtle and clever writing which deftly explores a handful of thematic ideas without ever feeling overwhelming or oversimplified. The core mechanics of investigation and puzzle solving are also nailed to perfection here, creating a thoughtful, consistently rewarding, and addictively thrilling gameplay loop. That aforementioned depth (both in regards to its story and its systems) is certainly part and parcel to what makes this game so special (and what elevates it beyond the majority of titles in the detective genre) but even the more surface level sensory elements are fantastic. The presentation and the production values are strong across the board, the art direction is refreshingly original and beautifully atmospheric, the voice acting is fucking outstanding and very believable, and the soundtrack (composed by Lucas Pope himself shockingly enough) is incredibly immersive and it’s always utilized to its maximum effectiveness. This game is an exceptional masterpiece that I would recommend to pretty much every gamer that’s worth their salt without an iota of hesitation. It’s one of the coolest games that i’ve played all year and it begs to be experienced going into it as blind as possible.

It was very interesting to revisit this game since my first playthrough in middle school and to see just how little of it I had actually remembered. This was one of my favorite games of all time back then and that only makes me all the more ecstatic to declare that it most certainly does hold up for me. It is every bit as inventive, wonderfully weird, and uniquely original as my vague memories of it made it out to be. The game features a deeply layered, cleverly written and very creatively told story that always has something interesting to say, polished level design, coupled together brilliantly with its minimalist art direction and subtle environmental cues, and an almost absurd amount of secret optional content and multiple different endings to organically discover. The game is also consistently funny (in no small part due to the narrator) and the ways in which that narration frequently interjects during the moment to moment storytelling is one of its most singularly rich pleasures. All of these elements are strung along together flawlessly throughout and they coalesce to make The Stanley Parable an immensely special experience even all of these years later. It’s an influential classic that has definitely earned its legendary status as a critical darling of the indie gaming industry. It has a wealth of genuine thematic depth to unpeel from under its exterior surface and it's also highly accessible and very enjoyable to play despite its simple gameplay. What more can you want?

I had a pretty shitty attitude towards this game when I first played it years ago (a whopping 5 years ago to be exact) and I knew pretty early on that I should revisit it at some point. It’s safe to say that it definitely grew on me on a replay. This game is wonderful. The eerie, droning sound design, the lack of a traditional video game soundtrack, coupled with the minimalist yet beautiful art direction and the precise environmental storytelling coalesce to create such an atmospheric game. The first half in particular is pretty exceptionally well paced, the game mixing tight level design, simple but very satisfying puzzles, and some exciting gameplay set pieces that effectively utilize the core mechanics to great effect. It never quite reaches those singular heights again in its later levels (in fact it does lose quite a bit of steam towards the end due to some annoying puzzles) but the rest of it still offers a very unique and highly enjoyable experience. The trial and error based gameplay can occasionally feel needlessly obtuse at points (and certain sections can become inadvertently repetitive as a result of that) but the game is so short and the checkpoints are so plentiful that it rarely became a major issue. Limbo is also quite a thematically (and narratively) rich game even if the ultimate meaning of its story is somewhat aloof and not all that clear. I also still have some ambivalent feelings towards the rather abrupt ending. All told though? I am really happy that I gave this game another shot. I certainly don’t love it as much as its more ardent fans do (though i absolutely understand why it has become such a lionized critical darling since its release) but it is a special little game that has grown on me considerably.

There's nothing that I can really say because everything about this just works so well together. Whether it be the remarkable atmosphere that it displays throughout combined with its incredibly unique art style, its simple but intuitive gameplay design, the oftentimes beautiful soundtrack, its emotionally gripping and heavily thematic narrative that’s full of meaningful and involving player choices, the astounding voice acting, or the utterly brilliant cast of masterfully well written and spectacularly developed characters. It’s all fantastic. The Walking Dead is a masterpiece of interactive storytelling in the truest sense of the word and it was genuinely a thrill to have finally experienced it after years of being well aware of its esteemed reputation within the gaming industry. I’m very much looking forward to getting around to the other seasons at some point.

What a sumptuous delight this game was. I was so glad to have finally crossed it off my list and i’m equally as thrilled to say that it largely lives up to the hype. From its visually breathtaking and captivating world, its beautifully atmospheric art direction, its wonderfully paced and consistently varied explorable levels, to its decidedly simple but still highly enjoyable gameplay loop. Everything about this game is such a treat. The soundtrack should also be singled out as one of the game’s richest pleasures on top of being incredibly powerful and moving in its own right. The story itself of the game maybe isn’t particularly thematically deep nor am I entirely sure what the singular point of it ultimately was. I’d also argue that the game ends just a smidge too abruptly for my liking. All in all though? I still enjoyed my brief time with this a great deal. All of these aforementioned elements coalesce to make Abzu a wholly unique short but sweet sensory experience that (even with its slight imperfections) I won’t be forgetting about anytime soon.

Holy goddamn shit. What a rollicking blast of a game this was. It has all of the intrinsic ingredients to make for a gangbusters platformer experience and it absolutely excels at everything that it aims to accomplish. The levels are relentlessly fast paced, tightly designed, and are both consistently fun to play through and highly rewarding to explore from start to finish, with plenty of addicting optional collectibles and secret content to discover which add a tremendous amount of replay value to the game. Pizza Tower also boasts a murderers row of unique and engaging boss battles, a blisteringly energetic soundtrack, consistently challenging gameplay that contains a near bottomless amount of mechanical complexity and considerable wiggle room for player expression, and surprisingly colorful characters that are coupled with an equally as charming art style and butter smooth animations. What else could you possibly fucking want out of a video game?

I’ve had this almost completely wiped off my memory since playing it for the first time years ago and it still holds up as a damn fun superhero game. Although it’s certainly not without its obvious but still unfortunate limitations. The story (if you can even call it that) is very superfluous with some rather bizarrely structured and paced flashback segments that always seem to interject at the most awkward times. The writing itself is also decidedly not the best (a residual byproduct of the utterly atrocious licensed material that the game is based on) as certain plot beats seemingly feel either too rushed or needlessly drawn out. However these quibbles really just allow those qualities that this game truly excels at to shine that much more. The animations are butter smooth and impactful, the level design is highly linear but it helps retain the game’s intended high octane pacing, and the hack and slash combat feels both immensely visceral and immediately satisfying, the game always providing you with a solid amount of unique enemy types and new abilities which keeps the moment to moment gameplay experience consistently fresh, thrilling, and addicting. The boss fights are quite fun too despite feeling very repetitive at points and not containing a great deal of mechanical depth or even requiring all that much skill to fight. The scripted action set pieces conversely are also very well utilized and they help add a ton of memorable flavor and variety to individual chapters. The occasional puzzles (while being rudimentarily simple to solve and mostly bereft of challenge) also get the job done pretty effectively. I certainly get why this game didn’t exactly set the world on fire when it released but i had an awesome time revisiting it nonetheless. If nothing else it has only galvanized my excitement for insomniac games upcoming Wolverine game.

There was once a stretch of time in my life where Uncharted 2 was my favorite game of all time and replaying it after so long was certainly a strong vindication of why that was the case. This game is nothing less than a shining exemplar of what narrative lead adventure games are capable of and it excels in pretty much every single way imaginable. It’s also proof positive that highly linear game design can still be hugely compelling. From its relentlessly entertaining and action packed story, its colorful cast of likeable and incredibly memorable characters, the practically flawless pacing, the fun and polished gameplay, to the fully playable set pieces that are at once palpably intense and positively exhilarating. The day I stop loving this game is the same day that I become a joyless asshole.

You know? It had been a very long time since I last played this game so I’d kind of forgotten just how much I loved it. It absolutely still holds up for me as one of my favorite games. It so wonderfully thrives as a tautly paced, breathlessly fun, and downright swashbuckling action adventure experience. The game boasts butter smooth and engaging platforming gameplay that only becomes more complex and challenging as it goes on, level design that is well wrought despite being highly linear, mechanically simple but still immensely satisfying combat, as well as a very charming story with endearing and affably likable characters that you come to really root for and get behind by the end. The soundtrack and atmosphere are aces as well. Every ounce of passion that was poured into this game by the developers is more than evident throughout and it coalesces effortlessly into a remarkable final product that (no pun intended) has more than stood the test of time. Oh how I wish that ubisoft still made games that go this fucking hard.

This game is just as awesome as i remembered it being. Pretty much everything about it just works across the board. The art direction is atmospheric and moody, the traversal has a somewhat steep learning curve but it’s still incredibly fluid and functional, the combat is energetic and engaging, and the story offers just enough twists to keep you wrapped up in it from start to finish. The progression is very rewarding too. The game always gives you cool new mechanics and unique abilities to experiment with and it in turn keeps the overall experience from becoming overly stale or repetitive. If the game does have any singular weaknesses it’s that the actual open world elements are somewhat lacking by modern standards and the world itself doesn’t offer a great deal in the way of in depth, substantial side content, opting to mostly uninspired collectibles and superfluous activities that aren’t entirely interesting. I’m also decidedly not the biggest fan of the morality system. It’s rather half baked and the player choices rarely affect the overarching narrative in any intrinsic or particularly meaningful way. Warts and all though? The core gameplay loop is so immensely satisfying that i can easily look past some of this game’s more glaringly apparent shortcomings. Infamous most certainly holds up as a very fun superhero game and it’s one of the playstation 3’s best exclusives.

The most singularly arresting aspect of this game is most certainly its atmosphere. That coupled with an intriguing and heavily thematic story, brilliant intrinsically connected level design, and an absolutely aces soundtrack by Mick Gordon made this game an incredibly compelling and memorable experience. It so masterfully manages to mix several seemingly disparate gameplay elements from other immersive sims of its ilk while still feeling mechanically cohesive and retaining an incredibly unique identity. It’s flawlessly paced from start to finish and it fluidly mixes rewarding exploration, challenging and well wrought puzzles, engaging side missions which contribute meaningfully to the overarching narrative, and combat that feels immensely satisfying and fun to ensure that the core moment to moment gameplay loop never becomes boring or repetitive. Prey is quite simply one of the coolest games that I’ve played all year and i’m already itching to give it a revisit.

Outer Wilds is a game that’s best played going into it as blind as possible. So much of what makes this game so magical is defined by way of non linear discovery, problem solving, and player ingenuity so I’ll try to keep this brief and get down to brass tacks. All I want to say for now is that this is one of the most unique gaming experiences that i’ve had throughout the year. From the way that it rewards and incentivizes exploration and curiosity, to how it so brilliantly conveys its story through subtle world building and organic discoveries, to its engaging and deeply satisfying gameplay loop, its fun and challenging puzzles, to the absolutely beautiful art style and the wistfully atmospheric soundtrack that adds so much to this game. All of this culminates into an unforgettable, profoundly emotionally affecting, and wonderfully paced adventure that’s full of creative surprises and blistering excitement in equal measure. This game is undeniably a masterpiece and i’m frankly ecstatic that it managed to live up to the hype so thoroughly.