I hate the term "movie game," but I would probably consider this to be more of a movie game than the majority of games that people give that label. It took me a bit to get into it but once I did I was loving it. Potentially the best looking game I've ever played, it's hard to choose a highlight between the graphics, combat, and characters. It definitely suffers from a lot of JRPG tropes and the story/characters are infuriatingly stupid at certain points, but it's not enough to bring it down too much. Seeing the characters grow from the beginning of the journey to the end was done perfectly.

I will add that Hard Mode is absolute nonsense. Prohibit using items, yet the rewards for doing pretty much anything optional (side quests, exploring) are still just items. Not a balanced experience at all, but I still begrudgingly beat it.

The first half or so of the game I was blown away. The story is intriguing enough, the facial technology is amazing, and most of all the gunplay and visual effects are super satisfying. But eventually it all starts to fall apart and just gets super monotonous, with combat becoming a boring chore rather than an exciting challenge.

Started the first DLC but didn't make it far before realizing I couldn't take more of the same. Still deserves credit for the good parts though, it really is great before it eventually wears thin.

There's some good stuff going on here but it's just stretched so thin. It's overlong, it's janky, the plot is nonsense, all of the characters are useless. But whatever, what people really praise this game for is the Alien AI.

I don't get the hype. Not sure what's so impressive about the Alien inexplicably always knowing where you are and showing up nearby. Not trying to sound cool, plenty of games scare the hell out of me, but I don't think I found it scary once. There are plenty of tense moments for sure, but all that tension is gone once you get the flamethrower and are then no longer helpless. Not to mention I played on hard difficulty and still always had near maxed out supplies and ammo at all times.

Super charming, challenging, and visually unique with a great art direction that's somewhere in between Cuphead and Bloodborne. There were times when I couldn't put it down, however...

Good god getting around is the most tedious thing imaginable. An absolute chore to get from place to place, the game either needs far more fast travel spots or just an entirely different fast travel system. ANYTHING different than this.

I will also add that in every element other than gameplay this is the most blatant Dark Souls rip off I've ever played. The overall world lore, story, progression of areas, NPC storylines, etc. All right out of Dark Souls.

I was very apprehensive when it was revealed that my favorite game of all time was getting a remake. All my doubts were gone after trying out the demo, and the rest is history.

A fantastic remake, although I'd certainly consider it to be more of a companion piece to the original than a replacement. There's fantastic new content and there's fantastic reimaginings of old content, but it leaves something to be desired in certain areas. Not every change is a winner, the worst being Saddler's newfound absence for the vast majority of the game (not to mention how boring and cliche he is now). While not perfect, I don't think it'd be possible for a remake of one of the most beloved games ever to nail it any more than they did here.

My first Yakuza game and a lot of mixed feelings. The story ranges from super captivating and mind blowing to really really dumb, but is definitely still the highlight. I get that this is the point of these games, but it just tries to do so many different types of gameplay that the vast majority are just so surface level - Stealth is absolutely terrible, for instance. Parkour isn't as offensively bad but just pointless and boring.

It has a ton of charm in nearly every aspect, but there's also such a grind related to nearly every little thing. Want to complete the fantastic School Storyline side quest chain? Hope you're ready to plug away for hours and hours doing shit like flirting with random women in a bar to the point of doing the same dialogue over and over, and paying to get in each time. With all that vented out, I don't regret playing it, it was a positive experience overall, and I will try another Yakuza game when the time feels right. But I may be a bit hesitant at first.

Certainly a good game, but also certainly a disappointment given the hype and acclaim going into it. It has so much going for it and also so much that falls flat. While the 2018 game had a clear goal, and you were always working towards that goal, so much of the time spent in this game just feels aimless. Characters make stupid decisions and many character's motivations seem to change out of nowhere for no real reason. Plot points that are made to feel very important are then abandoned out of nowhere.

On the other end of things, some of the story details and way they tie things together are absolutely genius and/or beautiful. While the gameplay has been perfected from the last game, the highlight remains its characters and the dialogue between them. So many great little and big moments between the cast. The side content is also some of the best content in the game.

Please never make me play as Atreus again.

Adored this, wish I played it sooner. From the environmental storytelling to the oppressive atmosphere to the super unique and original puzzles and problems - Everything is a joy (which sounds odd for such a dark and creepy game). Such a sense of satisfaction is given just from learning as you go and progressing from area to area.

The few negatives: The trial and error involved in many of the puzzles wasn't my favorite. But most of all, I really wasn't satisfied with the very open ending. Some closure would've been really appreciated after completing such an exhilarating journey. Being left with just more questions ended an amazing experience on a sour note, and keeps me from giving a perfect score.