I liked the game but for some reason I can't help but find it a bit overrated. I feel like the gameplay is incredibly polished and the combat feels satisfying (especially when you combo), however there are some things holding it down, like the questionably slow pacing at times, being forced into mundane slow walking sections or boring cutscenes, and underwhelming side missions. I feel like the game's story is very well executed however it feels pretty slow in the sense that it gives you the sentiment that it's leading up to something but it never does until the second game. I can appreciate the fact that Kratos is an actual developed character now.

An excellent addition to the ground work laid down by 2016's Hitman. While some of the maps in that first game are better (Paris and Sapienza will probably be the franchise peak forever) I would argue this is a more consistent set, across the board. Just wonderfully ambitious clockwork sandboxes that you can play over and over and over again and still find something new.

Plus, what this game lacks in the wow factor of 2016's arrival, it makes up for with the wonderful refinements IOI has made over time. Everything from graphical spit shines to subtle UI enhancements make this the new best way to experience Hitman.

Started a new game the day the news broke of James McCaffrey’s death. RIP to a legend, his final performance as Max has so much to look back fondly on. The anger, disgust and defeat in his voice as he fights his way through hell, and his likeness as Max, while I of course love the Sam Lake face, the old hardened look of Max was perfect for James’ evolution of the character.

What a brutally bleak game too, the graphic gunfights, bullet wounds and body physics I remember well from playing this on release but the storyline and fate of so many characters really hit harder this time, just the constant death and bloodshed, you really feel Max’s spirit breaking each time as he stops caring for his own safety and just wants to enact revenge for whoever’s responsible for each heinous act.

Of course HEALTH’s score is incredible and everyone talks about the airport sequence at the end but all throughout the game as well it’s just pummeling and intense, pounding drums and throbbing rhythms, when bullets are whizzing and glass is shattering all around you and the music is just pumping overtop the chaos with these dark, pulsating, almost primitive beats, it’s intense as hell and at times feels almost horror-like, as if something big and scary is coming towards you. One of the best parts of the game hands down, gets you right there in action feeling like you’re surrounded by it.

Played this on Xbox 360 and I have to say I loved how the first disc, which has the artwork of Max with hair on it, ends right when he shaves his head, and the second disc, which has the shaved head and floral shirt artwork, starts immediately with the scene of him debuting that look. Well played, Rockstar, whether intentional or not.

I fucking love this game and I can’t wait for the Remedy remakes of the first two, I’m really interested as to how they’ll handle them with McCaffrey’s passing but whatever they do we all know it will honor the man’s legacy and the beloved character we all admire.

What I love about Dredge is that its little bag of tricks is a lot deeper than you might think. The sanity effects, which you'll see more of if you sail at night or use too many special abilities, are varied and unpredictable - removing the sense that they're just a set of enemies and visual effects on a rotation. Two hours into the game I was accosted by a GHOST SHARK but I never saw one again for the rest of the playthrough. It's constantly surprising you positively and negatively.

Creepy vibes, a tough but fair economy to grapple with, and tonnes of secrets. Well worth the humble eight hour run time.

I'm definitely of the belief that these games lost a little bit of magic as their open world settings expanded; Arkham Asylum is a wonderfully designed, intricate setting for a Metroidvaniya. It's loaded with atmosphere and Easter eggs and the main campaign is wonderfully paced.

But it's also hard to ignore the way the sequels improved on this game, and it does feel quite old in some ways (I mean... It is literally 15 years old now). While the combat would become a little over stuffed in future entries, they definitely improved on it, and Asylum's feels somewhat basic. Enemies take turns attacking you, animations are fairly limited and the free flow combat just doesn't flow as freely as it would later on. But nonetheless it's still tight and satisfying.

The other big issue is the story, which is mostly fun and wonderfully performed (RIP the GOAT, Mr Conroy) -- but TITAN just isn't a compelling angle, and the big Joker finale is so lame, along with most of the other boss fights.

I was going to 100% this, because I've been meaning to for a decade -- but I remembered just how tedious that is, even in this - the smallest game.

Steam Deck notes: despite an unsupported rating from Valve, this is an excellent Deck game.

The ultimate puzzle solving game. It scratched an itch I didn't know I had, to figure out how to beat a complex computer simulation in the most effective and creative ways I could come up with.

Unrivaled level design, brilliant stealth mechanics, and amazingly creativity. And it does all of that while not taking itself too seriously, including some truly laughable moments and easter eggs, creating a seriously perfect gaming experience.

One of the few games I will actually 100%