the Iki storyline is not that interesting but god DAMN it's so good to be back in this game again. Iki island is just Sucker Punch showing off -- it's so gorgeous in ways even the original game wasn't, which I didn't even know was possible. The dialogue is strong, and there's lots of exploration on this new island which extends out a decent chunk of what is otherwise an extremely short story. Great new outfits, enemies are more difficult, and the new challenges are fun! Probably worth the money!

David Cage might just be the best writer in gaming. when he said "fuckin piece of plastic" and "plastic toy" and "plastic friend" for the 64th time it was truly reaffirmed that this man really knows how to write dialogue. all of the subtle references to moments in history really got me. not many people would realise this, but there was actually a reference to the Holocaust in there. See, when the androids are sent to concentration camps, it's actually a reference to the 11 million Jews, gays, black people and other minorities that were murdered by the Nazis. Isn't that just so crazy? the ANDROIDS are the JEWS!

How about that the androids have to stand at the BACK of the bus? How about that every line out of Carl's mouth is "god humans fuckin suck tho dont they??????? humans kinda suck dont you agree????? arent they bad????" how about every scene where you play as Marcus being more boring than anything I've ever experienced? how North is the single most annoying character in the game? how about how the game makes Marcus and her lovers because you said a few nice things to her throughout the game that would never otherwise imply a romantic relationship?

Oh, how about Todd being the most subtle character ever designed in gaming? How every line of dialogue out of his mouth is "boy do i hate androids >:( i sure do hate androids >:(" and having random, hilariously exaggerated outbursts of anger that act only as plot devices and shitty exposition? how about that the game tries to redeem him later on after beating a child? How about that PLOT TWIST? Isn't it wonderful when the game purposefully withholds information that your character sees so it can cheat its way into a plot twist?

Isn't it all so SUBTLE? Isn't it all so SYMBOLIC? Love you David!! When's the allegory about the Syrian refugee crisis coming?

*also reviewed on grouvee

let's set aside the awful management and marketing of this game and consider what we actually got on its own. and what we got is not that great! it's a story that rarely develops its characters beyond the absolute bare minimum, rushes its main plot, has little to say about corporate greed beyond "it's bad I guess" and offers almost zero choice beyond who you're having sex with. I started the game psyched to be taken on a fantastic journey in a beautiful city despite a few bugs, and instead got a barebones open world with so much poorly delivered edge it's hard to see what I actually got from the experience. It's such a shame that it's characters were so interesting and well-acted. The city itself is still gorgeous but it felt so skeletal -- other games have perfected the feeling of "living" open-worlds, and so despite the fantastic lighting and architectural design of it, Night City is reminiscent of something from the 2000s rather than the groundbreaking experience we were consistently promised. I'll play it again in like a year.

the atmosphere of this game is basically unmatched. the soundtrack and sound design combined with the fantastic visual style that so perfectly emulates the first Alien movie elevate what could have otherwise been a bland stealth game. The Xenomorph is terrifying, until it isn't -- at which point it becomes a little annoying. However, I think the devs knew this, because it takes a break from it towards the end of the game, and when it comes back the terror is new and fresh. Then, it gets old again -- really quickly this time. The entire last two hours of the game are stretched out so thinly that it brings down what could have been an almost perfect horror experience. There's a lot of obvious padding, which doesn't make sense; the game was already getting kinda long before it started the padding. Still, before that the game keeps finding new ways to feel exciting, either by providing you with new weapons to experiment with, or with crazy new scenarios. There's a part towards the end of the game that will forever stick with me.

All in all this is absolutely worth a playthrough. You'll probably never find a game more consistently tense than this one.

The combat is incredible; easy to learn but difficult to totally master. The story is really good, with great characters and often outstanding voice acting. The world is one of the most beautiful I've ever seen.
Everything outside of that? yeah it's fine. extremely repetitive missions and mission structure, usually involving just tracking someone to somewhere else and fighting off a bunch of Mongols. I really wish it was more varied because for me it wasn't a game I could sink a lot of hours into without getting really bored.