Played this with my eight-year-old brother (I'm eighteen) who is not the brightest person overall but they just really don't click with video games (they play a lot, they're just not very good for their age) so there were some parts of the game that were frustrating because I had to help them figure out their puzzle and they just couldn't get it and didn't understand how dependent we both are on eachother. Thankfully, as it progressed, they got better. But if you play with someone who isn't my little brother, I don't think there will be much of a problem. This is THE game for casual gamers. Nothing ever seemed too difficult nor too easy.

I don't think the ending was fully earned but the story is quite nice and the characters are likeable and well-written. They actually feel like a real couple who's reason for divorce is very layered. These layers are uncovered through each level and WOW!

The gameplay in each level is truly wonderful. Each level introduces a new mechanic and it really keeps the game so fresh and constantly exciting. It never felt like it was doing too much or just straight-up copying other games. It managed to feel unique while also exuding a feeling of familiarity -- if that makes sense?

Also, the minigames are fun and we're gonna go back and find the six we didn't find.

The "Fuck the Oscars" easter egg got a good laugh out of me and my little brother couldn't understand why.

A great by-the-books game that hides its faults with pretty graphics.

I haven't actually 100% completed cos I'm not playing all those games of Machine Strike but I did get the platinum trophy which, I feel, is good enough.

And that, alone, is a pretty good indicator of how I feel about this game. I didn't think I would want to go for the platinum as I was skeptical about how good this could be but, after a while, I really sunk into this game. Unlike the first game, it gets more fun as it goes along.

Despite adding more combos and whatnot, the combat still feels repetitive after a while but it's still fun. The weapons in this game are also slightly better than the first game because I actually kept swapping them out towards the end instead of sticking with the same set the whole game. The weapon wheel however is still too cluttered. Having three different ammo types for every weapon can often make me select the wrong thing.

I liked the skill tree progression because it didn't feel incredibly generic. Overall, unlocking stuff felt more rewarding in this game than in the first. The D-pad scroll to select shit is still hell, though. That needs a rework cos I spent ages unequipping shit and moving it all around to be in a order that's practical for me.

What also needs a rework is the climbing and platforming. Holy shit, is this the worst the part of the game, holy fucking shit! Breath of the Wild was all like: "you can climb anything" while Zero Dawn was like: "there are these yellow nipples". So they try to be more like BotW in this but it's just horrible. I still opted to cheese my way up mountains by Bethesda-hopping. The yellow lines you climb on mountains seem randomly placed, Aloy gets stuck and just can't fucking move half the time so I have to jump off and it's just so slow as well. I don't care if it's realistic, I don't want to see this three second animation of Aloy leaping for a ledge, grabbing it and phasing through a wall before she decides to climb up. I just wanna climb.

The fact that these games take themselves so seriously is most probably the worst part of them. Once the mystery of the world is gone, it's significantly less interesting, so they bring in these goofy-ass thousand year old rich people to act as the bad guys and the way they end the story with them really isn't that great. They over-explain everything without actually saying anything of value. The amount of dialogue in this that's just so tedious and not necessary (I spent twenty minutes talking to GAIA about some shit I can't even remember). I get the impression they think they're creating some amazing world with their writing but they just give it too much. They attempt to push in two messages into the game (brave for a triple-A game, I know) but it’s executed quite poorly. I literally share the same views and it still got me rolling my eyes. Aloy at one point literally said something like “It’s almost like blind faith is bad or something.”. I agree with these messages but they’re so unsubtle.

Atleast, the voice acting was better, the facial expressions were a huge step-up and not every piece of dialogue was in awful shot/reverse shot. But, for some reason, every dialogue in this game ends with an awkward four second pause.

Aloy has no personality. I quite liked her in the first one but now she comes off as a really generic video game protagonist in this one. The way she talks to herself and interacts with others comes off as real cheesy and lame. I often talk to myself and therefore don’t find it weird but a lot of her solo dialogue is a thinly veiled way of saying “You fucking idiot game, you gotta do this” when, maybe, I wanna figure it out myself. Apparently, a criticism people had of the first one was the side characters. I thought their inclusion was tasteful as it was Aloy's story but clearly others didn't. This game feels far more like an 'Aloy & Friends' story which I didn't like as it felt quite by-the-numbers and they didn't even give them anything noteworthy to do. I quite liked Alva. I also liked the dynamic between Beta & Aloy but it was severely underdeveloped. It felt like there's a huge chunk from their relationship missing.


Side quests were actually really good and not a chore. Almost as engaging as the main story if not equal. I’m glad I’m the type of person who does all the side-quests before main ones. However there was one where you have to go to an island to save someone that bugged me. The world felt a lot more alive than the first but it’ still not great cos I checked out that island before the side-mission thinking there would be a secret there or something, but there was nothing and I was disappointed. A few days later, I find a side-quest that tells me to go there and, surprise! There’s a person there now. I wish I could just go there on my volition and find the guy. Instead of being told to like I’m playing a Rockstar game.

But yeah, I surprisingly got really into it which I was not expecting cos I thought I was done with exhausting open world games. But, I guess not. I had a lot of fun getting the platinum and doing the main story. The map is easily explorable with a good quantity of stuff to do. And, wow. Is it beautfiful. I may be against hyper-realistic graphics because, ya know, it's a fucking video game but just wow. I've spent so much time in photo mode. Zero Dawn was the nicest looking game I had ever played but now this takes it.

Overall, gameplay-wise: it's better than the first. Writing-wise: about the same, I reckon.
But, it's a good entry level game as you don't really need to play the first either. If I’m still alive when the third one comes out, I’ll probably pick it up even though the franchise would’ve lost its steam by then.

There's just some stuff sprinkled in here that makes you forget this is a triple-A game.
~ Aforementioned climbing
~ Mounts don't jump down a little 2cm high rock
~ Sunwing too slow and when you boost, there's a blur effect that just suddenly appears and disappears which is really jarring.
~ Why do I have to hold triangle EVERY FUCKING TIME I WANT TO LOOT SOMETHING.
~ I turned on the feature so you can just press square to activate the Sheildwing but it's quite clunky cos it will deploy even when I don't want it to (BotW paraglider is so much better)
~ Time of day randomly changes (typically in the desert from midnight to mid-day)
~ Will just get a black screen for two seconds when it loads
~ Occasionally get a glitch where I can't use melee attacks and need to restart the game.

Good game, glad I got my second ever platinum for it. I might go back and actually 100% one day. I appreciate it made me feel like a dumb twelve year old again.

I think that’s most of what I had to say.

This was better than I was expecting. The dialogue can be bad at times and the choices they give you aren't very well detailed (Press Square to say "I'm not sure" actually makes you say "You are a fucking idiot") but the atmosphere was very pleasant.

The characters are likable and the setting is very comforting. The soundtrack really tops this off as well (I can't believe I fell victim to musician marketing).

Not much to say because, if you played the first game, you know not to expect a masterclass in storytelling and it's more of the vibe that comes with it. And the vibe in this one is far superior. Also, the choices you make actually seem to have actual consequences unlike the first game where literally nothing mattered so that was nice. The facial animation was a HUGE step up as well. Overall, I love the artstyle of this game. It's the perfect blend of hyper-realism and cartoon.

Enjoyed playing through the story and getting all the trophies over the course of a month and I'm a bit sad it's over. It left me wanting more but in a good way. Like, I wish I could explore more of Haven once it's over, play more arcade games, etc.
Sidenote: I really recommend you try to get the memories when playing as they add to the character and worldbuilding.

I'm not gonna play the DLC because it baffles me they gave the least interesting side character their own DLC.

Good game.

The trailer really gripped me, I liked the artstyle and the old, cheesy yet charming atmosphere it had. But it also looked very cheap and likely wouldn't be that great and... I mean, it's not. But it entirely depends on the context of when/how you play it. If you play it during a stressful exam season (like me) it will be a fantastic, calming way to end or start a day.

I played it in real time (played each day in the game on the same day IRL, you get it) and I think that's the best way to consume this. You gotta play it over a long time. Otherwise, the repetitive gameplay will feel incredibly tedious and the lack of character animations will get on your nerves. But playing it over two weeks, 30 mins every day, was perfectly fine.

The world was nice to drive around and explore but the biggest highlight is the voice acting. People said it was good but I felt like that's what people sometimes say instead of "at least it looked nice". But, no. it's actually surprisingly good and it felt very natural even among the soulless faces they're paired with, perhaps why the perception of the VA is ameliorated? However, some dialogue didn't feel right. I'm no expert on Oregon dialect of 1986 but it felt more like a British dialect of recent, maybe an attempt of localisation of the English publishers? It slightly bothered me and so did the dialogue options the player is given. You pick one thing and Meredith will just say the option 2 right after anyway.

I also wish choices had more impact. Like, you can make plans for after delivering mail and it would've been cool if you had to cancel some or decline some instead of doing both to add some stakes to the game and enhance the character relationships. I do appreciate this made it easier to 100% it and get that sweet Platinum Trophy, though.

If you're on the edge about buying it, Wait for a sale. I got it for £12 instead of the usual £16 and I think it's worth that price. It's good to support indie developers but it doesn't exactly feel like the people wanted to make THIS game, specifically. The plot isn't anything original and it felt more like an exercise to hone their craft to put on their showreel to hopefully go onto make the games they want to make.

But yeah, it was nice. I liked it. A game this cheap is obviously gonna have its faults but they're pretty easy to overlook when the ambiance is charming and peaceful.
Also, it has gay people and that's very cool.

As a kid, I liked both but this will forever be far superior than Battle for Bikini Bottom in my eyes.

It's a great companion piece to the movie of the same name while building upon BfBB.

This game is so fun and charming. The platforming is great (especially the Mario Sunshine rip-off challenges) and holds the great humour of the show.

My biggest problem is that some of the challenges are really poorly implemented. Like, the guitar challenge in the Shell City level was a clear afterthought because the stage was not designed with that in mind.

The Patty Wagon & slide levels are amazing.

Also, the ending is kinda anti-climactic and nowhere near as good as the film. But everywhere else, it does a great job of adapting it to this medium and altering it slightly to work better as a game.

Got the PAL Director's Cut on PS2 which I've read is just the European 'Restless Dreams' version.

I was looking forward to playing this but at the same time massively dreading it because most highly-rated stuff (no matter the medium) is always overhyped by some sort of mob mentality and didn't want to be crucified for not adding to that. These fears came true in the first hour or two with the clunky movement, "meh" combat and poor voice acting but I quickly got used to it and really got into it.

Is this the greatest game ever made? Fuck off. Is it one very spectacular one that I thoroughly enjoyed? Fuck yes!

This game is clearly very special due to the incredible amount of detail put into it. The sound design is easily the best aspect but every aspect of this game works so well together to truly make you feel horrified.

Lots of people seem to have had a severe emotional reaction (other than "ooh, spooky") to this game and that's fine. I'm not trying to discredit that but this game did not do that for me. I already had my eye-opening therapeutic experience this year so that's all used up for the next five I'd say. But I can see why it could cause such a reaction in some. James' own guilt and trauma could act as a reflection to some, I suppose, even if it's for something different. Which I think was the intention given the save screen of James looking back at you looking at him on your TV -- like a mirror to indicate you're the same person.

Anyway, I'm sure I'm not bringing anything new to the table so I'll stop here:
Silent Hill 2 is a mesmerizing experience carefully crafted by some very passionate people. While I don't think it fully takes advantage of the video game medium, it truly is something special in this medium. There's a reason why people still talk about it today and that's because the story and symbolism are almost perfectly executed from a writing standpoint.
Worth paying £46 for a copy off eBay even 21 years after it came out. And that will stay in my collection until I die.

Also, I got the 'Leave' ending which I was very satisfied with in the moment and even more proud of myself after watching what the other endings are. I think it's the best ending.

I would like to add that I really don't understand the hype for "Born from a Wish", though. Perhaps, it's just cos it kinda fucks with my interpretation of the main scenario.

"Fate is just what you call it when you don't know the name of the person screwing you over."
-Lois, Malcolm in the Middle (2000)

I added this to my Switch Wishlist about four years ago but only got around to playing it thanks to PS Plus Extra. Although I'm glad I didn't pay for a shittier version on the Switch, I might buy this when it's on sale to support the indie devs because this was actually pretty good!

Halfway through the game, I didn't think I'd write a review as it would've been negative with the saving graces being the art direction (nice colours, dreamy watercolour depth-of-field, great animations) and its accompanying score. I got what is was doing. It showed how you shouldn't misplace your anger because the world is deterministic and you replaying the SAME THING OVER AND OVER AGAIN is exactly like how you replay things in your head in order to rationalise your own mistakes before admitting that you just fucked up. I got that, it just wasn't fun to play.

But once you get the four main puzzles out of the way (70% of the game), it ends superbly and outweighs the tedium. Perhaps it was intentional to disarm us with such boredom in order to catch us off-guard with the emotional ending as the writers are clearly smart. But they also made me watch that car crash 40 times with an overly loud and comical explosion that it lost all weight and would make me laugh so... I doubt it. Seriously though, the ending to this made my body feel weird and numb which was ridiculously surprising. The voice-work meshing with the pensive score along with the repetitive gameplay of the Old Man level really filled me with such dread. Not to mention the trophy/achievement names adding to that which is a really nice touch.

Overall, I think it's worth it for the ending but even without the ending, it is a gorgeous game to look at with some clear heart and passion put into it that has its charm. But it still is, overall, a poor execution of a good concept in my eyes.

I dunno. Hope that makes sense. Make your own mind up. This is one of those one-sitting indie games that people either love or hate.

This game exceeded my expectations.

The platforming is masterful. I never got frustrated at it but I never found it too easy. The solution is always immediately clear but actually performing that solution is typically the opposite.

I've heard more positive things about the music over the years than the game itself and I understand why. It's very good. Very nice electronic and piano melodies that are calming yet distressing. And also just sounds great.

The pixel art is nice as it isn't too simple but the "art art" is very cute and appropriate to the game's overall tone and themes.

I thought this was one of those things trans people gravitated towards because you could really stretch and interpret it as a trans allegory because, when you're queer, you view everything as having a queer subtext. But, no. It's actually here and it warms my heart so damn much. Maybe I'm dumb but I do feel that metaphor can get muddled in with the "overcome your fears and doubts" message as it becomes one towards the end which makes sense but just felt it wasn't the perfect execution.

Overall, I think the game is a tad over-rated. The story and messaging aren't THAT in-depth or smart. It's just well-done and people don't expect platformers to have any meaning to them other than "jump to the end". But I still had a LOT of fun with it and it actually made me feel something. Plus, it is nice to see such a highly acclaimed game be made by a trans person considering gamers are known for not being too friendly towards them.

Either way, most probably the best platformer I've played in terms of how satisfying it is so I'll most prob pick it up when it's on sale to give it the support it deserves as I played this through PS Plus Extra after I played about 2 hours of it 3.5 years ago with Xbox LIVE Gold.

I feel like a played a different game.

I've been tempted to buy this the past two years but didn't because "it will receive a price cut with PlayStation Hits" before I realised that's no longer a thing. The price actually increased. I never caved though because despite all the positive discussion about this game. I never heard anything good about it other than how gorgeous it is - meaning it's probably not that good overall. And I don't think it is. So, I really appreciate this was on PS Plus Extra.

I put 50+ hours into it and got the platinum so it's not like I disliked it. The combat, although after that amount of time can feel repetitive as you basically just mash △ and then ▢, is the highlight. It was a lot of fun and I fucking loved the duels. I just found the story quite lacklustre and I don't believe they achieved what they set out to do regarding its themes and how they connect to the gameplay. I feel the game did feel up itself at points.

Perhaps it's cos I'm a side-quest bitch and upgrade everything before main missions but the final fight against the Khan was so anti-climactic. And the proper ending was obviously gonna happen once you complete the first act and it didn't have the emotional effect on me that I think the score wanted me to.

Now some minor nitpicks cos I don't wanna make people who like this game angry and instead they can read this and go "haha". Although I'm annoyed at it being called 'Kurosawa Mode', I loved it. I played most of the game with it on (atleast 30 out of my 50 hours). But it's not perfect as button prompts are still coloured even though the menu isn't. And when it goes to a cutscene with the 2:35 aspect ratio, the film scratch and grain overlay they put over it also goes over the black bars which isn't how film works (would've been nice if they had more attention to detail and with it on the cutscenes would be in 1.85:1 aspect ratio like most of Kurosawa's films are but I understand why not). And talking about the cutscenes themselves, most of them have the worst cinematography. I don't understand why most shots were wides. In addition, the titlecards shouldn't be there for every fucking tale, just the main ones in Jin's Journey and maybe the last ones of the character-focused ones.

Overall, this is a generic open-world game which I did have fun with but I don't understand the hype for. I would say that this is another case of Animal Crossing: New Horizons where it's a game that takes up a lot of time that came out at the perfect time so people were just happy to sink time into something and have a long distraction from the world ending. But people have played it for the first time since then and still love it. I really don't understand why. It's not challenging with its storytelling or gameplay and not everything has to be as It's nice to have simple shut-your-brain-off-fun every now and then. But I think this tried to be more than that and failed.

It's a perfectly fine game that can be a lot of fun but don't expect anything new or anything super well-written. I would rather buy a DVD boxset of the Netflix series 'The Crown' than spend 70 quid on this. Clearly, a lot of people have spent that much to buy this game and that's fine if it gave them £70 worth of happiness but if I bought it for that price, I'd ask for a good portion of it back.