Great horror gaming doesn't have to be photorealistic gory visuals and scary faces popping out at you every five minutes, and FAITH proves that perfectly.

On the surface, the simple 8-bit visuals wouldn't seem that scary. But when you add in masterful audio design (including bitcrushed, computerised voices for dialogue), great art direction and unexpected jumpscares the atmosphere quickly pulls you in. That's even before the game pulls it's best tricks: rotoscoping is used for the cutscenes to create some truly chilling, memorable moments.

Each of the game's three chapters is more expansive than the last - what starts as a seemingly simple story expands into a fully fleshed out narrative, complete with it's own lore. When you add in some intuitive puzzles and some fiendishly difficult boss fights, this is a more complete experience than a lot of horror games with six-figure budgets.

If I had one complaint, without spoiling too much, it would be this; the game's "true" final boss has the same problem as Elden Ring's - you're essentially fighting two bosses in a row without a checkpoint in between. Given how difficult the final final boss is, it's pretty damn annoying.

A truly unique gem of the genre. Everyone who proclaims themselves as a horror game fan owes it to themselves to play FAITH.

Not for honour, but for you...

I knew about Snake Eater's sterling reputation going into the game, but now it's very clear just how much that reputation upholds itself. If MGS2 was Hideo Kojima's (all too prophetic) observations on the rise of AI, then this is his ode to classic spy cinema and action movies. And he's having a blast doing it.

What makes Snake Eater stand out from the other MGS games (and a lot of other games of it's ilk) is the unbridled sense of fun running throughout it. From the sublime opening credits theme (and it's reappearances throughout the game), to the hilarious codec calls about the various animals you can eat and movies Para-Medic/Kojima has seen, I had a big smile on my face throughout the game. And yet, when the game's emotional moments do hit, they hit hard. Everyone knows how iconic the final boss fight is but when the theme music kicks in again during it, it really hits home how special this game is.

Of course, I still suck at the core stealth gameplay, but I feel like this time around you get a little more leeway in how you can approach things. In MGS1, getting caught was practically a death sentence, but with Snake Eater I found myself being able to get away and reposition pretty easily, with the camo system particularly coming in useful. I didn't have to mow down everything in my path when the going got tough (which turned out to be helpful when it came to The Sorrow, I've found out since).

Speaking of the bosses, I kinda loved how over-the-top and comic book villain-y Cobra Squad are. Man who can control hornets? An old sniping master who's practically dead? An insane pyromaniac astronaut? I thought MGS2's Vamp and Fatman were pretty silly, but these guys were damn goofy. The tense game of cat and mouse I played with The End was a particular highlight for me.

The only real problems I have with the game are a couple of annoying parts; The Fury's boss fight wasn't very fun, and the section near the end where you have to escort EVA made me want to rip my hair out. Speaking of EVA, I'd be interested to know the community's general thoughts on her. I'm not really sure what to make of a woman over-sexualised to the point where it's almost comical, but on the other hand she's pretty compelling too. In any case, she's certainly memorable.

I've decided to emulate MGS4 and Peace Walker rather than wait for the next volume of the Master Collection, so expect me to try and cram those in before I fully immerse myself back into Baldur's Gate 3 and the upcoming Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth.

It really shocked me how much I ended up enjoying this game. I love every one of the mainline bayonetta games but this one just looked so boring by comparison based on all the trailers and the little demo you got in bayonetta 3. The story wasn't the greatest, but it was still an improvement over Bayonetta 3's plot, even if it doesn't really explain things like the faeries or lukaon. The gameplay was the biggest shock from how good it was, even if it got a little repetitive towards the end. The puzzles and controls were also surprisingly good.

insultingly bad barring two zones

the issue isn't that sonic is slow - he is fucking immobile. most of the obstacles aren't even platforming challenges but rather just waiting for blockades to move. proof that marketing is everything when your audience is dumb kids

thankfully the sequels introduced speed to the series... what a novel concept