My favorite of the PS2 era Ace Combat games. I just like how it gets down to business in terms of gameplay. I feel like it's just right in terms of mission amounts- not all of them are hits but the majority are good. The side-plot of the civilian boy is nice, and doesn't get in the way of the experience, which I felt that Unsung War and Fires of Liberation tripped up in to some extent.

It's probably also the easiest to pick up and play just one or two missions- a few of them are longer length but if you only have time for one that's probably fine. All in all, a good time

as with most JRPGs there is a lot of cringe dialogue, melodrama, and anime-isms that will turn some people off. However, if you are initially able to look past those quirks there is a rich complex story here set in a world that is so fun to explore with some of the best turn based combat you'll find... You might even begin to find these quirks endearing. This game isn't for everyone, I think all final fantasy games fit into this category tbh. But I genuinely loved this game as it was the first FF game I really invested a lot of time into and played to completion. I played FF7-9 at friends houses but never really got into them. However after playing FFX I went back and tried all of the older FF games out.

I loved the aesthetic and tone of Control. Such a unique idea for a game. For a person who has been playing games for as long as I have, it's rare that I see something genuinely new in a video game. This game had that for me. The combat might not be the best, but it is more than serviceable and feels punchy and impactful. You simply can't put a price on how good it feels to yeet an office printer at an enemies face in this game. But where this game truly shines is that it is steeped in spookiness and mystery. I'm finding it difficult to find the correct words to explain the genre/tone of the game and I think this is precisely what makes it special. If you are a long time gamer who is tired of the risk averse nature of the modern game industry and enjoyed shows like the X-files, Twilight Zone, or Twin Peaks, give this game a shot, you will be happy.

one of my favourite games of all time. Spelunky is a genius game that combines great platforming controls with a gauntlet of randomly generated - yet almost always fair levels.

it's difficult to put my finger on what specifically makes this game so great. maybe it's the intrinsic tension from it's roguelike levels. maybe it's the systemic, destructible environment which is just begging for creative solutions to be concocted. maybe it's the mysterious secret levels. maybe it's the fact that in order to heal yourself, you have to rescue a dog and bring it to the exit, so that it can lick your face and give you a heart back.

even after 10 years, spelunky still goes hard, and still takes most modern roguelikes to school in terms of both progression and moment-to-moment gameplay. one of the all time greats!!!

Bioshock 2 got such an unfair rap that most folks ignored its DLC and subsequently missed out on the best piece of stand-alone content in the entire franchise. The level design is tight, the gameplay is as solid as ever, and the story is probably the best in the entire series if you look at all the respective experiences holistically. If you ever want to show someone an example of the greatness Bioshock has to offer without giving them an entire 12-hour campaign to run through, this is absolutely the right pick.