There's a lot about Red Dead Redemption 2 that doesn't work for me. It's missions structure is too on-rails and has very little room for player expression. The honor system is dated and confuses the main thrust of the story — especially in the first couple chapters when you don't have an idea about Arthur's capability for empathy. If the game tells you not to do something and you take that as a challenge, it's rare that comes up to something more than a "Fail Mission" screen. It very much wants you to play the game in a specific way. But once you and the game are speaking the same language, there are few things like it.

Its commitment to realism is astonishing. As someone who doesn't really care about good graphics, I was mesmerized every time I pulled this up. Some of the facial animations aren't quite right, but the world is alive. Not just in its looks, but the people in it. There's so much to do, people to talk to, and discover all of the time. The random encounters rarely repeat and are simply a joy to come across. The simulation elements really help make this feel immersive and they aren't so commanding that you have to worry about it constantly. I really felt like I was part of the world.

What completely blindsided me was the writing. Nothing is embarrassing here like it is in so many video games. The story and characterizations come with nuance and subtext. It takes its time to unfold, but if you see it through, you'll get to know one of the greatest ensemble casts in the medium. Dutch stands out as a charismatic, near cult-like, leader and watching him unravel is riveting. Then there's Arthur Morgan. It's a slow burn, but he became possibly my new favorite protagonist in games. Coming into this, I thought there was no way he could beat out John. But Joh Marston is not my cowboy. Not anymore.

It's bloated, messy, and not really elegant at all. But it's also really special and will hold a place in my heart for years to come.

This is one of the most visually striking 2D games I've ever played. Constantly shocking, beautiful, and metal af. Blasphemous almost makes it on those facets alone. Nearly every enemy design here would be another game's best offering. And, as far as Souls-likes go, Blasphemous isn't all that punishing. It definitely comes with some challenge, and there are at least three bosses that gave me some trouble, but difficulty isn't the main verb here. It kind of functions like a much more modest Symphony of the Night.

It's all very Catholic. You collect Tears when you defeat enemies that you can use to purchase various keys and boons. The theming is all centered around guilt, pain, and suffering. And it's brutal as hell. Most enemies even have an alternate way of killing them called an Execution that mutilates the enemy in glorious fashion (one of my favorites is squishing the enemies under their giant shields). The parry timing is forgiving and feels great every time. It's all rather thrilling as you make your way through the first half of the game.

Unfortunately, as the play improves throughout, and even the basic design, it starts to wear out its welcome. While it's all cool, there's a lack of charm here that makes it kind grueling eventually. This isn't helped by obtuse messaging and how quickly backtracking becomes tedious and how often it expects you to. It made, what at first was a riveting experience, into a joyless grind.

I think they abstracted the story purposefully; they knew that wasn't the draw. But it's not easy to interpret and feels incomplete. The prose is also so purple that I began to check out. Then having me go through challenge sections to only get some random short story that doesn't elucidate anything kind of felt like a bummer.

There are some really fantastic moments here, though, and I'm glad I played it. I love Souls and metroidvanias. If you do too, then there's stuff to like here. But it's not gonna make you a fan of the genre and could make you less of one — especially if you're a completionist.

The visual language of this is stunning. I was absolutely enraptured by the art, general atmosphere, and ambient music. It's a home run with all of those elements. It's also a joy to play. Being locked into challenge areas was always chaotic and satisfying to complete. And every boss here is a winner. Very cool designs, not too difficult, but a suitable challenge.

Hacking and slashing with a sword is a joy and having to come in close for a shotgun blast creates these awesome moments of tension that I would crave for. It's a steadily ramping challenge throughout. It can get a bit hectic and hard to see everything when you're in the middle of a fight, but the upgrades (like a multi-dash) give you the upper hand.

Where it falls apart is in its wordless storytelling. I can very easily be taken in by abstract stories, but this gives you so little context and the environmental storytelling isn't enough to give you a sense of urgency or any real grasp on what's going on. You need the things. You're gonna get the things. You don't feel well, but that's not super relevant. Some things are in your way. Kill them.

I just found myself wishing there was more under the hood than there is. That doesn't stop it from being a wonderful piece and, while you may be left wanting for more, it's a great journey to go on.

This is one of the best experiences I've had with a game and a piece of art in general. Around my junior year of high school I became a pacifist. I also got back into games at that time and I started with Red Dead Redemption. Once I realized I could just lasso people up without killing them, I became a non-lethal cowboy. That game isn't really made for that kind of experience, but it was a nice bit of role playing that seemed to fit John Marston. Since then, there are few games that have scratched that non-violent itch. I didn't know about the different routes in this game and stumbled into saving Toriel by following the advice of a random npc frog. I realized a pacifist playthrough would likely be possible. I played this over three days. I was hooked. It's so consistently funny in a way games always try to be but rarely succeed in. It's clever too and the "Mercy" option comes with such an interesting, puzzle-like take on turn-based combat. This is one of the most perfect, for me, experiences I've had with something and I don't think I'll ever touch it again to preserve that feeling.

It's just a lot of fun to be a cyborg ninja fighting robots. Love the level design and enemy placement; it's all so meticulously designed around your current moveset that I never felt like my verbs were lacking like I've heard some mention. I found this quite propelling and it hooked me in wanting to engage with the new abilities. Eventually you can move in such a way that you're barely touching the ground and it's a blast. This isn't easy. It's sometimes forgiving, but comes with a healthy bit of challenge. While it doesn't reinvent the wheel and not everything lands (honestly, if they'd just cut most of the story it would have been paced much better), Cyber Shadow is a good way to spend an afternoon. It looks good and has a killer soundtrack too!

It's really not often survival horror is blessed with such a polished entry into the canon. No doubt, it should be expected from a remake of this caliber, but this not only reaches the heights of its predecessor but sets new ones for the series in general.

The classic B horror movie stylings are back and the updated graphics mean they're able to better indulge in that grindhouse feeling with heightened gore and brutality. While the story and dialogue are on the campy side, the acting is always impressive with Chief Irons being a standout. As a whole, it takes itself more seriously than past entries and to its benefit. There were few point I was actually engaged with the narrative, but it does a really good job of setting up the tone. Which is bonkers but dreadful.

The levels are designed to keep you on your feet at all times and they often fold back into themselves. The map is one of the most helpful I've come across where it indicates when a room has been fully searched and if your avatar sees something it'll mark it. There are plenty of quality of life considerations and I appreciate it. You have an option of different difficulties and I'm sure the more I play it I'll be likely to bump it up, but the standard difficulty is something of a marvel where it dynamically adjusts to how you're performing and keeps you with just enough ammo, if you're diligent, to get through.

There may not be a ton of enemy variety, but it's a short game and so consistently dread inducing that it more than makes up for it. Zombies have this strange lurch that, even late game, makes it hard to decipher if they're finally going down after bullet seven or coming for your neck again. Lickers are lethal and frightening here and made brilliant when you realize their blindness means you can sneak past them making for some wildly tense moments. And this is without talking about Mr. X who is one of the greatest additions to horror gaming. He makes headphones a daunting proposition. His footsteps will haunt me.

This is some of the most fun I've had with zombies in a video game. If you've ever been a fan of the genre or the series, this is almost as good as it gets.

This has a spectacular art style and compelling atmosphere that carries it through its brief runtime. At times reminiscent of Spirited Away, it's a whimsical and unnerving experience where you control a small child who makes her way through a world of grotesque giants. While the puzzles are often a bit too simple, the world ambience is undeniable and keeps you on edge. I wish it were a bit more challenging and many of the situations feel like they're designed in a way where it's cool the first time around but not on repeat which makes failure due to imprecise controls frustrating. It has some wonderful sound design, though, and while the story doesn't add up to much, it's a fun, tense, ride that is a must for any horror fan.

This isn't as perfect a metroidvania as Hollow Knight, but I had a fae friend that followed me around, a demon barber who changed my appearance, a purple lightsaber, and a sick pair of sunglasses so I was in heaven.

The graphics worried me at first, but they quickly won me over. I almost wish there just wasn't a story. The writing and voice acting don't stand out and there's a lot of nonsense text to tap through, but it's genuinely a lot of fun to traverse this world and find items. There's also a strange satisfaction in getting the map to 100%. It's a bit bloated, but therein lies much of it's appeal. It's a celebration of excess. The gear is fun to collect and it feels good enough in the hands that the varied enemies are very welcome.

While flawed and, at times, inscrutable, it's a great entry point for the genre. It may not be as great as its inspiration, but it's a worthy successor that establishes a wonderful base for what I hope will be a more polished sequel.

If you're looking for a horror themed game that isn't scary at all and just pure fun, Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night has your back.

Two hours into it, I thought I'd fallen for some kind of trick and it really was a simple dating sim. . . . It wasn't. All of it was a setup for a huge swing that goes for the fences. It's easy to see how it goes too far for some and its subversions of the visual novel genre don't seem to be entirely in the best of faith. But what it gets right makes this an essential piece of horror fiction — preferring a psychological approach that, once it hits, leaves you in a constant state of unease. It's audacious in a way that feels very mid-2000s, but it owns it and I was happily along for the ride. This is a truly satisfying long con that deserves to be savored. If you're into this kind of thing, you likely already know what's going on here, but, on the off chance you don't, go in as fresh as possible. It's one of those games you'll start and then stay up all night finishing. I did.