I strongly dislike this game and find it frustrating the way that it's praised as a masterpiece or as high art. It starts out really strong with a captivating opening coupled with beautiful visuals and great music, but the gameplay is horrendous. There is no excuse for a REMAKE to have such garbage controls and physics whether you're on horseback, scaling a colossus, or simply on foot. It simply is not fun. I can't get behind the protagonist because I can't see a justification for murdering every creature left in the world to save some random girl. I also hate how barren and empty the "open world" is. All you do is go from point A to point B silently. The colossus designs are pretty cool, but the "combat" sucks because you spend so much time trying to climb up it until the shoddy controls screw you over and you fall down again, or you have to sit still watching your stamina deplete until the colossus stops flailing around so you can continue climbing. There is nothing fun about this game. I also don't like the ending. Very corny.

This game is a solid benchmark because it doesn't do anything spectacularly well, but it does most things sufficiently. All in all it represents a slightly better Assassin's Creed. An interesting story that unfortunately is not met with good acting, it at least looks gorgeous and has satisfying combat. The open world has a lot of cool locations, but the missions (main quest or otherwise) are mostly the exact same mission copied and pasted. Especially in the character-specific tales like with the sensei guy or the lady who's out for blood. The atmosphere is good, until a cutscene starts and the aspect ratio changes after a blackout so that the developers can try to hide the lazy automated face animations. Instant immersion killer every time. But hey, I did finish the game, so at least it's a little interesting from time to time. It still is a pretty fun game, just not all that amazing.

I had a really good time with this game. It felt a little too short and I wish there was at least one more planet to explore, but I enjoyed the story and the combat. I guess it's better to play it safe and have a shorter story. I especially liked the voyage to the Ilum system and the order 66 segment. The difficulty spikes were sometimes a little overbearing, especially the final boss. Xbox One had a lot of performance issues, but I'll be replaying it on PS5 in preparation for the sequel, so I'm sure it'll be more fun with a better console.

Mario Sunshine is quite fun WHEN IT WORKS. And it works pretty rarely. This game is unfinished and janky, which I wish was a more commonly known fact. Any Sunshine fan will tell you "omg Sunshine is the best 3D Mario game, except for..." and then list off a laundry list of levels and sequences that comprise an enormous portion of the game. The music, atmosphere, and personality of this game are top-notch, but it doesn't make up for the frustration of the camera and the physics not working correctly.

I love this vision for FF7. With stunning visuals and one of the greatest soundtracks ever written, it's the perfect setup for a reimagining. I'm fascinated by the way they've found how to make the future of an established story seem fresh and exciting. I personally like the idea of Sephiroth as a haunting figure in the back of Cloud's mind. The combat is fun when you're Cloud, Aerith, or Tifa and it's not fun in the slightest as Barrett. There is a bit of filler material in the story, but partially because I have no attachment to the original, I do love this game and look forward to Rebirth this coming December. Also, the Yuffie chapter is excellent. I love the level design and pacing, so hopefully this style influences the flow of the two upcoming installments.

No doubt the best first-person shooter ever made. Such intense, heart-pounding combat where every weapon serves a purpose and the movement is fluid and expressive. Each mission feels distinct from the last and brings a new challenging array of enemies to the fray. The dlc goes into dangerous territory of railroading the player into playing one specific way in order to win, but chapter two fixes the missteps of the first. This is the kind of game that makes you feel powerful as you tear through hordes of enemies. What a fantastically realized vision.

There’s never going to be another game that looks like cuphead because it’s too perfect from an artistic standpoint. The attention to detail is unreal. I had a great time with nearly every level (all my homies hate the bumblebee level though) and there’s the occasional questionable hitbox or strange design choice, like set pieces in the foreground obstructing your view. I also didn’t have a ton of fun on the run&gun levels. But they aren’t the focus so it’s not a big deal. All in all, this game is a must-play.

A beautifully told story with inspired level design, one of gaming’s instant classic scores, and thoughtfully realized mechanics. I think the Farewell chapter is an enormous misstep because I completed every B-side just to be given even more punishing demands for high-precision movement and no margin for error. I thought I’d be rewarded with the end of the story. That being said, I love the way that difficulty is part of the story and it makes me align with Madeline as the player in the determination to make it up the mountain. A fantastic game that I easily recommend.