It's Red Dead Redemption. What else is there to say that hasn't been said? The very moment when games as art started to show widespread value rather than a niche, as this presumed action Western proved itself to have a more internal and melancholy struggle through antihero John Marston.

RDR2 built on it with an even greater protagonist, but I'm unsure if it'll carry the same overall impact as the predecessor. Even Rockstar's game design that gets in the way of itself isn't an issue here. Its scantness and feeling of loneliness propells it into something special that few AAA games have understood.

Beautiful, accessible, and with great care given to the adaptation of its many, many influences. My personal favorite of those adaptations comes late, when some Rez-like rail shooter mechanics really kick in. It was the only area for which I scored a Gold score the first time out. That brings me to the difficulty – SWH gets it just right. It’s easy to dodge obstacles and make it through, but risky and difficult to go for a big score. Thematically, I appreciate how the difficulty works, as well: to do well, the player needs to be brave and commit. The plot is a sweet fairy tale for younger adults, but I expect it resonates across age groups. The art style and character designs, coupled with the OST, will ensure that I go back for another few more plays now and again.

Replaying Silent Hill in 2020, it blows me away like it did 20 years ago. The difference is that this time, I find it less oppressively atmospheric and could only really approach it with appreciation. But with its tank movement, adventure game puzzle logic, potential instant kills, and rough graphics, I doubt that I could recommend this 20 year-old game to most first time players at this point. Unless, of course, they were already into videogame horror and were up for a retro experience. If you’re in that frame of mind, this is a masterpiece that was ahead of its time.

The finale, which blends together the environments of the game in the space-warping Nowhere, is a showstopper that demonstrates how much videogames as a medium can bring to horror as a genre. It’s almost unbelievable that the comparatively tiny (by today’s standards) Team Silent could accomplish this in 1999. Yamaoka’s soundtrack? Unreal. The transitions between fog world and otherworld? Iconic.

The one Silent Hill that gets shrugged off as dated and uninteresting, which I couldn't disagree more.

The weakest of the main 4 games plotwise (even still, features a more than decent story compared to modern horror games like Amnesia: Rebirth or Alan Wake), but who established most of what makes Silent Hill the best horror franchise in gaming: The dream-like nature, woven with the echoes of Alessa's psyche reverberating through the world; the esoteric symbolism around emotions and trauma; and the relentless suffocating atmosphere of the Otherworld, and its alien nature. All these elements, combined with the game's remarkable art design, graphics and an unforgettable soundtrack (that somehow only improves with each subsequent installment), solidify Silent Hill as a timeless classic.

On a more specific note, I love the piano and zodiac puzzle so much. I remember as a little kid playing this game at a friend's house and never figuring out the solution to the first, even though we tried like the whole day. Well, this time around I spent like 20 minutes alone trying to make sense of the second, and when I figured the solution it only made me feel dumber for not realizing how simple it was, goddammit. As a positive, now I know a little bit about astrology... lol.

★★★½ – Great ✅

KOBE! (That's a dog head)

I'm just going to rewrite this after finishing the game cause my smooth ass brain formed wrinkles and I ACTUALLY BEAT IT. To preface my puzzle experience is very minimal i've 100%'ed games like Tunic and The Witness, with a sprinkle of hidden object games but other than that its not my genre of choice. Now I see Simogo, the LEGENDS of making good games put out cryptic teasers and eventually a trailer for their new puzzle game coming off of the momentum of the goated Sayonara Wild Hearts. So i picked it up day 1 and expected a leisurely tour through this manor solving logic puzzles and im stuck. So ya the game threw so much at me I got tangled in all the notes and I got stuck, this wouldnt be the first time this would happen also, but the moment I untangled my thoughts and progressed was euphoric. As im solving these puzzles, im floored at the visuals, sounds and vibe this game just emits. The puzzles themselves I really wanna make myself feel better and say they are hard, but even though some are easier than others they are really fun to figure out and solve, especially the later ones. The story is soaked in this thick veil that you can only see blotches and that process of making out whats going on isnt the easiest as its hidden behind cryptic wording and out-of-order sequencing, but piecing it together is as satisfying as everything else this game has. Oh and the godlike Trio (Jonathan Eng and Daniel Olsen and Linnea Olsson) coming back to create a phenomenal soundtrack is the cherry on top. This is a contender for GOTY for me, even of all time to be honest and it comes from major Simogo bias but even that aside, this game knows what it wants to bring to the table and its made to perfection, or simply just another banger by Simogo

There is a German word that has always intrigued me: "Waldeinsamkeit," which roughly translates to "the feeling of solitude experienced in a forest." Even though Year Walk is Swedish and not German, I think this concept suits it perfectly. Unfortunately, being more of a mountain person at heart, I struggled to appreciate getting lost in this charming setting. The iPad version (to my knowledge?) lacks a map system, making the game more cumbersome.

Beyond that, the game falls into that precious category for me, which is "folkloric horror," alongside Mundaun, another game dear to my heart. The puzzles here are really well-crafted and balanced, although I found the final part slightly less interesting. It's worth noting that the game has a "good/bad ending" system that I find a bit ridiculous (was it really necessary, honestly?).

Lots of charm but underexploited.