They are FINALLY locking into a groove with these games. For better or worse the investigations would get pretty complicated. Sometimes it was a simple overthought and others it was a bad mechanic or unexplained gameplay. Usually the story was enough to carry through all this. But the latest Chapter One really took a step backwards with a poor story and bad gameplay.

The Awakened ties together the studio's Lovecraftian Sinking City game (now a franchise?) with the classic Sherlock Holmes tales making for a fittingly haunting case. Sherlock's own mind palace is no longer safe and he and John have to thwart some real evil. The way they set the mood is great. And the story and characters were a lot more interesting than Sinking City too. It still had its moments where you would wander in circles wondering what to do next. But I rate this highly to signal a real step forward in these games. Looking forward to Sinking City 2!

Probably the entry that most closely resembles the first game. The 2nd game started out promising but ended up being so boring. I think they overlooked the fun part of games and made it to win awards. Hot take but I think Before the Storm is the best in the series for the way it ditches big ideas and concepts to focus on character (the best character at that).

True Colors' Alex is not as cool or fun as Chloe but not as insufferably naive as Max. Alex is cringe but she is free. Her powers are essentially "I'm an empath" but it looks and works pretty well. Blue = sad. Red = angry etc. it's pretty simple. There's not too much gameplay beyond observing and deciding but the series has always been like that.

The middle section with the RPG that introduces turn-based combat mechanics is admittedly the most fun part of the game. Heresy perhaps for a series known for ditching traditional gameplay for story. But the way it weaved its way into the main plot made it a worthwhile detour.

I'll always pick up these games when I see them. But please take this note to heart - your main characters are TOO cringe and it is NOT relatable! Have a little confidence!

Pretty much exactly what I wanted. I thought the 1st game was my favorite Spider-Man story ever. And I liked Miles Morales even though I thought it could've used some more classic villains. So the team ups here to fight some of the big guns was fun.

Some of the boss fights went on a bit too long. It's still a classic Phase 1 --> Phase 2 --> Phase 3 thing. But I don't think the moves changed that much. It usually just changed location or did more damage or something. Which makes it feel longer when you're repeating boss patterns. The side quests actually had more variation.

I hate to give them credit but toxic gamers were right. They changed faces for no real reason and they all look worse. MJ doesn't look older. She looks British (derogatory).

The ending HAS to be a setup to finally face off against the Green Goblin. It would be the perfect end to a trilogy. Usually it seems the best are reserved for the 2nd entry (The Dark Knight, Spider Man 2 etc.) but I'm really looking forward to the 'final' one. And anything the studio makes for that matter!