A good collection of puzzles that are largely based around ordering or arranging everyday objects. Every now and then, particularly later in the game, it seemed to lose sight of this core theme, and the puzzles would get more abstract. Sometimes these could be fun, but just as often they were simply less satisfying to solve than the organisational puzzles, which typically had better feedback too.

The audio and visual design everywhere is excellent, with some great touches in places like the chapter transitions. It was a fun package to play through over a handful of days, I just wish it stayed more focused on its strong suit.

Successor (or not) to Cave Story, Kero Blaster goes against what one might expect from a sequel: the storytelling simplifies, transitioning from a semi-open metroidvania format to a linear game, and the lifespan is half as short. Yet, this shift isn't truly a subtraction but a refinement. Kero Blaster is much more enjoyable to play than Cave Story: the physics, the gameplay, the progression, the enemies, the weapons, etc... all come together in an organic and thoughtful manner. Instead of indulging in the grandiosity of levels and storytelling, it seems Daisuke Amaya worked on his game like a miniature.

Many somewhat pompous terms from me for a game that's essentially fun from start to finish. I'm really a fan of the difficulty progression: if you're stuck in a tough passage, you keep accumulating gold coins which grant access to extra lives and other upgrades. Even in defeat, you make progress.

A great "small" game to absolutely experience.

Inside of you are two wolves
+One of them enjoys a game at face value and tries to find things to appreciate about a product
-The other is a wanna-be critic who thinks he's smart for knowing what ludonarrative dissonance means, while also being a massive hater just because liking less things makes you seem more professional

I can't deny that I enjoyed this game. A lot of the things I'm about to pick on are pretty minor in theory, but they make up something about this game that I kind of hate

+A story that in all honesty is pretty compelling and entertaining. Its not the deepest thing you'll ever see, but I'd be lying if I said that I never felt anything in my playtime
+Has incredible acting performances and every important cutscene has the characters moving dynamically adding even more of a "real" feeling to these characters
+Why is this game actually pretty funny, I thought this would be filled with millenial-esque Josh Whedon humor
+Beautiful Art Direction
+Holy shit the fight cutscenes are so wacky I love them
-At the same time, this is one of the most obvious cases of videogame oscar bait I've seen (Can videogame writers please develop a new original idea beyond Dad-Son videogames)
-A rushed and tacked on conflict between Kratos and Boy near the 3rd act like this is some mid 2000s animated kids movie

+Combat is actually pretty satisfying. Every hit feels so crunchy and the animations are brutal
+Give me a Challenge difficulty felt pretty good for the most part
+Its no DMC, but I think that there's enough tools at your disposal to be able to pull off some pretty cool shit if you want to
-Obnoxious lite-RPG mechanics and a convoluted upgrade system
-The game wants to be the Last of Us so bad that it even uses an over the shoulder camera that does not work for a game like this
-A dodge roll that gives so many i-frames and costs no resources so that you can mash dodge and get away with it 99% of the time
-Every boss in the main game is extremely gimmicky and forgettable
- Every boss in the main game is extremely gimmicky and forgettable (Yes I know I wrote this statement twice, much like how the game also loves to reuse its bosses)
-Spartan rage is one of the lamest installs (in game, not in cutscenes)
-Weapon specific enemies
-Like a third of the game is going through boring walking segments where nothing goes on for the sake of "le cinematic feeling"
-Hold forward and occasionally press B to climb. We're going to make sure that you'll do this every 3 seconds
-My entire perspective of this game changed even more once I learned that they designed the game with people like DSP in mind

God of War to me is far from hollow corporate slop. There was clearly a lot of passion from individual devs and writers to make this game and there is a somewhat compotent vision that I respect. At the same time, its so obscured by the way that it tries to homogenize itself into the grey blob of AAA action games. Who knows, maybe when Ragnarok comes to PC, I might play it and see things differently. But for now, I think I'll forget I ever played this game and possibly forget I even wrote this review as well.

This is basically a "parenting fail" compilations

This game is a work of art, plain and simple. The atmosphere created is completely in symbiosis with the materials of its time. The vibrant and peculiar 3D of the PS1, its inability to render depth of field, the audio limitations that slow down the dialogues (it feels like being in a Rohmer film): remove one of these elements and the house of cards collapses. Remastering this title is impossible.

The game is TRULY frightening on many levels. To highlight just one element: the radio alarm. You always know there's an enemy nearby, but where? No jump scares: the game doesn't aim to scare us, but rather to terrorize us. I finished the game in 3 sessions and sometimes I was relieved to turn off the PlayStation because the atmosphere is so oppressive. My neck is still tense from this experience. Harry is never in a safe space; the player is always in danger.

The sound atmosphere and music, like any good horror film, are the scoliotic backbone of this hell. Between haunting drones and dark industrial sounds, the hearing is put to the test. Let it be known, I don't think I'll buy the vinyl to listen to it on a Sunday afternoon, unless I'm in need of an anxiety attack (aka never).

However, I must admit that I played it like a 'walking sim' by putting the game on 'easy' mode. The gameplay itself has aged relatively poorly, and the boss scenes are particularly bad. The interesting part lies in exploration and puzzle-solving. Its way of revealing the game's lore through objects and descriptions enhances immersion. I also have to admit that I am particularly a fan of the 'evolving' map system that prevents us from having to repeatedly open a locked door 15 times in a row. I look forward to playing the sequels