The exact definition of a flawed masterpiece. Nearly everything in this game is amazing: it has an engaging and philosophical narrative, usually great writing, and excellent music. Though, the combat has aged a bit. It is genuinely difficult for me to wrap my head around how Squaresoft and Takahashi managed to get a game like Xenogears on the PS1 at all. Age ratings and hardware limitations be damned because what was created here is an insane accomplishment, especially for a game released in 1998. One of the best games of all-time.

[This review doesn't necessarily contain spoilers but I do describe certain events that happen in the beginning of the game so if you've never played Silent Hill, you absolutely should do so right now. Emulate it, play it on Vita or PS3, use an original PS1 copy, whatever you have access to. This game is one of the greats and should not be missed by any horror game fan.]

One of the best games of the survival horror genre and in my top three favorite PS1 games. It holds up remarkably well.

The gameplay is still good and fun. Tank controls are here but Harry is much more agile than any character in the genre before. He can move and shoot at the same time and run pretty fast, as well as do a backstep that can act as a dodge move and a 180 degree quick-turn, far before it became a mainstay of future survival horror games. Though these movement options do come at the cost of the game not being as difficult as other similar games from that time. The act of aiming and using weapons is very simple: hold down the right trigger to ready your weapon and press X to fire. You get access to many different guns and melee weapons throughout the game, some of which restrict you from moving while readying them. Where Silent Hill's gameplay shines the most, in my opinion, is with the puzzles. They are very well-designed and tend to give you everything you need to solve it then and there, leaving you to taking notes and imagining the solution in your head or on paper. They are satisfying to solve and I never felt like I had to look up solutions.

The atmosphere is unmatched today and by its sequels: the fog, crusty textures, blocky character models, low resolution and the dithering. They all create an environment that's extremely detailed for the time, but just enough detail is left out (purposefully and not) for the game just to be scary and oppressive on its visual identity alone.

(For context: https://youtu.be/Max5qwUPmgs?t=269)
Walking through Silent Hill is claustrophobic. It is a big town but the player can only see a few feet ahead. It is easy to get lost without a map and you don't know what's going to come out from the fog. In the beginning of the game as you progress down the alleyway that another character leads you to, the game takes the camera from behind Harry to show fixed camera angles for a moment. Then you walk a bit further, and the camera starts swinging around into weird positions with jerky movement. The alleyway gets darker, the walls change color, the sirens you have been hearing becomes accompanied by harsh and offputting industrial noises. The walls have transformed again, becoming rusty metal grates. The game draws your attention to a body suspended in the air with barbed wire: it looks like a human but you can't make out certain details, apart from its blood and bones. It is a lot to take in and just as you begin to think about what could be going on, you're attacked and transported to a diner without explanation. Just from the first few moments, you see what Team Silent is going for in this game.

I've rambled for long enough now. You should just play Silent Hill. It's incredible.

Ys VIII has one of the most fun and addictive gameplay loops I have experienced in a pretty long time: fantastic action RPG combat with amazing exploration in a fun and exciting setting that changes up and expands frequently. The story is pretty good, the music is outstanding, the graphics are nice, and the whole package comes together in a way that was unexpected for me when I first picked this game up on a whim. I loved this game so much and I cannot wait to check out Ys IX and other entries in the series. My recent dip into Falcom has placed them firmly as one of my favorite developers (they have not missed) so I am excited for what they've got cooking up.

UPDATE: Finished Ys IX. This game is better, in my opinion, but that game bangs pretty hard, too!

The culmination of a trilogy of outstanding games, years of updates, and content releases all packed into one game. The amount of quality content on offer in World of Assassination is remarkable and it is all really great. On top of the already existing content, Freelancer is a challenging but fun roguelike gamemode that is surprisingly well thought-out. This trilogy has provided me with some of my most favorite gaming memories in nearly the last decade. HITMAN is very fun and I highly recommend it to anyone who has been at all interested in checking one of the games out. If you enjoy this kind of game then it will no doubt be a great time.

A stellar VR version of my favorite game of all-time. The gameplay is satisfying and top-notch and virtually everything else remains the same, for the better. The censorship really does irritate me, as it soils many moments and makes them feel extremely awkward as a result of removing various jokes and voice lines. Also, your hand disappears when you move them anywhere near Ashley. Was that really necessary?

NOTE: This should not be the version of choice for a first run of RE4. The original versions (RE4HD, Wii Edition) are still superior in many ways and this is simply a curiousity for fans of RE4 to experience the game for the first time again.

Though it did take a while to click with me, alongside a few updates that really smoothed things out, I really enjoyed this game. Firstly, the obligatory observation that the game is extremely unpolished. Updates helped but as it stands, it is still pretty rough around the edges. That aside, the game really did surprise me with how good it was. Roaming around the islands with my finely-tuned physics settings/controls was so much fun and the traditional boost levels were a good time too, if a bit same-y aesthetically. The boss titans were a blast, too, with some janky mechanics and straight banger tracks accompanying them. The music was also excellent, as is usual with Sonic games (my favorite tracks were Find Your Flame and Rhea Island).

I'm glad I pushed through it all and finished Sonic Frontiers. It is a surprisingly unique take on recent Sonic games and I imagine a sequel to it could be truly great.

We Love Katamari is such a loving game and an excellent follow-up to the original Katamari Damacy, filled to the brim with heart.

The plot in a game like this typically isn't very important or deep but it is handled interestingly here: the missions act as a sequel to the original game, with the people you accept quests from being aware of Katamari Damacy. However, after completing a few missions, you get cutscenes of the King of All Cosmos' childhood and upbringing. A silly and simple narrative that fits well within Katamari. It is also inconsequential and could easily be ignored but I find it to be charming and pretty enjoyable all throughout, especially as a fan of the original game.

The gameplay is about the same but the physics and controls are tweaked to be a little less unwieldy. It would be kind of hard to explain in detail but it's generally a smoother experience to move the Katamari around. That is to say, it is very fun to play, however, newcomers may find the basic controls to be awkward and unorthodox at first. The mission count and variety has been heavily expanded upon with the addition of new types of objectives, new and larger levels, and a new mini-campaign exclusive to this remaster. As a result, this game is a bit longer than the original and while it doesn't feel as tight as it, there is very little downtime between levels and more interesting content.

Lastly, the presentation is great. The visuals are stylized and I personally love how bright and colorful this version of the game looks. The music is superb: I don't really have a lot to say about it besides that it is all extremely pleasant to listen to and that I love it a lot. "Everlasting Love" is probably my favorite.

This is one of my favorite games I have played so far this year and I hope Bandai Namco is open to creating a brand-new Katamari game. It has been a long time since the last entry and while these recent remasters have been good, a new game could be so good. Kind of in the same boat as Super Monkey Ball at the moment.