being the second game of a massive series, you can really tell its the second game (wow, again)

this game improves so much from the first, the combat has been improved to be faster and less stiff, and the story is better written too.

there is one huge flaw with the story though I do not like, there are parts that a character goes like "ill call you back later" so you wait until they call back, but they dont, you need to complete a mandatory substory, that the game doesnt even tell you about, and this isnt just a one time thing it happens alot.

other than that, this game is still very peak

I keep trying to write this review but I am never sure how to articulate the words to express how magical Arx Fatalis feels to explore.

This is not a game I appreciated immediately, nor is it something I understood the potency of 15 hours in. But days after completing Arx Fatalis, I cannot stop thinking about every floor of this sprawling, claustrophobic labyrinth.

It is Arkane Studios' most freeing immersive sim and has the only magic system in this medium that actually made me feel like a wizard. It is full of little issues but I cannot recommend it enough.

For the first hour or so of playing Jet Set Radio, I was fully considering dropping the game soon after. Fortunately I ended up sticking with it, because with a bit more time I finally started to see this as an absolutely fantastic little experience. At its core, JSR is also a game that felt as if it allowed me to better understand certain dichotomies between the game design approach between Nintendo and Sega and how they were able to cultivate a lot of experiences that felt remarkably distinct, each with their own pros and cons to them. While Nintendo tended to approach games largely from the perspective of having a player understand the majority of the game's systems immediately and intuitively to make for something inviting and accessible, Sega consistently seemed to more go for the approach of "Hey, the first few hours of this are going to suck but once it clicks it's the best stuff ever". This feels especially true for this game however, as getting into it proves to be a bit rough due to the control scheme feeling incredibly loose and difficult to handle, with a wide turn radius and a constant sense of momentum that means you can't immediately slow down making it really difficult to start off with as even the most simple obstacles feel like fighting against the game. However, with a bit of time, once you get used to it all, it becomes increasingly clear how so many of the mobility quirks that you have lend themselves perfectly to the level design.

For a movement system that practically requires the player to be getting a bit of a running start to properly gain momentum and actually reach a lot of higher locations, not to mention maintaining this speed for a pretty long time whether you want to or not since rollerskates just tend to do that, it needs to be complemented by level design that supports this, and here's where Jet Set Radio largely shines. Grind rails, secret areas and just your general avenues of traversal tend to be spaced out in such a way where you can flow naturally from one location to another as long as you have a general idea of where everything is. Jumps are spaced in such a way that you'll be finding yourself effortlessly perfectly positioning yourself to barely slow down after a while, it goes from something that feels like it's fighting against the player to something that feels incredibly intuitive, but then also satisfying due to the player knowing how much they had struggled at first to make even the most basic of manoeuvres. It all contributes to a feeling that the game is less interested in seeing you merely beat the stages, and instead wants you to absolutely master them.

This idea of mastery continues to be represented through the way that the enemies within the game are handled, initially seeming like pointless distractions that serve to frustrate and slow you down, but actually being utilised as a clever way to further force the player to understand the levels and plan their routes carefully from the start. Because the intensification of enemy waves is based exclusively off of how many spots you've tagged without the time taken having any bearing, planning is a far more important step to the game than it first lets on, to the point where once you figure out how to approach getting around a stage, the pacing can often feel rather leisurely, with even the most intense waves still being easily managed due to the remaining targets being simple to reach nonetheless. So many elements that initially seem like a hindrance to the Jet Set Radio's experience ultimately prove to contribute to the core gameplay loop in an incredibly organic way to the point where you'll often feel as if you're just being let loose without any real sense of overbearing guidance, even though the game is really nudging you in the right direction for the entire duration.

This reaches its peak with the rival battles thrown throughout the game, that either make you race against someone or just follow what they do, which doesn't only often lead to you being taught about certain tricks to make getting around easier, one example being sliding across walls for extra height, but you'll often be taught about little shortcuts as well. These end up feeling exciting not only because you're being taught about so many things that were always there that you probably just didn't know about, but it all links back into making replaying those stages later all the more satisfying as you once again get to entirely redefine your route with these new tricks and passages in mind, feeding into the remarkable replayability that the game has. Of course, despite all of this, it's still hard to deny that the best aspect of the game for me is just how much insane style it has to it, with the colourful, cel - shaded art making every area be filled to the seams with so much charm, bringing life to what could've potentially been a dreary urban sprawl. The art is further complemented by Hideki Naganuma's amazing soundtrack that takes a lot of cues from instrumental hip hop and the big beat scene to make for one of the coolest OSTs to a game out there, with even the occasional lulls in quality still carrying such a strong vibe to carry the game's aesthetic up into the stratosphere.

On the whole, while I cannot fault anyone who plays this game and hates it for the way you control your character, it not only is a system that progressively feels better the more you play, but the design of the levels and encounters themselves is absolutely incredible in how it perfectly balances between knocking the player around and silently guiding them into feeling like they're pulling off some absolutely insane stunts. While I already love the game, it's also another case where it almost feels built to be replayed a bunch, and those small annoying moments that appear from time to time are nowhere near enough to tank the experience by very much. Definitely worth a shot especially if you love its aesthetic, and even if you've played it and didn't like it very much, honestly give it another small shot, you might be pleasantly surprised.

I was ready to hate this game like everyone else. I was still coming from the low that was Resident Evil 5, unhappy that they took the RE4 formula and morphed it into a what felt like a half-baked co-op 'meh'-fest. And Resident Evil 6 looked even stupider from the previews. And in the end? I actually had a lot of fun.

The one thing I find silly is how much people dog on the story being "so stupid" and I'm sitting here thinking "How is that new?" I've enjoyed parts of RE's stories, but as a whole they're usually very weak. And RE6 just sort of throws on that dunce cap and dances across a light show of the most immense pyrotechnics you've ever seen. Granted, the tone of the game isn't as goofy as that of RE4.

The gameplay takes some getting used to, I feel like Japanese developers have a somewhat tougher time with designing third-person shooters. And I didn't want them to just rehash RE4's design, obviously. So instead they rebuilt the design from the ground-up and made for some great options during combat. I love how the melee attacks worked, the stamina bars made it so you can unleash it without being prompted, but you had to be more strategic. Blasting through the co-op with a friend as well as this game's horde mode made for quite a treat, in my opinion.

All-in-all, I appreciated the unique angles each scenario took, but I understand the game isn't exactly for everyone. And there's enough low notes that take a noticeable amount away from the experience. Still, I appreciated Capcom's attempt to recreate the third-person combat experience this series was dishing out.