CordellTaylor

I have not been so invested in a 007 game since Agent Under Fire and GoldenEye, but this? This just does it for me. This isn't just a game. This is 007. This is James Bond. YOU are James Bond. The agent. The playboy. The debonair. Many games go for that "feels-like-a-movie" vibe, but IO Interactive puts on a master class performance with this production. Celebrity cameos from Gemma Chan, Kenny Kravitz, etc., immaculate world building taking you on an international espionage-laced journey, beautiful women, beautiful set pieces, iconic gadgets, nods to cinema, the Lana Del Rey opening number, etc. Everything about 007 First Light is what James Bond should be. Not to mention how well written and portrayed every character is. Whether they're as brief as Cressida Bright or as extensive as Greenway and Moneypenny, and of course, Patrick Gibson's James Bond, everything feels valuable. Looking forward to making different choices and taking alternate routes that I didn't in my first playthrough, because this game encourages replayability, and so do I. My second 10/10 this year, and well deserved. I hope Hollywood sees what myself and many others do. Patrick Gibson is worthy of taking on the role of James Bond on the big screen.

Not as iconic as the first two entries in the Dino Crisis series, but good enough for me to consider it the TRUE Dino Crisis 3. As clunky as the arcade-adjacent control scheme was, this game had its redeeming factors, such as an actual adherence to the existing lore surrounding the game, as opposed to the abandonment of such that was DC3. I do wish this game would have had the fixed camera gameplay of its predecessors, or perhaps a pseudo-RE4 style of gameplay. Another issue was the length. The majority of the game felt like a build up, and when it was all over? It felt jarring and abrupt. Needless to say, I hope this and the first two Dino Crisis titles eventually get remade.

They did it... they actually did it. Just when I thought the franchise was at a point where recovery was a long shot, I've been proven wrong and I am so grateful to say that. Max and Chloe have started this incredible journey, and years later, for them to finish it with such a strong, redeeming entry for Life is Strange? To put it in one word, it's poetic. I hate that we have to say goodbye to such beautiful characters, but I am so happy that it was done in a way that feels like a love letter to all of us who's been on the ride since Arcadia Bay. Absolutely brilliant.

There's no option for a 6.5, so I'll up it to a 7. I need everyone to hear me out here. I really, truly want Capcom to remake this game, not just in the sense of an RE Engine visual upgrade, but a soft retcon. The plot had some holes, but it was substantial enough to where some character reworks can go a long way, some levels can be brought to their full potential, exclusive character abilities and weapons can be emphasized, etc. Maybe I'm just saying this because I'm big on Sherry Birkin, but I'd love to have her, Jake, Helena and Piers revisited. I never played as Jake because I found his character to be insufferable at times, but I think he could go through a change similar to the rewriting Leon did from RE4 OG to RE4R, where he becomes less immature and belligerent to retain some of his belligerence with a bit more seriousness as opposed to cheesy action movie style quips and dialogue. I thought all stories were pretty well written, except for Chris Redfield's, which was disappointing, but again, a remake can go a long way in fixing that. Something that also changes the whole dynamic for RE6 is the absence of horror. I think it would have benefited a lot more from just adding more of what makes Resident Evil so special. It's a good game on its own accord, but its not a good Resident Evil game, to the point where I believe that if Capcom were to brand it as an entirely new IP, it would have been an INCREDIBLE opener. It's easy to hate the game because its not what we were sold as Resident Evil fans, but upon revisiting the game as an adult instead of a teenager, I understand now, the quality of the game was never the issue. The absence of fear? That's where it went wrong. I hope Capcom takes that risk some day, because there are some good characters in 5 & 6 that I know a lot of us miss.

I didn't want to make a Metacritic account until I found a game truly worth giving 10/10 to, and that game is Resident Evil: Requiem. Whether you prefer the action-packed, blockbuster gameplay of Leon S. Kennedy or the bloodcurdling horror of Grace Ashcroft, you'll find all except boredom and dissatisfaction. I have yet to stop thinking of this game whether I'm at work, excercising or undertaking some other day-to-day task. That's a feeling I haven't felt in gaming for a few years now, and I can definitively say my first playthrough will be far from my final. Leon's still the legend he is, and Grace is a character who will grow on you within the first fifteen to thirty minutes of gameplay. I look forward to seeing where her story and legacy goes from here. Absolutely phenomenal. Bravo, Capcom.