Fayaaz

Finishing Max Payne 3 was an absolute blur. The gunplay is easily some of the best I've ever experienced in a shooter, and dropping into bullet time to watch a final kill-cam never got old. However, the game definitely didn't screw around with its difficulty. I got shredded if I stayed behind cover for too long, and those armored juggernauts were a total nightmare. Every time one of those heavy tanks showed up, my heart rate spiked, and I ended up burning through all my painkillers just trying to land a clean headshot. What kept me hooked through all the chaos was Passos—he was easily my favorite character. His cynical but loyal energy contrasted perfectly with Max’s total misery, and their back-and-forth grounded the whole story when the plot went completely off the rails. It made the endless firefights feel like they actually mattered for the characters involved. By the time I cleared the airport at the end, it felt like a massive relief. After three games of watching Max get dragged through absolute hell, seeing him finally walk off into the sunset on a beach felt incredibly earned. It was the perfect ending, and it's nice to know the guy finally got the quiet, peaceful vacation he deserves. Would recommend if you want a challenge (even on the normal difficulty).

Tearaway will always hold a massive place in my heart because it was the first actual story game I ever played. I originally experienced it on the PS Vita, and it was an absolute golden game that perfectly utilized everything the handheld could do. Replaying it now just brings back a wave of pure nostalgia. The entire world is made completely out of paper, and the game packed in so much pure creativity. One of my favorite things was how I could use the camera and touchscreen to cut out my own paper shapes and customize the world, like literally drawing and creating goofy faces for the characters. It made the entire universe feel completely unique to me, turning a simple platformer into something deeply personal and tactile. The ending is what really makes it unforgettable for me. When I finally delivered the message and realized that the letter my messenger was carrying the entire time was actually meant for me—the player—it hit on such a sweet, emotional level. It wrapped up my journey in a way that felt incredibly special, making it a masterpiece that I’ll never forget.

I have so much hate in my heart playing this game. The matchmaking is absolute bs and life has just been so much better after i quit playing this.

The deep nostalgia and the story alone still completely carry this game. From the moment that iconic yellow BMW M3 GTR gets stolen in the prologue, you are immediately hooked into this gritty, underground world. The premise of working your way up a fifteen-driver blacklist to get your car back is so simple, yet the narrative execution gives every single race actual stakes. The live-action cutscenes with that distinct mid-2000s filter are peak gaming , and the game genuinely feels way ahead of its time in how perfectly it blended story with open-world arcade racing. The progression loop is incredible, but man, the rubberband AI in this game is legendary—and not always in a good way. The absolute standout offender has to be Earl at Blacklist number 9. I still get flashbacks to his race because his rubberbanding is just completely broken; you can drive a mathematically flawless line at top speed, and he will still magically teleport right past you on the final stretch. Thankfully, the rewards make the grind worth it, and winning the pink slip to Baron’s Porsche Cayman S was the absolute highlight of my playthrough. That Porsche instantly became my favorite car in the game. It looked incredible, handled perfectly around the tight city corners, and had just the right amount of weight to handle the game's brutal police chases. The pursuits in this game are incredibly intense and still unmatched by almost any modern racing game. Once you hit the higher heat levels, the police force becomes terrifyingly aggressive. Rhinos come flying at you head-on out of nowhere, heavy SUVs try to box you in, and federal Corvettes ruthlessly pit-maneuver you at every turn. Trying to manage your heat, smash through roadblocks, and find a hiding spot while the music swells is pure adrenaline. It is a masterpiece of a racing game, and it completely deserves its status as an all-time classic.

I recently replayed this and it instantly brought back a massive wave of nostalgia. I spent so many hours playing this exact game on the PS Vita years ago, and getting back behind the wheel felt like stepping into a time machine. The game still holds up incredibly well, especially when it comes to the simple joy of just driving around and causing absolute chaos. Out of the entire car roster, the Ford GT was always my absolute favorite. There was just something so special about taking that specific car out onto the highway, hitting the nitrous, and listening to the engine roar. It was my go-to machine back on the Vita, and using it again felt like catching up with an old friend. Of course, you can't talk about this game without mentioning the cops, who are absolutely out of their minds. The police AI in this game has no chill whatsoever. Once your heat level gets high enough, the pursuits turn into these beautiful, chaotic disasters with tactical SUVs ramming you head-on, spike strips blocking the roads, and Corvettes keeping pace with you at 200 mph. Trying to lose a maximum heat level status while weaving through the city streets is easily some of the most intense fun the game offers. The game doesn't try to be a deep, serious racing simulator, but its blend of open-world freedom, aggressive cops, and great car selection makes it an absolute blast to revisit.

[SPOILER ALERT: This review contains spoilers.]

I honestly didn’t expect a first-person shooter to hit me this hard, but Titanfall 2 completely blew me away. The best part for me was BT-7274. I figured a giant robot companion would just feel like a walking weapon, but I ended up loving BT a lot. The game gives you these quick dialogue options to talk to him, and his literal robot personality made him feel so real. When I was running around on foot and heard his voice over the comms, or when I leaped through the air and his massive metal hand caught me mid-flight, I really felt like we were a team. The ending totally crushed me. The actual gameplay is just incredible. Personally, I absolutely love games that allow you to double jump and fly around, and the movement mechanics here are perfect. When I unlocked the double jump and realized how much control I had mid-air, the game just clicked. When I sprinted into a wall-run, I built up so much speed that I could launch myself across huge gaps. Then, when I hit the ground, I immediately dropped into a long slide to keep all that momentum going. Even in combat, when I used the grapple hook to swing around a building and take out a whole group of enemies before my feet even hit the ground, it felt amazing. The levels are perfectly built for this, especially with the crazy factory lines and the time-travel mechanics. The bosses were awesome too—when I finally fought Viper, he was incredibly difficult and pushed me to my absolute limits, but he ended up being my favorite boss fight in the whole game. It’s easily one of the best campaigns I've ever played.

[SPOILER ALERT: This review contains spoilers.]

[SPOILER ALERT: This review contains spoilers.]

[SPOILER ALERT: This review contains spoilers.]

DOOM Eternal was my very first "run-and-gun" game, and wow, it is so much more than just mindlessly shooting things. The game adds a ton of flavor to the genre with deep mechanics, weapon upgrades, and the constant stress of juggling resources. Even on "Hurt Me Plenty" difficulty, I found myself stuck on certain levels for actual hours—but honestly, finally conquering them was the best part. I have to shout out the Marauder; he was my absolute favorite. The way he carries his weapon and summons those spectral hounds just looks epic. On the other hand, the Hell Knight was the first tanky enemy that genuinely terrified me. I completely mistook him for a boss, only to later realize the game was just getting started. But hey, it wouldn’t be a DOOM game if it didn't casually ruin your day. Funnily enough, the actual bosses felt a bit too easy by comparison, taking me maybe 4–5 tries max. It almost felt like you need to play on the absolute highest difficulty to get a real boss challenge. The regular arenas throws some incredibly annoying enemies like the Tyrant and the Archvile. And the Doom Hunter felt like a final boss of his own until I finally got my hands on the Crucible blade. Overall, the good parts heavily outweigh the bad, and I had an absolute blast. I highly recommend it—though maybe skip it if you have a weak stomach for heavy gore. But it's DOOM, what did you expect? It’s incredibly satisfying, and I think way more people need to give it a shot.