This is the game I've been waiting for all my life. Upon seeing the release trailer, I was skeptical due to being scarred by the horrible recent "efforts" to revitalize this franchise but as soon as I got my hands on the demo, I knew we were in good hands. Vicarious Visions replaces the late Neversoft this time, which is the best option Activision could have chose. VV did all the portable versions of the Tony Hawk games that are worth talking about, I'm pretty sure they've developed more Tony Hawk games than Neversoft even has. The game features all the levels from the first two THPS games in stunning HD graphics as well as the entire roster of skaters from those games. They've also added a new generation of skaters to inspire a new generation of kids to pick up a skateboard. Another addition is mechanics from later Tony Hawk games such as reverts from Tony 3 and wallplants from Underground. Without these additions, the game would not be nearly as fun in my opinion. I'm a fan of the big combos and fast paced gameplay of the later games and this game adds almost everything I want without adding the unnecessary mechanics of the even later games. It also has the option to use the movesets from the first 2 games if you aren't quite used to the insanely fast nature of the later games. I personally have improved my gameplay with this game more than I have in years. I'm finally able to pull off 10+ million combos with relative ease when back in the day, I really wasn't any good. I'm finally starting to take my skills seriously after 16 years of playing this franchise. There's also a create a park mode which is limited in some aspects but has undeniably resulted in some of the best created parks I've ever seen. I think it's the height of this mode for the entire franchise. Just please add create a goal, VV! I have some issues with the game like the lack of ability to get off your board, the limited online mode (which is said to be patched with more features soon) and the somewhat limited create a skater mode. If that online issue is fixed, I could see myself raising the score of this game even higher and seeing it as the definitive THPS game. I'd also love to see the THPS 3 levels added with a DLC pack, that would make this game maaaybe the best Tony Hawk game in my eyes. I love Underground so much but I see some great potential here. It's that good. Without a doubt my game of the year and possibly my game of this entire generation of consoles. I beat this game in September of 2020.
This is the second Tony Hawk game I ever played and I remember liking it much less when I was very young simply due to the fact that you couldn't get off your board. Obviously that was a ridiculous reason but my base opinion still sort of holds true. This game is great, don't get me wrong but I think the perfect simplicity of the Pro Skater franchise had lost a bit of its magic by this point. It just serves as a slightly awkward middle point between the classic Pro Skater titles and the later Underground games. The 2 minute timer was gone with no story to accompany it. The Tony Hawk engine was created but not yet perfected. The map selection has some gems but also some forgettable areas as well. It has more content than Tony 3 but I'd say 3 is probably the overall better game between the two. It's still a great game though and I have no doubt I'll be revisiting it until I die. I beat this game in September of 2020.
1979's the Warriors is in my top 5 favorite movies of all time and Rockstar Games is one of my favorite game publishers/developers so this was obviously a match made in heaven for me. The Warriors game expands upon the fantastic world building from the movie while also retelling the film in as faithful of a manner as possible. It's not quite open world and there's not much to do once you've completed the campaign but the campaign itself is pretty damn decent. It starts 3 months before the events of the film and leads all the way to the film's credits, showing how The Warriors managed to build up their rep in the coming months before their fateful chase back to Coney Island after a meetup gone wrong. The combat is fun, albeit a little repetitive. The voice acting is decent, especially coming from the returning actors. The environments and music perfectly reflect the atmosphere of the film. It really is a great game for fans of the movie, just not anything too spectacular for fans of video games. The Warriors will give you a good 8 hours of pure fun, but after that, you're kinda screwed. Definitely worth at least one playthrough though.
I beat this game in October of 2019 after beating it many times before.
Just like Tony Hawk's Underground was the first game I ever loved, the sequel was the first game I was ever excited for. I have memories of seeing the commercials before release and talking to others about it before I was able to play it for myself and I'm almost 100% sure this was the first time I was hyped for a game release. I was not disappointed either. THUG 2 maintained the smooth, addicting gameplay of the previous Tony Hawk games while adding upon it as well as taking the crude humor of the series and amplifying it to 11. Considering I was super young at the time, that was right up my alley. THUG 2 has a massive tonal shift from the first Underground, ditching the serious plot for flat out chaos. You have to understand the context that this game was released in, pro skateboarder Bam Margera was in the peak of his popularity at this point thanks to Jackass and his MTV show Viva La Bam. Anything with his name on it made absolute bank during this time period. For that reason, this game has Bam all over it. The tone is much more in line with Jackass and the game tries to make you laugh even more often than the previous entries. It's also got a lot of gimmicks. Graffiti has been added to the game, serving very little purpose. On top of that, they've also added characters who don't skate. They either ride a motorized moped, a go kart, a mechanical bull, you name it. Skateboarding is still the focus but it feels a lot more an overall mayhem simulator than previous entries. Does this retract from the quality of the game? For the most part, I don't entirely think so. The skating is still as good as it ever was and even when you ignore the vehicle characters and the graffiti, the game still has a good amount of content just meant for skating. The levels are still very good and not all the new additions were gimmicks. Classic Mode has arrived, making a return of the old time limit style of playing that put the series on the map. Overall, it's a really good game and one of the ones I look back to fondest when thinking of my childhood. I also don't mind that they made this more of a Bam Margera's Pro Skater game. I was a huge fan of him at the time and upping the ante on the mayhem served as a breath of fresh air, despite having its pros and **** story is quite a bit shorter than THUG 1's though, that's probably my biggest fault with the game.
I beat this game in July of 2020 after beating it countless times before.
When it comes to tracking my history with video games, you can't go much further back than Tony Hawk's Underground. This was the first video game I ever loved. The first game I ever truly got excited about and one of the first video games in general that I remember playing. To me, it's the peak of the Tony Hawk series from a story standpoint and damn near the peak from a gameplay standpoint. It has some of the best levels the series has to offer, the best soundtrack in my opinion and is overall just, to me, the best full package that the series ever sold. The story mode is what most people remember and is where the game shines most. This was the first time the series went for an actual story based campaign, following your created character as they embark on a journey through all the ins and outs of being a professional skater. It's pretty realistic for a lot of it, being based on a culmination of several pro skaters actual stories, but there's definitely some completely unrealistic video game stuff in there as well. A lot of the missions are dumb and kinda make no sense but honestly, it adds to the charm for me. What isn't charming is the vehicles. Whoever thought adding vehicles to this game was a good idea should've been fired, they handle like they're on ice and the levels are not designed with them in mind. The game also has some incredibly difficult missions on the hardest difficulty so I definitely had my fair share of yelling at the TV and taking long breaks but after 16 years, I finally managed to beat the game on the hardest difficulty. That's a milestone I'm legitimately proud of. If I rated games solely on personal enjoyment, this would be an 11 out of 10 but I like to keep things a little more objective. It's one of my favorite games of all time and by far the most nostalgic game for me but I can easily say its glaring flaws.
I beat this game in March of 2020 after beating it countless times before.
This one is a weird one. Tony Hawk's Project 8 was essentially the last Tony Hawk game I was extensively interested in playing while it was new. I got the titles that were released after, but always remember putting them down a lot quicker than the previous releases so I consider Project 8 to be the official dropping point for my Tony Hawk game fascination, at least when it comes to the new games that were being released. I grew up with the ps2 version of this game, which is NOT the version I'm reviewing today. That port is watered down from its next gen versions, as to be expected, and is not worth revisiting beyond mere curiosity at this point. That being said, I still think the ps3 and 360 versions are worth a try if you like skating games. I think it's a drop off from previous games, trying (and mostly failing) to take a more realistic approach. There's a lot of cut features from the previous games, the new movement system takes some getting used to and I feel like a lot of the charm from the previous titles has mostly vanished, but I think it stands on it's own if you don't compare it to previous titles. As I said, the movement system is a little different and might take some getting used to, but once you do, it's really a blast to use. The maps are all decent and the true open world is a great edition, you can skate around the entire map without a single loading screen or.. loading hallway like in Tony Hawk's American Wasteland. A true and genuine open world skating game, something that the Skate games would later perfect.
Project 8 is it's own thing and it does a pretty good job at being it's own thing in my opinion. I beat this game in February 2020 after beating it many times before.
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**** was developed by Neversoft between the years of 1999 and 2010, there's a very very big chance I have at least 50 hours playing it. In this case, much more so. While I don't have as much Nostalgia for THPS 3 as I do with titles like Tony Hawk's Underground, I still have my fair share of play time with it. When I was a kid, pretty much the only games I extensively played and completed more than once were Tony Hawk and Guitar Hero games, especially the Tony Hawk games of the ps2 era which.. is most of them, this one included. Tony Hawk 3 is a fan favorite of the series and is often regarded as the peak of the franchise. While I respect its improvements and love the game to death, I think there are better efforts out there. The levels aren't as iconic as the previous games and the mechanics aren't as fine tuned as games that came after. It's got a hell of a lot to offer, just not as much as some other games in the same franchise. It's still a fantastic game, there's no doubt whatsoever about that. I beat this game in February of 2020 after beating it many times before.
This game honestly isn't bad for what it is. It's just a slightly clunkier Tony Hawk game but they honestly did all they could for the hardware they were working with.
The Tony Hawk's Pro Skater series is the one that I give credit for not only getting me into skating but also video games. It's easily the most nostalgic series for me and probably, when it's all said and done.. my favorite series of video games. Anyway, I didn't jump in until Tony Hawk's Underground, the fifth game in the series. Not to say I didn't go back to check out the older ones, I did and I did that extensively but the nostalgic value is just a tad lower when it comes to the first 2 THPS games especially. I pretty much only played the PS2 era Tony Hawk games as a kid so I never got a chance to play the first two games in their original form for more than a couple times, if that. Thankfully, I don't need to try and find some good deal on some old PS1 games when I have this. Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2X is a remaster of the first two Tony Hawk games that was exclusive to the original Xbox. I play it on my 360. Anyway, to me, it's the definitive way to play the first two games. Better graphics, all the levels, bonus levels (even though they're pretty bad ones), almost everything about this version surpasses the original versions in my opinion. Couple that with the fact that these two games are some of the most revolutionary and, dare I say, best of all time... and you've got yourself an absolute monster packed into a compact disc. I'd rate it higher but there are later Tony Hawk games that I prefer to it, as biased as that may be. I beat this game in February of 2020 after beating it many times before.
American Wasteland is the last game that I consider to be a part of the original tony hawk series. Sure, Project 8 and Proving Ground came right after and there was no pause between them but with America Wasteland it really felt like the end of an era. It was the end of a console generation and the last game to stick to the goofy and unrealistic style of the Tony Hawk games of previous eras. Project 8 kicked off a trend of a slightly more gritty and more realistic portrayal that went full force in Proving Ground. Anyway, American Wasteland is a game that tries a **** ton of things. The features such as parkour and BMX make it feel less and less like a skating game. I don't hate this stuff but I like skating.. and that's what I signed up for when playing Tony Hawk.. so I'd prefer if they were gone. The career mode is possibly the best story in a Tony Hawk game but from a gameplay perspective it's more often than not just filled with tutorial missions on how to do the new tricks as well as old tricks that you should already know how to do... but the story itself is very memorable, at least for someone who has beaten the game a bunch of times The levels are far from the worst in the series but they're not terrible or anything. Overall, the game is still great because it doesn't really take anything away from the older games gameplay but at the same time it doesn't add much worth talking about. It remains as one of my favorite games on the series to this day but I think that's down to nostalgia.
I beat this game in August of 2020 after beating it countless times before.
Tomb Raider Anniversary is a remake of the 1996 classic made for the modern audiences at the time. It looks better, controls better and stays true to to core values of Tomb Raider while offering something new to old fans. It's not fantastic but I don't regret my time with it. I played through TR1 and this game simultaneously, completing the levels of each game back to back. I played level 1 of the original and then the remade version of level 1, did the same with level 2 and so on. The level design is familiar enough that you'll remember every area but it won't feel like you're playing in the exact same places as the original. The map design, while familiar, is very different. Tomb Raider 1 was on a grid system which forced very primitive design in terms of the environments, some areas of the original flat out resembling Minecraft. This game takes inspiration but, as advertised, adds some updates and upgrades. The gameplay was pretty similar to the reboot trilogy which I completed before this game. It felt fine for the most part but there were many times where the game was really finicky. I'd jump to a ledge, pole, etc. that I know for a fact that I'm supposed to go to in order to progress, but because I jumped a step too early, I miss the thing and fall to my death. This happened quite a lot in the original as well but this was 10 whole years later. They could've polished the gameplay a little more. The only reason I didn't really mind this as much as I could have was because of the very frequent checkpoints. Frequent checkpoints were absent from the original so this is a nice upgrade, but sometimes it makes the game a little too easy. Lara can do a lot of things she couldn't in the original such swing with her grappling hook and climb up ladders. What's weird to me is there are Tomb Raider games in the reboot trilogy that lack some of the abilities Lara has in this much older game. It took the reboot trilogy several games in order to give Lara the ability to swing on walls with a grappling hook-esque mechanic. I wouldn't use this as a replacement for the original but it stands on it's own just fine as an homage to the roots of the franchise. It's rated lower than TR1 simply because of the innovation of the original. This may be a more appealing game to the average person nowadays but there's no denying that, by this point, the 3D platformer genre had come a long way since TR1. Most of the ideas from this game started with the original Tomb Raider and to me, innovation is a decently important aspect to consider when rating a game. Essentially, this game is good, but it didn't add much new to the table upon it's release.
I've been a big fan of Tomb Raider since I was a little kid. Specifically, Tomb Raider II was the one I grew up with the most. I'd like to revisit those old TR games soon but for now, let's talk about the reboot. Now, I haven't played any Uncharted games to completion so I'm not exactly sure how similar this game is to those ones but if they're as similar as people say, I gotta check out Uncharted. I thoroughly enjoyed this game. It had some really fun platforming, rewarding puzzles, a decent story and most importantly of all, a sense of care. What I mean by that is how the player, at least me personally, cares for Lara. This poor girl gets her ass handed to her repeatedly, going through hours and hours of constant abuse and you just want to help her get out of this situation. You want to see her succeed, you want her to live to tell this tale. I think that's always been a big part of Tomb Raider ever since the original, even if it isn't often spoken about. Now, nothing about the game was groundbreaking. The action was decent, but a little heavy in my opinion. For the most part, I had a lot more fun solving puzzles and hopping around than I did shooting cult members. The game also reeks of 2013. What I mean by this, is the game has so many outdated mechanics and tropes that were very common at the time. Cover based shooting, hunting and crafting, a "tell me where to go" button, a tacked on multiplayer mode, skill trees and upgrades systems galore... you name it, if it was a trope from 2011-2013, Tomb Raider has it. Not to mention, the game is filled to the brim with explosive barrels.. I like that trope though and it's way older than the late 360 era. Anyway, despite the outdated features, the core game was really enjoyable and a very pleasant surprise overall. I especially enjoyed playing it even more after turning on the Philharmonic's compilation of music from the first three TR games called The Tomb Raider Suite. Really put me in that mood. I would've liked some more tombs to raid, but I hear there's more of that in the sequels. I look forward to beating them very soon.
I beat this game in March of 2020.
Tomb Raider has become one of the most popular franchises in video game history, becoming an instant success and a household name along with it's main heroine, Lara Croft after just one game. It helped set the standard for 3D, being developed at the same time as other groundbreaking 3D games such as Mario 64 and Crash Bandicoot (I'll get to those games one day, I'm sure.) It's a game that's notorious for it's aged controls and primitive graphics, often regarded as a game that's essentially unplayable nowadays. Do I share this sentiment? No. Tomb Raider undoubtedly has a steep learning curve and requires quite a bit of trial and error but, to me, nailing this control scheme down and successfully pulling off a dangerous and difficult maneuver such as clearing a large gap was such a rewarding experience for me. It's truly a test of endurance and patience but it always left me feeling good about myself when I managed to play the game correctly without dying excessively. As I got better, the game got more fun... which makes sense. My point is, the controls aren't exactly bad, at least not terrible. Using a d-pad in a 3D platformer can hurt your thumb quite a bit and I felt like there were a few more cheap deaths targeted at first time players than I'd like to see but I overall had a very good time and thought it was a rewarding and memorable experience. Lara Croft is the type of protagonist you root for. Her cheeky attitude and likeable personality never fails to keep you on her side and I think it serves as some sort of motivation to keep going forward. It sounds childish but I think it's something you have to experience to understand. You want her to overcome the odds and win. Overall, due to it's massive influence and the fact that it was not only a great game for the time, but also holds up today in some capacity, I can't help but look back at my experience quite fondly.
Star Wars: Battlefront II's campaign is a story starring a brand new character set immediately after the plot of Return of the Jedi. It has beautiful graphics and decent gameplay... but that's about it. The story was shallow and it felt like a half assed fan fiction with a random self insert character but unfortunately, this game is officially canon to Star Wars. It was pretty meh all around. I don't know. The online pvp is pretty fun I guess. This was the last game I beat in December 2019 and I'm hoping I start off 2020 better than I finished the year before it.
Sonic 2 is a game I played to prepare myself for Sonic Mania. I wanted to finally beat a classic Sonic game or 2 so I could have a full comparison once I got around to checking Mania off my list. 2 is considered to be the first game of Sonic's classic peak and I can see why. It's certainly a big improvement over the first game in many areas but there are still several other areas they just hadn't perfected yet. Mainly, the trial and error gameplay. Sonic games are about going fast, it was the one thing the Sega Genesis had over the SNES. Processing. So naturally, SEGA capitalized that by making their brand new mascot a fast as hell hedgehog. Where this becomes an issue is when you're going 100 miles per hour through a level and an enemy that you couldn't see stops you in your tracks. This happens A LOT. Way more often than I care to mention. This is my main problem with the game and while it's a glaring one, it wasn't ever enough to make me want to quit. I always wanted to keep chugging along, even if my obstacles were very often unfairly presented to me. I can see why it's a classic and I'm happy I beat it. I was a huge Sonic fan as a kid and I feel like I've done some previously unfinished business by beating this.
I beat this game in December of 2019.
Skate 3 was, to me, the last of the great Skateboarding game craze that lasted about 10 years. I don't have much to say about this one other than it's just more of what you love, assuming you're a fan of Skate games. There's new tricks, a whole new map, a wider variety of customization, a skate park editor, more online features, etc. etc. etc. I still prefer Skate 2 because I think it has a much more interesting map and a grittier feel. I also feel like Skate 2 is more refined, despite having a couple less features. Skate 3 is famously a rushed glitch fest. If you like Skate games, you've already played this one so there's no reason to recommend it to you. If you haven't tried the Skate games, check them out. They're all worth playing through.
I beat this game in February of 2020 after beating it many times before.
Activision and Neversoft's Tony Hawk games were already on a steady decline in popularity by the time 2007 rolled around so it was probably the perfect time for Black Box and EA to release Skate. The first Skate game came out at the special time where Tony Hawk games were no longer must by games but the extreme sports genre of gaming wasn't yet ready to go into hibernation. This is what lead Skate to become the top dog of skating video games for a few years, along with the completely unique approach to the sport with a more realistic portrayal and completely revamped control system. At the time, Skate was the best skateboarding simulator anyone could ask for. It had a wide array of tricks, a completely open world map full of dreamlike skate spots, a character creator, a list of legendary pros... I could go on. When Skate was released, I'd never played anything like it beforehand. The closest comparison I can make is the SSX games, another EA extreme sports franchise. Despite the obvious connection to the Tony Hawk games, SSX and Skate have much more similar control schemes. Even the presentation of the first Skate game reminds me a lot of SSX On Tour's presentation. Anyway, Skate is a great game. The only reason I'm not rating it higher is because it was heavily outshined by its sequels.
I beat this game in February of 2020.
Shadow Of The Tomb Raider was advertised as being the grand finale to the trilogy of Lara Croft officially becoming the Tomb Raider... and it didn't really feel that way from a story or growth perspective. She's more or less the same from the last installment personality wise... meaning she doesn't have all too much of a personality which is a real shame when you consider the sheer amount of charisma from the original iteration of Lara. Anyway, I don't care about the story. It's okay, not a great way to end a trilogy but... like I said, I don't care about it. I care about the gameplay and I'm sorta mixed on it. It's got everything I loved about the first two games... but doesn't offer much more. There's a few new ways to navigate, some new weapons, a more refined crafting system and a heavier focus on stealth this time around but overall, it doesn't offer anything totally new. To be fair, I don't have a solution to this. I have no idea what they could add to these games to make them a little more refreshing and the problem is certainly only amplified by the fact that I played the entire trilogy in about a week. If I played these games upon their initial releases with years of time away from the series each time, I'd probably remember the whole experience a little more fondly. I obviously very much enjoyed all these games though, they make for very good platformers and are full of puzzles that are satisfying to complete. The combat isn't the strongest but as the series progresses, there are less and less combat sequences which I'm thankful for. The increased focus on platforming and puzzle solving paired with the added features easily would make this my go to Tomb Raider reboot game. If you're only gonna play one, play this one.
I beat this game in March of 2020.
Saints Row IV's announcement subverted essentially everyone's expectations. Old fans like me wanted things go back to the way they were, newer fans wanted another game like the third installment... and both groups sorta got what they wanted but ultimately were left pretty disappointed. Saints Row IV is, for the most part a rushed collection of reused assets with cheap gimmicks used at selling points. It's a mess and a failed attempt to keep a divided fanbase satisfied. That being said, I still like it. The new super powers featured in the game are very very fun to use, you can spend hours just hopping around the city of Steelport with no specific goals and have a good time. The story is the wackiest in the franchise which is sure to make new fans smile but it also spends a lot of time throwing out callbacks to the first two games.. which, initially tricked me into preferring Saints Row IV a lot more to 3. Sure, it's cool to see some familiar faces from the old games but it's not enough to satisfy me these days. The lack of content from 3, the same boring city from 3, the linear campaign structure from 3, all of it is still here. While I still like Saints Row IV, it can barely keep my attention nowadays and I think, much like SR3, it can get old fast.
I beat this game in September of 2019 after beating it many times before.
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Saints Row 3 and I have always had a rocky relationship. I was so excited for it to release due to my love for the 2nd installment and upon playing, I really enjoyed it but I pretty quickly realized that it didn't hold a candle to Saints Row 2. I still feel that way. The game is pretty good and it did a good job a establishing a more unique identity from Grand Theft Auto but the amount of cut content from SR2 is just too much for me to even consider having a conversation about which one is better. To me, 2 is undeniably a better game in almost every single aspect. That's why, for a long time, I really didn't like Saints Row 3. Nowadays, I'm closer to the middle. I can appreciate it for what it is but I won't forget how much substance is gone from Saints Row 2... but on its own, it ain't half bad.
I beat this game in August of 2020 after beating it many times before.
Saints Row 2 is a contender for my favorite game of all time. It may not have to strongest narrative, the best controls or the prettiest graphics but, to me, it undoubtedly packs some of the most fun I've ever had into a single game. Every aspect of the game from the most extensive character customization of its era to the massive open world that you can get lost in for months... it all comes together to make what I would call a near perfect gaming experience. That's obviously just my preference though. The amount of content crammed into this game is astounding and far surpasses almost every other open world game. The customization is rivaled only by games that had several years of innovation to keep up. The dialogue is witty and clever, the map is amongst the best of any open world game... I can seriously go on and on. The biggest issues are the outdated controls and subpar graphics. Both can be fixed on PC and aren't necessarily the games fault. I'll leave it at that before I type an entire novel. Saints Row 2 is (maybe) my favorite video game of all time and I think it might stay that way for a while.
I beat this game in August of 2019 after beating it many many many times before.
Despite the numerous complaints I had about the 2013 Tomb Raider reboot, I really enjoyed my time with it and was really looking forward to playing the sequels. I think generally, this game was better where it counted but there are some things I think the original did better. Gameplay wise, this game is definitely my preferred one. There's less combat, which I like. The combat in general is also better, with some new additions like a bigger variety of weapons as well as different ammo types for most of them. There's a lot more exploration and puzzle solving this time, both mandatory and optional. The game is also a lot more open ended this time, you can do side quests, explore bigger areas and there are incentives for revisiting places you already explored before with new abilities. Where it lacks I think is the story. It's not very good. It's not horrible or anything but I was more interested in the first game's story, as generic as it was. I don't think most people play these games for the story though. Personally, I'm much much more focused on gameplay and I think there's some significant improvement here over the original. Not to mention, the graphics are absolutely stunning. I'm very excited to play the last entry of the trilogy.
I beat this game in March of 2020.
This was the first new release of 2020 I played through (I'll get to Doom Eternal some day) and it was definitely a good one. Resident Evil 3 is, more or less, all I expected it to be. That's not a bad thing at all, many games fail to even meet the decent expectations that are set for them. Anyway, just like last years Resident Evil 2, it's a third person survival horror game with a short campaign but one that encourages you to play through it several times. This time around, the horror takes a big back seat for the sake of action which is fitting considering the original Resident Evil 3 did the same thing. This has it's pros and cons. While I would say this game is more fun to play with no additions like more frequent action as well as the satisfying dodge move, it's definitely not of a higher quality than Resi 2. I enjoy both very much but for different reasons and I'd say the reasons I enjoy Resi 2 matter just a bit more. The campaign is stripped down to give us one plotline this time, switching between characters at certain points instead of giving us two different campaigns... or, an inconsistent half assed two different campaigns in the case of the Resi 2 remake. For that very reason, I'm okay with there only being one campaign again. My biggest complaint with Resi 2 was the plot inconsistency between both campaigns, there is no way both campaigns can be canon simultaneously so this game eliminates that issue, even if it takes the easy way out. The game also felt a bit shorter than Resi 2. I started playing Resident Evil 3 the exact minute it was released, 12 o'clock midnight on April 3rd and I ended up finishing the game by 6:30 in the morning the same day. I totaled in about 5 hours of gameplay. For a first playthrough, I'd say that's short. The sections where you play as Carlos as opposed to Jill also fell short for me. There's a specific section in the game where you're forced to fight a horde of zombies for a few minutes which felt totally tacked on and out of place, it really really turned me off but it didn't last super long so ultimately, it didn't ruin the whole experience. It just felt so out of place, it only happens one time, (thank god) so it's without a doubt just gonna be remembered as that weird, out of place, forced action sequence as well as the worst part of the game. Anyway, I still had fun, enough to beat the whole game in one sitting from midnight until dawn. I've never done that for any game launch before and I did not expect this game to be the one I did it with first. The game was much less scary this time around and the story isn't as memorable but if you liked Resi 2 and want some more of that game, here you go. Let's hope the pandemic of the real world doesn't end up looking like Raccoon City.
I beat this game in April of 2020.
To me, the 2019 remake of Resident Evil 2 is almost the perfect Resi game. The fixed camera angles and tank controls of the first 2 main entries were never exactly my cup of tea but at the same time, the action orientated premise of the 3 main games after that seemed to defeat the purpose of the series entirely. Enter the best of both worlds. Resident Evil 2 is a third person survival horror game, complete with puzzles, low resources and most importantly.. Fear. Genuine fear. Playing through this game the first time was nerve wracking from the first cutscene to credits. Granted, I'm easily scared and have anxiety issues but I was not alone here in feeling legitimately scared while playing, not wanting to leave the safe rooms or progress into any unknown territory. It was all... an experience to say the least. One thing I will say that isn't in its favor is that upon subsequent playthroughs, that fear factor goes away quite a bit. The story is more or less a retelling of the original with one glaring issue. Leon and Claire's stories very seldom overlap in terms of interaction, but very often overlap in terms of location. There are times when Leon and Claire must have been in the exact same spot at the exact same time but the game fails to acknowledge this. This was my biggest problem with the game, the lack of consistency in continuity between both player's campaigns. This is especially bothering when you consider the original game didn't have this issue. Despite that glaring problem, the game is fantastic. It was my vote for game of the year 2019 until Death Stranding came around and I'm very excited to play the upcoming remake of Resident Evil 3.
I beat this game in October of 2019.
The original Resident Evil was nothing short of a phenomenon. Back in 1996, Capcom shocked
the world by popularizing the survival horror genre and instantly making Resident Evil a household name with the first installment. The shoestring budget, laughable voice acting and jenky controls were all excused thanks to the revolutionary gameplay and genuine scares that were given to players for years to come. In 2002, Capcom were presented with another opportunity to bring players back to the Spencer mansion of the first Resident Evil in the form of a remake. With updated graphics, rearranged puzzles and new enemy types, even the most experienced alumni of the original were caught off guard by how unique the experience was, regardless of how faithful it was to the original. Resident Evil's remake is often regarded as the
best horror game ever made which is a big reason why I wanted to play through it. I bought the HD re-release of this game for myself for Christmas in 2016 and barely played it for years. I knew it was a classic but honestly felt intimidated by the cryptic puzzles and non linear level design. This was enough to stop me from beating it for almost 3 years. Upon playing through it, I generally had a lot of fun. Admittedly, I had to use a walkthrough for some this game (Pudge 007's Jill No Save Walkthrough) and I'm not totally sure if this style of gameplay is entirely my thing but I feel like this one might grow on me. I very much enjoyed the 2nd half of this game more than the first and I can't pin point exactly why. In conclusion, I can see why this is such a classic and I'm willing to acknowledge its greatness despite preferring other games in the series such as Resi 7 and Resi 2 Remake.
I beat this game in November of 2019.
Portal is a game that gives you a glimpse into a really intriguing world without giving you too much information or overstaying its welcome. It's a fantastic puzzle game with all the great world building that Valve is known for and it also has some of the best writing in any video game to date. I don't have a whole lot to say about Portal other than I've been a fan for over 10 years now and even though the game has gotten increasingly easier over the years, I still enjoy beating it every once in a while. Maybe its partially for nostalgia sake but I believe the game has decent replay value, given you don't remember how every puzzle is solved. My only complaint is that it's maybe a little too short but considering the price of the game, I'd say it's worth it. Also, like I said, the game probably would lose a lot of the charm if it overstayed its welcome. I haven't beaten Portal 2 in a very long time but one of the things I remember disliking is how long it was. The original doesn't have this problem. Portal has shaped meme culture, influenced countless puzzle games that followed it and helped maintain Valve's popularity during it's second era of game development. It's a near perfect little slice of puzzle game cake. *Keep in mind, the high rating is really only to show how good Portal is for what it is. This rating shouldn't be used to compare Portal to other games. Portal is near perfect for what it is but it wouldn't surpass a lot of the other games I've reviewed on this site when being directly compared with them. It's waaaaay too short to directly compare it to a full game experience.
I beat this game in June of 2020 after beating it several times before.
This is the first Metal Gear game I didn't exactly enjoy. I guess it's a competent enough game from a gameplay standpoint but this story is just... annoying, for lack of a better term. I didn't need this game, I didn't want this game... but here it is anyway. It answers questions that I didn't ask, it sloppily puts in convenient plot points for the sake of fan service and it takes away almost all the charm that I fell in love with from the first 3 games. The best thing I can say storywise is there were a few parts that made me chuckle and if you ignore this one, it doesn't really take away from the original 3. The only part of this game that I legitimately enjoyed was Shadow Moses. It was the only fan service moment I enjoyed and it was honestly just really cool to see that iconic area in HD. It's probably the only part of the game I think I would ever want to revisit. Most of the game is inferior stealth, easy boss battles and incredibly annoying on rail shooting sections. Not to mention more forced combat segments than any Metal Gear game before it. Basically, everything I don't like about the Metal Gear series is brought to the forefront here. At least I'll always have the first 3.
I beat this game in December of 2019.
Metal Gear Solid 3 is an absolute masterpiece, I'm not gonna beat around the bush and I'll keep it short. This was the first Metal Gear I ever beat and back then I felt as if it was the greatest video game of all time. Do I agree with that still? I don't know. Does it matter? What matters is, as far as I'm concerned, this game is basically perfect. The only sequence in MGS 3 that I didn't have much fun was the escape on the bike. I'm mostly not a fan of forced combat in Metal Gear games and this sequence went on for way too long in my opinion. Other than that, I had such a fun time playing through this game both times. The variety in the gameplay is really what gets me. There are ALWAYS multiple ways to get from point A to point B. The vast attention to detail allows for play styles that just aren't possible with any other stealth games. The campy James Bond nature of the story is also a huge plus, dumping most sequel baggage for the sake of easy to understand entertainment. I'm very happy Kojima didn't stop after MGS2, despite the fact that he easily could've. Like I said, it doesn't matter to me what the greatest game of all time is... but I definitely wouldn't argue with you if you said it was MGS3.
I beat this game in January of 2014 and December of 2019.
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Metal Gear Solid 2 is one of the most unique games I've ever played. The scheme that Kojima Productions had to go through to intentionally advertise this game falsely, essentially risking the entire future of their studio is nothing short of insane. Somehow, it worked out. The petty criticisms of the past have seemed to die out within the last decade and people are starting to appreciate this game for how insane of a ride it really was. The gameplay is more or less an updated version of MGS 1 with an even vaster attention to detail. I generally prefer the original from a gameplay standpoint (for whatever reason) but I can acknowledge that this is definitely an improvement from an objective standpoint. Story wise, this game constantly challenged my mind, asking questions from "Did I just slip in bird **** to "What the hell am I gonna do with my life?" Anyway, good game. Thanks for the existential crisis, Kojima.
I beat this game in November of 2019. Thanksgiving 2019. We had sloppy joes.
The third game in the Metal Gear series, Metal Gear Solid was released by Kojima Productions and Konami in 1998 and it instantly had an impact on not only how future games would play, but how future games would tell stories. Many regard this game to be the best the original Playstation has to offer and I can easily see why. Metal Gear Solid is the 2nd game in the Metal Gear series I've completed, the first being Metal Gear Solid 3 in January of 2014 but the original MGS has always been with me in one way or another. My introduction to Metal Gear was Egoraptor's Metal Gear Awesome, a flash series that poked fun at the game and specifically spoke on bizarre things the player would have to do during gameplay that they often wouldn't have thought of in any other game. Because I watched Metal Gear Awesome so much, the bizarre tactics highlighted in the animation almost served as tips for me when actually playing. I had watched Metal Gear Awesome so many times that I already knew how to complete a lot of the game. It was just really cool to finally see it first hand instead of recreated through crude animation. Anyway, I enjoyed the hell out of Metal Gear Solid. My favorite part of the Metal Gear series and Kojima games in general are that they often make the player a part of the game. It's almost as if you're a character in the game as well and gameplay wise, MGS 1 outshines the other MGS games in terms of that. The only parts of the game I legitimately disliked were the parts where you're forced into combat (not including boss battles) and one specific section with dogs. Overall, this game is a masterpiece and I think it holds up better than others give it credit for.
I beat this game in November of 2019.
Kingdom Hearts is quite the unique game, linking the two beloved worlds of Final Fantasy and Disney. Despite neither catching very much of my interest throughout my life, I always had a fondness for Kingdom Hearts. Its a very nostalgic property for me. I used to play KH1 and KH2 a lot as a child but never got very far, always getting stuck due to difficulty or lack of knowledge as to where to go next. I finally decided I would stay dedicated and play through the whole game. Despite what most fans will tell you about the controls being outdated and future games being generally better experiences, I still had a lot of fun with Kingdom Hearts. It was pretty difficult at times, especially with the final boss but I managed to get through it on normal difficulty. I've played through most of KH2 at the time of me writing this (November 2019) but I'm stuck on the Roxas battle. Even without having completed it, I definitely prefer the sequel for it's improved gameplay and more interesting worlds to explore. Regardless, the original is still very much worth playing.
I beat this game in February of 2019.
I enjoyed both episodes of Half Life 2 a whole lot but, as most people will tell you, Episode 2 might be the peak of Half Life 2 as a whole, even surpassing the base game. The reason I enjoyed both of these expansions so much is because of how much time you spend with Alyx. Alyx is one of my favorite characters in video games and the original Half Life 2 didn't really give you too much time with her, or any other major characters for that matter. I think the writing of the episodes is better and neither episodes have chapters that go on for far too long like the base game does. These are amongst some of the best expansion packs of all time, Episode 2 especially. I'd give episode one a 7 and episode two a 9 so for each expansion together, they get an 8.
I beat these games in December of 201
The original Half-Life very well may be my favorite first person shooter of all time. I see it as the turning point between the first person shooters of yesteryear (Doom, Quake etc.) and more story driven first person shooters of today. I've played the original Half Life so much that it honestly surprises me that I never got very far in Half-Life 2. I never even got to Black Mesa East before this playthrough. I'm not exactly sure why, I didn't need any kind of walkthrough beating the game this time around. Regardless, Half-Life 2 is without a doubt one of the best first person shooters of all time. The bleak and depressing Orwellian world that was designed here was something that I truly had never seen anything like upon my first time picking this game up when I was about 8 or 9 years old. Around that time, I'd call it the "weird game" because it truly is weird. It's weird, sad, ugly and bland but this world truly works with the plot around it. You're not supposed to want to be here. My favorite chapters from HL2 were Nova Prospekt and the final chapter (the GMOD gravity gun rules.) My least favorite chapter was Follow Freeman due to it's length that overstays its welcome and its constant need to hand you NPC followers that don't know the meaning of personal space. Seriously, these guys cannot stay out of your way. You command them to walk away and they just come right back. Truly a chore to experience. Nevertheless, this game is phenomenal. While the first one is still my favorite, I can probably acknowledge that, from a critical standpoint, this one outshines the original. I'm currently playing through HL2 Episode 1 and I'm excited to see where this story goes. I beat this game in December of 2019.
Rockstar Games were on top of the world thanks to revolutionary titles such as Grand Theft Auto III and Vice City, almost single handedly popularizing the open world crime genre. San Andreas was their swansong to the PS2 era of games, packing in so much content that the game is still praised to this very day despite it's aged mechanics and graphics. I've been a fan of GTA games basically all my life and San Andreas was my favorite of the bunch for a very long time until I beat GTA IV. Regardless, finally beating the game was almost like closing a chapter in my life. It's such a long campaign with so much variety and memorable moments that it truly makes for an unforgettable experience. There were some very frustrating missions along the way and the game isn't pretty to look at but the positive far outweighed the negative for me. It's a modern classic and a game that you could probably still have fun with if you've been playing it every day since release.
I beat this game in September of 2019.
Essentially an expansion back for Fallout 3, New Vegas takes the best parts of the original Fallout games as well as Fallout 3 and puts them all together in one masterpiece. The setting, writing, combat, story and roleplaying are all improved from Fallout 3. I'd honestly call it the perfect Fallout if it had better character customization and combat. The colossal amount of bugs are still here to stay. Combat is improved with additions like aiming down sights but it still isn't up to par with Fallout 4's. The character customization is barely improved from Fallout 3 as well. These are just minor nitpicks though, this game is very near perfect in my opinion.
Awe, true to Caesar.
I beat this game in November of 2019.
Fallout 4 is a game I've beaten 2 times before this but felt compelled to revisit due to beating Fallout 3 and New Vegas for Project Virtua. When this game was released, I was head over heels in love with it. I sank over 50 hours into it in its first week of being released and that was when I was still in High School so that's kinda saying a lot. It seems like everyone loved this game upon release and started to grow bitter towards it once the honeymoon period was over, myself included. I stopped playing it and started to forgot just how much I really enjoyed it. This was a game that I asked to get for Christmas a second time just so I could get the Pip Boy edition so I really must've enjoyed it. Upon revisiting it, it isn't a bad game. Not by any means. Fallout 4 is very good at doing things that Fallout 3 and New Vegas couldn't but the opposite is also true. Where 3 and New Vegas shine in things like roleplaying, world building and memorability, Fallout 4 shines in things like character customization, combat and building settlements. I enjoy the Fallout 4 for different reasons and while there are genuine issues I have with the game, I've decided to not let "it's not roleplay-y enough" be one of them.
I beat this game in November of 2015 and November of 2019.
Fallout 3 was the long awaited return of the post apocalyptic role playing series that had been locked away in a vault for over 10 years. Under new developer and publisher, Bethesda, the series was changed to a first person roleplaying game with heavy emphasis on real time combat. It was critically acclaimed at the time but has since dwindled in reputation and I can honestly see why. I first played Fallout 3 in 2008 and had honestly never played a game like it. I played it very consistently on Xbox 360, not doing much outside of exploring. This is why I never beat the main quest until now. Upon playing it, I definitely wasn't blown away. I played through this game the day after I beat Fallout: New Vegas and that might be the worst thing you can do if you want to appreciate this game. It's by no means a bad game but with a mediocre story, less interesting environment and worse combat than New Vegas, I have little reason to go back to this one. Fallout 4 may have even less roleplaying elements than Fallout 3 but at least it offers me things that New Vegas can't such as building settlements and the vast character customization. Sadly, despite it's obvious quality, I can't see myself revisiting Fallout 3 very often.
I beat this game in November of 2019.
Doom is easily in the top 5 most influential video games of all time. There's really not much I can say that hasn't already been said a billion times. It was one of the very early games to popularize the first person shooter genre and in many ways, it shows but surprisingly this game absolutely still holds up. Doom is still a blast to play, it may have some outdated mechanics and the graphics may be primitive when it comes to today's standards but the gameplay still shines here. The fast paced run and gun gameplay is addicting, the cast of weaponry has become as recognizable as the classic household name video game characters of past eras, the entire package is a love letter to all things awesome. If I were reviewing this game in 1993, it would undoubtedly get a 10. Thanks to hindsight however, I'm not gonna go that far. However, unlike many early 3D games, Doom is just probably as fun as the day it was released. I think it's a very rare and special thing when a game that was released this early in a new genre still holds up almost 30 years later. I'm very excited to play the sequels.
I beat this game in March of 2020.
Death Stranding is maybe the most polarizing game of this decade, truly being a love it or hate it work of art. I'm very happy to say I surprisingly fell on the side of loving it. I've always been one to complain about slow games, micromanagements or wasted time in games but somehow Kojima made it all appealing to me. I somehow just fell in love with the gameplay. The story is perhaps one of my favorites of any game I've ever played at the time of writing this and I found a very surprisingly fun game between the cutscenes. There's lots of walking and struggling but the game was almost never boring for me. I thought Resi 2 Remake was going to be my game of the year for 2019 until I played this. Death Stranding is not only my GOTY but I feel like it may go down as one of my favorite games of all time. I don't feel the need to write much more because I feel like I'll remember my experience with this game for a very long time.
I beat this game in November of 2019.
