The original is one of my favorite games of all time, and this sequel is an immense disappointment. The gameplay is repetitive and it lacks the interesting strategy planning the original game had. The level designs are boring. The open world looks ugly. It’s often difficult to find visual cues to tell you where to go. I’d much rather go back to the linear format of the original game. Also, a weird thing, the one element that could have redeemed this game is the music, but something about how it’s balanced makes it impossible to hear, and the sound effects are far too loud. This is even after going into the menu to rebalance it myself. Why downplay one of the better elements of the game? Overall seems like a rushed cash grab. Nothing like its unique, fun predecessor. Glad I got it on sale but I shouldn’t have got it at all.
Some of the most poetic writing I’ve read in anything, let alone a video game. But it could only exist as a game, never a book or a movie. It lives in its medium perfectly, with unique perspective changes that may or may not align with the written words, and choices that make the player feel like a creator, while leaving one curious what they missed in choosing one answer over another. The music is inspired. The visuals are **** message speaks perfectly to the broken world we live in, the one not repaired since the 2008 recession that inspired this game. When someone asks if video games can be art, this is the game I will point to in response.
