Solar Ash [PS5] – Heart Machine

A super cool game. Aesthetically it is very striking, especially during the climax of the story with the introduction of a bit of body horror. Gameplay is also pretty fun, although simply moving around the map didn’t have the same feeling of speed or satisfaction as something like Marvel’s Spider-Man. I think this is due to how huge portions of the game are just copy-paste blue cloud areas. I also had some trouble connecting with the story, but I could see that changing in a future playthrough.

Bayonetta [PS5] – Platinum Games

Fun as hell– I can definitely see why this game became such a cult classic. The music and Bayonetta herself are extremely charming, but I can’t really say the same for the rest of the characters; the Yuri Lowenthal character (can’t even remember his name) is pretty boring, and the whole conflict with Jeanne felt very derivative and contrived. Some levels, like the nausea-inducing plane chapter, are absolutely terrible as well. Still, it was a good time overall and I’m looking forward to the sequel.

Ghost Runner [Switch] – Slipgate Ironworks & One More Level

Finally beat this game after completing most of it in like Dec 2020. It was pretty fun. The core gameplay– platforming and combat– is polished to a near perfect shine, and most of it is so satisfying that the fact that I had to repeat most areas countless times due to difficulty was not typically frustrating. On the other hand, some of the platforming sections are far more frustrating than fun, and certain enemies like the Wrecks are just straight-up bad and the game would have benefited from their removal. Story is also very mediocre. Played on Switch and it looked like butt at some points. Might grab on PS5 if on sale.

Sifu [PS5] – Sloclap

Unbelievably sick– I cannot stop thinking about this game. The combat was so satisfying, the presentation was basically eye candy, the music was amazing. Story was serviceable but pretty basic. The core of the game is its deep hand-to-hand fighting system, which is unlike anything I’ve played before. The best comparison I could probably give is a mix between the Arkham games and Sekiro. Might attempt a no-death run sometime.

Elden Ring [PS5] – FromSoftware

Jesus Christ, this game. All the previews that said that this was the easiest FromSoft game make me feel like I’m going crazy because this was the hardest one for me. One of the best games I’ve ever played, probably going to be a top five.

Gorogoa [PC] – Jason Roberts

Really beautiful, short game. I was frustrated with it at first but once I learned the rules, things became much easier. Kind of makes me wish there were more short games out there that can be completed in 1-2 hours.

Unpacking [PC] – Witch Beam

Another quite short, surprisingly moving game. Seeing which belongings this woman chose to bring with her through each stage of her life was touching, and made me think of my own journey from childhood to college to young adulthood. Not much more to say. Good game.

The Forgotten City [PC] – Modern Storytellers

Quite happy with this one! True to its name, Modern Storytellers delivered an experience that was much more like an interactive narrative than a game that required critical thinking, reaction speed, planning, strategy, etc. That’s not to say that it wasn’t fun, though, and there were plenty of twists and turns that made it a really cool, unique experience.

Wildcat Gun Machine [PC] – ChunkyBox Games

Not very passionate about this title, but it’s clear that the creators had some interesting ideas and wanted to make a fun, no-frills arcade shooter. My full review is on Screen Rant.

Halo: Combat Evolved [PC] – Bungie

This game was annoying as hell. Too many enemies at once, too much shooting, dumb checkpoints. Music was amazing, shooting mechanics were good. Hoping for a more interesting story in the next games.

Inscyrption [PC] – Daniel Mullins Games

This was so sick. It’s definitely one of the most satisfying deck builders I’ve ever played but also one of the most genuinely unpredictable games I’ve ever played. I feel like there is probably a secret ending that I’m missing, but the endgame content is fucking brutal so I’m gonna sit it out for a while. Creepy, cool, fun, surprising, amazing.

Yakuza Zero [PS5] – Sega & Ryy Ga Gotoku Studio

So glad I finally played this after like a year of deliberating. This game was so massive that I am genuinely curious as to how the other games compare. I’m also interested to know how the stories of the other games connect to this first, prequel narrative, which was very fun and heartfelt albeit a bit overcomplicated. The game was also certainly one of the most charming I’ve ever had the pleasure of playing, as the world felt alive, humourous, and real. Combat was also fun but the Majima sections were so much better than Kiryu’s.

Dying Light 2 [PC] – Techland

Definitely a mixed bag. The gameplay, specifically the freerunning, was super tight and consistently enjoyable. On the other hand, the quest design was pretty bland, and all the side content gave off major Ubisoft quantity-over-quality vibes. The gear system wasn’t great either, taking the approach of minuscule percentages and stats that just aren’t fun to sift through whenever you pick up a new piece of armor. The thing I disliked the most, though, would have to be the story and writing in general. Holy shit it was so bad. The dialog was god awful and Techland’s writers were trying way too hard to make everyone a “gruff but lovable” rogue with a heart of gold. In the end, it just turned out super awkward. Plot was vaguely dumb but mostly forgettable and the final fight with Waltz sucked ass. Music could be really great at some times and generic at others. Overall, a decent experience but not one I’m itching to get back into anytime soon.

Spec Ops: The Line [PC] – YAGER & Darkside Game Studios

This is incredibly cool. Since I already knew a lot about the twist ending, I feel like I paid a little bit more attention to the small details, like how Walker’s face is reflected in the dark screen of the radar during the White Phosporus sequence. The gameplay itself was pretty barebones, but I feel like that was okay– the game knew exactly what it wanted to do and didn’t add a bunch of needless filler. The set pieces and levels themselves were visually stunning and unique and puts to shame the overwhelming majority of levels in other military shooters like COD or Battlefield. A war game that has something to say about war– what a concept.

Neon White [PC] – Angel Matrix

Fucking sick. If it weren’t for the god awful dialog and lack of interesting side content, this could have gotten close to Hades level for me. Each level was so well thought out and each new card opened up so many different opportunities that the game, despite only having one real activity, never really felt stale. I do wish that there was some more effort/resources put into not only the narrative, but the hub world, because the art style and general aesthetic of this game was super cool and walking around a fully rendered version of Heaven would have been amazing.

A Plague Tale: Innocence [PC] – Asobo Studio

What began as a game I was sure I would consider mediocre and dull wound up being one of my favorite gaming experiences of the year so far. Beginning the story as essentially impotent, with an arsenal of ineffective stones and pots for distraction, and becoming a considerable force of reckoning by the end, was very well handled and great game design. I was very surprised by how good the gameplay got in the final few chapters, actually (kind of wish it got this good earlier in the game!). The freedom you are given with all your different alchemical weapons isn’t super vast, but it is interesting and satisfying. The soundtrack was also fantastic, and the story, while not life-changing, was also pretty great and I certainly got a little emotional by the end of it. The game wasn’t perfect at all, though; as suggested by my earlier parenthetical, it starts very slow, too slow, in my opinion. There were far too many moments of just walking in a straight line or slowly, slowly turning some sort of mechanism. This may have been to hide load screens, but it’s still worth mentioning. A lot of the dialog was also pretty cheesy, but not unforgivable. Enemy AI was pretty bad– they could either spot me from a mile away or were totally blind to their surroundings. With all that said, I think that the sequel, with its higher budget, could be a really incredible experience. Here are some things I’d like to see:

– Better facial animations/character animation in general

– Greater freedom in and out of combat and stealth

– More/better side content

– Better upgrades/progression

– Some RPG elements & customization

– More natural dialog (language barrier plays a role in this)

– Better movement as it was pretty clunky

Halo 2: Anniversary Edition [PC] – Bungie

Considerably better than the first game, which I am becoming convinced is perceived well due to at least 80% nostalgia. Just about everything in this game was great, with the shooting mechanics as tight as ever, made even more enjoyable by the addition of dual-wielding. The music, holy shit– unnecessarily good. The remastered cutscenes were also fantastic, although I still feel like the story is way too impersonal for me to be truly invested. There were also some glitches, but that might be connected to the MCC’s allegedly rocky state at launch.

Scarlet Nexus [PC] – Bandai Namco Studios & Tose

Oh boy. I really wanted to like this one, as it started off pretty strong. I’ll start out with what I liked: the characters were, by and large, pretty endearing and likeable (Luka was a personal favorite); the combat, while kind of simple and restrictive, was very satisfying; the monster design was really awesome and reminded me a lot of Silent Hill. At the end of the day, though, this just wasn’t my cup of tea. The story wasn’t bad, but it didn’t really resonate with me and was far too convoluted, with super long stretches of boring, bland dialog and exposition. The cracks of the game really started to show in the final few hours, though, and I think I really turned on the entire experience in the last chapter, as it was like two hours of nonstop, repetitive, monotonous fighting with absolutely no variety. This was made so much worse by the fact that the final level isn’t even a new area, just an amalgamation of all the previous levels. This might be seen as cool to some, but it made the experience way more exhausting than it should have been and reminded me a lot of the issues with Devil May Cry 4’s final section. In the same vein, there was basically no gameplay variety, and it started to feel like the game was just a visual novel (no dialog choices or anything) with breaks for combat, which is good but not nearly good enough to be the only thing on offer (the lock-on/targeting system was so bad, holy shit). All in all, not a game I hate, but not one that was for me.

It Takes Two [PS5] – Hazelight Studios

Maggie: Very fun. Very…. two player. Really awesome gameplay but the characters during the “movie” parts could use some graphic updates. I was ever so slightly scared by the child, Rose. Lots of sexual tension between Cody and May that wasn’t really acted upon. Nonetheless, I loved kicking Nick’s ass in some of the minigames. Super fun. And the game’s story was inspiring and overall a very enjoyable time. B+ score, which is high in Maggie’s books. What would have made this game perfect is the following: a less scary looking child and better graphics during the “movie” parts and a fucking goddamn sex scene between Cody and May with crazy hot “I loved you all along” angry but loving post break-up sex. We were ALL waiting for it. Change the rating to M and do it, Hazelight.

Nick: Definitely an interesting experience, especially playing the game with another person. Without Maggie to play it with me, I would have probably have had to use the single-player option which is just… sad. Anyway, it was a great time. It was crazy how many different genres the game was able to straddle, going from a third-person shooter to an action platformer to a puzzle game, all without sacrificing any fun or being awkward to play. Lots of games can’t even do one thing right, but this game managed to do like 15 things right. Story was okay, although I was kind of hoping they would spin some kind of Pixar magic and make it somewhat moving; Rose was a dummy and Cody was a manchild, but it wasn’t unbearable. May is a good singer! Too bad her and Cody never tried to slam those clay and wood bodies together while they had the chance, now they have to go back to their humdrum sex life in the real world. 10/10 a great game and I really loved how I managed to beat Maggie in every minigame.

The Quarry [PS5] – Supermassive Games

Now that I’ve played this game three times I feel qualified to comment on it. This was very, very fun and I liked it a lot, even though there were so many stupid elements. Why, Supermassive, do I need to sit through every overlong cutscene and line of dialog during a subsequent playthrough where I might change like 10% of the actual content? You should be able to skip things, at least after your first run. Also, the characters were actual simpletons; none of them understand the concept of shutting doors, even when they know that there are werewolves afoot and coming to get them. There were a lot of other decisions made by the characters that were stupid, but a lot of them made for a more entertaining experience so who am I to complain? The whole story was a bit tongue-in-cheek anyway, so who cares. However, I do wish that they made the characters a bit more likable. The “couples” of the story had absolutely no romantic chemistry, which was a little dumb. Also, it was hard to tell what decisions would lead to what outcomes at certain times, like how not breaking into the cabin in Chapter One is the way to save Dylan from being bit. This is a double-edged sword, because it makes the game less predictable but it’s also less satisfying to think things through and orchestrate certain scenarios. All in all, pretty fun to play with drunk friends but I’ll probably never play it again.

Blasphemous [PS5] – The Game Kitchen

This game is carried by its presentation. The art is truly inspired and not like any other game that I can think of, even though it wears its influences (Castlevania) on its sleeve. The music was great as well, and each zone was perfectly complemented by its corresponding soundtrack. Gameplay was fun enough, but this is where I have to start getting into the issues I had with Blasphemous. I think that since the explosion of Dark Souls, developers have been placing a higher emphasis on difficulty in games. This is a good thing overall, but it can sometimes feel like there are games that are difficult solely for the purpose of being difficult, and there were definitely times that Blasphemous fit this description. Some of the bosses were ridiculously annoying and not very fun, specifically the final boss, which employed the use of several attacks that can’t be avoided or worked around in any meaningful way, leading to moments where I literally could not attack the boss, not because of a failure at any skill-based challenges, but because the randomness of the enemy’s moves made it so that I had no options at my disposal. The healing was completely fucked– I don’t know how that wasn’t reworked for the final product. It took way too long to heal, which wound up making healing essentially useless in certain fights, and the amount healed was so insignificant that this issue was exacerbated. There were some quality-of-life issues too, such as the inability to fast travel between checkpoints. I don’t see how this limitation improves the experience, as it just leads to tedious backtracking. Overall, I have more negative things to say about this game than positive things, but I still feel like it’s more than the sum of its parts, and I generally appreciated the experience.

Backbone [PC] – EggNut

Another game that is propelled by a fantastic presentation. Compared to Blasphemous, the world of Backbone was one that was a lot more appealing, as its dense, chunky, warm atmosphere drew me in immediately and left me hungry for more, which leads to one of the biggest issues with the game: it was too short. I typically prefer games on the shorter side, as I feel that it’s better to quit while you’re ahead than to stretch something out with the aim of feeling that the product has earned the cost of admission. In Backbone’s case, however, I felt that the concepts its story presented were too big and complex to be handled in under five hours, and another two or three hours of narrative would have made the experience a bit more satisfying. The writing, while pretty solid for the most part, was also quite derivative, with many of the game’s lines being ripped directly from other games and movies like Synecdoche, New York (this might have been homage, but still a bit too on-the-nose for my liking). The interactions between Howard and The Artifact were very reminiscent of Disco Elysium, which felt similarly uninspired. Still, it was a fun and engaging experience with outstanding art and music, and I will definitely play whatever EggNut releases next.

Detroit: Become Human [PS5] – Quantic Dream

Easily the best Quantic Dream game I’ve played. Again, this is a game that has very strong presentation, with the UI design, art design, and soundtrack all working in tandem to create an entertaining and unique experience worthy of the Quantic Dream “interactive movie” approach. However, unlike the last two games on this list, Detroit doesn’t have the writing or gameplay chops to back up its fantastic design. Once again, David Cage and co. have penned an incredibly awkward, contrived, and ironically inhuman story with Detroit. The dialog was stilted and unnatural, with characters bursting into arguments and devolving into copy-paste cliches at every moment. Who even was Cara? The entire theme of the story centers around android sentience, but she shows absolutely no agency, and her inexplicable attachment to the girl android just makes her seem more robotic, like she has a “prime directive” to be a mother. Why would an android even want to be a mother? This question is never answered or explored, which is a trend in the story; humans are angry at androids for stealing their jobs (very subtle immigration allegory there), yet we never see what this labor-free human society looks like. I never came across any homeless or otherwise financially struggling humans, but this would be something to address in a world without the need for humans to work. What do humans do all day if the androids have all the jobs? Another thing that bothered me was the whole mind control via touch thing that Marcus and later Connor perform; is this actually mind control/suggestion? If so, that undermines the narrative of androids having free will, as they are just switching their prime directives to follow another leader, albeit one that probably is more closely aligned with their own interests. It’s not clear how these androids come to their own decisions. I’ll give credit where it’s due and say that Connor’s plot was the most interesting by far, and his dynamic with Hank, while not exactly original, was charming and actually made me feel something, which is more than can be said about the stories of Marcus and Cara. I’ll probably revisit the game to see just how many unique paths there are (it seems like there are probably a lot), but I won’t pretend that it is the thought-provoking masterwork that Cage seems to think it is.

God of War: Ragnarok [PS5] – Sony Santa Monica

What can I say about this game? Yeah, it’s really good. Really fun combat, really entertaining story, really beautiful graphics. I have to say, though, the next God of War game needs to be a massive switch-up if it wants to stay relevant. That might not be super fair, but let’s be real: a huge part of why GOW 2018 was such a success is the fact that it came completely out of left field and turned the franchise into something no one expected. This game, effectively an expansion (a GREAT expansion) for 2018, didn’t have that factor for me. Still probably in my top five games of the year.

Slay the Spire [Switch] – Mega Crit Games

Putting this on the list is kind of cheating because I spent most of my time with this game years ago and only just cleared a run now, but I’ll allow it. Slay the Spire is incredibly addictive and combines the best of the deck-builder and rogue-like genres to create something consistently fun, challenging, and engaging. I guess if I would have to add anything, it would be some more substantial progression across runs. A game like Hades does this really well, as you feel like you are getting considerably more powerful between each run, rather than just within each run.

Signalis [PC] – Rose-Engine

This was an incredibly special game. I’m not going to pretend to understand its deeper meaning, and I might never fully understand it, but it moved and awed me at nearly every possible moment. Its combination of Evangelion-esque art design, Kubrick-style ambiguity, Silent Hill puzzles, and X-factor presentation made it something truly original and not like anything else I have ever played– not exactly something I would have thought going into it, what with the overwhelming amount of old-school-inspired indie horror games on the market. It’s worth noting the great balance the game struck between intense combat and survival horror elements and pensive downtime in safe areas. That really stood out to me as something that helped the pacing, tone, and gamefeel. The only real criticism I have has to do with inventory: the inventory should have been small, but I think that increasing the number of items you can carry to eight from six would have made things flow a bit smoother and cut down on unnecessary backtracking.