Content from Last 48hrs

Control Resonant I still have some side-content to clear in the post-game but I beat the main story today. Man, I have mixed feelings about this one. It was kind of a disappointment. On its own merits, it's a perfectly fine video game. A solid 8/10 that gets pushed to a 9 by virtue of being a Remedy game. The problem is that, well.. it's a Remedy game. I may have expected too much out of it. Let's start with what I liked: This was marketed as an open-world game but it's really not. The map is split up into discrete zones each with their own themes and with linear paths connecting them. The structure isn't all that different from the first game. It's just spread outside instead of all being in the Oldest House. The art direction is absolutely fantastic. The world is like a cross between the dream sequences in Inception and the trippiest parts of the first Doctor Strange movie. It's really great. The combat. It's not the deepest combat ever but it's fun enough and there's enough room for customization that I was never bored with it even though it can get a little repetitive. And while the combat itself is a bit simplistic, in the greater context of the game it can lead to some seriously cool moments. Especially once you get the gravity shift ability. One time I was fighting a bunch of enemies and some new ones appeared on a rooftop that just happened to be perpendicular to the one I was currently on. I jumped and shifted to the other rooftop and started fighting those new enemies but the way the camera tracked me without readjusting made it look like going from 3D combat to top-down combat and that was just such a cool little moment. That Remedy touch: I mentioned the art direction but it's more than just that. Even the level design feels unique to them. I can't really put my finger on what it is exactly but running around this version of New York reminded me of both Alan Wake 2 and the Max Payne games. Their games just have that specific vibe in every aspect that makes them special to me. Which unfortunately brings us to... Things that disappointed me: It feels like a Remedy game but it lacks what I've come to expect out of them. It never manages to reach the same highs as their last few games. There's nothing that comes remotely close to the Ashtray maze in this. There's really cool stuff spread out throughout the game but there's no singular set piece that really blew me away. There's one level out of the entire game that comes close but that's about it. The story: it's basically impossible to get into this without spoilers so all I'll say is this feels like a sequel to Control alone (and not a particularly satisfying one.) If that sounds like a weird criticism, well... So yeah, I have some thoughts on the game. I don't want to sound overly negative because I still think it's a pretty solid game. Basically all of my issues with it are because I'm a huge Remedy fan and I probably went into it with unrealistic expectations. They haven't announced anything yet but I kinda hope they have DLC plans that will address some of this stuff because after how great their last two games were, being disappointed with a Remedy game was the last thing I expected...