Recent reviews by MR RATCHET

TL;DR - The original and still a good version of the game that is still worth playing even if you own the Scholar of the First Sin re-release version. There are enough changes to make the original version worth playing through.

Pro's:

- Powerstancing and build variety has drastically increased.
- Much more weapons and armour to collect, further offering more customisation and build options.
- The ability to respec is much appreciated. Experiment with builds more freely than in Demon's Souls and Dark Souls
- Majula and the ambiance there is phenomenal. Best hub world in the Soulsborne series.
- Graphical fidelity is a massive upgrade over Souls 1.
- Omnidirectional rolling makes dodging easier than before if you have the right ADP.
- Equip load is easier to understand for the player in the stats screen.
- Most of the area's and level design are great with the exception of a handful (more on that later).
- Character and boss designs look great.
- Works absolutely fine on Steam Deck with no graphical issues at all.
- 60fps support and native resolution support make this a big upgrade over the previous PTDE.
- Still online, making this the only version of the original game with online multiplayer (PS3/360 are offline now).
- Fragrant branches are not really a progression blocker like in SOTFS
- DLC is now included in this bundle, much like SOTFS.
- DLC quality overall is solid and a decent upgrade in design over the base game
- The longest of the Souls games. You get quite a lot of gameplay for the money, especially if you tackle the DLC.
- NG+ Changes and mixes up enemy placement, making it feel fresh unlike previous Souls games.

Cons:

- Hollowing mechanic is a bit punishing for beginners
- ADP not explaining that it improves i-frames (invincibility window when dodging) is an incredible oversight. A lot of players will not know about this and it will make the game much harder as one of the core gameplay mechanics is handicapped from the beginning.
- Base player i-frames when dodging are lower than Demon's Souls, Dark Souls and later Souls games. Levelling ADP is a must and can make the game much easier. Failure to do so greatly hinders the player.
- Some bosses feel like they shouldn't be bosses and are far too easy.
- Some bosses like in Souls 1 are re-used a few times.
- Infusion cannot be done until about halfway through the game. In SOTFS you can do this much earlier with the Dull Ember.
- Blue Smelter demon runback solo is painful.
- Can be invaded even when hollow.
- Stamina regen is delayed if you empty your stamina bar.
- Estus flask healing takes too long unless specific stats are levelled
- Estus flask healing is not instant like later Souls games
- Lifegems can break this game and make it too easy, much like healing grass in Demon's Souls.
- Shrine of Amana forces the player to use range and is a big difficulty spike if not. Enemy placement has ranged sorcerers with a ridiculous aggro range along with infantry soldiers, who are not affected by the water whereas the players movement speed is drastically hindered, forcing the player to play in a specific way.
- Some level design in both versions make no sense. Why are we ascending into a volcano via elevator from Earthern Peak when there's no volcano above it? It's impossible. Perhaps this elevator should have been made to go down?

Original vs SOTFS:

- Original has better early game enemy placement.
- Enemy placement can be vastly different throughout all areas in the game.
- Some additional shortcuts added in SOTFS
- Less fragrant branch progression blockers in original
- Item placement is all different
- DLC keys given to the player in original instead of having to hunt them down
- DLC not required for achievements.
- DLC is identical between both versions.
- Drangleic enemy placement is better and feels more like an endgame area.
- Dragon Shrine lacks the atmosphere found in SOTFS with the Dragon Knights aggro'ing the player immediately in the original. In Scholar, they will only do so under specific conditions.

Overall, Dark Souls 2 is still a great game. It experimented a lot more than other titles have and dared to try, though not everything it tries sticks. If you understand some of the mechanics like ADP needing to be levelled, the games overall quality is fine. A handful of odd level design (ascending into a volcano above earthern peak that isn't there) and enough differences between this version and Scholar make this game still a worthwhile purchase and playthrough.

TL;DR - A good version of the original game with some questionable QoL changes. In some areas it does great whilst in others it went too far or not far enough. The core gameplay remains amazing as it did back in 2011.

Pro's:

- Combat system is challenging and rewarding. As with other Souls games, it's like a dance. Learn the enemy/boss attacks, time your dodge's, manage your stamina and respond accordingly. It feels very rewarding once the combat style clicks.
- Lots of customisation options for the player. Build variety is great.
- Interconnected world and locations are all great. Anor Londo is particularly breathtaking and still looks great.
- Lots of lore to uncover.
- Many characters to (optionally) meet. Some of them are great (Solaire, Siegmeyer and Sieglinde standout).
- Played perfectly fine without issues on PC and Steam Deck.
- NG+ encourages repeat playthroughs. Enemy health and damage scales up and may require the player to approach things differently.
- Sound design is great. Enhances the ambiance and atmosphere of the world perfectly. Love the credits song in particular.
- Artorias of the Abyss DLC is included.

Cons:

- Combat can feel a little stiff with 4 directional rolling if you are coming from a later release with omni directional rolling.
- Bed of Chaos. Feels like luck 90% of the time.
- Some players may need to look to external sources like Youtube to learn of the great lore/story.
- Unable to respec like in later titles. Multiple builds will require multiple characters/playthroughs.

The below are to do with the remastered versions quality:

- Finally able to change native resolution and runs at 60fps without the use of mods
- Missing some additional enhancements in the options menu that would have been nice.
- Password matching to make it easier for jolly co-operation
- Some art style changes may/may not be to everyone's liking e.g. bonfire.
- Lighting seems a bit borked. Some characters seem too shiny
- Everything is brighter on the whole. Whilst this does increase visibility in some areas, it detracts from the original vision of the game.
- Not offering much in the way of benefits over a fully modded PTDE version of the game, which was removed with online multiplayer shutdown in order to entice players over to this version. Bit of a slap in the face to owners of the original, regardless of the original discount that was offered with some of the objective issues the remastered version has.

*Note* Unfortunately you can no longer purchase the Steam version of Dark Souls PTDE. There is a physical copy available but it uses Games for Windows Live and prices are increasing. A lot of what i wrote below will still apply to the Remastered version unless otherwise stated.

TL;DR

Pro's:

- Combat system is challenging and rewarding. As with other Souls games, it's like a dance. Learn the enemy/boss attacks, time your dodge's, manage your stamina and respond accordingly. It feels very rewarding once the combat style clicks.
- Lots of customisation options for the player. Build variety is great.
- Interconnected world and locations are all great. Anor Londo is particularly breathtaking and still looks great.
- Lots of lore to uncover.
- Art style and graphics still hold up. Uses the original releases art style and models.
- Many characters to (optionally) meet. Some of them are great (Solaire, Siegmeyer and Sieglinde standout).
- Played perfectly fine without issues on PC and Steam Deck.
- NG+ encourages repeat playthroughs. Enemy health and damage scales up and may require the player to approach things differently.
- Sound design is great. Enhances the ambiance and atmosphere of the world perfectly. Love the credits song in particular.
- Artorias of the Abyss DLC is included.

Cons:

- Combat can feel a little stiff with 4 directional rolling if you are coming from a later release with omni directional rolling.
- Bed of Chaos. Feels like luck 90% of the time.
- Some players may need to look to external sources like Youtube to learn of the great lore/story.
- Unable to respec like in later titles. Multiple builds will require multiple characters/playthroughs.

The below are to do with the port quality:

- Locked at 30fps. Requires DSFix to unlock framerate to 60fps. 60fps can cause physics and collision issues *PTDE ONLY*
- Stuck at 1024x768 resolution, only allows upscaling. Requires DSFix to change native resolution *PTDE ONLY*
- Servers now offline. Requires DSCM to play online.
- GFWL servers offline (physical copy).

Most of the cons are not with the gameplay but rather the quality of the port and the current inability to purchase this version of the game, which is a shame as it does have some things that are better than the Remastered version.

A great small slice of Metal Gear Solid V, showing off the great gameplay and graphical fidelity, let down only by the fact it's effectively an expensive paid prologue to the full game Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain.

Pro's:

- Ultra smooth and fluid animations work great with the high framerate
- Easy to run on most PC's
- Looks incredible, despite being a 2014 release
- Story is short but good. Acts as a kind of epilogue to the preceeding game in the series (Peace Walker) and as the set prologue to the next (The Phantom Pain).
- Gameplay is top notch. Large amount of variety and ways you can tackle the missions. The choice available to the player help with replayability.
- Shows a number of gameplay features that are found in the full release (The Phantom Pain). Optional objectives, scoring system, reflex mode, enemy combat, movement system, extraction system are all present bar the fulton extraction system for building motherbase found in TPP.
- Extra non-canon (aren't a part of the main story) missions are available, which offer replayability along with the choice to try for S ranks
- Completing Ground Zeroes 100% unlocks additional soldiers and items for the full TPP release.

Cons:

- It's a glorified demo/prologue. The price for this on its own is hard to justify as the main story itself can be completed in less than an hour. If you've played Metal Gear Solid 2, this is effectively the equivalent of a slightly shorter Tanker chapter.
- Only one location. Whilst there are a variety of missions, the layout and structure of Camp Omega remains the same.
- A handful of bugs. I've had the tranq shots go right through a handful of people's heads and the game does have a micro stuttering issue that can be fixed by the user.

Ultimately the game is great but the price for the amount of content being sold is hard to justify. Would recommend picking this up as a part of MGSV Definitive Edition as this will already include it + DLC.

*Note - this game barely gets the recommended rating. I would give it a mixed review if the option was available*

Sonic Superstars is a return to 2D classic Sonic and thankfully, much like Sonic Mania before it, it inherits the 2D classic titles physics and gameplay. If you've played the classic titles on the Mega Drive/Genesis, Sonic Origins or Sonic Mania, you know exactly what to expect. If not, classic Sonic titles feature momentum based platforming where speed is the reward and the name of the game. The gameplay still feels just as satisfying as the older titles, you can explore and take multiple pathways throughout the levels with the higher paths often leading to faster traversal through the levels. You can also pick multiple different playable characters, each with their own unique attributes. Sonic, Tails and Knuckles all perform exactly as you would expect from Sonic 3+K and Sonic Mania, with Amy for the first time being available at launch in a 2D Sonic title rounding off the pack, with a unique double jump and huge hitbox, making her feel unique in her own way. All the characters are fun to play and regardless of who you pick, you will be able to play a unique special act, which makes you play as one of the characters specifically. There is also a 5th playable character, available once you beat the main story but I will not go into detail for this due to spoiling the game.

This time round, Sonic Superstars tries to take a page out of the New Super Mario Bros book and introduces 4 player multiplayer for you to play with your friends. While this sounds like a good idea on paper, the execution leaves much to be desired. The camera cannot decide who to focus on, meaning players will frequently be thrown off screen and forced to respawn as the camera constantly switches and jumps around from player to player in an erratic fashion. Frustratingly, this issue could likely have been solved by focusing on the top right player or by further zooming out the screen and adding a 'P1, P2, P3, P4' icon. In addition, for some bizarre reason there is no online multiplayer for this game. You can get around this with remote play and it's a mess to set up but it can work. Sadly, as it stands right now, unless you are specifically co-ordinating and going slower, multiplayer is nothing but a chaotic, unpolished experience.

Unlike Sonic Mania before it, Sonic Superstars takes the 2.5D approach to its graphics, similar to the NSMB series. While some would prefer the pixel artstyle of the Classic titles, Sonic Superstars still manages to look great. This also extends to the completely unique levels, which is a bonus when compared to Sonic Mania's reimaginings taking up a considerable portion of the levels. This makes the game feel fresher than Sonic Mania, though this is not to Sonic Mania's discredit.

The story is poorly explained. While the cutscenes at the beginning of the game and the ending look great, it's really not explained how some things happen. This problem is exacerbated by the final boss for the 'Last' story appearing out of what is essentially nowhere and the ending having it sealed in what appears to be an egg by the hidden playable character. There are small hints, hidden during the character acts but frankly, the story is a disjointed mess, which is a shame because a handful more of the animated cutscenes sprinkled throughout could have helped the cohesion.

While the gameplay overall is fantastic and the graphics and levels are all interesting and look great, the game is sadly let down by the very frustrating boss designs. In classic Sonic titles, you are allowed to hit the bosses as many times as you like, the risk/reward being that you may take a hit whilst doing so, which could lead to a death. In Sonic Superstars, unfortunately Sonic Team made the decision to give bosses invincible frames (I-frames, boss cannot take any damage) after you hit it once, forcing you to wait whilst an animation plays out and an attack sequence happens again. The waiting really drags out the boss fights and can make them feel tedious. This problem is made even worse in the late game, where bosses often can take 5+ minutes to fight. One of the bosses is an annoying sidescroller where for half the fight you literally just sit there and wait. If you die, you end up going all the way back and having to sit through it again, waiting for ages to be given the chance to attack. This problem is made worse when the later bosses also incorporate insta kill mechanics, which means that you will die and end up having to wait a lot, making the whole experience even more frustrating.

The instant kill mechanics also feel incredibly cheap. Take a game like the Souls series, those games manage to not feel cheap because a lot of the time if you fail, it feels like the players fault, fair enough. In Sonic Superstars, you will not feel like it is fair. For example, another boss requires you to consistently run to the right whilst it drops explosives on you. The player is already being skill checked for their speed and momentum platforming. While this is happening, the level behind you is disappearing, leading to bottomless pits. Take a single hit during this fight, regardless of rings, you will more than likely fall into the pit and have to restart.

Another example is the final boss of the hidden characters story and the 'Last' story. The boss in the hidden character's story gives you rings but they are all but utterly useless since the overwhelming majority of the attacks will insta kill you regardless of your ring count. This is made even worse by having a badly choreographed final attack that again, you guessed it, can insta kill you. As this boss is a two stage fight, it can really drag on and lead to many frustrating restarts unless played flawlessly. This is not fun and difficult for the sake of being artificially difficult and badly telegraphed to the player. Likewise, the 'Last' story boss suffers from the same badly telegraphed attack issue in the final stage of the fight, which also incorporates QTE's that do NOT explain when you are supposed to press the dash button (it's the circumference by the way, not when it changes colour like every other game in the industry...). There is absolutely no indication given to the player, leading to frustrating deaths and restarts. Combine this with the complete RNG of the ring drops required during the Super Sonic fight and you may well be at the mercy of RNG and not have enough rings to even complete the final stage.

When you hear or read about how the bosses in this game are a joke, to be fair to the game, it's only really a huge problem in the last quarter or so of the game. Unfortunately, as this is the part gamers will likely remember the most, it leaves a very bitter taste and sours the whole experience of the game.

There is a good game buried in Sonic Superstars but as always with Sonic games, it's buried under very poor design choices. If Sonic Team and Sega release a patch that does the following then the game could potentially sit there with the likes of Sonic Mania:

- Remove I-frames and allow the player to attack the bosses multiple times
- Add in online co-op
- Fix the camera in multiplayer, either by focusing on the 'lead' player or by pulling the camera out further to show more of the levels dynamically
- Remove/rework the bosses to remove RNG and the multiple insta kill mechanics (one or two in the final bosses are fine)

Right now, this is a game that has potential and may be worth a look but you really have to be prepared to potentially have your experience ruined by the bosses. For now, it just about gets a 'recommended' rating because I still had a great time with the levels themselves but just exercise caution if you're considering this title.

TL;DR - Overall a fun and good game though it shows its age with some mechanics, presentation and characters. Base game without BetterSADX is not worth your time, however, it is worth taking a look if you are happy to install BetterSADX (See note below).

*NOTE - This is all based on the Dreamcast Conversion Mod and Better SADX, NOT the vanilla game. Install BetterSADX and the Dreamcast Conversion Mod. They are essential in getting the best experience with this game, including missing lighting effects, textures and restoring lost features from the Dreamcast version that were lost with the port to the Gamecube and later the PC. This also adds support for widescreen, which is not in this Steam release by default.*

Pro's:

- Sonic plays and feels great, arguably the best out of all his 3D titles.
- Character designs are nice and look pretty solid for a first attempt in 3D.
- Level design for most of the characters is generally good, particularly Sonic's stages
- Level themes offer a nice variety that you'd expect from a classic Sonic title. There's grassy, beach, snow, casino and volcano based levels.
- 6 playable characters offer unique gameplay styles. Sonic, Tails, Knuckles and Gamma all play very well.
- Hub worlds are decent for a Dreamcast title. There is incentive to explore them if you're going for 100% or collecting Chao eggs
- Chao (virtual pets) have a decent amount of depth to them. Encourages replayability if you like to farm for materials and rings from levels
- Levels have 3 different emblems to get, with each mission (A, B, C) offering different criteria.

Con's:

- Not enough Sonic levels, would have loved to have had more of Sonic's gameplay
- Voice acting and animations are extremely dated, though one can say it's part of the games charm
- Re-using levels for most characters can sometimes show issues. Tails can completely break the first level because he can fly (e.g. finish the level in less than 30 seconds as opposed to a normal run as Sonic)
- Casinopolis is a pace breaker
- Big the Cat's fishing is a pace breaker and can be long and tedious when going for the later emblems
- Amy's acceleration is slow, making her feel clunky to play as. Levels are decent enough though.
- Chao Races (required for 100%) are a long grind with hidden mechanics that can make winning them luck based.
- Not much variety to the A and B missions of a stage. C is always complete it (story), B is finish with 50 rings and A is finish within a certain time. Only really worth doing if you want a challenge or 100% but they're easy as is.

TL;DR - Great value, hundreds of hours of gameplay across multiple titles make for great co-op fun. A handful of improvements should be made to improve QoL and make it truly the definitive experience for Halo.

Pro's:

- Great value! Includes Halo CE, Halo 2, Halo 3, Halo 3: ODST, Halo: Reach and Halo 4
- Most of the titles run extremely well
- Cross-platform competitive multiplayer support
- Input based matchmaking
- Story for the Halo titles on the whole are all enjoyable. From the original trilogy to the standalone titles, the Halo saga is a great universe
- Golden triangle of Halo still holds up (Weapons, melee, grenade)
- Gameplay is solid across all titles, though there are some differences (bloom, hitscan, projectile)
- Graphically the games hold up for their time period. Halo 2 Anniversary looks phenomenal and the other titles look solid for the time period.
- Steam Deck support is finally here and most titles work great. You can also play matchmaking as anti cheat support is included.
- Continuing mod support means there's a variety of custom maps and modes you can try.
- Still receiving continued support by 343.

Cons:

- Halo 3 is overwhelmingly the most popular title. Finding multiplayer games for other titles takes a long time.
- Some gameplay changes between the titles can be jarring. Most titles use hitscan, Halo 3 uses projectile. Some titles like Halo Reach have bloom etc. It can throw you off a bit if you're not a veteran of the older titles.
- CEA's anniversary graphics are...not great. They don't really fit the title.
- Gameplay is considerably slower than comparative Arena shooters on PC. It may take some getting used to.
- Crossplay does not work for Campaign. You cannot play the campaign with players on Xbox One / Series Consoles
- Steam Deck currently cannot play Campaign co-op with anyone other than Steam Deck users.
- Halo 2 Anniversary bizarrely is heavy on some PC configs, including the Steam Deck.
- Lack of splitscreen. Other PC titles support splitscreen and its absence in MCC for PC is disappointing.

TLDR - Whilst I've put this as recommended, it's entirely dependent on whether you have a friend to play through with. If you are intending to play solo, I do not recommend. A decent enough co-op entry into the Wolfenstein series, with the solid gunplay from previous titles returning. Despite some huge missteps and some disappointment, there is fun to be had in co-op, with the series gunplay just about keeping the title afloat.

Pro's

- Gunplay is still as good as it was before (provided you are at the right level)
- Fun to explore and experience the Wolfenstein universe with a friend
- RPG elements encourage replayability and are fun to upgrade
- Some decent level design
- Weapon upgrades offer a degree of customisation between accuracy, fire rate or damage
- Character abilities offer some new ideas compared to previous titles. Fun to experiment with

Cons:

- Repetitive environments. Paris is incredibly small and you will pass through the same locations. A LOT.
- Catacombs are annoying to navigate through and are probably the low point in terms of level design. Claustrophobic, lake of room to manoeuvre, dark, not very exciting at all.
- RPG elements and gatekeeping by having enemies that can one-shot you because you are too low a level feels completely out of place. If you felt it was weird in a title like The Division, it's the same here. Why are your bullets doing no damage to a HUMAN enemy?
- The story amounts to literally find BJ, beat a Nazi General and then nothing. Nothing really changes for Paris/France so it feels like the whole thing didn't matter.
- Main characters (BJ's daughters) are incredibly unlikeable. Forced humour and interactions feel incredibly awkward and fall flat, elevator scenes are annoying, who thought this was a good idea? The only times these characters feel 'believable' are the brief interactions they have with BJ and Anya.
- Collectibles are directly tied into character abilities and weapon upgrades. You may find yourself needing to grind if you don't check the area you're in.

TL;DR - An extremely satisfying evolution of the already great gameplay and combat loop introduced with the Doom (2016) reboot. It can take a little getting used to it but once it 'clicks', this will be one of the best FPS games you'll have played. Ended up picking up the two expansions (The Ancient Gods 1 and 2) which are both great too. One of the best FPS games out there.

Pro's:

- The fast paced gameplay and combat loop returns with some slight alterations. It's incredibly satisfying and all the weapons feel great to use.
- Combat has been altered slightly to encourage more quick weapon switching. In order to retrieve ammo, health and armour whilst remaining combat effective, you will need to juggle switching weapons, glory kills (health), setting demons alight (armour) and using your chainsaw (ammo). When it finally clicks for you, it is an immensely satisfying change to the Doom (2016) combat loop.
- Demon variety is always great with some new additions. The Marauder's may catch newcomers out but are easy to deal with once you understand their mechanics. Boss fights range from being forced to deal with unique enemies to dealing with huge, towering demons.
- Doom Slayer (The player) has a lot more mobility in this game compared to the previous entry. Combined with great level design to support the players movement, the combat and flow of the encounters is increased.
- Platforming sections help to break up the gameplay every so often, helping to keep the combat fresh with each encounter.
- Story was entertaining. Cutscenes are short but sweet and the player is kept mostly in the game with some humerous interactions by the Doom Slayer

Cons:

- The Battle mode is disappointing. An interesting take of an asymmetrical multiplayer mode (Doom slayer vs 2 player controlled demons) but it isn't as fun as the previous entry's multiplayer. It may click for you but I found it to be an easy pass.
- IF the combat loop does not click for you, you will die a lot. If you are coming straight from the 2016 predecessor, the combat loop in this game will feel jarring initially. Stick with it though.
- The game is designed around 'combat arena's'. If you do not enjoy the combat loop then the combat arena level design may also be not to your liking.

TLDR - A step back in some areas in terms of level design, story writing and questionable design choices but ultimately still a fun time held up by extremely satisfying gunplay and gameplay mechanics. A solid game, yet weak sequel to the previous titles.

Pro's:

- Wolfenstein's strong gunplay/gameplay mechanics from The New Order (TNO) and The Old Blood (TOB) returns and is still as satisfying as it was before
- Levels present a horrifying 'what if' the Nazi's occupied the U.S
- Characters are all likeable and entertaining.
- Story immediately picks up from the end of TNO. You're also allowed to choose which 'timeline' you wish to follow (based on a decision made in TNO, here it is presented in a flashback). The story can be altered slightly based on this so multiple playthroughs are encouraged.
- A lot of previous characters and villains return from TNO
- An interesting look at B.J's backstory is shown

Con's:

- For some reason, Machine Games decided to handicap you with lower health (you start with 50 instead of 100). This can lead you to getting melted far too easily early in the game, making it feel more difficult than a lot of late game sections.
- Some humour and writing is out of place. There will be times where the serious nature of some scenes is pointlessly interrupted for a quick gag to lighten the mood. These light hearted elements would have served better elsewhere. Wolfenstein The Old Blood pulls the humour aspect off much better and TNO has a better balance.
- Sometimes you can spend far too much time on the Eva's Hammer (Submarine, TNC's 'Hub world'). It's supposed to make you connect with some of the characters you meet and whilst you can interact with some of them, it overstays its welcome by the end of the game.
- The story on its own can feel a little weak. It holds up better if you've played TOB and TNO because it very much picks up where they left off. As a standalone, it falls short and a handful of plot threads are left open with little explanation.