It's a cool passion project that somehow has some of the best visual design in gaming. The OST is also pretty good, and overall I'd say the game's best moments make it worth a playthrough. However its true potential is sadly held back by Source engine gameplay and also being 50% sewer levels/crawling through ventilation shafts - there is plenty of content that really just needed to be cut.

For a game that prides itself on its choices, you are constrained to being a mindless stooge way too often. Along with overall mediocre gameplay it quickly becomes an unsatisfying experience despite its interesting world and great art.

This game is definitely overshadowed by the first Deus Ex but otherwise has a really undeserved reputation. It's still far more enjoyable than most stuff that's released today.

A consistently beautiful collection of musings, with a similarly wonderful soundtrack. Written from the heart, and will likely bring you to tears if you're in the right mood for it.

This game has so much to offer with an incredible soundtrack, beautiful artistic design, and thought-provoking (if heavy-handed at times) writing. I was deeply touched by certain parts. It's the type of work that can only come from strong, singular direction, by an author who clearly heavily invested their own emotional capital. All of which makes me want to love the game. But to put it simply, the highs are high and the lows are too low.

It feels like there was some intentional effort to 'fit' contrasting elements in the game (I want to say they are shoehorned), rather than let the predominant segments stand for themselves. The main culprit is, yes, the arcade, which others have written about in their reviews. But also, the hideous seizure-inducing retro aesthetic. Why, when there is such high effort and appealing claymation, right there beside it? Or, segments of pseudo-philosophical rambling when there are also moments of profound and touching dialogue. It makes it seem almost like the author just grabbed a handful of 'cool philosophical ideas' out of a box and threw them at the game, essentially stumbling into something that made sense. I hope not, because some of the ideas were pretty good. How about, the absurd xD random humor opposed to the genuinely clever jokes sprinkled throughout.

It's frustrating, in the way that only something you genuinely like can upset you. In the end, I'm not really sure if the good was worth drudging through the bad, which makes the game hard to recommend.

Fromsoftware did a surprisingly incredible job with Elden Ring. Visual design and atmosphere are some of the best in the series, while also having significantly improved gameplay compared to previous souls titles. It's also a relatively well polished game despite its scale, which is very nice considering the series' history with jank. Though of course, it's not a perfect experience.

Repetition of content is probably the game's biggest fault. I'd say at least 20% could be cut out of the game for its benefit. Some bosses are repeated around a dozen times with extremely minor variations between them, and a not insignificant amount of regular enemies are reskinned and placed throughout the whole game. If repeat content was removed and the world condensed a bit, the experience would be far more cohesive and rewarding. The open world is certainly a detriment here.

It's also far too easy to trivialize the game. This was obviously a decision made with more casual audiences in mind, not necessarily a bad thing, but as of launch some things are far too overtuned. To the point that certain mechanics have to be ignored by any decent player if they want a challenge. Previous souls games managed this well enough with summons and various magic options, so the current state of balance is a bit disappointing. But nothing that ruins the game by any means.

Overall, the game manages to be one of the most engaging and grandiose of Fromsoft's titles. Major bosses and most of the main levels are of excellent quality and the world is a joy to explore despite repetition. The soundtrack is great as well with some of the series' best themes. I had some doubts to start off with, but the game turned out great.

A severe lack of content ruins this game's multiplayer above all other things. It seems to be a common sentiment that the gameplay itself is incredible, and that 343 deserves at least some credit for managing that- I disagree. The best parts about the gameplay have been two decades in the making, and were not measurably improved by Infinite. Otherwise, the sandbox is full of obvious attempts by 343 to leave their own mark on the series, which for the most part fall flat. Unfortunately, these additions were made at the expense of some of the most iconic parts of the series: weapons, maps, vehicles, game types. It's just disappointing. There's much more to be said but honestly this game doesn't deserve the effort it would take to write more