8 This one took me forever to actually finish. Not having played the ps2 or ps3 games all the way through, I was not a day 1 buyer nor excited for the God of War ethos. It took several tries and retries to finish it completely and I had an overwhelming feeling of competency from every part of the game. Good story, presentation, combat, design etc. but it never hit that special stratosphere for me. That may be due more to me than to the game, but this was an enjoyable adventure that I feel no need to replay for several years. My favorite parts were the world design and just the grandness of everything… The story shaped up nicely and it just had that huge adventure feel that was fun to experience. It’s hard for me to say it’s overrated or shouldn’t be considered as a top tier game, because I did really enjoy it and it may be my personal preferences and tastes that keep me from rating it higher myself.

8 I was a little unfair to this game because I was always comparing it to the Arkham games, which I hold to be one of my favorite series of all time. Yes, this did iterate a lot on those games, but it also had a freshness and a charm that set it apart. The simple feeling of being Spider-Man is the best part of this game. The acrobatics and suits and fluid combat just brings a smile. The main story is good on all fronts, although I would have liked to see a little better level design and combat setups. The side stuff is been there done that but not so offensive to bring the game down entirely. Even in 2024, I think this would be my pick for favorite Spiderman game out there, even above the bombastic sequel.

8 Spiderman 2 is the best playing game of the series that Insomniac started in 2018. The moves, fluidity, controls and traversal are top notch. The combat is fun and engaging and while it does fall into spectacle over skill at times, it’s still great fun. On most every aspect I think the 2 previous games outdo it. It falls into Forbidden West and Ragnarok territory where the sequel is bigger and bolder while losing the charm and originality of the original. Now that is expected to happen as a sequel but games like The Last of Us 2 are able to separate themselves from the first game by developing in all aspects and keeping things fresh and subversive. Now it’s a completely different type of game, but the story and writing had me rolling my eyes all the time while the gameplay and controls kept me pushing through. Very nice game that didn’t quite live up to my expectations.

10 I’ve been a Souls fan and a Miyazaki fan ever since I redbox rented the first Dark Souls 1 game and stayed up all night barely being the tutorial with a half broken sword. Elden Ring is the grandest refinement of that Souls formula, and it is most similiar to that game in the series. By that, I mean it is epic and non linear in build/style/world and while it leaves room for poorer areas, it has a mystery and openness that is unparalleled in gaming. My only complaint is I feel the first 15 hours when you are at your most vulnerable is the most fun, culminating in maybe the best dungeon of the game. Perhaps it has too much content overall where it gets to be too much in the end. However, the fact that late game dungeons are still so good and the amount of good content is so high is remarkable. This is truly an all timer.