The Critical Corner

Back in the fall of 2018, Insomniac Games released what many consider one of (if not THE) best comic book games ever made in “Marvel’s Spider-Man” . Taking the expertise they learned with open world traversal with the criminally underrated “Sunset Overdrive”, it turns out there was no developer more perfectly suited to tackle the beloved webslinger. But it wasn’t just nailing the fundamentals that made the successful 2018 game so good. Insomniac Games also crafted a tale that honored and respected the long tenured history of the character and his world, while still making the story their own. While not without its problems, the game came together to provide both one of the best adaptations of Spider-Man in any medium, one of the best exclusives available on the PlayStation 4, and the PlayStation brand’s most financially successful game ever.  So much has changed for Insomniac Games since the release of “Marvel’s Spider-Man”. Not only were they fully acquired by Sony after close to 20 y

I can't imagine the pressure of having to follow up what's widely considered a "Masterpiece". Specially following up something as widely celebrated as 2018's reimagining of "God of War". For me it was even extra pressure. "God of War" is the reason I'm still gaming to this day. During a period of time where I had hit a massive malaise in my life, and no game was hitting the spot where I thought I would just quit gaming outright, "God of War (2018)" absolutely hit me like a wrecking ball. The way Sony Santa Monica reimagined what used to be a character action game into an "over the shoulder" third person action/adventure extravaganza with a story so simple in premise but so rich in character, reminded me of the power of the medium, and stood tall as my absolute favorite game not only of the PlayStation 4, but the entire generation. So, obviously, no small shoes for the sequel, "God of War: Ragnarok", to fill. I