I was in 5th grade when this game was initially being advertised. It looked like exactly the game I'd always wanted a game to be. Superpowers, action, conspiracy, creepy undertones- the works.

I'd ask my mom to take me to the bookstore weekly just so I could read the new magazines and find more info on it. Had to beg to use the only computer in our home to check the website every day. I had no cell phone. I wasn't on any of the limited social media that existed. I didn't have anyone else to share my hype with.

My parents told me I needed to get straight A's (Principal's Honor Roll) for my final quarter if I wanted the game. I had only achieved it once before that. I busted my ass to prove how exceptional at 5th grade I was, and at school year's end, my parents received a report card with straight A's.

I received Psychonauts about a month after its release. I managed to avoid spoilers.

After all that waiting, this game still had the nerve to be BETTER THAN I EVER COULD HAVE IMAGINED.

To this day, I still like playing it. I still like watching speedruns of it. I still think it has one of the best scripts in video game history. Some of the levels of this game on their own are legitimately better-designed than entire installments of popular modern game franchises. I didn't realize it at the time, because it was happening real-time, but this game was a generational-type experience. Games of this all-encompassing quality come out once every 5-7 years. If that. Games that make you want to play more games.

This is a game I would suggest gamers use to teach their non-gamer friends about games. This is a game I will show to my eventual child in order to illustrate and pass down the joy of video games as a medium of entertainment.

This is a classic. Everyone should own it. It made transitioning into middle school a little easier for me, and it'll probably make whatever you're going through right now a little easier for you too.

Not only does Requiem shift RE forward as a franchise in an exciting, dynamic way, but it will likely force the horror game genre as a whole to evolve (or be left behind) through its innovation on enemy behavior, environmental design, and daring, all-in gameplay decisions.

Every room and set piece has meticulous detail and care put into it. The graphics are out of this world. The performance is shockingly stable all throughout. Sound design is immersive and genuinely unnerving. The voice acting is incredible across the board, and Angela Sant'Albano (Grace) may very well be looking at a Best Performance award for what seems to be the first video game acting credit of her career. The game functions seamlessly between both 1st and 3rd-person perspectives.

More than anything, the horror manages to be truly scary while the action remains completely exhilarating for the entire run. CAPCOM decided that no good idea was too lofty to include. They put in the effort and made, essentially, two top-tier horror games rolled into one. They perfectly mixed all of the best elements of their previous entries, yet avoided allowing any filler or goofy writing choices to bog it down.

Incredible as it may seem to say, this is the best RE game ever made. Nostalgia isn't enough to contradict this game's rightful place atop the mountain. I'm confident in saying this, even before we receive DLC (likely Mercenaries + extras), because the experience out of the box is just that undeniable.

Though it's early, 2026 GOTY is undoubtedly REQ's to lose. Don't hesitate to grab this at full price. You're in for one of the wildest experiences in gaming. 10/10.