Mikhail Manfredo

Born with a controller in one hand and a slice of pizza in the other, Mikhail is a lifelong gamer with a Jersey edge. He covers games with personality, passion, and just enough attitude to keep things interesting. Whether it's classic throwbacks or next-gen hits, he’s here to keep PlayRatedGames.com sharp, honest, and just a little loud.

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Born and raised in New Jersey but always chasing the next stamp in the passport, Mikhail Manfredo is a writer, editor, and the kind of gamer who still has emotional scars from getting no-scoped in Halo 3 lobbies. He came up during the golden age of online trash talk, Mountain Dew-fueled all-nighters, and the constant fear of the Red Ring of Death—so trust him, he knows how gamers think, act, and argue.

As co-founder of PlayRatedGames, Mikhail’s mission is simple: keep it real. Authenticity isn’t just a buzzword—it’s the difference between a good game and a forgettable one. Whether he’s breaking down a review or stirring the pot on the PlayRated Podcast, he calls it like he sees it, no sugarcoating, no press-release parroting. And when he’s not doing that? He’s vlogging his way around the globe as GlobeTrottingGuido, proving that gamers can touch grass.

I like doing a bit of everything when it comes to gaming content. I write reviews whenever I can (though let’s be honest—gamers are forever haunted by the endless backlog). Whether it’s retro classics, relatively recent releases, or the newest titles I finally get around to, I love diving in and sharing my thoughts.
I cover gaming news here and there, but what I really enjoy is making predictions—so I can leave a paper trail and proudly shout, “I KNEW IT!” when I’m right.
And lists? Don’t even get me started. Top favorites, least favorites, totally random subjective rankings—I’m all about them. If it’s listable, I’ll list it.

When Mikhail's not gaming, he's out exploring the real-world map — one passport stamp at a time. Catch his adventures, travel vlogs, and cultural deep dives over on

https://www.youtube.com/@Mikhailmanfredo
 🌍✈

Articles By Author

Spiderman 2

Insomniac has been killing it lately with keeping a 3D platforming mascots (Ratchet and Clank) alive for over 20 years now when they could’ve easily let it fizzle out several console generations ago. Their newest release in that franchise is widely considered now to be the most innovative and best entry. I’m glad they’re able to balance keeping such a golden age franchise alive while also tasked w...[Read More]

Super Mario Bros. Wonder

Being a lifelong Super Mario fan, (Super Mario 64 is what made me fall in love with gaming); I’ve always anticipated the next 3D Mario and what great ideas and fun Nintendo will churn out for the current console. Super Mario Oddessy, despite being bloated with a zillion moons to collect, was still hours upon hours of delightful entertainment. The latest main installment in the Super Mario series, ...[Read More]

Is ‘Dark Souls 2’ Still Worth Playing?

Get good scrubs

Why ‘What Remains of Edith Finch’ is my favorite indie game of all time

I played this little indie game during a period of grieving in my life and I figured at the time that’s why it resonated so heavily with me because of the emotional turmoil I was going through. However, I went back and replayed this indie title a few years later to see if it still struck those same chords and I can say not only did it deliver, but it was even better upon a second play-through. Wit...[Read More]

The Last of Us Part II

The follow up to Naughty Dog’s 2013 masterpiece The Last of Us. This game is one of the most polarizing video games I’ve ever witnessed released. Being such a huge fan of the first game I was taken by surprise fairly quick with the brutal death of protagonist Joel early on in the game. I know that this is the moment a lot of people turned the game off and gave up on it but this wasn’t the problem ...[Read More]

Ghost of Tsushima

Face me!

Metro Exodus

A satisfying conclusion to Artyom’s legacy Metro Exodus (<– Buy Here) is the finale in the Metro trilogy that began with 2033 and continued with Last Light. Based on the popular Russian novel series written by Dmitry Glukhovsky, Metro Exodus deviates from the novels to do its own thing and it does it masterfully. The game has super immersive storytelling and atmosphere, seamlessly b...[Read More]

Devil May Cry 5

Devil May Cry 5 is widely regarded as the second-best entry in the series, just behind the genre-defining Devil May Cry 3. It stands out now as an incredible action game that every fan of the hack-and-slash genre should partake. Building on the franchise’s legacy, it offers an engaging story, jaw-dropping visuals, and some of the most refined gameplay mechanics the series has ever seen. The plot t...[Read More]

Astro Bot

Game of the Year 2024! Over the now 30 years since the Playstation 1 was released back in 1994 there has been a stellar lineup of mascots for the platform. On the PS1 we had Crash Bandicoot, Spyro the Dragon, Solid Snake. For the PS2 we were introduced to Sly Cooper, Jak & Daxter, Ratchet & Clank. Also between the next console and PS2 we had the mighty God slaying Kratos then on the PS3 we...[Read More]

25 Must Play Games

As anyone who enjoys the gaming medium and a wide variety of what it offers knows; there’s always going to be a seemingly endless backlog of games that you never can catch up with. With 2025 being around the corner and the industry becoming larger than ever, there’s just way too much content for us to reasonably keep up with. Just like everyone else, I haven’t played every game out there tha...[Read More]

Sample Page

This is an example page. It’s different from a blog post because it will stay in one place and will show up in your site navigation (in most themes). Most people start with an About page that introduces them to potential site visitors. It might say something like this: Hi there! I’m a bike messenger by day, aspiring actor by night, and this is my website. I live in Los Angeles, have a ...[Read More]

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