After over a decade of waiting, Pikmin 4 has finally come out. So, was it worth the wait? I feel out of all Pikmin games, this one has the most potential to be the best, but it's held back by some minor issues that I wish were expanded on slightly more. Firstly, I think the areas blended in together for the most part with the exception of Serene Shores, Hero's Hideaway, and Primordial Thicket. While I can understand maybe not wanting to do another winter or fall area, I think they could've gone a different direction like maybe having a desert or something else. Furthermore, I wish that they expanded on the Dandori battles a lot more like how Pikmin 3 has its incredible side modes that you can sink hours into. I feel I could put so much time into this game but there just aren't that many Dandori trials to platinum. And lastly, auto-lock on's kinda terrible. Also a very tiny nitpick, but the I wish the ice pikmin had better designs I mean they're basically just recolored rock pikmin being choked by a rubber band.
On the plus side, pretty much everything else about this game's superb. I love that we can use all Pikmin types and they found pretty clever ways of limiting the player. Oatchi's kinda busted but he's also decently fun in his own right. They basically took the Pikmin 2 dungeons and just made them better in every regard. I love all the returning enemies as well as the designs of some of the new enemies and bosses. Groovy Long Legs and the Ancient Sirehound being particular favorites of mine. And while some of the areas I did have issue with, the ones I did like I LOVED. Hero's Hideaway is great, I love levels that takes everyday objects and then shrinks the player so they actually become obstacles. And Serene Shores is the coral reef area I've always wanted in a pikmin game. Night mode's also pretty fun and glow pikmin are an awesome side pikmin that have some pretty nifty moves and strategies. I love lobbing glow mobs at enemies and watching their healthbar just drain then and there.
Could this game be more difficult? Maybe. Honestly, Pikmin was never really difficult but some of the level designs and enemy encounters do require some level of thought put in. Maybe if rewind weren't an option, I can see this game being much more punishing. As a huge pikmin fan, I think I got my money's worth, but I do hope they expand on it with DLC for side missions and modes because I think that could really elevate this from a great game to an incredible one.

I greatly enjoyed RDR1 and hearing that RDR2 was even better certainly piqued my interest. And, well, yes... RDR2 is better in so many different ways. I think the overall situation and plot's a lot more engaging, the characters are way more fleshed out and interesting, and the interactions with the open world are far more advanced than they were in RDR1. I think my favorite aspect of this game is how you really get a good sense of family and community with the Van der Linde gang with many of the supporting characters having vibrant and fun personalities. This, of course, makes the gradual decline and inevitable destruction of the gang all the more tragic. My jaw did drop a bit when Sean was shot in the head and when Lenny was gunned down on the rooftop, I remember thinking "no!!!" because he was my favorite by far. He was an intelligent and fun young man with a lot of great interactions with Arthur and he was shot down while he was still so young. I knew many of these characters were doomed from the start, but that does not take away the tragedy of their passings. Fortunately, some did survive and it's quite touching to see them in the epilogue forging their own new lives. Mary-Beth, Tilly, Pearson, all having their own conclusions as they are able to succesfully escape their past is really touching and I love the interactions they give to John Marston. I also found the chemistry between John and Abigail to be amazing and seeing John genuinely giddy and in love with this woman made me feel pretty happy for the guy. Not to mention him getting to meet up with Charles and Sadie in the epilogue was great, I loved that they got to band together at least one last time and I'm happy Sadie and Charles also got to get their own satisfying conclusions. And on the topic of supporting characters, while Rains Fall and Eagle Flies only became relevant much later, their plight and conflicts were EXTREMELY engaging. They make you feel for the injustices they face and their conflicting ideals, the difference in their age, and the ultimate death of Eagle Flies was an incredibly compelling story I did not expect at the later half. Rains Fall still mourning his son at the epilogue is just another twist of the knife in this miserable story.
Now, this brings me also to Arthur Morgan who is an AMAZING protagonist. Going in, I thought we'd be playing as John again so playing as someone we've never heard of before was interesting. As time went on, I found Arthur's struggle in finding good in himself, his disillusionment with Dutch, and him facing his inevitable demise to be deeply compelling. He's a tragic, flawed, and ultimately doomed character who perhaps did deserve his fate but helped many others in the process. Of course, we all know how it ended with John Marston which adds a further layer of tragedy.
Dutch is a WAY more compelling antagonist now as you can see his desperation and deteriorating mental state begin to take a choke hold on him. Everytime the gang moves, the camp gets progressively drearier and sad until the very end with Beaver Hollow. Micah is also a great additional antagonist you just HATE with a passion. He's perfectly despicable in every way and makes Dutch's downward spiral just a tad more understandable.
Gameplaywise, this game is full to bursting with exploration and content. I love how a lot of the random interactions are way more unique and varied compared to RDR1. And a lot of them end up having nice payoffs when you meet them back in town. I also like there's far more incentive in doing dishonorable things like crime, robbing, and murder compared to 1 and entire important gameplay mechanics such as train or stagecoach robbing are made a thing. You're going to get a wanted level a lot and some quests outright force you to become wanted.
Overall, RDR2 excels in both the story and character department as well as the expanding on the immersive open world gameplay from the first game. Very easy reccommend and I can see why this is many people's favorite!