Yoko Taro this time around goes for really bold & ambitious storytelling weaving some certainly impressive meta-narrative with the themes he wants to portray through the medium of gaming.

I just want to say that I really appreciate the messages Yoko Taro wants to convey. They're unique, powerful, thought-provoking and genuinely meaningful. These topics might actually be more relevant than ever now. In this sense, the game was designed perfectly.

Ironically though, what significantly drags down the experience for me is the gameplay itself. I was just going through the motions for the most part. Nothing in the combat design excited me. This becomes especially problematic when you have to almost entirely repeat route A.

Once again though, continuing the trend from its predecessor, Automata has some of the best sound design and OSTs I've heard in any medium period. Genuinely the music is what made me push through a lot of times. Generational stuff in this department.

My introduction to the Yoko Taro universe, and oh boy do I have thoughts about this game.

Positives:
- Generational OST collection. Every single one of them is a treat to the ears. My favorite in the medium now.
- The Wedding sequence. Chef's kiss.
- Kainé is a fucking queen. Best character.
- Grimoire Weiss. We all need a talking floating book in our lives.

Guess gameplay is the minor talking point here so I'll get it out of the way. Nothing special in this department. Mostly standard button-mashing combat which doesn't require many braincells or any skill to perform.

Yoko Taro's concept for this game is certainly intriguing. Learning that the events of this game originate from one of the Drakengard endings & the deeper context behind it just told me the kind of batshit crazy man I'm dealing with here.

One thing that was absolutely clear was that Yoko Taro hated gamers at this point in his life. Everything in this game is tedious. Lots of pointless running around just to take the piss out of the players. He even made reaching the fast travel point exhausting just to spite us. And then he'll also add a snarky in-game dialogue from the characters to acknowledge this madness he's deliberately putting us through. Like I get it man, you want to prove a point. But that won't stop me from getting annoyed about it.

Now moving on to the narrative.
I was very underwhelmed by ending A, to the point that I didn't actually think it could get much better. I was wrong. Each subsequent ending significantly altered how I thought about the game & how I interpreted what Yoko Taro wants to convey.

Endings B, C, D completely recontextualize the journey the MC & the player have gone through. We essentially become the nemesis of humanity bent upon eradicating the species without the characters actually knowing the consequences of their actions.

It also comes with the subtext of criticism on the mindless slaughter of "enemies" in video games. He makes the players do precisely that in the first run & completely flips the "enemies" in the other endings to make the player feel bad. Herein lies my issue with it.

It's a cool concept, I'll give him that. He gave me some food for thought & that's praiseworthy. But did I actually feel bad? Not really. I've spent 25 hours with these characters, following their goals & rooting for them. Some additional pieces of dialog & cutscenes couldn't change anything for me.

Now with this being somewhat of the central theme of the story, which didn't particularly move me, I'm left with 15 more hours of tedious running around in circles trying to get all the endings. Not very exciting that.

Many of the emotional send-offs they try to give the villains just fall flat on their face for me. The twins' final scenes & Louis is especially where the dialog feels campy and out of place, completely taking me out of the moment. The wolf is the only one who made me feel.

So yeah in conclusion, I like themes being portrayed and the intention behind it. It just needed better execution to be able to hit all the notes it was supposed to for me personally.

Also special props to the English dub cast. Everyone had great performances and I honestly prefer it to the Japanese dub. Kaine cursing in English is music to my ears.

Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice was a gaming experience like no other. This being my first FromSoft game, I was positively blown away from minute one. The opening cutscene sets the atmosphere and then the game took me for a joyride (I say that ironically) that I'll remember forever.

For me, the greatest combat mechanics ever put into a game. The game challenges you every step of the way and forces you to get good, rewarding you handsomely for finally accomplishing the task you failed at on the first 20 tries. Every major boss and even some mini-bosses were fresh roadblocking challenges that you have no choice but to overcome. The satisfaction you get after finally beating them is a feeling no other game can give you.

Although not the best aspect of the game, the story is nothing to scoff at either.

Impeccable game design, flawless combat system and spotless graphics, I have a total of zero complaints with this game. Hats off and a thank you to the team at FromSoftware for creating my new favourite game.

Insomniac's Spider-Man is a breath of fresh air for this superhero franchise as far as the medium of gaming is concerned.

Incredibly well designed swinging mechanics that feel dynamic & natural. It's so good that you could just do nothing but swing around for an hour & not be bored. The combat mechanics are good enough that simply button-mashing will not get you through a fight. There was nothing extraordinary about it, but it was really fun to play.

One thing I was not expecting is such a well-written story with a tightly connected plot. Characters were given substantial depth, which made me invested.

The emotional beats were also handled with great care and the story hit you in the feels when it had to.

The integration of Miles Morales was a pleasant surprise which makes me excited for his game next.