Overwatch is one of my favourite games of all time and is my most played game of all time also. However with that being said the change of monetisation model breaks the progression and makes it impossible to get new skins without spending money. The fact that no overwatch coins are in the battle pass is breaks the game for me. The battle pass challenges also feel uninspired and uninteresting to complete making it feel like busy work. I love the new heroes, 5v5 is so much better with how the game has evolved since 2016 and push is a fantastic game mode. Overall overwatch 2 feels like an unnecessary cash grab, which is such a shame coming from one of my all time favourites

God of war (2018) is the complete package. A personal, emotional story full of intrigue and mystery, excellent characters that are all integral to the story and themes, incredible world building, a weighty combat system that starts off simple but has enough depth to be satisfying through out my 100% playthrough, Side content implemented so flawlessly that it feels Indistinct from the required content. Kratos and Atreus's journey is just as much about opening up to each other as it is about fulfilling his mothers wish. Optional boss fights provide quite a challenge with the final optional boss providing dark souls like euphoria upon defeat on hard mode. This reinvention of the franchise is executed near flawlessly as it tells an incredible compelling and complete story while setting up a grander tale to come. A must play game for any PS4/PS5 owner

Portal 2 is close to being a perfect videogame. Through it's excellent level design, funniest writing I have ever seen in a video game and new spins on the original portal formula make this game pretty much flawless in my eyes. Adding in a fantastic Co-op campaign that retains all of the quality of the main game is not just a cherry on top it's another cake on top of the cake neither of which are a lie. I'm not even the biggest fan of puzzle games but portal 2 changes things up enough to keep it fresh through out and provides a reasonable level of challenge so everyone can get through in the end. The fact I hadn't played this before 2022 is scary and writing this review has got me wanting to play it again. A sign of a true masterpiece

Xenoblade absorbed me for three months. From it's imaginative world across two titans locked in battle, an incredible party of characters full of personality and life (Special mention to the mighty HEROPON), a story that gripped me from beginning to end and with plenty of emotional moments, and a combat system I never got bored of in my near 150 hours of game time. Each party me member have there own skills making them all feel unique and through customisation the characters primary role can change from a tank to a heavy damage dealer for example. Ether crystals further allow you to customise your character's to give you more freedom of choice in combat. The MMO like combat with art cool-downs bridges action and turn based strategy perfectly and has become my favourite style of combat in RPGs. Not to be forgotten the games has a orgasmic soundtrack where every song hits me and I still listen to it from time to time. The party can be fleshed out through optional heart to heart scenes adding so much layers to the cast making them for me up there with the greatest RPG parties of all time mass effect 2 and chrono trigger. The only flaw I can see is that some of the side quests can get repetitive but they are entirely optional. Overall I loved everything about Xenoblade chronicles. It is a package that very few games can match, My favourite RPG of all time and definitely has a place in my top 5 GOAT videogames

My Run through FFXIV a realm reborn was full of ups and downs. The games looks beautiful on PS5 and the soundtrack stands tall among final fantasy legendary soundtracks. The locations in FF14 are enjoyable to explore with even the more genereic areas becoming great through world building and things you do in them
realm reborn is chock full with quests, events and minigames to play providing many hours of gameplay and fun activities to do with friends and members of community. The game has many classes to play around with and all the ones I toyed around with I enjoyed, with the dragoon being the class I used for majority of my game time.
The story of a realm reborn is full of fantastic world building establishing the world fantastically the story itself is one note and predictable but enjoyable. A tale necessary to set up the world perhaps for greater stories to come. Even the epilogue a realm awoken had a really interesting plot thread that gets me excited for the future.
The number of quests and the lack of variety in the campaign quests is the games weakest aspect and unfortunately make a realm reborn a chore to play at times The campaign certainly has great moments but they only encompass about 10% of the main quest the other 90% involved fetching wine cheese or fighting a certain number of enemies. Not very inspiring
The game shines in its dungeons and raids as the welcoming community of ff14 and its enjoyable combat leads to a match made in heaven as you battle iconic monsters from the ff series the highlight of my FF 14 experience for sure.
Overall I really enjoyed my time with FF14 the fantastic community makes you feel welcome at every turn and even its short comings can't bring it down. I can't wait to play heavensward in 2022 !!

The original ratchet and clank is a bit of a mixed bag. The game does a great job of creating planets that you want to explore full of secrets. Witty characters occupying these planets most cutscenes a delight to watch with its tongue and cheek anti-capitalist dialogue. The games music also compliments the game perfectly and a few tracks are genuine bops.
It's unfortunate then that the only place ratchet really falters is in its gameplay as a jank auto lock-on system or aiming in first person not being able to move leads to a lot of unnecessary frustration in many encounters. The weapon roster is also not great with a few standouts that are really enjoyable to use. In fact I found that ratchets wrench was actually better than most of the weapons which I don't think was intentional. Another Issue I found inconvenient is having to equip gadgets that could easily have been context sensitive inputs. This constant need to switch breaks the pace of the game. The game has other gameplay styles in certain sections that provide a change of pace but are not standout beyond that.
Overall the first ratchet shows its age in its gameplay but shines in almost every other aspect. A good start with plenty of room for improvement

A poor entry in the sonic racing series especially compared to transformed and the original. The game is over reliant on its team gimmick and while some of the tracks are good they pale in comparison to the bombastic tracks of transformed. The story mode is lacklustre and the character roster is pitiful for a modern racer. The best I can say is that it controls well enough and the soundtrack is decent as always. A decent kart racer is in there somewhere but far to many aspects kill the fun to recommend it

A strong foundation surrounded by the barest of bones I have ever seen. The game looks great and is a well tuned competitive football game. Its lacking much of the charm of previous games with characters having no unique abilities and the stadiums just being bland and just cosmetic . Even character animations which look great lack the specific strikers charm and are far less in abundance than previous. While the gameplay is great there is nothing to bring you back, with free updates just adding characters and armour failing to address the games problem. A good game that should of been a great one

Super Mario Bros 3 is masterful. The game is a cacophony of ideas that are used so incredibly well that every level is resolved around a single idea that is built on throughout the stage and then shelved for the next brilliant idea. Each level in the game is excellently paced where each level is a joy to run through at high speed or explore every nook and cranny. The games power ups are a joy to use whether it is the raccoon leave, fire flower or frog suit they all have their own uses. The introduction of the item inventory system really adds to the game allowing you to use items at your leisure. The world map adds charm to the game, with fun minigames to get 1ups and powerups, that don't disrupt the games masterful pace. Each world is a varied and distinct playground that is a joy to explore. The enemies created for this game became instant main stays and the koopaling boss fights are frantic and quick which really fits the game.
The game is a blast from beginning to end and is a must play for any gamer

RE7 is the scariest game I have played in the series to date. The first person perspective really adds to the tensions as you slowly walk around this horror filled house. The encounters with the bakers can be genuinely scary something I hadn't felt in a RE game prior. The game plays like the classic RE trilogy just in the first person. The slower pace of the game really captures that old school feel while leaving the tank controls in the past where they belong. The game has some fantastically designed areas that are top tier RE, but a long flashback section and the games final area being to focused on combat led to the game ending on a low. The games extra content and DLC also adds value and uses existing assets in cool ways and gives you extra context for the story for those that want it.
Overall RE7 is one of the finest entries in the series that I look forward to playing again in the near future

Strikers charged is chaotic and charming at every turn. The gameplay is frantic with crazy items, fun level gimmicks and filled with characters with specific skills making each choice important. Each character would have its own duke with the ball whether they teleported forward, jumped in the air or unleashed a heavy attack along with their different stats leads to many different permutations to consider. The captain and sidekicks you chose really impacts your strategy as well as your opponents. The game is at its best in multiplayer but has single player content in the form of a tournament mode and smash bros like events. The thing that I love most however is the presentation of the characters. Each character has its own theme that plays when they score, concede multiple goals and win a match. The variety in genres used is astounding and makes me never want to skip a goal replay. The games one weakness is that it may be to chaotic for its own good as applying stratagems can be tough with the over the top items, multiple scoring mega strikes, and game changing level gimmicks such as both teams losing characters after every goal and a storm that can blow characters away. But with that being said the game always makes me smile and I would have it no other way.

I love this game. Ever since I first played it I instantly fell in love with the game and batman as a series. Rocksteady created an experience that blends together near perfectly. The characters are superb carrying the story with Mark Hamil's joker being the star of the show. The game really integrates you into the world through character bios and interview tapes creating a world beyond just the games scope grounding the game in a deluded reality. The asylum itself is a character and is one of the most atmospheric locations I have ever experienced. The gameplay is one place where the game shows it's age slightly with the brand new free flow system feeling clunky compared to more modern iterations. The boss fights are also hit and miss, with more misses than hits unfortunately. While these might sound like big issues they barely impact the metroidvania greatness of asylum that is only enhanced by hunting down the pesky Riddler trophies.
The challenge maps are a fun bonus to test your mastery of the free flow combat with score based challenges and stealth maps that make full use of batman's toolkit

Injustice 2 is a fun fighting game nothing more or nothing less. The variety in characters to play as is great even though I'm not a massive DC fan behind batman there was plenty for me to love in the rostor and the differences in each character makes trying each one a joy. A special mention to the ninja turtles who I love. The story mode is definitely well above average for fighting games but is a bit of a letdown in comparison to the first games which I felt was superb. The loot system is something that got be hyped in pre release but the execution is far to much of a grind for me to like it, with loot boxes being pushed a bit to high for me. Injustice 2 is a good time with friends but is not the step up I was hoping for from the first

It takes two is one of the most fun Co-op games I have had the pleasure of playing. The game is joyful to play as each level brings unique mechanics and environments to explore. The vareity is truley astounding as the gameplay shifts genres entirely at times and always keeps you on your toes hungry for what is next. At times sections tend to drag on a little longer than they should but even that feeling doesnt last all to long. The minigames sprinkled in also adds greatly to the game as it allows for even more fun creative experiences to be had with those we love. That's what this game does best it it's scather brain nature might hinder a single player game but in multiplayer it is perfect as it allows us to create beautiful memories that we may never forget. The story while a bit overbearing and cringy at times it really comes into its own closer to the end and the deep message behind it is heartfelt. It takes two is a phenominal game that anyone with a partner with any interest in games should play and I can't wait to play what hazelight makes next.