Pokerouge is the most fun I've had with a Pokemon game in quite some time, it really understands what it wants to be. It's extremely replayable and encourages trying new teams and strategies in a way that mainline games do not. Playing Pokemon normally is too braindead, playing nuzlocke is too luck based, Pokerouge nails the difficulty here.

Thing is, the difficulty can really, really spike sometimes, like you will be on top of the world and then swept like nothing. Certain trainers have their teams buffed to a ridiculous degree, it's nothing anyone could see coming the first couple plays through.

But yeah it's goated, been playing it a ton these past couple weeks and hasn't lost any appeal. Just glad Nintedo hasn't put their ban hammer on it yet.

When I play a game, my primary focus is on gameplay, simply how it feels. If I want to be emotionally affected, I'll listen to music or watch a series, but the point is I'm not a story-based game kind of guy. But, wow, Explorers of Sky really is making me question that, what a powerfully simple game. It's lightning in a bottle. I can't figure out why exactly this game has emotionally resonated with me so much, but it simply does.

I've played some really amazing games in this past year as I've been trying to catch up on some classics, but I don't think any of them have really helped me in the way that Explorers of Sky has done. It's so funny how a narrative about fictional creatures, how something with Bidoof in it, can tell such a human tale, but it does. This game has made my heart feel a certain way that video games haven't in some time, and it's a little uncomfortable to be honest. I never played Explorers of Sky as a kid, but to be an adult, playing such an inherently nostalgic game with a story that anyone can resonate with, it's a really strange and moving feeling. A game about little critters to heal the soul regarding loss, loneliness, friendship, community, geez man. It's too much.

There were plenty of moments where I wouldn't have given this game a 5/5 score, mostly due to some problems I had with the gameplay. But I simply don't care. I will be thinking about Pokémon Mystery Dungeon for a really long time, it's just so...much. Definitely adding this game to the list of things to look forward to if I get Alzheimer one day. To experience all of its beautiful qualities all over again would be everything.

The soundtrack will wrap you in this floating sensation of warmth and comfort. I can't understate just how powerful it is. Prepare for infectious smiles, for tears, for just feeling like you are kind of not on Earth. The premise of the game is equally adventurous and self-reflective. It juggles multiple aspects of the story very well and creates a singular storyline that hits so many unique emotional beats. The characters are so lovable and pleasant to be around. You will instantly love every single character yes, because they are adorable, but also because they feel dynamic in how they're written. The visuals take a simple world and make it vibrant with how detailed and intentional the design feels. Beautiful sprite work, character portraits, and overworld design paint a lovely little world to be in. All of this it to say that Explorers of Sky is able to transport you to this place of harmony within seconds, and to make it even stronger, it's smashed into pieces every now and then. Anyone could play and appreciate it, I guarantee that anyone could feel some strong emotions well up.

If you've played this game, you know. If you haven't, you really owe it to yourself. I definitely 100% played this game legally and didn't download an incredibly easy to use emulator to my underpowered laptop to play it no I mean it'd be so easy to do that and for anyone to do that but I didn't. Point is, game is good. Haven't cried this many times from one game probably ever, what a manly ass game.

Sonic Frontiers is a lot like Pokemon Scarlet/Violet, I mean I haven't played them but I'm ASSUMING. As a game, on paper, Sonic Frontiers is ambitious, fresh, and a solid new direction for the series, and for a lot of the game's runtime, it really is a lot of fun! As a Sonic fan, it was great being treated to the first Sonic game since Generations that's simply fun to play, I reckon I'll be playing it for a while. And, like any Sonic game, the soundtrack is nothing short of incredible.

That said, the lack of polish here borders on insulting sometimes. Sonic Frontiers released an update later the year to fix a lot of problems with the underwhelming endgame, but like the game at base, it was filled with awesome moments and moments that made you wonder if it was play tested even once. Like I'm talking the most insane difficulty spikes I've seen in any game. Like other Sonic games, there's glitches, there's unfairness, there's just things that make you deeply disappointed, which sucks.

However, as a Sonic fan, I know that each game can become amazing when you avoid all the bullshit, and Sonic Frontiers is no difference. There's plenty of ick I experienced during my first playthrough, but now I know how to avoid/deal with that. Sonic Frontiers is at it's best when you're just chilling out and exploring, when you're taking in the spectacle of a truly epic boss fight, when you're enjoying some decently good characterization. It's an extremely bumpy ride, but once you know where the bumps are, it's kind of a 4.5 stars instead of 3.5. It's rough around the edges, painfully so at times, but I cannot wait for what comes next.

Update: I wrote this review after raging at the final boss until 11PM. I proceeded to fall asleep at 5:00 for my 6:30 wake up and called in sick. I’m blaming Sonic Frontiers for this.

Breath of the Wild is an immensely special game. Breath of the Wild makes you feel like a kid on a schoolyard again. Breath of the Wild is something you obsess over while watching your older sibling play. It's a really good game. I purchased BOTW in college last year and often played in in my main apartment room, with a friend of mine frequently watching, who played the game back at release. And wow, so many good memories I have of this game, so many wholly unique interactions you can have in BOTW. Trying some genius plan and accidentally napalming an entire bokoblin base. A 1 in a million longshot with your bow. Finding out you cleared a shrine in an unintended way. Breath of the Wild is you exploring a world with little to nothing but your sweet gamer intuition. So many traversal options, combat options, wacky physic mechanics, and just so many unique stories to be had. It has some issues, but almost all of them don't matter to me, almost.

No, I don't care about the story, or side quests, or the weapons breaking (I actually really like that last one), I have a problem with the first 5-10 hours of the game being the most enjoyable. There's a shrine a good distance into the game that strips you of all of your items and forces you to complete an island puzzle, and I think it says a lot that I believe this was easily the best shrine in the game. BOTW's main problem is that it kind of goes from a sandbox survival game to a power trip kind of game with its gameplay as it progresses. The difference in weapon, stamina, and gear maintenance between the early and late game is just, wow. Weapon durability when you have 6 weapons feels like a crucial balance of resources, but when you have 16 it's an inconvenience. Climbing a mountain goes from a genuine test of your equipment to kind of a cutscene in the late game. You just kind of lose something with that. Trust me I don't want to get one shot or anything like that, I just wish it was more difficult to get stronger and capable I suppose.

But honestly, I really don't care that much. I loved my fist playthrough and I've had about 3 more 10-hour playthroughs that I've loved. It's an incredible game and I truly think it is timeless and transcends the age and ability of a player, anyone can play and enjoy BOTW. It's a fun ass game, it's a really smart game, it's a very memorable game.

Yoshi's Island is an incredibly strong example of how one mechanic can sour an otherwise pretty amazing game. Music, platforming, and visuals make me want to believe this is actually the most comforting game of all time. Sadly, you're a babysitter the whole time. After taking a hit, baby Mario will fly away while WAILING at the top of his lungs while this insane alarm is blaring in the background with a big ass timer. It sucks, so bad. Yoshi's island is like going for a nice walk on a nostalgic, beautiful day but every 5 minutes some dude comes around the corner and clocks you in the face. An absolute classic otherwise

Such a charming game dude, it's a jack of all trades master of none kind of deal, but it's a really endearing concept with a decently good execution. Solid gameplay, plenty of content, amazing music and sound design, a great sense of humor, and wrapped in this adorable idea for a game. I'm giving it a 4/5 because it's kind of boring, but it's boring in a chill way, and there's nothing I'd change about it. Also I played this on PC, but I also had it on my FLIP PHONE when I was like 11 isn't that just crazy man?

Sekiro is such a thoroughly good game that it's had the unfortunate effect of making me like other games less, especially other souls games! The sheer amount of things Sekiro does well is astounding, in terms of combat, traversal, writing, presentation, seriously almost everything. If I was a game designer, I would probably up and quit because Sekiro is a game that exists.

Quite a departure from the series it's compared to, Sekiro takes a considerably more forward approach with its storytelling and linearity, and one that is well appreciated! How this is achieved is through more loveable characters, whereas Sekiro's contemporaries are more concerned with world expansion. Both have their place, but I'm glad Sekiro chose to tell a story about characters, about questioning morals and mulling over important decisions. The world is fucked, and there is a lot of moral questions that your brain forms as you violently slaughter thousands of opponents, but the game is aware of everything it presents to you. Something about lore being shared over a pint of some monkey booze is just special ya know? The diamonds in the rough of this world are things you just want to hold on to, until you realize that they're tainted too. The articulate writing is something that makes characters likeable within even one conversation. I remember even a few lines of dialogue from some very personable street vendors, and the last words of soldiers in a battlefield, ones that could have just as easily had their life taken by you instead of another. Sekiro doesn't shove any one thematic question in your face, it presents you with a small, intimate cast that allows you to question what the right thing to do could possibly be.

I don't think I fully realized how upset I became with other difficult games until I played Sekiro, where my enjoyment to frustration was probably about 95:5. It just... works man. Playing Sekiro is not far from learning a instrument. There isn't a moment in this game where I felt I wasn't actively getting better at it, and it helps that the game is consistently giving you new techniques to add to your fundamentals. Like an instrument, any challenge in the game can be accomplished utilizing your fundamentals, but the personalization of which tools you utilize is what makes the game yours. In the same vein, the rhythm of combat is frighteningly addictive. The timing required to counter enemy attacks always feels achievable despite the complex nature of encounters. Every piece this game tasks you to perform you know you will one day master, and every piece has been crafted to teach the player. There's also very few moments of bullshit in Sekiro. There's no stupid dogs, there's no breaking bridges, there's barely any enemies that completely snipe you, there's just this respect the game kind of has for you. Despite how brutal this game can be, there's plenty of moments in the overworld where the game just lets you take it in. Sekiro punishes laziness, it doesn't punish the player for playing the game. There are very few moments of Sekiro where you feel slighted, there are an abundance of moments where you accomplished. Games of this genre should learn a couple things from Sekiro

Like any game, it has some flaws. There are very few things in your kit that can prepare you for facing even as few as two enemies at a time, which can be frustrating in a game with so many adversaries. Some moments of progression both mandatory and optional feel incredibly random, and the roadmaps to reach certain endings are just absurd. Also, fuck all the apparition enemies that you need a special item to defeat, those bosses genuinely suck.

But the level of consistent quality in the fundamentals of Sekiro is what makes it beautiful. It is simply fun to control Wolf, which makes doing everything engaging and exciting. In the past, when I've completed a Souls game, I pretty much repeat it until I'm sick of it or done everything there is to do, but I never want to risk this game not feeling like a special experience. I didn't feel a minute of my time was wasted in completing Sekiro, and I don't think I ever will. Go play this game.

Despite my efforts, I cannot separate my childhood memories from Sonic Unleashed. Despite the werehog, despite my PS3 begging to be put out of it's misery, despite some interesting story decisions, I just love this game. Sonic Unleashed is the most Sonic that the character has ever been. He's the fastest, kindest, and goofiest he's ever been here, and I think it's great. The concept of traveling the globe fits right at home for ths character, the soundtrack is immense, and the vibe of the game really is just warm. Playing this game after getting it for my 12th birtthday whilst eating a giant tin of candy corn that I also got for the 12th birthday, what a time dude. I have outgrown candy corn long ago, can't say the same for this game.

I can't do this anymore. Lies of P is like, the worse version of 5 other games man. It's simply unenjoyable. Souls games punish laziness, Lies of P punishes you for playing the game. Shoutout to every bridge breaking, every enemy that snipes you with a bottle, miniscule parry windows, and overdesigned mechanics. Shoutout to every damn boss being two phases. Shoutout to this guy's stupid haircut. Man. It's pretty, it has value, it came from a small studio, but it says absolutely nothing. Everything in Lies of P can be found in a better game. Actually no the weapon system is dope as hell, that is fun. But you only get to use them in an unfun game man. Do better.

One of those games that's really polished and beefy, but the more I think about it the less I like it. The theme of rebellion certainly makes an effort here, but this game does little outside of saying that good people are good and do good things while bad people are bad and do bad things. This game tries to be smart many times, but just isn't. Gameplay wise it is superior to its predecessors, but with this kind of game, it's the writing that sticks with you, which is weaker in this addition. When characters aren't written particularly great in a game this long, it can get tough to sit through. I used to like this game, and I can still say it's a well-made game, but all I can think about are the negatives. I think people really like it because its length kind of forces it to become part of your life for at least a quarter of a year, but looking back it's just filled with a lot of holes that reek of bad social commentary. It DOES have really good music though, hot damn. Also I played this game in 2020 so fuck this game my opinion may be negatively skewed but there's no way I'm replaying a game this long.

Had to shelf this guy. The visuals and narrative of this game just cannot be understated, especially the former. This is a truly beautiful game, from start to finish. The story has very well realized characters and is just very thematically sound, it's a great story. Some of the set pieces are really something, seeing Jin's change of heart throughout the game is up there with the stunning visuals.

However, it's really just not that fun to play. An action game without a lock-on feature is just... a bizarre decision. At a certain point combat becomes kill or be killed in one hit, which may sound interesting, but it's more like the game is a cakewalk until it's a tightrope walk. The world is a bit too vast with inconsequential side quests that couldn't hold my interest.
It's a good game, I understand why some people really enjoyed it, but a bit overhyped in my opinion.