Kentucky Route Zero is maybe another contender for one of my favorite games of all time.

Combining the aesthetics of semi-dystopias and hazy late night drives and modern art, with the storytelling methods of both American folk tales and theatre (which as a theatre major I just loved) and adding the rare use of the removal of player influence to sell the story's impactful moments just blew me away.

It uses all of this to tell a beautiful story of the effects of Capitalism on both individual through the accrual of debt, and the way it effects larger communities through improper care in search of greater profit. It does all this while not feeling super trite and having compelling and interesting characters.

It's mind blowing that I left it this long for me to play it, and that it isn't constantly being brought up as a reference point for other game devs. Maybe because it's so singular in it's vision that it just can't be replicated, who knows.

There will probably be nothing quite like KRO ever again, and that's okay with me.

Return to Monkey Island is unbelievably charming, from it's art to it's writing. Looking to bridge the gap between the first three games and it's slightly rocky latter games, Ron Gilbert and his team have managed to cap off this legendary point n click franchise in the best way possible.

The writing is hilarious, and never falls into the adventure game trope of being overlong. The same can be said of the puzzles, which are the right amount of brain-teasing, with a handy hint guide that can be addressed at any time (and without any guilt, which I personally find irritating in older titles).

The art has a fantastic vibe to it, conveying a sense of wonder and childish whimsy, alongside being used in ways that made me laugh out loud.

I do highly recommend this one, even if you haven't played the others (theres a scrapbook at the beginning that covers the important points anyway) since at its core it's just a brilliant adventure title.

This and Hi-Fi Rush has proven to me that this sort of Hack n Slash should always be sub-10 hours total. MGR has all the obvious stuff, the music is great, the combat feels engaging and smooth and the bosses are fantastic.

This is a Platinum title that has survived the re-evaluation of the company post-Bayo 3, although this is because it wasn't written in house. Platinum's lack of subtlety actually helps gets the games themes out even clearer, since war isn't used as a reference point for other ideas, but is the core idea being discussed, especially the role private militaries play in global politics.

This is a game well worth playing, and is close to the pinnacle of the genre, and is a hell of a lot smarter than all the memes might make you believe.

Yeah this one isn't doing it for me. I love DMC5, and adore the hack n slash genre in general, but this one just feels clunky more often than not.

I do understand people saying the game gets better once you get to playing as Dante, but Dante doesn't change the boring enemy design, confusing and cluttered levels and the general lack of engagement.

I also hate the parry. A lot.

This is an RPG from the 80's that managed to predict the entire progressions of RPG's in general over the next 40 years.

The writing is brilliant, the sprites and animations in the remake are beautiful looking, and the gameplay is engaging and simple enough that anyone can get into it.

The experimentation in each section creates such a sense of wonder, as you go into each time period wanting to know how the devs are gonna shake things up this time.

A classic, play it if you can.

The best entry of the "modern" Persona franchise, and the portable version is the best possible version of the game. While I do understand that some people are upset about the lack of The Answer, in my opinion The Answer was never really a major part of the experience in the first place.

What P3P offers instead is QoL changes (controlling your party in battle being the big one, alongside skill cards), removal of the busywork of movement through the overworld and an entirely new route focusing on a female protagonist.

It's also still just Persona 3, a beautiful story about accepting mortality, and trying to live with what you have without falling into despair.

The best version of this game, readily available on modern platforms and the best entry point for people looking into getting into Persona as a franchise, it would be silly to miss out.

((Still think the P2 duology is the better overall game, but it's still locked on the Vita at its most accessible so...))

Who'd of thunk we'd get our GOTY contender so early into the year.

Hi-Fi Rush is fun, funny and engaging in a way that I wasn't expecting out of an XBOX first party dev. Tango Gameworks have managed to make some of the most easily accessible rhythm and character action gameplay ever invented, and coats it in a excellent story and characters. Music is, obviously, fantastic as well.

If Microsoft wants to really invigorate their spot in gaming, doing more stuff like this has to be a must, and I hope this gives them the incentive.

(For context I 'abandoned' this right at the end)
Sonic Frontiers reminds me a lot Pokemon Legends Arceus. Both are companies attempting to revitalise a franchise with sweeping gameplay changes and both are deeply frustrating.

To get the good out of the way: the music is fantastic, the world is lovely looking, and Ian Flynn manages to make the Sonic cast interesting in a game, which feels more and more like a rare feat.

Unfortunately, the actual game is pretty lackluster. Combat looks cool, but is marred by shoddy targeting and a weightlessness not helped by the fact that enemies are more "puzzles" than fights, which makes the inclusion of a combat system all the more confusing.

Movement is clunky, sonic will stop, turn and float seemingly at random and the camera switching from 2D to 3D at certain points doesn't help matters. (this is especially bad on the third island)

And despite my praise of Flynn's writing, I never really felt engaged with the full plot of the story, only really getting glimpses of something kinda interesting? Not enough for me to get fully engaged.

I hope Sonic Team keeps working in this design space, but Frontiers often feels more like a proof of concept they're selling for $100 rather than a "truly innovative" Sonic experience.

Stellar acting, stellar direction and a powerful and affecting mystery makes Sam Barlow newest game close to a masterpiece.

Much like Barlow's other works however, the occasional lack of immediate direction and nature of certain clips and how you interact with them can make it feel frustrating to actually play.

That shouldn't keep you away from one of the most interesting and impactful games of the year.

Once you get past the somewhat boring opening half, this darker take on the classic Digimon Adventure story can be pretty tense and occasionally lives up to the hype of a horror genre Digimon story.

The visual novel sections are pleasant and are charming and thankfully interactive, but the brilliant combat rarely gets a chance to shine and neither really amaze more than in brief flashes.

This is a game for Digimon fans first and foremost, and probably shouldn't be on top of the "to play" lists for either SRPG fans or Visual Novel enthusiasts.

I'm gonna be frank, the ending of this game fucking sucks, but asides from that, Bioware has managed to make one of the most interesting sci-fi universes in modern media. Great writing, fun characters and fun gunplay and RPG elements rounds the whole package out. This version of the series is the best possible way to experience the games at the moment, and is currently available on Gamepass. If you like Sci-Fi, RPG's or hot aliens, you should check this out.

Also Liara is the best girl and I will take no arguments.