I've decided I fucking hate this game. It's not unfun to play though. Gunplay is cool and the visuals are too. The sound design is nice, and I like the new combat additions, honestly.

But,
FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFUCK THIS GAME'S STORY.
AND F U C K THE WRITING.
FUCK THE COMEDY,
FUCK THE CHARACTERS (mainly the new ones),
FUCK THE VOICE ACTING,
AND F U C K THIS GAME COMPARED TO BL2.

Just play 2, skip this shit.

While beating this game again, I learned probably the most important part about it's existence. It truly is experienced best when you take your sweet ass time beating the story.

When you rush this game (in particular so you can play it again in preparation for TOTK), you lose the magic of exploring, discovering and collecting. When you go anywhere, there is shit to do and resources to collect. When you play just to collect the Divine Beasts and beat Ganon, you lose like, the whole game. It's tough, given that people will probably beat the game before you when you do this, but hopefully the story and spoilers aren't the priority to you lol. The priority should be to immerse yourself in this vast and beautiful world. Being taken away by what's out there, enjoying the scenery, combat, and collectables.

All to say that, when this game hits, it hits

...I'm also saying this because APPARENTLY YOU NEED TO GET ALL THE MEMORIES TO GET THE TRUE ENDING WUIOPHDAWKJLHAKLIJWGDI

Good night! Happy Tears of the Kingdom launch day, everybody!

This game is.. REALLY hard to talk about? It's a game that most of us experienced during the start of the pandemic and had fond memories of, albeit, bittersweet memories of playing it and maybe even visiting friend's islands online. But uh.. I think most of us are in agreement this is a weak entry in the AC series? We all know the story.

We all agree on a few things. Like, this game is really pretty. Just an all around nice looking game with good lighting and attention to detail. It's still animal crossing too, with a lot of quality of life improvements and more options than ever. Also with great new reactions, I love those.

But uh.. woof this games "new" content is.. all sour. And the building system... sucks so fucking much. Terraforming and making bridges and stairs is honestly dreadful. Paths? One at a time? Not a chance in hell. THE CRAFTING? THE RECIPIES THAT ARE BAD? THE INABILITY TO CRAFT IN B U L K??? THE GOD DAMN LIMITATIONS.

..And worst of all, the updates were just adding the things that weren't at launch, we all know this. All there on New Leaf at launch, all absent here, added in updates.

It's just.. this game isn't bad? It's bad for animal crossing, no doubt, but this is still a very enjoyable game. It's cute. Customizing your island is really charming and it's simply a nice cozy game. But it's quality? I don't know, it can be dreadful, but I don't think its worth calling a game that's just decent terrible. Disappointing? Yeah. Good for when it came out? Absolutely. Remembering when I played it when people were dying of COVID-19

...

bad.

Wow. So.. I think there are pros and cons with this game compared to BOTW. I'll quickly discuss what wasn't really great about this game.

The optimization in this game is.. sad. Because it's well optimized, but the switch can't handle it. We all know this by now, this game has frame rate dips, intentional resolution drops, worse render distance, and for some reason has sound popping on my switch oled? That last one might just be my system though. This is a meaty game and you will find it freezing when you do something the game allows and encourages you to do like jump into hyrule chasm. Graphically, It's distracting and often doesn't look good, and the real crime here is the Nintendo Switch. Let it be known that if this system does not get a major graphical upgrade by the end of next year, there cannot be more big games releasing on this thing, it's puny and it's almost 7 god damn years old.

My other issue I have unfortunately lies with the writing and voice acting. The story is fine, I think it's interesting for what it is but.. the voice acting. Can they.. fix that at all? Can they have certain voice actors NOT sound unenthusiastic or cringy? Yunobo is really annoying and Zelda still.. doesn't quite work for me. Though I really liked Sonia? And Mineru wasn't so bad. I will say, I think I got used to it as the game wrapped up, but I still wish that could be better along with the writing. It just needs to have more emotion put into it and I don't think I'm asking for much. Such as dubs go, I guess.

Okay, now that that has been said...

...Wow.

This is without a fucking DOUBT, the best exclusive on switch right alongside Super Mario Odyssey. I am absolutely blown away with how intuitive the building system works and how fun the world is to do.. ANYTHING in. Any contraption beyond your wildest imagination is possible (as long as you don't care about frame rate dips). The exploration was turned up to 1000 with the inclusion of the depths, the sky, and the caves. Seeing "discovery" on the screen brings me so much joy. The weapon system brings me so much joy! Fuse is so much fun to play around with and see how new weapons react with certain items. Weapon buffs and powerful monster parts make it so every weapon is interesting, and you also never really run out lol. Every battle can be tackled in wayy more ways than before, and the way the overworld was transformed truly beats the allegations of "it's just the same map!" It's a full blown sequel, there is no denying that.

Now I wish the narrative and the writing were better, but let me tell you, the artistic value in the world of BOTW/TOTK is unmatched, and it shows in this game more than ever. The M U S I C is SO FUCKING GOOOD AAAAHH (Nintendo, release it on spotify or I will do violence). The score just takes you away and lifts you into the sky, often literally. The mood that's expressed in every theme and motif is just perfect. The gloom theme? INSANE. Those computery voice noises are just incredible. And the cinematics, I just loved. I love both games artstyles so much, especially because they work with the switch's graphical capabilities so well. But man, the dragons, the depths, the zonai constructs, this game absolutely nailed it with how much newly designed stuff is here.

I.. love this game, that's not an unpopular thing to say, and it is absolutely the most quality game on switch despite it's shortcomings. I desperately want to see this game run better on native hardware to see it at it's full potential. But as it stands, it's far from unplayable. In fact, this is a game you can really just keep playing and keep having that authentic feeling with. That feeling of discovery, freedom, and being in the world just listening to the music and sounds of nature, or the sky, whatever. Is it better than BOTW? I would say yes and no? But not equally, ultimately, It's a resounding yes to me because there is simply so much more than before that it is overall a better game. A truly special game and a truly special entry in this franchise. But we already know this. If you own a switch and haven't played this game... what tf are you doing? Don't buy pokemon scarlet/violet. You know what to play. It's this.

I'm gonna randomly start reviewing games I've played. Gaming is a hobby of mine! I don't dedicate myself to games often, I don't sink several hours many games and instead I opt for experiencing many games and cool new worlds to discover. Love that shit!

Uh.. yeah so uh.. "Crusaders of Might and Magic"

This is a cool and dumb PSX game my friend found for $7.99. I got it and was reminded just how much fun I have with PS1 games. They're so silly! Didn't play much of this one but I'm curious if I can get into it lol. Hard game to understand despite the seriously long tutorial dialogue. Maybe I just don't get it. Cool game no one's heard of!

Aye! I finally got around to beating this! This is a certified BANGER game! One of the absolute best of this year!

Pizza Tower takes so many inspirations from many pieces of media (mainly WarioLand, of course) but comes out completely original and authentic. The biggest praise I have for this game is it's animation. It's remarkable. Most comparable to Chowder, I think? The art and animation kept me laughing so hard from how outrageous the expressions and movements were. And the fact that the fun new animation was paired with exciting special level mechanics made this game an absolute BLAST to keep playing new levels of. There are so many secrets and crevices to this game that are super fun to find, along with being a great game to replay to get those rankings and achievements. Also holy shit, the controls? Phenomenal! The sheer amount of moves peppino has are amazing, especially when you utilize each and every one of them. SO much fun to control, explore, and replay! HOLY SHIT I DIDN'T EVEN MENTION THE MUSIC?? IT GOES SOOOOO HARD!!!

This is an all time classic. The world its set in is so goofy and fun, and the level design just makes this a truly fantastic game throughout. Hope this gets ported to consoles soon, you don't want to miss this one.

This was a rad as hell entry in the Ratchet & Clank franchise. Though, it's definitely not perfect? But I'm honestly never looking for perfection with these games.

My favorite part about this game is honestly its character design and animation, which are similar to my biggest praises about Pizza Tower. But where this game falters is it's story. It.. takes itself too seriously and it's honestly so formulaic. Carried by really good voice acting performances and jokes in the classic Ratchet & Clank style, without the edginess of those older games... which I miss. Pizza Tower did NOT take itself seriously, and yet, the cartoon world it made for itself was simplistic enough that it felt nicely thought out despite its clear absurdity. Rift Apart feels like it bites off more than it can chew with the story. Too many attempts at heartfelt moments that are just.. whatever, and the explanation of universal travel stuff is just lame. Still! This game is visually GORGEOUS and the weapon selection is once again fun as hell, if not a little overkill with the amount of weapons, and ones that are just too similar.

Really cool gameplay stuff added like the rift grapple, rocket boots, etc. Combat is fun once you find a groove, but is definitely on the shallow side. Good for younger audiences I think. Really glad I played this one for many reasons, I love Ratchet & Clank, I love insomniac, I love how this game looks, I love the world, voice acting, characters (for the most part), and the artstyle. Super original as always, something I will forever praise. Despite everything I said, its a must play PS5 game in my book.

This was Awesome! I also agree that if this was released when I was younger, it would've meant the world to me. Though it took me a hot minute to get back to playing this one, I really loved the level design more and more! There are a few moments where you have to do something timed that's a bit.. annoying. But other than that, the goofy scenarios the character Chai gets himself into really make every event exciting.

This game's combat is weird! But awesome! Timing every single button press makes it so you're constantly engaged in the music. Which is a little ironic because the music isn't always memorable, but it has some standout moments! Including sampling Fiona Apple hehe. I really loved the sheer amount of combos you can stack, though I didn't take much advantage of that during my playthrough, they were always fun to try out. The story and characters were also fun as hell! And the writing was mostly really funny. The animation was really cool and kept switching styles which was super interesting.

Last thing I wanna say was that I was a HUGE adopter of No Straight Roads when that came out. That was my JAM! One of my favorite games of 2020. It wasn't perfect, it's gameplay could be rough on the edges, but holy shit I loved the character design, music, levels, it was sooooo fun, but not really praised all that highly? Hi-FI rush is getting a lot of praise! But not that much attention? Which means that I stress this.. If you love DMC or just beat em ups in general ALONG WITH rhythm games??? Play Hi-FI Rush AND No Straight Roads NOW!!

Thanks :)

Shelving this one for now. I can say with certainty that this game is good though. The character designs, art, and dialogue are all really enjoyable and it overall has a unique identity to it that many will resonate with.

The rhythm gameplay (which is a replacement for anything RPG related, battle wise) is really cool, but at the same time feels kind of disposable? Attacks come at you like DDR arrows and its up to you to jump and dodge out of the way, later gaining the ability to parry and attack back. That's it. And surprise! It gets really difficult and in its format, becomes a bullet hell. To keep my take on the gameplay short: I'm already indifferent to the combat in this game, and as it gets harder, my motivation to keep playing just kind of dies, sorry.

Also, I know I said that this game does have a unique identity... but holy shit dude, the undertale inspiration, I'm so sorry, I said the U word. You all know the deal by now with "RPGs" like this one, but the story beats are what really get to me. I like what they're doing with the themes enough that I did appreciate it from a existential standpoint, but.. sparing people or killing them? Really? Wonder where you got THAT from. Sorry but when that was introduced, the identity of this game got muddled for me. Even more so with how much of the quirkiness was hit or miss. A few gags were awesome though, don't forget that.

And the music is kiiind of forgettable. There are some standout tracks and interesting production, but.. of ALL things to have very little identity??? For me, it's the OST. You'll come across a banger track and then you'll do a fight so quick you don't remember a second of the music. Why?! It's a rhythm game! I kind of had this problem with HI-Fi rush, but that OST was far from bad. This one on the other hand feels very meh to me. I just feel like there should have been stronger intent with the impact of the music. For me, its just not a strong aspect of this game.

I want to close by saying this: give this game a shot! It might be your new favorite thing! The characters are cute and the comedy is solid. The story may take you away with it's lore and you might even fall in love with the challenge of the rhythm gameplay! Might return to this one and take back what I said on a few things. Support indie games!

These god of war games are truly something else. Reinventing the wheel completely, giving us the full arc of Kratos we didn't realize the whole series was leading to. The story here is just fantastic, the characters are.. everything. The score, art, combat, content, holy shit. These games are masterpieces of storytelling in gaming and I feel honored to have experienced them.

Uh.. I have some small complaints this time around though? The hints are.. yea they stink a bit but at least its not a deal breaker or anything... how do you turn them off? Also, maybe its because I sped through the first game, but I was getting.. a little tired towards the end? I was kinda looking for the game to wrap up sooner than later tbh. The war on Asgard was great and the finale was awesome, though.. sliiiiightly anticlimactic? Like, you mean to tell me that we don't get to fight Ragnarök? Boo. Odin fight was rad af though. I was also worried that the dialog was getting a little dry? Nothing bad by any means, just more run of the mill stuff, which is low for this game's standards.

Regardless, Kratos and Artreus's journey are unlike anything else I've seen in gaming. The sheer weight of these characters' history is just.. so much. They've grown so much and have had to trust each other again over and over after countless broken promises. By the end, they embrace, and take in just how much better they've become because of each other, for everything. Kratos may be Artreus's father, but they've both taught each other priceless lessons in life that they will take with them until the end of everything.

"Open your heart."

..Okay but this game was long and I have a backlog to get to? Imma get back to that.