So I actually didn't play this DLC until a couple years after I first played Bloodborne. On a whim I finally decided to bite the bullet and spend the $20 on it. Once it downloaded and I jumped right into it, I couldn't put it down! It was a set of brand new weapons, bosses and areas from one of my favorite games ever. I played it all day on Christmas Eve 2020 and finished it early Christmas morning. What an interesting Christmas that was, slicing and dicing up beasts lol.

Speaking of slicing and dicing, let's talk about the new weapons. This DLC added a whopping 11 weapons and 5 firearms. That amount is insane, and not only that...they're some of the best and coolest weapons in the game. Special mentions go to Whirligig saw, Rakuya and Holy Moonlight Sword. Of the DLC weapons, those are the three I've used before and they're a ton of fun. Several others are really out there and weird too, like the Amygdalan Arm and the Kos Parasite. Never used any of the new firearms but they seem cool.

This DLC added three new areas and they're some of the best in Bloodborne. The Hunter's Nightmare has you going through a remixed version of Cathedral Ward. You can really see the parts of Cathedral Ward early on but it slowly twists into something unrecognizable and very different. That's one reason why it's awesome, it feels like a spin on an old area while also feeling mostly unique. It's also a very good pvp spot from what I'm told. Research Hall has you going through a very Tower of Latria-esque area. Tower of Latria in Demons Soul's was one of the most atmospheric areas in that game and this area's no different. It's extremely creepy and feels very unique compared to the base game's areas. I just feel bad killing the blob head guys because they're all failed experiments. Still, for the atmosphere alone this place is great but besides that, it's cool going room to room and up the giant staircase. The last area might be the best, the Fishing Hamlet is absolutely one of the most distinct areas yet. An aquatic area where you go through a village of fish creatures was not what I would expect from Bloodborne but its amazing. Holy shit though, fuck those giant whale enemies they are INSANE. They're harder than most of the base game bosses lol. Still though, it has a decent variety of enemies and a lot of new enemies at that. That plus the amazing aesthetics and really unique setting makes it a top tier area imo and a great end to the DLC.

Now for the big kahunas, the bosses. Right away we start with my favorite boss in the DLC, in Bloodborne and one of my favorite in the entire series, Ludwig. Holy goddamn is he amazing. He's just so fun to fight, that plus he has the best song in Bloodborne and his 2nd phase get's even better, top tier boss fight man. The first time I fought him, I beat him first try. I thought I got lucky but this time around again, I beat him first try. I guess he just isn't super hard, doesn't detract from how great of a fight it is.

In that same area is Laurence. Laurence is one of two fights in the DLC that I don't think are bad, but just aren't nearly as good as the big 3. The main reason for that is he's a reskin of Cleric Beast, just on fire and he has a 2nd phase. I do really like how we finally get to see him, after hearing about him so much in the base game. Laurence however is certainly the hardest imo, took me like 5-6 tries. Definitely one of the toughest in the game.

In the Research Hall, after pushing the lever at the top of the staircase, you unlock the Living Failures. Nothing really much to say about them, they're alright. The lore implications with the rest of the area's citizens and how they were supposed to turn into these guys is really cool, but other than it's just too easy of a boss and yeah I beat them first try.

Immediately after that though, we have another awesome boss. Lady Maria was a boss I was honestly a bit conflicted on before. When I first beat her years ago, I parried nonstop and she was the easiest boss in the DLC. Coming back to it again and this time doing the fight parry-less, it's way harder and way more fun. It's not nearly as hard as something like Friede in DS3, but it definitely wasn't braindead easy like it was with parries. Still easy enough for me to beat her first try tho lol, but yeah she was a ton of fun.

Last on the list of bosses is Orphan of Kos and hoo boy is he a doozy. He's absolutely one of the most aggressive and tough fights in the game but at the same time he feels completely fair. He telegraphs his attacks and combos quite well and he makes for a blast of a fight. Not as good as Gael imo but still an amazing way to end off the DLC. Also, I was so pissed this time around because I almost beat him first try, however I celebrated prematurely and lost with one hit left. I beat him on my 2nd go around but that still stung lole.

All in all this DLC is absolutely fantastic. It has some of the best areas and bosses in the series and despite having two not so great bosses imo, those two are still not bad and does not change the fact that this is my favorite DLC to any game. It's peak Bloodborne, which is insane because Bloodborne was already peak.

Back in Junior High, I had this duo of friends who would not stop talking about Dark Souls whenever we were at our table at lunch. Dark Souls 2 had just come out and they were obsessed with it. This is the first time I ever even heard of Dark Souls, and with them always nerding out about it, it did intrigue me a bit. Fast forward to March 2017, I had just gotten a PS4 a couple months prior and I was itching to get into all these types of games I never did before. On a whim I decided to pickup both Dark Souls III and Bloodborne. Boy was that timing perfect, because the next day it snowed big time and it wouldn't let up for like an entire week so I was playing Dark Souls III nonstop. A couple weeks later I then moved on to Bloodborne. I love Dark Souls III, as you know from my reviews of that, but Bloodborne especially really captivated me. I ended up beating it months later during my thanksgiving break I think (sadly getting the bad ending and missing out on the final boss) and thought it was really great. Fast forward again to like March 2019 I think? I on a whim felt like playing Bloodborne again. I really sucked at first, struggling immensely with Gascoigne, but once I got the hang of it again, I honestly had an absolute blast and knew it would be one of my favorite games ever. The platinum and several playthroughs later, here we are and yeah it's back in my top 5 again.

The very first thing the drew me into the game, and I honestly think it's hands down the best aspect, is the Gothic-Horror Lovecraftian aesthetic and the art design as a whole. It's my absolute favorite aesthetic in any game next to Automata's post-apocalyptic world. That's like one of the main reason's I rate this game so highly tbh, it carry's so hard imo. From Central Yharnam, to Cathedral Ward and even something like Nightmare Frontier, I don't dislike any area's aesthetic. Cainhurst is the absolute highlight, just exploring a creepy gothic castle while it's snowing outside...hoo baby. Like even something like Byrgenwerth, which is absolutely tiny, is an area I like going to everytime because of the seaside aesthetics. Plus it's really lore important which is rad.

Speaking of lore and the story of the game, it's the absolute best in the Soulsborne series imo. It just makes the whole world feel so alive, first starting off with basic stuff like the hunt and then eventually delving into cosmic horror by the end. I was never too into Dark Souls lore ever but this game? Yeah I'm totally into it, the horror aspect just intrigues me way more.

Next in the combat and yeah it's a total blast. Instead of hiding behind a shield like in Dark Souls, you're totally defenseless and can only rely on your dodging skills. That may seem like it's tougher, and yeah it is but it rewards you for being super aggressive. The rally system allows you to get some HP back for a short time after being hit which means you can be more risky when fighting enemies. I just find this combat system way more fun than the souls games personally and is another reason why this is my favorite. To go along with the combat, you of course have the weapons. Unlike the souls games, Bloodborne has a much smaller batch of them but I think that's much in the games favor. Every weapon is viable and every weapon is memorable. That paired with the transformation mechanic, where if you press L1 you essentially have two weapons in one, just make these weapons the best ever imo. I usually use the kirk hammer, then Ludwig's Holy Blade and then maybe I switch it out for one of the DLC's weapons and yeah this playthrough was no different.

As I said, I really love the look of every area and that's not all, the actual areas are quite good for the most part. The beginning areas like Central Yharnam or Cathedral Ward are simply some of the best level-design wish because they're so interconnected with other areas. It's not quite Dark Souls 1 level of interconnectivity but it's really a nice change from something like Dark Souls 2 or even 3. By the end it does get more linear, but since the first half is well connected, I didn't have much of an issue with it. I think one of the most memorable moments is when you're all the way into the forbidden woods. You find this path down into a poison cave, you climb up a ladder and you end up at the very beginning of
Central Yharnam. You unlock the first gate you ever see when playing and I just think that's so cool. The game has several moments like this, like Yahar'Gul connecting to Old Yarhnam after you defeat Darkbeast Paarl, but no moment will be as good as the aformentioned Forbidden Woods interconnectivity.

Now on to the bosses, I think they're generally pretty great. Early game definitely has the more consistently good bosses, tho endgame definitely has some bangers like Gehrman and Martyr Logarius. The mid to end game definitely does have some not great bosses gameplay-wise, but some of them do have other aspects that make me not hate them. Witches of Hemwick is pathetically easy but the especially creepy atmosphere and semi-interesting way to defeat her, I really enjoyed. Plus she had one of my favorite songs in the game. Rom is somewhat annoying but at least has a beautiful area to fight her in. The one reborn is really easy too but I like the callback to Tower Knight. Celestial Emissary is um, yeah I can't really defend this one but it sure is a goofy boss. Micolash was probably my least favorite in the game before, and even tho I had a much better time with him this time, he still isn't great. What really makes up for it tho is he has hands down my favorite dialogue in the game, god it's so entertaining and goddamn whoever voiced him is amazing. The rest of the bosses I either like or love, and again even some of these I do like because of certain other aspects. I know a lot of the bosses aren't perfect but I'm surprised I never outright hated any of them, can't say the same for something like Bed of Chaos or Dragon God lole.

Don't really have much to say about the OST besides the fact it's great like most other souls games. My favorite tracks were the aforementioned Witches of Hemwick theme, the Cleric Beast theme, Micolash's theme, the hunter's dream theme and Gehrman's theme. Those were definitely the standout songs.

My take on the Chalice dungeons are they're a nice distraction from the base game but I probably won't play them again on future replay's. I only dived into them on that playthrough in 2019, and while they were cool they do get tedious if you're going for them all. It is nice how they have unique bosses in them, but yeah not super keen on them. Tho I never hated them like other people and I don't think they detract from the game because it feels more like a side thing which I'm fine with.

Before I end of my review, I just wanted to list off a couple issues with the game. Blood vials are obviously a big point of contention for some people and yeah it is annoying how you might have to eventually grind them if you run out, I never really had an issue with this personally. It's really easy to get them naturally and there's a really good early grinding spot right next to the first lamp in the game lol. Speaking of lamps, I guess people find it annoying how you have to warp back to the Hunter's Dream every time and then warp to another place from there? I guess it's a minor convenience but it never bothered me ever. Now this being 30 FPS is definitely jarring when going from games like Dark Souls III or Sekiro (I know I was taken aback when I came back to this after DS3) and while it would be so awesome if a remaster came out (please no remake dear god) I again never had a major issue with it. People saying it makes the game unplayable, I don't get you lol.

Anywho, this was another long ass review from me but I just absolutely adore this game despite some small flaws. It just gets even better with the DLC which I also beat this time around. Look out for that review very soon!

Xenoblade Chronicles 3 has cemented Xenoblade as my favorite series of video games of all time. Meeting my every expectation and more, we're never getting a game this special for a long time, that's what my gut's saying anyway.

As of writing, I have finished the game, but am doing post-game. I'm planning on replaying it again so I can do a follow-up review that goes more in-depth on my feelings. For now though, my initial thoughts.

The story is an emotional roller coaster from start to finish. I've never felt more connected to a cast of characters in Xenoblade, or really any game in a long time. It got me choked up on several occasions, which is rare. It does have shortcomings, definitely, but I can overlook all of it because this game made me feel something that I'm never going to forget.

Gameplay that is slower and strategic like the first game, yet still fast and always something to set up for, or to pay attention to, never a dull moment, like the second game. Combining both battle systems with even higher satisfaction and how they work together without any issues seems impossible, but they did it. Easily my favorite combat system ever, took everything I loved from both games, and added on top of it to make this game stand out. Variety is also as strong as Xenoblade 2, but not nearly as overwhelming, and everything you gain access to is viable and useful in their own ways, which encourages way more experimentation. Concepts and weapon types that felt under-baked or under utilized from the past two entries have been updated and are fantastic as well!

The world is so vast, and so much fun to explore. I adored almost every setting this game had to offer, while it certainly wasn't as whimsical as prior games, it's still worth exploring and easy to get immersed into. Actually exploring it is so much easier and fun now too. Field skills from Xenoblade 2 return, but they made them progression based, and not a stat check, and it's wonderful. They also fully utilized these field skills in this entry with a lot of the world design, and I'm a huge fan, genuinely a substantial leap forward in almost every shortcoming exploration had in the past two games.

Music is just as amazing as it's always been. While I do think there are more forgettable tracks this time around, the tracks that do stick became some of my favorite in the series, and that is no small feat. I will relinquish some music that plays in the different areas is the weakest part of the soundtrack to me, music played in cutscenes and battles are phenomenal, much more cinematic and grand, like a movie almost, I was honestly a huge fan of the direction they went with it.

Most beautiful Switch game I've ever laid my eyes on almost. This to me is in the running between Breath of The Wild, and Luigi's Mansion 3 for best looking Switch game. Has the same vibrant colors and expressive character designs from Xenoblade 2, but has the more mature and grounded designs of the first game, basically the best of both worlds. These character designs are awesome, I love all of them so much, there truly isn't a weak character design in this game to me, they're all incredible, fixing a major issue once again from its predecessors.

Xenoblade Chronicles 3 will forever be a favorite of mine, and a game that means so much to me, and will likely only deepen as time goes on. I'm planning on doing a way more in-depth review of this game after playing through the story one more time, so I can collect all my thoughts on it, as well as the game in general. I also have not yet rated this game, or marked it as complete as of making this review, but just know it's 5 stars from me, and will likely go on to 100% this game, as well as the DLC in the future.

This isn't gonna be a long review since there's not much to talk about, but I would like to share my thoughts on Granblue Fantasy Versus Rising.

Granblue Fantasy is a series I've been meaning to get into for awhile, as a lot of my friends play the original game and always recommend it to me. This was the perfect game to bridge the gap and introduce me to Granblue, and I gotta say, it's very fun. Great character designs, fun world, fantastic music, pretty much everything you need to make a great first impression. I was actually pulled in by this game particularly by my friend showing me Siegfried. I immensely enjoy his design and playstyle, so that alone sold me on this game.

Twenty-five hours later, I've got a pretty cemented outlook on the game now, so let's get into it. This is by far one of the best-looking fighting games I've seen in a very long time, definitely Arc Systems best looking game, very vibrant art style that's incredibly expressive, whimsical, and detailed. Character designs are downright amazing, really I didn't find any design to be too silly or ridiculous, it's all rather well-grounded that really lets you enjoy and connect with the characters, especially the ones you will play as. Fantastic size of a roster, great stages, tons of extra modes to break up the experience, a lot of things you can work to achieve as well besides ranked, which I really liked. Rollback is essential for fighting games, so seeing it here is good, day one crossplay is another plus since it allowed me to play with my PC friends which I'm very thankful for.

Now for the not so good parts about this game. One thing I want to immediately mention is the sheer simplicity of the game itself. Granblue as a fighting game is incredibly beginner friendly, which I appreciate, however I think this focus on simplicity hurts the game in the long run. For starters, everyone does a ton of damage in this game. Most rounds will go for maybe 40-50 seconds, which I actually like how fast-paced it is. What I don't like is the amount of mistakes you can make before losing. If you make two or three mistakes? You're most likely dead without even a shred of a chance at a comeback, snowballing in this game is unreal. Because of this, this game seems to greatly reward aggression more than defensive play, especially due to how many moves are plus on blocks. For those who don't know, being plus on block essentially means when you attack someone who is blocking, if it's plus you basically get to attack again without much fear of being punished for it. So many moves are plus or minus in this game, it's really in your best favor to play as aggressively as possible. This sort of leads to a lot of games just being who can press the button faster than the other, and depending on who wins, you're either stuck blocking for a good amount of time, or wailing on your opponent without really needing to think. A lot of fighting games boil down to this though, but I think the balance of offense and defense is off here. Let me say I'm not a pro player, nor am I the most experienced fighting game player, so I may be completely off the mark here, but this game felt like it rewards aggression way more than anything else and feels off-balance a bit.

As far as balancing goes, it's actually not too bad. A lot of people complain about specific characters, which is a given, but the game hasn't been out long enough I think yet for people to figure out certain match-ups. I personally do think some characters need to be tuned a bit, but otherwise every character feels viable and incredibly fun to play. They're also all very distinct from each other in personality and playstyle, though there's a lot of overlap in move sets which sorta waters them down a bit, but not bad enough where picking a new character feels unwarranted or boring.

Honestly? Not a bad fighting game by any means. I definitely prefer others to it, but this is just a solid game. I'm currently A rank in ranked mode, but I mostly just enjoy playing it with friends. Definitely not a game I'd grind or put a ton of time into, but it's definitely a fun choice if you're looking for something flashy. I play Siegfried, Charlotta, and Yuel for reference, all characters are incredibly good and very good at mashing buttons. I wanted to mention that in-case my outlook on the game is skewed due to my preference in character playstyles, so I invite any to give your opinion on this game, and if you agree or disagree with me or not. With that, thank you all for reading this review, I've been putting off God-Hand for about three weeks now, so I'm gonna get to it and finish that up, so please look forward to that. Until next time!

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