For me and my friends, Helldivers 2 represents classic "Battlefield" 1 energy through and through. I know that may be a weird comparison, but hear me out. Back in the day we would all hop on our PlayStations and get super immersed in the large-scale battlegrounds and fully destructible environments that battlefield is known for. Come 2024, Helldivers 2 reignited our fuel for democracy with one of the most insanely fun, brilliant and chaotic gameplay loops on the market. I mean it when I say this game is positively BONKERS at every second, with large-scale explosions, hilarious friendly fire, massive groups of enemies and a truly cinematic feeling that most games fail to achieve. Something about this game feels almost movielike in its scope, as many experiences throughout my playtime felt so epic and massive. It helps that strategy and communication are guided by the many customization options and tools to support you and your team to victory. The way abilities are handled here feels distinct and unique compared to other mainstream shooters in the genre (especially when I try to revive my buddy but I'm stupid and stand around for 15 seconds trying to input the right code, hilarious lol). Not to mention the real progression system that allows for unlocks as you continue to level up more and more. Season passes aren't thrown on you and microtransactions only exist for currency in the game that's incredibly easy to get, more studios need to follow suit I swear. It seems like a simple enough thing to achieve, but with gaming in 2024 we seem to stray further and further from tying feelings of persistence and excitement into progression, smh.

However, I do think there's still room for improvement in a few areas. The graphical bugs, while hilarious, are still pretty widespread. I've run into a ton honestly, but expect they'll be ironed out as the game grows. The biggest issue though is the balance between the terminids and automatons. While the automatons are balanced well enough, the terminids on harder difficulties are ridiculous. It feels almost unfair and unnecessarily difficult sometimes, with certain species being either too fast or too damaging. Not the biggest issue, but it's still somewhat annoying.

Overall, for $40.00 you're getting one of the most consistently fun and exciting multiplayer shooters, an amazing, exhilarating experience with your buddies and a super brilliant "always online" war that continues to fight on. Make the change, liberate the planets; For Democracy.

Jusant is a breathtakingly beautiful and meditative experience from start to finish. The game is boldy designed around a single core mechanic, climbing. Most of us will be familiar with BoTW style climbing, very basic and approachable but not very complex. Jusant adds the perfect amount of depth to make it engaging all on its own, but not so much that it becomes simulation like and unapproachable.
The context it creates for the gameplay and the message it has for us are equally as thought out and captivating. My one core criticism that keeps this game from being a 5/5 is this story gets bogged down in being spread out amongst too many collectibles. In particular the quantity of letters is much too large. The story is at its strongest when communicated non-verbally. A core through-line of documents such as Bianca's letters are needed, but beyond that the focus should have stayed on frescos, conches, altars, and the environment. I merely nitpick because I feel this game became extremely close to being an indie classic.
In the end, this game will still stick with me for a long time.

Its predecessor left a masterpiece of a foundation and Tears of the Kingdom pays great respect by not deteriorating it. Every addition this game adds is a positive one and it keeps the momentum and excitement as if no time has passed since BOTW. The biggest structural difference is that TOTK is more of a "destination and the vehicle to get there" game instead of the previous "journey over destination" approach. It's a necessary shift when reusing a world we've already journeyed through. The "legend" takes a bigger focus, as enough has been established narratively to dig deeper and raise the stakes. The main challenge this game faces is differentiating it's self from the original, especially as time goes on. But there's certainly enough differentiating to warrant playing both.