"621..... Feed the fire..... Let the last cinders burn"

The best game Fromsoft could have released post such a monumental moment in gaming history after Elden Ring last year with this latest AC title. Visceral fast action combat, a bombastic score, boss fights and missions with scale and immersion that put to shame FFXVI's bogged down Asuras Wrath QTE fights with fully realized set pieces that I'm sure more long time fans of the series only ever dreamed of. Fires of Rubicon might just be my GOTY at this moment as I let the fires burn and cinders fade.

"Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons"

A Big Beautiful Sweeping Mess of an Epic, a Platinum Games/Diet DMC/Asuras Wrath action game with the soul of the PS2 6/7th gen era spirit all tied together with an endearing cast of characters full of heart & cheese like your Niers. Pacing issues, repetitive quest structure, half baked RPG elements that plague it aside. FFXVI's monstrous set pieces, emotional story beats, flashy dynamic combat & ambitions far outweigh its flaws to culminate into this sweeping epic journey to hell and back through the wonderful world of Valisthea.

Got about 8 hours into this and honestly was not grabbing me and I think I gave it a fair shot. Maybe its a combination of being so burned out from how much Comic Book properties reign supreme in todays modern media but also feel like I've played a game like this before too many times now, and this one doesn't do anything different from the AAA gaming status quo of blockbuster narrative experiences, that while it looks nice, and has some charm here and there in the writing and voice work, ultimately feels devoid of any personality, its pretty average and lacks anything unique or distinct then what everyone else has done in games right now. Might come back to it at some point in the future just for the completion but not sure.

𝙇𝙊𝙎𝙏 𝙊𝙉 𝙏𝙃𝙀 𝙎𝙃𝙊𝙍𝙀
𝘽𝙀𝙏𝙒𝙀𝙀𝙉 𝙏𝙃𝙀 𝙁𝙊𝙍𝙀𝙎𝙏 𝘼𝙉𝘿 𝙏𝙃𝙀 𝙊𝘾𝙀𝘼𝙉
𝙏𝙃𝙀 𝙊𝙒𝙇 𝘼𝙉𝘿 𝙏𝙃𝙀 𝘿𝙀𝙀𝙍 𝙍𝙀𝙁𝙇𝙀𝘾𝙏𝙀𝘿 𝙄𝙉 𝙈𝙊𝙏𝙄𝙊𝙉
𝙄𝙉 𝙃𝙄𝙎 𝙍𝙊𝙊𝙈 𝙃𝙀 𝙒𝙄𝙇𝙇 𝙃𝙐𝙍𝙏 𝙃𝙀𝙍
𝙄𝙉 𝙃𝙀𝙍𝙎 𝙃𝙀 𝙄𝙎 𝘾𝘼𝙐𝙂𝙃𝙏
𝙃𝙄𝙎 𝙎𝙏𝙊𝙍𝙔 𝙀𝙉𝘿𝙎
𝙃𝙀𝙍 𝙎𝙏𝙊𝙍𝙔 𝘿𝙊𝙀𝙎 𝙉𝙊𝙏

𝙏𝙃𝙄𝙎 𝙄𝙎 𝙏𝙃𝙀 𝙍𝙄𝙏𝙐𝘼𝙇
𝙏𝙊 𝙇𝙀𝘼𝘿 𝙔𝙊𝙐 𝙊𝙉
𝙔𝙊𝙐𝙍 𝙁𝙍𝙄𝙀𝙉𝘿𝙎 𝙒𝙄𝙇𝙇 𝙈𝙀𝙀𝙏 𝙃𝙄𝙈
𝙒𝙃𝙀𝙉 𝙔𝙊𝙐 𝘼𝙍𝙀 𝙂𝙊𝙉𝙀

Sony really are a bunch of nimrods for sending a DMCA to the dev right at the time of its original release. But alas you can't kill the dream and glad under some new tongue and cheek rebranding, Nightmare Kart is here and its a blast with more to its surface then I was anticipating for a game that initially was a April Fools joke. While not as clean and smooth as the kart racers its trying to emulate from the peak hay day of racers in this style from the 5th generation. Seeing one of my favourite games reimagined under this context is equal parts hilarious and surprisingly impressive at many points. The astral clocktower track was probably my favourite. Also a operating table as a kart use lol.

Deserves much love and reverence as the genres contemporaries at the time of release and even after all these years. While it borrows from your Crash Bandicoot's, Spyros, Ratchet and the likes, Sly Cooper knowingly does so and still shapes out an exciting globe trotting crime caper oozing with style and personality. A great mix of stealthy platforming and rewarding collecting that incentivizes the player to complete the Theivius Raccoonus with new tricks and abilities. A soundtrack and atmosphere that hits nostalgic notes in my brain for a era of games that I still long for. All rounded out with a wonderful cast of characters and rogues gallery of cheeky villains. Sly flirting with the hot cop whos gunning after his ass, he's just like me for real. Easily one of the 6th generations best platformers.

Side note: I love the diegetic bass notes that play when Sly sleuths around. SOUL!!!!