Jedi Survivor is a fantastic follow-up to Fallen order, taking the crew of the Mantis to new sights while also expanding the Star Wars mythos to new levels. In a time when Star Wars seems to be lacking in creativity, Respawn is breathing life into a galaxy far far away with the story of Cal Kestis, who has already become one of my favorite additions to Star Wars canon. The amount of customization in both appearance and gameplay helps create a perfect Star Wars experience that many newer games in the franchise have yet to achieve.

Marvel's Spider-Man 2 is another welcome addition to the Spider-Man mythos. While it does tread very familiar waters with the symbiote storyline, I found insomniacs' take to be fun and engaging from start to finish. Yuri Lowenthal and Nadji Jeter once again kill it as Peter and Miles, with Yuri's symbiote performance taking the cake. This game however does have some flaws when I take away my rose-tinted glasses, such as weird pacing issues and story beats that don't hit as hard as the original 2018 game, but the combat and web-slinging are the best they have ever been. It's a really fun game, and one I would definitely recommend to any Spider-Man fan.

Starfield is the definition of Bethesda slop being force-fed into us every 6 years until we once again buy the next big thing that changes nothing and innovates nothing. The Bethesda formula isn't working anymore, and Starfield is a prime example of this.

The absolute worst thing I can say about the game is just that it is so incredibly boring. There are no interesting worlds to explore like the Elder Scrolls games, no interesting lore to immerse yourself in like Fallout, and no drive to do anything of worth like any previous Bethesda title. Every planet is the same with a few exceptions that are just main cities, and even those are bare-boned. The story is absolutely a snore fest with characters best described as a box of saltines, dry and tasteless. The side quests (which Bethesda games are best known for) do not pack as meaningful a punch as previous titles, with even the best ones having no impact on the story or world around them. Once again, your choices barely matter besides some companion dialogue in which they describe that they are pissed at you for literally destroying an intergalactic government for them to not care three seconds later. It's embarrassing that Bethesda keeps calling these games RPGs because it's really just a requirement for them at this point to call them that. They are RPGs in name only, and comparing them to something like Baldurs Gate or Cyberpunk is like comparing water to fire.

Bethesda really needs a shift in direction or management at this point, because I am nervous for Elder Scrolls 6 if this game is the best thing they can do. The sad part about this, however, is that I will still buy whatever Todd sells me because he has had my wallet since Fallout 3 hoping that something Bethesda will make will make me love them again. until then, all we are left with is the dark emptiness of space and time.

MK1 is very weird for me to review, as to this day I'm not really sure how I feel about it.

I find the gameplay to be a vast improvement over 11, which is really all that matters for a fighting game, but I miss the customization that really helped make everyones mains stand out. No two characters were the same in MK 11 and I adored making my fighter stand out amongst the crowd. The new invasion mode is a very boring counterpart to Towers of Time, which were already poorly implemented to begin with but at least you could farm them and get the things you wanted in an hour or so. Online is bare bones right now, lacking fun game modes besides just ranked and unranked play with no crossplay implementation at launch. The story is a typical MK story, fun and action-packed but nothing really to scoff at. I guess the question I should be asking myself is, "Did I have fun?", and yeah I can say the game is fun based on its gameplay alone, but compared to the features of MK11 at the moment, everything just feels barren with them taking away game modes and customization and instead implementing lackluster replacements.

TOTK is the ultimate vision of what Nintendo wanted to achieve with Breath of the Wild.

Everything that made BOTW great is now expanded upon in Tears with the addition of wonderful new game mechanics and two new levels to explore. Nintendo has created the perfect sandbox that fully emphasizes the freedom, experimentation, and exploration that the LOZ franchise was built upon. The game truly felt special to play, and I was completely enamored with just cruising my way around Hyrule with my wooden truck while exploring every nook and cranny the game had hidden away. The only quarrel I have lies within the game's story, which I had hoped would have been told in a more concise way instead of the BOTW memory structure, but this never really affected the experience for me.

Tears of the Kingdom is Nintendo once again at its creative peak, and one of the best games in the franchise by far.

Street Fighter 6 is a fighting game masterpiece from top to bottom.

I have never been more driven to get good at a game than I was the first time I booted the game up. The style, the flair, and the mechanics all mesh together to create arguably one of the best fighting games of all time. Capcom's 2023 was filled to the brim with fantastic pieces of art, and Street Fighter 6 is no exception. While yes there are obviously some annoyances, most of them are meta nitpicks that happen with every fighting game. Street Fighter 6 is the complete package and a fantastic return to form for the franchise.

Coming back to Cyberpunk, now with its fresh coat of paint, really made me appreciate the game a lot more than I did before. I played the game on launch, and while it obviously had its problems (both major and minor) I can commend CDPR for their idea and care that the game still had within its world and characters. Now with Phantom Liberty and the 2.0 update, I was finally able to see CDPRs final vision of what this game should have been, and it sure was a wild ride.

PL was such an amazing addition to the already stacked narrative of Cyberpunk. CDPR wanted to create its Bond film, and they surely leaned into that idea with the story's themes and plot devices being centered around spies, trust, and betrayal. Performances were all top-notch (shoutout once again to Cherami Leigh as V who absolutely kills it and the obvious Keanu Reeves as Johnny Silverhand). Gamplaywise this has been the best Cyberpunk has ever felt, and my cyber-ninja melee Sandevistan build was one of the best gaming experiences I had all year. Without going into spoilers, the new ending will also have you thinking about the themes of the game as well as the fate of both Johnny and V, as to this day I and my friends are still arguing over whats best for both of them.

PL is a shining example of what CDPR does best, and while this doesn't redeem their past with this game, it does showcase that they still care about their art and their fans, and I'm incredibly happy they did not give up on this wonderful game.

Sometimes a game comes out, that just once again shows me how incredibly fun, impactful, and important video games are as an art form, and Baldurs Gate 3 is one of those examples.

I'm a very big DnD nut. Got into it in high school and have been playing all throughout college. The way that TTRPGs allow for unique and personal stories to be told has always enthralled me, and Baldurs Gate takes this to its core. It is DnD in its purest essence, ported over into a video game format. The writing, character choices, freedom of exploration, shit rolls and good rolls, everything is here packed tightly into a 100-hour experience. This is a fully complete game that will keep you busy for quite some time, and it will keep you coming back as you discover more and more secrets the game still has locked behind caverns and closed doors. Larian has made arguably their magnum-opus, and it clearly shows in the care and heart they have put into this game.

This game is a must-buy for any fans of RPGS, DND, or just want to immerse themselves in arguably one of the best-written games ever made.

RE4R is an incredible game. Capcom's RE Remake series once again hits perfection with what could have been the most jarring game in the franchise. Remaking a game that many consider to be a top 10 game of all time is hard already, but making a remake that completely upstages it is almost impossible. Well, Capcom took that challenge in stride and achieved the impossible.

Resident Evil 4 Remake is a brilliant nostalgia trip that feels fresh and modern to today's audience, with addicting gameplay and loveable characters that will keep me playing for years to come. Ashley and Luis are improved while Leon himself remains the goofy badass we have come to know and love.

The best compliment I can give RE4 is that it is pure arcade video game fun, which in today's busy and realism-focused world, is a breath of fresh air.

I'm going to come immediately clean with my opinion here, I am not a fan of horror games. No, it's not because I'm a scardey-cat it's actually quite the opposite. I just have never truly felt attracted or engaged with the horror genre besides a few minor exceptions like Alien Isolation or Dead Space, and while I played Resident Evil 4 when I was younger it just never stuck around enough for me to properly appreciate it. But, when it was released I decided to give the RE2 remake a chance and was completely blown away.

Resident Evil 2 Remake is one of my favorite games of all time, which came as a shock to me because I never expected it to wow me as much as it did. The arcade-style gameplay of the over-the-shoulder style of Resident Evil is expanded here to new heights, combining some of the series' staples while adding new QOL additions that make everything less tedious than the older games where micro-managing can become a full-time job. It allows the player to focus on the task at hand and the details of the ever-changing police station that they are trapped in, allowing for amazing set pieces and freights that are based upon player exploration and decisions rather than a cheap jumpscare. Seeing Mr. X for the first time stopping down a dark hallway scared the shit outta me, and evading him and the hordes of infected around me while trying to find something as simple as a keycard was nothing short of heart-pounding.

The characters of Claire and Leon were awesome all the way through, and both were always entertaining with two amazing performances by both actors. They both made this adventure feel personal and fun, and I think Cacpom did a fantastic job re-imagining them.

Resident Evil 2 Remake is one of the horror genre's masterpieces that was a blast of fun and adrenaline all the way until the credits rolled. this game made me an official fan of Resident Evil, and I'm excited to finally explore this historic franchise.

I think Bayonetta 3 is a fine game, but it is still a little disappointing in some areas as I wished it had reached the heights that Bayonetta 2 did.

My expectations gameplay wise were surely met, and it's the biggest plus that this game has over the previous 2. Every weapon in Bayonetta's arsenal this time around feels so unique and fresh, with each one being viable and fun to use in any situation based on your preferred playstyle. This was the first title in the series where I didn't use the guns because everything else was just way to fun to not use. I would rack up insane combos with my whip-to-train attack, which sounds absurd but honestly, Bayonetta thrives in its absurdity so go buck wild. Viola is a little strange to pick up at first, but once I learned how to use her, she became an almost 'Raiden" style character where I was parrying everything and slicing demons into bits. The main gimmick of the game, the witch kaiju are really fun to use in fights, but the games over reliance for them in certain boss fights feels a bit draining.

The story however is much akin to Bayonetta 1 in that its nonsensical and just kind of boring to follow. It's very repetitive as in "go to new realm, find alternate Bayo, she dies, kill boss". It attempts to add in some unique character interaction, but many of the characters we have loved from the previous games are set into the sidelines, Jeanne plays very little into the main plot besides her side-scrolling mini games, which is a major disappointment as she was a main focal point of the first two games and her relationship with Bayonetta was important to both of their characters. Same goes for Rodin or Enzo and even Luka in which they only appear prominently in the beginning and just sit back to let Bayonetta clean up the mess. I understand the story isn't what matters in a Bayonetta game, but after Bayonetta 2's character focused plot, I really had hoped they would expand and create something worthy for the Umbran Witch, but it just feels lazy.

Addressing the elephant in the room, Jennifer Hale does a fantastic performance of Bayonetta that is worthy of praise. Taylor is still amazing, but with all the drama I am happy the character is in good hands.

Like I said, I think Bayonetta is still a fun game to just run through when you want to go combo crazy, but I don't feel like it's a true evolution of the franchise after waiting 7 years for a new release, which is very disappointing.

I think every once and a while, I play a game that just outright blows me away. Whether it was my first time playing the Witcher 3, Persona 5 Royal, or GOW 2018 these games became my golden standard for what video games should be and what they can achieve. God of War: Ragnarök, is one of these masterpieces that will be looked fondly as one of the greatest video games of our generation.

The formula and mechanics the original game created is evolved and expanded to new heights. The wonderfully crafted story of GOW 2018 is continued with elevated heights. Kratos and Atreus have both come to understand each other as a family, and now they must survive together from their own supposed fate. This focal point of Ragnarök guides the story to beautiful new areas across the nine realms, all of which are absolutely stunning and wonderful to explore. The characters all undergo arcs that is a natural progression from where 2018 left off, and the wonderful acting from the cast deserves every award imaginable, for they truly shined to make this game one of the most emotional experiences on the market. Kratos in this game is finally given closure, and how it was handled in game was incredibly fitting and respectful to one of gaming's biggest icons.

The gameplay of GOW 2018 was already perfect in my opinion, so in Ragnarök they allow you to experiment with new powers, combos, and enchantments to build Kratos into whatever the player wants to focus on. Want to make Kratos an unstoppable tank? Go right ahead. How about a berserker wizard who focuses on status affects to burn/freeze/stun enemies? Well sure thing. The amount of choice the player has to create their own experience in this game via the combat is astounding to me for a non-RPG linear title, and it makes everything so personal to the player that is rare to find in many of these cinematic games.

There are plenty of things around the world to do that will keep any player busy for hours to come. Some do range from some typical fetch quests to "Go here and kill bad guy" but the story of these quests in relation to the characters or the world really make them feel important, and the rewards for doing them are well worth it. I am going to try to platinum the game, so I still have much more to discover.

God of War Ragnarök is a true work of art. Santa Monica once again has created a game for the ages, one that pushes the boundaries of interactive storytelling to places that never seemed possible. It's a game that is worth every penny, and I am excited for the future of Santa Monica Studio, and God of War.