When you throw Nier Automata, Sekiro and Bayonetta all into a melting pot, you wouldn't expect the results to be so bland.

The combat is fun, the level design is decent, the music is incredible and the story is dreadful. There are some interesting tidbits here and there but it just never fully comes together. There is also not a single stand out character throughout the entire journey. Eve herself is just entirely forgettable. The combat feels pretty good though. I enjoyed the parry and blink systems and exploring the world was satisfying. I just wish the two open zones weren't just huge deserts that feel a little too identical to Nier's.

In terms of the "controversy" surrounding the game - it's definitely over-blown and ridiculous but because EVE just has zero character - it does feel like you're playing dress up with a doll when it comes to the costumes. I felt a little slimy about it all. Bayonetta feels like a fleshed out character, someone who uses their sexuality as part of their dominance over her counterparts. Whereas Eve is just standing there saying shit like "We must defend Humanity", or "We will accomplish our mission for Mother Sphere" all while wearing lingerie - it just feels cheap. But the sheer outrage over it is equally embarrassing.

Stellar Blade has all the ingredients to make a great meal but someone forgot the seasoning, resulting in a totally acceptable but dull experience.

"Look Arisen, a ladder!"

There's many little things I wish were better - like the framerate, the lack of a true lock-on, and some of the smaller side stories could use a little more meat to them.

But Dragon's Dogma 2 is still a lovable experience that feels like it dropped out of the PS2 era of JRPGs. Its got just the right balance of jank while still being incredibly fun. I love how chaotic & messy the battles can get, nothing feels scripted or planned & the exploration (while not amazing) is still enjoyable.

Kind of insane how this is better than like half of the FromSoft Souls catelog. So many quality of life improvements over the established formula, interesting world, fine-tuned combat & incredible animation work. It all comes together to make one of the best action-rpgs I've ever played.

Honestly, with how many combat options Lies of P provides you, it's going to be hard to go back to any of the other souls game.

The only thing that this game is missing is a little bit more exploration, the level design becomes dull and repeats itself a little too much. Some more character customization would be nice too but that's just personal preference.

But what a fantastic and surprising game.

While some of the writing still falls a little flat, Phantom Liberty finally fulfills what Cyberpunk could have always been. Everything from the base game has been elevated and improved upon. Each story mission has unique set pieces, the side missions are fleshed out and even the gigs have way more meat to them than they did in the base game.

On top of all of this the big 2.0 game play update makes actually playing Cyberpunk feel better than ever. I do wish Hansen had a little bit more screen time, the initial premise of this DLC - saving the fucking president - is a little dumb in my opinion but well worth playing.

The entire discourse around this game is a little hyperbolic & insane. It’s neither a masterpiece nor is it a terrible mess. Starfield is enjoyable if you disregard expectations & just take it as it is.

Sure, the main quest could be a lot better but I would argue the same for pretty much every Bethesda RPG. You do spend way too much time just in menus & while it’s convenient to be able to fast travel anywhere at anytime, it does take away the feeling of truly exploring an environment.

But the combat is fun, the faction quests are great & the world itself is incredibly well realized.

As much as I loved BOTW, parts of it always felt a little shallow. The shrines were all over the place in terms of quality, the combat became really boring, and the quests and story just felt a little too baron. It was the exploration and world that made BOTW what it was.

Tears of the Kingdom brings back that world and exploration while simultaneously creating a much deeper, more rewarding experience. The shrines feel more fleshed out, the story is more compelling & the quests while not incredibly deep, feel like they involve actual characters this time around.

While the overall land mass being the same from BOTW did disappoint me at first, it quickly became incredibly enjoyable to re-experience this world again & uncover all of the changes that’s it’s been through. It also helps that how you move through the world is drastically different from BOTW. You can still just walk or ride a horse everywhere or you can build cars, makeshift planes or helicopters or rocket propelled jet packs. The new “arm mechanic” that allows you to just attach nearly all objects in the world together is some of the most fun I’ve had in a video game. The possibilities felt endless and I wish I was smarter to take even greater advantage of it.

The fuse and ascend mechanics were useful but felt a little less magical. The combat is largely unchanged from BOTW and is honestly my only real gripe with TOTK. I ended up just avoiding any unnecessary encounters because the rewards are nearly never worth breaking your current weapons. It’s not terrible or anything but I just find the combat a little boring after so many hours & while it’s fun to create some insanity with your makeshift tanks & attack helicopters, you’re simply not going to put all that time and effort into every encounter.

TOTK is absolutely incredible. It addressed nearly every issue I had with BOTW. Do I wish it was maybe on a more powerful platform? Yes, but I think it’s more so impressive that a game this large and dynamic can run relatively smoothly on the Switch.

Did Dead Space need a remake? No. The game is still easily available & it’s visuals & gameplay still hold up. Does that stop the remake from being excellent? No.

Dead Space is one of the most faithful remakes I’ve ever played (maybe minus Demon Souls) but it is still packed with minor yet impactful gameplay & story changes. While I do think the original has a more cold, clinical atmosphere that I enjoyed a lot, there’s no denying the remake’s incredible lighting & shadow work. And while having Issac be voiced does subtract from the feeling of isolation - it ultimately makes the story feel a lot more cohesive & compelling.

The only two complaints I have with the remake is that I feel the AI was a little less engaging than in the original. The necromorphs feel slower & less threatening. And while I love that the ship is fully explorable now & is actually filled with optional backtracking - I wish you could set custom waypoints for your navigation system. The map is useful but sometimes I felt lost in trying to determine how to access lower & upper floors when going back for more loot.

Those complaints aside Dead Space is incredible and is up there with RE4 & Demon Souls as the best remake ever made.

RE4 is the best video game remake ever.

It perfectly balances staying true to it's origins while implementing smart tweaks to it's well-known formula. Even small changes like having you go through areas you're familar with from orginal RE4 backwards or combining set pieces or expanding areas with more verticality feel impactful. The knife parry is something I never thought I needed in a Resident Evil game but now I can't imagine playing one without it. The merchant quests, flexibility with treasure combinations, ammo crafting, the list of goes on and on. All of the changes fit so snuggly in RE4's already existing mechanics.

I also want to point out I love how much more character development we get with Luis, Ashley, Ada and Krauser. The entire cast feels more fleshed out even though some of them are still those 2005 archetypes.

Lastly, everything they cut from the original makes this remake a much tighter, well-paced experience. Sure I would have liked to have seen a modern take on the U-3 fight from the original but its placement in the original also makes little to no sense.

How Capcom managed this is abslotuely a mystery to me but they fucking did it.