contemporation
2022
A masterpiece.
2023
Has such strong potential but needed another month or two of QA testing. Buggy in some major ways and suffers from some difficulty spikes in the final third that felt unfair to me. But despite all that, it's undeniably fun to play, moody in tone, and relentlessly pretty to look at. The soundtrack always bangs as well.
2024
This is a mechanically impressive deck-builder roguelike with one of the hookiest gameplay loops ever devised.
I spent a good chunk of the game wandering mazes of samey-looking hallways figuring out the way forward. But when I was surrounded by enemies the game was a ton of fun.
2020
There's not much to be said that hasn't already been written about ad nauseum about the game's scope, freedom, story, etc. My 5 stars are because this is the most fun I've had playing a game with my friends in forever. It's the holy grail of co-op experiences and it's given us new life just when the stresses of middle age are beginning to encroach in not-fun ways. Will be playing and cherishing this one for a long time.
Planescape Torment walked so Disco Elysium could run so Baldur's Gate 3 could blast off to outer space.
At 185 hours this game is significantly longer than any other single player open world game I've played. While there may be nitpicks, the shear amount of wondrous moments, emergent gameplay, the feeling of being in a sandbox of endless possibilities, and the number of activities the game gives you to really dig into its systems, make this easily one of the biggest achievements in the history of gaming. It also relies on the gamer to meet the game in the middle. Your fun with the game from a moment to moment basis relies heavily on your ability and desire to tinker, goof around, try new things, and embrace a certain degree of chaos. And for that, I would imagine that people's mileage may vary. I can see many gamers, especially new gamers or ones with a more rigid mindset, struggling with the overwhelming open-endedness and who may benefit by having parameters to feel like they have permission to have fun. For me, this game is at its best when you turn off any compulsion to explore and "do everything" and just learn to embrace the game's natural cadence.
2023
This is fucking peak Pikmin.
As good as the previous games in the series are, Pikmin has always lived in my mind as B-tier Nintendo. Great but not quite to the quality of their best work. That's changed with Pikmin 4. We finally have a game that fulfills on the promise of its premise and embraces what sets it apart from other strategy games. Throw in some extremely welcome quality of life additions and a generous campaign and side activities, this is about as good as one could expect. The only quibble I have is the lack of true co-op, which would've put it over-the-top.
As good as the previous games in the series are, Pikmin has always lived in my mind as B-tier Nintendo. Great but not quite to the quality of their best work. That's changed with Pikmin 4. We finally have a game that fulfills on the promise of its premise and embraces what sets it apart from other strategy games. Throw in some extremely welcome quality of life additions and a generous campaign and side activities, this is about as good as one could expect. The only quibble I have is the lack of true co-op, which would've put it over-the-top.
2023
This is the most fun I've ever had playing a non-Smash Bros fighting game, and that's saying a lot. Planning to continue playing this beautiful thing consistently until the day I day.
Couldn't get into it because the controls are actively fighting against your enjoyment as the player.
Official pre-review at around 40 hours of play time: THEY FIT ALL OF THIS ONTO A 16 GB CARTRIDGE??!
One of the most satisfying single player action adventure games of recent memory. Easily goes toe to toe with God of War Ragnarok in terms of cutting edge storytelling, gameplay, and generosity of content. Releasing a fully polished and functioning game at launch would've pushed this over the top, but EA loves to shoot themselves in the foot.
2023
Don't believe the hype-- this game is much better than that.
2021
Like Slay the Spire but with more existential dread. A tonal masterpiece that works on every level and offers a legitimately good excuse to keep going.
Skyward Sword HD is a nice improvement over the original and makes the game feel much more accessible if you'd prefer to use traditional controls. They've assigned the directional sword swings to the right stick which works really well and makes the whole situation feel a little less fussy. It's definitely the best way to experience the last of the legacy Zelda games, and I still hold that it has the best soundtrack and the best dungeons of any Zelda game. It's a more focused experience than other games in the franchise, with story beats hitting at a staccato pace and dungeons coming fast and frequently. I find it to be a refreshing change of pace after the countless hours spend wandering the quiet wilds. The whole game is packed character and heart. Sure, it's down the list on the best games in the franchise, but it's still a Zelda game which makes it a rung above just about everything else.