I recently finished playing Pokémon White, and overall, I found it to be an enjoyable experience. I would give it an 8/10. The game does a great job of providing a dense and interesting narrative that kept me entertained throughout my journey. The story, which revolves around Team Plasma and their quest for Pokémon liberation, is more mature and thought-provoking than previous installments in the series.

However, I found the actual gameplay to be the weakest aspect of Pokémon White. The pace felt too slow, primarily due to the constant random encounters that became increasingly tedious as I progressed. This is an area where the game could have benefited from some modernization.

On a positive note, Pokémon White introduces a plethora of new Pokémon species and the concept of region locking, which makes the game feel fresh and exciting. Exploring the new region of Unova and discovering all these new creatures was a fantastic experience that helped set this game apart from its predecessors.

That being said, I didn't find myself particularly attached to any of the new Pokémon or the gym leaders. While they all had their unique designs and characteristics, none of them left a lasting impression on me or seemed as memorable as those from previous generations.

One of the highlights of Pokémon White is the character N, who serves as the game's main antagonist. I enjoyed the drama surrounding N and his interactions with the player, which added depth to the story. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for the friendships with Cheren and Bianca, which felt blander than most rivalries from other Pokémon games. Their character development and interactions were underwhelming and didn't contribute much to the overall experience.

In conclusion, Pokémon White offers a refreshing take on the beloved franchise with a captivating narrative and the introduction of new Pokémon and region locking. Despite its slow pace and lack of memorable characters, the game still provides an entertaining experience that fans of the series will enjoy. I would recommend giving it a try if you're a Pokémon enthusiast or someone looking for a solid RPG with an engaging storyline.

I finally rolled credits on this one. It took a while with two kiddos under 5, but here we are.

After 91.5 hours, I can firmly say I experienced precisely one crash (and it was on the Steam Deck). There were bugs here and there, but nowhere near distracting enough to take from the experience.

I immensely enjoyed every single minute of this game: every side mission, gig, NCPD, Cyberpsycho - everything. The variety of playstyle and the welcoming nature to folks of all skill levels set it apart for me in the end. I 100%ed the thing, for Pete's sake.

As someone notoriously awful at FPS, I built a netrunner and enjoyed myself in every single battle I fought. I felt powerful and capable and immersed in each moment.

The world felt real and, unlike other reviewers have said, the farthest thing from empty. It felt lived in.

As far as the main story is concerned, I can understand the cringe response to some of the dialogue. But there have been better-reviewed games with worse conversation. We all know the root of the issue comes down to a launch flop followed by contrarians riding on the coattails of people giving authentic negative reviews.

I will revisit the DLC and look forward to more time in Night City. My biggest hope is that the flop doesn't keep CDPR from exploring a future with this game. This game deserves better.

27th Game Completed in 2022

This is a toughie to review.

When this game is good, it's fantastic. The abilities are interesting. The pacing overall is compelling. The upgrade three-card style is engaging enough.

Where this game struggles for me is the scaling. Some bosses would be way more challenging than they ought to be. I would have to grind my health and strength up to even stand a chance at my skill level.

The story was okay, interesting enough. The art was excellent and 99% of the puzzles were excellent. There were one or two moments of contrived difficulty that would have been better left on the cutting room floor.

If you like Metroidvania games, this is one to play to pass the time. But the story and challenge are likely more for someone wanting a Metroidvania-lite experience than a full-fledged entry.