I'll admit first and foremost, I saw the leaks before release, I saw the trailers for this game, and I thought it looked like absolute dogshit! I was terrified to see where Fire Emblem was headed with this, and lord knows I wasn't anywhere close to interested in those avatar designs. I thought it looked like complete and utter ridiculousness, but... time went on, and it grew on me. As wheatie does, the game released and I saw a few clips of it floating around on different platforms. It looked ridiculous. Almost... intentionally so?

The story is terrible, yeah, of course, I think that's been made abundantly clear by everybody, but I can't help but smile at it still. Everything about Fire Emblem Engage is silly, from its writing, to its character designs, to just its whole damn premise, it's absurd! And yet, they seem to know that! So instead of desperately trying to claw its way into a dark and brooding story, it almost felt like they were more leaning into the absurdity of what they had. This isn't a game you're supposed to take seriously, and I fuckin' love it.

Looking past that, though, as a Fire Emblem in gameplay, it does a stellar job. I don't feel the need to go over what everyone else already has countless times before, general consensus seems to be shockingly positive regarding the map design and the gameplay, but I also really enjoyed some of the paralogues, getting to revisit maps from the older games and even getting to walk around them somewhat freely after the fight's over. That's something I'd also like to talk about, because good god this game is so fucking pretty! Maybe I'm just surprised after having played Three Houses for so long and staring at its boring and repetitive maps so many times, but even besides that, the hub worlds like the Somniel or the post-battle, fully modeled maps, I was absolutely astounded by just how beautiful Engage was to look at. Could very well be the prettiest game on the Switch, helped by its already vibrant and colorful/flashy design everywhere else.

Now combine those beautiful atmospheres with a just as beautiful soundtrack, pure bliss. I spent so much time in the Somniel just spacing out and wandering the area, listening to whichever song fit the time, and at this point I think it's going to stay with me for the next while. The serenity that comes with these tracks is something I find scarcely matched in other media. Shit, I'm listening to them even now, writing this review, thanks to this cool little compilation I found of all of 'em. That's not to say the other tracks aren't amazing as well. Being as obsessed with this series as I have been for the last eight years or so, it was more than exhilarating listening to the throwbacks they whipped up for all of the Emblem Trial paralogues, or the slow and gratifying buildup of Last Engage at the end, to be followed shortly after by a lovely vocal track for the credits roll, among god knows how many others.

Engage was a stunning, whimsical, and just overall fun experience, in every sense of the word. I regret being so doubtful of this game at first, and I especially regret taking 14 entire months to finish it (oops). It's, as I said, absurd and ridiculous the whole way through, and I've learned to appreciate that sort of thing so much more over the years. I can't call it my favorite Fire Emblem, Sacred Stones has that nostalgia (and GBA) bias over me, but this was still a marvelous love letter to one of my favorite franchises ever, even despite some of its more prominent shortcomings.

"camp" as the kids say

Do you ever stumble in one of those games that, despite not being perfect, it manages to cover certain specific things in such a smashingly perfect way that you can't help but give it the highest score ? Xenoblade Chronicles 2 is that game.

It has debated to hell and back how this game is definitely less balanced than its predecessor, especially due to its slow start and the not-exactly-ideal tutorials which omit some key info and also feel more tedious than they could've been if streamlined better. Yet, despite this, Xenoblade 2 managed to slip into my heart, right next to the first game.

The graphics, of course, make full display of the artistic creativity of Monolith Soft, which is able to put very unique spins on what could feel like familiar views in any other JRPGs, where the classic green plains are placed on the back of an enormous quadrupedal titan, while a complex set of caves, a massive lake and a medieval town are all stored inside the stomach of a huge whale-like beast.

The character-design has been another source of debate, but I've never found it bad, if anything I welcome a JRPG protagonist that seems to be coming out of the 90's in terms of weird, yet uniquely striking fashion. I prefer it to normal-looking clothes at the very least. The rest of the cast pretty much follow suit, going for an unapologetic vibe that fits the previous works of the main character designer, while also featuring some guest artists for some of the non-story Blades, including Tetsuya Nomura at his best on designing the main villains of the game.

As with the first game, the title shines in its main story cutscenes where the animators display an amazing craft in how they handle expressions and movements. I've been a huge fan of their direction ever since the first game.

The gameplay is where those previously mentioned problems start to pop up. Xenoblade 2 isn't a bad game, it's legit great once you understand its mechanics, but it's one of those games that will give to you as much as you're willing to give it back in return. its battle system based on elemental combos requires constant attention and a familiarity of the roles and abilities of the different blades, which can be unlocked through the story, side quests or through an in-game gacha system (one that thankfully doesn't involve real money).

Each blade is also crucial for exploring the world as, depending by their skills, they'll be able to unlock shortcuts or secret passages, some of which will be mandatory for some of the side quests. It's a very intriguing system, but unlocking the different abilities and tiers will take time and the game might sometime block the player's progress because of this, forcing them to grind away at the requirements to unlock the abilities needed to progress.

It all feels a bit too tedious for most people, while others might find themselves just vibing with the game and exploring around, clearing side quests and finding all the side-story content that the different blades will unlock through their own requirements.

For people that will be willing to put in some time, Xenoblade 2 will have lots of rewards of course, but it's undeniable that it won't be worth everyone's time, especially as the game sometimes does lack a bit of guidance as mentioned before.

The other side of contempt regards the game's story, which takes quite a bit to get going. It's not bad by any means, but the first part of the game is clearly a huge, careful setup that, much like its gameplay, will reward people who will be patient enough to wait for the game's plot to be ripe enough and show its real flavor, which, to be honest, has moved me to tears, as the characters shown their motivations and stories. Unluckily it's hard to talk about the plot without spoiling anything and one might have to make their own essay about just the plot of the game, as it's rich with interconnected themes about one's purpose, life, death and the dramatic nature of a Blade's life. It's a hell of a ride once it gets going, I assure you.

All of this is topped by an absolutely fantastic soundtrack. It shouldn't be a surprise given the track record of the series, but this second title manages to repeat the success of the first game, by having several bangers in its song selections, both in battle themes and location themes, as well as its emotional tunes.

The lows of Xenoblade 2 are quite low due to an excessively tedious gameplay loop that might scare most at first and a plot that has a slow start, but the highs are also among the highest I've ever experienced in the genre. it's worth all of it in my opinion and it's one of those special games that, despite having quite a few crucial gripes, manages to hit me right in the heart and has been worth the whole experience.

Even though I'm not the best at rhythm games, Hi-fi Rush still manages to make you feel like you know what you're doing (most of the time).

Was not a fan of the record-scratch introduction from the trailer but the humor, style really ended up working in the context of the game. Always great to see unique, colorful art styles being used.

All in all a great surprise drop that makes a great use of gamepass.

every spiderman 2 quest

"spiderman, you need to go find The Killsterminator's hideout or else the legacy of james schulyer's contributions to the new york city poetry scene will be lost forever!

spiderman: "looks like i need to use some iambic peter-meter"

Killsterminator during a 7 phase boss fight: "i stole the poems because i don't like what i see in the mirror"

Kraven the Hunter: "just killed 700 people"

Genuinely great anime arena brawler, has a shit load of characters to choose from and all of them (aside from the three version of Midoriya, two versions of Shiggy and two versions of Overhaul) feel very distinct from one another, it let's you customize you're favorite characters with clothes and gear, you can set said characters up in a photo mode and make a sick picture,

only thing I didn't like was the story mode, if I wanted to "Re-experience the story of MHA" I would just rewatch the anime, not playthrough a version made with 2 cents and shoelaces,

MHOJ2 rocked me harder than expected, it's a great step above the first instalment and MILES better than what ever the fuck Jump Force was.