Fully embracing the near 20 year history of the franchise while also being able to stand on it's own is what it achieves best. There's such a passion and love itself throughout the whole journey, it feels like the proper evolution to both being a sequel to an already incredible game but to also be able to understand the series.

On the actual experience part, from the new combat mechanics to the sheer amount of quality side-content it's fantastic but what really makes the game stand out is the focus on presentation from the much better graphics and direction which adds so much to every bit of the game. The one cherry on the top is what the sound team had done for the soundtrack, from the more quiet cutscenes tracks to the activity ones, it's orgasmic

Overall, it's a very strong contender for the top of the franchise, too much to love about it otherwise.