I have not finished this game, and yet even still this is such an easy GOTY pick for myself because it singlehandedly proved that this sub-genre of RPGs not only isn't dead but still capable of blowing people out of the water with its sheer polish, scale, and production values. There is nothing else like it in how it reacts to the player's actions and choices, the sheer freedom yet challenge of putting you in scenarios where there's rarely a truly right or wrong answer.

Such a blast, exceeded every expectation without replacing the original title and knowing that it wouldn't, instead standing alongside it as its own unique interpretation. Fun enough that I already did an S+ speedrun right afterwards for the goofy ass wolf tail.

This game has such incredible awe-inspiring highs and some really garbage lows, but I'm personally more than willing to forgive it because I still loved the ride the story brought me on, warts and all.

Still boggles my mind that Bethesda/Microsoft published a game this outstanding and brimming with personality, and also that Tango was even capable of something like this. Praying they do more works like this.

While I think Echo is a much more powerful work in culmination and the emotions it digs up, Arches is a lot more viscerally unhinged yet somehow more hopeful overall. It's a great companion piece to that game and The Smoke Room to an extent, and didn't disappoint despite how much hype I had going into it from Echo.

Incredibly cozy and charming, and singlehandedly showed that Nintendo is still capable of not only making a great 2D Mario game, but one that might even surpass the original greats.

Incredibly cute and hilarious, and just such a cozy JRPG that's easy to please and recommend to even those who haven't played a JRPG before. Genuinely outstanding remake for a great charming game.

A fantastic little expansion on top of a fantastic game. Some small quibbles with the difficulty curve, but stuff that will very quickly go away on inevitable replays in the future.

Mind bogglingly good remaster that finally makes this game accessible on a modern platform with modern control options. Just wish the rest of the trilogy was included, instead I now have to pray that they'll get the same treatment someday and hopefully soon.

If Chapter 4's start got me hooked on actually playing Fortnite, this season amplified it by lightyears. Outstanding battle pass and while the added area was frankly kind of small, it had such great visual direction and just felt fun to be in alongside a great lineup of weapons.

I really want to replay this at some point, both because updates have happened since launch that fixed some of my biggest annoyances but also because the vibe that BRC gives off is just unmatched. Visually and audibly, it thoroughly understands what made Jet Set Radio special, even if arguably I don't think it should've brought along some of what made those games rough to actually play in my view.

Fantastic little rhythm game that I wish the DLC scheme was less pricy for, and was on PC instead of Switch/PS4.

Another game I need to come back to because of balance updates. I kind of should've known to wait on this especially after Elden Ring's patch history, because of course the body parts and weapons were completely rebalanced to actually make entire weapon categories more viable to endgame and nerfing blatantly busted builds. I absolutely loved everything up until those last several missions, and it's probably fine I waited anyways because I didn't get the true ending just yet.

Fighters aren't typically my thing and I did kind of fall off of this, but it still held my attention for almost 20 straight hours which no other fighter has accomplished before. Insane amount of content both singleplayer and multiplayer-wise, and goes above and beyond in teaching newcomers every aspect of the ropes without being overwhelming.

I'm not as hardcore into Counter-Strike anymore like I was in my teenage days, and so all the Competitive changes kind of fly over my head because I just prefer to stick to typical casual modes. Annoying how much content was missing on launch, even if I get Valve's point that forcing the move would bring attention and fixes faster than a separate release.

The longer I let this sit since I finished it, the more increasingly lukewarm I feel about it just because of how much the combat really soured this alongside how weirdly disappointing a lot of the sky area was for how much it was sold on that part of the world. I really liked the story but wish it wasn't told in such a broken up manner, it's a format that worked for BOTW but not something more focused like this was.

It's another Jackbox game! A still great time, but don't really like the increased price tag alongside bugs and glitches and one of the worst minigames Jackbox has ever had.

Counting this because it ended in 2023 and was where I played the most of this. Weirdly really enjoyed myself, and was when I got hooked onto Fortnite after briefly playing some of the Vibin' season before this. The battle pass wasn't great, but the core gameplay stayed entertaining which was what mattered the most. Also the UE5 upgrade looked incredible, even if a bit of a technical mess at the time too.

There was an addictive quality to this like past Bethesda games, but it lacks the identity and charm of those games. Even messes like Fallout 4 had more distinct personality and world building than Starfield does, and a lot of it mostly just comes down to how much of a core mistake the procedural planets were. Every part of the typical Bethesda loop was harmed by the sheer scale of this game, and needlessly so.

Has gotten worse in my mind since I finished it just because of how much Tyson's route and ending really sour the entire experience, even if the sheer scale of this for a mostly one-man project is insane.

Honestly really disappointed by this just because of how much the scale of levels and the difficulty curve really hurt this. Lessons were just seemingly unlearned from its sequel and the countless other 2D rogue-lites that have released since the original during its heyday.

Empty nostalgia for me as someone who never liked Fortnite back then, and playing this while fun in short bursts, also doubled down on why I didn't like battle royales and Fortnite itself all those years ago. Also combined with truly baffling ass-backwards decision making from Epic in regards to the age restrictions and store changes.

This was better than Wilds, but only kind of marginally so. The weapon balance wasn't great but at least not completely broken, the swamp area was pretty significantly reduced, and the mansion areas were somewhat fun but I think the heist concept just clashed too much with the core battle royale itself. Battle pass still wasn't good. A disappointing whimper to end the chapter on.

Stinker, and where the Fortnite obsession immediately halted itself. Garbage battle pass and the swamp area was such an atrocious addition. Quest objectives were needlessly confusing and convoluted, and the weapon balance was all over the place as well.