And now the end is near
And so I face the final curtain
My friend, I'll say it clear
I'll state my case of which I'm certain
I've lived a life that's full
I've travelled each and every highway
And more, much more than this
I did it my way
Regrets I've had a few
But then again too few to mention
I did what I had to do
And saw it through without exemption
I planned each chartered course
Each careful step along the by-way
And more, much more than this
I did it my way
Yes, there were times
I'm sure you knew
When I bit off more than I could chew
But through it all when there was doubt
I ate it up and spit it out
I faced it all
And I stood tall
And did it my way
I've loved, I've laughed, and cried
I've had my fill, my share of losing
And now, as tears subside
I find it all so amusing
To think I did all that
And may I say, not in a shy way
"Oh no, oh no, not me
I did it my way"
For what is a man, what has he got?
If not himself then he has naught
To say the things he truly feels
And not the words of one who kneels
The record shows I took the blows
And did it my way
Yes, it was my way

As the credits roll and I hear "My Way" by Frank Sinatra, my mind is crowded with conflicting thoughts and emotions
how can a game be so cringe and awful yet use it to its own benefit? how can a game with no identity and soul use it to give itself purpose?
I think about those, and I have no answer to either question, but what I have experienced is something unique and memorable
something unforgettable that will stick with me.

There are some baffling writing decisions in this game but I do think that's what gives the game its charm, under any normal circumstance this game would be horrible in every way, but it isn't.
Jack Garland as a character would also under normal circumstances be an awful character, but because of the setting he's in, the characters he's surrounded by, the story he takes part in... He actually sorta becomes genius?
I think I can sorta say the same for the Party Members as well, they're all so 1-dimensional that it gives them charm, the banter between them and Jack during missions is wonderful, it gives them a very tiny amount of depth but more importantly, it makes you care for them, you want to see more of these characters, you want to keep seeing these character's interact and that's honestly the most impressive part of this game.
Despite everything it does, despite all of its flaws, it manages to come out on top and it's proof that games with experimental tones and over-the-top plot can work in this modern video game industry and I think that's the most respectful thing about this game and I wouldn't have it any other way.

Alright now with that nonsense out of the way, why don't we get into the proper review?

As usual, starting with the story:
It's entertaining but simple, well written? Hard to say but at the end of the day it fits extremely well with the tone of the game not much to comment without diving into spoiler territory so I'll end this one here and as much I want to talk more about this aspect I simply can't bring myself to because the story is best experienced blind.

Up next are the characters!
They're fun, they are very 1-dimensional as I mentioned before but they serve their purpose in the story well and really help spice up the gameplay and make you strategize a bit more about each encounter.

Now finally, the highlight of the entire game, the gameplay:
It's superb, one of the best I've ever had the pleasure of experiencing, the combat is fast and smooth, there are tons of jobs and weapons with different playstyles that are all viable and fun in their own way and I want more, the combinations that you can make with each job, the different skills and actions you can apply to the end of your actions are fascinating, it makes every single combination of jobs unique and viable and incentivizes experimentation which made any and all encounters feel fresh and challenging in their own way, mastering the combat and using soul shield perfectly feel extremely rewarding and I think more games should adopt a high-risk high reward kind of playstyle this game has.
and the loot system is also fantastic, it's your usual nioh style, it can be very satisfying to optimize all your equipment and steamroll everything but you can also completely ignore it and play the game without any issues.
and the level design... It's not awful but it could be better, most of the early levels are very bland with some nonsensical room placement but I believe the final few levels are where the level design shines the most as there are some beautiful locations that feel amazing to go through, however, some levels hurt to look at and sometimes make me want to take a break after beating a level, however overall I don't think this is a major issue for this game as the combat more than makes up for it in that regard.

And finally the Music.
as always with Final Fantasy games, it's superb.
The remixes of older tracks from the series mixed in with more modern and action-packed battle themes make it a joy to listen to and play through and I desperately want to listen to the soundtrack whenever I can, it really makes the game very slightly more enjoyable.

In conclusion:
Stranger of Paradise is a modern Video Game B-Movie and it's wonderful, the complete over-the-top plot and the edgy tone makes it a very unique game ignoring Dirge of Ceberus in the entire Final Fantasy franchise, and with the approach they went with for the game all the flaws it has easily enhances it rather bring it down.
And as much as I adore this game, I can't bring myself to say that it's a game for everyone, everything about it appeals so much to my tastes and what I enjoy in videogames where it's very hard to recommend to people even if I do believe everyone should give it a shot at the least.
I was in it from the beginning and I'm glad I made it all the way through to the end, And I hope that you feel the same.

Final Fantasy Origins really really feels like I'm back in Nioh. Visual fidelity aside which is a pretty significant step back, but the weapon switching, the loot, the skill trees, the combo building, and the combat in general are all very much pulled from Team Ninja's prior fantastic titles. The Final Fantasy window dressing REALLY does pull a lot of weight for me here, being able to use FF Classes and fight FF mobs is just what I wanted. They key gameplay differentiator that makes this game stand out from Nioh for me is the Soul Shield and Instant Abilities. The Soul Shield is like your parry which you can only hold out for so long, and when you get hit with certain named attacks, it triggers your "Blue Mage" capabilities and allows you a limited number of uses of that move. It also increases your maximum MP allowing you to use more spells/abilities. An early example was when I found a cactuar and used my soul shield against it, and was therefore able to use 1000 Needles a couple of times. This really helps the combat feel much more customizable and every job has a unique flare to it with it's standard R2 ability.

As far as the story goes, it is an earnest and thoroughly entertaining adventure. Jack is a phenomenal protagonist and his dynamic with Ash, Jed, Neon, and Sophia is a joy. The music is incredible, reflecting most of the Final Fantasy titles referenced in the game. A point of contention for some people seem to be the level design, but I actually quite liked it. They are often maze-like, making you feel lost with all the different directions to go along side the great shortcuts implemented. This makes me feel like I actually am in proper Final Fantasy dungeons as I run around looking for secrets and the way forward. All in all, SoP exceeded my expectations and I hope this isn't the last time we see Team Ninja crossover with Final Fantasy. "It's a mercy to forget."

Oh Elden Ring, the culmination of every FromSoftware title that has ever graced our computer monitors and TVs. To be quite blunt, this game is my favorite FromSoft title, and quite honestly is now in my top 5 favorite games ever. To say that it is a masterpiece is almost an understatement.

But what makes Elden Ring so fantastic? Let's start with the best thing about the game: the exploration. If Breath Of The Wild gave you a sense of adventure and awe with its "you see it, go there!" mentality, then Elden Ring will give you similar vibes. There are so many little secrets to find here. From mines, dungeons, overworld bosses, and entire levels both mandatory and optional for you to tackle. And tackle them you will, because it is so damn fun to do so. Every moment I spent exploring this world that Miyazaki and GRRM created gave me a sense of adventure and discovery that I rarely get from games anymore.

Let's talk about difficulty. Yes, this is yet another "git gud" entry in FromSoft's catalogue. And yet, it's also one of their most accessible. There are plenty of tutorials on how things work, there are NPC summons and the newly implemented enemy summons that give you an extra leg up in boss battles (I even argue many bosses are built around the idea of co-op or the enemy summons), and theres so many tools to help you beat that next challenge. That's not to say that this game is easy, though. I've played all of FromSoft's work, and I still got my ass kicked a good amount in Elden Ring. But with getting demolished also comes great reward, and it is totally highlighted here in Elden Ring.

Combat here is a blend of pretty much everything that has lead up to this game. It is very reminiscent of all the Dark Souls games (Dark Souls III in particular), but also rewards the player for being more aggressive with enemies being stagger-able if you do enough damage quickly, ala Bloodborne, and even has jumping and stealth ala Sekiro. All builds feel viable (tho magic still is a bit broken) and are fun as hell to play around with.

This is not to say Elden Ring is perfect, though. While this is basically a 6/5 game for me, there are still things I found annoying. For starters, yes, the PC version stutters a lot and can sometimes cost you good runs because of it. There has been some improvements, but not enough to make it the definitive way to play the game. Elden Ring also suffers from one of my most hated open world tropes: the good ole copy-and-paste. There are a ton of bosses in this game, but a good amount of them are reskins or the same boss with one-or-two added mechanics. It can sometimes feel a bit anticlimactic when tackling this challenging side dungeon only to be met with a normal enemy as a boss.

These setbacks do not sour the experience for me though. Elden Ring is a masterclass of open world design. It combines the best of all FromSoft's work up to now. Which begs the question: where the hell do they go from here? I'm not sure how FromSoft is going to top this game going forward, but I will sure as hell be one of the first to play when they try.

The strengths of this game have been talked to death about so i wanted to be a bit more critical.
Its a terrific experience for sure but after letting it sit with me for a while and after afew replays, some cracks in the experience begin to appear, i think my main issue with the game is the power scaling issues that can become very apparent in the late game and the late game in general. Late game areas are nowhere near as enjoyable and as deep as early game ones, like low-key i kinda think the game peaks at its middle section when you get to leyndell. I think bloodborne and sekiro were more enjoyable for me, the core gameplay is stronger in both of those games and i dont think the general story writing is as interesting as its previously been in this series, the world is super intriguing but i dont think it is as believable or as immersive as say, Yharnam or Lordran.

elden ring is from software arriving to save aaa gaming from itself yet again. as they did in the seventh gen with Dark Souls (to a lesser extent Demon's Souls as well but that game never reached the same status, but it does a lot of the same stuff. the gamble of console exclusives i suppose...), from has ripped away the comforts and the pablum from gaming at its most mainstream. this time focused with laser intent on stripping as much comfort from the open world action role playing computer games in many of the same ways that dark souls did the more linear action roleplaying game two generations before it. this is only barely exaggeration and the "new fromsoft game" jitters speaking here, i sincerely believe this game saved games from themselves once again.

open world games are in general excrutiatingly boring chore simulators that don't do much to excite any part of the brain besides the part that finds filling out lists fun. office drone twitter bluecheck freaks make these sorts of games for each other now game design's rules and laws are so firmly etched into our brains. hands must be held, stories must do thing a to subvert expectation b to reveal it's actually about (reader's choice: mental health, liberal politics, """""trauma""""). this isn't to say all open world games are this way, but one needs only look at what was supposed to be spring 22's big show pony horizon forbidden west to get a decent grip on what these games are. total ubisoftification to sell guaranteed x amount of copies to please y shareholders and guarantee z biyearly sequels that are each a little bit worse than the last one. (remember when far cry was good!?)

fromsoft has very little interest in doing anything related to that. there is no checklist of things to do, you either stumble onto the sidequests naturally or consult with the vast droves of online help and collaborate with others to solve these things. i don't want to get into spoilers but i'm glad from has continued the tradition of having a "true ending" that tells the journey you're player is going on to fuck off brought about by doing the absolute most to see how putrid the world the player inhabits is.

and this world is putrid. much like boletaria, lordran, drangleic, yharnam and sengoku(?) era japan before it, the world the player is given almost carte blanche to fuck about in is one just about nose-deep into the process of dying. whatever military or political powers inhabited it have no real control, they all seem to have fought every conceivable war they could come up with and have reached comfortably blocked-off stasis. in this state, the only thing left for anybody to do is die and then come back and then die and then come back until their killer loses interest. this is, as we all know, incredibly fucking raw. elden ring's world, the lands between, doubles down as the atmosphere and dread by pulling every one of fromsoft's trick and doing something new with it or iterating on it in a meaningful way.

to (lightly) spoil an early game area, the player is tasked with entering into and then killing the deity that ruled a school that sought forbidden knowledge regarding undeath where its scholars were driven mad or used for cruel experimentation (i think, item descriptions and reading the general air of the area as war machines and and mad sorcerers dot the area only tell me so much). this isn't really anything new for fromsoft, but it all still feels really fresh. partially because it's just a fucking raw idea and partially because it's paced pretty briskly, so you're only given the killer that might've ended up as filler if it were as long as a dark souls or sekiro stage is. ending with a puzzle boss was a no-brainer, but then turning that boss into a real fight that's pretty challenging and fun hits all the right notes here. it's nothing new, but it doesn't need to be when it's this good.

these legacy dungeons are amazing, but for the most part they are used to break up the exploration for the first two acts of the game. the real meat is the near infinite amount of things to find in the game. some of it doesn't add up to much, i've found abandoned fortresses that seemed to be going somewhere only to be quick excursions clocking in at under an hour. but some of it is huge. there are few moments in games that i can think of that took me by complete surprise as the underground portion of the map. at first it just seems to be a themed dungeon, but slowly it becomes almost an entire second open world, complete with its own subareas and dungeons. games rarely feel this deep, like you can kick over the cardboard standee and find something real behind it and not just dead air. i'm going to predict this moment is pivotal to a new generation of developer's understanding of world and level design, much like so much of dark souls was for its own generation (can't believe it's been 10 years...)

combat. it's good. souls combat rocks. i wish it was faster, as always. i liked how post-dark souls 2 a big goal for fromsoft seemed to be how fast they could pace the combat and have the player keep up. bloodborne and sekiro especially are constantly riding the edge of what is possibly too fast for the player to respond to, and elden ring follows a similar path. it's much closer to dark souls iii than sekiro or bloodborne, which i think everyone was expecting but maybe not everyone wanted. thankfully the game is firing on all cylinders and starts the boss difficulty around the prior game's midpoint and ratchets it up from there pretty quickly. while nothing quite hits the dizzying heights as clashing swords with isshin or nimbly moving through orphan of kos' infantile rage, a lot of bosses are on a similar level in their own ways. the final optional boss, one the game has used in a great deal of promotional material, feels like if artorias was upgraded and tweaked without feeling as masturbatory as gael was when it attempted similar things in the das3 dlc

it's nice that skills soft cap a little differently in this one, it was fun to have a melee oriented character that could dabble a little in faith and int with the freed up skill points. not much to add here but it also makes me excited to see the pvp meta even if i didnt touch it in this one.

most of the new stuff feels as tertiary as players want it to be. i didn't touch spirit ashes until endgame but when i did i liked what i saw. the one that just gives you a clone is sick, even if it's completely fucking broken. but breaking souls games is its own fun, so no harm done. can just not use it, obviously.

its crazy that fromsoft was able to move in a direction that feels appealing to diehard souls guys while still honestly feeling the most approachable a souls game has ever been. this whole game is the work of geniuses firing on all cylinders pumping out shit to put most everything released in the mainstream to shame, and i think it's going to be a pivotal moment in the whole history of gaming much like dark souls was. it's a panacea for the doldrums this gen is offering up so far, and it shows that games by committee aren't as infallible and foolproof as they'd like to think themselves as. this is going to sell 30 million copies, the tone is set. the stagnation is gone, the hollowing undone, the humanity restored and the grace returned.

FromSoft's first open world game and they absolutely nailed it. I was initially worried that the move meant they would have to compromise on level design, but that wasn’t really the case here. Despite its vast and seamless world, the majority of it still has the same level of varied intricacy as the rest of their games. Like sprawling castles with detailed interiors and immense verticality, random caves you may stumble across that lead to massive underground systems, and of course plenty of unique bosses to fight.

That’s its biggest strength for me, the exploration. What sets it apart from many others is the complete lack of endless map markers or quests to focus on, rather just letting you get lost in a world with so much to see on the horizon that you can’t help but want to explore. And it rewards this curiosity by always having something worthwhile to find, whether it be useful items, boss encounters, or even paths to entire new areas. This also makes approaching difficult bosses a bit more manageable, as you can always just go somewhere else if you’re stuck and try again when you’re stronger.

And as a setting I loved The Lands Between. I’m not sure how much influence GRRM had over the world-building, but its mysterious lore is ever present all over and it’s wonderfully realized. It’s still as somber as From games have always been, but it also felt more grand given how open it is in comparison.

The only real gripe I had was the smaller catacombs you can find felt a bit too repetitive. Most of them look the same and some bosses are reused for them, basically serving as ER’s version of chalice dungeons which is eh. But I still enjoyed going through them so didn’t mind too much. Performance also seems… not great on most platforms, but I played the BC version on PS5 so was pretty much locked 60 for me. Hopefully they can iron its issues out for everything else.

But overall it’s yet another masterful game by From and now among my favorites. I’m excited to see where they go from here, cause it really did feel like a culmination of all their work up to now.

I didn't really know what to expect with Elden Ring. Going in, all I knew was that it was "open world Dark Souls" but what did that mean? Early reviews were saying 30 hours, I was confidant the horse controls were going to be jank, and above all else, I feared for the game design. From Soft are MASTERS at linear(ish) level design with plenty of shortcuts and well thought out enemy placements. Surely this would all go away in an open world format. Boy, were my expectations off.

Elden Ring is nothing short of FromSoft's masterpiece. The combat is a natural evolution of Dark Souls III and Bloodborne in terms of speed, with returning concepts like my beloved power-stancing from Dark Souls II. Their work on Sekiro also allowed them to experiment greatly with verticality in both level design and combat encounters. The horse feels great too, even being a great tool to jump on and off of it mid-fight if it is permitted.

In terms of challenge, I would say it's pretty open to being as easy or difficult as you want to make it. Tools like the ash summons can make for useful diversions/allies during battles without having to rely on other players, and there are plenty of busted weapons, spells, and incantations for you to abuse as you like.

But beyond those FromSoft series staple refinements, the real key differentiator with this entry is the exploration. Elden Ring gives you very little direction beyond the first hour of where to go and what to do and the world is massive and full of interesting catacombs, tombs, and castles. You are constantly presented with gorgeous, scenic vistas full of rotten enemies. A friend told me from what they saw it's like playing through a concept art book and that is absolutely right. Though BotW isn't the first to design an open-world this way, it's the most recent example that comes to mind so I will use it as the point of comparison. You feel compelled to explore places you see in the distance simply because they look interesting, and you are always amply rewarded for your efforts. It's incredible how a studio with practically no experience designing this type of game knocks it out of the park on their first try in a way most studios have failed.

That isn't to say the experience is ALL golden, I do have some minor complaints. Side quests and optional stories are as obtuse as they are in all FromSoft games, but in a world THIS massive it's almost impossible to stumble through them accidentally. A guide feels mandatory if you want to follow certain characters and their escapades. Some other minor things that would be nice to have are stat comparisons in shops to the gear you currently have equipped, and in general a tab of your inventory for new item pickups would be nice because it's easy to miss what you just picked up is supposed to be.

Minor complaints aside, Elden Ring is undoubtedly one of FromSoft's finest works, and maybe even their best title. It feels like the ultimate Souls experience combining the size and scale of all of their games in one. If you enjoy a challenge, exploration, and some rad boss fights, this game is a no brainer to pick up.

How do you even write a review for an experience like Elden Ring? It truly feels like a piece of media that only comes around once in a blue moon, up with the all time greats in their respective genres. My feelings after playing FromSoft's magnum opus probably replicate those of fans of Breath of the Wild. This is an open world game in which EVERYTHING feels rewarding to explore, EVERY fight presented a unique challenge or mechanic, EVERY environment took my breath away. I'd tried Dark Souls, tried Bloodborne, tried Sekiro, and bounced off them all. It wasn't until Elden Ring that the genius of Miyazaki and his cohort finally clicked. This is a game that is earnest about the challenges it presents, about the difficulty in the road ahead, but is cathartic and greatly enjoyable.

I enjoy difficulty to a degree in video games... there are times where I feel it is genuinely unfair and not worth the time (SMTIII) and other times where it feels rewarding beyond belief because it rewards learning and reacting correctly (DMC3/Bayonetta.) Elden Ring is most definitely the latter. The combat in this game and the bosses within are definitely not easy, and being cocky will result in a game over, however after feeling out and learning boss patterns, it becomes a simple endeavour. I LOVE how this game emphasizes that feeling of becoming better, it rewards the player time and time again for the effort they put into the fight. Rarely can you just get "lucky" and out DPS a boss or cheese them into a frozen state, you have to put in the effort to outplay them. From the very first story boss to the last, each fight is something new to try out and learn from. Your confidence grows and grows over time, making you truly feel like you are worthy of becoming the Elden Lord toward the end. I went a pure melee STR build, and I felt a little unfairly challenged at times because of bosses that were quick and in your face, making beating them a harder task, however my ability to do so made me a much more confident player. As the game went on, and I gained levels, my inner confidence and mental resolve did as well.

The first thing a lot of people will talk about in regards to Elden Ring is the environment and man... if it isn't one of, if not the, most beautiful games I have ever seen. From your first moment in the Lands In Between, you are exposed to the gracious extravagance of the Erdtree. The bright yellow shines over the world in its ever present glory, a great start to the eye candy that is the rest of the game. Every zone you go to is a new biome entierly, from the luscious greens of Limgrave to the eerie reds of Caelid, to the righteous yellows of Lyndell to the harsh swamps of Liurnia and more. The world was filled of life everywhere, with each part of this MASSIVE zones filled to the brim with purpose; with animals or trees or activities for the player to join in. The only other game I felt this as present in was Resident Evil Village. With a whole world in front of you, the player is begged from the start to explore. The crazy thing about that? It ALL feels good to do. It's been a VERY long time in a game, perhaps since Skyrim, that I have felt the unbridled excitement to just keep on turning over every rock and exploring. I scouted every environment from head to toe, running up and down every mountain and every tower, checking every minor Erdtree, taking every portal I came across. The "hey check this out" factor of Elden Ring is a phenomenal factor of Elden Ring's player driven adventure. The game feels naturally lead by YOU to create your own takeaways and experiences. Sitting in a call with my friends and saying "hey dude I just found something cool" and having them all go to that place in their respective playthroughs felt like the days of gaming pre-internet, where the legends of items or cool finds were spread through word of mouth. Elden Ring's map is massive, not in a daunting and unrewarding way, but in one that you always wished were bigger so you never had to stop looking around the expansive world.

I still have to do some deep dives on the lore to understand exactly all that is going on in the world, but I didn't find it too difficult to follow along with the item stories and overarching plot. I can't wait to watch hours of lore explanation videos as well to dive even deeper into the intricate world penned by George RR Martin and the creators at FromSoft.

Elden Ring is a challenging game at first, but immediately grabs the player and holds them for what is one of the freshest and most enjoyable experiences I have ever had in a video game. Simply put, it is one of the greatest video games ever made.