DaddyRosfield
2022
Elden Ring is a game with incredible scope. Before playing it at launch, I don't think I ever found myself as immersed in an open world setting as I had with The Lands Between. The first 30 or so hours of playtime were mostly spent exploring the world, finding hidden secrets and coming to grips with one of the most fair and challenging difficulty curves in modern AAA gaming. The team at From Software truly set a new standard for these kind of games with Elden Ring and if it weren't for a woefully drawn out second half, I would have given this a perfect score. Alas, the game outstays its welcome once you finish the Royal Capital, and becomes a chore to slog through once the endgame truly comes. If it were not for that, it would be a near perfect experience.
1998
"It's Snake. I'm in front of the disposal facility."
In 1998, few video games - if any - had the cinematic gravitas or complexity that Metal Gear Solid brought to the table when it released. Despite its age, Metal Gear Solid's story and presentation are a cut above most other games for the original PlayStation. The themes of political tension, geneology, self-acceptance and war (and its affects on soldiers) are all explored in a beautifully poetic way that only Hideo Kojima (and Jeremy Blaustein's English translation!) could provide. While the gameplay is quite rough around the edges - particularly in the depth of the stealth elements and the amount of backtracking the player is forced to do - it still has its own charm and appeal. The pacing of the boss fights and sneaking around a world with such and entrenched sense of place and immersive atmosphere thanks to an incredible soundtrack AND soundscape, along with a finely balanced difficulty curve make Metal Gear Solid a game worth playing even over 25 years after its initial release.
In 1998, few video games - if any - had the cinematic gravitas or complexity that Metal Gear Solid brought to the table when it released. Despite its age, Metal Gear Solid's story and presentation are a cut above most other games for the original PlayStation. The themes of political tension, geneology, self-acceptance and war (and its affects on soldiers) are all explored in a beautifully poetic way that only Hideo Kojima (and Jeremy Blaustein's English translation!) could provide. While the gameplay is quite rough around the edges - particularly in the depth of the stealth elements and the amount of backtracking the player is forced to do - it still has its own charm and appeal. The pacing of the boss fights and sneaking around a world with such and entrenched sense of place and immersive atmosphere thanks to an incredible soundtrack AND soundscape, along with a finely balanced difficulty curve make Metal Gear Solid a game worth playing even over 25 years after its initial release.
2023
Final Fantasy XVI is the pinnacle of the action RPG and everything that came before this was building up to it. From the early 2000's the signs of change were apparent in the DNA of Final Fantasy X, XI and XII and when XIII perhaps deviated from the soul of the series too much, fans were eary of Square Enix's next attemps. While initially a failure, Final Fantasy XIV grew into an internationally reknowned and beloved game, one of the most profitable Japanese published ever in fact and while it certainly wasn't perfect, Final Fantasy XV brought back the soul and iconography of the series to leave us wanting more and more.
Final Fantasy XVI brought more, and then some.
The dark and gritty story inspired by Game of Thrones introduces us to some of the most grounded and realistic characters in Final Fantasy history with dramatic turns and themeing that absolutely left me floored. The combat and boss fights literally brought me to my knees at points with enough depth and spectacle to keep you coming back for more long after you've finished the main story.
This is one of the best games of the generation and perhaps even of all time.
Final Fantasy XVI brought more, and then some.
The dark and gritty story inspired by Game of Thrones introduces us to some of the most grounded and realistic characters in Final Fantasy history with dramatic turns and themeing that absolutely left me floored. The combat and boss fights literally brought me to my knees at points with enough depth and spectacle to keep you coming back for more long after you've finished the main story.
This is one of the best games of the generation and perhaps even of all time.