I wasn't the biggest fan of Breath of the Wild, its radical departure from Zelda staples was cool exploration wise but left me missing the reoccurring themes, items and tropes of previous games. So when the sequel was announced and shown off I was hesitant since it looked like more of the same. Turns out it was more of the same, but better.

Two of my major complaints from BotW were quickly addressed. A More focused story and a return of classic form dungeons. The dungeons aren't amazing but they're distinct and feel more like older games dungeons than BotWs very repetitive Divine Beast segments. The story is a real stand out, a compelling mystery in the past mixed with an evil all powerful threat in the present, the way it all comes together is very cool. Ganondorf is also a nice more traditional Zelda feeling inclusion, I just wish he got more screen time or back story to really sell his threat. Also there's a very good twist at one point in the story that's very affecting, but then the ending undermines it lessening the whole impact of that moment which is disappointing.

Exploring is very fun. Like the first game roaming the large world is satisfying, and this games world is more populated and lived in, another corrected grievance I had with BotW. The two new areas are cool in concept, but become repetitive the more you return to them. The depths especially seemed to lack a reason to explore more to me after I finished the minimal story content in them.

Weapon durability also returns and I'm still not a fan. While the game sorta addresses this with the fusion system letting you increase damage and durability, the constant breakage and cycling through weapons is annoying and makes every treasure chest containing a disposable weapon feel like a waste. Especially since there's cool looking special weapons and even weapons from previous games you can find. Why can't these function like the Master Sword and be reusable instead of just ending up as pointless wall decorations for Links house?

I did enjoy the Ultrahand abilities for the most part, they lead to some fun moments and creative puzzle solving in both the open world and shrines, but the building mechanics felt superfluous a lot of the time. I would often just climb or move something manually rather then spend a bunch of time making some contraption that might not even do what I want it to.

Still with all that said I did enjoy my time with Tears of the Kingdom. I sunk over 100 hours in, found every shrine, did every story and major side quest, collected lots of cool armor, and explored a lovely looking world. While I still have my issues with this new BotW style for Zelda games, this one brought back enough of the old to meld the two into an enjoyable Zelda game.

Zelda Series Ranked

A fantastic Star Wars game. Really enjoyed my time with this one. Loved all the customization options, the gameplay was engaging, and the characters and story are really great and go in some interesting directions. The final act has a lot of surprises. There's a little too many collectibles but it only gets annyoing near the end and they're not really required. Soundtrack was also good, felt right out of a Star Wars movie. Just an overall great Star Wars experience, really hope to see a third game down the line.

Fun but definitely feels like more of a spin-off than full sequel to the last game. The mission system is a fun shake-up though and its nice that there's variety. Story has some fun EU references but is mostly whatever feeling. Sad Katarn get pushed to the side. Still a fun playthrough.

Also neat how the Dark Forces/Jedi Knight seriesbwent through a perfect curve in gameplay style:

Dark Forces - 100% shooter
Jedi Knight - 75% shooter, 25% Jedi
Jedi Outcast - 75% Jedi, 25% shooter
Jedi Academy - 100% Jedi (Yes you can use guns but they're pretty much pointless)

The beginning few levels of this are incredibly rough. The gunplay is just not as satisfying as the previous entries and enemies will overwhelm and one-shot kill you a lot. That coupled with the frustrating platforming leads to a lot of frequent saving and reloading.

But once you get the lightsaber and force powers things start to open up, and by the end of the game you're cutting through enemies and using op force powers left and right it's incredibly satisfying. You really feel like a Jedi. The plot also now takes place in the EU New Repiblic era which is nice as a fan of all that lore.

In the end I still mostly liked this game, its frustations aside it's still enjoyable.

This could've been on of the best entries in the Pokemon franchise. A huge open world to explore for the first time in the series, the ability to do whatever you want in any order, and a fun story set-up with engaging characters and cool conclusion. Also a good mix of new Pokemon and old favorites to choose from.

Unfortunately almost every aspect of the game feels unfinished and disappointing. The graphics are extremely poor and the frame rate is so bad it feels like your Switch is fighting to stay alive while doing simple things like jumping or battling. The open world starts out interesting to explore but quickly becomes empty and repetitive. Wild Pokemon and trainers pose zero threat, and there's even no consequences for jumping off the highest cliff and hitting the ground. The school concept is interesting and offers gameplay tips and world building which is nice, but it definitely feels like there could've been more. What's the point of befriending the professors if it doesn't offer anything or lead anywhere? Why give the player a dorm room that you can't do anything with? It all just feels tacked on without any thought or polish.

Overall the game just feels half baked and disappointing. What could've been a huge step forward for Pokemon ended up being giant stumble and face plant. The more I played the more I thought to myself "Maybe I'll just go back and play the old ones..."

Pokemon Series Ranked