I think Final Fantasy 16 is a master-class of it's genre. That genre is action-rpg. I went into the game fully knowing that this game wasn't like many of the FF I grew up with, and I had my doubts and hesitation on even paying $75 for it. This game, on top of two other games, put value in the PS5 for me. Combat-wise, I'm glad it's a tad simplified from the designer's work on DMCV. It honestly felt it had a lot of kingdom hearts elements. Story-wise, it kept me enthralled the entire way through, making me want to know more. Characters are fantastic, but I do wish there was a more concrete party with you at all times. The OST was absolutely phenomenal, coming from a composer who's only known work I've played is Mario Hoops. Overall, if FF continues to experiment with it's genre and can consistently deliver games of this caliber and love, I'm here for it. I 100% the game in 70 hrs and would gladly do it again.

Finally getting around to Bowser's Fury, what a great little unique 3D Mario adventure. It uses the same mechanics as 3D World, but incorporates it all in a well-sized sandbox with collectibles and challenges to complete. A small story where Bowser Jr. needs your help to stop his dad, and turn him back from being basically a kaiju. I can really see the future of 3D Mario borrowing ideas from this little side-game, because they're very well implemented and fun to traverse. If you haven't already, play it in the 3D World dual pack until the next major 3D game!

Where do I even begin. The only way that I can describe this game is that it's truly something special. The amount of work that must have gone into every little detail of this game is astounding to say the least. Gameplay-wise, at its basis, it is a way more refined version of botw. Every single new mechanic feels like a feat of gameplay engineering, and it's crazy just how many options are at your disposal. Totk will be the basis for future open world games, just like BOTW. Story-wise, they went really deep and kept me invested every step of the way. Got me tearing up by the end. Characters were great, and a lot of development overall. Music is probably the only thing I hope they change the style of. I still much prefer way more bombastic Zelda setpiece music to totk & botw's ost. All in all, TOTK easily supplanted botw for me, and while I still may prefer shorter, more contained Zelda experiences, this has easily become one of my favorite Zelda experiences, period.

After investing about 90 hrs so far into this, I'm gonna call it complete. This is a huge step up for me in terms of gameplay from Genshin, with the gatcha elements, at least for me, seemingly a bit more generous. The writing is also a huge improvement that keeps me really invested in quests and the story. It gets really funny at times. Voice acting is a standout as always from Mihoyo, with prolific known VA's being garnered. I'll be coming back to it from time to time, but I hope it keeps me invested even longer than Genshin. Very fun, very pretty, great character designs, but same as Genshin, if you're not into gatcha mechanics, it might not be for you. The gameplay is definitely the standout.

(PLAYED THROUGH REBOOT CAMP)
What a joy to see this game back after over 20 years. I've always had the original, but I finally beat it for the first time through the remake. Advance Wars, to me, is even better than some fire emblem games I've played. It is pure strategy compared to FE's strategy RPG as well. I was racking my brain a lot more than I typically would on their games playing on classic and going for S Ranks. As for the game itself, it's a wonderful remake of the 1st game. I enjoyed all the characters, and while story is almost non-existent the gameplay is where it shines. Graphics-wise I definitely feel I prefer the 2d style of the original, but the character redesigns and huge new color pallette of the remake evens it out. The soundtrack remixes are stellar too! I've had songs on repeat just doing daily things. A wonderful return of a great franchise that deserves recognition and success. Kudos to wayforward for doing such a great job with the remake, and I hope to see your hand on more Nintendo IP revivals after this!

Future redeemed was a satisfying and fulfilling end the story arc that started over a decade ago. Growing up with the series since the wii, it legitimately became one of my favorite stories in gaming history. It means so much to me, and I can't wait to see where they go next. As for the dlc itself, in 20ish hrs, it fixed everything I found less enjoyable in 3. I like the party way more, the overall atmosphere was way more lighthearted and full of banter, and the combat mechanics were really fun. The music was also a huge step up and had more bombastic world themes, which I also felt was a tad lacking in 3. Overall, it's a beautiful send-off for this arc of the series, and I'm going to miss all the characters dearly. Tetsuya Takashi managed to fully realize his 6-game magnum opus, and that is no small feat.

For this year's Tropical Freeze Replay, I did hard mode for 200% again with DK only. What haven't I said about Tropical Freeze already? It's my favorite 2D platformer, has one of my favorite composers, and my favorite thing about it is how the world is interweaved into the platforming structures. I legitimately could replay this game every year. It's that good, and if you have never touched Tropical Freeze before, do yourself a favor and play it, heck, play all the DKC games. I can't wait for whatever is next for DK.

What a masterpiece of a rhythm game. With all of the content from the previous 3DS releases, plus more dlc, this is the perfect package for any final fantasy or rhythm game fan. So many songs of varying difficulty, I played on expert for each and managed to perfect chain it all. There are some minor gripes with some of my favorites being cut compared to some of the big name songs, but it's not too huge of a deal. So many characters to choose from in FF history, and you can pick/choose your favorites or play them all. So many unexpected songs as well. All in all, this is one of my favorite rhythm games I'll be coming back to time and time again, with my love for FF and the series as a whole. Well worth your time plus the amount of content in it is amazing.