you ever play a game and get struck with pure awe because of all you can do?
this is that.

To start off, this game is absolutely huge. You start off with about 1/4 of the map visible, and the game has a neat trick of making you underestimate just how huge it is by forcing a zoom onto the map till you unlock more of it. But the amazing part isn't how big the world is, it's the fact that it all adds up and feels consistently quality. There's not a single part of this game that falters in that. The map is filled to the brim with things you can do, and the nice part about it is that there aren't any markers filling your screen telling you things to do that you probably aren't interested in. Instead, they make the boss you have to fight strong as fuck to force you to actually explore and partake in the side content. I think a nice comparison I can give is the original The Legend of Zelda x Dark Souls. You never feel like you're exploring because you have to. you feel like you're doing it because you want to. I lost my mind when I was in the endgame and went back to the first area only to find multiple questlines I could start and even more dungeons tucked in places I'd never expect them to be. The quality doesn't just lie within the map and exploration though; it's in every single part of this game. The main bosses are my favorite in any souls game, and I only really had a dislike for two of them (we'll get there later). I obviously don't wanna get into spoilers here so I can't be as in depth as I would like, but this game is so magical on all fronts that even if I did spoil something, there'd be 100 other cool things that'll make up for it here. The weapon variety is insane as well, there's about 10 types of each weapon that work for any build you'd ever want. For instance, a kitana that scales with both strength and dex, or one that's built for intelligence and faith builds. This feels like the first SoulsBorne game that really makes every single build worth playing, and I'm planning my next playthrough with a boss weapon right after beating the game. The fact that this game allows you to respec your points whenever you want also makes switching weapons midway through the game so easy. The lore here is also arguably the best in all the games for me. It's presented the best and had me asking questions but getting enough answers at the same time that I found myself actually having a favorite characters list in a souls game, which i never thought I'd say. I'm aware George R.R. Martin had only done the foundation of this game, but his writing style mixed with these games' style is absolute perfection. I could praise the game for ages but I do wanna highlight my two issues with it; the endgame balancing and one of the bosses. Near the endgame, the balancing in the game straight up feels unfair, with common enemies stacking up on you and two shotting you, or pushing you in a corner, or stunlocking you. It got tiring, even if I adored this game. And as for this boss, I genuinely believe it's rng based and winning is only a matter of luck. After one of the most amazing bosses in the whole game, they put this frustrating boss that shouldn't even be there that has some moves that genuinely don't feel fair. Doesn't help the boss before it is genuinely challenging and you'll likely use tons of flasks just beating it. And if you die at this second fight? Tough luck, you have to fight the boss RIGHT BEFORE it once again. It was genuinely upsetting and instead of motivating me to get better like the other challenges did, it just made me close the game and feel like I should give up. But even despite that, this game is absolutely breathtaking, and I couldn't give it anything less than a 5/5 for things that can easily be patched up in an update. The mechanics, gameplay, level design, and sense of exploration are unheard of in ANY open world game, and the way they all blend together make this a worthy contender as not only the best open world game of all time, but the best game ever.

I don't have much to say about God of War, with it's amazing narrative and grand score. I adored this game for what it gave me. But I will be honest and say the combat isn't my thing. It felt like I was under water, and dodges were unresponsive at time. Everything else was amazing, nonetheless. Kratos as a character is at his most interesting, and Atreus serves as a great companion to him. I found him to be a perfect depiction of how a young teen would act. There's not much else to say, everyone's already played this game. All I have to say is it's a 4/5, and a very deserved game of the year.