Fun and addicting. Exploring such a massive universe and discovering all kinds of different planets never got old for me. There's always a bunch of things to do, so much so that it's easy to lose your focus quite frequently. Upgrading gear, upgrading your ship, building your bases, building a mining outpost, grinding for money, grinding for a new ship, grinding for a new freighter, decorating your freighter, decorating your base, collecting items for blueprints, checking out a neat looking planet you came across, as well as smaller side activities like cooking food recipes, raiding frigate convoys, completing various kinds of missions, etc. etc. Time really flies by when playing this game. All of these activities are accompanied by a great and colorful artstyle, as well is a very solid soundtrack that I began to really appreciate more over time. This game just has a great vibe in general.

Over the years I have played almost every mainline entry pokemon game to have released. I am admittedly a bit of a boomer and am not particularly fond of modern pokemon games, for various reasons. That said, Black/White + Black/White 2 just happened to be the games that I skipped and never played. I only just went back and played Black and White 2 last year on a whim, and I am sure glad I did. I personally think that Black and White 2 are probably the best in the series. No nostalgia goggles involved.

To be truthfully honest, Black and White 2 are only a tiny bit more unique than any other pokemon game. Pokemon has always been repetitive and lacking in innovation. I mainly just think that it's the best combination of what I like from pokemon in terms of music, setting, roster, characters, and overall content. I had a great time.

A lovingly crafted JRPG that just kept getting progressively better the longer I played it. This game has some of the best world areas I've seen from the 2000s. The story, while cheesy, is also a great time- with a solid protagonist, a likeable cast of characters, and some very touching moments. Additionally, soundtrack is WONDERFUL. I also found the gameplay side of things to be very fun and addicting (and unique for this genre, at least for the time it came out). The depth of this gameplay doesn't quite hold up long-term unfortunately, but it remains enjoyable for the duration of the main game at least. I had never played a Xenoblade game before playing this remaster when it released, and I am truly glad that I gave it a shot, because I loved every second of it.

Persona 3 has not aged well at all. Its dungeons become a slog pretty quickly, its story is mostly uneventful until the last quarter of the game, social links with party members are a pain (or nonexistent for the male characters), and it has many smaller issues plaguing it as well.

And yet, in spite of all this, I love this game. I love the music, I enjoy the characters, I like the persona gameplay loop, I love the darker visual design and tone, and the story really clicked with me once it picked up. I also found Aigis to be a rather compelling character that I fell in love with, which helps quite a bit, especially in regards to payoff in the game's ending. I truly hope this game one day gets a remaster or re-release to fix its major issues, because I do think a great game is sitting below the dust.

Breath of the Wild has the single best open world ever seen in a video game to date. It is absolutely wonderful to get immersed in this game. While the open world itself is very well designed, It also makes fantastic use of everything that would make an open world engaging- with physics, environmental interaction, verticality, a great traversal + climbing system, and above all, some very exceptional sound design. That said, I actually did not click very well with the combat in this game, despite the creative freedom it offers. This is mostly a me thing though, I can appreciate it for what it is at least. My only gripe with this game is that the story is extremely lacking and the shrines are too repetitive. Not a very original complaint, but it is a problem nonetheless

After almost 1,200 hours of playtime, I am giving this game 5 stars out of good faith for the incredible competitive experience it provides when it is at it's best. I truly loved Siege and still do to some extent, but these days it is ultimately a game that is plagued with content bloat, balancing issues, and an endless supply of bugs and technical issues that have been a problem since the day it launched. As of the last year or two, I honestly cannot recommend the game to anyone and I myself decided to retire from it quite some time ago. When Siege was less bloated, and when it worked, it really was the best competitive tactical shooter experience on the market. But as time passes it becomes clear that it has reached the point of no return.

A truly compelling game that makes excellent use of the medium. Beautiful story, a powerful message, incredible soundtrack, and gameplay that, while flawed, is still satisfying.

My biggest problem with Automata is that it requires the player to re-play the first half of the game before they can play the rest. While this may serve narrative and creative purposes, I think that it does more damage than it is worth. It can feel like a slog to have to repeat this first half, and it has certainly caused countless players to drop the game before finishing, never knowing how good the second act of the game really is.

I often like to say that while no individual mass effect game is my favorite game, the mass effect trilogy is my favorite experience that I've ever had. Each Mass Effect game does different things really well that the others may not- and vice versa- yet, as one linked-together connected experience these games provide what is ultimately a fantastic payoff thanks in part to the carry over of your save data and story choices between each entry.

Mass Effect games, especially the first, feel like a love-letter to classic sci-fi while providing a really compelling space epic in an interesting and immersive universe with a loveable main cast of characters that accompany you across the entire journey. These games are very special to me and I love them dearly.