VitalNPC
2022
This game kicked my butt, and I liked it. This feels like the gaming equivalent to John Wick: incredible action paired with a sleek and consistent aesthetic that elevates the whole experience. Add the themes of forgiveness and living without the fear of death, and you've got one heck of a game.
2020
For what is essentially a glorified tech demo, this is a surprisingly fun game. Fun platforming, cool uses of the DualSense controllers, speedrunning challenges, and it's free to boot! I wish more game companies did stuff like this from time to time.
What an absolutely fantastic game. It feels like we’ve had a few great sequels to incredible games lately; God of War Ragnarök, Jedi Survivor, Tears of the Kingdom, and now this. There are two main things these games have in common. One, they expand on everything from their predecessors and crank things up to 11. Two, they are absolutely spoiling me.
2016
I love that Playdead’s brand is disturbing, dystopian puzzle games that revolve around a kid trying so hard to just not die.
Fun concept, lackluster execution.
A fun game with a classic arcade feel and a lot of artistic charm. Gets a little repetitive at points, but it’s short enough that it doesn’t become a grind.
Breath of the Wild was my first Zelda game. Not only did it introduce me to my new favorite game franchise, but also it reinvigorated my love for video games as a whole. I’ve poured more hours into that game than any other by far. It solidified itself as my favorite game of all time, with few other games getting close.
Tears of the Kingdom blows it out of the water. It innovates and improves in almost every area on its predecessor. It not only addresses pretty much all of the (admittedly few) criticisms that I had about Breath of the Wild, but also adds a whole slew of new ideas, mechanics, locations, and characters.
I don’t know how Nintendo and the Zelda team have done it, but they have once again set a high standard for the rest of the industry to measure against. I can’t wait to see what they do next.
Tears of the Kingdom blows it out of the water. It innovates and improves in almost every area on its predecessor. It not only addresses pretty much all of the (admittedly few) criticisms that I had about Breath of the Wild, but also adds a whole slew of new ideas, mechanics, locations, and characters.
I don’t know how Nintendo and the Zelda team have done it, but they have once again set a high standard for the rest of the industry to measure against. I can’t wait to see what they do next.
This game builds upon its predecessor in almost every conceivable way. A grander story, more endearing characters, bigger scale, deeper customization and gameplay. It bogs itself near the end with some rinse and repeat combat sections, but this is an overall great game and one of my favorite pieces of Star Wars media.
2017
A truly beautiful and emotionally fulfilling experience from what is essentially a sports game disguised as an RPG. I wanted to check out Supergiant’s work after falling in love with Hades, and this did not disappoint. Beautiful art, endearing characters, enchanting music, an intriguing world, and a surprisingly simple but fun gameplay loop; these are all but guaranteed when you play a Supergiant game. I’ll be following this studio’s work for the foreseeable future.
A fun, inventive, and incredibly adorable entry in the Zelda franchise. The Minish are one of the cutest races, and shrinking is one of the funnest mechanics I’ve seen in a while. I really hope Nintendo revisits some of these ideas in future games. But if I have to fight another gang of Darknuts, I might die.
Years later, this is still my favorite game of all time. It introduced me to the wonderful world of Zelda and reignited my passion for gaming. But above all, it’s simply a fantastic game that has provided me with hundreds of hours of fun exploring the landscape, fighting monsters, solving puzzles, and interacting with NPCs. It is clearly evident how much love and care went into this game’s production, and I can’t wait to see where the Zelda franchise goes from here.
2019
As someone who has slogged through a few multiplayer shooters, I found this game to be incredibly refreshing. It's just fun!
A rock and roll good time with a surprising amount of character and thematic depth.
1985
It is incredible this almost forty-year-old game is still so fun to play. An absolute classic.
2022
An incredibly adorable game that will not astound you with its plot or gameplay, but will still constantly make you smile.