Pikmin 3 definitely scratches a pikmin itch and fine tunes some of the mechanics that need fine tuning from the first two games, but it feels almost too forgiving and loses a bit of the intensity that the first two brought. I played on "Hard" mode and it was incredibly easy, only losing large groups of pikmin to certain bosses (and I do think the bosses are fun, but they almost got Mario-fied in this game). They introduced the flying and rock pikmin which I felt were fun additions, but neither are really used too much apart from an obstacle here and there. I think having a pointer on the radar that says "go here" makes this game lose a bit of that exploration element which I loved so much in the first two. Everything really was right where it told you it was, so it felt like I blazed through it way too quickly. Ultimately, it's still Pikmin and the charm is still there so I had a pretty fun time. Excited to play through Pikmin 4 when I get around to it.

Pikmin is seriously the most underrated Nintendo series of all time. There really is no other game like it out there, the satisfaction of taking down massive enemies with your mob of pikmin that you've painstakingly generated opening the way to a treasure that you can successfully carry is so satisfying. On the other hand this game is like a horror game. One misstep and your entire squad could be wiped out in an instant. I finished in just over 9 hours and the ending was funny, but the open world aspect kinda prevented any final boss encounter because each cave had its own boss which was a massive undertaking in their own right. I liked how Pikmin 2 got rid of the time limit, but at the same time it removed a whole layer of urgency that Pikmin 1 demanded and also made each encounter more intense. Still a very fun game and really glad I got to play it.

It really is as good a game as people say. Was my first Fromsoft game and played with the big sword high strength build. However, I did find the size of the world overwhelming at first and really wanted to get a sense of the lore so I found a spoiler free walkthrough of succinct steps to take where you would get as much story content as possible and approach bosses in a way that I wasn't overleveled but they weren't too much of a challenge still. I was challenged for many of the bosses and the game was SUPER frustrating at times but overcoming those obstacles made it worthwhile. I will say - I did use co-op summons for Millenia, the black blade, and the elden lord bosses. They were tough as hell. I ultimately went with the Perfect Golden Order ending and I'll be honest a 20 second cutscene made the ending I chose feel like it didn't matter and I was curious why they didn't make each ending more interesting and fleshsed out if they were going to make some of the endings really hard to get.

I played on Easy mode out of fear of the last time I attempted this game on Normal. Last time, I got through the initial facility then murked by just about every animal out there due to lack of materials then gave up. This time - I felt it was almost too easy. Enemies dropped in a few shots and bosses were super squishy, health was abundant and resources overabundant. However, exploring the labs and facility, solving puzzles was a blast and felt super satisfying when I solved something on my own. There were a few moments I had to search something up, but otherwise it was a satisfying game and I'm excited to play Resident Evil on Normal.

Playing through the Endwalker main story content really reminded me how strong and deep of a story this world has to offer. Multiple times I found myself tearing up in moments of friendship, loss, or empathy for foes. I started out with the goal of getting through as much side content as possible as I progressed through the main story. However, about 2/3 of the way through the MSQ, I began to find the side content a little too boring/inconsequential for my taste and with the stakes of the main quest so high, I opted to finish it out. Patch content was a little slow, but it had its moments. Loved the content at the end with Golbez and Zero, but it still felt like more of a drag than the main expansion. However, I'm glad I finished it out before bailing because now when Dawntrail comes out I can jump straight into the main content without wrapping up the previous patch content. I'm excited to see what they do next with the upcoming expansion, but I'll definitely need some time away from the game for a while, I'm all cutscened out.

I had no idea what to expect when I booted this game up, but I really have never played anything like it. One of the most unique puzzle games out there, and it feels super daunting at the beginning, knowing there are 60 fates to be solved, but with each minor discovery and each piece of information filled in, the picture starts to fill out, and things become clearer. It's so validating and exciting to hear the tune indicating another 3 fates were solved correctly and I felt so accomplished completing this one with absolutely no online assistance.