An exploration of how games can tell stories like no other medium. With a pretty good mystery to anchor it all.

Highly introspective and serves as a great commentary on how we as the audience perseve artists in the modern age.

Despite Hollow Knight's jaw-dropping animation and combat, I was most impressed by the game's ability to continue expanding its map, even dozens of hours into the game. Hollow Knight's world design is easily its biggest strength, and something I dearly admire.

Not much to say that hasn't already been said, the combat is fun, the writing is spot on, and the twists that define its premise will be influential for decades to come. A must-play.

The faction-alignment system is just complex and interesting enough to hold up to replays, and the quest writing is phenomenal. Also, the western theming makes for a good change of pace for the Fallout series, and Bethesda-engine games in general. Of course, mods enhance the experience, but the heart and soul of this game holds up in its original state.

Never gets old. Its a mandatory replay every year. Through the ambiance, world structure, Samus's precise controls, and boss fights, Super Metroid earns is place as a classic, and as one of my favorite games.

While the Nintendo polish is ever present, this game suffers from BoTW-ification a bit. Too many moons make 100% a grind, while also devaluing the excitement of each moon. Some of the levels are a flop (see the food-themed world), while some of them are absolutely wonderful (see New Donk City). Music is great as with any Mario game, and Mario's movement feels fluid and tight. Overall, its a mixed bag, but worth playing nonetheless.

My favorite Zelda game. The wall-merging gimmic is fun and interesting, especially in how it recontextualizes A Link To The Past's overworld. The 100% item objective (which is a tradition for Zelda games with me) is just long enough to keep from feeling bloated. Dungeon design is tight, and overworld is the perfect size for a pick-up-and-play handheld context.

I completed the WiiU version a couple years back, and playing through 3D World was just as fun as the first time. Bowser's Fury elevates the whole package to near perfection. It contains some of the best levels I've played in a long time, and its short length keeps its mechanics and collect-athon fresh enough to keep the player engaged.