To put it as bluntly as possible, Horizon Zero Dawn feels like a compelling game based on the very uncompelling Ubisoft-esc open world style. By that, I mean the basic gameplay and world design are extremely basic and cluttered with an abundance of filler, however the game thrives in other elements such as its compelling story and concepts. The story managed to keep me engaged throughout its campaign, but I do question if I would have even bothered to finish it if it was even slightly less interesting.

From the perspective of someone who had yet to play Stray, it seemed to be a creative and innovative game with a major scope backed by conglomerate Sony. At least that is the way I perceived it as someone who followed the game up to its release; to some extent, Stray does deliver in the way of it's gameplay that feels unique and clever, however the lack of development and progression with that core concept is disappointing. Just like the gameplay, the story undeniably had blossoming potential that went to waste with extreme plot holes and so many unexplained loose ends. Stray feels like it could have been so much more, and although I do understand the limitations of such a small team, the game currently remains in a bland in-between of a triple A game and a short indie gem.

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate was given the rare opportunity to be a game that had a scope incomparable to any of it's predecessors whilst maintaining a similar budget to them, which lead to one of the most fulfilling, ambitious, and entertaining multiplayer games I have ever played. However, Ultimate's focus on its roster and multiplayer offerings left its single player content as relatively mundane.. a lack of Trophies and other franchise staples is flat out disappointing. That may be unfortunate, but don't get me wrong, as a multiplayer game Smash Ultimate thrives and easily surpasses every other game in its series.

Alike to millions of other people, Animal Crossing: New Horizons was my comfort in the 2020 quarantine. So many memories spent living in this world that I'll never forget. The personality that Animal Crossing carries is so unique to it and I can presume would be hard to replicate, however the lack of features and the way Nintendo drip fed more over the course of two years was ridiculous, and undeniably damages my overall perspective of this game. Regardless of its post launch support, New Horizons is truly a special game that distracted millions.

Bayonetta is a prime example of Hideki Kamiya's game design at work. It may be mundane to say, but Bayonetta's smooth and defined gameplay tied unique storytelling are made for each other and work perfectly hand in hand. The scale of the game is grand with insane set pieces and massive bosses. The main issue I had with Bayonetta was its length; I finished the game in 5 hours, and because of that, didn't really have the time to be accustomed with the characters and their ambitions, making for less impactful scenes.

Marvel's Spider Man 2 strides in the idea of expanding on the highs that its two predecessors had; the traversal, gameplay, side missions, and story are all of high quality. However, the same issues that its predecessors had are still existing and now more annoying than before; a Ubisoft-style open world filled with mundane collectibles (iykyk), unintelligent AI, and plot holes are still around in this game and feel more prevelant the third time around. Nethertheless, If you were able to forgive the original Marvel's Spider Man for its flaws and fell in love with its story and gameplay like many others, you'll still have a blast with this game.