One of the greatest games ever made, and THE best game I've ever played. It's a breakthrough in game design, a marvel of world-building, storytelling, immersion, and just so expertly pieced together. My first time playing through was such a cherished experience, I hope anyone who owns a gaming rig will have the pleasure of picking this work of art up.

DO NOT SPOIL THIS FOR YOURSELF. READ NO REVIEWS, DO NOT WATCH ANY VIDEOS. Please, go into this as blind as you can and you will walk out with an experience you'll continuously look back on.

This game is a treasure and truly worth your time.

Outer Wilds is a puzzle, but to solve the mysteries of this galaxy, you're not following any waypoints, guides, or map markers. You're following your curiosity, using your brain, and are rewarded with knowledge (which you'll then use to solve the next puzzle).

The worlds you'll inhabit will feel as cozy as a fireplace on a rainy day, or as scary as the dark trenches of the pacific ocean. One moment you'll be humming along to the nostalgic melody of your friends' instruments, and the next you'll feel suffocated by the vast cold emptiness of space.

I could go on and on about my love for this game. Words cannot describe how special of an experience this is. Just please, give it a shot and I promise you won't regret it.


As for the DLC, WOW did it blow me away. The formula of curiosity-driven puzzle-solving is just so good. And man is each mystery exciting. Overall felt more like a sequel than a DLC. The way Echos of the Eye kept the themes of the main game, yet foils them in almost every regard, just.... wow. Almost 3 years since I played this game and I still can't stop thinking about it.

Nothing feeds me with more nostalgia than this game. But man does it hold up! Some pretty sweet squad mechanics for a game from 2005, and DAMN does the art design, music, sound design, and voice acting just hit it out of the park! This gritty boots-on-the-ground/band of brothers perspective in the Star Wars universe is such a sweet experience to get immersed in.

Plus shout out to those bonus bts featurettes you unlock through playing the game! This game taught me what foley, concept art, and other aspects of game/film/television development include. Wish more games did this!

Too much to write about so I'll have to come back later, but damn was this expansion great! Easily my favorite one of the series. A campaign worthy enough to pick up this DLC alone. Bungie's narrative is working in full force, really loving how this game has almost turned into a television series where each week I can log in to discover interesting and engaging narrative story arcs. Fun seasonal activities, a spectacular raid, 2 moody and immersive dungeons, the return of the King, and some stellar loot!

Also damn did that season finale hit HARD. Stoked for Lightfall!

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Without exaggerating too much, I think this may be one of the greatest video games ever made. Elden Ring takes the best components from From Software's previous titles, and smashes them together into one GIANT and DENSE package. It's an open world that exudes curiosity in the player, has some of the deepest RPG systems you can find in a 3rd person action-adventure, and houses an absolutely stunning world with impeccable level design.

This game is exemplary in every possible manor. There's no other way to say it.

Even if you've never played a From Software game, or have been reluctant to try one out, this is the best place to start. And if you're worried about difficulty, you have the freedom to make this as easy or challenging as you'd like. Just go at your own speed and find what playstyle calls to you the most. Ignore what anyone says online, play your way and have fun!

For those that have played previous souls-likes, this is an evolution in form on every account. The open world is like Breath of the Wild on steroids. You'll be peeking around every tree, rock, and bush, finding secrets left and right. A new sword, hidden boss, armor set, or steps for another questline; no time or space is wasted. If you're a fan of the linear and interwoven levels from Dark Soul's past, those are still here and are just as good! Nay, better than ever before!

Never has there been a From Software game with this deep of combat. Everything is viable, and man is there variety. From the classic sword and shield, to duel wielding anything, to pure magic builds. Any path you choose will have countless options that all are fun and powerful. Respec-ing is also much more accessible so you can try out multiple play-styles in one playthrough without needing to make dozens of different characters.

AND THE ART, OH THE ART. MY GOD IS THIS GAME BEAUTIFUL.

From Software's team of employees have perfected their craft. I'm at the point where I'm starting to consider this whole thing high art.

Just buy this game already.

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When I first learned about this game, I was immediately interested. "Outer Wilds" was my favorite game of 2019, and proved how effective, fun, and rewarding the "information-centered time loop" genre can be. I've been craving for another dip into those waters, and while "Deathloop" definitely did a great job working within it's core gameplay "loop", it was a tad too hand-holdy for my taste. Also, the abrupt and lackluster ending left an emptiness that soured the experience quite a bit upon completion. Yet even with that sour taste, "Deathloop" was still an incredibly enjoyable experience through and through.

In the roughly 15 hours it took me to finish the game, this was my experience:

First 2 hours: "This is intriguing, but confusing. Not completely sure if it's for me, though I'll stick with it."

3rd hour: "Jeez, I'm starting to get exhausted. However, I'd feel bad if I stopped now. Let me push just a little further."

4th-6th hour: "Okay, I'm starting to get this. Everything's still pretty disorganized in my head but I see what I gotta do."

7th hour: "Okay! Things are clicking and everything's becoming digestible. Now the fun truly begins."

8th-14th hour: "YES! I dig this. It's all coming together. I've mastered the combat and know each level's layouts; things are feeling good. I see the end in sight and I'm not gonna stop till I get there."

Final hour: "Man! What a rush!! I figured it all out, and here we are. The final piece! And....... mmm. That's it? Really??"


I do recommend this game as the sum of its parts are fantastic! The art direction, voice acting, characters, and hands-on gameplay mechanics are all superb. But as a time-loop puzzle at its core, the constant waypoint following disincentives any true problem-solving, and the ending doesn't serve the world or our actions justice. The journey, though incredibly easy, is fun, but none of it feels meaningful by the end. However, I wouldn't let that stop you from giving this game a shot. If you can work past the clutter that is the first few hours, you'll find a highly enjoyable and unique game that I'm sure you'll have a fun time with. Personally I just wish there was a little more depth to the story before the credits rolled. The build up is incredible, yet not having the proper payoff makes the mystery lose much of its weight.

TL; DR
Fun game and cool world to play in! Though the lack of true problem solving makes this feel more like a sub-linear fps than an "Outer Wilds" like experience. If you can go in without those expectations you'll find a highly enjoyable game worthy of all its critical praise; even with its disappointing ending.

I played this on an RTX 3080 and Ryzen 9 3950x. With a few performance support settings turned on, I still often encountered heavy frame drops upon initially loading in to levels which made the game unplayable (would go away after about a minute of waiting though). I also experienced 3 crashes for random and unknown reasons and a few immersion-breaking (but not game-breaking) bugs. However, the rest of the game ran near-flawlessly. I know many reviews are talking about performance issues though so make sure you keep an eye out to what works with your system.

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just... one... more... run...

By far this is the most rewarding rouge-like I've ever played. There's a skill gap that takes time to learn, and as you come to master it, you'll be unlocking more and more items to use for future runs. You'll uncover the secrets of each level and unlock new characters along the way (each one drastically changing your play-style and presenting a new skill gap to clear). The gameplay loop follows a strict path of [progress --> reward --> progress --> reward] that every second you play means the you'll unlock, and subsequently, the more fun you'll have.

Risk of Rain 2 introduced me to the rouge-like genre, and time and time again keeps bringing me back. There's a reason it's sitting at Overwhelmingly Positive on Steam. This is a gem, and is already a timeless classic.

<3

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One of the most intense, punishing, and rewarding games I've ever played. You'll need a bit of a workhorse PC to run it, but looks absolutely beautiful when everything loads. Texture pop-in happens quite often and world geometry can fiddle with your movement (sometimes leading to a very annoying death lol). These minor issues don't ruin the experience though. The only thing that continually frustrates me is the fact that your cross-hair isn't centered but located on the lower half of the screen. If you're used to playing FPS's it'll take some retraining to get used to. Though besides that, man is this game an absolute gem.

There's a lot to learn, but once you've come to grips with it all you'll never want to stop. Especially if you've got 1-2 other friends to go hunting with :)

Trust me when I say: THE BEST SOUND DESIGN OF ANY GAME EVER MADE (or at least what I've played). You'll have to play with headphones as sound is THE most important aspect within the gameplay, but wow does it make this world feel alive.

One of, if not the best co-op games I've ever played. An easy enough game to do with someone not too experienced with video games, but is filled with so much creativity, love, wonder, and fun that experienced gamers won't want to put this down till the credits roll.

Great story, amazing level design, and just so jam packed with stuff to do you won't ever stop being engaged.

Best played with a loved one or a close buddy :)

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This is EXACTLY the game I've been looking for for so long. I grew up loving Pokemon, but as an adult became annoyed at how easy, uninspiring, and straight up same-old their games had become. I wanted something challenging and engaging, and Temtem is exactly that.

They've addressed pretty much every single issue I've had with Pokemon and either removed it or improved it. Oh how 2v2's and the stamina system ALONE make this such a better experience. The fact that this is still only in early access and I've been able to put in this much time and have this much fun says a lot.

If you've been hungering for something new from Pokemon, this will satisfy your cravings immensely and immediately.

This game single-handedly ruined all other VR games for me. IT'S SO GOOD

Physics based sandbox levels where you actually have a physical body makes this the most immersive VR game out right now. No question about it.

Story is eh, but it works well enough to give an excuse to the world you occupy (and increases immersion even more).

Guns feel great, and there's lots of replayability! Though once you beat the game you'll be encouraged to do a collect-athon for every item, weapon, and npc to play with in both sandbox and replayed levels. If you're burnt out or don't want to do all that, I'd highly recommend downloading a 100% save file! Saves you the hassle and allows you to have full sandbox freedom in the sweet levels they made :)

Stress Level Zero, y'all are setting the bar high for VR and I really hope you're getting funded enough to continue making these sorts of games. Everyone who owns a headset HAS to see and feel what this kind of experience is like.

My heart aches for not loving this as much as I did Boneworks. The devs here made THE best VR physics sandbox out there. They have created what I believe to objectively be the most immersive gaming experience on the market right now. But damn do I wish they found the same type of expertise they had in engineering this damn thing into designing a narrative campaign!

Bonelab is a sandbox first and foremost, and while it's a fantastic sandbox, I'd love to be tasked with things to do in it. The campaign they've got just feels like a tutorial for how to use the tools at your disposal, but not a true journey or adventure in using them.