A genre-bending, medium-twisting experience that pushes the boundaries of storytelling in gaming. Oozing with atmosphere and tension, Alan Wake II is a stellar follow-up to Alan Wake that continues his story, weaves it with 2019's Control and introduces us to Saga Anderson. Amazing performances from all the cast with writing that invokes a gamut of emotions; the game glides effortlessly from humor to horror and back. Alan Wake II is a stunning game as well. The Pacific Northwest is beautifully rendered and the only thing that infringes upon the gorgeous sunsets is the thought that night is coming. The game answers some questions, piles on many others, and left me ready for wherever Remedy will take us next. I would call it Sam Lake's magnum opus but I know he has much more to give and I'm fully on board this spiral into darkness we're being led on.

Video game RPGs have long-sought to recreate the immersion and freedom of the tabletop RPG Dungeons and Dragons. In many ways, D&D is the foundation upon which all video game RPGs and in many ways Baldur's Gate 3 is the culmination of that genre, finally achieving the goal. The remarkable depth of the game is what completely immerses the player in the world, making them believe they can do anything and their decisions reverberate through the Acts with remarkable payoffs. Taking a random detour to explore an abandoned building can lead to what feels like a whole other story that winds its way through the rest of the game. I've never been more surprised at how much a game handles narratively with satisfying payoffs for seemingly random decisions that would break lesser games.

While the narrative depth is extremely satisfying, the glue that holds it all together and propels this game above all others is the remarkable depth of the cast, their writing and performances. A found family of misfits all find a home and purpose alongside you, their paths artfully woven into the greater story and each one with incredibly emotional journeys powered by the best narrator in video games. Even squirrels will have lines of emotional intensity that will have you run the gamut from delight to sorrow.

Since the 1970s, video game RPGs have fallen short of encapsulating the essence of the tabletop RPG; the depth, the freedom, the immersion of it. In 2023 Larian Studios achieved the goal of an entire genre of video games with a game that finally surpasses its TTRPG progenitor, making Baldur's Gate 3 the best RPG and one of the greatest games of all time.