jupiterbrando
2019
An absolute masterpiece of kinesthetics. The world is bleeding with style, and the desire to save it is inextricably tied to its beauty. The social sim elements aren't new to the Persona series, but here more than ever they reinforce the idea of something worthy of sacrifice and struggle. The best soundtrack in video game history, too. If there's a better JRPG, I need to find it.
1994
Quite possible the best video game ever made. The amount of incidental nuance in the gameplay set a standard that's still rarely matched, and the emphasis on atmosphere and isolation provide a template other games have failed to follow. It also manages, somehow, to offer a beautiful statement on motherhood. Gunpei Yokoi was yanked from this world far too soon, but in his time with us, he gave the us the greatest work of art that necessitates a controller.
1998
1998 was the greatest year in video game history, and MGS was a headliner in that stable of watershed achievements. It hasn't aged as gracefully — thematically, in its direct sequel's case, and mechanically, for the third installment — as its successors, but that should be a given. The game holds up, and its sound design is as breathtaking as it was over two decades ago.
The only reason this gets a 4.5 is because Substance, the definitive version, exists at all. Unparalleled.
If I could just review Eventide Island I would give it five stars. The problem lies in that the vast majority of Breath of the Wild is effectively another Map Game, indistinguishable from the likes of everything Ubisoft churns out year after year (though with much better aesthetics, admittedly). In many ways, it feels like a proof of concept for the best game ever made, rather than that final result so many seem to adore. I don't blame them; if I could enjoy it that much, I would jump at the chance. As is, I'm eager for the Majora's Mask equivalent: the follow-up which fulfills its latent promise.
2013
An absolute mess of a game. The themes are undercooked and its plot elements are all too familiar; this would be fine were its gameplay not sacrificed to accommodate them. The gameplay itself is rather lousy, as little thought seems to have been given to why this is even an FPS with magical powers in the first place. 2013 was a big year for video games, and not in a good way; Bioshock Infinite isn't the most responsible for toxic trends, but it might be the product which, in and of itself, is the greatest failure.
2013
A game permeated with shame: not just through the course of the story, which is fine, but in its very design: there is a disgraceful amount of self-hatred in modern videogame storytelling, as if they would much rather be movies or television shows, but organization gatekeeping forces them to an interactive medium. The Last of Us is a game designed in a manner not dissimilar to the worst of early 2010s prestige TV (think, like, Low Winter Sun) but with lazy video game time-filler like "collect 40 dog tags."
If you like zombie stories, it's a good zombie story. But if you like good video game stories, it is very much not one, and the praise for its narrative is antithetical to the development of gaming as its own medium capable of rich, emotionally fulfilling tales.
If you like zombie stories, it's a good zombie story. But if you like good video game stories, it is very much not one, and the praise for its narrative is antithetical to the development of gaming as its own medium capable of rich, emotionally fulfilling tales.
2013
I'm not the biggest GTA fan, but this one is a lot of fun. The story missions are most memorable when they're at their goofiest; Michael collecting his family for a therapy session is the highlight.
2016
Rip and tear.
2010
The best WRPG ever made, and that's partially because of the anarchist sensibilities of the genre being reflected in its story: you're shot in the head, left for dead, and from there, anything goes. A wild ride that's only undermined by the myriad of bugs and graphical issues; a remastered version complete with DLC could be a contender for the best game ever made. And even with all of its flaws, it's still very much in the running. Getting right that which nothing else does goes a long, long way.
2007
A masterpiece of puzzle gaming. Slight but perfect.
2017
Platformers are generally on the bottom of my list of enjoyable genres: they are, so frequently, narrow in design and objective, and all but the best games don't allow the flexible freedom of movement that makes simply walking and jumping a thrill. Odyssey is an exception in all regards, and one of the best games of the 2010s. The open world influence is refreshing, and Mario himself has never felt so much fun to command. Bring back the "pick up and play" ethos.
Fun enough for a lot of it, but it's still just a Map Game, and good God the music is unbearable.
2015
Fun, challenging, gorgeous in its presentation. An era-definer.
The best Smash game to date, and it is very much Smash. The single-player content is still lacking but the multiplayer options are near limitless, even if the online is infuriating.