This game is really frustrating, because while I think there is a lot of promise in the concept of a mail-delivery game set in a small town where you get to know the folks who live there and make memories and have fun, it seems as if a lack of resources and strong ambition has made the finished product feel incredibly limp. Though you might find little moments of charm here and there, the gameplay is ultimately boring, the characters are one-note and very flat, and there really isn't anything to do that takes you off of the beaten path or makes you feel like you have to make any kind of honest choice. It's comfortable, which is kind of worthy in and of itself, but when you're comparing it to all the other games you could be playing, that's sadly just not enough.

I do find myself kind of hoping this game is successful anyway, because I would love to see the developers get a budget they can work with. I've long enjoyed games that take place in small towns, but this one kind of shows that the aforementioned lack of resources can really make things feel dead. Dropping things down to a very simple polygonal style reminiscent of retro PS1 games, or even 2D 16-bit graphics could have freed up a lot here and allowed them to work in more that plays to what you would expect a game like this's strengths to be.

I think if they want to do this again, they need to take a long look at classic games of the small-town genre like Deadly Premonition (for its wacky, fun side content that adds layers of dimension to the town and characters and emergent gameplay experiences for the player), Night in the Woods (for its levels of depth and emotion that I'd argue bring video gaming up to the level of great literature), Life Is Strange (for its use of direction in order to make sure that every moment hits; this game had a serious problem with NPC conversations feeling like something I was entirely detached from), and even Animal Crossing (the charm, the way things grow on you and you start to feel a level of investment in exploring the town and getting to know the residents).

So, I guess it's easy to say that I don't really recommend Lake, and I feel kind of bad saying that, but there really isn't much to go on here, just the things that this game makes you dream of in a sequel that manages to check all the boxes rather than just giving you the checklist and asking you to imagine something good that had them. Here's hoping in the future they're able to make good on that, because the promise here is unbelievable, and it's nuts that they didn't really manage to land any of the hits.

FromSoft's attempt at putting their unique spin on the open-world building-block setpiece style is a roaring success, replacing a lot of staleness in the genre with fresh flair, twists, turns, and many emotional highs and lows, but you ultimately still end up hoping that the next game is a more linear affair. An ideal sequel would take this as a base and go further with making every piece placed in the world more meaningful.

Still, these are minor complaints for a series that mostly only has itself to be compared to. Elden Ring is a fantastic entry in a larger franchise that has created waves of influence in modern gaming, and you can bet your life savings that we'll be seeing the influence of Elden Ring for a long time to come.

Very worth playing in the middle of Echo, but I'm writing this review considering it as a standalone pilot, and from that perspective, this is nice in that it shows off the characterization and setting, but there's not much to chew on here. As a completionist, I ran through this multiple times even though much of it is just repeating the same content ad nauseum, and that was kind of a grating experience, but it is definitely worth it if you have decided to take the plunge into Echo. Having foreknowledge of the characters and who they become, and questions I was asking myself about how they came to be that way, is what made this worth playing.

I should preface this by explaining that I am a latecomer to this franchise. I picked a copy of the first game with the Tales of the Sword Coast expansion included up in 2006 or so, but I never really played it because the disc I had gotten had a scratch, so my first experience with Baldur's Gate has been with the Enhanced Editions. I started a game about three years ago on my laptop at work (graveyard shift at a hotel), and very recently finished it off and decided I'd follow the road by including this, even though many seem to dislike it.

Coming from Baldur's Gate 1, Siege of Dragonspear feels like a really high quality continuation with a lot of setpieces and moments of charming writing, which wasn't at all what I expected from all of the backlash I've seen. It isn't perfect by any means, but it's a really fun time, and I don't regret having played it whatsoever. I don't have the experience of Baldur's Gate 2 to compare it to, either.

So, that leads me to say that anyone who is coming to the franchise completely fresh: you probably won't hate this. It's a worthy pit stop in your Baldur's Gate journey. Now, onward to 2!

Although it improves upon its predecessor tremendously, the amateur nature of Garten of Banban II's development still overshadows just about everything the game does well despite an ambitious desire clearly poking through the seams. This series is begging for someone with a better directorial sense to take over and really bring it to the fullest potential. That all being said, certain scenes in this are super promising and show that perhaps this could get somewhere if it really wanted to, at least as a spooky experience somewhat like a nightmare.

An absolutely stellar gem of a game that takes the natural inquisitiveness that the medium of gaming can foster and lets you run loose with it, using masterful game and puzzle design to guide you towards many, many, MANY incredibly satisfying "A-ha!" moments. Guaranteed to leave you feeling as if a small light in your heart has gone off when you're done. At least I still have the DLC, but the idea of there being less of this jaw-dropping universe to explore and puzzles to solve, now, that I've finished it... ah, my heart... I can barely take it... One of the greatest gaming experiences there is.