A fantastic entry in the Mario series, and easily one of the greatest platformers there ever has been. The story is somewhat fresh and interesting, but the gameplay is really where Odyssey shines.

This game never gets old to move around in. With smooth, intuitive motion and a plethora of options at Mario's disposal, you never take the same approach to something twice. Honestly, there doesn't even need to be objectives in the bigger kingdoms, it really is just fun to run around and get creative with movement.

The Capture mechanic is pretty fun, too, even if each capture serves exactly one specific purpose and there isn't much diversity to problem-solving or combat.

The music and settings are beautiful. I constantly found myself smiling at how visually interesting each kingdom was, with sublevels and unique worlds built into each one. Tostarena and Bowser's Kingdom are two personal favorites.

I really think this is the quintessential Switch game and you can't own the console without playing it.

Breath of the Wild is probably the first thing that comes to mind when I hear the phrase "modern classic." It is a landmark in the modern gaming industry, and its influence will be felt for years to come.

Breath of the Wild sports a very pleasing art style that feels like you're running through paintings or jumping straight out of the concept art, and the very lowkey music is an interesting approach that subtly adds worldbuilding.
The core gameplay loop is satisfying and just feels like a video game. Collecting materials, finding new weapons once yours break, battling enemies, discovering the huge, sprawling map you're allowed to discover...there's always something to be done and it's almost always something you want to do. The champions are also great supporting characters and gaining their abilities while learning their stories is tragic but beautiful.

I think I'm taking half a star off NOT for anything objective--I appreciate the objective quality of this game--but just because it wasn't my favorite game to play. Nothing wrong with it! I just haven't ever been a big Zelda fan and there were times where I would have preferred to be playing Devil May Cry 5 because the action is more instant gratification-y.

Pavlov is easily the best multiplayer shooter available on Oculus, but isn't without its flaws. Its benefits include a great engine, gun variety, a multitude of game modes, and approachable but deep gameplay. What it lacks, however, is freshness. You only play on the same three or four maps, in the same three or four game modes. The guns are fun, but even in Gun Game it begins to feel stale as you cycle through the exact same order and weapons over and over again. Pavlov has tons of potential and is a blast to play, but could really use some added content. Also, it's practically impossible to invite your friends on Oculus.

Now look, I understand that this is one of the greatest and most influential games of all time. It helped pioneer 3D gaming and the industry would be significantly different without it. But, I really don’t enjoy playing it. Having played modern installments like Galaxy or Odyssey really shows its age; the camera is super clunky and Mario just straight up doesn’t do what you want sometimes. The worlds are great, though, and there’s generally very good level design. I’m giving it 3 stars for its legacy but I did not enjoy completing the game.

Great action platformer with tons of replayability. Aside from lots of skill diversity, constantly fresh combat, amazing boss battles, and cool development of Samus's story, Metroid Dread is truly a horror game disguised as a Metroid game. Your heart begins to race the second that you enter an EMMI room, and you are never truly at ease exploring the various areas throughout the map. You're constantly being stalked, and escaping from an EMMI is only a temporary relief. You know that you will eventually have to go back in there and face it, and that never gets easier. Raven Beak is also a dope nasty character and I would love to see it in more media. Solid stuff Nintendo.

Fantastic. Masterpiece. Art. God of War 2018 is a landmark in the action adventure genre, and succeeds on all fronts. From its beautiful landscapes, to deeply lovable characters, to stellar gameplay, to phenomenal story, God of War is a masterpiece in every sense of the word. Kratos and Atreus’s relationship is one of the greatest dynamics in gaming, and it is deeply endearing to see it develop over the course of the game. The combat is also incredibly satisfying, and the skill tree in combination with Runic Attacks leaves each battle with plenty of opportunities to innovate. Every PlayStation owner needs to give this game a run.

Amazing. Definitely a remake worth making, it enhanced one of the greatest horror games of all time with modern graphics and storytelling. It’s so unnerving to be sneaking around the police department with zombies or Mr. X in your face at a moment’s notice. The combat is intuitive, and makes every shot count. You have to think about how to approach every room because you WILL run out of supplies without a plan. Leon doesn’t get much in terms of huge personality traits that Capcom characters typically bring, but it fits how horrified he is for his first apocalypse. Resident Evil 2 is great.

There’s a big nostalgia factor involved for a lot of people playing this game, and I just don’t have that. It felt less lovable and goofy than Mario 64, but not nearly as smooth as Galaxy or any newer Mario platformers. It’s kind of the awkward middle child that isn’t necessarily bad—FLUDD is pretty fun in some circumstances and it does get very creative for an entirely beach-themed game—but it doesn’t stand out amongst the rest of the Mario 3D adventures. Glad I played it, but don’t want to play it again.

I owe so much to Rock Band 1. Not only did this game shape a lot of my future music taste, but it literally taught me how to play the drums. I’ve played the drums for 14 years of my life, and it all started from playing this game as a kid. I can’t speak on the finer details of the hit window or rake strumming (ask Acai), but I can say this game is super freaking fun for the whole crew and has a stellar soundtrack. Arguably the best in the whole series, and gives Guitar Hero 3 a run for its money.

After Rockband 3 (an entry I skipped) and the mainstream death of the plastic instrument rhythm games, I was kinda done with these games. But my parents got me Rockband 4 for a birthday and I’ve gotten some insane mileage out of it. While it admittedly has the most garbage OST of any mainline Rock Band or Guitar Hero, its seemingly infinite DLC makes up for it. The game is fun to look at and I’ve honestly spent more money in DLC over the years than the actual game’s cost, so I shilled out for a decent library. It’s great for parties and I play it with my family a lot whenever im home. It brings me back to the first Rock Band and how much fun for everyone that was.

It's GTA 5. Who hasn't played or at least heard about this game? I would review the campaign exclusively, but that takes away so much from what its role in gaming is.

GTA 5 has a fantastic story mode, and it seems conceptually strange that a series known for vulgar jokes and senseless violence would have such a well-crafted story. I'm not trying to argue that it's some beautiful flowery tale of friendship or love or morals or anything. The main trio is (mostly) irredeemable psychotic criminals whose only ambition is their own gain. But that's the story GTA wants to tell, and it tells it so well.

It's a story of greed, self-obsession, and the supposed "American Dream" being played out to all its horrible ends. Trevor represents the lower-class, the white trash who has been abandoned and clearly lost a mental health battle a long time ago. His story is the comic relief and he's set up to be the clear "crazy evil GTA-centric" character of the group, but you find over time that he's not always the worst person you encounter. Michael represents the so-called American success story, who has everything he wants in life except happiness. He kept filling holes with money, and once that money gets jacked from him thanks to the tennis-coach-gone-wrong-into-cartel story, he finds himself empty. Franklin represents the struggles of the American slums; a man who desperately wants to make it out of his neighborhood but has to resort to crime to do so. All three characters are dynamic, compelling, and bounce across the moral compass constantly. You are very invested in their journey, and the true ending leaves you with a strange sense of completion. You've followed these characters to a happy ending, where they've pulled off the greatest heist ever, tied up loose ends, and found their peace both with each other and with the outside world. These characters are complete, and you helped them find that completion. But that completion comes through countless murders, robberies, and horrible life decisions. How much stolen money and how many dead bodies does it take for these characters to find peace? It's really an interesting approach, and I appreciate that they didn't try to make these characters redeemable.

Aside from the story and characters (mostly Franklin, Franklin is the GOAT), the gameplay is really fun. Gunfights are sometimes repetitive, but satisfying and the settings/scenarios usually change enough to keep it fresh. Driving vehicles feels great, and some of the most fun parts of the game are getting in a car and getting the heck out of dodge. Fast travel of some form might be nice for HUGE landmark traversal (I don't want to drive on Los Angeles highways for 10 minutes straight), but I understand that with a map this huge and detailed you want people to actually traverse it. It's a great game for its legacy AND its gameplay.

And, of course, how I could leave out GTA Online? Easily one of the greatest and most prolific online experiences in the industry. From 2013 Vanoss videos to new challenges and minigames to years and years of updates, the Online experience is filled to the brim with content. It truly feels endless.

GTA 5 is GTA 5. I would like to hear any explanations of why it DOESN'T deserve 5 stars, because I really can't picture any.