One thing I’ve really grown sick of in recent years are what I’m going to start referring to as “oscar-bait” games. Games that market themselves on their super cinematic stories, then the game part is treated as an afterthought, some map marker driven open world game or third person shooter, playable sure, but so entirely risk adverse. Even worse, in most cases the story itself isn’t even that good. Few of them actually have anything to say, they’re just excuses to show off their realistic facial capture technology while these sterilized, stodgy, dialogue exchanges insist that what’s happening is important. What’s most annoying is that they act like you can only have one or the other, a deep story or deep gameplay. Especially when there exist games like Nier which show you can have this thought provoking, thematically deep, emotionally resonant narrative on top of a mechanically in-depth, challenging, unique and highly playable video game where not only do they not detract from one another, but actively feed into and elevate eachother as one supremely cohesive vision.

My one single complaint with this game is that it doesn’t explain some of its mechanics very well (it took me an embarrassingly long time to figure out I needed to equip my pod with a scanner at that one part where you’re looking for 9S). Aside from that hiccup, Nier: Automata is a masterpiece. It’s visionary like nothing else I’ve played since the Metal Gear Solid games. The core combat is as weighty and satisfying as in any of Platinum’s best games, but it’s unique in how hording and positioning are more important than flashy combos. The bullet hell and side scrolling parts are great too, and I think it’s really clever how each of the different gameplay types condition you to one another, with certain rules remaining consistent across everything. The chip build system allows for a ton of customization and build variety, going so far as to let you sell parts of your hud for more room to customize. And the narrative, it’s thematically deep, it’s moving, it’s original, it’s unpredictable, I can’t remember the last time I was on the edge of my seat NEEDING to know what happens next like I was during the final third of this game. It’s all accentuated by what’s easily one of my top 5 favourite musical scores in a game, whatever you’re supposed to be feeling at any given moment, the score will multiply that feeling. It’s a game where every twist, every set piece, every boss battle, every great moment one-ups the last and it keeps you guessing until the credits roll…for a fourth time…except even they come with an utterly mind boggling twist that acts as the perfect cherry to cap off this stellar video game.

Nier Automata is one of the most unique and well rounded gaming experiences that exists, one of those things every gamer needs to experience at least once.

This game is basically Spider-Man 1.5. It features the same map (in a Christmas setting), most of the move set, and identical side activities from the original game. It stands on its own however, thanks to its unique soundtrack, surprising plot twists, and another lovable protagonist.

I unexpectedly had issues with the combat. It was nothing too hard, but some of the enemies were a nuisance. I played on Amazing difficulty (normal) and I strive for long combos in these types of games. To be brief, most fights included multiple enemies that couldn't be hit directly, while multiple enemies were shooting you. It became too chaotic for my liking.

My initial play through was in Fidelity mode, so the lower frame rate may have played a factor in my frustration. Combat seemed easier (or maybe I was just better) during my brief stint with New Game +, which I played in Performance mode on Ultimate difficulty.

Despite my complaints, this game does enough to separate itself from the original and was a memorable experience.

A definite downgrade from the original, but still a good time Switching world is an interesting concept that I don't believe is explored well enough. The beams are great here, the visors mostly are, although the echo visor sucks ASS, shit is so dumb. Suits all look good as well. Bosses are all FANTASTIC, i think the Quadraxis fight is the only time I enjoyed the echo visor. I think that, like Prime 1, I will like this game far far far more on a replay so that the Sky Temple Key hunt isn't weighing on my mind the entire time. As of now this game is decent. Worst in the trilogy? Not a doubt in my mind. Still good? Yes. I played the first like 1/5th of the game on gamecube before switching over to the wii version and that is without a doubt better. But DAMN i hope the rumors about a remaster are true bc I want to play this game with modern controls so bad.

A rare combination of just the right elements from the direction, gameplay, voice-acting, and story to satisfy what I simply call “DeadCore”. This is easily one of the most tightly designed and coolest gaming experiences I’ve had the immense satisfaction of just digging through. What caught me completely off guard going into this very blind with no real expectations of Metal Gear as a series was how well this entry aged like fine wine. I’d even go bat to say this is aged way too well because of how even games made over a decade later that follow similar approaches flew too short by comparison while Metal Gear Solid still grabbed on high and tightly. It does an amazing job of putting you into the shoes of a stealthy action hero caught amid a global threat shrouded by colorful yet human characters, unbelievable twists and turns, and real world conspiracy while undergoing a deeply interpersonal journey about what it means to be alive and be in the moment. Now there’s definitely some goofy vibes here but never ironically presented to flatline the dramatic weight given by the vocal performances and direction. Solid Snake is a rough-and-tough badass who like the others you come across are taken fairly seriously but it never forgets the humanity these guys still have buried underneath themselves. He isn’t completely afraid to mellow out, to have some funny moments himself, and even grow beyond just a military grunt who would only live for himself and his primal instinct to survive in a world always at war with itself. There’s a cinematic grace to how this is all done that really makes Solid Snake into one of my all-time favorite protagonists easily, especially joining the Club of Badass Meme-Worthy Vidya Game Protagonists like Jack Garland, J.C Denton, Adam Jensen, and The Nameless One. The moment-to-moment pacing is pretty rock solid, always keeping me engaged through stealthing my way around the levels. The controls, barring how bad sniping is, are surprisingly really tight and snappy given the lack of analog movements. I have to give attention to the boss fights in this game though. Besides maybe Sniper Wolf, they’re all so creatively fun especially Psycho Mantis which took unique meta advantage of the PlayStation 1 to deliver a memorable all-timer of a boss fight in gaming.

This shit just cuts deep into me creatively and inspirationally in a way that only certain games have done. It’s such a deeply impactful game for all the right reasons, going beyond just the legwork it did to become arguably the best game on the PS1, or at least a challenging contender for the top spot of that generation. I’m only excited to see how Kojima and company elevates this in further with the following next entries.

While the first MGS game may be considered as the better game for many, I actually vastly prefer MGS 2.

The gameplay has seen some additional quality improvement, especially with the inclusion of first person aiming, and there's also fewer frustrating creative decisions in the game that makes playing it incredibly fun and tense.

One thing that I think the first game did better though was its story and characters. There's fewer and shorter cutscenes here, instead, the game prefers using codec calls when it comes to telling its story. Sometimes, this often feels like a cheap and lazy way of telling the story as the character still uses codec calls despite being in the same room as each other. As for the characters, Raiden is just isn't as badass as Solid Snake, and the bosses are nowhere near as intriguing as from the first game. However, their enccentric traits does go along way in making them memorable. With Fortune being my personal favorite due to her melodrama.

And ugh, that ending theme slaps though.

A mediocre title that only rarely steps out from under the shadow of its predecessor. There isn't nearly enough depth to the new content for it to carry this absolute behemoth of a game, and I was bored to the point of not wanting to continue by the time I'd reached the halfway mark.

I remember playing BoTW and being shocked that someone had finally figured out the open world formula that Ubisoft had been trying to crack for over a decade. ToTK never had that moment for me. The opening few hours of the game range from interesting to absolutely awful - The new building system is at first intriguing, but also fiddly and painful to work with. Shrines are still here and still exactly the same, just with new puzzles and now there are more of them. The chasms lead to an exciting new area that held my interest for a very long time - Until I realized the resources you got there were only really useful there, and that you can easily clear the entire game without even noticing that area exists.

The story also deserves special mention. I was at first interested in this game having more of a story focus. It was obvious from the previews that there were more cutscenes, and it looked like some events might actually be happening as you played the game, rather than all the story having already happened. This is not the case. Once again you run around collecting memories of things that have already happened to learn what the story of the game is, and once again the final boss is content to sit in the middle of the map doing absolutely nothing until you go to fight it. The English voice cast is almost universally terrible. Ganondorf gets some room to have a character (His VA is actually doing a voice!) while everyone else badly fakes a British accent and just kind of talks at you conversationally no matter how dramatic their current circumstances might be. Much of the game's voiced dialogue also doesn't read well - It doesn't read naturally and the voiceover is frequently stilted. I'm not sure if this is the result of poor translation or if it's just being exacerbated by poor voice direction, but it's bizarre to see in a AAA title from a major studio.

Regarding the new mechanics: BoTW had a largely intuitive and quick-to-use set of abilities. It was easy to snap between whatever you might need, use it quickly, and get back to the game. ToTK has a couple abilities like this, but the main focus of the game is on Ultrahand, the ability that lets you pick up pieces of objects and glue them together. This power is basically the defining feature of the game - It's the only major change to Link's moveset from BoTW, its use is required to solve most of the game's puzzles, and nearly every shrine will somehow use Ultrahand.

Ultrahand is not quick and snappy to use. On its own that might be fine, I can understand wanting to slow the pace of the game down a little to make people really consider what they're doing. In practice, with the frequency Ultrahand needs to be used, it's a pace-murdering pain. Often I had figured out a puzzle, knew exactly what I needed to do, and then had to spend several minutes painstakingly assembling the solution one piece at a time. I think if the Ultrahand falls flat for you, there's very little in this game that will salvage your experience.

Regarding performance, the game being stuck on the Switch does it no favors. It's often hard to make out what an object is, with small objects turning into a smear of colored pixels you kind of just have to identify based off vibes. Panning your camera in a circle in almost any location will cause framerate drops. The game absolutely collapses when you have more than four or five enemies on-screen at once. Memories this time require you to find a small pool of water in a large area, something that would be manageable in any modern game, but which is made a challenge in ToTK due to the game's pitiful draw distance making the pool impossible to distinguish from the terrain if it's more than ten feet away. If I see a video of this game posted it's almost immediately obvious whether it's running on an emulator or if it's footage from the Switch, just because the PC can hold a stable framerate.

Overall, I would not recommend ToTK. It has a few standout moments, and I'm sure it's going to continue to top sales charts for many months, but to me the formula is now completely stale. It's a derivative experience that doesn't do enough to stand out from its predecessor.

Yeah this game is easy as hell. But if you wanted a hard JRPG then why are you playing a children’s game? Just go play SMT.

Man the art style for this game is gorgeous.

I absolutely adore Kalos itself. The fact that the region has the player exploring through the four seasons is such great level design that hardly anyone notices.

God I love this game.

I didn't like BOTW so I don't know why I thought this would be any different, grabbed by the hype once again! I just never learn!

Nothing about these games gives me that revolutionize of the open world genre buzz that they're praised for and honestly, it pisses me off that I don't get it. It makes me feel INSANE when I see the praise, but it's just not clicking.

The new building mechanics feel clunky to me, but I do see the vision. It's a toybox with more toys to fool around with. For me though, the thought of doing shrines again, especially with these mechanics, just makes me want to turn off.

For positives, I do enjoy the visuals. I think the art direction and presentation are gorgeous. It's got that Nintendo charm that always appeals to me, which further makes it sadder that it doesn't hit for me.

I've put in around 10 hours and I've had my fill. Overall, it's my own fault. I knew I wouldn't like it, but a mixture of FOMO and hope that something would grab me took hold. It has put me in that Zelda mood though, I'll probably replay one of the older ones soon.