OVERVIEW: The Legend Of Zelda: Ocarina of Time is a masterpiece that has stood the test of time throughout the nearly 30 years since it released on the N64 in 1998. Even today, it holds up compared to most modern releases in every way besides the graphics. With most major outlets naming Ocarina of Time as the greatest game ever made, it is clear the impact this game has had on gaming as a whole is immense and cannot be overstated. While personally I enjoy the darker elements of Twilight Princess and Majora's Mask, it is impossible to critique Ocarina Of Time without being extremely biased. GAMEPLAY: 10/10 - Ocarina of Time has some of the greatest dungeons (if not the greatest) in the whole series. Some standouts include the Forest Temple and Spirit Temple, which both contain inventive mechanics that push the boundaries of what games could be in the 90s. On top of this, the main combat and movement has aged well and while more modern games control better, it's one of the few N64 games with controls easy for anyone to understand. The items you collect throughout the game make you feel like you are making true progress as you make you way through the game, and the main mechanic of traveling through time still feels unique today. The open world the game presents the player with is still impressive today and a wonder to explore, and at the time was a mind-blowing feeling that for many that would not be captured again until much later with games like "Elden Ring" and "The Legend Of Zelda: Breath Of The Wild". STORY: 9/10 - Ocarina of Time's story may be a fairly standard "medieval fairy-tale" style story overall, but the methods it uses to tell the story and various characters throughout make the story still feel unique. There are also a few twists throughout the game that feel genuinely surprising when playing the game for the first time. SOUNDTRACK: 10/10 - The Legend Of Zelda: Ocarina of Time has one of the most legendary and well-recognised soundtracks in the history of gaming (or even media in general). Songs like the Song Of Storms and the Song Of Time are widely recognised even by people who haven't played the game, and are just incredible pieces in their own right. The music in the whole game works together well and enhances the whole experience of playing through the game. CHARACTERS: 9/10 - While the characters in this game aren't as developed as they are in Majora's Mask, they still have plenty of personality and charm that makes speaking to most NPCs a great experience. GRAPHICS/VISUALS: 10/10 - While compared to modern games Ocarina of Time obviously doesn't look as good, it was an incredible graphical showcase at the time and if you compare it to other games of the same era, it has aged significantly better and some parts still look great today. CUTSCENES: 9/10 - While they aren't that many cutscenes in the game, the ones that are present are mostly great and convey all information needed to the player. In particular the cutscenes containing the main villain of the game are very well done and really get across the scale of the threat. Overall, Ocarina of Time is an incredible game that truly pushed gaming forward in many ways. On top of that, it is also still an incredible game today that rivals even the greatest modern AAA releases. A game this ground-breaking is unlikely to happen again for a very long time, if ever.
OVERVIEW: Dark Souls III is the conclusion to the incredible "Dark Souls" trilogy of games created by Fromsoftware. While this is an incredible expectation for the game to live up to, Dark Souls III not only delivers but hugely exceeds expectations. Dark Souls III is the most polished and evolved game in the series and has some of the most memorable bosses and moments in gaming history. GAMEPLAY: 10/10 - All games by Fromsoftware have incredible but simple gameplay, however besides Elden Ring and Elden Ring Nightreign, Dark Souls III has the most polished and cohesive gameplay out of all of them. The combat feels smooth and responsive and the exploration is compelling. STORY: 10/10 - SOUNDTRACK: 10/10 - Dark Souls III has a very strong soundtrack with very memorable pieces. In particular a song that stands out to me and most people who play the game is the theme for the boss "Soul of Cinder". This piece is a stand out track in it's own right, but it also masterfully calls back to Dark Souls I in a way that is certain to bring out emotion in anyone who plays through the whole trilogy. CHARACTERS: 9/10 - Dark Souls characters are always hard to review since they aren't as big of a part as they are in most typical games, however the ones you do meet throughout your journey are greatly written with amazing questlines to follow. GRAPHICS/VISUALS: 10/10 - Dark Souls III still looks incredible despite being nearly 10 years old at the time of writing. While some individual textures may look rough if you look closely, the entire image that the game presents you with is still jaw dropping every time I revisit the game. CUTSCENES: 8/10 - There aren't too many cutscenes throughout Dark Souls III, however the few in the game that do exist are memorable and get across what they need to. Overall, Dark Souls III is an incredible game that I would recommend to anyone who plays games, especially if they have played any of the Dark Souls games or "souls-likes" before. It still holds up very well in 2025 and I'm certain it will beyond that.
OVERVIEW: The Legend Of Zelda: Majora's Mask is yet another exceptional addition to the "Legend Of Zelda" Franchise. The game contains great dungeons, incredibly memorable characters and the best side quests the series has ever had, and likely ever will. The game expands upon what made Ocarina Of Time so great, and adds it's own dark twist to it. GAMEPLAY: 10/10 - Majora's Mask has some of the best dungeons in the series, as well as very interesting and fun mechanics added by the various masks and other items you obtain throughout the game. The bosses are all very unique and don't feel like the typical Zelda Boss with an obvious weakness. All of the gameplay elements work together incredibly well and creates one of the best gaming experiences you can have. STORY: 10/10 - The main story of Majora's Mask has some incredibly dark beats that stick out from your average Zelda game. The story is compelling and has much clearer stakes than usual. In addition, this game has by far the best "side stories" out of any Zelda game and arguably any game ever. SOUNDTRACK: 10/10 - This game is where some of the series most iconic pieces of music originated, such as "Song Of Healing", "Clock Town - Day 1" and "Astral Observatory". These songs are so good that they have found places online in things unrelated to Zelda such as "Creepypastas". In addition, all of the returning music is incredible as always, and is used in ways that heightens it above it's original purpose. For example, The Song Of Time from Ocarina Of Time serves a much greater purpose in this game than in Ocarina Of Time, and to most people makes the song more linked to this game than it's original debut. CHARACTERS: 10/10 - As stated before, the side quests in this game are incredibly strong, which in turn allows all of the characters to be a lot more memorable and fleshed out. Using the bomber's notebook in game allows you to keep track of all of the side quests you have completed and people you have helped, and is a very nice way to make you feel like a citizen of the town helping out everyone. Some standout characters include: Romani, Anju, Kafei, Cremia and Lulu. GRAPHICS/VISUALS: 8.5/10 - Majora's Mask visually looked good at the time, and it still holds up well but not quite as well as some of the other Zelda games like Wind Waker. The stylistic choices in the game redeem all of this though, and the game is still incredibly nice to play despite the small amount of visual flaws. CUTSCENES: 9/10 - Cutscenes in this game are very memorable, with both dark moments and just nice moments with the people living in Clock Town. The only critique I can possibly think of is that the cutscenes aren't quite as cinematic as future Zelda games such as Twilight Princess and Breath Of The Wild. This shouldn't really be held against it considering the difference in times these games were made, but it still could impact your experience slightly. Overall, Majora's Mask is an incredible addition to the Zelda Franchise and is easily a contender for the best game in the franchise. If you like darker stories, this is certainly the game for you, and even if you don't there's plenty of fun to be had with this game.
OVERVIEW: The Legend Of Zelda: Twilight Princess is an incredible instalment in the incredible series that is Zelda. Twilight Princess delivers a gritty, more grounded Zelda game that has some of the most memorable dungeons, bosses and characters in the whole series. Twilight Princess is a spiritual successor to Ocarina of Time and takes a lot of the elements that made that game so incredible and builds upon them. GAMEPLAY: 10/10 - While Zelda games aren't necessarily known for their incredible combat systems, Twilight Princess has some of the most satisfying combat in any game, especially after you progress into the game and learn more moves. On top of this, the puzzles are very thought provoking without being frustrating and the boss fights use the items you get from the dungeons very well. STORY: 10/10 - Twilight Princess has one of the most in-depth stories in the franchise, and has some beautiful emotional beats as well as some incredible high-paced action. The motivations for the characters both good and evil feel grounded and realistic and you feel a deeper connection to this incarnation of Link than any other. SOUNDTRACK: 9/10 - While this game does not secure the title of best Zelda soundtrack, it definitely is up there. Twilight Princess has some incredible pieces made specifically for the game as well as some returning iconic pieces from previous games in a more epic orchestral context. Songs like "Midna's Lament" have secured themselves among some of the most iconic music in all of gaming, deservedly so. CHARACTERS: 10/10 - Twilight Princess has the most interesting and thought out characters in the whole series, and you really bond with them more than any other game. Even side characters with smaller roles have character and charm to them that makes you appreciate every NPC in every section of the expansive world. The villains are especially well-constructed characters, as Ganondorf in this instalment feels more daunting and evil than ever before, while having some traits that make him more unique like an extreme sense of honour and immense respect for Link. GRAPHICS/VISUALS: 10/10 - While if you look closely at specific textures you can definitely tell they've aged since this game released in 2006. However, when you look at the game as a whole and the beautiful artistic image it creates you realise how good looking this game is and how well it has aged compared to games which came out at a similar time. The character models and landscapes especially have aged very well and the whole game has a very visually appealing style to it. CUTSCENES: 9/10 - The cutscenes in this game are very cinematic and convey emotion and progress the story very well, especially considering the lack of voice acting. They also serve at connecting you to the characters in the world even more and Twilight Princess succeeds at that impressively. Overall, The Legend Of Zelda: Twilight Princess is not only arguably the best Zelda game in the series, but it is simply an incredible game that holds up incredibly well from the time it was made. The dungeons and villain(s) are a personal highlight for me but every element of the game is masterfully done.
OVERVIEW: Fallout 3 is one of the best entries to the Fallout series of games and a good RPG to lose yourself in the world of. What the game lacks in technical game design and innovative gameplay, it makes up for with an large, freeing world and charm. GAMEPLAY: 7/10 - The core gameplay of Fallout 3 is very simple and easy to understand. The game gives you a lot of freedom with these basic mechanics however, meaning you can squeeze plenty of hours of messing around out of the game. There is a decent amount of jank to the game but this is to be expected and arguably adds to the experience when funny things happen in the game. STORY: 6/10 - The main story in Fallout 3 is fine, but doesn't do much to go beyond that. The stakes feel very low most of the time due to the aforementioned "charm" that Bethesda's characters have, even the villains of the world. In addition to this, the story just simply isn't that interesting. On the other hand, most players likely aren't going to be playing this game in hopes of a beautiful and inspiring story, and for that reason the story is passable in this context. SOUNDTRACK: 9/10 - While I am doubtful that many players are coming to Fallout 3 specifically for any of it's original pieces, it's soundtrack is very enjoyable to listen to via the radio while you explore the wasteland and loot settlements. All of the songs chosen fit the same vibe and are a blast to listen to. CHARACTERS: 7/10 - The characters that you meet in Fallout 3 all for the most part have the loveable "Bethesda" charm that most players have come to expect from the developers. While most of them aren't particularly fleshed out, they work in the context of the game and are fun to communicate with. GRAPHICS/VISUALS: 6/10 - Fallout 3 is an old game (2008) so obviously will look worse than a modern game, however I think the intentionally bleakness and realism of the game from the time hides this a lot worse than a lot of other games from a similar era that simply hold up better (and looked better at the time). Graphics aren't everything but this game definitely is far from a visual masterpiece. CUTSCENES: 7/10 - While there isn't many cutscenes in Fallout 3, the few that are present are perfectly serviceable and get the point they need to across. Overall, Fallout 3 is a very enjoyable game and while it isn't the best game technically, it is more than worth picking up and playing. There is a certain charm only contained within Bethesda games that players yearn for, and this game along with Oblivion and Skyrim are great ways to get that experience.
OVERVIEW: Metroid Dread is an incredible "MetroidVania" that shows that the founders of the genre still have what it takes to compete in a modern market. It excellently combines traditional Metroid elements along with some interesting innovations and even some horror elements in tense sections. GAMEPLAY: 10/10 - Metroid Dread has some of the most fun and impressive gameplay of any game I have played. The combat and general movement controls are easy to use, but the game still offers a really healthy amount of challenge that anyone can enjoy. The bosses are memorable and the areas and exploration keeps you interested. STORY: 9/10 - The story picks up after Metroid Fusion for the GBA and is a very solid and interesting narrative, especially given the type of game and the minimal amounts of voice acting. The developers worked incredibly well with what they had and still told a compelling story. SOUNDTRACK: 8/10 - There is nothing wrong with any of the soundtrack, and some of the music (especially during EMMI chases) is very good at making you feel extreme emotions. On the other hand, barely any of the music is memorable, just good. CHARACTERS: 8/10 - There is not a huge number of characters within Metroid Dread but most of the characters are still interesting and fleshed out enough that it makes up for that. The main improvement that could be made would be more voice acting to add more personality to each character. GRAPHICS/VISUALS: 8/10 - While Metroid Dread does not have the prestige of being the best looking game on the Switch (that honour goes to either Tears Of The Kingdom or Metroid Prime Remastered), the environments look very clean and good, and the cutscenes look good graphically. The only downside is the model for Samus occasionally appears quite pixelated/jagged when in gameplay. CUTSCENES: 9/10 - The cutscenes throughout Metroid Dread are very smooth and tell the story and emotions Samus is feeling very well, especially considering the lack of voice acting. Visually they look very nice and are one of the most impressive parts of the game besides the incredible gameplay. Overall, Metroid Dread shows that Samus will not only always be a legend of the "Metroidvania" genre but also a modern icon that continues to push the genre forward and provide an excellent experience with some of the best gameplay of the current era.
Suicide Squad: Kill The Justice League shows promise to begin with, providing the player with 4 iconic villains to play as. However, the game quickly becomes messy and uninteresting with its boring gameplay loop and bad storytelling. GAMEPLAY: 4/10 - The combat itself is okay, but nothing special. However besides boss fights which provide a small moment of slightly more interesting gameplay, the rest of the game is very repetitive and gets boring after the first main mission. STORY: 3/10 - The story is not particularly good and it is not fleshed out at all. This is made even worse by the fact that the game is supposed to take place in the "Arkham" universe of games, which had very compelling stories and which to most players ended perfectly with Rocksteady's previous game "Batman: Arkham Knight". The previous game had given Batman an incredible ending to his story, however this game brought him back just to kill him off in an undignified way. SOUNDTRACK: 5/10 - Nothing of note, just a middle of the road game soundtrack. CHARACTERS: 6/10 - The only thing saving this game is the characters. The main 4 have strong personalities and are generally likeable, however sometimes the excessive amounts of jokes can get very old. The rest of the characters in the game aren't particularly interesting or amazing. GRAPHICS/VISUALS: 5/10 - Looks okay, but somehow worse visually than "Batman: Arkham Knight" which came out in 2015. CUTSCENES: 5/10 - Nothing special but generally have funny moments from the main cast and occasional moments where the Justice League members look particularly daunting. Overall, Suicide Squad isn't the worst game I've ever played but it comes dangerously close to it for a game made by the same developers of the beloved Arkham series of games. Even after picking it up on a steep discount (down to £2.99) and playing through the game with a friend, I was still left feeling like the game wasn't worth it.
Elden Ring is the biggest and in my opinion best game that the Fromsoftware team have produced at the time of writing. The world is huge and filled with deep lore and fun combat encounters. GAMEPLAY: 10/10 - I personally love the "Soulsborne" combat style and this game is the most fleshed out and smooth version to date. STORY: 9/10 - While the story of Elden Ring is incredibly deep and detailed and just all round amazing, I cannot give it any higher than a 9 simply due to the fact that most players will come away from the game not understanding much at all about the story unless they spent hours reading item descriptions and doing every hidden questline. I like this style of storytelling but it leaves a lot of players in the dark. SOUNDTRACK: 9/10 - While the soundtrack of this game is epic and orchestrated very well, very few of the songs stick out as especially memorable besides the main theme played on the title screen. CHARACTERS: 9/10 - Almost all of the characters are interesting and are voice acted very well, and a lot have long side quests that have you feel even more invested in the characters. GRAPHICS/VISUALS: 10/10 - While the pure graphics in Elden Ring aren't bad they aren't anything special. However, the art direction and colour theory used throughout the game makes the game look simply magical. As long as you don't look too closely at individual textures, Elden Ring is one of if not the most beautiful game out at the moment. CUTSCENES: 10/10 - There are very few cutscenes in Elden Ring, but when one does play you know you are in for a treat. All cutscenes serve their purpose incredibly well, whether it's introducing a new intimidating boss or telling you lore before the game starts. Overall, Elden Ring is an incredible game and even if you disregard the story entirely (which you shouldn't) is an incredibly fun and challenging game. If the Fromsoftware team continue on this trajectory for their next mainline game, we are all in for a treat.
Final Fantasy XVI is a masterclass in many areas of the game. The soundtrack is incredibly memorable and helps heighten the intense emotions that the game makes you feel throughout it's story. In my opinion, Final Fantasy XVI is the closest to being perfect out of any game out at the time of writing this review. GAMEPLAY: 9/10 (Good and feels very fun, but a lot of spamming buttons) SOUNDTRACK: 10/10 - Incredible and emotional orchestral soundtrack throughout the game and with the final song being "Moongazing" by Tsuki Wo Miteita, it really ties the game together. STORY: 10/10 - The storytelling and world building throughout this game is incredible. CHARACTERS: 10/10 - You really feel connected to all of the characters, but especially to Clive and Jill by the end of the game. VOICE ACTING: 10/10 - All of the voices feel like they fit the characters perfectly, and the performance from Ben Starr as Clive Rosfield is a once in a generation performance. Ralph Ineson also plays his role phenomenally well and really makes you fall in love with Cidolfus Telamon and his jokes. Graphics/Visuals: 10/10 - The game looks beautiful and even with the PS5 not being able to have it looking quite as top notch as the PC port simply due to specs, the game still looks stunning due to it's art direction and stylistic choices. CUTSCENES: 10/10 - Each cutscene is extremely action-packed and visually impactful except from when the emotional beats of the story are happening, where the cutscenes are paced tremendously well and really help you feel the emotion of the characters. Overall, Final Fantasy XVI is a near perfect game, filled with action, emotion and an incredible story. While the gameplay could do with some additional features to keep it from feeling the same for most encounters, it's still a fun and enjoyable combat system.
