MidTakes4Me

FromSoftware delivers strongly on the expansion for Elden Ring. The expectations couldn't have been higher and yet they delivered. Even I didn't expect the world to be as massive as it was with cave systems making the already vasy world alomst double the sizey ou'd see on the map.

Journey was a a short and very pretty game. I didn't encounter any other players when I played through and possibly led to my dissatisfaction given the insurmountable praise Journey recieved. It's a forgettable expereince for me with some grand visual moments of sliding down some sand.

A very fun platformer with lovable charcters and an engaging narrative. The main charcters struggle with anxiety and self doubt hit me pretty hard. It insirpied me to contiue the climb and set out to achieve what I saught to achieve despite all the distractions and set backs along the way.

More of what I liked about Alan Wake but the amount of items you get make this DLC a cake walk. It's not survivial horror like the base game it's just fun side stories that expand Remedies fictional universe. It's enjoyable as a fan of the studio but I can't imagine Alan Wake 2 only players getting anything out of these.

The DLC was enjoyable had had some fun and terrifying moments. It's not crazy impactful and didn't leave much of an impression on me but it isn't that expensive either.

I enjoyed hollow knight but I didn't have the live changing experience others did. Part of not reaching the expectations I had effected my overall view of the game I just didn't enjoy it that much. I stopped after beating the final boss of the main game so I can't speak to extra content I know is out there.

Stadew valley is a game you can keep coming back to thinking you need something to relax with. Its a very cozy looking game but the more you play the more management you need over your farm and the people in the town. You start to stress over how much you need to get done. I've never beaten the game full on but for a game like this you really don't have to to get a really enjoyable experience.

Psychological horror at some of it's best. A very disarming first half only to leave you with shivers like your playstation has become haunted by the end. Even knowing a horror twist exists this doesn't take away from the experience.

Outer Wilds is a very unique game. You are essentially a Space Archeolgist looking to discover the story left behind by an ancient species called the Nomai and the secrets of the universe they were in the process of uncovering. Whenever you die you return to the start of you expedition with your memories and ship log intact which has drawn a strong comparision to how Majora's Mask, or even the movie Groundhog day, has this "loop". The gameplay consists of flying around space and some planets, finding ruins or your origin planet's fellow space travelers out in space and making these revalations about the galaxy you reside in and the mystery's you've set to uncover. For me, this was done perfectly and left me with emotions I brought into my real life and my overall world view.

Playstations new sweetheart is here and for a free demo this games pretty fun. The references to oldand current Playstation IPs and consoles is cool to experience. A lot of love went into this. But it is largely just a demo that feels like a mario knock off. I'm excited to play the full game but if you take away the coolness of seeing those old charcters the gameplay is honestly right in the middle of engaging.

Black Myth Wukong is a very exciting action game for the folks looking for larger than life boss battles with exceptional designs and set pieces. The game play is pretty great with a easy enough learning curve as you progress. If your looking for a fast paced challenging action game wukong will definately fill that for you.

Balatro is my favorite rougue like game. Even if you don't care for or know how to play poker itreally doesn't take awat from the expereince. For this, I reference my girlfriend who put well over 100 hours into Balatro this year. The game loop is addicting and the more jokers you unlock the better you get at the game. The better you get at the game the higher stakes and different decks begin to provide the challenge. It's a game that gives back what you put into it and for $15 your not gonna find anything better in 2024.

Elden Ring is the quintessential open world souls-like experience. You can play thruugh this game and spend hundred of hours exploring every knook and cranny, getting every item, trying multiple builds. You can also play one build, blitzdungeons for the challenges and focus on beating bosses. No matter what Elden Ring delivers in droves.