irai16

Amazing game. Fun combat, a thrilling story (even though the final villain was a bit generic), and a well-developed cast of characters with one of the best video game protagonists ever in Clive. Being able to direct and customize your party members would have made this game perfect for me, but as is it's absolutely worth playing. Thank you Square for finally bringing this to Xbox!

A fun campaign with memorable characters and some really good missions (the open-ended one in Iraq was by far the best) but also some very annoying missions with horror and Zombies elements. If I want to play Zombies, I'll play Zombies; keep that out of the main campaign next time!

[SPOILER ALERT: This review contains spoilers.]

An interesting game with fascinating themes about grief and psychosis, but less fun to play than it could have been. The rune puzzles felt a bit silly (though made more sense after watching the included behind-the-scenes movie) and the combat grated on me by the end. Still worth trying if you want something original.

Forgotten Land is without a doubt the gold standard for Kirby games. The 3D gameplay feels so good it's unbelievable that this is the series's first foray into it. The powers feel great and their upgrades keep them fresh throughout. The story is sparse but has some great revelations in the climax; my only major criticism is that boss battles are frequently repeated with the same enemies. Also, it would have been cool if the levels were more open like Mario Odyssey, though that's more of a wishlist for the next game rather than a fault of this one. Definitely check this one out if you're a Switch owner!

Don't listen to the people with obvious agendas. The Veilguard is an awesome game and a wonderful conclusion to the plot threads set up by Origins all those years ago. The environments are stunning, the combat is the best in the series (knocking people off ledges as a warrior never got old), and the companions are likeable and multilayered. The writing can be a bit uneven, but the overall story is great, with Solas serving as an irresistible rival/frenemy. The final mission put a big smile on my face as I was reminded of my favorite BioWare game, Mass Effect 2. If you're on the fence about this one, you should definitely try it out!

I’m not the biggest fan of top-down games, but there’s a certain addicting quality in Diablo that makes it hard to put down. Blowing up hordes of enemies with lightning and wind as a Storm Druid was extremely satisfying, and it looks like there is a lot of build diversity if I ever want to try a new class. I really enjoyed the story, which had some great characters like Lorath and Donan even if parts like Lilith’s plan are left mostly unexplained. My biggest criticism is the quest design, which involves a lot of item fetching and “go to this giant circle and run around here for five minutes,” which got a bit stale. Ultimately though, there are few games like Diablo IV, and I’d definitely recommend giving it a shot if you’re curious.

Wow...I just finished FFX and I'm absolutely speechless. This is without a doubt one of the greatest stories I've played through, with an absolutely heartbreaking ending. This is a must-play for any Final Fantasy fan. While the game does have some old-school annoyances (no autosave, unskippable cutscenes, some grinding required), the story and the excellent combat system make it more than worth it.

After more than sixty hours, I'm sad to say that Tears of the Kingdom is an overall disappointment. To be fair, the core gameplay from Breath of the Wild remains strong enough to keep the game engaging and enjoyable. And the two new additions of the Sky and Depths help make the world feel somewhat fresh. But ultimately, Tears fails to surpass Breath of the Wild in a few critical ways, most notably the story. The plot of Tears only gets worse the more I think about it, with lazy copy-paste cutscenes, a laughably underdeveloped villain in Ganondorf, and an overall failure to make us care about anything that's happening. The decision to tell Zelda's story through disconnected "memories" only ended up spoiling major moments and robbing the main story of any tension. Link not even smiling when he rescues Zelda was the final slap in the face in a story that is somehow worse than the barebones Breath of the Wild story. Not to mention the totally unexplained disappearence of all Sheikah technology! Finally, the new building mechanics, while kind of cool, felt overused and forced; there was no reason not to use your horse to ride everywhere unless the game actively made you use the Zonai stuff. Ultimately, Tears of the Kingdom is a good open world game with some cool setpieces, but in the grand scheme of the storied Zelda franchise, it's sorely lacking. Most importantly, Nintendo needs to hire some better writers, because their flagship action-adventure franchise cannot be having worse storytelling than Mario.

This game was way better than it had any right to be. It's clear the developers were fans of the source material, as every inch of Hogwarts and its surrounding environs ooze with charm and attention to detail. The combat is surprisingly the best part of the game, expertly integrating dozens of spells in a fun and unique ways (my favorites were Diffindo and Transformation!). The story is alright, not bad but a bit underwhelming; the relationship questlines, particularly with Slytherin student Sebastian, ended up being the standouts story-wise. The open world, while not the most engaging, is very beautiful, with an awesome travel mechanic in the brooms and hippogriff, offering the best traversal since Zelda Breath of the Wild. Overall, Hogwarts Legacy is an easy recommend to any Harry Potter fan or RPG fan in general, and I'm very much looking forward to what more can be done with a sequel (Ilvermorny Legacy anyone?).

A solid expansion that provides some great new Pokemon, including the title character Ogerpon who is just too damn cute. The story continues the momentum from Area Zero with the compelling new characters of Kieran and Carmine; the fact that people are still debating how poor Kieran was treated is a testament to Gamefreak's writing. Overall, the DLC sets up intriguing themes that I hope will be resolved well in Part 2.

Four years after I started the trilogy, my Xenoblade journey has ended with Future Redeemed, providing an overall satisfying and emotional conclusion to the saga. It was great seeing Shulk and Rex again along with the numerous references to the past games, and the changes to the combat help make the DLC feel fresh. It is definitely a little more difficult than the base game with more grinding required, and some elements of the story remained vague and confusing, but ultimately, I took heart in the implication of a happy ending for our characters who have struggled so much. Absolutely an essential DLC for any longtime Xenoblade player.

Wow...I just finished this game and I'm still shook by the ending. I won't spoil anything, but it's an absolutely heartbreaking conclusion that perfectly encapsulates the overall themes of the story (i.e., the nature of loss, and the importance of letting go rather than clinging to the past as the story's villains do). As for the rest of the game, it serves as the true culmination of the Xenoblade trilogy by combining the best elements of both. The combat is so fun, with great variety thanks to the class-switching system, and the open world is as always stunning and satisfying to explore. The characters are among the series's best as well, with all six protagonists becoming well developed by the end. My favorite was Taion, but even the stoic Noah becomes a fascinating, three-dimensional character. The main criticism I would give is that the game has a bit too many mechanics, and it became tedious to juggle classes, arts, gems, and Ouroboros upgrades. Additionally, while I think the ending was a good conclusion to the specific story of Xenoblade 3, it doesn't really serve as an ending to the Xenoblade trilogy that we were promised, and a few elements are left frustratingly unexplained (still have no idea WTF is up with Noah's sword). This last point doesn't bother me too much since I assume the Future Redeemed DLC will serve as a suitable ending, but just something to keep in mind! Overall, this is a definite recommend to any Xenoblade fan or RPG fan in general, and one of the Switch's best games.

You simply cannot beat Civilization. Perhaps the greatest strategy series of all time continues its winning streak with Civ 6, with fun new features like districts that add a host of complexities to your gameplay. While I do feel the leader selection is a bit sub-par (France getting stuck with Catherine de Medici and Eleanor of Aquitaine is a travesty), overall, this would be my number one recommendation for anyone wanting to get into strategy gaming.

As a big fan of Dragon Age: Inquisition, Origins was a game I had long wanted to play, and thankfully, Gamepass provided me with the perfect opportunity. Origins has more than lived up to my lofty expectations, with the excellent story, characters, and quests I've come to expect from BioWare. I even grew to enjoy the combat, though its more tactical style is definitely not for everyone. The game has aged poorly in certain aspects (no fast travel, for instance), and the difficulty is a bit annoying at times, but overall, this is an easy recommend and one of the best RPGs I've played. Now I just have to decide if I really want to try Dragon Age 2....

[SPOILER ALERT: This review contains spoilers.]

Awesome game! The writing is hilarious and Tim Schafer remains a creative genius, with amazing art design and aesthetic. The game can feel occasionally "low budget" in its transitions and cutscenes, and combat is sometimes frustrating, but overall, Psychonauts 2 is by far the best platformer on Xbox.

This game has gotten a lot of hate lately, but honestly if you look at the core game, it's really got everything Halo fans could ask for. The campaign is great. It perfectly takes the Halo design to a fun and engaging open world, though the story was a bit confusing. And the gameplay of the multiplayer is excellent and a perfect blend of old-school Halo and new mechanics. Of course the game's main issue is 343's super slow pace of updating. The seasons have been way too long, though it seems like they'll be fixing this for 2023 so I wouldn't worry too much about it. A must play for shooter fans.

An unexpectedly good and underrated gem from Gamefreak! The open world is great and feels even better than the world in Scarlet and Violet, with better Pokemon battles too. I'd recommend this to any Pokemon fan looking for a change of pace.

Yes, the ending is not the best, but the rest of this trilogy is so good that I can easily overlook that. I am so glad I finally had the chance to play the legendary Mass Effect games with this well-made remaster, and ME2 and ME3 in particular are now among my favorite games ever. The story, characters, and cinematic gameplay are simply unparalleled in the RPG genre, and I would highly recommend the trilogy to everyone.

Great game! It's charming and beautiful with an amazing soundtrack and an excellent premise. I love how chill it is, you just traverse through these awe-inspiring levels collecting cubes, with no pressure or enemies to fight. There is quite a bit of backtracking, and the ending doesn't really make much sense, but overall, it's one of the best puzzle games I've ever played.

Great game! If I could I would give it an 8.5 as I really liked it but not nearly as much as other titles in the series like Breath of the Wild. The dungeons, story, and characters are top notch, and I also really enjoyed the motion control combat. Yes, it can be linear and repetitive at times, but overall, this is a game worth playing for any Zelda fan.

Great game, definitely one of the most unique and weird rpgs I've ever played. The ending was a bit anticlimactic, but engaging characters and deep political and philosophical themes kept me engaged.

Age of Calamity is an enjoyable game with fun moment-to-moment gameplay and a diverse cast of interesting characters, but I really disliked the fake-out nature of the story. It's really not a prequel at all, instead it's literal fanfiction. I would still say the game is worth buying for Zelda fans, but don't get fooled by having any expectations for the plot.

The ending is highly depressing but incredibly thought-provoking, re-contextualizing the entire Bioshock franchise. The gameplay remains tight and satisfying, with the addition of stealth elements working well, and the mixture of Rapture and Columbia locations provides a welcome change of pace. An essential DLC for any Bioshock fan.

The game succumbs to some of Telltale's typical issues (RIP Telltale btw), but overall this is a tragic, cathartic, and highly satisfying conclusion to the story of Clementine that gives you a ton of difficult choices.

This game is only bearable because I was playing on Xbox Series X. Definitely enjoyable, but a massive disappointment given CD Projekt's record and what they promised.

An excellent and very impressive DLC. It's the size of an entirely new game, with a fully realized plot and writing that lives up to the story of the base game. The sidequests as usual are great, and new characters like Anna Henrietta and Regis keep the game from getting stale. I did feel forced to grind at times as I was frequently underleveled, but that may be due to the fact that I did not play the Hearts of Stone DLC. I would assume the best experience is to play that one first and then this one. Regardless, this is a must buy if you enjoyed the original game.

A really enjoyable DLC. Making it focused entirely on legendaries was a great choice, with the legendary hunts through a fully open world being a welcome change of pace to the base gameplay. The twists on old Pokemon like legendary birds is novel as well, and the Max Raid battles are exciting since you have no idea what old legendary you're gonna get next. If you own the base game this is simply a must buy.

As a big fan of the first game, I would say this one is overall quite good, but a slight disappointment. The gameplay I'd probably say is a straight improvement, with the most appreciated additions being greater options for nonlethal play with Emily's powers; you don't feel like you're limiting yourself as much in a low chaos run. Overall though the gameplay additions are small, and more new stuff would have been nice. The setting is great, however; Karnaca is a lot more colorful and less depressing than Dunwall, with some particular standout levels like the Dust District/Manor level. Yet I found myself disappointed with the story; it just kinda fell flat by the end, with a really lame montage to wrap things up that doesn't even tie up all the loose ends. They basically made the same mistakes as they did with Dishonored 1's ending, which really confuses me. I think there's definitely lost potential here, but overall, it's a really fun game with excellent and refined gameplay, and remains at the top of the stealth genre.

A valiant first effort for Indian devs. The visuals/art style is genuinely spectacular, and the combat is generally fun and satisfying as well. Problems can arise from a weird lack of depth perception, making combat and especially platforming a little finicky and annoying, and an incoherent story; I didn't really know what was going on and Raji jumped from location to location seemingly at random. Vishnu and Durga's conversations were great though, definitely a highlight, and as an Indian the attention to mythology was a joy to see.

Really great game, probably the cutest game I've played in a while! Fun puzzles, very unique take on the real-time strategy genre with perhaps the best use of the Wiimote + Nunchuck I've ever seen, topped off with a wholesome story and funny cast of characters. Combat could be a little clunky and hard to aim at times, and it's pretty short, but overall a good time. Get this one on the Switch, and make sure to collect all the fruit (it's not actually very hard, I'm not usually one for completionism but this game makes it really easy with the very convenient map and navigation).

Playing this game was a life-changing experience that opened my eyes to what video games could truly be. This is absolutely one of the best games I've ever played, and a towering achievement in graphics, design, story, and immersion. Now, I just have to try the online....

Solid game, probably the best Star Wars game I've ever played. Engaging story and characters, great level design for the worlds with lots of secret areas to explore, and satisfying, tactical combat that feels like nothing I've ever played. However, the combat is also HARD AF, and was honestly too hard for me at some parts. I wish the normal difficulty was actually normal. Also, the performance was relatively poor on the original Xbox One; still playable, but there was just a lot of stuttering and texture pop ins and such. If you're a Star Wars fan, get this game.

Overall, a really good game, but I personally enjoyed Xenoblade Chronicles 2 more. The world is easily the best part, it's impressive how open it is for a 2009 game and its lore is super unique. The story is good overall too: it has a strong start, a weak middle, but really brings it home with a suitably epic climax and a wholesome ending. There were some surprisingly intriguing and mature Gnostic themes too, a rarity for JRPGs. The combat was fun, but it had some poor aspects like the visions constantly interrupting your gameplay and chain attacks being based on rng (thank God they changed this in Xenoblade 2). Also, grinding is really bad in this game, and is easily the biggest flaw. Tedious and boring side quests don't help with the grind. Ultimately, it's worth playing if you like rpgs, but not all of its elements have aged well.

Pretty great gameplay, great characters, pretty good story (though with many unresolved plot points at the end, frustrating that the game expects you to play through all storylines in order to get the full plot), but by the end of the game I grew to hate the calendar system. It padded out the game by so much and felt so tedious after the timeskip. Could have been a 9 if they had gotten rid of the calendar in the second half of the game. Oh yeah, and it's also painfully easy on normal difficulty, don't play it on normal if you've played other FE games before.

What a fantastic game. The story and characters are pretty interesting, but the real draw is in the gameplay. This might just be the best stealth game I've ever played; there are so many ways to do every mission, and you feel like a badass while doing all of it. I also love how it really makes you think about the consequences of your actions; rarely have I ever felt remorse for killing people in a video game before this one. I guess the ending was slightly underwhelming, and the AI wasn't that smart, but these are super small nitpicks that don't really take away from the overall experience. Buy this game!

Love this game. Beautiful environments, fun strategic combat, and excellent characters and roleplaying with some truly difficult choices you have to make. The main thing I disliked was the Power system, which sometimes meant that you had to do tedious sidequests in order to progress in the main story. Also the ending was slightly underwhelming, though it is vastly improved by the Trespasser DLC (I'd say tresspasser is required tbh). But overall, this remains one of my favorite rpgs of all time, and I highly recommend it.

Excellent game, one of my favorites of all time. It isn't what many people wanted, but that doesn't make it a bad game in the slightest, or even a "bad fallout." The Far Harbor dlc makes it even better.

[SPOILER ALERT: This review contains spoilers.]

Gameplay is super fun, the legions are so unique and awesome with so much crazy stuff you can do in combat. The characters were surprisingly good (particularly liked female Akira and Olive) and the worldbuilding is pretty good too, a very interesting setting they've crafted here with the Astral Plane and all that. The parkour/jumping is finnicky though, died quite a few frustrating deaths after trying to jump across ledges. The biggest problem would have to be the story though. It's pretty good for most of the runtime, and gets absolutely insane towards the end (like shonen anime-level insane), but it really peters out in the final act; I was left disappointed and very confused by the plot, it didn't really make any sense and nothing was explained. Overall, would recommend (I played on casual so I didn't get too frustrated by the difficulty).