Christopher

Overall Score: 7/10

Main Pros:

Best of the so-called ‘RPG’ AC era - Best combat in modern AC games - Overall, both Yasuke & Naoe feel unique, justify two playable characters - Less banal grinding, greater purpose in side quests -Beautifully realized visuals, mostly well-designed map

Main Cons:

Still bloated, overcrowded with? - Story. More fair than bad, serviceable at best. - Not enough unique side-content for Yasuke - AC still feels adrift, lack of connective tissue with important lore/previous games.

There's been a lot of noise surrounding AC Shadows, but most of it fails to answer one basic question: Is Assassin's Creed Shadows any good?

The answer, in my opinion, is yes, Assassin's Creed Shadows is a pretty good game. I had fun playing it. Not as much fun as some, far more fun than others. There are a whole range of taking points surrounding this game that I simply do not feel qualified to talk about. So I will stick to talking about what I know.

For my money, Shadows is the best of the recent RPG era of AC games. The combat feels much less like a tacked-on element. The skill trees have gone from being a veritable ever-expanding skill universe with extra space dust and nebula nodes in Valhalla, to a refined system that feels like it was actually designed alongside the combat and exploration systems. I really enjoyed the differences between Naoe and Yasuke, and felt there was more than enough justification for including two protagonists.

The story felt bland at times, but overall it had enough high points to not be outright bad. There is far less mindless grinding required. Like any RPG, you will need to level outside the main story. AC in general has been egregious with this in the past, but I do feel like Shadows made an attempt to really improve this element.

I know people are mad at the company that makes Assassin's Creed, but do yourself a favor and try this. Don't lean too heavily into what others are saying, including me!

Overall Score: 9/10

Every once in a blue moon, a piece of art will transcend the medium in which is was created.

Death Stranding is not just my favorite modern video game, it's one of my favorite pieces of artistic expression. From the moment it was revealed, long before we knew anything about the actual gameplay, the imagery spoke to me in a way that few artistic works ever have, before or since.

The ideas at the heart of Death Stranding are incredibly profound. Reaching out through time and space to make a connection with something, or someone...it's speaks to the unique pain of existence as a human being on this rock. OK, that sounds incredibly pretentious, and maybe it is. But Death Stranding affected me in such a massive way.

I suspect that Death Stranding's gameplay loop is one of those 'love it or hate it' type deals. Having loved it so thoroughly, I find it hard to imagine even the possibility of hating it. But since I have eyes and the internet, I know people do. I know there is something of a cult of personality around Hideo Kojima, and that rubs some people the wrong way. He clearly has an extremely unique approach to creation, but I think his true talent lies in his ability to attract supremely talented teams around him. The developers at Kojima Productions are clearly some of the best in the business, as Death Stranding is a wonder to behold at every level.

If you have not played Death Stranding, drop everything else and play it. There is no higher compliment I can give a video game. Do not trust a review to tell you whether it's good or bad. Just play it.

Cyberpunk 2077 was fun from the day it launched. That was my experience. I was lucky enough to have a PS5, so that is what I played it on. The game crashed. A LOT. Yes, it was incredibly frustrating. But...when it worked, it was so good. I actually miss quite a bit from the build of the original game. However, it seems the game probably should not have launched on what was then 'current-gen' consoles, i.e. PS4 and Xbox One. Still, I loved the game, and didn't personally find the bugs to be more egregious that another major RPG maker that shall go unnamed.

Fast forward 167 years, and the cars are flying around without drivers. According to most, Cyberpunk 2077 is in a far better state. I still thought it was in California? What is true, is that the game seems to be much closer to matching the devs' vision. The AI is significantly improved, and there have been massive changes to the overall player experience. Most players agree that the changes made the game much better. I agree - to a certain extent. What I will say is this: if you have not played Cyberpunk 2077, do yourself a favor, and get on that train to Night City. Form your own opinion.

Ghost of Tsushima: Christopher Norman W's Review

Overall Score: 9/10

Main Pros....

OK, I can't even commit to doing a formatted review, which is this, like, super unique and original thing I'm trying to do...anyways, in this case, all I can say is...yes. Whenever anyone asks me anything about Ghost of Tsushima, the answer is always a resounding YES. Sometimes I get tricked into saying bad things, but that is only because I am extremely quick to say YES, play it. YES, it is incredibly amazing and spectacular. YES, buy it when its on sale. YES, buy it when it's not on sale. YES, play the original, YES play the Director's Cut. Spread the news far and wide, Ghost of Tsushima should be played by everyone.

Rarely do you come across a game with such a well-executed vision. The combat is - well just imagine a chef's kiss meme inserted here. There will always be some detractors who claim what they claim, namely that there's nothing new here. I will admit, it is not a perfect game. But it is close to perfect for me. I am ok with adding a unique spin on a common mechanic, especially when everything works so incredibly well. I only hope that, as the exclusivity barrier continues to erode, more and more people will get to play Ghost of Tsushima. I don't think there's been a better action game released in the last five years, and I cannot wait for Ghost of Yotei.