Recent reviews by m1chaelB

I can recommend this because there are four stone cold classics and the very good ODST for only forty bucks, but may 343i never see the light of heaven both for making Halo 4 and for thinking they are slick for including it alongside these other juggernauts.

Halo 4 is a grating farce on all fronts, from its combat, the horribly-written story, the worst sound design I have ever come across, the voice acting, the mind-numbing ordeal of Spartan Ops that completely whiffs on understanding what makes Halo so fun to begin with; it's all simply inexcusable from a company backed by *Microsoft*. The Prometheans are a chore to deal with—fighting Watchers feels like playing Duck Hunt in the worst way, and it's laughable that a group as highly touted in the Halo universe as the Prometheans, with all the backing of Forerunner knowledge and technology, decided a robot dog was what was needed for defense. What are we doing, 343i?

And yet because I have the brain of a baby and for some reason derive serotonin from achievement hunting, I have arbitrarily forced myself to endure this abomination of a game for a nice virtual ribbon on my profile. This hasn't really been a review so much as me venting. I understand all of this is entirely self-inflicted.

A quarter century hasn't diminished this game's message and impact in the slightest. The humanist's insistence on the right to carve out a worthwhile life in the midst of nuclear proliferation, against a world stifling humanity's ability to live comfortably and with dignity. Much has been said about Kojima and co.'s prophetic storytelling, but the grace with which they argue for the continuing existence of culture and love and a future is what I find most impressive (and this is only heightened in Sons of Liberty). The fact that this is still a fun stealth game is just gravy.

Playing this on release weekend and into March 2022 is my single favorite gaming memory, one I have my doubts will ever be bested. This thing had a cultural moment far beyond what anybody could have anticipated for a Soulsborne, and experiencing everyone's progression alongside my own in real-time was a delight beyond what I could put into words; the only way I could have it make sense is if you were there, too. It has just about anything you could want from a fantasy RPG, with an immersive world that rewards blind exploration better than any game this side of Skyrim. It's challenging, but there are numerous ways boss difficulty can be diminished on the player side; it is an exponentially more forgiving game than previous FromSoft titles, and this is not at all a criticism as some people would have you believe. You owe it to yourself to give Elden Ring a try. There are only a handful of games that give you as good a return on investment for the amount of hours you can sink into it.

The Debussy needle drop seriously got me so good. I can't believe I never thought to pick up a book by punching it.

I have an unusual affinity for semis when I'm on the road thanks to this game