Nathaniel Nichols

best Zelda ever & one of the best games ever. this is more of a new game masquerading as a sequel than people give it credit for. (check the new facial animations on npc's for instance- most probably dont even notice). the fuse mechanic is the best new zelda mechanic in ages and def the best mechanic introduced during the switch era, (all due respect to zonai). also, the game is just so epic.. starts strong, finishes strong. best zelda dungeon ever too with the dragonhead isle quest/dungeon. love the Mayan influence in the game. also, the sheer amount of situational dialogue in the game is absurd. absolute masterpiece. kinda impossible to follow up one of the best games ever, but the zelda team pulled it off. playing w headphones is a must. Love that main theme that is kinda only found in a trailer and in the credits. so, so good. the people who think botw is better only like their experience of hyrule for the first time better, because this game is better in every way.. from boss fights to mechanics- everything. also, zero gravity is endlessly fun. my only gripes are that i wish they switched up the korok seed mechanic and the depths are a bit samey, but i get that it is kinda a resource area. still feels like they might have missed out on an opportunity to introduce a new race or at least have a cool village down there or something. and im not thrilled w the yiga clan stuff, but didnt enjoy them in botw either. none of this stuff nerfs the greatness of the game tho. cant think of a game with more content. that shrine where you end up driving up a river is one of my most satisfying moments in gaming. <3

nintendo is not using powerful tech to chase visuals.. they are using it to evolve gameplay. this is the most visceral game I've ever played. people need to play this. it just feels and plays like nothing I've ever played before. like some kind of bizarre ode to the mineral kingdom.. cracking, fizzing, popping, splattering, shattering*** an unforgettable distillation of the material, sonic and emotional universe. a landmark just like mario64 & botw.. the game design is unreal, the music is top (beyond the technical level of botw/totk and more uniquely flavored and ambient. with a lovely new age 90's vibe).. but the real step forward seems to be in regards to the game's "feel". it simply doesn't come thru in videos. it is just so alive and bizarre and 1 of 1. unreal stuff. overtly psychedelic too. the odyssey team has taken the baton from the zelda team and ran off into uncharted territory. best platformer ever and maybe the best game ever depending on my mood.. (sometimes i want an rpg) this is a stunning achievement and what i would describe as the most psychedelic piece of pop art delivered to the masses.. and the most creative game a controller has ever known. great job odyssey team. now please create a new mario character: a dolphin companion you can ride around in 3d. (think water yoshi) you guys are the goats and thanks:))

feels like the true sequel to super mario world & yoshi's island pure joy & creativity & some great music in the magma bog quite possibly the best 2d mario- so creative & wild hard to pick a favorite world, but they finally made a snow world that isnt boring.. desert & shing falls are rad the dolphin power-up is rad- i think we are ready for a super mario water world:D im blown away! this game feels so deep in the lineage of 2d mario that it feels like Nintendo might of had a bunch of this game's design in it's back pocket (a-la metroid dread). so good*

my goty 2024. feels like a sequel to ogre battle. excellent music.. the open-world map interfacing to battles is brilliant. only wish the unicorn overlord class wasn't just a mere class upgrade, but happened in a cut-scene or was aquired thru a battle or something. the game is sick. please please vanillaware, do a sequel or another tactical rpg.

Been into this game from the very first screenshots.. it looked how I imagined an Earthbound sequel could/should have looked. The game is beautiful. Love the little world & the train setup. There's so much novelty here.. detailed little animations that only happen once, the train stations, action sequences that are completely unique to themselves.. Games don't really seem to do this much anymore. This is such a charming experience. New Dam City is a sprite masterpiece, though this is where the pacing of the game goes awry. Great music, some very memorable: I dig "goodtime". This game feels like it is missing one city/location to be truly a masterpiece.. Would have loved to see a fantasy/mystical city setting. The game had it's share of bugs too, but the craft of everything else for sure overshadowed the bugs. I've always felt like there was a "next-level" to 2d games that devs weren't exploring & I feel like we are getting a glimpse of where it could go in Eastward- not to mention that the game has more heart than anything I've played in a long time. Tons of unique dialog for each level of progression. Um, felt like the forest location needed some reconciliation in terms of the games story.. I will for sure enjoy revisiting this lovely little world over and over again. Truly talented dev team. Looking forward to their next project!

i gave up on this game because of it's lack of an auto-save function which set me back more than once.. (i think 3 or 4 times, where i lost probably 4 or so hours of grinding). if random encounters can take you out, the devs gotta give us auto-save imo. it's a shame cause i was really enjoying this otherwise.. especially the demon combining system & some of the music. i still listen to that cadaver's hollow theme still, so good:) oh well.

Mario flies around in a hat & fights a bowl of soup 5 stars