Far Cry 3 is still the best game in the series

While gamers have a long list of games they want to play, there is always one game that stands out and that they know they can play over and over again, no matter how many times they’ve played it. They may keep replaying it because they love the story or because there are so many paths to choose from when playing, but we all have that game. I think the game I’ve replayed the most is Baldur’s Gate 3. I’m always impressed by how many paths and options there are in the game, even ones I didn’t notice after so many playthroughs. This is the kind of game that players want to keep coming back to, the kind of game that keeps surprising them.

The Legend of Zelda and the Mario franchises are two of Nintendo’s biggest franchises. Along with Pokemon, these two are the undisputed kings of the game maker’s catalog. However, gamers have to have a favorite, even if they haven’t thought about it yet. Although Mario has more games due to the franchise’s spin-offs, Zelda’s games are just as high quality as Mario’s. Looking at the two franchises, I would have no hesitation in keeping Zelda. I love Mario and have put so many hours into the franchise, but The Legend of Zelda is one of my favorite franchises (if not my favorite franchise) of all time. I love the dungeon crawling aspect of the older games, and I love the open world aspect of the newer games. For me, Zelda will win every time.

There are so many brilliant, iconic video game character duos, but a few that immediately come to mind are Ratchet & Clank, Jak & Daxter, Sonic the Hedgehog & Tails the Fox, Joel Miller & Ellie Williams, Mario & Luigi, Banjo & Kazooie, Spyro & Sparx, Roadhog & Junkrat, and Max Caulfield & Chloe Price.

Video games can have great storylines that absolutely blow fans away and keep them coming back for more, but sometimes they also have plot holes that leave players wondering even when the story is top-notch. Sometimes these plot holes can be an indication that there is more to the story that the developers and writers wanted the player to think about, and sometimes they simply mean that someone didn’t think about that particular thing when creating the game. A major plot hole for me is that all the fathers in Pokémon are dads, especially in the Kanto region. When I first heard the theory that a great war occurred that caused all able-bodied men to go to war, I thought it was extreme. However, it does seem to explain where these men are, why many of the Gym Leaders look like they are in the military or older, and why the only other men we see are older men who wouldn’t be drafted into war.

I know co-op is a big deal in Elden Ring, but to me it always felt like it was designed as a solo adventure. I wouldn’t necessarily say playing with a friend detracts from the experience. In fact, I think dungeons are enhanced by the chaos of co-op and PvP from invaders. However, playing through the game without the help of other players is ultimately more satisfying once you’ve defeated all the bosses and reached one of the endings.

When you look at the Soulslike genre, there are a ton of games out there, especially right now. With so many games out there, it can be overwhelming for gamers to decide which games to buy and for developers to figure out how to make their games stand out from the crowd. I personally love the genre and sometimes I think you can never have too many options, but I think this is one of those cases where there is too much of a good thing. I have such a hard time deciding which game to play next and I know it must be hard to figure out how to make games that don’t get accused of being copies. So often these games don’t get the recognition they deserve because gamers just think, “Oh no, not another Soulslike.” I think it might be beneficial for gamers and developers to take a moment to rest.