One of the best games I’ve ever played in my entire life. A rare 10/10. Hidetaka Miyazaki is a genius, and him and the team at From Software should be proud. Probably in my top 3 favorite games along with Mordhau and Skyrim. Combat is ridiculously intricate, expansive and engaging, and the story is extremely well-written and keeps me guessing. There is always a build-up of anticipation for what will happen next, what new strange enemy or boss I may randomly run into, or what new gorgeous location I may stumble upon. The world is almost too massive to describe, and I can’t see myself starting to run low on new content to discover for at least several hundred hours. The graphic style looks as though you were thrown into a massive Renaissance painting and let loose to explore its entirety. Everything is completely open-world and can be explored or reached upon discovering the right path and/or items/keys. The soundtrack is phenomenal and stands out from 99% of games out there today. The music adds an element to the game’s cryptic nature that completely enhances the feelings of mystery, intrigue, excitement and anticipation. Elden Ring is an emotional roller coaster ride that will keep you addicted and wanting more. The attention to detail and the love put into the game by the developers is unlike anything I have EVER SEEN. Very few games come close to the world-building, vastness and sheer grandeur that Elden Ring has.

There are no elements of popular culture or stupid political agendas in this game. Everything has its own identity and is thoroughly unique. Elden ring is made with love and a passion for creativity. It stays true to the Souls genre while bringing massive open-world and crafting elements and is completely unapologetic for it. You won’t find the modern-day political nonsense that so many development studios are shoving down our throats through rushed and unfinished titles. You will only find a fantastic world with fantastic lore, in a game made from the minds of truly fervent artists. From Software listens to and understands their audience and playerbase, and this clearly shows in Elden Ring. If Tolkien could see this work of art, I’m sure he would be astounded and thoroughly approve. Elden Ring blows my mind, and along with the forever classic Elder Scrolls series, has now set the standard for what I expect to be top quality open-world RPG games.

P.S.
Every weapon in this game is 100% viable till endgame. There are tons of skills and unique movesets, and magic is perfectly viable as well. Your playstyle and specializations are completely customizable and are never locked. They can be mixed and matched to your heart’s content. I recommend playing melee at least for your first playthrough. I am currently running a pure melee claymore and bastard sword dual-wield strength build, and it forces me to learn how to read enemies’ animations. In order to progress in this game effectively, you need to have learned or be willing to learn extreme patience. The melee experience will likely force you to become a better player than you might otherwise be through the safer combat alternatives.

Buy the game, because it’s worth every penny. Play it, die a lot, die a little less, get good, and don’t give up. Because trust me, Elden Ring just keeps getting better and better.

"THE TOUCH OF GOD."

As much as I love Grim Dawn, and how well it has beat the Diablo series at its own game (excluding Diablo II), I feel very confident in saying that Path of Exile is the greatest ARPG of all time. Grim Dawn and D2 are close seconds, and Diablo 3 and 4 are so far beneath it, you'll need a NASA telescope to even hope at locating them. The amount of content in this game is obscene. This is one of the very few games in the entire world where you can play well over a thousand hours and still not know 90% of the mechanics. The build variety in this game is nearly infinite. If you can dream up a build idea, there is a way to make it possible in this game, no matter how outlandish the concept of it may be. Aurabot that kills everything that gets close to you? PoE has you covered. Wipe everything on, as well as off your screen in an instant? PoE has you covered. Shred everything to pieces using channelling movement skills? PoE has you covered. Inflict self-harm and eat cancer till you're 1 hitpoint away from death, but kept alive by energy shield and a keystone-reinforced 6 link nuke setup? PoE has you covered.

I cannot list all of the possible freak builds that this game allows you to create, but playing this makes me feel like a little kid again. I highly recommend this game for veteran RPG players, or anyone who enjoys solving and overcoming complex problems. This game is extremely complex and has tremendous depth. PoE will destroy you at end game if you do not know how to optimize your build. This is the Dark Souls of ARPGs for casual players. For invested players who put in the effort to learn the many rules of PoE, endgame will become a relaxing farming simulator. If you are not ready to read about hundreds of complicated mechanics and synergies for hours, then this game may not be for you. If you are ready to make a long-term investment into a long journey of repeated trial and error, where you are rewarded exceptionally well for staying the road, this may just be one of the greatest games you will ever play.

PS.
This is one of the only games I will gladly spend money on for microtransaction cosmetics. I'm supporting sigma devs, and giving my builds my ultimate fantasy drip. You don't need to spend a dime on anything to play PoE, aside from certain additional stash tabs that are almost essential for QOL, (They are affordable and go on sale very often).

This game has extremely active and caring devs, who put their hearts and souls into making the most expansive and intricate ARPG possible. Most of their cosmetics are overpriced as all hell, but they are also very innovative and look exceptional. For me personally, and for a lot of other people as well, the passion put into the functionality and the limitless replayability of the game makes up for the obscene shop prices, which again, are entirely optional. With that being said, if any game developer deserves your money, it's GGG.