I actually agree with its Metascore since it's a 8/10 for me. Parts of it are just full of pacing issues, but the gameplay and battle system are just very fun. It offers quite a challenge at times, too!

Found another absolute banger that I can smell has Stellar Blade quality all over it in Nine sols, it takes the best of the best os 2d game to impress me in modern times and this is impressing the fuck out of me so far.

Just played some Lego Horizon co-op with my wife. It's very pretty but they won't shut up. So many cut scenes, so much talking. (Would be better if Stephen Fry was the narrator, seems perfect for the material)

Beggers can't be choosers when it comes to co-op games nowadays. Maybe it gets more gameplay later on, we finished chapter 1 so far.

If your wife is capable of more complex games try Divinity OS 1 and 2. At any rate, yep, tone and characters aside it seems like a mediocre game more so than other Lego games. 

Currently playing:
Xenoblade 3 (going veeeery slowly through it, and it's safely become one of my favorite games overall)
Octopath Traveler (it's good but the character plots vary greatly in quality)
Tales of Vesperia (I'm replaying this, I love the characters and their interactions).

Nine sols has real potential for Game of the Year even against Astrobot and Stellar Blade. Game is tough as nails though.

She enjoys hack 'n slash more. Baldur's Gate Dark Alliance / Dragon's Crown Pro style. Female warrior was her favorite.

If Stellar Blade had split-screen co-op, that would be it.

Sooooooo like every major Sony first party game?  

Balatro has me paused on any other games. I'm a Balatro Junky right know can't stop playing.

If somebody said I would like a Roguelike Poker game (more of a puzzler really), I would call them crazy. But it is so cleverly made, keeps trowing surprises at you. I gave it a try because I never saw any negative takes, only very positives.

Takes a little to get the hang of it, but you'd get better with every run (each take about 20 minutes) and is infinitively replayable. It is surprising how many different strategies you can use to get to a high score and how the game is made in a way the player does need to adopt and be flexible with different strategies for each run. A typical high risk, high reward game.

Exactly. It does follow the story of HZD pretty well.

We played chapter 2 today, upped the difficulty. It does get a bit better, bit less talking, bit more action.

It's all so by the numbers though. Formulaic, repetitive game design. Why spend so much time and effort on costumes, customizing the home area, mission board with nonsense. And every level is the same pattern, aimless walk with the same 'secrets' every time, battle arena, repeat x 3, end fight, collect brick, back to home area.

It's cool to see all the machines in Lego, yet if you're not into Horizon games, this Lego version isn't going to persuade anyone to get into them. This ain't no Astrobot.