I’ve wanted to play this since it came out and it was very good. Great beat-em-up gameplay that I got to enjoy with my brother. Good co-op games continue to become a rarity so I’m always excited to stumble upon great examples.
I’ve been excited for this game since the minute I put down my controller after finishing the remaster and somehow it was worth the wait. They blended the stories for Miles and Peter perfectly and I loved exploring the city as both of them. The gameplay is genuine perfection. It feels so smooth and every move/ability feels incredible. I enjoyed the entire ride and can’t wait to see what Insomniac does next.
2021
For the longest time this was my kryptonite series but something clicked and I’ve been hooked for the past few days. My hope was to one day come back and I’m glad I did. Fantastic game.
Short game but I enjoyed it. Was nice to play an older title from the series especially with the co-op. Definitely wouldn’t have enjoyed it as much without the multiplayer but it was fun. Confusing at times but for a Game Boy Advance game it had fun levels & mechanics.
2023
I loved my time with this game. Everything about the characters and side quests was so damn good. It reminded me once again that Bethesda understands its audience when given the backing and resources to do so. When the acquisition was announced I was skeptical about the future of BGS, but it’s clear to me now that this was the best-case scenario from all ends.
The storytelling was tremendous. Starting as a know-nothing miner on the verge of greatness was a unique perspective to begin from. The stakes built nice and slowly but when the pieces were finally linked together, it all made perfect sense. I don’t want to spoil the game in any way but the story was well done and very enjoyable. Being able to participate in questlines involving every single available faction was a blessing. Having the option to side with multiple groups throughout the Settled Systems was a blast because you would hear NPCs in all corners discussing your choices and spreading their opinion, and it gave much more freedom than being forced to choose one group over the others. Even in the final moments, the choices made during those quests were expanded on sufficiently. Each faction wraps up in the finale and I was glad to see that they were not forgotten.
Constellation is full of unique characters and I would have loved to journey with each and every member, but Sarah was the only companion that I utilized from start to finish. There have been very good things said about Sam and Andreja, but maybe I will hear their stories in future playthroughs.
Despite my enjoyment, there are some issues with the game. Space in general is such an expansive space but the traversal is abysmal. You spend very little time exploring space and are essentially spending time shuffling through menus rather than exploring. The concept is there and the mindset is there, but it seems they skipped a step in making the space-exploration aspect worthwhile. Most of the time outside of planetary ventures is spent boosting through the sky and fast traveling to the next destination. There is no real purpose for having an amazing vessel because it is utilized very infrequently. If not for choosing the bounty hunter perk, I feel as though there would be little to do in space once you’ve seen the views a couple of times. Yes, the storytelling, choices, and factions take centerstage, but it would’ve been much more interesting if there was more to do out there. Personally, this did not take away from my experience too much because I wasn’t expecting this to be a Star Wars adventure, however, if they can take this weakness and turn it around in the DLC for a future game, it would be the perfect package.
From a technical standpoint, the game ran atrociously on my Xbox Series S. Things looked beautiful and I never ran into as many bugs as I did playing Fallout 4, but the lack of overall optimization for this version was very noticeable. My game crashed way too often which forced me to restart segments on multiple occasions. At one point my save file would not load at all which forced me to load an older save file just to return to the game. Surprisingly there haven’t been any updates since launch which would have been greatly appreciated.
Here’s hoping the game is ironed out by the time the DLC expansions arrive because I would hate for anyone to experience the number of crashes that plagued my first run with the game.
The storytelling was tremendous. Starting as a know-nothing miner on the verge of greatness was a unique perspective to begin from. The stakes built nice and slowly but when the pieces were finally linked together, it all made perfect sense. I don’t want to spoil the game in any way but the story was well done and very enjoyable. Being able to participate in questlines involving every single available faction was a blessing. Having the option to side with multiple groups throughout the Settled Systems was a blast because you would hear NPCs in all corners discussing your choices and spreading their opinion, and it gave much more freedom than being forced to choose one group over the others. Even in the final moments, the choices made during those quests were expanded on sufficiently. Each faction wraps up in the finale and I was glad to see that they were not forgotten.
Constellation is full of unique characters and I would have loved to journey with each and every member, but Sarah was the only companion that I utilized from start to finish. There have been very good things said about Sam and Andreja, but maybe I will hear their stories in future playthroughs.
Despite my enjoyment, there are some issues with the game. Space in general is such an expansive space but the traversal is abysmal. You spend very little time exploring space and are essentially spending time shuffling through menus rather than exploring. The concept is there and the mindset is there, but it seems they skipped a step in making the space-exploration aspect worthwhile. Most of the time outside of planetary ventures is spent boosting through the sky and fast traveling to the next destination. There is no real purpose for having an amazing vessel because it is utilized very infrequently. If not for choosing the bounty hunter perk, I feel as though there would be little to do in space once you’ve seen the views a couple of times. Yes, the storytelling, choices, and factions take centerstage, but it would’ve been much more interesting if there was more to do out there. Personally, this did not take away from my experience too much because I wasn’t expecting this to be a Star Wars adventure, however, if they can take this weakness and turn it around in the DLC for a future game, it would be the perfect package.
From a technical standpoint, the game ran atrociously on my Xbox Series S. Things looked beautiful and I never ran into as many bugs as I did playing Fallout 4, but the lack of overall optimization for this version was very noticeable. My game crashed way too often which forced me to restart segments on multiple occasions. At one point my save file would not load at all which forced me to load an older save file just to return to the game. Surprisingly there haven’t been any updates since launch which would have been greatly appreciated.
Here’s hoping the game is ironed out by the time the DLC expansions arrive because I would hate for anyone to experience the number of crashes that plagued my first run with the game.
2023
World Tour was such an incredible addition to the series, I had a blast playing through each quest and meeting each of the veteran fighters. The main attraction will always be standard one on one battles, but I’m really happy with the amount of content outside of those usual battles.
2023
Every time I play a game I’m like damn how did they come up with this. I feel like RE4 solidifies that concept and it was phenomenal. First and foremost, the visuals were stunning. Easily one of the best looking games (and remakes) out there. No complaints in that regard. The only small issues I had were earlier chapters relying on annoying Ashley-partner segments. Those felt outdated and outright annoying but once I got passed the first half, the game picked up and never slowed down. Cannot recommend it enough.
2000
The Nintendo 64 is home to some of the most iconic games of all time. That’s not an understatement. Not just first party titles but many third parties have gained legendary status from the console. Super Mario 64 was always that defining title for me. And finally after 20+ years, I have a much better game to link to the system.
Paper Mario 64 was the revolutionizer for Super Mario RPGs. It’s no exaggeration to say that it was. It took a simple turn based combat system equipped with tools open to the disposal of its players and yet forced nothing upon them. Despite appearing simplistic in nature, it goes much deeper beyond what appears on the outside. While it may be true that player’s could rush past enemies and learn to time their defensive button presses fairly quickly, there is so much more to be explored in the world of Paper Mario.
This toolset comes in the form of badges. These range from small adjustments like improving the number of hearts/flowers received after battle to immobilizing enemies by shrinking their attack and defense in ways which render them useless. There are a plethora of ways to explore the game’s combat system which opens possibilities for multiple players to experience the game completely differently. Not to mention items which can assist in battle and most importantly, partners.
The side characters in this game are all a joy to follow along with and each of them proves their worth in battle. Strategically selecting who to use depending on the situation while also keeping in mind how many flower points you have is incredibly satisfying. Having a much smaller party makes defeating larger groups of enemies truly feel like you’ve improved over the course of the adventure. It’s simple yet extremely effective in showcasing how you have learned and adapted new tricks after each battle. Despite partners being limited by their low health and inability to take damage, this improvement was ironed out in TTYD so it’s hard for me to complain at this stage.
The music and compositions are all wonderful. Each location looks and sounds amazing, and I loved exploring every nook and cranny (especially in Dry Dry Desert) as I uncovered various badges that I could add to my collection. As the first installment into my favorite series, it’s clear as day that Intelligent Systems needs to return to this formula and revitalize it for future generations. It’s a shame that this formula was dropped after two games and I hope this recent resurgence in games from this era convinces them to bring the series back to its prime.
Paper Mario 64 was the revolutionizer for Super Mario RPGs. It’s no exaggeration to say that it was. It took a simple turn based combat system equipped with tools open to the disposal of its players and yet forced nothing upon them. Despite appearing simplistic in nature, it goes much deeper beyond what appears on the outside. While it may be true that player’s could rush past enemies and learn to time their defensive button presses fairly quickly, there is so much more to be explored in the world of Paper Mario.
This toolset comes in the form of badges. These range from small adjustments like improving the number of hearts/flowers received after battle to immobilizing enemies by shrinking their attack and defense in ways which render them useless. There are a plethora of ways to explore the game’s combat system which opens possibilities for multiple players to experience the game completely differently. Not to mention items which can assist in battle and most importantly, partners.
The side characters in this game are all a joy to follow along with and each of them proves their worth in battle. Strategically selecting who to use depending on the situation while also keeping in mind how many flower points you have is incredibly satisfying. Having a much smaller party makes defeating larger groups of enemies truly feel like you’ve improved over the course of the adventure. It’s simple yet extremely effective in showcasing how you have learned and adapted new tricks after each battle. Despite partners being limited by their low health and inability to take damage, this improvement was ironed out in TTYD so it’s hard for me to complain at this stage.
The music and compositions are all wonderful. Each location looks and sounds amazing, and I loved exploring every nook and cranny (especially in Dry Dry Desert) as I uncovered various badges that I could add to my collection. As the first installment into my favorite series, it’s clear as day that Intelligent Systems needs to return to this formula and revitalize it for future generations. It’s a shame that this formula was dropped after two games and I hope this recent resurgence in games from this era convinces them to bring the series back to its prime.
2023
Simply incredible. The gameplay was some of the most fun I’ve had with a Switch title in years. With such an extensive lineup of unique characters, swapping through them each chapter never got repetitive. There’s something extremely rewarding about clearing a chapter and watching closely as your units become more and more powerful. I knew I was untouchable once Merrin was avoiding nearly every attack and hitting a critical almost every turn. That satisfaction continued to be engaging until the final moments. While the story isn’t the greatest written narrative in gaming, its overall messages were clear and captivating. I thoroughly enjoyed watching over Alear and the rest of the cast and look forward to seeing what the DLC adds to this installment.
May 9th: I updated my score. Roughly two months later and the flaws are starting to come back to me. Not that the game is bad, it’s still very good and one I would recommend to any SRPG fan, but the gameplay being the sole carrier of an RPG is not a good look. Hopefully since this was supposed to be more of an anniversary title it was meant to be lighter on everything else, but we need the next game to outshine in every single way.
May 9th: I updated my score. Roughly two months later and the flaws are starting to come back to me. Not that the game is bad, it’s still very good and one I would recommend to any SRPG fan, but the gameplay being the sole carrier of an RPG is not a good look. Hopefully since this was supposed to be more of an anniversary title it was meant to be lighter on everything else, but we need the next game to outshine in every single way.
By combining the flashiness of the anime series with traditional CC2 combat, Demon Slayer -Kimetsu no Yaiba- The Hinokami Chronicles excels in its presentation and artistic design. Ultimate moves look brilliant when performed and each move feels as powerful as it looks.
Character variety is unique, however, is still lacking. The addition of several free DLC playable demons rounds out the roster slightly better than the base game, but there are numerous characters missing. Kanao and the remaining Hashira missing is quite noticeable. There are also two separate slots for Tanjiro (if we don’t count the Academy variant) which should not be the case.
The same could be said for the small number of locations to compete on in VS mode. It’s clear that the game was created to follow only what has been shown throughout Season 1 & Mugen Train, but this is still disappointing.
The gameplay loop is what made me continue to return to the game. It’s easy to learn yet understanding how to perform precise combos to increase your standing for a mission was easily my favorite part of this package. As a foundation for future games, I definitely enjoyed my time revisiting these different arcs and encountering the various demons on my journey to enhance Tanjiro’s abilities as a Demon Slayer.
Character variety is unique, however, is still lacking. The addition of several free DLC playable demons rounds out the roster slightly better than the base game, but there are numerous characters missing. Kanao and the remaining Hashira missing is quite noticeable. There are also two separate slots for Tanjiro (if we don’t count the Academy variant) which should not be the case.
The same could be said for the small number of locations to compete on in VS mode. It’s clear that the game was created to follow only what has been shown throughout Season 1 & Mugen Train, but this is still disappointing.
The gameplay loop is what made me continue to return to the game. It’s easy to learn yet understanding how to perform precise combos to increase your standing for a mission was easily my favorite part of this package. As a foundation for future games, I definitely enjoyed my time revisiting these different arcs and encountering the various demons on my journey to enhance Tanjiro’s abilities as a Demon Slayer.
This review contains spoilers
A Sign of Things to Come?
While not quite as long as I had hoped, episode INTERmission was a wonderful introduction of Yuffie into the world of the Final Fantasy 7 Remake. Her lust for materia is emphatic and changed my gameplay style for the two chapters in which we followed Yuffie and Sonon. Rather than stick almost exclusively to physical attacks, I used my materia collection to my advantage and pulled off incredible maneuvers which downed enemies after a matter of seconds.
Both characters are introduced very well, but the fact that Sonon appears and disappears so quickly lessened the impact of the final moments of the story. It was written to be emotional, but there wasn’t much for me to feel not having known the character long enough. It felt as if there would be a retribution arc for the character against Scarlet, but it seems like it’s up to Yuffie now.
The addition of Yuffie sprung forth a slew of changes into the combat system which I loved. Controlling one character made the experience that much more fine-tuned, and I like her charismatic personality which shined exceptionally bright during my four hours of playtime. What caught my eye the most was the animation for the differing dynamic attacks/abilities. Each looked phenomenal and it was so satisfying watching the synergy duo attacks halve enemy HP.
Fort Condor was great supplemental content and I enjoyed facing off against these familiar faces from the first portion of the remake. It was tactical yet easy to understand, and I appreciated how it was integrated. Had I not been going for the trophy, there was a chance I would’ve let Jessie win that matchup.
It was also quite a surprise seeing the main cast close off the campaign, but I was hoping to see Yuffie meet up with them to cap off the experience. While the ending to Yuffie’s story felt incomplete and underwhelming, the extended ending leaves us with a nice sense of wanting to see more. Hopefully, this means we won’t be waiting too long to see these wonderful characters once again.
While not quite as long as I had hoped, episode INTERmission was a wonderful introduction of Yuffie into the world of the Final Fantasy 7 Remake. Her lust for materia is emphatic and changed my gameplay style for the two chapters in which we followed Yuffie and Sonon. Rather than stick almost exclusively to physical attacks, I used my materia collection to my advantage and pulled off incredible maneuvers which downed enemies after a matter of seconds.
Both characters are introduced very well, but the fact that Sonon appears and disappears so quickly lessened the impact of the final moments of the story. It was written to be emotional, but there wasn’t much for me to feel not having known the character long enough. It felt as if there would be a retribution arc for the character against Scarlet, but it seems like it’s up to Yuffie now.
The addition of Yuffie sprung forth a slew of changes into the combat system which I loved. Controlling one character made the experience that much more fine-tuned, and I like her charismatic personality which shined exceptionally bright during my four hours of playtime. What caught my eye the most was the animation for the differing dynamic attacks/abilities. Each looked phenomenal and it was so satisfying watching the synergy duo attacks halve enemy HP.
Fort Condor was great supplemental content and I enjoyed facing off against these familiar faces from the first portion of the remake. It was tactical yet easy to understand, and I appreciated how it was integrated. Had I not been going for the trophy, there was a chance I would’ve let Jessie win that matchup.
It was also quite a surprise seeing the main cast close off the campaign, but I was hoping to see Yuffie meet up with them to cap off the experience. While the ending to Yuffie’s story felt incomplete and underwhelming, the extended ending leaves us with a nice sense of wanting to see more. Hopefully, this means we won’t be waiting too long to see these wonderful characters once again.
2020
Creating a sequel to one of the most highly regarded games of all time is no easy feat. Especially one as beloved as Persona 5. It all comes back to the question of how we can bring these incredible characters back in a refreshing yet familiar way for fans of the series.
The base game of P5 ended very well to the point where Royal was easily the best way for the title to transition into additional content. We said our goodbyes to the cast and the Metaverse, and the rest progressed in ways foretold from the very beginning of the storyline.
To recreate another universe with these characters would require another way of entering this chaotic space, which came in the form of EMMA. This highly intelligent AI held the same function as the Meta-Nav serving as an integral piece of the world that P5S has laid out. Bottom line: the VA annoyed me and the “character” wasn’t believable to me at all. The events that transpired from beginning to end connected in ways in which everything felt completely unnecessary.
As with the original game and other Persona games in the series, there were plenty of flashy moments and interesting characters sprinkled in that added a ton to making the experience an interesting one. However, many of the “twists” felt very obvious and did not serve any dramatic purpose compared to the events of the base game and even Royal. Zenkichi was the clear standout from all of the new characters, and watching him grow and develop as a father through the Akane subplot was very genuine and was by far the best moment of the game. Besides him, there wasn’t much that intrigued me while coming face to face with these subpar antagonists in the form of palace monarchs.
The story is disjointed from the very beginning and it’s not until the moments before the final boss where we see any continuity. Unlike the original game, there are no confidants which is for the worse as I missed seeing these familiar characters that I spent many hours with beforehand. Many of the player choices and moments are completely missing which is strange, including secondary forms of Personas that have been reverted back to square one. Jails are well crafted and exploring them was quite interesting at first, but by the end, I had grown tired of protecting Futaba as she hacks away at yet another terminal for the hundredth time.
Remixes don’t come close to relaying the same feeling as the originals, and the combat system mimicking the warriors-format works fine here but it could use a lot of fine-tuning. The difficulty was strangely scattered regardless of my settings, and I found the final boss to be the easiest of them all. It was a very anticlimactic conclusion and one that served very little purpose besides wrapping up the game as quickly as possible.
This isn’t to say it’s a bad game in any way, but there was so much more they could have done with this amazing cast. It doesn’t serve the characters any justice and feels less like a sequel and more like a poorly-written spin-off.
The base game of P5 ended very well to the point where Royal was easily the best way for the title to transition into additional content. We said our goodbyes to the cast and the Metaverse, and the rest progressed in ways foretold from the very beginning of the storyline.
To recreate another universe with these characters would require another way of entering this chaotic space, which came in the form of EMMA. This highly intelligent AI held the same function as the Meta-Nav serving as an integral piece of the world that P5S has laid out. Bottom line: the VA annoyed me and the “character” wasn’t believable to me at all. The events that transpired from beginning to end connected in ways in which everything felt completely unnecessary.
As with the original game and other Persona games in the series, there were plenty of flashy moments and interesting characters sprinkled in that added a ton to making the experience an interesting one. However, many of the “twists” felt very obvious and did not serve any dramatic purpose compared to the events of the base game and even Royal. Zenkichi was the clear standout from all of the new characters, and watching him grow and develop as a father through the Akane subplot was very genuine and was by far the best moment of the game. Besides him, there wasn’t much that intrigued me while coming face to face with these subpar antagonists in the form of palace monarchs.
The story is disjointed from the very beginning and it’s not until the moments before the final boss where we see any continuity. Unlike the original game, there are no confidants which is for the worse as I missed seeing these familiar characters that I spent many hours with beforehand. Many of the player choices and moments are completely missing which is strange, including secondary forms of Personas that have been reverted back to square one. Jails are well crafted and exploring them was quite interesting at first, but by the end, I had grown tired of protecting Futaba as she hacks away at yet another terminal for the hundredth time.
Remixes don’t come close to relaying the same feeling as the originals, and the combat system mimicking the warriors-format works fine here but it could use a lot of fine-tuning. The difficulty was strangely scattered regardless of my settings, and I found the final boss to be the easiest of them all. It was a very anticlimactic conclusion and one that served very little purpose besides wrapping up the game as quickly as possible.
This isn’t to say it’s a bad game in any way, but there was so much more they could have done with this amazing cast. It doesn’t serve the characters any justice and feels less like a sequel and more like a poorly-written spin-off.
This review contains spoilers
Being my first entry into this quintessential JRPG series, my expectations were all over the place. As iconic as it is, Final Fantasy has never crossed paths with any console that I've owned up to this point. After playing through this first portion of the remake, I can definitely see why. Through and through, this monumental change in the gameplay formula suits me more than most people. It’s quite easy to run thin of traditional turn-based combat, so hearing of this change years prior was a testament to just how much my gaming tastes have changed over time. And damn did Square Enix obliterate my expectations in just about every department.
Due to its popularity, there was very little room to avoid playing through the game “blind” which I often find myself doing, but that did not hinder the experience in any way. Every story moment was refreshing as these core moments would eventually come together forming the whole of this portion of the game focusing on Midgar. Regardless of little spoilers here and there, the story is chock full of plenty of crucial moments where deaths and other nuisances meant very little in comparison to the greater picture.
Just seeing the world and the people a part of it moving about in their lives and making notes of the changes from chapter to chapter made me engaged as a player in ways where most AAA games of today fail to touch upon. It’s the little details that caught my eye over the 30 hours in which I learned about Avalanche and all the mysteries with these incredible characters lurking behind the scenes. Walking through the streets of Wall Market for the first time and listening to the soundtrack was unbelievable. Visually, there are no possible complaints that can be justified about this enhanced PS5 version.
The soundtrack was excellent, the gameplay is even more smooth than what was shown in trailers, and the story so far with Shinra has been really fun to follow. Sephiroth being this illusion of himself introduced early on in the game and eventually creating clones through the use of other beings towards the end was not what I expected having known very little about the character. The confrontation with the Arbiters of Fate was a great way of closing out the whispers and opens up countless possibilities for even more timeline changes diverging from the original game.
Looking back, there was truly never a dull moment over the 18 chapters and it was fascinating as to how the game approaches the introduction and departure of these wonderful characters. Cloud, Tifa, Barret, and Aerith grow so much as they adventure through Midgar and it was a joy to see. Forgettable party members in JPRGs are extremely common so it was great seeing each of the important characters here having enough screen time to maintain their relevance and status amongst the group. The game wisely foreshadows highly anticipated moments that have yet to be remade, and I cannot wait to play through those segments for the first time. There is so much to be said about the game and yet the full story remains untold. Knowing that there is going to be even more to love about later portions of the game makes me immensely thrilled that this is only just the beginning.
Due to its popularity, there was very little room to avoid playing through the game “blind” which I often find myself doing, but that did not hinder the experience in any way. Every story moment was refreshing as these core moments would eventually come together forming the whole of this portion of the game focusing on Midgar. Regardless of little spoilers here and there, the story is chock full of plenty of crucial moments where deaths and other nuisances meant very little in comparison to the greater picture.
Just seeing the world and the people a part of it moving about in their lives and making notes of the changes from chapter to chapter made me engaged as a player in ways where most AAA games of today fail to touch upon. It’s the little details that caught my eye over the 30 hours in which I learned about Avalanche and all the mysteries with these incredible characters lurking behind the scenes. Walking through the streets of Wall Market for the first time and listening to the soundtrack was unbelievable. Visually, there are no possible complaints that can be justified about this enhanced PS5 version.
The soundtrack was excellent, the gameplay is even more smooth than what was shown in trailers, and the story so far with Shinra has been really fun to follow. Sephiroth being this illusion of himself introduced early on in the game and eventually creating clones through the use of other beings towards the end was not what I expected having known very little about the character. The confrontation with the Arbiters of Fate was a great way of closing out the whispers and opens up countless possibilities for even more timeline changes diverging from the original game.
Looking back, there was truly never a dull moment over the 18 chapters and it was fascinating as to how the game approaches the introduction and departure of these wonderful characters. Cloud, Tifa, Barret, and Aerith grow so much as they adventure through Midgar and it was a joy to see. Forgettable party members in JPRGs are extremely common so it was great seeing each of the important characters here having enough screen time to maintain their relevance and status amongst the group. The game wisely foreshadows highly anticipated moments that have yet to be remade, and I cannot wait to play through those segments for the first time. There is so much to be said about the game and yet the full story remains untold. Knowing that there is going to be even more to love about later portions of the game makes me immensely thrilled that this is only just the beginning.
2020
As far as pack-in titles go, Astro’s Playroom is one of the best out there. It’s not incredibly deep, but as a short platformer it’s very good at what it does.
By showcasing the best qualities of the Dualsense, the game is able to make you feel like you are truly part of the overall experience. Levels are incredibly detailed and each environment looks better than the last. Obtaining the platinum was quite simple and makes me hopeful that we will be getting a full Astrobot PS5 experience in the future.
By showcasing the best qualities of the Dualsense, the game is able to make you feel like you are truly part of the overall experience. Levels are incredibly detailed and each environment looks better than the last. Obtaining the platinum was quite simple and makes me hopeful that we will be getting a full Astrobot PS5 experience in the future.
I definitely sound like a broken record, but at this point, I do not care. NieR: Automata is a game that has been on my radar ever since it released. Yes, it seems like I say this about every game, but it genuinely has been on my timeline and in my recommendations for quite a while.
Finally, enough was enough and I decided that after my P5R playthrough, NieR would have to be next. Going into the game completely blind knowing the precedent that it set helped place my expectations rather high and at first, I was expecting them not to be met. The early story seemed to bounce around a lot without much groundwork, combat was hard to adjust to after just having played a turn-based JRPG, and the dilated color scheme was different than what came before it. 2B as a character seemed shallow which stopped me from progressing as quickly as expected and it wasn’t living up to my expectations. Route A on its own struggled to peel back enough to keep me interested during the first half which slowed me down rather than had me continue playing to learn more. In the long run, this ended up being genius and a perfect way to execute the story, but not having known this at first really had me keeping my foot on the brakes as time went on.
However, once the story got going and enemies much higher level than I was were taking no time at all, I was glued. The game perfectly ties together the gameplay style of hack and slash with a JRPG in a way that kept me moving through the different side quests and story missions with ease. There was never a time where I felt obligated to rush through just to finish due to the incredibly fine-tuned combat. Having the Pods aid in battle made fights very engaging as you could just avoid attacks and have them do all the work. It was great that we had full control over them as well which enabled the dynamic of battles to change in an instant whenever abilities were swapped and different chips were applied. Not the perfect combat system by a long shot, but it was still one that felt super intuitive and fun to play around with.
My favorite portion of the entire game has to be the incredible story structure with the multiple different endings and three major routes. At first, this is where my biggest issues lied, but they were quickly flattened as the story progressed and more bits and pieces were uncovered. Learning more about this version of Earth, YoRHa, and the team of 2B/9S/A2 were all so intriguing that I wish I could empty my mind and relive everything all over again. Route E in particular will forever live on in my memories as being one of the most perfect endings of all time. It was bittersweet and linked the entirety of the major concepts together in such a beautiful way which made the final cutscene immensely satisfying to watch. It was brilliant and I could not have possibly asked for a better ending than that.
Overall it’s safe to say that I loved my time with NieR: Automata. It was visually stunning, the soundtrack set the tone so well, and the characters are so well written to the point where I wish the story could have continued on longer. It is a beautiful yet timeless game that everyone should take the time to carefully understand and enjoy.
Finally, enough was enough and I decided that after my P5R playthrough, NieR would have to be next. Going into the game completely blind knowing the precedent that it set helped place my expectations rather high and at first, I was expecting them not to be met. The early story seemed to bounce around a lot without much groundwork, combat was hard to adjust to after just having played a turn-based JRPG, and the dilated color scheme was different than what came before it. 2B as a character seemed shallow which stopped me from progressing as quickly as expected and it wasn’t living up to my expectations. Route A on its own struggled to peel back enough to keep me interested during the first half which slowed me down rather than had me continue playing to learn more. In the long run, this ended up being genius and a perfect way to execute the story, but not having known this at first really had me keeping my foot on the brakes as time went on.
However, once the story got going and enemies much higher level than I was were taking no time at all, I was glued. The game perfectly ties together the gameplay style of hack and slash with a JRPG in a way that kept me moving through the different side quests and story missions with ease. There was never a time where I felt obligated to rush through just to finish due to the incredibly fine-tuned combat. Having the Pods aid in battle made fights very engaging as you could just avoid attacks and have them do all the work. It was great that we had full control over them as well which enabled the dynamic of battles to change in an instant whenever abilities were swapped and different chips were applied. Not the perfect combat system by a long shot, but it was still one that felt super intuitive and fun to play around with.
My favorite portion of the entire game has to be the incredible story structure with the multiple different endings and three major routes. At first, this is where my biggest issues lied, but they were quickly flattened as the story progressed and more bits and pieces were uncovered. Learning more about this version of Earth, YoRHa, and the team of 2B/9S/A2 were all so intriguing that I wish I could empty my mind and relive everything all over again. Route E in particular will forever live on in my memories as being one of the most perfect endings of all time. It was bittersweet and linked the entirety of the major concepts together in such a beautiful way which made the final cutscene immensely satisfying to watch. It was brilliant and I could not have possibly asked for a better ending than that.
Overall it’s safe to say that I loved my time with NieR: Automata. It was visually stunning, the soundtrack set the tone so well, and the characters are so well written to the point where I wish the story could have continued on longer. It is a beautiful yet timeless game that everyone should take the time to carefully understand and enjoy.