Avatar_Lui
2011
At the time of writing this, this is up there for being one of my favorite games in the Ace Attorney series by far.
Investigations 1 was basically the setup game for this masterpiece. That game had to setup the foundations for the gameplay mechanics, and the cases and stories were a bit weak in retrospect.
With Investigations 2, they already had the gameplay that they needed so they could focus on the characters and story. And boy did they execute it really well.
I love how all the cases and characters were connected to each other throughout the story. Not a single case was wasted, as this game also effectively broke the 3rd case curse (where the 3rd cases in Ace Attorney feel like filler and are disconnected from the narrative). Investigations 2 also has one of the coolest and clever plot twists ever in the series along with a really good antagonist to boot.
There a few things I wish the game could have done better, but none of those complaints dragged down the game for me at all.
Investigations 1 was basically the setup game for this masterpiece. That game had to setup the foundations for the gameplay mechanics, and the cases and stories were a bit weak in retrospect.
With Investigations 2, they already had the gameplay that they needed so they could focus on the characters and story. And boy did they execute it really well.
I love how all the cases and characters were connected to each other throughout the story. Not a single case was wasted, as this game also effectively broke the 3rd case curse (where the 3rd cases in Ace Attorney feel like filler and are disconnected from the narrative). Investigations 2 also has one of the coolest and clever plot twists ever in the series along with a really good antagonist to boot.
There a few things I wish the game could have done better, but none of those complaints dragged down the game for me at all.
One of the best and most fun 2D Mario game I've played in years. This one was quite fun and challenging, especially with the new wonder seed gimmick that makes certain segments of levels a trippy experience.
2009
A wonderful adventure of time travel. I first watched the anime of SG about 2 years ago with some friends, but I've since forgotten some key aspects of the plot, and decided to play the VN to experience it all over again and it was great.
It definitely took awhile for the plot to get going, but once it reached "that" moment in the story that kicked off the second half, I was in for a ride.
Okabe is a flawed, but really interesting character to watch as he struggles with the choices he made messing with time travel, and seeing how it affects the characters and world around him was interesting as well.
It definitely took awhile for the plot to get going, but once it reached "that" moment in the story that kicked off the second half, I was in for a ride.
Okabe is a flawed, but really interesting character to watch as he struggles with the choices he made messing with time travel, and seeing how it affects the characters and world around him was interesting as well.
Investigations 1 was a nice treat and break from the usual courtroom drama, and allowed us to take a step in Edgeworth's shoes.
The new gameplay features like the Logic system and others were really interesting and really made me think about what to do next in a case. I do feel that although the characters were great in this game, the story itself was a bit of a mixed bag to me. Turnabout Ablaze's final boss kept dragging and dragging and felt like an eternity trying to catch them make a slip that caused their downfall.
For now, this game is probably the weakest one in the series at the time of writing this, but it's not a terrible game by all means. I have heard that Investigations 2 is considered to be one of the best in the series, and I can't wait to play that one at some point.
The new gameplay features like the Logic system and others were really interesting and really made me think about what to do next in a case. I do feel that although the characters were great in this game, the story itself was a bit of a mixed bag to me. Turnabout Ablaze's final boss kept dragging and dragging and felt like an eternity trying to catch them make a slip that caused their downfall.
For now, this game is probably the weakest one in the series at the time of writing this, but it's not a terrible game by all means. I have heard that Investigations 2 is considered to be one of the best in the series, and I can't wait to play that one at some point.
2022
A great game that is much better than its predecessor in every way, like I can’t imagine ever going back to replay when this exists lol.
The story and characters were phenomenal, and is a great conclusion to the Norse Mythology saga.
My only issue I had is that I felt like the writing seemed to stumble a bit towards the end. Like I could tell that there were a few aspects that were rushed since they didn’t want to make a 3rd game in this setting, but it didn’t bring the whole experience down thankfully
The story and characters were phenomenal, and is a great conclusion to the Norse Mythology saga.
My only issue I had is that I felt like the writing seemed to stumble a bit towards the end. Like I could tell that there were a few aspects that were rushed since they didn’t want to make a 3rd game in this setting, but it didn’t bring the whole experience down thankfully
Decided to replay my former favorite first story arc game in the franchise upon it's official release in the west, and it still holds up very well from when I first played it 3 years ago with the Geofront Patch.
PH3 and Durante's studio went above and beyond with the additional features they added to this port, and helped make this version of the game to be the definitve version of Zero for new comers in the franchise to play.
PH3 and Durante's studio went above and beyond with the additional features they added to this port, and helped make this version of the game to be the definitve version of Zero for new comers in the franchise to play.
2009
As my first foray into the Sci;Adv series, this VN was a really great ride. CHN is probably one of the most gory, and dark games I've ever played, with the psychological horror atmosphere giving me goosebumps at times. Like I genuinely had to step away from the screen a few times during the common route and Route B because the descriptions of the things that happened in certain scenes was very disturbing lol.
It's best aspect is easily the psychological horror atmosphere it managed to create, with it getting accompanied by a thrilling storyline about a string of serial killings with it's mystery getting piled onto the protagonist, a shut-in Japenese High School student who would rather the world just leave him alone and allow him to play games all day. Unbeknownst to him, he has a great power hidden within himself that's just waiting to be unlocked, and there are several factions throughout the story that are conspiring for this power.
Takumi's relationship with the other characters is very interesting, he's consistently viewed as a weak, and pathetic person due to his withdrawn nature. Despite Takumi's insistence on not caring about any 3D girls and only preferring the 2D world, he does have a side to him that shows he does care about people he gets close with, in spite of his cynical nature.
As for some things I didn't like about the game, I think the only major thing I disliked was the true ending feeling a little rushed, but it does explain a lot of unanswered questions surrounding several characters and storylines.
The other minor criticisms I have are how some of the other routes are a bit tedious to unlock, being how you have to skip through a ton of scenes you've already seen just to get to where you want.
Aside from those though, this was a great game. And I can't wait to get into Steins Gate soon.
It's best aspect is easily the psychological horror atmosphere it managed to create, with it getting accompanied by a thrilling storyline about a string of serial killings with it's mystery getting piled onto the protagonist, a shut-in Japenese High School student who would rather the world just leave him alone and allow him to play games all day. Unbeknownst to him, he has a great power hidden within himself that's just waiting to be unlocked, and there are several factions throughout the story that are conspiring for this power.
Takumi's relationship with the other characters is very interesting, he's consistently viewed as a weak, and pathetic person due to his withdrawn nature. Despite Takumi's insistence on not caring about any 3D girls and only preferring the 2D world, he does have a side to him that shows he does care about people he gets close with, in spite of his cynical nature.
As for some things I didn't like about the game, I think the only major thing I disliked was the true ending feeling a little rushed, but it does explain a lot of unanswered questions surrounding several characters and storylines.
The other minor criticisms I have are how some of the other routes are a bit tedious to unlock, being how you have to skip through a ton of scenes you've already seen just to get to where you want.
Aside from those though, this was a great game. And I can't wait to get into Steins Gate soon.
I can say without a doubt this is my favorite first story arc game in the series thus far, (dethroning Zero in the process) and exactly the sort of direction I've wanted them to take the series in for awhile now. The writers seemed to have finally gotten the hint of their mistakes in the Cold Steel saga, because there were quite a few moments that were really shocking. The main party members were all really likeable, and had their great moments.
Van was also really refreshing as a protagonist. He's a good guy, but also isn't a starry-eyed youth that thinks everyone can/should be saved/forgiven. He has his fun quirks (mega sweet tooth, car nut, sauna lover) that is a nice offset to the darker more serious vibe he gives. He looks out for others but in more subtle ways and helps guide the outcome rather than sticking his neck into every problem.
As for gameplay, I was a bit skeptical on the idea of an action battle system in trails at first. But it's really fun once I got used to it, it's a bit limited rn because falcom's obviously just testing the waters, but it has potential to be something more.
4.5/5
Van was also really refreshing as a protagonist. He's a good guy, but also isn't a starry-eyed youth that thinks everyone can/should be saved/forgiven. He has his fun quirks (mega sweet tooth, car nut, sauna lover) that is a nice offset to the darker more serious vibe he gives. He looks out for others but in more subtle ways and helps guide the outcome rather than sticking his neck into every problem.
As for gameplay, I was a bit skeptical on the idea of an action battle system in trails at first. But it's really fun once I got used to it, it's a bit limited rn because falcom's obviously just testing the waters, but it has potential to be something more.
4.5/5
2007
My absolute favorite online multiplayer game of all time no doubt. There's just something about this old game that keeps me coming back, from the cartoony artsyle, and the personalities of all the mercs that make them all loveable, to the dedicated community that has kept the game pushing forward long after Valve has moved on from the game (Heavy update when).
The community servers, custom server mods / gamemodes, and especially the fact that it went F2P when it did, without that being a sign of end-of-support for the game. The game mechanics still hold up very well in a way that alot of other fps games haven't
The community servers, custom server mods / gamemodes, and especially the fact that it went F2P when it did, without that being a sign of end-of-support for the game. The game mechanics still hold up very well in a way that alot of other fps games haven't
1996
I technically had Mario 64 as a kid, but 5 year old me could never get past the 4th level. It wasn't until 10 years later where I finally beat the game for the first time on a n64 emulator for my phone.
Obviously nowadays, Mario 64 doesn't hold up much compared to the later 3D mainline games (The camera angles where one of the things I found really annoying in Mario 64) but it was a fun experience overall.
Obviously nowadays, Mario 64 doesn't hold up much compared to the later 3D mainline games (The camera angles where one of the things I found really annoying in Mario 64) but it was a fun experience overall.
2006
I didn't own a Wii myself until 2009 when I get it as a birthday gift. I do remember going to my cousins house every weekend to play on his brand new Wii, and just spending countless hours on wii sports and it was one of the most fondest memories I've had in my childhood.
2021
My first Metroid Game, was a really fun and challenging game that kept me on my toes the whole time (espically those damn EMMI'S) Boss Fights were equally hard and forced me to get a feel of their patterns to beat them.
It was a pretty great Satisfying conclusion to the Cold Steel saga, and an end to the first half of the series overall. The game really rewards people who have played all the other games and previous story arcs by making a bunch of references and callsbacks to past storylines. The 2nd act of the game dragged on for a little bit too long in my opinion but after that the story really picked up the pace.
2016
Loved this game a lot as I was going through a pretty rough time in my life. It got me back into the JRPG scene again after I had stopped playing them in 2012.
Coming from playing Persona 3 and 4 in the past, the presentation and gameplay improvements really made itself clear and it drew me in pretty quickly. The story and cast of characters were all amazing. My only issues is that after the first dungeon finished the story kind of didn’t pace itself well and it wasn’t until after Makoto the party that the story started to pick up the pace.
Coming from playing Persona 3 and 4 in the past, the presentation and gameplay improvements really made itself clear and it drew me in pretty quickly. The story and cast of characters were all amazing. My only issues is that after the first dungeon finished the story kind of didn’t pace itself well and it wasn’t until after Makoto the party that the story started to pick up the pace.
For the first game in a long running series, this was a really great introduction. The outdated graphics didn’t really turn me off like it did to others and has its own charm to it. Of course this game is a slow burn as it has to introduce the setting and characters.
One of the downsides for me was it did take a while for the story to get going but when it did, it was amazing. The ending of the game had me scrambling to buy SC right away on Steam.
One of the downsides for me was it did take a while for the story to get going but when it did, it was amazing. The ending of the game had me scrambling to buy SC right away on Steam.