Bio
Games are my favorite medium for storytelling so I like to try out as many games that I can, but my favorite types are JRPG's, platformers, and action games.

Personal Ratings
1★
5★

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GOTY '23

Participated in the 2023 Game of the Year Event

Gamer

Played 250+ games

Roadtrip

Voted for at least 3 features on the roadmap

Best Friends

Become mutual friends with at least 3 others

Noticed

Gained 3+ followers

GOTY '22

Participated in the 2022 Game of the Year Event

Well Written

Gained 10+ likes on a single review

3 Years of Service

Being part of the Backloggd community for 3 years

Listed

Created 10+ public lists

Donor

Liked 50+ reviews / lists

GOTY '21

Participated in the 2021 Game of the Year Event

Liked

Gained 10+ total review likes

N00b

Played 100+ games

Favorite Games

The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
Kingdom Hearts
Kingdom Hearts
Xenoblade Chronicles
Xenoblade Chronicles
Super Mario Galaxy
Super Mario Galaxy
Epic Mickey
Epic Mickey

273

Total Games Played

004

Played in 2024

034

Games Backloggd


Recently Played See More

Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age
Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age

Mar 03

The Last Story
The Last Story

Mar 02

Yakuza 3 Remastered
Yakuza 3 Remastered

Jan 22

Hogwarts Legacy
Hogwarts Legacy

Jan 13

Dragon Age: Inquisition
Dragon Age: Inquisition

Dec 13

Recently Reviewed See More

This game surprised me. I always imagined I would like it, and I had been interested in it since it came out, but now finally playing it, the game has shattered some specific expectations I had about it in some wonderful ways. Going in, I knew next to nothing about this game. I knew it was part of Operation Rainfall and that it was developed by Mistwalker, but pretty much nothing else apart from the handful of screenshots I saw over the years. On the outset, The Last Story seems like a dour, typical JRPG. It has a very muddy aesthetic thanks to the Wii’s graphics, and the mixed reception led me to believe this is a very love it or hate it experience.

I can safely say those expectations are almost entirely false. This game is tons of freaking fun, not only in its gameplay but its characters. The Last Story is a contender for one of the best casts in any JRPG, all of them are so lovable and fun that you latch on to them pretty quickly, even if they are just well-written tropes. Operation Rainfall is perhaps the best thing to happen to JRPG locolization because it resulted in British talent getting their hands on characters that might otherwise have been stuck with forgettable American voices. It worked with Xenoblade, and it has done wonders for The Last Story. The accents add so much flavour to every character, especially Syrenne, Lowell, and Dagran who feel like they were ripped straight out of an epic fantasy novel. The protagonist, Zael, is unfortunately the weakest link of the cast, but he has compelling story to follow and his romance with the story’s heroine, Calista, was satisfying to follow.

The combat and structure of the game is perhaps The Last Story’s most interesting aspect, however. It is atypical from your normal JRPG, the game’s events taking place entirely in a single town and its surroundings. It’s not as much a grand adventure as it is royal court intrigue with an overarching war as the backdrop. It’s a refreshing take on the RPG format and keeps the story going at a great pace, especially for a game that didn’t even break 20hrs. The action combat is also unlike anything I’ve played, though it can feel strange at first. There’s more of a focus on strategy and teamwork, which by the end, felt awesome to mess around with. The combat grew on me steadily, but once I was having fun, the fun never really stopped.

The Last Story is the type of RPG we need more of: experimental systems with focused stories that don’t outstay their welcome. It was a great experience from beginning to end, made even better by its fantastic cast of fun and interesting characters that breathed life into a setting that would have been dull without them. I would love to see a remaster one day, but I think a sequel would be pushing it. This game, these characters, this world, this story…they’re complete. And I am more than satisfied with my time spent with them.

This review contains spoilers

The majority of the discourse surrounding this game revolves around the ending, so much to the point that jumping into this one I had no expectations for what the rest of the game would be like. Now that I have finished it, I am surprised at how much the negative press of this game has coloured so many people’s view on it, because it is a wonderful culmination of everything the series has been working towards since the release of the first game.

Playing through every one of these games in 2023 has shown me how dedicated BioWare was to their fans. Every game in this trilogy seems similar on the outset, but each differentiate themselves from the other in substantial ways, working off what came before and (mostly) evolving the formula. While I greatly prefer the structure and vibe of the first game, ME3 is the ideal version of what the team wanted to do with ME2, perfecting its major changes and smoothing the rough edges. There is less a focus on team building, and more on spectacle driven story missions with consequences to the saga’s larger narrative. While I am disappointed in the small roster of team members (surely we could have gotten at least some of the gang from 2 to play with), the squad we do get are a good mix of the ME1 crew mixed with some welcome new faces. The biggest problem with them is that the game drip feeds you them for far too long. It would have been nice to have Garrus and Tali right from the beginning, but how they’re woven into the story is fine anyway.

The strangest new character has to be Javik, though not because of the character himself. I love Javik, he’s awesome, but I was shocked to discover that he was a DLC character, which is insane considering how important he feels to the story of this franchise. They dropped the ball hard with this, because after getting Javik, he becomes nothing more than an extra member in the party with no main mission involvement. I can’t imagine how barren the party must have felt on its original release because of this.

In terms of missions, there are so many standouts in this game, way more than in ME2, in my opinion. The war plot leads you on a greatest hits journey across the galaxy, visiting the home worlds of all the major races and solving their Reaper-related conflicts. My favourite has to be the Tuchanka saga, which culminates in one of my favourite missions in the series that is both tons of fun and a sad farewell at the same time. Still doesn’t beat Virmire from ME1, but it comes damn close. The side quests were also great, most being condensed story missions with their own unique levels. I also enjoyed how they integrated scanning this time, being tied to side quests more closely, doing away with the annoying system from ME2. The DLCs were also awesome, as usual. Omega is the least impressive, but Leviathan is a fantastic inclusion to the worldbuilding of this universe, and the Shore Leave missions and subsequent party are pure fan service in the best way possible.

Now to discuss the ending, of which there is much to go over. I am torn because I can see where the outcry comes from, but I am also incredibly satisfied with the path I chose and felt it an appropriate send off for the Shepard I played as. My biggest gripe is the lack of choice in such a choice driven series. I think if there was larger room for choice within these endings less people would be outraged. For example, the Destroy ending was what I wanted before learning that it would destroy all Synthetics, not just the Reapers. What would have been nice is if the choices you make throughout the game impacted the outcome of this ending, somehow saving the Geth and EDI while destroying the Reapers. They could tie it to the amassing of War Assets maybe. This information led me to choosing the Control ending instead, which I ended up liking, but I think a lot of people would have been satisfied with choosing Destroy if they were able to change the fates of the variables that would caught in the crossfire. Now adjust those kinds of things to all three endings, and they all become more customizable to the player, hopefully resulting in less outrage. Now, who knows if that would have worked, but while I enjoyed the Control ending, I would be lying if I said that deep down I would have liked an ending that destroys the Reapers, but saves Shepard and every other synthetic as well, except for that stupid hologram kid at the end.

At the same time, a lack of choice in this regard makes sense within the context of the game. You can’t save everyone on this journey, as seen as far back as Virmire, and I think the outrage surrounding this game’s ending forgets this. Mass Effect is a series about choices on a cosmic scale, and not every decision will result in a positive outcome. The story of Commander Shepard and the crew of the Normandy is one of sacrifice. The whole series builds up to this, so I don’t think it’s entirely unreasonable for Shepard’s fate to involve a great sacrifice of their own. Man…this series was an incredible journey. A bumpy ride, but an unforgettable one.

R.I.P. to Kaiden, Mordin, Thane, Kelly Chambers, Legion, Anderson, and most of all, to the Commander Shepard I shared my journey with.

A fantastic mix of action and the type of stressful encounter design that Resident Evil excels so much at. The Evil Within was a blast from beginning to end, with tons of memorable encounters and bosses that felt legitimately intimidating to overcome, which is no small feat for a horror game. While the story was a bit erratic and mostly hard to follow, and none of the characters really stood out, the gameplay was a ton of fun and will definitely be replayed many times over. Special props to the creature design, christ, some of those monstrosities were horrifying, and made for some great encounters.