BradleyJhnsn
It’s rare for a game, especially an RPG, to be top-tier in everything they do, but Final Fantasy VII Rebirth still managed to do it. From the side content to the main story, I thoroughly enjoyed my time with every aspect of this game. After taking 112 hours to beat the game, I still find myself constantly thinking about it and itching to go back to the world of Gaia.
In terms of story, this isn’t the most insane plot due to this only being part two of three, but this still contains some very powerful and hard-hitting moments. The segments from the original game that are covered here are more impactful than ever. There are certain changes that I was unsure of at first, but slowly grew to like them and I trust in part three to utilize them in satisfying ways. The overall story isn’t a major focus of this part, but it instead is centered around the characters. This completely pays off, as all members of the main cast are fantastic and are some of the best-written characters I’ve ever seen.
Remake’s combat was already fantastic, but Rebirth adds even more layers and options to it, making it all that much better. Even Aerith, a character that I didn’t particularly enjoy playing as in Remake, feels a lot better to control with her new abilities. On top of the combat, there are plenty of other things to do. Side quests are really well done, as they have interesting character interactions and often involve unique content such as mini-dungeons. Also, I’m not usually a big fan of minigames in games like this, but I found a majority of the minigames here to be pretty fun (and there are a lot of them). Queen’s Blood in particular proved to be extremely addicting. I would buy an entire spinoff based on it.
One of the biggest changes in Rebirth compared to Remake is that it is a lot more open, with multiple expansive areas. They’re fun to explore, but I like that there are also markers for areas of interest to help you find important things without too much work. It’s also nice that there are linear segments spread throughout the game, providing a lot of variety to keep things fresh. Speaking of variety, it's insane how many unique music tracks there are. It's always a treat hearing a new song, because you never know what style or genre they'll pull from next, and they're always magnificent. This results in a spectacular soundtrack that I can't wait to be officially released.
It’s been nearly a week since I beat Rebirth, but I still find myself unconsciously thinking about how much I adore this game. It truly is an extraordinary adventure, one of the best I've had the pleasure of experiencing, and I cannot wait to see what the final part of this series has in store.
In terms of story, this isn’t the most insane plot due to this only being part two of three, but this still contains some very powerful and hard-hitting moments. The segments from the original game that are covered here are more impactful than ever. There are certain changes that I was unsure of at first, but slowly grew to like them and I trust in part three to utilize them in satisfying ways. The overall story isn’t a major focus of this part, but it instead is centered around the characters. This completely pays off, as all members of the main cast are fantastic and are some of the best-written characters I’ve ever seen.
Remake’s combat was already fantastic, but Rebirth adds even more layers and options to it, making it all that much better. Even Aerith, a character that I didn’t particularly enjoy playing as in Remake, feels a lot better to control with her new abilities. On top of the combat, there are plenty of other things to do. Side quests are really well done, as they have interesting character interactions and often involve unique content such as mini-dungeons. Also, I’m not usually a big fan of minigames in games like this, but I found a majority of the minigames here to be pretty fun (and there are a lot of them). Queen’s Blood in particular proved to be extremely addicting. I would buy an entire spinoff based on it.
One of the biggest changes in Rebirth compared to Remake is that it is a lot more open, with multiple expansive areas. They’re fun to explore, but I like that there are also markers for areas of interest to help you find important things without too much work. It’s also nice that there are linear segments spread throughout the game, providing a lot of variety to keep things fresh. Speaking of variety, it's insane how many unique music tracks there are. It's always a treat hearing a new song, because you never know what style or genre they'll pull from next, and they're always magnificent. This results in a spectacular soundtrack that I can't wait to be officially released.
It’s been nearly a week since I beat Rebirth, but I still find myself unconsciously thinking about how much I adore this game. It truly is an extraordinary adventure, one of the best I've had the pleasure of experiencing, and I cannot wait to see what the final part of this series has in store.
I'm honestly pretty torn on Side Order, because I feel like it doesn't live up to expectations but it's also weirdly addicting. I just expected more substance from a DLC campaign, especially following Octo Expansion.
It does have a lot of replayability, but it still results in a very similar and short playthrough each time. Once you've completed one run, you've pretty much seen most of what there is to see. I would have appreciated more variety, as repeat rooms are encountered rather early on. This is extremely unfortunate considering most of them are rather uninteresting layouts confined in a small square platform. More objectives would also have been greatly welcomed, as the five that are here boil down to very similar encounters with enemies.
Since most of this DLC is just combat, I ended up missing the other elements of Splatoon campaigns, like the parkour and slight puzzle elements. The other campaigns (especially Octo Expansion) also allowed for fine-tuned and hand-crafted level design, which is why I was hesitant on the idea of a rougelike Splatoon campaign.
Issues aside, it is still enjoyable to run through the tower, slowly becoming stronger and stronger as you go. There is a large variety of upgrades to choose from, which does help each run feel a bit more unique. It's also really fun to create a completely broken setup and feel unstoppable as you destroy everything in your path.
It does have a lot of replayability, but it still results in a very similar and short playthrough each time. Once you've completed one run, you've pretty much seen most of what there is to see. I would have appreciated more variety, as repeat rooms are encountered rather early on. This is extremely unfortunate considering most of them are rather uninteresting layouts confined in a small square platform. More objectives would also have been greatly welcomed, as the five that are here boil down to very similar encounters with enemies.
Since most of this DLC is just combat, I ended up missing the other elements of Splatoon campaigns, like the parkour and slight puzzle elements. The other campaigns (especially Octo Expansion) also allowed for fine-tuned and hand-crafted level design, which is why I was hesitant on the idea of a rougelike Splatoon campaign.
Issues aside, it is still enjoyable to run through the tower, slowly becoming stronger and stronger as you go. There is a large variety of upgrades to choose from, which does help each run feel a bit more unique. It's also really fun to create a completely broken setup and feel unstoppable as you destroy everything in your path.
2022
A really captivating visual upgrade for a classic game. I found myself staring at a lot of the lighting effects, especially when the high energy pellets would light up the area around them as they moved. Sadly it is rather poorly optimized and crashed often, which was very disappointing and sometimes frustrating.
Ocarina of Time is an absolute classic game, and one that is very special to me. I've played the 3DS remake numerous times, but never the original, until now. It may seem like a pretty basic 3D Zelda game nowadays, but everything it does is executed masterfully. I adore each and every part of this game, from the dungeons to the music. This is one of very few games that I'd consider to be the definition of a masterpiece.
2024
Portal: Revolution is an excellent mod for Portal 2 as it understands what made the original game so great. The puzzles weren't too challenging, but they were still satisfying to complete. The new mechanics and outdoor setting were fun additions, although I wish they got utilized more. This is honestly a steal considering it's a free mod.
2019
A solid puzzle game that really tests your spatial awareness. The puzzles don't get too complex and there aren't many unique elements. However, this works considering the game is very short, taking just a few hours to beat. It's also extremely fascinating to just look at.
It's more Katamari Damacy, but with even more unique levels, so of course it's a lot of fun. This is also much more of a remaster, with some nice quality of life changes and little visual improvements compared to the first game's remaster. We love Katamari!!
2022
I can't describe this game in any way besides "genius." I was already having fun discovering the beautiful world's secrets and overcoming its satisfying bosses, but more and more information was slowly revealed via the unlockable in-game manual, and I fell in love. It's amazing how many things are hidden in plain sight throughout the entire game, and rather than requiring a specific item to unlock them, you just need the knowledge that the game slowly gives you. It allows for a magical first playthrough with many awe-inspiring moments. All this culminates into the masterful puzzle that is the mystery of unlocking the mountain door, which is easily one of the most unique and incredible puzzles I have ever seen.
It's fun sometimes and frustrating others. There's some cool puzzles here, but there are also a lot of combat challenge rooms where enemies can easily overwhelm you and rapidly deplete your hearts. It's also annoying how much grinding is required to get most of the outfits. Regardless, it's still an enjoyable experience with friends.
This is a really nice breath of fresh air for the 2D Mario series. After the series was pretty simple and formulaic for so long, this finally breaks the mold. Each level introduces some kind of new gimmick, so things are constantly kept fresh and they never get dull. You never know what you may encounter next, and the game has so much style and charm. After 100% completing the game, I can definitely say Wonder is easily my new favorite 2D Mario.
It's an alright game, but the main levels aren't too interesting. I imagine it would be a lot better when playing with other people. The post-game areas added in this version were really cool to see, though. Overall, I'd say it's worth putting in the few hours it takes to beat this.
1986
For the longest time I thought lowly of this game because I believed it provided next to no guidance, but there's actually a good amount of hints to support the player in the main quest. The things that are next to impossible to find without a guide are just optional secrets, and once I realized that, I had a surprising amount of fun with the game. It's enjoyable to get lost and see what you might stumble into next. However, parts of dungeons did get annoying with all the rooms full of challenging enemies, and the only thing keeping me sane was NSO's rewind feature.
Awesome sequel to an already amazing game. Both combat and traversal feel so much better here, but I would've preferred more traversal challenges like the first game had instead of most of them being combat challenges. Overall the story isn't quite as strong as the first game's, but this has higher peaks with jaw-dropping sequences and some really well done character moments.
2023
After hearing some great things about FF16, I got really excited to play it. And I am glad I did. It was a joy meeting the variety of characters in the cast, and I think I'd consider Cid to be up there as one of my favorite characters in a game. The way they use these characters for powerful moments throughout the story is incredible, and certain elements are some of the best examples I've ever seen of them. The story, of course, is great. There's so much lore and detail that it feels like a real world, all without ever feeling like it got too confusing. My only complaint about the story is that there are certain parts that had a big focus, only to suddenly take a backseat and not get a proper conclusion.
The gameplay here is like a roller coaster, as there's some dull parts but also some absolutely amazing moments. The Eikon fights in particular have some of the coolest moments I've ever seen in a video game. I cannot stress enough just how incredible these fights were, it's just a shame they're so few and far between. The combat is quick and satisfying, but it could've used a little more depth to keep it interesting. I never found it annoying, though. There's also some pacing issues throughout the story, and some side quests can feel rather uninteresting. However, it was never bad enough to make me want to stop playing.
Even if it's not perfect, this has some great moments and characters that make it definitely worth playing. I know there are some thing that I'll continue to think about for a long time.
The gameplay here is like a roller coaster, as there's some dull parts but also some absolutely amazing moments. The Eikon fights in particular have some of the coolest moments I've ever seen in a video game. I cannot stress enough just how incredible these fights were, it's just a shame they're so few and far between. The combat is quick and satisfying, but it could've used a little more depth to keep it interesting. I never found it annoying, though. There's also some pacing issues throughout the story, and some side quests can feel rather uninteresting. However, it was never bad enough to make me want to stop playing.
Even if it's not perfect, this has some great moments and characters that make it definitely worth playing. I know there are some thing that I'll continue to think about for a long time.
2023
It's hard to say a game can really be worth a wait of 10+ years, but Pikmin 4 might've done it. It really feels like the ultimate PIkmin game due to it containing the best parts of its predecessors, as well as evolving the core gameplay is such great ways. The amount of different ways you upgrade your character and abilities is so satisfying, and all the new quality of life features are extremely helpful. There's so much content here that it provides a great length for the game, all without overstaying its welcome. The only thing I can say I didn't like was the amount of dialogue. It feels rather excessive and can get tiresome at points, especially considering there are very few standout characters.