Cardeeson
2024
Persona 3 Reload is an interesting remake to me, I played Portable not too long ago and while this version is definitely superior I’ve realized that even at its core Persona 3 is both amazing and flawed.
To start positives the game is so much smoother. I could handle the visual novel feel of portable but it was clearly inferior and seeing it all in a modern light is amazing. All the voice work is great, and Tartarus is a definite improvement. Going from tolerable in P3P to pretty fun with all the elements brought in from P5.
However there are some things that held Portable that are somehow still present here. The pacing is still bad, taking waaay too long to get good. The tweaks made to shuffle time make the game way easier, and there simply not enough things to do during the night with only 2 social links and social stats leveling up super fast.
Overall for a first timer, playing this version is 100% the way to go. I still wish it shook more things ups, and both of its sequels feel like better games but you can’t deny how perfectly it comes together by the end.
To start positives the game is so much smoother. I could handle the visual novel feel of portable but it was clearly inferior and seeing it all in a modern light is amazing. All the voice work is great, and Tartarus is a definite improvement. Going from tolerable in P3P to pretty fun with all the elements brought in from P5.
However there are some things that held Portable that are somehow still present here. The pacing is still bad, taking waaay too long to get good. The tweaks made to shuffle time make the game way easier, and there simply not enough things to do during the night with only 2 social links and social stats leveling up super fast.
Overall for a first timer, playing this version is 100% the way to go. I still wish it shook more things ups, and both of its sequels feel like better games but you can’t deny how perfectly it comes together by the end.
Now that 2b’s dropped, I think I’ve played for long enough to say how I feel about Granblue Rising, and how much better it is compared to the original version.
While not a bad fighting game, lots of the original Granblue felt a bit clunky to me. From shallow mechanics to poor net code, I never got hooked enough to stay interested despite the potential it had. Rising is a different story though. Now it successfully balances being a simple game with some hidden depth, the net code is solid, and the cast feels diverse with lots of room to keep expanding.
Impressed is a good way to describe how I feel about Granblue Rising. Rather than falling into obscurity like Dnf Duel or (sadly) Persona 4 Arena Ultimax, it’s molded itself into a pretty great option for casuals, veterans, and gooners alike.
While not a bad fighting game, lots of the original Granblue felt a bit clunky to me. From shallow mechanics to poor net code, I never got hooked enough to stay interested despite the potential it had. Rising is a different story though. Now it successfully balances being a simple game with some hidden depth, the net code is solid, and the cast feels diverse with lots of room to keep expanding.
Impressed is a good way to describe how I feel about Granblue Rising. Rather than falling into obscurity like Dnf Duel or (sadly) Persona 4 Arena Ultimax, it’s molded itself into a pretty great option for casuals, veterans, and gooners alike.
As someone who loved the creative style of the CDI Zelda games, I’m honestly just surprised and happy this game exists.
It looks great, the cutscenes are still charming, it feels good to play, and there are lots of extra side quests and collectibles even with the shorter main campaign. There’s definitely some jank with the vague progression, instakill pits, and enemy swarming in the late game, but maybe that’s just committing to the bit. I still enjoyed Arzette and I hope this team does more with it in the future.
It looks great, the cutscenes are still charming, it feels good to play, and there are lots of extra side quests and collectibles even with the shorter main campaign. There’s definitely some jank with the vague progression, instakill pits, and enemy swarming in the late game, but maybe that’s just committing to the bit. I still enjoyed Arzette and I hope this team does more with it in the future.
2021
Psychonauts 2 does a great job doing exactly what it needed to as a sequel to an over 15 year old game. The controls and combat are better, the levels are consistently solid (the final level was actually good this time), and the story fits nicely in with everything else. I kinda wish they innovated a bit more cause this is pretty structurally similar to the first game, but I still had fun and I’m happy Double Fine got to make this.
2022
Signalis is probably a dream game for lovers of old school survival horror, and even without experience with this style I can tell how amazing it is in some- if not most areas.
The style is sooo good. The ps1 style polygons with sprites, draped in a bleak colors with bursts red and black fits so perfect with both the setting and narrative. I think the story surprised me the most, it gets a bit surreal but in a way that fits the themes nicely. The only parts that struggled to keep me invested were with the gameplay, I can deal with a limited inventory but the enemy swarming and one area where they take away your map gets really tedious.
I still think Signalis is definitely worth playing though, and I’ll try to play more games in this genre in the future.
The style is sooo good. The ps1 style polygons with sprites, draped in a bleak colors with bursts red and black fits so perfect with both the setting and narrative. I think the story surprised me the most, it gets a bit surreal but in a way that fits the themes nicely. The only parts that struggled to keep me invested were with the gameplay, I can deal with a limited inventory but the enemy swarming and one area where they take away your map gets really tedious.
I still think Signalis is definitely worth playing though, and I’ll try to play more games in this genre in the future.
While all the mainline Metal Gear Solid games are held in high regard, the legacy of this game feels the most unmatched. This acclaim is very much deserved, even if I have some small gripes with this game.
Like its predecessors the story is still amazing. I don’t think the themes of loyalty and perspective are as strong as 2, but the execution of said themes is arguably better than 2 so it still really works well.
The gameplay is where Snake Eater both truly shines, and shows some cracks. The sneaking and variety of ways you can do everything is really fun and impressive for a game on the ps2. I also commend the team for striving to innovate from the original formula, like hunting and the stamina bar, but some of the changes made for ‘realism’ don’t work for me. The camouflage system and cure system both feel forced. Sure it’s more realistic, but they don’t make the game any more fun.
Overall I think the hype for Snake Eater is 100% still deserved. I personally like 2 more but saying this is the best game in the series is definitely fair.
Like its predecessors the story is still amazing. I don’t think the themes of loyalty and perspective are as strong as 2, but the execution of said themes is arguably better than 2 so it still really works well.
The gameplay is where Snake Eater both truly shines, and shows some cracks. The sneaking and variety of ways you can do everything is really fun and impressive for a game on the ps2. I also commend the team for striving to innovate from the original formula, like hunting and the stamina bar, but some of the changes made for ‘realism’ don’t work for me. The camouflage system and cure system both feel forced. Sure it’s more realistic, but they don’t make the game any more fun.
Overall I think the hype for Snake Eater is 100% still deserved. I personally like 2 more but saying this is the best game in the series is definitely fair.
2020
Ok I’ve definitely played enough of this game to say how I feel about, which isn’t a lot. This is just a fun rhythm game with lots of song variety, game modes, and tracks in general even without the insane amount of DLC’s. It’s just a pretty fun game.
Much like Alan Wake, Control strikes me as a game that some people really love while others don’t connect to it as much. That’s strangely where the links end for me though, since I think they’re very different games despite being made by the same studio AND being directly related.
The gameplay is really smooth. I like the enemy variety, gunplay, and all the powers you add to your kit. The setting also feels cool, balancing areas that purposely feel sterile with one filled with life, and the story does feel like it’s convoluted on purpose sometimes but I think works with all the theming.
My biggest gripe is surprisingly the progression of said story. It feels clunky with random side missions, and the main story concludes feeling rushed. I also hate the map system like it’s actually a nightmare in some areas to figure out how to get somewhere. So while I definitely liked Control, it holds itself back too much for it to be truly great.
The gameplay is really smooth. I like the enemy variety, gunplay, and all the powers you add to your kit. The setting also feels cool, balancing areas that purposely feel sterile with one filled with life, and the story does feel like it’s convoluted on purpose sometimes but I think works with all the theming.
My biggest gripe is surprisingly the progression of said story. It feels clunky with random side missions, and the main story concludes feeling rushed. I also hate the map system like it’s actually a nightmare in some areas to figure out how to get somewhere. So while I definitely liked Control, it holds itself back too much for it to be truly great.
2021
Alan Wake has always been a game that’s interested me even before its sequel came out. Some people have a real fondness for this game and after playing it I can see why even with the problems I have with it.
The game nails its atmosphere, the whole light vs darkness theme works pretty well, and the story gets pretty interesting by the end of it. The main thing that bogs everything down is the gameplay, it’s too repetitive and spammy with its enemies that only really vary in how long it takes for them to die (except for those really annoying teleporting guys).
Knowing this was an Xbox 360 game makes the technical stuff more impressive, but that doesn’t make the game any less mid.
The game nails its atmosphere, the whole light vs darkness theme works pretty well, and the story gets pretty interesting by the end of it. The main thing that bogs everything down is the gameplay, it’s too repetitive and spammy with its enemies that only really vary in how long it takes for them to die (except for those really annoying teleporting guys).
Knowing this was an Xbox 360 game makes the technical stuff more impressive, but that doesn’t make the game any less mid.
YIIK is impressively bad. I wanted to play it not only for the meme but also to understand why it’s so hated, and after 2 and half chapters I found my answer. It’s just not fun and bad.
This lack of enjoyment is entirely in the gameplay, the battles are dull and repetitive and take soooo long. I would have stuck it out if they were at least short, but every one felt like a waste of time. That’s not all though, the story is also way too messy. There are some neat ideas I guess? But it was also agonizingly slow and bogged down by uninteresting or frustrating characters.
If the I.V update actually fixes some of the main issues I might go back to it, but as of now I’d rather play anything else than spending more time on this.
This lack of enjoyment is entirely in the gameplay, the battles are dull and repetitive and take soooo long. I would have stuck it out if they were at least short, but every one felt like a waste of time. That’s not all though, the story is also way too messy. There are some neat ideas I guess? But it was also agonizingly slow and bogged down by uninteresting or frustrating characters.
If the I.V update actually fixes some of the main issues I might go back to it, but as of now I’d rather play anything else than spending more time on this.
Metal Gear Solid 2 might not be an objectively flawless game, but every complaint I can think of somehow connects to or gets mitigated by the themes it tackles. The gameplay improves on everything the first game had, the characters are still great, and the story is crazy ahead of its time with how it portrays AI and information access. I like the setting of Shadow Mosses a bit more than the one here and there are still some tedious parts, but as I said before those personal issues don’t hold much weight compared to how well Metal Gear Solid 2 explores it’s amazing narrative. I’m super excited to start the third game and it amazes me that it apparently gets better than this.
The Great Ace Attorney duology has hung over me way long than it should have. Playing both these games has taken me over 2 years, and while that’s partially caused by me flowing in and out of interest with it, a lot of it has to do with my biggest problem with the game. The pacing.
It’s not that previous Phoenix Wright games have had great pacing, but because the plot here is much more dense I think some cases drag on longer than they need to. Both games also aren’t immune to the leaps in logic and questionable character choices the other games have, while it didn’t bother me too much I still noticed it sometimes.
Even though I have issues, there’s still a lot of great things about these games. The new gameplay is fun, the cast is solid, and the cases are consistently strong with a great overarching story that makes some amazing moments in the end game. It’s definitely worth playing for both OG’s and newcomers to the series (also AA7 when???).
It’s not that previous Phoenix Wright games have had great pacing, but because the plot here is much more dense I think some cases drag on longer than they need to. Both games also aren’t immune to the leaps in logic and questionable character choices the other games have, while it didn’t bother me too much I still noticed it sometimes.
Even though I have issues, there’s still a lot of great things about these games. The new gameplay is fun, the cast is solid, and the cases are consistently strong with a great overarching story that makes some amazing moments in the end game. It’s definitely worth playing for both OG’s and newcomers to the series (also AA7 when???).
Stylistically Scott Pilgrim vs The World The Game is amazing. It captures the original comic super well and the music is great too. The problem is the gameplay, it’s mostly fine, but lots of enemies and hazards just demolish you. Maybe it’s better with multiplayer or I’m just not into beat em ups but I wish I liked this game more than I do.
2023
Mario RPG is a very charming game. The story is basic but cute, the battle system is simple but snappy, and the soundtrack is great. To me it didn’t have the same oomf as other Mario games I’ve played, but I can see why some people really love this game.
2000
Ok I have sooooo much to say about this damn game. To start this feels retro in a good and bad way. The background art, character portraits, and soundtrack make everything such a vibe while playing helped by the solid writing across every route. The drawbacks to this are that the music is very limited and there are a lot of baffling choices made in general.
From the elongated pacing some parts have, the pointless ‘good’ endings that (almost) all feel like ass pulls, and the insanely unnecessary sex scenes that are all bad. I still think the writing good, but I can’t ignore these issues.
Now to get into each route specifically, I’ll just go in order.
Arcueid: As the ‘first’ route I think it being way simpler than all the other ones puts at a disadvantage, and it’s not helped at all by how I personally feel pretty neutral on Arcueid herself. She’s well written and her relationship with Shiki has some great moments, but something about her never clicked with me. I still think the foundation this route lays is pretty solid and only suffers from being dragged out a bit.
Ciel: Objectively this route feels weaker in a lot of ways especially when compared to Arcueid’s. The plot beats are way too similar and everything involving Arcueid feels like a waste of time when Ciel is supposed to be the focus. In retrospect knowing how little screen time she gets in the far side routes makes me appreciate her presence here more, but she still could have been implemented better. Even with that issue though I think this route gets way more interesting once it starts changing things up. The tone feels more ominous, Shiki get way more depth, and Ciel has a ton of cool moments once the story actually focuses on her. I still can’t say it’s better than the Arcueid route but I like the ideas here more and think there’s a lot of missed potential.
Akiha (+ Satsuki): It feels weird to not talk about Satsuki, I thought it nice that they finally expanded on her but it all feels a bit rushed. Before I knew Satsuki was in all the far side routes I thought the shift to Akiha would be too forced but it felt surprisingly natural here (and in Hisui & Kohaku’s routes). The route proper could be a little faster, but once it gets going it stays pretty interesting. The Akiha and Shiki relationship is, uh… weird. It doesn’t kill the route but that doesn’t make it any less weird. I think the ending and interesting villain make up for it well enough though. I’m honestly underselling this route cause with a few tweaks it could be the best one.
Hisui: Damn, I wasn’t sure if this route would live up to the hype but I’d totally did. It wasn’t how I expected it to go though, the focus is much more on building up suspense and plot twists, and while I figured out some before they were revealed others totally blindsided me. The ending is also amazing, which is true for basically all the routes but this one really stood out. Plus this is the only good ending where even though it’s still unnecessary, it doesn’t feel like a total asspull so bonus points for that.
Kohaku: Compared to everything that came before it this route feels the tightest. Since you’re literally required to do Hisui’s route before this one there are a lot clever switch ups and twists I didn’t see coming. The ending here is pretty good, but honestly my least favorite true ending of all the routes. If it had more punch this route could be better than Hisui’s but even though it isn’t for me it was still great (also no good ending is still a plus).
If I had to rank each of them I’d probably go.
Hisui > Kohaku > Akiha > Arcueid > Ciel
To conclude there’s just something about this game I can’t shake. I genuinely love some parts of it but it feels to held back by its flaws most of the time. I’ve heard the remake fixes most of these problems so I’m excited to check that out, but I still recommend Tsukihime to anyone that may be interested in it.
From the elongated pacing some parts have, the pointless ‘good’ endings that (almost) all feel like ass pulls, and the insanely unnecessary sex scenes that are all bad. I still think the writing good, but I can’t ignore these issues.
Now to get into each route specifically, I’ll just go in order.
Arcueid: As the ‘first’ route I think it being way simpler than all the other ones puts at a disadvantage, and it’s not helped at all by how I personally feel pretty neutral on Arcueid herself. She’s well written and her relationship with Shiki has some great moments, but something about her never clicked with me. I still think the foundation this route lays is pretty solid and only suffers from being dragged out a bit.
Ciel: Objectively this route feels weaker in a lot of ways especially when compared to Arcueid’s. The plot beats are way too similar and everything involving Arcueid feels like a waste of time when Ciel is supposed to be the focus. In retrospect knowing how little screen time she gets in the far side routes makes me appreciate her presence here more, but she still could have been implemented better. Even with that issue though I think this route gets way more interesting once it starts changing things up. The tone feels more ominous, Shiki get way more depth, and Ciel has a ton of cool moments once the story actually focuses on her. I still can’t say it’s better than the Arcueid route but I like the ideas here more and think there’s a lot of missed potential.
Akiha (+ Satsuki): It feels weird to not talk about Satsuki, I thought it nice that they finally expanded on her but it all feels a bit rushed. Before I knew Satsuki was in all the far side routes I thought the shift to Akiha would be too forced but it felt surprisingly natural here (and in Hisui & Kohaku’s routes). The route proper could be a little faster, but once it gets going it stays pretty interesting. The Akiha and Shiki relationship is, uh… weird. It doesn’t kill the route but that doesn’t make it any less weird. I think the ending and interesting villain make up for it well enough though. I’m honestly underselling this route cause with a few tweaks it could be the best one.
Hisui: Damn, I wasn’t sure if this route would live up to the hype but I’d totally did. It wasn’t how I expected it to go though, the focus is much more on building up suspense and plot twists, and while I figured out some before they were revealed others totally blindsided me. The ending is also amazing, which is true for basically all the routes but this one really stood out. Plus this is the only good ending where even though it’s still unnecessary, it doesn’t feel like a total asspull so bonus points for that.
Kohaku: Compared to everything that came before it this route feels the tightest. Since you’re literally required to do Hisui’s route before this one there are a lot clever switch ups and twists I didn’t see coming. The ending here is pretty good, but honestly my least favorite true ending of all the routes. If it had more punch this route could be better than Hisui’s but even though it isn’t for me it was still great (also no good ending is still a plus).
If I had to rank each of them I’d probably go.
Hisui > Kohaku > Akiha > Arcueid > Ciel
To conclude there’s just something about this game I can’t shake. I genuinely love some parts of it but it feels to held back by its flaws most of the time. I’ve heard the remake fixes most of these problems so I’m excited to check that out, but I still recommend Tsukihime to anyone that may be interested in it.