Demi_Diamond
2015
I enjoy playing Dark souls and Elden ring but what makes me go back to Bloodborne is the atmosphere and the Lovecraftian imagery it exudes in the world. No words are needed to explain what has happened to the world and you can feel the dread the characters go through by simply playing it. Sure, it being locked in 30 frames per second and not 60 is a fault and some of the bosses are not the greatest but I still can't help myself staring at the abyss and it staring at me back. I do find this to be From Software's magnum opus and a truly artistic game.
1999
Everytime I replay this game, my opinion changes. At first, FF8 used to be one of the worst games I've ever played but now I've grown to enjoy its existence. The story is way too convoluted and exposition heavy, many plot twists in which are really explained in an arbitrary set of novels in the menu, making some of the twists to come out of left field. After finally learning the lore, that was when I've grown with the game.
A major problem I have with this game is how they handled the main character himself: Squall (I'll never refer to him as Leon...). I do genuinely like Squall's character and how relatable he is since I too am an intorvert but I found how Square enix executed his mean demeanor to be poorly done and the JRPG choice element in this story made his sudden love for Rinoa to be sudden and not in character. I like the concept of Squall's character but don't like how it was handled.
Now, the biggest criticism I have with FF8 is how utterly pointless battles are. Why battle when you can get paid from basically walking for 5 minutes, get overpowered early on with a card mini game and when the monsters are scaled to your level. The junction system ruined this game for me. Atleast the card minigame was optional.
This is a game where it had great concepts but just didn't execute them properly. I don't hate the game but I also don't like it; it's a conflicting opinion.
A major problem I have with this game is how they handled the main character himself: Squall (I'll never refer to him as Leon...). I do genuinely like Squall's character and how relatable he is since I too am an intorvert but I found how Square enix executed his mean demeanor to be poorly done and the JRPG choice element in this story made his sudden love for Rinoa to be sudden and not in character. I like the concept of Squall's character but don't like how it was handled.
Now, the biggest criticism I have with FF8 is how utterly pointless battles are. Why battle when you can get paid from basically walking for 5 minutes, get overpowered early on with a card mini game and when the monsters are scaled to your level. The junction system ruined this game for me. Atleast the card minigame was optional.
This is a game where it had great concepts but just didn't execute them properly. I don't hate the game but I also don't like it; it's a conflicting opinion.
This review contains spoilers
Everytime I replay this game, my opinion changes. At first, FF8 used to be one of the worst games I've ever played but now I've grown to enjoy its existence. The story is way too convoluted and exposition heavy, many plot twists in which are really explained in an arbitrary set of novels in the menu, making some of the twists to come out of left field. After finally learning the lore, that was when I've grown with the game.
A major problem I have with this game is how they handled the main character himself: Squall (I'll never refer to him as Leon...). I do genuinely like Squall's character and how relatable he is since I too am an intorvert but I found how Square enix executed his mean demeanor to be poorly done and the JRPG choice element in this story made his sudden love for Rinoa to be sudden and not in character. I like the concept of Squall's character but don't like how it was handled.
Now, the biggest criticism I have with FF8 is how utterly pointless battles are. Why battle when you can get paid from basically walking for 5 minutes, get overpowered early on with a card mini game and when the monsters are scaled to your level. The junction system ruined this game for me. Atleast the card minigame was optional.
This is a game where it had great concepts but just didn't execute them properly. I don't hate the game but I also don't like it; it's a conflicting opinion.
A major problem I have with this game is how they handled the main character himself: Squall (I'll never refer to him as Leon...). I do genuinely like Squall's character and how relatable he is since I too am an intorvert but I found how Square enix executed his mean demeanor to be poorly done and the JRPG choice element in this story made his sudden love for Rinoa to be sudden and not in character. I like the concept of Squall's character but don't like how it was handled.
Now, the biggest criticism I have with FF8 is how utterly pointless battles are. Why battle when you can get paid from basically walking for 5 minutes, get overpowered early on with a card mini game and when the monsters are scaled to your level. The junction system ruined this game for me. Atleast the card minigame was optional.
This is a game where it had great concepts but just didn't execute them properly. I don't hate the game but I also don't like it; it's a conflicting opinion.
1998
The most compelling and psychological story ever told, period. Fei Fong Wong is one of the most compelling and introspective characters I've seen in a JRPG; the same sentiment can go towards Elly and Krelian's character. But I do find some of the other cast of characters to not be executed well enough, (for instance: Rico). And everyone knows about the infamous Disc 2 where it turns the entire typical JRPG gameplay the first disc had and made it into basically a visual novel. Also, sadly, this game suffered from a lot of grinding in order to progress with the story. It was an ambitious game that was rushed and had a team where they weren't experienced with 3D modeling so it was a recipe for disaster yet it turned out to be a near masterpiece. I didn't mind the sudden change in disc 2 because I found the lore and the worldbuilding to be so fascinating that I just wanted to learn more.
After playing this game, I have read so many books and read so many articles discussing gnosticism, and the many branches of psychological thinking (Carl Jung, Sigmund Freud, Jacques Lacan, etc). This game made me think about my life in a very unique way and opened my eyes to what storytelling can accomplish. Because of this, I was on a hunt to find games similar to Xenogears but had very little success in doing so over the years. That is why this game is so special; there is quite literally nothing like it. I thank this game for getting me into psychoanalytics and am grateful I got to experience this game in my life.
Controversial take, but this is a game that I feel deserves a remake the most; if Square ever does touch up on Xenogears and fixes its problem, this could very well end up being the greatest game ever made. I know the gaming industry is going through a sort of "remake renaissance," but, with the right team and vision, I can see a remake of Xenogears being done well. The base game is not perfect and has many flaws but most masterpieces exhibit the same sentiment. Despite it all, I find Xenogears to be one of the greatest games ever made and no other game is at the same level of complexity quite like Xenogears.
After playing this game, I have read so many books and read so many articles discussing gnosticism, and the many branches of psychological thinking (Carl Jung, Sigmund Freud, Jacques Lacan, etc). This game made me think about my life in a very unique way and opened my eyes to what storytelling can accomplish. Because of this, I was on a hunt to find games similar to Xenogears but had very little success in doing so over the years. That is why this game is so special; there is quite literally nothing like it. I thank this game for getting me into psychoanalytics and am grateful I got to experience this game in my life.
Controversial take, but this is a game that I feel deserves a remake the most; if Square ever does touch up on Xenogears and fixes its problem, this could very well end up being the greatest game ever made. I know the gaming industry is going through a sort of "remake renaissance," but, with the right team and vision, I can see a remake of Xenogears being done well. The base game is not perfect and has many flaws but most masterpieces exhibit the same sentiment. Despite it all, I find Xenogears to be one of the greatest games ever made and no other game is at the same level of complexity quite like Xenogears.
My opinion on this version of the game isn't the same compared to the War of the lions version due to how confusing the translation script was. But the story is still the same, more or less, and it is still one of the greatest stories ever told in a video game.
It is still a near perfect game and one of the best final fantasy games to ever made, it's just not the best version of FFT in my honest opinion.
It is still a near perfect game and one of the best final fantasy games to ever made, it's just not the best version of FFT in my honest opinion.
1995
My favorite video game of all time. It was one of the first video games I have ever played and it is the game I have replayed the most. My favorite cast in a video game, my favorite gameplay in a JPRG and it had a plethora of masterfully crafted moments that still make me emotional. Don't think any other game will ever top this game for me. This game helped me at a desperate time in my life and it will continue to influence my daily life. Even as a kid, I knew I was playing my favorite video game and this game will forever be magical to me. God, I love this game.
2018
This game means a lot to me. Played it at a very bleak period in my life. Nothing made sense, my favorite games and anime didn't make me happy, but this game for some reason comforted me. Was challenging but overcoming those challenges is what made this game special. One of the more recent games I've played and will probably always be my favorite Platformer. Still listen to the ost to this day
2007
~My Personal favorite Persona Game. I acknowledge all of the cons this game has; The Answer is easily the lowest point of the game, traversing in Tartarus isn't fun and not being able to control your party members during battle does suck. But the execution of its themes and a majority of the social links is still worth the playthrough. Social links like Akanari and Aigis are some of my favorites in the entire series. Every time I think about this game, I always get emotional. The soundtrack is easily my favorite soundtrack in any video game. And The ending is easily my favorite ending in any video game; the last section of The Journey is where it really peaked for me. I just love this game too much and will gladly say I am looking at this game with rose-tinted glasses. The game is still worth the time investment btw, even if it hasn't aged well, it's still a game any fan of JRGPs should at least try once in their lifetime.
Quite possibly one of the greatest stories ever told in a video game. How the story was told with its subtle hints and dialogue jam-packed with so much meaning and interpretation were it was just masterfully done. Matsuno is a one of kind director that pulled an ambitious story without it feeling confusing or expostion heavy.
I have no qualms with the story whatsoever. The only criticism I have are the gameplay elements and how infuriatingly difficult it is to beat the game a first time through and how stupidly easy it is to break the game. I personally don't mind going through a power trip and feeling like a God destroying the game's difficult since it's a strategical JRPG, a genre in which encourages the best strategy at all times, but I can't excuse the infamous difficulty spike in the end of chapter 3. It is still a near perfect game and one of the best final fantasy games ever made, it's just not for newcomers.
I have no qualms with the story whatsoever. The only criticism I have are the gameplay elements and how infuriatingly difficult it is to beat the game a first time through and how stupidly easy it is to break the game. I personally don't mind going through a power trip and feeling like a God destroying the game's difficult since it's a strategical JRPG, a genre in which encourages the best strategy at all times, but I can't excuse the infamous difficulty spike in the end of chapter 3. It is still a near perfect game and one of the best final fantasy games ever made, it's just not for newcomers.
1994
There's a reason why this game still gets praised. Peels back each and every character wonderfully, showing the masks and harships that they all bare, all with an emotional showcase of their backstory. As a good writer need to take note of, a good backstory needs a good front story and this game contains the most emotional front stories ever told in a video game. Has my favorite antagonist in all of fiction. Truly a masterpiece, through and through.