Doctor_Nerd
1997
I was pretty indifferent to this game when I played it ages ago, but I end up liking it more each time I play it. At this point it's now one of my favorite RPGs. I guess you could say I've finally come around to mid 2000s Gamefaqs thought a few decades late.
Cute Souls. It drags on a little bit too much in the second half of the game, and it lacks some of the polish of the games it's imitating, but it's still an impressive effort for a game made by such a small team.
Some disappointing plotting and characterization issues made me not like this game quite as much as Rebirth, though I still had a good time overall. It's way too long, though, if you even casually engage with the side stuff at all.
Yuffie is hilarious, and I'm glad she gets more to say and do in this game compared to the original Final Fantasy VII.
Yuffie is hilarious, and I'm glad she gets more to say and do in this game compared to the original Final Fantasy VII.
1994
Decided to revisit a childhood favorite that I never beat legitimately. Turns out it's still just as creative, funny, and brutally hard as I remember.
Played with the English-patched Japanese version, which smoothes the difficulty a little bit.
Played with the English-patched Japanese version, which smoothes the difficulty a little bit.
This review contains spoilers
I was hoping I'd be a sicko for Dragon's Dogma after all the praise it gets from its boosters, but unfortunately I thought it was mostly boring. There is some cool stuff here, especially in the last quarter of the game, but you have to grind through a bunch of uninspired samey dungeon layouts, too frequent enemy mob encounters, and awkward combat to get there.
The set-up for the post-game that is often talked up is legitimately cool, but my enthusiasm for it dried up when it became clear it was leading to another grind in mostly identical areas to get a bunch of enemy drops. The big narrative swings the game takes in the final act(s) would have also landed a lot better for me if it had given me any reason to care about its world or characters at all. The cast you encounter on your journey feel barely more fleshed out than your random AI pawn partners.
I hope the DD2 team got the time and resources they desperately needed for the sequel.
The set-up for the post-game that is often talked up is legitimately cool, but my enthusiasm for it dried up when it became clear it was leading to another grind in mostly identical areas to get a bunch of enemy drops. The big narrative swings the game takes in the final act(s) would have also landed a lot better for me if it had given me any reason to care about its world or characters at all. The cast you encounter on your journey feel barely more fleshed out than your random AI pawn partners.
I hope the DD2 team got the time and resources they desperately needed for the sequel.
This was an enjoyable mini-campaign. Yuffie is a fun character, and I liked her interplay with her "subordinate" (both story and gameplay-wise).
A pretty decent platformer reminiscent of Wonderboy or Shantea: Half-Genie Hero (my closest comparison since I never played Wand of Gamelon, lol) wrapped in a meme game presentation. The game is fairly short, so the gag here didn't overstay its welcome for me.
An excellent remake of a fun little RPG. While it's not required to beat the game at all, there's a lot to like here if you enjoy breaking an RPG by interacting with a bunch of weird and goofy systems.
Ashton is one of the best silly RPG guys.
Ashton is one of the best silly RPG guys.
2020
I played it after the big 2023 patch. I can't deny I liked doing Deus Ex stuff, and popping people's heads off with a silenced sniper rifle. The writing fluctuates from solid to mediocre, presumably because you need a fleet of writers to make a game like this.
To think, it only took close to a mere decade to make a game that people liked. Game development continues to be healthy and sustainable
To think, it only took close to a mere decade to make a game that people liked. Game development continues to be healthy and sustainable
1994
Love the aesthetic. Unfortunately, this is one of those games from this era that tries to make up for its short length with some really cheap segments. This is made worse by pretty long levels with no checkpointing to speak of. If you die or fall off a ledge with a mistimed jump, you're sent back to the very start of the level. The controls are also a bit floaty, and the level design is fairly basic.
Realistically it's 2.5 stars, but I'm adding .5 for the ending song and cinematic. Also this guy is a cooler keyblade user than Sora KingdomHearts.
Realistically it's 2.5 stars, but I'm adding .5 for the ending song and cinematic. Also this guy is a cooler keyblade user than Sora KingdomHearts.
2021
It's a pretty middling shooter that overstays its welcome. Despite some fun banter between Alan and Barry, playing this after watching Twin Peaks didn't do the story a whole lot of favors either.
Pretty good! There's some fun new enemy guys in this one
2023
I thought I'd be cooler on this without the nostalgia goggles, but nope this is still a great (albeit simple) RPG. They should make more 10-15 hour RPGs.
I like the small tweaks to the battle system, and that they added more stuff to do after clearing the game.
I like the small tweaks to the battle system, and that they added more stuff to do after clearing the game.
It's very pretty, but otherwise it's just a decent-to-middling Symphony of the Night clone. Not bad at all, but you can probably do better.
I'm basically bumping this up by half a star because I have some affection for the Lodoss franchise.
EDIT: Actually ended up liking this a bit more after beating it. The intro areas are really bland, but they eventually get more interesting. The fake Ikuraga mechanic allowing you to blast enemies with magic also becomes more satisfying as the game leans into it.
I'm basically bumping this up by half a star because I have some affection for the Lodoss franchise.
EDIT: Actually ended up liking this a bit more after beating it. The intro areas are really bland, but they eventually get more interesting. The fake Ikuraga mechanic allowing you to blast enemies with magic also becomes more satisfying as the game leans into it.
2023
Abby Howard's drawings are great, and I was impressed by the sheer amount of branching scenarios available. The writing does a good job alternating between amusing and tragic.
I don't think people who play a lot of visual novels are going to be blown away by this one, but it's an interesting spin on some well-worn VN ideas.
I don't think people who play a lot of visual novels are going to be blown away by this one, but it's an interesting spin on some well-worn VN ideas.