This game was a bit of an enigma for me as a kid. I remember playing it because of my brother getting it. The intriguing box art and awesome music had me so entranced but the gameplay I just did not understand at the time. Fast Forward 18 years later and I've finally finished the game, and boy this game design has aged beautifully.

I'll start off with a confession, aside from a few attempts at a Castlevania gameboy game and this game, I've never really played a Castlevania game before. While they looked cool and intriguing, the 2D side scrolling open ended game design did turn me off. I found it a little overwhelming for my small little mind growing up. Playing this game as my first may have probably spoiled me since its in 3D rather than your traditional 2D, but I think starting with this game really gave me a better appreciation to the open ended game design Castlevania is known for. I found it near addicting exploring the castle's various rooms and dungeons, finding hidden stat boosts and weapons and the option bosses that give me additional loot.

The combat itself is very tactile albeit a little slippery here and there, but overall holds up VERY well to today's standards. It's gameplay reminds me of Devil May Cry which knowing its influence in the industry at the time I would not be so surprised if they took some notes from that game. I don't know if Lament of Innocence was designed with newcomers in mind, but the way the game felt as I progressed made me want to try out the other games because of how much I enjoyed this one.

Coincidentally enough, this game also happens to take place at the very beginning of the entire series, so I want to say that "beginner friendly" game design may be more intentional than coincidental. Speaking of story though, this game's story is... probably it's weaker aspect. Its in no way horrible. I understood the hero's journey and his end goal, but it all just felt like an afterthought to the game's development. I will say the voice acting for this game is phenomenal though! I was playing it in Japanese (very rare for a western release of a Japanese PS2 game) and the performances were very well read. So much so that I couldn't be bothered to go back to English cuz if it ain't broke don't fix it!

If there were ever a game that was in need of a port/remaster, Lament of Innocence deserves one for sure. I know with Konami's... questionable business conduct we shouldn't hold our breaths for this game to receive an HD Remaster treatment, not after what happened with Silent Hill (may ye Rest In Peace), but I do think this game would sell very well were it to receive such treatment. There's practically nothing to fix in regards to game design. Just a bump in res and we're pretty much solid. If you have a PS2/PS3 or a PC I highly implore you to check it out. This game is a treasure amongst the massive PS2 catalogue.

I highly recommend this game to the following:
-Castlevania Fans (duh)
-Platforming enthusiasts. This game has some rewarding platform exploration game design. You'll never know what's hiding from you until you truly explore all three dimensions of the game.
-Fans of Devil May Cry. This kind of feels like a given, but in regards to the newer more younger DMC fans, this game will definitely scratch that old school DMC itch if you have one. Its combat isn't as diverse as DMC, but its SUPER fluid and fun to master.

A masterclass in DS game design that is horribly under appreciated and recognized. It's one of the few DS games that not only uses most if not all of its functions, but uses it so cleverly!!! Without spoiling too much, the game requires you to think outside the box quite literally and when I discovered how literal it was I couldn't help but giggle like the doofus I am.

The story to this game was also just as delightful too. It's nothing too convoluted or grand. Just a very engaging adventure about a 13 year old girl learning about her father's location being on a private island after being gone for 10 years and discovering the secrets of said island.

The puzzles and exploration of this game feel very similar to a point and click PS1 style adventure game. The game felt surprisingly ahead of its time in terms of graphics and exploration, but then again its exploration is very bare bones. Not in a boring way mind you just in an efficient straight to the point way.

A shame the title is stuck on the DS and DS emulation because I think it's a title that is worth remastering for a console like the Switch. It feels like a very important piece of video game history just from how technologically creative it is. I'd hate for it to be widely forgotten.

After having played and enjoyed the overall experience with Persona 5 back in 2020, I decided to go back to the other games; and I have to say, out of all the Neo Persona games Persona 4 is the best I've played to date (I can only imagine how great Persona 4 Golden must be).

Whilst each Persona game has their own charm and strong suits, I feel like Persona 4 is the definitive experience for anyone who'd want to give the series a try. Story pacing doesn't drag like P3 nor does it have redundant moments like P5, and the writing feels stronger in impact and clever as well. To me, each event that takes place feels a lot more natural than what I experienced from P3 and P5. Also, the dungeon designs in this game are some of my absolute favorites! I will admit they're not as elaborate as P5-for obvious reasons-but I enjoyed a lot of the thematic elements each dungeon had, as well as the callbacks I witnessed from a certain dungeon hint hint, wink wink, nudge nudge

However, if I had to give it some constructive criticism I'd say making money in the game is a bit tedious. I know that's what the jobs are for, but it definitely feels out of balance and forces me to miss out on some nightly social links/events that I could benefit from. Luckily, I didn't need any money for healing items or weapons. I just needed them for fusing personas. The combat initiations are also a bit frustrating as it's harder to get the advantage over enemies. I'm not sure if it was an intentional design or something that didn't get as much attention during development, but it did feel like a downgrade compared to P3.

Overall, I'd give the game a biased 10/10 and unbiased 9/10. Definitely worth playing if you are one of the following:

-interested in jumping into the Persona/MegaTen series
-want to expand your JRPG catalogue
-want a casual gaming experience with some slight challenges here and there
-love an elaborate story

Disclaimer
I used a walkthrough from GameFAQs 100% of the time during my play through. Whilst the game is definitely playable without a guide (I managed to fight some endgame bosses without a guide at one point), I'd definitely recommend using a walkthrough for a game like this. Not really for the battles, but for social links and other tidbits that help improve the gaming experience that are easily missable.

Also, my long hours is due to excessive grinding. I like trying to get some of the best abilities out of my personas for fusing and getting S-Tier personas with those favored abilities. Had I not done this, I'd probably would have finished the game around 100 hours for sure though.

With all honesty, this game was not worth buying a PS5 for.

It's by no means a bad game nor a bad Final Fantasy, but it definitely is one of my least favorite Final Fantasy games. Throughout my entire playthrough I struggled to see what people saw in it, and believe me I really wanted to see the hype considering it's the reason why I bought a PS5.

My biggest gripe with the game was the writing. I felt like the initial premise fell apart a lot. The story feels like two different plot points trying to meet only they missed the margin. It definitely didn't help that this game was marketed as a Game of Thrones styled Final Fantasy which is just absolutely a horrible marketing idea.

I did enjoy the boss fights a LOT however. One of the very few games I've played where I get excited to fight a boss. If there's one thing this game is a masterclass of its the boss fights.

One definitive trait about Final Fantasy is that it has never been shy to allow men to feel and display emotions and be sensitive, even from their tougher looking and criminally behaved characters; so its no surprise FFXVI takes it up a notch. The healthy and endearing display of vulnerability in masculinity was something I adored a lot in this game that quite honestly could've gone for more! I absolutely loved seeing the boys in this game express genuine love for each other. Just sucks that the game kind has some bad writing on women. It's not the worst I've seen in a game, but in this day and age it just doesn't age well at all.

Anyways, there's an elephant in the room that I have to point out. It's lack of fan service. Square created another generation of lovable and memorable characters with a fleshed out world filled with lore, yet they really did not give them much opportunity to do fan service like other FF games have (i.e. FFVII Golden Saucer date, FFIX cast members marrying each other like Vivi and Quina, or like literally any thing and event from FFX-2). It may not seem like a necessary addition to the game, but if they spent all this time creating a fleshed out world filled with an emphasis of lore it'd also be nice to see the cast just doing things on their down time for fun or shits and giggles. I feel like my experience with the game would be improved, but I acknowledge its not a necessity so do with this criticism as you will.

There is no denying it, Final Fantasy XVI is a Final Fantasy game through and through. To the naysayers who say it isn't a true Final Fantasy they really haven't been paying attention to what Final Fantasy is about: romantic epic tales about overcoming oppressive entities and deities and discovering what it means to be and other existential concepts. I just wish the writing in this game felt more coherent or at least engaging as I have tuned out way more than I would've liked to with the pacing feeling like a slog, and also again more fan service.

You ever wonder what the video game equivalent of a "Two steps backwards to one step forward" would be like? This DLC is the two steps backwards to the one step forward that is The Evil Within.

The premise of a The Evil Within "stealth horror" game sounds good on paper, but it did not execute well... At all. It felt like they kept everything the same but just added contextual sneak commands which you think would translate well for those coming from the action horror like The Evil Within to the stealth horror The Assignment DLC, but alas it felt really clumsy and poorly designed which is a shame because I absolutely LOVED The Evil Within and was hoping this DLC would offer more of that. I think The Evil Within to be one of the best horror games of the 2010's that revivals other classic horror action games like Resident Evil 4 and the likes. The ending to this DLC however is pretty cool and sets up for like the bigger picture of Ruvik and Mobius.

Overall I think it is a necessary DLC ONLY for the story, but quite honestly it would've just been better off as a comic or as a last resort a clone of The Evil Within's gameplay rather than a stealth horror version of it.

Peak fiction in all fucking honesty.

By far the best Final Fantasy I've played and one of the best JRPGs I've had the pleasure to experience to the fullest. It's rare to come across a game that has masterclass levels of writing with characters so nuanced that no one is truly a hero and villain in this story.

You have three main characters, two "protagonists" and one "antagonist" that are trying to undo the burden of time and the paradoxes but none of them are in the right and they all face severe consequences because of their actions in the end. Towards the end of the game you even start to see the lines blur between what makes them a protagonist and what make the other an antagonist. The game doesn't really answer it for you either, you're just left with the repercussions of the choices you've made and for you to reflect on them.

The combat is no different from FFXIII other than just some tweaked up designs and a new entertainingly immersive cinematographic combat scenarios scattered throughout the game to really amp up the style this game exudes. It's probably the franchise's most stylistic game which is saying a LOT since Final Fantasy is notorious for its unique romantic and bold designs.

This game's OST is by far in my top three for Final Fantasy OSTs and without a doubt in my top ten for all time favorite video game OSTs as well.

As I write this review I'm also struggling to find any valid and reasonable flaws/complaints that come to mind and I have absolutely nothing to complain about. The game is just genuinely a well crafted masterpiece that I will constantly cry out to those who bother to listen.

It's truly a shame where Square Enix has been heading this last decade but they really created something incredibly beautiful and unique that it cannot be replicated no matter how hard someone tries. Truly a delicately designed game through and through and I am thankful for the developers that made it happen.

Literally one of the best survival horror games I've ever played. Amazing how almost 20 years later and this game really feels like it hasn't aged all too badly. Sure, the voice acting can be a bit... campy borderline cringe and some mechanics of the game may feel not as streamlined as you would like it to be, but all that aside this game really defines the survival horror genre in all aspects. I've never really played Resi games growing up, but I did watch my brothers play them as it was a staple in their daily gaming sessions. Being a grown adult (aka has the courage enough to get through a s c a r y game) and with Halloween being a thing during my playthrough, I figured now's the time I finally cross that bridge of horror games.

The pacing of this game is fantastic. I never once felt like I was getting exhausted or bored with the game because I always felt like I was making progress throughout my exploration in the mansion and feeling more formidable against my enemies. I love the replay value this game has as well. I normally don't care for replay value as I typically one and done my games to catch up on my ever growing backlog, but this is one of the few games where after my first playthrough I went back and played as another character just to both see a difference in story and also just to go about the game with a more wiser and experienced perspective.

The puzzle solving in this game makes me feel VERY good whenever I figure it out on my own, which was what I did during my first playthrough of this game. I know most, if not all, Resi games are fairly short and simple, so for once I went through a game blindly on my first playthrough. I want to say at least 3/4 of my first playthrough was blind and the rest was guided as there were some puzzles that admittedly stumped me (also my brain was just exhausted at that point). Overall, the game does a good job at giving you little to no excuse to not be able to solve most or if not all their puzzles since there are also hints littered around the mansion for you to figure your way out of things.

Despite having played very few horror games in my life (as my Backloggd shows), this game felt very familiar to me. Not because I grew up watching my brothers play it, but kinetically being able to play and figure this game out felt very natural and comforting for me. I really do think this is like a quintessential game for any gamer to play as its pretty tame for most horror games and the learning curve for this game is very comfortable and incentivizing.

I absolutely recommend this game to the following:
-Fans of horror games (I mean duh???)
-Fans of Zelda games. The puzzle solving in this game, and I imagine the entire series as well, reminds me of the intuitive-nature that most Zelda puzzles have where you have to think a little creatively to solve the puzzles.
-Looking for an easy going game to play. Don't let the horror title fool you, this game is very tame and easy to handle. As someone who can't really do horror all too well this game felt very comforting with its atmosphere and slow, calm paced nature.

As like with most Wii owners at the time, No More Heroes was definitely an oddity of a Wii title, but it was one that stuck with me throughout the years as there really was no game like it at the time; or at least, not on the Wii that is. Whilst I only played it a few times thanks to Blockbuster having it available to rent at its release, I did not realize how significant this game would be until roughly 13 years later when discovering this game was part of a grander universe known as Kill The Past.

It's the year 2020, and Grasshopper managed to port one of their most significant games onto the Switch! (Purposely ignoring the PS3/Xbox360 ports as I never touched them before) At the time I thought, "cool, another game I can experience nostalgia with after all these years" only to find out there was more to NMH thanks to a little YouTuber known as ThorHighHeels (gang gang) appearing onto my YouTube recommendations. I would later find out that NMH exists in a universe planned out by Goichi Suda (Suda 51), which made me want to play this game again and see what the build up to the Kill The Past universe is like.

NMH right off the bat wink wink has you starting your first assassin mission with a short to the point combat tutorial that was easy to understand and challenging to master as you progressed through the game. However, after the tutorial you are basically on your own for the entirety of the mission. I remember how awesome-although admittedly clumsy-I felt slashing and gashing every enemy in sight in the Wii version, but on the Switch it felt a lot more responsive and better than I imagined which was a welcoming experience.

I remember struggling with the first boss when I first played this game a decade back, but beating the first boss now felt so much easier and satisfying. Never once died, but definitely was closer to the brink of death as the fight neared its end. I would learn as I progressed through the game how each boss fight felt like a benchmark for the player to see how well they understood the combat. The game does a wonderful job at rewarding the player who learns how to play the game, and definitely punishes them for not paying attention/putting more effort than spamming buttons.

During the downtime of NMH you have the options of completing jobs that are just mini-games to net you some money, accepting and completing assassin contracts, and doing some challenges to see how skilled you are in the world of NMH. I will admit, I tried the challenges, but they're too difficult for me to bother and they don't really add to the overall experience of the game, so I was okay neglecting them. Doing just the jobs and contract killings were more than enough for my downtime. You also could collect lovikov balls that could earn you additional move sets and other misc. rewards. I had an in-game tracker that allowed me to find the balls, but even then I personally could not be bothered with that either as a lot of the rewards available to me didn't feel worthwhile except for a few.

What was rewarding though, in terms of downtime and collect-a-thons, was being able to upgrade your lights- ahem, beam katana. Beam katana upgrades are worth going broke for and grinding jobs to afford more upgrades. Not just for the cosmetic and pragmatic aspects, but also because collecting all upgrades unlocks the true ending that I had no idea was a thing. I just miraculously came across it after fighting the last assassin and not remembering the true ending.

Speaking of true ending, that last battle with the true final boss is an absolute HELL of a good time that I've ever experienced in a hack and slash game, and I'm a BIG fan of the Kingdom Hearts series which is known for their data boss battles. The true final boss was the ultimate challenge for the player to see if you really had the combat down and if you can endure a boss who is essentially a damage sponge. I only died once because I was unfamiliar with one of their instakiill frames, but after that I immediately learned my lesson and fought them again. Beating the final boss was very much a rewarding experience and left me feeling happy, satisfied, and overall badass which is something I rarely experience in end game boss battles.

The overall story of the game is a bit unconventionally told as you know nothing of Travis or anyone else's background firsthand, and event just happen and that's it, but also weirdly enough it is kind of conventional in terms of video game story telling as video games tend to have a different approach to story telling. Because this is a Suda 51 game, expect the unexpected for sure.

This game really feels and plays like no other and I am happy to experience it again after all these years. Another thing that shows my age is the appreciation of how short this game is. I'm used to playing long JRPGs that would take me well over 100 hours to finish, so playing a game like this was a welcomed experience.

I'd definitely recommend this to those who are experienced in hack and slash type of games as this game is admittedly not an easy one to finish. While I did finish it on a normal difficulty, it surely was a challenging experience, so unless you are very familiar with hack and slash games its best to start off on an easier setting.

Without a doubt, one of the harder Final Fantasies to play. I did do a lot of grinder in order to compensate for the hard hitting enemies, but honestly Final Fantasy has always been an easy to play franchise for me, so this challenge was gladly accepted that the grind didn't feel so tedious.

You also start to see the whimsical nature of Final Fantasy appear in this game. The first two Final Fantasys were serious which fit their respective stories, so seeing the playful storytelling, variety of character personalities, and hell even the whimsical yet high fantasy, baroque-esque music was a great tone change to keep the franchise going strong. I think it's essential in having lightheartedness when telling dark story elements.

Overall, not a bad Final Fantasy. I can see myself playing this game again more than once in my lifetime!

Definitely a GOTY contender and genre definer, if not genre breaking. Just like many others stated it's a wonderful homage to what feels like a bygone era of video game design and passion, committed to the creativity and passion it presents itself. Of course no game is without its faults and I think this game has some faults that desperately needed more time polishing despite it being a near perfect game.

The combat is both the game's strongest and frustrating design. It's for sure an easy to learn and challenging to master kind of design, but I feel like it could've gone a few more months for polishing. The fact that there's no lock on option is kind of ridiculous. I get that it can be seen as a handicap/"skill issue" to certain people but I call bs on that. The game may be an homage to how video games in the 2000s play, look, and feel; however, it could've benefited more from a lock on option in battle. Especially since they already had one for using Peppermint, Macaron, and Korsica to help unblock obstacles in your way. The fact that they require lock on features but the combat doesn't just feels like a massive and unnecessary oversight that I just can't get over.

The parry system itself feels like a very two steps forward one step back kind of design. When it works it's great, rewarding even, but when it doesn't it's such a hassle to get down. Not to mention they introduce the parry system so late into the game when I feel like it's something it should've introduced before the first boss??? Speaking of bosses, when using the parry system against tougher enemies sometimes I feel like the rhythm of the parries clash with the background music which can be distracting and very frustrating. This I'll admit is probably more skill issue than design issue but it's still a constant issue I've had with the game so far that takes me out of the game more than keeps me engaged.

All of these valid criticisms being said, I still am grateful that 1) this game was made in this day and age 2) someone got to make their dream game in an industry that has become so cold and harsh to creative games like Hi-Fi Rush. These criticisms of mine are out of love for how unique and fun this game and that I desperately want more from. I love how this game also acknowledge its studio's history by having my beloved Sebastian and Joseph of The Evil Within fame in this world. If and when there's an Evil Within 3 sequel, I expect to see Chai and the gang in The Evil Within whether it be a simple comic book cameo or Chai's guitar randomly placed in a level. I want more studio lore acknowledgement in video games. it's cute and fun. I want more cute and fun games that doesn't take itself seriously but acknowledge serious moments like it does.

To anyone who says P3P is the definitive way to play Persona 3 is so full of it.

Say what you will about P3 FES' difficulty and AI controlled party mechanic, it's still leagues superior to P3P.

While I don't hate this game, and quite honestly had a good 115 hours of it, the effort put into this "remastered" PSP Port really ruins the experience of Persona 3. I miss that warm fuzzy 480 SD explorable world that made P3/P3 FES so alluring and charming to play and experience. P3P was cool for its time, but just as its appeal started that's where it also should've ended.

To be frank, unless you're rolling in cash, have a subscription to Xbox Gamepass, or are insanely desperate to play Persona 3, I'd just skip this port and either dish out the money to play it on a PS2/PS3 or emulate it. P3P does not do the game the justice it deserves.

And just to reiterate, if you have an issue with the AI party control that just sounds like a skill issue to me but what do I know.

Can you tell how ticked off I am about this remaster.