GabrielGSM
25 reviews liked by GabrielGSM
Grand Theft Auto IV
2008
I always seemed to get lost in the sandbox aspect of the game and never got around to finishing the story, but today I finally finished the game in its entirety. This game is and always will be one of my favorites due to nostalgia but also for it being a product of its time. The physics and AI still rival and even outperform most games being released today. Now onto another GTA 5 playthrough :)
Persona 3 Reload
2024
Cried like a little bitch
I never imagined that my first Persona experience would be so perfect
I never imagined that my first Persona experience would be so perfect
Persona 3 Reload
2024
Before playing the game, I was very apprehensive about this remake. I was afraid that they would change or ruin many of the things that make Persona 3 such a special and unique game for me, but to my relief that didn't happen. Persona 3 Reload is an incredible game and one of the best remakes I've played. Of course, the game isn't perfect, there have been things that bother me and have left me upset. For example, I feel that the atmosphere of the game is weaker, largely due to the game's crappy lighting and the super clean color filter. Replacing some iconic scenes that were previously in anime format with a amazing direction for in game cutscenes without much inspiration is a very sad choice and doesn't help either. And though I find the UI generally good, I think it is excessively blue and didn't achieve a very good color harmonization, it's quite tiring for the eyes. Not to mention there's the new versions of the original Persona 3 songs didn't sit well with me, although Azumi Takahashi is a great singer, I think her voice doesn't really resonate with the game as a whole. Don't get me wrong, the soundtrack isn't bad by any means (alright, to be honest a few songs are pretty bad ), some of the remixes are nice and the new songs composed for Reload are simply amazing. "Color Your Night" and "Full Moon Full Life" are some of the best songs in the whole franchise. It's just that I don't think the songs hit me like they used to, mainly due to the lack of Yumi Kawamura's voice and even the instrumental part is a bit weak. But I guess that's okay in the end? Like, I appreciate the courage and attempt to do something different in such an important and fundamental part of the game, even if I don't like them as much. I think the new soundtrack fulfills its role in delivering a different and refreshing experience. But I have to be fair here and admit that Izumi's performance of Kimi no Kioku was surprisingly amazing. It was the song I was most afraid to listen to because, well, it's Kimi no Kioku, this song is very special to me, but fortunately, the Reload version didn't disappoint me.
But, that's where my complaints end because really, absolutely everything else is much better or just as good as the original game. The amount of content and events they've added relating to the SEES members is absurd. Not that this was a problem in the original game, but now everything about the characters is even more developed. The relationship between the SEES is now much more intimate and believable, and that ended up creating several very beautiful moments that I genuinely didn't expect, establishing the cast of Persona 3 as my absolute favorite from the franchise, I simply love these characters. Not only that, but the male characters in SEES have been given exclusive secondary events called Linked Episodes, which work like a Social Link, but much better written. And the biggest highlight of this addition goes to Shinji, who despite being a good character in the original game and his participation being quite important for the story, unfortunately, he had very little screen time, and here this has been improved. He now has a much more in depth character arc, and his relationship with Akihiko and Mitsuru has been elevated in a spectacular and deeper way, and that genuinely makes me very happy because I always thought he was a somewhat wasted character, and now he's one of the best and most memorable characters in the game. And as I said, it's not just Shinji, although he's received more attention, all the male characters in SEES have received a Linked Episode (including Koromaru lol), and they're all pretty good, special mention to junpei, who I already thought was a great character and here has become one of my favorites of the game. Even Strega and Revolver Jesus received the proper attention and are much more interesting characters here.
And this leads me to another point of the game: the narrative. Which for many people has bad pacing and an uninteresting story for most of the time, as nothing relevant happens. I've seen comparisons to the format that Persona 4 and Persona 5 use to develop their stories, as they find it much more engaging and interesting, mainly because there are more events. Well, I disagree with that, the way P4/P5 uses to tell its story, using a "villain of the month" format per arc (in P4 it's a bit different, as they are not exactly "villains" in each arc, but essentially it's the same formula as P5), where initially it can make the story more thematically and conceptually interesting, with more events and moments of tension being built, creating an expectation of how things will unfold, it turns out to be usually disappointing and potentially wasted. Because it's always something presented at the beginning of the arc, but, soon after the presentation, everything is forgotten just to be developed again at the end, leaving a void in the middle, and this not only negatively affects the story and the themes they want to address, but consequently affects the development of the protagonist in the arc, making everything a bit shallow and poorly explored. The fact that Persona 3 does not follow this formula is what makes me find the game narrative so good, with characters so memorable and well-developed. "Nothing" happening in the story is actually what makes Persona 3 so special. It doesn't require major recurring events and new villain arcs being introduced to remain interesting and engaging, and Persona 3 is aware of that because it chooses to focus on what's important: the small moments in the live of the characters in this story. Moments that may seem insignificant to the grand scheme of things, but they contribute to what matters: building these characters and showing that they too live lives marked by moments just like ours. In Persona 3, "nothing" ends up being everything. It takes the time it needs to delve into the SEES members, be it their respective dramas or even their relationships with each other and their perspectives on everything they are experiencing throughout the game. There are no gaps, no obstacles, and no wasting time with things that do not contribute. The game chooses to focus on explore the characters continuously, from beginning to end, never stopping. Also, the absence of a "protagonist" per arc or anything similar to that also ends up being one of the biggest positives aspects here, because in addition to developing all these characters in a spectacular way, it is also a shared development among all the SEES members. I mean, they are in this together, they are comrades in battle, and above all, friends. Their dramas are intertwined, one thing leads to another, everything is connected and the level of their bond is elevated, making the whole experience much more personal, resulting in the chemistry between them being extremely captivating. And all of this culminates in the month of December/January, marking the narrative and thematic peak of Persona 3. All the events these characters have gone through now put their perseverance and tenacity to the test. Making the conclusion of this journey one of the most beautiful and cathartic I have ever experienced. For me, that's what makes the narrative engaging and interesting. What makes me find this story so remarkable. And the remake has decided to stay very faithful to the original game in this aspect, focusing only on intensifying all of this, making what was already great even better.
Another very welcome addition was the voice acting, not only in all those secondary events I mentioned but also in the Social Links, and damn, I didn't expect that a simple addition like that could make the characters so much more memorable and interesting. I particularly think Persona 3 has the best Social Links in the franchise, besides being the Social Links that touched me the most, I believe they are the ones that best engage with the themes explored in the game. And now seeing these characters voiced has made me appreciate them much more, really making them more alive. Talking to Aigis and hearing her voice, sometimes sweet and at other times extremely frustrated and confused during her arc of self discovery, and pondering the meaning of life. Or talking to Akinari and hearing his voice as he tells the bittersweet story of his book or talks about his sadness and anguish of having a terminal illness and such fragile health that prevents him from living his life to the fullest, it hits much harder, especially the conversation with his mother at the end of the game. And I identify a lot with Akinari's situation, as I have had a very serious illness and fragile health since childhood, and I know how sad and terrible it is to deal with it. So listening to Akinari's mother now fully voiced, pouring her heart out about all of this genuinely broken me and made me cry in a way I didn't even know I was capable of. It reminded me a lot of my own mother who has suffered and still suffers because of this. All this made me realize how powerful the voice really is. And I hope that from now on, fully voiced social links becomes the standard in the franchise.
And of course, there's Tartarus, the most hated part from Persona 3, and being honest here, I always liked Tartarus and here it's not different. I thought it was perfect the way it was done and its better than the original. People complain about Tartarus because it's repetitive and exhaustive, but I've always thought that was the point. It's not meant to be enjoyable. You're climbing an extremely immense and dangerous tower, with infinite corridors and random paths that change every night, and the further you climb, the more twisted and uneasy it becomes. It feels like there's no ending, and if there is one, you have no idea what awaits you there. It's exhausting, it's repetitive, and it can be monotonous for a good part of the exploration, but that's exactly what makes Tartarus such a despicable place to be, which makes perfect narrative sense within the game and in how the characters feel when they explore Tartarus. But I can understand why many people hate it, really. It's just that I've always found the concept and exploration in Tartarus interesting, and most of the time I was engaged in this unpleasant journey, which is to explore Tartarus. And for me, the most fundamental part of Tartarus remains untouched in Reload. There were subtle changes, but they worked very well, such as making the floors smaller and more tools to make exploration smoother, and now there's a better balance between making the encounters and exploration engaging, leaving you more motivated to keep exploring, while maintaining the more "negative" part of climbing that infernal tower.
The combat has also become much more enjoyable and fun here, I think it flows better and I like the fact that it's more dynamic. I've seen a lot of people complaining about the difficulty, saying that it's too easy, but fortunately, I didn't have that feeling because I played on Merciless difficulty, and it was a very balanced and enjoyable experience. I didn't find any boss fights too easy or too hard (except for Reaper). Ah, and the addition of Theurgy is fucking awesome. But, I have to admit it's a bit OP and made the boss fights relatively easier.
I really understand the criticism the game has received and I think it's fair that many people didn't like this version of the game as much as the FES or Portable, especially in terms of content. I also love Kotone/FeMC and knowing that I'll never have the opportunity to play her route with improved graphics and all the QoL of Reload makes me really sad. And the fact that this game is the fourth re-release of Persona 3 and there's still no definitive version is absurd. But Persona 3 in general was an incredibly personal experience for me, and the themes explored throughout the game resonate so much with me. I first played Persona 3 FES during a tumultuous and depressed period of my life, where I was totally lost. The game made me rethink a lot of things about me and how to deal with my problems at the time. It made me ponder my decisions in that hazy moment, how I should deal with the people around me and how they were dealing with me in that situation, it made me realize I am special to my friends and my family and that I don't live just for myself. And honestly, to this day, I keep thinking about everything that Persona 3 has provided me and how it has changed my perspective about my future and on my way of living. So, seeing how this remake worked on these characters who are so dear to me and developed the themes with so much love and care, make all the issues this game has simply don't matter to me. Persona 3 Reload made me realize how much happier I am just for loving this franchise and especially Persona 3.
In the more than 100 hours playing this, Persona 3 Reload turns out to be a very solid way to experience this story. But no matter which version of Persona 3 I play, even though they're all different, they all end up being the same thing: an extremely special experience for me and one of my favorite games. Persona 3 Reload is still Persona 3 - and that's what matters.
But, that's where my complaints end because really, absolutely everything else is much better or just as good as the original game. The amount of content and events they've added relating to the SEES members is absurd. Not that this was a problem in the original game, but now everything about the characters is even more developed. The relationship between the SEES is now much more intimate and believable, and that ended up creating several very beautiful moments that I genuinely didn't expect, establishing the cast of Persona 3 as my absolute favorite from the franchise, I simply love these characters. Not only that, but the male characters in SEES have been given exclusive secondary events called Linked Episodes, which work like a Social Link, but much better written. And the biggest highlight of this addition goes to Shinji, who despite being a good character in the original game and his participation being quite important for the story, unfortunately, he had very little screen time, and here this has been improved. He now has a much more in depth character arc, and his relationship with Akihiko and Mitsuru has been elevated in a spectacular and deeper way, and that genuinely makes me very happy because I always thought he was a somewhat wasted character, and now he's one of the best and most memorable characters in the game. And as I said, it's not just Shinji, although he's received more attention, all the male characters in SEES have received a Linked Episode (including Koromaru lol), and they're all pretty good, special mention to junpei, who I already thought was a great character and here has become one of my favorites of the game. Even Strega and Revolver Jesus received the proper attention and are much more interesting characters here.
And this leads me to another point of the game: the narrative. Which for many people has bad pacing and an uninteresting story for most of the time, as nothing relevant happens. I've seen comparisons to the format that Persona 4 and Persona 5 use to develop their stories, as they find it much more engaging and interesting, mainly because there are more events. Well, I disagree with that, the way P4/P5 uses to tell its story, using a "villain of the month" format per arc (in P4 it's a bit different, as they are not exactly "villains" in each arc, but essentially it's the same formula as P5), where initially it can make the story more thematically and conceptually interesting, with more events and moments of tension being built, creating an expectation of how things will unfold, it turns out to be usually disappointing and potentially wasted. Because it's always something presented at the beginning of the arc, but, soon after the presentation, everything is forgotten just to be developed again at the end, leaving a void in the middle, and this not only negatively affects the story and the themes they want to address, but consequently affects the development of the protagonist in the arc, making everything a bit shallow and poorly explored. The fact that Persona 3 does not follow this formula is what makes me find the game narrative so good, with characters so memorable and well-developed. "Nothing" happening in the story is actually what makes Persona 3 so special. It doesn't require major recurring events and new villain arcs being introduced to remain interesting and engaging, and Persona 3 is aware of that because it chooses to focus on what's important: the small moments in the live of the characters in this story. Moments that may seem insignificant to the grand scheme of things, but they contribute to what matters: building these characters and showing that they too live lives marked by moments just like ours. In Persona 3, "nothing" ends up being everything. It takes the time it needs to delve into the SEES members, be it their respective dramas or even their relationships with each other and their perspectives on everything they are experiencing throughout the game. There are no gaps, no obstacles, and no wasting time with things that do not contribute. The game chooses to focus on explore the characters continuously, from beginning to end, never stopping. Also, the absence of a "protagonist" per arc or anything similar to that also ends up being one of the biggest positives aspects here, because in addition to developing all these characters in a spectacular way, it is also a shared development among all the SEES members. I mean, they are in this together, they are comrades in battle, and above all, friends. Their dramas are intertwined, one thing leads to another, everything is connected and the level of their bond is elevated, making the whole experience much more personal, resulting in the chemistry between them being extremely captivating. And all of this culminates in the month of December/January, marking the narrative and thematic peak of Persona 3. All the events these characters have gone through now put their perseverance and tenacity to the test. Making the conclusion of this journey one of the most beautiful and cathartic I have ever experienced. For me, that's what makes the narrative engaging and interesting. What makes me find this story so remarkable. And the remake has decided to stay very faithful to the original game in this aspect, focusing only on intensifying all of this, making what was already great even better.
Another very welcome addition was the voice acting, not only in all those secondary events I mentioned but also in the Social Links, and damn, I didn't expect that a simple addition like that could make the characters so much more memorable and interesting. I particularly think Persona 3 has the best Social Links in the franchise, besides being the Social Links that touched me the most, I believe they are the ones that best engage with the themes explored in the game. And now seeing these characters voiced has made me appreciate them much more, really making them more alive. Talking to Aigis and hearing her voice, sometimes sweet and at other times extremely frustrated and confused during her arc of self discovery, and pondering the meaning of life. Or talking to Akinari and hearing his voice as he tells the bittersweet story of his book or talks about his sadness and anguish of having a terminal illness and such fragile health that prevents him from living his life to the fullest, it hits much harder, especially the conversation with his mother at the end of the game. And I identify a lot with Akinari's situation, as I have had a very serious illness and fragile health since childhood, and I know how sad and terrible it is to deal with it. So listening to Akinari's mother now fully voiced, pouring her heart out about all of this genuinely broken me and made me cry in a way I didn't even know I was capable of. It reminded me a lot of my own mother who has suffered and still suffers because of this. All this made me realize how powerful the voice really is. And I hope that from now on, fully voiced social links becomes the standard in the franchise.
And of course, there's Tartarus, the most hated part from Persona 3, and being honest here, I always liked Tartarus and here it's not different. I thought it was perfect the way it was done and its better than the original. People complain about Tartarus because it's repetitive and exhaustive, but I've always thought that was the point. It's not meant to be enjoyable. You're climbing an extremely immense and dangerous tower, with infinite corridors and random paths that change every night, and the further you climb, the more twisted and uneasy it becomes. It feels like there's no ending, and if there is one, you have no idea what awaits you there. It's exhausting, it's repetitive, and it can be monotonous for a good part of the exploration, but that's exactly what makes Tartarus such a despicable place to be, which makes perfect narrative sense within the game and in how the characters feel when they explore Tartarus. But I can understand why many people hate it, really. It's just that I've always found the concept and exploration in Tartarus interesting, and most of the time I was engaged in this unpleasant journey, which is to explore Tartarus. And for me, the most fundamental part of Tartarus remains untouched in Reload. There were subtle changes, but they worked very well, such as making the floors smaller and more tools to make exploration smoother, and now there's a better balance between making the encounters and exploration engaging, leaving you more motivated to keep exploring, while maintaining the more "negative" part of climbing that infernal tower.
The combat has also become much more enjoyable and fun here, I think it flows better and I like the fact that it's more dynamic. I've seen a lot of people complaining about the difficulty, saying that it's too easy, but fortunately, I didn't have that feeling because I played on Merciless difficulty, and it was a very balanced and enjoyable experience. I didn't find any boss fights too easy or too hard (except for Reaper). Ah, and the addition of Theurgy is fucking awesome. But, I have to admit it's a bit OP and made the boss fights relatively easier.
I really understand the criticism the game has received and I think it's fair that many people didn't like this version of the game as much as the FES or Portable, especially in terms of content. I also love Kotone/FeMC and knowing that I'll never have the opportunity to play her route with improved graphics and all the QoL of Reload makes me really sad. And the fact that this game is the fourth re-release of Persona 3 and there's still no definitive version is absurd. But Persona 3 in general was an incredibly personal experience for me, and the themes explored throughout the game resonate so much with me. I first played Persona 3 FES during a tumultuous and depressed period of my life, where I was totally lost. The game made me rethink a lot of things about me and how to deal with my problems at the time. It made me ponder my decisions in that hazy moment, how I should deal with the people around me and how they were dealing with me in that situation, it made me realize I am special to my friends and my family and that I don't live just for myself. And honestly, to this day, I keep thinking about everything that Persona 3 has provided me and how it has changed my perspective about my future and on my way of living. So, seeing how this remake worked on these characters who are so dear to me and developed the themes with so much love and care, make all the issues this game has simply don't matter to me. Persona 3 Reload made me realize how much happier I am just for loving this franchise and especially Persona 3.
In the more than 100 hours playing this, Persona 3 Reload turns out to be a very solid way to experience this story. But no matter which version of Persona 3 I play, even though they're all different, they all end up being the same thing: an extremely special experience for me and one of my favorite games. Persona 3 Reload is still Persona 3 - and that's what matters.
This review contains spoilers
It’s incredible that after 19 years and 10 mainline games RGG can still make something so fun to play and with such thematic strength to the point that elevates the Yakuza series to not only one of my favorite game franchises, but also favorite media franchises in general.
Gameplay-wise, Infinite Wealth is a huge upgrade from 7. For starters, the exp curve is really great. The scaling for exp and job levels means that it’s very easy to catch up thanks for the game design choice of granting the player more stat points for leveling up the character itself compared to the points you earn by leveling up your job, which combined with the new inheritance system, gives room to experimentation with your builds.
Job design and skills are also excellent, each new job has a really cool and distinct aesthetic, a really fun playstyle that is way more interesting than they were in 7. The way you unlock them is also hilarious, with Ichiban and the gang doing some tourist activities in Hawaii, resulting in Ichiban having a Revelation for a new job, or Chitose having that revelation when the job in question is female-only.
Speaking of which, Hawaii is a delight to explore, going from urban-packed cities like Yokohama and Kamurocho to a more tropical Hawaii is a nice change of pace, I was constantly exploring the place for various reasons like the minigames, party talks, or even greeting the locals and adding them as your friends, which surprisingly I found myself doing most of the time.
The new combat changes are also great. The fact that you can now position your characters so that you can change the AoE of attacks, the added proximity bonus, back attacks, combo attacks, rebound attacks, all of these changes make the turn-based combat more fun and dynamic.
With the gameplay section out of the way, the game’s themes in this instalment of the series focus on closure, but not necessarily as a way of ending things, rather as a conduit for new beginnings in life.
Along the journey we find new and returning characters that are basically at the crossroads of their lives. Tomizawa is a taxi driver who, despite not having the most comfortable life, still had a happy one with his girlfriend and with a baby on the way, which was unfortunately taken away from him because of him being framed for a crime he did not commit. Only when he confronts who is responsible for it, and reuniting with his ex and seeing that she is now living a happy life if you have done his drink links, can Tomizawa move on.
Chitose is also a new party member, born of a rich family, she never had any type of control in her life until she started the Tatara channel where she could be more herself behind of a vtuber persona, which unfortunately was also taken from her by Eiji to be a means of destroying the lives of yakuza trying to integrate to society, and only when she is motivated by her new allies is when she has the courage to go against Eiji and take back control of her life.
The same can also be applied to returning characters of the series. Adachi wants to redeem himself for not being able to stop a robbery that could have been prevented, Nanba wants to return the job that a coworker of his lost and find out the true reason of why he was fired so that he can lift some of the blame off Ichiban’s shoulders, Seonhee wants to live up to her status as the chief of both the Geomijul and the Liumang, Zhao wants to do what he loves in life and not doing something that was chosen for him, Saeko wants closure with her feelings of love and her feelings for Ichiban.
Yamai was a character that I didn’t expect to like so much when I played the game. He starts off as a regular criminal boss, with a weird tic of always feeling cold, even when dressed in almost winter clothes in a hot location as Hawaii. We later learn that this is because of a lack of closure he has for his previous life as a Tojo clan yakuza and unfortunate ending he had with his love for the patriarch’s wife. Along the journey we see him trying to cope with that, first with setting up the Yamai Syndicate and trying to take over the Hawaii criminal underworld, next trying to defeat Kiryu in battle, but each time he can’t get rid of himself of the coldness that he feels. Only when he meets Ichiban and he starts to warm up to him (no pun intended) is when he finally decides to reunite with his loved one, only to find out that she’s been diagnosed with Alzheimer and no longer recognizes him, “It’s over. There’s nothing romantic left to this” as he says, but when she starts to complain that she is cold and Yamai decides to give her his jacket, it’s the first time when he does something for her where she is genuinely thankful for, giving the closure that Yamai needed. “Yeah… I was too warm anyway”.
Which brings us to our main protagonists. Ichiban is trying to continue the legacy of Arakawa by trying to integrate every yakuza back to society after the great dissolution, which has not been easy thanks to the new 5-year ex-yakuza clause, and adding the stigma that society has for ex-cons then you have a recipe for disaster. People later accuse him of using these new hires for committing different types of crimes, which results in him being fired from his job. He then finds a new purpose when Sawashiro makes a return and asks him a favor of reuniting with his mom and give her Arakawa’s ashes. During the trip he meets Eiji, who at first, we are led to believe that he’s wheelchair bound and this obviously starts a relationship that parallels the one Ichiban had with Ryo Aoki, almost like he’s trying to redeem himself for not being able to save him and giving the chance of redemption that he needed. Later we learn that this was all an act to prey on Ichiban’s emotional vulnerabilities, but this does not stop him, in each turn Ichiban tries to save Eiji from going down this path of hatred and revenge, and only in the end, where Eiji’s ploys are revealed to the world, is when Ichiban can convince him to turn himself in and start life anew.
Kiryu is a man who lived a life full of regrets. We have seen his journey since 0 and along each iteration we’ve seen how the yakuza life has changed him, first inspired by Kazama and the luxuries of this lifestyle, it quickly turned on its head leading to a life full of violence and sadness, each time trying to quit and living a normal life it has been failed, and since the end of 6, Kiryu faked his own death to separate himself from his loved ones. And now it is revealed that not only he has cancer, but also that he only has 6 months left to live. Kiryu in the beginning is at peace with this, he is supposed to be dead after all, and even if he fought back, it would only result in him living a life that is not his own. But when he starts to hang out with Ichiban and later when he returns to Japan starts to do his bucket list is when he finally gains reasons to keep on living (which is juxtaposed with the awakening mechanic, each thing you do for the bucket list is more points to upgrade his combat styles). With this said, I think it’s fair to say that the first sparks to truly fight back is when he visits Daigo, Majima and Saejima. The three of them started a security company in Osaka to serve as a safe net for the ex-yakuza so that they can integrate back to society, but when the company is exposed, the company went under. This left them devastated and since their presence alone destroyed any type of chance that their new employees had at having a normal life, they decided to remove themselves from society, and if they got their way, they would be forgotten by everyone. When Kiryu sees this, he calls them out for being cowards, instead of fighting back and earn their place that they would rather die in a desolate cold place, which is ironic since it is what Kiryu was also doing until now, and this moment is imo where the will to fight back truly begin. At the final battle, Kiryu wears his old suit which fabric colors have faded along with the time, and also rocking with his classic haircut, signaling the return of the Dragon. And in the post-credits scene we see a frail Kiryu, but one that has decided to fight and live on. We see a man who has regained his name.
The final confrontation in this game is against Ebina. He is the son of Arakawa and the daughter of his family patriarch. We of course know that Arakawa didn’t love her, which resulted in Hikawa raising her son alone and falling into sickness. This fueled Ebina to go through a path of revenge, trying to kill every yakuza that he could thanks to the deal he made with palakana. This is further indicated with the tattoo on his back that represents an Oni, violent creatures that are fueled with bloodthirst and rage. This all ends when Kiryu defeats him in battle and then begs him for forgiveness, that is the moment where all his rage is gone. His mother’s final words were of her begging him to forgive his father and the yakuza, and Kiryu’s “final” words are of him begging Ebina to forgive him.
Which brings me to the final topic. What is Infinite Wealth? The answer that the game gives (or at least my interpretation of that answer) is that infinite wealth is the life that you choose to live. During the game we meet character that face many adversities in their lives, and we see how society treats people that live in the rock-bottom, in Japan we have the 5-year ex-yakuza clause, and in Hawaii we have the Island that has been repurposed as a nuclear waste deposit, these both used as means to not rehabilitate them, but to cast them aside and ignore them. You can only take back control of your life and change for the better if you fight for it. As Kiryu says to Ebina, “You can’t change anything if you’re dead”.
The final cutscene plays a song by Sheena Ringo called “The Invaluable”. The song is about the value of life, of how even if the world takes something from you, it cannot take away or destroy the way you live your life, because it’s something that has no equal value.
I’ll leave this review/analysis/thoughts/whatever you want to call this with something that Kazuhiro Nakayama (Ichiban’s VA) said before the game released:
"I think there are a lot of things that happen in life, but when you play Like A Dragon 8, you can look up and see the shining sky with a smile on your face."
Gameplay-wise, Infinite Wealth is a huge upgrade from 7. For starters, the exp curve is really great. The scaling for exp and job levels means that it’s very easy to catch up thanks for the game design choice of granting the player more stat points for leveling up the character itself compared to the points you earn by leveling up your job, which combined with the new inheritance system, gives room to experimentation with your builds.
Job design and skills are also excellent, each new job has a really cool and distinct aesthetic, a really fun playstyle that is way more interesting than they were in 7. The way you unlock them is also hilarious, with Ichiban and the gang doing some tourist activities in Hawaii, resulting in Ichiban having a Revelation for a new job, or Chitose having that revelation when the job in question is female-only.
Speaking of which, Hawaii is a delight to explore, going from urban-packed cities like Yokohama and Kamurocho to a more tropical Hawaii is a nice change of pace, I was constantly exploring the place for various reasons like the minigames, party talks, or even greeting the locals and adding them as your friends, which surprisingly I found myself doing most of the time.
The new combat changes are also great. The fact that you can now position your characters so that you can change the AoE of attacks, the added proximity bonus, back attacks, combo attacks, rebound attacks, all of these changes make the turn-based combat more fun and dynamic.
With the gameplay section out of the way, the game’s themes in this instalment of the series focus on closure, but not necessarily as a way of ending things, rather as a conduit for new beginnings in life.
Along the journey we find new and returning characters that are basically at the crossroads of their lives. Tomizawa is a taxi driver who, despite not having the most comfortable life, still had a happy one with his girlfriend and with a baby on the way, which was unfortunately taken away from him because of him being framed for a crime he did not commit. Only when he confronts who is responsible for it, and reuniting with his ex and seeing that she is now living a happy life if you have done his drink links, can Tomizawa move on.
Chitose is also a new party member, born of a rich family, she never had any type of control in her life until she started the Tatara channel where she could be more herself behind of a vtuber persona, which unfortunately was also taken from her by Eiji to be a means of destroying the lives of yakuza trying to integrate to society, and only when she is motivated by her new allies is when she has the courage to go against Eiji and take back control of her life.
The same can also be applied to returning characters of the series. Adachi wants to redeem himself for not being able to stop a robbery that could have been prevented, Nanba wants to return the job that a coworker of his lost and find out the true reason of why he was fired so that he can lift some of the blame off Ichiban’s shoulders, Seonhee wants to live up to her status as the chief of both the Geomijul and the Liumang, Zhao wants to do what he loves in life and not doing something that was chosen for him, Saeko wants closure with her feelings of love and her feelings for Ichiban.
Yamai was a character that I didn’t expect to like so much when I played the game. He starts off as a regular criminal boss, with a weird tic of always feeling cold, even when dressed in almost winter clothes in a hot location as Hawaii. We later learn that this is because of a lack of closure he has for his previous life as a Tojo clan yakuza and unfortunate ending he had with his love for the patriarch’s wife. Along the journey we see him trying to cope with that, first with setting up the Yamai Syndicate and trying to take over the Hawaii criminal underworld, next trying to defeat Kiryu in battle, but each time he can’t get rid of himself of the coldness that he feels. Only when he meets Ichiban and he starts to warm up to him (no pun intended) is when he finally decides to reunite with his loved one, only to find out that she’s been diagnosed with Alzheimer and no longer recognizes him, “It’s over. There’s nothing romantic left to this” as he says, but when she starts to complain that she is cold and Yamai decides to give her his jacket, it’s the first time when he does something for her where she is genuinely thankful for, giving the closure that Yamai needed. “Yeah… I was too warm anyway”.
Which brings us to our main protagonists. Ichiban is trying to continue the legacy of Arakawa by trying to integrate every yakuza back to society after the great dissolution, which has not been easy thanks to the new 5-year ex-yakuza clause, and adding the stigma that society has for ex-cons then you have a recipe for disaster. People later accuse him of using these new hires for committing different types of crimes, which results in him being fired from his job. He then finds a new purpose when Sawashiro makes a return and asks him a favor of reuniting with his mom and give her Arakawa’s ashes. During the trip he meets Eiji, who at first, we are led to believe that he’s wheelchair bound and this obviously starts a relationship that parallels the one Ichiban had with Ryo Aoki, almost like he’s trying to redeem himself for not being able to save him and giving the chance of redemption that he needed. Later we learn that this was all an act to prey on Ichiban’s emotional vulnerabilities, but this does not stop him, in each turn Ichiban tries to save Eiji from going down this path of hatred and revenge, and only in the end, where Eiji’s ploys are revealed to the world, is when Ichiban can convince him to turn himself in and start life anew.
Kiryu is a man who lived a life full of regrets. We have seen his journey since 0 and along each iteration we’ve seen how the yakuza life has changed him, first inspired by Kazama and the luxuries of this lifestyle, it quickly turned on its head leading to a life full of violence and sadness, each time trying to quit and living a normal life it has been failed, and since the end of 6, Kiryu faked his own death to separate himself from his loved ones. And now it is revealed that not only he has cancer, but also that he only has 6 months left to live. Kiryu in the beginning is at peace with this, he is supposed to be dead after all, and even if he fought back, it would only result in him living a life that is not his own. But when he starts to hang out with Ichiban and later when he returns to Japan starts to do his bucket list is when he finally gains reasons to keep on living (which is juxtaposed with the awakening mechanic, each thing you do for the bucket list is more points to upgrade his combat styles). With this said, I think it’s fair to say that the first sparks to truly fight back is when he visits Daigo, Majima and Saejima. The three of them started a security company in Osaka to serve as a safe net for the ex-yakuza so that they can integrate back to society, but when the company is exposed, the company went under. This left them devastated and since their presence alone destroyed any type of chance that their new employees had at having a normal life, they decided to remove themselves from society, and if they got their way, they would be forgotten by everyone. When Kiryu sees this, he calls them out for being cowards, instead of fighting back and earn their place that they would rather die in a desolate cold place, which is ironic since it is what Kiryu was also doing until now, and this moment is imo where the will to fight back truly begin. At the final battle, Kiryu wears his old suit which fabric colors have faded along with the time, and also rocking with his classic haircut, signaling the return of the Dragon. And in the post-credits scene we see a frail Kiryu, but one that has decided to fight and live on. We see a man who has regained his name.
The final confrontation in this game is against Ebina. He is the son of Arakawa and the daughter of his family patriarch. We of course know that Arakawa didn’t love her, which resulted in Hikawa raising her son alone and falling into sickness. This fueled Ebina to go through a path of revenge, trying to kill every yakuza that he could thanks to the deal he made with palakana. This is further indicated with the tattoo on his back that represents an Oni, violent creatures that are fueled with bloodthirst and rage. This all ends when Kiryu defeats him in battle and then begs him for forgiveness, that is the moment where all his rage is gone. His mother’s final words were of her begging him to forgive his father and the yakuza, and Kiryu’s “final” words are of him begging Ebina to forgive him.
Which brings me to the final topic. What is Infinite Wealth? The answer that the game gives (or at least my interpretation of that answer) is that infinite wealth is the life that you choose to live. During the game we meet character that face many adversities in their lives, and we see how society treats people that live in the rock-bottom, in Japan we have the 5-year ex-yakuza clause, and in Hawaii we have the Island that has been repurposed as a nuclear waste deposit, these both used as means to not rehabilitate them, but to cast them aside and ignore them. You can only take back control of your life and change for the better if you fight for it. As Kiryu says to Ebina, “You can’t change anything if you’re dead”.
The final cutscene plays a song by Sheena Ringo called “The Invaluable”. The song is about the value of life, of how even if the world takes something from you, it cannot take away or destroy the way you live your life, because it’s something that has no equal value.
I’ll leave this review/analysis/thoughts/whatever you want to call this with something that Kazuhiro Nakayama (Ichiban’s VA) said before the game released:
"I think there are a lot of things that happen in life, but when you play Like A Dragon 8, you can look up and see the shining sky with a smile on your face."
shelving this while I play Persona 3 Reload
Psychonauts
2005
Thank you @Eggsandwhich for recommending I play this after my month of NieR. Also a shoutout to @ptcremisi cuz he loves this game too. I'm happy to say, despite some issues I had that do hold it back from me rating it higher, I really enjoyed this game a lot.
Though tbh, at first I wasn't really enjoying it all too much. The beginning cutscene really got me interested but by the time I got to the first level in the game, I started noticing issues I had. First off, I don't think the first level is that great of an introduction. I found the level design to be too simple and it's definitely my least favorite stage in the game. That plus some other issues I had while playing, really didn't help my engagement. I found the combat just okay, it got the job done but it wasn't great. The platforming too could be a little wonky. I found the ledge grab really inconsistent (tho I got used to it later on). The figments were hard to see a lot of the time and they seemed like they'd be quite annoying. It also didn't help that I played this on my PS2 and it ran poorly a lot of the time and even rarely slowed to a crawl. That combination of things, plus the poor intro level, it just wasn't doing it for me. Also later on, you start to fight bosses. While it's cool to find out how to beat them, they're often not that fun mechanically because of the clunky combat and are usually too easy on top of that.
As I played on tho, a lot of these issues were lessened a bunch cuz I blew them out of proportion. Because of this, I learned to really love the fantastic things in this game. Probably my absolutely favorite aspect would be just the game concept as a whole. Going into people's minds is just so awesome, and they really utilize it to it's fullest. Your collectibles are absolutely brilliant. Figments of your imagination, emotional baggage, cobwebs (in your head). It's just all so good and really makes the world feel so well thought out. Like the health pickups are literally called mental health, that's amazing!
The other best thing this game has going for it are the quirky/funny moments and it's memorable cast. I couldn't even count just how many times this game made me chuckle, it's so weird and I love it. It really felt like a Cartoon Network or Nickelodeon show from the early 2000's which is great because that's the era I grew up with. Feels like the love child of Billy and Mandy and Invader Zim if I'm being real. As for the cast of characters, most of kids were whatever (tho I did like Dogen and Lili) but the main cast of Psychonauts were all great. I do wish they had more screen time, because in the 2nd half due to certain events they're mostly absent, but what we do get is great. Also, a shoutout to Raz himself, what a great protagonist. He's so quirky and sassy yet likeable.
At first I was a bit iffy on the camp setting but once I explored the overworld, I really enjoyed it. It feels a bit nostalgic for some reason, and I never even went to camp as a kid. I also think the overworld had overall better level design than the actual levels. The levels are cooler and more out there than the camp setting but the level design is more linear, while the camp is more open and explorable which is fun.
Another thing I enjoyed were the Psi badges. While I wouldn't say most of them were super fun to actually use, a lot of them were used on puzzles throughout the game and are just cool conceptually. I will say though, levitation is an absolute blast and is easily the best badge in the game. Glad you get it early on because from then on, I used it all the time.
Idk why I thought this was a kids game all this time (I probably would've loved this as a teenager) but it definitely isn't considering they cuss throughout the game and the game can get pretty dark. Seriously, some of the mental illness stuff can get pretty realistic even if there is a goofy undertone, but it's still handled with tact. The vaults are another collectable in the game and they hold some of the darkest shit I swear. Milla's hidden vault 😢. But I really love how they flesh out each character even more.
I said the figments were annoying because they're hard to see, and while that is still a criticism of mine, they weren't annoying enough to the extent I didn't want to get them all. So I went and 100%ed the game and that was mostly hassle free. Some stray figments here and there and some of the milkman's conspiracy gave me trouble but that's about it.
So overall, while the actual gameplay is usually just acceptable to subpar, the charm this game has with it's cast of characters, it's quirky humor and just the awesome concept of going into people's minds won me over. This game is flawed but really enjoyable. I'm giving this a 7.5 rn only because the sequel seems to fix the gameplay issues I had. From what I've heard, 2 starts off right where 1 ended and that's just so cool I can't wait. Anyways, on to my Secret Santa game next...Metroid Prime 2!
7.5/10
Though tbh, at first I wasn't really enjoying it all too much. The beginning cutscene really got me interested but by the time I got to the first level in the game, I started noticing issues I had. First off, I don't think the first level is that great of an introduction. I found the level design to be too simple and it's definitely my least favorite stage in the game. That plus some other issues I had while playing, really didn't help my engagement. I found the combat just okay, it got the job done but it wasn't great. The platforming too could be a little wonky. I found the ledge grab really inconsistent (tho I got used to it later on). The figments were hard to see a lot of the time and they seemed like they'd be quite annoying. It also didn't help that I played this on my PS2 and it ran poorly a lot of the time and even rarely slowed to a crawl. That combination of things, plus the poor intro level, it just wasn't doing it for me. Also later on, you start to fight bosses. While it's cool to find out how to beat them, they're often not that fun mechanically because of the clunky combat and are usually too easy on top of that.
As I played on tho, a lot of these issues were lessened a bunch cuz I blew them out of proportion. Because of this, I learned to really love the fantastic things in this game. Probably my absolutely favorite aspect would be just the game concept as a whole. Going into people's minds is just so awesome, and they really utilize it to it's fullest. Your collectibles are absolutely brilliant. Figments of your imagination, emotional baggage, cobwebs (in your head). It's just all so good and really makes the world feel so well thought out. Like the health pickups are literally called mental health, that's amazing!
The other best thing this game has going for it are the quirky/funny moments and it's memorable cast. I couldn't even count just how many times this game made me chuckle, it's so weird and I love it. It really felt like a Cartoon Network or Nickelodeon show from the early 2000's which is great because that's the era I grew up with. Feels like the love child of Billy and Mandy and Invader Zim if I'm being real. As for the cast of characters, most of kids were whatever (tho I did like Dogen and Lili) but the main cast of Psychonauts were all great. I do wish they had more screen time, because in the 2nd half due to certain events they're mostly absent, but what we do get is great. Also, a shoutout to Raz himself, what a great protagonist. He's so quirky and sassy yet likeable.
At first I was a bit iffy on the camp setting but once I explored the overworld, I really enjoyed it. It feels a bit nostalgic for some reason, and I never even went to camp as a kid. I also think the overworld had overall better level design than the actual levels. The levels are cooler and more out there than the camp setting but the level design is more linear, while the camp is more open and explorable which is fun.
Another thing I enjoyed were the Psi badges. While I wouldn't say most of them were super fun to actually use, a lot of them were used on puzzles throughout the game and are just cool conceptually. I will say though, levitation is an absolute blast and is easily the best badge in the game. Glad you get it early on because from then on, I used it all the time.
Idk why I thought this was a kids game all this time (I probably would've loved this as a teenager) but it definitely isn't considering they cuss throughout the game and the game can get pretty dark. Seriously, some of the mental illness stuff can get pretty realistic even if there is a goofy undertone, but it's still handled with tact. The vaults are another collectable in the game and they hold some of the darkest shit I swear. Milla's hidden vault 😢. But I really love how they flesh out each character even more.
I said the figments were annoying because they're hard to see, and while that is still a criticism of mine, they weren't annoying enough to the extent I didn't want to get them all. So I went and 100%ed the game and that was mostly hassle free. Some stray figments here and there and some of the milkman's conspiracy gave me trouble but that's about it.
So overall, while the actual gameplay is usually just acceptable to subpar, the charm this game has with it's cast of characters, it's quirky humor and just the awesome concept of going into people's minds won me over. This game is flawed but really enjoyable. I'm giving this a 7.5 rn only because the sequel seems to fix the gameplay issues I had. From what I've heard, 2 starts off right where 1 ended and that's just so cool I can't wait. Anyways, on to my Secret Santa game next...Metroid Prime 2!
7.5/10
NieR: Automata
2017
The day after Christmas 2016, I got my PS4. A couple months prior, I finally got back into Playstation gaming after strictly being a Nintendo Fanboy for years. With my PS4, I got the Uncharted Collection, Uncharted 4, Skyrim, Little Big Planet 3 and Final Fantasy XV. I couldn't wait to dive into all these games I wouldn't have even given a chance years before. Fast forward to early April, I decided on a whim to pick up Persona 5 only a day after it came out. I knew almost nothing about Persona besides my one friend always recommending the series so I took a chance, and ended up loving it. Fast forward to May 2017, I pick up NieR Automata. That one friend who recommended the Persona series, would also show me gameplay of the original NieR. At this time I was still in the middle of playing Persona 5, but knowing I took a chance on that and was loving it, I took a chance on Automata as well. I didn't start it until June and didn't beat it until August of that year, but from my memories of 6 years ago I remember absolutely loving it. Fast forward to today and I decided I wanted to replay this game finally. I was wondering all this time if I'd love this game as much as I did back then, because 2017 was my absolute favorite year ever...at least that timespan of like April-August and it could have clouded my judgement. Well my thoughts are complicated but as you can see by my score, I do indeed still love this game overall.
When I first started this, I decided to replay it on hard. It had been 6 years since I played it but I figured I could do it. After dying 10 times in the super long intro, I decided to bump it down to normal. It might be a skill issue but I didn't find it fun to die in 2 or sometimes even 1 hit. I played the entire game on normal and I don't feel bad, I just wanted to have fun. Though tbh, on my first playthrough through Route A...halfway into it I kinda wasn't having much fun. My main issue was, I kept comparing every little thing to Gestalt which is the consequence of playing this immediately after that. I kept missing the main cast of that game and just wasn't digging Automata's cast much. By the end of route A, I was disappointed in the game...and disappointed in myself for feeling this way. I absolutely adored this back in 2017...did I change? Was I too cynical now or something?
My main reason for being disappointed was because my favorite aspect of Gestalt, the cast, was not even comparable in this game I felt. My favorite character was 9S and his best scenes don't even happen until the later routes. The cast of this game is solid I'd say but doesn't come close at all to Gestalt's main cast, at least for me. That was my main hangup during route A, and is still even now the biggest downgrade this game has compared to Gestalt.
During route A, even though I was disappointed by the end of it, there were still plenty of things I liked about the game and several improvements compared to Gestalt. The combat for one is definitely improved overall. Yes the combat is not on par with something like Bayonetta or DMC, but it's still flashy enough so that it feels good. You have two weapons at once and it feels good to switch between both. You also have these Pods that act as the Weiss of this game. You can switch abilities with them, and some of the abilities are straight up ones from Gestalt which was cool. Same with the weapons, some of them were ones from Gestalt so you know I had to use my beloved Beastbain. I also really loved the movement in this game compared to Gestalt, dashing around this post-apocalyptic world...especially in mid-air on top of buildings, god it feels good.
Speaking of the post-apocalyptic world..this a bit of a running gag in my discord server that I have a major hard on for it. And that's correct, I still absolutely adore the world in Automata. The world is not as fleshed out as actual open worlds, but that's partly why I love it. I think the world is the absolutely perfect size for a gaming world. It's small enough where I don't find getting around to be a chore, even if you can fast travel...and big enough where it's fun to actually explore and take in the amazing locales. Goddamn I love the aesthetic this world provides. The starting area is a ruined city overgrown with plant life and that aesthetic is like my #1 aesthetic now thanks to this game. You also have a massive desert with a whole city half buried in the sand at the end of it. You have an abandoned amusement park full of celebrating machines. There's more ruined buildings on the coastline. There's a forest area that leads to a grassy castle. Right before that area, you go through a little shopping center that's full of overgrowth. There is no area I dislike going to because every single one has such a cool aesthetic which really does it for me. The world/setting of the game was my absolute favorite aspect when I first played (besides the OST) and even now it's still probably my favorite aspect. If there's any single one thing that this game destroys Gestalt on, it's definitely its world.
Speaking of the OST, it is still fantastic 6 years later. While personally, I do prefer Gestalt's OST by a fair margin...Automata's is still awesome. Back then my favorite themes were all the area themes and while they're still great, I really like a lot of the battle themes now. Grandma Destruction and Emil Despair, obviously because they're remixes of Gestalt songs but A Beautiful Song may be my favorite totally originally Automata song now, it's fantastic. The OST is indeed objectively amazing but I think the reason why I don't like it as much as Gestalt's now is because the songs have way more going on in them while Gestalt's are more simple. Automata's songs are also generally more epic and fast paced vs Gestalt's more elegant sounding songs. I still do love Automata's OST tho and it's definitely one of my favorites ever. Honestly tho I think Gestalt might have my favorite OST ever in any game, at least as of now so ofc that would be hard to top but Automata certainly isn't that far off.
Something I definitely loved this time around was the Gestalt connections I wouldn't have ever gotten when I first played. Like certain lines reminiscent of Gestalt, or really obvious things nowadays like how the desert machines all wear Facade-like clothing. There's a quest in the desert that even has you finding hidden items that were all connected to Facade which was amazing to discover. Speaking of quests, I honestly think they were a lot better in this game compared to Gestalt. Sure, you don't have the amazing banter between NieR and Weiss. However as a whole, I found there to be less fetch quests and more memorable quests that felt somewhat impactful towards the worldbuilding. Obviously, the single best quests are the Emil ones for me just cuz they connect to Gestalt so heavily but that was gonna be a given. Oh yeah, Emil is back...his side quests were awesome as stated before but besides that he's only really here as a shopkeeper which is okay I guess. If he didn't have either of the side quests, he would have been a big disappointment but those salvage his appearance I'd say. Also up to the end of Route A, I'd say the bosses were solid overall but none of them really wowed me besides Simone who was amazing. That's partly because A Beautiful Song plays during it but still. Also Also, I forgot to mention I did do every side quest and of course upgraded all weapons to max. For what you get from doing that, which is some of the best content in the game imo, I think it's worth it.
Anyways, a lot of things have been improved from Gestalt but the big downgrade being the cast hampered my enjoyment of the 2nd half of Route A cuz I kept comparing the two games the entire time. I established this before, so you'd think Route B would be even worse because it's pretty much a retread of Route A except with small changes here and there, kinda like Route B in Gestalt except not nearly as good. Well here's the weird thing, I honestly enjoyed myself more with Route B than A. That's weird because usually people hate Route B from what I've seen but idk I digged it. Maybe it's because I was playing as 9S who I enjoyed a lot more than 2B. Or maybe it was the addition of hacking which I honestly quite enjoy even tho I know many others don't. Idk but once I beat route B, I was definitely enjoying myself more than I did at the end of route A. So I don't get when people say Route B is bad, it's different enough that it's fun to play through again. Then Route C is next and that's where the story has it's peaks...and where the game definitely won me over again.
Route C is totally different from A and B and that's a huge change from route C in Gestalt. There it was the exact same as Route B except with two new endings so Route C in Automata is definitely a big improvement. There's tons of twists, reveals and heartbreak and it's 100% the best route no question. I still don't think the story elements or character interactions come close to gestalt in its ending, but they're definitely very good. I think story-wise, I like it less overall then Gestalt's just because of the inferior cast but it has some really emotional singular moments and so I like to think I love the moments in this game more than the entirety of its story which is opposite of Gestalt. Going into those moments though, and they both happened in Route C, they were the final super boss that you access by getting every weapon to max...and ending E.
The final super boss I knew would get me because of its connection to Gestalt, and they are huge connections, but I didn't think the waterworks would flow as hard as they did. Even more surprising was ending E. I still remembered what happened but idk man it really got me. When that certain part happens and you hear the choir, I broke down. This is THE moment I'm giving this game a 10 for now. I was contemplating whether to actually drop it to a 9, and I still might eventually who knows, but the fact I cried to something that had no connection to Gestalt really...that made me realize I do still love this game even without the Gestalt shit.
I may not be in love with the game's story or cast, and I think the OST is somewhat of a downgrade..however. The combat being improved, the still wonderful OST, my favorite world in any game and the worldbuilding and connections to Gestalt I do love. And so as of now I'm going to keep this at a 10, again I might drop it down eventually but Ending E won me over for now. I do definitely love Gestalt more now as you already know, which is so weird because I once had this at a 10 and Gestalt at an 8 lol. Funny how things change.
When I first started this, I decided to replay it on hard. It had been 6 years since I played it but I figured I could do it. After dying 10 times in the super long intro, I decided to bump it down to normal. It might be a skill issue but I didn't find it fun to die in 2 or sometimes even 1 hit. I played the entire game on normal and I don't feel bad, I just wanted to have fun. Though tbh, on my first playthrough through Route A...halfway into it I kinda wasn't having much fun. My main issue was, I kept comparing every little thing to Gestalt which is the consequence of playing this immediately after that. I kept missing the main cast of that game and just wasn't digging Automata's cast much. By the end of route A, I was disappointed in the game...and disappointed in myself for feeling this way. I absolutely adored this back in 2017...did I change? Was I too cynical now or something?
My main reason for being disappointed was because my favorite aspect of Gestalt, the cast, was not even comparable in this game I felt. My favorite character was 9S and his best scenes don't even happen until the later routes. The cast of this game is solid I'd say but doesn't come close at all to Gestalt's main cast, at least for me. That was my main hangup during route A, and is still even now the biggest downgrade this game has compared to Gestalt.
During route A, even though I was disappointed by the end of it, there were still plenty of things I liked about the game and several improvements compared to Gestalt. The combat for one is definitely improved overall. Yes the combat is not on par with something like Bayonetta or DMC, but it's still flashy enough so that it feels good. You have two weapons at once and it feels good to switch between both. You also have these Pods that act as the Weiss of this game. You can switch abilities with them, and some of the abilities are straight up ones from Gestalt which was cool. Same with the weapons, some of them were ones from Gestalt so you know I had to use my beloved Beastbain. I also really loved the movement in this game compared to Gestalt, dashing around this post-apocalyptic world...especially in mid-air on top of buildings, god it feels good.
Speaking of the post-apocalyptic world..this a bit of a running gag in my discord server that I have a major hard on for it. And that's correct, I still absolutely adore the world in Automata. The world is not as fleshed out as actual open worlds, but that's partly why I love it. I think the world is the absolutely perfect size for a gaming world. It's small enough where I don't find getting around to be a chore, even if you can fast travel...and big enough where it's fun to actually explore and take in the amazing locales. Goddamn I love the aesthetic this world provides. The starting area is a ruined city overgrown with plant life and that aesthetic is like my #1 aesthetic now thanks to this game. You also have a massive desert with a whole city half buried in the sand at the end of it. You have an abandoned amusement park full of celebrating machines. There's more ruined buildings on the coastline. There's a forest area that leads to a grassy castle. Right before that area, you go through a little shopping center that's full of overgrowth. There is no area I dislike going to because every single one has such a cool aesthetic which really does it for me. The world/setting of the game was my absolute favorite aspect when I first played (besides the OST) and even now it's still probably my favorite aspect. If there's any single one thing that this game destroys Gestalt on, it's definitely its world.
Speaking of the OST, it is still fantastic 6 years later. While personally, I do prefer Gestalt's OST by a fair margin...Automata's is still awesome. Back then my favorite themes were all the area themes and while they're still great, I really like a lot of the battle themes now. Grandma Destruction and Emil Despair, obviously because they're remixes of Gestalt songs but A Beautiful Song may be my favorite totally originally Automata song now, it's fantastic. The OST is indeed objectively amazing but I think the reason why I don't like it as much as Gestalt's now is because the songs have way more going on in them while Gestalt's are more simple. Automata's songs are also generally more epic and fast paced vs Gestalt's more elegant sounding songs. I still do love Automata's OST tho and it's definitely one of my favorites ever. Honestly tho I think Gestalt might have my favorite OST ever in any game, at least as of now so ofc that would be hard to top but Automata certainly isn't that far off.
Something I definitely loved this time around was the Gestalt connections I wouldn't have ever gotten when I first played. Like certain lines reminiscent of Gestalt, or really obvious things nowadays like how the desert machines all wear Facade-like clothing. There's a quest in the desert that even has you finding hidden items that were all connected to Facade which was amazing to discover. Speaking of quests, I honestly think they were a lot better in this game compared to Gestalt. Sure, you don't have the amazing banter between NieR and Weiss. However as a whole, I found there to be less fetch quests and more memorable quests that felt somewhat impactful towards the worldbuilding. Obviously, the single best quests are the Emil ones for me just cuz they connect to Gestalt so heavily but that was gonna be a given. Oh yeah, Emil is back...his side quests were awesome as stated before but besides that he's only really here as a shopkeeper which is okay I guess. If he didn't have either of the side quests, he would have been a big disappointment but those salvage his appearance I'd say. Also up to the end of Route A, I'd say the bosses were solid overall but none of them really wowed me besides Simone who was amazing. That's partly because A Beautiful Song plays during it but still. Also Also, I forgot to mention I did do every side quest and of course upgraded all weapons to max. For what you get from doing that, which is some of the best content in the game imo, I think it's worth it.
Anyways, a lot of things have been improved from Gestalt but the big downgrade being the cast hampered my enjoyment of the 2nd half of Route A cuz I kept comparing the two games the entire time. I established this before, so you'd think Route B would be even worse because it's pretty much a retread of Route A except with small changes here and there, kinda like Route B in Gestalt except not nearly as good. Well here's the weird thing, I honestly enjoyed myself more with Route B than A. That's weird because usually people hate Route B from what I've seen but idk I digged it. Maybe it's because I was playing as 9S who I enjoyed a lot more than 2B. Or maybe it was the addition of hacking which I honestly quite enjoy even tho I know many others don't. Idk but once I beat route B, I was definitely enjoying myself more than I did at the end of route A. So I don't get when people say Route B is bad, it's different enough that it's fun to play through again. Then Route C is next and that's where the story has it's peaks...and where the game definitely won me over again.
Route C is totally different from A and B and that's a huge change from route C in Gestalt. There it was the exact same as Route B except with two new endings so Route C in Automata is definitely a big improvement. There's tons of twists, reveals and heartbreak and it's 100% the best route no question. I still don't think the story elements or character interactions come close to gestalt in its ending, but they're definitely very good. I think story-wise, I like it less overall then Gestalt's just because of the inferior cast but it has some really emotional singular moments and so I like to think I love the moments in this game more than the entirety of its story which is opposite of Gestalt. Going into those moments though, and they both happened in Route C, they were the final super boss that you access by getting every weapon to max...and ending E.
The final super boss I knew would get me because of its connection to Gestalt, and they are huge connections, but I didn't think the waterworks would flow as hard as they did. Even more surprising was ending E. I still remembered what happened but idk man it really got me. When that certain part happens and you hear the choir, I broke down. This is THE moment I'm giving this game a 10 for now. I was contemplating whether to actually drop it to a 9, and I still might eventually who knows, but the fact I cried to something that had no connection to Gestalt really...that made me realize I do still love this game even without the Gestalt shit.
I may not be in love with the game's story or cast, and I think the OST is somewhat of a downgrade..however. The combat being improved, the still wonderful OST, my favorite world in any game and the worldbuilding and connections to Gestalt I do love. And so as of now I'm going to keep this at a 10, again I might drop it down eventually but Ending E won me over for now. I do definitely love Gestalt more now as you already know, which is so weird because I once had this at a 10 and Gestalt at an 8 lol. Funny how things change.
Assassin's Creed II
2009
AC2 is the best game Ubisoft will ever make.
Ezio undergoes a profound transformation throughout the game, evolving from a carefree young man to a skilled and wise Assassin. The player witnesses his growth as he learns about his family's tragic fate, leading him to seek revenge and eventually becoming part of the Assassin Brotherhood. His charisma, charm, and wit make him a relatable and likable character for players to connect with. Ezio's journey is not just about revenge; it's about self-discovery and understanding the larger purpose of the Assassin Brotherhood. The emotional depth in the storytelling is evident as Ezio grapples with the consequences of his actions and begins to question the meaning of his existence. This emotional resonance elevates the narrative beyond a simple revenge tale. Assassin's Creed II employs a cinematic style that enhances the storytelling. The use of atmospheric music, well-voiced characters, and visually stunning environments contribute to the overall immersive experience. Cutscenes and dialogues are carefully crafted to keep players invested in Ezio's journey.
The soundtrack reverberates an angelic symphony in which 5-year-old me will never forget.
Thank you, Assassins Creed 2.
Ezio undergoes a profound transformation throughout the game, evolving from a carefree young man to a skilled and wise Assassin. The player witnesses his growth as he learns about his family's tragic fate, leading him to seek revenge and eventually becoming part of the Assassin Brotherhood. His charisma, charm, and wit make him a relatable and likable character for players to connect with. Ezio's journey is not just about revenge; it's about self-discovery and understanding the larger purpose of the Assassin Brotherhood. The emotional depth in the storytelling is evident as Ezio grapples with the consequences of his actions and begins to question the meaning of his existence. This emotional resonance elevates the narrative beyond a simple revenge tale. Assassin's Creed II employs a cinematic style that enhances the storytelling. The use of atmospheric music, well-voiced characters, and visually stunning environments contribute to the overall immersive experience. Cutscenes and dialogues are carefully crafted to keep players invested in Ezio's journey.
The soundtrack reverberates an angelic symphony in which 5-year-old me will never forget.
Thank you, Assassins Creed 2.
Fantastic campaign and a timeless set of multiplayer maps, plus some of the best Zombies in the whole franchise?
This game was so good. I feel like it took me a really long time to beat the main story, simply because it does such a good job with sidetracking you with interesting things to see and do.
I can't believe this game runs on a Switch. What a send off for Zelda titles on the hardware. I was constantly catching myself just staring at environments which I so rarely do anymore. It has such sold art direction.
The story was sort of over the top, but in classic Zelda fashion it all feels in place.
Probably the best game I've played this year and one I won't soon forget my adventure with.
I can't believe this game runs on a Switch. What a send off for Zelda titles on the hardware. I was constantly catching myself just staring at environments which I so rarely do anymore. It has such sold art direction.
The story was sort of over the top, but in classic Zelda fashion it all feels in place.
Probably the best game I've played this year and one I won't soon forget my adventure with.