As someone who thinks the ideas behind games like Dwarf Fortress are interesting, they've always been a challenge for me to get into and truly appreciate. Kenshi allows me to play a game like that without being too complex yet having just enough depth to be just as engaging.

I've barely seen what this game has to offer, yet I have poured upwards of 30 hours into it already and see no sign of stopping. In such a beautiful and rich world that you just exist in like everyone else, you do things simply to survive; the meaning behind your play-through is up to you.

It's ultimately a CRPG survival game; stats increase the more you do something associated with said stat, and the game does a good enough job explaining that. Combat is mostly just hitting right-click and telling what party members to fight and what kind of stance they should be in. The weapons they carry can affect enemy limbs differently, and they all have varying degrees of use. The best part is that the survival mechanics aren't overbearing or stressful. You have a list of limbs and they each have their own health bar. Using bandages and splints depending on the injury fixes them, and they slowly regain health again. You have a hunger stat, but obtaining money for food isn't too much trouble.

Give this game a shot and save often if you do; don't be afraid to save scum and learn from your mistakes. While it is difficult, it is still very enjoyable and immersive. And if you see a big giraffe-looking thing with a beak, make sure to go up to it, as they offer great transport and make for good food resources.

The best Animal Crossing game to date.

Armored Core 2 is one of the rare games where it does everything and more compared to its predecessor. Better world building, more plot, more AC customization, and the arena.
Without spoiling too much of the plot, the story is basically Char's Counterattack, but with all the mistakes in the movie fixed.

Fighting for corporations and the earth government has never been more fun, and with that comes the arena, a place where you can take on other pilots one-on-one for some extra cash to either upgrade your armored core early or keep yourself out of debt. Every pilot in the arena is fleshed out with a backstory, and you can see their personality even in the way they fight. At 60fps, combat is just perfect. On top of allowing you to rebind buttons, it makes for a fun and intense combat system lifted from the first.

If you couldn't get into Armored Core 1, go ahead and give this game a shot. With the improvements above and the added arena, this is definitely the easier entry to get into. I also see that most people who try Armored Core 1 don't know about the plus system. Once you hit 50k debt, your handler sends you off for upgrades, and it restarts your game. This allows for the game to be a bit easier, and each time you hit 50k debt, you get another upgrade and restart.
Although with the additional arena, debt isn't as much of a worry, and most should be able to get through the game fairly easily on the normal difficulty without the plus program.
Overall, this is a perfect mecha action game and one I highly recommend.

Great game and definitely worth a play-through, which I managed to do in two sittings. The biggest issue really is just the presentation, which could have been done better, but since you're a mercenary, context and story doesn't matter too much, does it? It's a perfect level of challenge, as by the end of the game, I had only lost five missions. If you find the controls hard, just give it another hour and really experiment with the customization; after that, you will be over that hurdle easily. The variety of missions and how short they are will keep you coming back, and the flavor text before each one really immerses you that much more to just keep pushing forward. 

Drakengard 2 is certainly an oddity and a good one at that. Where Drakengard is hidden in the shadows of NIER, Drakengard 2 is hidden in its shadows even further.

Gameplay wise Drakengard 2 is far superior than the first. Better level design, being more fluid, and having a better weapon / combo system are some highlights. Also making characters not timed like the first game also gives better replay value which is needed if you're going to see all the endings.

The story is also fairly good but clearly needed some expansion in areas but its nothing that truly detracts from the plot. Where Drakengard dropped us off in a world that is already at war and the situation as the game progresses only gets worse, Drakengard 2 takes a more laid back approach which makes sense given it is a sequel to the "best" ending in Drakengard. Not that it detracts from it but the story never reaches the desperation you would see in the first game especially in the ending chapters after ending A. It still stands on its own and has emotional moments and characters one can like. As a continuation it felt like a good send off to the world especially with the final ending.

The main negatives come from the story though specifically the fact it has multiple endings. Drakengard 2 has 3 endings that do not change much between each yet requires entire play-throughs of the game on higher and higher difficulties to get them. They should have just stuck with the final ending and focused on improving other areas of the story and its presentation which for a ps2 game in 2005, it's a bit lack luster.

Definitely a overhated gem, just like Drakengard 1, though it's still not something I could recommend to everyone. Many people didn't care for the original game's gameplay, and even if I think the story is good, I know many would not like the tone change and if the tone/darker characters of the first is what carried you through the game I don't think you would enjoy this game very much.

You thank me still?
You're a sentimental fool...
Just like...your father...

This is my attempt at trying the bullet hell genre, and I just think I'm not fit for it. I can see what people like and enjoyed the first few levels. But once it starts picking up pace I ended up hitting continue more than I was moving my own ship. Besides that, it has great visuals and a great soundtrack. Definitely a game and genre that requires a lot of patience. I can see veterans of the genre having a lot of fun with Ikaruga if they have yet to play it, but I will try and find something a bit slower-paced for me so it doesn't feel completely like I'm hitting my head against a wall of trial and error.

I grew up in some alternate universe where this game was hated by the majority of people, so I'm only now getting to this game, and I gotta say it's another Square hit. A great story that doesn't disappoint. The entire cast is great, and one of my favorite parts of this game is how laid-back it is for the majority of the game, slowly ramping up with memorable moments sprinkled throughout. The feeling of being on this honorable pilgrimage and learning more about the world is something you can't miss, and coming off of Final Fantasy 16, it's a great change of pace. My biggest complaint and the reason it's not a full 5 stars is that I didn't enjoy the gameplay much at all, but at the same time, I wasn't frustrated, so it's whatever.