ItsKy
Granblue Fantasy Relink was a lot of fun. I went into this game not knowing anything about the universe of Granblue & I was admittedly very worried that I wouldn’t understand what was going on. Luckily I had a friend who reassured me that I would be absolutely fine & that Relink does a very good job of explaining everything about the characters & their backgrounds as well as the world itself.
The story isn’t really anything special. A group of skyfarers going on a journey trying to save the world from evil. It’s very much a simple narrative that won’t blow you away or anything. However the pacing itself? Absolutely fantastic. I never felt bored & that things were moving too slow, it was very consistent in keeping my attention all the way through. The characters in itself are very likeable & I found them all to be equally endearing. And the bond that they share with each other feels so natural & man…this game’s just really charming. Despite its simplicity, it was really cozy & easy to get into. I grew to really love the crew of the Grandcypher & I wanted to learn more about them.
The main story itself took me around 18 hours to finish but the endgame is where I would say the real “meat” of the game is with some very tough quests & boss battles. And on the topic of boss battles, oh they went all out with them. Some of the best boss fights I’ve played in any action RPG. They’re grandeur, they’re intense & I always found myself amped up with so much adrenaline whenever I fought against them.
The combat in itself was really enjoyable. Each character has their own distinctive moveset & skills which you can customise to best suit your playstyle. Each of the 20 characters you can unlock all feels different & worth investing in their masteries to strengthen them & unlock their full potential in battle. As well as that you have sigil slots which you can use for your characters to increase their capabilities in battle such as having more health or attack power. The possibilities are endless for how you want to build your characters & I found myself really amazed with just how much depth there was to each party member & how you can build them. For those curious who my favourite characters to play were I would say Narmaya, Siegfried & Cagilostro were the most fun for me.
The visuals in this game are absolutely outstanding & the artstyle is gorgeous too. This is one of the most beautiful games I’ve ever seen, it has that perfect anime artstyle almost like a painting & the character & world designs are just stunning. And how can I not talk about the music, Tsutomu Narita seriously popped off with this game’s score, especially during the boss battles.
Honestly while Granblue Fantasy Relink didn’t blow me away or anything like that, this was a really really solid action RPG. And it’s actually got me very interested in venturing deeper into the world of Granblue Fantasy as a whole. I had a very good time with this game & I highly recommend it to anyone who is a fan of the genre.
Final score: 8/10
The story isn’t really anything special. A group of skyfarers going on a journey trying to save the world from evil. It’s very much a simple narrative that won’t blow you away or anything. However the pacing itself? Absolutely fantastic. I never felt bored & that things were moving too slow, it was very consistent in keeping my attention all the way through. The characters in itself are very likeable & I found them all to be equally endearing. And the bond that they share with each other feels so natural & man…this game’s just really charming. Despite its simplicity, it was really cozy & easy to get into. I grew to really love the crew of the Grandcypher & I wanted to learn more about them.
The main story itself took me around 18 hours to finish but the endgame is where I would say the real “meat” of the game is with some very tough quests & boss battles. And on the topic of boss battles, oh they went all out with them. Some of the best boss fights I’ve played in any action RPG. They’re grandeur, they’re intense & I always found myself amped up with so much adrenaline whenever I fought against them.
The combat in itself was really enjoyable. Each character has their own distinctive moveset & skills which you can customise to best suit your playstyle. Each of the 20 characters you can unlock all feels different & worth investing in their masteries to strengthen them & unlock their full potential in battle. As well as that you have sigil slots which you can use for your characters to increase their capabilities in battle such as having more health or attack power. The possibilities are endless for how you want to build your characters & I found myself really amazed with just how much depth there was to each party member & how you can build them. For those curious who my favourite characters to play were I would say Narmaya, Siegfried & Cagilostro were the most fun for me.
The visuals in this game are absolutely outstanding & the artstyle is gorgeous too. This is one of the most beautiful games I’ve ever seen, it has that perfect anime artstyle almost like a painting & the character & world designs are just stunning. And how can I not talk about the music, Tsutomu Narita seriously popped off with this game’s score, especially during the boss battles.
Honestly while Granblue Fantasy Relink didn’t blow me away or anything like that, this was a really really solid action RPG. And it’s actually got me very interested in venturing deeper into the world of Granblue Fantasy as a whole. I had a very good time with this game & I highly recommend it to anyone who is a fan of the genre.
Final score: 8/10
Now normally I would make a little preamble, going into history & whatnot but I don’t think I need to go in depth about what makes Final Fantasy VII so beloved. It’s one of the most critically acclaimed JRPGs ever made. It’s revolutionary in more ways than one & it’s a very important game in the genre for several reasons which I would just be repeating what everyone else has said about it.
Though I can talk about my own personal experience. I first played FFVII Remake back in 2020 & I found it be really enjoyable even if I did play it before the original game which I do not recommend since I see it as more of a pseudo sequel if anything. Two years later, I actually played FFVII for the first time & while I do find it to be a great game, I think it is a tad overrated by fans (I would honestly say I prefer FFIX personally) & then when I got my PS5, I decided to replay FFVII Remake & found myself appreciating it a lot more because of my experience with the original game. So many more moments just hit harder because of that prior knowledge that I now had & while Remake certainly had its flaws, I really really do love Final Fantasy VII Integrade, especially with the added on DLC called Intermission with Yuffie. So after three years, was Final Fantasy VII Rebirth worth waiting for? In short. Yeah. It absolutely was.
Final Fantasy VII Rebirth is everything that I wanted it to be & more. I find it really difficult to put my thoughts into words for this game. It took everything that I loved about Remake & improved on that & the things that I didn’t really like as well. If you’re wondering if you can play this before the others, yeah no do not do that. There is a recap of the events of Remake but I would highly advise playing it first if not the original as well as was stated before to get the most out of Rebirth as a whole. I do not recommend starting with this one so please for your own sake play the other games that came prior.
So let’s talk about that story shall we? The narrative is excellent. It very closely follows the original much like Remake did for the Midgar portion of the story with some minor tweaks here & there. A lot of people found the pacing in Remake to have been a issue (mainly because it was a six hour section in the original game stretched out to 25-30 hours) though I will say I enjoyed how Remake expanded on Midgar even if I will agree it did drag on a little too much. However with that being said, the pacing for Rebirth is immaculate. It never felt too slow or too fast, to me it was just right mostly. Though I will admit there were some sections that I found to be a little worse than others, there was never a moment in the story where I felt it dragged on too much. I felt a lot of emotions throughout this game & seeing moments from the original felt so much more impactful because of the incredible performances of the cast.
Oh & the main cast for this game, I love them. All of them. Cloud, Tifa, Barrett & Aerith are still fantastic but I have to give a special shout-out to Red XII, Yuffie & Cait Sith also who have so much more personality to them now mainly thanks to their stellar performances & are implemented into the game so wonderfully with their story arcs. Especially Yuffie who was optional in the original game but this time I found that her inclusion felt so much more natural & I really enjoyed the dynamic she had with the rest of the party to the point she’s one of my favourite FF characters now. Cait Sith I didn’t care too much for in the original game but Rebirth made me love the silly little cat & I found him to be so charming & a lot of fun. And Red XII who was already one of my favourite party members is now even more endearing thanks to this game. It really is impressive how not a single character of this cast I dislike, they are all so loveable & full of life now & that makes me very happy.
Away from the main story though, each region on the map is expansive & filled with so much to do. I was actually impressed with just how massive each of them were & the amount of content that was packed into each area made it feel like one of the most rewarding open worlds I’ve ever experienced in a JRPG. And just comparing them to the original, seeing locations with so much detail like Junon, Cosmo Canyon & Nibelheim gave me so much serotonin it can’t even be described. Oh & there are SO many mini games. My personal favourite being the new card game Queen’s Blood which I would be fully on board with Square making it into a full game because it was just that addicting & I swear anytime I got the chance to play it, I always made sure to search for new players in towns & cities.
Also this game is absolutely gorgeous. And what’s even more impressive to me is even with how big these areas are, I saw absolutely no pop in whatsoever. That is truly incredible for a game of this magnitude (really putting that massive 145GB file size to good use Square Enix) the attention to detail is just immaculate & it’s one of the most beautiful games I’ve ever played on the PS5.
The combat in this game is once again incredible. It’s pretty similar to Remake but with a number of quality of life improvements & gameplay tweaks which make it a lot more fun. You have synergy skills now where you & another party member can pull off a special team move whether it’s a power attack or a buff to increase your ATB gauges. Each character has their own defining gameplay style & it definitely is good to experiment with different team combinations so you can play to their strengths & weaknesses. Other than that though there’s not a whole lot new but as they say “if it ain’t broke don’t fix it” & I think this is one of my favourite battle systems when it comes to combining strategy & action combat.
And of course I have to mention the soundtrack for this game cause it is once again absolutely fantastic. Misuto Suzuki & Masahashi Hamazu knock it out the park once again with their score & I loved hearing tracks from the original game with a much more modern feel to them, it truly put a huge smile on my face. I also really loved how each region of the map had its own unique battle theme, I don’t know things like that are just really fun to me & it makes the world feel so much more alive as I said.
Honestly FFVII Rebirth really is special. I didn’t think for one second this game would be anything short of amazing & yet it still managed to surpass all of my expectations. Even if I do have my issues in places, I can’t deny for one second that I wasn’t having a good time with Rebirth for a majority of my 60+ hour playtime.
I’m very much looking forward to seeing what they cook up for part 3 in this trilogy because I feel like after this game, we’re gonna be in for an absolute rollercoaster. And I’m gonna be on board for it all the way to the finish. Play FFVII. It’s well worth your time.
Final score: 10/10
Though I can talk about my own personal experience. I first played FFVII Remake back in 2020 & I found it be really enjoyable even if I did play it before the original game which I do not recommend since I see it as more of a pseudo sequel if anything. Two years later, I actually played FFVII for the first time & while I do find it to be a great game, I think it is a tad overrated by fans (I would honestly say I prefer FFIX personally) & then when I got my PS5, I decided to replay FFVII Remake & found myself appreciating it a lot more because of my experience with the original game. So many more moments just hit harder because of that prior knowledge that I now had & while Remake certainly had its flaws, I really really do love Final Fantasy VII Integrade, especially with the added on DLC called Intermission with Yuffie. So after three years, was Final Fantasy VII Rebirth worth waiting for? In short. Yeah. It absolutely was.
Final Fantasy VII Rebirth is everything that I wanted it to be & more. I find it really difficult to put my thoughts into words for this game. It took everything that I loved about Remake & improved on that & the things that I didn’t really like as well. If you’re wondering if you can play this before the others, yeah no do not do that. There is a recap of the events of Remake but I would highly advise playing it first if not the original as well as was stated before to get the most out of Rebirth as a whole. I do not recommend starting with this one so please for your own sake play the other games that came prior.
So let’s talk about that story shall we? The narrative is excellent. It very closely follows the original much like Remake did for the Midgar portion of the story with some minor tweaks here & there. A lot of people found the pacing in Remake to have been a issue (mainly because it was a six hour section in the original game stretched out to 25-30 hours) though I will say I enjoyed how Remake expanded on Midgar even if I will agree it did drag on a little too much. However with that being said, the pacing for Rebirth is immaculate. It never felt too slow or too fast, to me it was just right mostly. Though I will admit there were some sections that I found to be a little worse than others, there was never a moment in the story where I felt it dragged on too much. I felt a lot of emotions throughout this game & seeing moments from the original felt so much more impactful because of the incredible performances of the cast.
Oh & the main cast for this game, I love them. All of them. Cloud, Tifa, Barrett & Aerith are still fantastic but I have to give a special shout-out to Red XII, Yuffie & Cait Sith also who have so much more personality to them now mainly thanks to their stellar performances & are implemented into the game so wonderfully with their story arcs. Especially Yuffie who was optional in the original game but this time I found that her inclusion felt so much more natural & I really enjoyed the dynamic she had with the rest of the party to the point she’s one of my favourite FF characters now. Cait Sith I didn’t care too much for in the original game but Rebirth made me love the silly little cat & I found him to be so charming & a lot of fun. And Red XII who was already one of my favourite party members is now even more endearing thanks to this game. It really is impressive how not a single character of this cast I dislike, they are all so loveable & full of life now & that makes me very happy.
Away from the main story though, each region on the map is expansive & filled with so much to do. I was actually impressed with just how massive each of them were & the amount of content that was packed into each area made it feel like one of the most rewarding open worlds I’ve ever experienced in a JRPG. And just comparing them to the original, seeing locations with so much detail like Junon, Cosmo Canyon & Nibelheim gave me so much serotonin it can’t even be described. Oh & there are SO many mini games. My personal favourite being the new card game Queen’s Blood which I would be fully on board with Square making it into a full game because it was just that addicting & I swear anytime I got the chance to play it, I always made sure to search for new players in towns & cities.
Also this game is absolutely gorgeous. And what’s even more impressive to me is even with how big these areas are, I saw absolutely no pop in whatsoever. That is truly incredible for a game of this magnitude (really putting that massive 145GB file size to good use Square Enix) the attention to detail is just immaculate & it’s one of the most beautiful games I’ve ever played on the PS5.
The combat in this game is once again incredible. It’s pretty similar to Remake but with a number of quality of life improvements & gameplay tweaks which make it a lot more fun. You have synergy skills now where you & another party member can pull off a special team move whether it’s a power attack or a buff to increase your ATB gauges. Each character has their own defining gameplay style & it definitely is good to experiment with different team combinations so you can play to their strengths & weaknesses. Other than that though there’s not a whole lot new but as they say “if it ain’t broke don’t fix it” & I think this is one of my favourite battle systems when it comes to combining strategy & action combat.
And of course I have to mention the soundtrack for this game cause it is once again absolutely fantastic. Misuto Suzuki & Masahashi Hamazu knock it out the park once again with their score & I loved hearing tracks from the original game with a much more modern feel to them, it truly put a huge smile on my face. I also really loved how each region of the map had its own unique battle theme, I don’t know things like that are just really fun to me & it makes the world feel so much more alive as I said.
Honestly FFVII Rebirth really is special. I didn’t think for one second this game would be anything short of amazing & yet it still managed to surpass all of my expectations. Even if I do have my issues in places, I can’t deny for one second that I wasn’t having a good time with Rebirth for a majority of my 60+ hour playtime.
I’m very much looking forward to seeing what they cook up for part 3 in this trilogy because I feel like after this game, we’re gonna be in for an absolute rollercoaster. And I’m gonna be on board for it all the way to the finish. Play FFVII. It’s well worth your time.
Final score: 10/10
2018
Crystar is an interesting game. It has admittedly been on my backlog for the better part of a year & I finally decided to play it recently & it took me around 30 hours to finish the main story in its entirety. And honestly I admit I’m a little conflicted on it.
Now I won’t waste too much time talking about this game’s mechanics cause I’m pretty sure most people have done that several times. I have always been one who prioritises gameplay over everything else cause well this is a game. I’m not saying everything else is unimportant it’s just if you can’t make a game fun to play? Then you’ve already failed. Doesn’t matter how incredible your story is, if I’m not enjoying playing I’m unlikely to keep going. So that already marks a couple points off Crystar right off the bat cause this game? It’s dull. It’s repetitive. And its combat lacks any sort of depth. The dungeons are incredibly samey & don’t have a lot of variety to them at all. Most encounters you resort to the same tactic mashing the same buttons over & over. Several hours in it really did get mind numbing & yeah it’s just not very fun at all. So with all that in mind you’d think I don’t like this game very much
However despite its majorly unsatisfying gameplay loop, I can still say I liked Crystar. It’s an extremely compelling story about grief & loss & I think it handles those themes really well for the most part. The art & characters are also pretty fantastic. There’s a lot of depth to the cast I feel & the performances in the English dub are pretty solid. Though I will say I found some dialogue…very cringe inducing (looking at you Kokoro) but I’d say that I did really like the bond of the party as you go through Purgatory the main area of the game. There’s a lot of complexity to the cast with my favourites being probably Rei & Sen. And the way the narrative explores the trauma of each of the girls is incredibly compelling. I think there’s a lot to be said about this game’s narrative & how much it pulls on the heartstrings especially in the latter chapters.
Now while yes I enjoyed the narrative for the most part…I’m going to say the endgame? What the fuck. This entire section was absolutely mind boggling since you need to repeat several chapters multiple times just to get all the endings. It felt like padding for the sake of extending the length. And while yes I will say the combat does improve slightly around that point, it’s still mostly the same throughout. I’ve never been much of a fan of multiple endings with exceptions going to games such as NieR Automata. However I will admit on the true ending path, all these different outcomes really did make the journey worth it. Even if I also will say that the true ending left me feeling a little…underwhelmed.
Honestly if you trimmed this game by 10 hours & fixed up the gameplay to make it less tedious? This would be a pretty easy recommendation from me but no matter how much I enjoyed Crystar, I can’t really recommend this title to anyone without first warning them about its many flaws. It was a good game though, one I definitely am glad I persevered with even despite the repetition.
Final score: 7/10
Now I won’t waste too much time talking about this game’s mechanics cause I’m pretty sure most people have done that several times. I have always been one who prioritises gameplay over everything else cause well this is a game. I’m not saying everything else is unimportant it’s just if you can’t make a game fun to play? Then you’ve already failed. Doesn’t matter how incredible your story is, if I’m not enjoying playing I’m unlikely to keep going. So that already marks a couple points off Crystar right off the bat cause this game? It’s dull. It’s repetitive. And its combat lacks any sort of depth. The dungeons are incredibly samey & don’t have a lot of variety to them at all. Most encounters you resort to the same tactic mashing the same buttons over & over. Several hours in it really did get mind numbing & yeah it’s just not very fun at all. So with all that in mind you’d think I don’t like this game very much
However despite its majorly unsatisfying gameplay loop, I can still say I liked Crystar. It’s an extremely compelling story about grief & loss & I think it handles those themes really well for the most part. The art & characters are also pretty fantastic. There’s a lot of depth to the cast I feel & the performances in the English dub are pretty solid. Though I will say I found some dialogue…very cringe inducing (looking at you Kokoro) but I’d say that I did really like the bond of the party as you go through Purgatory the main area of the game. There’s a lot of complexity to the cast with my favourites being probably Rei & Sen. And the way the narrative explores the trauma of each of the girls is incredibly compelling. I think there’s a lot to be said about this game’s narrative & how much it pulls on the heartstrings especially in the latter chapters.
Now while yes I enjoyed the narrative for the most part…I’m going to say the endgame? What the fuck. This entire section was absolutely mind boggling since you need to repeat several chapters multiple times just to get all the endings. It felt like padding for the sake of extending the length. And while yes I will say the combat does improve slightly around that point, it’s still mostly the same throughout. I’ve never been much of a fan of multiple endings with exceptions going to games such as NieR Automata. However I will admit on the true ending path, all these different outcomes really did make the journey worth it. Even if I also will say that the true ending left me feeling a little…underwhelmed.
Honestly if you trimmed this game by 10 hours & fixed up the gameplay to make it less tedious? This would be a pretty easy recommendation from me but no matter how much I enjoyed Crystar, I can’t really recommend this title to anyone without first warning them about its many flaws. It was a good game though, one I definitely am glad I persevered with even despite the repetition.
Final score: 7/10
2024
Persona 3 is clearly a special game to a lot of people & is highly regarded as one of the best JRPGs of all time. Though I admit at first I didn’t exactly feel the same. Last year I played Persona 3 for the first time with P3P’s “remaster” that was released last year. I put “remaster” in quotation marks because it was really just a port of the original game on PSP with everything AI upscaled but anyway it was like $20 & it was probably the best way to experience the game on modern systems. I said in my original review that for as good as P3 was, I find it didn’t hit the same as P4 or P5 for me. It was far from being a bad game but it lacked the magic that I felt when playing the later games in the series. It was very stripped back in its design though for what it was, I greatly appreciated the way it tackled its mature themes & highly gripping narrative. I liked Persona 3 when I first played it but I definitely felt like it was due a massive overhaul to fix the issues that I had.
So imagine my surprise in June when I discover they are remaking Persona 3 for modern systems. Now admittedly at first, I wasn’t too hyped. I was interested for sure but I didn’t have the most strong feelings on the original game so I was a lot more skeptical than others. However as time went on & I saw more & more of the game, I began to feel a lot more excited. The promotional material for Reload was interesting because it dropped new trailers every full moon which I find to be simply genius. And if you know anything about Persona 3, you’ll understand why it was pretty cool for them to do this.
I’m thrilled to report that I had an absolute blast with Persona 3 Reload. Not only is this a fantastic remake but it’s now my favourite game in the series right behind Persona 4 Golden. Of course at its core this is still the same game with the same story & the same lovable cast of characters. As a remake, this is incredibly faithful to the original with some slight differences but if you’ve played any other version of Persona 3, you won’t find a whole lot of surprises in its narrative so I won’t bother going back into that. All you need to know is if you loved the story of Persona 3, Persona 3 FES or Persona Portable then you’ll love Persona 3 Reload as well.
There are a number of new scenes though which I won’t spoil & a plethora of exclusive content which fleshes out some undeveloped characters in the original game. Honestly for all the people complaining about this remake not being “definitive” enough, I greatly appreciated the new content (it also helps that all of it is now fully voiced along with the social links which really helps my immersion in this world) & trust me like other persona games, you’re gonna want to spend time with these people all that you can & learning about their own individual stories & how they tie into the theme of life in this game (to varying degrees) is nothing short of brilliant.
I do want to take a moment to talk about the new cast cause this might just be the best voice acting I’ve ever heard in a Persona game ever since Billy Kametz in P5R. Some standouts being Allegra Clark as Mitsuru, Alejandro Saab as Akihiko & Dawn Bennett as Aigis. But none of them hold a candle to Zeno Robinson as Junpei. Genuinely might be my favourite performance all year so far. He absolutely killed it in the rolenot to mention so much better than Vic Mignoa. He was without a doubt the star of this entire show & I really can’t wait to see more of him in the future cause his performance in Reload has made me a massive fan.
Tartarus is actually…fun now? I know colour me shocked. Yes the main flaw in the original for me has now not only been made a lot less tedious but a lot more rewarding too. I mean sure I’ll admit some of my problems do remain, it’s still a pretty endless tower where you do mostly the same thing for every floor. BUT I actually didn’t mind that as much this time. Cause the combat in this game is so much fun, I don’t really care. There’s also the Monad doors which house challenging enemies & defeating them nets you some cool stuff. And how about that shuffle time? Like the original Persona 3 & Persona 4 you have a choice to choose between multiple cards with these being more money, more experience, new skill cards, new personas or refilling your party’s health. However what’s interesting is the arcana burst this time around. This is nothing new of course but in this game I found it so cool securing enough arcana cards to trigger an arcana burst & just watching the value shoot right up was so satisfying especially in the late game where you can basically use it to farm experience & money.
Figure I should also talk about the soundtrack as well. The remixed tracks from the original game for Reload are admittedly quite hit & miss. The new Mass Destruction well it’s…fine. I definitely didn’t like it as much at first but I will admit it has definitely grown on me a significant amount. Changing Seasons & Color Your Night are still vibes & among my favourite town themes in the series. New original tracks like It’s Going Down Now & Full Moon, Full Life are personal favourites for me though. The OST as a whole still matches the vibe of the original from its more upbeat pieces or more somber & melancholic tracks.
Also this game is just gorgeous. The battle UI & menu design are just so beautiful & you can moan about it being “Persona 5ified” all you want but that doesn’t change the fact that this game’s art direction is sublime. Sure maybe it lacks that gritty look in places but I don’t mind all that much personally as I feel it still works. And the ending made me cry. A lot. It’s probably the most beautifully directed scene in the entire persona series as if it wasn’t already but Reload took that moment to another level…man I just felt so many emotions with this game that I can’t even begin to describe.
I loved Persona 3 Reload. I absolutely adore this game. Sure it’s not perfect but it fixed just about everything I took issue with when I first played it early last year. Please if you are at all interested in playing this series, I urge you to pick up this remake. It really is everything that I ever wanted it to be & I’m so happy I got to experience this amazing story again in a more definitive way.
Final score: 10/10
So imagine my surprise in June when I discover they are remaking Persona 3 for modern systems. Now admittedly at first, I wasn’t too hyped. I was interested for sure but I didn’t have the most strong feelings on the original game so I was a lot more skeptical than others. However as time went on & I saw more & more of the game, I began to feel a lot more excited. The promotional material for Reload was interesting because it dropped new trailers every full moon which I find to be simply genius. And if you know anything about Persona 3, you’ll understand why it was pretty cool for them to do this.
I’m thrilled to report that I had an absolute blast with Persona 3 Reload. Not only is this a fantastic remake but it’s now my favourite game in the series right behind Persona 4 Golden. Of course at its core this is still the same game with the same story & the same lovable cast of characters. As a remake, this is incredibly faithful to the original with some slight differences but if you’ve played any other version of Persona 3, you won’t find a whole lot of surprises in its narrative so I won’t bother going back into that. All you need to know is if you loved the story of Persona 3, Persona 3 FES or Persona Portable then you’ll love Persona 3 Reload as well.
There are a number of new scenes though which I won’t spoil & a plethora of exclusive content which fleshes out some undeveloped characters in the original game. Honestly for all the people complaining about this remake not being “definitive” enough, I greatly appreciated the new content (it also helps that all of it is now fully voiced along with the social links which really helps my immersion in this world) & trust me like other persona games, you’re gonna want to spend time with these people all that you can & learning about their own individual stories & how they tie into the theme of life in this game (to varying degrees) is nothing short of brilliant.
I do want to take a moment to talk about the new cast cause this might just be the best voice acting I’ve ever heard in a Persona game ever since Billy Kametz in P5R. Some standouts being Allegra Clark as Mitsuru, Alejandro Saab as Akihiko & Dawn Bennett as Aigis. But none of them hold a candle to Zeno Robinson as Junpei. Genuinely might be my favourite performance all year so far. He absolutely killed it in the role
Tartarus is actually…fun now? I know colour me shocked. Yes the main flaw in the original for me has now not only been made a lot less tedious but a lot more rewarding too. I mean sure I’ll admit some of my problems do remain, it’s still a pretty endless tower where you do mostly the same thing for every floor. BUT I actually didn’t mind that as much this time. Cause the combat in this game is so much fun, I don’t really care. There’s also the Monad doors which house challenging enemies & defeating them nets you some cool stuff. And how about that shuffle time? Like the original Persona 3 & Persona 4 you have a choice to choose between multiple cards with these being more money, more experience, new skill cards, new personas or refilling your party’s health. However what’s interesting is the arcana burst this time around. This is nothing new of course but in this game I found it so cool securing enough arcana cards to trigger an arcana burst & just watching the value shoot right up was so satisfying especially in the late game where you can basically use it to farm experience & money.
Figure I should also talk about the soundtrack as well. The remixed tracks from the original game for Reload are admittedly quite hit & miss. The new Mass Destruction well it’s…fine. I definitely didn’t like it as much at first but I will admit it has definitely grown on me a significant amount. Changing Seasons & Color Your Night are still vibes & among my favourite town themes in the series. New original tracks like It’s Going Down Now & Full Moon, Full Life are personal favourites for me though. The OST as a whole still matches the vibe of the original from its more upbeat pieces or more somber & melancholic tracks.
Also this game is just gorgeous. The battle UI & menu design are just so beautiful & you can moan about it being “Persona 5ified” all you want but that doesn’t change the fact that this game’s art direction is sublime. Sure maybe it lacks that gritty look in places but I don’t mind all that much personally as I feel it still works. And the ending made me cry. A lot. It’s probably the most beautifully directed scene in the entire persona series as if it wasn’t already but Reload took that moment to another level…man I just felt so many emotions with this game that I can’t even begin to describe.
I loved Persona 3 Reload. I absolutely adore this game. Sure it’s not perfect but it fixed just about everything I took issue with when I first played it early last year. Please if you are at all interested in playing this series, I urge you to pick up this remake. It really is everything that I ever wanted it to be & I’m so happy I got to experience this amazing story again in a more definitive way.
Final score: 10/10
2002
My very first Metroid game & I had a really good time with it. I always wanted to get into this franchise ever since Dread was revealed back in 2021, almost three years ago since it’s been on my to play for a couple years now but I just admittedly didn’t know where to start. I was actually recommended Fusion first as it’s a lot more linear & easy to get into & leads directly into Dread though I am aware it doesn’t particularly matter where in this franchise you start.
The atmosphere in this game is so eery & mysterious & for a GBA game it looks & sounds great. I also really liked the power ups that you obtain as you advance through the levels & Samus becomes more powerful. By the endgame I was a literal god that could one shot enemies with my plasma beam & honestly it was just a lot of fun especially with the controls. The tension in this game was also on point with many parts of it making me feel uneasy especially with the dreaded SA-X pursuing you. The story was also pretty good & as someone who has never played a Metroid game before, I was really invested in the lore around the X-Parasites & how they came to be.
Admittedly I will say that in the later parts of the game, it did get very cheap with how much health the last few bosses could take off of you. They’re a huge challenge but not in a good way at all. At least the designs themselves look really cool, I just wish they weren’t so unfair & frustrating especially in the last few levels of the game. I did really get a lot of adrenaline from the final escape section even if the final boss itself was kind of a joke & felt more “cinematic” than an actual tough fight.
Otherwise I thought Metroid Fusion was pretty solid. I’ve heard that compared to other games in the series this one holds your hand a lot more & is nowhere near as open so we’ll see what I think of the other games in the series when I eventually get to them.
Final score: 8/10
The atmosphere in this game is so eery & mysterious & for a GBA game it looks & sounds great. I also really liked the power ups that you obtain as you advance through the levels & Samus becomes more powerful. By the endgame I was a literal god that could one shot enemies with my plasma beam & honestly it was just a lot of fun especially with the controls. The tension in this game was also on point with many parts of it making me feel uneasy especially with the dreaded SA-X pursuing you. The story was also pretty good & as someone who has never played a Metroid game before, I was really invested in the lore around the X-Parasites & how they came to be.
Admittedly I will say that in the later parts of the game, it did get very cheap with how much health the last few bosses could take off of you. They’re a huge challenge but not in a good way at all. At least the designs themselves look really cool, I just wish they weren’t so unfair & frustrating especially in the last few levels of the game. I did really get a lot of adrenaline from the final escape section even if the final boss itself was kind of a joke & felt more “cinematic” than an actual tough fight.
Otherwise I thought Metroid Fusion was pretty solid. I’ve heard that compared to other games in the series this one holds your hand a lot more & is nowhere near as open so we’ll see what I think of the other games in the series when I eventually get to them.
Final score: 8/10
Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth has been a game I’ve been excited about ever since it was announced in June of last year. The Yakuza franchise is one of my absolute favourites in all of gaming which I first started my journey with back in 2020 with Yakuza Kiwami that I originally had free for a year with my PS Plus subscription. And ever since then I’ve been closely following this series & have played all the games on modern platforms up to this point. It’s a series that has a special place in my heart more than other game franchise going today & without it I don’t think I would have rediscovered my passion & love for gaming as an art form.
The previous mainline game Yakuza: Like A Dragon, I played around three years ago. For those unaware of the development of this game, it was originally meant to be an April Fools joke from Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio, where they showcased a turn based Yakuza combat system which was so well received they actually decided to implement it into their next entry. The new protagonist Ichiban also being into RPGs such as Dragon Quest really worked with the new shift in combat as going from a brawler to a turn based RPG would seem like a huge leap in most cases & would cause a lot of confusion. But in the context of Ichiban’s character & his personality it really works & for a first attempt, I thought LAD was a pretty good if not flawed turn based RPG with a loveable cast of characters & a very emotionally gripping & compelling narrative that still felt as if it kept that same vibe from the Yakuza series no matter how many people whined & complained about the new combat (you’re all cowards by the way lmaooooo). Though I will admit the actual mechanics of this game could be majorly improved in the sequel.
I realise I’ve taken a good chunk of this review so far first talking about my history with this franchise but it really just puts into context how much Yakuza/Like A Dragon means to me. Whenever there’s a new game from RGG Studio I am always there day one whether it’s a mainline entry or a spin-off like the Judgment games. And maybe that makes me a shill for this series & I’ll definitely admit that but I don’t think there’s any other modern game franchise that makes me feel the way this one does. It’s given me some of the most incredible experiences in all of gaming & I’m forever thankful for that.
Alright enough rambling, trust me I could go on all day about this but let’s get to why you’re all probably here. Did Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth live up to all the hype? Did it manage to give me that same feeling of magic I’ve gotten from some of the best games in the series? Fuck. Yes. This is not only now my favourite entry in the franchise surpassing Yakuza 0 but it might be possibly my favourite game of all time now. It was absolutely everything I could’ve hoped for & more. I’m honestly at a loss for words with the raw emotions that this game gave me. The amount of times I laughed & cried really can’t be described & the journey that has led up to this made it all the more worthwhile.
As was stated before the combat in this game is a major improvement over LAD in pretty much every aspect. The addition of manual positioning being able to move your party members around the field allows you to better strategise & plan your tactics for how you want to take on your enemies. You can also perform combo attacks with your allies depending on the bonds that you share. The new selection of jobs this time around are also a lot of fun & really fit the tropical vibe Infinite Wealth is going for, some of my favourites being samurai, desperado, kunoichi & housekeeper.
Now let’s talk about Hawaii itself which is honestly now my favourite location in the entire franchise. We have spent so much time in Japan at this point, that the setting of Honolulu is a more than welcome breath of fresh air & spending time walking the streets & taking in the incredible atmosphere was a surreal experience. Getting to greet the locals & becoming friends with them gave the world so much more life compared to other entires in the series. And they weren’t kidding about it being 3x the size of Yokohama, this place is MASSIVE. Honestly going forward I want to see more RGG games venture out of Japan because it really sounds so cool to visit different locations in this series.
The story this time was just fantastic. Arguably the best alongside 0 for me though maybe that will change in the future. I will admit there are some parts of it which were messy & nonsensical but that’s just Yakuza plots in general. And honestly the highs of this game are so great I can ignore all of that. The narrative as a whole was really solid & emotionally gripping & I found myself really hooked with what was happening. The new characters in this game are frankly brilliant but I have to give a special mention to Yamai who despite the frankly questionable & unrealistic statement of him “being just as popular as Majima” is a fantastic character in his own right & is now among the top tier antagonists in the series. He was handled tremendously in my opinion. I also really liked Tomizawa & Chitose & found them to be welcome additions to the party.
But of course the main stars of the show are Ichiban & Kiryu & I’d argue that this might be the best showing from either of them. If anyone had any doubts about Ichi being the main protagonist going forward in LAD then I think Infinite Wealth is going to change their minds on that immediately. He truly is more than worthy of carrying this franchise forward from here on out. However while I loved Ichiban’s section of the narrative, Kiryu’s just hit so much more different considering we’ve been following him since the very beginning & have seen basically his entire life right before our eyes. And without saying too much, they handled his entire arc in this game tremendously. Him realising that he doesn’t need to shoulder everything on his own anymore & that he can depend on his newfound friends in Ichiban’s crew is such a huge turning point for him. And while I can certainly see opinions being divided on that aspect, I respect RGG Studio going the route that they took with him. A wonderful love letter to one of my favourite protagonists in all of gaming.
Besides the main story there’s a lot & I mean a LOT to do in this game. Like holy shit this is easily the most packed game in terms of content since Yakuza 5. There’s many substories, several fun mini games to play, there’s even the Sujimon League which has its own set of substories & is very clearly inspired by Pokémon. And then theres Dondoko Island which you’ve probably heard people say could be its own game. Building your own resort was incredibly addictive & it’s very much something I found myself really invested in for multiple hours even if I never finished up with it. And would you believe me if I said all that is only ONE half of the content??
So in this game, Kiryu has cancer. And it is…a very horrible thing to see this man we have spent numerous games with on his last legs in life. As such the main side content for Kiryu is his memoirs of the dragon. These give insight into his past & allow him to reminisce about the many years he’s spent. And while I will admit that these are quite lazily done as in you go to a place, press a button, read some text & move onto the next one, I’d argue the writing more than makes up for it & seeing images from the earlier games made me feel really nostalgic. There are also life links where Kiryu gets to meet someone from his past & I found that these were easily the best part of his story for me. Getting to see all these familiar faces that we spent time with over the series made me feel so glad that I spent so much time with this franchise.
Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth is easily one of the best RPGs of the modern age & is definitely an early contender for GOTY for me. This truly is up there with my favourite games of all time now. An absolute must buy & I can’t wait to see where RGG Studio takes this franchise next.
Final score: 10/10
The previous mainline game Yakuza: Like A Dragon, I played around three years ago. For those unaware of the development of this game, it was originally meant to be an April Fools joke from Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio, where they showcased a turn based Yakuza combat system which was so well received they actually decided to implement it into their next entry. The new protagonist Ichiban also being into RPGs such as Dragon Quest really worked with the new shift in combat as going from a brawler to a turn based RPG would seem like a huge leap in most cases & would cause a lot of confusion. But in the context of Ichiban’s character & his personality it really works & for a first attempt, I thought LAD was a pretty good if not flawed turn based RPG with a loveable cast of characters & a very emotionally gripping & compelling narrative that still felt as if it kept that same vibe from the Yakuza series no matter how many people whined & complained about the new combat (you’re all cowards by the way lmaooooo). Though I will admit the actual mechanics of this game could be majorly improved in the sequel.
I realise I’ve taken a good chunk of this review so far first talking about my history with this franchise but it really just puts into context how much Yakuza/Like A Dragon means to me. Whenever there’s a new game from RGG Studio I am always there day one whether it’s a mainline entry or a spin-off like the Judgment games. And maybe that makes me a shill for this series & I’ll definitely admit that but I don’t think there’s any other modern game franchise that makes me feel the way this one does. It’s given me some of the most incredible experiences in all of gaming & I’m forever thankful for that.
Alright enough rambling, trust me I could go on all day about this but let’s get to why you’re all probably here. Did Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth live up to all the hype? Did it manage to give me that same feeling of magic I’ve gotten from some of the best games in the series? Fuck. Yes. This is not only now my favourite entry in the franchise surpassing Yakuza 0 but it might be possibly my favourite game of all time now. It was absolutely everything I could’ve hoped for & more. I’m honestly at a loss for words with the raw emotions that this game gave me. The amount of times I laughed & cried really can’t be described & the journey that has led up to this made it all the more worthwhile.
As was stated before the combat in this game is a major improvement over LAD in pretty much every aspect. The addition of manual positioning being able to move your party members around the field allows you to better strategise & plan your tactics for how you want to take on your enemies. You can also perform combo attacks with your allies depending on the bonds that you share. The new selection of jobs this time around are also a lot of fun & really fit the tropical vibe Infinite Wealth is going for, some of my favourites being samurai, desperado, kunoichi & housekeeper.
Now let’s talk about Hawaii itself which is honestly now my favourite location in the entire franchise. We have spent so much time in Japan at this point, that the setting of Honolulu is a more than welcome breath of fresh air & spending time walking the streets & taking in the incredible atmosphere was a surreal experience. Getting to greet the locals & becoming friends with them gave the world so much more life compared to other entires in the series. And they weren’t kidding about it being 3x the size of Yokohama, this place is MASSIVE. Honestly going forward I want to see more RGG games venture out of Japan because it really sounds so cool to visit different locations in this series.
The story this time was just fantastic. Arguably the best alongside 0 for me though maybe that will change in the future. I will admit there are some parts of it which were messy & nonsensical but that’s just Yakuza plots in general. And honestly the highs of this game are so great I can ignore all of that. The narrative as a whole was really solid & emotionally gripping & I found myself really hooked with what was happening. The new characters in this game are frankly brilliant but I have to give a special mention to Yamai who despite the frankly questionable & unrealistic statement of him “being just as popular as Majima” is a fantastic character in his own right & is now among the top tier antagonists in the series. He was handled tremendously in my opinion. I also really liked Tomizawa & Chitose & found them to be welcome additions to the party.
But of course the main stars of the show are Ichiban & Kiryu & I’d argue that this might be the best showing from either of them. If anyone had any doubts about Ichi being the main protagonist going forward in LAD then I think Infinite Wealth is going to change their minds on that immediately. He truly is more than worthy of carrying this franchise forward from here on out. However while I loved Ichiban’s section of the narrative, Kiryu’s just hit so much more different considering we’ve been following him since the very beginning & have seen basically his entire life right before our eyes. And without saying too much, they handled his entire arc in this game tremendously. Him realising that he doesn’t need to shoulder everything on his own anymore & that he can depend on his newfound friends in Ichiban’s crew is such a huge turning point for him. And while I can certainly see opinions being divided on that aspect, I respect RGG Studio going the route that they took with him. A wonderful love letter to one of my favourite protagonists in all of gaming.
Besides the main story there’s a lot & I mean a LOT to do in this game. Like holy shit this is easily the most packed game in terms of content since Yakuza 5. There’s many substories, several fun mini games to play, there’s even the Sujimon League which has its own set of substories & is very clearly inspired by Pokémon. And then theres Dondoko Island which you’ve probably heard people say could be its own game. Building your own resort was incredibly addictive & it’s very much something I found myself really invested in for multiple hours even if I never finished up with it. And would you believe me if I said all that is only ONE half of the content??
So in this game, Kiryu has cancer. And it is…a very horrible thing to see this man we have spent numerous games with on his last legs in life. As such the main side content for Kiryu is his memoirs of the dragon. These give insight into his past & allow him to reminisce about the many years he’s spent. And while I will admit that these are quite lazily done as in you go to a place, press a button, read some text & move onto the next one, I’d argue the writing more than makes up for it & seeing images from the earlier games made me feel really nostalgic. There are also life links where Kiryu gets to meet someone from his past & I found that these were easily the best part of his story for me. Getting to see all these familiar faces that we spent time with over the series made me feel so glad that I spent so much time with this franchise.
Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth is easily one of the best RPGs of the modern age & is definitely an early contender for GOTY for me. This truly is up there with my favourite games of all time now. An absolute must buy & I can’t wait to see where RGG Studio takes this franchise next.
Final score: 10/10
”G’night Valerie. Today was a good day.”
Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty may be the single best video game expansion I have ever played. And no I’m not exaggerating with that even slightly either. It joins Xenoblade Chronicles 3: Future Redeemed as my favourite DLC in all of gaming & above all it makes Cyberpunk 2077 an even better experience for a variety of reasons which I hope to detail to the best of my ability.
In this expansion, it mainly takes place in a new area of the game called Dogtown. A very military controlled section separated from the rest of Night City. And I find this place to be a lot more memorable as a whole since it’s a much more run-down section of the map. It’s isolated & less open & brutal & very much like a wasteland in its design & I think the vibes it gives off definitely fit the overall setting of Phantom Liberty. It’s got a very spy thriller feel to it & the world this time majorly reflects that.
The characters are also brilliant just like the base game. But I do want to talk specifically about Solomon Reed played by the always fantastic Idris Elba. Alongside Johnny Silverhand may be my favourite Cyberpunk character & also might be one of my favourite roles of his. I could write a whole thesis on the complexity of Reed. He’s a man who is clearly one who believes in duty for the FIA despite being clearly blinded by his own ideals & his own loyalty. He has a lot of guilt over what he’s done over the past seven years & it’s a heavy burden that he bares. It’s not really a matter of Reed being good or evil, his morality is a lot more grey which I always appreciate. Other characters like Songbird & Alex also greatly represent that theme of morality & I feel like it makes the cast a lot more grounded as a result. Each of them has their own convictions & reasons for what they do & it’s your decision to decide who is worth trusting & putting your faith in & who you should be careful with.
The main mission structure this time around is so much stronger & it all just feels a lot tighter as a whole. There’s one specific mission where you infiltrate a casino & it’s maybe my favourite in the entire game. And the set pieces are really fun too & while I didn’t think the main story of the base game was bad at all…this just feels like it has a lot more grandeur for me. And again it really fits into that spy thriller theme that Phantom Liberty is going for. Part of me wishes there was more of this in Cyberpunk.
And the endings in this expansion, oh man the endings…there’s four of them this time & they are all so thought provoking honestly. If you thought the base game was crazy then Phantom Liberty blows it completely out the water. Let me just state this straight up without saying too much. I don’t think I have ever felt so conflicted with the choices I have made in a long time than I did playing this. There were several moments I kept asking myself “Wait is what I’m doing the right thing?” & that’s what makes this story so gripping & emotional to me & kept me invested all the way to the conclusion. Not to mention depending on the choices that you make in the final missions, you will actually unlock a brand new ending for the base game which I find really cool.
On the gameplay front when it comes to what else is here, there’s ten new gigs to do helmed by our man Mr Hands who gets a surprising amount of development in this DLC. He went from someone who didn’t do a whole lot in the main game to honestly maybe being my favourite fixer of the bunch now. And the gigs felt like little side quests in itself & they stood out a lot more from the main game ones in itself cause they weren’t just “kill this person” or “collect this thing”. Speaking of which, there’s also a ton of new side jobs which is always great & do a lot to flesh out the world. There’s a new skill tree, the relic tree though the way of gaining perk points for it is a little different to the others. And while not as expansive, I found the abilities in it to be really fun regardless with cool perks to the melee combat & a neat perk which shows enemy weak points. I’m very happy with the content this time around & it adds so much more to this already packed game when it comes to things you can do. And I expect it will keep players busy for many more hours on top of what they’ve spent in Night City already.
Overall, Phantom Liberty is just a masterpiece. Yeah I really don’t have any major complaints whatsoever with this expansion. It does everything it sets out to do & I’d argue it was even better than the base game. From a writing & thematical standpoint, this is one of the richest & most phenomenal stories that CDPR have EVER told.
An easy 10/10 from me & a very high recommendation to anyone who enjoyed Cyberpunk 2077. Or if you’re thinking of jumping into Night City as a beginner pick up the ultimate edition with all of the game’s content. Whatever you choose, you’re in for peak fiction.
Final score: 10/10
Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty may be the single best video game expansion I have ever played. And no I’m not exaggerating with that even slightly either. It joins Xenoblade Chronicles 3: Future Redeemed as my favourite DLC in all of gaming & above all it makes Cyberpunk 2077 an even better experience for a variety of reasons which I hope to detail to the best of my ability.
In this expansion, it mainly takes place in a new area of the game called Dogtown. A very military controlled section separated from the rest of Night City. And I find this place to be a lot more memorable as a whole since it’s a much more run-down section of the map. It’s isolated & less open & brutal & very much like a wasteland in its design & I think the vibes it gives off definitely fit the overall setting of Phantom Liberty. It’s got a very spy thriller feel to it & the world this time majorly reflects that.
The characters are also brilliant just like the base game. But I do want to talk specifically about Solomon Reed played by the always fantastic Idris Elba. Alongside Johnny Silverhand may be my favourite Cyberpunk character & also might be one of my favourite roles of his. I could write a whole thesis on the complexity of Reed. He’s a man who is clearly one who believes in duty for the FIA despite being clearly blinded by his own ideals & his own loyalty. He has a lot of guilt over what he’s done over the past seven years & it’s a heavy burden that he bares. It’s not really a matter of Reed being good or evil, his morality is a lot more grey which I always appreciate. Other characters like Songbird & Alex also greatly represent that theme of morality & I feel like it makes the cast a lot more grounded as a result. Each of them has their own convictions & reasons for what they do & it’s your decision to decide who is worth trusting & putting your faith in & who you should be careful with.
The main mission structure this time around is so much stronger & it all just feels a lot tighter as a whole. There’s one specific mission where you infiltrate a casino & it’s maybe my favourite in the entire game. And the set pieces are really fun too & while I didn’t think the main story of the base game was bad at all…this just feels like it has a lot more grandeur for me. And again it really fits into that spy thriller theme that Phantom Liberty is going for. Part of me wishes there was more of this in Cyberpunk.
And the endings in this expansion, oh man the endings…there’s four of them this time & they are all so thought provoking honestly. If you thought the base game was crazy then Phantom Liberty blows it completely out the water. Let me just state this straight up without saying too much. I don’t think I have ever felt so conflicted with the choices I have made in a long time than I did playing this. There were several moments I kept asking myself “Wait is what I’m doing the right thing?” & that’s what makes this story so gripping & emotional to me & kept me invested all the way to the conclusion. Not to mention depending on the choices that you make in the final missions, you will actually unlock a brand new ending for the base game which I find really cool.
On the gameplay front when it comes to what else is here, there’s ten new gigs to do helmed by our man Mr Hands who gets a surprising amount of development in this DLC. He went from someone who didn’t do a whole lot in the main game to honestly maybe being my favourite fixer of the bunch now. And the gigs felt like little side quests in itself & they stood out a lot more from the main game ones in itself cause they weren’t just “kill this person” or “collect this thing”. Speaking of which, there’s also a ton of new side jobs which is always great & do a lot to flesh out the world. There’s a new skill tree, the relic tree though the way of gaining perk points for it is a little different to the others. And while not as expansive, I found the abilities in it to be really fun regardless with cool perks to the melee combat & a neat perk which shows enemy weak points. I’m very happy with the content this time around & it adds so much more to this already packed game when it comes to things you can do. And I expect it will keep players busy for many more hours on top of what they’ve spent in Night City already.
Overall, Phantom Liberty is just a masterpiece. Yeah I really don’t have any major complaints whatsoever with this expansion. It does everything it sets out to do & I’d argue it was even better than the base game. From a writing & thematical standpoint, this is one of the richest & most phenomenal stories that CDPR have EVER told.
An easy 10/10 from me & a very high recommendation to anyone who enjoyed Cyberpunk 2077. Or if you’re thinking of jumping into Night City as a beginner pick up the ultimate edition with all of the game’s content. Whatever you choose, you’re in for peak fiction.
Final score: 10/10
2018
I’m going to be completely honest with you right now. I like Crosscode. I do. This is a really interesting game & I have enjoyed the story a lot. Lea is an amazing protagonist. She’s so endearing & full of charm despite the fact she can’t speak & her personality shines through majorly through her interactions with the other characters. And the concept of this game is really cool too with it taking place in an MMORPG called Crossworlds even if the game itself is more of a 2D old school action RPG. And to me unravelling the mystery behind Lea & how she ends up in the game is by far the most intriguing aspect of the narrative. I think that Crosscode has a lot going in its favour.
However I’m about 15 hours in right now. And I’ve been struggling to go back to the game. And there’s a couple of reasons for this. For one, I’m not that keen on the puzzles. The first major dungeon I did felt like it went on way longer than it should’ve. That’s not even to mention having to redo a large portion of it because for some reason my game didn’t save correctly after I closed the application at the start of chapter 5. And also the gameplay imo just isn’t enough to keep me going though it. And having to do multiple side quests which are all mainly just fetch quests or go to this place or that place…it’s just not very interesting to me personally.
This game is one I do want to return to though. I’m just not sure when about that will be. It’s solid enough that I don’t plan to abandon it completely, I just feel like it’s something I’d enjoy more when I take a breather from it.
However I’m about 15 hours in right now. And I’ve been struggling to go back to the game. And there’s a couple of reasons for this. For one, I’m not that keen on the puzzles. The first major dungeon I did felt like it went on way longer than it should’ve. That’s not even to mention having to redo a large portion of it because for some reason my game didn’t save correctly after I closed the application at the start of chapter 5. And also the gameplay imo just isn’t enough to keep me going though it. And having to do multiple side quests which are all mainly just fetch quests or go to this place or that place…it’s just not very interesting to me personally.
This game is one I do want to return to though. I’m just not sure when about that will be. It’s solid enough that I don’t plan to abandon it completely, I just feel like it’s something I’d enjoy more when I take a breather from it.
2020
In 2077 what makes someone a criminal…
I’m sure everyone knows the controversy surrounding this game when it first came out. I don’t think I need to repeat everything that went wrong with Cyberpunk 2077 back in 2020 when it first launched worldwide. Whether it was it’s many false promises & lies or the extremely rushed development which lead to the game feeling incredibly unfinished, unpolished & downright broken to the point of unplayable…it’s one of the most infamous failures in video game history…and yet it’s also one of the most miraculous & impressive comebacks in video game history too. For all its faults, CD Projekt Red over the past few years have done everything they can to amend the mistakes that they made through numerous patches which fix major issues & making the game actually worthwhile to play. The Cyberpunk 2077 we see today is nothing like the one which was present in its original release. And I couldn’t be happier about that.
So with the preamble out of the way, did I enjoy Cyberpunk 2077? Yes. I really really did. I think that this game is quite amazing.
This is one of the most immersive experiences I’ve had with a game in a very very long time. Night City is a marvel in world building & across my 50+ hours of playtime, I grew to fall in love with the world of this game, it’s so full of life & character that it’s actually something that has me stunned. The vibes are absolutely insane immaculate & it nails its atmosphere beautifully. There’s so much to do & see & this is undoubtedly a huge strength of the game right off the bat. You are free to play however you choose. This is your story to tell. And that kind of freedom is something I majorly admire Cyberpunk for, having your choices drive the narrative forward. Sometimes I spent so long away from the main story just doing side content because it was all so engaging. There’s so much meat to it & I’d argue some of the missions were even better than the main story itself.
The characters in this game are also fantastic. But I have to give a special shout-out to Keanu Reeves as Johnny Silverhand, undoubtedly the show stealer of the entire cast in case that wasn’t obvious. A lovable dickhead who always kept me invested throughout the story and seeing his development into genuinely caring for V was one of my favourite parts of the entire narrative. Other standouts include Takemura, Judy, Panam & Jackie, just some of my personal favourites in the game of course.
And that’s not even mentioning the protagonist V who you are free to build however you choose. Do you want to go crazy with cyberware implants? Or do you want to focus more on manoeuvrability? There’s so many options for you to pick from when it comes to creating your ideal play style giving way to so many possibilities for your character. I found this to be one of the more addictive aspects of the game (I personally went with a reflexes & technical build) but you’re free to experiment however you wish.
Graphically this game is gorgeous. Especially on the PS5 & cruising through the city was always fun getting to take in the sights & landmarks of this incredible world. I did notice some frame drops from time to time but it was nothing too major.
Now did I have issues? Yeah. I admit there’s definitely some moments where the enemy AI is…pretty stupid & there were quite a few glitches, though in an open world game I guess I can excuse that to an extent. I’ve also heard people report the game crashing on several instances even with the patches but surprisingly? I didn’t have a single one. So perhaps I just got really lucky on that.
Overall I really enjoyed my time with Cyberpunk 2077. It ain’t perfect but this is now one of my favourite games despite its flaws because the highs are just so so good, it helps me to ignore the issues. And there’s so much potential for a sequel to improve on this too. My time in Night City was an absolute blast & I expect to start on the Phantom Liberty expansion very soon.
Final score: 9/10
I’m sure everyone knows the controversy surrounding this game when it first came out. I don’t think I need to repeat everything that went wrong with Cyberpunk 2077 back in 2020 when it first launched worldwide. Whether it was it’s many false promises & lies or the extremely rushed development which lead to the game feeling incredibly unfinished, unpolished & downright broken to the point of unplayable…it’s one of the most infamous failures in video game history…and yet it’s also one of the most miraculous & impressive comebacks in video game history too. For all its faults, CD Projekt Red over the past few years have done everything they can to amend the mistakes that they made through numerous patches which fix major issues & making the game actually worthwhile to play. The Cyberpunk 2077 we see today is nothing like the one which was present in its original release. And I couldn’t be happier about that.
So with the preamble out of the way, did I enjoy Cyberpunk 2077? Yes. I really really did. I think that this game is quite amazing.
This is one of the most immersive experiences I’ve had with a game in a very very long time. Night City is a marvel in world building & across my 50+ hours of playtime, I grew to fall in love with the world of this game, it’s so full of life & character that it’s actually something that has me stunned. The vibes are absolutely insane immaculate & it nails its atmosphere beautifully. There’s so much to do & see & this is undoubtedly a huge strength of the game right off the bat. You are free to play however you choose. This is your story to tell. And that kind of freedom is something I majorly admire Cyberpunk for, having your choices drive the narrative forward. Sometimes I spent so long away from the main story just doing side content because it was all so engaging. There’s so much meat to it & I’d argue some of the missions were even better than the main story itself.
The characters in this game are also fantastic. But I have to give a special shout-out to Keanu Reeves as Johnny Silverhand, undoubtedly the show stealer of the entire cast in case that wasn’t obvious. A lovable dickhead who always kept me invested throughout the story and seeing his development into genuinely caring for V was one of my favourite parts of the entire narrative. Other standouts include Takemura, Judy, Panam & Jackie, just some of my personal favourites in the game of course.
And that’s not even mentioning the protagonist V who you are free to build however you choose. Do you want to go crazy with cyberware implants? Or do you want to focus more on manoeuvrability? There’s so many options for you to pick from when it comes to creating your ideal play style giving way to so many possibilities for your character. I found this to be one of the more addictive aspects of the game (I personally went with a reflexes & technical build) but you’re free to experiment however you wish.
Graphically this game is gorgeous. Especially on the PS5 & cruising through the city was always fun getting to take in the sights & landmarks of this incredible world. I did notice some frame drops from time to time but it was nothing too major.
Now did I have issues? Yeah. I admit there’s definitely some moments where the enemy AI is…pretty stupid & there were quite a few glitches, though in an open world game I guess I can excuse that to an extent. I’ve also heard people report the game crashing on several instances even with the patches but surprisingly? I didn’t have a single one. So perhaps I just got really lucky on that.
Overall I really enjoyed my time with Cyberpunk 2077. It ain’t perfect but this is now one of my favourite games despite its flaws because the highs are just so so good, it helps me to ignore the issues. And there’s so much potential for a sequel to improve on this too. My time in Night City was an absolute blast & I expect to start on the Phantom Liberty expansion very soon.
Final score: 9/10
2023
Red Dead Redemption will always be a timeless classic. I first played this game back in 2013 & I absolutely loved it. And then I played Red Dead Redemption 2 in 2018 & loved that as well. Both these games are incredible in their own right but this is actually the first time I have played RDR1 in about ten years. I was 14 years old back then & now I am in my 20’s.
Before I go any further I’ll state the obvious. Yes this port did not need to happen. And yes it’s way overpriced for what it is. £40 is criminal for a game from over a decade ago & with not a whole lot of major improvements. But even with that in mind…I just don’t care all that much because replaying this game for the first time in so many years has been one of the most surreal experiences I’ve had in quite some time.
I said at the beginning that this game is a timeless classic & I stand by what I said. For a game from 2010, RDR1 still looks & sounds fantastic & that’s not even mentioning the smooth 60fps framerate that it runs at on PS5. The wild west aesthetic is so visually pleasing & the world is full of so much life that certain games today wish they could replicate. Just riding around on your horse & exploring the vast landscape taking in all the scenery is truly breathtaking & there’s nothing else quite like it.
The story is undoubtedly the highlight though as expected. You play as John Marston, a former outlaw who is tasked with hunting down & taking care of his former gang members by the government that are holding his family hostage & making him do their dirty work. Without saying too much for those who haven’t played the game yet it’s an extremely gripping narrative with a lot of twists & turns & a cast of (mostly) compelling characters. And my experience was greatly heightened because of the events that transpired from RDR2 also. So many scenes hit different with the knowledge from the sequel in my mind & the context behind what actually happened made it all the more interesting.
If you’ve played any Rockstar title then you know exactly what to expect with the gameplay. This is an open world game with a variety of things to do whether you’re shooting up gangs or playing rounds of poker, blackjack etc there is a vast array of activities you can partake in even outside of the main story. There are multiple outfits to unlock, many guns to obtain, you can go hunting for rare animals & treasures you can find across the world just to name a few. I think as a whole the gameplay has held up pretty well with maybe one or two aspects which feel dated mainly the horse mechanics but everything else from the shooting to the overall feel of the game still holds up.
Now while I admit I wish we could actually have gotten an actual remake of Red Dead Redemption instead of a straight port can I still wholeheartedly recommend this game? YES I ABSOLUTELY CAN!! Whether you’ve never played RDR1 before or want to play it again, personally I would say this was 100% worth picking up. It’s the same incredible experience it always was, not much has changed at all.
This game really has stood the test of time even after all these years & I’m really glad I got the chance to replay this again & truly appreciate what it does. Not only the best Rockstar Games title but one of my favourite games of all time period. Absolute masterpiece.
Final score: 10/10
Before I go any further I’ll state the obvious. Yes this port did not need to happen. And yes it’s way overpriced for what it is. £40 is criminal for a game from over a decade ago & with not a whole lot of major improvements. But even with that in mind…I just don’t care all that much because replaying this game for the first time in so many years has been one of the most surreal experiences I’ve had in quite some time.
I said at the beginning that this game is a timeless classic & I stand by what I said. For a game from 2010, RDR1 still looks & sounds fantastic & that’s not even mentioning the smooth 60fps framerate that it runs at on PS5. The wild west aesthetic is so visually pleasing & the world is full of so much life that certain games today wish they could replicate. Just riding around on your horse & exploring the vast landscape taking in all the scenery is truly breathtaking & there’s nothing else quite like it.
The story is undoubtedly the highlight though as expected. You play as John Marston, a former outlaw who is tasked with hunting down & taking care of his former gang members by the government that are holding his family hostage & making him do their dirty work. Without saying too much for those who haven’t played the game yet it’s an extremely gripping narrative with a lot of twists & turns & a cast of (mostly) compelling characters. And my experience was greatly heightened because of the events that transpired from RDR2 also. So many scenes hit different with the knowledge from the sequel in my mind & the context behind what actually happened made it all the more interesting.
If you’ve played any Rockstar title then you know exactly what to expect with the gameplay. This is an open world game with a variety of things to do whether you’re shooting up gangs or playing rounds of poker, blackjack etc there is a vast array of activities you can partake in even outside of the main story. There are multiple outfits to unlock, many guns to obtain, you can go hunting for rare animals & treasures you can find across the world just to name a few. I think as a whole the gameplay has held up pretty well with maybe one or two aspects which feel dated mainly the horse mechanics but everything else from the shooting to the overall feel of the game still holds up.
Now while I admit I wish we could actually have gotten an actual remake of Red Dead Redemption instead of a straight port can I still wholeheartedly recommend this game? YES I ABSOLUTELY CAN!! Whether you’ve never played RDR1 before or want to play it again, personally I would say this was 100% worth picking up. It’s the same incredible experience it always was, not much has changed at all.
This game really has stood the test of time even after all these years & I’m really glad I got the chance to replay this again & truly appreciate what it does. Not only the best Rockstar Games title but one of my favourite games of all time period. Absolute masterpiece.
Final score: 10/10
2023
This review is like several months late but you know what better late than never right?
Bomb Rush Cyberfunk is an absolute fantastic game. Some would call this a spiritual successor to the much beloved Jet Set Radio & I can certainly see why. Its influence oozes through this game from the artstyle to the soundtrack. This is one of the most enjoyable games I’ve played this year & I find myself absolutely blown away with just how much charm & character it had.
The story itself wasn’t anything too special to write home about but I had a really good time with it regardless. And when it comes to the gameplay it’s really fun too. Once you figure out how the system works, pulling off tricks is seamless & incredibly satisfying whether you’re skateboarding or riding a BMX or even using rollerblades, there is just so much enjoyment to be had with performing all the combos. If I had any major gripes with this game I will say that the story mode was really short, only taking me around 8-9 hours to finish & the combat being…whatever but honestly? I would highly recommend this to anyone who is interested in these types of games because I can tell you I got more than my money’s worth.
Well done Team Reptile, you truly went all city when it comes to making a game you can be proud of! Can’t wait to see what you cook up next.
Final score: 8.5/10
Bomb Rush Cyberfunk is an absolute fantastic game. Some would call this a spiritual successor to the much beloved Jet Set Radio & I can certainly see why. Its influence oozes through this game from the artstyle to the soundtrack. This is one of the most enjoyable games I’ve played this year & I find myself absolutely blown away with just how much charm & character it had.
The story itself wasn’t anything too special to write home about but I had a really good time with it regardless. And when it comes to the gameplay it’s really fun too. Once you figure out how the system works, pulling off tricks is seamless & incredibly satisfying whether you’re skateboarding or riding a BMX or even using rollerblades, there is just so much enjoyment to be had with performing all the combos. If I had any major gripes with this game I will say that the story mode was really short, only taking me around 8-9 hours to finish & the combat being…whatever but honestly? I would highly recommend this to anyone who is interested in these types of games because I can tell you I got more than my money’s worth.
Well done Team Reptile, you truly went all city when it comes to making a game you can be proud of! Can’t wait to see what you cook up next.
Final score: 8.5/10
Super Mario Bros Wonder is an absolutely wonderful game (see what I did there haha)
No but for real this is undoubtedly one of the best titles in the entire Mario franchise from its level design & overall structure to the charm that it oozes through in every way. The controls are so tight & responsive & I really just love the artstyle of the many different worlds you will come across on your journey.
The wonder effects in this game really give it so much variety & they are easily the most creative parts of the entire game for me. The power ups are a lot of fun also, shoutout to the elephant in particular, wowie zowie! This is probably my favourite 2D Mario entry yet & I actually found a lot of the stages quite challenging especially in the latter worlds.
I will say I found the lack of variety of the bosses to be a bit of a let down but otherwise I would say that I don’t have a whole lot of complaints to make, this game was just a blast start to end. Highly recommended anyone who is into 2D platformers & definitely one of the best games of this year.
Final score: 9/10
No but for real this is undoubtedly one of the best titles in the entire Mario franchise from its level design & overall structure to the charm that it oozes through in every way. The controls are so tight & responsive & I really just love the artstyle of the many different worlds you will come across on your journey.
The wonder effects in this game really give it so much variety & they are easily the most creative parts of the entire game for me. The power ups are a lot of fun also, shoutout to the elephant in particular, wowie zowie! This is probably my favourite 2D Mario entry yet & I actually found a lot of the stages quite challenging especially in the latter worlds.
I will say I found the lack of variety of the bosses to be a bit of a let down but otherwise I would say that I don’t have a whole lot of complaints to make, this game was just a blast start to end. Highly recommended anyone who is into 2D platformers & definitely one of the best games of this year.
Final score: 9/10
2020
Me & Genshin just aren’t meant to be unfortunately. I’ve tried to get along with this game on several occasions but it’s just not my vibe sorry.
2023
GRAAAAAAAAAH WILDFIRE IS FUCKING KINO
The game’s pretty fun too I suppose. I like it.
The game’s pretty fun too I suppose. I like it.
Like A Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name is one of the best RGG titles of all time. Yeah I said it. Despite being shorter than the average entry into this franchise, I absolutely loved my time with this game & it actively makes the events at the end of Yakuza 6 & Yakuza 7 that much more impactful. The narrative this time around is absolutely phenomenal probably my favourite since 0 in all honesty. This is the finale to Kiryu’s story I wish we got in the first place. One that not only feels incredibly satisfying but also bittersweet. The ending also made me bawl like a bitch & it’s gotten me even more excited for Infinite Wealth next year because if THAT game has the same level of quality as Gaiden? Then l seriously can’t wait to see what’s in store for the future of Like A Dragon.