Jeice
2021
A fun 6 hr. romp around with Mario in a fun and unique open world environment where you collect the game's equivalent of classic 3D Mario "stars".
Though it's a fun new take on the iconic 3D series, the lack of a mechanic to aid jumping and traversal (e.g. Cappy, F.L.U.D.D., Luma spin, etc.) makes reaching some platforms and overcoming obstacles a bit more frustrating for me than in other Mario specific 3D platformers.
Though it's a fun new take on the iconic 3D series, the lack of a mechanic to aid jumping and traversal (e.g. Cappy, F.L.U.D.D., Luma spin, etc.) makes reaching some platforms and overcoming obstacles a bit more frustrating for me than in other Mario specific 3D platformers.
2020
2020
Playing solo - fine enough Souls-related experience.
Playing co-op for the first run - Exploring the prison level(s) with a friend for the first time was one of the coolest experiences I've had in gaming in a long time.
Incredible level design (most of the time) with mostly decent boss fights. If my first experience wasn't alongside a friend, I do not think I would have enjoyed the gameplay experience nearly half as much as I ultimately did.
Playing co-op for the first run - Exploring the prison level(s) with a friend for the first time was one of the coolest experiences I've had in gaming in a long time.
Incredible level design (most of the time) with mostly decent boss fights. If my first experience wasn't alongside a friend, I do not think I would have enjoyed the gameplay experience nearly half as much as I ultimately did.
-THE- iconic next-gen over-the-top action game IMO. The action overcompensates for the decent enough level design and subpar problem solving that seems to really exist generally to gatekeep my next fight.
Too bad I only feel like I can competently play and keep up with the action using only two of the four playable characters.
Too bad I only feel like I can competently play and keep up with the action using only two of the four playable characters.
2020
Persona 5 is one of my personal GOATs.
Though this game was never meant to compare, it surprisingly came out of left field as having a pretty solid story along with interesting new characters and dynamics.
Unfortunately, while the action was fun, the game felt like it couldn't decide if it wanted to be a traditional action RPG or a musou / "Warriors" game. While this struggle didn't ruin the game, it certainly made several boss fights dull and disengaging leaving the highlights of the combat being the "Warriors" moments where the MCs slay wave after wave of enemies in style.
Though this game was never meant to compare, it surprisingly came out of left field as having a pretty solid story along with interesting new characters and dynamics.
Unfortunately, while the action was fun, the game felt like it couldn't decide if it wanted to be a traditional action RPG or a musou / "Warriors" game. While this struggle didn't ruin the game, it certainly made several boss fights dull and disengaging leaving the highlights of the combat being the "Warriors" moments where the MCs slay wave after wave of enemies in style.
2020
Breathtaking environmental visuals with an incredible (and brutal) story. The side quests and mini objectives have succeeded in making this the most distracting game I've ever played in the best way possible. The combat mechanics and abilities are perfectly placed with the player's organic growth in terms of how to engage in various combat situations.
My only critique is that the various sword styles and mechanics eventually felt like I was just choosing them to defeat the specific enemy in front of me rather than giving me the option to competently experiment with different styles in different situations.
My only critique is that the various sword styles and mechanics eventually felt like I was just choosing them to defeat the specific enemy in front of me rather than giving me the option to competently experiment with different styles in different situations.
2019
Despite some general quality of life improvements in terms of in-game mechanics and Pokemon management, this generation of Pokemon games is about as "mid-tier" as the series can get in my book.
Setup to the game's plot is actually fairly interesting and the main game is frankly enjoyable to play through; however, the story setup results in little to no payoff once it reaches its "climax". The Wild Area is fun and unique but grows dull after a short while and makes you wish the whole game's map was just a wild area (e.g. the wild areas found in each of the two expansions).
Setup to the game's plot is actually fairly interesting and the main game is frankly enjoyable to play through; however, the story setup results in little to no payoff once it reaches its "climax". The Wild Area is fun and unique but grows dull after a short while and makes you wish the whole game's map was just a wild area (e.g. the wild areas found in each of the two expansions).