Jordan624
I didn't know this game even existed until this year. I watched a video about it and was completely hooked on wanting to play it for myself. Now that I have I can safely say this is one of my favorite games I've played. Everything about it is just so much of what I love.
The story alone blew me away. Even with having been spoiled on a large chunk of it from the video I watched I still was enthralled with everything. The characters all get great development. There's a lot I want to say but honestly I dont wanna spoil it at all for anyone. I feel it's truly best experienced on your own. I can't imagine how much more I would've been in love with it had I played this fully blind.
The gameplay is great and although simple at first gains some more depth by the second half. The biggest complaint I have is just the fact that there's no challenge to any fights. But I think the fast pacing and how often new environments and mechanics are introduced helps mitigate that issue at least a little.
There's so much I could talk about but really all I have to say... play this. Your only way is to emulate it unless you really wanna spend a couple hundred on a copy. But either way this is an amazing gem that sadly never got the recognition it deserved. I would love for another game to try at the ideas introduced here, and to get more of the amazing world that was developed throughout the narrative. Hopefully I can get some of that when I give Fuga a try.
The story alone blew me away. Even with having been spoiled on a large chunk of it from the video I watched I still was enthralled with everything. The characters all get great development. There's a lot I want to say but honestly I dont wanna spoil it at all for anyone. I feel it's truly best experienced on your own. I can't imagine how much more I would've been in love with it had I played this fully blind.
The gameplay is great and although simple at first gains some more depth by the second half. The biggest complaint I have is just the fact that there's no challenge to any fights. But I think the fast pacing and how often new environments and mechanics are introduced helps mitigate that issue at least a little.
There's so much I could talk about but really all I have to say... play this. Your only way is to emulate it unless you really wanna spend a couple hundred on a copy. But either way this is an amazing gem that sadly never got the recognition it deserved. I would love for another game to try at the ideas introduced here, and to get more of the amazing world that was developed throughout the narrative. Hopefully I can get some of that when I give Fuga a try.
2007
I never got far in this game as a kid, but I loved every moment of it. I was so used to the classic Mario games that all felt very cookie cutter in design. This was my introduction to a more story driven and different Mario. I was fascinated by the world, characters and gameplay. Everything was so different and I feel like that's what this title was meant to be. The gameplay is interesting as there's still leveling up and items to use. But the main mechanics are still very traditional 2D Mario. I loved being able to play as Bowser and Peach as they each had their own playstyles. Overall this game is unique... and that's the best way to put it.
2016
The rating I give this game is based purely on my enjoyment of it. 15 is very flawed, but man I can't say I didn't love the journey. The story is by no means some masterpiece or one of Final Fantasy's best... far from it. But the journey is the best part. Driving around with your friends and stopping anywhere that catches your eye is the most fun part of this game. The first 10-15 hours are pure joy with how you have so much freedom. I love that the game allows you to skip travel for a small price, but you're really encouraged to slow down and enjoy the ride. The battle system is not at all super deep. But I do enjoy the idea of a more action focused approach. It just needed some more refining and actual depth to it. Instead it just ends up feeling like a hack and slash with some simple button timing for dodging. The soundtrack is by far one of Final Fantasy's best. I'd put it up there with 7 and 6. Every battle theme is just insane. Overall it's hard to say whether to give this a shot or not. It's a very devisive entry, but I feel everyone can find some sort of enjoyment in it.
This review contains spoilers
Recreating such an iconic game as Final Fantasy VII is a herculean task. Square managed to nail Midgar with Remake, and now they've somehow topped that scope and story with Rebirth. No game is perfect, but this one is damn near perfection in every way.
The world of Final Fantasy VII is one of my favorites besides Alrest in Xenoblade 2. The thing I was most excited to see was how they would change and expand upon things like in Remake. They do it consistently with every area of the game. Whether it's Junon and learning about the history of the republic that was once there and the people who live under the large base, or the vastly expanded Gongaga region and the whole dungeon at its reactor, every area has something going on that's either expanding upon the original game or adding something completely new that compliments it. The world is really brought to life. The only thing I'd like to see added in part 3 is just being able to change the time of day. Seeing places like the grasslands and corel desert at sunset was amazing. I'd like to be able to experience areas at different times whenever.
The gameplay is absolutely a step up from Remake. The combat there was already great, but could've used some more fine-tuning for certain situations where you just had to sit and let your ATB fill up. We saw the addition of two person moves in Intermission and sure enough they made that a focal point in Rebirth now. Since you have a big party you can do all sorts of awesome attacks that utilize 2 specific characters. I adore the synergy moves that don't cost anything to use. This fixed the issue of not knowing what to do to get ATB in some situations, and some of the attacks are powerful enough to fill an entire bar on their own which is great. This has to be one of the best combat systems I've seen and I really don't even know what to expand upon for part 3. Outside of combat there's so much to do I don't even wanna try to list it all. I overall loved the world Intel as it's completely optional and doesn't affect the story, but gives you so much more lore and is worth seeing through. The summon crystals powering up your summons and making them easier to obtain through the simulator, the lifesprings giving more info on the regions, the protorelics being completely unique scenarios that lead to great character moments, etc. There's so much game that you don't have to experience. But just like the original skipping out feels like a mistake. This variety is what 16 could've used to keep things fresh. I love all the different activities this game gives you to do.
Rebirth contains a large chunk of story from 7's narrative. You visit many places and a lot happens. The big thing everyone has been waiting on though is Aerith's death and what Sephiroth intends to do leading up to that. I was surprised by the fact that most of the game plays out exactly as you would expect. The way Remake ended had me thinking we could see a lot more new stuff happening or have locations/events taking place out of order even. Yet the story goes as you think it will, and we don't see anything out of Zack (outside of the opening) until pretty far into the game. If there's one thing I wish they did, it was to start hinting or feeding info to us over time. Because of the way they decide to reveal the many timelines and throw a ton of info at you after Aerith's supposed death… you end up feeling confused and maybe even frustrated because they're actively taking away from a huge moment of emotion. I think about how they could've still left us wondering (since most people didn't even understand what they were seeing at first in the endgame anyway) while giving us these little info bits over the course of the chapters. Stuff like Cloud getting flashes of future events or other timelines, or Sephiroth starting to slowly reveal things even though the player and Cloud wouldn't be able to fully understand yet. I just wish it wasn't all at once. But I still have faith in this deviation in the story. Everything they've been doing has been intentional and meant to subvert expectations. If they're going the route I think they are where Cloud can't accept Aerith's death and still thinks she's alive… I'm super invested to see his descent into madness. We won't know for sure what's happening for a few years. But even if we learn more and things don't look promising I'm just invested to see this through. This project has been insane and if they pull it off all the way through I will be extremely happy.
Plenty of people will be able to say it better than I have in this review… but this game is amazing in every way. Almost every area and activity had some new mini game or mechanic. Many quests have unique field and battle themes which is crazy to me(and man is the OST in general fantastic). The characters are all fun to play as and have great arcs and interactions. Rebirth has brought back the feeling and emotions of original Final Fantasy VII in so many ways it doesn’t feel real. The lines I always think back to as a way to describe this remake project perfectly are from the original reveal.
“The reunion at hand may bring joy… it may bring fear… but let us embrace whatever it brings. For they are coming back. At last the promise has been made.”
And contrasting that with the line at the ending of this game I think paints a clear picture that big changes are coming. And I couldn't be more ready to see it…
“No promises await at journey's end”
The world of Final Fantasy VII is one of my favorites besides Alrest in Xenoblade 2. The thing I was most excited to see was how they would change and expand upon things like in Remake. They do it consistently with every area of the game. Whether it's Junon and learning about the history of the republic that was once there and the people who live under the large base, or the vastly expanded Gongaga region and the whole dungeon at its reactor, every area has something going on that's either expanding upon the original game or adding something completely new that compliments it. The world is really brought to life. The only thing I'd like to see added in part 3 is just being able to change the time of day. Seeing places like the grasslands and corel desert at sunset was amazing. I'd like to be able to experience areas at different times whenever.
The gameplay is absolutely a step up from Remake. The combat there was already great, but could've used some more fine-tuning for certain situations where you just had to sit and let your ATB fill up. We saw the addition of two person moves in Intermission and sure enough they made that a focal point in Rebirth now. Since you have a big party you can do all sorts of awesome attacks that utilize 2 specific characters. I adore the synergy moves that don't cost anything to use. This fixed the issue of not knowing what to do to get ATB in some situations, and some of the attacks are powerful enough to fill an entire bar on their own which is great. This has to be one of the best combat systems I've seen and I really don't even know what to expand upon for part 3. Outside of combat there's so much to do I don't even wanna try to list it all. I overall loved the world Intel as it's completely optional and doesn't affect the story, but gives you so much more lore and is worth seeing through. The summon crystals powering up your summons and making them easier to obtain through the simulator, the lifesprings giving more info on the regions, the protorelics being completely unique scenarios that lead to great character moments, etc. There's so much game that you don't have to experience. But just like the original skipping out feels like a mistake. This variety is what 16 could've used to keep things fresh. I love all the different activities this game gives you to do.
Rebirth contains a large chunk of story from 7's narrative. You visit many places and a lot happens. The big thing everyone has been waiting on though is Aerith's death and what Sephiroth intends to do leading up to that. I was surprised by the fact that most of the game plays out exactly as you would expect. The way Remake ended had me thinking we could see a lot more new stuff happening or have locations/events taking place out of order even. Yet the story goes as you think it will, and we don't see anything out of Zack (outside of the opening) until pretty far into the game. If there's one thing I wish they did, it was to start hinting or feeding info to us over time. Because of the way they decide to reveal the many timelines and throw a ton of info at you after Aerith's supposed death… you end up feeling confused and maybe even frustrated because they're actively taking away from a huge moment of emotion. I think about how they could've still left us wondering (since most people didn't even understand what they were seeing at first in the endgame anyway) while giving us these little info bits over the course of the chapters. Stuff like Cloud getting flashes of future events or other timelines, or Sephiroth starting to slowly reveal things even though the player and Cloud wouldn't be able to fully understand yet. I just wish it wasn't all at once. But I still have faith in this deviation in the story. Everything they've been doing has been intentional and meant to subvert expectations. If they're going the route I think they are where Cloud can't accept Aerith's death and still thinks she's alive… I'm super invested to see his descent into madness. We won't know for sure what's happening for a few years. But even if we learn more and things don't look promising I'm just invested to see this through. This project has been insane and if they pull it off all the way through I will be extremely happy.
Plenty of people will be able to say it better than I have in this review… but this game is amazing in every way. Almost every area and activity had some new mini game or mechanic. Many quests have unique field and battle themes which is crazy to me(and man is the OST in general fantastic). The characters are all fun to play as and have great arcs and interactions. Rebirth has brought back the feeling and emotions of original Final Fantasy VII in so many ways it doesn’t feel real. The lines I always think back to as a way to describe this remake project perfectly are from the original reveal.
“The reunion at hand may bring joy… it may bring fear… but let us embrace whatever it brings. For they are coming back. At last the promise has been made.”
And contrasting that with the line at the ending of this game I think paints a clear picture that big changes are coming. And I couldn't be more ready to see it…
“No promises await at journey's end”
2023
You like pizza? You like Wario? No? Well too bad play this game anyway
Horizon Forbidden West is one of those games that you pick up and just can't put down. I really enjoyed Zero Dawn, but it definitely left much to be desired in some areas like combat and the side missions. This game though... I don't know where to begin.
The movement and combat in general feels better. There's so many new weapons and ways to take out foes both man and machine. There's so damn much to do in the world itself that you will easily spend most of your time exploring and doing side missions of all kinds more than the main story itself. On the topic of that I found the narrative so much more engaging. Zero Dawn had a great story, but the way cutscenes are presented and the way fights play out feel so much more cinematic here. The number of characters you encounter on your journey is greatly increased, and whether returning or new they all add to the world in their own way. Everything here feels more grand and even bigger in scope than it may first appear. I enjoyed it all thoroughly.
In terms of gameplay there's so much to go over. Multiple skill trees that give a plethora of skills to use, many different missions like taking out rebel camps, returning Tallnecks and cauldrons, settlements that feel alive and have plenty of side quests to do within, etc. I have to give a special shout out to the side quests because over the 15 or so I did across the different types... they all felt well thought out and worth my time. That's surprising to me in a game with so much to do. You'd expect there to be plenty of filler. But everything feels like it connects back to the world in a meaningful way.
I could go on forever about how much of a step up this is compared to the first game. This is what a sequel should strive to be. I didn't even go into how good this game looks and runs on PS5! I don't have a 4K setup but even without that the power of what the PS5 can do is still astounding. This is one of my favorite open world games I've played. I know everyone is raving about Elden Ring at the moment (and I don't deny its greatness). But Forbidden West deserves some credit of its own.
The movement and combat in general feels better. There's so many new weapons and ways to take out foes both man and machine. There's so damn much to do in the world itself that you will easily spend most of your time exploring and doing side missions of all kinds more than the main story itself. On the topic of that I found the narrative so much more engaging. Zero Dawn had a great story, but the way cutscenes are presented and the way fights play out feel so much more cinematic here. The number of characters you encounter on your journey is greatly increased, and whether returning or new they all add to the world in their own way. Everything here feels more grand and even bigger in scope than it may first appear. I enjoyed it all thoroughly.
In terms of gameplay there's so much to go over. Multiple skill trees that give a plethora of skills to use, many different missions like taking out rebel camps, returning Tallnecks and cauldrons, settlements that feel alive and have plenty of side quests to do within, etc. I have to give a special shout out to the side quests because over the 15 or so I did across the different types... they all felt well thought out and worth my time. That's surprising to me in a game with so much to do. You'd expect there to be plenty of filler. But everything feels like it connects back to the world in a meaningful way.
I could go on forever about how much of a step up this is compared to the first game. This is what a sequel should strive to be. I didn't even go into how good this game looks and runs on PS5! I don't have a 4K setup but even without that the power of what the PS5 can do is still astounding. This is one of my favorite open world games I've played. I know everyone is raving about Elden Ring at the moment (and I don't deny its greatness). But Forbidden West deserves some credit of its own.
2021
This is the culmination of everything 2D Metroid has to offer. This game has amazing level design that guides you through each area without telling you exactly where to go, or forcing you down a linear path. It has many clever ways of putting you in front of obstacles you once couldn't eliminate but now can. The E.M.M.I. are also an amazing addition. The SA-X didn't feel like much of a threat due to the few scripted moments you would run into it. But the E.M.M.I. are a very real threat. You traverse their domains often, and these sections feel like much more of a stealth/strategy game. You're always playing hide and seek with these machines, and with each new one comes some new mechanic that makes them more challenging. The process of reaching the central units and then using the Omega Cannon to take down the E.M.M.I.s is incredibly satisfying. This everything Fusion could've been... but sadly wasn’t. After years of waiting for what might have never been... was Dread worth it? Absolutely. This is my new favorite Metroid.
A great evolution of Kirby. The more I think about it the more in love I am with this game. The stage design, ability upgrading, etc. There's a perfect amount of depth to everything. This is a refreshing game for the series, and it has single handedly rekindled my love for Kirby.
I'll update this and the main game with my full thoughts when I feel ready. But for now all I can really say is I'm so happy to have gotten into this series when I did back in 2018. This 5 year journey has been worth every second, and the conclusion we get here is so satisfying. Ultimately there are some things that don't ever get explained that I wish would've. But considering the scope of Aionios and everything they set up in the main game I feel they covered what they needed to the most. The gameplay, world, music, etc. was all amazing in this expansion and it might just be my favorite of the expansions/extra content we've gotten. Thank you MonolithSoft and Takahashi for giving us such an amazing storyline that I won't ever forget.
2018
This review contains spoilers
Lovers' Smiles is a game that I can't even begin to describe. It's so much more than just a simple "game". It has more depth and beauty than I could describe in words. Why this wasn't a contender for goty is beyond me.
The narrative tells the story of two lovers trying to reach each other despite all odds. It's a beautiful tale told with great dialogue, and the VA surprised me with its quality considering this is an indie game. There were so many scenes that got me to tear up bc of how lines were delivered. I hope whoever the VAs were for this game get some sort of recognition. Once again this game was robbed of a goty nomination and I will never forgive that doofus Geoff Keighley for it.
But now onto the important part... the gameplay. The goal of each level is to unite the two lovers (represented by a blue and red ball) by using lines you draw to move them together. It's a simple setup that leaves itself open to many different mechanics to expand upon. For example conveyor belts are used later in the game. I love this mechanic because it's super original. I've never seen a game use something like this, and I hope it's used even more in a future title. The later levels also get extremely creative with their mechanics and environments. Stuff like red lines that you can't touch are so interesting, and they really act as a great representation of one of the many things keeping the two lovers from each other. I love how easy this game is to get into. Anyone can get the hang of it... but it takes many hours to master. As someone who has speedran this game at least 100 times I can say even now I have much to still learn of the mechanics. One of my only issues with this game is just that it runs like doo doo ass water. I have an insanely high performance PC (The Giganutbasher 10,000,000™ to be precise). This game does look really good, but how can I play it if it runs at 5 fps?!) That's really all I can complain about. Other than that it's perfect. Hopefully my issue will be addressed in the sequel since it seems they didn't patch it up in this game.
The OST for this game slaps so hard. There's so many tracks and great variety within them. I love the boss tracks in particular. The way they get you pumped up is amazing. Level 28 in particluar might just be my favorite track of all of gaming. It's a beautiful song I haven't been able to get it out of my head for weeks.
I don't know what else I can say except this game is a masterpiece. It's peak. The goat. The game of all time. I will never forget it. I can't wait to see what Lucky Games does next. I know there's a sequel that'll hopefully improve things even more. But besides that I have no idea where this developer will go after such an amazing game like this.
The narrative tells the story of two lovers trying to reach each other despite all odds. It's a beautiful tale told with great dialogue, and the VA surprised me with its quality considering this is an indie game. There were so many scenes that got me to tear up bc of how lines were delivered. I hope whoever the VAs were for this game get some sort of recognition. Once again this game was robbed of a goty nomination and I will never forgive that doofus Geoff Keighley for it.
But now onto the important part... the gameplay. The goal of each level is to unite the two lovers (represented by a blue and red ball) by using lines you draw to move them together. It's a simple setup that leaves itself open to many different mechanics to expand upon. For example conveyor belts are used later in the game. I love this mechanic because it's super original. I've never seen a game use something like this, and I hope it's used even more in a future title. The later levels also get extremely creative with their mechanics and environments. Stuff like red lines that you can't touch are so interesting, and they really act as a great representation of one of the many things keeping the two lovers from each other. I love how easy this game is to get into. Anyone can get the hang of it... but it takes many hours to master. As someone who has speedran this game at least 100 times I can say even now I have much to still learn of the mechanics. One of my only issues with this game is just that it runs like doo doo ass water. I have an insanely high performance PC (The Giganutbasher 10,000,000™ to be precise). This game does look really good, but how can I play it if it runs at 5 fps?!) That's really all I can complain about. Other than that it's perfect. Hopefully my issue will be addressed in the sequel since it seems they didn't patch it up in this game.
The OST for this game slaps so hard. There's so many tracks and great variety within them. I love the boss tracks in particular. The way they get you pumped up is amazing. Level 28 in particluar might just be my favorite track of all of gaming. It's a beautiful song I haven't been able to get it out of my head for weeks.
I don't know what else I can say except this game is a masterpiece. It's peak. The goat. The game of all time. I will never forget it. I can't wait to see what Lucky Games does next. I know there's a sequel that'll hopefully improve things even more. But besides that I have no idea where this developer will go after such an amazing game like this.
This game brings the Blaster Master Zero storyline to a satisfying conclusion. I love the changes they made to combat with the gun leveling system being reworked, the dash adds a new sense of speed and tense feel to the action, and the new abilities are all super cool and interesting (despite the fact that per the usual none of them are made use of after the area they're introduced in). This is by far the best BMZ of the three just on gameplay alone. Despite some weirdness with traversing the maps and how things are connected, and the annoying guard pickups that respawn but still show up on the map like any other item... this game is designed very well like the other two. No surprise there. But the story is a whole other situation. The first game started out with a boring premise that gradually became more interesting the farther you got. The second game improved and expanded so much on it by adding new characters to the mix and giving you a goal that you'd feel invested in after everything you went through in the previous game. I won't spoil anything about this narrative, but it's so interesting and well done. It's one of those stories that has you questioning what's really going on, and even with all the wild explanations you come up with it still surprises you in the end. I love the way they bring this saga to a melancholic yet beautiful end. I'm definitely gonna continue to replay these games in the years to come. If you haven't experienced this trilogy yet it is more than worth your time and money. Can't wait to play this again with the Japanese VA when I get my physical from Limited Run.
2019
I could go on forever about how much I love this game. It subverts your expectations in many ways, and breaks away from many RPG tropes. OG P5 was already great, but Royal raises it up even higher with new additions and changes to combat. The new content is also even better than what I could've imagined. It's clear Atlus understood what they were doing here. Although they're really milking P5 dry at this point... there's no denying just how well designed and fun P5 is as a whole. Nothing much else to say. Play this game.
This is the best way to play this game now. It looks great and the new Magolor content is a lot of fun. It seemed a little simplistic at first, but as you gain more abilities it expands enough to feel like it's more engaging. As a small side story it works great. There's not much to say about the main game except that it still holds up! I really do love this game as it was the first one I played in the series, and I have a lot of memories with it. It's not the best out of the 2D titles but it's still absolutely worth playing.
1993
One of my favorite 2D platformers. I've beaten this game 4 or 5 times now and everytime I come back to it I experience something new. The meticulous design of every stage in this game leads to such a well crafted experience that no other Megaman game has since created for me. There's a very distinct sense of you gaining more power and strength with each boss you take down. There's not much else I can say that hasn't already been said about this game. Play it!
2002
This game is weird for me because although I do like it it doesn't exactly stand up to Super or even Zero Mission in my opinion. On the positive side the game is what you've come to expect in Metroid. The X virus is an interesting concept, and it was cool seeing how defeating an enemy released the parasite and gave you a chance to absorb it to gain back health. It was also interesting seeing how if you didn't grab the X it had the opportunity to morph with another enemy and cause it to become stronger. The level design is great along with the ambient music, etc., etc. My main issues are with the linearity and bosses. When it comes to the game's structure I'm kind of torn. On the one hand you still get to explore these areas and find plenty of secrets. You'll be coming back to each one many times throughout the game too, so you still have that feeling of progression and going to areas you maybe couldn't reach before. But the fact that the game pushes you along a direct path and doesn't even allow you to just wander to areas when you want is a bit frustrating. It loses that grand sense of wonder and mystery about the exploration. The only real thing to say about the bosses is that they suck and are way too unfair. They deal so much damage and a lot of the attack patterns are insanely precise or annoying to dodge. Bit overall I still enjoyed this game. It's different that's for sure, and it doesn't miss on every front. Just be prepared for a bit of a more direct and difficult adventure.