KiSs
142 Reviews liked by KiSs
Final Fantasy XVI
2023
(No spoilers)
I went into this game with fairly high expectations in certain aspects. Those being story, characters, gameplay, and spectacle. And while those are some of the most important parts of a good video game, it does fall short in things that I consider minor but others may not. This review focuses on a lot of the negatives, but I want to make it clear that they do not outweigh the positives and I now consider this one of my favorite games of all time.
My biggest problem is the pacing of the main story quests. This game reaches some of the highest highs I've ever had the pleasure of experiencing in a video game, but in the second half it frequently it pulls you back down with menial fetch quests that do nothing but keep you busy while the next spectacle is prepared. There is a precedent to this style of storytelling, giving you time to breathe before going all in on the next major event (for an example of expert story pacing, see the Resident Evil 4 remake), but it happens far too often and does nothing to properly engage the player. While they are relevant to the plot, they also lack any urgency or importance. These kinds of things should be relegated to side quests, not the main story.
Regarding side quests, they are by and large not very good. They do an okay job of building on the world around you, but there is just nothing particularly fun about going to a location and holding X to gather materials (especially egregious that some of these instances happen during the MAIN quest). I shouldn't be surprised since this is a developer known for their MMO work (a genre where side quests are mainly a means to get XP) but I can't help being a little disappointed.
As far as other side content goes, the developers explained there are no minigames or life skills like previous entries in the series as Clive's story is not a happy one and it wouldn't have made sense. I just don't agree, and it sucks that they aren't here. Outside of that, the bulk of side content lies in the hunts, arcade mode, and Chronolith trials. If you're fiending for combat, these are here for you. These are extremely good, and go along with my other biggest praise of the game.
The general combat and individual encounter design is some of the best I have ever played. There were many, many boss fights and hunts that I did in my 30+ hours (so far) and not once did I feel like an attack was poorly designed. It is absurdly fun weaving through telegraphs and interacting with so many cool Eikon abilities.
I have so much more experimenting I need to do, but it's clear from what I've used that every ability is strong in one aspect or another. The mastery system lets you mix things up pretty significantly and there is a lot more player choice here than I had initially thought. The combat itself also has a lot of hidden depth. My one tiny little complaint is toppling enemies with Garuda is so damn good I feel like I'm leaving damage on the table if I'm not using it, which brings me down to only two Eikon slots. Regardless, there are a staggering number of ways to initiate and hold a combo, whether using Eikonic feats or even commanding Torgal. Sure, you CAN beat the game by button mashing--which keeps the barrier to entry low--but there's no way I'm going to do that.
As a side note the itemization in this game is weak, and the crafting system is basic. But this has never been a strength of the series, so I'm okay with a couple stat sticks and damage/cooldown passives.
Rounding off this review with a final look at the positives, I found the story incredible when things were actually happening. It hit every emotional beat and by the end of it I was fully invested and felt the full force of its impact. The sentiment from other reviews is that it goes fairly off the rails in the final act, but personally I feel like it does so in a way that isn't alien to the JRPG genre. Not to dismiss any flaws, but there wasn't anything I was blindsided by and it never really breaks the mold on this type of story. It does fail to address a few things by the end, but not in a way that hindered my experience. The main villain is good but doesn't reach the same heights the best in the franchise do.
The Eikon battles are the peak of the game. When I mentioned highest highs, this is what I was referring to. I went in hoping they weren't just button mashing and QTEs, and it blew my expectations away. These are incredible, immersive battles between titans where scale and spectacle just kept getting bigger. I found myself finishing these and wondering how the next one could possibly be better--but it was every time. These encounters always happened at major story points, and the accompanying cutscenes never disappointed, with smooth transitions between cinematics and gameplay paired with, overall, some of the best English voice acting in video games. I never felt like the line delivery was flat or out of place.
The characters are amazing. There are some real gems in this cast, Clive, Dion, Cid, Byron, and one unnamed character in particular shone the brightest for me. Barnabas is propped up as one of the most powerful characters in the game, and he delivers on that with every moment he takes the screen. Jill unfortunately does not reach the heights that other major female characters in the series do, but I loved her relationship with Clive and she does have her moments. The side characters found in your main hub also fell short for me. They just weren't very interesting.
Creative Business Unit III, known best for their work on Final Fantasy XIV for the last decade, transfers a lot of their storytelling and game design experience to XVI, for better or worse. It's not perfect, but still holds a high score for me.
Thanks for reading if you did.
I went into this game with fairly high expectations in certain aspects. Those being story, characters, gameplay, and spectacle. And while those are some of the most important parts of a good video game, it does fall short in things that I consider minor but others may not. This review focuses on a lot of the negatives, but I want to make it clear that they do not outweigh the positives and I now consider this one of my favorite games of all time.
My biggest problem is the pacing of the main story quests. This game reaches some of the highest highs I've ever had the pleasure of experiencing in a video game, but in the second half it frequently it pulls you back down with menial fetch quests that do nothing but keep you busy while the next spectacle is prepared. There is a precedent to this style of storytelling, giving you time to breathe before going all in on the next major event (for an example of expert story pacing, see the Resident Evil 4 remake), but it happens far too often and does nothing to properly engage the player. While they are relevant to the plot, they also lack any urgency or importance. These kinds of things should be relegated to side quests, not the main story.
Regarding side quests, they are by and large not very good. They do an okay job of building on the world around you, but there is just nothing particularly fun about going to a location and holding X to gather materials (especially egregious that some of these instances happen during the MAIN quest). I shouldn't be surprised since this is a developer known for their MMO work (a genre where side quests are mainly a means to get XP) but I can't help being a little disappointed.
As far as other side content goes, the developers explained there are no minigames or life skills like previous entries in the series as Clive's story is not a happy one and it wouldn't have made sense. I just don't agree, and it sucks that they aren't here. Outside of that, the bulk of side content lies in the hunts, arcade mode, and Chronolith trials. If you're fiending for combat, these are here for you. These are extremely good, and go along with my other biggest praise of the game.
The general combat and individual encounter design is some of the best I have ever played. There were many, many boss fights and hunts that I did in my 30+ hours (so far) and not once did I feel like an attack was poorly designed. It is absurdly fun weaving through telegraphs and interacting with so many cool Eikon abilities.
I have so much more experimenting I need to do, but it's clear from what I've used that every ability is strong in one aspect or another. The mastery system lets you mix things up pretty significantly and there is a lot more player choice here than I had initially thought. The combat itself also has a lot of hidden depth. My one tiny little complaint is toppling enemies with Garuda is so damn good I feel like I'm leaving damage on the table if I'm not using it, which brings me down to only two Eikon slots. Regardless, there are a staggering number of ways to initiate and hold a combo, whether using Eikonic feats or even commanding Torgal. Sure, you CAN beat the game by button mashing--which keeps the barrier to entry low--but there's no way I'm going to do that.
As a side note the itemization in this game is weak, and the crafting system is basic. But this has never been a strength of the series, so I'm okay with a couple stat sticks and damage/cooldown passives.
Rounding off this review with a final look at the positives, I found the story incredible when things were actually happening. It hit every emotional beat and by the end of it I was fully invested and felt the full force of its impact. The sentiment from other reviews is that it goes fairly off the rails in the final act, but personally I feel like it does so in a way that isn't alien to the JRPG genre. Not to dismiss any flaws, but there wasn't anything I was blindsided by and it never really breaks the mold on this type of story. It does fail to address a few things by the end, but not in a way that hindered my experience. The main villain is good but doesn't reach the same heights the best in the franchise do.
The Eikon battles are the peak of the game. When I mentioned highest highs, this is what I was referring to. I went in hoping they weren't just button mashing and QTEs, and it blew my expectations away. These are incredible, immersive battles between titans where scale and spectacle just kept getting bigger. I found myself finishing these and wondering how the next one could possibly be better--but it was every time. These encounters always happened at major story points, and the accompanying cutscenes never disappointed, with smooth transitions between cinematics and gameplay paired with, overall, some of the best English voice acting in video games. I never felt like the line delivery was flat or out of place.
The characters are amazing. There are some real gems in this cast, Clive, Dion, Cid, Byron, and one unnamed character in particular shone the brightest for me. Barnabas is propped up as one of the most powerful characters in the game, and he delivers on that with every moment he takes the screen. Jill unfortunately does not reach the heights that other major female characters in the series do, but I loved her relationship with Clive and she does have her moments. The side characters found in your main hub also fell short for me. They just weren't very interesting.
Creative Business Unit III, known best for their work on Final Fantasy XIV for the last decade, transfers a lot of their storytelling and game design experience to XVI, for better or worse. It's not perfect, but still holds a high score for me.
Thanks for reading if you did.
Final Fantasy XVI
2023
Visuals and Music some games could dream of. Story, gameplay, and most characters were good, I am mixed on a decent amount of aspects about these three overall as well as other areas like the world, but the final chunk of the game was good.
Definitely not as good as I thought it was going to be liike a year ago, still, a decent enough FF game everyone should at least try, newcomers and old.
Definitely not as good as I thought it was going to be liike a year ago, still, a decent enough FF game everyone should at least try, newcomers and old.
The 25th Ward: The Silver Case is a game about the internet, viewed through the lens of an authoritarian government that monitors its citizens and wipes them out with impunity via their government-sanctioned murderers to maintain the illusion of peace.
It's a game about how even in a "perfect" society where the people up top maintain an iron-grip on every minuet detail of its citizens lives, the biggest threat is the power of the individual and the propagation of ideas.
It's a game about the dehumanizing effects of violence, how those charged with keeping the peace are volatile, reckless goons who kill without remorse and never receive any kind of punishment for it. How killing is innate to the human experience, and how the will to kill resides in all men's hearts.
It's a game about trans-humanism. People turned into biological supercomputers built to retain petabytes of information. People who gain identity on the net. AI's so sophisticated that they become indistinguishable from their creators. People who ascend beyond the biological to become ideals, the purest form of information, unlimited by the notions of life or death.
It's a game about games and the people who play them. The relationship between protagonist and player. The rejection of industry norms. The eschewing of any kind of notion of traditional understanding.
The 25th Ward is a game I have a hard time writing about. It juggles a lot of topics, and yet, it sticks the landing with each and every single one of them in a way that is hauntingly prophetic for what was originally a 2005 flip-phone text-adventure game. It's a bit of a cop-out answer, but after a day or two of writing and rewriting this review, I really do feel it's an experience beyond words. It's a game that resonates even more today in the modern internet age, and it's view of the internet via a fictional social experiment of a city where the line between net and reality is non-existent is an intensely interesting backdrop for the triad of storylines that each explore a facet of this society and how it parallels the modern age.
"Don't depend on the net. Depend on the net. God lives in the net. The net will guide you to all answers and wisdom. Doubt the net. Save the net. Kill the net."
It's a game about how even in a "perfect" society where the people up top maintain an iron-grip on every minuet detail of its citizens lives, the biggest threat is the power of the individual and the propagation of ideas.
It's a game about the dehumanizing effects of violence, how those charged with keeping the peace are volatile, reckless goons who kill without remorse and never receive any kind of punishment for it. How killing is innate to the human experience, and how the will to kill resides in all men's hearts.
It's a game about trans-humanism. People turned into biological supercomputers built to retain petabytes of information. People who gain identity on the net. AI's so sophisticated that they become indistinguishable from their creators. People who ascend beyond the biological to become ideals, the purest form of information, unlimited by the notions of life or death.
It's a game about games and the people who play them. The relationship between protagonist and player. The rejection of industry norms. The eschewing of any kind of notion of traditional understanding.
The 25th Ward is a game I have a hard time writing about. It juggles a lot of topics, and yet, it sticks the landing with each and every single one of them in a way that is hauntingly prophetic for what was originally a 2005 flip-phone text-adventure game. It's a bit of a cop-out answer, but after a day or two of writing and rewriting this review, I really do feel it's an experience beyond words. It's a game that resonates even more today in the modern internet age, and it's view of the internet via a fictional social experiment of a city where the line between net and reality is non-existent is an intensely interesting backdrop for the triad of storylines that each explore a facet of this society and how it parallels the modern age.
"Don't depend on the net. Depend on the net. God lives in the net. The net will guide you to all answers and wisdom. Doubt the net. Save the net. Kill the net."
This town has been taken over, too. By countless, faceless ghosts. ▋
The Silver Case at its surface is a story of what can happen when you try to kill your past. Can you kill the past? Play the games and find out, but it is an indisputable fact that attempting to do so will lead you into strange directions, which is what lies beneath the surface. More likely than not your past will end up changing you. Consumed by the past. Consumed by the darkness. This is why it has to be killed, or else it kills you.
The 25th Ward is a twist in perspectives of how the past is tackled by different people. Some face it head on, some have to find it, some are so consumed by it that they are unaware of what it truly is. These are Matchmaker, Placebo, and Correctness respectively (at least that’s how i interpreted it). Just like the original game, all of the storylines bounce off one another while still filling in each other’s story gaps in a focused on-the-edge-of-your-seat way.
I’m gonna be real with y’all I have almost no fucking idea what to write next. I broke up my play sessions to give myself time to absorb the story. I spent two days after finishing it contemplating what the hell I was even going to write, and now I’m here. Sitting alone in my living room listening to Phantogram’s Eyelid Movies in somber over a video game. I still don’t know what to say. Video games have impacted me heavily in the past but none as strangely and uniquely as the Kill the Past series so far. The 25th Ward is the perfect embodiment of Suda’s expression in the industry and how far he can go. A complexity of ideas and themes intertwined to articulate, at its core, human ideologies. It’s all paced so well that when I reached the end I thought, “That’s the end?” but not necessarily in a negative way at all. Every point the game strove to get across was proven effectively, I was just a bit sad to see one of my favorite video game stories come to a close. I wanted more because it was so amazing. Admittedly I also wanted more time to figure out what the fuck had happened for the last 13~ hours lol. I wish I could go more in depth but if I did I would probably be spouting nonsense regarding spoilers and whatnot.
What I CAN explain though is the expertly arranged presentation and soundtrack. The boxed-in contemporary style of the original game is modernized and accentuated to an extreme. This could possibly be my favorite visual style of any video game. Background elements are now more distinctly interesting and support the themes of the current chapter even better. The color palettes used are also a lot more colorful which I’m absolutely down for. The artists for each of the storylines did spectacularly; I especially love the art style used for Correctness with its black and white pastel tones accompanied by infrequent splashes of color to make everything pop. Everything is just a marvel to look at. The typewriter sound is unchanged just the way I like it. I find it to be an insanely satisfying sound that’s just the cherry on top of everything else the game has to offer. The soundtrack is exactly what I love in electronic music and it's incredibly fitting. Love beat bumpin’ shit like the classic Metropolitan Edge and groovy Galaxy Glitch Groove by Akira Yamaoka of Silent Hill fame, while also vibing hard with Sandalwood and DRIFT. Every track hits me in the feels in incomparable ways. All of this is in tandem with one another becomes, what I feel to be, an unparalleled artistic composition in gaming.
The 25th Ward: The Silver Case is a wildly intense game that will continue to float around my brain for a long time. If you couldn’t tell already, this is everything I loved about the original Silver case and more. There’s honestly nothing I would change about it. Every character is identifiable and the writing stays consistently engaging throughout. Love Jabroni, love Tokio (as usual), love Osato (he’s a little bit of a quirked up white boy). This is a video game for me. It doesn’t conform to industry standards and does its own thing in an astounding manner.
I wish a great rain would fall on this town. And that everything would melt in the rain and be washed away. To the bottom of the ocean. ▋
The Silver Case at its surface is a story of what can happen when you try to kill your past. Can you kill the past? Play the games and find out, but it is an indisputable fact that attempting to do so will lead you into strange directions, which is what lies beneath the surface. More likely than not your past will end up changing you. Consumed by the past. Consumed by the darkness. This is why it has to be killed, or else it kills you.
The 25th Ward is a twist in perspectives of how the past is tackled by different people. Some face it head on, some have to find it, some are so consumed by it that they are unaware of what it truly is. These are Matchmaker, Placebo, and Correctness respectively (at least that’s how i interpreted it). Just like the original game, all of the storylines bounce off one another while still filling in each other’s story gaps in a focused on-the-edge-of-your-seat way.
I’m gonna be real with y’all I have almost no fucking idea what to write next. I broke up my play sessions to give myself time to absorb the story. I spent two days after finishing it contemplating what the hell I was even going to write, and now I’m here. Sitting alone in my living room listening to Phantogram’s Eyelid Movies in somber over a video game. I still don’t know what to say. Video games have impacted me heavily in the past but none as strangely and uniquely as the Kill the Past series so far. The 25th Ward is the perfect embodiment of Suda’s expression in the industry and how far he can go. A complexity of ideas and themes intertwined to articulate, at its core, human ideologies. It’s all paced so well that when I reached the end I thought, “That’s the end?” but not necessarily in a negative way at all. Every point the game strove to get across was proven effectively, I was just a bit sad to see one of my favorite video game stories come to a close. I wanted more because it was so amazing. Admittedly I also wanted more time to figure out what the fuck had happened for the last 13~ hours lol. I wish I could go more in depth but if I did I would probably be spouting nonsense regarding spoilers and whatnot.
What I CAN explain though is the expertly arranged presentation and soundtrack. The boxed-in contemporary style of the original game is modernized and accentuated to an extreme. This could possibly be my favorite visual style of any video game. Background elements are now more distinctly interesting and support the themes of the current chapter even better. The color palettes used are also a lot more colorful which I’m absolutely down for. The artists for each of the storylines did spectacularly; I especially love the art style used for Correctness with its black and white pastel tones accompanied by infrequent splashes of color to make everything pop. Everything is just a marvel to look at. The typewriter sound is unchanged just the way I like it. I find it to be an insanely satisfying sound that’s just the cherry on top of everything else the game has to offer. The soundtrack is exactly what I love in electronic music and it's incredibly fitting. Love beat bumpin’ shit like the classic Metropolitan Edge and groovy Galaxy Glitch Groove by Akira Yamaoka of Silent Hill fame, while also vibing hard with Sandalwood and DRIFT. Every track hits me in the feels in incomparable ways. All of this is in tandem with one another becomes, what I feel to be, an unparalleled artistic composition in gaming.
The 25th Ward: The Silver Case is a wildly intense game that will continue to float around my brain for a long time. If you couldn’t tell already, this is everything I loved about the original Silver case and more. There’s honestly nothing I would change about it. Every character is identifiable and the writing stays consistently engaging throughout. Love Jabroni, love Tokio (as usual), love Osato (he’s a little bit of a quirked up white boy). This is a video game for me. It doesn’t conform to industry standards and does its own thing in an astounding manner.
I wish a great rain would fall on this town. And that everything would melt in the rain and be washed away. To the bottom of the ocean. ▋
No More Heroes III
2021
this is suda's metal gear solid v
i will not explain
i will not explain
"Find something to believe in, and find it for yourself. When you do, pass it on to the future."
This isn't a game, it's art.
Kojima and his team have used the opportunity of a game to create something that cannot be recaptured.
This unique piece of media has touched me more than once and I will always remember the importance of freedom.
In the grand scheme of things, it's not enough to live life to the fullest, you have to find yourself and pass the torch to the next generation.
I have never been so moved while playing a video game.
And the fact that I arrived so late to witness the legacy of the game which is worth it, when I see that this game was a prelude to what my life has been up to now.
This isn't a game, it's art.
Kojima and his team have used the opportunity of a game to create something that cannot be recaptured.
This unique piece of media has touched me more than once and I will always remember the importance of freedom.
In the grand scheme of things, it's not enough to live life to the fullest, you have to find yourself and pass the torch to the next generation.
I have never been so moved while playing a video game.
And the fact that I arrived so late to witness the legacy of the game which is worth it, when I see that this game was a prelude to what my life has been up to now.
Resident Evil 4
2023
"Story of my life"
It's a good remake. I enjoyed playing it, the game has some interesting features, the weapons are cool and the parrying system is brilliant, but half the playthrough i was feeling empty.
When i was playing RE4 as a child i was blown away by the supernatural aspect of certains areas which aren't present in the remake, i understand why they did this but no lava zone in the castle, no laser dodging and no U-3 boss.
They removed the essence of coolness and filled the game with realistic aspect to make up for today's standard.
But in all this emptiness I enjoyed it, I am only left to wonder what an experience it could have been if the game was shaped for the fan and not for the majority.
Mercenaries and Separates Ways are a big part of the original experience for me and I hope it gets all the right additions.
UPDATE
Starting today, we finally have the long-awaited Separate Ways.
Which as expected adds a ton of content cut from the OG game and puts Salazar's second bodyguard in action, chasing Ada throughout the game, instead of getting killed by merging with boss Salazar in the OG.
It's rather nice for me to see U3 become Pesenta and the combat use of ada's grapplin gun, but in addition the laser room is back in a new chase sequence that looks incredibly sloppy and ass designed.
The difficulty curve isn't balanced, early game boss feels like tank and later boss feels like random encounter using - what feels like - unlimited money and ammo thoughout the game
I think the additions are there, but they could have been a hundred times better with love and care for the remake of one of the most played, most impactful, most innovative game in history.
Mercenary mode is much more enjoyable here than in the OG, with fast-paced action, lots of characters each with a good arsenal, perks and gameplay around 4 very different maps, and the fourth map being the final boss arena instead of the "docks".
It feels like a final map, and the double chainsaw guy is back - what a thrill !
It's a good remake. I enjoyed playing it, the game has some interesting features, the weapons are cool and the parrying system is brilliant, but half the playthrough i was feeling empty.
When i was playing RE4 as a child i was blown away by the supernatural aspect of certains areas which aren't present in the remake, i understand why they did this but no lava zone in the castle, no laser dodging and no U-3 boss.
They removed the essence of coolness and filled the game with realistic aspect to make up for today's standard.
But in all this emptiness I enjoyed it, I am only left to wonder what an experience it could have been if the game was shaped for the fan and not for the majority.
Mercenaries and Separates Ways are a big part of the original experience for me and I hope it gets all the right additions.
UPDATE
Starting today, we finally have the long-awaited Separate Ways.
Which as expected adds a ton of content cut from the OG game and puts Salazar's second bodyguard in action, chasing Ada throughout the game, instead of getting killed by merging with boss Salazar in the OG.
It's rather nice for me to see U3 become Pesenta and the combat use of ada's grapplin gun, but in addition the laser room is back in a new chase sequence that looks incredibly sloppy and ass designed.
The difficulty curve isn't balanced, early game boss feels like tank and later boss feels like random encounter using - what feels like - unlimited money and ammo thoughout the game
I think the additions are there, but they could have been a hundred times better with love and care for the remake of one of the most played, most impactful, most innovative game in history.
Mercenary mode is much more enjoyable here than in the OG, with fast-paced action, lots of characters each with a good arsenal, perks and gameplay around 4 very different maps, and the fourth map being the final boss arena instead of the "docks".
It feels like a final map, and the double chainsaw guy is back - what a thrill !
Resident Evil 4
2023
I have a hard time digesting a remake of something that was already so perfect, I literally have to keep reminding myself this is a reimagining which it is and that it's not Resident Evil 4, it's a whole new game. RE2 and RE3 had leeway since they were genuinely so old and it was welcomed by most, but with 4, for me it's just not the case.
The game starts off with the right foot for the most part, we get a great recap like in the original game from Leon, and The Drive plays and you know the rest. It's good but it's still not as good as the original, they even changed the lines and the police voice actors are not that good.
A lot of the charm such as the funny dialogue and moments are gone for the sake of making it more "grounded" and "horror" so why are suplexing and kicks still mechanics? It just seems like they are embarrassed of what made RE4 good at times. Don't get me wrong alot are still there and it has a few good new ones but not much. But it's like the game only commits half way of trying to be something new because they know if they cut stuff and change too much we won't like it, so it ends up feeling unfaithful and is kind of cheating itself. No art on loading screens is also stupid, little things like that add up.
Ada's va line delivery is awful. Krausers va is alright. Overall other than Luis, Ashely, Leon, and maybe the Merchant the voice acting is super mediocre.
Merchant is an improvement in terms of buying and selling and upgrading and while not as iconic as the og he's not bad, he's pretty good. Leon's new va is good but I just couldn't help think of Paul Mercier. It's werid, all the voice acting just doesn't feel that good. Even all the enemies it's just not as good as the original, and maybe it's not supposed to be but what did they give us in return? In my opinion what we got in return wasn't that good. So much was cut and changed for worse than better it's actually insane.
The gameplay feels smooth, insane attention to detail. It's a pretty good reimagining of RE4 and a newer modern direction of the original game. However aiming feels annoying, crowd control is not there, and things are just not as thought out as the original. And it just pisses you off sometimes, like when you run by enemies you might get stunned or Leon does this werid jerk movement it's so stupid, and the crouch button is so pointless.
The controls are pretty good, but I much prefer the strategic and more thought out controls of the original, it was more thought provoking and fun and you just felt like you were in control, like an experienced Leon, don't get me wrong though some of that feeling is still here.
Unreal graphics, great sound design in its own way, art direction is great too. I still like the original better and it's aged like wine and I think it's more scary, but again it's good here too they did the best they could while keeping some of the originals soul.
Parrying mechanic is awesome. Great idea to change it up from the original. But what's the point when your knife breaks every 5 seconds.
The dialogue is nowhere near as good as the OG. And I don't understand why they had to change a lot of it, like I get it but they're changing it and giving us something not as good in return.
I also absolutely hate the fact that the notes are so trash, in the original I was always intrigued and wanted to read more and was invested but in this game they just feel generic and you kinda have no motivation to read them, like I still remember Luis's research from the OG.
The reload animations and animations in general are really good, they're a treat to see.
I liked the remixed soundtracks it adds an authentic feel at timed and I enjoyed the soundtrack for the most part.
Crafting overhaul is nice it's similar to RE2R, but it's nothing crazy.
Quality of life stuff is cool and instant switching is nice but I don't like it. Takes away from so much of the strategic elements of the og.
Amazing ai at times, but it gets annoying at times. Especially Ashley, although her character is great in the remake and I still prefer the original, the commands are stupid. You have less control and she's constantly running and more annoying in this one. In the original games the commands were perfect and they should have kept them that way. The addition of her hiding and stuff is cool though.
Big cheese fight was good. The second phase kind of sucked tho. Salazars design sucks too just to mention it.
Tutorial section for the knife was so dumb, you already learnt how to use the knife yourself before that.
Dialogue with Hunnigan is ass and overly serious, and it just takes it self so seriously and I hate how Leon is such a hardass. His characterization in the original is so much better and he's literally a CHAD.
All these improvements are great but I FEEL next to nothing.
Sections feel like modern gaming at times, just walking around or getting something or whatever it's so boring at times and isn't as intriguing as the original or even the RE2R.
I feel people are being dishonest or have their glasses on where they can't see flaws, or are having recency bias because the game has issues it's not perfect like people say. This is NOT a generational game like the original and other games. There's nothing jaw dropping or revolutionary about this game like the original, not one new amazing innovation. Like how does this game have better reviews than something like RDR2, the original, some of the greatest games ever? This is not even the best remake. This game is not even close to them, it's a good game, but at the end of the day it's a knockoff I feel, the best Resident Evil 4 knockoff you can buy.
But why would you wanna buy a knockoff? When you can enjoy the original thing. Capcom should have used this energy on a game that actually needed it or made something original entirely. Modern gaming I guess.
RE4 remake impresses, its a fun game, a great game at times, it carries over parts of Resident Evil 4s soul, but it doesn't manage to capture me or make me FEEL what the original did, and what it offers is just subpar especially compared to it...
I know I may sound negative, I enjoyed the game still, and my standards are high. But it's just that the original Resident Evil 4 means so much to me and was so freaking amazing and revolutionary. It's one of my favorite games ever, and I love it so much. So Resident Evil 4 Remake was set up to fail for someone like me.
7/10
The game starts off with the right foot for the most part, we get a great recap like in the original game from Leon, and The Drive plays and you know the rest. It's good but it's still not as good as the original, they even changed the lines and the police voice actors are not that good.
A lot of the charm such as the funny dialogue and moments are gone for the sake of making it more "grounded" and "horror" so why are suplexing and kicks still mechanics? It just seems like they are embarrassed of what made RE4 good at times. Don't get me wrong alot are still there and it has a few good new ones but not much. But it's like the game only commits half way of trying to be something new because they know if they cut stuff and change too much we won't like it, so it ends up feeling unfaithful and is kind of cheating itself. No art on loading screens is also stupid, little things like that add up.
Ada's va line delivery is awful. Krausers va is alright. Overall other than Luis, Ashely, Leon, and maybe the Merchant the voice acting is super mediocre.
Merchant is an improvement in terms of buying and selling and upgrading and while not as iconic as the og he's not bad, he's pretty good. Leon's new va is good but I just couldn't help think of Paul Mercier. It's werid, all the voice acting just doesn't feel that good. Even all the enemies it's just not as good as the original, and maybe it's not supposed to be but what did they give us in return? In my opinion what we got in return wasn't that good. So much was cut and changed for worse than better it's actually insane.
The gameplay feels smooth, insane attention to detail. It's a pretty good reimagining of RE4 and a newer modern direction of the original game. However aiming feels annoying, crowd control is not there, and things are just not as thought out as the original. And it just pisses you off sometimes, like when you run by enemies you might get stunned or Leon does this werid jerk movement it's so stupid, and the crouch button is so pointless.
The controls are pretty good, but I much prefer the strategic and more thought out controls of the original, it was more thought provoking and fun and you just felt like you were in control, like an experienced Leon, don't get me wrong though some of that feeling is still here.
Unreal graphics, great sound design in its own way, art direction is great too. I still like the original better and it's aged like wine and I think it's more scary, but again it's good here too they did the best they could while keeping some of the originals soul.
Parrying mechanic is awesome. Great idea to change it up from the original. But what's the point when your knife breaks every 5 seconds.
The dialogue is nowhere near as good as the OG. And I don't understand why they had to change a lot of it, like I get it but they're changing it and giving us something not as good in return.
I also absolutely hate the fact that the notes are so trash, in the original I was always intrigued and wanted to read more and was invested but in this game they just feel generic and you kinda have no motivation to read them, like I still remember Luis's research from the OG.
The reload animations and animations in general are really good, they're a treat to see.
I liked the remixed soundtracks it adds an authentic feel at timed and I enjoyed the soundtrack for the most part.
Crafting overhaul is nice it's similar to RE2R, but it's nothing crazy.
Quality of life stuff is cool and instant switching is nice but I don't like it. Takes away from so much of the strategic elements of the og.
Amazing ai at times, but it gets annoying at times. Especially Ashley, although her character is great in the remake and I still prefer the original, the commands are stupid. You have less control and she's constantly running and more annoying in this one. In the original games the commands were perfect and they should have kept them that way. The addition of her hiding and stuff is cool though.
Big cheese fight was good. The second phase kind of sucked tho. Salazars design sucks too just to mention it.
Tutorial section for the knife was so dumb, you already learnt how to use the knife yourself before that.
Dialogue with Hunnigan is ass and overly serious, and it just takes it self so seriously and I hate how Leon is such a hardass. His characterization in the original is so much better and he's literally a CHAD.
All these improvements are great but I FEEL next to nothing.
Sections feel like modern gaming at times, just walking around or getting something or whatever it's so boring at times and isn't as intriguing as the original or even the RE2R.
I feel people are being dishonest or have their glasses on where they can't see flaws, or are having recency bias because the game has issues it's not perfect like people say. This is NOT a generational game like the original and other games. There's nothing jaw dropping or revolutionary about this game like the original, not one new amazing innovation. Like how does this game have better reviews than something like RDR2, the original, some of the greatest games ever? This is not even the best remake. This game is not even close to them, it's a good game, but at the end of the day it's a knockoff I feel, the best Resident Evil 4 knockoff you can buy.
But why would you wanna buy a knockoff? When you can enjoy the original thing. Capcom should have used this energy on a game that actually needed it or made something original entirely. Modern gaming I guess.
RE4 remake impresses, its a fun game, a great game at times, it carries over parts of Resident Evil 4s soul, but it doesn't manage to capture me or make me FEEL what the original did, and what it offers is just subpar especially compared to it...
I know I may sound negative, I enjoyed the game still, and my standards are high. But it's just that the original Resident Evil 4 means so much to me and was so freaking amazing and revolutionary. It's one of my favorite games ever, and I love it so much. So Resident Evil 4 Remake was set up to fail for someone like me.
7/10
This is a couple days late but it feels wrong not giving this at least something despite my internal love for it, so here's a "brief" gathering of what thoughts I have. (it was not brief, oop!)
Unfortunately, I really struggle to focus on VNs for long periods, and with these games being pretty lengthy with huge chunks of reading, the duology ended up taking me around 15 months to finish... Which as you can imagine means that thanks to my awful memory, I really don't remember all that many specifics, and therefore only the positives are left.
As such, I've simply forgotten about any gripes I took with either game, any weak or flawed case has been condensed so much that I can't recall anything negative to say, and what I'm left with is a heavily biased adoration for these games based on what I do remember: The characters.
(... and the music)
The cast of the Great Ace Attorney Chronicles is nothing short of delightful. One of the better parts of playing this in chunks with such long breaks was that each time a character came back on screen I was beaming with joy. Those with their own themes would be especially welcome, making every time I picked the game back up feel special, like reuniting with an old friend.
I can say undoubtedly that some of the witnesses in the series bothered me, be it for their designs or disgusting animations, but everyone I remember strongly, I remember fondly, and that's pretty awesome. Susato is my precious bean, of whom I will hear no criticism whatsoever. Ryunosuke is an excellent protagonist - I haven't played any of the older Ace games but I'd be surprised if old fans thought he didn't fit the bill nicely, am I wrong? - Herlock Sholmes was a hugely pleasant surprise, Iris, Gina, Gregsy, TOBY! I love them all honestly. And of course, pray forgive the discourtesy of leaving Barok Van Zieks until last, a prosecutor so good that I'm genuinely a little worried the ones from earlier in the franchise won't live up to his impeccable demeanor.
Aside from the characters, the music in these games slaps, hard. Every song is a banger and I must've spent at least 90% of my playtime bopping or humming along while I read. I also got to enjoy the music for a lot longer on account of me getting distracted and having the game serenade me while I do shit on my other screen, making this game one of few that truly benefitted from me being really bad at playing it
As for the story, there are huge chunks of my memory missing but from what's covered in 2 and what 2 recounts of 1, I really like what they did. The whole foreign student practicing law in Britain (my homeland 😌) angle fit perfectly into the overarching plot, as well as making for some really interesting relationships and scenarios between the characters, even before establishing any personal history that may have played a role.
Hell even the journey itself plays a role! When I started I had basically no idea how Ace games worked, so there were multiple times where I felt like Leo DiCaprio in that meme, snapping my fingers at the screen thinking "No way! The thing!"-- It was just really fun to play, idk how else to say it. Nothing stuck out to me as feeling forced or shoehorned in, (but ofc take that with a grain of salt bc I played it over 15 months so) it just worked, and I think that's neat :)
Overall, while my memory is foggy as hell, I am absolutely certain that I adored these games. Resolve served as both a step up from the first game as well as building on it's story and cases for what I found to be a satisfying conclusion. Maybe the very very end wrapped up a little quickly but idk, the actual ending of the game was so long already idk that I would've even wanted to spend longer getting the specifics of the outcome, so it's forgiven.
If you like the Ace Attorney games then you'd be a fool not to try these two. I believe the cases may be longer but there is so much to each of them between the trials and investigation that I don't think that's a bad thing at all. Capcom have been killing it in recent years and I'm really hoping they plan to port/remaster 4-6 of Phoenix's games as well, at least before I beat 1-3.
That's about all I have to say, leave it to me to write walls of text just to say "character and music good :)" but y'all know what you're in for by now :p
Much appreciated to anyone still reading these, regular amount of thanks to those who just like the review or gloss over a few sentences 🙏 Next review is looking likely to be Lost in Play, possibly Like a Dragon: Ishin! after, as I need to beat both before Resident Evil 4 drops. Stay tuned.
Have a great weekend!
Unfortunately, I really struggle to focus on VNs for long periods, and with these games being pretty lengthy with huge chunks of reading, the duology ended up taking me around 15 months to finish... Which as you can imagine means that thanks to my awful memory, I really don't remember all that many specifics, and therefore only the positives are left.
As such, I've simply forgotten about any gripes I took with either game, any weak or flawed case has been condensed so much that I can't recall anything negative to say, and what I'm left with is a heavily biased adoration for these games based on what I do remember: The characters.
(... and the music)
The cast of the Great Ace Attorney Chronicles is nothing short of delightful. One of the better parts of playing this in chunks with such long breaks was that each time a character came back on screen I was beaming with joy. Those with their own themes would be especially welcome, making every time I picked the game back up feel special, like reuniting with an old friend.
I can say undoubtedly that some of the witnesses in the series bothered me, be it for their designs or disgusting animations, but everyone I remember strongly, I remember fondly, and that's pretty awesome. Susato is my precious bean, of whom I will hear no criticism whatsoever. Ryunosuke is an excellent protagonist - I haven't played any of the older Ace games but I'd be surprised if old fans thought he didn't fit the bill nicely, am I wrong? - Herlock Sholmes was a hugely pleasant surprise, Iris, Gina, Gregsy, TOBY! I love them all honestly. And of course, pray forgive the discourtesy of leaving Barok Van Zieks until last, a prosecutor so good that I'm genuinely a little worried the ones from earlier in the franchise won't live up to his impeccable demeanor.
Aside from the characters, the music in these games slaps, hard. Every song is a banger and I must've spent at least 90% of my playtime bopping or humming along while I read. I also got to enjoy the music for a lot longer on account of me getting distracted and having the game serenade me while I do shit on my other screen, making this game one of few that truly benefitted from me being really bad at playing it
As for the story, there are huge chunks of my memory missing but from what's covered in 2 and what 2 recounts of 1, I really like what they did. The whole foreign student practicing law in Britain (my homeland 😌) angle fit perfectly into the overarching plot, as well as making for some really interesting relationships and scenarios between the characters, even before establishing any personal history that may have played a role.
Hell even the journey itself plays a role! When I started I had basically no idea how Ace games worked, so there were multiple times where I felt like Leo DiCaprio in that meme, snapping my fingers at the screen thinking "No way! The thing!"-- It was just really fun to play, idk how else to say it. Nothing stuck out to me as feeling forced or shoehorned in, (but ofc take that with a grain of salt bc I played it over 15 months so) it just worked, and I think that's neat :)
Overall, while my memory is foggy as hell, I am absolutely certain that I adored these games. Resolve served as both a step up from the first game as well as building on it's story and cases for what I found to be a satisfying conclusion. Maybe the very very end wrapped up a little quickly but idk, the actual ending of the game was so long already idk that I would've even wanted to spend longer getting the specifics of the outcome, so it's forgiven.
If you like the Ace Attorney games then you'd be a fool not to try these two. I believe the cases may be longer but there is so much to each of them between the trials and investigation that I don't think that's a bad thing at all. Capcom have been killing it in recent years and I'm really hoping they plan to port/remaster 4-6 of Phoenix's games as well, at least before I beat 1-3.
That's about all I have to say, leave it to me to write walls of text just to say "character and music good :)" but y'all know what you're in for by now :p
Much appreciated to anyone still reading these, regular amount of thanks to those who just like the review or gloss over a few sentences 🙏 Next review is looking likely to be Lost in Play, possibly Like a Dragon: Ishin! after, as I need to beat both before Resident Evil 4 drops. Stay tuned.
Have a great weekend!
Silent Hill 2
2001
In my restless dreams,
I see that town.
Silent Hill.
Silent Hill 2, Silent Hill..
Why so much praise ? What did this game do that made it stand out from other survival horror games ?
This review of the PS2 game will contain minor spoiler of the game mechanics, part of the introduction and details on the process of individuation.
In the list of successful license sequel for its time Silent Hill does not look bad, next to Resident Evil 2, Fallout 2, Half Life 2, Portal 2? Diablo 2 or Metal Gear Solid 2. Fans of the first opus are eager to know what Team Silent is up to. The bet is won, a new story independent from the first part is created, a new protagonist, a new message while staying on the same bases, the same city, the same atmosphere whether visual or sound and the same gameplay.
Fans are thrilled, and newcomers are blown away, the video game is evolving so fast it seems absurd.
It's not about slaughtering hords of enemies to achieve mission objectives or saving the world. In Silent Hill, it's about understanding what's going on, why are we here? How did we get here? When are we ? Who are they?
As many questions that arise in the player's mind as curiosity about the game and its world.
And that's the pinnacle, the game is playing us.
Everything is before our eyes, but we only see what we want to see.
It is by becoming aware of our truth that we are able to see beyond the "normal" in its etymological sense.
Video games are the most emotional medium, which makes them very appropriate for horror stories, and Team Silent understood this. In order to create what will become their magnum opus, the team simply took inspiration from the best of the best elsewhere on the globe.
They don't hide their inspirations from Adrian Lyne's Jacob's Ladder, a cult work of American horror cinema, or from the other side of the Iron Curtain with Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky.
Works that are as outstanding in their media innovations as in their undeniable and immeasurable generational impact.
This is the genius of the Silent Team, we still have to define it. As Lucretius said ex nihilo nihil fit - nothing can come from nothing, which can be simplified to " blending ". Genius is knowing how to mix what exists and transform it into an original and independent object.
Silent Hill 2 is therefore a masterpiece on the one hand because its creators are geniuses who had fun shaping their creation to the smallest detail, but this is only one surface of the game. The scenario is written, it only remains to adapt it to the medium.
The game will have strong points from its reception to the press as its immersive atmosphere, the power of the Playstation 2 allows the game to have a unique identity in time and this is one of the reasons why the HD collection will be a disaster.
We arrive in Silent Hill welcomed by a heavy mist that plays a major role in the immersion of the player we do not know what is in front of us, we are blind we feel observed, the camera seems so confined. The music is melodious in contrast to the distressing sound effects. But we are only prey to our imagination at that moment, nothing explicitly passes before our eyes.
Until the first encounter with a monster, a monster in the first sense of the word, something that is indescribable and incomprehensible to us, but in which we detect a small part of humanity. And never before has the gaming experience reached such a level, the video game has succeeded in doing what no other medium has been able to do: to make everyone agree at least once, at that moment everyone is terrified.
The game unconsciously guides us all towards the same goal and thus surpasses the cinema in its staging. It is a choice of the player to arrive there in this choice, it was subjected to tensions attacking the primary senses being the sight and the hearing which provokes an almost synaesthetic sensation to the players.
However, although the game inherits more and more over the years a masterpiece status, it also suffers paradoxically from aging control. The result of the evolution of the gameplay which certainly improves the playability but participates in the obsolescence of older games.
Besides, many people at the time did not manage to finish the game or enjoy an optimal experience as you progress in the game. It's because of this demarcation from the standards of the time and the lack of accessibility to guides like we have today.
It is this distinction of a style more narrative and philosophical than action that differentiates it from its national and survival horror opponent : Resident Evil.
The latter has found an audience in its shooter gameplay, its inventory management, its claustrophobic but immense level design and its replayability on a larger scale.
This difference is what makes Silent Hill 2 more like a work of art than any Resident Evil.
A work of art is by definition the result of an artist's creation intended to produce in other individuals, a particular state of sensitivity.
In the context of video games, we will focus on two people collaborating together with respective teams: the game designer and the composer,
Who elevates art to a common creation.
So we have broken down the different aspects of Silent Hill 2 that make it a good game but what makes it unique in its medium and unanimously praised by gamers. It is its philosophy and the study of the psyche of the protagonist James Sunderland, hints of the final plot twist are right in front of us from the introduction. James looks at himself in a mirror, he doesn't look at what others see in him but what is inside him, in a way he is making a topography of himself.
Indeed James will undergo a process of individualization of his psyche during the entire game in order to overcome the denial of a post-traumatic disorder (individualization is simply a conflict between unconscious realities and conscious perceptions as for example the passage to adulthood of a teenager) and this is where the game plays the player. It controls the distinction between our conscious, preconscious and unconscious forms so that the player feels what James feels.
And that's when the final revelation comes as much as a shock to James as it does to the person who has been controlling his every move for the past few hours.
The game distills symbolism into the simple action of descending (one of many examples of symbolism), the protagonist only descends into the town of Silent Hill before his redemption to symbolize his descent into hell for his sins or illustrate James' sinking into the evil.
To conclude, Silent Hill 2 is a work of almost infinite potential for interpretation and symbolism that has generated interest that has never been so great in its medium before. 20 years later it is still playable and relevant in its narrative.
Despite this, a remake will arrive in 2023 to give the new generation a chance to live the ultimate survival horror experience on the latest console with updated controls and graphics. In the way that it was inspired by other cult works to build its universe, Silent Hill 2 is now inspiring a generation of people in its turn.
This brought Konami into the ranks of the great video game companies where games like the Metal Gear Solid license, Castlevania, Silent Hill or Suikoden II have influenced an unimaginable amount of gamers around the world. It was as if Konami had redefined for the world what a video game was.
I see that town.
Silent Hill.
Silent Hill 2, Silent Hill..
Why so much praise ? What did this game do that made it stand out from other survival horror games ?
This review of the PS2 game will contain minor spoiler of the game mechanics, part of the introduction and details on the process of individuation.
In the list of successful license sequel for its time Silent Hill does not look bad, next to Resident Evil 2, Fallout 2, Half Life 2, Portal 2? Diablo 2 or Metal Gear Solid 2. Fans of the first opus are eager to know what Team Silent is up to. The bet is won, a new story independent from the first part is created, a new protagonist, a new message while staying on the same bases, the same city, the same atmosphere whether visual or sound and the same gameplay.
Fans are thrilled, and newcomers are blown away, the video game is evolving so fast it seems absurd.
It's not about slaughtering hords of enemies to achieve mission objectives or saving the world. In Silent Hill, it's about understanding what's going on, why are we here? How did we get here? When are we ? Who are they?
As many questions that arise in the player's mind as curiosity about the game and its world.
And that's the pinnacle, the game is playing us.
Everything is before our eyes, but we only see what we want to see.
It is by becoming aware of our truth that we are able to see beyond the "normal" in its etymological sense.
Video games are the most emotional medium, which makes them very appropriate for horror stories, and Team Silent understood this. In order to create what will become their magnum opus, the team simply took inspiration from the best of the best elsewhere on the globe.
They don't hide their inspirations from Adrian Lyne's Jacob's Ladder, a cult work of American horror cinema, or from the other side of the Iron Curtain with Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky.
Works that are as outstanding in their media innovations as in their undeniable and immeasurable generational impact.
This is the genius of the Silent Team, we still have to define it. As Lucretius said ex nihilo nihil fit - nothing can come from nothing, which can be simplified to " blending ". Genius is knowing how to mix what exists and transform it into an original and independent object.
Silent Hill 2 is therefore a masterpiece on the one hand because its creators are geniuses who had fun shaping their creation to the smallest detail, but this is only one surface of the game. The scenario is written, it only remains to adapt it to the medium.
The game will have strong points from its reception to the press as its immersive atmosphere, the power of the Playstation 2 allows the game to have a unique identity in time and this is one of the reasons why the HD collection will be a disaster.
We arrive in Silent Hill welcomed by a heavy mist that plays a major role in the immersion of the player we do not know what is in front of us, we are blind we feel observed, the camera seems so confined. The music is melodious in contrast to the distressing sound effects. But we are only prey to our imagination at that moment, nothing explicitly passes before our eyes.
Until the first encounter with a monster, a monster in the first sense of the word, something that is indescribable and incomprehensible to us, but in which we detect a small part of humanity. And never before has the gaming experience reached such a level, the video game has succeeded in doing what no other medium has been able to do: to make everyone agree at least once, at that moment everyone is terrified.
The game unconsciously guides us all towards the same goal and thus surpasses the cinema in its staging. It is a choice of the player to arrive there in this choice, it was subjected to tensions attacking the primary senses being the sight and the hearing which provokes an almost synaesthetic sensation to the players.
However, although the game inherits more and more over the years a masterpiece status, it also suffers paradoxically from aging control. The result of the evolution of the gameplay which certainly improves the playability but participates in the obsolescence of older games.
Besides, many people at the time did not manage to finish the game or enjoy an optimal experience as you progress in the game. It's because of this demarcation from the standards of the time and the lack of accessibility to guides like we have today.
It is this distinction of a style more narrative and philosophical than action that differentiates it from its national and survival horror opponent : Resident Evil.
The latter has found an audience in its shooter gameplay, its inventory management, its claustrophobic but immense level design and its replayability on a larger scale.
This difference is what makes Silent Hill 2 more like a work of art than any Resident Evil.
A work of art is by definition the result of an artist's creation intended to produce in other individuals, a particular state of sensitivity.
In the context of video games, we will focus on two people collaborating together with respective teams: the game designer and the composer,
Who elevates art to a common creation.
So we have broken down the different aspects of Silent Hill 2 that make it a good game but what makes it unique in its medium and unanimously praised by gamers. It is its philosophy and the study of the psyche of the protagonist James Sunderland, hints of the final plot twist are right in front of us from the introduction. James looks at himself in a mirror, he doesn't look at what others see in him but what is inside him, in a way he is making a topography of himself.
Indeed James will undergo a process of individualization of his psyche during the entire game in order to overcome the denial of a post-traumatic disorder (individualization is simply a conflict between unconscious realities and conscious perceptions as for example the passage to adulthood of a teenager) and this is where the game plays the player. It controls the distinction between our conscious, preconscious and unconscious forms so that the player feels what James feels.
And that's when the final revelation comes as much as a shock to James as it does to the person who has been controlling his every move for the past few hours.
The game distills symbolism into the simple action of descending (one of many examples of symbolism), the protagonist only descends into the town of Silent Hill before his redemption to symbolize his descent into hell for his sins or illustrate James' sinking into the evil.
To conclude, Silent Hill 2 is a work of almost infinite potential for interpretation and symbolism that has generated interest that has never been so great in its medium before. 20 years later it is still playable and relevant in its narrative.
Despite this, a remake will arrive in 2023 to give the new generation a chance to live the ultimate survival horror experience on the latest console with updated controls and graphics. In the way that it was inspired by other cult works to build its universe, Silent Hill 2 is now inspiring a generation of people in its turn.
This brought Konami into the ranks of the great video game companies where games like the Metal Gear Solid license, Castlevania, Silent Hill or Suikoden II have influenced an unimaginable amount of gamers around the world. It was as if Konami had redefined for the world what a video game was.
Destiny 2: Lightfall
2023
Wow I don't really know how they can tell a story that empty in a setting that is """Endwalker-tier""" but they did it, and I'm loosing hope that they can catch it within the next seasons but man this is worrying.
Gameplay wise the Strand is really fun and more fun when you're playing Hunter with the grapple etc.
There's some quality of life too like making builds easier, but it's so barebones you can't name it with a custom name and it's a chore to choose an icon, pre-configured name and color so there's some room for improvements
Otherwise pretty mid expansion and for the setting it's astonishing that they've done that lmao
Going from Witch Queen to Lightfall is so wrong, I'm looking forward on how they will fix this.
Gameplay wise the Strand is really fun and more fun when you're playing Hunter with the grapple etc.
There's some quality of life too like making builds easier, but it's so barebones you can't name it with a custom name and it's a chore to choose an icon, pre-configured name and color so there's some room for improvements
Otherwise pretty mid expansion and for the setting it's astonishing that they've done that lmao
Going from Witch Queen to Lightfall is so wrong, I'm looking forward on how they will fix this.
Persona 2 Eternal Punishment is the continuation of the story of Persona 2 Innocent Sin. This game works as the Part 2 of the 2 Part Persona 2 story (however technically there are Parts 1.5 [Persona 2 Tsumi: Lost Memories) and 2.5 [Persona 2 Batsu: Infinity Mask]) and concludes the story in a somewhat positive and beautiful, yet tragic way.
Persona 2 Eternal Punishment picks up sometime after Persona 2 Innocent Sin however this time, instead of controlling Tatsuya, you control Maya instead.
In this situation, Maya becomes a silent protagonist that occasionally has player choice dialogue, however her own voice takes a backseat and instead we are now able to hear Tatsuya's thoughts and voice.
The characters in this game who you play as are as follows:
Maya Amano - Reporter who investigates the rumors, she has memories of the OTHER SIDE but can seem to remember properly. She has a connection to Tatsuya Suou but she doesn't know the reason. She gives hope and positivity to the group and is the leader.
Arcana: The Moon
Ulala Serizawa: Maya's best friend who is amazing at boxing, she's very girly considering her appearance but can also be hotheaded. She struggles due to being conned by a conartist boyfriend, and is jealous of Maya's life style. She still loves and cares for Maya, and gets along well with Katsuya and Baofu. She wants to be as strong as Maya mentally and pushes herself to do that.
Arcana: The Star
Katsuya Suou: Katsuya is a detective/police officer in Sumaru City, and is the older brother of Tatsuya. He's very serious and is attempting to find out the truth of his fathers death. He is motivated in solving the Rumors case, and also is attempting to help his brother who appears to be getting involved with the rumors, Tatsuzou Sudou, and other events. He wears a grey suit with a red suit shirt and a black tie. Katsuya secretly loves Maya.
Arcana: Justice
Baofu (Kaoru Saga): An extortionist and tap buster who claims to be Taiwanese. He has a hatred for the Tien Tao Lien (Chinese Mafia), and has a regrets over something that happen in his past with his partner Miki. He is very techsavy and great at wire tapping conversations. He butt heads a lot with Katsuya due to them sharing opposite ideologies when it comes to justice however both come to respect eachother. He gets along well with Maya, however is always chastised and gets beat up by Ulala. He wears a yellow detective style jacket, with Bluish sun glasses and has really long black hair.
Arcana: The Hanged Man
Kei Nanjo: Returning member of Persona 1. He is now the owner/leader of the Nanjo group and is attempting to stop the New World Order in order to stop the rumor incidents from happening in Sumaru City. He still loves all his friends from Saint Hermelins, and has Eriko as his assistant. He always cherishes the moments from Persona 1, and he also respects Naoya Toudou and always remembers him for how he motivated everyone. Nanjo is so happy to see Maki and Reiji alive and well and willing to help him out, Nanjo cherishes all his friends. He sports a motorcycle outfit and wears a helmet in this game.
Arcana: The Hierophant
Eriko Kirishima: Returning member from Persona 1. Eriko is now working as a model and actress. Depending on whether you choose for her or Nanjo to appear is based upon what rumor you spread. Her personality is mature yet still girly for the most part. Like Nanjo she cherishes the memories from her past at Saint Hermelins and remembers Naoya. She still loves him very much so much so she shares a rivalry with Maki over who loves Naoya more.
She is now wearing a badge outfit with long sleeves and short shorts, she now also has a short hair.
Arcana: Judgement
Tatsuya Suou: Herald of the Sin, he's from the OTHER SIDE who's taken control of Tatsuya Suou of THIS SIDE's body inorder to prevent the world from ending in this universe. He tries to keep Maya and the group away from him and doesn't want Maya, Lisa, Eikichi, and Jun to regain their memories of the other side. He makes the ultimate sacrifice to allow for the new universe to live happily, while his world is doomed for eternity. He loves and cares about Maya, Lisa, Eikichi, and Jun that he bares the sin of the other world. He wears a red jacket with a black X. He has a mark of sin on him that's like a black tattoo.
Arcana: The Sun
The game's story has to do with the spread of Rumors and how rumors are becoming reality and getting worse, similar to the first game however in this situation the rumors are specifically about Jokers. Throughout the game you'll meet several familiar faces from the previous entries, like previous Persona 1 characters, and appearances of Eikichi, Lisa, and Jun who take a back seat in terms of the story.
However the good reason as to why they take a backseat in the story is due to them playing a big part in the overarching story in Persona 2 Eternal Punishment, with the need of having their memories be forever locked away in order to make sure that the fate that befell the world in Innocent Sin, not to happen in this new time.
The Innocent Sin world is called "THE OTHER SIDE" (Aka the original side)
In Persona 2: Eternal Punishment it's explained to us that Jokers are corrupted Personas that sap the energy of negativity, hatred, and malice thoughts of those who it's infecting. The reason being is because in this universe Tatsuzou Sudou, leader of the New World Order wants to unleash Kiyotada Sumaru/Gozen to destroy the world with the 12 dragons. His son Tatsuya Sudou in this timeline has become a pawn and a joker of Nyarlathotep trolling Tatsuya in his endeavor to save this timeline.
The story starts at Seven Sisters High with Maya Amano, her friend Ulala Serizawa, and Tatsuya's older brother detective, Katsuya Suou, investigating a recent murder that was pinned on Anna Yoshizaka (returning from Innocent Sin, however in this timeline she's a regular student, as a opposed to a member of the Masked Circle).
We find out Tatsuya Sudou pinned the murder on Anna and attempts to kill her, on the way Maya, Ulala, and Tatsuya unlock their respective Personas, and Tatsuya saves Anna and tells Maya not to interfere nor remember the memories of her past.
Maya, Ulala, and Katsuya travel throughout Sumaru city and meet with another Persona user, Baofu (also known as Kaoru Saga) who is a techsavy who claims to be Taiwanese, and he wants to take out the leader of the Taiwanese Mafia of Tien Tao Lien, Yung Pao for something that happened in Baofu's past.
They go through similar situations as the Masked Circle in Innocent Sin, like for example, the burning of the Museum where Maya, Ulala, Katsuya, and Baofu save children from the burning Museum, and Tatsuya appears again to save them against Tatsuya Sudou, where a similar boss fight like in Innocent Sin happens against him, where he meets the same fate.
The game continues with antics like Ulala getting infected by the Joker virus, due to what happens with her Ex-conman boyfriend. She is saved and the parasite is removed by having her being taken to the Velvet Room.
After being left stuck without any clues, Katsuya gets info from "SNEAK" a police officer giving information about the corrupt police who are actually apart of the NEW WORLD ORDER. He gives them photos of 2 persona users (Eriko and Nanjo from Persona 1) the group gets the idea to contact 2 Persona users associated with the SEBEC Incident in Persona 1. [Here the choice is up to you as to whole will appear. If you spread a rumor that it's a man, Nanjo will appear. If you spread a rumor that it's a woman Eriko will appear.]
They all head to the bar in Parabellum, and theres a chance of Kei Nanjo or Eriko Kirishima to appear and have the situation explained to them. Here they become your 5th member throughout most of the game.
In Nanjos situation they head to Nanjo's facility because he heard how they were doing experiments on people.
The group infiltrates a Nanjo facility, and we see the return of Maki and Reiji who want to help as much as they can, as Nanjo is so happy to see them. In the facility they see that Eikichi was captured since one of his friends was taken and experimented on. Eikichi doesn't recognize Maya but asks the group to save his friend and to have him tag along.
The group find out the true intention of the New World Order and that is to unleash Gozen by sucking out the evilness and sin of the humans. That and attempting to fuse their bodies with that of Personas, which angers Nanjo when they find out what they're doing at one of his facilities.
Here we see the return of Persona 1's villain, Kandori who has also become a pawn of Nyarlathotep however he goes by his own volition, with Nanjo attempting to save him in a later part of the game during the boat sequence.
In Eriko's sequence of events the group head to Sumaru TV to stop Chizuru Ishigami, who is also apart of the new world order. In this situation, Eriko gets help from Hidehiko "Brown" Usegi (from Persona 1) whos always happy to help a fellow friend from the past.
The group after finding out the truth of the New World Orders plan attempt to stop and save Tatsuya from the robots, since Tatsuya is attempting to stop Tatsuzou from escaping and to try to change his fate (which he doesn't).
The group escape with Tatsuya and Tatsuya tells them what's going on by heading to Mount Iwato, where everyone's past is revealed, as well as Maya's past memories of the other side are unlocked. Tatsuya also explains that he is from The Other Side and is merely using This Sides Tatsuya's body in order to save everyone. Tatsuya feeling remorseful and sad because he's afraid of what might happen to Maya and his friends again. Tatsuya explaining that it's his sin to bare. Maya cheers Tatsuya up and so does his brother Katsuya, Ulala, and Baofu. Eriko/Nanjo take their leave saying, they'll protect what they need to in order to have a better future, and leave.
The group now consists of Maya, Ulala, Katsuya, Baofu, and Tatsuya who head to Xaliba in order to stop the Masked circle. Fighting against soldiers and grotesque mutants. The later fight at the top of the newly formed Sumaru Castle where the group fight against a mutated Tatsuzou, and later against Gozen to stop the destruction of the world.
Nyarlathotep [now appearing as Tatsuya with his Innocent Sin School Uniform outfit with glowing yellow eyes] says he's seen enough and taunts Tatsuya, Maya and co by making fun of the fact that Tatsuya is attempting to change the fate of the world, and challenges him to one final game. He reveals he's captured Eikichi, Lisa, and Jun, and that rule of the game is to not have their memories be revealed or else the world will become the same as the Innocent Sin world.
In my playthough I decided realistically the only one who should never remember their memories is Jun since regardless of what you do, his memories will never be restored, but I decided to have Lisa and Eikichi remember since it's realistic, heartwarming, and sad when they find out.
Nyarlathotep attempts to cause Eikichi and Lisa's memories to be restored by taunting Katsuya, Ulala, Baofu, and Maya with Shadow versions of themselves and their true inner feelings. Depending on your choices here, it can cause Eikichia and Lisa to regain their memories, depending on the right and wrong choices.
I purposefully chose the wrong choices since I wanted them to make sure they remember and to mourn for the loss of their friend/ Lisa's Other side lover.
At the end the 5 fight against Nyarlathotep who is defeated and can't believe that he actually lost, he disappears yet tells him that if Jun were to remember, everything would revert back to the world where he won. As Jun falls and Philemon catches him, Jun's memories will never be restored.
Here is where Tatsuya of the Other Side states his purpose is done and that he's happy he was able to save everyone in this timeline, he plants a kiss on Maya, and tells everyone to live their lives, as his souls is transfer back to his body in the Innocent Sin world. As everyone sadly watches.
The epilogue of the game has Maya finishing up a personal report as she is later told by a fellow employee that she has a a new assignment and has a positive outlook on it. We then cut to Baofu and Ulala now working as detectives, as Baofu visits the grave of his dead partner, as Ulala hurries him up for another mission but also tells Miki, "I'll take care of Baofu for you", it then shows the Persona 1 gang meeting at Parabellum, as Nanjo, Eriko, Maki, Reiji, Hidehiko, and Yukino all meet up together to reminisce and meet up, we then hear the door open and Eriko and Maki welcome their past crush of Naoya Toudou (Boy with Earring). [He is seen on screen in terms of a flashback with Nanjo and Eriko as a teenager in his Saint Hermelins, however as an adult we never see him, we only see Maki and Eriko greeting him as romance rivals].
[This next epilogue is dependent on whether or not you revealed Eikichi and Lisa's memories] We cut to Ayala Shrine where Eikichi and Lisa are crying, saying "You always had to do it by yourself Tatsuya, you didn't have to bare all that pain and sin on your own!"
They cry as they mourn the loss of the original world and of Tatsuya of the other side, as he is the only one who's stuck their to bare the sin.
Jun walks up and asks why they're crying, and says he feels a pain, sadness, and sorrow but he doesn't know why. Eikichi and Lisa know not to tell him, and both state they won't cry anymore for Tatsuya's sake. However this proceeded by Lisa continuing to cry with Eikichi.
We finally cut to Tatsuya of this new world with Katsuya who talk about what Tatsuya want's to do in the future. Tatsuya ask what it's like to be a detective and asks if their deceased father would approve. The 2 talk about it and Katsuya says he'll teach Tatsuya all about being a detective, finally answering Tatsuya's question from Innocent Sin if he's decided what he wants to do in his future.
Tatsuya rides off in his motorcycle as Maya walks by in the crosswalk and sees him, she remembers the Other Side Tatsuya, and her memories, but also sees the New Tatsuya and the new world and has a positive outlook of the future. As the screen zooms in on her face and she smiles. The game cuts to white and the credits role.
The story of the game is an amazing way of finishing up the Persona 2 Story, the story is one about having hope and changing fate. The characters here are superb by having pervious characters from Persona 1 show up as well as revealing everything from 2 Innocent Sin.
Maya, Ulala, Baofu, and Katsuya are amazing characters who have their own struggles and pains to deal with however come together to bring out the best in themselves.
Tatsuya Suou is the best protagonist in all of Persona, as he is both the strongest with Time Manipulation as well as being able to cross dimensions with Apollo, but he's the most tragic as even though he was able to allow the follow of time to continue in the alternate Eternal Punishment time, he's still stuck in the Innocent Sin world on Sumaru City.
The gameplay of the game is similar to that of Innocent Sin but in terms of the battle system has a downgrade.
As instead of how Persona 1 and 2 Innocent Sin have you select what abilities you want each user you want to do one after another, here you HAVE to select them all at the same time, which can ruin the flow of combat since there isn't an auto attack this time. However combat still for the most part is faster than in 2 Innocent Sin.
The usage of Personas and obtaining them is lifted straight from Innocent Sin so it's just as easy. The rumors in this game are just as easy to use. The game does not feature a theater mode that has more content but instead you can unlock these memories of Tatsuya and what he was doing before the events of Eternal Punishment.
The soundtrack for this game is equally as amazing as in Innocent Sin and is a great addition to the franchise and the duology that is Persona 2.
Persona 2 Innocent Sin and Eternal Punishment must be experienced together as they are both amazing titles.
If you want to experience the PSP version of this game, I recommend downloading the rom and playing it on PPSSPP as there is no other way of playing the PSP version since it was originally never released on PSP in the West.
It truly is a crime that Persona 1, Persona 2 Innocent Sin, and Persona 2 Eternal Punishment have never been rereleased again, as all 3 of these games are absolute masterpieces.
All Persona games have something amazing in each of them, but it's truly a shame Atlus doesn't feel remasters for these 3 are needed.
I hope one day we can get proper remasters of these 3 games. If not remasters then certainly remakes, I would love to finally see Persona 1, 2 Innocent Sin, and 2 Eternal Punishment for modern audiences to experience.
I absolutely recommend Persona 2 Eternal Punishment
Persona 2 Eternal Punishment picks up sometime after Persona 2 Innocent Sin however this time, instead of controlling Tatsuya, you control Maya instead.
In this situation, Maya becomes a silent protagonist that occasionally has player choice dialogue, however her own voice takes a backseat and instead we are now able to hear Tatsuya's thoughts and voice.
The characters in this game who you play as are as follows:
Maya Amano - Reporter who investigates the rumors, she has memories of the OTHER SIDE but can seem to remember properly. She has a connection to Tatsuya Suou but she doesn't know the reason. She gives hope and positivity to the group and is the leader.
Arcana: The Moon
Ulala Serizawa: Maya's best friend who is amazing at boxing, she's very girly considering her appearance but can also be hotheaded. She struggles due to being conned by a conartist boyfriend, and is jealous of Maya's life style. She still loves and cares for Maya, and gets along well with Katsuya and Baofu. She wants to be as strong as Maya mentally and pushes herself to do that.
Arcana: The Star
Katsuya Suou: Katsuya is a detective/police officer in Sumaru City, and is the older brother of Tatsuya. He's very serious and is attempting to find out the truth of his fathers death. He is motivated in solving the Rumors case, and also is attempting to help his brother who appears to be getting involved with the rumors, Tatsuzou Sudou, and other events. He wears a grey suit with a red suit shirt and a black tie. Katsuya secretly loves Maya.
Arcana: Justice
Baofu (Kaoru Saga): An extortionist and tap buster who claims to be Taiwanese. He has a hatred for the Tien Tao Lien (Chinese Mafia), and has a regrets over something that happen in his past with his partner Miki. He is very techsavy and great at wire tapping conversations. He butt heads a lot with Katsuya due to them sharing opposite ideologies when it comes to justice however both come to respect eachother. He gets along well with Maya, however is always chastised and gets beat up by Ulala. He wears a yellow detective style jacket, with Bluish sun glasses and has really long black hair.
Arcana: The Hanged Man
Kei Nanjo: Returning member of Persona 1. He is now the owner/leader of the Nanjo group and is attempting to stop the New World Order in order to stop the rumor incidents from happening in Sumaru City. He still loves all his friends from Saint Hermelins, and has Eriko as his assistant. He always cherishes the moments from Persona 1, and he also respects Naoya Toudou and always remembers him for how he motivated everyone. Nanjo is so happy to see Maki and Reiji alive and well and willing to help him out, Nanjo cherishes all his friends. He sports a motorcycle outfit and wears a helmet in this game.
Arcana: The Hierophant
Eriko Kirishima: Returning member from Persona 1. Eriko is now working as a model and actress. Depending on whether you choose for her or Nanjo to appear is based upon what rumor you spread. Her personality is mature yet still girly for the most part. Like Nanjo she cherishes the memories from her past at Saint Hermelins and remembers Naoya. She still loves him very much so much so she shares a rivalry with Maki over who loves Naoya more.
She is now wearing a badge outfit with long sleeves and short shorts, she now also has a short hair.
Arcana: Judgement
Tatsuya Suou: Herald of the Sin, he's from the OTHER SIDE who's taken control of Tatsuya Suou of THIS SIDE's body inorder to prevent the world from ending in this universe. He tries to keep Maya and the group away from him and doesn't want Maya, Lisa, Eikichi, and Jun to regain their memories of the other side. He makes the ultimate sacrifice to allow for the new universe to live happily, while his world is doomed for eternity. He loves and cares about Maya, Lisa, Eikichi, and Jun that he bares the sin of the other world. He wears a red jacket with a black X. He has a mark of sin on him that's like a black tattoo.
Arcana: The Sun
The game's story has to do with the spread of Rumors and how rumors are becoming reality and getting worse, similar to the first game however in this situation the rumors are specifically about Jokers. Throughout the game you'll meet several familiar faces from the previous entries, like previous Persona 1 characters, and appearances of Eikichi, Lisa, and Jun who take a back seat in terms of the story.
However the good reason as to why they take a backseat in the story is due to them playing a big part in the overarching story in Persona 2 Eternal Punishment, with the need of having their memories be forever locked away in order to make sure that the fate that befell the world in Innocent Sin, not to happen in this new time.
The Innocent Sin world is called "THE OTHER SIDE" (Aka the original side)
In Persona 2: Eternal Punishment it's explained to us that Jokers are corrupted Personas that sap the energy of negativity, hatred, and malice thoughts of those who it's infecting. The reason being is because in this universe Tatsuzou Sudou, leader of the New World Order wants to unleash Kiyotada Sumaru/Gozen to destroy the world with the 12 dragons. His son Tatsuya Sudou in this timeline has become a pawn and a joker of Nyarlathotep trolling Tatsuya in his endeavor to save this timeline.
The story starts at Seven Sisters High with Maya Amano, her friend Ulala Serizawa, and Tatsuya's older brother detective, Katsuya Suou, investigating a recent murder that was pinned on Anna Yoshizaka (returning from Innocent Sin, however in this timeline she's a regular student, as a opposed to a member of the Masked Circle).
We find out Tatsuya Sudou pinned the murder on Anna and attempts to kill her, on the way Maya, Ulala, and Tatsuya unlock their respective Personas, and Tatsuya saves Anna and tells Maya not to interfere nor remember the memories of her past.
Maya, Ulala, and Katsuya travel throughout Sumaru city and meet with another Persona user, Baofu (also known as Kaoru Saga) who is a techsavy who claims to be Taiwanese, and he wants to take out the leader of the Taiwanese Mafia of Tien Tao Lien, Yung Pao for something that happened in Baofu's past.
They go through similar situations as the Masked Circle in Innocent Sin, like for example, the burning of the Museum where Maya, Ulala, Katsuya, and Baofu save children from the burning Museum, and Tatsuya appears again to save them against Tatsuya Sudou, where a similar boss fight like in Innocent Sin happens against him, where he meets the same fate.
The game continues with antics like Ulala getting infected by the Joker virus, due to what happens with her Ex-conman boyfriend. She is saved and the parasite is removed by having her being taken to the Velvet Room.
After being left stuck without any clues, Katsuya gets info from "SNEAK" a police officer giving information about the corrupt police who are actually apart of the NEW WORLD ORDER. He gives them photos of 2 persona users (Eriko and Nanjo from Persona 1) the group gets the idea to contact 2 Persona users associated with the SEBEC Incident in Persona 1. [Here the choice is up to you as to whole will appear. If you spread a rumor that it's a man, Nanjo will appear. If you spread a rumor that it's a woman Eriko will appear.]
They all head to the bar in Parabellum, and theres a chance of Kei Nanjo or Eriko Kirishima to appear and have the situation explained to them. Here they become your 5th member throughout most of the game.
In Nanjos situation they head to Nanjo's facility because he heard how they were doing experiments on people.
The group infiltrates a Nanjo facility, and we see the return of Maki and Reiji who want to help as much as they can, as Nanjo is so happy to see them. In the facility they see that Eikichi was captured since one of his friends was taken and experimented on. Eikichi doesn't recognize Maya but asks the group to save his friend and to have him tag along.
The group find out the true intention of the New World Order and that is to unleash Gozen by sucking out the evilness and sin of the humans. That and attempting to fuse their bodies with that of Personas, which angers Nanjo when they find out what they're doing at one of his facilities.
Here we see the return of Persona 1's villain, Kandori who has also become a pawn of Nyarlathotep however he goes by his own volition, with Nanjo attempting to save him in a later part of the game during the boat sequence.
In Eriko's sequence of events the group head to Sumaru TV to stop Chizuru Ishigami, who is also apart of the new world order. In this situation, Eriko gets help from Hidehiko "Brown" Usegi (from Persona 1) whos always happy to help a fellow friend from the past.
The group after finding out the truth of the New World Orders plan attempt to stop and save Tatsuya from the robots, since Tatsuya is attempting to stop Tatsuzou from escaping and to try to change his fate (which he doesn't).
The group escape with Tatsuya and Tatsuya tells them what's going on by heading to Mount Iwato, where everyone's past is revealed, as well as Maya's past memories of the other side are unlocked. Tatsuya also explains that he is from The Other Side and is merely using This Sides Tatsuya's body in order to save everyone. Tatsuya feeling remorseful and sad because he's afraid of what might happen to Maya and his friends again. Tatsuya explaining that it's his sin to bare. Maya cheers Tatsuya up and so does his brother Katsuya, Ulala, and Baofu. Eriko/Nanjo take their leave saying, they'll protect what they need to in order to have a better future, and leave.
The group now consists of Maya, Ulala, Katsuya, Baofu, and Tatsuya who head to Xaliba in order to stop the Masked circle. Fighting against soldiers and grotesque mutants. The later fight at the top of the newly formed Sumaru Castle where the group fight against a mutated Tatsuzou, and later against Gozen to stop the destruction of the world.
Nyarlathotep [now appearing as Tatsuya with his Innocent Sin School Uniform outfit with glowing yellow eyes] says he's seen enough and taunts Tatsuya, Maya and co by making fun of the fact that Tatsuya is attempting to change the fate of the world, and challenges him to one final game. He reveals he's captured Eikichi, Lisa, and Jun, and that rule of the game is to not have their memories be revealed or else the world will become the same as the Innocent Sin world.
In my playthough I decided realistically the only one who should never remember their memories is Jun since regardless of what you do, his memories will never be restored, but I decided to have Lisa and Eikichi remember since it's realistic, heartwarming, and sad when they find out.
Nyarlathotep attempts to cause Eikichi and Lisa's memories to be restored by taunting Katsuya, Ulala, Baofu, and Maya with Shadow versions of themselves and their true inner feelings. Depending on your choices here, it can cause Eikichia and Lisa to regain their memories, depending on the right and wrong choices.
I purposefully chose the wrong choices since I wanted them to make sure they remember and to mourn for the loss of their friend/ Lisa's Other side lover.
At the end the 5 fight against Nyarlathotep who is defeated and can't believe that he actually lost, he disappears yet tells him that if Jun were to remember, everything would revert back to the world where he won. As Jun falls and Philemon catches him, Jun's memories will never be restored.
Here is where Tatsuya of the Other Side states his purpose is done and that he's happy he was able to save everyone in this timeline, he plants a kiss on Maya, and tells everyone to live their lives, as his souls is transfer back to his body in the Innocent Sin world. As everyone sadly watches.
The epilogue of the game has Maya finishing up a personal report as she is later told by a fellow employee that she has a a new assignment and has a positive outlook on it. We then cut to Baofu and Ulala now working as detectives, as Baofu visits the grave of his dead partner, as Ulala hurries him up for another mission but also tells Miki, "I'll take care of Baofu for you", it then shows the Persona 1 gang meeting at Parabellum, as Nanjo, Eriko, Maki, Reiji, Hidehiko, and Yukino all meet up together to reminisce and meet up, we then hear the door open and Eriko and Maki welcome their past crush of Naoya Toudou (Boy with Earring). [He is seen on screen in terms of a flashback with Nanjo and Eriko as a teenager in his Saint Hermelins, however as an adult we never see him, we only see Maki and Eriko greeting him as romance rivals].
[This next epilogue is dependent on whether or not you revealed Eikichi and Lisa's memories] We cut to Ayala Shrine where Eikichi and Lisa are crying, saying "You always had to do it by yourself Tatsuya, you didn't have to bare all that pain and sin on your own!"
They cry as they mourn the loss of the original world and of Tatsuya of the other side, as he is the only one who's stuck their to bare the sin.
Jun walks up and asks why they're crying, and says he feels a pain, sadness, and sorrow but he doesn't know why. Eikichi and Lisa know not to tell him, and both state they won't cry anymore for Tatsuya's sake. However this proceeded by Lisa continuing to cry with Eikichi.
We finally cut to Tatsuya of this new world with Katsuya who talk about what Tatsuya want's to do in the future. Tatsuya ask what it's like to be a detective and asks if their deceased father would approve. The 2 talk about it and Katsuya says he'll teach Tatsuya all about being a detective, finally answering Tatsuya's question from Innocent Sin if he's decided what he wants to do in his future.
Tatsuya rides off in his motorcycle as Maya walks by in the crosswalk and sees him, she remembers the Other Side Tatsuya, and her memories, but also sees the New Tatsuya and the new world and has a positive outlook of the future. As the screen zooms in on her face and she smiles. The game cuts to white and the credits role.
The story of the game is an amazing way of finishing up the Persona 2 Story, the story is one about having hope and changing fate. The characters here are superb by having pervious characters from Persona 1 show up as well as revealing everything from 2 Innocent Sin.
Maya, Ulala, Baofu, and Katsuya are amazing characters who have their own struggles and pains to deal with however come together to bring out the best in themselves.
Tatsuya Suou is the best protagonist in all of Persona, as he is both the strongest with Time Manipulation as well as being able to cross dimensions with Apollo, but he's the most tragic as even though he was able to allow the follow of time to continue in the alternate Eternal Punishment time, he's still stuck in the Innocent Sin world on Sumaru City.
The gameplay of the game is similar to that of Innocent Sin but in terms of the battle system has a downgrade.
As instead of how Persona 1 and 2 Innocent Sin have you select what abilities you want each user you want to do one after another, here you HAVE to select them all at the same time, which can ruin the flow of combat since there isn't an auto attack this time. However combat still for the most part is faster than in 2 Innocent Sin.
The usage of Personas and obtaining them is lifted straight from Innocent Sin so it's just as easy. The rumors in this game are just as easy to use. The game does not feature a theater mode that has more content but instead you can unlock these memories of Tatsuya and what he was doing before the events of Eternal Punishment.
The soundtrack for this game is equally as amazing as in Innocent Sin and is a great addition to the franchise and the duology that is Persona 2.
Persona 2 Innocent Sin and Eternal Punishment must be experienced together as they are both amazing titles.
If you want to experience the PSP version of this game, I recommend downloading the rom and playing it on PPSSPP as there is no other way of playing the PSP version since it was originally never released on PSP in the West.
It truly is a crime that Persona 1, Persona 2 Innocent Sin, and Persona 2 Eternal Punishment have never been rereleased again, as all 3 of these games are absolute masterpieces.
All Persona games have something amazing in each of them, but it's truly a shame Atlus doesn't feel remasters for these 3 are needed.
I hope one day we can get proper remasters of these 3 games. If not remasters then certainly remakes, I would love to finally see Persona 1, 2 Innocent Sin, and 2 Eternal Punishment for modern audiences to experience.
I absolutely recommend Persona 2 Eternal Punishment
Resident Evil 2
1998
"You're right. This is just the beginning."
Peak Gaming.
The 4 minute cinematic at the beginning sold the game for me. It was enough to make me understand the step Resident Evil 2 took in history.
Just like Metal Gear Solid 1 used the PS1's memory card and optimization to blow away a generation, using the save game to unlock the true ending is a good and original addition in my opinion.
I played the remake before I played the original game and I can safely say that I much prefer the 1998 version.
The blooming romance between Leon and Ada made it clear to me that they had taken Resident Evil to the next level. And I LOVE it.
Peak Gaming.
The 4 minute cinematic at the beginning sold the game for me. It was enough to make me understand the step Resident Evil 2 took in history.
Just like Metal Gear Solid 1 used the PS1's memory card and optimization to blow away a generation, using the save game to unlock the true ending is a good and original addition in my opinion.
I played the remake before I played the original game and I can safely say that I much prefer the 1998 version.
The blooming romance between Leon and Ada made it clear to me that they had taken Resident Evil to the next level. And I LOVE it.
Let's just say I'm a ghost, coming back to haunt your... dear brother.
Greatest of all time. Zenith of the medium. Hallmark of media. Gold standard of storytelling. Apogee of creativity. Vertex of invention. Crest of ingenuity. Pinnacle of innovation. Epic of epics. Legend among legends. Peak fiction.
Greatest of all time. Zenith of the medium. Hallmark of media. Gold standard of storytelling. Apogee of creativity. Vertex of invention. Crest of ingenuity. Pinnacle of innovation. Epic of epics. Legend among legends. Peak fiction.
Fire Emblem Engage
2023
Intelligent systems, is this a bit?
As soon as it was announced Engage is a game that was raising a bunch of red flags. Nostalgia baiting, the awful focus on a myunit, gimmicky new mechanics and fucking GACHA? The whole thing really looked like intelligent systems giving into the worst tendancies of post-awakening Fire Emblem.
And y'know, if that was it, i'd probably be at least fine with that. Fates, even revelations, one of the dumbest fucking things i've ever played, are all still at the very least, compelling. I have like 100 hours in Fates, embarassing as that is, because the Fire Emblem formula is still pretty great, conquest has like 5 good maps and the bad stuff is mostly ignorable. I have played fucking Gaiden to completion even after Echoes was out just to see what was up.
With engage ive got 15 hours in it and I can barely stomach a moment more. I want to keep going because I love FE. But I absolutely cannot stand this game.
Yes, like Fates, Engage is a game that falls prey to IS' stupid tendancies. But the real sin with Engage is that what has been cribbed about just does not gel together at all.
Main issue is bloat, on a gameplay level. Part of the genius of Fire Emblem is how really quite simple it all is, and how limited the resources and options really all are. The best section of the entire franchise, and it's not even close, is Thracia 776's Munster arc, a section which truly relies on you making the most of an incredibly limited toolset and pushing it as far as you can against overwhelming odds. Of course, over the years the complexity inevitably increased, to mixed but often positive results. Engage firmly goes too far though.
The big problem is the mixing of the social sim stuff from 3 houses whilst also incorporating its new stuff with the engage system and so on. Being able to boost stats and stuff in a hub was questionable but mosty worked in 3H, a game structured around it. In Engage all the stat boosting, friendship boosting, animal handling(why), minigames (WHY) are mindnumbing roadblocks to the fun strategy. These sorts of things have never really sat right in FE, where the ways damage formulas and speed formulas in particular work make tiny stat boosts often have huge implications, but this goes way too far in a game system very unsuited to it. It essentially stretches the preperations stage, already too long in most FEs, to being the majority of the game. It's unnaceptable.
And it's a real shame as a lot of the changes in the gameplay department are actually really good. Map design is probably the best it's been since radiant dawn, unit balance doesnt seem so overfocused on a small amount of strong units, bosses actually move about and honestly the engage system, regardless of it being insulting to the original characters and whatever, is a pretty neat gimmick honestly. It's a way more balanced version of pair up that gives effectively more burst damage and interesting techniques, which combined with enemies being generally stronger than previous games makes for an interesing loop. Obviously, its in this game so the execution is flubbed - the rings being limited in number kinda undoes the balance improvements on its own, and the skill inheritance, bonding, and gacha ring stuff is yet more pointless fluff to waste your damn time.
If the game just had the engage system over lets say, Radiance series levels of prep and other stuff going on, the gameplay could have been great, probably the best the series had seen in over a decade. But there's way too much going on to waste your time and it does not gel together.
The story and characters are so bafflingly bad I don't know who it's even for. As ludicrously bad as fates' are, at least it's very easy to pinpoint what's going for - the sheer power trip of being infalliable corrin, the stupid golden route both sides-ing and being able to have children with your big booba wyvern riding sister. Engage's is less bad in the "IS is down bad" regard, but it's worse in that it just completely forgets to have anything at all. It's completely hookless, the world and characters feel like they've got nothing going on at all, and it all feels very rote. The mystical/dragon elements feel tappen onto a pretty normal fire emblem plot and all they do is make the MC less personable and relatable. FE has only really had a good story in like 4 games, but it's structure as a series has always made it very easy to connect to characters and it has never dropped the ball this hard, and it's not like it's even trying something.
The whole game is just a confused mess, and doesnt even seem to be sure of who it's appeal is for. It's nostalgia bait to an extreme whilst barely resembling the simple, down to earth nature of those games. It goes for a simpler structure, dropping choice and most of the social sim elements (which people quite liked even if they're not entirely my bag), but keeps just enough of them to be really annoying. Characters are less of a focus for some reason? Romance is less of a thing? I can't even tell who this game is for because it feels like it consciously does something to alienate a fan of every game in the series, and it certaintly isnt for new players. Even as a "we needed 20 more characters to eventually put in heroes" joint it's a complete failure.
I hesitate to say this is the worst FE - Revelations is truly awful - but even Fates had like, an idea of what it was going for, as bad as what that is and as bad as it's execution is. Engage is aimless and awful and for the first time ever, it's easy for me to put an FE down.
As soon as it was announced Engage is a game that was raising a bunch of red flags. Nostalgia baiting, the awful focus on a myunit, gimmicky new mechanics and fucking GACHA? The whole thing really looked like intelligent systems giving into the worst tendancies of post-awakening Fire Emblem.
And y'know, if that was it, i'd probably be at least fine with that. Fates, even revelations, one of the dumbest fucking things i've ever played, are all still at the very least, compelling. I have like 100 hours in Fates, embarassing as that is, because the Fire Emblem formula is still pretty great, conquest has like 5 good maps and the bad stuff is mostly ignorable. I have played fucking Gaiden to completion even after Echoes was out just to see what was up.
With engage ive got 15 hours in it and I can barely stomach a moment more. I want to keep going because I love FE. But I absolutely cannot stand this game.
Yes, like Fates, Engage is a game that falls prey to IS' stupid tendancies. But the real sin with Engage is that what has been cribbed about just does not gel together at all.
Main issue is bloat, on a gameplay level. Part of the genius of Fire Emblem is how really quite simple it all is, and how limited the resources and options really all are. The best section of the entire franchise, and it's not even close, is Thracia 776's Munster arc, a section which truly relies on you making the most of an incredibly limited toolset and pushing it as far as you can against overwhelming odds. Of course, over the years the complexity inevitably increased, to mixed but often positive results. Engage firmly goes too far though.
The big problem is the mixing of the social sim stuff from 3 houses whilst also incorporating its new stuff with the engage system and so on. Being able to boost stats and stuff in a hub was questionable but mosty worked in 3H, a game structured around it. In Engage all the stat boosting, friendship boosting, animal handling(why), minigames (WHY) are mindnumbing roadblocks to the fun strategy. These sorts of things have never really sat right in FE, where the ways damage formulas and speed formulas in particular work make tiny stat boosts often have huge implications, but this goes way too far in a game system very unsuited to it. It essentially stretches the preperations stage, already too long in most FEs, to being the majority of the game. It's unnaceptable.
And it's a real shame as a lot of the changes in the gameplay department are actually really good. Map design is probably the best it's been since radiant dawn, unit balance doesnt seem so overfocused on a small amount of strong units, bosses actually move about and honestly the engage system, regardless of it being insulting to the original characters and whatever, is a pretty neat gimmick honestly. It's a way more balanced version of pair up that gives effectively more burst damage and interesting techniques, which combined with enemies being generally stronger than previous games makes for an interesing loop. Obviously, its in this game so the execution is flubbed - the rings being limited in number kinda undoes the balance improvements on its own, and the skill inheritance, bonding, and gacha ring stuff is yet more pointless fluff to waste your damn time.
If the game just had the engage system over lets say, Radiance series levels of prep and other stuff going on, the gameplay could have been great, probably the best the series had seen in over a decade. But there's way too much going on to waste your time and it does not gel together.
The story and characters are so bafflingly bad I don't know who it's even for. As ludicrously bad as fates' are, at least it's very easy to pinpoint what's going for - the sheer power trip of being infalliable corrin, the stupid golden route both sides-ing and being able to have children with your big booba wyvern riding sister. Engage's is less bad in the "IS is down bad" regard, but it's worse in that it just completely forgets to have anything at all. It's completely hookless, the world and characters feel like they've got nothing going on at all, and it all feels very rote. The mystical/dragon elements feel tappen onto a pretty normal fire emblem plot and all they do is make the MC less personable and relatable. FE has only really had a good story in like 4 games, but it's structure as a series has always made it very easy to connect to characters and it has never dropped the ball this hard, and it's not like it's even trying something.
The whole game is just a confused mess, and doesnt even seem to be sure of who it's appeal is for. It's nostalgia bait to an extreme whilst barely resembling the simple, down to earth nature of those games. It goes for a simpler structure, dropping choice and most of the social sim elements (which people quite liked even if they're not entirely my bag), but keeps just enough of them to be really annoying. Characters are less of a focus for some reason? Romance is less of a thing? I can't even tell who this game is for because it feels like it consciously does something to alienate a fan of every game in the series, and it certaintly isnt for new players. Even as a "we needed 20 more characters to eventually put in heroes" joint it's a complete failure.
I hesitate to say this is the worst FE - Revelations is truly awful - but even Fates had like, an idea of what it was going for, as bad as what that is and as bad as it's execution is. Engage is aimless and awful and for the first time ever, it's easy for me to put an FE down.