Persona 3 Reload: Life, Death, and Rebirth

Persona 5 Royal is my second favorite game of all time. It came to me during a confusing point in my life, when I didn't know where to go, or what to do. I adore Persona 5, and It's what got me into real RPGS, previously my portfolio was just Pokemon games and the Mario RPGs from the DS/3DS era that I've played, but Persona 5 got me to go play other RPG's like the Final Fantasy and Xenoblade, while also making me want to try out the other games in the wide Megaten ecosystem. After I first beat Persona 5 Royal, I was hooked on the entire Persona series. After I was done with Persona 5 Royal, I played Persona 4 Golden and loved it, not as much as I did with P5R, but still love.

I don't have a PSP or PS1, so can't comment about Persona 1 and 2, but despite only playing Persona 5 Royal and Persona 4 Golden, I have never gotten into Persona 3 yet at this point. The OG Persona 3 and FES are trapped on the PS2, and even with emulation possible, the fact that it does not have the feature to directly control your teammates was a turn-off for me, who was used to it in Persona 5 and 4. I was considering playing Persona 3 Portable (which I still might do eventually, only for FEMC since she ain't in Reload) since it did have direct commands, however, I ultimately decided to wait for Persona 3 Reload to come out since when I was thinking about this, it was only a few weeks before release. So I'm just saying all this to let you know my background with Persona 3, and Persona series in general.

I'm just going to talk about Persona 3 Reload, as its own game, without any comparisons to the original, FES, or Portable. Persona 3 Reload blew my expectations out of the water, I came into this game hoping for it to be on par with Persona 5 Royal, and I came out with that, and though as of now I hold Persona 5 Royal over Persona 3 Reload, it is possible for me in a few years to change my mind. Persona 3 Reload does everything right, it gives a cast of loveable characters, the best gameplay that the series has so far, and a story that has made me think about it for days after beating it. The gameplay feels smoother than it ever was, Tartarus is a great change from the palaces/dungeons I was used to In Persona 4 and Persona 5, and I wouldn't mind if sometihng similar to Tartarus comes in Persona 6, but I'd still like dungeons/palaces too. Each block in Tartarus feels unique enough from the other, and it creates a gameplay experience that I sometimes liked more than the palaces/dungeons in Persona 5 and 4, which is probably a controversal opinon, and I might just have recentcy bias towards Tartarus.

I love how Atlus took some inspiration from Persona 5's art style and used that inspiration to give Persona 3 Reload its own unique art style. I love the blue coloring of the UI, it makes going to the menus feel like a mini art piece every time. I love how sometimes when you attack a shadow with the right weakness element, there's a close-up shot of the character's face, as their Persona breaks through it and attacks the shadow. Little stuff like that makes it stand out from not only the original Persona 3 but also every other Persona game. One thing I do have to say about Reload's art style is with it is to the original game's art style. Yes, I loved Reload's art style, but the original had it's own, sorta edgy art style too, which isn't really here in Reload, which I would have liked, but it's not a major deal for me, but it is for those who loved the Original. The social links in Reload feel kinda weak some paired to social links in Persona 4 Golden and Persona 5 Royal, but since Persona 3 was the first Persona game to introduce social links, it's pulled off really well, for it's first time in a Persona game.

I found it weird there weren't any social links with the main party members sooner, you have to have max social stats in a specific category to start it. Like in Mitsuru's social link, you need max academics to start her social link, and even then you start her link kinda around the late game. Not only you start the social links for the main cast later, it's only the female members in the main party that have social links. Sadly Jumpei, Akakiko, Shinjiro, and Ken don't have social links, which I was bumped out to find out. I would have found their social links more interesting than Yukari's and Fuuka's, which I liked, but it just sorta bummed me out coming off of the social links from Persona 5 and Persona 4 but despite that, Persona 3 Reload has some of the best social links in the series.

My favorite in Persona 3 Reload has to be Akinari's social link, his story is a tragedy, and without spoilers, is one of the highlights that conveys the game's theme of death. I believe the reason I play Persona, is for what each game has to tell in its story. Persona 5 Royal had the theme of rebellion, Persona 4 Golden and the theme of seeking the truth, and with Persona 3 Reload, it has the theme of Death. This concept dives deep into the story, and creates a narrative that has stuck with me for days since I beat it. It is the question of life and death, that this game attempts to answer it. In the game, you play through the MC, and see what his life is like, with social links and the bonds he has with others. By the end of the game, the MC finds the answer to that question, ultimately, passing the baton onto the player, as you think of your own answer to the question of life and death, as you watch the credits.

Persona 3 Reload's story, narrative, and themes are truly spectacular. It's the type of story I love in any type of media, regardless if it's a game, movie, tv show, anime, manga, book, or album, I love it when a piece of art, such as Persona 3 Reload, can have me still thinking about it for days and weeks after being done with it. Persona 3 Reload pulls you into it's narrative and gets you unknowingly invested in this tale. Life goes on as you play, like how days pass, both in real life and in the game, but there is also death. Death can come any time, you never know when death will come to your door.

It can come all of a sudden, and that's what Persona 3 Reload conveys. There's death, and there is no way to stop it, but there is also rebirth afterward, not in the game, but in you, the player. You are reborn, with the knowledge of life and death, now it is up to you, how you will use it. Will you forge links and bonds with the people you care about? Will you make the most of each day you have in your life before death? With your rebirth, what will you do when death comes? That is what Persona 3 Reload asks you. Overall, Persona 3 Reload is a true marvel of a persona game. It has the best gameplay the series has the offer, some the best narratives and story-telling reimagined today. Regardless if you've played the original, FES, Portable or not played any version of Persona 3 yet, please do so. Reload is a must for all Persona fans.

Stats:
9th game in 2024 I've completed
Played on PlayStation 5
Hours into Game: 70 hours
Score: 10/10 (5/5)
Last Statement: Ace Dective? More like-

Pikmin: Stepping Stone Towards Better To Come

Pikmin began as a series created by Mario creator, Shigeru Miyamoto. The foundation of Pikmin can be found in a GameCube-era tech demo called Super Mario 128, it showed the performance of the GameCube, being able to animate 128 copies of Mario at once, and this concept of multiple characters running at once moved over to what we know today as Pikmin. Pikmin is probably one of the more unique Nintendo series out there. There's your normal Mario's, Zelda's and Metroid's, as well Fire Emblem and Xenoblade for the weebs, but Pikmin as a series is kinda the middle child of Nintendo IPs. It's not as popular as Mario or Zelda, but it's not as niche as Fire Emblem or Xenoblade over here in the west. I initially knew Pikmin only as the series Olimar from Super Smash Bros was from, said 9-year-old me.

I remember trying out Pikmin before, I believe I played either Pikmin 1 or 2 on my old Wii before, I don't know which one exactly, but I never completed it, and I didn't like the controls. I was only a kid at the time, so it was only natural for me to be dogshit at games that weren't Mario or Pokemon. I decided to pick up Pikmin 1 + 2 on the Switch because this was the most accessible version available to me as a newcomer to the series. (I'm writing my review here because backloggd's system when it comes to ports/remasters is dogshit) I am able to play the Wii version of Pikmin 1 & 2, but I've heard about the mixed reception of the motion controls, and with a game like Pikmin, I didn't hate myself enough to subject myself to motion controls, so I got the Switch version. I'll be writing about Pikmin 1 here and Pikmin 2 later, for now, all I have to say about Pikmin 1 is that Pikmin 1 was such a nice change of pace from all the games I've played this year so far.

It was sorta calming to play this game, the soundtrack was composed by Hajime Wakai and adds so much to crafting the atmosphere when you explore this planet as Olimar. Olimar is a Hocotatian (I checked the Pikmin wiki to make sure before I made a fool of myself and say Olimar was human. Pikmin lore goes deep) who crashes his ship onto the planet where the Pikmin inhabit. Since Oilmar's ship is out of work, he befriends the Pikmin and uses them to collect the missing pieces of his ship on the planet to make sure he has all the pieces, or else in 30 days, the oxygen in his space helmet will run out, and he will die. You have limited time each day you play Pikmin, each day matters, and it's best to use each day to its best by either getting a missing piece of the ship or harvesting some more Pikmin. In Pikmin 1, there are only 3 types of Pikmin, Red Pikmin, Blue Pikmin, and Yellow Pikmin.

Red Pikmin are the first ones you get in the game and can withstand flames and anything similar to heat, Blue Pikmin can be brought underwater while the other ones melt to death, and Yellow Pikmin can withstand electricity. Compared to Pikmin 2, and the later games, this is quite basic, but as the first game in the series, it works and works perfectly for newcomers. This is the perfect entry point for me, I was able to understand the 3 basic Pikmin types perfectly, and going into Pikmin 2 after this game felt like a smooth transition. Pikmin isn't a game you play for a story, it's all about gameplay, and the gameplay is so satisfying. Compared to Pikmin 2, it's quite basic since this was the first game, but I still had a fun time with it. It was fun to explore the little planet with the Pikmin and explore to find treasure.

I found myself caring for the Pikmin I had around me, I felt like a guardian protecting its little ones, and whenever I lost one of them to an enemy, I made sure me and my children got sweet revenge by killing it and harvet its body to create more Pikmin. Surprisingly kinda dark for a Nintendo game. (insert Spongebob roller coaster meme here) To be honest, I don't have a lot to say here, because most of my praises are for Pikmin 2, but what I will say is that one of my issues with Pikmin 1, was that I felt that the Pikmin could just ignore you sometimes. Sometimes I threw a Pikmin at an enemy just for the Pikmin to walk around blind like they Stevie Wonder, but also another issue was that compared to Pikmin 2, there's not a lot of replay value. Of course, you can try to speed-run it, but everything after Pikmin 1 just does a better job. Overall, Pikmin 1 was a nice change of pace from what else I was playing this year. I believe this was the first RTS I ever played, and I loved it.

Stats:
8th Game I've Completed In 2024
Played on Nintendo Switch
Hours into Game: 10 hours
Score: 8/10 (4/5)
Last Statement: Red Pikmin best pikmin

Final Fantasy VII Remake: Changing What A "Remake" Truly Means

Picture this, It's 1997, the original Final Fantasy VII was released worldwide on the PS1, and was acclaimed, with both critical and commercial success too. It was rare at the time for JRPGs to do well in the West, due to most gamers not being interested in the genre before. However, Final Fantasy VII was an unreal piece of media, not just a game at the time. It was praised for its graphics, high-tech computer-animated cutscenes, and story. It was revolutionary for JRPGs at the time, the same way Super Mario 64 was revolutionary for platformers, at the same time as well. Final Fantasy VII would go down as one of the more important JRPGs of all time... Now let's go to ahead in time, to 2006. Square Enix showcased a tech demo for the PS3, being a remake of FF7's iconic opening scene, using the tech of the PS3.

Square intended to be nothing but just a tech demo, but fans at the time ran with it and came to the assumption that there was a remake of Final Fantasy VII on the way. Square shot down the claims of a FF7 Remake at the time, but it was the spark of fans requesting it. Advent Children, despite its flaws as a movie, was a beautiful, and gorgeous looking movie to watch, and fans at the time just kept dreaming of a remake for Final Fantasy VII, a more modern, up-to-date version with modern graphics like Advent Children was a dream at the time. Well, that was a dream until E3 2015, when Final Fantasy VII Remake was announced officially to be coming to the PS4. It was a dream come true, but nobody expected the game we got on April 10, 2020.

Since this was back in 2020, with the virus going around and lockdown being in effect, some fans were more surprised at how Square decided to "remake" Final Fantasy VII. Fans soon came to realize that Final Fantasy VII Remake was a remake, not just in the scene of remaking the original game, but a remake of what we knew from before. It was a huge risk for Square to do this with a Final Fantasy game, no, just a game that is beloved such as Final Fantasy VII, and change it for the fans who grew up with it since the early parts of their childhood on the original version of the PS1. Final Fantasy VII Remake is only part 1, of a trilogy to remake the original game. Final Fantasy VII Rebirth is part 2, and part 3 currently being in the works.

As for my personal connection to Final Fantasy VII, I don't have any, the original game came out before I was born, and I got FF7 Remake as a birthday gift, but even when I did decide to play it, I didn't. I played the original version first because I heard about how FF7 Remake was more than a remake than I thought, plus for some lore reasons that are in remake that I won't spoil here, but even after finishing the original Final Fantasy VII, I picked up Crisis Core, wrote my review for it, and then moved onto Final Fantasy VII Remake. Let's start off with gameplay. The gameplay feels incredibly smooth, the real-time action combat feels tight, and is a nice change from the original's take on combat. The Materia system feels recognizable from the original, with some good modern quality-of-life fixes.

The original in my opinion did not properly explain the materia system well enough to me, I didn't know materia could be paired together in the original, and there were no visual cues to let me know, but in the remake, the game does a much better job at letting me know, and the UI is much easier to understand. Everything else about the Materia system feels nearly identical to the original, even down to missing specific materia in a specific part, only to find out after you left that area later on. I love how you're able to swap between party members and take control of them when you see them. I can use Cloud's limit break on a boss, instead of being stuck controlling Cloud, I can control someone else while Cloud is dealing with his limit break, someone like Barret or Tifa, and continue attacking without being stuck. It's a small thing, but just nice to have. Graphically, this game looks incredible, I was playing on my PS5 with performance mode on for all of my playthrough. I prefer better-looking graphics when it comes to single-player games, but I'm willing to sacrifice graphics for 60 FPS, and in this case with FF7 Remake, it was a small sacrifice.

It's just a lot better with 60 FPS, and all the characters from the original have not looked better. The opening cutscene that they remade from the original just shows the magic of Square's talent when it comes to computer-animated cutscenes. You can see the growth in technology when you compare the original to the remake's recreation. It looks amazing, and though it is easy to make fun of the original's blocky characters and graphics, seeing this opening cutscene in the remake makes me wonder if this is how the kids who grew up with Final Fantasy VII back in 1997 saw this game at the time. They never knew graphics in video games would be as good as we have today. We've peaked when it came to graphics in video games, look at the jump from the PS4 generation to the PS5 generation, it's barely noticeable, and most games are still playable on both PS4 and PS5, but you gotta remember we're talking about video games in 1997, it was just not too long ago they just came off of 16-bit consoles such as the SNES and SEGA Genesis, and the PlayStation 1 and Nintendo 64 were relatively the next, 3D consoles with the biggest jump we've seen both in terms of gameplay and graphics. So seeing this iconic cutscene being remade just shows all the love everybody who worked remake has for the original, it captures that magic from those kids long ago.

As for FF7 Remake's story, it's split into three parts within this Final Fantasy VII Remake trilogy. Final Fantasy VII Remake covers around the first 6 hours of the original game's story, while Rebirth covers up to the end of Disk 1, and part 3 (assumably) covers the rest of the original. Though it is unfortunate that FF7 Remake doesn't have all of the original story, it makes sense why. The original Final Fantasy VII had it take place in Midgar for the first few hours, before becoming a semi-open world after you leave Midgar, plus, games are a lot more expensive to make and publish when it comes to triple-A releases in the current gaming market then how they were in 1997, the original Final Fantasy VII was supposed to be on the Nintendo 64, but that game was so ambitious for the time, in order for it to be possible, it would have taken 12 cartridges, meanwhile, it took two disks on the PlayStation 1. Yet for the PS4 release, it took two disks as well, so I can't fault Square for splitting Final Fantasy VII into a trilogy. So if Square only has the first 6 hours of the original for one game in a trilogy, how did they stretch it out into a 30+ hour long game?

Well, this is where Final Fantasy VII Remake splits from being a remake in the traditional scene, things play out differently than they do in the original. Sephiroth makes his physical appearance much sooner than he does in the original, and he speaks to Cloud in a way that makes it sound like he already knows much about his future and Cloud's future from the original game. This is kinda the best way I can explain it without going into spoilers. This game has some sorta commentary about the picky fans (and a lot of other people's reviews here) who want Final Fantasy VII Remake to be a one-to-one identical remake to the original. A one-to-one remake in not possible in this current gaming climate, so they need to change it, and what they changed was destiny.

Destiny is changed in FF7 Remake, things play out differently to the original, setting the stage for what's to come in Rebirth and Part 3. I'm all here for this change in what Final Fantasy VII Remake sets to do. The original story is still there in the original Final Fantasy VII if you don't like Remake's adaption, but Remake's story is meant for FF7 fans who are already experienced with the original game, though newcomers can still make FF7 Remake their entry point into FF7/Final Fantasy in general. Final Fantasy VII Remake's story stretches out the first 6 hours of the original into 30+ hours by expanding upon previously smaller details that weren't touched in the original Final Fantasy VII or any other piece of Final Fantasy VII media. They expand upon side characters like Biggs and Jessie by giving them extra screen to make the player more attached to them as characters, while also giving previously well-known characters such as Aerith or Sephiroth by showing new depth into their characters.

Aerith is a very loveable character in Final Fantasy VII Remake, her voice actor does a great job at making Aerith come off as the silly flower girl in Midgar, meanwhile, Sephiroth feels like a shadow watching over you throughout the game. Even though his physical appearance is revealed sooner than it is in the original, I like that, It makes Sephiroth come across as a force who can put himself into any scene in the game whenever and however he likes. Though I like it as someone who previously played the original FF7 before the FF7 Remake, I have to acknowledge how this may come off to newcomers who haven't played the original. Some people won't play the original because they may find it outdated, or just don't want to play a PS1-era JRPG, so this effect doesn't really affect newcomers the way it did for me. Stuff like this is one of the flaws in Remake's story, it pays off for fans who've played the original Final Fantasy VII, however, it doesn't pay off for fans who made Final Fantasy VII Remake their entry point. Preferably, it would have found a way to keep these moments pay off for OG fans, while having that effect on new players, though that is probably hard to ask for.

For any additional notes, after playing Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, I look back on Remake as sort of a tech demo for what was to come in Rebirth. Everything about gameplay and story is enhanced in Rebirth, this was Square's first attempt with the Final Fantasy VII Remake Trilogy, so they took the feedback into Rebirth and polished that game into a better more refined version of FF7 Remake. Also, I haven't brought up the Yuffie DLC from Intergade. I haven't played it, I watched a story recap on YouTube instead because I didn't want to spend money on DLC I didn't really care about, and I didn't want to waste any filler hours when I could just be playing something else from my Backlog. For any critiques, I previously mentioned how I felt about the story for OG fans and newcomers, but another thing I wanted to add was about Side Quests. The Side Quests are dryer than a desert, most of them are given by random NPCs that nobody gives a shit about, and I only completed them for EXP and Items. I suppose it was fine during the first parts of the game, as it kinda gives some depth to the world of Midgar, but it seems to just be tacked on later into the game.


Overall, Final Fantasy VII Remake is a great start to the Final Fantasy VII Remake Trilogy. It's a nice stepping stone to go into Rebirth and a good stepping stone into the wider world of Final Fantasy in general for newcomers. It was a fun playthrough to see all these characters I grew to love in their original blocky PS1 from today. Every character was enhanced for the better, they are all better versions of themselves, and the story was a great change to a previously beloved story in the original Final Fantasy VII. I enjoyed my time with Remake when I first finished it around the end of January this year, and I enjoyed myself with Rebirth since that game was released, from start to finish. I can't wait to see where part 3 will go, and I can just only see it going up from here.

Stats:
7th game I've completed in 2024 (this was a coincidence I swear)
Played on PlayStation 5.
Hours into Game: 32 Hours
Favorite Characters: Cloud, Aerith, Barret & Sephiroth
Least Favorite Character: Roche & Johnny
Score: 9/10 (4.5/5)
Last Statement: Sephiroth is hot ngl

Yakuza 0: The Beginning

- I've heard a lot about the Yakuza series before starting up Yakuza 0, it was kinda of overdue, but I think it's been in my backlog for a year or two. I've heard about the over-the-top comedic gameplay, the praise of Yakuza: Like A Dragon and more. I decided to pick up Yakuza 0 since it was first in the timeline, and since it was cheap on sale including Kiwami 1 & 2, as well as 3, 4, 5, and 6. The neon-lit streets of 1980s Japan, glowed with irresistible charm, it was the opportunity to immerse myself in a world with a rich narrative with depth and compelling characters. As I fired up Yakuza 0 for the first time, I did not expect to have the curiosity to uncover the world hidden within Kamurocho and Sotenbori. I did not know that what awaited me, the world of the Yakuza, where honor, betrayal, and redemption intertwine amidst a bygone era.

Yakuza 0: Gameplay
- One thing I have to say is that I love the setting of this game, The neon-lit streets of 1980s Japan just suit the game so well, it truly feels like you're experiencing what it was like during those times as you play as Kiryu. And speaking of Kiryu, he is the the stoic yet endearing protagonist, but he's also kind of a quiet protagonist yet one of the most likable protagonists I've felt in a game in a while, He's just an absolute Chad. There is also Majima as the second protagonist, with his own distinct combat style and story arc, adding depth and variety to the gameplay experience to make it different from Kiryu, and it works out to him being as good as Kiryu. Both of them have their own different areas of Japan to themselves, as well as their own different move set, and the game does a great job setting the two apart, both feel unique enough and are fun to play regardless of who. Yakuza 0's combat system is a masterpiece of fluidity and depth, the gameplay and combat is the main piece of meat when it comes to Yakuza, it rewards you for experimenting with its combat system, it rewards you for using different combat styles and learning different combos. When I was first starting out on my first playthrough, I mainly used the Rush style as Kiryu throughout because I thought I could just be fine with using Rush as my main, that was until I got to the first boss fight with Kuze. He beat my ass multiple times, and I realized to utilize Kiryu's other combat style Brawler, and then I changed the boss fight in my favor and then beat his ass. I realized that Yakuza's combat was similar to a fighting game, easy to learn, and hard to master. I translated this knowledge into myself throughout the rest of my playthrough, and as I kept unlocking more skills in my skill tree for both Kiryu and Majima, it just gets more rewarding beating the shit out of people in the most out-of-pocket way. Speaking of which, the finishers in this game are so funny for no reason! There's one where Kiryu somehow gets a boiling hot teapot and pours it down onto a guy. Like, first of all, how tf did you get a teapot, Kiryu? And second, when did you have time to heat it up to a boil!? Of course it doesn't make sense and I love Yakuza 0 for that. The Yakuza series is kinda like Japanese GTA, well a more comedic GTA. The side quests in this game aren't dull at all, they're always filled with some interesting plot line or some funny plot line. Each encounter is a miniature narrative gem, brimming with humor, intrigue, or heartwarming moments. There are a lot of side quests you can pull up here as examples, to which I can't because they all do such a great job of keeping me engaged. However, as my journey progressed, I found myself feeling that the side quests just kinda dragged, and sometimes I fell behind on doing side quests because of that. Another one of the best things about Yakuza 0 are the minigames, they're pretty cool, and fun timekillers to do, but my favorite was the karaoke minigame, it was just funny to play a little mini-game as Kiryu poured his heart out onto the microphone. To be honest, Kiryu is surprisingly a good singer, it made me wonder why he didn't consider being a pop idol?

Yakuza 0: Story
- As for the main story, it's just as a highlight as the gameplay. Yakuza 0's main story unfolds at a slow pace, immersing players in the web of 1980s Japanese underworld politics. It's slow, but it takes it's time to get you into the world of 1980s Japan and get you acquainted with Kiryu, Majima, and all of Dojima. While Kiryu takes center stage as the series' iconic protagonist, Majima's equally compelling narrative elevates him to a co-lead role, offering a nuanced perspective on the yakuza world. The game's narrative richness lies not only in its plot twists and betrayals but also in its exploration of themes such as loyalty, honor, and redemption. Yakuza 0 has brilliance with its character development. Kiryu and Majima's journeys, though distinct, merge seamlessly, being a display of two men navigating the treacherous waters of the criminal underworld. As their paths converge and diverge, it stands to witness their evolution from mere pawns in a larger game to formidable forces in their own right. Alongside them, a colorful cast of supporting characters adds depth and dimension to the overarching narrative, each with their own motivations and agendas. One of my favorite side characters was Nishiki, he's bond with Kiryu, as brothers just sold me on him as a character. He's just an great addition to the series, and just adds more to what's to come in Kiwami 1, and to Kiryu's character. The same applies to Majima too. Majima was an interesting character to play as he was introduced randomly at the start of chapter 3, it was bizarre playing as a different person other Kiryu at first, but Majima just grew to be a compelling character, and seeing how he is as a character after the events of Yakuza 0 just puts a lot of new details about him to light. Beyond its compelling characters and intricate plotlines, Yakuza 0 excels in its ability to immerse players in the tapestry of 1980s Japan. From the streets of Kamurocho all the way to Sotenbori, every area is crafted well, providing an aura of authenticity that transports players back in time. Whether navigating the underbelly of the yakuza or indulging in moments of quiet introspection within the story, the game's immersive atmosphere serves as the perfect backdrop for its gripping narrative. At its core, Yakuza 0 is a tale of redemption, sacrifice, and the enduring bonds of brotherhood as Kiryu, or facing dilemmas as Majima. As I went and delved deeper into Kiryu and Majima's respective journeys, they were confronted with moments of triumph and tragedy, joy and sorrow. Whether forging bonds with other characters within the story or kicking the shit out of people, the emotional resonance of Yakuza 0's story leaves a mark on the player long after the credits roll.

Yakuza 0: Thoughts and Complaints
- As much as I enjoyed my time with Yakuza 0, I do have minor issues with it, such as how the side quests get repetitive over time, I couldn't shake the feeling of them feeling repetitive creeping in me as I progressed further into the game. While each quest had its own charm, they all just kinda felt the same after completing numerous amounts of similar tasks, just slightly weighing down the overall experience. Although Yakuza 0 excels in its storytelling and gameplay, I found myself occasionally grappling with some issues I felt with its pacing, particularly in the later stages of the game. As the main narrative reached near its climax, I felt that the main story was starting to go faster, and it caused some parts in the later half to feel kinda rushed. In addition to the previously mentioned gripes of mine when it came to Yakuza 0, I encountered a few minor gripes during my time with Yakuza 0. Certain gameplay mechanics, such as inventory management or navigation, felt slightly clunky at times, and felt dated, having to sort items felt like a chore. Also, I found most of the items and melee items to be useless in my playthrough. I didn't use any other healing items in combat other than the ones that restored my health and heat up to a large amount. Those were 99% of my inventory most of the time, anything else was useless to me, and buying melee weapons doesn't matter since beating people up with Kiryu's or Majima's fists is already enough, especially if you learn their combos and attacks well enough.

Yakuza 0: Conclusion
- Yakuza 0 was a blast, despite everything I've said, I still enjoyed myself with the gameplay, story, side quests, and bonus content it offered. Yakuza 0 is a game I could see myself returning to, kinda as like a time-killer game, to do, either by completing side quests I haven't done yet, or goofing off in the mini-games, there is just a lot of stuff to do in Yakuza 0. It delivered a captivating blend of engaging gameplay, compelling storytelling, and an abundance of content. Despite minor issues I've felt with Yakuza 0 with repetitive side quests and occasional pacing issues, the game's strengths far outweigh any shortcomings. Yakuza 0 stands as a testament to the series' appeal and is the perfect stepping stone for getting into the series like it did for me. I can't wait to make my way through the rest of the games, to see where Kiryu and Majima will be throughout.

Stats:
6th game I've completed in 2024
Played on PlayStation 5 (via PS4 backwards compatibility)
Hours into Game: 34 Hours
Score: 9/10 (4.5/5)

Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice. Mental Health Portrayed in Gaming

Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice creates a unique atmosphere compared to any other game out right now. Unlike your popular online games or your high-budget, major triple-a single-player games of recent times, Hellblade feels lonely. While there are action segments throughout the game, most of the time, you're exploring this somber world as Senua, completing puzzles and experiencing the narrative the game sets out to tell. To get this out of the way first, Senua is a woman who struggles with psychosis and deals with voices in her head. I do not have any mental health struggles, haven't experienced psychosis before, or know anyone who has, so I am not the best person when it comes to tackling this subject matter, if I describe Senua's mental health wrongly, or in an insensitive manner, I apologize.

The folks at Ninja Theory apparently got real doctors and real patients who have psychosis, to be a part of the development of Hellblade, to which I applauded them. Even though I do not struggle with any of Senua's psychosis, I find how the way the game uses audio engineering to simulate Senua's voices to be one of my favorite ways audio mixing has been used as a device to expand a narrative. Headphones are a must if you play this game, Senua's voices vary depending on the volume of each voice, some are louder, while some are quieter, little details like this make me close to connecting to Senua as a character, small design choices like this help the game so much when it comes to putting the player in Senua's shoes, and somewhat educate others on psychosis. Also, graphically, for a low-budget game, the graphics look fantastic. I was playing this game on my PC on 4K with 60 FPS, and it just looks stunning.

The strengths of Hellblade come in its story, worldbuilding, and atmosphere. The story is about Senua, on her journey to save the soul of her deceased lover, while exploring the Norse underworld. The story is pretty good and kept me engaged to progress further into the game. I feel Hellblade's best moments when it comes to it's story are within certain moments in the game, instead of the overall story, start-to-end. An example of this is during a part in the game, where Senua has to complete curtain trials before getting a key item that progresses the story, in these trials, it pushes Senua to face her fears and past, and this sequence is brilliant, for not only showcasing Senua's past to the player but also connecting to Senua deeper than before, it's a wonderful execution.

These are when the story and narrative shine, however I feel that around the second half of the game, is where the story just kinda drags. The pacing just feels like a slope, with nothing to add onto, and it doesn't help when the gameplay isn't the best when in combat. Combat feels tacky, it feels like a theater play, rather than an actual fight. This critique about the combat, with the pacing of the second half, just drags the game down from the interest of the first few hours into it. Overall, Hellblade is a unique game, with a great protagonist, a great story, great setting with dull gameplay. I hope in Hellblade 2, the combat gets improved, and the story gets some better flashed moments near its second half. Hellblade Senua's Sacrifice is a great, short game to pick up if you want to try something a little different than anything else in your backlog.

Stats:
5th game I've completed in 2024
Played on PC
Hours into Game: 9 Hours
Score: 8/10 (4/5)

Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII Reunion: What It Means to be A SOLIDER

After beating the original Final Fantasy VII not too a few months back, I really wanted to go into a Final Fantasy VII binge, play this game, and remake before Rebirth came out. So, I finally picked this game up before starting my backlog project, and here we are today. Crisis Core is a fun, short, prequel experience for fans of Final Fantasy VII who wish to expand their view of the world of FFVII while enjoying the character of Zack. It's nothing too special, combat is fine, a little RNG-based, but fine. To be honest, the main strength of this game is the story, if your already know the story of the original Final Fantasy VII, this game rewards players who loved the original, with callbacks and references to characters and plot points from the original, as well as setting up some story elements from the original as well.

Despite relying on the back of the cast of Final Fantasy VII, Crisis Core has its own unique editions to the expanded world of Final Fantasy VII, with characters such as Angeal and Genesis. I have never played the original PSP release, but despite how well the devs did with Crisis Core Reunion as a remaster, at its core (no pun intended), still feels and plays like a PSP game. Before going into this game, I thought the combat would feel more like FFVII remake's combat, but it feels watered down compared to the remake, which isn't a bad thing, that's on me for thinking that, but if I knew that before picking up the PS5 version, I would've just got the Switch version. Also, this might be a me thing, but this game was short. It took me 9 hours to beat the main story, which confused me because HowLongToBeat said the average time was 13 and a half hours, I don't know if I was unknowingly rushing through or the game is just short.

Overall, I found Crisis Core to be a solid prequel to FFVII, nice to build Zack as a character, and a decent time. However there really isn't a lot to go back to, and gameplay feels plain and boring when there is better out there. It's fun as a first-time experience after playing Final Fantasy VII, but nothing really more than that.

Stats:
3rd game I've completed in 2024
Played on PlayStation 5
Hours into Game: 9 Hours
Score: 7/10 (3.5/5)

Alan Wake II: Awake to the Darkness

The first Alan Wake was a solid, but not rememberable game. It had its pros and cons, but Remedy seemed to take everything great from the first Alan Wake, add to it, and blow it out of the water with Alan Wake 2. The story in the first Alan Wake was a pretty solid but did not reach its full potential until Alan Wake 2 came around to doing so. Alan Wake 2 builds on top of the first Alan Wake, as well as Alan Wake's American Nightmare and Control, to create a connected sea of games with thread between them. Alan Wake 2 takes inspiration from horror stories, and in doing so, it completely flips the genre away from the first game, and into a full-blown horror game, and it works amazingly.

I don't get scared by horror games that much, however, Alan Wake 2 creates such a unique feel within its atmosphere. Regardless if I was playing as Alan or Saga, the atmosphere always felt eerie. The jumpscares caught me off guard multiple times during my play-through, but one of my criticisms with this game is how some of the jumpscares have their scare factor due to how randomly placed they are. It's kinda a cheap way to get a scare off the player, and even though it works at some parts, it kinda gets predictable later on. Alan Wake 2 has two protagonists, Alan Wake of course, but a new character as well, Saga Anderson. I've enjoyed both play-throughs through each character, however, I might in the minority in saying this, but I actually liked playing as Saga more than I did as Alan.

I feel that Saga's storyline, and her overall character arc, were more engaging than Alan's storyline. I think Saga's story reached to me more than Alan's was because her story was much more human, which is the best way I can describe it without going into spoilers. Despite my praise for Saga's storyline, I did enjoy Alan's storyline as well. Naturally, with how the end of the first Alan Wake set up where Alan is in Alan Wake 2, it provides a unique change of feel and atmosphere. Playing throughout Alan's storyline made me feel alone, it feels like there is some sort of dark presence watching Alan.

To be honest I don't have much more to say about Alan's side of the game. I just feel that it kinda feels a little flatter when it comes to some chapters, and at some parts it feels like a repeat of some of the boring parts of the first Alan Wake. Graphically, this game is beautiful. I had to change the settings to performance mode because the 30 FPS was bugging me during my first few minutes in Alan Wake 2, but it is still gorgeous as a game. I love how Remedy used both in-game and live-action cinematics, and blend them together. The environments everytime I was either playing as Alan or Saga, always made me admire the graphical depth the devs at Remedy did to make this game gorgeous. I was playing on a 4K moniter with HDR support, and the lighting was just... chef's kiss

Gameplay wise I found the movement to be kinda clunky, which was kinda tedious in the first Alan Wake, but in Alan Wake 2, it's still clunky, but in an annoying way like the first game. The gameplay feels sharp, and much more refined than the first game, it feels much better to get into combat, and made it a overall enjoyable time. Overall, the story had me engaged as I dove deeper into the chapters, the gameplay kept feeling refreshing, and I never felt a moment where I was disengaged. Alan Wake 2 is a masterpiece as a story, game, and work of art. It's one of those games where you can't forget about when you beat it. I can't wait for what Sam Lake and Remedy will work on after this game, I'm sure it will keep me awake.

Stats:
2nd game I've completed in 2024
Played on PlayStation 5
Hours into Game: 17 Hours
Score: 10/10 (5/5)