MarlBocks
2015
My first Yakuza game, i was expecting great things and it gave my 10 times that.
Yakuza 0 is such a rollercoaster of emotions and craziness that I can't get here and not write a great review about it. I love my boys Kiryu and Majima. I love doing sub-stories and side content for hours and hours. I love grinding like a mobile game in my real estate and cabaret. I just love it all.
Therefore, instead of reading reviews, go all out and play it, i swear to you, it's definitely one hell of a game.
Yakuza 0 is such a rollercoaster of emotions and craziness that I can't get here and not write a great review about it. I love my boys Kiryu and Majima. I love doing sub-stories and side content for hours and hours. I love grinding like a mobile game in my real estate and cabaret. I just love it all.
Therefore, instead of reading reviews, go all out and play it, i swear to you, it's definitely one hell of a game.
2023
A sea of good and pretty ideas, but it lacks the substance to surpass even the most generic JRPG out there.
The game is undeniably visually stunning. I'm not a fan of the character portraits, but there are so many other issues to dislike that I simply overlooked them. The entire map, both in dungeons and the open world, is breathtaking. Unfortunately, it doesn't live up to the open-world experience it attempts to portray; it's much more linear than you might expect. The story is overly linear, with minimal side content.
The story is disappointing. It doesn't start off well, and you may hope it improves as the game progresses, but it doesn't. The protagonists lack charisma, the rest of the party is uninteresting, and the pacing is terrible. You'll spend nearly 10 hours with only three party members, and about two hours to finishing the game you add another one? What the hell?
Another aspect I strongly dislike is the need to include cameos from The Messenger. A significant part of this game revolves around references, playing songs, and "epic moments" that you won't understand if you haven't played their previous game. Sea of Stars isn't supposed to be The Messenger 2 (or in this case, 0), but it still deviates from the main story to make references...
The combat system starts off interesting, but after just five battles, it becomes repetitive and, above all, boring. Many bosses and regular enemies are damage sponges, and nothing is genuinely challenging. You'll find yourself using the same two skills and basic attacks for an extended period until you finally unlock more than 1 ultimate attack in the very end of the game. The combos are most useless because every normal enemy will die before you even get 1 of it.
In reality, there isn't much to discuss about Sea of Stars. I haven't played Chrono Trigger yet, but you can't create a game purely for nostalgia. If that's what you're after, you should consider playing Chained Echoes instead, which appears to be far superior to this game in what it attempts, and fails to achieve.
The game is undeniably visually stunning. I'm not a fan of the character portraits, but there are so many other issues to dislike that I simply overlooked them. The entire map, both in dungeons and the open world, is breathtaking. Unfortunately, it doesn't live up to the open-world experience it attempts to portray; it's much more linear than you might expect. The story is overly linear, with minimal side content.
The story is disappointing. It doesn't start off well, and you may hope it improves as the game progresses, but it doesn't. The protagonists lack charisma, the rest of the party is uninteresting, and the pacing is terrible. You'll spend nearly 10 hours with only three party members, and about two hours to finishing the game you add another one? What the hell?
Another aspect I strongly dislike is the need to include cameos from The Messenger. A significant part of this game revolves around references, playing songs, and "epic moments" that you won't understand if you haven't played their previous game. Sea of Stars isn't supposed to be The Messenger 2 (or in this case, 0), but it still deviates from the main story to make references...
The combat system starts off interesting, but after just five battles, it becomes repetitive and, above all, boring. Many bosses and regular enemies are damage sponges, and nothing is genuinely challenging. You'll find yourself using the same two skills and basic attacks for an extended period until you finally unlock more than 1 ultimate attack in the very end of the game. The combos are most useless because every normal enemy will die before you even get 1 of it.
In reality, there isn't much to discuss about Sea of Stars. I haven't played Chrono Trigger yet, but you can't create a game purely for nostalgia. If that's what you're after, you should consider playing Chained Echoes instead, which appears to be far superior to this game in what it attempts, and fails to achieve.
2022
It is really a game ever made.
It's a cat game in a cyberpunk world. Do i need to say more?
The game itself is pretty simple, but not in a bad way. The graphics are real good, the puzzles are actually cool and the story is basic enough to not be bad.
If you have Plus, play it. It's short, about 3 hours long, and you will know what is like to be a cat, but that's all.
It's a cat game in a cyberpunk world. Do i need to say more?
The game itself is pretty simple, but not in a bad way. The graphics are real good, the puzzles are actually cool and the story is basic enough to not be bad.
If you have Plus, play it. It's short, about 3 hours long, and you will know what is like to be a cat, but that's all.
2023
If you managed to find something genuinely enjoyable in this game, without a hint of irony, then you are truly the hero of this story.
Personally, I like playing and watching things that aren't good but they know they aren't good. So, yeah, I had some fun with this game, sharing screenshots and videos of its most stupid moments. However, once I paused, took a deep breath, and reflected on it, I couldn't help but think, "Wow, this is pretty terrible."
It's an indie game, and that fact is screaming at your face every time. There are plenty of indie developers out there who, aware of their limitations, endeavor to create experiences that prevent you from either finding them or unfavorably comparing them to similar bigger titles. Crafting a game that clearly draws inspiration from Persona but only incorporates its worse aspects is a flawed approach.
The point I'm getting at here is that I've spent a considerable amount of time discussing this game, which honestly shouldn't be the case. Let's move on. We've already got a strong contender for the title of "Worst Game of the Year."
Personally, I like playing and watching things that aren't good but they know they aren't good. So, yeah, I had some fun with this game, sharing screenshots and videos of its most stupid moments. However, once I paused, took a deep breath, and reflected on it, I couldn't help but think, "Wow, this is pretty terrible."
It's an indie game, and that fact is screaming at your face every time. There are plenty of indie developers out there who, aware of their limitations, endeavor to create experiences that prevent you from either finding them or unfavorably comparing them to similar bigger titles. Crafting a game that clearly draws inspiration from Persona but only incorporates its worse aspects is a flawed approach.
The point I'm getting at here is that I've spent a considerable amount of time discussing this game, which honestly shouldn't be the case. Let's move on. We've already got a strong contender for the title of "Worst Game of the Year."
2020
Imagine if your friends played the game you like: part 2.
I'm incapable of getting good at this game.
It's not a genre I like, but it's really impressive how much physics and interactions you can have with the environment.
As always, stay hydrated.
I'm incapable of getting good at this game.
It's not a genre I like, but it's really impressive how much physics and interactions you can have with the environment.
As always, stay hydrated.
I am not a big fan of indies or conceptual games like this one, but i have to admit when it made me intrigued for hours straight and the moment i left the game was when i finished.
All "minigames" for each family member are very different and interesting in their on way. Hated the photo one and loved the gamer fish.
The last of the family needs therapy ASAP...
All "minigames" for each family member are very different and interesting in their on way. Hated the photo one and loved the gamer fish.
The last of the family needs therapy ASAP...
2023
After experiencing some questionable moments during my adventure in Alan Wake's Universe, I have discovered a truly masterfully crafted game here, something that only Remedy could have accomplished.
Let's begin with the weaker aspect, which is the combat. The survival horror elements were not executed as effectively as in some other games within the same genre. While it did work, it fell bad sometimes.
However, that's where the negatives end. The rest of the game is absolutely mind blowing. Everything about it is phenomenal. As someone who is easily scared, I found myself enduring an abundance of jumpscares and an atmosphere that continuously drew me deeper into a sense of despair. Even though the game isn't particularly terrifying, you will not fight much and explore a lot without anything happen. Surprisingly, I played through it all with a smile on my face (and some screams).
I could list all the game's qualities, but that wouldn't make for an interesting review. What truly surprised me is that, after my mixed feelings about the franchise, I now find myself eagerly awaiting the next game and how they will take their storytelling to a whole new level, just as they have done with this one.
Let's begin with the weaker aspect, which is the combat. The survival horror elements were not executed as effectively as in some other games within the same genre. While it did work, it fell bad sometimes.
However, that's where the negatives end. The rest of the game is absolutely mind blowing. Everything about it is phenomenal. As someone who is easily scared, I found myself enduring an abundance of jumpscares and an atmosphere that continuously drew me deeper into a sense of despair. Even though the game isn't particularly terrifying, you will not fight much and explore a lot without anything happen. Surprisingly, I played through it all with a smile on my face (and some screams).
I could list all the game's qualities, but that wouldn't make for an interesting review. What truly surprised me is that, after my mixed feelings about the franchise, I now find myself eagerly awaiting the next game and how they will take their storytelling to a whole new level, just as they have done with this one.
I finally kill the meme of a persona fan who doesn't play all personas!
The infamous Persona 1. Yeah, it is bad.
Besides some very annoying things, the story and the soundtrack (thanks Meguro) are some things i can like. I read the manga before so maybe that is why i could understand the story better, even with a very bad pacing.
It's hard to review this game. It's terrible to play, but does have some few qualities. If you really like the franchise, try it, but you'll not lose much if not.
The infamous Persona 1. Yeah, it is bad.
Besides some very annoying things, the story and the soundtrack (thanks Meguro) are some things i can like. I read the manga before so maybe that is why i could understand the story better, even with a very bad pacing.
It's hard to review this game. It's terrible to play, but does have some few qualities. If you really like the franchise, try it, but you'll not lose much if not.
2024
I am glad that Reload exists, but i am a little disappointed that they miss an oportunity by playing too much safe.
Reload is almost, actually is basically entirely 1:1 to the original, with very small but cool changes, like new social episodes with the male cast from the party and some group activities, which are so good that shows how much bad the social links were.
The game is far better to play, it was the thing i hated the most while playing FES. Tartarus is better, but still garbage, sorry. Besides the combat being fun now, there is almost nothing more to be glad when returning to climb up the +200 floors...
Revisiting the social links and doing all of them showed me how bad and boring most of them were. Akinari (Sun) still the best social link in the modern personas, but the rest of them are so hard to care. Thank god they are now full voice acted, i love it, please Atlus continue this. Praise to the english voice actress of Yuko! And all of the others of course.
Besides that, there is nothing more to talk about reload because i already said it is almost 1:1 to the original. My least favorite persona for a lot of motives, it is not the definitive version we wanted (for now, because we probably will receive an Answer DLC), but it is a game that i would now recommend instead of FES.
Yet, it is a persona game and i love this shit...
Reload is almost, actually is basically entirely 1:1 to the original, with very small but cool changes, like new social episodes with the male cast from the party and some group activities, which are so good that shows how much bad the social links were.
The game is far better to play, it was the thing i hated the most while playing FES. Tartarus is better, but still garbage, sorry. Besides the combat being fun now, there is almost nothing more to be glad when returning to climb up the +200 floors...
Revisiting the social links and doing all of them showed me how bad and boring most of them were. Akinari (Sun) still the best social link in the modern personas, but the rest of them are so hard to care. Thank god they are now full voice acted, i love it, please Atlus continue this. Praise to the english voice actress of Yuko! And all of the others of course.
Besides that, there is nothing more to talk about reload because i already said it is almost 1:1 to the original. My least favorite persona for a lot of motives, it is not the definitive version we wanted (for now, because we probably will receive an Answer DLC), but it is a game that i would now recommend instead of FES.
Yet, it is a persona game and i love this shit...
2019
After years of silence, I finally get courage to make a review… let’s go them.
Persona 5 Royal is, by a landslide, the best game I played in my entire life. It hits me in almost every weak point. Persona 4 is my favorite Persona, but is impossible to me to down P5 by anything, and FFXIV tried a lot.
The art style, the soundtrack, everything in P5 technical department is made by godly hands. Jazz is the Shoji Meguro’s favorite style, but damn he was having a blast doing it. Lyn is unbelievable.
Combat is the best in the series. It is fast, it is stylish and it is satisfactory. Yes, it is easy, but after P3, Persona is completely independent of SMT, and should not be compared by difficulty, it is not the focus of the game to be hard, and I don’t think is easy per se, but they give you so many ways to play and to abuse the system, that for a experienced player, they will use to make everything look like a joke (give them myriad truths!).
The characters of P5 are the middle ground of the self development from P3 to the chemistry of P4. I try to not use Strikers memories to review them, but by the vanilla game, they are good enough. Now, the phantom thieves are the best group, not questions. The calling cards, the outfits, this gentleman thief thematic… amazing all of it. It has the best overall confidants (or Social Links if you want) from the series. Not everyone of them is the peak of writing, but no one of them is useless or completely boring like some from P3 and 4, and thanks to the bonus system, they are useful to be leveled.
The story of vanilla P5 is decent. The first arc is one of the best first arcs in any jrpg i played, you will easily get hooked. Many people hate the “comically evil” villains, but for me, they are not entirely unrealistically or boring. Of course, humans are not that simple, but they do exist, and for me, as a Brazilian, after the last few years I found real P5 comically evil villains more than I would like to. You are not wrong to dislike them, just know that they are like many comically evil villains from classic heroes comics, that P5 heavily is inspired from. And yeah, society is the root of the problems, we know that, and the game does a good job in making corny or cliché things like that to be hell of cool.
Now, the beast: The Royal. P5 is a amazing game by itself, but some time of reflection and by getting new references, I don’t think I would like P5 this much if I only have played vanilla. Royal is the “expansion” P5 deserved, even if I still hates how Atlus handles this. The content is diluted by the base game, by the new confidants and by the new “third” semester. It feels natural, Kasumi is a friend of Joker, and only him, so it feels right that she does not jump right to the Phantom Thieves. Every other character from Royal is a spoiler, so the only thing I say is that a character from vanilla completely changes from water to wine in Royal, and the antagonist? Hoo Boy… I do think that Royal ending does not fit right to the ending of the story of P5, but I was so destroyed that I don’t care.
As you can see I can talk about P5 for hours and would still not be enough. It is easy the best Persona game, it is an evolution in every technical way and it’s undeniable. No game has this feeling that only a persona game could give, and I will pay Atlus for every Remaster I can, because I am stuck in this loop. Good luck for them to try to get near as high in P6 as they got in this game, but even if takes more 10 years of copium, I will be there for the next P5 milk.
Take Your Time.
Persona 5 Royal is, by a landslide, the best game I played in my entire life. It hits me in almost every weak point. Persona 4 is my favorite Persona, but is impossible to me to down P5 by anything, and FFXIV tried a lot.
The art style, the soundtrack, everything in P5 technical department is made by godly hands. Jazz is the Shoji Meguro’s favorite style, but damn he was having a blast doing it. Lyn is unbelievable.
Combat is the best in the series. It is fast, it is stylish and it is satisfactory. Yes, it is easy, but after P3, Persona is completely independent of SMT, and should not be compared by difficulty, it is not the focus of the game to be hard, and I don’t think is easy per se, but they give you so many ways to play and to abuse the system, that for a experienced player, they will use to make everything look like a joke (give them myriad truths!).
The characters of P5 are the middle ground of the self development from P3 to the chemistry of P4. I try to not use Strikers memories to review them, but by the vanilla game, they are good enough. Now, the phantom thieves are the best group, not questions. The calling cards, the outfits, this gentleman thief thematic… amazing all of it. It has the best overall confidants (or Social Links if you want) from the series. Not everyone of them is the peak of writing, but no one of them is useless or completely boring like some from P3 and 4, and thanks to the bonus system, they are useful to be leveled.
The story of vanilla P5 is decent. The first arc is one of the best first arcs in any jrpg i played, you will easily get hooked. Many people hate the “comically evil” villains, but for me, they are not entirely unrealistically or boring. Of course, humans are not that simple, but they do exist, and for me, as a Brazilian, after the last few years I found real P5 comically evil villains more than I would like to. You are not wrong to dislike them, just know that they are like many comically evil villains from classic heroes comics, that P5 heavily is inspired from. And yeah, society is the root of the problems, we know that, and the game does a good job in making corny or cliché things like that to be hell of cool.
Now, the beast: The Royal. P5 is a amazing game by itself, but some time of reflection and by getting new references, I don’t think I would like P5 this much if I only have played vanilla. Royal is the “expansion” P5 deserved, even if I still hates how Atlus handles this. The content is diluted by the base game, by the new confidants and by the new “third” semester. It feels natural, Kasumi is a friend of Joker, and only him, so it feels right that she does not jump right to the Phantom Thieves. Every other character from Royal is a spoiler, so the only thing I say is that a character from vanilla completely changes from water to wine in Royal, and the antagonist? Hoo Boy… I do think that Royal ending does not fit right to the ending of the story of P5, but I was so destroyed that I don’t care.
As you can see I can talk about P5 for hours and would still not be enough. It is easy the best Persona game, it is an evolution in every technical way and it’s undeniable. No game has this feeling that only a persona game could give, and I will pay Atlus for every Remaster I can, because I am stuck in this loop. Good luck for them to try to get near as high in P6 as they got in this game, but even if takes more 10 years of copium, I will be there for the next P5 milk.
Take Your Time.
2022
I played the "first", therefore I played the "second"! Thanks Blizzard for saving me some time to fill out a larger backlog!
This game is offensive by just existing. Same game, same blizzard, only now they can suck money from people with a stupid battle pass with stuff that was free (even if lootbox rng based)
Blizzard is becoming one of the worst, and I really hope to live to see its well deserved downfall with all its stupid harassers in jail. If you believe Microsoft is going to save it, good copium to you.
This game is offensive by just existing. Same game, same blizzard, only now they can suck money from people with a stupid battle pass with stuff that was free (even if lootbox rng based)
Blizzard is becoming one of the worst, and I really hope to live to see its well deserved downfall with all its stupid harassers in jail. If you believe Microsoft is going to save it, good copium to you.
What a bitter way to end a trilogy...
Zero Time Dilemma almost feels like a Zero Escape game. All the things I liked about them are missing in this one.
The escape rooms are boring, some overly complex, others too easy, they have nothing to do with the story. All of them, made just a obstacle to be passed and forgotten.
The story tries to tie up all the loose ends of VLR, in the worst possible way. There are cool moments, but the balance is very low. The characters are disappointing. Those we already know and love are held back by poor plot flow. The Q team? Why the hell are they there? THEY ARE TERRIBLE AND USELESS.
It's a game that you'll probably like a little if you liked the first 2, but it's the weakest of them, and it ends the trilogy in a way that I wasn't satisfied with.
Zero Time Dilemma almost feels like a Zero Escape game. All the things I liked about them are missing in this one.
The escape rooms are boring, some overly complex, others too easy, they have nothing to do with the story. All of them, made just a obstacle to be passed and forgotten.
The story tries to tie up all the loose ends of VLR, in the worst possible way. There are cool moments, but the balance is very low. The characters are disappointing. Those we already know and love are held back by poor plot flow. The Q team? Why the hell are they there? THEY ARE TERRIBLE AND USELESS.
It's a game that you'll probably like a little if you liked the first 2, but it's the weakest of them, and it ends the trilogy in a way that I wasn't satisfied with.
One of the most absurd and beautiful stories i ever played.
This game storytelling is something really above all others, with not the only "Playthrough", the game plays you, and everything has a meaning.
Definitely a masterpiece. Yoko Taro give me more!
This game storytelling is something really above all others, with not the only "Playthrough", the game plays you, and everything has a meaning.
Definitely a masterpiece. Yoko Taro give me more!
Armored Core VI is a From Software game.
With visually spectacular boss fights spoiled by repetitive and restrictive gameplay. No, you will not be able to play as you want, you can try and will suffer thousands of times more. Just take the build for the boss and save your time.
It's a fun game, you will have a good time, but it was not enough to make me want to replay it 2 times to see a cutscene change, new old missions and unlock weapons that i would not use.
I think i am starting to become spoiled by mechs... let the fires of rubicon burn it all.
With visually spectacular boss fights spoiled by repetitive and restrictive gameplay. No, you will not be able to play as you want, you can try and will suffer thousands of times more. Just take the build for the boss and save your time.
It's a fun game, you will have a good time, but it was not enough to make me want to replay it 2 times to see a cutscene change, new old missions and unlock weapons that i would not use.
I think i am starting to become spoiled by mechs... let the fires of rubicon burn it all.
2022
Elden Ring is truly a masterpiece from FromSoftware.
The open world is breathtaking and offers an enjoyable exploration experience, even for someone like me who isn't a big fan of aimless wandering. However, I found the open world dungeons to be somewhat disappointing as they all are identical. The main ones are good.
While it's true that some of the bosses are repeated throughout the game, the unique ones feature amazing fights and cool designs. Except for Malenia, who is just awful.
As someone who isn't the biggest Souls fanboy, I don't have much to say about this game. I do believe that Bloodborne only looses in comparison due to the tedious process of running back to a boss fight. Thankfully, Elden Ring does not have that backtracking, which was a relief for some hard bosses.
While Elden Ring may not be the best game of the century or even of recent years, it is still an exceptional game that will keep you hooked for more than 60 hours. Again, only a Souls Like to make you addicted to the dopamine rush of endless retries and eventually wins it provides.
The open world is breathtaking and offers an enjoyable exploration experience, even for someone like me who isn't a big fan of aimless wandering. However, I found the open world dungeons to be somewhat disappointing as they all are identical. The main ones are good.
While it's true that some of the bosses are repeated throughout the game, the unique ones feature amazing fights and cool designs. Except for Malenia, who is just awful.
As someone who isn't the biggest Souls fanboy, I don't have much to say about this game. I do believe that Bloodborne only looses in comparison due to the tedious process of running back to a boss fight. Thankfully, Elden Ring does not have that backtracking, which was a relief for some hard bosses.
While Elden Ring may not be the best game of the century or even of recent years, it is still an exceptional game that will keep you hooked for more than 60 hours. Again, only a Souls Like to make you addicted to the dopamine rush of endless retries and eventually wins it provides.