Pikaboi
2016
I had no intention of ever playing this game, but I vastly underestimated what this game is. This game does everything so well and stylish that it all comes together in the perfect gift box.
Everything feeds to itself. The Confidants actually benefit you with new abilities in the dungeons, like asking for more money, stronger gun attacks or discounts on shops or better fusions. Then the bonuses allow dungeons to be finished more efficiently, which grants more time to focus on confidants, and then fusion benefits both confidants and exploration through thier solid progression.
Baton Pass allows for the party to always be involved and not just Avatar and his chip damage crew. You are able to string attacks to save SP and get further into dungeons that is simple yet elegant.
All the confidant characters are for the most part memorable and with the theme of rebellion you get more dragged in to thier scenario.
But the real kicker is the games artstyle. The graphics in a vacuum look like garbage, but this games impeccable sense of style turns it too gold. The Menus are so dynamic and flashy yet organised. The battle command screen is the coolest thing in an RPG, having the HUD be on your character with the placement showing where they are on the controller.
Its a game you just gotta play... and then end up playing it 4 more
Everything feeds to itself. The Confidants actually benefit you with new abilities in the dungeons, like asking for more money, stronger gun attacks or discounts on shops or better fusions. Then the bonuses allow dungeons to be finished more efficiently, which grants more time to focus on confidants, and then fusion benefits both confidants and exploration through thier solid progression.
Baton Pass allows for the party to always be involved and not just Avatar and his chip damage crew. You are able to string attacks to save SP and get further into dungeons that is simple yet elegant.
All the confidant characters are for the most part memorable and with the theme of rebellion you get more dragged in to thier scenario.
But the real kicker is the games artstyle. The graphics in a vacuum look like garbage, but this games impeccable sense of style turns it too gold. The Menus are so dynamic and flashy yet organised. The battle command screen is the coolest thing in an RPG, having the HUD be on your character with the placement showing where they are on the controller.
Its a game you just gotta play... and then end up playing it 4 more
2021
A hyper solid experience that was fun to blast through. As a newcomer I was super worried about the speedrunning aspect combined with the infamous backtracking. And while i failed the speedrun component, as 100% is much different unlike the others, the backtracking was super seamless. The game does a great job of hiding the games linear fashion while making you feel good for exploring.
The combat is crazy hard but there are so many ways to interact with enemies its super fun. The Melee counter is always satisfying to pull off and the upgrades eventually make you feel insanely strong that you start dancing on Emmis.
The Emmis were the weakest part imo. Stealth sometimes just didnt work and sometimes i just had to take the L and pray I timed the counter correctly.
Also Im really bad a shinesparks please help.
The combat is crazy hard but there are so many ways to interact with enemies its super fun. The Melee counter is always satisfying to pull off and the upgrades eventually make you feel insanely strong that you start dancing on Emmis.
The Emmis were the weakest part imo. Stealth sometimes just didnt work and sometimes i just had to take the L and pray I timed the counter correctly.
Also Im really bad a shinesparks please help.
2021
This review contains spoilers
SMTV was my most anticipated game of the year and ticked almost all my boxes.
Exploration:
This game is split into 4 major areas, each holding the same apocalyptic wasteland theme, but being based on different parts of tokyo have locations that stand out compared to each other. Demons roam the field and are fun to dance around and get chased by. They also run away when your too strong!
As well as this, the locations are packed with treasure chest and Miman for scaling puzzles and platforming challenges. Both of these are always worth collecting.
Abcesses are placed around the world that obscure the minimap, each holding a mini boss in them. These are always super fun to encounter and a part of the exploration experience.
Theres 2 dungeons which are short but change up the formula for more direct puzzles over enemy confrontation.
Quests are littered everywhere, most have fun boss fights attached, and a good chunk of EXP, so they help mitigate grinding as well as giving good rewards. Personal favourites are the quests were you must chose between 2 demons who to follow, and you get the demon you spare.
Combat and Teambuilding:
This is the meat and potatoes of this game. Press turn is the best its ever been, with the Persona-Style Buff system bringing and engaging battle to reapplying and combatting enemy buffs/debuffs. Magatsuhi Meter is super fun (unless an enemy ambush charges it turn 1) with the extra abilities having fun uses and lead to super fun strategies. Personal Favourite was the one that doubled SP for Double Damage. Bosses have a specific magatsuhi move so you can use dampeners / block skills to avoid getting crushed. Items are super useful compared to other SMTs, but drop off after the 3rd Area.
Fusion is super easy, with the tradtional, reverse and reverse compendium. Reverse allows you to see the possible ones. Reverse compendium shows every possible option for a fusion across you entire collection which is super cool.
Demons have affinities that determines how you inherit skills, as such a lot of time was spent fusing but was always rewarding. You also get plenty of items to be able to boost up your current demons to get skills and essences faster (or carrying Idun to endgame)
Nahobino gains skills and thier different affinities from demons esscences, found in chests and as rewards from demons. You are able to freely customise easily. You can also fuse essences with demons to pass on skills without fusion, which adds an extra level of fusion decisions.
Miracles are obtained from abcesses and bought with glory, earned from crystals, or items in hard to reach places like Miman or Crystal Apples.
Miracles allow for customization of the team and Nahobinos skill affinities. The combat related Miracles seem much weaker compared to ones related to fusion or skill slots or just upgrading Nahobino
Story:
It was ok. But it had so much more potential. I think its issue stem from 2 issues: Weak Characters and Misguided Routes.
Dazai was the most interesting character while the rest had no depth. Miyazu gets dunked to side character which is a real bummer. And Tao is absent for most of the game.
Out of the endings, Law and Chaos are better than Neutral, with Secret being my favourite. But Law sounded much less beneficial to tokyos struggle, yet Law ending does save tokyo regardless and I wish that was noted to me more, as Abdiel and Dazai showed no compassion.
Overall, I think more time with characters was needed to make theier routes more clear and make decisions more involved
Despite the lackluster story, this game is super good and is a must play for any RPG fan. Its Nocturne without the cheap gimmicks to have a challenging game that pulls no punches.
Exploration:
This game is split into 4 major areas, each holding the same apocalyptic wasteland theme, but being based on different parts of tokyo have locations that stand out compared to each other. Demons roam the field and are fun to dance around and get chased by. They also run away when your too strong!
As well as this, the locations are packed with treasure chest and Miman for scaling puzzles and platforming challenges. Both of these are always worth collecting.
Abcesses are placed around the world that obscure the minimap, each holding a mini boss in them. These are always super fun to encounter and a part of the exploration experience.
Theres 2 dungeons which are short but change up the formula for more direct puzzles over enemy confrontation.
Quests are littered everywhere, most have fun boss fights attached, and a good chunk of EXP, so they help mitigate grinding as well as giving good rewards. Personal favourites are the quests were you must chose between 2 demons who to follow, and you get the demon you spare.
Combat and Teambuilding:
This is the meat and potatoes of this game. Press turn is the best its ever been, with the Persona-Style Buff system bringing and engaging battle to reapplying and combatting enemy buffs/debuffs. Magatsuhi Meter is super fun (unless an enemy ambush charges it turn 1) with the extra abilities having fun uses and lead to super fun strategies. Personal Favourite was the one that doubled SP for Double Damage. Bosses have a specific magatsuhi move so you can use dampeners / block skills to avoid getting crushed. Items are super useful compared to other SMTs, but drop off after the 3rd Area.
Fusion is super easy, with the tradtional, reverse and reverse compendium. Reverse allows you to see the possible ones. Reverse compendium shows every possible option for a fusion across you entire collection which is super cool.
Demons have affinities that determines how you inherit skills, as such a lot of time was spent fusing but was always rewarding. You also get plenty of items to be able to boost up your current demons to get skills and essences faster (or carrying Idun to endgame)
Nahobino gains skills and thier different affinities from demons esscences, found in chests and as rewards from demons. You are able to freely customise easily. You can also fuse essences with demons to pass on skills without fusion, which adds an extra level of fusion decisions.
Miracles are obtained from abcesses and bought with glory, earned from crystals, or items in hard to reach places like Miman or Crystal Apples.
Miracles allow for customization of the team and Nahobinos skill affinities. The combat related Miracles seem much weaker compared to ones related to fusion or skill slots or just upgrading Nahobino
Story:
It was ok. But it had so much more potential. I think its issue stem from 2 issues: Weak Characters and Misguided Routes.
Dazai was the most interesting character while the rest had no depth. Miyazu gets dunked to side character which is a real bummer. And Tao is absent for most of the game.
Out of the endings, Law and Chaos are better than Neutral, with Secret being my favourite. But Law sounded much less beneficial to tokyos struggle, yet Law ending does save tokyo regardless and I wish that was noted to me more, as Abdiel and Dazai showed no compassion.
Overall, I think more time with characters was needed to make theier routes more clear and make decisions more involved
Despite the lackluster story, this game is super good and is a must play for any RPG fan. Its Nocturne without the cheap gimmicks to have a challenging game that pulls no punches.
2021
This is my first monster hunter and I wished I played this series earlier.
All of the weapon types have fun and unique combos that feel super satisfying to master. This is even more apparent with the Wirebug Moves, which allow for flashy finishers when used appropriately.
Wirebugs arent just combat though, they are swift movement, evasion and access to air combos and can follow up in too so many fun scenarios.
Each Monster is super expressive, with its damaged being show through physical appearance and the monsters slowing growing tired.
Their is tons of gear to collect, and are amazing for both fashion and practicality. Thanks to Layered Armor, you can look your sunday best while having the skills/buffs you like on your hunter. You can further improve the buffs on your hunter using Gem Slots to slot in extra skills or by using talismans, obtained by RNG but allow for more flexible builds.
You also get a pet dog and cat, who can also be customized with thier own fun fashion statements. Cats are combat/gathering support, dealing good damage and grabbing materials on the way to monsters, while dogs allow for fast movement and the ability to prep on the move, while doing small DPS / support in combat.
And did i mention you can play this game with 4 people? Its a riot, co-operating against a common enemy, that is sometimes a monkey with laser beams.
Play this game.
All of the weapon types have fun and unique combos that feel super satisfying to master. This is even more apparent with the Wirebug Moves, which allow for flashy finishers when used appropriately.
Wirebugs arent just combat though, they are swift movement, evasion and access to air combos and can follow up in too so many fun scenarios.
Each Monster is super expressive, with its damaged being show through physical appearance and the monsters slowing growing tired.
Their is tons of gear to collect, and are amazing for both fashion and practicality. Thanks to Layered Armor, you can look your sunday best while having the skills/buffs you like on your hunter. You can further improve the buffs on your hunter using Gem Slots to slot in extra skills or by using talismans, obtained by RNG but allow for more flexible builds.
You also get a pet dog and cat, who can also be customized with thier own fun fashion statements. Cats are combat/gathering support, dealing good damage and grabbing materials on the way to monsters, while dogs allow for fast movement and the ability to prep on the move, while doing small DPS / support in combat.
And did i mention you can play this game with 4 people? Its a riot, co-operating against a common enemy, that is sometimes a monkey with laser beams.
Play this game.
This game is hard carried by its amazing combat system, the press turn. It creates such a fun do-or-die gameplay loop, that is further improved on hard where you will get your ass whooped a ton. And when you fight bosses, you are treated to some of the funnest boss fights in an RPG, each bringing thier own personal threat that the other bosses dont replicate.
But this game is old. You clearly find some skills that are insanely broken like Fog Breath, which near guarantees you dont get hit. Random Encounters are super frequent and become annoying after a while, especially on Hard where you have to fight them / use Trafuri. Dungeons pack a lot of dick moves like dark halls, ambush boxes, traps and other shenanigans'.
Its story is also not the best. The characters you have to choose between are non-existant except for the Old Man in Amala. And when Amala means cool content like the Fiends and either Raidou or Dante from the Devil May Cry series, its a no brainer which route to choose, which ruins the choice part of the narrative.
What did age well though, is Nocturnes OST... well, if Atlus actually remembered to save the original files. Now some are stuck in Ps2 compression while others arent. But they are in fact, real bangers when you find them on youtube.
HD unlocks the best way to play this game in the form of the ability to change difficulty. This removes the annoying triple store prices on Hard (which only makes the player grind more) and allows the player to run away, while still allowing the experience of the toughest and most satisfying bosses I have ever experienced.
But this game is old. You clearly find some skills that are insanely broken like Fog Breath, which near guarantees you dont get hit. Random Encounters are super frequent and become annoying after a while, especially on Hard where you have to fight them / use Trafuri. Dungeons pack a lot of dick moves like dark halls, ambush boxes, traps and other shenanigans'.
Its story is also not the best. The characters you have to choose between are non-existant except for the Old Man in Amala. And when Amala means cool content like the Fiends and either Raidou or Dante from the Devil May Cry series, its a no brainer which route to choose, which ruins the choice part of the narrative.
What did age well though, is Nocturnes OST... well, if Atlus actually remembered to save the original files. Now some are stuck in Ps2 compression while others arent. But they are in fact, real bangers when you find them on youtube.
HD unlocks the best way to play this game in the form of the ability to change difficulty. This removes the annoying triple store prices on Hard (which only makes the player grind more) and allows the player to run away, while still allowing the experience of the toughest and most satisfying bosses I have ever experienced.
A crossover gamings gonna have a hard time topping. The games cast covers time, many consoles and many companies, even ones as huge as Microsoft and Disney.
Smash Ultimate feels the most balanced of any smash game, with no truly dominant character, albeit there are some that are higher in performance.
World of Light and Spirits is pretty fun, but once you reach the strong spirits you dont have a reason to level down due to how hilarious the spirit effects are.
This game is a huge achievement for gaming, and I am hoping it continues to be celebrated as a fun time.
Smash Ultimate feels the most balanced of any smash game, with no truly dominant character, albeit there are some that are higher in performance.
World of Light and Spirits is pretty fun, but once you reach the strong spirits you dont have a reason to level down due to how hilarious the spirit effects are.
This game is a huge achievement for gaming, and I am hoping it continues to be celebrated as a fun time.
A hybrid of pokemon mainline and pokemon GO to bridge the audiences together, and is honestly a relaxing romp. Walking around with pokemon and seeing them on the field is fun, and you get a lot of fun moments with Partner Pikachu/Eevee, who are souped up to be really good to use along with fun signature moves for this game.
The lets go catching system still works well with the motion controls. And the extra mechanics like chaining and candy allow for some genuinely fun times post game.
Playing Co-op for battles feels like cheating. But chaining pokemon together to find shinies and get candy is a super enjoyable time.
Its no game to get into a tizzy about, just relax and have some good ol fun.
The lets go catching system still works well with the motion controls. And the extra mechanics like chaining and candy allow for some genuinely fun times post game.
Playing Co-op for battles feels like cheating. But chaining pokemon together to find shinies and get candy is a super enjoyable time.
Its no game to get into a tizzy about, just relax and have some good ol fun.
2018
Certainly the weakest of the 4 "Modern" Kirbies. Its level design, and with it, its world design, feels much weaker to accomodate the 4 player co-op. Odd considering RTD was able to have interesting levels despite this.
The combo effects are super fun but wear off after a while, with the exception of wind combos as those are amazing.
This game was certainly carried by its later updates, giving a endgame level finale to this version of Kirby. And the post release dream friends were a genuine reason to return.
Compared to Robobot, TD and RTD though, its certainly a weaker game.
The combo effects are super fun but wear off after a while, with the exception of wind combos as those are amazing.
This game was certainly carried by its later updates, giving a endgame level finale to this version of Kirby. And the post release dream friends were a genuine reason to return.
Compared to Robobot, TD and RTD though, its certainly a weaker game.
I love this game a lot and spent way too much time completing it.
The story is super heartwarming, with the theme of finding your way in the world, upbringing and faith in fellow man. The Main Cast is such an enjoyable cast, that can be both funny in calm moments and serious and understanding in those serious moments. The villain team have amazing camaraderie that makes them seem like heroes in their own right, just ones who have an opposite solution to the main cast. Torna: The Golden Country is a gut wrenching tale despite its shorter runtime too, and is best enjoyed after finishing the base games plot.
The Gacha Mechanic is the a mixed bag. Its free which is a win, but if the odds aren't with you it can take 100 extra hours to get those last blades. Common Blades are really good despite the generic designs, so you are never locked out of content. The Rare blades have very fun designs (mostly) and come with a side quest to get to know them better. Torna creates a more faster version of this system to make up for the smaller party that allows the game to be interesting.
The Combat is much more complicated than XC1. Alongside the Break > Topple combo, we also get blade combos that deal DOT and special effects based on element with more bonuses for juggling both. Each blades have their own skills and specials with different effect evolving into a myriad of playstyles.
All of the games maps are super detailed and filled with stunning locales. Its fun exploring all parts of this world.
Its downsides are mainly the opening act, which is such a different game to the rest of the games tone. As well as a late game dungeon that cuts off the fun part of the combat system. And finally its weakest part, its tutorials, they are very weak. I highly recommend using the resources online to see how the mechanics work proper.
The story is super heartwarming, with the theme of finding your way in the world, upbringing and faith in fellow man. The Main Cast is such an enjoyable cast, that can be both funny in calm moments and serious and understanding in those serious moments. The villain team have amazing camaraderie that makes them seem like heroes in their own right, just ones who have an opposite solution to the main cast. Torna: The Golden Country is a gut wrenching tale despite its shorter runtime too, and is best enjoyed after finishing the base games plot.
The Gacha Mechanic is the a mixed bag. Its free which is a win, but if the odds aren't with you it can take 100 extra hours to get those last blades. Common Blades are really good despite the generic designs, so you are never locked out of content. The Rare blades have very fun designs (mostly) and come with a side quest to get to know them better. Torna creates a more faster version of this system to make up for the smaller party that allows the game to be interesting.
The Combat is much more complicated than XC1. Alongside the Break > Topple combo, we also get blade combos that deal DOT and special effects based on element with more bonuses for juggling both. Each blades have their own skills and specials with different effect evolving into a myriad of playstyles.
All of the games maps are super detailed and filled with stunning locales. Its fun exploring all parts of this world.
Its downsides are mainly the opening act, which is such a different game to the rest of the games tone. As well as a late game dungeon that cuts off the fun part of the combat system. And finally its weakest part, its tutorials, they are very weak. I highly recommend using the resources online to see how the mechanics work proper.
2017
This was the game that made me feel like how most felt about BOTW. Mario Odyssey has these beautiful locales with so much to see and do, with a perfect blend of relaxing challenges, mini games, fun puzzles and tight platforming.
Movement is amazing, allowing Mario so much airtime thanks to cappys power as a platform. And then you add the Capture mechanic and you get so many more possibilities, like a shooter section with sherm, the wall scaling with Pokios etc.
The only downside to the thrill ride is the endgame grind for coins to get the 100% reward for 999 Moons.
Movement is amazing, allowing Mario so much airtime thanks to cappys power as a platform. And then you add the Capture mechanic and you get so many more possibilities, like a shooter section with sherm, the wall scaling with Pokios etc.
The only downside to the thrill ride is the endgame grind for coins to get the 100% reward for 999 Moons.
2017
Musou Games have a certain cycle with me. I have fun till I finish the story. Then I get to the post game challenges and quit.
This games a huge grind fest and missions start melting together, and the later missions are just absurdly difficult.
Its main mechanic is to pause and direct AI controlled allies to different space with Weapon Triangle being a factor of success, but it gets in the way of the flashy button mashing. It also doesnt help that most of the characters are clones of others. Elise and Leo play the same, Marth and Celica Play the same, Navarre and Lyn are the same etc. Naturally that means that Tiki gets to stand out as the funnest character with her unique gimmick.
The characters also arent very diverse, being the main cast of awakening, the fates royals and Marth, Ceada and Tiki, with DLC adding some characters that are more fun inclusions and more Archanea Reps, but most of them, except Azura and Oboro, are clones too.
This games a huge grind fest and missions start melting together, and the later missions are just absurdly difficult.
Its main mechanic is to pause and direct AI controlled allies to different space with Weapon Triangle being a factor of success, but it gets in the way of the flashy button mashing. It also doesnt help that most of the characters are clones of others. Elise and Leo play the same, Marth and Celica Play the same, Navarre and Lyn are the same etc. Naturally that means that Tiki gets to stand out as the funnest character with her unique gimmick.
The characters also arent very diverse, being the main cast of awakening, the fates royals and Marth, Ceada and Tiki, with DLC adding some characters that are more fun inclusions and more Archanea Reps, but most of them, except Azura and Oboro, are clones too.
2017
i enjoy splatoon a ton thanks to a ton of fun weapons and game modes. But after a while I just had enough of the gameplay.
What gives splatoon 2 this rating is its single player, including Octo Expansion which is worth its price of admission. It shows how amazing and fluid this games movement is while you have this banging soundtrack in the back.
What gives splatoon 2 this rating is its single player, including Octo Expansion which is worth its price of admission. It shows how amazing and fluid this games movement is while you have this banging soundtrack in the back.
2017
All of this applies to the original Mario Kart 8 as well.
Just the best mario kart experience out there, easily able to get a group together and just have a good time. All the tracks are super fun and the music is killer.
The Wii U versions battle mode was really lacking, by Deluxe went further than fixing it and gave us the most complete battle mode we have seen yet, with equal amounts of chaos.
Its a real no-brainer to pick this up if you own a Switch.
Just the best mario kart experience out there, easily able to get a group together and just have a good time. All the tracks are super fun and the music is killer.
The Wii U versions battle mode was really lacking, by Deluxe went further than fixing it and gave us the most complete battle mode we have seen yet, with equal amounts of chaos.
Its a real no-brainer to pick this up if you own a Switch.
Im not an open world junkie, but I certainly had a lot of fun for what I considered a finished game of Breath of the Wild. I loved exploring, upgrading weapons and eventually beating the toughest enemies. The Shrines and thier mini puzzles were super fun to solve too.
But after a while, encounters just lost my interest, I felt I had my fun with the tools and it was time to put the game down.
Anyones gonna enjoy this game, but those who have enough time to spend on it will fall in love with it forever.
But after a while, encounters just lost my interest, I felt I had my fun with the tools and it was time to put the game down.
Anyones gonna enjoy this game, but those who have enough time to spend on it will fall in love with it forever.
Gen 1 is a big ol mess but I still caught all 151.
Its the core of pokemon but unlike Mario 1 it feels super old when you play. No running shoes, wacky mechanics and some real low IQ programming quirks.
But you do get to hear Pikachus bitcrushed screams of agony and thats pretty funny.
You have better options, play Fire Red or even Lets Go.
Its the core of pokemon but unlike Mario 1 it feels super old when you play. No running shoes, wacky mechanics and some real low IQ programming quirks.
But you do get to hear Pikachus bitcrushed screams of agony and thats pretty funny.
You have better options, play Fire Red or even Lets Go.