12 years on from the strange, incomplete original, DD2 is more of the same, uneasily sitting between the uncompromising Souls series & more conventional narrative ARPGs. At times evoking a desolate offline MMO, DD2 is at its best when out in the wilds, the sun setting at your back & two or more beasts landing on the path ahead, all Arising out of dynamic systems.

The main questline unfortunately does not play to these strengths, with much of Act I confined to the capital & some really dull writing. Fortunately, writing does not maketh a game, and side-quests that take you out into the unreasonably huge map are much more interesting, and really need to be sought out in the crowds and corners of the world. Keeping track of these with the bizarre quest tracker is uneven and obtuse: you’re either reading the landscape and tracing clues or just beating your head against a wall figuring out what the game requires of you.

Dragon’s Dogma 2 is singular, not quite fully realised, a beautifully rendered physics-heavy oddity. The art direction is profoundly generic, but so deceptively understated it at times resembles a Ray Harryhausen film, full of weight, movement and character. DD2 makes you feel like you have friends, albeit stupid friends, who'd throw themselves off a cliff for a view of yonder.

This game's dedication in making every part of its world feel like a real lived place is outstanding, it's something I have always enjoyed about Final Fantasy as a franchise but this one particularly excels at just making you want to have your own adventure at your own pace
I've been fully on board with their vision of making more than a remake of the original story since the beginning but Rebirth truly fully sold me on the idea.
While not flawless by any means, it will be a long time until I encounter another game that feels this ambitious and for lack of a better word, "magical"

Actually really really good! Caught me extremely off-guard. Somewhere between Lemmings and modern programming games like Exapunks or Human Resource Machine, this title has you guiding a small monkey named Bazaru (the mascot for the PC-Engine system in Japan) through hazardous obstacle course by pre-loading his actions in a chain of events.

You can use simple commands like jumping and running, but also have access to wilder ones like sleeping, moon-walking, or a spin-dash-like roll.

It's short but incredibly fun, and its child-like art direction keeps it feeling fresh and bouncy even once you reach some of the harder puzzles. Definitely worth the time for puzzle fanatics.

Hi-Fi Rush is just a blast from start to finish. The characters are fun and interesting, the writing is great with fantastic comedic timing in the dialogue and physical humor, the combat is really fun and the music is good too.

The only reason it's not getting 5 stars is because
1) I found that the music was a little too similar from one level to another. While I enjoyed all of the music, I think the very fact that it's a rhythm game kind of locked them in to featuring heavy beat, high energy music, and I did get a little tired of hearing the same stuff over and over.
2) As I got better at the timing I, of course, felt more satisfied with my performance, but also started to get a little bored of the combat. At the start combat was challenging because I was learning how to make sure that my rhythm was on beat and it took time to learn how many beats different attacks take to execute, but by the end of the game I was able to intuitively dodge or counter incoming attacks without much thought. This is a very cool and incredibly apparent indication that I was learning and improving and that the game mechanics are solid, but unfortunately it translated to slightly monotonous battles near the end.

I absolutely loved my experience with Hi-Fi Rush even with the two complaints above. There were some truly epic moments!

It knows how to use the good things in the universe to deliver good things, but the vices of the open world drag him down.
I haven't had any nasty bugs, the combat is interesting, the world is beautiful. The missions are quite varied. The story is a bit mixed, but the missions in it are well organized.
But I got it better than what I was told it would be and it's suitable for those who like an open world like me and already face a lot of Ubisoft games.
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Sabe usar o bom do universo pra entregar coisas boas mas os vícios de open world puxam ele pra baixo.
Eu não tive nenhum bug feio, o combate é interessante, o mundo é bonito. As missões sao bem variadas. A história é meio qualquer coisa mas as missões nela são bem ajeitadas.
Mas eu achei melhor do que me venderam que seria e é competente pra quem gosta dum open world tipo eu e ja leva muito Ubisoft game na cara.

As with many players, my introduction to the franchise was through Persona 5. During the pandemic, I played the game, and it quickly became my favorite of all time. It was somewhat amusing because I'm not typically into JRPGs or Japanese culture, but Persona has something truly unique about it. That's why Persona 3 Reload was my most anticipated game of the year, despite being a remake of an older title.

It's nearly impossible to review Persona 3 Reload without comparing it to Persona 5. Since its announcement, Persona 3 Reload seemed like the kind of remake that the Pokémon Company used to do with its older games. And I was right: Persona 3 Reload takes everything developed for Persona 5 and creates a true and good remake.

Persona 3 Reload is a classic Persona game that divides into two parts: your normal life as a student, and a hero's journey to save the world. In the first part, you attend school to study and interact with friends, while in the second part, you face enemies called shadows.

The social aspect of the game is particularly enjoyable. In addition to your duties as a student, you'll need to socialize with various characters from the school and rest of the world. Each character has a unique story, and you'll need to meet them multiple times to complete their storylines. This mechanic is called social links. Compared to Persona 5, I found these stories even more engaging.

The "hero part" is a turn-based RPG. I know that many people don't enjoy games of this style, but Persona games offer dynamic combat. Personally, I'm not usually a fan of turn-based games, but Persona takes the genre to another level.

Despite the game being split into two parts, they converge seamlessly. The interactions you have with friends will make you stronger to face enemies. The game operates on a calendar system, allowing you to decide when to hang out with friends, study, battle against enemies, or improve your social attributes.

The main story of the game starts strong, slows down a bit in the middle, and finishes perfectly. While I still prefer Persona 5's story, it's incredible how Atlus is able to create such incredible characters that are truly charismatic and make you care deeply about them. I enjoyed learning about their lives and backgrounds while also worrying about their futures.

I do think that Persona 3 Reload has some minor issues, such as poorly placed activities in the calendar system. There are moments where you have nothing to do for a few days, followed by days where you're overwhelmed with tasks. This became a problem near the end when I had enough money and maxed out all my social attributes. Additionally, I didn't appreciate how much time it took to start social links with party members, and that it was limited to just the female characters.

Another thing that is truly incredible in this franchise, and it holds true here as well, is the soundtrack. Persona 3 Reload boasts one of the best soundtracks ever in the gaming industry.

It took me 75 hours to finish my first playthrough, and I almost completed everything that could be done.

In conclusion, Persona 3 Reload is one of the best games we've had in recent years, but I still prefer Persona 5. If you enjoy JRPGs or Japanese culture, it's a must-play game. Even if you don't, I recommend giving it a chance, as I promise you won't be disappointed.

Bioshock Infinite ainda é Bioshock?

A jogabilidade é a mais fraca da série. Calma, eu sei que evoluímos nos tirinhos, e na verticalidade do gameplay, mas não acho que seja uma grande evolução, essa verticalidade não expande a exploração como em Dishonored é só um disfarce pra linearidade do jogo. A sensação de atirar com as armas é melhor, mas perdemos variedade e diferenciação, nesse quesito, Bioshock 1 e 2 ainda são melhores.

Os Vigores (basicamente os plasmids), são muito inferiores aos outros jogos da franquia. Tem muita opção, mas a grande maioria causa o mesmo efeito, atordoamento ou dano. Nos vigores perdemos também as características imersivas que tínhamos no primeiro jogo: usar elementos em reação com o ambiente, abrir caminhos com os poderes, etc.

A história é o que há de mais "Bioshock" aqui. Mas o jogo começa com um potencial absurdo (inclusive as primeiras horas são maravilhosas), a história parece andar para um caminho interessante e desanda completamente no meio do jogo, quando iguala a Vox Populi (organização revolucionária de pessoas oprimidas pela sua raça, que são LITERALMENTE ESCRAVIZADOS) aos fascistas, racistas e cristãos fundamentalistas de Columbia. Ainda em relação a história, nos outros Bioshock as escolhas geralmente importavam, em Infinite temos poucos momentos de escolha, e quando temos não fazem grande diferença.

Resumindo, é um bom jogo de ação, mas não é um bom Bioshock.

Espero que o Ken Levine não estrague tudo em Judas...