How a remake should be made. Fixing issues from the original and adding new content while retaining the heart and soul of the game it's remaking.

Persona 3 was already one of my favorite games of all time when I played FES years ago, flaws and all. So when rumors were floating about a potential P3 remake was in the works, I couldn't help but be excited as Atlus could fix the problems I had with FES on the PS2.

Reload quickly became my most anticipated release for 2024 and when it was released in February, I enjoyed every minute of it. It felt like I was playing P3 for the first time all over again.

The new voice cast is absolutely fantastic and is on par with the OG cast, even if I slightly prefer the OGs due to my nostalgia. The gameplay improvements were greatly needed if Persona 3 was going to be brought up to modern standards and Atlus didn't disappoint. Adding Baton Pass from P5 + Theurgys and a party member rebalance was much appreciated even if Akihiko took a massive hit in Reload.

Even with all of the fancy graphics, new voice cast, QOL and gameplay improvements, at its core, it's still Persona 3, that same incredible game back on the PS2. It holds to today's modern standards beautifully and will continue to do so for years to come.

The final evolution in Splatoon's gameplay. The new weapon types and abilities keep the game fresh (pun intended) and fun. Squid Surges and Rolls feel so natural to the gameplay loop that they make going back to Splatoon 1 and 2 a little difficult. The Splatana Wiper and Tri-Stinger are really fun to use, especially the Splatana, which has easily become a favorite of mine. The updates to core modes are also welcome despite me wishing we also got a new mode in addition to the massive roster of modes to choose from.

The Single-Player Campaign is a refined version of Octo Expansion which lands a spectacular finish in its final act.

I've already been a big fan of Splatoon since its reveal back in Nintendo's 2014 Digital Event but Splatoon 3 truly cements the series as one of my favorites in Nintendo's Catalog.