-----We live in a contemporary world where a virus plagues contemporary life, mistrust of the government plagues contemporary minds, and an age of mis-truth plagues the contemporary internet. It's a modern world that can definitely seem very bleak, and it's one that the seminal video game Deus Ex almost captures frighteningly to a tee back in the year 2000. Deus Ex, developed by the legendary Ion Storm, is not the first immersive sim out there, but it might be the most quintessential and popular one. It's mechanics are standard and its presentation has almost reached meme status in a way. It is a fantastic video game that I've had the pleasure of playing throughout the past month. However, unlike most, I am not head over heels for it.
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-----While I definitely appreciate its craft and its relevancy, the gameplay itself never really clicked and I think there are a couple reasons I can explain why. First of all, one of those reasons does not include age. Despite the blocky model fidelity, Deus Ex’s style and attention to detail still holds up to this day. I'd argue its mechanics do as well. For those who don't know, Deus Ex sees you playing as JC Denton, a cyber operative working for FEMA and the American government the help take down domestic terrorists while both try and tackle a new pandemic called the Gray Death.Throughout the game you get to explore various real world locations, as well as locations based off of conspiracy myths. The entire game within itself is kind of cold and dark. It always feels like it's a little paranoid. As for the gameplay, you as the player get to experience these kinds of sandbox like worlds where you get to utilize several different tools in order to complete your objective in almost any way you want to.
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-----When I say almost any way you want to, you can either go in guns blazing and kill everybody in your sight, or you can utilize some very weak stealth mechanics to go for a more pacifist run. You can walk around and talk to the world's various NPCs who all have their own little information tidbits or thoughts on what's going on in their world. You can also use things like multi tools and lock picks at your disposal to get into places that otherwise will be closed off to you without a key. It's a neat gameplay loop that I think is enhanced by the almost improvisational manner in which the system's the game developers built are handled. You can absolutely plan your way around these levels, but something is bound to go wrong and you are expected to react to that and some way. I think that's great, especially with the game's save system where you can kind of cheese your way through the game if you really want to by saving at exact moments in time. However I would say that some of the world's sand boxes were better than others for sure.
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-----For example, one of my favorite levels was Hong Kong. This city has multiple scenes strung together in a web-like fashion that you can trek across and find different pieces of information and really explore and learn the area enough so that when it gets to its final moments, you really feel like you've learned your way around the place and feel like a master of this environment. The smaller Levels by comparison like the Statue of Liberty at the very beginning of the game I found to be less engaging as a result. While these sandboxes could allow you some freedom and what you could do, I did feel like the game started to fall into a little bit of a loop for me. Maybe it's just how my play style has been tailored throughout the years, but I found myself executing some of the same actions again and again from level to level. I kind of wish the developers through some wrenches in my path which would really force me to think outside the box in these instances . Also on the same topic I did get, in my opinion, a game-breaking weapon in the form of a laser sword around the mid game. This caused me to limit what I did even more just with how effective it was. For some context, the combat in Deus Ex is intentionally clunky which I think is good. I like the fact that Ion Storm tries to make sure that you don't purely go in guns blazing because it's not a reliable method. The problem with that is that once a reliable method is introduced, I think any normal player will latch on to that method. it takes a conscious choice on the player to throw the reliable method like the dragon laser sword away in order to help them explore other options of play. Normally a developer would help this along with things like balances or durability or something like that, but Ion Storm does no such thing with this weapon.
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-----Another thing I did really like in Deus Ex were the different augmentations you could get. What augmentations are in Deus Ex are like abilities that you can have attached to a hot bar that you can then access with your function keys. You can get things like a regeneration ability, faster movement, or increased accuracy. I like these a lot, especially the way the progression around these were handled where these upgrade canisters would kind of rarely be put out in the world making each individual gaining of your skills feel all the more rewarding. Speaking of skills, there are Dungeons & Dragons-esc skills that you can spend skill points into to further enhance your abilities. You can put points in categories like lockpicking, computing, weapon tiers, swimming and more. I really like the way this helps you customize your protagonist and customize your play through. While I'm at it, I also really like some of the little things that I don't really see even in modern video games. For example I really like the fact that Deus Ex saves conversations and notes for you to review as you learn things throughout the game. I also like the very grid-based item system that reminds me a lot of games like Resident Evil. Finally, I just really liked how fluid all of these complex systems worked together to make a very simple to understand game despite how much is at your fingertips because at the beginning of the game, Deus Ex can really kind of feel overwhelming at times. But once you learn the systems it's really all natural and how you deal with them and interact with them.
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-----Moving on to the story, The Narrative of Deus Ex is what really surprised me the most. I was completely shocked at how dead on a lot of Deus Ex’s themes and subject matter were. I did end up liking the beginning of the game a lot more than the ending of the game. I like the feeling of being a smaller part in a larger world and having very dubious morality lines drawn where it's not necessarily clear who is good over who is bad. I felt like near the end of the game that got kind of taken away for a more traditional approach where there's just kind of one bad guy and you have to stop them. At the end there are still some moral quandaries to help your brain, but I felt like the beginning of Deus Ex just hit a lot better than attending. That being said, the voice acting and the dialogue is absolutely gripping. Deus Ex is so well-written, which is surprising given just how much text is actually here in the game. It seems like at any moment the game could maybe falter once with its conspiracy talk, but it never does. Ion Storm’s game managed to remain interesting throughout.
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-----In total, I think Deus Ex is a great game that I'm just not fully appreciating yet. I recognize it's craft and the complex systems that make it one of the best games ever made. However on a personal level I'm kind of failing to connect with it like other games have throughout the years. I recognize the improvisational nature of Deus Ex that makes its gameplay so nail biting, but I just don't feel like the game is strong all the way through nor do I think its balance is all that consistent either. There are general peaks and valleys to the game that I felt like could have been touched up more, but seeing as how much Ion Storm even added to the game in the first place in the year 2000 is nothing short of impressive. Deus Ex is a game that you should absolutely play, despite my reservations. - [07/10]

-----Throughout the 2010’s there were a lot of significant releases for video games. One of those video games that I have always held as deeply significant for me has been The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth. It's a fantastic game that has a lot going for it to this day. So much so that it would be hard to really describe it here. It honestly encompasses a lot of things mechanically and narratively and culturally for video gaming that I could even describe it as the Sgt. Pepper's of the medium. Now, even though The Binding of Isaac had a pretty decent development time with lots of add-ons and DLC attached to it, developer Edmund McMillen kept busy throughout that time. He released many side projects, and participated in a lot of collaborations. Today's important collaboration is with James Interactive who with their help McMillan was able to make The Legend of Bumbo here.
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-----The Legend of Bumbo is a neat side project for The Binding of Isaac. Unlike the very action-oriented, shooter gameplay of Isaac, Bumbo takes the guise of a puzzle game and a very familiar one at that. It's a match four puzzler where you slide tiles in order to match different types of icons. During the game you have a set number of moves before your opponent's go on the attack. In this way the gameplay kind of fuses with a JRPG in a sense. It's a game whose gameplay I wasn't very keen on at first. In fact, I wasn't a big fan of this game at all when I initially played it. I found the very slow gameplay kind of frustrating, and the randomness of the tile board didn't add to that.
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-----However, once I played more of the game, and allowed myself to dig deeper into the mechanics, I ended up walking away from Bumbo a lot more positively than what I first felt. While I still don't love the game as a whole, I found a lot of things that I think normal players might love with in Bumbo. First, for the types of titles you match a different kind of action will execute. For example, if you match bones or teeth that is your way of attacking enemies. Meanwhile poop and boogers will stifle their progress. Finally there are pee drops that you can match in order to make further returns. There are also wild tiles in the mix as well. Finally the two tiles that I didn't find much use out of, or was kind of unhappy with more than the others were the heart tiles and the cursed tiles. The heart tiles are meant to heal you, but you don't get a lot. I understand why, but when you do actually end up matching Hearts they don't give you a lot in return for the Rarity that they are set as. Meanwhile for the cursed tiles, I don't even know if they even have a use in general. Within my 16 hours of playing the game I never once understood how the cursed tiles could hurt me in any way.
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-----In addition to those tiles, you also get Mana every time you match a certain tile type. You can use these to execute spells that can help you out. These spells can range from damaging the enemies in the field to helping you clear your own board in front of you. In classic Isaac fashion as you go through the separate floors of the game you'll be able to acquire more randomly generated spells into your repertoire. there's also these little trinkets as well that can have subtle soft effects on your gameplay. Speaking of both classic Isaac and soft effects, there are also several different character types you can play as throughout Bumbo. Most of them I like. one thing that's soured my first impressions of the game overall was the initial character you get. Well I felt the other characters had very interesting mechanics and systems that you can play around with, the initial main character I didn't care for all that much. Not only that, but it also feels like James interactive and Edmund McMillen are reusing ideas to a certain point with these characters. Especially since it seems like you can unlock the Lost in the game, which given its more random nature than that of Isaac’s, I imagine has got to be extremely excruciating to play eyes. Heck, you have to make sure not to get hit on the first three floors to even unlock him, and I imagine that's got to be left all to chance.
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-----However throughout the game there are some interesting enemy types that you can run into. Like Isaac they'll have their own little quirks that you have to learn to deal with as you go along. For example I like the fart clouds and how you couldn't attack through them. It added an extra layer of caution to my game play that I liked. I also like the little exploding flies that if they got too close to you, their death would cause them to explode, which in turn would cause you to lose health. That is an interesting point. One of the mechanics that I'm not necessarily sure if I'm keen on or not is the positioning mechanics of the enemies that you face. In Bumbo, the enemy field is kind of split up like a 3D graph where you have 3 columns, a top layer, a bottom layer, and about 5 rows where the enemies will try and move closer to you as you go forth. Meanwhile whenever you try to attack you can only hit the closest, top most Enemy. Ultimately I think it does add some depth to the gameplay, though it felt a little forced and clunky at times as well. The only time where I felt like this mechanic was utilized especially well was during some of the boss fights. These bosses would use their multiple moves to try to get close to you, which then you in turn would use attacks to push them back. I felt those fights were very smart.
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-----Meanwhile the narrative of Bumbo is told in the vignettes that are very similar to Isaac. I do like the intelligent way Bumbo’s story is tied into Isaac, even if I don't care for the narrator behind it. I also like the very diegetic user interface that McMillan and James interactive setup for Bumbo. In fact, as a fan of games like Paper Mario, I really do appreciate the very paper craft, almost childrens’ theater of the entire presentation of Bumbo. I think everything looks great from an aesthetic standpoint. Even McMillan's art, which I feel like he's got such a unique and singular style that sometimes it can become one note at times, still shines through here.
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-----Overall, while the legend of Bumbo isn't one of my favorite games I played this year, I had a lot more fun with this addition to Isaac then I thought. That being said, Bumbo still feels like an add-on to the Isaac experience rather than its own kind of standalone enjoyable experience. I thought the puzzle mechanics with depth were interesting enough to carry my playtime all the way to 16 hours. However, the match four gameplay isn't something I'm necessarily a fan of, and there were several elements here that I felt like they were keeping me from enjoying the game as a whole. There are spots in the software that feel really polished and have a lot of care taken into it, and other spots felt like there needed to be more added to it in order to flesh it out even further. Ultimately I would recommend the legend of Bumbo, but only after you've enjoyed a great helping of The Binding of Isaac first. - [06/10]

Brigador: Up-Armored Edition Review

-----It’s strange when a game doesn’t click with you when you think it really should. That’s what I felt for a majority of my time playing Brigador: Up-Armored Edition. My initial interest for the game was sparked by a MandalorGaming review on Youtube, which gave the software extensive praise. Seeing as the game took obvious ques from the top-down shooter genre, mixed with Rare’s Blast Corps concept, I was really looking forward to this game. Especially with its emphasis on earning money through multiple objectives, I thought the wealth of content with my earned experience would really engage me. Yet throughout my playthrough of Brigador I never felt a decent spark. It’s odd. Especially since I caught glimpses of the aforementioned Blast Corps., but also Hotline Miami, Chopper Attack, Bangai-O, Robotron, and even Binding of Isaac. All games I love, so why not Brigador?
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-----One reason I can think of is how dryly the game is presented. I don’t mean the looks. In fact, the neon isometric pixel graphics bathed in saturated vaporwave aesthetics is something to truly admire. The same can be said for the destructible walls and buildings which crush nicely under the treads of Brigador’s well-designed tanks and mechs. No, what I mean is how outside of one moment of theatrics, Brigador doesn’t boast any real explicit narrative moments that would help motivate the player. Instead a lot of Brigador’s story is delivered through text, which isn’t bad on the surface, but when it’s delivered in such a dry and unexciting fashion for the whole game it gets old quickly. It’s not like the narrative is all that interesting either. I’d say Brigador’s story is actually kind of hard to grasp, despite it being kind of cliche within the science fiction genre.
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---Another reason I’d say I didn’t like Brigador as much as I should have is the pace at which it progresses. Brigador is mission based with marked objectives in each mission needed to complete in order to clear the level. Nothing new, and that’s the way it stays for the entirety of the gameplay. The advent of “kill 70 percent of the enemies” or “destroy these specific targets” gets old really quick. Brigador begs for some sort of shake-up in it’s gameplay that never comes. It also doesn’t help that the difficulty curve of the missions themselves is widely inconsistent, and all the levels are disappointingly short. I’d say there were a few missions in Brigador’s campaign that actually felt satisfying, and most of those came in it’s second third. As for the Freelance mode, forget it. These maps are so spacious and so lacking in enemies that I found this auxillary mode pretty boring. This is especially crushing given how unceremoniously the campaign itself just ends.
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-----Finally I’d say that the concept itself is kind of misguided. Brigador works on a firm system of slow tanks and mechs with different weapon types and play styles that are used to tackle swaths of fast enemies who work on an audio-based alarm system. It’s so easy to be overwhelmed to the point of frustration in this game. Trying to pick off enemy groups one by one doesn’t necessarily work either. Helf the time you can’t see the enemy vehicles shrouded in the game’s nighttime levels. Thus shooting at one enemy can result in the unintended consequence of alarming an entire fleet ready to chew through your shield in an instant. I found a good portion of Brigador’s gameplay to just be demoralizing.
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------Now, with all this being said, I don’t want to poo-poo all over the game outright. I do think there are some great portions of this game worth experiencing. For one, the weapon types and variety is quite well done. The same could be said of the player vehicles. There’s a lot to play around with and learn, and I really liked that. I would also say that when Brigador does work, it works really well. I loved moments when after I fought a big wave of enemies, I stocked up on ammo and shield orbs, and strategically moved onto the next group. And for what it’s worth, there has been a clear level of thought and effort put into the various mechanics and systems put into the game overall. So, overall I would say there are things to love about Brigador. It wouldn’t have had the critical reevaluation by fans over the years as it has without it’s great elements. For me however, I just can’t really get into the game. It’s too dry, too slow, too repetitive, and too hard to grasp for me to really get into it. Disappointing. - [05/10]

Dark Souls Review

-----The 2010’s saw some pretty significant video game releases that defined the entertainment landscape going forward. It can be argued that one of the most significant games of that era was, and still is, Dark Souls. Released in 2011, Dark Souls came around the time when big budget fancies like Call of Duty were reaching their cultural endpoint. Meanwhile, the scene of independently, bedroom created games teased in the 2000’s were starting to become more of a focal point for players. Dark Souls rests somewhere in between those two worlds. It’s production design, scope, and attention to detail points towards a high end software experience. On the flip side the niche setting, uniquely bleak tone, and unforgiving difficulty is something you would normally get from a creator aiming towards a smaller audience. One that values earned experience, abstract storytelling, and a hands-off approach. Since it’s release, Dark Souls has gone on to launch several sequels, a spin-off, influence other developers, and even earn itself a quasi-genre: “Souls-like.” I’d argue that at least culturally, Dark Souls is the Defender of it’s generation. However, like Defender, I also have my specific qualms about this classic hardcore title.
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-----First of all, for those of the uninitiated, Dark Souls is a third person Action-RPG where the player takes control of the “chosen undead,” a figure whose purpose is to dethrone the king of Lordran (Dark Souls’s world) and become its new leader. There are more nuances in the lore if you want to get into it, however one rarely plays Dark Souls for it’s story. Really, Dark Souls and the Souls games are all about learned behaviours, patterns, character building, mood, and risk/reward. All of this is fed through a high difficulty lens that only welcomes those who are most familiar with established video game language. Dark Souls is a pretty tough game that offers what can barely be called a tutorial. It’s for the patient, and the tolerant. Depending on if you’re that type of person or not can really decide whether Souls will even appeal to you. For Christ’s sake, there’s a whole community sprung forth from these games that shout “Get Good!” at “filthy casuals” who even ask for advice. Still, the presence of challenge doesn’t mean the game isn’t enjoyable.
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-----Through Souls you get some very interesting environments to roam around in and explore. The type that weave in and out, and cleverly hide goodies and shortcuts with great use of 3D. FromSoftware is taking clear pages from D&D, Legend of Zelda, and even Metroid while simultaneously carving it’s own unique identity. Meanwhile the enemies can be classic yet thethening. Ghouls in medieval armor, slimes that wear out your equipment durability, dragons protecting riches on bridges, there’s even some scientific abominations and gargoyle type fiends thrown into the mix. It’s all complimented with the amount of choice the player receives. Off the bat the player can customize their character’s look and name to make their journeys personal. Then once they get out into Lordran there’s plenty of armor combinations and weapon types to choose from if you can get to them. In fact there’s a whole subset of players out there that simply like to play “Fashion Souls” with the amount of equipment FromSoftware offers.
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-----As for the combat, it’s complex, but not hard to wrap your head around (mostly). With each weapon you’re given two types of attacks, strong and weak, to use. Meanwhile there’s a wide array of magic to play with, and bows can be equipped for ranged options. As for the defensive, shields offer good blocking and shock absorptions, and a “Dodge Roll” can be executed to safely move one out of harm’s way, or perhaps take one closer to it. All of these actions are enforced at the cost of stamina, which depletes for almost anything you do besides walking, talking, and item use. This makes it so the player can only really execute a set amount of actions in a short amount of time before character exhaustion takes hold and the player's guard is pretty much stripped away. That scenario isn’t one you want to be caught in, as the enemies seem pretty smart. They can be slow and repetitive by design, but will absolutely punish the player’s missteps. These types of engaging encounters only make learning about yourself and your enemies so much more rewarding, and what can make victory taste oh so sweet.
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-----Of course, in a challenging game such as this, just having victory for victory’s sake would make combat seem a little tedious. That’s why the advent of Souls exists. More than just the namesake, Souls are the lifeblood in the game, perhaps literally. These are rewarded for killing enemies, like experience in a normal RPG. Like experience, it can also be spent at bonfires to level up your character’s stats. Attributes like strength, endurance, faith, and attunement play a key role in how you form your playstyle, and what types of means you have at your disposal for navigating Lordran. However, Souls are also used for currency, which can be traded with the game’s various quirky merchants for very useful key items or support items. This duality of Soul makes them extremely valuable, which makes it more devastating when you die and lose them all. This is the real crux of Dark Souls: the constant anxiety of dealing with tough foes while staring at that growing number Soul at the bottom right of your screen hoping, praying a bonfire will be around the corner to replenish your character’s health and healing items so that you keep that number high for the off chance of spending it for what you want most. In this respect, this is Dark Souls’s strongest risk/reward system, and it’s probably what’s helped the games hold up for so many years.
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-----As for my history of the franchise, I haven’t exactly been experiencing the franchise in order. I started the Souls games at installment number two, then Bloodborne, followed by three, and just now getting to the title that made them all possible in the first place. I bring this up because while I enjoyed my time with Dark Souls, my main gripes with it seem to be rooted in the knowledge of what FromSoftware has done with this concept post this game. For example, compared to its successors Dark Souls’s level design is quite open-ended. I don’t think this is a bad thing, but when combined with Souls’s hands-off approach to guiding the player and it’s hard difficulty can make getting lost especially frustrating. It doesn’t help when key bonfires are obscured behind esoteric, illogical hidden routes. I also thought Dark Souls’s beginning third went by at a slower pace than preferred for me. Circling around the boring Undead Burg/Perish wasn’t a particularly engaging experience, especially with it’s shield wielding enemies that demanded the player use Souls’s hard to execute ‘kick’ maneuver. It’s strange because while I think Souls games can generally drag-on, Dark Souls felt relatively well paced save for this one part of the game. In fact I’d say the game gets a lot better in its final third, sort of. You still get some pretty awful level design in the form of the complete darkness of the Tomb of the Giants, or the unfinished lava-filled landscapes of Lost Izalith. Even then, those two levels are only some examples of a handful of times when Dark Souls feels like it’s blatant taking the piss out of you for the sake of being demanding.
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-----To go slightly off-topic, each time a Souls game (or even just a Hidetaka Miyazaki directed game it seems) is released, a similar discussion plays out each time; Should a game like Dark Souls have an easy mode? Should less skilled players be allowed to experience the game without Souls’s trademark difficulty? I have my opinions on the discourse, but instead I’d like to laser-focus on one specific argument from one specific side of the discussion. An argument against making an easy mode for Dark Souls is that it would take away the “depth” of the gameplay. What these challenge seekers mean by this is that a huge point of Dark Souls for them is overcoming their own adversities by learning the game the developers set out for them, and conquering them using newly learned strategies. I think there’s merit to this argument, but only if you’re talking about any Souls game but the first. This is because while a core feature of Souls games are repeating the same challenges again and again until you overcome them, there always feels like there’s a sense of progress due to the fact that after defeating the same enemies repeatedly will eventually cause them not to respawn anymore from bonfires or deaths. This feature is one perhaps many Souls fans may not even notice, but I’ve always appreciated it as it was a way to help me feel like the actions I took on a given run would affect the game world. It also helped get rid of some of the biggest blockers for me, or even just help the pace of the game from being the same actions each and every time. I think this non-respawning of commonly defeated enemies is a great feature, and it’s a feature the first Dark Souls lack.
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----Instead, no matter how many times an enemy is defeated, they will always be there. In the first Dark Souls, the player is expected to execute the path exactly right each time in order to progress. It can be argued that this forces the player to really learn Dark Souls in order to succeed, but I disagree. I feel as if that argument is solely reliant on each encounter in Dark Souls being rooted in skill, which is false. I can think of quite a few times in Dark Souls where luck plays a huge factor in whether you succeed in moving forward. The most glaring and infamous example being the archers in Anor Londo. I must have tried this area several times before looking up a guide, and even then continuing to fail until the archer eventually just fell off due to its own AI. Moments like this to me aren’t “depth,” it’s pure chance. It’s like that popular definition of insanity, and I think in that way Dark Souls can really waste the player’s time in its lowest moments.
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-----That being said, it’s not like Dark Souls’s repetition is it’s own fault all the time. I’ve been known to play video games in a particular way, and I think that stands true here. I think and tackle challenges very linearly at times, which caused me to not touch magic at all, nor did I take advantage of the parry mechanic all too much (not like it’s very easy to execute anyway). I also just don’t play multiplayer anymore, so I didn’t experience any PvP, world raids, or even Dark Souls’s beloved soapstone messages. However, it’s not like I don’t remember a time when that was very popular. In fact, while I mentioned the gatekeeping part of the Dark Souls fanbase in the beginning of this review, there must be an equal amount of fans who engage in “jolly cooperation.” They lay down summon signs, make detailed guides, and even have a strong presence on platforms like YouTube. I actually ran into a pretty great but unfinished guide series called “The Dumbshits Guide” by YouTuber Wildpie101. Watching these videos cause memories of how great and unique Dark Souls’s community can be, and I think my lonesome playthrough helped me appreciate that part of the game much more.
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-----Overall, I’ve conquered Dark Souls and come through the other side mostly happy. The classic mechanics and tone of the game still shines through to this day with one foot in great production, and the other in niche focus. I thought while the game dragged in the beginning, it eventually got better and I became more appreciative of it’s options. While Dark Souls seemed to rely on luck on occasion, I’d say the challenge and character building was rewarding enough to keep going and play it through to the end. Finally, while I didn’t play with magic or online features, I still feel like I got a full experience. One that required guides, which is a point against the game for me, but still it was like a good meal. If you’re wondering if you should pick up the first Dark Souls ten years after it’s release, I think it’s a good idea. Just so long as you’re the patient and tolerant type, and don’t mind looking at guides and wiki’s to find where you’re going or what you need to do, then I think Dark Souls can appeal to you. I do think that the games that followed after Dark Souls are a better starting point for new players, perhaps you may be able to appreciate Soul’s non-linear, hands-off approach. Praise the sun, practice your parry, and don’t be afraid to take your time in “getting good.” - [07/10]

In it's opening moments, Halo 3: ODST shows a lot of promise. A noir mystery set in an open metropolis with a unique score and that classic gameplay initially makes ODST one of the more interesting titles in the Halo franchise. However, as the game goes on all the elements prior end up becoming dull and unfulfilled. As far as the mechanics are concerned; ODST is a Halo game through and through, which is good if you like this gameplay. However the lack of a core identifying feature has ODST feeling more like a Halo 3 extension rather than something standalone. I guess you could point to the visor mechanic that let's you see in dark environments, but I felt like it's only use amounted to seeing red outlines around enemies, blue outlines around weapons, and yellow outlines around optional audio log content. Overall I'd recommend Halo 3: ODST to Halo enthusiasts. It's opening moments alone make it worth experiencing. However ODST's latter game needed more to it in pretty much all departments. This is definitely not a game for first timers new to the series.

Resident Evil 4 can be as good as they say. Action movie inspiration, tight mechanics, linear but focused progression, and that classic survival horror you love. However, this Resident Evil also points to some of the more unfortunate trends that would take over mainstream video gaming in it's wake. Underdeveloped characters, tailing mechanics, weird almost inconsequential side objectives, and quick-time events. Maybe for some Resident Evil 4 is able to get away with these things because of the gold around them, but upon a second playthrough I just found these aspects of the game even more annoying. Overall I don't think it's perfect, but it's definitely worth while to play.

Call of Duty 2 Review

-----At the end of my play with the original Call of Duty, I came off enjoying that title overall. It had some really fun, epic missions with period accurate scenarios and aesthetics, and had a certain strategic quality about it. That being said, I did have some choice words for it. While fun missions were definitely present, this quality was inconsistent throughout the game’s playtime. I also thought the AI Call of Duty built itself on was more invasive than immersive. Finally I found Infinity Ward’s use of WWII imagery to be both striking and inconsidered all at the same time. It was an interesting experience to say the least, but one I don’t wish to return back to. Still, I concluded with a feeling of excitement towards it’s successor: Call of Duty 2.
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-----Part of the reason for this is my knowledge of what Call of Duty would become. As I stated in my review of Call of Duty 2003, I generally look back at Call of Duty’s classic period (Modern Warfare - Black Ops II) positively. I think those games have their genius moments that are worth keeping and worth bringing into the future. Another reason for my excitement about Call of Duty 2 in particular has to do with hearing Youtuber Raycevick speaking positively on the game in one of his videos. Raycevick has made many great videos and educated cases for the Call of Duty franchise, so I hold his opinion in high regard. However, despite my excitement and the buzz around it, I ended up feeling as if Call of Duty 2 is above average like it’s predecessor.
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-----Albeit, that isn’t because the two are the same game. On the contrary, there are some key differences between Call of Duty’s 1 and 2 that make them stand out from each other. For one, Call of Duty 2 has the kind of features that would become synonymous with not only it’s franchise, but with the shooter genre as a whole for years to come. An example of this would be Call of Duty 2’s health system. Gone is the finite health system needing replenishing from health packs, and in comes the iconic regenerating health. I was surprised to see it implemented pretty much fully formed here, and honestly I think Call of Duty 2 is better for its use of this new health mechanic.
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-----This is for a couple of reasons in itself. Infinity Ward’s technology, or use of it, has a clear upgrade from its predecessor. Call of Duty 2’s environments look so much better, meanwhile the amount of stuff they can fit in a scene while not sacrificing performance is astounding. These levels can feel like true huge war skirmishes that you’re just a small part of. As such, a finite health system could only be detrimental and hamper pace. At its best use of it, Call of Duty 2 and its health system will have you making incremental, progressive steps through its levels while under heavy, tense gunfire. At the health’s worst use however has been a long standing pet peeve of mine: making the screen less visible the more hurt the player is. I’m still not a fan of that here, especially since while the arenas you play in look better, their color is dark and washed out. It’s hard to make enemies out of their surroundings, or your own allies, already without a piercing red blur taking over your screen.
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-----Another way Call of Duty 2 stands out from its predecessor would be the AI. Call of Duty 2003 was sold on it’s NPC helpers and their complexity. I think the game that actually delivers on that is it’s successor. Call of Duty 2’s allies definitely give off the illusion of better intelligence. They’re humanized with more photorealistic faces that are distinct from one another. As you go through the campaigns, some of these NPC characters stick with you. I noticed this the most during the British missions. It was quite fun hearing the banter between Capt. Price and MacGregor, or hearing my sergeant address by name when yelling out orders to the squad. Once in battle, you can audibly discern orders between the helpers, and can witness them follow through with these. It’s very impressive. I especially liked when they would call out grenades when they were lobbed at me.
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-----Speaking of grenades, the helping computers aren’t the only non-playable entities that receive an upgrade here. Enemy combatants also display increased intelligence. They’re able to flank the player pretty well and keep them on their toes. While Call of Duty 2 may have regenerative health, it also has the capability to kick your but if you don’t utilize cover. As hinted, their use of grenades is very aggressive compared to 2003, which I think is a good thing. Their explosive attacks caused me to move out of cover and think dynamically about escape plans and covering fire. These same enemies will also lob the player’s own grenades back at them. Unfortunately that same feature is not available to the player. I also think it’s a bummer that grenades cannot be cooked yet. Finally, my biggest gripe with the enemies has already been stated above: they blend into the environments too easily and can be hard to see.
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-----While we’re on the topic of gripes, and firefights, while battles can be fun at times, they can also be exhausting. Another one of Call of Duty’s changes seems to have gone on to its level length. The scenarios, while more theatrical in places, are also longer. This to me makes action moments more repetitive in the latter half of the game. It doesn’t help that Call of Duty’s “Wall of Noise” is back and in full effect. Sitting in for large doses of 2 is equivalent to giving yourself a headache. I also don’t think Infinity Ward does enough with their environments either to help things feel fresh. Quite the opposite: they often reuse environments back to back. Their reuse doesn’t stop at the scenes either. One type of scenario Infinity Ward likes to reuse a lot in Call of Duty 2 is the timed defensives. These are where you're given a minutes-long countdown to survive while being attacked by waves and waves of enemies. It’s tense the first time around, but quickly gets old and comical near the end of the game as these fights feel like blatant padding. The cherry on top is the cheesy and dumb strings they use for music at the ends of these segments. Infinity Ward tries so hard to invoke the feeling of Spielbergian heroism, but it comes off as transparent and manipulative.
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-----In conclusion, I think Call of Duty 2 is above average like it’s predecessor, but for completely different reasons. Its regenerative health and intelligent AI’s make for some immersive and aggressive gameplay, while the enemies are laid on thick. However, there is such a thing as too thick. Longer levels and roaring gunfire can make the gun fights seem dull while the environments are dreary and repetitive. I would say Call of Duty 2 is more interesting than what came before, and offers more of a memorable experience. However it’s storylines and gameplay isn’t the most essential in the series. For that to come, players would have to wait for Infinity Ward’s next, most seminal title.

-----I feel like one of the more important lessons we’re learning as a society right now is to look at things and systems, and analyze how they’ve become so widely known or commonplace. It can certainly be an interesting experiment. Sometimes you could work backwards, and find that your beloved band was once of humble origins. Other times you could find out the horrid origins of things like the police (slave patrols). Either way, I think this process can be categorized as “fun” in a way because it’s a chance for us to learn from the past and shape a better future. Some like to reevaluate societal systems, others like to pine through old media. Personally, I’ve always been a bit curious about the origins of the Call of Duty franchise.
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-----A monolith of the first person shooter genre, Call of Duty took hold of the minds of the mainstream with it’s seminal fourth entry: Modern Warfare. Modern Warfare was a slick, gritty, and enthralling video game that set the stage for video games not only in its own genre, but across the entire spectrum. That influence extends to it’s multiplayer, whose integration of RPG elements, customizability, and matchmaking would lay out the blueprint for any other multiplayer focused game to come in its wake. Call of Duty entries can be equal parts epic, and equal parts dumb, and it all depends on the kind of person you are and what you tolerate. Personally I look back fondly on Call of Duty’s classic period. This in turn fuels my interest for the three games that came before it.
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-----Now, Call of Duty 3 I’ve already played, so that just leaves two others to experience. Enter Call of Duty (the first one). Released back in 2003, Call of Duty entered a quickly saturating market of military shooters. Simulations of the two world wars, especially World War II for it’s simplistic us vs. them narrative, were incredibly popular due to the already extensive and geeky field of World War aficionados. One of the top game franchises of this movement was the Medal of Honor series, a series I’m not familiar with at all. What I do know is how Call of Duty was partially developed as a counterpoint to that very franchise. In fact, many developers of Call of Duty were also key staff involved in making Medal of Honor: Allied Assault. No doubt this experience helped the newly formed Infinity Ward create this new franchise which had a focus on AI, improved animation, and of course a multi-perspective narrative.
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-----Though, calling what Call of Duty has a “Narrative” would be pushing things a bit. In the game, you play as soldiers of the Allies during WWII. The main campaign focuses on three distinct sides of the conflict: the Americans, the British, and the Russians. This was relatively unique back then, as most other military shooters around the same time would pick one pair of eyes and stick to them. In general Call of Duty does a great job with differentiating between the three armies. Each has their own set of period accurate weaponry, each fights in their own theater, each are voice acted, and each campaign is grouped together so there is no confusion to who you’re playing as. That being said, the through line that connects each level together can be spotty and vague. The pre-level loading screens with their wall of text do an all right job of giving the player some context, but there are certainly levels that feel like blatant filler.
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-----Additionally, the three campaigns fail to form a cohesive whole. The American levels are mind-numbingly dull. They have no real memorability to them. They blur together in my head. The Russian levels are more grand by comparison, as most take place during the Battle of Stalingrad. The high city walls and scope of these scenes can be pretty effective, which is eye opening as Call of Duty was technically doing city levels well a year before Half-Life 2’s City 17. However the Russian levels themselves can be hit or miss. Some are exciting and tense, others are frustrating. This is mostly due to getting lost, or being shot at from somewhere high and out of the way. Finally there is the British portion of Call of Duty’s campaign. These are the best moments of the software, as there’s never a dull moment. One level you’re shooting panzerfaust anti-tank missiles out of the back of a truck, the next you’re taking over an airport demolishing stukas. My favorite level of the game is where you clear out an entire German dam base, destroying key weaponry and picking off the security as you go along.
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-----A key as to why I may love these levels so much may have to do with the absence of Call of Duty’s trademark regenerative health. Instead you get a very video gamey health bar in the bottom right corner of the screen. I think this feature adds an element of risk and carefulness to the gameplay of Call of Duty that subsequent entries don’t have. That being said, a consequence of this form of health is that you need items to replenish it. This comes in the form of little health kits. While I didn’t have a huge issue with these, health kits weren’t as plentiful or were rewarded as often as I would have liked. For some examples, one of the ways health kits can be acquired is through killing enemies, though this rarely and unreliably dispenses the item. There is also the method of finding them placed throughout the level, though the developers didn’t spread these out enough in my opinion, nor did they reward exploration as there are several dead ends in the level designs of Call of Duty that don’t have any kind of reward at all.
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-----Changing focus, I think the look of Call of Duty has aged well enough. The graphical fidelity is surely of it’s time, but the developers’ texture work and eye for coloring and focus help keeps things clear...except for whose an enemy, and whose an ally. I found distinguishing between the two could be a bit confusing in the heat of battle, which can be frustrating as the game punishes those who engage in friendly fire. This confusion wasn’t helped by the AI all sharing the same animations; most of which looked clunky and goofy. This form of Call of Duty also has it’s crosshair behavior work in a way opposite to what some may be used to. In Call of Duty, when you turn your crosshairs toward an ally, the element turns red. Normally it’s the other way around, as red subconsciously means bad, thus is used for enemies. However, giving credit where credit is due: Call of Duty has a good safeguard system against friendly fire where pressing fire while over looking at an ally doesn’t shoot them, but rather tells them to move out of your way. Albeit, you have to do this explicitly, but it shows the developers thought this through.
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-----Staying on the topic of AI, Call of Duty’s biggest selling point was it’s NPC helpers. Most other military shooters didn’t have that. Call of Duty, on the other hand, puts enough bucketheads on the field to help you feel the full scope of an actual battle. Honestly I think this was towards the game’s detriment. Part of that has to do with what effect these added helpers have towards the core player experience. These AI feel like they take away more from player agency than do to help player immersion. It’s kind of a bummer because the AI are clearly smart (for their time). They get behind cover, they flank, they’ll even have audio lines pertaining to the situation. However I don’t think they were really worth the cost of making the game more boring.
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-----What wasn’t boring though was the audio. The audio is honestly great. Too great. What I mean by that is due to the most persistent sound Call of Duty has to offer: it’s wall of gunfire. It makes sense this would be the core of the audio experience of Call of Duty because, well, it’s a game about war. Gunfire is kinda a given. And yet, of all the games I’ve played, Call of Duty 2003 has to have offered the most dense, overpowering, and at times terrifying wall of audio in video games I've heard. In fact it shows up so much it can become annoying. I’m willing to bet that this wall of gunfire is what caused most moments in Call of Duty to feel monotonous. It’s loud, it’s deafening, it kind of feels like you’re actually on the battlefield.
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-----Actually, that’s a key point to all of this. Of all the things Call of Duty made me feel, nothing was as poignant or present as the feeling of this being a game about war. This begs the question: what does Call of Duty even have to say about war? I never really thought about it because Call of Duty games are normally big and dumb, and when I look back at other games in the franchise, I can’t think of any particular stance those games took. Call of Duty 2003 however has a very clear feeling about war to me. It starts with it’s opening movie right before the title screen. It’s sombre and full of strings, like it’s some emotional tragic moment in a film. A very odd way to start the game. Then there’s the pre-level loading screens I mentioned earlier. They’re functionally a wall of text, but aesthetically they take the form of notebooks soldiers would keep while on the frontline, or dossiers from higher up generals, or even physical order pages with instructions that the soldier you’re playing as is scribbling on as the levels progress. These are items based on real life media that were used during WWII. I should also mention the real-life quotes that would pop-up on loading screens as well. Each seemed to reflect upon things like the cost of war, the bravery of the men, or the tragic nature of it all. All real sombre stuff.
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-----One of the most effective moments in the game for me however was at the very start of the Russian campaign. In the first level, you play as a Russian soldier amongst many, crowded on a small boat that’s sailing towards the shores of Stalingrad. The boat is carved in a way where higher up military officers can stand completely above the infantry men who will actually be doing the fighting. One of these military officers is shouting in a megaphone directly above you. He relays the orders of Stalin, saying how we’re going to be serving our country, and reminds us “not to take one step back” lest we be fired up for being a traitorous coward. As this is happening, the ocean is being bombed and shot around us by German planes. The planes actually manage to shoot down one of the military officers above us. This causes one of the infantry men on the boat with me to abandon ship, only to be shot dead by the surviving officers. This makes that “Not a step back” policy a stark reality.
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-----Then we reach the shore, and we pour out of the boat. Each of us gather in a blob at the end of the pier as another military officer is handing out weaponry. He shouts a repetition slogan over the gunfire happening behind him. Most officers on the pier get a weapon. You, the player, do not. You then rush, defenseless, onto the battlefield. You’re joined by infantrymen like you. However one by one they’re either shot dead by adversaries you can’t see, or bombed out of existence by place. You yourself barely make it. You post behind a mostly destroyed brick wall with another, more experienced and equipped soldier. His progress is being stalled by deafening German machine guns. Thus, once you join him, he tells you to run out of cover once the gunners reload. He wants you to act like bait for their gunfire, while he takes care of them. At the first sign of silence, you bolt towards a blown up car for cover. The soldier, now unencumbered, shoots the gunners dead and joins you. This happens again and again until finally the soldier calls in an airstrike, flattening the line of buildings the Germans were using to suppress the Russian force. This is where the level ends. You only have to shoot one shot.
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-----Never have I had a level, or really any piece of media, make me feel as small and expendable as this sequence in Call of Duty. Even the numerous recounts of D-Day pale in comparison to what happens here. The horrors and tragedy of war never have felt more omnipresent, and it’s all historically accurate. This is all based on real life events. Just look up Order No. 227. Stalin deliberately had his own troops shot at, to no effect, all because his idea of turning back and retreating was cowardice. It’s something like this level here that really helps remind you how much of a waste of life war really is, how the lives of soldiers and what they fight for are up to politicians that have their own goals, and couldn’t give less of a shit about what they’re spending for that. It’s because of this level and everything else I’ve mentioned and more that the final level of Call of Duty had me sick to my stomach. In this level, the Russians are closing in upon Germany’s capital.
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-----Now, I’m going to throw a bit of a content warning in the review at this point, as I’m going to put some context as to why seeing Russians in Germany at the end of WWII triggered me. In the game, this level is kind of like the final hurdle you need to cross before dealing the final blow to the Nazis. You take down anti-tank weapons, cross courtyards, and finally overtake the Reichstag, Germany’s chief political building during this era, all to heroically wave your Russian flag above the German Nazi scum. Though, that doesn’t really begin to touch upon a full picture here. You see, it was during this time, and afterward that something that is now referred to as the “Rape during the occupation of Germany” occurred. While many Allied soldiers took part in this, it’s agreed upon that Soviet troops were in the majority of raping many, many German women. The type of women these troops would assault ranged from age 80, to as young as 8 years old. Some estimates on the amount of victims of these rapes range in the hundreds of thousands, to around the single digit millions. I think it’s safe to say that an entire generation of German women were defiled, traumatized, and even murdered at the hands of Allied soldiers, specifically Russians. That’s why playing as a Russian in Germany, being portrayed as a hero as if my presence is a good thing, sickens me to my fucking core.
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-----Of course, I think there’s even more here to touch upon, like how the “heroic” victory of the Allies against the Nazis was “all around good” when, in fact, the politicians that ordered these men around would then carve Germany into four parts, form Israel on top of Palenstine, introduce the concept of the nuclear bomb to the world, fight amongst each other, form Neo-Nazi movements of their own and ignore them, and more. That’s why when I was playing Call of Duty, I didn’t see the men fighting as heroes. I saw them as fools. I also saw any kind of tragedy or respect Infinity Ward showed for the soldiers who gave their lives in WWII as shallow. I don’t think any developer really understood the full weight of what they were making when they made these military shooters. They most likely thought it was cool to play a part in this seemingly simple war where you’re a hero taking on the bad guy.
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-----Then again, I think that’s why it’s so important we take a look back at the origins of things, and gain from our new understanding of them. For me I learned two things. One, war is terrible, and useless, and unnecessary, and is really an excuse to put monsters on a power trip while lives are wasted for a future uncertain to the one actually holding the gun. Two, while Call of Duty has come a long way from it’s debut, in ways it hasn’t really changed all that much. The first Call of Duty is still big, and dumb, and ignorant like it’s bigger brothers and sisters. That being said, it’s not like it can’t be fun from time to time, especially during the British missions. However, I wouldn’t necessarily play Call of Duty again. Maybe those British missions, but certainly not the whole game through.

-----When a collection of media grows as large as Final Fantasy, it becomes hard to tell where you should start. It helps that Final Fantasy is a collection of non-related stories with the only element that builds from entry to entry is the self-referentialism of certain symbols like “Cid” or “Chocobo.” Still though, mechanically and aesthetically there is still some difficulty on where to begin. For example the first entry in the franchise is a good suggestion. It’s simple, to the point, mechanically relevant to the franchise, and isn’t even that esoteric for an NES title. Then again there’s the latest installment of XV. That one’s more relevant socially, has updated mechanics that appeals to the action crowd, has more depth to it’s characters, and generally looks pretty. Well, may I suggest somewhere in the middle of that for a place to start with Final Fantasy: number 9.
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-----Going into Final Fantasy IX, I wasn’t that familiar with it. I wanted to play it through a recommendation of a close friend whose a Final Fantasy fanatic. This game here is his favorite. I did know a lot of others also hold this title in high regard. Contextually I knew 9 comes after FF (Final Fantasy) 7, which to this day is considered to be one of the most seminal entries in the RPG cannon. That would pin 9 as a continuation of the mechanics and tools the FF developers were working with at the time. I also knew Vivi, the most iconic black mage design in FF, was in this game. That’s about all I knew. Personally I didn’t know what to really expect from this, other than the usual hope for any game: that it’s fun.
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-----Fun is certainly what I would use to describe the opening of FF9. Images of an evil queen amongst a huge crowd waiting for a play to start. A theater of thieves plan to kidnap a princess using the play as a disguise. Meanwhile outside the castle a strange pointy hatted boy becomes the errand boy for a small rat. All these elements and more come together as the play starts, only for things to go awry for the thieves when the princess actively tries to escape the castle herself, convincing the thieves to take her with them. It’s thrilling and a perfect way to start the game proper. From this point the story continues to become more interesting as the band of characters that becomes the player’s main party trek across the continent, visiting other villages and kingdoms that adds a lot of character to FF9’s world.
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-----I feel it is important to take a step back from the story from time to time to appreciate the great art direction of the software. Almost all the background environments of the game are static frames akin to the matte paintings you would see in old films. In fact upon closer inspection of character models, you can see these little strokes in their texture work as if the entire world has been painted. I think this is further enhanced by the aspect of the color use in FF9 as it’s rich and varied. The style is cute, but never saccharin. It makes everything from the characters to the darker subject matter FF9 tackles in it’s themes more approachable. I also think the attention to detail here is to be admired as well. I can’t really think of a dull frame in the entirety of FF9’s runtime.
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-----Mechanically, FF9 is fine. It’s familiar, which can be good. The presentation itself is mostly static third person as you go from scene to scene, kind of like old Resident Evil. The only complex 3D aspects of the game are kept to it’s overworld. If you’ve played a FF before, you know exactly what to expect. The player goes from plot beat to plot beat with a party of character, each with their own traits, stats, and class characteristics. When necessary, you talk to key characters and townsfolk to learn information, and you use FF’s currency gil to buy armor, weapons, items, and more. FF9’s strength’s don’t necessarily lie in it’s higher mechanical levels, as much as what it does in-between them. For example, peppered throughout the body of FF9 are little mini-games like monster hunting, frog catching, balancing puzzles, and more. The biggest of which is this card game called Tetra Master, which you can challenge select NPCs too. I like this diversion, as it has enough depth to be interesting while promoting collection and strategy.
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-----Another small addition to FF that 9 boasts are the Active Time Events (ATE). ATE are like optional B-stories you can view at a press of a button. They’re never obstructive or even require you to sit through, but I always found these fun to watch anyway. Again these add a lot of character to the game. In fact, that’s the word of the day for FF9: character. The developers make sure to add where it counts for the majority of the game, really helping to sell you on what’s going on in a given moment. This includes the little side quests you can run into, or the random areas you come across in the overall, or even the moogles that save you game by slamming a book down a writing in it.
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-----However, one area I think could’ve used a bit more addition are the battle mechanics. Like everything else before, these are fine. Familiar. In fact that’s the main problem here. Everything is so familiar that FF9’s battles never felt exciting to me. They felt kind of standard for what was going on for FF around this era of the franchise. For one, it uses the Active Time Battle (ATB) system that FF has been using since, I think, it’s fourth entry. Nothing wrong with that per say, but FF9 doesn’t expand upon that or anything. Any flaws or benefits of the system carry over into this game. For example, the length of battles certainly felt like an issue at times, especially with the camera sometimes taking it’s time showing the battle scene environment at the beginning of battles. Thankfully I was able to turn that feature off for the most part, however battle times could still feel too long. Loading screens into battles could also be an issue at times as well.
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-----Additionally, there isn’t a particular component of FF9’s battles that really defines the game for me. What I mean is that if I point to a part of the battle mechanics, I can usually trace it to a FF game that came before 9. Third Person perspective battles and Limit Breaks (called Trances here)? Final Fantasy 7. The ATB system? Final Fantasy 4 (I think). Summons? Final Fantasy 3. Magic, weaknesses, class abilities, status effects and such? I mean come on, that’s just an RPG. Even the one sort of unique attribute to FF9’s battles is very similar to the Materia of FF7. What I’m referring to here are the equipment abilities. You see, each piece of equipment in FF9 will come with up to three abilities that the character that is equipped with the item could learn. Each character can only learn certain abilities with certain equipment, so it’s best to swap equipment items around to see who can learn what with what. When a character is equipped with an item that has ability they can learn, a few things can happen from here.
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-----One, the ability is a class ability, and can automatically be used right away by the character. These are normally attached to the weapons that only that character class can use, so these don’t require any equipment swapping. However, there is outcome number two: the ability is a passive ability that needs to be assigned via the ability menu item in the pause screen. Each character has these gem points they can use to attach these abilities onto them so that they take effect during battle. Regardless if it’s a class ability or passive ability, each of these items aren’t permanent to the character right away. If you take off the chest piece, it’s abilities follow suit, and the character loses the right to use those abilities. However, each ability also comes with it’s own integer progress value that starts at 0, and can be filled up to a certain max value for that ability. Once this stat reaches it’s max value, the character permanently learns the ability, and can use it even if they take off the equipment item that ability originated from. This progress stat can be filled via the Ability Points (AP) earned through battles.
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-----Thus, these equipment abilities differ from FF7’s Materia in that Materia was it’s own item that needed to be found, then equipped to equipment slots, then leveled up. FF9’s equipment abilities streamlines that process by making equipment and abilities one in the same. This minimizes inventory, and makes the best case I’ve seen an RPG make in terms of keeping old equipment around. This especially helps legitimize synthesis, a process where you meld two items together to create something new. I like equipment abilities overall, but they’re not enough to make FF9’s battles feel fresh. Maybe if they were more of a focal point of the game and the equipment items changed the look of the characters, sure, but that’s not the case. I’m not asking for a reinvention of the wheel, but I think a little remixing goes a long way.
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-----The other big criticism towards FF9 I can think of does have to do with it’s story. That may come as a shock being as I praised the game’s beginnings, and in fact I would also like to heap equal praise on FF9’s mid-portion as well. The game’s narrative stays exciting and interesting up until the end of it’s second act. It’s at this point of the game things take a turn, as the main threat changes, as well as the game’s focus. We go from a continent sized adventure to a mutli-world sized one, and somehow things feel more shallow and undeveloped than ever before. For one, the overall threat changes from the queen to something more cliché and tired for FF. This isn’t helped by the usual routine of getting a boat, then an airship to travel a relatively bland overworld whose creators couldn’t even be bothered to give interesting names to other continents. If I said “Forgotten Continent,” “Lost Continent,” and “Outer Continent” I’m pretty sure somebody would think I’m talking about the same place, but these are all big swaths of land independent from each other.
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-----Then there’s the main characters, who were really done dirty in this third act. The main protagonist, Zidane, gets an unneeded backstory not very far from other FF narratives. The princess, Garnet, who finds out she’s been estranged from her real family quickly forgives her mass murdering false queen mother and decides to take the throne herself? Vivi kind of fades into the background for the most part, only showing back up time to time when the game needs reminding that it had a strong emotional vector. Steiner has been unlikable the entire time up until the 2nd act, where you think he’ll have a change of perspective and personality, only for him to stay the same static unlikable character. Freya, poor Freya, seems like she’ll have to rebuild a lost relationship from the beginning, but her story is just dropped after an amnesia reveal and never picked back up. Eiko seems like she might have something interesting going on, but she too is left in the dust. The game’s joke character, Quina, has a teacher that is introduced as having a connection to Vivi’s uncle, but nothing more comes of it. Finally Amarant is such a non-character that it completely flies in the face of a much better character for the main party: Beatrix. Beatrix even has an arc she goes through. Why she isn’t part of the team is beyond me.
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-----All of this is to say that it’s really disappointing and annoying to see FF9 build itself up so well with a really nuanced story just to fumble the ball at it’s last moments. It honestly reminds me of Dragon Quest VII with how miscalculated and poorly thought out this 3rd act twist is. I was having a conversation with another friend at the mall about this, and something he said stuck out to me: that Final Fantasy had to be “grand.” As if for Final Fantasy to be Final Fantasy, it needs to have the complicated origin stories, over the top God-like antagonists, world traveling, and all that jazz. I disagree, and I think the first two acts of FF9 prove my point. I think you can have a Final Fantasy game that takes place on one continent against an evil queen while still having a great story through things like reincorporation of story elements, tragedy, and character drama. Just once I would like to see a Final Fantasy game where we don’t face a God at the end of it. I’d rather be a band of regular people solving human problems. That’s much more interesting to me.
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-----However, don’t let my dower tone here define the review for you. First of all, the things I dislike here can be the exact reasons someone else loves Final Fantasy 9. As I argued at the beginning of the review, Final Fantasy 9 plays very much like the quintessential game in the franchise. It has everything that makes the franchise what it is. It’s just that, in my opinion, FF9 does that to a fault. That being said, there is still the beautiful, approachable painted aesthetic of the game that will help draw you in. Then once you are in, you’ll be treated to an incredible two thirds full of fun and interesting story bits. In the middle of which are pretty good RPG battle mechanics that, while not unique to this game, are still very well developed and balanced. Of course if you get tired of all that, there’s always minigames like Tetra Master to take your mind off things for awhile. Finally, the game as a whole, final third included, still offers one of the better experiences Final Fantasy has to offer. So why not start with Final Fantasy 9? It’s certainly a Final Fantasy crown jewel. A Garnet specifically. - [08/10]

---Despite the tedious nature of it, there's still a vigorous debate on what length a game should be. I understand the argument, especially if you value capitalism and think the dollar is almighty. I however don't care how long or short a game is, as long as it uses it's time well. I've played many games throughout the years, and out of all of them Pokemon Snap is one the best short games out there. Really it's a great game no matter what category you put it in. The fusion of excitement, wonder, and strategy is all delivered into this compact package of entertainment software.
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---For those unaware, Pokemon Snap is a video game where you play as a photographer who must document all the creatures (called Pokemon) on a remote wild island. How you document these Pokemon is through your primary tool: the camera. Each "course" in the game sees you going through an on-rails adventure, snapping shots of the wild life around you. Once your course is finished, you return to the local researcher, Professor Oak, who will grade your shots and put the best ones in a "Pokemon Report."
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---Snap is both a relaxing retreat and an exciting foray. It takes the mechanics of an on-rails first person shooter like House of the Dead, and recontextualizes them into this wonderful game about taking pictures. It's the kind of game that's got so much charm and appeal, that one can't help but complete it in a night, which isn't hard to do. Part of that is due to Snap's execution being water tight. There are no detours, or filler, or even pizzazz. From the start Snap is determined to just put you in the field and start documenting.
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---Another aspect of Snap's brevity is the courses themselves. Each course follows a specific theme. Think "beach", "cave", "river." These locations are a bit generic sounding on paper, but in execution they're so layered. Pokemon Snap makes fantastic use of 3D space. There's always going to be something you miss because you were trying to take a picture from a certain angle. These courses practically beg to be combed through by the player in order to experience everything they have to offer.
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---The one part of these courses I love the most are the Pokemon themselves. These creatures were already an iconic piece of pop culture by the time Snap was released. Though, Snap enhances the "Gotta Catch em' All" attitude of the franchise by giving these Pokemon personalities through how they interact with the environment, the other Pokemon, and even the player themselves. Having these personalities be based off what was established in the popular Pokemon anime is a genius touch. Each Pokemon in the game feels like an inhabitor in the game's world without having the looped routine nature of their backend logical behaviours poking through, ruining the illusion.
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---Another area Pokemon Snap excels at is it's flow and progression. Courses and additional abilities are unlocked by adding more Pokemon types to the Pokemon Report, or by boosting the score Professor Oak gives you with each shot you submit to him. The aforementioned abilities bring some welcome replayability to Snap's courses. For example the apple is great at luring Pokemon closer, or the pester ball which is great for disturbing the Pokemon's normal behaviour. These always come at the right time, and makes the player want to go back and use their newly acquired skills to find newer Pokemon or get better shots.
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---With all this praise I should say that I do think Snap has it's issues. For one, I'm sure it's brevity isn't for everyone, and I understand that. One part of the game I'm personally not a fan of is the photo scoring itself. Pokemon Snap's requirements for a good shot is for the Pokemon to be right at the center of the shot composition, with it taking up a good portion of the frame, and in some acceptable "pose". These criteria can be pretty dubiously graded at times, plus with some of the Pokemon always being far in the distance, getting the best shot can feel frustrating. I also thought a particular point in the game where you had to hit a button with a Pokemon could be a bit touchy.
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---Overall though I believe Pokemon Snap to be a brilliant game. One that still feels unique and fresh to this day while also being a great afternoon relaxer. It's a game to get lost in, and admire the world it builds up. It's also software that has depth, making for an enjoyable experience even if it does only last for a few hours. It's safe to say Pokemon Snap's cult status is well deserved, so please go ahead and take your shot at this classic video game. - [09/10]

-----If you were to tell me that the developers known for making an aggressively fun arena horde shooter made one of the most engaging puzzle games of the past decade, I'd think you were talking about The Talos Principle. The Talos Principle is a fantastic effort by Croation developer Croteam. One that tackles deep philosophical inquiries in a digital word.
-----Mechanically Talos Principle takes some queues from another famed first person puzzler; Portal. You walk around silently in a controlled environment, solving puzzles that seem simple on the surface, but become more complex upon inspection. Where the two differ comes down to perspective. In Talos you're a robot, being fed orders from God himself. "Complete all the puzzles in my garden to attain eternal life." Players will immediately be set off to try and gain free will from this voice, and that's just what Croteam intends.
-----In between segments of heady monitor reading, the player will engage in boxed puzzle environments. These challenges start off simple at first with boxes, buttons, and lasers. However, the game ramps up significantly once time gets involved. This is when Croteam's cleverness becomes clear. The puzzles in Talos are clear brain wrackers. Ones that will have you using all your head strength to solve the problems before you. It's great then that Croteam provides a reset button that needs to be explicitly held down to trigger.
-----Talos continues to impress with it's environments, which showcase Croteam's trademark beauty. From a garden, to Egypt, to a frigid medieval setting, everything looks great. All this is scored by another wonderful soundtrack by Damjan Mravunac. Stylistically he grabs from more ambient stylings this time around, and it works wonders. The Voice Acting is also very well done for 'Elohim'. His voice booms with importance
-----Overall I can't think of a bad thing to say about The Talos Principle. It's another Croteam masterpiece that relishes every second of playtime. Absolutely recommended. - [10/10]

-----Intelligent Systems is one of the most important companies affiliated with Nintendo and it's history. Most people may not be aware of their many contributions to Nintendo's history. Most will know about their Fire Emblem and Advance War games, but what about their support on games like Metroid, Mario Bros., Wario Ware, or even Duck Hunt? There's also the multiple contributions they've made to Nintendo hardware as well. Intelligent System is as essential to the Nintendo cannon as any named staff member of the company you could think of. In the midst of their many credits sits the 2000 classic Paper Mario.
-----Some history first. The first Mario themed RPG can be credited to Square Soft with their SNES game Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Swords. Super Mario RPG has it's own legacy, and is highly regarded and sought after by those in the know. This is as true now as it was back then, as Super Mario RPG was a great success. So much so that a sequel was planned. However, Square would back out of that, instead setting their sights of the optical disc consoles of the future rather than deal with Nintendo's new cartridge based 64-bit console. The job for the follow-up to Super Mario RPG 2 would instead go to Nintendo's reliable long-time partners, already discussed in the first paragraph.
-----Thus Paper Mario, or "Mario Story" as it's called in some parts of the world, was developed and released as it's own standalone product rather than a straight follow-up to it's SNES predecessor. What resulted has become one of the most well regarded games in the Nintendo catalog. People still pine for this game and it's sequel to this day. So, what makes this game so alluring to those who've played it?
-----Let's start with charm, because Paper Mario has plenty of it. As the name suggests, Paper Mario takes on a more flat, cartoony aesthetic. It's world is purposefully jaggy, it's characters; animated sprites standing upright, animated to move around believably. The colors of Paper Mario are extremely vibrant. Meanwhile the dialogue, and especially the characters are always memorable. Whether it be an island of Yoshi's, a desert town with shady secrets, or a frozen murder mystery, the environments of Paper Mario are never boring. In fact, Paper Mario pulls a lot from the Mario lore that's been established up to this point to provide a wide range of creatures for NPCs and enemies.
---Speaking of enemies, the battle system of Paper Mario is something truly unique feeling. Battle scenes in RPGs can often feel derivative of the Final Fantasy and Dragon Warrior roots of the genre, but not here. Paper Mario does have a strong foothold in RPG staples. Long time players of the genre won't be lost here. However, Paper Mario does bring delightful twists too. For example the action commands brought over from Super Mario RPG offer great real time action type gameplay. There's also the satisfying badge system that can add abilities and buffs to each battle. It's often surprising how much depth is brought out of the only two attacks Mario himself can do: jumping and hammering. Of course I can't forget to mention your allies, which can bring their own unique abilities into the fold.
-----These allies have their uses even outside of battle. Each one has a special ability that can be used in Paper Mario's various fields to do things like provide alternate routes, puzzle solutions, or helpful information. Mario can also provide his own field abilities with those aforementioned jump and hammer actions. There's even a spin move that adds speed into the movement mix. Speaking of movement, Paper Mario doesn't quite offer the same robust platforming mechanics of it's parent franchise, but the Mushroom Kingdom you explore is often designed with some great 3D layouts. The scenes flow up and down. Each feels as important and thought out as the last.
-----In terms of story, Paper Mario's high concept is very familiar. Bowser has kidnapped Princess Peach and her castle using the power of the Star Rod, and item stolen from Star Haven; the home of the wish-granting Star Spirits. Mario is easily overwhelmed at the start of the game, and is ejected out Peach Castle, which sits in the sky for the majority of the narrative. Mario regains consciousness back in the Mushroom Kingdom, and must traverse it's varied lands to free the trapped Star Spirits from the clutches of Bower's most power minions. While I've heard criticism of this story for not breaking new ground, I can't help but ask if it needs to, or if it even matters. There's so many turns and events in the meat of Paper Mario that I can't but fall in love with each story beat.
-----Overall Paper Mario is one of the favorite RPGs. In fact I think it's one of the most well made RPGs you could play. It's mechanics are unique and engaging, it's look is colorful and vibrant, and it's story is so lovable it's insane. While Paper Mario is often eclipsed by it's successor, I will always have a special place in my heart for this childhood classic. It's a game I always think about, and a concept I hope sees the light of the day again at some point in the future. - [VOID: Nostalgic Bias]

-----And so it returns! The cult favorite Earth Defense Force franchise offers a new, updated core entry in it's series with Earth Defense Force 5. Personally I was a big fan of the series's Xbox 360 outing EDF 2025. It offer some great pastime gameplay with creative weapons, fun levels, campy narrative devices, and a nice scaling player choice difficulty. However, I don't think that game was without it's faults. For one I think 2025 was a bit too repetitive at times, coasting on ideas from time to time. Also the progression of accumulating health and new weapons could be a bit tiresome after awhile.
-----So, going into 5 here, I was a bit skeptical despite being excited as the screenshots for this game seem to have hinted at more of the same. Playing it, I do think that is true for the majority of the software, but 5 also brings some refreshing changes and additions into the mix as well. For one, everything now has an updated look to it. Graphical fidelity, lighting, weather effects, and especially particle effects get a boost with the higher-gen technology at the developer's disposal. It's very satisfying to shoot the iconic giant insects and see a bunch of chunks and colored blood go flying around.
-----I also like the addition to the regular enemy gallery. In terms of lifeforms the ants, wood spiders, and webbing long legs from series past make a return. However now there are now frog men, giant armored infantry, rolling pill-bugs, infinitely spawning anchors, and more trying to take over the earth. These enemies offer some great new dynamics to EDF's gameplay. I also love the general spike in difficulty this entry offers. Before in EDF 2025, the levels themselves could be push overs. In 5 however there seems to be more of a focus on skill, strategy, keeping NPCs alive, and crowd control when it comes to action segments. This brings a welcome challenge to some of the more mind-numbing parts of the game.
-----A massive overhaul has been given to the loot system this time around. Because of the increase in technological computing for hardware, more loot in general can appear in the scenes of the game, which is great. No more having to collect loot in order to have more loot spawn. Now it seems you can litter the game's environments with crates without end. Furthermore, when health and ammo is collected, it's distributed to all classes this time around. A fantastic change that makes progression feel all the more engaging. Of course whatever class you're playing as at the moment will get priority on the distribution end, but this change can make playing as the other classes of EDF all the more exciting (especially if you normally have trouble with a particular class). A change in how weapon acquisition and progression works also leaves me feeling pleased. Now weapons have stats that can be improved through collecting weapon crates. Also weapons are also distributed between classes. Again, fantastic idea here.
-----On the player mechanics side of things, Players can now dash around, making moving more fun. The controls and mechanics in general just feel more smooth. However, my first negative criticism for EDF5 would have to go to jumping/dodge rolling. First of all, your character can't seem to just dash past obstacles which is frustrating, especially if they're low to the ground. Also the way jumping and rolling works makes it so you could do either by mistake, where you might one to do one but get the other.
-----On the flow side of EDF5, the game boasts more missions this time around (110), however this makes the game go on for way too long. This isn't helped by some the missions definitely feeling like filler. EDF5 does try to change things up with different environments, but all the locations end up looking samey anyway. They even look like they're carried over from EDF 2025, which probably isn't a guess that isn't too far off the money. Finally while I do like a lot of the additions here, I can't help but feel like EDF5 is still more of the same from 2025. This isn't a bad thing per say. If you've been a fan of EDF up to this point, you most likely like this gameplay anyway. For me however, I do wish there was more variation from previous installments. Still, if you're looking more more EDF content, or if you're new to the franchise in general, than Earth Defense Force 5 is a good point to be at. - 07/10

---I think as humans we can't help but tie things together at times. For me, I can't help but think of this newest game I've beaten as being relevant towards a certain event the world is going through right now. Specifically Remnants of Isolation here very much reminds me of the pandemic-driven life-style I and every other American has assimilated to over the past year. This game's themes are relevant, and even a bit prescient at times. However, for much this game reminds me of the situation at hand, I also can't help but think about past games that have done this game's mechanics better.
---Remnants of Isolation is about a girl named Celest, who lives in captivity in a mysterious, mythic tower. One day however, Celest is set free by Melchior, a strong warrior whose entered the tower. Together the two explore the tower's depth, desperately trying their way out while finding the remains of those who failed at that exact same mission. The story I found pretty gripping, even if the romance angle is extremely predictable. The art I found equally engaging. The developer here has a great grasp of mystic creatures and portrait art.
---The flow of the game I think is OK. There are five sections of the tower you must scour, and each ends with a boss fight. The game has multiple endings for those who truly want to explore. The soundtrack however is purely echoed piano, which serves Remnants's mood to a fault. The two tracks used here get repetitive, and almost sleep inducing. Meanwhile Remnant's mechanics aren't anything to go wild over either.
---If you've played a Zeboyd title like Breath of Death VII or Cthulhu Saves the World, then you kind of know what to expect here in terms of turn based combat. There is a special emphasis on abilities as certain ones will affect how magic is used right after. However, with the game's two person party, this style of combat becomes rigid and played out. Other than that, there is equippable magic via Final Fantasy VII, field-related abilities via Pokemon's HMs, and the whole thing reeks of default RPG maker assets. Still, Remnants keeps it's tension high as the battles stay tough. It always seemed like party will die if I didn't pay attention and think ahead at every turn. Ultimately I find this RPG and it's ideas very interesting, but there is clearly room for improvement. If you like RPG-maker style short RPGs, give this a try. Remnants of Isolation's themes, tension, and art make it worth while. - [05/10]

---It's Christmas 2020 and long-running, best selling fictional work One Piece will be having it's 1000th chapter very soon! It's cause for celebration amongst fans! For me, I wanted to play through what is probably my favorite One Piece themed game out there: One Piece Unlimited Adventure. This Wii game is a bit obscure compared to most; it wasn't very popular here in the west. In fact, we were denied the release of it's sequels: the Unlimited Cruise games. Furthermore, it's not one of the most critically acclaimed games out there. I found things to dislike myself on this most recent playthrough. Still though I would say that Unlimited Adventure here captures the spirit of One Piece more than any other game centered around the property.
---Most One Piece games focus on the fights and combative techniques amongst it's most iconic characters. While Adventure does have that, the actual focus of the software is focused on it's namesake. In Adventure, you play as the Strawhat crew circa the end of the Enies Lobby arc as they explore a mysterious island. An island which contains multiple seasons and climates in each of it's sections, a gem which conjures memories of the past, and a very protective guardian animal. As the game goes on, the crew must find their ship, solve the mystery of the island's existence, and craft resources using the environment around them.
---That last point is where the real meat of the game comes in. There's lots of plant life, bugs, and weird items you'll come across as you comb through the game's world. You can get materials from breaking rocks, using butterfly nets, and even fishing. Plus each member of the crew has their own combative moveset they can use. These movesets contain moves with their own vertical progression ala Final Fantasy 2 where each time you land a move on an opponent, that move gains experience. The movesets expand as certain moves reach certain level thresholds. This progression makes for a really engaging growth system that encourages players to try out everything the developers put into each character. In turn, this moveset progress mixed with material acquisition creates a real sense of every action you take having a meaning to it. Every time you make an input in Adventure is like bringing yourself closer to some goal. It's genuinely mind grabbing and fun. Every time I turned on the game, I couldn't wait to go out into the world and see what kind of grocery list item I could try and check off next.
---That being said, One Piece Unlimited Adventure does deserve some legitimate criticism here and there. For one, this isn't the most stable game out there. Framerate drops can happen if too many enemies are on screen, or effects, or even if you cast your fishing line too far. There's definitely optimizations that need to be made. I also dislike how stamina and dashing are implemented here. In Adventure, you walk around a lot. You can dash to get around quicker, but it's done by double pressing a single button. Said button is also binded to the crew's special moves. Meanwhile dash attacks also exist, and both these and special moves use stamina. As you can imagine, there were several instances where I would accidently use special moves rather than dash attacks. I think the larger issue here is there just isn't a lot of stamina you can use for each character, even when you expand it and health with Sanji's cooking. The dashing itself is kind of pathetic. The platforming segments also don't help the game's case. When the characters in Adventure jump, they have a real weight to them. Nothing too distracting, until you have to jump over a small gap. That's when they game gets touchy, and slightly frustrating.
---While I'm at it, I also wasn't a huge fan of fighting the regular enemies you come across in Adventure's world. The later game sees some real heavy hitters show up, and they can juggle you badly. Their attacks disrupt your combos very easily, and the camera is too close to your crew member for these segments to feel fluid. I would say my biggest criticism for Adventure though is the game's overall flow. It's a bit stiff, and unclear, and repetitive. Adventure works like this: you start in a new environment, and must find your way to the next boss marker. Once you find this marker, it requires gem energy and certain materials to unlock the boss fight ahead. Getting gem energy is really grindy and boring, while finding materials can be like searching for a needle in a non-communicative haystack. Unlimited Adventure is a game where I would say it requires a guide to find certain items, which is a mark against it in my book. That's a shame, because despite the criticisms I have for it, I still love this game a lot. It's adventuring is encapsulating, and it's One Piece spirit is more on point than any other related entertainment software out there. If you love One Piece, give this a try. It's a real hidden gem full of great memories. - [07/10]