Any game with OPified dinosaurs must be automatically good in my book, and in this one you can fight them with melee combat! I would've melted had I played Ys VIII as a child.

But really, this game is amazing. It shows its age and intended hardware, but it was also
definitely built with the intention of making a fairly humble yet massively epic RPG of old. The combat follows rather simple mechanics but it just works, as Todd Howard would say. You dodge, parry and mash the attack button in the correspondent window. Not much to it, but this is maintained fresh until the very end.

There are no super big areas to explore, they're rather big corridors with some big circles to run around in-between, but they nonetheless feel dense and well-packed.

There are plenty of activities that keep you engaged, and the story has multiple sections with variations in the gameplay to let you breath a little and give you variety. In other games, these extra thingies often fall flat and you'd rather just return to the main game, but I'd say they work well enough here.

Only thing I can say against Ys VIII is that the narrative doesn't do it for me. Still, some characters are very likeable and I liked the voice acting.

I completed all four routes, ~450 hours if I'm not mistaken, so, in that sense, you can bet it's got a lot of repetitiveness and very mundane tasks that you can complete quickly to keep progressing. It's very easy (hard in the beginning of Maddening, but manageable later on), too. Furthermore, allowing everything to reach level 99 is silly because you're never going to reach such heights, and, as a result, it's not very balanced.

With those things in mind, though, it's an excellent time sink and especially so if you don't mind god modes or self-imposed challenges. I would also argue that the cast suffers compared to previous ones in the series because everyone allied to you (Byleth and his/her little ghost) is very sympathetic to you, but it's still very likeable and there are a few standouts. I liked farming a lot to make everyone OP. When you're finished, it's so satisfying seeing everyone blasting everything in no time.

Pretty fun RPG, that's the best description I can give. Fun and sometimes challenging combat, incredibly beautiful animations and solid character progression. Whether you want to become a god or struggle with hard battles, this game's got you covered (although there's level scaling, so you can't really do low level runs that easily, for example). A pretty big annoyance I have is that, once you unlock the perk that grants you the ability to stack up demons' EXP, negotiating with demons on the overworld becomes an afterthought. You can still talk to them for the lulz and such, but there's no real reason why you should recruit them if you have the option to make a stronger version in the World of Shadows (place where you can create demons on your own).

Story feels tiny and a mere afterthought. The supposed dramatic and climatic moments don't really hit because the game never really builds up to them. There are also a few exposition showers here and there, so yeah, it's all over the place. If you're a SMT fan, though, well, it's got stuff that can probably wow you.

This isn't a very thought-out game, but I love it for that reason.

The combat's intricacies (most important part of X) aren't too deep but, since this game doesn't like to explain little details too much, if you didn't catch something, you're bound to lag behind, but thankfully, it isn't too difficult. Healing is scarce and ineffective, anyway, since tough enemies can knock you out in a few hits (or one), so your options are stacking up the damage or tanking everything, or ideally, a combination or the two. I could say getting one of the mechas (called Skells) that appears on the cover, but as it turns out, they require too much investment and, in actuality, it's easier and more fun upgrading the MC for ground combat. If you know what you're doing, surpassing the greatest challenges is relatively easy (back in the game's heyday, there were people who managed to defeat the strongest enemy with barebones equipment), but if you don't or want something more specific, rest assured you'll have to grind.

And that's pretty much what comes down to. If you want this game's meat, you have to farm. A lot. But if you do, oh... This game offers the craziest shenanigans I've ever seen in an RPG.

Anything else, though, well... it's a mixed bag, hit or miss. Story is boring, characters are often expressionless, the audio is badly mixed, there are awkward dialogues everywhere... But there are plenty of good side quests, a lot of them, in fact; X doesn't disappoint in that regard.

World exploration is where this game really excels. Even though interactivity is very lacking (enemies don't have collision detection, for instance), the vistas and the vastness of the world are phenomenal. Encountering enemies that knock you over only to defeat them later is part of the fun, so expect plenty of game overs.

I recommend a guide if you want to really dive in. The game is very flawed but it's got a lot to admire, too.

With sublime visuals, tight and exquisite controls (yeah), this is, honestly, the most exciting Metroid game to play. Level design is just as expected and actually doesn't do much more than Fusion did so long ago, but... just controlling Samus is quite an experience that captivates you to the very end.

Additionally, while there are plenty of Metroidvania sidescrollers with robust visuals just as Dread (Ori, Hollow Knight), very few dare to push the production values so high, as the zoomings and over the top action scenes exemplify; the game isn't afraid from showing everything it has to offer up close, a sign that tells you that the devs could probably pass this as a rudimentary modern 3D action game if they wanted.

Pretty easy game, maybe its most significant flaw. The lack of a timer certainly removes the strategic component that the original Pikmin barely had (since it's not too difficult, either). The introduction of stuff like the purple Pikmin and the spicy spray exacerbate this problem even further, and the former trivializes most enemy encounters and makes the other Pikmin types more situational, a problem that was more or less fixed with the rebranding of the type as the rock Pikmin. Still, purple Pikmin are not mandatory besides for carrying certain treasures and escaping the first cave, so there's that. Don't use them if you don't like them.

Beyond that, Pikmin 2 is a really solid sequel, and the aforementioned issues can make up for cozier playthroughs. The cave systems allow the enemy roster to be even larger, and that is, in my opinion, the game's biggest achievement, it gives you a greater and more convincing impression that you're on an alien planet for the protagonist instead of more 'videogamey' situations the original and 3 put you upfront.

I believe this game also has the most interesting characterization that has appeared in any Nintendo game. It's simple and it's all text provided by the daily logs and Piklopedia, but it's also all about Olimar and his mundane preoccupations and interests. It's a sort of protagonist that is not common at all in Nintendo games.

The music is another department where the game shines, and it especially the caves a more atmospheric feeling.

Pikmin 1 and 2 are also best played on the Wii, I might add, the controls are perfect for them.