Smashton
1995
ALERT BODY DAMAGE! ALERT BODY DAMAGE! ALERT BODY DAMAGE!
For one of the first launch titles of the original Playstation, the first in the long-running series known as Ace Combat, and essentially a port of an arcade game, Air Combat is honestly a pleasant surprise. Sure, it isn't too complex nor is it the highest level of engaging flight combat. But, it does do its job. Controls are surprisingly good for what I was expecting, the soundtrack is really solid, and the run-time of about 3-4 hours keeps the game from overstaying its welcome. It has some glaring issues though such as some areas being a bit too large with not much going on, hit box detection can be inconsistent especially with large objects leading you to crash when you thought you had space, and the machine gun being virtually worthless compared to the lock-on missiles. In the end, Air Combat is a simple but fun afternoon of dogfighting that leaves me interested in how the series develops in future iterations.
For one of the first launch titles of the original Playstation, the first in the long-running series known as Ace Combat, and essentially a port of an arcade game, Air Combat is honestly a pleasant surprise. Sure, it isn't too complex nor is it the highest level of engaging flight combat. But, it does do its job. Controls are surprisingly good for what I was expecting, the soundtrack is really solid, and the run-time of about 3-4 hours keeps the game from overstaying its welcome. It has some glaring issues though such as some areas being a bit too large with not much going on, hit box detection can be inconsistent especially with large objects leading you to crash when you thought you had space, and the machine gun being virtually worthless compared to the lock-on missiles. In the end, Air Combat is a simple but fun afternoon of dogfighting that leaves me interested in how the series develops in future iterations.
1995
Rayman isn't a bad game. It's gorgeous, has loads of personality, is charmingly unique, and controls tightly. The problem with Rayman is that it is the type of 2D platformer I do not vibe with. Generally, I don't vibe with 2D platformers much to begin with, but Rayman is the kind I especially dislike. It reminds me a bit of Mario Kaizo and games of that likeness. Platformers where you not only need to have incredible skill with 2D platformers but also that skill sometimes just does not matter as enemies will literally spawn out of nowhere or hazards will be placed in certain spots specifically designed for you to die at. Rarely can you adjust on the fly and make it through a level with sheer skill and anticipation. Every Rayman level is an exercise of trial and error in which you constantly die to either some terrible new obstacle or the same exact obstacle you've been stuck on the past 5 lives.
It is tough as I see a really well designed and beautiful platformer. Unfortunately, it is not the kind of game I want to spend hours and hours just playing trial and error in order to finish. For now, Rayman will be abandoned as I move on to more of the original Playstation library.
It is tough as I see a really well designed and beautiful platformer. Unfortunately, it is not the kind of game I want to spend hours and hours just playing trial and error in order to finish. For now, Rayman will be abandoned as I move on to more of the original Playstation library.
1994
Coming directly off of Ridge Racer, the pace, visual style, and overall vibe of The Need for Speed couldn't be more drastically different. The Need for Speed is a game for sports car and street racing enthusiasts back in the mid-1990s. Each car has it's own little slide show that explains it's origin, purpose, and other sweaty car-nerd details. All being narrated by someone who sounds like their doing an OK Keanu Reeves impression. The tracks are pretty neat looking but can also be kind of awkward with later tracks being split into multiple sections that require a loading screen between them. The racing itself is honestly kind of boring compared to Ridge Racer. I admit this could be a mixture of me just being terrible at this racing style and preferring arcade racers over realistic racing, but I never felt like I was thrilled when going 150 MPH or more. This one was not for me but I am interested in seeing how the series progresses given later entries are some of the more cherished parts of my childhood.
2022
Review Source: https://smashtonbound.wixsite.com/smashton-plays/post/pok%C3%A9mon-violet-review
Introduction
Pokémon has always been a comfort game. Beginning with the original Red and Blue games on the Gameboy when I was just a small child, all the way up to Pokémon Platinum on the Nintendo DS, Pokémon has always circled around my life. I’ve made and deepened friendships through it, as a kid I consumed countless hours of the anime and its corresponding films. Even in school, during “reading time,” you could find me reading one of the instruction manuals or one of those thick game guides for Pokémon Emerald if I was lucky enough to convince my parents to buy it for me. Yet, as I got older and began expanding my tastes, as I started seeing what other Japanese RPGs were doing in their franchises, this comfort franchise began to turn into discomfort. The flaws and problems inherent to this franchise had started to become something that could not be ignored or brushed away. As Pokémon Scarlet and Violet released I began to wonder if new Pokémon games can ever capture me the same way their older, sprite-based predecessors could.
To say the 3D era of Pokémon has been a mixed bag would be an understatement. Pokémon X and Y on the 3DS were nice novelties but lacked staying power. A similar experience can be found with Pokémon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire, remakes of the third generation (Ruby, Sapphire, and Emerald) which I hold extremely dear. Then, Pokémon Sun and Moon released, games which were going to finally change the formula--no gyms, z-moves, a more mobile and explorable environment! Despite these exciting deviations from the traditional formula, these (along with their counterparts Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon) would be the first Pokémon games I never finished. Pokémon Sword and Shield fared no better. I actively disliked these, finding the open-zone exploration mechanic to be a singular bright spot with loads of potential in an otherwise basic game. Had my love for this franchise waned? Was Pokémon no longer the game franchise that I found so much comfort and nostalgia in? Had I moved on from it?
Then, came Pokémon Legends: Arceus. A semi-open world Pokémon game focused entirely around exploration and capturing Pokémon. Set in an ancient Sinnoh region--my favorite region of all time--and with a style that seemed to greatly deviate from anything we had seen Pokémon do before, I couldn’t help but find myself excited by its release. But, I was trepidatious. I had a similar feeling with Pokémon Sun and Moon and yet those flopped for me. How would this be any different? Would I be proven once again that Pokémon is too formulaic, too by-the-numbers, too simplistic for my tastes? Despite the fears, Arceus became an incredible experience. Exploring the open-zone areas was rewarding, the graphical style--while in need of major polishing--was unique and interesting, the moment-to-moment gameplay and goals were addicting. I actually, for once in my life, considered completing the Pokédex. It had its flaws, no doubt: performance issues plagued the game, graphical limitations made everything seem a bit washed out at all times, and some of the zones seemed to have more care put into them than others. But, overall the experience rekindled an enjoyment for Pokémon that I was unsure I had anymore. Thus, when Pokémon Scarlet and Violet were introduced as expanding upon the open-zone idea of Arceus and turning it into a true open-world experience, filled with trainers, gym challenges, evil team battles, and more, I once again found myself incredibly excited. Pokémon Legends: Arceus had just shown me the potential this franchise still had left. The only question remaining was: could they achieve the same level of innovation twice?
The Cufant in the Room
Pokémon Scarlet and Violet have major issues which should be addressed right off the top. The most obvious being in its performance and bugs. The game, quite frankly, runs like a bicycle in mud. It almost never can hit a consistent FPS and quite often feels like it is running at the 15-20 FPS range at best. At its worst it can feel like 5. Texture and character model pop-in is insanely noticeable as well with the player seemingly needing to be within 5 feet of a character or Pokémon before the game decides to render them into the world. The textures on trees, rocks, buildings, and all around you look ripped straight out of an average PlayStation 2 game, sometimes worse. There are quite often bugs as well which can shatter immersion. Pokémon randomly appear inside your body as you unpause the game, Pokémon being thrown into walls which they cannot escape, Pokéballs disappearing inside floors… and that’s the tip of the iceberg. It is honestly a shame and embarrassment that The Pokémon Company and Nintendo even allowed this clearly unfinished, unpolished game to hit shelves. It is one thing to talk about Bethesda’s glitch woes when playing a game like Skyrim or Fallout on release, those are massive titles that attempt to have at least a good level of graphical fidelity, depth, and complexity. Pokémon Scarlet and Violet find themselves on a different level. These games needed at least 3-6 more months in the oven before they were hot, fresh, and ready to go. Thankfully, outside of one crash, my experience with Pokémon Violet’s bugs and glitches were exclusively visual in nature, though I have seen horror stories from others online.
New and Missing Features
I would also be remiss if I did not point out the several features which Game Freak ripped out of this game that were as natural to Pokémon as trees to a forest. Having no Set mode, a mode which prevents the game from asking if you want to switch your Pokémon out after knocking out your opponent’s, is one which baffles the mind. Set/Switch mode had been a mainstay of Pokémon games since the very beginning only to be suddenly removed. Individualism and player choice has also been somewhat reduced as your ability to customize your player character is severely limited. The only things about your character you can really change are small things like your choice of hat, your socks, and gloves. But the school uniform stays on. Oh, and absolutely no way can female characters dare have skirts or dresses, not in this family friendly Pokémon game (despite characters having dresses in this game already and previous female leads having skirts and dresses already). A more minor but still aggravating change which has stuck from the recent titles is a perpetual EXP share which cannot be turned off. If, for any reason, you do not wish a Pokémon to receive EXP, you are required to place it in your box, it cannot be in your party or else it will continue gaining experience no matter what. Removing features present in previous games is not a new thing to Pokémon, but not features so basic and inherent to the game itself such as Set/Switch mode.
To their credit, there is one new feature in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet that I had been advocating more games include--especially turn-based JRPGs--auto-battling. Back in the mid-1990s a little game studio called Ape had already figured this mechanic out with a Super Nintendo game called Earthbound. In it, after you had become strong enough or had defeated the boss of a certain area, any smaller enemies you encounter would automatically be defeated and grant you the proper amount of EXP and rewards. This allowed for two things: it allowed for traversal to become a lot easier after you had already completed an area, and it allowed for easier grinding. At long last, a traditional Pokémon game includes auto-battling in a way which makes sense and is useful for grinding. Granted, Pokémon Legends: Arceus had a similar feature, but I think Pokémon Scarlet and Violet improved upon it and I couldn’t be happier about its inclusion. The only gripe I can find with this new auto-battle system is that each Pokémon has a different speed with which they walk around with you which can slow your progress. Some pokemon even specifically need to walk with you using this feature--called the “Let’s Go” mechanic--in order to evolve. In one instance, Pawmo, the Pikachu equivalent in this game, needs to walk around with you for over 1000 steps before it will evolve into its final form, Pawmot. But the little guy is so small and waddles so slow that you have to slow down your exploration or else he will fall too far behind and just fly back into his Pokéball.
Another feature that should be given credit is the move re-learning feature. In previous games, if you wanted a Pokémon to relearn a move you would need to find a specific NPC designated as the “move relearner” and go through a few text boxes before being allowed to do so. Now, all of this is located directly in the menu and is easily accessible at all times which not only makes this process more convenient but also allows your Pokémon team an added level of flexibility for different scenarios. Need a designated “catcher”? Just change one of your grass types to have moves that help you catch other Pokémon. Need that same Pokémon to shift into an offensive move-set? Just use the menu to re-learn its more powerful moves before it goes into battle. It’s all quick, easy, and very convenient. As much as I may gripe about some of these legacy features being removed, the quality of life changes in this game do help even out the loss.
Terastralization will get a brief mention here as, though it is a neat mechanic in concept and is certain to shake-up how competitive Pokémon is played, I did not find myself overly fond of it. It was pretty and could have had potential to be a game changing mechanic that shifted the tide of battle at the right time, but I often forgot its existence until a Gym leader or Elite Four member used it on me.
An Alluring Adventure or a Dull Disappointing Drag?
Since this is Pokémon's first true attempt at an entirely open-world adventure, there are two things it has to do right: the new Pokémon need to be well-designed, and the world needs to have enough character and rewards to encourage exploration. To the first point, Pokémon Scarlet and Violet succeed in the best way since Pokémon Black and White. The designs of the new Pokémon are fun, interesting, and tow a line between modern Pokémon design philosophy and classic style. While I am not a huge fan of the new starter Pokémon, there are some genuinely incredible designs littered throughout which have become some of my favorite designs in recent memory. A few examples that stand out from the early game are the aforementioned Pikachu clone, Pawmi, a new fire-type Charcadet, and the paradox Pokémon. Typically, I dislike many of the Pikachu clones because of how knock-off and basic they feel, but Pawmi and its subsequent evolutions are a nice mix of cute, cuddly, and yet a bit aggressive. Charcadet is another which is making its way up my list of favorite designs due to its chibi yet sharp and defined style. The new Paradox Pokémon are interesting and a neat way to spice up old designs without explicitly creating new regional forms or new evolutions. When it comes to the world at large however, things are a bit more mixed.
The Paldea region has its highlights. It has plenty of different zones to explore from beaches to forests, to rocky canyons and snowy mountains. Game Freak has done a solid job littering little items throughout to encourage going off the main road. I acquired anything from potions, to Pokéballs--whether that be standard, unique, or even high-level Pokéballs like the ultra ball--to various types of berries. TMs are one of the more lucrative benefits of exploring and can be found littered around the world.
TMs work a bit differently in this game. Pokémon has shifted how TMs work a few times over the years. Originally, they were one-time use items which could only be recycled if they were purchasable in the department store or as a casino reward, all others were one-time deals. Later on, TMs became of infinite use--if you have one, you can use it forever. Now, TMs are once again limited to one-time use, however, they are much more easily recycled. There is a vendor located at every Pokémon Center which allows you to take materials and convert them into TMs. Materials can most commonly be found laying around in the world or attained after catching or battling a wild Pokémon. You unlock more TMs to create by playing through the main campaign stories as well as by picking up new TMs out in the open-world. This new TM system encourages not only exploration but also effective use of the auto-battle system in order to efficiently get new materials to craft the TM you need.
The main problem with Paldea is in the landmarks and major locations. The cities, towns, and notable locations are severely lacking. Each time you enter a new city in a Pokémon game it should function as a grand new experience. Typically there should be at least one or two interesting side-bits or quests to check out for small towns, and in big cities there typically are numerous different attractions to sink time into. I can remember fondly back to the Poke-athalon, the Pokémon Contests, huge department stores, dress-up shops, unique poke-ball shops, casinos or game-stores, and loads of other fun attractions in previous games. Scarlet and Violet, however, seem heavily devoid of anything remotely close to interesting in their towns and cities. The only thing Scarlet and Violet rely upon to make their locations seem unique is in the Gym Challenges you must tackle before battling that town or cities’ gym leader. All of which are simplistic, easy, and brain-numbingly dull.
Story Worth Telling
The story in Pokémon games is rarely the main selling point. Get the gym badges, become champion, complete the Pokédex, and occasionally defeat an evil gang which is determined to destroy the world. The characters are typically simplistic too, the quirky professor, the evil bad guy, the hot-headed rival. It would be easy, in fact expected, for Pokémon Scarlet and Violet to follow this trend. However, I found myself pleasantly surprised by how emotional and resonant the storylines in this new adventure actually were.
The game features three main paths to complete before wrapping all of them up into the final act: Victory Road, Starfall Street, and Path of Legends. Victory Road is your standard path of tackling the 8 gyms scattered throughout Paldea before being able to challenge the Elite 4 and Champion. Starfall Street is where the “evil” team storyline is located. Evil is in quotation marks there as the actual malice has been slowly degrading in Pokémon's antagonist teams over the years and Scarlet and Violet are no exception. Path of Legends is the most unique inclusion in which you follow around with a pal, Arven, on a quest to discover and subdue the “Titan” Pokémon. These Titans are large, towering Pokémon which serve almost like mini-raid bosses. Each path can be completed in any order you so choose and all coalesce into a singular final act by the end of the game.
By far the highlight out of these is the Path of Legends. Taking down these massive titan Pokémon is occasionally a decent challenge, especially if you run into one under leveled. However, the real treat is in the story that begins to unfold with your companion during this questline, Arven. His storyline is easily the best in the game and genuinely brought me close to tears during the first few encounters. Victory Road is the typical Pokémon gym storyline with only slight deviations. Starfall Street is a decent storyline which relates to school-life and attempts to make a commentary on bullying, but the major twist surrounding this storyline is far too predictable to have the impact it was going for.
The end of the game is just absolutely bonkers. The way this game wraps up its main storylines is in true JRPG fashion with wild, world-changing events and major twists which, admittedly are easy to see coming but are nevertheless insane to see unfold. On top of this, the actual challenge faced at the end of each storyline, including the final act, can be quite the challenge if you go in unprepared. The final few hours of this game is a force of non-stop climax after climax, boss after boss, and a major area with powerful Pokémon ready to ambush you at any moment. To be quite honest, it was thrilling.
Blending it All Together
When blending together every aspect of Pokémon Scarlet and Violet, both good and bad, you end up with a game that has incredible potential, strong foundations, but weak supporting pillars. The game runs poorly and likely will continue to do so even after the promised patches drop in February. The game includes fantastic quality of life improvements while removing features which had been present in the franchise from the very beginning. It boasts a fantastic array of new Pokémon to see and encounter in the open-world while dropping the ball on major destinations like towns and cities. It has a fantastic cast of characters and stories which do come together into a wild ending, but some storylines are clearly a cut above the rest. It is definitely a mixed bag on paper. And yet, it is just so compelling. Almost every moment I experienced in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet had me glued to my Switch. Exploring new areas to find new Pokémon I had not seen before, trying to figure new paths to get to an item I wanted, running around in “Let’s Go” mode with my Pokémon on auto-battle, it all came together to create a rough and yet incredible experience.
The simple moment-to-moment experience is hard to describe, but it legitimately makes you feel like a 10-year old kid setting off on a huge Pokémon adventure. The ability to freely explore anywhere, go challenge anything at any time even if you’re under leveled gives a sense of freedom and excitement that the rigid, linear structure of the previous games couldn’t accomplish. It has a lot of ugly spots that need to be straightened out if Game Freak follows this same formula in the next title. But, with this foundation, a bit of tweaking, and some added depth, Game Freak could certainly use Pokémon Scarlet and Violet as a strong template to make something truly incredible and special in the next go around. For now, Pokémon Scarlet and Violet is a solid adventure that I feel any Pokémon fan owes it to themselves to try out, rough edges and all.
Introduction
Pokémon has always been a comfort game. Beginning with the original Red and Blue games on the Gameboy when I was just a small child, all the way up to Pokémon Platinum on the Nintendo DS, Pokémon has always circled around my life. I’ve made and deepened friendships through it, as a kid I consumed countless hours of the anime and its corresponding films. Even in school, during “reading time,” you could find me reading one of the instruction manuals or one of those thick game guides for Pokémon Emerald if I was lucky enough to convince my parents to buy it for me. Yet, as I got older and began expanding my tastes, as I started seeing what other Japanese RPGs were doing in their franchises, this comfort franchise began to turn into discomfort. The flaws and problems inherent to this franchise had started to become something that could not be ignored or brushed away. As Pokémon Scarlet and Violet released I began to wonder if new Pokémon games can ever capture me the same way their older, sprite-based predecessors could.
To say the 3D era of Pokémon has been a mixed bag would be an understatement. Pokémon X and Y on the 3DS were nice novelties but lacked staying power. A similar experience can be found with Pokémon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire, remakes of the third generation (Ruby, Sapphire, and Emerald) which I hold extremely dear. Then, Pokémon Sun and Moon released, games which were going to finally change the formula--no gyms, z-moves, a more mobile and explorable environment! Despite these exciting deviations from the traditional formula, these (along with their counterparts Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon) would be the first Pokémon games I never finished. Pokémon Sword and Shield fared no better. I actively disliked these, finding the open-zone exploration mechanic to be a singular bright spot with loads of potential in an otherwise basic game. Had my love for this franchise waned? Was Pokémon no longer the game franchise that I found so much comfort and nostalgia in? Had I moved on from it?
Then, came Pokémon Legends: Arceus. A semi-open world Pokémon game focused entirely around exploration and capturing Pokémon. Set in an ancient Sinnoh region--my favorite region of all time--and with a style that seemed to greatly deviate from anything we had seen Pokémon do before, I couldn’t help but find myself excited by its release. But, I was trepidatious. I had a similar feeling with Pokémon Sun and Moon and yet those flopped for me. How would this be any different? Would I be proven once again that Pokémon is too formulaic, too by-the-numbers, too simplistic for my tastes? Despite the fears, Arceus became an incredible experience. Exploring the open-zone areas was rewarding, the graphical style--while in need of major polishing--was unique and interesting, the moment-to-moment gameplay and goals were addicting. I actually, for once in my life, considered completing the Pokédex. It had its flaws, no doubt: performance issues plagued the game, graphical limitations made everything seem a bit washed out at all times, and some of the zones seemed to have more care put into them than others. But, overall the experience rekindled an enjoyment for Pokémon that I was unsure I had anymore. Thus, when Pokémon Scarlet and Violet were introduced as expanding upon the open-zone idea of Arceus and turning it into a true open-world experience, filled with trainers, gym challenges, evil team battles, and more, I once again found myself incredibly excited. Pokémon Legends: Arceus had just shown me the potential this franchise still had left. The only question remaining was: could they achieve the same level of innovation twice?
The Cufant in the Room
Pokémon Scarlet and Violet have major issues which should be addressed right off the top. The most obvious being in its performance and bugs. The game, quite frankly, runs like a bicycle in mud. It almost never can hit a consistent FPS and quite often feels like it is running at the 15-20 FPS range at best. At its worst it can feel like 5. Texture and character model pop-in is insanely noticeable as well with the player seemingly needing to be within 5 feet of a character or Pokémon before the game decides to render them into the world. The textures on trees, rocks, buildings, and all around you look ripped straight out of an average PlayStation 2 game, sometimes worse. There are quite often bugs as well which can shatter immersion. Pokémon randomly appear inside your body as you unpause the game, Pokémon being thrown into walls which they cannot escape, Pokéballs disappearing inside floors… and that’s the tip of the iceberg. It is honestly a shame and embarrassment that The Pokémon Company and Nintendo even allowed this clearly unfinished, unpolished game to hit shelves. It is one thing to talk about Bethesda’s glitch woes when playing a game like Skyrim or Fallout on release, those are massive titles that attempt to have at least a good level of graphical fidelity, depth, and complexity. Pokémon Scarlet and Violet find themselves on a different level. These games needed at least 3-6 more months in the oven before they were hot, fresh, and ready to go. Thankfully, outside of one crash, my experience with Pokémon Violet’s bugs and glitches were exclusively visual in nature, though I have seen horror stories from others online.
New and Missing Features
I would also be remiss if I did not point out the several features which Game Freak ripped out of this game that were as natural to Pokémon as trees to a forest. Having no Set mode, a mode which prevents the game from asking if you want to switch your Pokémon out after knocking out your opponent’s, is one which baffles the mind. Set/Switch mode had been a mainstay of Pokémon games since the very beginning only to be suddenly removed. Individualism and player choice has also been somewhat reduced as your ability to customize your player character is severely limited. The only things about your character you can really change are small things like your choice of hat, your socks, and gloves. But the school uniform stays on. Oh, and absolutely no way can female characters dare have skirts or dresses, not in this family friendly Pokémon game (despite characters having dresses in this game already and previous female leads having skirts and dresses already). A more minor but still aggravating change which has stuck from the recent titles is a perpetual EXP share which cannot be turned off. If, for any reason, you do not wish a Pokémon to receive EXP, you are required to place it in your box, it cannot be in your party or else it will continue gaining experience no matter what. Removing features present in previous games is not a new thing to Pokémon, but not features so basic and inherent to the game itself such as Set/Switch mode.
To their credit, there is one new feature in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet that I had been advocating more games include--especially turn-based JRPGs--auto-battling. Back in the mid-1990s a little game studio called Ape had already figured this mechanic out with a Super Nintendo game called Earthbound. In it, after you had become strong enough or had defeated the boss of a certain area, any smaller enemies you encounter would automatically be defeated and grant you the proper amount of EXP and rewards. This allowed for two things: it allowed for traversal to become a lot easier after you had already completed an area, and it allowed for easier grinding. At long last, a traditional Pokémon game includes auto-battling in a way which makes sense and is useful for grinding. Granted, Pokémon Legends: Arceus had a similar feature, but I think Pokémon Scarlet and Violet improved upon it and I couldn’t be happier about its inclusion. The only gripe I can find with this new auto-battle system is that each Pokémon has a different speed with which they walk around with you which can slow your progress. Some pokemon even specifically need to walk with you using this feature--called the “Let’s Go” mechanic--in order to evolve. In one instance, Pawmo, the Pikachu equivalent in this game, needs to walk around with you for over 1000 steps before it will evolve into its final form, Pawmot. But the little guy is so small and waddles so slow that you have to slow down your exploration or else he will fall too far behind and just fly back into his Pokéball.
Another feature that should be given credit is the move re-learning feature. In previous games, if you wanted a Pokémon to relearn a move you would need to find a specific NPC designated as the “move relearner” and go through a few text boxes before being allowed to do so. Now, all of this is located directly in the menu and is easily accessible at all times which not only makes this process more convenient but also allows your Pokémon team an added level of flexibility for different scenarios. Need a designated “catcher”? Just change one of your grass types to have moves that help you catch other Pokémon. Need that same Pokémon to shift into an offensive move-set? Just use the menu to re-learn its more powerful moves before it goes into battle. It’s all quick, easy, and very convenient. As much as I may gripe about some of these legacy features being removed, the quality of life changes in this game do help even out the loss.
Terastralization will get a brief mention here as, though it is a neat mechanic in concept and is certain to shake-up how competitive Pokémon is played, I did not find myself overly fond of it. It was pretty and could have had potential to be a game changing mechanic that shifted the tide of battle at the right time, but I often forgot its existence until a Gym leader or Elite Four member used it on me.
An Alluring Adventure or a Dull Disappointing Drag?
Since this is Pokémon's first true attempt at an entirely open-world adventure, there are two things it has to do right: the new Pokémon need to be well-designed, and the world needs to have enough character and rewards to encourage exploration. To the first point, Pokémon Scarlet and Violet succeed in the best way since Pokémon Black and White. The designs of the new Pokémon are fun, interesting, and tow a line between modern Pokémon design philosophy and classic style. While I am not a huge fan of the new starter Pokémon, there are some genuinely incredible designs littered throughout which have become some of my favorite designs in recent memory. A few examples that stand out from the early game are the aforementioned Pikachu clone, Pawmi, a new fire-type Charcadet, and the paradox Pokémon. Typically, I dislike many of the Pikachu clones because of how knock-off and basic they feel, but Pawmi and its subsequent evolutions are a nice mix of cute, cuddly, and yet a bit aggressive. Charcadet is another which is making its way up my list of favorite designs due to its chibi yet sharp and defined style. The new Paradox Pokémon are interesting and a neat way to spice up old designs without explicitly creating new regional forms or new evolutions. When it comes to the world at large however, things are a bit more mixed.
The Paldea region has its highlights. It has plenty of different zones to explore from beaches to forests, to rocky canyons and snowy mountains. Game Freak has done a solid job littering little items throughout to encourage going off the main road. I acquired anything from potions, to Pokéballs--whether that be standard, unique, or even high-level Pokéballs like the ultra ball--to various types of berries. TMs are one of the more lucrative benefits of exploring and can be found littered around the world.
TMs work a bit differently in this game. Pokémon has shifted how TMs work a few times over the years. Originally, they were one-time use items which could only be recycled if they were purchasable in the department store or as a casino reward, all others were one-time deals. Later on, TMs became of infinite use--if you have one, you can use it forever. Now, TMs are once again limited to one-time use, however, they are much more easily recycled. There is a vendor located at every Pokémon Center which allows you to take materials and convert them into TMs. Materials can most commonly be found laying around in the world or attained after catching or battling a wild Pokémon. You unlock more TMs to create by playing through the main campaign stories as well as by picking up new TMs out in the open-world. This new TM system encourages not only exploration but also effective use of the auto-battle system in order to efficiently get new materials to craft the TM you need.
The main problem with Paldea is in the landmarks and major locations. The cities, towns, and notable locations are severely lacking. Each time you enter a new city in a Pokémon game it should function as a grand new experience. Typically there should be at least one or two interesting side-bits or quests to check out for small towns, and in big cities there typically are numerous different attractions to sink time into. I can remember fondly back to the Poke-athalon, the Pokémon Contests, huge department stores, dress-up shops, unique poke-ball shops, casinos or game-stores, and loads of other fun attractions in previous games. Scarlet and Violet, however, seem heavily devoid of anything remotely close to interesting in their towns and cities. The only thing Scarlet and Violet rely upon to make their locations seem unique is in the Gym Challenges you must tackle before battling that town or cities’ gym leader. All of which are simplistic, easy, and brain-numbingly dull.
Story Worth Telling
The story in Pokémon games is rarely the main selling point. Get the gym badges, become champion, complete the Pokédex, and occasionally defeat an evil gang which is determined to destroy the world. The characters are typically simplistic too, the quirky professor, the evil bad guy, the hot-headed rival. It would be easy, in fact expected, for Pokémon Scarlet and Violet to follow this trend. However, I found myself pleasantly surprised by how emotional and resonant the storylines in this new adventure actually were.
The game features three main paths to complete before wrapping all of them up into the final act: Victory Road, Starfall Street, and Path of Legends. Victory Road is your standard path of tackling the 8 gyms scattered throughout Paldea before being able to challenge the Elite 4 and Champion. Starfall Street is where the “evil” team storyline is located. Evil is in quotation marks there as the actual malice has been slowly degrading in Pokémon's antagonist teams over the years and Scarlet and Violet are no exception. Path of Legends is the most unique inclusion in which you follow around with a pal, Arven, on a quest to discover and subdue the “Titan” Pokémon. These Titans are large, towering Pokémon which serve almost like mini-raid bosses. Each path can be completed in any order you so choose and all coalesce into a singular final act by the end of the game.
By far the highlight out of these is the Path of Legends. Taking down these massive titan Pokémon is occasionally a decent challenge, especially if you run into one under leveled. However, the real treat is in the story that begins to unfold with your companion during this questline, Arven. His storyline is easily the best in the game and genuinely brought me close to tears during the first few encounters. Victory Road is the typical Pokémon gym storyline with only slight deviations. Starfall Street is a decent storyline which relates to school-life and attempts to make a commentary on bullying, but the major twist surrounding this storyline is far too predictable to have the impact it was going for.
The end of the game is just absolutely bonkers. The way this game wraps up its main storylines is in true JRPG fashion with wild, world-changing events and major twists which, admittedly are easy to see coming but are nevertheless insane to see unfold. On top of this, the actual challenge faced at the end of each storyline, including the final act, can be quite the challenge if you go in unprepared. The final few hours of this game is a force of non-stop climax after climax, boss after boss, and a major area with powerful Pokémon ready to ambush you at any moment. To be quite honest, it was thrilling.
Blending it All Together
When blending together every aspect of Pokémon Scarlet and Violet, both good and bad, you end up with a game that has incredible potential, strong foundations, but weak supporting pillars. The game runs poorly and likely will continue to do so even after the promised patches drop in February. The game includes fantastic quality of life improvements while removing features which had been present in the franchise from the very beginning. It boasts a fantastic array of new Pokémon to see and encounter in the open-world while dropping the ball on major destinations like towns and cities. It has a fantastic cast of characters and stories which do come together into a wild ending, but some storylines are clearly a cut above the rest. It is definitely a mixed bag on paper. And yet, it is just so compelling. Almost every moment I experienced in Pokémon Scarlet and Violet had me glued to my Switch. Exploring new areas to find new Pokémon I had not seen before, trying to figure new paths to get to an item I wanted, running around in “Let’s Go” mode with my Pokémon on auto-battle, it all came together to create a rough and yet incredible experience.
The simple moment-to-moment experience is hard to describe, but it legitimately makes you feel like a 10-year old kid setting off on a huge Pokémon adventure. The ability to freely explore anywhere, go challenge anything at any time even if you’re under leveled gives a sense of freedom and excitement that the rigid, linear structure of the previous games couldn’t accomplish. It has a lot of ugly spots that need to be straightened out if Game Freak follows this same formula in the next title. But, with this foundation, a bit of tweaking, and some added depth, Game Freak could certainly use Pokémon Scarlet and Violet as a strong template to make something truly incredible and special in the next go around. For now, Pokémon Scarlet and Violet is a solid adventure that I feel any Pokémon fan owes it to themselves to try out, rough edges and all.
2017
DNF. Finished the first playthrough (Ending A) and just didn't feel any desire to move on. Combat is incredible and the music is stellar but nothing else really worked for me or kept me hooked.
1993
RIDGEEEE RACERRRRRR!!!
Man, this was a nostalgia trip. Ridge Racer was one of the few racing games I had on the Playstation growing up. The art style, track, music, announcer, and even that random helicopter are seared into my memory. I played countless hours of this game as a kid just trying to beat any track past the Beginner track. As an adult, it took me about 2 hours to complete all of the main tracks from Beginner, Medium, Advanced, and Time Trial. My kid self would be mind-blown that it took a mere 2 hours for this achievement. As such, this marks the first time I've ever actually seen the credits of this game, to be completely honest I wasn't sure there were any!
As for the game itself, it's quite barebones. You get 4 cars to start with but can unlock up to 8 extra (12 total) if you beat the Galaga mini-game that plays during load screens--an awesome feature that should be in more games by the way. There is quite literally one race track in the entire game. Just one. It has some variants like going faster on the higher difficulties and at the highest level it even deviates into a separate, more windy path that ultimately loops back to the main track. Despite that, I never got bored. This was probably due to it only taking 2 hours to finish but nevertheless I actually really enjoyed memorizing the track and perfecting my turns with each attempt.
The driving itself is chaotic and hard to grasp at first. The cars feel almost as if on air with how fast and smooth they drive. Drifting is a mechanic in this game that I believe you are supposed to use to turn corners but honestly, I never quite got the hang of it. Instead, drifting often led to spin-outs and a loss of progress. Opting to simply slow down a bit and turn very sharply tended to work better in my experience. Don't underestimate how sharp certain cards can take some of these turns. It definitely has that fast paced arcade-style feel but I found it to be a blast.
Certainly I am looking at it a bit through rose-tinted glasses, but at the end of the day I do think Ridge Racer is a really great time and an absolute blast for the 2 hours it took me to finish the main 4 courses. Perhaps one day I will return to once again hone my skills against one of the reversed courses or the legendary and notoriously difficult "Devil Car." In the meantime, I am very interested and excited to see how Ridge Racer develops as a franchise after this first entry that helped to shape my childhood.
Man, this was a nostalgia trip. Ridge Racer was one of the few racing games I had on the Playstation growing up. The art style, track, music, announcer, and even that random helicopter are seared into my memory. I played countless hours of this game as a kid just trying to beat any track past the Beginner track. As an adult, it took me about 2 hours to complete all of the main tracks from Beginner, Medium, Advanced, and Time Trial. My kid self would be mind-blown that it took a mere 2 hours for this achievement. As such, this marks the first time I've ever actually seen the credits of this game, to be completely honest I wasn't sure there were any!
As for the game itself, it's quite barebones. You get 4 cars to start with but can unlock up to 8 extra (12 total) if you beat the Galaga mini-game that plays during load screens--an awesome feature that should be in more games by the way. There is quite literally one race track in the entire game. Just one. It has some variants like going faster on the higher difficulties and at the highest level it even deviates into a separate, more windy path that ultimately loops back to the main track. Despite that, I never got bored. This was probably due to it only taking 2 hours to finish but nevertheless I actually really enjoyed memorizing the track and perfecting my turns with each attempt.
The driving itself is chaotic and hard to grasp at first. The cars feel almost as if on air with how fast and smooth they drive. Drifting is a mechanic in this game that I believe you are supposed to use to turn corners but honestly, I never quite got the hang of it. Instead, drifting often led to spin-outs and a loss of progress. Opting to simply slow down a bit and turn very sharply tended to work better in my experience. Don't underestimate how sharp certain cards can take some of these turns. It definitely has that fast paced arcade-style feel but I found it to be a blast.
Certainly I am looking at it a bit through rose-tinted glasses, but at the end of the day I do think Ridge Racer is a really great time and an absolute blast for the 2 hours it took me to finish the main 4 courses. Perhaps one day I will return to once again hone my skills against one of the reversed courses or the legendary and notoriously difficult "Devil Car." In the meantime, I am very interested and excited to see how Ridge Racer develops as a franchise after this first entry that helped to shape my childhood.
2023
Source: https://smashtonbound.wixsite.com/smashton-plays/post/final-fantasy-xvi-review-one-month-later
It has been almost a month since I rolled credits on the latest entry in the Final Fantasy franchise. Yet, here I am writing a review... why? Final Fantasy XVI's ending (don't worry, no spoilers here just emotions) is heavy. It is one of those endings which left me staring at the credits screen as my mind came to grips with the finale of such a long journey in this rich world. I was thinking back to the world, the music, the characters, and the gameplay. In that moment and in the days after, I was very high on the game overall. But, I did not feel quite ready to put those thoughts in writing. So, I decided to give myself some breathing room, come back to my keyboard when I had enough distance from that emotion to truly reflect on this game and give final thoughts.
Here we are almost a month later and I am finally putting my thoughts down on digital paper. The conclusion I have come to after a great deal of distance away is not all that different from my initial thoughts after rolling credits. Final Fantasy XVI is a triumph in so many ways. From the graphical fidelity, to the world, the soundtrack, characters, and gameplay, everything melds together to create a truly blockbuster experience that not only shows grand spectacle but also wears its heart on its sleeve in such a way to make each explosive eye-catching moment have true emotional and impactful meaning. It comes with some caveats and flaws as all games do. However, the flaws can be quickly lost in one's memory as the sheer epic scale of this game shrouds those blemishes.
Every great Final Fantasy needs an incredible world to live inside. A place unique, a place with an identity. We see this shine through in past entries in the franchise. Final Fantasy VII has arguably the most iconic of them all with its cool blend of steampunk, science-fiction, and fantasy elements mixed into one. Final Fantasy X is another that comes to mind with its emphasis on island atmosphere, desert oases, and grand religious temples. I would place Final Fantasy XVI right up there with them as an iconic and incredible world. It tows a line between fantasy and pure medieval Europe in such a way that makes every location, enemy, and character design seem fantastical enough to know you are exploring a place of magic and wonder, but grounded, dirty, and gritty enough to be a reflection of the dreary Middle Ages. The game has often been compared directly to Game of Thrones in more ways than one. While I do not fully agree that they are one-to-one comparisons, especially in story and character, I can't deny that this game's world fits the bill perfectly. This is not even to mention the interconnected struggles between rival peoples and kingdoms that you meet and explore throughout the game. A complex web of relationships and history which could be easy to get lost in, as it often is in Game of Thrones, but that always guides you through easily thanks to the new Active Time Lore feature and a special NPC who can outright lecture you on what is going on in the world at the time.
Any screenshot from this game would clue you to the fact that Final Fantasy XVI is a stunner. Honestly, the screenshots don't do it justice. When exploring the world or taking on hordes of enemies in certain encounters, the game consistently looks visually stunning and easily one of the best looking games ever made. It truly shows the power of the next-gen hardware. I preferred playing in performance mode, as I often do especially with action-based games such as this one where precision and a few frames can mean the difference between a dodge and a massive damage hit, yet even in this mode the game consistently blew me away with its stunning vistas, detailed textures, and vibrant colors.
The soundtrack is nailed in a way that only one like Masayoshi Soken, the composer of Final Fantasy XVI and the critically-acclaimed MMORPG Final Fantasy XIV, can do. The atmosphere is knocked out of the park with each musical piece fitting locales and scenes perfectly to completely immerse you in whatever mood the game is attempting to convey. The massive and grand spectacle scenes shown during eikon battles are accompanied by epic and bellowing musical pieces which will have you adding them to your playlists for years to come. This is easily the best soundtrack to come from a video game this year and rivals the best of all time.
Gameplay seems to be the defining and dividing factor surrounding conversation of this game. Final Fantasy is well-known for its turn-based ATB battle system which has been used and refined since the original all the way back in 1987. Times change, however, and though I am still a huge fan and proponent of turn-based games and see how they can still evolve in the modern day--see: Persona 5, Divinity: Original Sin 2, among others--it seems Square Enix wants to take the franchise in a different direction. Final Fantasy XV was the first example of this, followed by Final Fantasy VII: Remake which adapted elements of the classic ATB battle system but still implemented it in an action RPG system. Final Fantasy XVI is the next step, fully embracing an action style many have compared to the likes of Capcom’s Devil May Cry. While I do understand those who miss the classic turn-based system, I can’t deny that there is something so exciting, thrilling, and engaging about action RPGs that appeal to wider audiences.
Final Fantasy XVI’s combat has been mostly compared directly with Devil May Cry, and while I agree there are similarities, I think there are huge differences which make Final Fantasy XVI’s combat purely its own style. Devil May Cry is known for the extreme speed, combo-heavy attacks, quick and successive attacks, and unabashed style. Final Fantasy XVI is much more grounded and methodical in comparison. While you can do some insane combos and ridiculous damage in Final Fantasy XVI, it is not typical and requires some fine tuning, practice, and a good mind for the systems. This is not to say that Final Fantasy XVI’s combat is worse in any way, just different. Once you get a chunk of hours in and start unlocking new abilities and begin experimenting with different combinations of them, you discover that the combat has a great deal of freedom in how you execute encounters and how you build your specific Clive’s loadout.
Each combat encounter is fun, thrilling, and engaging. When I saw powerful looking enemies, no matter if they were in a giant horde or a singular threatening looking boss, I was also excited to jump into the fray and slash my way through the battlefield. Combat is smooth, has great feeling when connecting moves, and has just enough complexity as you keep up with cool downs, dodge enemy attacks, and execute your own combos, that it never really got old. The only downside to this would be in difficulty. I found the game fairly easy even with a very basic loadout on Clive. You get ample healing items, attacks are fairly telegraphed for the most part, and your damage output always feels good enough for whatever encounter you tackled so long as you kept up with your equipment. I died perhaps twice the entire playthrough and this was for completely optional fights, one of which had an unfortunate one-hit kill move I was just not aware of. Granted, difficulty varies from person to person so this is just a personal note.
The second part of the game to get the most controversy is the RPG systems or, as some would claim, the lack thereof. I will say upfront that I truly believe that Final Fantasy XVI is a Final Fantasy and RPG through and through. Games have been implementing RPG systems for many years now with titles like God of War: Ragnarok and even Halo: Infinite, game series which were not really known for their RPG systems, implementing them in essential ways. But, Final Fantasy XVI is still deeper than these titles. It is not as surface level as some claim. It certainly can be if you simply take the most basic loadout you can find, get comfortable with it, and never swap off of it or experiment. Perhaps that is a flaw in the game itself. As I mentioned previously, the game never really forced me to swap around my build due to difficulty or even something as simple as elemental damage being more or less effective against certain enemies. Instead, I believe this game relies on its spectacle to encourage players to experiment with new abilities. You get to see them first-hand most of the time and can view them in the abilities menu thanks to a handy video which showcases each ability in action. I believe the game is hoping players will see these abilities, associate them with specific moments in the story, and try them out on that basis alone. Is this the best method of encouraging player experimentation? Perhaps, perhaps not, your mileage will vary.
However, there is one glaring element in the moment-to-moment gameplay of Final Fantasy XVI that is screaming for more depth, crafting. As you explore the world of Valisthea you will come across shining lights on the ground which represent items you can pick up by simply moving near them. These can be anything from potions to accessories, but more often than not it will be some sort of crafting material. The unfortunate part about this is that often they really didn’t matter. The most important things to craft in this game are armor and weapons. Yet, you’re almost never required to actually pay attention to what materials are needed, which ones are rarer, which ones you may want to go out of your way for in order to get the best equipment. Just doing some basic exploring and progression throughout the story gives you all you will need to keep Clive in a reasonable stat range for the next section of the game. There are stronger weapons and armor you can craft by doing certain side activities, and while the numbers do certainly go up in the menu screen, it never seemed like enough of a boost to feel worth it even by the end of the game when I had the best armor and weapon possible. The best kinds of crafting systems are ones in which you’re given a lot of options, need to plan out what kind of build you desire, and take note (mentally or physically) of what rare materials to keep an eye out for. Unfortunately, this is not one of those systems, making the crafting feel very tacked on.
Another point of improvement is in the RPG staple, side quests. There are plenty of side quests and a lot of variety in Final Fantasy XVI. Anything from helping a chef cook a new meal to taking important characters on life changing journeys. However, the execution of them leaves much to be desired. There is seldom a side quest that does not boil down to: Talk to a character, go to a place, kill some enemies, return. Very rarely, you might go to two places, or might fight two encounters of enemies, oh joy! Maybe you will be sent on a gathering mission to pick three flowers instead! How thrilling! The stories they can tell are often spectacular, but the actual process of completing them often felt like a chore.
At the end of the day, no matter how vast, beautiful, and scenic the world is, no matter how deep its lore, no matter how great the soundtrack or fluid the combat, none of it would matter if the people you are interacting with and spending your time dealing with in a Final Fantasy game were dull, boring, and uninspired. Previously, I mentioned how Final Fantasy XVI often gets compared to Game of Thrones in its world design and even atmosphere. I partially agreed, but countered by explaining that this game wears its heart on its sleeve. The characters and story are where this occurs and these are the elements which really take this game to such a high level. Characters in Final Fantasy XVI, as with any great Final Fantasy game, are memorable, charming, complex, evolving, and the undisputed best part of the game. Every character from Clive himself to side characters like Cid, Jill, Dion, and--my absolute favorite--Gav, all have full developing storylines, character arcs, and distinctive personalities that you can latch onto and enjoy. Any time I saw one of these characters on screen or even with a side quest, I was anxious to see what would unfold and how their character would develop as the story progressed forward. It is this reason why the story, as grand and epic in scale as it is, still felt grounded. As typical with Final Fantasy titles, the story heads places that may boggle the mind or reach levels of extreme grandeur and scale, but the attachment I held to these characters and to this world they lived in was so strong that it made the world-level events occurring actually matter.
The most advertised aspect of this title was the massive, larger-than-life, gorgeous eikon battles which you undertake over the course of the game. During previews it seemed as though these might become the weakest part of the game, being basic glorified cutscenes with rudimentary fight scenes and QTE sections. However, the more eikon fights you encounter the more complex they become, keeping it fresh by giving you more abilities to toy with. On top of that, you would think after seeing a few eikon fights, that the spectacle would become old or tiresome. This could not be further from the truth. Every single eikon fight is a grand finale to itself. These battles could legitimately be the final boss or ending climax to any other video game by themselves, and yet in Final Fantasy XVI they are just one of many. They always found a way to increase the scale, the scope, and--most importantly--the stakes of each battle. Again, as mentioned before, the heart of the game is in its characters. The eikon fights are reflections of the characters, their emotional struggles, and their resolutions in the form of massive monster battles that would give Godzilla a run for his money. These fights would mean nothing if they were just big monster battles with no heart or soul. Because each of these fights involves characters who we care about, or even perhaps hate, because each of these fights is a conflict of not only physical nature but mental and emotional nature, because each of these fights serves not only to push the plot forward but also to further the story of the characters themselves, they become special.
Final Fantasy XVI is a triumph of a video game. Its vast, beautiful world, its unmatched soundtrack, its fluid and thrilling combat, its incredible scale and epic spectacle, and its engaging and emotional story, come together into one amazing package that Square Enix can be proud of. Is it the turn-based, extremely complex, classic Final Fantasy experience some fans may have wanted? No. But, we knew that going in and we’ve seen the trend since 2016. What it is instead, is a massive accomplishment which will bring in new players and enrapture veterans who embrace the changes that the series is going through. By the time credits roll, I was not thinking about if this was a “true” Final Fantasy or if this was a “real” RPG. I was thinking about the world and the characters who I came to adore so much and how I longed to continue the journey just a bit more. It is uncertain where the franchise will go from here, if they will return to their roots or if they will continue to expand upon the action elements brought about in this game. One thing is for certain, I will be remembering Final Fantasy XVI for many years to come and I fully expect it to become another tent-pole entry in this long running franchise alongside the likes of Final Fantasy XVI, VII, and X.
It has been almost a month since I rolled credits on the latest entry in the Final Fantasy franchise. Yet, here I am writing a review... why? Final Fantasy XVI's ending (don't worry, no spoilers here just emotions) is heavy. It is one of those endings which left me staring at the credits screen as my mind came to grips with the finale of such a long journey in this rich world. I was thinking back to the world, the music, the characters, and the gameplay. In that moment and in the days after, I was very high on the game overall. But, I did not feel quite ready to put those thoughts in writing. So, I decided to give myself some breathing room, come back to my keyboard when I had enough distance from that emotion to truly reflect on this game and give final thoughts.
Here we are almost a month later and I am finally putting my thoughts down on digital paper. The conclusion I have come to after a great deal of distance away is not all that different from my initial thoughts after rolling credits. Final Fantasy XVI is a triumph in so many ways. From the graphical fidelity, to the world, the soundtrack, characters, and gameplay, everything melds together to create a truly blockbuster experience that not only shows grand spectacle but also wears its heart on its sleeve in such a way to make each explosive eye-catching moment have true emotional and impactful meaning. It comes with some caveats and flaws as all games do. However, the flaws can be quickly lost in one's memory as the sheer epic scale of this game shrouds those blemishes.
Every great Final Fantasy needs an incredible world to live inside. A place unique, a place with an identity. We see this shine through in past entries in the franchise. Final Fantasy VII has arguably the most iconic of them all with its cool blend of steampunk, science-fiction, and fantasy elements mixed into one. Final Fantasy X is another that comes to mind with its emphasis on island atmosphere, desert oases, and grand religious temples. I would place Final Fantasy XVI right up there with them as an iconic and incredible world. It tows a line between fantasy and pure medieval Europe in such a way that makes every location, enemy, and character design seem fantastical enough to know you are exploring a place of magic and wonder, but grounded, dirty, and gritty enough to be a reflection of the dreary Middle Ages. The game has often been compared directly to Game of Thrones in more ways than one. While I do not fully agree that they are one-to-one comparisons, especially in story and character, I can't deny that this game's world fits the bill perfectly. This is not even to mention the interconnected struggles between rival peoples and kingdoms that you meet and explore throughout the game. A complex web of relationships and history which could be easy to get lost in, as it often is in Game of Thrones, but that always guides you through easily thanks to the new Active Time Lore feature and a special NPC who can outright lecture you on what is going on in the world at the time.
Any screenshot from this game would clue you to the fact that Final Fantasy XVI is a stunner. Honestly, the screenshots don't do it justice. When exploring the world or taking on hordes of enemies in certain encounters, the game consistently looks visually stunning and easily one of the best looking games ever made. It truly shows the power of the next-gen hardware. I preferred playing in performance mode, as I often do especially with action-based games such as this one where precision and a few frames can mean the difference between a dodge and a massive damage hit, yet even in this mode the game consistently blew me away with its stunning vistas, detailed textures, and vibrant colors.
The soundtrack is nailed in a way that only one like Masayoshi Soken, the composer of Final Fantasy XVI and the critically-acclaimed MMORPG Final Fantasy XIV, can do. The atmosphere is knocked out of the park with each musical piece fitting locales and scenes perfectly to completely immerse you in whatever mood the game is attempting to convey. The massive and grand spectacle scenes shown during eikon battles are accompanied by epic and bellowing musical pieces which will have you adding them to your playlists for years to come. This is easily the best soundtrack to come from a video game this year and rivals the best of all time.
Gameplay seems to be the defining and dividing factor surrounding conversation of this game. Final Fantasy is well-known for its turn-based ATB battle system which has been used and refined since the original all the way back in 1987. Times change, however, and though I am still a huge fan and proponent of turn-based games and see how they can still evolve in the modern day--see: Persona 5, Divinity: Original Sin 2, among others--it seems Square Enix wants to take the franchise in a different direction. Final Fantasy XV was the first example of this, followed by Final Fantasy VII: Remake which adapted elements of the classic ATB battle system but still implemented it in an action RPG system. Final Fantasy XVI is the next step, fully embracing an action style many have compared to the likes of Capcom’s Devil May Cry. While I do understand those who miss the classic turn-based system, I can’t deny that there is something so exciting, thrilling, and engaging about action RPGs that appeal to wider audiences.
Final Fantasy XVI’s combat has been mostly compared directly with Devil May Cry, and while I agree there are similarities, I think there are huge differences which make Final Fantasy XVI’s combat purely its own style. Devil May Cry is known for the extreme speed, combo-heavy attacks, quick and successive attacks, and unabashed style. Final Fantasy XVI is much more grounded and methodical in comparison. While you can do some insane combos and ridiculous damage in Final Fantasy XVI, it is not typical and requires some fine tuning, practice, and a good mind for the systems. This is not to say that Final Fantasy XVI’s combat is worse in any way, just different. Once you get a chunk of hours in and start unlocking new abilities and begin experimenting with different combinations of them, you discover that the combat has a great deal of freedom in how you execute encounters and how you build your specific Clive’s loadout.
Each combat encounter is fun, thrilling, and engaging. When I saw powerful looking enemies, no matter if they were in a giant horde or a singular threatening looking boss, I was also excited to jump into the fray and slash my way through the battlefield. Combat is smooth, has great feeling when connecting moves, and has just enough complexity as you keep up with cool downs, dodge enemy attacks, and execute your own combos, that it never really got old. The only downside to this would be in difficulty. I found the game fairly easy even with a very basic loadout on Clive. You get ample healing items, attacks are fairly telegraphed for the most part, and your damage output always feels good enough for whatever encounter you tackled so long as you kept up with your equipment. I died perhaps twice the entire playthrough and this was for completely optional fights, one of which had an unfortunate one-hit kill move I was just not aware of. Granted, difficulty varies from person to person so this is just a personal note.
The second part of the game to get the most controversy is the RPG systems or, as some would claim, the lack thereof. I will say upfront that I truly believe that Final Fantasy XVI is a Final Fantasy and RPG through and through. Games have been implementing RPG systems for many years now with titles like God of War: Ragnarok and even Halo: Infinite, game series which were not really known for their RPG systems, implementing them in essential ways. But, Final Fantasy XVI is still deeper than these titles. It is not as surface level as some claim. It certainly can be if you simply take the most basic loadout you can find, get comfortable with it, and never swap off of it or experiment. Perhaps that is a flaw in the game itself. As I mentioned previously, the game never really forced me to swap around my build due to difficulty or even something as simple as elemental damage being more or less effective against certain enemies. Instead, I believe this game relies on its spectacle to encourage players to experiment with new abilities. You get to see them first-hand most of the time and can view them in the abilities menu thanks to a handy video which showcases each ability in action. I believe the game is hoping players will see these abilities, associate them with specific moments in the story, and try them out on that basis alone. Is this the best method of encouraging player experimentation? Perhaps, perhaps not, your mileage will vary.
However, there is one glaring element in the moment-to-moment gameplay of Final Fantasy XVI that is screaming for more depth, crafting. As you explore the world of Valisthea you will come across shining lights on the ground which represent items you can pick up by simply moving near them. These can be anything from potions to accessories, but more often than not it will be some sort of crafting material. The unfortunate part about this is that often they really didn’t matter. The most important things to craft in this game are armor and weapons. Yet, you’re almost never required to actually pay attention to what materials are needed, which ones are rarer, which ones you may want to go out of your way for in order to get the best equipment. Just doing some basic exploring and progression throughout the story gives you all you will need to keep Clive in a reasonable stat range for the next section of the game. There are stronger weapons and armor you can craft by doing certain side activities, and while the numbers do certainly go up in the menu screen, it never seemed like enough of a boost to feel worth it even by the end of the game when I had the best armor and weapon possible. The best kinds of crafting systems are ones in which you’re given a lot of options, need to plan out what kind of build you desire, and take note (mentally or physically) of what rare materials to keep an eye out for. Unfortunately, this is not one of those systems, making the crafting feel very tacked on.
Another point of improvement is in the RPG staple, side quests. There are plenty of side quests and a lot of variety in Final Fantasy XVI. Anything from helping a chef cook a new meal to taking important characters on life changing journeys. However, the execution of them leaves much to be desired. There is seldom a side quest that does not boil down to: Talk to a character, go to a place, kill some enemies, return. Very rarely, you might go to two places, or might fight two encounters of enemies, oh joy! Maybe you will be sent on a gathering mission to pick three flowers instead! How thrilling! The stories they can tell are often spectacular, but the actual process of completing them often felt like a chore.
At the end of the day, no matter how vast, beautiful, and scenic the world is, no matter how deep its lore, no matter how great the soundtrack or fluid the combat, none of it would matter if the people you are interacting with and spending your time dealing with in a Final Fantasy game were dull, boring, and uninspired. Previously, I mentioned how Final Fantasy XVI often gets compared to Game of Thrones in its world design and even atmosphere. I partially agreed, but countered by explaining that this game wears its heart on its sleeve. The characters and story are where this occurs and these are the elements which really take this game to such a high level. Characters in Final Fantasy XVI, as with any great Final Fantasy game, are memorable, charming, complex, evolving, and the undisputed best part of the game. Every character from Clive himself to side characters like Cid, Jill, Dion, and--my absolute favorite--Gav, all have full developing storylines, character arcs, and distinctive personalities that you can latch onto and enjoy. Any time I saw one of these characters on screen or even with a side quest, I was anxious to see what would unfold and how their character would develop as the story progressed forward. It is this reason why the story, as grand and epic in scale as it is, still felt grounded. As typical with Final Fantasy titles, the story heads places that may boggle the mind or reach levels of extreme grandeur and scale, but the attachment I held to these characters and to this world they lived in was so strong that it made the world-level events occurring actually matter.
The most advertised aspect of this title was the massive, larger-than-life, gorgeous eikon battles which you undertake over the course of the game. During previews it seemed as though these might become the weakest part of the game, being basic glorified cutscenes with rudimentary fight scenes and QTE sections. However, the more eikon fights you encounter the more complex they become, keeping it fresh by giving you more abilities to toy with. On top of that, you would think after seeing a few eikon fights, that the spectacle would become old or tiresome. This could not be further from the truth. Every single eikon fight is a grand finale to itself. These battles could legitimately be the final boss or ending climax to any other video game by themselves, and yet in Final Fantasy XVI they are just one of many. They always found a way to increase the scale, the scope, and--most importantly--the stakes of each battle. Again, as mentioned before, the heart of the game is in its characters. The eikon fights are reflections of the characters, their emotional struggles, and their resolutions in the form of massive monster battles that would give Godzilla a run for his money. These fights would mean nothing if they were just big monster battles with no heart or soul. Because each of these fights involves characters who we care about, or even perhaps hate, because each of these fights is a conflict of not only physical nature but mental and emotional nature, because each of these fights serves not only to push the plot forward but also to further the story of the characters themselves, they become special.
Final Fantasy XVI is a triumph of a video game. Its vast, beautiful world, its unmatched soundtrack, its fluid and thrilling combat, its incredible scale and epic spectacle, and its engaging and emotional story, come together into one amazing package that Square Enix can be proud of. Is it the turn-based, extremely complex, classic Final Fantasy experience some fans may have wanted? No. But, we knew that going in and we’ve seen the trend since 2016. What it is instead, is a massive accomplishment which will bring in new players and enrapture veterans who embrace the changes that the series is going through. By the time credits roll, I was not thinking about if this was a “true” Final Fantasy or if this was a “real” RPG. I was thinking about the world and the characters who I came to adore so much and how I longed to continue the journey just a bit more. It is uncertain where the franchise will go from here, if they will return to their roots or if they will continue to expand upon the action elements brought about in this game. One thing is for certain, I will be remembering Final Fantasy XVI for many years to come and I fully expect it to become another tent-pole entry in this long running franchise alongside the likes of Final Fantasy XVI, VII, and X.
1995
Jumping Flash! is a brief but fun and unique 3D platformer that deserves more recognition. I knew of this game as an ultra-niche cult classic but had never had the opportunity to actually play it myself back in my childhood days. Playing it now, I am surprised at how well it actually controls. It has a bit of that tank control jank that is present in so many PS1 titles, but with how rapidly your robo-rabbit character turns and how ridiculously high you can jump, it really never became an issue. Within about 3 minutes I was jumping around, shooting enemies, and collecting items naturally and instinctively with all of my focus on the game itself rather than its controls.
If you asked me to recount the story to you I'm afraid I would utterly fail. The story is about what you would expect from an old-school platformer from this time period, AKA non-existent. But, that doesn't really matter. All I knew was I needed to collect 4 little carrots from across each level and hop onto the exit pad in order to finish and move on. To be frank, that's all I needed to know since as soon as some short opening FMVs were finished playing, you are right into the action with a weird but oddly cute frog thing jumping toward you, prompting a quick decision to start moving.
The levels in this game, and the entire art style and design for that matter, are incredible. The enemy designs are unique and memorable (shoutout to that weird little TV bat thing), the levels themselves are varied and have huge personality, and the colors are vivid and vibrant. Even the power-ups are unique. You have your standard fare of invincibility, time-extension, and time-stop powers but also just some really odd ones like a giant nut that explodes into a bomb on impact or the ability to send a flurry of what look like party streamers at your opponent that snake around in a wide area. Everything about this game oozes a bright and whimsical personality.
Unfortunately, I can't praise it too high though as the one glaring flaw in this game is in it's difficulty. The game is far too easy for how amazing the art direction is and how creative some of the levels can be. I want to stay in each of these levels and worlds for so much longer but, with a run-time of about 2 hours, they fly by far too quickly. So many of the carrots you need can be easily obtained by simply abusing the double jump mechanic to gain an insane amount of height. This makes what look like interesting puzzle platform sections completely redundant when I can just fly past all of it and reach my destination anyways. I wanted more and to explore more but there simply isn't enough incentive or challenge to force the player to explore and truly appreciate each level as it is designed.
I absolutely love what this game is doing. At no point leading up to this did I think I would have so much fun or see so much potential in an early PS1 first-person 3D platformer. But, Jumping Flash! proved me wrong. Jumping Flash! is a fantastical, unique, and charming platformer that is a bit too short and easy for its own good. While the artistic style and core gameplay mechanics are stellar, the actual level design itself does not cater to the insane level of ability and control you have as the player when platforming, leaving many levels feeling more like really cool set pieces to stare at in awe rather than creative, engaging, and interesting platforming challenges to engage in. I see an insane amount of potential here that I really hope gets capitalized on in the sequel.
If you asked me to recount the story to you I'm afraid I would utterly fail. The story is about what you would expect from an old-school platformer from this time period, AKA non-existent. But, that doesn't really matter. All I knew was I needed to collect 4 little carrots from across each level and hop onto the exit pad in order to finish and move on. To be frank, that's all I needed to know since as soon as some short opening FMVs were finished playing, you are right into the action with a weird but oddly cute frog thing jumping toward you, prompting a quick decision to start moving.
The levels in this game, and the entire art style and design for that matter, are incredible. The enemy designs are unique and memorable (shoutout to that weird little TV bat thing), the levels themselves are varied and have huge personality, and the colors are vivid and vibrant. Even the power-ups are unique. You have your standard fare of invincibility, time-extension, and time-stop powers but also just some really odd ones like a giant nut that explodes into a bomb on impact or the ability to send a flurry of what look like party streamers at your opponent that snake around in a wide area. Everything about this game oozes a bright and whimsical personality.
Unfortunately, I can't praise it too high though as the one glaring flaw in this game is in it's difficulty. The game is far too easy for how amazing the art direction is and how creative some of the levels can be. I want to stay in each of these levels and worlds for so much longer but, with a run-time of about 2 hours, they fly by far too quickly. So many of the carrots you need can be easily obtained by simply abusing the double jump mechanic to gain an insane amount of height. This makes what look like interesting puzzle platform sections completely redundant when I can just fly past all of it and reach my destination anyways. I wanted more and to explore more but there simply isn't enough incentive or challenge to force the player to explore and truly appreciate each level as it is designed.
I absolutely love what this game is doing. At no point leading up to this did I think I would have so much fun or see so much potential in an early PS1 first-person 3D platformer. But, Jumping Flash! proved me wrong. Jumping Flash! is a fantastical, unique, and charming platformer that is a bit too short and easy for its own good. While the artistic style and core gameplay mechanics are stellar, the actual level design itself does not cater to the insane level of ability and control you have as the player when platforming, leaving many levels feeling more like really cool set pieces to stare at in awe rather than creative, engaging, and interesting platforming challenges to engage in. I see an insane amount of potential here that I really hope gets capitalized on in the sequel.
This review contains spoilers
MAJOR SPOILERS DISCUSSED BELOW!
Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 is an achievement in blockbuster gaming that doesn’t quite break out of the norm, stopping short of becoming something truly special, unique, and worthy of a masterpiece status. It improves on the first two iterations of this franchise in almost every way from smoother and snappier combat, to better boss battles and set pieces, to a greater and livelier map, and truly great characters in Peter Parker and Miles Morales. However, its villains and overall story stumbles as it tries to find a unique identity separate from other iterations of the Venom storyline but ends up repeating similar themes and beats. It is a game with some of the highest highs of the franchise thus far, yet some of the most disappointing lows largely created by the risks Insomniac did not take.
Spider-Man 2 feels better than ever. Being Spider-Man in a larger New York feels better than ever. Swinging around still feels amazing. The stand-out for mobility was the wingsuit. By the time you unlock all of the traversal upgrades, you can realistically fly from one side of the map to the other without ever thwipping a web or hitting the ground. It gave an extra dynamic to traversal and even ended up becoming my default method of travel for the majority of the game. Combat also still feels as incredible as ever, if a bit faster and snappier thanks to the removal of selection wheels for gadgets which always slowed the pace down. The main gripe I would have with combat is that, until you receive the symbiote powers, Peter and Miles are too similar in combat style. Both are fast, acrobatic, great at aerial combat, and have the same gadgets. While their abilities are unique, many of them have largely similar purposes from single-target attacks to aoe attacks which throw enemies upward, to electrical attacks. The symbiote solves this problem as Peter’s abilities become more weighty, slow, and powerful but this does not occur until a dozen or so hours into the experience.
There were other highs as well. Playing as Venom was a huge surprise for me. I did not expect a game that already had two Spider-Men would also throw in a playable Venom segment, and a fairly beefy one at that with a final bout against Kraven that stands as one of the greatest sequences in all of superhero games. One of my favorite childhood games was Ultimate Spider-Man on the PS2 in which Venom was playable for half of the game and this sequence brought me right back to that time and those feelings I had as a kid charging forward as a hulking Venom. It was thrilling. All of the boss battles were much improved from the first two iterations. They felt grander and more involved. Real thought and care was put into how each phase would play and segment into one another. The Spider-Bots were also a great addition. While I prefer the backpacks from the first game, I did appreciate every time I picked one up and saw what design or reference it had to Spider-Man lore and pop-culture. A nice little treat to pick up as you swing (or glide) around New York that also had a very fun conclusion to tie into the Spiderverse films. My greatest frustration with this game comes in its story, specifically with how it handles its main villains.
I understand that there are certain tropes and beats that Spider-Man stories are intrinsically tied to, especially when it pertains to the legendary symbiote black suit. Perhaps it was unfair of me to expect anything else. But, I can’t help but feel Insomniac missed a major chance to take a big swing and really make this specific story their own. Going into Spider-Man 2, we knew the black suit was coming, that Kraven would play a major role, that Venom was coming, and had a very good idea of who Venom was due to the trailers. However, by the time the real depths of Peter’s descent into the symbiote became apparent, I was starting to convince myself that Insomniac was going to take a route not seen since very specific other-worlds comic stories. A route that the general audience had never seen before. A path that would create a new Venom, with Peter Parker as the host.
This is both a credit to great writing and the performance of Yuri Lowenthal as a corrupted and furious Peter Parker. It is also an example of the risks I was really hoping Insomniac would take. I was completely engrossed in Peter’s fall into the symbiote and his consumption of its power. It was so compelling that I began to truly think that Peter might be completely taken over. What an incredibly different and fresh take on the symbiote story would that be? The main star, the main hero of the story, Peter Parker, Spider-Man, consumed by anger and the power of the symbiote, becoming Venom and having to be saved by MJ, Harry, and Miles. The battle between Miles and Peter, while partially deflating as I realized this would be the last time we saw Peter fully engrossed in the black suit, was still an emotionally charged and amazing moment. Seeing Peter turn into something akin to a horror movie villain created a real sense of fear and anxiety as I played. These moments were extremely effective and I give Insomniac all the credit for them. I just wish they continued to commit to them.
By the time Harry Osborn takes over and becomes Venom, I realized we had re-entered the predictable Spider-Man story path. Sure, it is different that it was Harry this time instead of Eddie Brock or Flash Gordon. Sure, it is different that it kept him alive and so there was a compelling reason for him to desire it back so badly. Yet, the main themes are still the same as we have seen before. Peter gets the black suit, becomes angry and corrupted, gets the black suit off of him, it goes to someone else who resents him to some capacity, and now it’s time to fight Venom. It doesn’t help that Harry’s descent into Venom is so fast. We see him use the symbiote powers earlier in the game without much effect on his personality. When Peter gets it, he slowly descends into anger and resentment before the suit begins truly taking over. For Harry, once the suit returns to him, he just immediately turns into Venom. It’s a bit jarring and feels like a forced transformation so that Venom could appear and be the threat for the last quarter of the game.
Kraven was undeveloped. I like his motivation. He wants to find his “Last Hunt.” He has conquered every beast he has chosen to be his prey, comes to New York for new prey in the form of Spider-Man’s supervillains and, eventually, Spider-Man himself, looking for an equal who can kill him in a hunter’s glory rather than on a hospital bed. The main problem here is that we don’t get as much time to see Kraven struggle with his illness. This story is clearly inspired heavily by the incredible comic storyline Kraven’s Last Hunt. In that comic, we see a lot of Kraven. We follow him, learn his motivations, learn how he thinks, and see him accomplish goals. We spend time with him to understand him so that by the time the story is resolved, we understand exactly why he acted the way he did and the impact of the final scenes are incredibly strong. Spider-Man 2 didn’t need to replicate the story one-to-one, but by the time Kraven is removed from the story by Venom, I don’t feel like I truly understood him. He seemed just like another psychotic supervillain rather than the complex character I appreciate him for in that story. The way the Kraven and Venom storylines eventually played out are examples as to why I think Insomniac hasn’t reached a game that hits the high peaks that I know they can achieve.
I understand I sound incredibly negative so far. That comes entirely out of frustration as I see the insane potential. A big part of the story that I do believe Insomniac absolutely crushed and showed their ability to create charming and inspirational stories was in the relationship between Peter and Miles and the growth of Miles as a character. It is hard enough to create compelling character development with such a storied character as Spider-Man, let alone having to do it with two! Peter and Miles are such distinct characters, have great chemistry as teacher-student Spider-Men, and develop so well that by the time Pete hangs up the spandex and lets Miles take over as protector of New York, I fully believe not only that this would happen but also that it would be okay and that Miles was ready. Additionally, all of the side stories were fleshed out and fantastic additions to the game which made New York feel like a live city with real people rather than just a big sandbox to swing around in. Insomniac’s biggest strength in these games, outside of the raw gameplay, is in making the Spider-Men and New York feel fully realized and fleshed out.
Spider-Man 2 is a blockbuster achievement. Insomniac managed to create a Spider-Man game that improves in gameplay, makes a lively New York that doesn’t feel stale after two other games set in the same place, and develops two Spider-Men into their own independent characters that I adore. However, despite some of its highest highs it also has disappointing lows, particularly with the villain side of the story. They just could not fully commit to fleshing out Kraven or taking the Venom story in a truly new direction. Unfortunately, they missed the big swings. Spider-Man 2 has all the makings of a true masterpiece but stops frustratingly short. It is a truly great game and deserves to be considered among some of the best games on the PS5 system, but it does not quite hit the level of masterpiece that I was hoping it could.
Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 is an achievement in blockbuster gaming that doesn’t quite break out of the norm, stopping short of becoming something truly special, unique, and worthy of a masterpiece status. It improves on the first two iterations of this franchise in almost every way from smoother and snappier combat, to better boss battles and set pieces, to a greater and livelier map, and truly great characters in Peter Parker and Miles Morales. However, its villains and overall story stumbles as it tries to find a unique identity separate from other iterations of the Venom storyline but ends up repeating similar themes and beats. It is a game with some of the highest highs of the franchise thus far, yet some of the most disappointing lows largely created by the risks Insomniac did not take.
Spider-Man 2 feels better than ever. Being Spider-Man in a larger New York feels better than ever. Swinging around still feels amazing. The stand-out for mobility was the wingsuit. By the time you unlock all of the traversal upgrades, you can realistically fly from one side of the map to the other without ever thwipping a web or hitting the ground. It gave an extra dynamic to traversal and even ended up becoming my default method of travel for the majority of the game. Combat also still feels as incredible as ever, if a bit faster and snappier thanks to the removal of selection wheels for gadgets which always slowed the pace down. The main gripe I would have with combat is that, until you receive the symbiote powers, Peter and Miles are too similar in combat style. Both are fast, acrobatic, great at aerial combat, and have the same gadgets. While their abilities are unique, many of them have largely similar purposes from single-target attacks to aoe attacks which throw enemies upward, to electrical attacks. The symbiote solves this problem as Peter’s abilities become more weighty, slow, and powerful but this does not occur until a dozen or so hours into the experience.
There were other highs as well. Playing as Venom was a huge surprise for me. I did not expect a game that already had two Spider-Men would also throw in a playable Venom segment, and a fairly beefy one at that with a final bout against Kraven that stands as one of the greatest sequences in all of superhero games. One of my favorite childhood games was Ultimate Spider-Man on the PS2 in which Venom was playable for half of the game and this sequence brought me right back to that time and those feelings I had as a kid charging forward as a hulking Venom. It was thrilling. All of the boss battles were much improved from the first two iterations. They felt grander and more involved. Real thought and care was put into how each phase would play and segment into one another. The Spider-Bots were also a great addition. While I prefer the backpacks from the first game, I did appreciate every time I picked one up and saw what design or reference it had to Spider-Man lore and pop-culture. A nice little treat to pick up as you swing (or glide) around New York that also had a very fun conclusion to tie into the Spiderverse films. My greatest frustration with this game comes in its story, specifically with how it handles its main villains.
I understand that there are certain tropes and beats that Spider-Man stories are intrinsically tied to, especially when it pertains to the legendary symbiote black suit. Perhaps it was unfair of me to expect anything else. But, I can’t help but feel Insomniac missed a major chance to take a big swing and really make this specific story their own. Going into Spider-Man 2, we knew the black suit was coming, that Kraven would play a major role, that Venom was coming, and had a very good idea of who Venom was due to the trailers. However, by the time the real depths of Peter’s descent into the symbiote became apparent, I was starting to convince myself that Insomniac was going to take a route not seen since very specific other-worlds comic stories. A route that the general audience had never seen before. A path that would create a new Venom, with Peter Parker as the host.
This is both a credit to great writing and the performance of Yuri Lowenthal as a corrupted and furious Peter Parker. It is also an example of the risks I was really hoping Insomniac would take. I was completely engrossed in Peter’s fall into the symbiote and his consumption of its power. It was so compelling that I began to truly think that Peter might be completely taken over. What an incredibly different and fresh take on the symbiote story would that be? The main star, the main hero of the story, Peter Parker, Spider-Man, consumed by anger and the power of the symbiote, becoming Venom and having to be saved by MJ, Harry, and Miles. The battle between Miles and Peter, while partially deflating as I realized this would be the last time we saw Peter fully engrossed in the black suit, was still an emotionally charged and amazing moment. Seeing Peter turn into something akin to a horror movie villain created a real sense of fear and anxiety as I played. These moments were extremely effective and I give Insomniac all the credit for them. I just wish they continued to commit to them.
By the time Harry Osborn takes over and becomes Venom, I realized we had re-entered the predictable Spider-Man story path. Sure, it is different that it was Harry this time instead of Eddie Brock or Flash Gordon. Sure, it is different that it kept him alive and so there was a compelling reason for him to desire it back so badly. Yet, the main themes are still the same as we have seen before. Peter gets the black suit, becomes angry and corrupted, gets the black suit off of him, it goes to someone else who resents him to some capacity, and now it’s time to fight Venom. It doesn’t help that Harry’s descent into Venom is so fast. We see him use the symbiote powers earlier in the game without much effect on his personality. When Peter gets it, he slowly descends into anger and resentment before the suit begins truly taking over. For Harry, once the suit returns to him, he just immediately turns into Venom. It’s a bit jarring and feels like a forced transformation so that Venom could appear and be the threat for the last quarter of the game.
Kraven was undeveloped. I like his motivation. He wants to find his “Last Hunt.” He has conquered every beast he has chosen to be his prey, comes to New York for new prey in the form of Spider-Man’s supervillains and, eventually, Spider-Man himself, looking for an equal who can kill him in a hunter’s glory rather than on a hospital bed. The main problem here is that we don’t get as much time to see Kraven struggle with his illness. This story is clearly inspired heavily by the incredible comic storyline Kraven’s Last Hunt. In that comic, we see a lot of Kraven. We follow him, learn his motivations, learn how he thinks, and see him accomplish goals. We spend time with him to understand him so that by the time the story is resolved, we understand exactly why he acted the way he did and the impact of the final scenes are incredibly strong. Spider-Man 2 didn’t need to replicate the story one-to-one, but by the time Kraven is removed from the story by Venom, I don’t feel like I truly understood him. He seemed just like another psychotic supervillain rather than the complex character I appreciate him for in that story. The way the Kraven and Venom storylines eventually played out are examples as to why I think Insomniac hasn’t reached a game that hits the high peaks that I know they can achieve.
I understand I sound incredibly negative so far. That comes entirely out of frustration as I see the insane potential. A big part of the story that I do believe Insomniac absolutely crushed and showed their ability to create charming and inspirational stories was in the relationship between Peter and Miles and the growth of Miles as a character. It is hard enough to create compelling character development with such a storied character as Spider-Man, let alone having to do it with two! Peter and Miles are such distinct characters, have great chemistry as teacher-student Spider-Men, and develop so well that by the time Pete hangs up the spandex and lets Miles take over as protector of New York, I fully believe not only that this would happen but also that it would be okay and that Miles was ready. Additionally, all of the side stories were fleshed out and fantastic additions to the game which made New York feel like a live city with real people rather than just a big sandbox to swing around in. Insomniac’s biggest strength in these games, outside of the raw gameplay, is in making the Spider-Men and New York feel fully realized and fleshed out.
Spider-Man 2 is a blockbuster achievement. Insomniac managed to create a Spider-Man game that improves in gameplay, makes a lively New York that doesn’t feel stale after two other games set in the same place, and develops two Spider-Men into their own independent characters that I adore. However, despite some of its highest highs it also has disappointing lows, particularly with the villain side of the story. They just could not fully commit to fleshing out Kraven or taking the Venom story in a truly new direction. Unfortunately, they missed the big swings. Spider-Man 2 has all the makings of a true masterpiece but stops frustratingly short. It is a truly great game and deserves to be considered among some of the best games on the PS5 system, but it does not quite hit the level of masterpiece that I was hoping it could.
2014
This review contains spoilers
Countless hours have been poured into this game throughout my lifetime. Whether that be completing the campaign, running around with friends in co-op, finding secrets and attempting silly glitches, challenging the higher difficulties, or having a blast in multiplayer, every minute in Halo 2 is a thrill-ride that never gets old.
The story is a major step-up from Halo: CE. The Covenant are given half of the game to be characterized, given depth, and a character to become attached to in the Arbiter. Meanwhile, Master Chief, Cortana, and Sarge are taken from vessels for the player to experience the story through and turned into real characters in this world.
Combat introduces some new tricks and generally improves upon the original while still maintaining a balance between arcade and military shooting. The levels are much easier to navigate then in CE but also share the problem of many zones being repeated as you make your way toward the next section of each level. What makes up for this admittedly mediocre level design are set pieces that, at the time and still today, leave me in awe. When revamped and restyled with the Anniversary Remaster, that awe becomes amplified. The production value on the cutscenes alone are excellent enough to be their own feature length film.
Halo 2 has so many moments that will forever remain among fondest gaming memories. Giving the Covenant back their bomb, the Scarab, Gravemind, and so many others. Halo 2 is one of the few games that I can return too, not matter how old I get, and still re-experience the exact same emotions that I did back when I first played as a kid.
The story is a major step-up from Halo: CE. The Covenant are given half of the game to be characterized, given depth, and a character to become attached to in the Arbiter. Meanwhile, Master Chief, Cortana, and Sarge are taken from vessels for the player to experience the story through and turned into real characters in this world.
Combat introduces some new tricks and generally improves upon the original while still maintaining a balance between arcade and military shooting. The levels are much easier to navigate then in CE but also share the problem of many zones being repeated as you make your way toward the next section of each level. What makes up for this admittedly mediocre level design are set pieces that, at the time and still today, leave me in awe. When revamped and restyled with the Anniversary Remaster, that awe becomes amplified. The production value on the cutscenes alone are excellent enough to be their own feature length film.
Halo 2 has so many moments that will forever remain among fondest gaming memories. Giving the Covenant back their bomb, the Scarab, Gravemind, and so many others. Halo 2 is one of the few games that I can return too, not matter how old I get, and still re-experience the exact same emotions that I did back when I first played as a kid.
FromSoftware, more than any other video game developer in the modern age, has influenced how I approach video games as a medium. I first played it back in college. My best friend had come over and we decided we would take turns playing this game that was notoriously difficult. He was already experienced with FromSoftware games while I was a complete newbie. I had seen Dark Souls before, but never committed to playing it. We decided that I would be primarily making decisions on our build and direction and agreed to swap control after every death. We popped the game in, got comfortable, and I began playing. Little did I know that this game would change how I interacted with my favorite medium forever.
I wasn’t sure what to expect. I knew at this point that Dark Souls was infamous for its difficulty and I worried if I would enjoy such an experience. I mean, I had experienced annoying, tedious, or challenging parts of games before but never an entire game built around the idea of extreme difficulty. As expected, I died. A lot. Small mistakes, poor build choices, and general stubbornness were my undoing and I could feel the frustration settle in. But, as the game went on and as I saw how my friend was tackling each encounter and area, I decided to try and adapt. I began analyzing enemy movesets, played more defensive, picking and choosing when to strike with my blade and when to back up and see what the enemy had up their sleeve. I could physically feel myself getting better. By the time we reached Anor Londo, I was feeling fairly confident. Then, Ornstein & Smough happened…
My build was terrible. Probably the worst build I have ever created in any RPG before or since. I honestly half respect and half loathe my friend for allowing it to happen. It was a jack-of-all trades mixed bag as I tried to experiment with every little mechanic from sorceries to miracles to dexterity and strength weapons. By the time we reached Anor Londo, the build began to lose steam and you could feel it. When we finally reached the notorious duo of Ornstein & Smough, we were pretty weak. They tore us a new one. We spent hours trying to take them down, slamming our heads against a wall that would not budge. The sun began to set on the weekend and my friend went home, the fight unfinished. I could feel it. The frustration, the feeling of unfinished business, the looming reminder that I could not defeat the foe ahead of me. I woke up the next morning, went to my first college class of the day and proceeded with my normal daily routine. But, all I could think about was that fight.
When I got home I threw my bag down, grabbed a soda, and began going at it once more. It took almost all night. I failed. And failed again. And failed some more. But, I could feel incremental changes for each failure. A dodge here that could be timed earlier, an attack opening there. Finally, it all clicked. I kept the two in my line of sight, ensuring neither would get the drop on me. I kept them separated as much as possible, using the pillars in the environment to my advantage. I chipped away at Ornstein’s health bit by bit, dodging what attacks I could while conserving stamina. With enough time and careful use of Estus to heal in between their onslaught of attacks, Ornstein went down. Phase two began. It all came down to this. After another ballet of avoiding Smough’s most powerful attacks and his deadly yet awkward hammer shovel and scoop, he finally went down. I had done it! That massive wall that had blocked our progress for hours finally showed some cracks and I exploited them. I had finally broken through the wall that was Ornstein & Smough! I was ecstatic and overjoyed. It was a rush of emotions, the first time in a video game when I felt truly triumphant. As if there was a giant Goliath in my way that I took down all by myself. It was a feeling unlike any other.
From that point onward, I kept chasing that feeling. Ornstein & Smough forced me to re-examine my character's build and recognize its flaws. It forced me to recognize the flaws in my own skill and become better. It taught me to persevere even when all seems lost. I was transformed from that point onwards. When my friend next came over, I showed him what I had accomplished and we moved onwards to beat the game. I was legitimately proud of this achievement and decided I needed to prove myself more. When he left my house on the day we finished the game I immediately turned it back on, created a new character, and ran through the game again. This time, I would be all alone. When I reached the dreaded Ornstein & Smough once more, I was scared. They had easily been the hardest boss I had ever faced and I had only made it through last time by the skin of my teeth. This would be the true test to see if all I had learned actually paid off, if I actually got better. I beat them on the first try. I had proven that I could get better. This victory proved that I took the hard lessons as truth, adjusted, and improved. All of the deaths, all of the failures, all of the mistakes were not hindrances to progress, they were building blocks.
Fast-forward 7 years later and I have now beaten all games FromSoftware has put out since Dark Souls and even went back to play Demon’s Souls. I’ve played through Dark Souls multiple times and have finally, at the time of this review, achieved the ultimate goal of attaining the Platinum trophy in Dark Souls: Remastered. These games have become some of my favorites ever. After Dark Souls, I began always playing games on at least “Hard” difficulty if given the option. Part of this is to chase the high of accomplishment and achievement that Dark Souls gave me but also because I truly believe that the difficulty of Dark Souls is the reason why I learned so much about it. I only appreciate the mechanics, systems, level-design, and combat of Dark Souls as much as I do because FromSoftware forced me to engage in and learn all of these systems. You have to truly understand Dark Souls if you hope to complete it.
I only discovered how beautifully and expertly crafted this interconnected world was because they forced me to explore it. I only discovered how diverse and exciting building new characters could be because they give you so many different options to play around with. I only learned how to analyze an enemy attack pattern, find the correct times to heal, or even how to parry an attack because they forced you to learn if you hoped to defeat some of the game’s harder bosses. This isn’t even touching on the beautiful music, the crushing, oppressive atmosphere, and the deep lore that lies underneath it all. It is not a perfect game--there are sections of the game that are clearly unfinished such as Lost Izalith and its underdeveloped exploration where monsters are just copy/pasted in random areas all huddled together. There’s some jank involved with being an early game in the soulsborne catalog like no omni-directional rolling and some instances of the environment not behaving as you wish. The boss quality can vary from amazing to extremely poor. But, those flaws don’t matter in the long run. The main strength of Dark Souls is in its core mechanics, its amazing world design, and its intense atmosphere that still remains unrivaled.
Dark Souls holds a special place in my heart for being one of the most influential games of my lifetime. It completely changed how I view game mechanics, how I interact with games, and how I approach analyzing video games forever. Achieving the Platinum could be a tedious grind. Trying to get the Channeler’s Trident to drop is enough to make a man go insane. But, the achievement is worth it. It represents a recognition of what Dark Souls has done for me as a lifelong video game player and is a representation of my love and respect for this legendary game. It may not be perfect, it is not even FromSoftware’s best Dark Souls game let alone their best “soulsborne” game as the genre came to be called. But, for my personal gaming history, it is definitively their most important and it is an experience that will stick with me forever.
I wasn’t sure what to expect. I knew at this point that Dark Souls was infamous for its difficulty and I worried if I would enjoy such an experience. I mean, I had experienced annoying, tedious, or challenging parts of games before but never an entire game built around the idea of extreme difficulty. As expected, I died. A lot. Small mistakes, poor build choices, and general stubbornness were my undoing and I could feel the frustration settle in. But, as the game went on and as I saw how my friend was tackling each encounter and area, I decided to try and adapt. I began analyzing enemy movesets, played more defensive, picking and choosing when to strike with my blade and when to back up and see what the enemy had up their sleeve. I could physically feel myself getting better. By the time we reached Anor Londo, I was feeling fairly confident. Then, Ornstein & Smough happened…
My build was terrible. Probably the worst build I have ever created in any RPG before or since. I honestly half respect and half loathe my friend for allowing it to happen. It was a jack-of-all trades mixed bag as I tried to experiment with every little mechanic from sorceries to miracles to dexterity and strength weapons. By the time we reached Anor Londo, the build began to lose steam and you could feel it. When we finally reached the notorious duo of Ornstein & Smough, we were pretty weak. They tore us a new one. We spent hours trying to take them down, slamming our heads against a wall that would not budge. The sun began to set on the weekend and my friend went home, the fight unfinished. I could feel it. The frustration, the feeling of unfinished business, the looming reminder that I could not defeat the foe ahead of me. I woke up the next morning, went to my first college class of the day and proceeded with my normal daily routine. But, all I could think about was that fight.
When I got home I threw my bag down, grabbed a soda, and began going at it once more. It took almost all night. I failed. And failed again. And failed some more. But, I could feel incremental changes for each failure. A dodge here that could be timed earlier, an attack opening there. Finally, it all clicked. I kept the two in my line of sight, ensuring neither would get the drop on me. I kept them separated as much as possible, using the pillars in the environment to my advantage. I chipped away at Ornstein’s health bit by bit, dodging what attacks I could while conserving stamina. With enough time and careful use of Estus to heal in between their onslaught of attacks, Ornstein went down. Phase two began. It all came down to this. After another ballet of avoiding Smough’s most powerful attacks and his deadly yet awkward hammer shovel and scoop, he finally went down. I had done it! That massive wall that had blocked our progress for hours finally showed some cracks and I exploited them. I had finally broken through the wall that was Ornstein & Smough! I was ecstatic and overjoyed. It was a rush of emotions, the first time in a video game when I felt truly triumphant. As if there was a giant Goliath in my way that I took down all by myself. It was a feeling unlike any other.
From that point onward, I kept chasing that feeling. Ornstein & Smough forced me to re-examine my character's build and recognize its flaws. It forced me to recognize the flaws in my own skill and become better. It taught me to persevere even when all seems lost. I was transformed from that point onwards. When my friend next came over, I showed him what I had accomplished and we moved onwards to beat the game. I was legitimately proud of this achievement and decided I needed to prove myself more. When he left my house on the day we finished the game I immediately turned it back on, created a new character, and ran through the game again. This time, I would be all alone. When I reached the dreaded Ornstein & Smough once more, I was scared. They had easily been the hardest boss I had ever faced and I had only made it through last time by the skin of my teeth. This would be the true test to see if all I had learned actually paid off, if I actually got better. I beat them on the first try. I had proven that I could get better. This victory proved that I took the hard lessons as truth, adjusted, and improved. All of the deaths, all of the failures, all of the mistakes were not hindrances to progress, they were building blocks.
Fast-forward 7 years later and I have now beaten all games FromSoftware has put out since Dark Souls and even went back to play Demon’s Souls. I’ve played through Dark Souls multiple times and have finally, at the time of this review, achieved the ultimate goal of attaining the Platinum trophy in Dark Souls: Remastered. These games have become some of my favorites ever. After Dark Souls, I began always playing games on at least “Hard” difficulty if given the option. Part of this is to chase the high of accomplishment and achievement that Dark Souls gave me but also because I truly believe that the difficulty of Dark Souls is the reason why I learned so much about it. I only appreciate the mechanics, systems, level-design, and combat of Dark Souls as much as I do because FromSoftware forced me to engage in and learn all of these systems. You have to truly understand Dark Souls if you hope to complete it.
I only discovered how beautifully and expertly crafted this interconnected world was because they forced me to explore it. I only discovered how diverse and exciting building new characters could be because they give you so many different options to play around with. I only learned how to analyze an enemy attack pattern, find the correct times to heal, or even how to parry an attack because they forced you to learn if you hoped to defeat some of the game’s harder bosses. This isn’t even touching on the beautiful music, the crushing, oppressive atmosphere, and the deep lore that lies underneath it all. It is not a perfect game--there are sections of the game that are clearly unfinished such as Lost Izalith and its underdeveloped exploration where monsters are just copy/pasted in random areas all huddled together. There’s some jank involved with being an early game in the soulsborne catalog like no omni-directional rolling and some instances of the environment not behaving as you wish. The boss quality can vary from amazing to extremely poor. But, those flaws don’t matter in the long run. The main strength of Dark Souls is in its core mechanics, its amazing world design, and its intense atmosphere that still remains unrivaled.
Dark Souls holds a special place in my heart for being one of the most influential games of my lifetime. It completely changed how I view game mechanics, how I interact with games, and how I approach analyzing video games forever. Achieving the Platinum could be a tedious grind. Trying to get the Channeler’s Trident to drop is enough to make a man go insane. But, the achievement is worth it. It represents a recognition of what Dark Souls has done for me as a lifelong video game player and is a representation of my love and respect for this legendary game. It may not be perfect, it is not even FromSoftware’s best Dark Souls game let alone their best “soulsborne” game as the genre came to be called. But, for my personal gaming history, it is definitively their most important and it is an experience that will stick with me forever.
2010
This review contains spoilers
Playtime: ~46 hours
I'm very conflicted with this game. JRPGs take a lot out of you. They are massive time sinks that require you to fall in love with the world, characters, and story in order to drive you forward while having at least serviceable systems in place that keep you engaged in the hours upon hours of gameplay you will undertake. Moment-to-moment actions can often drag but there should be enough there to keep you invested in what you're doing. Xenoblade Chronicles fulfills some of these criteria for a solid JRPG experience for my tastes while also crashing in other areas that make the full experience feel ambitious but underdeveloped.
The greatest strength comes in the world, characters, and story. The only reason I was able to push through my issues with the moment-to-moment gameplay was because I found these elements so compelling. The characters range anywhere between lovable goof-balls like Reyn, cute fur balls like Riki, compelling and dynamic support characters like Fiora, the stoic badass veteran in Dunban, and of course the complex role of the main character Shulk. Each character has a distinct personality and charm to them that rarely gets old. The story takes place on these two massive Titans called the Bionis and the Mechonis (words you will hear constantly throughout the story as if to remind you after the 100th time). The idea of the entire population of the world residing on these two dormant colossi who were once engulfed in a massive battle but who now rest while their inhabitants war against each other is such an interesting concept. As the story unfolds and you continue to learn the secrets of the world and the true history behind the titan's origins and their conflict, the lore and appreciation you feel for the world you are exploring is amplified.
The writing overall is spectacular as well. As mentioned before the main party characters are well-written but even the supporting and side characters are so interestingly portrayed. Characters like Dickson, Alvis, and others are written in such a masterful way which portrays them as always having something more to them. They constantly drop these hints that they know more or are planning more than they let on and each time this happens the resolution to these questions and suspicions you accrue as the player are actually paid off in interesting and fantastic ways. The ending to the story as a whole gets bonkers as well as most JRPGs do with world and galaxy level implications and a plot that has themes surrounding fate, destiny, and godhood. These are the most compelling elements of Xenoblade Chronicles and, though I didn't love the game as a whole, I appreciated getting to the end.
Combat itself isn't my favorite thing in the world. It's not awful by any means. It essentially plays like an MMORPG. Your character auto-attacks as you select different abilities to supplement these auto-attacks which you rotate through as they cooldown. The game also has an interesting way of handling aggro with enemies and your position in relation to the enemy as you will need to place you characters in certain spots for some of your abilities to become more effective. The combat can become a bit redundant and place you on auto-pilot, and additionally I feel strongly that Shulk's move set in particular could have used some extra variety. But overall, it's fun and fast paced when it needs to be.
The main issues I have with this game is the rest of it. The side quests, the level design, the collectables. All of it feels, much like the combat, like an MMO. Except in this case it is an MMO in which the multiplayer component is non-existent. You are often dropped into these sprawling areas which go on for what seem like miles and have various different branching off paths. You often see gigantic enemies in the distance that beckon you to explore their territory or fill you with awe at their sight. There are occasional landmarks that look interesting and encourage you to head toward them. However, in the end there is nothing to do. Exploration is rarely rewarded with anything substantial, traversal takes too much time as there is no way to travel outside of walking. There are fast travel points you can unlock within each level but they serve more as checkpoints than anything else.
Side quests do not incentivize exploration of these ambitious sprawling worlds either. By the time you reach the mid-to-late game, most side quests reward only money which, by that point, you likely have an overabundance of. The only real worthwhile side quests to complete are ones which grant you EXP dumps and even then you may find it quicker to grind by just killing enemies which respawn every time you fast travel. This is not like The Witcher 3 or Skyrim where side quests are compelling enough to warrant completion simply to see what is happening or because there is a small story in there. Instead, to harken back to the MMO comparison, they are these tedious and boring missions that ask you to kill X amount of Y enemy or collect X amount of Y item. There is nothing interesting or compelling about it. It doesn't help that when you do decide to complete a side quest, like say to defeat some enemies, your party constantly screams battle quotes and victory quotes ad nauseam. It got to a point to where I simply blocked their voices out of my head which is kind of absurd.
Xenoblade Chronicles is a game I really wish I loved. It is a game that seems incredibly ambitious for a title originating on the Nintendo Wii. It is one which I fully understand why many felt a special connection to it. I adore the story, world, and characters and will remember them for a long time to come. But, I can't get over how repetitive, redundant, and empty a majority of your time is going to be spent. My advice is to pick this up on Switch, turn on Casual Mode, and just cruise through the main story, picking up some EXP dump side quests or grinding on high level enemies occasionally, simply so you can experience the wonder that is the world of Xenoblade Chronicles. Anything beyond that is just not substantial enough for a higher rating.
I'm very conflicted with this game. JRPGs take a lot out of you. They are massive time sinks that require you to fall in love with the world, characters, and story in order to drive you forward while having at least serviceable systems in place that keep you engaged in the hours upon hours of gameplay you will undertake. Moment-to-moment actions can often drag but there should be enough there to keep you invested in what you're doing. Xenoblade Chronicles fulfills some of these criteria for a solid JRPG experience for my tastes while also crashing in other areas that make the full experience feel ambitious but underdeveloped.
The greatest strength comes in the world, characters, and story. The only reason I was able to push through my issues with the moment-to-moment gameplay was because I found these elements so compelling. The characters range anywhere between lovable goof-balls like Reyn, cute fur balls like Riki, compelling and dynamic support characters like Fiora, the stoic badass veteran in Dunban, and of course the complex role of the main character Shulk. Each character has a distinct personality and charm to them that rarely gets old. The story takes place on these two massive Titans called the Bionis and the Mechonis (words you will hear constantly throughout the story as if to remind you after the 100th time). The idea of the entire population of the world residing on these two dormant colossi who were once engulfed in a massive battle but who now rest while their inhabitants war against each other is such an interesting concept. As the story unfolds and you continue to learn the secrets of the world and the true history behind the titan's origins and their conflict, the lore and appreciation you feel for the world you are exploring is amplified.
The writing overall is spectacular as well. As mentioned before the main party characters are well-written but even the supporting and side characters are so interestingly portrayed. Characters like Dickson, Alvis, and others are written in such a masterful way which portrays them as always having something more to them. They constantly drop these hints that they know more or are planning more than they let on and each time this happens the resolution to these questions and suspicions you accrue as the player are actually paid off in interesting and fantastic ways. The ending to the story as a whole gets bonkers as well as most JRPGs do with world and galaxy level implications and a plot that has themes surrounding fate, destiny, and godhood. These are the most compelling elements of Xenoblade Chronicles and, though I didn't love the game as a whole, I appreciated getting to the end.
Combat itself isn't my favorite thing in the world. It's not awful by any means. It essentially plays like an MMORPG. Your character auto-attacks as you select different abilities to supplement these auto-attacks which you rotate through as they cooldown. The game also has an interesting way of handling aggro with enemies and your position in relation to the enemy as you will need to place you characters in certain spots for some of your abilities to become more effective. The combat can become a bit redundant and place you on auto-pilot, and additionally I feel strongly that Shulk's move set in particular could have used some extra variety. But overall, it's fun and fast paced when it needs to be.
The main issues I have with this game is the rest of it. The side quests, the level design, the collectables. All of it feels, much like the combat, like an MMO. Except in this case it is an MMO in which the multiplayer component is non-existent. You are often dropped into these sprawling areas which go on for what seem like miles and have various different branching off paths. You often see gigantic enemies in the distance that beckon you to explore their territory or fill you with awe at their sight. There are occasional landmarks that look interesting and encourage you to head toward them. However, in the end there is nothing to do. Exploration is rarely rewarded with anything substantial, traversal takes too much time as there is no way to travel outside of walking. There are fast travel points you can unlock within each level but they serve more as checkpoints than anything else.
Side quests do not incentivize exploration of these ambitious sprawling worlds either. By the time you reach the mid-to-late game, most side quests reward only money which, by that point, you likely have an overabundance of. The only real worthwhile side quests to complete are ones which grant you EXP dumps and even then you may find it quicker to grind by just killing enemies which respawn every time you fast travel. This is not like The Witcher 3 or Skyrim where side quests are compelling enough to warrant completion simply to see what is happening or because there is a small story in there. Instead, to harken back to the MMO comparison, they are these tedious and boring missions that ask you to kill X amount of Y enemy or collect X amount of Y item. There is nothing interesting or compelling about it. It doesn't help that when you do decide to complete a side quest, like say to defeat some enemies, your party constantly screams battle quotes and victory quotes ad nauseam. It got to a point to where I simply blocked their voices out of my head which is kind of absurd.
Xenoblade Chronicles is a game I really wish I loved. It is a game that seems incredibly ambitious for a title originating on the Nintendo Wii. It is one which I fully understand why many felt a special connection to it. I adore the story, world, and characters and will remember them for a long time to come. But, I can't get over how repetitive, redundant, and empty a majority of your time is going to be spent. My advice is to pick this up on Switch, turn on Casual Mode, and just cruise through the main story, picking up some EXP dump side quests or grinding on high level enemies occasionally, simply so you can experience the wonder that is the world of Xenoblade Chronicles. Anything beyond that is just not substantial enough for a higher rating.
2019
Outer Wilds Review
(Spoiler Free)
We live in a busy, fast-paced world. It can seem like everyone is moving at break-neck pace rushing from place-to-place, thing-to-thing, without a second thought. Our world has conditioned us to live in this manner. There is always something more to do, something on the horizon you're trying to get to. When you do take a second to look around and breathe, life can sometimes throw you curve balls and slap unexpected things down on your lap: a sudden illness, car break downs, refrigerator going out. It's in a busy world such as this that the meaning of life and those who you live with, the meaning of your experiences, the purpose of your being, can often be forgotten or set aside for the sake of "the next thing to get done." It's an exhausting existence at times.
Sometimes a piece of art comes along and changes your perspective. It can make you rethink your past experience and actions. It can ask you, in the way only a piece of art can, to reexamine what really matters.
A week after finishing, The Outer Wilds is still challenging me to rethink my day-to-day life. It's not just the music, or the incredible planetary vistas, or the charming--albeit brief--moments with characters, it's the core of what The Outer Wilds is as an experience that makes it so special and powerful. It's an experience that asks the player to slow down, to think, to examine, to ponder. It asks players to return to places tread before in search of something new. It asks players to discover at their own pace, come to their own conclusions, and think about the universe and their existence in it in their own way.
The game on the surface is very simple. It's just you, your spaceship, and the universe around you, now go out and see what is there. There is no combat, no complex RPG mechanics and systems, no resource management outside of watching your Oxygen and Jet Fuel meters. It's a game that wants you to think about and engage with its world and the story therein. It wants you to spend time in its world and it's story rather than in its menus.
This philosophy allows for the experience to center completely around you and how you engage with the universe. That, really, is the point of The Outer Wilds. It is hard to describe the feeling and thoughts I began to experience in the closing hours of this game without revealing details. What I can say is that I walked away from the game not only appreciating the game for the excellent experience that it was, but also appreciating everything and everyone around me and my role in this universe. I'm still grappling with the final moments of this game. But, as I sat there, back on the title screen after all of the credits and end-game sequences wrapped up, I realized that all of this business, all of this moving from place to place without ever taking a second to appreciate what I was doing, was a ridiculous way to live.
The universe can often be described as cold, uncaring, existing regardless of us. The scale and scope of the universe can often be used to make our existence seem small and unimportant. Maybe it is in that grand scheme. Maybe our existence on his planet won't have any affect on the universe long-term. But, that doesn't mean it is all meaningless or pointless. What I do matters to me. Who I choose to live my life with or who I choose to care about matters to them. What I decide to do here, right now, will have some effect, no matter how small, on those who walk behind me. Who cares if the universe as a whole won't remember me. The people I care about will, and I will remember them. I should appreciate and spend as much time with those people as possible. Once they're gone, all I will have is memories, so why shouldn't I try to make as many of those as I can? I think we all can learn a lesson from The Outer Wilds. That, despite our fast-paced world, despite the grand scale of the universe and our smallness within it, we do matter and the people we care about matter. And it's important to take a second, or two, to slow down and appreciate those who we care about, appreciate what we do. We are all we have, and maybe, that's all we really need.
(Spoiler Free)
We live in a busy, fast-paced world. It can seem like everyone is moving at break-neck pace rushing from place-to-place, thing-to-thing, without a second thought. Our world has conditioned us to live in this manner. There is always something more to do, something on the horizon you're trying to get to. When you do take a second to look around and breathe, life can sometimes throw you curve balls and slap unexpected things down on your lap: a sudden illness, car break downs, refrigerator going out. It's in a busy world such as this that the meaning of life and those who you live with, the meaning of your experiences, the purpose of your being, can often be forgotten or set aside for the sake of "the next thing to get done." It's an exhausting existence at times.
Sometimes a piece of art comes along and changes your perspective. It can make you rethink your past experience and actions. It can ask you, in the way only a piece of art can, to reexamine what really matters.
A week after finishing, The Outer Wilds is still challenging me to rethink my day-to-day life. It's not just the music, or the incredible planetary vistas, or the charming--albeit brief--moments with characters, it's the core of what The Outer Wilds is as an experience that makes it so special and powerful. It's an experience that asks the player to slow down, to think, to examine, to ponder. It asks players to return to places tread before in search of something new. It asks players to discover at their own pace, come to their own conclusions, and think about the universe and their existence in it in their own way.
The game on the surface is very simple. It's just you, your spaceship, and the universe around you, now go out and see what is there. There is no combat, no complex RPG mechanics and systems, no resource management outside of watching your Oxygen and Jet Fuel meters. It's a game that wants you to think about and engage with its world and the story therein. It wants you to spend time in its world and it's story rather than in its menus.
This philosophy allows for the experience to center completely around you and how you engage with the universe. That, really, is the point of The Outer Wilds. It is hard to describe the feeling and thoughts I began to experience in the closing hours of this game without revealing details. What I can say is that I walked away from the game not only appreciating the game for the excellent experience that it was, but also appreciating everything and everyone around me and my role in this universe. I'm still grappling with the final moments of this game. But, as I sat there, back on the title screen after all of the credits and end-game sequences wrapped up, I realized that all of this business, all of this moving from place to place without ever taking a second to appreciate what I was doing, was a ridiculous way to live.
The universe can often be described as cold, uncaring, existing regardless of us. The scale and scope of the universe can often be used to make our existence seem small and unimportant. Maybe it is in that grand scheme. Maybe our existence on his planet won't have any affect on the universe long-term. But, that doesn't mean it is all meaningless or pointless. What I do matters to me. Who I choose to live my life with or who I choose to care about matters to them. What I decide to do here, right now, will have some effect, no matter how small, on those who walk behind me. Who cares if the universe as a whole won't remember me. The people I care about will, and I will remember them. I should appreciate and spend as much time with those people as possible. Once they're gone, all I will have is memories, so why shouldn't I try to make as many of those as I can? I think we all can learn a lesson from The Outer Wilds. That, despite our fast-paced world, despite the grand scale of the universe and our smallness within it, we do matter and the people we care about matter. And it's important to take a second, or two, to slow down and appreciate those who we care about, appreciate what we do. We are all we have, and maybe, that's all we really need.
2023
Lies of P is very close to rivaling that of FromSoftware’s own titles but comes up a bit short. The combat is done to near perfection. It is often compared to Bloodborne or Sekiro, but I think it also adds a bit of classic Dark Souls spice into its mixture as well. Parrying is extremely satisfying and highly rewarding if executed properly much like how it feels in Sekiro. Dodging is a mixture of quick-steps which can turn into rolls that evokes Bloodborne. But the way certain bosses and enemies are designed also encourages a bit of that “turtle shell” gameplay many find themselves in with Dark Souls, slowly poking and prodding your enemy as you patiently watch and analyze their attacks from afar before going in when the time is right. If you put this game in my hands and told me nothing about it, within the first couple of hours I would be convinced this was just a new FromSoftware game I had never heard of before, and that’s probably the biggest compliment I can give it. However, the deeper you get into your adventure in the unique, puppet-filled world of Krat, the more cracks begin to appear.
The world of Lies of P is unique and beautiful. The music, locales, graphical fidelity, art direction, and character designs all create a world truly unique not only in the souls-like genre but in gaming as a whole. It evokes late 1800s to early 1900s Europe in a way not many other games do. Splash in some jittery creepy puppets, zombified humans, and an odd monster here and there and you’ve got a world in Krat that is truly one to remember. At the Grand Hotel, the central hub of the game, there is even a record player in which you can listen to various songs that you find throughout your adventure, all of which are a feast for the ears and takes that extra step to make this world feel truly real. Sure, most of it is dead, but you can tell what it used to be, you can imagine how it used to look with bright lights, bustling streets, and grand ideas. The dreary yet gorgeous world of Krat elevates Lies of P in ways that can’t be understated and helps separate it from a crowd of souls-likes that is ever growing and ever blurring together.
An essential part of any game emulating a soul-like formula is in choosing your build. How you choose to spend your experience, what stats you choose to increase, what weapons you choose to use and upgrade, they are very important choices. A lot of times you will end up needing to make a definitive decision one way or the other due to scarcity of resources. You are only afforded a certain amount of upgrade materials and so making the most of them tends to be key. Lies of P is a mixed bag in regards to builds and RPG mechanics. On the one hand, I think the weapon system is absolutely brilliant. Being able to take almost any weapon and break it into two pieces, the blade and the handle, was genius. Being able to customize almost any weapon you want in this way allows for unique thought processes and build considerations. Do you want a weapon that has a long reach? Do you want one with your preferred favorite weapon ability? Do you want one that is lighter? Have you considered scaling? All of these things and more really put you in control of your build and allow for diversity which is always a plus. However, the rest of the customization options are lackluster. Armor is just a slow progression of finding better things to replace your worse pieces with. Sometimes one piece may resist a certain element more than another, sometimes you will need to consider slashing versus piercing damage, but by and large these considerations are secondary. The armor system could use some expanding and more customizability.
The weakest portion of the game and the reason why it still stands out as a tier below FromSoftware proper, is in its level design. Outside of the last handful of hours, exploring the world of Krat is generally streamlined and quick. Each level can be summed up as a fairly straight line with some branching paths here and there that never go too far off the golden path and are never too hard to find. If you put any effort into exploring whatsoever, you are bound to find almost every secret, optional area, and unlock every shortcut without too much thought. This is where FromSoftware separates itself from the rest. Part of the magic of FromSoftware titles is in how each area of the world feels connected. Shortcuts are so magical in these games because they aren’t just a faster way to get back where you were, they also serve to connect one part of the world to the other. To make the levels one coherent entity rather than multiple separate parts connected by a hallway. Lies of P fails at capturing this magic. By the time you reach the final area, you will have gotten used to the general structure of how levels are designed. I stopped thinking, “hmmm how do I get there?” and started thinking, “Oh, I guess I’ll make it there later.” Some might prefer this more streamlined, almost railroad approach to level design, but I personally find it lacking and is the key reason why Lies of P doesn’t quite hit at the same weight class as FromSoftware.
Lies of P is the first game since Nioh and Nioh 2 which actually challenges FromSoftware in their own arena. It goes toe-to-toe with the best FromSoftware has to offer and holds its own fairly well. It has a unique identity, world, and vibe which is hard to find in other games, especially of this genre. Its combat is right up there with the polish that the best the genre has to offer. However, there is just a sort of secret magic missing from it that keeps it from fully cementing itself on the same level. While combat, world design, art direction, music, and weapon builds all elevate Lies of P, its lack of armor and streamlined, simplistic level design keep it from reaching truly enormous heights. The potential for improvement is there and with DLC coming soon and almost certainly a sequel coming later down the pipeline, I could see Studio 8 really patching things up and nailing it. For now, Lies of P deserves a spot in the conversation as a challenger to the greatness that FromSoftware is known for and should be played by any and all players who are as addicted to this genre of game.
The world of Lies of P is unique and beautiful. The music, locales, graphical fidelity, art direction, and character designs all create a world truly unique not only in the souls-like genre but in gaming as a whole. It evokes late 1800s to early 1900s Europe in a way not many other games do. Splash in some jittery creepy puppets, zombified humans, and an odd monster here and there and you’ve got a world in Krat that is truly one to remember. At the Grand Hotel, the central hub of the game, there is even a record player in which you can listen to various songs that you find throughout your adventure, all of which are a feast for the ears and takes that extra step to make this world feel truly real. Sure, most of it is dead, but you can tell what it used to be, you can imagine how it used to look with bright lights, bustling streets, and grand ideas. The dreary yet gorgeous world of Krat elevates Lies of P in ways that can’t be understated and helps separate it from a crowd of souls-likes that is ever growing and ever blurring together.
An essential part of any game emulating a soul-like formula is in choosing your build. How you choose to spend your experience, what stats you choose to increase, what weapons you choose to use and upgrade, they are very important choices. A lot of times you will end up needing to make a definitive decision one way or the other due to scarcity of resources. You are only afforded a certain amount of upgrade materials and so making the most of them tends to be key. Lies of P is a mixed bag in regards to builds and RPG mechanics. On the one hand, I think the weapon system is absolutely brilliant. Being able to take almost any weapon and break it into two pieces, the blade and the handle, was genius. Being able to customize almost any weapon you want in this way allows for unique thought processes and build considerations. Do you want a weapon that has a long reach? Do you want one with your preferred favorite weapon ability? Do you want one that is lighter? Have you considered scaling? All of these things and more really put you in control of your build and allow for diversity which is always a plus. However, the rest of the customization options are lackluster. Armor is just a slow progression of finding better things to replace your worse pieces with. Sometimes one piece may resist a certain element more than another, sometimes you will need to consider slashing versus piercing damage, but by and large these considerations are secondary. The armor system could use some expanding and more customizability.
The weakest portion of the game and the reason why it still stands out as a tier below FromSoftware proper, is in its level design. Outside of the last handful of hours, exploring the world of Krat is generally streamlined and quick. Each level can be summed up as a fairly straight line with some branching paths here and there that never go too far off the golden path and are never too hard to find. If you put any effort into exploring whatsoever, you are bound to find almost every secret, optional area, and unlock every shortcut without too much thought. This is where FromSoftware separates itself from the rest. Part of the magic of FromSoftware titles is in how each area of the world feels connected. Shortcuts are so magical in these games because they aren’t just a faster way to get back where you were, they also serve to connect one part of the world to the other. To make the levels one coherent entity rather than multiple separate parts connected by a hallway. Lies of P fails at capturing this magic. By the time you reach the final area, you will have gotten used to the general structure of how levels are designed. I stopped thinking, “hmmm how do I get there?” and started thinking, “Oh, I guess I’ll make it there later.” Some might prefer this more streamlined, almost railroad approach to level design, but I personally find it lacking and is the key reason why Lies of P doesn’t quite hit at the same weight class as FromSoftware.
Lies of P is the first game since Nioh and Nioh 2 which actually challenges FromSoftware in their own arena. It goes toe-to-toe with the best FromSoftware has to offer and holds its own fairly well. It has a unique identity, world, and vibe which is hard to find in other games, especially of this genre. Its combat is right up there with the polish that the best the genre has to offer. However, there is just a sort of secret magic missing from it that keeps it from fully cementing itself on the same level. While combat, world design, art direction, music, and weapon builds all elevate Lies of P, its lack of armor and streamlined, simplistic level design keep it from reaching truly enormous heights. The potential for improvement is there and with DLC coming soon and almost certainly a sequel coming later down the pipeline, I could see Studio 8 really patching things up and nailing it. For now, Lies of P deserves a spot in the conversation as a challenger to the greatness that FromSoftware is known for and should be played by any and all players who are as addicted to this genre of game.
2007
Halo 3 is like a thrilling action movie that is constantly in its climax. Once the campaign begins it doesn’t hold back. Lulls in the action are minimal, set pieces are plenty, and the action is constant. You would think this would get old after a while, but Halo 3 does not overstay its welcome. Clocking in at an average of 8 hours the time flies by. The story is admittedly pretty lackluster especially in comparison to Halo 2. Instead of setting up characters like the Arbiter, fleshing out the motivations of the Covenant, and establishing the lore of the Forerunners and Flood, Halo 3 opts to stick to its guns--literally. We just blast our way from one set piece to the next leaving any desire for lore or character development to take a backseat. Mechanically, it plays a lot like Halo 2 but improved. The new brute weapons, addition of the badass Spartan Laser, and the new equipment feature add to the already break-neck pace of firefights. The new vehicles were a blast to ride around in as well, especially my new personal favorite the brute Chopper. In the end, Halo 3 is a thrill-ride that leans into fast-paced action but sacrifices depth and greater narrative. It is a blast to play but lacks that extra push that could take it over the top and complete the package.